Potential fantasy novel based on a fantasy game
When we were younger my brother Rich, cousins Ron and Mike, and I played Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy-based role-playing game. They played characters: Rich was Phoendon, a thief with psionic (i.e. mental) powers; Ron played Mercurius Augustius, a fighter; Mike was known as Rabenwolf, a ranger. I was the Dungeon Master (DM), the referee who created the world they played in, presented their adventures and played the non-player characters (NPCs). The setting - where their characters lived - was the Republic of Sarahton, the early history of which even involved Rich's and Mike's previous characters.
I always wondered if their adventures and the settings I created could make an interesting novel. Their adventures ranged from heroic (such as their role in thwarting an invasion by an "evil" warlord known as The Devastator) to humorous (such as an incident when Mercurius Augustius walked down to a hotel lobby naked). Interesting characters, antagonists, adventures and conflict, setting and atmosphere, mysteries - the ingredients of a novel.
Part of the DM's task, as part of creating a believable campaign, is to develop all the background history and details of the world in which the campaign is played. Years after we've stopped playing, I still occasionally imagine further details of Sarahton's background history, to the point that I now want to write a novel based on the campaign world instead of writing a novel based on the players' adventures. The advantage is that I would not be restricted to just the players' adventures; the disadvantage is attempting to write a novel or even a story without central characters nor conflicts.
Possible formats
I see two ways so far to write a novel or even a set of stories based on the D&D campaign we played.
The first would be a set of related stories, tentatively titled Tales of the Laughing Dragon after the popular pub in the campaign. The storyteller would be an old man in the Laughing Dragon telling stories to anyone and everyone who listens. His stories would include the assorted adventures of Phoendon, Rabenwolf and Mercurius Augustius, and perhaps some of the NPCs like Captain Kalex, The Devastator, etc. The old man would know such incredible details that one would suspect he himself was there - perhaps even be one of the aforementioned characters.
The second would be in the form of a travel log - a long-term visitor to Sarahton recording his/her observations and encounters. Tentative title is Journals of a Monk of Ra. (The visitor would be from the Caron Empire, likely from City-Colony Rhaheem next to Sarahton. The Caron Empire worships Egyptian "gods"; the emperor is referred to by some as pharaoh for religious reasons.) This format would be very rich with history, but I don't know how to work in conflicts. However, travelogues are a valid form of literature; there are popular books where the author simply records his impressions of living somewhere.
It may be possible to combine the two formats - perhaps the main character would be a reporter or scribe, interviewing and writing the stories of the people he meets in Sarahton, including character types. I might even "publish" it in web log format! I could even maintain a separate page or two as a glossary of names and places; as new characters are introduced, add relevant entries into the glossary. Hmmm...