Lots of big Tolkien news this week for fans and gamers alike. Over on enworld.org, they ran a story this week titled "Middle-earth Comes to 5th Edition This Fall with Cubicle 7's Adventures In Middle-earth Player's Guide" here.
Also, on cubicle7.co.uk, you can get a bit more on the RPG from the horses mouth here.
Finally, on moviepilot.com, they tell us "The Silmarillion: Warner Bros. Multi-Film & TV Deal for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Classic!" Get the details on that here.
When I brought up Tolkien Reading Day on Friday, my buddy T.R. Knight (see his blog here) tweeted that he was "just starting to read 'The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings'" and shared a goodreads.com review link here so I looked into the book a bit further. I had heard of the Inklings and knew Tolkien and Lewis were members but not much more than that. It certainly looks like an interesting book that tabletoppers of many stripes would find enjoyable.
Of the other two Inklings mentioned on the cover of The Fellowship, Owen Barfield might be the better known because his daughter Lucy figured so prominently in the writing if C.S. Lewis. Lewis named one of his main characters after her and dedicated The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe to her:
My Dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say but I shall still be,
your affectionate Godfather,
C. S. Lewis.
Even more information can be had on Owen Barfield at barfieldsociety.org here.
However, more germane to tabletop gamers might be the work of Charles Williams. Like that of Tolkien and Lewis, he wrote some of his material in the fantasy genre. I haven't read anything by him but now that I am becoming more familiar, I plan to rectify that in the future. Some say Descent into Hell (1937) is his best work but after reading some summaries, I think I will start with his earlier Many Dimensions (1930) or maybe The Place of the Lion (1931). I'm going to dig around for some more information and reviews before I decide so if you know anything, let me know in a spoiler-free manner, please. Thanks!
Over on blogs.weta.org, "Get Your First Look at ‘Hollow Crown’ Sequel ‘The Wars of the Roses’" here. If you want to run the big RPG campaigns (of any genre or period), you could do a lot worse then to become familiar with The War of the Roses, particularly through Shakespeare.
Also, on mylifetime.com with your cable subscription, you can check out much of the "War & Peace" miniseries here. I caught some of it when it aired and it definitely captured the feel of a campaign that takes place over many years and miles. Plus, it has some excellent talent involved in it.
Finally, on the CGP Grey YouTube channel, check out "The Lord of the Rings Mythology Explained" in two parts. Enjoy!
Over on woodtv.com, they present how a 30-year-old Commodore Amiga still runs the heating and cooling systems for 19 Grand Rapids Public Schools, as it has continuously since being installed. Learn more here.
Also, have a look at the artwork available from Faixfax Prints the next time you might need some wall decor. From Frazetta to Tolkien and more, they all can be found here.
Finally, on pcgamer.com, find out "How GOG rescued 13 Forgotten Realms games from licensing hell" here.
It is with great sadness that I heard of the passing of Christopher Lee (May 27, 1922 – June 7, 2015). He was an actor who popped into the zeitgeekst in every decade in which he worked. One can look up the facts of his life and career on his Wiki page here or IMDb here, but The Telegraph is collecting reactions and tributes from all over here.
Over on amctv.com, folks can watch full episodes of The Walking Dead here.
Also, good news for cans of Continuum since it will get a final fourth season. Read more here.
Finally, on the Lonely Planet YouTube channel, Martin Freemandescribes his perfect day in Middle Earth, though he's really talking about New Zealand in code. Enjoy.
Over on Laughing Squid they told us about how a "Swedish 3D Artist Constructs the Fearsome Dragon Smaug From ‘The Hobbit’ Out of Gingerbread" here.
Also, over on geeksaresexy.net, there is a humorous comic showing "Skeletor and Friends Playing Dungeons and Dragons" here.
Finally, io9.com recently tipped us off here that on the on the Final Cut King YouTube channel there is a video showing "Indiana Bones - Raiders of the Lost Bark." Enjoy.
Over on the Christopher Winchester (The Esgaroth Three) YouTube channel, there is a recently uploaded music video titled "Dwarf On A Pig (Rather Have A Warg) - Hobbit spoof comedy song - BOFA funny." Enjoy.
Also, in case you missed it last weekend, when Martin Freeman was doing SNL they had a digital short on a mashup of The Hobbit and The Office. Enjoy.
Finally, over on Cracked, there is an animated feature somewhat erroneously titled "The Most Underappreciated Weapon in Video Games." Enjoy that here.
