A change of plans

[ffutures]

Since I began thinking about the immortality RPG setting (see my post a couple of days ago) I've had a slightly bad feeling about it. Last night I realised what it was.

My mother died in 1995. Yesterday would have been her 85th birthday. and on the night she died I came home from the hospital, feeling very sad, and put on the first video that came to hand to take my mind off things. As it happens the video was Highlander, which of course has a deathbed scene in it one point. To say that it was a bad choice of video would be putting it very mildly.

I wasn't planning to say anything about this but today, as I was heading out to work, I heard that my only living uncle (who is about the same age) has had a fall and is in hospital. It may not be too bad, since they're letting him go home this morning, but he hurt his head, he's frail (he lost an arm and most of his shoulder during WW2, and now has osteoporosis) and any injury is serious at that age anyway. My sister is going to travel with him to make sure he's OK, and he has a daily helper, but it's worrying.

Anyway, the upshot is that I think I'm going to shelve this idea again. I'm not sure I believe in omens, but I'm not going to take chances.

So the search for inspiration continues. Anyone that feels like making suggestions, bearing in mind that the source has to be out of Euro copyright (e.g. the author died before 1935) please let me know.

Comments

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Most of the Magnet authors were Frank Richards. He was enormously prolific under a lot of pseudonyms.

Kipling is on my list as next year's project - but that's because I thought he died later in the year. If it was January then I think I might start thinking about a Kipling-based game (relaunch of FF1, which was written before the copyright laws changed, plus the worlds of some of his other stories) with a launch in February or thereabouts. Can you give me an exact date?

Childers' book is interesting but it's really just a typical "evil German plot" story in most respects, and I've already used that theme a lot. Conrad is an interesting thought, but I think the angst might be difficult to sustain in a Heart of Darkness RPG (or whatever).

Lawrence... (imagines the Lady Chatterley RPG... regretfully says no...) I'd really prefer not to have my site blocked by net-nanny software, which I think would happen if I included e-texts of say Lady Chatterley or Women in Love in the game. Nice idea though.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling) gives 18 January 1936.

There's a lot of Conrad. so plenty of potential there.

In the later days (1930s) when I was reading it , the serials in "The Magnet" weren't by Richards. I hasten to add these were ther Howard Baker reprints. I long to obtain a copy of "The Courtfield Cracksman" series (http://www.friarsclub.net/Magnet/magnet1931.htm). Certainly, there should be some Amalganated Press writers who died before 1936 who might be of interest. An issue there might be who owns the copyright these days (AP (Daily Mail or IPC now - (I think) or the author's estate?). A Richards/Hamilton RPG could be amazing. Almost worth the trouble of getting permission. (Who does own Billy Bunter/Greyfriars these days?)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Establishing ownership might be the problem, odds on that it turns out to be some rapacious conglomerate like Fleetway.