News

Yes, it’s a real series.

Presented here, without comment, are real things from the Wiki synopsis of same. They are real. Technically I think that makes these spoilers, but I hope that exposing you to small, inert portions of the series is something like an immunization. Imagine that each note presented here has a toothpick in it, and should be eaten in a single bite.

• In the tenth book, Narcissus In Chains, Anita "develops the ardeur, a rare power seen only in vampires of Jean-Claude’s bloodline, after Jean-Claude used it to "feed" through her. Although this power allows Anita to draw energy from lust, it also requires her to have sex multiple times per day, at least in its early stages."

• Also in book ten, it’s crucial to note that Anita "accepts … her romantic relationship with Richard is finally over. She is still the Lupa of the Thronos Rokke clan, but also becomes its Bolverk."

• A blood test at the end of book thirteen reveals that "whilst she is not a lycanthrope, she is a carrier of at least four types of the lycanthropy virus: wolf, leopard, lion, and one so far unidentified but potentially tiger."

• In book fifteen, "Anita also leaves her former allies, the werelions, to potential death. At a point where Anita and many of her other allies were injured, she asks to have sex with the werelion Rex Joseph so that she could gain the power to heal without the Munin. The Rex refused because he is married and values being faithful to his wife. Also there were rumors spread about Anita by the lions she refused because they weren’t powerful enough for her inner lion."

I am about to talk about tabletop roleplaying. Technically, that should put me below Anita Blake author Laurell K. Hamilton in the Geek Hierarchy, but her sins are grave. Some of her sins literally involve graves. Hopefully I’ll squeak by.

We’re putting up the adventure we played a couple weeks ago as a series of podcasts, which Gabe mentioned. Playing D&D with Gabe and Scott while they drew the adventure scene by scene was something I never expected to happen, ever, and I’m glad that we were able to put this thing together. Once he figured out that you have a lot of say in the kind of game D&D is, he began to enjoy it a lot more. Our average level of experience at the table and the fact that our party size was a little low created some problems for us mechanically, but it’s something I would kill to do again. Gnolls, preferably.

The system is very different than previous iterations, in my opinion wonderfully so. Third and three-point-five are clear iterations of previous efforts, and by comparison fourth packs up the old ways very tightly and then kicks them through the uprights, scoring in the process. This took a long time for me to get my head around. Clerics that heal allies by hitting enemies? Spells cast at will, and not from a memorized list? They broke with bad traditions while retaining the iconic stature of the classic archetypes – but these aren’t the classes you remember. Or the races.

Those who crave the simulation elements of the game will be able to pick up on a rule or two, but we were a group that was going to naturally lean toward the story side. Hopefully you’ll still find something in it to savor.

(CW)TB out.

burned down like a written sin