Good Gaming Blog

Had a pretty crazy week after Memorial Day… lots of good things have come up on various blogs. Right now I’m sort of running around like a chicken with his beautifully plumed head cut off, but here’s the roundup so far:

Growing on Me:

=Superhero Necromancer is really getting my attention with some Nice Posts on various topics. Actually was hipped to this blog through Noism’s Monsters and Manuals and after some digging through the thing… well, let’s say there’s a reason why I’m posting it here .

=A Hamsterish Hoard is actually making me want to go out and crack some books I haven’t used in awhile. Creatures like Ksshri here need to come back to D&D in general and with the quickness.

Joe the Lawyer from over at ENWorld has a blog full of enough snark that it is kinda scarring to read some times. His painfully blunt Response to an essay over at Grognardia should show you the flavor I’m pointing at.

Not Forgotten:

In the move I forgot to show a little love for some blogs which get reads on their respective sites, but deserve more eyes on them:

Jack7 should be writing treatises on gaming for the guys who bitch and moan about various and sundry issues. Sometimes veering into psuedointellectualism, Jack7’s poorly named (but increasingly incredible) Tome and Tomb brings the Hot Fire to ENWorld’s blogging community. Accepted but not well-liked amongst the ‘in-crowd’ on that site, Jack’s work is always thought-provoking and rarely at a level which does not scream fantastic.

Plans for the Month:

Hoping to post some regular good-old-fashioned info on that arc of adventures I’m hoping to work on. Also, there has been some discussion going about of a writer coming to the Good Gaming Blog either through posted guest spots or as a full member… and he’s bringing his ideas on some interesting topics with him. If it works out you’ll be kept up-to-date. Also: We’re going to be entering the RPG Blog Carnival early this round. From the New Site. And it will be glorious .

Until Then,

Good Gaming,

Slainte,
-Loonook.

Monsters and Manuals, a great site for good gaming, just celebrated its 1st anniversary last week. Since I’ve been reading the blog for awhile now, I figured I’d hip my readers to some recent topics on the site which are thoughtful and thought provoking:

-Theory of Demihumans: A lot of solid thought put into this post, with some great citations.

…

-A Rant on the Use(ful/less)ness of Class: Don’t let the names of classes define your character (this prevents me from writing up the exact same rant again .

And of course The Writer’s Choice for best entries of the year. None of these will disappoint .

Give them a read; they’re worth it. While I’m at it, NiTessine in the deep freezing wastes writes an amusing and amazing blog. Check his stuff out; his rants on various issues in the industry are always top-notch.

As Always, Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Though we all read setting materials, sourcebooks, etc. and we all know our fantasy reading, I find that a lot of geeks need to work on their outside reading. NiTessine posted his Appendix N after being inspired by a post by Zachary the First over at RPGBlog2 . The following books and series are not my whole ‘Appendix N’. I have chosen these 5 books because they are outside of the realm of Fantasy, and are great sources for ideas which will influence your gaming.

5.) Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. While I don’t necessarily enjoy all of the presentation, Quinn’s portrayal of a non-human (in this case a telepathic gorilla) and how the titular character’s viewpoint is different from the norms of humanity proves to be an exercise in thinking outside the box.

4.) The Baroque Cycle from Neal Stephenson. Amazing historical fiction with a swashbuckling, intrigue-filled air of entertainment. So much to read (almost 3000 pages worth of goodness) but all of the series is a real page turner. The book discusses the life of ‘real world’ adventuring, from merchants to pirates to the pitfalls of running afoul of your employer. Great read, worth every page.

….

3.) LA Confidential by James Ellroy. Amazingly in-depth work in the noir crime drama style. This shows an amazing ‘campaign’ between several police officers, their subordinates, and information network to uncover the evils of the modern world.

2.) The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges. Tales and information on various creatures from folklore and fantasy. Worth every penny if you can find a copy, as it gives a unique look into the lives and minds of many creatures which are in the Fantasy canon.

1.) The Arthashastra (Author Disputed). A Book of Statecraft from the Indian subcontinent .. . more than a thousand years before Machiavelli. Later texts actually include ways to use mysticism to your advantage in statecraft. The thought process behind this statecraft manual is a little alien to the average reader, and will give you an outlook in a long-term pattern of thinking which your older races may have.

Okay… to prevent spoilers from occurring I’m just going to post this short blurb for now. Will also be cross-posting to ENWorld but you get the first look .

I got to go see Terminator Salvation as part of a pre-screening sort of event… and I have to say I’d give it a 7/10.

The movie is a good popcorn film… but there’s a reason why it is being released in May rather than during the swing of the Summer Blockbuster season . In comparison to the last film? Much better.

However, it misses a lot of the oomph of Terminator 1 & 2.

I will say that the saving grace of the film is the ridiculous dialogue and some of the forced use of references to the earlier films… You are going to LOVE Christian Bale as Bruce Connor .

Great FX, cheesy acting… good times.

Probably going to get to see plenty of other pre-screenings due to a friend always looking for a +1… so when able I will post here .

Slainte,

-Loonook.