Question about the sources of the game.

[Flecha]

Hi everybody!

I haven't purchased the game yet because I wasn't in any particular hurry, and knew I was going to, anyway, considering I'm a life-long Conan fan, and that I buy every rpg I heard of (advice: if you have the same problem, NEVER read Kenneth Hite's column Out of the Box, or you'll end up with 20 new games a month; period).

But now, I'm re-reading after 15 years the novels edited by L. Sprague de Camp, and obviously, the time to get the game has come! (What means that the stories put me in the mood). :roll:

I'm reading this edition for comparison, since I'm getting next the Millennium Fantasy Works edition, which use the (most) original source for the tales, instead the re-writings and other crimes perpetrated by de Camp in his edition. IMO, the additional work of de Camp is so blatantly bad, that I cannot consider it canon at all. Special mention goes to the tales of other Howardian characters (and ages) that got turned into Conan ones; you can even notice how the personality of the "main character" is different to other Conan stories! You get boring monsters, too, where there were none.

But to the point; the question is now obvious: Have Mongoose considered (at all) the de Camp (and friends) additions in the making of the game, or just used the true-blue Conan stories as they were originally thought and written (considering that some of them, like Snout in the Dark or Drums of Tombalku are unfinished)?

I'm just a little geeky here, but i wish that not.

 

[VincentDarlage]

The core book stays close to the source. The other sourcebooks use Howard as a primary source and other authors when Howard does not provide any information.

 

[toothill man]

and as mr vincent is mr conan guess that goes for the others too :wink: :twisted: 8)

 

[Flecha]

I've been checking a copy of the book, and the map that comes with it show the cities of Akhlat and Yanaidar.

The city of Akhlat appears in the story Black Tears by Lin Carter and Sprague de Camp, included in the book Conan the Wanderer.

The city of Yanaidar appears in the story "The Flame Knife", included in the same book; this story is originally a story of a different character of Howard, happening in the '30s in the same pulp tradition than we can see in modern Indy Jones. Sprague de Camp thought somehow that it was interesting at all re-write it as a Conan story, yet IMO, there's nothing interesting in changing the original intentions of a writer, but more like betraying said author.

Unfortunally, and IMO again, Mongoose has considered every piece of sh... er... of de Camp's pen to be canon. Oh, well, it could be worse...

For more info on the subject, check
http://www.barbariankeep.com/fake.html

The entire site is worth overall.

 

[VincentDarlage]

Unfortunally, and IMO again, Mongoose has considered every piece of sh... er... of de Camp's pen to be canon. Oh, well, it could be worse...
.

Only Howard is canon. Anything else is offered as an option for those that want it. If it is a direct conflict with Howard, it is thrown out; for example, Roland Green described Messantia as a walled city and Howard said it did not have walls - the author of the Messantia boxed set left it unwalled.

Virtually everything in Turtledove's Conan novel (Conan of Venarium) is at variance with what Howard established about the character, so nothing of that novel will appear in the sourcebooks I write.

Coleman's recent Cimmerian novel series describes Shemites as black, which is a big variance against how Howard described them (and, in the second book, calls Belit an "ebony beauty" on page 261, and again in the third book, on page 236, she is described as "the black pirate queen"), which is also at variance with Howard (who clearly describes Belit's ivory skin) - so the Shem sourcebook does not incorporate this.

I find the whole "Thoth-amon vs. Conan" plot arc de Camp developed to be very uncanonical, so the books I write do not mention it. In Howard's writing there is no evidence that Conan and Thoth-amon ever met, so I prefer to leave it at that. However, many fans want Thoth-amon to be Conan's "arch-enemy", and they are free to do so if they wish.

 

[Maximo]

Vincent Darlage wrote:

I find the whole "Thoth-amon vs. Conan" plot arc de Camp developed to be very uncanonical

I happened to pity the Stygian during the "adventures" which led to his death. He was so weak and pathetic that I wanted Conan to decapitate him as quickly as possible so I hadn't to endure more of this. :lol:

It is obvious the RPG has to fill the gaps in REHs world so GMs can set their adventures there, but I'm glad you do not fill all the gaps with pastiche.

I haven't read all pastiches, and possibly there are things which can be used in a RPG (some creatures, for example). But whenever there's a contradiction, I'm glad the policy here is to follow REH.

 

[Flecha]

Wow, thanks, Vincent! I see the franchise rests in good hands; caring fans, indeed. It makes me very happy! Now I understand that you have made the right editorial decision including -withouth imposing- the data created by other authors in their pastiches (or the dreaded re-writintgs). Congratulations for the good job.

Virtually everything in Turtledove's Conan novel (Conan of Venarium) is at variance with what Howard established about the character, so nothing of that novel will appear in the sourcebooks I write.

Can you be a little more specific? I'm interested in that period of Conan's life and had the intention of purchasing that novel. I could think again...

I can't understand why recent authors do contradict the original; Coleman and his black shemites (which are clearly ancients jews; they're even divided in twelve or so tribes!) are ridiculous.

I agree with the Thoth-amon vs. Conan matter. IMO, your decision of eliminate it completelly of the rpg books is no doubt the best decision of all. Again, congratulations for the good job!

 

[VincentDarlage]

Can you be a little more specific? I'm interested in that period of Conan's life and had the intention of purchasing that novel. I could think again...

Thank you for the kind words. As to being more specific, in this case, another's words are better than mine. This review of the book says everything that needs to be said about the book, Conan of Venarium:

http://www.dodgenet.com/~moonblossom/Cmuse13.html