So, this is a bit of an odd feeling. Nagash (available now) marks something of a milestone in many ways. For one, it’s the first time in at least ten years Games Workshop has moved the Warhammer settings forward, with bleak consequences for pretty much every character, race and realm. (If you’ve not seen it […]
Last time, I expounded on the topic of continuity – the weight of in-universe history (also referred to as background, lore, canon, or fluff in various circles) –getting in the way of telling new stories. Lots of words with a simple message: continuity is often only as much of an obstacle as you want it […]
The subject of continuity (a consistent setting and history over a series of works) always lingers around genre fiction like a bad smell. Regardless of the medium, works of sci-fi, fantasy and the like are often accused of having labyrinthine backstory. This, in turn, is then blamed for raising a barrier to entry so high […]
I thought I’d take a moment for a brief reprise of last week’s topic (a real blog post will come soon). This week, as many of you will be aware, is E3 week, where the big video gaming companies strut their stuff and hype their future releases. I don’t take a lot of active interest, […]
This might surprise some people (particularly given some of the things I’ve written recently) but I find it really hard to do bad things to characters. Doesn’t matter what it is: a disease, a crippling injury, a heartbreak, a betrayal, or, of course, the big D.E.A.T.H. I hate doing it. It fails like a betrayal, […]
Fantasy and sci-fi need both more strong, successful, proactive, problem-solving, fear-conquering, butt-kicking women. I’ve known this for a while (sadly, nowhere near long enough), but it’s one of those things that simply can’t be said too much. Why? Well, partly because girls deserve to have the same kind of awe-inspiring role models as us boys. […]
