Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

I failed to mention in the first post that I was talking about the Cosmere RPG. Whoops!

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

I quit Erik Stevenson's Malazan Book of the Fallen after the fourth book (again, of ten) because I wasn't willing to commit to 6,000 more pages to learn the million year history of his RPG campaign setting. We'll see about the Stormlight Archive.

4 8

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

...and still understand the thoughts and feelings of the characters. There are four more that have been released after this one, and five more projected to make it a ten book series. Each one is longer than the first, so I need to decide if I want to keep going with it.

1 3

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

As for the novel itself, I enjoyed the world building, setting secrets, plot development, and cosmology but the endless introspection and self-blame of the main characters got tiresome. This was a 1200 page book and I swear you could cut 300 pages out of it...

1 6

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

...and by your actions choose a class to level into at the end of it. If you're going to take inspiration from previous designers, Aaron Allston is certainly a fine choice. Anyway, we enjoyed learning the game and agree we'd play it again if Brian wants to start an actual campaign.

1 4

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

It also points you towards a heroic path, which is like character class, but you aren't forced into any particular one. The was all reminiscent of the classic AD&D adventure Treasure Hunt, where you start as 0 level characters shipwrecked on a dangerous island...

1 4

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

You pick where you and from and a name, but the rest of character creation happens as you play through the adventure. It's in a choose your own adventure format, with the GM noting what choices you make and then handing out attribute and skill points based on that.

1 3

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 8d

I'd never read a Brandon Sanderson book before last week, but my friend Brian wanted to give the RPG a spin so I read the first book in the Stormlight Archive, the Way of Kings. We played the intro adventure this morning and it was interesting.

2 17

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 9d

Your Friday reminders:
1. Trump is using all the powers of the US gov't to take vengeance upon his enemies.
2. He is the president of white racists, not America.
3. It's American companies that pay Trump's stupid tariffs.
4. Puerto Rico is an American territory so Bad Bunny was born a US citizen.

1 16

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 9d

I worked at Kim's Video in NYC for a few years in the early 90s and the store was a magnet for those looking for hard to find movies. The buyer knew people who'd go to various parts of Asia and bring back laser discs of movies not available here that'd they'd then dupe on VHS for us.

3

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 10d

After enduring the dentist, I decided to treat myself to a khachapuri at Skalka. It’s been a year or two since I last stopped in. I typically get just cheese and gooey eggs but I tried the vegetable today and it was on point. Properly cooked eggplant for the win.

12

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 13d

Same!

1

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 13d

I watched it a few years ago and enjoyed it. It's one of the reasons I thought Yamato merch would be easier to find.

1

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 13d

Not the Yamato but cool nonetheless.

Pic of the two Gamila ship models I got in Tokyo last year.

1 15

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 13d

Star Blazers, as the series was called in America, was essential afternoon viewing for young Chris in the early 80s. When I was in Tokyo last year, I figured it'd be easy to find Yamato merch, but not so. Finally found a shop in Akihabara with two ship models from the 80s and scooped those up.

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 13d

Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato, one of the most influential anime series ever, started 51 years ago today.

"In the year 2199, the space battleship Yamato embarks on a voyage to the planet Iscandar, to retrieve a device that will rejuvenate a war-ravaged Earth."

5 2 26

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 16d

Himmler liked to recruit a certain type of person into the SS: losers. He looked for men who had achieved little on their own merits, but felt they'd been cheated in some way. Give such mediocrities power and a legal way to enact cruelty and they'll do anything for you. ICE is full of these people.

17 140 380

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 16d

The title of this old Australian wargame is really on the nose for America 2025.

Cover shot of the game America in Flames: Democracy vs Darkness.

2 10

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 17d

That would never work. :)

1

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 17d

Last night I played Lion Rampant, a historical minis game from Osprey. It was touch and go for a while but my Normans pulled out a win. The new edition of the fantasy version, Dragon Rampant, comes out later this month.

1 1 23

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 17d

I understand why they decided to work psionics into the existing magic framework of 5E, but it's never felt right to me. What was cool about D&D psionics is that it was different.

1 9

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 20d

The biggest bank in America is trying to steal thousands of our books. The richest man in the world destroyed one of our main marketing venues by turning it into a Nazi site. The rapist-in-chief is shitting on small businesses and wrecking the economy with stupid tariffs and fascism. Fuck the 1%.

5 30

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 22d

Moving Targets was another great Boston band that my friend Jay would later join as drummer. The Lemonheads opened and they were just coming on the scene. Their first show had only been the month before. I saw them open for a lot of bands in ‘86 and ‘87.

3

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 22d

This is what I was doing on this day in 1986. The show was at TT the Bear's Place in Cambridge, MA, where I saw many great shows in that era. Jerry’s Kids had been broken up when I got into punk, so I was psyched to see them. This was their first show after reforming and they killed.

1 5

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 25d

Donald Trump hates the UN because it’s more welcome in New York City than he is.

1 19

Chris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 26d

The cultural evolution of monsters:
It’s scary, kill it!
It’s misunderstood, protect it!
It’s adorable, befriend it!
It’s sexy, fuck it!

2 9