There are a lot of things these days that are overhyped. 2024’s eclipse is not one of them. In a whirlwind couple of days, NeutronLad (17) and I went to an accepted student event at RIT (a five-hour drive). Then we headed to Burlington, VT to visit StarlGirl (21) at the University of Vermont (another … Read more
March 2024 saw us hit the trail with an “introduction to backpacking” trek to New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest as part of our upcoming return to Philmont. It’s our traditional starter trek, which is meant to introduce new scouts and leaders to backpacking. It also gives more experienced scouters an opportunity to get out their … Read more
It’s official: my son and I are returning to Philmont. We first went in July 2021, during a lull in one of the pandemic’s many viral waves. We were out west for 14 days; two days acclimating to the climate in Colorado Springs and then 12 days on the trail in the mountainous desert of New … Read more
An ongoing archive of Nuketown’s Follow Friday updates. Social Media Instances dice.camp – My favorite Mastodon instance. It’s like a never-ending summer camp for RPG fans, where the conversation is fun, the ideas are engaging, and everyone’s building weird projects out of popsicle sticks. Editors & Writers wandering.shop/@ScottEdelman – Writer, editor, and host of the … Read more
At Nuketown, we love world building. Here are our top world building resources for role-playing games. Random Generators Hexcrawls Journals Word Building in Action
It’s long past time to say goodbye to Twitter. And not just because Twitter doesn’t actually exist anymore (having been replaced by the ridiculous “X”). You can find me online at the following places: Twitter stopped being fun years ago. I stuck around because I had a few friends there, and momentum. Most of the … Read more
The key to virtual play is crafting a online Dungeon Master’s Toolkit that works for you. Just like my physical dungeon master’s toolbox, the online one makes my life easier. It cuts down on prep time, creates robust visuals for battle maps and illustrations, and keeps me focused. Adventure Prep Battle Map Creation Virtual Tabletop … Read more
Google Jamboard, a virtual whiteboarding solution that the company coupled with an expensive real-world display, is shutting down. Google is turning it off on October 1, 2024. It never got traction in the virtual or real worlds, but it has a special place in my gaming heart for how we used it with Gamer Working Group … Read more
Christmas has come and gone. I wrote this post back in December … and then promptly forgot about it. Having remembered it, let’s see what showed up under the geek tree in 2023! Video Games Role-Playing Games Books Technology
My dad, Jim Newquist, passed away on Dec. 22, 2023. My sister and I gave this eulogy at his memorial service on January 13, 2024. Sections in italics were spoken by my sister. Our dad taught elementary and middle school students for his entire career. Growing up with our dad as a teacher taught my … Read more