PARANOIA

Though this has nothing to do with PARANOIA -- please keep reading, citizen, thank you -- I'm pleased to report that Famous Non-PARANOIA Game Designer James Wallis (co-designer of Once Upon a Time: The Storytelling Card Game, founder of Hogshead Publishing and the Diana Jones Award, publisher of R. Sean Borgstrom's Nobilis, and author of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen among others) now has a blog. And not just any blog -- it's not only fun, it's worthy. And he needs your help!

"At the end of July I'm going to walk the length of the Pilgrims' Way, 120 miles from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral," James writes. [That's in England, my fellow North Americans.] "It should take me about a week. And I'm going to do it without a map or, for that matter, GPS, sat-nav, Google, or technology of any kind, barring a mobile phone which will be set on 'receive.' I'll be walking blind, trusting to faith, signposts, and the advice of strangers, much as the medieval pilgrims would have done.

"The purpose of this is to raise a metric [ton] of money for charity, specifically for Cancerbackup, a cause which is much in my thoughts right now."

Attend carefully, citizens, to James's next words: "You can sponsor me by pledging funds, with the option to only pay up if I finish the walk and don't, for example, accidentally fall over the White Cliffs of Dover. Or you can e-mail me a pledge based on something more idiosyncratic: a quid for every squirrel I see along the way, perhaps, or a tenner every time a farmer tells me to get orf his orchards.

"I'm hoping you can help me to spread the word and stuff. If you're in a group or on a mailing list whose members, you think, either may have heard of me or may have respect for acts of heroic stupidity like this, then please point them at my blog.

"If you feel like it, come and join me for a day or half-day of walking. We'll be heading through some of the most attractive areas of southern England, at a time of year when it's at its absolute best, with railway stations close to the start and end of each day's walk and many good pubs in between. Drop me a line if that sounds like fun.

"Any help you can give me in making this walk as successful as possible, whether financial, spiritual, or literal, means an awful lot."

Recognizing the worth of James's cause, and in appreciation for his great services to the roleplaying field, I am pledging cash for his trip. I urge all PARANOIA fans to do the same. I only wish I could join James on his walk. Go, go in my place!