My friend Rodger tells the story of being a kid, laying on his belly at his friend’s house and watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. He and his buddy were enthralled by The Dawn of Man scenes in which early man-apes discover the use of tools. His friend’s father wandered into the room and joined the […]
I was a HUGE Peanuts fan as a kid. A whole shelf of Charlie Brown books adorned my wall. When I was twelve, I hiked up Pecos Baldy in New Mexico with my Boy Scout troupe. Late in the hike, I was struggling to keep up having fallen far to the rear of the party. […]
I am as tickled as I can be. The media property that got me into SCI-FI was not Star Trek, nor was it Star Wars. No, my gateway to SF was none other than the Six Million Dollar Man. To this day when I hear series producer Harve Bennett’s narrative from the opening sequence – […]
Watching the news this weekend, I was disturbed to learn that a twelve year-old girl and her thirteen year-old boyfriend gunned down her mother and step-father. The girl had apparently run away from home last month and returned, guns-a-blazing. Her mother was dead on the scene. Her step-father, who slipped into a coma shortly after […]
I was putting dinner together for my players when The Wife asked, “Sandwiches? Again? Aren’t you worried they’re going to get tired of this? Don’t you want some variety in your menu for game night?” I blinked in confusion. What? Not want sandwiches? No am make sense. Of course, The Wife is the same person […]
I was listening to an episode of The Game’s the Thing in which PLAY UNSAFE author, Graham Walmsley, was interviewed. To hear Walmsley describe it, PLAY UNSAFE is an advice book for players on how to maximize the fun at the table. I liked what I heard, until I heard Walmsley recommend the do-over. If […]
If there’s one thing I suck at in my games, it’s predicting run time. Back in April, I thought I had one, maybe two sessions left in the first season of my This Empire Earth game. We’ve run two games since then and I still think I’ve got two more sittings before the curtain falls. […]
I hear a lot of talk that Game Master’s are supposed to be impartial. The image of a judge comes to mind. Someone who sits above personalities and who has no motivation on any side of an issue, no personal stake. The GM’s role, many would say, is to serve the rules, the system. If […]
In the days leading up to Free Comic Book Day, Aron, Paul, Wayne, and Jonathan gathered to discuss the books they paid for, announce a contest winner, and tease Free Funnybook Day! Saturday May 1st is Free Comic Book Day at a participating comic shop near you! Monday May 3rd is Free Funnybook Day right […]
Just so you know, this will be yet another missive on the subject of Persuasion skills (YAMotSoPS). This is my fourth such YMH on the subject. …But wait! I’m working through something here. Listening to Happy Jacks Bar and Grill this week, I was surprised to find they revisited the subject. One of their hosts, […]