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Main > Dungeons & Dragons: Adventure or Abomination? > Pages 7-8 Dungeons & Dragons: Adventure or Abomination?  Notes and corrections Page 7 "It's a fairly simple matter to come up with our own magic system - designs, rituals, fictitious myths - that would mean nothing, that would make the game 100% fantasy." - Sanchez is setting up the biggest straw man that he can manage, and accusing TSR of not letting him knock it down. Here are the main problems with his statements: First, the magic system in Dungeons & Dragons is already "100% fantasy." There are no real-world spells that permit people to cast fireballs, lightning bolts and magic missles, summon animals to do their bidding, purify food and water, control weather, or any of the other fantastic effects that can be found in the Player's Handbook. There are no spellcasting rituals detailed, and the myths are, by definition, things that don't exist in reality. This might explain why his report was discarded, since it was suggesting changes that were totally unnecessary. Second, changing the system to something else wouldn't make a difference to critics of RPGs, who consider any references to "magic" as "occultism" - even the magic found in Disney movies. Without a clear definition of "occult" and "occultism," it is all too easy to use those words to describe anything that someone feels is objectionable. |
