Hiatuses & Hold-ups

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Just a quick post to say that due to an unexpected bout of food poisoning,
coupled with a bad case of physical exhaustion I'm running a little behind on where I want to be, and what I'd like to have posted up here to the tune of a day or so.

I am fast on the road to recovery though and, a master at playing the game of catch up. So it shouldn't be too long before we're back in blogness. :0).

Knightmare Re-Run #1: Bad Things Happen In The Dark

This feature is for anyone who were hoping to catch Knightmare on Challenge the other day but due to time, geography or, prior commitments, were unable to do so.

The good news: I have been able to find the episode that aired with no great difficulty, and the quality is amazing.

The bad news: As I'm not actually uploading the episodes myself, this feature could fall flat on it's face at anytime. Good quality also means three links per episode, which does disrupt the flow slightly.

The (not really that bad) bad news aside however, enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

R.I.P: Ray Harryhausen

Taking a lead from Tim Shorts over at Gothridge Manor and his idea of a
blogfest in honor of the late, great Ray Harryhausen, I felt I would be amiss not contributing when his work has not only brought such great joy to the masses but, also touched me on a personal level.


What can you say about such a great man in death though that has not already been said in life?

The sad truth is not a lot. Unlike many artists, he was greatly appreciated in his lifetime, and he influenced a great number of people who followed in his footsteps. So I can state with no level of uncertainty that he will not be forgotten and that he was one of the great pioneers within his field. On a personal note, I can say that Ray's interpretation of  The Children of the Hydra's Teeth and, the battle that ensued with them was iconic for me. It's why I nearly always include animated skeletons in my adventures, and why only recently I bought a big box of plastic ones with every intention of modeling them in the Ray Harryhausen style.

You will be missed but never forgotten.

R.I.P: Ray Harryhausen

June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013

Knightmare, Now Only Hours Away!

Since my last post I have been able to nail down some of the fine detail, thanks in no small part to the Knightmare fan page over at Farcebook.

Knightmare will be airing at 10:30 GMT (Challenge only originally gave us a time slot of somewhere between 10 and 11) and, will begin by showing season 1, episode 1. I had expected this but it's great to have it confirmed, making it very likely that they'll be showing all 4 seasons! :0).

If you're not familiar with Challenge, you can find it on Freeview channel 46, Virgin channels 139 and, Sky channel 145. If you're not lucky to have access to any of these services however, there are a lot of episodes to be found on Youtube, including this parody which I found quite entertaining.. Just don't watch it at work.

It does contain humor intended for mature audiences, although no actual maturity is needed to appreciate it. ;0).

Knightmare Returns! Tomorrow

After much anticipation on my part, Knightmare is only hours away from
returning to the small screen.. And I couldn't be happier!

For those unfamiliar with this great show that was way ahead of it's time, Challenge, who are also broadcasting the show have been good enough to write up a synopsis that bring you up to speed in little to no time. Not that there is really a lot to take in, being essentially poorly acted LARP in a computer-generated environment.. Which granted as descriptions go, doesn't really help sell the show.

Well not if you're looking for a deep fantasy tale with rich characters. If you take it at face value though, and look at it as being more akin to a child writing dungeon hacks for children, it is quite compelling. It's a piece of nostalgia that takes you back to a simpler time when GM's cared more about the dragons hoard than the social and political implications of a players actions. When dungeoneering was essentially a lot more two-dimensional, being a flight of fantasy and not a book of rules.

No matter how you choose to look at it though, it certainly had something about it, spawning several gamebooks and, attracting a large fan base even to this today.

This fan for one sure can't wait!

Geeks Do It Better #4: Who Remembers This Classic?

Good Reads: One For The GM's

It's was only just over a week ago, at the beginning of this month that I found myself posting up links to articles on other blogs that had caught my eye, and here I am, doing it again! Keep this up and we may well have another regular feature on our hands. :0).

I digress though. Today's posts come with a theme, which is food for thought for the GM. Not that your average GM doesn't already have more than enough to think about. ;0). The first article by Tim Shorts over at Gothridge Manor however goes a long way towards relieving the harrowed GM, showing you how it's easily possible to create a quality nights entertainment in the space of an hour. Not only does this article really hammer home the points that you need to consider, but it is also quite inspirational. I highly recommend it.

The second article over at the Trollish Delver explores the ethics and morality of adventuring, and does it very well indeed. It is a subject that I have touched upon here before, and I do think it's very important. Not so much for the ethical implications it can throw up at the table but because as Scott rightly point out, it opens up a lot of avenues for adventure. Choices can come back to help or hinder players, and players can effectively give you the seeds to shape future adventures. It's sandbox thinking at it's best and again, I highly recommend giving it a read.