April 20, 2024: Sounds From Elsewhere: Fun And Famous Movie Soundtracks

Some of the most iconic film scores come from fantasy and science fiction films. From the soaring bombast of John Williams to the experimental sounds of Hans Zimmer, there are many movies where the music makes a huge impact. Here are some of our favorites:

1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has one of the most fantastical scores ever composed, one that is beloved by film fans and classical music aficionados alike. (It was voted the best soundtrack of all time by Classic FM readers six years in a row.) We can thank Howard Shore for creating these evocative melodies that brought Middle Earth to life. Two of the scores most famous tracks are "Concerning Hobbits" from The Fellowship of the Ring and "Helm's Deep" from The Two Towers.

2. Did you know that Hans Zimmer, perhaps best known for his work on the Academy Award-winning films The Lion King and The Pirates of the Caribbean, . . .

[more]

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April 19, 2024: Have You Seen Senet?

Senet is an attractive and well-edited magazine about games and game design, in an era that is not friendly to physical magazines. Yet . . . here is Senet! It's worth a look. Subscribe, or buy single copies, at www.senetmagazine.com.

An article in the Winter 2023 issue (#13) discusses the history of microgames, from their origin at Metagaming to the current flowering of micro-titles. Yr. Humble Servant is interviewed about Ogre.

There are reviews, previews, interviews, "so I played this!" articles . . . really, everything you could want from a game magazine, and with modern graphics too. I like it.

-- Steve Jackson

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April 18, 2024: Stakeholders Report For 2023

The Stakeholder Report for 2023 is up!

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April 17, 2024: Join The Campaign For Saethor's Bane

Saethor's Bane, an introductory programmed adventure for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, funded on Backerkit on March 9 after reaching the goal to upgrade all the art to full color. The campaign is – for a few more days – accepting late pledges, which includes a limited number of Dungeon Fantasy RPG box sets.

The adventure is ideal for learning GURPS via the Dungeon Fantasy RPG. It rapidly pushes four characters from "competent new heroes" at 112 points to well over 250-300 points by the time the adventure is over . . . perfect to start an ongoing Dungeon Fantasy RPG career. It gives new players – and experienced ones! – a great overview of the capabilities and growth pathways for the professions.

It also fully supports – and extends – the Delvers to Grow model of modular character generation, which has been used at home tables and conventions to create new characters in 30 minutes . . . [more]

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April 16, 2024: Share Your Munchkin Memories

We are excited to be so close to the BackerKit launch of Munchkin Big Box . . . Thursday, April 18th at 2pm Central.

While we wait, we want to know why YOU love Munchkin!

Do you have great memories of playing Munchkin, perhaps all the way back to 2001? Do you have a regular Munchkin game day with friends? Would you like to share a special story or memory?

You can click here to tell us all about it!

If you answer our one-question survey, you might have your story featured on a livestream celebrating the release of Munchkin Big Box!

-- Michelle Richardson

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Thor reinforces Buffy and my drunken yak. April 20, 2024: Sounds From Elsewhere: Fun And Famous Movie Soundtracks Some of the most iconic film scores come from fantasy and science fiction films. From the soaring bombast of John Williams to the experimental sounds of Hans Zimmer, there are many movies where the music makes a huge impact. Here are some of our favorites: 1. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has one of the most fantastical scores ever composed, one that is beloved by film fans and classical music aficionados alike. (It was voted the best soundtrack of all time by Classic FM readers six years in a row.) We can thank Howard Shore for creating these evocative melodies that brought Middle Earth to life. Two of the scores most famous tracks are "Concerning Hobbits" from The Fellowship of the Ring and "Helm's Deep" from The Two Towers. 2. Did you know that Hans Zimmer, perhaps best known for his work on the Academy Award-winning films The Lion King and The Pirates of the Caribbean, . . . [more] Share this post! April 19, 2024: Have You Seen Senet? Senet is an attractive and well-edited magazine about games and game design, in an era that is not friendly to physical magazines. Yet . . . here is Senet! It's worth a look. Subscribe, or buy single copies, at www.senetmagazine.com. An article in the Winter 2023 issue (#13) discusses the history of microgames, from their origin at Metagaming to the current flowering of micro-titles. Yr. Humble Servant is interviewed about Ogre. There are reviews, previews, interviews, "so I played this!" articles . . . really, everything you could want from a game magazine, and with modern graphics too. I like it. -- Steve Jackson Share this post! April 18, 2024: Stakeholders Report For 2023 The Stakeholder Report for 2023 is up! Share this post! April 17, 2024: Join The Campaign For Saethor's Bane Saethor's Bane, an introductory programmed adventure for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, funded on Backerkit on March 9 after reaching the goal to upgrade all the art to full color. The campaign is – for a few more days – accepting late pledges, which includes a limited number of Dungeon Fantasy RPG box sets. The adventure is ideal for learning GURPS via the Dungeon Fantasy RPG. It rapidly pushes four characters from "competent new heroes" at 112 points to well over 250-300 points by the time the adventure is over . . . perfect to start an ongoing Dungeon Fantasy RPG career. It gives new players – and experienced ones! – a great overview of the capabilities and growth pathways for the professions. It also fully supports – and extends – the Delvers to Grow model of modular character generation, which has been used at home tables and conventions to create new characters in 30 minutes . . . [more] Share this post! April 16, 2024: Share Your Munchkin Memories We are excited to be so close to the BackerKit launch of Munchkin Big Box . . . Thursday, April 18th at 2pm Central. While we wait, we want to know why YOU love Munchkin! Do you have great memories of playing Munchkin, perhaps all the way back to 2001? Do you have a regular Munchkin game day with friends? Would you like to share a special story or memory? You can click here to tell us all about it! If you answer our one-question survey, you might have your story featured on a livestream celebrating the release of Munchkin Big Box! -- Michelle Richardson Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 284th interstellar sex god here today. (29819849 since August 1, 1995)