tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6185919586031178542024-03-18T23:52:45.605-05:00Seer's SightGaming is not in the blood, it's in the dice!Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-61864264967026167062013-01-01T00:29:00.003-06:002013-01-01T00:30:05.091-06:00Happy New Year!!!<br />
It's been a while since I posted... perhaps I should consolidate my writing into one location. Well, I want to start off this year with a fresh blog post with my resolutions:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Blog more often.</li>
<li>Buy something from a local game store - As far as gaming goes, this will be a standard. Hopefully I can post what I find.</li>
<li>Finish the rough draft of Overburn - I'm just about ready to start play testing, I got some good people interest... maybe this is the year of Overburn.</li>
<li>Read a book - this has always been a hard one for me.</li>
<li>Try a new game - We have discussed starting up a board game group and I am very interested.</li>
<li>Shadowrun Minis - gang warfare in Seattle... I'm so there.</li>
<li>Compile some gaming music - need to find some good music for a post apocalyptic venue.</li>
<li>Organize my miniatures - I have a lot that are in need of organization.</li>
<li>Go play at a convention – I still have yet to make it to a convention.</li>
<li>Teach my sons a game.</li>
</ol>
That's my quick list. Maybe I'll add more during the year, but this is a start.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-91981819893457135422012-10-01T20:44:00.000-05:002012-10-01T20:55:31.172-05:00My Little HobgoblinI don't know when it happened. I would like to start with a dark and stormy night, the wind howling in my ear, as if to warn me of the impending doom. But the truth of the matter is that it just happened. One day, I was a master of my realm, the world spread out before me as kingdoms for the conquering. I traveled the breadth of the realm, had many adventures, smote down many a terrible beast. And then there it was; a small, pathetic creature cast down by so many others, not worthy to be recognized. And yet I could not bring myself to cast it aside. It must have been no more than five years, and it sat upon its stony perch with a toothy smile. Even when it smiled, it let out a low pitiful whine, having been abandoned by its own father at such a young age. Perhaps it was the baleful eyes, the slight whimpering when I drew near, but I wrapped the small hobgoblin in my coat and carried it away with me. Her ears switched, her face was marred and smiled that toothy smile and whined... and then she fucking bit me.<br />
<br />
I sneaked her into my home in the dead of night. Feeding her and attempting to bond with creature. My wife took to her like any mother to an abandoned child; I found myself scolded for not providing for my little Turdlewhine. Hobgoblins are normally a nasty, dirty species, abhorrent to water. Turdlewhine was no different, she hated bathing and fought against it tooth and nail. Her cunning was readily apparent, pretending to bath by wetting her greasy hair and ignoring the earthen filth she had managed to attract. Getting her to brush her teeth was no easy task either. She had, what I call shingletooth, where one tooth overlapped another in a row. Only her tusks straight and all of teeth were coated with visible yellow film that I had an urge to scratch off. That is, if I knew it wouldn't get me deathly ill. Hobgoblins have a hearty kind of constitution that allowed them to eat anything off the ground without fear of getting ill. I tried to teach her that it wasn't proper to eat of the ground and would slap things out of her hand. Turdlewhine would kick the shit out of my ankle, or bite me behind the thigh until I cursed so loud, we had to leave for fear of the authorities hunting us down.<br />
<br />
And thus began my downward spiral into the hobgoblin world. Some say there is still hope for me, but I have searched on-line, I have texted my friends and family, I have sought wizened sages that have traveled before me, and they have all told me the same answer...<br />
<br />
Never, ever let a fucking hobgoblin into your life. <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-355702050873118512012-06-27T23:35:00.001-05:002012-06-27T23:35:41.336-05:00Tabletop WithdrawalsYou know you're going through withdrawals when you outfit your console game adventuring party to look like an order of adventurers in a tabletop RPG.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBDaiAstMSycBGPckGa7vuTUVBWkL3GgU2Wz35ZdLRuXbPbwz0x5b0nDScJaQklv-HSBnYOE7fGOhPzZ4u1nOhvgAaKpTL1Qc4UWwmPvtgCuXMY_MjPwmgbybF1P8Vzuhjaim6O0valk/s1600/delvers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBDaiAstMSycBGPckGa7vuTUVBWkL3GgU2Wz35ZdLRuXbPbwz0x5b0nDScJaQklv-HSBnYOE7fGOhPzZ4u1nOhvgAaKpTL1Qc4UWwmPvtgCuXMY_MjPwmgbybF1P8Vzuhjaim6O0valk/s320/delvers.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-70921098551113874662012-06-25T04:35:00.002-05:002012-06-25T04:35:34.146-05:00The Evils of Video GamingI haven't been putting much work into my game. My thoughts have been distracted by video games of late. In particular Dragon's Dogma. Hopefully I will get back into it soon, but in the meantime, here's a shot from the game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVOqqvYiesGSbOMeWKDipiXV1zBR99ppQMnHksH3kpYp_BX4qqwa40jO_wVUjBXPV5xSVXa2gTG3xCF37hTMWM-SzgCq6x6w4WVpMw23E1kkxyQiCSUVPv6fbE_WWR2zNtdGGtrZpeW0/s1600/wizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVOqqvYiesGSbOMeWKDipiXV1zBR99ppQMnHksH3kpYp_BX4qqwa40jO_wVUjBXPV5xSVXa2gTG3xCF37hTMWM-SzgCq6x6w4WVpMw23E1kkxyQiCSUVPv6fbE_WWR2zNtdGGtrZpeW0/s320/wizard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-18304024863155505902012-06-14T18:30:00.001-05:002012-06-14T18:31:25.923-05:00Finding a Path to EarthdawnI have not been active in the Earthdawn community of late, but I still get the occasional update to happenings at Redbrick. I got a message today that ED has been released for <a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/0/Name-Not-Found?products_id=101031">pathfinder</a>. I am torn on this news even more than release in the Savage Worlds system. I can go back many years when I attempted to port Earthdawn into 3.5 in order to make it more digestable to D&D players. I am an old school D&D player, having settled on prefer AD&D 2nd edition above all others and falling in love with the Earthdawn setting when I first discovered it. Some of my old players remember that short lived debacle in what they call "DungeonDawn". <br />
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The main downfall of the attempt is that the 3.5 setting, while easily ported to, lost all the charm and nuances of the Earthdawn mechanics. We had players raise one talent above all others so it vastly outweighed others of the same circle, this lead to some unique exchanges in social situations that was quite enjoyable. Another example is karma; karma was often a deciding factor in combat situations and not easily reproduced in D&D. We attempted to implement a D6 karma rule in 'DungeonDawn' seemed unbalancing due to the fixed nature of the D20. Finally there was some difficulty with social interaction in the D20 system. In D&D it is a contested roll between two skills where the higher roll wins. In Earthdawn, you have a social defense that comes into play and you have more of combat-like social interaction. While not the most elegant method, overall the effects were more enjoyable the than D&D <winning smile to prove my point>.<br />
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All in all, I am happy that Earthdawn is available to all players, but disheartened that those players will not experience Earthdawn in what I feel is a better experience in its own sake.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-85834123990512889122012-06-03T01:59:00.002-05:002012-06-03T02:00:30.947-05:00Writing Update<br />
Greetings Wastelanders,<br />
<br />
I made some good progress on the rules this last month. Unfortunately, I’m not as far along as I had hoped and the rules themselves seem to expand as I write them. That being said, I have a good outline on the rules.<br />
<br />
The good news is that I have already finished much of what is planned for June so I should be able to focus<br />
some time on completing the rules.<br />
<br />
I will endeavor to keep the updates at least weekly, but I make no guarantees.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-61062306415890909022012-06-03T00:35:00.000-05:002012-06-03T02:00:20.554-05:00Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning™ Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjNKYtatmv7R1nc8zbHbV00TNbYCVnuAeA1NHii59J9xh2e-607IU_HLXX89u9l_6P8lFW6_wnyyGQWymoMSc4Qb7QSGVWd409GG8VRGhTifA4RVEgKvJ3g1s_lLO6DvxbCHH9KLqZ9A/s1600/reckoning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjNKYtatmv7R1nc8zbHbV00TNbYCVnuAeA1NHii59J9xh2e-607IU_HLXX89u9l_6P8lFW6_wnyyGQWymoMSc4Qb7QSGVWd409GG8VRGhTifA4RVEgKvJ3g1s_lLO6DvxbCHH9KLqZ9A/s320/reckoning.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have recently completed 38 Studios' premier fantasy console RPG '<i>Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning™</i>' and I am quite disappointed in the turn of events that has befallen 38 Studios. To qualify this review, I should state that I do not normally buy my games new. This was an exception as I had been waiting for it since I heard about it on <a href="http://blog.obsidianportal.com/haste-interviews-r-a-salvatore/">Obsidian Portal's interview</a> with R.A. Salvatore. So my wife picked it up for me the first Friday after the game released and I played it quite extensively, much to my wife's chagrin.<br />
<br />
The main thing that drew me to the game was R.A. Salvatore writing for the game. Salvatore has been one of my favorite authors since the Icewind Dale Trilogy and world of Amalur did not disappoint. They were multiple storyline interwoven with the main character's story line that it was difficult to keep everything straight. Amalur is probably one of the richest and compelling worlds that I have found in a while. The only down side was that you could only be a human or elf (called the dokkalfar and ljosafar). The use of Norse terminology was also very well done in the game. Gnomes are very prevalent in game, but are not a playable race.<br />
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The scenery in the game was amazing and I contribute this to Todd McFarlane the art director. Many said that McFarlane had been too removed from artwork to be very innovative, but the sweeping landscapes from forests to swamps to deserts and even the alien looking landscape if the Tuatha (winter Fae) are all awe inspiring. My favorite being Webwood, a forest inhabited by giant spiders. Seeing horse carts suspended twenty feet in the air by webs while the sun shone through the trees' canopies another hundred feet up was extremely satisfying.<br />
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<a href="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/KingdomsofAmalurReckoning/reckoning_environment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/KingdomsofAmalurReckoning/reckoning_environment1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The final name I would drop is Ken Rolston; he was the lead designer for Morrowind and Oblivion. This also and mixed result to a lot of people, but I feel it added to the grandness of the game. I truly feel as if the I started in a remote section of the world and slowly made my way into the epic fight between the mortal races and the immortal fae. The world is not as open as skyrim or fallout, meaning you can't just pick a direction and walk till you hit the end of the map. The areas are funneled in to each other. I found that annoying at first, but the areas themselves are well thought out and I may have missed it all together if they didn't display it on the mini-map.<br />
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The disappointment at the end of the game was in the finality of the game. While you are still allowed to continue and complete any side quests you may have missed; the game just feels over. If you have been following 38 Studios, they were planning on putting out an MMO based in Amalur. If you look at the world map, the game Reckoning was set in a little sliver of the world of Amalur.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m9nvnrP0j8U" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Alas, it does not seem so and 38 Studios may close their doors for good. If you would like to read about what has happened there is a good article called '<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/169444/38_Studios_Downfall_The_Gamasutra_Report.php">38 Studios' Downfall</a>' at Gamasutra. So not only is the game finished, but future projects as well.<br />
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IGN gave the game a 9 while Game Informer rate the game in the '7's because it did not bring anything new to the industry. I have to side with IGN, Reckoning was just the tip of an Iceberg and I think that if I run a fantasy game again, I will base it in the world of Amalur.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-4377266329242831392012-05-15T22:04:00.000-05:002012-05-15T22:05:53.605-05:00The Great Cataclysmic Event<br />
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="280" src="http://fallout3.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/fallout10.jpg" title="Fallout 3" width="420" />
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So recently I have come to the point that I must debate the Great Cataclysm, The Sundering of the World, The Descent into the Long Night, the blah, blah, blah, blech! This is not a particularly relishing topic as I am not the most innovative person. I can draw from a well of other person’s work and spin an originally memorizing tale of folly and deceit, or so I am told. But I lack the oh so crucial spark to start the process. Sometimes I get lucky, but more often I draw from other sources.<br />
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I believe I have come up with an original idea for a post apocalyptic game, at least I am unaware of another using the same concept. Unfortunately, I am not willing to let the cat out of the bag just yet. I picked up my copy of D20 Modern Apocalypse, and realized that my setting has many of the aspects of the cataclysmic events from which the sources lists.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Alien Invasion – Aliens invade and become trapped in a mutual self destruction. My game has a specie of questionable origin and some suspect of alien origin; I confirm nor deny anything at this juncture.</li>
<li>Biological Disaster – Yes, I tap into pandemic virus craze that crops up in hollywood every few years. I am even toying with the zombie virus concept, mainly because zombies are awesome. I of course have my own twist on the concept.</li>
<li>Environmental Cataclysm – This an event where nature changes and makes it impossible for humans to survive as is. Think polar caps melting and creating “Waterworld”; mother nature tries to correct the pollution man creates and the world super freezes like “The Day After Tomorrow”, or the center of the earth stops spinning, jacking with the weather of the world in “The Core”. While my game does have environmental change, it happens along side of the apocalypse, possibly exacerbating the process, but not causing it.</li>
<li>Asteroid Strike – “Armageddon”, “Deep Impact”, “Meteor Apocalypse”, “Rage”, hopefully you get the picture. Big rock hits the earth, makes life hard. This one isn’t in my game, but it makes for a good story as to why humans create facilities to prepare for the apocalypse.</li>
<li>Judgement Day – Not “Terminator” style Judgement Day, but in a biblical sense. A hundred million Mephistopheles erupt from the bowels of the world and do battle with the ascended and we poor souls left in the ravaged wake eek out survival. I find it ironic that I have no interest in creating an apocalyptic biblical setting, but I am not adverse to an apocalyptic Ragnarok setting which are both theological.</li>
<li>Nuclear Armageddon - I find it hard to relate the post apocalyptic genre without Nuclear events. I find the gas-mask, radiation, wasteland looking environment to be a staple of a good post-apocalyptic piece. I believe Fallout is such a huge success because it brings that “Apoclyptia” to us in such a genuine format.</li>
<li>Rise of the Machines – “The Matix”, “Terminator”, “I, Robot”; these movies help define the human vs robot apocalyptic future. While I like these movies and their concept, I do not use them in my setting.</li>
<li>Rogue Planet – I found this scenario to be the most interesting, at first I found it to be a wonderfully original idea to me, but then I remembered one of my favorite childhood cartoons and this can be paralleled to “Thundarr the Barbarian”. I like the idea, but feel it does not fit with what I am going for.</li>
<li>Supernatural Invasion – I find this along the lines of the Judgement Day scenario, but does not have to be religious in nature. I prefer to have my Apocalyptia rooted in science more than fantasy/horror though.</li>
</ul>
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Well there you have it, D20′s reasons behind an apocalyptic future. My questions to you is, which one (or ones) do you find interesting for a setting? Will it effect my overall choice in the reasoning of my game? Perhaps, since the game is designed with others in mind, I like to hear other’s opinion on the topic.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-52562551261400260372012-05-09T21:00:00.000-05:002012-05-15T22:01:36.406-05:00Centicore<a href="http://overburnrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/centicore-298x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="centicore" border="0" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-150" height="300" src="http://overburnrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/centicore-298x300.jpg" style="margin-top: 1em;" title="centicore" width="298" /></a>
Centicores are large goat-like animals that roam the wastes. Due to the scarcity of food, centicores are aggressive and territorial. Centicores sure-footed and able to bring their long horns to bear at a moments notice. Due to their speed and flexibility, many people believe that centicores’ horns can swivel into any position, but no evidence of this has been found on dead centiores.<br />
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Centicores can be found throughout the wastes and make good hunting food. Some centicores have been domesticated but their surly makes the impracticable for riding or beasts of burden. Centicores cannot be kept around other livestock as they will attack other animals that appear to threaten their food source, to include other centicores.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-29133900918627021002012-05-02T21:00:00.000-05:002012-05-15T21:58:17.237-05:00Saw Pike<br />
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Saw Pikes are weapons that cause gruesome wounds on their victims. Mounted on a pole 6′ to 8′ long, a saw pike has crescent blade that is serrated in the inside for cutting and sharpened on the outside for slicing.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="400" src="http://www.clarkforest.com/media/uploads/cat-406/silky-hayauchi-pole-saws-full.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 1em;" title="Saw Pike" width="400" /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-22247341573574073742012-04-29T21:00:00.000-05:002012-05-15T21:56:43.486-05:00New Faces and New Places<br />
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A friend of mine as agreed to corroborate with me on this endeavor. This has already returned the breath of life to the Burn and I am once again working on getting fleshing out the game. He has brought my attention to my previous 6 month plan, where life had gotten in the way. I am reinstated the six month plan and working on completing stage one.</div>
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<strong>May</strong></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">6 month Plan (Complete)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Chapter Outline (Complete)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Core mechanics</li>
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<strong>June</strong></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Archetypes</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Races</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Skills</li>
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<strong>July</strong></div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Equipment</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Experience</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">critters</li>
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<strong>Aug</strong></div>
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I’ve also changed the theme of the site (as you can see). Please let me know if which you like better.</div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-62730293360391778092012-04-09T01:20:00.000-05:002012-04-09T01:21:35.478-05:00Hello Again<div><span >Well, it appears I have been waylaid with the distractions of life. So much so that I did not even move the Overburn RPG blog over when I had to update my server. All the pieces were here, but it was just one of those things on the back burner. As is with my writing of the game. I have stagnated and vested my interest in other areas. As the game has come around the stove and I have been wanting to cook a little more, I am going out into the Burn to seek new ingredients. I will need to review my 6-month plan as it has eroded in the sands of time (Wow, I’m full of bad cliches today).</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >If anyone has any questions, please let me know.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-45483084030811676122012-02-06T07:58:00.002-06:002012-02-06T08:01:05.692-06:00The State of Gaming<div>When did we leave the awe of gaming behind for a steaming pile of stat blocks? A couple weeks ago, I recieved my weekly newsletter from Drivethru RPG and noted the free product of the week:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Infamous Adversaries: Raxath'Viz, the Creeping Rot</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Wow!!! That sounds very interesting. It reminded me of Moander from the Forgotten Realm Setting, or even a bit of Jubilex from Classic D&D. This was put out by the good people of Total Party Kill Games for the Pathfinder system. Then I kept reading:</div><div><br /></div><div>RAXATH'VIZ, THE CREEPING ROT - CR 15, Male Kobold (Black Bloodline), Cleric (Hidden Priest) 10, Divine Scion 3, Rogue (Trapsmith) 3.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that pretty much diffused my interest in the 'entity'. The mystery of a creature called 'The Creeping Rot' has so much potential, and breaking it down to a bunch of class levels is very anti-mysterious in my opinion. Nothing against the good guys at TPK games. This is more of a development of the gaming industry where everything must be defined before hand; less and less of the game is left to the imagination. I have played in several games where the fight between an entity has degenerated into a lengthy discussion on how a certain abilities are to be used, instead of Old Ionic fight between good and evil.</div><div><br /></div><div>I recalled the first time a troll sprung up from regeneration unbeknownst to the party and we had to figure out that it was shying away from the character holding the torch. But now the norm seems to devolve into "Can I roll a knowledge check to see how to kill the creature?" and "Let me read this discription form the book." </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.merzo.net/Gallery_Dungeons_and_Dragons/Jubilex.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 582px; height: 345px;" src="http://www.merzo.net/Gallery_Dungeons_and_Dragons/Jubilex.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /></div><div>Of course, if this accepted by everyone in the party and you're having fun, that's all that really matters. I would just enjoy a little more wonder and mystery in my games.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-27950236493444309552012-01-09T13:46:00.006-06:002012-01-09T14:26:59.098-06:00Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Oh Great?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AGyjGlwaqM5wV6yI4O-BVNhJbbhIbAK3zgodB0wKYMW-pCozyjpafBCH_T_f0HLhes1RYW9fQvlsJX5GbpRWT7vACJv1J1U03Tzrd8-MkM4TE2W3eHvJrDemos22lrKl3hY0BBm2e50/s1600/DMG.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AGyjGlwaqM5wV6yI4O-BVNhJbbhIbAK3zgodB0wKYMW-pCozyjpafBCH_T_f0HLhes1RYW9fQvlsJX5GbpRWT7vACJv1J1U03Tzrd8-MkM4TE2W3eHvJrDemos22lrKl3hY0BBm2e50/s200/DMG.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695722743630898882" /></a>Hasbro owned Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced the development of the 5th editions game. After a mere 4 years that the halfling gem called 4th edition came out. WotC as announced that they will be "conducting ongoing open playtests with the gaming community to gather feedback". Forbe's wrtiter, David Ewalt, was invited to a playtest of the <span>fledgling </span>system and had this to say:<br /><div><span><div></div><blockquote><div>"[...]the fifth edition rules show promise. They’re simple without being stupid, and efficient without being shallow. Combat was quick and satisfying; we got through most of an adventure in just a few hours. And I get the sense that fifth edition will bring back some of the good complexity of previous versions, allowing players to create unique characters and new worlds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of all, it feels like D&D, not a console video game, or an MMO, or a card game. That’s the first step towards bringing old players home."</div></blockquote></span></div><span>Considering the short cycle of 4th edition, I wonder how many will wait it out to see if the new edition can stand the test of time. With so many games out there these days and the plethora of avenues for people to produce new games, I perceive this to be a difficult battle for the RPG titan. Where does this put all us nay-sayers that disliked 4th edition. Hopeful that Dungeons & Dragons can return to that that idyllic place where we were heroes once.</span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Further Reading</span></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20120109">Charting the Course for D&D</a></li><li><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2012/01/09/wizards-announce-new-dungeons-and-dragons-an-inside-look-at-the-game">'Wizards' Announce New Dungeons & Dragons</a></li></ul></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-69107666692270885892012-01-03T11:50:00.003-06:002012-01-03T12:01:38.892-06:00The Prisoner<a href="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2009/07/amc-the-prisoner-comic-con-two.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2009/07/amc-the-prisoner-comic-con-two.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div>This past weekend I had the pleasure/displeasure of watch the AMC miniseries 'The Prisoner'. It looked like a good movie and started Ian McKellen, or as I like call him 'Gandalf, and Jim Caviezel. After watching the movie, I was left in a wierd state and torn between loving the film and hating it. I pondered how to pull something like that off in a game.</div><div><br /></div><div>***************</div><div>*Spoiler Alert*</div><div>***************</div><div><br /></div><div>This movie has lots of twists and depends on the character's http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1043714/PoV to keep the watcher guessing, read furter may ruin the movie for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the basis of the movie is that the main character, named 'six' played by Caviezel, comes to a place in the desert known as 'the village'. All people have numbers and everyone accepts the way things are, and that the village is the only known place in the world. Six, on the otherhand, has flashes of his other life in New York and fights against the overseer of the village 'two', played by McKellen.</div><div><br /></div><div>The climax comes when six comes to realize that the village is not another place, but a shared subconcious of the group who live in the village. Things are happening in the real world in tandem to what is happening in the village.</div><div><br /></div><div>I found this to be an interesting concept and along the lines of the Void and the Word books by Terry Brooks, where the main character flashes between the present day and the future when he sleeps in the other world. It stated that when he sleeps, he sees the world as it would be if he fails in his mission. I always got the distinct feeling he was actually in both worlds.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I was thinking, how would character's handled a game where their characters were constantly switching between realities, trying to figure out, which one was real. I may experiment with this idea for my game along side with a setting that is similar to Shadowrun. The character's may well think it is the matrix, but come to find it is something fare mor sinister.</div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1043714/">The Prisoner on IMDB</a></li></ul></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW1LvIkBtiwG8iEGeiSfB1YF7qvZA46djlPLIpaBOKqtFBp5wKGJX-Ww8LzlWfgLgZsxn3KO6jrltPCab5VwrQ1FnyZMx27IGjWgNoXQCzihirTnXUtXMcLXN4wikdyr7ylpD14ofgLg/s1600/tv_the_prisoner01.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 520px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW1LvIkBtiwG8iEGeiSfB1YF7qvZA46djlPLIpaBOKqtFBp5wKGJX-Ww8LzlWfgLgZsxn3KO6jrltPCab5VwrQ1FnyZMx27IGjWgNoXQCzihirTnXUtXMcLXN4wikdyr7ylpD14ofgLg/s320/tv_the_prisoner01.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693466882489609842" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-36105870561434924452012-01-02T17:51:00.004-06:002012-01-02T19:35:53.423-06:00D&D Coloring Book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3ZwIdUnWbVn7jvnM_iozYRAAsRRx8-5gYMOyi04MhRCGI5_Nut0Nwr5F_oW-FqZsMRWuTZVdenvnUi50SzPJvP3nanagMWn7zP2NMIgLTQ_Vcc4XNlmh10Dxs8BVAKX-mosMqXAOnNo/s1600/DDColoringBook.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3ZwIdUnWbVn7jvnM_iozYRAAsRRx8-5gYMOyi04MhRCGI5_Nut0Nwr5F_oW-FqZsMRWuTZVdenvnUi50SzPJvP3nanagMWn7zP2NMIgLTQ_Vcc4XNlmh10Dxs8BVAKX-mosMqXAOnNo/s200/DDColoringBook.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693196887005387378" /></a>I found this on Aeron Alfrey's blog, Monser Brains. I really didn't recall this book until I got to the picture of Tiamat. I recalled that page, and the page with the griffin.<div><br /></div><div>My boys saw what I was doing and asked that I print them a page. My youngest chose Tiamat and his brother chose the bulette. I told them that I would post their handiwork when they are done. </div><div><br /></div><div>Aeron stated that he would pull them down if the copyright holder asked, so you may want to get them while you can. There is also a link to a pdf book of the images.<br /><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; position: relative; font: normal normal bold 24px/normal 'Walter Turncoat'; color: rgb(148, 115, 115); text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2011/10/greg-irons-advanced-dungeons-and.html">The Official Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Coloring Book </a></h3></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-42504443800376593392012-01-01T01:39:00.004-06:002012-01-01T02:24:15.026-06:00Happy New YearWith new year on the horizon, I would like to take the time wish everyone a prosperous new year. the question for today is:<div></div><blockquote><div>How do you celebrate the new year?</div><div></div></blockquote><div>Aside from the traditional 'New Year's Resolutions' we decided to try out some other New Year traditions from other cultures. </div><div><br /></div><div>In many Latin American countries, it is traditional to wear yellow on New Years. I'm not talking about wear an article of clothing containing the designated color like we do on St. Patrick's Day. No, this is an all out down to the underwear sunburst yellow. The article of clothing I own that is yellow is a pair of swim trunks, and my wife owns naught of this color. She jokingly made a comment about my swim trunks and I disappeared into the bedroom. Unbeknownst to her, I went to visit my mother today, and she gave me a bright yellow polo shirt. I came out of the room and she actually shielded her eyes from my brilliance. She then asked if I was gonna offer her a Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich</div><div><center><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AV4B4-q8KIU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center></div><div><br /></div><div>We have also decided to try out the Mexican tradition of writing down the things that you no longer want in your life and then burning the list. This is to help symbolize your willingness to release the negative energies that bind us from being prosperous. We are also going to recognize Japanese tradition of writing down your first actions of the year, this being my first blog post. This is suppose to help you slow down and recognize the little things in life, take stock, and appreciate what you have.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have never really experienced the turning of the year in any of my games, but I imagine, if done right, it can be a very memorable experience. One could run a fantasy adventure where the heroes attempt to stop an evil wizard from blanketing the world in darkness. The group vanquishes the wizard, but must wait until dawn to see if they stopped him in time (and maybe they didn't). Another adventure may be a Shadowrun where the party has regain a dossier only to have their target, disappear into the throng of party goers on New Year's Eve. The group must resort less obvious tactics due to the heightened police state. The possibilities are endless with the amount of information you can draw on New Year practices.</div><div><br /></div><div>In case you are interested here is a wiki article on different traditions celebrated around the worlds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Further Reading</div><div><ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve</a></li></ul><div>May the best day you had in the closing year, mirror your worst day in the year to come. </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-41119777995987998842011-12-13T21:06:00.004-06:002011-12-13T22:03:57.815-06:00NaNoWriMo FAil<a href="http://media.salon.com/2010/11/better_yet_dont_write_that_novel-460x307.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 154px;" src="http://media.salon.com/2010/11/better_yet_dont_write_that_novel-460x307.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I had touched on the topic previously, but my journey into writing a novel ended shortly after it began. To elaborate The National Novel Writing Month is an endeavor to write a novel in a month. It is an ambitious task, especially if you are not adept at setting time aside to write. I made it about 4 days until the weekend hit and I could not find enough quiet time to refocus on the task. I had meant to go back, but at some point, I defeated myself and found excuses for not continuing. A few things that I have learned from the process.<div><br /></div><div>1. 1667 words per day is a lot, at least for me. I found that I needed to have it pretty quiet in order to focus on the task. Since this was usually late at night when the house had quieted down, the endeavor to lead to staying up later than I cared for.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Choose your setting wisely. On the heels of Halloween, I had recently put a lot of thought into a steampunk costume for the themed party I attended. It was only natural to lead of into NaNoWriMo with the genre that I was already geared towards. After a while, I lost steam for the punk. I don't think I really wanted to write a steampunk novel, so after a while, I just lost desire to continue.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Know your topic. I found that writing about the Victorian era a bit difficult, I was constantly researching things in that time frame. This included articles of clothing worn in the during the time, New England geography, notable historical people, not so commonly known tools, plausibility of technological items to name a few. I spent nearly as much time researching if something actual fit in the steampunk genre, as I did writing the story. I feel I had some interesting ideas, but research took a lot of time.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Ensure you don't have other projects to contend with. At one point, I realized that doing NaNoWriMo prevented me from working on my RPG. I also have a lot other projects that I want to work on and NaNoWriMo usurped all of my free time.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Have a Support channel. I knew another person who wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo. I tried discussing our endeavor, but didn't get a lot of correspondence. I think that finding another person on the NaNoWriMo site and watching their word count helped motivate me for a short period of time. I honestly believe that if you have someone who is going through the same experience that you can talk with, it would be more motivation than trying to fabricate reasons to continue.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Don't Quit! Ok, so I really cannot elaborate on this. I ended up quitting, so who am I to say 'Don't Quit'. But I believe without a shadow of a doubt, if you don't quit, you will finish.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-15074712284668544112011-12-11T09:53:00.007-06:002011-12-11T10:09:04.376-06:00Happy Yule<div>During this festive time of the year, I like to offer my favorite Christmas short:</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17911948?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="440" height="247" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div>Nicholas Was...<br /><br />older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.<br /><br />The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.<br /><br />Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.<br /><br />He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.<br /><br />Ho.<br /><br />Ho.<br /><br />Ho. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-55888119864856726902011-11-25T21:52:00.004-06:002011-12-13T20:27:30.497-06:00In Search of Gaming<img src="http://www.tsrindex.net/dd/dd-b1-alt.jpg" align="right" width="25%" />Today marks the last weekend for the Texas Renaissance Festival. I travelled to Houston and was able to stop by a a used book store with a wide selection of gaming book that was new to me. Amongst the normal treasure, were a number of old adventure modules. I originally grabbed about $62 in old modules that I did not have, but decided to put almost all of it back in lieu of having more spending funds for the festival. <div><br /></div><div>One of the items I was unable to resist was an old starter module for the basic D&D game that was priced at $7.99. This was a steal, considering they priced a worn copy of I7 Baltron's Beacon at $58.99. The module is as shown and appears to be a valid second printing of the Module. I'm no expert at old modules, so I'll have to look it up when I get back.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-143388315144888732011-11-01T07:00:00.000-05:002011-11-01T07:00:06.470-05:00National Novel Writing Month<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/05/nanowrimo_1105.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 144px;" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/05/nanowrimo_1105.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Now that Halloween is over, it is time to focus on National Novel Writing Month. The goal of this exercise is to write a thousand words a day for thirty days. I've decided to go my hand at writing this month and hope that I'll be able to finish with something presentable. I'll try to update on my progress, but if you don't see any updates this month, you'll know why.<div><br /></div><div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">National Novel Writing Month</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-60934558676871800342011-10-27T00:22:00.003-05:002011-10-27T00:25:57.863-05:00Greenville, USA. Home of the Burn<a href="http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/small-town-usa-boonsboro-md-bob-gardner.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/small-town-usa-boonsboro-md-bob-gardner.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />One of the things that I have been wrestling with is where to set the game from the start. Picking a place to be the center of a Post Apocalyptic resurrection can maddening (like nuclear fall-out ghoulification maddening). I wanted something that was not a major metropolitan site (those are bad) and I had some ideas on how to incorporate locations into the game-master's local game. But I wanted to use a setting that was generic to most people across the nation.<br /><br />Then while I was getting ready for bed, I thought "What about Springfield?", that's a reasonably generic town name. I wanted to be sure so how do I determine if it is a viable solution? Let Google choose (to be fair, bing came up with the same answer). So I posed this question to the all-know G+:<br /><br /><blockquote>what is the most common name for a town in the us?<br /></blockquote><br />And the answer turns out to be Greenville. There is a Greenville in every state except Hawaii and Washington. Springfield turned out to be in 29 of the states.<br /><br />So my game is going to be based out of a small town called Greenville. What state that lies in is totally up to you.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-20992791527124472692011-10-17T20:13:00.007-05:002011-10-18T22:19:48.190-05:00Out of Style Role-playing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84o4LOLY9_h0ZJAam6OHPtUbVYOGaMV5u2jr_2LANEbEY5NSsudWhw-JWV2Ziusnx_hanuNfSvX5BuznG44PPxbXtxa7gLyX_zT5344S7ZJ7cqzdulaRRcNqb9JlebzDqTXeQjcX3eW0/s1600/osrlogo.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84o4LOLY9_h0ZJAam6OHPtUbVYOGaMV5u2jr_2LANEbEY5NSsudWhw-JWV2Ziusnx_hanuNfSvX5BuznG44PPxbXtxa7gLyX_zT5344S7ZJ7cqzdulaRRcNqb9JlebzDqTXeQjcX3eW0/s320/osrlogo.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665037617194343426" /></a>I keep seeing this OSR logo on many sites across the internet. Being the curious bloke that I am, I filed it in the back of my mind of things to read more on. Well, I made some time to research what this is really about. Many of you may know that OSR stands for '<i>Old School Revival</i>'; it is a quasi-movement to return the gaming style of the golden days of RPGs, which is apparently from 1977-1884. This is also a floating date value depending on who you ask. <div><div><br /></div><div>It appears that this amorphous effort was created due to dissension among the grognards at the new rule set (at the time it was 3rd edition) coupled by the fact that D&D gave these grognards the means to re-create the rule set of older editions, the Open Gaming License (OGL) and the System Reference Document (SRD).</div><div><br /></div><div>Outstanding!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>So now we have a plethora of OD&D knock-offs. Now mind you, the ones that I found are free, so it is great credit to their creators. Unfortunately, I do not think it is for me. I liked 3rd edition and did not look for these references for the old D&D style. I believe that gaming with these systems will fall short of the original games I had back in my younger days. Why? One of the main reasons is that I am older now. I have been desensitized by my time on this planet and do not hold the world in wonder as I once did. A mad grasp at my childhood gaming would probably be an exercise in futility. Not that I would not be willing to try to game a little game with thee, but I just think old school gaming is not any better than any other gaming. As I always say, the best GM can make any game fun, and I have found the most fun is with games where we discover the rules.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what's my point? Why rehash a bunch of information that others have already explained more thoughtfully and thoroughly than I have? Well, I discovered one small tidbit of information that I had not realized in the past. Some of you may have read my post on immersion versus mechanization called <a href="http://www.seerssight.com/2011/09/i-search-dungeon-for-anything.html">I Search the Dungeon for Anything</a>. In it, I lamented how players interacted more with the world than in newer editions of the game, which seemed more to be a generalized attempt and allowing the rules to dictate the outcome of the actions. Looking at the revival rules it hit me... They don't have skills. This had been one of the driving points of character immersion. Players did not have a mechanic to gauge their own success at a given task; they were required to interact with their surroundings to determine if they would be successful at something.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the question is, should we take skills out of the game, go back to 'proficiencies', or use something else entirely, like Collectible Card Abilities (groan)? I think that is something best discussed at a later date. I am curious as to what other people think: skills, class abilities, or just OSR in general</div><div><br /></div><div>Further Reading</div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/days-of-high-adventure/6412-Full-Circle-A-History-of-the-Old-School-Revival">A History of the Old School Revival</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-37944271017132561442011-10-17T07:00:00.001-05:002011-10-17T07:00:13.568-05:00Undead, Undead, Undead<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRNIt_2KcU2sT8g_vQVBKOEKKWBaJEcRbQb11Vl8k8u3mJvmdKXaWka3NewjXG2bqO4LCAz9BcKRAJahg76XYRf4gkekFke0rkqtJEQr85vWnjW7lEBMEIPemAmrpR8fKWZMB9j95sVw/s1600/walkwalkdead.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRNIt_2KcU2sT8g_vQVBKOEKKWBaJEcRbQb11Vl8k8u3mJvmdKXaWka3NewjXG2bqO4LCAz9BcKRAJahg76XYRf4gkekFke0rkqtJEQr85vWnjW7lEBMEIPemAmrpR8fKWZMB9j95sVw/s320/walkwalkdead.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664319998747083890" /></a>Watching the 'Walking Dead' yesterday got me thinking of a post-apocalyptic fantasy game where the living has become hordes of undead minions, the power of the faithful is waning, and those that believe in good are making one last stab at the heart of darkness that has spread across the land.<div><br /></div><div>I think the idea would work in almost any fantasy related game; Shadowrun, for one, could be used to base this horrific reality. Using sources like 'All Flesh Must Be Eaten' or Dungeons & Dragons' 'Elder Evils' could provide some nice insight into running your own zombie game. I imagine that the start would be some plague/pox/sickness that spreads through the land as a pandemic, slowly changed the serene landscape into an overwhelming horde of macabre neophytes. Just exactly how to stop this could be the quest of long running campaign. Perhaps the ultimate goal is a very alive typhoid mary that must be purged by the Ankh of Ra.</div><div><br /></div><div>How ever you plan to run this Festival of Blood (infamous shout) all I can say is 'C'mon get down with the sickness.'</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-618591958603117854.post-38745452779703190932011-10-16T18:36:00.010-05:002011-10-17T07:56:34.664-05:00Who Goes There?*****Warning: Spoiler Alert if you want to watch 'The Thing'*****<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEEUvLF5ijhyphenhyphenUYAi1Zi_HEEsKzoR7AMRLwXz5jt7d9rJhQORBr3hbB96uL_k_mFXDhYfQGJ8jcBNQ9jgfkoj9VQaj26mcSC9M2Kvyy93Ov5fORg8BTx237b59tlpsk5lw_fFlxb1SdCY/s1600/whogoesthere.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEEUvLF5ijhyphenhyphenUYAi1Zi_HEEsKzoR7AMRLwXz5jt7d9rJhQORBr3hbB96uL_k_mFXDhYfQGJ8jcBNQ9jgfkoj9VQaj26mcSC9M2Kvyy93Ov5fORg8BTx237b59tlpsk5lw_fFlxb1SdCY/s320/whogoesthere.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664269130071025858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I rarely go out and watch movies on opening week-end, but one of my all time favorite movies is "John Carpenter's The Thing". When I heard that they were making a prequel to the movie, I was very excited. I was ecstatic that Marc Abraham and Eric Newman chose to do a prequel instead of a remake because the original movie was too good of a classic to ruin.</div><div><br /></div><div>I went with a like minded friend who felt the same way about the original and was surprised to find similar opinions of the movie. While the movie was not as 'scary' as the original, I found many of the scenes very tense and, even though some of the surprises were cliche, they still startled me. Of our opinion, we found that many of the scenes were copied from the original movie, from the creature's initial escape, to the the burning of one of the camp members that was slowly being absorbed after a big fight. While it still works for the movie, it was a little disappointing to those who have seen the original. We agreed that that the movie falling to 'the blood test' would have ruined any originality the story might had brought to the table, but we were pleasantly surprised when they presented a different way to determine who may have been the alien. One thing that struck me as odd, was a particular scene when the lead character confronted the alien in human guise, knowing full well it was an alien before turning the torch on it. I do not know why, knowing it was the alien, she would not have tried to talk to an obviously advanced species. That is of course, other than the fact that it may ruin the plot of the second movie.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to say the special effects were exceptional, and I will admit that that the special effects were coequality for what I have seen in the movies these days. But, the original movie's effects entranced me to the point of believability. The original movie was done so well in my opinion, that watching it nigh thirty years later has not lessened the movie the way others that have not withstood the test of time. One of my particular favorite parts of the new movie was the arm-centipedes. Where the arms came of one of the 'infected', sprouted legs, and attacked the Norwegian carrying the man. Here is a shot of him fighting it off.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_0g-4QEtR_w7oYNpNUfZkIv2P9K-cdUzz-Yf52ckPcHDxstzAxYW-VPzjEE9fQiZb56aRc4C2-WylC5IdBQPM0ITDAGbPOxfXpCdWviLX0ZhaFtP0s-A8_Bjazj_2shjfqDjiYRwoA/s1600/thething.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_0g-4QEtR_w7oYNpNUfZkIv2P9K-cdUzz-Yf52ckPcHDxstzAxYW-VPzjEE9fQiZb56aRc4C2-WylC5IdBQPM0ITDAGbPOxfXpCdWviLX0ZhaFtP0s-A8_Bjazj_2shjfqDjiYRwoA/s320/thething.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664293676418101010" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>One of the things that really impressed me was the care taken to make portions of the new movie fit into the original scenes of the original movie. I found that this movie answered any burning questions about the Norwegian camp those many years ago. This was a quote from Heisserer, the movies writer:</div><br /><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ><table class="toccolours" style="font-size: 11px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); background-color: rgb(198, 219, 247); padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: black; width: 30em; max-width: 70%; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; " cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left; ">“It’s a really fascinating way to construct a story because we're doing it by autopsy, by examining very, very closely everything we know about the Norwegian camp and about the events that happened there from photos and video footage that’s recovered, from a visit to the base, the director, producer and I have gone through it countless times marking, you know, there’s a fire axe in the door, we have to account for that…we're having to reverse engineer it, so those details all matter to us ‘cause it all has to make sense.”</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right; "> — <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Heisserer" title="Eric Heisserer" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Eric Heisserer</a> describing the process of creating a script </td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></blockquote>I found the movie quite enjoyable and would recommend any Sci-fi/Horror fan to go see it. I think the creator's attention to detail and respect for the original, outweigh any misgivings to fans of the original. The 'only' thing left to ask, is the rare <a href="http://www.outpost31.com/movie/deletedscenes.html">cut scene</a> of the sled dog running away from the human camp at the end of the first movie. This scene was only on some of the released for TV versions of the movie and I have found that I am one of the few people I know that have seen it. This leads to an interesting 'Will they do a Sequel?' question.<div><br />Further information:<br /><div><ul><li>Read '<a href="http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/manuscri/Who%20Goes%20There/Who%20Goes%20There%20Index.htm">Who Goes There?</a>" by John W. Campbell, Jr.</li><li>Watch the new '<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/">The Thing</a>' in theatres.</li><li>Watch the original '<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/">The Thing</a>' from Netflicks.</li></ul><div><b>Note</b>: The pic of the thing is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barlowes-Guide-Extraterrestrials-Science-Literature/dp/0894803247">Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials</a> as discribed in the original Novella, of which you will not see in either movie.</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://twitter.com/seerssight</div>Vinsanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13385809868293440378noreply@blogger.com0