For a few months now, the old blog has been getting lots of anonymous spam comments linking to websites that are probably fronts for phishing, viruses, or something. I'm sick of having to clear out these posts every other day or so.
So I've disabled anonymous posting of comments.
Josh, you're the only regular anonymous poster that I have. Sorry. If there's something you want to say, shoot me an email or PM me on Facebook and I'll repost it here for you if you want.
In other news, Chanbara waits patiently while I write a couple of papers for grad school.
Blogging about interesting game stuff waits as well.
Oh, and apparently Jack Vance wasn't dead already, but he is now. Bummer of sorts. Maybe when I work through my current stack of Carl Sagan, Poul Anderson, Joseph Campbell and Terry Brooks (hey, it was dirt cheap at the used English book store/cafe here in Busan - don't judge me!), and the next semester's worth of TESOL/SLA readings, I'll try out some more Vance. I really enjoyed the Dying Earth books. I'd like to read some of his other works.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
A strange confluence
Last night, in one of my Ph.D classes, our professor showed us part of this TED Talk while discussing the limits of copyright/IP law with regards to creating English teaching materials or having our students get involved in creating similar content and then releasing it online as a teaching tool.
And the whole time, I was thinking, "That's so OSR." It's also very "Indie RPG." As Gygax famously said, "Why should we do any more of your imagining for you?"
And the whole time, I was thinking, "That's so OSR." It's also very "Indie RPG." As Gygax famously said, "Why should we do any more of your imagining for you?"
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Content coming soon!
Well, we've recovered all (or almost all anyway) of our data. Now I'm sorting it out, reinstalling various programs, and the like.
Plus, it's the end of the semester and I've got a couple of papers to write.
Not much gaming going on, but don't fret, gaming content will be back up on the blog soon!
As long as Kim Jeong-Un doesn't nuke Busan, that is...
Plus, it's the end of the semester and I've got a couple of papers to write.
Not much gaming going on, but don't fret, gaming content will be back up on the blog soon!
As long as Kim Jeong-Un doesn't nuke Busan, that is...
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Crapola
Two nights ago, we had a catastrophic hard drive failure on our PC. And for some reason, our external hard drive had stopped automatically saving a backup over a year ago and we didn't notice. So we've possibly lost a year plus worth of data.
My wife will take the old hard drive to a shop tomorrow and they'll see what they can salvage.
Back up your data, folks! If you're like me, you always think about it when you're away from the computer, and when you get to the computer you aren't thinking about it anymore.
Anyway, for those of you hoping to see Chanbara released sometime this decade, don't worry, all of those files are on my netbook. I've probably lost a few recently downloaded pictures (pending recovery operations tomorrow) but since they were all downloaded from the internet, I'm sure I can find them, or suitable replacements, again.
Once again, hurray for the public domain!
Anyway, back to work. I've got to clear off enough space from our external hard drive for them to put all the data on if they can recover everything.
Update - We got all of our data. Now I've got to spend the rest of the weekend getting the new hard drive and the external hard drive sorted out, and finish downloading and installing the programs we lost. Fun fun!
My wife will take the old hard drive to a shop tomorrow and they'll see what they can salvage.
Back up your data, folks! If you're like me, you always think about it when you're away from the computer, and when you get to the computer you aren't thinking about it anymore.
Anyway, for those of you hoping to see Chanbara released sometime this decade, don't worry, all of those files are on my netbook. I've probably lost a few recently downloaded pictures (pending recovery operations tomorrow) but since they were all downloaded from the internet, I'm sure I can find them, or suitable replacements, again.
Once again, hurray for the public domain!
Anyway, back to work. I've got to clear off enough space from our external hard drive for them to put all the data on if they can recover everything.
Update - We got all of our data. Now I've got to spend the rest of the weekend getting the new hard drive and the external hard drive sorted out, and finish downloading and installing the programs we lost. Fun fun!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Incident on Outer Reach
Outer Reach, the scummy hive of wretched villainy, in the Dramune System, the Frontier. These are the wanderings of a band of jaded mercenaries, on a continuing mission to get more cash, bigger guns, seek out new enemies and kill them.
It is a time of great unrest. Rebel forces, striking from a hidden base, have been a thorn in the side of GovernorCohaagen Tulving. And there are two groups of rebels, the Rebels, and the Techno-Warriors, who have a small army of combat robots and a handful of 50m tall (yes, Godzilla-sized) robots as well. And of course, the Sathar have landed! Not to mention all the criminal elements on the planet.
This is what happens when I pull out a set of adventures I made for Star Frontiers roughly 25 years ago, and run it for my current group of players. We spend a few days actually getting them familiar enough with the rules to make their characters, and discussing any special needs they might have.
Justin - Krueger, a 7 1/2' tall human techie, former Techno-Warrior, with a bracing exoskeleton (flavor only) because of his frail physical condition. Had all tech skills plus demolitions and environmental.
Jeremy - Z.E.D., an AI robot (actually full conversion cyborg, think robocop without even the lips, just half a human brain inside a robotic shell). Combat specialized (Beam, Projectile, Melee weapons, plus Environmental) and packing a bladed gauntlet (sword) and needler pistol.
Rick - Mason Hawke, a human ex-military sniper, with his mouth sewn shut and a neural-interface robotic hawk mounted on his shoulder that talks for him (again just for flavor, and everyone calls a parrot). Purely a military man (Projectile and Melee weapon skills only).
Dean - Sister Pompeius Izabelle Giulius, 9-year old Bene Gesserit human, just beginning her training in all that Bene Gesserit Jazz (Psycho-Social and Martial Arts skill, plus some special rules for using Intuition as a "power pool" for increasing chances to perform certain actions/rolls) wearing Tibetan monk robes and light-up Hello Kitty sneakers.
Dean actually wasn't able to make it, which may have been a good thing, considering how things played out with the three hard-case mercs that went on the adventure. Or maybe her calming influence would have changed the dynamic? Who knows?
So the PCs decide to hire on with the autocratic governor who controls the mining operations to put down the rebellions, mostly because they assume he's got the deepest pockets. Gov. Tulving's underling sends them on a mission to track down the hidden Sathar base so the government forces can roll in and wipe them out. The only real lead they have is that the Sathar arrived during a battle between the government forces and Techno-Warriors that destroyed the city of Glaxon.
Finding some Glaxon refugees after a bit of computer searching, they learn from a refugee that they need to pacify that there are potentially many hypnotized Sathar agents around, and that a Pan Galactic Corporation research facility, Pwason, was shut down but people have reported seeing activity there.
Before going to the research facility, they stop at a military munitions factory and manage to con the commander into loaning them hover cycles and giving them more ammo (but not the rocket launcher they'd hoped for). Heading to the Pwason Facility on the cycles, they run into an ambush of soldiers (they were Rebels, but the party gunned their engines and left them in the dust rather than stopping to find out).
They scout out the Pwason facility for a day, watching the eight scientists going about their day doing SCIENCE!!! stuff. At dinner time, Krueger goes to the lab building to snoop around while ZED and Mason lob doze grenades into the dining hall window. All but one of the scientists are knocked out, and she opens fire with a shotgun. She manages to resist needler anaestetic the first time, but after getting a burst shot from Mason, ZED's needlers put her under the second time.
Krueger is meanwhile investigating the scientists' work, finding some strange unknown types of genetic experimentation going on.
Mason decapitates the human woman who resisted, and leaves the corpse there for the others to see when they wake up bound. The first to come around is a female Vrusk, and Mason takes her into another room while ZED watches over the prisoners. Mason then tries to get her to talk by telling her that he and ZED saved them from an attack, but waking up tied up next to a dead and disfigured companion and seeing the "rescuers" not untying the other prisoners, she's suspicious and uncooperative. Mason, with help of Krueger on the chronocom, tricks her into revealing her false PGC contact, Bobward Strumm. Krueger checks, there's no record of such a man working for Pan Galactic. Still, the Vrusk refuses to cooperate, so Mason kills her.
The party radios into the military to send some troops to pick up the prisoners. When they arrive, the medic uses Telol (truth serum) to get them to talk, and lo and behold, yes, they are hypnotized Sathar agents, and reveal the location of the hidden base.
Mission success! (sorta)
Anyway, the team took the Sathar agents' armory and got paid by Governor Tulving. Hopefully I'll be able to run a couple more of these games over the summer. It was nice to play Star Frontiers again, and while I had to look up more rules than I thought I would, we didn't really have any hitches as far as the rules went.
It is a time of great unrest. Rebel forces, striking from a hidden base, have been a thorn in the side of Governor
This is what happens when I pull out a set of adventures I made for Star Frontiers roughly 25 years ago, and run it for my current group of players. We spend a few days actually getting them familiar enough with the rules to make their characters, and discussing any special needs they might have.
Justin - Krueger, a 7 1/2' tall human techie, former Techno-Warrior, with a bracing exoskeleton (flavor only) because of his frail physical condition. Had all tech skills plus demolitions and environmental.
Jeremy - Z.E.D., an AI robot (actually full conversion cyborg, think robocop without even the lips, just half a human brain inside a robotic shell). Combat specialized (Beam, Projectile, Melee weapons, plus Environmental) and packing a bladed gauntlet (sword) and needler pistol.
Rick - Mason Hawke, a human ex-military sniper, with his mouth sewn shut and a neural-interface robotic hawk mounted on his shoulder that talks for him (again just for flavor, and everyone calls a parrot). Purely a military man (Projectile and Melee weapon skills only).
Dean - Sister Pompeius Izabelle Giulius, 9-year old Bene Gesserit human, just beginning her training in all that Bene Gesserit Jazz (Psycho-Social and Martial Arts skill, plus some special rules for using Intuition as a "power pool" for increasing chances to perform certain actions/rolls) wearing Tibetan monk robes and light-up Hello Kitty sneakers.
Dean actually wasn't able to make it, which may have been a good thing, considering how things played out with the three hard-case mercs that went on the adventure. Or maybe her calming influence would have changed the dynamic? Who knows?
So the PCs decide to hire on with the autocratic governor who controls the mining operations to put down the rebellions, mostly because they assume he's got the deepest pockets. Gov. Tulving's underling sends them on a mission to track down the hidden Sathar base so the government forces can roll in and wipe them out. The only real lead they have is that the Sathar arrived during a battle between the government forces and Techno-Warriors that destroyed the city of Glaxon.
Finding some Glaxon refugees after a bit of computer searching, they learn from a refugee that they need to pacify that there are potentially many hypnotized Sathar agents around, and that a Pan Galactic Corporation research facility, Pwason, was shut down but people have reported seeing activity there.
Before going to the research facility, they stop at a military munitions factory and manage to con the commander into loaning them hover cycles and giving them more ammo (but not the rocket launcher they'd hoped for). Heading to the Pwason Facility on the cycles, they run into an ambush of soldiers (they were Rebels, but the party gunned their engines and left them in the dust rather than stopping to find out).
They scout out the Pwason facility for a day, watching the eight scientists going about their day doing SCIENCE!!! stuff. At dinner time, Krueger goes to the lab building to snoop around while ZED and Mason lob doze grenades into the dining hall window. All but one of the scientists are knocked out, and she opens fire with a shotgun. She manages to resist needler anaestetic the first time, but after getting a burst shot from Mason, ZED's needlers put her under the second time.
Krueger is meanwhile investigating the scientists' work, finding some strange unknown types of genetic experimentation going on.
Mason decapitates the human woman who resisted, and leaves the corpse there for the others to see when they wake up bound. The first to come around is a female Vrusk, and Mason takes her into another room while ZED watches over the prisoners. Mason then tries to get her to talk by telling her that he and ZED saved them from an attack, but waking up tied up next to a dead and disfigured companion and seeing the "rescuers" not untying the other prisoners, she's suspicious and uncooperative. Mason, with help of Krueger on the chronocom, tricks her into revealing her false PGC contact, Bobward Strumm. Krueger checks, there's no record of such a man working for Pan Galactic. Still, the Vrusk refuses to cooperate, so Mason kills her.
The party radios into the military to send some troops to pick up the prisoners. When they arrive, the medic uses Telol (truth serum) to get them to talk, and lo and behold, yes, they are hypnotized Sathar agents, and reveal the location of the hidden base.
Mission success! (sorta)
Anyway, the team took the Sathar agents' armory and got paid by Governor Tulving. Hopefully I'll be able to run a couple more of these games over the summer. It was nice to play Star Frontiers again, and while I had to look up more rules than I thought I would, we didn't really have any hitches as far as the rules went.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Guess what?
Guess what the Busan Gamers are gonna be playing tomorrow night?
That's right, some Star Frontiers! Of course, Justin, Jeremy, Rick and Dean are all making their oh so grimdark 40k angsty whatever PCs (well, Dean's playing a 9 year old Bene Gesserit, so he's in the spirit), here's the sorts of things I think of when I think Star Frontiers (besides actual Star Frontiers stuff that is):
 |
| shamelessly stolen from Larry Elmore's web site |
That's right, some Star Frontiers! Of course, Justin, Jeremy, Rick and Dean are all making their oh so grimdark 40k angsty whatever PCs (well, Dean's playing a 9 year old Bene Gesserit, so he's in the spirit), here's the sorts of things I think of when I think Star Frontiers (besides actual Star Frontiers stuff that is):
 |
| Zorak |
 |
| Maurice returns! |
 |
| Space Cowboy, Space Princess |
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| Right back atcha, Cap'n! |
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| We come in peace! |
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| You leave in pieces! |
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| Thanks to Brutorz Bill's Simian Saturdays for this one. |
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Classes in Chanbara
It's a gameless Saturday night here in Busan, so I created this little graphic to show the class relationships in Chanbara.
Here you see the four main class groups, all twelve classes, and the relationships between the special ability types (maneuvers, tricks, or spells). The last one may not be so obvious.
The points of the triangle have classes with only one special ability type: Samurai - Combat Maneuvers; Ninja - Tricks; Yamabushi - Spells. Call these the base classes, if you will.
The secondary human classes have primarily the same special abilities as their group's base class, but also some of the special abilities of the group along the lines of the outer triangle.
So, for example, Gorotsuki are in the Shinobi group but along the line with Maho-tsukai, so they have mostly Tricks but some Spells. Onmyoji are in the Maho-tsukai group but along the same line, so they have mostly Spells but some Tricks. The three Yokai classes have an even split of the two ability types that flank their boxes. So Kitsune have an even split of Tricks and Spells.
If you were to write it out in linear form for each side of the triangle, it would look something like this:
Ninja - all Tricks
Gorotsuki - 2/3 Tricks, 1/3 Spells
Kitsune - 1/2 Tricks, 1/2 Spells
Onmyoji - 1/3 Tricks, 2/3 Spells
Yamabushi all Spells
Repeat for the Samurai to Ninja line, and Samurai to Yamabushi line.
The points of the triangle have classes with only one special ability type: Samurai - Combat Maneuvers; Ninja - Tricks; Yamabushi - Spells. Call these the base classes, if you will.
The secondary human classes have primarily the same special abilities as their group's base class, but also some of the special abilities of the group along the lines of the outer triangle.
So, for example, Gorotsuki are in the Shinobi group but along the line with Maho-tsukai, so they have mostly Tricks but some Spells. Onmyoji are in the Maho-tsukai group but along the same line, so they have mostly Spells but some Tricks. The three Yokai classes have an even split of the two ability types that flank their boxes. So Kitsune have an even split of Tricks and Spells.
If you were to write it out in linear form for each side of the triangle, it would look something like this:
Ninja - all Tricks
Gorotsuki - 2/3 Tricks, 1/3 Spells
Kitsune - 1/2 Tricks, 1/2 Spells
Onmyoji - 1/3 Tricks, 2/3 Spells
Yamabushi all Spells
Repeat for the Samurai to Ninja line, and Samurai to Yamabushi line.
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