A few words from Psychée
Welcome to the pages of the Gorean Archives.
It’s a rather pompous title, insofar as I couldn’t possibly claim to be able to write a complete encyclopaedia on the world of Gor, even for its primary, and main, purpose here: to provide a database and information for role-players of the persistent and sim worlds of the Second Life game.
However, I’m going to try to offer you as many data, articles and resources as possible on the universe imagined by John Norman, in an attempt to remain faithful to what he wrote, while also allowing myself to fill in the many gaps that his novels may have left in his background work, and in a complex, sometimes arduous and particularly rich universe.
In short, I’m going to take Gor for what it is first and foremost, and what it defines here: a role-playing universe in which hundreds of participants regularly immerse themselves, and live exciting stories together. I’ve been role-playing for 40 years, and I’m a professional author. So using sources (in this case, Gor’s novels) to describe a world in all its aspects is something of a speciality of mine.
Nota bene :
The information contained in this blog is, above all, research and cross-checking of information taken directly from Norman’s novels, or derived from them when it was necessary to develop a subject not covered.
There are few, if any, notes written in-game on SL (the notecards), and when there are, they have been verified from the most direct and reliable source: Gor’s novels. This is the only reference validated and taken into account in these pages, to the exclusion of all other sources. And if you’re wondering, yes, I have all or most of them (I’m missing the last three), in PDF format.
So that’s my main source of information, but not the only one! To fill in the blanks, I research the historical and cultural periods Norman draws on, and I use this material to adapt the content as best I can, while respecting Gor’s world.
A few words from the host of these pages:
It took me a long time to decide to create this blog. The idea dates back to 2016. Here we are at last, and a few years later, although I’ve never had anyone to help me write articles, I’ve always had support, recognition and thanks, from both the French and English-speaking communities.
But if I’m speaking here, it’s to define exactly what the purpose of these pages is, because the subject is as controversial as the author of the novels himself. These pages have no virtue or purpose in praising the concepts, theories and philosophy behind John Norman’s writings.
My wish is to talk about a universe that serves as a setting, a décor, a context, for computer role-playing game enthusiasts, through the medium of Second Life, without judging anyone and without dwelling on the excesses that some RL enthusiasts of these philosophies cause.
It would hurt me: I’m a well-known feminist, a frank humanist and fiercely opposed to the idea of slavery. It seems obvious, but it’s always better to make it clear: I don’t give any credence to the theories attached to the universe and to the concepts of Gor, which John Norman’s afficionados think are real, and for good reason:
Scientifically speaking, the philosophical concept that Norman defends, i.e. the most reactionary and essentialist version of evolutionary psychology, is the subject of much controversy in the field of psychology. In the context of pure scientific research, it’s even clearer: in evolutionary biology, as well as in sociology and cognitive neurology, all the theories Norman defends in his novels and academic articles have been verified and studied, and we know that it’s all bullshit. In his day, in the sixties, and well into the nineties, it was still acceptable, especially as politically it flattered egos. But we’ve come a long way since then. So that’s clear; Gor is a fiction and Norman’s philosophy is just a fantasy! Which I’m not going to judge, but which remains a fantasy, full stop.
So… My aim here is to introduce you to the universe itself, so that you can have fun and enjoy the pleasant activity of role-playing in this universe. Its richness, depth and general complexity make it an exciting setting, tinged with eroticism, exoticism and discovery.
As for the content, once again it will be impossible to be: 1) exhaustive, 2) exact.
Why? Because Norman wasn’t. Because Norman wasn’t either, quite simply! Which makes the task a little difficult. So there are bound to be uncertainties, as well as vague elements and others that are more of a thesis than exact data. Yes, I’ll be taking the liberty of sometimes developing aspects that Norman has only sketched out, or glossed over in his novels. Yes, we’ll also be inventing on the basis of what has already been written, and adding to it. And sometimes we’ll even have to start from scratch. And I don’t know about you, but, well, I’m not a rocket scientist, so there are even some subjects, some details, that will be difficult for me to write anything about.
But I sincerely hope that our work will be able to answer your questions, interest you, amuse you and, above all, enable you to play the role you want to play and in the way you want to play it, in the JDR universes of Gor. I wish you all the best!
Psychée
