How many Monster Manuals do you need?

I was preparing an adventure and wanted approximately a CR7 giant crab.  You would think that with three Monster Manuals, I would have just what I needed.  Think again. 

Fortunately for me, I have taken to heart advice given by others over the years and I can look past the flavor text in the MMs.  Do not get me wrong, I like the flavor text, and it is valuable.  However with three Monster Manuals I probably have all the monster stats I will every need.  (sorry publishers. though I am open to your marketing wiles - go ahead and sell me a bestiary for which I cannot live without possessing).

Quick scan through the books.... looking for a CR7 creature with two attacks (claws) and decent AC (hard shell)... ah there it is: Umber Hulk.

A few changes to be made: remove the confusing gaze, increase the natural AC, reduce the burrow speed, add some damage resistance against cutting/stabbing weapons (DR bludgeoning) and presto we have a giant green crab.  The DM adds his own flavor text and we are off and running with about 5 minutes work.

I especially like creating new monsters with new descriptions that are exactly the same as monster stats in one of the Monster Manuals just to mess with the players who think that memorizing the Monster Manual is a fair and helpful thing that players should do.  It irritates me that characters who have never seen a monster before are able to share helpful advice on how to slay this mystical beast before them.  I guess that is my version of the Gary's Nilbog to confound players.  Heh.

What do you say?  DM's do you struggle with finding new monsters?  Do you recycle stats?  Are you satisfied with a small number of Monster Manuals?  Players how do you feel about the DM's constant quest to come up with new monters?  Do you like it or are your frustrated that your long hours reading bestiaries go unrewarded?  Do your recognized when you have been Nilbogged?

A perfect ale for adventuring, Gulden Draak

Once again I have a birthday and my friends and family gift me with alcohol.  I cannot bear to let them down, so dutifully I consume them one by one....

Tonight's brew is Gulden Draak (golden dragon in Dutch).  This is another complex brew reviewed by a guy whose palate and nose are just good enough to recognize a fine brew, but not schooled enough to do a professional review.  So enjoy the yeoman's ride and be jealous I am the one drinking the ale.

This is a dark Belgian ale with a high alcohol content, 10.5%.  The first challenge is a brew that is designed to hold up and balance with the higher alcohol level; passed.  It poured a coppery brown color with a nice, long lasting head.  There was a complex mixture of flavors including dark fruits, brown sugars, and some spices that I could not quite put my finger on but come to be expected by in the Belgian ales.  The flavor of toffee hung in there after the sip and there was little bitter aftertaste.  The mouth feel was pleasant, not too much carbonation.  With more sips there was the taste of some candy, and despite the sweetness had a dry finish.  Other flavors that were just beyond my identifying danced on the tongue while drinking.

Since this was a gift, I cannot comment on the cost.  I would certainly drink it again if presented, but not too many at one sitting.  The high alcohol content will put you back on your ass in no time.  This is a very nice ale, one you will be pleased to enjoy given the chance.  It would be the perfect ending to a successful adventure.  Thanks to my lovely wife for feeding my beer and blog habit.  

Cheers!

Does it really taste different in Ireland?

Yes, I am referring to iconic Guinness stout.  A common assertion is that it tastes better in Ireland.  Is it true?

In my own experience with Guinness in the U.S, I can say that Guinness on tap is superior to Guinness in the bottles or cans with the magic widget.  That should really surprise no one.  Comparing Guinness on tap here vs. on tap in Ireland is a much more difficult proposition to those with limited means.  So I can only rely on my quite subjective memory.

I do believe there is a difference, though I think it is a subtle one.  I am skeptical of those that say they like Guinness in Ireland but do not like it on tap in the U.S.  For me there is not a huge difference, but a just noticeable one.  I like to drink the renowned beverage both here in the colonies and back in the mother country.  So what is it exactly that could be different?

It's in the water.  You know, I have experienced a difference in taste with American beers made in different locations.  The water does make a difference in the final taste. 

A good pour makes a good pint.  It is definitely a point of pride in a real Irish pub to pour the dark elixir properly.  Enough said.

The ambiance makes it so.  Does it taste better in a crowded Irish pub with the sounds of The Rose of Tralee sung unaccompanied by instruments by a local tenor?  Does it taste better matched with the hearty comfort food that fills your belly after a long wet day in the Irish chill?  With the smell of drying wool sweaters around a turf fire?  Yes. Yes. Yes.

I cannot put my finger on it for certain, but I do know there is a difference.  What I have observed is the lack of residue rings up the glass here in the States.  In Ireland the head leaves a noticeable ring around every at rest point after a tasty swallow.  What causes that and what does it mean?  I am without a clue, but it is some evidence that there is, in fact, some difference.  Post away if you can explain it.

Either way, I will enjoy it.  I had a glass tonight, and unfortunately it was only from a widget bearing bottle.  It was still good.  And echoes of The Rose of Tralee rise pleasantly from my memories of the pubs of Ireland.

Sláinte!

Creation myth discussion on ENWorld

The earlier blog post sparked a thread at ENWorld.

Here is the link if you are curious or want to join in.

Jack Kerouac, again.

I was in Toronto last week on business.  I went out to dinner with an associate from one of our vendors.  We went to Joey's (which I am told started in Calgary as Joey Tomatoes or something like that).  There my associate asked for a particular waiter that had served his table a few weeks earlier.  Turns out the waiter and my associate are both from Calgary.

We chatted with the waiter, who was about college age, for a few minutes.  I mentioned I was from New England.  The waiter mentioned his upcoming trip to Boston to visit a friend in school, and to enjoy the area steeped in history of famous people and especially Jack Kerouac.  So we chatted about Jack's home town of Lowell, and how after many years I just recently read 'On the Road', and told my story about Astro's (see previous blog post).

Curious how connections happen, is it not?

On The Road - Jack Kerouac

I am back from my vacation in Punta Cana and just finished Jack Kerouac's classic On The Road.  Sometimes when I am on vacation I choose to read a classic rather than some entertaining fiction; this was one of those times.  I have always wondered about Kerouac.  He is portrayed as an icon of the Beat generation and its primary spokesman.  I spent three semesters during my college years at what is know called University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Kerouac's birth place.  At the time I was attending classes there was a small sandwich shop, named Astro's, just across the street.  They proudly displayed pictures of Kerouac on the grungy walls cheerily smiling and drinking with folks who I assumed were associated with Astro's.  I could not guess how many degrees of separation that would be.

Most people know little or nothing about the Beat generation.  I would say I knew little prior to reading the book other than the stereotypes that litter literature, television and movies.  Anyone remember Bob Denver's silly portrayal of Maynard G. Krebbs from Dobbie Gillis?  So devoid of knowledge of Beat's, intrigued by the myth of the man in the sandwich shop, and having available time on commercial airlines and beach chairs I went forward to experience the Beat's via their most famous spokesman. 

On The Road has a unique writing style that might be described as stream of consciousness.  At times it can be distracting but it seems to fit the story and message Kerouac is attempting to lay before you.  The tone and tempo of the book is as chaotic and unpredictable as the Beat's themselves, and that is the point.  I get the feeling that Kerouac wanted this to be groundbreaking, and judging by the amount of Kerouac and Beat scholars that analyze this and other similar books some agree.  I will merely say it is the appropriate style for this book.  There is an attempt to paint many of the experiences as more amazing, a pinnacle over other experiences.  Kerouac fails at that.  Kerouac also fails to make you feel the incredible attraction to Dean Moriarty that many of the characters in the book find irresistible.

Much like the Lost Generation before him, this book paints a portrait in time of a lost generation.  While Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Steinbeck painted with words the post World War I lost souls, Kerouac does so for the post World War II lost souls.  Though I think the comparison is apt, I believe he would have bristled over it.  There is a sense of him attempting to distance and differentiate his generation's search for the meaning of IT from those that came before them.  Amid their feeling of confusion in the search for kicks and spirituality there is also a sense of hubris; the Beats approach is superior than those that came before because no one that was come before them has understood IT.

The Beats reject consumerism and prefer experience; they reject authority and embrace personal freedom.  If the book is an accurate portrayal then I suggest that the beats are superior to the Lost Generation in being self centered and petty.  The Beats search ever faster and more frantic for kicks via alcohol, drugs, sex and moving from place to place.  There is a search for spirituality, but that search is easily and quickly put aside for the pleasures of the flesh.  Get your kicks.

The beats are another lost generation, a pale imitation of The Lost Generation.  I much prefer the struggles and character of those in the novels by Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Steinbeck over those portrayed by Kerouac.  The story and the writing style are a place in time, not to be repeated.  Echoes of the fringe of a generation that came to believe their struggles and insight was unique, but instead I come to see them as just another lost generation.  It was an interesting read, I would recommend it for the experience if not for the literary style.

A side note: I read the Penguin Classic version of the book.  There is an interesting forward by Proffessor Ann Charters, a Beat scholar.  I recommend you skip the forward and read the book without it.  Instead read it as a post script.  This book was not written to be analyzed before it was read, it was written to be experienced.

Gates Of Fire

I finally finished Steven Pressfield's Gates Of Fire.  I say finally because I would read some and put it down for a while before taking it up again.  In the last few years I have not managed to read very many books which is in stark contrast to most of the years prior; I was always a voracious reader.  There are a number of reasons for this behavior on my part, none of which are part of this post.  So why did I put this critically acclaimed book down repeatedly?  I struggled with that question as well.

You may wish to read a nicely written, spot on review of the book here at TheSilverKey.

I agree that the book is well written, the material appears well researched, and the picture painted is one of grim reality of extraordinary men.  I should have been a target audience for this book.  I am interested in history, battles and adventure stories.  I do not easily find fault with this book, however it never grabbed me.  I suppose it is that simple.  I was not on the edge of my seat wondering how it would end; we all know how one of the most famous historical battles of all times ends.  Perhaps more importantly I could not identify with any of the characters.  Yes, they are human enough but somehow they were foreign to me.  Without a connection to one or more of the characters it was easy to put the book down, and once down it was not calling to me.

You may have a different experience, and judging by others reviews of this book I am likely in the minority.