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The better your setting, the less well it translates

Started by silva, May 07, 2013, 06:35:34 PM

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Rincewind1

#45
May 09, 2013, 02:52:12 PM
My opinion in this thread is so well documented, than rather to give proof to my position, I merely think of yourselves as spineless animals. After all, forums are not a place for discussion, but to listen.
Furthermore, I consider that  This is Why We Don\'t Like You thread should be closed

Phillip

#46
May 09, 2013, 03:06:45 PM
Quote from: daniel_ream;653284Again, the sources that Lucas cribbed from when writing the Star Wars movies have been exhaustively documented and confirmed by Lucas himself over the last thirty-five years.  I'm not going to argue this point with you, The Traveller, or anyone else.  It'd be like explaining quantum mechanics to a mollusc.
It'd be like what it is: ignoring the plausible implications of thorough coincidence with a seminal work and patching together a Rube Goldberg pattern of plagiarism.

I'm not saying Lucas didn't borrow bits from lots of movies; I would not be surprised if he took inspiration for some things from, for instance, Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.

I'm saying that the claim that the resemblance of Star Wars to the (admittedly much grander) "Lensmen" epic is purely coincidental is mighty hard to believe!
And we are here as on a darkling plain  ~ Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, ~ Where ignorant armies clash by night.

The Traveller

#47
May 09, 2013, 03:40:45 PM
Quote from: daniel_ream;653284It'd be like explaining quantum mechanics to a mollusc.
Don't bother, anyone that compares the inspirations for Star Wars to quantum mechanics is way too fond of hyberbole to have any useful opinions.
"These children are playing with dark and dangerous powers!"
"What else are you meant to do with dark and dangerous powers?"
A concise overview of GNS theory.
Quote from: that muppet vince baker on RPGsIf you care about character arcs or any, any, any lit 101 stuff, I\'d choose a different game.

daniel_ream

#48
May 09, 2013, 03:43:11 PM
Quote from: Phillip;653300I'm saying that the claim that the resemblance of Star Wars to the (admittedly much grander) "Lensmen" epic is purely coincidental is mighty hard to believe!

Good thing I said no such thing then, but then this is theRPGsite, where every entry on the wandering monster table says "Straw men, 10-100 appearing".

Once more and then I'm out of the thread: the sources Lucas cribbed from when writing the Star Wars scripts have been documented and confirmed by Lucas himself repeatedly over the last thirty-five years.  Your inability to Google for Star Wars sources inspiration Lucas does not change that.  I am not going to re-type thirty-five years of pop culture navel-gazing because you're too lazy to open another tab in your browser.

QuoteI would not be surprised if he took inspiration for some things from, for instance, Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.

Neither would anyone else, since Lucas has been saying that publicly since 1977.
D&D is becoming Self-Referential.  It is no longer Setting Referential, where it takes references outside of itself. It is becoming like Ouroboros in its self-gleaning for tropes, no longer attached, let alone needing outside context.
~ Opaopajr

Phillip

#49
May 09, 2013, 04:13:47 PM
Quote from: daniel_ream;653314Good thing I said no such thing then...
You simply responded to the observation that it's not necessary to look any further than the classic space opera for archetypes of the Jedi, etc., by hurling sophomoric insults.

That makes all the difference, indeed, but not in the way you suggest!
And we are here as on a darkling plain  ~ Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, ~ Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Rincewind1

#50
May 09, 2013, 04:40:31 PM
Quote from: The Traveller;652923I always figured the somewhat primitive flipswitches and greenscreens used in movies like Aliens were chosen because you need reliability in the unyielding environment of space. Simple with redundancies are what you want fifty light years from the nearest repair base.

I think the more obvious answer is, because they were based on the computers/machines of the age when the films were produced originally, with slight modifications to imagine how those machines'd look in the future.
Furthermore, I consider that  This is Why We Don\'t Like You thread should be closed

The Traveller

#51
May 09, 2013, 05:44:21 PM
Quote from: Rincewind1;653332I think the more obvious answer is, because they were based on the computers/machines of the age when the films were produced originally, with slight modifications to imagine how those machines'd look in the future.
Sure, but it makes sense anyway. Those movies, that technology doesn't feel dated even today in a world of touchscreens and other iTems. Maybe younger people would feel differently but it comforts me to think there are very good reasons for the clunk and simplicity. :D I still can't explain why it's raining inside all the ships in the Aliens franchise though.
"These children are playing with dark and dangerous powers!"
"What else are you meant to do with dark and dangerous powers?"
A concise overview of GNS theory.
Quote from: that muppet vince baker on RPGsIf you care about character arcs or any, any, any lit 101 stuff, I\'d choose a different game.

daniel_ream

#52
May 10, 2013, 01:03:40 AM
Quote from: Rincewind1;653332I think the more obvious answer is, because they were based on the computers/machines of the age when the films were produced originally, with slight modifications to imagine how those machines'd look in the future.

The answer to virtually every "why is X like Y" question when it comes to TV or film SF is "because it was the cheapest/easiest".

I know several people who do or have worked on the Stargate franchise, and the "Wormhole X-treme!" episodes were a direct response to the constant fanwank.
D&D is becoming Self-Referential.  It is no longer Setting Referential, where it takes references outside of itself. It is becoming like Ouroboros in its self-gleaning for tropes, no longer attached, let alone needing outside context.
~ Opaopajr

Lynn

#53
May 10, 2013, 02:36:52 AM
Quote from: Rincewind1;653332I think the more obvious answer is, because they were based on the computers/machines of the age when the films were produced originally, with slight modifications to imagine how those machines'd look in the future.

I believe in one of the videos in the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set, Ridley Scott said something about how he wanted the ship to look heavily used, industrial, rather than Star Trek clean. I think they were hauling some kind of ore, weren't they? Of course that doesn't explain the silly blinky white computer room for talking with "Mother".

I can understand why bridges and computers have to be somewhat retro because they need to maintain recognizable character roles and interesting interplay when the action starts.
Lynn Fredricks
Entrepreneurial Hat Collector

RPGPundit

#54
May 17, 2013, 03:31:40 PM
I've never had any problem borrowing stuff from all over the place for my campaigns.

In Arrows of Indra's case, for example, the setting is very rich and the system is very tied to the setting, but I have no doubt that any OSR-gamer would be able to borrow shitloads of stuff (random tables, magic items, changes to the D&D combat rules, small setting details, etc) for whatever game they plan to run.

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