Elves of Fear & Night

[woodmouse]

Well, this is just a weird idea, but what about making some sort of Elves that wear dark green clothes, have gray/brown skin and use dark magic. Like dark elves, but they would also be like the forest elves. They could also use hallucinatioms about undeads, etc. (I know it would be hard to make, but maybe with halos? Is this a good/bad/horrible idea?

[Skizzaltix]

Okay. Why not do it?

[woodmouse]

I'll make these, probably, but I am just asking if it is good or bad idea.

[Thanatos]

Do as you like, but there is one question I always wanted to ask and it seems that this will be the place to do so:

What is it with all those elf-variants?

A little search in the forums gives results for:
* Water Elves
* Sky Elves
* Desert Elves
* Swamp Elves
* High Elves
* Blackpowder Elves
* Dark Elves
* Wild Elves
* Half-Elves

and I remember just a new topic about Fallen or so called Blood Elves (wasn't that one also by woodmouse?). And now Fear or Night Elves?

I really really don't see the point in creating one Elven faction after the other.
Why not create some more original new faction instead?

Sorry, but this question is bugging me ever since I started fantasy. Everyone seems to need their very own flavour of Elves.

[woodmouse]

Do as you like, but there is one question I always wanted to ask and it seems that this will be the place to do so:

What is it with all those elf-variants?

A little search in the forums gives results for:
* Water Elves
* Sky Elves
* Desert Elves
* Swamp Elves
* High Elves
* Blackpowder Elves
* Dark Elves
* Wild Elves
* Half-Elves

and I remember just a new topic about Fallen or so called Blood Elves.

I really really don't see the point in creating one Elven faction after the other.
Why not create some more original new faction instead?

Sorry, but this question is bugging me ever since I started fantasy. Everyone seems to need their very own flavour of Elves.

I think it's because Elves are just so... hmm... weird, but not weird. I mean, you know, they are so human-ish, only long ears and like that. ...Elves just are nice.

[Orcish Shyde]

Sticking "Elves" onto the end of a description makes it seem more fantastic and alien than a human culture that does the same damn thing, without having significantly different physical appearance. I think I'd RP as dwarves a lot more if they bulked up; short people who are meant to be walking tanks don't really sound that realistic to me, but the image of a mining, smithing culture is fine. Still, if I were you Woodmouse I'd make these Dwarves of Fear & Night, just for variety's sake.

EDIT: There's also the fact that Humans of Fear & Night doesn't have the same ring to it. Nor Wesnothians of Fear & Night... Also, (foo) Elves allows you to see the race's hat immediately, whereas a human culture would need to be named and then have its methods explained (that said, evidence against: the Marauders of Imperial Era, the name says all you need to know to start playing as or against them and they're humans).

[Lizard]

* Water Elves
* Sky Elves
* Desert Elves
* Swamp Elves
* High Elves
* Blackpowder Elves
* Dark Elves
* Wild Elves
* Half-Elves

Cheese Elves!!
IIRC someone had a signature like
If you want to make a faction, pick one item from each list and stick them together (Forest, Night, Dark, Wild, Swamp, Desert, Half, Blood, Moon, Sun, etc..., Cheese), (Elves)

[Akkarin345]

Some of the variations are Elves that lived in a enviroment and have become adapt to it, Ice Elves ( or in Orbivm the Issalefr ) live in cold icy conditions and that is how they got their name. I would like to see though that although they may be known as the Water Elves, or something like that ( i so want to see Cheese Elves ), that they are given a differnet name that xyz Elves. For example from Orbivm again :

Ice Elves - Issaelfr
Wild Elves ( i think ) - Sidhe

[LemonTea]

I really really don't see the point in creating one Elven faction after the other.

Creating? Or talking about the creation of?

[Thanatos]

True... but even talking only ...
I think those creative resources could be used better.

I really would like to see more new and fresh factions. Til now, Wesnoth is (like most other fantasy) reproducing the standards mostly - no offense, this is really done very well and I like the game a lot and appreciate the work of all contributors. Personally I loved to see that Undead are playable, that was one reason to stick with the game (I am a bit biased in that direction ). But: For examplye I really like the Windsong faction for being something really new to me. More original factions like that would make Wesnoth even better than it is. Only Elves-clones are boring, imho. If one has an idea that is really making a great new faction, why just applying this idea only to an already existing faction and not going further to create it from scratch? (I know that especially the artwork is a problem - but the Windsong prove that it can be done.)

[Skizzaltix]

I have to say I agree with you on that, Thanatos--Though, one thing Wesnoth has which many commercial games miss out on is moe factor (...Basically, the sprites are cute). Of course, just because they're moe Elves doesn't mean they're not Elves

Hmm... Does this mean I should stop being lazy and continue work on my three (hopefully) original factions?

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Some of the variations are Elves that lived in a enviroment and have become adapt to it, Ice Elves ( or in Orbivm the Issalefr ) live in cold icy conditions and that is how they got their name. I would like to see though that although they may be known as the Water Elves, or something like that ( i so want to see Cheese Elves ), that they are given a differnet name that xyz Elves. For example from Orbivm again :

Ice Elves - Issaelfr
Wild Elves ( i think ) - Sidhe

Interesting thing is, humans are supposed to be the adaptable race, not elves. We should honestly be doing this with humans, if anyone.

[AI]

My interpretation is that while humans adapt through tools and a flexible mind, elves adapt in a more physical way.

Of course, you get +10 to originality for not using the names 'dwarf' 'elf' or 'orc' in the name of your race. (and another +10 for not simply being a dwarvish/elvish/orcish race that was simply renamed)

[Skizzaltix]

Somewhat counterintuitive, given that Elves live longer and procreate less, thus slowing mutation... But it would seem to be the case nonetheless

[turin]

It's easy to make an elf faction - just take one dominant characteristic (woods! ice! dark! blood! cheese!) and have your elven culture be defined by this. It doesn't take any creativity, really. Imagine how stupid you would think a faction of "blood humans" would be - it's so damn one-dimensional, it's almost funny. But we're used to doing that with elves, so we ignore it.

It reminds me of the kid's show DragonTales (it's shown on PBS in the US, if you have younger siblings you may have seen it). It involves two children who travel to a world inhabited by (peaceful) dragons, where everything is named after dragons. "Dragonberries", etc. Really now - would a culture of dragons name some kind of berry "dragonberries"? Do we have "humanberries"? But because they're not human, we don't mind when they're simplified like this to the point of absurdity.

What's sad is that most people think of this bunch-of-different-kind-of-elves as coming from LotR, but really, there's more to the Sindar than being "wood elves", more to the Teleri than "sea elves", etc... OK, I'll stop ranting about LotR now.