Monday, October 29
Hand of the Master - Part 1b: Wild Geese and Red Herrings
“Long time, no see Jarel. Still smuggling jewels in from Encali?”
Jarel chuckled. “Smuggle is such a strong term. I crafted the jewels; they are mine to give as I please. However, my former brethren in Encali do not appreciate my new friendship with Solanos Mor.”
Beldin seemed unconvinced. “Why are you helping our enclave?”
“Like most in Encali, I once reviled Illiir as the one who cursed the dwarves. However, when I was turned out of Encali for being useless to them, the dwarves of Solanos Mor took me in. They helped me where no others would. I had a revelation.”
Kham rolled his eyes. “If only Quintus were hear to soak this up.” [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
posted by Mike Tresca at
10:49 PM
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Sunday, October 28
Video Review: Baby Einstein - Press & Play Pals - Dragon
This dragon was a disappointment and worse, threatens to drive me utterly mad. MAD I TELL YOU! Insane enough that at one point I confuse Italian with Spanish in the review, sorry about that! [MORE]
Labels: other reviews
posted by Mike Tresca at
5:51 PM
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Video Review: Baby Einstein Discovering Water Rocker Seat
My wife already reviewed this item much more succinctly, but since I love to hear the sound of my own voice, I thought I'd give this video review a shot. Short version: not so great to put together, the accessories pull off too easily, but the MP3 functionality can't be beat! [MORE]
Labels: other reviews
posted by Mike Tresca at
5:49 PM
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Saturday, October 27
Hand of the Master - Part 1a: Wild Geese and Red Herrings
“Jarel’s been assisting Elabac,” said Kham. “He’s been giving some of his enchanted jewels to be set in Elabac’s weapons.”
“Thanks to Jarel’s gems, Elabac’s blades seem to have improved even further,” said Sebastian.
“Wow,” said Vlad.
“Try to pick your jaw up off the ground,” snapped Kham. “Sheesh, you don’t even get that excited about women.” [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
posted by Mike Tresca at
9:37 AM
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Monday, October 22
DVD Review: Vacancy
Vacancy is a particularly disturbing breed of horror. I've been at hotels where someone banged on the door in the middle of the night. I've been at hotels where the people in the next room sound like they're doing something illegal. I've been at hotels where the front desk is behind Plexiglas with cameras everywhere. Vacancy's premise blends the perfect cocktail of emotional and physical isolation with the fact that some hotels are just plain nasty. [MORE]
Labels: movie reviews
posted by Mike Tresca at
8:43 PM
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DVD Review: Disturbia
There's a moment in the film where Robert calmly explains how he likes his privacy and why it's so important to him. And that's the moment where the generation gap is drawn in Disturbia: Robert, the silver-haired Boomer, disturbs the younger generation with his need for privacy. Kale, the Generation Y millennial, doesn't comprehend the notion at all. Disturbia is as much a thriller as it is a commentary on a culture clash between two different generations, forced to figure out how to coexist in modern suburbia. [MORE]
Labels: movie reviews
posted by Mike Tresca at
8:42 PM
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Chapter 20: Hand of the Master - Introduction
This adventure is soft point 5 in Year 2 of the tournament module, "Hand of the Master," written by Jeffrey Witthauer and Jeffrey Meehan, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at http://www.onaraonline.org. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!
Our cast of characters includes:
· Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
· Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter) played by Joe Lalumia
· Bijoux (fihali druid) played by Melissa Tresca
· Calactyte (ss’ressen barbarian) played by Joe Tresca (http://www.creepyportfolio.com)
· Kham Val’Abebi(val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://www.dreamscupltor.com)
· Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster
· Vlad Martell (human fighter) played by Matt Hammer
This adventure was an important but short chapter in the evolution of Beldin and Kham. For Beldin, it put him firmly on the adventuring map. I hinted at Beldin’s competition with another dwarf for apprenticeship to Elabac; in this adventure, that competition comes to a head. And of course, Fleshripper is a character in its own right, so it’s only appropriate that the wicked blade evolves right along with Kham.
Poor Kham. The one character that wants to jump around and fight, and he (as Jeremy puts it) carries a ten-pound brick around. Well, it’s not a brick anymore. By the end of the adventure, Fleshripper takes center stage. [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
posted by Mike Tresca at
7:45 PM
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Friday, October 19
RPG Media Sighting: The Sarah Silverman Program
Brian and Steve prepare for “D.D.” as it is marked on the calendar. Brian thought D.D. stood for Dungeons & Dragons and already invited some friends over to play. “That doesn’t say D&D idiot, it says D.D., it means day date. You and I were going to take a picnic and go see the Rush concert at the Valley Gardens Amphitheater, remember!?” Eric, Blonde Craig and Generator show up to play as Steve clues in Brian, but it’s too late. [MORE]
Labels: gaming news
posted by Mike Tresca at
8:10 PM
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Wednesday, October 17
As Gray and Cold As Stone - Epilogue
Ilmarė patted Roderick on the shoulder. “Good man. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to change out of these clothes.” She exited.
Roderick watched her leave. “You’re a lucky man,” he said to Quintus. “Ilmarė is beautiful, almost as pretty as Elandre. And she’s very wise. I hope one day to have Elandre love me like Ilmarė loves you.”
Quintus blinked. “Legionnaires cannot marry,” he said slowly. “We are married to our legion.”
Roderick gave him a pitying look. “At least you have a choice. You can always quit your legion. I’m going to have to work hard to court Elandre.” He hustled Quintus out of his room. “Anyway, thanks for your advice.”
Once he was in the hallway, Quintus took a long hard look at the statue of Illiir. It was a golden statuette, perhaps six inches tall, depicting Illiir with one hand outstretched in benediction, while the other held the orb of the sun overhead.
He tapped it once. The light went on. The legionnaire of the Triumphant Rays of the Invisible Sun was silhouetted by the statue’s glow.
“At least I have a choice,” he whispered to himself.
Quintus tapped it again. The light went out. [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
posted by Mike Tresca at
7:38 AM
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Sunday, October 14
Sails & Sorcery
Joe Martin's short story in the fantasy anthology "Sails & Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy" will be available mid-October. It's available for order online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
- S&S at Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/Sails-Sorcery-Tales-Nautical-Fantasy/dp/0971360898/ref=sr_1_1/002-5532450-6152858?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191095424&sr=8-1
- S&S at BN.com:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780971360891&itm=1
The book in its entirety is 453 pages. My story is called "Tisarian's Treasure" and the actual byline credit is J.M. Martin. It runs around 25 pages in the book. Two illustrations by renowned fantasy artist Julie Dillon accompany the story. Here's the publisher's web page: http://fantasistent.com/books/anthologies/SAILS.php
You can click the "Table of Contents" link for a full roster of stories and authors.
S&S retails for $23 US.
Labels: author news
posted by Mike Tresca at
12:14 AM
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Friday, October 12
As Gray and Cold As Stone - Part 10: Conclusion
Elandre received them in her father’s study. She listened carefully to their report, struggling to keep a tight rein on her emotions.
“Thank you again for all your efforts; if I had some inkling of this plot against my father’s life, I believe that you could have saved him as well. I only wish my last words to him had not been so…harsh…” She trailed off, looking at the floor.
“We’ve all taken loved ones for granted sometimes,” said Ilmarė. She shot Quintus a glare. [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
posted by Mike Tresca at
11:26 PM
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Thursday, October 11
Vin Diesel on D&D
Just in case you didn't know...Vin Diesel really loves D&D too.Q: Is it true you're really into Dungeons and Dragons?
VIN: No. I never play D&D. For some reason, they thought that I played D&D for 20 years. They thought that I spent years playing Barbarians, Witchunters, The Arcanum. They thought I played D&D back in the '70s when it's just the basic D&D set. They thought I continued to play D&D when it became Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. They thought I played D&D when there were only three books - the "Player's Handbook," the "Monster's Manual" and the "Dungeon Master's Guide." They thought I played D&D as it continued onto the Unearthed Arcanum, Oriental Adventures, Sea Adventures, Wilderness Adventures. THEY thought I played D&D at the time when "Deities and Demigods" was the brand new book. THEY thought I played D&D when I used to get up to a place called The Complete Strategist in New York.
[Mouths: "I'm into D&D a lot."] [MORE]
Labels: gaming news
posted by Mike Tresca at
2:41 PM
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