MOB

Yep, checks out (vid has major spoilers for The Good Place):

Further elucidation on FB, which I'm recording here so I can easily come back to it: The last significant activity in Prax that the Coders participate in is the Cradle Episode. The Coders are sent on a wild goose chase at the Pairing Stone where the rebels hold a ritual in support of Argrath when the Cradle appears. The Coders are tricked into believing a major force is being gathered there, part of various deception efforts to throw the Lunars off and prevent Sor Eel from concentrating all his forces on the Cradle. They race back from the Pairing Stone in time to be one of the Lunar exploration parties that board the Cradle when it is temporarily beached at Pavis. On discovering the Giant Baby, her safety and welfare became their paramount concern. The Coders eagerly wanted to understand the Cradle's secrets for the good of the empire, but also sought to protect the life of the giant baby (after the Cradle was secured, Princess Anderida intended for the infant to be taken into the care of a Teelo Norri orphanage, and raised to serve the Red Goddess). However, they were horrified to discover another Lunar party, sent on board by Sor Eel's intelligence chief Gim-gim the Grim, intended to kill it there and then. After the Cradle was heroically refloated by its defenders, Count Julan and Princess Anderida were seen making their escape from the deck on wyverns. Maculus was plucked away by a strange pedal-powered hang-glider, and then circled round to drop a rope ladder to pick up Eslas, who was cornered at the prow fighting a group of masked figures. Nose Ring was nowhere to be seen, but all the members of Gim-Gim's party washed up dead on the riverbanks the next morning. Later, the Coders were part of the Wyvern assault at Corflu. Maculus remained on the sidelines, helping coordinate the magical team animating the Watchdog, but Count Julan and Princess Anderida landed on the deck and engaged the defenders directly. Meanwhile Eslas remained aloft deploying her devastatingly accurate skill with the bow. Both Anderida and Julan fought duels with Argrath (Garrath Sharpsword). Anderida withdrew from the fight following a brief exchange of words*, but after a heroic combat Julan was bested by the Orlanthi wind lord. Only Nose Ring emerging from the hold to come to his friend's rescue saved Julan's life**. They jumped overboard together, just as Cradle's magic defeated the Watchdog. The Lunar assault failed and the Cradle passed into the Ocean. *just what Argrath said to Anderida is unknown, but she immediately returned to Glamour and within a season had withdrawn to a sanctuary on the Red Moon itself. **rather than flee when the Cradle was refloated at Pavis, Nose Ring remained hidden on board to safeguard the helpless Giant infant, swearing by Danfive Xaron to protect her against all danger. He would have remained on the Cradle when it went out into the Ocean, but broke his cover to save Count Julan's life in the final battle at Corflu. Having heard that the Cradle later disappeared into Magasta's Whirlpool, it is said Nose Ring later captained one of the Lunars' fabled Black Galleys to the Underworld, seeking her there. (Other stories say Nose Ring remained on board and went to Magasta's Pool with the child). The Fate of the Coders None of the Coders ever probably return to Prax again after they are recalled following the Cradle episode. Rightly or wrongly, Sor Eel deflects some of the blame for the failure to capture the cradle onto them, and they are summoned to Furthest to account for themselves. The Coders are completely exonerated in the inquiry - all the blame is heaped on Sor-Eel - but, deeply perturbed by what Argrath whispered to her on the deck of the Cradle, Anderida takes a leave of absence and withdraws to a sanctuary on the Red Moon itself to contemplate his words. Before long, Nose Ring too goes on detached service, and it is said he captained one of the Lunars' fabled Black Galleys to the Underworld, seeking the Giant Baby there. Julan, Eslas, Maculus, and a new member, Anderida's daughter Johana, continue in their Coder service on missions throughout the Lunar periphery for a couple of years. It is after Eslas is left behind - or chooses to remain behind - on a disastrous mission beyond the Redlands that the group disbands: this is around the time of the Dragonrise. Julan is promoted to higher office in the Citadel of Halfway. Maculus finally gets to retire to do his 'sorcerer in a tower' thing in his own purpose-built retreat near Eneal in Aggar. In the shattered times after the Dragonrise Johana forms a new cadre of Lunar Coders, and goes on to new adventures! (Eslas, it is rumoured, leads a horde of red-haired Lunar outlaws, said to have sworn life and soul to the returned Sheng Seleris...)

Climate change has made our weather here go insane: 30 mins before this video it was 30c (86F) and sunny: https://twitter.com/firewaters/status/1218776149657968640 (apparently it was the birthday of the older lady trying to protect herself under the folding chair) And then this. Locusts are probably due on Thursday: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/20/huge-dust-storms-hit-central-new-south-wales

I think the Sun Towners would have just taken Haloric and his mens' demise with stoic equanimity after the answer to Gaumata's divination is known. They are thankful the Miracle of the Garden saved them from outright starvation at the end of the Great Winter, and honour Haloric's part in that. BTW, in the Argrath era the de facto head of the family in Pavis is the Ernalda Priestess Rana Goldenhair, only child of Haloric Glowbrow. She sits on the Pavis Council as the Suntown representative. From 'The Great Winter and Time of Two Counts': *yeah, another character from RQ2's Rune Masters.

Died before then: excerpt from 'The Great Winter and Time of Two Counts'

FIGHT FIRE WITH GAMES: the original TERROR AUSTRALIS is part of DriveThruRPG's 'Modern and Urban Horror' bundle; one of eight genre-themed bundles raising funds for Australian bushfire relief – great value for a worthy cause! Every single penny earned from the sales of these bundles will be divided equally between these two charities: —Disaster Relief and Recovery - Australia Red Cross —Bushfire Emergency - World Wildlife Fund of Australia

Friday Jan 18, 2020: On the eve of Arcanacon, Call of Cthulhu's Reign of Terror wins the inaugural Australian Roleplaying Industry Award for BEST SCENARIO. Congratulations to Australian Call of Cthulhu authors Mark Morrison, Penelope Love, Darren Watson, and Chaosium's own Jamie Coquillat. And all the creative team behind this book! The Australian Roleplaying Industry Awards (ARPIA) "recognise and encourage Australian involvement in the role-playing industry". Awards presented include Game of the Year, Best Artwork, Best Scenario, Best Rule System, Best Cartography, Best Electronic Product (Best Aid or Accessory – Digital), Best PDF only Product. Chaosium vice president Michael O'Brien, who gave the keynote address at the awards ceremony in Melbourne, Australia on Friday evening said: "It was a pleasure and an honour to give the keynote speech at the inaugural Australian Roleplaying Industry Awards tonight. As I said in my address, the ARPIA awards are a further recognition of the depth and richness of the Australian RPG scene and its contribution to the industry on the world stage. It’s a great community to be part of – so rich, so diverse, so creative, and so welcoming. Last year RPG designer and publisher Sarah Newton was the guest speaker at the inaugural ARPIA meeting announcing the awards, having just flown in from her home in France. Something Sarah said in her speech sticks with me: although she was from a long, long way away and meeting people for the first time, she said she quickly knew everyone there shared something special - being part of the RPG tribe. The ARPIA awards are a recognition and celebration of many of the wonderful things being created by the Australian branch of that tribe, to be shared with the booming RPG community around the world."

So, the PETERSEN GUIDE TO LOVECRAFTIAN HORRORS is a new addition to DriveThruFiction, and to mark the occasion, it is the Deal of the Day and 50% off.

Our friends from AcqInc doing their bit to aid Australian bushfire relief! Starts on Wednesday at Penny Arcade on Twitch TV:

Many thanks to the 2200 people who downloaded a 'Pay-What-You-Want' copy of the RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary over the past seven days and made a donation to Australian bushfire relief. Based on messages and feedback from supporters of this initiative, we estimate more than USD$20,000 has been raised for the Australian fire-fighting and recovery effort!

In fact, there are three Michaels, we go by Mike, MOB, and Michal to make it easier. And there are three Davids: David Scott, David Larkins, and David Naylor. Not to mention all the Js: Jeff, Jason, Jim, Jamie, Julia and John.

Many thanks to the 2200 people who downloaded a 'Pay-What-You-Want' copy of the RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary over the past seven days and made a donation to Australian bushfire relief. Based on messages and feedback from supporters of this initiative, we estimate more than USD$20,000 has been raised for the Australian fire-fighting and recovery effort! We thought a collection of fantastical creatures was an appropriate choice for this fundraiser, as the bushfires' devastating effect on Australia's unique wildlife is heartbreaking. In fires that have burned more than 24 million acres so far, more than one billion Australia animals have perished. Yet surviving the fires is only the first part of an uncertain future. Fundraising efforts will help look after wildlife while the land recovers. If you would still like to support Australian bushfire relief efforts, a list of worthy causes is here. #weareallus

Our friends at Petersen Games are launching Glorantha: The Gods War 2 on January 20 at Kickstarter. Designed by game design legend Sandy Petersen and set in Greg Stafford's mythic cult universe of Glorantha, setting of the RuneQuest RPG, The Gods War is a fast moving strategy game set in a universe on the brink of disaster. In The Gods War, you take the part of powerful elemental factions, battling to determine the fate of the cosmos. The Gods War 2 Kickstarter adds exciting new expansions, and enables newcomers to purchase the original game. Check out a preview of the campaign here. And if you'd like to be notified when the campaign goes live, sign up to their newsletter here!

Moderator Hat: yes Moderator Hat: @Fábio Silva, yes. You'll find tribe here is from a great swathe of beliefs and backgrounds and places, but very welcoming.

Emphatic start to this review of the Smoking Ruin... (pretty emphatic end to the review too) "There is a line on the dust jacket of the Guide to Glorantha that reads; 'Glorantha is the technicolor cure for bland, pseudo-medieval generic fantasy.' Normally when you read something like this, you can be forgiven for thinking it is self-aggrandizing, pretentious crap. Not in this case. If you have any doubts, all you need do is look at exhibit A, The Smoking Ruin & Other Stories. Seriously. You can open to any random page and find proof that--yes Toto--you aren't in Thedas, or Middle-earth, or Faerûn any more." — Andrew Logan Montgomery, review of The Smoking Ruin https://andrewloganmontgomery.blogspot.com/2020/01/there-is-line-on-dust-jacket-of-guide.html

Many thanks to the almost 2000 people so far who have downloaded THE GLORANTHA BESTIARY and made a donation to Australian bushfire relief. This book (normally $19.99) will be 'pay-what-you-want' until Sunday Jan 12. Rather than pay us for it, there are links on the product page at DriveThruRPG where you can instead make a donation to the Australian fire-fighting and recovery effort, including animal welfare initiatives. Surviving the fires is only the first part of an uncertain future for Australia's unique wildlife. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247725/RuneQuest--Glorantha-Bestiary

Many thanks to the almost 2000 people so far who have downloaded THE GLORANTHA BESTIARY and made a donation to Australian bushfire relief. This book (normally $19.99) will be 'pay-what-you-want' until Sunday Jan 12. Rather than pay us for it, there are links on the product page at DriveThruRPG where you can instead make a donation to the Australian fire-fighting and recovery effort, including animal welfare initiatives. Surviving the fires is only the first part of an uncertain future for Australia's unique wildlife. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247725/RuneQuest--Glorantha-Bestiary

I was recently interviewed by EN World, and to finish off the discussion I was asked if I had a favourite story to tell about Greg. This is what I said: EGG: With the many tributes from Chaosium and yourself, it’s clear that Greg Stafford’s passing carried an immense weight and left an empty seat at the gaming table. If it’s not too much, can you share a favorite story about Greg? MOB: Like my colleagues Rick, Neil and Jeff, who now run Chaosium with me and also “grew up with the company”, Greg’s sudden death last October came as a great shock. Like them, I’ve known Greg for over thirty years, and he’s had a profound influence on my life both as a game writer, and as a wise and knowing friend and mentor. My colleagues and I attended a family memorial for Greg in Arcata, CA, where he spent his final years. As there was to be a bigger, more public commemoration in San Francisco a week later, only a small handful of games industry folk were in attendance. But it was fascinating to meet so many other people in Arcata who said Greg was one of the most interesting, charismatic and inspirational people they knew. They spoke of the impact Greg had on their lives, yet were unaware of his role at Chaosium. Some vaguely knew Greg had something to do with “designing games”, but many didn’t even know he was a game designer at all, let alone one of the greatest game designers of all time. Such was Greg’s humility, and the richness and breadth of his interests and passions, which apart from games included mythology, shamanism, Oaxaca, King Arthur, roller derby, and much more.

and watch their first adventure, from last year's PAX Aus on YouTube: Delve into the Call of Cthulhu RPG at Chaosium.com and use the code to get 10% off your order! Code: ACQINC-PLAYS-CTHULHU

"Brisk & Full-bodied" – now also got a smokey flavour to it, though that's not coming from the tea... Melbourne is smothered in bushfire smoke, which is predicted to only get worse as the week goes on. A minor aggravation in comparison to what others are going through elsewhere, but a stark sign that although the fires are a long way from here, we are in the midst of a national crisis. Air quality from bushfire smoke. Anything above 50 is bad. Above 300 is "hazardous" - the EPA advice is "Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion". Melbourne is 403 (though that didn't stop my 78 y.o. dad playing four sets of tennis in it yesterday)

The RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary is 'Pay-Want-You-Want' for the next seven days; but don't pay us, donate to Australian bushfire relief:

We're making the RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary 'Pay-What-You-Want' on DriveThruRPG for the next seven days (regular price is USD$19.99). If you download it, instead of paying us, we encourage you to make a donation to the Australian fire-fighting and recovery effort. We at Chaosium think Gloranthan beasts are special; however Australian animals are unique and precious - and real. But it is estimated up to half a billion of them have perished so far in the devasting wildfires still raging across the continent. That number is expected to rise dramatically, as vast swathes of habitat have been consumed by flame. Some places where you can donate: WIRES is a wildlife rescue nonprofit rescuing and caring for thousands of sick, injured and orphaned Australian native animals. World Wildlife Fund Australia is directing its efforts towards koala conservation. Thousands have perished so far. The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is raising funds to distribute automatic drinking stations in the burnt areas to help in koala and wildlife survival, and sharing the funds with other wildlife organisations in the fire affected regions. Other places to support: Australian Red Cross, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Country Fire Authority Victoria.