Recent content by Blue Thunder

*The very first book for D&D states that it is a MEDIEVAL game. There was no "fantasy genre" label back then. There was only gifted writers (like Tolkien or Howard in early 20th century, who tried to re-mold and re-create old world myths. Howard took Germanic, Nordic warrior culture elements and...

As far as I can tell, about 70 or 80 % of Appendix N were American writers writing in the tradition of Old World myths...for example isn't Conan's Hyborian Map, just a substitute for "all the cool warrior cultures" geographical mishmash? You know, instead of Vikings, we got Vanirs, instead of...

Yes it is, because almost the entire Appendix N is about idealised heroic men with swords, killing monsters.

*D&D started as a pure emulation of Arthurian Chivalric myths. It is evident in the art and text of the ODD. There are Galahad-like knights and there are Merlin-like old wizards. *With the success of the books, the need to expand was born. Thus came the Barbarian, the Ranger and even the Monk...

*I think "Warlord" is a military rank, rather than a mythical archetype; that's why, in my opinion at least, in literature, folklore & myths we encounter warriors, (who may or may not become "lord"s in time) instead of clear-cut Warlords. *The manga influence is, the way I see it, manifests...

Here is what I think: *In the original depiction it was simple: Fighter= The guy with sword Wizard= The guy with wand Most of the visual aesthetic was Arthurian... Old wizards in pointy hats + armoured knights etc. *And in time, as more books came, other influences began to stick...