Non-standard fantasy/mythic influences

[arscott]

Folklore and Mythology are big influences. A lot of time, it's better to ignore Tolkein; instead finding inspiration in the same kind of ancient stories that inspired him.

Historic fantasy and urban fantasy are other big sources of inspiration. There's a certain sense of grounding and realism that you get from a story set in Georgian England that you don't get from a story set on Oerth.

 

[Hussar]

I find that the Sharpe's novels are fantastic sources of inspiration.

 

[Wik]

Barry Longyears "Infinity Hold", while a sci-fi, has influenced a few of my mini-campaigns, wherein the PCs are criminals on a "prison plane" doing their best to survive among murderers, rapists, and con artists. It's a really good book - check it out.

"Bladerunner" was used as inspiration for a doppleganger idea I had, but still haven't got around to running.

I like using real-world history to breathe a bit of life into my games, and I usually find interesting bits in unusual places. For example, a roman game I ran a few years back had most of it's history based around the ten kingdoms period of chinese history, with some of the black plague period thrown in as well. In another game, I used a bunch of research I had done on Venice (I love reading about that city!), combined with a report I wrote about how the plagues of the thirteenth and fourtenth centuries allowed the italian renaissance, to create a very dark, lovecraftian campaign.

 

[Desdichado]

A fair amount of horror--especially Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, although arguably some of that is Sword and Sorcery.

Also strongly influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs, particularly his Barsoom series. But I gotta give a nod to Pellucidar and Venus too.

Not exactly fantasy, but also influenced by Sergio Leone and Charles Dickens.

 

[Wormwood]

Robert Howard's "Solomon Kane" stories have been among my principal D&D influences since I stumbled across an old paperback edition when I was 13 or so.

Solomon Kane will always be my ideal Paladin (along with Sir Galahad---a paladin of an altogether different sort).

 

[Hussar]

Very recently, Steven Erikson's Malazan books are showing up a lot in my games. I used the punishment system in my Shelzar game. When convicted of a crime, the criminal must pay a fine. If he cannot, he has the fine tied to his waist along with a rope. If he can then make it to the other side of the river running through the city, he gets the money which he can then use to pay his fine.

Betting runs high on various results from making it to surfacing, to outright drowning.

 

[Wombat]

Well, as a person with a degree in Medieval Studies and a general amateur historian, I'd have to say a heck of a lot of nonfiction has influenced my games. All my books on theology, history, literature, art, and music provide me with ideas that constantly percolate through my head.

500 books on the Arthurian legends, both retellings (ranging from Le Morte D'Arthur to a King Arthur/Planet of the Apes crossover comicbook) and interpretations (philosophical, historical, mythological) in one place tends to be a good adventure seed generator.

There have been several times when I have taken a passage out of the Durant Story of Civilization series as the kernel for an adventure or even a whole campaign.

Works of art in museums sometimes inspire ideas as well. Maybe a group of characters in a painting, a parcitularly interesting looking weapon, or an amazing gemstone needs to make an appearance in the game.

And I have a great love of (true) Gothic literature -- Mrs Radcliffe, Walpole, "Monk" Lewis and all the rest provide all sorts of good, creepy situations.

I have never limited myself to fantasy writing. As a matter of fact, since I like so few fantasy authors, per se, I tend to work outside the box that way.