tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9857492078718986682012-01-26T15:40:38.086-08:00Gaming, Fantasy Book Reviews, Rants, Panem et circensesWickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-80402707321299740272012-01-26T08:57:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:57:59.887-08:002012-01-26T08:57:59.887-08:00

I have been playing RPG's on and off since I was about 10.  So 26 years. Uhg.  I've also been working for a company that makes RMS (record management software) for about 6 years now.  I've also been an observer, and occasional participant in the Edition Wars during that time. Coincidentally, our company has released a major conversion/new edition of our software not too long after 4e came out,

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-24504272105032451782012-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:002012-01-18T11:03:29.830-08:002012-01-18T11:03:29.830-08:00

From Zac at Playing D&D with Porn Stars.  Best D&D blog for several years running. 1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be? The abandoned underground parkade, filled with old departments store mannequins from when the store that used to be above it went out of business.  A modern-day terracotta army and a very creepy place.  2. When was

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-56710960219869337952011-12-22T13:37:00.000-08:002011-12-22T22:22:39.548-08:002011-12-22T22:22:39.548-08:00

Yes, many people are writing about this trailer.  I'm going to do it too - this clip goes almost directly to the reasons that I role-play and that I write this blog.  Heck, it's the reason for the name of the blog.  Well, that and the fact that I live in the interior of British Columbia, which has more misty mountains than Tolkien ever saw in his life. I should say first off that I've been

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-30976973748344614862011-08-23T08:46:00.000-07:002011-08-23T21:50:19.809-07:002011-08-23T21:50:19.809-07:00

What:  2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons - heavily modified AD&D 2nd Edition with a generally Iron Age Celtic theme. Where:  On the intertubules!  But also in a campaign world of my own creation. When:  August 29th, 8:30 PM PST to 12:00ish. How: Google + and (optionally - if everyone agrees) Maptools Who: Jeremy Murphy - kootenaymurph at gmail dot com - email me and I'll add you to my G+

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-71223164438226783042011-07-15T21:19:00.000-07:002011-12-21T11:14:42.653-08:002011-12-21T11:14:42.653-08:00

I'd like to take a minute to talk about Shihan Hitoshi Shiozaki. When I was in university on Victoria in 1998, I met Chantal, and through her, her husband Junichi.  "Jun" asked if I would be interested in coming to the karate class that he attended.  At that time, I was an out-of-shape ex-athlete, and thought that martial arts might be a fun way to get back into shape. I was not prepared. At

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-47330963671751772242011-02-10T09:53:00.000-08:002011-02-10T09:53:04.953-08:002011-02-10T09:53:04.953-08:00

StumbleUpon.  You kill me - I should be doing other STUFF.  I have Domain Game turns to work on, prep for my online After The Bomb game, work stuff that I really shouldn't be doing at home.  But yet I click, and click and click. But.  But, but, but - the clicking finally pays off!  I found this little gem, by Wizards of the Coast, no less.  I haven't really looked at the adventure portion yet,

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-73590793299733771042011-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:002011-02-06T12:29:28.586-08:002011-02-06T12:29:28.586-08:00

Over at The Silver Key and Dweomera Lagomorpha about some of the recent trends in fantasy literature.  This started as a post on Brian's website, but it outgrew that, so I moved it over here. The thing that's really clarified this discussion to me is the comment by Richard Morgan that Brian quoted -  something along the lines of this not being fantasy for 13-year-olds. I think that

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-54954973741201363852011-02-03T22:26:00.000-08:002011-02-03T22:26:52.048-08:002011-02-03T22:26:52.048-08:00

Glen Cook, I can't thank you enough.  The fantasy genre was a bland pretty place before you came along.  All that high fantasy was getting pretty old - sure there was the Thieves' World series, which was introducing a darker, grittier version of the fantasy genre to people, but it wasn't until Glen Cook's Black Company series that shit got real. Well, not real - but different.  Darker.  The

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-15654939974173415652011-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:002011-01-29T14:15:00.614-08:002011-01-29T14:15:00.614-08:00

After the Bomb 2e is a stand-alone RPG that uses the core Palladium rules with the TMNT mutation rules added in.  In this game, I'm also allowing things from Ninjas and Superspies, and possibly something or other from Heroes Unlimited. Basically, it's a post-apocalyptic RPG featuring mutant animals!  I'd forgotten how much I love TMNT characters.  That's what makes this system great.  Cause it

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-84726426675212852002011-01-08T20:25:00.000-08:002011-01-08T20:25:03.527-08:002011-01-08T20:25:03.527-08:00

I've fleshed out the culture and race I'm using for the Hill Cantons Domain Game. I present to you:  The Khalik:Although there are some physical similarities, the Khalik Vahr are not dwarves.  Physically, they appear more like large, stocky svirfneblin – almost totally hairless, with large ears and oversized eyes. It’s rare that anyone see the face or body of a Khalik, though.  Most Khalik, men

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-7244483396159838512011-01-04T21:56:00.000-08:002011-01-04T21:56:34.237-08:002011-01-04T21:56:34.237-08:00

ckutalik over at Hill Cantons has sent out invitations to a domain-style worldgame.  The post has the particulars, and I've always loved domain gaming - we used to do it a lot when I was a kid.  So without further ado, my submission for the game: The Khalik Vahr: "The only way that is certain is the road that runs from birth to death.  All other paths are shifting stone and flowing water." The

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-64927950000067048192010-12-17T11:34:00.000-08:002010-12-17T11:34:21.647-08:002010-12-17T11:34:21.647-08:00

A few years ago, I helped out a family friend, Craig Besinque, in designing and playtesting a block-based wargames, which ended up being called Hellenes: Campaigns of the Ancient World. Craig is pretty well-know in a certain element of the wargaming community - which is like being well-known in the RPG community, except that wargamers tend to be a bit more community-oriented than most RPGer's.

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-91802163690719235082010-12-13T09:11:00.000-08:002010-12-13T09:11:24.010-08:002010-12-13T09:11:24.010-08:00

It's never a good idea to leave the person who plays the thief alone with the DM.  I'm just throwing that out there as a general RPG rule.  Never leave the thief alone.  With the GM.  Things will occur that most of the rest of the party probably don't want to occur. As de-facto party leader, I suppose Fingolfin should have been surprised when we loaded up the cart for "Operation Get the Lazy

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-85470640866522942102010-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:002010-12-10T20:42:10.778-08:002010-12-10T20:42:10.778-08:00

When a session starts off with a map of your campsite, and the DM casually mentions, "so you're sitting around the fire..."  NO GOOD CAN COME OF IT.  Things will be coming out of the bushes.  Horrible things.  With swords and teeth and biting and aaaayyyy. And that is how our last session started.  Fortunately (I suppose) what came out of the darkness was a guy on horseback.   Shouting.  

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-30925435144977808952010-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:002010-12-08T20:37:13.277-08:002010-12-08T20:37:13.277-08:00

Wow.  This book came out of nowhere and blew me away.  It's without question the best new author pickup I've had since I randomly picked up Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville.  Half-Made World has a lot of Mieville-esque elements to it, in fact.  The novel is 1-part western, 1-part steampunk and 1-part horror, with a solid dash of fantasist, stirred just the right amount. To an RPG gamer,

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-52160881389651738132010-11-26T23:32:00.000-08:002010-11-26T23:32:55.278-08:002010-11-26T23:32:55.278-08:00

With Castle Caldwell behind us, the merry band of adventurers now proceeds back to Guido's fort to receive our comparatively meager 100 gp each.  Regrettably, I forgot to charge the 100 gp fee for Zhanna, our lost cleric.  Have to remember that in the future. Zhanna has since been replaced by another elf, we've brought on Earnest's mage, and the thief has returned from  wherever he disappeared

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-46395322937077576662010-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:002010-11-23T15:50:33.743-08:002010-11-23T15:50:33.743-08:00

Onward, into the depths (the horizontal, well-lit depths) of Castle Caldwell! We used a Sleep spell on the Pearl Necklace Gang in the last session, so the party took the cart back to Guido's Fort for a well-earned sleep and feed.  Love those 20 minute adventuring days! My character has done maybe 40 minutes of real work in this place, and we've looted about 100 years worth of earnings for a

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-45594273723267572452010-11-19T09:34:00.000-08:002010-11-19T09:34:13.276-08:002010-11-19T09:34:13.276-08:00

There are some great webcomics out there on the underwebs.  In addition to being entertaining and cool to read, they can be a great source for DM inspiration.  Here are some of my favorite gaming webcomics, along with a cool gaming lesson I got from reading the comic: Order of the Stick: The classic gaming webcomic.  OotS teaches us, above all, the value of the villain.  Xykon the Lich is

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-5723014955436405082010-11-13T21:03:00.000-08:002010-11-13T21:03:21.800-08:002010-11-13T21:03:21.800-08:00

Have you ever sat down and eaten an entire pint of Haagen-daz?  Not really on purpose, but you just keep finding excused to keep eating, and pretty soon the entire pint is just... gone. I did that with Towers of Midnight.  I kept meaning to go to bed.  Just a few more pages and I'll put it down.  It's getting late... better stop.  But I didn't stop. I read this book until 2:30 in the morning,

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-43155228080247113712010-11-12T14:48:00.000-08:002010-11-12T14:48:06.667-08:002010-11-12T14:48:06.667-08:00

I've been talking a bit about DDi, rules distribution and digital tools for gaming lately.  I've been drawing a lot of parallels between gaming rules and software - both are updated with new material frequently, can sometimes get over-complicated, and now have the option of being updated digitally. What initially started me thinking about this was a post by Bill over at Digital Monkey Shines,

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-21176022116983713102010-11-08T14:12:00.000-08:002010-11-08T14:12:26.451-08:002010-11-08T14:12:26.451-08:00

I've played Castle Caldwell for 3 hours, and I want to punch Ron Charulsky in the nut-sack. Seriously.  This is not how you do things.  I have argued with Trollsmyth before about the steaming "theoretical framework" pile of D&D is always right.  I warn you - this does not display me at my best.  I'm irritated about this, and remain that way.  I cannot think of a better refutation of "D&D is

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-67993868016944819342010-11-02T15:23:00.000-07:002010-11-02T15:23:36.944-07:002010-11-02T15:23:36.944-07:00

Argh!  I fucking hate it when somebody proves me wrong!  I have defended ye olde WotC and their Character Builder tools in the past.  Even going so far as to say that I think it's one of the best deals in gaming today, and a wonderful and innovative way to distribute RPG as a software. But they have, in their infinite wisdom, decided to take all the things I really liked about Character Builder

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-36502910902411065442010-10-30T20:43:00.000-07:002010-10-30T20:43:31.520-07:002010-10-30T20:43:31.520-07:00

Way of Kings is the first book in the new Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson.  The name may ring a bell for fantasy fans.  That's because Sanderson was tagged by Robert Jordan's widow to be the writer that finished Jordan's... sprawling (let's just go with that) masterpiece, The Wheel of Time. So, no pressure there, Brandon!  Just about 10 million people waiting to see if you can

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-72718987091131938392010-10-27T11:51:00.000-07:002010-10-27T11:51:51.905-07:002010-10-27T11:51:51.905-07:00

I was browsing through RPG Blogs today, and I came across this little gem. The best part of this article is a single line: It’s like modern (i.e. 4th edition)  D&D is software, while the first edition of AD&D was tax code, becoming more byzantine the longer it existed. So that makes Basic D&D what, programming instructions for a VCR, translated poorly from Japanese? I jest, but only a little.  

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985749207871898668.post-50771898621112882132010-10-19T22:32:00.000-07:002010-10-19T22:35:02.860-07:002010-10-19T22:35:02.860-07:00

I used to like RA Salvatore. I know.  I KNOW.  I mean, The Crystal Shard came out in 1988, when I was 13 years old, so I have some excuse.  But by that point I'd read Tolkien and Howard and Lovecraft and Herbert, so I really have no excuse. I read all the Forgotten Realms books, the Spelljammer books, the Dark Sun books...  plus a ton of other books.  So maybe I do have an excuse.  See, I read

Wickedmurphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072164588443858336noreply@blogger.com7