As some of you may know I've recently fallen in love with Pundit's awesome Medieval Authentic OSR game "Lion & Dragon". And I want to make a sort of Medieval Authentic setting for it, similar to Pundit's Dark Albion, but in a separate world from it.

So, do not expect Frogland or The Unconquered Sun or any of the other specific touches that were created by Pundit for Dark Albion as this setting is separate from Dark Albion.

The setting I have in mind is titled Dark Avalon and it is based on the Arthurian Legend and the Matter of Britain, much as how Dark Albion is based on The War of the Roses. While the stories of King Arthur have been covered by many other games such as Pendragon, I have yet to see it in the OSR.

Dark Avalon can best be described as Medieval Authentic, but not Medieval Accurate. It is not history as it actually was, but rather history as it was viewed by the Medieval historians and historiographers with some obvious magical and mythical elements as well.

The world of Dark Avalon is ostensibly Sub-Roman Britain in a vague and unspecified mythic bygone age of legends and heroes, but it is Sub-Roman Britain as it was portrayed in the works of Sir Thomas Malory, Christien de Troyes, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Robert de Boron, and other writers of the medieval era, particularly Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and similar Chivalry Romances from the Late Middle Ages.

As such, the world of Dark Avalon is one rooted in romanticism and medieval pseudo-history where Roman emperors and Celtic druids co-exist alongside great stone castles and knights in shining armor and it is assumed that the events of The Bible, Greco-Roman traditions, the Matter of Britain, and Celtic works such as Mabinogion and The Book of Invasions are all treated as actual historical fact of varying degree.

There are several setting details I have been working on for the world of Dark Avalon and I have in mind several interpretations for various Arthurian figures as NPC's in this Arthurian world.

This thread will serve as a development thread for many of my ideas, so forgive me if I double-post in it from time to time.

Here is an "Appendix N" of sorts for Dark Avalon that could serve as useful inspiration for Game Masters and players alike. Works marked with an asterisk are works that I have specifically read, viewed, or am currently reading.

Medieval Literature
Le Morte D'Arthur, Thomas Malory*
Historia Brittonum, Nennius
Historia Regnum Britanniae, Geoffrey of Monmouth
Lancelot, The Knight of the The Cart, Christien de Troyes
Tristan and Iseult, Thomas of Britain
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
The Vulgate Cycle
The Post-Vulgate Cycle
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
The Mabigonion

Modern Literature
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain
The Once and Future King, T.H. White
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer-Bradley*

Films & Television
The Sword In The Stone*
Monty Python and The Holy Grail*
Excalibur*
Lancelot du Lac
Merlin
King Arthur (2004 film)*

So more Excalibur with its anachronisms rather than the more recent attempts to be (allegedly) historically accurate. If so I approve, Excalibur is awesome in all its weirdness and historical inaccuracy.

Nice to see Holy Grail on your movie list, despite it being a comedy it has some fantastic imagery.

Perhaps a good addition to you Appendix N could be the short story The White People by Machen? Very creepy and very English fae. Just get past the dry as dirt framing device.

What a cool idea! But I think some of your modern sources are going to clash with the dark mood you're trying to create (if I understand your goal.) Do you remember In Nomine? The game that couldn't decide if it was The Prophecy or MASH. And no, it was a bug, not a feature.

I tried re-reading White's OAFK after 20 years and was really let down. Not as good as I remembered.

Quote from: Aglondir;1068446What a cool idea! But I think some of your modern sources are going to clash with the dark mood you're trying to create (if I understand your goal.) Do you remember In Nomine? The game that couldn't decide if it was The Prophecy or MASH. And no, it was a bug, not a feature.

I tried re-reading White's OAFK after 20 years and was really let down. Not as good as I remembered.

True, I have yet to read Once and Future King, but it's probably the second-most influential Arthurian work since Le Morte D'Arthur, and it is definitely the most famous of the later Arthurian works, so it would be a little jarring not to at least give it an honorable mention.

I do want Dark Avalon to be essentially a darker take on the old Chivalric Romances although I could easily see other GM's using it for a more idyllic Arthurian game (like The Sword In The Stone) or even comedic stuff like Monty Python.

Are you gonna make this a PDF for everyone to use?

Quote from: arcanuum;1068846Are you gonna make this a PDF for everyone to use?

I just might. I am working on a document for it currently.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1067777Here is an "Appendix N" of sorts for Dark Avalon that could serve as useful inspiration for Game Masters and players alike. Works marked with an asterisk are works that I have specifically read, viewed, or am currently reading.

Medieval Literature
Le Morte D'Arthur, Thomas Malory*
Historia Brittonum, Nennius
Historia Regnum Britanniae, Geoffrey of Monmouth
Lancelot, The Knight of the The Cart, Christien de Troyes
Tristan and Iseult, Thomas of Britain
The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
The Vulgate Cycle
The Post-Vulgate Cycle
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
The Mabigonion

Modern Literature
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain
The Once and Future King, T.H. White
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer-Bradley*

Films & Television
The Sword In The Stone*
Monty Python and The Holy Grail*
Excalibur*
Lancelot du Lac
Merlin
King Arthur (2004 film)*

I would add to your Films and Television: The Tudors, The Borgias and Victoria

Quote from: Tinman;1074787I would add to your Films and Television: The Tudors, The Borgias and Victoria

Can do, will do!

The Tudors was awesome! Even if it wasn't Arthurian.