Linkfest 2021-02-19

Spotted Toad: Groundhog Day

My internet friend Spotted Toad has a harrowing but somehow beautiful tale of another friend of his who drank himself to death.

The Long View: Earthly Powers

Some of John's central ideas about the Papacy are contained herein. The 18th and 19th centuries were a time of rampant nationalism in Europe, and the Pope was the head of the last institution that could effectively resist the nation-state. As the latter half of the nineteenth century built to a revolutionary crescendo that would reach its culmination in the Great War, Pius IX and Leo XIII filled this unlooked for role in their own characteristic ways.

The Game’s the Thing – LitRPG

A nice blog post on just what LitRPG is.

Viridian Gate Online: Nomad Soul by D. J. Bodden and James Hunter Book Review

A LitRPG I rather liked.

The Secrets of Blackmoor: The Benefits of Meta-Gaming

Meta-gaming, the use of knowledge not available to the character, is a divisive topic in RPGs.

The Joy of Wargaming

A fine YouTube channel on miniature wargaming, that features the best video on dungeon design ever.

The Bandit’s Keep

Another YouTube channel, a paean to old school gaming, from one of its practitioners.

Warfare in Hunter-Gather Societies

A presentation detailing what we know about warfare before civilization.