Another thought on the original Known World campaign notes by Schick & Moldvay. Perhaps the Kzinti (cat-like aliens created by Larry Niven and appearing in one episode the Star Trek Animated Series) included in this campaign are the inspiration for Moldvay's Rakastas in X1, where the Known World map first appeared as well? The humanoid feline Rakastas of B/X are quite different from the demonic AD&D Rakshasa. (Edited as I was reminded the AD&D monster has a different spelling).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kzin
There was a great Kzin write up in one of the old Dragon magazines. Maybe it was by Schick?
ReplyDeleteJust found it (thank you internet) in Dragon #50, June 1981- so just after B/X. It's by Robert Plamondon, likely the same author of the RPG book "Through Dungeons Deep": http://www.through-dungeons-deep.com/
ReplyDeleteThe rakasta showed up for the first time in X1, which was also the first appearance of the Known World in print.. would not be surprised if they were the Kzinti with the serial numbers filed off (though the illustrations in X1 and later had the Rakasta as much more gracile - built more like mountain lions than the hulking Kzinti).
ReplyDeleteGiven that Holmes was a big fan of Vance's Phraint and both he and Gygax a fan of ERBs Barsoomian races, would be an interesting exercise to do up a sword & sorcery campaign world which included a number of those 70's era sci fi races which crop up in the early D&D campaigns.. maybe something of a more Barsoomian Carcosa.
I always understood that the AD&D Rakshasha was an Indian Spirit creature (via Monster Manual) and D&D's Rakasta were humanoid cat-people nomads. Totally different critters, although these days I'd consider BOTH as possible PC races! ;)
ReplyDeleteLooking at Schick's recent post at BlackGate, I'd say that the Man/Kzin fiction influenced the setting. Likely they changed the name from Kzinti to Rakasta to avoid legal issues. While Star Trek had Kzinti in the cartoon, and thus Star Fleet Battles could assert their back door license rights, D&D would have no such protection.
ReplyDeleteGiven the fact that he Rakasta ended up living on the moon, I think it makes the connection even stronger.
D&D's Rakshasa are comepletely different beastie from the forms of the Hindu Rakshasa, which are either a sort of WItch/Ghoul, or a sort of fat goblin.
ReplyDeleteI did read a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel by Christopher Golden that cast them as pint-sized killers with nasty claws and masked visages, so describing a Rakshasa is kind of in the air.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakshasa