From the Publisher's Desk

This is the personal blog for the publisher of Skirmisher Publishing LLC.

From the Publisher's Desk

Re-Reading Lovecraft

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 04:54

Over the past 30-or-so years, I have read most of horror author H.P. Lovecraft's works at least once1, and some of my more favorite ones multiple times. I have, however, never read his stories in any particular order and my unorganized approach to his body of work has not helped me in my desire to gain a sense for Lovecraft's development as a writer or the evolution of his mythos.
 

Old Game Notebook

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 04:43

As part of my ongoing struggle to keep Skirmisher HQ/my home office under control, I have decided that it is time to do something with the hundreds of pages of handwritten game rules, ideas, and other content that I have been compiling for decades.

Looking Forward to a Happy New Year

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Sun, 01/01/2012 - 16:41

I am a big fan of the tradition of celebrating the New Year. While 2011 was a good year in many ways it was also a tough one for Skirmisher and included almost as much struggle and disappointment as it did successes. So, suffice it to say, I am just as glad to put the last year behind us and move forward with what I genuinely believe will be out best year ever. And I have numerous reasons for why I believe this will be the case, a few of which I will share here:
 

A Novel Hiatus

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Wed, 12/07/2011 - 16:09

During the month of November, any number of friends and associates noted that I had not posted much of anything to the Skirmisher website or even responded to or apparently read other people's posts to it. And, now that the rigors I endured during that month have ended, I am able to give more than a curt, "I'll tell you more in December!" response. 
 

Movie Commentary: 'Immortals'

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Fri, 11/11/2011 - 05:31

Immortals, the stunning epic fantasy that opens today, 11-11-11, is perhaps one of the most terrific fantasy films of the last decade. In part this is because of its non-stop action but it goes beyond this in a number of key ways. This movie follows the struggle of heroic Theseus (Henry Cavill) and his companions (Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto) to obtain a magic bow and defeat the depraved villain King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke). Seeing the film in the "Real 3D" format only makes it more striking. 
 

Con on the Cob: Day 2

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 02:51

HUDSON, OHIO -- Had a great second day here at Con on the Cob!
 

Con on the Cob: Day 1

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 03:07

HUDSON, OHIO -- Speaking as someone who has attended Gen Con for the past 10 years, up until today I had almost forgotten that game conventions could be be actually be fun and relaxing and am grateful to Con on the Cob organizer Andy Hopp for reminding me of that. 
 

Game Review: ‘The Rivals For Catan’

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 23:09

Every year, the happy task at the big annual game conventions is the same: find the one or two exceptional, standout gems among the many new releases. There is really no way to tell in advance what this game, supplement, or other product is going to be and sometime it is not even clear until one gets home and has a chance to actually try out their new acquisitions.
 

What Are Defects?

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Thu, 09/01/2011 - 03:07

Gen Con 2011: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Submitted by Michael O. Varhola on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 19:24

A week after the conclusion of Gen Con 2011, I have finally just about recovered, unpacked, and started to get a little perspective on the show, which was certainly a mixed bag of ups and downs. 

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