Bozimus

8 minutes ago, HeroGM said:

I would say WordPress but I don't think you can roll dice.

Thank you for the recommendation!

Apparently, there are some dice rolling plugins for wordpress...not sure how well they work.  I might just make all dice rolls and post the results.

I am trying to launch a "Play-by-Post" HERO 5th Pulp game and need a site where my players/I can share maps, discuss "In Character" and "Out-Of-Character" topics, roll dice, essentially game in an asynchronous fashion.  Just to be clear, I do not need a VTT...

I attempted to use "World Anvil" but everything there makes me feel like I spend FAR more time fighting their overly convoluted interface than creating my game content.  At one point, I attempted to generate a link to join my campaign that sent my player to a TOTALLY different campaign!  Argh!!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions for a low cost place to host a "Play-by-Post" HERO 5th game?

Thanks in advance!

On 1/27/2021 at 9:15 PM, Hermit said:

I'm more of a fan of Fantasy than Sci Fi but I gave book #1 and #2 of the Bobiverse by Dennis Taylor a chance when Audible had a good two for one deal. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is the first one . This is a story about Bob, and Bob... and Bob...

SO many Bobs.

 

But we begin with Bob Johansson signing up for one of those 'we'll freeze you when you die and revive you when Science is ready' situations. What happens next is, well, maybe Bob doesn't believe in God, but he surely tempted fate. He wakes  in a theocratic future to find 'corpsicles' are property, his mind only exists in a computer, and his only way to improve his lot is to win the chance to become a part of a von Neumann probe!

 

Did I mention the book is surprisingly upbeat at times? Bob's nerdy humor helps him cope with his situation.

 

He's a likable protagonist who begats other likable protagonists and I found myself fully engaged for book one and two, went through them  very fast! The interesting thing is, the Bobs vary enough, and end up in enough different situations, that you can't say you don't have quite a buffet. Want to see a Sky god protecting a stone age species? There's a Bob for that. Want to see a Bob fight among the stars against a rival ship from Earth? There's a Bob for that! Want to see human colonies get new homes? There are Bobs for that too!

 

I'd give it a 9 out of 10 but again, I'm not as versed in Sci Fi as some so those of you who have 'been there, read that' may not be as impressed as I was.

I also recently finished the first "Bobiverse" book "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" by Dennis E. Taylor...

Highly recommended as a light SciFi book or literary palette cleanser!  I plan to read book 2 soon.

13 hours ago, archer said:

 

Not really wanting to see him in a Star Wars movie either....

11 minutes ago, Tjack said:

     Nooooooo. I was just piling on for comedic effect.    That’s why the slam in Yiddish.  Let’s just chalk it up to the fact that print does not easily convey tongue in cheek very well.

Amen to that.  Consider it chalked!

9 hours ago, Tjack said:

        This is a internet site devoted to a role-playing game about Superheroes........at what point were you expecting James Bond levels of cool.     Schmuck.

     

You thought I was being serious?!? Did you miss your morning coffee or did you critically fail your "Detect Irony" roll?  Maybe you just didn't see the emoji?  Here is another for you...🙄

😛

I owe a big “thank you” to those of you on this forum who recommended “Fated”, first book in the “Alex Verus” series by Benedict Jacka.  I have only just started this book, but I am really enjoying it!   After scrolling through 7 years of replies to this thread, I kept seeing this “Benedict Jacka” fellow repeatedly mentioned (in an overwhelmingly positive manner).   I had to check it out for myself…and thus far, I am glad that I did!

This is a genre that shows the HERO System's power to simulate almost anything the GM can imagine.

On 7/3/2020 at 7:22 PM, Doc Democracy said:

 

You are almost 100% right and that is indeed what would be the case in most stories.  There are always exceptions though...

I was thinking of a flywheel shield, it looks like an enormous cog.  The mechanism needs wound to start it spinning, which gives no additional protection but the stored energy is good for sending to smaller cogs flying out to hit someone.  Rather than solid cogs, a more fragile disk can be used which breaks into a small cloud of brass projectiles.

 

🙂

 

Doc

Doc, your "Cog Shield" is a very cool idea! 

3 hours ago, csyphrett said:

The Anubis Gate is about how a rich guy finds out there are holes to send people back in time and he decides to send a team back, one of which is interested in a poet that lived back in the past. The problem is the body hopping guy who changes everyone he bodyhops into his old body. The litariticist winds up as the poet, kills the bodyhopper, and survives the loop to escape dying when the poet died.

CES  

Thank you.  Now I know what happened.  Powers broke my brain with his convoluted plot!

On 8/29/2015 at 11:33 PM, bigbywolfe said:

I just listened to Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides.  Pirates, voodoo, treachery, sea battles, and puppets; what's not to love?  If you like pirate stuff or voodoo stuff, or historical fantasy in general this is worth a read.
I really do like Powers' writing style, and the reader of the audio book was superb.  I need to read more of his work, Drawing of the Dark is an old favorite and I remember really liking Anubis Gate even though I don't recall the story very well. 

I am also a fan of Tim Powers.  I have considered re-reading On Stranger Tides.  Even though it takes a little longer to get rolling than I normally like, I remember it being pretty kick-a$$ once it gets going.

Like you, I have never been able to remember The Anubis Gate storyline.  This happened (again) immediately after my most recent re-read!  I KNOW that The Anubis Gate is one of my favorite books of all time but I cannot tell you why...because I simply cannot recall any details!  Some would say this happens because I am getting older, but this has happened with this one book since the first time I read it back in the mid 1980s...  This weird amnesia does not happen to me with other books... 😕

17 minutes ago, death tribble said:

Holy Abyss !

 

A Bozimus sighting !

 

Yes, Victoria, there is a Santa Claus !

 

I have missed your wit and quirky humor my friend!

On 1/11/2014 at 4:13 PM, Spence said:

H.E.R.O. - Nightmonger

 

This makes Kevin Rau's 12th book in the primary storyline. He has two shorter ones that cover side stories.  He started as self published and his writing is getting better.  But the setting and story are well thought out and one of the very few Supers series/book out there that are actually about superHERO's.  You may have to put up with some grammar and dialog issues, but on the whole this is a solid story.

 

Thank you for this recommendation!  The first e-book in this series is FREE!

A few days ago, I finished reading "Three Hearts and Three Lions" by Poul Anderson. I picked up this book for two reasons...

1. Supposedly, this is one of those fantasy classics that predates The LOTR trilogy (if only by a year).

2. I usually enjoy books that feature a modern man thrust against his will into a parallel Earth where magic works.

Thankfully, this is a very short book. More of a long novella in my opinion. I would not have finished it (and almost didn't) if it were longer than 170 pages. I did find parts interesting… Sadly, I found an equal number of parts annoying or just too simplistic for my taste. The majority of annoying parts were found in the first half of the book…which contributed to my early desire to stop reading. I am glad that I finished, but only marginally so.

I give this book a 2 out of 5 on the Goodreads' scale.

I just finished "Clementine" by Cherie Priest.

This is the second book of "Clockwork Century" series that I have read. Not really a book, more of a novella. This was a light, fun read. Nothing stupendous, just a good story with lots of steampunk elements I have come to enjoy. Thus far, Ms. Priest has exhibited a style of writing I find very agreeable. Her characters are neither saintly nor are they evil incarnate...they come across as real people with both good and bad qualities.

I look forward to reading the next book... "Dreadnought".

This is my review of a book I just finished this morning..."The Long Run" by Daniel Keyes Moran. Part two in "Tales of the Continuing Time" series.

(This first paragraph was written almost a year ago and posted on Goodreads)

My rating (5 out of 5 stars) is based upon having read this book for the first time (on or about) the year 1989. I remember eagerly turning pages as Trent escaped one hair-raising action sequence before entering another. This book was for me like crack is to a crack addict. I am tempted, oh so tempted, to read it again.

3-20-2013 UPDATE:

Having just completed a re-read, I find that my previously high regard for this book has diminished over the last 20 odd years. I no longer consider this book to be one of my "all time favorites". The "Long run is still a good book, IMO, but no longer a "GREAT" book. The book is unchanged since my first reading, so the reason for my re-evaluation is a change in the reader...yours truly. I am a different person than I was in 1989. A lot of books have been read since 1989. The "Long Run" has suffered in comparison. IMO, in the year of 2013, the "Long Run" deserves 3 stars.

SPOILER ALERT******

For certain types of adventure literature to be enjoyable (for me), the contests between protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) need to provide a certain amount of tension. The bad guy needs to come close to killing/defeating the good guy. There needs to be a real question concerning the outcome. If your protagonist is freakishly smart and the antagonists are bureaucratic simpletons, there will not be any doubt as to the outcome. No doubt, no tension.

Trent the Uncatchable is this story's protagonist and resident super genius. The PKF (Peace Keeping Force) are the story's simpleton antagonists. Time and time again, Trent effortlessly eludes or evades or outthinks these petty bureaucrats who are collectively the baddest of the bad in our Solar System.

Yawn…after a while, I stopped buying the BS that Trent was in any danger of getting caught or killed. Once that happened, I lost interest and finishing the book began to feel like a chore. It is a shame really, because I had such fond memories..

END SPOILER*******

How in the world did I ever consider this book to be among my “all time favorites”? Maybe I am too jaded to enjoy a story of this type any longer?

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

I finished "Monster Hunter International" by Larry Correia several days ago.

This book started off great...tons of action combined with an "easy to read" writing style. I was happily flipping the pages until Mr. Correia committed an unpardonable sin...not once, but TWICE!

****SPOILER****

At one point, every main character died INCLUDING OWEN PITT the protagonist! But wait...he didn't really die! His spirit talked to the ancient artifact and told it to roll time back 5 minutes. POOF!!! Everyone is alive again and the monsters who slew them have magically disappeared. Deus FREAKING Ex Machina anyone?

If that was not bad enough, just when our hero is beaten to a pulp, blinded in one eye, and about to die, something similar happens at the very end of the book. Mr. D. E. Machina spoils my reading enjoyment for the second time in one book. Yikes.

****END OF SPOILER****

Mr. Correia obviously has the chops to be a competent writer and storyteller, but he needs to stop writing himself into corners. Monster Hunter International could have received 4 stars from me. Each time he triggered the D. E. M, it cost him a star in my rating. I have already (stupidly) purchased the second book in this series, but I will not be reading it. I prefer to spend my precious reading time on books written by authors that do not cheapen the experience in such an unsavory fashion.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Supposedly he's a local guy' date=' into SCA and gaming, massive geek cred. He also just happens to have scorched off a pretty damn good novel, the first of a short series. The hero telling his tale after his derring-do is done. Took me two tries to get going on it but once I reached the turning point I was hooked.[/quote']

 

I have been waiting for the third book to come out before starting this one (thanks to GRRM ). I have been salivating in anticipation because TNotW is rumored to be an excellent book. I may relent soon and begin to read it before the third book is released. Kinda depends on the other books in my Fantasy "to be read" pile.

Re: What Fiction Book (other than Science Fiction or Fantasy) have you recently finis

I just finished "Lords of the North", book 3 of the Saxon Tales by Bernard Cornwell.

This was my least favorite (thus far) of a very enjoyable series. Not saying it was bad, just not as good as the previous two books. This book had more filler/pointless scenes than book 1 or book 2. Most of them revolving around the character of Guthred.

Even though this third book wasn't up to the standards set by the first two, it was still a fun and exciting story. I will gladly read book four, "Sword Song", in the not too distant future.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Finished "The Man Who Never Missed" by Steve Perry.

This book may be the first "Matador" novel in published order, but it is not the first book of the series in chronological order. That honor belongs to "The 97th Step".

I read "The 97th Step" approximately 10 years ago. The fact that it took me 10 years to get around to the sequel ("The Man Who Never Missed") should speak volumes.

I wanted to like both of these books. The title of "The Man Who Never Missed" seems to offer a promise of lots of action. Titles such as this draw action junkies (such as moi) like a flame draws a moth. Like the aforementioned moth...I feel a little singed having finished this book.

There is very little action in this book. There are more pages devoted to becoming/being a bartender. The entire book feels like a buildup...which might have been appropriate if I hadn't ALREADY read a book in this series ("The 97th Step") that was all buildup!

Will I go on to book number three, "Matadora"? Probably not. If that book turned out to be all buildup and no payout, I might start banging my head on the nearest piece of furniture. My head, being rather hard, might hurt the furniture. This would get me in trouble with the Wife...since she is rather fond of said furniture.

At this point in time, I will not pursue this series further. 10 years down the road, who knows? Kinda depends on what is sitting on my "To Read" shelf and how my memory has degraded.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Lankhmar series: great stuff! Now I'm on to Amber as I work my way through the Appendix N reading list.

IMO, the first 5 books of Zelazny's "Amber" series are among the best fantasy books you could hope to find. You are in for a treat!!!

While not on the list, you might also consider "The Fionavar Tapestry" series by Guy Gavriel Kay and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever" series by Stephen Donaldson.

A word of warning about the Donaldson books...only buy "Lord Foul's Bane" (book 1, series 1). If you do NOT throw the book against the wall after reading about Covenant's despicable act (in the first 30 pages?) then you might consider purchasing books 2 and 3. I would stop there. "The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever" is quite a slog compared to the excellent first series. I never read the most recent chronicles (having heard from a friend the first book was terrible).

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

I just finished "Deliverer" by C.J Cherryh...

This is the 9th book in "Foreigner" series and not surprisingly, sequelitis has taken residence in the basement like an adult child that just won't launch. And it is just about as welcome...

Let me be perfectly clear...Cherryh is a favorite author of mine. "Downbelow Station" was a GREAT book! I thoroughly enjoyed her "Chanur" series. I even enjoyed roughly 6 of the 9 "Foreigner" series books I have read (despite Cherryh's tendency to obsess over mundane details). However, that being said, "Deliverer" feels like it was written by an author who has either run out of interesting ideas for this character or is simply typing words to fulfill a contractual obligation.

What did I not enjoy about this book?

I did not enjoy switching between Bren's (what I consider the main character and the reason I bought the book) and Cajeri's (a spoiled alien brat) point of view. I kept putting this book down whenever the point of view shifted from Bren to the whiny bratling Cajeri. I contemplated simply skipping the Cajeri parts but didn't for fear that something might prove interesting. Sigh. Cajeri, IMO, has always been an inconvenience for the main character to overcome, at best. Giving him equal billing was a horrendous mistake.

***Spoiler Alert***

The book only became mildly interesting when Cajeri was kidnapped. At that point, a welcome tension replaced the annoying whining. My enjoyment was less than it could have been because part of me actually hoped they would kill Cajeri off and end MY suffering! But even the "recover the kidnapped heir" plot device was mishandled by such a skilled/experienced author as Cherryh. A "deus ex machina" styled ending just left me feeling disappointed.

***Spoiler Ends***

In conclusion, if this had been a book by another author, I might have thrown it down in disgust early on. However, I trudged onwards trusting Cherryh to steer the book back onto a proper course. I doubt that I will read another "Foreigner" novel as I have begun to believe that Cherryh is milking the proverbial cash cow for all it is worth. This is a shame, because I derived a great deal of pleasure from some of her earlier books in this series.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Brin did give the character a happy ending, so at least there's that.

He must have liked Crichton quite a bit to have given him a "happy ending"!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Reading Orb, Sceptre, Throne.

 

Very nice return to Malazan but sort of a weird timing thing considering Crippled God came out first. I'm very surprised by the number of Erikson characters Esselmont uses. Korbald and Bauchelain? Really?

Jason, I plan to follow the Malazan chronology listed here...

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-malazan-reading-order.html

Erikson and Esslemont have made a mess of their series' chronology. I have forgiven them for this small inconvenience since they have provided me with thousands of pages of dark fantasy goodness.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...

Did you ever hear the story of how he started the series? It is awesome.

 

He was in an internet argument. You know, lots of typing in all caps and calling people Hitler. The argument was on where great stories come from. The other guy argued for the "sanctity of the idea". Even a mediocre writer could make a great story if he had an idea that was just perfect. Jim argued that it was all about the skill of the writer and the effort put into the craft. Even a terrible idea could be good if a sufficiently talented writer put enough work into it.

 

So the guy told Jim to put his effort where his mouth was. Make a great story with a terrible idea, one that the guy would supply.

 

"No! You will give me TWO bad ideas and I will use BOTH!"

 

"Fine. The first is the Lost Roman legion. The Legio IX Hispana. I've seen too many silly period novels and fantasy novels speculating on what happened to them. It's overdone."

 

"and the second?"

 

"Pokemon."

 

So Jim read up on Pokemon and found that it was itself a fusion of two things (WWF and literalized Shinto religion), so he wrote a story in which the decendants of the Lost Legion duel using the spirits of the earth.

Thanks for sharing that! I think Butcher proved his point...