Dungeons and Dragons "Influential" Admits New York Times

Yes it's Tuesday, and I'm just now getting Moon Pope Monday's entry put up. The reason for that is I've spent the last few days setting up my own online shop so I can create custom gear for my fans here on Improved Initiative, and over at the sister blog The Literary Mercenary.

You know you want one.

If you'd like to check out the fledgling store then click right here. I'll be creating more gear for gamers, genre-lovers, and fans of fiction in all varieties.

Speaking of fiction, that brings me to today's topic.

New York Times Admits Dungeons and Dragons Influence

According to this article right here there are now a huge number of authors, playwrights, actors, screenwriters, and other pen monkeys who produce the entertainment you love that grew up using Dungeons and Dragons as their first tale-telling building blocks. From Junot Diaz to Brent Hartinger, along with men like Stephen Colbert and George R. R. Martin the game has had a massive, wide-reaching influence on the fiction you see on the shelves today.

Your point is?

All right for most of us this really isn't news. We already know how influential roleplaying games are because we've been reading these books. Some of us (myself included; my Amazon page is right here after all), use these games to keep our character creation and plot-skills sharp. That's not the point; the point is that in a culture that's still ringing with echoes of the Satanic Panic, and where big swaths of the populace still believe video games, heavy metal, and violent movies all lead to sexual deviancy and higher murder rates a major news outlet has acknowledged that the only thing playing roleplaying games really leads to is a better understanding of how story mechanics fit together to create a compelling, engaging plot.

In short, my friends, we stand victorious in the culture wars. The naysayers have had their books and papers debunked (such as the pack of lies that is "Seduction of the Innocent" that claimed comic books were destroying the youth; more at io9), and it's been shown that the things we love are no more harmful than any other form of entertainment.

This week on Moon Pope Monday I declare Mission Accomplished.

Again, thanks for stopping in and checking out what's going down in the world of gaming with Improved Initiative! If you'd like to follow my posts then plug your email into the box on the top right, or follow me on Facebook and Tumblr. If you'd like to keep me going then buy a book from Amazon, stop by my store and check out some of the sweet gear I'm now offering, toss a tip into the "Bribe the DM" button on the top right, or stop by my Patreon page and become a patron today!

Medieval Land Fun-Time World- A Bad Lip Reading of Game of Thrones

For those of you who don't live on the Internet it's possible you haven't heard about the idea of a bad lip reading. These videos, produced by an anonymous individual who has experience in the music and recording industry, do pretty much what the title suggests. While this mysterious individual has spoofed everything from pop music to professional sports on his channel right here, this week's Moon Pope Monday would like to draw your attention to Medieval Land Fun-Time World.

Game of Thrones, for those who don't want to get silly with the rest of us.

That's all for our Monday edition, but stay tuned for Table Talk where we finish up the Ballad of Baldric Brimstone (the first two chapters are here and here). If you'd like to help Improved Initiative stay up and running feel free to click the "Bribe the DM" button in the upper right hand corner, or check out our Patreon page to become a patron. Lastly if you want to keep up to date on our latest and greatest then put your email in the box in the upper right, or follow us on Facebook and Tumblr to get updates when we post them.

Rage of Thrones (I Read The Fucking Book!)

We've all heard about the man ruining all of the new fans' experiences with HBO's classic show by publishing a novel series full of spoilers. A no-name, relatively unknown author by the name of George R. R. Martin, the story was first broken by Underground Magazine here.

We all know why this is funny, but there is something to be mad about in every joke. This week's Improved Initiative pays homage to all the geeks out there who, rather than becoming hipsters now that their genre is popular, react instead with the proper amount of rage that no one cares about their favorite stories until there's a special effects budget. We present to you the video for Rage of Thrones from the Axis of Awesome, whose Youtube channel may be found here.

If you enjoy what we offer here at Improved Initiative then spread the word, and put your email in the upper right hand corner so you'll always get updates when we make them. You can also follow us on Facebook or Tumblr. If you want to take a more direct hand in keeping us running then stop by our Patreon page, or click the "Bribe the DM" button and make a donation. As always, thanks for dropping by!