I enjoyed this. I love background information of all kinds, it makes a game so much more than just a list of monster encounters.
It's especially good for me as I'm running a Stunty campaign set in the Thillonrian Penninsular and any all extra cool stuff is welcome. Thing is my Dwarven citadel already had an opera house I just had no idea what sort of music was playing in it. Now I do and soon so will my players. I think I"ll open the opera house with 'The Fall of Radrunndar.'
Of course this also immediately suggests plots along the lines of Phantom of the Opera and A Night at the Opera.
Thanks again Glenn for a really good article that has set my creative juices flowing.
I enjoyed this. I love background information of all kinds, it makes a game so much more than just a list of monster encounters.
It's especially good for me as I'm running a Stunty campaign set in the Thillonrian Penninsular and any all extra cool stuff is welcome. Thing is my Dwarven citadel already had an opera house I just had no idea what sort of music was playing in it. Now I do and soon so will my players. I think I"ll open the opera house with 'The Fall of Radrunndar.'
Of course this also immediately suggests plots along the lines of Phantom of the Opera and A Night at the Opera.
Thanks again Glenn for a really good article that has set my creative juices flowing.
Thank you for the kind words. If you don't already have it, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords supermodule has more on Radrunndar, which is suggested to be in the Yatils but which could easily be moved to the Corusks etc. _________________ GVD
Well, I will agree that looking at the opera angle in a modern sense doesn't suit me. I would choose to present the tales in a more Greek fashion or maybe as some form of dwarven chant. Not opera in the modern sense as we know it, but the “dwarven version.” As they are generally lawful, I'd see dwarves being big on heroic tragedies, morality plays, and victory presentations and that is what we have here.
The subject matter of the operas is great. It is to me very dwarven, and covers the major aspects of what dwarves hold to be important. The stories might be presented in a more subdued and less grandiose fashion (rather than as literal opera as we know it in the modern sense) at special gatherings and be enacted by priests and/or dwarven bards. The productions wouldn't serve so much as stage entertainment, but as solemn and reverential events for dwarven communities, as the subject matter has strong religious and cultural significance.
Oh I agree Dwarven operas should be solemn occasions of great gravitas. Very serious and (for a non-Dwarves) heavy going. But that's not to say that they can't have great singing: Hello, Wagner. (the style that is implied in the original article.)
But with the spoken-word second acts there's also room for Classical Greek style theatre as well. In fact, with the combination of music and spoken word you could say that overall structure is not too different from Greek tragedy. It was common in a tragedy for actors and chorus to be called on to sing. Sounds silly to us today but I'd recommend The Women of Troy as a great example of how powerful the drama can be.
In short: I'm for the singing. I'm all for large breasted Dwarf-valkyries of Clanggeddin choosing which of the slain are deserving to be carried off to His copper-thatched mead hall, Arhof.
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If you don't already have it, the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords supermodule has more on Radrunndar, which is suggested to be in the Yatils but which could easily be moved to the Corusks etc.