My alt-Mummy film

Jul. 2nd, 2025 11:51 pm
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The inspiration being the 1999 Mummy movie is not without problematic elements.

Imagine an Egyptian film company wanting to make a movie about idiots waking a horror in Canada that only the Egyptian lead can resolve.
Read more... )
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The June 2023 Dark Eye Megabundle featuring the English-language edition from Ulisses Spiele of the leading German tabletop roleplaying game of heroic fantasy, The Dark Eye.

Bundle of Holding: The Dark Eye MEGA (from 2023)

Another Repeat Bundle - The Dark Eye

Jul. 2nd, 2025 07:09 pm
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This is a repeat of a 2023 bundle offering material for one of the oldest fantasy RPGs - The Dark Eye, a German system from from Ulisses Spiele, which has been in print since 1984 and has a ton of support material. This offer covers the 2016 English translation of the system, and is aimed at newcomers to the system. Some of it has been in previous bundles:

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2025DarkEye

 

In 2023 (and on at least one previous occasion) I said "I'm not hugely into fantasy RPGs, I played way too many in the eighties and sort of lost the plot, but this looks pretty good, the art is excellent, and you get a huge amount for your money. And some things look like some actual thought has gone into them - for example, most of the depictions of women show them wearing sensible clothes for adventuring, with the balance of the sexes roughly even. The rules look comprehensible, though a little more complicated than I like, and (I repeat) you get a hell of a lot for your money. Recommended!

I wonder if there has ever been a German version of this offer - it might be interesting for linguists etc. or (of course) for German gamers, but since these bundles are organised by Americans I won't hold my breath waiting...


I don't see any reason to change any of this - it's not a system I particularly want to use, but it's very good value, and well worth a look if you're into fantasy RPGs. My main caveat considering that it has been in bundles several times is that it may be worth checking how much of it you already own, and whether it would be cheaper just to buy the bits you don't have and will actually use. Incidentally, the current offer explicitly states that no German versions are included.

2025 CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees

Jul. 1st, 2025 06:02 pm
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The quotation below is a quotation


CSFFA (The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association) is proud to announce the 2025 CSFFA Hall of Fame inductees.

Clint Budd, fan, convention organizer, modernized CSFFA and created the CSFFA Hall of Fame
Charles R. Saunders, author, journalist, and founder of the “sword and soul” literary genre
Diane L. Walton, editor, mentor, and a founding member of On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic

More information here.


Congratulations to the Inductees!
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Only the brave, the arrogant, the naïve, or the desperate Men trespass in Arafel's Ealdwood. Into which category does the latest visitor fall?

The Dreamstone (Ealdwood, volume 1) by C J Cherryh

July 2025 Patreon Boost

Jul. 1st, 2025 08:58 am
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Jealous of all the people who support Aurora-finalist James Nicoll Reviews? Want to join them? Here are your options:

July 2025 Patreon Boost

Bundle of Holding: Broken Tales

Jun. 30th, 2025 03:44 pm
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The English-language rulebook and supplements for Broken Tales, the tabletop fantasy roleplaying game of upside-down fairy tales from Italian game publisher The World Anvil Publishing.

Bundle of Holding: Broken Tales

Another Fantasy Bundle - Broken Tales

Jun. 30th, 2025 07:24 pm
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[personal profile] ffutures
This is the  Broken Tales Bundle featuring the "FRPG of grim upside-down fairy tales where villains seek redemption" and unfortunately the good guys aren't necessarily good...

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/BrokenTales

  

I'll be honest, I think that this is one of those ideas that only works well as a one-off scenario or an occasional break from a more normal style of play. Expecting every evil stepmother to be misunderstood and every downtrodden orphan to be a psychopathic killer gets old fast. But it's cheap and should give a few hours of fun if you want to give it a try.


Clarke Award Finalists 2003

Jun. 30th, 2025 10:28 am
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2003: PM Blair embraces hilariously transparent lies to justify the invasion of Iraq, two million Britons reveal the power of public outrage when they protest the Iraq War to no effect, and the Coalition of the Billing (UK included) faces an occupation of Iraq that will no doubt be entirely without unforeseen challenges or consequences.

Poll #33305 Clarke Award Finalists 2003
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 60


Which 2003 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

The Separation by Christopher Priest
10 (16.7%)

Kiln People by David Brin
18 (30.0%)

Light by M. John Harrison
16 (26.7%)

The Scar by China Miéville
26 (43.3%)

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
30 (50.0%)

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
32 (53.3%)



Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2003 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The Separation by Christopher Priest
Kiln People by David Brin
Light by M. John Harrison
The Scar by China Miéville
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson

June 2025 in review

Jun. 30th, 2025 09:06 am
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I survived another dance season. Go me.

21 works reviewed. 11 by women (52%), 9 by men (43%),1 by non-binary authors (5%), 0 by authors whose gender is unknown (0%), and 8 by POC (38%).

More details at the other end of the link.

Survived another dance season

Jun. 29th, 2025 10:43 pm
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Final show: a 5.5 hour bhangra show that was only 6.5 hours long.

Among my final achievements this season, discovering as I hoisted the last of many garbage bags into the dumpster that the bag was leaking coffee. My last achievement was ducking to the men's to wash my hands, discovering someone had plugged the sinks and turned on the taps, and stopping the flood in time.

To Walk The Night by William Sloane

Jun. 29th, 2025 09:03 am
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Jerry's romance with the brilliant, beautiful, eccentric Selena is book-ended with death: first, Selena's husband's, then Jerry's.

To Walk The Night by William Sloane
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Three books new to me, all fantasy (Although the Stross is an edge case), and only one is clearly part of a series.

Books Received, June 21 — June 27


Poll #33298 Books Received, June 21 — June 27
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 56


Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow (February 2026)
18 (32.1%)

The Regicide Report by Charles Stross (January 2026)
34 (60.7%)

The Beasts We Raise by D. L. Taylor (March 2026)
5 (8.9%)

Some other option (see comments)
3 (5.4%)

Cats!
36 (64.3%)

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A schoolgirl abandons the UK's post-Brexit educational system for the comparative safety and comfort of a magical school designed to turn out magical soldiers in the war on eldritch horrors.

Vanya and the Wild Hunt (Vanya, volume 1) by Sangu Mandanna

Five SFF Stories About Making Amends

Jun. 26th, 2025 10:20 am
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People adopt very different strategies when it comes to making up for mistakes.

Five SFF Stories About Making Amends

Golem100 by Alfred Bester

Jun. 26th, 2025 08:50 am
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What could possibly go wrong with a little harmless Satanism between friends?

Golem100 by Alfred Bester

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