FLY SOUP

The more contracts I take in the game industry, the more I'm appreciating the nuances of game writing. And the more I appreciate the differences between straight fiction and interactive experiences, the more I'm blown away by the creativity of some people involved in producing video games. Cue the total, mind-bending insanity of Cuphead and Mugman . I have no idea how, or why, this game came into existence. No doubt I could search it and discover all the details I'd ever want and more, but I don't need to. Cuphead and Mugman is perfectly well appreciated simply by playing it. With visuals reminiscent of early Disney cartoons - or even early Popeye  - this game is like no other. It looks amazing. It sounds amazing, and it IS amazing , but in this case it's not the graphics, story, or even the gameplay that really make Cuphead a great experience for me. It's the all-pervasive, persistent absurdity of almost every element of the game that has me entranced....

The title of this post says it all. My writing's been given mentions in "best of"s" and I've had the odd award here and there, but my work's never been nominated for a Ditmar award, so this is new for me. Which isn't to say A Hand of Knaves is all "my work". It's an anthology containing the work of plenty of people, but Leife and I planned the theme, read and selected the stories, and edited them as best we could to come up with the final product - which also contains artwork from Shauna O'meara that just happens to be nominated in the Artwork category (so we're winning all 'round). Congratulations to everyone involved with A Hand of Knaves and thanks to everyone who voted us into the ballot. As I've only ever considered myself a writer, it's strange to have something I've edited up for a national award. Strange, but AWESOME!!! Go AHOK!

Wow. Just, wow! I had reservations about buying Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4 when I first heard tell of its development by Insomniac Games. Never, ever, ever , have I taken to a superhero game for PC or console. Even the recent Batman games were - for me at least - a soulless button-mashing exercise in kicking and punching bad guys into submission with little-to-no story or motive above the generic satisfaction derived from kicking ass. Marvel's Spider-Man has changed the way I look at superhero games. Insomniac has managed to inject story into Peter Parker's journey, but more than that, they created a series of narrative sequences that really motivated me to want to come back time after time to unravel more of Peter's tangled web of relationships. Sure there were predictable back-stabs and double-crosses from (mild spoiler alert) the likes of Dr Octavius and co. But because aspects of Peter's relationships with other characters were so strong, I found myself...

When CSFG Publishing puts out a submission call to authors across Australia and NZ, it's with a view to showcasing the fantastic work of established and emerging writers in this region of the world. This was most certainly the case with  A Hand of Knaves , edited by yours truly and Leife Shallcross in 2017-18. The "blind" submission process helps a lot, as there can be no subconscious (or even conscious) favouritism involved during the story-selection phase. The most exciting part of the process for me, was getting to show-off some new (and even first-time) authors to readers of short fiction in this country. But now some of the more established contributors are getting their opportunity to shine. The recent announcement of the 2018 Aurealis Award finalists includes three stories from A Hand of Knaves: For Best Fantasy Short Story "A Moment's Peace" by David Versace For Best Science Fiction Short Story "A Fair Wind off Baracoa" by Rob Por...

5 Dynnyrne Rd. Hobart TAS, 7005. Fantastic 4-bedroom home. Sought-after Tasmanian location.  Has stood for over 100 years (sadly no centenary letter from the Queen), being one of the original Dynnyrne Station houses. Unlike the nearby whippersnappers built in the '50s and '60s, 5 Dynnyrne Rd has weathered the test of time and is a true 1915, federation-style original. Not haunted! No ghosts, poltergeists or repeating spectral apparitions of any kind observed or reported in the past 20 years. Protected from meteorite impacts!* Proximity to Hobart’s iconic  Kunanyi/ Mt Wellington means you’ll be shielded from extra-terrestrial debris, particularly from the northwest. Well clear of predicted tsunami disaster zone . Be “that guy” posting videos of houses getting washed away while laughing quietly yourself and sipping the micro-brewed beverage of your choice, as any (standard-sized) tsunami steamrolls over Taroona, Sandy bay and Battery Point below. ** Ca...

Tears and laughter. For this kid it was mostly tears. This weekend the Royal Society of Tasmania put on a picnic in the park WITH DINOSAURS for the kids (4000 of them apparently). As I do from time to time, I was one of the dinosaurs - the Utahraptor to be precise. The little ones loved it and I had a lot of fun too. There was a baby T-rex there as well, expertly operated by a friend of mine. You can't see much in those suits, so you need dino-wranglers to shout out when you're about to mow some poor kid down, or when one of the more "excitable" little tykes starts trying to punch you in the knee.  Verdict: Being a dino is a lot of fun but those suits can get really, really hot inside. 

I've only just started my 5e D&D journey, having played through Horde of the Dragon Queen  earlier this year with some friends and really loving it. On a whim (after having launched A Hand of Knaves and still feeling the roguish vibe) I picked up the  Dragon Heist  (Waterdeep) campaign module last week and it looks really good. Dragon Heist begins with a low-intensity mystery, allowing players to get a feel for their new characters, and slowly builds into a fun urban adventure. The city-based intrigue is strongly reminiscent of the AD&D 1st and 2nd ed. Lankhmar adventures, which I absolutely love. It's difficult to compare the two really, since my friends and I spent many game sessions navigating Lankhmar's dark, rogue-invested back-alleys, and I know little about Waterdeep - but still - I get a very Lankhmar-ish vibe from Dragon Heist . The city maps for both are spectacularly detailed - though I think I prefer the Lankhmar map for its colourful names and gen...