tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729426730689288132024-02-07T05:39:02.844+00:00Weaving StoriesA blog about game design, writing stories and having fun. Thoughts, ideas, odd contraptions, diverse figments, entrancing phantasms, peculiar enigmas...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-5171301097747739902018-02-04T16:39:00.000+00:002018-02-04T16:39:29.333+00:00Two new blogsI have two new blogs.<br />
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<a href="https://functiontomymadness.blogspot.co.uk/">FUNCTION TO MY MADNESS</a> is a place for me blog about software development. It is mostly things that I have been working on in my current job. It should be interesting to other software developers.<br />
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<a href="https://ruinsofthenewworld.blogspot.co.uk/">Ruins of the New World</a> is a short-format blog (microblog?) recording the adventures of the Honourable Guild of Explorers and Reclaimers in our latest <a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/what-is-old-school-renaissance.html">OSR</a> sandbox D&D game. I may also explain various design choices I've made while GMing, but if anything gets to needing a longer form post it will appear here instead.<br />
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I hope you enjoy them!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-77871375224625480232017-12-29T18:06:00.001+00:002017-12-29T18:10:23.044+00:00Fire swamp of the whale<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyzA5y8srB2XouvZ3dps7EOENsOSQCA4Jh_MDANB8ggy8gAM1lQeRH5KN5xjlDQ4vXIR4MJKA-y3gdmUmm57hYe35FrjOZFZ6wDaCH6MqYKb2_AY0XJtqGUioHtMy4HaEgsraiTznHmKw/s1600/whale-skeleton.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="990" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyzA5y8srB2XouvZ3dps7EOENsOSQCA4Jh_MDANB8ggy8gAM1lQeRH5KN5xjlDQ4vXIR4MJKA-y3gdmUmm57hYe35FrjOZFZ6wDaCH6MqYKb2_AY0XJtqGUioHtMy4HaEgsraiTznHmKw/s400/whale-skeleton.png" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adapted from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue-Whale-Balaenoptera_musculus-NHM-2017-PNG-001.png">here</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://onesevendesign.com/breakers_wodu_turbo.pdf">Breakers: World of Dungeons</a> is a RPG by John Harper that pits modern-day wisecracking characters, armed with C4 and Hazmat suits and plenty of attitude, against classic fantasy dungeons. A dimensional rift opens, someone picks up the batphone, and the heroes for hire descend into a mash up of the local amusement arcade and the Dungeons of Morgoth. Or the Sydney Opera house fused with a dragon's lair. Or anything else! That's part of the joy of Breakers: The GM can just pick a real-world location well-known to their playgroup, grab a <a href="https://www.dungeoncontest.com/">one page dungeon</a> and away you go.<br>
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Despite this, for our second session, I decided to write my own adventure from scratch, and we enjoyed it enough that I've written it up here for you to use as well. May I present to you Fire Swamp of the Whale:<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2017/12/fire-swamp-of-whale.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-32606382575748198662017-10-06T18:53:00.004+01:002017-10-08T09:06:41.977+01:00Calling all Dawns<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXT-Z9Qc1F44gyNSQbX1I1Q8JeW92iRqC3V8fW8we16ES3STVIHN_R9NI21vfErxvHwleFfmNYKR2nRRS4kwb46VW5qPvhc3GGldbkQ97hKzxmywGIm9snFAqd5dghYVEDua7yfHlgSD5/s1600/Calling_All_Dawns_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXT-Z9Qc1F44gyNSQbX1I1Q8JeW92iRqC3V8fW8we16ES3STVIHN_R9NI21vfErxvHwleFfmNYKR2nRRS4kwb46VW5qPvhc3GGldbkQ97hKzxmywGIm9snFAqd5dghYVEDua7yfHlgSD5/s1600/Calling_All_Dawns_cover.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album cover, copyright Christopher Tin</td></tr>
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Calling all Dawns in an album by video game composer Christopher Tin. I first discovered it through the Grammy award winning track "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJiHDmyhE1A">Baba Yetu</a>", which is the title music for Civilization IV.<br>
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Each track on the album features lyrics from a different text in a different language, and the album melds diverse musical styles into the overall classical framework.<br>
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Looking around I could not find anywhere that collected all the different lyrics and their sources and meanings in one place. I started adding that information to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calling_All_Dawns">the Wikipedia article</a>, but it turns out that Wikipedia doesn't want to become a repository for song lyrics. So instead, I present them to you here. I hope you find them interesting.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2017/10/calling-all-dawns.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-42930805649181511212017-06-27T23:02:00.000+01:002017-06-27T23:02:42.141+01:00My favourite booksThese are not ordered within groups, but I like the books in the first group more than the ones in the second.<br />
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I have only allowed myself one entry per author. Some entries are a single book; others (marked with a †) are a trilogy or series that I'm treating as a single story.<br />
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<h2 id="best-of-the-best">
Best of the best</h2>
<ul>
<li><em>Earthsea</em>, by Ursula LeGuin</li>
<li><em>The Lord of the Rings</em>, by JRR Tolkien</li>
<li><em>Mistborn</em><i>†</i>, by Brandon Sanderson</li>
<li><em>The Curse of Chalion</em>, by Lois McMaster Bujold</li>
<li><em>Lankhmar</em>, by Fritz Leiber</li>
<li><em>Lirael</em> and <em>Abhorsen</em><i>†</i> by Garth Nix</li>
</ul>
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<h2 id="really-good">
Really good</h2>
<ul>
<li><em>Rivers of London</em><i>†</i>, by Ben Aaronovitch</li>
<li><em>Dresden Files</em><i>†</i>, by Jim Butcher</li>
<li><em>Dark Sun Rising</em><i>†</i>, by Celia Friedman</li>
<li><em>The Algebraist</em>, by Iain M Banks</li>
<li><em>Perdido Street Station</em>, by China Mieville</li>
<li><em>The Martian</em>, by Andy Weir</li>
<li><em>Lyonesse</em><i>†</i>, by Jack Vance</li>
<li><em>The Queen's Thief</em><i>†</i>, by Megan Whalen Turner</li>
<li><em>Thud!</em>, by Terry Pratchett</li>
<li><em>The Atrocity Archives</em>, by Charles Stross</li>
</ul>
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What are your favourite books? Can you recommend me a book based on what you now know of my tastes?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-63561335151115630892015-12-04T20:09:00.000+00:002015-12-05T11:09:38.549+00:00How you can play Prowl<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.4/jquery.min.js"></script>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2fNsmEfyFT8uhNHDfPKHFe4zognXmSe0MLbz-lgb69pCfDFQLCsd78GfC1YwvT4dj7Ktefk-Z2E7WGVXygO_xu4PqCDITp-WZCyDxcog0aG-G5enWZaHa0mR1GM4GsiQKhH8ZwPGVbmB/s640/banner.jpg" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%;" width="640"></div>
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I'm working on an independent game, currently titled Prowl. You can read more about the game <a href="http://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/12/prowl.html">here</a>. This blog post is about how you can play Prowl right now, and help me out by giving feedback on the game.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-you-can-play-prowl.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-68093857642552863932015-12-03T17:30:00.000+00:002015-12-05T11:02:48.002+00:00Prowl<div>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQK_70QbzjExX5DwMJGAD93jHBVeSajX6w9pATG_QbFGkg03fOSF9jpHfXVkxExmp0XgndOEWOlzISlIsFWBTcb4IJjkkLQGBMEa2vk3Is0mqjX-kzd40i9MtPzLIMnIK37JAbyWCeJrn/s1600/banner.jpg" style="border: 0; margin: 10px 0; padding: 0; width: 100%;"></div>
I've been working on my own video game for the last 10 months. For now, it's called Prowl, and it's a game about taking on the role of a giant alien spider, and hunting your friends down and eating them. Whilst laughing mercilessly. It's also a game about running around in circles in dark places, desperately gabbling to each other about the things rushing past you in the darkness, and working together as a team to defeat a terrifying opponent.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/12/prowl.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-60518216224340157162015-11-09T22:27:00.000+00:002015-11-11T21:34:20.774+00:00British Rail GothicThis may give you some context for what follows: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/regional-gothic">Regional Gothic meme</a>.<br>
<ul><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Upton_railway_station_at_night_(geograph_3800113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIl_R5vsF7JIt-H3sxkCn0o9ze9MImRoXBW6nNjkgQ08Apy0blL0QV9m3XiNNqHp4TVU3lK0lDdBBhIpCJ7ODo02kLppPDcrBaEBqFCnsPhG8fi2FVTsAeuyEEDQgrBwa1Uk33no8fFV12/s320/Upton_railway_station_at_night_%2528geograph_3800113%2529.jpg" width="320"></a>
<li>Your train terminates unexpectedly at Crewe. You get another train, which promises to get to your destination, but after an hour travelling through the dark you arrive back in Crewe again. The next train does the same, and the one after. There are no exits from the station, just more platforms, more trains glistening wetly in the rain.</li>
<li>The train stops in the tunnel and the lights go off. This happens every day, and every day, as you sit in the darkness, you can hear… scraping sounds on the roof of the train. Chitterings. Once, something banged into the window right behind you, and you heard a feral cry. You pretended not to notice. You all pretend not to notice.</li>
</ul><a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/11/british-rail-gothic.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-13971103084894393472015-08-02T09:23:00.002+01:002015-08-02T09:23:28.280+01:00TwitterI now have <a href="https://twitter.com/martinedeng/">a Twitter feed</a>. In the absence of blog posts here, you might find something interesting there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-38459794751376482042015-06-13T11:10:00.000+01:002015-06-13T11:16:09.874+01:00OMUK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCRXfhldUvNeBAdzNKFTpKmxBhI5-UIyDSnjqpQAHI2l6rXaCkgs2UyFdJzt3nLH4Mh0VkFBjUEqiTtvWU-G6oPd3hK32xOV2Cvi6esx6kzC2JhhKzw3Wys_BNsVHlpdxVyp_M5GaLEhi/s1600/s1-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCRXfhldUvNeBAdzNKFTpKmxBhI5-UIyDSnjqpQAHI2l6rXaCkgs2UyFdJzt3nLH4Mh0VkFBjUEqiTtvWU-G6oPd3hK32xOV2Cvi6esx6kzC2JhhKzw3Wys_BNsVHlpdxVyp_M5GaLEhi/s320/s1-21.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
<a href="http://omuk.com/">OMUK</a> are veterans of voice recording for video games. Based in London and founded in 1996, they have recorded voice for more than 600 games, including <i>The </i><i>Witcher</i>, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H5bmQeeKuE">The Book of Unwritten Tales</a></i>, and Telltale Game's <i><a href="https://youtu.be/piLVjzvF194?t=49s">Game of Thrones</a></i>. So when I and a dozen other indie game developers were invited to an evening at their studio I was surprised to discover how small an outfit they are.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/06/omuk-are-veterans-of-voice-recording.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-124045286570090202015-05-06T18:19:00.000+01:002015-05-07T16:01:14.821+01:00Automated testing in game development<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-dK6u9h7ETrWsVpwgBqzx4YfLlSopdrDkqsVgvLSPm6xB7cu-igA9_Ugj0pPCCh6IgAPViNMdlwppMdcDSO4y8zMCQdEugB2R8CQo3TrkqpftpoGPQYUlMUJivDNSgOlwS8C9p9gsaZx/s1600/screenshot-perspective.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-dK6u9h7ETrWsVpwgBqzx4YfLlSopdrDkqsVgvLSPm6xB7cu-igA9_Ugj0pPCCh6IgAPViNMdlwppMdcDSO4y8zMCQdEugB2R8CQo3TrkqpftpoGPQYUlMUJivDNSgOlwS8C9p9gsaZx/s320/screenshot-perspective.png" width="320" style="background: none;"></a></div>
Automated testing in game development is practiced by some companies, but it is, to my knowledge, not common and not discussed much on the web. I am attempting to apply my four years of experience as a developer at <a href="http://www.lshift.net/">LShift</a>, which is not a games company, to my new life as an indie game developer.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/05/automated-testing-in-game-development.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-56567346876990743902015-01-19T19:27:00.000+00:002015-01-19T19:27:01.493+00:00Neverending backpack: A hack of Doctor Magnethands<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIaQmk_I6Wj7wQgDC3w_H8sUo3mM-hfbXjA4oSDoCGuzrd5wr8hWXIeHgg_mrAesc0lNFA0IMMA7dZFK36tTL4i16Pe_r670CI01DzuARGCObhl9qSCoMgRNCg2bonpfYT0DJbX41DqaS/s1600/Doctor+magnethands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIaQmk_I6Wj7wQgDC3w_H8sUo3mM-hfbXjA4oSDoCGuzrd5wr8hWXIeHgg_mrAesc0lNFA0IMMA7dZFK36tTL4i16Pe_r670CI01DzuARGCObhl9qSCoMgRNCg2bonpfYT0DJbX41DqaS/s1600/Doctor+magnethands.jpg" height="200" width="156"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px;">My own work. Source images: </span><a href="http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/store/004477.php" style="background-color: white; color: #993222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px; text-decoration: none;">This lab coat</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px;"> from</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #993222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px; text-decoration: none;">Gentleman's Emporium</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px;">, used with permission, and </span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/explainthatstuff/8047651668/" style="background-color: white; color: #993222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px; text-decoration: none;">this magnet</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16.2288017272949px;">, used under licence.</span></span></td></tr>
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I have <a href="http://weaving-stories.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/doctor-magnethands.html">previously written</a> about <a href="http://lookrobot.co.uk/doctor-magnethands/">Doctor Magnethands</a>, a light-hearted party-game/story-game where a band of heroes try to stop the Doctor from destroying "the earth by firing his radioactive rocket castle on the moon into the White House on Christmas Eve".<br>
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I was asked to run Doctor Magnethands for a friend's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_party">stag party</a> by the best man. He sent around an email which pitched the game as Jon (the stag) trying to rescue his kidnapped bride-to-be and the rest of us trying to stop him. That's a little different from the original game. In fact, it is inverted - instead of a single GM (Doctor Magnethands) presenting challenges for the rest of the group to overcome, it is one player overcoming challenges set by the rest of the group. Here is how I made it work.<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2015/01/neverending-backpack-hack-of-doctor.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-5807473573741851652014-05-29T22:02:00.000+01:002015-04-20T16:41:19.448+01:00What is the "Old School Renaissance"?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AmhhFBRuJskX7Um0Pze22eszvu4aYbEdopNEOeKLFaNHbI9uhPLHV6ojFZsTDI4LmWSmCJVJkU__oQCHyASkAElojUx_qdYEsON8RNOlMHwUOiAi9mSI43SxU299wrxngS5cLoMsZj01/s1600/temple-of-illhan-level-1-smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AmhhFBRuJskX7Um0Pze22eszvu4aYbEdopNEOeKLFaNHbI9uhPLHV6ojFZsTDI4LmWSmCJVJkU__oQCHyASkAElojUx_qdYEsON8RNOlMHwUOiAi9mSI43SxU299wrxngS5cLoMsZj01/s1600/temple-of-illhan-level-1-smaller.jpg" height="275"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/friday-map-return-to-the-temple-of-illhan-part-1/">Return to The Temple of Illhan</a></h3>
<div>
Copyright Dyson Logos. Used under <a href="http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/about/copyright/">these terms</a>.</div>
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The Old School Renaissance, or OSR for short, is about playing and re-interpreting the original editions of Dungeons & Dragons which were released in the 70s and 80s. I have become very interested in OSR D&D in the last few months, and I am now running a campaign with some friends. I want to write about our game here on my blog. However, not everyone is familiar with this kind of game - this has certainly all been new to me in the last few months. So in this post I'll sketch out the nature of the game and in future posts I'll go into more detail.<br>
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First of all, I would like to thank <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Eero+Tuovinen">Eero Tuovinen</a> for his writing on this topic, and in answering the questions I posed to him.<br>
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There are many different views on what OSR means. What follows is just a description of the kind of game that I mean when I say "OSR".<br>
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<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-is-old-school-renaissance.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-7458723086386189932014-05-17T09:11:00.001+01:002014-05-18T14:55:08.447+01:00Help John Harper make more great, free games<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcE40QIZCGgt5PwUs9oApln-7lkSlqaiFpkpcnyA40KYx91Ae4rZ4Nryi8k8zX337XimVZ9RACVBQF1nnfXSnHBh6hCRf4t9iFMamEAj-MhyphenhyphenySgXZnY7PdpIXZnzEqhdoH7cnFtuAwTPfA/s1600/the+owl+lady+blackbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcE40QIZCGgt5PwUs9oApln-7lkSlqaiFpkpcnyA40KYx91Ae4rZ4Nryi8k8zX337XimVZ9RACVBQF1nnfXSnHBh6hCRf4t9iFMamEAj-MhyphenhyphenySgXZnY7PdpIXZnzEqhdoH7cnFtuAwTPfA/s1600/the+owl+lady+blackbird.jpg" height="225" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
The Owl, from <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/">Lady Blackbird</a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/">John Harper</a> is the author of, among others, <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird">Lady Blackbird</a>, <a href="http://www.dangerpatrol.com/">Danger Patrol</a>, <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ghostlines">Ghost Lines</a>, <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/ghostecho">Ghost/Echo</a>, and <a href="http://www.onesevendesign.com/laserfeelings">Lasers and Feelings</a>. He made all these free games while working at his day job, and most of his games are Creative Commons licensed, meaning they are free to play, remix and share. He wants to spend more time making great, free games, and so he has launched <a href="http://www.patreon.com/johnharper?rf=164140">a Patreon</a> to get some finance.<br>
<br>
What is a Patreon, you say? Patreon is a crowdfunding platform. Unlike Kickstarter, which is about getting a big pile of capital for a single project, Patreon allows you to pledge some money - $1, $5, $100 - to the creator, every time they release something. You do this because you trust that you will enjoy and appreciate most things this author creates, or just because you want to support them. You can cap your monthly payments, so if the author goes on a publishing spree and makes ten things in one month, you don't pay loads of money unexpectedly.<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/05/help-john-harper-make-more-great-games.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-4678334173212731032014-03-28T14:28:00.000+00:002014-06-05T11:25:01.299+01:00Doctor Magnethands!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rdTUmYpVgQpRuAydFTcnjmKOIAzRapvaPPbbx0hquTAtAF7dzs2L7GFnYIRTDW_wuk_HEX_XxZPvQeJNJ6hIdalzacndjkaObp5tiatkHuqZ99KzYyPm0LFCqPY-4gtjJYRKVkO7I2Jq/s1600/Doctor+magnethands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rdTUmYpVgQpRuAydFTcnjmKOIAzRapvaPPbbx0hquTAtAF7dzs2L7GFnYIRTDW_wuk_HEX_XxZPvQeJNJ6hIdalzacndjkaObp5tiatkHuqZ99KzYyPm0LFCqPY-4gtjJYRKVkO7I2Jq/s1600/Doctor+magnethands.jpg" height="320" width="250"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own work. Source images: <a href="http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/store/004477.php">This lab coat</a> from <br>
<a href="http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/">Gentleman's Emporium</a>, used with permission, and <br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/explainthatstuff/8047651668/">this magnet</a>, used under licence.</td></tr>
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Yesterday evening we played <a href="http://lookrobot.co.uk/doctor-magnethands/">Doctor Magnethands</a> which is a... thing. I mean, I guess it's technically a story game, but it's much too silly to deserve that title.<br>
<br>
"In this game, you'll play superheroes who must defeat Doctor Magnethands as he prepares to destroy the earth by firing his radioactive rocket castle on the moon into the White House on Christmas Eve! Yeah! Because shut up, that's why!"<br>
<br>
This is a silly game that is designed to be played by drunk people. The rules says "get drunk before you even think about playing this stupid game, and don't stop drinking until after you've finished" but we played whilst completely sober and had a great, side-splitting time. I guess we're just too daft as a group to need alcohol to be extremely ridiculous.<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/03/doctor-magnethands.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-19587029053012265112014-03-11T13:48:00.000+00:002014-06-05T12:58:34.486+01:00Intrepid: The Shattered Light<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJqDrwFUHZ_V27pwQrSDiORfrcb2Unq6BVPJLiUX3rpDsr3N90qOmwAvgUrxi62PywgZZkuhZuhcNzUwXlpxQvbpQs3Wl30nXOiHAwIlqbKtbwKt0jFnZJmXaO8OTOZKZdS2W_bLqyebF/s1600/Geographical+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJqDrwFUHZ_V27pwQrSDiORfrcb2Unq6BVPJLiUX3rpDsr3N90qOmwAvgUrxi62PywgZZkuhZuhcNzUwXlpxQvbpQs3Wl30nXOiHAwIlqbKtbwKt0jFnZJmXaO8OTOZKZdS2W_bLqyebF/s1600/Geographical+map.jpg" height="320" width="226"></a><a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/121044/Intrepid-A-Storytelling-Adventure">Intrepid</a> is a story telling adventure game. You and your friends quickly create an oracle of a setting backdrop, character names, place names, important themes, factions and quests. Then, following simple but powerful rules, you improvise from that basis to create exciting adventure stories. It's really fun, and you can play a whole game in an afternoon.<br>
<br>
Both games I have played have been buckets of fun. In the first we told the stories of the race for a lost city in a desert filled with sand ships and strange monstrous witches. The denouement tied together story threads that we had never planned to be related into a satisfying whole that suggested the magic of that world went deeper than we had expected. Plus, I got to play a nomadic sand-ship pirate who was made of pure awesome.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/03/intrepid-shattered-light.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-91998972966520085062014-01-22T17:04:00.000+00:002014-06-05T13:00:19.506+01:00Free indie games: Part 3<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi5lelsfUs0dchkk0rpFCWLgkO6qQBGdz0tW8RDGimul8Nkw67CO3K0DS9mId69mBNKkoEN-p5z6eLOt4qb7KkHI8LjpHyS3hlGnyUQbGZ7VVNWcNoMvGWwWGt9gXSNyy_94DDV264a4w/s1600/knytt-02-water.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi5lelsfUs0dchkk0rpFCWLgkO6qQBGdz0tW8RDGimul8Nkw67CO3K0DS9mId69mBNKkoEN-p5z6eLOt4qb7KkHI8LjpHyS3hlGnyUQbGZ7VVNWcNoMvGWwWGt9gXSNyy_94DDV264a4w/s1600/knytt-02-water.png" height="127" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Knytt</h3>
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I have been sitting on these games for a while, depriving you of them, for which I apologise. Here are five more short, free games made by small teams or individual developers that I am happy to recommend to you. Please read, play, and let me know in the comments what you think of these games.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/01/free-indie-games-part-3.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-27637547115071543272014-01-08T00:00:00.000+00:002014-01-08T00:00:03.793+00:00Wizards who dream<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Zoje1j-RHakxe-PKM3i4GQaLbpbm9jgp-ztrZRjwMT15p5pBHUTiAB-R7vv7qjaGkjYRh46FGojbx7Suhv0sIQZ2Ss5BALIOR7rnMcn6yg0bX0R1Mx_ENW4iPXt_XkhW1OtiD2ZkX1j/s1600/Cascade_by_Arrowfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0Zoje1j-RHakxe-PKM3i4GQaLbpbm9jgp-ztrZRjwMT15p5pBHUTiAB-R7vv7qjaGkjYRh46FGojbx7Suhv0sIQZ2Ss5BALIOR7rnMcn6yg0bX0R1Mx_ENW4iPXt_XkhW1OtiD2ZkX1j/s320/Cascade_by_Arrowfire.jpg" width="300"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="http://arrowfire.deviantart.com/art/Cascade-85987484">Cascade</a> by <a href="http://arrowfire.deviantart.com/">Arrowfire</a></h3>
<div>
Used with permission</div>
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The man blinked, rolled over, and stood up, gathering his blue robes around him. He found himself by a pool of water, deep in a forest he had never seen before. He reached out with his magical senses even as he began to slowly turn and survey the ancient trees. Using those senses always reminded him of the time he had first begun to learn them, in another world, in another body. Then he had been called... but names never lasted when he woke up.<br>
<br>
His eyes showed him an ancient, thickly entwined forest, darkened by the thick canopy. Only the clearing he now stood in was lit by sunlight, which some part of his brain whispered<br>
<i>(two suns)</i><br>
wasn't quite normal. But already, he was adjusting to this new place, his instincts changing to match this world.<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2014/01/wizards-who-dream.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-70872245917370776232013-12-24T15:32:00.002+00:002013-12-24T15:57:43.496+00:00Can I use castles in my story?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVi_pLCnrTQhiKJcAl8Dz33LhzH1nhQCEq41__Jk7QNtnt0J39us_FdQNFQLKFXSBtbOe10kQCDf3boqNSrdmnbhnXgqHyUHMFQepWQoPmM_GodPYjz3EvvBEAHXwPuwdb3F_9sB0bzQ72/s1600/Pdametz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVi_pLCnrTQhiKJcAl8Dz33LhzH1nhQCEq41__Jk7QNtnt0J39us_FdQNFQLKFXSBtbOe10kQCDf3boqNSrdmnbhnXgqHyUHMFQepWQoPmM_GodPYjz3EvvBEAHXwPuwdb3F_9sB0bzQ72/s320/Pdametz.JPG"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
13th Century, Metz, France</h3>
Used with permission from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pdametz.JPG">here</a></td></tr>
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In <a href="http://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/10/aged-chemical-keep.html">Aged Chemical Keep</a> I talked about an imaginary, post-apocalyptic future where the survivors huddle in concrete castles, fighting off other tribes that want the security they offer. But is there any place for castles in a world that has modern explosives? Surprisingly, the answer seems to be yes. This post should be helpful to you if you are thinking of creating a world with defensive structures with weaponry more powerful than that of traditional medieval fantasy.<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/12/can-i-use-castles-in-my-story.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-65311562334096338462013-12-02T12:26:00.001+00:002015-12-07T16:19:52.144+00:00Game prototype ready to play!Over my sabbatical I've been working on a small game project, which I briefly mentioned in <a href="http://weaving-stories.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/what-setting-should-i-choose-for-my.html">a previous post</a>. It is a currently untitled top-down action/exploration/horror game. In this prototype you get a little taste of what the game might be like.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTj6sfitG6uOa9kPtuyqE1c_h1pqN2Okwbk50jIYwFSEjvlpSvZL8oCwuLitmEsWE0B7rdNgXQCXGpCvgiTeXfugjnJEM76EhuTyWMUP-Qa-FjYLzHhs8gLPbxRIdwrinzzik03eOjYdH/s1600/screenshot-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTj6sfitG6uOa9kPtuyqE1c_h1pqN2Okwbk50jIYwFSEjvlpSvZL8oCwuLitmEsWE0B7rdNgXQCXGpCvgiTeXfugjnJEM76EhuTyWMUP-Qa-FjYLzHhs8gLPbxRIdwrinzzik03eOjYdH/s640/screenshot-5.png" width="640"></a><br>
<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/12/game-prototype-ready-to-play.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-32875596780162352182013-10-22T16:01:00.000+01:002013-10-22T16:02:37.859+01:00What setting should I choose for my action game?I currently have more time than usual to work on game design. So, typically, I've been plunged into a dry spell creativity-wise. After a couple of weeks not making much progress, I decided to try a new strategy: To make a very conventional game. It's not very original, but it will still be a challenge to make it good, and it can still be fun to play.<br>
<br>
So I decided to make an action game of the traditional sort - running around shooting enemies. Since then I have had some neat ideas that I may talk about in a future post.<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-setting-should-i-choose-for-my.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-47253498784627355942013-10-17T22:13:00.000+01:002014-05-13T13:18:47.937+01:00Aged chemical keep<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQrVy0dVqasbvK-BG12-5-Q4Mk7XYPkALQKQPQcI-6PfN_WEbcZrSWPli_xCeNDLFQ9JZhyEBszSAlz0JB-p_cmmmtO0ThnFAkvTlIeG4HcnCJgYBwjnabME7F-QE9zL-HlyUv9yaNFKJ/s1600/Charlottesville+coal+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQrVy0dVqasbvK-BG12-5-Q4Mk7XYPkALQKQPQcI-6PfN_WEbcZrSWPli_xCeNDLFQ9JZhyEBszSAlz0JB-p_cmmmtO0ThnFAkvTlIeG4HcnCJgYBwjnabME7F-QE9zL-HlyUv9yaNFKJ/s1600/Charlottesville+coal+tower.jpg" height="320" width="207"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
Charlottesville Coal Tower</h3>
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Modified under licence from <a href="https://flic.kr/p/bZkonW">here</a>.</div>
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After the Green Year the war was over, with uncounted dead. Hostility between nations was finished, just as the nations were, but hostility between people has survived. The remaining humans have gathered together into communities, fighting against others to live, squabbling for now precious resources - clean water, air, and food.<br>
<br>
There are countless dangers - the atmosphere was seeded with pockets of poisonous gases that drift through unpredictably or settle into hollows invisibly. The biological weapons, now freed of any tenuous constraints they might have once had, breed and mutate, giving rise to thousands of ingenious horrors. Engineered vampires stalk the lands, obeying the loose prerogatives programmed in by biochemists years before. Vast snake-worms burrow through the churned mud, swallowing people whole. And any human you meet may be more dangerous still, toting guns, chemical grenades, and a will to live at your expense.<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/10/aged-chemical-keep.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-82187183720450896282013-09-17T10:12:00.000+01:002013-10-18T17:39:39.874+01:00A second game of Doomed PilgrimSee <a href="http://weaving-stories.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/lets-play-doomed-pilgrim-in-ruins-of.html">the first game</a>.<br>
<br>
I'm a warrior seeking peace and an end to bloodshed. I'm on a pilgrimage to the Temple to No Gods in the distant City of Gulls. My pilgrimage has brought me to the Ragged Forest, inhabited by a coven of infamous and evil witches. My goal is to pass safely through and continue my pilgrimage.<br>
<br>
You, my friends online, play the world. Your goal is to see me to my doom, instead of safely on my way. You're allowed only to directly answer my direct questions, though, so you might not be able to do it.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-second-game-of-doomed-pilgrim.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-51033883940681946342013-08-27T13:35:00.000+01:002013-10-18T17:39:53.514+01:00Let's Play: A Doomed Pilgrim in the Ruins of the FutureI recently bought <a href="http://nightskygames.com/welcome/game/TheSunderedLand">The Sundered Land</a>, a set of 5 nano-games by Vincent Baker. One of them is <i>A Doomed Pilgrim in the Ruins of the Future</i>. It's designed to be played online in a forum or other similar setting - like a blog post. So here goes! Please leave discussion of the game to a future post I will create - this post's comments are just for playing the game.<br>
<br>
I'm a warrior seeking peace and an end to bloodshed. I'm on a pilgrimage to the Temple to No Gods in the distant City of Gulls. My pilgrimage has brought me to the Desert of Spires, inhabited by the dying war machines of two long-ago armies. My goal is to pass safely through and continue my pilgrimage.<br>
<br>
You, my friends online, play the world. Your goal is to see me to my doom, instead of safely on my way. You're allowed only to directly answer my direct questions, though, so you might not be able to do it.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/08/lets-play-doomed-pilgrim-in-ruins-of.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-88806799192264402332013-08-16T17:44:00.000+01:002013-12-24T12:26:46.217+00:00How to do a Secret Santa so that no one gets their own name?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.breconbeacons.org/">Brecon Beacons</a> national park</td></tr>
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Last summer I went on holiday with some friends, and we decided to go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay-on-Wye">Hay-on-Wye</a>, the famous town of books. We thought it would be fun to do a Secret Santa while we were there - each of us would buy a book secretly for someone else and at the end of the day we would give them to each other. But how to choose who would buy for whom?<br>
<br>
If you have thought about this recently, you probably will have started with just drawing names from a hat, but quickly realized the problem: What to do when someone draws their own name? <br>
<a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-do-secret-santa-so-that-no-one.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72942673068928813.post-44021218154770474322013-08-04T20:28:00.000+01:002015-11-23T14:36:37.740+00:00The tortoises of Torléda<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX141206" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
A concept sketch of a giant turtle</h3>
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Author unknown; found <a href="http://monstersandbeasts.blogspot.co.uk/">here</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">In the dusty city of </span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX141206" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Torléda</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, down by Sideways Sea, the Old Tortoises walk. As big as</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">house</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, and older than the city, they continue their steady migrations along the Tortoise Roads they have worn over hundreds of years. </span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX141206" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">T</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX141206" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">orléda</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> grew up around the</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">se paths.</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> T</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">he avenues through which the tortoises walk are wide channels through an</span><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> otherwise crowded and built up city.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="TextRun SCX141206" style="line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Someone discovered that the great shiny brown carapaces hold paint well. At first notorious artists decorated the shells with hastily drawn works of art, which paraded through the streets with the tortoises. Then some enterprising souls began to sell advertising space and soon slogans, political graffiti and indecipherable swirls of paint adorned the massive creatures. By the next time the tortoises enter town - perhaps decades later - their shells are clean again - ready to be painted anew.</span></span></div>
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</div></div><a href="https://weaving-stories.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-tortoises-of-torleda.html#more">Read more »</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2