robin_d_laws , explaining why he doesn't always quickly answer rules questions: When there's a question I can readily answer in a few lines off the top of my head, I'll do that in a comment reply. However, the more interesting a question is, the less likely it is that I can dash something off. There's a reason, in addition to time constraints, why designers don't typically do rules support...

An interesting and laudatory article on Jack Vance has appeared in, of all places, the New York Times. Via robin_d_laws .

India retools grenades to contain ridiculously hot chilli instead of explosives, to be used as nonlethal weapons. ...Which leads me to a good article by Robin D. Laws, who notes all these modern advances in nonlethal weaponry will, in fact, be used by fascist regimes to quell demonstrations like we saw in Iran. So, you know, six of one, half-dozen of another.

My GM has posted an outline of our current game system , at least in very general terms. It's quite fun. I still think we're trying to get into the proper mindset, but it's oodles of enjoyment.

The myth that "no one dies from US torture, so its not torture... http://jlassen.livejournal.com/699828.html It's not "just" about torture. It is about murder. How many were murdered by the Bush Regime, and its choice to use enhanced Interrogation/torture to illicit false confessions. Is Versed being used for torture? http://ideas.4brad.com/archives/000100.html There are drugs which erase...

Robin D. Laws on history, gender politics, and the evolution of chess .

Over on his LJ, robin_d_laws has posted his variant Skill Challenge rules. I think some of the wilder variants would come up when the group was in a really, really bad situation and started to get desperate. "Can we spend an action point and discard one of their cards?" "If I roll for a 40 target number, can I pick a card from the deck?" "If I take your trash out for the next six months...

Robin D. Laws just posted a review and trailer for a Canadian indie zombie flick Pontypool, centering on a radio DJ stuck in the middle of a zombie outbreak transmitted by language . Check it out.

The weekend was pretty uneventful. For me, the highlight was Sunday's gaming, which was also a bit unusual, to say the least. While the ongoing (and I use the term lightly, since I'm not sure the players are enjoying the game that much) SkyRealms of Jorune game is all right so far, Sunday we had to change our plans a bit since oni_neko couldn't make it to the session, and the three folks...

I've overdosed on modern horror. I'm half way through Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow that robin_d_laws recommended on his blog and a very good recommendation it is too. I bought and re-read Hellboy 4 & 5, got World War Z for my birthday and Christina bought herself four The Night Watch books, the first of which I dipped into last night, after we watched the film version. Needless to say, I dreamed...