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In addition to all the work progressing in the Races & Cultures, and Magic in Middle-earth book, I have begun progress on a Creatures of Middle-earth book for Ea d20 3.5 Mostly just orcs and trolls detailed so far, but placeholders for all the rest. I also have made progress in adapting Ea d20 to AD&D 1st edition, AD&D 2nd edition, & D&D 4th edition.

For those of you interested in d20 3.5 spell casting in Middle-earth, I just made a large number of updates...

Inspired by the book Computational Fairy Tales, Chris Leach created a fantasy world for his ICT class to introduce them to computational thinking - Re-posted here for archival purposes, an interesting article on how an information and communication technologies instructor used fantasy settings, that could be tied into role-playing gaming to help explain mathematical and computer science based concepts in ways that might be more accessible to a wider audience....

Last week, the sitcom The Big Bang Theory spent almost an entire episode on Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). This was episode 23 of Season 6, titled "The Love Spell Potential". If you were not a tabletop Role-playing gamer before, did their representation in any way alter your view of tabletop RPG? Did it increase, decrease, or not at all impact your view of role-playing games and gamers? If you are already a tabletop RPGer, how did you feel about the representation on the show? How did you feel about the sexual rules added? The stereotypes?

This sample was taken at The Gamers' Haven in Spokane Valley, Washington. I will be adding the results to this page as I work out the calculations. Here is some initial data (I will be updating this specific page), I will comment on this page when it is updated....

Day 1 for research on the topic of gender bias in the gaming community and gaming culture.

Comments on the recent comments by Pat Robertson on the 700 Club regarding his claims about the supposed harm cause by Dungeons & Dragons (completely disproved by 30+ years of research)...

I recently received an email asking about any current Role-playing game market information I might have...

Please note that we are meeting in May on the THIRD Saturday rather than the usual second Saturday of the month. Additional information here....

Here are the notes for the last smial meeting (thanks Brian!):

I am currently in a course titled "The Psychology of Women" and we are covering various gender-bias topics. Recently on the CAR-PGa email list a link was sent related to gender-bias in gaming. Have you seen/experienced gender-bias related to gaming?

I think the saddest line in The Lord of the Rings is Gandalf’s farewell to Sam, Merry, and Pippin: “Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth.” When I first read that sentence I knew in my heart there would be no sequels to one of the most intriguing and emotionally exhausting stories I had ever read. I was only 15 at the time so I hope I can be forgiven for being wrong many times. Nonetheless, there is a finality in Gandalf’s statement that implies he will go on to other deeds, other cares, and yet we and the Hobbits must remain alone in Middle-earth, unaware of such things, uninvolved. The story went on but the real Story passed over Sea. Each Monday for almost two years I have published an old essay I wrote for another Website here on this blog. I recently came to the end of the Suite101 essays. I chose not to republish a few of them because they were so closely related to the release of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy — literally commenting on things as they were [...]

Greetings fellow Tolkien enthusiasts! We will once again be meeting on the usual second-Saturday of the month in Spokane, and simulcast live online over Google Plus Hangout and Youtube. April's meeting takes place April 13th, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm (Pacific Time), here is additional information....

Many thanks to Brian for the meeting notes from March's gathering....

Q: Who Governed the Bree-folk? ANSWER: J.R.R. Tolkien does not describe or mention any form of government for the Bree-land’s four villages. Although the reader is free to assume that there may have been a Thain-like character in the background, it seems apparent to me that the Bree-folk’s quickly organized defenses against Saruman’s ruffians — as described by Barliman to Gandalf and the Hobbits — implies there were no traditional or hereditary leaders. The families of Bree apparently just came together and did what they needed to do. The Bree-land was much smaller than the Shire, had fewer inhabitants, and therefore did not require as extensive an organization as the Shire. For example, when Gandalf wanted to send a letter to Frodo from Bree, Barliman had to look for someone among his folk who would be traveling to the Shire and at that time none of the Bree-folk made such a trip. Hence, there was either no organized postal service in the Bree-land or it was so small it was incapable of supporting communication with the Shire. The only sign of authority among the Bree-landers are the gate-keepers (Harry Goatleaf watched the western gate of Bree but there was an [...]

Q: Why Didn’t Gondor Give Calenardhon to the Dunlendings? ANSWER: Calenardhon was Gondor’s northern fief or shire. It was one of the original five regions of Gondor that Isildur and Anarion established when they set up the kingdom in the late Second Age. Why did Cirion the Ruling Steward cede Calenardhon to Eorl and his people instead of to the Dunlendings? The answer is that the Dunlendings — who were “native” to the region — were part of a larger group of peoples who had a long and hostile history with the Numenoreans. These men, some of whom were called the Gwathuirim in the Second Age, were an ancient group of tribes who had settled in the Ered Nimrais, Calenardhon, Enedwaith, Minhiriath, and Beleriand as far back as the First Age. The Beleriand group were the Folk of Haleth (the Men of Brethil). Through the Folk of Haleth the Numenoreans had a blood connection with the Gwathuirim, but whereas the Beorians had survived as a people to populate western Numenor in the Second Age, the Folk of Haleth appear to have vanished as a people. Only their descendants through intermarriage with Beorians and Marachians did the Folk of Haleth survive [...]

Lets face it. If I had been a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn and Boromir probably would have left me behind in Moria. I would have gotten caught up in arguing with the other members over whether the Balrog really had wings, or if they were just an illusion it was casting with its power (by the way — the No-Wingers camp should try that one on for size and see what they can make of it). Gandalf might have been amused at my attempts to pin down Elrond on just how many great princes and captains there would have been at the breaking of Thangorodrim, versus the marshalling of the hosts of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Sure, he was there on both occasions, but did he actually take names? After all, except for Elendil, Isildur, Gil-galad, and maybe one or two others, he doesn’t really mention anyone. Why is that? Gimli probably would not have had much to say to me. After all, Dwarves don’t really care much for the details of history. They know someone done their granddaddies wrong, and that is good enough for them. Had Thorin paid closer attention to [...]

RPG Therapy spread word made inroads @ http://WSTRA.org convention. Another step for http://rpgresearch.com

At Magnuson Park, Seattle, WA - Day 1 of WSTRA Convention - Outdoors for All. Modifications for outdoors activities for those with disabilities.

Q: Was Umbar the Only Haven Sauron Controlled? ANSWER: There are a few passages that mention or refer to unnamed Numenorean havens (or strongholds or colonies) that were established farther south than Umbar during the Second Age. There are also a couple of passages that refer to fleets from “Umbar and the Harad”. When Frodo and Sam await the outcome of Faramir’s ambush on the Haradrim, Damrod the Ranger of Ithilien tells them: ‘Tis said that there were dealings of old between Gondor and the kingdoms of the Harad in the Far South; though there was never friendship. In those days our bounds were away south beyond the mouths of Anduin, and Umbar, the nearest of their realms, acknowledged our sway. It is thus apparent that after the Downfall of Numenor that Umbar was only the northernmost of the former Numenorean colonies along the coast to survive into the Third Age. However, because Umbar’s history was so closely tied to Gondor’s that was the only land that Tolkien wrote about. It is reasonable to infer there must have been at least one other haven, loyal to Sauron, that sent a fleet north to attack Gondor. For example, in Third Age [...]