On Women Gamers

In 2006, I purchased the book Gaming as Culture which contained an excellent chapter by Michelle Nephew that discussed unconscious desire and roleplaying games. The chapter is a section of Dr. Nephew's dissertation. I found some of the observations about the way society views gamers, and how gamers view other gamers (in particular female gamers) interesting and worthy of further investigation. I eventually got a copy of Dr. Nephew's full dissertation and will likely do a read through of the work at some point, as it deserves discussion within the community it examines.

Just to be clear, while the dissertation is highly academic Dr. Nephew is more than a mere academic observer. She also happens to be one of the people behind the excellent gaming company Atlas Games and the designer of one of my favorite games this year Ren Faire.

I think that women in the hobby is an important topic to discuss and that the stereotypes that people, both inside and outside of the gaming community, need a good deal of dispelling.

But we need not go to a full dissertation to find a nice place to start the discussion. Susan J Morris -- Line Editor for the Forgotten Realms Series of Novels -- published a nice blog post over on the Wizards site the other day discussing this very topic.

In Morris' post, her opening paragraph mentions the current "gamer girl" stereotype and describes it as follows:

Part of the current stereotype is that we gamer girls fight with each other in order to compete for attention, status, and all those eligible gamer men.

An entertaining notion to be sure, and I can see why there is that perception. However, while I can’t speak for all gamer women, I really don’t think that sexual competition is at the root of the various rifts. I think it’s about image and branding, and what they do to the everyday life of your everyday gamer woman.

Two things stand out to me in the above paragraph, the concept of sexual politics and the underlying assumption that female gamers have "various rifts" with other female gamers.

My personal experience with female gamers has been consistently positive. The RPGA group I played with when I lived in Reno had a good mix of gamers and included a number of female gamers. I never noticed any sexual competition, or even branding based rifts between the players.

But I do find the concept of personality conflict based on controlling the "branding" of a particular sub-culture to be very interesting, the most interesting concept in Morris' post. In fact, it is one I see taking place among gamers at large. Given that gaming is a relatively small subculture, we all seek to define what it is that constitutes "a gamer." It is one of the reasons we cling to the "celebugamers" like Wil Wheaton so much, we have a desire to create a brand that is more acceptable to main stream society.

Could women gamers be under a similar tension within the gaming community itself? Do you think they have a need to "brand" what a female gamer is in order to help make it more acceptable for the gaming community -- and for main stream society as well?

What have your experiences been? Is it different for "Hobby Gamer" women than for "Roleplaying Women?"

What are your thoughts?

RIP Charles S. Roberts (1930 - 2010) -- Without Roberts, There Would Be No Gaming Hobby as We Know It

Charles S. Roberts, a man who is arguably the most important figure in Hobby Gaming, died on August 20th, 2010 due to complications of emphysema and pneumonia. Roberts was the founder of the Avalon Hill game company, a company that was once a giant in Hobby Gaming. The Baltimore Sun has an extensive, though also error riddled, obituary regarding Roberts and his impact as a game designer and as a historian. High on the error list is the assertion that Roberts sold Avalon Hill to Parker Brothers in the 1960s, when the truth is that Monarch Publishing -- Avalon Hill's chief creditor -- took ownership of the company in 1962.


Roberts' impact on Hobby Gaming is undeniable. Were it not for the publication of Roberts' game Tactics in 1953, it is unlikely that there would have been the "Castles and Crusades" society that led to the creation of Dungeons and Dragons. It is possible, as there was miniatures gaming without Avalon Hill, but given the fact that the original D&D books recommended the ownership of Avalon Hill's Outdoor Survival for use in "Wilderness Adventures" it is clear that Gygax was influenced and inspired by Avalon Hill. Gygax also wrote articles in Avalon Hill's The General magazine and viewed Avalon Hill and SPI as two of his chief rivals early in the hobby, but that is another discussion. Hobby Gaming is more that role playing games, it includes Eurogames and games like Battlelore and Formula D.

To quote SPI's "Strategy & Tactics Staff Study #2": Wargame Design (1981):

Modern wargaming on boards, as a hobby, can be traced to one man and one game. In 1953, Charles S. Roberts, a young man in his early twenties, combined an interest in the military and in history to produce a game, which he designed in his spare time, called Tactics.

Roberts release of Tactics, and subsequent founding of Avalon Hill, is entirely responsible for the creation of the board wargaming hobby. His contribution to general hobby gaming is often overlooked, primarily because people view Avalon Hill as a "wargame" company and not a Hobby Gaming company. This is a huge error. To quote Wargame Design again:

The Avalon Hill Company was not founded for the primary purpose of producing wargames. This point is often ignored by those in the hobby who have come to look at Avalon Hill as a source for games. Its true purpose is, and remains, to produce the broad spectrum of adult games for which Roberts felt there would be a market. Roberts felt that the big game publishers, Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, and the like, had ignored the adult game field and he was determined to take advantage of their indifference.

Roberts saw adult games as a field to be exploited and fertile soil for a hobby. He was right. As modern adult games like The Settlers of Catan, Small World, Pandemic, and Tide of Iron, as well as classics like Squad Leader, Gettysburg, Facts in Five, Acquire and Diplomacy, ably demonstrate. Gaming had room to expand into a grand hobby, and it has done so. A quick visit to BoardGameNews.com and a glance at their Gone Cardboard link presents a glimpse of the Hobby games coming out this year. There is a breadth of theme and a breadth play styles represented. This comes as a natural descent from Roberts' original mission. According to Wargame Design, of the eighteen titles published during the Roberts era "nine are non-battle titles representing such diverse fields as law, commerce, and sports."

Due to a number of errors in his approach, Roberts eventually ended up in trouble with his creditors. One of these creditors, Monarch Publishing, took over Avalon Hill and continued publishing games. In fact, the company expanded a great deal under the new leadership. Unlike many brand purchases in the gaming industry, Monarch didn't cherry pick a few old titles and forget the rest. Instead, they continued in the mission set forth by Roberts and produced a wide variety of games for the adult gaming market. They also published a magazine, The General, which served as a way to promote and support their existing line of games.

Though Roberts no longer ran Avalon Hill, his contribution to the creation of a hobby was solidified by the success of his legacy.

In 1975, at the first Origins gaming convention, the first Charles S. Roberts awards were given out to games within the hobby. The winners (games published in 1974) were, Third Reich, Manassas, Strategy and Tactics Magazine, Albion Magazine, and a Hall of Fame Award for Charles S. Roberts himself. For years to come, the Charles S. Roberts Award was a part of the annual Origins Awards and winners included Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, The Space Gamer Magazine, and Car Wars. The Roberts Awards have typically gone to board and wargames, with other Origins categories covering other aspects of hobby gaming. In recent years, the Charles S. Roberts Award has been handed out at the World Boardgaming Championships -- a fact that highlights both the growth and the fracturing of the gaming hobby.

Other than my gratitude for Roberts contribution to Hobby Gaming, I have no connection to him or to Avalon Hill. Like most of the grand masters of the hobby, I never had a chance to meet him and wish that I had.

I am credited with doing some proofreading work on a game (Zulus on the Ramparts! that won a CSR Award this year, but that is a pretty tangential connection.

I would like to thank GROGNARDIA: RIP Charles S. Roberts (1930-2010), and Greyhawk Grognard: R.I.P. Charles S. Roberts for sharing this sad news.

As a gamer, I have recently begun collecting books about the hobby and copies of the games that created the hobby. Maybe I'll crack open my copy of Gettysburg -- square spaces and all -- and play a game in remembrance of one of the founders of Hobby Gaming.

Warhammer 40K Movie -- ULTRAMARINE Trailer Released

They had me at Screenplay by Dan Abnett. Then they added awesome animation, John Hurt, Sean Pertwee, and Terence Stamp.

Games Workshop's various Warhammer Universes are some of the narratively richest game worlds ever constructed, and it is fine time that one of those universes received a compelling film. If only producers would trust the property beyond the direct to dvd market. Not that I'm complaining. This looks awesome. But I'd love to see 40k on the big screen.

Someday a 720 page volume of Dan Abnett's non-fiction writings will be released for the low price of $75 (adjust for inflation properly) and he will be recognized for what he is. What is that, you ask?

Simply one of the most talented and prolific writers of fantasy/sf fiction writing today. He -- along with William King -- changed forever what it means to write "Media Tie-In" fiction. His writing is consistently well constructed and witty. One wonders what particular deal with the Muses Mr. Abnett made.

We are the Ultramarines, the Sons of Guilliman. Whilst we draw breath, we stand. Whilst we stand, we fight. Whilst we fight, we prevail. Nothing shall stay our wrath.

+++ Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines+++ Warhammer 40k Rule Book 5th Edition

FOR THE EMPEROR!

What Wizards of the Coast is Doing Wrong with Their "Encounters" Program

Yesterday was a great day for this blog.  I posted about my frustration that Wizards of the Coast is using KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS as the basis for their next Encounters Program adventure.  I ended up getting more visitors than usual and received some good comments.

Slight correction before the main piece -- I would like to note that while the "KEEP" is barred from me a KEEP isn't, the Chaos Scar (thematically an updated Caves of Chaos) aren't and they are a part of the new DDI Adventure Path. Wizards is giving me half of what I would like to see.

I thought I would take today to expand on my thought regarding what Wizards of the Coast is doing wrong in the coordination of the program, respond to some of the comments I received yesterday, and to offer some thoughts for improvement.  I am a firm believer that any critic of a given program should have something positive to offer.  Otherwise, you are just complaining and not contributing.  Consumers have an obligation to participate actively in the marketing and sales decisions of the companies they support.  They cannot just say, "I don't like this."  Consumers also need to say, "this is what I want."  Companies then have an obligation to respond to their customers needs and desires.

This is especially true when dealing with customer intimacy and marketing endeavors of a corporation.  The RPGA, and the Encounters Program, are both marketing vehicles for Wizards and examples of an attempt at a customer intimacy approach to their market activities.

Let me dispel an impression I may have made yesterday.  I am not an opponent of the Encounters program.  As I wrote yesterday, "I think that Encounter D&D Play events are good for gaming in general and good for local retailers."

I stand by that statement.  Organized play is a great idea, and Encounters is one of the best approaches to organized play in existence.   It is far superior to the Living Campaigns of the past -- which actually suffer from my "if you don't play, you can never get the adventure" problem worse than Encounters.  They also suffered from the, "there were adventures in the Scarlet Brotherhood?  Really?  Hmmm... Never heard about those" syndrome.

Here are the main Strengths of the Encounters program as I see it:

1) High quality encounter based adventures.
2) Graphically appealing components.
3) Ability to be played in a short period of time.
4) They occur on Wednesdays which is "New Comics Day." This maximizes the ability of the game/comic store to introduce comic buyers to the gaming hobby.
5) They are easy to run.
6) They are effectively used to market the latest Wizards products.

The program has quite a few Strengths and those need to be noted. The program also has Weaknesses, some Opportunities for improvement, and some Threats from other programs.

Before I get into those, I thought that I would address some of the good comments I received yesterday.

Anonymous (2) wrote, "their main purpose IS to get you into the shops to play, since obviously you are attracted to play it. I know we can be busy, but it is either go to shop or not KOTB at all."

This misses the point of my complaint entirely, and is also wrong. Wizards of the Coast's main purpose is to get me to go into shops to purchase their products and to have products to sell to me. That's how you make a profit. You make products for consumption and consumers purchase them. That's the way you typically maximize shareholder value, in both the short and long term. You also happen to maximize stakeholder value if in offering products, you listen to your consumers to see what they want -- and then provide it. If there are enough shareholders who want KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS, but cannot make it to stores every Wednesday for months in order to "experience" it, then Wizards is losing value by not eventually offering it for sale. Notice the "eventually" there. That is key. I think stores deserve exclusivity for a time, but that the company benefits by eventually making it available. Wizards makes no money on people selling stuff on eBay after the fact.

Acrobatic Flea, a significant blogger and fellow Villains and Vigilantes fan, wrote "Are we 100% sure the 'Encounters' adventures will never be available to the general public. I'm sure I heard a mumbling on a Gen Con podcast that they might be at some stage -- but I could be misremembering."

I hope Flea is right, though I think that Wizards should do more than "mumble in a Gen Con" podcast if selling them is their intent. They need to do more than "casual" viral marketing, they need to make a clear statement. Something like, "Encounters adventures will be available 6 months after the cycle is complete."

MJ Harnish points out that "crowded, noisy, and often unpleasant smelling game stores" may not be the best place to promote a play at home game.

To a certain extent, I agree. I would never want to game at THE LAST GRENADIER (though it has a wonderful selection of games and I shop there) or The War House (where I picked up a copy of Supergame 1st edition for cover price), but I would game at Emerald Knight Comics and Games, Game Empire, or Aero Hobbies (one of the places Eric John Holmes used to game). Some game stores are frightening, others are welcoming. It all depends on how the store is structured.

Anonynos and Callin make similar points about the value of using the game store, and both state that "sometimes you have to be a part of something to get a benefit from it" and "making the adventure exclusive gives it more value than if you could simply walk up and buy it."

I agree with these two regarding the value of having the games in the store, and regarding a "window" of exclusivity. Where is disagree is the following. I don't think making an adventure "exclusive" gives it more value. It gives it more secondary market value -- more eBay value. That isn't value for the shareholders or for the majority of stakeholders. Let's say someone participated in the full run of KEEP, and loved every minute. They want to share that experience with a gaming group that they put together based on the excitement that the Encounter created. They want to run KEEP for their friends. Guess what? They can't. They can't share the experience that brought them into the hobby. That is a HUGE problem and a marketing failure. Wizards makes no profit, and generates no good will, from something selling on eBay. This would be true if the adventure were "TEMPLE OF THE UNSEEN PURPLE HAZE" (which I now want to play), or KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS.

I don't think Wizards hates me, in fact I have good relations with a couple of their employees. I also have a gamer crush on Shelly Mazzanoble and hope that we can play "Barovia: The Real Ravenloft" rpg someday. Wizards is filled with hard working people I respect. I have defended them on repeated occasions.

What I do think they are telling me that they don't want my money, or to listen to my desires as a customer -- a desire to buy a product that they are already making. I'm not asking them to remake their products in the image of my whims, I am asking them to let me buy their stuff. That isn't a very "precious" position, that is a consumers position.

Now onto the Weaknesses of the Encounters program:

1) Game play is limited to Wednesdays.
2) Limited audience -- since game stores are primarily frequented by gamers, and comic books are a dying medium, the program isn't as far reaching as it could be.
3) Products are never made available to wider public as purchases.
4) Doesn't necessarily encourage the purchase of D&D products. Everything needed for players is provided at no cost. Overall, a good thing but does allow for some small number of free riders.
5) Coordination of program is still relatively weak and "cellular."

Opportunities:

1) Provide Encounters adventures to High School and College clubs. Possibly require some kind of proof of club status.
2) Expand Encounters program to libraries.
3) Allow those who have participated as players an opportunity to buy the last week's episode.
4) Allow the sale of the products to the general gaming public 6 months after the end of an Encounter season. This ensures that the products are "fresh" with recent releases.

Threats:

1) Other organized play. Paizo's Pathfinder Society allows the purchase of their Pathfinder Society adventures by the public. Purchases are limited to pdf, and don't include the excellent maps, tokens, and cards that Encounters contain, but still a threat.
2) Gamer resentment. The more that gamers feel left out, the more likely they are to go to other companies.
3) MMORPGS -- as always.
4) Eurogaming nights at FLGS's -- these are both a threat and a bonus. Wizards recent release of D&D themed games will help balance this threat, but opposing game days of any type are a threat.
5) Shrinking FLGS marketplace. The number of FLGS has declined significantly and Encounters is dependent on that market. Yes, it is helping to ensure the continuation of the FLGS market by promoting the FLGS, but this can only go so far. Possibly limit purchases of past Encounter seasons to stores who ran the season.

I'm sure that I could think up a lot more points under each category, including strengths. The program is a good one, but it is one that I think needs improvement if it doesn't want to make "home gamers" feel excluded from the larger community and if it doesn't contribute to the "D&D Narrative." The great thing about the old adventures was that everyone had played them. This gave gamers a shared experiences and helps to expand the community.

As I wrote yesterday, WotC how about you hook a supporter up?

Wizards of the Coast to Supportive Old School Home Gamers -- "Go to Hell!"

Those who read this blog know that I am usually a staunch defender of Wizards of the Coast. While others were complaining about Wizard's release of a 4th edition of D&D, I defended the idea. Since that time, I have become very excited about 4th edition and am in the process of putting together a campaign for my regular gaming group to play when we finish our current Eberron campaign.

I am eagerly awaiting the new Red Box, the Essentials product line (which is reaching out to "recession" gamers and new games), and even the controversial Gamma World. Many are concerned about the "collectible" nature of some the power cards in GW, but after seeing the Gamma World presentation at Gen Con I am excited at the prospect.

What I am not excited about is Wizards' next "Encounters" campaign -- KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS.

Let me rephrase that.

I am ecstatic about Wizards releasing a 4th edition version of KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS, but they have just told me to f@&# off by making it their next "Encounters" adventure.

I think that the Encounters "D&D Play" events are good for gaming in general, and good for local retailers. Having weekly single encounter adventures that are run at local game stores is wonderful and promotes the hobby. Never making those products available to the gaming community at large is an insult.

I'm sorry, but I don't have 2-4 hours on a Wednesday night to go to my local game store to play D&D -- let alone the afternoon. I am an MBA student, work full-time, and have two-and-a-half year old twin daughters. I game at home. My obligations at home, those lovely little girls who I adore more than anything, prevent me from gaming "away" from home.

I have been playing D&D for over 20 years and some of my fondest memories of D&D where when I was in high school. I didn't have a large gaming group yet and would spend my time running "solos" -- I would take multiple characters I rolled up through published adventures. The adventure I most frequently solo'd? KEEP ON THE BORDERLANDS.

It is likely my favorite adventure of all time. I would love to buy a copy. But I can't, nor can I go to the store and play the "Encounters." What I will be able to do is read other gamers share their experience playing the adventure with deep envy.

By making this highly desirable product available to some gamers -- those who have spare time during the week -- and not to others, Wizards is flipping a big bird in my direction and I don't appreciate it.

If they ever make any of their Encounters adventures for sale to the general public, I will be overjoyed. I'm willing to give a 6-month exclusivity period to stores even, but until then I know that I and gamers like me are not high on Wizards list. It's too bad, since I have purchased one of every book they have published over the past decade -- sometimes more than one.

Yes...that includes all of the fiction as well.

Hook a supporter up please!

A Birthday for the Aeons -- Happy Birthday HPL

Today is the 120th anniversary of H.P. Lovecraft's birth. I will leave the proper eulogizing to those I believe have a better and deeper understanding of the writer and his works, or those who are continuing his legacy through the production of quality games and books.

Strangely, all of these individuals have yet to post an annual honorific blog post -- but I am eagerly awaiting their thoughts. In the meantime, we can all settle -- and it isn't really settling -- for Kenneth Hite's Tour De Lovecraft, starting with his introduction.

[Blogging Northwest Smith] "Yvala"

In C.L. Moore's tale "Yvala," readers are quickly immersed in the traditional themes of a Northwest Smith tale. Beauty is dangerous, nature can be deadly, mythological creatures are re-imagined, and there are vampiric creatures that feed on more than blood.

As the story begins, Smith and his companion Yarol are in desperate circumstances. (Are they ever not in desperate circumstance?) The severity of their desperation is conveyed to the reader in a few wonderfully evocative sentences.

Moore first signal's the pair's plight by describing Smith's appearance.

It was evident at a glance that Smith had fallen upon evil days. One might have guessed by the shabbiness of his clothing that his pockets were empty, the charge in his ray-gun low.

She follows this up with a brilliant first line of dialogue from Smith's companion Yarol.

"Another half-hour and we eat."

If delivered in normal circumstances the above quotation might be a throw away line. But when a character has "fallen upon evil days," a comment regarding the close proximity of the next meal makes the reader wonder just how many half-hours have passed since the pair last shared a good meal.

Moore isn't understating things when she writes that Smith had fallen upon evil days. Things have become so bad that he and Yarol are considering taking a job with the sinister Willard slaving operation. The fact that Smith is about to take employment with slavers is "evil" enough, but Moore makes it readily apparent that the Willards are the vilest of the vile when it comes to the slave trade. During the conversation of the pending job Moore makes passing references to "Black Thirst" and the Minga maids that once brought a high price on the slave market.

To state that "Yvala" is a counter story to "Black Thirst" would be an understatement, the two stories deal with beauty and hunger from directly opposite ends of the narrative spectrum. In "Black Thirst," we were introduced to the Alendar -- a creature that sustained its life by "feeding" on beauty as if it were a tangible thing. The essence of beauty was the Alendar's food and the Alendar's buffet/harem held women so beautiful that they could drive a man mad.

And a tale of beauty that had driven men mad is what has prompted the Willards to seek a man of Smith's talents. The Willards have come across two stories of men crashing onto a jungle moon of Jupiter. In both of these stories the men escaped the planet, but were driven mad during their time as a castaway. According to the tales, they were driven mad by women so beautiful that looking upon them could shatter a man's sanity. The Willards think that such a prize would provide a grand price on the slave market and wish to "acquire" a specimen, but they don't want to risk their own pirates in the process. So they approach Smith and Yarol.

As the tale progresses, Moore reminds us of the mythological tales of the Siren and the Lorelei who had songs that could drive sailors mad. She also takes time to remind readers of the great beauties of antiquity Helen, Circe, and Helen -- and of the price paid by those who found them beautiful. In these reminders, Moore is giving hints about the particular mythical re-imagining she will be offering to readers. Shambleau presented us with Moore's version of the Gorgon Medusa. Black Thirst gave us a version of Dracula, that most famous of vampires. What was it that drove the space-farers mad? Was it Siren or Witch? We will only discover the answer to that on the journey.

The fact that Smith and Yarol have no ship of their own with which to explore the jungle moon of Jupiter is another sign of how desperate their circumstances are. Smith is often quoted as being the template for Han Solo, but here he lacks even the simplest of transportation. I have found that Smith is more akin to Indiana Jones myself, and not merely due to the similarity of name. Both Smith and Jones have an insatiable curiosity, and both constantly find themselves in horrible situations in ancient ruins with only their trusty side-arm and their wits to aid them.

When the Willard ship lands on the jungle moon, we are informed that this is a particular kind of jungle moon -- one that bears a carnivorous jungle. Before the rocket ship's doors open, numerous plants snap at the ship in search of a fleshy meal. One is reminded of the Warhammer 40k Death World Catachan. Like in "Scarlet Dream," the planet itself -- or at least the plant life -- feeds on the blood of animals. The danger of the wild jungle is vast, and the danger of the unbridled natural world is once more expressed. For modern man, the natural world is something to be tamed. For early man, and for the explorer, the natural world is rife with danger. Moore conveys that danger in entertaining detail:

They were submerged in jungle. Great serpentine branches and vines like cables looped downward in broken lengths from the shattered trees which had given way at their entrance. It was an animate jungle, full of hungry, reaching things that sprang in one wild, prolific tangle from the rich mud. Raw-colored flowers, yards across, turned sucking mouths blindly against the glass here and there, trickles of green juice slavering down the clear surface from their insensate hunger.

"Raw-colored flowers..." What an evocative description. It conveys both the deep red color of the plant and its carnivorous nature.

One quickly wonders how our intrepid heroes will be able to venture into the jungle in pursuit of the madness inducing beauties the tales promised the moon was home to, but then Yarol sees an ancient road -- paved and unmolested by the living jungle. If the reader's "this is creepy" instincts weren't set off by the carnivorous jungle, they certainly are by the road that denies and defies that same jungle. What force or technology could provide a road that is unassailable by the deep growth? This is especially disconcerting as there is no apparent reason for the lack of encroachment. The road bears no "defenses" against the wild, it is merely a road.

It is upon this road that Smith and Yarol first meet Yvala, or rather reflections of Yvala. Each sees their personal vision of what they believe constitutes absolute beauty, and each is addressed in their native tongue by these beautiful reflections. These reflections lead Smith to their original, the true Yvala -- a creature mind-shatteringly beautiful that feeds on the very adoration that its beauty engenders. Yvala is a vampire of adoration and she feeds on the humanity within the souls of those who admire her.

One wonders how Yvala "the Destroyer" and the Alendar would compliment one another, but that is a tale never told.

Typical of a Moore tale, there is an underlying criticism of the praise of "mere" physical beauty. In prior tales, love based on physical beauty alone was depicted as less than actual love. Here pure physical beauty is shown to be a vampiric thing in itself. Where "Black Thirst" could be described as a tale that demonstrates the parasitic and predatory quality of lust directed at beautiful women, this tale demonstrates that beautiful women who use their beauty as a weapon can also victimize others. The adoration of mere beauty is something that destroys our humanity and makes us into mere animals. It's a powerful allegory, and one that fits well in the mythological cycle that Moore is creating for her readers.

I am so tempted to tell you what legendary creature Moore has re-imagined for this tale, and how/whether Smith and Yarol escape the clutches of Yvala, but that would spoil the fun.

What I will say is that I think that Homer would approve and that the re-imagining is my favorite to date. The image of a creature that destroys the souls of those who adore it lingers with me still.

Previous Blogging Northwest Smith Entries:

7) [Blogging Northwest Smith] "Cold Gray God"
6) [Blogging Northwest Smith] "Nymph of Darkness"
5) [Blogging Northwest Smith] "Julhi"
4) [Blogging Northwest Smith] "Dust of the Gods"
3) Blogging Northwest Smith: "Scarlet Dream"
2) Blogging Northwest Smith: "Black Thirst"
1) Blogging Northwest Smith: "Shambleau"