Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sarella Starshine 04-20-05, 09:18 PM	i know there are several threads about this, i just didnt want to dig though the 20-odd pages of threads to find the ones i want. That does not make me lazy, just bugeting my time, as i have other things more important to do than sift though old threads hoping they have what i am looking for. anyways, enough of that, i just want to know what books my fellow DMs have read that gave them great ideas for adventures, campaigns, settings, etc. i have the david eddings books (begariad, malorian, elenium, tamuli). i dont want a flame war or a big debate over which book is better, how some authors suck, etc. i just want a nice list of books i can read for ideas.
Death_Mint 04-20-05, 09:56 PM	well i just read fantasy books in general magic the gathering books, the wheel of fire series, and a book called the sword and the chain(very good book by the way) and then i just read the DMG about a billion times
Hochiu 04-20-05, 11:59 PM	I use resources from varying fantasy books. A brief list is: Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. The Clan War novels (for my Rokugan stuff). Morgan Llywellen's Lion of Ireland. Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara Trilogy. Mickey Zucker Reichert's Renshai Chronicles And a few Star Wars novels Other than that, I draw my ideas from real life history, using references and books written with a historical context. Hope you find novels that work for you.
Gnome_Dragon_Disciple 04-21-05, 12:23 AM	Dan Simmons The Hyperion Cantos(series of four books: Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, andRise of Endymion) Illium Orson Scott Card Ender's Game Ender's Shadow Frank Herbert Dune Isaac Asimov The Foundation Saga Fantastic Voyage J. R.R. Tolkein The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings Edgar Allen Poe: Not really "books", per se, but still good for inspiration. The Masque of the Red Death The Raven Robert Greene The 48 Laws of Power I don't use books so much for storyline inspiration, but for making a world feel more "real". The 48 Laws of Power helps craft realistic NPC interaction, Edgar Allen Poe is incomparable with respect to setting a creepy tone, and Dan Simmons is that pinnacle of creativity, wierdness, and convolution in storyline that I aspire to. Kinda helps that he's also a freakin' literary God...
krichaiushii 04-21-05, 06:51 AM	Most anything by HP Lovecraft for horror. Robert E Howard (Conan) and Fritz Lieber (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser). China Mieville's Perdido Street Station for being an RBDM. Three Hearts and Three Lions by ... Poul Anderson? The Dying Earth series by Jack Vance. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. The Swords Trilogy by Saberhagen. The Black Company series by Glen Cook. The Felix and Gotrek (or ...Slayer) by ... King, I think his last name is.
erendor the True 04-21-05, 08:18 AM	I haven't actually read anything by HP Lovecraft, although I really want to. My best books for various aspects: Fantasy... LOTRand The Hobbit. Pretty much core, when it comes to fantasy books. Optional core, but still fairly obvious must-reads. Aside from that... well, there's just a whole ton of them that I can scarcely remember. Although the Pern series by Anne Mccaffery(I think)is a very nice series. Science Fiction... Anything by Isaac Asimov. Excellent story writing skills, as well as technical knowhow. On a parallel with him, we find... Anything by Arthur C. Clarke He's also very masterful at story telling, and was way ahead of his time when it came to space travel and the like. Earthlight was a particularly good book by him - some of the most perfectly described space combat ever, as well as fairly accurate predictions of conditions on the moon. Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson are on par with the previous two authors. Absolutely the greatest and most scientifically accurate series I've ever read. It's all about the terraforming of Mars, but after Red Mars, that actually takes a kind of backseat, and we see all the political turmoil that erupts from the colonisation. Take note: It gets very hard to read, later on. Technical, with lots of big words :P , but you have to read it anyway. Some of the best characterization and plot I've seen yet, and some incredible ideas (A giant cable connecting Mars to Deimos, which functions as an elevator to allow easy transport from Mars to Earth? Ingenious.) Horror... The October Country is a collection of horror works by various authors, and they're all very nicely described and presented, for such short stories. Most of them are fairly chilling insights to human emotion, The Dwarf, The Jar, and The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse, particularly. But in The October Country, there is one story that chills me to the bone every time I read it, as well as whenever I think about the ending. Absolutely PERFECT, and probably the scariest non-leapoutandgoBOO horror I've ever seen/read. The Wind. *gets a cold shiver* Other... If you're looking for human emotions and things, go with Kurt Vonnegut. His books are often very soul-searching, and indeed, I believe that in one of them, he enters the book as a character in a way, and tells one of his characters this. Very interesting, indeed.
Dash Branaghan 04-21-05, 08:27 AM	The Dragonlance novels (great ideas contained within). I second Ender's Game...great novel. Seconding Terry Brooks Shannara Series (not just the Sword of Shannara, but the Scions of Shannara series as well). Calvin and Hobbes comics. Farside Comics. My DMG. Other RPG series (Such as Palladium, ICE's Rolemaster, Whitewolf). Lovecraft and Poe. Dash
CzarGarrett 04-21-05, 08:55 AM	Song of Fire and Ice series by George RR Martin Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy if you have a humorous campaign Jackal of Nar (Tyrants and Kings series) or Empire of Unreason series for a more industrial/technologically advanced fantasy campaign
Talon Blackhart 04-21-05, 11:56 AM	David Edding is excellent. If your campaign has a lot of humor, you might want to pick up: The Xanth series by Piers Anthony (Warning, very long. 27 books at last count). The Myth books by Robert Lynn Asprin. The Spellsinger books by Alan Dean Foster (Out of print, I believe). On a more serious note, try: The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin Dragonsbane by Barabra Hambly Elvenbane by Mercedes Lackey The Deathgate series by Weis and Hickman The Dragon Prince and Dragonstar books by Melanie Rawn Anything by Morgan Llewelyn (Celtic mythological fantasy) Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind Tolkein The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King Lovecraft, Poe if you want a more horror-based campaign Mythology!!! Celtic, Norse, Native American, African, etc. Oh, yeah, and Greek and Roman. Ok, so I read a lot. It's what I do when I'm not DMing.
Sarella Starshine 04-21-05, 01:25 PM	hehe all good ideas (my husband has the entire farside collection :D ). i read about 400-500 pages a day (more if i have nothing else to do), which may seem like a lot but then, i don't have a job, i don't go to school (i am an old fashoned house wife), i don't have kids, so i have a lot of time to read. i will keep a list of the books me and my husband dont have and will order a few at a time to read. we do have the renshi series, the wheel of time series, nearly ever mercedes lackey book published (my husband is a big big fan of hers), nearly all of anne mccraffery books, and a few others. i will see about batting my eyelashes at my husband (seriously doubt it will work however) and getting me some of the books you have recomended..i do have a birthday next month :plotting:
Wayward Son 04-22-05, 10:27 AM	Well, in addition to the excellent suggestions already, I like to add the often-overlooked books of Jennifer Roberson: The Chronicles of the Cheysuli -- originally an 8-book saga, it's been re-released in a three-volume compilation. An intricate story of a kingdom out of balance, two magical races at war, and the struggle between tradition and change as the Cheysuli fight to survive and fulfill prophecy. The novels of Tiger and Del: Sword Dancer Sword Singer Sword Maker Sword Breaker Sword Born These should be required reading for DMs seeking to incorporate both Frostburn and Sandstorm, and the characters range from one extreme to the other while persuing their goals. They are a fun read, and the worlds are richly-drawn. Sandtiger is an iconic Fighter from a dueling tradition, with Delilah providing a strong counterpoint to him and the traditions that spawned his kind. A lot of attention paid to the idea of differing combat styles and cultures. More recently, I was deeply impressed by a triolgy by Jacqueline Carey: Kushiel's Dart Kushiel's Chosen Kushiel's Avatar These are great inspiration for a low-combat, high RP campaign, as the lead character is, essentially, a spy (among many other things) loyal to her homeland of Terre d'Ange (literally, Land of the Angels, as the "gods" of the nation once walked its soil and mated freely with its people, and they are all, effectively, aasimars, down to the lowest farmer). Deep intrigue and world-spanning plots, with deep trips into the cultures of other, older nations and their pantheons. I will suggest you read it with an open mind about issues of sexuality, as common notions are tested (or, rather, cast aside) early on in the first book, and they remain a central point of the main character throughout. When I can start scheduling more time for non-fiction reading, I'll go through my "to-read" stack for more.
Heahengel 04-22-05, 02:27 PM	For Fantasy: David Duncan writes some amazing fantasy. His current series, the King's Blades/Daggers are fun but not great, but I can see basing a campaign on them. The A Man of His Word series (and its sequel series) is probably my favorite book series ever (and has great world design). It starts with "Magic Casement". The Seventh Swordsman and The Great Game are both great series' also. Aside from Duncan, I will also add support for A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. Its a great grim fantasy series. Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice and sequels are great. (I like them as much as GRRMartin) Lawrence Watt-Evans has some great and apropriate material. I've read and enjoyed Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, but I wouldn't call either high quality, and I've stopped reading both series. On the other hand, they can be fun, and they might give you campaign ideas. Also, with Goodkind you do have to deal with the fact that he is a rabid Libertarian (or maybe Republican - I can't tell as much about his social agenda) and has a S&M fetish. I wouldn't bother with the later books in that series (I got put off by the charity = evil, and the entire book devoted to statuary destroying communism). Some lesser-quality fantasy could give you better ideas for campaigns (lots of bad fantasy makes good RPG fodder). Michael Stackpole could be good for this - The Dark Glory War , Fortress Draconis , A Hero Born and Eyes of Silver could be good RPG campaigns. Also Glen Cook's The Black Company (debatably not bad), maybe some Salvatore, David Gemmel, Jordan and Goodkind here. Neil Gaiman would be great for some dark modern fantasy flavor. Sci-fi: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is excellent (as is Ender's Shadow). The rest of both series are good, in different ways, but I've never liked them as much as those two. The Alvin Maker series is fun colonial fantasy, but I'm not sure it would fit an RPG. Peter F. Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction would make a great scifi setting (edit out the undead to taste). Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash is my favorite cyberpunk book. Cryptonomicon is great as well (its set in the modern day). If you want a lot of info on Enlightenment/Early Industrial Europe, the Baroque Cycle is good (but it is a project to read them (fun but dense)). Masamune Shirow can give you some cyberpunk ideas as well (Ghost in the Shell). Wen Spencer's Tinker could make a fun modern fantasy setting (from what I remember Pitsburg randomly becomes a portal into the home of the elves, and shifts planes on a regular schedule). If you want to try something strange, try Kage Baker's Company series, starting with In The Garden of Iden. That first book was originally sold as a romance novel (the rest aren't romance at all). However, it is much more a scifi novel, considering half the characters are secretly immortal cyborgs (thats said right at the beginning of the book, I'm not ruining anything). (Edit: I should mention that the setting is Elizabethan England (at least for the first book) - this could probably be adapted into a great intrigue campaign) Military Sci-Fi: (probably not most peoples idea of good books, but I like it, and I can see it making for some great RPGing) David Drake, John Ringo and David Weber (in that order, to me) Drake's RCN series and Weber's Honor Harrington series make for good space opera. Drake has a lot of good alternate history series' (like the Belisarius series (w/ Eric Flint)). Weber's Path of the Fury could make a great campaign, with some modification. Drake's Redliners would make a good short campaign. Weber and Ringo's March Upcountry and sequels could make a great campaign as well. Ringo's There Will Be Dragons would make a perfect campaign setting to me (extreme futuristic sci-fi -> High Fantasy). It would fit perfectly with a D&D campaign (thinking about this, I will propose this the next time I try to run a campaign). Oh and: John Keegan's The Face of Battle and A History of Warfare. I love reading his military history, and it would probably contribute indirectly to your gaming experience.
Illion the Red 04-22-05, 02:43 PM	I'm surprised that noone has mentioned the Riftwar Saga (Feist). If you want an epic-scale campain, just read on. For special flavor, try Armor by John Steakley. It is set in future sci-fi, but it has some of the best combat writing around, especially when dealing with overwhelming hordes. ...and try the Weekly World News for all of your "Nobody would have thought of this" ideas... :)
Kaligrad 04-22-05, 03:16 PM	I second every book mentioned that I have read. On a more useful note, I draw a lot of my storytelling style out of the Lone Wolf books by Joe Dever. They can be found online here (http://www.projectaon.org/).
Andrew_980 04-22-05, 03:25 PM	Damn someone beat me to mentioning Feist, the books set in his world of Midkemia grew out of his D+D world, just like the dragonlance books came from the game.
krichaiushii 04-22-05, 07:17 PM	I recall some more good books/series: Roger Zelazny' Amber series. The Gaming Magi trilogy by by David Bischoff. Machiavelli's The Prince. Madmen of History by Donald D. Hook Bedside Book of B........ by Dorothy M. Johnson The Catfantastic series of Anthologies editied by Andre Norton and Martin Greenberg.
Temmogen 04-22-05, 07:21 PM	Try "Men of Iron" by Howard Pyle
Herald@Large 04-22-05, 07:27 PM	I'm *very* surprised that no one has mentioned The Once and Future King . Or Heinlein's Glory Road . Add to these books some must-see movies that didn't come from books: Ladyhawke And, for a humorous campaign, Monty Python & the Holy Grail.
Sarella Starshine 04-22-05, 08:47 PM	*scribles fantaticly in her notebook titled 'books to buy'* i tend to shy away from alot of sci fi not because they are not good reads, but i find technical jargon boring. (nothing like reading a book where 2/3 of the book is you trying to figure out what the hell they are talking about when they start getting technical about the inards of a space ship) the quality does not really matter (as i will prob read 2-3 'low' quality books in the same amount of time as a 'high' quality book and will get the same ammount of enjoyment plus ideas). husband has the man of his word series (which i thoughly enjoyed) i loved the drake/flint Belisarius series, and most of drake's works as well (hes prob one of the few sci-fi writers out there that feels that you don't need a lot of technical jargon to create a good sci-fi plot) husband does read any of the honor harington books he can run across, i may try them myself. my husband has every ender book out i think, i will check them out. my husband is a big fan of ghost in the shell and recently bought ghost in the shell 2 dvd, which i thoughly enjoyed and am dying for him to get the orginal in dvd so i can watch that too. ...and try the Weekly World News for all of your "Nobody would have thought of this" ideas... i am sooo for this as Weekly World News is to me the ultimate tabloid. it completely veers away from the celeb craze to give you great stories such as 'the world's fattest cat gives birth' and dont forget the december issues that always proclaim that the pope has declared the world is ending :). i will see if i can get a copy when i go grocery shopping and then to convince my husband i need a subscription :) in case you are wondering why i have a lot of 'my husband has' in my replies, is that we have been married for over 6 months and a few of the book ideas are of books that he has from before we got married. he has 3 bookcases each standing about 6ft tall, with 6 shelves each filled with books, another one that only has 2 shelves with books (the other 4 shelves is dedicated to his DVD collection), i have started to double up on the books on the shelves as we have about another 2-3 shelves worth of books, and thats not counting the books we have in the bedroom (which are there because he hasnt read them yet) which may take up a small book case themselves. yes, we read, we read a lot. (we spend at most 1-2 hrs watching TV a day, vs about 4-5 hrs reading at a min). keep the recomendations coming. i love books, i want more more!!!!!
wordserpent 04-22-05, 10:11 PM	Some inspirational works: Michael Moorcock's The Elric Saga 1 Elric of Melnibone [vt The Dreaming City ] (1972) - The Dreaming City was an alternate version of Elric of Melnibone re-edited witout the author's permission. The choice of title was also not the author's. 2 The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (1976) [Wf1977 x] 3 The Weird of the White Wolf (1977) [C] 4 The Vanishing Tower [vt The Sleeping Sorceress ] (1970) 5 The Bane of the Black Sword (1977) [C] 6 Stormbringer (1965) Hawkmoon The History of the Runestaff 1 The Jewel in the Skull (1967) 2 The Mad God's Amulet (1968) 3 The Sword of the Dawn (1968) 4 The Runestaff (1969) Chronicles of Castle Brass1 Count Brass (1973) Count Brass (Part 1 of 2) (1975) Count Brass (Part 2 of 2) (1975) 2 The Champion of Garathorm (1973) 3 The Quest for Tanelorn (1975) Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser series (Currently compiled in: Ill Met In Lankhmar, Lean Times In Lankhmar, Return to Lankhmar and Farewell to Lankhmar). Lawrence Watt-Evan's Ethshar series. 1. The Misenchanted Sword (1985) 2. With a Single Spell (1987) 3. The Unwilling Warlord (1989) 4. The Blood of a Dragon (1991) 5. Taking Flight (1993) 6. The Spell of the Black Dagger (1993) 7. Night of Madness (2000 The Books of Corum 1 The Knight of the Swords (1971) [Bf1972] 1 The Bull and the Spear (1973) 2 The Queen of the Swords (1971) 2 The Oak and the Ram (1973) 3 The Sword and the Stallion (1974) [Bf1975] 3 The King of Swords (1971) Anything by Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lvecraft and Clark Ashton Smith (The Big Three) Stephen King's Gunslinger books: The Dark Tower, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, (I have yet to read the rest of them). ...Numerous others...