Imagination & Art

"[the rules] provide the framework around which you build a game of simplicity or tremendous complexity -- your time and imagination are about the only limiting factors, and the fact that you have purchased these rules tends to indicate that there is no lack of imagination..."

Thus wrote Gary Gygax in the first paragraph of his introduction to Men & Magic (OD&D, volume 1), and every Dungeons & Dragons rule set since have included some similar words regarding the importance of imagination to the playing of the game.

Just what is imagination? The dictionary definition ranges from "the formation of a mental image or concept of that which is not real or present" (AHD) to "the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality" (MWD) to simply "the ability to create pictures in your mind; the part of the mind that does that" (OED). Conceptualizing ideas...especially visual ideas (images, pictures)...would seem to be the main purpose/use of one's imagination, and we can thus infer that it is this ability (to mentally conceptualize images) that is so important to the D&D hobby.

It's important to a LOT of things (duh) but it is of utmost importance to a tabletop game that utilizes no board, and that requires participants to create mental images in their heads of the action occurring with little more than a handful of dice, textual notes, and narrated description to help. Players that fail to possess exceptional imagination will have a damnably hard time playing D&D, especially if the Dungeon Master, too, lacks the faculty to visualize and/or effectively describe their vision. Fortunately, imagination as a mental faculty can be exercised, becoming stronger with training and effort.

What might not be readily apparent, however, is the importance of external stimulus to imagination. Imagination, as a process, involves arranging the relationship of ideas and images to form a mental construct, but these ideas/images/relationships are not generated from nothing, nor is their significance/meaning. Instead these things come from our memories, both long- and short-term, and while memories can be created from our own imagination, their original impetus must necessarily derive from outside ourselves, from something learned.

FOR EXAMPLE: to a person unfamiliar with the term "minotaur," no mental image can be constructed with the simple utterance of the word. However, if I explained that a minotaur has the body of a man and the head of a bull, the person could use imagination to construct an image in their mind...provided they have learned (i.e. have memories) of both "a man" and "the head of a bull." Lacking one or both of these terms, the imagination will fail to produce a concept of a minotaur, unless more elementary descriptions are used.

For your memory.

All of which is (hopefully) really basic stuff to grasp. But fantasy role-playing games are not so basic (not even the basic ones!) and require substantially more mental gymnastics to play effectively...and even more so when one considers not only the need to use the mind for imagination (in play) but also the need to formulate strategies and tactics based on both situations/scenarios presented AND the rule set being used. That's a lot of computing power for the poor brain to handle (and, perhaps, part of the reason that some folks find the playing of D&D to be beyond their abilities).

All of which is preamble to declare the immense importance of artwork to the role-playing game. We've all heard the old saw "a picture is worth a thousand words" but in the sphere of fantasy RPGs, a picture's value may be even more valuable. Those visual illustrations found in the rule books work to imprint memories in the minds of the reader...memories that will be used in the process of imagination to form and arrange concepts and mental images, providing meaning and significance that will become the foundational building blocks needed in a game that often times emulates situations not found in our "normal reality." What is our mental image of an orc or goblin or dragon? How about a lucerne hammer or studded leather armor? From where do we draw our memory of a magic-user? Is it a man in cape pulling a rabbit out of a top hat?

Consider for a moment how important it is for an RPG like Dungeons & Dragons to provide visual images as "seeds" for the imagination; consider what you, dear reader, would be left with for your imagination withOUT the illustrations provided in countless fantasy gaming products. For me, I know that as a child I was exposed to many fantasy images prior to my first encounter with D&D...it was my love of all things fairy tale and fantastical that first drew me to a game involving the same.

[I would guess that the bulk of my gaming is informed by primordial memories of Ray Harryhausen "Sinbad" films, with a huge helping of Rankin-Bass Hobbit on the side]

[younger gamers would probably draw their mental images of fantasy from Jackson's Lord of the Rings films (can you believe those things are 20 years old?!) ...or perhaps Harry Potter.  *sigh*]

Anyway, once you've considered how important artwork is for a fantasy role-playing game, and how integral such artwork is to the formulation of a foundation for imagining the actual (in-game) action that occurs during play, I'd invite you to reflect on just what that artwork illustrates in the instructional, core texts of "the world's most popular role-playing game," and how said artwork differs across editions of the games. And then consider how those differences in artwork might influence differences in play.

I'll be writing about that in my next post.

; )

Ray Harryhausen...

...died today at the age of 92. Certainly, one can say it was the passing of a legend.

While I didn't dedicate my latest book/game to Mr. Harryhausen, he is one of a half dozen individuals whose names I cite as having works that greatly inspired 5AK. And this isn't just an Old School shout-out: Harryhausen's work was much more important to MY early fantasy roots than any of the sword & sorcery authors listed in the appendices of the Dungeons & Dragons books.

Comprehending the B/X medusa.

Hell, Harryhausen's work was more influential on my formative years than Tolkien...when I started playing Basic D&D circa 1981-2 I had yet to read any huge fantasy epics, but I'd certainly seen Clash of the Titans and at least a couple of the Sinbad movies.

 

Being a nine year old, the special effects and dramatic story-telling of the cinema had an enormous impact on my psyche...it helped create visual images in my imagination long before (and far more effectively) than the long-winded novels of words-and-words-and-words I would read as I got older. Harryhausen took fairy tales and myths (which I was familiar with) and gave them iconic images that would never leave me.

And still they haven't. When I cite Harryhausen's work as an influence on 5AK, I am not simply "blowing smoke;" several aspects of his films (though not the Kraken...long story) were directly incorporated into the game system that is 5AK. Which is only right, as it seems obvious to me that the original creators of D&D did the same thing.

For such a scurvy looking tiger, it sure scared me!

I'm not going to say much more right now. Only that he will be missed...though, of course, we've missed him and his cinematic magic a lot over the last few decades. People have attempted to create "historically accurate" depictions of fantasy myths and legends, or simply overwhelm viewers with over-burdened effects pieces; but outside of some Japanimation and perhaps Del Toro's work (he of Pan's Labyrinth) I haven't seen filmmakers really embracing the heart and soul and whimsey of folklore and fantasy in the way Harryhausen did. And that's okay...I mean, we are a constantly evolving species, right? Plus, we can always rent Harryhausen's films when we need our "fix." At least, that's what I usually do.

This one scared my son...a lot!

RIP Ray: you were a great inspiration to myself and to many, many others. Hopefully your work and your legacy will continue to do so for many years to come. Thanks for the good times!

"Trust in Allah...but tie up your camel!"

I'm going to bed. I really, really am. But first I've just got to make a quick post while it's still fresh in my mind because, well...because it is (and I keep "never getting around to" the other thoughts that pop into my mind...I've got a backlog of mental posts!).

Just finished watching The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, a Ray Harryhausen film from 1974 that I've never seen (or if I have seen it, it was so long ago that exactly zero parts of it were familiar to me). And, may I just say, wow. Like, just...wow. If anyone was interested in knowing what my Arabian version of D&D is all about...just watch this film. I mean, my game...how it plays, what it models...is just about exactly that.

Yeah, I don't care if it's campy or acting is less than stellar or the special effects are subpar even compared to some of Harryhausen's other work. I'm talking about the story, the plot, the characters, the action, the themes, the dialogue...that's what my game is all about.

Now, no, it's not exactly like that...for example I don't have an "animate statue" spell in the book, nor does sorcery age the magician that practices the black arts. However, even that could be modeled using the rules (conjure demon could stand in for the "animation" spell...putting a demon into an inanimate statue...and since the demon's service has to be negotiated, 10 years off the magician's life seems a fair trade for the tasks presented).

"Lecherous" is the term I use.

And I will say that "centaurs" in my book are more-or-less identical to this beast...right down to being Chaotic and feral and demonic in appearance (that's because in my monster cosmology, centaurs are an abomination, the offspring of a demon and a horse...yeah, some parts of the setting are a little gruesome).

[I will say the griffon is NOT a Lawful or "angelic" beast in 5AK, but it is a "natural" creature of the world, unlike a centaur, so having the two of them squaring off in this film is still pretty accurate...it's like Harryhausen was channeling my game; or like I was channeling Harryhausen]

Now, I have a great urge to go back and watch the other two Sinbad films Harryhausen did. I know I watched that Eye of the Tiger film just a couple years ago (and I thought I'd posted about it, but couldn't find it anywhere...*sigh*), and I thought I'd watched 7th Voyage, too...but just rereading the plot on wikipedia didn't ring any bells. Well, whatever...this one was so damn close to my game, I might as well list it in the credits as "inspirational reading."

Other points of similarity: the presence of Old Gods (or the remains of their magic/temples/prophecies) alongside Allah, slavery (dancing girls!), potions, henchmen, and "the dark forces." Totally dig it!

Note to self: must make sure to include cool rules for ships at sea (especially storms), and the existence of "mythical islands" (since so much of the mainland geography is based on our "real world"). Getting players shipboard should be a feature of gameplay.

Okay...now I AM going to bed. Today's Palm Sunday y'all and I've got to get to Mass in a few hours!

The Stupidest Film Ever Written

So yesterday I rented the new Clash of the Titans film.

I skipped it in the theater, and had actually put off renting it, simply because A) I don't rent as many flicks as I used to and B) it was kind of low down on the priority list. But I wanted to see it, simply because I really like and appreciate the original film (I should say, "have discovered a newfound appreciation for" having re-watched it 2 or 3 times in the last year...for many, many reasons). I had been told it was dumb by my friend Steve-O which , considering some of his cinematic likes is really saying something, but I figured it can't be that bad. I mean, Avatar was no great shakes as "high art," but it was entertaining, especially if one went into it with fairly low expectations (and really, the whole "alien-druid" thing didn't bother me nearly as much as some folks). So maybe I would be pleasantly surprised? Plus, as I (should) have mentioned before, I have been into Greek mythology since I was a very young child, reading about Theseus and Bellerophon and watching Heracles in dubbed English in sunday morning sand & sandal flicks.

ANYway...my wife had found a Blockbuster gift card when she was cleaning out my wallet the other day, so I thought I'd pick it up with that rather than spend money on it.

Wow. This movie is fucking retarded.

Pardon my French, but this film is FUCKING RETARDED. Oh...did I already say that? Sorry, but it deserves to be said more than once.

The acting was fine for a film of this type...Hollywood action...as was the direction, I guess. It was hard to pay to close attention when I was so totally aghast at the "story" spewing forth on the screen.

The original Clash of the Titans film was a mix of many myths, and certainly took liberties with how those myths interrelated with each other. It didn't bend them over and sodomize them, though. It didn't throw history under the bus and piss on its corpse.

I mean, I wasn't looking for a 1-for-1 remake of a liberal pastiche like CotT. And yet, when I watched the film 300 I didn't expect the Spartans to somehow win the Battle of Thermopylae. When I watched the Clive Owen King Arthur film, I didn't expect Arthur to suddenly side-up with the Saxons and rampage over England. And while Kevin Costner's Robin Hood introduced some Moorish character into the mythos, at least the dude wasn't some sort of wooden alien sorcerer. And, of course, Costner doesn't spit in the face of King Richard and tell the people of England to throw off the yoke of feudalism and the monarchy.

But maybe I shouldn't judge too harshly...after all, I didn't actually get through the whole thing. Try as we might, the wife and I both fell asleep sometime before the hero actually got to his confrontation with Medusa.

And I do plan on finishing the film. I mean, sure, it looks like it's headed for complete travesty (with some sort of "to-the-death" showdown with Hades, silly as that it sounds), but...well even if it does end in complete travesty, I'm curious as to just how bad it can get. Because, in watching the first half of the film, at least three or four times I found myself saying, "well, it can't get any stupider than this," just to be proven wrong again and again.

[by the way, folks, sorry I haven't finished the AP report from Thursday...it's been a pretty good weekend and that means a lot of family time. I'll finish it up tomorrow at the latest...]

Tales of the Greeks

Just finished watching Jason and the Argonauts.  Since I appear to be the only insomniac blogging about D&D on the West Coast, figured I'd post a quick one while the rest o y'all were sleeping. Don't worry...I still have to get up around 6am tomorrow.

Pretty cool movie, not sure if I've seen it before (if so, it was a looooong time ago).  I love the Greeks and their mythology, though I'm more up on my gods and goddesses than all the various heroes (oh, I know the basics, but I get some of the stories confused...for example, Jason and Odysseus).

Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was Heracles that killed the hydra, and not with a stab to the heart. Cinematic license, I guess.

I loved the portrayal of the Greek deities in the film...even moreso than in Clash of the Titans (which I also recently watched). Ray Harryhausen's films endow these mythic beings with such...I don't know...humanity while still retaining their regal divinity.  

I thought Hera's  character in Jason was especially well-done; so often she is portrayed as one cold-hearted bitch.  Here she was playful, loving, and motherly as well as a soul-mate-spouse of Zeus.  Usually she's shown as a nagging shrew, or a vengeful "wronged woman" (which she often is); but it was nice to be reminded why she's still Zeus's queen.

Awhile back I wrote a series of articles for Vault of Pandius detailing the use of Greek Olympians and Elder Titans in a BECMI campaign.  I was feeling a little miffed that the Greeks (my favorite pantheon of gods) had been so snubbed by the Wrath of the Immortals set.  Perhaps I'll make them available here...at least they have some stats for Grecian Immortals (as well as how to use them in a Mystarran campaign).

BTW: for those who are unaware of Pandius, it is the top resource for non-product BECMI stuff on the Net.  Lots of good stuff there for folks who like Mystarra and the Known World, including a bunch of (bleah!) conversions to 3E. I strongly recommend all B/X players check it out if they haven't already!