Topic: Not so original -sigh-

[Balhirath]

Just a little complaint.. about myself

I've played RM for a long time, but I actually never played in Shadow World, though I've read some of the books a loooooooooong time ago. (15 years ago)

From I started as a GM I made up my own world (Called D?ron) and more or played there ever since, feeling that D?ron was somewhat more original than most other worlds.

So the other day I bought Shadow World Master Atlas in a fit of curiosity and
got myself quite a chok: It is very similar to D?ron. In fact there are so many things in common that I've started thinking that while I've been making my own world, the shadow world books that I read so long ago, have seriously influenced it.

Ofcause there are good and bad sides to this. The bad side is that I could never publish what I've made, without being accused for copying Shadow World. (But since I've no plans about that, thats not really a problem).
The good side it that it's really easy to integrate D?ron into Shadow World. So easy that I am considering to simply make D?ron part of the eastern hemisphere and be done with it.

Hmm I think that I'll go buy some more Shadow World material and see if it fits in

 

[Marc R]

heheh. . ..hey terry, had any dreams of the word "Duron" while Belhirath was eating your brain?

[Balhirath]

let me see:
An ancient civilisation of powerfull spell-casters and Psion users? Check. (Called The Balhirath or just the Ancients and have diffenent abilities than the Athlan)
Said race is now gone? Check (If they were still around the world wouldn't be messy enough for adventures.)
Lots of creatures and races made by said race? Check. (Horses or humans with wings just dont evolve naturally.)
Lots of Monsters made by Demons to help them take over the world? Check. (My version of Orcs are called Sharouz and not Logoki.)
Essence-flows? Check. (Earth-blood and Earth-nodes or Ley-lines and Leyline-nexus depending on where in D?ron you are. I have to admit, that I stole the concept from Palladiums Rifts.. or at least I thought so )
Unlife as the major enemy? Check. (I even called it unlife.)

I could continue for a while, but there's really no reason, since I think that you see the point.
 

[RandalThor]

You really shouldn't beat yourself up about this Balhirath - all those elements are the staples of most fantasy settings/stories. Some (if not all) of the greatest writers use them to one degree or another. Most are taken from concepts theorized in the real world. For example: The romans, greeks and others looked pretty damn sophisticated to the people of the middle-ages (ancient "world-spanning" civilization that built the roads and other incredible structures that they couldn't do in the middle-ages - and some say to this day) & the essence-flows/earth-nodes are based upon the combination of real wind patterns and numerous ancient mystical beliefs.

In fact, it is nearly impossible to totally get away from using these ideas as you are a human like the rest of us (I think  ) and share in the nature of "familiar is good." Which just means that we tend to like/accept more of those things that are familiar. (Hence concervativism - sp? - even a word?!?) This probably is why the majority (or all) of your players liked the world you put together: it seemed familiar, but also had some elements that made it a bit different. Pretty-much all you can hope for as a GM.

If you want a totally different setting try this: GJH$#56HG2w$5 @$%hyg 2q#$TG2$%^ g@%^26 (get it  ?)

[RandalThor]

In fact, this reminds me of one of the problems I have had with Immortal elves. But I will address that on a new thread under the main Rolemaster heading.

[Arioch]

You really shouldn't beat yourself up about this Balhirath - all those elements are the staples of most fantasy settings/stories.

True! Also my home-breed world has many similarities with SW :Ancient race of mages who created a lot of other races, forgotten technology, magical storms (actually, there is one big, permanent magical storm in my setting) and we have the Dark Essence as a major enemy, which is very similar to Unlife...
When I've read the SW master atlas I've thought  wow! It has a lot of similarities with my setting, I could have my players travel to Kulthea with some kind of gate one day or another and it will seems that the two world are part of the same universe...