DDO Tokens of the Twelve rewards are insulting

I have been running around for a week or so in my post 20 barbarian life and am oft getting screwed on Tokens of the twelve.  This is a bit of a worrying development as I am not sure if they are driving me to run the House Cannith Challenges or there is some sort of bug.

Two nights ago I ran with Poppy Cleric, not sure of name, and some other folks the Black Loch quest on Epic Elite.  We died and were at least somewhat challenged and in my mind I was think, ok this will be worth a full token.  Nope it was worth none, well 8 fragments that were rewarded during the quest.  I didn't know what to think of that but moved on disappointed but not angry.

Then last night occurs I am running with Toafet and a few folks of his friends and head into the sands.  We do The chamber of Raiyum on Epic Hard and actually I am rewarded a full token and 38 fragments.  It ended up being 51 with the fragments awarded during the quest.  All is good I am happy.  We move on and run Offering of Blood on Epic Hard.  I am excited as I actually needed this for flagging but then we see the Epic chest.  We each go A token of the twelve, I have never even seen that load of fuck before, A token.  That was just telling us to fuck off.

Dude Turbine I have been on your side playing telling folks about the game I love in the face of them playing other games.  Fighting the fight of True metal and DDO on two fronts.  You could have my back.  You could not care.  But don't tell me to fuck off!  I am playing monthly doing the right stuff for you!

Ok how do you make amends here?  Well fix tokens for one.  I am not asking for more, I will get my 20 on my own and TR.  Really that's it, just don't be insulting dicks to your players, with A Bull Shit Token.

Feeling more remorse put old Svegrund in the game.  I propose Svegrunds Axe: +1 great axe, songblade.

Experiment with personal openness at work.

Howdy folks

I am starting an experiment today at work.  My idea is that if people had more of a connection then communication is going to be easier.  For now I am starting with a series of objects on my desk positioned in a pretty visible location that are a short hand for my personal interests.  I am going to leave them set out for now and see if they generate acknowledgement from my co workers.  If I do not get interest I will add further items are more reflective of my interests until my cube is full of gaming and metal and I become that guy.

So far I am starting small, my short hand objects are the following:

• Tempest Pint Glass:  to reflect my love of old video games.
• 20 Sided dice: for my table top roleplaying game fanaticism
• Name Tag written in Maiden font: For my love of Metal!!!

I am going to keep this updated and I invite you to try it out too.  Please comment your experiences as I think this could be of use to people who are severely introverted such as myself.

Thanks
;

Notes from the Playtest of my RPG last night

well we did some rolls and combat and it just was not very deadly.  I need to do a rework of the weapons to get them up to speed with actually making combat scary.  We are using a setting that is something of a serious red dwarf game.  I have the characters using what amount to airsoft pistols , figuring they would not use firearms on a space ship.  This needs to be changed as the combat just wasn't right last night.

I have melee weapons doing variations of a physical strength roll plus some number of points. That seems ok and makes players nervous, but the guns just don't.  A D4 damage pistol is nothing.  Numerically that may be right for the airsoft but not for a game.

I am currently reworking the equipment with a mind for creating something that is useful for combat.  I am taking the SCRUM ideas from work an setting up a series of use cases that need to be reflected in the rules.  Thinks like a sniper killing a person in one shot or the grenade / baby  thought experiment from Shadowrun.

Game Mechanics: Ranged attacks and Damage

So ok I worked on my game stuff for a few minutes in the car after lunch.  It's not like I just put thought into it then , I have actually been thinking about this for some time.  I am not sure about the death rules and still am missing recovery completely but here goes.

Ranged combat is going to be entirely target size vs distance for target number.  I don't know what this is going to mean for a moving target yet. I am starting with a man sized target at short range as my base line on this.  The target number is going to be something easy for this, I am proposing 11 and will see how that goes tonight.

From here size will add or detract from target number.

Broad side of Barn               = -6
Car                                      = -4
Horse                                   = -2
Man                                      = 0
Dog                                      = +2
Bowling Ball                         = +4
Squirrel                                = +6

Distance will add +2 to the target number for every range increment.  So a head shot at two steps beyond short will be 19.  I am tracking target number, number rolled and success in game.  So hopefully if this is too easy , 19 seems too eazy, I will change it.


Doing damage is going to have a lot of carry over from the actual shot.  So you are going to be able to increase your damage for every success on the to hit roll.   Each one will give and extra open ended D4.  for two successes you can buy an armor defeating hit.  For three you can force a wound check after damage hast been dealt.  Additional successes can be directly applied to make the wound check more difficult

The damage roll itself generated direct damage that sort of works like hit points. If the weapon give extra success they can be used to also add damage at 1 per D4.  But the cost of forcing a wound check is only two successes here. Also if the to hit roll forced a wound check you can add successes from the damage too.

So what is the Wound check?  This is a "Saving Throw" against serious hurts.  The target number is.your total current damage.  Should you fail you take a wound, which will count as a negative success to all rolls, until it is resolved.  If you fail with negative successes those are applied as additional wounds.  Should you fail by a number of successes equal to your physical resistant you have died.  This number will be treated as a max of two on head shots.

I have no idea about recovery.  Vaguely i have though about scenes being tied to healing.  If the scene ends the play heals some small amount if nothing was done.  More with basic aid and a scene dedicated to major medical care completely heals the character.  Not sure though

Pre made Scrum tasks for QA

I saw someone here at work printed out a list of tasks directly from the electronic version of the scrum board and just taped them to the board.  That got me thinking of what I could do to make my life easier in terms of scrum. 

I have long wanted a stamp that was basically the information here that i could stamp my post it notes with.  I have no idea how much that would be and it wouldn't save me much time as I would need to write down the task department and time.  So I worked out a set of pre made tasks for quality assurance.  These tasks are almost always the same for me so I can use this 90% of the time and not have any problems.  I even left and empty one just in case.

If this helps you in any way that is great.  I know I need help dealing with electronic and physical scrum boards what a pain in the ass. 

Game Review: The Red Star

To follow up on the review I just did for Guardian Legend, I am giving you The Red Star.  This game kicks all sort of ass and In retro fashion.  The game has a number of levels that jump between styles of old shoot games that is just a freaking love fest for old games. 

Much of the game is a beater style with a feel of something like Captain Commando or Knights of the Round.  Then something happens and it changes in an instant.  A giant aircraft busts thought the roof and you are doing one of those dogging a thousand bullet Raiden things.  You fight the end boss as something out of street fighter.   The was a level that was like carrier airwing that went left.  It went fucking left!  somethings felt like the commando/MERCs games.  It just constantly hit me with something that felt like a blast from the past. 

I can't tell you how pissed i was that this didn't come out on xbox, I pretty much bought the ps2 for this thing.  A used on sure but that is how much i was into this game, well and I wanted to check out God of War.  This one was a bit more fun than the god of war thing.  I see its available for the Ios so I may have to pick it up again, having given my ps2 away.

Game Review: Guardian Legend

This was another of the cheap game purchases I made back in the day.  I sort of wished i would have saved up and got something more worth my time but this was ok.  I remember thinking it was some sort of Robotech like transformer thing.  I guess it was intended to be robot girl that turns into a jet.  I was a little disappointed by the game play here as I am not much into the Raiden style vertical shooter.  I prefer horizontal if I am going to do that sort of thing, like Carrier Air Wing or Aerobusters.  I imagined transforming mid game and switching in between guardian and battloid mode or whatever.

This worked out ok i guess, though i liked the parts with the giant robot more.  Sorry i guess robot girl I should say.  they were sort of like a legend of Zelda dungeon with the flying bits being what is pictured above.  You had a lot of upgrades to get in the dungeon parts which I needed as I sucked at flying. 

All in all not a favorite of mine, I wish i would have bought the willow game instead.  That was one i rented but couldn't finish in a weekend so was left with gaming blue balls.  Maybe i should try it with an emulator!  On this one like Side Arms or the Macross video game, the good Robotech adaption remains elusive.

Kickstarter review: Shovel Knight

In keeping with my classic gaming theme of the last couple of days I wanted to show you folks a kickstarter for a game that looks pretty cool.  Its called Shovel Knight by the folks at Yacht Club games. Its seems to be an rpg style platformer sort of like Faxanadu or Simon's Quest.

It looks pretty fun i like the shovel down bound move the little blue guy does in the video, it sort of reminds me of Rygar a bit.

You can pick up a digital copy of the game at the 10 or 15 dollar price point, which seems pretty fair for a fun little game.  They are not funded to the point were they will port to Mac yet but lets hope they get there.  I think it would work out great with my USD SNES controller.  I am really thinking about jumping on this one but not sure yet.  We will see after H&R Block tells me how much the government is looking to take. 

Honestly some days I wonder why I pillage at all

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yachtclubgames/shovel-knight?ref=category

Updated for transparency: I just backed this project so you are now helping to deliver a video game to me and yourself should you back the project. 

Game Review: 8 Eyes

This was one of the games I picked up for cheap, I sort of always was going for the cheap games as I didn't have big cash in those days.  Well that is still the same today really but whatever.  I think I grabbed it at the game place in Eastridge mall.  It was downstairs by the JC Penny's.  Sort of a counter with games that they let you play for a few minutes, but only if the game was popular or they wanted to open it already.

I picked this one up after borrowing my cousins copy of Simon's quest and thinking this seems pretty much the same but cheaper.  I was very very right!  You are supposed to be a fencer with a sword that strangely looks like Simon's extended whip.    You are going from castle to castle battling through the mission with your bird friend and then doing a boss battle.  Each boss or zone has a particular weapon that everything is weak against.  I guess that gives it a bit of a megaman influence but it seemed to be pretty light.  The first boss you use your bird to take out in the most boring fashion possible.

After each villain you get a new weapon and a jewel for the end of the game.  This was were the game got weird, it threw a logic puzzle at you.  Honestly that was just strange, the only other game I have ever encountered a logic puzzle in was Centauri Alliance.  Its just an odd thing to get in a video game, Stop now work this out!  Ok i am actually very good at them and it was not problem but just odd!

Kickstarter review: Legendary Monster

I wanted to point you two a new kick starter project called Legendary Monsters .   All are based off of  classic creatures of crytozoology.  So if you loved In Search of  or MonsterQuest this may be of interest.  I guess it is actually more than a set of action figures but a full battling gaming!

As some of you know I am all about the suburban legends and have documented many of the tales surrounding Hick's Road here in my home town of San Jose.  This figures are a bit over the top but still you are not going to find an action figure of the Jersey Devil or Mothman.  You sure wont find a game with them battling it out in arena combat.  

The stretch goals are a bit weak on this one is my only complaint.  They basically give you more combat cards.  This will allow you to play other monsters but you don't get action figures.  Also no satanically robed pale folks from New Almaden, but what are you going to do.  Still cool for a very particular group of weirdos such as myself.

Game Review: Faxanadu

Over the weekend I picked up a copy of Faxanadu for my Nes Clone.  This was one of the first games I got with my original NES.  I really loved it for some reason.  It was sort of a side scrolling RPG, I guess.  You had weapons that increased and new spells to learn. 

I remember the story being the elves were worried about the dwarves who had been corrupted by some evil force.  It was a bit weird but it facilitated the game that was basically climb up a giant tree and then go underground.  I liked it except in the little bit that is shown where you only have a knife and you have to duck down to attack small enemies. 

I hope its something that plays like I remember and not something that makes me doubt my childhood self.

Mark Kozelek

got mad and cracks show
cards out windows
rain on roofs below
from there I don't know

give in, waste first days
dust dark sleep stays
blowing beyond within
only left is to end

Board up the old house
West men and mouse
Timber tones fall forlorn
our meanings without form

I'm still in the dream
not what it seems


This as nothing to do with the man.  i just use his songs as a metronome here.

Graham Crackers only Joy!

Hi folks,

I have been sick so no messages.  I also wanted to say i am on an upped dosage of my crazy med called Celexa.  Wow it is a very odd thing.  I feel better and less angry, nervous, activated but I also feel less motivated to use this outlet of blogging.  Perhaps my neuroses drive me here.

The odd thing and what I would like to mention is I have lost weight.  I am stress eater and being less stressed is less food for me.  But also there is something weird i have noticed.  I am going to talk about where food gets weird here, addictive and crazy.  I am not really comfortable discussing it but if it helps anyone good.

If you ever go to an AA meeting they will talk about a drug of choice.  That is not just saying liquor or drugs but a very specific question.  If I said food, that isn't it there are many but Graham crackers, they are my drug of choice.  I can eat any amount of them!  Skinny people challenge me on that, because they don't know shit about food.  If you are skinny you have never ate, not like I have.  When I eat graham crackers there is only joy, I dunk those fuckers in milk and eat em.  A full wrapped package is one atomic unit of graham crackers.  You think I cant finish a box, screw that three is a start bitch!  I'm crazy! 

And when i finish there is about thirty seconds until I feel like I am going to die!  But while eating only joy!

That is the thing you are going to be able to point out when you have a problem with food.  Well along with an externalized voice telling you to get up and eat at night, when nobodies looking; hidden eating is so fucking good!  That one thing that is your drug of choice.   It's almost calming to understand your food of choice because you know you have a problem there. 

With this extra celexa dose something weird has opened up to me though.  I understand my food addiction is caused by a messed up brain feeding me dopamine because I gave it graham crackers.  But with the serotonin uptake inhibitors running in my blood, I am less rewarded by food.  This has had the odd effect of strange effect of opening up my eyes to how systemically my brain is rewarding me.  Nearly everything I want to eat has some sort of reward effect going on. Even the feeling of hunger is not the awful feeling to always be avoided.  The full stomach thing isn't rewarded with the good eating dopamine so its sort of a negative now. 

Why am I sharing this with you?  I want to hide and eat my midnight snack in delicious aloneness!  Don't get me wrong I am still fat, I am down from my massive three eighty nine but still at fat fuck levels.  Most don't even see it.  I want that to be part of it, I am not some person who once was a little think a long time ago I have almost always been a lard ass.  I use these words than are hurtful to me to hide my feelings a bit.  But I want anyone feeling like this to not feel like its coming from outside.  Some bullshit skinny person talking out there ass.  Saying crap like no excuses, they aren't living my life or yours.  That gets old some person wanting you to wake up and see you are living your life wrong.  Fuck that! 

There was no disguise to Aloysius

There was no disguise to Aloysius.  Even to throw away the extraneous was out of his realm.  Some minimalist and machined reinvention would not fit. He was himself for ill or not.  Dull eyed at times be-gazing an inner land, as all else missed his eye. Here he was the hero or at least didn't feel villain through his bones.  What was broken he broke in intention; he acted not reacted.  He was principal and some of the story his own.

Kickstarter :Torment - Tides of Numenera

Well here is a great computer rpg or rather 2 great games for only 45$ of investment in the Kickstarter.  Looks like they are working and working at adding to the game with every stretch goal they meet.  I know i was interested in Wasteland 2 and I am also into this Torment world change sequel.  Both for 45$ sounds like a steel.  Torment was probably the last great D&D game, and here you have a chance to relive it.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera?ref=home_popular 

Update: this is one that I actually did jump on so i guess i should disclose that I am now invested in telling you to put money in.  I am benefiting with more game content if you invest

And at even that he would fail

The stream of lies trickles at the feet of Nicene's ascent.  A polluted drain clogged with the words and wonders Aloysius gave away.  Rainbow hued oils that choked the fish, his grief.  The ragged plastic on the rocks his potential left to sloth.  No king or hero for his Tuvstarr, Aloysius was a wanderer.  And at even that he would fail.

God's elastic acer

I suppose I should work
through these dark skies.
and find some sort of chord
that rings with my own wonder. 

But that isn't today,
nor for a long while yet. 
Now is aching worry like lava on the floor,
 and no safe couch in sight. 

The empty boats of adulthood
when you steer the ship
and have no idea where to go. 

Where the safe illusion of parents
is yours to maintain,
we only whisper of our fear.
and pretend no one sees.

Roleplaying Mechanics: Combat

Sorry i have been so busy lately.  I have work going and I have been a bit sick of the computer.  I have been just trying to do and learn other stuff that is either productive or at least new.  I will post a write up on the catapult i built via a kit latter on.

This post is related to the oft mentioned and never finished roleplaying game project I have been working on.  I don't think I ever got around to doing a real combat system so I have been working on it.  I still don't have a healing and recovery set of mechanics but I guess that will have to be next.

I am going to come up with a label so it's easier for everyone to find stuff, game mechanics or something goofy like that.  But  the general dice used in my system are D10 +D4 which are exploding or open ended.  These are added to an attribute modifier which is 1-3 and you skill value which is 0-7.  This is compared vs. task difficulty.  The real heart of my system is that for every 7 points above the task difficulty you gain an extra success. These extra successes can be used to buy effects.  As character improve their skills actually include a number of automatic success in addition to the skill value.

That is all fine and seems to work in basic task resolution, but combat is always more complicated in any gaming system.  Taking what I like and dislike in games I have come up with something, I am not sure if it works , i guess we will see Thursday night.

Ignoring Initiative, which is my goal, I am just worrying about hitting and inflicting damage here.   The two hit role is going to be either a contested roll for melee or a straight target number for ranged combat.  Specifics may crop up for parrying thrown weapons but this is very high level sketch of the rules.

Taking the melee situation first.  Any Dodge, parry or unskilled person can attempt to get way from an attack.  This will probably focus on physical manipulation but a shield parry may come down to physical strength.  The attacker makes an attack roll while the defender rolls his skill or attribute.  Once successes and roles are determined we nullify the success across the attacker and defender.  If this ends with no one having success, we are done. Attack Failed.  If the defender ends up with successes and they have a special maneuver perhaps they can spend their successes to riposte or bind the attacker.  Should the attacker end up with one or more successes the attack hits.  If there are no extra successes just move on to damage.

If you have extra successes you can do more with your attack.  Using the successes to purchase effects. Here are a few I am working with in my playtest.

• Armor Defeating: 2 success over allows you to ignore armor
• Extra Die:  1 success ads an extra d4 to damage.
• Wound Check: 2 Successes forces the defender to save vs. taking a wound.  The target number is their current damage.  Extra successes can be added one for one to increase the difficulty of this save. 

Character sheet for my little game experiement

I am not character sheet designer.  If i could have it as I liked there would be two columns with lines and such or a table with a big name cell and a smaller number cell but for me this is pretty good.  I know there are some folks who love to do character sheets its almost your art.  I will stick to the games and stories myself.  Sometimes there are subjects you suck at that you are completely ok with sucking at.  Most repair and craftsman type skills are far beyond me.  Art crap and thinking are my only real forte, well that and noticing crap, I notice tons of junk.

Gosh what crap, I didn't even add the hits and wounds section. I sucketh at this.

Scifi Story characters RPGized part 3

Here is my final set of character notes for the game inspired by my sci fi story

Naeliim:

1. Melee: this relates to any fighting with a weapon
2. Physical Resistance (Environments):  This more specialized version of the skill covers dealing and moving in harsh environments.  This includes movement in zero gravity.
3. Ballistics: this relates to any time a small arm that launches a projectile is used
4. Bargaining: You are a trader and good at selling and buying for price that benefits you.
5. Navigation (Formorian): This characters knows the lay out of the ship and how structures are placed to maintain the life systems for the crew.
6. Pilot (tenders): Character knows how to pilot tender vehicles located on ship.
7. Food:  The character can scavenge food, determine food safety and prepare meals
8. Three other skills of players choice

 Roche: 

1. Biology Knowledge and manipulation of biological cultures.  Laboratory skills and usage of tools related to industrial uses.
2. Infectious Resistance:  This skill comes at resisting the effects of dangerous viruses and disease.  Also represents drug regimen.
3. Observation (Medical): character has keen eyes for disease even when it is hidden.  He can often observer others will working on a patient.
4. Interrogation: Character can work information free from unwilling particpants.
5. Medical: Character can take care of wounds and aid in recovery.  knows basic application of medical patches.
6. writing and communication:  Character is literate with ship board communications systems.
7. Call for Back Up: Character has authority to call for back up if need is dire.  Can order in help or serialization teams
8. House Viri Staff:  This allows for all combat attacks and sweeps made with this weapon.   If the blunderbuss is fired directly it is considered a ballistics attack

DDO: Monster Manual Farming note on Crystal Cove

Hi Folks.  I know most of you will already have a handle on this but if you are trying to finish up your Monster manual for Minotaur and Bugbear go to the crystal cove event.  I was sitting forever at 29 bugbears being pissed off that the bugbear in Redfens does not count as he initially appears on a panther.  But after a kill on the island I finally had my bugbear goal completed.  They have about four different bugbear you are not going to get else where so make sure to stop in and kill kill kill.

You don't even need to get into the actual quest chain just fight on the island.  So you will get a large number of kills just waiting for the treasure map piece to be rounded up.  It's also a good way for reaching your slayer goals for the bugbears as there are large numbers too kill spawning all the time.  The minotaurs were fewer but I got a couple. All and all worth my time.  One thing I was not sure I saw my counters going up for kills while inside the cave itself.  Sort of bugged me I could have used gregory or the wraith with the sword stabbed through.

Scifi Story characters RPGized part 2

Well here is my second set of character for my stab at and rpg version of my little sci fi story.  These are both going to be the men at arms of the game.  You will see some special effect worked into the skills hear.  There are combat options.  Most are sort of effect that can be decided on after a role is made.  One is a maneuver that is all or nothing.   You need to state the maneuver then role it, there will be multiple success  required and it would have a hex diagram as to how the attack if performed.

Alas I don't know how to do an easy mock up of a hex grid with text and shading.  If you have any hint please comment so I can better document the game.

Bendix:

1. Melee: this relates to any fighting with a weapon
2. Fighting: this relates to any hand to hand fighting 
3. Ballistics: this relates to any time a small arm that launches a projectile is used
4. Watch Out: This skill is used anytime perception is used and represents awareness not of just threats and movement but noticing the odd and out of place in familiar environments
5. Physical Resistance:  This skill is used to resist falling unconscious and all wounded effects that could harm the character.
6. Parry:  This is everything related to blocking an attack with a weapon or improvised weapon.  Often this is the only means of not getting hit in tight situations or advancing into combat.

• Bind:  This is a parry based maneuver requiring an additional success.  A bind controls the opponents weapon or arm.  A contents physical strength or maneuver role is made in subsequent rounds to break free of a bind.  Attacks can freely be made with an off hand weapon if all of opponents weapons are bound.
• Step Through: Is a parry based maneuver that requires a bind be in place and an additional success.  The binder repositions and drives the opponents weapon to a noncombat position.  A physical strength contests is made.   This allows the binder to advance to close range should the opponent have reach.  Also the bind is broken allowing the binder to again attack with their weapon.
• Follow through: Is a parry based maneuver that requires a bind be in place or immediately follow a step through, for an additional success a melee attack can be performed with no chance of parry.

Makaber:

1. Fighting: this relates to any hand to hand fighting 
2. Ballistics: this relates to any time a small arm that launches a projectile is used
3. Physical Resistance:  This skill is used to resist falling unconscious and all wounded effects that could harm the character.  
4. Chemical Weapons and Handling:  This relates to the use of chemical weapons and applications as well as protecting ones self from them.  Storage is also covered by this skill
5. Read People:  This skill allows the character to gain insight into NPC's and other characters motives.  While discerning truth and lies is possible, perhaps more basically allows the character to understand where they are coming from.
6. Watch out (for weapons): Similar to the watch out skill Bendix possesses Makaber has narrowed the scope of his skill to just spotting weapons.  This gives him an increase to the skill but severely limits is application.
7. House Viri Staff:  This allows for all combat attacks and sweeps made with this weapon.   If the blunderbuss is fired directly it is considered a ballistics attack.  Should the discharge be made in combination with a staff attack the entire attack would be considered a staff maneuver.

• Executioner Maneuver:  Requires House Viri Staff, loaded.  3 success required.  hexes immediately forward , right and left receive a trip attack.  hexes immediately forward takes extra success damage attack.  hexes immediately back take standard damage attack.  

A Look at the Zombicide: Season 2 kickstarter project

Well the folks at Coolminiornot are back at it with a second season of the hugely successful kick start for Zombicide.  They are calling it Zombicide: Season 2 .    They have become pretty much the gorilla in the room with sedition wars and Zombicide going crazy on kickstarter.  This new expansion of zombicide offers a lot of extras for the price but with anything with a large amount of physical pieces it can get expensive.

This project is looking to create more than just one product it appears.  They are offering Toxic City Maul, Prison Break and Zombie dogs as part of this package.  This will set you back 150 and says you can get playing with just this.  If you are going to want the original Zombicide that will bump up the price to 220.  It looks like all the stretch goals are met so you get a bunch of extra.  I see three new heroes along with their zombie versions, a bunch of extra zombies and some special colored dice.   A hero called Brad is thrown in for every purchase too.

One thing that i don't really care for is the weird limited pricing offers they give.  The 220 package was offered at 205 to a limited set of 50 backers.  If that was a special offer as part of their previous kickstarter then i am almost ok with that.  If they just offer the fist 50 guys a cheaper price that seems sort of lame.  Like they are priming the funding pump with a lower investment price and quickly getting up to funding.  that would fine on a first time kickstarter but Zombicide has proven itself and was always going to hit its number.

Update: Looks like they continue to destroy goals and put up new ones.  Now the inmate level is giving you a ton of extras.  If you are thinking about giving the game a go round this kickstarter seems to be hitting the moon.  I would keep an eye on it may just be too good to pass up.

Update:  I did this more for me but this seems to be what you are currently getting if you do the 100 dollar pledge. Extra i mean

12 trad walkser
6 trad runners
3 trad fatty
2 trad abomination
4 toxic walkers
4 berserker walkers
2 berserker runners
2 toxic runners
1 toxic fatty
1 berserker fatty
1 toxic abomination
1 berserker abomination

dog companiones
updated cars

Thaissa
thaissa zombi
Kirk
Kirk zombi
Aunt rose
Aunt rose zombi
Ralph
Ralph zombi


orange dice
red dice
new skull tracker
TCM and PO campaign
berserker spwan cards
toxic spawn cards

Scifi story character in RPG form

Well some you may have seen my little Sci Fi story that has been going for a month or so.  The plan is to do a roleplaying adventure set in that word using the rule set I have hinted at over the years.  Originally I sat down and talked with players to get an idea of what they wanted to play.  After the interviews they arrived at a party that was eerily similar to the characters of my story.  I am not sure if they had been reading it or not but I have decided to shoe horn their character into the roles described within my story.

One of the elements of the tale I have been telling is a decrease in scientific knowledge so that technicians are sort of the wizards of the game.  In my story i have divided tasks between two characters giving one a very physical set of skills that is more like that of a traditional craftsman.  The other character Parc has skills similar to a scientist with a working knowledge of  cobol and familiarity with circuits.

My first stab at the game will be writing out some skills and description for these two technical characters.  The players will probably also be given a few points for other skills.

Parc's Skills

• Power: This is everything related to getting power from and two something.  Patching into a power line and stepping it down to not fry your razor.  Reworking something from AC to DC batteries and everything else.
• Wires:  This is understanding wires jumbled into a hyrda on the floor to rewiring buttons.  Basic understanding of a machine can come from minor examination of the wiring harness.
• Circuit boards:  Soldering, components,  trouble shooting, repair and beard boarding.   If it needs a circuit this is the skill you need.
• Computers:  This is going to be use, navigating a network and even programming.  I would make separate skills but a design mandate is to have skills scale up and down as needed.  Computers are a minor part of the game so only one skill is needed.  I would have several if this character were some sort of net running.
• Engineering:  Understanding and design of machines and systems.  Properties of industrial materials including strong and weak points.
• Physics: Understanding of the principles of forces and objects they have acted upon.  This game assumes a grand theory of everything has been solved and that the laws of physics change with relation to gravity.
• Chemistry: Knowledge and manipulation of chemicals.  Laboratory skills and usage of tools related to industrial uses.
• Astronomy: This is very specific to the path of the Formorian (Ship).  players have knowledge of the circuit it makes and little else.  They do understand astronomical principles and phenomena.

Klein's Skills 

• Craftsman: Building of anything from wood to metal fabrication.  Half Norm Abrams and Half Jesse James, this is the skill for building tables, cabinets, housings and what not.  This is more art than science.
• Motor:  Fixing and modifying any sort of gas powered motor.  Electrics are going to be more of Parc's domain knowledge.
• Hydrological: Any machine needing fluid driven movement.  There will be may doors and hatches on the ship that need this sort of skill to open if there is no power running to them.
• Scavenger: Finding some useful part in a pile of junk.
• Bargaining: You are a trader and good at selling and buying for price that benefits you.
• Chemical Resistance:  This skill comes at resisting the effects of dangerous chemicals, keeping your head while drinking and fighting off the effects of drug addiction.
• Recovery : This skill comes into play when your character has had his ass handed to him.  This speeds getting on your feat and allows the character to overcome some life threatening wounds.
• Charm: For Klein this is being generally likable and unassuming.  for others this may be more animal magnetism.

A Look at a kickstarter for Loka: The world of fantasy chess

I was recently checking out a kickstarter poject for the Loka chess game.  It looks pretty cool for the 50$ Bishop level you get a copy of the game and a couple of extra pieces. This wouldn't be very exciting on its own but should they reach their stretch goal an alternate set of pieces is added to the game.  Rather than having two sets of white and place pieces you end up with two entirely differently functioning sides.

The game seems to have rules beyond the standard chess board.  Allowing for you to play three queens or several pawns, or so says the kickstarter page.  I am guessing the armies will probably have their own rules as well.  The two mentioned are fire and earth, but as stated above earth only gets unlocked if they reach a stretch goal.

That is sort of a funny way to do the project as I wonder if they create an artificial speed bump for themselves.  They are at 45,000 of the 50,000 they need to hit that stretch goal so should make it in the time they have left.  But for me I feel my self less inclined to fund until after I see that goal met.  I wonder if they are creating a rollercoaster of funding.  When they finally hit that stretch goal having a bunch of folks jump in now that the pot has been sweetened.   I wonder if that is for the best?

And if anyone can answer this it would be great.  Can you alter stretch goals after a kickstarter has begun.  So say in the case of Loka , deciding their product is better with the fire and earth sets.  Could they just roll the stretch goal into the product offering?  basically allowing the kickstarter to eliminate the speed bump they created?  I am asking more for personal knowledge of how kickstarter works.

UPDATE:  It looks like the earth set is unlocked and they have set fairly easy stretch goals for an air set which will more than likely unlock.  There is some way to go for an Ice set but looks very reachable.  These make the hundred dollar pledge level very attractive.  I am not sure if you get to pick what you get on the 50$ pledge level.  There is another goal point for an upgraded board which should kick in for the 50$ level.  Looks like this kickstarter has hit its stride now and is giving a nice set of rewards. 

It does make me wonder can you add to your funding and go from one level to another?  Does Kickstarter keep track.  Here if I had kicked in 50 I would really consider kicking in another 50 for the 100 dollar level.

Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist

I'm full of wise words
crumbling before I speak.
Needing to understand
but its simplicity.

I know and hate it!
Coming upon us more,
faster day by day.
faster than we feared!

Little pauses to long
worn out criminal ease
eyes beginning to see
thats what breaks me.

and the dark alone
granted as they flea

Scifi Story part 14

Bendix staggered on somewhat inattentive.  It was the fault of the analgesic patches that had been applied to the bruising about his chest.  Klein looked to Parc with concern. "Bendix is out, we should camp out until he recovers."  "I don't think we can, someone if following."  "What! who is it?" "The guide is watching over his shoulder too often he hears something, we can't." Parc whispered trying to now draw Naeliim's attention.

Though the wanderer heard he played that he did not.  Leading on with a few words of direction.  He was concerned after the quarrel with the pilot, something was wrong with that one.  Who would be following now?  His questions were many, he was only sure he would make following difficult. 

Naeliim turned the company down a dark hall and worked them through a pipe works.  Much of it was steam and sanitation, the smell was foul at times.  They worked their way at first to eventually a high balcony that over looked over a vast pool.  Mechanical controls appeared to open a series of portcullises that subdivided two sections of the book. From another platform across and elevated from their own came angry shouts.  Soon a cascade of hurled rocks joined the choir. Naeliim bid them to cover and launched a blot upwards with his sling.  Parc and Klein hid behind boxes but Bendix just stood.  He watched intent the drama above almost cocooned and encased motionless. The rage was slow to see at first, but grew like a furious bloom.  His eyes were panic and then his fist fell and and again, beat down upon his own leg like a drum.  The iron bar struck down rocks and debris from mid air, so missiles still struck Bendix but in his rage nothing was felt.

Table top gaming essentials

Woody at gucomics had a pretty funny post about monsters getting a +2 smart phone bonus in Dungeons and Dragons games.  It gave me a good laugh since this problem is plaguing my group.  Though with us it's harder as it's laptops which hold PDF's and character sheets and whatnot.   I am not a portable guy I never have been.  My video games are all home consoles I have never had a portable system and feel its important to whom I am.  Actually I think it goes farther than that going to something of a family trait, we Rickels are travelers.  The process of the sojourn is key to us, its like a curse befell our house and we became jenische.

But back to gaming.  I am ok with a phone ringing or being used to snap photos of things happening around the table.  It's when videos and streaming becomes the focus that the game grinds to a halt.  Being a dick I have come up with a solution that deals with the heart of the mater.  A Faraday cage.  No connection means no interest and in if its in a box there is not temptation until that box opens.

You can build something out of wood and mess like the picture above but there are several solutions.  An army surplus ammo can is fantastic.  A foil wrapped shoebox also works, I think even a heavily duct taped bag will do.  Cut the cord my friends physical books are way easier to use than PDFs you can flip through em.

Thoughts on 3d Printing and War Gaming Miniatures

http://www.3dfuture.com.au/

I wanted to call out an article from on 3d printing and the war gaming scene.   This is a good article and it echos something I heard time and again at the gaming convention.  "What is going to happen to war gaming when 3d Printing becomes mainstream?"  Seriously as a role playing guy I will totally go with the cheapest option to me and if that is scanning an pathfinder ogre, I purchased from ebay, and then printing as many as I need, I will do that.  Similarly if I was doing 40K I would print the hell out of any army I was playing.  My question to the industry is what happens when this becomes cost effective.

In looking at the picture this pretty obviously a copy but as printing and scanning improve you are going to see one for one copies coming out.  I am sure there will be some crack down both at Games Workshop events and at Friendly Local Gaming Stores.  Both of these will be losing out on sales and I don't see either of them opening play space to people whom evades sales.  Games Workshop will probably start miniatures inspections at their tournament events, with weighing and scratch tests of material. 

One odd thing for me is there are companies like Privateer Press that I don't really want to screw over, in this fashion but I would rather not have to put miniatures together, so this option continues to be appealing.  I am just not a crafter nor a painter; conversion modelling is right out for me.  Which gets me to a weird point say I was 99% actual product in my army and just did a 3d copy of a conversion that was not currently sold by Games Workshop, how is that wrong?  I lack the skills to do the conversion.

In thinking about the situation there is an easy solution for the folks at Games Workshop or your FLGS.  They need to be in the 3d printing business themselves.  Games Workshop have their own shops and could be in the best position to implement this.  They do the printing on site per order.  This cuts out all overhead related to shipping and a fair amount of storage as they would only be storing plastics that could be come any miniature rather than every miniature.  It also allows their whole back catalog to become instantly available to the customer while they wait and get a Cinnabon.  This solution would also work at the FLGS as well though they would have to cover more product lines and may need multiple 3D printing machines.

There is also the option of embracing change completely.  I have long thought, to the disagreement of my friends, that Games Workshop should put their rules completely online and charge monthly for access.  They could put up 3d printing versions of their miniatures and charge micro payment, well macro knowing GW, to download and print them.  I think a full monthly subscription allowing rights to a few minatures and micro payments for extras would probably benefit Games Workshop in the long run.  They could just say something like your account does not allow you to field this miniature at tournaments.  Making it so you are buying the right to play more than the miniature itself, wow that is totally fucked up!  The good thing there is they would be able to update rules via regular revision and not have broken rules sitting out there forever.  They would also be able to quickly get product out.  And for them no shipping or storage, becoming more kinko's than a game seller.

A plea for comments

You know if you folks want to comment that would be great.  Seriously , I am happy for any feedback.  If you want me to write more on a particular topic or less on another.  If you want to let me know I suck that is find.  If you from DDO and want to let me know how crappy I played Svegrund in Cabal for One last night I am cool with that.  If you are from World of Tanks and want to let me know I am a noob; I agree.  You can tell me I am a wuss for playing arti, its ok I just really suck at everything else.   I am really open to any feed back.  You need a topic let me know about your favorite Dungeons and Dragons character or the best concert you went to. 

My favorite character was a human paladin back in first edition of the AD&D game.  I inherited him from a guy named Rocky who was really not great at playing a pally.  He was named Thomas of Paladaria which seemed a bit goofy so I renamed him Thomas Strongheart after the Dungeons and Dragons action figure I had just got.  The campaign was really fun there was a war that we got to participate in and a who big quest with silly things constantly happening to us.  It would probably seem juvenile now but for being a kid it seemed great.  I got to use a sword of sharpness on a type 5 demon it was very mondo and fun. 

I have a couple of favorite concerts.  One was Dio opening up for Iron Maiden at the shoreline it was a few years ago but it was really fun.  Dio was fantastic really sort of stealing the show, he was just so awesomely Dio.  Seemed super happy to be there and genuinely loving each and everyone of his fans.  Maiden was great everyone knows they do fantastic shows.  The combination was perfect.  The other show was the first time I saw Testament.  It was in concord at some little bar, I want to say bourbon street or something like that.  It was a great intimate setting to see them and they were awesome, Testament are one of the most solid trash bands out there.  Really it should have always been the big 5 but Testament was a little slow to the punch not releasing a record in the seminal year of metal 1986.

A look at a Kickstarter for Laughing Moon: The Ragged Man Adventure

I wanted to take a look at a Kickstarter for something called Laughing Moon: The Ragged Man Adventure.  The product seems to have a nice look and feel for fantastic horror, with compelling art.    This is the project I like to see come up in kickstarter, as it does not appear yet another D20/Pathfinder setting.  While nothing is safe in the gaming world those products feel like they are playing it safe.  Going out on a limb and doing your own thing or reviving an old system really are the projects that I root for.

So I really encourage you to go take a look at The Ragged Man Adventure and think about funding it.  It's not going to be one of those systems that hurls a ton of pdf books at you for backing them at the basic level but you can get the adventure and core rule book in PDF for $20.  That doesn't sound too bad of a bargain to me.

The guy seems to have a few books already available on his website, so I think he has at least some sort of track record.  Also supporting the little guy with these small projects always feels good.  Now lets hope for a Dark Conspiracy Kickstarter.

Update:  This project has funded and is moving close to hitting its first stretch goal, which would make the twenty dollar purchase seem sort of cool.  I cant say about the game itself i haven't checked it out yet.  But I would guess it is somewhat narrativist.

Products I would kill for: Original New York Seltzer

http://imremembering.com/post/982892338/new-york-seltzer

Man I have a big time craving The Original New York Seltzer today.  You many not remember but this was the king of 80's soda culture.  Available at every frozen yogurt shop around.  It came in all sorts of flavors but raspberry and vanilla cream were the best.  I think you see something like grape and strawberry in the picture. 

It disappeared along with synth pop in the mid 90's with a small return to Big Lots as cast off one liter bottles.  The owner now has a wild animal casting business for hollywood, oddly enough.  I wish he would sell the recipe and let someone else have a go with the product.  I am ready to drive a couple of states over for a taste of this nectar of the gods.

Until this happens I am left trying to reinvent the taste with flavored dirk syrup and an old style soda gun.  It drives me crazy as I have no idea and just want the recipe up online.  Open source soda is the way to go.

Scifi story part 13

After an hour in the dark light their wandering was rewarded.  Industrial stations were often situated near places of treatment, this one included emergency chemical showers as Roche hoped.  He ordered Makaber to bath while he burned the outer layers of their clothing.  Roche felt odd in just a contagion suit having become accustomed to the stained white gown he wore like a tablard.  Makaber seemed to relish the increase ease of moment as he worked.

The grizzled man packed gunpowder and shrapnel into the scatter shot end of his fighting staff.  He had discharged the weapon in the battle that had taken most of his company.  Driving the deadly end into one mans gut and releasing the blunderbuss to tear at the innards with glass and screws. This was the prescribed weapon of the House viri, Makaber had laid down other weapons when he swore himself over.  Though every so often the old warrior wish for a ballistic or stout axe.

In this time Roche had found a line of the old pneumatic tube system.  The system carried lab samples to the central laboratory the House viri now inhabited.  There was no assurance the line still worked, but perhaps a message might just reach the intended hands. 

"Superiors, we travel following individuals whom have had unknown contact with the Lamia virus mutated along RNA UUGA.  A subject of the pilot haplotype was restrained in early onset of the virus.  These individuals encountered and culled the subject in mid stages of the infection.  Subjects appears to have exhibited increased levels of aggression, as data presents as common, and attacked the individuals.  At present was know we are following more than a single person but exact numbers are unknown.  Presence of virus is unconfirmed but contagion patterns suggest infection.  We continue onward.  Please augment numbers and fresh supply of combat expendables. Roche."

3D Doodler and gaming

Ok I am sure you have seen the video going around the internet for the 3D doodler.  All I have to say is wow amazing.  You look at it and think ok, wow cool for artists but what is the average Joe gamer going to do with it?

Well if a future version can give us a more control of the line thickness this will essentially allow us to model 3d objects on the fly.  Our Hex dry erase mat enters the third dimension!  Cover rules and line of sight rules instantly change with this thing.  The randomness of a bush giving you a miss percentage may need to turn into over watch and pinning cover rules.

Tactical Role Playing Games like Iron Kingdoms become instantly more attractive with this nifty little pen.  Who needs landscape pieces if you can just draw them.  Crap for something like Pathfinder who needs miniatures when you can just draw them?  With full scale 3d printing miniatures become obsolete if a 40K army is created from the push of a button.  But here if you need a one of giant or figure draw it up. 

I would like to know the strength of a completed structure using the pen, say making an army man.  would this thing fall apart or last some time.  Is there breakdown in the plastic?

A look at a Kickstarter for Interface Zero 2.0

I have recently been amazed by what is going on in the Kickstarter space for games.  Being friends with miniature gamers I most often hear stories of hundreds of minis for a fifty bucks or some other amazing deal.  If you look over on Jon Regal's DakkaDakka forums you will see tons of postings about board and miniatures Kickstarter projects.  I haven't been to interested figuring myself a dedicated Role playing game player, until now.

While attending a convention I stopped in on a seminar for running a kickstarter for table top RPG's.  One of the products that kept coming up was something called Fate Core by Evil Hat.  Apparently this was a project that shot through the roof and made well beyond their funding target.   There has been speculation that two factors helped contribute to the success of the game.  First off their goal levels provided a great value.  Even at a dollar you got a draft pdf of the game.  The second factor was stretch goals!  In Kickstarter projects you can offer stretch goals which are extra funding goals that usually provide extras to all or most backers.  In the case of Fate Core they seemed to have hit a critical mass where they were offering so many extras that even folks not interested in the core product were swayed just by the extra books they would receive.

Another project that seems similarly interesting is Interface Zero 2.0 a modern take on the cyberpunk genre that is run through Pinnacle's Savage Worlds system.  If you are like me you will have noticed many of your old 80's cyberpunk near future books seem a bit dated.  The technology of today is beginning to catch up to that described in those books.  This is a modern take with a dash of transhumanism.   The big thing that interests me is the number of extra material they are now offering with contribution.  They are offering pdf's of source material for all sorts of locations.  All the extras are really making the project appealing to me and perhaps you.  I mean 15 bucks for the digital fan boy edition is not a lot of cash for all the material they are giving you.

Sci Fi story part 12

The pair slowly worked their way forward, moving carefully along the catwalks.  The water flowing below wretched and foul, moved venial back to the sanitation works central to the ship. It was several hours of low light before the caught sight of something brighter.  An Emergency strobe marked the bulkhead of some sort of substation, this would take them out of the waterworks and return them to occupied areas of the Formorian.

Makaber was the first to enter, assuring the security of the substation.  Investigation proved several systems were tied to this branch of the ship.  Full hydro electrical control of twenty decks of the Formorian could be orchestrated from this location.  Evidence also suggested the persons they were following had passed this way.  Fresh rations were discarded here and there.  There was also signs of re purposing of electrical and water systems.

Roche made note of the half eating food, retaining samples for examination.  The rest burned for safety!  The pair soon pushed on hoping for a near buy emergency clinic.  Supplies would long have been looted but Roche felt chemical and biological cleaning was in order after this near contact.  He feared this was a strain of the lamia virus, resurfaced in more virulent form.

Gravel and Weathered

A ribbon of light runs
through tremulous clouds
that have turned
all birds eastward. 

And blue struggles
to be seen
against the heavy hearts
of the city folk.

Not the highrise
and concrete eternal
but the gravel
and ground of the weathered

low rise that wanders
between productive and decay

Dundracon and general Gaming Convention Tips

In an effort to help spur attendance in gaming conventions, particularly those local to the bay area, I have worked up a few notes to help new folks thinking of attending.  I am going to make my points concise and less long winded than I usually am.

1.  Don't do this spur of the moment planning will save you money and increase your enjoyment.

• The pricing works so that you pay less the earlier you sign up with online pre registration.  It much more expensive at the con.  A four day pass to Kublacon is 40$ through the website and 60$ at the door.
• Hotels offer convention rates that are much cheaper than standard rate.  
• You really want to stay at the hotel that is hosting the event.  Parking is a pain and being able to store you are games is a huge help.
• Bring your own snacks and drinks if you want to save.
• Make sure your washing is done ahead of time and you are ready to go when you like.
• Have cash on hand and don't have to pay ATM fees
• Charge your camera if you want to take pictures.
• Make sure you have all your games and supplies packed up and in the car when you want to go.  This is especially true if you want to play some rare game you own.  

2.  You can attend just one day, and perhaps should if you are new.  Smaller investment in time and money if you don't like it and you get the feel for it.

3.  Kids are welcome. 

• To increase interest in the hobby conventions have youth and teen game rooms
• Older teens have been playing in regular convention games forever so no worry there
• They even give you special parent rates at Kublacon pre registration.
• A note of caution to parents with dating aged daughter.  They will get a lot of attention at a convention and often from boys of semi inappropriate age.

4.  A quick google search of gaming convention will give you a few in your area.

• Anime and Sci Fi cons are similar but different, though probably offer gaming.  If you are just interested in gaming do your research.
• Many cons have links and forums on their site which may help you.

5.  A few events of interest in the San Francisco Bay area.

• April 5-7 Conquest SAC http://www.conquestsac.com The NEW Red Lion Woodlake Conference Center Hotel, Sacramento
• May 24-27 Kublacon www.kublacon.com  SF Airport/Burlingame Hyatt Regency, Burlingame
• Aug 30 -Sept 2 Pacificon http://www.pacificongameexpo.com/ Santa Clara Marriott Hotel
• Aug 30 -Sept 2 Celesticon http://www.celesticon.com/ Fremont Marriott, Fremont, CA

Scifi and non game specific Conventions

• May 24 - 27 Baycon http://www.baycon.org/2013/ Hyatt Santa Clara
• May 24 - 27 FanimeCon 2013 http://www.fanime.com/ San Jose Convention Center
• July 4 -7 Westercon http://www.westercon66.org/ Hilton Arden West Hotel Sacramento CA
• Nov 1 -3 Convolution http://con-volution.com/2013/ Hyatt Regency Burlingame SFO
• Jan 16 - 20 Further Confusion http://www.furtherconfusion.org/2013 San Jose Fairmont

Dundraccon Convention Review

So its been a long time for me both in posting and attending a gaming convention.  But I went to Dundracon over the weekend, well really just for Saturday.  I had a fun enough time though most of it was checking things out and attending seminars.  I wanted to do a little write up and show you folks that have perhaps never even considered attending a gaming convention what its all about.

So if you are completely lost here a gaming convention is a hobby convention that is open to the general public.  These are basically run by the fans for the fans.  Most of the games in the phones you will see are brought by the individuals that attend.  Most are purchased like any other game you would buy at a hobby shop, better bookseller or a gaming store in your area.  Some are modified versions of this purchased products.  Others are games completely of constructed parts that comply to a particular set of rules.  Finally other games are completely of the imagination of the folks that brought it.

What you are going to see here are a few shots of the larger table top games that were played at the convention. There is an Axis and Allies game that appears to be made up of several sets, but I am just conjecturing here as I have no idea what the new version of Axis and Allies entails.   Also there were a host of other games from Settlers of Catan, War Hammer 40K tournaments, Hundreds of Call of Cthulu games and many more.  The convention is structured so that traditional table top role playing games are held in separate rooms as they need to not be disturbed.   The live action version of the role playing which is annoying and fully of fucktards looking for attention is held off in a dark corner as to not annoy anyone.

The 40K folks seems to have a nice little tournament going, but it was hardly the even that I had seen years ago.  My friends used to play in crazy two day tournaments that had filled up more than just the single room.  Here the tournament seemed to be around 14 to 16 players and was over and gone in but a few hours.  Minis players are notoriously focused in there hobby and few will even set foot in the role playing game side of the hobby, so I really do not expect these guys just went off to do something else.  I know many of these dudes and they just seemed to disappear afterwards.  This was a bit of a shame and goes along with something I noticed everywhere in the convention.  There were a lot less people there than I remembered when I was actively going to conventions.  After reading through the list of events planned for the convention I saw that war machine was not represented which was a bit of a shock.  The dealers room was also half the size of it has been in other years.  Dundracon allows space for average gamers to sell old games in a ongoing format rather than the standard flee market.  The hours for selling were staggeringly few.  I was upset just as a person wanting to buy things.  I have to think this convention has seen better days.  I am not sure if there really will be a Dundracon to attend in future years.  Or at the very least it will be further decreasing in size unless some fresh ideas or new people are included into the staff.  Specifically in the miniatures realm these seemed true.

One aspect of this convention that is unique is the inclusion of the SCA and other groups that hey deem "Martial Arts".   The first set of pictures are a group that used foam wrapped weapons and may or may not be similar to the infamous ,"Lightning Bolt , Lightning Bolt, Lightning Bolt!" video that has been seen all over the internet for years.  They did not appear to be very concerned with authenticity as their equipment seemed to boarder on fantasy art rather than the historical attention the equipment the SCA requires.  I don't know if that stuff is for me.  I think if I was going to seriously pursue that sort of thing I would enroll at the Davenriche european martial arts school.  At lease folks do that in a closed environment and children would not point and shout things at me.  I get enough of that sort of thing on the street without strapping on armor to draw further attention to myself.

From the pictures I hope you can see the difference between the two groups.  The shots with the fellow in red and blue are showing the group that uses foam boffer weapons. Their shields are also light foam covered things and they even use foam topped arrows.  The SCA replied "Arrows would be a danger to the crowd if we used them".   That give something of an idea of the difference.  Their armor was legit chainmail as opposed to fantasy leather armor that would not effectively protect the crotch; an area I place of paramount importance.  There was also a difference in the fitness level of the two groups. That said many of the demonstrations of the SCA seem to indicate a style of combat that has grown idiosyncratic to the rules of the organization.  Some of the strikes appeared mere as though the person was only brushed with a weapon; and the combatant would drop to their knees.  I would have assumed the armor would have protected them.

This talk of arms and armor gets me too the next  aspect of the convention that was rather fun, the dealers room.  Any convention has a nice room filled with stores and companies selling their wares.  If you have been to a science fiction convention you will know they sell all sorts of crap from books to capes and jewelry.  Books and movies are often for sale along with comics and all sorts of random crap.  Traditionally this has not been the case with gaming conventions but you are seeing more of this sort of thing.  Some fits while other things seem out of place.  I picked up a kit to make a chain mail dice bag, that sort of thing seems fine but certain figures and other types of stuff just seems weird.  I am not trying to discourage of say it doesn't belong, I just question how well that sort of thing sells versus the fee the people pay for their convention space.  Perhaps it has value just in advertisement.

Here you can see some of the wide assortment of games and the massive Chessex stand that seems to be up at every convention. You can really buy any dice under the sun here.  They even have a giant bin of dice you can buy a scoop from either from a cup or a pitcher.  Years ago I was disappointed to find the companies themselves are not at these conventions.  While some do show up for Kublacon you are generally dealing with brink and mortar stores in the dealers rooms.  You will see current product and a few older things but game companies release things at Gencon and not these smaller local conventions.

I wanted to show a few of the cooler things that I saw at the convention that made me thing wow neat.  This was a flight game that had model airplanes attached to antennas with swiveling mounts.  The plans could display their banking and decent.  I don't have a clue about rules but it was rather neat to check out. Below is a similar game that had more terrain involved.  Both have the cotton ball clouds but this second seemed to have a hugely complicated set of controls for setting how they control their plane.  I believe one of these was called aerodrome if you are interested.  These harken back to the older days of gaming where you sent in a few bucks to a P.O Box and got a photocopied set of rules and you were expected to take care of the rest.  It looks like someone had real skill with a drill and wood burner hear.  I have often seen both of these at gamin conventions so if you attend any you should be able to drop in on a game.

The thing I was going to mention was the seminar that are available at these cons.  They have established a war college that teaches strategy.  There were several panels on the gaming hobby from Kickstarter to getting into the business.  There are many to help your running games.  One of the best was a panel discussion that included Steve Perrin and Ken Hite.  They were talking about building cites that were alive for your gaming group.  These guys were just fascinating.  One of the comments that came out was that for every person that goes to a convention there are ten other folks that are someone into gaming but not interested in attending or for some other reason doesn't.  They were saying that only a few folks in the hobby are interested enough to attend this sort of thing.  I wanted to invite you folks to come on down to a convention in your area.  I am sure you can find one with a simple internet search.  You are going to get to see some really interesting things that you would not otherwise get a chance to.  You will learn a lot and have a bit of fun. 

Gypsy / It

Yearn for some return to roots
and defy the ethics of the day.
Find the inner joys of youth
that resided before Eros and ego.
Wild foolish joys born aloft
when death hid over the mountains.
Greater errant hopes
that crystallize life into moments.
Resolve yourself to the prime
true loves universally mocked.
If nothing be nothing for awhile!
If someone shows you the way, worry.
Dwell on it, is it your love?
Then be free and wild in its pursuit.
Otherwise keep your eyes open
A velvet underground wants to use you.
Giving yourself over is no path,
or someone else's at best.
The trailblazer or electric razor
would be a name far better.

Near sleep

The grey grey blows through my mind,
passing through sticky  syrup sweet.
Leaving the lingering wisps of sugar
upon fingers and struggling eyes.

Spring and heliotropes are away,
hiding themselves in other vales.
But the breathed in blast of heat,
Gives us hope its not so long.

Spring engrave upon us your days,
with warms and wizen tomorrows.
That hold adventure close to vests
and reveal only when we look

De Profundis: A visit over breakfast

My Fellow Gentlemen

All dreamers awaken someday or fall headlong into the precipice of the world dreamed.  I wonder where it is I have strayed.  The day was most kind in its welcoming me, a light meal and warm nectar.  My skin warmed by the morning as it uncurled itself across the lands.  I in my chair and evening cap idle but for this reverie to the dawn. 

This simple moment of solitude would be short won, as I first aroused from the joyful moments by the swaying of the gate.  The gate of the steps was quick, seeming that of a woman.   Of this I was correct as Miss King appeared whilst I scraped butter across my bread.   The smile was diplomatic and determined that I was wrong on some account, but could easily be pointed back to the narrow way.

Here words were kind but protested how I had things vastly in error.  My alliance was a foolish one setting me astray.  While I had been correct on many points, I wronged the side working for light and goodness.  Mathers' himself feared the work they toiled at, as it would indeed weaken his position.  The selfish always stand to lose when some work for the great good of all.  Many of the points were applied with some logic and I was left to my breakfast with a gnawing pit with my stomach.  One food did little to calm.  Had I been wrong in all this?

Yours very Truly
J.L.Reichl

Sci Fi Story part 11

Makaber drove his weight into the door, finally swinging it freely open.  The smell of blood and refuse rushed to meet the pair, both wide eyed beneath goggled masks.  The re breathers aspirations muffled Roche's cries of , " NO, NO, No, no, what happened?  How is he out?" The other man walked inspected the body and began dumping a fine powder on the remains.  "Not just out, Dead." "Fuck! Dyper risked too many of us to get the sample, now its expired!"

"Expired? No, that is wrong.  Look at the throat and arm, defensive wound and killing blow."  Roche looked up at Makaber, "Your right, the lines to the counter measures are disabled.  That would indicate unprotected exposure to the virus.  Do you see any indication of their route, Makaber?"

Some minutes of searching turned up little but a few threads clinging to the bolt of a shut off valve. "They seem to have taken to the water heading up stream, you will want waders if we follow" 

Game Review: Apples to Apples

We gave something called apples to apples a try.  It is a car matching game were you try to come up with the best answer card that represents some description card.  There are several version of the games, some for kids others more adult.

The basic idea is you are dealt seven cards to choose from.  Then there is a player that is the judge who flips over a description card.  Each player puts in one card as their response to the card.  The judge then decides which is the best answer.  The winner gets to hold onto the description card.  The judge title rotates to the next person.  The game is won when one player has four description cards, ie won four hands.

The game seemed good for a mixed audience or party game.  I think it was a little light for our group of players who are used to a more involved or rules heavy game.  I think the subjective natures was lost on people at times who wanted to argue for the right answer, when sometimes the judge liked the fun answer or just sort of liked one answer over another .