Clint’s Comments (group member since Jul 26, 2017)

Clint’s comments from the Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" group.

I have a theory that Gygax looked at his bookshelf and jotted down a bunch of authors on a page, typed it up and called it Appendix N. Some of those authors and books definitely influenced the design of the game, but many—crucify me for heresy—were simply a bunch of stuff that GG enjoyed. Ever since, D&D geeks have screamed about what is/not Appendix N like it is Holy scripture.

This slipped out quietly and fits the non-fiction bill. I enjoyed volume 1, but have not yet leaped into volume 2. Glad to know v3 was more than rumor.

Barbarian Life: Volume Three: A Literary Biography of Conan the Barbarian https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683902858/...

I enjoyed this. It does for Sword and Planet what Thieves World did for Swords and Sorcery. I hope there are more volumes in the works.

@Brian, I am excited this group chose Flame and Crimson. There were so many moments I read it thinking “this guy gets me”; however, I think there is a common story for those of us who gravitate towards S&S. The experience of discovering S&S is just one part. I was painfully shy prior to high school. I didn’t jump into the deep end of the S&S pool until later in life, but I believe 12 year old Clint would have relished Elrik and Stormbringer as much as he did Conan via SSoC.

I knew I was hooked on Brian’s book early. Your tale of Savage Sword of Conan, nearly identical to my own. I snagged every issue i could, which isn’t easy in rural PA. SSoC led to D&D, D&D led to Metal. Like others, I watched every S&S movie I could. I didn’t get into the classics of S&S until my late 30’s and 40’s. I was a Conan fan since childhood and became an REH fan with the Del Reys. REH was my spring board into the S&S world.

Excellent.

I finished For the Killing of Kings by HAJ, a day or two back. Now reading A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden, which I hope to finish on tonight’s flight.

FtKoK thoughts:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

@C.A. I grew up in PA. Northeast PA

@Dan, Sticks is a good story.

@Peter B
Welcome, and thank you for dropping by to say hello. I enjoyed your book for what it was: a fine collection of stories inspired by Appendix N. I enjoyed your inclusion of the comic and the hint that it might be a preview of a book about comics that influenced your D&D game. I would read that book.

No argument from me

Last sentence should read: I would prefer neither altar.

The rest of my post:

However, counter arguments to points 1 and 2:

1. Who gives a flip? Bebergal made an uneducated statement. No need to hang him for it. I think what Bebergal should have said was more along the lines of “don’t expect to find your personal A-N in these pages”
2. I’ve been playing D&D for years, but my inspirations changed with my maturity and interests. My Appendix N when I was less than two decades old would have consisted of Tornan novels, Savage Sword of Conan comics, rip-off B movies of the 1982 Conan film and too many comic books to speak of. My early to mid 20’s, I took myself way too seriously and my games were influenced by Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and various post-modern works. Now, if I still played, it would mostly be Howard, Lovecraft and CAS. No one person’s personal Appendix N will please all. Yes, Bebergal could have taken a strictly Gygax approved approach, but if he did, I would bet you any amount of money that some geeks would still be miffed.
Vandermeer’s Afterward: Simmons statement holds true for me; regardless of an orc’s identity politics, my sword will cut it down just the same. I cringe over this fact, but more and more politics rears its head in my genre of choice. I guess an editor can either sacrifice on the altar of the Progressives like Bebergal did, or upon the altar of Conservatives like Price did with Flashing Swords.

Personally, I would prefer neither altar.

I’ve been thinking about R Simmon’s blog post. Some comments made by him I cannot disagree with:

1. The stories/authors listed in Gary Gygax’s Appendix N absolutely were inspirational to the game rules. There are too many blogs, essays and podcasts dedicated to the very subject. So yeah, the author’s statement in his introduction was setting himself up for flack.

2. There is no evidence that Gygax ever read C.L. Moore or Clark Ashton Smith. This seems ridiculous to the modern audience who can read any author with a quick search. I think we forget that the game was a product of the 70’s. If a work/author wasn’t in your local library or available at stores convenient to you, then it was not inconceivable that Gygax was completely unaware of either.

However, counter arguments to points 1 and 2.
1.

@ Joseph I need to get back into Revelation Space series. Read the first and never continued. I enjoyed it, so I’m not sure why I didn’t keep going

@C.A., Cormac McCarthy is one of my go-to authors when not reading my usual fare. I read NCfOM last year and enjoyed it richly

@Richard, I saw you were the guest blogger at DMR. Nice

@Richard, I couldn’t agree more. It was the Amazon Bozos I attacked in my review. So obvious the one-star hip shooters didn’t read the book, let alone even the introduction. A few read Jeffro’s blog post blasting the book; and it’s obvious Jeffro didn’t bother to read it as well. I’ve been debating reading Jeffro’s book, a good many negative reviews have held me back, now his unfounded animosity towards this book increases my doubt.

I received an early copy of Worlds Beyond Worlds, John R Fultz from DMR books. I’m five stories deep into the eleven offered. The first four were pretty good, but last night I read his “The Gnomes of Carrick County”. I was expecting a Dunsany like tale, but instead received a Sword and Sorcery yarn about Pioneers in the New World. I found Fultz voice with this story and based upon it alone, I want to read his The Testament of Tall Eagle.

@Seth, in the spirit of promoting/sustaining the publishers that put out material I enjoy, I do dig the idea of books selected from said places. DMR, PHP, RBE, all solid choices. I would suggest the slant towards living authors. Shake those grognards like myself that have a tendency to stay in their comfy (I know they are dead, but I know I love ‘em) world.

This idea could encompass both fiction and non-fiction.