Backers Can Now Explore The World of Twilight Sword

Radiosa Castle by Wild Blue Studios

The Lands of Radia, the default setting for the upcoming Twilight Sword anime-inspired RPG from Two Little Mice, has been released as a BETA PDF to backers of the its crowdfunding campaign.

The already lavishly illustrated game now includes art by Wild Blue Studios and the latest update on the project explains:

"These amazing artists have created dedicated landscape art for every region of Radia, from the Valley of Aramilla to the Fortress of Evil."

This new book details the eight regions of Radia, atmospheric background lore, key NPCs, area-specific random encounters, and more than 20 new, fully-statted out monsters for the player-characters to face.

I remain enamoured by the brevity (and seeming simplicity) with which this whole system has been created and written, although - obviously - I am still unsure of how this will transfer to the table once dice start to be slung.

The team at Two Little Mice currently seem to be deeply engrossed in their latest crowdfunding campaign, for a huge expansion to their wildly popular and pulpy Outgunned action-adventure roleplaying game.

This runs for about another week and a half, and then I'm guessing their thoughts will return to getting Twilight Sword ready to ship by the end of next month (July).

CURSED ARMOUR: The former attire of fallen heroes, now enchanted to serve the Big Bad

MUSICAL MONDAY: Horn Of Destiny (Hawkwind w/Michael Moorcock)

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HEALTH UPDATE: Blah, Blah, Blah!

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

I never intended these "health updates" to be such a Debbie Downer. In fact, quite the opposite. The original aim of this "occasional" (certainly never weekly) series was to catalogue my efforts at reclaiming some degree of normalcy in my life. I certainly never expected this never-ending cascade of random niggles to keep beating me down!

I returned for my regular International Normalised Ratio (INR) finger-prick blood test check-up this week - at the end of a run of daily blood thinner injections administered by my wonderful wife - only to discover that all that, and the latest tweaking of my medications, had only moved my score from 1.6 to 1.7.

The target range for my INR (a measure of the blood's thickness and capacity for clotting) is between two and three (which it had been for almost a year, until around the time I began my massive dietary overhaul to bring my blood sugars down).

The diet had begun because I was originally unable to have my steroid injections in my spine (to ease my osteoarthritis) because my sugar-level was too high.

However, a fluctuating INR could also prevent the injections - due next week - due to the danger of possible clotting.

I spoke to the Pain Clinic, where my injections are due to take place, and after consultations with the doctor, it was agreed that the injections could go ahead. However, an INR test - and probably a blood sugar test as well - will be conducted on the day before a final decision can be made.

Meanwhile, the duty doctor at my local surgery - where I have my INR blood tests - has given me a prescription for another week's worth of syringes for a further round of daily blood thinner injections.

Oh, what fun!

Masters of The Universe (2026)

When the evil Skeletor (a surprisingly perfect Jared Leto) and his monstrous legions invade the city of Eternos, capital city of the planet of Eternia, young Prince Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) is magically sent to Earth (with the all-important Sword of Power) by The Sorceress (Morena Baccarin).

Unfortunately, along the way he loses the sword and so spends the next 15 years on Earth looking for it.

Now grown up Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) is stuck in a tedious corporate cubicle job until he is finally reunited with his magical sword.

This sends a signal back to Eternia - drawing the attention of both Skeletor's lieutenant, Beastman (voiced by Gary Martin) and Adam's childhood friend, Teela (Riverdale's Camila Mendes), who both race to find him as quickly as possible.

Whisked back to his home planet, Adam immediately discovers it is no longer the beautiful place he remembers, but has been devastated by Skeletor and his minions. Meanwhile, the heroes Adam was surrounded by as a child are downtrodden and no longer recognise him.

It is Adam's job to channel the power of his magical inheritance, boost the morale of his old friends, and overthrow the tyrannical Skeletor.

Masters of The Universe is a great 140-minute, light-hearted, action movie, barely slowing down for its entire duration, thanks for the excellent direction of Travis Knight (sadly, no relation).

This 45-year-old franchise has a rich - and oft confusing - amount of lore behind it already, but screenplay writers Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham carve their own path that is both immediately accessible to anyone coming to the story for the first time yet also honouring what has gone before (including a slew of Easter Eggs).

Emphasising Adam's time on Earth adds a swords-and-planet veneer to what has always been (to me) a pumped up swords-and-sorcery epic. His mother, Queen Marlena (Charlotte Riley) fleeting points out that she actually came from Earth, but this is never dwelt on. As with everything in Masters of The Universe this nugget sweeps in front of the audience at warp speed.

Travis Knight ensures nothing drags in his movie. From the trailers I'd feared that too much time might be spent setting up Adam's life on Earth, but I was so wrong. Even moments later on that I thought might be slowing the action down quickly hit the accelerator again.

Occasionally self-depreciating, the film's humour sometimes strays in to "more adult" territory, but this will probably be lost on younger members of the audience anyway, while the rapid fire delivery of some of the double entendres pretty much guarantees eyes and ears will be immediately distracted by the next shiny thing to flash across the screen.

While, it's not the greatest film ever made, it's full of heart and - most importantly - fun. This is no post-modern reimagining of the classic Masters of The Universe set-up: Skeletor and his army are the bad guys, Prince Adam and his are the good guys, end of.

Packed to the gills with interesting side-characters, the often camp nature of Masters of The Universe definitely has it leaning into Flash Gordon territory, but it also shares many traits with the original Star Wars movie, and, possibly in a different cinematic climate, I'm sure this could be "the next big thing".

If there is any justice in the world, Masters of The Universe will be the start of a massive new movie franchise, the final scenes (including one mid-credits) spotlight familiar faces who didn't appear in the main movie but we'd love to see more of in any upcoming projects.

Lost in Liminal Space? Folklore and The Backrooms

Ever felt like a place seems real yet oddly unsettling? Welcome to The Backrooms, a digital folklore phenomenon that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, exploring the eerie and uncanny through playful, yet terrifying, community-driven digital storytelling.

Another wonderful Monstrum documentary, this time navigating the liminal horrors of The Backrooms (now the subject of an A24 movie from Kane Parsons aka Kane Pixels, who popularised the original Backrooms idea)

POST 1,000!!!

Photo by Thomas Oxford on Unsplash

Just a quick message to acknowledge that this is the 1,000th post on this blog.

Although posting began on January 1, 2025, the site didn't open to the general public (i.e. you gentle readers) until November 17 of that year.

So, I had a bit of a head start on racking up up those numbers!

Intended - in my mind - as primarily a gaming blog, that aspect has yet to really take off, but I have plans (don't I always?), including a possible surprise for the site's next "true" anniversary (on Life Day).

The latter depending, really, on how the tabletop gaming aspect of the site is getting on at that point.

Let's see what shape we're in in another 1,000 posts.

Hawkwind - The Chronicle of The Black Sword (1985)

The chance to finally see a live performance of one of my favourite albums of recent years was too good an opportunity to pass up, even if the cost of the DVD on eBay was a bit on the pricey side.

Hawkwind: The Chronicle of The Black Sword is a 75-minute live show by the legendary rock band, performing select tracks from their 1985 album of the same name, a musical adaptation of the early adventures of Michael Moorcock's cursed, albino, swords-and-sorcery anti-hero, Elric of Melniboné.

Not only does Elric himself appear in the show, in the form of actor Tony Crerar, complete with Kabuki-style face paint and wielding a mighty Stormbringer prop, but Michael Moorcock pops up as well, providing lyrical 'spoken word' narration to some of the stories being presented.

He returns for the encore, adding guest vocals to the medley of Hawkwind tracks.

Hawkwind: The Chronicle of The Black Sword isn't a full-on rock opera though, more a series of psychedelic vignettes, often centred around primitive and dated lighting effects, clearly designed not so much to be "watched" as "experienced", quite possibly with the aid of non-prescription drugs. 

Filmed at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1985, and released (presumably initially on VHS) the following year, both the sound and the image quality are not up to the levels we are used to these days, and I couldn't help feeling that this concert recording could benefit from a 21st Century Blu-Ray or 4K upgrade.

I think I only consciously discovered Hawkwind, and particularly this Elric-inspired album, in the last decade or so.

I have to confess that this live performance will never replace the majesty of the original album, but it was certainly captures a moment, and gives us a unique Moorcock-endorsed look at a hallucinogenic interpretation of the world of Elric.

For comparison, the album tracks, on the version I own, are:

• Song of the Swords
• Shade Gate
• The Sea King
• The Pulsing Cavern
• Elric the Enchanter
• Needle Gun
• Zarozinia
• The Demise
• Sleep of a Thousand Tears
• Chaos Army
• Horn of Destiny
• Arioch
• Night of The Hawks
• Green Finned Demon
• Dream Dancers
• Dragons and Fables

Whereas the songs performed in the live set are:

• Song of The Swords
• Sea King
• Master of The Universe
• Choose Your Masques
• Needlegun
• Zarozinia
• Lords of Chaos
• Brainstorm
• Moonglum
• Elric The Enchanter
• Magnu
• Horn of Destiny

Now, come on Hollywood, where's our Elric of Melniboné movie?

You already have the perfect lead in Tilda Swinton...

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Dreams Do Come True!

Ever since I was a little nipper watching M.A.S.H. with my dad (one of those shows we bonded over) I was obsessed with the idea of driving a Willy's Jeep.

M.A.S.H.

Then in 2017, when Rachel, Alice, and I visited the Home Front event at Hever Castle, I was pictured behind the wheel of a static one.

And I happened to mention online that it was a lifelong dream to actually drive one.

One thing led to another and an old friend of ours, and former work colleague, Stu, popped up to say he owned a Willy's Jeep and would I like to come and drive it?

So that Sunday evening, once the temperature had cooled down a bit, Rachel, Alice, and I rolled up to their house...

... And I got to drive the jeep.

Stu talked me through the controls - and remember, since my stroke et al I haven't driven for over a decade - then coached me for a few circuits of their old tennis court, before he and his son jumped out and let me fly solo.

And you know what? My initial anxiety faded away, the controls weren't as stiff as I'd feared (okay, I never got it out of first gear), and once I found my groove I had the time of my life.

I loved the sound of the engine, the smell of the petrol, the handling of the vehicle. I really was on Cloud Nine.

There aren't many things on my bucket list, but this was one of them. And Stu's gave me an open invitation to come and drive the jeep again. Guess I'll need to get myself a M.A.S.H. t-shirt now.

There's a film at the top of this piece that Rachel shot, and spliced together (complete with a few comedy sound effects!), that hopefully shows you just how excited I was.

Not only to be driving again after so long, but to be driving a Willy's Jeep. Like in M.A.S.H. 

I think my dad would have been proud.

Tearing it up in first gear...

Alice, as ever, bemused by her humans' shenanigans...

The family Knight enjoying the jeep experience...

All The Different Ways You Can See Supergirl

After yesterday's final trailer and character posters, today we get this set of posters highlighting the many formats in which you can see Supergirl.