Urshurak

Scott ‘Dwarfland” Driver once opined that there was often more gaming inspiration to be had from “bad” fiction than from good. He was specifically talking about the works of Lin Carter, but I think this is often true in general. I haven’t read Urshurak by the Brothers Hildebrandt and Jerry Nichols, so I can’t comment on it specifically, but that seems to be the internet consensus. Here’s a typical review.

Regardless, the art was surely the main selling point for purchasers in 1979. That and curiosity got me to pick it up on ebay a few months ago. It’s gorgeous if you like the work of the Hildebrandt Brothers, though it could easily, I suppose be derided as too traditional or even generic nearly 50 years on. Certainly, the images and a thumbnail description of the plot mark it as a work of a more naive time when it comes to genre fantasy. There are heroes and a quest with swords and sorcerers and elves and dwarves in a vaguely faux Medieval Europe sort of setting. There are some sci-fi elements (it’s a bit of fusion of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars), but no gestures toward realism, grittiness or deconstruction to be found.

Perhaps it’s just nostalgia but naive fantasy has a certain sort of appeal to me though. It’s not that I never want fantasy to go new places, but having seen the new places it has gone over the decades to become in their own way stale or cliched or real shine in their focus on aspects other than adventure and action (which are the most relatable of fictional elements to the gaming table), I sometimes feel the pull for gaming inspiration to the things that wouldn’t have made my reading list a decade or more ago.

And honestly, more fantasy epics could probably benefit from high tech Amazons.