Mearls talks about his inspiration for the 4e classes

[tmatk]

My new favourite televisual representation of D&D has to be Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire!

Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire | Comedy Central

I've been laughing myself silly at this, and it is partially because it SO reminds me of many D&D games.

Cheers

Seriously a funny show! I hope it gets picked up for another season!!

 

[catsclaw227]

The movie was bad, I wont argue that, but I kind of feel like it represents the average D&D campaign out there.

The average campaign is overused cliche plots and poorly acted caricature villains, opposed by equally poorly acted random hodgepodge heroes that stick together and do things... just because.

Don't forget scantily clad wenches! (or manches, or whatever the male version of a wench is... don't want to be politically incorrect).


Weird.... My disclaimer about political correctness was longer than my original statement. What kind of world is this!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Amphimir Míriel]

To be fair to them, neither Marlon Wayans nor Jeremy Irons were the worst parts of that movie.

True, it is the scriptwriters and the director who should be put in front of the firing squad

 

[Gentlegamer]

I wonder if the actual wizard had any wizardy inspiration. Not that cribbing Gandalf for the Invoker makes him illegal to use as a wizard, of course, but D&D wizards haven't been very Gandalf-y ever.

Look to Vance's Dying Earth stories and Camp & Pratt's "Harold Shea" (as well as Camp's Fallible Fiend and "Reluctant King" stories) to find direct inspiration for the D&D wizard.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Yes. Start reading the Chronicles of Prydain yesterday.

Yes! Yes! With readings and gleamings for wisdom!

 

[FriarRosing]

So, when I went to my local used bookstore to sell off some of my old 3.X stuff (it was too much clutter), I picked up a copy of the first Lankhmar book and the first Elric book. So far, I don't know how much I think of Moorcock as a writer, but Leiber seems excellent.

I was once an aspiring creative writing major, and Moorcock's book in the first few pages broke so many things we were taught. The tense was seemingly randomly changed, point of view has changed, there are so many adverbs and awkward run on sentences. Looking at it from that direction, it's just crazy. At first I wasn't sure if I could read it, but I've made my way through it a bit, and I can't really say I don't like it. I can't say I totally like it either (yet), but I certainly like it more than I dislike it.

I've only read of a few pages of the Lankhmar book, and so far I'm impressed with Leiber. He has a much clearer, and prettier, writing style.

It's cool to me that this thread could list so many books for me to look into. My girlfriend, who has no interest in D&D, is a big fan of the Lloyd Alexander books, and just randomly mentioned them to me the other day. I mentioned that I was reading about them in relation to D&D, and I'll probably borrow those from her some day.

But anyway.

I figured it'd be cool to let fans of the old school know that a young dude of the new school is checking out their recommendations.

 

[pawsplay]

I find the idea of Vance as "obscure" to be beyond bizarre. Not only is he namedropped repeatedly in AD&D, where his "ioun stones" are appropriated and for which he supplied a framework for spellcasting, and not only was he cited as a direct inspiration for Sechi's Talislanta game, but there is a Dying Earth Role-Playing Game written by Robin Laws, John Snead, and Peter Freeman with its own magazine. But that's not all... there's also a GURPS sourcebook, GURPS Planet of Adventure, based on Vance's planetary romances. Fire-and-forget spellcasting is known in RPG circles as "Vancian" magic. Short of getting his own sitcom on the Disney Channel, what could he do to be less obscure?

As for the Invoker/Gandalf... We all know who the real inspiration for the Invoker is...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTAAvJIGrs]YouTube - Angel summoner and the BMX bandit Part 1[/ame]

 

[amysrevenge]

Short of getting his own sitcom on the Disney Channel, what could he do to be less obscure?

He would be less obscure if he was known or discussed outside the niche market of roleplaying gamers. There's a big leap in fame between "mentioned* in several roleplaying games, most of them pretty obscure even inside that market" and "sitcom on the Disney Channel". lol

*I wouldn't even really count D&D as a game that "mentions" Vance. Sure, several items and the spellcasting system were inspired by his works, but unless you already knew about him, how would this make him more well known? I personally didn't know ioun stones were a Vance thing until this thread, and I only knew what "Vancian magic" meant by context until I read Dying Earth this spring.

 

[Mercutio01]

I find the idea of Vance as "obscure" to be beyond bizarre. Not only is he namedropped repeatedly in AD&D

I played exactly one adventure in AD&D at age 11 in 1990. The first gaming book I owned was "Price of Freedom" and the first D&D book was "The Complete Thief" for 2E. AD&D as a source wasn't in print at the time I started gaming.

Sechi's Talislanta game

Eh? Never heard of it.

Dying Earth Role-Playing Game written by Robin Laws, John Snead, and Peter Freeman with its own magazine.

Until a few years ago, I'd never even heard the title of Vance's work. I knew he was a writer that had his magic system pilfered for D&D, but beyond that? Nada.

there's also a GURPS sourcebook, GURPS Planet of Adventure, based on Vance's planetary romances.

Never used GURPS. Never been interested in the game system. I think if I went out onto the streets of Boston and mentioned D&D to everyone I met and then GURPS to everyone I met, say 100 people in a few minutes, maybe one or two people would recognize GURPS and 50 or 60 would know D&D. Citing GURPS as a way to fight a claim of obscurity is absurd.

Fire-and-forget spellcasting is known in RPG circles as "Vancian" magic.

Indeed, that's the only way I'd ever even heard of Vance.

He would be less obscure if he was known or discussed outside the niche market of roleplaying gamers. There's a big leap in fame between "mentioned* in several roleplaying games, most of them pretty obscure even inside that market" and "sitcom on the Disney Channel". lol

Exactly.

I only knew what "Vancian magic" meant by context until I read Dying Earth this spring.

Ditto (well, partially. I just finished Dying Earth and am part way through "The Eyes of Overworld" (which I find is a much better read anyway).

 

[pawsplay]

*I wouldn't even really count D&D as a game that "mentions" Vance. Sure, several items and the spellcasting system were inspired by his works, but unless you already knew about him, how would this make him more well known?

Well, apart from Appendix N, and being "mentioned" in the AD&D DMG Credits and Acknowledgements, Jack Vance is "mentioned" by name on p.40 of the rulebook as the inspiration of the magic system and on p.112 under ongoing campaigns. Eyes of the Overlord and Planet of Adventure are "mentioned." I suppose technically you can claim AD&D is not D&D.