Ken Newquist A new e-mail is circulating the net claiming that the Bush administration is quietly attempting to bring back the draft, with an eye towards springing it on the country in Spring 2005, after the elections are over. In truth, while almost all of the elements in the e-mail are true — there are draft bills … Read more
Back in July, my gaming group held a private, at-home game day we called NukeCon. Well, it turns out there is another NukeCon, one that’s been running for 13-odd years in Nebraska, and they were none to thrilled about our version. So, in the interest of inter-gamer harmony, and in deference to an honest-to-gosh convention, … Read more
The stirge. It is a monster whose name echoes down the halls of dungeon crawling history, evoking terror and scorn as it does so (terror for low-level characters trapped in a cavern with them, scorn for high-level adventurers all but immune to their blood-sucking attacks). This monster, whose roots date back to the dawn of … Read more
Sue and I recently went through a bunch of our old stuff looking for items we could sell at an impromptu yard sale, give to Good Will, or just chuck. In doing so, I found a couple of my old science fiction books from high school/college … and among them was an old envelope upon … Read more
Talk Soup: StarGirl’s language skills are growing tremendously, and she’s starting to combine words into phrases, including “Hi Daddy” and “Hi Mommy!” This is very cool, and surprising — I mean, heck, I knew she’d be talking eventually, but it’s downright shocking the first time you ask a question, and get a real answer back. … Read more
Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass: My audio book selection this month returns to the past of Roland the Gunslinger, before he went west on his titanic quest to hunt down the Man in Black. It’s a tragic tale that deals with Roland’s star-crossed first love and it’s a painful read. Nonetheless, in this second … Read more
I’ve been watching John Kerry’s “swift boat” controversy with some interest for the last few weeks. At this point I’m one of those all-important uncommitted independent voters who hasn’t decided which lesser evil he wants to vote for yet. I haven’t seen any of the infamous “Swiftie” ads attacking the circumstances surrounding Kerry’s valorous conduct … Read more
It’s no great secret around here that I’m a Mac fan, but I’ve got to say that Apple’s design for the new iMac has left me cold. As with the previous iMacs, it’s an all in one design. This time around though, that design takes the form of a flat-screen monitor that’s been bulked up … Read more
In Part 1 of this column, I gave an overview of Monte Cook’s Diamond Throne (Amazon) campaign setting for Arcana Unearthed (Amazon) and talked about the sort of adventures I’d like to run there. In Part 2, I talk about the races and classes I’d use to achieve the goals set out in the first column. One … Read more
GenCon, that gaming mecca held once a year in Indianapolis, is drawing to a close. And despite having gamed until unconsciousness at our home-grown NukemCon convention, I really wished I’d been there. The immensity of GenCon — the thousands of gamers gather together to play countless games, the cathedral-like exhibition hall, the electric buzz of … Read more