Robert Harris, Munich
Thursday 15 December 2022
Reading in Nov 2022
Occult Investigation in the World of CS Lewis
Suffering another bout of insomnia, I've decided on a whim to re-read CS Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.
I've only got to the opening chapters, but it being 3.30am, I've realised that Uncle Andrew, his experiments and Atlantean researches wouldn't be out of place in Lovecraftian fiction - or more properly in MR James' occult world. I wonder if Lewis had James' 'Lost Hearts' somewhere in mind in Andrew's dealings with Polly and Digory?
Of course, Lewis will shy away from the occult, but I wonder what we could make of it?
And, of course, it's Christmas. Time for us all to sit down and think of Monty James and all his works.
All of which, makes me think that I should dig out Casting the Runes, the RPG set in James' world. I bought it back in February of last year, put it on a pile to read and review, and let it collect dust.
Just one of those little projects we set ourselves in the pre-dawn which go nowhere...
Monday 31 October 2022
Books & Stuff (NS, No 33) - Reading in Oct 2022
Ken Liu (ed & trans), Broken Stars
Monday 24 October 2022
Gaming in Oct 2022
- 16 Oct - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face
- 21 Oct - Trafalgar Day game - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 16 Oct
- 21 Oct - Trafalgar Day
Saturday 22 October 2022
Trafalgar Day 2022 Game
'HMS Royal Sovereign First Through The Line' by Richard Grenville |
As part of my on-going attempts at solo naval wargaming, I had to mark Trafalgar Day by having a go at part of the battle. I accordingly booked a suitably-sized table at my local friendly gaming store and broke out Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls again.
In reality, the line wasn't this neat, and instead was in effect a line of bearing |
Things got very messy from here on. The van of the Combined line attempted to wear round and reverse direction, the rest of their line was now heading into the wind.
Turn 4
A toast was made to the Immortal Memory and to the other 4,852 lives lost in the battle |
Friday 14 October 2022
Gaming in Sep 2022
- 4 Sep - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face
- 7 Sep - Traveller
- 18 Sep - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face
- 27 Sep - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 30 Sep - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 4 Sep
Constable Ward - my favorite NPC |
The party had an ice-breaking encounter with a wild boar, entered the town of Errinsford, where they met several of the leading inhabitants (upon some of which they made a better impression than others). There was a big info-dump (with more to come!), before an afternoon's stroll in search of the delayed caravan ended with a leathal encounter with goatmen and the desecration of bodies. Then home for tea and XP!
- 18 Sep
- 7 Sep
- 27 Sep
- 30 Sep
Saturday 1 October 2022
Books & Stuff (NS, No 32) - Reading in Sep 2022
Tuesday 30 August 2022
Books & Stuff (NS, No 31) - Reading in Aug 2022
Gene Kranz, Failure is Not an Option
Kranz's autobiographical account as his time as flight director at NASA Mission Control Center during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programmes.
A very good and readable narative.
Matt Pritchett, The Best of Matt 2020Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches
Monday 29 August 2022
Gaming in August 2022
After a few month's break, I plunged back into gaming.
- 1 Aug - Classic Traveller - face-to-face RPG
- 3 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 5 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 6 Aug - Barrowmaze (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
- 8 Aug - Classic Traveller - face-to-face RPG
- 13 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 15 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
- 21 Aug - Barrowmaze (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
- 3 Aug
- 5 Aug
- 13 Aug
- 15 Aug
And I finally got the fleet action I'd planned for INWarD, courtesy of a big table at my FLGS. Write-up here.
- 6 Aug
- 21 Aug
*smash* *smash* *stamp* *stamp*"Any effect on the mummy?""He's absolutely furious."