There was a recent article in the Guardian about how playing Dungeons and Dragons had helped siblings bond and cope with the death of their father. It got me thinking about the role that role-playing has played (now there's a phrase) in my own life.

For me role-playing began ...

There is a poem by one of the most interationally famous Greek poets, Konstantinos Kavafis, called Waiting for the Barbarians. I invite you to give it a read (I've linked its translation) but here's the gist in a nutshell: It's about the Romans waiting for the Barbarians ...

Picture credit: Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire

Today (Thursday 6th February) is Waitangi Day in New Zealand, although due to the nature of time zones you will probably be reading this after the day if over for us.

Waitangi is a place in NZ, the name meaning ...

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Is there a culture of plutocratic classism in the USA? I'm inspired by Trump's America and how people think that people like Elon Musk and him are above the law because they're rich, while ...

It’s time for another Character Deep Dive, this within the amazing political war thriller The Second Crimean War by the awesome and proliferate The Doodler!

The Second Crimean War is an alternate history webcomic, of a different 1995 where, after the collapse of the USSR, the emerging, independent Ukraine ...

The Winter Solstice is approaching as the elderly, recently retired Yulefather sits by a fire pit roasting fish on a stick. The woodland creatures, mainly Squabbit, are in turmoil searching for a replacement Yulefather after the former one decided to retire following a dangerous mountain giant attack the previous year ...

How do you make a clever character stupid?

You give them an infatuation. A fixation. Something that completely overrides their critical thinking and better judgment. Something that drives them nuts like a switch is thrown.

And when that happens, they're dumber than a bag of rocks. (And they're ...

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Last week we had an overview of weapons throughout history and how it's a constant game of balance and oneupmanship. Now we're looking at future weapons and Scifi stuff! There's a lot of potential ...

Maple, the daughter Cara, is celebrating her eighteenth birthday and her grandfather, the Professor, has a very special pocket watch to deliver that will ensure the current generation’s future. It has been thirty two years since The Wickcroft Incident when the same demon who turned Burnsville into a smoking ...

When we hear about a broken heart, usually our collective minds to go romantic disappointments and devastation. Unrequited love, betrayed love, or even love separated by death or any other type of force majeure.

And that's absolutely one type of heartbreak that is and will remain legit. It's ...