An ancestral curse, political subterfuge, religious blasphemy, military invasion, a cuckolded king, and a heroic last stand—it's truly astonishing that HBO hasn't yet made a series about Alcibiades. I first met him, bellowing and drunk, while reading Symposium in undergrad. There, Plato ascribes to him a tongue-in-cheek biography of their shared mentor, Socrates. Indeed, Socrates' … Continue reading REVIEW: Nemesis
Tag: reading
Behind the Scenes #13
January's just passed us by, so it's time to peek into what I've been working on… over on my Patreon! I write these blogs each month as a small way of saying "Thanks!" to those who go above and beyond to support my creative work. No one should ever feel obligated to chip in, but … Continue reading Behind the Scenes #13
The Beautiful Art of F*cking Around
Whether you're a reader, a writer, a gamer, or a game designer, pretty much everyone in this sphere is fascinated with figuring out how creativity works. Where do ideas come from? How did this turn up? What's the secret interplay of ideas, how do creatives blend themes just right to create the desired intellectual or … Continue reading The Beautiful Art of F*cking Around
REVIEW: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
This review contains plot spoilers. They are clearly marked in their own section. This year has been declared the "Year of Sanderson" by prolific fantasy author Brandon Sanderson due to the release of four Secret Project novels through Kickstarter. Earlier this year came Tress of the Emerald Sea and The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving … Continue reading REVIEW: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Behind the Scenes #8
Well by this point we're halfway into September, but my excuse is that I've been writing a lot about Chaosium's recent Cults of RuneQuest releases. So that means now it's time to talk about what else I've been up to during August… …over on my Patreon page! I share a behind the scenes peek at … Continue reading Behind the Scenes #8
Why Read Epic?
What do you think of when you hear the word "epic?" For many it's just an adjective. For others, it's Epic Games—the creators of Fortnite and other games. And for more, the first association is with epic fantasy, a portion of the modern fantasy genre focused on heroic tales of good and evil. These are … Continue reading Why Read Epic?
REVIEW: Mythic Babylon
As a total geek about Earth's historical Bronze Age, when I heard about Mythic Babylon's launch back in 2021 I knew I'd want to pick it up. The book's languished on my kink shelf, but it finally reached the top of my reading stack. Published by Design Mechanism for their D100 system Mythras, Mythic Babylon … Continue reading REVIEW: Mythic Babylon
The Golden Bough & Glorantha
When I first began to write, my reading habits shifted. It was slow, at first, and I did not notice it. Over time I came to read dominantly nonfiction—especially about the ancient world. Although this had long been of interest to me, I discovered that the more I studied, the more detailed my creative work … Continue reading The Golden Bough & Glorantha
REVIEW: The Voralans
What is life like as a mushroom? That's the basic question posed by Brian Duguid's most recent Jonstown Compendium release, The Voralans. Considering how much I loved his previous release—Children of Hykim—naturally I was much anticipating this new work. And, I'm delighted to say that I loved it. What's Inside? The ground covered is similar … Continue reading REVIEW: The Voralans
The Kink Shelf
If you're a roleplaying game enthusiast and even a little like me, you've probably got a kink shelf. This is the phrase I use in my own head to describe the shelf of RPGs I'll probably never play. Shelves plural, at this point. And you know, I'm okay with that. Would I like to play … Continue reading The Kink Shelf
Akhelas 