Late Christmas Present

 I received a late Christmas present yesterday.  A friend gave me The Folio Society edition of The Hobbit.  It's a beautiful book, wonderfully illustrated with a nice slipcase.  

It was such a pleasant surprise!  The same friend got me The Folio Society edition of S.P.Q.R by Mary Beard last year.  I think these are the two nicest books in my collection.

In game related news, I also received the RPG Romance of the Perilous Land.  I haven't had the opportunity to read the book all the way through yet but it seems like an interesting game.  An Arthurian game in an England-like setting.

(None of these photographs are mine.  I've borrowed them from various places across the internet.)

Dragon by the Bay

So, I opened my email up yesterday and what do I see?  An advertisement from Amazon for a new story by Garnett Elliott called Dragon by the Bay.  A post Civil War historical fantasy novel set in San Francisco.

Cool!


Find it here.

A Dark Secret

I have a dark secret.  A dark, terrible secret the will brand me a heretic and blasphemer in some corners of the Webs.  Even though this blog is obscure and has few followers, I'm sure word will get out about my transgression.  But it is time.

One of my favorite Conan stories was not written by Robert E. Howard.  There, I said it.  The story in question is "The Thing in the Crypt" by L. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter.  It was originally meant to be a Thongor story by Carter but was adapted to the Hyborean Age for the Lancer/Ace Conan paperback series.

I originally read the Conan stories in the early 1980's in the Ace paperback edition, as many fantasy enthusiasts my age did.  As I have written before I didn't (or couldn't) distinguish between the Howard pieces and those written by or modified by others.  I didn't have a very refined literary palate and, truth be told, I still don't.  I enjoyed some stories and enjoyed others less so.  I didn't matter who wrote them, only that I enjoyed them.

"The Thing in the Crypt" is one of the small handful of stories that stuck with me through the 30-some years since I first read the paperbacks.  Two of the others are "Beyond the Black River" and "The Tower of the Elephant", both classic Howard stories.  But I've never been able to shake the image of the "Thing" coming to life, the dry rustle of the bones, the thrill of horror that Conan felt.  And thus, it is one of my favorite stories.

So I mention this for two reasons.  One, to relieve myself of the secret burden I've been carrying all these years.  And two, because I am going to blatantly rip it off for the Hyborian Age Barbarians of Lemuria game I am preparing for my son.  It will be the basis for the second scenario I will run him through.

The first scenario will be a not so blatant rip off of "The Tower of the Elephant."  I have done this before quite brazenly but now my son has read the original stories so I will have to disguise it fairly heavily.  The character he will be playing is a thief/assassin from Zamora.  I will start the scenario with the minion of a wizard hiring him to steal an amulet that a rival has stolen from him.  Instead of a tower, the target will live in a mansion with an extensive basement and sub-basement.  There will be guards, servants and unnatural creatures to trick, avoid or slay.  And as he is about to grasp the amulet (if he survives), the wizard appears do defend his property.  If he wins the battle he will be in for a surprise.  It turns out that his employer was actually the brother of the target.  As a game, they would hire thieves to attempt to rob each other.  It simultaneously tests the security of their abodes and sates their sadistic blood lust.  So he will have to kill another sorcerer or run.  If he runs he will gain the Hunted flaw.  It's not a good thing to irk a wizard.

So, for the second scenario, "The Thing in the Crypt" rip off, the character will be captured by slavers after he flees the city.  The scenario will start either with his escape or in media res with the slavers and/or wolves chasing him.  He will only have a piece of chain to fight with.  The chase will lead to the tomb entrance and he will be forced to take a stand or enter the tomb.  When he enters, a little exploration, the sword, the battle against the crypt thing.  Then he has to face whatever is outside.  The best part is that my son has never read the pastiches.  Though in other games I have run every damn skeleton seems to come to live.

All in all I anticipate great fun.

The Eldritch Dark

Clark Ashton Smith was one of the earliest writers to produce Sword & Sorcery stories.  He set stories in the imaginative lands of Averoigne, Hyperborea, Zothique and Poseidonas.  Like many early S&S stories, his were a melange, often containing and combining Lost World, Dying World, SF, Horror and Fantasy elements.  Until comparatively recently, I didn't know much about his work and had read none of it.  It doesn't seem to be widely available in print anymore.  Fortunately, for those who are curious about his writing and for long standing fans, there is an authorized website that contains a large number of his works.  The site is The Eldritch Dark.  A list of his stories that most resemble S&S (according to the website's author) can be found here.  Click on the links and enter the realms of CAS.

Barbarian Lord

I ran across this in the library.  This graphic novel was published last year and has been around longer but I hadn't seen it before.  I really like it.  This is what I want a sword & sorcery rpg Barbarian Lord is drawn in a cartoony style black and white.  I really like this kind of illustration, probably as a result of reading to many issues of The Savage Sword of Conan as a kid (though, of course SSC was drawn more realistically).  Savage Sword had such an impact on me that whenever I envision a sword & sorcery story in my head it is in black and white.
campaign to look like!  This is the story of how farmer poet Barbarian Lord (that's his name, apparently, not a title) had his farm stolen from him by his skull faced enemy and his adventures on the road to getting it back.  Very grim but it doesn't take itself to seriously.  The author drew on a host of inspirations from legends and sagas to cartoons. 

If you get a chance, read Barbarian Lord.

Elak of Atlantis

Over the last several years, I have been trying to read the key works of sword and sorcery.  I was introduced to this genre as a teen through the Ace paperback version of Robert E. Howard's Conan.  I enjoyed those books immensely, both Howard's stories as well as those written by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, et al.  (I really like the non-Howard story "The Thing in the Crypt" for example.)  For quite a while this was the entire sword and sorcery universe for me.  I met Elric during high school but I wasn't overly impressed with the stories.  Then my interest faded for a long time as it did with roleplaying games. 

When my interest in RPGs revived about 14 years ago so did my interest in these type of stories.  (Odd how that worked out, isn't it?)  I began to reread many of the Conan stories and started seeking out other stories, also.  I read the Kull stories and moved on from there.  I've found and read at least some of C. L. Moore, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Lin Carter, John Jakes, and even Gardner Fox.  Some were easy to find, Leiber for example and surprisingly Clark Ashton Smith.  There is a website dedicated to CAS with many, if not all, of his stories.  (It's at Eldritchdark.com.)  Other's were not so easy.  Gardner Fox published several S&S stories in early issues of Dragon Magazine.

One author I couldn't find in ebook form until recently was Henry Kuttner.  His Elak of Atlantis stories followed the Conan stories and are considered some of the founding stories in the genre.  I recently discovered that an ebook collecting all four Elak stories is available on both Amazon and B&N for a reasonable price.

Happy reading!

An Amazing Discovery!

So, long about 1980 a show debuted on TV that changed my life:  Thundarr the Barbarian.  I was never the same after watching that show.  Gamma World suddenly played a much larger role in my life.  Mutations and magic suddenly seemed a logical mix.  I pulled out Star Man's Son (Daybreak-2250 A.D.) and read it again.  Twice.  Good times.  Gaming was an unlimited vista of adventure.  All because of a cheesy sci-fi (yes, I said it.  Sci-fi.  Not SF) cartoon.  I wanted a sunsword (and Princess Ariel, too, in an innocent way.)  It was only a few years later that SF and fantasy became rigidly separated in my mind again but while the cross-over lasted, it was pure magic.

Well, yesterday I discovered a DVD set of the complete series at my local library!  I promptly checked
it out and forced my kids to watch the first episode..  They did not have a choice.  They liked it and will watch more episodes with me but I know it doesn't hold the magic for them that it did for me when I was their age.  Oh well.  Nostalgia, here I come!

My New Basic D&D Setting

Have any of you read The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones?  I did years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is an encyclopedic list of fantasy tropes (read as cliches) written in a mock serious style that actually cuts the genre to the bone in a good way.  Here is an example:

Why do I bring this up?  Because my oldest son doesn't like playing in adventures I didn't create.  So I created a setting for Basic D&D for him to play in.  I can drop my own adventures into it (borrowing heavily from published adventures when my creativity fails.)  There is a problem though.  It is one giant cliche.  Did I say giant?  Pardon me for my imprecision.  It is one GINORMOUS cliche.  Seriously.  It hits many of the cliches mentioned in Tough Guide.

So, we have:

• Fallen empire based on Ancient Rome.
• Ruined cities, temples and forts.
• Barbarian kingdoms founded by Northern (and Western) barbarians.
• Rump empire consisting of the last remaining imperial city.
• Invading Orcs (coming from the East.)  The humans call the area that the orcs have conquered "Orkland."  Original, huh?
• Southern desert.
• Elves, dwarves, halflings and other demi-humans.  (Actually, I do deviate from the cliches a bit here.  The playable races don't mingle much.  The halflings live in a secluded valley and are suspicious of outsiders.  The elves live in a deep forest and are suspicious of outsiders, etc. This is a concession to the boys.  I like human-centric settings but the boys want demi-humans.  In fact my youngest chose a halfling as his character.)

So, you get the idea.  Thing is I'm happy with this setting.  It's comfortable for me and the boys like the idea.  Now we just need to find time to actually play.

I'm working up a map for the campaign but I'm still trying to find the best way to get it out of my head.  When I do, I'll post it.

Savage Worlds and Redshirts

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I posted anything.  Not much going on so not much to write.

I bought the Savage World Deluxe Explorer's Edition.  My son saw it and started reading it and liked it.  We had some practice combats and just last night I started running him through a programed adventure that I picked up for free from Dark City Games.  It's called the Sorcerer's Manor and so far we're having fun.  Dark City even has a conversion guide for their Legends of the Ancient World system (a Fantasy Trip clone) to Savage Worlds.  So if you like their other programed adventures but prefer Savage Worlds you can switch them over.

I am currently reading the novel Redshirts by John Scalzi.  For those of you who don't know, the novel is set in a pseudo-Star Trek universe.  It's about the titular redshirts, those poor, unfortunate, nearly anonymous crew members dressed in red who seem to die with disturbing frequency in the original series.  In the book, they start noticing the high mortality rate and try to figure out what the hell is going on while avoiding death.  I am finding it amusing and entertaining.  I also, as a result, want to play a Trek game.  I'm thinking of picking up Starships & Spacemen 2e or trying out Fenway5's Far Trek.  Not only do I like Mr. Brandon's other games but Far Trek has the added advantage that it is free.  I'd be open to other suggestions though as long as the cost was minimal.

The Shadow Kingdom

I have read all of Howard's Conan stories in one form or another.  I haven't actually read many of his other works until recently.  I've now read some Bran Mac Morn and Kull stories.  I just finished "The Shadow Kingdom" last night and something interesting happened.  My blood started racing as I read it.  I've re-read several of the Conan stories recently and, with an exception or two, I wasn't as impressed with them as an adult as I was as a teen.  But for some reason "The Shadow Kingdom" affected me in the same way the Conan stories did in those years long ago.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was because I hadn't read it before?  Perhaps.  I didn't find it great literature or any such thing.  I enjoy Howard's work but I don't worship every drop of ink his pen produced as some seem to do.  But I really did enjoy the story and that was refreshing.

(On a personal note, my two favorite authors in the early '80s were Robert E. Howard and H. Beam Piper.  My teenaged mind gave great weight to the fact that they both committed suicide.  Oh, those long ago though processes.)

Brak So Far

I've read a few of John Jakes' Brak the Barbarian stories now.  I am liking them better than the portion of the Thongor stories I have read.  Perhaps it is the writing.  I don't know.  I do think Brak is a fairly silly name though.  Perhaps created simply for the alliteration?

I thought Brak was a pretty cold-hearted bastard at first.  I still think he is but now I'm a bit confused.  In one story he throws the evil female antagonist to a horde of just escaped male prisoners who she was largely responsible for incarcerating and enslaving.  Fortunately, the author ends the story without describing the particulars of her fate.  However, in a second story he does not strike down an evil female antagonist who is  taunting him by stabbing him repeatedly with a dagger in preparation of killing him.  She does this because she knows he won't slay her because of his "code of honor."  I just don't quite get it.  I guess I'm just not barbarian enough to understand.

Here are the Brak's BoL stats as I envision them so far.  I'll update his profile as I learn more.

Brak
Barbarian from the Icy Northern Steppes

Attributes:  Strength 3 Agility 1 Mind 0 Appeal 0
Combat Abilities: Brawl 1 Melee 2 Ranged 0 Defense 1
Careers:  Barbarian 2 Hunter 1 Slave 0
Lifeblood: 15  Hero Points 5
Boons:  Hard to Kill, Plains Tracker
Flaws:  Distrust of Sorcery
Gear:  Sword d6

Edit:  Apparently Brak was the title of some African kings.  So there is a historical precedent for the name.

Of Origins and Serial Numbers

I have always enjoyed sword & sorcery fiction, particularly in my youth.  Franky, though, I haven't read all that much.  Of course, I've read the Conan stories, originally in the Ace editions, then later in their original form.  It may be some form of blasphemy but in my youth I enjoyed the non-Howard stories in the collection as well.   I also read some of the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories by Leiber and a bit of Elric by Moorcock.  I enjoyed his Corum stuff better.

Recently I have been trying to expand my readings with some of the other characters I've been hearing about through the years in order to gain some inspiration for my gaming.  I have started reading Gardner Fox's tales of Niall of the Far Travels that were published in The Dragon magazine.  I also purchased two volumes recently republished in electronic editions.  One is by John Jakes and contains two Brak the Barbarians books.

The second should come as no surprise if you have been reading this blog.  It is entitled Young Thongor by Lin Carter.  As many of you will know, my favorite rpg, Barbarians of Lemuria, is based on the Thongor books.  So I was very curious to find out what was inside.

Young Thongor contains short stories about Thongor's early adventures.  The majority of the book are Carter's original stories but there are a couple of tales written by another author.

I've only read three of the stories so far but find they are written in an interesting style that runs in a slightly different direction than my tastes.  Don't get me wrong, I have been enjoying the stories but there are some peculiarities.  One is that Carter keeps referring to other, particularly later, time periods.  For example, he refers to a building that is larger than the Egyptian pyramids which chronologically won't be build for millenia.  I find this to be a bit jarring and it breaks the flow of the story for me..

I often hear that an rpg or a setting is based on such-and-such with the serial numbers filed off.  I hear this a lot in reference to BoL.  Let me tell you though, BoL's  author Simon Washbourne filed very lightly when creating this game.  It is my understanding that his original version was actually a Thongor game but he couldn't get permission from Carter's estate to run with it.  But BoL is the closest you can come without actually having one.  I think Mr. Washbourne did an excellent job capturing the feel of the stories and sword & sorcery in general.  This only makes me appreciate the game more.

Robert E. Howard

I just finished reading The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert E. Howard. It reminded that he is a very entertaining writer. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

However, I have a love/hate relationship with Howard. And it really isn’t his fault. When I was a teenager I had two favorite writers: Howard and H. Beam Piper. (Of course my little teenaged mind thought it was of great significance that they both died by their own hands.) They are no longer my two favorite writers but they are in my top ten list. Then I started reading opinions and analyses of Howard and his works. My problem are the defenders and apologists of Robert E. Howard’s reputation and legacy. The vociferous levels of rhetoric that sometimes accompany discussions about his works is off-putting. If seems that Conan can’t be mentioned without someone excoriating L. Sprague de Camp, analyzing Howard’s psychological state at the time of his suicide or generally arguing that Howard was the best writer EV-AR.

I was letting these things get in the way of my enjoyment of the stories. And this is really too bad because not only do I enjoy the stories but I really like to game in the type of milieu that Howard created with Hyboria. I think I am over this now. I realized that people have taken these adventure stories and their author much to seriously. I just need to enjoy the stories and ignore the rest. And I need to find a sword & sorcery game to play in.

(I will make one comment, however, and this is more a reflection on me than anything else.. I grew up reading the de Camp edited stories and, frankly, if you set them down in front of me side by side I don’t think I would be able to tell the difference. Anyways, my two cents.)

Fuzzy Nation

As I’ve mentioned before, H. Beam Piper is on my all time favorite author list. I’ve always wanted to play in a game set in one of his worlds, either the Paratime stories or the Federation/Empire timeline. I have, however, neglected one portion of the Federation/Empire stories. I have only read Little Fuzzy once about twenty years ago. Now, John Scalzi, another author I have come to like, has written a book called Fuzzy Nation. It is my understanding that it is a retelling of Little Fuzzy. So, I am now starting my first re-read of Little Fuzzy. Then I will need to read Fuzzy Nation. And of course compare and contrast.

I haven’t been overly thrilled with Piper sequels written by other hands. Great King’s War written by John Carr and Roland Green did not really live up to the original. It wasn’t a bad book; I just didn’t enjoy it nearly as Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. Carr has written several more sequels that I have not even attempted to read. There is at least on Fuzzy book written by another author that I have ignored also.

So, some of my future reading list is now determined. And I need to work up some Piper gaming material for my son.

Oh, and I still think George Lucas owes Piper’s estate large sums of money for ripping off Piper’s idea for Return of the Jedi.

Ranks of Bronze

I read many of David Drake’s stories in my youth and they had an effect on me in the realm of gaming. They fired my imagination and made me want to play in one of his worlds. I would like to highlight a couple of these stories in a series of posts over the next several weeks.

First up: “Ranks of Bronze”

“Ranks of Bronze” is a serious contender for the top spot on my list of favorite short stories of all time. It is the story of the tribune Gaius Vibulenus and the other legionary survivors of Crassus’ disastrous war against Parthia. After the legions were destroyed the Parthians sold the survivors into slavery. The buyers, however, were not of this Earth. The galactic Federation has laws against using advanced technology against the indigenous people of the planets the merchants want to exploit. That’s where the legionaries come into it. They are the ones sent down to the surface and kick the locals’ butts so the merchants can make a buck.

“Ranks of Bronze” was first published in magazine form in 1975 and I first read it in a short story collection in the early ‘80s. It isn’t a very long story, only taking up about 14 pages in paperback form. And the story only covers the events of one battle. To top it off it isn’t a completely original idea. Andre Norton wrote Star Guard a considerable time before “Ranks of Bronze” saw print. And it is written in present tense, which I despise. The story so grips me and my imagination that it doesn’t matter.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who really like the story. Jim Baen eventually persuaded Drake to write a novel expanding the story of the legionaries. I read this in the mid-80s but I don’t remember being particularly impressed by it.

Fast forward another 15 years and the demand for stories set in the Ranks of Bronze universe continued. Baen kept pressing for a sequel to the novel but Drake kept resisting. As something of a compromise, Drake agreed to contribute a story to a collection of stories written by others. Thus was born Foreign Legions. It contains the original short story in addition to five new ones. This is a volume I also enjoy very much. The tales within don’t elicit the same wonder in me as the original story but they are very entertaining and in some ways wrap up the loose ends of the universe. Not only that but David Weber took his short story “Sir George and the Dragon” and expanded it into a novel called The Excalibur Alternative. This I haven’t read.

So, if nothing else I suggest you track down the original short story. It is a good read. I’ll continue dreaming of the day I can be a player in a game based in this universe.

Literary Inspiration

Two of my favorite novels are Goat Song and The Walled Orchard by Tom Holt. These two books are set in ancient Athens during the Peloponnesian War. The novels follow the life and adventures of Eupolis, a historical comic playwright. The first-person viewpoint entertainingly highlights Eupolis' cynical personality. What I enjoy the most however is how the author brings Classical Athens to life. Holt shows the lives and quirks of both historical characters and the city itself. One memorable scene illustrates the intensity of the rivalry between the playwrights as they competed for prizes at the various festivals. One contestant attempted to mine his way through the wall of Eupolis' house in order to sabotage his preparations.

So if you like historical fiction that both entertains and informs give these two books a try. The photo is actually of the omnibus edition that includes both novels.

A Winter Wonderland

So, Western Washington is covered in a gentle blanket of snow. It has been drifting down all day. Although my drive to work this morning was easy with roads clear and traffic light, I'd been hearing of horrific traffic snarls all through the day. This was also the day I needed to drive even further after work to pick up my new suit. For my interview at 9 am tomorrow. I could possibly get a promotion. I left work and made to the store in good time. No slipping, no sliding. Everyone driving safely and sanely. The suit looks good. I started driving home. Once again I avoided the worst of the snarls. I was feeling good, driving slow. I got within a few blocks of home. I've got it made, I thought. I then, quite promptly, slid in a curb at an angle. At a minimum I screwed up my alignment because it drove wobbly the rest of the way home. At worst....?

And I still need to make it down the big hill to get to my interview tomorrow morning.

This does bring to mind the novel The Sixth Winter by Douglas Orgill which was published in

the '70's. There is/was a theory that a new ice age could start in as little as six winters if all the conditions are right. This is a fictionalized account of just such an event. It has been years since I have read it but I do remember I very much enjoyed it. One image that stuck with me was of a group of Soviet soldiers being attacked by a large pack of wolves. Including the unfortunate fellow in an APC who gets his head chewed on while it is sticking out of a hatch. According to the story, with the coming of the ice age, the wolves instinctively gather in larger packs and become more aggressive. This is one of the reasons humans have such a deep-seated fear of wolves.

This would make a fun RPG scenario, either a one shot with the characters trying to survive and make it to a warmer climate or as a small campaign. Maybe for Barbarians of the Aftermath. I may have to think on this more.

Hylas Jones and the Cup of Heracles

My son and I have played two sessions of our Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief based Supers! game. My son has read all five books in the series and movie is currently his favorite movie of all time. I've read half of the first book in the series (so far) and have seen the movie. So I'm winging it a bit as the GM. For those of you not familiar with the series, Percy Jackson is a half-blood. His father is the Greek god Poseidon and his mom is a mortal. The Greek myths are true and fantastical creatures exist. Oh, and the Greek gods migrate with the center of the Western World. So the current Mount Olympus is located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.

Here's the set up:

Hylas Jones is twelve years old and his best friend is named Mac. (I gave my son a list of ancient Greek names and Hylas is what he picked. I picked Jones because he couldn't think of a last name.) Hylas doesn't know it but his father is the god Zeus.

The call to action (literally):

Hylas receives a phone call at school from his mom. She orders Hylas home immediately and tells him he needs to bring Mac. Mac (also twelve) recognizes the urgency of the message, gets a motorcycle and drives them to Hylas' apartment. The place has been ransacked. The boys find a note from Hylas' mother. It says that "the Cup" has been stolen and she has gone to recover it. Hylas doesn't know about any cup but Mac tells him it is an important gift from his father. Neither Hylas nor Mac have any idea where she has gone. Mac, however, says he knows someone who can tell them. They need to go to Delphi, Ohio to talk to a fortune-teller.

The journey:

Hylas doesn't know how they will get there but Mac says he'll drive. He comes back a short time later with a car. After gathering supplies they drive off. They drive all day and stop late in the evening. They sleep in the car. Hylas wakes to the sound of Mac leaving the car. He says he needs to use the bushes. While Mac is gone a van pulls up and five men in long black coats get out and surround the car. When Hylas gets out they try to grab him. Hylas fights back as best he could. Mac comes out of the bushes and yells for Hylas to run. Hylas hightails it out of there. After he hits the forest and hides, he hears a bellow from behind him. He eventually hears footsteps coming toward him. It's Mac. Mac says the men are gone. He tells Hylas that he threatened to call 911 and the men left. After hours of driving they finally reach Delphi. They find the fortune teller's shop and enter. She seems to know them and refers to Mac as Maceros. It is smoke filled and the lady, Mac keeps calling her Pythia, sits them down and asks them their business. Hylas explains that they are looking for his mom. Pythia goes into a trance and says that she sees his mom in an underground city in his home town (Seattle). But they will need the key to get her. When they leave Mac gives her some odd coins.

Mac tells Hylas he knows where to get the key. It is at the national mint in Denver. They travel for awhile but then Mac pulls over into an isolated field and says that they need to talk. He tells Hylas he is not a normal kid. He is the son of Zeus and he has special powers. Hylas doesn't really believe him until Mac flattens his rather voluminous hair and show Hylas small bull horns. Mac tells Hylas that he is his protector and that he's not really twelve. The cup they are looking for is the Cup of Heracles. The cup was a gift from Zeus to Hylas' mother. The cup protected Hylas from supernatural beings. He then teaches Hylas how to use his powers. Being the son of Zeus the powers are electricity bases. After a little practice they drive on. Several hours later they stop so Mac can use the bushes. Suddenly 16 men in black coats appear. They state that they are the Myrmidons. They take off their coats and are wearing bronze armor, have shields, spears and bronze helmets. They attack. Hylas uses his control of electricity to blast away at the men. He defends himself with his fighting ability. Suddenly a bull burst forth from the foliage and attacks the men. Between the two they defeat the men.

And my son is looking forward to session three.

Hylas Jones

Son of Zeus

Resistances

Composure 2D

Fortitude 3D

Reaction 2D

Will 2D

Aptitudes

Animal Handling 3D (Birds 4D)

Fighting 2D

All the Rest 1D

Powers

Energy Control - Electricity 5D

Energy Form - Electricity 1D

Disad

Enemy(s)

Competency Pool 8D

Old Man's War

I do not get to read as much as I would like. I don't get to read at work (ironically) and when I get home I have parental and spousal duties which leave me with little free time. And then I'm usually to tired for serious reading. So the reading I do get around to is often articles, blogs or forum threads. All reading that I enjoy but I don't read the novels or non-fiction books I want to read.

So I am very happy that I ran across Old Man's War by John Scalzi. The tag line is:

"John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army."

I haven't finished the novel (to top everything off, I am a slow reader) but I am very much enjoying it. If you like military science-fiction along the lines of the novels Starship Troopers or The Forever War I think you would enjoy this book. It borrows a bit from each but is definitely its own book.

Inspirational Fiction - Space Viking

Periodically I would like to highlight various works of fiction that have inspired or influenced my rpgs.

First up is Space Viking by H. Beam Piper. This was originally published in the '60s but I did not read it until the early '80s. Right about the time I started playing Traveller. Space Viking and Traveller go together like (insert your own comparison here. They go together really, really well.) In fact Space Viking and H. Beam Piper influenced Traveller. The most obvious example of this is the Sword Worlds located in the Spinward Marches. I also think the round 800 ton Mercenary cruiser is modelled roughly after the ships in Space Viking.

Set during a "dark age" after the destruction of an interstellar entity, Space Viking is the story of Lucas Trask, his very short marriage and his search for revenge against the man who disrupted the wedding. While on his search he manages to begin the re-civilization of a planet, trashes several more by raiding them and plants the seeds of an interstellar empire.

I loved the battles, the adventures and eventually, as I got older, I came to appreciate, if not agree with, the political discussion. I wanted to create a Traveller campaign exactly like it. Not the Spinward Marches version of the Sword Worlds but one exactly like the one in the book. I never did though. Much to complex for me at the time. So many details that I couldn't or wouldn't work out. The faster than light drive wasn't the Traveller jump. Ships in the Space Viking universe could travel at about 1 light-year an hour. The characters would spend 2000 or 3000 hours travelling between stars sometimes. I didn't successfully translate it into game terms. And then there were all the planets mentioned and figuring out how far they were apart. To much for my poor, young teenaged mind. Then there are the societies, governmental relationships, etc. I wonder if I could wrap my poor, adult brain around it. Anyone know of a conversion floating around out there? I have a feeling I'm going to write more about Space Viking on this blog in the future.

You can still get hard copies of the book or you can read a version at Project Gutenberg.