Flick: This has been a topic I have thought about for a while but have rarely seen disused. I understand that its mostly taste and what people want out of their world but still...
Why does magic in a lot of games rarely have an effect on the world as a whole?
What I mean by this is in worlds that have common knowledge in magics without any serious restrictions on magic, like in Dragon age where people are fearful of mages and magic in general, does it seem to have such little impact in peoples lives? Sure maybe you get a healer in a town using magic but usually thats it. You never see magic being used to help people grow crops in harsh conditions? Using summoned creatures to help build towns? Armies or kings using people who can instantly telaport to deliver vital information or supplies to people. Maybe I just like the little touches in game worlds but I feel that it sort of limits the world when only a handful of people know how to do anything magical and all of them sit in towers and study or adventure.
Is it just to make mages and more importantly magic unique and special in their world? Sadly I do think in a lot of games at least thats a good part of it. Not everybody should know spells but in a world where technology mostly is staled it seems that magic would step in more. I mean most worlds have enchanted items available to most people so why are spells so limited to the public? Again this all in a world where magic is not really limited.
So am I the only one who thinks about this or do others feel the same way? Would this make the game world more interesting or not really matter to you? Would it make magic just another tool and lose its charm? Please discuss!
Do fire arms, biological weapons, and chemical weapons have a big impact on your daily life? How many days in a week, would you say, that you spend time thinking about these things?
People accept the "normal", it's not unreasonable for people to ignore stuff that doesn't touch them in a very bad way, daily. In universes like Warhammer 40k and Dragon Age, where the magic comes with a steep price, people worry about it and there are institutionalized structures to protect against it. The brutality of Warhammer 40k Empire is basically to protect the citizens from The Warp. In DA it's from the nastier elements of The Fade (not sure The Warp has anything but nasty elements to it).
I think most fantasy worlds are convincingly constructed.
Thunderstone: That bothers me a little more then magic, since I'm more in the school of thought that it takes years of dedicated study in order to master magic. Just like how most people use technology, but very few have the guts to actually have the guts or want to upgrade their computer. If its good enough for what they need, why bother going farther. But I see Flick's point.
In this case, everyone would be able to use a Wand of Fireballs, people with a modicum of knowledge (think 2 year college degree) could cast their own Fireball, and anyone putting 4+ years of study could create or cast very powerful spells based on natural talent and time spent studying (as well as make said Wand of Fireballs).
That would basically make anyone who put in half an effort a passable hedge wizard:)
