Do you need a Nethack parody today?

"Play Nethack"
by Francisco Rangel
(to the tune of "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones)

I see a red D and I want to play nethack
Go down to Gehennom and bring the trinket back
I see the grid bugs bite, the Kop runs with a hose
I light my magic lamp and so the darkness goes

The full version is available at http://www.bbspot.com/News/2004/10/play_nethack.html.

"NetHack"
by Rob Balder dot com
(to the tune of "Pepper" by the Butthole Surfers)

I don't mind the text sometimes, the images it shows.
Running from the Ds and Ls, and killing all the Os.
Faded prints and subtle hints and fortune cookie lies.
You never ID all your stuff, until your @ sign dies.

The full lyrics are available at http://www.partiallyclips.com/filk/nethack/RobBalderDotCom_Nethack_lyrics_license.html
A performance of the song is available as a free download at http://www.partiallyclips.com/filk/nethack/.

Happy hacking, world!

The DM of the Rings

I found an entertaining webcomicky thing today. Admittedly, I found it because there's a Nethack parody down the line, but it turned out to be entertaining in its own right. Here's the description as written by Shamus, the guy who... er... wrote the description. And the webcomic.

"Lord of the Rings is more or less the foundation of modern D&D. The latter rose from the former, although the two are now so estranged that to reunite them would be an act of savage madness. Imagine a gaggle of modern hack-n-slash roleplayers who had somehow never been exposed to the original Tolkien mythos, and then imagine taking those players and trying to introduce them to Tolkien via a D&D campaign."

If you've ever been a frustrated DM (or have a decent tolerance for DMs whining about weird things players do) and you've seen Lord of the Rings, you will probably be entertained. If you are a Tolkien purist (hi, Mom!) you will Not Be Amused. You are forewarned.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612

Also, there's a great description of D&D down the line at http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=675.

"D&D is a sort of simulation. A simulation of living in a fantasy world where fearless heroes and dreadful monsters clash daily in spectacular battles. A world where you are a great champion, and the creator of the universe is frequently disorganized, highly distractable, and alarmingly vague on the rules of the universe he’s trying to run."

No kidding! But it's still a lot of fun.

Mossdog purge coming up.

I'm planning to pull down the following pieces soon:

Dove's Heart
Wings
Guardian Ghost
Falling Leaves
Crazed (But In A Good Way)
Roses
Hurting The Ones I Love
The Unshadowed Now
My Virtuoso

These were all done back on Finale, and I feel my skill has progressed enough that they're no longer representative. They may be back at some point redone, but, for now, I'm dissatisfied with them. Consequently, consider yourself forewarned, and if you want a copy, now is a good time to download one. (As always, the site for download is www.soundclick.com/mossdog.)