Thursday, May 30, 2013

Bundle of Holding +2 = Indy RPG splendor

I was going to wait and read all these books before posting about them, but they are on sale and the sale ENDS in three days, so heck with waiting.

Here's the link where you can get this: http://bundleofholding.com/index/current

I was lucky enough to get pointed at the link to this bundle by someone who thought I'd be interested. But I didn't actually look at it; I was busy and assumed it was a computer gaming bundle. I forwarded the link to my son, who then came after me to split the cost with him. Because he was actually interested in what turned out to be a collection of indie RPGs.

I've long been interested in these types of games, specifically the ones that have a pretty specific setting, simple rules, and are designed to be played with a minimum of prep. But except for Donjon, I haven't actually managed to play any of them. Like My Life With Master, which I still aim to play. So I wasn't initially up for buying more games to sit on a shelf.

But now my SON is interested, which greatly increases the chance of play. They look great and we bought them; they're running a pay-what-you-want sale right now so you can get a BUNCH of games cheap. Also I really like that they are being offered as totally unfettered PDF files. Here is the list of books. (The bonus items come if you pay more than the average price, which was at about $13.50 when I bought.)


  • Kagematsu: Men play women and women play men, in feudal Japan.
  • Shooting the Moon ... a 2- or 3-player game where two suitors pursue the same beloved.
  • Grey Ranks ... you play young Polish soldiers in the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis.
  • Penny for My Thoughts: You've lost your memory; you and the other players work together to figure out how and why.
  • BONUS BOOK: Monsterhearts: about 'the messy lives of teenage monsters'. Pretty much had me at teenage monsters.
  • BONUS BOOK: Hollowpoint: 'Bad people killing bad people for bad reasons'. Agents who are good at being bad.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I've been really enjoying this volume of Dashiell Hammett _Lost Stories_ ... only now I can't find it

My dad mentioned this book to me. While on the phone with him, I put it on hold at the local Austin library. Within a few days I picked up a copy.

Usually I am not very interested in the introduction and about-the-author/about-the-story stuff in a volume like this, but this book tells you something about Hammett's life to frame each story in a really interesting way.

However, now I can't figure out where I put the volume!

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Great story by a Slug Tribe member

I'm very glad to report that fellow Slug Tribe member Peter Enyeart has his first publication, and it's in a pretty prestigious place, Nature. I've read at least two previous stories by Peter and they are always interesting. Transmission Received.