Author "starting age"

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Here's something for you. I can't define the weapon, but every time you use it, it erodes the weapon user's pysche. Lots of scope for character development (disintergration?). The price of saving the world is being a drooling idiot? Moorcock did this as an end of series kicker. (The Jewel In The Skull), but I'm not aware of anybody doing it as a continuing weapon feature. (Niven's Not Long before The End? Shrug?)

It's been done before. Captain Brage in Baldur's Gate 1 has a cursed two-handed sword. If you obtain it and then use it, you go berserk, granting you a lot of stat bonuses in strength, speed, and stamina. Also, you'll kill everything in sight, indiscriminately. The more often you use the sword, the longer the berserk period lasts, until at some point, you turn completely mad. Eventually, you'll die, either of exhaustion because of being berserk forever, or because you'll take risks that will get you killed. (You don't have control over your character when it's in this cursed berserk mode.)

Also, I don't want to create an "evil" weapon, to be honest.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It's been done before. Captain Brage in Baldur's Gate 1 has a cursed two-handed sword. If you obtain it and then use it, you go berserk, granting you a lot of stat bonuses in strength, speed, and stamina. Also, you'll kill everything in sight, indiscriminately. The more often you use the sword, the longer the berserk period lasts, until at some point, you turn completely mad. Eventually, you'll die, either of exhaustion because of being berserk forever, or because you'll take risks that will get you killed. (You don't have control over your character when it's in this cursed berserk mode.)

Also, I don't want to create an "evil" weapon, to be honest.

Sorry, just popping out an idea. thought it might be of use...

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Sorry, just popping out an idea. thought it might be of use...

Nothing to apologize about.

I've read enough fantasy to have seen a lot of stuff already, and it becomes hard to be original. Even then, the change (edit: chance) exists that this "original" idea has been done several times already in fantasy one has not yet read (or played in a game).

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Nothing to apologize about.

I've read enough fantasy to have seen a lot of stuff already, and it becomes hard to be original. Even then, the change exists that this "original" idea has been done several times already in fantasy one has not yet read (or played in a game).

Sometimes, it's not so much having an original idea, but an original take on an existing idea. There have been a lot of "first trip to the moon" stories, but I don't think anyone would confuse Verne's From the Earth To The Moon with Heinlein's Rocketship Galileo.

[crich70]

I don't think there is really such a thing as a totally original idea. Hercules was given to fits (epilepsy) as I understand it and his stories were written way back in ancient Greece. It's just the spin that the individual writer gives an idea that makes it original, not the idea itself.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by crich70

I don't think there is really such a thing as a totally original idea. Hercules was given to fits (epilepsy) as I understand it and his stories were written way back in ancient Greece. It's just the spin that the individual writer gives an idea that makes it original, not the idea itself.

I just discovered something....

In the first Harry Potter book, it seems Harry has a fight on a life-size chessboard. (I haven't read that book yet.) In Baldur's Gate's expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, the adventuring party has a fight in Durlag's Tower, on a life-size chessboard, as well.

The book is from 1997 or 1998 (UK, or US), the game is from december 1998, and the expansion from June 1999.

I wonder if the makes of Tales of the Sword Coast knew of the Harry Potter book. At that time, I've not seen any references to Harry Potter with regard to that chessboard scene, not even from players.

Durlag's Tower Chessboard fight:
[Image deleted - MODERATOR]

[speakingtohe]

Makes me think of Battle Chess from the late 80's

Helen

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Makes me think of Battle Chess from the late 80's

Helen

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Makes me think of Battle Chess from the late 80's

How
could
I
have
forgotten
that?

It was one of the very first computer chess games I owned. I actually still have it

[crich70]

It wouldn't surprise me if either J.K. Rowling influenced the game or the game influenced her if even on a sub conscience level. I remember there was an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show that covered that theme. Laura wrote a children's story and the potential publisher rejected it because it was almost word for word a re-writing of an already published children's book. Apparently she had either read it as a child or had it read to her and her sub conscious mind filtered out that fact and just reminded her of the story itself.

[kennyc]

Numerous examples of that in the music industry - the "My Sweet Lord" George Harrison thing as one example. - http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/mysweet.htm

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by crich70

It wouldn't surprise me if either J.K. Rowling influenced the game or the game influenced her if even on a sub conscience level.

It could be that Battle Chess influenced Rowling; it's not possible for Tales of the Sword Coast to have done that, as that game was released after the first Harry Potter book.

I remember there was an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show that covered that theme. Laura wrote a children's story and the potential publisher rejected it because it was almost word for word a re-writing of an already published children's book. Apparently she had either read it as a child or had it read to her and her sub conscious mind filtered out that fact and just reminded her of the story itself.

Could be... there was a similar problem at the coronation of the new Dutch King. A story was written for that event, but it seemed to have been based on a very old, very well known melody.

The composer caught a lot of flack for that ("You were very handsomely paid to compose a song, not to reuse an old melody"), but he insisted he wrote the piece himself, and that any similarities were coincidental.

[morriss003]

I wrote my first two novels at 14 and other novels in my twenties, but I did not try to publish anything until I was in my mid 50's. The computer, word processors, spell check, and digital publishing allowed me to do so.

[crich70]

People have started doing other artistic things later in life. Grandma Moses was in her 70's when she started painting.

[kennyc]

Yeah, but she was a grandma!