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You are here: Home / Archives for Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre

10 Epic-Level Problems Nobody Thinks About

February 22, 2012 by Vanir

Everybody thinks being powerful enough to slap-fight the gods themselves would be completely awesome. There’s a reason epic-level D&D breaks down. Actually, there are ten. And NONE OF YOU have thought of ANY of them. Unless you’re future epic-level me. In which case, you probably have.

Filed Under: Dire Flailings, Humor, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: bunny, epic, epic tier, family reunion, fluffy, gods, hippogriff, kingdom come, kitty, mythology, puppy, republicans

Review: “Alloy of Law”

February 3, 2012 by The Main Event

With the same magic system firmly in place, Sanderson moves out of medieval stasis into a Wild West/ Industrial Revolution era in a novel that smartly extrapolates a world’s progression even if it fails to capture the grand scope of the original.

Filed Under: Pain of Publication, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: alloy of law, mistborn

Pain of Publication: Book Review of “Low Town”

January 20, 2012 by The Main Event

Low Town is a rollicking mash up of two great genres: noir and fantasy. The author skillfully weaves a first person narrative in a way that vibrantly develops the setting into a living, breathing, festering, and foul supporting character unto itself.

Filed Under: Pain of Publication, Reviews, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre

The Pain of Publication III: Making the Most of your Work Sessions

January 13, 2012 by The Main Event

The reality for most aspiring authors is that their writing has to give way to the realities of a full life outside of it. Most of the time, that means squeezing in time in between your job that pays you and other life activities. However, sometimes you can get lucky and have the opportunity to spend a large dedicated chunk of time writing without work getting in the way.

Filed Under: Pain of Publication, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: getting down to work, working, Writing, writing tips

The Pain of Publication: Revising and Cutting

December 23, 2011 by The Main Event

My first installment detailed my past attempt to get published. This article is going to detail the last steps I am taking prior to preparing another deluge of query letters.

Filed Under: Pain of Publication, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: editing, publication, revising

The Pain of Publication: How I Got to Where I Am

December 16, 2011 by The Main Event

The Pain of Publication is a journey through the process of novel publication. I emphasize, again, that this is a process. I can offer no advice on what works, because nothing has for me, but what I can do, is discuss my regular activity related to this subject. This column’s focus will range from the obvious (getting an agent), to related (how do I make my novel worth publishing), and all the way through tangential subject matters (I have not yet fathomed what those might be).

Filed Under: Editorial, Pain of Publication, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: advice, fantasy novels, finding an agent, publishing

Innocence Lost: The Price of Omnipotence

April 5, 2011 by Vanir

In which Vanir opens the Pandora’s Box of gaming, and learns things he cannot un-know. In which the Infinite Improbability Drive of D&D can let a DM both cheat and not cheat simultaneously. In which redemption is sought,

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Dire Flailings, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: cheating, combat, DM, dungeon master, existential quandary, fudging

Week 4: I Have Lost Six Dungeon Pounds

March 29, 2011 by Vanir

This week will be my D&D group’s fourth session. I’m starting to get the lay of the land a little better. I’ve learned that a plot won’t burst into flames if not kept on the rails the entire session. I’ve also learned that tacking it down in a couple of spots sure won’t hurt, and […]

Filed Under: Board, Card, and Miniature Games, Dire Flailings, Humor, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre

RPGs and Fiction: An Interview with Alana Abbott

March 10, 2011 by Shawn Merwin

D&D and other RPGs owe much of their development to fiction, and they in return have spawned an entire industry of game-related novels and stories. Can you write good fiction that is still true to the game? I talk to someone who has done so to learn the tricks of the trade.

Filed Under: Comics, Editorial, Featured, Interviews, Know Your Roll, Movies, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre Tagged With: fiction writing, world design, writing advice

That Almost Sucked

March 8, 2011 by Vanir

A good D&D campaign should tell a story. But are you telling the story, or are the players? Is it both? Neither? Some combination of both and neither? After the jump, I muse about stuff that works in D&D and stuff that doesn’t. And I turn evil, if only for a few minutes.

Filed Under: Dire Flailings, Humor, Roleplaying Games, Science Fiction & Fantasy Genre, Video Games Tagged With: 5x5, 5x5 method, DM, dungeon master, story, Storytelling, The 5x5 Method, world of warcraft

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About the Author

  • Vanir

    Vanir is the sort of man who has openly wondered aloud about his own armor class in front of his own grandmother. Despite this, he has still managed to somehow become both married and a father. By day, he develops web applications. By night, web applications develop him.

    Email: vanir@critical-hits.comWeb: https://critical-hits.com//category/dire-flailings/

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