Better actual play blogs than mine and other inspiration

I labor away here, and I put up records of the 13th Age games we have been playing.  If people enjoy them, that's great, but really they become my notes and records for my campaign.  They are in no way polished.

If I had more time (and perhaps more talent), I would do something sophisticated, because I admire the heck out of people who elevate write-ups through multiple character perspectives, add illustrations, and generally do way better than me.

A couple that I have really enjoyed include:

Brooklyn Encounters: Murder in Baldur's Gate
This blog captures the 13 sessions it took to play through this adventure.  It is beautiful to look at and a pleasure to read.

Eberron: The Winter Coalition
This is the chronicle of an epic ongoing campaign.  I think it has been going about three years.  The write-ups are sometimes from a third person narrator (presumably the Dungeon Master), but most entries are character entries, narrating what happened from a particular character's perspective.  I love reading the write-ups.  I never knew much about Eberron (it came into being during a long interregnum when I was not playing or paying much attention to D&D), but man, I would love to play in Eberron in this campaign.  There are hundreds of ideas to steal from the write-ups, and it is inspiring from a player/character develpment point of view, as well as from a Dungeon Master/campaign creation point of view.  There is quite a back catalogue of entries, but it is well worth reading!



Other Stuff

So, I think I have sung the praises of Hunter Black before as a source of inspiration.  I continue to be a big fan.  If you are not reading this web comic, why not!?  The team that writes, draws and letters the comic is outstanding, and the writer draws from his long experience with Dungeons & Dragons to inform his Fantasy Noir setting and characters (in the best way). 

This too has an extensive back catalogue of panels to read, but every one is worth it.

Finally, yesterday I somehow managed to stumble onto Skullkickers.  I may be the last guy to know about this low fantasy web comic, but it is gorgeous, action packed and funny.  So far (because, again, huge back catalogue) two no-name, amoral mercenaries, a big human with knives and six shooters, and a stocky red-bearded dward with twin hand-axes generally kick butt, take names, and win and lose fortunes as monster killers.  Their (mis)adventures have been very entertaining.  Apparently, later in the series there is a bit more gender balance in the storylines, but I can't eveluate that yet.

What I can say is that Skullkickers is very entertaining, and again full of interesting ideas to plunder.  If I am not the last person to hear of this comic, go and do yourself a favor and take a look!

That's all for now.  Go play games and have fun!

Finished "Alpha"

I was able to finish Greg Rucka's "Alpha" yesterday.  It was a painful eight days, not because of reading the book, but rather all the time I had to NOT read the book.  This is easily a book you can sit down to read a chapter or two and find yourself reading all afternoon and into the night.  Rucka has always written terrific page turners and this book is no exception.

So, after putting down the book each day with regret that I was going to have to wait to pick it up again, I finished yesterday.

All the good things have been said already about the book, but I will say them again.  The book is a classic character driven piece.  Yes, there is a BIG ACTION plot.  But what happens in the book is not dictated by the flow of the plot from point A to point B.  Instead, the action is driven by the decisions of the characters, big and small.  Rucka puts us in the perspective of several protagaonists and antagonists so that we see who they are, how they thing and we understand why they are doing what they are doing (and we see at what costs).  The book is compelling because the characters are compelling, not because it is about the possibility of a dirty bomb going off at a major American amusement park.

The writing is very taught.  The action builds and builds, and each chapter end demands that you turn to the subsequent chapter. 

The hero is a flawed paragon.  Jad Bell is someone you want on your side, but he is complicated, and may not be the best friend, husband or relative to have.  He chose early on what was most important, and it is the duty to his service and his country, and when it comes to personal relationships, that can be pretty brutal.

Jad has the most complicated relationships with his teenage daughter, who happens to be deaf, and his estranged ex-wife.  Both characters are fully realized and even though you are on Jad's "side" as he does his job, you can see why the choices he has made destroyed his marriage and make his daughter really mad at him (more than your usual teenage daughter).  The relationships are earned and painful.  They are not just there for "feel good" moments, like some sentimental relief.  They are there because they throw into sharp contrasts the contradictions of our hero and legitimately up the ante on the events of the plot.

Finally, the rest of the supporting cast is amazing.  This is one of Rucka's most cinematic books (like I said, BIG ACTION), but everytime you see a character and, based on your experience perhaps with action movies, you say, oh, I know who this character is, it turns out that you are wrong.  There are no cardboard villans, spies, corporate jerks, military guys.  There are characters who are believable and complex, even if they only have slight "screen time."  You don't even think that you are dealing with some idiot from central casting who could not really do the role he or she is portraying and who only exists as some kind of straw person or foil.  For a BIG ACTION book, this is a true study in characters.  And the characters are smart and competent.  Everyone makes mistakes and has imperfections, but no one is portrayed as an idiot just to make Jad look good.  The twists and turns of the book are sharp and earned through the logical actions, sacrifices and gambles of three dimensional characters.

It is a pleasure to read.

I highly recommend it.  It would be a great way to spend a summer day or two.

Justin Peniston also has some interesting things to say about Alpha and Rucka as a writer in general.  I recommend checking out what he has to say (and he has two great web comics, so you could check those out as well!)

A brief shout out

Let me just say that writer Justin Peniston and artist William Orr are really great creative minds and really nice people.

Justin writes web comics (among other things) both Hunter Black and Planet Pantheon.  Hunter Black is hard boiled fantasy, basically taking some of the tropes of the American Noir tradition and placing them in a fantasy setting that any reader of George R.R. Martin or player of Dungeons and Dragons will immediately recognize.  William is the artist for Hunter Black.  I love his style.  He is highly influenced by the seminal Samurai Jack animated show, but he totally owns his version of the style that shows up.  I love Hunter Black.  Planet Pantheon is still growing on me.  It is a blend of science fiction, mythology and heroic journey which has been a slower build out of the gate.  I recommend it and am sticking with it because there is clear quality involved, and I believe it is going to pay off.

Anyone out there, definitely read these web comics, and if you are lucky enough to get to a con where these guys have a table, say "hi", buy some of their awesome posters, and help them make their work pay.  These guys need to eat to be able to create, y'know!