Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! This week was Thanksgiving here in the United States and while that normally means that people take time off to spend with their families it didn't affect the amazing amount of output from the hobby community. This week we've got everything from loose narrative settings to convention write-ups, to new monsters, to a new story from famed TSR author Bruce Heard.
As always, these guys and gals spend a lot of time working on their blogs and if you like one of the posts these fine authors have published be sure and let them know.
The Best Reads for November 23 - 29, 2013
Alphabetical by Article Title
Balalang by Arnold K., from the blog Goblin Punch: A setting, a loose mythology for a sandbox game, and wonderful bit of prose. This post from Arnold has everything you could want from an island based campaign. A fantastic read!
'Bring the Salt' - Superstitions in Your Game by Geek Ken, from the blog Geek Ken:
The thing that I love about this article is the way that Ken starts
with his wife's superstitions, and then moves on to Korean, and then
ties it all together for your games. It's gotten me thinking about how
to integrate superstitions into my games and wondering why I ever left
them out.
Deer in the Headlights by Tom Doolan, from the blog Wishful Gaming: This article by Tom is one of the reasons why I look forward to reading his blog so much. His half-orc is exceptional and Tom's mistreatment of a powerful goddess warms my heart. Fun times are to be had over there kids.
From The Travels of Ibn Battuta: In the Near East, Asia and Africa by James Hutchings, from the blog Teleleli: While this is the shortest post that I have ever recommended it more than makes up for its brevity with the sheer beauty of its prose. James' blog is filled with gems of this sort and I eagerly await each new installment.
Gamer Grub: Kale Crisps by Dylan Hartwell, from the blog Digital Orc: A fantastic recipe for an easy, healthy, and incredibly tasty gaming snack!
I am on one hit point right now by Patrick Stewart, from the blog False Machine: While the entry itself isn't that remarkable the idea presented by Patrick is amazing. His party has been exploring the Hex King's palace and they've forgotten to map the damned thing. So he created a partial map in MS Paint that can be changed and manipulated by other members of the party and of the Flailsnails community. Absolutely brilliant!
The Inevitable Post U-Con Post by Adam Muszkiewicz, from the blog Dispatches From Kickassistan: I'm not normally one to go in for con wrap-ups but U-Con must have been one hell of a good time because Adam's enjoyment is infectious. I really enjoyed his notes and someone needs to make a Temple of Jerks.
Into the Vortex by Bruce Heard, from the blog About Bruce Heard and other news: Part one of a series of promotional stories for Bruce's new setting, World of Calidar. Like most of Bruce's works this one is a fun and enjoyable read. Part two comes from Tenkar's Tavern and is titled The Cleansing.
Lost in the Dense Forests South of Denethix, by Gus L., from the blog Dungeon of Signs: A great take on creating flavor in your chosen area of play by taking elements from the surrounding area and using them in a chart. I really like the overall flavor of the whole thing.
[New Monster] Demonic Flying Monkeys by David, from the blog Tower of the Archmage: Like most of David's creations this has a neat bit of fiction as an introduction to the little baddies and it's almost as good as last week's Bone Imps. This week's monster is really fun and I can't wait to use them in a game!
OK Whovians, my take on Day of the Doctor (Spoilers)! by Mark Knights, from the blog The Pathfinder Chronicles: By now I'm sure that most of us have read a thousand crack-pot theories about the 50th anniversary episode and it's impact on the future of the series, but how many of you have read about its impact on us as people. Mark opens up to tell us about the episode's impact on him and his family in this fantastic post. I wish he wrote more personal posts like this because it's fantastic
Problems in Governing, or, Storming Hekellu So We have Someplace To Sleep Tonight by chirine, from the blog chirine's workbench: This short posting from chirine gives all of us a small glimpse into one of those legendary campaigns from the early days of the hobby, and what a glimpse!
The tome of “forgotten magical items”. Volume 1, Weapons and armor / by Jon Volden by Mike Monaco, from the blog Swords and Dorkery: A confession, I really like esoteric books. So when Mike started writing about this hidden gem I was hooked from the first line.
Best Article from Dyvers this Week
A History of Draconic Races in Dungeons and Dragons: A meandering look at the history of the Draconic Races in Dungeons and Dragons, focusing mainly on the differences between the early version and the more accessible newer races.
I'm still looking for more great blogs so if you find one you'd like to suggest pass me a note down below in the comments! Thanks for reading!
Thanks for the shout out.
ReplyDeleteNo, thank you for writing that article. It was really a great read.
Delete