Dark Ages King Arthur

Gaming and a Movie
King Arthur comes in two varieties, the traditional Thomas Mallory Le Morte d' Arthur and the more modern "historical" Arthur, a Dark Ages warlord. Both Kings provide a nice backdrop for role-play. The sources for the traditional King Arthur are mostly literary and include some well known classics. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King, an epic cycle of verse on the subject of Arthur and his court. T.H. White's Once and Future King is an entertaining read which holds closely to the traditional version of the legend. Howard Pyle wrote a number of volumes for younger readers which includes some inspirational illustrations. Hal Foster's comic strip Prince Valiant chronicles the adventures of a Danish prince associated with King Arthur's court and uses the traditional legend as inspiration. The well known movies Camelot (Joshua Logan) and Excalibur (John Boorman) are filmed using the high medieval trappings and story line found in Mallory and Tennyson. 

The role-playing game King Arthur Pendragon written by Greg Stafford follows the traditional legend penned by Sir Thomas Mallory in the late 15th Century. Mallory's Arthur seems contemporary with the late 15th Century when it was written, even though the legendary Arthur is King of the Britons, not merry England and thereby hearkens back to an older time. The game in its current 5th Edition compacts the middle ages into the life-span of the fabled king. Players start in a Dark Ages Britain where the boy Arthur becomes king and unites the isle. As the games time-line progresses, society and technology changes to reflect the growth of feudalism and the progression of the middle ages to the point where Arthur as an old man is king of an early renaissance style kingdom.
More recent authors have tended to make use of the historical and archeological studies available on the legendary Arthur and depict him as a post-Roman warlord holding back the Saxon invasion of Britain. Authors including Mary Stewart (Merlin Series) and Bernard Cornwell (The Warlord Chronicles) have popularized a vision of Arthur as a Romanized Celt, an image more in keeping with the historic studies. This interpretation of Arthur and his court gives great latitude for inserting products of our own imagination as it is almost all speculation. (Really the whole King Arthur legend including Mallory is more literary than factual and therefore open to imaginative speculation.) The current movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Guy Ritchie), draws on this recent trend and casts Arthur as 5th Century warlord. It presents the legendary king in a dark, mystical setting that combines stunning CGI Roman architecture with imaginary elements purely of the film maker's fancy. The resulting movie is inspiring and entertaining.

Mythic Britain, a setting game aid for RuneQuest 6th Edition and now Mythras by Lawrence Whitaker and the folks at The Design Mechanism, takes it's lead from the Romano-Celtic Warlord Arthur and presents a detailed and magical Britain for RPG adventure. Mythic Britain not only shows what a versatile system Mythras (and d100 in general) is, but strikes me as one of the best game aids ever. It is now joined by Logres (Paul Mitchener) which details the Saxon lands which are in conflict with Arthur. Together these volumes present a rich, varied and detailed setting full of almost endless possibilities for game adventure and allow players to explore either side of the conflict that shaped a nation. The Arthurian connection makes the setting seem somewhat familiar as does the "historical" elements and geography of Britain. The descriptions of the cultures and kingdoms on the isle are at once both historic (based on research) and creative fantasy from the authors' fertile imagination. 
The legends of King Arthur have inspired literary authors, artists and movie makers in great numbers and for many generations. The ideas central to the legend, those of might for right and just rulership generally come through regardless of the presentation. The setting, in all its interpretations, is ripe for gaming adventure and the sources for inspiration seem almost limitless. King Arthur does not appear in Gary Gygax's Appendix N list of inspirations for the game, but I have to think he was familiar with the legendary deeds attributed to Arthur and his knights. How could they not be an inspiration to such a game.