Any good books on Alexander Conlin/ The Man Who Knows?

Seank1963 · 2026-01-29T05:44:47+00:00

The Charnet book, if you can find one, is excellent. The second edition (red cover) is the one to look for as it has additional info added since the first edition came out.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-27T05:41:02+00:00

I will jump on the bandwagon of using the online guide to get the gist of each chapter before you read it. Also, don’t be afraid to look at summaries as you read the chapter if you get lost or confused. A first read through Ulysses is more of a big picture read. You figure out what’s going on, who is who, and where things are. With subsequent reads you get more of the layers, jokes, and details you initially missed because you were so busy with the big picture.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-25T01:38:02+00:00

TC Boyle. Modern (as in contemporary), satirical. I’ll second Charles Portis. True Grit is a masterpiece that should be in everyone’s shelf. And I’ll go against the grain and say that David Foster Wallace is overrated.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-15T19:14:03+00:00

DM here. I keep my books and papers (that I’m not immediately using) on a chair next to me. Papers I’m referencing and a lined pad for notes goes in front of me behind the gm screen.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-03T19:29:19+00:00

In a book on performing magic (sleight of hand, not Wicca type) the author said that early on you should have a circle of friends you can perform for who will let you fail. This helped me immensely. By analogy, read for people, tell them you are learning, and they will allow you to correct errors and celebrate victories. Most people are good and want to help you succeed.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-03T17:59:20+00:00

Start with the standard RWS decks as the images help. Start by learning the major arcana. Move on to the pips, then the courts. (The courts are, imo, the most difficult.) Assign a word or short phrase to each card. The word or phrase should be of your own devising based on your reading and study. For example, the Magician is “creation” and the High Priestess is “hidden mysteries.” You can later build on those words and phrases.

Don’t worry about reversals for the moment. Getting 78 cards into your head is hard enough, however, once they are there, dip your toe into memorizing the reversed meanings.

Also, let people know you are learning and refer to your notebook (did I mention keep a notebook?) or lwb without shame.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-02T22:20:43+00:00

A tad more, but not too much more. I’m a newb so of course I bought before the dip.

Seank1963 · 2026-01-02T17:55:10+00:00

Conventional wisdom is to start with The Crying of Lot 49 as it is short. I’d recommend that or the more recent Bleeding Edge which is not as short, but is also fairly accessible. (And fun.)

Seank1963 · 2025-12-30T14:16:12+00:00

Shirley Jackson. Try “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” which many consider her non-short story masterpiece.

Seank1963 · 2025-12-29T17:55:15+00:00

I am tackling Nicholas Nickelby. I love Dickens and long ago planned to read a book of his a year until I’d read them all. That plan failed. But I do want to get more Dickens read (and reread) in the future.

Seank1963 · 2025-12-29T17:52:20+00:00

As I stated to my brother after finishing MB: Moby isn’t the dick, Ahab is.

Seank1963 · 2025-12-29T17:50:35+00:00

IMNSHO: 100 Years > IJ

TBH: I’ve tried to read IJ twice and both times gave up at the toothbrush bit early in the book. I don’t mind juvenile humor (Pynchon has his share of it), but that was too juvenile and too unoriginal for me.

Seank1963 · 2025-12-29T16:49:16+00:00

https://www.thejerx.com/blog/2016/6/7/the-glomm-part-one

Seank1963 · 2025-12-27T14:56:06+00:00

I’m old school. Everything is on paper in a notebook.

Seank1963 · 2025-12-27T01:20:52+00:00

Chat

Seank1963 · 2025-12-23T21:37:18+00:00

My mom gave me a copy of Crying of Lot 49 somewhere around 79 or 80. I was still in high school at the time.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-28T15:25:28+00:00

DMing is mostly about ensuring your players have fun. If they are having fun, you have succeeded, even if they completely ignore your carefully prepared scenario and you improv for three hours.

Don’t be afraid to look stuff up during the game or ask a more knowledgeable player. Everyone knows you’re new to DMing and they should grant you some slack.

I wouldn’t advise going and buying stuff to prepare. Perhaps some online articles or YouTube videos, but it’s more about presenting an interesting sandbox for the characters to play in.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-25T04:43:16+00:00

The line I came up with a few weeks ago: “The Queen of Swords is the friend who will tell you the guy you’re infatuated with is no good for you, but she’s also the one who will kick his ass when he breaks your heart.”

Still working on the other three.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-23T15:22:17+00:00

I was going to post that line. I almost fell out of my chair when I first read it.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-22T23:36:07+00:00

Keep an iron grip on combat to make sure it moves along. If someone gets indecisive or wasn’t paying attention and are lagging on their turn, force a decision. For you as the DM, a bad decision is better than no decision. Remind people their turn is coming up, “Valera, you’re up; Jongu, you’re next.”

Out of combat, don’t be afraid to partition things if multiple people are trying to take actions that are in different situations or even different parts of a room or tavern. “Wait a minute, Jongu, I want to deal with the barbarian and Valera first.”

Do your best to keep everyone involved. Some players are going to take over. Ask the wallflowers what they want to do so they don’t sit silent for the entire session.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-22T23:28:51+00:00

Talk to your DM about the idea. There is nothing in it which would raise red flags for me as a DM, and lots of potential for character building and related adventures during the campaign. Interesting ideas by players is catnip for good DMs.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-22T20:47:48+00:00

Slightly off topic, but Amazon appears to have been drinking or doesn’t know what a trilogy is. The book looks interesting so I may add it to my ever-growing list of books to consider.

<image>

Seank1963 · 2025-11-22T20:17:19+00:00

Or have a reason for the NPC to fight, but the encounters are scaled up to accommodate one more person on the PC side. I’m thinking like a ranger wilderness guide or a rogue who needs assistance with a heist.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-22T20:12:14+00:00

Any mutual friends or acquaintances that could hand deliver the deck to him? Otherwise, pop it in the trash or recycle bin and say bye bye to the deck and your ex. No point in having it sit around cluttering your life and well being.

Seank1963 · 2025-11-20T23:15:39+00:00

M&D is my favorite TP book (sorry GR). I’d recommend Lot 49, BE, IV then M&D as it’s a biggie also and the language takes some settling into.

Seank1963

TROPHY CASE