Attention Span Labs

Yet another Appendix I Livestream! We welcome P. Alexander to discuss his Kickstarter project to restore a lost work to the public domain, Julian Hawthorne's "The Cosmic Courtship." An invitation to abandon the PopCult DeathCult is extended to those geeks and gamers after the entirely predictable betrayal of Zack Snyder, and a discussion about why pop culture nostalgia is a poor substitute for actual cultural values.

In the second Appendix I livestream, we take a deep dive into the first issue of Dauntless: The Heroic Adventure Zine. This pulp horror issue is inspired by the public domain work of Manly Wade Wellman, Arthur Machen, and H. H. Ewers. We'll also discuss some other public domain works and characters that are ripe for the plucking. Buy Dauntless #1 on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/329758/Dauntless-The-Heroic-Adventure-Zine Art of He-Man: https://amzn.to/3qS27aI Orphanlast's video on the Dauntless #2 commission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOiis6AT3-c

Artists have done a great deal to subvert the West. Is it possible that they are also the best chance of saving it? Join our livestream as we discuss the 'The Appendix I Project': promoting knowledge of entertainment options that celebrate the core ideals of Western culture and traditions in art and storytelling without deconstructing or shaming them. We will discuss such topics as: * Why is corporate entertainment so hostile to its audiences, to Christianity, and to the values of Western civilization? * Why is the anti-culture of Big Media so creatively bankrupt? * How you can stop giving money to people who hate you and instead find modern and forgotten treasures of literature, comics, and more. * What does art and storytelling really mean to civilization? Can it save it? Please join us at 7PM Eastern time this evening. You can comment and ask questions in the chat. Mentioned in the video: The Fourth Age (YT) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsmgy_rfqOlAz6R_wFLJzmg James Lindsay's New Discourses - https://newdiscourses.com/author/jameslindsay/ Jonathan Pageau's The Symbolic World - https://thesymbolicworld.com/ David V Stewart (YT) - https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidStewartwriter Librivox (public domain audiobooks) - https://librivox.org/ Project Gutenberg (public domain ebooks) - http://gutenberg.org/ 9Volt Anthology Holiday Special - https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/dale-a-and-shelly-dibaggio-and-peter-seckler/9-volt-holiday-special/paperback/product-wqjw2q.html?page=1&pageSize=4 Grapple Gun Universe Books by Richard Rohlin and Ben Feehan - https://amzn.to/37gBvr1 Dauntless #1 - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/329758/Dauntless-The-Heroic-Adventure-Zine?term=Dauntless Ascension Epoch Books - https://www.ascensionepoch.com/all_books/

An author and two comic artists join forces to discuss how to make fantastic settings believable without making them boring and mundane. See the first part of this video here: https://youtu.be/0qAJ6o0R2rU Thanks to ArtAnon for being our special guest. Please view his excellent work at http://artanonstudios.com/ Check out our books: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you'd like to read the illustrated previews of these books online, be sure to check out our new site, http://heroicadventurefiction.com

Comic creator Art Anon joins artist Shell Presto and author Mike DiBaggio to talk about the perils and pitfalls of the world builder's easy way out, the so-called "world outside your window." Using examples from comic books, role playing games, novels, movies, and even soap operas, they discuss the difficulties of setting fantastic stories and characters in the everyday world, as well as tell you how you can make it work. Thanks to ArtAnon for being our special guest. Please view his excellent work at http://artanonstudios.com/ Check out our books: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you'd like to read the illustrated previews of these books online, be sure to check out our new site, http://heroicadventurefiction.com

Learn how to add water features like streams and ponds to your tabletop terrain collection? I offer tips, tricks, and advice on how to handle bodies of water made out of Woodland Scenics Easy Water, white PVA (Elmer's) glue, and Mod Podge Dimensional magic. Also, learn about cairns and the difference between swamps and marshes! By the way, I also write superhero and adventure novels! Check our stuff out on Amazon (https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD) or read some of them for free on https://heroicadventurefiction.com and https://ascensionepoch.com Your purchases and patronage help support this channel. Thanks!

Continuing our discussion about where and when superhero comics went wrong (Part 1: https://youtu.be/K2yJ45yb0XE), comic artists Shell Presto and Art Anon talk with superhero author Michael DiBaggio about the poisonous period of anti-heroic deconstruction in the 1980s, the tedium of endless retcons, and realism as the death of the superhero. We also ask important questions like "Why doesn't Tony Stark believe in the Norse gods?", "Why does Marvel hate marriage?" and "Why do Hugo award winning sci-fi stories suck?" Thanks to ArtAnon for being our special guest. Please view his excellent work at http://artanonstudios.com/ By the way, if you love superheroes who are actually heroic and stories where stuff actually happens, be sure to check out After Dark, the first volume in our East End Irregulars series. The Irregulars are a team of teen superheroes from Pittsburgh, pitting themselves against metahuman gangsters, werecats, and mad gassers as they discover the eerie side of the city. https://amzn.to/34vndjE We also have five other books in the Ascension Epoch superhero universe you can check out here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you'd like to read the illustrated previews of these books online, be sure to check out our new site, http://heroicadventurefiction.com

Join a pair of comic artists and a superhero writer as they talk about what first made them fall in love with comic books from the 1960s through the 1990s, and then find out what finally killed their 20+ year-long readership. Infamously bad stories, crossover fatigue, continuity abuse, price hikes, decompression, and deconstruction are all addressed in part one. Thanks to ArtAnon for being our special guest. Please view his excellent work at http://artanonstudios.com/ By the way, if you love superheroes who are actually heroic and stories where stuff actually happens, be sure to check out After Dark, the first volume in our East End Irregulars series. The Irregulars are a team of teen superheroes from Pittsburgh, pitting themselves against metahuman gangsters, werecats, and mad gassers as they discover the eerie side of the city. https://amzn.to/34vndjE We also have five other books in the Ascension Epoch superhero universe you can check out here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you'd like to read the illustrated previews of these books online, be sure to check out our new site, http://heroicadventurefiction.com

Continuing our review of New Warriors #8 & 9 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3VX9fJfPKo), the ASL Roundtable explains why "decompression" is incompatible with a monthly comic format, the problems with replacing established characters with affirmative action dopplegangers, the best way to use alternate universe/Elseworlds characters, and why continuity is essential for comics. By the way, if you are a fan of teen superheroes like the New Warriors, and you love old comics where the characters are heroic and stuff actually happens, be sure to check out After Dark, the first volume in our East End Irregulars series. The Irregulars are a team of teen superheroes from Pittsburgh, pitting themselves against metahuman gangsters, werecats, and mad gassers as they discover the eerie side of the city. https://amzn.to/34vndjE We also have five other books in the Ascension Epoch superhero universe you can check out here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD

In the current controversy between fans of superhero comics and the anticultural hitmen out to destroy them, one of the most intense arguments is over whether comic books have historically touched on political issues. Both sides are partly right and partly wrong. This video explores how a mature, competent comic company that was still primarily interested in good storytelling (i.e. Marvel in 1990) handled a contemporary hot-button political issue vs. how a bunch of activist hacks (i.e. Marvel in "the current year") would handle it today, using New Warriors #7 and #8 as examples. We also touch upon the important related topic of "decompression" and how it is anathema to the monthly, 22-page comic book format. By the way, if you are a fan of teen superheroes like the New Warriors, and you love old comics where the characters are heroic and stuff actually happens, be sure to check out After Dark, the first volume in our East End Irregulars series. The Irregulars are a team of teen superheroes from Pittsburgh, pitting themselves against metahuman gangsters, werecats, and mad gassers as they discover the eerie side of the city. https://amzn.to/34vndjE We also have five other books in the Ascension Epoch superhero universe you can check out here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD #comicsgate #movetheneedle #culturewar

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero has hundreds of unforgettable characters that have fired imaginations since 1982. While everyone has their own favorite character, author Michael DiBaggio tells you why the best G.I. Joe is a matter of opinion... and it's Hit & Run! Who's your favorite G.I. Joe (or Cobra)? Tell us who and why in the comments! If you're a fan of G.I. Joe, you'll probably also like Michael's military sci-fi short story, House of Refuge. https://www.ascensionepoch.com/wordpress/novels/houseofrefuge.html You can also check out his other heroic adventure novels on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD or read chapters for free on https://heroicadventurefiction.com

TSR's Marvel Super Heroes RPG is one of the best tabletop role playing games ever made, and anyone looking to run their own superhero game needs to consider using it. But in games based on our original Ascension Epoch universe, the glorious FASERIP rules need some tweaks to better fit the setting. Join Shell and Mike as they discuss modifications to the damage system to make combat more dangerous, re-scaling the power ranks, multi-level talents, and a streamlined combat system. They also discuss why house-ruling is an essential element of Game Mastering, the best way to deal with rules lawyers, and more. What's your favorite rule set for low powered superhero RPGs? Have any favorite FASERIP (or 4C!) house rules? Let me know in the comments. By the way, if you love superheroes who are actually heroic and stories where stuff actually happens, be sure to check out After Dark, the first volume in our East End Irregulars series. The Irregulars are a team of teen superheroes from Pittsburgh, pitting themselves against metahuman gangsters, werecats, and mad gassers as they discover the eerie side of the city. https://amzn.to/34vndjE We also have five other books in the Ascension Epoch superhero universe you can check out here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you'd like to read the illustrated previews of these books online, be sure to check out our new site, http://heroicadventurefiction.com

Do you sneer at "beardy boys" playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement? Do you have a phobia of house rules? Do you only play in tournaments against opponents with the latest Codex-approved army lists? Do you think your DM should be just like Matt Mercer? Are you thinking of hiring a "professional" Game Master? This Attention Span Labs roundtable will cure what ails you! We respond to the BBC's condescending and defamatory video attacking D&D gamers and address other problems caused by arrogant entryists to the hobby, including a slavish devotion to published books, rules lawyering, an unhealthy emphasis on tournament and convention play, unrealistic expectations, and a desire for corporate-managed "play dates" over real social interaction. We also get into how similar attitudes are poisoning popular war games like Warhammer 40,000, undermining the individuality and creativity of the hobby. If you want to carry on the battle against arrogant activists and creatively bankrupt corporate dronehood, support independent creators like us! We have a whole range of awesome illustrated novels and short stories to check out. Find them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD

Learn how to build a simple, realistic looking bunker for your Warhammer 40,000 and other tabletop wargames using only a cardboard jewelry box, Woodland Scenics Shaper Sheet, hot glue, and flock. Big enough to hold a heavy weapons turret or a squad of troops, give your Imperial Guard or Space Marines something to defend their positions. If you share my love of immersive, story-centered wargaming, you'll also love the amazing world building in our heroic adventure novels. Support this channel by buying them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD If you want to try making this yourself, please consider purchasing the items through our Amazon affiliate links. At no extra cost to yourself, you'll be helping this channel earn a bit of money. Shaper Sheet: https://amzn.to/2p8Zzu5 Shaper Sheet Plaster: https://amzn.to/2Ppzodg Silicone basting brush (to brush on the plaster): https://amzn.to/2BMo9U3 Round box: https://amzn.to/36kspZ8 Coarse Turf Flock: https://amzn.to/2MUVNNX

The Tower of Hearing: a battle-hardened skyscraper made out of scrap styrofoam inserts and miscellaneous junk, a perfect objective for your games of Warhammer 40,000 or other 28mm sci-fi wargames. Join authors and wargamers Michael and Shell DiBaggio as they explain how it built and painted, and learn the lore to use it in your own narrative games. If you share my love of immersive, story-centered wargaming, you'll also love the amazing world building in our heroic adventure novels. Support this channel by buying them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD You can also support this channel at no extra cost by purchasing stuff through our Amazon affiliate links. Here are some useful products we used for this building: Vallejo Texture Paint: https://amzn.to/33ADJ19 Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter: https://amzn.to/2OFhq5U Freehand Hot Wire Cutter: https://amzn.to/33q1WH5 Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent Inks: https://amzn.to/2IMJMHT As always, we'd love to know what you think about this video and the terrain. Feeling inspired or got any ideas for our next creation? Let us know in the comments. Maybe you'd also like to make one yourself. If so, we'd love to see i!

Authors and wargamers Michael and Shell DiBaggio show off a scratch built watchtower/bunker combination for games of Warhammer 40k and other sci-fi tabletop wargames. Learn their techniques for building and painting wargame scenery. We also explain why narrative battles are better and get nostalgic for the OldHammer days of 2nd and 3rd edition 40k when the terrain wasn't all injection-molded kits that cost $80 a pop. If you share my love of immersive, story-centered wargaming, you'll also love the amazing world building in our heroic adventure novels. Support this channel by buying them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD You can also support this channel at no extra cost by purchasing stuff through our Amazon affiliate links. Here are some suggestions: Sculptamold: https://amzn.to/3398sSE Chipboard: https://amzn.to/2AMIokb WargamingHobby.com fortress templates I mentioned: https://www.wargaminghobby.com/article/bunkers-22.html WargamingHobby YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rUosWU_YKYRsISJ9qWC0w Maelstrom's Edge Terrain Sprue: https://www.maelstromsedge.com/medge/store.jsp?p=8 As always, we'd love to know what you think about this video and the terrain. Feeling inspired or got any ideas for our next creation? Let us know in the comments. Maybe you'd also like to make one yourself. If so, we'd love to see i!

Do you want to build a Volkite? Learn how to make a giant killer steampunk robot for your tabletop wargames and RPGs using random junk as Shell and Mike walk you through their (sadly unsuccessful) entry for the August 2019 Tabletop Crafters' Guild Guild Build. (Sorry for some bad cuts in this video. We lost some of the recording and had to stop abruptly when our son was making alot of noise.) Be sure to check out the second video on how we painted it over at Shell's channel: https://youtu.be/rDmsz_b-L0A What do you think? Did you know what a 'Volkite' was? I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas of how you'd use this in your own games. Also, let me know if you want to see more trash bash/custom miniature videos! Here's the Tabletop Dungeon video on creating a cracked concrete base: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsomV-q21t8 See the other entries in the August Guild Build here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYwiHpPiDYI And check out my books! Population of Loss is a short story anthology set amid the Martian invasion, filled with steampunk superheroes, paranormal western lawmen, and mad science: https://amzn.to/2ZYb8W3 Or check out the rest of the illustrated books in my Ascension Epoch series: http://www.ascensionepoch.com/all_books/

Looking for some new monsters to spice up your Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, or other fantasy RPG campaign? How about some strange beasts to populate the planets in your Traveler or sci-fi game? Instead of the same old, same old, join author Michael A. DiBaggio as he takes a look at Dougal Dixon's classic of speculative biology, "After Man: A Zoology of the Future" and talks about some ways to use these fantastic beasts in your games. Buy "After Man" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HGowTo And while you're there, support this channel by checking out some of my novels and short stories: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD

Join award-winning adventure author Michael A. DiBaggio for a nostalgic review of Marx's great Navarone Mountain playset, along with a discussion of how playing with toy soldiers turned into an interest in wargaming with 25mm and 15mm miniatures. If you like this video and are intrigued by the fictional wargame scenario I mentioned, check out one of my six illustrated adventure novels and short story collections. You can buy them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD

The in-universe lore for the Primaris Marines doesn't make any military sense... but those minis look incredible! What do you do if you want to use them alongside your legacy Space Marines, without making your Astartes 1.0 obsolete? This is the explanation I've come up with. If you like the sort of excessive over-analysis of fictional worlds in this video, you'll LOVE my heroic adventure novels. Support this channel by buying them here: https://amzn.to/2KqtTYD