Amber/Narnia Correlations

[Corambis]

Being a fan of the Narnia books since I was a grade-schooler and the Amber books since high school, my thoughts have turned more than once to the similarities between the two books, and whether it would be seriously possible to integrate the two.  I'm guessing not, but it's been fun to think about occasionally.

Similarities:

1) Both involve central animal deities, ie Aslan and The Unicorn

2) Both involve multiverses and travel between the universes in them.

3) Both involve worlds that are only "shadows" of other, more real worlds.  Narnia has "Aslan's Country" as it's center, while Amber obviously has Amber, or the Primal Pattern.

There's obviously more, although many are just things that are common to most or many fantasy novels.  Of course, if you look for similarities between any two fantasy books, you're going to find them.  I do think it would be possible to integrate Narnia into the Amber universe.  The downside is I'm not a big fan of mashing two separate concepts together, especially two properties that people feel strongly about.

[gabriel_ss4u]

Well, that IS one of the strengths of ADRPG, you can incorporate anything into it. Any genre, any story, since anything is possible in Shadow.
I could see Aslan as being the Lion Dalt favors on his heraldic symbol.
aahhh, yes... it's unfolding before me...
and the white witch must be... Fiona???
Perhaps even Sand, or some Chaosian.

[Lawbag]

hmm interesting, but I doubt Roger did it deliberatel, rather there are common themes in certain types of literature.
 
I am more interested in the Planets aspect of the Narnia books though.

[jibbajibba]

Amber is so lite you can port any setting into it (I think we discussed running Star Wars using the amber rules a while back).
What Narnia lacks , IMHO, is a strong set of core characters Edmund is the most Amberesque but the others kind of pale.

[Croaker]

Well, that IS one of the strengths of ADRPG, you can incorporate anything into it. Any genre, any story, since anything is possible in Shadow.
I could see Aslan as being the Lion Dalt favors on his heraldic symbol.
aahhh, yes... it's unfolding before me...
and the white witch must be... Fiona???
Perhaps even Sand, or some Chaosian.

The Lion. And Sand. I like this

[Corambis]

Oh, I don't think any similarity was meant by Roger at all.  I just found it interesting that there is some.  I could see a campaign where both Aslan and the Unicorn were once part of Chaos, but split with the Serpent and set of on their own, with the Unicorn (and Dworkin) founding Amber, while Aslan (and I believe his father is mentioned) create Narnia's Land.  Maybe Tash is a different form of the Serpent, or some other big Chaos power.  And the Dalt/lion thing would be very interesting to work into this.  Although as someone said, the Narnian humans don't quite have the personalities that the Amberites do.

[two_fishes]

That's pretty interesting! You could, if you wanted, core out Amber--I mean the eternal city with that mad mediterranean patriarch family at its heart--and plug Narnia in its place. Or you could set them up as competing centers of order in combat against Chaos. It's doubly interesting because they have contrasting themes, too. Narnia is all about holding absolute and unwavering trust in its father figure, Aslan. Anytime characters veer from that path they find trouble. A big part of Corwin's story is discovering his obligation and duty to his father but in the course of that, finding his own place in the world, distinct and separate from his father. Both also deal with repentance and forgiveness, but, again, in very different ways.

[RPGPundit]

Yeah, I really don't know how much of a literary connection there is to build here; of course, what people do in their games is a whole other matter.  If we had Alice In Wonderland in shadow, there could certainly be Narnia or anyplace else.

RPGPundit

[gabriel_ss4u]

I liked the aspect of the time differential when 'trumping' through the wardrobe.
I know there's no direct correlation between Amber & Narnia, nobody in the post stated that, if anyone is thinking that's the message, just finding the possible similarities. Considering it a primal realm and how it can blend into an Amber storyline.
I very often blend in cool concepts from many stories/movies out there, as all exists in shadow.
I can so see Aslan as being Dalt's Lion though.

[RPGPundit]

Well, he's Not a Tame Lion, that's for sure.

RPGPundit