<![CDATA[Ground for Inspiration - News]]>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:34:17 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Origins and GenCon 2025]]>Tue, 03 Jun 2025 20:58:13 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/origins-and-gencon-2025We'll be at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, June 19-22, with talks Thursday evening (Deserts 2.0) and Saturday morning (Let's Build a Continent).  At Gen Con in August, Scott's participating in a Conspiracy of Gamers panel Sunday morning, 'Maps and Magic, the Art Behind Fantasy World, Battle & Encounter Maps', convened by Kierston Drier.   ]]><![CDATA[A Roadside View in Driftless Area, Wisconsin]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 15:18:48 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/a-roadside-view-in-driftless-area-wisconsinPicture
High-rising, delicate rock formations are part of the proof that a portion of southwestern Wisconsin known as the Driftless Area escaped bulldozing by the ice sheets coming south from Canada.  Driving the back roads of Vernon County this winter, we sighted the Three Chimneys formation standing above private farm fields.  
]]><![CDATA[Mark Twain Cave]]>Fri, 19 Jan 2024 20:25:41 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/mark-twain-caveIn the Midwest's coldest week so far this winter, we headed underground - to the Mark Twain Cave show cave in Hannibal, Missouri!  It's a fantastic network maze cave, full of narrow, lofty fissure passages crisscrossing at odd angles.  Nature's sculpture of the bedded limestone walls is really interesting here, with high ledges, odd hanging rock formations, and rare flowstone cascades.  With four of us on the tour in this low-visitation time, we had lots of chance to explore and converse with our excellent tour guide, Max.  
]]><![CDATA[WindyCon 2023]]>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 16:48:14 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/windycon-2023We had a great WindyCon in Oak Brook, Illinois this November, with the wonderful plus of Laser Webber being music/comedy Guest of Honor.  Scott participated in a D&D panel, and Scott and Jenn together offered a first-time type of presentation: a whirlwind travelogue, highlighting amazing natural scenes in Ohio and northern Indiana that could be visited in a week's vacation eastward from Chicago.  We've now posted the talk's detailed contents and photos here on the website, linked directly here and permanently on the FOR TRAVELERS page.]]><![CDATA[We've Reached 40!]]>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 17:32:24 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/weve-reached-40Picture
Through years of field work, dreaming and writing, our posted collection of fully documented landscape scenes has continued to grow, with its particular focus on storytelling and active engagement with memorable places.  As of our recent posting of the Red Bluff Shore scene, there are now 40 landscape features available here to virtually explore and consider dropping into your RPG session, fiction, artwork, teaching or travel plan.  We have more new scene descriptions in the works to further nourish all our 'scope for the imagination' (remembering L.M. Montgomery), but it's great to reach this milestone!  
]]><![CDATA[A Great Gen Con]]>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:07:56 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/book-reduced-price-during-the-conPicture
We're happy to note that Landscapes for Writers and Game Masters was the best-selling title at the McFarland Press booth #142 this year.  Thanks, everyone!  We (Scott and Jenn) also enjoyed so much the lively conversations we had with a number of you after the Deserts and Rivers talks, at the signing, and at game demo tables.  We hope you all had a great con as well!
]]><![CDATA[Gen Con 2023]]>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:27:27 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/gen-con-2023Picture

​We're getting ready for a busy Gen Con this year, and hope to see many of you there!  
  • Trade Day presentation Wednesday 4 pm, Blend Landscape Geology with RPG Storytelling to Supercharge Both (JW 201)
  • Deserts 2.0, Thursday 3 pm, ICC 212
  • Rivers 2.0, Thursday 4 pm, ICC 212
  • Want to talk more?  Thursday 5-6 pm, right after the talks, we'll host a meet-up in the 2nd Floor bar area of the Westin. 
  • Saturday 10 am to noon, Scott will be at the McFarland Books booth, #142 in the Vendors Hall, to chat, get your feedback / questions on Landscapes for Writers and Game Masters, chat, and sign book copies.
  • (For contact another time during/outside the con, use Scott's email, ricesnow@bsu.edu .)
]]><![CDATA[Origins 2023]]>Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:09:08 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/origins-2023We're looking forward to attending Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio for a second year!  Scott's giving two GM/author enrichment talks, Friday June 23 2-4 pm in Convention Center Mtg. Room A-215:
  • Caves 2.0, 2:00 pm (Event 2417) - an exploration of the natural variety in cavern systems, and the array of story possibilities they present
  • Karst Topography 2.0, 3:00 pm (Event 2418) - a look at the unusual dissolving-rock landscapes in regions where caves are found, and the odd challenges they can present to characters even before they go underground.
We hope to see some of you at Origins!  Our contact e=mail is ricesnow@bsu.edu, if you'd like to arrange a meet-up.]]><![CDATA[Explorations Late 2022]]>Thu, 29 Dec 2022 16:12:06 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/explorations-late-2022
As 2022 draws to an end, we look back on a variety of new field sites visited in the summer and fall.  Look for some of these in our 2023 scene description postings!  (If anything looks particularly familiar, feel free to send along your own impressions of that place and its landscape.)
]]><![CDATA[WindyCon 2022]]>Fri, 04 Nov 2022 16:18:52 GMThttps://www.ground4inspiration.net/news/windyconWe'll be at WindyCon near Chicago next weekend, looking forward to face-to-face (safely masked!) time with writing / game / SFF folks.  If you'll be there and want to meet up, it would be best to contact us before the Con, ricesnow@bsu.edu.  My talks there are Caves 2.0 (Sunday, 11/13 at 10 am) and Karst Landscapes 2.0 (right afterward, 11 am).



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