Lore -- King Arthur, Robin Hood....and who else?

Angelof2070

There is one realm...a human kingdom.

There are groups within this realm, based on fantasy, legend, mythology, etc.

 

 

King Arthur and his Knights. Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad.

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

 

I was thinking it would be a good idea to have competing factions within each realm. There are two or three other realms, but since most non-copyrighted mythology, legend, and lore is based on humans and not undead, vampires, goblins, elves, and werewolves-- the rest is probably going to be purely made up on the spot. But for the human's lore and factions, I thought of having commonly-known fairy tales, folklore, etc.

 

Being a long-time DAoC player, King Arthur is obviously the first choice.

Being a long-time Robin Hood fan, I thought it would be cool if Robin Hood was an outlaw (Saxons) who fought against King Arthur (Normans).

But I wanted two or more other factions.

 

Since the Knights of the Round live in castles and Merry Men live in forests, I thought Ali Baba (Forty Thieves, Aladdin, Prince Ali, etc.) would be a great third competing faction. A faction of thieves, bandits, and murderers based on an arabian theme (as opposed to Saxon and Norman themes) based on the Forty Thieves, Aladdin, and similar fiction. I don't know though, as I thought of keeping it european medieval or having the thieves live in the alleys and underground catacombs of the cities as opposed to caves. (Loved Everquest 1, Qeynos rogue area)

 

 

Besides King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Forty Thieves legends and lore-- what other pieces of fiction might be a good idea for a human kingdom (which may or may not include Dwarves, Halflings, Minotaurs, and Centaurs--- kindof like a completely redone and loose fiction OF robin hood and king arthur which include these other races)

BobRoss

Originally posted by Angelof2070

There is one realm...a human kingdom.

There are groups within this realm, based on fantasy, legend, mythology, etc.

 

 

King Arthur and his Knights. Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad.

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

 

I was thinking it would be a good idea to have competing factions within each realm. There are two or three other realms, but since most non-copyrighted mythology, legend, and lore is based on humans and not undead, vampires, goblins, elves, and werewolves-- the rest is probably going to be purely made up on the spot. But for the human's lore and factions, I thought of having commonly-known fairy tales, folklore, etc.

 

Being a long-time DAoC player, King Arthur is obviously the first choice.

Being a long-time Robin Hood fan, I thought it would be cool if Robin Hood was an outlaw (Saxons) who fought against King Arthur (Normans).

But I wanted two or more other factions.

 

Since the Knights of the Round live in castles and Merry Men live in forests, I thought Ali Baba (Forty Thieves, Aladdin, Prince Ali, etc.) would be a great third competing faction. A faction of thieves, bandits, and murderers based on an arabian theme (as opposed to Saxon and Norman themes) based on the Forty Thieves, Aladdin, and similar fiction. I don't know though, as I thought of keeping it european medieval or having the thieves live in the alleys and underground catacombs of the cities as opposed to caves. (Loved Everquest 1, Qeynos rogue area)

 

 

Besides King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Forty Thieves legends and lore-- what other pieces of fiction might be a good idea for a human kingdom (which may or may not include Dwarves, Halflings, Minotaurs, and Centaurs--- kindof like a completely redone and loose fiction OF robin hood and king arthur which include these other races)

@red

 You forgot : Achoo and Blinkin'

aleos

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by Angelof2070

There is one realm...a human kingdom.

There are groups within this realm, based on fantasy, legend, mythology, etc.

 

 

King Arthur and his Knights. Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad.

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

 

I was thinking it would be a good idea to have competing factions within each realm. There are two or three other realms, but since most non-copyrighted mythology, legend, and lore is based on humans and not undead, vampires, goblins, elves, and werewolves-- the rest is probably going to be purely made up on the spot. But for the human's lore and factions, I thought of having commonly-known fairy tales, folklore, etc.

 

Being a long-time DAoC player, King Arthur is obviously the first choice.

Being a long-time Robin Hood fan, I thought it would be cool if Robin Hood was an outlaw (Saxons) who fought against King Arthur (Normans).

But I wanted two or more other factions.

 

Since the Knights of the Round live in castles and Merry Men live in forests, I thought Ali Baba (Forty Thieves, Aladdin, Prince Ali, etc.) would be a great third competing faction. A faction of thieves, bandits, and murderers based on an arabian theme (as opposed to Saxon and Norman themes) based on the Forty Thieves, Aladdin, and similar fiction. I don't know though, as I thought of keeping it european medieval or having the thieves live in the alleys and underground catacombs of the cities as opposed to caves. (Loved Everquest 1, Qeynos rogue area)

 

 

Besides King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Forty Thieves legends and lore-- what other pieces of fiction might be a good idea for a human kingdom (which may or may not include Dwarves, Halflings, Minotaurs, and Centaurs--- kindof like a completely redone and loose fiction OF robin hood and king arthur which include these other races)

@red

 You forgot : Achoo and Blinkin'

Did you say Abe Lincoln?

BobRoss

Originally posted by aleos

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by Angelof2070

There is one realm...a human kingdom.

There are groups within this realm, based on fantasy, legend, mythology, etc.

 

 

King Arthur and his Knights. Merlin, Lancelot, Galahad.

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

 

I was thinking it would be a good idea to have competing factions within each realm. There are two or three other realms, but since most non-copyrighted mythology, legend, and lore is based on humans and not undead, vampires, goblins, elves, and werewolves-- the rest is probably going to be purely made up on the spot. But for the human's lore and factions, I thought of having commonly-known fairy tales, folklore, etc.

 

Being a long-time DAoC player, King Arthur is obviously the first choice.

Being a long-time Robin Hood fan, I thought it would be cool if Robin Hood was an outlaw (Saxons) who fought against King Arthur (Normans).

But I wanted two or more other factions.

 

Since the Knights of the Round live in castles and Merry Men live in forests, I thought Ali Baba (Forty Thieves, Aladdin, Prince Ali, etc.) would be a great third competing faction. A faction of thieves, bandits, and murderers based on an arabian theme (as opposed to Saxon and Norman themes) based on the Forty Thieves, Aladdin, and similar fiction. I don't know though, as I thought of keeping it european medieval or having the thieves live in the alleys and underground catacombs of the cities as opposed to caves. (Loved Everquest 1, Qeynos rogue area)

 

 

Besides King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Forty Thieves legends and lore-- what other pieces of fiction might be a good idea for a human kingdom (which may or may not include Dwarves, Halflings, Minotaurs, and Centaurs--- kindof like a completely redone and loose fiction OF robin hood and king arthur which include these other races)

@red

 You forgot : Achoo and Blinkin'

Did you say Abe Lincoln?

 @Blue

"NO, I said HEY BLINKIN, Hold the reigns man."

Novusod

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by aleos

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

@red

 You forgot : Achoo and Blinkin'

Did you say Abe Lincoln?

 @Blue

"NO, I said HEY BLINKIN, Hold the reigns man."

How come nobody has ever made a MMO comedy?

pye088j

Add in some greek mythology.

Maybe the amazones.

GTwander

Originally posted by Novusod

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by aleos

Originally posted by BobRoss

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Robin Hood and his Outlaws. Friar Tuck, Little John, Alan-a-dale.

@red

 You forgot : Achoo and Blinkin'

Did you say Abe Lincoln?

 @Blue

"NO, I said HEY BLINKIN, Hold the reigns man."

How come nobody has ever made a MMO comedy?

They did, and it starred the delicious Felicia Day.

 

Anyway, for the OP;

Think about what else is going on at the time, and that Bandits vs Kingdom doesn't really amount to fair Faction-v-Faction play. One hides in the woods and attacks rich traders with minimal escorts, the other has a castle and commands an army. By all means they can be diametrically opposed, but I feel its more important to play out as an entirely new playstyle when you pick a faction with those two in tow. Arthurites can be like the law of the land, and go around doing knightly quests, while Hoodites are theives and brigands, and go out to commit theft and such. What is left?

The church and pagans.

The church can be a neutral sect and mainly for socializing, and the pagans can be about hidden societies with rules and the acceptance of murdering others (a pk faction).

Ihmotepp

Maid Marian! Or maybe just some maids?

BobRoss

Maid Marion was friggin hot!  LOL ---- Googling pics now----

Jadetooth

How about vikings! Everyone loves those!

rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Alcuin

Robin Hood was only an outlaw because King Richard was away on Crusade and Prince John was being an Evil twit.

Robin would have no quarrel with King Arthur.

But I don't think that's your point.

Your idea is good- you have the monarchy and the bandits that oppose them.  What's missing is the invaders- in this case vikings.  Another faction might be the native(or-long time) inhabitants, in which case I'll say Scottish Highlanders a la Braveheart.

Although Amazons are always nice.

 

Daywolf

I'd like to say Beowulf (not the movie) but... hmmm... maybe not enough open game material from the poem. But it does have era well enough. But havn't thought much about it beyond passing thoughts and being something everyone knows. A PD IP though (the IP part being your derivative of course).

Angelof2070

Thank you! I appreciate all the brainstorming.

 

While re-reading my OP I realized that there is alot of fiction and mythology in the Undead realm.

Dracula, Frankenstein. I assume these are not copyrighted since they are so old? I know at least the history of Vlad the Impaler is open for use. Not sure about Frankenstein.

 

I would LOVE to include real life fiction (even if completely perverted and twisted in my own form) in all 3/4 realms.

The 3 or 4 realms are...

1) Human (definitely in the game; Humans, Dwarves, Halflings, Centaurs, Minotaurs)

2) Undead (Skeletons, Imps/Demons, Zombies (slow, resilient), Ghouls (fast-moving flesh-eaters), and Dark Elves (non-undead, but evil.)

3) Greenskins (Goblins, Orcs, Ratlings, Gnolls, Lizardmen)

4) Forest (Elves, Pixies, Cat-People, Birdmen, and Werewolves)

Please don't argue whether 3 realms is better than 4. Talk about beating a dead horse. Besides, realms may be cut to down to two, or even just one (Humans) depending on resource allocation. Anything else is fair game though and opinions, ideas, and "thats stupid, but my idea of replacing werewolves with treants is good!" is more than welcome.

 

In this thread though, my question is... Any lore or fiction that can be used in Undead, Greenskin, or Forest realms that isn't copyrighted? I really want to use real life fiction such as King Arthur, Dracula, Frankenstein, Robin Hood.

These do not have to be normal to tie together (In my own opinion, Robin Hood and King Arthur would be friends, not enemies. But this makes for an even better lore. They were childhood friends (Robin Hood is known in some stories to be a former Lord who lost his land) and thus out of personal convictions they must fight against each other for control, while respecting each other and their people too. Like Magneto and Professor X who are both friends but have opposite beliefs.

Angelof2070

Originally posted by rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Although Greek and Roman mythology is easy for me, I know little about Celtic or Nordic lore, heroes, and fiction.

I would prefer more along the lines of fictional or historical heroes (Arthur, Robin-hood) as opposed to deities (Thor, Loki, etc.)

The deities are more along the lines of a realm unity. Heroes are faction-based.

Robin Hood, King Arthur- both christian european medieval theme

Dracula, Frankenstein- both "scary" monster halloween undead theme

Norse Hero#1, Norse Hero #2- both followers of Pagan polytheism and nordic deities- but perhaps different ones.

 

Okay, I guess for a Nordic faction I could have the heroes be "deities" that are actually just heroes who are confused as deity (like the Pharaohs of Egypt)

jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Although Greek and Roman mythology is easy for me, I know little about Celtic or Nordic lore, heroes, and fiction.

I would prefer more along the lines of fictional or historical heroes (Arthur, Robin-hood) as opposed to deities (Thor, Loki, etc.)

The deities are more along the lines of a realm unity. Heroes are faction-based.

Robin Hood, King Arthur- both christian european medieval theme

Dracula, Frankenstein- both "scary" monster halloween undead theme

Norse Hero#1, Norse Hero #2- both followers of Pagan polytheism and nordic deities- but perhaps different ones.

 

Okay, I guess for a Nordic faction I could have the heroes be "deities" that are actually just heroes who are confused as deity (like the Pharaohs of Egypt)

Well, the funny thing is most modern fantasy is rooted in abstracts from both Nordic and Celtic lore. Elves, faeries, etc. I can't remember if it was in the Simarillion or if it was just an essay Tolkien wrote, but I remember reading something by him about how he crafted the lore of Middle Earth and it was really facinating. Since his work is the granddaddy of modern Sword & Sorcery fantasy, I'd wager a game based on Nordic and Celtic lore would seem strangely familiar in some ways.

 

Regarding classic horror settings, I'd love to see a MMO built around Ravenloft. There's a setting that has seen precious little love in computer gaming.

Angelof2070

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Although Greek and Roman mythology is easy for me, I know little about Celtic or Nordic lore, heroes, and fiction.

I would prefer more along the lines of fictional or historical heroes (Arthur, Robin-hood) as opposed to deities (Thor, Loki, etc.)

The deities are more along the lines of a realm unity. Heroes are faction-based.

Robin Hood, King Arthur- both christian european medieval theme

Dracula, Frankenstein- both "scary" monster halloween undead theme

Norse Hero#1, Norse Hero #2- both followers of Pagan polytheism and nordic deities- but perhaps different ones.

 

Okay, I guess for a Nordic faction I could have the heroes be "deities" that are actually just heroes who are confused as deity (like the Pharaohs of Egypt)

Well, the funny thing is most modern fantasy is rooted in abstracts from both Nordic and Celtic lore. Elves, faeries, etc. I can't remember if it was in the Simarillion or if it was just an essay Tolkien wrote, but I remember reading something by him about how he crafted the lore of Middle Earth and it was really facinating. Since his work is the granddaddy of modern Sword & Sorcery fantasy, I'd wager a game based on Nordic and Celtic lore would seem strangely familiar in some ways.

 

Regarding classic horror settings, I'd love to see a MMO built around Ravenloft. There's a setting that has seen precious little love in computer gaming.

What is so appealing about Ravenloft compared to other vampire/horror settings?

I browsed it a bit on Wikipedia and the artwork and some descriptions do sound very appealing and very close to what I was thinking for the Undead.

In most MMO's, the undead are mindless devourers. I would prefer something more along the lines of Vampire Lords with their own plans, Everquest 1 Unrest style mansions, and other types of intelligence in addition or replacement of "destroy everything!!!"

jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Although Greek and Roman mythology is easy for me, I know little about Celtic or Nordic lore, heroes, and fiction.

I would prefer more along the lines of fictional or historical heroes (Arthur, Robin-hood) as opposed to deities (Thor, Loki, etc.)

The deities are more along the lines of a realm unity. Heroes are faction-based.

Robin Hood, King Arthur- both christian european medieval theme

Dracula, Frankenstein- both "scary" monster halloween undead theme

Norse Hero#1, Norse Hero #2- both followers of Pagan polytheism and nordic deities- but perhaps different ones.

 

Okay, I guess for a Nordic faction I could have the heroes be "deities" that are actually just heroes who are confused as deity (like the Pharaohs of Egypt)

Well, the funny thing is most modern fantasy is rooted in abstracts from both Nordic and Celtic lore. Elves, faeries, etc. I can't remember if it was in the Simarillion or if it was just an essay Tolkien wrote, but I remember reading something by him about how he crafted the lore of Middle Earth and it was really facinating. Since his work is the granddaddy of modern Sword & Sorcery fantasy, I'd wager a game based on Nordic and Celtic lore would seem strangely familiar in some ways.

 

Regarding classic horror settings, I'd love to see a MMO built around Ravenloft. There's a setting that has seen precious little love in computer gaming.

What is so appealing about Ravenloft compared to other vampire/horror settings?

I browsed it a bit on Wikipedia and the artwork and some descriptions do sound very appealing and very close to what I was thinking for the Undead.

In most MMO's, the undead are mindless devourers. I would prefer something more along the lines of Vampire Lords with their own plans, Everquest 1 Unrest style mansions, and other types of intelligence in addition or replacement of "destroy everything!!!"

Yeah, the Wiki article on Ravenloft pretty much lays it out better than I could describe. I never got to play any of the campaign back in the day, but I've read a couple of the books and have always been fascinated by the setting. By its nature, it could be a standalone setting for an MMORPG, or even a part of another D&D setting. There is some crossover between it and Dragonlance, for example.

 

And speaking of Dragonlance, I won't ever be satisfied until I can one day bug the shit out of my fellow players as a Kender.

Banquetto

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Dracula, Frankenstein. I assume these are not copyrighted since they are so old? I know at least the history of Vlad the Impaler is open for use. Not sure about Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was published in 1818, and is thus well out of copyright. However the more popular depiction of the character (with the stitches across his head and bolts in his neck, etc.) pretty much comes from the Boris Karloff movies of the 1930's, so that could be a different matter.

Angelof2070

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by jonrd463

Originally posted by Angelof2070

Originally posted by rmason

take your pick from greek, celtic, or nordic lore. theres tons of them.

Although Greek and Roman mythology is easy for me, I know little about Celtic or Nordic lore, heroes, and fiction.

I would prefer more along the lines of fictional or historical heroes (Arthur, Robin-hood) as opposed to deities (Thor, Loki, etc.)

The deities are more along the lines of a realm unity. Heroes are faction-based.

Robin Hood, King Arthur- both christian european medieval theme

Dracula, Frankenstein- both "scary" monster halloween undead theme

Norse Hero#1, Norse Hero #2- both followers of Pagan polytheism and nordic deities- but perhaps different ones.

 

Okay, I guess for a Nordic faction I could have the heroes be "deities" that are actually just heroes who are confused as deity (like the Pharaohs of Egypt)

Well, the funny thing is most modern fantasy is rooted in abstracts from both Nordic and Celtic lore. Elves, faeries, etc. I can't remember if it was in the Simarillion or if it was just an essay Tolkien wrote, but I remember reading something by him about how he crafted the lore of Middle Earth and it was really facinating. Since his work is the granddaddy of modern Sword & Sorcery fantasy, I'd wager a game based on Nordic and Celtic lore would seem strangely familiar in some ways.

 

Regarding classic horror settings, I'd love to see a MMO built around Ravenloft. There's a setting that has seen precious little love in computer gaming.

What is so appealing about Ravenloft compared to other vampire/horror settings?

I browsed it a bit on Wikipedia and the artwork and some descriptions do sound very appealing and very close to what I was thinking for the Undead.

In most MMO's, the undead are mindless devourers. I would prefer something more along the lines of Vampire Lords with their own plans, Everquest 1 Unrest style mansions, and other types of intelligence in addition or replacement of "destroy everything!!!"

Yeah, the Wiki article on Ravenloft pretty much lays it out better than I could describe. I never got to play any of the campaign back in the day, but I've read a couple of the books and have always been fascinated by the setting. By its nature, it could be a standalone setting for an MMORPG, or even a part of another D&D setting. There is some crossover between it and Dragonlance, for example.

 

And speaking of Dragonlance, I won't ever be satisfied until I can one day bug the shit out of my fellow players as a Kender.

Thank you.

Although there are no Kenders, there will be a Jester class.

If anyone has ever played Dragon Warrior 3 for the NES, there was the Goof-Off. One of my all-time favorite classes.

Also, I have always loved Bard's in MMORPG's- primarily Everquest 1's bard, but also the Minstrel from DAoC (but mainly just in PvE, solo. Not as much in groups or PvP, even though it was still one of my favorite classes even then.)

Nothing is cooler than a class that can have a pet, mesmerize the enemy, regen, power regen, attack, speed song, wear good armor, and stealth.

 

The Humans have a Jester (Bard) and a Jeckle (Bardic Rogue). Jeckle is a mix of Heckle (mockery/insult) and Jester, (the name also being famous from Dr.Jekyll) and will PROBABLY serve Loki in the faction of Pagans/Norse along with the Thane (another of my favorite classes from DAoC that must be copied over to other games, lol)

Kyleran

How about the Mongul Hordes as the third human faction? Masters of mounted combat, raiders at heart, they almost conquered Europe before they were forced back.  Famous characters such as Ghengis Khan, Atillia the Hun etc.

ChrisMattern

How about Charlemagne? Have the Matter of France to go with the Matter of Britain! Be one of the *original* Paladins!

Garvon3

Originally posted by Alcuin

Robin Hood was only an outlaw because King Richard was away on Crusade and Prince John was being an Evil twit.

Robin would have no quarrel with King Arthur.

But I don't think that's your point.

Your idea is good- you have the monarchy and the bandits that oppose them.  What's missing is the invaders- in this case vikings.  Another faction might be the native(or-long time) inhabitants, in which case I'll say Scottish Highlanders a la Braveheart.

Although Amazons are always nice.

 

Agreed. 

 

But thinking back to Dark Age of Camelot, hmm. Well the problem with King Arthur is that while he was king the land was in peace, and if you wanted to find conflict you'd have to dip into the supernatural. Like Avalon, Queen Mab, Morgana, ect. 

Or perhaps there are still "barbarian" (arthur's view) celts in Scotland who worship the pagan gods. 

There's also a chance for Viking raiders (kind of the same as Saxons though) and while they wouldn't be in England, Greek based factions would be great somehow. 

fansede

Lots of tales and folk lore from the Brothers Grimm.

spookydom

I think The Great King and Robin Hood could only exist at the same time frame if it was done in some kind of tongue in cheek style otherwise it would be historicly inacurate nightmare. By tongue in cheek I mean this; remember thoes cheesy hollywood films from the 1950's-60's where all the main actors had American accents, like King Arthur or Lancealot or El-Cid, Prince valient or whoever. And by that rational you could make it a faction free for all. How about throwing in Ninja's or samurai for instance going toe to toe with medevil knights or Vikings. Plus the Mongel Hordes invading from the east. Throw in some Roman Legionaries and a Greek Phalanx or some native American Indian tribes....now thats a game I could get into right there.:)

astoria

---

Originally posted by spookydom
I think The Great King and Robin Hood could only exist at the same time frame if it was done in some kind of tongue in cheek style otherwise it would be historicly inacurate nightmare. By tongue in cheek I mean this; remember thoes cheesy hollywood films from the 1950's-60's where all the main actors had American accents, like King Arthur or Lancealot or El-Cid, Prince valient or whoever. And by that rational you could make it a faction free for all. How about throwing in Ninja's or samurai for instance going toe to toe with medevil knights or Vikings. Plus the Mongel Hordes invading from the east. Throw in some Roman Legionaries and a Greek Phalanx or some native American Indian tribes....now thats a game I could get into right there.:)

---

50s and 60s? I can't count how many Roman era american films I've been to in the 90s and 2000s, expecting the actors to sound like my Italian cousins and in-laws, and they have English accents. wtf? lol.

But ya, One idea would be to make it a revision of history. Have those named people in the back-story or flashbacks and perhaps have it several hundred years later. Imagine the 1800s if The U.S. was 30 or so 'states' with no federal govt, and if the British isles were 4 nations of Wales (AKA Cymru), Cornwall, Londinum, and Scotland (AKA Alba)?