Look, all I'm saying is that if they do make a tabletop miniatures game of Dead Space that can be played as both a wargame and a roleplaying game then I'd be there for it. I'd even write it. *This is totally a mockup and the game does not exist whatsoever. I know. I'm sad about that, too.

The smallest one was a con I actually built myself, Gamma Con in Lichfield, 2012. It took me three months to build, got a couple of traders, and had more than 150 attend. I never did another one as I didn't have the emotional bandwidth, but it was a good day and I didn't lose any money!

This is an amazing film and should be shard far and wide. 'Heroic Times (Daliás idök)'. "Ten artists worked on the film for four years, each specializing in animating a different type of scene. The completed film features 600 backgrounds and 30,000 painstakingly hand-painted animation cels."- IMDB

ALIENS (1986).

Yesterday we built a simple wild garden pool - we bought a deep tub, some gravel for the bottom and some aquatic plants. We dug a shallow pit, secured the tub and then put rocks and stones in for homes and access, and then filled it with rainwater. In all, it cost £30 and took an hour to build.

Who's up for a road trip to Stamford?

And now, four years later, I've written for not one but two ALIEN RPG cinematic adventures, Rapture Protocol and Operation Leading Edge. ALIEN is my favourite movie of all time, and TTRPGs is my favourite hobby. So, yeah, I've come a long way and I'm pretty happy about it, as you can imagine.

What was weird was that earlier in the day I was tinkering with a new wallpaper for my phone, and I chose the classic ALIEN poster image. You can see the ribbed section that sits under the egg at the bottom of my phone.

My wife took this photo of me the moment I received the message from Free League asking me if I was interested in writing for the ALIEN RPG. I sat for a while to consider the enormity of the whole thing and then replied with a yes. So this is me, deep in thought, trying not to have a panic attack.

I'm just popping to Lindisfarne, does anyone need anything?

And you can't stop me.

My new silly sword has arrived and it's cool but I made a mistake - I assumed the description 'blade length' was just the blade but it was the whole thing from pommel to point. So, yeah, it's a bit shorter than I wanted but it's still pretty cool.

Up next - 1066: The Battle for Middle-earth. This is a really well made and engaging drama/documentary with an excellent cast and really engaging angle. Excellent stuff.

I needed more medieval drama and I've ended up watching the 1970 BBC adaptation of Ivanhoe. It's not half bad.

My inspiration walk this morning is Castle Ashby. Lots of history, a small and beautiful village and a nice simple breakfast. I like it here because it's so quiet; no rumble of traffic, no raised voices. It's just birds and a few cows.

I've just bought a toy arming sword; it's nothing special but it's a good size and it'll make for a cool wall display. There's a Hicks coat of arms - I don't know if my family is directly connected but it's cool - and it'd be sweet to have the sword mounted with the shield.

Now I'm moving on to Britain's Bloody Crown, all about the Wars of the Roses. This is a great show and even the smallest incident or twist in the story makes for great inspiration in adventure design.

This a glorious shot from the movie 'Becket' (1964 Dir. Peter Glenville). The scale of the great cathedral with the murderous knights in the shadows while Becket stands bathed in light at the altar under the image of the Lord. It's such a wonderful bit of cinematography.

Here's an image from Anna Biller’s upcoming movie The Face of Horror - JUST LOOK AT THAT GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOUR!

Why, yes, I do have two copies each of Fighting Fantasy The Introductory Roleplaying Game and The Riddling Reaver. I'll thank you not to pry! Good day, sir!

I'm getting myself in a creative mood, so it's time to rewatch the Dan Jones series Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty.

I think it's time to get my Fighting Fantasy collection out of their boxes and get them back on a dedicated bookshelf. This is what got me in to the tabletop hobby in 1983 and I've always liked having them to hand. I need more space to put my nerd stuff.

I STILL WANT TO CREATE AN ALIEN BREED TABLETOP GAME, DAMN YOUR EYES!

Mood.

I've made a return to the Dragon Warriors #ttrpg today. What started out as a simple short 3k word adventure to test some formatting is now turning into something much bigger after playtesting. This game and setting deserves so much more love and support. I hope to make that happen.

I picked up the final issue of Star Wars Insider; partly to say goodbye to an excellent magazine I used to pick up from time to time, but mainly to read the Kathleen Kennedy interview my partner in nerdom @prefecttiming.bsky.social did with her. I'm eternally proud of you brother! X

When you grow up nobody asks what your favourite castle is anymore. They don't even care. Conwy, by the way.

It's too hot, and I need something to help make me feel cool.