To Be the Best, You Have to Face the Best
September 4, 2022
Walker Smith:That’s what the game is all about. To be the best, you have to face the best.— “TKO” – Babylon 5, Season 1 (1994)
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Excerpts from books, films, television, and other websites to inspire your role-playing. Also original fiction, game design ideas, and commentary.
It is Year 87(Imperial Calendar)for Xenograg fiction -
Featured Content
- All Non-Hominids Are Psykers
- Anti-magic
- Any Troops Could Fight a Battle But It Requires Trained Veterans to Win a Skirmish
- Armor Was Designed for Protection Against Glancing Blows
- Armor Is Unacceptable in Civilian Venues
- Being Tough
- Fighting With Two Weapons Improves Defense Not Offense
- Forgetful Gods
- Holiness in the Ancient Middle East
- Magic Armor in the Iliad
- People Are Cheap, Things Are Expensive
- Retinue of Retinues
- Why There Are So Many Dungeons
Latest Posts- The Mystery of Steel
- Blurred Line Between Medicine and Magic
- No Two Copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead Are the Same
- A Knight Would Have a String of Horses
- Potions of Healing Restore One-Quarter of Maximum Hit Points
- House of Bow and Arrows
- Amulets Often Portrayed the Spirit They Were Supposed to Ward Off
- First Law of Kenpō
- Encounters with Military Units in a Feudal Japanese Setting
- Receptacles of Enormous Magical Power
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Post Categories
- Book Excerpt (613)
- Comics Excerpt (26)
- Film/Television Excerpt (113)
- Game Programming (4)
- Link Sharing (87)
- Miscellaneous (16)
- Original Content (81)
- This. Is. Treasure. (15)
- Web Excerpt (86)
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Recommended External Posts
- A Simple Metric of Player Agency
- Brilliance Of Unrealistic Hit Points
- Dilemmas: Pick or Push
- Great Sword of War
- How a Blind Player Improved Our Game
- If Your Torches Burn for only One Hour your NPCs will be More Important
- Level Drain and Loss Aversion in D&D
- Old School Inspiration from The Man Eaters of Tsavo
- On Resurrecting the Quantum Ogre and Having Him Over for Tea
- Rise of Tactical Gaming
- Seven Myths Everyone Believes About Druids
- Shifting to Neutral (Cause' Most of Us Are)
- Shinto-Doctor-Mushi-Shi Clerics
- Surprise Is Overated
- The Invisible Component of Medieval Armies: Squires
- Towards a Leftist OSR
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Posts Archive
2026 (16)
April (4)
March (5)
February (5)
2025 (137)
December (10)
- Personal Misfortune or Sickness Was Often Blamed on Witches or Demons
- Beneath the Official Pantheon Was a Layer of Demons
- Fighting Filled the Noble's Need of Something To Do
- Every Time You Step Onto the Training Floor, You Are Being Tested
- Mnhei'sahe
- Converted Map of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, Level 1
- Old Egyptian Blessing
- Motte-and-Bailey Castles
- Where Are All The Tapestries?
- Samurai Mount a Horse From the Right Side
November (9)
- Clear a Path
- Subtle Science and Exact Art of Potion-making
- Not Designed to Keep Something Out
- A Typical Medieval Battle: Loud, Violent, and Disorganized
- Moral Authority
- A Royal Household Was Portable
- Some Lessons Cannot Be Taught
- Perhaps One In Six People Were Technically a Clergyman
- Only the Most Devious and Adept Players Survived
October (7)
September (6)
August (14)
- Magical Weapon Combination
- New Fragment for "Elmö's Obligation"
- Prophecy Is a Guess That Comes True
- I Have an Audience
- Deranged, Murderous Thuggees
- And That I Will Have His Head!
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing #86
- Loosened My Soul and Softened My Piercing Gaze
- White Dragon As Anti-Dragon
- War As a Culture-Shaping Force
- Then What of Our Nightmares?
- Fighting on Horseback Did Not Make a Knight Out of a Soldier
- Even Villages Had a Temple
- Terrain Appreciation
July (12)
- Manslaughtering Hands
- A Warning to Anyone Who Sees It Not to Make the Same Mistake
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing #85
- Very Proper Motive of Revenge
- Anything Swords and Anything Items
- Gifts of the Sumerians
- The Horse Is a Fighter
- Becoming a Techno-mage
- Every Horse Has a Distinctive Personality
- Horse Meat and Milk
- Longer Timescales For Leisurely Roleplay
- RPG Spells Of My Creation
June (11)
- Heathenizing Your RPG Campaign
- Soldier Monks of Japanese Temples
- Walls of Uruk
- Big Power-ups Should Come From Going On a Quest to Get Them
- Viking-Era Silver Neck and Arm Rings
- Samurai Did Not Trust So Much to Their Armor As European Knights Did
- A Real Feudal Battle
- Early Medieval Silver Gilt Bow Brooch
- A Wizard-Hunting Campaign
- Give As Few Orders As Possible
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing #84
May (4)
April (12)
- Modern Secrecy of the Papal Election
- Wisdom As Sanity
- A New Orc Culture Rises From the Ashes of the Old
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 80
- Heroic Temperaments Were Subject to Excesses
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 79
- Magic Swords Use Their Wielders
- Combat Bonuses For (Nonmagical) Weapon Quality
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 78
- The A'Taran-Orc War, Part 2
- The A'Taran-Orc War, Part 1
- On the A'Taran Race
March (20)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 78
- Intentionally Bent Swords in Warrior Graves
- Dwarves Have Magic Powers and Need Fear No Man on Earth
- Alpine Travel Was Difficult
- Orc Cavalry, Hobgoblin Cavalry, or Both?
- Medieval Swords: Slashing Versus Thrusting
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 77
- Impulsivity, Immediacy, and Atavism
- Overall Size of Army Companies
- Chinese Magic Centered on Transactions
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 76
- Medieval Military Baggage Trains
- Partners With a Sentient Universe
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 75
- Dark Basement of the Heroic World: Mines
- A Knight Might Live Little Better Than His Peasants
- Magic Was Both a Force of the Universe and a Set of Practices
- Only a Select Few Were Permitted Out After Dark
- Stones of Light
- Cartoons From 1981 Wizardry CRPG Manual
February (13)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 74
- Premodern Lockpicking Did Not Require Much Skill
- The Riddle of Steel
- Beware the Beast, Man
- Programming d20 Combat: the Core Function
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 73
- Programming d20 Combat: What Has Come Before
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 72
- Where Are All The Battlefields?
- Being Deceived by Appearances
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 71
- Leap Into Heaven
- Don't Think You Are, Know You Are
January (19)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 70
- The Gods Are Pleased With You
- Guns For Xenograg, Part 4: More on Interchangeable Revolving Cylinders
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 69
- Where Are All The Herds?
- A Great Name Commands Automatic Respect
- On Creative Acts
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 68
- Guns For Xenograg, Part 3: On Ray-guns
- Guns For Xenograg, Part 2: the Lethality Problem
- Guns For Xenograg, Part 1: Existing Lore
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 67
- On Medieval Inns
- Camp Followers and Other Noncombatants
- Blood of the Defenders Hallowed This Ground
- Hostage-taking As a Way of Forming Close Familial Bonds
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 66
- Their Own Shinobi
- Psychic Tension of Fighting
2024 (281)
December (23)
- Where Are All The Granaries?
- Military Leaders Served in the Priestly Role of Sacrificer
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 65
- The Vision To Be Just and the Courage To Be Merciful
- Act Without Attachment
- Troubadours Spread News Through Song
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 64
- Negoro-ji Temple and Its Warrior Monks
- On Killing Students
- Divination Isn't a Very Good Map, But It's an Excellent Set of Headlights
- I Put No Stock in Religion
- A King He Was On Carven Throne
- War Deals Are to be Found on the Borders of Civilization
- All Things Done Before the Naked Stars Are Remembered
- What's Essential Is Invisible to the Eye
- If There's One Thing I Hate, It's Incanting in Latin
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 63
- For Food
- Aim of Initiation
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 62
- Constant Trickeries and Treacheries and Ill-tempered Dangerousness
- Patience Means Restraining Yourself
- It's a Mystery
November (23)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 61
- Why There Are So Many Dead Worlds Out There
- Defensive Wards Came in Different Flavors
- Xenograg With Wrapped Knees
- Such Is the Nature of Magical Constructs
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 60
- Black-figure Band-cup With the Battle of Gods and Giants
- The Whole World Is in Chess
- The Core of Leadership Has Always Been to Set an Example
- More Mouths To Feed
- Ambiguity
- The Montessi Formula
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 59
- Single Solar System As Outer Space Roleplaying Setting
- Golden Hellenistic Greek Ring With an Emerald Entwined in Snakes
- Exceeding Your Limitations
- Without the Eye of Agamotto, We Forfeit
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 58
- ...And Because I Have Poisoned Your Drink
- His First Working
- One Weapon Fighting Against Two
- Where Are All the Windmills?
- Too Much Thought Is a Danger
October (27)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 57
- Cunning Is a Technique Not Well Appreciated by the Young
- What It Is I Have Become
- There Are Some Forces Before Which We Should Not Bend
- Strategic Planning Changed Overnight
- Training Halls Are All Different and All the Same
- Pursuit of the Art Takes Hold of You
- There Is One I Could Call King
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 56
- There Are More and Better Things Than Power
- Eternal Rules For a Cavalry Charge
- Infinite Promise and Goodness
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 55
- Evocative Magical Item Names: Diablo CRPG Series
- How To Navigate the After-Death Journey Safely
- Only a Tiger, Not a Dragon
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 54
- Lifelike Statues Help Bring the Gods to Earth
- Celtic Bronze Daggers With Antenna Hilts
- Heroes Never Go to the Bathroom
- A Quarterstaff Is a Polearm
- Gold Ring Shaped Like a Snake With Ruby Eyes
- Bronze Age Elite Status Came From Being Blessed by the Sun
- No Combat Style Is Complete
- Contracting an Assassin
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 53
- Hellenistic Greek Gold Medallion With a Nereid Riding a Sea Monster
September (18)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 52
- Water Was Great Magic
- Bangsian Fantasy
- Reach Deep Inside and Sacrifice
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 51
- Greek Jeweled Pendant Necklace
- So Particular About the Quality of His Equipment
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 50
- Human On the Outside But Alien On the Inside
- There Are Only Five Weapon Sizes
- Cavalry Logistics: Horseshoes and Nails
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 49
- Swear It On Your Secrets
- Confiscated Gods
- Tempting Gods to Inhabit the Material Plane
- Where Are All the Guilds?
- A Dojo Is a Cherished Place of Learning
- True Technique Through True Training
August (29)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 48
- Magical Attack and Invisibility
- The Great Oath
- Not Steel But Leaded Iron
- The First Rangers
- Grail Lore
- Run an Abridged Version of TTRPG Combat
- Too Valuable To Inter With Deceased Warriors
- I Have No Surviving Enemies
- Durandal
- It Is Always Born in Pain
- Misfire Rate of Muskets
- Recommended External Posts Sidebar Added
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 47
- Your Quality Will Be Known Among Your Enemies
- Wouldn't It Be Much Worse If Life Were Fair
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 46
- Searching For a Successor
- Do You Think We Have No Emotions?
- What Are You Doing This For, Anyway?
- New Magical Item: Gauntlet of Lances
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 45
- Life of the Early Feudal Class Was Rough and Uncomfortable
- Birth of the European Feudal Hierarchy
- The Holy Half-Dead
- 10 Questions to Create Better Dungeons
- Fighting Zombies in a Swamp
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 44
- Origins of European Feudalism
July (41)
- Surrender Yourself to Death
- Discerning the Will of Deity by Inspiration
- I Take Money Out of the Equation
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 43
- Buying Arms and Armor on Credit
- Where Are All the Dams?
- Kata Are Formal Practice Routines
- Dilemmas: Pick or Push
- A Multitude of Amulets and Talismans
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 42
- Be Careful on Holy Ground
- Dwarf Goatherding
- White Dragon As Alpha Predator
- Machine, Heal Thyself
- OSR D&D As a Post-Apocalyptic Setting
- Narrative of Undeath
- How to Write Conflict
- The Authentic Swing
- Story of Red Hair from Conan the Barbarian
- Narrate Combat
- War Is About Men Killing or Men Killed
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 41
- Less Killing
- Where Are All the Eyeglasses?
- Hit Points As a Resource?
- The Iliad as Source Material
- Hireling Loyalty Is a Fun Mini-game
- Castles Are the Dungeons For the Fey and the Gothic
- A Substitute For Lackluster Stakes
- Call Upon the Authority of Your Allies
- Low-level Versus High-level Roleplay
- My Sorcery Is a Martial Art
- Training As a Jedi
- Every Heavy Cavalryman Would Need Several Horses
- Fellow Travelers
- Be Sure to Reward Players For Breaking the Mold
- Because There Are More Spells Out There
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 40
- The Warrior's Highest Ideal
- A Witch Who Had Dealings With the White-fiends
- Modular Armor System in Wizardry CRPG
June (24)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 39
- Throat and Groin
- Some Magic Is Too Powerful to Sustain
- There Are Always Harsh Customs in Hard Lands
- Real Martial Arts Aren't Like That
- We Are Protectors Not Warriors
- The Last Unicorn
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 38
- Not Today
- Not Light in Terms of Protection
- Our Deepest Fear
- Where Are All the Ranches?
- Leaving the Master Behind
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 37
- There Never Is Just One Hobgoblin
- You Died of Your Wounds Later
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 36
- Bow Down Before Your Master!
- Put to Rest the Soul of a Valiant Hero
- Maps Were a Joke
- Where Are All the Holy Grounds?
- Where Are All the Horse Farms?
- Putting Aside the Hurt of the Past
- Clea
May (20)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 35
- Invisible Moons
- Where Are All the Kings?
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 34
- Where Are All the Monasteries?
- More Additions to "Other Fiction"
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 33
- Additions to "Other Fiction"
- Courage of the Heart Is Very Rare
- Classical Greek Armies Grew Out of Classical Greek Societies
- Transcendence, Transformation, and Transactions
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 32
- Some Must Die Or Be Harmed in its Defense
- Where Are All the Vineyards?
- A Six-Demon Bag
- Never Far From a Place of Refuge
- Provisioning a Medieval Army
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 6: Advanced D&D 2nd Edition
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 31
- Where Are All the Mines?
April (21)
- Black Blood of the Earth
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 30
- Danger and I Are Old Companions
- My Fear Is My Concern
- Koku in Dungeons & Dragons: for Daimyō
- You Have No Power Over Me
- Bad Luck To Kill a Wizard
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 29
- Feudal Military Organization Was on the Whole Highly Effective
- Many Defeats and Many Fruitless Victories
- Visualizing Xenograg at His Current Age
- From Mount Olympus to the Himalayas
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 28
- Koku in Dungeons & Dragons: for Samurai
- An Acceptable Balance Between Weapon Weight and Size
- A Hogmanay To Be Remembered
- Plate Armor Should Be Not Just Expensive But Restricted
- I Am a River to My People
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 27
- All Pilgrims Share a Deep Love of Life
- Furniture in Medieval Europe
March (21)
- Hatamoto
- Medieval Food and Drink
- Considerable Logistics of Medieval Knights at War
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 26
- The Surprise Reversed
- Swords Were Thought to Have Miraculous Powers
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 25
- Worldbuilding in Under Two Minutes: Television Cartoon Opening Sequences
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 24
- Fundamental Importance of Foot Soldiers in Battle
- Ready to Unsheathe It Instantly
- Ancient States Did Not Maintain Permanent Embassies
- A Besieging Army Is Vulnerable to Outside Attack
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 5: Rogues
- Origin of the Regiment and Battalion
- Armor Is Unacceptable in Civilian Venues
- Rise of the Japanese Merchant Class
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 23
- Samurai As Generic Term
- Gold Mycenaean Octopus Brooch
- Amputation Threatened Either Death or Lifelong Poverty
February (19)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 22
- The Legend of Skara Brae
- Defensive Magic
- End of Medieval Warfare
- Iron Crown of Lombardy
- Noble Retainers, Common-born Servitors, and Peasant Servants
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 21
- People Are Cheap, Things Are Expensive
- In the Alphabet of Trees They Speak
- Wall of Infinite Elements
- You Are Touched By Darkness
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 20
- Your Men Love You
- Going For the Kill
- The Dice are Not Your Friend
- Shield Proficiency in (OSR) D&D
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 19
- The Battle of Sudden Flame
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 18
January (15)
- A Happy Hunting Ground
- I Kept Dreaming of a World I Thought I'd Never See
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 17
- Separate Spells for Healing Yourself and Healing Others
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 16
- University of Rigel Medical Center at Rhydin
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 15
- Magical Defenders of the Solar System, Redux
- Order Versus Chaos
- Some of the Champions in the War Tales Are Girls
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 14
- Planets of the Rhydin System
- Rhydin Is a Pocket Dimension and Universe
- A Sentient Star
- High Social Status and the Right To Do Violence
2023 (108)
December (15)
- My RPG Character's Bling
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 13
- Fighting With Two Weapons Improves Defense Not Offense
- Fear Is a Superpower
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 12
- Because By Admitting My Weaknesses, I Also Learn My Strengths
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 11
- Whatever It Takes
- Spectacle in the Ancient World
- Using Magical Arms & Armor Mechanic From Chainmail In D&D
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 10
- On D&D Hit Points and Weapon Damage
- Posts Archive Sidebar Added
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 4: Clerics
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 3: Magic-Users, Continued
November (16)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 9
- Guile
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 2: Magic-Users
- Zero-Level Characters, Part 1
- When a Man Lies, He Murders Some Part of the World
- Sixteenth-Century Military Medicine
- It Is Best to Repeat All of Them Exactly and Slavishly Every Time
- When I Get Around To It
- A Year of Dreadful Portent
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 8
- Single Richest Prize of His Swashbuckling Career
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 7
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 6
- Men Who Lived Deeper in the Shadows
- Money in Elizabethan England
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 5
October (16)
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 4
- Such a Vision Will Be Opposed
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 3
- The Finest Judoka in the World
- Requesting a Lesson
- That's Worse Than Murder
- Mughal Emerald Cup
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 2
- TTRPG Blogpost Archive Sharing, Week 1
- New Category: Social Media
- Training For the Martial Way of Life Began Early
- Warriors Fought Their First Battles At a Youthful Age
- The Cosmos Operated Through Regular Rhythms and Periodic Events
- Reveal Themselves in Word and Action
- Only the Most Skilled Sorcerer Alive Would Dare
- Armor Class Penalty For Not Wearing a Helmet
September (14)
- Religion Is Not Something That Gives Comfort
- Cost of Plate Armor in Modern Money
- I Neither Fear Nor Resist Nature's Power
- A Wand Is Gentle With Power
- Banishing Is Essential in Magical Practice
- In Search of Adventure, Prestige, and Fortune
- I Rather Prefer a Dragon
- Crossbowmen Were Considered an Elite Corps
- Gift Exchange Revolves Around Three Obligations
- I Give That You Might Give
- Unacceptable Magic Is Usually Attributed to Foreigners
- Through Magic We Can Explore Mutuality
- Evolution of Spiritual Powers
- Armies Are Like Prize Fighters
August (9)
July (4)
June (3)
May (6)
March (6)
February (7)
January (10)
- The Dream of Taliesin
- A King Expects To Be Followed
- Captains Held Enormous Power Over Their Companies
- Not All Recruits Were Base-born: the Gentleman-rankers
- Any Troops Could Fight a Battle But It Required Trained Veterans to Win a Skirmish
- It Is Never Too Early to Teach a Future King
- Will You Give Me Your Prisoner, Or Must I Take Him?
- Good Men Don't Need Rules
- Elemental Blade of Fire
- Beasts Hold Important Offices in the Cosmic Order
2022 (119)
December (16)
- War Stories Always Forgot the Dust
- Transmuted From One Form Into Another
- Once They Had Been Greater In Number
- Artificial Distinctions In Fantasy Magic
- Humanoids Would Wear Their Personal Wealth
- Magic Use Elicits Strong Reactions
- On the Living and the Dead
- A Warrior Society Does Not Last Long if the Warriors Are Too Eager to Get Killed
- Inscriptions Charged With Occult Force
- Preserving Magical Knowledge For Adepts As Yet Unborn
- The Magical and Musical Arts Are Entwined
- The Plan, Part One: the Monastery of Arra
- The Great Goddess Cherished Only Life Itself
- Non-Mages Are Amateurs Not Cripples
- Faith and Belief Do Not Matter Much in Most Religions
- To Limit Immersion in the Wells of Power
November (10)
- Using Computers To Play Non-Computer Games Better
- Japanese Versus Chinese Martial Arts Styles
- Motivation Is Emotional Investment
- Human Beings Have Affinities with the Physical World
- Power of Reflection
- The Cossack-Sorcerers
- The Worst Ignorance
- There Can Always Be New Beginnings
- Aims of Magic: Malign Magic
- Aims of Magic: Benign Magic
October (11)
- Domination Magic: Dark Side of the Force
- Heroes Always Emerge In A Time Of Dying
- Tricking Monsters To Death
- Sekigahara
- Subject to Divine, Human, and Demonic Manipulation
- Monsters Are Made To Be So
- A Bad Age For a Man
- The Power To Crush Diamonds
- Load and Fire
- A Thousand Arrows In Its Defense
- That Word Has No Meaning Here
September (11)
August (7)
July (7)
June (6)
May (16)
- I See a Red Sash, I Kill the Man Wearing It
- All Non-Hominids Are Psykers
- The Greeks Were the Vikings of the Bronze Age
- Terrifying Initiation Ordeals
- Jinn: Neither Angels Nor Devils
- The American Spiritual Temper Is Unconsciously Calvinist
- The Cost To Be a Knight
- Odic Shields and Shrouds of Concealment
- One Sharp Knife
- Why There Is No Justice in The World
- To Feed and Protect Our Families
- Never Run From Anything Immortal
- A Weapon Against the Dark But Also a Beacon That Summons It
- 'Woke Up' Has Always Been an Anthropomorphism
- Search Functionality Added
- The Air of the Town Makes You Free
April (13)
- No Rules In Mortal Combat
- To Test Your Powers Or Prove Their Own
- Battle-Hardened But Still a Squire
- Why There Are So Many Dungeons
- Double Winners of the Medal of Honor
- The Wand Is a Symbol of the Will
- Blood Sacrifice Was the Central Religous Ritual
- Blogging About Roleplaying
- Athena Was Not Always a War Goddess
- Everyone Is Religious
- Patriarchal Olympian Dominance
- The Reason for the Seasons
- Violent Logic of Feudalism
March (6)
February (6)
January (10)
- Unarmed Combat in Full Armor
- Retinue of Retinues
- Unseen But Nonetheless Real
- Don't Look For Your Opponent
- Use Your Weakness
- Being Willing
- Men-at-Arms Would Continue To Fight Despite Wounds
- Few Deaths While Combat Remained Undecided
- Medieval Battlefield Medicine Was Not Primitive
- A World Where Chaos Was the Reverse Side of Order
2021 (69)
December (7)
- Hard Bargaining Was the Essence of the Lord-Vassal Relationship
- A Magical Sword Is Used to Command, Banish, and Defeat Spirits
- Military Incongruities in the Iliad
- The Iliad and Dungeons & Dragons
- There Is No Block
- Different Fortifications Against Raids Versus Sieges
- Where the Power for Spells Comes From
November (13)
- Trial by Combat Was a Legal Privilege
- The Composite Bow Did Have Limitations
- Castle Life in Winter
- Magical Practice Required Specialist Knowledge
- Iron Did Not Replace Bronze
- The First Martial Arts Schools in Japan
- Fiefs Were Measured By How Much Food They Produced
- The Risk of Literalizing Fantastical Concepts
- Fire Is a Living Thing
- Sandmagic
- Weapons Are Not Everything
- Always a Toll in the Underworld
- A Locus of Strange Energy
October (7)
September (21)
- A Khyber Knife
- Blinkblades
- There Comes a Time
- Our Swords Against Their Swords
- The Demon Who Makes Trophies of Men
- Dreamers, Shapers, Singers, and Makers
- Warmth and Competence
- The Opposite of Impact Is Fluff
- Religion, Socializing, and Gods
- Monster Difficulty Should Increase Slightly Faster Than Characters' Abilities
- Good and Evil Are Moral Extremes
- Druids Can Barely Live in Harmony With Each Other
- The Sorcerer as Terrorist
- Mud Is a Hazard that Is Totally Natural for RPGs
- Magic Is the Opposite of Banality
- The Realm of the Jedi
- Dwarves Before Tolkien and Disney
- A Wildly Unstable Environment
- Dwarves of Belegost
- Ancient War Was More Civilized
- True Masters Are Both Brutal and Refined
June (10)
May (4)
January (1)
2020 (13)
November (2)
September (11)
2019 (4)
June (1)
April (2)
March (1)
2017 (3)
April (1)
March (1)
February (1)
2016 (5)
November (1)
October (1)
August (1)
March (1)
2015 (8)
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2011 (17)
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2010 (21)
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2009 (19)
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August (4)
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2008 (99)
November (4)
September (1)
August (2)
July (1)
May (91)
- Silver and Gold Coinage
- Birth of the Caliphate
- A Weak King Was Not a King
- Money in Ptolemaic Egypt
- Pervasiveness of Warfare In Early States
- The Immense Wealth of the Persian Kings
- Three Checks to Autocracy
- Assyrian Bureaucracy
- Chiefdoms Are Powerful But Fragile
- Personal Honor As Instrument of Social Control
- Confucian Mandate of Heaven
- An Immoral Ruler Undermines His Own Legitimacy
- Princes and their Personal Realms
- Warrior or Hired Killer?
- Imagining the Centaur
- Fire, the First Enshrined Divinity
- The Rapier Was the Blade of Choice
- Assyrians Were Ancient Masters of the Siege
- Gods from the Bicameral Mind
- Money and Manpower Wins Wars
- The Iliad Is Not Just a Glorious Poem
- Not a General's Affair
- The Bow Was the Chief Weapon in Japanese Warfare
- Ritual Sacrifice: Establishing Beneficial Relations With Blood
- On Dragoons
- Versatility of the Napoleonic Army Corps
- Romans Made War As Much Business As Art
- Assyrians: the Pioneers with Iron
- Heavy Infantry With a Vengeance: the Greek Phalanx
- Redefinition of Courage
- Bronze: the Plastic of Its Age
- Oracles Work
- Maintaining the Diversity Within the Divine
- On Man's Side
- Ancient Asiatic Spiritual Traditions
- Sacred Power Spots
- Assyrian Army of the Sargonid Period
- Dueling and the God of Peer Opinion
- Courage, Not Manners, Was the Hallmark of a Gentleman
- Distinction Between Shamans, Magicians, and Priests
- Parthian Feudalism
- There Are Nine Types of Generals
- From Jousting for Glory to Dueling for Honor
- Hunnic Bow and Mongolian Release
- No Match for a Well-Trained Aristocrat
- Militant Clergy
- Transformation of the Hoplite Phalanx
- Advantages of Swords Over Pistols in Dueling
- Only Gentlemen Had Honor
- Theme of a Warrior Culture
- Hoplite Shield Was an Engineering Marvel
- The Subject of Heroic Poetry is the Hero
- Prepared to Die But Not to Kill
- Birth of Cavalry
- Cavalry Replaces Chariots in Chinese Art of War
- Backstabbing Assassins, Not Knights of the Air
- From Hunters to Warriors
- Religious Rituals of War
- Hand-to-Hand Combat Was Rare in Ancient Warfare
- Assaulting Cities is the Oldest Expression of Warfare
- Capacities of Commanders
- Five Skills And Four Desires of Generalship
- The Rights-Based System of Medieval Society
- Eight Kinds of Decadence in Generalship
- Birth of the Alphabet
- Zenith of the Castle
- The Fickle Deity, Pan
- Looking At The Enemy
- Inside the Greek Phalanx
- Regimental Proprietary System
- From Ghazi to Sipahi
- The Challenge of Making Steel
- Before the Fencing Master
- Condottieri Usurpation of the Princely States
- Flirting with Deification
- Insuperable Problems
- Earth and the Heavens
- Shamans and Their Inner Journeys
- The Despised Foot Soldier
- War Became an End in Itself: Assyria
- Early Iron Age Armies
- Stay Awake to Death
- Art of Japanese Spear Fighting
- Steppe Ponies, Not Horses
- Beginning of Science
- The Spiritual Hunt and Spiritual Warfare
- Material Cost Versus Psychological Benefit of Sieges
- Exorcism in Babylonia and Assyria
- War Was Made to Pay for Itself Through Pillage
- Covering a Withdrawal
- Astrolabe, Gift Of The Arabs
2006 (1)
September (1)
2003 (54)
November (1)
April (1)
March (52)
- Alchemy Had an Unscientific Method
- Battle Casualties in the Ancient World
- Archer-Pair in Assyrian and Persian Warfare
- Magic Is Not Supernatural
- Persian Spirit, Skill, and Resourcefulness
- In Every Army There is a Mob Waiting to Escape
- No Last-Minute Maneuvers
- Disease, the Wild Card of History
- A More Varied Diet Means a Healthier Population
- Seljuk Fiefs Were Not Hereditary
- Acquiring Coup d'oeil, the General's Discerning Glance
- For Byzantines, Strategy Was All-Important
- A God of the State Not the People
- Ottoman Nobility: Pashas, Begs, and Beglierbegs
- Successors to the Caliphate in Muslim Spain
- Roman Worldview
- Babylonian Divination
- Damascus
- Patronage Was the Traditional Princely Activity
- Few Pitched Battles But Many Sieges
- Origin of the Rank and Grades of General
- Ancient Fortifications Were Impervious
- Ideology Of Monarchy
- The Way of Life
- An All-Around Mounted Warrior
- King's Armiger
- Magic of Metallurgy
- Akkadian Conception of the Supernatural
- Horsemanship: Prerequisite for a Military Career
- Not Superior to Man
- Shamanic Paraphernalia
- Greek View of the Cosmos
- Divination Practices
- Seeing the Gods
- Three-Fold Root of Monarchy
- Rise and Fall of the Temple
- Justice with Common Sense
- Decline of Medieval Iraq
- Birth of the Persian Empire
- Amir Grades of Rank
- Web of Interdependence
- Military Systems
- Soldiers of Greece and Rome
- Parthian Cavalry
- Outpouring from the Steppe
- Iron Age Logistics
- Javelins versus Chariots
- A Vast Encampment
- Elephants in War
- Deception in War
- Stone Age of Command
- Chariot Tactics
2002 (4)
June (1)
February (1)
January (1)
2001 (2)
December (1)
1999 (4)
November (1)
1998 (12)
November (1)
September (2)
1997 (20)
November (20)
- Invictus
- A Warrior's Creed
- Public Versus Private Sorcery
- Magic at the Inbetween Places
- The Combat of the Thirty
- You and Your Enemy
- Fear Was the Fountainhead of Government Control
- Domain of the Philosopher
- The Purpose of War Is a More Perfect Peace
- How Great Generals Win
- Tactical Capabilities of Medieval Weapon Systems
- An Arsenal of Magic Implements
- Machiavelli on Princedoms
- Perilous Journeys into the Mind
- Your Time Has a Limit Set to It
- Monastic Hospitality for Aristocratic Patrons
- Ten Uses for Cavalry
- Magicians as Intellectuals
- Slavery in the East
- Of Its Kind, the Last
