Unreliable Narrator: Difference between revisions

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* All of the world background in White Wolf's [[Old World of Darkness]] is presented in this way. This is most notable in the clanbooks/tribebooks etc. Each Vampire clan tells a different version of history in which their own clan is somehow older, smarter and generally more awesome than all the others.

** The largest one: ''[[Demon: The Fallen]]''. We ''never'' get the other viewpoint, and the viewpoint we do get is filtered through several millennia of resentment.

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'':

* Many 2nd ~~edition ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''~~ sourcebooks involve Unreliable Narrator and/or [[Unreliable Expositor]]. After all, players need a good idea of what is considered "believable" in-universe.

** Many 2nd Edition sourcebooks involve Unreliable Narrator and/or [[Unreliable Expositor]]. After all, players need a good idea of what is considered "believable" in-universe.

** ''The Complete Book of Elves''. It very seriously explains how the elves are wondrous sophisticated creatures and - contrary to a popular opinion - most certainly ''not'' backward arrogant jerks at all. And then it gleefully gives in-universe and in-character examples. Quoth a review on rpg.net forums - "So we're half a page in and we've already learned something that will serve us well as we read the rest of the book: elves are ''gigantic'' dicks."

** Most notably the ''[[Planescape]]'' ones, are assigned specific narrators. ''Planescape'' had more unreliable narrators than others, considering the fact that at least one of them was certifiably insane by human standards...

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** This also includes the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' with Van Richten's Guides and a bunch of others.

** ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' has its share. Its style leans more toward [[Unreliable Expositor]], but "Volo's Guides" use a lot of both - and Elminster's "helpful corrections" and mocking comments on the author's indiscretions don't make Volo look more credible. An especially interesting example of this was the ''Netheril: Empire of Magic'' sourcebook that described said lost civilization in the [[Forgotten Realms]]. Except one particular archwizard of immense power was never mentioned in the entire book, despite being a prominent figure. That is, until you start to try to figure out who the narrator was...

** Many of the 5th Edition sourcebooks are obsequiously written by characters (often with their names in the titles) you would be wise not to trust:

*** ''Volo’s Guide to Monsters''. Again, as Elminster warns in the book, always be wary of Volo’s advice.

*** ''Tasha’s Guide to Everything''. Iggwilv is fooling nobody, the fans know “Tasha” is one of her aliases, and trusting the word of an [[Evil Sorceress]] known for her dalliances with Graz’zt and being the mother of [[The Caligula|Iuz the Old]] is something to avoid. She is also co-collaborator of ''Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse'', and while Mordenkainen fits this Trope two for many reasons, he is the more trustworthy of the two.

*** ''Xanathar’s Guide to Everything''. Xanathar is [[The Dreaded| a beholder]] a species most civilized races know enough to steer clear of (including other races that hate humans, like the drow and illithids), and a known crime boss as well, who desires to know everything. Its comments in the text will often make its [[Orange and Blue Morality]] obvious.

* Indie storytelling game ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' makes every player into an unreliable narrator, and has specific mechanics governing how players can challenge the veracity of each others' tales.

* The''[[Deadlands]]'' source books are divided into two to three sections. The Posse Territory sections are for general use, and give about as much information as the world at large knows. No Man's Land is for information only certain people would know, like the existence of Harrowed or how Huckster magic works. Both of these sections are filled with untruths, ranging from simple misinformation to [[Blatant Lies]]. The Marshall's Only sections have the lowdown on how things ''really'' work. Part of the setting's mystique is having the inner workings of the Reckoning remain a mystery to the players.