History Main / StandardFantasySetting

--> "There's something terribly ''weird'' about the standard fantasy setting, not least of which that 'Standard Fantasy Setting' can be uttered completely without irony. Is civilization so steeped in escapism that we've managed to find mundanity in something that doesn't exist and never will?"

-->-- BenCroshaw in his review of DragonAgeOrigins.

-->-- [[ZeroPunctuation Yhatzee]], in his review of DragonAgeOrigins.

* [[{{Main/Ambergris}} Ambergris]]

* ''TheEdgeChronicles'' differs from the standard by relying more on {{Minovsky Particle}}s 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]].)

* ''{{Rift}}'' is superficially similar to ''Warcraft'', but cranks up the {{magitek}} and does more [[ZigzaggedTrope playing around with]] [[FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes race tropes]].

* ''{{Rift}}'' is superficially similar to ''Warcraft'', but cranks up the {{magitek}} and [[ZigzaggedTrope plays with]] the [[FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes race tropes]].

* ''Majesty''

* ''[[MajestyTheFantasyKingdomSim Majesty]]''

** This trope really only applies to the humans of Stormwind, Arathor, and Lordaeron. Other races and even other human kingdoms (such as Dalaran and Gilneas) are markedly different in terms of technology and society, varying from cannibalistic tribal society (Trolls), to robots and SteamPunk (Gnomes/Goblins), to space aliens who crashed in an interdimensional {{Magitech}} starship (Draenei).

* AvatarTheLastAirbender. While we've got TheEmpire and TheKingdom along with rebel fighters, MagicAIsMagicA and a variety of other fantasy world tropes, its subverted in several ways. Most prominently, instead of being in a European central world the Avatarverse in a fantasy counterpart to Asia (China and Japan, mostly) with Inuit culture thrown in. There are no dwarves, elves or other similar intelligent races on par with humans, and MedivalStasis is completely subverted, with technology developing into full out SteamPunk in the sequel series.

* ''KingdomOfLoathing''

[[AC:MMORPGs]]

* ''{{Fable}}'' -- The first game was mostly compliant other than lacking all the races other than humans. The second game, however, goes further into non-compliance by featuring colonial-era firearms.

** The SwordAndSandal subgenre thrives in a FantasyCounterpartCulture in the ancient world and -- just to make life confusing -- can cheerfully co-exist with other portions of the world having a pseudo-medieval setting.

* ''Bas Lag'' (China Mieville's main setting)

The generic {{fantasy}} setting. HighFantasy, HeroicFantasy, and LowFantasy are usually set here, along with many Tabletop [=RPGs=] and {{Video Game}}s; however, this is not required. This is NewerThanTheyThink. TropeMaker ''LordOfTheRings'', though written earlier, only developed a cult following in the 1960s. ''DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''[[{{Shannara}} The Sword of Shannara]]'', the first novel by Terry Brooks, acted as the TropeCodifier in the late 1970s. (''D&D'' had, however, originated a bit earlier.)

* The ''DungeonsAndDragons'' setting ''{{Planescape}}''. No elves, no dwarves, no trolls, no goblins, no gods (hence no religions), yet still having loads of different races and factions. It does have a magic system, but it is wildly different from most other forms of magic. This includes the game ''PlanescapeTorment'', naturally.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons'', the TropeCodifier.
** The ''{{Dragonlance}}'' series.
** R. A. Salvatore's [[ForgottenRealms Drizzt novels]].
* ''{{Warhammer}} Fantasy''
* ''WarlordsSeries''
* ''[[{{Majesty}} MajestyTheFantasyKingdomSim]]''
* ''TheElderScrolls'' (Note that the Dwarves are not compliant with [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame ANSI standard Dwarves]], but this deviation is allowed by this standard.)

* ''AgeOfWonders'' (although it has ''a lot'' more races than 5)
* ''MightAndMagic'' and ''HeroesOfMightAndMagic''

* ''TheOrderOfTheStick'', a webcomic that, like ''{{Discworld}}'', both parodies and deconstructs its setting.

* Most fantasy written prior to the late 1970s.
** Virtually ''all'' fantasy prior to ''LordOfTheRings'', including, of course, 19th century fantasy.
* Most stuff set in our day and age (even if most of the action takes place elsewhere).
** ''TheDarkTower''
** ''The KeysToTheKingdom''

* ''KingdomOfLoathing''
* ''{{Shadowrun}}''
* ''{{Earthsea}}''
* ''ThePrincessBride'', which makes no attempt to make the (fairly limited) magic "make sense".
* ''FinalFantasyVII'', ''FinalFantasyVIII'', ''FinalFantasyIX'', and ''FinalFantasyX''.
** Also ''FinalFantasyXIII''; the setting is 100% sci-fi except for 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.
* ''{{Fable}}'' -- The first game was mostly compliant other than lacking all the races other than humans. The second game, however, goes further into non-compliance by featuring colonial-era firearms.

* {{Clive Barker}}'s fantasy works Imajica and Abarat.
* The Etched City by K.J. Bishop.
* The Starbridge books by Paul Park.
* {{Talislanta}}.

* ''{{Arcanum}}'' (SteamPunk level technology; otherwise compliant)

* ''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.

* 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.
* DwarfFortress lacks magic as of yet, but otherwise fits this trope very well.