Is there a DM or a player
who has never wished to have an AD&D®
game adventure in a world such as Tolkien?s
Middle Earth, Burroughs's world of Barsoom,
or the savage Hyborian kingdom of
Robert Howard?s creation? Where is he
who has never dreamed of risking the perils
and reaping the rewards of such lands?
Does a person like that exist among the
ranks of fantasy role-playing enthusiasts?

I think not. We are, after all our facades
are taken from us, human, and it is the
nature of humanity to dream. I have often
wished that I would be taken from this
small, uninteresting planet of ours to a
fantastic world -- much as John Carter was
transported to Barsoom in A Princess of
Mars. Books have always been the center of
such dreams -- not only to you and me, but
to millions upon millions in times past.

Now, among those of us who indulge in
fantasy role-playing games, those games
have begun to usurp the role of books.
Lately I have found that, instead of starting
(or even continuing) a book that appears
promising, I will work on some aspect of
my campaign that needs attention. And, as
most everyone who is connected with fantasy
role-playing games knows, such avenues
of advancement for a game are
numerous beyond count. But there are only
24 hours in a day, so after the mundane,
necessary tasks of our world have been
completed, precious little time remains for
enjoyment. If the book ever gets read, it is
in bits and pieces over a long period of
time.

The effect of reading less is, of course, to
place more importance on what is read.
This in turn leads to the desire to incorporate
what has been read into one?s fantasy
adventure game. Can this be done? And if
so, how much can be taken from the book
and placed in the game? The purpose of this
article is to explore the possibilities involved
in bringing a book world into a Game world,
as well as to offer ways in which this can be
done.

Recreating a world
In DRAGON® Magazine issue #31, E.
Gary Gygax expressed his opinions on the
topic of blending elements of books and
games together. [Editor's note: That column
was reprinted in the Best of DRAGON Vol.
II anthology, under the title "Books Are
Books, Games Are Games."] While I am an
avid fan of the ADVANCED DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS® Game (I am a DM for my own campaign on a regular 
basis, employing variants of AD&D® rules
only rarely), I must disagree with the bent
of Mr. Gygax's article, if not with the actual
text. Mr. Gygax states that "a truly excellent
novel provides an inversely proportionate
amount of good material for a game."
This is true within the context of the novel,
of course: if the game evolved into a continuous
replaying of written events, then the
more detail provided by the author, the less
the players can role-play (the activity which
is the heart of the basis, employing variants of AD&D® rules
only rarely), I must disagree with the bent
of Mr. Gygax?s article, if not with the actual
text. Mr. Gygax states that ?a truly excellent
novel provides an inversely proportionate
amount of good material for a game.?
This is true within the context of the novel,
of course: if the game evolved into a continuous
replaying of written events, then the
more detail provided by the author, the less
the players can role-play (the activity which
is the heart of the AD&D game).

But what if the novel is left behind?
Could not a novel be used as something that
has happened in the distant past and now
has been consigned to legend? Many possibilities
are found along this train of thought;
however, there is also much work required
for the DM and the players, should the
attempt be made to follow this route. True,
it would be easier (though by no means
easy) to use a prepared setting such as the
WORLD OF GREYHAWK Fantasy
Setting published by TSR, Inc., but for
those who are fascinated with a certain book
and who are willing to provide the time and
energy required, the following is a system
that will give much enjoyment.

First: select a book
This is probably the most important
decision you, the DM, will have to make,
and it may be your most difficult as well. If
you are like I am, then there are many
fantasy worlds that grab your imagination.
How are you to choose between them? It
won't be an easy choice. If there is a selection
of two or three books from which you
are to choose, then you will have to let your
gaming habits, rather than your reading
habits, guide you in your choice. For instance,
the three series of books that I will
explore in some detail will show how gaming
preferences may guide the selection of a
book world. The three series are all very
popular, and they have their own idiosyncrasies
that will set them apart from one
another on key points. They are Gor, from
the writing of John Norman, Barsoom, and
Middle Earth, but more on that will come
later. Most important of all is for the prospective
world-building DM to keep a
proper perspective on the whole process.
You will select a book in time, but more
thinking and planning is necessary first.

Second: obtain a map
As any DM knows, a map is absolutely
necessary to a Game, since characters (and
the world they live in) would have no sense
of purpose if they simply wandered from
forest to forest or dungeon to dungeon.
Moreover, the map must be in reasonable
agreement with the written word of the
book you have chosen, or much of the point
of making your favorite book world into a
usable game world is lost. It is fortunate for
the DM that many authors include a general
map of their worlds within the text of
their respective books. However, this is
often not the case, and this can play havoc
with the DM?s hopes: must he read through
the entire book (or worse, series of books)
and note all of the many cities, forests,
mountain ranges, and other places of which
the author wrote in passing?

The DM may not need to go that far if
there is no map present in the book, for
other books on the market may suit his
needs. Many books have such tremendous
fan followings that vast tomes have been
written about them, and there is often a
map included in such a text. Unfortunately,
many books loved by those of us who participate
in fantasy role-playing games are not
viewed by publishers to be popular enough
to warrant such additional books. Thus,
you may find yourself in the position of
having to make a map of a world whose
details probably do not come quickly to
mind.

Should you find yourself in such a situation,
I suggest that you take the easy way
out and do not attempt to reproduce the
book world exactly as described by the
author. Clearly, it would take an enormous
amount of time to sift through the author's
work, searching for details such as are
generally important to fantasy novels and
their readers. The time and effort expended
to uncover the details of the book world
would probably not affect the play of the
game in any significant manner. The
method that I suggest you USE in this situation
is the same as that a writer often uses to
begin an article: write down the items of
interest about the book world that entered
your mind the most, then gradually recall
details from there. I would do this without
reference to the book for about a half-hour,
and only then should you seek passages in
the book for additional information about
things that you cannot quite remember.

Each of the three series of books used as
examples in this article represents a different
aspect of the mapping issue. The Gor
books neither have maps in any of them,
nor have any auxiliary books been written
about them (despite their very large following).
The Barsoom books do have maps
available, though not in the books themselves.
Both A Guide to Barsoom by John
Flint Roy (Ballantine Books) and the game
John Carter: Warlord of Mars (Simulations
Publications, Inc.) have maps that are of
immeasurable value to anyone choosing the
Barsoom books as the basis for a fantasy
world. The Middle Earth books not only
have maps within their covers but also have
had many books written about them that
contain maps. Journeys of Frodo by Barbara
Strachey (Ballantine Books) and The
Atlas of Middle Earth by Karen Wynn
Fonstad (Houghton Mifflin) are two examples.
Another interesting book concerning
Middle Earth is A Tolkien Bestiary by
David Day (Ballantine Books), though there
is only one map.

3rd: change the world
You already have done the basic work for
your Game: a world has been chosen, and a
map of that world sits before you. Unfortunately,
the world you have is, while interesting,
different from an AD&D game world.
This is a problem. Fortunately, the solution
is within your very grasp: a pencil! You are
the creator of this new world; thus, all the
powers of creation are yours to wield. You
must now craft a story, and in it, you must
tell the tale of how the world changed.

This is the point where purists will diverge
from pragmatists. To play the AD&D
game in your favorite book world, you must
be willing to make sacrifices: things cannot
remain the same if the AD&D game system
is to be played as it was meant to be. You
will find it easier to alter the author?s world
if you recall that change is the essential
nature of all things. In any event, once you
decide to alter the world, you will probably
ask yourself what changes you should make.

If a city existed in the book world, does it
exist at present in your game world? If so,
how does it exist? Is it poor? Has it developed,
stagnated, or regressed? Has some
strange happening changed it from the city
it once was? These value judgments ? in
general terms, not detailed game terms ?
must be made for every important place
that exists in your world. Since it seems that
some role-players are frustrated writers (and
the DM may be the most frustrated of all),
ideas on how to transform your world
should spring quickly to mind.

Fourth: redraw the map
You have now created the framework of
your world. What remains to be done is to
draw out the new map. Noting all the
CHANGES that have happened to your world
(by your own hand in the previous step),
make a new map on a hex sheet, with one
hex equal to 5 miles. This is highly suitable
for gaming purposes. If your world is
large, you will probably wish to create a
larger-scale map as well: one hex equal to
50 miles might be very useful, for instance.

At this point, you will want to place the
details of your world that were too unimportant
to mention in your creation story:
monster lairs, ancient shrines, special terrains
(scrub, canyons, marshes, etc.), and
population centers. When this lengthy step
is finished, you will be ready to play, but
will your players be?

5th: Inform your players
Your world is Now compleat, and, after
preparing some adventures, you are READY
to have your players begin to explore the
wild, untamed lands of this newly created
environment. There is one difficulty, however:
your players have no idea what is
happening in your world |or| what your
world is all about. Those players who have
read the book(s) from which your world has
sprung will have a degree of familiarity with
your world, but their misconceptions might
prove worse than the ignorance of other
players. To remedy this problem, you must
supply the players with a general fact sheet
that enumerates the major happenings that
have occurred since the conclusion of the
book(s) upon which your world is based.
They should then be READY to discover what
awaits their characters in the world that you
have devised.

Example one: Gor
Gor is a world without magic, as created
by author John Norman. Technology,
though present in the Sardar, is not for
general use on Gor, since the Priest Kings
do not allow its use. Thus, steel and gold
rule Gor, and great cities wage war by
primitive means. There are no dwarves,
elves, orcs, dragons, or many other creatures
of the AD&D game system on Gor, at
least as far as we know. There are, however,
many terrifying beasts such as larls, sleens,
and tarns.

To alter Gor into a magical world with
deities and basilisks is not an easy task.
Also, we must be careful not to go too far in
our changes, or the flavor of the world will
be lost. A person who chooses Gor for his
game world is obviously someone who likes
fighting with non-magical abilities, so the
changes must be slight as far as magic is
concerned. But, at the same time, it must
be possible for a player character to be a
magic-user, an illusionist, a druid, a cleric
(called an initiate on Gor), or a member of
a sub-class that uses spells.

I suggest the following scenario. Let us
first interpret the evil Kurii in our own
manner, since John Norman has not supplied
enough details about them. The Kurii
are not only creatures that have developed
great technology, but they also worship a
great evil spirit that has been created by the
Kurii's own dark souls. This spirit surrounds
and permeates the Kurii's Steel
Worlds. Since all attempts to improve their
lot have failed, the Kurii have prayed all the
more fervently to the evil spirit, hoping that
it will aid them in their attempt to rule Gor.

In time, a scientist-Kur creates a machine
that he believes can materialize the malevolent
spirit. He chooses himself as the receptacle
for the experiment, and (unknown to
the other Kurii) he succeeds in placing the
spirit within his corporeal being. Almost
immediately, he feels the power within him,
and he succeeds in keeping it under control.
He obtains a vessel and goes to Gor. After
using his power to land on Gor, he disembarks
from his ship and attacks the city Ar
with black energy blasts that destroy half of
the city before the Priest Kings can intervene.
As the Priest Kings use their power
on the renegade Kur, the scientist loses
control of the spirit. In that moment, the
spirit destroys the physical body that it
inhabits, and the body explodes.

From the Kur's body, hordes of creatures
stream forth: orcs, dragons, drow, and <link>
many others. Also, a few good creatures
stream from the form, probably due to the
influence of the Priest Kings' powers when
they attacked the Kur.

Ar becomes a ruin with many evil creatures
in it. Many creatures flee to the Voltai
range and other places. In all, Goreans are
stunned, as are both the Priest Kings and
the Kurii. Also, the spirit seems to have
disappeared into the fabric of Gor. From
this, magic is created; though this explanation
of magic is different from that offered
in the AD&D system, it will have to do.
This would be an interesting world.

Clearly, however, this is not going to be a
pure AD&D game campaign: there is too
much that differs from a ?legal? world. But 
that is fine for the DM who desires such a
world. If he wanted the WORLD OF
GREYHAWK Fantasy Setting, he would
have chosen it.

Example two: Barsoom
The world of Mars as envisioned by
Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fantastic planet
with incredible alien races. This is a world
that is far more suited to fantasy roleplaying
games than the world of Gor. Nevertheless,
it has some of the problems that
Gor has: for instance, a lack of magic and
deities. The setting provided by Edgar Rice
Burroughs, however, is better for our worldbuilding
purposes. Barsoom is shrouded in
mystery, even though the whole surface has
been mapped out by the Red Men. Rumors
of magic circulate throughout the Barsoom
novels, though it is always portrayed as
VOODOO, with the exception of John Carter's
ability of teleportation.

On Barsoom, unlike Gor, technology is
not limited. For example, radium pistols
and air ships exist, and they are used regularly.
This is one of the most attractive
features of the world to the DM. Unfortunately,
such things are antithesis to the
AD&D game system. There are two ways to
deal with this situation: 1) eliminate the
technology, or 2) make it difficult for player
characters to obtain these technological
items. The first solution is probably out of
the question for most Burroughs fans, and
the second requires the skill of a good
DM.

The following scenario is an example of
what can occur on Barsoom. An ancient
being of enormous power (understood as a
deity) is awakened by a foolish man or beast
or nation. This power, then, awakens others
of its kind. These ?gods? were old when
Barsoom's oceans yet thrived, and they
chose to sleep in the bosom of Barsoom at a
time when the planet was a thing of beauty,
for it was they who made the world beautiful.
When awakened, these gods see what
has happened to the world they LOVE.

In an attempt to discover what caused the
decay of Barsoom's beauty, these powers
seek the races of old ? races that were to
have been the caretakers of Barsoom while
the gods slept. Elves (guardians of the
woodlands), dwarves (protectors of the land
below), and gnomes (watchers of the fair
hills and plains) ? these races were the
assigned caretakers of Barsoom. Needless to
say, the gods find few of these caretakers
still thriving. Apparently, these races chose
to hide themselves long ago, and, for some
reason, the secret of how to awaken the
gods became lost after a few generations.

After having learned all these details, the
gods then get together to determine their
plan of action. They choose to attempt to
bring back the natural beauty of Barsoom
by performing miracles (i.e., granting 
<priest> spells) for their devotees and by revealing 
the lost secrets of magick (i.e., <wizard> and illusionist 
spells). As for the many monsters listed in the AD&D books. . .  <links>
well, the DM is free to populate Barsoom 
with those creatures he feels would add
more local color to the environment.

Example three: Middle Earth
Over half a decade ago, I followed the
process described in this article to remake
J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth according to
my own image of it. The process has been
neither a short one nor an easy one. However,
the great advantages I have found in
making use of Tolkien's work have been
well worth the time and labor required. I
have been able to call upon a world so
grand in scope that it has the possibility to
encompass everything that I could conceive.

One of the most important reasons that I
selected Middle Earth as the world of my 
game campaigns was the vast culture provided
by Tolkien. Though Mr. Gygax says
that "a truly excellent novel provides an
inversely proportionate amount of good
material for a game," I have found that this
is true only for games that try to rework the
author's storyline. The Lord of the Rings
trilogy has provided my players and me
with at least a proportionate amount of
good, solid FUN.

To illustrate specifically my point, the
following list enumerates the events that
have transpired in my world. Note that the
player characters had no part in the events
until item 9 and that the game was in transition
(normal Middle Earth changing to
standard AD&D rules) during items 8 to 10.
 
 

Event	Explanation
1	Annuminus was rebuilt (early fourth age FO).
2	Travelers from the far east emerged, slaying the savages in Rhun and claiming the land as their own (early FO).
3	Khazad-dum was reclaimed (middle FO).
4	Dwarves of the East (a once-lost kindred) journey to west Middle Earth and take the Ered Mithrin as theirs, freeing it of many Cold Drakes (late FO).
5	Osgiliath is rebuilt and renamed the seat of Gondor's power (late FO).
6	The occurrence of the Great Disaster: the second strife of music between Eru and other Ainur. The multiverse is created, and Middle Earth is torn and shook by the shock (Enedwaith is sunk, a new sea ? Valaer ? is created east of Rhun, and many cities are toppled) -- named the beginning of the fifth age (FtA).
7	Much rebuilding is done (early to middle FtA).
8	The Temples of Shadow are found: otherworldly prisons for monsters created by old and new Ainur whose essences have been corrupted. These temples are used by the Valar to build adventures of great power in an arena-like series of trials. A king of Middle Earth is foretold (early FtA).
9	Adventurers enter the Temples of Shadow in search of their destinies (all FtA).
10	The Temples of Shadow ?explode? during the god wars. The result is the release of horrible monsters into Middle Earth. Annuminus and Osgiliath are destroyed. A king of Middle Earth is named, and he is imbued with many powers by the gods (beginning of the sixth age).

Purists would, no doubt, find my interpretation
of Middle Earth?s fourth, fifth,
and sixth ages to be unsatisfactory at best,
but they can make their own versions of
Middle Earth?s future. Mine works fine for
my players, their characters, and myself, as
I am sure your choice of a world will work
fine for you. After all, that is what counts.

Editor's note
Proper names and many other
terms that appear in <bold> type
within this article are taken from
the particular works to which they
refer -- works which are protected
by copyright and trademark laws.
The terms are used here to help
illustrate the practical application
of the author's ideas, not to imply
that these terms can be used indiscriminately.
The reader should not
make any use of the works mentioned
in this article which would
infringe the rights of the copyright
owner.