‘The Idealized Vision of Medieval Society through the Classes of Characters present in Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition’ Miriam Fernández-Pérez, Universidad de Cantabria. @MiriamFzPerez https://twitter.com/MidAgesModGames/status/1278685126881431553 1| #MAMG20 Good day! I'm so happy to talk about “The idealized vision of Medieval Society through the Classes of Characters present in D&D 1st Edition”. This is my first time talking about Games and Middle Ages, so I’ll accept any advice you can give me to dive into this topic! 2| #MAMG20 First things first: Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, from now on) is a role-playing game (RPG) created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson back in 1974. In this game, they mixed historical elements (mostly medieval) with fantasy ones. I bet you’ve heard about this game! 3|#MAMG20 In this game, they introduced a concept: classes of characters. In a RPG, a character class means the type of “job” someone does. Depends on which “job”, it gives them some abilities and you have to play your character following some class’s requirements or morals 4| #MAMG20 We have to say that there are plenty editions of D&D. We are only focusing on Advanced D&D 1st Edition (1978). In the first edition they published there are not as many classes as in this other one and it is more difficult to observe the topic we are talking about. 5| #MAMG20 As D&D is set up in a fantasy medieval world (specially the firsts editions), we can see a lot of reminiscences with the social groups we find in the Middle Ages just by looking at the classes, because they are based on archetypal ideas we have from that time. 6| #MAMG20 There is a way we can gather those classes in groups which is similar to the ones we see in a very wellknown system of orders that we can find in the Middle Ages. Those groups would be: oratores, bellatores and (not as clear as for the case we are into) laboratores. 7| #MAMG20 Of course as we are talking about a game based on a fantasy world where the main goal is to became a hero or a legend, the idea of using a character class based on farmers, shopkeepers or bankers is not as attractive as the other ones. And why is this? 8| #MAMG20 That might be because in the game not only do we find this simplification created by grouping the society into orders (which isn’t a modern idea, but from the Middle Ages), but we also find ideas highlighted and created by the Romanticism of the 18th and 19th century. 9| #MAMG20 It is well-known that Romanticism caused such a big idealization and popularity of the Medieval Period in which they captured some topics that still now a days are considered true. But, was there not already an idealization of the society itself in the Middle Ages? 10| #MAMG20 The answer is yes. We could just do a review of the medieval literature, created by and for the nobility (this would need a further explanation but we don't have space) and see how they idealized their own world and they forgot those groups “less interesting”. 11| #MAMG20 In this way, ideas such as the “hero’s adventure”, or the simplification of medieval society are something that arose in the Middle Ages, and are later emphasized with Romanticism. And from there, is from where D&D and its interpretation of classes takes inspiration. 12| #MAMG20 And that’s all! Thank you very much for sticking with me. I hope you spend a great time, and also, I hope I was able to explain this topic or a least present it. I’m looking forward to learn more things about Games and Medieval times! Thanks.
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