Once upon a time, all role-playing games were a matter of text, dice, and human interaction. That last item was the great draw; you were engaged in an interactive fantasy, limited only by what the participants could come up with. The rulebooks and modules gave us the text needed to keep everything focused, and the […]
Read more "What Fallout 76 Might Be Getting Right: The Theme Park Dilemma"The things which spring to mind in the middle of the dark of the night, between midnight and the earliest glimmerings of dawn, often seem to be the most illuminating – likely the product of a brain having finished a fresh defragmentation during deep sleep. I’m a computer tech, so please forgive such comparisons. Before […]
Read more "Ruses-of-War and Terrorism"I voted Anvil. My goal, after assessing the entire field of GOP and Democrat candidates last year, was that NONE of them were worth a damn. I had some respect for a couple of GOPers (who were of course drummed out early in the process), and otherwise only for Sanders — whose politics are nearly diametrically opposed […]
Read more "I Voted Anvil. How’s Your Headache?"THE BASIC ISSUE Shortly after every nominee for the 2015 Hugo Awards was given an “Asterisk” — each one emblazoned with the Hugo trademark as well as phrases stating they were official nominee awards — red flags began popping up. These weren’t presented as a joke. Instead,they were played completely straight, with a declaration that […]
Read more "Hugo “Asterisk Awards”: Legal Analysis Complete"The Hugo Award footage came out, and several things have been confirmed: 1) That the “Asterisk” was an official award, of which a small facsimile could be purchased by fans for charity. Sasquan Hugo Administrator John Lorentz currently denies this: “They were not awards. They were *gifts* to each and every nominee.” 2) Contrary to […]
Read more "Examining the Hugo Awards “Asterisks” – Refunds Aweigh!"Since #GamerGate was dragged into all this by people claiming it was enlisted to rig the Hugos, an update: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/08/15/gamergate-event-evacuated-after-multiple-bomb-threats/ Don’t let the title fool you: the “GamerGate event” was actually just one two-part panel held at a larger event — the Southeast Regional conference for the SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS. You know, the folks […]
Read more "JOURNALISTS TARGETED FOR BOMB THREATS, GAMERGATE TO BLAME?"My initial reaction: And then: Ever since taking over as Reddit’s “interim CEO” in January, the site’s users have been up in arms over Ellen Pao’s heavy-handed changes to policy, particularly in the area of what amounts to “harassment”. As I reported previously, this strangely-formed policy led to a series of ridiculous events, such as […]
Read more "Crosspost: REDDIT REVOLUTION REPLACES ROT – “Chairman Pao” Resigns"In the news today: 1) Gay marriage ruled Constitutional by the US Supreme Court. #GamerGate members cheer, no one appears to be dissing it in any way. Press takes zero notice. No story here, apparently. 2) A dozen Civil War games are pulled from the Apple store for containing images of the Confederate flag. This […]
Read more "“It Ain’t Censorship if We Say it Ain’t”: Killing Games over Flags"(Previously published to EricFlint.net) So far, I have exactly one work out of the Hugo packet which I would consider voting “No Award” over. On File 770, I was advised that this is actually a Sad Puppy nominee: “Hill 142″ by Jason Cordova. Which changes exactly nothing. I paid no attention to the nominations, and […]
Read more "“Morality War”: Fisking Reality"A Tale of Two TORS. Be Warned, I’m Annoyed. As a long-time adoring fan of the Foglios and their work, this really boils my blood.
Read more "A Tale of Two TORS. Be Warned, I’m Annoyed"