Worst fantasy books ever written ?

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

Besides, seems to me very few of his Lovecraft's characters were driven insane anyway.

That was something my first CoC GM mentioned. He said that while characters did get shocked and shaken up, none of the heroes in a Lovecraft story everwent permanently insane.

Likewise there is a bit of a discrepancy between the writings and the RPG. In the books, the character often don;t know whats going on and yet things (the forces of nature) tend to work out and save humanity, the world etc. In the game it is more like if the PCs don't save the world its doomed.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by fmitchell

Maybe not the best example. The Blair Witch Project wasn't scary to me because the plot was nonexistent and the sound wasn't clear. (Although I did see it in a theater full of chattering teenagers.) The only reason it was scary to initial audiences was that they thought it was an actual documentary until the actors came forward after the premiere.

Seems like it was real hit or miss with people... the guys I saw it with all knew it wasn't a 'real' documentary but we were all 'edge of our seats' anyway... I've only met a few gullible people who thought it was a 'true' story.
I'm pretty sure that it was, at least partially, inspired by Karl Edward Wagner's short story 'Sticks'.
(interestingly, the new giant monster movie Cloverfield is very much in the same style as Blair Witch... fake 'documentary' footage, shaky cam, etc... and people seem hit or miss on that one too).

Anyway... like I said, hit or miss... like a Lovecraft seems to be for a lot of people.
My high school American Lit teacher introduced me to Lovecraft's stuff... and I wrote papers on him in undergrad... it wasn't until later that I found the game.

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

That was something my first CoC GM mentioned. He said that while characters did get shocked and shaken up, none of the heroes in a Lovecraft story everwent permanently insane.

The only one I can recall going obviously and permanently bonkers was the narrator from 'The Rats In The Walls'... the rest screamed and ran away... or got eaten.

[drohem]

That's exactly why I'm not going to see Cloverfield- the shakey cam action. Also, there will probably only be a couple of shots or scene with the actual monster. Supposedly, the monster is from the Cthulhu Mythos, but I'm sure they'll cheese that out, screw it up, or not play up that angle.

Maybe I'll put it on my Netflix list when available.

[Simlasa]

My friend went to a sneak preview of Cloverfield this week.
He enjoyed it a lot, said it's very brutal and realistic... not at all like a Godzilla movie (he said it is totally from the perspective of those anonymous people you see fleeing in those Toho movies...).
The monster may or may not be Lovecraftian... but it's NOT Cthulhu... there's no supernatural element except that the thing is impossibly huge.

He also said not to sit too close to the screen or you'll throw up... cause of the camera movement.

[drohem]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

My friend went to a sneak preview of Cloverfield this week.
He enjoyed it a lot, said it's very brutal and realistic... not at all like a Godzilla movie (he said it is totally from the perspective of those anonymous people you see fleeing in those Toho movies...).
The monster may or may not be Lovecraftian... but it's NOT Cthulhu... there's no supernatural element except that the thing is impossibly huge.

He also said not to sit too close to the screen or you'll throw up... cause of the camera movement.

Yup, that's what I figured. They won't get my $15 in the theater. If anything, Netflix will get a cut if I put on my list.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

The only one I can recall going obviously and permanently bonkers was the narrator from 'The Rats In The Walls'... the rest screamed and ran away... or got eaten.

Probably more likely. I figure the going bonkers is more for those who can't run away and don't get eaten. LIke when the Deep Ones get full and throw someone back onto land so they can catch 'em later when the've gotten bigger.

[soltakss]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

The same sorts of complaints that claim the Blair Witch Project isn't scary because they never show anything.

Well, it wasn't

[Agentorange]

Everything H P Lovecraft ever wrote.......

scene 1

"So how did you come by this place?"
"My uncle left it me, he was a bit of a mysterious character really"

scene 2

" I wonder what these strange looking books are ? "
" Can you hear some sort of eldritch chanting ? "

scene 3

" Watch out for those batrachian squamous tentacles ! "
" ARGHH ! "

And I quite like HPL

[Simlasa]

Originally Posted by Agentorange

Everything H P Lovecraft ever wrote.......

Well... it certainly seems that way... until you actually read some of his stuff and notice that very few, if any, of his stories fit that mold.

The thing with the Mythos stories is, that once you've read a few... you start to anticipate the Mythos in all his stories... kind of a variation on 'the butler did it' syndrome in English mysteries... though how many actually feature muderous butlers (I suspect not many... but I wouldn't know).
Thats why I always thought it was important, in COC games, to toss in plenty of sessions where the Mythos played no part at all... and leave plenty of evil to good old human nature.