New Media

For those who care about such things, I wrote a quick brief on how to find out stuff in the Savage Worlds RPG system.

This is one area that really differentiates Savage Worlds from old-school systems like classic D&D, in a good way.

Over at Savage Games, I blogged about the ethical conundrum surrounding killing player characters in RPGs.

You can always just ignore the dice when they mean murder. But if you take away the genuine possibility of extinction, the game isn’t quite as much fun.

On the other hand, it’s sad when people cry.

This summer, I’ve been a bit less focused on my creative writing and a bit more focused on just… well, enjoying the summer. That said, I’m still up to a whole shwack of goofiness on the Interwebs. For instance:

Political Stuff at The Propagandist

• Creationism is Anti-American. I say this as a deeply concerned Canadian.
• Podcast 16. Ophelia Benson on Feminism. In which I interview one of the world’s leading voices of secularism about why feminism gets such a bad rap — particularly by some people who might be better off calling themselves feminists.
• The American Witch Hunt Against Julian Assange. What witch hunt?

RPG Gaming Stuff at Savage Games

• The Story of Grimm the Lizard-Wizard. The back-story on my new character, a decidedly cold-blooded saurian sorcerer who’s a little bit racist (against humans, elves, dwarfs and other non-Lizard Folk).
• Using Pre-Generated Characters in Savage Worlds. Players just take too long to get it done. Yeah. I said it. So what?

Cthulhu-themed Stuff at Detectives vs. The Slime Monster from Outer Space

• Fashionable Cthulhu. Seriously, Louis Vuitton. What the hell is this about?
• Dinner with Dagon. This almost put me off my sushi.

Still haven’t gotten around to reading the two greatest novels in the English language? Boy, are you in for a treat.

• The Detective vs. The Slime Monster from Outer Space. Cthulhu fans, you’re going to like this one. Also, anyone who likes cheesy sci-fi and detective pulp fiction, or preferably both. Available in trade paperback or Kindle eBook.
• A History of the Middle Eastside. The Middle East we know and love tolerate is a tough neighborhood. Well, the Middle Eastside is even tougher. Can Uncle Herzl and his plucky gang of Yids hold out against the Muj gangsters that want to throw them all into the harbor?

Enjoy your weekend, people!

My friendly crew of dedicated Tuesday-night RPG gamers has begun a new adventure GM’d by yours truly: Savage Land of Oz, a home-brewed Savage Worlds module set in the fantasy world that apparently is coming back to the big screen sometime soon.

I’ve written some fun little short stories based on the gameplay thus far, in which my buddies have taken over the roles of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion and… some shmoe named Prince Ozra whom I’ve thrown into the mix. If you’re a gamer, these may be of interest:

• Savage Land of Oz Part 1. Emerald City Blues
• Savage Land of Oz Part 2. Return to the Wicked Witch’s Castle
• BONUS MATERIAL for Savage Worlds players: Wild Card Character Descriptions plus Stats

Hey blog fans. Business has definitely not slowed down for the summer, so my creative content writing has taken a bit of a hit. That said, I’ve got a few pieces I wanted to highlight:

Over at The Propagandist:

• Daniel Tosh. Meet Michael Richards. Rape jokes are not funny. At least not when Tosh tells ‘em.
• WikiLeaks. Embarrassing to Syria’s Opponents? Um, OK. Because that’s your priority, Julian?

Meanwhile, my RPG gaming crew is still blogging over at Savage Games:

• Savage Guns. Shooting stuff is fun.

And over at my SEO website copywriting business website, here’s a quick reminder of the Value of Long Blog Posts and Extra Effort. It’s really worth it.