What makes Arthurian fantasy its own genre, different from more traditional D&D-ish medieval fantasy? What are some Arthurian-style plots?

[Faolyn]

Damn, I haven’t a clue but based on your description can you please post whatever you do, because this sounds AWESOME.

Thanks! I doubt I'll make up an entire campaign frame, but when I have something coherent I'll put it up.

 

[Faolyn]

Don’t sleep on Mythic Bastionland!

For OP, I’ll take a look and see if I can grab some examples.

Thanks! I actually just saw a post on reddit about it and the myths, and it did seem very intriguing.

 

[Faolyn]

The link I posted upthread has several free adventures.

I just grabbed them. Thanks for mentioning that; I wasn't really going to go to the website, but I can't pass up free.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The Once and Future King was published in 1938-1940 (in pieces, single volume is from 1958). Its prose is not terribly inventive or modern but it's hardly Victorian -- it has a bit of a boy's adventure style and is somewhat conversational. It has more in common with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh than Dickens or Eliot.

And he was definitely commenting on 20th century politics and society in his story. It's not exactly modern by our standards, but it's clearly a book written after World War I and in the shadow of another looming war.

Honestly, if these adaptations weren't reflective of the time they were written, I think they'd have a lot less impact. Other than the dirty sections, no one gives much of a crap about the Canterbury Tales nowadays, for instance. (The dirty sections are still fantastic, though; Chaucer should have been alive to write for Judd Apatow movies.)

 

[jian]

And he was definitely commenting on 20th century politics and society in his story. It's not exactly modern by our standards, but it's definitely a book written after World War I (and written in the clear shadow of another looming war).

Honestly, if these adaptations weren't reflective of the time they were written, I think they'd have a lot less impact. Other than the dirty sections, no one gives much of a crap about the Canterbury Tales nowadays, for instance. (The dirty sections are still fantastic, though; Chaucer should have been alive to write for Judd Apatow movies.)

And while we're talking Chaucer let's not forget his Arthurian story, the Tale of the Wife of Bath, which is a version of the story of Gawain and Lady Ragnell.

 

[zarionofarabel]

Just for the heck of it, I want to mention the sheer flexibility of Arthurian media. Highlighted mostly by Legend Of The Sword with the guy from the biker show and some other famous actors whose names I don't remember, most importantly, directed by Guy Ritchie (my fav director). It's my personal favorite modern take on the Arthurian myth and is fantastic in its depiction of the schism between the magical world and the mundane one. I also love that Arthur basically starts out as a mob/gang enforcer, and his "knights" are a ragtag bunch of petty thieves and miscreants. Such a great twist on a classic myth.

 

[aramis erak]

I can't believe you missed out Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

I'm not sure how you are connecting Name of the Rose with Tristan and Isolde. The later is a mythical story stet in the time of Arthur (whenever that happened to be), whist the former is a 20th century historical fiction novel with no basis in myth.

It shows medieval Dominicans. Dominicans are essentially Benedictines with a charism for teaching, and a great model for the anachronistic friars of Pendragon and of them in Le Morte. It is as much a medieval mood piece.

MP&THG, meanwhile, instastnaps me out of an Arturian mode.... to the point that, when running Pendragon, instant loss of a glory point for quotes therefrom,

 

[aramis erak]

Just for the heck of it, I want to mention the sheer flexibility of Arthurian media. Highlighted mostly by Legend Of The Sword with the guy from the biker show and some other famous actors whose names I don't remember, most importantly, directed by Guy Ritchie (my fav director). It's my personal favorite modern take on the Arthurian myth and is fantastic in its depiction of the schism between the magical world and the mundane one. I also love that Arthur basically starts out as a mob/gang enforcer, and his "knights" are a ragtag bunch of petty thieves and miscreants. Such a great twist on a classic myth.

my favorite neoarthurian is the episode of Babylon 5...