tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post1475707271051838117..comments2024-03-28T21:46:15.727+08:00Comments on Monsters and Manuals: On the Virtues of TersenessUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-33626680651102493102018-08-16T04:18:52.793+08:002018-08-16T04:18:52.793+08:00Sort of a response : http://throneofsalt.blogspot....Sort of a response : http://throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2018/08/mini-bestiary.html?Valzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08052154892033159242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-84466347177127540352018-08-16T02:20:36.166+08:002018-08-16T02:20:36.166+08:00When I have time I will post the actual Zangband d...When I have time I will post the actual Zangband descriptions of Tolkien's monsters.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-72107342718301290912018-08-16T02:19:50.780+08:002018-08-16T02:19:50.780+08:00Nice. I'll check them out.Nice. I'll check them out.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-21801363341675315332018-08-14T19:45:32.194+08:002018-08-14T19:45:32.194+08:00(The irony is not lost on me that this long post w...(The irony is not lost on me that this long post was to echo your praise of terseness ...)JChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964744140140515737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-88869025672745652622018-08-14T19:44:00.219+08:002018-08-14T19:44:00.219+08:00"What I like most about these descriptions is..."What I like most about these descriptions is that they don't try to replace the image you already have in your head"<br /><br />That's the magic, I think. I was going to comment on your Zelazny post that I much prefer Tolkien's monster-describing approach. <br /><br />When orcs first appear in LotR, Tolkien just assumes that you know what an orc is (even though your only referent for it is the word "goblin" and then only if you've been paying attention or have read The Hobbit). And when a troll appears, you just get a detail or two to add to your pre-existing conception.<br /><br />So, in The Bridge of Khazad-dum, all you can glean about orcs is that (a) some are bigger and nastier than others; (b) they have harsh laughter; (c) a "huge" one is not as big as a man; (d) this one has a broad, "swart" face and wears black armour; (e) its eyes are "like coals" (Dark or glowing? You decide); and (f) they use scimitars, bows and spears. And that's it - you fill in the considerable blanks yourself.<br /><br />It's the technique of the Beowulf poet, of course: hardly describe the monster at all and let the listener/reader do the rest. And it's tremendously effective.<br /><br />All of Tolkien's monsters are like this:<br /><br />Black riders: pale forms *if you're wearing the ring*; invisible otherwise.<br />Orcs: smaller than Men, long arms, protruding fangs, swart or sallow, hairy jowls, thick or crooked legs, broad faces, slanted eyes (and these details are scattered over many descriptions).<br />Half-orcs: Man-sized but with orcish facial features. Sallow.<br />Trolls: scaly and greenish, with black blood. Around 12' tall. Toeless feet.<br />Balrog: a dark form of man-shape, maybe, only greater. Surrounded by some greater shadow.<br />Watcher: greenish tentacles with fingers on the ends.<br />Flying beast: featherless, smelly, webbed wings - perhaps like a bird.<br /><br />It would be the work of minutes to reconstitute these details in the Zangband form. But that's pretty much all there is, apart from some details about equipment. And yet look how influential these fleeting descriptions have been.JChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964744140140515737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-55986615599449612022018-08-13T20:23:06.541+08:002018-08-13T20:23:06.541+08:00Ah yes, the Hemingway bestiary!Ah yes, the Hemingway bestiary!Sean F. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778266074091397472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-23004486625012310742018-08-13T01:13:17.633+08:002018-08-13T01:13:17.633+08:00This might help to shed some light on the very ver...This might help to shed some light on the very very beginning, as it talks about the creation of Colossal Cave Adventure (ADVENT), though I don't know about the later development of roguelike as its own genre:<br />http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=7540<br /><br />And an apologia for terminal text-based games more generally from the same author:<br />http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=7427Jeff Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14017877412359840010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2513019539869706574.post-41912498525187845312018-08-12T23:33:38.418+08:002018-08-12T23:33:38.418+08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Valzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08052154892033159242noreply@blogger.com