More often than not life is extremely strange. I find that just when I’ve hit sort of a plateau of numbness to most outside stimuli something will jump out to either grab my attention, my ire, or my affection. Yesterday was strange because I found myself in that perfect storm of all three.
My attention was focused on strange and diverse creative endeavors. I was putting together the list of the next three sets of D&D Adventure System Monster Card Decks. I wrote some lyrics for Dave & Greg. At the request of Dave I also came up with a list of questions to ask the assemble Fairly Secret Army in an interview. More than anything else though I was able to focus on D&D, and not just this Saturday’s session, but the following sessions as well. I’ve been trying to not overly build sessions. I was listening to the Critical Hits podcast, a must for would-be DM’s, and they had Steve Townshend on. For those that don’t know Mr. Townshend has written some really good stuff like Heroes Of The Feywild, The Demonomicon, Monster Vault: Threats To The Nentir Vale, & the exceptionally cool Madness At Gardmore Abbey. He was talking about over preparation, and how to find that sweet spot between winging it and building a whole multi-verse where the PC’s are little more than moving window dressing. I think a lot of the time I’m guilty of this. I will world build to such an extent that my expectations on the PC’s and the players very attitude about ‘My’ world is so skewed it strangles the game. I’m trying really hard to avoid that with the current group. So much so that I’m taking a different tact when designing, I’m building a framework and then letting the ‘filling’ be more spontaneous. It’s much more in the 5X5 Method on the large end, if not more like a lazy 3X3 Method, but on the details I’m just seeing where the sessions take me. I had to resist writing a crap ton on the background of NPC’s for this and the next two sessions, and instead am just relying upon my ability to improvise and go with the flow. I feel like I have a good handle on all the PC’s with the exception of Cassandra & Mike who have the least fleshed out background. So I know where I’d like to see Joe, Zack, & Bob go, for Dave I have an idea, but knowing Dave it’ll change from session to session. I have some NPC’s I want to hear the PC’s interact with, some of them I want to see the PC’s kill in new and interesting ways. Basically, I just want to set the table for the feast so I can see what they devour first. It’s strangely liberating to take the obsessive compulsive planning training wheels off and just let the game take us where it will. We’ll know after Saturday whether we crashed & burned or took off.
My ire was focused on what it usually is, our political maelstrom. The idea that the Supreme Court and it’s 5 to 4 ‘Conservative’ force’s desire to overturn the Health Care law wasn’t that shocking. I think what shocked me was the fact that some of them apparently hadn’t even read the law. Or that some of them where in bed fiscally with the Koch Brothers, who vehemently oppose the law and most other things that don’t line their fat pockets. I find it beyond the pale that the people who rally around this as Government intrusion are fine with the Government controlling a woman’s reproductive organs, or allowing you to ‘Stand Your Ground’ and murder people, are excited about the idea of Capital Punishment, and are salivating at the bit to go after Iran. These are the men and women who drape themselves in the flag while reciting bible verses. That’ when they aren’t to busy persecuting gays, moving money in a way to avoid taxes, eliminating Evolution from text books, denying Global Warming, and looking to ‘trim the fat’ on the budget by eliminating every piece of social programming they can. When did Conservative become synonymous with Crusader? The frustrating thing I find is that these people don’t want a dialogue they want to ideologue. If you aren’t with them you’re against them. Frankly, I don’t fancy being ‘against’ anyone, it’s to exhausting, however if they keep moving the line in the sand closer and closer pushing those of us in the middle further away I fear for the sanity of what’s left of America. Or maybe I just fear that ‘Merica is much more the reality than I care to admit.
My affection was drawn to the rough cut of the new Fairly Secret Army EP, ‘The Mountain Man EP’. It’s not news that I’m a shill for my friends. I’d pimp all their creative endeavors if I could. That being said there is very little music that I thoroughly enjoy, am surprised by, and that has meant more to me in my adult life then the stuff Dave & Greg have done. I think the reason beyond the care and craft they put into it is that I get to peek behind the curtain of creation. Track 2 is a Clutch-like tune and I remember being on the phone with Dave bouncing lyric ideas back and forth. It’s one thing to do that, it’s entirely different when you hear the song, and you can point to small moments that you talked about. It’s strange; it is a tie that binds to the music that increases its effects on me tenfold. I have to say that when Dave told me he was writing his ‘Freebird’ I was skeptical. However, I think he and Greg captured the feel of that alt-country anthem extremely well, disturbingly well in fact. It’s a credit to both of them how they can flutter between genres so effortlessly. The third finished song on the disc was extremely solid, but suffered from having to follow the first two tracks. I was extremely amused with the lyrics though and caught myself laughing more than once. It’s not finished, so I’m intrigued to see where they take it. I mean how can you not love a song bitching about albums being to long? So while ‘music’ maybe on life support in ‘Merica, at least I’ll always have a Fairly Secret Army to get me through.
RANDOM CRAP!
- Blogger or Blogspot or whatever it is you call yourself now, WTF! Quiet it with the format changes. My last blog is a car wreck now because of this shit. Changing something does not make it better it just makes it different.
- Three blogs in a week. Even if Blogger hasn’t completely screwed the format pooch I’m just shocked I had this much useless complaining to do. I guess there is a lot more rolling around inside my giant ginger noggin than I realize some times.
- Oh and Conservatives, I’m just as irritated about Liberals being special interest whores and having literally NO backbone. So don’t feel out, I have enough HATE to go around.
- If you look at the current Powerball number it’s just crazy. After taking the lump sum and taxes you’d still come out with well over 100 million dollars. That is insane. The good or ill you could do would be spectacular. I have a plan if we ever won. Most of the time I don’t think much about that plan, but I find myself REALLY interested right now. Who knows, maybe we’ll win, I highly doubt it, but you never know.
- We finished the second season of the SyFy show ‘Face Off’. I have to say I HATE reality television, but I dug this show about special effect and make-up artists. I was really happy when the two people Cassandra and I loathed the most BOTH got eliminated right before the finale. It was amazing to see what these people could do creatively, not to mention under duress. The creativity was off the charts. I know I’ll be looking forward to the next season when it starts in the summer.
- I’m tired, and I know I have to sort of kick it into gear to get through tomorrow. I think tonight will be all about an early bed time, perhaps a little Ibuprofen to get it off to a good start, and perhaps some pre-sleep couch cuddle time with the most perfect woman in the world. I just have to find a way to keep momentum into Saturday Night.
And with that I think I’m done.
“Well, My Senses Are Sharpened
I'm Half In The Bag
I Got A Cheshire Smile And
A Five Cent Rag.
Day Of The Jackalope
Abandon All Ye Faithful
Abandon All Ye Hope
Abandon All Ye Faithful
It's The Day Of The Jackalope
Well, I Heard About Your Problems
With Your Old Man
Well, He's A Non-Issue
As Fast As I Can
Day Of The Jackalope
Abandon All Ye People
Abandon All Ye Hope
Abandon All Ye People
It's The Day Of The Jackalope
Well, The Leaves Blow In Circles
In My Footsteps
Like The Mouth Of A River
I Have No Regrets
Day Of The Jackalope
Abandon All Ye People
Abandon All Ye Hope
Abandon All Ye People
It's The Day Of The Jackalope”
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