Survivor Appendix N Authors- LEIBER WINS!

[werecorpse]

Also those who want Tolkien to make it to the last few why not pick off the low numbers. Thin the herd as it were.

 

[Harzel]

Also those who want Tolkien to make it to the last few why not pick off the low numbers. Thin the herd as it were.

I've been trying, but I don't seem to have much company.

 

[Harzel]

Bellairs, John 13
Burroughs, Edgar Rice 19
Carter, Lin 14
de Camp & Pratt 15
Dunsany, Lord 17
Fox, Gardner 15
Leiber, Fritz 19
Merritt, A. 18
Offutt, Andrew J. 14
Pratt, Fletcher 12
St. Clair, Margaret 15
Tolkien, J.R.R. 15
Weinbaum, Stanley 6
Wellman, Manley Wade 16
Williamson, Jack 18
Zelazny, Roger 18

 

[Harzel]

I don't support name-calling, or divisiveness, or taking Survivor threads too seriously. But it is my sense based on some of the commentary that at least some of the downvoting of Tolkien is driven by the perception that some other people like him 'too much'. I admit to having done my share of eye rolling at (what seemed to me) excessive expressions of fan enthusiasm for various cultural phenomena, but in the end trying to puncture someone else's balloon because they're having too much fun is, I think, a little sketchy. Although all this and more is within the rules for Survivor threads. So I guess we can pat ourselves on the back for being inclusive.

 

[bid]

Bellairs, John 13
Burroughs, Edgar Rice 19
Carter, Lin 14
de Camp & Pratt 15
Dunsany, Lord 17
Fox, Gardner 15
Leiber, Fritz 19
Merritt, A. 18
Offutt, Andrew J. 14
Pratt, Fletcher 12
St. Clair, Margaret 15
Tolkien, J.R.R. 15
Weinbaum, Stanley 4
Wellman, Manley Wade 16
Williamson, Jack 18
Zelazny, Roger 19

I wish people would love more than the last movie. There's quite of few of the current survivors that are fun to read.

 

[squibbles]

Bellairs, John 13
Burroughs, Edgar Rice 19
Carter, Lin 14
de Camp & Pratt 15
Dunsany, Lord 17
Fox, Gardner 15
Leiber, Fritz 19+1=20
Merritt, A. 18
Offutt, Andrew J. 14
Pratt, Fletcher 12
St. Clair, Margaret 15
Tolkien, J.R.R. 15-2=13
Weinbaum, Stanley 4
Wellman, Manley Wade 16
Williamson, Jack 18
Zelazny, Roger 19

 

[squibbles]

I don't support name-calling, or divisiveness, or taking Survivor threads too seriously. But it is my sense based on some of the commentary that at least some of the downvoting of Tolkien is driven by the perception that some other people like him 'too much'. I admit to having done my share of eye rolling at (what seemed to me) excessive expressions of fan enthusiasm for various cultural phenomena, but in the end trying to puncture someone else's balloon because they're having too much fun is, I think, a little sketchy. Although all this and more is within the rules for Survivor threads. So I guess we can pat ourselves on the back for being inclusive.

I'm downvoting Tolkien because Gary Gygax consistently (militantly?) argued that D&D's foundational inspiration came from other sources. D&D borrows a lot from Tolkien, but I think the idea that 'killing monsters and looting their gold is a path to personal advancement and world influence' (as codified in every edition of D&D's rules) is pretty clearly at odds with Tolkien's views. D&D systems incentivize PCs to play out a picaresque not an epic struggle of good against evil, even though my table or yours may prefer the latter.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Bellairs, John 13
Burroughs, Edgar Rice 20
Carter, Lin 14
de Camp & Pratt 15
Dunsany, Lord 17
Fox, Gardner 15
Leiber, Fritz 20
Merritt, A. 18
Offutt, Andrew J. 14
Pratt, Fletcher 12
St. Clair, Margaret 15
Tolkien, J.R.R. 11 - the professor hated the rabid fanaticism of some of his fans
Weinbaum, Stanley 4
Wellman, Manley Wade 16
Williamson, Jack 18
Zelazny, Roger 19

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't support name-calling, or divisiveness, or taking Survivor threads too seriously. But it is my sense based on some of the commentary that at least some of the downvoting of Tolkien is driven by the perception that some other people like him 'too much'.

True in my case, and comments in this thread have convinced my that "liking Tolkien too much" is a problem.

 

[Lanefan]

I'm downvoting Tolkien because Gary Gygax consistently (militantly?) argued that D&D's foundational inspiration came from other sources.

That's because he had to, as the Tolkein estate were (and still are) very protective of his IP.

D&D borrows a lot from Tolkien, but I think the idea that 'killing monsters and looting their gold is a path to personal advancement and world influence' (as codified in every edition of D&D's rules) is pretty clearly at odds with Tolkien's views. D&D systems incentivize PCs to play out a picaresque not an epic struggle of good against evil, even though my table or yours may prefer the latter.

The difference between Tolkein's bits in D&D and most other authors' bits is that Tolkein's bits all had to have their edges filed off, so they're not as immediately recognizable.

That said, you're right about kill-monsters-and-take-their-loot as not exactly being the Tolkein style.