Dragon Age: Origins Editorials
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First, we have "Of Elves, Archetypes, and Derivative Fantasy" on GreyWardens.com:
When I look at that fantasy staple, the elven race as presented by Tolkien, I see beautiful, magical, nature-communing people, yes. But, I also see a statement about a world turning away from those things. Tolkien's elves were leaving a Middle Earth that no longer had any place for them. The Lios Alfar in Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestries have withdrawn behind a veil of mist as their numbers dwindle.
In Ferelden's elves, I see a different message but one given layers of meaning because of the vocabulary provided by previous works. These elves aren't withdrawing. They can't. Neither Tolkien nor Kay uses the elves or any other of the races as a mirror for our own society, and how we treat the poor and vulnerable.
The archetype comes in to play in the Dalish and their connection to nature and woodland creatures. But instead of being the holders of mystical knowledge and ancient magic, their quest is to reclaim their lost language, their lost craft, their lost culture.
And then we head over to the Iron Tower forums, where Vince and Gareth have collaborated on an article about the game's quest design (thanks, RPG Codex):
The first aspect of a good quest is the motivation behind it, the context, the reason why the player is doing it. Dragon Age follows the trademarked Bioware pattern of sending you to 4 different hubs with 4 different goals to achieve in those locations. However, it stands above the previous efforts in how well these hubs and their quests are tied into the main plotline. In Knights of the Old Republic, for example, you may have found yourself wondering why you were stopping to help free enslaved wookies when the galaxy needed saving. The Starmap that your Jedi avatar was looking for wasn't strongly tied to the theme of the locations; it was apart, a reward at the end. In Dragon Age, you are trying to rally an army. The focus of each location is securing the aid of a set of allies, whether they be Elves, Dwarves or Humans. You have to get involved with each group's particular issues in order to convince them, but overall it weaves seamlessly into the main plot, instead of seeming tacked on, artificial.
Not only are the quests well integrated with the main plot, they do a great job of introducing and illustrating the core themes and conflicts of the world of Dragon Age. The setting is a familiar mix of Tolkienesque fantasy races, Elves, Dwarves, Ogres and suchlike, but the quests bring the conflicts that shape these groups to life, whether it is the tension between the Circle of Magi and the Chantry, who is tasked with keeping their dangerous powers in check, the treacherous arena of Dwarven politics or the struggle for the Elves to survive and thrive. Rather than simply being told about the setting's conflicts, you get to witness them and participate in them.
