Achaea books/mythos related

Boosteya

The following CLT history is from Mudlet clan:

- 2012/09/03 11:57:42 - A says, "Holy frek, MKO beat us out. Are they really that much better?"

- 2012/09/03 11:58:21 - B says, "Probs."

- 2012/09/03 11:58:35 - C says, "They're getting more people because there's a related series of books."

- 2012/09/03 11:58:54 - A says, "Bleh."

- 2012/09/03 11:59:23 - C says, "I should suggest to IRE that a series of books based on Achaea be published."

- 2012/09/03 11:59:40 - B says, "If they got tancred to write them I'd be all over that -."

- 2012/09/03 11:59:45 - C says, "Jurixe can write the first ."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:07 - D says, "Well it is still early in the round so we will pass them."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:09 - C says, "Multiple authors, B."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:15 - A says, "Iono, if they really were gonna have a series based off Achaea... it'd hafta be an older one."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:18 - B says, "Tancred or bust sry."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:37 - C says, "You know, each writer writing his or her story for what I hope would be a growing series."

- 2012/09/03 12:00:44 - A says, "I mean, something from back either near the 100's, or even before the current era."

- 2012/09/03 12:01:19 - A says, "And that's the honest truth."

- 2012/09/03 12:02:35 - C says, "Perhaps so, A - but if IRE would start something like a book series, we'd see more Achaeans."

- 2012/09/03 12:02:57 - A says, "Quite possibly."

- 2012/09/03 12:02:59 - C says, "Idc when the first volume takes place, but sooner or later, you'd be right."

- 2012/09/03 12:03:05 - D says, "Hell you can just take the Mythos and sell it. It is bloody brilliant."

- 2012/09/03 12:03:21 - A says, "^."

- 2012/09/03 12:03:27 - D says, "Just write it from someone's perspective and it would sell like hotcakes."

- 2012/09/03 12:03:39 - A says, "Except it needs more fleshing out... more adventure, following someone... exactly."

- 2012/09/03 12:04:13 - A says, "I think it would also make Achaea the first MUD with a book-series based off the game."

- 2012/09/03 12:04:20 - B says, "Are you on crack."

- 2012/09/03 12:04:26 - B says, "The mythos is so badly written."

- 2012/09/03 12:04:33 - B says, "It'd need a -complete- rewrite."

- 2012/09/03 12:04:53 - D says, "I am not refering to the quality of the writing, I mean the story."

- 2012/09/03 12:05:00 - A says, "Granted. But the concepts in the mythos are the brill... what he said."

- 2012/09/03 12:05:02 - C says, "You know what *I* think Achaea needs well-written? What about a book wherein a mortal intierviews the Elder Gods, Phaestus, Maya, tries to interview anyone and everyone who was alive back then, to try and get a journalistic-style history of the events of the Mythos?"

- 2012/09/03 12:05:19 - E says, "... no."

- 2012/09/03 12:05:25 - B says, "That's what the mythos is supposed to be."

- 2012/09/03 12:05:41 - C says, "Well, it isn't."

- 2012/09/03 12:05:53 - B says, "Except not interviews bc all I'd want from that endeavour is a set of charred remains."

- 2012/09/03 12:06:06 - A says, "You all did vote, right?"

- 2012/09/03 12:06:11 - D says, "Aye."

- 2012/09/03 12:07:05 - C says, "Just because you can't do it, B,doesn't mean it can't be done."

- 2012/09/03 12:07:16 - D says, "I know the point of view is wrong, and the writing is a bit strange at times, but the whole story behind the ethose, if fleshed out and written from the perspective people in those times like Nicator, it would be one hell of a story."

- 2012/09/03 12:07:20 - E says, "B is right."

- 2012/09/03 12:07:33 - C says, "Why?"

- 2012/09/03 12:07:36 - F says, "Stfu plez, unless you all want to point your overblown opinions at mudlet related topics."

- 2012/09/03 12:08:00 - D says, "Ok, what system did Nicator use? *duck*."

- 2012/09/03 12:08:03 - A says, "Aright, aright. The mighty F has spoken, and he's unfortunately correct."

- 2012/09/03 12:10:05 - C says, "Fine. If Achaeans.wishToDiscuss == "Achaea books/mythos/related" then AchaeaForum("thread") <---- does this work, guys?"

- 2012/09/03 12:10:21 - A says, "No, you need an end in there, and If needs to be if."

- 2012/09/03 12:10:25 - C says, "Wait, forgot to put an 'end' after my function."

- 2012/09/03 12:10:39 - C says, "Thanks, A."

I am, obviously, 'C.'

Any discussion, feel free. Thank you.

Edit: language

Nemutaur

You'd need a decent publisher to get anywhere with non-Achaeans or you might have to make it really cheap ebooks.

Maybe you could hire an established fantasy writer to do the first novel or something, but I don't know how this could work.

Xer

Eh? I don't see how MKO ever beat Achaea in the votes anywhere from mid to end month. Early game, Achaea always starts off really slow in the votes, not sure why. Maybe because we have more sporadic people who come in and play and remember to vote?

But books on the other hand, would totally read if Jurixe made them :P

Arador

Oh HELL YES! The mythos written in a WoT style epic.

I would gladly hand over my money.

Eld

Arador said:

Oh HELL YES! The mythos written in a WoT style epic. I would gladly hand over my money.

Written over the course of 20 years with the author dying before finishing it? No thanks.

Arador

Jurixe is still young. We'll be fine.

Tarkanian

would buy this in a heartbeat. although, the cons may outweigh the pros, and one would have to consider the cost. so...

e-books, ftw.

Amunet

The series upon which Midkemia was based was popular long before the game came out. I don't think a book series based in Achaea would really increase Achaea's popularity that much, though it might be a good marketing gimmick to get current players to hand over more money.

Eld

For some reason it wasn't till @Amunet's comment that I recalled that the books on which MKO is based were themselves based on (or plagiarised from, depending on who you talk to and/or how charitable you're feeling) a roleplaying game first published in the 70s called Empire of the Petal Throne. So clearly what we need is for someone to write some books based on their experience in Achaea, and then have someone a while down the road create a new MUD (or whatever newfangled thing people have then) based on those books.

Jurixe

I appreciate the compliments, but having just come from reading Tancred Lasalle's books, I have to say he (or she in real life, I haven't a clue) is a master. If he were to write something like this for Achaea, I would have absolutely no problem buying/reading them. As for myself, I prefer writing stories about one-off events and making them come to life rather than long, intricate novels, just because they're easier for me to keep track of and complete. If I did come up with an idea, though, I'd give it a shot.

I actually do think that it would increase interest in Achaea if there were good books published about Achaean experiences. Obviously you'd have to modify them a little so that people who aren't familiar with Achaean skills and terminology would get it, but that's quite easily done. 

I've thought vaguely about IRE maybe choosing and binding some of the best Bardics into an actual book - I don't know how well that would sell beyond Achaeans, but I wouldn't be averse to having a copy of Final Resting of Travian Shea IRL. 

Tarkanian

or maybe a book of the combined works of bards and artisans, and marketed as created by a ghost writer?... i don't think non-achaeans would be too keen to take time to read the works of recreational/amateur literary writers/poets/artists.

regardless, some of the works of our players are really really good. and they deserve the spotlight.

Wysteria

Ask any poetry society run by a uni group and you'll find a surprisingly large number of people who purchase those amateur poetry anthologies. I don't personally but know plenty people who do. It's possible, just have to market it right.

Sarapis

Eld said:

For some reason it wasn't till @Amunet's comment that I recalled that the books on which MKO is based were themselves based on (or plagiarised from, depending on who you talk to and/or how charitable you're feeling) a roleplaying game first published in the 70s called Empire of the Petal Throne. So clearly what we need is for someone to write some books based on their experience in Achaea, and then have someone a while down the road create a new MUD (or whatever newfangled thing people have then) based on those books.

No, the books were based on an elaborate D&D-esque campaign that Raymond Feist, the writer, joined at some point. He then wrote books based on the campaign. The books are actually all prequels to the campaign time period. I've got the roleplaying game they eventually published based on the campaign at home somewhere actually.

Eld

Sarapis said:

Eld said:

For some reason it wasn't till @Amunet's comment that I recalled that the books on which MKO is based were themselves based on (or plagiarised from, depending on who you talk to and/or how charitable you're feeling) a roleplaying game first published in the 70s called Empire of the Petal Throne. So clearly what we need is for someone to write some books based on their experience in Achaea, and then have someone a while down the road create a new MUD (or whatever newfangled thing people have then) based on those books.

No, the books were based on an elaborate D&D-esque campaign that Raymond Feist, the writer, joined at some point. He then wrote books based on the campaign. The books are actually all prequels to the campaign time period. I've got the roleplaying game they eventually published based on the campaign at home somewhere actually.

Yeah, I spent a while debating how much detail about the actual situation to bother with in writing that and eventually decided that for a basically joking post I wouldn't really worry about it unless someone complained/asked for clarification. I don't really buy into the plagiarism angle since, as you say, Feist based the stories on a campaign that happened to have pulled heavily from the Tekumel setting. Most people I've seen really complaining about that angle (such as here) seem to be arguing that given the extensive parallels between Kelewan and Tekumel (again, interpretations seem to vary, from "similar" to "basically identical"), Feist has not done as much as he ought to acknowledge the extent to which Kelewan was not his own creation.
In retrospect, saying the Riftwar saga is "based on" Empire of the Petal Throne is probably too far. I'll be the last to claim that the strict truth doesn't occasionally suffer for my attempts at humour.

Sarapis

I don't know anything about Tekumel, though I'll check it out, thanks!

Kelewan is interesting in the Midkemia universe as it's actually kind of a tacked-on addition. It's unnecessary for the meta-story but still ends up being integral to the most interesting/best books in the whole 20+ book series. Between the Tsurani in the Magician and Serpentwar Saga series and the Mistress of Empire, it was really good. In the books, the world of Kelewan was completely destroyed too.

Also random fact: We aren't allowed to build Kelewan on MKO, because Janny Wurts.shares copyright on some of the world, and I did the deal with Feist alone.

Aktillum

lol I suggested they bundle up the bardics and throw them on kindle to Jeremy like a year ago.

Jonathin

@Crathen and I were already putting the bardics into a format that a Kindle can read (mostly Crathen), but I don't think he was able to get some of the artist's permission so he stopped or something. Maybe he just forgot about it like I did. 

www.mosr.webs.com has what few ebooks we were able to convert, maybe that's what I'll do on Sunday (The rest of the Seleucar story) as long as none of the admins have a problem with it (there wasn't a problem before, but if something changed, let me know.)

Jonathin

Regarding above: I figured out a better way of doing it than I was previously (about 5x faster, but I have to work out the kinks) so I will definitely be able to put the rest of the books up on my site.

Crathen

I found people pretty reticent about having their bardic entries put into the .mobi format, so I gave up. I might give it another shot soon, who knows.

edit: that is to say, most people I pmed didn't respond.