I mean, what the hell is this?

Quote© 2016 Conan Properties International LLC ("CPI"). CONAN, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, HYBORIA and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of CPI). All rights reserved. ROBERT E. HOWARD and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Robert E. Howard Properties LLC. All rights reserved.

REH died in 1936. How can his works not be public domain now?

The works may be the public domain, but "CONAN", "HYBORIA", "ROBERT E. HOWARD", etc. are trademarked, so you can't use them to sell any Conan-related merchandise.

I doubt any of us really knows better than what you can find here under copyright: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Robert_Ervin_Howard

Note the words "called into question". It's probably like "Happy Birthday to You"--nobody's bothered to scrape up the cash to publish something that will provoke a lawsuit and then mount a defense in court.

Quote from: Akrasia;879897I mean, what the hell is this?



REH died in 1936. How can his works not be public domain now?

This one I can answer.

A company called CPI registered some of the words as TMs. Its been brought into dispute if that registry was legal or not.

CPI or someone else TMed Red Sonja. Which is also in dispute as the character is a fabrication of Marvel and has nothing to do with Red Sonya of Rogatino other than both being fighting women and redheads.

REHP LLC is or was the caretakers of the works and may still retain licenses. Weather or not thats still true I do not know.

Quote from: CRKrueger;879859Kull, Conan, Bran Mak Morn, there's a lineage there, or even a hint of something like Moorcock's Eternal Champion.  Kull showed up in a Bran Mak Morn tale, and there's a lot more dimensional magic and travel going on in Atlantis, so Thulsa Doom really could have shown up in Conan's time.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility given the actual stories.

I'd be interested in such a meta-realm, more than I'm interested in yet another attempt to present same story, with a few tweaks and cuts here and there.

What's an English equivalent of "the dish re-heated and served again" saying?

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879939What's an English equivalent of "the dish re-heated and served again" saying?

Rehashed.

Quote from: CRKrueger;879941Rehashed.

Memorized. :thanx:

Rehashed would be the metaphorical version.
The literal term when applied to food is leftovers, but that's usually not used the same way.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879828I'm happy for you, but the point stands. It's just same setting, perhaps a bit trimmed down. I'd rather see Kanye... dammit... ;]

...KANE's world, or other timelines by Howard (Kull's, O'Brien's, etc), or play a game focused solely on building your own dynasty/kingdom similar to Conan's (or Conn's) reign over Aquilonia.

I don't see a reason to not play a dynastic game with the current setting material. Setting material is just that, setting, especially for the many people here not interested in the system:).
As for your desire for Solomon Kane, I've got Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane and would recommend it. But I'm more interested in Conan;).

QuoteI'm not talking about movie - it's a bit more complicated. Thulsa Doom is Howard's invention. It's just that he didn't introduced him in Conan's timeline. He is Kull's archenemy. It was Milius who decided that these two should meet.

Yes, I know. But it's been said already that this game focuses on the REH's works of Conan, so I assumed you must mean the movie. As you say yourself, TD never meets Conan in REH's works.

QuoteStill, awesome character. :]

Well...opinions may differ here, but I'd tend to agree;).

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879939I'd be interested in such a meta-realm, more than I'm interested in yet another attempt to present same story, with a few tweaks and cuts here and there.

What's an English equivalent of "the dish re-heated and served again" saying?

I think I know. It's "what you give to the dog", right:D?
Also, I'd be utterly uninterested in a Marvel's, Jordan's or anyone else's attempts to write Conan, so I wouldn't purchase such a game.

Quote from: CRKrueger;879858Why Conan source RPG material?  Like source material for anything - Time and Inspiration pure and simple.

The problem is, Howard wasn't a RPG setting builder like Stafford or Barker, he wasn't even a book setting builder like Tolkien, Martin, or even Lieber.  He didn't leave behind all that much in the world-building department, if you're looking for more practical details on how Hyborian Age works on a day to day basis.

So, as an RPG designer, you have to...
1. Go just off what is there and leave whole swaths of the world undetailed and let the GM do it.
2. Infer (so if I know from his writings that Hyperboreans are probably proto-Kurgans, ie, in Howard's view "those who will eventually be Slavs", I can go with that.)
3. Pull from the Pastiche authors
4. Do what RPG setting designers do, make it up (without directly contradicting Howard and trying to infer as much as possible).

Anything someone else makes up, if useful as is, or with tinkering, is something that by definition I don't have to, which saves me a lot of time.

Since they are bringing REH scholars, I hope they are going to go for option 2, which is, frankly, the one I'm most interested in (followed by 4 and 1, period).

Quote from: CRKrueger;879859Kull, Conan, Bran Mak Morn, there's a lineage there, or even a hint of something like Moorcock's Eternal Champion.  Kull showed up in a Bran Mak Morn tale, and there's a lot more dimensional magic and travel going on in Atlantis, so Thulsa Doom really could have shown up in Conan's time.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility given the actual stories.

It is possible, but I'm not sure I'd like an emphasis on dimensional magic in my S&S. Now, if we're struggling against Granbretan on Howkmoon's side, or instead of him, maybe;). But to me, Howkmoon is much more Swords and Planet, and less "barbarians vs servants of Chthulhu".

Quote from: AsenRG;879945Since they are bringing REH scholars, I hope they are going to go for option 2, which is, frankly, the one I'm most interested in (followed by 4 and 1, period).

That is, in fact, what we are doing.

We're metaphorically stripping away the layers of paint that have been applied to the IP and taking a fresh new look at it, and extrapolating from there.

Our assumptions and interpretations may be surprising to fans more familiar with the "furry loincloth" version of Conan, but we're hoping that what we create will ring truer to the spirit of REH.

Quote from: AsenRG;879945It is possible, but I'm not sure I'd like an emphasis on dimensional magic in my S&S. Now, if we're struggling against Granbretan on Howkmoon's side, or instead of him, maybe;). But to me, Howkmoon is much more Swords and Planet, and less "barbarians vs servants of Chthulhu".

While there's a lot of appeal to such things, I am of the mind that they're more interesting in story form. When people talk about a Conan meets Solomon Kane crossover (which has been suggested), for example, there's not much room there for the players, who will likely feel secondary to someone else's story.

Quote from: AsenRG;879945I don't see a reason to not play a dynastic game with the current setting material. Setting material is just that, setting, especially for the many people here not interested in the system:).

Oh, it's entirely possible to play almost any type of adventures under any setting, however I think that when the game perfectly matches players' needs, it might result with unparalleled synergy. After all, why would you choose, eeeee, Pathfinder, for in spaaaaaaace... adventures, when there are games specifically dealing with the theme?

In this specific example, I think about elements usually left for sourcebooks, like fortress building, kingdom management. You know, being not only a PC who gets his hands dirty, but also an administrator, a conqueror, a general, a king... a god. ;]

Quote from: AsenRG;879945As for your desire for Solomon Kane, I've got Savage Worlds of Solomon Kane and would recommend it. But I'm more interested in Conan;).

I thought about Wagner's KANE. I forgot about Solomon. ;]

Quote from: AsenRG;879945Yes, I know. But it's been said already that this game focuses on the REH's works of Conan, so I assumed you must mean the movie. As you say yourself, TD never meets Conan in REH's works.

Well...opinions may differ here, but I'd tend to agree;).

Exactly. Somehow... Conan's world seems kind of... incomplete without a few iconic characters coming from non-canon sources.

Come to think about it, it could've been awesome to play as sorcerer-king, similar to those ones Conan meets during his numerous adventures - part evil, part alien, who erect grim castles and strongholds in the middle of nowhere, meddle with alien powers, or lead whole civilizations from the heights of their exotic ziggurats filled with wenches, wearing harem suits...

Mmmmmmmmm... Ziggurats.

Ahem.

You know, part Thulsa Doom, part Gilgamesh...

Quote from: AsenRG;879945I think I know. It's "what you give to the dog", right:D?

Around here we're using "reheated cutlets/pork chops" when we mean "nothing new". ;]

Quote from: AsenRG;879945Also, I'd be utterly uninterested in a Marvel's, Jordan's or anyone else's attempts to write Conan, so I wouldn't purchase such a game.

I would give green light to people who toy with possibilities, rather than stick to "same old, same old" story. Conan meets Cthulhu (with a strong emphasis on Lovecraftian Mythos), aka "Barbarians & Tentacles", or Howard's compiled savage worlds, aka "the Era of Muscles"... Things like that. ;]

Quote from: Jason D;879949While there's a lot of appeal to such things, I am of the mind that they're more interesting in story form. When people talk about a Conan meets Solomon Kane crossover (which has been suggested), for example, there's not much room there for the players, who will likely feel secondary to someone else's story.

I disagree. There's no "not much room" when either Conan, or Kane, or any other character of such caliber (or all at once) enter the campaign directly, and participate actively. There's almost no room at all. ;]

However, present them more as "force of nature", operating from the background, using player characters as pawns in their own games and you'll get plenty of room that way.

Working for aging king Conan of Aquilonia (perhaps only years of months until Conn takes over his father's throne), not unlike his friends Trocero & Prospero, being send to distant parts of his kingdom to deal with some monsters, savages, or rebellious generals. Joining a monster-hunting society founded/supported by Solomon Kane... Things like that.

btw, Conan's and Solomon Kane crossover? That's kind of incompatible to work out, isn't it? The difference in time, history, knowledge, inventions...

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879950I thought about Wagner's KANE. I forgot about Solomon. ;]

I'm a huge fan of Karl Edward Wagner's Kane, but I can't honestly imagine what there would be to do in his world. A recent thread on Facebook had someone enthusing about an RPG, and I'm baffled. KEW's worldbuilding wasn't that deep, and there's not even a single default timeframe for Kane's career.

The closest thing to player characters in those stories are the crusading paladin and his crew, and the ill-fated blonde barbarian who had the misfortune to fall in love with Kane's "girlfriend".

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879953btw, Conan's and Solomon Kane crossover? That's kind of incompatible to work out, isn't it? The difference in time, history, knowledge, inventions...

Kull made it to visit Bran Mak Morn, so it's not inconceivable that Conan could make the leap to visit Kane.

There are several common threads, once you look at the Mythos, but there are also a number of conflicting issues that make the chronology a bit wacky.

That's all right, though... "The Hyborian Age" essay describes the nitty-gritty on all of the major historical events, but overlooks the incredibly powerful and significant Acheronian empire entirely, because REH hadn't made them up yet.

Quote from: Jason D;879949That is, in fact, what we are doing.

We're metaphorically stripping away the layers of paint that have been applied to the IP and taking a fresh new look at it, and extrapolating from there.

Our assumptions and interpretations may be surprising to fans more familiar with the "furry loincloth" version of Conan, but we're hoping that what we create will ring truer to the spirit of REH.

Yay:)!

QuoteWhile there's a lot of appeal to such things, I am of the mind that they're more interesting in story form. When people talk about a Conan meets Solomon Kane crossover (which has been suggested), for example, there's not much room there for the players, who will likely feel secondary to someone else's story.

Well, I would assume they mean the settings, not the lead characters themselves.

Quote from: JesterRaiin;879950Oh, it's entirely possible to play almost any type of adventures under any setting, however I think that when the game perfectly matches players' needs, it might result with unparalleled synergy. After all, why would you choose, eeeee, Pathfinder, for in spaaaaaaace... adventures, when there are games specifically dealing with the theme?

In this specific example, I think about elements usually left for sourcebooks, like fortress building, kingdom management. You know, being not only a PC who gets his hands dirty, but also an administrator, a conqueror, a general, a king... a god. ;]

Well, I would hope for a supplement on that account. But those shouldn't be too different from historical sources, since Howard was going for a historical-without-confines feel, himself.

QuoteI thought about Wagner's KANE. I forgot about Solomon. ;]

Shame on you:)! We're discussing REH, after all.

QuoteExactly. Somehow... Conan's world seems kind of... incomplete without a few iconic characters coming from non-canon sources.

Nope, exactly the opposite feeling is what I get. "A few iconic characters from other (than REH) sources" would make it not-really-Conan's-world.
It doesn't help that in my book, not a single author that tried to write Conan managed to write the exact same character that REH was writing about.

QuoteCome to think about it, it could've been awesome to play as sorcerer-king, similar to those ones Conan meets during his numerous adventures - part evil, part alien, who erect grim castles and strongholds in the middle of nowhere, meddle with alien powers, or lead whole civilizations from the heights of their exotic ziggurats filled with wenches, wearing harem suits...

Of course. Also suitable for a supplement. Maybe they even have unlocked one already, I haven't checked since yesterday...

QuoteMmmmmmmmm... Ziggurats.

Ahem.

QuoteYou know, part Thulsa Doom, part Gilgamesh...

I wonder what should be the mechanic for "you meet someone very much like Conan and he splits your skull", though.

QuoteAround here we're using "reheated cutlets/pork chops" when we mean "nothing new". ;]

I still like my version better, it's more telling of the use I have for pastiche versions:D!

QuoteI would give green light to people who toy with possibilities, rather than stick to "same old, same old" story. Conan meets Cthulhu (with a strong emphasis on Lovecraftian Mythos), aka "Barbarians & Tentacles", or Howard's compiled savage worlds, aka "the Era of Muscles"... Things like that. ;]

I doubt anyone can prevent that, or wants to. But again, I'd like the corebook to be focused on Conan-like stories;).