Alphabet Fail

I gave it a good try but I have to admit that the more I ran with the A to Z project, the more I realized that I was never going to find something for every letter. I am sure that if I dug down deep I could, but at that point the project begins to feel like work and I really don't want to labor through the posts.

So, sorry to disappoint folks but I'm not going to be doing "S" through "Z".

-Eli

"Q" is for...

Quar

28mm and 15mm scale Quar from Zombiesmith site.

It's been quite a few years now since Zombiesmith came out with these guys and I still get a thrill every time I look at them. If you don't know who or what the Quar are, they are the brainchild of Josh Qualtieri brought to life through a collaboration between him, the artist Sequoia Blankenship, the sculptor Aaron Brown. and a very creative writer named Pete Murray. The result of this long journey has been amazing.

The Quar are something quite unique in the hobby in that they represent a self-contained miniatures line representing an alien race that is not set in the far future of their world, but in an industrial war time set amid a technology that is somewhere equivalent to Earth around 1920s to 1940s. They are a people at war with one another and have been for hundreds of years. Though there are distinct factions represented both in the background and the miniatures line, there is never any clear cut bad guy or good guy. That is for the player to decide for themselves. just as in the real world it often comes down to point of view. The Quar's war does not have an evil leader. There are no Hitlers or Stalins, no Pal Pots or Vlad The Impalers. There are Crusaders and Royalists - the old and the new.

One of the things that really stands out about the Quar is that they seem to have evolved organically from a crayon drawing from Josh's childhood to what they are now. Along the way, loyal fans have made up stories of their own, named their own leaders, sung songs, written poetry and crafted their own corners of the world. All the time, Josh and his fellows have taken notes, working with that creative flow. In fact there are some bits of the official world that have been inspired by or drawn from the personal contributions of fans and players. What's more, most of this developed without an official rules set to drive it along.

There are now three rules books out for the Quar, one an original set called "This Quar's War" which is for larger battles and a second called "Songs of our Ancestors" that uses the popular Ganesha game system found in their other "Song of..." tittles. The third is a recent release titled, "Of Spats and Pedrails" which expands the vehicle rules and adds force lists for two new factions for both rules sets.

I think in the end, the Quar fit a niche that few lines out there have completely accomplished. There is a sense of devotion and love of who they are that pervades the entire line. This sort of emotion, poured into the design work is lacking from many of them ore commercial lines out there. The Quar line does not grow fast and it does not grow big, but it does grow right and with a sense of self. Any creator out there can certainly look at the Quar and respect what Josh has accomplished through the overall craftsmanship and devotion he has shown this line.

"P" is for...

Pulp

One of my favorite genres to run for RPGs, I find that the Pulp genre is also one of the easiest to run. Because RPGs tend to be rather spanning and sometimes random, the loose conventions of Pulp allow a GM to run a game in the same way. It really is a mad lib sort of genre where just about everything that you can think of can happen.

Pulp as a role-playing genre is a really fun time for all involved. Players get to make over-the-top characters and the guy running it can throw out giant robot death machines one day and the next it's a mobster with a bent for power. How many other genres have room enough in them for super science, dinosaurs, hypnotic overlords, costumed heroes, the undead, lost cities, undersea journeys, and everything else that comes with with the word pulp.

Beyond the options, there is also the style. Pulp has a glamour all its own. Women are seductive, sexy, and innocent all at the same time. The men, though usually the heroes, aren't the only ones and  there are plenty of ladies who can dish it out like the boys. The action is fast and simple, the plots are tangled or direct as you need them. The environments are usually colorful and full of exciting denizens and stylish sets.

I don't claim to be an expert on this genre, but I do know that I love it and that some of my best games have been run in RPGs of this sort.

-Eli

"O" is for...

Old School RPGs

Yes, the old school thing again. I love them. 3.5 and Pathfinder and newer RPGs are cool and all and i do enjoy them, bust sometimes I just want to throw something together and play and the old school games are less bogged down in the sub-systems and heavy rules that make that difficult with the newer systems. For me, the old school thing isn't just about playing the old versions and their retro clones. It's also about playing new games with old school sensibilities.

These are games that have been built from scratch or partially from scratch but that maintain the basic tenants of the old school RPGs. They are not as heavy on specific details and systems as the new games allowing the detail to come out in the unfettered playability that their compact and elegant rules allow for. You may not find massive lists of skills and modifiers, but are they needed for the style of play you are going for?

Take, for example, Barbarians of Lemuria. This is Simon Washborne's imaginative brain child that combines elements of Conan, Tekumel, John Carter, and other staples of pulp fantasy and science fiction. The system is very smooth and intuitive, allowing the players and the GM to do much of the leg work within the most subtle of guidance from the rules. At it's core, you character has careers. If he encounters a situation that would draw from his skills, knowledge and/or experience in one of these careers, he gets a bonus or at least the ability to make a skilled check. That's it. No laborious catalogs of skills to pour over just do it. BOL is but one example, but still others exist.

While i have not purchased or played all the newer, old school style systems out there, I do have some of and I find that there is pretty much a game for anyone out there. Whether it is X-plorers, Rogue Space, or Stars Without Number, if you are looking for science fiction role-play you will find it. If it's a pulpy romp, try Dicey Tails, the pulp rewrite of Barbarians of Lemuria, a system that works well for the loose and cinematic conventions of the Pulp genre. I wish I could name  more, but I only have so much time and money to spend on exploring systems.

One last system worth mentioning is a favorite of mine that is still alive and well. It faded from mainstream but never went away and continued to be developed by the creators. I speak of the West End D6 System. Revived as a trio of core systems all using the same rules framework, D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy, and D6 Space really offer you just about anything you could wish for and FOR FREE. Not only are three core genres well represented in these tittles but each is completely cross compatible on a cellular level with one another. What's more, the system has been made open source and so there are numerous third party publications tapping into the system covering a number of different topics, even super heroes.

"N" is for...

Nega Zone

One of my favorite genres is Pulp Science Fiction. As amazing as fantasy is to game in, so is this type of science  fiction fun. Really they are almost the same thing with their exotic locations, strange powers, colorful races and fantastic adventures lurking around every corner.

For my own gaming in this setting I created a setting called the Nega Zone. I'm sure it's not an original name but it certainly sets the tone nicely. The Nega Zone is a place where the usual laws that govern the universe are not in play. This is a place where rocket packs are real and amazonian beauties can survive in harsh environments in just a foil bikini and a bubble helmet. Rockets replace starships and gravitic impeller drives replace wings and propellers. Laser swords and energy whips are practical here and your best friend might just be a huge bipedal sheep dog.

Though the setting is not fully developed, I would love to run both miniatures games and role-playing games in it. It's an excuse to use all sorts of wild ideas and to buy small numbers of miniatures of all kinds. It also allows me to do quite a bit of conversion and modelling work if I get that far. I have a few miniatures that would make suitable denizens such as some of Reaper Miniatures' reptilian faction for their Warlord game. I also have some Warhammer Fantasy plastic orcs that i converted to some sort of strange beastmen (below).



Future additions will include all sorts of aliens and heroes. I'd also like to accumulate some suitable freaky monsters and some robots to fill out the crew. Unless i do some sort of insanely big tabletop game i don't foresee the need for many of any given faction.

"M" is for...

MIYAZAKI

For a long time, I have been influenced and inspired by the work of this great man. A storyteller, artist, and I dare say, Visionary, Mr. Miyazaki has created worlds and characters both enchanting, haunting, and amazing. No matter what your taste or style you will likely find at least one movie of his that you can really like. 

I've always wanted to try to work up a gaming campaign based not so much on his work, but his style. His stories often combine whimsical fantasy with very serious overtones. Themes such as war and it's consequences, environmental devastation, growth, self-awareness and discovery color his films in ways that very much appeal to me. These would all make for a good campaign, but it is also his visual style that makes Miyazaki's work so outstanding. This is also the hardest thing to convey in an RPG setting as it requires describing everything in detail to make sure that his style is coming through and this isn't just another fantasy RPG or steampunk RPG.

I also think that his visual style would translate well to a miniatures driven game. Whether that is a full-on war game or one of the hybrid miniatures adventures games, this might actually be a better fit for gaming Miyazaki style. In miniatures the visual style would be more immediately apparent. The stories would be less involved and would constitute more objective based play than an RPG might, but it would still have enough there to allow for some entertaining gaming that went beyond "kill 'em all".

"L" is for...

Laputa

Castle in the sky. Just those words conjure up a magic, mystery and majesty that invites one to pull it into their gaming. Originating in the story of "Gulliver's Travels", the mythical flying island was used a part of Swift's political satyr.

Like many people, my first exposure to this strange, fantastic realm was not through literature, but through the animated feature of Hayou Miyazaki's "Laputa - Castle In The Sky" which portrayed the airborne island as some sort of ancient treasure to be had in a Victorian Science fiction setting. Miyazaki's film was vivid (it always is) and full of airships, air pirates, armored trains, freaky robots and strange legends and mysteries.

A few years back I had an idea to run Laputa as a force for a VSF setting. Unfortunately I couldn't settle on a theme for it and it went by the way side. My imagination was torn between an advanced realm similar to Miyazaki's vision or something on the other end as some sort of hovering lost world populated by savage people degenerated from the kingdom's greater past.

Lately I have considered trying to make some steps toward completing a small VSF force for this fantastic nation. I think I'd like to see Laputa dressed in over the top Napoleonic style uniforms. I like the Austrian helmet with the crests as those really seem ostentatious and over the top. I'll still have to come up with some crazy things to set them apart from more terrestrial forces.

Maybe some sort of armored troops might make them seem less Earthly and more advanced and alien. Something like the pictures below perhaps?

"K" is for...

Kaiju

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved giant movie monsters. I think I saw my first Godillza movie in a theater when I was like 4 or five. I remember thinking how cool those big monsters were. Roaring and taunting one another, bashing huge rocks and cardboard cities. Fire breath and laser eyes, claws, teeth, swishing tail all seemed so awesome and cool I couldn't help but go home with my friends and play monster myself. It's been a lifelong love that i have shared with my nephew, my kids and my friends. My nephew called them, "lizard movies" when he was three and we would sit on the couch and watch Godzilla beat up the kaiju du jour.  

I am sad to say that I have only had one occasion to game any sort of kaiju fun and that's been a ways back. There are some good options out there depending on your tastes. From the popular and mainstream Monsterpocalypse to Destroy All Monsters (and its supplements). These games tend to use miniatures, which is fitting considering the appeal of kaiju is mostly a visual one. Whatever the rules set, the objectiveo f the game is pretty much the same - bash the other guys, crush, crumble, and chomp the city and it's defenders.

"J" is for...

Jar Jar Binks

Yeah, I said it!

Jar Jar Binks may be a goofy, floppy-eared bafoon with all the common sense of a womp rat, but I also find a lot to like in this character.

Yeah, I said that too.

To me Jar Jar represents something we really don't see in too many sci fi films and he may have a lot more in common with a lot of characters than you think. At his core, he is a lovable slapstick sidekick who has his moments of abject failure but also manages to help the other heroes despite himself. He flops and jabbers his way across the screen in a way that is one part Chevy Chase and another Soupy Sales. Prat falling, bungling,  and fumbling like John Ritter's Jack Tripper with googly eyes. But why do I like him?

Why I like Jar Jar List - 

1) He's an alien who's not a perfect archetype of his species. Jar Jar is flawed when compared to the other Gungans. Boss Nass and Captain Tarpals seem quite competent, as do the others of his species who fought a stand-up fight against the droid army.

2) He doesn't speak perfectly. As an alien character, he is portrayed speaking a pidgin Galactic Standard rather than perfect GS or his own language with subtitles. This, for me, made him much more believable and interesting than the usual aliens with perfect diction.

3) He provides comic relief. In a series of movies that could have been otherwise quite heavy given the overtones of impending doom, corruption, slavery, civil war and the rapid decline of society and government, Jar Jar gives a few moments of rest. Hell, somebody has to be happy in a movie where they leave no question about the wholesale murder of children and the wanton betrayal of the brightest point of light in the entire galaxy (Jedi).

4) Jar Jar Ruins it All. Ultimately, it is the most lovable character that does the greatest amount of damage to the galaxy by his unilateral decision to offer up the prospect of extending unrestricted governmental authority to the most evil man in the galaxy.

5) Jar Jar Is a Hero. Despite his later utter blunder in politics, Jar Jar is the one who saves the day in The Phantom Menace. While the rest of the heroes are busy scratching their heads about what to do, Jar Jar risks his butt going back to the people who exiled him to call to arms the only army at hand big enough to challenge the Trade Federations' droid army. Like many of the native sidekicks of old, he fights a potentially losing fight against an overwhelming foe.

The above examples are all drawn from the well known and almost universally viewed prequel movies, but there are more reasons to like Jar Jar presented in the Clone Wars animated series. In fact, it seems that there is a real effort to show Jar Jar (and the Gungans) in a positive light. Perhaps the writers of the show felt a need to redeem the race or were eager for the challenge to do something with the much maligned character (species).

In the animated series, Jar Jar is shown as a cagey character, able to adapt to situations that put him in well above his pay grade. While he never surrenders his fool's way, he still manages to, and often with little help, succeed in his tasks. Whether it is taking on space pirates or confronting droids occupying a friendly city, Jar Jar comes through. In one episode it is Jar Jar who discovers, through a female Gungan, a cure for the Blue Shadow Virus that is killing Naboo's imhabitants. In "Gungan Attack", it is Jar Jar who convinces the Gungan council to send the Gungan Grand Army to support Captain Akbar's fight to keep Mon Cal free of Separatist rule. In another episode, Shadow Warrior, Jar Jar masquerades as the the new Gungan leader Boss Lyonie and stops the manipulated Gungan army from going to war with Theed.

Throughout the series Jar Jar proves himself time and again to be a useful character. All of this is really quite a bummer when you stop and consider that he goofs bad and puts the galaxy in Palpatine's hands. Despite this career-ending misstep, Jar Jar plays out to be a faithful sidekick, accidental statesman and blundering hero of the highest caliber.

"I" is for...

Imagi-Nations

King's Colors, 18th C. Alcovia

The hobby of imaginary nations or imagi-nations is a most amusing one for me. For me, these differ from truly fantastic realms such as Laputa and Atlantis is that, although they are fictional, they do conform to the rules and general feel of our world and the particular time they are created for. This should not, however, be read as a condemnation of more whimsical or creative imagi-nations or a warning against going too far. The line is a subtle one.

For me, it's much like that so-called fantasy football that all the sports fans are playing. It's not so much about making up new and amazing war machines and such, but more about picking and choosing, mixing and matching elements from your favorite historical armies into something that makes sense. You might want French tanks, but prefer Italian uniforms on your soldiers. Or perhaps you have always wanted to have an army in the 18th century that wore colors that no real army dreamed of. Maybe your medieval army made much grater use of mounted bowmen than any of its real world equivalents.

Many times it is much more subtle or simple than this. For some players, it's just about not being constrained by the limits, narrow as they may be, of history and historical events. Perhaps you want an army that is for all intents and purposes the exact same army as the early 18th century British but you want to have them slogging it out with Germans in a knock down drag out fight. Sure you could just pit the two historical armies against one another, but you could also create two new nations of your own with your own names, uniforms and made-up conflict.

Sketch for a planned Alcovian war elephant.

Then there are imagi-nations that go a bit further, like my Alcovia. Alcovia has existed in many centuries but the most outrageous version, so far, has to be the 18th century version of it. For this time period I took advantage of something I'd been wanting to play with for a while - Eastern Renaissance. I used a combination of 17th century troops from Eastern Europe to stand in for the backwater budding kingdom to fight a war of unification.  But I didn't stop there. I added some troops that didn't normally belong in such armies, namely elephants and camels, concluding that these were brought in by local nomads (camels) and purchased by the king as a flight of fancy (elephants). This made the army a much more interesting and unique army with greater personality than simple re-skinned historicals.

Really, when it comes down to it, imagi-nations are a way for you to stretch your imagination in a way that still has some limits and a challenge of trying to make something imaginative yet, believable at the same time. This is really where they differ from true fantasy realms.

Imagi-nations I have created are -

Kingdom of Hawaii 

Alcovia, 18th Century 

Alcovia, Modern

Alcovia, Inrerwar Period (one of many imagi-nations on this blog)

Elistonia (as part of the Alcovian background)

Iquenistan (as part of the Alcovian background)

-Eli

"H" is for...

HAWAII, KINGDOM OF

Back in 2009 I had this crazy idea of trying to create a VSF imagi-nation based on the idea that Hawaii had maintained its independence in the 19th century and had become a colonial power of its own. Admittedly this was a bit of a stretch, but it was a fun project that unfortunately never went past a single painted unit and a lot of background work.

In this timeline, an early exposure to European diseases devastates Hawaii well before its official discovery and opening to the west. This allows the island nation to recover with an increased resistance and immunity to many of viruses that helped Europeans to move in and take hold. Add to this an increased nationalism and an organized opposition to the adoption or western religion and the selling of Hawaiian lands to foreigners and you have a Hawaii that is better able to stand on it's own two feet. Granted it is the final element, an agreement with Great Britain that makes the kingdom of Hawaii a protectorate of the crown, that allows Hawaii to last long enough to resist being preyed upon by the industrialized world until it has established its own modern government and military.

The final form of the kingdom is one with it's own army and navy, built off of a mix of standing troops and militia. While the standing army would be provided and provisioned by the central government of the king, the militias would be recruited and supported by local noble lords from their workers and tenants. This would allow me to have an army that was made up of many different sorts of uniforms around a central theme. There was also an allowance in my plans for foreign mercenaries in service with the Hawaiian crown.

An example of a militia unit. Figures are Paraguayan War minis from QRF.

Recently, I have been thinking about working on this project a little bit more. It'll all depend on what minis I can get for it on the cheap. 

If you'd like to see what I wrote on this project, check out the following links -

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Atler-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 1

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 2

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 3

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 4

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 5

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 6

I SEE LEAD PEOPLE: Alter-Nations - Kingdom of Hawaii Part 8

Thanks for reading!

-Eli

"G" is for...

GITHYANKI

Perhaps it's because they were on the cover of the very first hardback D&D book I ever purchased or maybe it's because they are such awesomely complex monsters with so much going on. Whatever the reason, I have always loved the githyanki and can count them among, if not at the top of my list of AD&D monsters.

In my younger days, I lost my favorite barbarians character, Balor, defending a thieve's guild hall against a githyanki onslaught. He fought valiantly for nothing more than his honor and his word, but could not stand up to the combined might of githyanki warriors, their magic, and the red dragons they rode in on. When the dust cleared, Balor was dead, but I had an epic battle to sing about in that braggadocios way that only a young, elementary school aged gamer can. The thieve's guild fell but the thieves, my friends' characters, were able to escape with the silver sword that the githyanki came for. Later, Balor's son would wander into the world of the civilized and take up a quest for vengeance.

In my later gaming career, I toyed with the githyanki a lot. They were secret agents, dark assassins, minions and at one point the vanguard for the coming apocalypse of my gaming world. In this form, they were not the githyanki, but simply gith, still in the thrall of the ilithids. They were stormtroopers and hunters and I even came up with some strange, twisted ilithid technology for them to use, including a subtle nod to my love of mecha in the form of magical, symbiotic, insectoid armor (idea borrowed from Aura Battler Dunbine and Spelljammer).   The gith minions were not as individually potent as githyanki, but then again they were still minions. However, with the tools provided by their masters they were dangerous in new and different ways.

"F" is for...

FIRBOLG

Ever since I read their stats in the Monster Manual 2, I have loved these giant, good-aligned, Celtic-styled giants. In a game full of evil, malign, savage and otherwise out to get you monsters, especially among the giants, these beardy goliaths are a nice break from the norm.

Pic from CoolMiniOrNot.com

Although they can still pose a threat to adventuring parties, they often have more detailed motives for being so. Instead of hurling boulders at you simply for the sheer sport of it or because they want to grind their bones to make their bread. A Firbolg is more likely to attack a party because they are invading his lands, have taken some of his stock or wronged his reputation or kinfolk somehow.

As much as they can be foe, Firbolg also offer a good chance for something special in a fantasy game - a giant on your side. Being good-aligned, they can just as easily be allies to a party as they can be enemies. In my own games, I have had a Firbolg seek aid from the party, serve as a guide and in one game there was even a Firbolg PC (I was pandering to a player, I'll admit it).

"E" is for...

E. Gary Gygax

Image from http://www.stargazersworld.com/tag/gary-gygax/

How could I not put him in here someplace?

Just as Michelangelo was to David, so was he to his D&D. His creation was the spark that ignited the fire. As much as gaming is and has been an influence in my life, there is a debt owed to this man and his spirit. Sure he didn't create role-playing or games, but he brought them together in a way that changed things forever.

"D" is for...

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Likely to be on a lot of peoples' A to Z, but I'd be telling a lie if i put anything else here. Sure things like dinosaurs and dark future might just as easily go here, but in the general A to Z of my diverse hobby, this simple box is likely the most important "D" there is and it has two of them to boot.

For me D&D is the big black monolith to my hobby. I had an imagination and an enjoyment for fantasy and adventure before that, but finding that box and reading those rules was what led to me throwing the dice into the air in slow motion and beating my geeky chest as it opened up the broad horizon of a lifetime of fun and enjoyment. 

In a true Kubrickian moment, fantasy and adventure wasn't just something I did during play time with my friends, it was now a hobby, with focus, purpose, growth and expansion. It helped me express myself. It helped me learn (yes, it really did). Even my mother recognized how it changed me. I had always liked learning before D&D but after D&D I came home from the library with arms loaded with books on any number of subjects.

"C" is for...

CAVEMEN

Whether as a lovable cartoon character as shown above or a grim denizen of the prehistoric past, the simple caveman can be used in so many ways in gaming. I know that I have found a place for him in fantasy RPGs and in Pulp Adventure games.

They make good minions for higher powers and they also make great encounters in lost worlds. I've used them in my Age of Stone and Bone fantasy RPG setting as a sort of replacement for orcs and goblins along side more evolved humans. We have seen them in the works of Frazetta and the pages of various Conan comics. They have harassed intrepid Victorian adventurers through the pages of fiction and on tabletops everywhere.

There are many excellent miniatures made to represent these fine fellows...

Copplestone Castings does some wonderful Pulpy 28mm cave folk

Primaeval Designs does 28 and 15mm cavemen

Eureka Miniatures has 28mm Neanderthals

There are likely more out there, but these are the ones I know of. In addition, I find that you can get even more pose variety by using some Ancient Germans from any of the Age of Romes historical miniatures lines out there. Many of these are barely dressed or even naked, making them perfect for simple conversions or not. They also have wild hair and large beards that make for very simple, primitive looks. Weapons are easily modified if they are anything more than a spear or club.

So beat your chest, grab some fire as you salute the original scruffy-looking nerf herder!

"B" is for...

BONGOLESIA

The brainchild of Mike Murphy, Bongolesia has to be the quintessential modern imagi-nation. Born from the AK-47 gaming of its creator, the fictitious African nation has taken on a life of its own over the years. It has its own Facebook presence and Rebel Minis has even made a stand-alone game inspired by and named after it. All of this is pretty damned cool for what originally began as a lark.

So, why is Bongolesia important to me? Well without Bongolesia, there would be no Crisis in Alcovia. The success of Bongolesia and its blend of tongue in cheek humor along with very serious, and real modern commentary was the template for the modern woes in my own imaginary Balkan nation. I don't think I am alone in this either and Bongolesia could be seen as the grandfather of modern imagi-nations when imagi-nations had normally been the stuff of more fantastic settings, scifi, or earlier eras in human history.

So, hat's off and a hearty "Huzzah!" to Murph for his inventiveness and imagination and for sparking imitators and inspiring new creations. not many guys can say that they have had their goofy blog turned into it's own game.

"A" is for...

ALCOVIA

Alcovia is my go-to imagi-nation for most games these days. Orignally created as an analog for small Balkan nation to be used for colonial era wargaming and VSF, it later evolved into other eras as needs dictated. As Alcovia grew from the 19th century into the early 20th century it gained legs as an inter-war locale for Back of Beyond style gaming and as it did, it gained other imagi-nation neighbors such as Elistonia, Iqenistan, and Theogonia.

Then I started the Crisis in Alcovia project which was the first dedicated blog for Alcovia, chronicling the outbreak of a modern 21st century civil war. This blog is mostly made up of fictional news stories, interviews and media commentary about the goings on during the civil war. I used a lot of pictures of real world conflicts to make the events seem more "realistic".

Most recently Alcovia has been used as the setting for 18th century wargaming during the War of Alcovian Unification? This is a period in which a single Alcovian warlord set his sights on bringing the rough and wild Alcovian Steppes under a single crown as a "modern" nation. You can read about the build-up of this side project on The Dream of the Sleeping Wolf blog.

I'm sure Alcovia will see other incarnations, but I plan to slow down on new iterations of the fictional nation until I've fleshed out the few I already have. 

This A to Z Thing

So, I have been seeing folks doing this and it looks kind of fun. In my old hardcore gaming days, I would have told you it'd be a breeze for me to come up with something for every letter and would have likely spat out 26 topics in no time. Now days, with life, wife, kids and commitments, the gaming stuff is harder to zone in on, despite what it may look like to anyone else.

I soon hope to start filling the pages of ISLP with an alphabetical roll call of the things that I find fun and interesting in RPGs, miniatures, board games and general geek-fu. This should be fun, pathetic or a bit of both depending on what I conjure.

Keep an eye out folks,

-Eli