A Life Full of Adventure

If you're a CL Werner fan, here's a link you will enjoy . If you're not a fan of Werner, well, Christmas is coming and you should grab an omnibus or two. :)

What to do with the new Dungeon Dozen book ? d12 1. Order the gastropod servant to stock it in the back, the far back, of the library. 2. Bury it in a time capsule with a Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black CDs to prove to future people what was really popular in the early 2000s. 3. Bludgeon the Dungeon Overlord and take his stuff. 4. Plant it on the body of the dead ogre. 5. Swap it out with the Liche's spellbook and watch hilarity ensue. 6. Eschew sleep and read it cover to cover in one night. 7. Get a job as a university professor and use it as a textbook. 8. Color all the pictures with crayons. 9. Breathe new life into stagnating campaigns. 10. Become a Sholtis fanboy, camp outside his house with a high-powered zoom camera, and go to conventions asking him to sign copies of prints of him retrieving his newspaper in his bathrobe. 11. Taunt your FLGS owner with the new gaming purchase you got online. 12. Give it away and buy another one.

I hope you had a very nerdy/geeky Christmas! Wolverine Comics pack #35-#50 Jim Butcher: Wizard for Hire (Dresden Files 1-3) Jim Butcher: Wizard by Trade (Dresden Files 4-5) Jim Butcher: Wizard at Large (Dresden Files 6-7) Jim Butcher: Wizard Under Fire (Dresden Files 8-9) DC Comics Deck Building Game 12 canister shell fireworks 36 Granite speckled d6s Citadel paints (White, Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Metal) Captain America Pez dispenser Star Wars Wood Coaster Set (4 pack) Monty Python's Wafer Thin Mints 4 pack of special retro Garbage Pail Kids Dots StarWars Metal Earth Millennium Falcon 3D model StarWars Mad Libs Design socks ( Hobbit feet , shark attack , sneakers, loafers) Jeans Sweater Cash Serenity schematic T-Shirt Speakers (computer. Logitech z506) Personalized pocket watch StarWars Mace Windu light sabre

Tristan Tarwater's new book Red Moon Rising is now out (on Kindle, at least). This is book #3 set in the Valley of the Ten Crescents. I've really enjoyed the other two books as well as the short story in this series. It almost reads like a novel based on someone's game character, but very well written instead of the little blubs we post on our blogs. I highly suggest checking this series out. From the description: The rise of a deadly cult threatens life in the Valley of Ten Crescents. Alone, betrayed, and on the run from the law, Tavera finds herself charged with rescuing Kella, a priestess with a powerful secret who has been kidnapped by the cult. Tavera finds she can no longer be a little girl lost, but must become a leader and a savior if she is to survive the RED MOON RISING. Somehow, book #1 is still FREE in Kindle format. Born in poverty, a half-elf in a human city, Tavera lives in a world where she doesn't belong -- until the day she meets Derk. Ini...

My Complete Elmore books arrived yesterday from Larry Elmore's Kickstarter campaign! The book is big, with thick pages. It's an artistic autobiography of sorts with his art spread all over the place. And there are copies of prints from his BECMI covers. And there's a BW sketch book. So much goodness!

I have this. I have this bad. Yesterday I bought 6 individual Knights of the Dinner Table comics that I have already read as part of a compilation, just so I could have them. Then I bought Serenity Shepherd's Tale graphic novel because I don't have that, and I bought a Get Fuzzy book I don't have that the bookstore doesn't have either. Then I stopped at a used bookstore and bought two paperbacks I don't really need because the pile of books in my nightstand is already overflowing. It was a good day.

I mean literally. The more of these Black Library books I read, the more cities, towns, and dwarf holds get destroyed. There aren't many dwarf holds left. There is a non-stop flood of chaos pouring south from the Wastes. Remember when the Black Library books used to have insidious cultists and was subtle about the destruction of humanity? I think those days are over. What I can't figure out is if they are trying to destroy the whole Empire/Empire area and they focus on a different area or if they are slowly preparing us for the fantasy setting to turn into the 40K setting. Either way, I'm glad I still have my setting back in the 1E era. There is hope for the Empire...or at least a much longer rate of decay.

Botanica Blues by Tristan Tarwater is a short story in a deep setting. There's subculture, detective work, military history, flashbacks, otherworldly/Elder figures, religion, family, and complete and utter hopelessness.  This story appealed to me, as one who has written a couple of short stories about struggle and hopelessness.

Or #MyBlackLibrary. We were (and are) having some discussion in the Google+ WarHammer Community about different books that help us portray the WarHammer world to our players. I brought up this series. Felix and Gotrek share a popularity in the WarHammer world probably only akin to Drizzt and Bruenor in the D&D novel world. Gotrek is everything you expect a Slayer to be, though he has a little help (hindrance?) from his magical axe. I recommend these books to any fantasy reader but especially to any WarHammer player/GM.

The Gotrek and Felix page on Wikipedia doesn't seem to know about this yet, but Amazon sent me notification of a new book coming out January 2013. It seems to have yet another new author. William King started the series, and Nathan Long continued it. This new book is written by someone named Josh Reynolds. I don't quite remember him from my WarHammer readings, but I've read a lot of authors. You bet I'm going to buy it and read it!

It doesn't happen very often, but sometime Amazon actually emails me with products I'm interested in. Being a voracious Gotrek and Felix collector, imagine my surprise when I received an email from Amazon with a book I don't own. Luckily I recently received an Amazon gift card, so I'm ordering this book post-haste. Do yourself a favor and check out this review . It is very helpful.

I think Larry Elmore sends out far too many Kickstarter updates trying to get the average Joe to spend a ridiculous amount of money...HOWEVER... I really do believe this sketchbook at $50 is a no-brainer for any gamer who can afford it. If you haven't pledged yet, the book is up to 336 pages. In my opinion, the rest of the stretch goals are gravy compared to the increasing page count. So, do what I did: Pledge $49 and ignore the attempts to get you to spend more. By the time August rolls around it will be well worth it. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1488741362/larry-elmore-art-the-complete-elmore-artbook

OK, so these aren't random and weren't asked to be when the meme started. These are the 7 rpgs I have played the most since I began gaming. They are in order of the ones I've played the most, starting at the left. This is also the order I have DMed the most, up through Basic. I haven't GMed Earthdawn, Shadowrun, or C&C. I think the only game I've run that's not here is Ambition & Avarice .

A couple weeks ago I saw a #7randomcomics meme going around Google+. I like pictures of books/gaming material/comics, etc. so I decided to grab my phone and join in. These were the last 7 comics I had read. I do have some non- KODT comics, but they are buried away. I haven't "collected" comics in many, many years, and I wasn't much of a collector even when I did. These, though, I don't want to live without.

A week or so ago, James at Grognardia challenged everyone to snap a picture of their go-to RPG reference books they keep close at hand. Mine aren't too close at hand, and half are hidden/obscured by a filing cabinet. I did gather all my WarHammer Fantasy Roleplay stuff together, though, to take a picture. It's my favorite game, and I have a fair amount of books. I didn't include anything in binders. Yesterday I found a few books that didn't make it into the picture. They are the 2e books Karak Azgal, Spires of Altdorf, and Ashes of Middenheim. Feel free to link to your bookshelf photo!

Last weekend I was getting low on books in my queue. I went to Borders and used a wonderful 40% off coupon. Now, also during the week, one of my co-gamers brought me a trilogy to read, and I found a book at work sitting in the break room that nobody has touched in years. Here's my current queue one week later: Grey Seer - Werner - WarHammer The Sword of Bedwyr - Salvatore Luthien's Gamble - Salvatore The Dragon King - Salvatore Sword Play - Emery - Forgotten Realms Dangerous Games (- Emery - Forgotten Realms Mortal Consequences - Emery - Forgotten Reamls Orcs: First Blood - Nichols Dissolution - Byers - Forgotten Realms Insurrection - Reid - Forgotten Realms Condemnation - Baker - Forgotten Realms The High King's Tomb - Britain