Name a single writer whose work you hope most influences the story/tone of P:E

[Heresiarch]

I would have probably said George Martin, if he stopped at A Storm of Swords. Now his saga reminds me of KOTOR2, endings and all, which on the whole was an utter disappointment.

 

Now I would say David Gemmell, more specifically at his Rigante series. It has all the best stuff heroic fantasy can offer, including motivated villains, unspeakable evils, plenty of interpersonal conflict, and in-depth look at morality to boot.

 

P.S. I forgot about epic battles, bloody skirmishes, and horrible murders. But all that comes with the genre naturally, I suppose.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Heresiarch

[anubite]

Moby ****, specifically, not Melville for me then, as Melville's other works aren't quite like MD.

 

It may seem like an odd choice, but I think Moby **** would have an excellent structure for PE's narrative. You have fantasy (whales being more than they are; representing something greater about the soul or humanity) merging with reality and betwixt moments of narrative, you have scientific pieces about whaling or whales - which would make a lot of sense for a game like this. You have moments focused on narrative, but you weave in moments where things go off tangent, a character explaining some complex psuedo-science that the PE world uses to make its muskets work, or rant about why some odd food eaten in some major city is terrible - moments of ordinary story interwoven with facts about the world, given to us by an interested/biased narrator. Basically, info-mercials or academic discussion mixed in with story. Some games already do this, though they do it passively by giving us codexes/books to rifle through, they don't try to integrate it into the narrative in an interesting way.

Edited November 30, 2012 by anubite

[Tale]

Sir Terry Pratchett

[sirchet]

RA Salvatore.

 

Magerette Weiss and Tracey Hickman.

 

Couldn't get more generic than this xD

 

Thanks I guess,

 

Heaven forbid someone doesn't have as great and all knowing taste in writing as you do.

 

I thought this was a discussion of writers we'd like to see contribute not a "lets bash those that don't read what we read".

 

The writers I recommended have written many great adventures and have told some wonderful stories, obscure does not always mean better.

 

These writers became well known because they have a knack for painting a picture with words, there was a time when only a few people had heard of them, I guess then they would have met your criteria for being acceptable.

[sirchet]

EDIT: stopped myself before it became a flame.

Edited November 30, 2012 by sirchet

[Pshaw]

Patrick Rothfuss. Name of the wind is one of most interesting and best written fantasy stories written in years. An extremely well developed magic system that fits into the world in a believable way. Great characters that you always want to know more about. If I had to choose 1 writer to distil into the game it would be him.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Jim Butcher. I think his books have about the right balance of `light` and `dark` PE should have. I also enjoy Pratchett, like any sane man, but I don't think his silly style is right for PE.

Edited November 30, 2012 by TheTeaMustFlow

[Heresiarch]

RA Salvatore.

 

Magerette Weiss and Tracey Hickman.

 

Couldn't get more generic than this xD

 

Thanks I guess,

 

Heaven forbid someone doesn't have as great and all knowing taste in writing as you do.

 

I thought this was a discussion of writers we'd like to see contribute not a "lets bash those that don't read what we read".

 

The writers I recommended have written many great adventures and have told some wonderful stories, obscure does not always mean better.

 

These writers became well known because they have a knack for painting a picture with words, there was a time when only a few people had heard of them, I guess then they would have met your criteria for being acceptable.

 

I don't think it was meant as an insult. Salvatore along with Weis & Hickman, like it or not, has long become associated with "generic fantasy". I suppose that's where all authors end up, when they write setting-related prose whether it is DnD or Star Wars or Warhammer or anything else.

 

The fame is well-deserved for the most part, since this kind of stories aren't exactly a high-quality read just like detective pulp fiction and women's novels. It is not really a question of elitism, but people want a lot more depth to the game narrative than there ever was in a Salvatore book.

[Alexjh]

This is actually a fairly difficult question, I've read a fair selection of fantasy authors, both ones I've liked and ones I've disliked, but I think that tonally game writers and book writers are fairly disparate mediums to the point where authors I generally find fairly middling (David Gemmel for instance) would probably actually suit games better as a medium than books, while some of my favourite authors don't tonally mesh well with the sort of flow of a game. I'll skip out the current most obvious pair, Tolkien and Martin as the former permeates the entire genre and the latter is so in vogue right now as to be unavoidable, and both are worthy sources. Instead I'll just bring up a few of my favourites.

 

For ideas, though I admit that many of them have an unfortunate Fan-fic-ish quality to them in the character writing, there are some really nice ideas in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books which I think could transfer well to a game setting. Particularly the specifics of the abilities and limitations of mages is a fun take on things while keeping mages within limitations eg. drawing magic from one source into another, overuse of magic sends them into shock which will prove fatal if not treated etc.

 

Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books (at least the first three) are another of my favourites, unlikely material for a game as there is very little in the way of fighting that'd transfer well, but an interesting setting nonetheless.

 

Robin Hobb could be a interesting source, particularly with Project Eternities focus on souls: the books include several concepts that'd transfer well to the concept - the "forging" of people - removing their souls (won't spoil why) leaving people feral but still kind of intelligent, or the Liveships, produced by the deaths of 3 generations of a family while aboard a ship constructed of special wood, giving them sentience. I can definitly see the idea of souls being transfered into objects being a possibility within P:E, whether they retain any sentience or just to power them.

 

Lastly Tad Williams, particularly his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series if nothing else because it has an entirely different take on Trolls, interesting angle on prophecies, and manages to be very evocative of the locations it visits, while retaining a "mythic" quality that most fantasy struggles at.

 

I'm mainly obviously saying these because I like their work for tone and ideas, the degree to which they'd transfer well to P:E is debatable and varied.

[Hormalakh]

Lewis Carol. No just kidding. Mark Twain. Confederate in King Arthur's Court.

[sirchet]

RA Salvatore.

 

Magerette Weiss and Tracey Hickman.

 

Couldn't get more generic than this xD

 

 

 

Thanks I guess,

 

Heaven forbid someone doesn't have as great and all knowing taste in writing as you do.

 

I thought this was a discussion of writers we'd like to see contribute not a "lets bash those that don't read what we read".

 

The writers I recommended have written many great adventures and have told some wonderful stories, obscure does not always mean better.

 

These writers became well known because they have a knack for painting a picture with words, there was a time when only a few people had heard of them, I guess then they would have met your criteria for being acceptable.

 

I don't think it was meant as an insult. Salvatore along with Weis & Hickman, like it or not, has long become associated with "generic fantasy". I suppose that's where all authors end up, when they write setting-related prose whether it is DnD or Star Wars or Warhammer or anything else.

 

The fame is well-deserved for the most part, since this kind of stories aren't exactly a high-quality read just like detective pulp fiction and women's novels. It is not really a question of elitism, but people want a lot more depth to the game narrative than there ever was in a Salvatore book.

 

If his comment was not meant as an insult then wonderful, I'll contribute my response to my interpretation of his written word.

 

It probably would have been better to just offer his recommended writers and NOT pass judgement on other folks tastes.

 

Myself, I do find The Dragonlance Chronicles to be a well written and exciting story I have read more than once, btw they wrote about Dragonlance long before it became a popular RPG, (Weiss and Hickman that is).

 

If you get a chance give The Dragon Riders of Pern a chance, you may like it.

 

RA Salatore has written many other stories other than the ones that revolve around a certain dark elf that everyone enjoys not liking.

[AGX-17]

Neil Gaiman.

 

From what I've experienced, Martin's "mature" fantasy basically involves lots and lots of sex. Which isn't mature at all.

 

Have you actually read any of the books? There is rather little sex in the books, in proportion to the amount of content present. The HBO series dramatically increases the amount of sexual impropriety.

 

Besides, who's to say mature adults don't have sex? It doesn't take much internet searching to find mature adults engaging in excessive sexual deviance.

 

 

 

George R.R. Martin for political conflict.

Good luck getting him though.

 

Influence the writing of the game =/= hire this person to write the game.

Edited November 30, 2012 by AGX-17

[Sylvius the Mad]

Michael Moor****

 

Seriously? I can't write the name of the creator of Elric of Melnibone?

Edited November 30, 2012 by Sylvius the Mad

[AGX-17]

Michael Moor****

 

Seriously? I can't write the name of the creator of Elric of Melnibone?

 

This forum's naughty words filter is one of the most viciously ironic things I've encountered on the internet. Especially after it was announced they'd be making a South Park game.

Edited November 30, 2012 by AGX-17

[Domigorgon]

Moby **** indeed.

[Giantevilhead]

Amy Hennig, main writer behind Legacy of Kain games Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, and Defiance.

 

Whoever was wrote for the Heroes of Might and Magic III expansions (particularly Shadow of Death), Heroes of Might and Magic IV and some of the later Might and Magic games.

[JFSOCC]

Patrick Rothfuss. I also disagree with most of the first page of this thread.

[Wulfic]

Goerge R.R Martin. Those plot twists and those deep characters. LOVE IT.

[LadyCrimson]

Maybe Richard Adams. He made me care about the lives and legends of fuzzy bunny rabbit characters (actual rabbits) trying to find a land to call home, and their struggles to find mates and peace. The key words are "care" and "characters." It didn't matter that they were little bunny rabbits. They were some of the most awesome characters ever.

 

However, all that said, having played enough Black Isle and Obsidian games by now . . . the truth is, I know exactly what sort of writing I'd want an Obsidian game to resemble even more specifically. Their own style of writing, that I've experienced again, and again, and have come to love quite dearly.

...but mostly, just this, really.

[AGX-17]

I'm cheating and making one writer per post. Plato.

 

Moby **** indeed.

 

Queequeg should be censored too, for the sake of all the young children who are fans of Obsidian games.

[jezz555]

Amy Hennig, main writer behind Legacy of Kain games Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, and Defiance.

 

 

Seconded, Soul Reaver rulz

[TMTVL]

Touge Hiro, writer of Candy Boy. It takes skill to make something move at the speed of molasses, yet keep it entertaining for hours on end. While Namori, Nanae Haruno, Kazuma Kowo and many others have done interesting things with their medium, I find that Touge Hiro's writing style could really work for video games, especially considering how much longer your average video game is compared to a book, movie or even some serialized manga/anime/soap operas/...

 

If you were to force my hand to name a western writer, maybe Lewis Carroll or something? I don't usually read books other then manga or manuals/encyclopedia on various topics, so the fact that the Alice novels (combined into the Anotated Alice) kept me interested might speak well of him. I kinda like Terry Pratchett, Terry Goodkind, James Clemens, Julian May, Tolkien and other authors, but not quite to the extent that I love the works of earlier mentioned authors.

[Farbautisonn]

Rudyard Kipling.

[JWestfall]

Stephenie Meyer

 

Actually, lots of good writers have been mentioned - but personally, in this particular game, I'd love to see me some Lovecraftian horror elements. So my serious answer would be H.P. - or similarly Poe himself.

 

While I'm at it, I'll throw out Phillip K. ****. Mostly to just tease the language filter here - but also for some good ol' fashioned themes of warped personal identity and/or reality.

[Barothmuk]

From what I've experienced, Martin's "mature" fantasy basically involves lots and lots of sex. Which isn't mature at all.

God I'm sick of this trend of deep, complex stories, with realistic portrayals of politics, human motives and characters always being dismissed by people who haven't read them because they've heard from a second hand source that they contain sex.

 

Ugh.