What are you reading in 2024?

[Nellisir]

May also finally get around to reading a book called Secondhand, about garbage around the world, which looked surprisingly interesting (recommendation from my mom).

My mom and I have similar but opposing tastes in certain areas, so books I think are amazing and fantastic in a genre she loves, she actually finds boring and/or awful, and vice-versa. I've started looking at books she doesn't like to find good stuff.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I spent a good portion of yesterday reading the Shadowdark RPG. It's such a quick read, very barebones and simple. I'm really excited to start playing it next week. Is it the best TTRPG, probably not, but I think a lot of other RPG designers could learn a lot from it, so theirs don't read like a technical manual.

This made me curious. What are the key things about it that set it apart ?

 

[Parmandur]

The Hobbit has a lot going for it. Though I think it more likely someone will get the idea to remake Lord of the Rings first, I still hope for someone to do a proper live action adaptation that 1 - preserves the tone of the book and 2 - isn't ballooned out into a trilogy someday.

Personally, I'd like it as a lush Anime single season cartoon. 19 distinct 20-30 minute episodes will suffice.

 

[R_J_K75]

This made me curious. What are the key things about it that set it apart ?

For starters there are no long wall of text descriptions and is a very quick read. Ancestry and class options are rather limited, weapon description and properties are short and to the point. The carrying capacity for players is extremely easy and not a lot of bookkeeping. There are no saving throws, combat, initiative and surprise are seem as they will work really fast. The death mechanic seems fair yet still deadly. There is no darkvision for PCs that I saw, so torches and light play a major role in the game overall. The spell casting mechanic is streamlined as are the spells, magical items and creatures. Most things are based on ability rolls while using advantage and disadvantage from 5E. Im sure once we play we'll find some short comings but I honestly think I could create an adventure in under an hour after reading as much as I did yesterday, about 3/4 of the book. In conclusion its seems easy to learn, teach, run make PCs, overall streamlined.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Personally, I'd like it as a lush Anime single season cartoon. 19 distinct 20-30 minute episodes will suffice.

Now that would be pretty darn cool. Someone get Studio Ponoc on the horn!

 

[Mannahnin]

Personally, I'd like it as a lush Anime single season cartoon. 19 distinct 20-30 minute episodes will suffice.

Yes, I just rewatched the '77 animated Hobbit (first time for my GF) and it's great in many ways, even in truncated form with a 77 and a half minute run time. It really shouldn't be hard to get an even better rendition done, a little more complete but not warped and extended unnecessarily like the live action trilogy.

 

[Mannahnin]

As for the topic, my girlfriend and I are alternating reading chapters of Dracula to one another. And I'd been reading A Night in the Lonesome October to her, but I seem to have misplaced it in the move and need to figure out what box it's in!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Yes, I just rewatched the '77 animated Hobbit (first time for my GF) and it's great in many ways, even in truncated form with a 77 and a half minute run time. It really shouldn't be hard to get an even better rendition done, a little more complete but not warped and extended unnecessarily like the live action trilogy.

The Rankin Bass Hobbit is still by my (admittedly nostalgia-colored) book the best Hobbit adaptation.

As for the live-action trilogy, I think that the first movie does pretty well for itself on the whole, but it goes sharply downhill after that. Part of it is that while Tolkien himself thought about re-writing The Hobbit to make it match the tone of Lord of the Rings, I think it's telling that he never did. That's a big part of where the Hobbit trilogy falls down, whether it's including Legolas, the love triangle, the (very) extended action scenes, etc.

Still, both are fascinating by comparison. Rankin Bass reduces while Jackson expands, and it appears clear which approach yielded better results.

 

[Zaukrie]

you can currently buy the 1977 version on sale on Prime for $4.99.....it's tempting, but I can't imagine watching it over and over.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yes, I just rewatched the '77 animated Hobbit (first time for my GF) and it's great in many ways, even in truncated form with a 77 and a half minute run time. It really shouldn't be hard to get an even better rendition done, a little more complete but not warped and extended unnecessarily like the live action trilogy.

All the Rankin-Bass Hobbit is missing is Beorn and even a single female character. (Seriously, once you realize there are no women, it's wild. I'm guessing Laketown was more interesting than JRRT let on.)