#not the most faithful adaption of dune but it’s still good

[wine4thewin]

Chani, anytime she hears someone refer to Paul Atreides as Lisan al Gaib or Mahdi:

Meanwhile, Lady Jessica & her psychic unborn baby hearing the same thing:

[falmerbrook]

Problem with adapting it to film or tv especially so lies within which stories they would choose to tell. There are so many to choose from or even make new ones, but I am almost certain they would fumble in their choice or choose something extremely human-centric (probably bretons or imperials) to save on the cgi/practical effects. There are good human-centric stories in tes, of course, many of them, but choosing them specifically for the sake of saving money on assets instead of for the sake of telling the story is something that I see them doing.

Then again, they could always pull D&D movie which stays true to source material and has amazing practical effects. But. I don't quite trust it.

Yeah, my biggest worry with live action would be the high probability of the cast being 90% human, most elves being humans with pointy ears (not the worst, but it would be disappointing), and/or the non human characters being one offs (so they don’t need them for multiple scenes) that just show up to make the world feel weirder. A live action show would also have a greater risk for dumbed down or less fantastical locations or moments due to budget or effect constraints. Animation would be a much better medium (and I’m obviously a little biased for animation lol), but even then I’d worry about the mainstreaming of the world or story.

Honor Among Theives and Dune put a bit more faith in movies’ ability to adapt fantasy worlds and visuals well, which is why I said there would be a probability of an adaptation being good, but Bethesda doesn’t really have a good track record with avoiding mainstreaming the series (for better or worse) so I still wouldn’t be hopeful until I saw visuals though lol.

Honestly, I’m kinda surprised we never got a Skyrim adaptation given how huge it is and how big and successful video game adaptations are getting. It would be the most appealing to mainstream audiences (since it already was), and I bet some studio/producer has made an offer, so I wonder if they don’t want to adapt tes or if there was some other reason for that not happening.

[imalloutofgin]

More Mini Reviews!

Barbie (2023): Had some absolutely laugh out loud jokes that dealt with complex themes, but ultimately the sentiment was a little hollow. Fun though. 3.5/5 stars.

Perfect Days (2023): A beautiful, slow, meditative film that pulled on my heart strings. Gorgeous performances especially from the lead. 4.5/5 stars.

Little Women (2019): As a big fan of the 1994 version I didn't have high hopes for this film but I really liked this take. The only thing I really didn't like was that I found Florence Pugh way too old to play the young version of Amy, and I wish they'd cast a younger actor to play her when she's still in school. I feel like this film had something extra that the other versions I have seen didn't have, specifically in it's pacing and characterisations, so I enjoyed it. BUT, did we really need another 'Little Women' film? 4/5 stars.

All My Friends Hate Me (2021): Really good film but so deeply unsettling and upsetting. Just really tense and uncomfortable interpersonal dynamics, so you constantly feel on the back foot. Nobody I know has seen this film so I feel like it's quite underrated. 4.5/5 stars.

Saltburn (2023): Visually stunning, thematically vacuous. All set up, no pay off. Very disappointing. However, the acting was great for the script they would have been given, and I did like the visuals although they were fairly derivative. 2/5 stars.

She's The Man (2006): I don't know what I expected... I laughed a couple of times though. 1.5/5 stars.

Suddenly 30/13 Going on 30 (2004): This had some moments I liked but over all was a bit of a nothing film. I watched it because some friends got a sense of nostalgia from it, but without that I think it's a worse than average film. 2/5 stars.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999): I watched this because everyone was comparing Saltburn (2023) to this film and oh my god so much better. It has interesting themes, great acting, and you care about main character. The ending made me so sad, but it was a great ending to a film that I very much recommend. 4.5/5 stars.

Dune: Part 2 (2024): I didn't have high hopes for the sequel but I ended up really enjoying it. Visually captivating, interesting plot, and my partner says this is the most faithful adaptation of the book yet (even though obviously some things have been changed or glossed over to save time). A very enjoyable watch with great acting and huge set pieces that blew my mind. 4/5 stars.

Gayby Baby (2015): This was okay. I liked some of the families included, but I watched it a while ago and I can't remember much about it now. As such, I don't fully feel it was able to do much to improve the lives of the kids of queer parents. I would have also liked some more diversity in the subjects and more of a political point - yell something from the rooftops, because as a queer person, we are never going to be acceptable to most others and I know that. A good watch though, and I do recommend it to anyone interested in a stripped back, only mildly political, queer docco. 3/5 stars.

More mini reviews to come!

[timobeechalamet]

dune thoughts!! (it’s 1:30am and i’m in bed so this is by no means a review lmao)

lots of spoilers ahead

[pretend this is a cut im on mobile]

ok for starters for my first imax experience it wasn’t at all worth the 4€ extra lmao it was just too big and too loud

the beginning was a bit choppy i have to say. the voice over and then the first few scenes are a bit patched up to introduce as many characters in as little time possible. but this is like the first 5-10mins only and then it settles into a good pace which leads me to

this film. is. so. long. maybe i’m just rusty from not going to the cinema ? but i was surprised at how it kept going lmao in saying that i was never bored for a second, nor did i think ‘come on hurry up’ a single time. this might be the most impressive thing actually, it keeps you engaged the whole time

PRODUCTION DESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COSTUME DESIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so haunting it stands as character/narrator of its own

A+ acting all across the board, actually impeccable. everyone is so good they make everyone seem average if that makes sense!!! the standard is so high and they all rise up to it

somehow it felt like timmy slipped into this role completely seamlessly, which is surprising considering it was his first time acting in a production this scale and given his background up to dune, it could’ve felt misplaced or heavy-handed (not that i was expecting it to) but it’s really just. he showed up one day as paul ? ik there was a learning curve w this role for him but that doesn’t show at all. natural. talented brilliant show stopping etc. basically i’m still in awe of his talent

desert mouse 🥺

never stops being funny to me how the main character is just a horny teen boy having horny dreams about a random girl and being like I Had A Vision

no ‘where are my feelings? i feel nothing’ quote. disappointed

timmy looks so young. this was shot in 2019 or am i wrong? his face has rly matured as of recently. he’s still baby in the film (probs exacerbated by makeup to make him look the characters age but still i was a little shocked at how different he looks vs now)

ok my FAVOURITE part was how futuristic sci-fi blends into medieval aesthetics into arabic visuals SO WELL. again, mostly production and costume design but it’s a marvel how the story feels set both in the past and in the future like it’s all happening at once, as well as also drawing from european, middle-eastern and african cultures and their clashes while having them complement each other

also love the portrayal of imperfect leaders. these sort of stories and film adaptations tend to adopt a black and white moral compass, ‘us vs them’, ‘good vs evil’ mentally. the villains are very clear, don’t get me wrong, and the baron is absolutely freaky, but the characters are allowed to be proudful and make mistakes regardless of where they stand. leto’s moral purity and trustfulness get him killed. yueh in spite being the catalyst for everything that ensues, is doing so to save his wife and also tries to minimise the damage of his actions. paul wants to be a fearless leader but when his mum tells him to run he runs. etc etc

this is hard to explain but i felt like i’d seen the film already? in the sense that the adaptation is incredibly faithful while still subtly cleaning up around the edges some stuff that would not translate to screen. i think this is where both the mastery lies and also where previous adaptations have failed. a too literal interpretation would make for a chaotic film that would be hard to understand and take seriously. they were able to pluck out those unintelligible bits of the book and either cut or translate them into something more digestible, while still sticking to the source material to the T. creative liberties were taken only where necessary. denis clearly know this story and this world by heart and had a very clear vision both of what it was like and how to best represent it on screen

overall!! really liked it and it lived up to the expectation. after so long waiting for it, it could’ve easily felt like the beat took long to drop and it’s disappointing, but absolutely not. i’m not an expert on sci-fi or this sort of big budget ‘action’ movies (aka marvel) by any means so i can’t say how it compares to other franchises/series out there but i know i liked it and am already plotting to see it again soon :) also timmy is beautiful but we already knew that xoxo off to sleep

[mtsainthelens]

my thoughts on DUNE (2021)

let me start by saying that overall, I had a really good time. the beginning of the movie was an incredibly faithful adaptation, way better than I expected. they even got the bull.

the set and sound design were also fantastic right off the bat and it wasn’t just CGI’d to death either. the costume design was very precise and distinct, which is essential if you have such a large cast with so many different groups of people like dune does. the bene gesserit were instantly recognizable. hawat and piter had the same eyes, which was a subtle but super effective touch. the movie didn’t spare many details and it made for a very immersive experience. It was almost exactly as I pictured it.

I also have minimal complaints about the casting. Jason Momoa was a delight and for the brief time that we saw him, Oscar Isaac made a great Duke. I wasn’t expecting the changes to Kynes’ character, but I think it was the right choice and was true to what made Liet-Kynes great. Timothee Chalamet also gives a solid performance. I was originally pretty ruffled about that particular casting decision and still think a younger actor deserved a shot at the role, but Timothee’s weird brand of formality and androgyny makes him a pretty solid choice to play Paul. He makes that still-suit work.

There were very few cut scenes from the book, but I felt their loss. The greenhouse is absent, even though it was easily one of the most thematically important aspects of Dune. The dinner party is missing, which I can forgive. Yueh is barely in this movie. Sorry Yueh fangirls, you’ll get ‘em next time. The treachery among Leto’s inner circle is actually pretty understated - the distrust between Jessica and Hawat isn’t mentioned even once.

[Also, can I just say how not surprising it is that Hollywood had to tease the betrayal? The book tells us from the moment we meet him that Yueh is a traitor, but I’ll be damned if blockbusters don’t get their twist villain shoved in there. Damn you Disney. Damn you.]

There’s some mildly interesting moments going on with the writing and line delivery. Timothee’s demeanor makes Paul’s lines feel more natural than they would from an actual 14 year old, but he also says to his mother “Are you good?”. I just thought that was funny. Momoa and Zendaya’s performances are also slightly off kilter because of how much they give the impression that they know about emails. Momoa in particular is just a little too casual. Duncan Idaho is one of the first characters we meet and he speaks in a really contemporary way, so there’s a bit of tonal whiplash when we meet the other characters. I think it’s a little more understandable for Dune fans who already know how formally everybody speaks, but my friend who didn’t read the book mentioned that it felt a little weird to her. I don’t know if this needs to be changed but I felt it was noticeable enough to comment.

My most serious complaint of DUNE (2021) was that it wasn’t a finished movie. I was seriously enjoying myself right up until I checked the time to find we only have 30 minutes left and Zendaya still hadn’t shown. To be clear, I think splitting book one into two parts WAS the right decision. I love the level of detail this part had and wouldn’t have liked to see the entire book crammed into two hours. But I shouldn’t have been surprised that the movie was about to end. There should have been ways to resolve Part One in a way that made it feel like it wasn’t just the first half of a larger story. It should have been able to stand on its own and come to an ending that made sense. I went to see it with my friend who hadn’t read the book and she ended up being really confused about what had just happened and especially what was up with the ending. Because the ending was rough.

Up until some of the very last scenes, some things were omitted, but nothing was really changed. The encounter with the Fremen is the start of canonical divergence. They cucked Jessica in this one, alright? Her and Stilgar’s first encounter was one of my favorite scenes in the book and the movie did it no justice whatsoever. It’s supposed to be such an establishing moment for her character and a testament to her abilities, but it falls really flat when she immediately starts trying to bargain with them to get off-planet. Why? I don’t know. Paul of all people corrects her, saying that they are meant to be among the Fremen. It’s a weird and arbitrary inversion of their relationship in that scene and I dislike it a lot. Another thing I dislike is that the fight with Jamis happens almost immediately after, while they’re still in the basin. Putting aside how impractical that is, the way the movie frames this is actually pretty abhorrent. Paul defeating Jamis is his entry into the Fremen society. He earns his way in through violence. There’s no funeral, if you were wondering. Jessica does not get in her “How does it feel to be a killer?” line. I truly don’t understand how 90% of the movie stayed so loyal to the book and the last 10% starts going blatantly against it.

So yeah, Dune was a great movie but not a finished one and the ending was a little off-kilter. I think once Part Two is out people will have a nice marathon-able sci-fi series to enjoy. In some ways it’s almost a perfect adaptation, in others it’s a little concerning. I think Part Two has the potential to be either really bad or really good and I worry about the lackluster way they’ve adapted the Fremen so far. I don’t think Zendaya is a particularly talented actor or a good fit for Chani, but I won’t break my eggs before they hatch.

Also, nobody clapped when it ended. Dune fans have their dignity about them.

[moviemunchies]

Okay let’s talk about Dune! The first part, anyway.

So Dune is a book by Frank Herbert, one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time, which is a massive achievement for a book first published by a company that made its money through printing manuals. Despite that, it hasn’t really broken into mainstream popular consciousness? I think there are plenty of people out there who have a vague idea that Dune is a thing that exists, and that it involves giant sandworms on a desert planet, but not much other than that. It doesn’t help that the big movie adaptations haven’t been very good at conveying information. The David Lynch movie was infamously very hard to follow.

Also Salvador Dali wanted to help adapt it at one point?

You should know going in that this is the first part--the opening title tells you as much, but it’s not something that’s been present at all in the promotional material for the film, unless you count the director’s insistence that he plans on making a sequel. Most viewers know that now, I think, because the movie’s been in the news enough and plenty of reviews have mentioned that the plan was to divide the book into two movies. Most critics with advanced screenings didn’t have that benefit, and went into the film not knowing this, and got this fun fact as a bit of a nasty surprise. If you don’t know that this is going to be the first part in the story, the abrupt ending without full resolution is probably going to be annoying. So here ya go: this isn’t the complete story. There’s more to come.

You may still get annoyed that the movie ends in a way that feels like there’s more to come in this story. I couldn’t hold that against this movie, because I went in trying to think about the movie like Lord of the Rings. Each of those movies only works as connected to the others, and are still very satisfying movies on their own while making you want more. And I really liked the idea of being caught up in another epic.

Now I wish that I could tell you whether or not it’s a faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. In truth, I don’t really know for sure--it has been over a decade since I read the book. I meant to read it before seeing the movie, but the past couple of times I’ve been to the library it wasn’t there. I probably should have put a copy on hold. Alas I did not! So I only remember the Plot and a couple of specific scenes.

I can tell you whether or not this is a good movie though: and I think it very much is. I am very happy to see a movie these days that’s massive and telling part of an epic story, but isn’t part of a mega-franchise (at least, not yet--there’s talk of a spin-off series in development and some articles mention potential for a long series, based on the ridiculously long series of books). Many of the big budget science fiction films we get are one part of a mega-franchise like a comic book movie, and while they’re certainly good they’re also there to lead to an infinite number of other films in the same universe.

Not so with Dune! This is a movie that is telling a specific story with a specific end point.

I’m cool with that. I kind of miss it in fact.

A thing I enjoyed about the film is that there are some things that don’t have to be said aloud for you to get. There’s a lovely scene in which Leto clearly does not care as much about spice production (and reminder that spice is the most valuable resource in the universe at this point) as much as the lives of the people under his protection. Liet-Kynes does not SAY that she’s absolutely shocked to hear this, but it’s very clear from her expression that she is, and that she clearly admires this guy for prioritizing people’s lives above his own and his profits.

In fact the movie is surprisingly concerned with showing how the colonized feel about their colonizers (Chani gives the opening narration!), but that’s already been talked about and I don’t know what I could add to that conversation that would be meaningful. Which I want to say is something out of the book, but I don’t recall for sure. But considering the conversations going on in culture about colonialism, I’d say it’s pretty darn cool that it’s a major part of the film. It kind of has to be, in order to cover the story of Dune because it deals so heavily with a colonized group, and if it didn’t play around with the Fremen’s point of view in this day and age I think it would have felt very, very weird.

A concern I have is that this is a film that isn’t necessarily welcoming to newcomers? I saw this with my dad, and we both remembered the basics of the story. My dad was convinced that this movie will be near incomprehensible if you don’t already know something about it. I’ve heard both responses--someone I know watched it on HBO Max and paused it early on to Google backstory, where another friend claimed he thought it was exposited well enough. So it’s a YMMV thing I guess, and something you should be aware of going in. I don’t think it’s too much of a problem, though, so I encourage you to go see it, but maybe get a basic outline of the premise first?

As you can probably tell, I very much enjoyed this film. I’m happy to see movies that are epics, I’m happy to see something that’s more from a niche of culture become more mainstream, and I’m happy to see science-fiction space opera and isn’t Star Wars or Star Trek. Or Marvel, Heaven forbid. Which isn’t a bash against those things, I just want to see something different that’s still massive in scope and storytelling capacity and Dune gave me that. I can hardly wait to see more.

[battlestar-royco]

Adding onto what you said about Tolkien, Lewis, and Herbert, I feel like their film adaptations also kinda reflects their popularity if that makes sense. Like you said, Dune isn't as timeless when compared to Star Wars while LotR is incredibly popular to this day. Narnia feels like somewhere in the middle, though this may be in part because of both the books (particularly Susan's fate) and the movies (there hasn't been an adaptation since Voyage in 2010).

TBH as a person who first watched Star Wars as an adult, I feel like it only ages well if you grew up with it. But I agree that the longevity of a franchise is tied to its adaptation for the most part. SW is an exception because it’s very good at aggressively rebranding and pumping out content every few years. The one fandom I’ve seen still go really strong after having a train wreck of an adaptation is PJO. We don’t know yet if it’ll last decades, but it looks promising. Game of Thrones... we also have yet to see if that stands the test of time, but I doubt it. I think, much like Lost, it’ll be a thing that people thought was good at the time and then forget about in 5 years. Overall I think for the most part, the adaptation plays a huge role in a franchise’s success and the way it is remembered. A faithful and respectful adaptation with a good budget, cast, and marketing scheme does wonders for longevity.

Dune is just infamously impossible to adapt and I guess it’s also really serious? It just doesn’t have that commercial family appeal that allows generations to watch it over and over again with their kids/parents, unlike SW, LotR, Harry Potter etc. The Walden Narnia adaptation was wonky with their releases and the movie rights expired so there was/is no hope of any new content or closure on the series, but the books are still treasured so it has a quieter fandom. Divergent was mostly just riding on THG’s coattails, and Twilight was really problematic and lackluster in every way, so it was easy to see that after the dystopian and vampire fads were over. On the other hand, Harry Potter had the benefit of lasting 10 years and bringing in new fans with every consistently and simultaneously released movie and book. The Hunger Games adaptation definitely missed some key things from the novels (ie Peeta’s disability, Katniss’s ethnicity, the critique of the Capitol etc), but it still had a great budget and they cultivated JLaw’s ~cutesy~ persona and the love triangle drama to draw people in. So adaptations are definitely able to spawn enormous success and fandoms, but the source material being good in the first place also factors in.

[chiropteracupola]

(hi its highseasgirlbossing) share ur thoughts on dune if u like? i've been teetering precariously on the edge of being Into It for weeks and i still havent made up my mind haha

*steeples fingers* alright. dune. I can't in good faith say that I Enjoy it in any particular way, but it Captivates me. also I have been known to enjoy a good Media With When The Worms Big in my time.

mostly my Thoughts today have been in relation to the 2021 movie, and my general disappointment on the adaptation's take on the funky fellow I consider to be Perhaps The Most Fun Character.

I just really like The Version of Gurney Halleck That Exists In My Mind an awful lot. space bard!  vibes are those of a weird uncle!  burbling stew of conflict between loyalty and revenge needs!  can absolutely murder and kill so much!  going to say it again but space bard!

I've only read the first book and don't really intend to go further, and I haven't seen any of the other adaptations, so I might be missing a good chunk of the picture, but I think he's pretty neat and the designs most adaptationeers have been putting out there don't do him justice.

don’t get me wrong, I love the soundtrack of this movie, and I’m planning to play it in the same way I play all my other favorites of hans zimmer’s work (Really Really Really Loudly and Often), and the bagpipes were inspired.  but also, they really should have let him sing!

I don't have my copy of the book on hand, nor do I have time enough to write out my full essay on why he's Important To The Tone in all the ways that he is, but I think you get the idea at this point?  seriously, why would you ignore the Space Bard.

[aion-rsa]

What Alejandro Jodorowsky Thinks of the New Dune Trailer

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

“They tried and failed? All of them?”

So goes the question Paul Atreides asks the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam early in Frank Herbert’s Dune. While the powerful Bene Gesserit answers far more harshly than is required for a discussion about the making of movies, Paul’s brief meditation on the failure of those who came before him is still appropriate when thinking about the many attempts to bring the legendary sci-fi novel to the screen.

One of those attempts came from Alejandro Jodorowsky, who spent years working on a Dune movie that never came to be, and might just be the most famous unmade film of all time.

During a conversation with Jodorowsky about his latest documentary Psychomagic, A Healing Art, we asked the director for his thoughts about the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. While the director has praise for the trailer, he’s quick to make the distinction between “industrial cinema” and that which is made as “an artistic realization…by an auteur.” That seems to be how he sees the difference between the version of Dune he wanted to make and the one Villeneuve showcased in the recent trailer.

“Myself, I made an enormous project of a film that will not be a normal film,” Jodorowsky says. “I think in 14, 16, maybe 19 hours, my film. They think I was crazy. Hollywood thinks he is crazy. A picture, one hour and a half or two hours, no more… The kind of Dune I did was completely an artistic product, whose finality was not the mandate. The finality was a marvelous work.”

And a “marvelous work” it would have been, indeed. With a cast that would have included Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, and Mick Jagger, with music by Pink Floyd, and designs by Moebius, HR Giger, and Christopher Foss, Jodorowsky’s Dune would have been a psychedelic vision, one that may have had little to do with conventional sci-fi filmmaking wisdom, or even its source material.

By comparison, David Lynch’s ambitious 1984 Dune adaptation was relatively conventional blockbuster fare. And while Denis Villeneuve’s new movie certainly seems more faithful to the book, Jodorowsky is skeptical that a modern Hollywood version of Dune, made even with the best intentions, can be the kind of art he once strived for.

“I was thinking in the art, not in the money….Hollywood is the contrary,” he says. “Hollywood first is the money, and then the work. And then the work cannot be in Hollywood in the hand of one person. Impossible. [It] needs to be in the hands of an army of artisan workers. And the principal person is the producer. What does this mean, producer? And the director cannot realize the work as an artist who lives off the object he is doing. It’s everything, it’s his life, he can die if he doesn’t do his work, he can die. Van Gogh cut an ear. But I don’t see a director of Hollywood cutting an ear there because he cannot make his picture.”

Still, he does have some praise for the vision of Dune presented in that trailer.

“The trailer of Dune is a good, good trailer of one industrial movie,” he says. “It’s good, but is similar to other pictures. Nothing, nothing which can open your mind. But it’s a lot of fun….this trailer shows me it is a good industrial picture, but it’s not art. It’s some kind of art. It’s industrial art. It’s possible, there are very marvelous industrial art pictures.”

It should come as no surprise that Jodorowsky, a niche director of cult-classic surrealist indie films like El Topo and The Holy Mountain, has no real love for traditional Hollywood blockbusters — and that extends to modern superhero movies. He seems to think that audiences who have gotten used to superhero movies are unlikely to fully embrace a proper Dune adaptation.

“Maybe they will like, and Hollywood will be happy he will make the business. We are proudest, we say, ‘Dune made the first week $400 million.’ A million million dollars, it’s a success, it’s a big masterpiece. Big master shit. This is a big, a big product, this quantity of money. It’s good for the industry. It’s good. Okay, okay. But that will be that.”

As for how Jodorowsky thinks the new Dune movie might be received…

“A person who likes Jodorowsky’s Dune, who knows what I wanted to do, and they will not find what I wanted to do [in Villeneuve’s Dune]. And they will start to call me in order to make me speak bad of the picture Dune. ‘Hey Jodorowsky, what do you think about that? What do you think about that?’ I will say I think he’s good in his area. In the industrial movies, he’s very good, he makes a lot of money, fantastic. If that doesn’t make money, they will reject the director, he will be made poor. Hollywood will reject because a director who doesn’t make money for them is not a good director. That is the real situation for me.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Psychomagic, A Healing Art is now available on Alamo on Demand. Villeneuve’s Dune is scheduled to open in December of 2018, but that is likely to change. We’ll have MUCH more from our talk with Jodorowsky in the coming days.

The post What Alejandro Jodorowsky Thinks of the New Dune Trailer appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[wkakadrac]

Work in Progress: Zakhara for 5E

I’ve had to scrap a lot of my prior work re: Adapting Al-Qadim content for 5th Edition due to major balancing, overlap, and / or over-complication issues. Progress continues to be made, if a fair deal slower, so expect me to release a bunch of posts on the matter eventually.

That said, I’ve also begun work on an Plane Shift:Zendikar-esque primer for people interested in running games in the Land of Fate. Below is what I’ve currently completed, with the main things I still need to include / write out being:

1) A proper geographic summary of Zakhara

2) The differences between the Al-Badia (nomadic) and Al-Hadhar (settled) demographics

3) A rundown of the Cities of the Ancient

4) A theological tl;dr of Zakhara’s predominant faith(s) / deities

5) Some suggestions on how to apply existing Background options to the Zakhara setting.

If all goes well the rough draft should be complete by today, at which point I can try slapping it down in the DM’s Guild by Wednesday for feedback. If anyone has any critique, commentary, desired additions, or so-on, my Ask Box and Replies are always open. Bear in mind that some thematic aspects of the AD&D2E setting will be omitted to keep the adaptation in line with modern Wizards / 5E design principles, leaving DMs who further research the subject free to decide whether they want to include such themes / content or not.

"There is no Fate but the Fate which we are given." -Zakharan proverb

Introduction Dungeons and Dragons has a rich history of official campaign settings stretching back over a span of four decades and five editions. A treasure trove of inspiration for Dungeon Masters seeking to add something unique to their campaign, this document offers a brief look at one of the more frequently acknowledged - but rarely focused upon - backdrops of the Abeir-Toril setting: Zakhara.

Released as "Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures" back in 1992 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, the setting of Zakhara was in some regards a prototype of the modern Dungeons & Dragon world. It featured some of the first official Dungeons & Dragons material to separate a creature's race from a universal archetype or nature, introduced several monsters that have gone to become staples in modern Monstrous Manuals, and made extensive use of class kits whose designs were closer to modern class archetypes than they were the usual AD&D 2nd Edition kits. At the same time, it was - and still is - a world of its own, drawing inspiration heavily from arabic history and mythology both pre- and post-Islam as well as contemporary (at-the-time) pop culture invoking to the same subjects.

Pushed to the wayside during the 3rd and 4th Editions of Dungeons and Dragons, the setting was brought back to the attention of Dungeons and Dragons players with the release of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide in late 2015. Teasing readers with hints of the distant land, it is my hope that this document will further kindle that spark of curiosity and inspiration within players and dungeon masters alike.

Zakhara: The Land of Fate "Far to the south of Faerún, beyond Calimshan and even the jungles of Chult, are the Lands of Fate. Surrounded by waters thick with pirates and corsairs, Zakhara is a place less hospitable than most, but still braved by travelers who hope to profit from its exotic goods and strange magics. Like Kara-Tur, Zakhara seems a world away to Faerúnians. It is thought of as a vast desert, sprinkled with glittering cities like scattered gems. Romantic tales abound of scimitar-wielding rogues riding flying carpets and of genies bound in service to humans. Their mages, called sha'ir, practice their magic with the aid of geneies and, it is said, might carry the lineage of these elemental beings in their blood." - Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

"Zakhara is a world of extremes. Travelers may cross a seemingly endless sea of dunes, cresting wave after wave, and then suddenly find an oasis as lush as any imagined paradise. They may climb snow-capped mountains that soar above 15,000 feet, or discover the deadly Pit of the Ghuls, whose murky depths plug well below the level of the distant sea." - Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara

Provide a quick overview of the overall geography and major differences from the north. The expansive deserts that define its more iconic Western lands and the lush jungles clinging to its Eastern shores. The preponderance of Genies and other Elemental kin and relative absence of many traditional beasts such as Dragons. How its gods defy the common northern conventions of belonging to any one race or sub-race in either worship or form.

>Al-Badia & Al-Hadhar< Use this section to highlight the two (broad) lifestyles of Zakhara: Al-Badia (Nomadic) and Al-Hadhar (Settled)

>Domains Within Zakhara< Offer a brief summary of the following reaches:

>>Cities of the North<< The northernmost polities of Zakhara, closest to the Great Sea and Faerún. Major cities include Hawa (practical capital to the Corsair Domains), Qudra (Huzuz's most firm grip on the region), and the so-called Free Cities of Hafayah, Liham, Muluk, Qadib, Umara, and Utaqa: Relatively independent city-states as well as the most common destination of foreign visitors and merchants to the Land of Fate.

>>Cities of the Heart<< The geographic and political heartland of Zakhara, located along the fertile stretches of land bordering Suq Bay and its tributaries. Here lay Huzuz, seat of the Master of the Enlightened Throne and peer to Waterdeep in both size and grandeur. Other major cities include Halwa, Hiyal, and Wasat.

>>Cities of the Pearl<< The chief economic financiers of Zakhara, located along the Western shores of the Golden Gulf and Crowded Sea. While its cities - Ajayib, Gana, Jumlat, Sikak, and Tajar - are among the wealthiest in Zakhara, only Jumlat and Gana actually produce pearls in noteworthy quantities. The rest make do with othervaluable exports, including rare metals, spices, woods, and other exotic wares.

>>Cities of the Pantheon<< The spiritual heartland of Zakhara, situated along the Eastern shores of the Golden Gulf and Crowded Sea. Here one will find the most pious and stringent adherents to Enlightenment in the form of the Pantheist League, though the form this piety takes sometimes varies greatly between members. Major cities include Fahhas, Hilm, Hudid, I'tiraf, Mahabba, and Talab.

>>Cities of the Ancients<< The

Races of Zakhara Ostensibly, humans are the dominant race within the Land of Fate. They are by far both the most populous and most widespread of its inhabitants, and it is with their city-states that those outside of the realm most frequently interact with. No other nation within the Land of Fate comes close in either size or breadth to that pledged to the Enlightened Throne.

In practice, however, the division of power is highly complex. Many settlements disproportionately include nonhuman races among their seats of soft and / or hard power. Genies and their kin frequently serve as advisors and generals to the mortal leaders of the Land of Fate, with many more wandering its vast wilderness in pursuit of their own agendas. In the East villainous Yak-Men operate with nigh-impunity from their stronghold within World Pillar Mountains, and in the south the jungles of the Haunted Lands yield only the most tenuous of grips to its recent Zakharan occupiers.

Nonhuman races account for approximately ten percent of the total population in most Zakharan settlements, this number trending closer to fifteen or even twenty percent within more cosmopolitan cities such as Qudra and Hiyal while the cities of the Pantheist League rarely surpass more than a five percent nonhuman demographic on their official census'. The predominant nonhuman races found in major cities include - but are not limited to - elves, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, orcs, half-orcs, genasi, kobolds, ogres, goblins, hobgoblins, hill giants, lizardfolk, and gnolls, with coastal settlements often including communities of merfolk and locathah as well.

To outsiders looking in, Zakharan society can appear almost alien or even mad. Dwarves laughing alongside kobolds and hill giants at a city's dock as they wait to unload their final vessel of the day. Lizardfolk in suits of maile standing watch as an ogre in fine clothes supervises the closing of their shop. Gnolls kneeling alongside elf and human as the sound of prayer bells echoes through a caravanserai. But to natives of the Land of Fate, this melting pot of various races and origins comes as naturally as the rising of the sun or the stages of the moon. And while it would be inaccurate to say that race has no bearing whatsoever, it is ultimately how one acts - what values they come to honor and exemplify - that is most important within Zakhara.

Faiths of Zakhara Use this section to give a brief rundown of The Loregiver, Enlightenment, and the local divines. Also mention Kahin (Idol-Priests) and the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods. Only deities marked with an asterix (*) are viewed as proper deities within the Pantheist League.

>Zakharan Deities<

Deity;      Ideal;    Symbol Bala of the Tidings;  Music;    A zither *Hajama the Courageous;    Bravery;   A featureless disk Hakiyah of the Sea Breezes;   Honesty, Truth;  A cresting wave Haku, Master of the Desert Wind;   Freedom, Independence;  A stylized gust of wind *Jauhar the Gemmed;    Wealth;   A gold dinar Jisan of the Floods;    Fruitfulness;   A rain cloud *Kor the Venerable;  Wisdom;   A sunburst *Najm the Adventurous;    Adventure, Curiosity;  A single arrow pointed upward *Selan the Beautiful Moon;   Beauty;   A ringed moon Vataqatal the Warrior-Slave;   War, Duty;   A red-bladed sword Zann the Learned;    Intelligence, Learning; A fountain's jet

Player Backgrounds

>NEW BACKGROUNDS< Desert Rider Oft traveling beyond the outskirts of society, you have spent nearly as much of your life in the saddle as you have on your own two feet. Whether you hail from one of the many nomadic tribes who eek out a living in Zakhara's unforgiving wilderness, delivered messages or goods between distant city-states and villagers, or sought to put your past as far behind you physically as it was chronologically, you have learned not only the art of survival but how best to handle and care for your steed in the most tumultuous of situations.

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument. Languages: One of your choice. Equipment: Your steed, a pack or riding saddle, a set of common clothes, a worn but functional tent, and 5 gp.

Trusty Steed Well suited for desert environments, Camels remain the traditional mount of choice for Desert Riders hailing from the Land of Fate. Be that as it may, adventurers are rarely a traditional lot and hail from a wide variety of sizes, cultures, lands, and circumstances. Should you prefer a different mount, discuss with your DM possible alternatives to choose from. Potential steeds should generally be of 50GP value or less, or - in the case of creatures without a given market value - 1/4 CR or lower. Example alternatives from a Desert environment include several breeds of Draft Horses, Giant Lizards, and - in the case of Small riders - Giant Wolf Spiders.

Feature: Born in the Saddle So long as you are not incapacitated, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount and grant your mount advantage on Wisdom saving throws against being charmed or frightened. Furthermore, so long as you remain within 30' of your mount, you may treat their exhaustion level as one point lower than it actually is. Thus a steed with one level of exhaustion does not suffer from Disadvantage on their ability checks, while a steed with two levels can still move at its full movement rate.

Matrud You did not always live on the margins of society. Once you had a place to call home, people you could call family and friends who would staunchly vouch for your honor. They're gone now, taken from you by your exile. Maybe you committed whatever unspeakable crime it is that stains your reputation, or perhaps you were framed by another in an attempt to ruin you or your family. Whatever the truth, you have learned not only how to survive but to thrive with nothing more than your wits, the strength of your arm, and what few belongings you have yet managed carry with you.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception Tool Proficiencies: One type of tools from the following: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Herbalism Kit, Poisoner's Kit, Thieves' Tools. Languages: One of your choice. Equipment: A set of tools (one of your choice), a set of traveler's clothes, a bag of caltrops, and a pouch containing 10 gp.

Feature: Ear to the Ground You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or similar organizations, and just as easily pick out dens of criminal activity within a community. In addition, you can't be surprised by allies or recent (≤1 minute) former allies while you are still conscious.

Additional Materials

Playtested rules for Aarakocra, Deep Gnome, Genasi, and Goliath player characters may be found in the Elemental Evil Players Companion available on dnd.wizards.com .

Rules for Pyromancer Sorcerous Origin and Inventing Options may be found in Plane Shift: Kaladesh available at either dnd.wizards.com or magic.wizards.com .

Rules for Merfolk player characters may be found in Plane Shift: Zendikar available at either dnd.wizards.com or magic.wizards.com .

Playtested rules for the Storm Sorcerous Origin and expanded backgrounds may be found within the "Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide" (ISBN 9780786965809) available for purchase at dnd.wizards.com.

Playtested rules for Aasimar, Firbolg, Goliath, Kenku, Lizardfolk, Tabaxi, Triton, Bugbear, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Orc, and Yuan-Ti Pureblood player characters may be found within "Volo's Guide to Monsters" (ISBN 9780786966011) available for purchase at dnd.wizards.com .

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In Defense of Meereen, Part 3: Daenerys Targaryen, the Dark Side of Fantasy

(Oh, PS, I am going to be using a few clips from the show to illustrate my point. I think the show did a good job adapting the books from Seasons 1-4. And even in Seasons 5&6 they get a few key points. But I still think the show is now about fanservice, not being true to Martin’s themes.)

Once, there was a young boy, the last of an ancient family line. His family largely being murdered by his enemies, he ran off into the desert and gained magical powers. Because he had these magical powers, and he was a prophesied savior, this boy gained an army, slew his enemies, and regained his throne. That boy’s name was Paul Atreides, and he is the protagonist of Dune, an early sci-fi book that in my opinion is just as much fantasy as it is sci-fi, and I am using him to make a point.

In many ways, readers will recognize several traits of Daenerys in his story. In many ways, Daenerys is a cliche fantasy protagonist. She:

a) Is the last member of a long, famous line that founded the Kingdom. (The Targaryens)

b) Is incredibly beautiful, and has many various love interests (Khal Drogo, Daario Naharis)

c) Takes up a noble Crusade (the War against slavery)

d) Has magical powers or a weapon that has been lost for years, and was key to her family’s rise to power (Dragons)

e) Is the prophesied Messiah that a nearby religion says will save the world (She is Azor Ahai Reborn, as prophesied by the Red Faith)

So am I saying George RR Martin is unoriginal? No. What I am saying is that George RR Martin is George RR Martin created a cocktail of fantasy hero cliches, and showed the horrible dark side of each trope.

Trope #1: Her Magical, “Noble” Line

If you don’t know, Daenerys is the last (known and definite) descendant of House Targaryen. They, in turn, are the last of the Dragonlords, the magical lords of Valyria, who created a great Empire across Essos. I personally am reminded of the Numenoreans, the ancestors of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. But frankly, the Valyrians remind me less of Aragorn and more of Sauron!

Reminders of Valyrian atrocities are spread across the series. The Free City of Braavos was specifically founded by runaway slaves from Valyria. The Dornish people are the descendants of people who fled from the Rhoyne River region in order to escape Valyrian enslavement. (I should also mention this was a possible reason the Andals fled to Westeros.) Sure, the Valyrians created a great civilization, but it was on the backs of slaves! I would argue that in many ways, the Valyrians were worse than the Masters of Meereen! (At least the Masters don’t seem to declare aggressive war on their neighbors!)

And even in Westeros, the obsession by the Targaryens with their line led to crazy inbreeding, and I do mean crazy. The saying went, “When a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin to see if they will be brilliant or mad.”

My point is that the Targaryens come from a powerful line, but in no way a good one. This continues in Westeros, where for every great Targaryen, there is a psychopath! For every Aegon I, a Maegor the Cruel! Not to mention her own father. Remember him?

What I think we forget is that if Daenerys wins, we are giving Westeros back to the Targaryens, whose words are aptly, “Fire and Blood”. That is a fate that I wouldn’t wish on Russia, and I am mad at Russia right now.

Trope #2: The Most Beautiful Woman In the World

A common note people make about Daenerys is her beauty. One of the ways that Daenerys gains power is at times, powerful men will fall in love with her and join her out of love. (Ser Jorah, Drogo, Daario, etc) But what is important is which men she falls in love with in turn. And homegirl has a type. Let’s list her choice in men:

1. Khal Drogo- Hot, but he is a slaver who attacks the peaceful Lhazareen and pours molten gold on Viserys’ head. And remember this?

If you can’t watch this, Drogo promises to burn Westeros to the ground and enslave errbody. That is not the kind of man you want ruling the Seven Kingdoms.

2. Daario- Also hot, but he murdered his co-captains to be with Daenerys. What kind of man murders his co-workers to impress a beautiful woman? Perhaps the kind that advocates another Red Wedding?

I should point out that in the books, he suggests to do this at her wedding. That should set off alarm bells for anybody.

My point is that Daenerys likes psychopaths, the kind that would be terrible rulers of Westeros. Forget her marrying Jon Snow. She would be more likely attracted to Ramsay. (Well, not really. She only likes men who are horrible to other people, not her.) All men fall in love with Daenerys, but she does not love them. Most people look at Victarion Greyjoy and think she can’t possibly fall for him. But why not? He’s exactly what she likes.

Trope #3: Her Noble Crusade

I dealt with this in Part 2, but suffice it to say that she demonstrates how this can go horribly wrong. She doesn’t rule well, can’t make alliances for shit, and irresponsibly runs off onto her dragon. This is what happens when an irresponsible teenager tries to make massive change in the world. (It also has eerie shades of her father, who had tendencies to try grand projects but never finish before he went mad.)

Trope #4: Her Dragons

Her dragons are not a good reason for her to claim the throne. They are murderous creatures that open the fifth book by eating a small child. Many think they will give her the right to rule because they will allow her to defeat the White Walkers. But humanity beat the White Walkers before without dragons. Why do they need them now?

Moreover, the Dragons, I would argue, represent absolute, unchecked, power. And it is all well and good to think Jon Snow or Daenerys (for now) would handle dragons well. But what about him?

Or God forbid, him?

The thing is, we don’t have to imagine it. We already had this song and dance under Maegor the Cruel.

An absolute sociopath, Maegor was nigh-impossible to defeat because he had a huge dragon. If it hadn’t been for Jaehaerys and Alysanne, he would have reigned until he died. And the thing is, there will be another crazy and/or evil king. The Targaryens are famous for it. So tell me this, are you willing to give Daenerys the throne, knowing another Aerys will be around in at most one hundred years, with a dragon waiting for him?

Trope #5: Our Prophesied Savior

But the thing that really worries me is Daenerys’ ties to the Red God. Admittedly, so far she has admitted she has no love of the Red God. (She was actually disturbed by their dichotomous thinking.) That is to her credit. What disturbs me is that she has quite a fanbase among the Red Priests. This, by the way, is one thing I think the show understood, as shown by Kinvara.

Throughout the books, George RR Martin makes a point of displaying religious violence. The Sparrows are violence caused by the Faith of the Seven. The Ironborn are partly motivated by the Drowned God saying, “Thou shalt steal and thou shalt kill”. (Although that is more of a justification than a commandment for stealing.) And the faith of the Red God is always tied to violence. Tyrion Lannister famously quotes, upon seeing the Red Priest Benerro preaching that Daenerys is Azor Ahai reborn:

Give me priests who are fat, corrupt and cynical...the sort who like to sit on soft satin cushions, nibble sweetmeats, and diddle little boys. It’s the ones who believe in gods who make the trouble. (A Dance With Dragons, Tyrion VII)

The question overall is why this part of the story is here. Well, it is a common fantasy cliche for the hero of the story to be a prophesied savior of some sort. (Like Paul Atreides, who is the “Mahdi” of the Fremen.) And in these stories, the people are always right, and the protagonist is a good guy. But historically, there have also been less heroic messiahs, who have brought about horrific violence. These are people like Simon Bar Kokhba, Hong Xiuquan (the Taiping Rebellion), or Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah in Sudan. (Interestingly, he was also a “Mahdi.”) Also, Paul Atreides should be noted to cause horrific death himself. The difference is in the Dune books there is less focus on this.

What my point is is that in each case, Daenerys is your cliche fantasy hero. She is almost Mary Sue-ish in that way. But only if she actually was the hero. What George RR Martin is showing us is that we value the wrong things in a hero, almost in a fascist way. And in the end, she will not be the hero. She will be a terror.

Thanks for sticking around for my long essay. Coming up next, why the Hunger Games (in-universe) were a terrible idea to begin with, and why the entire series is actually an excellent parable on Machiavelli! Happy MLK Day!