BEST READS OF THE WEEK! March 8 - 14, 2015!

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! Every week I read through more than 370 blogs looking for the best role-playing game related articles to bring them directly to you. This week we've got thoughts on megadungeon ecosystems; powerful villains; an amazing d100 table; and so much more! If you see a post that you like be sure and tell the author how much you enjoyed it!

If you've got any questions about this month's lists be sure and check out the FAQ. And as always, thank you for your comments, shares, plus 1s, and for taking the time to read this list. See you on the next set!

BEST READS OF THE WEEK!

March 8 - 14, 2015!

Megadungeon Food by J.D. Jarvis, from the blog Aeons & Augauries: If you're looking to add a touch of realism to your dungeon delving than this insightful post from J.D. will help you add that extra push towards a sense of verisimilitude that your games may just be lacking.

The Railroading Manifesto by Justin Alexander, from the blog The Alexandria: This is the start of a six part series examining one of the great boogie-men of Dungeon Mastering theory. The whole series is a fascinating read that takes place across the majority of this month.

Power in a Vacuum by Callin, from the blog Big Ball of No Fun: Have you ever attempted to make a powerful villain have a meaningful impact on your campaigns? In this insightful post from Callin you'll discover the key to doing it successfully.

A pub crawl through assorted editions of D&D by +Jens D., from the blog The Disoriented Ranger: Jens has a natural talent for taking subjects that might be less than interesting and making them a pleasure to read. So when he created a post exploring drinking mechanics through the various editions of D&D it should come as no surprise that it quickly became one of my favorites.

5E OB5ERVATIONS by +John Arendt, from the blog Dreams in the Lich House: After playing around with the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons for a while now John has been able to make several observations about how the system measures up to OSR styled systems. They're pretty spot on too.

Gaming with Depression by +Cody Connelly, from the blog Dungeons Deep & Caverns Old: Sometimes, when you have depression, it can seem like you're all alone in the world even though there are millions of people struggling through it just like you. At other times it seems like everyone in our hobby is struggling with their own depression issues. This essay by Cody is well worth reading on the subject.

On Exploring The Empire of the Petal Throne by +Dyson Logos, from the blog Dyson's Dodecahedron: If you've ever wondered about the Empire of the Petal Throne then this great post from Dyson is a great place to start. Not only is it well written, but Dyson has this effortless way of writing that makes you instantly want to be sitting next to the Cat while discussing the game.

d100 Dungeon Vice by +Chris Tamm, from the blog Elfmaids & Octopi: Chris Tamm is a creative powerhouse who is always cranking out massive d100 tables and dropping these challenging (in the best possible sense of the word) campaign write ups that make me rethink everything I'm doing. Yet out of everything he's done over the past few years I think this is my personal favorite. It's simple, filled with flavor, and arguably one of the most enjoyable random tables I've ever spent hours looking over and unabashedly laughing manically.

Franz Wacik by Aeron Alfrey, from the blog Monster Brains: If this collection of illustrations from Fanz Wacik don't inspire your games than something is wrong with you, Holmes.

Dungeons and Drunkards: Drunken Beasts by +Sean Bircher, from the blog Wine and Savages: If you've never gotten a chance to look at the monsters Sean makes you're missing out. He's incredibly creative, very smart, and often flexible enough that his monstrous designs can easily be fit into most any system you run. These drunken beasts were designed with 5e in mind. 

Chirine's Workbench, a Retrospective

Over the years I've found myself becoming deeply attached to certain blogs and none more so than +Chirine ba Kal's blog, Chirine's Workbench, and today I'd like to show you why I've grown to love this blog so much, and why you should love it too. To do so I'm going to be working my way through the archives picking out my favorite posts since the blog started. Hopefully, you'll find this blog as enjoyable and refreshing as I do.

The Best of Chirine's Workbench

Firu ba Yeker's gone . . . and certainly not forgotten . . . A simple goodbye to a man who meant the world to +Chirine ba Kal, Professor M.A.R. Barker. I cried the first time that I read this short goodbye with its been sitting in my heart ever since.

Milestones A glimpse into the staggering amount of material left by Professor M.A.R. Barker that has left me with more questions than answers over they years, but has encouraged me as I've come to know the Tekumel setting more deeply.

Saving Throw = 00 Written by Chirine's lovely wife Janet, this post tells of the day we almost lost Chirine. I don't know how she was able to write it as I would have been a mess.

Taking stock, one month after dying . . . I have often wondered over the years if I'm doing enough with my life, and after reading this post I can honestly say no. Read this and find yourself pushing harder against that instinct to sit down and rest.

Taking stock after dying (the second part) When I first started playing Dungeons and Dragons we never used miniatures because . . . well, I can't give you a good reason. But these thoughts on Chirine's history with miniature scenery were one of the first times that I ever considered changing my position on miniatures - and I'm so very glad that I did, too.

Hot Elf Chick, well Hot Hyborean Chick, actually . . . I love looking at old painted miniatures, and when you see one this beautifully done thirty years out from its original make you just have to stop and enjoy it.

Bonus Time - or No Politics, No Sh*t, No Foolin' A fantastic story about Chirine's dad with a lesson we should all commit to memory: this time on earth we've got isn't guaranteed, so make the most of it.

The Jim Harland Interview This nine part series, which begins with the link to the left, has so much fantastic goodness in it that you really must read it all. Lots of great insights into the history of the hobby, Chirine's life, and some great thoughts on where we should be going - even if those are just inferred. One of my favorite series from the blog. 

Oh, My God! - How Can He Say These Horrible Things!?! - Or, The Tenth Part It is so easy to get wrapped up in the idea that what we're doing in our home games has to be in line with the "canon" version of the storyline - hell, I used to do it myself - but this one post puts it all in perspective. Substitute Tekumel with your favorite setting if you must, but the lesson is the same: here's my world, now it's yours.

The Year in Review - Year-end Round-up It's the end of 2012 and the start of the new year. A lot has happened but this great little piece by Chirine seems to put it all into perspective. 

Games Workshop, "Spots the Space Marine", and Gary Gygax A bit of background here. At the time of this posting Games Workshop had been involved in a rather nasty and bastardly bit of bullying towards a young author who is a pretty good egg. They were wrong in most every way imaginable and Chirine was out front letting us all know about it. But that isn't what makes this post so memorable. Read the story from Uncle Chirine and you'll never forget it.

Readers' Request - Running an Event I'll be honest here, this is one of my favorite posts not only because it is immensely useful, but because I was the one who asked the question.

Readers' Requests - Hekellu, the City on the Lake This short post has more good information in it than many splat books I've read over the years. Well worth reading and adding into your own worlds.

Readers' Requests: GM play styles - Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, and M. A. R. Barker Everyone who hasn't played with one of the original guys is always wondering what playing with them was actually like, and this post, I think, illustrates each of their styles beautifully.

The David L. Arneson Memorial Maritime Miniatures Mayhem Event and The M. A. R. Barker Memorial Invitational Pro-Am Miniatures Game - June 8th, 2013 If you have never heard of a Braustein game then you're missing out, and this post is a great place to start learning about that type of game, as are the following: Braunstein - The Video! - Live Streaming, We Hope!, and The Weekly Update for Monday, June 10th, 2013 - Whew! A Truly Wonderful Weekend!

Angry Rant, Indignant, One Each, +20 on Blood Pressure Harassing women at conventions has been a hot topic this year, and Chirine steps up to it when that harassment happens to one of his friends. We should all be so lucky as to have a Chirine on our side in those situations.

Weekly Update for Sunday, July 28th, 2013 - Underworlds, Anyone? I love all of the Weekly Updates, but this one really rocks my socks. I just love the Qol miniatures at the start and everything that follows just has me wishing that I lived nearby so I could game with Chirine.

The Weekly Update for August 18th, 2013 - First the News, and then an Essay! I'm including this one for the amazing essay, Why Use Miniatures Anyway?, which appears about half way down the post. If you have any question as to why using miniatures in your home games might be a good idea read this post. Chirine eloquently defends their use and encourages you to get off your rear and use them too.

Tom Clancy, Larry Bond, and How We At Adventure Games Won The Cold War I love this short story from Chirine's time working for Dave Arneson. It's funny and just great in every meaningful way.

Whew! The first video podcast is up! This first podcast is so much fun to listen to that I have watched it multiple times. I hope everyone reading this will find it just as enjoyable.

Problems in Governing, or, Storming Hekellu So We have Someplace To Sleep Tonight If you can read this post and not want to play in this game then I honestly don't know what you're doing with your life.

The Weekly Update for Sunday, January 5th, 2014 - In the frigid wastes of the Northwoods Great miniatures here and a question that I'm finding myself wondering more and more is asked.

Additional Links of Interest

The Podcast 

The Appendix N of Tekumel 

To Serve the Petal Throne - Contents

The Photos of Chirine ba Kal!

Final Comments 

Total Posts in Blog: 148
Total Posts read: 148
Years Active: 2011 - present

This was the first time that I've done anything like this and I hope that it has helped some of you folks reading this article to discover a great blog that is not given anywhere near enough attention from the wider blogging community. I know that I've had a lot of fun reading through his archives and enjoying someone that has become a big influence not only on my role-playing games but on how I think about the people who matter in my life. It's my hope that after reading this retrospective that he's entered into your life and made you better for it - I know that he has in my own.

If you enjoy anything that he's written please be sure and thank him for all his hard work and for continuing to put the effort into the blog and the podcast.