There are a lot of disparate groups trying to improve Fresno. Here are links to some of the ones I try to keep an eye on– there are lots of opportunities to meet other people interested in making a difference. Or in having fun. Or in discussing a book. You know, people in Fresno. Anyway…
While illness and work schedules rose up and crushed us last Friday, I’m looking forward to a game on Friday. Can everyone make it? Dad’s on the mend, and Jennifer will be back (though she may be tired).
Are you ready to get resume? I remember that most of you were resting under trees in a clearing, watching the gray smoke of the camp slowly die out in the distance. Ready to finish what you started?
Critical hits got a press pass to the D&D 4e seminar at the D&D Experience con. His quick notes hit a lot of high points and nail down a lot of specifics. It sounds like there’s still a lot of… “we’ll think about it” for something launching so soon, but we’ll see what comes of it.
[This post, links off to the various 4e coverage at DnD Experience]
Everything that follows is from the first link.
Code of Conduct and Rules of Conflict are Kristine Smith’s first two books about Jani Kilian.
The worlds revealed in the book are interesting– a strong earth trying to keep its colonies held tight, with a fascinating alien race, the Idomeni. The book builds a feeling of claustrophobia, with the characters confined by Chicago’s winter.
There is a lot of small technology– particularly in relation to paper, which is high tech/confidential encrypted, etc. The bigger technology stays largely off screen; shooters function mostly as pistols, ships don’t get described in much detail. It’s a good setting for an investigative mystery, with a lot less tech description and obsession than is common in SF.
Voices is Ursula LeGuin’s sequel to Gifts. It’s an excellent sequel, set many years later. She does a great job of building a convincing occupied city, filled with resentments and unease. The characters all ring true; Memer and Galamand and the oracle house are detailed additions to the world, as is the whole city of Ansul. Gry and Orrec have matured and changed since the last book, but remain at their core the same people.
If you liked Gifts, read Voices.
Megan has a great post about some beliefs, well and angrily expressed. The title gives it away: I should let it drop…, but it’s well worth reading.
Vigilant, by James Alan Gardner, is a solid book in the Expendables universe. While it’s not the strongest book, it does have enjoyable mysteries and plotting, and a solid viewpoint character (Faye).
Men of Iron, by Howard Pyle is about a fictional struggle in early 15th century England. The book does a good job of hewing to the viewpoints of the era; unlike most of today’s fantasy, the characters have viewpoints appropriate to the era. Despite stilted speech and some interesting authorial choices as to which parts of the story he’d tell, it was a good read. (Discussion about it will start up soon in CVGamer’s bookcase.)
Ursula LeGuin’s Gifts is a good book, and a strong start on a series. It’s in the Young Adult section, but is as interesting and complex as most of her stories. The tale of Orrec and Gry growing up as landholder’s children in a fantastic Scotland analogue is light on action and long on solid, believable thought.
Game canceled tonight 2/29
Dad’s down with a nasty flu and not up for anything. Call if you’re interested in getting together for something non-roleplaying.
Scott
(Sorry for the late notice– I hoped he’d bounced back, but he’s clearly not back yet.)
These mailing list posts about Spirit are pretty inspiring for non-traditional fights. Every Skill Is Useful In Combat (Was: Re: manging significant ability discrepancies within the party). Fred Hicks writes:
Skills really break down into three types: talky, thinky, and fighty.
Fighty, you’re already set in a fight. So let’s move on to “talky”.
In my opinion, in SOTC, the most powerful skill is Rapport. It’s vastly flexible, and unless your character is gagged, you can always use it. Combine it with the Blather stunt and you can pretty much /paralyze/ opponents during a fight — or at least leave them too confused to decide to attack /you/ — by creatively running your mouth.
Scheduling: Kev works Friday night. Is everyone good with getting together Saturday? Let me know what time you’d like to start– we defaulted to the same 6:30 last time, but if you want to meet earlier, let me/us know.