Post/Author/DateTime	Post
tylerthehobo 06-22-04, 10:54 AM	The opening of the Eberron Campaign Setting cites a bunch of pulp and adventure films as inspiration. Noticeably lacking were a number of titles that had been cited in articles leading up to the campaign setting release. Maybe these weren't mentioned for legal reasons. Y'know, if they make the case that Indiana Jones inspired them, maybe it would leave the door open to some creative IP attorney claiming that they actually ripped off Indiana Jones - which I don't think they did, for the record. Aaaanyway, what books or movies have come to mind for you while you've begung prepping with the setting? Anything that you might adapt in particular? My list follows. Films: The Indiana Jones trilogy The Big Sleep The Big Lebowski :D Chinatown Kill Bill Mosquito Coast Books: Day of the Locust Farewell my Lovely The Thin Man Any notions?
WizO_Sith 06-22-04, 11:16 AM	Movies: "Touch of Evil" "The Big Sleep" "M" (Although it's in German and most of the time you have to be a very fast reader to keep up with the subtitles). "Blade Runner" (I know what some of you are thinking, but replace "Replicant" with either "Changeling" or "Warforged" and set it in Sharn rather than 2013 LA, and it's a surprisingly good fit) Television... "Deadwood" (More raised eyebrows, but set it in Q'bara and replace the Native Americans with Lizardfolk, the Gold Rush with Dragonshards, and the Black Mills of Dakota with Jungles and it's another good fit.) More to follow
tylerthehobo 06-22-04, 11:30 AM	VERY good call on Bladerunner. That thought had crossed my mind with the changelings and the psionicists...
lugnut71 06-22-04, 11:51 AM	Disney's Aladdin Cartoon that was on Saturday mornings, everyweek something cool would show up. Man I liked that show. Hellboy (both the movie and the comic) I had a huge list of stuff that I would think up of at work when I was bored but heck if I can remember any of them now.
crud 06-22-04, 02:44 PM	movies...hmm, how about "L.A. Confidential" involving corrupt higher ups in Sharn?
Razorcake 06-22-04, 04:45 PM	Okay, so it's about inspiration, here's some. Mind you it's just for inspiration, and could not appeal to you at all. :MOVIES: Cowboy Bebop Conan the Barbarian Van Helsing Dark City Memento Cutthroat Island City of the lost children Double Indemnity Delicatessen Citizen Kane Metropolis Frankenstein King Kong Spirited Away Princess Mononoke :BOOKS: Conan :GAMES: Discworld Noir Beneath a steel sky
Aris Stormdragon 06-22-04, 05:42 PM	Movies: Star Wars (all of them) Indiana Jones Trilogy The Mummy The Mummy Returns The Scorpion King Pale Rider Unforgiven Books: Bowdrie Bowdrie's Law Flint Harry Potter (just kidding)................ Maybe:devil:
WizO_Sith 06-22-04, 07:50 PM	Originally posted by crud movies...hmm, how about "L.A. Confidential" involving corrupt higher ups in Sharn? I'll second that. ANYTHING by James Ellroy is worth your time and effort to read *Warning* his works deal with some UGLY stuff and his prose pulls *NO* punches, but this guy is the modern MASTER of Noir. I'll stack "American Tabloid" up against "The Malteese Falcon" as the best Noir Crime Novel ever written any day (I still think Hammet wins, because he was the innovator and his writing is more economical).
Gannd 06-22-04, 08:15 PM	Books: The Black Company
mahalajr 06-22-04, 08:29 PM	Books: King Solomon's Mines (instead of Africa, the PCs explore Xen'drik) All of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels (the plots and villains could be used for some adventure ideas)
Derulbaskul 06-22-04, 09:12 PM	I read the section on Thrane and its cardinals last night and immediately thought that The Three Musketeers (the movie with Sutherland, Sheen et al) would also be appropriate. Other Dumas works and the movies they spawned might also be of interest as well as Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel.
BenjaminBinder 06-22-04, 09:18 PM	Harry Potter (just kidding)................ If you ask me, the Final Messenger reminds me a lot of the Golden Snitch.
Lady Morn 06-22-04, 10:31 PM	How about the books that started D&D in the first place — The Adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser by Fritz Lang!? As for movies, City of Lost Children I think is very Eberron-esque. Time Bandits would be a nice aside for a humorous run...
EveOtter 06-22-04, 11:35 PM	I'll second the Discworld stuff, especially the more recent ones in the City Guards series; Night Watch in particular. I recall a movie called "Cast a Deadly Spell" which might be good too.
Derulbaskul 06-22-04, 11:45 PM	I should also add The Gangs of New York, both the movie and the book (although I do recommend reading the book first).
Silverfury79 06-23-04, 01:24 AM	This may sound odd but Romancing the Stone the old Micheal Douglas movie comes to mind for adventures in Q'barra. It has a sort of pulpy feel that would work well for the setting. Different power groups fighting over a map to a treasure, though in Eberron the treasure map would lead to some ancient hidden relic of the fiends. Just set it around one of the refugee settlements and your off. :b:
mahalajr 06-23-04, 02:20 AM	Has anyone heard of Solomon Kane? He was created by Robert Howard, creator of Conan. Anyway, Kane is a puritan-like figure who wields a rapier and a pistol and lives beteen 1550-1650. The stories I've read would fit nicely in Eberron.
EarthsShadow 06-23-04, 03:43 AM	For inspiration purposes: Star Wars trilogy Indiana Jones trilogy (big time) Brotherhood of the Wolf Pirates of the Carribean The Phantom The Shadow The Mummy duology The Scorpion King Dark City The Frighteners (just imagine the city of Manifest near the Mournlands as a side-effect of the Mournlands) Lord of the Rings trilogy The Musketeer Highlander series/movies Books: Anything by Salvatore (his action writing is pretty good) I can't think of anything else, but I'm sure I can come up with a few more later.
tylerthehobo 06-23-04, 09:43 AM	Originally posted by mahalajr Has anyone heard of Solomon Kane? He was created by Robert Howard, creator of Conan. Anyway, Kane is a puritan-like figure who wields a rapier and a pistol and lives beteen 1550-1650. The stories I've read would fit nicely in Eberron. They're just about to release a one-volume omnibus of Howard's Solomon Kane stories. You're right. They're well worth checking out. The Howard notion also made me think of some of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos stuff. Having the Deep Ones live in Xen'Drik might be a neat touch. Try "At the Mountains of Madness" if you need a story of Lovecraft's to start with. THat could actually be readily adapted... And to the poster who compared the golden snitch to the final messenger, sadly I agree. But, please, no Hogwarts...
BenjaminBinder 06-23-04, 11:45 AM	Originally posted by tylerthehobo And to the poster who compared the golden snitch to the final messenger, sadly I agree. But, please, no Hogwarts... I see no reason why Harry Potter should not be a valid inspiration for Eberron adventures. Despite being a children's book, the HP series has proven to be sufficiently dark and complex to entertain adults. JK Rowling does not shy away from things like pain, blood, torture, insanity or death in her writings. I see no reason why one could not extrapolate themes and motifs from Harry Potter to make a series of adventures about students at one of Khorvaire's magical universities. The university of the Arcane Congress, floating above Arcanix, in particular reminds me of Hogwarts. Then again, I admit to being a big Harry Potter fan. I was probably one of the few people who were disappointed when Wizards discontinued its Harry Potter TCG.
tylerthehobo 06-23-04, 02:52 PM	Originally posted by BenjaminBinder [B]I see no reason why Harry Potter should not be a valid inspiration for Eberron adventures. Despite being a children's book, the HP series has proven to be sufficiently dark and complex to entertain adults. JK Rowling does not shy away from things like pain, blood, torture, insanity or death in her writings. I see no reason why one could not extrapolate themes and motifs from Harry Potter to make a series of adventures about students at one of Khorvaire's magical universities. The university of the Arcane Congress, floating above Arcanix, in particular reminds me of Hogwarts. Y'know, you're right. My apologies. Any fans of classic movie serials have any collections of 1930s, 40s era pulp adventure stuff that they can recommend?
Zorloff 06-23-04, 05:03 PM	Some others that have not been mentioned... Movies: The Chronicles of Riddick Underworld Charade North by Northwest Books: The Count of Monte Cristo
Razorcake 06-23-04, 05:37 PM	O yeah haha Riddick! The most pulp/cheap movie around right now!
torzan 06-23-04, 06:00 PM	It may not exactly fit in, but I have been watching the Firefly series on DVD this week and I am struck by some of the "gaming" aspects to it. You have a crew thats kind of thrown together doing missions that aren't always exactly what they were promised being hunted by the authorities but still trying to help the local populace. It reminds me of Cowboy Bebop in some ways. I also enjoyed the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Trade Paperback (not the awful movie version). The flawed team of adventurers who walk a very "gray" path, facing betrayals and missions that again dont always go the way they're supposed to. There is even an airship that attacks a town! just my two cents
EveOtter 06-23-04, 07:09 PM	Big Trouble in Little China.
Mops&Buckets 06-23-04, 09:44 PM	I'm surprised nobody mentionned Firefly (TV Series). It was short-lived, but there's a lot of things in those 13 episodes that feel fairly Eberronian (man, we need to make a list of words derived from the setting) : shades of grey, adventure, travel, etc. Great stuff. I'll also add the new Wolverine comics (scripted by Greg Rucka) to that list ... now it may sound silly, but there's some nifty adventure ideas in there : crazed cults built around charismatic and manipulative leaders, slavers moving their ''merchandise'' across borders, a hunt for a unique, feral individual hidden deep in a forboding wilderness.
Stormtalon 06-23-04, 11:38 PM	Another genre to blatantly steal --er, borrow-- from are the disaster movies of various sorts. The campaign I'm gonna be starting is swiping pretty heavily from: The Poseidon Adventure any of the Airport XX movies maybe Alive (if I know my players....) Lots of pulp/noir themes can be crammed into a nice airship crash. Stormtalon
Aris Stormdragon 06-24-04, 03:24 AM	Another author worth considering is Clive Cussler. He has two seperate series of books, one starring Dirk Pitt (Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, and the Trojan Odyssey to name some of the more recent) and Kurt Austin (Blue Ice, White Death). They remind me strongly of a modern day Indiana Jones, and would serve as excellent material to base a campaign upon.
Aris Stormdragon 06-24-04, 06:24 AM	Ok, yet another author who's work I think could serve as an inspiration, and that's Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth series. On another note, I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned H.P Lovecraft's Call of Cthulu mythos. Yes, it is considered Horror, but it seems to me to have that pulp feel, and could be considered noir. Anyway, we've heard about books, movies, and TV shows. How about some music to go along with it? Iced Earth: Something Wicked.... Metallica: Master of Puppets Indiana Jones Soundtrack Star Wars Soundtrack Just to name a few.
Jhaelen 06-24-04, 10:35 AM	Originally posted by Aris Stormdragon On another note, I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned H.P Lovecraft's Call of Cthulu mythos. Yep, Eberron & Call of Cthulhu have got a lot in common. Very important aspects of all Cthulhu adventures are their world-spanning nature and the importance of researching information from local libraries. Player characters are also often investigators of some kind. The giant-sized ruins in Xen'drik, the Daelkyr and the Quori, even the living spells all remind me of typical elements from the Mythos. What's different though, is the power level: In Call of Cthulhu the player characters are extremely weak (just average humans really) and fight against impossible odds (the godlike power of the Ancient Ones). They regularly go insane and have a high mortality rate. There are also quite obvious similarities to the Earthdawn RPG (Airships, common magical items, swashbuckling action, etc.). My first thought on the Warforged was: So that's how the Obsidimen look like in Eberron ;-) However, to be fair it's only a superficial similarity, they've got a completely different background and mindset.
deganawida 06-24-04, 10:45 AM	Here's a movie that I think could serve as good inspiration for a Sharn-centered adventure: Payback. This movie (haven't had a chance yet to read the novels) focuses on an amoral criminal who, despite his violent and thieving ways, is the "good guy" of the film. All of his enemies (with the possible exception of James Coburn) are worse than he is. Porter just wants his $70,000, no more, no less, and will do anything to get it back. Very good "shades of grey" inspiration for Eberron (also a great movie, too).
tylerthehobo 06-24-04, 03:36 PM	Originally posted by Aris Stormdragon Another author worth considering is Clive Cussler. He has two seperate series of books, one starring Dirk Pitt (Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, and the Trojan Odyssey to name some of the more recent) and Kurt Austin (Blue Ice, White Death). They remind me strongly of a modern day Indiana Jones, and would serve as excellent material to base a campaign upon. Along these lines, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code might be a nifty modern Indiana-Jones-esque tale to adapt/use as inspiration. And, to those who are discussing HP Lovecraft, I plugged At the Mountains of Madness, above. I plan on adapting that one for my players - probably the easiest to bring to Eberron, just dropping it in Xen'drik, and upping the power of the enemies.
WizO_Sith 06-29-04, 09:24 AM	OK, I understand there's going to be some even BIGGER raised eyebrows with this one but.... Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" Granted, there's some cheese, but the look of the lost civilazation, the grand scale of the architecture, the futuristic-yet-retro-primitive technology (powered by glowing crystals, no less - Dragonshards anyone?), and the seat-of-the-pants action/adventure feel the filmakers tried for (but fell short of, IMO) all harken to the finest "cliffhanger" tradition.
The_Declaration 06-29-04, 12:42 PM	I see it like this: Books: "Legend" - David Gemmell "The Ravens Trilogy" - James Barclay any Alexandre Dumas' book Fritz Leiber's cycle of Swords Movies: "The Godfather" - Scorcese "Pulp Fiction" - Tarantino "Aliens" - Cameron
Nidhogger 06-29-04, 01:00 PM	The French movie "Vidocq". Detectives, chases through iron foundry's, strange secret plots and supervillains. Visuals and style reminding somewhat of "Brotherhood of Wolves". The novels of China Mieville ("Perdido Street Station" and the even better "The Scar") also offer good idea's for an Eberron-campaign.
The_Declaration 06-29-04, 01:28 PM	Originally posted by Nidhogger The French movie "Vidocq". Detectives, chases through iron foundry's, strange secret plots and supervillains. Visuals and style reminding somewhat of "Brotherhood of Wolves". good idea indeed Too bad the movie is so bad...
MrFilthyIke 06-29-04, 01:50 PM	Originally posted by EveOtter Big Trouble in Little China. Darn, you pinched my suggestion. :D
MrFilthyIke 06-29-04, 01:58 PM	Originally posted by WizO_Sith OK, I understand there's going to be some even BIGGER raised eyebrows with this one but.... Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" No eyebrows here, just 100% agreement. I loved Atlantis, and Treasure Planet for that matter. Both are great for inspiriation.
St23aM 06-29-04, 01:58 PM	I dont know anyone has suggested this but, movie: "The Shadow" * now dont get me wrong this is a horrible movie and the acting is terrible by Baldwin and others however the organizations he deals with ect.. and the general feel work well for ECS." Radio: The old "The Shadow" radio broadcast as well as the old Sherloke Holmes show.
St23aM 06-29-04, 02:03 PM	also though I would not recommend it to those who are offended by Violence and Crude Language... Movie: "Boondock Saints" The moral abiguity of this movie along with the crimnal investagor (minus him being Homosexual , unless you want to put that in for flavor or because your into that sort of thing" makes a great eberron adaptation. Stoping people from taking justice into thier own hands reguardless of the law could work great in Eberron.
WizO_Sith 06-29-04, 03:02 PM	Originally posted by St23aM "The Shadow" * now dont get me wrong this is a horrible movie and the acting is terrible by Baldwin and others however the organizations he deals with ect.. and the general feel work well for ECS." Actually, I really liked the Movie... but that's me. Also, the Howard Chaykin run of "The Shadow" comic books for DC in the 1980s are very good (and visually quite arresting in places). Of course, the over 300 Shadow novels by Maxwell Grant/Walter Gibson (I forget which one was the pen name) are fantastic too.
JohnSnow 06-29-04, 03:17 PM	I have to agree with almost all of the suggestions I've seen so far. But I'll throw in my LIST (with a few new ones). Basically, anything with high adventure, ancient ruins, mystery, intrigue, cults, villainous organizations, etc. is fair game to my mind. Movies: Star Wars (all Episodes) A Mighty Fortress The Magnificent Seven Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Mummy The Mummy Returns The Phantom Bladerunner Plunkett & Macleane Murder on the Orient Express The Maltese Falcon The Three Musketeers Cutthroat Island Pirates of the Caribbean The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) King Solomon's Mines Congo Tomb Raider Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life TV Shows: Firefly Jack of All Trades Tales of the Gold Monkey Books: Fritz Leiber's Fahfrd & Grey Mouser Robert E. Howard's Conan Treasure Island The Three Musketeers The Lord of the Rings The Wheel of Time (series) The King's Blades (series)
eswat2 07-01-04, 12:28 AM	I just purchased a copy of Unearthed Arcana and it's got some hints on how the Cthulu stuff could be worked into a campaign. I think it's a great idea... I'd also second the notion of a Hellboy style campaign in Eberron. :)
ChrisSuch 07-01-04, 01:27 AM	What about Perdido St Station and the Scar by China Meiville for a couple of books? Cheers, Chris.
Ezekiel 07-01-04, 07:07 AM	I just saw Disney's rather new version of Sinbad, and it's even better inspiration than Atlantis could ever be. It's swashbuckling, it's sinister intrigues, it's got other planes of existance inhabited by evil godlike beings (and one God, though she could just be a very powerful Daelkyr or something) and its got a ton of great action and impossible feats of heroism (the like of which D&D characters should be able to perform). For inspiration, I especially liked the scene where they fought a giant squid-like monster (Cthulhu anyone? ;) ) on the ship, it was a very good rendition of how tiny little humans can actually defeat a really big scary monster. And I couldn't make this post without including the good old Sinbad movies with darling special effects by Ray Harryhausen. Now there you have swashbuckling fantasy adventure on a grand scale! :)
LordofIllusions 07-01-04, 08:15 AM	Originally posted by WizO_Sith Movies: "Touch of Evil" "The Big Sleep" "M" (Although it's in German and most of the time you have to be a very fast reader to keep up with the subtitles). "Blade Runner" (I know what some of you are thinking, but replace "Replicant" with either "Changeling" or "Warforged" and set it in Sharn rather than 2013 LA, and it's a surprisingly good fit) Television... "Deadwood" (More raised eyebrows, but set it in Q'bara and replace the Native Americans with Lizardfolk, the Gold Rush with Dragonshards, and the Black Mills of Dakota with Jungles and it's another good fit.) More to follow Sith, Are you running an Eberron campaign currently ? ~~~
WizO_Sith 07-01-04, 10:32 AM	Originally posted by LordofIllusions Sith, Are you running an Eberron campaign currently ? ~~~ Not yet (Still convincing my D20 Modern/Urban Arcana-addicted players), but I've high hopes. I *was* however, dumb enough to minor in film in college (I'm not saying it's a dumb minor, it was just a dumb minor for *me*).
Doppleganger 07-01-04, 10:50 AM	TV Series: "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's the Lost World" Extreme Adventure Pulp! There is probably nothing that would exemplify Eberron pulp more than what I happened to stumble upon while flipping the channels this morning. I'm watching this on TV right now. A group of Indiana Jones style adventurers are in a jungle full of dinosaurs (and the requisite jungle-woman in bikini costume). There's a techy zepplin airship that just landed. One of the explorer-adventurers has collected a box of crystal shards to bring back to civilization. They're about to take off, when they discover that the airship pilot is "deathless". There's currently some sort of magical-effect taking place aboard the airship. Wow.
LordofIllusions 07-01-04, 11:14 AM	Star Wars. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the prequels. ~~~
LordofIllusions 07-01-04, 11:15 AM	Originally posted by WizO_Sith Not yet (Still convincing my D20 Modern/Urban Arcana-addicted players), but I've high hopes. I *was* however, dumb enough to minor in film in college (I'm not saying it's a dumb minor, it was just a dumb minor for *me*). They actually ENJOY d20 modern ? :confused: ~~~
Chrys 07-01-04, 12:03 PM	I Robot; the book; ( I won't call the Will smith movie that because of how far off it is from the book) and It might seem a little out there but I could see the Megaman games: Some carzed House Calith member make new types of warforged and the 'only' one who try to stop are other warforged.
eldren11 07-02-04, 06:17 AM	COMICS: Battle Chasers. 100% Eberron. ;-) Take a look in this gallery: Battle Chasers Image Gallery Page (http://007jx.tripod.com/BattleChasers/Gallery-Main.html)
eswat2 07-02-04, 10:54 AM	Comics: Soul Saga this might also make for some great idea's for Eberron... http://www.storm-works.com/product.asp?section=1&id=299D6E88B00A4197B35DCC002728B8E8 :)
Fabe 07-05-04, 05:53 PM	I have'nt gotten the eberron book yet but I have looked at it and think that the upcomming movie "Sky Captain and the world of tommorow" would fit the world of Eberron just fine,just take a look at the trailer a www.skycaptain.com if you have'nt already seen it. The giant robots could maybe be replaced by flying warforged titans or golem of some type,the zeppelins would just become airships and for planes,well since i don't have the Eberron book I don't know if any thing like that exists in the world of Eberron so they may have to be added.
deganawida 07-05-04, 10:11 PM	TV cartoon series: The Pirates of Darkwater. This cartoon series had, of course, swashbuckling and pirate action, but it also had some other elements which I feel could serve as inspiration for an Eberron adventure. The opening miniseries deals with slavery and those who are enslaved but support the slavers, has druids who are intimately connected to the planet, a dire threat that has only begun to reveal itself, and interesting magical applications.
Save_vs_DM 07-05-04, 11:12 PM	A few that havn't been mentioned and that fit quite well. Movies: Titan A.E. (sounds odd, but replace the space ships with airships and humans with warforged, actually...plus it has a GREAT example of a villian changing sides). I second (or third) Treasure Planet andSinbad (really good, actually, one of Pitts best films). For setting try Fritz Lang's Metropolis (it's a silent flim, but it could give some good background). Books: I'm suprised no one has mentioned the Sherlock Holmes books yet... Also, the Gunslinger series by Stepehn King might have some good tidbits. I loved Firefly! Why oh why did it have to be canceled! What about the X-Files for that slightly creepy feeling? All I can think of at the moment... Cheers, Save-vs-DM
Six Million 07-06-04, 07:03 PM	Well, this may be over the top, but Movie: Dungeons and Dragons ;)
Joni-san 07-06-04, 08:18 PM	Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane No Renkinjutshi-shi) is in my opinion perhaps one of the most Eberron-ish things I've seen. The main characters are Edward and Alphonse Elric, they are brothers with special talents in alchemy (Alchemy is more of an arcane science here than in D&D, it also reminds me more of spellcasting than the D&D skill). They are searching for the Philosophers stone because they broke one of the most important rules of alchemy: Thou shalt not try to mess with the human body. Ed lost an arm and a leg (I wonder if it's a hidden pun) and Al lost his body, and because of this Ed has to use cybernetic arms and Al's soul is trapped in a suit of armor. In their search for the Philosophers stone they meet friends of their parents (some turn out to be friendly, others turn out to be villians in disguise), interesting people and alchemical constructs. They can never be too sure who their friends and enemies are They also end up as troubleshooters for the military (This is looked down upon. Ed is called "dog of the military" several times). In a strange twist the officer in charge of them is using them to further his own ambitions (In a non-evil way) I heard it's going to appear on Cartoon Network soon. Try finding DVD's at some local anime store if you don't like the Toonami version of anime.
geministranger 07-06-04, 11:50 PM	Originally posted by eldren11 COMICS: Battle Chasers. 100% Eberron. ;-) Take a look in this gallery: Battle Chasers Image Gallery Page (http://007jx.tripod.com/BattleChasers/Gallery-Main.html) Good call! Hope Joe Mad will get this comic going again. I would have to add Last Excile - the BEST episodic anime ever. No real magic, but the claudia (myseriuos fuel) that powers the vanships could actually be dragonshards. And inspiration for airships adventures. (must watch the Japanese dialogue version. Dio's voice in the English dubbed is pathetic. He is supposed to sound like a kid, not Ru Paul.) Princess Mononoke - For a great example of what shades of grey means. Elric novels - The EPITOMY of fantasy pulp noir. MAGIC: The Gathering Just flip through you stacks o' cards to find some great inspiration. More later.
freebrainzero 07-07-04, 12:25 AM	Originally posted by WizO_Sith Movies: "M" (Although it's in German and most of the time you have to be a very fast reader to keep up with the subtitles). Television... "Deadwood" (More raised eyebrows, but set it in Q'bara and replace the Native Americans with Lizardfolk, the Gold Rush with Dragonshards, and the Black Mills of Dakota with Jungles and it's another good fit.) Wow. Another human who's seen "M". Great movie. And I think westerns (movies, tv, whatever) are great places to rip off ideas for fantasy scenarios "and other things lit'rary." I always thought my first post would be more dramatic than this. But I couldn't resist the sharing of "M". Plus, even though I'm 33 this is my first time. So if I do something stupid and my text is somehow orange on a yellow background then I apologize.
The Steve 07-07-04, 06:42 AM	Book: Tad Williams - War of Flowers
lordconservative 07-07-04, 04:04 PM	Originally posted by Aris Stormdragon ...Anyway, we've heard about books, movies, and TV shows. How about some music to go along with it? Iced Earth: Something Wicked.... Metallica: Master of Puppets Indiana Jones Soundtrack Star Wars Soundtrack Just to name a few. Einherjer, Ensiferum, and Blind Guardian.
Jekler 07-07-04, 05:35 PM	I don't know if anyone will agree with this, but I think the movie Equilibrium is great inspiration for an Eberron campaign. If you see the gramaton clerics as an elite group of Monk/Master Inquisitive in Sharn that investigate Eberron-unique crimes. Instead of investigating/destroying art (as in the movie), they investigate the origins of newly created Warforged or people who manifest aberrant dragonmarks. Just for the sake of talking, I've been really inspired by the Eberron setting, it gives me the same feeling of nostalgia as when I first discovered the Dark Sun setting. (Which, perhaps I'm unique in this, has always been my favorite setting.) I'm starting my Eberron campaign in just a few hours! I've spent the last 2 weeks adapting random encounter tables, maps, and customizing the adventure in the back of the book. I really think this is going to be the best campaign I've ever run or played in!
deganawida 07-07-04, 06:46 PM	Key Largo. War hero returns home, and then sets about to take care of his dead war buddy's family. He then becomes embroiled in a criminal conspiracy, and though he has tried to put the war behind him, he must become a hero again.
freebrainzero 07-08-04, 02:21 AM	Originally posted by Jhaelen What's different though, is the power level: In Call of Cthulhu the player characters are extremely weak (just average humans really) and fight against impossible odds (the godlike power of the Ancient Ones). They regularly go insane and have a high mortality rate. See, I've always thought the Cthulhu stuff is an example of what happens when there aren't any adventurers around to save the day. Cthulhu happens when PCs are drinking ale in a tavern trying to figure out where to go next. I don't like Conan as an example as much as I do Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories, which are much better I think. And don't forget that Howard and Lovecraft were buds. Howard even wrote some Cthulhu tales. So have some other great (or actually great depending on how you feel about Howard) writers like Robert Bloch and Clark Ashton Smith. And then there is of course, Brian Lumley's Lovecraftian Titus Crow books: The Burrowers Beneath, the Transition of Titus Crow; The Clock of Dreams; Spawn of the Winds and In the Moons of Borea; Elysia: The Coming of Cthulhu. The Titus Crow books were actually annoying to Cthulhu-heads, but they'd probably fit an Eberon type setting a bit more easily. There's a whole world of Cthulhu out there, baby, and all you gotta do is submit.
freebrainzero 07-08-04, 02:29 AM	Originally posted by deganawida Key Largo. War hero returns home, and then sets about to take care of his dead war buddy's family. He then becomes embroiled in a criminal conspiracy, and though he has tried to put the war behind him, he must become a hero again. Oh, that's a good one. Man that is good. That's such a good idea it makes me want to slap my mamma. I love that movie, by the way. Becall and Bogey ... those guys make me happy. Now I really want to watch Key Largo. Hell, a lot of Bogey films would be great. Most of them have probably been mentioned, but I don't recall anyone saying Key Largo. How about The Treasure of the Sierra Madre? I think someone has said that, but it bears repeating. Man, now I just want to watch any Bogey film.
Jhaelen 07-08-04, 09:12 AM	Originally posted by Jekler Just for the sake of talking, I've been really inspired by the Eberron setting, it gives me the same feeling of nostalgia as when I first discovered the Dark Sun setting. (Which, perhaps I'm unique in this, has always been my favorite setting.) You're not alone ;) Dark Sun's been my favorite D&D setting so far (at least until the 'expanded and revised campaign setting' came out). I had to do a lot of tinkering with many of the rules to better fit the setting, but hey, it was a lot of fun! :)
Sereno 07-08-04, 09:30 AM	Has anyone mentioned the Thieves World series, edited/written by Robert Lynn Aspirin (and lots of others) yet? It's a good source of inspiration: a well-realized city named Sanctuary with religions (not simply followers of dieties), warring crime families and factions (Nightmasks, etc) caught between empires and indigenous peoples. It's a city populated by all sorts of heros and anti-heros; rogues (Shadowspawn!), wizards, warriors, clerics.
MarkB 07-08-04, 10:13 AM	BOOKS: If you want to get really dark & gritty, wind the timeline back to the start of the Last War (or just kick off the Next War in your campaign), and take your inspiration directly from George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire novels. COMICS (obscure): ABC Warriors, from a UK comic called 2000AD. The subject is a group of misfit war robots who no longer have a war to fight, and certainly aren't fit to enter normal society - so they end up as a "Dirty Dozen" type unit taking on what are effectively suicide missions. I think they're a great match for the Warforged, in both personality and looks (http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/abc.htm). I'm planning on writing a one-shot campaign with these guys as pre-gen characters.
Razorcake 07-08-04, 05:16 PM	Yo, for I dont know who mentioned it but: Disney's Atlantis is actually a lame rip off from the Japanese : Laputa Castle in the Sky. Really. And Laputa is way more better, cooler and Eberronesquer. It even has got a robot with a soul. Hurrah. In case some people dont know Laputa, go rent it (its a sure find in Americ now I think), and agree with me.
Razorcake 07-08-04, 05:16 PM	Yo, for I dont know who mentioned it but: Disney's Atlantis is actually a lame rip off from the Japanese : Laputa Castle in the Sky. Really. And Laputa is way more better, cooler and Eberronesquer. It even has got a robot with a soul. Hurrah. In case some people dont know Laputa, go rent it (its a sure find in Americ now I think), and agree with me.
deganawida 07-08-04, 06:46 PM	Comics: Jon Sable, Freelance. Written and penciled by Mike Grell, published during the '80s by First Comics. About a former Olympic pentathlete who, after losing his family to war in Africa, becomes a mercenary and children's book writer. Could be useful in developing a character's backstory. Even if you don't want to use it in a campaign, it's excellent reading.
Arcane Guyver 12-14-04, 12:29 PM	The Rocketeer. Come on. It fits perfectly. And it has Jennifer Connelly in it. :embarrass The Bourne movies work well, in a way (globe-spanning, secretish organizations).
kisama 12-14-04, 03:45 PM	I didn't see any mention of Dark City. The movie is great for atmosphere, not so great for plot, but the atmosphere for the city was nice. Another nice source for atmosphere might be the Batman movies for their rendition of Metropolis. I imagine Sharn and Metropolis have a lot in common.
Aerith 12-14-04, 05:42 PM	The novels of China Mieville ("Perdido Street Station" and the even better "The Scar") also offer good idea's for an Eberron-campaign. I couldn't stop thinking New Crobuzon when I started reading the Eberron material. Perdido Street Station is one of the best things I've read in a long time.
Splendide 12-14-04, 06:10 PM	Charade is an awesome choice, Zorloff, though I hope you mean the Grant/Hepburn/Matthau version. My choices: Unforgiven (http://imdb.com/title/tt0105695/) North By Northwest (http://imdb.com/title/tt0053125/) To Catch A Thief (http://imdb.com/title/tt0048728/) The Usual Suspects (http://imdb.com/title/tt0114814/) The 39 Steps (http://imdb.com/title/tt0053354/) Cheyenne Social Club (http://imdb.com/title/tt0065542/) - a little on this one. I think this would be a hilarious introduction for a barbarian halfling to Sharn.
Vharuck 12-14-04, 06:17 PM	Movies: Ninth Gate Akira (nothing like an agnst-driven deific mad-child and a corrupt post-apocalyptic government)* Actually, here we go: Actors: Johnny Depp Shows: Ghost in the Shell Full Metal Alchemist (just get rid of the guns and it works) Witch Hunter Robin Yu Yu Hakusho (c'mon, he's a spirit DETECTIVE!) Case Closed (older, but dang is that one smart boy) Inuyasha (very dark villain, the main character's a half-demon who sometimes loses control, and has the tendency to switch best friends, siblings, and loves to mortal enemies) Hellsing (great anime for vampire lovers and has a corrupt church organization that is madly driven to exterminate vampires at all costs, ie. Silver Flame)* *READ THE MANGA, VERY GOOD AND VERY INTERESTING
Doc Phobia 12-15-04, 09:56 PM	Any Clint Eastwood western. Any.
Splendide 12-15-04, 10:13 PM	Oh yeah? What about Paint Your Wagon (http://imdb.com/title/tt0064782/)?
Doc Phobia 12-16-04, 04:42 AM	Oh yeah? What about Paint Your Wagon (http://imdb.com/title/tt0064782/)? ESPECIALLY Paint Your Wagon !!! :P :D But, seriously, a bunch of guys mine underneath a mining town to collect gold dust and other bits of dropped wealth? Doesn't that sound like a PC-inspired hair-brained scheme? ;) It would be especially fun if you got your players to sing. :dancin:
kisama 12-23-04, 09:33 AM	I'm going to pipe in with some oddities here: In the category of games: Max Payne Grim Fandango Both excellent noir fiction games. Grim has a great dark humor to it. The monologues alone make Max Payne worthy of any collection. I especially like how it's always grey outside in Max Payne, great atmosphere all the way. Books: Check out the Druuna Erotic comic series by Serpieri. While the Druuna series is well known for it's eroticism, Serpieri is also a master at creating creating vast towering neo-modern cities (good inspiration for Sharn) and ruins (Xen'drik inspiration) as well as vast mutated landscapes and creature (Mournlands inspiration). Hell you could create an entire campaign based off the Druuna world in Eberron without so much as breaking a sweat. Another good artist to draw ideas from is HR Giger. Giger is the creater of the Alien (1979), he also designed the creature in the movie Species (1995). I still get a chill or two from looking at his stuff. Hope this helps some of you.
tylerthehobo 12-23-04, 09:52 AM	Kind of funny to look back on this now - I started this thread 6 months ago when the Campaign Setting first came out. My group has primarily been playing around with published Eberron stuff (mostly because we got sidetracked with d20 modern for a while), but here's what's still on my list as source material - stuff I've been trying to adapt, or is on the list: Call of Cthulhu stories - esp. At the Mountains of Madness - this is perfect for Xendrik The Shadow - esp. the DC comics runs from the 70s and the Chaykin ones from the 80s Pirates of Darkwater (man that was a fun cartoon! Pretty gritty for after school stuff) Batman the Animated Series - that show had a brilliant storyline every week; I've got a list a mile long in my noggin of stories that could be lifted for one afternoon games. Skycaptain - I thought this was going to stink, and indeed it wasn't the greatest caper ever, but this is pure Eberron. Also, I wanted to touch on something. Somebody above said that Disney's Atlantis was a rip off of some other film. Noir was notorious for being a genre of mainly lifted ideas. As we're talking about lifting stuff for our own stories, it's fair game as far as I'm concerned. That said, it's neat to see folks trace the genealogy of this stuff. (e.g. the folks who said Riddick was great, whereas I see that as pure Warhammer 40K stuff, which is really pure early 70s sci-fi, which is really...)
asenath 12-23-04, 10:04 PM	Books: Anything by Raymond Chandler. If you are going to have a mystery-based campaign, I highly recommend his stories. Chandler is most famous for his Marlowe character, a hardboiled detective from LA. I have gotten great story ideas as well as NPC ideas from his fiction.
Flame_Drake 12-23-04, 11:57 PM	Books: The Alvin Maker series by Orsen Card Scott. A great series on its own and has about the best version of a corrupt prist who thinks his is doing the work of God that I have ever seen. The series starts with The Seventh Son. Games: Halo: Combat evolved Halo 2 These may seem a bit out of place on this list but they are both high adventure with a hero who is a cut above the rest. That and some of my friends who hadn't heard of Halo :confused: saw the TV spot for Halo 2 and thought it was a trailer for a movie. Edit: the TV spot (http://www.xbox.com/en-us/xboxtv/default.htm?t=3856&v=72007&bw=hi&level1=halo2gdp&level2=video&level3=halo2trailervtn)
LanceMeister 12-24-04, 02:54 AM	Glen Cook's Garret P.I. books: Dread Brass Shadows, Cold Copper Tears, Red Iron Nights, Petty Pewter Gods, et al. Garrett is an ex-Marine scout who survived his hitch in a hundred-plus year long war which has decimated humankind, and he just wants to sit back, drink beer, and chase dames. Unfortunately, trouble seems to constantly darken his doorstep. Basically, any of the books just need the serial numbers filed off to fit Ebberon. A serial killer who slaughters prostitutes (Jack the Ripper style), but won't stay dead? A magical book that allows you to become anyone who appears inside, whether beautiful enchantress, mighty warrior, destructive mage, dragon, what have you, stolen, lost somewhere in the city and the thief was last seen with it in Garrett's house? Two warring factions (pantheons in this case) searching for a mystical McGuffin and only Garrett can find it? :cool: Works for me. I also think Jim Butcher's Dresden Files would work very well. Harry Dresden, the only practicing wizard listed in the Yellow Pages does freelance work for the Chicago PD, and has had demons, Black Wizards, wizardslayers (who work for the "Good Guys"), the Mafia, TWO types of vampires, FOUR types of werewolves, both Faerie Courts, international art thieves, and a group of fallen angels all try to kill him at one time or another. He has had his girlfriend become almost a vampire, and they can never be together (or she'll complete the journey and he'll come down with a serious case of dead.) And, he has demon Lasciel imprisoned (mostly) under his basement floor. :twitch: Oy!
Serpentine 12-25-04, 10:18 AM	Oh, my gosh. Go see A Very Long Engagement, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of City of Lost Children and Amelie. The actress from Amelie, Audrey Tautou, is in it as a woman looking for her fiance who was lost in the war. Set in 1920, it's part romance, part war movie, and part mystery, with a little bit of weird comedy tossed in. It follows a group of five French soldiers in 1917 court-martialed for self-mutilation and sentenced to death -- but some of those soldiers may have survived. Mathilde's fiance might be one of them -- but which ones made it out? The truth changes as Mathilde's investigation gets closer and closer. No giant robots, but the setting design and cinematography is equal to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and the plot, pacing, and character development is far superior. Less pulp, more noir.
ESP 12-25-04, 01:57 PM	How about the movie Seven. The city even feels like Sharn to me, dreary and almost always raining. Also: The Italian Job, Mission Impossible 1 & 2(Ethan Hunt would be an awesome changling), Name of the Rose(good Sean Connery flik), ...that's all I can think of right now. Oh, and pretty much everything else mentioned already. :D
TranquilDarkness 12-25-04, 07:16 PM	Reading through the list it seems absolutely anything can and will be used for inspiration :P Some I haven't noticed; movies: the fifth element last man standing dragonheart books: the 'symphony of ages' series by Elizabeth Haydon just about anything by Raymond Feist 'Sabriel', 'Lirael' and 'Abhorsen' by Garth Nix
fanpythonmonty 12-25-04, 11:45 PM	North By Northwest (http://imdb.com/title/tt0053125/) To Catch A Thief (http://imdb.com/title/tt0048728/) The Usual Suspects (http://imdb.com/title/tt0114814/) Wow, someone beat me to these! Someone else had mentioned Payback and Murder on the Orient Express, I thought those were great ideas too. A few other ideas: The Name of the Rose The Mists of Avalon (or anything Arthurian legend related) Heist I love the idea of the characters thinking they're all working together and have one pulled aside by the DM and told to double cross the other players, although that might just be me.
DBlizzard 12-26-04, 01:19 PM	Akira Kurosawa has a number of films that would work well in Eberron. Of course, a number of these have already been indirectly covered because of the number of movies that have been remade in the west or movies that used them as inspiration. Seven Samurai (see "the Magnificent Seven," among others) - probably one of the archeypical movies to be used in roleplaying games. A disparate group of samurai are hired to protect a village from bandits. Yojimbo (see "A Fistful of Dollars") - a definite shades of gray hero who sets to criminal groups against each other. While Yojimbo (Toshiro Mifune) is more a loner, his role could be taken by the PC group. That or the group could be assisting or just dealing with the Yojimbo character. Sanjuro - This is the sequel to Yojimbo. Oddly enough, it has no relationship to the sequel of "A Fistful of Dollars". The Hidden Fortress (inspiration for "Star Wars") - Admittely, much of what is here can be gotten from Star Wars. A princess who is a refugee from her country is escourted by a wise samurai and a couple of farmers (the farmers are part of the inspiration for R2-D2 and C-3PO). Another movie that I think would be good is "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo." I have this on video, but haven't gotten around to watching it. However, given both characters would work well in Eberron individually, I can't see how this wouldn't have some ideas. Zatoichi is the "Blind Swordsman" who has been a star of a long series of Japanese films. Toshiro Mifune again reprises his role as Yojimbo, although Kurosawa has nothing to do with this movie.
Cairn Stone 02-23-05, 02:39 PM	Movies: "The Godfather" - Scorcese That was actually done by Francis Ford Coppola, not Martin Scorsese, but I'm just nitpicking. heh. :D You might be thinking Goodfellas. Here are some other suggestions: (forgive if some are already mentioned, hard to remember everything from three pages of posts) -On the Waterfront -Lawrence of Arabia -The Bridge on the River Kwai (Could make an excellent Last War campaign event based around the story of this one, or include it as part of a character's backstory) -Treasure of the Sierra Madre (This one has Xen'drik expedition written all over it) -Dr Strangelove (Replace the "nuclear" holocaust concept with an Eldritch Machine. Replace war room of politicians and generals trying to prevent the disaster with the PCs.) -The African Queen -The Birth of a Nation -Rear Window (among other Hitchcock classics) -Dr. Zhivago -High Noon That's all I can think of that I didn't see (or missed somehow).
Graz'zt, Prince of Shadow 02-23-05, 06:20 PM	The Lion in Winter Miller's Crossing Chinatown
DBlizzard 02-23-05, 07:07 PM	I've recently started watching "Firefly" on DVD, and can see adapting it to Eberron as a campaign. Start with a Lyrander airship (or something similiar) that's been taken by a somewhat renegade house member (not enough to bring the full force of the family on them, but enough that they are persona non grata). You've got all the ingrediants in the mix; an artificer, a rogue (or two), a healer, a cleric, a wilder, etc.
Vharuck 02-23-05, 08:09 PM	I've recently started watching "Firefly" on DVD, and can see adapting it to Eberron as a campaign. Start with a Lyrander airship (or something similiar) that's been taken by a somewhat renegade house member (not enough to bring the full force of the family on them, but enough that they are persona non grata). You've got all the ingrediants in the mix; an artificer, a rogue (or two), a healer, a cleric, a wilder, etc. I still say this show is a complete rip-off of Cowboy Bebop. But I don't know if that ripped off of something else. Oh well.
JohnSnow 02-24-05, 01:30 PM	I still say this show is a complete rip-off of Cowboy Bebop. But I don't know if that ripped off of something else. Oh well. Homage. If the writer/creator admits the inspiration of the original work (and Joss Whedon does) then it's not a "rip-off," it's an "homage." ;) That said, EITHER is great inspiration for Eberron.
TheRedRobedWizard 02-24-05, 02:48 PM	Good inspiration for the "dark heroes" thing is the television series Angel. To a lesser extent, the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both have their share of noir-ish elements, even though they both have a bit more comedy than most noir stories. -TRRW
Glupinickname 02-24-05, 05:50 PM	When I want to explain my players the way I see Eberron Campaing Setting: the atmosphere, the look of the technology and the clothing people wear, I mention these things Movies: "Brotherhood of the Wolf" – it's mentioned for a reason at the beginning of ECS. Ever since I first saw this movie in the cinema, I'm in love with that movie! "Sleepy Hollow" – I like movies by Tim Burton. I like even more Danny Elfman's music. The only thing in ewhich this movie is (slightly) inferior to the "BotW" is that poor Ichabod Crane is not as beefed – up as Fronsac & his Indian pal in "BotW" "Van Helsing" – again beefed – up dark fantasy swashbuckling acton. It's a silly movie, but for some reason I like it. "Vidocq" – the style is over the top even for my taste, but you just gotta love those secret agent doodes with big heavy black raincloaks, small dark glasses and over – sized flintlock pistols. Also the villain is quite cool. "League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen" – again, the movie is kind of goofie but I like it's style. Players could do lot worse than to look for inspiration for their characters in this movie. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!" – Not so much for the look of characters. But the story! Ninjas, pirates and dinosaurs, oh my! Throw in rockets, zeppelins, retro – technology and a mad scientist and you get the movie from my dreams. "Hellboy" – I watched the movie and I liked the idea of Nazis as villains who try to bring Great Old Ones to Earth. "Batman", "Batman Returns" – for the Sharn campaign. THE gothic metropolis that can only be rivaled by the the cities in "Metropolis" and "Dark City" Computer games: "Thief" games by Edios Inetractive and Looking Glass Studios – I wrote about it on another thread but Thief games definitely contain many of the Eberron elements: the blend of magic and early 19th century technology, sinister conspiracies, gigantic polluted city, dark and cynical feel to the story Novels: "Perdido Street Station" and "The Scar" by China Mieville – again, gigantic polluted cities, mixture of steampunkish technology and magic, cynical and dark feel to the story. Oh, and PSS also includes three honest – to – god D&D adventurers as a supporting cast. I still haven't read the third novel in the series "The Iron Council". "The Dragon Waiting" by John M. Ford – It's not just for the interesting alternate history in which 14th century Europe still has Byzantine Empire. It's not just for the vampires. It's not just for the magic. It's not just for the endless dark intrigues. It's also because the main characters are cool, and by cool I mean totally sweet: renagade angsty Byzantine nobleman – warrior, german gun engineer who is also a vampire, a century old one – eyed detective – magician from Wales and a beautiful young Italian woman with a white hair. "Call of Cthulhu" and other late stories by H. P. Lovecraft – not so much for the atmosphere of desperation and futility, but Cults of the Dragon Below and fit nicely into whole "mad cults trying to bring back things "Man Was Not Meant to Know" . Also the globetrotting aspect of the stories is nice.
Ayers 02-25-05, 07:57 PM	So many of my inspirations have already been posted on this thread, that only one of mine that has yet to be stated remains: Hidalgo! Hidalgo, I believe is a great inspiration for playing in Eberron, especially in Xen'drik.
Full Quiver 02-25-05, 10:55 PM	way of the gun payback escape from la/new york
Vharuck 02-26-05, 02:48 AM	There was a book I read in my high school German class called Gefδhrliche Wege (hope I spelled that right), which translates to "dangerous paths." It was about a middle-class couple who work with a crooked art dealer and travel to Mayan ruins to rob them of statuettes, with interesting characters and a story of lust (not love). Seems to fit into Xen'drik well.
Gez 02-26-05, 06:29 AM	"Blade Runner" (I know what some of you are thinking, but replace "Replicant" with either "Changeling" or "Warforged" and set it in Sharn rather than 2013 LA, and it's a surprisingly good fit) I keep thinking "Tleilaxu Face Dancers" when I think about Eberron's Changeling. Heck, just replace "Cabinet of Faces" with "Bene Tleilax" and you're done. :P Makes me want to have an order of monks/akashics (the AU class) to play the Bene Gesserit role... ;)
Glupinickname 03-10-05, 04:50 AM	Oh, my gosh. Go see A Very Long Engagement, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of City of Lost Children and Amelie. The actress from Amelie, Audrey Tautou, is in it as a woman looking for her fiance who was lost in the war. Set in 1920, it's part romance, part war movie, and part mystery, with a little bit of weird comedy tossed in. It follows a group of five French soldiers in 1917 court-martialed for self-mutilation and sentenced to death -- but some of those soldiers may have survived. Mathilde's fiance might be one of them -- but which ones made it out? The truth changes as Mathilde's investigation gets closer and closer. No giant robots, but the setting design and cinematography is equal to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and the plot, pacing, and character development is far superior. Less pulp, more noir. This post got me interested in that movie. Ok, that, and the fact that I liked all of the other Jeunet's movies I saw 'till now: "Delicatessen", "City of Lost Children" and "Amelie". I saw VLE yesterday with a friend of mine and we loved it! The scenes in which that girl from Korsica assassinates officeres who sentenced her boyfriend to death were definitely pulpy and stylish. :D
ReivaxZerai 03-10-05, 12:13 PM	Exorcist: The Beginning Catholic Church = Church of the Silver Flame WWII = Last War Archeological dig in Kenya = Site in Demon Wastes Father Merrin = Paladin of the Silver Flame who can't escape his calling In the film, happening just after WWII, a Christian church is dug up in Kenya, dated to a time when Christianity should not have existed in that part of Africa. The Church is in pristine condition, and believed to have been built and buried at the same time. Father Merrin who has forsaken the church, for reasons you learn in the movie, is asked to investigate the ruins and find a relic of immense evil. At the beginning of the movie he ignores his calling, but as he realizes the evil he faces, his inner calling to the church guides him. Perfect rise and fall of a Paladin story full of demons, ancient rituals, relics and locations. Good movie, too. PS, I don't recommend the movie for children
greedo99 03-11-05, 12:16 AM	What about: -Army of Darkness -Underworld -The Fifth Element (i know its been said but despite the high technology of the movie it reminds me ALOT of ECS) -The Goonies (an underground dungeon delving pirate adventure, why not?) -Final Fantasy 9 (i think reminds me alot of ECS)
PsionicRanger 03-22-05, 09:36 AM	The plotlines from Smallville, Buffy, and Angel The comic Book: Meridian (just do a google image search for the comicbook and you'll love what you see)
Siduakal 03-22-05, 01:22 PM	Any Clint Eastwood movie. I'm busy studying Unforgiven to try to nail the persona that is William.
DarkWarriorKarg 03-22-05, 01:32 PM	Inspirational novels? I don't mind humour mixed with my dark... Many have already been mentioned. Doc Sidhe Sidhe Devil Oh.. and the Harry Dresden novels have 6 types of werewolves and 3 types of vampires...
Fabe 03-22-05, 07:49 PM	How about "National Treasure"? the PC are searching for a long lost treasure that no one else belive exists,other then their rivals of course. such a campaine could that the group all over the world of Eberron as that atempt to find the treasure frist and prove to the world they were right along.
scrollreader 03-23-05, 05:22 AM	Maybe it's just me. But I'm planning a criminal game set in Sharn. And the Sin City trailer seems /perfect/.
Puppy 03-23-05, 02:03 PM	Just saw Constantine and I think it'd be a perfect match for Eberron. Just add the realm of Xoriat...
BOK2 03-24-05, 03:42 AM	How aout Azumi In the movie, a veteran samurai trains a group of children to assasinate the 3 warlords who are tearing fudal japan apart. SPOILER: After years of training, the samirai puts his 10 pupils to one last test. After pairing up with the person they are best buds with, the samurai informs them that to pass the test they have to kill their partner, reasoning that an assassin has no choice on who his target is all that matters is getting the job done... :)
Nosfredatu 03-24-05, 01:36 PM	Anybody thought of GI Joe ? A group of heroes battling an evil terrorist organisation determined to rule the world. Add internal fights to the Emerald Claw and you get Cobra ! The bad guys could easily be adapted to Eberron. And, in the cartoon, Cobra often travelled around the world to find lost artifacts of power and construct end of the world devices. If you want more shade of greys, just read the current comic by Devil's due...
Fabe 03-27-05, 01:31 PM	Maybe it's just me. But I'm planning a criminal game set in Sharn. And the Sin City trailer seems /perfect/. "walk down the right back alley in Sharn City and you can find any thing...." yea a Sin City based ebrron campiane could work