Neal Litherland
Founding member
Bio
Neal Litherland is an author, freelance blogger, and RPG designer. A regular on the Chicago convention circuit, he works in a variety of genres.
Blog: Improved Initiative and The Literary Mercenary
Stories (309/0)
Could American Excrement Power Our Electricity Grid With Renewable Energy?
If you pay attention to the news, particularly to tech news, you likely came across the toilet that converts poop to cryptocurrency. Located on a campus in South Korea, the process for this system is fairly simple. Students log in with their ID in the bathroom (we've all got our phones in-hand anyway), do their business, and then a vacuum system sucks away their "donation" as it's called. The waste is deposited in a tank, and then allowed to break down, producing methane. The methane is burned to create power, helping keep the university sustainable.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Earth
Can Large-Scale Telecommuting Save The Environment?
It feels like 2020 was a year of unmitigated disaster, filled with nothing but doom and gloom. However, while the pandemic was terrible (and is far from over at time of writing), some of our efforts to mitigate it had further-reaching effects than we expected. All you had to do was scroll through social media some time in the past year to see posts of people marveling at clear-running waters usually choked with detritus, or posting pictures of clear skies in places like Los Angeles, to get a sense of the visible effects that everyone staying home for a while had on the environment.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Earth
How To Build The Catachan Jungle Fighters in The Pathfinder RPG
The Imperium of Man stretches across the galaxy, and it's said to contain a million inhabited worlds. Among that million, though, there is one that stands above the others for its cruelty, its viciousness, and horror. A place of fetid swamps, murderous heat, and where every piece of bizarre flora and unusual fauna has evolved perfectly to kill you.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Gamers
Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale
Crixus woke to the stench of blood, and the sound of screams. He stood on a battlefield, surrounded by smoking craters and the fragments of the army that had come out to meet them. Shattered tanks dotted the ground like broken teeth, and burning promethium turned the field into a scene of hell while black smoke choked the skies. Scattered across the field like chaff after a reaping were the bodies of the dead. Men, women, it was hard to tell after what had been done to them. They’d stood before the teeth of a war machine, and it had chewed them to pieces. Crixus took it in, bemused as the mists slowly cleared away from his head and he came back to himself. As the fog of battle frenzy departed, though, the pain it hid returned; the feeling of the butcher’s nails demanding to be fed. It was only a dull ache for now, but he knew the pain would grow teeth soon enough.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Futurism
How To Build The Death Korps of Krieg in The Pathfinder RPG
Among the Astra Militarum there are warriors of great courage and ruthless drive. There are soldiers without peer whose banners heave with accolades of past glories. But even among the regiments of renown, whose names and sigils are known across the Imperium, there is one that stands out from the others. A regiment spoken of in equal parts awe, and horror. A regiment that does not know fear, or pity, or remorse, and who absolutely will not stop until they or the foe are dead.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Gamers
Anti-Fascist Role Models: Bela Lugosi
When you think of Bela Lugosi, chances are you imagine the original Count Dracula. Though he appeared in over a hundred films, and countless stage performances (pun very much intended), the immortal Transylvanian monster defined Lugosi's legacy as much as Lugosi defined the Count in our pop culture.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in The Swamp
5 Non-Vampire Movies You Should Watch Before Running a Vampire Game
The World of Darkness is a setting filled with deep shadows, where players are asked to gaze into the abyss and grapple with the questions about the line between the human and the monstrous. While there are numerous spheres of this setting, the flagship has always been Vampire, since it was the game that really launched the World of Darkness into the public eye.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Gamers
How To Build an Imperial Commissar in The Pathfinder RPG
There are few sights as awe-inspiring, or as outright terrifying, as that of an imperial commissar. In their iconic peaked caps and greatcoats, it is their job to motivate the troops... through whatever means necessary. Sometimes that means charging the guns of the enemy with sword in hand, bolt pistol barking. Sometimes it means executing those who falter in their duty, making it clear to every guardsman that no matter the terror before them it cannot be worse than the officer at their backs.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Gamers
The 5 Eye-Rolling Rogues You Meet in Your Gaming Career
If you roll dice long enough you're going to come across examples of every character class that end up being huge red flags for any game night. And while the first installment in this series was The 5 Awful Paladins You Will Meet in Your Gaming Career, I thought it was time to address the aggravating archetypes of another class.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Gamers
What is Chaos Magic?
Magick, according to The Free Dictionary, is when someone uses some form of action or effort to alter the world around them (or to alter themselves) through the power of their will. There's probably as many different definitions of the term as there are spiritual paths surrounding it, but this is the one we'll be using as the jumping off point for today. Also, in the spirit of chaos, I'm dropping the "k" from the word from here on out... you know it's there, however, so just remind yourself as you read.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Futurism
5 Tips For Creating Fantasy Towns and Cities
The fantasy genre often draws us in with promises of the strange, and the wondrous. From wizards' duels, to brooding dragons, to relics of ancient, bygone eras of glory, these stories offer us an escape from our reality. However, the fantastical elements of these tales are like the icing on a cake. They are where a great deal of the sweetness and enjoyment in consumption comes from, but these elements rely on the cake beneath to act as a foundation.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in Futurism
- Top Story - February 2021
The Vikings Helped Spread Cats Across The WorldTop Story - February 2021
Vicious opportunists who take what they want, they're rightly feared by those smaller and weaker than they are. On the other hand they're also beautiful, paying constant attention to grooming and presentation in a way that might seem at-odds with their otherwise brutal instincts. Adored by women, lionized in mythology, and plastered across they Internet, they seem to be everywhere.
By Neal Litherland3 years ago in FYI