So we've debated back and forth as to what real-world cultures you use to relate to GH cultures/nations? So, no room for debate on this one (well, there's always room for debate. This is Canonfire! after all); what fictional cultures/nations have you drawn on in a similar manner in your GH campaign(s), or used to introduce new cultures in your campaign(s)? Let's hear it, people.
Well for me it was always blatantly obvious that the Suel were Melnibonean.
That may work very well, but I can't say as I was never interested in reading the books as Elric didn't sound like my kind of hero, as my friend described him to me.
I base the Scarlet Brotherhood on the even more obvious Nazis.
My elves, dwarves, and halflings conform almost exactly to Tolkein's view of them, but that seems just as obvious.
Furyondi is Arthurian, Tenh is a land similar to the state of affairs during the French and Indian War in America (think Last of the Mohicans), and the city-states of the Wild Coast are based on different real-ancient-world Greek city-states.
I've had several cities based heavily on Lankhmar and some of the cities from Conan stories. The culture of Lankhmar, while not a nation, is a very unique melting pot. _________________ Michael Erin Sandar Bard of Midwood
The Matters of France, Britain, and Rome; Ivanhoe; Beowulf; To Live and Die in L.A.; Princess Mononoke; Doctor Who; Watchmen; Last of the Mohicans; In the Name of the Rose; Hellraiser; Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter; The Slayers; the Evil Dead Trilogy; Big Trouble, Little China; Wild Wild West; the list goes on...
I have more trouble with the demi humans and monster cultures than humans. I'd be keen to have a "non-Tolkien" interpretation for halflings that I liked, for example.
Well, I can't say that it's entirely a new culture, per se, but I love using the HârnWorld material. It's got a lot of really uber-historical and realistically authentic medieval stuff. I love the sourcebooks for the World of Greyhawk,becaue they have that look. The way that I imagine WoG in my game, and the way it's illustrated in the 2nd Ed. boxed sets, is very historical and looks really ... Tudor, I believe.
I do that kind of thing with a lot of material, honestly. I haven't ever really added wholesale cultures to the Flanaess ... .though I have in the Western parts of the continent. In fact, I've used the tainted Shadowlands of L5R. I use a lot of various ancient world RPGs fantasy supplements to simulate a lot of the semi-historical settings that are there, and I have written a short campaign or two using the Sundered Empire setting in Western Oerik. _________________ Owner and Lead Admin: https://greyhawkonline.com<div>Editor-in-Chief of the Oerth Journal: https://greyhawkonline.com/oerthjournal</div><div>Visit my professional art gallery: https://wkristophnolen.daportfolio.com</div>
My first GH campaign, way back in middle school, just after getting the folio ended with the party investigating raids on coastal villages in the Nyr Dyv only to find they had been perpetrated by the inhabitants of the Sunken Isles, tucked away in what I would come to know later as a demiplane. Yes, their culture bore an uncanny resemblance to Elric's people. I called them the Nelmiboneans. No, no, I made that last bit up, but yeah they were pretty much Melniboneans.
In a later campaign the Ketites strongly resembled the Nisibisi from Thieve's World, and the Suel Barbarians were heavily influenced by Warhammer's Black Elves, although they used specially-bred giant rats as hounds, which were lifted from the Nightmare Creatures video game.
In my current Sterich campaign I've departed from Tolkien-like elves, basing them more on the folkloric portrayal of elves and fey, as filtered through some of Poul Anderson's works. Halflings are tough, since I love straight-up Tolkien halflings, but introduced some stereo-typical 3.5 grifter/gypsy halflings who have moved into Sterich after they were kicked out of Geoff recently for making nuisances of themselves there. The local, more Tolkien-like Sterich halflings don't approve of them. When I did the voices for them I did Brad Pitt's "pikey" accent from the movie Snatch. I had the players rolling.
As with others, lots of Tolkien influence, especially dwarves, elves, and halflings. I replace a lot of canon elf-names (Melf?!?! I know the origin story, but gah) with names derived from Tolkien's Elvish. And I threw out the Seldarine and imported the Valar. I've got separate fey, mostly derived from Jack Vance and Neil Gaiman. Smillan, I love your idea of the "Traveler" halfling grifters! Good counterpoint to the respectable settled sort.
Other influences: Lankhmar (a little), LeGuin (a lot), Marion Zimmer Bradley, real-world medieval history, George R. R. Martin, Shakespeare, Beowulf, China Mieville, and lately Scott Lynch (he wrote The Lies of Locke Lamora, a book you might want to read). Oh, and Lovecraft.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but that'll do for now.
Smillan, I love your idea of the "Traveler" halfling grifters! Good counterpoint to the respectable settled sort.
Other influences: Lankhmar (a little), LeGuin (a lot), Marion Zimmer Bradley, real-world medieval history, George R. R. Martin, Shakespeare, Beowulf, China Mieville, and lately Scott Lynch (he wrote The Lies of Locke Lamora, a book you might want to read). Oh, and Lovecraft.
I can't claim the Traveler halfling idea. It's kind of the standard view of halflings as given in much of 3.5, especially in Races of the Wild. I used to rail against it but it's kind of working for me now, so I can eat some crow.
Good influences all. I should have mentioned George R. R. Martin. Big influence on my current and last campaign. If you haven't tried out Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, check it out. Good gritty fantasy.
and lately Scott Lynch (he wrote The Lies of Locke Lamora, a book you might want to read).
I am almost done with the first book and will definitely be getting the second. And that is just going to add a whole new dimension to my Thornward game which has competing gangs and not a centralized Thieves guild.
Speaking of Tolkien, I fitted Gondor to Keoland pretty well.
1. Both founded by refugees from a disaster.
2. Refugees had begun settlement.
3. Refugees land had begun to turn to evil (though the refugees had not).
4. Refugees had a higher level of advancement than the local.
5. Locals pushed to the margins of the area.
6. Thousands of years later the new realm is also showing its age and is somewhat of a backwater.
Kinda fit like a glove in my mind. In fact, to stretch it a little further, the Scarlet Brotherhood reminds me of the Black Numenoreans.
However, that was as far as I took the Tolkien thing, I kept the rest basically medieval.
As I'm setting my campaign post Greyhawk wars, with the influx of refugees and other far-flung curious types and rarely heard of countries popping their heads up and now being counted - I really wanted a new direction, while mainly remaining a medieval setting with your typical lords, ladies, knights, wizards and rogues.
I've decided that my version of the Flaeness is entering the infancy stages of a fragile Renaissance with Iuz still lingering, fostering new ideas in art, philosophy, invention, and the application of magic, focusing on professions and opening up of trade routes with the City of Greyhawk that makes it a very ripe center for intrigue. So this means peppering elements of a fantasy medieval Persia in the westernmost countries, The Great Gatsby/Confederacy of Dunces/Phantom of the Opera/Dracula for the diplomats and glitterati in Greyhawk with bits of Victorian-style steampunk and Willy Wonka for my odd players, a combination of Norse/Russian/Native American myths for the superstitious barbarian tribes in the northern reaches, Grimm's Fairy Tales here and there, swash-buckling freedom-fighting pirates of the southern seas, borrowing David Bowie in Labyrinth for The Vale of the Mage, and an amalgam of occult Nazis from the Hellboy comics/Spanish conquistadors for my 'big bad' - The Scarlet Brotherhood.
Speaking of Tolkien, I fitted Gondor to Keoland pretty well.
1. Both founded by refugees from a disaster.
2. Refugees had begun settlement.
3. Refugees land had begun to turn to evil (though the refugees had not).
4. Refugees had a higher level of advancement than the local.
5. Locals pushed to the margins of the area.
6. Thousands of years later the new realm is also showing its age and is somewhat of a backwater.
Kinda fit like a glove in my mind. In fact, to stretch it a little further, the Scarlet Brotherhood reminds me of the Black Numenoreans.
I really like this comparison. Also note that Gondor (post-War of the Rings) and Keoland (576-) are both ruled by kingly rangers!
For the Rovers, I always thought something like the Comanches in Larry McMurtry's Comanche Moon was fitting. Basically their way of life was coming to an end, but they could still be very dangerous. Also, McMurty made his Native American characters very human. They didn't speak in monlogues and had pretty earthly concerns and traits. Made them pretty memorable to me.
... borrowing David Bowie in Labyrinth for The Vale of the Mage, and an amalgam of occult Nazis from the Hellboy comics/Spanish conquistadors for my 'big bad' - The Scarlet Brotherhood.
Both of these are really great. I can see Crimeah being that eccentric just like Bowie was in the movie. Kind of creepy, but not too directly threatening, but horribly dangerous.
I really like the Hellboy reference here. I hadn't thought of that before as I don't really get into Hellboy, but I have seen the movies, and knew exactly what you meant when I read that. Now, I've gone and downloaded some CBRs and CBZs just so that I can read some of the comics and have some good ideas for when I use the SB! ('cuz they're one of my top 5 baddies.) _________________ Owner and Lead Admin: https://greyhawkonline.com<div>Editor-in-Chief of the Oerth Journal: https://greyhawkonline.com/oerthjournal</div><div>Visit my professional art gallery: https://wkristophnolen.daportfolio.com</div>
For the Rovers, I always thought something like the Comanches in Larry McMurtry's Comanche Moon was fitting.
I think my father may still have this novel. Great reference!
As far as Bowie in Labyrinth - it's all I can think of here. I can't wait to use some hooks to get the players out that way.
Icarus, do check out the Hellboy comics. They are excellent. Mike Mignola's art alone can do such great things when capturing mood with less is more, for in every shadow hides something sinister out of the line of sight. For the Scarlet Brotherhood, now that lots of people know of them, wherever they have a public presence (like in Greyhawk) I envision great crimson banners with the 4-pointed mullet on it hanging off the sides of their 'embassy' and marching about town in costume, menacing groups all while maintaining that "they aren't up to anything and just want to offer trade to area businesses" all while sending their coterie of spies, assassins and blackmailers out to do the secret heavy lifting.
For the Scarlet Brotherhood ... I envision great crimson banners with the 4-pointed mullet on it hanging off the sides of their 'embassy' and marching about town in costume, menacing groups all while maintaining that "they aren't up to anything and just want to offer trade to area businesses" all while sending their coterie of spies, assassins and blackmailers out to do the secret heavy lifting.
In this respect, they aren't entirely dissimilar to the Faerűnian culture of the Red Wizards of Thay, from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. I have oft used them as general source material ... and, the added bonus is that they have similar xenophobic predjudices.
GRRM has caused me to completely re-design my campaign. It wasn't solely him but re-reading the Westeros books in readiness for the new one tipped me over the edge and convinced me that this was the feel I wanted for GH; so, it was out with the high fantasy stuff and in with a humanocentric approach. Cue a new game system to make it fit as well.
And...........
...cue a lot of extra bloody work for me .
BTW I agree, The Lies Of Locke Lamora is an absolute corker. And I have Abercrombie lined up.
Yeah, I just started Game of Thrones again and plan on rereading the whole thing in prep for Dance With Dragons. And when he finishes Dream of Spring, or whatever the last one is going to be called he can start pumping out more Dunk and Egg novellas.
EDIT: And while I'm thinking of more influences, Dorothy Dunnett's "House of Niccolo" series. Great politics, intrigue and plotting!
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