in the Shadow of Greatness

2003-09-07T00:42:00.000-04:00

OK. As far as I've put some time into it and nothing has blown up yet, this is the official signpost that my MT version of this blog is up and running.NEWin the Shadow of GreatnessNEWI'll leave this material here--but expect to eventually capture all entries and comments from this blog for the new one.Grand Opening ....perhaps after I get back from Toronto and AmberCon North!Note: the new web

2003-09-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

tragic glass: Amber: Obscure Adversaries "That's everything I have to say about the Weirmonken today." Delightfully compatible 'mashup' of my "Mysteries of Amber" bits and Jvstin's "IMC" meme.

2003-09-04T17:17:00.000-04:00

beginning tech process of changeover to MT :: if you never see me again :: you know why

2003-09-04T09:51:00.000-04:00

AmberCon News :: ACN Now that ye humble GM has removed hisself as an obstacle--the games and player selections are out. Apologies to all involved, especially Ian. And welcome back to a crew of familiar faces who are gaming with me this year. Looking forward to it. Sad news :: the RFL has been told by new boss--no time off in September--so it appears I will be traveling without my immoral support

2003-09-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

itSoG Sometimes technology just quits for very good reasons. Comments here will be gone for a week, while a server is replaced. Sorta makes me realize I'm behind on getting this whole shebang off to another host. eTrump me if you have something you'd like to add here. I'm still listening to the carrier wave. Note to self: Gotta find out if MaBarry has that blog domain ready to go.

2003-09-03T17:20:00.000-04:00

Which of the Nine Princes of Amber Should You Date? Not sure about the quiz accuracy (I got Corwin!), but the anime color portraits aren't bad. Have fun!

2003-09-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

IMC :: PC Romances By way of Jvstin, by way of House of Cards Log, by way of Tragic Glass... The Eternal City has a tapestry of romances more or less woven through the campaign. Much of the history of Amber revolves somewhat around intense relationships that are both romantic and romances. Dworkin and his Chaos House. Dworkin and the Unicorn. Oberon and Dworkin. Oberon and his search for

2003-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

Conflict Some folks don't game for conflict--and so 'diceless' gaming doesn't bother them at all. There is that moment when conflict arrives. The classic, "what do you do next?" exchange between GM and Player. Real life (unfortunately) trains us that these moments are the ones you will look back upon and say, "damn, I should have done that--or remembered this little thing--or realized that the

2003-08-31T20:12:00.000-04:00

Roll the Bones: Role Call 30: Jerks Would you game with someone you didn't like personally? Why or why not?My POV includes gaming with strangers, virtual acquaintences, relatives, children, friends, and lovers. That list doesn't all get the same level of gaming from me. I don't make friends easily--I don't expect to--and I don't have the grace to maintain good friends--so my gaming is social in

2003-08-29T18:57:00.000-04:00

The Core Worlds: Villains sweet reference work here in this answer...

2003-08-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

WISH 62: My Favorite Villains Describe three of your favorite villains from campaigns you’ve played in or GMed. What makes them good villains? Why are they your favorites?Prince Brand of Amber: because he's dead. It's a very important notion that PCs risk things. Maybe reputation, or bodily harm, or even humiliation. In some games, the bigger the daring, the more fun folks have playing those

2003-08-28T21:39:00.000-04:00

tragic glass :: ADVENTURE! five scenarios/worlds to explore! ...and so I'll add some to the pile--they will seem redundant beside Chris' stuff: Asskickers of the Fantastic Once you were a mortal. Not anymore. Not since you died. The world however is becoming overrun with Fantastic Abberations like the one that killed you. Isis doesn't like the direction things are taking. She's pulled strings

2003-08-28T15:22:00.000-04:00

tragic glass :: A Dozen Games That Don't Exist But Should oh, he's good-- very good

2003-08-28T12:52:00.000-04:00

The Forge :: View topic - Adventure! First Session. fab crazy 1920s adventure notes by GM tip from Doyce

2003-08-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

Deb's Historical Research Page this cool page from Doyce

2003-08-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: Angel :: new season tease

2003-08-27T13:25:00.000-04:00

The "Roll the Bones" Forum seems to have vanished. Maybe temporary. Not Temporary.

2003-08-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

This Tragic Glass comments and actual game seeds for games to be run or not Chris Kindred is a Gypsy King of game ideas go take a gander

2003-08-26T11:21:00.000-04:00

Brown paper packages tied up with string A few of my favorite fonts (complete means it has most characters, numbers and punctuation, many free fonts do not) Ysgarth English :: complete : for severe formal condensed hand Willow :: complete : slightly runic or 'prarie style', very readable Warlock :: complete : chiseled condensed severe almost modern Twylite Zone :: complete : shattered look

2003-08-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

Summer draws so quickly to close. Hope everyone enjoys this last week. House continues to look more like house. Now have drapes/blinds on half the windows. Construction punch list down to half remaining items.

2003-08-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

WISH 61: Characters for Other People: Come up with a character concept for one to three other gamers you know. System, genre, stats (if you even bother with stats) up to you. How did the gamer(s) influence the concept(s) you came up with? Would you play the character(s) you came up with yourself?Hmm. The questions are getting tricksey, they are. Well, this hasn't really happened before--and

2003-08-22T22:12:00.000-04:00

You are Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance. You smirk, torment and look dashing in blackvelvet. Ultimate evil magic powers are anadditional bonus. Which Cool Evil Guy Are You? brought to you by Quizilla

2003-08-22T10:10:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: Canon Law :: The Llewella Chronicles Randy Trimmer does a super summary of Llewella's potentials as defined by what Zelazny showed us and a pinch of speculation.

2003-08-21T21:49:00.000-04:00

The Player Characters of Strange Bedfellows updated and includes those PCs not available on web

2003-08-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

Mysteries of Amber Section 89.3.1 :: mirrorverse --- Randal Trimmer wrote: > How did the Mirrorverse work out for you? In a First Series based game > access to the MV could be terribly unbalancing if closely held. Not so > much in a game with Pattern and Logrus Shadow Editing. Recent Eternal City in-game conversation between two experts in primal powers: "So the mirrorverse is connected to us

2003-08-21T09:22:00.000-04:00

Well, fifteen year old niece is gone back to Portland, Oregon. Visit seemed to go so quickly. I suspect we will do this again next year for two weeks instead of one. Still happy.

2003-08-21T08:20:00.000-04:00

folkways -- things look Grimm tip from Meera

2003-08-20T17:04:00.000-04:00

IMC :: Shroudlings Introduced another teenager to Amber this week. And since handing out 'niche' spots is always fun, Castle Amber had the strange arrival of Lady Quiet, rescued from a blackened version of Castle Amber accessed through a trapped mirror in the castle library. Lady Quiet has a secret connection to the Royal Family that might be yet uncovered--and she is a Shroudling. Exactly what

2003-08-20T08:23:00.000-04:00

AmberCon North 2003 the game selections are up :: go choose! The selections at ACN are thin. This isn't a banner year, but I assure you all that Toronto is fun and worth the trip all by itself.

2003-08-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: The Center of All Things :: Patternwalks: "Quote :: Randy Trimmer :: In your campaigns, does walking the Pattern get easier? Do the Endurance mavens have an easy time of it? Or the Advanced Pattern types?" IMC :: Patternwalk Pattern is usually harder each time you walk it--but this is specific to the individual. Every Royal doesn't walk the same resistance as Corwin. Yep,

2003-08-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

Another weekend of unpacking and getting something like a house to shake out of the clutter. Happy.

2003-08-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

The Neal Pollack Invasion :: Fair and Balanced Friday Which sounds a lot like Freaky Friday to me. OK, here goes--the balance to this blog you've all been waiting for. Look folks, the freakin' Chaosians just want their frelling icon back which was stolen by you bloody idiot forkin' scions of a freaky hunchback at the instigation of a two-leg-frelling mute magic horsey decidedly not innocent of

2003-08-15T09:19:00.000-04:00

Perverse Access Memory: WISH 60: Frames of Reference How do you use different frames of reference or mindsets in your games? In what ways do your characters or NPCs in games you GM think differently from the people around you? What sorts of things make them different (societal, mental, physical, etc.)? Do you feel that you’re successful in incorporating and showing the differences?I'm very

2003-08-15T00:14:00.000-04:00

The Gamer's Nook: What did you do in the blackout, daddy? As it happens :: blackout in northeast US

2003-08-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

Pattern Swords and Amber We've noticed those canon blades traced with a portion of the Pattern. Grayswandir Werewindle Bley's unnamed sword Some of us have read in the Zelazny short stories (soon to be republished, my copy is reserved already) that the first two swords are actually transformed spikards (there's that nasty word again, my precious.) This leads to some thought about Bley's sword,

2003-08-14T15:14:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: The Center of All Things :: Amber mindset and psychology

2003-08-14T14:21:00.000-04:00

MST3k: Dark Dungeons justice lives!!!

2003-08-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm extremely pleased with the Character Voices being created in backstory in the Grand Affair game. So far (though not all published), I've been treated to a great Julian, Dara, Martin, and Random. I also have hints that other ongoing backstories are equally impressive. This should be a fascinating game.

2003-08-14T10:02:00.000-04:00

I'm sure it's no big surprise to you that your romance is The Princess Bride. A heartwarming tale of "Twue Wuve" that has giants, Spainards and swashbuckling. You really do think that love can overcome anything. You may be a touch naive but your heart is certainly in the right place. You've probably got one of those relationships where proper nouns have been replaced with "Snookums" and "Pookie

2003-08-13T18:48:00.000-04:00

House of Cards Family Tree

2003-08-13T16:33:00.000-04:00

storybookland: Warwick Goble (1862-1943) nice artwork :: more

2003-08-13T15:56:00.000-04:00

somehow, the online world keeps track of stuff like this-- yes, today another day older and deeper in debt many thanks to all

2003-08-13T15:50:00.000-04:00

The Matrix Online :: tip from 'Roll the Bones Forum'

2003-08-13T15:40:00.000-04:00

UNDERWORLD :: 9.19.2003 if looks were a movie, this one has a vibe

2003-08-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

AmberCon North 2003 gamebook soon ready running three games as of today

2003-08-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Download details: Blaster Worm: Critical Security Patch for Windows XP patched up Anne's machine :: wouldn't you know we get high-speed access just in time for a worm attack

2003-08-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

I called this Keeping Things In when it originally went out on the AMLmmm. uh, hey list have we ever done this as a thread before? that key the one that hangs *outside* the Pattern room, keeping "things" inside? what's up with that? survey says: 1. A damn easy place to find it, when you need to keep someone off the Pattern. "Martin, go lock the Pattern room and bring me the key." Makes the next

2003-08-12T15:53:00.000-04:00

Population: One's Monday Mashup Hold your hats, pardners, we got us a new gaming meme in town... and it's fun. Modern media mashed into a gaming world... so far, CSI, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Narnia, and Neuromancer are the four selected runs. tip from Jvstin!

2003-08-12T12:03:00.000-04:00

New log from the Cassandra Diaries. This was a number of great sessions in our irregular schedule over the last eight weeks of the Amber, the Eternal City campaign. The last log was weird and wonderful--this one is even better--if I do say so as the GM. Thanks again to Viv and Anne for being great Players.

2003-08-12T08:16:00.000-04:00

New house, new ISP, new routes, folks getting married at work, babies arriving, and life is good.

2003-08-11T09:56:00.000-04:00

I want to start your week with creative colors and inspiration: Elfwood: 'Youth and the Champion' by Danielle Williams colors of magic Elfwood: 'Silver and Cold' by Pana Stamos like the colors Elfwood: 'Daughter of the moon' by Anu Toivonen sharp Elfwood, Fantasy Art, Fantasy art by Dale Williams update :: Dale Williams' work may not be his at all. Link warning copyright violation. Shame.

2003-08-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

Navigational Methods bit of reference handy for Golden Circle merchants

2003-08-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

A Grand Affair startup for an Amber game of romance and intrigue web pages nearly fully fleshed

2003-08-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

Perverse Access Memory: WISH 59: Games for Non-Gamers Name three games you might use to get someone who has never roleplayed before into roleplaying.I've had some luck with this-- First there was D&D, but I'm not recommending it as a starter. It isn't a solid game for translating story and classic fantasy tropes into roleplaying. I made it work but also didn't ask Players to understand the

2003-08-05T11:48:00.000-04:00

MapQuest: aerial photo :: Linden Creek Road :: Castle Mak no, not the building and parking lot you can see--the bare earth waiting for builders to churn it up

2003-08-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

Roll the Bones: Role Call: DIY: "Can you summarize two campaign concepts you'd create for player with identical tastes to your own?"I'll do two, but every idea I share out is something I'd love to play in myself. "Devil's Star" is an American western concept. Something terrible owns the world and wears a badge and it is looking for you. The PCs are desperados who are survivors. Some are not as

2003-08-05T11:10:00.000-04:00

Which Amberite are You? :: pretty sure I've linked this before. Yep, just checked. no, you don't have to take another one--after all, you always get the same results, right? :)

2003-08-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: the move. ps: soon (a month?) to be followed by new URLs for a lot of my pages. Goodbye, AOL.

2003-08-02T20:03:00.000-04:00

Perverse Access Memory: WISH 58: Metaplot: What do you think of metaplots (plots developed in the rules and supplements published by the game company)? Are they good, bad, or indifferent? Have you played in a game with a metaplot? What was your experience?Checks watch. "Late. Oh dear." Good thing I have nothing incredibly interesting to say about this one. MetaPlot as meta-marketing is a

2003-08-02T19:27:00.000-04:00

Next: the mind-bending followup to buying a new house moving all your worldly twenty-five miles without losing your mind stay tuned!

2003-08-02T18:28:00.000-04:00

Big scary house closing is done. All is well. Thanks to all who sent wishes of good karma.

2003-07-30T16:42:00.000-04:00

Art & Artifact :: Emperor's Gong for dinners in Rebma Art & Artifact :: Feng Shui Wind Chimes lovely

2003-07-30T10:55:00.000-04:00

Nerves. Twenty-four hours and counting. Why be nervous at all? This is a done deal. No sweat. Does it matter that the old house isn't sold? Not now. Is there something undone that should be done? No. Isn't the new castle a beautiful thing? Yes, oh yes. Go have a cookie. Relax.

2003-07-29T17:33:00.000-04:00

The Madness of Marius: I Scorn to Change my State with Kings Galantia. Whispered in darkness brings light. Galantia! Shouted in light brings darkness. Who weeps for Galantia? Nine, I say, and not one more.

2003-07-29T17:23:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: Comments From the Peanut Gallery :: Chatting With The Wuj "As to whether one of Amber Warfare can 'take on three Chaos WAR's? More, less?' the answer is, simply, yes." ---Erick

2003-07-29T14:32:00.000-04:00

excuse, I'm throwing emails out to make room for pbem in mailboxDate: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 06:35:32 -0700 (PDT) From: "Arref" Subject: AMBER final battle :: Oberon's Orders --- captain feedback wrote: > > Now for Benedict, the assault (on the Courts --ed.) was all about Pride. > He needed to prove something, and so we know why he wanted to attack. > But Oberon? Why did he order the attack

2003-07-29T12:29:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: Pulling the Strings thread on some serious questions and answers about Players who don't want the game world to influence their Characters

2003-07-29T10:11:00.000-04:00

eBay (Ends Jul-31-03) - Original Art : Unicorn Medicine Shield this is something you might like to have

2003-07-28T18:49:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: "Newsweek reported that the upcoming third Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban, will be darker than its predecessors" Who knew? Anyone who's read it.

2003-07-28T14:05:00.000-04:00

bears-cave.com :: "not the resounding affirmative review you're looking for" Doyce on Laura Croft :: good comments

2003-07-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

Lost and Found: South Wing Annex: Morgenstern: a few calculations Okay, I'm indulging in too much knowledge of horses and an urge to do math here. 'Morgenstern was six hands higher than any other horse I'd ever seen...' ---Corwin (NPiA, ch. 4)This is absolutely wonderful. And high praise from Rikibeth on top of that! I'd say your 'size' examples are right on the money. He is eight foot at the

2003-07-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

color pic Rebma palace

2003-07-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

Fantastic Book Club finally :: the complete short stories of Amber

2003-07-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

GameWeeklyIdeaSharingHegemony Perverse Access Memory: WISH 57: System, Setting, Style, and Play: "Do you find that you play differently when you play in different game systems? For instance, do you approach D&D or Champions the same way you approach Vampire or Werewolf the same way you approach Amber or Nobilis? Do you build the same kinds of characters? What are some examples of different

2003-07-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

...and in the category of desperately trying to distract myself from wanting to kick someone's ass... we present :: itSoG International Trivia !!! Let's have a big "thank you" to all those far flung visitors! You +9 and -11 folks know who you are! Time ZoneFrequencyPercentUTC-10:000< 1%UTC-09:000< 1%UTC-08:00433%UTC-07:

2003-07-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

Other Women's Voices by way of Dorothea

2003-07-24T13:41:00.000-04:00

Roll the Bones :: View topic - Genre! Ginger & Jack nail down a point I agree with regarding RP gaming and getting players. System slants you towards play style.

2003-07-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

Roll the Bones: Is it time to hang it up?: "We've come to a point in the hobby where if one wants to do more, to step outside the maze of 10'x10' corridors, people wonder why bother? That can't be good." I'm going to reply to this here, and also send a small reply to the blog in question. James, I feel for you. You're right in a way, but it's a limited window that you're gazing through.

2003-07-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

Nuadha's Tale steers us to: You are a Galaxy-class Explorer, a top of the lineluxury-liner with teeth. You prefer refinementand appreciate beauty. You're well-apt atdiplomacy and are trusted to handle crises.Despite a changing world with new, you stillhave a reputation for unparalleled excellence. Which Classof Federation Starship are you? brought to you by Quizilla

2003-07-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: Jake 2.0 Boots Up This could be interesting TV but probably won't be

2003-07-23T11:10:00.000-04:00

IMC: Villainous Opposition ...with great power comes Bad Things to kick your ass --- Robert Fannion delighted us with: > Rather than talk about examples of specific villains, how about > thinking a bit about what makes a good Amber villa in the abstract?Robert touches several excellent points, and his comments really need no elaboration. The 'Amber genre' isn't an easy game to run by

2003-07-22T21:46:00.000-04:00

soon :: eventbook :: AmberCon North 2003

2003-07-22T10:33:00.000-04:00

Shadows of Amber :: Comments From the Peanut Gallery :: Chatting With 'The Wuj' heart-felt recollection on Roger Zelazny I miss him myself...

2003-07-22T10:22:00.000-04:00

Ravings of a Textual Deviant: July 2003 Archives new game :: making words make sense

2003-07-22T09:16:00.000-04:00

IMC: Royal Family Names, Shadow identities The habit of describing the royals in terms of their mother's line is implicit in the canon. It works so well that only when shadow pseudo-names are an issue do the more complex forms have any use. 'Barimen' is extremely rare in usage. I took the entire Rebma/Amber reversal as a 'bitter sense of humor' element contributed by Dworkin. So 'Barimen' is the

2003-07-21T14:35:00.000-04:00

Mysteries of Amber Section 18.7.1 :: Coral "If she could see with it, what might she behold?" "The clear, cold lines of eternity, I daresay. Beneath all Shadow. No mortal could bear it for too long." ---Suhuy replying to Merlin In the second Amber series, Zelazny introduces several younger Amberites, including the mysterious and impetuous Coral. In some ways, this is an element to stay away

2003-07-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

Mysteries of Amber section 31.3.1 :: Jasra Flora rose suddenly, her face contorted, the scented lavender sheet falling away as she drove a fist forward with surprising speed. "You bitch!" she cried. "Remember me?" The blow fell upon Jasra's jaw, and I barely managed to free Frakir in time to keep from being dragged backward with her into Luke's waiting arms. Both of them

2003-07-18T17:18:00.000-04:00

What would you call a forum about Amber, Trump, Photoshop and HTML tricks? GhostWheel's Tech Tips Tir-Na Nog'th Tricks Trump Markup Language immlass: I'm a touch envious... Funny tangent on Benedict I hope I'm not painting myself into a corner with this GA character.

2003-07-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

Roll the Bones GMs lament getting good response from players and offer tips

2003-07-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

GameWeeklyIdeaSharingHegemony Perverse Access Memory: WISH 56: Friends and Associates: "Do your characters have friends and associates who play a regular role in the game? What about henchmen and hirelings in the old D&D sense or Champions-style DNPCs? How does your group handle playing them? What sorts of things are they used for in the game? Is their influence good, bad, or indifferent?"My

2003-07-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

kate_nepveu: Second draft, Fantasy of Manners reading list :: "Fantasy of Manners reading list" must show this to my RFL, who will love it (tip from Ginger)

2003-07-17T15:23:00.000-04:00

Recent Reads :: (impressions) Dragon Charmer (thumbs down) :: technically grand, unusual perspective, not engrossing or brilliant per review blurbs part of a series I will not read based on this book Drinking Midnight Wine (thumbs up) :: warning :: Amazon has plot spoilers in their review clever and engaging, moves quickly to invest the reader

2003-07-17T13:39:00.000-04:00

Blog, Jvstin Style :: GM's who also play characters ...s'truth that an able GM is typecast as such quite quickly. Natural since every GM can support more Players. For those that find their fun and talent in choreographing a set of PCs--you can almost bet there will always be folks ready to play. It keeps GMs busy. --but I am invested in playing these characters: Bhangbadea of Ersia Naturaelusus,

2003-07-17T09:50:00.000-04:00

Bête Noire damn fine updates I'm playing dead! (tee hee)

2003-07-16T11:50:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: "Watchmen Faithfully Adapted"

2003-07-16T11:49:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: Mitch Pileggi ...who spent nearly a decade playing Assistant FBI Director Walter Skinner on The X-Files, told SCI FI Wire that he's returning to series TV this fall in The WB's Tarzan

2003-07-15T21:29:00.000-04:00

Erick Wujcik's Homepage cool pics of Hong Kong

2003-07-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

Phage Press - Home Page years in the making

2003-07-15T15:34:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: Angel :: casting spoilers

2003-07-15T15:32:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Wire :: Travis Fimmel :: Tarzan in New York