Yesterday's post may have been a bit unfair to Euro's. Having played games like Small World I know that a number do involve direct conflict and strategy, and that far from all of them are "parallel solo" games. Nevertheless, there is a degree of focus on economic engines and indirect conflict, if any at all, that in degree and depth is markedly different from older hobbyist games like AH wargames, the original Steve Jackson minigames, and the games TSR sold in addition to D&D like Awful Green…
All posts in culture
I follow Quintus Curtius because, side from cobbling together a translation of On Duties that I've found a worthwhile read, he often dives into antiquity to shine a light on virtuous behavior. For example, the need for, and how to develop a sense of humor. The entire post is worth reading [https://qcurtius.com/2019/04/22/the-cultivation-of-a-sense-of-humor/], but the following jumped out at me: > The humorist must be a master of imagery and metaphor. He must above all know language: puns, m…
In addition to Gene Wolfe's death, another tragedy yesterday was the destruction of the cathedral of Notre Dame. While it's not been a priority to "bucket list" travel items, much less have a "bucket list," it's a place that I will no longer get a chance to properly see. It's loss is a blow to beauty and the symbols of our civilization. How did it happen? We don't know. That said, the official story, that it was an accident due to construction, stinks to high heaven.…
Both Bradford Walker [https://empiresmustfall.blogspot.com/2019/04/narrative-warfare-examined-good-fight.html] and the Z Man [http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=17034]cover the recent TV spot saying it's OK to punch Nazis. The one that was quickly pulled, from what I've heard. A video with a bunch of thuggish looking white guys smashing and flipping cars (1), wearing not-yellow red traffic vests (2), with a smirking guy resembling Richard Spencer waving his hands as if orchestrating it (3). As th…
> Tyranny of the minority demonstrates that an overemphasis on individual liberty without a sense of a community WILL fail. The blood of the last century demonstrates that central control will be seized by the psychopaths I really don't know the source of the quote - I think it was inspired either by a comment or a podcast and summarized by me, but it's pithy, and it's true. It encompasses both the failures of an overemphasis on atomic individualism, and an overemphasis on defaulting to the gove…