Swords Against Darkness

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.

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finarvyn
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Swords Against Darkness

Post by finarvyn »

The "Swords Against Darkness III" anthology is in Appendix N. There was a discussion about the series on Dragonsfoot and I compiled a list of stories in the series, and figured I might as well share it for those who don't read the other board.

As best I can determine, there were a total of five of these anthologies published between 1977 and 1979. Gary listed volume III in Appendix N and I've heard a few people speculate that it was specifically for the "On Thud and Blunder" essay by Poul Anderson. If you are searching for this essay specifially, it can be found here and you don't need to buy the book. :wink:

There are some big names in this series, some not-so-big ones as well. I haven't read these books yet, however, so I can't testify personally as to the quality of the stories. I hear good things about them, however.

Swords Against Darkness
• "Foreword" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "Nekht Semerkeht" (Robert E. Howard and Andrew J. Offutt)
• "The Tale of Hauk" (Poul Anderson)
• "The Smile of Oisia" (George W. Proctor)
• "Pride of the Fleet" (Bruce Jones)
• "Straggler from Atlantis" (Manly Wade Wellman)
• "The Ring of Set" (Richard L. Tierney)
• "Largarut's Bane" (Raul Garcia Capella)
• "Dragons' Teeth" (David Drake)
• "The Sustenance of Hoak" (Ramsey Campbell)

Swords Against Darkness II
• "Call It What You Will" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "Sword of Unbelief" (Andre Norton)
• "The Changer of Names" (Ramsey Campbell)
• "The Dweller in the Temple" (Manly Wade Wellman)
• "The Coming of Age in Zamora" (David M. Harris)
• "The Scroll of Thoth" (Richard L. Tierney)
• "Odds Against the Gods" (Tanith Lee)
• "On Skellig Michael" (Dennis More)
• "Last Quest" (Andrew J. Offutt)

Swords Against Darkness III
• "Foreword" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "The Pit of Wings" (Ramsey Campbell)
• "The Sword of Spartacus" (Richard L. Tierney)
• "Servitude" (Wayne Hooks)
• "Descales' Skull" (David C. Smith)
• "In the Balance" (Tanith Lee)
• "Tower of Darkness" (David Madison)
• "The Mantichore" (David Drake)
• "Revenant" (poem) (Kathleen Resch)
• "Rite of Kings" (Jon DeCles)
• "The Mating Web" (Robert E. Vardeman)
• "The Guest of Dzinganji" (Manly Wade Wellman)
• "The Hag" (Darrell Schweitzer)
• "A Kingdom Won" (Geo W. Proctor)
• "Swordslinger" (M. A. Washil)
• "On Thud and Blunder" (essay) (Poul Anderson)

Swords Against Darkness IV
• "Foreword - In Two Parts" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "Mai-Kulala" (Charles R. Saunders)
• "At the Sign of the Brass Breast" (Jeff P. Swycaffer)
• "The Reaping" (Ardath Mayhar)
• "The Ballad of Borrell" (Gordon Linzner)
• "Deux Amours d'une Sorciere" (Tanith Lee)
• "Of PIGS and MEN" (essay) (Poul Anderson)
• "Cryptically Yours" (Brian Lumley)
• "Dedication: A Special Word" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "The Dark Mother" (Diana L. Paxson)
• "Wooden Crate of Violent Death" (Joey Froehlich)
• "The Fane of the Grey Rose" (Charles de Lint)
• "Sandmagic" (Orson Scott Card)
• "The Edge of the World" (Manly Wade Wellman)

Swords Against Darkness V
• "Foreword to the Fifth Volume of Swords Against Darkness" (Andrew J. Offutt)
• "The Mouths of Light" (Ramsey Campbell)
• "Perfidious Amber" (Tanith Lee)
• "Awake, Awake, Ye Northern Winds" (Simon Green)
• "Rats" (Robert Fester)
• "The Forging" (Robin Kincaid)
• "Hungry Grass" (Keith Taylor)
• "The Tale of the Cat, the Mouse, the Sorcerer, and the Children" (Edward DeGeorge)
• "Golden Vanity" (James Anderson)
• "The Castle of Kites and Crows" (Darrell Schweitzer)
• "The Scream of the Rose" (Paul McGuire)
• "Joni" (Gordon Linzner)
• "Druin's Heritage" (Richard K. Lyon)
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
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finarvyn
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Re: Swords Against Darkness

Post by finarvyn »

A review of volume #1 has been posted on Dragonsfoot for those who are interested in this book.
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
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