Enjoy Christmas and Boxing Day (the 26th). Friday, January 2nd is looking unlikely– Jennifer’s Mom is due in from Salt Lake around then. If they run behind schedule, I’ll call around and try to schedule a last minute game. Otherwise, we’re looking at the following Friday, January 9th. How does that work for you?
A great exchange (though long) about how and when you can/should apply location aspects. (From the FATE mailing list.) The following is my nickle summation, though the whole dialogue is an excellent one.
Here’s the thread. Lenny is responding to a general question about scene aspects and difficulties:
As a player or GM, you can tag a scene aspect to give yourself a bonus or to compel for effect. On one level, that’s mainly about simplicity; SotC has a fair amount of crunch to it already if you use every rule in the book. So “penalties” are always positively facing; they’re bonuses for the person who’s going to roll against you or for the obstacle that you face. Ultimately, if there’s no resistance, then failure isn’t particularly interesting, and hence it doesn’t matter.
Cyteen is a long book with a lot of depth, which makes for a slower read but a thorough look at the world. It’s a story about the Union during twenty five years or so of turmoil in her Alliance/Union universe. The focus is on Ari Emory and Justin Warrick, with several other characters.
Resune, where most of the book is set, is a fascinating place, filled with hard working scientists. Cyteen is a rough world, less terraformed and bland than many science fiction worlds– still a work in progress. Science gets a lot of attention, given Resune’s control of the science seat, and the two POV character’s training in science. The science that’s most prevalent in the series is genetics and cloning, with psychology making a strong appearance.
I enjoyed it quite a bit; as mentioned at the beginning it’s long and feels long, but that fits the story pretty well. One difficult part is that Ari is a child for a good chunk of the book, and it’s not an annoying POV. Which was unexpectedly nice to see.
Brad DeLong writes a thorough overview of the current financial crisis and highlights some very strange numbers. What don’t we understand is huge. His post is Liquidity, default, risk
After a few “take it or leave it” encounters with Heinlein, I decided to give him another chance. This book was pointed to as written for teens and a good introduction to the universe. I’m glad I gave him another chance– the book was a very quick read and fun. Near the end, as the protagonist ages a bit beyond the intended readers it gets a little vague… but it’s hard to make business as exciting as exploring the universe.
Thorby’s primary interactions are great; we come to see his owner, Baslim, as a real father figure and intriguing mystery. The book really changes in the middle, kicking Thorby out of his pattern and thrusting him into a series of strange situations that he takes well– but struggles with appropriately.
The ending is the weakest part of the book; instead of a crisp or decisive point, Thorby is drawn into the tedium and unmapped horizons of professional adulthood. A good ending for this hero’s experience.
I read Mistborn almost compulsively over Thanksgiving. It was responsible for a couple of short nights– up too late reading.
Mistborn is almost a crime / revolutionaries blend, set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. It’s a fascinating setting, with an underworld that feels appropriately gritty and deceptive. The two primary characters shine and the rest of the cast does well.
I loved Vin; she felt real and reliable even as she changed dramatically over the course of the book. Kelsier is interesting– the book really focuses on him, but most of our view of him comes through Vin’s eyes. The way he changes and pushes what’s possible time and again made it a joy to watch him in action.
The world is fascinating; bleak, with ash steadily falling for the last thousand years. The skaa; peasants and serfs, beaten down and beyond the possibility of revolt… almost. The magic system is interesting– balanced, logical, and simple in concept. The greater metals and lesser, mistings versus mistborn, and the like all combine to make the world feel like it’s had these concepts for a long time. Security takes appropriate precautions versus the metals, but has to balance the few metal wielding magicians against the bulk of the peasantry.
I can’t say enough good things about it– except that I was unaware that its sequels are already out. They’ve already been requested from the library, so I hope to leap into the sequels soon.
UPDATE 2: At the moment, it looks like we’re on for tomorrow night, though Ben has a challenging day and Jennifer’s traveling back from Modesto.
At the moment, December looks like a tricky month for scheduling. Despite that, let’s see if we can make anything work. Update: This weekend (12,13,14) is out due to work scheduling [Kev] and other commitments [Jennifer and Dad]. How does Friday the 19th work for you?
This weekend [December 5, 6, 7] is out; Ben is studying for finals. I suspect Kev’s coming up on finals of his own. Instead of scheduling a game, let’s all make flashcards and quiz them!
Next weekend, Jennifer’s having a work party on Friday night (the 12th). The rest of the weekend might be possible– are you available Saturday or Sunday? Let us know in comments.
If the above doesn’t work, we can talk about arranging the next weekend [December 19, 20, 21]. Hopefully we’ll be able to discuss it in person at the end of a session next weekend– but if not, start thinking about it now.
Happy holidays everyone!
Can everyone make Friday night this week? Please let me know if you’ll have any problem making it. Otherwise, you’ll continue your predawn raid on the dwarven king’s guard.
A fun book that manages to build a horrible distopia and a great future for humanity in space by 8 years ago. Several things bugged me– probably in part because of the election just a couple of weeks ago– but overall it’s a light fun book at how we could have had a great space program and still had everything go wrong by 1999.
A fun book that shares the world (but few of the characters) of American Gods. It is mostly told from Fat Charlies’s point of view.
Fat Charlie is an interesting and sympathetic character who has gotten into a rut and lives a blah life. His life is shaken up when his father dies and he’s told about a brother he doesn’t remember, Spider. He invites Spider into his life, which gets complicated quickly…
It’s nice to see Charlie and Spider grow and change as the book progresses; much like Charlie, I was upset with Spider for much of the book, but came to appreciate him by the end. A couple of other characters are also developed over the course of the book (particularly Rosie and Daisy), while others stay relatively flat.
A fun book, with less of a sense of revelation– though whether that’s due to being book two, or the lower key plot is hard to tell.