Full disclosure: I Kickstarted this book. I’ve known the author for over a decade, and we’ve survived cons together. This is going to be a completely biased review.

Powerchords is an RPG book from the madman behind Mage and Deliria, Phil Brucato. I could do an entire blog post just on the trials and tribulations to get this thing done after seven years, but that’s not the point. The better question is:what is it, and is it any good?

Powerchords is subtitled “Music, Magic & Urban Fantasy”. It was origiannly started as a supplement for (IMHO) Phil’s best work, the late lamented Deliria. It became something more, though there are fingerprints of that work all over the work. In short, Powerchords is designed to bring music to your urban fantasy game.

The book contains rules, mostly based on Deliria’s Compact System. That system is designed so you can take your characters anywhere, from table top to LARP to online.You can use either cards or dice to resolve actions. Folks looking for dice crunchy or rules heavy systems should shop elsewhere.

Rules in Powerchords are for making musicians and the various hangers on. You can make them as fantastical or gritty as your campaign needs. Want to play an half-ogre rapper? Or maybe a fae-touched busker? Those rules for those characters are here.

The meat of Powerchords are in its performance rules. There are rules here for any sort of musical performance, mundane or magical. I found them easy to digest, with minimal tables.(Though I do want a Powerchords GM screen now). There’s also rules for that forbidden topic in most RPGs, drugs. Most systems either are too short and heavy handed, or non-existent. Phil’s rules on them are straight up, consistent, and form all I can tell, medically correct.

The special sauce around the meat of those rules is what makes Powerchords so nice in my eyes. There are section dealing with music based magical systems, how to get players together, and how to start campaigns at different points in the characters career. Nice to see something beyond the “young heroes all meet in a bar” trope.There’s also mass amounts of recommendations for supplemental reading,listening and viewing. There are ones I wouldn’t include(Big Hoodoo?), but in general it’s a really tasteful and personal selection.

A big part of this book is the layout and art. From the cover that looks like a road case for speakers, to all the great art by folks like Bryan Syme, this thing is a beauty to behold.

The only flaw I could see in this book are the multiple references to the Deleria RPG and books. I know this started out as being written for that game, I’m worried the references will put off some who don’t wont he game or are familiar with it.

This was originally designed as one book, and is being expanded into several books I, for one, can’t wait for the others.

Four and half stars.

Note:Phil is having some financial issues this month, so if you read this and it sounds like something you might want, please buy from the DriveThruRPG.com link below. I’ll also post the Amazon link as well.

Drive Thru RPG(PDF  & Hardcover)  http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/221813/Powerchords-Music-Magic–Urban-Fantasy

Amazon(Hardcover only):https://www.amazon.com/Powerchords-Music-Magic-Fantasy-Roleplay/dp/0982353278/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524612398&sr=8-1&keywords=powerchords

 

Project Grillflame File #2323: SIGINT

The following is a transcript of a radio signal received from a remote viewing session held at a Grillflame location in Mishwaka, Indiana. Origin is believed to be Reality-2 or Reality-3, but location is undetermined due to interference from viewer’s fillings.

 

Intro music:Coast to Coast AM Intro

Announcer:From somewhere high in the Appalachians, next to a gateway to the Kingdom of Nye, here’s your host, Trevor Curtis.

Trevor: Hello out there, my listeners. Tonight’s guests, Peter Levenda and Stanton Friedman, have been postponed to a later date. I’m sure everyone here has heard the news by now of Art Bell’s passing. We’ll be taking callers all night, but I’m going to talk first.

Other news outlets can go on about Art’s lengthy broadcast career. Naysayers will talk about his unfortunate role in the events surrounding the Heaven’s Gate cult mass suicide. Some will go on about his profound influence on the UFO, conspiracy theory, and NDE communities. The fact there’d be no X-Files without  his show.We’ll get to all that,and to some of my favorite moments, like this one:

Clip:Caller flying over Area 51

I’m going to talk first, however, about Art’s profound effect on my life, long before I was chosen as the fourth host of Coast to Coast. I’ve been so grateful for this gig, coming after Jimmy Church’s unfortunate spontaneous combustion at a 2014 NAMM show. Jimmy had taken over from George Noory, who was unfortunately murdered by a grief stricken fan after Noory bored his wife to death.

I first encountered Art in 1996, while helping my roommate Jason deliver newspapers, Yes, the same Jason who is now Arch Pope of the First Church of Gaia. But back then, we were fresh out of college,trying to survive, living on booze,fast food, and Jolt. Jason was tuning the radio in his mini-van when a smooth, deep voice came out of the speakers.

“Who’s that?” I asked Jason.

“Art Bell. The dude’s crazy.”

Jason liked Art, but I was hooked. That first time, his guest was Father Malachi Martin, the Catholic exorcist, who I’d hear many times over the years. He was just the first of many people I’d discover and come to love over the next years.

Malachi Martin. Terrance McKenna Linda Moulton Howe. Jim Marrs. Celebrities from Merle Haggard to John Voight. My personal favorite was always Stanton Friedman, the best UFOlogist on the planet, period. No disrespect to Tom Delonge, but Stanton was so much fun and so smart.

But as much fun as the guests were, the real meat of Art’s show were the callers. From first timers to Mel from Mel’s Hole, Everyone was welcome to call in. Art didn’t screen calls, and he themed them. Antichrists and Time Travellers.Vampires and UFO Abductees.

The big daddy of them all for me was Area 51 caller night. Art lived and broadcast from Pahrump, Nevada, darn near the place’s front door. In addition to the previous clip, my all time favorite moment happened during one of those Area 51 nights. Imagine you’re in a small apartment in the Chicago suburb. You’re listening to this in a dark living room, lit only by your computer monitor. You’re listening while typing stuff in Yahoo Chat. Go google it if you don’t know what that means. And then this happens.

Clip:Frantic Area 51 caller

After that, Art’s entire radio network went dead. Yahoo Chat’s room exploded with folks wondering what had happened. I went out on my balcony, which opened on to a view of a nearby radio tower, it’s light blinking in the silent dark. I’ve never been more thrilled by a broadcast before or since. People have questioned the truth level of a lot of Art’s callers, but that one scares even me.

Through my bumbling late twenties and thirties,Art was a constant companion. Retail destroys your ability to sleep, so he was something familiar in the dark. No matter how bad the day, no matter the place, if I could find Art, then I could get through to dawn.

And he got me through some very, very dark nights. For every night where I drifted off to peaceful sleep listening to him snuggled in a warm bed in Minnesota, there were also the tense ones in places like St. Louis, where I listened while I debated taking that knife sitting by the bed and going in the bathroom and ending it all.

But my life improved. I met the best woman I’ve ever known. Unfortunately, right about that time, Tragedy entered Art’s life, and he stopped broadcasting. I won’t go into the details, but I hope Art, Art Junior, and Ramona are in a better place. I know this place is lesser without Art, and I will miss him (Pause, with audible crying) You’re going to have to excuse me folks, We’ll be right back after this. Rest in Power, Art.

Music:Cusco-Ghost Dance

 

 

I am publicly apologizing for my tweet where I asked Seanan McGuire for her opinion on John Ringo being added as a special guest at Concarolinas. I did it out of emotion, and of an ignorance of the issues it might cause her in responding. Please accept my apologies, Seanan, as a fan of your work.

Since everything on here has been dark, dark, dark, on the few times I do post(SO trying to fix that, top three things I need to do this year.) Now, listicles are aways fun, but it’s also cheap heat. Frankly, I don’t care. This idea has been stuck in my head, but unlike some ideas of mine(too numerous to mention) this one felt it had to come out. This list is completely arbitrary,a complete joke, and meant mostly to make you smile. If it doesn’t or I offend, please leave a comment. At least then I’ll know someone is reading this . Some of this might be obscure, it might not be. But, here goes.

1)Your favorite Van Halen singer is Gary Cherone

2)Your favorite Anthrax disc is Volume 8.

3)You really like the drum sound on St. Anger.

4)Your favorite nu-metal band is Crazy Town.

5)You have to have PBR at every show.

6)You only listen to metal bands mentioned on Pitchfork

7)You think the comments section on any metal news site is intelligent conversation if it lasts longer than twelve entries

8)Your favorite Black Sabbath singer is Dave Donato.

9)Your favorite Anthrax singer is Dan Nelson

10)You think Kid Rock is a metal artist.

11)You think Megadeth is better since Dave quit drugs and found god.

12)You archive and listen to Phil Anselmo interviews.

13)You like Five Finger Death Punch’s cover versions of songs.

14)Your favorite way to listen to metal is on cassette.

15)Your favorite type of metal shows are arena ones.

16)You think Lamb of God was better as an instrumental band.

17)You think Metallica is better since Load.

18)You prefer Sammy over Dave.

19) Your favorite Priest singer is Tim Owens.

20)Your favorite Mayhem singer was Dead.

21)You think Mayhem was better when Varg was in it.

22)Your favorite Celtic Frost CD is Cold Lake.

23)You think Nickelback is the best heavy band to ever come out of Canada.

24)You miss crunkcore and crabcore

25)You’ve lived in Charlotte and don’t miss Amos’s or Tremont.

26)You can’t name a metal band from your hometown, or where you live at.

27)You mosh at a show even when a band isn’t playing.

28)Your favorite Rainbow singer is Ronnie Romero.

29)You don’t listen to any metal made after 1990.

30)You don’t listen to any metal made before 1990.

31)You think WASP is better since Blackie found God.

32)You prefer Thin Lizzy’s version of “Whiskey in the Jar”.

33)You think Johnny Cash ruined both NIN’s Hurt and Soundgarden’s Outshined.

34)Your favorite Led Zeppelin CD is Coda.

35)You thought Anthrax sucked for wearing Jams onstage.

36)You think the worst nu-metal band was Rage Against the Machine.

37)You think Tool can wait a few more years before releasing a new record.

38) Your name is Bill Pitts(just kidding! Bill’s the best metal fan I know)

39)You’re over forty and don’t miss Metal Maniacs.

40)You think Lords of Chaos is a great piece of journalism.

41)You prefer Venom records made without Cronos.

42)You think Motorhead’s best songs are the entrances they did for Triple H.

43)You don’t think punk had any influence on metal.(I’m looking at you, Steve Harris)

44)Your favorite British metal band is Lawnmower Deth.

45)You think Mushroomhead is better than Slipknot.

46) You think Green Jelly is better than Gwar.

47)You think racism, sexism, transphobia or bigotry of any sort has a place in metal.

48) You use the term “female-fronted metal”.

49)You own Rob Zombie solo CD’s after the first two.

50)You get offended by anything on this list.

There you have it!

Let’s get this straight out the gate:no one call my wife in a panic. I’m not contemplating killing myself, at least not more than usual.No , the death I’m talking about is both metaphorical and real at the same time. Confused? Let me explain.

I was raised in a normal suburban house. At least, that’s what it looked like. Inside was a whirlwind of dysfunction. I used to hate Friday nights, because while fights would sometimes break out during the week, Friday was pretty much damn guaranteed to be one. Why? The unrealistic expectations my father was raised under.

While I was born in 1969, My household was pretty much the 50’s. My father allowed no rock, unless it was Elvis. Hippie shit was non-existent in my house, like it never happened. To say both my parents were unprepared for the economic realities of life in the Seventies is like saying a dog is unprepared to be mayor. My father expected to be the bread winner , while his wife was the housewife. With abusive undertones, that was the status quo in my house until the mid 70’s.

My mother had always worked a little. She’d waitress at the late great Marathon on Washington. But when the economy started spiking, my mother took on a second job, teaching for Waukegan schools. Which she thought was great, but drove my dad berserk. Nothing upsets a racist farm boy more than his wife working and helping dark skinned folks all day. Plus, those other females she worked with had some seriously modern ideas about what a man and a wife’s roles should be. To add fuel to the fire, Dad’s cushy job as a shoe store mamanger evaporated when the owner decided (rightly) that there was more money in nursing homes.

Losing a job was devastating to my father. In the dictionary under workaholic, it has his picture. If my father has any admirable trait, it’s his work ethic. He can be a horrible person to deal with, but you could never say he ever gave you less than a hundred percent on the job.

But his burning need to be the breadwinner left him with no time for anything else. He’d had hobbies, like model trains. and working  on the house. But god forbid if I expressed interest in anything that wasn’t his interest, or unmanly.

I’ll skip the rest of the sordid story. It isn’t pertinent to my point. But the attitude my father had exists to this day. I’m a married man. I’m supposed to be the breadwinner. I’m not. I’ve never been In my entire existence, I’ve survived on my own for exactly  two years, without roommates or anything.

And I feel like a failure for it every day. It isn’t rational. I know full well my wife is a thousand  times the nurse that I’ll ever be at anything, career wise. I should be OK with it. I should be OK with helping to raise my daughter and grand daughter. I cook, I clean and care for people. That should be enough.

But it’s not. Because every day I’m bombarded with messages about how men should be the kings,making that paper. Because there’s that perception that male caretakers, unless they’re also working full time, are somehow less. And we’re still building that into men. You add that into my brain cocktail of anxiety , ADHD, and depression, and some days it’s all I can do to keep passing the open windows. *

And I keep trying to write, to start making some money writing, but it ain’t easy. And every time I sit down to the keyboard, I have to resist thinking that it isn’t all a waste of time, that you’ll never make any money at it, so why bother? I end up numbing my brain with tv and internet, but the message that I’m a failure follows me there..

Don’t believe me? Go look at pop music. It’s all about how men can care for their family by working. There’s no rap hits about making dinner or ensuring that Jimmy gets to batting practice.Country music isn’t making ballads about how Daddy used to make us dinner and take us to the library. And there sure as hell ain’t any slow jams about the great short story her man wrote her.

I can try and rationalize it,but something has to change. How we define ourselves as men has to be something more than the fruits of our labor. My father busted his ass, but never felt it was important to care what I was about . If you held a gun to my dad’s head and asked him who my favorite author, if you gave him google and a 100 guesses, he couldn’t get it right.

We don’t praise the little things. The things that kids remember. Because kids aren’t going to remember that extra shift you took at the factory, they’re going to remember that you called during that shift to see how their Little League game went. And men aren’t being taught that’s important

And it’s costing us. If you look at all these school shooters, you’ll find a cloud of toxic masculinity behind them. Their minds are filled with rhethoric of minds poisoned by the idea that some “other” person is to blame for the economic failures of their lives, and not market forces and changing technology. Maybe if we made it OK and tried to support our fellow man, instead of fucking them over, we wouldn’t have so many dead kids on our hands.

In an era of worsening economic times, I don’t have any easy answers. I’m trying to find a part time job, both for our economic survival and for my self esteem, It’s a vicious world out there, but we could be making it less vicious.Neil DeGrasse Tyson said the greatest horror of all is the universe’s vast indifference to our existence. We’re here  for a short time. Let’s try to stop killing ourselves and each other for the last piece of pie.

PS.The title of this post is named after “Cats in the Cradle”, the song by Harry Chapin about a corporate climber who ignores his son , then realizes by doing so, he’s perpetrating the cycle of ignorance and greed. I hate it, because I lived it.

*  The term “passing the open windows” is from my favorite book of all time, The Hotel New Hampshire . There’s a bit in there  about a street performer named the King of Mice who jumped out a window and killed himself. The Berry family uses the phrase “keep passing the open windows”. to keep themselves going through some truly awful times.