Line #81 Main/StandardFantasySetting


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7	The generic {{fantasy}} setting. HighFantasy, HeroicFantasy, and LowFantasy are usually set here, along with many {{Tabletop RPG}}s and {{Video Game}}s; however, this is not required. This is NewerThanTheyThink. The original seed of this trope was ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', although it only developed a cult following in TheSixties. ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', beginning in 1974, and ''[[Literature/TheSwordOfShannaraTrilogy The Sword of Shannara]]'', the 1977 first novel by Creator/TerryBrooks, acted as the {{Trope Codifier}}s, and shaped most of the modern expectations that hang around fantasy settings.
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9	Another TropeMaker is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris William Morris,]] who wrote many such works in the 1890s. Four were reprinted by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballantine_Adult_Fantasy_series Ballantine's Adult Fantasy Series]] from 1969-73. That series is another likely TropeMaker in itself.
10
11	''Literature/TheToughGuideToFantasyland'' by Creator/DianaWynneJones will tell you pretty much everything you would like to know about the place (minus a few {{dead horse\|Trope}}s and [[DeadUnicornTrope unicorns]]). If you can get your hands on a copy, Barbara Ninde Byfield's 1967 guide ''The Glass Harmonica'' (reprinted in 1973 and 1994 as ''Literature/TheBookOfWeird'') is informative and funny. For (roughly) antithesis of Standard Fantasy Setting-style fantasy see NewWeird, MagicRealism and MundaneFantastic. See also AirportNovel
12
13	Common ingredients include:
14
15	[[AC:Geography and Setting]]
16	* The world is usually [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy an European-style pseudo-Medieval setting]], with temeperate landscapes, architeture, and society loosely based on a generalized version of pre-modern Europe.
17	** Human societies usually include at least a few {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s, especially if they're based on [[CreatorProvincialism the author's own culture]]. Particularly common ones are pseudo-Viking raiders, pseudo-Mongol HordesFromTheEast, a decadent foreign empire that may resemble the Byzantines, Turks or Persians, and a "base" society broadly resembling late medieval Western Europe.
18	** Generally MedievalStasis; the general dividing line is that any technology that Creator/LeonardoDaVinci wouldn't have drawn renders the setting non-compliant, unless said technology is a [[LostTechnology relic of the past]]. Some kind of explicit FantasyGunControl may also be in play: you'd better learn how to use a bow, Mack, 'cause that gun's just gonna click.
19	** The SwordAndSandal subgenre thrives in a FantasyCounterpartCulture in the ancient world and -- just to make life confusing -- can [[DecadeDissonance cheerfully co-exist]] with other portions of the world having a pseudo-medieval setting. Similarly, technology is [[SchizoTech often all over the place]], with Iron, Bronze, and Stone-age weapons existing alongside actual Middle Age- and early Renaissance-era weapons, while clothing and architecture may appear more Victorian than medieval. The local religion, similarly, tends to be mixture of ancient and medieval, often resembling something like Classical polytheism structured like the Roman Catholic Church.
20	* The local geography is usually pseudo-European in appearance, with areas based on Africa or Asia serving as more remote exotic locals while no direct equivalent of the Americas and Australia is likely to be present.
21	** The core of the setting is usually a pastoral, feudal area containing a variety of pseudo-medieval farming villages, some woods, and a ShiningCity or a few to serve as the local capitals and a base for the main good factions. A MerchantCity is also usually present along the coast.
22	** [[GrimUpNorth Frozen and barbaric northlands]] are spread out along the top of the map. This area is usually home to the local barbarian clans, which may be friend or foe to heroes.
23	** A sprawling EnchantedForest is also usually present. When elves are in the setting, this is usually where they live. Other major natural features will include a high, craggy mountain range, often serving as a defining boundary for the portion of the map that the story will concern itself with, and [[SwampsAreEvil a fetid, stinking swamp]].
24	** The BigBad's ominous fortress looms somewhere on the outskirts of the land.
25
26	[[AC:Countries and Governments]]
27	* TheEmpire: The primary antagonistic government, usually the largest as well. The Empire is powerful, decadent, amoral and expansionistic; it's usually ruled by squabbling nobility competing for power with each other while trying to court favor with the ruler, and will eye its neighbors with acquisitive interest. It may be led by the story's main villain, in which case stopping it when it tries to conquer the world will be the primary focus of the story.
28	* TheGoodKingdom: Usually the land the heroes come from, a bright and peaceful land of rolling hills, rustic hamlets and bustling cities. It will typically be menaced by the Empire/Dark Lord/Horde's ambitions and plots.
29	* TheAlliance: This will typically either replace or include the Good Kingdom. Once the villain makes itself known, the good nations of the world will band together in an alliance to defend themselves.
30	* TheHorde: A great mass of monsters, barbarians and despoilers on the warpath. In some works, the Horde will be acting of its own initiative; in others, it'll be the army or pawn of a greater force. It's usually [[TheUndead undead]] or [[OurOrcsAreDifferent orcish]], and every so often made up of {{beast m\|an}}en when the author wants a little variety or is a [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom fur fan]]. For even more variety, all three may turn up at once.
31	* {{Standard Royal Court}}s are usually the rule of the day. {{Decadent Court}}s are characteristic of villainous factions -- they're standard-issue in the Empire -- but may be much more common if the world is [[CrapsackWorld terrible]] or a DarkFantasy setting.
32
33	[[AC:Magic and Powers]]
34	* FunctionalMagic:
35	** MagicAIsMagicA, almost invariably.
36	** BlackMagic (DarkIsNotEvil is allowed as an implementation detail).
37	** {{Squishy Wizard}}s.
38	** LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards.
39	* FantasyCharacterClasses, if the work in question is a RoleplayingGame of some kind, though this is not a necessary element. If it's not a game it may still feature some of the character archetypes that inspired the modern classes.
40
41	[[AC:Natives]]
42	* Post-Tolkien, this usually has at least three of the StandardFantasyRaces of heroic peoples.
43	** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]]: Stout, honest folk who live in underground halls in the mountains.
44	** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves]]: Ancient, delicate and declining, they live in {{Treetop Town}}s in ancient forests or in shining cities.
45	** Humans: [[HumansAreAverage The most mundane group]], usually making up the majority of the population and having the most countries. Often, humans are divided into multiple groups. Normally, this is done by using [[PeopleOfHairColor hair color]] and/or a FantasyCounterpartCulture. Some cases may further divide humans by the natives and [[TrappedInAnotherWorld the modern kid who]] [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld dropped in]].
46	** Any of the above called by [[NotUsingTheZWord a different name]] is allowed. (This applies to [[HumansByAnyOtherName humans, too]].)
47	** FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes in general.
48	* [[OurMonstersAreDifferent Monsters]]: These are usually divided between regular wild monsters (which can range from slightly more aggressive wild beasts to things like griffins and dragons) and monstrous sapient beings, such as goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres, or any sort of big, ugly, muscled humanoid filling in the basic niche. They're barbaric, hostile, and a constant danger to the heroic peoples, but modern works may portray them more sympathetically.
49
50	'''The following are allowed to be removed if the setting falls in certain values of SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, or due to other Implementation Details:'''
51
52	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Oddly, both extremely idealistic and extremely cynical settings tend to remove this one. (In idealistic ones the orcs are [[TheAtoner redeemable]], in cynical ones the orcs [[GreyAndGrayMorality aren't much different from the humans]].)
53	* WhiteMagic: Associated with idealistic settings; cynical series use the LightIsNotGood option in their implementation.
54	* TheDungAges: If the setting is cynical.
55	* FateAndProphecyTropes are expected, but LowFantasy scenarios may remove all such tropes.
56	* VancianMagic: Other varieties of magic are allowed
57	* {{Arcadia}}: Since it is mostly rural, it will be ''pleasant'' rural if allowed, not redneck rural.
58	* GorgeousPeriodDress: If not TheDungAges.
59	* [[GratuitousPrincess Princesses]]: Either a RebelliousPrincess or a PrincessClassic will do.
60	* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]]: Dragons are, after all, central to both the TropeMaker (''Literature/TheHobbit'') and the TropeCodifier (''Dungeons & '''Dragons''''')
61	* LeftJustifiedFantasyMap
62	* MonsterLord: If the writer or their parents grew up playing ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', expect there to be a "king of monsters" born [[EternalRecurrence every so often]], who functions as a FisherKing for all monsterkind. Usually ([[CyclicTrope but not always]]) an EvilOverlord who makes his kin more powerful and aggressive.
63
64	All of the above are inherited, to one extent or another, from [[FollowTheLeader Following the Leadership]] of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings.''
65
66	See also StandardJapaneseFantasySetting, to see how Japan has further shaped the trope. Compare the StandardSciFiSetting and the StandardPostApocalypticSetting.
67	----
68	[[foldercontrol]]
69
70	!!Examples of settings conforming to this standard include:
71
72	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
73	* ''Manga/DragonKnights'': The author is a huge fan of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and it shows. Even though it's a Japanese series, none of the names adapt well to the Japanese language, there are European-style castles, and European-style dragons. There are four races: humans, dragons, faeries, and demons, everyone important seems to carry swords, and most of them have magic. Also, dragons.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Comic Books]]
77	* ''{{ComicBook/Sojourn}}'' which, being part of the multigenre of Sigilverse, deliberately invokes all fantasy tropes.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Literature]]
81	* ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'' is compliant aside from being human-only, but magic being restricted to the nobility and (to an extent) the temple creates a somewhat darker world than normal.
82	* ''Literature/BeastQuest''.
83	* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' is this with more Christian allegory than most, as well as a bit of FantasyKitchenSink. [[CrystalDragonJesus Magic Lion Jesus]] [[PalsWithJesus pals around with our heroes]], Narnia (the country) is a pretty clear example of {{Arcadia}}, the StandardRoyalCourt is often present although not often dwelt on, a somewhat-unfortunate FantasyCounterpartCulture of Islam appears, the odd [[TheProphecy prophecy]] foretells the deeds of Our Heroes, and MedievalStasis is in full effect.
84	* Every fantasy series by [[Creator/DavidEddings David and Leigh Eddings]] (usually lack the traditional nonhuman races, but otherwise compliant).
85	* ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' is more distinctly Celtic-flavoured than most examples (the viewpoint human culture are descended from actual Gauls who travelled there magically to escape the Roman Empire), but still ticks most of the boxes.
86	* ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'': Ente Isla.
87	* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': The setting of the Second Age includes seven kingdoms, all of whom are head by one or two Kings, Queens, or some combination of thereof. Technology is limited to swords, arrows, and what not for regular humans and those plus one element for anyone who can tap into the empirium.
88	* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': Alagaësia is a pseudo-medieval land of rural villages and and intrique-laden cites, surrounded by the isolationist realms of the elves in their EnchantedForest and the dwarves in their mountaintop fortresses.
89	* ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' web serial is set in one these. It's closer to low or dark fantasy rather than high fantasy so it lacks most the typical other races.
90	* The ''Llandor'' series.
91	* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the TropeMaker, shares a universe with ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', ''Literature/HistoryOfMiddleEarth'', and the rest of Literature/TolkiensLegendarium. It made and/or [[TropeCodifier codified]] many of the associated tropes, including LeftJustifiedFantasyMap, the original core of the StandardFantasyRaces in the form of elves, dwarves, hobbits, and orcs as an AlwaysChaoticEvil enemy race that forms the backbone of TheHorde (although Tolkien was never entirely comfortable with this one), a generally pastoral setting, and even some light FantasyCounterpartCulture (with the Shire as a stand-in for rural pre-WWI England, and Gondor being compared to Byzantium by WordOfGod). However, as the modern form of this trope was established later on in tabletop game settings and drew elements from other fantasy works, a lot of now-common elements are not present in Middle-Earth -- Tolkien's world doesn't feature very visibly active magic or deities, its population consists of a smaller number of dying nations instead of a large quantity of countries, tribes, and empires, the actual count of fantasy races is fairly low, and only the Shire and its immediate environs are noticeably medieval -- the rest of the setting that isn't empty of habitation mostly draws on late Antiquity.
92	* ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' was [[InspiredBy inspired by]] ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' per WordOfGod, and so pays homage to many of its themes including this one.
93	* ''Literature/{{Mithgar}}'', which was originally intended to be a sequel to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
94	* ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' is the TropeCodifier in terms of Japanese media. Originally an AfterActionReport of a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign and later adapted to every medium under the sun, it was the first introduction to ''D&D''-style fantasy for many Japanese fans, later becoming the inspiration for dozens of anime, light novels, and video games.
95	* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle''.
96	* ''Literature/TheRiyriaRevelations'', a [[GenreThrowback deliberate throwback]] to classic fantasy.
97	* ''Literature/SagaOfRecluce''.
98	* ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series.
99	* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' plays it straight while parodying everything.
100	* ''Literature/TheSundering'' duology -- notable for deliberately being almost ''exactly'' Tolkien's world, except told from the side of the Dark Lord.
101	* ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'': It has the usual trappings, as it's parodying such works. We have humans, elves, dwarves, some original races that are close to other standard ones, orcs and trolls mentioned etc. There's a Good dragon as well, who's slightly less stereotypical as he's garishly colored plus being benevolent. Naturally FunctionalMagic also abounds, with a [[{{Macguffin}} magical object]] and quest to save the world (though it parodies the usually HighFantasy plot as the villains must save things from delusional good guys).
102	* ''Warlords'' Series.
103	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is set in one that also happens to be AfterTheEnd of a previous civilization with a lot more {{Magitek}}, which in turn just happens to be AfterTheEnd of our own world. While this is very relevant to the plot, it's not particularly relevant to the feel of the setting, which still manages to play this trope pretty straight, with swords and [[FunctionalMagic sorcery]] aplenty with extra MagicAIsMagicA, FantasyGunControl in effect (cannons are just barely beginning to be a thing; personal firearms are not even conceived of), and even a LeftJustifiedFantasyMap. About the only real exception is an ongoing {{aversion}} of MedievalStasis, as the world undergoes the beginnings of a technological renaissance.
104	* ''Literature/WraithKnight'': The setting is a collection of fantasy kingdoms of LightIsGood races from a warm Southern continent locked in an eternal war with a DarkIsEvil set of races from the frozen Northern continent. These races include Sidhe (elves), Formor (orcs), and Trow (trolls) with humans locked in the middle. One side is also led by a PhysicalGod GodOfEvil who routinely invades the South while the side of good has a less active GodOfGood. [[spoiler:The subversion is that this is all due to the fact the setting is a playground created by distant future humans and the two gods are working together to create a ForeverWar.]]
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Podcasts]]
108	* ''Podcast/HelloFromTheMagicTavern'', in order to {{parody}} the genre, intentionally takes place in a mashup of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]]'', ''Literature/HarryPotter'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', ''Tabletopgame/DungeonsAndDragons'', and ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'', complete with orcs, elves, dwarves, genies, {{talking animal}}s, wizards, witches, mages, vampires, dragons, centaurs, and a {{Dark Lord}}.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
112	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' is the TropeCodifier, an understandable result of it evolving out of a fan-made Tolkien wargame. For this reason, most of the original settings from TSR fell into this archetype, although they would usually put their own distinctive spin on it. As the franchise grew and developed, other settings went in different directions, so you'll find this game under all groupings of this trope.
113	** ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' is a StandardFantasySetting with MedievalEuropeanFantasy basis filtered through a SwordAndSorcery lens, mostly manifesting in the focus on human nations and human-based problems, such as militant theocracies, inter-kingdom wars, or the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-esque]] Scarlet Brotherhood, and the general GrayAndGreyMorality and BlackAndGrayMorality.
114	** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' is the "purist" of the original TSR settings, and most closely sticks to this. Perhaps due to the popularity of Creator/RASalvatore's [[Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt Drizzt novels]], it became the most "mainstream" of the settings, and has consistently held the largest setting-specific fanbase of the gameline.
115	** ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' filters this trope through a combination of Mormon theology and chivalric romance tropes, with a major emphasis on the presence of dragons and the ongoing struggle between the gods of good and evil, making it the most HighFantasy of the mainstream TSR settings.
116	** ''TabletopGame/{{Birthright}}'' explores this trope by emphasizing the MedievalEuropeanFantasy sub-trope; it has a distinctly Welsh feel in its naming conventions, and focuses heavily on the DivineRightOfKings ideology, with the setting being ruled over by nobles who literally have slivers of divine power imbued in them. In contrast to other settings, monsters are rarer in Birthright, and usually consist of traditionally malign humanoid races such as orcs, goblinoids and gnolls; giants and dragons are a rare, dwindling force, whilst mythically inspired monsters are replaced by ''awnsheghlien'', which are nobles who bear shards of the dead GodOfEvil and so are corrupted into monstrous forms.
117	%%* ''TabletopGame/HavokAndHijinks''.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Video Games]]
121	%%* ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders'' (although it has ''a lot'' more races than five).%%So?
122	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' adheres to most of the above-mentioned tropes, but gleefully takes a DeconstructorFleet to them.
123	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' is limited to humans and averts FantasyGunControl, but all {{Magitek}} is LostTechnology and the world itself is a [[DarkerAndEdgier rather grim]] MedievalEuropeanFantasy.
124	* The [[spoiler:hidden eighth]] chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' is set in one of these, so as to make the impact of [[spoiler:the chapter's ''absolutely brutal'' DownerEnding]] all the more powerful.
125	%%* ''VideoGame/{{Majesty}}'': Except this one tends towards AffectionateParody.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Webcomics]]
129	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', like ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', both parodies and deconstructs its setting.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	!!A few particularly non-compliant fantasy settings include:
133
134	[[folder:Card Games]]
135	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is an interesting example. The original release of the game was an attempt to cram in as many possible familiar fantasy elements in a single setting as they could. After that, however, the game started to develop its own style, and the current creative team describes it as "[[PunkPunk Magepunk]]".
136	** Additionally, every plane on in the multiverse has their own flavor. Dominaria started as this, with the usual accoutrements of reclusive forest-dwelling elves, pseudo-medieval human nations, rampaging dragons, lost {{Precursor\|s}} civilizations, and a variety of momentous villains scheming to bring about its ruin, but [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt a long series of big, disastrous events]] made it more of a fantasy take on a PostApocalyptic world. So, they started over again with the plane of Shandalar, which is, again, standard.
137	** Most other planes don't especially hew to this trope, however -- Mirrodin fits thematically, but is distinguished by its emphasis on blending metal and living matter, and then got taken over by biomechanical demons in any case; Zendikar likewise fits most themes, but is saturated with raw magic that constantly alters its landscape and was later eaten by {{Eldritch Abomination}}s; Ravnica is a fantasy CityPlanet with a heavy focus on class struggles and {{Magitek}}; Innistrad is rooted in GothicHorror more than anything else; and so on.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Comic Books ]]
141	* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': The Homelands are a patchwork of technologies, cultures, and magics of all types, with literally every imaginable fantasy or mythical creature or race.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Fan Works]]
145	* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' is an almost 100% noncompliant fantasy setting, to the point where the only trope that really applies is MedievalStasis, and that only in one of the two cultures on C'hou; the other is a thriving quasi-Victorian land with guns, factories, etc. Also, there are elves, but WordOfGod says they're just a pointy-eared race of humans. ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'' upends everything the reader knew about C'hou, turning it into an AnachronismStew with everything from cavemen to spacemen, but still largely a noncompliant fantasy setting.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Literature]]
149	* Most fantasy written prior to the late 1970s.
150	** Virtually ''all'' fantasy prior to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', including, of course, 19th century fantasy.
151	* Most stuff set in our day and age (even if most of the action takes place elsewhere).
152	** ''Franchise/TheDarkTower''.
153	** ''The Literature/KeysToTheKingdom''.
154	* [[Literature/{{Ambergris}} The Ambergris Cycle]].
155	* ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy,'' an AlternateHistory version of our world where [[{{Magocracy}} magicians run an oppressive government]] in Great Britain.
156	* ''[[Literature/BasLagCycle Bas-Lag]]''. (Creator/ChinaMieville's main setting)
157	* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany''.
158	* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfMagic'' is set in a fantasy world, but lacks elves, dwarves, etc. and instead relies almost completely on human characters. The exception to this is Magic itself, which is an actual living being that imparts its power on others.
159	* ''Literature/CodexAlera''.
160	* Creator/JoClayton's ''[[Literature/TheDuelOfSorceryTrilogy Duel of Sorcery]]'' and ''Dancer'' trilogies.
161	* ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' differs from the standard by relying more on MinovskyPhysics than FunctionalMagic, emphasising [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent goblins]] and [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]] over elves (only get brief mentions) and dwarves (a type of goblin), and having ''really weird'' {{steampunk}} technology in the last book. (It's powered by [[PowerCrystal crystallised]] [[LightningCanDoanything lightning]].)
162	* The ''TabletopGame/EmpireOfThePetalThrone'' setting, used in both game and novels, is distinctly non-standard, with no elves, dwarves, trolls, or anything similar to European fantasy, by design.
163	* ''The Etched City'' by K.J. Bishop.
164	* ''Literature/{{Gormenghast}}'' is set in a sprawling city castle complex yet the timeless, routine, indolent nature in which the castle is maintained means it could be in any time period from High Medieval to Victorian. [[LowFantasy There is no apparent magic or magical races]], yet once you get beyond the Earldom of Gormenghast, the world is fairly modern (or steampunk), complete with skyscrapers.
165	* Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ''Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy'', begun in 1975 and completed in 1979 (with a video game sequel released in 1984), has none of the allegedly standard elements, other than a faint resemblence to the "lurking evil that might return" part... only it turns out not to be evil at all.
166	* Creator/CliveBarker's fantasy works ''Literature/{{Imajica}}'' and ''Literature/{{Abarat}}''.
167	* Stephen Hunt's ''Literature/JackelianSeries''.
168	* ''The Journey of the Catechist'' by Creator/AlanDeanFoster. No elves as such (although dwarves are mentioned in passing); while there ''are'' [[OurMonstersAreDifferent various monsters, they're decidedly different]]. There are, however, quite a few non-standard sapient races, including {{talking animal}}s. And the kingdom and empire are both morally grey.
169	* ''Kingdoms of Light'' by Alan Dean Foster. (It takes place inside a world inside a rainbow, where the main characters are all humans that were once animals.)
170	* Anything by Creator/BrandonSanderson, ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'' and Literature/TheStormlightArchive most notably.
171	* ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', which makes no attempt to make the (fairly limited) magic "make sense".
172	* ''Literature/TheSeventhTower''.
173	* The ''Starbridge'' books by Paul Park.
174	* The "Szerer cycle" written in the early Nineties by the Polish author Feliks W. Kres. No fantasy races, but there are sapient cats and vultures, magic (for the most part) takes the form of learned mystics who can once-a-lifetime bend the world to their will or magical artifacts that can be loosely described as leftovers of creation, war with the local flavor of Orcs is a constant low-intensity conflict waged from frontier keeps, the whole world (which is a small continent) is ruled by a single empire loosely patterned on Rome. FantasyGunControl happens because the empire has no interest in developing technology that can make its military obsolete, but gunpowder cannons are common on ships and coastal defences. Most of the stories involve the fringes of society, such as criminals in outlying regions or frontier military men, all of them in decidedly unheroic roles.
175	* [[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Conan cycle]] written by Creator/RobertEHoward, set in prehistoric age where societies are modeled either on neolithic tribes or on the earliest Middle-Eastern civilizations (usually Mesopotamian with some Indian influences added for a good measure) with rare and loosely defined magic.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
179	* [[TabletopGame/EmpireOfThePetalThrone Tékumel]] is one of the earliest aversions in tabletop games, pre-dating Dungeons & Dragons in development stage.
180	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' was created specifically to subvert this trope, focusing more on Bronze Age swords-and-sandals fantasy and Chinese mythology than on the Medieval European Tolkienque things. Nonetheless, some parts of it remain (partially because they're old enough or universal enough that they appear in those influences, too.)
181	* A few of the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' settings, especially Rath, Mirrodin, and Ravnica. (Some ''are'' compliant, though.)
182	** However, the earliest core sets had a setting best described as this. (That plane, Dominaria, gradually changed over time and is now amid an AfterTheEnd phase following the conclusion of the ''Time Spiral'' block.)
183	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has a few settings that fall into this.
184	** ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' (popularized by ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'') was one of TSR's two experiments with "Cosmic Fantasy", focusing on setting the players up to explore the higher and lower planes of TheMultiverse instead of a standard faux-historical world. Even the setting's hub, Sigil, which ultimately proved more memorable than the rest of the setting for many fans, is different, being a completely enclosed vaguely Victorian-ish DungeonPunk city where angels and fiends regularly rub shoulders in the streets and the overall atmosphere is one of anti-heroic cynicism and selfishness.
185	** ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' was TSR's other experiment in "Cosmic Fantasy"; this is the ScienceFantasy setting of D&D, in the form of using SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic mixed with mythical/mystical viewpoints of what "space" is being actual reality to enable for magical interplanetary travel.
186	** ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' is perhaps the biggest aversion, taking place on a post-apocalyptic and [[DeathWorld hyper-deadly]] version of your StandardFantasySetting where MagicIsEvil ([[PoweredByAForsakenChild because it saps the life of the planet, and directly caused the global desertification]]) and has been replaced with PsychicPowers, where many standard races have either been driven extinct or undergone drastic changes (there are no gnomes, goblins or orcs, dwarves are bald, illiterate workaholics usually kept as slaves, elves are towering desert-running thieves, halflings are head-hunting cannibals), and bizarre races like giant sapient praying mantises, vulture-folk, and lizard-folk are considered "normal".
187	** ''TabletopGame/WagaduChronicles'' is a third-party setting based on ancient UsefulNotes/{{Africa}}, the creators said they wanted to raise awareness of African Culture and deliberately subvert this trope.
188	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', which combines a {{Cyberpunk}} Earth with TheMagicComesBack, resulting in orcs, elves, dwarves and trolls (who are actually HumanSubspecies whose traits emerge in response to the increased background magic level) existing alongside cyborgs, and spellcasters intermingling with drone-controlling hackers.
189	* ''TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}''.
190	* ''Jorune'' is an early example of a game engineered ''specifically'' to defy this trope.
191	[[/folder]]
192
193	[[folder:Video Games]]
194	* ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'': The first game is largely compliant, although it lacks most of the usual StandardFantasyRaces; it has mundane humans and High Men, but that's it for the "civilized" types. The second and third games deviate further from the formula by progressing through a renaissance and all the way to an industrial revolution, introducing firearms, factories, etc.
195	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. Also ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII''; the setting is highly futuristic with the fantasy elements coming largely from the magic using JerkassGods the characters are being controlled by. Their idea of "medieval times" is basically the 20th century, except everybody is some kind of WarriorPoet living in hippie communes.
196	* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' complies unless [[RuleOfFunny it would be funnier or punnier otherwise.]]
197	* ''VideoGame/NaritaBoy'' is what you get if you had a fantasy setting where the landscape and inhabitants were [[CassetteFuturism made with technology from the 80s]].
198	[[/folder]]
199
200	!!Examples of settings that are ''almost'' compliant with the standard include:
201
202	[[folder:Comic Books]]
203	* ''ComicBook/OrcStain'': Orcs are the most prominent race and OrganicTechnology is everywhere.
204	* The ''2000 AD'' series ''Kingmaker'' takes place in one of these which has recently been conquered by {{alien\| invasion}}s.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Literature]]
208	* ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' started out as a post-apocalyptic flavor of this standard, but then [[AfterTheEnd the world ended]] ''again''. The current setting is in some ways very close to the standard and wildly divergent in others. See the article for details.
209	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' started as a parody of fantasy in general, by sending up [[HighFantasy "standard" (Tolkienesque) fantasy]], [[LowFantasy the grittier Fafhrd-and-Grey-Mouser type]], [[HeroicFantasy the thud-and-blunder story]] (Conan and that ilk), and even some more ''outre'' stuff like ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' and the ''Literature/CthulhuMythos'' on an equal opportunity basis. The series arguably gets much better when it stops being almost entirely a collection of Bizarro versions of other works (most people would say somewhere between books 3 and 5). By later books it's something like what a Standard Fantasy Setting would look like if you let it not only leave MedievalStasis, but accelerate through several centuries of technological and cultural development in a couple of decades.
210	* The ''Dragon Crown War'' is a borderline example. The only common nonhuman races are elves (the most commonly-encountered ethnicity of whom, the Vorquelves, border on EnslavedElves as downtrodden refugees from a destroyed homeland) and dragons; the setting's "dwarves", the urZrethi, are actually ancient matriarchal shapeshifters who were [[spoiler:created though they abandoned that allegiance long ago]]; the BigBad's armies are composed primarily of the Wookiee-like gibberkin rather than the more traditional orcs; finally, MedievalStasis is averted as gunpowder and cannons are invented in the prequel and the technology becomes increasingly widespread over the course of the main trilogy.
211	* ''Literature/TheFirstDwarfKing'' seems to be a standard medieval fantasy at first, but before long, hints of something else begin to creep in. For starters, the characters use [[SwordAndGun guns instead of bows and arrows]]. [[spoiler:Eventually, it becomes apparent that the setting is a ScienceFantasy with (admittedly heavy) HighFantasy elements.]]
212	* The ''Literature/GarrettPI'' series goes out of its way to subvert or deconstruct elements of this trope, both by giving them a FilmNoir spin and by pumping up the snark quotient.
213	* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' takes the chrome of the standard and then goes its own way with it. MedievalStasis is averted (particularly over the course of the series as a whole, though things do change quite slowly), most magic in Valdemar is PsychicPowers, and humans and various [[IntellectualAnimal Intellectual Animals]] are the only sapient species. However, the original Tarma and Kethry stories are, besides having {{Magical Native American}}s, pretty standard, suggesting that most of Velgarth is more standard than not; Valdemar is just a weird hermit kingdom up in the corner of the map that does everything their own way. Even in Valdemar, the ''Literature/LastHeraldMageTrilogy'' is pretty much paint-by-numbers medieval fantasy other than the note that the time of plate armor and tournaments is past; it's only afterward that Valdemar starts to really diverge. The backstory of the setting includes a cataclysmic war that ended civilizations across the continent and left few people to repopulate and rebuild, making it a technically AfterTheEnd setting, but it's not really clear how standard it was before. Renowned sorcerers put their power to [[UpliftedAnimal uplifting animals]] and creating new species, and there were colleges studying what's called "modern medicine", neither of which are attempted much if at all in the mainline series.
214	%%* ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' (lacks dwarves; otherwise compliant)%%... because?
215	%%* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' nominally has all of the stock elements (although the nonhuman races don't have a tremendous presence) except FunctionalMagic, but most of these elements are [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]].
216	* ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' has most of the standard tropes, except that the StandardFantasyRaces are replaced by LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy, with humans as a minority.
217	* The setting of ''Literature/SwordOfShadows'' resembles the standard, but is set in [[GrimUpNorth the subarctic regions of its world]], is missing nonhuman races except for the Sull (a {{Proud Warrior Race\|Guy}} of elf-equivalents) and [[TheUndead the Unmade]], and the focus is more heavily on the "barbarian" Clansmen than the "civilized" part of the world.
218	* The ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series shares some of the elements, but mainly uses them as a vehicle for its AuthorTract, particularly when the latter begins to take precedence over the fantasy elements.
219	* The country of Hallandren in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' is essentially the kind of place that exists in a StandardFantasySetting, but off the edge of the map. Here the story is set in it. As Creator/BrandonSanderson puts it in an annotation:
220	-->This story happens in the place that is, in most fantasy books, far away. A lot of fantasy novels like to make their setting someplace akin to rural England, and they'll talk of distant countries that have exotic spices, dyes, and trade goods. Well, in this world, Hallandren is that place. It's at the other end of the silk road, so to speak.
221	* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' series of books, along with the sequel series of [[VideoGame/TheWitcher video games]], and both of [[Series/TheHexer the TV]] [[Series/TheWitcher2019 series]] adaptations, are very much set in this type of setting. Despite being set in a ''CrapsackWorld'', the series has several of the standard StandardFantasyRaces, TheEmpire in the form of Nilfgaard (though this franchise is too [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]] for a clear [[TheGoodKingdom Good Kingdom]] or [[TheAlliance Alliance]]), plenty of [[DecadentCourt Deadly Decadent Courts]], lots of FunctionalMagic, and a whole heap of FateAndProphecyTropes.
222	[[/folder]]
223
224	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
225	* ''TabletopGame/{{Banestorm}}'' was originally a pure Standard Fantasy Setting with the one wrinkle being that humans originally came ''from'' medieval Earth, and explained MedievalStasis through [[MagicVersusScience wizards' dislike of gunpowder and other technology as a threat to their power]]. In Fourth Edition, however, the developers decided to examine the ramifications of the technological filter and make it less effective, leading to gunpowder factories in low-mana Caithness and several societies of underground engineers throughout Ytarria.
226	* Naturally, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has settings that fits this mold as well.
227	** ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' is similar, in that it is the logical conclusion of a HighFantasy standard: magic is an industry and the setting's atmosphere is similar to Inter-World War Europe. All races diverge, slightly to significantly from standard (among other things, its response to the AlwaysChaoticEvil trope is essentially LOLWUT?, so for example the ancient druidic culture that saved the world from {{Cosmic Horror}}s ten thousand years ago is actually the ''Orcs''), and industrial magic yields a {{Steampunk}} tone without actually using any significant steam or clockwork, which coined the phrase "{{Dungeonpunk}}". That would be "LowFantasy" (magic is a toolkit, society changes and grows), instead of "HighFantasy" ([[AWizardDidIt magic is wondrous and can't be replicated]], society is stuck in stasis).
228	** ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}'' has definite traits of the StandardFantasySetting, but is more directly based on pulp fantasy novels, and thus is a FantasyKitchenSink where science fiction tropes and fantasy tropes rub shoulders together. Most of the human nations are {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s, there's a [[FloatingContinent gargantuan flying city drifting about the world]], protected by {{magitek}} air planes, the planet is a HollowWorld with its interior set aside as a museum for extinct animals, plants, races, and cultures, the world was originally ruled by a super-advanced technological society that ''literally'' blew itself back to the Stone Age by means of an implicit nuclear war so powerful it '''shifted the planet's axis''', and there's at least one crashed alien spaceship somewhere on the planet. Perhaps the simplest summary of what makes Mystara unique is that TheMagocracy secretly sits atop the ruins of an ancient nuclear reactor, and has advanced to such heights by learning to draw radiation from the reactor and convert it into mana.
229	** The ''TabletopGame/NentirVale'' setting definitely uses this as a base, but twists it for more of a pulpy "metal" aesthetic. It's a post-apocalyptic world where the players are heroes helping to rebuild civilization from the brink of extinction, with deliberate moral ambiguity built into the setting (such as ditching the "Always Lawful Good" counter-trope to AlwaysChaoticEvil), and where the destruction even extends to the afterlife. Heaven is literally ''broken'' in this world, and has been for countless mortal generations.
230	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' is built on a basic chassis of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and the core books are standard fantasy, but further books mix in GothicHorror tropes and a bit of ScienceFantasy in the margins, allowing Golarion to become its own thing. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is "TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} for the 2010s", with the same pulpy FantasyKitchenSink aesthetics but more modern socio-cultural mores.
231	* ''TabletopGame/{{Runequest}}'' has most of the traditional trappings of a fantasy setting, save for the fact that Glorantha is not modeled after MedievalEuropeanFantasy (it draws more design inspiration from the Bronze Age) and focuses on a more GreyandGrayMorality narrative.
232	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': The Empire and the Dwarves ''heavily'' utilize firearms and even have experimental SteamPunk technology, while the Skaven's {{Magitek}} gives them [[{{Pun}} ratling]] [[GatlingGood guns]], rat-portable flamethrowers, sniper rifles, energy cannons, mechanical lighting-spewing hamster-wheels, etc.
233	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Though it's diverged a lot, it's still clearly this (or ''Warhammer Fantasy'') at the foundations, but [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], and [[RecycledInSpace on a galactic scale]] [[{{GRIMDARK}} and darker]] -- there are the elves (Eldar, later Aeldari), dwarves (Squats, [[CanonDiscontinuity wiped out]] for not fitting the tone, until returning as the Leagues Of Votunn), orcs (Orks), the Forces of Darkness (Chaos) in an interstellar {{Mordor}} (The Eye of Terror) the Kingdom of Men (The Imperium of Man) with [[ThePaladin paladin knights]] (the {{Space Marine}}s) and the absent True King (the GodEmperor of Man, confined to the life-support of the Golden Throne).
234	[[/folder]]
235
236	[[folder:Video Games]]
237	* ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'' is set in once-SFS, in which industrial revolution has happened; SteamPunk level technology, otherwise compliant. Some parts are more compliant than others, and the conflict between the StandardFantasySetting and the rise of steam and gunpowder is a major plot element.
238	* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' lacks any magics beyond Necromancy as of yet, but otherwise fits this trope very well. [[WordofGod Toady One has commented]] that the game will be a [[StandardFantasySetting standard fantasy setting]] generator. Some details like monsters and magic will be different from world to world. And given the game's incredible modding potential, how much any given world plays straight or subverts the standards can easily depend on the player's whims.
239	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
240	** The series, on the surface, is largely compliant. Tamriel itself is a fairly typical MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting. FunctionalMagic is present, along with most of its subtropes. Elves (known as "Mer") are present in several flavors (including the [[MageSpecies High Elf]] Altmer and [[ForestRanger Wood Elf]] Bosmer). "Humans" are present and divided into several races mostly revolving around a FantasyCounterpartCulture (including the [[AncientRome Romanesque]] Imperials who lead a primarily "[[TheGoodKingdom Good Kingdom]]"-style Empire, as well as the HornyVikings Nords and [[CultureChopSuey Moorish Samurai]] Redguards). There are also two (playable) [[BeastMan Beast Races]], the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] and [[LizardFolk Argonians]], as well as [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]], who, in a nod to Tolkien, are a twisted race of Elf ("Orsimer"). The setting is also largely stuck in MedievalStasis, with thousands of years passing but very little development in terms of society or technology (barring a few exceptions noted below).
241	** That said, digging deeper into the lore quickly reveals a number of non-compliant features, drawing heavily from the NewWeird style in many places. A handful of prominent examples:
242	*** The setting does have a (now extinct) race of Dwarves. However, they vary from the standard Tolkien depiction rather drastically. For starters, they are actually the Dwemer ("Deep Elves"), a sub-race of Mer. They were extremely technologically advanced compared to the rest of Tamriel, most notably for their hybrid {{Magitek}} {{Steampunk}} technology. They were very much {{Robot Master}}s, creating "animunculi" MechaMooks ranging from FunSize "Spider Centurion" workers to human-sized "[[RollingAttack Sphere Centurions]]" to outright HumongousMecha, ranging from twice-human-sized "Steam Centurions" to thousand foot tall monstrosities like Numidium. Numidium in particular was built by the Dwemer to house the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]], the heart of the [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]], hoping to create their own god. The Dwemer [[RiddleForTheAges mysteriously disappeared]] during the 1st Era, with the most prominent theories involving their activation of the Numidium. Numidium would later be acquired by [[TheConqueror Tiber Septim]], [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder of]] the Third Tamriellic Empire, who would use it as a weapon of war to complete his conquest of Tamriel. Other notable inventions of the Dwemer (which remain unmatched by any extant race of Tamriel) including a WeatherControlMachine, a machine capable of (relatively) safely reading the eponymous [[TomeOfEldritchLore Elder Scrolls]] while bypassing the usual side-effects of blindness and insanity, and a method of [[{{Telepath}} instant, silent communication]] with one another, even over vast distances. The Dwemer were also notably extreme {{Naytheist}}s in a setting where the existence of [[OurGodsAreDifferent god-like beings]] is indisputable (which they justified not by denying their existence, but by asserting that they are not truly "gods").
243	*** The series has an ''extremely'' AlienSky, while its appearance is implied to be your [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm mortal mind making it into something you can grasp]]. The sun and stars are not mundane balls of flaming plasma and gas, but are instead holes punctured in the fabric of reality by Magnus (the et'Ada of light and magic who served as the "architect" for Mundus) and the Magna-Ge (his lesser et'Ada followers) as they fled Mundus during [[CreationMyth its creation]]. The holes lead to [[SpiritWorld Aetherius]], the realm of magic, and through them, [[BackgroundMagicField magic flows into Mundus]] (which is visible in the night sky as nebulae). Nirn's [[WeirdMoon two moons]], Masser and Secunda, go through technically impossible phases and when they aren't full, you can see stars behind the dark parts ("hollow crescents"). They are said to be the "decaying remains" (or "flesh-divinity") of the dead creator god, Lorkhan, remaining from when his body was sundered and his heart ("divine spark") was cast down onto Nirn. The eight planets visible in the night sky are said to be the realms of the Aedra, or Eight Divines, who made large sacrifices to aid Lorkhan in the creation of Mundus. (Another theory states that they are the remains of the Aedra, similar to Lorkhan and the moons, who actually died during creation but now "dream they are alive".) Between Mundus and these various celestial bodies/phenomena is Oblivion, the "[[VoidBetweenTheWorlds infinite void]]". While Oblivion itself is said to be infinite, it contains the 16 known "[[EldritchLocation planes]]" of Oblivion, each belonging to one of the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prices]], as well as over 37,000 "pocket realities" and "chaos realms".
244	*** Another non-compliant oddity is the existence of a ''space race'' between the Second Tamriellic Empire (under the Reman dynasty) and their rivals, the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri Dominion]], to explore Aetherius in the late 1st Era. The Aldmeri used Sunbirds, ships somehow literally made from the Sun. The Empire, on the other hand, used "Mothships", [[LivingShip enormous Ancestor Moths]] bred, hollowed out, and flown into the void on strength of willpower alone. (Ancestor Moths have a special supernatural connection which also allows them to be used to somewhat protect mortal readers from the power of the Elder Scrolls, which is why the Scrolls are kept and read by the Cult of the Ancestor Moth.) The results of these expeditions have largely been lost to history, though it did leave the Imperial Legion with the Imperial "[[SomethingNauts Mananaut]]" corps.
245	*** Dunmeri [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Tribunal deity]] Sotha Sil lives in a [[ClockPunk Clockwork City]] (which you get to visit in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''[='s=] ''Tribunal'' expansion) of his own creation where he studies the "[[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow hidden world]]". As revealed in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', Sotha Sil's creations reach full blown SchizoTech status, as he created complex computer systems, [[MechaMooks semi-organic cybernetic servants]], turned himself into a {{Cyborg}}, and may have even [[BrainUploading uploaded his own mind into his city]] (meaning he may not have been killed during the events of ''Tribunal'') all while the rest of the world was stuck in medieval stasis. Given that he is (was) a reclusive PhysicalGod, his creations and advancements have never proliferated outside of his city.
246	*** In the backstory, it is strongly implied that Pelinal Whitestrake, the legendary {{Berserker}}[=/=]crusader who led the Alessian forces against the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Ayleid]] empire in the 1st Era, was actually a time-traveling, divinely-constructed cyborg warrior and possibly the [[GodInHumanForm human form]] of the [[GodIsDead dead creator god]], known as a Shezarrine. He wore full plate mail armor at a time when only the Dwemer could construct it and had abilities [[PhysicalGod far beyond]] those of most mortals. Needless to say, a divine war-cyborg from the future is seriously incongruous for an early medieval-era setting, and the [[PaintTheTownRed devastation]] he wrought upon the Ayleids was as extreme as one would expect from a being in such a situation.
247	*** The LooseCanon ''KINMUNE'', a story by former developer/writer Michael Kirkbride, features an AI construct whose primary purpose was to be remotely piloted by miners for a magical drug getting sent back in time to ancient history, going insane due to being severed from the network she was attached to, having the residual personalities from her last operators in her, and becoming an important oracle in ''Elder Scrolls'' history.
248	*** The setting of the [[GaidenGame spin-off]] DungeonCrawler game ''Battlespire'' is the the eponymous Imperial Battlespire, a training ground for the [[MilitaryMage Imperial]] [[MagicKnight Battlemages]] located in the "Slipstream" between Mundus and Oblivion. Essentially, it is a sort of ''space station''.
249	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' -- [[AnachronismStew 14th-century politics, 18th-century weapons, 22nd-century transportation (although most people just take caravans everywhere.)]]
250	* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' (old verse) take place in what at first ''appears'' to follow the standard quite closely, and will keep that appearance if you only play the Heroes games and therefore miss the extensive ScienceFantasy elements in the setting.
251	* ''VideoGame/{{Ravenmark}}: Scourge of Estellion'' generally fits. You have TheEmpire of Estellion, the kingdom in the form of the Commonwealth of Esotre, TheHorde in the form of the Lyri warbands (although the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Cardani]] also fit). There is no [[TheAlliance Alliance]], although Estellion and Esotre have been allies for a long time (at least, until the sequel). As typical, humans make up the largest population group. Jackdaws are this setting's Hobbits. Dwarves are a minority (but they typically don't have beards). The game's take on Elves is fairly unique, though. Unlike Tolkien's tall, high-and-mighty elves, the Cardani Elves are short rat-like people whose culture is based around the idea of insatiable greed. Their homes are the treacherous Cardani Swamps. While every other power uses small units called Daggers that can be joined with like Daggers to form more formidable (but less maneuverable and vulnerable to flank attacks) Deuces and Trines (this also includes the wild Lyri), the Cardani fight in large Swarms that rely on speed and WeHaveReserves tactics. FunctionalMagic isn't used much, although certain people are able to call on the elements. TheEmpire owes its foundation to wind magic, allowing LaResistance to fight off the Carsis nobles' flamesoul magic. BloodMagic is occasionally used by TheEmpire's assassins (all {{Heroic Bastard}}s). MedievalStasis is played straight for the Tellions but averted for the Sotrans, who live in much a harsher climate and need to innovate to survive. Thus, front-line Sotran troops are armed with muskets and bayonets, while Tellions rely on swordsmen, pikemen, and archers. Sotrans also have prototype inventions such as armored walkers and hovering artillery platforms.
252	* ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'' is superficially similar to ''Warcraft'', but cranks up the {{magitek}} and does more [[ZigzaggedTrope playing around]] with [[FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes race tropes]].
253	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfMajEyal'' is generally pretty standard with its tropes, though implementation varies; you've got slightly-nonstandard use of standard races (such as halfling slingers being part of a long Roman-esque military tradition), but while MedievalStasis is largely played straight with mechanical technology, it ''isn't'' with [[LostTechnology Lost]] {{Magitek}}; ancient wizards had a very scientific approach, often used magic for [[PlayingWithSyringes genetic engineering]] and travelled to many worlds through the [[PortalNetwork farportals]]. However, it only truly breaks the mold with the ''Embers of Rage'' DLC, where we see tribes of orcs and giants who make wide use of steam technology and even steam-powered guns.
254	* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': Removes the MedievalStasis, and integrates modern, {{steampunk}}, and sci-fi technology with pre-modern armor and architecture. Both [[ExpansionPack expansions]] thus far to VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft have introduced a lot of {{Magitek}}. The first two games, however, fit the trope to a "T".
255	[[/folder]]
256
257	[[folder:Web Originals]]
258	* ''Podcast/TheOnceAndFutureNerd'' is set in a mostly compliant setting, but with an elf with a southern American accent, no MonochromeCasting, and a lot of quirks here and there, including wizards who have the basics for an atomic theory going.
259	* ''Literature/TalesOfMU'' is set in a formerly compliant setting, but with the MedievalStasis removed. The current time period is sort of like the modern age, in the same way that the StandardFantasySetting is kind of like the middle ages.
260	[[/folder]]
261
262	[[folder:Western Animation]]
263	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' is an interesting case as it is set AfterTheEnd where TheMagicComesBack and it takes the form of an RPGMechanicsVerse. Both radiation and magic have managed to shape Earth into the Land of Ooo -- a mostly HeroicFantasy setting with several gimmicks and some bits of technology here and there. Fantastic Sapient Species include people made of food, anthropomorphized animals, gnomes, goblins, vampires, and ghosts as well as a variety of monsters such as dragons and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. Humans are extinct, though. Races are organized in kingdoms (usually ruled by [[GratuitousPrincess princesses]]), cities/towns (ruled by mayors), or [[TheHorde hordes]] (in the case of some monsters). Magic is functional but there's no established system more than the fact the whole setting draws inspiration from ''Franchise/DungeonsAndDragons''. And, of course, the primary method of fighting is with swords. A huge variety of them.
264	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. While there is TheEmpire and a kingdom along with rebel fighters, MagicAIsMagicA, and a variety of other fantasy world tropes, there are several differences. Most prominently, instead of being in a European-esque world, the Avatarverse is a fantasy counterpart to East Asia (mostly China and Japan), with some Inuit culture thrown in for good measure. The only other races with human-level intelligence are spirits who all pretty much reside in a different world, and MedievalStasis is completely subverted, with nascent SteamPunk in the original series (ironclad steamships, tanks, [[spoiler:mega-drills, submarines, and zeppelins]]), which evolves into all-out DieselPunk in [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra the sequel]] (complete with radio, skyscrapers, automobiles, film, [[spoiler:biplanes, and mecha-tanks]]).
265	* Most animated incarnations of ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' fit here best, as both Eternia and Etheria have a mix of medieval kingdoms and architecture mixed with futuristic technology. Most of the StandardFantasyRaces are absent or minor, with most non-human characters being [[BeastMan beast men]] or [[RubberForeheadAlien an unusually coloured humanoid]]. Aliens from other planets and dimensions also show up fairly often.
266	* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' displays many of the necessary tropes. The difference, however, is that our MagicalLand is composed of several planets with non-disguised, advanced technology instead of being only one world. Barring that, you can find [[MagicalGirl fairies, witches,]] merfolk, elves, leprechauns, centaurs, and a whole assortment of spirits of nature and/or magic. The magic takes the form of either magical transformations or {{Power Crystal}}s. A non-negligible chunk of the cast are princesses or otherwise related to royalty and nobility, all of them gorgeous period garments. An alliance is formed between several kingdoms at some point because {{Evil Overlord}}s are rampant. To oppose them, we have magical warriors (predominantly fairies) and WhiteMagic coming from a Dragon God.
267	[[/folder]]

Context Main / StandardFantasySetting