The warrior is a character who specializes in battle. Unlike swashbucklers, most warriors prefer to dispatch their enemies with ruthless efficiency and sound tactics rather than with flashy displays of skill. This does not necessarily mean that the warrior is a humorless killing machine, however. Many warriors revel in the thrill and glory of battle (and even more in the victory celebrations that follow). The main distinction between the warrior and the soldier of fortune is that warrior often fights for reasons beyond the simple desire to earn a living--justice, his homeland, or political ideals, for example.

Read more: Archetype of the Week: The Warrior

This article originally appeared in an old incarnation of The Death Cookie. Since Stag's hat is one of the items described in American Artifacts, this seemed like a good time to reprint it.

If you're a music fan (especially a blues fan), there's a good chance you've heard at least a song or two about a man named Stagger Lee, or maybe Stag O'Lee, Stacker Lee, Stack-A-Lee, or any of the many names Stag's been known to go by. Songs about Stagger Lee have been recorded by over 200 different artists, including Mississippi John Hurt, Lloyd Price, The Grateful Dead, and Nick Cave. The details vary from song to song, but the basic story goes something like this:

Read more: A Six Pack of Stagger Lee

I've just started a series of articles about role-playing over at hubpages.com. The articles are geared towards people who are just get started with role-playing, so a lot of the materal covered (especially early on) will be old hat for the average Death Cookie reader. Still, just in case you guys are interested in following along, I've added a feed over in the right-hand column. You can read the first installment here.

The rookie is the new kid on the block who doesn't have a lot of experience. Unlike the hot shot, he also doesn't have an amazing knack for his line of work. He's just a regular guy starting his career. As a newbie, most rookies are subjected to all sorts of condescension, practical jokes, and initiation rights that they have to put up with if they want to earn their place in the group. In many stories, especially cop movies, the rookie's career will move in one of two directions: either he'll prove himself and become one of the heroes, or he'll die, usually in a way that is either darkly comical or sufficiently tragic to spur the heroes on so they can avenge him.

Read more: Archetype of the Week: The Rookie