The Aeronaut by Bryan Young, Book Review

Robert Preston left the United States to fight for France. It was being called the War to End All Wars. He believed in the cause. But, he went to lose the rest of himself after his heart was broken. Instead he finds himself and his heart through the people he meets and the challenges he overcomes.

The Aeronautby Bryan Young is a memoir style telling of a World War I adventure of fighting, romance, and espionage. Woven into the story are elements of steampunk to draw interest to the events, providing additional levels to the intrigue and suspense. I picked up a copy of The Aeronaut from the author at the League of Utah Writers (website) Spring into Books 2018 event for review purposes.

Plot

Robert Preston shares his story. He is The Aeronaut telling of his time being a member of the French Army. He joined their battle against the German forces because he knew it was the right thing to do and because he was heartbroken and believed he had nothing further to lose. What he didn’t count on was how much he had to gain.

As comrades in arms fighting for a common cause, Preston becomes friends with LeBeau, then, Renault, and eventually Sara. LeBeau and Renault are soldiers he meets on the lines of battle, while Sara is an English nurse Preston meets while recovering from wounds he sustained while becoming what many consider a hero.

The main part of The Aeronaut takes place after Preston and Sara meet. Their love grows but they are still a part of the war even though their feelings for each other give them some times of being apart from the war. But the war still rages, and Preston is still a soldier who is required to do his part.

Preston is recruited for a clandestine mission behind enemy lines. It is something he doesn’t want to do, but is physically the perfect man for the job. Being in a position of not being able to reject his assignment, Preston pushes forward.

Style

The Aeronaut is a first person memoir. Robert Preston is telling you his story. Included are his perceptions and feelings. Some are presented to be a little raw. There are scenes sharing the violence man can do against man, but not with horrific descriptions. As a memoir, the foreshadowing is well structured and is brought together nicely at the end.

The adding of steampunk elements allows for easier relatability with modern day readers. Instead of seeing the battle from a soldier climbing up over the wire to charge into no man’s land, there is the view of the battle from Preston as he uses his jetpack to jump forward, perform his part in the assault, then jump back over the contested zone of lingering death.

Steampunk adds to the story without overpowering it. Bryan Young creates a personal story and stays with it throughout The Aeronaut. The steampunk elements weave into his tale, supporting the story. I have read other works where the fantastical element become the mainstay, overpowering the characters and the main story arc. Here there is enough description to explain how and why the elements are there to support the story.

Overall

The Aeronaut is a well-structured war story. The point-of view allows for the sharing of not only the scenes that are taking place, but some of the personal turmoil the lead character goes through. It is known that Robert Preston survives, because it is his story. From early on in the telling you know there is more to the story than just surviving, which gives interest to continue reading to the end.

The level of description is good for adults and young adult readers. Experienced readers may find some of the events more easily predicted. However, that doesn’t take away from the solid storytelling. The details shows the author has a strong understanding of the historical events portrayed

The Aeronaut by Bryan Young is published by Silence in the Library Publishing (website).

I give The Aeronaut4 out 5.

About the Author

I’ve met Bryan Young at other writing events and know he also considered an expert concerning the Star Wars Universe and writes articles about historical events and items along with his other novels. You can find more about him at his author’s page, brianyoung fiction.com and on Twitter (@swankmotron)

You can find The Aeronaut on Amazon (link).

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Salt Lake Gaming Convention, 2018 Wrap Up

Two days of gaming and associated geekery are wrapped up for this year’s edition of the Salt Lake Gaming Convention (SLGC) (website). A convention combining electronic and tabletop games is still in its infancy after only a few years of existence. This year, having lost some of their supplies to theft, presented a major hurdle they successfully overcame.

Part of the game floor

There were hardships that almost led to the convention not being held this year. I heard a few months before the regular convention date, this year wasn’t going to happen, and there might not be another edition of SLGC at all. Plans changed after the gaming community started enquiring about when and where the convention was going to be this year. The organizers responded to the fans and provided the event.

On a short timeline, a convention was put together. Knowing some of the limitations they were up against, I would call this year’s event a success. And, pulling it all together showed the ability to make a sustainable convention that fans can look forward to.

What did they accomplish?

Electronic Games

The electronic games area was the biggest draw, which is where the focus of the convention has been. Along with Microsoft having a showcase area, there were open areas for conventioneers to set up and play. Game pits for open multiplayer games were consistently full. There were large screen viewing areas for the competitive play, which included intercollegiate esports.

 

Pinball Alley

The electronics area hosted a number of tournaments, along with college teams going head-to-head. There were events for both amateur and professional players. The crowds were enthusiastic in support of their favorite players and characters. Conversations abounded through the audience about what was happening on the screen and the strategy they would have used if they were playing.

Pinball

Pinball alley returned from last year and was another place of overflowing use. New games and retro flippers were available for everyone young and old to step up and see if they had what it takes to work the digit counting ball. Standing and watching three generations of one family playing pinball together was a joy. A grandfather was standing with his grandson during his parent’s turns sharing a story of how he used to meet friends to play pinball because there weren’t video arcades.

Tabletop Games

St. George Tabletop Game Convention (website) provided a library of games for those who wanted to challenge their friends across a table instead of through a screen. I hope people extend a thank you to the organizers of the St. George event because it’s at least a four hour drive between there and Salt Lake City. Envoy/Double Exposure (website) ambassadors were on hand helping teach games and give recommendations to those who weren’t sure of what game would fit their style.

Warhammer

The tabletop games had their own tournaments. Both days hosted a couple dozen tables for Warhammer. Other miniature games included Star Wars and War Machine. Collector card games included Magic the Gathering, Star Wars, Pokemon, along with My Little Pony at dedicated tables.

Role playing games (RPG) were present in force due to the strong individual talents of the local Adventurer’s League (website) and Pathfinder Society (website). There were other free tables running games for those looking for something different. The RPG area kept two to three dozen tables regularly filled with players from beginning to end.

Kids Zone

SLGC again provided an area dedicated to the younger players. A pirate ship was available for exploring. A Nerf battle zone and a trike race course was a place for many young gamers to burn off some the excited energy they came with. The Lego building area and tables for creative design work were places that might not have been so energetic, but they were well attended. Some groups looked like the parents took the kids in so they could build with the blocks.

Lego pit

Live Action Area

The arena for battle was once again erected with opposing forces facing off with foam weapons. Epic battles were waged. There was also a smaller area set up for just the younger players learning to get their battle feet under them.

Vendors

In the midst of all of this was the market place, where conventioneers were able to pick up their remembrances of the event and support their fandoms. The area had a wide selection of memorabilia, artists, game designers, and promotional areas for other groups and events.

Guests and Panels

The guests and panelists were well received.

Great voice actors were there to share what they do and who they are. Charles Martinet (website) of Mario fame. The cast of God of War included Christopher Judge (Facebook), Danielle Bisutti (website), Jeremy Davie (imdb), and Robert Craighead (Twitter). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was represented by Patricia Summersett (website), Elizabeth Maxwell (website), Andi Gibson (website), Bill Rogers (Twitter), Jamie Mortellaro (Twitter), and Joe Hernandez (Twitter). And, Chloe Hollings (Twitter) from Overwatch, Victoria Atkin (Twitter) from Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Jason Charles Miller (website) of Geek and Sundry, and Jason Hayes (composer) (Twitter) were also talked about their experiences.

The panels covered topics about all types of gaming and other areas of interest.

Cosplay

Cosplay wasn’t left out. There was a competition which was highlighted by Zabracus (Twitter) and Missy Mayhem (Twitter). These Two local talents provided insight for those who want to do cosplay.

Overall

These were two days packed with a lot of activities a person could get involved with.

I’ve had the opportunity of attending this convention every year since its inception. This year was a struggle. Even with the struggles, the organizers had the guts to push forward when others may have folded. That showed their strength and the power of the gaming community in SLC. My hat’s off to their success (and, yes, I wear a hat when I go to conventions).

There will be more articles coming from my experiences at SLGC 2018. I look forward to seeing more of this convention in the future and watching it grow into what it is capable of producing for the gamers supporting it.

This article also submitted for publication to Utah Geek Magazine and Big Shiny Robot.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

You can also join Guild Master Gaming on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter (@GuildMstrGmng).

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Deeply Dapper, Artist Review

If you’ve attended a comic, game, or similar convention in the Western United States in the past few years, you have probably seen a booth with a sign of top hat being worn by a tentacle. Below the sign exclaiming “Better living through tentacles” is a plethora of items made by Deeply Dapper, which any proud conventioneer will by interested in purchasing.

Deeply Dapper is the business name for a creative, and slightly warped, artist and his views on the fandoms supported by many in our community.

The Artist(s)

Kristopher (Kris) McClanahan is the man behind the art and the madness, according to his own statements. His creations have a wide range. In trying to summarize what is in the booth he and Lindsay, his wife, live in during conventions I find myself not at a loss, but a little overwhelmed.

The range of products available leads me to believe Lindsay is involved with the creativeness on display. Along with the creative side, it is clear they put in a lot of work to ensure they have products people are looking for.

The Art

Kris McClanahan

What first caught my attention were the fun pictures on display. I think just about every geek in our gaming community has some level of fandom they follow. At Deeply Dapper they give some straight up support of our favorites like Snake Plissken or Jareth, The Goblin King. There are also interesting twists on some well-known favorites such as The Satanic Mechanic, and the Dapper Monster Series including Mr Cthulhu and Mr Xenomorph.

Every time I see the booth at a convention there are new pictures making me smile.

Other Art Forms

Deeply Dapper art is more than just pictures to hang on the walls. They also have light switch covers and key hooks. Many of them have creative sayings to play off what we already know and quote when we are geeking out with friends. Potter fans could cast the light and dark spells of Lumos and Nox, while Zelda fans could pick up the keys because “It’s dangerous to go alone.”

The McClanahans have written and illustrated books fitting into the theme of their art. But you might be looking for something more portable.

Enameled lapel pins come in varieties to support varied taste. You could go out one day with The Power Gauntlet and around Christmas sport your Krampus pin. And speaking of Christmas, check out the Krampus and Sasquatch holiday cards.

You can also get a flask to hold oil for your beard or to drink your preferred potion from. These are covered with unique sayings, along with what you are already expecting to see. And the beard oils are fragranced to match their line of melting waxes and soaps.

The fragrances are what has me and others in my group coming back to the booth. Of course some of the fragrances are easy to identify by their name—there is bacon. Other, however, require smelling. Once you smell them, you know the fragrance, but it is hard to identify popcorn from a soap named “Loyalty” with a badger (maybe I need to talk more to a Harry Potter fan about that). One person in our group regularly goes back for the coffee fragranced soap. During my last visit, I had to pick up a bar of Shiver because it had lips. I’m anticipating using it.

The last time I ran into this fun couple was at SaltCon (website and Facebook page) 2018. I hope my soap supply will last until the next convention. If not, I will have to go online to get more.

Soap

You can check out the fun products Kristopher and Lindsay McClanahan are regularly coming up with by checking out Deeply Dapper (website, Facebook, and Etsy).

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Playing One Game System or Many, Part Two

The first part of this series of articles was about the benefits of choosing to play one role-playing game (RPG) system. This installment looks at the reasons for choosing to play multiple RPG systems.

Most games are written to fit a specific genre, style, or setting of game. When I bring this up in discussion, I usually get a look and a nod that says, "Duh." Yes, Star Trek is written for a specific game and setting, while Star Wars is another specific setting. I'm sure this isn't surprising to anyone. I have played both of these settings (in several different editions) and they don't cross over. So, if you are a fan of science fiction and not just one of the settings, you will need to learn both to play both.

Playing two systems like this at first doesn't seem like an advantage, but it can free up the gaming group. I have seen this work great when two members of a group traded off running their games.

I was invited to a weekly game where the group had two game masters (GMs) running very different settings: Shadow Run and a high magic Dungeons and Dragon campaigns. One GM ran his Shadow Run adventure. He ran it over several weeks until we completed the adventure.  Then the other GM took over at the table on the following week to run his adventure. When he completed his, we switched back for the next one in Shadow Run.

The switching between systems gave the GMs more time to prepare. After completing an adventure, they each had around a month to work on the next one, removing a lot of pressure. This allowed them to work on encounters and adventures that were a lot more in depth. Each GM could take notes from their last adventure, ask questions of the players, and weave more into the plot lines of what they were working on. This, in turn, gave us, as players, a lot more to work with during the gaming sessions.

Different systems support styles of play designed for the setting, which leads to greater creativity. Even when the settings are similar, like being in the same genre, you can get a different perspective of what you want to do because the system focus is going to be different.

Our main group has a side group that meets on an irregular basis. This is a family group that plays more on a spur of the moment basis. Then there are times when others of us join in. They play Rune Quest, which uses a percentile, or d100, system. The main group plays D&D 3.5, or a d20 system. Knowing both systems has led to some carryover of concepts from one system to the other. The players start trying actions that are more applicable for one system when they are facing a situation in the other. It doesn't always work, but it is fun to see what comes out of the attempt.

This creativity carry-over even happens in more diverse games. When playing a space opera you come into regular situations of dealing with zero gravity. When playing a multidimensional campaign (think like Sliders or Stargate) you are dealing with having to explore new settings without much beforehand information. Yes, some of this may already be in your fantasy or superhero game, but the focus of the game is different. And, like similar settings, after playing something it is a part of your personal background that you can bring into a new game and a new setting.

One of the biggest carry-over experiences I've seen has been from going between higher narrative games and higher strategy games. We have played some narrative heavy games where the description of the event is more important than the rolling of dice for determining the outcome of an encounter. When returning to a game focused with higher levels of mechanics, the extra description might not drive the outcome, but, it pulls the players into the event and they give a higher level of description of events based on what the results the dice are driving.

As you play more games it becomes easier to pick up new games. I talked to a person in a game store who was interested in playing an RPG they saw, but they were concerned it was going to be hard to learn a new system. The first game system may have been hard enough. The second may also be hard. Then, as the number of systems you know (or just familiar with) grows, the next one is easier to learn. A base of knowledge develops that can be drawn upon. More reference points have been created to start from when learning the variations in the new system.

For me, the greatest advantage of knowing more systems is moving beyond needing a system. I've seen this happened in two ways.

The first is being able to run a game on a complete narrative basis. Once you get the players away from being tied to a particular system for their game, they don't need a system to play. I've also had this work with players who don't know any system and want to learn role-playing, thus, not being tied to a system. I've used this when doing one-shot adventures. The group decides on the genre and characters are built with only basic description. The GM then provides the starting setting and the game is underway. Without the confines of a rule set, the group is doing improvisational role-playing—the adventure unfolds as the story is created by everyone. This is a narrative driven by the descriptions given by the players, including GM, around the table.

The other way is being able to build a game system to fit your particular campaign. Our group is always coming up with different ideas of game settings. They might be part of a larger genre, but more in the obscure corner, hiding under the blanket, behind the dresser. Our GMs can take their ideas and build on them without having the concern of how it fits into a set system or gaming universe. One such campaign was a post-apocalyptic mutant setting. Each player was playing a mutant, designed from the earliest edition of Gamma World, skills were develop using ideas from GURPS, then to top it off we were using a pass/fail system for advancing a character's skills. It might sound confusing, at first, but it worked.

For me there is no wrong way of playing RPGs. There might be a wrong way for playing an RPG, but I would rather have the fun of the socialization than working through the particulars of a given rule set. So, I lean towards playing all sorts of different games and systems. It doesn't make my way right, it's just who I am. Each of us has to find what works.

I encourage you to get a feel for what you like, what your group likes, and run with it. You don't have to be like me with over a hundred game systems on the shelf. You don't have to tie yourself into the one system that you were introduced to. Just be you.

Grab some dice, if they're needed, some friends, and have some fun.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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