Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Bacris" data-source="post: 3485713" data-attributes="member: 42502">I've been gaming now for, oh, 15+ years... and the first high fantasy novel I was introduced to before I started gaming was via DragonLance.... I want to say Darkness &amp; Light.&nbsp; While I had read some fantasy before (CS Lewis's chronicles), Dragonlance was the first that introduced an entirely alternate setting, as opposed to variant Earths.&nbsp; Tolkien I read much later.And looking back, yes, the Chronicles Krynn did share many aspects of Tolkien's writing - declining elf civilization, secluded dwarves, a lack of divine magic, etc.&nbsp; But... to me, Tolkien's world was too... dull.&nbsp; Sure, it was very well written, but at a time in my life when I was more interested in what was going on rather than if the work's prose was elegant, DragonLance hooked me in.While I've never played in a DL campaign (plenty of FR, Eberron, DarkSun, and lots and lots of homebrew), the characters from that book are the ones that first spring to mind for archetypes - Caramon bashing two draconians' skulls together and killing both is a real fighter, Raistlin giving up his humanity in pursuit of the Art, only to find it again after traveling time and space.I know that the Chronicles and Legends triloges have had a much stronger influence on my view of D&amp;D, and gaming in general, than Tolkien ever did.&nbsp; Tolkien made me appreciate great fantasy literature.&nbsp; Dragonlance made me appreciate great gaming campaigns.And to touch on a post on the 1st page - Sturm's death to me was poignant and fitting, but did not make me sad.&nbsp; Flint's death made me both sad and angry.&nbsp; This is a hero and this is how he dies?!?&nbsp; But it added a touch to realism to the world - death was not always about sword fights and explosions, even for the legendary.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bacris, post: 3485713, member: 42502"] I've been gaming now for, oh, 15+ years... and the first high fantasy novel I was introduced to before I started gaming was via DragonLance.... I want to say Darkness & Light. While I had read some fantasy before (CS Lewis's chronicles), Dragonlance was the first that introduced an entirely alternate setting, as opposed to variant Earths. Tolkien I read much later. And looking back, yes, the Chronicles Krynn did share many aspects of Tolkien's writing - declining elf civilization, secluded dwarves, a lack of divine magic, etc. But... to me, Tolkien's world was too... dull. Sure, it was very well written, but at a time in my life when I was more interested in what was going on rather than if the work's prose was elegant, DragonLance hooked me in. While I've never played in a DL campaign (plenty of FR, Eberron, DarkSun, and lots and lots of homebrew), the characters from that book are the ones that first spring to mind for archetypes - Caramon bashing two draconians' skulls together and killing both is a real fighter, Raistlin giving up his humanity in pursuit of the Art, only to find it again after traveling time and space. I know that the Chronicles and Legends triloges have had a much stronger influence on my view of D&D, and gaming in general, than Tolkien ever did. Tolkien made me appreciate great fantasy literature. Dragonlance made me appreciate great gaming campaigns. And to touch on a post on the 1st page - Sturm's death to me was poignant and fitting, but did not make me sad. Flint's death made me both sad and angry. This is a hero and this is how he dies?!? But it added a touch to realism to the world - death was not always about sword fights and explosions, even for the legendary. [/QUOTE]

Verification