On this date in the year 2941 of the Third Age, a staid and conservative hobbit named Bilbo Baggins was startled to discover a strange dwarf on his doorstep, one fully expecting his hospitality.
Opinion
Blitz matches are fun, right? They sound like they should be a relaxing smash-n-grab and an uber-lovely romp through a field of mines and artillery explosions. On a tiny map, two players face off against each other. They are without diplomatic options, all alone against their enemy, bracing their armies for quick and deadly combat. Ships are blindly launched into contested territory, and each captain instills a silly hope in his crew that, “This is our moment of glory, boys.” It seems like it should be a short and joy-filled experience. Make a few superb manoeuvres, and you’ve got ‘im! If you are into Planets combat, it is definitely a good time, but there is also a dark side to the Blitz format. Since these types of games score League teams big points in Nu‘s new road to the championship, these head-to-heads deserve a bit of scrutiny. After all, isn’t winning a champ game the most important thing in the Echo Cluster?
I suppose it’s remotely possible that someone, somewhere might be unaware that I’m a fan of Classic Planets.
Continue readingThe one race least capable of fighting the Horwasp is the Crystalline. Because pods are immune to webs yet minesweep automatically every turn, they can easily sweep your webs. Horwasp warships outmatch your own in battle. The Privateer can’t fight them either, but at least they’re effective at robbing them dry. But what can you do?
Continue readingTurned out the fellows from the military did want to see it, and were pretty upset that it was no longer there to be seen.
They had some sharp words for the sheriff, even after he explained, reasonably, that there didn’t seem to be much they could have done to stop it “except get runned over maybe.”
Continue readingReluctantly, the sheriff moved his investigation indoors, and tried hard to ignore the fact that the… the whatsit gave him the willies.
It just stood there, apparently immobile. The thing hadn’t moved at all since it first emerged from its resting place inside the wall, a neat hollow behind a layer of loose-set bricks. Fact was, it didn’t look much like something that could move. It was all one piece, of fired brown pottery, glazed, and decorated with abstract swirls. There were no joints of any sort that he could see. It had no eyes, nor anything that could be properly called a face, on the squat ceramic dome that stuck out where its head ought to be.
Continue readingHi! Gnerphk and Talespin here, coming to you live from the Planets Magazine broadcast studio! It’s time for our annual pledge drive, people.
(I did warn you!)
“…and when I come to, I called you, Sheriff.”
The sheriff looked the part, only shorter and darker than average. (He’d been a fighter pilot during the War, and had run for office on his record.) Since then his life had gotten a lot quieter — except for days like today, that is. Right now, he was standing on the board porch next to the farmer, hat tilted way back on his head, taking notes. “So, you heard a loud noise, and something busted through the wall. That would make a noise, all right.”
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The old farmer’s face was seamed and leathery, his pale eyes deceptively mild as he sat reading peacefully by his fireplace.
His first harvest from this new homestead was safely in the barn and the fields lay fallow, awaiting a kind of winter he’d not yet seen. The War had forced him to relocate three times, and he devoutly hoped he’d never move again — never mind that it smelled funny here when it rained. The government radio broadcast said he wouldn’t have to, but that’s the kind of thing governments always say. He had his doubts. He kept them to himself.
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