tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91544513714283828632024-03-19T08:06:45.457-05:00Gamemaster: A day in the lifeWhatever topic that catches my fancy at the time as well as whatever real life events that are gaming related.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-29545424727917799352016-09-09T09:52:00.001-05:002016-09-09T13:16:07.610-05:00Fantasy Flight and Games WorkshopWell, I don't think this is good for the gaming industry. I hope that alternate plans are about to be announced for the continuation of game lines affected and both companies are able to move forward in a profitable fashion.<br />
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<a href="https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/9/9/a-new-path-forward/" target="_blank">Fantasy Flight and Games Workshop</a><br />
<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-36880632298774746772016-08-16T15:58:00.000-05:002016-08-16T15:58:18.208-05:00Societal Entity: Dwarven Monastery<div style="text-align: center;">
What happens to a Dwarf when the citadel falls, friends and family killed and things just aren't going they way they should? Strap on the armor, sharpen the blade and charge headlong into a no-win situations, taking as many enemy with you as you can? Maybe... Or maybe, since there is no one left to tell the tale, to sing the songs or perform the toast to your valiant deed, it's time to find a refuge. Time to find a place where a clan can be remade, families rebuilt and oaths resworn.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNdn1Vh66_GvYAwPijWPZkRrGnp_V8Mr3uuKgUfo-ToujDEepkystZWOz-UIIwgjSqyJS0rlo3yBBkB_8BJd6-UVcYGtzQQJJKlWIBkSeeVFIh73IDEJCmzaZVMr4jlemf_nMQFkXdzU/s1600/tigers-nest-bhutan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNdn1Vh66_GvYAwPijWPZkRrGnp_V8Mr3uuKgUfo-ToujDEepkystZWOz-UIIwgjSqyJS0rlo3yBBkB_8BJd6-UVcYGtzQQJJKlWIBkSeeVFIh73IDEJCmzaZVMr4jlemf_nMQFkXdzU/s320/tigers-nest-bhutan.jpg" width="320" /></a>Welcome to the Alloy Halls, a Dwarven monastery dedicated to helping our wayward and lost kin find their way back to more proper pursuits. Founded generations ago by a small clan of folk who were too young to help defend their original home from a rampaging demon. Originally a series of goblin and orc caves that the youth cleaned out, Alloy Halls now sits as a bastion of opportunity for those lost Dwarves to find a purpose again.</div>
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Perhaps it seems odd to think of a Dwarf without heavy plate armor, a sculpted shield and razor sharp axe or massive hammer slicing and dicing, hammering and heaving a path of carnage through waves of foul green-skins. But let me put this image out there. A Dwarf, family slaughtered, clan destroyed, home ravaged, looks at all they had ever been taught and realizes it wasn't enough. Through either soul searching, prayers to a deity or random chance, this lost warrior finds a group who show that there are other paths, other ways. Perhaps all that time spent learning to swing a sword, practicing putting on armor and wielding a shield actually taught the Dwarf exactly how to defeat those things. A controlled hand cannot swing a sword, an uplifted shield fails in its defense against an attack from below and armor cannot cover every vital place on a body.</div>
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Fists and feet, hard as granite, knees and elbows cutting as painfully as any sword or axe, headbutts that would leave a bull stunned, the Dwarven Monks of The Alloy Halls are here to guide you, to help you, to give you purpose. Yes, you, the one who has lost the path, let us show you a new path, a bold path, a path few of our kind has ever followed. </div>
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Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-36959840437142782672016-07-07T15:50:00.000-05:002016-07-07T15:50:25.243-05:00Mage the Ascension<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let me start this by saying, I love this game, I hate this game. If you have never played, do yourself a favor and give it a shot. If you have played, you probably have some idea of what I'm saying. If you have run this game, join me at the bar, I've got the first round of scotch already poured.<br /><br />In this particular game, I've got the following:<br />
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A Virtual Adept who teaches chemistry at the local university.<br />
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A Dreamspeaker who is a librarian at the local public library.<br />
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I love watching their thoughts develop as they explain how the different magics work within their paradigm. There is much enjoyment stemming from the fact that none of them have any clue about how the World of Darkness works or how this game's mechanics work. It should be quite a fun ride as they begin to experience things that are way outside the norm.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-44785070020891408612016-05-23T15:35:00.000-05:002016-05-23T15:35:09.170-05:00Of Cursed RingsBeen thinking about cursed magic rings lately and thought I'd share some of the ones I've come up with.<br />
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Appearances</span> - 3/Day wear can cast disguise self; after each casting, base 10% chance + 5% per casting, one aspect remains disguised permanently. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Life</span> - 3/Day wearer can cast cure light wounds; wearer leaves dead footprints anywhere they walk on grass; cannot wear organic clothing or armor; significant negative reaction from any good aligned healer and/or denizen of the forest. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Raging Change</span> - 1/Day gives the wearer the Barbarian Rage ability; must enter into mortal combat at least once a day, everyday that the wearer does not enter into mortal combat, the wearer changes one physical aspect to that of the ring's previous owner.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Random Blinking</span> - +1 AC to the wearer; if the wearer is hit by an attack, the ring blinks the wearer away up to 100' (d100) in a random direction (use a d8 on a grid, d6 on a hex or d12 for no battle mat) - if the space is occupied, both occupants take d10 damage and are knocked prone to an adjacent space; if space is occupied by a solid object (tree, wall, etc.), wearer takes d10 damage and blinks to a new space.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Scrying</span> - 3/Day wearer can cast scrying; has base 50% chance + 10% per use per month to summon the closest Beholder, who now hates the caster. Beholder arrives in whatever time it takes to travel however it chooses to the caster and knows casters whereabouts at all times. Beholder can choose to see through the casters eyes up until the Beholder and caster first see each other in person. <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Sliding</span> - Wearer can cast teleport as the spell; each time the ring is used, it uses 1d4 charges from a nearby charged magical item; if no charged items are within 100', ring uses 1d6 spell levels from a spell caster; if no spell caster is within 100', ring uses 1d8 hp from wearer; has 5% base chance and +5% change per use each day to summon 1d4 Invisible Stalkers to attack wearer.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Ring of Thunderous Bolts</span> - 3/Day wearer can cast Lightning Bolt at character level, though the bolt is always centered on the caster, extending equal distance in each direction; wearer is immune to electrical damage but takes X2 damage from fire and cold.<br />
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<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-33474670453007489612016-05-05T09:52:00.000-05:002016-05-05T09:52:45.728-05:00War between the Gods<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkSjeIgOv8EESUAdekB5YYXRu_fEse2_gdvwX8WesizB27aBExfEcSOqtSxZtcVisk1sEBMzcl3_T7xR4cBbuWjaCRuLfD-uYwb6luRY3KrHsSt-I-D5ekTrbCEzswpN8diyJXI4FVzY/s1600/Mielikki_symbol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkSjeIgOv8EESUAdekB5YYXRu_fEse2_gdvwX8WesizB27aBExfEcSOqtSxZtcVisk1sEBMzcl3_T7xR4cBbuWjaCRuLfD-uYwb6luRY3KrHsSt-I-D5ekTrbCEzswpN8diyJXI4FVzY/s1600/Mielikki_symbol.jpg" /></a>In my current game, I have set the party up around <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/High_Forest" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The High Forest</span> </a>in the <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Sword_Coast" target="_blank">Sword Coast</a> area of Faerun. There is a paladin of <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Mielikki" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Mielikki</span></a><br />
and a pair of Tiefling siblings that are hellbent on causing as much chaos as possible - to the point that the paladin player considered retiring his character in favor of a PC that fit in with the Tieflings better. I urged him to wait another game session as I had a brainstorm for an event in the prior game session that had not fully played out. That event was the discovery that <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Yeenoghu" target="_blank">Yeenoghu</a> </span>had ordered his gnolls to start hunting Unicorns, which is going to piss off Mielikki and lead to a pretty interesting war.<br />
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While I like playing players off each other, especially when they are so opposite in manner and play-style, I feel like I may have overstepped my control of the game. Originally, the main story-line was supposed to focus on the PCs saving their adopted town from gnoll raiders that would lead them into The High Forest and a Centaur/Elf conflict that had pushed the gnolls out of the area. But this story seems so much more epic. I am tempted to drop the Centaur/Elf war story as they haven't really had a chance to get into it other than seeing a few skirmish groups of Centaur.<br />
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Thoughts?Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-86658852734057447272016-04-25T11:22:00.003-05:002016-04-25T11:22:50.868-05:00Downtime activitiesSo my current game also happens to be a lunch game with my co-workers. Save one person, they are all brand new to tabletop rpgs, though most have experience in digital rpgs. The party make-up is as follows:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Half-Orc Paladin</b></span> - raised by Elves<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Drow Bard</span></b> - raised by Humans<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>High Elven Wizard</b></span> - no real background story<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tiefling Rogue</b></span> (sibling to the Barbarian) - raised by deceased, Human Father<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tiefling Barbarian</b></span> (sibling to the Rogue) - raised by deceased, Human Father<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dwarf Fighter</b></span> - orphaned to the military<br />
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Under normal circumstances, I'd just throw them in a couple dungeons and not worry about the social situations. However, as it is a limited time-available game where players may not be able to play due to work requirements, I have set-up the theater of action to be close to a Human town. This allows me to "excuse" players easily. Also, I have allowed them to create a justification for absences so that they stay engaged in the story. For example, the Dwarf had to miss the last two sessions where the party escorted a caravan back and forth from a trade center, bringing in the last of the winter supplies. He spent the time preparing the cave system the town uses for storage.<br />
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So why am I telling you this? Because we all need some downtime activities. So here's some ideas I had.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Training with a local expert - martial or skill oriented.</li>
<li>Prepping the ______________ for the upcoming ________________.</li>
<li>Researching a particular topic.</li>
<li>Creating a new piece of equipment.</li>
<li>Attending to a family members needs.</li>
<li>Attending to a professional organizations needs.</li>
<li>Being sick.</li>
<li>Training animals.</li>
<li>Summoned by local nobility - good or ill.</li>
<li>Constructing/repairing a building. </li>
</ol>
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Mostly just some random thoughts on a random Monday.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-46576029228218327452016-04-19T06:30:00.000-05:002016-04-19T15:41:50.459-05:00Building a magical item: Metals<div>
Before I went on hiatus for several years due to family and work
commitments, I had started this series on item construction, now I'm
finishing it up.<br />
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Sometimes, you get a player who is so heavily invested in the game and character development, that little things like item construction play a critical role. Sometimes I like this, sometimes I find it a bit frustrating, but most of the time, I'm the player asking these questions. <br />
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Since metal serves as the base for almost all weapons and armor in fantasy games, it is useful to know what does what and how. So, here we go...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Popular Types of Construction Metal:</i></span><br />
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If you are shooting for running a game with a very ancient feel, stone, copper and bronze make for good options to look into as your primary source of weapons and armor. As for making items in a more advanced setting, these items make for good inlays. As do the more precious metals like silver, gold and platinum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W8UTOJEJ5mAv6WmldObZHLbudsTgChMLd2VEwvGGHOAS_JqSS7xuwtuTXxFPkePHmgsxKm6Hw86ardr3IUPG6NiWP8uUJcqVWRgky2H5HX1Q5FYyR1UwfZHF9M1A-gihpXIHKyldsec/s1600/bronze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_W8UTOJEJ5mAv6WmldObZHLbudsTgChMLd2VEwvGGHOAS_JqSS7xuwtuTXxFPkePHmgsxKm6Hw86ardr3IUPG6NiWP8uUJcqVWRgky2H5HX1Q5FYyR1UwfZHF9M1A-gihpXIHKyldsec/s1600/bronze.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bronze </span></b>is an alloy<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy" title="Alloy"></a> consisting primarily of copper<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper" title="Copper"></a>, commonly with about 12% tin<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin" title="Tin"></a> and often with the addition of other metals and sometimes non-metals.
These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than
copper alone, or have other useful properties, such as stiffness, ductility<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility" title="Ductility"></a> or machinability.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSWa3Fmb1tRxy8uN4b4HjpZCxC00owIl9Eef1jC6T8dJBIJJlJ0RDPabJ45CJuGSE2UjQMzXH9DjV2Y-f3ykMbNuy9ccy93A6jDuinmQcRgiK8lOiD-_gVFTKbY1CS1KHxf5vEHZaD8k/s1600/iron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSWa3Fmb1tRxy8uN4b4HjpZCxC00owIl9Eef1jC6T8dJBIJJlJ0RDPabJ45CJuGSE2UjQMzXH9DjV2Y-f3ykMbNuy9ccy93A6jDuinmQcRgiK8lOiD-_gVFTKbY1CS1KHxf5vEHZaD8k/s1600/iron.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iron </b></span>is relatively soft<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelting" title="Smelting"></a>. Crude iron metal is produced in blast furnaces. The material is significantly hardened and strengthened by impurities, in particular carbon from the smelting process. A certain proportion of carbon produces steel<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel" title="Steel"></a>, which may be up to 1000 times harder than pure iron.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Steel </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(popular iron alloy) </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FwmK9OT6RuRCuStxwBQ5kJYKBlrh0AJVmHrgjQ75KnVSEc7MtraKCqdt0LOpfi00-37nf4eicA8qa1Pk6wXhOgj4E8hhsWYORtPZb_3fK-UdvdksVJAV569Nu2PmhqTl94ggro6tJA4/s1600/Titan-crystal_bar.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FwmK9OT6RuRCuStxwBQ5kJYKBlrh0AJVmHrgjQ75KnVSEc7MtraKCqdt0LOpfi00-37nf4eicA8qa1Pk6wXhOgj4E8hhsWYORtPZb_3fK-UdvdksVJAV569Nu2PmhqTl94ggro6tJA4/s320/Titan-crystal_bar.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Titanium </span></b>is a lustrous metal with a silver color, low density and high strength. It is highly resistant to corrosion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYOKIgXqCV_7rg1QkErd9n6sLQqZVBoJnD8aPjk2owQcY5JAtxOWJxuUPFng5O9brLYJT6CGW9gFbu6MmetHWy5YUiO5U1h9IvT6zAWsOcadjP-_KmDnl_hMni7LUjIsLYv_8cOJTKR4/s1600/mithril.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYOKIgXqCV_7rg1QkErd9n6sLQqZVBoJnD8aPjk2owQcY5JAtxOWJxuUPFng5O9brLYJT6CGW9gFbu6MmetHWy5YUiO5U1h9IvT6zAWsOcadjP-_KmDnl_hMni7LUjIsLYv_8cOJTKR4/s1600/mithril.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mithril </b></span>resembles silver but is stronger than steel, and much lighter in weight than either. It was originally introduced by the fantasy writings of Tolkien.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Adamantium and Vibranium </span></b>are fictional metal alloys appearing in Marvel Comics. The strength and uses of these "metals" has become the stuff of comic book legend.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Popular Types of Inlay Metal:</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Gold </span></b>is bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable<span style="color: black;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleable" title="Malleable"></a></span> and ductile. <br />
Gold helps to improve one’s character via education and learning
oneself better; as well as lessening the trauma that is sometimes
associated with the situations that are experienced during which the
knowledge is gained. As it is through many necessary experiences that
Gold will help one to gain knowledge. <br />
Legend tells us that it has masculine qualities ruled by the sun. It is told that Topaz in a Gold setting will disperse
enchantments, and that Ruby in a Gold setting may refresh one’s body by
absorbing energy from the sun.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPb6kQn8w2YP_ApjvWacFOHxTMY9LLwSan55KTOEZ0LQ-hZ9i_7pA-jJkW4Q22ENeft-t8BYpgR7vPiUormWuMRgopeXqo1_4kViYK2zbUheMUCZOJcWrDfTuOwKIKzJOmgnGIFCKg0U/s1600/gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPb6kQn8w2YP_ApjvWacFOHxTMY9LLwSan55KTOEZ0LQ-hZ9i_7pA-jJkW4Q22ENeft-t8BYpgR7vPiUormWuMRgopeXqo1_4kViYK2zbUheMUCZOJcWrDfTuOwKIKzJOmgnGIFCKg0U/s1600/gold.jpg" /></a>Gold is said to clear away negativity, having the ability to
transform energy and negativity. One must be prudent with its use, as
it is told that it may bring greed to the soul. <br />
Gold is traditionally called The Master Healer. It is an excellent
substance for purification of the entire body. Producing an energy that
is both receptive and cooperative, Gold allows for extensive use with
gemstones, as it is capable of attracting, holding and stabilizing the
influence of any stone one chooses to use.<br />
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Intimately linked with divinity, Gold is particularly useful with any
and all deity associated with the Sun. Magicians working exclusively
with the Sun or solar energy, wearing gold during rituals is said to
assisting in attuning with that power source.<br />
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Gold is the most magically potent of all metals, and is
utilized to lend its magic energy to rituals. Worn during spells and
rituals, it will enhance the ability to build and send forth energy
where it is directed.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Silver </span></b>is a soft, white, lustrous metal, it possesses the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and reflectivity<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflectivity" title="Reflectivity"></a> of any metal. The metal occurs naturally in its pure, free form (native silver), as an alloy<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy" title="Alloy"></a> with gold (electrum)<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold" title="Gold"></a> and other metals<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorargyrite" title="Chlorargyrite"></a>.<br />
While Gold is beautiful, impressive and inspires power; the calmer,
more tolerant attitude that surrounds Silver is more enjoyable and
pleasant. Like gold, silver symbolized wealth and prosperity, Silver is
the metal of emotions, of the psychic mind, and of loving as well as
healing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlvW8LxFTE73hxnGJzABYsOWj4TjWgw27p8lLQwIEO_88Dr6cXc4g0E3n1R43CsjiUY-Ml92N4Y23fTrP8U71SS7OyVCR5FnUbPbqMxECPtkk7lkqhri0qVpTe6y3bSZB7m3GvtQgi8o/s1600/silver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlvW8LxFTE73hxnGJzABYsOWj4TjWgw27p8lLQwIEO_88Dr6cXc4g0E3n1R43CsjiUY-Ml92N4Y23fTrP8U71SS7OyVCR5FnUbPbqMxECPtkk7lkqhri0qVpTe6y3bSZB7m3GvtQgi8o/s1600/silver.jpg" width="320" /></a>Quite early in human history it was noticed that liquids kept in Silver containers remained
fresh and pure longer. <br />
Numerous legends, traditions and myths have grown up around this
bright reflective mineral. Certain purification rites practiced by the
Egyptians called for special basins made of Silver. Such practices even
find their way into contemporary rituals as well. With Catholic,
Anglican and Lutheran religions, their chalices for mass must be
constructed of Gold, Silver or Vermeil.<br />
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Silver is told to bring advantage to its wearer
throughout life. It is used to conjure patience and perseverance to the
wearer, and it used extensively with gemstones due to the fact that the
metal attracts and retains the qualities emitted by the stones.</div>
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It is known to enhance the powers of the moon,
particularly during the full and new moons. Throughout the world it is
identified with the lunar manifestations of the Great Mother, the
eternal goddess. As the metal is reflective, as the moon reflects the
light of the sun, so does silver reflect negativity from the wearer.
Tiny silver globes, or any sliver jewelry can be worn for magical
security; used to provide protection again evil intent, reflecting
spells of harm back to the sender.</div>
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Silver can also be used to enhance one’s psychic
abilities, as it is a psychic-influencing metal. When worn it stimulates
one’s psychic awareness but simultaneously lulls the conscious, so as
not to overwhelm. Donning silver jewelry before sleep is another method
of producing psychic dreams. If the piece is set with moonstone or other
gemstone with psychic properties the effects will be more powerful.</div>
There is a long history and tradition of healing associated with
Silver. It is believed that Silver is antibacterial of sorts. A
disinfectant for the human body that boosts your immunity. <br />
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In many ancient cultures, silver was used to purify
water and in the prevention of festering of wounds. </div>
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Energy workers will find this metal a wonderful conduit
for sending energy to a patient. It can also be used to help channel the
energies of gemstones in healing, particularly: Turquoise, Carnelian,
Moonstone, Amethyst and Quartz are excellent healing stones to channel
with Silver.</div>
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Gemstones that you are working with are more powerful
set or wrapped in silver. It has almost no vibrational impact on the
stones, quite the opposite in fact, it will enhance the connection
between the wearer and the stone, allowing for a gentle flow of energy
between the two. It is said that over time that the silver will in fact
absorb and reflect the same energy as the stone it is set in.</div>
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Practitioners of astral travel may like using Silver as
an anchor as they move from one reality to another. It provides a kind
of energy beam or signal trace that allows you to always “see” where
your physical body is. So you aren’t distracted by the fear of not being
able to return.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Copper </span></b>is a soft, malleable and ductile<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility" title="Ductility"></a> metal with very high thermal<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivity" title="Thermal conductivity"></a> and electrical conductivity
A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a reddish-orange color. It
is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material,
and as a constituent of various metal alloys<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alloy" title="Alloy"></a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLWEwOR7qhO3dJ40H7-b_Imp7MHewBxYuYrckE5wkJ2xrhUKgSgH12RP8Gw1g_fnI2g5-GYbWasWbs3GN3pf63-se6IT2PJJJKHypmr6Tl4E1-4KEK8ZMI6j80ij6P3x7xnq7XZHeyT4/s1600/copper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLWEwOR7qhO3dJ40H7-b_Imp7MHewBxYuYrckE5wkJ2xrhUKgSgH12RP8Gw1g_fnI2g5-GYbWasWbs3GN3pf63-se6IT2PJJJKHypmr6Tl4E1-4KEK8ZMI6j80ij6P3x7xnq7XZHeyT4/s1600/copper.jpg" /></a>As Copper is a conductor of heat and electricity, it is also
considered a conductor of one’s spiritual energy, moving it back and
forth between people, auras, crystals, and the spirit world. Said to be
able to amplify one’s thoughts, sending and receiving psychic
communication.<br />
Also said to combat laziness and lethargy, passivity as well as
non-acceptance of oneself.<br />
Said to be the bestower of good and the bringer of luck, Copper is
said to especially bring positive energy in the recovery of property or
possessions when lost or fallen into the wrong hands.<br />
Copper is said to attract money. And although pennies are no longer
crafted of copper, those produced in earlier years have been placed in
and about one’s kitchen to draw wealth to the household.<br />
<div align="left">
Physically, Copper is said to stabilize and balance the
flow of blood within the body, assisting to increase circulatory
functions of the blood system. Said to help cleanse wounds as well as
fighting bacterial infection, as well as arthritis, rheumatism, and to
simulate the metabolic functions of the body. Helpful with the
alleviation of cramp like symptoms, promoting the proper functioning of
the glands, and to prevent the daily wear and tear of the joints.</div>
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Long used to stimulate healing of all types, it is said
to be linked to Copper’s ability to balance the body’s polarities, as
well as the flow of projective and receptive energies. Pure copper is
often worn to prevent illness, motion sickness and any disease due to
unbalance.</div>
<div align="left">
Copper is generally worn on the opposite side of one’s dominant hand; thus the left hand if one is right handed.</div>
<div align="left">
History and ancient texts indicate that Copper has long
been linked with the Divine, attributed to the Queen of Heaven, as well
as all goddesses associated with the planet Venus. Being a well known
conductor of electricity, modern day practitioners fashion wands of
copper tubing or adorn wands with copper wire or pieces.</div>
<div align="left">
Used in rituals to call on the Goddess, Copper has a permanent place on the altar and most all rituals and spells of any kind.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mercury </span></b>is commonly known as <b>quicksilver</b>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_%28element%29#cite_note-3"></a></sup> A heavy<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_%28chemistry%29" title="Heavy metal (chemistry)"></a>, silvery<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-block" title="D-block"></a> element, mercury is the only metallic element that is liquid at STP.<br />
It is the stuff of legend, the key to alchemy and witchcraft, a
deadly poison and yet also a potent medicine. We use it to weigh the
air, generate reflections and also to measure our temperature.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aR0Y6JHj953eKSyhBeXoE9FyI8CEts4Jb9gAOpbj2nG0gSATUN-1Fo9SSpEWifgwhDelSYf-TM-tPRtsEkNt5xmNLj72GGwe69Q84jxvWKGXkiCdssT4Htu9BGm5AaNj2XmuntzGM8g/s1600/Pouring_liquid_mercury_bionerd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aR0Y6JHj953eKSyhBeXoE9FyI8CEts4Jb9gAOpbj2nG0gSATUN-1Fo9SSpEWifgwhDelSYf-TM-tPRtsEkNt5xmNLj72GGwe69Q84jxvWKGXkiCdssT4Htu9BGm5AaNj2XmuntzGM8g/s1600/Pouring_liquid_mercury_bionerd.jpg" width="295" /></a>Mercury
is poisonous, rots the brain and is a general menace.<br />
Quicksilver, the old name for
mercury, is a heavy metallic element, 13.5 times denser than water. This
density gives rise to some of mercury's most fascinating properties. If
you built a bath of mercury and jumped in, you would break your bones. <br />
Once in, you would bob around on the surface like an insect on water, barely sinking in an inch. <br />
If
you had the balance you could easily walk on mercury and it is possible
to play billiards on a mercury bath - the balls would only sink a
fraction of an inch. <br />
To
touch cold mercury feels like, well, nothing else on Earth. Not liquid,
not solid, but cold, clammy - like cold, fresh liver. Thanks
to the fact that almost anything will float in mercury baths, they were
traditionally used as a low-friction rotation mechanism for the giant
mirrors in lighthouses. <br />
Historically, man has always treated quicksilver with a mixture of fear and respect.<br />
Fear because it is toxic, and respect both for its strange properties and its supposed medical uses. <br />
The
vapours given off by this extraordinary element are highly toxic. Animal skins were dipped in a solution of mercuric
nitrate which turned the fur into a matted felt. The fumes given off by
this process poisoned the brains of anyone in the vicinity, causing an
epidemic of psychiatric problems among workers in the hat industry,
hence the phrase "as mad as a hatter". <br />
It
may be dangerous, but mercury is also extremely useful. Mercury dissolves aluminium. Mercury's
otherworldliness has always been recognised. In China, India and Tibet,
mercury compounds were thought to prolong life (although they often had
the opposite effect). <br />
The Hindi word for alchemy is
"Rassayana", which means "the way of mercury". Alchemists thought
mercury was a primordial element, the first matter from which all metals
were formed. <br />
Mercury was thought to be the key to the
transformation of base metals into gold (the holy grail of alchemy),
perhaps because the noblest and most precious of metals actually
dissolves in the stuff.<br />
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Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-76101680622963635842016-04-18T17:30:00.000-05:002016-04-19T15:26:30.890-05:00Backing a Kickstarter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyt2FQrvcs82kgjsxiIPMy4oeqeNuFsitYiryNPJPViqKyronb7gUIi6pofngKcW37OFEQVIaOEDe0Z1c_XuzPiFK6agPTA2qa06OxFjhBNwA-iLVtTMiFg0Hh76Bob_KtSVtCbkKlAcE/s1600/3a3aa628d131397e923055e6ff6ffab9_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyt2FQrvcs82kgjsxiIPMy4oeqeNuFsitYiryNPJPViqKyronb7gUIi6pofngKcW37OFEQVIaOEDe0Z1c_XuzPiFK6agPTA2qa06OxFjhBNwA-iLVtTMiFg0Hh76Bob_KtSVtCbkKlAcE/s320/3a3aa628d131397e923055e6ff6ffab9_original.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It would seem that my long hibernation from gaming may be coming to an end. If you have a few bucks, consider throwing them this way.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kck.st/235WAeM" target="_blank">Katanas & Trenchcoats Kickstarter</a><br />
<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-55180472027389144452015-01-05T11:29:00.000-06:002015-01-05T11:29:01.664-06:00Building a magical item: Items of Wood<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wood is one of the most fundamental items used by man, it provides material for weapons, fire, lodging, pretty much anything early man needed to get on about their day. Today we have improvements over some of the original uses of wood, metal for weapons, coal/petroleum/gas for fire, concrete for lodging, but wood is still just about the most used item.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, let's take a look at all the wonderful and wondrous items we can make with wood and which woods might make the best version of a magical item. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First stop, <span style="font-size: large;">WANDS:</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXS1h5TDgxGSRTPBHRpNvOFNKSrXBVi8IAWMT63D2NfVQAGVhrQ8W6DQ-Kjf9MQBo8mqbUkaLAfRE_aq_oUNzU7zD-_R8ePhtG9EkknpYCsSn72IFQdiZ5paHVtKEcoKmpt-GP4_sHUi0/s1600/wd-ye006_-_12.75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXS1h5TDgxGSRTPBHRpNvOFNKSrXBVi8IAWMT63D2NfVQAGVhrQ8W6DQ-Kjf9MQBo8mqbUkaLAfRE_aq_oUNzU7zD-_R8ePhtG9EkknpYCsSn72IFQdiZ5paHVtKEcoKmpt-GP4_sHUi0/s320/wd-ye006_-_12.75.jpg" height="170" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, kinda cliche to list wands first, but they are a foundation piece in D&D. Intricately carved or naturally grown, straight and true or gnarled and wicked, wands come in all shapes, but generally not all sizes. What is one to do when wanting to craft that particular wand? Since wands can hold charges of just about any low level spell, the options really are too many to list here. But a few examples would be:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: yellow;">Lightning </span>- you will want a wand crafted from a tree that has been hit by lightning and survived.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;">Fireball </span>- you will want a wand crafted from a tree that has some fire resistance or that burned in a forest fire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: black; color: magenta;">Magic Missile</span> - as the spell manifestation is unique to each caster, the decision here is up to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Healing</span> - you will want a wand crafted from a tree known to have healing properties (such as birch or willow for the salicylic acid they contain<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">)</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeYF5rBAR2luyv0LlheKiZf1eBzgIeD8GAuqvgxjo63Tc1OAzxD0G6o-WUesrOyKEHFxUj-uecrlg_xkgWPOseF9yzYrQ379OIb0LuN5t1MXZX9Jz2kPCONRW_yIB6RkMJFcvtv3bOoc/s1600/janka-woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeYF5rBAR2luyv0LlheKiZf1eBzgIeD8GAuqvgxjo63Tc1OAzxD0G6o-WUesrOyKEHFxUj-uecrlg_xkgWPOseF9yzYrQ379OIb0LuN5t1MXZX9Jz2kPCONRW_yIB6RkMJFcvtv3bOoc/s400/janka-woods.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a><span style="line-height: 16px;">Next up, <span style="font-size: large;">Staffs and Hafts:</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Here, you will likely want a wood that is solid and strong, something with an appealing grain and texture. Waxwood has gained popularity in use as a staff, but traditionally we look to the ash, hickory and oak trees as sources. I can see this being a good opportunity to get in some role-playing or to flesh out your characters area contacts - perhaps they know a Treant who would assist in finding a suitable log or Druid that knows of a recently felled tree. Conversely, the PC could make an enemy out of said individuals by taking a tree without permission. If one is using the legacy concept of magic item evolution (my grandfather's axe), then by all means, make sure to use the same kind of wood that was previously used.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeVfQpCiBTrhNLAF3_gKWYRN0TC-FWwluGIU_3Nj3PsLYSvrk-WErp2_SVlWpDqltRfvgTEboZEZIYA4RCZI4AVmLnCenRqSdix4xvKfJbJfNn-ZiRgSTMzHV0oIwU-KKHHp6HSO__08/s1600/walloffame2_sml.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeVfQpCiBTrhNLAF3_gKWYRN0TC-FWwluGIU_3Nj3PsLYSvrk-WErp2_SVlWpDqltRfvgTEboZEZIYA4RCZI4AVmLnCenRqSdix4xvKfJbJfNn-ZiRgSTMzHV0oIwU-KKHHp6HSO__08/s320/walloffame2_sml.JPG" height="320" width="281" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;">BOWS and ARROWS:</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">This has always been a bit of a tricky subject to me, some games attribute magical properties to the bow, some games attribute it to the arrows and some games to both (making for a very power combination). I tend to lean to the side saying the bow is magical and imparts that magic onto the projectile unless the arrow is a specific item (arrow of dragon/giant/etc slaying). Yew and Elm seem to be popular choices, but any hardwood should be considered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Defensive items:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzTniCFLr9WXhJnwDyeHYjtM6NAonw5oNti-HQhVRAzDAaKlja4Bb1ReRkYxDPE2wH_VoET0z1a_fcJFT0OZJ5v8fJs2Vz73qY5Ibevp7XAb-S-S5SLhpEHcXu7V2V3DO1wjhyphenhyphenrDAggU/s1600/600476-wooden_mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzTniCFLr9WXhJnwDyeHYjtM6NAonw5oNti-HQhVRAzDAaKlja4Bb1ReRkYxDPE2wH_VoET0z1a_fcJFT0OZJ5v8fJs2Vz73qY5Ibevp7XAb-S-S5SLhpEHcXu7V2V3DO1wjhyphenhyphenrDAggU/s1600/600476-wooden_mail.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
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Most tanks are going to want a shield and wooden shields are historically very common. Some games create wooden armor and this is historically accurate in certain areas of the world and certain time periods. Oak seems to be the wood of choice, then covered in hides and capped with metal. The sizes and shapes obviously depend on the source. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqItcmpY30b2H3NoMtD0zfvnbcRGeCuWDm23sOfGnAgCZiEFTIEMR1vOb-fh15EFUJHy3NOLlfig6LbbKMBhsWxLC-HAxSsN11tjt2hIWlsBk78Xzjq8qA7VyTzoPWvOXOXf5mJl6l9tA/s1600/shield1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqItcmpY30b2H3NoMtD0zfvnbcRGeCuWDm23sOfGnAgCZiEFTIEMR1vOb-fh15EFUJHy3NOLlfig6LbbKMBhsWxLC-HAxSsN11tjt2hIWlsBk78Xzjq8qA7VyTzoPWvOXOXf5mJl6l9tA/s1600/shield1.jpg" height="175" width="200" /></a></div>
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I can see a big, ancient oak that has been hit by lightning several times and survived a couple of forest fires providing material for a lot of shields, staffs, hafts, wands, arrows and bows. When it doubt, talk to an elf or druid, those Treants are hard to find unless you've pissed them off!<br />
<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-42725924725160383722013-12-19T15:37:00.000-06:002013-12-19T15:37:16.444-06:00Of Teaching Of Tables Of Tops <div class="MsoNormal">
Good morning class, welcome to Tabletop Gaming 1003. The "1" designates that you do not
know anything about the subject and the "3" designates how many hours
of credit this class is worth. For the
life of me, I never knew what the middle numbers were used for other than
complicating my life when trying to make sure I had the easy teacher.</div>
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How about
we start today with understanding what tabletop gaming really is. It is not <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Scrabble, Checkers or
Tic-Tac-Toe</span>. It might be <span style="font-size: x-small;">Monopoly, Sorry
or Apples-to-Apples</span>, but let's be honest, that crap is for strict Christian
family night at home or the church picnic.
Family's who's kids are one high school graduation away from being shown
what the real world is (note: there is a time and place for everything and it's
called college, if you didn't do stupid shit in college, you missed out). Now quick, you can jump over to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop_game">Wikipedia</a> and read some douche
bag's idea of what constitutes tabletop gaming...OR...we can toss your ass into
the fire and see if it burns.</div>
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Tabletop gaming comes in five basic styles: <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Strategy</span>, <span style="color: blue;">Chance</span>,
<span style="color: yellow;">Miniature</span>, <span style="color: lime;">Card</span> and <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: purple;">Role-Playing</span></span></span>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6dLEIWlCNg8FJa1BMRW07AY_P7Tay9WETVjY6RPHVhEnSjQMv1-tcqB520dmNbsOATiVRUffo7JihoylmRs8ehSX1UwGv4hkpI43hoQXL8o_EDA1S9lqKOQ6Thew4kOsda-fX9YuVDg/s1600/chess_pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6dLEIWlCNg8FJa1BMRW07AY_P7Tay9WETVjY6RPHVhEnSjQMv1-tcqB520dmNbsOATiVRUffo7JihoylmRs8ehSX1UwGv4hkpI43hoQXL8o_EDA1S9lqKOQ6Thew4kOsda-fX9YuVDg/s320/chess_pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Strategy</span> (sometimes
called European) is based on planning your moves, anticipating what your
opponent(s) will do and reacting to minor changes in the gaming
environment. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9154451371428382863#editor/target=post;postID=8546806434655843882;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=28;src=postname">Lords
of Waterdeep</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne_(board_game)">Carcassonne</a>
are decent representations of this style.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_DICX2K2DRxqEmG3DneBOLiP3ACcQ_5POd_5wAZzL6syr5Kzn3kV7SH2OwGTSrSYrwS33J4k9k8VBrEmT4CO9f9w55OFEFUM5fKgsW38N2IzIBOMYGcfEJXFIBeYrJgp9Fnb50NdlrQ/s1600/chance-dice-random-numbers-1-AHD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_DICX2K2DRxqEmG3DneBOLiP3ACcQ_5POd_5wAZzL6syr5Kzn3kV7SH2OwGTSrSYrwS33J4k9k8VBrEmT4CO9f9w55OFEFUM5fKgsW38N2IzIBOMYGcfEJXFIBeYrJgp9Fnb50NdlrQ/s320/chance-dice-random-numbers-1-AHD.jpg" width="250" /></a> <span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Chance</span>
(also called American) is based on random events that can radically change the
game, game environment or game progression with a roll of the die or a pull of
the card. <a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=30">Cosmic
Encounter</a> is dice-less, but is so random that the game can turn on one card
being pulled from the deck, while <a href="http://www.daysofwonder.com/smallworld/en/">SmallWorld</a> may or may not
require dice depending on your decisions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HzDgj_DAQdlTEGvhQc2wD9ZS88U6f-SqOnjSf_XDwITZB0S-EI6djyNFNjePe6v3skehkL5cXQPl8yoOSoqaocWyNzX2s7H4NI3HVYDix_lIWnlqgMefJ397YWaUtqW1om6ylrD7JmA/s1600/miniatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HzDgj_DAQdlTEGvhQc2wD9ZS88U6f-SqOnjSf_XDwITZB0S-EI6djyNFNjePe6v3skehkL5cXQPl8yoOSoqaocWyNzX2s7H4NI3HVYDix_lIWnlqgMefJ397YWaUtqW1om6ylrD7JmA/s320/miniatures.jpg" width="320" /></a> <span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">Miniature</span>
games require boards, miniature pieces and often lots of money to invest in the
pieces and time to invest in their customizations. <a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing.jsp?catId=cat1300182&rootCatGameStyle=wh&amp;_requestid=544463">Warhammer</a>
(and its 40K version) and <a href="http://www.catalystgamelabs.com/leviathans/">Leviathans</a>
represent miniature gaming very well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2DJiyX6ZhbMeb7VMxTuOPcd128LKLvN59rG_mburm6nJdlJ99XidLpUltX7WT1KR3hkjxXx4TJOhhdVgrswj0isM-XRno6p97OcS05UMEdfgSLElEC7JDfgQBCj4AYEv2zIl6H9CMKQ/s1600/200px-Magic_the_gathering-card_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2DJiyX6ZhbMeb7VMxTuOPcd128LKLvN59rG_mburm6nJdlJ99XidLpUltX7WT1KR3hkjxXx4TJOhhdVgrswj0isM-XRno6p97OcS05UMEdfgSLElEC7JDfgQBCj4AYEv2zIl6H9CMKQ/s1600/200px-Magic_the_gathering-card_back.jpg" /></a> <span style="background-color: black; color: lime; font-size: large;">Card</span> games
generally involve either pre-building a deck before the game starts - <a href="http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Summoner/">Magic: The Gathering</a> or as
the game progresses - <a href="http://ascensiongame.com/">Ascension</a>.</div>
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Finally, we
get to <span style="background-color: black; color: purple; font-size: large;">Role-Playing</span> games for the tabletop.
Traditionally, this has meant <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/">Dungeons
and Dragons</a> or any of its numerous derivatives. However, <a href="http://company.wizards.com/">Wizards
of the Coast</a> got the idea a few years ago to introduce a true board game
version and they did it quite well with <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/207790000">Castle
Ravenloft</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/214420000">Wrath
of Ashardalon</a> and <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/355940000">Legend
of Drizzt</a>. However, others are there
as well, <a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=172">Game
of Thrones</a> or <a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite.asp?eidm=176">Descent</a>
fill in quite nicely. </div>
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So, now you
have some idea of the plethora of games and game types available out
there. In the next installment, we look
into some of the digitized versions of these games.</div>
Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-78598541114762353582013-10-07T07:30:00.000-05:002013-10-07T09:37:50.300-05:00Of Fans Of Fantasy Of Football<div class="MsoNormal">
Of Fans Of Fantasy Of Football</div>
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Many years ago, I asked my father why he was a fan of the
St. Louis Cardinals. He responded with
some long drawn out diatribe on why the Cardinals were a great franchise and
why true mid-westerners rooted for the "Cards" and not the "Cubbies"
or some other random team in the mid-west.
Then he went on to say that, he did not like to think of himself as a
"fan", but rather someone who enjoyed the games played by the
Cardinals. "Huh, why don't you want
to be a 'fan'? Because fan is short for <b>fanatic</b> and I don't want to be
considered crazy."</div>
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<b>Fanatic</b> - a
person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or
politics. Synonyms: <i>enthusiast</i>, zealot, bigot, hothead, militant...you get the idea...</div>
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Therefore, this got me thinking about the word 'fantasy' and
its origins. </div>
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<b>Fantasy</b> -
imagination, especially when extravagant and <i>unrestrained</i>. <b><i><u>OH
THERE IT IS!!!!</u></i></b> </div>
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<i>Unrestrained</i>,
sounds a lot like <i>enthusiast</i>, which
just happens to tie into <b>fanatic</b>,
which brings me around to FANTASY FOOTBALL, aka Dungeons and Dragons for jocks
(yes, you've seen the meme). </div>
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A bunch of people <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(mostly guys with personal hygiene issues) </span>sitting in a room
looking at numbers, hoping for random chance to fall their way, anxiously awaiting
a specific day of the week, or going overboard and participating multiple times
a week. Initially it starts out cheap,
free leagues, borrowing a friend's books; before long, you are buying used
copies and paying just a $5 entry fee.
Somewhere down the line, you have started your own league <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(gaming group)</span>, have
hundreds of dollars tied up in franchise players <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(dice, rulebooks, beloved PCs)</span>. You have a completely new group of friends <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(more like you, less
like...people)</span> that you see and talk too regularly, your old friends are
still around, but they do not get you now. Entities that you have no <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">reasonable expectation </span>of
ever interacting with have become critical to your <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">happiness,</span> <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">completion </span>and <span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">success</span>.
How does one cope? How does one
go on? How does one make sure not to
bench the RB3 who is going to have a monster game against a defense rated 25th
against the run? It will be ok,
right? I can bench Tony Gonzalez and
play Vernon Davis against the depleted Arizona secondary this week, right? Wait,
am I playing the Arizona defense this week in my PPR league? Do I go with swinging a 2-hander or sword and
board, with the plate armor? </div>
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After all, it is just fantasy...right?</div>
Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-19504457321293449742013-09-29T21:22:00.000-05:002013-09-29T21:22:18.996-05:00Shifting FocusInevitably, when I make a decision about starting or stopping something, an event occurs that changes what I just stated. Well, it happened, I've gotten an opportunity to write for the on-line site - <a href="http://lightlybuzzed.com/">Lightly Buzzed</a>. I get to cross post my articles here, which is good, but I'm not sure how well the formatting will translate. Regardless, this should be a fun and interesting new endeavor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4nPJIpwKeJG185KRnyzMK8QI4FwmAmCKgclQHsew2hINJ8VpzIeg-E9Fa52G_iaxILS04ZKVQEJyx3G3yVzQydV3Mt0hIAy2Aq9SE5_2UYX7pusdKp3qcxuCz2-MVg7q1TOCOisIubw/s1600/buzzy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4nPJIpwKeJG185KRnyzMK8QI4FwmAmCKgclQHsew2hINJ8VpzIeg-E9Fa52G_iaxILS04ZKVQEJyx3G3yVzQydV3Mt0hIAy2Aq9SE5_2UYX7pusdKp3qcxuCz2-MVg7q1TOCOisIubw/s320/buzzy.jpeg" width="319" /></a></div>
<br /><br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-77753917741318199612013-09-14T10:18:00.001-05:002013-09-14T10:18:44.938-05:00Accursed KickstarterSome time ago, I thought that I would have time to actively run an interesting blog. That time has come and gone unless something happens that really changes the status quo. In the meantime, here's a kickstarter for a friend of mine's game - he's a long-time professional in the gaming industry. Check it out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231173913/accursed-rpg?ref=tag">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1231173913/accursed-rpg?ref=tag</a><br />
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<a href="http://rosswatson.blogspot.se/2013/09/accursed-my-first-kickstarter.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5M9om7B8dffF0tPGvmUSuBwslK95KfhynPKO2AwVRk57M8V5GPvkYcZ4uQSR4I8E8HyR6Ig-jDg8st5gE_8P3dnJaOQh3DhzvGBy21YR-Nc1l3nyyKanlxaQTiwEr-VRdeowcGWpgL8/s1600/logo2blogger+(1).png" /></a></div>
<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-53929040289869481462013-01-24T07:30:00.000-06:002013-01-26T14:10:47.207-06:00Building a magical item: The Crafting Process While I will not even begin to claim I know anything about forging metal, crafting bows, carving wood or stone or pretty much any skill even remotely related to *ancient* craftsmen, I have seen and read enough to at least speculate on some of the things necessary to craft items in a fantasy setting.<br />
<br />
So without further delay, here are some of the things one might take into consideration when crafting magical items:<br />
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The <span style="font-size: large;">specific person (or thing) crafting the item</span>. I list this because chances are, your character isn't a master craftsmen, if they were, what are they doing adventuring?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8Hv9d4bNUFhdsbvW7UMeHPXLAh0JRNVR3WGZvpPSbG1b_7zNaOzLKJfKE1mWQ7bWunB3dPzkbJC34xjsqtlYIxXef18fI6gwc7tGxl5-vPotv5lft8p1BgJPT8E_r4709CIq6_4Z9vY/s1600/Iron-Pour_imagelarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8Hv9d4bNUFhdsbvW7UMeHPXLAh0JRNVR3WGZvpPSbG1b_7zNaOzLKJfKE1mWQ7bWunB3dPzkbJC34xjsqtlYIxXef18fI6gwc7tGxl5-vPotv5lft8p1BgJPT8E_r4709CIq6_4Z9vY/s320/Iron-Pour_imagelarge.jpg" width="320" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;">Master Craftsmen</span> (racially dependent) - years of training, followed by years of skill perfecting lead to perfecting the ability to match an item to the user (most useful for weapons and metal armors)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Planar Entity</span> - physics on other planes make items on the prime plane more effective (think manufacturing in space as a real world equivalent)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Divine/Abyssal/Infernal Entity</span> - hey, an angel isn't going to fail you and an item crafted by a devil/demon is gonna advance their own agenda (not saying you will be advancing their agenda though)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhIcX2TsVFjlvDJY4RpTuUWUwOFRg_QolCSh7dLzUjxLJAF6RKSPIIR0VDadUEoWlqiTAAUxXFWf2Cc5-5Isx3wOMQHXvjQzQeFf22lV76wcGYv2wfrNrkar8eNCk_pyCk-KRpLnDSfg/s1600/quenching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhIcX2TsVFjlvDJY4RpTuUWUwOFRg_QolCSh7dLzUjxLJAF6RKSPIIR0VDadUEoWlqiTAAUxXFWf2Cc5-5Isx3wOMQHXvjQzQeFf22lV76wcGYv2wfrNrkar8eNCk_pyCk-KRpLnDSfg/s320/quenching.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Quenching Fluids</span> (used in the forging of metal: swords, axe, hammer and arrow heads, wands, etc.)<br />
<span style="color: red;">Blood </span>- used to give an item SEEKING, HATED, SLAYING, LIFE STEALING, just need the blood of X (i.e. vampire) for effect against X (i.e. vampire)<br />
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Milk </span>- used to give an items HEALING,<br />
<span style="color: #783f04;">Natural Oils</span> (olive, peanut, etc.) - used to give an item nature based effects<br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Petroleum Oils</span> - used to give an item SLICKNESS, SHADOW<br />
<span style="color: cyan;">Holy</span>/<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Unholy</span> <span style="color: blue;">Water</span> - used to give an item the Holy or Unholy ability, also potentially for use against divine/abyssal/infernal targets<br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9;">Salt Water</span> - used on an item designed for use underwater<br />
<span style="color: #073763;">Elemental Water</span> - used to give an item power against elementals<br />
<span style="color: red;">Your own Blood</span> (likely mixed with something from above) - should give the item more power (at least in your hands), or possibly increase the likelihood of an intelligent weapon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60kBGygnvxaKOysPjUtx_RXa0WXktI9iLDqlS2RvB5qbSxx1BBQP45hpZrRargDxCqETIK6y__zFF5nyv0ZmS0XQkQJA8xQmZnnnCOC27ithUzp2-AEC1LZES-H0geygPqj3P9J6vN0Y/s1600/MoonPhases2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60kBGygnvxaKOysPjUtx_RXa0WXktI9iLDqlS2RvB5qbSxx1BBQP45hpZrRargDxCqETIK6y__zFF5nyv0ZmS0XQkQJA8xQmZnnnCOC27ithUzp2-AEC1LZES-H0geygPqj3P9J6vN0Y/s320/MoonPhases2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Phase of the Moon</span> (when the primary part of whatever is being crafted would be crafted, i.e. blade of a sword, head of an axe, shaft of a staff), I'm not sure how waxing or waning might be included in this.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Full </span>- Protection, Power, Strength<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Gibbous </span>- Chaos, Performance, Knowledge<br />
Half - Insight, Wards, Balance<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Crescent </span>- Wisdom, Creation<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">New </span>- Stealth, Subterfuge<br />
While these aren't necessarily *powers*, one can see how they might be used in conjunction with the intent of the item being created.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seasons</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Spring </span>- Life, Growth, Chaos, anything that involves increases<br />
<span style="background-color: #0b5394;">Summer </span>- Heat, strength, power, anything that involves stability (note: this is different that stasis)<br />
<span style="background-color: #b45f06;">Fall </span>- Decay, anything that involves decreasing<br />
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Winter </span>- Cold, Death, weakness, stealth, anything that involves stasis<br />
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So how does all of this work together you might ask, well that's mostly up to you and your DM. Personally, I like to think of these things working in conjunction to boost the overall power of an item. In game mechanics terms, something along the lines of a +1 of every component you might be able to use. Case in point, how many +5 items (weapons or armor) do you see in a standard game, probably not many unless your DM is <a href="http://www.frontiernet.net/~jamesstarlight/CampaignTypes.html">Monty Haul</a>. Thus, you could say that if a sword were crafted by a master sword smith (+1) during the Full Moon (+1), in the mid-Summer (perhaps specifically on the summer solstice) (+1), using a gallon of your own blood (+1) mixed with Holy Water (Holy) would result in a +4 Holy Sword *when you are wielding it, +3 Holy Sword in the hands of another.<br />
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Finally, enough has been stated about the necessary spells used in magic item construction so I won't go into those. But, I would like to point out that spells used to improve the crafting environment (endure elements), skill of the craftsman (bless, bull's strength) and assistance to the craftsman (unseen servant) might be of importance to a DM.<br />
<br />Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-17278849339687657472013-01-21T06:30:00.000-06:002013-01-21T06:30:04.120-06:00Building a magical item <span style="font-size: large;">I love my gaming group</span>, I love my gaming group, <span style="font-size: x-small;">I love my gaming group</span>, well sometimes not so much. Life, loves (or at least lusts), work, play, family, all seem to plague this group of people that constitute my gaming group. We barely maintain an every-other week game after trying for about a year to have a weekly game - 2 hours a week just doesn't cut it for me, but I understand the demands of other's work requirements, so I try not to complain when they had to end or leave a gaming session at 8. Perhaps I'm just a little spoiled in previously having a gaming group that played for 5-ish hours at a time, every week. But this is mostly off-topic, what brings me to my point is that we are shifting game systems, likely to one that isn't as "highly magical" or "magically active" and the Pathfinder/D&D default worlds (yes, I know that the various D&D worlds vary in their magic-isity) in that magic items (weapons, wands, staves, rods, etc.) are going to actually be defined by their make-up. If you want a magic wand, unless you find it, <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">you aren't going to go to the store and "buy" a wand of magic missiles</span>, so you have to make it, finding a special (perfect) tree branch or bone or having a craftsman make one.<br />
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Well, what makes up a magic item? That varies from item to item:<br />
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A <span style="font-size: large;">sword </span>is likely going to require:<br />
metal for the blade and guard - iron, steel, etc.<br />
leather for the grip - cow, deer, <span style="color: purple;">displacer beast</span><br />
"something" for the pommel - <span style="color: red;">g</span><span style="color: orange;">e</span><span style="color: yellow;">m</span><span style="color: lime;">s</span><span style="color: cyan;">t</span><span style="color: blue;">o</span><span style="color: magenta;">n</span>e, metal, <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">bone</span></span><br />
To add to the creativity, a different metal or gemstone might be inlaid along the blade. Wood from a certain type of tree might be used for the grip. A certain design (snake, vines, holy symbol) might be used for the guard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqCGNWPWfk8bRIErbQJ1FkwUZwxijhcq30Osu9eoo-fk0aJ9hdRot_vZbgP_WgBaTww8vb6f2kpU5-GoTF2FAFrNyXPsyCRXa2eE7qOIWlVRDKiN0yawouQkOwKE7kFnjkotBPztoc88/s1600/parts-axe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqCGNWPWfk8bRIErbQJ1FkwUZwxijhcq30Osu9eoo-fk0aJ9hdRot_vZbgP_WgBaTww8vb6f2kpU5-GoTF2FAFrNyXPsyCRXa2eE7qOIWlVRDKiN0yawouQkOwKE7kFnjkotBPztoc88/s320/parts-axe.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
What about an <span style="font-size: large;">axe </span>you might ask, well:<br />
metal for the head - mithril, star metal<br />
leather for the grip - umber hulk, drow skin<br />
metal or wood for the haft - oak, trent<br />
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-C over at <a href="http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-magic-weapon-table-part-i.html">Hack&Slash</a> has <a href="http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-magic-weapon-table-part-ii.html">3 good posts</a> of <a href="http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2011/10/on-magic-weapon-table-part-iii.html">random materials</a> for item creation and that's a fine place to start.<br />
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But ultimately this information is only a side issue of where I'm headed with this series of posts. What I'm really striving for is what "<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">things</span>" you might need to craft a <span style="background-color: red;">flaming burst great axe +3</span> or a <span style="background-color: cyan;">dancing long sword</span>. So, over the next few entries, yes they are already written and scheduled to post automatically, I'm going to talk about what *<span style="font-size: large;">I think</span>* would allow for special ability to manifest in weapons and yes, there will be some discussion and elaboration on the actual crafting process as a means of adding abilities (hint: get ready to shed some blood).Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-85468064346558438822012-08-13T08:00:00.001-05:002012-08-13T08:00:09.282-05:00Lords of Waterdeep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/388510000">Lords of Waterdeep</a></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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUPI4fWpKrZJaGYGrfF69smiIn_HvemvLtSPm1se5kOuKEW7qiFzq5LOZY7SyI7tk8ry1ETc6idy5DIQ1sjHZtGGBnzO_1whZImj6h1wQOZXEoflmZikuQZyeyY9CAiiPCD1xcb4jtgk/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUPI4fWpKrZJaGYGrfF69smiIn_HvemvLtSPm1se5kOuKEW7qiFzq5LOZY7SyI7tk8ry1ETc6idy5DIQ1sjHZtGGBnzO_1whZImj6h1wQOZXEoflmZikuQZyeyY9CAiiPCD1xcb4jtgk/s400/IMG_0081.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ufBoGbPTbwGD-jOVSlXvblsiqkZsQOS2uEMO8cE4ApaySFZm6GCMJgg97fbBRspqBIhOompWgDzq7IvjaK6UfXFVTghzsuLS6wz2sb1v2UX5BGhoHnTxhBxiUf8b36Jb5v1Ahl0DVKk/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ufBoGbPTbwGD-jOVSlXvblsiqkZsQOS2uEMO8cE4ApaySFZm6GCMJgg97fbBRspqBIhOompWgDzq7IvjaK6UfXFVTghzsuLS6wz2sb1v2UX5BGhoHnTxhBxiUf8b36Jb5v1Ahl0DVKk/s200/IMG_0083.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="149" /></a>Classified as a <span style="font-size: large;">"European" style game</span> by my friends, this game has been extraordinarily fun and quite enjoyable, if a bit complicated in learning how to play it. The various aspects of this game have me wanting more games like it. The game is very much a hybrid, providing the feel of a <span style="color: blue;">good combination</span> of computer based MMO (quest completion and competing for limited resources) and tabletop RPG (making the decision on what, when and how to achieve goals).</div><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGP-YtSEXhuFbvgVucwW34INntLO4GzOsQfhAT6vrPqkUC55_BvRa9okxPJSq7ymroS5_-Pl3wSLws_iygngZeh3bsghDEsVfHZXNYtInbpSO8GZCE6W4HOTLIcQBNtgGMZN9-Q2SNo/s1600/IMG_0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMGP-YtSEXhuFbvgVucwW34INntLO4GzOsQfhAT6vrPqkUC55_BvRa9okxPJSq7ymroS5_-Pl3wSLws_iygngZeh3bsghDEsVfHZXNYtInbpSO8GZCE6W4HOTLIcQBNtgGMZN9-Q2SNo/s400/IMG_0084.JPG" width="298" /></a>The game starts with a combination of intrigue cards and quest cards, gives you a Lord of Waterdeep, a couple of agents and a money supply. In the group pool of resources are <span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">gold</span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">,</span><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">clerics</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;">, </span><span style="background-color: black; color: purple;">wizards</span><span style="color: orange;"><span style="background-color: black;">,</span> </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">thieves</span><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"> </span>and<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"> warriors</span>. On the board are more intrigue cards, quest cards, building cards, potential agent recruits and game control pieces. Default locations on the board provide starting players with access to the various classes needed to complete quests and gain more gold. Because only 1 building can be purchased each round, the selection of buildings (3 to choose from at any given time) can significantly affect your ability to complete quests. As an aside, knowing which quest type your particular Lord wants can make a huge difference at the end of the game, so pay attention.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRRAZgXElltKghUsZbooSFL12KBiUcW6p3zkrctYZQxnmPSzrwvfOhficRCC55GDHzmI1ZqsvqTjscaFTTDDCvKvUebk7_Q3hENCobeCE33cGtxvvFeDSwaTsYe_TmZ80j6NzmjvpXrU/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRRAZgXElltKghUsZbooSFL12KBiUcW6p3zkrctYZQxnmPSzrwvfOhficRCC55GDHzmI1ZqsvqTjscaFTTDDCvKvUebk7_Q3hENCobeCE33cGtxvvFeDSwaTsYe_TmZ80j6NzmjvpXrU/s200/IMG_0086.JPG" width="149" /></a>So far, there have been some <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">obviously better quests/buildings/intrigue cards</span> and some that seem to be after thought crap. The difficulty in executing the quests varies and depending on how you approach it, can make a slow start <span style="color: blue;">erupt into a run-away winner</span>. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib49M9boC4dcDSfFvN6xDSMhbI7je0d05PJTV6M4EUMrY_pRTMGlhWJu1XRE9EPAkSaDyn6fNq_pTnwFXVW3HUHMdOxGtuUa7OWvDLVKV3GdFRMCXS2bCA2Id73qbIcMmUyXwlYc9Bdw/s1600/IMG_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgib49M9boC4dcDSfFvN6xDSMhbI7je0d05PJTV6M4EUMrY_pRTMGlhWJu1XRE9EPAkSaDyn6fNq_pTnwFXVW3HUHMdOxGtuUa7OWvDLVKV3GdFRMCXS2bCA2Id73qbIcMmUyXwlYc9Bdw/s200/IMG_0085.JPG" width="149" /></a>An important note, the execution order of each turn does seem to have a significant impact on play and determination of play by other players, so paying attention to the game is a must. This is not a beer and pretzels game if you are trying to be competitive. And while it can be complicated at first, getting to know and understand the little things about this game, make me like it even more. But, because it has a fair bit of randomness, it does not benefit the regular player so much so that a new player cannot compete in their first game.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPARIDN54OrpShxE1govioSv6r_35KyuLSJP0fKrroq53TGBnd5tAMERD3j4LU3D8NR09AXSgVXIYjTrela_x9xTEnFQc34548C1o3DM1I1oz9AuYOBbooIoVy_ugoveBFAryaqbbgJE0/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPARIDN54OrpShxE1govioSv6r_35KyuLSJP0fKrroq53TGBnd5tAMERD3j4LU3D8NR09AXSgVXIYjTrela_x9xTEnFQc34548C1o3DM1I1oz9AuYOBbooIoVy_ugoveBFAryaqbbgJE0/s400/IMG_0087.JPG" width="298" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I highly enjoy this game, highly recommend this game</span> and will consider purchasing this game upon my return from GenCon.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.alderac.com/thunderstone/">Thunderstone Advanced</a></span> has me torn. <span style="font-size: large;">Some aspects of this game I love, some irritate me and some just <i><span style="color: red;">don't make a damn bit of sense</span></i>.</span> There is a Facebook version of this game, but it is not the advanced version and is irritating in its own way.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thunderstone gives the players an option of going to the village to acquire items (weapons, gear or villagers), heroes and spells or going to the dungeon to fight monsters. In the dungeon, each "rank" of dungeon is progressively harder due to light levels, with rank 1 being -2 to attack, rank 2 being -4 and <span style="font-size: large;">rank 3 being -6</span>. Fortunately, there are various light sources that can be used to counter these penalties. This is significant as the monsters at each level are randomly pulled from the monster deck and thus you can get high/hard monsters at the "upper" ranks and low/easy monsters at the "lower" ranks, making them much more difficult. In addition, most of the monsters now also have battle effects that can seriously affect the game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFy4RbyzhJuDvNeAaXyZqwyRadL7sdPFHdbom6Yr4mXyFOJfNB9JoumNgDjobvhSUpzprSpdt6sWyAHlCMmJeVjOAi_QhXd9upNDTgfnyEvYuE1PCFeTpx-4locfwCitIHz0Ny_BTaITs/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFy4RbyzhJuDvNeAaXyZqwyRadL7sdPFHdbom6Yr4mXyFOJfNB9JoumNgDjobvhSUpzprSpdt6sWyAHlCMmJeVjOAi_QhXd9upNDTgfnyEvYuE1PCFeTpx-4locfwCitIHz0Ny_BTaITs/s320/IMG_0093.JPG" width="238" /></a>Ok, some of the good - <span style="font-size: large;">leveled heroes</span>, no dice, lots of cards and options for deck development. Fundamentally, this is just like other deck building game - a system of which I have become a huge fan. The items can make a huge difference in how fast you make it into the dungeon, but can also be challenging due to becoming <i>hero starved</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Some of the bad, one of the stated goals of this "advanced" version was to <span style="font-size: large;">allow you into the dungeon faster - <i><span style="color: red;">it has failed at this</span></i></span> every time I've played it. In the scenarios, the spells have been weak and at least one hero was pretty much useless, if not worse than the starting basic soldier (see picture above) you can get for free every round.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEnuPbDN5xdUDi8K6Ycp7gTgfxISM9vIhWVa9bWn69AzexVKOoPPySbRi7czgTxgjLlh6-uWo9wXMt6KwgcvLVl59bVh9Nlw_LmH0ZHmvFY6g-16VOSFj-qyI7f79cZA1XxXARi3hvBI/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEnuPbDN5xdUDi8K6Ycp7gTgfxISM9vIhWVa9bWn69AzexVKOoPPySbRi7czgTxgjLlh6-uWo9wXMt6KwgcvLVl59bVh9Nlw_LmH0ZHmvFY6g-16VOSFj-qyI7f79cZA1XxXARi3hvBI/s320/IMG_0095.JPG" width="238" /></a><br />
That said, some of the heroes are amazing and it is usually blatantly obvious that they are the best and go the fastest. I mentioned "leveled heroes" earlier and I really, really like this aspect of the game. You can level up your starting "basic heroes" to the purchased ones on the board and level the purchased ones up to more powerful versions using the experience gained from killing the monsters - that is fun and very useful. The <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>leveled up heroes</i></span> </span>eventually become worth victory points, so leveling at least some of them is usually a very good option. Surprisingly, experience points (the little thunderstone shard pictured below) are not worth victory points, so holding on to them is useless - this is a point often lost on new players. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihH_dhgbReaWNiQlDTHlMVC3Hqt8BjwGdvrIPpAm4m0A2g2gXpqSqbsxfJgncsP0IyzVkjW8p8xQc8OL2z9YQyGSGUO9FqP1ScJZud8n1UnysDQNADy03lh_GfKSJaNlvpN-vm-1surv8/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihH_dhgbReaWNiQlDTHlMVC3Hqt8BjwGdvrIPpAm4m0A2g2gXpqSqbsxfJgncsP0IyzVkjW8p8xQc8OL2z9YQyGSGUO9FqP1ScJZud8n1UnysDQNADy03lh_GfKSJaNlvpN-vm-1surv8/s200/IMG_0094.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>I cannot say I agree with most of the online evaluations giving this game a fairly high score (8+/10 in most cases). I think they have tried too hard to refine it and actually <span style="font-size: large;">made a slightly less fun version</span>. I cannot say that I would actually recommend spending money on this version, but if you already have, perhaps the expansions can redeem it, but <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>I won't be purchasing them</b></span>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-8367982093075719732012-07-12T13:00:00.001-05:002012-07-12T13:00:00.207-05:00Darksiders IIIt is not often that one finds out a high school friend went on to become exactly what we all wanted to be in high school - a professional gamer. This has just happened to me and I am truly excited to hype his game in my own small little way. So, if you enjoy any kind of computer gaming (PC, console, whatever) check out Darksiders II from <a href="http://www.vigilgames.com/">Vigil Games</a>. Now for the totally robbed screen shots from the website:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqN6qr6fDTyL3Uy-DRAn64R1BHfSLzxjEFxEQhymNodgrrVKbDWaIw9dMYRZ7zyqzmqCZlNvGxCu7THYr2jJfxaONLYAkBTCxrBoKBp4gzzeG21FsdgAS2RyMoAZXHRgEapEPx5p6CWWY/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqN6qr6fDTyL3Uy-DRAn64R1BHfSLzxjEFxEQhymNodgrrVKbDWaIw9dMYRZ7zyqzmqCZlNvGxCu7THYr2jJfxaONLYAkBTCxrBoKBp4gzzeG21FsdgAS2RyMoAZXHRgEapEPx5p6CWWY/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRih5lzxq-B_uJdrUuVRt9njoN5jCC3_KTZ40MwcZ9ljP9GOau_YpKnEc3rw_XoQW5hxYbliPX9uh5DaAoCgoEZ_bYP9FACAQBlIJPMzfRPxPbVRhcAZjF6XeH-pPcaIluRUPWLbrqdzw/s1600/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRih5lzxq-B_uJdrUuVRt9njoN5jCC3_KTZ40MwcZ9ljP9GOau_YpKnEc3rw_XoQW5hxYbliPX9uh5DaAoCgoEZ_bYP9FACAQBlIJPMzfRPxPbVRhcAZjF6XeH-pPcaIluRUPWLbrqdzw/s320/33.jpg" width="320" /></a>Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-24988046475461979402012-07-11T21:26:00.000-05:002012-07-11T21:26:15.994-05:00Robotech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlkj2PPuUp9EqtmHa17Rrhjg0ySEnr0NPSEUgqydeUizj0RJ43QgfyCGGWu3uoHvWj54YXEzK2HlcY0EBTaibD3ahcHUsgomW148_zO1nytaIQlmtWowAsgi7nsJezLDNCqhDjJjY5fU/s1600/vf-1j-battloid.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlkj2PPuUp9EqtmHa17Rrhjg0ySEnr0NPSEUgqydeUizj0RJ43QgfyCGGWu3uoHvWj54YXEzK2HlcY0EBTaibD3ahcHUsgomW148_zO1nytaIQlmtWowAsgi7nsJezLDNCqhDjJjY5fU/s200/vf-1j-battloid.gif" width="136" /></a></div><a href="http://robotechbattles.blogspot.com/">This </a>excites me in so many different ways. I have loved Robotech since I first discovered anime in high school (some 20+ years ago). It just kills me that American audiences cannot get the concept of adult cartoons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3UP4qFBVoFv5qi9qL4KmTFRJd0nNpnptvC5AWCH7_76Ebl72iHrQye-SpziDNvSA6QKvrtpYTJPj4p35sMr2qEEV7Kd0vEuFdTLtdl9GKVtTdI2eakeRr-gXSAvyLzDcla7FaQRqmI/s1600/wallpaper-robotech_1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3UP4qFBVoFv5qi9qL4KmTFRJd0nNpnptvC5AWCH7_76Ebl72iHrQye-SpziDNvSA6QKvrtpYTJPj4p35sMr2qEEV7Kd0vEuFdTLtdl9GKVtTdI2eakeRr-gXSAvyLzDcla7FaQRqmI/s200/wallpaper-robotech_1024x768.jpg" width="200" /></a>The good news is that it would appear that miniature production has effectively been approved. At the same time, the <a href="http://robotechbattles.blogspot.com/2012/04/robotech-battles-macross-version-15.html">Robotech Battles: Macross</a> rules may provide an insight into a new rpg or something related. With GenCon coming next month, perhaps, and this is just a hope against hope, somebody will be able to say something about this development.<br />
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And really, who doesn't love 60-foot tall giant space aliens and the human build mecha to fight them?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu5Ko2PRS71y2yvPRRLlzpZKSrzdZVUIrA1cJrwPuXVeFckAxF6oBtwTv_kLeyzV3sqPv6LXR9U3RGpZrPQyXoLF78d5_67gW1R2zgPLqwO4G7RxwS_3fBtY298WNB3wvhYjZ8dO33LU/s1600/20071025_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqu5Ko2PRS71y2yvPRRLlzpZKSrzdZVUIrA1cJrwPuXVeFckAxF6oBtwTv_kLeyzV3sqPv6LXR9U3RGpZrPQyXoLF78d5_67gW1R2zgPLqwO4G7RxwS_3fBtY298WNB3wvhYjZ8dO33LU/s320/20071025_post.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknTuD8qXQPSjDpOYftI-LmI5fwjCVRHJ5kqhyphenhyphen7BNyd-5Eb6G8gksj5tjt9R3BnvusaNIy6pkCBRLvaoc12rm9eK0zM94j7iFSnz2lduYZG4VoPiBZFumsBCX9T_t9zKolvqaZ4ZsM3YQ/s1600/Warhammer_posing_by_Punakettu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknTuD8qXQPSjDpOYftI-LmI5fwjCVRHJ5kqhyphenhyphen7BNyd-5Eb6G8gksj5tjt9R3BnvusaNIy6pkCBRLvaoc12rm9eK0zM94j7iFSnz2lduYZG4VoPiBZFumsBCX9T_t9zKolvqaZ4ZsM3YQ/s200/Warhammer_posing_by_Punakettu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>-Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-44445690978119596712012-07-10T21:36:00.001-05:002012-07-10T21:39:26.535-05:00GenCon 2012The flight is booked, the hotel is secured. Now just got to go through the pages of events and get the tickets I want and decide on buying the pass early or waiting till I arrive. I'm torn, last year I did <a href="http://plagueale.blogspot.com/2011/08/will-call-bad-call.html?zx=ce617f1fe76e9a0d">will-call</a> on tickets and stood in line for a <a href="http://plagueale.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-fini.html">good 2+ hours</a> while there was basically nobody in line for just buying the tickets the day of. Now I'm in a situation where I have to decide on trying to face will-call again or buying them once I get there. My flight arrives around noon on Thursday the 16th meaning I'll probably have to <a href="http://plagueale.blogspot.com/2011/08/gencon-2011-reflections-on-best-4-days.html">stand in line</a> either way, I'm just not sure which is going to be the better (shorter) choice. Oh well, still a good amount of gaming at the best gaming event of the year.<br />
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Drop me a line if you are going to be there and let's see if we can't meet up for some dice throwing.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-51159707771443944912012-06-30T15:43:00.000-05:002012-06-30T15:43:48.659-05:00Modern Day Hunters (WoD meets FUDGE)So the crew that I play DnDNext with wants more - more time to play, more play time, more action and more intensity. In discussing the options, modern day and vampires kept coming to the front as things people wanted to experience, but actually playing a vampire wasn't exactly what they were wanting. After some thought and more discussion, the idea of playing *semi* normal humans (Hunters) in a modern setting, the Underworld world, was pretty much agreed on. <br />
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Now, Underworld is pretty similar to WoD, but not quite as...depressing...and Hunters are pretty normal people, just...intense. But, right now I'm not totally into running a stock WoD system (old or new), so I'm thinking of doing a bit of Fudge/WoD hybrid. I think I'm gonna let the players pick their attributes and abilities, set them on a 5 scale, pick a *power* or two, set it on a 5 scale or just give it a specific ability, pick some merits and flaws (I have always really liked that aspect of WoD) and go. I don't want to worry about having to go through the "low" level powers to get to something you want and I don't want to worry about spending 5 points here and 9 points there and 3 points someplace else.<br />
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Fortunately, the group I've been playing with is relatively new to gaming except for the DM, who has been running such a bastardized version of Swords and Sorcery meets 4th Ed that he has no room to question my desire for a hybrid rules set. Plus, he's cool enough and comfortable enough with just letting things flow that he wouldn't complain anyway and will probably be a major help to resolving things at the table so that a judgement call is fair and balanced.<br />
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We're getting together at my place this coming week on the 4th of July to BBQ and watch some setting/genre movies so that people have some idea of what this world will look like. We've got a full burn ban on, so no fireworks for most of the middle of the U.S., so might as well stay inside in the cool and watch some decent movies.<br />
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Happy 4th all!!Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-91077272070949424282012-06-14T17:15:00.000-05:002012-06-14T17:15:27.929-05:00Next on DnDNextWell, we are several games into the DnDNext playtest and several issues are starting to show. <br />
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Most notably the lighting system seems...strained at times to apply effectively. There also seems to be an abundance of usefulness to some of the class specific stuff that may be making said class (cleric) a bit overpowered (again). Granted, I usually play clerics, so being overpowered doesn't bother me so much, but for a play test environment, it seems *off*. Some of the rule changes related to surprise also seem a bit ineffective or possibly not fully implemented, so I hope the next round of updates will address this. <br />
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However, on the whole, I'm enjoying the change from feat based character development of 3rd ed and complete uselessness of characters outside of combat that was 4th ed. <br />
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Combat seems to be flowing smoothly (outside of surprise situations) and the whole advantage/disadvantage thing so far seems to be working and easy enough for inexperienced players to grasp while granting enough randomness to the outcome for experienced players to accept.<br />
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Ok, next round of play test rules, I'm ready for your release.<br />
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On a side note, it seems my SWTOR server is one of the ones that will be shutting down soon as character transfers to Jung Ma have started and there is almost nobody in fleet anymore. So, if you play on Jung Ma, let me know so I can look you up once my guild has transferred over.<br />
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-PAPlaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-13034167304067584342012-06-01T18:08:00.001-05:002012-06-01T18:10:37.364-05:00D&D NextDisclaimer: I am not yet endorsing this version in any way.<br />
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Our group test played DnD Next this past Thursday. We had been playing some mish-mash of Swords and Wizardry and 4th Ed (don't ask, I still haven't figured out how it worked). Fortunately, the pre-gen characters with the play test fit our group almost exactly so there was very little adaptation needed to convert the current game over. <br />
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The biggest difference was the amount of abilities that were is some way magical that the various characters could do - most notably magical light sources. This is great considering we are running around on either the plane of shadow or some reasonable facsimile. <br />
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Since we only get about 2 hours of game play, most of the game was tied up in puzzle solving, both in game (interactively talking doors - 2 that were in different hallways, not visible to each other, but aware of each other's presence) and the puzzle of the new rules-set. So, we didn't get to have a combat, but seeing how the various classes function out of combat was just as, if not more, interesting considering out little functionality 4th Ed provided for out of combat activities.<br />
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It should be interesting to see how the next session goes, hopefully some swords will get swung and spells cast in an aggressive manner.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-47073708022238096222012-04-20T16:58:00.001-05:002012-04-20T17:00:54.701-05:00Agony of the waitIt seems I spend a lot of my life waiting for the rest of my life to happen. That's not to say that I don't do a lot - I lead a pretty active and full life and perhaps that's the reason I notice when I have to wait on things. Often the things I have to wait the longest - not necessarily in actual time - for are the things that seemed like a good or great idea when they got planned just never live up.<br />
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So, I got to thinking about making players wait for something - anything - in a game setting. I've decided that's just an asshole thing to do. I've seen people invited to a game and never get to throw a die during the session. I've made players wait for rewards or punishments for their characters, often to pointless or useless effect on the game experience.<br />
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Am I condoning instant gratification? HELL NO!!!!! Earning things over the duration is kinda one of the core concepts of gaming. However, I am starting to see the appeal of getting the things you want (not the things you NEED) quickly. Do you need a +5 sword - no, do you need the clues to get you to the next stage of the story - yes.<br />
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I'm typing this from my phone as I wait in the CNN Center in Atlanta for my vehicle to return to a drive-able state. So if there are typos and no interesting graphics, sorry.<br />
Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154451371428382863.post-24157130815219771532012-04-02T16:59:00.000-05:002012-04-02T16:59:46.033-05:00Rant on the wall of textYes, I know this is totally unrelated to gaming, but I've been busy with classwork and moving and taking care of my parents and other more personal stuff - deal.<br />
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Part of the aspect of my classes is to respond to online discussion forums. Not a difficult thing to do and not a difficult thing to format properly, especially for people who are working on a Master's degree. Or so I thought...<br />
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I would guess that at least half of the responses are walls of test, usually 15-20 lines long and 130-150 characters across. There is usually punctuation and capitalization, but these people do not know how to hit a return key that helps organize their thoughts into coherent groupings. I've seen and used the term "verbal diarrhea", but I don't think this qualifies, wall of text qualifies, but doesn't exactly convey the concept of so many ideas forced into one response block.<br />
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So I'm coining the term "wotwork" - Wall Of Text WithOut Return Key. I'm not sure if it will catch on, but hey, maybe it will and I'll at least be sorta not famous.Plaguealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271949439779455688noreply@blogger.com0