J.B. Norman's Blog, page 365
October 13, 2020
Recommendation: Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons starter set.
Official website: https://dnd.wizards.com/
History of the game, via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#Development_history
There are a few names to which we owe the state of the modern Fantasy genre.
Some, like – and especially – Tolkien need no introduction. Some, like Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber are instantly-recognisable to the fans of the genre, but not as much beyond the confines of the genre. However, writers like Howard and Leiber have created characters featuring in hugely-influential stories (or, as the case may be, iconic, hugely-influential films) that continue to influence generations of writers even if they don’t necessarily realise it.
But for now, I want to consider a different kind of influence.
The Fantasy genre gives us stories to read, where we passively observe things like Wizards and Dark Lords and Dragons and characters with preposterous names. But the genre also provides us with the opportunity to be those Wizards and characters with preposterous names, offering us the opportunity to actively participate in these great adventures, be it digitally, or on the tabletop.
[image error]Many many-sided dice. And other assorted accoutrements of gaming.
Photo by Will Wright on Pexels.com
For the most part, we owe that to one game in particular: Dungeons & Dragons. And, in turn, we owe that game to two people: Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Getting into the full story of the history and development of Dungeons & Dragons and its influence on pretty much everything that came after would go beyond the scope of what I want to do here.
Let it suffice for me to say this: where writers like Tolkien established how Fantasy stories work, with Dungeons & Dragons, Gygax and Arneson set the standard for how Fantasy games work.
At its core, pretty much every Fantasy RPG, whether a video game or a pen-and-paper game, is to some degree a variation of the systems established by Dungeons & Dragons back in the late 70s.
Of course, Dungeons & Dragons was not the first tabletop game and was itself influenced by what came before, but itself surpasses those earlier games both in fame and influence (seriously, how many of you have even heard of Chainmail?).
Of course, given how huge Dungeons & Dragons has grown over the years, it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’s been a lot of Dungeons & Dragons media over the years: many, many books series (though only actually a handful of good books), video games – including at least one regarded as one of the best ever, an 80s TV show, basically a whole bunch of stuff.
At this point, Dungeons & Dragons is both a nerd icon and essentially a nerd rite of passage, to the point that pretty much everyone with even the most tenuous connection to well-known Pop Culture plays Dungeons & Dragons.
And you should too.
In Dungeons & Dragons, you, too, can experience the simple joys of wrestling a crocodile in a flooding room (my first-ever character actually did that), getting into a fistfight with a whale (he did that, too), and live out your own Conan-esque days of High Adventure (I would have linked that to a clip of saying “HIGH ADVENTURE!” from the opening narration of the Conan movie; sadly, I could not find a suitable one).
Dungeons & Dragons is also fascinating in the exercise it provides in just telling a story with a group of other people. And then attempting to salvage that story when it inevitably goes off the rails. Incidentally, the TvTropes article for one of my previous recommendations, Slayers has a great line describing this phenomenon:
“Lodoss is what Dungeons & Dragons GMs wish their campaigns were like, and Slayers is more like they really are.”
TvTropes entry on Slayers
October 10, 2020
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everybody!
I, for one, am thankful for the opportunity for the monsters to enjoy each other’s company and hold their evil in check.
And to my American fans, if any, happy regular weekend.
October 4, 2020
Encyclopedia Realmgardica: Morfilod
Considered by many to be the fourth Kingdom of the Sea, Morfilod is, in fact, no longer an independent kingdom.
Long since incorporated into the kingdom of Middelmere, Morfilod is governed as a largely autonomous, though ultimately subordinate fief of the Middelmerish kings. Despite (or perhaps because of) long centuries of Middelmerish rule, the people of Morfilod resolutely maintain a distinct language and culture from the other Kingdoms of the Sea.
Popular tales in Morfilod foretell the glorious day when the long-vanished line of kings and princes of Morfilod will return in glory to lead the people of Morfilod to freedom and independence.
The Middelmerish overlords of Morfilod remain cautiously optimistic that there is no truth to such tales.
October 2, 2020
Recommendation: Rune Soldier
Translation being what it is, the series is variably called Rune Soldier, Rune Soldier Louie, or Louie the Rune Soldier. The most direct translation of the original Japanese is “Magic Soldier Louie”.
[image error]Image via J.C. Staff and ADV Films.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rune_Soldier
Tv Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/RuneSoldierLouie
Anime News Network: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=895
My last recommendation was one of the icons of Fantasy anime. My current recommendation could probably be described as one of the icons of Fantasy anime’s immature younger cousin.
The short version is that Rune Soldier is Lodoss War, but funny — and that’s no accident. Rune Soldier technically takes place in the same world as Lodoss War (not that it really affects the story in any meaningful way). Or, or relevantly to me: Lodoss War, but it’s Realmgard.
Seriously, Rune Soldier is probably the closest thing we’re ever going to get to somebody else doing Realmgard.
You can tell what you’re getting into just from the theme song, which features several background characters singing along in an inexplicably modern recording studio.
[image error]Yeah. Rune Soldier is that kind of a show.
Image via J.C. Staff and ADV Films.
Where Lodoss War was the completely, stone-cold serious story of an epic adventure to save the world, Rune Soldier is the heartwarming story of a constantly-broke all-female group of adventurers attempting to recruit a competent spellcaster into their group.
Unfortunately, the best they can get is the title character, a hero chosen by the gods who literally comes crashing down upon them from the sky. Well, technically, he falls through a roof. Six of one, really.
What ensues is an hilarious sequence of misadventures — given that the characters primarily skew female, perhaps we could say “Ms. adventures”?
No? Well, I think it’s funny…
[image error]Jeanie (red hair), Melissa (blonde hair), and Merill (brown hair): our three dauntless heroines. Also, Louie.
Image via J.C. Staff and ADV Films.
While Louie is technically a spellcaster, he’s also 1) approximately the size of a fridge and 2) kind of an idiot. This means that he prefers to solve his problems by punching them rather than with his magic. Basically, the plot and the humour, of Rune Soldier is driven by Louie gravitating towards the dumbest possible solution to whatever problem the group happens to be facing, whether this be ineptly magicing it, punching it out, or beating it up with the carcass of a giant wild boar (no, seriously).
Unlike Lodoss War, Rune Soldier doesn’t have a very high level of violence. On the other hand, there is a certain level of vulgarity and, shall we say, naughtiness, that certain viewers may find objectionable. It shouldn’t be a deal-breaker from most people, but if you’re particularly sensitive to that kind of thing, consider yourself warned.
As a final note: as far as I can tell the DVD release of Rune Soldier is out of print, and the company responsible for the release in North America no longer exists. The good news is that is seems pretty easily available on sites like Amazon and eBay.
September 21, 2020
Encyclopedia Realmgardica: Sea Folk
“The stories say that somewhere that some Darkstone somewhere along the line supposedly married a mermaid.”
Kat Darkstone, in reference to the incident in the above picture.
While few reasonable people in Realmgard doubt the existence of mermaids and their male counterparts, such doubts can be excused due to the fact that very few people living on land have ever met or even seen one of the Sea Folk. There are, after all, several obvious difficulties presented by the attempt to establish diplomatic relations with a society living underwater. Thus, most people in Realmgard know about mermaids only through stories. Many of such stories, often romantic and frequently tragic, involve a mermaid falling in love with a sailor, or a fisherman, or someone else of a similar nautical persuasion.
The truth of the Sea Folk is generally less impressive than what is established by the stories, not being really that different from the peoples dwelling on land. The Sea Folk are generally understood to be a kind of Wilderling, whose ancestors utilised magic to take on shapes suited to the exploration and settlement of the depths of the seas of Terrace.
Indeed, the Sea Folk are able to change shape to suit their environments, adopting the human-bodied, fish-tailed “mermaid” shape while in the water and gaining legs while on the land. This allows the Sea Folk to travel onto land with significantly greater ease than the land-based peoples of Realmgard can venture into the depths.
In their land-based form, there is no obvious indication that one of the Sea Folk has come onto land, except perhaps a mild awkwardness and clumsiness as they acquaint themselves to legs and an inordinate fondness of water and keeping hydrated. This allows the Sea Folk to essentially hide in plain sight on land, no doubt to escape from the incessant questions of the land-dwellers.
As a final note, though “mermaid” is the most common word used to describe the Sea Folk, strictly speaking, a mermaid is, by definition, a female. Even more strictly speaking, a young, unmarried female (as in “maiden“).
September 16, 2020
Recommendation: Record of Lodoss War
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_of_Lodoss_War
Tv Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar
Anime News Network: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=394
If you’re at all into anime, you’ve probably heard of Record of Lodoss War. Even if you’re not, you may still have heard of Record of Lodoss War. It’s one of the most recognisable animes of the 90s, to the point where it really needs no introduction.
But if you do happen to need an introduction, here it is briefly: Lodoss War is basically the most Fantasy-y Fantasy anime ever produced. There’s everything you’d expect from a sprawling, High Fantasy adventure: a party of heroic adventurers, a good king, an evil king, his less-evil but significantly more effective and impressive second-in-command, Dragons, Elves, Dark Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, magic swords, evil gods, epic battle scenes, all the good stuff that makes the Fantasy genre the only genre worth caring about.
Now, if that sounds generic and familiar, that’s largely because it is.
Lodoss War doesn’t really do anything you haven’t seen before or anything you haven’t seen many times since. Though it is worth noting that the whole was a lot more novel and impressive when Lodoss War was originally airing 30 years ago. Fantasy, and all its inevitable tropes and cliches, has really exploded in popularity and exposure in the intervening 30 years. Thank – or blame, as the mood suits you – Jackson and HBO in particular.
Now, even though it’s 2020 and Lodoss War doesn’t tread much unfamiliar ground and tells a very familiar story, it at least manages to tell that story well. And that’s a lot more than a lot of generic Fantasy is able to boast of. If nothing else, that‘s what sets Record of Lodoss War apart from most of the genre — it’s not new, but it’s good. Great, even.
As a final note: I was initially actually a little hesitant to recommend Lodoss War, though it has nothing to do with quality. I try to keep Realmgard, and subsequently everything I’m recommending to my audience, family-friendly and no worse than PG-level. Lodoss War surpasses that pretty easily. There’s a lot of fairly graphic violence (nothing ludicrous and probably on the same level as the Lord of the Rings movies) and dark, potentially upsetting, subject matter. Unless you’re particularly sensitive to that sort of thing, you’re probably not going to be terribly scandalised, but it’s enough of a concern for me that I feel it’s only right I give fair warning.
September 13, 2020
Shameless Plug
If you’ll indulge me for a Thomas Edisonian moment of self-promotion, allow me to present to you all of the available Realmgard stories all in one handy place.
Now, I’m not saying you should click the following links and buy many, many copies of all my books, but if you want to, I wouldn’t object…
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This is the cover of Fryte’s Gold, the very first Realmgard story, which you can find here (ebook) or here (actual book). And a preview chapter can be found here or here.
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This is most of the cover (apparently I didn’t save a copy of the finished version…) of the next Realmgard story, The Treasure of Oake Island — not to be confused with a certain popular but completely inane television show. Copies can be found here and here, and a preview chapter can be found here.
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This is the cover art of my favourite Realmgard story so far, The Bandits of Goldharbour, which you can find here and here and a preview chapter can be founded here.
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This is the cover art of The Sisters Darkstone, the compilation of the above three stories. It can be found here and here.
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Finally, this brings us to the cover of The Valley of Appraisal, the most recent Realmgard story — and actually a prequel to the other three, but not really in any way that matters to reading order. This is the cover of the book, which can be found here and here, and a preview can be found here.
So far, these are a five Realmgard stories that have been published. I’m currently working on the next story, Forward, the Lyte Brigade, optimistically will be available in late September or early October. Realistically, barring any unforeseen calamity (which is to say, “additional unforeseen calamity”; 2020’s hasn’t been kind on anyone…) it will definitely be ready by the end of the year. I’m hoping to have a preview chapter up and readable soon.
Stay tuned for more Realmgard stuff.
August 25, 2020
Encyclopedia Realmgardica: Various Marine Fauna
As seen in the map of Realmgard’s northern coasts, the oceans of the world of Terrace are filled with all sorts of spectacular marine life, for example, the fearsome Turboshark (which is not, in fact, depicted on the map).
Here, we are introduced to several more of these creatures.
Orcs
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Related to the similarly feared Sea Dragon, though differentiated by its lack of forelimbs, the Orc is a species of sea serpent whose name comes from an old Elven word for the underworld and its monstrous inhabitants.
Though Orcs have a fearsome folkloric reputation, in real life, Orcs are elusive and rarely encountered by sailors in anything more than fleeting glimpses. As such though there are many tales of ships being destroyed and sailors devoured in attacks by massive Orcs, very few of these stories can be corroborated.
Sea Dragons
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As stated previously, the most notable difference between Sea Dragons and Orcs is that Sea Dragons have arms, which are used to propel themselves through the depths and snatch their prey.
Much like Orcs, the frightful reputation of Sea Dragons generally surpasses the reality. Despite their size, power, and appetite, Sea Dragons are cautious creatures and do not usually approach ships or sailors and there have been few substantiated Sea Dragon attacks.
Sea Dragons are said to grow for as long as they live, though this has not been decisively proven. Unlike their terrestrial cousins, Sea Dragons are incapable of flight and do not breath fire.
Gigacrabs
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“Giga” means giant. “Crab” is self-explanatory, really.
The largest species of crustacean in Realmgard, the Gigacrab is unlike the Orc and the Sea Dragon in several notable ways. For one, they have legs. For another, their fearsome reputation is entirely justified. Gigacrabs are aggressive and territorial, and although they do not usually traverse the open ocean, the threat posed by a Gigacrab lurking in the shallows or along the shore is sufficient that most governments in Realmgard have declared them hostes omnium gentium, a legal principle translating to something like “the enemy of all people” and which allows for Gigacrabs to be freely and openly hunted. Given the Gigacrab’s size and aggressive, as well as the natural defences provided by its mighty carapace, this is easier said than done.
Gigacrab shells are valued for their use in the construction of armour and the meat of the Gigacrab is considered a delicacy.
Though this Gigacrab is depicted as large enough to tear a ship in half, this is – as per current taxonomical knowledge in Realmgard – purely artistic licence. No known Gigacrab has ever been recorded as anywhere near that big.
Pirates
[image error]Though the classification of pirates as “marine fauna” is debatable, they are included here for their notable role in the maritime affairs of Realmgard.
July 31, 2020
Recommendation: Conan the Adventurer
Tv Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/ConanTheAdventurer
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Adventurer_(1992_TV_series)
Can be viewed here: https://tubitv.com/series/6/conan_the_adventurer
Robert E.Howard is one of my literary idols and his Conan stories are one of my absolute favourite Fantasy series (though even among Howard’s own characters, I prefer Solomon Kane. Howard’s stories don’t usually pull any punches when it comes to violence and mature themes, and the Conan stories have a propensity for being particularly lurid.
So, I have to say, the very notion of Conan the Adventurer is sort of a perfect storm of ridiculous premises.
It’s a 90s children’s cartoon show.
It’s CanCon.
They got 65 episodes out of it. For reference: beloved early 2000s cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender (which I’ve never actually watched, but that’s neither here nor there) got 61 and fellow 90s CanCon cartoon Reboot got 48.
And most bizarrely of all, it’s a shockingly good adaptation of the source material.
Of course, things like the violence are toned way down – the theme song makes it abundantly clear that Conan isn’t killing any of the bad guys, he’s banishing them to another dimension with his magical sword (and even that isn’t entirely inconsistent with the original Conan stories). But the writers did their homework about the Conan mythos and apparently cared enough to show it: Conan is still a Cimmerian who swears by Crom, he’s still bewildered of the ways of civilised men, Set is still an evil snake god, the ghost of the sage Epemitreus still shows up to help Conan.
But also, Conan has a wacky phoenix sidekick and a sassy horse, and the bad guy has a wacky snake monster sidekick.
But why take my word for it? Here’s the theme song:
Yeah, it’s ridiculous. But also, it’s glorious. And as CanCon myself, I can’t describe how much joy it brings me that this sublimely, indescribably ludicrous, beautiful thing is also CanCon.
July 23, 2020
Encyclopedia Realmgardica: Nolan Lyte
As the only Lyte left in Realmgard with any interest in the honour and reputation of the Brigade, Nolan has taken it upon himself to restore the guild to its rightful place among the leading guilds of Porthaven. With the blessing of his grandfather, and the merely unspoken disapproval of his father, Nolan has become the guild’s new captain and has set out to recruit a new generation of bold adventurers to bolster its ranks.
Age: 16
Occupation: (nominal) Guild Captain of the Lyte Brigade
Likes: the Lyte Brigade, his family, perseverance
Dislikes: bureaucracy, having his ambitious vexed and foiled, people who insist that his name is supposed to be spelled “Light”
The youngest son and middlemost child of seven, Nolan Lyte has heretofore dutifully assisted in parents in running the family inn, self-proclaimed home of the best fish-on-a-stick in Porthaven. However, growing up hearing his grandfather, one of the most famous adventurers and Guild Captains in Porthaven’s history, Nolan began to dream of greater things than fish-on-a-stick. Though it took some doing, Nolan was ultimately able to convince his parents to allow him to pursue a career in adventuring like his grandfather.
Unfortunately, Nolan’s career took an unexpected twist almost before it even got started. His grandfather’s recent retirement has caused the famous Lyte Brigade to be disbanded. Ever a dutiful member of the family, Nolan has taken it upon himself to restore the guild to its former glory, taking over as Captain and beginning to recruit a new generation of adventurers to aid him in his endeavour.
Unfortunately, this is going less well than he would like. Navigating the particularities of the Guild Authority to gain the necessary approval to reinstate the Lyte Brigade is proving difficult and bewildering. And very few established adventurers are proving willing to join a guild, even one as famous as the Lyte Brigade, when its Captain is an young, untested novice.
Overall, though, Nolan remains cautiously optimistic.
