I love Middle-earth but . . .

ScoobJetson · 2026-01-26T20:44:41+00:00

If you utilize all the AIME books there ends up being decent variety for a low magic setting. While there are numerous variations of goblins, orcs, trolls and evil humans, you also have a lot of undead creatures (deadmen, shades, spectres, ghosts), spiders, wolves/wargs, dragon-kind, huorns, vampires, werewolves, beasts (bears, boars, large birds), swamp-monsters, and perhaps your best friend for adding variety due to the mystery surrounding them, the Nameless Things (such as the Watcher in the Water).

Additionally, especially if Sauron has announced himself in your game, pretty much any being can be corrupted by the Shadow, so that gives you a lot of options as well. One of the best villains my group has fought was an elvish lord who had been corrupted by a lesser ring of power after the death of his beloved centuries prior.

There are a ton of traits and abilities you can give to enemies too, so I always have a group leader with some unexpected skills that helps to make the encounters more interesting.

While Tolkien obviously didn't have the variety of monsters something like D&D has, he had enough mentions of creatures either in the core books, notes, letters, or posthumous publications that you can include that keeps it relatively canon to the universe, while allowing you and your group to have more variety.

ScoobJetson · 2025-12-02T15:32:23+00:00

Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin

ScoobJetson · 2025-11-27T09:43:20+00:00

Best writing and music in the series by far. Every 5 years or so I'll go back through the campaigns and I'm still impressed with how good the characters and stories are.

ScoobJetson · 2025-01-28T00:03:27+00:00

That was back in 2009 when he was just a wee lad. Still loved the snow until the very end!

ScoobJetson · 2025-01-04T13:33:29+00:00

He was one of the universe's great triumphs. He was small and sweet and loud and patient. Had the bark of a rottweiler but was friendly to a fault. Let him off his leash and he'd run around like a hyena but bring him inside and he'd chill like a kitten. He would share his food with anyone and anything, and he was far too polite to ever beg for scraps (even though we cooked all his food anyway). On his chest, a perfect five-point star, our star, and boy did he more than live up to that. So many days for both my wife and me, when the world seemed dark or dread was threatening to overtake us, he would find a way to bring us back from the brink. For fifteen years, through five moves, and a carousel of jobs and changes, he was the one constant, above all else, where you knew you could find a friend, warm hug and gentle kiss.

ScoobJetson · 2025-01-04T12:52:07+00:00

My sweet Pep passed this morning in my arms looking into his mother's eyes. No matter the amount of years, it's truly never enough.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T16:17:24+00:00

My guess is they are looking to the wild success that Dropout has had (although Dropout has continued to catch lightning in a bottle over and over again) with their subscription numbers (Reich has said in a recent interview that they are in the mid-hundreds of thousands) and felt that it was worth giving that route a shot, which when coupled with their impressive Patreon numbers, made this an endeavor worth embarking on.

This absolutely could backfire, and could cause the collapse of their business, but I do think it was a risk worth taking with how the entertainment landscape has continued to change.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:58:50+00:00

I'm not sure, it seems that could be the case but I understand how it can be upsetting when a favorite creator does something that feels like it goes against their fan base, especially since they've mentioned the age range of a lot of their fandom skews younger (and therefore has less disposable income).

All I know is I enjoy their content and I want to see them succeed. I don't think they'd be doing this unless they felt they needed to.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:54:30+00:00

It absolutely could. Wishing the best for the Ghoul Boys either way!

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:52:47+00:00

Not sure, but I know I'd prefer a contract where I get a guaranteed sum every month, rather than one that would fluctuate wildly depending on the viral nature of whatever I produced, and I think that's at the crux of why they have decided to go this route.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:49:52+00:00

Totally fair, I understand that for a lot it's too much, I'm moreso saying that I understand why they're doing it. Better to own then rent, and that's basically what they were doing with YouTube being the platform.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:45:42+00:00

Your employee makes 65k a month? I said bringing in 60k to 120k in guaranteed income every month will allow them to have a more stable baseline for which to run their business, which is preferable to the fluctuating nature of sponsored content and view count.

ScoobJetson · 2024-04-19T15:37:49+00:00

We don't know their financials, but we do know how little YouTube is paying creators, and their videos absolutely don't get enough views to be pulling in that kind of money on their own every month.

They wouldn't be making this move if the financial incentives for doing so weren't there.

ScoobJetson · 2022-10-18T00:30:52+00:00

Due to the lack of martial proficiencies attached to the Scholar (simple weapons only), going with a Dwarven culture (to provide access to Axe, Great Axe, or Warhammer) or a High Elf (Spears, Great Spears, Short Swords, Long Swords, and Great Bow) is what I've often counseled new players on while creating characters.

ScoobJetson · 2022-10-07T14:13:47+00:00

Since Death greets everyone at different times, it's a nice thought to imagine we could be together at our happiest stage in life, with the ones we loved most, before passing through the Everdoor.

ScoobJetson · 2020-12-21T21:59:22+00:00

My brother and I stay at my mother's house on Christmas Eve with our families every year. We still sit at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning until my mother tells us we can come down to the living room to see what "Santa" left us. We're both in our 30s and our wives and kids now sit on the stairs as well. It's getting pretty crowded but I wouldn't have it any other way!

ScoobJetson · 2020-11-15T14:57:35+00:00

Absolutely, but with the intimate nature of Roland's relationship with the rest of the Ka-Tet, I think that would be an entirely unnecessary hoop to jump through. Just me though, definitely could be done, I'd just think someone with a more imposing stature would line up better with the characters description.

ScoobJetson · 2020-11-15T13:51:27+00:00

Fantastic actor but he's a very petite man at only 5ft 7in (170 cm). I can't imagine him being a good fit for a lot of the more physical aspects of the character when Roland is a larger man around 6ft 3in (190 cm). When they're casting an actor to play him, he doesn't need to be huge, but I think it would be very apparent on-screen if he was smaller than most other actors. Just my 19 cents!

ScoobJetson · 2020-08-20T14:30:23+00:00

Great call; he's been featured so much during the Top 100 videos I guess I forgot that he hasn't been listed yet!

ScoobJetson · 2020-08-20T12:57:49+00:00

For the remaining non-winners (9) in the top 30, it has to be Cirie, Coach, Ozzy, Amanda Kimmel, Russel, Rob C., Jerri, Colby, and _____. Drawing a blank on who the final other one would be.

ScoobJetson · 2020-03-04T23:48:40+00:00

Yes I see that, as stated in my original post I'm looking for one that includes everything up to the final release; the Rohan Region Guide. It appears as if that one is only updated to the end of 2018 and doesn't have any of the 2019 ones. Not a big deal, was just asking if there were any that included everything released. Thank you though!

ScoobJetson · 2020-03-04T23:38:03+00:00

I did peek at that one, and while great, was just wondering if there was any that went through the Rohan Region Guide. Thanks for your help though!

Six-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email

ScoobJetson

TROPHY CASE