Melancholy

Whenever my wife leaves town, I tend to get very melancholic (as in "Pensive reflection or contemplation," not anything having to do with black bile). I'm not sure why; I don't really get sad (well, I do in the sense that my wife isn't around and I miss her), but I defintely become more subdued, introspective, and I listen to music that matches my mood. I also find I tend to be in a writing mood (for fiction, not games) when this happens. I think it may have something to do with the fact that, once upon a time, I did most of my fiction writing when I was sad or depressed about something or other (most often girls), so it's kinda stuck in my wiring. I didn't do any writing over the weekend, though, but I did listen to some great melancholic music, including a new song by Daughter Darling called Colorblind (click to see the video), which was just perfect for my mood over the weekend.

Gotta go now to pick up my wife at the airport. :-)

[HMP Press] From Stone to Steel Released on PDF

FROM STONE TO STEEL RELEASED ON PDF
Massive encyclopedia of weapons and armors for d20 gains new life in electronic edition.

July 28, 2005 - Miami Beach, FL: From Stone to Steel, MonkeyGod Enterprises' 350+ page encyclopedia of weaponry and armor, has been released in an electronic edition by Highmoon Media Productions. The book, which was originally released in 2003 in a deluxe hardcover edition, chronicles the development of weapons and armor from the stone age, all the way to the Renaissance, with an eye towards cultures all across the globe.

Though From Stone to Steel is still available in print, it has become hard to find, and fans have been clamoring for an electronic version for years now. Through the former MonkeyGod Enterprises' partnership with Highmoon Media Productions, this wish is now a reality. The PDF edition of From Stone to Steel is 352 pages long, and is fully bookmarked for ease of use. "From the moment we partnered with MonkeyGod, this has been the book we have been wanting to release on PDF," said Highmoon Media Productions' owner, Daniel M. Perez "It is just such a massive resource for d20 players, and will appeal to anyone interested in the history and development of weapons and armors through the ages. Simply a magnificent book."

From Stone to Steel can be purchased today from DriveThruRPG.com, e23, and RPGNow.com.

Product Details:
From the dawn of history, mankind has made war. In every age and civilization, people have developed tools of warfare. From the remotest primitive tribe to the greatest empire, every culture has created weapons for hunting, protection, conflict, and defenses against the same. The record of history measures their successes and failures. No campaign world could ever hope to be as varied and diverse as our own. Despite fantastic races and locations, every fantasy world recycles themes mirrored in our own histories, myths, and culture. But many cultures go unnoticed or un-examined in role playing games. Many games become limited by our narrow views of what fantasy is, and can be. No longer.

'From Stone to Steel' is a book of weaponry and armor, but it is also an examination of history and cultures. From age to age, every culture has approached similar ends and concepts with its own unique perspective. 'From Stone to Steel' is not a simple list of items, but an explanation of their use, their cultural significance, even their drawbacks. Besides weapons and armor, 'From Stone to Steel' contains new feats, new subskills, new prestige classes, and new mechanics. Through each chapter, topics like tactics, special materials, training, and culture are discussed, so that they can be understood and placed in any campaign world. And though these items are based in history, suggestions are made for their inclusion in fantasy world. You'll even find items of myth, fantastic construction materials, new spells to augment weapons and armor, even inclusion of fantasy racial items (based, where possible, on myth or legend).

From stone-age primitives to the height of the Renaissance, history is in your hands. From 'Stone to Steel' - Never look at d20 gaming the same way again!

Written by: Aaron Stimson
Cover by: Allan Pollack
Artwork by: Jim Branch, Fred Rawles
Pages: 352, Fully Bookmarked.

What People Are Saying:
Not merely a catalog from which PCs can shop, From Stone to Steel presents the cultural, social, and psychological backgrounds from whence the weapons came. Illustrations and detailed descriptions help understand the equipment and its use. Tactics and the art of warfare as waged by different civilizations allow the GM and players the opportunity to truly customize the world and/or characters. [...] This would very likely be the last book about arms and armor you’d ever need to buy.
-- Mortality.net

From Stone to Steel does an excellent job in its coverage. [...] For weapons and armor, it's superior to WotC's Equipment Guide, Mongoose's Ultimate Equipment Guide, Fast Forward Games' Encyclopedia of Weaponry and Bastion Press' Arms & Armor.
-- Joe G. Kushner, ENWorld.org

Amazing piece of work. It's not really a d20 supplement at heart, it's someone's history book about ancient arms and armor, with some stats added in.
-- M. Jason Parent, Owner - E.N. Publishing

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For more information, please contact Highmoon Media Productions at info@highmoonmedia.com or visit our website at http://www.highmoonmedia.com/

Daniel M. Perez
Highmoon Media Productions
http://www.highmoonmedia.com/

Products available at: Digital Book Booth, DriveThruRPG.com, e23, RPGnow.com

New Book and New Project

My wife finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night (amid a sea of gasps and "Oh, no!"s) so as of today it is MINE! I'm already on Chapter 4 and loving it.

Also, I just started a new blog for my Destination: Earth Travel Store. The (aptly named) Destination: Earth Travel Blog can be found here and eventually through the store's website as well (which is almost done, I just need to resolve some domain and hosting issues). The idea is to use the blog as a marketing tool, with regular travel-related posts that link back to my store plus provide useful info for visitors.

Highmoon released a new product yesterday, but you can read about that below. :-)

[HMP] MonkeyGod Presents: Black Ice Well Released

Buried deep beneath the earth, beyond the haunted and malign forest known as the Wormwood, lies Black Ice Well. Once a temple devoted to the Sajaith demon clan, the Well is now a cold and haunted tomb, rumored to be replete with mutant brood and undead horrors. But the greatest terror of the Well is not what guards it, but what they are protecting -- the cremated remains of Shae Mora, the dreaded and legendary vampire dragon who once terrorized an entire Empire.

Now, the secret of what transformed the Well to its current state is about to be revealed. Sammael Mezias Craven, a dark wizard of vast power and endless ambition, has uncovered an artifact that will allow him to take control of Shae Mora's liquid remains, the Blood Ice, which legend states still holds potent remains of her vast power. If he is not stopped, Craven's actions will bring terror and destruction to the surrounding lands, and perhaps the world at large. Only a band of the most stalwart and capable heroes stand a chance of preventing this from happening, and to do so they will be forced to travel to the edge of madness. And beyond...

Black Ice Well is a d20 fantasy adventure for 13th- or 14th-level characters.

Written by: Steve Montano
Cover by: William O'Connor
Artwork by: William O'Connor
Fully Bookmarked

Black Ice Well is available from DriveThruRPG.com and RPGnow.com.

Sad Day

Earlier today I got a call from my Mom, who's visiting my sister in Orlando. Her brother Jorge died this morning in Ponce, Puerto Rico, at the age of 63. He had been quite sick for a long time with a variety of ailments which, we believe, he simply did not wish to be treated for. Apparently he died in his sleep after a nice bath at the hospital. I wasn't incredibly close to my uncle, but nevertheless I am saddened by his parting. The one consolation is that, wherever he is now, he is at least not burdened by his ailing body anymore. May his soul speedily find its way to G-d.

There's been a lot of death around me lately, including two in the family in the last month alone, one the very same day my new nephew was born.

It's that time of the year. Rosh Hashanah is close.

Potter Potter Potter Potter Potter... Weasley Weasley!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out tonight and I am STOKED! I'm wearing my Hogwarts t-shirt today, and reviewing the saga up to now in my head. Tomorrow night we're going to Borders first thing after Shabbat ends to pick up our copy of Half-Blood Prince and off to Potter-land we go!!!

DSL!!!

I have joined the 21st Century finally. Two nights ago the DSL self-install kit arrived, and after about an hour of tinkering with the cables, filters and wireless router, we had glorious DSL in our house!

I am so excited. Bonus: the laptop I bought for my wife (of which she knew nothing about) also arrived that same day, meaning we are now both happy and online at the same time, downloading stuff at speeds only dreamed of last week via dial-up while our phone line is always open.

I love technology. :-)

Lessons From eBay

Big lesson I just learned from dealing on eBay: calculate correctly ALL shipping charges involved or you'll lose money.

Both my Vampire mugs sold for $5. I added a $1 shipping and handling charge and let the buyer calculate postage based on their location. I, however, forgot to add the cost of the box in which I would ship the mugs, which means that, at the end of the day, out of $14.84 for both mugs, after everyone took their cut and shipping was done with, I only made $7.24, or $3.62 per mug, which is not a lot. Of course, this is hoping that I calculated the parcels' weight correctly!

Not bad, but I can do better. I just rarely use eBay, and normally it's for books, for which the boxes are free. Lesson learned.

The Neverending Fall

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A Prayer

My and my family's thoughts and prayers are with all the affected people in London. May G-d help them cope with this disaster, and may He bring us all peace.

That said, I hope they catch these fuckers responsible for the attack and drop them in Texas.

When will this all end...

Ongoing Auction - Vampire Coffee Mug

One of the Vampire coffee mugs did not sell, so I've relisted it.

Vampire Coffee Mug

Sometimes it amazes me that people actually make livings out of selling on eBay. I always have such a hard time.