2021
Character Creation: Stars Without Number (Revised Edition)
Stars Without Number (Revised Edition) does a pretty good job of making character creation a streamlined and easy process. On page 4 we find a numbered walkthrough on how to make a character. Let’s try.
2020
A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, 2013)
Director Ben Wheatley has done some pretty interesting and unique films, and A Field in England is no exception. Set sometime during the English Civil War (1642 – 1651) the film follows a ragtag group of deserters, low-lives and mysterious figures that eat some magic mushrooms (literally) and trip out in a field.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
The first book in the Spin Saga Trilogy by Robert Charles Wilson is a fantastic science fiction novel with a grandiose theme, yet with totally human, and actually humanistic, characters. Spin won the Hugo-award for best novel in 2006.
Ms. Marvel Vol 2. by G. Willow Wilson
While the first volume of the collected editions of G. Willow Wilson’s new muslim, and very cool superhero Ms. Marvel was excellent in every way, this second collection of the comic series takes Kamala Khan’s story further with some major Marvel Universe event happening in the background and suffers for it.
2019
Principles of Old School Gaming
I’ve been toying with the idea of writing my own little Player’s Handbook for possible forthcoming old school games. I’m currently playing, and enjoying, a Castles & Crusades-campaign, with some modified rules, but real old school it definitely isn’t. The simplified, combined with the improvisational and procedural, rules of old school is becoming more and more appealing to me, and I need to solidify and put to paper what I ideally would like to play.
Icoross - the City Below Ashen Clouds
Is it the end times? Or has the world already ended? In the enormous city Icoross no one knows. Perhaps they don’t care? Completely self-sustained and isolated the peoples of this cold, timeless and vast city take little to no notice of the outside world as they slowly and inevitably work their way towards their own downfall.
The Best Music of 2018
A list of my favourite records of 2018.
2018
The Best Music of 2017
A list of my favourite records of 2017.
2017
Musikkåret 2017. Del 5.
Tradisjonen tro oppsummerer jeg i år også musikkåret med en gjennomgang av de aller beste platene. 2017 har på mange måter vært et framifrå år for god og variert musikk. Kanskje uten de helt store klassikerkandidatene, men likevel såpass bra at jeg har større problemer med å begrense meg enn tidligere.
Musikkåret 2017. Del 4.
Tradisjonen tro oppsummerer jeg i år også musikkåret med en gjennomgang av de aller beste platene. 2017 har på mange måter vært et framifrå år for god og variert musikk. Kanskje uten de helt store klassikerkandidatene, men likevel såpass bra at jeg har større problemer med å begrense meg enn tidligere.
Musikkåret 2017. Del 3.
Tradisjonen tro oppsummerer jeg i år også musikkåret med en gjennomgang av de aller beste platene. 2017 har på mange måter vært et framifrå år for god og variert musikk. Kanskje uten de helt store klassikerkandidatene, men likevel såpass bra at jeg har større problemer med å begrense meg enn tidligere.
Musikkåret 2017. Del 2.
Tradisjonen tro oppsummerer jeg i år også musikkåret med en gjennomgang av de aller beste platene. 2017 har på mange måter vært et framifrå år for god og variert musikk. Kanskje uten de helt store klassikerkandidatene, men likevel såpass bra at jeg har større problemer med å begrense meg enn tidligere.
Musikkåret 2017. Del 1.
Tradisjonen tro oppsummerer jeg i år også musikkåret med en gjennomgang av de aller beste platene. 2017 har på mange måter vært et framifrå år for god og variert musikk. Kanskje uten de helt store klassikerkandidatene, men likevel såpass bra at jeg har større problemer med å begrense meg enn tidligere.
2016
Mace of Divine Memory
As I read through some published modules and plan my new fantasy campaign I substitute every bland magic item and vanilla +# weapon with something more colorful.
This is my reworking of a simple +1 mace.
What is on the fantasy menu?
Sometimes you need to know what is served at the inn the characters are staying. Roll on the table below to find out.
I have researched some medieval and renaissance foods and tried to break it up in a way that will work for different types of inns. No more flavorless stews!
The high cost of gaming
Christopher Helton has written a so called Industry-article on ENWorld about how RPG-gamers are cheapskates that won’t pay what games are worth (Edit: the article has since been removed but can still be read via Wayback Machine). Consequently game designers can’t make a decent living doing what they love.
Shield of the Basilisk
As I read through some published modules and plan my new fantasy campaign I substitute every bland magic item and vanilla +# weapon with something more colorful.
This is my reworking of a simple +1 shield.
Glass Blade of the Ancients
As I read through some published modules and plan my new fantasy campaign I substitute every bland magic item and vanilla +# weapon with something more colorful.
This my reworking of a bland +1 short sword wielded by goblin leader in a module for character levels 1-3.
2015
Character Creation: ICONS
ICONS is the second superhero roleplaying game from Mutants & Masterminds creator Steve Kenson. ICONS is loosely based on FATE and so is a rules light game. It differs from FATE in that it relies more on numbers and actually simplifies the concepts of descriptors and Aspects. Character creations is hugely different as well.
Dungeon Crawl Classics Deity: RaccRocc
I’m working on the setting for my Dungeon Crawl Classics-campaign and I’ve got a smallish map and some nations and areas worked out in my mind. Among the things I feel are promising is an evil nation of undead elves (a sealed off area held at bay by a knightly order of heroic warriors) and a nation ruled by draconic druglords.
Anyway; the thing that gets the creative juices flowing most at the moment is working on the pantheon. I have previously presented the god of festivals, orgies, food, wine and gluttony, Omnomnom. Today I give you the twin gods of chance and destiny. It is loosely based on Oponn from the Malazan-books. As usual I like to give the clerics some small benefits and drawbacks from their deity.
Dungeon Crawl Classics Deity: Omnomnom
I’ve decided to make my own setting for my Dungeon Crawl Classics game. Every setting (mine is called Qis) needs a unique pantheon of gods right? I like how gods imbue their clerics with some new powers and drawbacks. This is a god I’m quite certain will make the cut.
2012
A Cavern of Black Ice (J.V.Jones)
Alt for mye av fantasy-genrens kjennetegn blir fort gjentakende. Generelt lider genren også under svake karakterskildringer, eviglange bokserier og et unødvendig høyt sideantall. Likevel har genren fått navnet sitt fra de ubegrensede idéene, og den grundige miljø- og verdensbygging som ofte kjennetegner de gode forfatterne.
2010
Aliens i solnedgang
Første gang jeg hørte om Monsters antok jeg den var nok en lavbudsjettshorror med science fiction-elementer, søplete manus og flaut skuespill. Etter hvert som de virkelig gode anmeldelsene begynte å dukke opp ble det i stedet klart at dette var en film å se fram til. Gledelig er det derfor at Monsters ikke bare innfrir som en god film, men også som en potensielt genreforandrende film.
Svidd gummi
I Rubber presterer Quentin Dupieux, eller Mr. Oizo som kanskje flere kjenner han som, noe helt annerledes og fascinerende. Ikke bare er filmen en b-filmparodi, men den er også en av de mer vellykkede filmatiske forsøkene på meta-fiksjon de siste årene. Sånn sett skulle nok filmen fungere best som et formeksperiment, hadde det bare ikke vært for at den er så fordømt morsom og underholdende i tillegg.