tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109562392024-02-28T21:12:38.600-06:00Behind the Pallid MaskA journal and collection of writings influenced by my dreams, The Cthulhu Mythos, and the Mythology of Hastur. Constructive comments are appreciated. Please post a comment if you plan to use any ideas you found here; I like to know I've been useful.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-68337628731745097242010-02-22T09:35:00.002-06:002010-02-22T09:38:52.626-06:00Meditative VisionOver the weekend I attended a Yoga & Guided Meditation class. It was very nice and relaxing. During the meditation section, I really let my mind wander, blank and empty. It was like being in a light, dream-filled, sleep. And in that sleep I had a "vision" - nothing Earth-shaking. It was just a nice little image that felt relaxing and well-suited to the kind of meditation we were doing.<br /><br />Against the backdrop of a dark bamboo forest at night, a low stone wall rested against a hill. Leaning against the cool stone was a small black and white panda, gazing longingly at the bright grey-white moon in the black starlit sky.<br /><br />Like I said, it was a short, brief, image, but very relaxing.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-85206139372330439892009-09-18T10:21:00.003-05:002009-09-18T10:30:40.675-05:00Dread Zombie follow-upAfter talking with my players and getting feedback, I realized the truth in the statement "you are your own harshest critic."<br /><br />I thought I didn't do a great job giving everyone spotlight time. They seemed to disagree. Most felt like they got enough time to shine and have their character do stuff.<br /><br />I thought I "shot down" player ideas. They disagreed. Example: a player attempted to leave by the back door. I said that "They" parked a truck in front of it so you can't get out. I wanted to give her something, though, for her effort, rather than just "No you can't go that way" so I threw a clue in the form of overhearing some plans. Afterwards I felt like the clue was too small/lame. She disagreed. "As a player, I didn't expect to get out." And she felt the clue wasn't lame.<br /><br />I thought the plot seemed slapdash and incoherent. They liked it and were able to follow it. Though they agreed that at times it felt like they were going in circles.<br /><br />So... overall I'm not going to improve my game's grade (which I gave a B+), but I am going to feel happier about it. It was fun. And that, after all, is the most important part.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-73644688803003113742009-09-16T20:54:00.003-05:002009-09-16T21:08:06.443-05:00That was ... interestingJust got home from the Zombie game of Dread I mentioned in the previous post. Now I'm trying to figure out if it was a wreck or a success.<br /><br />First, the most important question: Did I have fun? Yes. I did. Most of the time.<br />Second, did the players have fun? Yes. I think so.<br /><br />Cons:<br />- Half-n-half doesn't work.<br />I wanted to run an improvised game, but was too nervous to fully commit to said improv game, so I prepared notes and clues and scenes and stuff. But since I didn't want to prepare too much, I only half-prepared. Important lesson: half way between improvised and prepared is a dangerously non-committal game which confuses both players and GMs.<br /><br />- Silliness.<br />I wanted to run a more serious game with players more invested in their characters' fates and personal stories. I would say this only succeed at about 33%. Only about a third of the time did I feel like I go to make good use of interesting character quirks, draw out intercharacter relationships, or create clues or scenes based on the characters. I will in no way place blame for this on my players.<br /><br />I gave each player a few scraps of paper and they occasionally passed me notes, and I passed them notes. In a couple of instances players passed me "hey this would be cool for my character" notes or took me aside to tell me them secretly. Actually, these worked out pretty well. The problem was that I didn't feel like I, as GM, did enough to encourage this and to make sure every player got an opportunity. At least one player got left out of the spotlight the whole game. Sorry, Allie. That was my bad.<br /><br />- Ran out of ideas<br />Towards the end I really started to run out of ideas and felt like I was making the players pull for things that were silly. I also felt like my default "I can't think of anything" solution was "hey look, a zombie!" It felt too cheezy after a while.<br /><br />Pros:<br />- The players (thankfully) acquiesced to my story premise: you are locked in the building with the zombies and a "clean up crew" is on the way.<br /><br />- We all seemed to enjoy stealing classic zombie tropes<br />Someone was already bitten. Someone had been part of top-secret experiments before. There was the classic stereotypical lab. We had some great ripped-from-the-slasher-flicks characters. It was lots of fun.<br /><br />- The End!<br />Even though a split party proved a challenge for me, it ended well. One group escaped by helicopter (first character death of the game was a Heroic Sacrifice to take a bullet for the chopper pilot). The other group descended into the secret basement labs, then the sewers.<br /><br />In the sewers the climactic moment was a series of inter-player conflicts (bid a number of pulls, highest bidder wins, but has to make those pulls) in which one character shot at another (missed), then was attacked by a third character (and died), while the fourth character tried to steal the stolen data and escape (and got shot by the dying first player)!<br /><br />Overall:<br />I think I'm going to chalk this one in the "Win" column. I had fun. I'm pretty sure my players had fun. There were some rough spots, but we pulled through. It was silly, but in a campy zombie-flick sort of way. And the mistrust between characters, the paranoia, was palpable and resulted in great end-story conflicts.<br /><br />If I had to give it a letter grade? B+. Solid effort, clearly there's something there. With a little refinement, a better hold on the reigns, and a clear decision between full improv or full preprepared, this could easily be a solid A game.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-47779583292830309462009-09-16T16:24:00.004-05:002009-09-16T21:08:21.595-05:00Tower Corp: a game of Dread<a href="http://www.tiltingatwindmills.net/dread/index.html">Dread</a> has to be one of my favorite RPGs. Ever. It does survival horror PERFECTLY. But that's for another post.<br /><br />Right now I have about 30 minutes until I'm going to run a game of Dread and I am nervous as hell! I'm not normally a nervous GM for RPGs. But this time I am trying two very dangerous things:<br /><br />1. I'm trying to keep the game largely improvised. That means planning less. That means a scary feeling of no control.<br />2. I'm running a Zombie plot. Zombie plots tend to be fairly open-ended. And the last time I ran a zombie plot the game felt like a failure (I didn't have fun and from my point of view the players looked bored).<br /><br />I am terrified and excited and eager for and dreading this game.<br /><br />Here's hoping it works.<br /><br />The basic premise:<br />The players are all employees of Tower Corp. After working late one night they are about to leave when suddenly a strange man (zombie) attacks one of them. The well-meaning security guard insists that everyone stay put until an ambulance and the police arrive. But instead of the police/ambulance, a team of pseudo-CDC types arrives and locks down the building.<br /><br />They say that a CDC Incident Evaluation Team is on the way, but that's a lie: it's really a "clean up" team who are there to eliminate any witnesses or traces of infection.... with extreme prejudice.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the players will have to deal with zombies and each other. Hopefully they'll want to investigate the cause/source of the zombies and find it in their workplace.<br /><br />Dear lord I hope my players are willing to take as many chances as I feel like I'm taking with this.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-67892275483072190672009-08-28T15:33:00.001-05:002009-08-28T15:35:23.957-05:00Vacation Photo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyK68hG59InYE02Hu27lYt9XHOzTULe3oleTE_Eqxm_RT3aHXLaaEx3A4dJBaRGpXCCppRby6ZgCH11MLMnHR70YNNcj-oZo_hB0G20Vp9CoysjYj-jy5zFYclAHt9unflKSkVg/s1600-h/Valley3d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyK68hG59InYE02Hu27lYt9XHOzTULe3oleTE_Eqxm_RT3aHXLaaEx3A4dJBaRGpXCCppRby6ZgCH11MLMnHR70YNNcj-oZo_hB0G20Vp9CoysjYj-jy5zFYclAHt9unflKSkVg/s320/Valley3d.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375115705019729490" /></a><br />Here's a stereogram photo I took while in Glacier National Park. I sometimes stare at it when I need a brief moment of relaxation. That was, I think, one of the most beautiful scenes I saw in the park.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-22962616622891493572009-08-20T09:01:00.003-05:002009-08-20T09:09:33.877-05:00Happy Birthday HPLIt's been a while since I posted, and the 109th celebration of the birth of my favorite author, HP Lovecraft, is as good a reason to write as any I can think of.<br /><br />Rather than expound on how Lovecraft has introduced me to many other authors (some because he influenced them, others because they influenced him), I thought I would post two (semi-self-promoting) links.<br /><br />The first is a link to a radio drama version of "The Statement of Randolph Carter" in which I played the title character. I highly recommend listening to the other episodes of The Cthulhu podcast, since they are all excellent, and provide great historical insight as well as good stories.<br /><br /><a href="http://cthulhupodcast.blogspot.com/2008/04/04-statment-of-randolph-carter.html">The Statement of Randolph Carter</a><br /><a href="http://cthulhupodcast.blogspot.com/">the Cthulhu podcast</a><br /><br />The second link is to a "choose your own adventure" style story I wrote for Pelgrane Press. My main inspiration for the format comes from the solo adventure books from Chaosium like "Alone against the Wendigo." Please please please tell the folks at Pelgrane Press if you like the story. And if you think the story could use work: please tell me! I would love to get feedback on my writing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pelgranepress.com/site/?page_id=70">The Invitation, a pick a path adventure for Trail of Cthulhu</a><br /><br />Looking forward to hearing what you thought of my contributions to the mass of Lovecraftian content out there.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-17397445401326909842009-07-06T08:18:00.002-05:002009-07-06T08:50:28.482-05:00Dream, night of July 5I worked at a very high class business and lived in the same skyscraper. One night when I returned to my loft, there were people waiting for me that I did not recognize. They had a strange aura about them, but it wasn't until they showed me something that I realized they were not of our world.<br /><br />The next scene that I remember is standing on a beach just outside of the city, looking back at the skyline. There, floating above the city, were the aliens' spaceships: titanic hovering boxes of varying sizes. Some were long and narrow, others wide and tall. In all they gave the impression of a surreal cloudscape.<br /><br />When I turned back to the beach, I saw one of the alien craft had landed in the sand. Rather than the smooth sides that I expected, the surface was covered by numerous small doors. Overcome by curiosity I began to open the doors and saw that each door opened on a deep, narrow compartment set into the cube. The depth of each chamber should have caused them to overlap and intersect, but the alien physics were such that they seemed to ignore this rule of physical space.<br /><br />A crowd gathered and some began to explore the cube as well. No one could understand the purpose of the cube or the chambers built into it. The mystery grew as reports came in from around the world that other, similar, cubes had appeared.<br /><br />Near me a man exclaimed excitedly that he had determined the purpose of the chambers and the cube. Each chamber was meant as a storage locker. The bottom of the locker was a sliding platform. I was struck by the similarity to the body lockers found in morgues.<br /><br />The world descended into tumultuous debate. Many people wanted to cooperate with the unspoken alien demands: to volunteer themselves for storage in these cubes. Others wanted to carefully select the sample of humanity that would enter the cube. Still others weren't convinced that the lockers were meant for living inhabitants, that instead inanimate artifacts of humanity should be included or substituted.<br /><br />In the end I remember either volunteering or being selected. But I don't remember if I went into one of the chambers or what happened thereafter.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-30606009996496847952009-04-06T20:53:00.003-05:002009-04-06T20:56:08.602-05:00Behind? I don't mindI'm definitely feeling some pressure to keep pace to succeed at <a href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org">Script Frenzy</a>. I'm at 16 pages as I sit down to write tonight. If I'm to stay on my self-appointed pace of 4 pages/day, I need to cram four in tonight. Doable.<br /><br />I'm a little anxious, but really enjoying this challenge. Much more than NaNoWriMo. In fact, after this, I may try to adapt another story into an audio drama... and then try to record it!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-36208167968144950362009-04-03T11:39:00.003-05:002009-04-06T20:56:26.648-05:00Spreading the Love(craft)A coworker who I thought was pretty "normal" (ie. not interested in nerdy things like discussions of how to survive the zombie apocalypse) recently revealed that she is, indeed, a bit nerdy. In fact, she did this by commenting on my copy of the Zombie Survival Guide that waits on my desk in case of emergency, and starting up a conversation about how to survive the zombie apocalypse.<br /><br />A couple days ago she asked if I knew the name of that one author... she'd heard him recommended as a good horror writer, but couldn't remember the name. He wrote like weird stories or something. Like Cthulhu or something like that?<br /><br />LOVECRAFT!<br /><br />So, I just finished typing up an email and sending it off to her so she can dabble in HPL. Hopefully I suggested some good ones to cut her teeth on and not get turned off by Howie's occasionally archaic writing.<br /><br />Here's the list I sent:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">My Favorites</span> (in no particular order)<br />Pickman's Model - nice quick short story, super creepy, and the ending is great<br />The Rats in the Walls - man moves into his family's ancestral estate, discovers rats in the walls and ...<br />The Statement of Randolph Carter - This is a good one, too. I also did an audio drama version of it with some internet friends, but you have to find that on your own if you want to embarrass me by listening to it ;-)<br />The Cats of Ulthar - be nice to cats ... or else!<br />Herbert West: Reanimator - HPL's spoof of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (which he did not think very highly of). There's also a super super cheesy 1980's movie adaptation of this story, but it's not that great.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Canonical works</span> - these are ones true devotees and Lovecraft scholars insist are the best examples of his work.<br />The Call of Cthulhu - considered by many to be the epitomy of Lovecraft's work. It's a good story, but not my absolute favorite<br />Dagon - quick story, has a great ending that always gives me chills<br />Nyarlathotep - very bizarre. Like many stories, based off of Lovecraft's dreams<br />The Shadow Over Innsmouth - Longer story, but pretty good<br />The Dunwich Horror - don't tell the Lovecraft people I haven't read this one yet!<br />At the Mountains of Madness - a novella and kind of a long read. It's a great antarctic horror story full of mystery, exploration, and bizarre horror. I'd only recommend this one if you read</blockquote><br /><br />It's exciting to be able to share my favorite author with someone.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-70551244632499287202009-03-16T21:09:00.004-05:002009-04-06T20:56:39.476-05:00Session 2Mostly thoughts about GMing an improv game and the nature of <span style="font-weight:bold;">The Armitage Files</span> as such.<br /><br />To summarize Kyle's input, I'm running the game both too "sandboxy" and at the same time not "sandboxy" enough. Basically, I need to either give the players a lot more leeway, and run with what they do, or I need to more clearly define the boundaries of the plotline.<br /><br />How to do that?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bold</span> and __Underline__ and Highlight the major clues and important scenes.<br /><br />Examples:<br />Jamie talking to Dr. Clever at the circus - Dr. Clever didn't have information about the topic Jamie was asking about, but he does have other sinister secrets. But I was too wishy-washy through the interaction.<br /><br />Interrogation of Olaf Olson - there had been fairly strong build-up to this encounter, but the information offered didn't satisfy. Not in a "oh I guess he's not the guy" sort of lack of satisfaction, but more like "The information we did and didn't get, didn't live up to the build." Olaf was supposed to point to the Circus, but I dropped that clue in small type amidst a long list of non-information, dead ends, and little clues. Without the bold highlight, the Circus didn't seem that important.<br /><br />Something the Armitage Files is missing: Advice on running an improvised campaign or scenario.<br /><br />Armitage Files does offer a scenario spine worksheet, but doesn't develop that thoroughly enough for Keepers not experienced with running improv or freestyle-like games. I think The Armitage Files would do well to include an article along the lines of <a href="http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/three-clue-rule.html">The Three Clue Rule</a>.<br /><br />I really think that I'm starting to learn that I need to have a solid story idea in mind in order to feel satisfied when running a game. Perhaps that's just my inexperience with improvised gaming. <span style="font-style:italic;">Although...</span><br /><br />I think what I did after Session 1, I should have done <span style="font-style:italic;">before</span> Session 1. I think, instead of making cards for <span style="font-style:italic;">every</span> entry, I should have made cards for the entries that I wanted to be important, with notes about the important clue elements. That way, if something wasn't important to the story, I could just gloss over it, and in the meantime, the important stuff would be well prepared, and that would serve to boldify, underline, and highlight the relevant clues.<br /><br />It would seem that it takes <span style="font-weight:bold;">MORE</span> work to prepare an improvised game than a pre-written one. I'd have to try running another improv game or two in order to find out for sure. We'll see...<br /><br />The lesson from this session:<br /><br />Identify the Major Clues ahead of time, and when they are encountered, put them in BOLD BRASH TEXT. Minor clues, red herrings, and dead ends, should be in regular text or at least clearly defined as alternative plot-lines not necessarily leading to the Grand Conclusion.<br /><br />But the most important question...Did I have fun?<br /><br />Yes. Lots.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-36806641491932808022009-03-09T22:11:00.004-05:002009-03-10T08:01:31.906-05:00Armitage Files - Playtesting Session 1I think this session went very well. I had a lot of fun, and my players did too. We went in and out of humor, but when the in-game goings-on got intense or suspenseful, the mood was appropriate.<br /><br />Generalities out of the way, here's some details on how I felt about things:<br />1. I felt less prepared than I would have liked. This is partly due to the nature of how I am going to run the campaign: improvised. I have not run a lot of fully improvised games before (one - as a play-by-post). I was not sure how to prepare, and so I decided on reading and rereading the MANY entries for people, places, and things in the campaign material.<br />1.a. I made awesome notecards (see below) by typing up very short notes about some of the entries (the ones most likely to be encountered in the first session) and attaching them to old Call of Cthulhu:CCG cards.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMGLrymAx3ED8sZb1vsiNA-PyZNbc47EV_ZUt8lSBNrvcwD9qtwfBpYx-OHTT4tqfO18ryfKcMk_l_3MKfm8sHKNXFwFSKOVAAmutzMk8G-2AJNiyzlhtmPdWfNtvcqZk2iqpLg/s1600-h/notes02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMGLrymAx3ED8sZb1vsiNA-PyZNbc47EV_ZUt8lSBNrvcwD9qtwfBpYx-OHTT4tqfO18ryfKcMk_l_3MKfm8sHKNXFwFSKOVAAmutzMk8G-2AJNiyzlhtmPdWfNtvcqZk2iqpLg/s320/notes02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311397152295411394" /></a><br />1.b. I think those worked out really well, but for the rest of the cards I may try to add more info and leave room for adding notes during play.<br /><br />2. The material. I feel like there is a lot going on in the first two documents. There are some leads mentioned in passing in the documents that my players picked up on that are not covered in the corresponding document keys (Document 1 examples: the Hornets, the Red Box). This contributed to my sense of under preparation, since I hadn't readied that material.<br />2.a. I used Olaf Olson's sinister mode. Wasn't sure how to deal with him at the military base. I think I may have mishandled that. Redo? I would have said the military had no record of him, since it hadn't happened yet, and tried to hint later that he wanted to join the military to better/redeem himself?<br /><br />3. Future plotting. I'm a little nervous about keeping all the details and plot-lines straight. I have audio from the game to review, so that will help. Though I'm a little nervous about maintaining a clear progression.<br /><br />4. This should have been #1. LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO HAND OUT THE DOCUMENTS AHEAD OF TIME!!! This ate up a TON of time and dragged everything down in terms of pacing. Either send it ahead of time (Note to Simon: include with purchase of game .pdf handouts for the documents) or bring multiple copies to the game (Note to Simon: layout the documents so there are not two documents on the same page. ie. use page breaks).<br /><br />5. The material is excellent, and I can definitely see myself running the same material through a completely different lens and getting another wonderful story. I hope I get the opportunity to!!<br /><br />-----<br />Notes added during/after listening to game audio.<br /><br />Document 1 - The players all felt that the document was very rambling and incoherent (it is! it's supposed to be). But they felt that it was very difficult to weed out the useful/relevant information. I suspect that this problem would be alleviated or minimized by giving the players the documents ahead of time, thus giving them more time to absorb and filter.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-38102678729384561312008-11-01T10:15:00.004-05:002009-04-06T20:57:04.794-05:00ProcrastinatingIt's Nov 1. Time to start on NaNoWriMo. Which, of course, means, it's time to procrastinate. Why? Because starting on a project like this is scary. Not scary like monsters and tests you didn't study for. But scary because I have to pick ONE projects and carry it through for a whole month!<br /><br />My situation right now is: I can either choose a project that I've been thinking about for a while, or start a whole new project that I know nothing about.<br /><br />Advantages of project 1: The Known World.<br />1. I already have ideas. So in theory it should be easy to develop those into 50k words.<br />2. It's something I've told someone else about already, and they said "cool." So that provides some additional motivation.<br /><br />Disadvantages of project 1:<br />1. I've had long enough to think about it for it to turn into one of those "pet projects" that has to turn out just so or I won't be happy.<br />2. It's a "collection" idea. A collection of short stories. So in theory it's a bunch of ideas that I would have to work on instead of just one.<br /><br />Advantages of project 2:<br />1. Clean slate, with plenty of opportunity for inspiration.<br />2. No connections to other projects. No pre-set expectation levels.<br /><br />Disadvantages of project 2:<br />1. I just did a couple of 30-minute test-writes that yielded some great material. But they were all done before Nov 1, so I can't use those words.* I feel like I used up my good ideas.<br />2. I feel an attachment to project 1, and want it to happen.<br /><br />So here's what I'm thinking:<br />Project 1 has too much emotional attachment. Even though Project 2 has the scariness of a new project, I think Project 1 has too much risk. So I'll try project 2.<br /><br />Now I just need an idea.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-40777994882197287692008-10-29T14:24:00.003-05:002009-04-06T20:57:39.339-05:0030 minutes, uneditedI'm going to write for 30 minutes and see what comes out. I had an idea on the way over to the coffee shop, and we'll see what I can make of it.<br /><br />"Hello Margaret."<br /><br />"It's Maggie. I've told you that a hundred times. Honestly, professor, I think you do it just to piss me off."<br /><br />"Margaret, I would never do anything to anger you!" He replied with a rye smile.<br /><br />"The usual?" She asked. I guess I should have said a dry smile. He'll have a rye smile after that shot. And the next. Honestly, I don't know why he buys the cheap stuff. It's not like money's an issue.<br /><br />I've seen this guy in here every Friday night for the past year. Well, almost a year. I only moved here ten months ago. Whatever. I got nothing against regulars. If I did, I'd be a hypocrite, wouldn't I? Now, I don't fault the guy for ordering the same thing every time, either. I just don't see why a guy who comes in wearing a brand new several-hundred-dollar suit orders the cheap stuff.<br /><br />"So, how's things, professor?" She leans over the bar, her ample frame causing the old wood to sag imperceptibly.<br /><br />"Well damn it Margaret, I need a good librarian and I can't find one anywhere!"<br /><br />My ears perk up as if someone lit a Q-tip on fire. Maggie knows I'm studying to become a librarian. She also knows I'm out of a job. She's got to point him my way, but I don't know if I want her to. I mean, I'm only half a pint away from being soused. Shit. I try to straighten my collar, but he's already headed over to my lonely corner table.<br /><br />"Excuse me, sir, but are you Aaron?" The 'professor's' breath reeks of cheap rye whiskey. He's got a low-ball glass of the stuff filled to the brim with one thin token ice chip in it so he can call it "on the rocks."<br /><br />"Yes. I am." I respond, trying not to look like I've been slouching over beer after beer for the past three hours.<br /><br />"I uh... Well... Let me introduce myself. My name is Professor Charles Wade." I lift my hand to shake his extended wrinkled hand. I feel like there's a lead weight on the end of my wrist and his grip is like the blacksmith's forge. I pull back sharply, then force a chuckle, hoping I didn't offend him.<br /><br />"Well, in any case, it's a pleasure to meet you." He continued. "Margaret kindly directed me to you in response to an inquiry I have. You see..."<br /><br />He's still talking, but I can barely hear him. The beer is roaring between my ears, and the juke box just kicked in, blaring god knows what over the speakers. The background din slowly fades as the professor leans in and talks at me, inches from my face.<br /><br />"...for a book that no other librarian seems to recognize. But Margaret said you are a little more familiar with things that others are not. That is, your expertise lies in areas not usually pursued by those in the library profession."<br /><br />Oh geez. What did Maggie tell this weirdo? I pulled over a chair from the next table and offered the professor a seat.<br /><br />"Look, uh..."<br /><br />"You can call me Charles."<br /><br />"Look, Charles, I don't know what Maggie told you, but I'm not a librarian. I'm still in school studying librarianship. I've got two years left of school before I can get a job just putting books back on the shelf. If you're looking for a lib--"<br /><br />When he pulled out that drawing it was like he sucker-punched me in the gut. All my breath left me. My vision narrowed. All I could see was his crumpled napkin stained with spilled whiskey and feathering, bleeding, black ink. He read my reaction like a book.<br /><br />"You understand now why I need you and not any other librarian."<br /><br />"No. No I don't understand. You don't need me. You need someone who specializes in tracking down rare and out of print books. Have you tried the web? No wait. You don't need that. What you need is someone who can find books that don't exist. That and a good shrink."<br /><br />I slammed the rest of my beer and instantly regretted it. The bolus, too large for my throat, made me ache for minutes afterward.<br /><br />"No. Wait." I lurched forward, snatching the napkin from him. "I'll... I'll see what I can do."<br /><br />He smiled. Yellow. That was his smile. All yellow. Gums: yellow. Teeth: yellow. Dear god even his tongue looked yellow. Maybe it was the light. Maybe it was the booze. Maybe I should've called it quits an hour ago. Gone home before this guy ever walked in.<br /><br />He handed me a small card. Printed in embossed black ink on an ivory stock was written "Professor Charles Wade, esoteric philosophy, antiquarian. 10 West Road."<br /><br />Shit. I looked up from his card as I fumbled it into my pocket. Shit. Why was I letting this deranged old man fill my head with wacky ideas. He didn't know me. I didn't know him. Why should I listen to anything he had to say? He reached for the napkin on the table again.<br /><br />"Wait. Ok. So you want me to look for some weird book. What am I supposed to be looking for?"<br /><br />"It's a journal. A diary. You are familiar with Honoré Fragonard?"<br /><br />I nodded. "The erotic painter or his... "artistic" cousin, the anatomist?"<br /><br />"The latter. You see, no one has ever been able to exactly duplicate his methods. Certainly we have more efficient and easier ways of preserving specimens now. But there is a certain... how shall I put this? There is a certain charm to his methods that is lost in the cold science of today."<br /><br />"So you want me to dig up this guy's scientific journals so you can recreate what he did?"<br /><br />"Exactly!" He took a victorious swig of whiskey as if I had just handed him the diaries he wanted.<br /><br />"Well, it's not that easy, friend. First off, this guy lived in, what, the 18th century? Next, there are historians, scientists, biographers, and god knows who else, with access to inexhaustible resources, who haven't found these papers yet. What makes you think I stand a chance at finding what hundreds of other people, better trained people, haven't been able to find in over 200 years?"<br /><br />"This." He slipped a well-worn manilla envelope across the table.<br /><br />I eyed him suspiciously. He clearly didn't think this was any sort of clandestine operation. I mean, he just handed me his trump card in the middle of a crowded, if poorly-lit, bar in Uptown. I lifted the flap, watching him for a reaction. I didn't get one.<br /><br />"Look. At least buy me a beer, man."<br /><br />He stood up and walked off to the bar. No doubt to buy me the cheapest swill on tap. I quickly snatched the napkin and jammed it into my pocket. No way I was letting that out of my sight.<br /><br />Bastard probably had another one or the original copy. He was probably stupid enough to have it with him. Probably in one of the pockets of that tweed jacket. I could get friendly, offer to walk him out of the bar, lead him quietly to the back alley and jump him. Take whatever he had with him. Drawings, sketches, money. I needed money, but not that bad. And whatever this guy had on him wasn't going to be anything I could sell. Even if there were a buyer, I'd never trust anyone who'd want to buy... this.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-5049801363907597472008-09-25T14:42:00.002-05:002008-09-25T14:47:14.693-05:00Prep for NaNoWriMoIn preparation for National Novel Writing Month, I thought I'd see how many words I could write in a half hour, without really having an idea of what I was going to write until I started writing.<br /><br />The answer? 923 words written in a half hour of my lunch break. "Exuberant Imperfection" was the goal. Write quick, dirty, and without self-editing or censoring. Simply write. For quantity, not quality. I think I hit the backspace button only a few times, moved one set of words a half-sentence forward to make more sense. But other than that, this is the final, raw product. Enjoy.<br /><br />------<br />“This is a test. This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency . . .”<br /><br />“We’d all be dead already,” Jeff grumbled. His chair groaned as he leaned back and thudded his feet on top of his desk. The blinking red light just above the monitor reminded him to flick off the security switch and deactivate the alarm test.<br /><br />Meanwhile images of people trudging back into the building danced across dozens of television screens. The closed circuit surveillance system was supposedly state of the art. When it was built. In 1976. But now there were more than a dozen “blind” sectors where the cameras existed only as obsolete wall-hangings.<br /><br />It’s not like a building like this actually needed all that security. Only twenty stories tall, and dwarfed by the neighboring skyscrapers, Maditech Inc. scarcely merited a security department as big as it had. Two dozen employees wore the navy blue and green uniform of a Maditech Security Specialist.<br /><br />“Bullshit.” Jeff spat as he punched a few keys and brought the image from monitor A1-G onto the big screen. There he could see in all their grainy, blurry, depravity, Lorna and Michael fucking in the bottom of stairwell A1. The maintenance storage closet.<br /><br />Michael was not an attractive man. Neither was Jeff, but at least Jeff was somewhat in shape. He wasn’t “ripped” but you could tell from looking at him that there was muscle under his bulk. Mike, on the other hand, looked like there was more bulk under his bulk.<br /><br />“Like a fucking soap opera.” Jeff laughed and reached for his walkie-talkie – another relic from 1976. “Steve, you wanna handle the lovebirds this time?”<br /><br />“Copy that. One cold shower coming up.” Buzzed back the voice on the radio.<br /><br />Seconds later, Jeff nearly fell out of his chair laughing, when the silver fire sprinklers drenched the illicit rendez-vous in a frigid downpour. He knew he’d probably have to file an incident report, and somehow gum up the sprinkler system in that section to make it look like an accident. But hell, a little monkey-work to pay for hilarity like this? “So worth it.” Jeff mouthed to himself.<br /><br />Maditech Inc. was founded in 1974 by John Thames. It quickly grew through the 1980’s manufacturing computer parts. In late 1990 it was bought out by a much larger company in California, and all production moved West. But the company headquarters remained in Minneapolis.<br /><br />Back in 1985, Maditech bought the building in which it currently houses it’s main operations. The higher-ups declined to do any sort of renovations on the building. Instead they renovated the company to fit the building.<br /><br />New departments were created. Old departments were gutted or split. Employees were promoted or demoted for no reason other than Maditech needed someone in the corner office on floor 15 and that department didn’t have anybody qualified for that kind of office.<br /><br />Michael Turning, wet and cold, was one of those promotions. He had worked in accounts receivable for only two months before the move. And when he got to the new office, he was surprised to see his name engraved on a brass plate on the plywood door to the large office on the 14th floor.<br /><br />Jeff, on the other hand, was one of the unexpected demotions. He had formerly been Head of Security for Maditech in their warehouse-like offices on the other side of town. When the company moved and Jeff got to the new building, he found a slew of new hires in his department. And not one veteran security specialist at Maditech outranked the new kids. That’s just what they were. The oldest among them was 25. And the seven new hires had a combined total experience in security of less than seven years.<br /><br />Jeff Storch was 38 when the company moved. He was pushing 60 now. These days he didn’t mind being a Security Specialist II. The pay was good. He had seniority, so he got to work the day shift. And the benefits package was staggering.<br /><br />He’d done the math. If he were injured on the job – nothing life-threatening even, just a broken arm – and couldn’t work for six weeks, he’d get the equivalent of three months’ pay. He’d only collected on that once, and he hadn’t even been injured.<br /><br /> In early May, 1998, when he was still working night shifts, Jeff had been making a sweep of the 16th floor before heading home for the night. He saw a light on in an office that should have been empty. He radioed for backup, not because he needed the help, but because he knew the other guys were probably so bored they’d appreciate the excitement. When Jeff threw open the door, Tommy and Greg rushed in.<br /><br />There, sitting behind Mrs. Swok’s desk, was a strange man dressed in a dull gray suit, smoking a cigarette and letting the ash fall all over the desk. The three guards approached the man and gently led him out the front door onto the street. For his part, the stranger was polite and friendly. He even offered the guys a cigarette.<br /><br />The next day, Jeff received a note in his mailbox. “Meet me in my office. – Dave Lorach”<br /><br />The meeting was brief. Jeff was told he’d been working exceptionally hard, and his commitment was appreciated. “We just want to make sure that you stay healthy, Jeff. We need you well-rested. You are officially on vacation for the week. When you return, your post will be waiting. With a pay raise.”Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-41624358153853539252008-08-11T19:11:00.003-05:002008-08-11T19:19:40.262-05:00Honoré FragonardInspired by the question <a href="http://yog-sothoth.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=141394#141394">"Where would your investigator look for information about ghouls?"</a> thread over at Yog-Sothoth.com, I was inspired to look up Honoré Fragonard again. I find the man fascinating and would love to get my hands on any sort of biographical information I can find. Unfortunately it seems there is very little. I think I may have to visit a medical library or similarly specialized library to find much.<br /><br />In the meantime, I have <a href="http://musee.vet-alfort.fr/Site_Fr/SFHMSV/SFHMSV_files/Textes/Activites/Bulletin/Txts_Bull/B1/Degueurce_B1.pdf">this biography</a> from the <a href="http://musee.vet-alfort.fr/">Honoré Fragonard Museum</a>. And there is the <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_Fragonard">French Wikipedia article</a> as well, which I have translated (roughly) for the aforementioned YSDC thread.<br /><br />What I find most fascinating is that he made his Écorchés not only for scientific purposes, but for artistic and entertainment and money! He sold many to aristocrats to help furnish their Curiosities Cabinets.<br /><br />And then when he tried to collect all of his works in one place he was foiled! People, both of science and the aristocracy, wanted them too much to see them displayed in a museum. So there are only 21 specimens that have survived at École National Vétérinaire d'Alfort, and one or two other at other museums and universities. But he made around 50 or more! Where are those other 30?Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-46077933254245591642008-07-14T18:21:00.003-05:002008-07-14T18:25:16.631-05:00Storytelling Assignment: Your Own StoryFor next session we are to write and prepare to tell a story of our own. It is supposed to be a story about us, featuring us, or a friend, a relative, a family story. I wonder if I could use one or some of my dad's stories about George the Squirrel. Probably not, since I'm supposed to write the story myself. But maybe I could do a story in the style of George? That's just one idea.<br /><br />Our professor gave us several prompts. Many of them sparked memories that would make for great stories, I think.<br /><br />I'll have to give this assignment some thought. There are so many possible stories about myself and others that I could tell, and I want to pick the best one.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-32452647696589800252008-07-10T17:35:00.004-05:002008-07-10T18:19:12.797-05:00Creative Writing Prompt #46Writing prompt #46: In 200 words, describe a hot day<br />(From <a href="http://creativewritingprompts.com/">http://creativewritingprompts.com/</a>)<br /><br /><strong>Attempt #1: fiction. 212 words.</strong><br />It’s the kind of heat that sticks to you like the tar softening in the streets. The humid, damp, soaking grip of Minnesota summer. Sure, it’s not as hot as summers further south, but like we say, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”<br /><br />But what I’m really thinking right now is who the hell gets married outside in this kind of weather? What bride says “I want to wilt in the sun front of my friends and family”? At least she gets to wear white – she doesn’t care if they talk – the groom is wearing a black wool suit. I don’t know if I pity him more for having to suffer through the heat or the years to come.<br /><br />Dark, solid, heavy rainclouds taunt us from the edge of the horizon. The relief that rain would bring is far away, and “just skirting around the metro area.” I hate weathermen. I swear if you just put them outside to do the forecast on days like this their pretty little plastic smiles would melt and drip down their face.<br /><br />It’s too hot to be this angry. I fan myself with the wedding program, dreaming of the indoor, open-bar, reception. “Two gin and tonics, please.” I can already tasty the icy pine tree.<br /><br /><strong>Attempt #2: embellished non-fiction. 203 words.</strong><br />We were gathered around the great bonfire in our full uniforms. Each Boy Scout adorned with his merit badge sash, proudly displaying his accomplishes. The ripples of the lake lapping at the shore just beyond the clearing were the only sounds. We, the newest initiates into the Order of the Arrow, had sworn ourselves to silence for the duration of our induction weekend. Now that weekend was coming to a close.<br /><br />Our fellow scouts, senior members of the Order, had taken on the traditional garb of American Indian tribes from our region and marched slowly past the many concentric rings of initiates towards the raging flames.<br /><br />My uniform clung to me tightly, stuck in place by the glue that was the sheets of sweat pouring out of my body after digging post holes and building fences in the blazing sun. As I stared into the fire I couldn’t help wondering what it felt like to pass out from heat stroke. What it would look like to others as I dropped to my knees. What it might feel like when my head started to spin and I barely managed to get my arms in front of my face before it collided with the ground.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-8701144560804710542008-07-09T12:25:00.005-05:002008-07-14T18:25:34.394-05:00Storytelling EssayI'm taking a storytelling course. For one of the assignments I need to write an essay. I need to brainstorm a bit, so I'll do it here.<br /><br />The topic of the essay is "storytelling" in the broadest sense. We can write on anything related to storytelling. I think I want to write about storytelling as it appears in my life.<br /><br />What does that mean? Well, storytelling mostly shows up in my life in two forms: jokes and RPGs. How do I turn that into an essay?<br /><br />I suppose I could compare telling stories to telling jokes. The selection, learning, and telling processes are pretty much identical. Jokes are (usually) just short stories with (hopefully) humorous punch lines as the endings. Each joke can be changed and retold in the teller's own way. There are good joke tellers and bad ones.<br /><br />RPGs are where it gets a little tougher for me. To me an RPG is a collaborative, participatory, storytelling or story performance event. The Game Master (GM) selects a story and learns it, then begins telling the story to the players. But as the game progresses control of the story and the role of storyteller passes to different people at different times.<br /><br />In some ways it is similar to when a Storyteller has audience members participate in the telling of a story. For example, in "Who's in Rabbit's House?" the storyteller can have several audience members take on the roles of the animals who come along to help Rabbit. In an RPG, the players are invited to take on the roles of characters in the story. However, there is a major difference. In "Who's in Rabbit's House" the participating audience members do not get to choose how their animals help, or decide that they don't want to help. In an RPG, the players and their characters have a much stronger and more direct impact on how the story develops and changes.<br /><br />Looking back two paragraphs I see a great essay thesis: “an RPG is a collaborative, participatory, storytelling or story performance event.” To make it a complete essay I should probably touch on topics like: how is it similar to and different than a “traditional” storytelling event? How can RPGs be used in story hours? What purpose can they serve?<br /><br />Hmm… do I really want to discuss the purpose of RPGs outside of entertainment?<br /><br />Where was I? Right… RPGs as collaborative storytelling.<br /><ul><li>Storytelling in my life = Jokes & Collaborative</li><ul><li>Jokes since a young age</li></ul><ul><ul><li>Family - witty, one-liners, groaners</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Earl - the story joke</li></ul></ul><ul><li>Collaborative Stories</li></ul><ul><ul><li>"Choose Your Own Adventure" with Dad</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Play/imagination</li></ul></ul><ul><li>RPGs</li></ul><li>Jokes as short tales</li><ul><li>Selection is the same: audience, language, content</li></ul><ul><li>Learning is the same: learn episodes, memorize only important phrases</li></ul><ul><li>Telling is the same: can be good/bad, make it your own</li></ul><li>RPGs as collaborative telling</li><ul><li>Selection is the same</li></ul><ul><li>Learning is the same</li></ul><ul><ul><li>Learn episodes, don't memorize - things will change</li></ul></ul><ul><li>Telling is similar with variations</li></ul><ul><ul><li>Similarities</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Set the mood, keep players interested</li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Can be formal, informal, telling, or performance</li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Need to plan for "event": ups, downs, tension and release, etc.</li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Differences</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Level of participation is greater in RPG</li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>RPG. Game. The purpose is mostly entertainment, escape.</li></ul></ul></ul><li>How to use participatory collaborative stories?</li><ul><li>[[refer to textbook]]</li></ul></ul>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-82988446408277609262008-07-08T21:35:00.002-05:002008-12-10T21:21:14.174-06:00Prize PicturesSee previous post for explanation.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNsysn1NGThFG65-13T1lNN-IK1qrEQTWNZK0L3u6zKEjYim4gH9vG6j3M7TLbrU9wmQe50UKawJmeqYXruje3ttFcDBQ3kg3wSne3nFrLVgFzVOxIZuxoVgTmNocp0FSL2lQEg/s1600-h/Box.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNsysn1NGThFG65-13T1lNN-IK1qrEQTWNZK0L3u6zKEjYim4gH9vG6j3M7TLbrU9wmQe50UKawJmeqYXruje3ttFcDBQ3kg3wSne3nFrLVgFzVOxIZuxoVgTmNocp0FSL2lQEg/s200/Box.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220837708903786674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Q3c5kyFlLjSHYyTt_5mq3czw-Ee8WVQELc02dHtkfYPngQeeluKTTkyaL1iNjv_4TnBve72j7Sms4QK3YMdRyJII6CKZGNvoamzGy5t8Z-yiKryCNhuqiXWKjGsxCyLVctpxA/s1600-h/Bookinbox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Q3c5kyFlLjSHYyTt_5mq3czw-Ee8WVQELc02dHtkfYPngQeeluKTTkyaL1iNjv_4TnBve72j7Sms4QK3YMdRyJII6CKZGNvoamzGy5t8Z-yiKryCNhuqiXWKjGsxCyLVctpxA/s200/Bookinbox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220837723861091186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy70IATE5xK2rU5JofPL4cfnXDHTfFJ-BkWmbqtEPpGyJ1IGIKhFN2b7yeUnhAy5uauIaEdf4zmNAu4SWR4xoTvOGqA4NTSGEgboF4qu3bhmi29Sy-M_622fVGo4c93kVQamz0Kg/s1600-h/Back.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy70IATE5xK2rU5JofPL4cfnXDHTfFJ-BkWmbqtEPpGyJ1IGIKhFN2b7yeUnhAy5uauIaEdf4zmNAu4SWR4xoTvOGqA4NTSGEgboF4qu3bhmi29Sy-M_622fVGo4c93kVQamz0Kg/s200/Back.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220837732757397554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUswZWhzo9kOA6zJPpjh47IcYBJFgpqGfvYeFBqrQaTQmMAWsoebL34WSVSqLU2CIsU-Ef1YJtZztPDVKvzU-txxsjIuE9cEpq7Nm6dwofssILWCX4y4hq4BdqK-Zjoi7Ck5WSJA/s1600-h/Samnbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUswZWhzo9kOA6zJPpjh47IcYBJFgpqGfvYeFBqrQaTQmMAWsoebL34WSVSqLU2CIsU-Ef1YJtZztPDVKvzU-txxsjIuE9cEpq7Nm6dwofssILWCX4y4hq4BdqK-Zjoi7Ck5WSJA/s200/Samnbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220837737425747362" border="0" /></a>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-25407519553485033782008-07-08T18:16:00.003-05:002008-07-08T21:37:35.894-05:00I win!I got my prize on Monday! The leatherbound copy of Trail of Cthulhu.<br /><br />"You are the first, and hence have boasting rights.<br />-Simon Rogers"<br /><br />Yeah! The first!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-54570343670886152152008-07-01T15:28:00.002-05:002008-07-01T15:36:43.719-05:00He!The other night I had a very powerful, enjoyable, and distinctly Lovecraftian dream.<br /><br />I was driving with my girlfriend, brother, and cousin, around an underground parking ramp looking for a spot. Up ahead I saw a sign which simply read "He!" with an arrow pointing into a dark alcove.<br /><br />I knew exactly what "He!" meant. It was for Hastur. He who shall not be named. I knew it was an art show featured works by artists influenced, inspired, and affected by The King in Yellow.<br /><br />I turned and parked and led our group into that dimly lit alcove to a glass door beyond which the gallery stood waiting. Inside it was simply a long hallway that bent at right angles, winding around like a maze. Every inch of every wall was covered with fancifully framed fantastic paintings with images of the Tattered King, the city of Carcossa, the Lake of Hali, Aldebarran, Taurus, the Hyades.<br /><br />It was thrilling, exciting, amazing. I was ecstatic. My companions were less that pleased. My girlfriend seemed impatient, my brother was bored, and my cousin gibbered madly in a corner.<br /><br />That was about when I woke up.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-65372293313830007282008-06-24T12:08:00.006-05:002008-06-24T12:12:44.122-05:00Keeper's Cupboard 4 - FINISHED!I just finished doing the layout and converting to a .pdf file! Woohoo! I'm just waiting on PoC regarding permission for some art, and then I'll send it off to Ye Olde Yoggie.<br /><br />I think this scenario is almost good enough to be published. The audience is a little too specific to have universal appeal, so I think I'll pass on trying to submit it to any RPG companies (let them come to me!). So it should be available soon on www.Yog-Sothoth.com. We shall see!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-80219724527933575492008-06-17T09:32:00.004-05:002008-06-17T09:45:52.830-05:00Great MorningFirst: Last night's dream<br /><br />I don't remember much, except that I was on an archaeological expedition in Egypt when I suddenly found myself hiding in a very narrow cave. It was quite wide, but so short that I had to lay flat on my stomach. Hiding in the cave with me was an older man and his daughter who was blind. I started talking to the girl in French, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, and German. In real life I'd only be able to hold a decent conversation in French, use minimal halting Hebrew, and say "hello" in any of the other languages. Somehow in this dream I was fluent in all of them.<br /><br />The next scene I can remember was the girl leading me into an underground complex as we fled from the Black Wind avatar of Nyarlathotep. We were fleeing underground in search of the Dark Mother (Shub Niggurath) to seek her aid in defeating Nyarlathotep and prevent the end of the world. The only other inhabitants of the cave were strange hulking monstrosities with huge mining drills as arms.<br /><br />We found Shub Niggurath on a metal catwalk spanning a deep lava-filled chasm. She was an old wizened woman, stooped over, and looking very feeble. Yet when we intoned the proper prayer (I wish I could remember the words!) she grew to an immense height, filling the cavern with her presence. We felt, rather than saw, Nyarlathotep's avatar fleeing from the power of Shub Niggurath, racing for the exit of the cave. As the girl and I also fled, fearing a collapse of the cave, we sealed Nyarlathotep inside. The last image before I woke up was one of an invisible fist desperately clawing at the cave walls, only managing to strike twice before Shub Niggurath dispelled the evil.<br /><br />Where did this dream come from? Most likely a combination of things. Nyarlathotep likely appeared because I've been listening to the Yog Radio podcast audio game of "Masks of Nyarlathotep." Shub Niggurath was probably conjured from my reading HPL's "The Whisperer in Darkness." The drill-bit monsters seemed remarkably similar to the "Big Daddys" in BioShock on the Xbox 360. But where did the girl come from? And my polyglot abilities? And the thematic good v. evil elements of the dream?<br /><br />It was truly a great adventure of a dream, very exciting and enjoyable and it left me in a good mood when I awoke.<br /><br />Then, this morning I found out that one of the captions I had submitted in the <a href="http://yog-sothoth.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=11883&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0">Pelgrane Press Caption Competition</a> made it to the final four! So <a href="http://simonjrogers.livejournal.com/68597.html">vote for #3 Here</a>.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-23506826103910177852008-05-27T13:04:00.003-05:002008-06-24T12:13:06.937-05:00Keeper's Cupboard 4I'm very excited about how this episode of The Keeper's Cupboard (KC) is coming along. I gave myself a great prompt, based on the theme of Yog-Radio 30: A 10th Anniversary tribute scenario for Yog-Sothoth.com. From that prompt I've got a fun scenario concept. Now I just have to get down to the nitty-gritty "work" part of writing.<br /><br />I've laid out the clues, the "what's going on," and general motivations for NPC's. What I need to do now is arrange/place the clues and create a well-defined storyline that will be clear enough for other Keepers to follow, and with enough clues and mystery to be fun and intriguing for players.<br /><br />Once I've got that, I'll send a copy off to a few people for proof-reading and playtesting. I want this to be ready to release by June 15th (YR 30 is tentatively slated for mid-late June) so that I will have enough time to record the audio for KC #4 and get it to PoC with enough time for him to get it into YR 30.<br /><br />Any RPG writers out there with tips, tricks, suggestions, feel free to contact me. I could use the help ;-)Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10956239.post-34663243697275521202008-05-20T08:31:00.002-05:002008-05-20T08:59:58.666-05:00Terrible dreams, night of 5/19/2008Maybe it was too much rootbeer at our tasting. Maybe it was a half-empty bed. Maybe I was nervous and excited for Kelcie's interview, too. Maybe there was a thunderstorm. In any case, last night's dreams made it nearly impossible to get any rest.<br /><br />The first dream I remember began with me working at the University Book Store. I was watching myself from a third-person perspective as I went about my normal tasks. The scene faded out and was replaced with a view of the sky as thick black ominous clouds roiled and rolled over each other, plowing across the entire skyline. In that way that dreams have of offering more information than the senses can perceive, I knew that this was the end.<br /><br />The skies roared and unleashed their fury on the land. Back inside the bookstore people were running around frantically as the water level began to rise. I remember seeing a basement store room afloat with boxes and debris, and seeing someone floating face down, unmoving.<br /><br />When the storm finally passed, we began to gauge the damage. Everything was destroyed. To call it "devestation" would be putting it lightly. Then, as if watching from the lens of a television news camera, I saw myself talking to Duane. Instead of being the manager of the bookstore, he was my supervisor at some sort of mechanical shop. He kept smiling, but his eyes were full of tears. He said that instead of trying to rebuild this business, he would give it up for lost and start a new business in a new trade in a new town. I don't know why, but there was something in that scene that suggested everyone was adopting this policy. And it made me feel incredibly sad and indefinably disappointed; everyone was giving up, discarding their old life in the meek hope that there would be something better. Or something at all.<br /><br />I spent an hour awake after that dream confused, upset, and oddly terrified.<br /><br />The second disturbing dream of the night is now almost humorous to me. I don't remember the entire dream, only one scene. In it my vision was filled with an impenetrable blackness and the face of Adele [one of our good friends]. But this image was twisted and distorted, shrouded in red, consumed with evil. Were there horns on her head or am I "remembering" that into the dream? One thing I am sure of was the overwhelming sense of menace and terror in that scene. But now that I think back on it, I almost laugh. After all, Adele as the face of evil? That's ridiculous.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10082606754774274572noreply@blogger.com0