2 replies to this topic

[Boot]

I haven't read any Kull stories yet, but from just flipping through some of the pages of the Kull comics, both new and old (that I will get to at some point), it seems that the time of Kull had a bigger fantasy element in it than does the time of Conan. I say that because of the fantasy races I see amongst the pages--Snake Men and all sorts of others, here and there.

When I convert D&D adventures for my Conan game, I throw out as many of the fantasy elements as I can. Goblins, Orcs, Gnolls, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, and the like all become humans. Sometimes, if needed, I'll make different fantasy races into different human races. For example, a goblin might be a Zamorian while an Orc might become a Gunderman.

Actual creatures, I'll usually leave alone, unless they are just way too fantasy oriented. I wouldn't have a D&D dragon in my Hyborian Age set game. But, I don't see why a Wyvern couldn't be flying amongst the peaks of the Eiglophians.

I also cut down on the quantity of monsters--and the various types. Monster enounters during the Hyborian Age are more rare. The PC group might still run into that Wyvern I mentioned, but they're not going to run into rot grubs, dopplegangers, centaurs (which I probably turned into Hyrkanian riders, anyway), and umber hulks. I'd probably throw all those out and just keep the one Wyvern encounter. Something like an Invisible Stalker wouldn't be a random encounter, either. I'd have it meshed with the story, or I'd throw it out.

Mechanical traps, I'll usally keep, as long as they're believeable. Magical traps go out with the rest of the fantasy stuff--unless the appearance of that Magic Mouth on the statue is tied to the adventure plot (and, even then, I'd probably change the "magic mouth" magic into a god or something speaking through a statue.).

Looking quickly at the Kull stuff, though, althought not Lord of the Rings, Kull's time does seem to be a bit more forgiving of fantasy oriented encounters.

What do you think?

[Haemogoblin]

I disagree with the implicit characterization of fantasy in your post, but I get your point. I'd point out that there's a lot of "DnDish" Conan stories. Take a look at "The Tower of the Elephant," how much more DnD can it get? There's traps, beasts, monsters, a space-god-elephant-man-thing and an evil sorcerer enslaving him. That's like heavy metal album cover level DnD. Maybe things are portrayed differently in the comics, but the stories are chock full o' monsters (see QotBC, "Red Nails," "The Vale of Lost Women" etc).

But, there's not really widespread sentient humanoid races and magic isn't Vancian. Those things are limited in Kull too, however.

And I guess there's no really Elric-esque cosmic law vs. chaos stuff, which is an important component to something being "DnD," I think.

[Zula]

Kull rocks. Conan rocks. As Bruce Lee said..."Use what is useful and get rid of what is Useless..."