That's funny. I've been thinking the same thing lately. I've been jonesing to run a big adventure on the high seas, complete with undead pirates, krakens, and the gods. I was jonezing even more after I saw The Odyssey on Tv the other day (crappy version on SyFy channel of course). :)
The emphasis on the subterranean has practical value for D&D (an easier environment for a DM to manage, etc.), and the game will always be somewhat haunted by the 'mythic dungeon' conceptual heritage, but there's so much historical information and symbols in the sea and our relationship with it.
I like to refer back to the Hypersea theory - that evolving creatures never really left the ocean, they encapsulated it and brought it with them (link) as the root of symbolism and all that good stuff.
It would be so wonderful to see a new emphasis towards nautical exploration among classic game materials.
That's funny. I've been thinking the same thing lately. I've been jonesing to run a big adventure on the high seas, complete with undead pirates, krakens, and the gods. I was jonezing even more after I saw The Odyssey on Tv the other day (crappy version on SyFy channel of course). :)
ReplyDeleteThe emphasis on the subterranean has practical value for D&D (an easier environment for a DM to manage, etc.), and the game will always be somewhat haunted by the 'mythic dungeon' conceptual heritage, but there's so much historical information and symbols in the sea and our relationship with it.
ReplyDeleteI like to refer back to the Hypersea theory - that evolving creatures never really left the ocean, they encapsulated it and brought it with them (link) as the root of symbolism and all that good stuff.
It would be so wonderful to see a new emphasis towards nautical exploration among classic game materials.
I have some ideas regarding an oceanic hex crawl, inspired by Mike Fernandez' work. I just have to decide upon a system - 1e or 5e?
ReplyDeleteI played D&D by the beach once. It was AWESOME! We camped, and there was a "picnic table" of perfectly arranged driftwood logs.
ReplyDelete