| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 05 May 2006 : 01:49:18
Hey all, I need to pick the brains of some of the elder scribes here. I remember back a ways, though not as far as some can. I know that the first time I ever remember reading about adventuring companies having their own name was in the Old Grey boxed set (not counting, of course, the Fellowship of the Ring . . . ).
Way back when Erik Mona was recounting the office playtest for the Age of Worms campaign in Dungeon, he wrote an editorial about how finding the right name for a group was one of those special things that happens in a game, and it occured to me . . . is this one of those conventions born in the Realms that has been adopted by D&D as a whole?
Can anyone remember "named" adventuring companies in D&D before FR came around, or is this Ed's brainchild? |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| nb_nmare |
Posted - 06 May 2006 : 12:20:49
Well, there's one obvious example of a fantasy adventuring company with a name that predates even D&D: the Fellowship of the Ring. |
| Faraer |
Posted - 06 May 2006 : 02:39:50
I can't think of any pre-Realms examples specifically within D&D lore, which doesn't mean there aren't any. In any case, clearly it is the Realms that popularized this into general D&D fantasy, and a very good thing too, since it stresses group coherency and cooperation over egotistical individualism. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 05 May 2006 : 21:44:12
not D&D, but Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Its a common enough thing. |
| bloodtide_the_red |
Posted - 05 May 2006 : 04:46:11
Before the Realms, I can't find any mention of adventuring groups with names in most D&D books. The Dragonlance 'Companions/Heros of the Lance' is just about the only thing close.
Bt |
| Dhomal |
Posted - 05 May 2006 : 04:24:16
Hello-
I can't place the date - but I know of one game I played in (around the right time to have been before FR - but overlapping - so I'm not sure) when we came up with a wonderfully appropriate name for our group. Ah - that was great!
Also though - in my opinion - it also harkens to the 'superhero' groups that have for decades, even actually pre-dating Ed's earliest writings in the Realms, had names for their groups. I somewhat think that this may have been a subtle, albeit possibly unconscious, influence on this FR convention.
Dhomal |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 05 May 2006 : 01:55:24
In the FR Company of X and Knights of X seem to be popular names |
