Comparing Fantasy Wargaming with D&D
One of the most apt descriptions I’ve heard of the D&D setting is “A fantasy world, loosely based on a medieval milieu, but seen through modern eyes.” By contrast, Fantasy Wargaming’s setting could be described as, “A fantasy world, strongly based on the medieval world as seen through medieval eyes.”
This is a lot grittier and more primitive than D&D. Gone are the 21st century attitudes about gender equality, social mobility, and religious tolerance. There is no magic-as-analog to technology. There are magic, miracles, monsters, and demons — medieval people believed these to be part of their world, and this setting is based on the world as they saw it. But these things are more mysterious, less matter-of-fact.
On the other hand, most of the core classes from D&D can be replicated, to some degree, in FW. The only exceptions are the druid (which is from an earlier period), the monk (from a later period and the opposite side of the world), and the sorcerer. So, if it helps you to make an FW character, you can think about what D&D character you’d like to play. But there are also many other options appropriate to the setting that don’t exist in D&D. Just remember, all FW characters are human!