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<blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 6055228" data-attributes="member: 34958"><p><strong>Appendix N- 4. Three Hearts, Three Lions, Some Elves and a Troll</strong></p><p></p><p>Welcome to Appendix N, where I take a look at the literature that influenced some of our favorite roleplaying games and comment upon their gaming legacy, evocativeness and utility for today’s game masters. In this iteration I will be discussing races and classes from the story, <em>Three Hearts and Three Lions</em>, and how their portrayals influenced <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>. The author of the work was Poul Anderson, who I would describe as consistently entertaining. I never go out of my way to pick up any of his works, and when I do read Poul Anderson his works rarely linger with me the way that something from Lieber, Howard, Zelazny or Vance might. But I can’t say I have ever disliked an Anderson work or otherwise been left disappointed. The best that can be said about Poul Anderson is that the man truly knew his Western European history and mythological lore, and is probably the United States best competitor in this regard to Anderson’s English contemporary, J.R.R. Tolkien. </p><p></p><p>The frame of <em>Three Hearts and Three Lions</em> is quite similar to Borrough’s John Carter series, in which a fighting man tells a tale to the author, where he is ripped from the author’s world and deposited in another land desperate for a hero. He goes on a quest to save the land and its people, fulfills his destiny, but then is returned to the author’s world where the hero pines about how he wishes to one day return to the fantastic land that he left. Where John Carter is deposited upon the surface of a dying Mars, Poul Anderson’s protagonist, Holger Carlsen, is sent back in time to a Carolingian land that borders our physical realm with that of the Faerie Kingdoms.</p><p></p><p>The tale leaves a strong legacy in today’s gaming scene, especially when one takes time to consider the portrayal of elves, dwarves and trolls. The dwarf companion in the tale is a bit odd as he speaks with a horrible accent, lives in nearby hills, can detect the sloping of passages by walking them, and starts off gruff while only becoming friendly enough once Carlsen and he get around to sharing some simple vices like tobacco. The dwarf’s name is Hugi, and he also has a strong distrust of elves, which is shown to be quite warranted. If most of the above sounds familiar, then you are not new to the stereotypical dwarven race from <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>.</p><p></p><p>The second companion to Carlsen is a young woman who was brought up in the woods and is most comfortable with nature. She is called Alianora the Swanmay and she is able to communicate with animals and transform herself into a swan in order to scout or flee from danger. Every time the swanmay did anything of note I found myself trying to sort out her statistics as a Druid character. Holger Carlsen also shares some characteristics with the Paladin character class, in which he has a trusty horse, behaves with a certain code of honor, and can perform such miraculous acts as healing others with his hands.</p><p></p><p>The elves of the story are a delight, and more interesting than the Tolkien-esque elves of <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>. They are immoral creatures of desire and greed, and completely opposed to the growing influence of mankind which interferes with the influence of their own kingdoms. They are harmed by the touch of iron and dislike the appearance of holy symbols, though it is important to note that these elves are not necessarily evil as much as they are strange, ageless and alien. They try to trick the hero by enticing him with beauty, art, sex and drink rather than trying to outright kill him at first. However, when all else fails they do try to resort to violence and are shown to be quite deadly and eager for combat. Because of this the elves portrayed here make for much more intriguing people than their <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em> counterparts, but I would admit that they would make horrible player characters (PCs). A bit of this book’s legacy remained when Gygax stated that elves lacked souls, though such considerations disappeared from discussions in the game post-Gygax.</p><p></p><p>The best part of <em>Three Hearts and Three Lions</em> is the battle with the troll, as the description of the fight matches the worst horror stories from tabletop gaming. The troll is fighting the heroes in a constrictive chamber, though Hugi and Carlsen show themselves to be better combatants by lopping off pieces of the creature before hacking it down. Of course the troll regenerates, the limbs fly back on to reattach themselves, and the battle is waged anew. It is only by chance that they stumble upon the monster’s weakness to fire, though the rest of the fight isn’t any less horrid as Carlsen grabs struggling pieces of the monster in order to toss it into the flame a bit at a time. The troll from <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em> is taken fully from Anderson’s tale, from its skeletal frame and eyes of black orbs, to its viciousness and regenerating properties.</p><p></p><p>Although the book as a whole is not as imaginative as some of the other influences in roleplaying games, there are evocative moments in the story such as the importance of Holger’s crest displayed on his shield, Holger’s battle with a werewolf, the use of some spells that players will easily recognize, elven society and the fight with the troll. However, the story as a whole is simple in its language and ideals.</p><p></p><p>There is also very little utility for Dungeon Masters in <em>Three Hearts and Three Lions</em>. Most of what could have been taken for use in tabletop roleplaying has been wholly taken, though it is a pleasure to see such familiar tropes in a fantasy story that is more than a half century old. The only portion of the book that hasn’t been used to the fullest, which could be adopted further, would be the descriptions of elven culture. That might make the elven race unplayable in <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>, though it might still work in something like <em>DCC RPG</em>. 4th Edition adopts some of Anderson’s elven culture into the Fey and their wicked culture through the Feywild, which seems to have been the best way to adopt such without compromising the elf.</p><p></p><p>Players wishing to play a paladin will find the most utility in the work, as Carlsen is a great lawful good character who completely avoids being lawful stupid. He likes his tobacco, sex and alcohol, though never to excess and avoids taking actions that might hurt the feelings of the Swanmay. He understands the motivations of the elves, and would get along with them if it weren’t for the fact that their goals were incompatible. He still treats them with respect and honor despite having to war with them. One of his best moments is when he tracks down a werewolf that had been committing evil acts and discovers that the werewolf itself is a victim because of the lycanthropic curse it cannot fight off. Instead of slaying the beast outright, Carlsen struggles to find a compromise that saves as many innocents as he can. Holger Carlsen has the best traits and best vices of a paladin I can admire. I recommend the book for all fans of roleplaying games, particularly those that often play <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em>.</p><p></p><p>This is it for my trial run on Appendix N. If you liked this series and wish to see it continued, please let Morrus know or place a comment. I have enjoyed this writing assignment and have plenty more influences upon tabletop gaming to run through if so desired, from Tolkien and Burroughs and Lieber and Howard and ad infinitum.</p><p></p><p>May the Dice Be Forever In Your Favor,</p><p>Deuce Traveler</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deuce Traveler, post: 6055228, member: 34958"] [b]Appendix N- 4. Three Hearts, Three Lions, Some Elves and a Troll[/b] Welcome to Appendix N, where I take a look at the literature that influenced some of our favorite roleplaying games and comment upon their gaming legacy, evocativeness and utility for today’s game masters. In this iteration I will be discussing races and classes from the story, [i]Three Hearts and Three Lions[/i], and how their portrayals influenced [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i]. The author of the work was Poul Anderson, who I would describe as consistently entertaining. I never go out of my way to pick up any of his works, and when I do read Poul Anderson his works rarely linger with me the way that something from Lieber, Howard, Zelazny or Vance might. But I can’t say I have ever disliked an Anderson work or otherwise been left disappointed. The best that can be said about Poul Anderson is that the man truly knew his Western European history and mythological lore, and is probably the United States best competitor in this regard to Anderson’s English contemporary, J.R.R. Tolkien. The frame of [i]Three Hearts and Three Lions[/i] is quite similar to Borrough’s John Carter series, in which a fighting man tells a tale to the author, where he is ripped from the author’s world and deposited in another land desperate for a hero. He goes on a quest to save the land and its people, fulfills his destiny, but then is returned to the author’s world where the hero pines about how he wishes to one day return to the fantastic land that he left. Where John Carter is deposited upon the surface of a dying Mars, Poul Anderson’s protagonist, Holger Carlsen, is sent back in time to a Carolingian land that borders our physical realm with that of the Faerie Kingdoms. The tale leaves a strong legacy in today’s gaming scene, especially when one takes time to consider the portrayal of elves, dwarves and trolls. The dwarf companion in the tale is a bit odd as he speaks with a horrible accent, lives in nearby hills, can detect the sloping of passages by walking them, and starts off gruff while only becoming friendly enough once Carlsen and he get around to sharing some simple vices like tobacco. The dwarf’s name is Hugi, and he also has a strong distrust of elves, which is shown to be quite warranted. If most of the above sounds familiar, then you are not new to the stereotypical dwarven race from [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i]. The second companion to Carlsen is a young woman who was brought up in the woods and is most comfortable with nature. She is called Alianora the Swanmay and she is able to communicate with animals and transform herself into a swan in order to scout or flee from danger. Every time the swanmay did anything of note I found myself trying to sort out her statistics as a Druid character. Holger Carlsen also shares some characteristics with the Paladin character class, in which he has a trusty horse, behaves with a certain code of honor, and can perform such miraculous acts as healing others with his hands. The elves of the story are a delight, and more interesting than the Tolkien-esque elves of [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i]. They are immoral creatures of desire and greed, and completely opposed to the growing influence of mankind which interferes with the influence of their own kingdoms. They are harmed by the touch of iron and dislike the appearance of holy symbols, though it is important to note that these elves are not necessarily evil as much as they are strange, ageless and alien. They try to trick the hero by enticing him with beauty, art, sex and drink rather than trying to outright kill him at first. However, when all else fails they do try to resort to violence and are shown to be quite deadly and eager for combat. Because of this the elves portrayed here make for much more intriguing people than their [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i] counterparts, but I would admit that they would make horrible player characters (PCs). A bit of this book’s legacy remained when Gygax stated that elves lacked souls, though such considerations disappeared from discussions in the game post-Gygax. The best part of [i]Three Hearts and Three Lions[/i] is the battle with the troll, as the description of the fight matches the worst horror stories from tabletop gaming. The troll is fighting the heroes in a constrictive chamber, though Hugi and Carlsen show themselves to be better combatants by lopping off pieces of the creature before hacking it down. Of course the troll regenerates, the limbs fly back on to reattach themselves, and the battle is waged anew. It is only by chance that they stumble upon the monster’s weakness to fire, though the rest of the fight isn’t any less horrid as Carlsen grabs struggling pieces of the monster in order to toss it into the flame a bit at a time. The troll from [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i] is taken fully from Anderson’s tale, from its skeletal frame and eyes of black orbs, to its viciousness and regenerating properties. Although the book as a whole is not as imaginative as some of the other influences in roleplaying games, there are evocative moments in the story such as the importance of Holger’s crest displayed on his shield, Holger’s battle with a werewolf, the use of some spells that players will easily recognize, elven society and the fight with the troll. However, the story as a whole is simple in its language and ideals. There is also very little utility for Dungeon Masters in [i]Three Hearts and Three Lions[/i]. Most of what could have been taken for use in tabletop roleplaying has been wholly taken, though it is a pleasure to see such familiar tropes in a fantasy story that is more than a half century old. The only portion of the book that hasn’t been used to the fullest, which could be adopted further, would be the descriptions of elven culture. That might make the elven race unplayable in [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i], though it might still work in something like [i]DCC RPG[/i]. 4th Edition adopts some of Anderson’s elven culture into the Fey and their wicked culture through the Feywild, which seems to have been the best way to adopt such without compromising the elf. Players wishing to play a paladin will find the most utility in the work, as Carlsen is a great lawful good character who completely avoids being lawful stupid. He likes his tobacco, sex and alcohol, though never to excess and avoids taking actions that might hurt the feelings of the Swanmay. He understands the motivations of the elves, and would get along with them if it weren’t for the fact that their goals were incompatible. He still treats them with respect and honor despite having to war with them. One of his best moments is when he tracks down a werewolf that had been committing evil acts and discovers that the werewolf itself is a victim because of the lycanthropic curse it cannot fight off. Instead of slaying the beast outright, Carlsen struggles to find a compromise that saves as many innocents as he can. Holger Carlsen has the best traits and best vices of a paladin I can admire. I recommend the book for all fans of roleplaying games, particularly those that often play [i]Dungeons and Dragons[/i]. This is it for my trial run on Appendix N. If you liked this series and wish to see it continued, please let Morrus know or place a comment. I have enjoyed this writing assignment and have plenty more influences upon tabletop gaming to run through if so desired, from Tolkien and Burroughs and Lieber and Howard and ad infinitum. May the Dice Be Forever In Your Favor, Deuce Traveler [/QUOTE]
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