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Tolkienesque fantasy is fairly easy to come by in PBP/PBeM forms, but I’m seeking something with a different bent: barbaric swords-and-sorcery.

What exactly do I mean? Well….

Mighty-thewed warriors armored with leather, wielding steel in the frozen northlands. Mages drawing power from the eldritch dark. Great battles that make the heavens shudder with their savagery. Dark-eyed maidens of uncommon beauty. Sun-blasted deserts full of secrets. Deep jungles that have swallowed civilizations. Ancient, alien god-beings and the cults which worship them.

Despite its wide popularity as a tabletop gaming engine, something like d20 doesn’t lend itself well to asynchronous play, so ideally we would utilize a system like Wushu (diceless variant) or, if a random element must be introduced, Broadsword. Both are cheap to buy and easy to use.

Inspiration can be drawn from a variety of sources, from the seminal Robert E. Howard stories of Conan, Kull, et al., to more lowbrow (but still fun) fare like the related Italian genre entries of the mid-’80s. In fact, a good time might be better had by all if any game tends to fall more toward the latter end of that particular spectrum.

Ideally we’d proceed at a three- or four-times-a-week pace for a few months before wrapping up a close-ended scenario. I’m open to something longer, but that will depend largely upon the success of the first installment.

[cross-posted to PBeM2]

Thank you for joining me in my little corner of virtual space. Most likely you arrived here by accident, but some of you may have spotted a mention of me (and my URL) in Amy Hollingsworth’s new book, Gifts of Passage. I commend the latter group for their industry, as my web address was carefully hidden in the endnotes.

My name is, as the sign says, Sam Hawken. I’m an historian by training and a writer by inclination. I’ve been blogging since 1999, starting out with LiveJournal, moving on to Movable Type and then, eventually, to WordPress. My online output has had more fits and starts than Duke Nukem Forever, and unfortunately large chunks of material from the last nine years have long since been deleted and/or corrupted. Some still remains, and I’ll try to repost relevant “classic” entries over time.

In the meanwhile, let’s enjoy a fresh start. When it comes to blogging, I tend to write whatever comes to mind. One day you will find a dissection of some DVD I just watched, or some book I just read, while on another you’ll find discussion of my preferred candidate for US President, Barack Obama. On still another day I might decide to delve into religion, video games, sexuality or any of a number of diverse subjects. Chances are good I’ll offend you sooner rather than later, simply because I tend to cross taboo lines with my wandering mind. Hopefully you’ll indulge these occasional transgressions and stick with me.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Dr. Seuss