Distractions – Page 275 – Ammo for your Dreams

Ijon recalls Spidey

Post author By Dotan Dimet
Post date July 07, 2002

Ijon goes to see The Amazing Spiderman, taking a detour down memory lane. The interesting thing is that he actually learned to know a lot of Marvel characters from the old TSR roleplaying game rather than from the comics, which I think of as the usual route – although jkids these days probably first encounter these characters through cartoons, toys and video games, like my nephew. His enthusiasm for the character’s continuity (or rather their back story, gadgets, etc) – I think this fits the roleplayer mentality well (but show my nephew a schematic of an Avengers’ Quinjet, and I bet he’ll be hooked too).

Resources short

Paris Catacombs

Post author By Dotan Dimet
Post date July 06, 2002

Catacombes et Carri�res de Paris includes a virtual tour (with clickable maps and photos) of the Paris catacombs (another link from the aforementioned Underworld thread).

Roleplaying

Myths Over Miami and other links

Post author By Dotan Dimet
Post date July 06, 2002

A thread of inspirational inks on the UnderWorld forum is filled with obscure and cool goodies, of which I picked this one, to article printed in 1997 in the Miami New Times Myths Over Miami: “Captured on South Beach, Satan later escaped. His demons and the horrible Bloody Mary are now killing people. God has fled. Avenging angels hide out in the Everglades. And other tales from children in Dade’s homeless shelters.“

Science Fiction and Fantasy

E�rendil the Mariner

Post author By Dotan Dimet
Post date July 06, 2002

The entry for E�rendil the Mariner at the Encyclopedia of Arda, a big Middle Earth site.

E�rendil was half-elf, half-mortal, and he sought to sail to the Undying Lands to beg the gods for help against Morgath (the dark lord). He eventually succeeded, but only after his wife Elwing brought him the Silmaril, by flying to him in the form of a white bird.
“He now sails the high airs with the Silmaril upon his brow, shining as the morning and evening star. ”
Tolkien purists stop reading here: It seems to me that E�rendil’s story is an excellent basis to build a Middle Earth/Star Trek (or maybe Star Wars? the mix might work better – or not) crossover game; He’s literally a mortal travelling in a flying ship to the distant world of the gods, using god-technology (what else would you call a Silmaril?) to signal them. The “War of Wrath” in which the Valar come to rescue their Elvish followers and kick Morgath’s butt (sorry) is a classic assault by an unimaginably advanced technological superpower.

Blather short

peach tree

Post author By Dotan Dimet
Post date July 05, 2002

There’s a peach tree outside my study window, and the peaches are all red and gorgeous today. They’re probably still stone-hard and bitter, or the birds would have gotten to them, but for now they’re just pretty.