Chronicles of Narnia

[Maccabe]

I remember reading some of these books and wondered if Narnia would be

a good setting for a campaign.

[Curufea]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Possible - you could base a campaign around bible stories similar to Testament Hero - but for Narnia they wouldn't be literal, but metaphorical.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Sure, it could be. You certainly have all the trappings of fantasy. I personally eschew religion within my campaign, but if that's what you're into, there's no better setting. Read the books, get a feel for the world, be willing to let the characters meet/work for G-d (Aslan) and they could start off in a way similar to the Star Wars novels.

 

We know that at the end of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe that the children are now rulers of Narnia. They win, the Witch is dead. With a very small mental leap, you can cast the PCs as soldiers in the New World Order, tasked with hunting down renegades and other evil folk. Foom, new plotline. You can create new villains, have them be involved in the war against Tash, be on Dawn Treader, take your pick.

[hancock.tom]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

You could use nearly any of the Narnia books for setting, and they are ripe with potential plotlines.

 

I'm not sure how well having the PCs play the part of the main characters would work, but so long as all your PCs are cool playing non-humans it would be an easy setting to work into a campaign.

[AveryKess]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Who says the pcs have to come in at or after the time of Lion Witch and the Wardrobe? How about the time when the Witch is gaining power, or even before that? They know about humans, so there must have been a few in the past. Pretty much wide open for plot, but you have the setting and creatures defined.

[Curufea]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

It's been a while since I read the books - but I believe Narnia did not exist before the witch. The magician's nephew took the witch with him while Aslan was creating Narnia.

[Twilight]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Curufea is right about that. The witch and the Magician's Nephew were both there at the start of Narnia.

 

Also, having the PCs come in during the White Witch's reign would diminish the importance of the Pevensies to the story in my opinion. HOWEVER, the PCs could easily come in during the reign of the Pevensies to deal with some sort of threat or another, summoned by Aslan to do so.

 

In fact there was a short series of gamebooks [four or five as I recall] that were set in Narnia and used that very premise.

[Guest daeudi_454]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Narnia exists for a total of 2555 Narnian years. The characters in the books only pop in for a few decades... totalling at best 300 years.

For instance- between when the four children left Narnia at the end of LWW and when they returned in Prince Caspian was 1303 years... that's a lot of time for the PCs to play in.

[Curufea]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Interesting - I haven't read the later books. I should.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

I just got the beautiful black covered full version. S'very nice, quite choice, has a couple of extra essays in there as well. One of my PCs has the same copy and he dotes on it.

[Tom Carman]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Curufea is right about that. The witch and the Magician's Nephew were both there at the start of Narnia.

 

Also, having the PCs come in during the White Witch's reign would diminish the importance of the Pevensies to the story in my opinion. HOWEVER, the PCs could easily come in during the reign of the Pevensies to deal with some sort of threat or another, summoned by Aslan to do so.

 

In fact there was a short series of gamebooks [four or five as I recall] that were set in Narnia and used that very premise.

The Witch was not ruling Narnia at the end of Magician's Nephew. Aslan installed a former London cabbie as King. Jadis took over 100 years before the Pevensies arrived. There was enough time in between for the kingdom to get well established and the original dynasty to die out (or be killed off, more likely).

[Thrakazog]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

It's the Chronic - what? - cles of Narnia!

[Twilight]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

The Witch was not ruling Narnia at the end of Magician's Nephew. Aslan installed a former London cabbie as King. Jadis took over 100 years before the Pevensies arrived. There was enough time in between for the kingdom to get well established and the original dynasty to die out (or be killed off' date=' more likely).[/quote']

 

I never said she WAS ruling Narnia at the end of Magician's Nephew. All I said was that she was in Magician's Nephew. Also, as I recall, Aslan predicts that she will reign over Narnia for awhile though I could be mistaken about that part. Been awhile since I read the book after all.

[Guest daeudi_454]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

The White Witch ruled for the "Hundred Years of Winter" until the arrival of the Pevensies.

She was the last ruler of the dead nation of Charn, and came to Narnia at its creation. She knew how to move between the different realities. She was kept out of control of Narnia for many years (no idea how many) by the bloom of the Tree of Protection- but we are never told how that was overcome.

 

Also, please remeber that Narnia is a country in another reality, not the name of the whole world- the other countries of note are Charn and Calormene. One can assume that Talking Animals exist throughout the whole world, and all the other rules for magic and mythology apply based on the source material. So adventures and campaigns could take place in that world, but even necessarily be in the land of Narnia itself for the whole game.

[Twilight]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Actually as I recall, the White Witch ate some of the fruit that was used to grow the Tree of Protection. She ate it without permission [as opposed to the main character who picked one fruit with permission of Aslan] which has something to do with her being able to eventually come to power. What exactly I'm not sure.

[keithcurtis]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

The White Witch ruled for the "Hundred Years of Winter" until the arrival of the Pevensies.

She was the last ruler of the dead nation of Charn, and came to Narnia at its creation. She knew how to move between the different realities. She was kept out of control of Narnia for many years (no idea how many) by the bloom of the Tree of Protection- but we are never told how that was overcome.

 

Also, please remeber that Narnia is a country in another reality, not the name of the whole world- the other countries of note are Charn and Calormene. One can assume that Talking Animals exist throughout the whole world, and all the other rules for magic and mythology apply based on the source material. So adventures and campaigns could take place in that world, but even necessarily be in the land of Narnia itself for the whole game.

Please don't read this post if you don't want spoilers.

 

Actually, the Calormens are often surprised by the talking beasts of Narnia. They do not talk in other lands. Also, although the geographical whole of that other world is not Narnia (they refer to it as earth several times as in "the ends of the earth"), Narnia is certainly the only country that matters.

In the Last Battle, it is "Narnia" that is refered to as coming to an end. The beginning of the world is repeatedly called the beginning of Narnia. In this sense, though Narnia is a discrete portion of the larger world, the whole of that creation may be called Narnia.

 

Keith "roar." Curtis

[Tom Carman]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

The White Witch ruled for the "Hundred Years of Winter" until the arrival of the Pevensies.

She was the last ruler of the dead nation of Charn, and came to Narnia at its creation. She knew how to move between the different realities. She was kept out of control of Narnia for many years (no idea how many) by the bloom of the Tree of Protection- but we are never told how that was overcome.

 

Also, please remeber that Narnia is a country in another reality, not the name of the whole world- the other countries of note are Charn and Calormene. One can assume that Talking Animals exist throughout the whole world, and all the other rules for magic and mythology apply based on the source material. So adventures and campaigns could take place in that world, but even necessarily be in the land of Narnia itself for the whole game.

A few points: Jadis (the White Witch) did not know how to move between realities, and Charn was not a nation in the Narnia reality. Charn was an old, old world (swollen red sun), and Jadis was its last queen (in the final war, she wiped out every other living thing on the planet because victory by any means was better than losing. She seemed singularly unrepentant about that.) She ended up in Narnia because the Magician's Nephew desperately wanted her off Earth after he foolishly woke her from her magical stasis in dead Charn.

[Guest daeudi_454]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

A few points: Jadis (the White Witch) did not know how to move between realities' date=' and Charn was not a nation in the Narnia reality. Charn was an old, old world (swollen red sun), and Jadis was its last queen (in the final war, she wiped out every other living thing on the planet because victory by [u']any means[/u] was better than losing. She seemed singularly unrepentant about that.) She ended up in Narnia because the Magician's Nephew desperately wanted her off Earth after he foolishly woke her from her magical stasis in dead Charn.

You are correct.

Forgive me, I haven't read them in 20 years.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Actually as I recall' date=' the White Witch ate some of the fruit that was used to grow the Tree of Protection. She ate it without permission [as opposed to the main character who picked one fruit with permission of Aslan'] which has something to do with her being able to eventually come to power. What exactly I'm not sure.

 

It gave "enduring strength and unending days like a goddess". Her coming to power was _delayed_ by her eating the fruit, as it meant she could not come near the tree planted in Narnia.

 

It made her stronger than before; and she was described as being a strong as a bull elephant on _Earth_, which is hostile to magic (seriously, I think Narnia and Charn were more magical than Earth).

 

So impressive, it was.

[Twilight]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

It gave "enduring strength and unending days like a goddess". Her coming to power was _delayed_ by her eating the fruit, as it meant she could not come near the tree planted in Narnia.

 

It made her stronger than before; and she was described as being a strong as a bull elephant on _Earth_, which is hostile to magic (seriously, I think Narnia and Charn were more magical than Earth).

 

So impressive, it was.

 

Well I did say it had been awhile since I'd read the Magician's Nephew. I had forgotten the bit about the tree, though I could've sworn that it had something to do with her coming to power, or upsetting Aslan's plan in someway because she ate the fruit without permission.

 

Also, Earth is less magical then Narnia or Charn as in Narnia and Charn, Jadis had magical power whereas on Earth she had none though she was still quite strong.

[Gadodel]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

I look forward to getting this movie on DVD...maybe start statting out some of the critters and folk then.

[Guest WhammeWhamme]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

Well I did say it had been awhile since I'd read the Magician's Nephew. I had forgotten the bit about the tree, though I could've sworn that it had something to do with her coming to power, or upsetting Aslan's plan in someway because she ate the fruit without permission.

 

Also, Earth is less magical then Narnia or Charn as in Narnia and Charn, Jadis had magical power whereas on Earth she had none though she was still quite strong.

 

Aslan's 'plan' was upset by Diggory and Polly bringing the White Witch to Narnia in the first place. Her simple nature was enough to ensure she would eventually rise to power.

 

The fruit was a separate thing. She broke the rules of the Garden (took without permission, and entered over the wall), and so it gave her her 'heart's deire, and despair', making it so that the great gift it gave was not truly worth it. (She got to rule for a brief period of time, but it was a hollow, joyless victory. Then she got killed. Drat.)

 

And I _said_ Narnia and Charn had more magic than Earth; the point was indeed that Jadis was superhumanly strong _on Earth_, so for her to be amazed by how much stronger she was after eating the fruit was a 'well, damn that's impressive' moment.

[Jhamin]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

 

A quick & dirty Narnia timeline:

 

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/narnia-history.html

 

 

So, as you can see all sorts of fun stuff happens outside the books. There are many countries in the world of Narnia, some friendly to Narnia and some hostile.

The talking animals and fantastic creatures live primarily in Narnia but there is no reason they cannot go elsewhere. (Other than the general persecution they face).

I would say that "The Horse and his Boy" and "The Silver Chair" should both be required reading for anyone who wants to run a game in Narnia. Both take place while humans are on the throne (thus during a "normal" part of Narnian History) and both feature cross-country journies that take the characters outside the bounds of the Kingdom of Narnia and give the reader a much better sense of what goes on in places other than the Castle or Aslan's tent.

 

For more exotic locals "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" has the characters exploring the more far flung and magical corners of Narnia's oceans.