The Five Authors You Would Most Like to Play D&D With

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

This question is fun to ask one's self. Try it.

For a more serious game ...

Richard Lee Byers (DM)
R. A. Salvatore (Fighter)
Neil Gaiman (Wizard)
Robert E. Howard (Rogue)
Clive Barker (Cleric)

For a more lighthearted game ...

Walter Moers (DM)
Allie Brosh (Fighter)
Terry Pratchett (Wizard)
Agatha Christie (Rogue)
J. K. Rowling (Cleric)

[Brauron]

Fritz Leiber (DM)
Jack Vance (Wizard)
Robert E. Howard (Barbarian)
Michael Moorcock (Gish)
Edgar Rice Burroughs (Fighter)

[Thomo]

1) Steven Erikson (DM)
2) Ian C Esslemont (Fighter/Rogue)
3) Raymond E Feist (Wizard)
4) George RR Martin (Fighter/Death Dealer)
5) Robert Jordan (Cleric)

[Kenneth]

i don't really know what roles they would play but here are my 5

JRR Tolkien
Terry Brooks
Terry Goodkind
Robert E Howard
Marion Zimmer Bradley


too bad I can only have 5 :(

[gkathellar]

I'm tempted to go with Homer or Tolkein for the DM, but I feel like then we would spend a big portion of the game session finding out the name of each and every cobblestone we walked by.

Neil Gaiman (DM)
Roger Zelazny (Rogue)
Grant Morrison (Fighter)
Ursula LeGuin (Wizard)
Mike Carey (Cleric)

Actually, I really want all of them but Zelazny and Gaiman as the wizard. But if I have to pick ...

[Weezer]

I'd have two groups, first is the dark/over-serious one and the second is the funny/weird/out there group (there is some overlap).

Dark:
George R.R. Martin
Steven Erikson
Glen Cook
Michael Moorcock
China Mieville

Funny:
Terry Pratchett
Neil Gaiman
China Mieville
Douglas Adams

[0Megabyte]

1.) Frank Herbert (Diviner Specialist Wizard. Heh.)

2.) Arthur C. Clarke (Artificer)

3.) Isaac Asimov (Warforged, any class. Probably fighter or cleric or something.)

4.) Alan Moore (Rogue/Factotem)

5.) George R. R. Martin (Bard/Warblade)

Have Neil Gaiman DM.

[Dimers]

Glen Cook as a fighter/rogue
Tom Robbins playing a psion or spirit shaman
Jenny Breeden (http://geebasonparade.com/) as an orcish pirate wench :smallbiggrin:
Mark Stanley (http://freefall.purrsia.com/default.htm), paladin -- Florence is an outstanding representation of lawful good in a chaotic neutral party.
The DM could be Casey Herdman (http://agc.deskslave.org/). He'd write and run a damn fine adventure.

Phil Brucato's writing is great but he doesn't sound like as much fun. I also considered Clive Barker and Tom Dietz, but they're too "normal guy in magical world" ... Spider Robinson wouldn't be very plot-driven ... Warren Ellis would probably make great characters, but they'd be too dreary and serious for my taste. Henry Rollins could be good too, but I'd worry about getting too wrapped up in politics if he's playing.

Piers Anthony is right out.

EDIT: Oh, and Richard Baker would be at the top of the waiting list.

[olthar]

Raymond E. Feist
Marion Zimmer Bradley
J.R.R. Tolkien
Jack L. Chalker
Mercedes Lackey

[Worguron]

I'm shocked and appalled that this thread has no mention of Jim Butcher.

Other than Butcher, I have to agree with the George R. R. Martin vote. I've met the guy, and he seems like someone you could sit down with and spend the day having a good time gaming.

[Howler Dagger]

Neil Shusterman
J.R.R. Tolkein
Rick Riordan
Charles Dickens HP Lovecraft, because darkstar is awesome enough to remind me.
Homer

[Wyntonian]

S.M. Stirling - Fighter? Paladin? Something like that.
Neil Gaiman - Bard? Illusionist?
Orson Scott Card - Oh geez. Artificer?
Henry David Thoreau - Spirit Shaman
Walt Whitman - Savage Bard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#bardVariantSavageBard)/ Telepath Psion

[NikitaDarkstar]

Fritz Leiber (DM)
Jack Vance (Wizard)
Robert E. Howard (Barbarian)
Michael Moorcock (Gish)
Edgar Rice Burroughs (Fighter)

I only agree to make him suffer through his own invention.

Either way I don't know what roles they'd have but here goes:

Steven Erikson
Ian C Esselmont
Neil Gaiman
H.P Lovecraft
Tom Clancy

Only thing I know is that either would make a wicked DM, they'd all cause Sanity loss, and it's be wicked fun. Even if Tom Clancy might be a little lost among the others, but he'd adapt. XD

[Elvenoutrider]

Lovecraft - archivist
Asimov - artificer
Ian flemming - artificer
Robert plant - bard
Michael Chrichton - artificer

[The Underlord]

Don't know about mine, but definetly want Lovecraft as my dm though.

[Cirrylius]

Piers Anthony is right out.


AAARGH THIS.

He has this way of turning every damn random encounter into morally torturous rocket science. Plus unless you're playing Firefly: The Humping you'd better resign yourself to a PG-13 game where "bosoms" get repeatedly mentioned whenever a romantic interest arises.

[Dimonite]

DM: Steven Moffat
Wizard: Terry Pratchett.
Rouge: Rafael Sabatini
Fighter: Brian Jacques
Cleric: G.K. Chesterton

[Dsurion]

Joe Abercrombie as the DM
J. Robert King as an Arcane Caster
Snorri Sturlson as a Bard
Niccolo Machiavelli as a Rogue

Can't really think of a fifth man offhand. It'll come...

[Vitruviansquid]

Dante (DM)
Homer
Shakespeare
Tolkien
Gaiman

Don't care who they play, it'll be awesome. :|

[Masaioh]

Tite Kubo (DM)
HP Lovecraft (Dread Necromancer)
Edgar Allan Poe (Ranger)
Shakespeare (Bard, duh)
George Orwell (Doesn't matter, really)

[Splynn]

DM: Joss Whedon (my DM > your DM)
Rogue: George R R Martin
Sorceror: Neil Gaiman
Barbarian: Philip K **** (our barbarian is crazy, yo)
Bard: Oscar Wilde

[Cirrylius]

Bard: Oscar Wilde

Wow. Your bard is so dry he can use Horrid Wilting as a class ability.

:smallwink:*Rimshot*

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I approve of nearly everyone's choices, although I'm upset I'm the only one who mentioned Allie Brosh. She counts as an author, since she's writing a book.

[Dsurion]

I approve of nearly everyone's choices, although I'm upset I'm the only one who mentioned Allie Brosh. She counts as an author, since she's writing a book.And the ones you don't? :smalltongue:

[Acidic_Cakes]

I'm still trying to place the classes, but:

Terry Pratchett
HP Lovecraft
Neil Stephenson
Neil Gaiman
Mike Mignola

possibly KA Applegate as an alternate.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

And the ones you don't? :smalltongue:

I have a mild dislike of dislike of Terry Brooks and Tom Clancy. I was also never very impressed by William Shakespeare. He made some pretty decent stuff, but nothing good enough to earn him the prestige he currently enjoys.

[UrsielHauke]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (DM)
Kurt Vonnegut (Fighter)
Edgar Allen Poe (Rogue)
HP Lovecraft (Cleric)
Jim Butcher (Wizard)

Though I am a lover of Shakespeare, I don't think I see him at a gaming table.

[Ason]

Only five? Hm, well mine is going to be a hodge-podge group (save them all being British), but here it goes anyways:

Shakespeare
J.R.R. Tolkein
C.S. Lewis (Narnia's okay but I love his other stuff)
Ian Flemming
T.H. White

I pick these authors because I enjoy their stories and have learned from their various takes on humanity. I imagine this game having its funny elements (all those men have written hilarious things) but a more philosophical/personality-focused side as well. Even Flemming (the least explicitly philosophical) turns the James Bond novels into an interesting character study of a government-hired killer wrestling with his conscience. With this group, I figure a story-driven low fantasy campaign would probably be ideal.

EDIT: Or Planescape. Planescape with these guys would be very interesting indeed.

[Splynn]

Wow. Your bard is so dry he can use Horrid Wilting as a class ability.

:smallwink:*Rimshot*

:O YOU TAKE THAT BACK.

Oscar Wilde isn't dry. He's funny, bantery, and just misunderstood, that's all.

Stop making fun of my gay irish bard.

[NikitaDarkstar]

I have a mild dislike of dislike of Terry Brooks and Tom Clancy. I was also never very impressed by William Shakespeare. He made some pretty decent stuff, but nothing good enough to earn him the prestige he currently enjoys.

....!!!!!! *launches the nuclear missiles!!* Nah, just kidding. To be honest I stopped reading Tom Clancy quite some time ago, but I can so see him as the over-tactical either skill monkey or controller that drives the DM up the walls. (Not to mention into the set of MM's that should never be opened.)


And Terry Pratchett as a gamer? Totally, but not as something as controlled as a wizard. He'd be a wild mage, or possibly some fairly insane cleric. Or an arcane trickster. Or a bard. Darn it why are geniuses so hard to categorize?!

[Cirrylius]

Oscar Wilde isn't dry. He's funny, bantery, and just misunderstood, that's all.


There's a difference between dry and dry humor. Wilde is the latter.

[Ducklord]

Does SilverClawShift count? :smallbiggrin:

[gibbo88]

Richard Castle
J.R.R. Tolkien
Raymond Feist
Neil Gaiman
Robert Jordan

OK, so i know Richard Castle isn't a real author, but I think he would be awesome in a game as the comic relief.

[Jay R]

C.S. Lewis would read the entire rules set and work out logically what the consequences are.

J.R.R. Tolkien would keep a complete and organized set of player notes, including all the background, even things we'd only heard mentioned once.

Alexandre Dumas has a great sense of adventure (but would talk for far too long).

Edgar Rice Burroughs's hero would jump in front of the party and take all the risks.

Robert A. Heinlein's hero would always have the obscure technical skill or feat we needed.

And I want the DM to be Stan Lee, because I can usually predict his surprise twist ending.

[Tyndmyr]

Five copies of Jim Butcher.

[Jeff the Green]

Stephen Moffat, to DM. He has the best sense of when to be absolutely terrifying and when to throw in something absolutely absurd.

Brian Jacques. I see him playing a fighter/warblade sort of thing.

Asimov. We'd probably make him play a warforged.

JK Rowling. Seriously, no one's said her?

Viggo Mortensen. Yes, he's an author.

[Tyndmyr]

JK Rowling. Seriously, no one's said her?


Oh, god no. She'd have a mary sue with a ridiculous backstory.

[Jay R]

JK Rowling. Seriously, no one's said her?

She'd make up a new spell for each encounter. And she'd think it was all right to break the rules if she's fighting the BBEG.

[Inkpencil]

Terry Pratchett- Warblade
Jim Butcher- Paladin
Patrick Rothfuss- Rogue
Shel Silversteen- Bard
Ronald D. Moore- Cleric

George R.R. Martin- DM

[Tyndmyr]

George R.R. Martin- DM

Best of luck to your party. You'll need it.

[loopy]

Five copies of Jim Butcher.

This. He can do all the roles. I'll alternate between playing and sitting back and watching the fun.

[Eldan]

George R.R. Martin
Jim Butcher
Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Patrick Rothfuss

Mostly because I not only like them, I also think they'd enjoy gaming.


Alternatively:

Gary Gygax
Keith Baker
Rich Burlew
Rich Baker
Ray Vallese

They all wrote D&D books :smalltongue:

[Inkpencil]

Best of luck to your party. You'll need it.

Totally. It'll be the best epic campaign one-shot ever.

[RobD]

Don't know what roles they'd play, but my list is:
-Ursula le Guin
-Jennifer Roberson
-R.A. Salvatore
-Fritz Lieber
-Howard Pyle (I think I'd want him to DM)

Brian Jacques can play if he makes dinner.

Because I like to draw, I've got a list of artists I'd like to play with, too:
-Hayao Miyazaki
-Todd Lockwood
-Gendy Tartakovsky
-Alex Toth or Al Williamson, I can't decide
-Again, Howard Pyle. God I love that man.

[DiscipleofBob]

Fighter: Stan Lee (Because not only would he make a great superhero-esque tank, if he ever died or got screwed over he seems like he'd smile and roll with it.)
Rogue: Ian Fleming (Considering he was more awesome than the character he created)
Wizard: Douglas Adams (Tippy-verse, beware, we're working with Hitchhiker's Guide logic now.)
Cleric: Christopher Stasheff (Probably because Adams already took the Wizard, but draw from Stasheff's God of War book, and use the god of modern war, and suddenly he's summoning helicopters and tanks.)

DM: Walt Disney, just to see what the aforementioned party would do to those classic worlds.
Alternate DM: A brain in a jar consisting of the collective knowledge of the Final Fantasy creative team.

[Friv]

George R.R. Martin
Jim Butcher
Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Patrick Rothfuss

Mostly because I not only like them, I also think they'd enjoy gaming.

George R.R. actually already roleplays (or at least, he used to; I can't speak for the present day). His Wild Cards shared fiction universe was based on a superhero RPG that he and several of his author friends partook in.

And those characters were freaking awesome, so I assume I would love to run games with George R.R. Based on his stuff, I assume he'd want to be the wizard.

Similarly, I assume that Jim Butcher is at least roughly familiar with RPGs, since he's used them a few times as minor jokes in his books. And I like his sense of humour, so I think he'd be a fun guy to play with. Jim could totally paladin up.

Beyond that...

Definitely China Mieville as my DM. He does every style really well, and he would be able to really surprise us. Also, he's another fantasy author that I have heard already games.

Mark Twain seems like a guy who would be irreverent, take the thing in a spirit of good humour, and be able to run a great rogue.

So for our last guy, I'm going to have to echo Burroughs as our team's fighter. He could bring some pulp sensibilities to the table, which would mesh well with Butcher's style, while being chill enough to meld with the darker stuff that Martin and Mieville would be tossing together.

[Eldan]

George R.R. actually already roleplays (or at least, he used to; I can't speak for the present day). His Wild Cards shared fiction universe was based on a superhero RPG that he and several of his author friends partook in.

And those characters were freaking awesome, so I assume I would love to run games with George R.R. Based on his stuff, I assume he'd want to be the wizard.

Similarly, I assume that Jim Butcher is at least roughly familiar with RPGs, since he's used them a few times as minor jokes in his books. And I like his sense of humour, so I think he'd be a fun guy to play with. Jim could totally paladin up.

Beyond that...

Definitely China Mieville as my DM. He does every style really well, and he would be able to really surprise us. Also, he's another fantasy author that I have heard already games.
.

Didn't think of China Mieville, but I was reasonably sure that most of the authors I named already gamed. I know Butcher does, and Pratchett, from what I heard, plays at least computer RPGs.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

JK Rowling. Seriously, no one's said her

I mentioned her. She's epic.

[Aron Times]

Anyone who chose Steven "LORD OF NIGHTMARES" Moffat will never sleep well again.

[Grytorm]

Terry Pratchett (DM)

With several groups

Jim Butcher (Barbarian)
George RR Martin (Wizard)
JRR Tolkien (Commoner)
HP Lovecraft (Summoner)

Mary Shelley (Gnome Alchemist)
Machiavelli (Rogue)
Terry Jones (Rogue)
Eric Idle (Rogue)
RA Salvatore (Female Shifter Druid)
Whoever Composed Beowulf (Bard/Paladin)
Edgar Allen Poe (Fighter/Rogue)
Kieth Baker (Warforged Fighter)

Brian Blessed (Wizard)
Stephen King (Wizard)
Orson Scott Card (Wizard)
Jonathan Stroud (Summoner)

(Wow, coming up with this many authors was hard)

[Kenneth]

[QUOTE=DiscipleofBob;12400399]
DM: Walt Disney, just to see what the aforementioned party would do to those classic worlds.
QUOTE]

Actually this scares me to no small degree.


also Viggo Mortensen writes? /MIND BLOWN!

[Yanagi]

Edgar Allen Poe
Jorge Luis Borges
Stanislaw Lem
China Mieville
Octavia Butler

I was tempted to mention Sun Tzu, but he'd probably be the most vicious powergamer ever.

[Mercenary Pen]

DM: Neil Gaiman

Alexander Dumas (Swashbuckler)
George R. R. Martin (Dragonfire Adept)
H.P. Lovecraft (Summoning focussed Wizard) "There is nothing squamous or penguin fringed about it, it's just a wolf"
Aaron Allston (Anything that could fly)

[Acidic_Cakes]

To clarify, Terry Pratchett does indeed game. He stated at some point in an interview that the luggage was a joke based off of something from a D&D campaign he had participated in.

[eulmanis12]

DM: George Orwell
Party:
Sun Tzu
Carl Von Clausowits
George S. Patton
Henry V(I think, the british king at Agincourt, correct me if I'm wrong on the number)

Alternative
DM: Rich Berlew

Party:
Harry Turtledove
HG Wells
George Lukas
Arthur C. Clark

[Weezer]

DM: George Orwell
Party:
Sun Tzu
Carl Von Clausowits
George S. Patton
Henry V(I think, the british king at Agincourt, correct me if I'm wrong on the number)


So, all your campaigns would consist of you orchestrating a military uprising against a tyrannical government? Also Patton is a bit out of place amongst Clausewitz, Henry v and Sun Tzu in the way of military geniuses. Horribly overrated.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

DM: George Orwell
Party:
Sun Tzu
Carl Von Clausowits
George S. Patton
Henry V(I think, the british king at Agincourt, correct me if I'm wrong on the number)

Alternative
DM: Rich Berlew

Party:
Harry Turtledove
HG Wells
George Lukas
Arthur C. Clark

Both those sound like a lot of fun. Especially the latter. I'm not sure George Lucas is an author, though.

[Anderlith]

I'd love to play a game that George R.R. Martin DM'd. I guess I'd like to play in a party with Brandon Sanderson & David Eddings (I don't think he's be mentioned yet) & I'd thrown in Madeleine L'Engle, author of a "Wrinkle in Time" & Robert Kirkman as well, & Stephen Colbert (I think he's an author...)

[Draz74]

DM: Patrick Rothfuss
Party:

Brandon Sanderson
William Goldman
Patricia C. Wrede
Lloyd Alexander

[Acidic_Cakes]

Ah, I just thought of another to add to my list. Keita Amemiya would make an awesome Swordsage or Dread Necromancer or DM.

[NikitaDarkstar]

Anyone who chose Steven "LORD OF NIGHTMARES" Moffat will never sleep well again.

I must be the only one on these boards who finds him subpar really. Well okay not really, his plots are mindblowing, but for the love of gaming don't let do anything but DM, he'd bring River Song to the table. (Actually he might anyway DMPC...)

[Shyftir]

No, no, no. H.P. Lovecraft is a terrific writer but he'd suck every last bit of the fun out of an RPG with his melancholic sense of superiority. (Course if it was oWoD then perfect.)

My list:
DM: Michael Stackpole (man knows his gaming, plus talented with ensemble casts)

R.A. Salvatore: Halfling Rogue or bard. (w/rod of wonder)

David Gemmel: Human Barbarian (demon-possessed axe optional)

Terry Brooks: Half-Elven Druid (focus on elemental magics)

Michael Moorcock: Drow Wizard (Summoner)

And I would play a Human Paladin (Crusader if 3.5)

[Eldan]

I must be the only one on these boards who finds him subpar really. Well okay not really, his plots are mindblowing, but for the love of gaming don't let do anything but DM, he'd bring River Song to the table. (Actually he might anyway DMPC...)

No, you're not the only one. I think a short read in the Who thread should show that. I, for one, think the show really went downhill since he took over. He had good single and double episodes before, but running the entire show is not his thing. And the last season finale was the worst episode ever.

[DoctorGlock]

Jim Butcher, absolutely, probably as GM
Terry Pratchett for the sake of awesome
Neil Gaiman, so that we may never sleep again
Patrick Rothfus because damn his characters are good
Huh, can't think of a 5th

[Knaight]

I only agree to make him suffer through his own invention.
Vance's magic wasn't nearly as bad as Vancian magic. There were no spell levels, and even wonderful wizards had something like six whole spells. Anyways:
The List
Machiavelli
Luo Guanzhong
Ayn Rand
Karl Marx
Immanuel Kant


I don't really like D&D that much, but bringing these five together would create some wonderful arguments.

[Tzevash]

Don't know about DM, but here's my dream team:

William Gibson: WIZARD or ARTIFICER
Philip K. D ick: same as Gibson
Garth Ennis: ROGUE or FIGHTER
Dante Alighieri: PALADIN or CLERIC
Neil Gaiman: BARD

:smallbiggrin:

[Eldan]

And here I thought Mr. D Ick would be a Telepath. Or maybe Alchemist.

[eulmanis12]

Also Patton is a bit out of place amongst Clausewitz, Henry v and Sun Tzu in the way of military geniuses. Horribly overrated.

George S. Patton
-Helped found the US Army Tank Corps during WWI
- during WWII
Battle of the Bulge (turned his army 90degrees and moved a signifigant distance in less than 48 hours when his making any attack within a week was considered impossible by all of the other allied generals)
his drive across France
Operation Cobra (when the Allies were stuck in normandy and unable to break out who did they send in to fix things? Patton)
Sicily (specificaly crossing the entire Island and taking Palermo before his own superiors were even able to figure out that he was doing, leading to the famous "well ask Ike if I should give it back" quote)
Crossing the Rhine with little preparation (Patton did it in 2 days with low fuel and no support assets outside his immediate command while Montgomory, who had unlimited allied support assets took months to do so.)
And the greatest measure of a general, what his enemies thought of him. The Germans had an entire staff unit dedicated to getting inside Patton's head, which they did not have for any other Allied general. They also were so stubbornly convinced that Patton was the best allied commander that even after D-Day they were convinced that the main allied attack would occur at the Pais De Calais because Patton was still waiting accross the channel from Calais)
-Wrote a book on military tactics (making him technicaly an author like Sun Tzu and Carl Von Clausowitz and Henry V)

he earned a place in that party. also, to my knowledge, nobody ever made a movie called, Tzu, or Clausowitz. They became famous, Patton became legendary.

[Rorrik]

Frank Herbert - DM, I mean Dune was the best setting ever.
CS Lewis- Paladin
JRR Tolkein- Ranger
Brandon Sanderson- Wizard
Raymond E. Feist - Rogue

[Friv]

also, to my knowledge, nobody ever made a movie called, Tzu, or Clausowitz. They became famous, Patton became legendary.

You know, I was with you until right about here. Are you seriously claiming that Patton is more legendary than Sun Tzu, the guy who invented war?

(Hint: He's not. He's just more recent.)

[DoctorGlock]

Sun Tzu, the guy who invented war?

I believe war might be slightly older than this guy.

[Knaight]

You know, I was with you until right about here. Are you seriously claiming that Patton is more legendary than Sun Tzu, the guy who invented war?

(Hint: He's not. He's just more recent.)

Plus, odds are there are multiple movies about him in China.

[Eldan]

A short wiki search shows that Sun Tzu has two TV series in China, one with 13 and one with 40 episodes. IMDB has several movies about him.

Von Clausewitz, I know, shows up in dozens of movies. Including half a dozen or so exclusively about him. E.g. this one. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997327/)

[Medic!]

Joe Abercrombie as the DM

You stole my heart and fluffy feelings

[Anderlith]

You know, I was with you until right about here. Are you seriously claiming that Patton is more legendary than Sun Tzu, the guy who invented war?

(Hint: He's not. He's just more recent.)

Some believe that Sun Tzu's book was actually just a collection of knowledge from many other leaders & generals & not originally from Sun Tzu. Patton is better even if Sun Tzu did exist

[Dr.Epic]

Can they be authors I hate so I can DM and torture them? You never said I couldn't do this.:smallwink:

[Wyntonian]

Can they be authors I hate so I can DM and torture them? You never said I couldn't do this.:smallwink:

Paolini has a Gary Stu gish he's been itching to play for a while now.

[Strormer]

Neil Gaiman
Jeff Grubb
Douglas Adams
Garth Nix
and either Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Willian Goldman dming, depending on the style of the campaign.

Sad that I couldn't add a few others, like Mark Twain, but still a fun group.

[Traab]

I'm tempted to go with Homer or Tolkein for the DM, but I feel like then we would spend a big portion of the game session finding out the name of each and every cobblestone we walked by.

Honestly? Id enjoy having tolkien be the dm. He gives excellent descriptions, and when he creates a world, he creates everything in it as well, so no matter where we go in his campaign, whether we stay on the rails or go play in the sandbox, he would be able to let us know whats going on without issue.

As far as party members, id be happy with any 5 authors in the fantasy section. Id imagine they all have great imaginations and so would be a blast to play with. So long as I can convince them to NOT create a pc version of their favorite personal creation. I mean, take david eddings, mandorallan would be a kickass paladin sure, but id rather see something new to see just how good their improv skills are.

[Eldan]

Honestly? Id enjoy having tolkien be the dm. He gives excellent descriptions, and when he creates a world, he creates everything in it as well, so no matter where we go in his campaign, whether we stay on the rails or go play in the sandbox, he would be able to let us know whats going on without issue.

Now I can't help but think what would have happened if Tolkien himself was in DM of the rings.

"Hey, I have an idea! Instead of walking into Mordor on this side where all the mountains and fortresses are, let's walk around it, through Rhun and attack from the back!"
"Okay, sure. Let me get my other shelf of world description folders."

[Traab]

Now I can't help but think what would have happened if Tolkien himself was in DM of the rings.

"Hey, I have an idea! Instead of walking into Mordor on this side where all the mountains and fortresses are, let's walk around it, through Rhun and attack from the back!"
"Okay, sure. Let me get my other shelf of world description folders."

On the plus side, if someone chose to play a bard we could finally find someone willing to try ROCKING their way into mordor!

[eulmanis12]

You know, I was with you until right about here. Are you seriously claiming that Patton is more legendary than Sun Tzu, the guy who invented war?

(Hint: He's not. He's just more recent.)

Sun Tzu wrote a book, a very useful book, based on his observations of war, his experiance in combat, and his philosophy. Don't get me wrong, I like Sun Tzu, he did make it into my list of the 4 generals/authors (yes all the generals in the list did technicaly write books) I'd have in my gaming group after all. This being said, his only large scale command (that is known as absolute fact) was against a general of a neighboring city state who by all accounts was an impulsive moron. Sun Tzu did an excelent job of writing out the guidlines of how to fight a war, but he never really proved them. The generals that came after him demonstrated that he was right.

Patton was a different kind of soldier, he was not the master of grand strategy, he was the master of tactics and combat. Sun Tzu could plan the war, Patton could put the plan into action. Its like the difference between a physiscist and an engineer, a physiscist defines what's possible, an engineer goes out and does it.

I'm not arguing that patton is better than sun tzu, I'm arguing that the two of them are somewhat equivalent. Patton deserved a seat at the table alongside Tzu and Clausowitz.

[Wyntonian]

Sun Tzu wrote a book, a very useful book, based on his observations of war, his experiance in combat, and his philosophy. Don't get me wrong, I like Sun Tzu, he did make it into my list of the 4 generals/authors (yes all the generals in the list did technicaly write books) I'd have in my gaming group after all. This being said, his only large scale command (that is known as absolute fact) was against a general of a neighboring city state who by all accounts was an impulsive moron. Sun Tzu did an excelent job of writing out the guidlines of how to fight a war, but he never really proved them. The generals that came after him demonstrated that he was right.

Patton was a different kind of soldier, he was not the master of grand strategy, he was the master of tactics and combat. Sun Tzu could plan the war, Patton could put the plan into action. Its like the difference between a physiscist and an engineer, a physiscist defines what's possible, an engineer goes out and does it.

I'm not arguing that patton is better than sun tzu, I'm arguing that the two of them are somewhat equivalent. Patton deserved a seat at the table alongside Tzu and Clausowitz.

New thread for this discussion? That sounds like a good idea.

[Delwugor]

Delwugor as Delwugor the superb axe wielding Dwarf.
David Weber as the Elven Female Knight.
Douglas Adam as the amorphous Rogue.
Brian Greene as the obtuse Wizard.
Lee Simolin as the jaded Sorcerer.
Hal Lindsey as the stubborn Cleric.

And to make for a memorable game, Graham Hancock as the GM and Stephen King as the guest BBEG NPC.

[Dimers]

Raymond E. Feist - Rogue

Not that I'm necessarily disagreeing, but why rogue?

[Shyftir]

Not that I'm necessarily disagreeing, but why rogue?

Jimmy the Hand. Arguably Feist's best single character

[Traab]

Jimmy the Hand. Arguably Feist's best single character

From his first appearance to his death, jimmy the hand was pure awesome.

[Telonius]

Rogue - Peter David
Cleric - Philip Pullman (though let's be honest, he'd probably prc into Ur-priest at first opportunity :smallbiggrin:)
Fighter - Robert Howard
Wizard - ... would have said Tolkien, but the session would be disrupted when he got into an argument with Pullman. Probably Robert Asprin.
Bard - Me
DM - Terry Pratchett

Alternately....

Rogue - William Golding
Cleric - Stephen King
Fighter - Michael Moorcock
Sorcerer or Warlock - Me
Bard - Edgar Allan Poe
DM - H.P. Lovecraft



On the plus side, if someone chose to play a bard we could finally find someone willing to try ROCKING their way into mordor!

Someone (http://ragecomics.memebase.com/2011/12/07/rage-comics-but-one-does-not-do-that/) already did... :smallcool:

[Vitruviansquid]

I believe war might be slightly older than this guy.

My sources say he invented it, and then he perfected it so that no living man can best him in the ring of honor.

^ couldn't resist

[Rorrik]

From his first appearance to his death, jimmy the hand was pure awesome.

And that is why. Jimmy that Hand is one of the coolest life stories I've ever heard, a rogue with the heart of a paladin.
I'm ashamed I didn't use Rothfus, he's a genius.

[Draz74]

I'm ashamed I didn't use Rothfus, he's a genius.

No kidding. And if anyone has read his books and still doesn't think he's a genius, go read this column (http://www.tor.com/features/series/patrick-rothfuss-reread) to see how many hidden things there are in his books that you didn't catch on your own. It's staggering.

I'm a little surprised that my other nominations (Brandon Sanderson, Lloyd Alexander, Patricia Wrede; William Goldman has started getting a few more votes) haven't been more popular here. Well, maybe not Wrede. Her books are for a younger audience, and they're more amusing than full of deep and awesome plots. But she's funny, and she would keep the game from being all-male.

Lloyd Alexander particularly, I think is one of the all-time grandmasters of fantasy, yet often ignored.

[Hazzardevil]

DM:Jim Butcher

Fighter: Monte Cook, simply to make him suffer through how badly he made 3.5, and if he asks me for advice on char op, I simply point him toward his own terrible advice

Wizard: Tolkien, in my mind with his mind for detail he could run a huge spellbook wizard and not drown himself in options

Cleric: Darren Shan

Rogue: Dann Abnett

Bard: R. R. Martin

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

John Connely would be fun.

[Winter Light]

DM: J. R. R. Tolkien

Rogue: Agatha Christie

Cleric: Richard Dawkins

Bard: Douglas Adams

Fighter: George R. R. Martin

Tolkien, as stated, would have such a phenomenal amount of work done ahead of time that the party could basically do whatever and he'd be ready for it. Richard Dawkins as a cleric mostly for the delicious irony.

Douglas Adams would bring the appropriate level of lunacy to the table that only bards can really get away with.

Agatha Christie is simply brilliant, and how better to take advantage of that than with a plethora of skill points? Alternately, she could go wizard.

George Martin's sort of a must-have, though I have a hard time pegging down a class for him. Fighter mainly because the group does need a front-liner, though I could see him going Archivist as well.

[Knaight]

I'm a little surprised that my other nominations (Brandon Sanderson, Lloyd Alexander, Patricia Wrede; William Goldman has started getting a few more votes) haven't been more popular here. Well, maybe not Wrede. Her books are for a younger audience, and they're more amusing than full of deep and awesome plots. But she's funny, and she would keep the game from being all-male.

Lloyd Alexander particularly, I think is one of the all-time grandmasters of fantasy, yet often ignored.

Lloyd Alexander also tended to write for a younger audience. They're good books, but they are clearly aimed at preteens.

[Haarkla]

Jack Vance (DM) - Unsurpassed world building

JRR Tolkien (Hobbit ranger)
Umberto Eco (Expert/sage)
Rider Haggard (Fighter/rogue)
Anne Rice (Vampire rogue)

[Draz74]

Lloyd Alexander also tended to write for a younger audience. They're good books, but they are clearly aimed at preteens.

Prydain, yes. And yeah, that's possibly his best work. (Although for my part, I don't feel like the preteen prose detracts from the story being incredibly powerful.)

But he does have some other stuff intended for older audiences. Maybe not adult-level, but "young adult" (teen)-level stuff. Grittier and with more advanced prose than Prydain.

[Ksheep]

I'm kinda surprised no one has said Lewis Carroll or L. Frank Baum yet. Then again, that would probably lead to a more… bizarre game. Now, what would happen if you mixed Lewis Carroll with H.P. Lovecraft?

[The Underlord]

Decided on

Tolkein-Dm
Rich Baker(guy who did MoI and Tob IIRC)-Fighter
Lovecraft-wizard
Sun Tzu-Lazylord
Rich Burlew: Bard

[UrsielHauke]

Now, my list for a more lighthearted game:

Gary Gygax (DM)
Douglas Adams (Bard)
William Shatner (Wizard)
Agatha Christie (Rogue)
Nicolo Machiavelli (Paladin of Law)

Gygax because he would make the campaign horribly lethal and difficult. Machiavelli so we could pull the crazy "take over several nations and rule with an iron fist" stuff that usually you only get away with at epic.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I'm kinda surprised no one has said Lewis Carroll

I wouldn't play with Lewis Carroll on the basis that he was an opium-addict, and probably a pedophile.

[Seerow]

1) Steven Erikson (DM)
2) Ian C Esslemont (Fighter/Rogue)
3) Raymond E Feist (Wizard)
4) George RR Martin (Fighter/Death Dealer)
5) Robert Jordan (Cleric)

I agree with most of this this, but with a few changes:

DM: Brandon Sanderson
Rogue: Raymond E Feist
Wizard: Robert Jordan
Cleric: GRRM
Fighter: Patrick Rothfuss



My reasoning:
DM: Brandon Sanderson is a new favorite of mine. He has a flair for unique systems, and is great at describing action sequences. He is a bit weak on dialogue, but in a game of D&D that doesn't need to be a strong suit anyway.

Rogue: Feist's best characters were Jimmy and Arutha. Apparently others in this thread agree with me on Jimmy. Clearly this is an archtype he can do right (where his magician and warrior have left me increasingly cold as the series drags on)

Wizard: Jordan's whole magic system is all about getting cool effects out of minimalist bases to work with, I think he could pull off a wizard character well.

Cleric: GRRM would probably fit the fighter role well, but I like the faiths and ethos of his world, and think this is an archtype he could pull off excellently.

Fighter: This seems to be the role Rothfus prefers. Even with his main character being a bard/scholar, he's still mostly defined by fighting ability. He'd probably end up with a Gish, rather than a DMF, but still in the fighter role all the same.

I went with Rothfus/Sanderson over the other two simply because I don't know those two at all.

[Khiz]

Steven Erikson, DM
Patrick Rothfuss, Bard
GRRM, Rogue
Joe Abercrombie, Barbarian
Jim Butcher, Paladin

[ssming]

Raymond E. Feist
Marion Zimmer Bradley
J.R.R. Tolkien
Jack L. Chalker
Mercedes Lackey
City Of Steam (http://www.dotmmo.com/city-of-steam-3527.html)
Lord of Ultima (http://www.dotmmo.com/lord-of-ultima-4.html)
Grepolis (http://www.dotmmo.com/grepolis-95.html)
mmorpg (http://www.mmogamesite.com)
browser games (http://www.playbbg.com)

[dps]

Not going to assign them roles, but:

Edgar Rice Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
Bill James
Glen Cook
Eric Flint

[Blackfang108]

Jim Butcher
Patrick Rothfuss
Brandon Sanderson
Howard Taylor
Edit: Steven Erickson

[Lucid]

Setting: Planescape

Grant Morrison (DM)
Neil Gaiman (Bard)
Umberto Eco (Factotum)
Terry Pratchett (Wizard)
China Miéville (Artificer)
Me (Commoner, along for the ride)

[Amphetryon]

My list, with a PrC indicating general role:

Tolkien - DM
Raymond E Feist - Sublime Chord
Frank Herbert - Sandshaper, duh.
Terry Pratchett - Wild Mage
Barbara Hambly - Geomancer

[Cirrylius]

Now, what would happen if you mixed Lewis Carroll with H.P. Lovecraft?
Pretty much American McGee.

[Delwugor]

From his first appearance to his death, jimmy the hand was pure awesome.
I didn't know he died.

[Wyntonian]

...After reading The Name of the Wind, I want Rothfuss to DM. It's an incredibly good book, with some really talented worldbuilding as a foundation.

[mago]

hmm...
Gaiman as DM
Jim Butcher as Wizard or paladin
Douglass Adams as something awesome.
Terry patchet, i think, but not sure what as.
Jules Verne as something techy
Though i'd probably just say "hey, guys, i've got this game called "Changeling: the lost" - wanna try it?"