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Not aware of it at all until now Larry Send a noteboard - 12/09/2012 11:18:57 PM
I have noticed a tension between the character of Raistlin and the gameworld's absolutist approach toward Good/Neutral/Evil. His character is interesting at times; the writing just dampens it considerably for me. Much of that is likely due to the game origins getting in way of the trilogy's main plot/characterizations.


The game has a nine-part alignment spectrum ranging from 'Lawful Good' to 'Chaotic Evil' and stopping off at intervening points (consisting of Good/Neutral/Evil and Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic). The degree to which players follow this varies (some ignore it, some follow it and award harsh penalties for players who act 'against alignment';) but it does seem to create limitations in the fiction, where the writers seem to be bearing it too much in mind.

Raistlin is more interesting in that the character pretty much ignores those rules. Some of the other more successful D&D tie-ins - such as Lynn Abbey's highly revisionist RISE AND FALL OF A DRAGON KING, which presents a not-entirely-condemning portrait of one of the DARK SUN world's biggest villains - are also ones which challenge some of those limitations.

One of Drizzt's problems is that Salvatore writes to his alignment (Chaotic Good) far too rigidly: "He doesn't follow laws but has his own code of honour and Always Does The Right Thing! Whilst being badass!"


Such rules are stupid when trying to develop dynamic characters, but then again, I've never played the game, so it may be different within that context.

Shakespeare this is not, even if I used the Shakespearean sonnet form :P
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

Je suis méchant.
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This may be one of the most dire reviews you shall ever read - 09/09/2012 09:12:25 PM 2069 Views
Certainly one of the most original, you get points for that. - 09/09/2012 10:39:00 PM 1328 Views
Well... - 09/09/2012 10:57:25 PM 1315 Views
A review of a D&D bestiary could be more dire. - 09/09/2012 11:29:17 PM 1178 Views
Perhaps - 09/09/2012 11:50:20 PM 1275 Views
Hey now. Owlbears are awesome. - 11/09/2012 02:35:28 AM 1488 Views
That page is painful to behold - 11/09/2012 03:09:29 AM 1313 Views
They are popular as they are fun, easy reading books - 10/09/2012 12:11:24 AM 1254 Views
"Popular", "Fun," and "Easy" doesn't have to be equated with poorly-written - 10/09/2012 12:16:27 AM 1400 Views
Poorly written by what standard? - 10/09/2012 12:29:17 AM 1343 Views
By the standards of what I enjoyed as a nine year-old? - 10/09/2012 01:04:12 AM 1290 Views
So like I said, by the standards of Elitist Literary Snobs - 11/09/2012 12:03:08 AM 1393 Views
Nice attempt at sophistry, but alas, it fails - 11/09/2012 12:38:24 AM 1284 Views
Was that meant to make any sense? - 11/09/2012 01:43:13 AM 1442 Views
Re: Was that meant to make any sense? - 11/09/2012 01:54:23 AM 1297 Views
I'm with Wibble on this (big surprise) - 12/09/2012 03:07:53 PM 1409 Views
Heh. - 12/09/2012 03:43:52 PM 1431 Views
Pretty much so - 12/09/2012 04:19:35 PM 1419 Views
When did you put up that header? - 12/09/2012 04:35:20 PM 1307 Views
I didn't put it up - 12/09/2012 04:51:32 PM 1208 Views
I shall tread lightly so. - 12/09/2012 06:15:51 PM 1338 Views
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+6 health? What game are you playing? - 12/09/2012 07:52:52 PM 1245 Views
The Game of Life? - 12/09/2012 08:23:53 PM 1320 Views
Re: Pretty much so - 12/09/2012 08:50:57 PM 1330 Views
You apparently do not read my blog/reviews much - 12/09/2012 09:07:18 PM 1345 Views
Actually, I read them almost never - 13/09/2012 03:07:48 PM 1387 Views
I think my IQ dropped a little bit when I parsed what you said - 13/09/2012 04:16:21 PM 1338 Views
Yep, your usual rebuttal... *NM* - 17/09/2012 02:14:56 PM 667 Views
No, not really - 17/09/2012 06:25:15 PM 1182 Views
Yes, Yes, wrap yourself in arrogance and declare yourself correct until your opposite gets bored... - 17/09/2012 11:12:17 PM 1469 Views
Nah, I just wipe my ass with arrogance - 18/09/2012 12:23:44 AM 1715 Views
The last word with me is rather difficult to obtain - 18/09/2012 02:48:03 PM 1240 Views
Don't try to argue with them. They've made their judgments. They are better than you. - 10/09/2012 09:36:17 PM 1309 Views
Defensive much? *NM* - 10/09/2012 10:31:17 PM 711 Views
He never said you couldn't enjoy it. - 10/09/2012 11:10:11 PM 1442 Views
Indeed - 10/09/2012 11:17:20 PM 1300 Views
But they aren't. - 10/09/2012 11:48:14 PM 1336 Views
Prove it. *NM* - 11/09/2012 03:12:17 AM 643 Views
He also went on to compare liking the books to having the standards of a nine-year-old. - 11/09/2012 02:34:18 AM 1289 Views
You didn't read what I said very well then - 11/09/2012 03:16:21 AM 1305 Views
I believe that they were not meant for adults. - 10/09/2012 12:30:05 AM 1301 Views
Basically, both get dubious kudos for trying something new by the dire standards of the day. - 10/09/2012 11:38:22 PM 1308 Views
Interesting point - 11/09/2012 12:41:01 AM 1270 Views
Are you aware of the game's alignment rules? Some of the novels struggle with this. - 12/09/2012 10:58:37 PM 1286 Views
Not aware of it at all until now - 12/09/2012 11:18:57 PM 1284 Views
How is that possible? - 12/09/2012 11:28:33 PM 1229 Views
My dad was (and is) influenced by Evangelicals - 13/09/2012 12:17:36 AM 1191 Views
Wait, so you didn't read the Chronicles first? - 13/09/2012 02:12:13 PM 1186 Views
No - 13/09/2012 02:18:03 PM 1256 Views
Well, it's sort of like starting Jordan at Lord of Chaos - 13/09/2012 05:18:23 PM 1261 Views
Oddly enough, I started WoT at CoS in November 1997 - 13/09/2012 05:56:04 PM 1208 Views
Chronicles is considerably weaker - 13/09/2012 11:14:38 PM 1287 Views
12 modules, not 15 - 14/09/2012 02:55:39 PM 1419 Views
These threads are so much better than the rape threads! *NM* - 12/09/2012 04:03:01 AM 740 Views
You're just waiting to see if I'll use hexameter in the next one *NM* - 12/09/2012 04:32:31 AM 583 Views
When do we get to see some alexandrines? *NM* - 12/09/2012 12:41:29 PM 668 Views
Or quatrains? - 12/09/2012 03:25:13 PM 1180 Views
At least you didn't read the Baldur's Gate novelizations - 14/09/2012 04:29:17 AM 1206 Views
Sssssh! - 14/09/2012 05:10:19 AM 1270 Views
People become lesbians for no reason! - 17/09/2012 04:34:20 PM 1139 Views
I think my IQ dropped further upon learning of this - 17/09/2012 06:29:29 PM 1179 Views
Baldurs Gate wooooo! - 14/09/2012 04:13:34 PM 1330 Views
Is the review dire because of the subject or the sonnet form? - 14/09/2012 04:24:37 PM 1244 Views
Both - 14/09/2012 04:36:59 PM 1225 Views
it would be unusual for someone to just randomly pick books like that up - 14/09/2012 05:05:37 PM 1488 Views
Interesting scenario - 14/09/2012 10:16:11 PM 1246 Views
Re: Interesting scenario - 15/09/2012 09:55:59 AM 1438 Views
Re: Interesting scenario - 17/09/2012 06:28:57 PM 1175 Views

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