So here's Zak's new book, collecting his artworks from 2000's and until today. Twenty years ago the Orange Revolution halted the totalitarian usurpation in Ukraine. Today things are quite horrible, but art is still art.
I've ordered it already, but it'll take some time to get it from Europe.
Personally, I like this spread.
Something in the colour scheme appeals to my Ukrainian patriotism.
The cover looks cool, too.
It's discounted now, but soon will be sold at full price.
I never got to know Linda Tirado in person. I learned about her after she, a journalist, was shot by a cop. I read what she posted on Twitter back when it was still Twitter. I saw a fighter, a strong and loving person who knew what real evil was and despised it, and never stopped fighting against it.
She's dying. The rubber bullet shot by the policeman caused too much damage.
The world will be a much worse, shittier place without Linda Tirado.
So if you can help her in the few days that she has left, please do. She deserves it.
Here's a link telling how you can help.
I don't know the Pendragon games too well, all I know is that there's an interesting mass combat mechanic, and now there's this new edition of Pendragon and the mass combat is not there. Or it's not there yet, or it was never meant to be there, I dunno. People are strange.
Genndy Tartakovsky plans to make an animated heist comedy about frog brothers. Sounds awesome - Genndy, animation, frogs, what's not to like?
“This whole show came to me because of how quick media is getting. We’re all flicking through entertainment this quickly. And so asked myself: How can I do a show that’s fast and intense but is going to trap you so that you can’t click past it,” Tartakovsky said.
Umm, Genndy, you already did it, it was Clone Wars and every episode was three minutes long and it was spectacular.
But hey, the man's a genius, if he wants to go fast and intense, let him go fast and intense.
Steven Pressfield's books on creativity are way to religious but if you skip past all that, they're surprisingly good.
Gotta work on something. While I'm at it, did you know that more than a thousand people got All Dogs Go To Hell from LotFP? It's at 1020 right now, when there's 4 more, we'll have a kilobyte of people who either really love or really hate dogs.
More to come.
I've known people whose lives were destroyed because someone lied about them. Some of them lost everything and recovered. Some of them died.
When you live in Ukraine after 2014, that's how it is - you see propaganda directed straight against you, you learn that a bomb exploded at the apartment of someone that you know, you talk to people and you see hungry monsters in their eyes when they repeat the lies you've heard many times before.
And Ukraine doesn't have the monopoly on being lied about.
So I need to say something.
And again, here are the links.
Article interviewing people who lied about Zak, and admitted it.
http://archive.is/0Nv3c
Audio recordings from that same article.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GJAJNbF2Tg
I'm so tired of this shit after ten years. Ten years of watching people mindlessly repeating the worst possible lies.
As you probably know, Mike Mearls used to work on D&D.
Now Chaosium decided to hire him.
And people who lied about Mearls when he worked on D&D, and never stopped lying, are now putting extra effort into telling lies.
Specifically, there's a completely made up story about Mearls "giving Zak S a list of people to harass".
How can we know that it's completely made up?
Because people who spread it admitted that they lied.
Here's the archived article where the liars admit that they lied.
Here's the audio recording of them doing it.
Interview Audio Clips from "The Worst People You Have Never Met"
Here's Olivia Hill admitting that yes, the interviews happened and she talked to the author of the article.
https://x.com/machineiv/status/1752010444712128749
Here's Patrick Stuart doing the same.
https://x.com/pjamesstuart/status/1751884833867890952
My point is, if you see someone claiming that Mearls and Zak harassed someone, or Mearls helped Zak by giving him the imaginary "list", or something along the line - these people are either honestly mistaken or lying.
If you see someone claiming that "they know it for a fact", these people are definitely lying, because you cannot know something that did not happen for a fact.
And if you see it, please help the people who are mistaken to see their mistakes, and please address the lies so that other people are not duped into believing the liars.
Thank you.
We're still stuck in Spidernesti, so this is what I mean when talking about "land".
What is the deal with my cleric's religion?
Kiri-Jolith is a good god of war. Kind of Athena, only male and without an owl, I suppose? Sounds kind of lame in comparison, frankly.
Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
The economy is currently in ruins thanks to the whole land being cursed. Maybe the local elves have some stuff they can sell you.
Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
Your friends has helped to rescue Theros the blacksmith several weeks ago. He'd probably be grateful enough to make something like that for you, if you can find him - he was last seen in Qualinesti.
Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
King Lorac, trained and tested by the masters of High Sorcery. He's also, unfortunately, quite mad.
Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
Besides your lost friends? Probably one of the captive elves at the weapons factory.
Who is the richest person in the land?
King Lorac, again.
Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Your fellow cleric.
Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
Considering the current political and clerical situation on the continent, your best bet would be to swear loyalty to Takhisis. Her priests can do that.
Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
As a matter of fact, yes - the Red Robes at their Towers of High Sorcery. Technically, there's just one tower where they currently gather, the other four were either destroyed or cursed.
Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
The Tower of Depressed Spiders.
Where can I hire mercenaries?
The weapons factory (if you free them from the spider slavers).
Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
Your religion is outlawed in a large part of Ansalon. Also, kenders are outlawed in some barbaric cities.
Which way to the nearest tavern?
There's a canteen at the factory, probably.
What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
Currently, it's the dragonarmies. Good luck.
Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
I believe we've cleared this by now.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
Minotaurs control some sea-side towns. They love this kind of entertainment.
Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
I cannot tell you. It's a secret.
What is there to eat around here?
Roasted goblins are said to be amazingly succulent and filling.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
Besides the ones you already found, yes. An unbroken Dragonlance is one of those things.
Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
Right behind you.
"The House of Stars became the House of Spiders".
That's the line from Tanis's secret journal that the heroes managed to decipher. And the druidess really, really wanted more spiders.
Which is how the elf, dwarf, and two kendergirls found themselves at the borders of Silvanesti, greeted by none other than Porthios, far from everyone's favourite elf.
Now, I must say that Tracy Raye Hickman put a lot of work into Dragons of Dreams. And I appreciate some of it, and a lot of it is kind of meh.
The sickly green mists and trees that weep blood are cool. It's like a little piece of Ravenloft in Krynn, the best of both worlds.
The scene with the executioner? Also cool.
So, as the heroes entered the woods of Silvanesti, they met a group of hungry minotaurs and almost ate them (after the kendergirls tasted roasted dragon, they suspect every NPCs of being a polymorphed delicious dragon. This is scary, really).
They lost their NPC followers in the mists (Sturm, Riverwind, Goldmoon, and Alfred the butler), and sent their three dogs to find and help the lost followers.
They witnessed the execution of Kitiara by Tanis, and impressed the starved, enslaved Silvanesti elves by killing the executioner.
Then they were attacked by creepy spider-goblins. Because when two characters in the party have spiderclimbing abilities and like to use them, sooner or later you must have a vertical fight on/in a half-ruined tower.
Notes on vertical fights:
If you throw something at the character below you, you're in a better position to hit them but if you miss, your weapon falls all the way down;
If you throw something at the character above you, there's a chance that your weapon will fall back and injure you;
If you charge or dodge, there's a chance that you'll lose contact with the wall and fall down, unless you manage to grab something and stop your fall;
Dispel magic suddenly becomes deadlier.
All in all fun.
Notes on spider-goblins: spider-shaped body with cephalothorax and abdomen, goblin faces, four goblin arms and four goblin legs. Freaky. They enjoy using Stinking Clouds, Webs and Darkness.
Also they briefly met an NPCs from an old campaign that some players knew and some players didn't. I'm sentimental like that.
Next, the heroes are going to find the entrance to the Underground Zoo of king Lorac. What are the chances of running into more freaky creatures?
So here's Zak's new book, collecting his artworks from 2000's and until today. Twenty years ago the Orange Revolution halted the...
