poll: What has most influenced your conception of fantasy?

[Neowolf]

Oh wow, where to begin...

My first encounter with fantasy was with Lord of the Rings. My mom read it to me as bed time stories before I could even read.

In the years since then, I've been influenced by a ton of different writers: Stephen R. Donaldson, David Eddings, Michael Moorcock, Robert Jordan, Edgar Allan Poe, and even H.P. Lovecraft.

However, it's not just literature that's influenced me - it's also a host of other movies/videogames. As videogames go, Final Fantasy has had a huge impact on my ideas of what fantasy could (and should) do as far as depth, emotion, and story-telling. Movie-wise, I should point out Highlander, Interview With the Vampire, and The Crow.

Kind of an eclectic mix, eh?

 

[Bass Puppet]

Believe it or not, Dungeons and Dragons influenced most of my imagination skills. I started playing D&D at 7 years old (28 now). My father and older cousins started playing and I joined in on the game. Back then it was the box set. I got my ass kicked in 2nd grade by this older kid (held back in 1st grade) who sometimes played with his older brother (when his older bro let him). We became friends instantlly. We still game together.

After that, my childhood was filled with Clash of the Titan's Action figures to taping every fantasy movie off of "ON TV" durring the 80's. To today, DMing for my best friends, and reading a good share of Fantasy Novels.

 

[The Green Man]

Remembered a source I forgot - old Ray Harryhausen movies, like Sinbad (especially) and Jason and the Argonauts.

 

[Desdichado]

Lord of the Rings, definately is the biggest influence, but I'd like to be able to pick pulp era fantasy as well, because I read tons of that as a junior high kid. Other influences, such as mythology, folklore, and more modern fantasy certainly have their place as well, but since Tolkien is a synthesis of northern mythology (in many ways) and modern fantasy is a synthesis of Tolkien (with rare exceptions) I'd say even those influences are indirectly Tolkien related, at least to me.

P.S. Ysgarran, you're from Ann Arbor? I live in Canton, and I'm always on the lookout for a nearby group to play with. The group I used to play with, which I'll probably join again now that our third kid is over four months old (and my wife can stand to be left alone for an evening here and there -- at least she better, she does it to me often enough! ) is all the way out in Melvindale, or Lincoln Park, or somewhere (I don't know exactly where the apartment we meet at falls relative to city boundaries) and I could get to Ann Arbor just as easily. If I can swing it, I'd love to have two groups...

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Picked "Other" for Lack of Multiple Choice

I'd have to say that a lot of my influences pretty much run neck & neck---nothing truly dominates.

Tolkien ranks up there---it still shapes D&D for me. Leiber is another great influence, moreso than other pulp fantasy. D&D (especially OD&D) also has been a big influence. Dragonlance Chronicles & Legends, The Chronicles of Prydain, & of course, the Mighty Thor.

CRPGs have been a major influence as well. The Ultima series, Zork series, Might & Magic 1 & 2, & other CRPGs back in the day of the C-64 & several other home computers, ranks up there as well (Pool of Radiance & Azure Bonds, for example).

And, there were the few fantasy films that I knew of back in those days, as well. Conan the Barbarian/Destroyer, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Return of the King, The Black Cauldron, & Excalibur.

 

[Arkham]

My fantasy addiction started off with the Rankin/Bass movies,
Last Unicorn, Hobbit, and Return of the King.
After that I read the Sword of Shannara, some E.A.Poe.
More movies: Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, Willow, Clash of the Titans.
Then more books: LotR, the Guardians of the Flame series by
Joel Rosenberg.

But what influenced my conception of fantasy most was what
came next, Lord Dunsany and Lovecraft's Dreamlands... Their
fantastic stories with a mythological feel grabbed my mind, and
still haven't let go since I first found them 11 years ago.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Hate to say it, but I started out in the early 80's with role playing and those 'modern' authors weren't around. It was Conan, Gray Mouser, Elric, Thongor, Kull, Cormac Mac Art, Solomon Kane, Hawkmoon, Orion and others. Probably one of the reasons most of my campaigns have a strong fighter feature to 'em.

Although lately I've been influenced by the epic fantasy of modern reading like the Runelords, Game of Thrones and others, I find that they get a little boring with so much character development that no player could (in my campaigns anyway) hope to acheive. I like some of the options that new books like Fields of Blood and Dynasties and Strongholds are bringing to the table and have been slowly working on ways to add them to the game but it's taking time as they're big books.

 

[CCamfield]

What "progeny" of Lord of the Rings is being referred to in the poll? (If it's works heavily influenced by LotR, like the Shannara books, then there's a problem.)

I voted "other" because I didn't really see an answer that best fit for me. I mean, yes, I've read lots of mythology and so forth, but I guess I'm at a point where I can't really see where the greatest influence is any more.

Modern fantasy literature, to me that means (i.e. my favourite authors include) Erickson, Cook, Pratchett Wells, Hughart... - pretty much none of the authors mentioned with the possible exception of Kurtz. To me fantasy is hugely multifaceted, encompassing different tones (dark, fairy tale-esque, funny...) and cultural backgrounds ("Tolkienesque", Arabian, Chinese, Native American...).

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

For me it was a combination of things. I voted for gaming related fiction (since Dragonlance was one of the first), but there was a second major influence and that was Robert Asprins MYTH books. To me that was how fantasy was supposed to be. Funny, quirky and just plain fun. I'd love to see a game that captured the feel of the MYTH books...

 

[Dark Jezter]

Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian are my two biggest fantasy influences. I have also been influenced by video games (such as Final Fantasy and Warcraft), movies, and comic books.