tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85145959370736643522024-03-19T03:48:23.668-05:00Thoughts Of A BarbarianMatt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-53326846424357650192019-11-19T13:35:00.001-06:002019-11-20T09:15:05.946-06:00Junkyard Goldmine or Just Junk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw4TVDs-0Mk/XdRCQUxqvCI/AAAAAAAAgCk/EJfZj1RJi18zQZoa8da7opAKOGvtgxF0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/garbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1360" height="448" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw4TVDs-0Mk/XdRCQUxqvCI/AAAAAAAAgCk/EJfZj1RJi18zQZoa8da7opAKOGvtgxF0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/garbage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I played 5<sup>th</sup> edition D&D for a few
years when it first came out and got a little burned out on it. I’m still
slightly bitter toward the game because they weren’t producing new materiel. It
looked to me like they were just updating old modules and re-releasing them. I
tend to gravitate more toward the OSR scene than many of my gaming peers. Most
of my friends are into Savage Worlds, Genesys, or ICRPG. The OSR scene is
continually producing good content, which is more than I can say for the DM’s
Guild or the Savage Worlds Adventurers Guild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This got me thinking, what if I’m missing out on
something in there. I just saw a photo of Satine Phoenix on Twitter unboxing a
5e D&D haul. Again, a lot of it appears to be Wizards of the Coast is just re-releasing
old modules. Now I’m wondering if the creators that are publishing under the DM’s
Guild are producing good content. I’ve always just turned my nose to it because
when you open up the platform to anyone you generally get a lot of garbage
content which makes it hard to find the gems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, I must admit that I mostly ignored the DM’s
Guild because it was 5e. Once I found Savage Worlds, 5e was pretty much dead to
me. That’s not to say 5e is a bad game. No, no, no. On the contrary, 5e is what
got me back into the hobby. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Back to my original thought. Am I missing anything by ignoring the DM’s Guild?
I generally buy books as inspiration for whatever game I want to run. I’ll take
stuff from many different sources and import the ideas into my Savage Worlds
game. That’s not to say that I only use Savage Worlds. Anyone who knows me well
enough, knows that I like to try new systems all the time but I keep coming
back to Savage Worlds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Basically what I’m wanting
to know is, what can others recommend to me from the DM’s Guild that far
exceeds their expectations? I’m talking about the good stuff here. It has to
have the whole package. Good layout, artwork, editing, writing, and play
tested.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international" style="font-size: 16px;">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></span></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-37395349651802741772019-10-15T08:06:00.000-05:002019-10-15T08:06:19.452-05:00Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit: A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXBFZoHEgkQ/XaUk7BSyLuI/AAAAAAAAe6U/rPxUgJo-48oMPMCD_znzPBtHwdRZYIQgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/CRJKReview1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXBFZoHEgkQ/XaUk7BSyLuI/AAAAAAAAe6U/rPxUgJo-48oMPMCD_znzPBtHwdRZYIQgACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/CRJKReview1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">Editing
Note: </span></b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As I
prepare to smash the publish button in blogger, I realized that I didn’t quite
say everything that I wanted to say. There is so much more to this Cyberpunk
Red world and this article is already twice as long as I would prefer. I’ll
definitely have to continue my thoughts on this in another post. Thanks for
reading and I look forward to your thoughts and comments.</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where do
I start Choomba? I suppose the first thing I should mention is my disclaimer. Cyberpunk
is not a genera I’m completely familiar with. I’ve read most of Cyberpunk 2020.
and Neuromancer by Gibson and have a few other books in my que to read. I’ve
played a few games of Shadowrun and watched Johnny Mnemonic, both Blade Runner
movies, and a few other not so cyberpunk movies. I've never played any Cyberpunk
games by R.Talsorian Games Inc. With this in mind I’d say its fair for me to be
impartial between the different versions of Cyberpunk out there.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlJ9mYXOZqM/XaTlVQpammI/AAAAAAAAe4w/CYnf1DPKJAMbBdDUsX6xWkseb-xX8h_nACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_103527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlJ9mYXOZqM/XaTlVQpammI/AAAAAAAAe4w/CYnf1DPKJAMbBdDUsX6xWkseb-xX8h_nACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_103527.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrcU08-KgjA/XaTlcqv8lrI/AAAAAAAAe40/-WPHpjSuaDEZoGkXZC2nUEh18uGt7E63ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_103553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrcU08-KgjA/XaTlcqv8lrI/AAAAAAAAe40/-WPHpjSuaDEZoGkXZC2nUEh18uGt7E63ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_103553.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">First
off, I have to say that the production value of the Jumpstart Kit is
phenomenal. High quality printed materiel and dice are included in the physical
box. The current cost of the physical box is $30 plus tax and shipping but if
you’re a digital fan or just want to print it yourself, it can be had for $15
over on DriveThruRPG. So head on over to your closest Vendit machine and get
you some cyber mods for your VR system.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before I
received the jumpstart kit, I took some time to get familiar with Cyberpunk
2020. I briefly read through the RPG and watched some actual plays to get
familiar with the system. My first impression was that it’s a bit clunky and
slow, especially for combat. There weren’t any game sessions that used
Netrunners so that tells me the rules for that aspect of the game is probably
not that great unless the whole party consists of Netrunners.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79HPyttcjk0/XaTl9Lsh00I/AAAAAAAAe5A/58k4hZAK2gUYdxwfm30rbYGfRm29rZ6sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_104213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79HPyttcjk0/XaTl9Lsh00I/AAAAAAAAe5A/58k4hZAK2gUYdxwfm30rbYGfRm29rZ6sQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20191012_104213.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">Once the
box arrived, I practically devoured its contents over the weekend. The box
contains a 44-page rulebook, a 52-page worldbook, a folded 11x17 quick reference
sheet, two 11x17 double sided maps, 6 pregenerated character sheets, a card
stock sheet with 19 standees and 4 vehicles, some plastic stands for the
standees, and a set of dice (2d10 and 4d6). Everything in the box looks amazing
with the only caveat being the 2d10 dice. Those d10’s are almost unusable. You
have to pay extra special attention to the orientation of the dice to know if
you rolled a 6 or a 9. They certainly can’t be used to roll d100 because both
d10’s look exactly the same. Normally you would either use two different colors
to denote the ones position and the tens position, or one of the dice would
have 00-09 to denote the tens position.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcbbQDu9sQY/XaTpgrNKbwI/AAAAAAAAe6E/H3I29ENru7cp6X-QIZwNy2kR55UOpKPdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191014_163023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcbbQDu9sQY/XaTpgrNKbwI/AAAAAAAAe6E/H3I29ENru7cp6X-QIZwNy2kR55UOpKPdACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20191014_163023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">By now
you might be wondering what is Cyberpunk Red? This version of Cyberpunk takes
place in the year 2045. It’s essentially the in-between for Cyberpunk 2020 and
Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk 2020 is the previous tabletop RPG and Cyberpunk 2077
is the upcoming videogame RPG. The premise behind Red is that during the
roaring 20’s, two smaller Megacorps went to war with each other trying to scoop
up the resources of another bankrupted Megacorp. Well, these smaller corpo’s
aligned themselves with some bigger fish that you might have heard of. One
sided with the American based Militech Megacorp, while the other was backed by
Arasaka. This in turn was the start of the 4</span><sup style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"> corporate war. Then
came the bombing of the Arasaka towers in Night City. In 2023 a small nuclear
bomb was detonated on the upper floors of the towers. Some blame Militech for
the disaster while others say Arasaka detonated their own towers to maintain
cyber security of their headquarters in Japan. It really doesn’t matter who set
off the nuke. What matters is what happens next.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x97X-wXrlHU/XaTmHE48dHI/AAAAAAAAe5E/ne05AZmB5EULdYROAJgdh6wP_uEGQzB-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_104145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x97X-wXrlHU/XaTmHE48dHI/AAAAAAAAe5E/ne05AZmB5EULdYROAJgdh6wP_uEGQzB-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_104145.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">Nuclear
fallout occurs for the next couple of years. The detonation at higher elevation
flattened the central part of the city but most of Night City was spared total
destruction. Then the US president stepped in and immediately nationalized the
Militech corporation, effectively seizing the company and its assets under the
auspiciousness of ending the global conflict. She then banned Arasaka from
operating on US soil. The particulates from the nuclear explosion are floating
in the air for the next couple of years giving the sky a permanent red hue. Even
still today in 2045 the sky shines red during sunrise and sunset.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZwnkqQXzaQ/XaTmHCn6HgI/AAAAAAAAe5I/p7XWj-miqucBIAQZuNWVGuotR0XL5LgwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_104155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZwnkqQXzaQ/XaTmHCn6HgI/AAAAAAAAe5I/p7XWj-miqucBIAQZuNWVGuotR0XL5LgwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_104155.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I must
say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the world lore of Cyberpunk Red. It evoked many
images to pop up in my head but at the same time I felt a bit confused. You
see, I always thought of cyberpunk as a bunch of 80’s punk rockers with
cyberware all over their body who had a nihilistic approach to life. To me, its
about living in the apocalypse and the goal isn’t to save humanity, it’s about
saving yourself. There are two groups of people, the rich and the poor. There’s
no in-between. The poor scumbags of the city will do just about anything to get
ahead and become one of the wealthy. It’s a story about the anti-heroes. The
whole time I was reading Red, I kept thinking to myself this is way different
than what I imagined. Red seems to be about rebuilding the city and surviving
the post apocalypse. Then I look at the images in the books and am quickly
reminded that no its not about post apocalypse. It just feels that way to me
for some unknown reason.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zPyZsUswfFQ/XaTmyb9mCfI/AAAAAAAAe5g/XReu7gNHZhMQ7adbIGx_tSzZEjPpiawtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_104037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zPyZsUswfFQ/XaTmyb9mCfI/AAAAAAAAe5g/XReu7gNHZhMQ7adbIGx_tSzZEjPpiawtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_104037.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">Although
the corporations are still around, they aren’t as omnipotent as they were in
2020. The corporations used to control the city council but not so much
anymore. The current Night City council is composed of Nomad families,
Edgerunner factions, old city government, and a few corporations. Many of the
city inhabitants live in apartment megablocs. Much like what you’d see in Judge
Dredd. Store fronts are practically nonexistent with your shopping needs met by
Vendit machines and your personal Agent (interactive PDA/cellphone). You need
some new cyberware or perhaps just an upgrade installed? Time to head over to your
favorite Ripperdoc. They can provide you with any of the legal items and cosmetic
enhancements. If it’s illegal weaponry you’re after then you better have a good
Fixer. They’re the ones who can point you to the Night Market.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a995Y95aDz4/XaTnBdmFd3I/AAAAAAAAe5o/0DS46XHm5e0eTCbQlHZct7UYJDFvDNtywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191012_104029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a995Y95aDz4/XaTnBdmFd3I/AAAAAAAAe5o/0DS46XHm5e0eTCbQlHZct7UYJDFvDNtywCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191012_104029.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">Night
City is broken up into 5 distinct areas with each one having its own ecology. The
Hot Zone Wasteland is what used to be the central corporate zone of Night City
(ground zero of the Arasaka towers bomb). The Rebuilding Urban Center Zone is
the area immediately surrounding the hot zone that survived the blast. The Overpacked
Suburbs Zone is what used to be the outer ring of old Night City (the safe
suburbs where the corpo’s used to live). The Reclaimed Perimeter Zone is what
used to be abandoned ghost towns of old Night City. Last but not least is The
Open Road Zone. Here is the Mad Max area of the game. It is routinely patrolled
by pack of Nomads to help keep it a little safer. If you venture out here you
better be in a Nomad caravan.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_IJxbKw5lM/XaTmx5ni0lI/AAAAAAAAe50/ybHlLckTfiMnUp2d1RmGvRtQwBAXqCvaQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20191012_104013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k_IJxbKw5lM/XaTmx5ni0lI/AAAAAAAAe50/ybHlLckTfiMnUp2d1RmGvRtQwBAXqCvaQCEwYBhgL/s400/20191012_104013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">This
review is getting rather lengthy so I’m gonna wrap it up. There’s tons more to
delve into but I need to talk about the system mechanics and give my overall
thoughts. Cyberpunk 2020 used the Interlock system and Red is so similar that I
assume its still the same system. They’ve tweaked certain mechanics in Red so I’m
not sure. The overall mechanic is easy if you’ve ever played D&D. Its
STAT+SKILL+d10 versus a difficulty value (DV) set by the GM. At first glance
this seems fairly easy but from what I’ve seen of actual plays, it drastically
slows down a game that should be more cinematic in my mind. Characters and NPC’s
can have a health value of up to 50 hit points. This means combats are long and
drawn out. It’s very similar to mid-level games of D&D in this respect. The
attrition based systems are antiquated at best and not all that great.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEy5QNzldvs/XaTnBb0OscI/AAAAAAAAe58/xybHHGLE-N4LudVTRiErUKon8gzCAf1hgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20191012_104020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEy5QNzldvs/XaTnBb0OscI/AAAAAAAAe58/xybHHGLE-N4LudVTRiErUKon8gzCAf1hgCEwYBhgL/s400/20191012_104020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">This is
why I’m going to abandon the Cyberpunk Red mechanics in favor of Savage Worlds.
I think this game has tons of potential but not with the Interlock System. It’s
also worth noting that Red attempts to fix the Netrunning rules by partially
dismantling the NET. Yes, the NET is still around but it’s not global anymore.
They are more like LAN’s now and the Netrunner has to get their butts off the couch
to join the team in meatspace. One more thing to keep in mind is that these are
Jumpstart rules. It’s not the full ruleset and this product seems to focus mostly
on the world lore and Netrunning mechanics.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHX9yScOpSY/XaTmyutWRzI/AAAAAAAAe54/W0Z6vRiKySI23ikIm-REH-fPopP0f2QKgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20191012_104119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IHX9yScOpSY/XaTmyutWRzI/AAAAAAAAe54/W0Z6vRiKySI23ikIm-REH-fPopP0f2QKgCEwYBhgL/s640/20191012_104119.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;">I will definitely
buy the full rulebook of Cyberpunk Red when it’s released. If for nothing more
than inspiration to run my own Savage Worlds Cyberpunk game. I must admit that
I’m not opposed to the Interlock System at all. If someone invited me to play
in a game of Cyberpunk 2020 or Red, I’d be all over it. For now though I’d
still give this product 4 out of 5 eddies. If someone asked me if I’d buy it again,
I’d say absolutely! It’s an excellent product. It’s not quite as good as FFG’s
starter sets but that’s the gold standard in my opinion. See you on the flipside
Choombata’s.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>P.S.</b> – I
nearly forgot to mention that on Veteran’s Day weekend in the US, the Nerds-International
group is holding an online convention open to the public November 8th-11th. We need
more players and GM’s. If you’re interested in playing some Savage Cyberpunk
with me then head on over to the sign up page at <a href="https://piersonjaime.wixsite.com/nivcon">https://piersonjaime.wixsite.com/nivcon</a>
If there is enough interest in my game then I could be convinced to run another
game on Sunday morning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>P.P.S.</b> –
I’d like to give a shout out to the <a href="https://threetrpg.podbean.com/">3
T RPG Podcast</a>. My buddies Harrison and Nikk are very talented podcasters
with a hilariously informative production. They have DCC actual plays and talk
about all kinds of RPG’s.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UXVyhgjdD0/XaTmx9ZGc6I/AAAAAAAAe5w/cGMJ4bmumKA0npD_o4Dhv4r69lXpA6vZwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20191012_103932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UXVyhgjdD0/XaTmx9ZGc6I/AAAAAAAAe5w/cGMJ4bmumKA0npD_o4Dhv4r69lXpA6vZwCEwYBhgL/s640/20191012_103932.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 16px;">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-91197649298098583402019-09-28T22:51:00.002-05:002019-09-30T13:12:54.363-05:00Inktober 2019 Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehgSyU3Cgo4/XZAocZ7z1lI/AAAAAAAAej0/Ud2wJ3iLvfYuPKscWGz9xUev4mtYX9w_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20190928_084344.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="651" height="275" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehgSyU3Cgo4/XZAocZ7z1lI/AAAAAAAAej0/Ud2wJ3iLvfYuPKscWGz9xUev4mtYX9w_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20190928_084344.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After some deliberation I’ve decided I’m going to
participate in Inktober 2019. Essentially all you have to do to participate is
draw something using ink on a daily basis for the 31 days of October.
Officially they want you to tag your art with #inktober and #inktober2019 and
post it on social media. If you go over to <a href="http://inktober.com/">inktober.com</a>, you can find out more
info and resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is an official prompt list of a single word
for each day to help inspire you to draw something related to the word (this is
much like rpgaday). There are also other lists floating around that I suppose
you can use if you want. As far as I’m concerned, the biggest thing is to draw
something daily for 31 days using ink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some people like to draw their sketch with pencil
and ink over the top of that. I may try that but probably not. While I want to
use this to improve my art, I think part of the challenge for me is making
mistakes and learning how to fix them using ink. This will no doubt be a big
challenge for me to draw daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another aspect to it is that posting your art online
can be very intimidating. Art is subjective and I for one haven’t made a piece
that I was completely satisfied with. Every artist sees where they screwed up
and their eye goes directly to that blemish every single time they look at the
piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I encourage everyone to attempt this challenge even
if they don’t announce that they’re doing it or don’t want to post their work
on social media. Just pick up a pen and doodle something on a Post-it note. I
may not get something drawn every day but I will make the attempt. More than
likely it will be more of the case that I feel my art isn’t good enough to post
on that day. My daily posts will be on Twitter @mstark78 and I will make a
weekly MeWe post. I’m undecided if I will blog my drawings weekly to be honest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTFG-zBlyoY/XZAoz8qA3EI/AAAAAAAAej8/J80R6qk_Htgz8OhJqOgp1AlDeta7eMfsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20190928_204609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1433" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTFG-zBlyoY/XZAoz8qA3EI/AAAAAAAAej8/J80R6qk_Htgz8OhJqOgp1AlDeta7eMfsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20190928_204609.jpg" width="571" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every new project calls for new gear. Amirite? As
you can see in the picture, I got a new sketchbook, a black Copic marker, and
some cheap ball point pens. The next picture shows all of my old gear. Some of
it will be used, then again, maybe not. Of all the ink utensils, I think my
primary tools will be the black Copic, a sharpie, a ball point pen, a white
gelly roll pen, and my Pentel brush pen. My fountain pens and dip pens probably wont get used at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVo9YI65wVE/XZApDSaKHnI/AAAAAAAAekA/fB-4PkdmziIEB_XiLs4T0vQVmmN8DHzXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20190928_204641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1410" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVo9YI65wVE/XZApDSaKHnI/AAAAAAAAekA/fB-4PkdmziIEB_XiLs4T0vQVmmN8DHzXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20190928_204641.jpg" width="564" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The sketchbook will be interesting to use as I’ve
never heard of this brand before and it’s specifically marketed towards
markers. The little paper on the front cover also says that its ultra smooth
surface is excellent for pen and ink, technical pens, and markers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Copic multiliners are great technical pens but I
think I’ll reserve those for my dungeon map drawings. The first Copic
multiliner I ever bought was the more expensive refillable one. I don’t recommend
you buy those. At first glance they seem like a good idea. You can refill the
pen and replace the nibs. Fuhgedaboudit. Just get the disposable multiliners. You’ll
thank me later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Interesting side note on the brush pen. It needs to
be stored in the upright position (as if it were clipped into a pocket). I had
about half of a refill cartridge leak into the cap that came pouring out when I
took the cap off. It was slightly leaking out of the cap inside my pencil case
but I had no idea what I was in for when I took the cap off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well, I think that’s all I’ve got this time. You folks
have a wonderful day and don’t forget to head on over to the <a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international">Nerds-InternationalMeWe page</a> to check out all the great podcasts and bloggers over there. The
pinned post at the top of the page has all the contact info.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">P.S.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you’re
curious about narrative dice or you’re just looking for a podcast on the
Genesys RPG then look no further. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://findingthenarrativepodcast.podbean.com/">Finding The Narrative: A Genesys RPG Podcast</a>
is a member of Nerds-International and their hosts Tony, Chris, and Stephen are
very knowledgeable on all of FFG’s narrative GM crutches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 16px;">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-50865550872668833122019-08-28T11:08:00.001-05:002019-08-28T11:08:43.732-05:00#RPGaDay2019 Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/rpgaday2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1168" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s640/rpgaday2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I sit down to write this last installment of
#RPGaDay2019 I’m dreading the completion of this exercise. For some reason unknown
to me I find myself unmotivated to finish it. I feel like its wearing thin on
me. While doing weekly installments has been much better than daily it still
feels hard to complete. I shall persevere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">22. Lost- Perhaps this one is better suited to lost
in translation. There have been many times while playing games or even
conveying information via text that the meaning of my intentions get lost along
the way. During a game I interpret this as my lack of clue giving or lack of
properly describing the situation to the players. Online while responding to
posts on social media its quite easy for your intent to be misconstrued the
wrong way. This is just something that happens and you have to accept it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">23. Surprise- In game terms there is usually a
mechanic to “Surprise” the characters but what about surprising the players? I can
recall only one time I was surprised as a player and that was because I totally
wasn’t expecting a giant monster to come out of the water into the cultist
lair. It’s very hard to surprise players nowadays. We’re all gamers and like to
read so we all read the monster manuals. If I throw an Aboleth at a group,
chances are high that someone will know how to fight it. I’m going to take a
different approach with these types of things for my DCC Lankhmar game coming
up soon. I’m hoping I’ll at least creep out a player or two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">24. Triumph- Defeating a mighty evil against all odds
while the numbers are in the favor of your enemy. I can’t think of a time in a
game where I felt truly triumphant. Savage Worlds is more of a cinematic game
in my eyes which kind of takes away the triumphant victories. In Call of Cthulhu,
just surviving is considered a victory so being triumphant would have a
different meaning I suppose. I think in order to get that triumphant victory
feeling it needs to happen over the course of a long campaign. One in which the
characters are slowly achieving the overall goals to face the big bad guy with
setbacks at every step of the way. They have to feel like the objective is
hopeless yet achievable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">25. Calamity- Oh boy! I’ve been in many, many, many
games where calamity ensued. The one that sticks out most in my mind is the
encounter in my Irongate game. It’s the second session in a short campaign and
the characters come across an encampment. The scene is an old RV camper off to
one side with cages on another. Near the middle of the camp a woman is chained
to the ground while someone is sawing off her forearm. The players don’t quite
know it yet but these cannibals are the Fratelli family. One of the characters
decides to go have a chat with these fine people while the other 3 sit back and
watch what’s going on. Well, one of the 3 weren’t so sneaky and Sloth was sent
to check it out. Someone attacked Sloth and the one talking to the cannibals tried
to yank a shotgun away from Mama. Let’s just say that one character died, one
got captured, and the other 2 limped away to safety. I wish I could have recorded
that scene. It was a real fun one. Well, for me anyway. Hehehe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">26. Idea- They come from all over the place for me
but mostly movies and books. I have shelves full of books that I might never
play but I mine the information to use in other games. I’ve had a few good
ideas from podcasts like <a href="http://findingthenarrativepodcast.podbean.com/">Finding the Narrative</a>,
a podcast about FFG’s Genesys system (its their Star Wars game with the Star
Wars ripped out). Tony, Chris, and Stephen are very knowledgeable on the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">27. Suspense- Now this is a good one. How do you
create suspense in a game? The easiest way is to end the session on a cliff
hanger (no token needed). My buddy Eric just did it to us a couple of weeks
ago. We were sitting in a local watering hole and after we gathered the needed
information we’re relaxing when some German soldiers enter. Of course, the only
one of us that speaks German decides this is a good time to go to the washroom.
The Germans are coming towards us and as I grip my Colt 1911 Eric ends the
session.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">28. Love- I’m not a fan of toying with this emotion
in rpg’s. It usually just feels weird and other times it’s a cheap way to force
characters into action. Using the characters loved ones to force them into
performing acts is an old cliché. It shows lack of imagination of the part of
the GM. If the characters loved one is an active part of the story then it could
be okay to an extent but should be avoided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">29. Evolve- Some people say that games need to
evolve but I disagree. It’s the people who don’t like the game as it is that
say this. I’m sorry but if you feel that way then you need to find a different
game. Many people like the game the way it is and don’t need it to evolve into
something completely different. I also feel like publishers do this just to
make more sales. Look at D&D for example. No one can agree on which edition
is best. A lot of people love 5e and hate 4e. Some people liked 4e but the game
evolved because there was an overwhelming number of people who disliked it. Now
5e is out and they still haven’t produced any new content. All they’ve done is
convert old products to the latest edition and people are clamoring for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">30. Connection- Isn’t this what the hobby is about?
Connecting with people around a table to have a good time. Sometimes those
connections get stronger as time goes on and other times they weaken. What
about connecting with your character. I’ve not experienced this but some view
their character as an extension of themselves and they grow connected to it. It’s
just a game folks. You should play some OSR type games where a character often
dies and you show up with 3 backup characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">31. Last- A fitting end to the challenge. The last
thing I want to do is let people down. Scheduling an online game is hard enough
but cancelling at the last minute always disappoints me. I will always try to
let others know if I can’t make a game at least a few days in advance so it
irritates the heck out of me when others can’t do the same. Sometimes these
games are dependent on everyone showing up while other times it makes no
difference if a player can’t show up. There have been stretches of time when I
was only gaming once a month and when the GM cancelled at the last minute I was
really pissed off. So please try not to let other people down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">P.S. There are a lot of people over at the
Nerds-International community that put out great content and it wouldn’t have
been possible without Jaime Pierson. <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/thebreweryshow">The Brewery</a> is his show where
he does wargames, rpg’s, and reviews. Go check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd0o-gcWpr_wRj60T_UdJJg">his Youtube channel</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-11517871993080361862019-08-21T08:59:00.000-05:002019-08-21T08:59:37.377-05:00#RPGaDay2019 Week 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/rpgaday2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1168" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s640/rpgaday2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">#RPGaDay2019 Week 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Well this week’s entries are taking longer than
expected. Some of these are really stonewalling me. The past two weeks just
rolled off my frontal lobe as I thumb tapped them into my Samsung’s memo pad.
Alrighty, let’s do this.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">15. Door- Do you loot the room or kick down the
door? I kick down the door! As a creative person in any hobby, the hardest
thing to do is kick down that door that blocks you from your passion. It could
be a metaphorical door like writer’s block, or it could be an actual physical
barrier like not having the income to purchase the necessary tools to be
creative. I would say that motivation is my biggest, most heavy door to
accomplishing my goals as a creative person. I like to jump from drawing to
writing to painting minis to playing guitar to terrain building and the list
goes on. Without motivation my stamina drops to a lethargic level and I move on
to something new or back to an old standby. For me that old standby is writing.
I like to write, but without a deadline that has consequences, my motivation
wanes quickly. Another type of door could be the one that keeps you from going
pro. Breaking into the industry as its most often called. I can’t provide any
advice or insight to that one as I haven’t figured it out myself.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">16. Dream- I’ve often wanted to include a dream
sequence in a campaign but it sounds too cliché to me. Most of the time I hear
about other GM’s doing it, they say they don’t tell the players until it ends.
That’s all fine and dandy but I feel like there should be subtle clues dropped
to the players to indicate they are dreaming. This way they might figure it out
ahead of time and might just attempt to perform daring feats because there are
no perceived consequences. It’s fine, I’ll just wake up like nothing happened.
Or will you? I propose that there should be some sort of consequence. Maybe the
thief who dropped his dagger during combat wakes up and misplaced his prized
dagger. Perhaps a character that died in the dream has recurring nightmares and
takes a level of fatigue for the next month. It’s all too easy just to say
nothing happened. I guess I’m a dick GM for thinking this way. Oh well, c’est
la vie.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">17. One- One is the loneliest number that you’ll
ever do. Two can be as bad as one. It’s the loneliest number since the number
one… I was just reading a post about a guy running one campaign for over 40
years. Yes, that’s just one campaign. I can’t imagine the stamina and
motivation it would take to run a campaign for 40 years. To be honest, that
sounds dumb to me. Why would I limit myself to one game for 40 years? I gave up
D&D 5e after 3 years because it limits what I want to do with characters
and because those rules lawyers can go fuck themselves. I switched to Savage
Worlds due to the variety of settings it has to offer and the fact that
characters can take multiple actions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">18. Plenty- Back in the days when I was gaming at my
Friendly Local Game Store, I would do my best to provide plenty of handouts for
the players to keep. These would usually consist of paper folders full of
setting info, gazetteers, and anything I thought the players should have. I
highly believed that this alone might get some of them involved in the setting
but as time went on, I’ve come to the realization that players don’t want to be
bothered with reading. I’m guilty of this sometimes as well but that is
primarily limited to one shots or convention type games. I still believe that throwing
plenty of handouts to the players makes for a better game, especially if some
of them are personalized to specific characters. You can usually tell which
players at the table appreciate these gestures because they will thank you
after the session. Even if they don’t, I can tell by their excitement. It makes
you feel good inside as a GM when you see how excited they get and your
excitement builds off of it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">19. Scary- What are the best methods to make your
games a little scarier? I’ve been thinking about this one for some time because
I was hoping to include a little Cthulhu style horror into a DCC Lankhmar game
I want to run (after Con on the Cob). I started looking at how other Cthulhu
style games implemented insanity and I think I’ve found one that I can steal.
Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing looks like a pretty good
sanity system to use with DCC. That will help me and the players judge how
insane the character is but how do I make the game feel scary? I think the best
method to use is one that I need to work on to be a better GM. You need to be
very descriptive. My typical description goes like this: The cave like room is
20 ft. x 30 ft. with vaulted ceilings that have stalactites. The walls have
vein like structures throughout. A better method might be: As you enter the
cavern the stagnant air tastes like putrid decaying flesh. Looking around,
there are purplish red stains littering the walls. You could swear the walls
are throbbing slightly, almost in rhythm with your own heartbeat. Hanging from
the ceiling are ivory stalactites with a clear jelly like substance slowly
dripping. You stare in amazement as it seems to take forever for the ooze’s
surface tension to break and smack the floor with an obscenely loud PLOP! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">20. Noble- We’re all familiar with using nobility in
our games. Sometimes they are pompous asses and sometimes they are very helpful.
They can even be a source of information or income to the characters. What
about false nobles? That’s an interesting thought. As a GM I think I might try
using an imposter pretending to be a noble. They would need forged documents
and a source of wealth in order to fool everybody. Maybe they could have just
cast magic on everyone to make them think they are noble. That would be some
powerful illusionary magic for sure. Would the characters even ever come into
contact with this false noble? I suppose they would otherwise this is just a
pedantic waste of time. Eventually the characters will need to find out what is
going on. To not do so would be boring and the characters might even feel like
they owe the NPC some sort of loyalty by this time. This could be an
interesting plot hook to keep on the back burner.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">21. Vast- My favorite RPG system is Savage Worlds
and while it’s far from perfect, it is extremely vast in the number of
different settings. It ranges from undead cowboys to </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/264755/Wiseguys-JumpStart"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wiseguys</span></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
in Vegas and everything in between. If you can’t find the setting you’re
looking for, then I’d say you probably haven’t looked hard enough. The system
is easy enough that you can make your own setting if need be. Lots of people
have published free content under the Savage Worlds Fan Logo including myself
so look some more and ask around if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
Chances are that someone else has already made it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">P.S. If you've been living under a rock like Patrick Star and haven't heard yet, <a href="http://thewilddie.podbean.com/">The Wild Die Podcast</a> continually produces great episodes for all the Savage Worlds fans. Their last episode was a very interesting topic on publishing content under the SWAG (Savage Worlds Adventurers Guild) program on DriveThruRPG. Definitely worth a listen if you have any aspirations of writing game content.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-33188493222139268002019-08-14T15:41:00.000-05:002019-08-14T15:41:44.494-05:00#RPGaDay2019 Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/rpgaday2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1168" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJU/D6ZEHVvtXacG3AjX2TMzdgyndJIwRv39wCPcBGAYYCw/s640/rpgaday2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Okay boys and girls its week 2 so lets get right to it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">8. Obscure- This may be a little-known fact but I
like to include obscure references to innocuous things in documents I write.
That’s easter eggs for you video gamers. I enjoy parodies of well known movies
and shows so including these obscure objects is my way of including humorous
things (well, humorous to me anyway).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">9. Critical- Critical failures in RPG’s don’t
necessarily mean failure. Everybody thinks of them as a failure with something
really bad happening. While I employ this mentality for the most part, what about
just adding a complication? Let’s say the character critically fails their
notice check to look for someone in a crowd. Now bear in mind that finding this
person is crucial to continuing the story. Perhaps the critical failure was
that you do see them on the opposite side of the plaza but you bumped into
someone and made them drop an earthen jar of their late wife and it breaks open
on the ground. Now you have an altercation and a crowd is forming around you.
People are upset and an unknown person throws a rock at you, roll initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">10. Focus- As a DM/GM/creator I often lose focus. With
today’s technology it’s easy to get sidetracked by the new shiny RPG setting. I
like to read a lot so I buy these books and get inspired only to have it happen
all over again with a new to me setting. It’s really a difficult thing for my
focus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">11. Examine- Self reflection isn’t something I put
at the forefront of my mind but I constantly need to examine myself in just
about everything I do. How could I have made that session better? Should I have
waxed Gary’s character? I need to start thinking about this more and more these
days because most friends won’t be honest and say that session could have been
better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">12. Friendship- Now this one is interesting.
According to Aristotle there are 3 types of friendship: utility, pleasure, and
good. I’d like to think that many of the people I’ve met through the <a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international" target="_blank">Nerds-International community</a> are of the good variety but understand that how I perceive a
friendship may not be reciprocated in the same way. RPG’s bring many different
people together under the guise of entertainment and over time strong bonds are
formed with like minded people. I have met a few good friends this way and hope
that they don’t view me as a utility friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">13. Mystery- A true mystery is why people feel the
need to defend their RPG system of choice when another person expresses their
dislike of that system. It happens all the time and I’m guilty of expressing an
opinion just to stir the emotions of those people. While it’s usually
intentional, it’s also a social experiment of mine. I’m interested in seeing how
many responses I can get. One time on Google + I was able to garner 175 in a
single thread. Ah, the good ol days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">14. Guide- As a game master of RPG’s your job is to
guide players through the game world. Not only are you an invisible guide but
you are also an adjudicator of rules and outcomes of die rolls. There used to
be a trend in D&D that the Dungeon Master was perceived to be the
antagonist that the players needed to defeat. This in my opinion is reflective
of a bad DM, one who is confrontational in nature and is likely caused by a lack
of experience. The DM/GM should be on the side of the players. Their job is to
ensure a fair representation of the non-player characters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">P.S. If you haven't heard by now The Murder Hobo Show has changed formats. It used to be all about Rifts and ICRPG but now he has changed it to include all RPG's. I highly encourage you to check out his new podcast at <a href="https://themurderhoboshow.podbean.com/">https://themurderhoboshow.podbean.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international">Nerds-International MeWe community</a></span></div>
</div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-42469018855811590732019-08-07T10:14:00.000-05:002019-08-07T19:30:30.465-05:00#RPGaDay2019 Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJQ/dg_5FbUFcgArDENi3lhipjWbsEHkthqygCLcBGAs/s1600/rpgaday2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1168" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzP3l_Sz-UA/XUrfE4AhTVI/AAAAAAAAXJQ/dg_5FbUFcgArDENi3lhipjWbsEHkthqygCLcBGAs/s640/rpgaday2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This was a tough decision for me to participate in
#RPGaDay2019 or not. I’ve done the last two years and got bored because the
questions felt redundant and boring. This year’s infographic was unique in which
a single word is used to prompt whatever you can think of. The previous years I
participated daily but this go around I decided to do it weekly, so here goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1. First- My first online game was at FGCon 2014. It
was also the first Savage Worlds game I played. Aaaand, it was the first game I
ever played with my buddy Eric. That was a momentous occasion for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2.
Unique- One of the things I’m always on the lookout for are unique RPG related
products and people. One of those people is a Youtuber named Franky D. Crafter
and his channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwEfMk3gkARbtasf0eH5uTw">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwEfMk3gkARbtasf0eH5uTw</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He has a unique way of sculpting minis that’s
inspiring and refreshing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3. Engage- Aye aye captain. I’m a huge sci fi fan
but have only played a handful of sci fi games. Two of the games I’m looking
forward to playing are Interface Zero 2.0 and my own homebrew version that’s
loosely based on Star Trek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">4. Share- I love to share my writing and other
creative outlets on social media. I may not be particularly good at any of them
but I like to see other people’s reactions to them. I think that’s why I haven’t
written on my blog in quite a while. Getting people to interact with me through
the blog has always been a problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">5. Space- The final frontier, these are the voyage
of the starship… Yup, its sci fi again. Star Wars is good but Star Trek is
waaay better. I particularly like The Orville version of Star Trek. It’s
intelligent and a parody at the same time. I’ve often thought of creating a
Savage Worlds version of a sci fi parody but I don’t think Pinnacle would go
for it. I’d have to sell it to an Ace to publish it since PEG doesn’t really
monitor you once you become an Ace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">6. Ancient- Is how I feel since I turned 41 this
past February. When I look around on YouTube or at game stores, I see mostly 20
somethings all over and their version of gaming is vastly different from mine.
This seems more prominent especially when I get nostalgic and want to play
games based in or around the 80’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">7. Familiar- I was listening to a Gaming and BS
episode recently where the hosts posed the question of, if you were put on the
spot to run a game with no prep, what would it be? I had to really think about
this one because my first reaction was to use the one I’m most familiar with.
That would be either Castles & Crusades or Savage Worlds. I’m familiar
enough with both to run them on no prep. The issue for me is which one I’m more
familiar with and which one is easier to run. I still haven’t been able to figure
it out. I guess it depends on how I’m feeling that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">P.S. – I’d like to take this opportunity to invite
you to the Nerds-International MeWe group. There are a bunch of gamers with
wildly varying gaming interests in our little community. The very first post in
that group is a list of podcasters, bloggers, vloggers, and more so check it
out. I’d also like to take this time to highlight <a href="http://www.imaginaryramblings.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Ramblings</a>. It’s
a podcast about whatever Matt and Ben have on their minds at the moment. It
could be a craft beer episode or something on surviving the apocalypse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://mewe.com/join/nerds-international">Nerds-International
MeWe community</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-19314294029140883462018-11-13T10:12:00.001-06:002018-11-13T10:12:16.610-06:00Con on the Cob 2018 After Action Debriefing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMZ3DsfKbhU/W-rx5Zxqk1I/AAAAAAAASCU/tFHW5hN4yC8mWyq82x2zN0lQtC4-P75dQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_11" o:spid="_x0000_i1035" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMZ3DsfKbhU/W-rx5Zxqk1I/AAAAAAAASCU/tFHW5hN4yC8mWyq82x2zN0lQtC4-P75dQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1607.JPG"
href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMZ3DsfKbhU/W-rx5Zxqk1I/AAAAAAAASCU/tFHW5hN4yC8mWyq82x2zN0lQtC4-P75dQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG"
style='width:480pt;height:5in;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="IMG_1607"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RMZ3DsfKbhU/W-rx5Zxqk1I/AAAAAAAASCY/oUqo4RR6jpgNKp6G0jEjplgcmwQpsFu1ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RMZ3DsfKbhU/W-rx5Zxqk1I/AAAAAAAASCY/oUqo4RR6jpgNKp6G0jEjplgcmwQpsFu1ACEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_1607.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">First I need to thank everyone who showed up and made this convention special. You guys are the best friends ever!</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">2018's Con on the Cob was a great success for the
Nerds-International crew this year, at least in my opinion. I got to see some
new faces and a whole bunch of old ones. Some alcoholic consumption may have
been involved also. The daily schedule were games from 9am-1pm and 3-7pm.
Afterwards we usually just sat around and chatted while playing pick-up games
of Zombie Dice, Epic Spell Wars, Spank The Yeti, and Joking Hazard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This year I only ran one game and I had a blast running it. I
chose to try running Blood In The Chocolate, a Lamentations of the Flame
Princess adventure written by Kiel Chenier. This Willy Wonka chocolate factory
was fun for everyone who played. The goal is for the characters to collect
several items for a French merchant who wants to steal the secret recipe for
this addictive chocolate. In this particular scenario, the players never
crossed paths with Lucia, the owner of the chocolate factory. They muddled
their way around the factory collecting the requested items until the opened a
trapped safe where the recipe book was destroyed by a sulfuric acid trap. They
also found 40,000 in gold bars so they called it a day and escaped the factory
by rappelling out of a window on the second story. During all of this, one of
the characters swelled up like a blueberry and another contracted the peanut
brittle throat disease. This is one of those adventures you could run several
times and still have a blast with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">One of the nights we guilted Gary McCalum into running ICRPG for a
few of us. Unfortunately, it was a short-lived game since Gary was still really
tired from not enough sleep and James Clarke laying across the table for a
photo op. Gary did a great job up until that point. Overall I'm still not sold
on ICRPG. When I asked Jaime what he thought of it after playing in it on The
RPG Brewery, he said it felt too much like a board game to him. I would agree
after thinking about it for some time. I never liked the mechanic of one person
at a time taking a turn all the time. When Jaime said board game that hit home
for me. It does feel that way. I'd rather play Descent or Dark Tower than
ICRPG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I think the best game of the con that I was in was Tony Fanning's
Genesys Deep Madness. We played as characters sent into an underwater complex to
recover survivors and an unknown artifact. While the FFG system isn’t new to
me, this game did feel different thanks to Tony's madness rules he created. It
is much like the critical injury list but is dramatically different. Once you
fail fear checks and accumulated 5 insanity points, you would roll on his chart
and gain an insanity. This was such a great game even if we players removed
some of the feeling of direness due to crazy antics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Another notable game was Eric Lameroux's Trailer Park Shark Attack
written by Karl Keesler. At first I was unsure how this game would play out. I
was confident I would like it because it uses Savage Worlds but what I wasn’t
sure about was the very nature of the game. Eric told us up front that your
character will die. He came prepared with 24 pregenerated characters so we
could respawn when we died. This game felt gonzo from the get go where I
started out as a midget drug dealer with a Napoleon complex, watching Jerry
Springer in my trailer when the levy broke. The trailer park gets flooded and
we have to survive electric sharks. Eventually we find out that the sharks are
alien inventions and the aliens crashed their flying saucer into the levy.
After making our way to the ship we failed to stop the imminent alien invasion.
What can I say, it's Savage Worlds, great game.</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ4kqyU6q80/W-rzObyRV8I/AAAAAAAASDg/jTwZAhy5pKI4r6UpuBiOX7d8I5okUVRFgCLcBGAs/s1600/20181108_094959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ4kqyU6q80/W-rzObyRV8I/AAAAAAAASDg/jTwZAhy5pKI4r6UpuBiOX7d8I5okUVRFgCLcBGAs/s320/20181108_094959.jpg"
href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ4kqyU6q80/W-rzObyRV8I/AAAAAAAASDg/jTwZAhy5pKI4r6UpuBiOX7d8I5okUVRFgCLcBGAs/s1600/20181108_094959.jpg"
style='width:240pt;height:180pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg"
o:title="20181108_094959"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ4kqyU6q80/W-rzObyRV8I/AAAAAAAASDk/SWwUJIgg70EZgXSAEojuNObXPi6BPa1yQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20181108_094959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ4kqyU6q80/W-rzObyRV8I/AAAAAAAASDk/SWwUJIgg70EZgXSAEojuNObXPi6BPa1yQCEwYBhgL/s320/20181108_094959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw3ltXevFGg/W-rzNgoS_BI/AAAAAAAASDk/Ndbc3zq1qLcTStcPXDu_25NjLcQ_adOoACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw3ltXevFGg/W-rzNgoS_BI/AAAAAAAASDk/Ndbc3zq1qLcTStcPXDu_25NjLcQ_adOoACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1389.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw3ltXevFGg/W-rzNgoS_BI/AAAAAAAASDc/hog7GUhbJR8XpPUIu_ssEn2M1CXAR7WxwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw3ltXevFGg/W-rzNgoS_BI/AAAAAAAASDc/hog7GUhbJR8XpPUIu_ssEn2M1CXAR7WxwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1389.JPG"
href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw3ltXevFGg/W-rzNgoS_BI/AAAAAAAASDc/hog7GUhbJR8XpPUIu_ssEn2M1CXAR7WxwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG"
style='width:180pt;height:240pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.jpg"
o:title="IMG_1389"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I also got to try out Legend of the Five Rings Beginner Game. I
had no idea what to expect since I have no prior knowledge of this game. I knew
it was made by FFG so it couldn’t be horrible. This was a fun game but I doubt
I'd ever get to run or play in this game again. It's Japanese cultural inspiration
is amazing but the game felt almost too narrative to me. There is a dice
mechanic involved but the game plays more like a story telling session. The
world of Rokugan is great and I would absolutely love to read this just for the
background info. The dice mechanics were easy enough to pick up that I was able
to grasp it within a few rolls. This game definitely requires the right people
to play with. I really enjoyed this game and would recommend it even though it
lacks solid dice mechanics. It might not be the dice mechanics but there is
something about this game that is missing for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wGhBiGv-b0/W-ry76RoxMI/AAAAAAAASDY/l5bGnSbQQogjryesYc7f8gRWHQKnFWQqACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_wGhBiGv-b0/W-ry76RoxMI/AAAAAAAASDY/l5bGnSbQQogjryesYc7f8gRWHQKnFWQqACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_wGhBiGv-b0/W-ry76RoxMI/AAAAAAAASDM/NYVeQtz8nlEThA531TmYZQno_RjfEurlgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_8" o:spid="_x0000_i1032" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_wGhBiGv-b0/W-ry76RoxMI/AAAAAAAASDM/NYVeQtz8nlEThA531TmYZQno_RjfEurlgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1438.JPG"
href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_wGhBiGv-b0/W-ry76RoxMI/AAAAAAAASDM/NYVeQtz8nlEThA531TmYZQno_RjfEurlgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG"
style='width:240pt;height:180pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg"
o:title="IMG_1438"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I finally got to try out Dungeon Crawl Classics. I've had the book
on my shelf for a few months but haven’t had the time to read it yet. When I
heard there was a slot open for this game ran by Harrison Hunt I jumped at the
opportunity. As is usual for Harrison, he put on a great game. We started out
by taking a job to help out a tavern owner by getting rid of a small problem
for them. Then when we kill the perpetrators we find a sealed talking coffin.
The mysterious man in the coffin tells us that there is an enormous amount of
wealth and jewels in a far off cave. Of course we will save the world for you.
Now I have to drag around this coffin all over the place because we can't open
it. Finally, we make it to the cave where some dude touches an obelisk and
grows like 50 times his normal size. Needless to say, we saved the world. The
only problem I had with this system was the Deed mechanic and my unfamiliarity
with the system in general. I kept getting confused on what to roll and when.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxjzylIlCTw/W-rywm_ETeI/AAAAAAAASDU/88ofaNxTbhUk4u0Qum5OK3KvV7FF1fkEQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20181109_155006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxjzylIlCTw/W-rywm_ETeI/AAAAAAAASDU/88ofaNxTbhUk4u0Qum5OK3KvV7FF1fkEQCEwYBhgL/s320/20181109_155006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opHq3k4JF6U/W-rywXKtC6I/AAAAAAAASDQ/CEHfuB75C_MFzYk3hGIfpKpNN6Uym_PRQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20181109_154833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opHq3k4JF6U/W-rywXKtC6I/AAAAAAAASDQ/CEHfuB75C_MFzYk3hGIfpKpNN6Uym_PRQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20181109_154833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxjzylIlCTw/W-rywm_ETeI/AAAAAAAASDE/lB9T2BqIu7MwWrp_wbNxzx5bMqx7d9EowCLcBGAs/s1600/20181109_155006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_7" o:spid="_x0000_i1031" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxjzylIlCTw/W-rywm_ETeI/AAAAAAAASDE/lB9T2BqIu7MwWrp_wbNxzx5bMqx7d9EowCLcBGAs/s320/20181109_155006.jpg"
href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxjzylIlCTw/W-rywm_ETeI/AAAAAAAASDE/lB9T2BqIu7MwWrp_wbNxzx5bMqx7d9EowCLcBGAs/s1600/20181109_155006.jpg"
style='width:240pt;height:180pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image005.jpg"
o:title="20181109_155006"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm a fan of FFG's dice system in general but it does have its shortcomings.
The next two games I'm going to mention both use it. Jaime Pearson ran us
through some Realms of Terrinoth using the Gen Con adventure from last year.
This was a fun game and I'd say this would replace D&D 5th edition for me
if I could find a game to play in or run. I'm not a huge fan of 5th edition
much anymore. It is a good game but it just feels like the same old game that
they keep changing and resleeving to make more money. Enough on that though.
Terrinoth feels like a great high fantasy setting and the magic system from
Genesys is unrivaled in my humble opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The last game I played in was another one of Tony's concoctions.
His Star Wars game was a continuation of last years Vanguard Squadron game.
Vanguard Squadron was one of his campaigns he ran for his home group and he
loved the characters so much that he started his own convention game. In this
episode, the squadron is sent to recover survivors from a cave on Hoth. Well,
we ran into a few Wampas. In fact, one threw me against a wall and nearly
killed me at the beginning of the game (Tony had fun getting revenge on me from
last year). Once we saved a couple of survivors we find out that Vader is
landing and we need to provide support to fleeing transport ships by escorting
them past the blockade. Once in our ships we had no problem escaping the star destroyer’s
gravity well after our ace YT-2400 pilot caused a rebellion on the star
destroyer (a special talent of his). This game took second place for me behind
Tony's other game. Tony is truly a remarkable GM. If you have a chance to play
one of his games don't pass it by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mcmCLBEYmZA/W-ryhAF6gsI/AAAAAAAASDI/AnZyDRNx3dgNNVmGgUmshXzrQf0gZlLRgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20181110_152233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mcmCLBEYmZA/W-ryhAF6gsI/AAAAAAAASDI/AnZyDRNx3dgNNVmGgUmshXzrQf0gZlLRgCEwYBhgL/s320/20181110_152233.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mcmCLBEYmZA/W-ryhAF6gsI/AAAAAAAASC8/TNyoYNc66wgE230qwAnn_HQtrcYmUf_zQCLcBGAs/s1600/20181110_152233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mcmCLBEYmZA/W-ryhAF6gsI/AAAAAAAASC8/TNyoYNc66wgE230qwAnn_HQtrcYmUf_zQCLcBGAs/s320/20181110_152233.jpg"
href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mcmCLBEYmZA/W-ryhAF6gsI/AAAAAAAASC8/TNyoYNc66wgE230qwAnn_HQtrcYmUf_zQCLcBGAs/s1600/20181110_152233.jpg"
style='width:180pt;height:240pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.jpg"
o:title="20181110_152233"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There was also a Stephanie sighting. Our friend Stephen
Dragonspawn did some cosplay on Saturday night and stole the show. This was
definitely the pinnacle of the weekend. Thank you Stephen. I think some
pictures will say it all for me.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n5fR-9L3G80/W-ryQb53XUI/AAAAAAAASCw/P258xUYabMUDMR5gqsV0h7pZVFdnmX5WwCEwYBhgL/s1600/11016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n5fR-9L3G80/W-ryQb53XUI/AAAAAAAASCw/P258xUYabMUDMR5gqsV0h7pZVFdnmX5WwCEwYBhgL/s320/11016.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2BO_8xkEWKI/W-ryQi3QNdI/AAAAAAAASC4/WmtopzR1lvAmyNgPMkoZ-Ye4BMM4cNIGACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2BO_8xkEWKI/W-ryQi3QNdI/AAAAAAAASC4/WmtopzR1lvAmyNgPMkoZ-Ye4BMM4cNIGACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lOg5YP1mt5Q/W-ryQiKGG5I/AAAAAAAASC0/nEZltld2qc4wvKzhvN0qlv0m9EFe4X36QCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lOg5YP1mt5Q/W-ryQiKGG5I/AAAAAAAASC0/nEZltld2qc4wvKzhvN0qlv0m9EFe4X36QCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_2063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n5fR-9L3G80/W-ryQb53XUI/AAAAAAAASCg/7xEM6iWk_tswkVwnNa7l4FTgOprK6brUwCLcBGAs/s1600/11016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n5fR-9L3G80/W-ryQb53XUI/AAAAAAAASCg/7xEM6iWk_tswkVwnNa7l4FTgOprK6brUwCLcBGAs/s320/11016.jpeg"
href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n5fR-9L3G80/W-ryQb53XUI/AAAAAAAASCg/7xEM6iWk_tswkVwnNa7l4FTgOprK6brUwCLcBGAs/s1600/11016.jpeg"
style='width:240pt;height:180pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image008.jpg"
o:title="11016"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png"
href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png"
style='width:240pt;height:135pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'
o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/MATTHE~1/AppData/Local/Temp/1/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image011.png"
o:title="Logo"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-51605518866294375372018-10-22T10:32:00.000-05:002018-10-22T13:33:08.582-05:00A Look at Stars Without Number Revised Edition; Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SffdEIUY7RE/W83qZ7oF_rI/AAAAAAAAR7Y/-Qu2ZNGBAAUUQzCDBSWBSy_U9mGRXXzQgCLcBGAs/s1600/SWNRE%2BCover%2BImage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1225" height="368" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SffdEIUY7RE/W83qZ7oF_rI/AAAAAAAAR7Y/-Qu2ZNGBAAUUQzCDBSWBSy_U9mGRXXzQgCLcBGAs/s640/SWNRE%2BCover%2BImage.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Captains Log: Stardate 96407.88<br />
<br />
Just this last Friday I was preparing to write a review on Stars Withou Number Revised Edition by Kevin Crawford but when I got to the sector creation chapter I got really, really sidetracked. It took me about an hour to roll up my own sector and organize it into an excel spread sheet. Then I started looking around for a standard 8 by 10 hex sheet online and saw some unique ideas. This got my imagination going and I said screw it, I'm gonna make my own.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FqZluu2SDOHYL8fWvePZpm20u3XO_y5G" target="_blank">Here you can see my creation</a> and use it for your own if desired. This 30 page pdf took me most of the weekend to create because I was also learning a new tool, Affinity Publisher. Now, I should mention that the document is not finished. For the most part it is complete but I still need to add layers for the map. That is one shortcomming of Affinity Publisher. Creating a layered pdf seems to not be an option.<br />
<br />
Another option that I would have like to have seen is the ability to create text frames on a "Master" page and be able to edit each pages master text frame. Hopefully that makes sense. As an example, page 30 is the clean version of this master page. Pages 4-29 all have text in the upper right box that would have been much more simple to edit if the master page allowed a generic editable text frame on each page. This was the most tedious part of creating the document.<br />
<br />
You might be asking yourself why is he talking about some publishing software. Thats because about a month ago I cancelled my subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud where I had access to all their tools. I now only have the photo suite of Adobe's tools. I was paying $50 a month to use 3 programs. Fuck that. Now I'm paying $10 a month and thats only because my wife needs Light Room. Otherwise I'd have canceled all of it. Now that I've found Affinity Serif, I'm looking at replacing photoshop with their version. It's a one time payment of $50 and you will still get updates to the software. Remember those 3 programs I said I use? Well, unfortunately Affinity Serif can only replace 2 of those for me at the moment. The last one that I need is a replacement for Adobe Acrobat Pro.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the SWN sector map. I think I'm going to do this review in a slightly different manner. I'm going to look at the tools provided to the GM first. Then we will go back and look at the player options for the game. So obviously I'm going to start with the Sector Creation chapter. It's a really simple process and Kevin Crawford did an excellent job presenting it. The first step is to figure out how many star systems are in your sector. Roll a d10 and add it to 20. These are your star systems. I rolled a 6. Generally speaking each star system will have 1 major inhabited planet and that is all we are concerned with at this point. Next up we can roll d100 for two world tags and 2d6 for each of the remaing tags of atmosphere, temperature, biosphere, population, and tech level.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>EDIT:</b> I almost forgot one crucial step. We need to figure out where the stars are located. Roll a d8 for the column and a d10 for the row for each star. When I did this I came up with 7 duplicates so I just re-rolled until I had 26 unique locations.<br />
<br />
Each tag has a short description so lets take a look at one of the worlds I created. If you would open the bookmarks tab on my pdf you can then click on "0501 SESH". The first tag you see there is STAR TYPE. I'll get to that a little later. Next up is <b>Atmosphere: Breathable mix</b>. <span style="font-family: inherit;">"Breathable mix atmospheres can support human life without additional equipment or gengineered modification. Any world that has a human population in the millions or more almost certainly has a breathable mix atmosphere."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After that we have <b>Biosphere: Human-miscible biosphere</b>. <span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span>Human-miscible biospheres are those in which </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">some substantial portion of the native life is biologically </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">compatible with human nutritional needs. The </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">local plants and animals may not be tasty or terribly </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">nourishing, but they can support life without the serious </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">importation of Terran crop seeds and livestock."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following that is <b>Temperature: Variable Warm, with temperate places</b>. "</span>Variable temperature worlds tend to show a greater distribution of climates than other worlds, either ranging from cold to temperate levels or temperate to hot levels. This may be a climate that changes world-wide when a long, slow orbit brings the planet into proximity with a stellar primary, or it might be a world that has substantially different climatic zones spread across its surface. The north pole of one world might be a sun-blasted desert that moderates to a cool, wet equator, or an icy world might be warmed here and there by complex channels of geothermally-heated subsurface rivers. Variable temperature worlds tend to have savage weather. The mixing of hot and cold air can send ferocious cyclones and raging hurricanes across the surface of the world, some large enough to consume most of a hemisphere."<br />
<br />
Moving on to <b>Population: Outpost</b>. "<span style="font-family: inherit;">Outposts are rarely composed of more than a few </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">hundred or few thousand colonists at the most. Outposts </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">are either very new colonies that have not have </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the requisite time to grow or they are uncolonized </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">worlds that just happen to have a naval or corporate </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">base on the surface."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here we can also see the most common <b>Tech Level: TL4; modern postech</b>. "</span>Tech level 4 worlds are the most common in human space, and their technical expertise is the baseline for modern post Silence “postech”. These worlds can create spike drives rated up to drive-3, fusion power plants, grav vehicles, simple energy weapons, and medicines that extend human life to a hundred years of vigorous good health. They can manage sophisticated gengineering on simple life forms, and some tech level 4 worlds have even attempted to improve the genetic structures of human life itself."<br />
<br />
And of course my favorite part about Sesh, <b>World Tags: Pleasure World of Beastmasters</b>. Each of the world tags has a short description and some inspirational plot hooks. "<b>Beastmasters: </b>The natives have extremely close bonds with the local fauna, possibly having special means of communication and control through tech or gengineering. Local animal life plays a major role in their society, industry, or warfare, and new kinds of beasts may be bred to suit their purposes. <b>Pleasure World:</b> This world provides delights either rare or impermissible elsewhere. Matchless local beauty, stunningly gengineered natives, a wide variety of local drugs, carnal pleasures unacceptable on other worlds, or some other rare delight is readily available here. Most worlds are fully aware of the value of their offerings, and the prices they demand can be in credits or in less tangible recompense."<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed making 26 worlds for this document but I needed slightly more. What kind of star did these worlds orbit? Seeing nothing in the book I decided to make my own 2d6 table for this.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTable15Grid2Accent1" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: -1; mso-yfti-lastfirstrow: yes;">
<td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.5pt; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #95B3D7 1.5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 6.65in;" valign="top" width="471"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 5; text-align: center;">
<b>Star Types roll 2d6</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-align: center;">
Binary Stars (roll
again to find out type)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
Red Giant<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4-5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-align: center;">
Red Dwarf<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">6-8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
Yellow Dwarf<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">9-10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-align: center;">
White Star<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 4; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-bottom-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
Blue Giant<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-right: solid #95B3D7 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-bottom-alt: windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: windowtext .5pt; mso-border-right-alt: #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-themetint: 153; mso-border-style-alt: solid; mso-border-top-alt: #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="230"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 68; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #DBE5F1; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; mso-border-bottom-alt: windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-left-themetint: 153; mso-border-right-alt: windowtext .5pt; mso-border-style-alt: solid; mso-border-top-alt: #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #95B3D7 .25pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themecolor: accent1; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; mso-border-top-themetint: 153; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="241"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-yfti-cnfc: 64; text-align: center;">
Variable Star (roll
again to find out type)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I'm almost done with sector creation now. Well, essentially I'm done. The only thing left is to fill in the details of each planet. As you can see on my pdf that I didn't fill in the bottom section. This is because I will fill it in as players explore those worlds. It makes more sense to me to do it this way. Perhaps the players will have some influence on details of these planets or other star system details. Within the Sector Creation chapter there is a section on Additional System Points of Interest. This will help flesh out the details of the individual star systems. It includes topics such as adding other worlds and other points of interest, as well as random tables for each topic.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next time I'm going to take a look at Factions so stay tuned!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
P.S. Please feel free to criticize and comment on the blog about the pdf. I would appreciate any feedback and suggestions. Also, please go over to John Polack's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/giddoen" target="_blank">Mr. Mean Speaks Youtube channel</a>. I hear he's going to do a new video on the game Faith 2.0 soon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-60052326016511404512018-10-15T11:31:00.000-05:002018-10-15T11:31:32.039-05:00Tales from the Loop post game thoughts<br />
This past Friday I was blessed with the opportunity of running some friends through Tales from the Loop: Roleplaying in the 80's that never was. The game turned out great in my mind and I had a blast running this for <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/therpgbrewery" target="_blank">The RPG Brewery</a>. The players were fantastic and they all got on board the train. I devised this mystery myself and just thought I'd share my notes with everyone. At first I made a different mystery that was more Lost Boys themed but I quickly scrapped that as I wanted more of a Halloween themed adventure. Luckily the game got posponed and I had time to come up with another idea. I'm so glad that happened eventhough it sucked because I was really hyped to run the game two weeks ago.<br />
<br />
If you haven't seen the video yet, I suggest you go watch it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEv-zeoszGE" target="_blank">here on Youtube</a>. The basic premise of the game was the 1982 classic Poltergeist movie written by Steven Speilberg. Overall I'd say the game went fairly well. I planned for 3 clue scenes but the third one wasn't needed. I did think the game could have gone a little more smoothly but that might just be my own perception. The players said they enjoyed it so it was a success in my books. There was one image near the end of the game that couldn't be seen in the video because we did it all theatre of the mind so VTT's were not used and Skype can't do screen sharing. The players had just crossed through the portal and as they turned around to look at their envrionment they see a tribe of native american warriors on horseback charging straight at them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gHebdzm8Qf4/W8S3PIWQN6I/AAAAAAAAR6Y/9CmgKM48s9gwN5nCSEfmGk1ozzaeYkoJgCLcBGAs/s1600/Native%2BAmerican%2BTribe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="600" height="288" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gHebdzm8Qf4/W8S3PIWQN6I/AAAAAAAAR6Y/9CmgKM48s9gwN5nCSEfmGk1ozzaeYkoJgCLcBGAs/s640/Native%2BAmerican%2BTribe.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
If I were to run it again I'd shorten the name of the ride to Troll Tunnel or Troll Twister. A mistake I made during the game came near the end in the showdown. Kelly decided to use her Lead skill for the showdown in order to add dice to the other players dice pools. What I did wrong was let her keep her successes for the total showdown accumulation. The showdown specifically requires the Lead skill to either add to the total success or give additional dice to the other players, not both. At least I know now for future reference. As you can see below, my notes are rather short and just give the truth of the mystery. Everything else was more or less adhoc. I had some ideas but I wanted to see where the players took the game.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdVWEXV3rhg/W8S3WbApCII/AAAAAAAAR6c/Vb_mbu1ckg43qt8La5KdquRbATI9IA25ACLcBGAs/s1600/Poltergeist%2BTftL%2BMystery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdVWEXV3rhg/W8S3WbApCII/AAAAAAAAR6c/Vb_mbu1ckg43qt8La5KdquRbATI9IA25ACLcBGAs/s640/Poltergeist%2BTftL%2BMystery.png" width="482" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Next time on Thoughts Of A Barbarian I think I might do a bit of a science fiction RPG review. I have Stars Without Number by Kevin Crawford in mind but there is another I might do first. I'd also like to mention that the weekend of November 30th Hobbs & Friends of the OSR are hosting an online gaming convention called Hobbsapalooza. Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NUYOJTEM_Y&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">this video</a> for more information.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Don't forget to come out and join the Nerds-Interantional at Con on the Cob in Richfield Ohio this November. Our tables will be located in the Atrium near the swimming pool. I'll be running some Lamentations of the Flame Princess and the new Judge Dredd game. I had an amazing time last year and this year should be even better.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-82103056602047809582018-10-10T12:00:00.001-05:002018-10-10T12:00:40.198-05:00Contest Winner and Blog Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5AU_al7L5ZI/W74gTDm-M2I/AAAAAAAAR5M/POGzBiBjLzMBZbAaoOy8A-9HPFsdBP5hQCLcBGAs/s1600/20181010_104045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5AU_al7L5ZI/W74gTDm-M2I/AAAAAAAAR5M/POGzBiBjLzMBZbAaoOy8A-9HPFsdBP5hQCLcBGAs/s640/20181010_104045.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I get to the contest itself I'd like to take a moment to update you on this blog. With the tumultuous advent of our Google + milieu disappearing in the next 10 months, I've been contemplating the end of the blog. Let me rephrase that. I'm anticipating Google's blogger platform to go by the wayside soon after Google + shuts down. Why you may ask? Because Google is a money making enterprise and it makes good business sense to stop spending resources on products that don't make a profit. I don't see how Blogger makes Google any money, unless some of them are providing some sort of advertising revenue. Therefore, at this stage I'm trying to figure out if I should start moving the blog over to WordPress, start my own web page, or give up entirely. At this stage I'm working on backing up all of my articles for archival purposes. Whether or not I jump ship to another platform is yet to be seen. So what this means to you right now is absolutely nothing. You won't see a change for some time to come but I just wanted you to be aware. Well, at least the 9 of you anyway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be honest, I was worried that choosing a winner would be extremely difficult but that isn't the case. I thought this contest was broad enough and interesting enough that I would have to sift through quite a few submissions. I was wrong. I don't know if its just lack of interest, too lazy to make an effort, or afraid of looking bad that people didn't submit anything. Maybe they thought the prize was crap. Only you can tell me what went wrong. Please do tell me so I can make it better next time. I mean, who doesn't want free stuff?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any who. On to the winner's. Yes I said winner'S. When I said it wasn't difficult to pick I wasn't kidding. All three submissions are winners in my book. This was a last minute change because it was clear that the people who submitted entries put in a bunch of effort. While first place will get the aforementioned prize, second and third will get a pair of custom dice, a sticker, and an iron on patch. Second and third place will also get one of Thaddeus Moore's OSR patches (randomly determined by me).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHuEFwg27eg/W74h5Cia-uI/AAAAAAAAR5Y/6Hle27LH3XAITeOuOTh4m2xzDIkyCYp5wCLcBGAs/s1600/20181010_104210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHuEFwg27eg/W74h5Cia-uI/AAAAAAAAR5Y/6Hle27LH3XAITeOuOTh4m2xzDIkyCYp5wCLcBGAs/s640/20181010_104210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NkOQLjWc1FY/W23FIHuCRsI/AAAAAAAAQ3w/jZ7nS1b8mgMJjAw73-Ai00Q74y1iCcYkgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/20180810_111544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1600" height="372" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NkOQLjWc1FY/W23FIHuCRsI/AAAAAAAAQ3w/jZ7nS1b8mgMJjAw73-Ai00Q74y1iCcYkgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/20180810_111544.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On to the submissions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first submission I received was from Marco (I'm not sure if he wants his full name here). At first glance it looks like it was just whipped up in a few minutes but clearly some thought was put into it. I really dig the pumpkin layout of the wizard laboratory.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bM9d4ihJKaw/W74lttKFNVI/AAAAAAAAR5o/79vJ6YcmyB8ZJLCLo9RkP8E7QI6V-PVLACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180919_210103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bM9d4ihJKaw/W74lttKFNVI/AAAAAAAAR5o/79vJ6YcmyB8ZJLCLo9RkP8E7QI6V-PVLACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_20180919_210103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1813006497"></span><span id="goog_1813006498"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second submission I received was from Harrison Hunt of the famous Tabletop Twats (or infamous, depending on how you look at it). His submission was a little more unique than I envisioned. As a matter of fact I'm still unsure if his is a joke or not because I asked him to provide me with a brief write up of how he did it and what his inspiration was. I've yet to hear back from him on this. Any way, his submission can be found at <a href="https://sinemora1.bandcamp.com/track/labyrinth-lord-single">https://sinemora1.bandcamp.com/track/labyrinth-lord-single</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last but not least, Eric Lamoureux from The Wild Die Podcast submitted an entry. His submission stood out to me as I thought he followed the guidelines more rigidly than the others. He took the time to snap in-progress pictures and teach us how to do what he did. You can find his submission on his blog at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://goodbadskinny.blogspot.com/2018/09/tabletop-crafting-tower.html&source=gmail&ust=1539274326054000&usg=AFQjCNHHU_qdnpt2OG3qVl5mJzWftMiyFg" href="http://goodbadskinny.blogspot.com/2018/09/tabletop-crafting-tower.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://goodbadskinny.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com/2018/09/tabletop-crafting-<wbr></wbr>tower.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the winner is... Drum Roll Please...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eric Lamoureux</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congratulations to everyone who participated and thank you for your efforts. I really enjoyed seeing them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't forget to come on out to Con on the Cob in November and hang out with some Nerds. We will have our own section with a few tables in the atrium near the swimming pool. Who knows, maybe you can meet some famous people like Stephen from <a href="http://thedragonstoolbox.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Dragons Toolbox</a> or the elusive beer drinking bird watcher from <a href="https://imaginaryramblings.podbean.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Ramblings</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-91568332690965479232018-08-30T15:00:00.000-05:002018-08-30T15:00:20.606-05:00It's Contest Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k-xsmvALKtc/W4gC_gqYvvI/AAAAAAAARZk/OSZnX1QYBDYMESfZcNRpkc0vd0QWS2-yACLcBGAs/s1600/universal_monsters_set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k-xsmvALKtc/W4gC_gqYvvI/AAAAAAAARZk/OSZnX1QYBDYMESfZcNRpkc0vd0QWS2-yACLcBGAs/s640/universal_monsters_set.jpg" width="531" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Some of you know that I like
to do RPG craft projects. Whether its painting miniatures, making foam board
projects, or anything else crafty to do with the RPG hobby. For the entire
month of September I want to have a contest where people can show me their crafting
skills. With the fall just around the corner and Halloween coming up, one of my
favorite times of the year, I want to see some spooky crafts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">What I'm looking for are a classic Halloween monster or scary terrain project you made yourself. It could be a miniature you painted, some terrain you made and painted, an adventure module you wrote, or even a drawing you made. I want to see pictures of the
project from start to finish and a brief write up of whats going on in each of
the photographs. Pretend you're writing a how to blog post for someone who has
never done any crafting before. If it's an adventure module I want to hear your thought process on how you came up with the idea and how you worked out the writing process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The contest deadline will be October 8th or Columbus Day for the
folks in the United States. I will then select a winner and announce them on
this blog. The winners entry will be showcased on the blog and will also get
some cool shit. I'll send them a brand new set of Ultra Pro roleplaying dice
and I'll throw in a pair of extra d6's to make it an OSR set. But wait, these
extra d6's arent just any old ordinary dice. No, they are exclusive Thoughts Of
A Barbarian custom dice. One translucent blue and one smoke colored dice. To go
along with the dice, you'll also get a softcover copy of White Box: Fantastic
Medieval Adventure Game. Then on top of that I'll throw in a card game. That's
right. You will get a freaking cool card game, Tournament at Camelot. That’s
nearly a $30 value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">You can send your submissions to <b>ThoughtsOfABarbarian@gmail.com</b>.
Make sure to put "Fall Creativity Contest 2018" in the subject line. You don't need to provide any
personal information as I will contact the winner after the contest is over.
I've also just created a G+ community for my blog where you can share your
thoughts and ideas. <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/115504194442633970239" target="_blank">You can find that right here.</a> If
the email file is too big, you can always put it in a Dropbox or Google Drive
and send me the link via email.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I look forward to seeing what you guys and gals come up with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Be sure to head over to the
Nerds-International Google + community and don't forget about NIV Con on
September 15th and 16th. You don't need to be a member to sign up to run or
play in games. So head on over to the <a href="https://nerdsinternationalvirtualcon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">sign up page here.</a> I look forward
to hearing some new voices or even seeing new faces during the online
convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Oh,
and one more announcement. Come join the Nerds-International at <a href="https://cononthecob.com/">Con on the Cob</a> this year. It’s in
Richfield OH, at the Days Inn & Suites. We will be in the Atrium by the
pool. I’ll be running an OSR game on Thursday afternoon and a yet to be determined
game on Friday morning. Both of my games are off the books so come over, say
hello, and join us in some fun games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-48996236381451635152018-08-20T12:56:00.000-05:002018-08-20T12:56:30.465-05:00Can you hear the Lamentations?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_5Dig5AOHnM/W3q4UhnA78I/AAAAAAAARFg/poI-8xhXCAkkD3Tr4KQMR_ERaEqcj0MNgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180820_074508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_5Dig5AOHnM/W3q4UhnA78I/AAAAAAAARFg/poI-8xhXCAkkD3Tr4KQMR_ERaEqcj0MNgCLcBGAs/s400/20180820_074508.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">As I’ve
been getting into the OSR scene, I noticed that there was some controversy over
a game called Lamentations of the Flame Princess. To be honest, at first I made
a snap judgement that this game was not for me as it appeared to be predisposed
to an attempt to shock the readers with graphic images. I had only read a few
posts on a forum up to this point so when I saw the book in my FLGS I picked it
up to look at it. I put it right back down into the bin because I saw a $25
price tag on this thin little book. I know, the cost shouldn’t have been a
factor and I know several publishers that would scold me for making this
statement but I’m being honest here. That thought made me think twice about it
and picked it back up before I was heading out the door. As I flipped through
the book, I was astounded by the amazing artwork and construction quality of
the book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Even
though this book is 176 pages, its A5 size and page thickness made it look like
a puny little thing. I think this is where my cost vs. matter kicked in and I
bought it. This book is a hardcover with a smyth sewn binding that lays flat
easily and every part of the book is expertly utilized. The inside front and
back covers have charts and tables that continue on to the flyleaf and include
artwork on the normally blank backside. The quality of this book is A+ top
notch. My only wish would be to have a ribbon bookmark included. To me this
would set it apart from the rest of the competition. Well, that and an edge
index. Speaking of an index, this book is missing one. Not to fret though, the
table of contents is very thorough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">As soon
as I got home, I started reading this gem. Right away, I noticed that there
wasn’t any kind of theme or background info included. Before I continued reading,
I needed to do some more research. That means trying to find interviews of the
author James Edward Raggi IV. What I found out is that the overall feel of the
game was intended to be a weird horror set in the real world 17<sup>th</sup>
century Earth. When I heard that, I was like oh, ok, that makes sense now and the
choice of art throughout the book resembles that. I think the fact that there
isn’t a setting included in the book is a good selling point for me. This is
the rules and magic book and the lack of a setting allows me to use this in any
setting I desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EB7DgLuxckc/W3q2gxGu-bI/AAAAAAAARFY/7Evw2PKexXA8XzgPHJXEd3Tu2QSCxt24QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180819_141617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EB7DgLuxckc/W3q2gxGu-bI/AAAAAAAARFY/7Evw2PKexXA8XzgPHJXEd3Tu2QSCxt24QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180819_141617.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Also of
note is that the support materiel for Lamentations of the Flame Princess (LotFP)
is not a unified product line. This is much like Savage Worlds in the fact that
new supplements don’t use the same setting and are vastly different. For more
information on this go to the <a href="https://www.lotfp.com/RPG/about">LotFP
webpage ABOUT tab</a> or just click on the hyperlink. As far as I can tell,
LotFP is based off the D&D B/X rules with his own twists included. For more
information on B/X, <a href="https://thoughtsofabarbarian.blogspot.com/2018/08/back-in-ossr.html">see
my previous post</a>. It should also be noted that I saw recommendations on
line to be a little familiar with the B/X rules because it would help me to
understand the LotFP rules better. I decided to forego this advice because I wanted
to see how well the book stands alone on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Back to
the book. The first criticism I have that jumped out at me were the page
numbers. Say what? What do you mean the page numbers? I know that seems like
such a trivial thing to criticize but it really, really, irritates the shit out
of me. The book has two different locations on the page where the numbers can
be located. On most pages they are on the top outer edge. At the start of a new
section they are at the bottom center of the page. Then you have instances
where the pages don’t even have numbers on them. Why did this irritate me so
much? It’s because every time I flipped through the book to find a certain page
number I didn’t know where to look. Scanning the page to find the number makes
me feel lost. Sometimes I even had to count pages backwards to find the right
page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">LotFP
character creation is straightforward and shouldn’t surprise anyone. They did
change the Thief class to a Specialist and allow the Specialist to start with
points to use for improving skills. All classes start with a 1 in 6 chance for
all skills. Some classes like the Dwarf will increase a skill. Yes, they are
still using race as class in this game. Even though the game is intended to be
real world 17<sup>th</sup> century Earth, he included Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling
classes. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the race as class of D&D old but
you can remove it or ban its use if you want to in your game. There also
appears to be a typo in the description of the Specialist on page 17. It lists
the skills and that everyone starts at 1 in 6 but they omitted the 1 in 6 next
to the sneak attack skill. This did confuse me a bit at first but luckily,
there is an excellent cheat sheet for character creation in the back of the
book on pages 166-167. This cheat sheet is invaluable. If you’re starting a
game up, I suggest you copy these two pages and give them to each player.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXpQFXtiyds/W3r_CyuivUI/AAAAAAAARFs/JbsW3ZwgV0gaV0AyXBU0U6P4bZEKP9MeACLcBGAs/s1600/20180819_141441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uXpQFXtiyds/W3r_CyuivUI/AAAAAAAARFs/JbsW3ZwgV0gaV0AyXBU0U6P4bZEKP9MeACLcBGAs/s320/20180819_141441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">My next
bout of confusion comes on page 35. Here we see rules on some hazards such as
ability score loss, aging, and diseases. My problem comes from the table in the
upper right corner of the page. Here we see a chart that references the aging
rules, which could be important if magical effects cause a character to age
rapidly. The chart gives the starting age that a character must make a saving
throw versus Paralyzation, at what age there are penalties, and how often they
are made. The table has all the information except that the interval, or how
often to make a save, is just a number. It doesn’t tell me what the number
means. Am I supposed to have the player make the save every round, every day,
or every year? I suppose I’d just make something up during the game but I would
expect this to be defined in the rules.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">This
next little bit is a slight departure from the old skool D&D, at least I
think so anyway (I’m probably wrong). Character death doesn’t occur at 0 HP.
Instead, you are unconscious at 0. When your character reaches -3 HP, it is
mortally wounded and <b>will </b>die in
1d10 minutes. If your character reaches -4 HP it is dead, dead, dead. Another
great little feature is the language skill. Even if your character doesn’t have
a known language listed on the sheet, you can always roll to see if you
understand it. There is a 1 in 6 chance your character can understand a foreign
language. This roll is also affected by the characters Intelligence modifier. A
+1 Int modifier means that your character has a 2 in 6 chance of understanding
the language.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">I’m not
going to go into detail on all of them but there are a total of 9 skills
available for everyone to use. They are Architecture, Bushcraft, Climb,
Languages, Search, Sleight of Hand, Sneak Attack, Stealth, and Tinker. Tinkering
is important for the specialist because this is what is used to disarm traps
and unlock doors. There is a caveat of course, the character must be able to
see the device they are trying to disarm or unlock. Things like a pressure
plate can’t be disarmed because the only way to see the mechanism is to
activate the trap. “A character gets one attempt to use Tinkering on any
particular object. If that one attempt fails, the character must gain a level
before attempting to manipulate that object again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xakpNiZcuo8/W3q2dTFK2hI/AAAAAAAARFM/lkGt0BRIvvMmUiJYWdALNggTOpROmE5qwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180819_140708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xakpNiZcuo8/W3q2dTFK2hI/AAAAAAAARFM/lkGt0BRIvvMmUiJYWdALNggTOpROmE5qwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180819_140708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">It’s
refreshing to see that I’m not the only one who wants maritime rules in their
game and Mr. Raggi does too. Next up is a four-page spread on Maritime
Adventure rules that start on page 43. Here we have ship stats, water
conditions, manning the ships, and encounters at sea. Encounters at sea include
chases, ship-to-ship combat, ramming, and boarding. It’s in the ramming rules
where I came upon another oversight. The ramming rules are separated into two
categories, small and large ships. The problem is that these categories aren’t defined.
I didn’t see anywhere, where he says these ships are small and these ships are
large. This is important because smaller ships do less damage than larger ships
when ramming. If I had to make a judgement call on the spot, I’d say ships that
require a crew of 20 or less are considered small but that’s just my opinion
and others may say that 75 or less is small.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">It
wouldn’t be D&D B/X if we didn’t have retainers, or cannon fodder as it’s
more commonly known as. LotFP has five pages of retainers including a chart on
the first page followed by a short description of each type. There are 27
different retainers detailed here and their loyalty/morale rules confused me a
bit here as well. This confusion was short lived though as I kept reading these
particular rules were better defined nine pages later. I’m not really sure why
people do this because this happens more that you’d think. It’s kinda like
acronyms, first you define the acronym then you can use it. Same goes for
rules. First defined the rules then reference back to them later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Following
the Retainer section is one on property and financial investment. This is an
interesting idea to include in the rules but these really should have been put
in the appendix. Even though they seem fun, they would rarely be used. Characters
with a substantial amount of disposable wealth can buy properties and make
investments that will have an annual return/loss. With the roll to see how it
turns out only happening annually in game, I would certainly forget about it
and would rely on the player remembering for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Next up
are some encounter rules. Again, I haven’t brushed up on the B/X rules so if
this is standard fare forgive me. Spell casters in particular will have a
slight problem if they plan to cast anything in combat. Casting the spell takes
an entire round and the caster can’t move. Then at the start of the next round,
before initiative, the spell activates (unless the spell is labeled as
instantaneous, then it goes off immediately). This only works if the spell
caster doesn’t take any damage during the round of combat, as this will negate
the spell. Does it use up the spell slot if my caster took damage during the
attempt? I don’t know the answer to that one. As a referee, I’d say no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Oh, and
firing missile weapons into a melee combat with your friends is an easy way to
gain more enemies. Everybody in the melee has a chance to be hit by the
missile. The referee randomly assigns a number to each combatant and rolls a d6
to see who is hit. If the shooter takes a full round to aim then the enemy
combatant counts as two people for the purposes of determining who gets hit. I’m
pretty sure this rule is in B/X.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">The oil
and fire rules seem a little too conditional to me. When you throw a lit oil
flask and hit the opponent, you roll 1d4 damage. If you rolled a 4 for damage
then the enemy has to make a Breath Weapon saving throw. If the saving throw
fails then the victim must take an additional 1d4 damage on his next action. If
this comes up a 4 again, they are engulfed in flames taking 1d8 damage every
round thereafter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">After
the eight pages of full color, full-page illustrations, we come to the start of
the magic section. Just like the rest of the book, those color illustrations
are fabulous by the way. The magic section pretty much rounds up the rest of
the book except for the appendix. First up are the Clerics, they can cast any
spell on their spell list and don’t use spell books. A first level Cleric can
cast any 1<sup>st</sup> level spell. Each day they must pray for their divine
powers at a rate of 1 hour per casting level (otherwise known as memorizing
spells). Once they cast a spell, it is lost from memory and must re-memorize
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FqCsFDiCZGc/W3q2aXYzvGI/AAAAAAAARFM/PPJC3_G9l98IpdXRqcYgpc2zqgbeYdUlACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180813_134103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="829" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FqCsFDiCZGc/W3q2aXYzvGI/AAAAAAAARFM/PPJC3_G9l98IpdXRqcYgpc2zqgbeYdUlACEwYBhgL/s400/20180813_134103.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Magic-Users
start with 4 spells in their spellbook, which are Read Magic and 3 more
randomly selected (roll a d20 three times) first level spells. Elves start with
only Read Magic in their spellbook. Just like the Cleric, Magic-Users must
prepare their spells. They must study their spellbook for 1 hour per casting
level at which time they have memorized their spells for the day. Again, once
the spell is cast, it no longer is available for use until re-memorized the
next day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">These
magic rules effectively make casters useless for the first few levels. 1<sup>st</sup>
level is 1 spell slot, 2<sup>nd</sup> level is 2 spell slots, and so on. This
really sucks and it would pretty much make the supplement Vaginas Are Magic
(VAM) a requirement in my game. VAM allows casters to use unprepared spells
even if they are out of spell slots for the day. This comes a risk though.
Hence, Risky Casting, the caster must make a Magic saving throw or suffer
random consequences. The rest of the magic section is dedicated to the spell
lists and descriptions of the spells. I’m not going to cover those but there
are some really fun ones like summon. You never know what you’re going to
summon or if you’ll even be in control once it gets here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">The last
section of the book is the appendix, which contains a glossary, an 8-page
section on firearm rules, and the character creation cheat sheet. I’m glad the
firearm section was moved to the appendix. That makes if feel more like
optional rules than if they were in the main rules section. No, there aren’t any
modern firearms included. They’re all of the muzzle loading variety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">Would I
recommend this book to anyone? Absolutely! The production value of the book
alone makes the price worth the purchase. The pdf is thoroughly bookmarked and
easy to navigate. With a digital edition only costing $5, I say you should not
be without it. There are some minor issues I have with it but I can overlook
them. The writing is concise and easy to understand. It adds more crunch than the
White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game (WBFMAG), but that is to be
expected since they are based on different versions of D&D. I would say
LotFP could almost be my favorite OSR version. That spot still belongs to
WBFMAG. There are some free supplements on the LotFP webpage, which I suggest
you grab if you’re interested in this game. There are two I suggest at a
minimum; the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148012/LotFP-Referee-Book-old-Grindhouse-Edition">old
Grindhouse Edition LotFP Referee Book</a> and <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214470/Vaginas-are-Magic">Vaginas
are Magic</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">I would
be remiss if I didn’t mention <a href="https://dungeonsanddonuts.itch.io/weird-on-the-waves">Weird on the Waves</a>,
a LotFP supplement book by Kiel Chenier. He is currently taking pre orders for
his weird sea adventuring rules which sound like fun. As far as I know, he’s
only planning on releasing a digital version which only costs $5.99.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Be sure to head over to the Nerds-International Google + community
and don't forget about NIV Con on September 15th and 16th. You don't need to be
a member to sign up to run or play in games. So head on over to the </span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><a href="https://nerdsinternationalvirtualcon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">sign up page here.</a> I look
forward to hearing some new voices or even seeing new faces during the online
convention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Oh, and one more announcement. Come join the Nerds-International
at <a href="https://cononthecob.com/">Con on the Cob</a> this year. It’s in
Richfield OH, at the Days Inn & Suites. We will be in the Atrium by the
pool. I’ll be running an OSR game on Thursday afternoon and a yet to be
determined game on Friday morning. Both of my games are off the books so come
over, say hello, and join us in some fun games.</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-84244574273983852442018-08-10T12:51:00.000-05:002018-08-10T12:51:02.125-05:00Back in the O.S.S.R.<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UDJIZVbK7Y/W20XDnsD6BI/AAAAAAAAQ2I/usYJHbGvpP0dhp3W-IOCyQGTxVnZSiD2wCLcBGAs/s1600/OSSR_Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="359" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UDJIZVbK7Y/W20XDnsD6BI/AAAAAAAAQ2I/usYJHbGvpP0dhp3W-IOCyQGTxVnZSiD2wCLcBGAs/s1600/OSSR_Blog.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hey everybody, it's been
awhile since my last blog post. I've had lots of ideas for new blog posts but
my interests have been shifting gears all over the place for the last couple of
months and I hadn't been able to focus on the blog. First off, my blog had its one-year
birthday back in March and I was going to do a contest give away to celebrate
but it slipped past so quickly and never got around to it. So keep an eye out
for that because it's coming real soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hang on a sec, I gotta go look through my G+ feed to see
everything I was doing 9 weeks ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Ok, I'm back. Some of the blog ideas I had in mind are Dark Places
& Demogorgons from Bloat Games, The Fall of Delta Green from Pelgrane
Press, White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game by Seattle Hill Games,
Leagues of Gothic Horror by Triple Ace Games, Saga of the Goblin Horde:
Countdown deck from Zadmar Games, White Star: Galaxy Edition and The Hero's
Journey Fantasy Roleplaying from Barrel Rider Games, Wrath and Glory from
Ulisses Spiele, Cartoon Action Hour from Spectrum Games, For Coin & Blood
from Gallant Knight Games, Astonishing Swordsmen And Sorcerers Of Hyperborea from North Wind Adventures, The Pirates Guide to Freeport from Green Ronin, I
was a guest on the Finding the Narrative podcast, I also worked with Pete
Spahn on a <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sW9eM0jBoxvqBZ41IBk4B7U0HKlLhgh4" target="_blank">GM aide for WWII: Operation Whitebox</a>, and I did some cartography for
the <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/248543/Undead-Island?term=undead+island&test_epoch=0" target="_blank">Undead Island module from Cyclops Games.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Whew, as you can see I was all over the place the last two months. If you couldn't tell from the blog title, I've been looking at OSR games
more frequently over the past couple of months (if that title doesn't make you think of the Beatles then you're lame brah!) For those that don't know, OSR stands for Old School Renaissance,
Old School Revival, or Old School Roleplaying depending on who you talk to.
This is an idea of going back to the roots of fantasy role playing. As I delved
deeper into OSR I learned that I've played some of these games not realizing
they were categorized as OSR. Particularly a game I ran for close to a year
falls into this category. Castles & Crusades, which I've blogged about in
the past uses the SIEGE Engine mechanic. Another OSR game I've wanted to play
but never did was Swords & Wizardry (S&W). Instead I
"borrowed" lots of S&W content to use in my C&C game. The
great thing about OSR is that most if not all of the modules and creatures are
cross compatible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hmmm. I think this is going to be a rather lengthy post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As I was looking more into these OSR games I started wondering
what is so different from one to the next. Do I need OSRIC (Old School
Reference and Index Compilation), Labyrinth Lord, S&W, C&C, White Box,
AD&D, or any of the other retro-clones out there? For those that haven't
looked into it, there is a big list of games out there. So, what’s the
difference between them? Basically, what it comes down to is which one suits
you best. Each one is attempting to clone the best parts of some version of
D&D and insert their own "house rules".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In order to figure out what the retro-clones are trying to
emulate, we must first look at the progression of the D&D books. First
there was Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. They wrote the original 3 Dungeons &
Dragons volumes (OD&D) or white box as it is commonly referred to. Then
that was followed up with 5 supplements. These OD&D supplements are
Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry, Gods Demi-Gods and Heroes, and Swords
& Spells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Next up is the Basic Set. This particular set gets a little
confusing as there were multiple versions released. The first version of
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set is written by John Holmes, a few years later
Tom Moldvay writes one. Around the same time as Moldvay, David Cook comes along
and authors the Expert Set. This is commonly called B/X (Moldvay Basic/Cook
Expert). A couple of years later Frank Mentzer comes out and writes a whole
slew of stuff. First, he writes the Basic Set (commonly called the Red Box),
then he writes the Expert Set, the Companion Set, the Master Rules, and the
Immortal Rules. These 5 items from Frank Mentzer are commonly referred to as
BECMI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">At the same time the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set was
released, TSR also carried a second line of D&D. This was called Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). AD&D had many books and supplements from
1977 on through to 1988. In 1989 Advance Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition
is released. Then in 2000, the 3rd edition comes out closely followed by v3.5
which lasted until the 4th edition is released in 2008. That finally brings us
to the current 5th edition released in 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I know, it’s all very confusing when talking about the early
versions of D&D but hopefully this has helped someone figure out what the
folks in the OSR community are talking about.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--XFXaNMUg14/W22-EVXYtaI/AAAAAAAAQ3M/BZm0uwoblXA_cRpZ1YPA2Si9yyAWmBnkgCLcBGAs/s1600/20180810_112432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1600" height="401" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--XFXaNMUg14/W22-EVXYtaI/AAAAAAAAQ3M/BZm0uwoblXA_cRpZ1YPA2Si9yyAWmBnkgCLcBGAs/s640/20180810_112432.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now we can start looking at some of the books in question. I don't
own OSRIC or Labyrinth Lord so I can't really comment on them but from what I
understand, OSRIC is most like AD&D (1st edition for the lay folk) and
Labyrinth Lord is considered a B/X clone. Let's start with the one I know
fairly well. C&C is modeled after 3rd edition but has an AD&D feel to
it. I haven't quite figured out why it feels this way but it does and I like
it. I don't know if I ever mentioned this before but I cut my RPG teeth on
AD&D. My older brother Rob, DM'd for my friend Brian and myself around the
age of 8 or 9. Several years ago I attended GaryCon with some friends and I was
hooked on C&C ever since. During that same convention I also played in a
game of AD&D run by Weird Dave. That was a great game but it reminded me of
some of the shortcomings of AD&D. Namely the armor class system. First of
all, let me say that I don't like the descending armor class system. THAC0
never made much sense to me whatsoever. I was very excited to see 3rd edition
removed it in favor of the ascending armor class. Thank you, Skip Williams,
Monte Cook, and Jonathan Tweet.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Shortly after purchasing tons of Troll Lord Games supplements, I
was running out of published modules to use and quite frankly, I was learning that published modules weren't always very well written or even very useful for me and my group. What was I to do? I started
looking around and realized that all of the OD&D, AD&D, and S&W
stuff could easily be converted to C&C. In some cases, I didn't even need
to do any conversion at all. So, the next year at GaryCon I was looking around
the dealer hall and I came across a booth that said Frog God Games. While
perusing the S&W products I talked to the sales man, who sold me on Rappan Athuk and boy did I buy into it. This is one
hell of a mega dungeon let me tell you. Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the
conundrum at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All of this was several years ago and then I recently came across
WWII: Operation Whitebox from Small Niche Games. You can read about that in my
previous post. This game made me realize how simple it is to adapt this so
called White Box game. So, I did some digging around and found the White Box
Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game written by Charlie Mason which is based on
the Swords & Wizardry White Box. Say what? I knew all about S&W but I
never heard of a S&W White Box. Well, Charlie did a damn good job with his
interpretation. So much so that I went and bought a hardcover from Lulu. This
really breaks down the game and I don't think I would want anything simpler
than this in my library. I highly recommend you check out Mr. Mason's White Box
game.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This brings up another interesting topic, how simple of a rule system is too simple? This will be a good topic for another post so I'll leave it at that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So now that I'm looking around at other OSR rule books, the question comes in. What makes them so different that I should get multiple books and play them all? I don't honestly think I can answer that question. Some people are trying to over simplify the games to the point where when I read the first 20 pages I'm like UGHH. It's wayyyy too simple for my tastes, I need more. Fortunately, lots of these books are free pdf downloads, so you can read them yourself and decide if you want to spend money on a printed copy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Whilst I was perusing the OSR Google communities I also came across a post about someone finally getting the last signature needed in his DCC book. In the picture he posted were two hats alongside the book. I thought wow, those are cool. Now this isn't the first time I've seen those patches but I had no idea where anyone is getting them. I did a little digging around and finally found a blog post that talked about <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/116753840752673556533" target="_blank">Thaddeus Moore's</a> patches. Tenkar's Tavern did a great write up about it so I'm not going to re-write it. </span><a href="http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2018/07/osr-patches-swords-of-crom-now-available.html?m=1" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;" target="_blank">Check it out here</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omgdw7_MwL4/W23FIOu9gHI/AAAAAAAAQ3s/f10OZK0jg785dcPMNGQsYGytCRt0EagQwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180810_111309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omgdw7_MwL4/W23FIOu9gHI/AAAAAAAAQ3s/f10OZK0jg785dcPMNGQsYGytCRt0EagQwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180810_111309.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkOQLjWc1FY/W23FIHuCRsI/AAAAAAAAQ3o/qA31wQNUiL0q9rWmMzIux2EtiFaj6v3bQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180810_111544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkOQLjWc1FY/W23FIHuCRsI/AAAAAAAAQ3o/qA31wQNUiL0q9rWmMzIux2EtiFaj6v3bQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180810_111544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">The person who posted that picture also got me thinking about DCC. I guess I never really thought about DCC as an OSR game. I've had the pdf for some time now and only looked at it for the artwork thus far. It makes perfect sense now though. The art is definitely reminiscent of the black and white line art style we all know and love. Crap, more OSR stuff to start thinking about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">Ooh yeah, I also found these bad boys over on Etsy. </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/607022808/osr-dice-set-of-3-preorder-dungeons-and?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=osr%20dice&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">Check it out here.</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp1HAhkUW8U/W23Lmgy7CdI/AAAAAAAAQ34/KQpoGmyf2Ksdk757DGEEIoqBqwk-uOdhACLcBGAs/s1600/osr%2Bdice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="570" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp1HAhkUW8U/W23Lmgy7CdI/AAAAAAAAQ34/KQpoGmyf2Ksdk757DGEEIoqBqwk-uOdhACLcBGAs/s320/osr%2Bdice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">At this rate, I don't think this blog post is ever going to end so I'm gonna call it quits here. I think I've got at least two more posts on this subject coming because I didn't even come close to answering the original question I had and it is such a broad topic. Another question I have is what defines a game as OSR? I don't think this is an easy and straight forward question either. Damn, this post is FUBAR. Well, at least I'm sticking to the moniker of my blog title. These are absolutely random thoughts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">Be sure to head over to the Nerds-International Google + community and don't forget about NIV Con on September 15th and 16th. You don't need to be a member to sign up to run or play in games. So head on over to the <a href="https://nerdsinternationalvirtualcon.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">sign up page here.</a> I look forward to hearing some new voices or even seeing new faces during the online convention.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-39564221341367401962018-06-03T11:15:00.000-05:002018-06-03T11:33:06.904-05:00WWII: Operation Whitebox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2UJp9uMuKE/WxPvWz3ivRI/AAAAAAAAO7U/niJOQ9mpjI4o29AHnvAEwff5Lcm5kSVAACLcBGAs/s1600/WWII%2BOWB%2BCover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o2UJp9uMuKE/WxPvWz3ivRI/AAAAAAAAO7U/niJOQ9mpjI4o29AHnvAEwff5Lcm5kSVAACLcBGAs/s640/WWII%2BOWB%2BCover.png" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Recently I came across this fun OSR
based World War II game. <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/196284/OWB001-WWII-Operation-WhiteBox" target="_blank">Operation Whitebox</a> (OWB)is a 186 page RPG published by
Small Niche Games and written by Peter C. Spahn. It utilizes rules from <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/190631/White-Box--Fantastic-Medieval-Adventure-Game" target="_blank">WhiteBox</a> which makes for a wonderfully simple game and adds in some crunch to get
the game to work for your Normandy invasion. That's right, you can recreate the
Normandy invasion with this little gem or any other part of the great war. You
could even create your own version of the war. Maybe the Nazis took over Great
Britain or perhaps Russia joined the Axis powers.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>In OWB, the player play the role of special operations forces in WWII. They may be formally trained allied military or members of the resistance of occupied Germany. They could even be covert agents working to undermine the German war effort. Which ever way you want to play it your characters are considered special forces operatives for the purpose of this book. This gives some added benefits to the player, namely increased Armor Class. Another added benefit is that you are the best of the best which means you can accomplish things most others couldn't. When in doubt as to whether a player can attempt a task, the GM should have the player roll a d20 to see if they fail on a 1 in 20 chance. </b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Speaking of Armor Class, this book provides two methods, Ascending and Descending. I prefer the Ascending Armor Class so that will be used here on out. As stated earlier special operatives recieve bonuses to armor class and after a brief conversation with Pete Spahn, it appears this is an often overlooked aspect. Page 36 tells us that the natural AC of a special forces operative starts at 12, otherwise it would be 10 for NPC's.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>So
far I've only read through the book and created 8 <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ATQMtS43gyqbdgr42Gai9xdOeSu43MZ-" target="_blank">pregenerated characters</a> to use for a game I'm running
in a couple of weeks, but right now I'm loving it. I've also created a <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s6Mj02YCJCqn3OP66nT3E-6OvXP4qCYC" target="_blank">form fillable character</a> sheet from
the one included in the book for anyone interested in that as well.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The simplicity of the game comes from the fact that players only need a d20 and a d6 to play the game. All weapon damage is some form of d6. For example a grenade does 2d6+2, a thrown knife does 1d6-2, and the standard M1 Garand does 1d6+1. There are a few other variations of weapon damage but for the most part it all comes down to trappings. The M1 Garand will do the same as a Lee Enfield which will do the same as a Mauser 98.</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>I should talk about range modifiers as well since this confused me a bit. Apparently this is also an often misunderstood issue. I'll be honest and say that I just skimmed this section and didn't take the time to fully understand ranges when I posed a question over at the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100846094177083736725" target="_blank">OWB Google+ community page</a>. So I look at it as a kind of stacking multiplier. Short range = the range listed on the weapon stat. Medium range = 2 times short range, Long range = 3 times Medium range, and Extreme range = 4 times Long range. Each of the increases in range modifies the to hit roll with 0, -2, -4, and -6 respectively. </b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AQUaPTF-AtY/WxQT08ik-lI/AAAAAAAAO7g/CD8Wv8I9ubgH-E1N07WAbZeKUUCcf1SmACLcBGAs/s1600/WWII%2BOWB%2Bsmall%2Bmap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="610" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AQUaPTF-AtY/WxQT08ik-lI/AAAAAAAAO7g/CD8Wv8I9ubgH-E1N07WAbZeKUUCcf1SmACLcBGAs/s640/WWII%2BOWB%2Bsmall%2Bmap.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span>
<b style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">All other rolls are d20 based. Saving throws and to hit rolls are modified d20. The attribute modifiers are very simple as well, 3-6 = -1, 7-14 = 0, and 15-18 = +1. There is an alternate to the simplified modifiers if one chooses but I think simple is better. This game is also capped out at level 5 which means no real discernible power creep.</span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Character creation is simple, roll 3d6 six times and go right down the line and plug them into the attributes, then pick your class. Your character class gives you specific class abilities and tells you the rest of your character's stats. Now roll on a few tables to find out your characters life before the war and their current rank in the military. </span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As I said before, this game caps out at level 5 which means you can level up to increase Hit Points and improve modifiers but for the most part I would say this game is geared toward a one shot or even a mini campaign. On page 25 the author even tells us that this game "is designed for one-shot play so characters top our at 5th level, reflecting the brief nature of the actual war."</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">There are a few more rules that I'll only briefly mention but make the game so cool. Suppressive fire, Ambushes, Mass Combat, Vehicle Combat, Impact, Timed, and Static explosives. He also includes mini settings. These are basically weird spin-offs of the war. Nazi Superscience, Nazi Occult, and Galaxy War - Space Operations. </span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'm really stoked to play this game and can't wait. Now I just need to set it up in Fantasy Grounds and figure out how to add some sound effects. I'll also probably run this game at the next Nerds-International Virtual Con (NIV Con) on September 15-16, 2018. If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest you go on over to the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community</a> and chat with some of the folks there. Its a community of gamers with thick skin. We like to razz each other so if you get offended easily then you may want to think twice about it but there are also so many content creators there that you may just enjoy it anyway. </span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I'd like to take a moment to thank the guys from <a href="https://findingthenarrativepodcast.podbean.com/" target="_blank">Finding the Narrative</a> and <a href="https://imaginaryramblings.podbean.com/" target="_blank">Imaginary Ramblings</a> for giving me and my blog a shout out on their podcasts. Thanks guys!</span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></span></div>
<br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-13315843332022539382018-05-30T20:32:00.000-05:002018-05-30T20:38:23.749-05:00Gettin' Crafty With RPG Maps<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Some
time ago I was asked how I made my maps and I told them in a short one
paragraph social media post. Today I’d like to expand on that a bit more and
add in some photographs of the process I use. It’s really simple when you think
about it. Print the pictures, glue them down, and cut them out. The most
important thing to keep in mind is the paper quality is what makes the maps
look great. I used to be in the camp that paper is paper. There’s no need to waste
money on expensive paper. But then I was never happy with the quality of the images.
It took me well over a year to finally understand that the finish and quality
of paper does matter. For this project I’m using Office Depot’s premium
brochure & flyer paper.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jfld5e3kIkw/Ww9LNLRBXZI/AAAAAAAAO30/uA-svmxC2o8ht10oy6ACGf2Vmj_fN1TKwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180522_145751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jfld5e3kIkw/Ww9LNLRBXZI/AAAAAAAAO30/uA-svmxC2o8ht10oy6ACGf2Vmj_fN1TKwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180522_145751.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">The
first step is to print out the tiles and I’m making a 24”x36” map out of 6”
tiles which will give me a total of 24 tiles. Then loosely cut out the images with
a pair of scissors leaving around 1/8</span><!--[if gte msEquation 12]><m:oMath><m:f><m:fPr><m:type
m:val="lin"/><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;mso-ascii-font-family:
"Cambria Math";mso-hansi-font-family:"Cambria Math"'><m:ctrlPr></m:ctrlPr></span></m:fPr><m:num><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>1</m:r></span></i></m:num><m:den><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>8</m:r></span></i></m:den></m:f></m:oMath><![endif]--><!--[if !msEquation]--><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; position: relative; top: 3.0pt;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:18pt;
height:14.25pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Matt/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png"
o:title="" chromakey="white"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">” to 1/4</span><!--[if gte msEquation 12]><m:oMath><m:f><m:fPr><m:type
m:val="lin"/><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;mso-ascii-font-family:
"Cambria Math";mso-hansi-font-family:"Cambria Math"'><m:ctrlPr></m:ctrlPr></span></m:fPr><m:num><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>1</m:r></span></i></m:num><m:den><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>4</m:r></span></i></m:den></m:f></m:oMath><![endif]--><!--[if !msEquation]--><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; position: relative; top: 3.0pt;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:18pt;height:14.25pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Matt/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.png"
o:title="" chromakey="white"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">” of white around the edge of the picture. Finding the tiles can be a challenge if you're as picky about as I am. DriveThruRPG is a great source. Conversely, if you can't find tiles then you could also take your own map and cut it up in Photoshop.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iJpoJ3g-Wck/Ww9LfyCCBaI/AAAAAAAAO38/EdRHyCAddFwgLL4whNXzMQIUZLs88OuowCLcBGAs/s1600/20180526_214413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1518" height="293" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iJpoJ3g-Wck/Ww9LfyCCBaI/AAAAAAAAO38/EdRHyCAddFwgLL4whNXzMQIUZLs88OuowCLcBGAs/s320/20180526_214413.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">With all
24 images cut out we can move on to cutting up the 3/16</span><!--[if gte msEquation 12]><m:oMath><m:f><m:fPr><m:type
m:val="lin"/><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;mso-ascii-font-family:
"Cambria Math";mso-hansi-font-family:"Cambria Math"'><m:ctrlPr></m:ctrlPr></span></m:fPr><m:num><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>3</m:r></span></i></m:num><m:den><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-family:"Cambria Math",serif'><m:r>16</m:r></span></i></m:den></m:f></m:oMath><![endif]--><!--[if !msEquation]--><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; position: relative; top: 3.0pt;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:24pt;
height:14.25pt'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Matt/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png"
o:title="" chromakey="white"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">” foam board. You did buy foam board right? No, well then go to
Walmart and buy some. This project will require two sheets. I prefer the black
foam board because the texture of the paper feels rougher to my hand which means
the glue will have more tooth to hold onto. Don’t fret if you can’t find the
black one. Just go ahead and get the white, it will work just as well.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uUIoKUsx_xg/Ww9Lmp19TgI/AAAAAAAAO4A/UgFwjbiBkII_klKPIrfxViAP17uLQ7kQwCLcBGAs/s1600/20180522_142808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uUIoKUsx_xg/Ww9Lmp19TgI/AAAAAAAAO4A/UgFwjbiBkII_klKPIrfxViAP17uLQ7kQwCLcBGAs/s320/20180522_142808.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">While
you’re there go ahead and buy some glue. I prefer the Scotch brand glue as it
allows me enough time to readjust any misalignment and dries fairly quickly. I’ve
used glue sticks in the past and would continue using them if I couldn’t find
the Scotch glue anymore. One of these Scotch glue applicators let me adhere 37 of
the 6” tiles.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNAOi2B9ftE/Ww9LzkYeimI/AAAAAAAAO4M/FV8VenEXsK4O4ZnxSn23AVxoAI5lv7dCQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180522_143515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kNAOi2B9ftE/Ww9LzkYeimI/AAAAAAAAO4M/FV8VenEXsK4O4ZnxSn23AVxoAI5lv7dCQCLcBGAs/s320/20180522_143515.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Now that
we have our craft supplies we can start cutting stuff. I like to start by
cutting the foam board into smaller more manageable sizes. Lets cut them into 7”
strips. Start by laying out the board so that the long side is going left to
right. Then measure from the end 7” and make a mark at the top, middle, and
bottom of the board.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_NYqICZVNY/Ww9MDTaSoqI/AAAAAAAAO4Y/GU9bM5SvrrkzWnXZykXy2IVyc79YvqTlQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180526_140100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_NYqICZVNY/Ww9MDTaSoqI/AAAAAAAAO4Y/GU9bM5SvrrkzWnXZykXy2IVyc79YvqTlQCLcBGAs/s320/20180526_140100.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Now line
up a ruler and cut along the marks you just made. I didn’t have a ruler long enough
to cut it in one pass so I started my cut in the middle and cut the side closest
to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KfCAXrG6_kY/Ww9MDRAbfMI/AAAAAAAAO40/n0EpZ-XMamw2yumQhW23nlDCDAh43IxZQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_140231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KfCAXrG6_kY/Ww9MDRAbfMI/AAAAAAAAO40/n0EpZ-XMamw2yumQhW23nlDCDAh43IxZQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_140231.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">After a
few passes, the bottom section can be lifted enough so that the ruler can butt
up to it and be slid up to the top. The cut edge acts as a guide for the ruler.
Now finish the cut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VM32k2RCJqc/Ww9MDS3as8I/AAAAAAAAO44/VTNj3CXmffIhY3td92QG18CQrc1nwsS7gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_140316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VM32k2RCJqc/Ww9MDS3as8I/AAAAAAAAO44/VTNj3CXmffIhY3td92QG18CQrc1nwsS7gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_140316.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Continue
cutting the rest of both foam boards the same way and you’ll end up with 8
sections of 7” x 20” and a couple of scrap pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grN75RNJmjA/Ww9MFSomPCI/AAAAAAAAO48/sp1hLyFjtOINaqNcM3cnzKW5Gwl7prY_wCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_155459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grN75RNJmjA/Ww9MFSomPCI/AAAAAAAAO48/sp1hLyFjtOINaqNcM3cnzKW5Gwl7prY_wCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_155459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">The next
step is to turn the foam board so that the 20” length is facing left to right
and cut them into 6 ½” sections. You’ll end up with two 6 ½” x 7” pieces and
one 7” x 7” piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lwigr-yB64/Ww9MFaxD__I/AAAAAAAAO44/cSFrUmWxgnkeO8l0M-1RGbvoIoko1BbUgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_155600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lwigr-yB64/Ww9MFaxD__I/AAAAAAAAO44/cSFrUmWxgnkeO8l0M-1RGbvoIoko1BbUgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_155600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Finish
cutting the remaining 7 sections of 7” x 20” in the same manner and you’ll end
up with 24 rough tiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IcEHjjp8_o/Ww9MEa5jKYI/AAAAAAAAO4w/WUB0zDETkeUR2EqcB9e7iCjxpX_-eaCpQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180526_155259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IcEHjjp8_o/Ww9MEa5jKYI/AAAAAAAAO4w/WUB0zDETkeUR2EqcB9e7iCjxpX_-eaCpQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180526_155259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Let’s
start gluing. Because I’m right handed, I started at the lower right corner,
went around the perimeter to the lower left corner then made a bunch of squiggly’s
and end up back at the lower right corner. In order to keep glue off of my
hands I made the squiggly’s far enough apart to allow me to place a finger to
hold down the paper. The paper will curl up afterward so you can reach under it
to pick it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F4hwt8uNmFc/Ww9My0XxlvI/AAAAAAAAO5Q/W5DmwbC8lgkbh97Auzoj2xqgppZv1nWGgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_124026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F4hwt8uNmFc/Ww9My0XxlvI/AAAAAAAAO5Q/W5DmwbC8lgkbh97Auzoj2xqgppZv1nWGgCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_124026.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG-z9-bgBf4/Ww9MypFUhMI/AAAAAAAAO5E/dUwNcjZOvpwKiRZNunXCKTkBPzL0f-w_gCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_121712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JG-z9-bgBf4/Ww9MypFUhMI/AAAAAAAAO5E/dUwNcjZOvpwKiRZNunXCKTkBPzL0f-w_gCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_121712.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Now
place it on a piece of foam board. I use the bottom of my fist to hopefully spread
the glue by starting in the middle and sliding out toward the edges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RoaMm1t9nFA/Ww9MzXjTRhI/AAAAAAAAO5s/JC_-qL2ZyeQXzYwu9OADuFPEDJjUjeWlwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_131408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RoaMm1t9nFA/Ww9MzXjTRhI/AAAAAAAAO5s/JC_-qL2ZyeQXzYwu9OADuFPEDJjUjeWlwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_131408.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s9V_SJHTA9I/Ww9M0dzD7LI/AAAAAAAAO5Y/W34kUmvAhnkgtsaiwI5aiqBs4P29Nl0bACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_131414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s9V_SJHTA9I/Ww9M0dzD7LI/AAAAAAAAO5Y/W34kUmvAhnkgtsaiwI5aiqBs4P29Nl0bACEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_131414.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Then I
flip it over and place a heavy object on top until the glue dries. Here you can
see me using a Variac and a fire extinguisher to weigh down the foam board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8H15xA4GqCc/Ww9My43TnEI/AAAAAAAAO50/sUBQcHaaZJE4H9JyIthalT66wEMVYva2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_122644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8H15xA4GqCc/Ww9My43TnEI/AAAAAAAAO50/sUBQcHaaZJE4H9JyIthalT66wEMVYva2QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_122644.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0W_oRjLl4s/Ww9My1U4rHI/AAAAAAAAO54/MKskFF4OgRMIVk25r0oVjw2_TaS5J_FrQCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180529_123643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0W_oRjLl4s/Ww9My1U4rHI/AAAAAAAAO54/MKskFF4OgRMIVk25r0oVjw2_TaS5J_FrQCEwYBhgL/s320/20180529_123643.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">After 30
minutes or so I remove the weights and finish cutting the tiles. Flip the tiles
over and line up a ruler along the edge. Cut the tile while angling the knife
so that an undercut is made. Make several passes and let the knife do the work.
If it’s too hard to cut or you find yourself pressing hard then the knife is
dull and you need a new blade. The first cut should be made slowly so that you
get a clean cut of the picture. Then make more passes until the scrap piece falls
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QsaQt5wro7s/Ww9M1r2ohPI/AAAAAAAAO5w/ufpT5khfA10Rh3nmNhSjsfp10_Su0a2VwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_113234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QsaQt5wro7s/Ww9M1r2ohPI/AAAAAAAAO5w/ufpT5khfA10Rh3nmNhSjsfp10_Su0a2VwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_113234.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFBYkdAMFqM/Ww9M1rJ--iI/AAAAAAAAO50/DwWv2Tx2kHc0CHXu_y5nLh5RGzK-FM1-QCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_112931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFBYkdAMFqM/Ww9M1rJ--iI/AAAAAAAAO50/DwWv2Tx2kHc0CHXu_y5nLh5RGzK-FM1-QCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_112931.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">When
everything is all done you’ll have 24 tiles and a box full of scrap foam board.
Easy Peasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Uo2uJnTn5U/Ww9M2_fcTGI/AAAAAAAAO58/kGIUM_TEhisZYxytonicqFw4-Ds8kxoQwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_123341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Uo2uJnTn5U/Ww9M2_fcTGI/AAAAAAAAO58/kGIUM_TEhisZYxytonicqFw4-Ds8kxoQwCEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_123341.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSbJWbCUR4k/Ww9M2ttPIxI/AAAAAAAAO54/nZIXbo2JiyQmcQAuhIPw1SO31HcXwYfHACEwYBhgL/s1600/20180530_123316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1526" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JSbJWbCUR4k/Ww9M2ttPIxI/AAAAAAAAO54/nZIXbo2JiyQmcQAuhIPw1SO31HcXwYfHACEwYBhgL/s320/20180530_123316.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">I should
also mention that it will not turn out perfect no matter what you do. There
will be blemishes and it doesn’t matter. It will still look great. You may see
some slight bubbles in the tiles or some of your cuts might wander a little.
The tiles will not be perfect 6” squares. Once you get past your OCD you can
enjoy the fruits of your labor. Have fun with the project and don’t get bogged
down by small details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-30429551084718951422018-04-24T10:05:00.000-05:002018-04-24T10:05:06.014-05:00The Savage Worlds Killer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVIkJR2kHAM/Wt9F1JbS0yI/AAAAAAAANt4/jnE1_yiNZREdXWkCjsnfiiOQhGwNGjkawCLcBGAs/s1600/59131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MVIkJR2kHAM/Wt9F1JbS0yI/AAAAAAAANt4/jnE1_yiNZREdXWkCjsnfiiOQhGwNGjkawCLcBGAs/s640/59131.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">This morning on my drive into work I was listening to </span><a href="https://findingthenarrativepodcast.podbean.com/" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">Finding the Narrative</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">, a Genesys podcast hosted by </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/112196835704783831986" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">Tony Fanning</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;"> and </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/105267651501016773541" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">Chris Holmes</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;">. They started talking about combat and it made me realize that I like Savage Worlds more than any other system on the market to date. I do like Fantasy Flight Games' game and it does some stuff really well but Savage Worlds does it better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Then I thought, what is it about <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/228813/Genesys-Core-Rulebook" target="_blank">Genesys</a> that I like? Well for starters, its magic system is top notch. I think it performs better than most other systems. The magic user can adjust how powerful her spell is on a case by case basis. It allows free form sculpting of the spells on the fly and is only limited by the spellcasters imagination. <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/92743/Savage-Worlds-Deluxe" target="_blank">Savage Worlds</a> can't quite do this but it does come closer than anyone else with trappings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Genesys' use of talents makes more sense to me than just increasing your skills. The use of talents allows players to have a bit more narrative structure to their character while also including boons to skill rolls, strain, or soak value. The tree by which talents are selected is designed to force the players to make difficult choices and also makes sure the character is balanced (i.e. not overpowered). Savage Worlds is very similar to this in the fact that some Edges have prerequisites. Players cannot simply take Improved Counterattack without first taking Counterattack. Then Counterattack in itself has requirements of its own. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">One last thing that I really like about Genesys is its use of Motivation. Motivation is a tool for both the player and the GM. It helps the player to better define the character by describing when and how they learned the skills that they have. It also provides the GM with ideas to incorporate the character's background into the story. I don't know how many times I've asked players to write a short background on their character and only get a few people to actually do it. Savage Worlds sort of accomplishes the same thing through the use of Hindrances but too many players only see these as a way to generate bennies. It is meant to help mold the character to your concept. Flawed characters are always more fun than perfect ones.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZENsG28BvZk/Wt8ZdoJI63I/AAAAAAAANtc/H64X1fQDYh09wfRe_DMiJnu3ODI8g4NggCLcBGAs/s1600/SWEX%2Bvs%2BFFG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="996" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZENsG28BvZk/Wt8ZdoJI63I/AAAAAAAANtc/H64X1fQDYh09wfRe_DMiJnu3ODI8g4NggCLcBGAs/s400/SWEX%2Bvs%2BFFG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now onto some of the things I dislike about Genesys. Combat
actions, this irks the hell out of me and the deciding factor of why Savage
Worlds is better. Much like D&D, in Genesys you only get one combat action.
I remember the first time I saw Savage Worlds played by others. I saw someone
perform multiple attack actions and move around. This was an epiphany to me.
This is what I was missing from D&D. I was growing tired of the no you
can't do that because you only have one action mentality. I wanted to be able
to jump onto a table, kick an Orc in the face, swing from the chandelier, and
tackle another Orc. Not gonna happen in Genesys or D&D. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Let's talk about Cool and Vigilance used for initiative. This is
stupid. Why are there two different skills for performing the same task? I
understand they're trying to differentiate between someone being surprised and
someone who is ready to engage in combat. It does speed up the surprise check
process but it doesn’t make sense. Why do I need to invest points into two
different skills that only has one purpose, combat initiative? Just have the
players roll Perception for surprise, if they fail they act the next round.
Then have all successful players roll initiative. The players who are surprised
take the last available initiative slots. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Abstract initiative turn order is not something I enjoy all that
much either. I don't see a whole lot wrong with it but I see it as encouraging
meta gaming. I'm not saying meta gaming is bad. I'd just like to see a little
less of it during combat. Savage Worlds and Castles & Crusades gets this
part right. Initiative is determined every round simulating the fact that
combat is more fluid and you don't act at the same time every turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Before I forget, I really don't like how characteristics in
Genesys are pretty much stuck after character creation. Or at least they should
allow for a more accessible way to increase them after creation. Currently the
only way to increase them is after picking up a tier 5 talent and that is
pretty dang tough to accomplish. A tier 5 talent will cost 175 experience
points minimum. In game terms that means you could increase one characteristic
by 1 every 9 sessions assuming you don't spend it on skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Savage World is not perfect by any means either but it handles
everything I've wanted in a game fairly well. Just to name a few things I'm not
keen on are the different uses of Investigation and Streetwise to accomplish
the same thing. They both perform the same function but are narratively defined
differently. I've also heard that the new version will breakout Performance
from Persuasion which again are serving the same function with different
narrative descriptions. They will also combine Climbing, Swimming, and Throwing
into a new Athletics skill. They really need to keep Throwing separate from
Athletics. Throwing is a combat skill that needs to be on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Basically what I'm getting at is that no game system is perfect
and Genesys is not, nor will ever be a Savage Worlds Killer. I'm looking at you
Jamie. Anybody who's familiar with the Nerds-International Google Plus
community will know that SWK is just a term we use to joke around with about
one system being better than the other but we all know that Savage Worlds just
does some things better than others. It should go without saying that we put
ICRPG into the same category of ribbing each other.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLKO_Ls2fLk/Wt9HBkNSEtI/AAAAAAAANuE/b_p64Su6jeQOzCAV6iiYRXPlzQMQ_mNcQCLcBGAs/s1600/212262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLKO_Ls2fLk/Wt9HBkNSEtI/AAAAAAAANuE/b_p64Su6jeQOzCAV6iiYRXPlzQMQ_mNcQCLcBGAs/s320/212262.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Even though I'm not a huge fan of </span><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/212262/INDEX-CARD-RPG-Core-2E" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;" target="_blank">ICRPG</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">, I cannot deny the fact that it has changed how lots
of people play table top RPG's in general. It has made a huge impact on the
game industry as we know it. At least once a week I'll see someone on social
media talk about how they don't play it but it has opened their eyes or showed
them a new way to look at something. For that, I say thank you </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DrunkensDragonsPlayDDLikeaBadass" style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;" target="_blank">Hankerin Ferinale</a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-4972772303100502602018-04-10T09:59:00.000-05:002018-04-10T09:59:48.850-05:00Players Derailing Your Game?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T8XtNi6qluU/WszQIz3ZEBI/AAAAAAAANGU/lo_Ar_CNFDAZ1pejGDTFiFg-j7EV0WlMgCLcBGAs/s1600/indiana-jones-invisible-bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="950" height="330" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T8XtNi6qluU/WszQIz3ZEBI/AAAAAAAANGU/lo_Ar_CNFDAZ1pejGDTFiFg-j7EV0WlMgCLcBGAs/s640/indiana-jones-invisible-bridge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Almost a week ago during my
Tuesday night game at the FLGS, I randomly decided my character was afraid of
heights. Of course, this was decided just as we entered a room with a giant
gaping hole in the floor. There was a rickety board spanning across this void
and along the walls were enough of a ledge to try to traverse around the hole.
One side looked as if it was damaged and had black soot staining it so one of
our party attempted to go along the side that appeared relatively undamaged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As luck would have it, the section he was crossing gave way whilst
near the middle of the pitfall. While the entire wall started to collapse
inward, he successfully managed to leap off the debris and miraculously land on
the single board in the middle of the room. While all of this was happening, my
mage continued to bite his nails as he observed the rest of the party cross the
void. When it came to me to cross the board, I gained enough courage to step
out onto the board and suddenly froze up. Terrified with fear Zoltar wouldn't
budge one step further. His friend came back to carry him across but was immediately
stricken by a scrawny mage who was freaking out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The party had to regroup and come up with a new plan. Our party is
blessed with two individuals capable of illusory magic and they came up with
the idea of projecting an image of a 5 foot wide platform for which Zoltar
could cross without fear. They would leap frog so to speak. One would project a
5 by 5 image then the other would follow up in the same manner. All the while,
there is a black line on the floor for the mage to follow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I justified Zoltar crossing the expanse because he believed the
magic to be real and a 5 foot wide path would have been wide enough so that if
he fell, he wouldn't have any fear of falling in to the pit. This scenario took
about 15 to 20 minutes to play out but this morning on my drive into work I
couldn't help but wonder what the DM was thinking at that moment and I started
to wonder if I would have handled it any differently. The DM was my friend
Stuart Helm and I think he handled it the same way I would have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I knew he was antsy to get the game moving along when the players
initially entered the room because we were taking too long by talking about how
to get to the other side or if we even needed to, or wanted to for that matter.
We had the option of going back outside the building and coming back in through
another entrance. During this conversation is when I noticed Stuart trying to
hurry us along and I came up with the fear of heights. I'm sure some of you
would say that's just a dick move but I was curious how everyone at the table
would handle this situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I have to say I was pleasantly surprised because the other players
went right along with entertaining my characters flaws and Stuart took a step
back to let this play out. I think some less experienced DM's would have tried
to say some BS like its DM fiat and we're moving on. I think I would have done
the same thing as Stuart and I probably would have forced the other players to
figure it out if they didn't want to go along with the fear of heights dilemma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well. What would you
have done in this situation? At the time I almost felt as if I was derailing
Stuart's game progression but now I feel more like it was an interesting and
fun problem that you don't see come up in games very often, especially D&D.
Usually we're focused on the heroic and extraordinary acts we can accomplish in
a game of fantasy. Why don't we see more irrational human fears in our games?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Stuart, if you're reading this, what do you think or what were you
thinking when this happened?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-2740740063018752932018-03-03T14:18:00.000-06:002018-03-03T14:18:00.283-06:00The Esoterrorists Review: My poor attempt to recruit new assets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZJk-250mag/WprMPsq_zHI/AAAAAAAALug/-BnoVBJhN0Eo1JtE9xbLyFXMkkMGS-uZwCLcBGAs/s1600/Esoterrorists_2nd_edition_high_res_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZJk-250mag/WprMPsq_zHI/AAAAAAAALug/-BnoVBJhN0Eo1JtE9xbLyFXMkkMGS-uZwCLcBGAs/s640/Esoterrorists_2nd_edition_high_res_logo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The last two Fridays in a
row I tried to get an online game together to play <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/123154/The-Esoterrorists-2nd-Edition" target="_blank">The Esoterrorists</a> to no
avail. My friend Eric Lamoureux suggested I write a review because maybe people
don't quite know what it is all about. I'll explain more about it later but in
a nutshell it's about secret agents reacting to threats posed by occult
terrorists throughout the globe. I almost liken it to modern Cthulhu type
cultists trying to bring these ancient old ones through the thin veil into our
world in order to harness the power for themselves. This game uses the GUMSHOE
system and I'm also thinking a lot of folks out there don't know much about it.
Sure, you may have heard about it before but you're not familiar with the
mechanics. I'll also give a brief overview on some of those as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">First of all, what is this secret organization and what role do
the players play in this game? I'm glad you asked. You are elite paranormal
investigators working as part of a secret organization known as Ordo Veritatis
(Order of Truth). This organization operates in a cell structure on a worldwide
basis. Sometimes you are sent out to recruit new assets for the order,
occasionally you might be tasked to search and rescue a missing member of the
order, but usually you are thwarting the Esoterrorists attempts to weaken the
membrane that separates our world from the outer dark. While not operating in
the field for the order, you go about your normal daily lives doing your normal
mundane jobs. It's your job to protect the innocent, unknowing public from ever
hearing about the wickedly evil creatures threatening the world. In fact,
that's a part of every mission called the veil out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As a field agent in Ordo Veritatis, you are somewhat familiar with
your teammates. I say somewhat because you never truly know someone in your
line of work. You may even recall who recruited and trained you but for the
most part you are unfamiliar with who is above you in the chain of command. Mr.
Verity is your mission briefer. Sometimes it is a man and other times it’s a
woman. The only thing certain is that it's never the same person. You are
familiar however with the immediate structure of the organization above you.
Field agents who get compromised can't have too much information after all.
Your briefer is usually a senior staffer. The staffers are the ones who do the
pre-mission research. It's their job to find the jobs. Once a report is deemed
viable, the senior staffer puts together the briefing and recalls the most
suitable team. You might be in the middle of interrogating a drug addict when
the text message comes in or perhaps you're boiling the burned skin off a human
skull in order to reconstruct the face for facial recognition software when the
message comes in. Again, the only thing certain is you immediately drop what you’re
doing to meet at the provided rendezvous point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Being a secret agent isn't all it’s cracked up to be. You are of
course one of the good guys therefore you do have a certain ethical requirement
to adhere to. You are to protect your teammates and human life in general.
Protecting the values and morals of civil society and the order are inherent to
the job. Things you are prohibited from include assassination human enemies,
use excessive force, torture, cause public distress, and of course treason. One
caveat is that Outer Dark Entities (ODE's) who possess a human form are exempt
from the ethical code. Conversely, in rare cases you can also contact Mr.
Verity to apply for a Warrant of Exigency (permission to violate the ethical
code). These are usually denied though. Ok, I think you get the jist of the
order. Let's move on to the Esoterrorists now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Simply stated, the Esoterrorists are an international conspiracy
organization with a structure far different than your own. They are power
bankers bent on obtaining even more power or they could be your backwoods
cannibals causing fear and unrest in the world. This public fear and confusion
is what thins the membrane which separates our world from the outer dark. When
the membrane thins enough, these terrorists poke holes into it and bring forth
an entity. This is their attempt to harness the magical power that is inherent
to the entities. As of yet, none have succeeded in grasping this power but they
still try. They could have come across an old misplaced photograph of a
creature and the image calls to them. As they gaze upon the artifact it starts
to swirl around and become all too real to them. The image comes alive and
takes over their mind, urging them to thin the membrane enough to come through while
promising magical powers to the unsuspecting victim. Or something like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">They may not be behind mass murders like the school shootings
rampant in the news today but they are perpetuating the despair by keeping it
in the news and in the faces of the public. This type of fear and confusion is
what drives the Esoterrorists movement. This movement dates back to the
Victorian era where rituals and evocations were rampantly practiced. Back then
it was mostly nothing more than parlor tricks but today it is very real and
these terrorists are doing everything they can to "enlighten" the
public. Their power feeds off of the fear. Places where general public fear and
unrest is high in the world is where the Esoterrorists will be. Fortunately for
us this is fairly easy to spot via news feeds and intercepted satellite
communications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So what is this GUMSHOE system? Great question!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">GUMSHOE is the system that was designed to solve the problem of
what happens when you fail your notice roll. The game stalls because you didn't
get that all revealing important clue. With GUMSHOE you always get the clues
necessary to advance the story. This system is more narrative based with simple
combat options. Some people say the combat is too simple and that's why they
don't like it. Well then, I say to you, have you read <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/62342/The-Esoterror-Fact-Book?term=the+esoterror+factbook&test_epoch=0" target="_blank">The Esoterror Factbook</a>?
This gives you a crunchier set of combat rules for those of you who want the
tactical aspect of a game to come alive. Ah, but I'm getting off topic now.
Let's get back to the basic rules of GUMSHOE shall we. Oh, I should also
mention that I'll be looking at the rules for specifically The Esoterrorists as
other GUMSHOE games may change the rules slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Let's take a look at <a href="http://site.pelgranepress.com/gumshoe/esoterrorists/files/charactersheeteso.pdf" target="_blank">The Esoterrorists character sheet</a> first. It's a fairly
simple sheet with character name, off-duty occupation, weapons, and abilities.
Wait, no hit points or armor class, what the heck? Yes and no. You see, hit
points in this game is called Health and is covered under abilities. Armor is
used to reduce damage taken not to avoid getting hit. Certain types of armor
will reduce damage from gunshot wounds such as a Kevlar vest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There are two types of abilities, General and Investigative.
Depending on how many players there are you will have anywhere from 20-32
points to spend on Investigative abilities. Regardless of group size you will
have 60 points to spend on General abilities. Next to each ability is a column
for Rating and Pool. Rating is your investigators skill level and Pool is how
many points are available to spend on using that ability. If you have at least
one point in an ability you are considered an expert in that. At the beginning
of each mission your Rating and Pool should be equal. Throughout the game your
Pool will decrease but not your Rating. These abilities are split up because
Investigative abilities will refresh at a different rate than General
abilities. During the course of a mission that may take 3 game sessions, your
Investigative abilities might not refresh but some of your General abilities
will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The two most important abilities are Health and Stability. Your
Health ability tracks how well your character is doing physically and Stability
tracks how well you character is doing mentally. Both of these abilities can be
reduced below 0 all the way to -12. Once you go below 0 there are consequences.
For Health you need to make a consciousness roll when you reach -0 to -5, and
again at -6 to -11. Each of these tiers offers an additional consequence to
just simply staying awake. At -0 to -5 you are <b>Hurt</b>, you cannot
spend points on Investigative abilities and difficulty numbers increase by 1.
At -6 to -11 you are <b>Seriously Wounded</b>, you are no longer able to
fight and will bleed out unless someone performs a successful Medic check to
stabilize your wounds. At -12 you’re dead, make a new character. Stability has
these same tiers labeled <b>Shaken </b>0 to -5 (difficulty numbers
increase by 1), and you acquire a mental illness at -6 to -11. When you reach
-12 you are incurably insane. You can commit one last crazy act or choose to be
a drooling sack of flesh for the rest of the characters life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As I said earlier, all important clues are free and will be given
to you but there is also a chance to obtain more clues. These additional clues
are not pertinent to move the story forward but they allow the players to shine
for a moment. The additional clues can be obtained by spending points from your
investigative ability pools. The players should narrate what the character is
doing, what ability they are using, and how many points they will spend to get
the extra clues. It's not uncommon for new players to have difficulty with this
aspect of the game and the GM should then tell the players "for this many
points in this ability you may be able to get some insight on the
matter." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Alright, let's move on to combat. The rules for combat are simple.
Determine initiative by who has the highest rating in Scuffling or Shooting
depending on what they want to do during combat. This is group based. If any
one of the PC's has the highest rating then all of the PC's act before the bad
guys and vice versa. This doesn't change from round to round once its
established. The book recommends to just go around the table from left to right
when it's the players turn. During the GM's turn he is free to determine which
NPC acts at that time and in any order. I think I would take the PC's turn
sequence a step further. Let them decide who goes on their turn. That always
makes for a more collaborative and fun experience on their part. I also find it
engages the players more knowing they can change who goes when.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In order to hit an opponent, we need to talk about Hit Threshold.
All PC's start with a Hit Threshold of 3 but if your Athletics ability is 8 or
higher then the Hit Threshold increases to 4. What does this mean? Well, when
my cannibal cultist tries to attack you he will roll a single d6. If he rolls a
3 he will hit you if your Hit Threshold is 3 but will miss if your Hit
Threshold is 4. Or will he? Let’s say the cannibal cultist is trying to claw
your knife hand and decides to spend 2 Pool points of Scuffling. He rolls a 3
but now gets to add 2 to the roll for a total of 5. The cannibal just clawed at
your forearm and now gets to roll damage which is again a single d6. Shooting a
gun acts exactly the same way. The only difference between the two are the
damage effects. A punch or kick is -2 to the damage roll, a small or improvised
weapon is -1 to the damage roll, a larger club or light firearm applies 0 to
the damage roll, a sword or heavy firearm adds +1 to the damage roll, and
when firearms are fired at point blank range a +2 is added to the damage
roll. Don't forget that if your Health or Stability is 0 to -5 then the attack
difficulty just increased as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">These are the overall very basics to GUMSHOE. Simple right? I
think so. Now let’s talk about what happens when you complete the mission. You
just stopped the cannibals from bringing an entity through the membrane but now
have all these dead corpses just laying around. What do you do about that?
That's what the Veil-Out is. You as a group need to figure out a way to explain
what happened to the world in a way that doesn't raise suspicion and keeps any
evidence from reaching the public's attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">If I were asked to describe The Esoterrorists using movie references
then I would say imagine you are Harry Tasker in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Lies" target="_blank">True Lies</a> but
your employer is the Illuminati. Now add in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Void_(2016_film)" target="_blank">The
Void</a> and you'll have it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>The Esoterrorists is recommended by 9 out of 10 Lotus Masters.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BlT5v2tjmn0/WdFB7bAf-sI/AAAAAAAAIHk/cZYwdAWU-jAwU0ugLxElBKiANnz0Y806gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/9of10%2BLotus%2BMasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="1349" height="76" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BlT5v2tjmn0/WdFB7bAf-sI/AAAAAAAAIHk/cZYwdAWU-jAwU0ugLxElBKiANnz0Y806gCPcBGAYYCw/s640/9of10%2BLotus%2BMasters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>P.S. </b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b>Dont forget to check out the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117231877652717213545" target="_blank">Nerds-Internationl Virtual Convention (NIV-Con)</a> on March 10th and 11th. It's a great way to meet new people and have a fun time gaming online.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
</div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-5284302795045698672018-02-24T10:28:00.001-06:002018-02-24T10:28:54.134-06:00Hollow Earth Expedition (HEX) Rant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TvZLDDBVAiM/WpGFornUNkI/AAAAAAAALeo/BwzEdMEEFcguMC6hZ5I0wkp6Qk3ZCJp1gCLcBGAs/s1600/hex_600%2B%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="600" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TvZLDDBVAiM/WpGFornUNkI/AAAAAAAALeo/BwzEdMEEFcguMC6hZ5I0wkp6Qk3ZCJp1gCLcBGAs/s640/hex_600%2B%25281%2529.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I'm
only 4 pages into the combat chapter of HEX and I already can’t get over the
Defense mechanic. Why are we required to make extra unnecessary rolls to defend
against attacks? In this game, all attacks are opposed rolls which will
severely slow down the game. I attack you and get 4 successes, now you roll
defense to see if I hit you. Why? Why not use a static modifier like other
games? Armor Class, Toughness, or whatever you want to call it. It's a
combination of attributes, armor, or anything else used for defensive purposes.
Then I started looking at how the Defense Rating is calculated and I was
appalled to see that they take two ratings, change their names to confuse you
and then combine them together. Defense Rating = Passive Defense + Active
Defense - Size. Look though the book and try to find Passive Defense or Active
Defense. I found two instances where they explain what they are on pages 47 and
125. Passive Defense = Body rating and Active Defense = Dexterity rating. Now,
I've got no problem with combining stats to get a derived secondary statistic
but when you start changing names of shit then the meaning starts to get lost.
At this point I've only hit the first page of chapter 4 and already I'm jumping
around the chapter trying to find the meaning of Defense Rating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Let's
move on to combat maneuvers. Block is a maneuver that foregoes your attack to
block all incoming Brawl attacks against you. Ok no problem, but wait, there's
more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Block</span></b><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Instead of making an attack,
your character attempts to block all Brawl attacks made against her during the
turn. If she is attacked, make an opposed Brawl roll against her opponent,
including any appropriate Defense modifiers. If you roll more successes than
her opponent, the blow is blocked and does no damage. If he rolls more
successes than you, your character takes damage equal to the number of extra
successes he rolled. Normally, only Brawl attacks may be blocked. If your
character wants to block a Melee attack she suffers a –2 penalty on the
attempt. Special: Because your character is actively trying to block Brawl
attacks, her normal Defense rating does not apply. She retains her normal
Defense rating against other types of attacks, however."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So, what are the appropriate
Defense modifiers that apply if her normal Defense rating does not apply? Well let’s
go look for Defense modifiers and see. Guess what, there's 2 pages of modifiers
starting on page 125. Luckily there's only a few. Size, Armor, Cover, Multiple
Attackers, Wound Penalties, Touch Attacks, and Area of Effect Attacks. Here's
my point, it's very difficult for a GM to make decisions on the fly with so
many defensive rules. Sure, you can ad lib it on the fly but why should I have
to. Give me a +1 or +2 and leave it at that. All of this may sound trivial
to you but I'm only 4 pages into the chapter out of 22 pages and I'm already
trying to figure out what all this stupid defense shit is all about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">At this point I'm ready to
give up and say screw you guys, I'm outta here. I think I'll just put it back
on the shelf for a while and come back to it again at a later time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b>P.S. </b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b>Dont forget to check out the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117231877652717213545" target="_blank">Nerds-Internationl Virtual Convention (NIV-Con)</a> on March 10th and 11th. It's a great way to meet new people and have a fun time gaming online.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-59265177546898380892018-02-18T20:58:00.000-06:002018-02-18T20:58:27.759-06:00Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla The Tabletop Roleplaying Game Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3_cfMdXlQF8/WS3m37TuwiI/AAAAAAAAEzs/LS1i73demQ0lEr-xfPTXnGU-UM4wuIcWwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/HeraldOrigianl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1552" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3_cfMdXlQF8/WS3m37TuwiI/AAAAAAAAEzs/LS1i73demQ0lEr-xfPTXnGU-UM4wuIcWwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/HeraldOrigianl.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I finally got around to
running <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/225018/Herald-Lovecraft--Tesla-the-Tabletop-Roleplaying-Game" target="_blank">Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla</a>, a Savage Worlds tabletop roleplaying game from Ravendesk Games and Action Lab Comics, and I really like the game. I would say this is pulp style of Cthulhu but
honestly it all depends on your GM style. You could easily run this game in a
pulp fashion or a hardcore Lovecraftian Cthulhu style. I had loads of fun
running an adventure over the last two weekends even though there were some
flaws that I should have anticipated before running it. I think the game I ran
started out as a pulp version but by the time we got to the last scene it was
more reminiscent of a Cthulhu game where 2 of the 3 player characters died and
the last ran away in babbling frenzy of fear. MUWAHAHA!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This 180 page book contains the typical character creation and
setting rules along with new edges and hindrances. The first 57 pages contains
the player section while the remainder of the book is for the GM's eyes only.
Included within are 45 pregenerated Novice characters, 5 Seasoned characters,
and 5 Veteran characters. You also get a character sheet, a two page spread of
20's slang, a 10 page bestiary, 6 one sheets, and 5 adventures. As part of the
Kickstarter campaign I took part in, I also got an adventure titled <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/224455/Herald-Lovecraft--Tesla--A-Fistful-of-Dholes" target="_blank">A Fistful of Dholes</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The setting book itself is a rather fast read that I enjoyed. In
this game the players are part of the Mythos Resistance, a secret organization
of people from all walks of life (mostly famous people and celebrities) who are
trying to protect John Q Public from the invasion of unnatural beings during
the roaring 20's. They "keep the world safe and ignorantly blissful."
Cosmic horror and invaders from beyond the stars is what this game is all
about. There isn't any magic therefore there are no arcane backgrounds. Saying there
isn't magic is a rather broad statement but it doesn't mean there isn't really
magic. It just means that if it’s not normal or un-explainable then it’s not
natural or "unnatural". There certainly could be magic in your
version but in order to maintain the pulpy feel of the game then it should be
explained in a way such as weird science rather than magical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">This setting uses the Fear mechanic from the Savage Worlds Deluxe
core rulebook with a slight twist. It's up to the GM when a Fear check is
called for but it shouldn't be used for anything weird or mysterious. This is
more for Cosmic horror or unnatural encounters. "Being surprised by a bear
in the woods is natural." Seeing giant 3 foot long worms erupting from a
rotting corpse towards you is a Fear check. They also replace the d20 fright
table with a 2d6 Cosmic Horror Chart. While you can still use the standard
fright table, this new chart changes things up a bit. Most notably by removing
the heart attack effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">If you've already purchased other Cthulhu style games then this
book may not be for you. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book but the ideas
presented here aren't entirely new. What you're getting are some new edges,
hindrances, Tesla tech gear, lots of pregenerated characters, bestiary, and
some adventures to run. Having said that, I think it's worth the $24.99 PDF
price tag. The artwork is fantastic and looks like it came straight out of the
comic books. The style and feel of this game via the artwork, time period, and
Tesla inventions are what sets it apart from other Cthulhu games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I decided to run the Dhole adventure for my friends Blaine, Jamie,
and Stephen. As I said before, I had a blast putting my friends in the Mythos
Resistance and seeing how they reacted to the situations they were put in. This
adventure had two major flaws that I should have caught beforehand. One was a
scene where the player characters talk to a condescending university professor
as one of the clues they were provided. This scene has way too much information
to convey to the players that it almost fell apart halfway through. There's
nearly a full page and a half of text that your supposed to read aloud along
with a requirement to have them pass a short oral exam of what they just
listened to. If they fail the exam then they miss out on some vital
information. I should have anticipated this ahead of time and adjusted how the
information was conveyed. The second flaw comes in the final scene where the
players are supposed to summon an Egyptian demi-god who helps them eliminate
the threat. The problem with this is that it turns into an NPC vs NPC encounter
taking away any heroic acts of the player characters. I think the right word
for this is anticlimactic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As a side note, I just saw that the characters should have had some
equipment that is supposed to be standard issue. The Lightning Pistol is a hand
held lightning bolt projector that ignores armor. Oh well, at least I know for
next time. Sorry fellas, I'm just a dumb dora that's full of banana oil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As far as the setting book goes, I'd give it 4 out of 5 Jalizaran
Moons. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I think the sheer number of pregenerated characters and
combination of one sheets and adventures bump it up a notch. The adventure A Fistful
of Dholes on the other hand would get 3 out of 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KZlgU-3-vc/WT6-x18BtAI/AAAAAAAAFGs/cRHVr7DQwCsVUQkaSWxQwUKIkKbOWeYEQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/1004of5gramos-gold-coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="400" height="80" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KZlgU-3-vc/WT6-x18BtAI/AAAAAAAAFGs/cRHVr7DQwCsVUQkaSWxQwUKIkKbOWeYEQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/1004of5gramos-gold-coin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>P.S. Some friends of mine have a new podcast about the Genesys RPG from Fantasy Flight Games. <a href="https://findingthenarrativepodcast.podbean.com/" target="_blank">It's called Finding The Narrative: A Genesys RPG Podcast.</a> The link will take you to Podbean and you can also find them on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176/stream/d3041aef-7ee0-4ae8-ba22-1f00fd957da9" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ subcategory page.</a> Check it out and you wont be disappointed. </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-7149233861016205712018-02-05T19:00:00.002-06:002018-02-05T19:00:38.405-06:00Wacom Intuos Art Tablet Installation Problems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sacGJSCUuwQ/Wnhp2xdFVNI/AAAAAAAALLU/dcBsaK4u058WZMofjJmQ9e5Un3by22NDACLcBGAs/s1600/41uelY1nzzL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sacGJSCUuwQ/Wnhp2xdFVNI/AAAAAAAALLU/dcBsaK4u058WZMofjJmQ9e5Un3by22NDACLcBGAs/s320/41uelY1nzzL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Over this past weekend I was gifted a new Wacom Intuos Art Tablet from my parents for my 40th birthday. Yay! This is where my excitement stopped. Well, at least for the weekend anyway.<br />
<br />
I spent over 14 hours trying to get this tablet to work with my computer. At least 1 hour was spent waiting for my computer to restart many, many times. For whatever reason I kept getting an error that the driver is not running and no device was connected when I opened up the Wacom desktop center. At first this doesn't seem like a big deal because Windows did recognize the device but only as a mouse. The problem is that the pen buttons and the tablet buttons have not been set up properly and I can't configure how I wan't them set up. The use of pen pressure is also nonexistent for programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter. By Sunday afternoon I finally got it working right and I only lost some sanity, hair, and time. Below you will find what I did to finally get it working.<br />
<br />
One last thing. When you finally get it working I highly recommend you unplug your computer mouse and stick it in a drawer. Use the tablet for everything from now on, or at least until you get competent with the pen and tablet. It's not hard to use but it does take some getting used to. I've had 25 years of practice using a computer mouse but only a few hours of graphic art tablet use.<br />
<br />
Getting this tablet to work was such a pain in the ass that I don't have any plans to update the driver unless it suddenly stops on me. I now have reservations recommending this brand to anyone with a Window based PC. If all of Wacom's tablet products are this difficult to install on Microsoft Windows then I would suggest a different manufacturer that has better support. There are lots of threads on the internet about this very same problem but none of them worked for me and Wacom has all but washed their hands when it comes to customer support for this particular tablet. It is their cheap model and I would hope their more expensive models would work right out of the box but I suspect they are leaning more towards Apple consumers for their customer base. All I can say is do your research before buying a tablet and that includes reading up on the problems associated with the software drivers.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b>P.S. </b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<b>Dont forget to check out the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117231877652717213545" target="_blank">Nerds-Internationl Virtual Convention (NIV-Con)</a> on March 10th and 11th. It's a great way to meet new people and have a fun time gaming online.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
I'm using the 64bit Windows 7 Professional Operating System. I've heard that Windows 10 is very similar in function so this might help people with that OS.<br />
<br />
First of all <b>don't follow the directions in the box. </b>I'm going to assume that if you're reading this then its too late anyway and you got here by doing a google search. The first thing we need to do is unplug the tablet from the computer.<br />
<br />
Now you need to remove files with the label of <b>Pen, Tablet, WacHID, Wacom, </b>or any combination of these.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Disclaimer: If you remove the wrong files from your computer you might just screw something up. I'm not an expert and you should verify your own work before making changes. </b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHANGES YOU MAKE, YOU ARE.</span></b><br />
<br />
Go to <b>Start>Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features. </b>Scroll down and uninstall any Wacom programs. Then if it asks you to restart your computer click the <b>Restart Later</b> button.<br />
<br />
We still have to remove some files. Go to <b>Start </b> and in the box for searching for files type <b>regedit,</b> press enter. You need to be careful while in the registry editor. You can mess up your computer if you delete the wrong files. There are three folders we're going to need to look in. <b>HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, </b> and <b>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE</b>. In each of these folders you need to navigate to the <b>Software</b> folder and expand it. Scan through this folder for the 4 key words mentioned earlier and remove only those folders.<br />
<br />
We're not quite done removing the corrupted files yet. Now you need to go to <b>Start>Computer>OSDisk(C:)>Windows>System32>DriverStore>FileRepository</b>. Again scan through the files for the 4 key words and remove those files. This task is a little more difficult to accomplish though. For some odd reason you can't just delete these files. You see, eventhough you own the computer and files, you need to give yourself permission to make changes to these files. Select the file, right click and select <b>Properties</b>. Click on the <b>Security</b> tab and then select <b>Edit</b> underneath the usernames. Now you can give yourself permission to change the files by selecting the checkbox <b>Allow Full Control</b> for your username. Click <b>Apply</b> and then close the dialogue boxes. Congratulations you can now delete that file you just gave yourself permission to, but only that file. Yes, you have to give yourself permission to each file you want to remove.<br />
<br />
Now we finally have all Wacom software removed from the computer and you can restart it. Make sure you do a restart and not<b> </b>a shut down. They are different and changes may not take effect unless you do a restart. After it boots back up you can go through all of those file locations mentioned earlier and verify they're still not there.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Warning: You are about to disable all of your computers protection and it's imperitave that the computer is not connected to the internet either wired or wirelessly. </span></b><br />
<br />
Turn off or unplug your internet connection. Go to <b>Start>Control Panel>System and Security>Windows Firewall</b>. On the left side click the <b>Turn Windows Firewall on or off</b>. Now select both boxes labeled <b>Turn off Windows Firewall (not Recommended) </b>and then <b>OK</b>. Now you need to disable any anit-virus/anti-malware programs you have installed on your machine.<br />
<br />
Once all this is done you can insert the disk provided with the tablet and install the device. Follow the on screen instructions but do not install any updated drivers. Just use the disk and when it prompts you to connect to the internet and download updated drivers, ignore that. Select the <b>Restart Later </b>option.<br />
<br />
Now go to <b>Start>Devices and Printers </b>and you should be able to see the tablet listed there. Right click on the icon and select <b>Properties</b>. Under the <b>Hardware</b> tab select <b>Properties </b>again. Under the <b>General</b> tab select <b>Change Settings</b>. A new window will pop up and under the <b>Driver</b> tab select <b>Update Driver</b>. Select <b>Browse my computer for driver software>Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.</b> Uncheck the box that says Show compatible hardware. Scroll down to Wacom Technology Corporation and select the <b>Wacom Serial Pen Tablet</b> driver. A warning box will pop up and just select <b>Yes. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
We're almost there. Go to <b>Start </b>and in the search box type <b>Services</b>. At the top, under Programs you should see a gear or cog icon next to Services, select that one. On my computer there were two programs that I needed to restart and alter. Scroll down until you find <b>Tablet PC Input Service</b> and right click that program. Select restart and wait for the program to restart. Now right click again and select Properties. Under the General tab <b>Startup type:</b> I left it on Automatic but some people have better luck with changing it to Manual. All this does is make the program try to start up when your computer reboots. Next go to the Recovery tab and change the First, Second, and Third failure options to <b>Restart the Service</b> for all three boxes then select Apply. Close out the dialogue box and scroll down to <b>Wacom Professional Service</b> and do the same procedure.<br />
<br />
<b>This is a very important step that you don't want to skip.</b> Turn on your Windows Firewall and any anti-virus/anti-malware programs you have. When you restart your computer one of the things that happens is that it will search for an internet connection and I don't wan't you to get any viruses because you were a dumb-ass.<br />
<br />
After the restart your graphic art tablet should be working and you should be able to set up the buttons and pen pressure. If not then try restarting the programs under Serivces. If that still doesn't work then I don't know what to tell ya. You're fucked and I can't help so please don't ask me questions about how to help you.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-87195210040138107272018-01-18T09:23:00.000-06:002018-01-18T09:23:36.673-06:00Still Life and Death: A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P2VV2gPNqGo/WjqhHUhlVRI/AAAAAAAAKP0/CeIoSik1SG0Mv8A9nnrMW6TLsIcvrQDMACLcBGAs/s1600/Still%2BLife%2Band%2BDeath%2BImage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="794" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P2VV2gPNqGo/WjqhHUhlVRI/AAAAAAAAKP0/CeIoSik1SG0Mv8A9nnrMW6TLsIcvrQDMACLcBGAs/s640/Still%2BLife%2Band%2BDeath%2BImage.png" width="451" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Thanks to my friend <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/111990897275745324442" target="_blank">Eric Lamoureux</a> from the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" target="_blank">Nerds-International G+ community</a>, this adventure was brought to
my attention. It is an interesting horror adventure for use with Savage Worlds.
Still Life and Death by Ben Baker from Melting Point Publishing is a 43-page
pdf available on DriveThruRPG. It was released on June 14, 2017 and is their
first product. Also available for pay what you want is a <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/227964/Still-Life-and-Death-Character-Pack" target="_blank">Character Pack</a> which contains 8
pregenerated characters for both Seasoned and Veteran ranks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Even
though this one starts off with a typical "please help me find my missing
loved one", it is a great adventure with a good twist. Inside you'll find
an adventure full of cultists, zombies, and a pig-ogre. It's difficult to write
a review on an adventure without spoilers but I'm gonna try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">This
adventure is an investigative horror scenario with a Lovecraftian feel. It uses
your normal playwright formula of three acts and three scenes with a
bonus/alternate scene thrown in in act three. Included in the adventure are 5
extras and 4 wildcard NPCs. One of the things that sets these NPCs apart from
other publisher's products is that Ben included what he calls Roleplay Hint's,
Appearance, and History info on each one. This helps the GM get a feel for the
characters so they can relate it to the players much better. It's clear he
spent some time thinking about the characters and how they fit into the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Throughout
the adventure Ben has included fictional snippets at the beginning of each
scene. This kind of threw me off a bit and made me wonder why he included it,
so I asked him and his response was "</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Regarding the
Fiction sections, I think sometimes it can be difficult for a writer to really
convey the mood and atmosphere they are trying to build in a game. Realistically,
I’d say that however a GM wants to run any game then as long as the players
enjoy it then it’s right for that particular group. But I wanted a way to help
give the GM more ideas for the tone and setting, and also touch on some aspects
of the larger setting that it’s not practical to do using only box text and the
like. I think the Fiction parts help break up the flow of the book. Also,
sometimes a group will find a way to really derail an adventure, and having
some fiction to plunder for inspiration can really help a struggling GM to get
the story back on track without railroading the party too heavily."</span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">It's a bit
long to be used as a convention game but I suppose you could shorten it up
enough to fit into a four-hour time slot. I believe this is more suited for
multiple game sessions. One thing I'm fairly certain of is that this has huge
potential to be a Total Party Killer. There's potential for some combat in the
first act but the next one is where the meat grinder starts with three combat
encounters back to back. If the players make it to act three, they have
their work cut out with another very deadly encounter that could turn into yet
another encounter. You may want to run away if you get the chance!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">Sometime this month or February, Ben is planning to launch a
Kickstarter campaign to fund a number of other standalone adventures and
supplements. One of which will be The Krell Effect, a modern adventure that
draws the party into a race against time to stop a crazed scientist from
unleashing chronal energy and tapping into them a seriously misguided attempt
to become ‘the immortal master of time’. He also has plans to publish a mini
encounter called Carjacked. This can be used with The Krell Effect or any other
modern adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">The last project he told me about sounds like a huge job. Ben
wants to publish a character pack for 22 Savage Worlds fantasy player
characters. Included within this pack will be separate sheets for each
character to span the ranks of Novice through Legendary. That’s a total of 132
character sheets! So keep an eye out for his Kickstarter campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">One last treat for my wonderful readers. The first 100 readers to
use this link </span><a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?discount=9e7c114d19" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif;">www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.<wbr></wbr>php?discount=9e7c114d19</span></a>
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;">will get a 20% discount on
Still Life and Death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">This barbarian would pay 4 out of 5 Jalarizan Moons for Still Life
and Death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVWyWCBjt-c/WT690VY91mI/AAAAAAAAFGs/k-HTsEIQTb0W0m8X4clWbKm4xC2bk-IZgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/4of5gramos-gold-coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SVWyWCBjt-c/WT690VY91mI/AAAAAAAAFGs/k-HTsEIQTb0W0m8X4clWbKm4xC2bk-IZgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/4of5gramos-gold-coin.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;">I'd also like to welcome the newest member of the Nerds-International family. <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/107602075115611429359" target="_blank">Gaming Ronin</a> has multiple blogs where he does reviews and talks about his experience with RPG's and other shit. Check it out at </span><span style="font-family: Bookman Old Style, serif;"><a href="http://gamingronin.blogspot.com/">http://gamingronin.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>P.S. </b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>Dont forget to check out the <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117231877652717213545" target="_blank">Nerds-Internationl Virtual Convention (NIV-Con)</a> on March 10th and 11th. It's a great way to meet new people and have a fun time gaming online.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-74951447537596478932017-12-12T06:57:00.000-06:002017-12-12T07:33:08.020-06:00Patreon and why you should care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_qhxxvHwDY/Wi_G4CzXeKI/AAAAAAAAJ7A/xP2hccisyWk97p_jy6UiL7bqxa2QJ0uNQCLcBGAs/s1600/Patreon%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="930" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_qhxxvHwDY/Wi_G4CzXeKI/AAAAAAAAJ7A/xP2hccisyWk97p_jy6UiL7bqxa2QJ0uNQCLcBGAs/s640/Patreon%2BLogo.png" width="640" /></a></div>
On December 7th, a date which will live in infamy, Patreon sent a message to patrons announcing a change to the way pledges would be managed. I've attached a pdf copy of the email I received and I highlighted the most important part of the email. <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1e62dgQod4lLSdNCTMU5BnRqqcDvtZyFp" target="_blank">You can view that email here</a>. At first I thought no big deal, it's only 2.9% +$0.35. That's about $0.37 for $1 pledges. Then I started doing the math of how much extra I'd have to pay. If I had 25 pledges of $1 each normally I'd pay $25 dollars a month but with this new service fee it will be more like $34.25 a month. That's $9.25 extra because of $0.37 per pledge. Now, I'm just small potatoes and I don't actually pledge $25 a month but that's not the point. Its abundantly clear that Patreon is targeting those who pledge smaller amounts of $1, $2, or $3. I don't know if they did any market research on this or if it was just a bold gamble on their part. It looks like they're getting greedy and patrons are starting to take notice.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the only people getting hurt by all of this are the creators. With patrons dropping like flies, the already struggling creators are losing money. I am one of those people who have discontinued all of my pledges and I just wanted to say I'm sorry to the creators I used to support. It has nothing to do with you and has everything to do with Patreon's shady business tactics. I truly hope that Patreon takes a step back and re-evaluates how much damage they've done to their brand. To me, Patreon is dead. I won't support anything via Patreon from now on. I'm willing to bet that there's someone just around the corner ready to step in and provide a fair subscription service for content creators. I wouldn't be surprised if Paypal was already working on it. After all, most of peoples pledges already get routed through Paypal anyway.<br />
<br />
I sincerely wish the creators the best of luck.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8514595937073664352.post-52361367578784661192017-11-23T10:16:00.002-06:002017-11-23T10:16:37.486-06:00Con on the Cob!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qkf5SeJBrsg/WhbuComY8OI/AAAAAAAAJYc/nV5kUZMdTwULJbZCeUlIOzAq-H-lTTFDQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="836" height="476" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qkf5SeJBrsg/WhbuComY8OI/AAAAAAAAJYc/nV5kUZMdTwULJbZCeUlIOzAq-H-lTTFDQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0346.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Today is November 24 which in the good ol' US of A means Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble, gobble. Corny, I know, but happy holidays to everyone.<br />
<br />
This is a long overdue post report of <a href="http://cononthecob.com/" target="_blank">Con on the Cob</a> and some thoughts on a game I'm a player in. Con on the Cob is a convention put on by <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Muthaoithcreations" target="_blank">Andy Hopp</a> near Cleveland Ohio. For those of you who don't know, Andy is the author and illustrator of the Savage Worlds game Low Life. This convention was a blast to be a part of. This is the most family friendly con I've ever seen. For me the best part of the con were than the group of friends that attended with me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" target="_blank">Nerds-International</a> was proudly represented at Con on the Cob by <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GaryMcCallum" target="_blank">Gary McCallum</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/109616352279883531812" target="_blank">Jamie Pierson</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/100961220574214757423" target="_blank">Blaine Wagner</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/111990897275745324442" target="_blank">Eric Lamoureux</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MatthewJones_ImaginaryTruth" target="_blank">Matthew Jones</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/105267651501016773541" target="_blank">Chris Holmes</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/113722245476845940855" target="_blank">Stephen Dragonspawn</a>, and <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/112196835704783831986" target="_blank">Tony Fanning</a>. This was the best convention I've ever been to and it was because of these people. Most of us arrived on Wednesday night before the con started. We played a couple of games but mostly just hung out in the atrium. Later that night we saw Andy and he stopped by to say hi. I had so much fun that most of the days start to blur together for me. I remember all the games just not when they were played. All of the games I played were run by the N-I folks so I can't really speak about the other games going on at the con.<br />
<br />
Thursday morning I ran Tales from the Loop: Roleplaying in the 80's that never was. This was my first time running Tales from the Loop so I was a bit apprehensive but got into the groove pretty quickly. This game was the most fun I've ever had as a GM and it was all because of the players. We started out by making some characters from the archetypes in the book plus one I made up. This took us somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. Then we introduced each character and got right into the first mystery in the book; Summer Break and Killer Birds. I think this game went so well because the players fell right into the roles. I think its because all of us at the table grew up in the 80's and they're a group of great role players. I really liked that I didn't have to make any dice rolls as the GM and I could focus more on what the players wanted to do. My job was to give them clues and see how they reacted. Fortunately they had some great ideas and I was able to roll with them. I only used two scenes from the mystery and everything else was based upon what the players wanted to do. I really like Tales from the Loop and if you don't have this yet then you really should pick it up.<br />
<br />
Later that day we had a full table of players for Blaine's game of Formula D. This was the second game I've played of Formula D. It was still a little confusing on some of the rules but nonetheless we all had lots of fun. It took us 4 hours to do 2 laps around the board.<br />
<br />
On Friday morning I was scheduled to run Savage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Overall I would say the game was a success but there were definitely some problems. I was using Palladium's Truckin' Turtles book for the adventure and the story was inconsistent at best. There were some great scenes and the players were great but the story just seemed to fall apart. I brought along some props for the players but I didn't get it to the level I had hoped to. This game will be a work in progress for sure. I also got some great feedback from the players as well. Later on in the day I met the guy who inspired me to make this game. <a href="https://plus.google.com/111307696565496762647" target="_blank">Norm Hensley</a>'s blog, <a href="http://savageboldfistblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/" target="_blank">savageboldfistblog</a> is where I got the characters from and I just needed to modify slightly because he made them using the older Savage Worlds rules.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon Tony ran a game of Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars RPG. I really wanted to play this game for two reasons. Number one its Star Wars. Come on, who doesn't want to play Star Wars. Number two was because I was always skeptical of the narrative dice system used by FFG. Tony ran a great game and it left me wanting to try the narrative dice again. We went through an entire adventure of Star Wars without once firing a weapon. Well almost. Tony really wanted to show us noobs how combat worked in FFG so he made us fight one minion group of troopers. Unfortunately I think it backfired on him just a little bit. We managed to take out the troopers before they even had a chance to do anything. By the end of this game I was just starting to grasp the concept of FFG's narrative dice. I was still a little confused on the symbols and how to utilize the effects of the dice. With Tony's help and with the help of other experienced players at the table the mechanics of the dice narration made the game run smoothly. I'm still not sold on it though.<br />
<br />
As Saturday rolled around, Chris ran a game of Edge of Primeval Thule. This is his home-brew game of FFG's Edge of the Empire mixed with Primeval Thule. Think FFG's narrative dice used with a gritty fantasy setting where Cthulhu is alive and well. I wanted to play this game because I really enjoyed reading Primeval Thule and it would give me another chance at using the narrative dice. The adventure was great and only two characters died at the very end. Chris did a great job of challenging the players and the dice system was starting to grow on me. It's still slow going when trying to interpret the dice symbols but that would come more naturally over time. My biggest confusion with this system is how to use advantage, threat, triumph, and despair. Chris was able to provide suggestions on how to use them best and it worked out well for everyone.<br />
<br />
I think Chris and Tony both did an excellent job of explaining FFG's narrative dice and I thoroughly enjoyed both games. Both of you guys are excellent GM's. After the con I find myself wanting to play FFG Star Wars and now FFG Genesys' release is just around the corner. I think my biggest complaint about the narrative dice system is the symbols on the dice. It's not intuitive as to which symbol cancels the corresponding inverse symbol. An explosion (success) cancels a triangle (failure). With the new Genesys dice coming out I think that problem will be solved.<br />
<br />
An hour later Eric ran a playtest for a new game he's writing which is tentatively called Wiseguys. This is a full blown Savage Worlds setting in a similar vein as Just Insert Imagination's smash hits Fuhgeddaboudit! and Badabing Badaboom! Eric has some great ideas for this game and the pregenerated characters were awesome. I played an Elvis impersonator who can disguise himself and impersonate others after studying the mark for a short time. He was also a cooler. This was hilarious. As a known cooler in Las Vegas, I was banned from all casino's. Of course I had to convince a casino employee to give me his uniform so I could sneak into the hotel. Then as I walked through the casino floor to the hotel everybody started losing and the machines were acting funky. Eric did a great job with his description of what happened. More wacky antics ensued and in the end we got the guy who sold us out. Keep your eye out for Wiseguys.<br />
<br />
Throughout the con we pretty much stopped the RPG's around 7pm every night. That was reserved for events and live streams. We had our own table at the con thanks to Andy and we hung out together and played card games. Gary was the evening entertainment most nights. That guy if fucking hilarious. Gary, you're the man! He convinced a police officer to allow an artist to draw a penis on his forearm. Of course when I said this con is family friendly, the evening is for adults only. All of the child friendly events were held during the day up to 7 pm. There was a costume contest, miniature golf, basketball, video arcade, swimming pool, miniature painting, and more. They even had staff to entertain and babysit the kids so the parents could partake in the convention games.<br />
<br />
I also wanted to take this time to write about a bi-weekly game I'm currently in on Wednesday nights. Mutant Year Zero from Modiphius Entertainment. We have played a few sessions of this game and I find myself getting a little bored with it. The setting, the GM, and the other players are good. It just feels like there's way too much book keeping for my tastes. We literally have to keep track of everything. Currency, food, water, status of our ark projects, and condition of our ark are most of it. We just hit a cliffhanger last night so I'm interested to see where it goes but I'm losing focus of my character how to play him. It's really hard to explain why it feels the way it does. There's social conflict in our Ark and now we just got attacked by outsiders. One of the difficult things for me is the meta knowledge. Imagine yourself as someone who has never seen a pair of scissors before. In the game your character doesn't know what they are but you know what it is and how to use them. Separating everyday common knowledge from the game and roleplaying it is difficult for me. I'm also curious to see what the others think about this game. I believe Eric said he's losing interest in the game as well but I don't want to put word in his mouth.<br />
<br />
There were many, many, many more games hosted by Nerds from the network that I didn't mention only because the blog post is getting lengthy. I didn't forget and they aren't any less memorable than the ones I mentioned here. You guys Rock! Con on the Caaaaab!<br />
<br />
P.S. Thank you to all the people I mentioned earlier for making the first annual Nerds-International gathering at Con on the Cob one I will never forget. Thank you Andy Hopp for your hard work putting on the con and letting us take over part of the atrium. I'm still waiting for you to run Low Life for us Andy, maybe next year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_T8JrBQ2I4/WUkqgeMuxXI/AAAAAAAAFLs/JFulbIaYQ388WamE9b-6S4iPuDoxo2f3ACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105871855933594998176" style="font-family: "times new roman";" target="_blank">Nerds-International Google+ community page</a></div>
Matt Starkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18356022803915643822noreply@blogger.com0