2007.03.29
Posted in Writing at 7:28 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I’m working on a short story that I eventually intend on publishing in audio format. So far, I’ve managed to get a very rough outline of the plot completed, and a good chunk of the research done. I now understand the two principal characters well enough to write about them, at least. I still have some more research to go, however. And I’m finding that I’m turning to some sources I never would have thought of at the outset.
My story involves werewolves, and also has two secret societies that need to be researched before I can fill in some of the plot details. Most of my research into my werewolf mythos has come from my own previous notes and writings. There’s a werewolf story I’ve wanted to tell for a while, and in fact it was the genesis of this story. I’ve turned to some other sources of werewolf folklore to make sure my implementation is consistent with other literature, and that’s all well and good. There are two aspects of werewolves that I still need to research further:
- The organization of werewolves as a race. Do they live clans? Packs? Tribes? What are their political structures?
- The extent of the werewolves’ powers.
It also turns out that I really don’t have a lot of experience with the idea of secret societies, so I’m having a bit of trouble with creating the ones I need for the story. For researching all of these, I’ve turned to sources that truly surprise me. Here they are:
- Findley, Nigel D. 1992. GURPS Illuminati. Steve Jackson Games.
- Ladyman, D. 1989.GURPS the Prisoner. Steve Jackson Games.
- Chupp, S. et al.Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Stone Mtn., GA: White Wolf.
Some of you will already know why I find these to be unusual sources for research, based on the titles and / or the publishers. For those who aren’t familiar with these books, they’re all core rule books for role playing games (RPGs). Yes, I mean like Dungeons and Dragons.
I’m using them primarily as a source of inspiration; a starting point. They’re great for this purpose. The GURPS books discuss secret societies from the perspectives of how they should behave as a group and how their members behave individually. The Werewolf book discusses the social and political structures of werewolves in the Werewolf: The Apocalypse role playing universe, and also discusses various werewolf powers and how they manifest.
My story is not set in any of these role playing universes, but they have provided me with some ideas upon which I can base my own construction. They’re great for this purpose owing to their high amount of detail and also their propensity towards roleplaying. The idea behind role playing core rule books and source books is to give the role playing Game Master material from which to create campaigns. In other words, they’re geared to be used for the purposes of storytelling.
I guess the only other thing that I’ve noticed about my research so far is how much time it has taken. I’m working on this story as time permits (in other words, very slowly), but already I have a newfound respect for authors of much longer works. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of research that must go into writing something on the scale of an epic fantasy where a whole new world has to be created to a high level of detail. This world needs politics, geography, history, and everything else that makes a world real.
I don’t have a time frame for completing my short story, but I will say that I’m happy with the progress thus far. I’ll try to post the odd update as things progress.
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2007.03.20
Posted in Board Games at 6:28 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Jason and I played Runebound on the weekend. This was our second go at the Cult of the Rune expansion, and my first time (his second) playing with character class decks in addition to the base game.
Like the last time we played Cult of the Rune, it was a very tight game. I had a slight lead through the midgame, which got eaten up pretty quickly as I ran out of steam and strayed too far from the cultists. I was left with very little choice but to attempt red challenges. I ended up winning, but not before defeating 4 red challenges. And in Cult of the Rune, the red challenges become more difficult based on the number of red challenges you have already defeated. The third of the 4 very nearly did me in.
I almost certainly would not have won the game had it not been for the class decks. I was playing with the Wildlander class deck, and the Forest Stalker talent proved invaluable, granting +6 to all my main abilities when in forest spaces. Given the number of red and blue encounters in forest spaces, it helped a lot. I also had a rather cool ally who was effectively immune to damage when attacking in magical combat.
I quite like the way Cult of the Rune plays, though I also enjoy many of the other Runebound expansions, so this is hardly a surprise. Next time I think I’d like to play a different expansion, though, just for the sake of variety.
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2007.03.14
Posted in Photography, Travel at 7:45 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I spent this past weekend camping and hiking near Moab, Utah. The weather was great, and the scenery was spectacular.
Of course, I took a number of photographs throughout the course of the weekend.
I met up with Travis Friday night, and after overnighting in Salt Lake City, we hit the road Saturday morning, arriving in Moab in the early afternoon. We found a camp site along the Colorado River easily enough, and after setting up camp, we grabbed some grub in Moab before setting out on a short hike outside of the various national and state parks.
The hike was a nice warmup, and we were done well before sunset.
After supper, we spent the evening in Moab doing the Art Walk thing. It was fun wandering from gallery to gallery, checking out everything from sculpture to photography.
Most of Sunday was spent exploring Arches National Park. We drove though the road-accessible parts of the park, and hiked 4 or 5 of the short trails, which ranged from 30 minutes to 2 hours round trip. Though the hikes were short, the scenery was awe-inspiring, and we were able to see a large amount of the park in a single day.
After leaving Arches and grabbing some food, we headed to Dead Horse Point State Park where we stayed until sunset. This was an interesting experience – one minute you’re on seemingly solid ground, and the next you’re standing at the top of a 2,000 foot cliff with the river winding lazily below you. The view was spectacular, especially in the late afternoon light.
Unfortunately, we had to leave for Salt Lake City Monday morning. I would definitely like to go back some time – there’s a lot more I didn’t have time to see. Still, I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything – It’s amazing what it’s possible to see without having to travel further than Canada and the USA.
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2007.03.03
Posted in House and Home at 4:54 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
Some days I wonder if Calgary’s city planners aren’t engaging in a grossly distorted version of the Thousand origami cranes legend in Japanese culture. Everywhere you look in the city, there are construction cranes. The big question is: if we wind up with 1000 construction cranes, will the gods of infrastructure smile upon our fair city? Or will our infrastructure deficit just be that much worse once all the new buildings have been completed?
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