Highmoon's Ponderings

I got back to Miami this morning after my very first red-eye flight. If I can help it, I’m not doing that again, seriously. I mean, above you can see how tired I was at 2 PM while I was still loitering in the hotel halls, imagine how I was by the time my flight was about to leave at 10:45 PM!

I recorded some stuff in Vegas which I’ll use to do both a GTS Report special episode and a Las Vegas episode of The Gamer Traveler (I must warn you up front, I did not really care for Vegas).

Right now I’m tired and I have a lot of things to do before Shabbat, but I am glad to be home after a great GTS.

Hey all. Just sending a quick hi from GTS in Las Vegas.

Yes, those are slot machines in the airport, right outside my gate…

What a weird place this is; so fake, so constructed, so artificial. Everything is AN EXPERIENCE!!! But it’s just a facade, and honestly, a very thin one, too. I’ll have more to say once I get back; right now I have to use the most of my time here for biz stuff (and I start my Day 2 account with a quick trip to Kinko’s to print business card, since I left mine in Miami – doh!).

The trade show is going good, and Pulp Gamer has been kicking ass in getting awesome podcasting coverage. Today I will be doing some interviews as well (hopefully). Fear the Boot’s Dan Repperger is here as well (schmoozing like a pro), as is Ed Healy from Dark Whisper (or as he is better known, the Kobold Quarterly Ad-Pimp Master), Fred Hicks from That’s How We Roll, The Butcher Block and Evil Hat, Chris Hanrahan from 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction, and Allan Sugarbaker from OgreCave Audio Report. A podcaster takeover could very well happen; watch the gaming news just in case.

WotC is being tight-lipped about the 4e GSL and its ramifications, Paizo is secretly dancing the fandango, Green Ronin is cursing WotC for out-staging their press release about the True20 open license, and the World of Warcraft pre-painted minis are OMG incredible.

More later. Have fun.

In The Digital Front - Episode 11 we chat with Tom Tullis of Fat Dragon Games about publishing cutout terrain in a downloadable format, moving away from text-based support to more universal products, cardboard modeling for beginners, and about giant earth drills.

Daniel will be at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas from Tuesday, April 22 through Thursday, April 24, so be sure to email him if you will have time for an interview.

Please feel free to discuss this episode on our forums or call our voicemail line at 206-350-4441.

Links:

• Guest: Tom Tullis of Fat Dragon Games 
• Promos:
  • Goblin - Gaming Broadcast Network
  • RPGPodcasts.com
  • Sinister Adventures/Dark Whispers Podcast

Download TDF - 11

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“And the Lord said unto Moses […] Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.”
- Exodus 7:1-6

Passover explores how to use this pivotal holiday in your Testament games. Use it as presented, or as inspiration for adding depth to a culture in your campaign setting.

This article first appeared in Targum Magazine #3.

Now Available from RPGnow.com!

Up, Up, and Oy Vey!: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero is an excellent (if quick) look at the influence of Jews, Judaism and Torah on the creation of the genre of comic books. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein is an avid collector who knows the genre, knows the history, and presents it in very digestable format based around a concept and a superhero or team of heroes that embody it. Jews make up a disproportionate percentage of the early pioneers of the comic book genre mainly because in the 30s and 40s it was one of the few jobs Jews could have in publishing, and whether consciously or not, these guys drew on their experiences as Jews (and all that entailed, from the immigrant/children of immigrants experience, to their varying levels of observance, to their place in a still anti-Semitic society) when creating the characters that would live for decades to come and become American icons. There are books that tackle the subject more in depth, but this one has the advantage of also expounding the connection to the Torah, which makes it unique in the field of Jewish publications. Any Jewish fan of comic books should get and read this book for sure.