[UA] New RDL novel

[Kevin Elmore]

> To which it has, unlike most game novels, not that much
> connection.  It's
> a good novel that happens to be set on Al Amarja. 


That is what makes Pierced Heart an even better gaming
novels than others I've read.

It seems that some gaming novels seem to focus on "Let's
show the reader all these cool aspects of the game."  Then
the story is ignored in favor of schticks.

However, Pierced Heart brings in elements important only to
the story.  You see the Aires gang, a member of the Net,
Communion, and glugs because they are vital to the plot. 
Even the Compton cameo (which might be viewed by cynics as
gratuitous) was nicely done.  Those familiar with the game
got to truly appreciate the sheer luck of hearing advice
given by the patron of decadence.  The others can
appreciate helpful advice and information for the reader
given by a charming fellow.

That's just something I like in gaming stories.  "Roll Your
Bones" is another example of a subdued cast of characters. 
You have a chaos mage and the New Inquisition.  You have a
brief glimpse of the Naked Goddess, but it's touched on
only briefly.  It's not like the author compared
entropomancy with other schools:  "Unlike epideromancy,
which requires pain, he knew that he only needed to take
risks--getting hurt wasn't part of the deal."  That would
be a bad sentence in that story.

Just a bit of personal opinion for those out there who like
writing stories.  Of course there is a difference between a
story and a narrative:  "Let me tell you about those
skin-cutting freaks and those bullet-dodging freaks."  

On another note, I have completed a good portion of the
adventure based on the Stanford prison experiment.  I ran
it twice at a convention this weekend, and people seemed to
enjoy it.  I still need to hammer on the characters a bit.

Once I get a GM aid written, I will upload it somewhere. 
I'm thinking of at least www.irishgaming.com since Gareth
is such a rabid contributor of that site (if you haven't
checked out Plug N Play, do so--nifty sci-fi scenario).  

Kevin Elmore

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