I received ‘Tales of the Yawning Portal’ the other day, after ordering it from the Book Depository. I’d heard that Wizards of the Coast (WoTC) were updating some of its best known modules to 5e, and was looking forward to … Continue reading The Laid Back DM #4 – ‘Tales of the Yawning Portal’ Leaves me Yearning for Something Better
My novel is back on track! Plus, exciting news about a book I’m reading (yawn!) Continue reading Novel Daze
I guess you can tell by the title of this post that I love this game. I included it in my recent ‘Top 10 Tabletop Role Playing Games’. Continue reading Mindjammer – SF role playing that’ll bring you back for more
I’ve been threatening to do a Fate Core review for some time now (it’s one of my Top 10 Favourite Role Playing Games), but you know how it is, so much to do and so little time… But today’s the day! Continue reading Fate Core System – Story telling table top role playing at its finest
I just finished reading Touch, a book by Elmore Leonard. I’d read Mr Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing (which I discussed in an earlier post you can find here), but hadn’t had the opportunity to sample his actual writing. Now, … Continue reading Touch, by Elmore Leonard. A book review.
My teenage son, Padawan-Nerd-in-Training, stayed over on the weekend (as he does every weekend, so nothing new there). Padawan is a YouTube fan and has a number of channels he subscribes to. I, being an antiquated, internet hating has-been, try to avoid anything internet related other than this blog. Padawan showed me a few videos that were really interesting, about why crap videos and news stories attract so much internet attention. This video talks about the theory behind clickbait, fake news headlines and human behaviour: For more about clickbait, the YouTube algorithm and why we as an audience click particular types of stories, check this video … Continue reading Clickbait! The what’s and wherefore’s
This is a uni piece I wrote some time ago. It was meant to be a letter to a friend about something I was very serious or concerned about, using real referenced materials. I went with satire and irony. Continue reading Letter to a Facebook Friend
Patrick Ness is a great author. He writes books for young adults – teen fiction, I guess you call it. The big difference between him and many other writers of that genre, is that his books carry a weight, a … Continue reading Patrick Ness is an awesome writer. But don’t take my word for it…
Album: Integrity Blues Band: Jimmy Eat World Label: RCA records (Sony) Length: 11 songs, 47 minutes Summary: Deep and thoughtful, dark-edged alt-rock from the fan favourites Jimmy Eat World is an American alt-rock band hailing from Arizona. Darlings of the alt-rock and … Continue reading Integrity Blues: Jimmy Eat World (album review)
The new trailer for the upcoming Justice League movie is here. I’m sure it will be the first of many as the November release of the movie approaches. For those who don’t know what the Justice League is, they are the premier DC Comics super team, made up of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman. And they come together to kick evil’s ass. In the comics the Justice League was created before Marvel’s Avengers, but Warner Brothers, the studio that owns DC Comics, has been dragging its feet and has finally got the celluloid version going. The JL … Continue reading Awesometacular Justice!
I don’t know if I’ve ever told anyone this, but I am a HUGE fan of Wonder Woman. Continue reading Wonder Woman – still great at 75
Just saw Kong: Skull Island. Lots of big monsters, big explosions, soldiers getting eaten by big monsters, crazy-ass leave your brains at the door logic. Awesome. Continue reading ‘Kong’, baby! A movie review.
People love Firefly. I don’t just mean they love it. I mean they LOVE it. Diehard fans are everywhere, and the one thing they have clamoured for all these years, is to bring the show back to TV. Continue reading Firefly is back! Or, might be…
I saw Logan yesterday. And what I saw was a great movie, one that focussed on character, with a good story, great acting, great action set pieces that contributed to the plot, rather than being there for the sake of it, and some deep underlying themes and messages that resonated with me. Continue reading Logan. A movie review.
I’m not big on reading short stories. I’ve always been a long-form novel kind of guy. It wasn’t until I read Nam Le’s “The Boat” that my opinion of short stories changed. Continue reading The Boat. A book review.
Laidback DM: SteveStillStanding.com 