Your roleplaying influences ?

[Agentorange]

Following on from a brief off topic diversion about Karl Edward Wagner in the Q&A thread I thought I'd post this. What sources and influences have contributed towards your gaming style and history ? Could be authors or stories, games, films or legends and myths

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by Agentorange

Following on from a brief off topic diversion about Karl Edward Wagner in the Q&A thread I thought I'd post this. What sources and influences have contributed towards your gaming style and history ? Could be authors or stories, games, films or legends and myths

Ok. Lets list some: (a journey to my past )

literature:
KEW
REH
Lovecraft
M. Moorcock
Gene Wolf
Jack Vance
P. Anderson
J. Brunner
Prince Valiant Comics


movies:
everything from Ridley Scott (except White Squall)
everything from S. Kubrick
Some films from J. Carpenter (eg. NY1999, the Fog, The Assault, The Thing)
the medieval films from I. Bergman (Virgin Spring, 7th Seal, The magician)
2010
Aliens2-3
The Abyss
Ghost in the Shell
Excalibur
The Omega Man
Soylent Green
Terminator 1
Conan 1
The Musketeer trilogy from R. Lester
Chinatown, The Two Jakes
Bad Lieutnant
Apocalypse Now
Dracula (the Coppola version)
Monthy Python
Clash of Titans
Jason and the Argonauts


inspiring legends and myths:
The german Nibelungensaga
some local medieval stories from the country I live in
Edda

[Simlasa]

Film noir
pulp detective stories
Moorcock
Lovecraft
Arduin Grimoire
The Post Brothers
The Brothers Quay
Kafka

[drohem]

My grandfather was my biggest influence that led me to role-playing games. He instilled a love of reading. He introduced me to fantasy and science-fiction literature. He taught me chess, how to shoot a gun, and how to fire a bow. He took me to movies like Conan and Excalibur (without my mother knowing ).

Another big factor was my disillusionment of the high school click scene. I chose not to align myself with a specific click as was the norm, and, consequently, found myself on the self-imposed fringe. I made friends with a quadriplegic and a boy who just moved to our town from out of state. My out of town friend introduced us to 2nd Gamma World at lunch in the library. He then introduced us to 1st AD&D.

I was hooked on role-playing immediately. It became my crack cocaine.

[Atgxtg]

My influence isn't so impressive. I was just captured and corrupted by a cult of nymphomaniac Supermodels.

[Simlasa]

yeah, I forgot Gamma World... my first RPG lovefest... such good times with that game.

[Agentorange]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

My influence isn't so impressive. I was just captured and corrupted by a cult of nymphomaniac Supermodels.

That must of been tough, my heart goes out to you

[Agentorange]

Since I started the thread it's only right I should contribute.

GAMES

Started off on D&D ( like a lot of people I guess ) bought Snakepipe Hollow out of ignorance, I was that young I didn't realise there could be more than one RPG..... decided the contents looked more interesting than D&D and put the RQ2 boxed set on my christmas wish list have stuck with BRP/RQ ever since. I've tried other games but keep coming back to the BRP system. Mind you I always rather liked Bushido ( FGU ? )

BOOKS

Moorcock
Robert E Howard
Clark Ashton Smith
Karl Edward Wagner
Tolkien
Stanley Weinbaum ( died young, wrote SF for the pulp magazines of the 1930's )

MYTHOLOGY
Stuff from all over, initially classical ( Greek ) but more latterly Teutonic, Arthurian cycle and ancient mesopotamian eg Babylon, Assyria etc

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Agentorange

That must of been tough, my heart goes out to you

Thanks. It wasn't easy. It's hard to find an understanding soul in this cold, cruel world.


P.S.> That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

P.P.S.> It's a retcon, but it still my story. Why should I devote all my creative efforts on my players?

[Aycorn]

Hmmm ... an early introduction to fantasy - watched local horror movie show ("Creature Features," with local legend Bob Wilkins) faithfully. I think my first exposure to the kind of "sword-and-sorcery" fantasy was in a children's novel called "The Changeling," about two girls who make up an imaginary world of magic and monsters. I was fascinated by their concepts. Lots of comic books (Marvel's "Conan" comics were going strong back then). Gradual growing awareness of the whole world of fantasy fiction (Moorcock, Tolkein, etc) in late elementary school and junior high. Played "Dungeon" game (an ultra-simplified dungeon crawl) in `77 and loved it. Got exposed to D&D the next year. Rest is history I suppose.