What We Can Learn From Urban Fantasy

The amount and variety of fantasy and sci-fi subgenres continues to grow and grow.  Among them is one that I find I am taking an increased liking to: urban fantasy.  While there are a number of offshoots that could qualify as urban fantasy, I am talking about is something I consider the basic urban fantasy.  This involves contemporary settings with a focus on supernatural creatures and races.  Werewolves, vampires, and fey creatures are staples and there are a variety of magics that may be used.

You may be thinking to yourself that this type of novel or movie has been a bit played out.  To be fair there are dozens of books involving werewolves, vampires, and mysterious fey.  As often than not, the main character of these stories are females who end up kicking ass because they are too stubborn for their own good.  It is certainly a formula which works, but the genre isn't completely restricted to it, but two of my favorite series I am in the middle of work from this formula.

The thing I have seen, though, is that the urban fantasy gets a bit overlooked when discussing RPGs.  Often the only time I hear about them is when someone brings up the various World of Darkness games, and I honestly don't hear too much.  The thing is, though, urban fantasy can provide a great, unique take on D&D and similar RPGs.  D&D has Ravenloft but, while steeped in gothic themes, it is not urban fantasy.

But I don't want to focus on the potential of the urban fantasy setting in D&D or Pathfinder or some-such.  I would rather talk about what we can learn from reading the urban fantasy novels and watching the urban fantasy movies and shows.  Take a look at a show like Lost Girl, a movie like Underworld, or novels like the Hollows series.  These are all great examples of resources for your campaign world, steeped in bits and pieces, odds and ends, that you can pluck out and use to help make your world or campaigns feel unique.

First of all, the genre has tons of information about various supernatural creatures that are not staples in a classic fantasy RPG.  While werewolves and vampires are often major players, there are others which for many cultures in the real world were much more prevalent, talked about, and feared.  Skinwalkers, different types of ghosts, witches, and demons all make appearances.  There is no reason your game can't feature skinwalkers as the dangerous and strange shapeshifting threat instead of werewolves.

More importantly though, is the ways in which these creatures are presented.  In games like D&D there are always rules about the way a creature looks, behaves, and can be destroyed.  Vampires are a great example of actual variety with games like Pathfinder featuring many different types, because of varying mythologies.  Exposure to different takes on a creature is great, and can give you ideas on how to present these creatures in your game.

Maybe you want to do an arc featuring vampires.  It is the type of thing your players will see coming at some point, but it is also something that can surprise them.  Changing the looks and abilities of the vampire to make them a little different can scare even veteran players.  It also creates an inherent mystery to such creatures as to what to expect and how to react.  The most careful of players may find it difficult to act as if their character knows nothing about a vampire.  If you surprise them with differences from what they know as players, that separation of knowledge becomes less important and the player can feel the character's worry of not knowing what to do.  You can go another way too.  Perhaps they have fought many vampires and know all about them.  But what happens when they track what "must" be a vampire only to find it looks different and survives when it shouldn't?

Finally, and perhaps the most useful lesson, is that urban fantasy provides you with a look at how such creatures react when there is nowhere to hide.  More often than not these creatures must hide in plain site, hiding among and pretending to be humans.  How do they manage, direct, or change their mannerisms and instincts?  These insights present an opportunity to add such creatures, not just as villains and monsters, but as beings living alongside the characters.  Perhaps they know, or perhaps they don't, but either way it is a twist that can make things at your table a little bit different.

So, take another look at some urban fantasy if you're not already a fan.  Read some books or watch some movies.  Think about what makes them different from what is considered normal at your table.  Ask yourself, "how do you kill a vampire?"  The answer probably seems obvious, and many sources agree, but you have to remember that the answer to a question like that describes how your world works.  It is the type of question that needs consistency in in-game answers, especially in cases (like vampires) where inconsistency is common, but benefits from some unique occurrence that breaks up that consistency.