Aspects
Tech Obsessed, especially Military
Fixing Things / Breaking Things
Flint Inspires Me to Improvise
Lonestar is reckless — she’s never even read the manual!
(TBD)
Skills
| Spacefaring | Physical | Social |
| Gunnery +3 | Athletics +1 | Discipline +2 |
| Pilot +1 | Fight | Empathy |
| Tactics +2 | Notice +2 | Investigate +3 |
| Technology +4 | Shoot | Provoke +1 |
| | Sneak +1 | Rapport |
Stunts
(TBD)
Aspects
Fun Lovin’ Cowgirl with a Heart of Gold
Carousing with Friends/Eats and Drinks to Excess
Cellblock is a Turd that needs Polishin’
Bookwyrm needs to get out and have some fun
It’s like my Grammy Always Says…
Skills
| Spacefaring | Physical | Social |
| Gunnery +3 | Athletics | Discipline |
| Pilot +2 | Fight +2 | Empathy +1 |
| Tactics +4 | Notice +3 | Investigate |
| Technology +1 | Shoot +2 | Provoke +1 |
| | Sneak | Rapport +1 |
Stunts
Howdy Stranger: Gain +2 to Gunnery attacks when attacking an enemy for the first time
Just Tap the Dashboard: Once per session, ignore the results of a Technology roll
Aspects
Former Pirate Looking for Redemption
Training with Uncle Iroh/Picks Fights & Dominates
Books keeps my ship tuned & souped up
Cellblock’s got skills, but will let me down
(TBD)
Skills
| Spacefaring | Physical | Social |
| Gunnery +4 | Athletics | Discipline |
| Pilot +1 | Fight +1 | Empathy +1 |
| Tactics +2 | Notice +2 | Investigate +1 |
| Technology +3 | Shoot +2 | Provoke |
| | Sneak +3 | Rapport |
Stunts
Danger Sense: +2 to create advantages to detect ambushes and concealing intent
Pugachev’s Cobra: Once per game session, in an engagement, you may use the On Their Tail action against someone who is on your tail-switch places with them on the maneuver chart
Aspects
Too valuable to rot in jail
Mandatory Rehabilitative Behavior Stabilization / Fun Violence
Lonestar is a bumpkin (oh, so mistaken)
Flint is a kindred soul, but weak
(TBD)
Skills
| Spacefaring | Physical | Social |
| Gunnery +3 | Athletics +2 | Discipline |
| Pilot +4 | Fight +3 | Empathy |
| Tactics +1 | Notice +1 | Investigate +1 |
| Technology +2 | Shoot +2 | Provoke +1 |
| Sneak | Rapport |
Stunts
Instinctive Flier – Use Pilot instead of Tactics in the maneuver phase
The 99% Invisible City by Mars & Kohlstedt is a great collection of short articles (most 2 pages or less), revealing details about cities, buildings, foundations, and particularly what’s hidden below. A great overview of many interesting topics.
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher (Dresden 16). A tense book, showing the consequences of Harry’s allegiances, with an excellent curve ball near the beginning that makes life even more complicated. Tough choices, consequences continue.
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files 17) — Focused and relentless; slow starting with several twists and dramatic and consequential developments. Some cursing the author in good ways, lots of tough developments. Harry’s quite unmoored by the end.
After Hastings by Steven Silver (3/5). A fascinating “What If” for Harold defeating William in 1066. I was surprised by division within England at the time. Sadly, it was harder to empathize with the main characters due to their alien sounding names.
Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, Book 2) is another solid fantasy book… just very long. All three stories overlap by the middle (a huge plus), and the world changes dramatically by the end. But couldn’t face book 3– not up for 1200 more pages yet.
Matt Yglesais One Billion Americans was a good, relatively fast read. The premise is assumed (that American’s aren’t willing to slide in importance), but it does align with our rhetoric. Given the goal, it’s a lot of well marshaled facts and interesting anecdotes. It pivots in part 3 somewhat unsuccessfully to the specifics of local governance and land use. It’s presented as a continuation of the previous theme, but I’d have rather had the extra attention paid to finishing the federal element–that’s plenty hard.
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer (3/5). A fun adventure with a YA feel; the politics are shallow, but signposted so. Alyssa engages in great struggles, and convincingly changes by the book’s end. The sequel need is obvious, marring completion.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #1). 4/5. Three interesting POV in a high fantasy world; Kaladin and Shallan are both young adults, each fighting against a past and expectations. Dalinar is the experienced hand with mature struggles. The sync of storylines means that much like Eye of the World, the pacing at the end is a gallop. The rapid pace of the end makes the previous 900 pages feel a little leisurely/padded, but it’s still strong and appealing. A fascinating world w/ complex morals.
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5). This was a much better book to get into Cordelia’s story and the universe. Interesting worlds at both ends (Beta and Barrayar), with the complicated drawbacks of societies.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (5/5). A wonderful exploration of Teixcalaan through Malit’s eyes. A straightforward ambassadorial post gets loaded up with intrigue and shifting alliances, plus delightful tech.
Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear (4/5). As claimed, it’s big idea fiction — about a future built around incredible self-governance and struggles about autonomy. Haimey is delightfully complex, with layers and layers of revelation. And universe altering stakes.
A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca (3/5). Well written and a great enlightenment-ish low fantasy w/ great POV characters. Minox Welling’s precision, logic and annoyances are deftly drawn, while Satrine faces impossible choices and performs exceptionally.
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace (4/5). Interesting future built on & above a worn out Earth. Zarah and Jas are excellent viewpoint characters, each with wounds and flaws that they’re living down. House of Wisdom proves a deadly creepy battleground.
This is how you lose the time war by Amal El-Mohtar (4/5). A fascinating “spy versus spy” conflict, with the added complexity of time travel, and overbearing and intrusive superiors. Subtle… sometimes to us, always in the world. Weird friendships, well handled.
Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein. (4/5) Well written and systematic; the evolution of the parties following the conversion of the Dixiecrats explains a lot. At the end, I considered writing up a per chapter response, but… 2020.
Network Effect by Martha Wells (4/5). An interesting Murderbot book, filled with substantial challenges and nice callbacks to the novellas. The last quarter spun a little far for my sensibilities, but the direction Murderbot decides makes a great bridge.
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5). This was a much better book to get into Cordelia’s story and the universe. Interesting worlds at both ends (Beta and Barrayar), with the complicated drawbacks of societies.
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (3/5). Well written but a tough starting place for the series; it was very dependent on people’s roles from a previous book (and how their current activity breaks from expectation). Probably a universe I’ll like more as I read more.
Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells (4/5). An interesting fantasy world lacking most European or current fantasy tropes. Interesting worldbuilding and political structures.
Elements of Surprise by Vera Tobin (4/5). A very interesting look at tools and tricks that are used to construct good surprised in fiction — and, very interestingly, some discussion about shortcuts that most brains make that allow the same tricks to keep working.
The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells. The first book set in the Fall of Ile-Rien; it’s dramatic and conflicted. Given the series subtitle, Ile-Rien is losing a war; it’s wounded but fighting, like the blitz. The villains are incomprehensible, but almost understood. 3/5
The Ships of Air by Martha Wells. After the brief rally at the end of Book 1, the counter-strike isn’t going well. Interesting politics in all 3 countries; the passage shipboard life intrigue. 3/5
The Gate of the Gods by Martha Wells (4/5). The concluding book of The Fall of Ile-Rien; begins with much to solve– a lot still left to explore and comprehend. The gates’ underlying logic is revealed, the war staggers on, changed w/ happy & troubled resolutions.
The Cabinet by Lindsay Chervinsky. 4/5 Takes what’s generally known about Washington and his cabinet, then looks deeper, at Councils of War, alternatives explored, public fear of replicating a British cabinet, and more. Both new info and interesting alternate lines.
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (5/5). A wide range–a lot of laugh and chortle, but some sobering asides and hard won lessons as it continues. Incredibly well done, impossible to put down.
