Even Grogon The Destroyer of Worlds, a Lich who existed when magic was young, a Lich whose lust for magical power made him lose his humanity, goes, "Geeze, those Nazi guys are really evil."
That's the thing, evil in the real world tries to sell itself as the good guys. It's obvious in fantasy.
That one lengthy GK Chesterton quote that frequently gets paraphrased down to, like: 'Fairy tales don't tell children that dragons exist; children already know dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be slain.'
One of the games I've wanted to make has been one where we're literally piecing Tiamat back together. And how we behave ends up affecting what she does when we're done.
Oh, you are preaching to the choir, brother. I studied American history with a focus on politics, so these days are especially bamboo-shoot-under-the-fingernails-y for me.
Give me a +1 dagger and Wand of Magic Missiles and point me toward the Tarrasque any day. At least that, I can see and fight.
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That's the thing, evil in the real world tries to sell itself as the good guys. It's obvious in fantasy.
The scariest "Evil wins" fantasy scenario I've ever seen remains the end of Wheel of Time, the 'world without empathy' scene.
If you haven't read it, I can't do it justice here. But it is VERY specifically what the worst people want.
Give me a +1 dagger and Wand of Magic Missiles and point me toward the Tarrasque any day. At least that, I can see and fight.
Also Van Zant.
Bluesky's gif selection is terrible. No Reign of Fire or Van Zant gifs