What Authors Have Most Inspired Your Campaign?

[Gez]

You left out Vance. I hate you now.


Just kidding, but man, how can one left out Vance?


Among the authors I've read, Tolkien is probably the one that inspired my campaign the least. His only influence is the one he had on D&D. Oh, and I've pulled the "evil artifact that must be destroyed by moving it to a mystical place" trick, but it only superficially resembles the quest of the Ring.

For one, the ring wasn't burried in dirt inside a chest carried by a Shield Guardian, and Mount Doom wasn't a fabled area no one knows where it is.

Spoiler

It's in the center of the world. Beneath the dimensional folding that creates vortices toward the elemental dimensions. Beneath even the space-time aberration that slowly eats the world from the inside out and which is where fiends are building their hells and abysses. Just in the center, in the absolute nothingness. Alternatively, they could also flee toward the stars, in order to reach the Far Realms. In a way, it's the same non-place. So, even if they knew where it is, it won't help them much. Getting there is the real problem.

I'm more influenced by Vance, Leiber, and Lovecraft. But my campaign doesn't have too much literary influences, overall.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

I chose, Tolkien, Weis, Brooks, and Pratchett, and Other. I chose Tolkien because I've read the Lord of the Rings three times and am currently working on the Silmarillion. How could they not influence me? I chose the other three because I've read them, and especially like Pratchett. I take my games so seriously I have to throw in a little bit of satire or ridiculous humor once in a while.

I also chose other because there were a few authors not listed. I love Orson Scott Card's ability to spin an intriguing tale (if his endings are sometimes very odd). Douglas Adams also writes excellent satire and humor, and is an excellent Pratchett parallel for the sci-fi genre (though those two authors are very different in their own ways as well). Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy is monumental. I also enjoy James Welch's native american fiction, which is steeped in native american traditions and realism that complement a fantasy setting well.

There's no active effort on my part to incorporate this stuff. I think it just creeps in because I like the authors so much.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Biggest Influences?

Hmmm. In no certain order, the names that come to mind are: H.P. Lovecraft, J.R.R. Tolkein, Katherine Briggs, Andrew Lang, the Brothers Grim, Brian Froud (primarily earlier work as an artist, as well as designs for Labyrinth and Dark Crystal), William Morris, Charles deLint, Sylvia Townsend Warner, William Shakespeare, a lot of diverse mythology and folklore (and authors/editors who compiled it), and a lot of other people who I am forgetting at the moment, but who certainly deserve a larger mention than they are getting.

 

[eris404]

Whether through direct homage, occasional subtle references or just tone and mood, just about everybody has some sort of inspiration for their D&D games. Which authors have influenced you?

For general fantasy:

China Mieville (Perdido Street Station and The Scar)
Robin Hobb (The Assassin's Apprentice series, The Liveship Traders series)

For my Victoria game (a fantasy-based Victorian England), besides the authors above:

Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver)
J. Gregory Keyes (Newton's Cannon)
Erik Larson (The Devil in the White City)
Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the White)

And a lot more I can't think of off the top of my head.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Don't know how I managed to leave out Robert E. Howard and C.S. Lewis, but they are also fairly big influences!

RC

 

[Vymair]

Guy Gavriel Kay is probably my biggest literary influence at this point. His placement of fantasy novels in pseudo-historical context has completely changed my outlook on how I set things up.

I must also pay homage to Tolkien, Jack Whyte, David & Leigh Eddings, Tad Williams, Raymond Feist, Glen Cook & Steven Brust.

I'm fascinated by history so I do a fair amount a non-fiction reading which helps me setup a context with versimilitude.

Of course, I'm influenced by my fellow DMs in how to make these grand stories work within a gaming context. I play with excellent DMs (Hjorimir & ForceUser)and our dicussions of older campaigns helps stir the imagination. In addition, several story hour writers have been influential in that regard. To list a few, Sepulchrave, Old One and Sagiro.

 

[alleynbard]

Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Tapestry.

Moorcock and Lovecraft all the way.

George R.R. Martin.

Hmmm....
nothing else I can think of for now.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

RE Howard (Conan)
Fritz Leiber (Fahfred & the Grey Mouser)
Roger Zelazny (Amber)
Katherine Kurtz (Deryni)
Tolkien (LotR)
Stephen Donaldson (1st three Thomas Covenant)
Steven Brust (Vlad Taltos)
C.S. Friedman (Black Sun Rising, Crown of Shadows, When True Night Falls -- Best. Anti-hero. Ever.)
Julian May (Pliocene Exile, Galactic Mileu)
Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars)
Tim Powers (On Stranger Tides)
Ursula LeGuin (Earthsea, the books that got me interested in fantasy literature and gaming to begin with)

Also, a couple of bad influences -- I ask myself 'Would X have written this?' and if the answer is 'yes' I get rid of it.

David Eddings
Stephen Donaldson (2nd 3 Thomas Covenant books)
Robert Jordan
Kevin Anderson

Frankly, I read less and less fantasy as the years go by. Most of the stuff I've read recently is either terribly derivative or is drawn out way to far just to sell more books. Feel free to recommend any good stuff that has come out in the past couple of years.

 

[Benben]

Mercedes Lackey. I always loved the idea of a diety who reincarnated favored Heralds as "improved" horses to help out the newer Heralds. Of course the Shin'a'in, Tayledras, and of course the Kaled'a'in. What's not to love about intelligent Gryphons teamed up with exotic humans. I just wish there was a better way to model the magic.

Chris

cdsaint, I have a player on my table who is also a huge Lackey fan. The closest thing we've come to getting the mind talents of Valdemar is The Psychic's Handbook by Green Ronin. In October Green Ronin is putting out a game setting heavily inspired by Lackey's work. Blue Rose is the name of the setting and it will be out in October.

 

[Benben]

And to actually respond to the thread:

1. Roger Zelazny
2. George RR Martin
3. World Mythology
4. Robert Howard
5. Eddings
6. Weis and Hickman (Rose of the Prophet).