Saturday 6 November 2010

Saturday Night Special, feat. The Anachronism



Another week has successfully been dealt with, and we've reached Saturday. This week's Special will be a little shorter than the last, but the film is even more awesome, so  I really hope you'll take the time to watch it. Now let's get this show on the road.


Earlier today I reached 100 blogs on my blog-roll. 100 hand-picked blogs from really clever people. One thing I've realised after I started looking into the blogosphere, is that there is a thing called the OSR. As with most acronyms, it was a complete mystery to me at first - I think that's why the nerd community loves acronyms so much; if you don't know what it means, you're not part of it. Now I know, and I'm still not part of it.


Disclaimer: The following is not an attack on the OSR community, merely my musings on the topic.


First off, for those who don't know, OSR stands for Old-School Renaissance. In effect, a revival of the first rpgs. There are retro-clones coming out of the wood-works out there, some apparently very true to the First Game, others merely try to capture Its spirit. Or so I've understood.


Now why would someone bother with a something that's been left behind by evolution? I think the answer is simple. It's the same reason all of us play. We're looking for the perfect high. That feeling of complete immersion in the game, where everyone involved shares the same experience. The logical way to relive those magical moments we remember from before we grew too blasé, is to look where we left it. And so many return to the beginning.


For my part, I don't give a rodent's behind about original D&D any more than I listen to metal from the 70s. Sure, I see the relevance, but I like the newer stuff. It runs smoother, and it fits my personality better. Besides, its more easy-going. But for those who find the magic there, more power to them.


Now for the reason why I follow so many OSR-blogs. The OSR people are good bloggers, no two ways about it. In between all the tables and occult acronyms, there can be found one gem after another. Now, I'm not saying that non-OSR people can't blog, it just appears to be more old-timers out there.


I have 100 blogs on the roll now, but I'm not done yet. I'd love to find good blogs about oWoD, or about any other system, as long as the blogger knows how to blog. I appreciate any tips you can give. That said, I have a few really good non-OSR blogs on there allready, as well as some non-RPG blogs as well. I hope you'll take the time to visit some of them.


Round-up for week 44
In no particular order:

  • Sleestak (Vote for Chaka's Fate) on Gothridge Mannor. Why? Because of the rampant randomness of it all. I had no clue what a Sleestak was before I googled it, and even then it only made marginally more sense. I still don't know what happened to Chaka though.
  • Condottiere: More Thoughts on Mercenaries on Appendix N. Why? Because I'm a sucker for history and roleplaying games, and even more so for the two combined. JoeGKushner has some interesting thoughts on implementing the mercenary-system of Renaissance Europe in a fantasy-setting, based upon one of the many awesome Osprey-books.
  • [WOD] The Hedge Tales, Week 2- The Turning on World of Wonder. Why? Because Loquacious is something as rare as a player blogging on rpgs. Most other blogs I know are written by GMs. That, and I find Loq's way of bringing her characters to life very fascinating and inspiring. But damn, Changeling is some weird shit.



That's it for this week. Now for the...


Main feature
The Anachronism is a steampunk science-fiction fantasy, set in the late 19th century. It has won a pant-load of awards, and in this blogger's opinion, that's well earned. The official blurb says:
"On a sun dappled summer day a science expedition propels two children toward an enigmatic encounter at the edge of their known world. Arriving on an isolated beach, they stumble upon the shipwreck of a robotic squid submarine. The secret it holds within changes their lives forever."
Enjoy.


The Anachronism (Full Film) from Anachronism Pictures on Vimeo.




Nyt resten av helga.




[Artist: Larry Elmore]

8 comments:

  1. Oh sure, post a painting by Elmore, the arch-villain of artists among the OSR. Nevermind that Gygax stated that he liked Elmores' work.

    My feelings on the OSR are mixed, but I must confess that I lean more heavily toward a negative view. My reason for this is that I often feel that there is a knee-jerk reaction against anything new or different.

    I don't like building fences around my life and am curious as to why there is so much ire and anger for games that many bloggers admit that's they've never played.

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  2. That's a lot of blogs, I think I have almost 300 in my own blog roll, but I think at least a third of them have stopped updating. It's a shame, some of them were quiet interesting.

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  3. @Christian:
    I've said before that I started with AD&D 2nd Ed, and for me, Elmore's paintings were central in my first experiences :)

    As I grew up far from the hobby's birth in the US, I have no relationship to the "original" artwork. In fact, today I find it somewhat uninspiring - see my comment on 70s metal.

    As for the elitism, that is unfortunately something that follows nerdery like a shadow. If you want to play a system I don't like, or have heard about, that is most certainly not my problem. it doesn't make you a bad person either. But what do I know, I only started in -92.

    But, I have axed a few blogs, both from the roll and from the follow-list, because they proved to be outlets for people with poor social skills. I also steer clear of blogs with overly aggressive or curmudgeonly names, as I've found that what they post is usually (passive) aggressive bs.

    @Islander:
    I have a couple of dead blogs down at the bottom, but as long as I'm able to keep up with the active ones, I'll keep adding good blogs. I've named my list Dayly Reads for a reason :)

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  4. Thanks for sharing Anachronism.

    OSR - it's a mixed bag so far and I can't agree with "renaissance", preferring "revival". I have to agree with Harald, too.

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  5. @runjikol:
    Thanks for stopping by.

    The problem I have with OSR is the same I have with a lot of "isms" (I use that phrase in the widest possible sense here); Some take it upon themselves to be the Protectors of Truth.

    Me, I'm just happy that there are so many intelligent people blogging about the game.

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  6. Like with a lot of "movements" you get a wide variety of people associated with it, particular a sort of "retro" movement. While there's a degree of self-congratulatoriness and grinding axes with some perceived slight delivered elsewhere (the community resembles the political sphere in that regard) there is, as you point out, a great deal of creative and unbridled enthusiasm for gaming in this corner of the blogosphere.

    Like yourself, I think, I'm just interested in doing what it interests me to do, and I'm gratified its found something of an audience whatever game they prefer.

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  7. @Trey:
    And not to forget the internet-effect ;) For some reason, trolls, demagogues and hecklers seem to thrive in the tubes.

    I also enjoy seeing what other people are up to, how they think, and what ideas they come up with. Even if it's not something I can use, there's always something to be learned, some inspiration to find.

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  8. Harald... the way that one went over int he comment field, I honestly thought it bombed. Thanks so much for letting me know it's not true...

    and I love living in those girl's heads, when it's time to play...

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