A few weeks ago, In Extremo came up. There’s actually a whole genre of medieval revivalist musicians. Most often, they come from Germany and dress like a merging of Lord of the Rings and Mad Max.
If you liked In Extremo, I’d also recommend Corvus Corax, Hagalaz Runedance, and The Soil Bleeds Black.
-Jordan
As mentioned previously, I spent about two weeks in France, and I do have a tale or two to tell. While there, I saw the Bayeux Tapestry, something I’ve always dreamed of seeing.
Commissioned in the 11th century by Bishop Odo, the tapestry portrays William the Conqueror’s invasion of Normandy. Bishop Odo was William’s half-brother, and an active warrior in the battle, by the way. The tapestry is considered a wonderful, if biased, documentation of medieval history, warfare, and life.
A few things stood out. One, a minor character by the name of Conan (not a barbarian); two, Bishop Odo is depicted wielding a club because “the scriptures forbid the spilling of blood.” This last one should sound very familiar to anyone that has played a cleric in D&D.
Finally, someone working on the tapestry had a very dirty mind. On more than one occasion, the margins are embellished with enormously-endowed naked men.
-Jordan
Next week you will be treated to Jordan’s scholarly words and perhaps he will regale us with tales of France.
Also, just wanted to say thanks to our artist, Scott who keeps drawing whatever we throw at him and is really knocking it out of the park as far as I’m concerned.
I would also like to mention that this endeavor in particular for me owes a debt of gratitude to Greg Stafford and his amazing fantasy world of Glorantha. He is the co-designer of the role-playing games; RuneQuest, Pendragon, and HeroQuest. He is the founder of the role-playing game companies Chaosium and Issaries, designer of the White Bear and Red Moon and Nomad Gods board games, and co-designer of the King of Dragon Pass computer game.
-Brian
Touching on something Allan said a few weeks ago about TV Shows being able to show character evolution and the advantage that TV has over movies. Having just finished watching Season 2 of Veronica Mars, I am again reminded of how much more you can accomplish in seasonal television. Something that I don’t think was really taken advantage of until recently. The best usage of television for character development and story advancement from the past 20 years that I can think of would have to be Babylon 5.
As Allan mentioned, much like gaming (rpg), the weekly nature allows for character development, vast story arcs, and a greater sense of world building.
-Brian
Check out In Extremo, folk metal from Germany.
For those of you that are interested in the world building aspect of Orenda, we built the World of Orenda using a bottom-up approach. We started with the government, politics, and history and then worked with the local geography, culture, social structure. We’re still in the process of fleshing out more of the details but it’s always interesting to see everything come together.
Last time I wrote about how much I enjoy seeing characters, and relationships, develop in D&D. In fiction I’m inspired by the same sort of development. I’m not, however, much of a movie person. Movies are excellent at setting tone or mood, at showing a character dealing with a crisis, or experiencing a transition. But the need for movies to stay around 2-3 hours in length limits the sort of development that can take place. It’s difficult to watch a relationship evolve without either rushing it or cutting out a lot of the middle ground. This is one area in which television surpasses movies, in my opinion. With 18-20 hours per season, a series that runs for multiple seasons has a lot of room for relationships that start one place and end up somewhere completely different, without the evolution ever feeling forced.
Joss Whedon’s series are the obvious examples, as well as any number of science fiction series. Sadly, there have been few, if any, decent TV series set in medieval-esque times. Okay, there was Xena, and possibly Hercules, but the constant winking at the camera grew tiresome after a couple seasons. You could hear the writers muttering to themselves, “So what sort of homoerotic scene should we write for Gabrielle and Xena this week?”
I recently watched, over the span of a couple weeks, the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. DS9 was, by far, the best of the Star Trek series, particularly because it showed the growth of relationships. The movement from hatred to (platonic) love between Miles and Julian. The movement from hatred and animosity to grudging respect between Quark and Odo. And particularly the evolution of the relationship between Ben and Jake Sisko, which I think is one of the best father-son relationships depicted in any medium. Watching the final season, shortly after watching the first season, it’s hard to believe that these are the same characters, and yet the changes were gradual and believable over 7 years. That, to me, is what makes great TV.
-Allan
So after the Monty Haul allure was gone from D&D, what was left? People.
When done well, D&D can be a laboratory for interpersonal relationships and character development. Unlike life, you get to pick what you want to be. Tired of eating spaghetti-os in front of the TV and being ignored by girls because you’re a bagger in the supermarket? What if you were a big strong warrior with a sword? How would you act then? Would you be noble and protect the weak? Would you push people around like you get pushed around every day? Or try being a wise wizard, or a crafty thief. Who would you be then?
Now let’s stick you in a group of people you may or may not know in real life. Let’s give you some problems to solve that are totally unlike bagging groceries. How do you work with those other people? Are you a leader, a follower, or a troublemaker? How do you solve those problems? Do you think them through, or do you charge in and bust some heads? It’s your call.
It’s also about growth. How will your relationships with your comrades change over time? Do they deepen and become more trusting, or are they stagnant? Add to this a mechanic to describe actual character growth. You might be a potato farmer with a sword today, but someday you’ll be rich and famous. What choices will you make along the way? Will you be someone else, or will you still be a potato farmer?
It’s a game, with rules and goals, but by definition it’s also about interpersonal relationships. That’s what interests me about D&D now, and about writing in general for that matter. Next time, an inspiration from fiction in this vein.
-Allan
