http://www.thealexandrian.net Politics, creations, and philosophy. So... what other small touches of garlic-planter proportions might you find in the urban planning of a fantasy setting? http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01b.html#20100129 One of the things I look for in a roleplaying system is the "You Can'T Do That Here" failure point. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01b.html#20100125 The Gateway Trip is purportedly a collection of short stories subtitled Tales and Vignettes of the Heechee. But that's pretty much bullshit. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01b.html#20100118 More startling even than that diabolic chuckle was the scream that rose at my very elbow from the salt-compounded sand - the scream of a woman possessed by some atrocious agony, or helpless in the grip of devils. Turning, I beheld a veritable Venus, naked in a white perfection that could fear no scrutiny, but immersed to her navel in the sand. Her terror-widened eyes implored me and her lotus hands reached out with beseeching gesture. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01b.html#20100117 I'm currently appearing as Tyler in Starting Gate Theater's production of Moss Hart's Light Up the Sky. Set in the suite of the leading actress in a new play, Light Up the Sky is a light comedic romp through the travails of an opening night. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01b.html#20100116 From "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" by Clark Ashton Smith... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100115 Many moons ago, James Maliszewski of Grognardia put up a short post summarizing the total page count of various editions of Dungeons and Dragons... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100114 The roper has a phenomenal reach (50 ft. with its tendrils), but remains excessively vulnerable to the "back off and plink it to death with ranged attacks" tactic. This isn't really a huge problem, but I have had a couple of roper encounters that landed with dull, wet thuds... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100113 Faceless rage is a magical disease of evil and chaos that affects only humanoids. It transforms its victims by erasing their face and turning them into murderous savages... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100112 The first sensation I had while reading the sequels to the exemplary Gateway was one of disjointedness. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100107 I've recently been reviewing The Esoterrorists by Robin D. Laws with an eye towards how the core design ethos of the system -- that the PCs always find every clue that can be found (as discussed in more length as part of my essay on the Three Clue Rule) -- could be adapted to more generic purposes. (And quickly coming to the conclusion that is, in fact, so completely antithetical to the reasons that I play roleplaying games that it won't work for me in any form.) But the game has prompted me to give some fresh thought to hard limits in system design, and the effect they have on scenario design for and the utility of a roleplaying game. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2010-01.html#20100106 So against all common sense, you find yourself hankering to write up a railroad for your roleplaying group. You dream of a land where the rails are straight, the wheels are locked, and the players submissive. Well, you're in luck, because today we're bringing you -- courtesy of the Serpent Amphora trilogy -- an educational primer in the Art of the Railroad with a step-by-step breakdown of the track-laying process. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-12.html#20091231 The central contention of Rosenbaum's argument is that Shylock's final act (when he attempts to commit an act of legalized murder) is a piece of unforgivable villainy that confirms the bigotry of the anti-Semitic. Thus, the nicer you make Shylock, the worse the message becomes: No matter how nice a Jew may seem, the truth is that all Jews are murdering monsters. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-12.html#20091230 A question I'm asked with surprising regularity is, "Why do you waste money on adventure modules?" It's a question generally voiced with varying degrees of disdain, and the not-so-hidden subtext lying behind it is that published adventure modules are worthless. There are different reasons proffered for why they should be ignored, but they generally boil down to a couple of core variations... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-12.html#20091229 I've been reading The Shakespeare Wars by Ron Rosenbaum and writing short essays in response to some of the more dunder-headed bits of scholastic self-indulgence that Rosenbaum has been discussing. (Rosenbaum also discusses a lot of good stuff, and despite some reservations over the quality of Rosenbaum's writing, I recommend checking his book out for a good review of current controversies in Shakespearean scholarship.) Today I want to take a peek at one facet of the debate between the theories of the Lost Archetypes and the Revisions... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-11.html#20091117 I know things have been pretty quiet around here of late. I'm afraid that's because everything else in my life has been so ridiculously busy. So, on that note, here's a quicky summary of upcoming projects I'm involved with... http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-11.html#20091116 I often think of Gateway as being the last great hurrah of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Although published in 1977, to me it has always felt like a Campbellian classic -- as if it should be a contemporary of Childhood's End or the Foundation Trilogy. A throwback to the 1950's. http://www.thealexandrian.net/archive/archive2009-09.html#20090904