The Black Company & AOD

[sheek]

Hi VD you said before that one of the influences on your game was Glen Cook's "The Black Company".

How exactly has that influenced the game? Is it just the 'atmosphere' or in a more concrete way?

Thanks.

 

[Nicolai]

Probably means that he'll keep pumping out sequels until people forget why they liked the original trilogy in the first place.

 

[FrancoTAU]

Spiderweb soft?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Hi VD you said before that one of the influences on your game was Glen Cook's "The Black Company".

How exactly has that influenced the game? Is it just the 'atmosphere' or in a more concrete way?

Thanks.

The atmosphere mostly. The quote from the site sums it up well: "Conspiracies and assassinations and naked power-grabs. All the fun of decadence." There are no good guys there. Whatever side you happened to be on is the good side. Villains have understandable motives and can be likeable, which makes it very easy to join them. Of course, who is a villain also depends on whose side you are on at the moment.

Also, there is a really old story related to the current events, and the deeper you dig the more the story changes. I really liked that aspect of the series.

Have you read Cook's The Tower of Fear? I highly recommend.

 

[sheek]

The atmosphere mostly. The quote from the site sums it up well: "Conspiracies and assassinations and naked power-grabs. All the fun of decadence." There are no good guys there. Whatever side you happened to be on is the good side. Villains have understandable motives and can be likeable, which makes it very easy to join them. Of course, who is a villain also depends on whose side you are on at the moment.

That sounds cool, though that's not how I saw The Black Company. I see it as yes a bunch of different sides all kind of crooked but there is a definite evil... the Master or whatever he's called which both sides must unite against in the end. It is a (pyrrhic) triumph of 'good' (or 'lesser-evil'), which took a long time to reach without being a typical fluffy fantasy kind of 'happy ending'. But it's not total relativism.

I'll have to see how you make the atmosphere works in practice.

Also, there is a really old story related to the current events, and the deeper you dig the more the story changes. I really liked that aspect of the series.

Yeah you definitely need something like that. Otherwise it is just a soap opera... like most of 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is.

Have you read Cook's The Tower of Fear? I highly recommend.

No. Is that a Black Company book? I am stuck just after the Silver Spike because I can't find the book one before 'Dreams of Steel' anywhere.

 

[Vault Dweller]

That sounds cool, though that's not how I saw The Black Company. I see it as yes a bunch of different sides all kind of crooked but there is a definite evil... the Master or whatever he's called which both sides must unite against in the end.

They did unite against the Dominator later on, but not to save the world, but to prevent a major player from joining the game. Whether his rule or his war would have been worse than those of the existing parties, especially the Taken, is very unclear. Comparing to what they've already done, how bad could it be?

It is a (pyrrhic) triumph of 'good' (or 'lesser-evil')...

Because it's presented from the side that's won.

No. Is that a Black Company book?

No.