What WRITER has most influenced your game world?

[slimykuotoan]

What WRITER would you say has most influenced your game world? (Can be the written word or film) One or multiple? Feel free to Discuss.

[Go0gleplex]

Tolkien, Eddings, Weber, and Brust.

[Willy Rat]

What a great question!
And I only get to choose ONE? I had to go away and really think about it.
Hmmm...

For my own RPGing campaign creation I would have to say Jack Whyte. (And he's sort-of Canadian too!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Whyte

Maybe not the 'mainstream' writer everyone short lists, but his style of taking well-known mythos (Arthurian legend) and crafting a 'realistic' explanation hits me in the right spot. The same with his historical fiction (William Wallace).
My game world likewise tends to be a bit gritty and tries to explain at least some of the magic with reasonable actions/consequences.

If I was allowed a few more choices, I would have to add Conan Doyle's 'White Company' stories I read as a boy. Then later all the great tales by Joseph Conrad.

Thanks for asking. I look forward to seeing other replies.

[Treebore]

Gary Gygax.

[Lurker]

Tolkien, Lewis, Tolkien, L'amuer , Tolkien, Penman, Lewis, Poe, Pressfield, King , Oh did I mention Tolkien & Lewis ...

Tolkien & Lewis, What can I say, they gave me a love for reading & tied magic and faith into a vivid world.

L'amuer, most famous for 'cowboy' but had some amazing books outside that genre. Especially 'The Walking Drum'. Even with his cowboy focused books, it gives wide sweeping yarns of rugged hero's - that aren't goody two shoes -

Penman & Pressfield, both amazing writer of 'historic fiction' . They gave me tha ability to see a myth or larger than life fantasy (or in reverse, a mundane historic person or event) and make it a good realistic story

Poe, & King, .... I may be a man of faith, but I'm not a saint, & if you have heroes, you need evil for them to war against, soooooo I need to be able to draw on a darker side too.

[maximus]

I'd have to say Tolkien, because reading the Hobbit in the late '70s got me interested in the genre. My Goblins and Elves take on a more Tolkeinesque flavor than the standard. As far as what author I like the best, I'd say Moorcock.

I agree with Willy too. Although I've only read his stuff over the past few years, Jack Whyte's novels are top notch.

[Tadhg]

An anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet.

[narpet]

I love a lot of the writers mentioned here, and they are favorites of mine (to read). But the one that most influenced me in my gaming is probably Fred Saberhagen, with Michael Moorcock and Fritz Leiber being close seconds.

A lot of the early campaigns that I created were centered around the concepts from Saberhagen's Swords books and Empire of the East. Great stuff.

[Go0gleplex]

I love a lot of the writers mentioned here, and they are favorites of mine (to read). But the one that most influenced me in my gaming is probably Fred Saberhagen, with Michael Moorcock and Fritz Leiber being close seconds.

A lot of the early campaigns that I created were centered around the concepts from Saberhagen's Swords books and Empire of the East. Great stuff.

Loved the book of swords series. Used them as magic items for 2nd ed.

[serleran]

Me.

[Jyrdan Fairblade]

My last homebrew was a Renaissance era fantasy setting hugely influenced by Scott Lynch (The Lies of Locke Lamora) and Dumas, with additional inspiration from Assassins Creed 2.

[Omote]

Besides the obvoius selections of EGG, Tolkein, and one's self, I would say that two authors have had the biggest impact on my almost 30 years of gaming.

Frank Mentzer - This is where I started D&D, and influenced me quite a bit with game design and effective, clear mechanics to run those games. I still look back to Mentzer Expert Rules as some of the finest writing in game design to this day.

Carl Sargent - This man really exploded my expectations on what a fantasy setting could be, and respecting historical-like accuracy to the fantasy setting millieu. Once I started reading his material, how I ran games drastically changed from nonsensical kitchen-sink style worlds, to fantastical details that kept players engaged in the setting, rather than going through the beats of just playing D&D to get XP and gold.

~O

[alcyone]

My current campaign, which is on ice for a bit, draws its feel from the 1001 nights, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack Vance, and Lord Dunsany. I especially like how these authors find it sufficient to simply name things and never mention them again, the names are the important part.

[Penny-Whistle]

An anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet.

The best answer award goes to: Rhuvein.

I liked this question a lot. I realized that even though I am running a scifi adventure I don't see any of my favourite scifi writer Philip K. Dick in it. Probably because he is simply unique. I do see a little William Burroughs though. Gyson cut up stuff. A tiny bit of C.S. Lewis.

I see a lot more non-fiction influences coming through: Howard Zinn's history, ethno-botany, anthropology, NASA's website and my weird fascination with the lovely world of insects. I guess the science is resonating more than the fiction for me. That and my Google alerts for Monsanto. hahaha. Nobody does evil better ... Except maybe Royal Dutch Shell.

[Penny-Whistle]

My current campaign, which is on ice for a bit, draws its feel from the 1001 nights, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack Vance, and Lord Dunsany. I especially like how these authors find it sufficient to simply name things and never mention them again, the names are the important part.

I am missing Xyll a lot! (spelling?)

[finarvyn]

Tolkien is my obvious knee-jerk reaction if we're talking literary author, but Leiber has to be up there pretty high on the list as well as Howard and Burroughs. Hard to pick only one since I've grabbed various ideas and such from different authors.

As to a gaming author Gygax has my top spot from his contributions to OD&D and AD&D and early SR/Dragon magazine. I'd like for Arneson to be up on the list, but he really didn't write much.

[Treebore]

Tolkien is my obvious knee-jerk reaction if we're talking literary author, but Leiber has to be up there pretty high on the list as well as Howard and Burroughs. Hard to pick only one since I've grabbed various ideas and such from different authors.

As to a gaming author Gygax has my top spot from his contributions to OD&D and AD&D and early SR/Dragon magazine. I'd like for Arneson to be up on the list, but he really didn't write much.

His Gord series really solidified "How am I supposed to run my campaigns?" for me. Sure, all the other authors mentioned influenced me, but Gary not only defined how I run my campaigns rules wise, but his Gord books defined how everything else "should be" for me as well. Not that I try to be a clone, or anything.

[serleran]

For a better answer than the actual one: The Brothers Grimm.

[Penny-Whistle]

For a better answer than the actual one: The Brothers Grimm.

I want to play your game! haha

[Kayolan]

So many, it's hard to say for sure and of course it depends largely on the game and the players as well.

Just to mention a few authors/works that stand out in my mind at the moment and in no order of significance:

J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Gary Gygax, Andre Norton, H.P. Lovecraft, Prose Edda & Poetic Edda (including sagas of the Icelanders, Völsunga saga, et al.), The Nibelungenlied, Chanson de geste, The Mabinogion, Arthurian tales (Le Morte d'Arthur), Dante Alighieri, Homer

[Kayolan]

Film-wise, I have to say I have a great love of B-rated fantasy flicks and they no doubt have been an influence on my CKing style from time to time.

[Rigon]

JRR Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Michael Moorcock, Anne McCafferey, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, Margret Weis & Tracey Hickman, RA Salvatore, Frank Herbert, William R Donaldson, William Shakespeare, Robert Jordan, JK Rawling, Rex Stout, EA Poe, Gary Gygax, Ed Greenwood, and Steve Chenault.

I'm sure there are others that I am forgetting.

R-

[slimykuotoan]

Gary Gygax, R.A. Salvatore, Lloyd Alexander, J. R. R. Tolken, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

[Rigon]

Gary Gygax, R.A. Salvatore, Lloyd Alexander, J. R. R. Tolken, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

I forgot about Alexander.

R-

[Kayolan]

Thinking more about it, I'd have to throw the original Star Trek series into the mix.

[serleran]

For films, I would say Alfred Hitchcock and Kubrick. Or Chuck Jones (yes, the cartoon guy.)

[Lurker]

Tolkien is my obvious knee-jerk reaction if we're talking literary author, but Leiber has to be up there pretty high on the list as well as Howard and Burroughs. Hard to pick only one since I've grabbed various ideas and such from different authors.

As to a gaming author Gygax has my top spot from his contributions to OD&D and AD&D and early SR/Dragon magazine. I'd like for Arneson to be up on the list, but he really didn't write much.

His Gord series really solidified "How am I supposed to run my campaigns?" for me. Sure, all the other authors mentioned influenced me, but Gary not only defined how I run my campaigns rules wise, but his Gord books defined how everything else "should be" for me as well. Not that I try to be a clone, or anything.

I hate to admidt it ..... but, I have never read the Gord series. Heck, I never even seen them in real life ....

For a better answer than the actual one: The Brothers Grimm.

I've always wanted to find a game that would fit a 'Grimm' based world (or a DM that could use the rules on hand to make a Grimm world) and it never fit. D&D type rules sure didn't work, I didn't know any rules that would, and any dm that ran it a game like it, it fell flat.

[Ancalagon]

Gary Gygax. Without his writings I would not have a gaming world.

[Tadhg]

An anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet.

To elucidate a bit . . back in '78, B1 didn't really have a game/campaign world so for me it was legends and mythology. Beowolf, Greek Myths (Herc) and Norse (Thor) literature and several great movies ~ Hercules, Jason & the Argonauts and Ulysses.

Years later when beginning to run C&C, I pretty much used much of what has been mentioned in this thread - and then, in particular Gary/Greyhawk, Steve/Aihrde, Tolkien, Brooks/Shannara and more.

I was always a sci-fi reader and only began to read fantasy about 10 years ago except for Tolkien and Brooks.

[clavis123]

I used to describe my C&C Campaign as "if Tanith Lee wrote the screenplay for a Conan adaptation filmed by Terry Gilliam and produced by a conspiracy & UFO enthusiast".

Overall, I would say the three writers who most influence the way I currently run games are Tanith Lee (especially the "Secret Books of Paradys" and "Secret Books of Venus"), Clarke Ashton Smith (the Averoigne stories definitely), and Jan Potocki (author of "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa").