Your Fantasy Influences

[Thinker]

What sort of influences do you use to run a fantasy game as a GM or to play a character as a player? What do you draw on as your primary inspiration? Is it mostly modern (mid-20th century and later) fantasy books, movies, tv shows, etc? Do you prefer sword and sorcery in the style of Howard? How do myths and folklore play into your perceptions? How does this perception influence how you perceive a setting or play a character?

For me, I tend to draw as most of my material from Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, and Babylonian mythology and then have medieval folklore from those same regions sprinkled in. I sometimes draw on fantasy books and movies or sword and sorcery, but I'd say that only makes up a small percentage of my influence. I look at games through this lens as both a player and as a GM. If I am running a game that contradicts this sense, I will adhere to the setting's conventions, but I will insert my own material based on my preferences for things not covered. As a player, I tend to play characters from regions that are similar in flavor to those cultures whose myths I enjoy.

What about you?

[The Rose Dragon]

Any influence I can find, but mostly lighter side of fiction, such as space opera or romantic fantasy. Though I rarely shy from the darker myths, especially the Fair Folk (love the Fair Folk).

Though for some reason, Greek mythology seems to be the biggest influence I have. Possibly due to my familiarity with it.

[Zaydos]

Norse myth, Howard, Lovecraft, Jack Vance, Tolkien, Moorcock, Anderson, and any other source I can find. I've based creatures on a mixture of Bloch's Cthulhu Mythos writing and A.E. van Vogt's Beast (the inspiration for Displacer Beasts) so I'm not above using sci-fi either. I've used stories of the fair folk too.

[valadil]

As a GM my main influence is George R.R. Martin. Not so much for the brutal deaths of protagonists. But the way he focuses his plot on human interaction, using fantasy as a backdrop rather than as a focus. Monsters exist in the world, but the enemy you'll be dealing with is just another person. Stuff happens in cities instead of dungeons. Plots happen organically and in parallel instead of being fed to the group one at a time by a deranged quest giver. NPCs all have ambitions and motivations. Stuff happens behind the scenes when players aren't looking.

As a PC, I assume a more Tolkien style world. It was my first experience with fantasy, so it's what I default to.

[Cyrion]

I'd say that my influences are some of the (now) older generations of fantasy and sci-fi writers- Tolkein got the whole ball rolling for me, but there's a good dose of Tanith Lee, Katherine Kurtz, Barbara Hambley, Jack Chalker, Melanie Rawn, Michael Moorcock, Larry Niven, Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, and so on.

For ideas, I pillage bits and pieces for plot lines from all over the place. I'll read something and think, "oh, that's a good idea, but it just needs a few improooovements..." (bonus points if you get that reference). I'm absolutely wretched at coming up with names, so I swipe a lot of those, though I try to avoid most of the iconic biggies.

Most of my stuff tends to be western or central European in flavor, though I throw in a fair amount of other stuff when I can. My main goal is to create a rich world that everyone can have fun playing in and exploring; I tend to use the same world setting for multiple campaigns.

[Britter]

I find that I tend to draw on Norse myth, Tolkein (primarily the Silmarilion and the older works. I love the Hobbit and LotR, but they don't inspire me the same way), the Birthright setting, A song of Ice and Fire, Howard's Conan stories, Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards books, Zelazny's Lord of Light (sure, it's sci-fi, technicly, but it is sci fi that has gone so far around the bend that it has come out on the other side as fantasy) and Steven King's Gunslinger stuff.

I prefer a high-myth and legend feel, or a fairly gritty dangerous feel to my fantasy. Sometimes both at once, if I can swing it.

[dark.sun.druid]

When making characters, I find that I actually draw from non-fantasy books more heavily than fantasy books. For example, I'm designing a back-up character for one of my games in case I die who is based mostly on Peter Wiggin from the Ender's Shadow series by Orson Scott Card.

[Dimers]

Black Company has a fair bit of influence. I actively try to avoid a lot of the other stuff I've read -- including Riftwar, Dragonlance and (of course) Xanth -- for a variety of reasons. What makes a strong novel doesn't necessarily make a fun game.

My biggest influence is modern RP gaming itself. Most of my expectations and ideas come from gamebooks I've read and discussions with other players and GMs about what works and what doesn't.

I also draw on Jungian psychology for aspects of character-building and NPC creation. Though that too goes back to gamebooks, because I never would have found out anything about it without oWoD Mage and Wraith.

[TroubleBrewing]

Robert E. Howard all the way. Not just when I'm running games, either. Most of my characters have a healthy dose of "inhumanly tough noble savage" coursing through their blood. Even my M:tA character. (And my AO character, and all of my D&D characters... the list goes on.)

[Darth Stabber]

Tolkein, Douglas Adams, Dan Abnett, Diablo, Warcraft (preWoW), Bard's Tale, and Star Wars. Those are my primary influences. I take bits hear and there for certain stuff, but those are the ones that made the biggest impressions. {I realize that there is some sci-fi in there, but hey they still have the fantastical element.}

[Infernalbargain]

History. Not only is it easy to find something obscure enough, you also get de facto believability points.

[Britter]

History. Not only is it easy to find something obscure enough, you also get de facto believability points.

Yes, a very good point. I definitely do some of this.

[Dsurion]

For me, it's primarily Norse myth and Joe Abercrombie, with a helping of real but generally unusual history. There are really a lot of other influences, though. British Isles folklore is chock full of things that want to lure you into a bog (and eat you), German fairy tales have a lot of interesting things, the Elder Scrolls lore usually finds its way in there, and honestly, the rest is usually art and music. I also love the realpolitik side of Final Fantasy Tactics.

[alchemyprime]

Oh lord...

Leiber, Tolkien, Lovecraft, Mieville, Pratchett. A lot of manga and superhero comics. Many D&D settings. Myths from every corner of the world, and a few I just make up from dreams.

Basically, if I've read it, it inspired me. If you read my stuff or play my games, you're as likely to see something from Polynesian myth, the Horatio Hornblower novels, Watchmen and Cowboy Bebop all show up in the same campaign.

I also tend to think like TTGL: How can I take this as far as I can and make it awesome?

I had a NG Favored Soul of the Blood of Vol who bled profusely whenever he used his spells. More blood based on the level. And my fellow players loved it. When I brought him back as a DMPC, they didn't mind. Especially since he only worked like a normal Favored Soul in most scenarios.

But yeah. If I've read it, seen it or played it, I've been inspired.

Heck, this board has, through one thread, inspired a huge city sized mecha god for me.

So yeah. EVERYTHING can inspire fantasy for me. But the best places? History class while reading Pratchett, Morrison, Mieville or Lovecraft. That's the best time to be inspired.

[Ozreth]

I'm a simple man: Tolkien and R.A. Salvatore. To a less extent: George R.R. Martin, Weis and Hickman, Brian Jacques, and Final Fantasy games.

[SleepyShadow]

I'm surprised not to see it mentioned more, but I'm not afraid to admit it: The Final Fantasy series has been a rather large influence on my RPGs, regardless of what side of the DM screen I'm on. Whether it's sky pirates in Eberron, or my Chocobo riding paladin character, the influence is obvious.

Video games aside, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Robert A. Heinlein have influenced my gaming as well. Of course, classic authors like Tolkien need no special mention, as I'm sure almost all of us have pulled from classics like that at least once before.

[Renchard]

Christina Hendricks.


Wait, sorry, wrong kind of fantasy.

[Engine]

History. Not only is it easy to find something obscure enough, you also get de facto believability points.

Count me in.

[KingFlameHawk]

It would probably have to be Final fantasy more then anything right now. Quite approprate whe you realize that the first game is basically AD&D the video game (1st ed. not 2nd like in Baldur's Gate).

[Jay R]

It depends. My most recent scenario, the Staves of the Wanderers, was based on medieval science.

The PCs were 1st level OD&D characters, each a follower of one of seven high-level wandering adventurers (old PCs of mine), each of which had an artifact staff. In the first adventure, the PCs meet and first find out about the other six.

Each staff is capped with one of the seven medieval metals, and each one has distinct powers. The gold staff can cast Light, make your weapon function as a flaming weapon, and cast Fireball. The lead staff can can cast Cold, Slow, or Time Stop. (Of course, higher level powers carry proportionate risks.)

Eventually, the PCs wind up with the Staves of the Wanderers, and learn they must take them to the top of a distant mountain, and return them to the temple Menel-Corda, for a conjugation to release their powers.

They were told "Don’t try to keep the staves – you haven’t the power to control them for long. The power and influence of the staves transcends the earth. You must not fail to return them soon."

The kicker is that the seven adventurers weren't the Wanderers. The seven Staves each carry an avatar from one of the planets -- the seven wandering stars (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). The actual inspiration, and the source of the powers, came from medieval ideas about what the planets were, and the fact that there was a correspondence between the seven planets and the seven known metals. So the Sun staff had light and heat spells; the Saturn staff had cold, slowness and time, etc.

"Star" means "bright light in the sky". "Planet" means "bright light in the sky that wanders." Yes, the sun and moon are planets, and the earth is not.

The clues to the origins of the Staves slowly became more and more obvious, until they figured it out, right before they found the temple and got rid of them.

(Menel-Corda is from the elvish words temple and planets.)

[Matthew]

For sure history and mythology have an influence on my games, as they do in inspiring fantasy literature itself. Probably most influential on that list at this time would be Tolkien, Howard, Smith, Lovecraft, and Leiber, not to mention the Savage Sword of Conan comics. Previously I was probably more influenced by Eddings, Gemmel, and various TSR novels.

[randomhero00]

A lot of other game worlds. i like mixing and matching what I like for each, and it works the easiest. I wish I would do the same for my stupid novel but part of me insists I be authentic or original. I would have been done with the dang thing years ago, and my orginal game on top of it.

[Thurbane]

When I run a FRPG, the influences I draw on most heavily are:

• Tolkien (LoTR & The Hobbit)
• Stephen Donaldson (Illearth series)
• Michael Moorcock (Elric series & Runestaff series)
• Robert E Howard (Conan)
• Brian Lumley (various)
• Fritz Lieber (Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser)
• Jack Vance (Dying Earth series)
• David Eddings (Belgariad & others)

...nothing too mind blowing in there, I'm pretty much a "traditionalist".

[randomhero00]

When I run a FRPG, the influences I draw on most heavily are:

• Tolkien (LoTR & The Hobbit)
• Stephen Donaldson (Illearth series)
• Michael Moorcock (Elric series & Runestaff series)
• Robert E Howard (Conan)
• Brian Lumley (various)
• Fritz Lieber (Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser)
• Jack Vance (Dying Earth series)
• David Eddings (Belgariad & others)

...nothing too mind blowing in there, I'm pretty much a "traditionalist".

You should check out Stephen Brust. I really like his types of magic for witchcraft ( psionic rituals) and Sorcery (wielding dangerous chaos).

[Notreallyhere77]

Most recently?
Gregory Keyes (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series, specifically),
Sean Russell (Swans' War trilogy, but I've only been able to find and read the first two),
and the classical ancient mythologies (Greek, Egyptian, Norse).

I read The Hobbit, but I still need to read LotR and Silmarillion.

[Amphetryon]

If you can imagine Tolkien explaining Feist's interpretation of the Norse gods to the Greek pantheon, you'd be mostly there for describing my influences.

[Thurbane]

You should check out Stephen Brust. I really like his types of magic for witchcraft ( psionic rituals) and Sorcery (wielding dangerous chaos).

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it to my "to read" list.

I have to slog through the "Girl With The Dragon tattoo" series first.

[Lord.Sorasen]

As a GM my main influence is George R.R. Martin. Not so much for the brutal deaths of protagonists. But the way he focuses his plot on human interaction, using fantasy as a backdrop rather than as a focus. Monsters exist in the world, but the enemy you'll be dealing with is just another person. Stuff happens in cities instead of dungeons. Plots happen organically and in parallel instead of being fed to the group one at a time by a deranged quest giver. NPCs all have ambitions and motivations. Stuff happens behind the scenes when players aren't looking.

I really need to start doing this. R.R. Martin is awesome.

I am a philosophy major, and as such I am reading tons of philosophy all the time. The ways people think helps me a lot in making things work. It's useless for scary things or fantasy things (most of my scary monsters are ghosts even) but it helps a lot with making more complicated societies. My brief interaction with cultural anthropology has also been awesome for this sake.

All that plays on my television these days are my sister's newest addictions. This means that I end up seeing mostly Young Justice (which honestly has been more about teaching me what I hate than what I like) and Dragonball Z. The latter is useless for stuff now that Androids have arrived, but the Freiza Saga provided what I will shamelessly admit was a fantastic blend of comedic-cheese and serious tones. It made me realize that the people who are in my campaign are going to joke a lot, and I will accidentally ruin things with jokes a lot, but if I play my cards right it can still be remembered as properly epic and emotional. Maybe.

[shaddy_24]

I honestly couldn't say what my influences are. I draw so randomly from so many different stories and ideas I have only the vaguest notion of where anything came from. Random readings on tvtropes don't help this much, it sometimes gives me ideas from something I haven't even seen myself.

For the paragon tier games I've been playing recently, I've been drawing a little of character design for villains from anime lately. Mostly making villains unique and over the top, and keeping them memorable. I've also been planning the story line in high paragon and epic to allow for much more anime inspired fights. Incredibly over the top action, fights that destroy all the terrain on the map, buildings being leveled by accidental mis-swings, that sort of thing. Stereotypical Shonen battle scenes. They just seem to fit the power level and theme of epic tier games.