Categories
News

Books I read in 2023

Here are the 31 books I read in 2023, a total that’s a bit lower than average. I’m not sure what I was doing instead. Writing blog posts? Working on Basic Fantasy RPG projects? Let’s see what I can remember about these books, going in reverse chronological order because I keep track in Google Keep which doesn’t let me sort by date added.

Sarcasm and Glory: A Rock and Roll Testimonial by J. D. Yorke

This book arrived at Christmas and I think I read through it in a day or two. I think I heard about it via Albert Bouchard, and the book is dedicated to Albert and his brother, two founding members of Blue Oyster Cult. The book seems to be a collection of Facebook posts. It was like reading through someone’s timeline going back several years.

The Siege of the Black Citadel by Chuck Dixon

This is the first in a new series of Conan novels by the comic book writer who invented Bane and took over from Mike Baron on The Punisher back in the 90s. It’s good. Dixon is an excellent writer, and I enjoyed Levon’s Trade a couple of years ago. There’s already a second book in the series that I haven’t picked up yet. The book itself has a pulpy feel being about 7×9 and thin like an old magazine, and it has cool illustrations inside.

I clipped that short passage. You know when things are really tough, and people around you are talking about praying for help, and you realize your god, Crom, is just laughing at you from atop his mountain? It can be motivating.

The Beginning Was The End by Jade Dellinger and David Giffels

This is a history of the band DEVO. It’s an abridged version of an earlier edition that I couldn’t find. I read this book right around the time that we went to Paso Robles to see DEVO in concert. Some of the details in the book I already knew from other sources. Mark Motherbaugh was on Rick Rubin’s Broken Record podcast last year and told the story about meeting Richard Branson in Jamaica. Then I saw him retell it on a Tony Hawk podcast.

The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany

This novel is on Gygax’s Appendix N list, a classic. It has an ethereal feel, almost a myth. The plot surprised me all along. I was expecting the elves to be more gnarly as in Anderson’s Broken Sword. One thing I took away from this for playing D&D is how there can be lines dividing worlds that you can simply cross (if the king allows you).

Dominance and Submission by Martin Popoff

Don’t let this out, but if Martin keeps writing BOC books, I will keep buying them. This book covers the studio albums in a conversational style similar to Martin’s YouTube channel, The Contrarians. Five guys BOC fans talking about what they like or don’t like about the album, going track by track. I like how when I get one of his books, they come wrapped in a Canadian newspaper and Martin signs in the inside.

The Randolph Carter Tales by H. P. Lovecraft

I’m slowly making my way through a complete collection of Lovecraft that came as several books. This one had the Carter tales, mostly one long novel about Carter making his way through dreamland. As with the Dunsany novel, there’s a journey into another realm that reminds me of Haderax in my own Terror in Tosasth adventure book for Basic Fantasy RPG. It also reminds me of Sign of the Labrys by Margaret St. Clair.

Company of One by Paul Jarvis

I think I saw this on Hacker News and bought it on impulse. I wrote a whole blog post about the ideas in the book: To Grow, or Not to Grow.

Real-World Next.js by Michele Riva

My most important client, Clorox, is doing more site in Next.js, and I need to be aware of how it works in my role as platform architect. This book is 8.5×11 and pretty thick. I bet a lot of people read it on a computer or tablet. I can’t help thinking that Next is a reinvention of all the PHP work that went on a couple of decades ago.

Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet

I feel like this book was on my Amazon wishlist for years, probably from back when I was a VP at Clear Ink. Then it showed up as a Christmas gift in 2022. It’s about a Navy guy who helped get teams on submarines working better together. One idea that comes back to me often is the approach of stating intent rather than asking for permission or agreement. I’ve found myself sometimes telling dev teams, “I intend to release a new version upstream that takes us to PHP 8.2 this month,” rather that just doing it or hashing it out in a meeting. It streamlines interactions.

First Blood by David Morrell

This is the novel that inspired the Stalone movie. As is typical, the novel is more interesting than the movie, which is a good movie. It’s a straight up adventure with lots of fighting that ends in a more 1970s way than the movie.

The Road to React by Robin Wierych

This book is about React without much about Next. I think it was the right choice to read about React first and then about the particular way Next uses it.

Laughing Shall I Die by Tom Shippey

Shippey is an expert on Tolkien, but this book is about viking sagas. In some ways, it’s a companion to the TV series, Vikings. It goes over the sagas and considers which parts could be true. Reading this book inspired me to watch the show, which starts strong and doesn’t live up to the first half by the end. There are many great ideas for D&D in this overview of the sagas, and the historical parts of quite interesting on their own. The thing I remember most is the story of a viking facing decapitation who asks that someone hold his long hair back. When the axe comes down, he jerks up so that it chops off the hands of the guy holding his hair. It was a brief moment in the show, but I was happy to see it after having read about it.

Tony Bath’s Ancient Wargaming by John Curry

Bath was a pioneer in organizing huge wargaming campaigns, and this book collects his writings about how to design battle rules and how to run the long campaign. I knew it was a classic and wanted to glean ideas for my long-running Basic Fantasy RPG campaign. It’s has a quintessential 1970s style, similar to D&D original little brown books.

Modern JavaScript for the Impatient by Cay Horstmann

Long ago, my PHP book was a sibling to Horstmann’s Java book in Prentice Hall’s “Core” series. His book is currently in a 12th edition! I knew he wrote well, so I picked up his book about JavaScript to catch up on the stuff that’s appeared in the last few years. This book is oriented toward readers who have already mastered one or more programming languages and just need to know how JavaScript is different. That’s exactly right for me, although much of it was still review rather than learning anything new. I really enjoyed this book.

Arbiter of Worlds by Alexander Macris

Macris is the author of the D&D retroclone Adventurer, Conqueror, King. This book is a collection of advice about mastering roleplaying games of all types. I tend to agree with everything Alex states here, as well as the additional information available in his YouTube channel.

The White Pill by Micheal Malice

Malice, popular anarchist and writer, published this book that generally covers anarchist and communist thinking during the 19th and 20th centuries. Various details about the Russia and the rise of the Soviets were interesting.

Hiero’s Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero by Sterling Lanier

I read a collected volume of the two Hiero books by Lanier. The protagonist is a mystic in post-apocalyptic Canada. The books are listed in Appendix N and influenced both Advanced D&D and Gamma World. The magic of this world is primary psychic and technological. Strange monsters populate the landscape, some mutated in body or gaining sentience. And there are cryptic factions scheming to control the world. The writing is pulpy and not at all like modern “hero’s journey” stuff. These books continue to inspire me.

Outlive by Peter Attia

I think I grabbed this on impulse based on a Cernovich recommendation. The information in this book was mostly review for me, except Attia’s life story. It probably didn’t get me to pay more attention to the quantity of protein in my diet.

The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance

I enjoy everything by Vance, and I have been rationing his books, not reading them all at once. This book is not stereotypical fantasy. It’s more properly science fiction in the way Vance designs worlds where a pocket of low technology exists in a universe of high technology. In some ways, it’s like Anderson’s High Crusade, where medieval people are plucked off the earth to fight battles with high tech aliens, except in The Dragon Masters, high tech aliens are invading a world that’s forgotten much of its scientific knowledge.

Wired for Love by Stephanie Caciopoo

This is a light book about the science of love intertwined with the author’s personal story about losing her husband.

The Lost Dungeon of Tonisborg

From the guys who produced Secrets of Blackmoor, this book collects everything about an old school dungeon played in the 1970s. Plus, it has an RPG system similar to D&D. This is a valuable artifact for learning how the early game was played. I’m sure I’d never just run this as is because I enjoy creating adventures myself, but there’s so much to borrow here. I have a nice, purple hardback from the original release, but you can get an inexpensive paperback at The Fellowship of the Thing.

Kids of the Black Hole by Dewar MacLeod

This book covers the punk scene in Los Angeles associated with the Black Hole apartments. I’ve read a lot of books about punk that overlap, so it’s hard to remember which things I learned specifically from this book. I still enjoy reading these types of books about music history.

Here’s Your Irony Back by Raymond Pettibon

This big coffee table book shows off some of Pettibon’s artwork from some time ago. I suppose most people know him from Black Flag album covers, so I guess this book is adjacent to my interest in punk rock history. I appreciate being able to look closely at the drawings and the words. I also enjoy Pettibon’s messages on X.

Why We Meditate by Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche

I meditate every morning, and I have for several years. I’m sure it reduces stress. I purposely meditate first thing in the morning to counteract the cortisol released by my body to wake me up. It also seems to provide an ongoing base of calm as long as I keep the up the practice. As such, I am keen to learn more about meditation because I think I could improve.

This book pairs a scientist with a monk, seeking an integration of tradition and the science to explain the effectiveness. It’s not a manual. It’s more a narrative and an overview with a few hints for what they might learn next.

The New Abnormal by Aaron Kheriaty

I think this was a gift I felt obligated to read. It’s a rundown on all the absurdities that started in 2020.

Lamentations of the Flame Princess by James Raggi

LotFP, as people call it, is a D&D retroclone with a reputation for lewd artwork. The author, James Raggi, posts interesting videos on YouTube and I think he was having a hard time with people “cancelling” him in 2023. I admired his statement about sticking to principles. He’s funny and weird, and I generally prefer weird things.

I’m sure I don’t have time to play LotFP, but I there were a few inspiring ideas from this game that have either crept into my own BFRPG campaign or threaten to. I keep thinking about the firearm rules, for instance.

Dungeon Hacks by David L Craddick

This is an amazing review of rogue-likes, a particular genre of computer game that has a somewhat vague definition. After reading this book, I spent a lot of time playing the original Rogue in an Amiga emulator. I actually found the Amulet of Yendor but was unable to escape the dungeon without starving.

The Primal Primer by Luke Weinhagen

This book is an introduction to surviving and apocalypse. I can hardly remember much about it now. I think it was an impulse buy, and it had some information about preserving food and just dealing with crumbling services.

Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman and Richard J Davidson

This is another book about meditation, with an emphasis on how meditation can change your body. The science suggests some amazing feats achievable by masters of meditation. This book isn’t a how-to guide, though.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs

This book covers the history of D&D with a focus on the 1980s. It gives a much clearer picture of TSR as it fell apart during that time, offering up many details about the business. Business history books are another genre I enjoy, and I often think about a history of Commodore Computers I read many years ago. This book is a good companion to books by Jon Peterson if you want to get a more complete picture of the rise and fall of the most famous RPG game company.

Categories
News PHP Professional

WordPress After 20 Years

Twenty years ago, WordPress was released. A couple of months after that, the third edition of Core PHP Programming was published. I recognized the potential of PHP in 1997, and I found a switch to WordPress in 2003 to be “an interesting idea that would encourage me to write more content more often“. Today and for a long time, most of the Web has run on WordPress and PHP (and MySQL). I recall justifying PHP over Perl (or any number of other platforms that have come and gone). I recall justifying WordPress over other CMSs. Today, it’s hard to argue against either given the long track record of performance.

The primary argument I hear is that these tools aren’t fashionable. Well, it’s usually spoken like, “it doesn’t feel modern”. Yeah, WordPress is boring, as in, no one will think you’re crazy for picking it to build your marketing site. It is a completely reasonable choice for the typical site, and if you can’t find a plugin to cover some unusual feature you need, it’s easy to create one because the whole stack is open source.

Categories
Creative Pursuits D&D News

Terror in Tosasth

Like the mummified corpse of a king long forgotten, lying dreamless in a tomb hidden by innumerable layers of sand, mysterious treasures lure the imagination of true adventurers. Men have not long settled here on the edge of wilderness, and few are those who recall the tales of their grandmothers. Yet, the other folk remember a time when elves and dwarves built kingdoms that rose up, clashed and tumbled down again. Offer a dwarf a mug of ale or flatter an elf and you may coax a tale of Tosasth (TOH-sosth).

Despite the benefit of longer lives, only vague details may be conjured from elven memory about the once-great city that now is little more than a graveyard teeming with the undead. “Stay away from that cursed valley,” they will advise. Perhaps the stories told by their fathers were parables only, myths meant to illustrate the folly of hubris, for among the various horrors professed to dwell in Tosasth, a curious mind will discover a singular theme. Long ago, elves and dwarves who grew from parallel limbs of the tree of life, made war that ended in terrible catastrophe.

The series of adventures in this tome offer thrilling danger, spectacular loot and the answer to the mystery of Tosasth.

Terror in Tosasth is a collection of adventures I wrote for my ongoing Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game campaign. I took my notes from the campaign and put them into the style used by the BFRPG community. There are 18 different adventures and procedures for running a city filled with undead.

Aside from all the writing, I felt the need to draw many images to fill in gaps in the pages. I thought I’d get away with recycling image from all the session reports. Nope. I had to draw at least 20 more images.

This material is all free under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (Updated January 24, 2023)

Links above to releases update as I make them.

Categories
News

OPDC: Molok’s Mummies

Molok’s Mummies is my entry into the 2021 One Page Dungeon Contest.

A hexagonal tablet, 25 feet across has risen from the soft earth. The grinning face of Molok adorns a trap door in the center. The old folk tell of mummified priests guarding vast treasures. Not even your DM knows how deep nor how dangerous this crypt will be. Will you escape with untold wealth, or will your living soul be consumed to sustain the undeath of Molok’s Mummies?

I built this considering the constraints of the contest, not just that it must fit on one page but also that it should be system-neutral. I minimized space given to art and the map because it’s hard to get the information density as high as can be done with text. I like to be surprised at the table along with the players. I could drop this into my Basic Fantasy RPG game without much preparation beyond copying monster stats into doc for reference.

  • Black Pudding AC 14, HD 10* (+9), #At 1 pseudopod, Dam 3d8, Mv 20′, Sv F10, Ml 12, XP 1390
  • Blood Shroud AC 12, HD 4, #At 1 whip or 1 blood spray, Dam 1d4 or special, Mv Fly 60’, Sv F4, Ml 9, XP 320
  • Bone Chimera AC 17, HD 2, #At 1 bites/2 claws/2 tails, Dam 2d6 bite/1d6 claw/1d10 tail, Mv 60′, Sv F5, Ml 12, XP 240
  • Bone Golem AC 19 ‡, HD 8, #At 4 weapons, Dam 1d6/1d6/1d6/1d6 or by weapon, Mv 40′ (10′), Sv F4, Ml 12, XP 945
  • Clay Golem AC 22, HD 11 (+9), #At 1 fist, Dam 3d10, Mv 20′, Sv F6, Ml 12, XP 1,765
  • Diabolus AC 14, HD 15, #At 1 bite, Dam 2d6+4 + ghoul paralysis, Mv 60’ Fly 20’, Sv F15, Ml 12, XP 3100
  • Flesh Golem AC 20 ‡, HD 9 (+8), #At 2 fists, Dam 2d8/2d8, Mv 30′, Sv F5, Ml 12, XP 1225
  • Gellybone AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 slap, Dam 1d6, Mv 40′, Sv F2, Ml 12, XP 75
  • Ghast AC 15, HD 2, #At 2 claws/1 bite, Dam 1d4/1d4/1d4 + paralysis + stench, Mv 30′, Sv F2, Ml 9, XP 125
  • Ghostcap Bloom AC 12, HD 4, #At 1, Dam 1d4 + special, Mv 0′, Sv F4, Ml 12, XP 240
  • Ghoul AC 14, HD 2, #At 2 claws/1 bite, Dam 1d4/1d4/1d4, all plus paralysis, Mv 30′, Sv F2, Ml 9, XP 100
  • Green Slime AC can always be hit, HD 2, #At 1, Dam special, Mv 1′, Sv F2, Ml 12, XP 125
  • Mummy AC 17 ‡, HD 5, #At 1 touch + disease, Dam 1d12 + disease, Mv 20′, Sv F5, Ml 12, XP 450
  • Shadow AC 13 ‡, HD 2*, #At 1 touch, Dam 1d4 + 1 point Strength loss, Mv 30′, Sv F2, Ml 12, XP 100
  • Skeletal Flayer AC 15, HD 1, #At 1 whip/1 claw, Dam 1d6 + 1d6, Mv 40′, Sv F1, Ml 12, XP 37
  • Skeleton AC 13, HD 1, #At 1, Dam 1d6, Mv 40′, Sv F1, Ml 12, XP 25
  • Spectre AC 17 ‡, HD 6, #At 1 touch, Dam Energy drain 2 levels/touch, Mv Fly 100′, Sv F6, Ml 11, XP 610
  • Vampire AC 18 ‡, HD 7, #At 1 weapon or special, Dam 1d8 or by weapon or special, Mv 40′ Fly 60′, Sv F7, Ml 11, XP 800
  • Wraith AC 15 ‡, HD 4, #At 1 touch, Dam 1d6 + energy drain (1 level), Mv Fly 80′, Sv F4, Ml 12, XP 320
  • Zombie AC 12, HD 2, #At 1, Dam 1d8, Mv 20′, Sv F2, Ml 12, XP 75

I should build this out for my One Dice Six plugin and put it up on the Empty Z generators.

Categories
D&D Entertainment News

Secrets of Blackmoor Review

Dungeons and Dragons eludes complete understanding. Secrets of Blackmoor offers one step on your way to enlightenment.

Despite re-reading the 239 pages of the 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide as a kid, the game remained inscrutable. Despite this, I recall my first encounter with the game as effortlessly joyful. Though it was easy to catch on to the varied and vigorous opinions about proper play in The Dragon magazine, some force drove me onward, compelling me to re-read pages. Somehow, I aimed to solve the disconnect between the game as played by my friends versus the outlandish ideas in the books.

The written word, however erudite or evocative, can only suggest the experience of artwork. It cannot reproduce the feeling of gazing meditatively at The Starry Night. I thought if I could just decipher the jumble of thoughts in the rule books, I’d reach some nirvana of RPG mastery. Eventually I concluded, playing is a craft you learn by doing, hopefully with the guiding hand of a master, in the same way you learn to build a fence with your dad.

I have read Jon Peterson’s Playing at the World. It’s deep. It’s essential. And it illuminates a thousand other paths to explore. I’ve read Jeffro Johnson’s APPENDIX N: The Literary History of Dungeons & Dragons. It inspires, offering additional twisting trails to follow. Two aspects of Secrets of Blackmoor make it uniquely compelling: the focus on Dave Arneson and the experience of first hand accounts.

The confident voice of Gary Gygax echoes across the years. Though sharing equal billing with Arneson on the original little brown books, the misconception that the D&D was his invention is easy to understand. By the time AD&D arrived, it was the Gygax name alone on the front cover. By the end of the 1980s, it’s as if he gave birth to the genre and all other games descended from his wisdom. Fortunately, historians are uncovering the complete story.

The more we learn from the originators, the better our play today. I am completely happy to spend weeks pouring over 720 pages of thick, comprehensive history. At the same time, I’m grateful for a 2 hour documentary I can share with my sons. It offers a concentrated impact to receive the legends related by the heroes themselves. It communicates an infectious passion for the hobby.

As this film is labeled as the first volume, I do look forward to a continuation of the series. The more we all enjoy this work, the more it will encourage and enable the creation of additional volumes in the series. As I write this, physical copies are still available from the Secrets of Blackmoor store. You can also stream the film from Vimeo or Amazon.