Author: upturnedtable
“Our people once were warriors. But unlike you, Jake, they were people with mana, pride; people with spirit.”
– Once Were Warriors
Kia ora, mates. This installment of Warriors is about the original Kiwis: the Maori. You won’t be brassed off by this episode. We’re a couple of pakeha, but we give it heaps. This episode is a corker and chock-a-block with elements. Cheers, bros.
Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora!
(Tis death! Tis death! Tis life! Tis life!)
The Red Hands of Idle
The two men met to cast. One spoke with the dangerous ease of a panther, too fiercely supple to be a product of civilization. Nor was his face that of a civilized man: it was as untamed as the primordial ghetto which formed its background. The other was Lyal.
In this installment of Literature Lessons, we look at the work of Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan, Kull, and Soloman Kane.
“There can be only one!”
-Connor MacLeod, Highlander
Which is probably why we cut our references to Highlander: no one likes solo adventures. What we didn’t cut were Wayne’s frequent references to Dungeons & Dragons, odd coming from such a “fan” of Dungeon World.
In this installment of Creature Features, we discuss playing and playing against deities. After we cut all of the blasphemy, we were left with Thor comics and D&D cosmology.
In a world with jumbo shrimp, deafening silences, and open secrets, we get that some people want realistic magic. In this episode, we discuss magic and realism. While we can’t say that you’ll be able to make the magic in your game realistic after listening to the episode, we can promise that you’ll be able to have it make sense.
In our last (first?) episode of the year, we discuss some of the big stories in the geek and gaming world from 2014. While they may not be the same stories everyone else is talking about, they’re the ones that had the most impact in our little circle across the Pacific.
“We all have a little burglar inside us.”
– Chris
In this installment of Rogues, we discuss burglary: how to do it and how to stop it. While we may make it sound easy, it’s best to leave actual burglary to the professionals.
Delivering to O.P.C. (Yeah, you know he)
Betta’ not cry, O.P.C. (Every last kiddie)
Delivering to O.P.C. (Yeah, you know she)
Betta’ watch out, O.P.C. (Every last kiddie)
-“O.P.C.” Naughty or Nice by Nature
In this installment of Creature Features, we discuss Santa Claus. Yes, Santa Claus. Trust us. Merry Christmas.
A long time ago in a country far, far away…
It is a period of scheduling war. Having missed one upload date, Chris and Lyal are forced to record without Wayne. During the week, Disney released the trailer for Episode VII, a trailer with the power to break the entire Internet. Pursued by deadlines, Chris and Lyal race to record the episode and restore regularity to the upload schedule.
Hmm. The above might read better if you imagine the Star Wars theme playing. It might not, though.
“They hold it unlawful to talk of anything which it is unlawful to do. The most disgraceful thing in the world, they think, is to tell a lie.”
–On the Customs of the Persians, Herodotus
In this installment of Warriors, we honour the Persians by only speaking the truth about their elite soldiers, the Immortals. This means that they were probably called the “Companions” instead of the “Immortals,” and that they were regular men in purple and yellow robes instead of dual katana-wielding orc ninjas. Who knew Zach Snyder took some creative liberties with them?
Take two.
In this installment of GM Corner, we look at an important but often forgotten part of preparation: post session. This is the time to get feedback from players, assess how things went, and decide what to do next, which could include the important decision of whether or not to continue with the game.
We are without Wayne this week. What we lose in gaming insight by his absence, we gain in technical savvy (i.e., knowing that you have to press the record button to record).