Monday, March 10, 2008

Savage Worlds...

Savage Worlds
http://www.peginc.com/
http://savagepedia.wikispaces.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Worlds

We have been playing a new RPG mechanics that is described as being fast and furious and that has several game variants. We have tried the standard Savage Worlds and also have a couple of different campaigns running:

Rippers – Set in an alternative Victorian world where the stories are true and Frankenstein, Van Hellsing, Jeckle and Hyde, Dracula are not just fictional and an organisation called the Rippers exists to capture the beasts that threaten society. My character is a slightly dark academic called Professor Modecai Grey.

Necessary Evil – This is and anti-superhero game where vicious aliens have conquered an alternative earth and have wiped out all of the superheroes leaving the population at their mercy. In this game you play super-villains that band together to defeat the aliens and take back the earth for their own ends. I play a super powered thief called PolterHeist who can turn invisible and intangible.

More of wot I have heard…

Seasick Steve – Dog House Music
Heard first on the Jules Holland late night music show, this artist is both visually and musically surprising. Looking like a time weary hobo and playing a guitar that looks like it came from a busker Seasick Steve manages to bring his version of southern USA blues to life in an amazing way.

Various Artists - The Imagined Village
We saw this folk super-group at last years WOMAD festival where they were performing their updated retelling of traditional tales in a very entertaining and moving way.

Ian Dury – New Boots and Panties
I heard this album again recently at a friends house and was reminded of just how good it was with the poetic lyrics of Dury and the driving rhythms of the Blockheads I just had to go out and get a copy.

Seth Lakeman – Freedom Fields
Another artist we saw at WOMAD he has been leading the charge for the new breed of musicians that are bring the traditions of folk singing up to date and to a new audience.

Bram Taylor –Song Singer
This was freebee album that we picked up when we were at our local folk club recently and is not someone I had heard of before.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Not a pairing that many people would have thought of but they manage to make some wonderful music together and I find personally that where I wouldn’t buy their solo stuff as a duo they are so much better.

The Fratellis - Costello Music
Good party music with more than a few catchy songs in it this album is lively and entertaining.

Feist – Let it Die
Moody and eccentric this artist has some beautiful gems in this quirky album.

More of wot I have seen…

Since we have got a new PVR we have been recording various TV programs instead of watching them live. We are currently into a few shows such as:

Shameless
This is a wonderful tragic comedy about no-hope families living in a dead-end council estate world as they struggle with life. Superbly scripted and acted the often poignant storylines that tug at the heart even as you laugh out loud.

Jericho
This is a bit of a sleeper series that I caught by accident and am now hooked on. A small-town America backwater is spared from nuclear apocalypse and must now struggle to come to terms with what happened as it struggles for survival. Refugees, villains, heroes and mystery and intrigue all drift towards the town with dramatic results.

Torchwood
More adult than it’s parent show Dr Who and with more than a hint of cheese this show is not every bodies cup of tea, but I think it is a nice turn in escapism with a slightly risqué edge.

30 Rock
A good sit-com from the US set in a film studio located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It has a sharp and bouncy script with wonderfully quirky characters that rattle along from gag to gag.

The Last Enemy
A gritty and dark mystery that plays on the fears of many a British citizen in this current climate of terror where it sometime feels like it is hard to identify the good guys from the bad and everybody is out to get you.

Dexter
An odd-ball show that makes you think about your own perceptions between right and wrong as you find yourself becoming sympathetic with the serial killer title character.

Ashes to Ashes
Having missed the boat with the previous Life on Mars show we were intrigued at the hype surrounding this latest incarnation and found that we were not disappointed. Nostalgic and ironic the show is lively and entertaining with some great over-the-top acting that suits it perfectly.

Lark Rise to Candleford
You know you are getting to an age when you enjoy a costume drama where nothing much happens. Great costumes, sets and delightful acting make this show a pleasant breath of fresh country air.

and now for something completely different...

The Palace
What were they think of as they made this series? In a bizarre alternative world where the British monarchy is full of corny stereotypes this so-called drama is a bit of a train-wreck and as such we found it morbidly fascinating viewing. I just can’t believe they were being serious.