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Here's four webcomics that I like and some of them even have something to do with gaming.

I don't like rom com movies much. In fact I don't like movies much. I prefer my TV in small doses. But I do read a lot of coming of age fantasy and science fiction which is kind of close to rom coms. Especially "The Wheel Of Time" which I am definitely planning on rereading, all 14 volumes.

But it turns out that I like rom com webcomics. I guess the dosage is about right.

"Questionable Content" is alternative history science fiction. It's present day but in the recent past Hannelore's dad discovered true AI and built it into robots. So it's a rom com with robots. (Shades of Isaac Asimov) It's actually my current fav and it turns out I must have started it in the middle because when I went to episode 1 to link here I hadn't read it. But there is an AI robot right at the start. Plus rom com. It is a lot different than the more recent episodes but I'm restarting at the top and you can too.

https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1

Oh yeah, it's drawn by J. Jacques. And it's 5 days a week.

Dumbing Of Age is a College Webcomic by David M. Willis. This is my latest fav and it's actual contemporary fiction rom com. It has more about cartoons than about games although D&D does get an occasional mention. Big on superheroes too with an actual superhero character who is actually just a shy girl with tendencies towards violence.

7 days a week. Yaaaaaay!

https://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/home/

The absolute best webcomic ever is all about D&D with in jokes right from the first episode. The Order Of The Stick is about an adventuring party drawn as stick figures. If you haven't already read this it's a treat. The only bad thing about it is that it's a weekly so I save it for my weekend reading. It's by Rich Burlew.

https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html

And my new find is Gunnerkrigg Court. It's also in a school setting but so far not a rom com. Definitely fantasy and I'm not far enough into it to tell you much more. Except that I like it so far. Not sure of the publishing schedule but the art is great and it's drawn by Tom Siddell.

https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1

Please add your favorite webcomics in the comments. Especially if they are about gaming.

Thanks

Full disclosure: I was given this game for free by its publisher.  This was not done for purposes of review (more out of pity!), but it would not be honest to fail to mention this potential bias.

I have a somewhat complicated relationship with Bloodshadows.  I originally encountered it when it was a West End Games setting for their Masterbook game (itself part of the '90s trend of turning every house game system—in this case the game system behind Torg and Shatterzone—into a generic game).  The thing is that while I admired several features of Masterbook, at it core I found it a pretty fundamentally flawed game that I didn't want to play very much.  Which was a pity because the Bloodshadows setting I adored straight out of the box.

So here we are, over two decades later, and I find myself with a Bloodshadows game in my hand from the home where all the great, undervalued games go for continued unlife: Precis Intermedia (rapidly becoming my favourite currently-active publisher of RPGs).

... more

Tonight on Inspired Unreality open game chat our opening topic will be "D&D grew out of fantasy literature and then a branch of fantasy literature grew out of D&D". As always Inspired Unreality begins at 9:00 Central in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkars Tavern on Discord. If you haven't been to Tenkars Tavern we have an inivite for you here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

I have posted a new gallery of public domain fantasy art called, John Anster Fitzgerald takes us to Feyland. Fitzgerald was a Victorian illustrator who specialized in fairies and other fey creatures.

https://gamerplus.org/photo/useralbum/hairylarry/94

After looking at these pictures sound and I started discussing fairytales. Fairytales predate history and yet are still being written in the 21st century, often melded with other types of literature. Click the link to join the discussion.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/3306

Please welcome our newest gamer, TabletopBellhop, creator of blogs, vlogs, and podcasts about tabletop gaming.

https://gamerplus.org/user/TabletopBellhop

I hope to chat with you tonight about fantasy literature and gaming. As always, bring your own topic. All gaming is on topic.

https://gamerplus.org/groups/9

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

Caper and Bones found a bench under an oak tree and sat down to rest while Ari and the witch made the squamish salve.

They ground the squamish mushrooms into a paste with wild cherries and sage to make the salve which is good for treating carbuncles and other skin ailments and can also cure light wounds. About 2/3 of the salve filled a jar the witch had set aside so she went and got a smaller jar which she filled and gave to Ari.

With that task done Ari and the witch walked over to Caper and Bones and the witch said, “The items are for the Ogre up in the foothills Northwest of Milyagon. He has been under pressure from orcs and hobgoblins moving in. The branch makes a magic quarterstaff to fend them off and the mushrooms are the important ingredient in a salve for his carbunkles. And the feather? That's for his hat. The Ogre has a magic hat and the owl's feather, willingly given, is a component of the spell. He is smart for an ogre because of the hat so it is very important that the feather in his cap does not become bedraggled.”

Enlightened but still very tired the party made their way back to the inn where they ate a hearty supper and turned in early for the night glad to be sleeping on beds under a roof instead of on the ground under the stars.

#SixWordStories is a thing.

Xan is an expert.

Here’s my first shot at #SixWordStories.

And then the sun went nova.

- by Larry Heyl CC-BY

There’s a website.

Six Word Stories

And a Flickr group.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/sixwordstory/

Prefaced by “Just as a reminder here is the story that started it all. For sale: baby shoes, never worn. “.

Cross posted from SFF Short Stories.

https://sffshortstories.com/?x=entry:entry200727-052139

Gamer+ News March 16, 2020

Tonight the Related To Geeks Book Club will be discussing "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. Starting at 9:00 PM Central we will be in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord.

Join the group here and help us pick our next three books.

https://gamerplus.org/groups/28

Last Monday on Inspired Unreality Vivian spoke (through a microphone) and we discussed memories of Kendrick.

And there has been a lot of game development going on at Gamer+.

FollowMeAndDie says "My series Roll20 For The Absolute Beginner is linked on the getting started page for Virtual Gary Con!"

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/2108

DragonMac says "I'm proud to announce that my rpg game system Adventure Maximum is now on sale at DriveThruRPG."

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/2107

Here's a discussion about DIY card decks.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/2104

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

9:00 PM Central Time in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. Everyone is welcome. Click above for Links below.

January 20 - The Tower Of The Elephant by Robert E. Howard

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

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.

To make suggestions for April, May, and June join the Related To Geeks Bookclub group.

https://gamerplus.org/groups/28

Gamer+ News November 25, 2019

If You Play You Win Monday night!

Swords and Wizardry - Lost Lands
DM SD Houston
Monday, 2019-11-25 6:30 pm

The game is held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord and is preempting Inspired Unreality this week.

If You Play You Win last Friday night!

We played The Chronicles Of Ember, Mine. We explored. We discovered. We nearly got killed. Some of us did get killed. Fortunately we had a wand of ressurection.

ZDL wrote Fringe Review: Spark, on her blog. She says "This is like RPG meets collaborative fiction with a dash of improv..." I hope she does more Fringe Reviews. Give it a read.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/74

On Inspired Unreality, November 18, 2019, Masked and Danger, Vivian, and I discussed Keeping It Real. This may be fantasy roleplaying but the DM and the players can't let it go too far over the edge without ruining the willing suspension of disbelief. A lightly redacted transcript can be found here.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/97

Come and play. Come and chat. Write some stuff. Keep us up to date on your games. Promote your products. Spread the word. Stay in touch.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

Show notes for Fantasy and Science Fiction Reads

We discussed:

Universe Unleashed by RobboG

Star Wars: Edge Of The Empire

Dread

ARPGCON
https://tabletop.events/conventions/arkansas-rpg-con

Home School Game Club at Game Goblin

Dragon Truck

Isaac Asimov

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

Greek Tragedies

Shakespeare

Edward Dunsaney

Gilgamesh

Beowulf

Honor Harrington

Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries

Isaac Asimov - The Robots Of Dawn

J. Jacques - Questionable Content
https://questionablecontent.net

Chrome

Sylvain Neuvel - Sleeping Giants

Nicky Drayden - The Prey of Gods

China Mieville

Neal Stephenson - Seveneves

Jim C. Hines - Janitors Of The Post-Apocalypse

Ann Leckie - Imperial Radch

Clarks Law - Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Poul Anderson - The Chapter Ends
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41064

Neal Schusterman - Arc Of The Scythe

Yu Godai - Avatar Tuner - Digital Devil Saga

C.S. Lewis - The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe

Pratchett, Gaiman - Good Omens

Chuck Palahniuk - The Fight Club

Tamora Pierce - Tortal

James S.A. Corey - The Expanse series

Nicholas Eames - Kings Of The Wyld

J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit, The Trilogy

David Eddington

Terry Brooks

Jack Vance - The Green Pearl, The Dying Earth

Anthea Sharp - Feyland

Fritz Lieber - Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser

Poul Anderson - The Broken Sword

Fred Saberhagen

Dungeons and Dragons

Edgar Rice Burroughs

L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

Robert E. Howard - The Tower Of The Elephant

Jon Peterson - Playing at the World

George MacDonald - The Princess and the Goblin

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels

T.H. White - The Once And Future King

E.A. Wyke-Smith - The Marvellous Land Of Snergs

Capetta, McCarthy - Once and Future

Brandon Sanderson - The Emperor's Soul, Mistborn, Wheel Of Time, The Edgedancer, Steelheart, Skyward

Robert Jordan - Wheel Of Time series

Rick Riordan

Cressida Cowell - How To Train Your Dragon

Hairy Larry's Super Shorts

http://sffshortstories.com

William King - Trollslayer, Skavenslayer - Gotrek and Felix

David Gemmell - Legend - Drust

Terry Pratchett - Good Omens, The Last Hero, Guards Guards, Tiffany Aching, The Wee Free Men, The Witches, Wintersmith, Equal Rites, Soul Music, The Monsters Regiment, Small Gods, The Luggage, Rincewind, The Hogfather, Mort, Going Postal (books and characters discussed)

Earthbound

Undertale

Neil Gaiman - The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, A Study In Emerald, American Gods

Gene Wolfe

The Wheel Of Time Companion

Max Gladstone - Three Parts Dead

Samuel R. Delaney - Nova

Hillary Bell - A Matter Of Profit

William Morris - The Well At The World's End

Andrzej Sapkowski - The Witcher Series

Douglas Adams

George R.R. Martin - Game Of Thrones