Procrastination Cascades
If you’re anything like me you can always find an excuse not to sit down and write. And even when you start, you can probably find ways of stopping yourself. This has become particularly evident to me over the past few days. I normally use a program called Freedom 2 to cut myself off from the Internet for fixed periods of time. The internet is the ultimate tool for self-distraction and by cutting myself off from it and forcing myself to sit down at the computer I can usually pretty much guarantee I will get some writing done. I usually set Read more…
Bundle of FATE
I am just making a quick post to mention the FATE package available here at Bundle of Holding. If you have any interest in this excellent role-playing game (RPG) this is a good time to buy. The Bundle of Holding is a pay what you want package. You can get the excellent FATE Core and FATE Accelerated RPGs along with pulp adventure Spirit of the Century, the science fiction games Diaspora, Bulldogs and Full Moon and the fantasy game Ehndrigohr by paying any sum you care to contribute. If you pay more than the average price, currently standing around $15 as Read more…
Upcoming Appearances And Other News
It’s going to be a busy old time for me on the travel front by the looks of things. I’ll be at Gamesday on Sunday 29th September, and hopefully will have a copy of Bane of Malekith to wave proudly at people. Next up is the Black Library Weekender 2nd and 3rd November at the Belfry in Nottingham. The last one was a total blast. Hopefully there will be no re-run of the Karaz fiasco this year and Gav and I’s multi-generational dwarf epic will finally get the respect it deserves. Because one convention in a week is simply not Read more…
Monsters and Magic
Now this is interesting– Monsters and Magic (M&M), a new role playing game from Mindjammer Press that bills itself as old school fantasy, new school play. First, at the risk of starting a flame war, some definitions. There are, unsurprisingly given the nature of the internet, some disputes as to exactly what constitutes an Old School game. To me they mostly seem to be retro-clones of old-fashioned original and advanced D&D which use the OGL to simulate the tone and style of play of those ancient games. They also seem to be concerned with recreating the do-it-yourself ethos I Read more…
Radio Archives
I got into pulp in my teens by way of Sword and Sorcery and the great Weird Tales authors; Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft. This was back in the early 70’s when there was very definitely a pulp renaissance under way. I am not entirely sure why that was. I suspect that there was probably a generation of people working in publishing who were as nostalgic for the comfort reading of their youths as I now am for the comfort reading of mine. It probably didn’t do any harm that there were vast stocks of Read more…
The Return of Thraxas
“One whole venison pie feeds a family of four,” comments Makri, passing with a tray. “Not if I get there first,” I say, moving on to the pork and apple pastries.Thraxas There are many re-releases I have been waiting for with baited breath this year. Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane books are due from Centipede Press. Michael Moorcock’s entire back catalogue of fantasy and SF is slowly (come on Gollancz, get the finger out!) making its way into ebook format. The re-release of Martin Scott’s Thraxas books though came as a completely unexpected and very pleasant surprise. I stumbled across them Read more…
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