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Monday 26 November 2012

Hiya

Any time I put up a picture by Russ Nicholson, it's yet more evidence of the imagination and versatility that makes him Britain's premier fantasy illustrator. This one has a special place in our hearts, for it was one of the first Russ drew for me (in my 1985 gamebook The Eye of the Dragon) and the original is framed on the wall of Jamie's study and watches him as he creates modern masterworks like the Dirk Lloyd books - or skives off to play a couple of hours of Skyrim, more like.

I got to thinking about it a while back when I was preparing a seasonal RPG special. Our gaming group meets every fortnight (on a Thursday, since you asked) but we also try to have four all-day Sunday specials to mark the solstices and equinoxes. This autumn I drew the referee's straw and needed to come up with a storyline in a hurry. The snag was, I was also in the middle of prepping Frankenstein for epub3. Spare time had become a highly theoretical concept. So I did what any of us might do in the circumstances, and reached for a classic adventure novel to plunder for ideas.

I'd never read She before. It's certainly packed with great scenes and ideas. As a novel it feels a little flat because it is just a "this happened, and then this, and then this" kind of story. Nothing is made of the potential emotional and moral challenges that would make us sit up and take notice today. Not that I'm complaining. If it had been a really thrilling read, I'd have worried about spoiling it for those of my gamers (all of them, I'm betting) who haven't yet read it. But, bereft as it is of the character stuff that makes a story really grip, you're free to rip it off as an epic adventure scenario - and by those terms it certainly does the business.

There's no point in me posting the adventure here. It relates to the characters in my own campaign, who were coming to Ayesha's (that's pronounced "Asha", by the way) kingdom from 9th century Baghdad, not 19th century Cambridge. And they had specific campaign reasons for going. And the system we use is GURPS 4e. And my Ayesha was more of a sci-fantasy boffin than H Rider Haggard's psychic beauty. But you don't need my notes anyway. Haggard's book is one big RPG scenario pack, complete with suggested episodes to keep the action going. Thanks to the wonderful Project Gutenberg, it's right there for everyone to read, so why not try it out on your players?

16 comments:

  1. I will. Even though I've heard about this novel I have never read it. I now have it in my Kindle (thank X for technology!). Thanks for the idea!

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    1. You're welcome, Joakim. The combination of Kindle plus free out-of-copyright ebooks from Gutenberg really is brilliant.

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  2. I will add it to my list of readings (...for my highly theoretical spare time)
    Thanks Dave!

    Ikaros

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  3. I remember Eye of the Dragon! I'm sure it was one of the books I took with me on a family holiday to North Wales, one year. Oh, we had fun times in that rainy Welsh cottage.

    I remember that picture too. I met Russ when I was interpreting for him at a gaming trade show in Paris a while back. Excellent guy. That old expression, 'Never meet your heroes' has proven sadly understandable once or twice in my life; I'm happy to report that Russ is exactly the kind of friendly, down to earth guy that you secretly hope your childhood inspirations will turn out to be.

    He's the one who pointed out the Fabled Lands books to me, actually, as I missed them the first time around.

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    1. The *cottage* was rainy, Paul? Now that is worrying.

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    2. Semantics, semantics. You know very well what I mean.

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    3. As it was North Wales, anything's possible...

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    4. First Dave what can I 'say' ... after what you put but employ me!

      TO you Paul, you know it was always a pleasure and I'll never forget London ...sigh. [Now that will get a few people worried ..laf]. Oh, and having been to North Wales ... it was there I finished the more extreme artwork for WOFM.

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    5. I hope that we'll get to complete all the FL books thanks to Kickstarter, Russ, and you can be sure that we won't do that without you!

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  4. I am looking at that very picture even as I type this message! Good auld Russ!

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  5. That anonymous is me by the way. Fffing blogging google accounts, live journals and wordpress madness!!!

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    1. I thought it was a burglar in your house at first. I wasn't going to say anything though, coz we can't be nasty to our fans even when they are burglars.

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    2. Btw Ocado now asks me to login via Facebook even before offering the standard email login. The social networkers have taken over the asylum!

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  6. Hey I didn't realize you play that often. That's so cool. If you ever feel short of time to prepare an adventure, try "Lady blackbird". I doesn't take much time of preparation (character, rules and adventure in 16 pages.... but the adventure is just a page and the rules fit in every character sheet).

    Ikaros

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    1. That adventure looks excellent. I think even my wife would enjoy it, and she usually doesn't roleplay. Thanks for the tip, Ikaros.

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