Well, I did it. Welcome to the first post of my blog, The Phantom's Belch!
Why "The Phantom's Belch", you ask? Good question! Back in 2001, I was, along with my friend Paul, working tech support for UPS while I lived in Las Vegas. One of the first calls Paul took while we were still in the "trainee" phase (which I had the fortune to listen in on) went as follows:
Paul: "Thank you for calling UPS tech support. Can I have your UPS shipping account number, please?"
Caller: "Uh, yeah, I don't have that on hand. Lemme get back to you." *BELCH!*
Yep, he basically belched in our ears then hung up, so we called him "the phantom belcher". About a year later, almost to the day, the same guy called in, I got the call, and it went pretty much the same way. It is in his (admittedly dubious) honor that I name my blog "The Phantom's Belch".
So what can you expect to see in the future here on The Phantom's Belch? Basically, this is a tabletop roleplay blog, focusing mainly on sci-fi and superhero gaming, typically using GURPS. Unlike other GURPS blogs I've encountered, I won't focus on tweaking the base system; I'm not skilled enough for that. (Besides, I had enough of tweaking the core system when I GMed a Rifts game.) Instead, my focus - at least at first - will be on using the system to run games in science fiction, space opera, science fantasy, and superhero games and settings. Some posts will deal with my own space opera setting, others on Star Wars, and some on running in a superhero universe, while a few posts may be completely off-topic. I also have a fantasy setting I'll occasionally post about.
Once in a while I may put in a political or religious post, but be warned: I identify as a (small-L) libertarian, and am a born-again pagan. Being in the US - particularly the Bible Belt - makes it hard to find people who relate to either. (I really don't like either of the big two parties down here right now, and the Libertarian Party seems full of those the Republicans deemed "too crazy" -- and that's saying something given their acceptance of Donald Trump!)
So, hasta la pasta!
