"Hopping" around the "Board"~MN musings

[danlo]

I thought I'd create a random topic where we could just slap in various thoughts about Mordant's Need as they occured 2 us. Like--How do u picture the world of Mordant's Need? What I mean by that is where r the Cares as opposed 2 Orison, where xactly are Caldwal and Alend opposed 2 Mordant--where r mountians? NW of Alend? where is the sea? East of Caldwal? I've always been interested in trying 2 develope a map. What ELSE is a random thought? Oh, I kno 1 I almost 4got--if u've ever read the Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny--what do u think about mirrors translating beasties from other worlds and dimensions as opposed 2 the warring Princes summoning armies from the shadow-worlds. And along with that--don't u think, given the complex "science" of mirrors, that SRD could have written @least 2 more books w/different warring parties and beasties going amok and really have gotten in2 it. I know, it's a thin line 2 cross, there's just so must of King Joyce's ruin we can stand. I guess I would have liked 2 have seen Terisan and Geraden fighting back a little bit 2 help the Cares--and I would have like 2 have seen them (especially Terisa) kick some more ass--through mirror manipulation. Two books was probably enuff 4 SRD anyway, personally, I don't kno how he did it. I would have been TOTALLY xhausted (for years) after writting the 6 CTC books!!!

[Skyweir]

I wonder if 'hop-board' was something akin to chess .. I imagine it something like that.

*walks away musing*

[danlo]

Terisa knew of the game...was it chess or checkers? I'll have 2 look it up.

[MsMary]

Actually, Hopboard was exactly Checkers, and Terisa says as much to King Joyse when he first introduces her to the game.

~MsMary~

[Coercri]

If Joyce found Checkers(Hopboard) to be a complicated, thought-provoking game of strategy, can you imagine what he would of done with chess?

-Coercri

[Skyweir]

rofl!!

oh definitely!! .. checkers is a game for simpletons in comparison

[Bannor]

Hey, I love checkers! (You're still right though ) I finally made a post in MN!

[danlo]

HE, HEEE! another convert translated 2 MN!! I'm coming Vagel...

[Skyweir]

yeah I like checkers too .. but its not really the game that chess is ..

.. chess is a game of strategy and battle plans .. I mean there really is no comparison .. though I do enjoy a game of checkers occassionally .. but not nearly as much as chess.

methinks that if Joyse were a chess player .. he may have come up with a better battle strategy of his own .. to save his Kingdom ..

it all makes perfect sense now ..

[MsMary]

Yeah, you figured it out, Sky.

The whole problem with Joyse was that he was a checkers player instead of a chess player!

Welcome to the MN forum, Bannor. Come on in and make yourself comfortable...and stay a while.

~MsMary~

[Bannor]

Thanks Ms. Mary! Sorta reminds me of what one of the Smothers Brothers said about Jefferson Ariplane:
"We think this group has something to say. So we keep asking them to play until we find out...just what it is that they are trying to say."

[Lady Genni]

Wouldn't it be nice if Donaldson had included a map of Mordant? Here is what I picture.

First if you take Orison as a central point (but not center - more of a just north of center say on a clock face) then I picture Alend to the North (12). With Armagite's (sp?) Demense sort of NE (1-2) between Orison and Alend. Then if you go clock wise you have the Termigan sort of NEE(2-3) of Orison and a little SE of the Armagite. The Termigan would have a nothern and eastern border with Alend. (remeber Alend and Caldwal share a border but it's swamp land and they can't get to eachother from there.) Then South of Termigan is the Domne which is SE (3-5) of Orison. The Domne would border Caldwal swamps to the east. Then there is the Perdon SWW of the Domne. I picture Perdon being directly south of Orison (5-7) and covering most of the border to the Caldwal Desert. Then there is the Tor sort of NW of the Perdon and SW(7-8) of Orison. Then the Fayle is North of the Care of Tor and sort of SWW of Orison(8-10). With the rest of the care of Orison making up the remaining NW corner of the clock (10-12) - well something like that.

I see the ocean of Caldwal being to the east. East of the swamp border that Alend and Caldwal share. The only area that's a blank for me is to the west. Past the borders of Fayle and to the west of Alend and Caldwal.

Anyway...just my thoughts

[danlo]

Good thoughts LG!! We'll definately have 2 make up somekind of map for "A Wienne Rides Through the Mirror" or MN Vol. III--plus I wanted 2 make the 200 post in this 4rum!

[Skyweir]

200th post!!

my 2 cents ..

[Variol Farseer]

A couple of years ago, some AI research group 'solved' checkers: they worked out, by brute computer power, the exact optimum sequence of moves. I believe Black always wins if nobody makes any mistakes. Hopboard has now joined (noughts & crosses)(ticktacktoe)(pick your side of the pond) as a Trivial Children's Game.

There's something symptomatic about that. I like MN, but it has much less re-reading value than any of SRD's other books. Still, I won't call it 'trivial'. Only hopboard itself.


I like very much the idea of a map of Mordant. When I re-read MN a couple of weeks ago, I was frustrated enough to draw a map for myself. But the irresistible force of my frustration dashed in vain against the immovable object of my laziness.

Perhaps I shall have a go. Fantasy maps are a speciality of mine.

[Skyweir]

if you overcome the resistance of that immovable object .. inertia .. and do draw a map of Mordant .. please post it ..

especially if fantasy maps are a specialty of yours .. it would be great to have a map to refer to.

[danlo]

I'll help, if I can, Farseer! I worked 4 a year, in HS, creating a map of "Earth's Dreamland" based on H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreamquest of the Unknown Kadath. I thought it was perfect until I mailed a copy of it 2 Lin Carter (then editor of Ballentine's Adult Fantasy series). Dang he ripped me 2 pieces! Especially 4 reminding me (well I was NO astronomy genius at the time!) that Fomalhaut and Adelbaran were stars, not islands! ooh I still smart at that!

But thank's 2 Carter's criticism my overall Dreamland art project won me the school's Art Award, upon graduation. And I came this close 2 getting it published by BB. The map did, however, make it 2 the wall of Carter's office and the frontpage of The American Literary Review with my article on the life and times of H. P. when I was in college. I'll have 2 dig that up--it must be in their archives, somewhere...

[Skyweir]

wow!! far out danlo!! .. that is sooo interesting!! when you dig it out .. post it here somewhere .. it'd be way cool to see the map and read the article .. even better if you can dig out the article itself .. rather than a draft .. even more impressive .. way to go!!

we truly have a resident genius here!! what have you not done?? and I want to see that art-work of yours some day .. still waiting for my promised rendering of Revelstone

got the postcard of New Mexico tho' .. it was nice but it was no Revelstone

[danlo]

Sorry, they, apparently don't achive stuff that old on the Web--I would have 2 go back 2 Maryland 2 dig that issue out of their files. All my old college newspaper articles r in MD 2-guess I'm not a "portfolio" type of guy... I'm just about ready 2 REALLY redo my rendering of Revelstone based on the Sandia Mts in NM (see my dissecting post in Revelstone/Council of the Lords). So acrylic paints would b a very nice Xmas present, y'all ! I plan 2 be done by the end of Jan. Then mayb 1 of these local comp/copy stores could take a photo, size down and scan it 4 me...

[Skyweir]

near enuff .. is good enuff .. I guess