Lord Of War Vs. Matchstick Men

* = This is the only way you could get me to watch Court TV.














With the opening of the whole 5E can of worms last week it was amazing the amount of ‘I told you so’ that ran across the Interweb(s). Whether it was blatant Edition Warrior mentality or more of a snarky James Raggi point the fact is 4E is on it’s way out. Well as out as any Edition is liable to be in this attempt at an ‘Ultimate’ Edition. I think what bothered me is for the most part I during the full-blown Edition Wars I didn’t see a whole lot of 4E lovers baiting or starting these skirmishes. Instead it was a small but loud contingent of Angry Grognards, or that segment of the RPG populace who just hates WotC because they are WotC. That’s why to read how so many of them are celebrating like they’ve won some type of ‘Final Victory’ reads hollow and sort of sad.

I’ve made this point over and over again on other folk’s blog; 4E is still someone’s 1st D&D. It’s my wife’s first D&D, there have been no less than 5 folks who’ve come in and out of our groups and it’s been their first foray into RPG’s in general. So the fact that it isn’t a Grognard’s ‘Chosen’ edition, for whatever reason, does not invalidate it as a game, or even as D&D. To think otherwise is beneath you, me, and the game itself.

The reality is this isn’t a Grognard bashin’ blog. In fact I would say the VAST majority of the blogs I read are Grognard Blogs. The reality is, it’s the most passionate, intelligent, and more importantly creative groups in the RPG populace. I find so much inspiration, tools, and insight just reading the works of these people. However at the same time it doesn’t mean you are always right. I think more than anything else that’s what upsets me or frustrates me. Rather than examine what does work for them in any edition, such as 4E, it’s all about what they feel is ‘wrong’ with it. So many intelligent people and they have no desire to take the tool set and build with it.

It’s sort of like the current E-Mail discussion I’m in with Mighty Mike, The Indomitable Dave, & Battin' Ben Z. regarding George Lucas saying he’s basically done with Star Wars because of the fans. In the end if we aren’t creating then we are critics. And in the process of critiquing I think we sometimes loose sight of the fact that it’s all SUBJECTIVE. It’s an opinion that you’re spouting, not fact. See the previous three paragraphs, they are Subjective. Once we start treating our opinion as fact we’ve lost perspective.

Believe me I know this, I do it all the friggin’ time. The reality is I try not to. I really try to look at things under their own merit, and when I do criticize I try to at least not be to negative. Operative word here is ‘try’. We’re all subjective, we like what we like, we love what we love, and we HATE what we HATE. I do a lot of Hating, I’m good at it, but I’m trying to do it in a bit nicer way.

So all I’m really trying to get across here is, if we’re going to have a debate, or heated conversation, or even just a good ole fashion disagreement can we at least be civil? Can we avoid speaking in glaring generalities, name calling, and the ‘because I said so’ arguments? These are the things that I loathe so much in ‘Merican politics, and when they get dragged into a conversation over Spider-Man, or a football game, or why Iron Maiden rules it irritates me to no end.
All right I’m off the soapbox, since I’m sure you have a lot more important things to do than listen to me babble on and on about…

RANDOM CRAP!

- Another Pathfinder Mini’s set is on its way. This time it’ll be based off of the Adventure Path ‘Rise Of The Runelord’, which is fantastic. Here’s our first glimpse;

So it’s a Yeti. Huh. Well I don’t hate it, but I’m not blown away. I’ve finally got the vast majority of the pieces now, and I have to say the Ettin is just incredible; it’s a fantastic mini. I also really like the Lich, the Gnome Fighter, the Half-Orc Barbarian, & the Orc Warrior. The minis could all really do with a ‘Wash’ to give them some shading. I also have to point out that the subtle paint jobs like the Human Druid & Medusa just come off as plain. Both are solid sculpts, but neither pops the way I think it could’ve. There are some ‘bad’ pieces in the set, the big ones being the Zombie and the Chimera. I’m avoiding purchasing either. As a first set it’s good, not great, the big thing it does though is set the tone for what they can get done with this product, which is pretty good news for those of us who love minis.
- This weekend I had one of the best Chili's I've ever eaten followed up last night with one of the best homemade Mac N' Cheese ever. My wife is on a roll.
- Is anyone else tired of Spike Lee? He occasionally does something on film of cultural or significant resonance, but the rest of the time he’s an obnoxious twit. He is one of the reasons why I loathe New York. He’s a perfect microcosm of the city loud, self-obsessed, and self-important. See there I am Hatin’ again.
- Two great football games this weekend, and we get a Superbowl rematch with some serious bite to it. I am, as always, rooting for Tom Brady.
- As I hit the book two mark in the Cadderly Compendium, ‘The Cleric Quintet’ and I’m not sure what I think. For those that remember, or more importantly even care, I picked up the 5th book in paperback and devoured it a year or so ago. I really dug that book, it had a very interesting ending, and one might even call it sad. As I start to devour what came before I can’t help but feel a tad bit of regret that I know the ending. It’s not great, but it isn’t bad either, basically it’s just another D&D Novel.
- I would really like some Fried Chicken right now.
- Metal Evolution was ‘Shock Metal’ this week, and while I had different expectations than what I got, what I got was SO much better than what I expected. This week is ‘Power Metal’, gird your Dio!

I thought I had so much more to say, but the meds are kicking in and I'm getting hazy...

“What do you do when something dies
A life together has ended, your living a lie
When did this act become reality?
Hello conscience, do I laugh or do I cry
Nothing's ever perfect
This is just a test

Imagine, imagine saying what can be said
Imagine, imagine each word a bullet 'til you're dead
Imagine, imagine killing something you love
Imagine, just think about living inside

Blood on your hands, blood in my eyes
Blood I can't keep, blood circumscribes
Blood on your hands turns into blood in my eyes

And with the blood I can't keep
Our lives, blood circumscribes
Brother on, brother on, brother on, brothers in blood

A wave of hatred comes like the flood
Brother on brother on,
Brothers in blood
Hate is so much easier to feel than love
Brother on brother on
Brothers in blood

Misery can be so attractive
When making yourself happy is the only alternative
At the expense of someone else's life
Do it for yourself, damn it, do what's right!

Imagine, think about living your life
Imagine, think about being stabbed with a dull knife
Imagine, think how sane you'll be when it's through
Imagine, think real hard then do what ya gotta do”





* = I'm really proud of this card as it's an amalgamation of three images. I really dig how it turned out looks wise. In addition I think the tactics are sound. It puts me one more step closer to getting that damn Domains Of Dread: Lamordia 'module' done.