Random Dialogue

In - what is easily one of the most surreal moments I’ve had in an already surreal two weeks - I find myself stealing WiFi access in a most unusual place. I’m outside of the “Bounce-A-Rama” in Eureka, CA on an unsecured WAP. The mall is almost deserted during the day, apparently, and certainly there are almost no children inside the inflatable play area.

That said, the poor bastard standing guard over the slides and such is being subjected to a grueling torture - kiddie versions of pop songs. So far I’ve heard a children’s choir singing hits from the 70s and 80s, as well as artists like Hoobastank, Cher, REM and now (of course) Brittany Spears.

I’m sitting on an uncomfortable bench wearing grooves in my ass while violating a Terms of Service contract, but I still think I’m having a better time working than that guy.

Finally, finally, finally we get some meaty information about Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition. The latest episode of the D&D podcast is all about the Monster Manual. There aren’t a ton of concrete details - there’ s no specific list of what’s in and what’s out - but there is a lot more info that we’ve gotten yet.

To sum up:

• They reiterate the concept of monster ‘types’, like brutes, masterminds, skirmishers, etc. They also mention the concept of ‘elite’ monsters, that take up two ’spots’ on the opposing monster team. It sounded like some monsters are elite by their very nature (like the Death Knight), while some can be ‘buffed up’ into an elite to make a fun creature more powerful.
• It’s way easy to put together an encounter just by looking at the lists of monsters. They did it at a couple of level ranges at the end of the podcast just by looking at what they know is going to be in the first MM; this is doable because if you know level and ‘type’ of monster you can just slot them in. We need a few brutes, a mastermind, maybe some healer or skirmisher types … bingobango you’re done!
• Frost Giants won’t be in the first MM. This is just one of the ‘core’ monsters that aren’t going to make it in because they want us to understand that all of the Monster Manuals are ‘core’ books. Plus they want to make a fuckton of money.
• There are a lot of cool-sounding critters in there. I think it was something like ‘the Carved Eidolon’? And another was something like the ‘Frostshackle Gryphon’. Cool names are just the first step to a great encounter.
• Critter abilities are no longer just spell names written in the stat block. They’ve really gone out of their way to give critters new and interesting things to do. Even when it is duplicating a spell, they’re including the info right there in the block - because they love us! They’re also really only including the important stuff in the stat block. There are far fewer 1/day type abilities, really only stuff you’re going to use in the encounter. Some abilities will also variable repop during a fight.
• They’re differentiating humanoids! So Gnolls aren’t just “3-HD goblins”. Their example with my favorite hyena-headed critters was that specifically gnolls will attack like pack animals. Goblins, on the other hand, will be more dodgy and staying out of the range of your weapons. Kickass.
• James Wyatt is actually looking forward to running a Beholder against his players. That speaks volumes to me about this game.

These regular podcasts are going to keep me super excited for this project all the way into next year.

Newsweek’s ‘On Faith’ site has up a transcript of a talk given by Sam Harris, author of the book Letter to a Christian Nation. The talk, given at the Atheist Alliance conference last month, touches on some really meaningful things, and covers a lot of ground I agree with. Here’s a cut:

Attaching a label to something carries real liabilities, especially if the thing you are naming isn’t really a thing at all. And atheism, I would argue, is not a thing. It is not a philosophy, just as “non-racism” is not one. Atheism is not a worldview—and yet most people imagine it to be one and attack it as such. We who do not believe in God are collaborating in this misunderstanding by consenting to be named and by even naming ourselves.

Another problem is that in accepting a label, particularly the label of “atheist,” it seems to me that we are consenting to be viewed as a cranky sub-culture. We are consenting to be viewed as a marginal interest group that meets in hotel ballrooms. I’m not saying that meetings like this aren’t important. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was important. But I am saying that as a matter of philosophy we are guilty of confusion, and as a matter of strategy, we have walked into a trap. It is a trap that has been, in many cases, deliberately set for us. And we have jumped into it with both feet.

It’s important to realize as a person, deep in your heart, that your convictions can be worthwhile even if the culture in which you are raised says otherwise. Still something I’m wrestling with.