Cower not, fierce reader! I have another collection of tales to trigger the puff, melt the snowflake, and send rabbits to their warrens. Let us shine the darkness of Injustice on these fine reads.
Wolf Killer by John Van Stry- Mr. Van Stry was kind enough to provide me with a copy of this book, which is part of a series. There's decent action; I believe this should appeal to most that would read "urban fantasy" if it weren't filled with sex scenes. There's also a Catholic presence here, though it's more part of the setting than a player(I haven't read the other books, so it may differ there.)Major crime: Faith is present and good; and there also isn't a graphic sex scene. 6 of 10 fell deeds.
In the Days of the Witch-Queens by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt- This is a short story that is the first of a series of short stories. I found this via the Castalia House blog. There's an intriguing bit of worldbuilding here, and I look forward to seeing more glimpses in hopes of a reflection of reality. Major crime: Self sacrifice. 7 of 10 fell deeds.
The Lost Castle by Nick Cole- Ah, the apocalypse is back and all is well with the world! If you're not into this series(The Wyrd), I recommend you check out book one, The Red King. If you are, and you haven't gotten this one, get to it! There's plenty of surreality at the eschaton. Major crime: staying on mission. 7 of 10 fell deeds.
Codename: Unsub by Declan Finn and Alan Yoskowitz- Declan and Alan revisit their own somewhat apocalyptic future, and I'm glad they did. This story moves. Be careful you don't get whiplash. Major crime: San Fransisco is regularly referred to as hell. Right now's just the pre-party. 8 of 10 fell deeds.
Down the Dragon Hole and A Midsummer's Party by Morgon Newquist- This is a light and fun pair of stories in the vein of happenings at a fantasy adventuring academy. I say happenings, but truly, they are miniature adventures. Not "Orc and the Pie" small, but only a few short scenes each. Major crime: Pointing out the hazards of intellectual isolationism. 8 of 10 and 7 of 10 fell deeds, respectively.
When you play Socail Justice, the world loses.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Berlanti obviously doesn't read this blog...
Or he wouldn't allow all of the shows he's running for CW to be filled with message fiction. Of course, my readers know exactly what type of messages I'm talking about: Social Justice messages. This week's episodes of Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow were really heavily into the message fiction. Arrow and the Flash had less this week, so I'm going to discuss the newer shows.
Supergirl:
Firstly, I have to say the Superman they introduced felt more like Supes than the current film incarnation. That is, he felt more human, and more like he enjoys himself while he's saving the world. Maggie Sawyer got introduced last week, and the show has her as a xenophilic lesbian. M'gann M'orzz was also revealed to us, and she, like all the other active redhead characters in the Berlantiverse, has been made black. I don't mind a little of it, and sure, the DCU in comics has a disproportionate amount of redheads, but let us keep one or two. The Berlantiverse is close to 50/50 black/white, which is nowhere near the USA's demographics. Also, why can't you show us one or more of J'onn's alternate identities? He's got dozens in the DCU he occasionally uses, to gain perspectives on humanity.
DC's Legends of Tomorrow:
Oh, man. You actually had an interesting story with the Civil War zombies. But, you went and called it the "very worst of humanity". I'm appalled at you lack of historical knowledge and perspective. Is it dark? Most certainly, but great light shone against the institution. In the 1930's and 40's, eugenics was popular scientific thought. Laws were passed, and mandatory sterilizations of some minority people happened under the law of the United States. Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, as a measure to exterminate the black population, which was targeted by the sterilization laws already. In some ways, I find these to be far scarier and darker than the open hatred displayed by slavery in the USA.
Contrary to what students are being taught in schools today, slavery was not invented in the United States of America. Every sizable civilization has contained this institution at some point, and several countries still contain it today. Nor was the South the worst practitioner of this. Romans had them fight each other to the death. Other, more modern versions are less palatable.
And the Romans? Even they, during their pagan years, valued life. Hannibal and the forces of Carthage worshipped Moloch, sacrificing live children of multiple years old. They burned their own children in ritual for their deity, hoping for power and victory. Rome even fell for awhile, and rose again and destroyed the empire, the city, and the earth where they stood, so reviled by this were they. Yes, the pagans fought and destroyed what truly was the worst and darkest time in history.
Berlanti, if you keep this up, you'll lose viewers eventually. This is despite being some of the best superhero presentation there is today. And now, for an altered version of my last line:
When you play Social Justice, the multiverse loses.
Supergirl:
Firstly, I have to say the Superman they introduced felt more like Supes than the current film incarnation. That is, he felt more human, and more like he enjoys himself while he's saving the world. Maggie Sawyer got introduced last week, and the show has her as a xenophilic lesbian. M'gann M'orzz was also revealed to us, and she, like all the other active redhead characters in the Berlantiverse, has been made black. I don't mind a little of it, and sure, the DCU in comics has a disproportionate amount of redheads, but let us keep one or two. The Berlantiverse is close to 50/50 black/white, which is nowhere near the USA's demographics. Also, why can't you show us one or more of J'onn's alternate identities? He's got dozens in the DCU he occasionally uses, to gain perspectives on humanity.
DC's Legends of Tomorrow:
Oh, man. You actually had an interesting story with the Civil War zombies. But, you went and called it the "very worst of humanity". I'm appalled at you lack of historical knowledge and perspective. Is it dark? Most certainly, but great light shone against the institution. In the 1930's and 40's, eugenics was popular scientific thought. Laws were passed, and mandatory sterilizations of some minority people happened under the law of the United States. Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, as a measure to exterminate the black population, which was targeted by the sterilization laws already. In some ways, I find these to be far scarier and darker than the open hatred displayed by slavery in the USA.
Contrary to what students are being taught in schools today, slavery was not invented in the United States of America. Every sizable civilization has contained this institution at some point, and several countries still contain it today. Nor was the South the worst practitioner of this. Romans had them fight each other to the death. Other, more modern versions are less palatable.
And the Romans? Even they, during their pagan years, valued life. Hannibal and the forces of Carthage worshipped Moloch, sacrificing live children of multiple years old. They burned their own children in ritual for their deity, hoping for power and victory. Rome even fell for awhile, and rose again and destroyed the empire, the city, and the earth where they stood, so reviled by this were they. Yes, the pagans fought and destroyed what truly was the worst and darkest time in history.
Berlanti, if you keep this up, you'll lose viewers eventually. This is despite being some of the best superhero presentation there is today. And now, for an altered version of my last line:
When you play Social Justice, the multiverse loses.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Music blog: Kris Kristofferson
An accomplished songwriter, and far more. Taught at West Point, Golden Glove boxer, and more.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Looking back at the first 10 months of the Injustice Gamer
My friend Declan Finn does a retrospective post after every thousand posts. I'm just over the first hundred, but I have been through 10 months now, so here's the 10 most popular posts, and a bit of perspective on them.
1. The Hurt is Strong at File 770
This is the newest post on the list, and it's the most popular. Dipping into the venomous pit that is the comment section after the Dragon Awards yielded the results that were predicted by many, but of course, they deny that we were told to make our own awards.
2. GenCon 2016 "Industry Insider" Program
I'd heard there was some crowing about who was on the list, and that it was a victory for minorities. So, I went and did some research on who was there, using Boardgamegeek and RPGgeek as my primary sources, as they are the best tabletop databases online.
Of course it was a victory for minorities. It was largely a loss for gaming.
3. An open letter to Splotter Spellen
I was pretty raw about the fact that Splotter didn't feel like they should take care of the people that made the print run possible, before making the rest of the run available to others. I stand by that, if you run a preorder, with the possible exception of major conventions, your material should go absolutely first to the people that paid to make it happen.
No, it's not Kickstarter, that doesn't change what should be the proper method of taking care of the people that backed you.
4. Interview with the RPG Pundit
This is my first interview, and I haven't done any for awhile. But, it exposed me a bit to the OSR ideas, and some of the fight against Social Justice there. I know the Pundit and Jeffro Johnson have a massive disagreement on Appendix N, which I did not address, but the Appendix N stuff I've read has been a lot of fun. Not my primary reading style, but fun nonetheless.
5. Post Hugo thoughts
Ah, it seemed everyone was doing posts about the Hugo results. I thought I'd put my two cents in, and it seems folks liked that post. I stand by "Nuts to you, Neil Gaiman."
6. Heh. Reddit SJWs hate me
This was in reaction to some of the flaming directed at me after my Hugo post, especially regarding my saying "Nuts to you, Neil Gaiman." Perhaps I shouldn't have responded to the projection and lies about my geekdom, but I don't like libel and slander. I had a few days of hatefans, it was a good time.
7. Betrayal at House on the Hill: SJW expansion
This post was my first detail search on multiple SJWs in a project, which became a model for the GenCon post. It has also recently proven relevant, as some are regretting their purchase and finding out why belatedly. I likely should make that my featured post.
8. Injustice Book Review: A Pius Man trilogy
Yes, this is my most popular book review. I'm pretty pleased by that, as Declan doesn't have the notoriety that Mr. Wright does. A.P. Ryan is a blast of a character, and I've enjoyed everything he shows up in.
9. Monica, you don't get a pass
Came after the GenCon post. The thing that does Firefly attacked me for it behind my back, and I smacked back, in a civilized, open manner, quoting her extensively. I then made sure she knew about it via Twitter, and she promptly blocked me. I'm sure she had a nice victory dance after.
10. Fisking Publisher's Weekly Review of Beyond the Mist
Some paid moron at PW didn't know how to do a book review of something they didn't like or comprehend. I couldn't let that slide; Mr. Zwycky wrote a fine tale I await the sequel to, and his first novel got me started on book reviews.
Lessons to be gained: Book reviews pull in some regulars, but the flame war posts get tons of views. I likely need to do a bit more of those now and then.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
1. The Hurt is Strong at File 770
This is the newest post on the list, and it's the most popular. Dipping into the venomous pit that is the comment section after the Dragon Awards yielded the results that were predicted by many, but of course, they deny that we were told to make our own awards.
2. GenCon 2016 "Industry Insider" Program
I'd heard there was some crowing about who was on the list, and that it was a victory for minorities. So, I went and did some research on who was there, using Boardgamegeek and RPGgeek as my primary sources, as they are the best tabletop databases online.
Of course it was a victory for minorities. It was largely a loss for gaming.
3. An open letter to Splotter Spellen
I was pretty raw about the fact that Splotter didn't feel like they should take care of the people that made the print run possible, before making the rest of the run available to others. I stand by that, if you run a preorder, with the possible exception of major conventions, your material should go absolutely first to the people that paid to make it happen.
No, it's not Kickstarter, that doesn't change what should be the proper method of taking care of the people that backed you.
4. Interview with the RPG Pundit
This is my first interview, and I haven't done any for awhile. But, it exposed me a bit to the OSR ideas, and some of the fight against Social Justice there. I know the Pundit and Jeffro Johnson have a massive disagreement on Appendix N, which I did not address, but the Appendix N stuff I've read has been a lot of fun. Not my primary reading style, but fun nonetheless.
5. Post Hugo thoughts
Ah, it seemed everyone was doing posts about the Hugo results. I thought I'd put my two cents in, and it seems folks liked that post. I stand by "Nuts to you, Neil Gaiman."
6. Heh. Reddit SJWs hate me
This was in reaction to some of the flaming directed at me after my Hugo post, especially regarding my saying "Nuts to you, Neil Gaiman." Perhaps I shouldn't have responded to the projection and lies about my geekdom, but I don't like libel and slander. I had a few days of hatefans, it was a good time.
7. Betrayal at House on the Hill: SJW expansion
This post was my first detail search on multiple SJWs in a project, which became a model for the GenCon post. It has also recently proven relevant, as some are regretting their purchase and finding out why belatedly. I likely should make that my featured post.
8. Injustice Book Review: A Pius Man trilogy
Yes, this is my most popular book review. I'm pretty pleased by that, as Declan doesn't have the notoriety that Mr. Wright does. A.P. Ryan is a blast of a character, and I've enjoyed everything he shows up in.
9. Monica, you don't get a pass
Came after the GenCon post. The thing that does Firefly attacked me for it behind my back, and I smacked back, in a civilized, open manner, quoting her extensively. I then made sure she knew about it via Twitter, and she promptly blocked me. I'm sure she had a nice victory dance after.
10. Fisking Publisher's Weekly Review of Beyond the Mist
Some paid moron at PW didn't know how to do a book review of something they didn't like or comprehend. I couldn't let that slide; Mr. Zwycky wrote a fine tale I await the sequel to, and his first novel got me started on book reviews.
Lessons to be gained: Book reviews pull in some regulars, but the flame war posts get tons of views. I likely need to do a bit more of those now and then.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
Monday, October 31, 2016
A Halloween Treat
Dawn Witzke published a second Halloween story today on her website. Last year, she published one on Liberty Island for their Halloween contest. Please, fierce reader, go and read these treats at your leisure.
For those not in the know, Dawn is working on several books currently. She is however, more known (for now) for the book covers she's been doing, getting a bit better each time. She's done a fair number of covers for Declan Finn's work, including the new Codename: Unsub, which I'll get to as soon as I'm done with Nick Cole's new book. Yes, I'm telegraphing some reviews. I DON'T CARE.
Dawn, I love these little treats. Please keep them up; I have a hard time passing on a new take on an old story that works.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
For those not in the know, Dawn is working on several books currently. She is however, more known (for now) for the book covers she's been doing, getting a bit better each time. She's done a fair number of covers for Declan Finn's work, including the new Codename: Unsub, which I'll get to as soon as I'm done with Nick Cole's new book. Yes, I'm telegraphing some reviews. I DON'T CARE.
Dawn, I love these little treats. Please keep them up; I have a hard time passing on a new take on an old story that works.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Injustice Book Review: Discovery by Karina Fabian
Cower not, fierce reader! This is my first reading of any of Karina Fabian's works, but this will not be my last. I know that some others have been raving about this book, and it's past time that the dark acts of Injustice contained herein were exposed!
Firstly, this book is Catholic. Not just "It was written by a Catholic.", or "It has some Catholic ideas in it.". No, this tale makes no qualms about the fact that faith is central to the lives of many of the characters. There is redemption, reconciliation, and repentance in this book.
Second, there is a presentation of an atheism that has no comprehension of Christianity in general. Like most versions of atheism, this has evolved into a legalistic religion, with sex and ego as the central fixtures. Don't be worried, no such acts are presented herein, though the characters of such orientation clearly have similar acts in their past.
Thirdly, there is a Protestant faith here that has great misunderstandings of Catholicism. There are multiple reasons for this reflection of the truth. Firstly, a great many misunderstandings take place from use of the same word, with different doctrine. Secondly, many people these days do not study the history, but take the word of others on faith. Third, there are indeed those that lie maliciously about the Catholicism, many even in good faith. This is not to excuse these occurrences, merely to explain the reality reflected within this tale.
This is in several ways an old school SF romance. By that I mean the romantic era, with tales full of adventure, though not adventure stories. Stories with religion, but not religious texts. Stories, yes, with romance, but largely not a story about romance. This is a proper smorgasbord of storytelling, with complex characters of all stripes, and proper passions throughout the tale. 8 of 10 fell deeds.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
Firstly, this book is Catholic. Not just "It was written by a Catholic.", or "It has some Catholic ideas in it.". No, this tale makes no qualms about the fact that faith is central to the lives of many of the characters. There is redemption, reconciliation, and repentance in this book.
Second, there is a presentation of an atheism that has no comprehension of Christianity in general. Like most versions of atheism, this has evolved into a legalistic religion, with sex and ego as the central fixtures. Don't be worried, no such acts are presented herein, though the characters of such orientation clearly have similar acts in their past.
Thirdly, there is a Protestant faith here that has great misunderstandings of Catholicism. There are multiple reasons for this reflection of the truth. Firstly, a great many misunderstandings take place from use of the same word, with different doctrine. Secondly, many people these days do not study the history, but take the word of others on faith. Third, there are indeed those that lie maliciously about the Catholicism, many even in good faith. This is not to excuse these occurrences, merely to explain the reality reflected within this tale.
This is in several ways an old school SF romance. By that I mean the romantic era, with tales full of adventure, though not adventure stories. Stories with religion, but not religious texts. Stories, yes, with romance, but largely not a story about romance. This is a proper smorgasbord of storytelling, with complex characters of all stripes, and proper passions throughout the tale. 8 of 10 fell deeds.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
A Cautionary Tale
Last night, a new reader posted a comment regarding the Betrayal at the House on the Hill expansion that I covered here. I'm going to post most of the comment here, so if you've read the post, don't feel the need to visit it to check it out.
From Dave and Liz, a couple I'm guessing that just found this blog:
We love the game, and bought the expansion... I didn't know it was socjus tainted.
The first new haunt we played was so poorly worded, that even as avid veterans, we couldn't figure out what was supposed to be occurring. I had to correct the scenario's rules as we went along. Most of the flavor text was devoted to gushing about how stunning and brave and respected the beautiful female monster was.
Seeing authors grabbing attention under the haunts was new- and didn't seem like a welcome development... And, of course, Zoe's haunt- haven't played it yet- was titled "Make America Disintegrate Again."
Because that's why we play a haunted house game- to get politics shoved in our faces.
The whole thing reeks as being more focused on fulfilling a millenial circle-jerk than actually focused on good gameplay.
Hopefully some of the haunts are actually decent, but so far it's awful. Wish I would have done some research instead of just trusting the company producing it.
This is a big part of why I call my self the Injustice Gamer. Yes, I post more book reviews than game posts these days, but I do try to keep up with the boardgaming world. Please note prime marks of Social Justice referred to: bad writing and editing, bad rules, false courage clichés, celebrity name-dropping, and tired versions of politcal ideals.
If WotC/AH/Hasborg had been actually interested in putting out a good expansion(they should have been, the game's plenty popular), it would have happened years ago, and you'd have to struggle to find out who wrote what. This was a pure money/SocJus play. Yes, there are enough SocJus people in gaming to make money that way. Don't trust the big companies inherently.
Firstly, I'd like to say if you have a question about a boardgame or boardgame expansion, PLEASE contact me. Twitter/Gab.ai: @aelfredwessex . If I don't have any idea, I know where to research it, and I might just turn it into a post. I'm here to help. Secondly, if you want a game with stories that are interesting(I have NO CLUE as to the SocJus stance of the writers), I commend Above and Below by Ryan Laukat, and his upcoming Near and Far.
When you play Social Justice, the world loses.
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