Of all the Mothership products, Gradient Descent is the truest expression of that.
Let's review the ambitious labyrinthian design of Mothership's Gradient Descent, a 64-page mega-dungeon with a half-letter (5.5 × 8.5'') format.
This is gonna be a long one, so I'll experiment and break this review into multiple threads. This one will be about graphic design.
Of all the Mothership products, Gradient Descent is the truest expression of that.
For example, the pages look like Sean McCoy didn't design the book so much as found it wedged behind IBM terminals tasked with MKUltra—and then faxed it to himself.
Every page has this weathered look deliberately placed where it would exist in real life.
Cobbled together, photocopied, faxed, stomped out, squeegeed dry, and faxed-again manuals.
This design speaks to my soul.
But as a gm article, it fights itself on usability, economy, and storytelling, which I'll explain further in parts.
I don't know why I haven't seen this before. These maps abstract like a point crawl but look like the schemata to machinery or electronics. They're incredibly evocative, and something I *will* steal.
And here's why I love this innovation: it scales.
Disproportionate scales. Non-humanist architecture. And no "correct" orientation because of zero-g.
This is the invention of that necessity.
It's like a point-crawl + map + Melan diagram.
And yet, they're still hard to use. The world map of "The Deep" in Gradient Descent is more like a shock-and-awe visual than an actual place to go to for reference.
Sometimes they're at the start of a spread. Sometimes they're at the end.
Either further abstraction is necessary, or the written dungeon needs to be pared down.
It's not a deal-breaker, space is limited, after all, but it's another burden on the Warden
GD wields its color palette like a multitool to communicate important information on the page while trimming entire pages from its manuscript.
And because the palette is limited, it's not overwhelming to remember.
And red almost always means danger. The only exception: the main villain—the physical manifestation of danger.
There are lots of great re-inventions here. I've seen some form of these scattered across hundreds of RPG products, but I rarely see them in one product.
The result is somewhat Icarus-ian.
Until then, RPG graphic design nerds: buy it and learn from it. https://t.co/7SZ8iZGm1s
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For my book, I interviewed Texan Republicans, Democrats, oil guys + clean energy pioneers. Texas was once leading in wind energy, with GOP support. Now we get lies, from the Gov on down on renewables. What happened?
Lessons from Short Circuiting Policy https://t.co/KtxaBci5oC 🧵
Texas' challenges are not from "learning too many renewable energy lessons from California.” - Rep. Crenshaw
Texas passed its first renewable energy target in 1999, 3 years before California. The law was signed by, Gov. George W. Bush — you may recall he’s a Republican.
Gov. Bush was so proud of Texas’ leadership on wind energy, that he campaigned on it when running for President in 2000.
The "bill he signed in 1999 will make Texas the country’s largest market for renewable energy by 2009."
https://t.co/T4dKZ5qGnA
In 2005, Texas passed another big wind energy law, which included $7 billion for transmission.
It was sponsored by Republican state Senator Troy Fraser and signed by Republican Gov. Rick
With Gov. Abbott going on TV this week and lying, blaming the boogeyman “Green New Deal” and wind turbines for Texas’ current crisis, GOP leadership on renewables feels like ancient history.
What happened over the past 15
Lessons from Short Circuiting Policy https://t.co/KtxaBci5oC 🧵
Texas' challenges are not from "learning too many renewable energy lessons from California.” - Rep. Crenshaw
Texas passed its first renewable energy target in 1999, 3 years before California. The law was signed by, Gov. George W. Bush — you may recall he’s a Republican.
Gov. Bush was so proud of Texas’ leadership on wind energy, that he campaigned on it when running for President in 2000.
The "bill he signed in 1999 will make Texas the country’s largest market for renewable energy by 2009."
https://t.co/T4dKZ5qGnA
In 2005, Texas passed another big wind energy law, which included $7 billion for transmission.
It was sponsored by Republican state Senator Troy Fraser and signed by Republican Gov. Rick
With Gov. Abbott going on TV this week and lying, blaming the boogeyman “Green New Deal” and wind turbines for Texas’ current crisis, GOP leadership on renewables feels like ancient history.
What happened over the past 15
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I think a plausible explanation is that whatever Corbyn says or does, his critics will denounce - no matter how much hypocrisy it necessitates.
Corbyn opposes the exploitation of foreign sweatshop-workers - Labour MPs complain he's like Nigel
He speaks up in defence of migrants - Labour MPs whinge that he's not listening to the public's very real concerns about immigration:
He's wrong to prioritise Labour Party members over the public:
He's wrong to prioritise the public over Labour Party
One of the oddest features of the Labour tax row is how raising allowances, which the media allowed the LDs to describe as progressive (in spite of evidence to contrary) through the coalition years, is now seen by everyone as very right wing
— Tom Clark (@prospect_clark) November 2, 2018
Corbyn opposes the exploitation of foreign sweatshop-workers - Labour MPs complain he's like Nigel
He speaks up in defence of migrants - Labour MPs whinge that he's not listening to the public's very real concerns about immigration:
He's wrong to prioritise Labour Party members over the public:
He's wrong to prioritise the public over Labour Party