Recently started sketching all I need to read and convert in order to run Fading Suns in the Savage Worlds system ...
*whimpers*
Still, it will be a great game, damn it! I mean, come on! A delightfully weird mix of SF, fantasy, space opera, planetary romance, dying earth (dying universe?), and horror genres and subgenres, with liberal dashes of Dune and Warhammer 40,000, and just a sprinkle of Babylon 5's epic beauty. Action! Adventure! Romance! Heroism! Saving the universe! You just can't beat it!
*stars in my eyes*
*deep breath, exhales*
Now, to work!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Future of Destination Wonder
Working up my list for next year's Destination Wonder.
Year 1: 2005-2006
Sept. 2005: Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Oct. 2005: Ring, Koji Suzuki
Nov. 2005: V for Vendetta, Alan Moore, et al.
Dec. 2005: The Etched City, K.J. Bishop
Jan. 2006: A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Feb. 2006: The Light Ages, Ian R. MacLeod
Mar. 2006: Fitzpatrick's War, Theodore Judson
Apr. 2006: Galveston, Sean Stewart
May 2006: Watchmen. Alan Moore, et al.
(Temporary hiatus occurs)
Year 2: 2007-2008
Sept. 2007: The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
Oct. 2007: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Nov. 2007: I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Dec. 2007: The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
Jan. 2008: Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
Feb. 2008: Paragaea, Chris Roberson
Mar. 2008: Resume with Monsters, William Browning Spencer
Apr. 2008: Last Call, Tim Powers
May 2008: Hyperion, Dan Simmons
I'm seriously contemplating asking the group if they'd be willing to read an entire trilogy of books as a single selection, given said trilogy weighed in around 600 pages or so. Specifically, the first three Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin:
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Tombs of Atuan
The Farthest Shore
Maybe they'll go for it.
Maybe they'll just shoot me.
It's a toss-up, really.
Year 1: 2005-2006
Sept. 2005: Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Oct. 2005: Ring, Koji Suzuki
Nov. 2005: V for Vendetta, Alan Moore, et al.
Dec. 2005: The Etched City, K.J. Bishop
Jan. 2006: A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Feb. 2006: The Light Ages, Ian R. MacLeod
Mar. 2006: Fitzpatrick's War, Theodore Judson
Apr. 2006: Galveston, Sean Stewart
May 2006: Watchmen. Alan Moore, et al.
(Temporary hiatus occurs)
Year 2: 2007-2008
Sept. 2007: The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
Oct. 2007: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Nov. 2007: I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Dec. 2007: The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
Jan. 2008: Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
Feb. 2008: Paragaea, Chris Roberson
Mar. 2008: Resume with Monsters, William Browning Spencer
Apr. 2008: Last Call, Tim Powers
May 2008: Hyperion, Dan Simmons
I'm seriously contemplating asking the group if they'd be willing to read an entire trilogy of books as a single selection, given said trilogy weighed in around 600 pages or so. Specifically, the first three Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin:
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Tombs of Atuan
The Farthest Shore
Maybe they'll go for it.
Maybe they'll just shoot me.
It's a toss-up, really.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
SFBC's Top 50 SF and Fantasy Books? Hmmm...
My friend, Michael (see list of blogs I read to the right) has mentioned that I don't post very often, either here or on my other blog, Roman's Colosseum at LJ.
*sigh* He's right, of course.
So, I am going to try to make an effort to post something daily. I really should make more of an effort, as I enjoy building and growing online communities.
That said, I'm continuing the meme of the meme he began with The Top 50 Science Fiction and Fantasy books according to the Science Fiction Book Club
1- The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2- The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3- Dune, Frank Herbert
4- Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5- A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6- Neuromancer, William Gibson
7- Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9- The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11- The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12- A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13- The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14- Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15- Cities in Flight, James Blish
16- The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17- Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18- Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19- The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20- Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21- Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22- Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23- The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24- The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25- Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's [Sorcerer's] Stone, J.K. Rowling
27- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28- I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29- Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30- The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31- Little, Big, John Crowley
32- Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33- The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34- Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35- More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36- The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37- On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38- Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39- Ringworld, Larry Niven
40- Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41- The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42- Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43- Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44- Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45- The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46- Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47- Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48- The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49- Timescape, Gregory Benford
50- To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
The ones I've read are in bold.
The problem with lists of this sort is, of course, that not all classics age well (I'm looking at you, Stranger in a Strange Land).
Also, there's no way everybody's going to agree on which should belong (which is a good thing, really).
If we allow for anthologies of short stories, I would have included New Worlds, edited by Michael Moorcock--back in print after far too long.
Also, if I had only 50 books I could list, I would absolutely remove Interview with the Vampire and The Sword of Shannara.
It's good to see Sturgeon's More Than Human on the list.
I would plug the Dying Earth tetralogy by Jack Vance into one of those spots, and include both Clark Ashton Smith on this list, as well as Robert E. Howard. And where the hell is Edgar Rice Burroughs? Come on, SFBC! What the hell?!
Thoughts?
*sigh* He's right, of course.
So, I am going to try to make an effort to post something daily. I really should make more of an effort, as I enjoy building and growing online communities.
That said, I'm continuing the meme of the meme he began with The Top 50 Science Fiction and Fantasy books according to the Science Fiction Book Club
1- The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2- The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3- Dune, Frank Herbert
4- Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5- A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6- Neuromancer, William Gibson
7- Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9- The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11- The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe
12- A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13- The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14- Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15- Cities in Flight, James Blish
16- The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17- Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18- Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
19- The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
20- Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21- Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
22- Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
23- The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
24- The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
25- Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's [Sorcerer's] Stone, J.K. Rowling
27- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
28- I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29- Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30- The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31- Little, Big, John Crowley
32- Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33- The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
34- Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
35- More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36- The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37- On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38- Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
39- Ringworld, Larry Niven
40- Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41- The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42- Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut
43- Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
44- Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
45- The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
46- Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
47- Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48- The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49- Timescape, Gregory Benford
50- To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer
The ones I've read are in bold.
The problem with lists of this sort is, of course, that not all classics age well (I'm looking at you, Stranger in a Strange Land).
Also, there's no way everybody's going to agree on which should belong (which is a good thing, really).
If we allow for anthologies of short stories, I would have included New Worlds, edited by Michael Moorcock--back in print after far too long.
Also, if I had only 50 books I could list, I would absolutely remove Interview with the Vampire and The Sword of Shannara.
It's good to see Sturgeon's More Than Human on the list.
I would plug the Dying Earth tetralogy by Jack Vance into one of those spots, and include both Clark Ashton Smith on this list, as well as Robert E. Howard. And where the hell is Edgar Rice Burroughs? Come on, SFBC! What the hell?!
Thoughts?
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Fading Suns ... Savaged!
Well, I suppose it's time I used this space for something other than the equivalent of a webspace bookmark.
So what am I going to do with this LJ space?
If you guessed "something having to do with role playing games," give yourself a gold star.
Well let's see ...
I'm going to begin working up a campaign for my regular gaming group, as I am the next GM in the rotation and I'd like to have something substantial prepared before I take the reigns. To this end, I will be rereading the Fading Suns RPG, Revised Second Edition Rulebook once again to resolidify the campaign world / universe in my brain.
However, I don't particularly like the core system that the game uses, so I'll be converting and overhauling as much FS material as I can to the Savage Worlds system, one I'm particularly fond of.
I'm fairly notorious for pairing game universes with alternative systems, so I figure why spoil a good record?
When I ran the FS 2e system so many long years ago, I found it to be clunky and cumbersome. SW, on the other hand, lives up to its motto of "Fast, Furious, Fun"--it has sufficient crunch for those who really enjoy the actual game part of role playing game, with a variety of aspects to integrate and master. It includes cards, dice, and chips / counters in play, as well as a host of options, all of which boil down to a thankfully fast game in actual play, with a remarkably quick combat system that lets the gamers play with toys ... I mean, features fast tactical combat with miniatures. Yes, that's what I meant.
Best of all, SW reduces GM prep time and record keeping to a bare minimum, easily keeping pace in this area with a host of "rules-lite" games. This allows me to get on with other GMing essentials, rather than spending too much time statting everything out.
And all that for $9.99. That is a bargain for me!
Over time I'll probably use portions of this journal as a place to post campaign logs to keep everybody updated / reminded of what happened at given sessions.
But hell, I should also likely start posting book reviews and other stuff, just to keep it active.
For those interested in learning more about the Fading Suns universe, or are interested in getting a quick preview and Test Drive of the Savage Worlds system, click the links and enjoy.
That's it for now.
So what am I going to do with this LJ space?
If you guessed "something having to do with role playing games," give yourself a gold star.
Well let's see ...
I'm going to begin working up a campaign for my regular gaming group, as I am the next GM in the rotation and I'd like to have something substantial prepared before I take the reigns. To this end, I will be rereading the Fading Suns RPG, Revised Second Edition Rulebook once again to resolidify the campaign world / universe in my brain.
However, I don't particularly like the core system that the game uses, so I'll be converting and overhauling as much FS material as I can to the Savage Worlds system, one I'm particularly fond of.
I'm fairly notorious for pairing game universes with alternative systems, so I figure why spoil a good record?
When I ran the FS 2e system so many long years ago, I found it to be clunky and cumbersome. SW, on the other hand, lives up to its motto of "Fast, Furious, Fun"--it has sufficient crunch for those who really enjoy the actual game part of role playing game, with a variety of aspects to integrate and master. It includes cards, dice, and chips / counters in play, as well as a host of options, all of which boil down to a thankfully fast game in actual play, with a remarkably quick combat system that lets the gamers play with toys ... I mean, features fast tactical combat with miniatures. Yes, that's what I meant.
Best of all, SW reduces GM prep time and record keeping to a bare minimum, easily keeping pace in this area with a host of "rules-lite" games. This allows me to get on with other GMing essentials, rather than spending too much time statting everything out.
And all that for $9.99. That is a bargain for me!
Over time I'll probably use portions of this journal as a place to post campaign logs to keep everybody updated / reminded of what happened at given sessions.
But hell, I should also likely start posting book reviews and other stuff, just to keep it active.
For those interested in learning more about the Fading Suns universe, or are interested in getting a quick preview and Test Drive of the Savage Worlds system, click the links and enjoy.
That's it for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
