[Resources] The Stasi Shredded Archives

The Stasi, the East German Ministry for State Security (aka the secret police), operated from February 9, 1950 to October 4, 1990. The East German secret police employed nearly a quarter million people over the course of those 40 years, all to root out enemies of the state. The majority were informants, with most in East Germany (they fielded nearly 2,000 informants in West Germany).

They did bad things, sure, as the Shield and Sword of the Party. Infiltration and executions, suppressing dissent and watching everyone. Everything you'd expect.

In 1990, the Stasi fell with the East German government and those in charge of the Ministry ordered the Stasi files destroyed. Amidst a riot caused because the East German people demanded the files be kept intact (in order to know the truth), the file room was seized. When Germany reunited in October, the files fell into the new unified government's hands. According to an audit, only about 5% of the records were destroyed.

The Stasi files became available in 1992 after they were declassified by the German government. By 2011, nearly 3 million people have requested access to the files.

But what about those destroyed files? What was in those 5%? Was it really 5% or possibly more? And were they really destroyed? When the riot happened, could that have been started as a cover to smuggle out a section of the archives? Questions to ponder.

[vids] Never Cry Wolf

Farley Mowat wrote a number of great books, the least of which was Never Cry Wolf.

Made into a movie in 1983, it starred Brian Dennehy and Charles Martin Smith.

This bit above was one of the fine points of the movie. Adventure!

[Atomic Thursday] The End

The End, a short film from 2011!

[Characters] The Phraint

When I picked up the Arduin Trilogy in the way-begone days of early gaming (aka the 80s), it was crazy, crazy stuff. The publishing of the Open Game License in 2000 and all the resulting games that came out of it reminded me of those early heady days.

Arduin's humanoid grasshopper, the Phraint, described a full five years before the D&D mantis-like Thri-kreen (1982), were one of my favorites. I played one at every opportunity. The last time was in college, when I played a fighter Phraint. At one point in the adventure, my character collapsed from exhaustion, which prompted the GM to exclaim he "fell over in a dead-Phraint," much to the players' amusement.

Greybeard Gamer has a retrospective (1) on the Phraint, EN World has a 4th edition D&D write-up (2), there are a few other pics on line (3) and miniatures (4). I'm sure you can find more.

For Savage Worlds Wild Card player characters, the Phraint is pretty easy to stat-up. Known for their agility, ability to leap and attack, and their chitin armor, they are also coldly logical and difficult to understand because of their alien psychology.

The Phraint: net +2

Hindrances:
Limited Intelligence: Smarts Restriction: -3
Electrical Susceptibility: -2
Clueless (Major): -2
Heartless: -1
-2 Charisma: -1

Hindrances Total: -9

Edges:Agility d6: +2
+2 Armor: +2
Acrobat: +2
Quick: +2
Base Pace 10: +2
Leaping: +1

Edges Total: +11

[Blogs] Land of Nod

The Land of Nod is Matt Stater's gaming blog. In addition to the blog writing, he's also got a bunch of games and games supplements available at Lulu.

I've been collecting his products and have not been disappointed. His periodical Nod is excellent, presenting a sand-box setting with different races, classes and monsters. I've got the first 10 so far and plan on getting the rest as they come out.

[Resources] Canon-Puncture

A Canon-Puncture occurs when one character is told they are fictional by another character, for example: you meet Sherlock Holmes in 2012 and let him know that he's actually a fictional character (and even show him the body of work by Arthur Conan Doyle). It's considered bad form to do this.

The link lists seven steps if you recognize a fictional character (and conversely, are recognized as a fictional character), ranging from Don't Panic (applicable to both situations) to Don't Treat Him or Yourself Act Differently (applicable for most situations anyways).

With the number of characters available to most GMs, throwing in known fictional characters is always a fun bit, especially when the players don't expect it.

[Blog] Jeff's Game Blog

Jeff Rient's blog is one of my favorite blogs and one that I added to my blog list from the beginning.

Back in 2008, he posted a Desk of Stuff that's really cool and useful for any game, from a pair of orcs-at-arms to a vial of angel tears.

[vids] Wizards of the Lost Kingdom

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom came out in 1985 and I remember seeing it in the theatre with my high school buddies.

I don't remember much about it except that it had some cool magic items: a Sword and a Ring of Power. It totally fed the gamers in us, in all it's cheesy glory.

[Resources] Gorget

A metal or leather collar is called a gorget. Originally part of a knight's armour, the gorget devolved over the years to be a symbol of a military commission or even military police.

But the full-size gorget made a comeback whenever I played in an Aftermath! game. I often had PCs with gorgets. It seemed very post-apocalyptic (probably because there were a number of pics in the game books with gorgets). And once, it protected my PC from being throttled!

[Atomic Thursday] Escape from New York

"Snake Plissken... I've heard of you. I heard you were dead!"

[vids] Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a 1999 anime set in an alternate history. It weaves in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, terrorism, group dynamics, politics and a love story.

I really enjoyed this vid and suggest it for any anime fan.

[Blogs] Lamentations of the Flame Princess

I've been reading Lamentations of the Flame Princess (the official blog of the game) for a while now and found nice bits.

For example, Raggi's advice on how to find players is spot on. And, if you are looking for players, then the first thing you need to do is to actually work at getting players. That's right: Work at it.

[Resources] Scorn and Slight Regard

As a Shakespeare fan, I love Kenneth Branagh's Henry V.

This scene has Brian Blessed, as Exeter, bringing a missive to the King of France. After giving it, he inquires whether the Dauphin is present and expresses his king's opinion of the man, which is delivered excellently by Blessed.

What an opportunity, to insult a PC under a flag of truce!

[Resources] Grim's Dyke

Grim's Dyke, a country home that once belonged to dramatist W.S. Gilbert, was also home to a statue of Charles II. The statue, originally carved in 1681, was removed from it's original location in London and managed to end up on an island in a lake on the estate. It remained on the island from roughly 1880 to 1938, when it was restored to Soho Square, London.

Gilbert drown in the lake in 1911, dying of a heart attack after trying to help a drowning girl. His widow drained the lake thereafter and arranged for the statue to return to London after her death.

The house and grounds have been used as a film location for a variety of TV shows and movies, including Boris Karloff's last film in 1968.

Perhaps there is a reason that the statue remained on the estate so long. Perhaps it guarded the water or something in it guarded the statue.