User blogs

The last Inspired Unreality of the year is on Saturday, December 3, at 11:00 AM Central. We will be discussing Fantasy and Science Fiction. We've got opinions and we hope you do too. I just finished "Harrow The Ninth" by Tamsyn Muir and now I'm in the middle of "This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. We are making viewing arrangements for the new "Willow" series. We're all big "Willow" fans, here.

Inspired Unreality open game chat is held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. There's more info and a link here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

FollowMeAndDie posted a video and a blog.

"In my latest blog post I discuss the Saint Mark Turnip Festival invented by my players."

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4962

"My Latest YouTube Video: Mastodon For New Users - Twitter Refugees is live on YouTube."

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4961

I post my Mastodon link at the bottom of every Gamer+ news.

My daughter Megan has been giving me advice on new Fantasy and Science Fiction novels. She says, "Readers are the best people because they see the world through many sets of eyes. They know both that their experiences are not unique and that no one sees the world in quite the same way as them."

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4965

And I posted the video of Hairy Larry and The Flying Hungarians live at Blues Fest, 2022.

https://youtu.be/YO-_K4y9WIY

Enjoy!

Please forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/995

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
https://mastodon.social/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Inspired Unreality open game chat. Saturday at 11:00 am central. We will be attempting to chat from Eclectic Geekery, Sarah's and Megan's bookstore. Yep! Going to visit our daughters. In their bookstore.

https://www.facebook.com/eclecticgeekerystore

Inspired Unreality is held every Saturday in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. Everyone is welcome. For more info and a link go here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Next week will be the first Saturday in June so our topic will be fantasy and science fiction. Books, TV, Movies, Games, all on topic. It's a broad topic but we'll hone in on your interests. I've been reading "Malazan Book of the Fallen" by Steven Erikson. And it looks like I'll be reading it for quite a while.

https://steven-erikson.org/malazan-book-of-the-fallen/

Last week we answered the important question, Do Hobbits Drink Hot Chocolate?

After several discouraging searches concluding that Middle Earth has no chocolate I finally found the result I was looking for.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4548

I mean after all how could the hobbit mommys get all their little hobbits home for elevenses without serving a nice mug of chocolate?

In case you've been noticing twitter in the news lately that mastodon link below is a twitter alternative.

I hope you've enjoyed the Gamer+ News. Please forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/912

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
https://mastodon.social/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Hairy Larry will be playing chill jazz piano from the twitch porch on his twitch livestream today, Tuesday, March 1, at 2:00 PM Central. If you want to watch here's the link.

https://www.twitch.tv/hairylarryland

Please follow and chat to boost my stats.

If the weather holds I will also be on the twitch porch Thursday. I am exercising my rig trying to get everything ready to play at the Craighead Forest Bandshell in Jonesboro and Beatles Park in Walnut Ridge this Spring.

My twitch schedule is Tu-Th-Su at 2:00 PM Central. When the weather is bad I play inside from the HairyLarryLand Twitch Studio. When weather permits I'll be outside. When I play a gig on the weekend that will be instead of Sunday at 2:00, not in addition to Sunday at 2:00. I also do video and audio post production on my livestreams. Here's a couple of links where you can view or listen.

https://www.youtube.com/hairylarry

https://kgpl.org/

My daughters, Sarah and Megan, have opened a bookstore, Eclectic Geekery, in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Those of you who remember Blues Fest will remember Megan, she was our photographer and she also sang with Hairy Larry and The Flying Hungarians. They are both active in the NEA Gamers Guild and NEA Game Fest. Besides books they will also sell games and geek miscellany. The shop looks great. Here's their facebook page where you can see some photos.

https://www.facebook.com/eclecticgeekerystore

If you're in the area you will want to give them a visit. Right now it's weekend hours only. Keep up to date on their facebook page.

And if you're wondering when I'll be playing at the bandshell or Beatles Park you are on the right list. These gigs will be short notice because I have to schedule around the weather. I will send notifications to this email list so I have gone from a monthly to a monthly plus gig announcements.

Vivian and I also host Inspired Unreality, open game chat Saturday mornings at
11:00 Central. Here's a link with more info.

https://gamerplus.org/index

So keep an eye open and stay tuned for more chill jazz piano news. Let me know what you've been doing whether it's music, games, or books. I'm eclectic too.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Join us at Inspired Unreality open game chat held every Saturday morning at 11:00 AM Central. This week it's bring your own topic, all gaming is on topic.

Inspired Unreality is in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. If you've never been to Tenkar's we have a link here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Last week Alan joined us and we discussed how RPGs follow trends in fantasy and science fiction literature. It turns out that Alan, like Vivian and myself, is a big Roger Zelazny fan. And Zelazny has had his influence in the gaming world.

And it's not just about fantasy and science fiction books. Many gaming trends follow major media franchises. Join us Saturday morning to continue this discussion or, as always, bring your own topic.

Work continues on Eclectic Geekery, a book store and gaming place in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where my daughters are bringing both SF and fantasy books and games to Northeast Arkansas. I put up a photo gallery and I have to say I love the ambience especially the exposed brick. Go here to see.

https://gamerplus.org/photo/useralbum/hairylarry/117

I can't wait until I can see it in person. Here's their facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/eclecticgeekerystore/

I am continuing in my project to livestream from anywhere whether busking or playing in a park. I got a nice little battery powered PA, the Samson Expedition Express+, so that along with my Roland GO:Piano and my Acer laptop provide the core functionality for livestreaming off the grid. I have played with this rig at the Craighead Forest Bandshell in Jonesboro and I look forward to streaming from Beatles Park, just around the corner from Eclectic Geekery, in Walnut Ridge. I'm bringing chill jazz piano to the great outdoors as soon as it warms up and the Omicron surge wanes.

Here's my Twitch link.

https://www.twitch.tv/hairylarryland

And my Youtube page.

https://www.youtube.com/hairylarry

Please follow at both links and give my stats a bump.

Help me grow Gamer+. Forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/886

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
https://mastodon.social/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Tonight! At Inspired Unreality! We have a topic! Fantasy and Science Fiction!

I read a lot and I also enjoy some fantasy and science fiction movies and tv shows. I have played in a couple of SF RPGs but, of course, fantasy RPGs are my main thing. There's also a lot of Fantasy and SF in other media, games, graphic novels, blogs, vlogs, etc.

Here's the place where I plug Megan's and Kim's Buffy podcast, Flunking The Written.

https://www.flunkingthewritten.com/

Yes this is a broad topic. Everyone is welcome. Bring your own topic. All Fantasy and SF is on topic.

For example, FKR - Free Kriegsspiel Revolution, would definitely be on topic. Here's a Follow Me And Die post about FKR, a rules light OSR RPG.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4278

Like I said, I read a lot. Here's my current and some recents I can recommend. With links! Woohoo!

I am currently reading The Inheritance Trilogy. I'm on book 3. This is an earlier fantasy story by N. K. Jemisin who won three Hugos in three consecutive years each for a book in the Broken Earth Trilogy. I read that too. I like the Inheritance Trilogy better without thinking it's actually better. Just more to my taste.

She posted The Inheritance Trilogy Non-Wiki which includes her notes made while writing the books. She has licensed these notes CC BY-SA-NC so yes, you can repost these notes or work from them under some restrictions. More at this link.

https://nkjemisin.com/the-inheritance-trilogy-non-wiki/

I love Russian Folklore so "Deathless" by Catherynne M. Valente was just like it was written for me. I mean, Baba Yaga is in it and everything.

"Deathless is an alternate history novel ... combining the Russian fairy tale The Death of Koschei the Deathless with the events and aftermath of the Russian Revolution."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathless_(novel)

Nancy Springer writes YA Fantasy but in her Enola Holmes mysteries she writes an alternative history of a fictional world. Enola Holmes is Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, somehow never mentioned by Arthur Conan Doyle. Each book is a novella, a quick read, and absolutely delightful.

https://murder-mayhem.com/enola-holmes-books-nancy-springer

"For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite."

Yes, I do love reading YA Fantasy. And I do recommend "Fablehaven".

https://susandennard.com/2011/09/18/fablehaven-a-book-recommendation/

I just finished "The Chosen and the Beautiful" by Nghi Vo, a retelling of "The Great Gatsby" in a world with magic, demons, demoniac, and paper coming to life. This is an exquisite work. One of the best crafted novels I have ever read (and I read a lot). It's also very entertaining.

Megan said she knows she loves a book when she wants to reread it as soon as she finishes it. As soon as I finished this book I wanted to reread "The Great Gatsby" and then reread "The Chosen and the Beautiful".

https://booksbonesbuffy.com/2021/06/10/the-chosen-and-the-beautiful-by-nghi-vo-review/

So in case you didn't catch onto the circle I'll explain it. I plugged Megan's Buffy podcast at the top. At the bottom I refer to Megan again and then provide a link to Books, Bones, and Buffy. Pretty clever, huh?

Join us tonight to discuss these stories or others.

Inspired Unreality, open game chat is held every Monday night at 9:00 Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. More info here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Please forward this email to your Fantasy and SF loving friends. Also post this link to your website, blog, or preferred social media.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/831

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Gamer+ News June 15, 2020

Megan and Larry will be hosting the Related To Geeks Book Club tonight on Inspired Unreality open game chat. The book for tonight is "Circe" by Madeline Miller. We will be in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord.

Besides our book discussion we will be proposing books to read next quarter. I have a Brandon Sanderson novel to suggest. What do you want to read? Make suggestions tonight at Tenkar's or here.

https://gamerplus.org/groups/28

I posted our discussion of Little Brother by Cory Doctorow on Anchor. I have also uploaded most of Season 1 of the Related To Geeks Podcast. Season 1 was recorded in 2015 and 2016. Yeah, I know. Better times. The podcasts posted include Playing Microscope, Gateway Games, Geek Literature, and Role Playing Tips And Tricks. Here's the link to the Related To Geeks Anchor page.

https://anchor.fm/relatedtogeeks

Put those on your phone and listen.

Now here's the most important link in this newsletter.

https://gamerplus.org/

Share, join, participate. Let us know what game stuff you've been up to.

Thanks and stay in touch,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Gamer+ News January 20, 2020

Tonight! On Inspired Unreality! It's the Related To Geeks Book Club.

We are reading "The Tower Of The Elephant" by Robert E. Howard. One of the first Conan stories.

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600831h.html

There's still time to read it. It's a short story.

Coming up in February and March we will read.

February 17 - Little Brother by Corey Doctorow
https://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

March 16 - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Available on Overdrive and at libraries and booksellers everywhere.

If you have ideas about what you want to read after that we have a group for that.

https://gamerplus.org/groups/28

You are invited to join and participate.

Imspired Unreality is held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. It's a book club and a podcast so we will be recording.

We posted two podcasts last week recorded on Inspired Unreality.

Related To Geeks - 2019 Geek Agenda
https://anchor.fm/relatedtogeeks/episodes/Related-To-Geeks---Season-2-Episode-5---2019-Geek-Agenda-ea77l4

Ask The Glen anything (about cyberpunk)
https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/ea9k16

Back at work organizing If You Play You Win actual play podcasts. Spark wants to run a game. Anyone else?

https://gamerplus.org/groups/26

I now have three Mini Zines up at DriveThruRPG/Fiction. "Just Quest" is a very minimal OSR rule set. "Chaos In The Eye Of God" and "Yon Rogar’s Hat" are super shorts. They're free on DriveThru and on my Mini Zines website.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/15994/MiniZines

https://www.drivethrufiction.com/browse.php?author=Larry%20Heyl

http://minizines.cc

What have you been doing? Let me know. Let us all know. Post your links to Gamer+ and I'll include your project in Gamer+ News.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com