Dan Deacon – 4.18.08, Old Club, Swarthmore College, PA

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Dan Deacon – 4.18.08, Old Club, Swarthmore College, PA

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon’s Swarthmore show at Old Club was an occasion marked by flagrant disregard for societal rules. No one made me pay anything at the door and once I got inside there was more freeness in the form of beer (even if it was warm, who cares). When I had to piss I was instructed to go in the communal bush on the side of the building. Sure, I had to wait for the woman in front of me to finish popping her squat before I could go, but it is a minor complaint. The real irony is that if this had of been happening at the Sheraton Hotel, I would have been waiting for someone to stab me with a switchblade and mug me, but because it was happening at a college it was about as dangerous as romper-room.

And that’s pretty much how the show went. Totally safe, totally fun, like pure bliss. If there is a Heaven, it is gonna be Saturday Morning cartoons and Dan Deacon. Deacon was as much musician as he was a crazed electrician-maverick and one-man light show. Garbed in an ensemble that may only be described as pure color, Deacon set his gear in the center of the floor, proclaiming himself the antithesis of all that is and will ever be superstar DJ. Sure it is dance music, but it is punk-DIY-ethos at its finest.

If your child is going to have a birthday party, all I’m saying is hire this man to play it. If you do, I guarantee when Christmas rolls around, the kiddies won’t be hollering for Santa Claus, but rather for Deacon Claus.

Photos of the show are at flickr.com.

Les Savy Fav, with The Dodos & The Big Sleep – 4.5.08, TLA, Philadelphia, PA

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Les Savy Fav, with The Dodos & The Big Sleep – 4.5.08, TLA, Philadelphia, PA

All I remember was trying to hide. I got really panicked when Tim Harrington announced, “This next song is dangerous.” In retrospect, I am unsure if the song prior Harrington was crowd surfing on a chair, lassoing the audience with his mic cable, or just generally tearing about terrorizing the fans, all in good fun of course, but terrorizing them nonetheless.

Les Savy Fav

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d20 – Deadlier Dungeons Hitpoint System

Dragon's Den, writings,

Thanks to Cyrusjle’s recent comment for reminding me about this.

A bit under two years ago now, shortly after playtesting the Injury & Consequences system, I started work on a completely different variation how to record damage.

Injury & Consequences was inspired by a similar system suggested in the D&D/d20 Unearthed Arcana supplement (not to be confused with the AD&D supplement of the same name). And it was an interesting take on how damage was received and what it’s effects were. But I couldn’t help thinking it was just getting too complicated. Too many rolls to determine the effects of damage, too much to keep track of.

This annoyance provided the impetus for the Deadlier Dungeons rules set.

Those familiar with White Wolf games “Storyteller” systems might find the Deadlier Dungeons rules system a slightly familar, but anyone initiated into the Ars Magica cult will no doubt notice that an even more significant parallel with that system.

And fair enough. There are many elegant and well designed aspects to the Ars Magica mechanics and I’m proud to draw inspiration from them.

Unfortunately It was taking a little long to re-format Deadlier Dungeons for convenient reading here, so it’s been converted to PDF to dowload and peruse at your leisure:

Deadlier Dungeons