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There's a very specific numbering convention for 6-sided dice. Opposite sides add up to 7, which gives two possible configurations of numbers (left and right handed). I think the convention for western dice is "right handed", 2 is to the left and the 3 to the right, casino dice for example will...

I have read a lot of bad fantasy, but this is absolutely horrific. The characters are cardboard, the world does not make sense and the writing is terrible. If anyone else wants to bear witness to this horror I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Classic discussions on other boards...

Re: the Elmore pic. Gandalf, Conan, Drizzt, Elric, King Arthur, and who's the one on the far right?

Sword and Sorcery is at the bottom of the genre pile. It's considered trashy, even for fantasy. There's no suggestion that this is a work of literature; I just want to debate it's standing with sub-genre. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/classicsoffantasy Buttercup, I really do...

I should add that I have hope for the dragons in a Song of Ice and Fire. Martin has spent three books building them up as a weapon which had been used for conquest and upon which the power of the Crown has been founded. With them growing, seeing them in action during the Conquest of Westeros in...

Dragon and dragon-slaying are some of the classic tropes of the fantasy genre. They're also quite difficult to do well. Portraying dragons and their impact on a world well is tricky and arranging a good dragon-slaying is almost imposible, given than any human who goes up against a huge...

Is Drizzt destined to become a Classic? By classic I mean a classic of the Sword-and-sorcery genre, I'm not comparing it to Tolstoy. Drizzt is popular and quite iconic. Do you think R. A. Salvatore's hero and writing stands along side that of Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock and Fritz Leiber...

Yeah, best visual to LotR. It deserves it because (a) it looks really good and cinematic, and (b) it has made a genuine contribution to visual effects, done stuff that no-one had done before and extends the type of films which can be made. It's hard to see on what basis a judgement will be made...

Given that due to a change in the d20 System Guide: You may no longer use "Player's Handbook" in a d20 Product's name; and You may no longer use "Core Book" or similar in a d20 Product's name or subtitle. What should d20 companies name such products? I realise both terms are overused; but...

A USA today article on Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter doing for fantasy what Gladiator did for historical epics. Children's stuff dominates. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-01-20-fantasy-films-main_x.htm Chronicles of Narnia: Can't really stand. I never liked it as a child...

I think the "Vancian" magic is more easily shaped and modified than some posts imply. 3e already took a big step away from it with spontaneous casting and metamagic. I think judicious changes to the standard spell lists and changes to the manner in which spells are learnt (in terms of...

I've got to say I prefer Elric. So I'm disappointed that his early lead has been crushed by the Conan-philes. While reading the REH tales I found it really hard to get past the casual chauvinism, misogyny and racism. I'm glad I read them; the tropes of lost cities, evil sorcerers, and treasure...

No-one has yet mentioned Malory, so I thought I should. The Grail Quest kicks off in Book 13. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/Mal2Mor.html The archaic languague makes it hard to get into. The Once and Future King by T. H. White is a classic modern retelling. The Grail stuff is...

Elric was deliberately created as a parody of Conan; the Anti-Conan is a very good way of putting it. That's the main reason I chose to put them up against each other. Conan won a Kingdom, Elric lost one. Elric is weak, Conan is strong. Elric is an aristocrat of an ancient civilisation, Conan is...

A popularity contest: Howard's barbarian or Moorcock's sorcerer? And why?

Omar Sharif's entrance in Lawrence of Arabia is good. He rides in from the desert on a camel (from the far distance) and then shoots someone for drinking at his oasis.

I'm half way through the second book (though don't be afraid to put in spoilers). I'm also finding it quite strange, both in terms of the world he's built - which is odd - and the writing, which is quite simple but for some reason is sprinkled with complex latinate words every now and again. I'm...

I've finished this recently; and I'm talking about the book - which came first - not the film. The film's also good, but the book's even better. I'm posting to encourage you lot to read it, or to share your thoughts on it if you've read it. What struck me is: It's very, very cleverly writen...

Which fantasy novels do you think have achieved the status of classics within the Genre? And why (I don't just want lists of books)? There's lots of disposable fantasy on the bookshelves, but which stuff will last?

Here's my suggestion; it's not what you asked for, but it may be worth giving a second thought to how you go about constructing the underdark. There's no need for an "ecology" in the conventional sense. It's anachronistic; the whole idea of food chains and nutrient cycles is very modern and...