What Authors Have Most Inspired Your Campaign?

[Essex]

My biggest sources of inspiration are Roger Zelazny and Joss Whedon. Roger for the quick crisp way in which he paces everything. Joss for the gut-wrenching drama and off-the-wall humor I like to lace the games with to keep the players personally involved in their characters.

 

[Khayman]

Add to that list under 'other':

Jorge Luis Borges (for his blurry lines b/w magic & reality)
Roger Zelazny (mostly for the Amber series)
Guy Gavriel Kay (low magic, high drama)

 

[wizardneedsfood]

For my other list:

CS Lewis
Terry Goodkind

Oh, and I like to take ideas from Stargate a lot and tweak them for a fantasy setting.

 

[TheLostSoul]

Most of my inspiration comes from myths and classical litterature. Currently I use a lot H.P. Lovecraft (as always) in my campaigns, as well as Thomas Harlan, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Robert Jordan and Tolkien. Inspiration can come from alot of places. Recently I used some of my archaology books for inspiration and I believe that they will prove to be a huge factor in my future games.

 

[cooper3046]

Glen Cook

Along with J.R.R., Terry Pratchett, and H.P. Lovecraft, I had to make my "other" nomination of Glen Cook... Who's Glen Cook? He wrote the Black Company series and the Garrett P.I. series. Garrett P.I. is about a detective in a magical world and the Black Company series is about a world-spanning, decade lasting quest for final redemption and victory from a mercenary brigade the seems to predate the very world itself. The initial Black Company book was a bit rough to get into, but it was filled with many wonderful ideas. I became hooked on the wide-open magical system within and desperately got my hands on all 10 of the books. Were I to see a new campaign setting or have a chance to adapt one, it would be Cook's Black Company for sure. Simply wonderful and addictive.

 

[The Cardinal]

Steven Erikson

George RR Martin

Glen Cook

Roger Zelazny

LS de Camp

RE Howard

RA Heinlein

Larry Niven

ERB

 

[Neo]

Apart from those I voted for I'd also add Douglas Niles, Elaine cunningham, Troy Denning, Anne McCaffrey, David Gemmel and David Eddings to the list of those whose writing has influenced my games in some way... and thats without starting on those who have had an influence on my non fantasy genre games.

 

[Galethorn]

Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander, and a bunch of unrelated authors that gave me inspiration for nations/politics/etc.

You see, my campaign world can be broken down like this...
Names, Places, etc.: 50% Tolkien, 20% Lloyd Alexander, 30% 'unique' (or 'too many sources to quantify')

Backstory, History, etc.: 75% Tolkien, 25% Unique (basically, I took the 'structure' of Middle Earth's history, and filled in my own sorts of details, bent things around, and made it my own, while still having the Middle Earth feel that I was going for.)

'Literary' Themes (good vs. evil, the conundrum of free will vs. fate, and so on): 25% Tolkien, 75% Conglomeration of everything else I think is good.

The Way Things Work: 90% unique, based on real-world politics, demographics, and so on, 10% Tolkien.

 

[Avouz]

George R. R. Martin
-- Song of Ice and Fire (series)

- F

Big one for me. I've got a whole new campaign in FR that is heavily influenced by GRRM.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Add to that list under 'other':

Jorge Luis Borges (for his blurry lines b/w magic & reality)
Guy Gavriel Kay (low magic, high drama)

Ahhhhh, two of the masters! Haven't read any of the Amber series unfortunately.

I chose Moorcock for the psychedelic feel of the stories, Lovecraft, Howard, and Lieber, plus other.

Other?

Well, Clark Ashton Smith for starters. I mean, "X2-Castle Amber" is based on his works, and that is my most favorite module ever made.

Jorge Luis Borges, Guy Gavriel Kay, J.G. Ballard, all great.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, woke me up to deeper characterization, and "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is fun.