This is topic Games in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/writers/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001079

Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
What sort of games would a medieval, or even ancient society have? I've done some research, but I've only found things like agriculture, foods, etc. Nothing about entertainment.

CVG

PS--I didn't think the topic would merit it's own thread, so I'll ask here. Would it detract from the reality of the story to have them play poker, sort of as an inside joke? Or maybe a poker-like game, with sheep and goats, or something. (I can see it now: "I see your goats and raise you three cows." "Oooh. This is gonna be good. I can tell.")

Hmm.
 


Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :
 
I don't know about poker, per se, but gambling certainly. Dice games. Token games. Cards are also an ancient creation, but I would think avaliblity of paper/expense of hand painint would make them more limited. Maybe try researching various games/game formats, which might tell their history more than as search of the period would.
 
Posted by Gen (Member # 1868) on :
 
The Society for Creative Anacronism has some resources linked here. A few of the links seem to be broken, but they have some very cool games I'd never heard of, along with history and geographical details.
 
Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :
 
Playing poker in a medieval society:

Firstly, thou shouldst leave the end of the poker in yon fire till it hath a red-hot glow.

Then, ... Umm, maybe we shouldn't go there.
 


Posted by lindsay (Member # 1741) on :
 
This is a fun question! In my research, I've come across the things noted below. First, though, keep in mind that in the medieval world, the rhythm of nature dictated the rhythm of the peasant's year; planting, harvesting, just trying to survive through the fallow time, and then the cycle started all over. Given all that hardwork and drudgery they probably partied pretty hard at certain times - like the advent of spring, during fairs at summertime, and then during harvest, once all the work was done. Plus, in the summer months, there was more movement and vagabonds wandered from village to village, stopping to perform as troupes of jugglers, tumblers, etc.

Anyway, for games, these are what I've found: drinking bouts at the local tavern, jousting tournaments, shotputting, cockfights, something called "club ball," which in the plate I've seen looks a bit like baseball, bowling, wrestling, and chess, which was favored by nobles. The latter "probably came from the East, as Muslims played it, using elephants instead of bishops and counselors instead of queens."

Lastly, though this isn't a game, it could lead to one... Think of the storytellers and minstrels. They captured the attention of wealthy patrons with their wit, their songs, their stories. Maybe you could create a vagabond sort of character who is charming, sneaky, out to protect his own interests, and he's very good at storytelling, plus creating a game of it...or maybe enticing others to begin dangerous games of their own within whatever court he happens to be at the moment. Maybe he's not actually a villain, but the things he incites lead to villainous acts, and he's the one who reaps the benefits, then off he goes to to the next village and the next, until what he's woven behind him becomes this huge/intricate thing with its own steam, and so the "game" is now a dangerous entity of its own and threatens a whole slew of characters. I don't know...maybe a verbal sort of poker. Something he's in control of when he starts it, but that soon spins *out* of control.

Yikes. Got off thread with the "what if" your question put in my head! I like your idea of poker for the medieval world!

And dice. I liked that, too (!), though didn't find it in my own notes 'till I got to my notes of later time periods though no doubt somebody somewhere was tossing some ivories. Actually, in my later-time-period notes, folks used human bone to carve dice. Or teeth. And those who did, liked to boast about how they got those teeth/bones. The untrustworthy characters would shave the dice, so they'd fall a certain way when rolled in a certain way.

Endless possibilities with games, yes? Fun question!
 


Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
wow. great ideas all. Thanks!
 
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
 
If ye're anywhere ne're Schotland te Caber Toss is the best. Sorry I lost my Scottish accent all of a sudden. They had all sorts of fun games like Golf, and some-odd thing that became cricket, (which became baseball, which inspired basketball, which inspired WWE wrestleing.....JK.)
Poker I belive was a favorite of the sea-ferring. Fishermen, Pirates, Rivermen.
Poker I think is chinese in origin, to teach princes about political intrigue, and war. (Remembered from a book about gaming that I'm now kicking myself for not buying.)
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Not poker itself, but "hand" games (as opposed to "trick" games) played with a set of suits (but not cards...someone mentioned some of the problems with cards above).

Any game that can be played with a board and pieces would be fair...game

If you're writing a strict historical piece, then there are obvious limits. Certain games are known to have been popular at various points in history, after all. But if you're talking about types of game, pretty much every type of boardgame has been in existance for thousands of years.
 


Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :
 
Here's a good medieval game: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/castle.html

Haha.
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
This game is more violent than Return of the King!

What do the upgrades do? Oh, there's a help page. What an even more evil game!
 


Posted by Rahl22 (Member # 1411) on :
 
Damn that game! Is there any way to win? I've purchased everything and I'm at level 15! I need to know if I can win!!!
 
Posted by Gen (Member # 1868) on :
 
Well, if you're looking for a medieval game to boost your self-esteem...
 
Posted by Phanto (Member # 1619) on :
 
Gen:

That's a HARD game.
 


Posted by Gen (Member # 1868) on :
 
Yeah. That's why it makes you feel so good about yourself when you finally finish it. Beating that game was the longest weekend of my life, but man, it was worth it.
 
Posted by Rahl22 (Member # 1411) on :
 
Bwahaha! Too funny!
 
Posted by Gwalchmai (Member # 1807) on :
 
How about knucklebones? It's a pretty ancient game. This link gives some quite interesting information on the game.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/roma/tali.html
 


Posted by msylvia (Member # 1775) on :
 
There were things like Chinese checkers and chess ....
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Hey, I've got some news. Just the other night I beat the Expert level on Minesweeper in just 167 seconds. I used to think anything below 200 seconds was impossibly fast (this belief was reinforced by a bug in the Win-98 version, which wouldn't record my score when I got below 200 seconds). Now I sort of regard beating 200 as de rigueur when I play.

But 167...I personally was quite impressed with myself. I wouldn't guess I'll beat that score anytime soon.
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
And of course, I would be wrong. My new best time is 165.

I guess I'd better lay off the minesweeper for a while.
 


Posted by Alias (Member # 1645) on :
 
Thanks for the update there, Survivor, lol
 
Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
 
I believe I did 152 once. But that was many years ago, and my memory might be foggy.
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Hmmm...perhaps someday soon....
 
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
I beat expert once. [holds up index finger] Once.

'sides, you think that's good? I beat beginner (wait, hear me out) in 8 seconds. One time. And then, never again. Now, best I can do is 11 or 12 seconds.
 


Posted by Phanto (Member # 1619) on :
 
Brag all you want. I once beat the first level in 2 seconds!
 
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
wow. that's inhuman. Seriously. Freaky.
 
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
 
I've beat it in 1 before. Of course it was on custom as big as it could be with only ten mines. Just one click.
 
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
yeah, but that doesn't count.
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
I'm closing in on Jules. My new best time for Expert level is 156 seconds. I did that after over an hour of sniping heads clean off a bunch of bots (FPS's are scientifically proven to improve your reaction times and calculation speed ).

I only play beginner and intermediate level when I'm dealing with a new computer and the scores are all set to 999 seconds. Now that I think about it, it would probably be more impressive to leave both those levels unplayed and just get a wacky low Expert score.

Seriously, how much fun is it possible to have playing beginner?
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Argh!

In the past 3 weeks I haven't been able to score better than 160.

Maybe I need to do a lot more FPS to put my clicking skills back up to par or something
 


Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
You've all made my day! Came home from a long weekend with a sick hubby, a toothache, and three sleepy kids. Came to relax for a bit on Hatrack and got the first good laugh of the day. Those games were definitely the topper.

As far as the subject matter at hand--more of a word on minstrels (though I don't know if it fits exactly what you're looking for), they may have had more political influence than on the surface it may appear. They had the power to create strife between kingdoms and peoples through their spreading of malicious gossip. After all, everyone welcomed a storyteller. And perhaps, if they didn't, they'd get a bad rep later on down the road at the next castle. "That Lord Bigcastle wouldn't let me in so I'll tell Baron von Towerbritches that Bigcastle is impotent."

Second, about Chess--it's an amazing game with a long history, but not as long as many authors make it seem. No, King Arthur would not have played Chess. King Henry probably would have. Chess did not reach Europe until about 900 AD. It dates back to Persia about 600 AD and may have roots even farther back than that in India.

Try looking into the history of lawn bowling (Bocci), or marbles. The Far East--China and India--are a common source for European derivatives. Look into GO, even Parcheesie, there's a modern board game called Pente that probably has ancient roots and is simple yet challenging strategically. I agree about the card thing--there wouldn't have been enough disposable paper-type products available to waste on something like cards, but the idea of using whatever was available--including daughters for marriage, cows, chickens, etc--as wagering on any sort of game is a valid one and money among the masses is a fairly recent development.

Any kind of races would be fair game.

There's an incredible game/sport that has probably been played for centuries by horse-culture tribesmen of the Near East or Mongol regions. It's an ancient form of polo in which the 'ball' is a headless calf that is carried back and forth across the field until one team can successfully place the ball in their goal--usually a circle drawn on the ground, sometimes a stone platform built at either end of the field. This is THE most dangerous sport in the world--makes rugby look like flag football. If I remember the name of it (which will probably happen at 2 a.m.) I'll let you know.

I'd also look into ancient Greek culture. Also, ancient Roman culture would have had a remarkable influence on gaming during Medieval times.
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Ugh!

So, ah...who gets to eat the ball?
 


Posted by Monolith (Member # 2034) on :
 
Are the "games" for a regional thing or a kingdom sorta thing...you might think of a sorta olympicesque type thing....or even mix the highland games ( the scottish thing ) with the olympic thing...or even create something of your own design for games..mix card and dice games with drinking games...or what else devilish things that come to your mind......just a thought.....maybe each region has a different variation on the others game and some of the rules are different for each region...or are the rules set in stone for the whole " world " that you created or what?....let me know if this helps

[This message has been edited by Monolith (edited June 03, 2004).]
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
149!

You heard me.
 


Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
 
Great one.
 
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
While my own best score for the expert level is a paltry 179, I was cruising the JK Rowling website (yeah, you heard me), and apparently, she has a bit of a Minesweeper addiction too. She purportedly boasts a 101...but I'm not sure I believe her.
 
Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
Oh, and I'm going to try that cafe thing she mentions in Extra Stuff>Miscellaneous>Places to Write.

Just as an experiment. What could it hurt?
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Well, it is a function of luck to some extent. I can get below 200 every day, just playing five or six times till it works out. Getting an exceptionally low score is partly dependent on skill, but assuming that your skills are good and you have an exellent track-ball, shaving off those extra 40 seconds is a matter of randomly drawing a mine configuration that lends itself to quick solution.

I lack the dedication to play for very long at a stretch. Once I beat 200 a couple of times I quit and do something else.

As for writing in a cafe, it is probably a good bit safer than songwriting (with a guitar) whilst riding a motorcycle along a switchback mountain road...but then, most things are safer than that. I can easily imagine getting truly jazzed up and writing numerous pages of fresh and innovative prose only to spill a hot, staining fluid over it all and render it totally illegible. You could also probably spend a small fortune in the process, even if you didn't end up by destroying your all-too-not-actually-immortal prose (and you could easily spend the fortune without managing to write a thing, worse luck).

But I'm going to assume that it was a rhetorical question and spare you any more thoughts on how it could hurt
 


Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
I found it! The game using the headless calf!

It's called Buzkashi (rough translation: a goat to pull). It's played by Afghani tribesment and has probably changed little since being introduced (allegedly) by Genghis Khan seven centuries ago.

In the northern plains it is said the Mongols once used a live prisoner of war as the "ball." It is supposedly THE most dangerous sport in the world.

It is played more often with a calf than a goat--heavier and therefore more challenging; more MANLY! A single circle (the goal) is drawn on the field and a scrimmage that would make a rugby player faint takes place--more than a 130 men fighting (and I MEAN fighting) to be the first to get the calf. He then makes a break for it, hoping of course to still have possession of the calf, and speeds his horse toward one of two flags set at opposite ends of the field, all the time being whipped and jostled (gee, that word sounds WAY too polite) by the other contenders. He receives one point for circling the flag, two points for then returning the ball to the goal. The game begins at about noon and ends at sunset.

Quoting from The World of the Horse by Judith Campbell:

quote:
There is a referee who attempts to restrict the use of the whips, but as excitement grows and passions rise, the play gets roughter, rules are discarded. A knife may be slipped between a horse's belly and its girth to send saddle and rider crashing to the ground. When the game wheels, galloping into the crowd, then it is for the spectators to get out of the way, scattering like leaves before the gale. By the time the sun dips behind the savage peaks of the Hindu Kush and the session of buskashi ends, there will be many broken head and bloody gash among the players, but, insh'Allah, no injured horses.

So, anyone up for a game of Buzkashi?

 


Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :
 
I can't remember the name of the game, it's something like "hounds and wolves." It is played on a small board with a series of holes. Pegs represent the hounds and wolves. Best I could understand, it was something like Chinese Checkers, except one side had a lot more players.

There are similar games being sold today at craft fairs. Now they play with golf tees, but I've seen pictures of elaborately carved ivory pegs about 6 inches long. I guess the boards must have been bigger.
 


Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :
 
Maybe it was "Hounds and foxes"
 
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
 
There's a board game played by the Vikings that involves players on one side trying to protect their king (who is placed in the center) from attackers on the other side.

It's called hnefatafl and there's an extensive description of it at

http://user.tninet.se/~jgd996c/hnefatafl/hnefatafl.html
 


Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
Happy now? You bunch of minesweeper freaks have gotten me hooked and I've wasted too much time trying to even come close to any of your scores. Are you sure you're playing on the expert level? 99 bombs? 30 by 16 square dimensions? Are we playing the same game? I haven't even been able to finish one yet! AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
You haven't finished once?

Okay, some mine sweeper hints

Begin each game with a "bombing run" just click open tiles at random until you pop open a good sized patch. Usually, a "good" board as about 70+ "free" squares (which are not ajacent to any bombs), so your chances of hitting popping open a patch rather than a mine are okay on a "good" board. And you don't get penalized for games that you lose, except by losing whatever personal time you've invested in it.

So, you've bombed a bit, and now you have an open patch. Now what?

Find numbered squares that touch only a few tiles. If your starting patch has lots of corners and stuff, then you get "1"s that only touch one tile. "3"s are always good for showing a wall of bombs. Stuff like that. Now since you're just trying to finish a level, not beat the all time score, carefully mark each tile that you are positive hides a bomb. Then rl click any number square that is already touching enough marked tiles.

Use this as your primary method of opening tiles. Remember, be careful, and if you ever hit a mine using this technique (you'll get the little crossed out flag to remind you), pay close attention and figure out what you did wrong.

While playing at this level you can try to break out of a dead end by bombing, which you've already learned. You'll never finish a game using only bombing and marking/rl clicking, but you'll get lots of practice at both.

After you've gotten to the point where you never mistakenly mark a tile when it's not a mine (and you can bomb quickly but stop the moment you pop open a clear patch), you can start working one "fuzzy" localization. For a simple example, often you have a patch that reaches the board edge. At the edge you have something that looks like this.

code:

EDGE
______
XX1
XX1
XX1
XX1
XX1


Notice that the topmost "1" is only touching two tiles (represented by Xs). Now, you can't tell which one is a mine, but you can see that both are in contact with the next "1". So we know that one of them is a mine, and thus the third tile touching the second "1" cannot be a mine (or else the "1" would be touching two mines). So...
code:

EDGE
______
X*1
X*1
XO1
XX1
XX1


I've replaced the Xs for tiles where we've "fuzzy" localized a mine with *s. The tile that cannot be a mine is now marked with an O. Let's say we open that tile (We know that it could be a "1", "2", "3" or "4": but it cannot be any higher). Look!
code:

EDGE
______
XX1
XX1
X11
XX1
XX1


Now pay attention to the "1" at (3,3)--third from the left and third from the top. It's now touching only one two tiles...both of which touch the "1" at (2,3). The single mine indicated by that "1" must be one of those two tiles, it cannot be any of the three tiles to the left.
code:

EDGE
______
XX1
O*1
O11
O*1
XX1


We again see the "fuzzy" location of a mine as two *s, and the tiles that cannot possibly be mines are marked as Os (if our previous click had opened a "4" rather than a one, we would be marking those tiles as mines--if it were a "2" or "3", I suppose we'd be at a dead end until we worked aroudn from the bottom). So let's click those all open!
code:

EDGE
______
XX1
2X1
111
1X1
XX1


Now we already knew that (1,3) would be a "1". But (1,2) and (1,4) each could have been either a "1" or a "2". As it happens, we have one "1" and one "2". But look! That "2" is touching only three tiles, and we already know that two of them were a "fuzzy" location for a single mine. That means that the third tile must be a mine. At the same time, the "1" at (1,4) is touching both tiles touched by the "1" at (3,4), as well as one other. So we can also do a "fuzzy" location on that one. Note at this point an important rule for using "fuzzy" locations--DO NOT LET THEM OVERLAP. It has something to do with the Pauli Exclusion principle or other, I think. Anyway, you must select "fuzzy" locations so that they don't share the same tiles at the same time. If you need to use a fuzzy location that will use some of the tiles of a previously established fuzzy location (as in this case and in the previous case), then you need to erase that prior fuzzy location from your thoughts. Anyway, the final diagram...
code:

EDGE
______
M*1
2*1
111
1*1
O*1


We've marked a bomb, we have "fuzzy" locations for two more, and we also have a tile that is safe to be clicked open. Not a bad bit of work.

The final technique (and this is more of an endgame thing) is a refinement on bombing. When you have gotten your "Mine Counter" down to a fairly low number, and you have that many non-overlapping "fuzzy" locations, then you can safely click open any tile that is not part of a "fuzzy" location. Even if there are a few unaccounted mines remaining, you can probably bomb with a fairly certain idea of the odds of hitting a mine.

In the end, though, it is not uncommon to be forced to guess at a couple of 50-50s to finish the level. It happens. When you're sure that's happened, go ahead and bite the bullet. You won't be wrong every time. And after winning a few times, these methods will all be second nature to you and you'll be breaking two hundred on a regular basis!
 


Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
 
One tip Survivor seems to have missed -- it's easier to work out of a corner than into one, so I tend to start my 'bombing runs' as he calls them in a corner. The clock doesn't start ticking until you click your first square.

 
Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
OK. I'm with you. And thanks for the lesson, though much of it was review.

But how on earth do you guys do it so fast? 200 regularly? I'm in the 300 range with half of the bombs yet to uncover and generally I lose by making mistakes trying to click too fast or by having to guess when I have no other way of determining whether a tile covers a bomb. Those times when no amount of 'fuzzy logic' can help.

I really should just give it up and spend my time writing. But since that's not the kind of person I am--remember? I'm anal!

[This message has been edited by djvdakota (edited July 08, 2004).]
 


Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
 
Um.

What does all of this have to do with writing?
 


Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
Umm. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let me put on my old BS cap from college. It's a little dusty.

What does this have to do with writing, you ask? Let me tell you. Games are an essential part of every writer's routine--at least those I've met on this site. They help us wind down from the tortures of trying to put words to paper for hours on end. For me, a game is a necessary part of the winding down time between writing and sleeping since I most often write in the peaceful hours between my children's bedtime and my own utter exhaustion.

That said, I apologize to Kathleen for encouraging this thread to continue as such. But I gotta say just one more thing. I figured out how you guys do it. Your clocks start over after maxing out at 999. Right? Am I right? I've finally finished two, count 'em--1,2--games and maxed the clock on both. I now hang up my minesweeper hat--for a few days anyway.
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
The clock starts over? You've got to be kidding me! Now I've got to try that.
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Gargh! 15 minutes of my life completely wasted (in addition to those precious four and a half seconds lost from my current record)!

The clocks do not start over, you fraud! You carpet-bagger!
 


Posted by cvgurau (Member # 1345) on :
 
Car...carpet-bagger?
 
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Sorry, got my random bad guy dialogues mixed up.
 
Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
Bad guy? You're calling me a bad guy? I never actually SAID my clock starts over. You're the one who made that false assumption. I said I maxed it out. TWICE! MY clock doesn't start over. What I was accusing you of was rigging your game so the clock does start over, or using a version in which it does.

Now, before you start ripping me for ripping you, you have to know the #1 rule for dakota. Never, under any circumstances, take anything that might possibly be intended as offensive, seriously. When I'm serious about offending someone, they know it. Without doubt.

My accusations are totally in jest and totally meant to try to make myself look better, cause I do not see how it is AT ALL possible to get a score of 149 on that horrid game.

But then, you guys are such geniuses!
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
No, I was...okay, you've seen The Dark Crystal, right? Where the new Skekses emperor is accusing the scientist of being a fraud and everything because his "essence of pod people" potion doesn't restore his youth, that's what I was going for. But then Ye olde'time Strongbad cut in with his response to yet another question about how he could use the electric telegraphometer whilst wearing gentleman's sporting gloves.

Anyway, I was like "garh!" over my foolishness in playing minesweeper whilst surfing the internet (and watching some really weird show about ninjas), getting a new best score, and losing over four seconds to sitting there staring at the clock with a slack-jawed expression on my face.

But I wasn't quite literate enough to just restrain my comments to "garh" when I finally got a board done except for one tile, then waited most of 15 minutes for time to run out.

Garh! I say, Garh!
 


Posted by babylonfreek (Member # 2097) on :
 
oooh, games..

Ok, Minesweeper was getting out of hand (I personally suck, no, I won't tell you my score.)

For field events, the Aztecs had a basketball like game, played on a huge field surrounded by sloping walls. In midfield, on either side, a ring just berely bigger that the ball (a rock wrapped in leather)

The losing team was sacrficed to the gods.

(although some claim it was the winning team that got sacrificed--it was a great honor)

Board games. The Egyptians played Senet about 5,000 years ago. Although the rules have been lost, it is said to be similar to the african game of Mancala (also been around for a long long time) You can actually find Mancala baords, there is a revival of old non-western board games. It is played on a board with holes, four pebbles to a hole. Object is to gather the pieces and place them in your goal. Not going to post the entire set of rules here, hehe.

Chess, a stated above, began in India a couple thousand years ago. The modern version, as we know it, acheived its form in the early 1800's I believe, so if it was in Europe in the middle ages, probably was very different.

The Romans played dice, made out of bone or ivory.

That was my little bit, hope it helped
 


Posted by djvdakota (Member # 2002) on :
 
WAHOOO!!! 430! Thanks to Survivor for the tutorial. NOW I can quit playing that stupid game.

Yeah, right.
 


Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
Just for Kathleen...

The game of buzkashi was a central theme for the book by Joseph Kessel (1898 - 1979), "Les Cavaliers". It was later made into a movie that premiered in 1970, called "The Horsemen" and starring Jack Palance in the best role of his life, with Omar Sharif for support.

It is interesting that the most riveting scene in the movie (for me, anyway, the aged Horseman putting himself together piece by piece, literally, first thing in the morning) is a faithful reproduction of that scene in the book. I wonder how hard that was to write?

Has anyone else read the book and also seen the movie? Did the scene I noted above also strike you as well done? How would you have written it differently?
 


Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
 
Sounds interesting, Mike. I'll have to see if I can track down a copy of the book and the movie.
 
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
 
Ywp, now I'm re-interested also. I'm going to find the book just to re-read that scene to see if it is still as striking as it was 30 years ago. Uh, before I was born. WAY before. ;-)
 
Posted by loggrad98 (Member # 1724) on :
 
I do not know if anyone else noticed, and I scanned this thread for the details, but did not see it mentioned anywhere. If you play the really really hard game "Quest for the Crown" (web site listed earlier in the thread), and actually win, then you need to watch the credits.

It credits Orson Scott Card with writing.
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
Yeah, well...there were a lot of people involved in bringing us this fine game, according to the credits.
 


Copyright © 2008 Hatrack River Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2