What flavor does your campaign have?

[Wolfen Priest]

For what it's worth...

I am somewhat loathe to admit it, but I really don't base my campaign on many books, but Tolkien's work obviously shines through.

The French artist Moebius has a series that came out in the mid 70's called the Airtight Garage; mine has certain aspects of that incorporated, albeit with a more medieval tone.

Dinotopia is another place from whence I draw themes and imagery.

Other than that, I would say the combat tends to follow anime themes, notably Fist of the North Star, Ninja Scroll, Princess Moninoke (a classic), and a hint of Vampire Hunter D in there.

I find that adding anime ideas (without going full-blown oriental)gives D&D a real freshness that players embrace.

Add a few flying ships and bird-riders, and I like to think it's a pretty cool place to hang out.

 

[ForceUser]

My campaign starts in two weeks. It's based on feudal Vietnam. My influences in designing the campaign are numerous websites detailing Vietnamese and Chinese history, culture, and mythology, as well as the OA handbook and little bits and pieces from various D&D and d20 sourcebooks, including Wheel of Time, Scarred Lands, and Planescape. My goal is to run a long-term Asian campaign that will captivate a bunch of uncultured white boys by taking familiar D&D concepts and making them Asian in flavor and scope. I want to prove that OA is not a fluke, that it is not merely a distant add-on to an existing Eurocentric campaign, but that it is a powerful and fascinating piece of gaming that can stand on its own merits and entertain for years on its own merits.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Greetings!

Well, I suppose I must present a brief list of some of the influences in my campaign. I think the flavour is some rich blending of them all. To wit--...

(2) Conan: The various human kingdoms and the rough countryside have ferocious monsters, ancient magic, and greedy, grasping tyrants as well as beautiful, cunning women.

(3) Karl Wagner's Kane Series: There are similar barbarian heroes here as in Conan; also there are areas of mystery and bizarre technolgy and ancient malevolent gods.

(5) David Gemmel's Waylander series, and Drennai works: Mysterious demons, witches, and lethal assassins are all present.

(6) Michael Moorcock's themes of Chaos and Law struggling, with the ruins of many ancient empires and new ones on the rise.

(7) George R.R. Martin's works involving complex political themes and brutal life and death.

(8) Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay--this blends the juggernaut of Chaos with rennaissance-inspired technology and the Inquisition. These themes are richly woven into the campaign....

Well, take all of that, blend carefully in various ways, and that is probably the flavour!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Well, from the sounds of that, I want tp lay in SHARK's game more than ever.

Damn!

 

[Chairman_Kaga]

chocolate-chip cookie dough

 

[mmadsen]

"Know, O prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Numenor and the gleaming cities, and in the years of the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars -- Arthedain, Rhudaur, Cardolan, Rhovanion, Lothlorien with its pointy-eared women and towers of elf-haunted mystery, Dol Amroth with its chivalry, Dunland that bordered on the pastoral lands of Eriador, Mordor with its rather intemperate weather, Rohan whose riders wore leather and burlap and lice. But the proudest kingdom was Gondor, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Bilbo of the Shire, the hobbit, black-haired, furtive-eyed, pipe in hand, a gentleman, a burglar, with diminutive stature and light-fingered ways, to tread the neverending roads of the Earth under his hairy feet."

I have to give credit where credit is due. That was excellent, hong. For anyone interested in the original text, here it is:

Know, O Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars - Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia,Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the earth under his sandled feet."

This does point out one strong similarity between Tolkien's Middle Earth and Howard's Hyboria (and countless other fantasy worlds): There was once a great golden age of magnificent cultures (Atlantis, Numenor, Rome), those cultures have fallen, and we're now in a dark age.

D&D's high-magic rules seem more appropriate for those lost golden ages though...

 

[Sulimo]

My campaign tastes of chicken.

Same here. Well, actually its the PC's who're chicken.

 

[Emiricol]

My Bandora campaign has much of the Dragonlance flavor, I've decided. I never really thought about it until reading this question, but I think that's the closest I could come to it. Although I'd venture to guess my campaign, if set in Dragonlance, would have come BEFORE the first trilogy.

Meanwhile, my FR campaign hasn't really started yet but I'm hoping for more of a Snowcrash feel to things. Campaigns take on a life of their own though, so it is hard to predict

 

[mmadsen]

How could you forgot the alignment from Moorcock...

I didn't forget Moorcock; I just left him out to keep the intro short. I also left out Poul Anderson, whose Three Hearts and Three Lions gives us the regenerating troll and the 1st-edition Paladin's Protection From Evil 10' Radius.

The Grey Mouser is how I have always explained thieves, and now rogues, being able to use magic items -- of course he was closer to a multiclassed character...

Vance's Cugel the Clever is more likely the inspiration for that.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Hey Teflon Billy! Thanks! I'm honoured that you are so inspired! You would be more than welcome. Where do you live again?

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[S'mon]

My campaign - see new web page at:
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/5955/Borderlands.htm

It has a lot of Conanesque & Moorcockian influence, but the biggest single influence is probably Gygax! Also Leiber & Vance. Low-magic, somewhat dark, in a medieval, low-fantasy setting similar to the Greyhawk of the Gord the Rogue books. I'm planning to run Lost City of Gaxmoor when it finally arrives in the post! I use Tolkien for some inspiration, currently for some character pics, but aim for a much earthier sort of tone.