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Canonicity of Bloodsword
https://forum.libraryofhiabuor.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=591		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  WodenKrait [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Canonicity of Bloodsword
A while back I ordered a copy of each of the reprinted Bloodsword books and today they arrived (well, most of them; book 4 seems to be AWOL...).

I've never read the books but have long wanted to, as much as a source of additional information about Legend as anything else. What is everybody's opinion of how canonicalthe Bloodsword books are with respect to the world of Legend as a whole? Can we assume that the information that appears in these gamebooks is "official"?

Also, I recently read the three Chronicles of the Magi novels as e-books. I was thoroughly entertained by them but horrified that there was no volume 4; I was left hanging! Anyway, what is the consensus on the canonicity of these books and their relationship with the Bloodsword novels?

Cheers,
Author:  wimlach [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Canonicity of Bloodsword
Aside from the differing rules system and 'professions', I'd say the majority of the books can be considered 'canon' in terms of setting, characters and creatures.

The apocalyptic nature of the story is a consideration (awkward if you are setting a campaign around the same time!), as is some specifics of the spell system that might not have an easy analog in DW (Faltyns come to mind).

I'd probably say that Bloodsword is likely closer to the original intent of Legend than the material published in DW (which no doubt was tweaked to some degree for the target audience of the time).
Author:  Kharille [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Canonicity of Bloodsword
There were several 'final battles' taking place. That tree of Yggdrasil and all. Perhaps a lot of things should coinside as the forces of light fight against the cool side....
Author:  Starkad [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Canonicity of Bloodsword
Quote:
as the forces of light fight against the cool side

Heh. 8-)
Now I'm tempted to re-read my "Nightwatch" books (by Sergei Lukyanenko).

Quote:
I'd say the majority of the books can be considered 'canon' in terms of setting, characters and creatures.

Irritatingly, I can't find the quotes now... But I recall Dave Morris stating that Bloodsword used Legend as a setting but that it wasn't the same world as DW. Then, quite recently, he backtracked and said Bloodsword was canon.

Not that it matters much, seeing as Bloodsword tends to take place in areas very little described in the DW books, so there isn't a great deal of conflict in terms of setting.

Although one thing to be careful of is that Bloodsword Book 3 (pg. 82) hints that the world of Legend is flat. This has serious implications in terms of long-range visibility at sea - on a clear day people standing on a hill in Algandy should be able to see the mountains of Emphidor and, likewise, anyone climbing the Flint Knives would be able to have a look at Ellesland. It's up to individual GM's of course, but I'm going to ignore that.

As for the Apocalypse (or the Final Trump)? It depends how you want your campaign to go. 19th Century historians claimed there was tremendous fear and upset on the approach of the Year 1000, but more recent studies have shown this to be a nonsense. Most people didn't particularly know what year it was anyway, and the concept of a messianic kingdom to come had been banned by Augustine in the 5th Century. This doesn't mean that you can't have a little upset in your games as the end of the Millennium approaches... Personally, I've got a few preachers going round telling everyone of the approach of the Dies Irae and some people are taking note. It's enough to increase pilgrimages, bolster the zeal of Crusaders and even cause a bit of panic here and there... But on a wider scale the majority are not taking any notice.
(The Church is playing down the event, concerned that widespread panic is not beneficial to anyone.)

As for the Chronicles of the Magi...
Quote:
what is the consensus on the canonicity of these books and their relationship with the Bloodsword novels?

I've not read them, but I thought they were a novelisation of the Bloodsword books... So I thought they should closely match? Perhaps even provide some further details and insights?
Author:  wimlach [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 2:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Canonicity of Bloodsword
Starkad wrote:
Quote:
Although one thing to be careful of is that Bloodsword Book 3 (pg. 82) hints that the world of Legend is flat. This has serious implications in terms of long-range visibility at sea - on a clear day people standing on a hill in Algandy should be able to see the mountains of Emphidor and, likewise, anyone climbing the Flint Knives would be able to have a look at Ellesland. It's up to individual GM's of course, but I'm going to ignore that.


However, book two has an entry (36) where a ship's sails eventually sink below the horizon as it moves away, so the world would need to be round for this to be possible (unless it's concave).

The entry in book 3 is written from the characters perspective it seems, so they presume they are at the 'rim' of the world, and the roar is the waterfall at its edge. However, as it's not explicitly viewed, it could just be the equivalent of the Antarctic in Legend terms, and the roar could be the wind howling across the icy plain, or meltwater rushing over the edge left from a recently calved glacier, or something else entirely.
Author:  Starkad [ Mon Sep 07, 2020 7:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Canonicity of Bloodsword
Quote:
However, book two has an entry (36) where a ship's sails eventually sink below the horizon as it moves away, so the world would need to be round for this to be possible (unless it's concave).

So, that's either a contradiction with the later book, or a hint that the entry in Book 3 is a misunderstanding...

Quote:
The entry in book 3 is written from the characters perspective it seems, so they presume they are at the 'rim' of the world, and the roar is the waterfall at its edge. However, as it's not explicitly viewed, it could just be the equivalent of the Antarctic in Legend terms, and the roar could be the wind howling across the icy plain, or meltwater rushing over the edge left from a recently calved glacier, or something else entirely.

A point of view which definitely gets my vote!

Runequest has a flat world, but the setting is very different. Legend's close approximation to our world suggest a globe...
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