The Wheel Weaves As the Wheel Wills

Wheel of Time author Robert Jordan announced March 25 that he suffers from a rare blood disease, the effect of which is the desposit of misshapen proteins into the wall of his heart. Over time this causes heart failure. But once he receives treatment, the median life expectancy for those suffering from amyloidosis is four years.

A longstanding concern among fans of the series has been that the 57-year-old Jordan would become too ill to finish the 12th and final novel. Of course, now hearing about this affliction, the issue is moot for me. My only wish is that this author who has provided countless hours of adventure and entertainment through his Wheel and Conan novels find healing and peace in this troubled time.

I sincerely hope he keeps writing only if it the sort of thing that keeps him going. But his treatment, and spending time with his family, are the most important things right now.

I join all his fans in wishing him well.

Under Shannara's spell

My love-hate relationship with author Terry Brooks’ works resumes this month. I’ve started reading “Jarka Ruus,” the first book in his High Druid trilogy.

I have high hopes for this series, which advances the adventures of Grianne Ohmsford, who supposedly reformed her ways after spreading terror as the dreaded Ilse Witch.

The previous trilogy, the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, was everything epic fantasy fiction should be – especially the heroic ending for longstanding character Walker Boh, the one-armed druid, and Grianne’s final confrontation with her evil mentor, the Morgawr.

My favorite Brooks work, however, is the modern fantasy Word and Void series – a coming of age tale of a girl who resists her destiny to become an evil tyrant. Her staunchest ally is a lame wandering champion who helps her fight real demons who are determined to see her claim her birthright.

The fact Brooks perfectly captures life in a small Illinois town, of course, has no bearing on my love for the series!

Yet, for all the hours of reading enjoyment Brooks has brought, I have little love for his earlier works. The “Sword of Shannara,” which launched his career and hailed him as a worthy successor to the Tolkien mantle, did little for me. I never embraced the quest of Shea Ohlmsford and his kin in later books. Wren’s voyage across the Great Divide where she then braved the horrors of Morrowindl in “The Elf Queen of Shannara” was the only novel of the Heritage series that mildly held my interest. (Amazing, since it was almost exclusively about elves, and I rarely get jazzed about the dandelion-dining set).

It is unreasonable that I should expect to enjoy every book in a series, even when written by a favorite author. Brooks is a skilled storyteller, no question about it. I guess what troubles me is the Heritage series, which received almost universal acclaim, but was too disjointed for my taste. How dare I not appreciate them!

Actually, I think it boils down to this: I only really enjoy Brooks when he features a female protagonist. He has a real knack for writing about female characters. Go back and look at those early Shannara books, and you’ll find very few strong female characters. But the stories I mentioned above all had them.

Making RPG Magic More Sinister

Maybe I’m getting cranky in my advancing age, but I’ve become increasingly dissatisfied with D&D magic – namely there are no consequences to casting spells. It’s all “Harry Potter”-type magic, this “stuff” just plucked from the air, often appearing as technology in the guise of spells. (I’m no fan of the “fire and forget” system either, but that’s a whole other argument).

In the Sword and Sorcery tradition, magic has sinister, unpredictable nature. Spell casters who utilize it must delve into forbidden lore and engage in battle of wits with the dark forces that keep its secrets. Those who traffic in magic run the risk of being tainted by its wickedness. Even the most well-intentioned users often end up perverted by its power.

This past week I’ve been tinkering with a mechanic to re-introduce that old Sword and Sorcery feel into my roleplaying games. Wielding magic should entail risk to the user, and the magic itself should behave in an unpredictable, erratic manner.

Of course, the reason would not be to discourage players from being spell casters. If anything, I think, it would open up new roleplaying possibilities for PCs. Would they not have a different perspective on their character and their powers if using them meant some sort of sacrifice?

I know I’m not re-inventing the wheel here. I’ve seen several attempts to do the same in other games. But I thought I’d give it a try, more as a design challenge than any attempt to “right” the D&D universe.

Unorthodox Cheerleader -- Salukis style

Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title Sunday, beating Bradley 59-46 in a game broadcast nationally on CBS.

The win secures for the Salukis an NCAA tournament bid, their fifth in a row.

But the hold-your-breath and pray moment came late in the game when cheerleader Kristi Yamaoka, 18 of Springfield, fell from the top of a lift and landed on her head. She was braced and bound on a stretcher, and a grim mood settled over the Savvis Center crowd, fearing she had been paralyzed in the fall.

Then as the stretcher lifted, Kristi raised her hands, and the crowd cheered in relief. The pep band struck up the school fight song, and Kristi began the hand and arm motions that accompany the song. She was carted off to the hospital still playing to the crowd. It was inspirational and corny, all in one moment.

Of course, the scene has been replayed as a highlight on the sports channels and even the CBS news. Kristi has generally been praised for her courage.

Across the blogosphere, the reaction has been mixed: admiration for her spirit, condemnation in general from those who criticize the foolishness of cheerleading antics, and even satire, in the form of an “Ask the stretcher-bound cheerleader” Q&A on current events. Another blogger dryly observed that at SIU, which has a rich reputation as a party school, frat boys being dropped from such heights is common event.

My own feeling is that cheerleaders have no business doing these big lifts and jumps. Of course, the fact my own cheerleading sister fell in a similar circumstance may color my attitude.

Even so, there’s no denying the athleticism and dedication of cheerleaders at every level. My admiration for the sidelines supporters manifested itself in my gaming. Just check out Unorthodox Cheerleaders, an rpg supplement I did for The Le Games (thelegames.com) last year. It is chock full of ways to make cheerleaders the heroes of your next gaming session.

Maybe I should update it to reflect Kristi’s 15-minutes of fame. What do you think?

Betty Boop All Strung Out

I love painting metal miniatures -- the two-inch high metal figurines used in table top games and wargaming.

I just finished the latest batch, which included three Astral Reavers from Reaper's Dark Heaven line. In truth, these three figs look like a cross between Dr. Seuss' South-Going Zax and a tall, ematiated elf.

I did the female fig all in black and white, envisioning this outsider as a Goth chick with a bad attitude. Thus, the Betty Boop reference.

Painting minis is the one creative outlet where I feel my work isn't being judged. I do it for myself. Although I've received compliments on my painting, which is nice, it's the process I enjoy more than the final result.

This is a different approach from my wife, who paints ceremic houses and the like. Everything has to be perfect with her work. For her, it IS the finished product.

Did I mention that my wife is a big Betty Boop fan? Hmmmm ....

I'm a winner

That's a good way to start things off on this blog, don't you think?

Today, I won a contest.

(Well, actually, I placed third.)

But I got a prize for my idea, which is as good as finishing first, as far as I'm concerned. I thought there were a lot of good entries, and I feel fortunate to do as well as I did.

Over at Treasure Tables (treasuretables.org), they had a contest to describe your most useful GM tool. I entered my homemade initiative cards, which help keep track of my players' turns during tactical combat. In just about any tabletop roleplaying game, such things come in real handy.

Of course, in real life, we don' t rely on an index card or a dice roll to keep track of our turn. We wait in line at the grocery store or the gas station or at home for the cable guy to come and hook up the TV.

Come to think of it, an initiative card is a lot like drawing a ticket at the driver's license facility, where you must wait for your number to be called. The only difference is, that we can't improve our chances, or our place in line, with a higher ability score. That, and line jumping is really frowned upon.

It's just as well.

(I don't think I could also handle the excitement of being first in line, too. Thank you, no; but I prefer to wait.)