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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Aug 8, 2018 13:07:46 GMT -5
I just started reading Jack Vance's 'The Complete Dying Earth' the other night and I have to admit I am enthralled. I really loved Vance's 'Lyonesse' trilogy but I had never tried to read any of his other works, boy have I robbed myself. Since I am a fan of the Talislanta series and it is highly inspired by 'The Dying Earth' series I should've read this sooner - a lot sooner. Outside my interest in Bronze Age cultures, cyberpunk and Sword & Sorcery, I love weird fiction like this. It makes me want to read HP Lovecraft's Dream Cycle and Moorcock's stories again and more fully. So far I just finished 'Turjan of Miir' and it has gotten my imagination and has me contemplating magic systems and what kind of setting I could develop by plucking inspiration from the 'Dying Earth' tales and what I can take from Lovecraft's 'Dream Cycle', Leiber's 'Newhon' stories and Moorcock's 'Elric' tales.
You hear of 'Vancian' magic but you don't get much of a feel of it except Gygax's interpretation of it rooted in the Gygaxian D&D era magic system and a few spell names. Talislanta also derives its system from Vance's 'Dying Earth' series but puts Sechi his own tweak upon it. It is too early for me to describe a system influenced by Vance and the 'Dying Earth' saga, as I've only just begun reading it; but that said ideas are percolating within my mind as I type this.I'd have loved to see more of an influence upon D&D and the worlds created for it from 'The Dying Earth'. Dark Sun is the closest to emulating the alien flair of 'Dying Earth' while still keeping the generic Tolkien races. Where as Talislanta emulates 'Dying Earth' far better in flavor of setting and I do love it, I have never really been taken in by the rules. I prefer D&D and Rolemaster derivatives over the Talislantan system; heck i am getting more into the RuneQuest system as an alternative when not running a OD&D based system.
I need to read Greg Gorgonmilk's Vancian Magic PDF and see what I can learn from that as I continue to absorb 'The Complete Dying Earth' saga as to let it inform my design processes for any potential new magical system and setting inspired by the 'Dying Earth' stories. How has Vance's 'The Dying Earth' influenced your campaigns and settings?
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Post by mao on Aug 8, 2018 14:48:35 GMT -5
I am a HUGE Vance fan, read them years ago and then again more recently. They hold up well. As to how it influenced me, it's why a I am a true believer of His magic memorization. I have been stealing names and place names for years. Looks like I have a nice surprise for you: There is a tribute book of short stories that is actually better than the original. It is called"Songs of the Dying Earth" and it is 600 pages of awesome.
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Aug 8, 2018 15:14:52 GMT -5
I am a HUGE Vance fan, read them years ago and then again more recently. They hold up well. As to how it influenced me, it's why a I am a true believer of His magic memorization. I have been stealing names and place names for years. Looks like I have a nice surprise for you: There is a tribute book of short stories that is actually better than the original. It is called"Songs of the Dying Earth" and it is 600 pages of awesome.I think the local library has it & I'll put a reserve on it asap. If I like it as much as 'The Complete Dying Earth' book, I'll buy a copy when I can afford to get it & the 'The Complete Dying Earth' book for my own collection. |
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Post by mao on Aug 8, 2018 15:16:36 GMT -5
I am a HUGE Vance fan, read them years ago and then again more recently. They hold up well. As to how it influenced me, it's why a I am a true believer of His magic memorization. I have been stealing names and place names for years. Looks like I have a nice surprise for you: There is a tribute book of short stories that is actually better than the original. It is called"Songs of the Dying Earth" and it is 600 pages of awesome.I think the local library has it & I'll put a reserve on it asap. If I like it as much as 'The Complete Dying Earth' book, I'll buy a copy when I can afford to get it & the 'The Complete Dying Earth' book for my own collection. I absolutely promise , it is better than the original |
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Aug 9, 2018 14:29:25 GMT -5
I think the local library has it & I'll put a reserve on it asap. If I like it as much as 'The Complete Dying Earth' book, I'll buy a copy when I can afford to get it & the 'The Complete Dying Earth' book for my own collection. I absolutely promise , it is better than the original It is on reserve, now I just have to wait until it gets to my local library. I am only on page 47 and I am a enthralled, I love how descriptive Vance is - it is like he is painting vivid pictures with his words and being a largely visual guy it really draws me in. I can really see Vance's influence on Talislanta now - it seeps through Sechi's work. It is funny to see spells listed in various editions of D&D that were rooted in 'The Dying Earth' saga. That said, the Vancian system as expressed by Gygax seems to be an arbitrary and shallow mockery of the magic system implied by Vance. That said, I'd have to read the Talislanta based magic system before I can comment on it. I do know I'll likely create a home-brew magic system based on Vance's 'Dying Earth' stories as I envision it. |
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Post by mao on Aug 9, 2018 14:52:27 GMT -5
I absolutely promise , it is better than the original It is on reserve, now I just have to wait until it gets to my local library. I am only on page 47 and I am a enthralled, I love how descriptive Vance is - it is like he is painting vivid pictures with his words and being a largely visual guy it really draws me in. I can really see Vance's influence on Talislanta now - it seeps through Sechi's work. It is funny to see spells listed in various editions of D&D that were rooted in 'The Dying Earth' saga. That said, the Vancian system as expressed by Gygax seems to be an arbitrary and shallow mockery of the magic system implied by Vance. That said, I'd have to read the Talislanta based magic system before I can comment on it. I do know I'll likely create a home-brew magic system based on Vance's 'Dying Earth' stories as I envision it. I love the whole Vancian D&D system, So here we disagree like gentleman! |
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Aug 9, 2018 16:00:51 GMT -5
It is on reserve, now I just have to wait until it gets to my local library. I am only on page 47 and I am a enthralled, I love how descriptive Vance is - it is like he is painting vivid pictures with his words and being a largely visual guy it really draws me in. I can really see Vance's influence on Talislanta now - it seeps through Sechi's work. It is funny to see spells listed in various editions of D&D that were rooted in 'The Dying Earth' saga. That said, the Vancian system as expressed by Gygax seems to be an arbitrary and shallow mockery of the magic system implied by Vance. That said, I'd have to read the Talislanta based magic system before I can comment on it. I do know I'll likely create a home-brew magic system based on Vance's 'Dying Earth' stories as I envision it. I love the whole Vancian D&D system, So here we disagree like gentleman! Which is why I love this community we can disagree civilly and get along. |
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Post by mao on Aug 9, 2018 16:30:12 GMT -5
I love the whole Vancian D&D system, So here we disagree like gentleman! Which is why I love this community we can disagree civilly and get along.  |
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Post by mormonyoyoman on Aug 9, 2018 22:53:01 GMT -5
Which is why I love this community we can disagree civilly and get along. Is this even permitted on the internet? |
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Post by mao on Aug 10, 2018 8:01:45 GMT -5
It just occurred to me, The OD&D Vancian magic is the thing I am most orthodox on. It would be the VERY last thing I would cling to, that's why I can't stand 5th
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Post by El Borak on Aug 10, 2018 9:57:41 GMT -5
Which is why I love this community we can disagree civilly and get along. Is this even permitted on the internet? Somebody, somewhere has to get along and it might as well be us, it's not like there is any competition. |
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Post by randyb on Aug 10, 2018 18:54:26 GMT -5
Is this even permitted on the internet? Somebody, somewhere has to get along and it might as well be us, it's not like there is any competition. You're wrong, you're ugly, and your mother dresses you funny.  No, wait. That's me.  |
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Post by colinouchou on Aug 10, 2018 20:59:20 GMT -5
Somebody, somewhere has to get along and it might as well be us, it's not like there is any competition. You're wrong, you're ugly, and your mother dresses you funny. No, wait. That's me. And me too, I am ugly and my mother did dress me funny. The men in my family are not known for their looks and my mother had this love for lime green, I still hate that color. |
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Post by mormonyoyoman on Aug 11, 2018 0:37:46 GMT -5
You're wrong, you're ugly, and your mother dresses you funny. No, wait. That's me. And me too, I am ugly and my mother did dress me funny. The men in my family are not known for their looks and my mother had this love for lime green, I still hate that color. You scare me. Lime green in my wife's favorite color, and for the longest time we had a lime green Ford that reminded me of barf. |
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Post by colinouchou on Aug 11, 2018 13:38:16 GMT -5
And me too, I am ugly and my mother did dress me funny. The men in my family are not known for their looks and my mother had this love for lime green, I still hate that color. You scare me. Lime green in my wife's favorite color, and for the longest time we had a lime green Ford that reminded me of barf. You have my sympathy. |
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Post by Q Man on Aug 12, 2018 16:06:18 GMT -5
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Post by Q Man on Aug 12, 2018 16:11:36 GMT -5
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