[Open Thread] Starting a Secular order of Knights

Ours will be an order of Academia, Philosophers, Scientists, and People of Learning. We shall be an Order of people who wish to see joy and wonder in the world while understanding the glory and awesomeness of the laws of Nature, those data that have lead us to understand Nature, and respect for the orders and laws of the Physical World. We shall live and thrive without those Laws and Rules and Societies that have limited those that have come before us.

We are an order rooted in Ethics.

We are an order rooted in Liberty.

We are an order rooted in Joy.

We are Ethical Hedonists.

And to find Joy where there is Pain, where there is Suffering, we maintain strength through comedy and awareness. We help those we can, we reach out to those that need us, and we support each other. We support ourselves.

We are The Order of Sarcastic Scribes.

So who wants to be a TOSSer?

[Open Thread] Foggy Today

I can’t focus on my writing today, so let’s talk about things.

In fact, I’ve got something we can talk about.

Yesterday, I posted something that said “Let’s take it back” a few times. It was pointed out to me last night that this can be misconstrued as pushing marginalized groups to do things they don’t want to do, to participate in communities and do work they’re not interested in.

That’s not all a message I want to send. To those writers and artists, however, that want to do the work – I want to work with you. I don’t want to shame those that want to opt out, but instead to throw my energy into helping to lead the way toward integrating all of the narratives that exclude you, and us.

I think there is one set of narratives that oppressed groups can’t ignore, though. Those are the political and social narratives that dominate our national and international conversations. The narratives made up of crazy liberals and tax and spend radicals. The narratives that demonize us and marginalize us further by turning us into The Enemy and devaluing our voices. These narratives need to be taken back by everyone. We need to learn to speak their stories so we can fight them.

Now, what can we do about all or any of this?

Is there a genre or a style of storytelling that you wish was integrated but it’s to exhausting to fight for?

[Open Thread] Kickstarter Drafting

I’m working on a draft for a Kickstarter for the boardgame concept I recently posted about. Partly so that I can generate money to work on it, partly so I can find an artist, and partly so I can find out if anyone else is interested in working on the idea with me.

Part of why I want to find a nice, small team (an artist that doesn’t mind doing a lot of drawing and another mechanic designer) is so we can knock this out quickly and get it going. I’m kind of in a situation where I need to find a way to generate income pretty quickly that isn’t dependent on unemployment insurance, so. Yeah.

I also want to do this quickly so that I can get the essential mechanics out of the way. I’ve got an idea for doing expansions and new versions using different tropes and structures not long after the first game comes out. The reward levels for the Kickstarter would include some of these expansions at different levels (one level will include the first expansion when it’s ready to print, another level is also going to include the next version of the game when it’s ready). I think. Still have to work out this one.

Part of this discussion, as well, is me looking for advice on what levels to offer for the Kickstarter and the kind of things to throw in as incentives. So, if you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them. Especially since until I get the essential mechanics hammered out I don’t even know how to assess printing costs. I can say one thing, though – it’ll mostly be a box full of cards and tiles.

So, what are your ideas, opinions, and expectations? Would you chip in for the game?

[Open Thread] Let’s Chat…Again!

So I’m having a damnable time writing anything. Yesterday I spent most of the day working on a framework for a boardgame I might set up a Kickstarter for, if I can get the base mechanics worked out and find an artist who wants to work on it. Today I’m fomenting a rant on class and the problems of living just above homelessness (and the huge gap between those who can easily take advantage of public assistance and those who don’t need the public assistance – populated mostly by people who make too much to get help but not enough to do it themselves). I’m also working on ideas for the Victorian scientist-superheros, the steampunk sports story, Out of Thyme, Notes from the Abyss P2, and The First and Forgotten Hero. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to focus in almost a week on any of my stories. So, I can’t really write anything. :\

I was recently linked on Skepchick, though, which is really awesome. Makes me feel like I’m doing a good job with my rants!

So, tell me what’s going on with you, tell me what you’d like to see from me, and tell me about who unfair all of this is.

[Open Thread] Tell Me What’s Wrong

I’ve had a mixed day. Wonderful person to wake up next to, kind of awful followup after waking up, and looking forward to a good night. Hopefully some of the things that seemed to go wrong this morning will get patched quickly but I can never tell with these things. I’m terrible at people.

Tell me what’s going on in your life, though. Or, if you’d rather, suggest things to make my life better. Either way, this is a hate in. Let’s hate.

[Open Thread] Greatest Villain!

In the annals of evil, throughout all the books and movies, songs and shows that you have consumed, who is the greatest of all evils? What villain has stood apart from the others as the most vile?

It could be Saruman, it could be Torak, it could be Sidius, but it’s gotta be somebody.

[Open Thread] Combat. Bloody, Determined Combat

Let’s talk combat. Specifically, weaponry and tactics. I’ve got a fair amount of academic experience with medieval weaponry. Or, rather, hand to hand and limited ranged and siege weaponry through the Enlightenment when the Smallsword practically killed the rapier. I love to talk about it, I even enjoy talking about newer stuff a little. The form, function, the fatal systems and fine details.

Let’s talk about combat.

[Open Thread] I think I might do this every Saturday until I have a crazy fanbase

Today I’d like to ask you about the stories that you keep sacred from your childhood. I don’t care if you bring them from religion, bring them from storybooks, movies, or even old songs. Just tell me those things that first explained what heroes and villains are to you. Tell me about those stories that laid the foundation for your love of reading today.

This is Totally Against my Post Rules But… [Open Thread]

I’m curious how many people out there that run into this blog are RPG players. Not console or computer RPGs (which I enjoy, mind you, and I’d love to discuss them with anyone at some point) but I’m talking about table top RPGs. Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, Vampire the Masquerade (or any of the Creature the Verb White Wolf games, the two Mage games being my favorites), Burning Wheel, Legend of the Five Rings, Cyberpunk/2020, Shadowrun, Rifts/Palladium etc…any of these things.

I’m asking because I’m considering doing an OGL product, a rulebook, that jokes about one of the earliest problematic and racist books from D&D history. Just about everyone I know that has played since at least AD&D remembers just how, well, racist Oriental Adventures felt. It’s a classic example of exoticism and racial worship at the most common target for these things – Asia.

I, too, will admit I once idolized Japanese culture. No longer, though I do have a deep love for it in general from that period in my life.

As a bit of a backhanded homage to that, and a way of having fun with D&D, the d20 system, and privilege in general, I want to write an RPG manual for adventures in the savage and inesecapable West called “Occidental Adventures.” It’d include all the rules for playing as well as notes where it’s different from its (nonexistent) parent system. I’m considering naming the parent system after two things that are alliterative and part of classic fantasy and mythical discussions of somewhere in Asia. I’m not sure where yet, but it’d have to be deserving of being the “Imperial power” in this little cultural in-joke.

I’m sure this is offensive to someone and, if so, I’m sorry. But I’d love to write a description of the exotic and noble Knight. 

So, let’s chat about it.