The GM's Library: a literature primer
There’s a lot of thought and advice out there nowadays for someone looking to jump into the Gamemaster driving seat for any tabletop game, particularly Dungeons and Dragons. It didn’t always used to be this way - one did not simply jump onto YouTube and harvest an endless selection of information on how to get started in this hobby. Alas, there was only your friends or the nerds at your nearest gaming store to consult (often with mixed results). Certainly the information age we live in has propelled the availability of information on rules, how to run a session effectively, and what the dexterity of a Bugbear might be in 5th vs 4th edition D&D.
Too often though new gamemasters become obsessed with mastering the game rules rather than building a compelling story. But after all what is tabletop roleplay if it’s not an interesting yarn being told among friends? Usually the answer is a jumbled rules citation quest in which the the junior GM is dragged into the false start abyss. What’s the hit modifier when a two-handed sword is wielded rather than a rubber chicken? What kind of dice do we roll when the Wizard wants to conjure a new recipe for Elven Bolognese. Boring! While some RPG books have compelling settings in their own right, they are often the wrong places to start for inspiration. Being a good GM often means being able to tell a good story. Being a great GM is not only telling a great story, but weaving character agency into that narrative. Doing this requires reading the tropes or essential plot elements of particular genres to help you improvise and insert exciting events that will keep your players engaged.
How to get there from a blank slate? Ah well then, friend, it’s back to the books with you. Just kidding! It’s not as bad as Mrs. Bigby’s 12th grade American Lit class I assure you. Instead of Faulkner, we’ll be delving into the greats of science fiction and fantasy to serve as a literature primer to get those creative juices flowing. The following is a list, certainly not the only list, of authors that I recommend perusing in order to become a better GM. This is not exhaustive, and includes only my perspective on literary fantasy and sci-fi greats. If I missed someone, please make a comment below and include the author and title and maybe a reason why you think he or she is awesome. I intentionally did not include Tolkein (and some other mainstream ones) - cause, well everyone has read him or seen those infernal movies. If you have been living under a rock for the last two decades, please read The Hobbit while you un-Rip Van Winkle yourself I guess.
I don't have time to read books! - Everyone
Oh, here he goes, you’re probably thinking. Another guy wants to tell me to read more books. I don’t have time to read more books! Is usually the answer from most people. As I’ll discuss, you don’t have to read the entire thing to get a good idea of what kind of tropes you’re dealing with. Instead, read a story or two or even just a chapter, and you’ll get a great idea of what’s going on, although I do highly recommend consuming the entire thing if you have the time.
Essential Fantasy Author #1: Robert E. Howard
The Complete Chronicles is a great place to start
Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan and Kull the Conqueror. Howard’s sword and sorcery Conan tales are probably the best place for a junior GM to cut their teeth on the fantasy genre. Howard’s tales are great because they can be absorbed in short stories rather than pouring through an entire novel (like Lord of the Rings). Conan stories usually follow a simple formula, but it’s a great formula and should be understood by anyone looking to tell a great fantasy yarn. Conan has a goal - saving a princess, stealing a priceless jewel from a wizard’s tower, escaping a dungeon, etc and must overcome various obstacles to accomplish it. This usually involves slaying some horrible monster, bowling over various minions or going toe-to-toe with a necromancer. Along the way, twists and turns occur, and Conan is thrust into situations of life and death. Lots of D&D fuel is contained therein.
Essential Fantasy Author #2: Robert Jordan
The Wheel of Time is a grand fantasy saga
If you’re looking for a grand saga, Jordan’s Wheel of Time Series has seen a recent resurgence with the latest Amazon show now airing, but it’s a great example of how rich fantasy can be with multiple characters, races and cultures that are fully fleshed out. I won’t go into why the plot arcs are so well done, but Jordan’s characters feel more real than some of the other big fantasy series out there. I’m not knocking Lord of the Rings or A Song of Fire and Ice, but for me Jordan was my go to for the longer sagas. Beware: The Wheel of Time is quite long indeed. Jordan also did a lot of great work on Conan, writing several stories that picked up where Howard had left off.
Essential Fantasy Author #3: Stephen King
The Dark Tower is 7 Volumes of pure weird awesome
Huh? Isn’t Stephen King a horror writer? Why is he on a list of fantasy authors? Yes, Stephen King is mainly known for his work in the horror genre (you’ve probably at least heard of IT or The Stand, etc), but he also has done some incredible work in fantasy. The Dark Tower series is an incredible amalgamation work that blurs the lines between sci-fi and fantasy tropes. King’s great contribution is that he understands these tropes incredibly well and blends them into a world that vaguely looks like our own but with a dark underbelly of fantastic happenings. The main character, Roland of Gilead, is sort of like a Clint Eastwood type cowboy who goes about exploring various wastelands and worlds with his companions, and you never know what’s going to happen next.
Essential Sci-Fi Author #1: H.P Lovecraft
The Cthulhu Mythos is a nightmarescape of sci-fi horror
Now getting into the sci-fi authors. The Cthulhu Mythos of Lovecraft is a quintessential science fiction trope. Humanity cannot possibly grasp the infinitesimal expanse of the cosmos nor the layers of impossible dread that lurk just beneath the surface of reality. Lovecraft’s characters are almost always at great odds against the Cthulhu monstrosities that emerge from the shadows to assail them, and usually end up going totally insane or meeting a grim ending. Despite the unfathomable truths these people are exposed to, the human spirit keeps them fighting to prevent the bad things from spilling into our world. Lovecraftian heroes are generally more cerebral folk - professors, investigators, reporters, antiquarians and the like, which is an interesting change from the more action oriented stories already mentioned
Essential Sci-Fi Author #2: Isaac Asimov
Gotta respect Granddad
Often considered as the “granddad” of science fiction, Isaac Asimov’s works are true classics. Covering themes from the benefits and evils of technology, space travel, exploring new worlds, and meeting new alien species, Asimov covers it all. The I, Robot series of short stories and The Foundation Trilogy are good places to start and give you a solid foundation from which to build on your understanding of sci-fi tropes.
Essential Sci-Fi Author #3: Orson Scott Card
The movie was awful. Read the book.
Orson Card’s Ender’s Game is a military sci-fi novel (movie was crap) and contains many of the tropes that readers will immediately recognize as classic to the genre. Ender is recruited as a child soldier and sent to The Battle School, a space station floating above Earth, to learn how to protect humanity from impending invasion by a host of alien bugs. Card introduces deeper level concepts about space travel, relativity, inter-species communication and the consequences of total warfare.
Who are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors who inspire you in your games? Comment below!
Honorable fantasy mentions:
JRR Tolkein - Lord of the Rings
Marion Zimmer Bradley - Mists of Avalon
CS Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia
Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher Series
George RR Martin - A Song of Fire and Ice
C.L Werner - Warhammer books
Brian Jaques - Mossflower Series
Honorable sci-fi mentions:
Robert Heinlein - Starship Troopers
Ray Bradbury - Something Wicked this Way Comes
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War
Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dan Simmons - Hyperion
Arthur C. Clark - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Robert Silverburg - Dying Inside