Movie news: WB secures the rights to The Dragonriders of Pern

Fade2Black

WB has nabbed the right to adapt Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=121192

WetRats

Golly.

Kinda wish it had been HBO.

But still, yay.

WetRats

My main concern is that, cinematic as the dragons themselves are, the telepathic bond, the absolute, undeniable love between rider and dragon is very un-cinematic. This will take some pretty brilliant writing to sell

EdChambers

I didn't realize this series had 22 books!

electric_mayhem

LOVE these books...

I feel if you can cast/write the right Menolly and Master Robinton, the rest is just gravy..

shroud68

A distant memory but certainly I can see it on the big screen. cant imagine there was that much of a bidding war though, who's clamoring for Pern?

Fade2Black

shroud68 said:

A distant memory but certainly I can see it on the big screen. cant imagine there was that much of a bidding war though, who's clamoring for Pern?

I can only assume that the popularity of Game of Thrones, has many studios clamoring to get their hands on source material, especially fantasy titles that already have name recognition. Dragons are also a plus.

Chuck_Melville

The Pern books also have a strong romantic element, along with strong female characters. Those would be big pluses in the film market right now.

WetRats

Fade2Black said:

shroud68 said:

A distant memory but certainly I can see it on the big screen. cant imagine there was that much of a bidding war though, who's clamoring for Pern?

I can only assume that the popularity of Game of Thrones, has many studios clamoring to get their hands on source material, especially fantasy titles that already have name recognition. Dragons are also a plus.

Pern isn't fantasy.

It's science fiction disguised as fantasy.

electric_mayhem

WetRats said:

Fade2Black said:

shroud68 said:

A distant memory but certainly I can see it on the big screen. cant imagine there was that much of a bidding war though, who's clamoring for Pern?

I can only assume that the popularity of Game of Thrones, has many studios clamoring to get their hands on source material, especially fantasy titles that already have name recognition. Dragons are also a plus.

Pern isn't fantasy.

It's science fiction disguised as fantasy.

and has no religion. on purpose. That is interesting.

Great series to read for ages 10 and up

random73

I'd love to see Zelazney's Amber books on the big screen.

hauberk

random73 said:

I'd love to see Zelazney's Amber books on the big screen.

Amber could be very cool. However, I'd hope that they would stop at the original 5. I remember being painfully underwhelmed with the Second Chronicles.

random73

hauberk said:

random73 said:

I'd love to see Zelazney's Amber books on the big screen.

Amber could be very cool. However, I'd hope that they would stop at the original 5. I remember being painfully underwhelmed with the Second Chronicles.

well, the first 5 set up all the rules for the universe
the second 5 systematically broke all the established rules
then Roger died before he could clean up his mess.
there are a few short stories that were published in various fanzines over the years that help a little bit (but not much)
I found the John Gregory Bettancourt prequel novels a bit painful. (I only got through the first on as I recall)

hauberk

random73 said:

hauberk said:

random73 said:

I'd love to see Zelazney's Amber books on the big screen.

Amber could be very cool. However, I'd hope that they would stop at the original 5. I remember being painfully underwhelmed with the Second Chronicles.

well, the first 5 set up all the rules for the universe
the second 5 systematically broke all the established rules
then Roger died before he could clean up his mess.
there are a few short stories that were published in various fanzines over the years that help a little bit (but not much)
I found the John Gregory Bettancourt prequel novels a bit painful. (I only got through the first on as I recall)

I was in college for the Second Chronicles and had acquired one of the cardboard Lobo standee displays from the comic shop where I worked http://www.thecomicshop.com.au/covers/postersandprints/card-display-lobo-guesswhat.jpg

The final volume was the first book to make it to that display stand after the stand made it home. The only other book that I recall putting up there were the 4th and 10th volumes of Wild Cards and, in hindsight, volume 10 didn't really deserve it.

After Second Chronicles wrapped up, combined with the Visual Guide to Amber (a book that was quite possibly more underwhelming than Jordan's Big White Book), I foreswore all things Amber and have thus remained pure of Bettancourt's taint.

random73

That's kind of hysterical.

I made my own set of trumps in college. actually let me correct that. I started my own set of trumps in college. I took images from the RPG, photocopied them and shrunk them down to about playing card size, colored them and assembled them with unicorn backs (or Logrus as appropriate) and a posterboard core. They then sat virtually untouched until last year when I dusted them off and laminated them into a fairly complete finished deck. I'm pretty proud of them.

hauberk

random73 said:

That's kind of hysterical.

I made my own set of trumps in college. actually let me correct that. I started my own set of trumps in college. I took images from the RPG, photocopied them and shrunk them down to about playing card size, colored them and assembled them with unicorn backs (or Logrus as appropriate) and a posterboard core. They then sat virtually untouched until last year when I dusted them off and laminated them into a fairly complete finished deck. I'm pretty proud of them.

That's way cool and something that I would have totally dug. Nine Princes in Amber was my first foray into computer gaming.

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

WetRats

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

hauberk

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

WetRats

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

hauberk

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

random73

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

I was just talking to a gamer buddy last night that was super jazzed to start playing amber again. Aparently there is a new non-amber-but-really-just-amber-in-disguise system called Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. The language and mechanics have been cleaned up a bit i'm told. Also, apparently a beautiful book.

hauberk

random73 said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

I was just talking to a gamer buddy last night that was super jazzed to start playing amber again. Aparently there is a new non-amber-but-really-just-amber-in-disguise system called Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. The language and mechanics have been cleaned up a bit i'm told. Also, apparently a beautiful book.

Cool, though I think it's fair to say that the mechanics needed to be cleaned up more than a bit. :P

random73

hauberk said:

random73 said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

I was just talking to a gamer buddy last night that was super jazzed to start playing amber again. Aparently there is a new non-amber-but-really-just-amber-in-disguise system called Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. The language and mechanics have been cleaned up a bit i'm told. Also, apparently a beautiful book.

Cool, though I think it's fair to say that the mechanics needed to be cleaned up more than a bit. :P

my buddy is a bit of a game slut (he'll play anything). I think he tends to take rules as more suggestions and modifies the games he runs. He actually changed the 4 attributes to Mind, Might, Movement & Manipulation and had some custome character sheets made up to better represent some of the characters. Given the original structure it was hard to reporduce a character like Bleys without making him a 600 point character (while Corwin and Benedict are around 400 points) and Flora who is social but not a great combatant is done at about 200 points and never really gets to shine with her own skill set.

hauberk

random73 said:

hauberk said:

random73 said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

I was just talking to a gamer buddy last night that was super jazzed to start playing amber again. Aparently there is a new non-amber-but-really-just-amber-in-disguise system called Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. The language and mechanics have been cleaned up a bit i'm told. Also, apparently a beautiful book.

Cool, though I think it's fair to say that the mechanics needed to be cleaned up more than a bit. :P

my buddy is a bit of a game slut (he'll play anything). I think he tends to take rules as more suggestions and modifies the games he runs. He actually changed the 4 attributes to Mind, Might, Movement & Manipulation and had some custome character sheets made up to better represent some of the characters. Given the original structure it was hard to reporduce a character like Bleys without making him a 600 point character (while Corwin and Benedict are around 400 points) and Flora who is social but not a great combatant is done at about 200 points and never really gets to shine with her own skill set.

You know, I just made the connection with your screen name.

Derp! X_X

random73

hauberk said:

random73 said:

hauberk said:

random73 said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

WetRats said:

hauberk said:

I don't recall any of the art from the Amber roleplaying game. I just remember being incredibly incensed by the mechanics of the game and had sort of blocked the entire thing out as a result.

I though it was a noble attempt at groundbreaking design.

Nigh-unplayable, but noble.



I put my copy on eBay several years ago.

It was purchased by the guy who wrote it.

It was an interesting concept, but the idea that, after creation, there was no possible way to overtake someone that had won the original auction for a trait was a deal killer for me.

Corwin could be a mile a way with a gyrostabilized laser rifle with no portion in the visible wavelengths, in a gilly suit, under cover, with an invisibility spell on, while Benedict is asleep and facing the other direction and Corwin would still be unable to Ambush him.

Like I said, nigh-unplayable.

Not an RPG for a group with any power gamers, for sure.

No doubt. I use that as an example, not as a desire to power game, but as an example of how absurd they made the trait/skill auction system.

I was just completely frustrated by the fact that, under no circumstances could a character improve past another character that had won an auction.

I was just talking to a gamer buddy last night that was super jazzed to start playing amber again. Aparently there is a new non-amber-but-really-just-amber-in-disguise system called Lords of Gossamer & Shadow. The language and mechanics have been cleaned up a bit i'm told. Also, apparently a beautiful book.

Cool, though I think it's fair to say that the mechanics needed to be cleaned up more than a bit. :P

my buddy is a bit of a game slut (he'll play anything). I think he tends to take rules as more suggestions and modifies the games he runs. He actually changed the 4 attributes to Mind, Might, Movement & Manipulation and had some custome character sheets made up to better represent some of the characters. Given the original structure it was hard to reporduce a character like Bleys without making him a 600 point character (while Corwin and Benedict are around 400 points) and Flora who is social but not a great combatant is done at about 200 points and never really gets to shine with her own skill set.

You know, I just made the connection with your screen name.

Derp! X_X

Yup. That's where it is from. Same buddy I was just talking about gave it to me actually. He was stunned by my uncanny ability to emerge unscathed from incomprehensible levels of idiocy. I reminded him of Random coming out on top at the end of book 5.