Warning Queens Gambit is Fake News

Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers about the Netflix mini-series "Queen's Gambit" 

Still reading? Good. I just finished watching the mini-series "Queen's Gambit" and although it is quite dramatic and entertaining something about it did not ring true. Growing up a chess aficionado in the 1960's I had never heard of Elizabeth Harmon or the events described in the movie. Turns out it is actually based on a novel written in 1983 by Walter Tevis (The same guy who wrote the "Hustler" and the "Color of Money"). None of the occurrences in the movie from winning the Kentucky State Championship to beating the Russian World Champion are real. Being addicted to tranquilizers is unlikely to improve your chess game, so don't do it (An age eleven Walter Tevis was actually dosed with phenobarbital at the Stanford Children’s Convalescent home while he was recovering from a rheumatic heart condition).

As an aside, in my youth, I was a chess aficionado. One of my earliest memories of childhood was watching my father (who was a very good chess player, I had to wait until he was seventy-two and not quite as sharp to beat him) play chess with one of his students under the apple tree of the house we lived in Cambridge, MA. I still have my copy of Fred Reinfield's Complete Chess Course which I received as a present at age eight. For a while, I used to go over to the college chess club and play while I was still in high school. I gave up the chess club when I discovered the Dungeons and Dragons club which met the same night (It was called the Conflict Simulation Society, but Dungeons and Dragons heavily overshadowed the board gaming). I always suffered from the problem that I couldn't focus well unless I was losing (I have some brilliant games played fiercely with a piece down. I finally beat my father by sacrificing a pawn in a gambit early in the game). I also discovered by playing chess at lunch at work that although chess is an interesting game it is not a relaxing one.  

Although the mini-series is well-acted,  well-directed, and captures the spirit of the chess tournaments I have attended,  it feels a bit disingenuous. The real-world triumphs of Bobby Fischer who actually beat the Russian World Champion or even my friend David Sprenkle who won the Illinois State Championship in 1980 seem more important.

Much Ado About Nothing

Just a blog post to be blog posting. Several notable blogs have come back to life in recent weeks (my favorite is Grognardia which had been inactive since 2012. It made me think about my own blog in which the post prior to this was in February. You would think with all the time on my hands during the lockdown, I would be able to blog lots, but it didn't work out that way. Trying to write thoughtful and well-researched articles (like I aspire to write) just seemed like too much work for my mental state during those times. Chrome frequently overwhelms the memory of my ancient desktop (used to be 4 GB of RAM was a lot). My copy of Outlook 2007 seems to constantly fight with the new mail servers as well. My wife and son's computers are much better behaved, but I need their permission to use them. I have not been gaming idle during this blog quiet period. Activities included: Binge-watching Critical Role (I had to stop about season 1 episode 100 as the scenarios seemed to be becoming repetitive and the players didn't seem to be learning how to handle their high-level characters). Playing through all of Ravenloft 5e on Fantasy Grounds. Learning Unity game programing by watching Zenva videos (unfortunately, programming seems to be the same tedious line by line text typing I learned in college, I have recently picked up a copy of RPG Maker to try instead). I started watching the Lord Gosumba youtube channel after virtual GaryCon. They have a fascinating series of interviews with many of the "old" Living Greyhawk organizers. I am at the time of life where 10 to 20 years ago doesn't seem old but I suppose it is. Unfortunately, times have changed sufficiently I do not think we will see anything as large or freewheeling as Living Greyhawk again. For the last few weeks, I have been playing Path of Exile. I have been thinking about how to play Path of Exile as a tabletop game. However, it is a little too bookkeeping intensive to play well without heavy modification from the online rules (here is someone else's attempt). I find the part Pacific Islander, part Roman Empire,  part Steampunk fascinating. My backed Kickstarter .pdfs keep collecting in my virtual inbox.  I am trying to slow down on signing up for new ones (5e campaign settings re-treading grimdark horror are making that easier). Well enough kvetching, for now, I'll try to do something more substantive next time.

Kickstarter Update 2020

I am trying to get my Kickstarter progress report for the things I backed out a little earlier this year. I am trying to scale back, but 5e world expansions and fancy card decks keep sucking me in. I also backed a couple of board games with cool miniatures (although I try to resist these because they are expensive).

Projects I backed

 Not Due yet

The Hero's Journey 2e

Glorantha: The Gods War (Reprint & NEW Expansions)

Curse of Roslof Keep Digital Bonus Content

Electric Bastionland RPG

Ian Miller’s Grim Tarock

Vampire: the Masquerade - Blood Feud a Mega Board Game

Tome of Horrors 2020 for Fifth Edition by Necromancer Games

Spire's End - Solo & Cooperative Card Game Adventure

The Folio #24 & #25 Double Edition Adventure Set

Heart: The City Beneath RPG

Retro RPGA Inspired 1E&5E Mini-Adventure Set              

Trudvang Chronicles: Muspelheim

World of Aetaltis - RPG Campaign Setting for 5E

Dungeons & Delvers: Red Book

Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot for 5e

Hearts of Wulin

Empire of the Ghouls: A 5th Edition Campaign vs. the Undead

Terrain Essentials

GODS - The dark fantasy RPG

Arcana of the Ancients, a 5E science-fantasy sourcebook             

A bit late

Critical Core Dec 2019

Ruin Masters Nov 2019

World of Relivo Dec 2019

Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition for D&D 5E or PFRPG Dec 2019

The World of the Lost Lands Dec 2019

Greg Stolze's Reign, Second Edition Aug 2019

The Koryo Hall of Adventures 5e Compatible Campaign Setting Dec 2019

The Grande Temple of Jing V1 - For 5th Edition (and others) Sep 2019

Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad Zine Returns! Oct 2019

Reach of Titan Dec 2019

Treacherous Traps for 5th Edition! Aug 2019

Scarred Lands Creature Collection for 5th Edition RPG Dec 2019

Tegel Manor Returns! Estimated delivery Jun 2019

EMBERWIND: a new breed of tabletop RPG        Estimated delivery Jun 2019

Demon City: The Ultimate Horror RPG    Estimated delivery Jun 2019

SECRETS of BLACKMOOR: The True History of Dungeons & Dragons         Estimated delivery Mar 2019

Rise of the Demigods     Estimated delivery Mar 2019

Complete

Sea King's Malice: a 5E Adventure in the Deadly Depths

Tales From the Sorcerer Under the Mountain

L'gat's Tome of Amazing Creatures Volume 3

Cities of Harn

Adventures Great and Glorious

The Isle of The Amazons - RPG Zine for #ZineQuest

Symbar - Mother of Darkness

Far Away Lands Nuzoz

Trilemma Adventures Compendium

Mini-Dungeon Monthly: RPG zine for D&D 5th Edition

Monsters & Magic: a 5e bestiary and treasury

Cha'alt

Lost Hall of Tyr (2nd Edition): Maps and Print Run

Your Best Game Ever!

CAVALIERS OF MARS

Secrets of the Nethercity             Estimated delivery Jun 2019

Castles & Crusades: Den of Iniquity         Estimated delivery Jun 2019

Dungeons of Amara: Poems and Art of Monsters and Townfolks

The Ultraviolet Grasslands

A Rasp of Sand: A Roguelike Tabletop RPG Experience  

The Tomb of Black Sand

The City of Great Lunden

Fateforge: a 5th Edition Roleplaying Game

The King of Dungeons

Lancer

The Folio #22 (1E/5E D&D Adventure)

John Carter of Mars - The Roleplaying Game

The Vagabond’s Cyclopedia: an OSR + PbtA Supplement

Desert Dwellers                Estimated

Humblewood Campaign Setting for 5e DND

Silent Titans Estimated delivery

Rex Draconis RPG - Rising Tides

Vagabonds of Dyfed RPG: OSR meets PbtA

The Midderlands Expanded - An OSR Setting Expansion

The Bane of Roslof Keep high level 1E & 5E gaming adventure

Trudvang Chronicles - Stormlands

Calidar "On Wings of Darkness"

Esoterica Tabletop Roleplaying Game

Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5e             

Dortoka: an OSR + PbtA City Module

Folio of Fiendish Monsters 1E monster compendium

Occult Secrets of the Underworld

The Complete White Ship Campaign 1E&5E mega-adventure

Make/100! Spell: The RPG & Spellbook Engraved Wood Box Set

YNDAROS: THE DARKEST STAR, award-winning Symbaroum campaign

Over the Edge: A Roleplaying Game of Weird Urban Danger

The Curse of Roslof Keep high level 1E & 5E gaming adventure

Confrontation – Classic The legendary skirmish game (note I just gave them a buck to read their updates)

The Dragon Heresy Introductory Set Fantasy RPG (5E-variant)

Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well!

Tome of Horrors: Reborn for Fifth Edition

SYMBAROUM - Monster Codex

Forbidden Lands - Retro Open-World Survival Fantasy RPG

The Folio #16 & #17 Double 1E & 5E Adventure Set

The Folio #18 & #19, 1E & 5E Adventures

Lost Hall of Tyr: A 5e Adventure (Dungeon Grappling support)   

Luminous Echo: The Forgotten King extended campaign

Spire RPG

Artifices of Quartztoil Tower - 5E Adventure

Capharnaum - The Roleplaying Game

Sommerlund City Maps

Midgard Campaign Setting: Dark Roads & Deep Magic

Luminous Echo: The Forgotten King extended campaign

Slumbering Ursine Dunes

Heroic Fantasy & Barbarian Conquerors Collection

50 sHAdes of VORpal (Declared  done)

Ended

Salt in the Wounds (I had originally marked this one done based on receipt of the campaign setting, but on reviewing my pledge I realized I had been promised a good deal more).

Refunded

The ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery) Roleplaying Game

Neverending Story

Ryuutama (basically done but pledge contains permanent electronic updates)

Pieces missing

Rhune (one adventure short)

Please come home, I still love you baby (way past due, I still want the item).

Marmoreal Tomb (Tons of beautiful maps have been completed, Frog God Games has taken this over which is promising, but no adventure yet.)

Throne of night