D&D General No One Reads Conan Now -- So What Are They Reading?

[TiQuinn]

Ok, but if you prefer Ravenloft as Gothic horror, then something like this new book might understandably not appeal to them.

Maybe? I haven't read it yet. Have you? Oh, of course not, it's not out yet.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't think anyone is asking you to like Conan.

Oh, Conan is very likeable. That’s why the ideology he represents is so dangerous.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Oh, Conan is very likeable. That’s why the ideology he represents is so dangerous.

Just try not to steal things after reading Howard

 

[Distracted DM]

You know it's funny, we've been talking about this while and I've forgotten to mention this game, even though I'm currently playing it with a few friends (and have been on and off for years now)... so with regards to whether Conan is relevant/has an audience, this game is Funcom's huge hit. They're the ones that're releasing the Dune survival game soon.

Conan Exiles - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Voranzovin]

I'd go so far as to say classic Wolverine is more often portrayed as battling his opposing civilized vs. uncivilized natures... with him often experiencing great tragedy and regret when he embraces his uncivilized nature and savagery. On the other hand Sabretooth iis a much better example of someone who embraces might makes right, his uncivilized nature and his savagery. And he's usually a straight up villain.

Yup. That's exactly why he's a much weaker example of the trope then Conan.

I completely disagree. Wolverine broods like Conan. He is not an outright good character but has his moments. He also has a chivalric code towards women very similar to Conan.

Oh, I disagree about him being an outright good character. Wolverine belongs to that category of pseudo-antiheroes who were so popular in comics in the 80s and 90s, who are ultimately just regular heroes with extra brooding. When was the last time he hurt somebody who wasn't narratively positioned as deserving it (and it wasn't mind control or an alternate universe or a clone)? Mostly he flies into those berserker rages in moral outrage at how totally evil the bad guys are. We might as well call Luke Skywalker an antihero for shooting storm troopers, or Indiana Jones for punching Nazis.

It's a trope I've come to dislike, I think because it has an element of dishonesty; we want the vicarious thrill of identifying with the "bad boy," but without having to deal with the moral implications of identifying with a character who's actually done really terrible things of their own volition. If you're looking for an X-Man who's actually morally grey, Magneto's standing right here.

I think there's something primal in that type of story. It's existed as long as there has been a civil society and a frontier or a border. Honestly, that's why reports of Conan's death are greatly exaggerated. If we were to have this same conversation in ten years (and hey, I'd love to do it, not sure if I'll even be alive then) I suspect that people would still point to Conan being irrelevant, but the stories they'd say are relevant would be almost completely different. I'm confident that the books we're reading today and are the current big thing won't be ten years from now. And Conan will still be here. I know we've had this discussion before. So if I'm around in 10 years, and Enworld is still a thing, I'll start a new thread on it.

OK...so what happens when there isn't a frontier and a border? What happens when there hasn't been one for so long that nobody alive remembers a time when there was? Tropes are resilient things, but nothing lives forever.

In REH's conception Civilisation is decadent, treacherous and corrupt, whereas Conan as Barbarian is Honest, Direct and self reliant. Conan in the books uses Wit and Determination as much as Physique to overcome challenges and survive against overwhelming odds - remember he started life as a thief before rising to become a Warrior and then King by his own hand ie not relying on institutional status or gods. Conan is not about might makes right at all - he's about determination and fearlessness to overcome the corruption of civilisation and to thus claim freedom or to choose the crown and have it weigh heavy on his brow - is that Batman?

Exactly...this really gets at what I'm trying to convey here. Civilization being fundamentally corrupting is core to Conan, and it really isn't to any of the other characters who've popped up on this thread. Including Batman--he protects civilization from villains who represent chaos and anarchic freedom.

 

[Voadam]

I'd go so far as to say classic Wolverine is more often portrayed as battling his opposing civilized vs. uncivilized natures... with him often experiencing great tragedy and regret when he embraces his uncivilized nature and savagery. On the other hand Sabretooth iis a much better example of someone who embraces might makes right, his uncivilized nature and his savagery. And he's usually a straight up villain.

I really don’t see Sabretooth as a good analogy of Conan as a character though. Sabretooth generally goes around just bullying and tormenting others.

I don’t see Conan doing so.

 

[Belen]

Some teachers have an odd attitude to reading, and some have the anti-SF/fantasy prejudice. I had several novels confiscated when I was at school, even though I’m dyslexic, and my partner, an English teacher, has grumbled about her former school’s official reading list (full of difficult to read classics like Treasure Island, Tom Brown’s Schooldays and War of the Worlds) and ban on comics.

But in this case, the reason might be technical - internet connections can be blocked, but it’s much harder to do it selectively.

No, the entire state banned electronic devices and their only criteria was if the device could connect to WiFi. It was idiotic because the e-reader could only connect to WiFi to download or buy books. It had no phone or social media issues, which was the reason for the ban.

 

[Belen]

The people that want that return are typically ignorant to historical and prehistorical cultures.

Agreed. This is not tied to masculinity. Anyone luddite who wants the world to return is voting for more scarcity and brutality.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Maybe? I haven't read it yet. Have you? Oh, of course not, it's not out yet.

If that party of characters as described oozes the Gothic horror I would generally want to see in a Ravenloft story, I will happily stand corrected.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Oh, Conan is very likeable. That’s why the ideology he represents is so dangerous.

I don't generally consume fiction looking for ideological pointers in my real life, and if I did, I wouldn't feel beholden to any I find. I enjoy stories and imaginary worlds.