The winning team had 9 players in flagrant violation of the rules, but we're not going to file a formal protest over a free appetizer, right?

What 2014 film directed by Damien Chazelle tells the story of Andrew Neiman, who attends the fictional Shaffer Conservatory?

What vocal group was formed by the 1961 merger of two friendly rival groups, Otis Williams & The Distants, and The Primes?

What Confederate city was captured after the decisive battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip?

What are the two non-Ivy "Colonial colleges"?  [10 other schools have historical roots predating the American Revolution and are excluded from the list on bogus technicalities​​​​​​​ because they were not formally chartered as colleges with degree-granting powers, but we're not going to complain about that, either.]

So I recently posted about the idea of creating a TTRPG. I'm still plugging away at it in between art tasks. Not making a ton of progress or anything, but having fun thinking about things, and what I need to include v what I need to keep out.

Tonight, for fun, I sat with my nephew and we created a character for him. He didn't break the creativity bank, but in fairness to him, he's never played an RPG before, so he didn't have a whole lot of experience to draw from. He started with 'like Indiana Jones' and moved into both pirate and ninja genres as we worked through character creation.

Mostly, he was responsive to things I suggested and his own flights of fancy.

My intent is to have him make up a couple more characters and I'll take him through a small 'adventure' (a couple of scenes) with all of them so he can learn about keeping separate characters in his head and go from there.

So far, the system is heavily influenced by the OSR, Knave 1.0, and several others like Shadowdark. KISS is my starting point, but it already feels like I'm making it too complicated, so I will probably do several rounds of cuts after I get the rough draft completed.

ETA: Our December Kickstarter is up and funded! Check it out to see the finished cover! (below is an early version)

Working on this month's Kickstarter book cover. Gone Sleighin' will be a cozy side quest / one shot where your party can take part in a sleigh race with different kinds of animals pulling for fun and prizes.

ETA: Related question - what do you guys think - with snow (light blue) or without?

I don't watch or draw anime. Like, ever.

So, of course, that's the only kind of drawings my nephews seem to want. 😂

This one is, as you might have guessed from the subject, a character called Kokushibo Demon Slayer. I've never seen the show or movie, and I willfully took some liberties when drawing my version, but... what the hell. 

If you're an 'anime person', feel free to tell me all the ways I'm wrong!

And for those who like process videos...

Hmm, looks like i missed a couple of years.

Andrew Bird, Outside Problems: the companion album to 2022's Inside Problems.  Instrumental improvisation, collected and curated.

Depeche Mode, Memento Mori: the twist here is band member Andrew Fletcher dying before its release.

Peter Gabriel, i/o: he couln't decide on the final mix so he released two versions, his first album since 2002.

Garbage, Witness to Your Love (EP): four tracks, including the title track which was first released in 2008 on a fundraising compilaton, and a Siouxsie and the Banshees cover.

Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer feat. Rakesh Chaurasia, As We Speak: Banjo, tabla, double bass, and bansuri. More genre-busting stuff from Fleck and Meyer.

Rodrigo y Gabriela, In Between Thoughts... A New World: the arrangements continue to become more elaborate as they grow in their craft. 

Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper, Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper: Gripper is known for playing kora tunes on guitar.  Here he pairs with a kora player and the result is magic. We somewhat randomly saw them live and it was so good.

Sphinx Virtuosi, Songs for Our Times: The Sphinx Organization is a group that supports underrepresented classical musicians and composers, and their Virtuosi is their top echelon.

Takénobu, Sushi Tapes Vol. 1, 2, 3: a collection of his YouTube cello improvisations.

3rd Secret, The 2nd 3rd Secret: Krist Novoselic's band added Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron halfway through the previous album. This one's better and more even, mellow rock with female vocalists.

Katie Wighton, The End: a quick pop album from one of the members of All Our Exes Live in Texas.

Just watched a YouTube video that some my my linquistically oriented nerdy friends might really enjoy. I certainly did. The channel seems like something I'll be paying more attention to going forward in large part because of this video.

Edit: Hmmm. Looks like the link for videos isn't working (I tested the url). Well, ye olde copypasta should work (just add your own https://)...

youtu.be/UAT-eOzeY4M

I've wanted to create a TTRPG for a while now. I'm using the fact that my nephews are coming for Thanksgiving as an excuse / motivation to Do the Damn Thing.

My intent is to make it:

• Uncommonly simple - we are talking about kids (2 teens and 2 pre teens) so attention span is a thing. Also, this is without a screen and doesn't beep, so... challenging. I'm not trying to make it a one page (there are many out there) but... close.
• Universal - I'd like to make it flexible enough to be used for any genre of game play.
• Flexible - I want the players to have more input into their skills / abilities once they're comfortable with the system. As long as they keep balance in mind, they can make up things like spells, skills, and ancestral abilities.
• Fun - I mean, it's a GAME. But more specifically, here, I guess I mean 'cinematic' (though I HATE the generic nature of that term). I want to try to create those moments at the table where the whole group roars when one of the players rolls a 20, and they feel the story that their teammates tell...

Anyway, I'm working on a very rough draft, but I know some of you are gamers, so if you're interested in seeing what I've got so far, let me know, and I'll share a (Google Docs) link.

What poem by T. S. Eliot includes the line "Do I dare to eat a peach?"

What country, formerly known as French Sudan, once controlled an empire led by Mansa Musa?

What Shakespearean comedy includes the "All the world's a stage" monologue by Jaques?

What month lends its name to the 1825 revolt in St. Petersburg​​​​​​​?

The miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six is based on what rock group known for their off-stage drama in the 1970s?

Aleppo's ghar soap is handmade from what ingredient used in cooking?

Disney Parks guests can pay extra to spend less time in line using what alliteratively-named virtual queuing system?

The Allen wrench (or "hex key") was named for the Allen Manufacturing Company, based in what New England city known for its insurance industry?

My coworkers used to dabble in mechanical keyboards. Some of them claimed they could stop anytime they wanted. My friend C made no such claims. I don't think I ever saw the same keyboard twice. It's possible some of them were just alternate keycap combinations.

I, of course, grew up on mechanical keyboards, but I've put it behind me. I love my Macbook, the low travel keys are fast and the lack of CLACK is perfectly CLACK-ceptable, honestly.

So when I randomly spotted this cheap knockoff mechanical keyboard with one missing key for $5 at Goodwill, I thought: what the hell. A CLACK or two just for a laugh. First one's practically free...

CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK

Oh dear. I think I really like the CLACK.

This is going to be a problem, isn't it.

Gee, this thing weights a ton.