dnd
i think i got hooked on dnd when i read a short story that went kinda like this (but told much better). a minotaur shows up on this remote island. the villagers there are completely terrified. they want somebody to do something. that somebody is a young paladin knight. he finds the minotaur and charges him on his horse. the minotaur makes no move to counter the attack. the paladin pulls up so violently he loses his sword. a bit contrived but essential for the plot. the minotaur picks it up and hands it back to him. which takes the paladin completely by surprise. they start talking. the minotaur is in exile and will be executed if he goes home. they talk more. turns out human norms and minotaur norms are quite different. but not completely incompatible. they work out some trade deal with the villagers. and everyone lives happily ever after. at the end it's revealed the minotaur was exiled for being a heretic. his radical idea: peace.