Whats your preferred flavour of fantasy and major influences

[Ragnar IronFist]

My influences include many already mentioned above, Dragonslayer, etc. I LOVED John Boorman's "Excalibur" and the "Sword in the Stone" books. I have to give props to the dreamlike "Legend" with Tom Cruise and Tim Curry. Easily excused as really cheesy, but I liked it, and it influenced me.

I didn't think Conan books were so much not-focused on magic as it is anti-magic. Most stories has some kind of wizard...most always totally corrupt and evil. But they're the remains of an older time and Conan crushes them with brute will and might, making way for a more natural age of man. There seems to be alotta themes about true freedom vs. The urban cubicle slave as well, which I dig.

I've been introducing myself to Warhammer/Warhammer 40k stuff as well. "The Founding", the Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus is not to be ignored. I liked it better than "Enders Game". I know it's more scifi than fantasy, but hey, there's Eldar, and Orks.

I started a "Felix & Gotrek" omnibus, which I'm enjoying immensely as well.

[Redav]

I guess anyone into fantasy will either be directly or indirectly influenced by Tolkien. I have read LotR and The Hobbit but I don't draw on ideas directly from them but I can't deny being indirectly influenced by the grand father of fantasy. The three others are mainly Joe Dever's Lone Wolf and to an extent, James Barclay's Raven books and GRR Martin (wished the next book would arrive!)

[chaoticprime]

Not my first influence, but one of my favorites:


Note: Why doesn't the freakin' Youtube thing ever freakin' work? Its like Sjeng's only job is to go around fixing the freakin' youtube links and changing my swears that slip through.

[Goblin-King]

Slayers are awesome!

You only have to put the video ID in, not the entire URL.
Posted a Murricans only video though...

[Patroclus]

When I read the “slayers” my mind goes to this…

You can imagine my disappointment...

[chaoticprime]

Slayers are awesome!

You only have to put the video ID in, not the entire URL.
Posted a Murricans only video though...

FTFM

[mako-heart]

Thats what has inspired most of my fantasy realm. Dragonlance "Krynn" World . Legend was really wild I thought too
and old Final fantasy games have some super power of entertainment and lore as well. Thats all I can think of for my fantasy moon well.

[Redav]

Dragonlance "Krynn" World

I was playing The Champions of Krynn over the Christmas holidays

[Bareheaded Warrior]

I'm just (re-re-) re-reading the Conan books and every time I do I'm struck by the raw power of the writing but also by the thought that the Conan character and the generic Barbarian character that he spawned are very different.

Granted Conan is A or possibly THE Barbarian but he is an individual and isn't necessary typical of his race in many respects he is clearly a hero even amongst his own people, so exceptional rather than average.

He is also a very well rounded character and doesn't make a great character for team-based games (or films needing an entourage), in the original books he prefers to work alone, he is formidably strong (to the extent that he never meets a human that is stronger, although one that is possibly his equal), incredibly resilient, intelligent and cunning (and whilst not academic, he speaks multiple languages, can command men and a kingdom and can and does run affairs of state, although reluctantly), a formidable fighter but by his own admission, not a skilled swordsman, although experienced, it is often his physical strength and resilience that enables him to overcome more skilled opponents. He is highly suspicious and distrustful of magic, and whilst occasionally aided by magic, most magic in the stories and those that wield it, reinforce his position as justified and yet he is also highly resilient to magic and is often the only person that can overcome magical influence. All of that and yet he is a better thief than he is a fighter.

Translating all of that to HQ and the high BP of the Barbarian and enhanced combat ability are fitting, the idea of having a Rogue or Thief character to supplement the team when the Barbarian is the greatest thief of them all wouldn't make sense but we can assume that is Conan-specific quality (although stealth, cunning, quick wits and agility would be common characteristics of anyone wishing to survive in a primitive society). The low MP doesn't make sense for the Barbarian but that can perhaps be justified, by Conan by special and by the needs of game balance.

What makes less sense is the idea that the Barbarian is stupid (not academic is fair enough but cunning is far from stupid), neither is or can he be dim-witted, slow or clumsy (on the contrary he would have to have high initiative, stealth and agility) and "Barbarians don't wear armour" they are warriors who seem to solve most situations directly and through combat, why on earth would they not wear a perfectly good set of mail...Conan does...and so does our HQ Barbarian!

[BlackJax]

Books: J R R Tolkien, Robert E Howard (mainly Conan and for me especially Valeria and Belit but not Red Sonja who isn't a Howard character!), Fighting Fantasy, Robert Jordan, Raymond E Fiest, Norse Mythology in general

TV & Movies: Masters of the Universe, Xena, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Krull

Games: (Computer) Legend of Zelda, Golden Axe, (Boardgames) HeroQuest - obviously, Ghost Busters RPG, Hercules & Xena, Buffy the Vampire Slayer