This is the only fidget spinner that I want

You won't be fidgeting after using this sucker. Writhing, yes. Being rushed to the hospital, definitely. Fidgeting? Not so much, no.

Now there's an axe!

(via)

Yowza!

Dress your feline fighter in the finest armor

Proving that you can find anything on the internet, Etsy merchant schnabuble has made leather armor for cats.

Yes, for five hundred dollars, you too can outfit your cat in body armor before it goes out and murders anything and everything it can.

In all seriousness, I can't believe that people have actually spent five hundred dollars on something like this.

(via Laughing Squid)

Ned Stark warned us winter was coming

But good freaking god, I didn't expect it to be this cold. When I went to bed last night, it was 1 degree Fahrenheit. ONE DEGREE, PEOPLE. It's less than 10 degrees now and it's almost noon. Did I mention that I live in the Southern U.S.? Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!

I think I just found the perfect Christmas gift for RPGers

d20 ice mold from ThinkGeek!

I'm not even going to pretend that most of you folks don't know about this already, but it's so freaking cool, isn't it? Just imagine playing an OSR game, Traveler, whatever, with one of these bad boys in your glass.

Like a classy gent. They're only $11.99 too, which is surprisingly cheap.

h/t Laughing Squid.

Barnes & Noble might be overdoing it on the A Song of Ice and Fire front

Went to a B&N today for the first time in six months and headed straight for the scifi/fantasy section. On one hand, I saw some books that I plan on getting next month or in January, but on the other hand, I saw something that actually ticked me off a little: four shelves dedicated to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Four shelves, all carrying varied types of hardcovers, paperbacks, and box sets, with only five books not part of that series. What ticked me off about it is the realization that in order to make room for the Martin bounty, they had to remove a lot of other writers' books, meaning that those people are going to get less money, especially if other B&N's did the same thing. Now, this might not be a problem for the more established writers, but what about the new ones? The folks who are just starting out and need every dollar they can get from book sales? I don't know, maybe I'm overreacting, but it just seems like Barnes & Noble is taking a giant piss on a lot of people.

As for the books that caught my attention:

The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearny.
The Eyes of God by John Marco.
The Darwin Elevator by James M. Hough.
Hooded Man: An Omnibus of Post-Apocalyptic Novels by Paul Kane.
Stark's War by John G. Hemry.

I'm forgetting a few. I know it's more than a little hypocritical to talk about buying books at a store that I ranted about in the same post, but there's nothing to be done about B&N's poor decision making.

I bet the government shutdown wouldn't have happened if the Lannisters were in charge

I mean, they are the richest of the great houses, so clearly, they're doing something right. Stannis wouldn't have let it happen either, but he would probably start putting people to death until the solution was solved. With the Starks, it probably wouldn't have happened to begin with because they would be more austere.

Apologies to anyone sick and tired of hearing about the shutdown or who have a distaste for politics. The comparison popped in my head and I couldn't help myself.

Power of the mind: imaging in the Imager series (spoilers)

Like I mentioned in my post about Imager, one of the really interesting aspects of the book was the imaging ability of the titular imagers. As I explained, imaging is the ability to create or even move objects from one place to another (I suppose teleporting would be the right word) by imagining it with their minds. An early example of the latter is shown in an scene where Rhenn, the main character, moves a raisin from his bowl to his spoon, which allows him to finally come up with a solution to a problem that his teacher had him working on for several days. An example of the former is when he images a comb as a personal test to see whether or not he had any significant imager power.

There is a counter-balance to imaging, much like magic in other books. Imaging can be taxing, depending on the object being imaged. Simple objects are inconsequential, but the bigger, more complex an object is, the more exhausting it can be and it can also lead to headaches. The composition of an object also plays a factor. There's another point in Imager where Rhenn is tasked with imaging aluminum rods and after four hours, he's left worn out and with a headache. Another constraint is that there has to be enough material nearby to in order to create an object. Rhenn images a bookend during another point in the book, one made out of stone and glass, and he remarks to himself that there should be enough stone and sand in a nearby courtyard to do it.

Make no mistake, though, imaging isn't just creating or moving objects; it can be a deadly weapon. Rhenn is trained throughout the book in how to disable or kill using his powers, mostly by imaging air or chemicals into a person's heart or brain. He's also trained in more non-lethal approaches, such as imaging oil on the ground to slip someone up or tar to slow them down. He also learns how to create invisible shields to protect himself, which come in very handy. The most basic type of shield is an anti-imager one that doubles as an alarm to alert him if another imager tries to hit him with something. Aside from that, Rhenn learns to create and shape shields to protect himself from bullets, knives, and anything else short of an artillery shell.

Imaging is actually a very fascinating power, but I'm not entirely certain if it qualifies as a magic system. Then again, given some of the rather far-out systems I've read about (I'm looking at you, Brandon Sanderson), it could very well be magic. The question is, could it be used in a RPG?

Elven ranger on patrol

Or maybe a sentry standing guard, on the lookout for wayward hobbits?

Credit: Master-9650.

But I get sea sick just looking at a boat

My pirate name is:

Dirty Jack Rackham

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Aaaaar S T U V W X Y Z!

h/t Gothridge Manor and Really Bad Eggs.

Speaking of guns

Wargaming blog Paul's Bods has several pictures of medieval artillery and I figured maybe it might be relevant to the last post. The miniatures are pretty nice, actually and includes a pot-de-fer, bombards, and veuglaire. Definitely saving that post for future reference.

In which I answer 20 questions about stuff

Questions via Ray from Don't throw a 1.

1. Favourite Wargaming period and why?
Well, I'm not a wargamer, though I do plan on collecting miniatures when I have the money to. But, I don't think I have a preferred era - they all look good to me. I would be interested in doing something somewhat modern, like Franco-Prussian, Russo-Japanese War, WWI, or Korea.


2. Next period, money no object?

3. Favourite 5 films?
A tough one, for sure. I'd have to count the LOTR Trilogy as a single movie, since it told a continuous story. Superman I & II, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There are many more, of course.

4. Favourite 5 TV series?
Doctor Who, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, Adventure Time, pro wrestling, Castle.

5. Favourite book and author?
Boy, not making it easy, eh, Ray? It's hard to pick between John Scalzi, David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, and Jack Campbell, but I'll have to go with Scalzi. Damn fine scifi writer. Old Man's War by Scalzi is great.

6. Greatest General? Can’t count yourself!!
I'm going to say Dwight Eisenhower because of his position as Supreme Allied Commander. I really respect and admire the fact that he was willing to take the fall if D-Day had failed.
7. Favourite Wargames rules?

8. Favourite Sport and team?
What's a sport? Is it a kind of cheese or something?

9. If you had a only use once time machine, when and where would you go?
Back to 1998 and knock some sense into my dumb fool head about taking my education seriously and staying in school.

10. Last meal on Death Row?

Amazing Super Powers!

 Hey, it's worth a shot.

11. Fantasy relationship and why?
Morgon Ironwolf. Oh, you didn't mean that kind of fantasy! Honestly can't think of anyone.

12. If your life were a movie, who would play you?
Chuck Norris. No, no, probably Michael Cera, because he's the default nerd actor.
13. Favourite Comic Superhero?
Any superheroine who fights crime in a bodice, fishnet, and high heels, but somehow avoids a "wardrobe malfunction". Aside from that, Hawkeye.
14. Favourite Military quote?
"They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can't get away from us now!" - General Chesty Puller.
15. Historical destination to visit?
Battle Abbey, just for its name alone.
16. Biggest Wargaming regret?
17. Favourite Fantasy job?
Not having to work. I'm stealing an answer from TamsinP from Wargaming Girl. Actually, if I were rich, I'd probably open a combination comic book store/game shop.

18. Favourite Song Top 5?
None come to mind.

19. Favourite Wargaming Moment?

20. The miserable Git question, what upsets you?
 American politics and political system. Being stuck with two major parties is just plain shitty.

How much is that Balrog in the window?

"'fraid it's not enough, son." The blacksmith pronounced 'son' as 'soon'.

Merle looked down at the small collection of coins in his right hand, frowning at the imbalance between bronze and silver, then looked up at the other man sheepishly. "...it's all I have...sir."

The smith, a squat man of balding orange hair grumbled and inspected the coins again, pushing the bronze aside for any silvers he missed. He grunted. "Still not enough, son. Even my cheapest armor and weapons cost more than all that."

The young man bit his lip and fought off a tremble that threatened to run loose through his body. He could feel a tear start to form in the corners of his eyes. "Please...I need weapons and armor, I'll promise to work them off."

"Not hiring and the constabulary frowns on free labor."

"I'll send money back from jobs and whatever loot I can muster."

Building a medieval town the old fashioned way

Oh yes, it's a thing that is happening in Germany. A group of archaeologists, historians, architects, and workers are doing something beyond ambitious: Building a monastery town the 9th century way. Yup, no modern equipment or luxuries, just 52 buildings constructed with blood, sweat, and presumably a lot of cursing. The purpose of the project is to get an idea of what it was like to do that kind of large scale construction back in the middle ages.

Apparently the project will take 50 years to complete, which adds a bittersweet touch to it, as its originator, Bert Geurten, is 62 years old, meaning that he'll be long dead before its completion. Hell, I'll probably be knee deep in the grave by that point.

I think this a project that fantasy writers, GMs, wargamers, and others should keep an eye on.

Things that exist: Battle Abbey

Wikipedia.

The Battle Abbey was an abbey that William the Conqueror ordered built in Battle, East Sussex, England on the site where the Battle of Hastings was fought. It was meant to atone for the bloodshed his conquest of England created and the altar itself was supposedly built on the very spot that Harold Godwinson, the king prior to William's conquest, was killed. Unfortunately, the abbey was partially destroyed in the 16th century during an event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII was a huge douche. Today, only a few buildings associated with the abbey, like the gatehouse (picture above) survive and are used as part of a boarding school.

Aside from the awesome name, the abbey invokes some interesting fantasy and roleplaying images. It would be used as a model for an abbey that trains clerics and paladins. Maybe the abbey was abandoned in the past and an order of paladins takes possession of it as both a headquarters and a training ground for paladins. You could even include the abbey's partial destruction as the result of a titanic battle between the paladins and an evil army and turn it into a location for your players to explore.

Oh, the possibilities!

A matter of weapons

Wikipedia.

Swords! They're the standard weapon in fantasy and gaming and it's not surprising why, either; they're a versatile weapon and can easily be made in large numbers quickly. They're also symbolic of heroism. The problem is that they weren't the only weapon in days past and shouldn't be used like they are. The genesis for this was inspired by a post on Daddy Grognard's about a campaign he DMs for his children. What caught my attention was that one of the players uses a trident wielding fighter. People normally associate the trident with Poseidon and his Roman counterpart, Neptune, but it was a legitimate weapon used by both gladiators and in the field. Tridents could snag an enemy's weapon between the points and had the advantage of creating three wounds with one stab. Not bad.

Grace Holly > Red Sonja

Because plate armor is way better than running around in a chainmail bikini. Chafes less.

The Realm of Zhu.

The Realm of Zhu.

I rest my case.

Here, have a lovely picture of a barbarian princess

Though, I'd wager she looks more Celtic than generic barbarian.

By Werdandi.

I like this more than some of the pictures you see of warrior women in fantasy art - hot babes in as little armor (or clothing, for that matter) as possible. I could see her riding down enemy infantry or wild game. Maybe she's patrolling the borders of her tribe's territory, on the lookout for poachers or spies.

The Pile: Interesting blog posts

• Greyhawk Grognard gives a brief history of the origin of banknotes and talks money in the famed Greyhawk setting. He also responds to people griping about Greyhawk canon.
• The Mule Abides muses about the Hickman Revolution and its effect on tabletop roleplaying games.
• Hill Cantons has a post about scroll creation for cleric and mage classes.
• Zak S lists several comic book villains that could be used in Dungeons & Dragons.
• And we end things on a Greyhawk note. Al from Beyond the Black Gate ponders sword & sorcery in the popular setting.

I might make this a regular thing, who knows.

I honestly can't think of a title for this post 2012

I used to do something like this when I was in middle and high school. I'd create stories and run through them while walking to and from classes and school. Mostly it was superheroes or space battles. I still do it even today, but now it's more of a way of testing out potential stories. Kills time real good too.

Picture via shadow95.