The Digital Dark Age Campaign Project

In my absence from the blog I've managed to get a bunch of reading done. These days I tend to be reading science fiction. I've been really enjoying the “Honor Harrington” series by David Weber. Book 5, “Flag in Exile” is the next one on the docket. I killed the first book of Weber's “Safehold” series  “Off Armageddon Reef” and was completely blown away. It was a fun read, that had a great story and well developed characters. Best of all it really made you think about the role of religion and the nature of humanity. In particular its one of those books that provides so many ideas that would be great in a D&D game. I devoured “March Upcountry” an awesome military sci-fi action novel by John Ringo and David Weber.This is the first book in their “Empire of Man” series. John Ringo's “A Hymn Before Battle” was also fucking fantastic. If your looking for military sci-fi you can't go wrong with Ringo.

As a kid I grew up on movies like Star Wars and Aliens and I loved Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Deep Space 9. Wrath of Khan will always be my favourite Star Trek movie even though the new ones are pretty rad. Yet at some point my love of sci-fi was dwarfed with fantasy. I started playing D&D and I lost interest. Recently that's changed and I've had a hard time being all that pumped about fantasy. At the very least I've lost interest in the traditional Tolkien type fantasy. More and more my thoughts turn to aliens, giant spaceships, psychic powers, and galactic empires. For a while now thoughts of a space opera campaign have been percolating in my mind. Something closer to science fantasy, but weighted more towards the science fiction side. I like the idea of nobles wielding laser swords, and mystical orders of psychics. I envision massive starships that travel faster than light through astral space that can only be navigated by guild pilots whose smoke special drugs.

Since my regular gaming has more or less stopped I haven't had much to blog about. For a while now I've been considering some kind of project to get my creative juices flowing. So I've decided that I would like to revamp my Digital Dark Age campaign setting and present it piece by piece on the blog. At this point I'm not sure what kind update schedule I will have, but I would like to shoot for once a week at the very least. So if this is something you find interesting be sure to check back in.

That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie...

...And with strange aeons even death may die.

 And thats sorta what this blog has become, not dead but dreaming. Waiting for the stars to align or some such esoteric Lovecraftian babel.

I've been wanting to update the blog for a while now. However with a lack of actual gaming happening, and the priorities of school and family, I've either been too busy, or too tired.

So whats been happening in the past while?

Well I finished David Weber's “Out of the Dark”. Great read except the ending. One of the first times I actually ever wanted to throw a book across the room. I wont spoil it for you, but believe me when I say Weber gets a good square kick in your nuts on this one. However to Weber's credit I finished the first book in the Honor Harrington series “On Basilisk Station” and it was frigging awesome from start to finish. Next on deck is “The Honor of the Queen”. And of course I still have the first book in Weber's “Safehold series sitting on my shelf to get to as well as John Ringo's “A Hymn Before Battle”. Too many books not enough time and all that jazz.

Currently I'm reading the first novel in Clive Cussler/Grant Blackwood's “Fargo” series called “Spartan Gold”. So for the most part it's a fun read though at near the end its starting to drag a little. Hopefully the ending will pick it up. One thing of note is how all of the novels in any of Cussler's series are packed with great ideas for RPG adventures and campaigns. Particularly if you tear the ideas straight from the books for use in a modern action/adventure setting. Characters, exotic places, interesting historical bits, and crazy plots abound.

Lastly on the RPG front. I recently purchased the “Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition”, “Deadlands: Marshal's Handbook”, “Player's Guide”, “1880 Smith & Robards Catalog” (Explorers Edition all), and “The Last Sons” plot points campaign setting books. In addition I picked up a really nice Texas Hold'em poker set from Walmart. The intention is that I' ll finally get to try out running/playing Savage Worlds and get some gaming going on again. I've wanted to get a SW game started for a while but keep getting cold feet on it as well as “Gamer ADD”, unfamiliarity of the system, laziness, time constraints, etc. Hopefully with the substantial amount of money I sunk into these purchases I will have the motivation to make it happen.

So that pretty much sums up shit around here. I have every intention of updating the blog as much as I can realistically can. I have no intention of writing updates for the sake of updating. So if I have something of note to write I will. Till then you are the resistance. Zombiecowboy out.