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Chapter 8
Adapting Game Magic
from the Literature
of the Fantastic
8.1 PROCEDURAL ADAPTATION
e literature of the fantastic revolves around magic. Fantasy litera-
ture from Tolkien to Moorcock to George R.R. Martin; horror ction
from Lovecra to Barker and King; weird ction and the New Weird
of China Miéville and Je Van Der Meer; all share a common thematic
concern with sorcery and enchantment. At rst glance, the role of magic
in fantastic literature might seem purely a narrative device, lacking in
the rigor necessary to construct game mechanics. In fact, the magic of
the literature of the fantastic oen obeys rules as complex and rich ...