Appendix N type movies.

Appendix N is the literary wellspring of the DCC RPG. Discuss it here, along with related subjects: D&D history, pulp sci-fi/fantasy magazines, pre-genre literature, etc.

Moderators: DJ LaBoss, finarvyn, michaelcurtis, Harley Stroh

User avatar
Karaptis
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:24 pm
Location: The end of time.

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Karaptis »

Hammer Horror is way too fun and Your Highness is totally my DnD group. In fact some of my friends called me up and said I was the main character! When do I get to have Natalie Portman?!?
8bitjunkie
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:44 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by 8bitjunkie »

Hawk the Slayer :D

Edit...as mentioned by reverenddak above
User avatar
neverreflected
Ill-Fated Peasant
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:00 pm
FLGS: Gateway Games & More - Cincinnati, OH
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by neverreflected »

Fantastic Planet! This little know animated French movie from the 70s kicks all kinds of ass and it definitely belongs in Appendix N.
User avatar
Karaptis
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:24 pm
Location: The end of time.

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Karaptis »

If you can find it, Light Years aka Gandahar, is another movie by that same animator.
jmucchiello
Chaos-Summoning Sorcerer
Posts: 779
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:28 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by jmucchiello »

blindelf wrote:I think it's fascinating that there are so relatively few "proper" swords & sorcery films and we have to quickly venture out into movies with the correct feel but different settings.
This is because it is a style of story that isn't conducive to modern movie making. The boy is generally not heroic and really should not be likable as they tend to be murderous thieves.

Oh, and the boy shouldn't get the girl. The girl is killed by the mark and while the mark is killing her, the thief is stealing the McGuffin. The settings are dark and grim. These two things are usually hated by focus groups who only want "feel good" movies to be made.

Additionally, S&S stories tend to be "capers", the protagonists (at most 2) are trying to steal something. Modern capers are things like those atrocious Mission: Impossible films or casts of tens films like the Danny Oceans films. When cliffhanger serials were all the rage in the 40s/50s, Space was big, so that films era doesn't have a lot of S&S influence. But that would have been the time for proper S&S films to have been made.
User avatar
reverenddak
Moderator
Posts: 768
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:04 am
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by reverenddak »

I watched 13th Warrior for the first time the other night. I gotta say, Thanks! I really liked it. I'm going to judge this movie by how it inspires me to play D&D, and this movie sure does. Ensemble cast. Witches. A strange humanoid enemy. Epic sword fights. And mystery, darkness and weirdness. I have to say, it's pretty good classic Pulp.

A couple things of interest, that you'll see in the movie: Dexterity as AC. Shield's Splintering. And my favorite, without spoiling the scene, there is a very Lamentation of the Flame Princess language rule moment in the movie. If you don't know the rule, Raggi has a very flexible system for knowing languages: If you come across a language, you can make a roll to see if your character knows it... or in this case, can learn it very fast... hehe. I loved it. I've been using a similar system in my game since monsters are unique and there are no "generic humanoids."

Ok, time to get off this stupid computer for a weekend full of bicycles & beer. But while I wait for my Lady Friend to come home, I'm going to see if I can find episodes of that Pirate cartoon. Either that, I might watch the 1981 Clash of the Titans, it's been a while.
Reverend Dakota Jesus Ultimak, S.S.M.o.t.S.M.S., D.M.

(Dungeon) Master In Chief of Crawl! fanzine. - http://www.crawlfanzine.com/

"[...] there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell." - William Schnoebelen, Straight talk on Dungeons & Dragons
User avatar
Klyngster
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 37
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:01 pm
FLGS: I'm Board! Games
Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Klyngster »

reverenddak wrote:I watched 13th Warrior for the first time the other night. I gotta say, Thanks! I really liked it. I'm going to judge this movie by how it inspires me to play D&D, and this movie sure does. Ensemble cast. Witches. A strange humanoid enemy. Epic sword fights. And mystery, darkness and weirdness. I have to say, it's pretty good classic Pulp.
Awesome! I'm glad you liked it.

While there's some modern elements to it, I believe that 'Army of Darkness' is also an Appendix N type of movie.
shadewest
Hard-Bitten Adventurer
Posts: 122
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:46 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by shadewest »

Klyngster wrote:
Awesome! I'm glad you liked it.

While there's some modern elements to it, I believe that 'Army of Darkness' is also an Appendix N type of movie.
Absolutely Army of Darkness! Plenty Appendix N has modern (or at least contemporary) elements. The pulp feel is much more important than the medieval setting.
...unless the judge rules otherwise.

Steven Thivierge
Playtester and additional design for:DCC RPG.
User avatar
reverenddak
Moderator
Posts: 768
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:04 am
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by reverenddak »

shadewest wrote:Absolutely Army of Darkness! Plenty Appendix N has modern (or at least contemporary) elements. The pulp feel is much more important than the medieval setting.
That's how I feel. Which is why I love Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble in Little China SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Again, ensemble casts (i.e. a team of adventurers) and wild adventures into the unknown, mysterious and weird.
Reverend Dakota Jesus Ultimak, S.S.M.o.t.S.M.S., D.M.

(Dungeon) Master In Chief of Crawl! fanzine. - http://www.crawlfanzine.com/

"[...] there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell." - William Schnoebelen, Straight talk on Dungeons & Dragons
shadewest
Hard-Bitten Adventurer
Posts: 122
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:46 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by shadewest »

reverenddak wrote:
That's how I feel. Which is why I love Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble in Little China SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Again, ensemble casts (i.e. a team of adventurers) and wild adventures into the unknown, mysterious and weird.
Jack Burton may say its all in the reflexes, but he's also got a high luck score with a lucky roll on reflex saves.

You know, I have never seen Buckaroo Banzai. Coupled with BTILC, I'll consider it a strong recommendation.
...unless the judge rules otherwise.

Steven Thivierge
Playtester and additional design for:DCC RPG.
ragboy
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 546
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 4:19 pm
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by ragboy »

reverenddak wrote:
there is a very Lamentation of the Flame Princess language rule moment in the movie. If you don't know the rule, Raggi has a very flexible system for knowing languages: If you come across a language, you can make a roll to see if your character knows it... or in this case, can learn it very fast... hehe. I loved it. I've been using a similar system in my game since monsters are unique and there are no "generic humanoids."
This is actually one of my favorite scenes in the movie -- When I started at Dell many years ago, I spent the first couple of months sitting in meetings in a similar situation -- Dell has it's own language of acronymns, business units (that come and go at random) and other arcane terms -- and they don't necessarily help you learn it.

As far as the movie goes, I've always enjoyed it. It's like the 7 samurai in viking-land. I really like the way they handled "magic."
AKA Paul Wolfe
The Mystic Bull: Check out our two FREE prehistoric adventures: The Steading of the Nergalites AND The Tribe of Ogg and the Gift of Suss
In the Prison of the Squid Sorcerer (PDF) and softcover: 12 Short Adventures for DCC!
The God-Seed Awakens: 3rd Level Adventure for DCC. New patron, new spells, lots of new monsters and the living weapons of the Empire of Thal!
My Gamer Profile
Stonebreaker
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:01 pm
Location: Naugatuck,Connecticut

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Stonebreaker »

EXCALIBUR!!!
I saw "7 Samurai" a couple of years ago. I loved it.
Stonebreaker
Stop roll playing and start ROLE PLAYING!!!
Play Attention.
User avatar
Colin
Moderator
Posts: 671
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 4:05 pm
Location: Devon, England

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Colin »

I'm one of the only people I know who really enjoyed the 2008 flick, Outlander. A fun, atmospheric sci-fi spin on the Beowulf tale.

Colin
User avatar
Troy812
Far-Sighted Wanderer
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 11:49 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Troy812 »

Movies I'd add....
  • The Holy Grail
    Willow
    Princess Mononoke
    Highlander
    Time Bandits
    Excalibur
    ...every freakin' samari movie 'cause they are ...awesome!
User avatar
finarvyn
Cold-Hearted Immortal
Posts: 2599
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:42 am
FLGS: Fair Game, Downers Grove IL
Location: Chicago suburbs
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by finarvyn »

RAD Colin wrote:I'm one of the only people I know who really enjoyed the 2008 flick, Outlander. A fun, atmospheric sci-fi spin on the Beowulf tale.
The Sean Connery movie where he's a space marshall. I love that one!
Marv / Finarvyn
DCC Minister of Propaganda; Deputized 6/8/11 (over 11 years of SPAM bustin'!)
DCC RPG playtester 2011, DCC Lankhmar trivia contest winner 2015; OD&D player since 1975

"The worthy GM never purposely kills players' PCs, He presents opportunities for the rash and unthinking players to do that all on their own."
-- Gary Gygax
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!"
-- Dave Arneson
"Misinterpreting the rules is a shared memory for many of us"
-- Joseph Goodman
randraug
Gongfarmer
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 5:23 pm
Location: Mostly at Work

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by randraug »

I would add the Rankin/Bass Hobbit and Return of the King, Dark Crystal and Willow(deserves another mention), Flight of Dragons, and Legend. I proffer these movies due to them being a heavy influence in my taking up the dice and 2e in elementary school.

Movies I have seen since that inspire to play would be Lord Protector, The Gamers by Dead Gentlemen Productions, JourneyQuest, and Ink and Pan's Labyrinth (more for the feel of it).
User avatar
Karaptis
Cold-Blooded Diabolist
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:24 pm
Location: The end of time.

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Karaptis »

finarvyn wrote:
RAD Colin wrote:I'm one of the only people I know who really enjoyed the 2008 flick, Outlander. A fun, atmospheric sci-fi spin on the Beowulf tale.
The Sean Connery movie where he's a space marshall. I love that one!
That was Outland.
User avatar
Colin
Moderator
Posts: 671
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 4:05 pm
Location: Devon, England

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Colin »

Karaptis wrote:
finarvyn wrote:
RAD Colin wrote:I'm one of the only people I know who really enjoyed the 2008 flick, Outlander. A fun, atmospheric sci-fi spin on the Beowulf tale.
The Sean Connery movie where he's a space marshall. I love that one!
That was Outland.
Yep. This is Outlander and it's a lot more fun than some folks gave it credit for. I think one issue folks had is that the trailer makes it look like there's more sci-fi content than there really is, when the movie is nearly completely focused on portraying the spaceman's preparation and battle against the dragon alien-thingy defending the Viking village.

Colin
User avatar
ravenspoe
Wild-Eyed Zealot
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:54 am
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by ravenspoe »

Karaptis wrote:Nice call on Equinox! Has anyone seen the Corman films Deathstalker and Barbarian Queen? Not to mention Warrior and the Sorceress with the late David Carradine.

You are my hero for today!

Tales From the Fallen Empire has a huge Corman influence.
Rev. James Carpio - Freelance Writer & Game Designer
Sole Proprietor - Chapter 13 Press
http://www.Hexgeneration.com Post Punk and OSR Gaming from the Generation X point of view.
Image
User avatar
ravenspoe
Wild-Eyed Zealot
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:54 am
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by ravenspoe »

reverenddak wrote:I thought the Solomon Kane movie was pretty good. I also enjoyed Valhalla Rising, it had some moments that reminded me of S&S. Those are all recent movies.

The classics like Krull, Sword & the Sorcerer and Hawk The Slayer are awesome, cheesy and low-budget at times, but they're charming and true to the spirit. Ray Harryhausen movies are also fantastic.

I don't know why it is, but fantasy movies seem tough to make. There are rare exceptions, like Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and it's officially Appendix N.

John Carter let me down pretty bad, I don't even want to talk about it. It's not as bad as the 2010 Conan, but it ain't good.
Hawk the Slayer was the D&D movie when I was a teenager. I still watch it from time to time to get my fix....

"Sister, would you say this is Holy Food?"
Rev. James Carpio - Freelance Writer & Game Designer
Sole Proprietor - Chapter 13 Press
http://www.Hexgeneration.com Post Punk and OSR Gaming from the Generation X point of view.
Image
Bilgewriggler
Deft-Handed Cutpurse
Posts: 233
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:25 am

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Bilgewriggler »

Two words: Lee Horsely.

I'll be sad if no one knows what I'm talking about!
Purple Planeteers:

Jingles Coinclink, Halfling, hag-hacked into haggis

Nurzual the Faceter – M Jwlr - Wiz - L
S 12 A 8 (-1) S 9 P 11 I 15 (+1) L 10
AC 9 HP 6 Mv 30 Init -1 Ref 0 Fort 0 Will 1
Chalk 1pc, 20 gp Gem, Backpack, 10’ chain, 10 sheets parchment, Kith pouch, small hammer, ray-gun, Rope 50', 5gp 10sp 274 cp
shortsword +0(1d6)
Ch Psn (no MM), Clr Spr 65, Force Manip 81, Rd Mag 12, Spidr Cl 69
Pl.Common (basic)

Snooth Inksplot Scribe RIP under cave-in, a crushing loss

Qort Quiddlegit M Hlr - Cler - N(C?)
S 11 temp 14 (+1) A 11 temp 14 (+1) S 6 (-1) P 5 (-2) I 6 (-1) L 5 (-2)
AC 10 temp 11 HP 8 Mov 30 Init 0 Ref t+1 Fort 0 Will -1
club +0 (1d4+1t) - hand mirror, holy wtr, wtrskin Kith drink 12 oz drunk, 31 cp
-2 Ms fire damage
Det Magic

Brandybland Shoetree F Coblr N
S 10 A 9 S 10 P 8 (-1) I 9 L 9
AC 14 HP 1 Mov 30 Init 0 Ref 0 Fort 0; Will -1
gldtr glaive +0 (1d10) - gldtr ch mail - Fe spike, shoehorn, 48 cp
Prof: dagger
User avatar
Flexi
Wild-Eyed Zealot
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:59 am
Location: England

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by Flexi »

If 'Seven Samurai' is being flung in here, I will suggest the manga film 'Ninja Scroll' as well.
The wandering swordsman, sex, extreme violence with lashings of blood, demonic adversaries with eerie powers....
It has a great pulpy feel. One of the best manga films I have seen.

Also 'Mr Vampire'. A horror comedy about adventurers battling oriental hopping vampires. Vey good. Ignore the hideous sequel!
User avatar
tovokas
Mighty-Thewed Reaver
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Washington State, USA
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by tovokas »

Bilgewriggler wrote:Two words: Lee Horsely.

I'll be sad if no one knows what I'm talking about!
That name is not spoken here... ;)

Triple damage baby!
Jon Marr
Purple Sorcerer Games
purplesorcerer.com
User avatar
sheriffharry
Hard-Bitten Adventurer
Posts: 152
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:40 pm

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by sheriffharry »

For about 12 bucks, you can get 50 European/Italian sword and sandal movies.
Ok, this is not "Star Wars" or "Gladiator", but many are fantastic, story-wise if not SFX-wise.

My favorites:
-Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops
-Fury of Achilles
-Goliath and the Dragon
-Hercules against the Moon Men (?!)
-Romulus and the Sabines (with Roger Moore!)
-Ulysses against the Son of Hercules

Image
User avatar
reverenddak
Moderator
Posts: 768
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:04 am
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Appendix N type movies.

Post by reverenddak »

Just watched Ralph Bakshi's Wizards!

I like the concept of Wizards being a race... the brothers were born wizards! Isn't Gandalf a wizard, not only in class but RACE?

It's fantastic, and made me want to play DCC RPG! And, I'm fortunate to say, I am going to play tonight. It's Thursday! My weekly game meets today. And then listening to The Sword (the band) is hyping me up too.

Oh, and would like to comment on Alien & Aliens. Alien is like playing Old-School, while Aliens is like playing 3e+.
Reverend Dakota Jesus Ultimak, S.S.M.o.t.S.M.S., D.M.

(Dungeon) Master In Chief of Crawl! fanzine. - http://www.crawlfanzine.com/

"[...] there is no doubt that Dungeons and Dragons and its imitators are right out of the pit of hell." - William Schnoebelen, Straight talk on Dungeons & Dragons
Post Reply

Return to “Appendix N”