Blackmoor reading list

[Havard]

Okay, so I wrote a lengthy answer, and then accidentally deleted it; GAAAAAAAAH.

Basically, I think most sources that we traditionally name can be debated.

Discussion is always good. However, based on a http://thread over at Dragonsfoot, I think we can assume the following:

Confirmed:
Robert Heinlein
Robert Adams (Horseclans Series)
Robert E. Howard (and DeCamp/Carter Conan pastiches)
JRR Tolkien
Poul Anderson (Dave really liked those regenerating Trolls)
John Norman (aka Dr. John Langue)
Star Trek TOS
Homer's Illiad and Odyssey
Godzilla/Monster B-movies
Kung Fu Movies



Speculation:
Frank Herbert (Greg also confirms this)
Fritz Leiber (seems even more likely after recent discoveries)
HP Lovecraft (according to Jeff Berry as an inspiration for Frogfolk)
Clark Ashton Smith (Tsaothoggua as inspiration for the deity behind the Frog?)
Michael Moorcok
Edgar Rice Burroughs

For me, the goals are many:

First, I would like to explore the depths of 60s and 70s fantasy literature a bit;
this Robert Adams, for example,
it seems he had a great career apart from the Horseclan stuff.

A worthy goal!

Second, I'd like to differentiate a bit this reigning opinion that everything is either Leiber, Tolkien, or Forbidden Planet.

As Greg once pointed out, fantasy and sci fi literature was not very common back in the 70s. Fans of those genres were stuck with ready whatever they could get hold of. This might be one reason why the list seems limited. OTOH, it is certainly possible that there are sources we have overlooked.

Third, it would be an idea to make a list for the fans that is a bit more than just numbering the already well-known classic authors.

I agree that connecting the authors with specific elements can be useful where possible.

Like, for example, which of the Moorcock books was the one most influential on Blackmoor?

I am no expert, but I am wondering how much Moorcock influence there would be at all? The main legacy from Moorcock is the Law/Chaos axis, which IIRC Arneson did not start using untill much later. That and perhaps the idea of dragon riders?

Or, for that matter, Temple of the Frog: Cthulhu, or frogmen from 1930s vintage fantasy books? (I think Edgar Rice Burroughs did them already.)

I dont know if these need to be one or the other, most likely the idea of frogmen appealed to Arneson and he took ideas from various authors who had used the concept before. Complicating things even more, these authors probably stole from eachother as well.

Or, Philip José Farmer, certainly one of the most prolific writers of his era, how nobody talks about him when it comes to fantasy gaming?

I have heard Riverworld mentioned in some internet discussions, but beyond that I am not sure. I have never read any of his works personally so I cannot comment.

To conclude, I found this quite from Dave Arneson which will be useful in the continued discussion:

"As far as books go, fantasy books, science fiction/fantasy books that inspired me, we’re talking about Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, and a lot of the other authors, like the author of the Horse Clans series. (Robert Adams) Gary [Gygax] Seems to have listed every book he’s ever read in his bibliography, and I’ll be blunt, I don’t think I’ve read a lot of those books. Although, after having read a few thousand books, I really can’t remember which ones I’ve read anymore… So a lot of it is, Yes, I was inspired by…; but where does the inspiration stop and the game design begin? I mean, you’ve got to make changes. You’ve got to do variations. You can be influenced by something you read and don’t even remember reading, because you want to include “oh here is something neat I can incorporate into my world."

Source: http://odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?bo ... hread=4187

-Havard