Website news and a new scheduled chat

As correctly pointed out over at HârnForum, we've had a spam bot being up to mischief at kelestia.com. Creating fake user accounts, it posted the usual links to the usual dubious websites.

We hope this wasn't too annoying or embarrassing. ;) In either case, as the webmaster I apologise for not making it even more difficult for these pests. On the bright side, I already took the appropriate measure: User registration now requires a so called "visual confirmation" -- i.e., entering numbers and letters shown in an image as distorted figures. Thanks to the spam bots' poor eyesight, they now seem to be held at bay! :)

Apart from having had some spam (of which we will hopefully be staying free from now on), we are planning to publish some new actual "meat": a new website column (in addition to Penny Arcane and Lore) that we hope will turn out to be a treat for all Hârn GMs and players. We call this new column "Scenario Ideas". It is going to be a very special answer to the call for more "Hârnic adventures" in providing both generic, open-ended and more specific, detailed material to be used in your (ongoing or freshly started) campaign on Kèthîra. You can expect this material to consist of locations, characters, and story hooks. Some issues will include maps or illustrations, some will be similar to small fleshed out adventure modules while others will be collections of inspirations and ideas for you to develop further.

The Scenario Ideas are going to be launched next week!

As indicated by the intended pun in this story's title, we are also planning to have more community activity going on on kelestia.com. This Sunday (March 2, 2008) will see the first in a series of scheduled chat meetings, that will be held in our Tavern ("chat section"). The session will begin at 22:00 GMT/UTC, and both Hârn fans and HârnMakers are invited to join in a live discussion of what Robin called "Looking to the Future". We hope to see you there -- if you can make it.

We would like to make the chat meeting a regular event -- every Sunday, starting 22:00 GMT/UTC, open end. I set up a countdown timer (non-JavaScript, refreshing with each page load) that tells you exactly how long it is until the next HârnChat. To find out what 22:00 GMT/UTC is in your time zone, the time converter on timeanddate.com can be of help.

So much for now. See you at HârnChat! :)