Unique and Underutilized Fantasy Settings; Where You At?

Most fantasy feels Tolkien-esque; in this podcast I'm exploring underutilized fantasy settings like the wild west, colonial periods and space.

Why Don’t We See More [fill-in-the-blank] Fantasy?

Even to this day, most fantasy feels Tolkien’esque. I love Tolkien’esque fantasy. However, I also love outliers that take place in unique or underutilized fantasy settings. This episode of the podcast throws out a couple examples of non-traditional fantasy worlds and wonders, “Why don’t we see more?”

Space Fantasy

Star Wars isn’t science fiction. Instead, I argue it’s a space fantasy and contains traditional sword and sorcery elements spun in a unique way. I also call out some of my favorite RPGs, past and present, as good examples of fantasies set in space.

Colonial Fantasy

Colonial fantasy – sword and sorcery meets black powder weaponry – is quickly becoming my favorite genre. Melee weapons, magic and guns exist in tense balance with each other. I throw out a couple favorites demonstrating this particular setting at its finest.

CORRECTION: Luc Besson had nothing to do with Brotherhood of the Wolf. I got this wrong in the podcast; it was directed by Christophe Gans.

Other Underutilized Fantasy Settings

In addition to space and colonial fantasy I call out a few other under-represented time periods. Would the wild west work? What about the stone age? I also wonder aloud why the Tolkien’esque world remains the go-to setting.

References

Phantasy Star IV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasy_Star_IV:_The_End_of_the_Millennium

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

https://www.gog.com/game/arcanum_of_steamworks_and_magick_obscura

A Promise of Blood, Book 1 in Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy

https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Blood-Powder-Mage-Trilogy/dp/0316219045

The Gunslinger Born, published by Marvel Comics

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Tower-Gunslinger-Peter-David/dp/0785121447/