When You Roll Three Sixes On The Dice
When You Roll Three Sixes On The Dice
Thank you Stranger Things for giving my kids interest in Dungeons and Dragons. I’m not saying they think their dad has led a culturally meaningful life, I’ve never skate-boarded for that accolade, but D&D ticked a few boxes.
So being granted an interview with Ian Livingstone was about the most exciting thing to happen to me this year. It’s hard to describe how much I admire this man. Here’s his brief resume:
Founder of Games Workshop
Introduced the United Kingdom to Dungeons and Dragons
Published White Dwarf magazine
Led the team that gave the world Lara Croft
Sold 20 million Fighting Fantasy novels
As well as all of the above, he successfully persuaded the government to create a Research & Development tax credit for the video games industry. That single policy arguably saved several UK studios at a critical moment. He also convincingly argued for wholesale change to the school curriculum to recognise skills as well as knowledge. On top of this, he’s an imposing harmonica player.
If you’re remotely interested in geek culture, you’ll love this interview with Ian on this week’s person of interest.
And I will never forget Crothnor of the North, my chaotic good fighter that battled away with AD&D monsters in Charlie Robinson’s living room in the early 1980s. When I rolled the three sixes it made him my strongest ever fighter. I still mourn his passing.
Music
So you don’t have to: 9 hours of cheesy Christmas songs.
Reading
I often get criticised in newspapers for enjoying a friendship with Max Mosley, who I believe is a brave and much-misunderstood man. So I’ve started reading “Six Girls, The Lives of the Mitford Sisters” by Laura Thomson. One of the Mitfords, Diana, was Max’s mum, who married fascist leader and former Labour MP, Oswald Mosley. His aunty Jessica was a communist. That’s one hell of a childhood for poor Max.
“A Reply to the Headlines” by Martin Robbins, bought on a whim from the poetry bookshop in Hay a couple of years ago. A line in a poem called “Winter Night Scenes” caught my attention. Forty years ago, it was ahead of its time. “Our exhausts have melted the ice caps”. My generation was warned.
Last few days to enter the competition for a chance to get your hands on the best artisanal organic cheese in the country. Competition closes Wednesday. Enter for a chance to win
If you can cope with watching me speak for four and a bit minutes, here is my first speech in the House of Lords. I hoped to describe Wyre Forest and big up Bewdley Civic Society, but debate time was cut. I’ll find another opportunity to do this in the new year.