Babel Clash

Back in November, Jeff Mariotte joined Bill Slavicsek and Ed Greenwood to chat all things Dungeons & Dragons.  Aside from all the writing he does, Jeff is also one of the co-owners of the Mysterious Galaxy book store in San Diego.  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you pay them a visit.  The specialize in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and the mystery genres.  You can check them out on the web here for more info - http://www.mystgalaxy.com/

I was very excited to see Jeff send this blog along.  It really hits home on a number of fronts, so please give it a read.

First and foremost, I wanted to thank everyone involved with our Dungeons & Dragons theme over the last two weeks!  A big thanks goes out to Ed Greenwood, Bill Slavicsek, Bob Salvatore, and Jeff Mariotte!  All four of you made for a great two weeks on the blog!  I encourage the readers of Babel Clash to think D&D this holiday season as they look to fill out their shopping lists!

Before we can get to the massive holiday shopping though, there’s Thanksgiving!  A time to eat good food, watch bad football, see what happens when the combustible sides of the family get together, and rest up for the 4AM shopping blitz on Black Friday!

On this Thanksgiving week, I am thankful for our next two Babel Clash guests!  For the next two weeks, we will be graced with the presence of not one, but TWO, New York Times Bestselling Authors.

You may recognize who our first guest is from the smiley face with fangs logo her Vlad Tod series is known for.  That’s right, our first guest is Heather Brewer, whose final volume in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, just came out this Fall!  It’s called Twelfth Grade Kills!

Joining Heather on the blog is an author who is also familiar with vampires…Rachel Caine!  In her series, the Morganville Vampires, we follow Claire Danvers, a student at Texas Prairie University as she copes with living in a town designed and run by vampires.  Her latest in the series, Ghost Town, came out this Fall! 

Please join me in welcoming Heather and Rachel to the blog!  (also, while I mentioned you should make sure D&D is on your holiday wish lists, I think it goes without saying that Heather and Rachel should find a spot on there as well…)

In case you want a little sample of what to expect from Heather and Rachel, here’s a quick clip of them interviewing each other at Comicon!

Sorry for the Toy Story reference, but in a sense it fits for this post.  Ed, Bill, and Jeff spoke of it last week, but I’m also curious to get your take as well.  As a NY Times Bestselling author, what does the publishing industry look like to you as you gaze into your crystal ball?  Are ebooks here to stay?  Are libraries things of the past?  Will self-publishing overtake traditional publishing?  In your next post, I’m wondering if you would touch on how you see the publishing industry evolving.  Also, on a more refined topic, how will D&D evolve and be affected as technology continues to improve?

Since we have two new guests coming up tomorrow (more on that later today), if you’d also like to take some time promoting some of your current releases and getting fans excited about what’s coming up, please feel free!

It’s been a blast having you this past week.  Thanks for closing up a great two weeks where we got to chat about the ever-branching world of D&D!

When I outlined “The Crystal Shard” and sent the sample chapter and the concept in to TSR (in an attempt to win the spot for the 2nd Forgotten Realms’ novel),  it was Wulfgar’s story.  Drizzt did not exist, not even in my mind.  He was not a character I had played in a game - we didn’t even allow drow elves as player characters in our game.

In fact, the only reason Drizzt came into existence was because of a mistake.  When TSR asked me to audition for the 2nd Realms novel, they sent me the only thing they had printed: a copy of Doug Niles “Darkwalker on Moonshae.” In that book, the maps showed only these small islands - no hint of the larger Forgotten Realms - so I, of course, thought the Moonshae Islands the whole of the land.  Because of that, I used one of Doug’s characters,a  human rogue, to introduce the hero of my book.  That was the sample chapter.

It wasn’t until TSR explained the scope of the Forgotten Realms to me and I was able to set my book thousands of miles from Doug’s work that I found myself in a scramble for a new sidekick to Wulfgar.  Under pressure, off the top of my head, came Drizzt Do’Urden, the Dark Elf ranger.  This story is much more detailed in the Foreward of the The Dark Elf Trilogy omnibus edition - it’s a pretty funny story, actually.

So did I expect that this off-the-top-of-my-head sidekick character would become so incredibly popular?  Of course not!  Hey, i was just trying to get a book published - just one book.  If I could publish just one book, I would be happy, so I told myself.  I had no idea it would evolve to this.

But I did know one thing, or learned it very quickly, I should say: when I started writing that first book, on page 2, I knew.  I had this “sidekick” running across the tundra, tackled by yetis and rescued by this very intriguing dwarf.  And I knew.  This wasn’t Wulfgar’s story at all.  It was Drizzt’s.  Something about him, the classic outcast, the lone ranger, captured my attention and drew me to him almost immediately.

I had no idea that he would become what he has, of course, but I knew that I wanted to know him a lot better.

I do have a fear now that Drizzt has, or will, outgrow me.  I don’t like sharing him (well, I find the fanfic flattering, but I don’t want other authors writing him professionally!), and no, in this case, I don’t play well with others.  As far as the Drizzt portraits go, or t-shirts, or miniatures and things of that nature, I have no real dog in the fight; I just enjoy what the various artists do and usually love their interpretations.

But with the Drizzt story, with the character, that’s my domain.  You won’t see Drizzt stories or comics or novels without my name attached, which means without me writing or co-writing them.

What can I say?  He’s my favorite character; his personal journey is part-and-parcel of my own.

Bob

Let’s get out of the dark place that killing off a major character gets you into and talk about something a little easier to write about - Drizzt Do’Urden.

Drizzt’s come a long way since The Crystal Shard.  I know you have probably spend a long time talking about Drizzt and his evolution from the days of The Crystal Shard to now, but I’m curious - when you wrote The Crystal Shard, did you ever imagine that character becoming so popular…especially given that he’s a dark elf?

In your next post, it would be great to see you talk about the evolution of the Drizzt character (from sidekick to what he is today).  He’s appeared in everything from novels, to comics, to video games, to the YA series you write with your son.  I think it’s safe to say the character you created on the fly for Crystal Shard has definitely shaped the D&D World forever. 

Also, with your collaboration with your son (and with others who have written the Drizzt character in various medium), is it hard for you to entrust the character’s integrity with someone else?  If you’d like to expand on collaboration with your son in regards to the Stone of Tymora Trilogy (The final book of the trilogy, The Sentinels, was just released), that would be great.  Also, in regards to the YA series, was it hard to reimagine the Drizzt character for a YA audience?

Sorry about yesterday.  My family had a quick bout with the plague and I was slightly incapacitated.  Chris, thanks for covering!

Also, thanks to Bob and Geno for carrying on the D&D torch this week!

I must admit, I haven’t tried 4th Edition quite yet (I think it has more to do with what version I played as a kid more than anything), but after reading your post yesterday, I’ll definitely give it a try. 

While I was laid up yesterday (and thinking that I was going to die), I started thinking about death in literature (fantasy and otherwise).  When the story requires you to kill someone off in your work, how does that affect you as a writer and as a person?  Do you think death scenes are some of the hardest scenes to write?  Hopefully at this point, this is no longer a spoiler, but with Rowling for instance, she’s come out and said some of the deaths in her Potter series wrecked her emotionally.  I’m wondering if that’s the same for you?  I’m guessing it was pretty hard to write a certain scene about a certain Wookie in Vector Prime for instance.

Also, since we’re talking mainly about fantasy…should dead characters stay dead?  I’m currently reading the Blackest Night graphic novel from DC and the entire plot revolves around resurrected Black Lanterns.  I also remember being extremely upset when Superman died (the first time).  Now, it’s being reported that Marvel is doing a “Death of Spider-Man” story next year with their Ultimate universe.  I guess I see the death/rebirth scenarios more in comics than anywhere else, but I’m wondering how you feel about the finality of death in literature?

Hello Dane and all.  Good to be here, following up some of my favorite folks.

Well into my first 4th Edition campaign now - my monk hit level 6 last night.  We killed a demon - nasty little bugger with all kinds of fiery tricks for us.  I finished him off with my Disruptive Fist Attack; felt good to finally put that stomp-down to good use, particularly since it was the only daily I had left to use.

I think I’m finally figuring out the key to 4th Edition.  I’ve always been a 1st-2nd hybrid player (with a  bunch of House Rules thrown in for good measure).  My sons, however, are in love with 4th Edition, and since it’s Bryan’s turn to DM, that’s what we’re playing.  For a while, though impressed with the mechanics, I found myself having a hard time getting into the game.  It was feeling like a card or miniature game, not an RPG, and I vastly prefer RPGs.

The key to the earlier editions was a strong DM who could create an entertaining exploration/adventure.  That’s still needed, of course, but with 4th, I now realize, the onus is also on the players.  If you’re going to flip a card and just name the power you’re using, then yes, you’re playing a card game, a strategy game.

But if the players inject their role-playing into it, if my monk describes the movements as I execute Spinning Leopard, for example, then the game moves right back into role-playing territory.

I think I’m starting to like this, a lot.

I have the distinct honor of both introducing R.A. and Geno Salvatore and welcoming them to Babel Clash for the week.  I have to admit that I’m personally excited, as my copy of Homeland is probably the most dog-eared book in my home library.  R.A. Salvatore was and is one of my personal favorite authors and I’ve also been enjoying the work of his son, Geno.  R.A’s latest book, Gauntlgrym, continues the saga of Drizzt Do’Urden and Bruenor Battlehammer which began over twenty years ago.  Together, R.A. and Geno have also written the YA series The Stone of Tymora, featuring Maimum, the aforementioned stone and appearances from many well-known Forgotten Realms characters.  I’d highly recommend any book with the Salvatore name on it.

Enough gushing, though (I could seriously go on for hours, but that’s not what they pay me for.  Or at all.).  This week, both R.A. and Geno will be stopping in to discuss a variety of topics.  Since Dane is unfortunately sick today, it falls to me, Bizarro Babel Clash, to get the ball rolling.  The fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons has been out for about thirty months at this point and I still find myself discovering new things to do every time I flip through my Player’s Handbook.  What do you love about 4e?  Are there any fun stories you can share from your local game?  What is it that draws you in?  For me, it’s the action.  I know every game is different, based on the GM, but it seems to me like I’m doing more and listening less than with 3e.  Don’t get me wrong, I love 3e.  It’s what I grew up with.  It’s just that, as I get older, I have less time for gaming and being in a session where I feel like I’m always doing something is, at this point, a more enjoyable use of my time.

I wanted to thank Ed, Bill, and Jeff for a great week of blogging and conversation.  I really enjoyed the glimpse into your worlds and hope you had as much fun sharing as I did reading.

Unfortunately, I’ve never made it to a con in my life, but just how they stoke the creative fires for Ed and Jeff, their posts have stoked my curiosity to get to one next year.  Although, I was a bit disheartened by Ed’s revelation that successful writers don’t sit around on the couch watching football and bad reality TV (which I do plenty of).  I guess I need to change a few of my habits if I ever want to see my elusive novel in print.  But, enough about me though!

Since today’s the last day for all three of you, I’d like to offer up the opportunity to plug any current and future projects you’re working on.  Also, since it’s the holiday season, what types of things are on your wish list?  What should be on our wish lists (D&D-related or not)?

Thanks again guys!  This was a blast.

Readers, don’t forget that after Ed, Bill, and Jeff sign off today, tomorrow R.A. and Geno Salvatore start their week!

Thanks for the insight on what it was like to bring the 4th Edition World into life in your current novels.  Great perspective from all of you.  Speaking of 4th Edition, how do you feel all things 4E have been received so far?  Everything from new rules to the novels that supplement the changes?  what kind of buzz are you hearing about all things 4E?

Now, to kind of tie into the title of my post today, let’s talk about the future.  I think it’s safe to say Dungeons & Dragons has found its way into the realm of pop culture.  I’ve seen the game come up in songs, TV shows, books, even movies (the two D&D movies as well as other theatrical releases).  My question is:  what does the future hold for Dungeons & Dragons?  My guess is the core will remain the same - campaign books, minis, novels, etc. - but what’s next?  Do you see RPGs translating to an ebook format?  For me personally, I’d choose a mass market mystery novel over a D&D book if I was buying an ebook.  There’s just something about holding the hardcover edition and experiencing the full-color illustrations, etc. that I don’t think would translate over to ebook land.  Is there anywhere you don’t want to see the game go (D&D themed reality show or something to that effect perhaps…)?

Since we’re talking about the future, let’s broaden this a bit - as authors, and fans, of the fantasy genre - where does it go from here?  What do you think will be the next “epic” thing in epic fantasy?  What will be the next slashing hit with sword & sorcery (bad puns intended)?