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I think an awareness of our own confirmation bias is about the best we can bring to any historical investigation - whether we're inwardly rooting for the slaves in the Third Servile War, or experiencing a general "ugh" feeling when a writer is obviously espousing a set of values with which we...

Not at all. In fact I specifically wrote that I do not think she is insufficiently attested - I think she meets a minimum bar (barely) for historicity. She’s not like Arthur or Romulus or Gilgamesh. But all of her characteristics, the specific nature of her vendetta, her central role in the...

I am not aware of any widespread historiographical tendency to question the historicity of a character, and to later revise that view and affirm their existence in the light of new evidence. In fact, I cannot think of a single instance of this occurring. Perhaps you might provide some examples...

Tacitus was regarded as generally reliable - at least in the broad strokes - for a long time, although a lot of criticism has been directed toward him in recent years (his anti-Tiberian rhetoric, confusion of some historical figures etc.). I'm not suggesting we throw him out - he's still the...

Boudic(c)a's history is a great example of dubious (really, nonexistent) primary sources. We have Tacitus and Suetonius writing 30-60 years after purported events (which they did not witness), and Cassius Dio 150 (!) years later. Don't trust any of it. Did something happen? - sure. Can we know...

Fashions in history are as subject to change as any other area, and there is a temptation amongst scholars to throw out the baby with the bathwater when the next shiny thesis comes along. History deals largely with intuitive probabilities, and so my general advice would be take everything with a...

60 seconds isn't long. If I had time to think about it first, I'd grab a bag and throw in: All of my wife's jewellery from her drawer. Then I'd run downstairs and empty the spice cabinet, especially: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger. I'd grab my bag of chef’s knives. The magnifying glass and...

I think this is crucial. I think if adversaries are intelligently managed - i.e. they recognize that a caster is about to cast a spell, or reasonably suspect a caster, and ready actions accordingly - then the in-combat effectiveness of casters can be rather mitigated. Their out-of-combat...

@Yora Just a couple of quick thoughts, as you seem to be leaning toward a heavily house-ruled 3.0, and I'm wondering at what point does a retroclone become just a modified ruleset? The 3e era was awash with various attempts to find "balance" or to emphasise certain elements, and downplay or...

Really enjoyed Fringe - mostly because of Denethor John Noble - and think it deserves some love. It does wobble at the end, though. Disappointed that Deadwood isn't there. The series is pure class. Breaking Bad should be #1. Only because The Sopranos is a dubious entrant. Man, HBO have really...

I have that itch, although not as much as I previously did. I'd suggest it's primarily about grounding the GM in the world; forming a solid, predictable set of internalized principles, from which characters and events can logically unfold. As such, it's more about evoking a rather nebulous sense...

Perhaps I wasn’t communicating clearly. When devising motifs to evoke a fantastic, folkloric or mythical sense, it is natural to draw on the kind of patterns which have been established in literature, myths and folklore. These motifs do not typically accord with our modern values, because they...

This. I think that using clinical terms (however mutable and poorly defined) is probably best avoided - although that's not to say that I haven't in the past. Also - as with biological taxonomy - you have modernistic constructions impinging on a fantastic worldview, and it strikes me as...

Runequest 2nd edition. Especially Griffin Mountain.

Fair enough. Thanks for clearing that up.

Without a link or additional context this comment doesn't strike me as overly helpful, and comes across as a little dismissive.

I think that the use of scientific taxonomic nomenclature ("subspecies") in a fantasy rpg is generally thematically inappropriate.

Canadian bacon is from the loin. It is cured, pre-cooked, unsmoked and typically sliced thin (for pizza or eggs benedict). It is basically prepared the same way as ham, although ham comes from the rump or back leg. Back bacon is also from the loin: cured, uncooked and may be smoked or unsmoked...

I have very minimal experience of Companion-level D&D as a player, and nothing beyond, but while the article brings up some interesting points, I'm not sure that its concluding remarks about a bifurcated game (in terms of tone) between BECM and AD&D are warranted. Or that -CM was necessarily...

From the article: Ehh. Fonkin Hoddypeak, Beek Gwenders and Darg Blonke take issue with that assertion.