Would you buy FR novels if the game world didn't exist?

[Brian Compton]

Think of this as an unofficial, unscientific research project to see how much novels and settings interact in terms of sales. There are two things I'm looking for:

1) If you like FR, do you like the novel or game side more?

2) Was your first introduction to FR via the game, the novels, or otherwise (video games for example)?

3) If you came to the game because of the novels, could you see yourself having come to the game had the novels not existed?

4) If you came to the novels because of the game, could you see yourself picking up the novels had there been no game?

My answers:

1) I like both, but I've come to prefer the game over the novels in recent years (I do still geek out on a Drizzt novel or Greenwood-penned story).

2) I think I came to the game first, then got into the novels later. I remember picking up game supplements in high school, but not really reading novels until college.

3) Honestly, I can't say that I would have picked up the novels on my own were I not an FR player. If a friend had recommended them to me, maybe. But I got into them because they were an ancillary to a game I enjoyed. This, BTW, is opposite with Dragonlance- I'd read the novels first, but I've never played a DL game.

 

[jdrakeh]

I think that the only truly good author of FR novels is Salvatore, and he actually writes a lot of novels that aren't tied to FR/D&D. If FR didn't exist as a game setting, I'd probably still buy his books. The FR 'game fiction only' authors? I don't buy their novels now.

 

[Arnwyn]

1) If you like FR, do you like the novel or game side more?

2) Was your first introduction to FR via the game, the novels, or otherwise (video games for example)?

3) If you came to the game because of the novels, could you see yourself having come to the game had the novels not existed?

4) If you came to the novels because of the game, could you see yourself picking up the novels had there been no game?

1) Game side, no doubt about it.

2) It was via the game.

3) n/a

4) Possibly, but not likely. However, unlike a certain batch of ENWorlders, I like the Drizzt stories as well as some of the Greenwood ones (though not all). But if the game world didn't exist? Probably not. (Though I've dumped all the novels in recent years, due to the wretched writing and stories, and their affect on the game products.)

 

[mhensley]

1. I don't buy them now as the best of them are mediocre, so I guess I like the game world better.

2. Probably the first FR product I bought was one of the computer games.

3. I only read any of the novels because a friend lent me some. I quit after he lent me some horrible dreck by Greenwood. Never again.

My general rule of thumb now is to avoid game related fiction. The only exceptions being select novels for Warhammer, some of which are rather entertaining.

 

[BadMojo]

1) I suppose I prefer the game. There are only a few Realms authors who I read regularly (Paul Kemp, Erik Scot de Bie, Elaine Cunningham). So, I tend to pick Realms novels by author and not by subject matter.

2) Game first.

3) NA

4) Probably would not have noticed the Realms novels, even the really good ones.

 

[Voadam]

Think of this as an unofficial, unscientific research project to see how much novels and settings interact in terms of sales. There are two things I'm looking for:

1) If you like FR, do you like the novel or game side more?

2) Was your first introduction to FR via the game, the novels, or otherwise (video games for example)?

3) If you came to the game because of the novels, could you see yourself having come to the game had the novels not existed?

4) If you came to the novels because of the game, could you see yourself picking up the novels had there been no game?

1) The game side more.

2) The game, articles in dragon.

4) Yes, I read a bunch of fantasy novels independent of D&D.

 

[DaveMage]

1) If you like FR, do you like the novel or game side more?

2) Was your first introduction to FR via the game, the novels, or otherwise (video games for example)?

3) If you came to the game because of the novels, could you see yourself having come to the game had the novels not existed?

4) If you came to the novels because of the game, could you see yourself picking up the novels had there been no game?

1) Game side
2) Game
4) Yes

I picked up every novel for a time, but now I mostly read reviews brfore picking them up unless I like the concept (same with Eberron novels not by Keith Baker [I'll buy those] - there are apparently some real Eberron stinkers out there.)

One I had picked up lately was the first in the Dungeons series (I like the concept theoretically) - Depths of Madness. I found it quite awful. I am reading the second one now and so far it's OK.

 

[BadMojo]

One I had picked up lately was the first in the Dungeons series (I like the concept theoretically) - Depths of Madness. I found it quite awful. I am reading the second one now and so far it's OK.

I'm surprised at the "Depths of Madness" thing. I really liked the first book by the same author (Ghostwalker) and the short story he wrote connected to Depths. I was going to read Depths next...kinda a bummer.

 

[sckeener]

Think of this as an unofficial, unscientific research project to see how much novels and settings interact in terms of sales. There are two things I'm looking for:

1) If you like FR, do you like the novel or game side more?

2) Was your first introduction to FR via the game, the novels, or otherwise (video games for example)?

3) If you came to the game because of the novels, could you see yourself having come to the game had the novels not existed?

4) If you came to the novels because of the game, could you see yourself picking up the novels had there been no game?

I'm going to answer twice...once for myself and once for my wife.

For Myself
1)N/A (I don't like it)
2)Dragon magazine if you count Ed's original articles as the teasers of the setting. The first edition of the setting was the best.
3) N/A
4) Yes, but a friend would have had to recommend them to me. I would have lumped them in with all of the sci-fi/fantasy books.

For My Wife
1) She likes the Novels more and quite upset over the changes to the setting.
2) She was introduced to the Setting via the Novels and didn't even play D&D until the end of the 1990s. She had been reading about the setting since the late 1980s.
3) Yup, she could see herself having come to the game had the novels not existed since the only reason she even started playing is because her friends were playing in the setting. It was friends and not the novels she knew first that got her into the setting
4) N/A

 

[Oryan77]

I read the Drizzt novels because the character sounded interesting. I knew nothing about FR before that.

I became a fan of those novels & Salvatore became my new favorite author. I don't give a crap about what people say about Drizzt or Salvatore...there's plenty for me to criticize about Tolkien and LotRs and people praise that series, so who cares, right?

I then played Baldure's Gate 1 & 2. I've never played in a FR P&P game though, but I own all the 3e FR books