Standard Fantasy Setting
You know the one. The "default" fantasy setting, as codified by ripping off J.R.R. Tolkien and/or Dungeons and Dragons, with a few going for the Warhammer Fantasy cum Central European fantasy angle.
The "distinguishing" features of the standard fantasy setting include:
- Elf/ves, Dwarf/ves, Humans, Orcs or their trademarkable equivalents. Halflings and other races are optional, depending on the decade it was made.
- There's usually at least one Always Chaotic Evil race; if not Orcs, then some kind of Demon.
- Dragons, usually intelligent.
- Undead, usually evil.
- Medieval Stasis, with heavily schizophrenic technology levels the further from the center of the map you get.
- Magic enough that Wizard is a viable career path.
- Some kind of Evil Overlord, although he does not have to feature in the story or campaign.
- Fantasy versions of real world cultures. Typical are Arabia, The Middle Kingdom, and some variant on Native Americans.
- Either a "Dung Ages" or "Excessively Romanticized" approach to what the world looks like, sometimes both depending on its level of humor/seriousness.
- Gods, generally active enough that there is no doubt of their existence.
Common variations of the Standard Fantasy Setting include:
- Gothic: Adds angels and demons, black-white ethical framework, and Gothic architecture
- Swords & Sandals: Very Bronze Age-esque.
- IN SPAAAACE
Most will eschew Tolkien tropes in favor of pulpier or slightly more obscure races/visual themes, like nymphs and Frazetta Men.
This has become more rare in literature; the likes of Dennis L. McKiernan and Terry Brooks have mined it to exhaustion, while others like Terry Pratchett and G.R.R. Martin have satirized, parodied, or deconstructed what was left. Fantasy Heartbreakers have similarly exhausted the tabletop RPG side. Isekai still has plenty of 'em, but most Isekai are garbage.
Since most people are familiar with the Standard Fantasy Setting, it remains popular in Anime,Vidya, and board games.