What does “low magic” mean and should everyone know who/what Conan is?
When I describe my preferred setting I often fall back on the tags “low magic” and “Conan-like” but I have encountered a fair bit of misunderstanding recently. Some players have also hesitated to join because they do not know the terms or never read the Conan books. I wanted to explain what these terms mean to me in this context and see what they may mean to others. I should also point out that you are not required to read or watch anything to play in one of mine and probably any Gauntlet game.
Low magic just means that obvious magic is rare and unusual (esoteric?). The players can be wizards but the average NPC is as mundane as they get. They may even view spell casters as strange and dangerous. Magic wielding NPCs are likely to be rare and powerful either having been driven into the wilderness or establishing themselves in a position of authority. Magic items are also rare and often subtler. You’re very unlikely to find a +3 flaming sword anywhere. In comparison, Baldur’s Gate is a fairly high magic setting. Every town has a cleric able to cast resurrection, a mage shop and an armory where you can buy several magic items for less than a thousand gold pieces. Every other random encounter will include at least one guy firing off magic missiles and no one raises an eyebrow when a wizard sends his animated iron golem to pick up his dry cleaning.
Conan to me just means that the enemies and plots revolving about the players are generally human and cruel. Instead of dungeon diving under a mountain in the wilderness to slay a dragon, you are more likely robbing a crypt under a temple in an effort to secure some relic for another cult. Life is cheap and people are cruel, especially to foreigners or those who can’t defend themselves. Superstitions abound and strangers are not to be trusted. Non-human monsters are rare and terrifying. Often large magically created abominations or giant animals from another time.
These are just how I read these terms and your definitions may vary. What do you think? Feel free to tell me how you would define them or what terms you think I should use. What other role playing concepts do you think people get confused about?