Interview: Sean Preston on Realms of Cthulhu

There's been a long stretch of excitement ever since Reality Blurs first announced Realms of Cthulhu for Savage Worlds, and now the wait is over. There have been a few reviews of this new product (Unclebear.com and Gnome Stew), and the forums at Reality Blurs and Pinnacle Entertainment have been buzzing with discussions about the setting and how it works with the system. Reality Blurs President Sean Preston takes some time to answer a few personal questions and fill us in on some of his ideas and perspectives on the design, development, and play of this new Savage Worlds setting based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. I tried to ask the questions I thought might be stirring in the maddened minds of those who are still undecided about this product. Read on to see what Sean has to say.

Commentary: Adventures are not Written in Stone

Kurt "Telas" Schneider's article "A Game is a Work in Progress" was a pretty solid one, focusing on the unnecessarily running or creating adventures as perfect formulas based on the rules and instead focusing on making the game work.

However, this one particular paragraph really resonated with me, and I thought it was sound enough advice to repeat it.

"Repeat after me: A game is a work in progress.

Adventures are not written in stone. Nothing about them is “canon” until it is revealed at the table. Until that time, GMs are free to make the necessary changes to get the adventure to work for their group.

Remember that your adventure is going to be run by you, not by some zero-imagination computer program, and not by some pimply-faced volunteer greenhorn GM who couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel. Why perfect and re-write the adventure, when you know full well that your players are going to trash your best-laid plans, and you’ll be improvising after the first hour?"

- A Game is a Work in Progress (view on Google Sidewiki)

It's not like we have the spare time to write perfected works of art for a game of make-beleive anyway.

Friday Fiction: No Fault

This is another story in the Skipping Stones universe containing the first person testimony of a Blorb named Blasphornomiconiumoocus at his trial for the genocide of Planet Caractus's entire population. In his defence, it really was an accident.

The Blorb are a race of huge, tentacled, slug creatures who eat rotting meat and are bent on galactic domination. To make things worse they are powerful psychics with the ability to bend other races to their will. They stink, leave a trail of slime where ever they go, and treat all other races as lackeys who exist for the sole purpose of serving the Blorb Syndicates. There is absolutely nothing to like about a Blorb. This, of course, increases the enjoyment of writing dialogue for them.

This story, while small, is pivotal to the overall Skipping Stones arc, but it didn't fit within the other writings. The anti-hero is tangentially responsible for saving the galaxy from domination by a time shifting race of crystalline robots. Blasphornomiconiumoocus would hate to be known as the saviour of the galaxy, but that's how history documents his otherwise dreadful life.

Editorial: Concealing Violent and Sexual Imagery in RPG Materials

In this editorial, I ponder the impact of violence, sex, and gore in RPG illustrations and covers while also discussing the shift from keeping my RPG materials on display to storing them in a less exposed location. To be clear, the point of this isn't to simply rant about how the artwork is inappropriate but to convey how my perspectives have changed since I've become a husband and father and to open a conversation about dealing with the duality of the nature of the RPG hobby and being a spouse and parent who is considerate to his family. So please, for the duration of this editorial, rest any defenses you might have and hear me out.

In Honor of Veteran's Day

The Dice of Life would like to thank the US veterans who have served or are currently serving in the military and making the committment to serve our nation and its people. We especially recognize our own m.s. jackson who is fortunate enough to have returned home safely to reunite with his family. Thank you for your service, snikle!

What's Been Keeping the Dice in the Dice Bag?

You've probably noticed that things have been quiet here for the past week or so. Don't worry, we're not disappearing or fading out. We've actually been pretty busy with our own lives in a strange coincidental way.

If you're curious, here's a rundown of what has been keeping us away from the blog (and the game tables) as well as a short list of what we're planning for the coming weeks.