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Author Archives: First Age
Distro Play
A spare, and now somewhat ageing, Matebook laptop has afforded me an occasional Linux Distro hop. Although the Matebook is showing its years in a few areas, it continues to look fabulous, and sports a tremendous 3000 x 2000 resolution … Continue reading
Posted in Linux, tech
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Airecon Harrogate 2026
Another Airecon analogue gaming weekend in Harrogate, and what a fine time we have had! I run the RPG track as part of a lovely tabletop community convention, well organised, with a strong and positive ethos. It’s great to play … Continue reading
Posted in Conventions, Games
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A Nimble Cybergoth
I will admit to an ongoing dalliance with Fantasy D20 level and hit point designed games, despite my instinctive preference for lower fantasy skill based systems with static(ish) wound thresholds, so in the Warhammer and Dragonbane mode. It seems clear … Continue reading
Posted in Games, Heroic Fantasy, Uncategorized, VTT
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Get the balance right
Don’t tend this wayDon’t tend that wayStraight down the middle until next ThursdayFirst to the left Back to the rightTwist and turn until you got it right Depeche Mode To the thumping synths of a 1980s dance floor, welcome to … Continue reading
Posted in tech
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The Union is in a state
On the morning after the bloated and falsehood strewn State of the Union address by President Trump, I thought I’d reflect on the progress I have made to disentangle my digital dependence on USA tech companies. I use the Affinity … Continue reading
Posted in Linux, Politics, tech
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Star System Explorer
An excellent resource for any science fiction RPG enthusiast is the free Star System Explorer (https://star-system-generator.vercel.app). Particularly responsive in any chromium based browser, this application calculates star system dynamics and planetary physical details, providing a graphical display of the orbits around … Continue reading
Posted in Cepheus, Games, Traveller
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Diving Deeper into T5
If for no more than an indulgence of time in my favourite RPG, I am enjoying the exploration of Marc Miller’s Traveller 5, an edition that is seen by many as more toolkit than a ready to play game. I … Continue reading
Posted in Games, Traveller
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Traveller 5 – The Ultimate Edition
I have been working my way through Traveller 5 (T5) to see if I can get this game to the table. It is said that only nuclear scientists, engineers and Biblical Studies and Philosophy graduates are able to do so. … Continue reading
Posted in Games, Traveller, VTT
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Being a Good Tabletop RPG Player
Recently, I put together some guidance on how to be a good tabletop RPG GM, which I discussed on my blog and podcast. This was collated from a range of received wisdom over time and put together in one place … Continue reading
Posted in Games
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Zweihänder Reforged in Foundry VTT
I would like to run some Zweihänder, which invariably means an online session, as that is where I play. Zweihänder has its roots in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition, often regarded as a clone of that game. Recently a ‘Reforged’ … Continue reading
Posted in Games, VTT, Zweihänder
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