Yesterday was our 10th wedding anniversary, and we spent it in Leavenworth, WA — the first just-us trip we’ve taken since our daughter was born (even further back, actually: the first since our honeymoon). It was a short overnight trip that somehow managed to feel like it lasted much longer, in the best possible way. […]
Our 10th wedding anniversary Read More »
After making a string of phone calls where I needed to spell things for the person on the other end of the line, I decided it was finally time to learn the NATO phonetic alphabet so I could stop doing this: Okay, it’s five, P as in pork chop [shit, now I’m hungry], six, three,
The D&D phonetic alphabet Read More »
I backed John Mahoney’s Zentropa on Kickstarter because it looked gorgeous and it seemed like he had his shit together. When I saw the samples he posted, it felt very Heavy Metal to me, and apparently they agreed: The first 10 pages of Zentropa appear in issue #382. I was also intrigued by the concept
Zentropa: A wordless, sexy, phantasmagorical graphic novel Read More »
This Adventure Time dice bag rides in my gaming bag every day, just in case. What’s inside? Why, it’s a big ol’ pile of Rory’s Story Cubes (paid link)! I carry these to every game because they’re one of the most useful improv tools in my GMing toolkit. Here’s my full assortment: That spread includes the
Rory’s Story Cubes are one of my favorite improv GMing tools Read More »
I have a container fetish. Not a problem, mind you,[1] a fetish. Browsing in office supply stores is dangerous for me. When we moved to Seattle, and everything I owned became, at some point, another fucking thing to haul across the country, I threw out a box full of smaller boxes.[2] I own more dice
At Go Play NW, I played a session of Love in the Time of Seið that I would rank among my top five gaming sessions of all time. Designed by Matthijs Holter and Jason Morningstar, Love in the Time of Seið (the “ð” is pronounced like the “th” in “them,” as I understand it) is
Love in the Time of Seið is intimate and intense Read More »
Lesserton and Mor (paid link), written by Joel and Jeff Sparks of Faster Monkey Games, is a product that I don’t think has received its due. It’s a fantastic, unique, flavorful, and versatile sourcebook for a premade city and its neighboring open-air megadungeon, and it’s incredibly cool. (Update: And it’s now free in PDF!) For starters,
An overlooked OSR gem: Lesserton and Mor Read More »
When Grant Morrison took over as editor-in-chief of Heavy Metal, beginning with issue #280, I subscribed on the spot. (Cover by Gail Potocki, one of three variant covers for Morrison’s debut issue.) I’m a wee bit of a Morrison fan: . . . and I used to be a regular reader of Heavy Metal back
Grant Morrison’s Heavy Metal Read More »
Nathan D. Paoletta‘s World Wide Wrestling (paid link) RPG reminds me of Action Movie World (paid link), another tight-premise PbtA game, not because they share a premise but because WWW 100% delivers on its premise (just like AMW). Wrasslin’ My last contact with professional wrestling was in the 1980s, when I used to occasionally watch it
World Wide Wrestling is an over-the-top delight Read More »
I buy a lot of gaming books on Lulu (here’s my list of 85+ recommendations), and I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use a coupon code. Like Steam, Lulu has taught me to never buy anything unless there’s a sale. I don’t know if it’s the healthiest business model, but there’s always a
