Enthusiastic Amateur

[DISCLAIMER: This post contains spoilers for Princes of the Apocalypse.] Part I can be found  hither . High in the mountains Feathergale Spire pierced a blue sky straddled by banks of white cloud, wind sighing through the crags. Eyes ringed by feathers considered the travellers as they approached. The smallest in the front, striding with his head up, the stout one behind him, eyes down. The girl looking at the sky and the clouds and last the lean man, out of place with everything. They watched and made note. Our party are: David Maltman as Reed Tosscobble, Halfling Rogues Swashbuckler David Longbottom as Ulfang Strackhelm, Dwarf Cleric of Helm Amanda Hewitt as Eva Dawnfell, Human Monk Necromancer Dak’kon of the unbroken circle of Zerthimon, a Githzerai and NPC Companion. Savra, the guard at the door of Feathergale Spire bade the party enter and they were escorted to the master of this place, the handsome Thurl Merosska. Reed introduced himself by his ...

[DISCLAIMER: This post contains spoilers for Princes of the Apocalypse.] Elven horns sounded in the distance as Reed Tosscobble, halfling swashbuckler, lies on his back. The bolt from his hand crossbow still quivers in the doorframe, the hulking Orc brute in the doorway snarls at him and then turns, fleeing the burning building into the night. Our party are: David Maltman as Reed Tosscobble, Halfling Rogues Swashbuckler David Longbottom as Ulfang Strackhelm, Dwarf Cleric of Helm Amanda Hewitt as Eva Dawnfell, Human Monk Necromancer Dak’kon of the unbroken circle of Zerthimon, a Githzerai and NPC Companion. We return to the Dessarin Valley and the ruins of the Delamon Ranch which was still aflame. By the flickering of the light the party are greeted by the Cavalry of High Forest who were summoned at the request of the Emerald Enclave following a message from Dreena, the Druid who earned much of Eva’s scorn, and some of her grudging respect. The survivors were ...

I’m currently in my second week of holiday and have got my feet up trying to rest, as such you may have noticed Tuesday’s update was missing, apologies if you were missing my blistering takes on GMing but the rest is much needed. Please accept this picture of a Slurbow as an apology. Coming up in the next few weeks we’ve got some premo content for you though. This weekend we’re playing Princes of the Apocalypse again so expect an after action report on that, and I’ve also just started playing a Gangrel in a Vampire campaign so expect a few bits on my attempt to play something a bit different. Until I see you (I will return next Tuesday) I hope you’re all taking care and having fun running & playing games. Good hunting GM’s!

Is Logan the best X-Men movie? Well no, largely because it’s not an X-Men movie. Logan is a grim, hard bitten western. The myth of the old gunslinger’s last hurrah dragged out of storage, dusted off and run one last time. It's a movie whose shape I knew from the moment I saw the very first trailer, but that is executed with conviction, craftsmanship and enough small moments of inspiration that it never feels cliched. In many ways treading a well worn story makes sense. Old man defends young girl is a tired story, but tired is where Logan lives. It’s not a movie about breaking new ground, about showing a shining possibility for the future. It lives and exists within the pain and desperation of it’s characters. The Western is a perfect setting for this kind of story. It has over the course of American cinematic history existed as a celebration and reflection of the construction of American masculinity. Early Westerns lionised the American man as the civilising fo...

Deep in my underground (ground floor) lair (office), I’ve been hacking away at the Warhammer 40,000 RPG system in an attempt to make it more streamlined without losing some the more interesting thematic elements of it. This are my adventures. Please imagine a super flashy credit sequence here. I’m diving away from an explosion, writing some formulae on a white board, looking pensively through a microscope and finally punching a guy in green body paint before making a thumbs up to the camera. Oh hey, welcome back. The Warhammer 40,000 Roleplaying System is the engine that powers games such as Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch and Black Crusade. It’s a strange and rather crunchy beast built around a d% system with a focus towards simulation. My group has used it several times, playing everything from a Deathwatch kill team holding the line against a Tyranid invasion, to intrepid colonial conquerors commanding the lives of thousands aboard a tall ship in space. On i...