Meet John Rogers. You may know him as the writer for projects like Leverage. He’s also a stand-up comic, video gamer, and dissector of storytelling. In playing Fiasco with Wil Wheaton, he’s conveyed three of the best rules for storytelling I’ve heard since I’ve tried to memorize most if not all of the advice distributed… Continue reading Rogers' Rules
Walking Synergy
I need to stop taking such long pauses between Friday Night Magic bouts. I mean, I can’t help it with the family reunion coming up next week, but if I’m not careful, some of my best cards will rotate out with the advent of Return to Ravnica in October! And we certainly can’t have that.… Continue reading Walking Synergy
Flash Fiction: Payday
For the Terribleminds challenge, Antag/Protag. Got to admit, I enjoyed this one. Flashbulbs crackled in the bank’s lobby. So far the press hadn’t been admitted, which suited Paul just fine. The less they got in his way, the faster he could put together what happened. Witnesses were saying it was two men with handguns who’d… Continue reading Flash Fiction: Payday
Writer Report: One Week
I’ve never really considered myself a salesman. Yet, that is one of the many hats one has to wear when publishing one’s own work. It’s probably part of what deters some folks from taking that step: not only do you have to write the thing, revise it until it’s decent, and get some lovely volunteers… Continue reading Writer Report: One Week
Console vs. PC
There was a time, and some of my younger readers may not remember it, when the line between PCs and gaming consoles was as bold and clear as they come. In these nascent days, PCs were struggling to generate more than a few colors, while consoles had between 6 and 8 bits to work with.… Continue reading Console vs. PC
Never Underestimate, Never Surrender
I think it’s safe to say that we all have dreams. I don’t just mean the kind where unicorns made of sherbet leap over rainbows in our heads when we sleep. I mean that people aspire to be more than they are, to take in sights they’ve never seen, engage in delights galore, and so… Continue reading Never Underestimate, Never Surrender
Steamy Aftermath
It’s judging you. Valve is an insidious bunch. Not in the vein of a Bain Capital, Blackwater, or Monsato, mind you. I don’t believe they’re deliberately attempting to ruin lives through cold, impersonal profiteering. It’s undeniable, though, that events like the Summer Steam Sale, which just ended this past Sunday, are affairs during which the… Continue reading Steamy Aftermath
Flash Fiction: The Displaced Journal
This week, Chuck invited folks like me to write on one of my favorite sci-fi subjects: time travel. The office was everything one could want from upper-crust living. He sat behind a wide desk as he monitored the incoming streams of data from various sources on the screen. That was really a secondary concern, however.… Continue reading Flash Fiction: The Displaced Journal
Cold Iron: Now Available
They found him wandering around Mount Grace Cemetery at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday. Detective Morgan Everson has gotten pretty acquainted with death. She sees it all the time, especially working the Special Homicide division in Philadelphia. But this case is new. In this case, the victim of the murder is also a potential eye-witness.… Continue reading Cold Iron: Now Available
Chuckin' Dice
There’s something soothing about the rattle of polyhedrals. As immersive and rewarding as an experience can be when the game in question involves role-playing and character sheers, the tactile feeling of dice rolling around in my hand is just as good in other games. Playing things not based on the computer is a relatively uncommon… Continue reading Chuckin' Dice
