Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Curse of Chalion.
New York: Eos-HarperCollins, 2001. 442 p.
Brief Teaser
Cazaril has survived war, betrayal, and the galley-master's lash.
Naturally, his troubles have just begun.
As servant to Royesse Iselle of Chalion, Cazaril braves both sword and intrigue in order to protect his charge in the royal court of Cardegos. Arguably "blessed," touched by a patron god, Cazaril must also find a means to end a terrible curse upon the royal line, lest a kingdom be doomed.
Notes and Possible Spoilers
Bujold created a delightful, entertaining, and thoroughly engaging world in this novel. Patterned after our own world's 15th century Spain, Chalion feels warm, vibrant, and lived-in. The characters have strong, distinct personalities that infuse their archetypes, whether they be "Loyal Servant," "Princess," or "Scheming Usurper."
I was impressed by the magical elements Bujold has created for her world, though perhaps "miracles" and "curses" would be a more accurate descriptors. The eponymous curse twists its victims such that their virtues and strengths become their undoing, and while the novel's five gods, archetypal and easily apprehended by the reader--Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, and Bastard--are active in our world, they can only work through humans who have offered themselves up to the gods' will. With a rare exception, there is no flashy special effects magic. Rather, the strengths and virtues of those touched by a god are their primary resources, though there is some indication that the gods can manipulate events toward producing a desired outcome. However, it's no joy to be a god-touched saint; as one character phrases it: "The gods do not grant miracles for our purposes, but for theirs. If you are become their tool, it is for a greater reason, an urgent reason. But you are the tool. You are not the work. Expect to be valued accordingly."
In addition to the above, there are moments of fierce action, tender romance, and sufficient political intrigue to satisfy the most ardent Machiavellian. If you enjoy these elements in your fiction, then I heartily recommend The Curse of Chalion.
Buena lectura.
Series
Book one of the "Curse of Chalion" series.
Descriptors
Fantasy
Low-magic
Mythic Fiction
Political Intrigue
Similar Authors
Jacqueline Carey
Awards
2002 Mythopoeic Award
~A thousand times ...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Oil and Water *WILL* Mix. I Demand It!
The Question:
How do you combine "gritty" in fantasy with the tone of myth and mythic fiction, folklore, and fairy tale? And once you've done that, how do you wrap it all up into an RPG campaign?
(Random thoughts follow. You have been warned.)
Perhaps the "grittiness" aspect should be primarily in a combat system that is suitably, but not overwhelmingly, crunchy?
I want a game that isn't child-ISH; there should be a feel / tone that is eerie, yet reminiscent of the childlike awe and wonder in folklore, fairy tales, creation myths, mythic fiction, and epic poetry.
I want it to be well-shaded, but not exclusively “dark.” (And yes, I am here distinguishing between "gritty" and "dark.") I want it to have light and dark extremes, but the tone must slip between the two, though always angling toward the fabulous, the wondrous.
I don’t want it based in the modern world. I don’t want it to be a “crossover” genre RPG either--people from our "real" world traveling to a fabulous world; while not a deal breaker, I never particularly liked that element in my fiction. Rather, I want the characters to be native to the fabulous world, though with little exposure to its fabulous elements prior to the beginning of the campaign.
One way to combine gritty and wondrous is, perhaps, is to selectively twist some of the fabulous elements to the horrific. Give the players hints at marvels, then surprise them (i.e., stab them in the face) with horrors. This has been accomplished to excellent effect in recent volumes of Berserk by Kentaro Miura.
How do you combine "gritty" in fantasy with the tone of myth and mythic fiction, folklore, and fairy tale? And once you've done that, how do you wrap it all up into an RPG campaign?
(Random thoughts follow. You have been warned.)
Perhaps the "grittiness" aspect should be primarily in a combat system that is suitably, but not overwhelmingly, crunchy?
I want a game that isn't child-ISH; there should be a feel / tone that is eerie, yet reminiscent of the childlike awe and wonder in folklore, fairy tales, creation myths, mythic fiction, and epic poetry.
I want it to be well-shaded, but not exclusively “dark.” (And yes, I am here distinguishing between "gritty" and "dark.") I want it to have light and dark extremes, but the tone must slip between the two, though always angling toward the fabulous, the wondrous.
I don’t want it based in the modern world. I don’t want it to be a “crossover” genre RPG either--people from our "real" world traveling to a fabulous world; while not a deal breaker, I never particularly liked that element in my fiction. Rather, I want the characters to be native to the fabulous world, though with little exposure to its fabulous elements prior to the beginning of the campaign.
One way to combine gritty and wondrous is, perhaps, is to selectively twist some of the fabulous elements to the horrific. Give the players hints at marvels, then surprise them (i.e., stab them in the face) with horrors. This has been accomplished to excellent effect in recent volumes of Berserk by Kentaro Miura.
Another way is to have the fabulous elements seem surreal--to have the characters seem firmly grounded in their gritty, low-magic world, then selectively add elements that are, by turns, weird, fabulous, and (to the characters) surreal.
And that begs the question of how to use magic as a fabulous element. Fabulous elements, including magic, must be culturally rooted, grounded. Each land / culture should have its own magical / mythical / fabulous elements, and these elements should *feel* different than the fabulous elements of other cultures. Thus, even if players are familiar with how magic works in their characters' cultures, magic remains novel / wondrous / frightening enough when their characters are exposed to other cultures. Rumor and hearsay can even be used to enhance, rather than detract from, this effect.
Should exploration and journeying should be an important (perhaps crucial) element of the campaign?
I've been thinking that the One Roll Engine (ORE) used in REIGN might be the perfect system to combine with many elements in the game Everway. ORE has the system crunch that makes combat and conflict satisfying. The combat system is gritty, perhaps deadly, enough to give the players pause, but its “unworthy opponent” (i.e. mook) rules make gives the players some satisfaction that their characters are suitably buff. The magic can be easily simulated once I have the magic / spell creation rules for REIGN, and REIGN’s magic already feels adequately culture-specific. The other Everway elements can be incorporated over time, including locations (though perhaps not multiverse aspects) as desired. Alternately, with exploration and travel campaigns, the other worlds found in Everway can simply be introduced as other cultures / lands on the same world.
Then again, the "narrativist" rules of HeroQuest might be a better system, though HeroQuest might not have enough combat crunch to satisfy many players.
Hm. So, yeah, that's what I want. So there.
Fiction with the right "feel" / tone I'm looking for might help, yes?
And that begs the question of how to use magic as a fabulous element. Fabulous elements, including magic, must be culturally rooted, grounded. Each land / culture should have its own magical / mythical / fabulous elements, and these elements should *feel* different than the fabulous elements of other cultures. Thus, even if players are familiar with how magic works in their characters' cultures, magic remains novel / wondrous / frightening enough when their characters are exposed to other cultures. Rumor and hearsay can even be used to enhance, rather than detract from, this effect.
Should exploration and journeying should be an important (perhaps crucial) element of the campaign?
I've been thinking that the One Roll Engine (ORE) used in REIGN might be the perfect system to combine with many elements in the game Everway. ORE has the system crunch that makes combat and conflict satisfying. The combat system is gritty, perhaps deadly, enough to give the players pause, but its “unworthy opponent” (i.e. mook) rules make gives the players some satisfaction that their characters are suitably buff. The magic can be easily simulated once I have the magic / spell creation rules for REIGN, and REIGN’s magic already feels adequately culture-specific. The other Everway elements can be incorporated over time, including locations (though perhaps not multiverse aspects) as desired. Alternately, with exploration and travel campaigns, the other worlds found in Everway can simply be introduced as other cultures / lands on the same world.
Then again, the "narrativist" rules of HeroQuest might be a better system, though HeroQuest might not have enough combat crunch to satisfy many players.
Hm. So, yeah, that's what I want. So there.
Fiction with the right "feel" / tone I'm looking for might help, yes?
- Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
- The "Kushiel" series by Jacqueline Carey
- The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust (obviously, not the modern aspects, but the folktale sections)
- The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien has a bit of this tone, though not his "Tolkienesque" imitators
- Some of the weirdness found in the work of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and other pulp fantasy
Huh. Maybe I really want a good blend of pulp fantasy and folklore and mythic fiction? Hm. Pulp fantasy combat vs. unworthy opponents, but gritty combat vs. PC grade opponents. With fabulous elements that feel folkloric. And lots of intrigue and skulduggery to boot ...
*SIGH* ... this is going to take a while, isn't it?
Thoughts?
*SIGH* ... this is going to take a while, isn't it?
Thoughts?
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