Jack Vance, 1916-2013

I love the tales of the dying earth. He made the key points that most people use when they think of wizards.

 

[Dozen]

Goodbye, Mr. Vance. Thank you for the casters.

 

[darjr]

He will be missed.

 

[howandwhy99]

One of the greats. Sad to hear he is gone.

 

[darjr]

Saw this article which has a link to an essay about Jack Vance from Gary Gygax. Warning it's a pdf.
http://www.wordofthenerdonline.com/jack-vance-1916-2013/

http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY GYGAX JACK VANCE.pdf

 

[Libramarian]

I was very saddened to hear of this. But what a life he led!

The Planet of Adventure series is a masterpiece of intelligent pulp fiction. It's also some of the most D&Dish fantasy fiction I've ever read (aliens and laser pistols notwithstanding).

The third novel of the series, The Dirdir, describes a gambling game fascinatingly similar to early D&D...

"They stopped to watch a game called Locate the Prime Purple Node. A board thirty feet long by ten feet wide represented the Carabas. The Forelands, the savannas, the streams and forests were faithfully depicted. Blue, red, and purple lights indicated the location of nodes, sparse along the Forelands, more plentiful in the Hills of Recall and on the South Stage. Khusz, the Dirdir hunting camp, was a white block with purple prongs rising from each corner. A numbered grid was superimposed over the board, each controlling a mannikin. Also on the board were the effigies of four lunging Dirdir hunters. The players in turn cast fourteen-sided dice to determine the movement of all the mannikins across the grid, as each player elected. The Dirdir hunters, moving to the same numbers, endeavored to cross an intersection on which rested a mannikin, whereupon the mannikin was declared destroyed and removed from the game. Each mannikin sought to cross the lights representing sequin nodes, thus augmenting his score. Whenever he chose, he left the Zone by the Portal of Gleams and was paid his winnings. More often, promted by greed, the player held his mannikin on the board until a Dirdir struck it down, by which he lost the totality of his gain. Reith watched the game in fascination. The players sat clenching the rails of their booths. They stared and fidgeted, calling hoarse orders to the operators, yelling in exultation when they won a node, groaning at the approach of the Dirdir, leaning back with sick faces when their mannikins were destroyed and their winnings lost."
​

The book was published in 1969.

 

[Gorgoroth]

Saw this article which has a link to an essay about Jack Vance from Gary Gygax. Warning it's a pdf.
http://www.wordofthenerdonline.com/jack-vance-1916-2013/

http://www.dyingearth.com/files/GARY GYGAX JACK VANCE.pdf

Thanks for posting these! Terrific stuff, I had no idea what the origin was for Evard's Black Tentacles. I have some more book shopping to do -- to read about how they were used!