Re: (TFT) Daily Life...

["gem6868" <gem6868@verizon.net>]

Tolkein was writing mythical history, to replace the "lost / suppressed" 
Anglo-Saxon tales the Normans squashed as part of their takeover.   He 
didn't regard it as the equal of "history" as Barbara Tuchman writes, or a 
(respectable) university might present as a major.  However, your statement 
that you consider Tolkein = history makes it easier for me to comprehend 
some of your posts.

While I'm uncertain how different the authors considered their work from 
Tolkein, there is certainly a lot less "reality" felt when reading Vance / 
Leiber.  It is a bit difficult to characterize.  My take on the arc of 
Fantasy RPG design / development is that the early years were characterized 
by a lot more liberties (and an emphasis on "fantasy") while now there's a 
lot more effort expended to rationalize a world.  The difference might be 
seen in GURPS v. TFT.  Steve Jackson seems to have wanted to ground his 
system more in "reality as we know it", but that may only be b/c he intended 
GURPS from the beginning to be universal, and therefore you can role-play an 
historical supplement, a fantasy supplement, or one like "GURPS Greece" 
where you choose btw mythic Greece and historical Greece.  Having been away 
from TFT for a good solid 25+ years the style difference is much more 
noticeable to me, and that's part of what makes it so retro-fun. 
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