Gamer Lit: The Hobbit

I love Tolkien's work.  The older I get the more I appreciate the amazing things he did while designing his world all those years ago.   What I'm about to say may shock you but... I always like the Hobbit more than the Lord of the Rings.

It's difficult to articulate why.  I love epic stories so one would think I would favor the epic trilogy over the smaller more silly hearted adventure story, but that just isn't the case.  One possibility was my age when I read the books.  I was in Junior High when I first read them, and the last time I read the Hobbit was as an assignment for English class my sophomore year of high school. That is, until recently.

For whatever reason my desire to join the Hobbit Bilbo took over and I busted out my copy of the The Hobbit.  I should admit to you that I was more than a little concerned.  Over the last year I have re-read many books I loved when I was younger only to find them lacking in one way or another.  Principal among these were the Dragonlance Chronicles which at one time were my very favorite books.  When I re-read them I barely finished, and did so only grudgingly.  Thus was I more than a little trepid as I cracked the cover and began reading.

Gamer Lit: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

A while back I read through Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. What can I say about this short story? Let me start by saying that it is bad. Why this story has endured is beyond me. Ichabod Crane, the story's main character, is a lanky jackass who doesn't endear himself in any way to the reader. The story itself is short, and yet manages to move painfully slowly. When the end does come it offers up the only interesting aspect of the story.

Gaming Inspiration
For those who have not read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and want to, please stop reading as I am about to ruin the end for you. At the end of the tale the fate of Ichabod and the real events that took place the night he was riding home are left ambiguous. Was it really the specter of the headless horseman who attacked Ichabod? Was Ichabod killed, or did he simply run away, so scared that he never returned? The author gives both a lucid accounting of what probably happened, that Ichabod was simply scared away by a rival suitor and was so ashamed and never returned, and a fantastic account that is taken up by the people of Sleepy Hollow, that the Headless Horseman killed Ichabod and carried him away.

That discrepancy between the practical and the fantastic is the interesting part of the tale, and one that would work well in a game. Consider a group of PCs being called to the town. They have people essentially telling two tales of what took place, but they are not sure which to believe. There is evidence to support both theories, but they won't be sure which is correct until they get to the bottom of it. Perhaps they believe that Ichabod was driven away by the rival suitor only to find in the end that they are facing the terrible ghost of the Headless Horseman!

Gamer Lit: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde

I recently completed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde. Let me start by saying, it was far from what I had expected. This was my first read of the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, who also wrote the much loved Treasure Island. My exceptions were formed, not from anything I had heard about the book, but rather from film and pop culture. I had seen Jekel and Hide portrayed in films (usually bad ones like LXG and Van Helsing) in a way that was far removed from the way Stevenson portrayed them in his original story. It is worth noting that this story was one of the major influences for Stan Lee's Hulk character from the popular Marvel Comic. The Hulk has in turn influenced modern portrayals, especially of Hyde who is always a hulking, massive, muscular creature. In the story, though he is vicious, Hyde is noticeably shorter in stature than Jekel and not described as overly muscular.

Neither Jekel nor Hyde are the protagonist or the story. Rather the narrator follows Mr. Utterson, Jekel's attorney and friend. Utterson is the one who investigates the dealings of Jekel after the appearence of the much maligned Hyde. Utterson at first believes that Jekel has come under Hyde's power through some type of blackmail, and doesn't learn the dark truth until the end.

The story begins slow and isn't all that engaging, to be honest. The core of the tale, however, of the dual nature of mankind is timeless. Stevenson asserts that within each of us is a dark side that we keep hidden, and explores the notion of a tonic that can bring that side to the surface. It is for that reason that the book is a classic that has survived as long as it has. It is an interesting idea, and one that translates well into an RPG.

Gaming Inspiration

With magic available one doesn't need a scientific tonic like the one used by Jekel to bring Hyde out. Curses of a variety of types would certainly do the trick. One in particular is perfectly suited for the situation, Lycanthropy. The curse that turns a normal man, maybe even a good man into a howling beast is a timless tale for RPGs. The lesson learned from the story though is that, just as the beast is terrible, so to should you make the man a good man. Early in the game this will throw off the scent and deflect suspision elsewhere. When the PCs finally do realize the truth they should have a difficult decision to make. They cannot destroy the beast without destroying the man. You can make the decision even more difficult by having the man be a relative, close friend, business associate, local hero, or gifted healer who alleviates the suffering of the local population. Some GMs are even able to work with one of their players and make THEM the Lycanthrope. This is very difficult to do, but works to amazing effect if done well.

Intro to Gamer Lit

Early roleplaying games were heavily influenced by stories written by Jack Vance, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A. Merritt, H. P. Lovecraft, Fletcher Pratt, and J. R. Tolkien. Reading is an excellent way to get inspiration for your own game. Much as musicians list their influences when they form a band, people should seek out and be aware of their influences when it comes to RPGs.

I do a lot of reading and often incorporate aspects of stories I have read into my games. For this reason, and because I generally enjoy talking about books, I am adding a Gamer Lit section to my blog. I'll be reviewing some Gamer favorites (R.A. Salvatore, Weis & Hickman, etc) as well as many classic authors that might not come to mind right away when considering books to draw inspiration from (Arthur Conan-Doyal, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, etc). I'll be looking at many aspects of their work including which of their ideas translate well from the written word to the gaming table.