The Distillation of My Influences...

[Jyrdan Fairblade]

Into a campaign.

I was just reading a Dragonlance vs. LotR thread on Enworld, wherein people talked of the impact of said novels on their ideas and ideals of gaming.

That got me thinking on what my campaign would be like, if I took the books that I read when I was a young lad and distilled it into my "ideal" campaign.

To start with, my current campaign is very much standard OD&D/1e/2e. There's a good deal of Tolkien, bits of Vancian quirk, Martin's slow build storytelling, and some of Eddings jocularity & swashbuckling. But really, it's a pre-3e D&D campaign with a whole lot of Gygax, Mentzer, Elmore, Easley, and Greenwood. I'm perfectly happy with it - from the get-go, I was chasing nostalgia.

But if I look at what really got me into fantasy literature, purely literature, I'd end up with the following.

We'll start with a lot of Beowulf and Norse folklore. Then add Tolkien's The Hobbit. And Xanth and the Myth series (Hey, I was a kid back then!). But then we need some of Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone and the Lovecraft Mythos.

So, I'd end up with Vikings, doom, humor, cosmic horror & adventure, and a bunch of European folklore. I might just have to give that a try eventually.

[Omote]

Honestly, Dragonlance more influenced my games then Tolkien did. Growing up on D&D in the late 80s did this to me, and DL was a big influence, amtter of fact even to this day I try to sculpt epic stories like DL. Nowadasy though, I'm trying hard to get back into a Tolkien systel of fantasy RPGing... and that has been tough.

Though I've got an Arnor campaign coming up in a few months... presumably.

........................................Omote

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[serleran]

I can't say DL or Tolkien influenced me at all. In fact, I'd say no fantasy author did, with the exception of Aleister Crowley, HP Lovecraft, and E A Poe. The majority of my influences are various mythologies and theologies, occult lore, horror, science and pseudo-science, and folklore.

[Lhorgrim]

I guess I'm the exception to most "old timer" gamers.
I hadn't started reading any fantasy titles before I got the Moldvey boxed set for Christmas in the early 80's. My D&D experience was shaped by the fiction in those first boxed sets, and by the examples from the AD&D rule books when I got those a bit later.

D&D was my gateway into fantasy literature rather than literature leading me to D&D.

A friend from my church youth group(?!) and his father introduced me to D&D, and I fell in love instantly. Been playing on and off ever since.

[gideon_thorne]

My dad hooked me into reading with Lord of the Rings.

My own campaign is more a mix of Thieves World and Treasure Planet. (the cartoon)

Oh ya, and a fair bit of Star Wars.
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[Deogolf]

I'm not sure how much affect literature had on me in the beginning since I didn't start reading it until after I was introduced to D&D (1979/80?). Most of my roleplaying was done by play-acting WWII GIs (had to beat those n*z*s). We also had some rousing battles of "Orc Wars" using trash can lids and shortened hockey sticks (my Dad was pissed when he couldn't get the lids back on the cans (they were metal )) .

I started with the usual (it seems) of The Hobbit and LOTR. But I also read Thieves World (the first three books were the best), Xanth, and Thomas Covenant. I really liked the Dragonlance series, but never played the modules - just didn't see the need to.

Been reading alot of Brian Jaques' Redwall series which has had a big influence on me (which, hopefully, most of you crusaders will see in the near future).

Lots of different literary influences, I guess - mostly indirectly.

[Outsider73]

Quote:
I'd end up with Vikings, doom, humor, cosmic horror & adventure, and a bunch of European folklore. I might just have to give that a try eventually.

To comment on Jyrdan's remark, I would very much enjoy playing in one of your campaigns. Vikings! Doom! Humor! Cosmic Horror! Cool stuff.

I would say the authors that have molded my campaign world are J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and a dash of H.P. Lovecraft. I love Norse mythology and that also plays a roll in my games. In fact, I have said elsewhere, that when I discovered Erde, I had no desire to look for another campaign world because it was so rich and it complemented my style of gaming.

I will add that a fairly recent influence on my campagin world are Freeport and the Pirates of the Carribbean movies. I'm really looking forward to Green Ronin's Pirates Guide to Freeport coming this summer.

I also find myself looking at Warhammer's Empire and Bretonnia for inspiration with the Kingdoms of Maine and Keoland.

Okay... enough from me, who wants to go next?

[Julian Grimm]

I didn't really get into fantasy until after D&D either. If I had to choose my main influences from that era it would be, Hyrule from Zelda, Dragon Warrior's world ( The VG), The Hobbit cartoon, and movies like Beatmaster and Dragonslayer. Also Dashes of Dark Crystal, Arthurian legend and real world myths and legends.

A great deal of my later campaigns were influenced by a friends collection of Time-Life Enchanted World books (something I have been collecting now) and later works I read.

Now it's a mish mash of the above with my more developed thoughts. So it's been more of a process that I have went through.
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[Deogolf]

As for movie influences - before I knew about D&D - for me, it was

Jason & the Argonauts. Great, great movie for its time, still is!

[angelius]

Definitely Dragonlance and the movie "Clash of the Titans"... and more so Lovecraftian Mythos.

LOTR definitely not. If anything its more like how I don't want my campaigns to be like.
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[jman5000]

eddings and DL were my biggest influences in alwaying trying to stuff a huge overarching must save the world plot into every friggen game I ran back in the day... no! never start in an inn and say "so what are you doing" to begin a campaign - it was alway things like "as the screen resolves from black, you and your companions are getting overrun with the rest of your army by the great Nimbian hoard which you were pressed to defend against. Fleeing the onslaught, you've lost contact with your unit, with your army, and you're behind enemy lines... what do you do?"

as for movies... I shamefully bow my head and say Conan the Distroyer has had as much influence for me as just about anything - a "party" based adventure. a save the planet from the gods story line. larger than life hero's. Cool magic, and a fight scene every 10-15 minutes... That was the kind of pacing that I aimed for. and admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.... isn't it???

Cheers,

J.

ps. and I still watch that damn movie every single time it's on the television, and I hum the 'battle music' for days after

[angelius]

Oh yes definitely, Conan the Barbarian...how can I forget that one? Thanks Julian.
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[Tadhg]

Great thread. Much food for thought.

Influences:

I think early movies like Hercules, Jason & Ulysses and books on Norse and Greek/Roman mythology fueled my interest in fantasy/adventure stories and tales and ultimately led me to D&D. When I bought the game, I mostly read sci-fi, but had read LoTRs, so D&D grabbed my interest.

And from my return to D&D/C&C gaming, I've taken a major interest in fantasy literature. Howard, Anderson & HPL.

My current campaign world and atmosphere is derived from all these influences and movies/books from the last 20+ years or so.

[I recently bought Mysterious Island to show my nephews after our next gaming session. We typically watch some fantasy, mythic or sci-fi movie at the end of the day. I think they're going to like this one!!
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[Julian Grimm]

angelius wrote:
Oh yes definitely, Conan the Barbarian...how can I forget that one? Thanks Julian.

Can't take credit for the Conan reference. I'd say that was jman5000
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[anonymous]

Most of my earliest pre D&D influeces were historical-Arthurian myth, Greek myth, Norse Myth, and movies like Errol Flynn's Adventures of Robin Hood and the Seahawks, and a few Arthurian based flicks. However, in total, my D&D influences were a hoodge podge that ran the gamut from cartoons, movies, books, serials, toys, etc.

I read a lot of the Marvel Conan comics as a kid. In '77 I saw Star Wars and the animated Hobbit film, and soon after started reading Burrough's John Carter stuff, the handful of Star Wars books available (Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the Han Solo books), Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, the De Camp/Carter edited Conan pastiches and new Conan novels by those two and other like Offut, Wagner, and of course I read Tolkien and Lewis' Narnia around that time as well. I was also reading stories in Heavy Metal issues that my cousin got (a lot of the Conan comics and novels were his too). I also got to see the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serials around that time as well. Cartoons such as Johnny Quest also fit in there, as well as the really cool view master reels featuring the 12 in GI Joes in exotic adventures.

It was a short time afterwards in '81 that I was introduced to D&D by a friend, about the same time I saw the first Conan movie, Dragonslayer, and Clash of the Titans as well as cartoons like the Flash Gordon serial from Filmation, Thundarr the Barbarian, and Blackstar. The Hanna Barbara Heculoids fit in there somewhere too, as I remember my first attempts to create my own monsters for D&D were based on the fantastic animals from that cartoon, and the weird blobby things (Gleep and Gloop iirc).

All of these combined to flavor my early games, and continue to influence them today as well.

By the time things like the Dragonlance Chronicles were released, I was pretty solidly into fantasy, sci-fantasy, sci-fi, etc. I enjoyed the Chronicles a lot, but they were not influential in shaping much of how I played or thought about the game. The only major late influence in my gaming was being a history major as an undergrad and then getting a master's in Ancient/Medieval History which dragged me out of reading/watching fantasy for a few years (though I still played/ran D&D) and caused me to look at campaign/world building with a more historical eye for detail. I soon relaized that ran a bit counterproductive to some of the more enjoyable fantastic elements that empower D&D, so I try to temper my historian side or use it to enhance the fantastic rather than hinder it.

-M

[angelius]

Doh, I must have been unconcious while typing that last message. Damn those full body hour long massages at the spa! :p
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[Rigon]

I think my early interest in mythology is what lead me to fantasy literature, mainly Tolkien, the DL novels, and the Thomas Covenant series. My campaigns tend to have a world-shattering story arch that only the PCs can stop/change.

R-
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[Lurker]

I would have thrown my 2 cents in earlier but my little girl has learned her first game. It's called every time Dad sets down at the computer (or in the evening starts to have an adult beverage) cry for a bottle or need a diaper changed......

I'd say JRRT along with historic myth was the start for me & still flavors many of my game worlds. The hobbit was the first book I truly enjoyed reading so it opened the door to everything else. After that I devoured all the Greek, roman then later viking myths & stories I could find. They tend to be the framework for my big picture games.

I also use a more historic Arthur. I've never been a fan of Malloy's stories. A group of good knights, a member will go out kill 28 other knights, before breakfast just because they are there or because some girl he wants to write a poem to wanted it...... Not my cup of tea

If I'm in a more gritty mood I lean toward thief's world type game. I know a lot of people use Conan flavoring, but though I enjoy the stories I just can't DM a game like that & I've never been the player in that type of group.

For horror I lean more to Poe than Lovecraft..... Again Enjoy his writing but there is no way I'd be able to do his writing justice as a CK. I'm just not that dark! I've been in some good Cathula games but only as a player.

For 1 shot/ dungeon delver type games I could never top Gygax himself TOEE, GDQ -Though I've never made it out of the "D"....

For the standard D&D novels I loved reading the early stuff. Huge fan of the first years of DL -lost interest in the books after the mid 90's & have no clue where they became good reads again- but I didn't like to play in the DL world. It probably has to do more with the fact the DM for the games there wasn't that good & his wife was the star of the show & everyone else's characters were supporting cast at best. I'm sure some of the DL fan's here could make me enjoy the setting....

FR again I enjoyed the books (a lot of them at the time) and played in the FR world, but there was just "tooooo much" No matter what there was always some book character that could do what you were doing better with their eyes closed. Plus I've always like my worlds to have a little less magic than in the FR. I hate going into a village & knowing half the people there have a magic this or +2 that lying around & the hedge mage can get any potion they need in a blink of an eye.

Well the little pot licker jus played round 8 of the game so I'll get off my soap box....

Have a good wekend!
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[Breakdaddy]

Aside from Tolkien, Howard, and Terry Brooks, I've read little Fantasy literature. My primary influences come from Gary Gygax, Ed Greenwood, Tom Moldvay, and Frank Mentzer. My D&D games tend to be very Old School D&D, and based upon the influences said authors inject into the game.