The Sword and Laser discussion

Are there too many Nat 20s in Kings of the Wyld, our stance on Skarsgard as Murderbot, and we introduce the January pick (which has a lot of triggers).

http://swordandlaser.com/home/2023/12...
https://soundcloud.com/swordandlaser/...
https://www.patreon.com/posts/9555655...

I am pretty sure the discussion on Murderbot casting was not complaining about having a good looking actor. Rather the choice of which good looking actor. Could have cast Elliot Page and still have unreasonably attractive with a very different effective

great show on the Google Podcast; Happy Hogwatch - Dec, 32 in the disc world, on the round world - its Jan, 1,

great show on the google podcast; anyway , happy Hogwatch - Dec. 32 in disc world and in the round world ,Jan. 1.

Boxing day was mentioned and after reading the Wikipedia article, the article looks more or less correct.

One thing to add is that Boxing day was a Quarter Day, one of 4 days (every quarter) of the year where people would settle bills with tradesmen and/or pay rents.
As it was around Christmas it is very possible that rich people would add a little extra on to the money that they paid to tradesmen.
The idea that it was to do with a box of leftovers for the poor is very unlikely to be true. The first mention of Boxing Day pre-dates the invention of cardboard by a number of years. A "box" would therefore be a fairly solid thing, probably made of wood or tin, which might be more valuable than any food it contained.
Also descriptions of carrying food in the days before mass-manufacture tend to mention wrapping in cloth and/or putting in baskets.

The discussion of Clay as the center of the band despite being an unspectacular if solid fighter - the "rhythm guitarist" of the group - reminded me of Gail Carriger's latest, the Tinkered Starsong trilogy. It's about band formation and growth among a group of aliens with a few humans. The group gravitates around one member as its "Sun," without which they can't function. He's otherwise a Low Cantor, essentially the rhythm guitarist of such a band.

Iain wrote: "I am pretty sure the discussion on Murderbot casting was not complaining about having a good looking actor. Rather the choice of which good looking actor. Could have cast Elliot Page and still have..."

Hmm, I hadn’t thought of Elliot Page but casting a transgender actor in a non-gendered role would have been a more interesting choice than a big handsome Viking dude. (Nothing against Skarsgard, he’s a good actor and I’m sure he’ll do a good job as Murderbot, it’s just interesting to contemplate other possibilities)

Also, I am honoured that my post about mince pies inspired the episode title.

I suspect that Kings of the Wyld qualifiees for the LitRPG or RPGLit (can't remember which way that goes) subgenre. It definitely felt like a lot of nat 20's were thrown but it was cute enough.

I'm going to pass on the book in January. Sounds like her other books are more cyberpunk without the serial killer, maybe sometime I'll try a different book of hers.

Nicholas Eames has already answered the question of which part of a band they represent.

https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1...
The main five who make up Saga are loosely based on the players in a 'classic' rock band. Gabe is the charismatic lead singer, Ganelon the highly-skilled 'axe-man' (lead guitar), Matrick as the drummer (he wields a pair of knives, after all) and Moog as the zany keyboard player.

Which leaves, of course, Clay Cooper, as the quiet, often-overlooked bass player without whom the whole band would fall apart.

Clay is Geddy Lee! Or John Paul Jones.

Moog I always pictured a Rick Wakefield of the band Yes.
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/wp-con...
Rick's 1970s heyday.

Tassie Dave wrote: "Nicholas Eames has already answered the question of which part of a band they represent.
...
(Eames) Which leaves, of course, Clay Cooper, as the quiet, often-overlooked bass player without whom the whole band would fall apart."

Which is funny because Roger Waters is the bass player for Pink Floyd and he's more like the frothing genius lunatic that alienated the rest of the band. And Pink Floyd is in the book, but is called "Barrett" with the lead singer's son called "Syd."