tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61342734081026150462024-03-18T21:04:45.861-04:00These Old GamesA website dedicate to games of all favors and varieties, from video games to good old D&D. Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.comBlogger1208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-13558479280591853022024-03-10T12:17:00.004-04:002024-03-10T12:19:00.869-04:00Spherical Hex Map<p>My last post generated two types of responses: </p><p>"How did you wrap the hex map onto a globe?"</p><p>"You actually can't. It's been a quest of the computer games industry..."</p><p>This is a case of me working forward and backwards with some assistive tech to get a result. I want a globe covered with hexes and I already know that doesn't work so how did I do this? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXtawENCV8RGNZU3e0vdk042TGYTcl1iEznY4ZMDoAUIQQ-l5IKbd1lawf94sQ3WidNFW6CffMV9B545SGLvuG3bOTjcRuitMjqdlHeI7bf4XlhAQaL2k9YIczluiLRZykTY0expIwmt7_AxLsnFYBXRh3UVfIt3xsi23dP_L7kVJV4qR2CIp87834Asj/s1041/full%20hemisphere.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1041" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXtawENCV8RGNZU3e0vdk042TGYTcl1iEznY4ZMDoAUIQQ-l5IKbd1lawf94sQ3WidNFW6CffMV9B545SGLvuG3bOTjcRuitMjqdlHeI7bf4XlhAQaL2k9YIczluiLRZykTY0expIwmt7_AxLsnFYBXRh3UVfIt3xsi23dP_L7kVJV4qR2CIp87834Asj/s320/full%20hemisphere.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>"Well, believe me, Mike, I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid... and I went ahead anyway."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRw9wRKv9sjwVOrzNdVdKPorMOlvPg_N8TFjhAVSsvVruCOeGzQF5cMdaw3LNcDhjTL6QaeMeNGhAQ6b6LnBVt144wJSg5EIPQibEy9xKkl6nDSJDnJOrXRD79MG2d24fh1IH8JYAUZXPGf70_YJS5U1qZ36qnsnIjlqkHkKmAs0Ut_isAV_IZl8L59_l/s2615/IMG_20240228_220934744.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2350" data-original-width="2615" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRw9wRKv9sjwVOrzNdVdKPorMOlvPg_N8TFjhAVSsvVruCOeGzQF5cMdaw3LNcDhjTL6QaeMeNGhAQ6b6LnBVt144wJSg5EIPQibEy9xKkl6nDSJDnJOrXRD79MG2d24fh1IH8JYAUZXPGf70_YJS5U1qZ36qnsnIjlqkHkKmAs0Ut_isAV_IZl8L59_l/s320/IMG_20240228_220934744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>"Map" and "hex" have specific mathematical meanings that don't apply to what I intend to do. The final image will be a drawing that might (I hope) look like a hex map on a globe. I am constrained by the paper's dimensions - 13 hexes wide and 9 hexes high (and each hex will be subdivided) to represent a drawing of a hex map on a hemisphere. <p></p><p>The image on the left was a standard subdivided hex, distorted to look like it was bulging out of the page. It's constructed by a distorted hex, you can see where it literally becomes sketchy. </p><p>The image below is a more refined and localized example of the same idea with some minor changes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJUR3HtGasuEGlI1vSu2EgIxgyEvqEOoVjSevO3t9crLsPNqdXhz_75aDx3yyw2rV2kicoRI2Ih5TUfXZ7xXvC-MMF0VxRFCd06pDUbE9bVEdeUQKkEsLOFXMizl43WwWlPze12wN4POpezHe_aXDU83PmcYcYjRvgelqt5VlqYpkYXU9kCItjn0siCA9/s1452/IMG_20240228_220937817.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJUR3HtGasuEGlI1vSu2EgIxgyEvqEOoVjSevO3t9crLsPNqdXhz_75aDx3yyw2rV2kicoRI2Ih5TUfXZ7xXvC-MMF0VxRFCd06pDUbE9bVEdeUQKkEsLOFXMizl43WwWlPze12wN4POpezHe_aXDU83PmcYcYjRvgelqt5VlqYpkYXU9kCItjn0siCA9/s320/IMG_20240228_220937817.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><p>The computer-generated hex map from Worldogragher is distorted to a hand-drawn globe with hex-like shapes. I used the simple icon set so I get a sense of how shapes distort like this. Virtually none of the points from the Worldographer map match the hand-drawn hex globe points. I am going to "bend" both images to something in between.</p><p>I am hoping for a piece of artwork that looks good and is compelling. <br /><br />Aside from the initial subdivided hex map that is flat, there is no math or code. It's done by hand to look good. </p><p>You can download a set of normal hex map templates from DriveThruRPG here. </p><p><b style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-center;"> The Hex Pack</b><br style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-center;" /><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/314920/These-Old-Games-Presents-The-Hex-Pack" style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-center;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Hex Pack" src="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/images/13515/314920-thumb140.png" title="The Hex Pack" /></a><br style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-center;" /> <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/314920/These-Old-Games-Presents-The-Hex-Pack" style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-center;" target="_blank">The Hex Pack</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-58905508496015894942024-02-27T22:08:00.005-05:002024-02-27T22:18:07.561-05:00I'm Still on Hiatus...<p> I'm still on hiatus, but have a test file to share. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAF8fy9vIjfxtg54FRIb3wJqqpUn-EAArGeo9YJivfgJTu-eCcPOCWY7nS9b9U6ntPIjZofwSioWiwzOOtJTCe-FcAq3pXzjZeVwtz8tCgSAqCrKnunE8NvOms7CYx_vmVYJ9EMhZkMo3a02VhmmRB9kIYCZvAaafIK5Y4uhr-Xe1LRseUsc4lAldWjnq/s1041/full%20hemisphere.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1041" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAF8fy9vIjfxtg54FRIb3wJqqpUn-EAArGeo9YJivfgJTu-eCcPOCWY7nS9b9U6ntPIjZofwSioWiwzOOtJTCe-FcAq3pXzjZeVwtz8tCgSAqCrKnunE8NvOms7CYx_vmVYJ9EMhZkMo3a02VhmmRB9kIYCZvAaafIK5Y4uhr-Xe1LRseUsc4lAldWjnq/w640-h504/full%20hemisphere.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p>What do you think?<p></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-65203655021544805902024-02-20T22:00:00.000-05:002024-02-20T22:00:02.032-05:00Another Character Class Idea - The Monomachos<p>(This is a bonus post, one I wrote back in September of 2022. I found it unposted while cleaning up.) </p><p>Stephen Donaldson is known for using 10-dollar words when a single simple word would suffice. In his Mordant's Need series, the villain's right-hand man is The Monomach. He is one part warrior, one part assassin. </p>Now I thought I knew what "monomach" meant, but it turns out I was totally wrong. I had thought it was related to nobility or being a monarch, making this guy "The Assassin King". <div><br /></div><div>Nope. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's Greek. "Monomachos" or "he who fights alone". A gladiator. That is not as cool as "The Assassin King" but makes so much more sense in context. I'd like to introduce one to a campaign. I <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/08/stealing-monsters.html" target="_blank">posted</a> as much a few years ago when I last read the series. I had a couple of ideas that I have refined over time. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJPdgkfa5iOJO_TiegDLqTnn4XTTp8ErVfDZXE8ZrvsGaco1iAmdpUP7o9pqIvBU2RXbKYjuTbcn8CGekwiQuFstfpqgB6--Ja8yuBbi2uLoYnwpWN1qbghFF7HSf6EznMVjl13JHrk_adHhrHyAD9RhD7wOZ_hb2Mr6Dmb_4JqAUmmIYQPr0jd6-AQ/s453/Boxer.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="453" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJPdgkfa5iOJO_TiegDLqTnn4XTTp8ErVfDZXE8ZrvsGaco1iAmdpUP7o9pqIvBU2RXbKYjuTbcn8CGekwiQuFstfpqgB6--Ja8yuBbi2uLoYnwpWN1qbghFF7HSf6EznMVjl13JHrk_adHhrHyAD9RhD7wOZ_hb2Mr6Dmb_4JqAUmmIYQPr0jd6-AQ/s320/Boxer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A Monomachos is like a fighter, but nothing like a regular Fighter, Elf, Dwarf, Cleric, Paladin, or Knight. They live for the fight, not for sustained warfare. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Donaldson's books, the Monomach is clearly evil because he assassinates people for the joy of it. When I first wrote about the character, I had a limited view of that type of character. If you didn't read that story, think of Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace without all the chattiness. Maul showed lust for fighting, maybe killing, but not for general mayhem. <p></p><p>As a villain, a Monomachos only has one purpose... to cause death and terror before dying. But do they have to be the villain? </p><p>Well, it certainly makes things easy if they are all villains. But they are not all villains. </p><p>It was relatively easy to come up with superhero examples. Black Widow, Hawkeye, Daredevil, The Hulk, and so on come across as heroes who live for the thrill of the fight. To a lesser extent, you could add Tony Stark and Spider-Man to the list, but then also remove the MCU Black Widow because she was starting to believe the fight was too much of a bother. Hawkeye was also heading that way, only to be replaced by Kate Bishop which allowed him to leave the hero act behind. Baymax would be an interesting and scary addition to that list because he follows his programming as if it were a joy. </p><p>Oddly, the Punisher is not a Monomachos as he has a different purpose for what he is doing. Fighting and aggression are not really his "thing". He is sorting criminal corpses into their proper circle of hell. It's a completely different purpose. He doesn't have to fight, just kill. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb5REwpUVj8Orwuu_dpnM7K9_ooeBR8Wf1YIL-rytp42NimPAuR2C3YGL0sQkgcSmQaTIs6kVsGTL1rSqB5NT108DSMzVRWbVE3MfubSzZrBHk3kEL_vNpyCikH06a44qGwzmqHBhY1VTNAUx3EQaAgYj90USDyY7QLqwhZGWTCiKmkMCJsEaKE65sw/s4000/sword.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb5REwpUVj8Orwuu_dpnM7K9_ooeBR8Wf1YIL-rytp42NimPAuR2C3YGL0sQkgcSmQaTIs6kVsGTL1rSqB5NT108DSMzVRWbVE3MfubSzZrBHk3kEL_vNpyCikH06a44qGwzmqHBhY1VTNAUx3EQaAgYj90USDyY7QLqwhZGWTCiKmkMCJsEaKE65sw/s320/sword.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>So what about non-superheroes? </p><p>Well, the list is short. Peter Pan, The Three Musketeers, Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, Legolas, and Glimly. And my brain screeches to a halt there. I guess I could name more, but that is good enough. </p><p>The surprising people from those two lists are Spider-Man and Peter Pan because they are characters who are loved by children. It doesn't mean their drives are kid-friendly. Parker is driven to take risks and engage in violence at great personal cost. Peter Pan is slightly more disturbing. He switches sides if the fight is too easy. He kills Hook and then forgets there was a Captain Hook to kill. Both do it for the same reasons, the drive to excel with their given skill set, that are in parallel with their personal goals. </p><p>So what commonality do these people have if we take away alignment? <br /></p><p>Each person is an improviser. They may use traditional weapons but are fully capable of using a brick, a candlestick, and a doorknob if necessary. They are not subject to outside influences, such as social norms and certain types of magic. Being a bit of a sociopath helps. Oddly, this deviated personality may cause them to be in more control of their feelings and desires, leading them away from wasteful fights. If the fight isn't a challenge, why do it? </p><p>Poor or malformed social skills are a hallmark of every character listed. </p><p>None of these characters are especially good at ordinary, everyday skills. Peter Pan and Kate Bishop can't cook. Hawkeye tends to zone out at key moments and Bruce Banner retreats from the world. Stark is made of neuroses, everything from germaphobia to being a dick even when he means to help. </p><p>In-game, what sort of traits would these characters have? </p><p>They should be able to use any sort of weapon and armor, even if they don't personally like specific armor and weapon types. They can also use improvised weapons. It's not their first, best option but if there is a lot of rubble around, it's better than bruising your knuckles. </p><p>Next, they should have some unique combat skills. </p><p>The Monomachos should rarely be surprised in combat. Perhaps only a 1 in 6 chance and this is separate from the rest of the party's roll. They are itching for a fight in every situation. If the party is surprised and The Monomachos is not surprised, they move with the enemy. This could spoil their surprise round as there is one opposing person moving as they do. The enemy had to waste their surprise round to address the Monomachos. </p><p>Their third combat ability is to refuse contact. If the Monomachos has the initiative and makes a successful attack roll, they may either proceed to the damage roll OR spoil their attacker's next roll. This also allows them to turn and face another opponent. This prevents them from being flanked, it does not permit them an extra attack. </p><p>Fourth, they defy outside influences. They have trait that they can't utilize magic weapons to full effect. No bonuses, but the weapon still counts as magic to inflict damage. This is because they only rely on their own skills, not the assistance of a magic weapon. Of course, if the magic weapon has a secondary power or effect that is magical, like detecting evil or light, they can use that to the fullest. It's the assistive nature that they won't do. </p><p>Armor is different, they do receive bonuses as they can't undo or refuse its basic nature to protect. </p><p>Cursed weapons should fear the Monomachos character. These types of people aren't subject to outside influences, therefore a cursed weapon should be just as ineffective as a positive magic weapon. A cursed weapon should try to escape their clutches because the Momomachos may choose to sacrifice a weapon to win. Intelligent things fear destruction. </p><p>I wanted something like this when I created my <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/286180/Swashbuckler-Character-Class-for-DD-and-ADD?affiliate_id=242797" target="_blank">Swashbuckler character class</a> but in play testing it was impractical. Based on this new character type, I will rewrite that document. </p><p>To recap the character: </p><p>Surprised only on a 1 in 6. They move and attack during their opponent's surprise round if not surprised themselves. <br />Can use all weapons and armor, but receive no magical bonuses for weapons. <br />They are immune to cursed weapons.<br />They can also use improvised weapons if only to save their knuckles. <br />Foil attacks on a hit and turn to face other opponents instead of dealing damage. </p><p>Let me know what you think in the comments, especially if you have already purchased my Swashbuckler class. </p></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-12220251495468645562024-02-17T12:47:00.004-05:002024-02-17T12:47:46.892-05:00Taking a Break - 100+ Days<p>I love to brainstorm ideas and run with it all willy-nilly. In my last few posts, I have mentioned a few projects that are "almost done". And I have at least a dozen other ideas that need to be done. It is time to step back and reflect on my goals and priorities without the distractions of blogging. I think I will take a break for 105 days.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsQFbGx6uZa-Egh0ZPiu3sDiKmI7GGGb2vQOZOd51N74fHn6h11aMgZtM-ZzifeSDbU8zHIoMb2xAre-RjcMFRCG2FLDJRsgTP5IdfoCSxcezF-kJCRcWd5-xYVvb-oib8UDcRVnXV39ISmVG-JtLlCJYSwmpF_N1rhtrHW9I21Gu_jPz3ANtgbmQ6u73/s426/GraphiteG4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="352" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsQFbGx6uZa-Egh0ZPiu3sDiKmI7GGGb2vQOZOd51N74fHn6h11aMgZtM-ZzifeSDbU8zHIoMb2xAre-RjcMFRCG2FLDJRsgTP5IdfoCSxcezF-kJCRcWd5-xYVvb-oib8UDcRVnXV39ISmVG-JtLlCJYSwmpF_N1rhtrHW9I21Gu_jPz3ANtgbmQ6u73/w165-h200/GraphiteG4.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>A few months ago, my ancient Power Mac bit the dust. This was my main machine for writing, with my clamshell iBook being the backup. Now I am operating with no backup at all. That is not good. <p></p><p>I have been gifted two 2010 Mac Pros to get my writing and blog back on track. Yet they sit next to the broken Power Mac unused. What is holding me back is data recovery from the old Mac and recycling equipment that is no longer used.</p><p>Second, next to the computers is my gardening shelf, which is covered with crafting supplies. As May 7th is the last frost date in Western New York, I am going to need this space for my gardening supplies in April. It needs to be emptied and supplies bought for gardening. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-wdTWAQsSglPj4XQ3ZvgdRzYY0JGtGqBTbSLUOHNhFD31F2oEL5oJqisCk_QJ9qkAcEq0icdO9B9x0424cfuRzlMtVtMYOzEPpOezDZ5E4dYLRLTQieFReeisbq8_iRtnlG9XQNoNLezl1VVIq6PthtbIviUV_Rvk5qMWGlI1nvNPAtsPuF7wYKMkPes/s1600/bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-wdTWAQsSglPj4XQ3ZvgdRzYY0JGtGqBTbSLUOHNhFD31F2oEL5oJqisCk_QJ9qkAcEq0icdO9B9x0424cfuRzlMtVtMYOzEPpOezDZ5E4dYLRLTQieFReeisbq8_iRtnlG9XQNoNLezl1VVIq6PthtbIviUV_Rvk5qMWGlI1nvNPAtsPuF7wYKMkPes/s320/bunny.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>This also ties into the Giant Frickin' Bunny that inhabits our home. He needs a nice place to play, both inside and outside. His name is Fiver and maybe he will get his own blog. He certainly is cute and photogenic. <p></p><p>Anyway, the garden and rabbit are linked topics because one needs the other. He is a cross between a Flemish Giant and a Continental Giant, so we can expect him to grow to be at least 30 pounds and maybe 3 feet long. We'll be using the garden to supplement his store-bought foods. We give him plenty of fresh food and it would be nice to not shop specifically for him. </p><p>Third, my blog, in some form or another has been rolling since January 2010. It has developed a lot of cruft in 14 years. Formatting has gone weird, some posts link to places that no longer exist, and half a dozen things that bother me are begging to be fixed. That doesn't even cover the fact that I have a high-quality camera and microphone that sit unused on my desk. I need to clean up to keep this place nice. I also need to integrate it better into my social media accounts. </p><p>In no particular order: I would like to scrub ads off the blog, fix formatting that is broken, and provide better images for existing posts while creating a standard for future posts. </p><p>All of this takes time. Maybe 105 days.</p><p>When it comes to the content, I have a bag of holding worth of books and games waiting to be read, and played, and reviewed. </p><p>I don't expect to go radio silent for the next couple of months. You can expect to see a few posts, probably less than what I have done in the past year. As I tick items off my list, I will definitely post updates. However, I don't plan on spending a lot of time on social media promoting things. While I am working on all this, I want to think about how I present on those other channels and gear my posts to work better in those places. </p><p>Again, I would like to thank all of you for supporting this blog. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-48281488445050912152024-02-12T05:30:00.001-05:002024-02-12T05:30:00.134-05:00Maker Monday - Project 1 - The Tall House<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6RRgvHQHlPiM8eWILvg18k82i3Ty8vnB8iJXuKaTXPu1R8TLgcZS754cOo9mJhIFOCTYvAPCXl6x1upx4DY3vVzoe-Rss1kLb1GlHGSTz2iy4jVWk3F9UBB34j9-apdWKOIEyDyYP6SaRN95mIr1NTHQ1tjL25GSvgwXt4JL63bO-c-Bpd5xtHCSqP16/s4080/IMG_20240203_151313123.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6RRgvHQHlPiM8eWILvg18k82i3Ty8vnB8iJXuKaTXPu1R8TLgcZS754cOo9mJhIFOCTYvAPCXl6x1upx4DY3vVzoe-Rss1kLb1GlHGSTz2iy4jVWk3F9UBB34j9-apdWKOIEyDyYP6SaRN95mIr1NTHQ1tjL25GSvgwXt4JL63bO-c-Bpd5xtHCSqP16/s320/IMG_20240203_151313123.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>My wife and I have been dressing up our newly rebuilt house with furniture. That stuff comes in flat-pack boxes with tons of odd bits and foam pieces to protect the item inside. I noticed some great upcycle bits that I will be using for the first couple of projects. <p></p><p>There is a ton of styrofoam in this packaging and I saved it all. The type I am upcycling is called EPS or expanded polystyrene which doesn't break down over time making it very hard to tip in the trash or recycling bin. </p><p>I noticed that some of these companies are using small cardboard L's to get around using a lot of styrofoam and these bits are going to be the tip-top of these projects. </p><p>Literally. </p><p>Other handy bits found in packing are pieces of wood or particle board cast off the from manufacturing process. While heavy, it does fill space in a shipping box nicely. I have my cutting mat sitting on one, just so you don't think my table is a strange two-grained surface. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83jucVTe5PBlxOao0C5gdGB9CFE3xTEh6NMDKfQrYOD6_kTn0uBTMU0J-morCZ4JtCGwB8lFLzXQNy5F22csf0jAq_9NVCe5Fw22lOBEsODfSSxJONM8M2dSJjy_jMlKpGG40WuGYFYrG0_8FNHNDaLODZ5PB_elnUIf4Emzt61SbOsuqDF2vGxPjJtON/s4080/IMG_20240203_151741677.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83jucVTe5PBlxOao0C5gdGB9CFE3xTEh6NMDKfQrYOD6_kTn0uBTMU0J-morCZ4JtCGwB8lFLzXQNy5F22csf0jAq_9NVCe5Fw22lOBEsODfSSxJONM8M2dSJjy_jMlKpGG40WuGYFYrG0_8FNHNDaLODZ5PB_elnUIf4Emzt61SbOsuqDF2vGxPjJtON/s320/IMG_20240203_151741677.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>Let's take a look at some of those pieces. <p></p><p>I have my styrofoam and a couple of cardboard Ls on the cutting mat, plus Sarafina the Cat for scale. </p><p>You will need your tool kit, styrofoam pieces, cardboard, heavyweight paper, and maybe some other items particular for your build, like popsicle sticks or stir sticks. </p><p>What scale am I using? I call it "handy scale". Pieces are bigger than an inch and beyond that, I don't care much. I have both 15mm and 25 mm figures. I want the display pieces to be big enough to look nice but small enough to move around and store easily. I want to be able to use them for both 15 and 25 mm figures. </p><p>I can set these parts to a scale like 1" equals 6 feet. In this case, the cardboard L is two inches wide (12 feet) and one inch high (6 feet). </p><p>As I mentioned, the cardboard Ls are going to be the cherry on top of this project. They will be both the roof and a ready-made item I don't have to cut. </p><p>Handy. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgzfyG3gNPb6-UxmsPfL-BjXf7ZQwuwafdroxXwDMkvP3NiqPp4mVFYOiNscms7qM7PE4iMzqGfy_MaQtPzB78IwWiDIAd5HFFVLU2nk6h-yFKlDXG0r6qwPJjLAcSEqHe5XyL9-iMcug-kRZnMgUcIpBSgpjud6o4ODyGSLP7nr5FD69snvloKFShSwb/s1808/IMG_20240203_151644460.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1808" data-original-width="1480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgzfyG3gNPb6-UxmsPfL-BjXf7ZQwuwafdroxXwDMkvP3NiqPp4mVFYOiNscms7qM7PE4iMzqGfy_MaQtPzB78IwWiDIAd5HFFVLU2nk6h-yFKlDXG0r6qwPJjLAcSEqHe5XyL9-iMcug-kRZnMgUcIpBSgpjud6o4ODyGSLP7nr5FD69snvloKFShSwb/w164-h200/IMG_20240203_151644460.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>I do need to make some measurements. The styrofoam (foam from here on out) is about 1 and 1/4 inches wide and much longer. When I match it up to the cardboard L, there is a 3/4 overhang. I can smoosh the cardboard to make this more or less by changing the pitch. This has the nice effect of making two different buildings appear to have completely different rooves with the exact same material. <p></p><p>Each small L is about 4 to 5 inches long. The foam needs to be cut just a smidgen smaller than that, say 1/2 inch smaller so the overhang is close to the same all the way around. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_jhRCnOPR871YhsJZ8wotyejQsUoLrIbn1GwS6Ts5O6_jvPyEPTXulwmLw0ua-NiM1VAnIte-p8OcpIbPbZh5e_tkRFxIG4yEs3yoX1s0HnPG59gspqWbFg4cz6QG9nYpI0eUAMKAms70Chba6b8R3U4YeOmLagLPG7QLj6rYVTulZLPeKaYZxsetdT4/s2760/IMG_20240203_151512193.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1849" data-original-width="2760" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_jhRCnOPR871YhsJZ8wotyejQsUoLrIbn1GwS6Ts5O6_jvPyEPTXulwmLw0ua-NiM1VAnIte-p8OcpIbPbZh5e_tkRFxIG4yEs3yoX1s0HnPG59gspqWbFg4cz6QG9nYpI0eUAMKAms70Chba6b8R3U4YeOmLagLPG7QLj6rYVTulZLPeKaYZxsetdT4/s320/IMG_20240203_151512193.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In the image, there is a very long piece of cardboard, about 12 inches. I haven't tried to cut it but I already know that I will use it for a different project as it is so tough cutting will be difficult. <p></p><p></p>Speaking of size, let me apologize now. It's been a few years since I have posted on modeling. Mistakes have been made. What I need to get in the habit of is using GIMP to make sure every image is the same size. I didn't do that here, simply snapping a picture on my phone and cropping to whatever seemed ok. In retrospect, every crop is very not ok. It's annoying for me and probably distracting for you. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyDlKvKFdX0-YXAjSwLB5cfQCHWgehOH89px7r6cxseVFLOYzcSLDrH8DZuaBs64E_4m1Phu38oef-5BriCMh4pegBtuggAiWDnh6ggGoz7FqI3tU9axmVg2Bq8CthNHkgmpNWWDfywRSvND9ztlCqeY5jM8MuIjm817QaKZuFwk93cFcseoMwmns00Ea/s2614/IMG_20240203_151722552_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2614" data-original-width="2236" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyDlKvKFdX0-YXAjSwLB5cfQCHWgehOH89px7r6cxseVFLOYzcSLDrH8DZuaBs64E_4m1Phu38oef-5BriCMh4pegBtuggAiWDnh6ggGoz7FqI3tU9axmVg2Bq8CthNHkgmpNWWDfywRSvND9ztlCqeY5jM8MuIjm817QaKZuFwk93cFcseoMwmns00Ea/s320/IMG_20240203_151722552_HDR.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>I have sized up the foam I had in easy reach. The Ls match both, so I picked the skinnier, taller pieces for this model. This will be a Tall House after all. This particular piece is 4 inches tall making it about 30 feet tall plus an extra 1/2 inch under the eaves. This would represent a 3-story building. </div><div><br /></div><div>For D&D games, this would translate to a four-story building because there would likely be a dug-out root cellar or a crawlspace between the structure and the solid ground. This is highly variable as this building could be wood, stone, or block construction with the stone or blocks sitting on a rock base while a wooden structure simply resting on the dirt. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am not going deep into the weeds on this because how the building interacts with this ground is not only dependent on the material used but also the climate. If it freezes, you either need to be deep in the ground or right on top and no deeper. Both present construction problems in real life.</div><div><br /></div><div>This reminds me, if you goof anywhere within this project, you can turn the building into a ruined structure. Ground heave, earthquakes, and fires have destroyed many, many ancient buildings. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TApvYzwb4SDYCZsikyE-Uu6hw5AAu4Blnwm8VeATRqIvgpW3oK_Cmv5CkgVKVJ3BzmXF4lGO9LbCJttJy0AEPuZdQJkFAM2MjBWm9Qe9cA3O_JC7yFSexwv13w1dmj8HOGfFBkX_17YbGjHTvtKR-ZwDLtOUu_0kN5YsMpTvDzjK9vZdkemToP4Pl0cU/s2998/IMG_20240203_155310298.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2325" data-original-width="2998" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TApvYzwb4SDYCZsikyE-Uu6hw5AAu4Blnwm8VeATRqIvgpW3oK_Cmv5CkgVKVJ3BzmXF4lGO9LbCJttJy0AEPuZdQJkFAM2MjBWm9Qe9cA3O_JC7yFSexwv13w1dmj8HOGfFBkX_17YbGjHTvtKR-ZwDLtOUu_0kN5YsMpTvDzjK9vZdkemToP4Pl0cU/s320/IMG_20240203_155310298.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In my last post, I told you 3 lies. In this post, I will apologize 3 times. The second apology is about my 12-item list. I forgot sandpaper. We're almost there. You'll need sandpaper. </div><div><br /></div><div>Probably... </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this picture, I line up the roof on the edge of the foam and push it over about 1/2 inch. This will give me a 1/4 overhang on all four sides. This is a very rude measurement and not entirely true for reasons I will explain later. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpvjGF08Aa8Uxu-Xd4fIPpBBXB1Agjrk8H0OJcu7C0qE1dSk8fbGtA1t7Rzy212v0ZvSdrsCXBuLAlNK7ddAHjL1m0SD5Hpr4eOeWWrhzhERYlFlYy8rcCOfnu_UQrUPSnJHTXXcnsTDpWLn9N2vSAIa_WO2aSrMa4e5UR_p-ElAj6SeVmNqtrqqqeR3Q/s1773/IMG_20240203_160020887.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="1773" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpvjGF08Aa8Uxu-Xd4fIPpBBXB1Agjrk8H0OJcu7C0qE1dSk8fbGtA1t7Rzy212v0ZvSdrsCXBuLAlNK7ddAHjL1m0SD5Hpr4eOeWWrhzhERYlFlYy8rcCOfnu_UQrUPSnJHTXXcnsTDpWLn9N2vSAIa_WO2aSrMa4e5UR_p-ElAj6SeVmNqtrqqqeR3Q/s320/IMG_20240203_160020887.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a roughly built structure, so I just eyeballed the cutline. I want consistent lines, but not necessarily straight and square. I am shocked that the pencil is visible in the photograph. </div><div><br /></div><div>If your line isn't visible, use a ballpoint pen, not a marker. The ink can melt the foam and this is less noticeable with a ballpoint pen. </div><div><br /></div><div>This next part requires a bit of care. I'm working with a knife or wire foam cutter or maybe one other item, a hot knife. I forgot about the hot knife method until I opened my wire foam cutter and found one. The idea is that you put the knife in a flame and try not to stab yourself with a flaming hot knife. I am not a fan of this method. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7DJmKfuqBpV9wrFvugQnjVEP9fDlSyUFa0_OeBtcQuinp9tKsOyg96O7KQA7oj3hBt4CM8n2NicGGKGk0FmmbwPRKFXRwKEpEfIsu4R6ZrwDZfqo14tOu6shC1D21dFVF_oYBnHOxhG-4qMYVmCfpJ-7FGv7oK6_TGNEuYMTDsDbPiA2HoFX_PoLAyBZ/s2260/IMG_20240203_160056653.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2011" data-original-width="2260" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7DJmKfuqBpV9wrFvugQnjVEP9fDlSyUFa0_OeBtcQuinp9tKsOyg96O7KQA7oj3hBt4CM8n2NicGGKGk0FmmbwPRKFXRwKEpEfIsu4R6ZrwDZfqo14tOu6shC1D21dFVF_oYBnHOxhG-4qMYVmCfpJ-7FGv7oK6_TGNEuYMTDsDbPiA2HoFX_PoLAyBZ/s320/IMG_20240203_160056653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I used the wire foam cutter, but let me fill you in on a secret to using a foam cutter. </div><div><br /></div><div>Make a cardboard or tagboard jig or template. In the photo, you can see I simply aligned 2 cardboard Ls with the line. This was a mistake. The Ls are slightly smaller than the foam and it is only on 3 sides. This leaves a lot of wiggle room for the cutter. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, that will be a problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>I selected the half-hoop cutter for this. I have a choice of two different probe-like wires and the half-hoop. I have poked myself with the probe-like wires so I wanted the one that can't poke me. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm8RCq_9-ZLhUdi0AExkyNnBULsooxJVLNQW-1IskmPLevkiPqwE3o7NYoG6TmLQJmMi0efkkhLZTU0lyzS6Nk6EBiXsZ_NV186qNQJivKNJ3IdlHwy4S9j3JOuE1TyCYWmFU1gvKzXzpbfxL-RssT928aDbbXMiAkl958XP1P09kKjEi5xkKWQ1EYdfp/s4080/IMG_20240203_160255047.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPm8RCq_9-ZLhUdi0AExkyNnBULsooxJVLNQW-1IskmPLevkiPqwE3o7NYoG6TmLQJmMi0efkkhLZTU0lyzS6Nk6EBiXsZ_NV186qNQJivKNJ3IdlHwy4S9j3JOuE1TyCYWmFU1gvKzXzpbfxL-RssT928aDbbXMiAkl958XP1P09kKjEi5xkKWQ1EYdfp/w151-h200/IMG_20240203_160255047.jpg" width="151" /></a></div></div><div>These things get raging hot very quickly. They also cool just as quick. DO NOT touch, a couple of seconds can mean the difference between a cool wire and a 3rd-degree burn. Don't play that game. </div><div><br /></div><div>The wire is barely under Fahrenheit 451. It shouldn't burn paper, but could brown it. If you don't like burning smells in the house, open a window, go outside, or use your garage or basement. </div><br />The trick is to move swiftly and smoothly as the wire radiates heat which melts the foam some distance from the contact point. This takes practice and the jig or template can help. Assuming you make it correctly, unlike me. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaY1Fm5ecDS8Ml13ysG5Qri0dFxm5ywxm9suNeVJNCMnKKgARrsPo7M5LS5YmQ6eRifePRN76NTP7YWx1wlNQfRz_-EZWJ7Uy6VdNGE7_aksIc8rITUjAQiByfDmnZKkZRsII9JTscm5zqjR6DoghugctyroYFdu5MkFOHK2FM_mEW5yNMSocJ8vivNiR/s3289/IMG_20240203_162850934.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3289" data-original-width="2187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaY1Fm5ecDS8Ml13ysG5Qri0dFxm5ywxm9suNeVJNCMnKKgARrsPo7M5LS5YmQ6eRifePRN76NTP7YWx1wlNQfRz_-EZWJ7Uy6VdNGE7_aksIc8rITUjAQiByfDmnZKkZRsII9JTscm5zqjR6DoghugctyroYFdu5MkFOHK2FM_mEW5yNMSocJ8vivNiR/w133-h200/IMG_20240203_162850934.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>The cut takes about 2 seconds to complete, maybe faster. Do not force the wire through the foam. Let the heat work for you. </div><div><br /></div><div>As you can see from the picture, I didn't move smoothly and my makeshift jig let the wire slide all over. I do have plenty of experience doing this and simply overestimated my skill. I am two or three years out of practice and boy did it show. <br /><div><br /></div>I grabbed a piece of sandpaper, something I always have to run out and buy because I didn't have any around when I made my post about the 12 items you need in your tool kit. It took far longer to buy the stuff than it did to sand the block down. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBGmS9mxDuV8MxlEFoMyB_fuJdtQPoCtS48kRYLBBRA1Rc9wZ8H_YxAFhkRXtrmEsrCkEHqhGjPYm6CWmE-yH2mUfchaHw7whwr74KQAhVj1_9F18wKGv-SCKIyTAxEXQQEwQwbaus08oPk8YDoC0FBmGAKWQAWp5u2stMXO8YwT_UBCVYryWEv-x01qv/s2255/IMG_20240203_163332995.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2255" data-original-width="1678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBGmS9mxDuV8MxlEFoMyB_fuJdtQPoCtS48kRYLBBRA1Rc9wZ8H_YxAFhkRXtrmEsrCkEHqhGjPYm6CWmE-yH2mUfchaHw7whwr74KQAhVj1_9F18wKGv-SCKIyTAxEXQQEwQwbaus08oPk8YDoC0FBmGAKWQAWp5u2stMXO8YwT_UBCVYryWEv-x01qv/s320/IMG_20240203_163332995.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>When sanding styrofoam, use steady, flat strokes. Resist the urge to go in circles or roll onto the edges, unless you actually want rounded edges. If you do round your edges, do all four vertical corners and leave the top and bottom natural. Rounding the bottom where it touches the ground looks weird unless you are making a sci-fi-themed building where there is the possibility that the "building" is actually a shipping container-like structure. </div><div><br /></div><div>As you can see, I quickly sanded this down. I could have covered this side with a skim of plaster, or a sheet of paper or made details that covered the roughness. You could, in theory, skip the sandpaper but I already did it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now for the final apology. I had expected to have the whole building done in a single post. Rooves are fiddly things with a zillion options. Having the Ls shaped piece simplifies the build but doesn't make the roof less time intensive. Whatever you save using the L-pieces, you can burn with other details. </div><div><br /></div><div>This will be my very next post. Again, I apologize. </div><div><br /></div><div>Through the magic of making several buildings off-camera, we can look at several different styles and methods for the roof. In later posts, I will either link to the roof post or create a series of roofing posts that you can reference. </div><div><br /></div><div>This post appears on These Old Games, but please do me a favor and follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550655225168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://mewe.com/philviverito.85/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe</a>, <a href="https://dice.camp/@philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dice.Camp</a> and/or <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. </div><div><div><div><div><p></p></div></div></div></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-17236170706812585072024-02-03T15:02:00.003-05:002024-02-04T18:40:54.919-05:00Lights, Camera, Prep - The 65 Dollar Tool Kit<p>I have so much going on. I need my shelves back to do some gardening, which means cleaning and organizing my D&D and modeling supplies. </p><p>For the past couple of months, I've had some crafting projects on my mind that never went anywhere. I want finished products, not another tote or bin full of unfinished crap. I have supplies on top of tools and that drives me nuts. </p><p>We could do this together. </p><p>Let's pull together a 65.00 dollar tool kit for DIY models. This toolbox is meant more for crafting as opposed to plastic models. You probably have many of these things already and my suggestion is to buy as little as possible. </p><p>The inspiration for this series is this custom <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2024/01/90-finished-star-smuggler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Star Smuggler Print and Playbox</a>, which remains at 90% complete. </p><p>This list does not include supplies for projects. Each part of this series will have a separate supply list for each model or project. These projects will range from upcycling junk to throwing together scraps from other projects. You shouldn't have to buy too much for these crafts. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMEGrq9blAzkfXILrMpfL0UoP9apO1txk1sGe-b8nJoVRX8udRwhzvwZjvBcKIcTs-gAYBBL5qf950ki8NKIpSMK8AfzNi0LBcVfQWjHTfRgtSAQ0M0_MvpRfslD40cCY45C1eDDvb4K-3c1EzLKxvNPnprK-tTzI_ox8LMp7GxfIJPtcdILnf4xO_hR3/s3051/IMG_20240203_140010407.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3051" data-original-width="2225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMEGrq9blAzkfXILrMpfL0UoP9apO1txk1sGe-b8nJoVRX8udRwhzvwZjvBcKIcTs-gAYBBL5qf950ki8NKIpSMK8AfzNi0LBcVfQWjHTfRgtSAQ0M0_MvpRfslD40cCY45C1eDDvb4K-3c1EzLKxvNPnprK-tTzI_ox8LMp7GxfIJPtcdILnf4xO_hR3/s320/IMG_20240203_140010407.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>These are the 12 items you will need to follow along at home. I have included basic prices and only a few lies: <p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Cutting mat - $9.00 </li><li>Paper cutter - $10.00</li><li>3 in 1 foam cutter - $20.00 to $30.00</li><li>Razor knives - $5.00</li><li>Glue - $5.00</li><li>Paint - $1-2.00 each*</li><li>Tape - $1.00</li><li>Rule/Straight Edge - $1.00</li><li>Pencil - $1.00</li><li>Pen - $1.00</li><li>Marker - $1.00*</li><li>Brushes - $1.00*</li><li>(I forgot this one until I started working on a project. Sandpaper). </li></ul><div>Items marked with a * are lies. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This collection of tools is pretty standard. You probably already have markers, pens, pencils, and tape, so we can shave off 4 bucks. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4KZPaY2AoUm1r7Hoedv41cJLsuB7L-ArXeCmyuGYXsGmaw2GxO83b2a7vzaPfwmQ9sHvnF2zOABdsdzUUGup_UuqTs7Z03-JOk11k05Z6YPzqOoS3Haj-fKK9sWW5ym4634WZ8K0GVz_ocdT9MjmYExuIKVzs42CRvSB5_m7Vj2yGk4nNtSG40wZWmzP/s2925/IMG_20240203_140813783.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2356" data-original-width="2925" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4KZPaY2AoUm1r7Hoedv41cJLsuB7L-ArXeCmyuGYXsGmaw2GxO83b2a7vzaPfwmQ9sHvnF2zOABdsdzUUGup_UuqTs7Z03-JOk11k05Z6YPzqOoS3Haj-fKK9sWW5ym4634WZ8K0GVz_ocdT9MjmYExuIKVzs42CRvSB5_m7Vj2yGk4nNtSG40wZWmzP/w200-h161/IMG_20240203_140813783.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Cutting mats are wonderful and highly variable in price. The green one above is 17" by 12" and I found a two-pack for $9.00. You can also find one at the Dollar Store, for a surprising $1.25. Of course, I can't find it for a picture, but the black and orange one I did find was $25 with some tools. If you want to save some money, go find a scrap of wood or a piece of cardboard. Tagboard or poster board is a little too thin. If you go with the board, shave off another $9.00. </div><div><br /></div><div>The cutting mat serves three functions: a scale or ruler, a nice surface, and safety. The ruled lines allow for nice straight and/or square cuts without resorting to a second tool. It has a soft surface that protects your workspace. Most importantly, the soft, self-healing surface can protect your body and hands as blades have a tendency to lodge into the surface on slips, saving you from a nasty cut or scare. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>I prefer cardboard over wood for catching cutting accidents. If you go with a piece of wood, pick a soft board. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v8tE3YIA4lE1X6f8tOxBj81VrKLtUXj2Z8uO_rKMF-iAXx7vVPQjorDd1Zp1nMeXXLnOCFh0-YbnmWtxAHhOYHJfhBtp6Go2s7xfXAPb1S3JKKsNXtTXaVh_6jhDQfd_5dVv0fnYMOvIZoVA3CBpcnjHNkTj1OLcZSWPH0AvdRagGddggsYkOzkV5MP6/s2898/IMG_20240203_141251989.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1972" data-original-width="2898" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3v8tE3YIA4lE1X6f8tOxBj81VrKLtUXj2Z8uO_rKMF-iAXx7vVPQjorDd1Zp1nMeXXLnOCFh0-YbnmWtxAHhOYHJfhBtp6Go2s7xfXAPb1S3JKKsNXtTXaVh_6jhDQfd_5dVv0fnYMOvIZoVA3CBpcnjHNkTj1OLcZSWPH0AvdRagGddggsYkOzkV5MP6/w200-h136/IMG_20240203_141251989.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div>I will be using a foam cutter for many of these projects. I consider it necessary, but you can get by just fine with a very, very sharp knife or razor. Just be careful. The foam cutter eliminates a lot of messes, but it's a hot tool that takes some practice to use. My first couple of projects only involve straight cuts, so you can get that practice by following along. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Foam cutters are wonderful, but the pricing is outrageous for no good reason. The item pictured was $20.00. However, I have seen the <i>EXACT SAME ITEM</i> for $200. Don't do that to yourself, shop around. You don't need it that badly. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uQIU7Z46UjbmRulooKfwa9xawmRPEIw_QY39ZxY9O4ZoJsW-ylNIDVowXNdgCyR1RtVHHlTYdhbUr6o1oP3G5oUOLnsB6TdeDNp8-K17Gb5uQueAvoLYXG3nyArUE9EBDgieA3JK-2Qu90ITNcehbjkhsbqmIXDpvOIsy-OBQb3G9bb83kaaGwZ1uVCW/s2993/IMG_20240203_141311460.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="2993" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8uQIU7Z46UjbmRulooKfwa9xawmRPEIw_QY39ZxY9O4ZoJsW-ylNIDVowXNdgCyR1RtVHHlTYdhbUr6o1oP3G5oUOLnsB6TdeDNp8-K17Gb5uQueAvoLYXG3nyArUE9EBDgieA3JK-2Qu90ITNcehbjkhsbqmIXDpvOIsy-OBQb3G9bb83kaaGwZ1uVCW/w200-h144/IMG_20240203_141311460.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The paper cutter is an optional "nice to have, but not necessary" item. I like it but you can do just fine the mat and a razor or use a pair of scissors. This one I found at Target on clearance, otherwise, I would not have one at all. It's a product with a single purpose which may or may not come up that often. </div><div><br /></div><div>The paper cutter is nice but...</div><div><br /></div><div>I feel like I can skip over many items on this list as you probably have them. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfqlJOFtaODZZlEzhRZXJ15tPs78bFGGq_iEf1ynsuD7EBObmotueFqRBzPisehoDaYNcXvt2xXhvJNisldnh_eQv0qS7GLrV9mZT_sYrW57FyDSmEpoiGEWdXyC3tgeXJzaK4xAoW3pusZCahXemqn_qhABnod4n6d7O_bpNarOC75R7H8NjvrcTzDzA/s4080/IMG_20240203_140839939_HDR.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfqlJOFtaODZZlEzhRZXJ15tPs78bFGGq_iEf1ynsuD7EBObmotueFqRBzPisehoDaYNcXvt2xXhvJNisldnh_eQv0qS7GLrV9mZT_sYrW57FyDSmEpoiGEWdXyC3tgeXJzaK4xAoW3pusZCahXemqn_qhABnod4n6d7O_bpNarOC75R7H8NjvrcTzDzA/w151-h200/IMG_20240203_140839939_HDR.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>Let's go to the LIES section. There are 3 of them: brushes, paints, and markers. The list claims you can have all three for about $12 assuming you want only 10 paints, a brush, and a marker. That is actually a tiny lie due to the projects we will be doing. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>DO NOT USE </i>your wife's Copic markers on these projects. The same goes for her wonderful Citadel paints or her sable-hair paintbrushes. Murder will result. There is no "may" in that statement. It will happen. </div><div><br /></div><div>The projects we will be working on are rather rude. You can glitz them up to your level of comfort, but don't waste nice markers, paints, or brushes on this. Dollar store items will be fine. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2fGtMVMfcl-5Q3LjTaaJbPTHCTy0MUNbHfIpjj5Thgb8Ou5E70jkaNoiuedy8nkGAghO3KzD3cvEduITn6JlmOlRAZKrFNvn0Pe3idY3_3Ob9aKihH8CFACzMIzT7l5rKpCi9s8hgyXky6I37k512qpksDbjpUa1-DDneS6GSzSx3M5L1GpcZP8U6d1/s4080/IMG_20240203_140831250_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2fGtMVMfcl-5Q3LjTaaJbPTHCTy0MUNbHfIpjj5Thgb8Ou5E70jkaNoiuedy8nkGAghO3KzD3cvEduITn6JlmOlRAZKrFNvn0Pe3idY3_3Ob9aKihH8CFACzMIzT7l5rKpCi9s8hgyXky6I37k512qpksDbjpUa1-DDneS6GSzSx3M5L1GpcZP8U6d1/s320/IMG_20240203_140831250_HDR.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>The same can be said of glue. I have three different items from the Dollar Store. We aren't building furniture, so don't waste your money on "nice things". There is one item in this picture that is a "must have", the Tacky Glue. It's a Dollar Store item which is shocking. It has the consistency of Mod Podge and can be used for both gluing and a surface cover. I love it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can't wait for us to get started.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before I finish up, I wanted to talk about the writing implements: pen, pencil, and markers. Certain materials do not like certain marking implements. Styrofoam melts with some markers, damaging both the craft and the marker itself. Pens are good for dark, soft materials as you can see the color. Pencils are pretty much universal to all products, but sometimes not for foam or dark surfaces. If I notice this happening in this series of projects, I will warn you in advance. </div><div><br /></div><div>That is it, here are the 12 items you will need for this project series, complete with three lies. </div><div><br />(And one omission, sandpaper.) </div><div><br /></div><div>This post appears on These Old Games, but please do me a favor and follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550655225168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://mewe.com/philviverito.85/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe</a>, <a href="https://dice.camp/@philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dice.Camp</a> and/or <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. </div><p></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-45468791017747300292024-01-27T16:29:00.006-05:002024-01-27T16:33:00.968-05:0090% Finished - Star Smuggler<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqcz1dJm1aTx58pie47-GqTeW6ta_mVA6Gr_UzjL-g8i5GRGVNLFIvVqhHHZHeWMSrWQzPUEhn3_USxZpYLiUqqVdFsGPdXGfUEfyTEZkSvXCj7jbnAc6xPriR4_X7Zrft_bqSHM_I8Jiy8TNlpAM_YFuwVUCpnqcrkIEkFdozOToQ9a6xWANKf-Zb5i5/s4080/IMG_20231114_211006137.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqcz1dJm1aTx58pie47-GqTeW6ta_mVA6Gr_UzjL-g8i5GRGVNLFIvVqhHHZHeWMSrWQzPUEhn3_USxZpYLiUqqVdFsGPdXGfUEfyTEZkSvXCj7jbnAc6xPriR4_X7Zrft_bqSHM_I8Jiy8TNlpAM_YFuwVUCpnqcrkIEkFdozOToQ9a6xWANKf-Zb5i5/w151-h200/IMG_20231114_211006137.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>I post about <a href="https://dwarfstar.brainiac.com/ds_starsmuggler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Star Smuggler</a> all the time. I had the boxed set when I was a kid and finally lost it in the fire. <p></p><p>During the rebuilding and replacement year, I noticed that some products like Google Home and phones come in really heavy-duty boxes. I thought they would be perfect for some of my print-on-demand games. </p><p>I started off by printing the rule and event booklets for the game on 20# paper. Then I did the tiles and mounted them on cardboard. Finally, I picked a box I thought was the right size. I use a Google Home box as that would probably never need to be packed up. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjN2q1osnowHn1jgEfiUeLFzWntKb1Y7wP-pC1PKbKf4iCQnH8U3h_3g9ptTp2wk3WFrTpLqm6j5ld_x8kSUYiHJIqxfePkGM5tkL6tI9uFvLOWsw4bP7QHbteg2nkkVPO5S_i27u0kx8QyZBjEjXU8yICSUzjeglP1LhXLj46XbNzB8eFCayWSOhsEsj/s3265/IMG_20231114_212104826.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3265" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjN2q1osnowHn1jgEfiUeLFzWntKb1Y7wP-pC1PKbKf4iCQnH8U3h_3g9ptTp2wk3WFrTpLqm6j5ld_x8kSUYiHJIqxfePkGM5tkL6tI9uFvLOWsw4bP7QHbteg2nkkVPO5S_i27u0kx8QyZBjEjXU8yICSUzjeglP1LhXLj46XbNzB8eFCayWSOhsEsj/w188-h200/IMG_20231114_212104826.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>Everything fit nicely. <p></p><p>Of course, I wanted this to look like the original box, so I downloaded pictures of the box and went to town. The images needed to be scaled to the box as it was much bigger than the original. </p><p>I printed on to photo paper, cut them down, and applied them with Tacky Glue from the Dollar Store. That worked pretty nicely. The one thing that didn't work was the edges. I will trim them down with a razor and use some tape to finish them off. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIfJ2fi9-L88HOYbVA0eKD5fidGmJ7s8WuyallemPH8YyiX3N_yx6D8ZGvhrPk5DUG7LsF_n8v3lshx8PA8n6-CEKoxvq_mW1ECgw3kxpVKWd5hEg3PvqSZgkYK2DvHYukQUTigIIIvIwhF3QWdZXto1sj9ZumMxS_aEUB7PSex9UyXVaEOc7dK5G2uwj/s3072/IMG_20240127_160717041.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIfJ2fi9-L88HOYbVA0eKD5fidGmJ7s8WuyallemPH8YyiX3N_yx6D8ZGvhrPk5DUG7LsF_n8v3lshx8PA8n6-CEKoxvq_mW1ECgw3kxpVKWd5hEg3PvqSZgkYK2DvHYukQUTigIIIvIwhF3QWdZXto1sj9ZumMxS_aEUB7PSex9UyXVaEOc7dK5G2uwj/s320/IMG_20240127_160717041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Of course, a project isn't complete on one pass. I plan on reprinting the tiles on photo paper and maybe mounting them on thicker cardboard. I'd like to have the books with a heavy stock cover, maybe like a D&D module where the cover serves as a map or reference guide. That is super easy because I already have the booklets done and really don't need to reprint them. <p></p><p>The counters are the very last item I need. I remember using random counters when I actually had the original set. I love the Star Frontiers counters and maps and I will probably repurpose them from the set I ordered off of DriveThruRPG. I love both the original counters from <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226710/Star-Frontiers-Alpha-Dawn?affiliate_id=242797" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alpha Dawn</a> and the ones that come with the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/227734/Star-Frontiers-Knight-Hawks?affiliate_id=242797" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Knight Hawks</a> set. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJxRbwWyWoZs9WjX6vQydy3zaAlPaihrqkuRKm9CzyPuJyqZ5WJ8QQmpX2P5ypE2TeGRU-fTmLZxgSrE2Q0N21nzbrfTAcCqW-FLmHaAtvA0ByLlypLSaFQ76k0pX1W4GKNcAvfGj3ZT214U2DhJIkBxrT3Y_shO_AK7aaSXjorSIn0L1lxuc2VU5b2M0/s3072/IMG_20240127_160723474~2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJxRbwWyWoZs9WjX6vQydy3zaAlPaihrqkuRKm9CzyPuJyqZ5WJ8QQmpX2P5ypE2TeGRU-fTmLZxgSrE2Q0N21nzbrfTAcCqW-FLmHaAtvA0ByLlypLSaFQ76k0pX1W4GKNcAvfGj3ZT214U2DhJIkBxrT3Y_shO_AK7aaSXjorSIn0L1lxuc2VU5b2M0/w200-h200/IMG_20240127_160723474~2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The back of the box could serve as a map, but really I just loved the artwork enough to make it a part of the box. I recall the original box had a yellow back. I was pretty sure I couldn't reproduce plus the Google Home box is a flip-open box with the lid attached. <p></p><p>The final image shows the poor job I did with the edges. Trimming will help, but I think I will use a bit of cloth tape to make sure the photo paper stays attached. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWacnplMmhjAn3Nphw5X26KLQZb9H8sJhNNBqqxEQ0-9nTGhYO2HT6ef8XWx9apWdgn0fUbifKlYpIRU7DeSrrOI_DSRvU9cDoiOXxDVHIWSqCpuOHZzpWasNSxSP0oePFLl6zsvVQeXhbKz7qW5dDdGoDXR2b3a9aB2q3kMfrYX9rIQVt0lnTDcdHSyc/s3072/IMG_20240127_160909349.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWacnplMmhjAn3Nphw5X26KLQZb9H8sJhNNBqqxEQ0-9nTGhYO2HT6ef8XWx9apWdgn0fUbifKlYpIRU7DeSrrOI_DSRvU9cDoiOXxDVHIWSqCpuOHZzpWasNSxSP0oePFLl6zsvVQeXhbKz7qW5dDdGoDXR2b3a9aB2q3kMfrYX9rIQVt0lnTDcdHSyc/s320/IMG_20240127_160909349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-11022495082428118932024-01-27T12:02:00.003-05:002024-01-27T12:03:31.021-05:00Setting Unknown - The Rules<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNok2h9_Id2j0-bg23b3kcEmr1I500N_mDPVIFRuTV82RkiVBISFjLKPh6VJlRhVWeDQHv6G1NosxtgOJ1boMrq3jsr-LInGef0heHtsCTW-fVLlYcJkRLdF6Zaxo3Mfpx_IDiJtTDf1FEqAT3L4_tkwe0TZn5xo1Iqj50SVX626eHu27sgVd3HRqxgyWl/s2886/IMG_20240123_220105577.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2886" data-original-width="1681" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNok2h9_Id2j0-bg23b3kcEmr1I500N_mDPVIFRuTV82RkiVBISFjLKPh6VJlRhVWeDQHv6G1NosxtgOJ1boMrq3jsr-LInGef0heHtsCTW-fVLlYcJkRLdF6Zaxo3Mfpx_IDiJtTDf1FEqAT3L4_tkwe0TZn5xo1Iqj50SVX626eHu27sgVd3HRqxgyWl/s320/IMG_20240123_220105577.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>The other day, I posted about "Setting Unknown". I want this to be a spiritual successor to games like <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/12/youre-scum-of-sector-star-smuggler.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Star Smuggler.</a> Very light rules and can be played as solo endeavor or as a small group. <p></p><p>Clicking the Star Smuggler link will get you to the review of the game, which at the time was termed as "a programmed adventure". It has over 300 different events stitched together in a series of Choose Your Own Adventure style connectors. Replayability is very high but at this point, it's been nearly 40 years for me. I think I have played this to death. </p><p>Over on the <a href="https://mewe.com/group/5bbc9b8ca5f4e532ebe2daa8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe Sandbox page</a>, John Salway asks what the minimum amount of information and details you need to have a sandbox adventure. </p><p>Personally, I would define a game as a set of rules that describes a challenge to be overcome by a set of known rules by an agent or player. I offer that the minimum information and detail needed for a sandbox game is a description of the scenario, a game space, and a means of resolution.</p><p>Resolution=Rules<br />Scenario=Knowning the rules<br />and Challenge=Game space</p><p>Let's use the drawing of my ship as a starting point. It is both rules and game space. It presents a surprising amount of information to the player. You are on a spaceship. Unless there is some new information, this game will not involve ghosts, dinosaurs, magic, swimming, cooking, etc. </p><p>I should address the elephant in the room: Doctor Who. I love that show because it changes its default settings with every episode and book. It took 60 years and a host of really creative people. I am not that... so I won't go there. </p><p>I have labeled a few things, engines, lasers, radiators, rail guns, and cargo spaces. </p><p>I guess I should use all of those points to create the challenge and the rules. There are many rules already implied. The ship has engines, so it moves. It has weapons, so there is combat. It has a radiator, so there must be heat. Then comes the storage spaces, something must go there. If you can obtain things to store, then there must be some sort of economy. </p><p>All of those things relate to the challenges met by the players. I haven't worked it all of that out, but I do have some hopes. I would like to have ALL of the rules fit on two sides of a sheet of paper. Every scenario should be on one side of a sheet of paper. </p><p>How many sheets of paper is debatable. Setting Unknown is definitely one of those back-burner tasks, but enjoyable nonetheless. Especially as a reason to start drawing again. </p><p>The Plug: I am now back on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550655225168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> which is a big change. I am not using the whole "Link in the comments", so my only way to attract followers is word of mouth. You can also see me on <a href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@pviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastodon.Social</a> and <a href="https://dice.camp/@philviverito">Dice.Camp</a> in addition to <a href="https://mewe.com/philviverito.85/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe</a>. My last outlet, one that I am going to start working hard on this year is <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-39577778465603984712024-01-21T22:45:00.002-05:002024-01-21T22:45:14.189-05:00Software Review - Escape Velocity<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVqNAZi_9s8v-r3D0-fkjNGdYQpV45kRXf_ws8PegYXf6j0TsbPFyQ1ArYCnWILPfT5pofAAyx1RpPZeTq9Y0bIrMfJgNFoNzj21Ws-HiHu1wSiraU9D0W7LFW9Y4pSdXT8E423sw9_h36hpbojGPCstGIEM7p84giWPUDEj8SmIB2qn8Ph1GNWIJ0pr5/s800/Picture%202.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVqNAZi_9s8v-r3D0-fkjNGdYQpV45kRXf_ws8PegYXf6j0TsbPFyQ1ArYCnWILPfT5pofAAyx1RpPZeTq9Y0bIrMfJgNFoNzj21Ws-HiHu1wSiraU9D0W7LFW9Y4pSdXT8E423sw9_h36hpbojGPCstGIEM7p84giWPUDEj8SmIB2qn8Ph1GNWIJ0pr5/s320/Picture%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Title: Escape Velocity<br />Publisher: Ambrosia <br />Year: May 1996<br />OS: Mac OS 7.6 up to OS 9.2.2<br />Overall Rating: 4 of 5 stars<p></p><p>Ah, good games don't die. Escape Velocity was a gem by a local WNY company called Ambrosia. They attempted to buck the trend by offering all of their software as shareware and this one was my favorite. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ay3hBeDbpLV_10G29uCVkk66ZcIUY4X70ZkmjzUftbn3A5SAMrxBtgZuZhtOjo31SCBA79tYIHQ_qo0W8YdF1oBYK3yyhZO2crOiJ6tsPA-iV7nPTLcgpidgFIpBRix-QsOs_zjWL-WS_2qTiKDnxkbUm20WFgKSDZBGBzzm6Cz8pEWQ-ZbHh1JIo1kP/s800/Picture%203.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ay3hBeDbpLV_10G29uCVkk66ZcIUY4X70ZkmjzUftbn3A5SAMrxBtgZuZhtOjo31SCBA79tYIHQ_qo0W8YdF1oBYK3yyhZO2crOiJ6tsPA-iV7nPTLcgpidgFIpBRix-QsOs_zjWL-WS_2qTiKDnxkbUm20WFgKSDZBGBzzm6Cz8pEWQ-ZbHh1JIo1kP/s320/Picture%203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Escape Velocity was unlike anything I had encountered. Some place between an exploration game, a trading game, and asteroids with some inventive challenges. You start off with a tiny shuttle reminiscent of a Star Fleet Shuttle and make your way from there. The game has a steep learning curve as you have very limited funds. Purchase some goods here, and try to sell them there. <p></p><p>Simple, eh? </p><p>No. You can run out of gas really quick. </p><p>Hit the map key to learn what is in store for you. At first, your map is largely blank. You can fill it in one of two ways: A blind hop will show you that system and all of the jump-ways out or purchase a map. The map is super helpful as it will show you the services and features of each system without having to travel there. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQiVpFu7o55U3ajutY6JDTAgNWig-lZfx0B72GtGvlslN_LXewx8pd4aYGCOapv1pbddNSc2DxqYXb7V5hnTptAunnndFJl_VKrluqcgK8LIbFLmrc2aUexjprUFfvYw7QvLs55JFqwDwd0GaHpzAtNras50Sbmsap8-XA_34P0ZrT9QQpiNStbILeCRw/s800/Picture%204.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQiVpFu7o55U3ajutY6JDTAgNWig-lZfx0B72GtGvlslN_LXewx8pd4aYGCOapv1pbddNSc2DxqYXb7V5hnTptAunnndFJl_VKrluqcgK8LIbFLmrc2aUexjprUFfvYw7QvLs55JFqwDwd0GaHpzAtNras50Sbmsap8-XA_34P0ZrT9QQpiNStbILeCRw/s320/Picture%204.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once you have that down, you can set up an easy path to sell goods. At first, you will be able to earn enough to refuel and then more to refit your ship. The first thing you should buy is the escape pod. If you get blown out of the sky, it's the only way to ensure your survival. The second thing you need is the fuel scoop. This saves money on refueling. It makes you self-reliant. <p></p><p>Once you have that sure trade route, grind away until you can purchase a new ship. </p><p>Oh, the grind. It's the meat of this game because every time you think you have the best thing, you'll see something else that strikes your fancy. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB7osKarjpADe1Flv_NUl1jnVpMvvNVS8zXyWmm-mzg6oWX2QfSEZHcchZPWWum_XCwMbMvleXTG7sWB_vg0rMzImJHf9qoWc3DuHCHO452vVYde_zp62f6gI6ikuP8iE6bgrA2-n6R3TUG6iocZH2tIIYmqB_Ywei256f_mIrh5iOk645foQHFDX28u1/s800/Picture%205.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB7osKarjpADe1Flv_NUl1jnVpMvvNVS8zXyWmm-mzg6oWX2QfSEZHcchZPWWum_XCwMbMvleXTG7sWB_vg0rMzImJHf9qoWc3DuHCHO452vVYde_zp62f6gI6ikuP8iE6bgrA2-n6R3TUG6iocZH2tIIYmqB_Ywei256f_mIrh5iOk645foQHFDX28u1/s320/Picture%205.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As you explore and trade, the galaxy opens up. There are missions, stories, and adventures everywhere. Sometimes, you need this or that to progress, so don't get too used to the ship you're in. <p></p>It's not so bad. As you upgrade your gameplay, you'll also upgrade your ship to the max. Lasers, blasters, 3 types of armor, and other things will make every ship you own unique. It's a blast as not only can you upgrade your weapons and such, but you can also name your ships. <div><br /></div><div>That is such a simple thing, but it's great. Like Oregon Trail. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ03tmju_IL1YWd55SXF6m8QJ6Dr-ZsJoOAADEKb45jsTbN6U2WY88PSqbwc6f5pDWJriyCxNMESXzlqv2gGPYOhqzeew9AETgjBMNsxgyOaASldY96AQCA_XVapUjsa1D2icAV5vdqXGkMbOpRy0_SZuXndZEAF9kqu5OhY1rCo7wFqx_qQZ-0zB4_vTb/s800/Picture%206.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ03tmju_IL1YWd55SXF6m8QJ6Dr-ZsJoOAADEKb45jsTbN6U2WY88PSqbwc6f5pDWJriyCxNMESXzlqv2gGPYOhqzeew9AETgjBMNsxgyOaASldY96AQCA_XVapUjsa1D2icAV5vdqXGkMbOpRy0_SZuXndZEAF9kqu5OhY1rCo7wFqx_qQZ-0zB4_vTb/s320/Picture%206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Anyway, you'll work out the factions and the storylines as you go. Soon you might have a fleet of ships, escorting you around the galaxy. That will unlock new locations and stories while freeing you from a lot of the money chase you experienced in the first few hours of the game. </div><div><br /></div><div>Trust me, you will be spending hours on this one. </div><div><br />This is an interesting game as it contains stories and missions while also being very sandboxy. I will leave you here with a few screenshots I took. You see, I knew which ship was my favorite. Then I remembered my other favorite and then a third favorite... </div><div><br /></div><div>Escape Velocity is amazing. If you have the means, give it a try. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe0YNglBI-nZFPIpexA3DHPKn3mMJZIS500x3GXcg6OZHT-6A8qx64AG1JKOUbjoTAD8hm3cqnN2Ll3VVqVGRMKjosiqRyY9lu0sh9v79qEW73Gz1uLXAZL2QrCEjC0QrlwdApT_t5YDuBCFwP4nOq5G0das-cyCdAmStMQj4ZkwoiTWBtMGmjXEJk86n/s800/Picture%208.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe0YNglBI-nZFPIpexA3DHPKn3mMJZIS500x3GXcg6OZHT-6A8qx64AG1JKOUbjoTAD8hm3cqnN2Ll3VVqVGRMKjosiqRyY9lu0sh9v79qEW73Gz1uLXAZL2QrCEjC0QrlwdApT_t5YDuBCFwP4nOq5G0das-cyCdAmStMQj4ZkwoiTWBtMGmjXEJk86n/s320/Picture%208.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCmzBPxmaypyg83wdXEHUuuYS43mlFVtgtaJwFbrQsaVBivLQBxGfh7gFPCLE9tuSuppOBf44eE_Pt5WmFWUFEUGqyvA82cBNCGrb9XuBmlf58suN_xymjwmDcUQobSC0BPj82d2HyWzWLDCoLWgy2J_EiqKkWsVOgK92uZkSnTRJy6qBGurgCVL4n14d/s800/Picture%207.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCmzBPxmaypyg83wdXEHUuuYS43mlFVtgtaJwFbrQsaVBivLQBxGfh7gFPCLE9tuSuppOBf44eE_Pt5WmFWUFEUGqyvA82cBNCGrb9XuBmlf58suN_xymjwmDcUQobSC0BPj82d2HyWzWLDCoLWgy2J_EiqKkWsVOgK92uZkSnTRJy6qBGurgCVL4n14d/s320/Picture%207.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-38601108850076667102024-01-15T15:04:00.003-05:002024-01-15T15:04:49.948-05:00DriveThruRPG Bonus Points!<p>Look <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198895/Do-Not-Let-Us-Die-In-The-Dark-Night-Of-This-Cold-Winter?affiliate_id=242797" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what arrived</a> today, at the tail end of a blizzard! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3DzTkNL5gidyjLmp4WWtUieihT_z7ezy7KGpPz_3nOxoyGtyNixuQ05gpRf_I7Dbja9FHai3fxknQYfs1XLB9hSDlHirMvyDdl-rDRC6z9eBhZUAYt6sPDoDJH4sjbiiHDsahAaTxgWRg8sbemNUCyhrjF_hPNHp_v-wH1ZYGi3F1d5cLBqGpRW5No06/s4080/IMG_20240115_145615947_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3DzTkNL5gidyjLmp4WWtUieihT_z7ezy7KGpPz_3nOxoyGtyNixuQ05gpRf_I7Dbja9FHai3fxknQYfs1XLB9hSDlHirMvyDdl-rDRC6z9eBhZUAYt6sPDoDJH4sjbiiHDsahAaTxgWRg8sbemNUCyhrjF_hPNHp_v-wH1ZYGi3F1d5cLBqGpRW5No06/w482-h640/IMG_20240115_145615947_HDR.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><p>I can't wait to review this one. Thank you DriveThruRPG and the USPS for a timely delivery. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-49824975958591499322024-01-15T14:02:00.006-05:002024-01-24T21:33:27.742-05:00Setting Unknown - A Solo Endeavor
Right now, I am in the planning stages of a new Star Frontiers campaign. I do this to myself every year. I want to play a game exactly at the point where the NFL and NHL heats up. I can ignore hockey for a bit, but this SF Campaign is going nowhere until Feb 12, after the Super Bowl.
<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx579CVm0EbMTHSwz4Oz8D8hwj054P9-CaJMdy7Myghn-uX4DhI0aBLi9y6k6V1ICpFhzmYdB_FEiNHID8L8PnwhNHZ2n9UymbhvRs_quDW6o-z2U06byktWLB2nFCrayKuLBi-wPnHjDGOP7x3E9wYb-FM8F2in-99vpyjY_ZdBHl0DxgdhshOezMBynU/s674/Destroyer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx579CVm0EbMTHSwz4Oz8D8hwj054P9-CaJMdy7Myghn-uX4DhI0aBLi9y6k6V1ICpFhzmYdB_FEiNHID8L8PnwhNHZ2n9UymbhvRs_quDW6o-z2U06byktWLB2nFCrayKuLBi-wPnHjDGOP7x3E9wYb-FM8F2in-99vpyjY_ZdBHl0DxgdhshOezMBynU/s320/Destroyer.png" width="176" /></a></div>I decided to do other things, such as ship design and planets. I mention <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/star-frontiers-campaign-2024.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Typhon</a>, the planet where the PC will start. I'm in the brainstorming mode for the planets, which is handwavium for "the back burner". The fact is, I don't plan on having the players hang out there for very long. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ships are another story. The players will have a pair of gigantic shuttles, Hull Size 2. This is just a tad smaller than an assault scout. The shuttle is barely able to make a jump, the primary issue is it's just too small for supplies. For this reason, the two shuttles are paired with Hull Size 5 Electronic Warfare destroyer. </div><div><br /></div><div>This variant of Destroyer makes sense in game terms, it would have been helpful in the War but now that the war is over, something has to be done with all of these extra ship hulls and engines. Without the electronic warfare gear, the hulls are basically free. As they have also been stripped of their major weapons, the sale of these ships to civilians is fine. The characters won't be civilians for the most part, but why give them an inordinate amount of guns? </div><div><br /></div><div>What makes these ships very special is their double engines. They have both Atomic drives and Ion drives. The same for the Kon-Tiki shuttles. Why? The Ion engines allow each Destroyer and Shuttle to mask themselves or others. That would have been great during the war, but in the hands of the players, allows a quick ship that doesn't need an engine rebuild every time they jump. I want them to feel like they are on their own, even when they aren't. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, back to "Setting Unknown". </div><div><br /></div><div>I was thinking of playing Star Smuggler again. I have been playing too much Endless Sky and <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2024/01/software-review-escape-velocity.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Escape Velocity</a>, for a theoretical review of each. I have played all three games a zillion times. I want to go beyond rule mods and stuff, hence a new setting. One that is currently unknown. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZDNdNFMnJR7in_1eQhtDoCaeFBIrFJosp75Z_bN3Z-MGkqUDpdQqsi-eLnNA-z-5-bSq8tagXVqUfrwERVh8iJ0mXPTS-B2mHn4gz1Zj-gUcPblTj_0v56TgvVFH1aRUJ4Se3s9aV7wr5HC_58qKk60qvDtJpRhgmZaVwObBPBjItGvIy-FV1E7GNMP1/s481/setting%20unknown.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="481" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZDNdNFMnJR7in_1eQhtDoCaeFBIrFJosp75Z_bN3Z-MGkqUDpdQqsi-eLnNA-z-5-bSq8tagXVqUfrwERVh8iJ0mXPTS-B2mHn4gz1Zj-gUcPblTj_0v56TgvVFH1aRUJ4Se3s9aV7wr5HC_58qKk60qvDtJpRhgmZaVwObBPBjItGvIy-FV1E7GNMP1/w640-h436/setting%20unknown.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stole some images from Endless Sky and Wikipedia. This ship is a combo of the<br />nose of the Arrow and the tail of the Hawk from Endless Sky. The shuttle is a headhunter.<br />The Dreamlifter is for scale.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The main protagonists have a 20-meter ship, or 400+ tonnes*. This is basically on the order of the 747 Dreamliner. Like the characters for my SF campaign, they have a smaller shuttle. The Dreamlifter can carry about as much as its empty weight. (From reading Wikipedia. YMMV.) As you can see, the shuttle won't carry a lot, maybe 20 tonnes. <br /><br />(*The future might be metric.) </div><div><br /></div><div>I figure in the future, we can do better within limits. I will assume that the ship weighs 100 tonnes and can carry 300 tonnes of stuff. If you are empty, you can go faster. If you are loaded to the maximum weight, you move normally. If you are overloaded, you can't make an FTL jump. All extra equipment beyond what a spaceship comes with is subtracted from cargo space. </div><div><br /></div><div>The standard crew for a spaceship is the 5 man band - Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Engineer, and Payload Specialist. If you have weapons, the pilot can fire forward cannons and missiles, and the Co-pilot and payload specialists handle everything else. To move, you must have at least a Pilot. </div><div><br /></div><div>FTL in this Setting Unknown is teleportation like Battlestar Galactica. Rule one, it takes a day to pump power into the capacitors to make that jump. Rule two, you can have a lot of extra capacitors. Generally, ships are ready to jump at all times, assuming they aren't doing anything special beforehand because they have more than one capacitor. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jumping into a system is generally not dangerous as long as you don't jump to a busy point. Jumping to the surface of a planet is bad because you will likely miss your target by a couple of meters in a random direction. BOOM! </div><div><br /></div><div>Jumping FROM the surface of a planet is easy as long as your target is empty space, except the authorities will hunt you down for causing a calamity on populated worlds. </div><div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ISmZKuRcAjM?si=1IXATZZKFjVJ3hpA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><div>Bad, but fun. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have no idea how combat, movement, economics, or anything else will work but I have some ideas I'll share in the coming posts. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know what to call this class of ship. Help me out in the comments below. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am now back on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550655225168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> which is a big change. I am not using the whole "Link in the comments", so my only way to attract followers is word of mouth. You can also see me on <a href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@pviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastodon.Social</a> and <a href="https://dice.camp/@philviverito">Dice.Camp</a> in addition to <a href="https://mewe.com/philviverito.85/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe</a>. My last outlet, one that I am going to start working hard on this year is <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. </div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-43389986327571127742024-01-07T21:53:00.000-05:002024-01-07T21:53:25.176-05:00Stupid Human Trick for DriveThruRPG<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMuU4V1agylSiBshwN8iKIC_N11N2MUR7e_Yy5BoKdA5CuU9Kc7Z-twKcXxs3cER4rWxi1Ye8dLuei6eiDmTiiGXz-DfYxJGE2-dRduBuE_tDUctjiQiIr79X6xkKbGMCKdYF9qZCq2I588YQbWBLhU_giRcoKHDbomZDwNDyiTg0ttIgm7tDmTxySOmK/s4032/IMG_20200415_215850762.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMuU4V1agylSiBshwN8iKIC_N11N2MUR7e_Yy5BoKdA5CuU9Kc7Z-twKcXxs3cER4rWxi1Ye8dLuei6eiDmTiiGXz-DfYxJGE2-dRduBuE_tDUctjiQiIr79X6xkKbGMCKdYF9qZCq2I588YQbWBLhU_giRcoKHDbomZDwNDyiTg0ttIgm7tDmTxySOmK/w113-h200/IMG_20200415_215850762.jpg" width="113" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>You know, I create a lot of problems for myself. My daily driver is a 1999 iBook and it doesn't like the internet. I had to devise a way around that issue to get my DriveThruRPG library onto it. It turns out it's easy with access to a fairly modern Chromebook, but guess it could also be done with an Android phone if you had to. <p></p><p>Under Android (and Chromebook) the DriveThruRPG files are hidden. If you can get to them, it's a simple matter of copying and pasting or moving them to a USB drive. You just need to know where to find them on your Chromebook (or phone). </p><p>What you need is a USB drive and an Android File Manager. </p><p>Insert the USB drive and then open your file manager. As far as I can tell, virtually any file manager will do. Here is my main screen in the file manager: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MWtGrmA6a5JidAV3bwRbhwW-Qbi-RfLNQhCDVK3uLvSEYcsEAmIcPTkXN3uOwKOyR2Rap81JbNBCXsL6FzbB6F43HurO9J5E2fQJHQ13EUJ2hwHBJrEXHOzWga8Py4DtZzJBBsw9hFi5G3VkjS9fW90SOsBL4lv2xOl768KoSMaDRE5WQPqdtc5ja2y8/s1364/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.23%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1364" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MWtGrmA6a5JidAV3bwRbhwW-Qbi-RfLNQhCDVK3uLvSEYcsEAmIcPTkXN3uOwKOyR2Rap81JbNBCXsL6FzbB6F43HurO9J5E2fQJHQ13EUJ2hwHBJrEXHOzWga8Py4DtZzJBBsw9hFi5G3VkjS9fW90SOsBL4lv2xOl768KoSMaDRE5WQPqdtc5ja2y8/w640-h234/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.23%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tap manage storage. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8Dde_6NGmfwZYBcq5kJppl1j_9xtVtGEBfiwWLvZC_PwRURZUb9gOcPMHeMuI2ieo-_hQ92cy6yqiFmphSEN1wDrDKyHeouKzLzWG8yn8e6S-TkS8WC8qNbHeD7VHXm2P-i0LqT3t1R77Udp6d9ZY7Bj7yKHfG5k_qjF5E1JR6OXZ7yBuT5rk6khEfFB/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.42%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="1366" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8Dde_6NGmfwZYBcq5kJppl1j_9xtVtGEBfiwWLvZC_PwRURZUb9gOcPMHeMuI2ieo-_hQ92cy6yqiFmphSEN1wDrDKyHeouKzLzWG8yn8e6S-TkS8WC8qNbHeD7VHXm2P-i0LqT3t1R77Udp6d9ZY7Bj7yKHfG5k_qjF5E1JR6OXZ7yBuT5rk6khEfFB/w640-h146/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.42%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then hit Android. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb6XlGcE_jY9LVDu2dOsA654gaKcvL-bFxqJDESQdcbTqcqPUxBNnKixOEIT-jwE8Pp5W-LXBsUW8UtnJX6St315Y3C8BkUu599zJax-IlAhyphenhyphen6ObSH9A_U253rW9YHlXYKSpezWZtd1n3jn8oHiuQXx2Ylo9R7ax6eLV6dsNoeTrcy3pvrcj28bvAb4ge/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.47%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="1366" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidb6XlGcE_jY9LVDu2dOsA654gaKcvL-bFxqJDESQdcbTqcqPUxBNnKixOEIT-jwE8Pp5W-LXBsUW8UtnJX6St315Y3C8BkUu599zJax-IlAhyphenhyphen6ObSH9A_U253rW9YHlXYKSpezWZtd1n3jn8oHiuQXx2Ylo9R7ax6eLV6dsNoeTrcy3pvrcj28bvAb4ge/w640-h98/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.55.47%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Data is next. Tap it. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5ze1bbaJYOupp2HcJn_fKU2jxhMg5LbBLxivzgqFKEIkPb6OzBL7uXYdcmlXkvz2qOrIs434u6cszDt8rqaLRXIrKtEwJZuRVEDbL-FMAqVYfVSxdBCrkEVlI4c8nZD5LQGcKSn3QvJvt3AFWmrXckXft7ajX7-jGTFOAjEc216tImhx0rfpPV8OytM/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.00%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="1366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5ze1bbaJYOupp2HcJn_fKU2jxhMg5LbBLxivzgqFKEIkPb6OzBL7uXYdcmlXkvz2qOrIs434u6cszDt8rqaLRXIrKtEwJZuRVEDbL-FMAqVYfVSxdBCrkEVlI4c8nZD5LQGcKSn3QvJvt3AFWmrXckXft7ajX7-jGTFOAjEc216tImhx0rfpPV8OytM/w640-h200/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.00%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the data fold, you'll see an oddly named folder called: com.drivethrurpg. Click it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BRqAw8WgleU9rOAENoVuYWNvlQ8rlbl7MSIMJX1VJaWuXHlcKxXadLssY0scGz91COj2hllcmiYPnlYjmEXwcx-TkQAJ7tlo-p55OkRQJzdmQKPXSlFXhaEXir3a4kEnlgMp5TyKWYhNZxEhTnP2ENtx394RlOPMe3Waem1MNcI-E9oyl4B92taxrPYz/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.05%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="1366" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BRqAw8WgleU9rOAENoVuYWNvlQ8rlbl7MSIMJX1VJaWuXHlcKxXadLssY0scGz91COj2hllcmiYPnlYjmEXwcx-TkQAJ7tlo-p55OkRQJzdmQKPXSlFXhaEXir3a4kEnlgMp5TyKWYhNZxEhTnP2ENtx394RlOPMe3Waem1MNcI-E9oyl4B92taxrPYz/w640-h98/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.05%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Select files.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdAZNRj6G5UG47wPykZVzk3QuQsdeKTGdmZl8w5muVVMK8Z850fxHC1r-QZrhS2o5Obx3flWSXbsc4TEVC4wK7CmgEK8PDiZhdFBPfzQ5alWVuLmT-_efcYY-6kme-8V4GclNdxUArAd6i76OFNq_yexskYk7b55F39ANg35kUpKziJCjOVykctaAbdkm/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1366" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdAZNRj6G5UG47wPykZVzk3QuQsdeKTGdmZl8w5muVVMK8Z850fxHC1r-QZrhS2o5Obx3flWSXbsc4TEVC4wK7CmgEK8PDiZhdFBPfzQ5alWVuLmT-_efcYY-6kme-8V4GclNdxUArAd6i76OFNq_yexskYk7b55F39ANg35kUpKziJCjOVykctaAbdkm/w640-h148/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.10%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here is your DriveThruRPG folder which contains all of your files. Tap it and Select either copy or move. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkBAC89NUnulrBZZIn6dcD2ooNuMPZrWvK7r6YF8cqVoKRZg_zQbBF3F7GuJN6J-be4y5FGT5gRB6in0zW1SlnFOi5ahX2oI64VBIPDSTKnV965loUsSXkvtIsq4-SYd6ExdXoTSpmLYRZ73XCwl39-Gk-XVpP-zi-pOHxFH7MJGz89YBMThdOVkVngEF/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1366" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkBAC89NUnulrBZZIn6dcD2ooNuMPZrWvK7r6YF8cqVoKRZg_zQbBF3F7GuJN6J-be4y5FGT5gRB6in0zW1SlnFOi5ahX2oI64VBIPDSTKnV965loUsSXkvtIsq4-SYd6ExdXoTSpmLYRZ73XCwl39-Gk-XVpP-zi-pOHxFH7MJGz89YBMThdOVkVngEF/w640-h318/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.30%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now navigate to the USB thumb drive and paste or finish the move. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx9Ylgksejckc15uIulZqPjIq45UIZ0rH81XCN12nNRye3Zgzn3fbIL4nbhWIbh557MQeWJ0__Sf2Ihe_2BYHiSCgLONR8BKwyTTm1BITiBYUMs1r057BDFTb_xzlwaaH3Of1hXz4qu6VyFH8I2-ssbluR8nPg6Gy8wFrhQqv-5EGeyh4sikpyRCehVGR/s1366/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.48%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1366" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx9Ylgksejckc15uIulZqPjIq45UIZ0rH81XCN12nNRye3Zgzn3fbIL4nbhWIbh557MQeWJ0__Sf2Ihe_2BYHiSCgLONR8BKwyTTm1BITiBYUMs1r057BDFTb_xzlwaaH3Of1hXz4qu6VyFH8I2-ssbluR8nPg6Gy8wFrhQqv-5EGeyh4sikpyRCehVGR/w640-h318/Screenshot%202024-01-07%202.56.48%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>One thing about this process is, that you need to do this every time you order something new or there is an update of a file. </p><p>I generally write on my iBook and transfer to another machine to post, and having my files available when I am "offline" is necessary. One other trick is I can dump the files to other machines for a consistent experience across several machines. </p></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/d-y91TAbEcA?si=WA_LNYdq9Mi7W0D6" width="480"></iframe>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-54828295377824671342024-01-06T19:52:00.004-05:002024-01-06T19:52:48.761-05:00Where You Can Find Me<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRlhnjyiBxSSM6GBYDGLT3FJZfhJibGZaTraQDE9PvwUl8cjfDY8JwiXa60lXEPgX9BDgNX41T1Bc1ciyYViMnaBr6cNB8_bmEH43Zwb-UCv-A4MEpPfxKoc161rJm_lkpX8f5m1TEJN8Y7w43B4ZT7GSoPUWR5671ABwglNsMqlGlTiIFRKNQrIcoIqF/s510/usersupported.png.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="510" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRlhnjyiBxSSM6GBYDGLT3FJZfhJibGZaTraQDE9PvwUl8cjfDY8JwiXa60lXEPgX9BDgNX41T1Bc1ciyYViMnaBr6cNB8_bmEH43Zwb-UCv-A4MEpPfxKoc161rJm_lkpX8f5m1TEJN8Y7w43B4ZT7GSoPUWR5671ABwglNsMqlGlTiIFRKNQrIcoIqF/s320/usersupported.png.png" width="320" /></a></div>I have a couple of outlets I use all the time. I am now back on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550655225168" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> which is a big change. I am not using the whole "Link in the comments", so my only way to attract followers is word of mouth. You can also see me on <a href="https://mastodon.social/deck/@pviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mastodon.Social</a> and <a href="https://dice.camp/@philviverito">Dice.Camp</a> in addition to <a href="https://mewe.com/philviverito.85/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MeWe</a>. My last outlet, one that I am going to start working hard on this year is <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. <p></p>As always, you can find my products on <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/13515/These-Old-Games" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a>. There is also my secondary store on <a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito/shop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ko-Fi</a>. Tomorrow, I will be posting about the differences between each shopping experience. <br /><p><br /></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-22304891385065999042024-01-06T19:35:00.004-05:002024-01-10T21:14:36.087-05:00Sometimes... I think of murder... <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBrwqTpfWnmBJoSBJI6-cBlNVPMr2FLh4BM4Jm5E4guV-Nz30EhK-iw_KVq8RBlzkx6Ipwd9yEZyVEs7atybUvHMeeoIZzGtGrsmwWAbTMbj0cRJ1YIsQRMKpEC7zWl-aqUYugJg0tKATdh1P_fll2Jkpi6LhvmWXoA1lewfgTShmbqItxoL_NOiE85TX/s500/2023-09-04.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="500" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBrwqTpfWnmBJoSBJI6-cBlNVPMr2FLh4BM4Jm5E4guV-Nz30EhK-iw_KVq8RBlzkx6Ipwd9yEZyVEs7atybUvHMeeoIZzGtGrsmwWAbTMbj0cRJ1YIsQRMKpEC7zWl-aqUYugJg0tKATdh1P_fll2Jkpi6LhvmWXoA1lewfgTShmbqItxoL_NOiE85TX/s320/2023-09-04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Like every DM, I devise some very deadly things to throw at players. And sometimes, the players come up with absolutely deadly scenarios to throw themselves into. My favorite story is about the characters who <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2015/08/going-off-rails-part-one.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cut the bridge</a> before they crossed. Usually, the players tell themselves a story that doesn't jib with reality or logic and then they die. <p></p><p>I won't change a die roll, but if the players engineer a TPK sometimes I don't tell them. This is the source of the idea <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2020/01/the-best-module-ever-ses-01-one-with.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SES-001 The One with the Killer Hook</a>, a post I made in 2020. </p><p>The party was in a small town, in the shadow of a large castle. The castle fell into enemy hands and the party took it upon themselves to recon the castle for the King's Army. However, instead of communicating with the Good King's siege force, they began hit-and-run raids in and around the castle. They had a secret way into the castle and used it to incredible effect. They managed to take out the water supply, start fires, steal the royal seals from enemy hands, and even take a very powerful artifact before they goofed. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20WR6uOF4-4YIxZQQgHDzOLhyphenhyphenBdPElc4Dt2u83GNBIZYHXme_QeVS7i8yeZpkWfwL7CLuGLstiaBh_h-dA_nD6XHKE-vpxV4RGa-Ox-5bXxnZEwxQYb508RuuHObNMv28F2ZZN8a8OOquxNx3SGRtszkMUOtZLS781wB12E7mjLbc1w4cEK9QEGadduII/s4032/IMG_20170429_121346.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20WR6uOF4-4YIxZQQgHDzOLhyphenhyphenBdPElc4Dt2u83GNBIZYHXme_QeVS7i8yeZpkWfwL7CLuGLstiaBh_h-dA_nD6XHKE-vpxV4RGa-Ox-5bXxnZEwxQYb508RuuHObNMv28F2ZZN8a8OOquxNx3SGRtszkMUOtZLS781wB12E7mjLbc1w4cEK9QEGadduII/s320/IMG_20170429_121346.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>The goof was one of their own making. The artifact was a ring of wishes that they hung onto "in case something bad happened", like a death. The second bit was taking out the water sources and setting fires. The castle was on the verge of surrender due to the water issue when the characters went after the last well. They got cornered by a pair of magic users and when the first fireball went off, they jumped into the well.</p><p>The empty well... </p><p>This should have been a horrifying TPK, but I decided not to tell the party. The next session, they escaped the well and went on to be a very effective team, reaching 6th level before they finally had "something bad happen". </p><p>They used the ring to wish a dead character back to life. Except, they were already all dead. </p><p>They found themselves back in the well and later replaying the events of their first couple of sessions. It seemed poetic. And fun. </p><p>Over the next couple of sessions, I used my notes from the campaign to create a montage of the party's greatest hits. We spent whole evenings throwing dice, reliving the events that led the party to such highs. </p><p>It was a fun ride. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-55375663932435558362024-01-04T20:28:00.003-05:002024-01-14T12:20:38.863-05:00Star Frontiers - Example Characters and House RulesFor my upcoming Star Frontiers Campaign, I was going to produce my own custom, 2-sided character sheets with a tent. This would help some of my first-time players quickly produce a character. And to save time, I changed my mind and decided to use the one on <a href="https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2020/08/02/star-frontiers-fillable-character-sheets-with-table-tents/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Polyhedral Nonsense</a>. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S_ZkpZJ5aDHRl5xYv2tpO1oyvKzpS3V_9sXDrP7mDFXoQZVM-_VTJ2GSltXSyft3wYlUhhZzpFBwhwIx9Z9l7i5fEO-j445y4t1mcgYLBkBdJdCQeL0jg7cIB1NIVz1MoDTeer5g6APNGqR08yV801JmyoEjgJ8KTyXpHtH20nmdeZxinad9aQjY_NYp/s462/example%20character%20sheet.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="462" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S_ZkpZJ5aDHRl5xYv2tpO1oyvKzpS3V_9sXDrP7mDFXoQZVM-_VTJ2GSltXSyft3wYlUhhZzpFBwhwIx9Z9l7i5fEO-j445y4t1mcgYLBkBdJdCQeL0jg7cIB1NIVz1MoDTeer5g6APNGqR08yV801JmyoEjgJ8KTyXpHtH20nmdeZxinad9aQjY_NYp/s320/example%20character%20sheet.png" width="320" /></a></div>I find this massively amusing. I was ready to invest a ridiculous amount of time making my own sheet and found an amazing sheet on website labeled "nonsense". Each area is neatly designed with large areas suitable for either computer text or handwriting. It corrects the one-side flaw of the original and ups the game with a useful tent. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is the opposite of nonsense, it's fabulous! I use a 1-5 star system for ratings, so this sheet gets 5 stars. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry, I didn't mean to do a review. But since Polyhedral Nonsense saved me so much time and effort, I had to do it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to your article, already in progress. </div><div><br /></div><div>The characters... </div><div><br /></div><div>I assume the characters have lived through the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226992/Star-Frontiers-SF1-Volturnus-Planet-of-Mystery?affiliate_id=242797" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crash on Volturnus modules</a>. The group lives on the planet <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/star-frontiers-campaign-2024.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Typhon</a>, a water world whose colony supports the post-war effort of decommissioning and preserving warships on the planet Dust. This endeavor requires nearly every skill in known space, of which the characters have a bit. The players will find it easy to fit in and have opportunities to improve their career skills, whatever they might be. They are learning to operate and maintain spaceships. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have a couple house rules that will be in effect. Spaceship skills are available from the <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/disappointment-improvements-star.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">get-go</a>, but this is slightly modified as we are creating higher-level characters. The players will be granted 30 experience points to select any skill from the Alpha Dawn rules and 10 experience points to select spaceship skills from Knight Hawks. </div><div><br /></div><div>That isn't too unusual. That places the characters with a non-combat PSA plus a couple of Military skills, and one spaceship skill. </div><div><br /></div><div>What is unusual is the characters all have professions, meaning they draw a salary. At generation, the players can buy a monthly salary of 1000 credits for one experience point, 2000 for 3 experience points, and so on. In addition to this, they get their normal roll for credits plus one month's salary cash. Star Frontiers has a lot of cool gear but hobbles the players and the characters with a lack of credits. I hate that. Each character also has a place to stay, which means they have far more than the typical adventurer. </div><div><br /></div><div>The players also start with a standard equipment pack plus a laser pistol, coveralls, and a backpack, mementos of their time on Vulturnus. Each one has a professional tool kit. Anyone who has a Military skill will have one appropriate personal weapon assigned to them. If they want more, they need to spend their savings. </div><div><br /></div><div>The players will discover that Typhon and Dust isn't really a place for weapons, but the moment they get moving on their adventure, they will need them. I need to build a bestiary and make maps for both planets. Life is not especially dangerous, more of a point of interest for the curious player. </div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-79758460378967354322023-12-30T20:25:00.004-05:002024-01-01T12:16:45.306-05:00New Ko-Fi Store<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6A_q4riWIxTX8MsghT6DQ-8PM9mGh6bH2iS6aAYsaMYcOVNXDgGSQcqPLTWiS63aD6pv7WFWchMvJWlvzQ4eCKL4ZFj8DjeusTkMt3dGCN91AMO7bMejJJFWTsBDlpoXlAZ1idn_r4bTy290dCsEC9COOimLPC8inyeHV7cDYhlsmMIVnp9IfEz5xLw7T/s364/7%20stat%20sheet%20preview.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="364" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6A_q4riWIxTX8MsghT6DQ-8PM9mGh6bH2iS6aAYsaMYcOVNXDgGSQcqPLTWiS63aD6pv7WFWchMvJWlvzQ4eCKL4ZFj8DjeusTkMt3dGCN91AMO7bMejJJFWTsBDlpoXlAZ1idn_r4bTy290dCsEC9COOimLPC8inyeHV7cDYhlsmMIVnp9IfEz5xLw7T/s320/7%20stat%20sheet%20preview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span face="Poppins, sans-serif" style="color: #2f3437;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://ko-fi.com/philviverito/shop " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My store on Ko-Fi has just opened.</a> I am leading with items that will never change, like my AD&D Character Sheets for Unearthed Arcana and my Hex Pack.
These items are pay-what-you-want and are IDENTICAL to those offered on DriveThruRPG. There is no need to duplicate your efforts if you already got them from DTRPG. This is simply a different shopping option.
https://ko-fi.com/philviverito/shop </span></span></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-30599211136861858982023-12-30T10:14:00.000-05:002023-12-30T10:14:02.977-05:00Star Frontiers Campaign - Supporting Cast<p>For <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/star-frontiers-campaign-2024.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my campaign </a>next year, I will need a supporting cast for the players. The characters will have access to a <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/star-frontiers-campaign-ships-for.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kon-Tiki</a> shuttle smaller than an Assult Scout. Since the players will be using this new type of ship, it needs to have a bit of history, as if it were a character. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPyRdyIbAiBzEOdSQy4HcX2fB9uMTTjzxZ-5_ZvxSvefkh4EClXakNgs-ynGsno6tO5iEdcbe3CkcfIjMgWZT2k5EFNZnr7W23UVBFSqc5MOFsOLNNuDjTNUbYWEKB4bVuDsam9ym5rQ484e6BOn_is7SrDR43t5etUsrZwGcBgZUmxooWr1QgrQvMclz/s674/Destroyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPyRdyIbAiBzEOdSQy4HcX2fB9uMTTjzxZ-5_ZvxSvefkh4EClXakNgs-ynGsno6tO5iEdcbe3CkcfIjMgWZT2k5EFNZnr7W23UVBFSqc5MOFsOLNNuDjTNUbYWEKB4bVuDsam9ym5rQ484e6BOn_is7SrDR43t5etUsrZwGcBgZUmxooWr1QgrQvMclz/s320/Destroyer.png" width="176" /></a></div>In the closing of the Sathar War, the Federation ran down a couple of paths of ship design. One of them was a type of electronic warfare destroyer called the Puff Adder. This destroyer was fitted with 3 atomic and three ion engines, packed with electronic warfare gear while giving up many of its weapons. It was also given two Kon-Tiki shuttles that could dock with it. Like its namesake, the Puff Adder could ambush enemy ships with its electronic warfare gear and light weapons while the Kon-Kiki shuttles provided support. The inherent abilities of the two types of engines allow these ships to dance in and out of danger. <p></p>It would have been a vastly more expensive ship than your typical Destroyer. 16 hulls of this type were laid down before the war ended. At the end of the war, Puff Adders were fitted with engines recovered from damaged ships as a cheap solution. However, only 8 were fully outfitted with their electronic warfare gear and weapons creating a second varient on the destroyer. <div><br /></div><div>The Puff Adders had assault rocket launchers, a laser battery, and ICMs with electronic warfare gear. Those not fitted with all of the projected weapons were labeled as the "Heracles" variant. The Heracles class was suitable for research, search and rescue plus surface support operations. The pairing of the destroyers with the Kon-Tiki shuttles creates a means for the characters to explore single systems easily while also providing very limited system-to-system travel with a bit of danger. </div><div><br /></div><div>The characters in their Kon-Tiki class shuttle will be supported by both types of destroyers, depending on what system they arrive in. This will give the players the exciting experience of being able to travel from system to system in a small ship. </div><div><br /></div><div>As time permits, I will be sketching out the deck plans of all three types of ships, the shuttle and the two destoryers. </div><div><br /></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-42977441450332650752023-12-27T09:14:00.000-05:002023-12-27T09:15:00.942-05:00Star Frontiers Campaign - Ships for the Characters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmzNBrebL8nlzx4Vw8n04IUqMrHh2xlYIybl-KV7zDiKnclHJrMeSYgnEgbvUOR4_3IDtvEtmYssP5Moi9T8hvZex9yvDblOo8FXzE_aXeonMExOqxYcEqkabTuzhB5rLxolxQaUBcA7XasNSuD753-Z_nR0RNpXyHU7afwOaQezx5t_oaBHeITsOxPmyZ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmzNBrebL8nlzx4Vw8n04IUqMrHh2xlYIybl-KV7zDiKnclHJrMeSYgnEgbvUOR4_3IDtvEtmYssP5Moi9T8hvZex9yvDblOo8FXzE_aXeonMExOqxYcEqkabTuzhB5rLxolxQaUBcA7XasNSuD753-Z_nR0RNpXyHU7afwOaQezx5t_oaBHeITsOxPmyZ" width="400">
</a>
</div>I want the players to have access spaceships. They will be jetting around between the planet Dust and Typhon plus various systems across the Federation. <div><br></div><div>Most of the time, the player characters will be landing on the surface of planets so they have a giant shuttle, smaller than an assault scout. It is size two. These shuttles are barely able to move from system to system, hence the name Kon-Tiki. However, for in system ships, the Kon-Tiki class shuttle is super roomy. </div><div><br></div><div>Although I have shared a picture of a spaceship above, I really want this ship to be more like a real space shuttle and not a tail-lander. </div><div><br></div><div>I will be sharing deck plans and such as time permits. </div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-85976135168886119922023-12-26T23:41:00.002-05:002024-03-03T11:34:07.108-05:00Star Frontiers Campaign 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NfAue9AgPYVwGuKRTUHRNbYt1zAl9fOKVGKGwthnEmijsdbCPj-BOW2205AfYnC2e17wuOVx8S_1BGnCLcaDB5CuZw4R_sF7A5HHoYvTiVKtZG3AppBpSrboXDWYqAPueKArQwzUoQJzZoJD1CSJgstQdNVROf1gNwfq9tz42gEi6uxLVyBzXmCJBA3v/s1263/IMG_20220121_113336167.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1263" data-original-width="1014" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NfAue9AgPYVwGuKRTUHRNbYt1zAl9fOKVGKGwthnEmijsdbCPj-BOW2205AfYnC2e17wuOVx8S_1BGnCLcaDB5CuZw4R_sF7A5HHoYvTiVKtZG3AppBpSrboXDWYqAPueKArQwzUoQJzZoJD1CSJgstQdNVROf1gNwfq9tz42gEi6uxLVyBzXmCJBA3v/s320/IMG_20220121_113336167.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>This year, I would like to run a Star Frontiers Campaign. I have a couple of ideas of what I'd like to do. I'd like to have a mystery to investigate. <p></p><p>Let's start with the characters. They are not newbies. They have survived the events of Volturnus modules. To that end, they are in advanced officer training and learning to crew a spaceship. </p><p>In my campaigns, spaceship skills are selectable from the get-go. These characters have 20 experience points for anything they like from the Alpha Dawn set and 10 experience points to spend on one spaceship skills. The players have one special option at character generation - they can trade 1 exp point for 1,000 credits. This pairs nicely with the 20 exp for any AD skill. The characters will be nicely equipped with the expectation everyone has one or more guns. </p><p>I don't believe in yanking the character's equipment at the start of the adventure. </p><p>Next, the characters have a home base, a planet named Typhon. It's a water world with underwater living quarters. The population is small, but growing after the war. The planet features a chain of islands around the equator. There are many aquatic animals in the planetary ocean and more than a few amphibians inhabiting the island. Even the bird and rat-like creatures are amphibians. It is an interesting world without too much excitement. Typhon is one of those "best-kept secrets" planets, beautiful and safe, not well known yet and not completely explored. </p><p>Also in the Typhon system is the planet Dust. This planet is barely habitable, but the low-oxygen atmosphere is great for storing and repairing spaceships. It is a base for training future astronauts. It isn't as dangerous as training in a vacuum. All species hate the environment, it requires suits for comfort but you can survive on the surface. Just barely. Typical stints on Dust last between a month and 3 months. The planet has one main base and dozens of smaller bases scattered here and there. </p><p>If you weren't learning how to be an astronaut, you'd have no reason to visit and even less to stay. Everyone, including the general staff, tries to speed run any necessary tasks to get back to the comfort of Typhon. Failing that, a tiny ship and a hard vacuum would do. </p><p>Now we are to the meat of the setting. There has been a rash of incidents where the visitors to Dust go missing. They vanish after leaving Dust for other destinations. This is bizarre because they spend some time at the destination getting settled, checking in with friends and family, and getting spotted on plenty of security cameras. Then they are gone. The one commonality is they disappear at night. No bodies have been found, no ransom remains, there is no pattern to the destinations, and no foul play is evidenced but is obviously suspected. </p><p>Since the Sathar and their agents have been sent packing, it is an interplanetary locked room mystery for the players to solve. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn<br />At DriveThruRPG</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226710/Star-Frontiers-Alpha-Dawn?affiliate_id=242797" target="_blank"><img alt="Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn at DrivethruRPG" src="https://dtrpg-public-files.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/images/44/226710-thumb140.jpg" title="Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn at DrivethruRPG" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p><b></b>I picked up the print copy of AD from DriveThruRPG. The printing is excellent, the binding looks sharp and clean. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-7137582680476565002023-12-04T12:00:00.003-05:002023-12-04T17:49:33.072-05:00Simple Improvements - Power to the Archer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScp1YCeSi3SeWlbZvCc-z6oNaKuiafrNFlYfvX6_WGA55FWJSXo0SyS7Qo-mYj940J-MUmOV2nTWQnjBd5gaz2r3j2nClBX3KfiyTbdhEmyIG5u6HF6lIx7y-F7gwDJ3z_NvM6sB_6xoW9_1eXxDRl45h_kx-FAVV7wjOjuSjLBX3jpXVhUF9XvaNrh7R/s665/Archer%20-%20Edited.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="665" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScp1YCeSi3SeWlbZvCc-z6oNaKuiafrNFlYfvX6_WGA55FWJSXo0SyS7Qo-mYj940J-MUmOV2nTWQnjBd5gaz2r3j2nClBX3KfiyTbdhEmyIG5u6HF6lIx7y-F7gwDJ3z_NvM6sB_6xoW9_1eXxDRl45h_kx-FAVV7wjOjuSjLBX3jpXVhUF9XvaNrh7R/s320/Archer%20-%20Edited.png" width="320" /></a></div>I like archer characters. Over the weekend, I had a chance to binge-watch a couple of episodes of Hawkeye and a few of The Arrow. Both shows are obviously based on bow combat. <p></p><p>In virtually all RPGs, archers are limited to how many arrows they have. Once the quiver is empty, they aren't an archer anymore. They lose the deadly ability to strike at a distance. </p><p>I wrote about making <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2022/11/raise-shields-part-1.html" target="_blank">fighting men</a> and <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2023/12/simple-improvements-magic-spells.html" target="_blank">spell casters</a> more powerful without adding die rolls or wildly different mechanics. Archers can be similarly empowered. </p><p>Looking at the first Avengers movie, Hawkeye doesn't miss so much as not hit his target. </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfAYNrl0f5M?si=H7MGwb2tD8wd75AL" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p>Loki is a trickster and should have seen this coming. Now let's look at Hawkeye missing a target. </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/68qiGKsuNLY?si=vgRSrXzSx_2V3zon" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><div><br /></div><div>This time Hawkeye misses because something got in his way. He didn't see it coming and lost an arrow because of it. His second shot is also a miss because Quicksilver threw him down and the arrow was knocked out of reach. Then there is a third attempt, the one I want to simulate. Quicksilver simply disappears, leaving Hawkeye with no target. Technically, that is his third miss. </div><div><br /></div><div>This last miss is easy to simulate. When a shooter <i>ATTEMPTS </i>a shot, sometimes the target moves in such a way that the archer can't follow. In this case, the miss means the archer never loosed an arrow. This is actually a very powerful thing for someone with a bow. In not loosing the arrow, they keep it for later. Since running out of arrows will put the archer out of action, not losing an arrow in every round of combat is powerful. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Good lord, my spell checker hates the difference between loosing and losing.) </div><div><br /></div><div>A DM could declare that on certain missed rolls the archer has released the arrow and on others, they retained the arrow and didn't shoot. Since 1 is odd, I would rule that every odd-number missed attack means the archer really did let the arrow fly and it's gone. On every even-numbered missed attack, they didn't let it go. They kept it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have a simple rule for collecting arrows after combat. If the characters have fled the battle, they lost all of the arrows they shot. If they keep the battlefield, then they can look for them. Even better, if the enemy was shooting, they could possibly recover those, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>If a player shoots x number of arrows, I select a die with fewer sides than the arrows fired, hopefully within one. If an opponent was also using arrows, I have PC archer roll a second of the same die. They may end up with more arrows than they started. This is in addition to whatever is taken as treasure. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can also amuse yourself with the possibility that two archers keep missing each other until each has to resort to picking up the arrow just fired at them. This is more likely to happen with spears and javelins, which is why the Romans used pilums. Pilums have a soft tip that bends to prevent it from being thrown back. It seems to be a 400 BC solution to a much older problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know what you think in the comments. </div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-52248685159833345022023-12-03T15:35:00.001-05:002023-12-04T22:42:50.759-05:00Disappointment = Improvements, Star Frontiers Edition<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHi5p0HH1TZda6yx6fnwR3zX_cd_u-l0GqnwDu_FLMw1-iv7afeGhqBLIGp5GGF0ug_iFwBoKvi7fN2xuWyc1ke2IFkPGL1-SU3fF32mKVRQNWVRJeOUac6Z0r1vRfp9CBKd3G8EHM2NzjnkAlzRewgQFMeyQ0lI4dU6uD3F6A-QkWD61mS4_FmEJn28D/s740/sf-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="740" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHi5p0HH1TZda6yx6fnwR3zX_cd_u-l0GqnwDu_FLMw1-iv7afeGhqBLIGp5GGF0ug_iFwBoKvi7fN2xuWyc1ke2IFkPGL1-SU3fF32mKVRQNWVRJeOUac6Z0r1vRfp9CBKd3G8EHM2NzjnkAlzRewgQFMeyQ0lI4dU6uD3F6A-QkWD61mS4_FmEJn28D/w640-h444/sf-0.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Star Frontiers was one of my favorite non-D&D games. While my friends loved Traveller. I was all in on Star Frontiers. Traveller and SF are two completely different games in the sci-fi genre. In my opinion, Traveller is a pure RPG while Star Frontiers incorporates role-play into a board game. It is my personal belief, being a pure RPG, Traveller is unified and therefore more balanced. The setting also doesn't hurt. However, I rarely play it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks are both excellent games, but they are completely different games. Trying to integrate player characters into a fleet battle-type game is glitchy, to say the least. One of the biggest disappointments is summed up in this chart from Knight Hawks:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_JXo5J3xVwVvRHiLYccodjfv1bk6sNWEAeshnou2_GefrZlCeSbXW1mJ80kwa1CFVjW9B7TsdYej-Pk5fP46GgqLSWMY_NLK86LfTiW4ysJTFn8X54huMef0u9Aigobqarz01ERLjo6pAOwCAEkO4W5N6jBVkXLgjHdQS542Y-KUNTux8TtzLK4nX8rk/s2996/IMG_20231202_233147717~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="2996" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_JXo5J3xVwVvRHiLYccodjfv1bk6sNWEAeshnou2_GefrZlCeSbXW1mJ80kwa1CFVjW9B7TsdYej-Pk5fP46GgqLSWMY_NLK86LfTiW4ysJTFn8X54huMef0u9Aigobqarz01ERLjo6pAOwCAEkO4W5N6jBVkXLgjHdQS542Y-KUNTux8TtzLK4nX8rk/s320/IMG_20231202_233147717~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Holy hell, you need to max out an Alpha Dawn character to be able to fly a spaceship at minimum competency. A level 6 technician should be able to build a whole spaceship with little trouble, why would you need this level of skill to operate a spaceship? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Han Solo's ability to fix stuff is putting a blaster shot into it. I can't picture Maverick fueling his plane, he can't even put on fireproof gloves. Ok, Data could assemble pretty much anything, but he is a robot made of McGuffin but I can't imagine Sulu doing the same. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second chart is even more annoying. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu9rayhOeXb2aE69uIpFgzQkcvWwvGDtmuSPiSk53FvRpEy-Fyqay9KV3tVnSlQfEazjEjM3UQuZrJtGEJ7HUWOkEo6hMrixHLih1zwjYiAvu39yx8U1yHiQfu8fCVCyUU1DEh3OkWdYUuqC_ZZE9hkFjQaQKuuMQuoocavTMpmP1zIXhhuveFaYREw6Q/s2936/IMG_20231202_233201130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="2936" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu9rayhOeXb2aE69uIpFgzQkcvWwvGDtmuSPiSk53FvRpEy-Fyqay9KV3tVnSlQfEazjEjM3UQuZrJtGEJ7HUWOkEo6hMrixHLih1zwjYiAvu39yx8U1yHiQfu8fCVCyUU1DEh3OkWdYUuqC_ZZE9hkFjQaQKuuMQuoocavTMpmP1zIXhhuveFaYREw6Q/s320/IMG_20231202_233201130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It perpetuates military skills are the best way to advance quickly. If you look at the chart from Alpha Dawn, this at least continues the trope started in the first book. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUfwQAI-oBAslRDSn1hGtZzU9tgXpE5_sZC4tEJaLlyPz20cikuD608Tt5NGrKAQ2WTB4aS_KQrkIuk77P9ujJfF7R_5nRUFunGKeYa38xBowe9nzZQC7WaQtVb0fRZUAZQDNvxivKDeunFZxw5515OgzT3u1S671nRDTpe2RZgLhdLEvzpPU5hDvWKI2/s2872/IMG_20231202_233222569.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="2872" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUfwQAI-oBAslRDSn1hGtZzU9tgXpE5_sZC4tEJaLlyPz20cikuD608Tt5NGrKAQ2WTB4aS_KQrkIuk77P9ujJfF7R_5nRUFunGKeYa38xBowe9nzZQC7WaQtVb0fRZUAZQDNvxivKDeunFZxw5515OgzT3u1S671nRDTpe2RZgLhdLEvzpPU5hDvWKI2/s320/IMG_20231202_233222569.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a strong desire to fix this back in the 80s in a simplistic fashion. Everyone got 3 skills to start, anyone could take spaceship skills from the get-go and I just accepted that spaceship skills were harder to level up in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did preserve the first chart of requirements as a social aspect of being a spacer. These were the minimum skills necessary to get a professional job on a ship. Rather amusingly, my players figured out exactly what I getting at and would role-play padding their resume to land jobs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recently, I decided to engage in a bit of confirmation bias and checked to see if anyone else saw this as a problem. A lot of people did see this as a problem at the time and today, and many of them even used this very technique to fix it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since I was engaging in confirmation bias and not fact-finding, I totally discounted people who had other modifications to these tables as being a less common option. I reserve the right to be wrong. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let me know in the comments. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interestingly, I did see many people playing the game straight. While I absolutely hate this solution it is firmly based in reality. Historically, astronauts were (and still are) brilliant people and a vanishingly small portion of the general population. It does make sense in that respect. I just don't like it for space opera. There is a case for leaving it alone but I wanted to have spaceships as an option from the get-go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I blame this attitude of mine on some players' odd reactions to skills in a given era. Some players will opt to claim that their character can't swim, can't ride a horse, or drive a car in eras where most people can. They see that skill on a chart and not wanting to waste skill points don't select it. Then they assume that not ticking a box means zero ability. Most people who can't swim merely can't swim well. Most people who "can't" drive a car can totally explain the operation of a vehicle and merely lack the will to do so. This is just being wise to one's own limitations, not a lack of understanding or slight ability. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a <a href="https://www.theseoldgames.com/2019/10/never-ever-do-i-ever-horses-drownings.html" target="_blank">whole post on silly things</a> I won't let players do. That is D&D-themed, but you can read it anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of posts, you can expect to see more posts about Star Frontiers soon. I want to have a campaign going shortly. </div><p></p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-31506477903112105222023-12-03T14:05:00.005-05:002023-12-04T17:46:25.442-05:00Simple Improvements - Magic Spells<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1kN-vozne4dT7dSbAN7mXkMyGLq2DnMoR62qohT1p34STW_nD66u03dptfpvtil6n52m_-vcTPMe0PxuFtv55oL5_1i08dCf1Nyw3drLYQSuDw2LzGO7th85tp56VlMZry5b7KiZHA0rVO7Vc2zGPnvHcOkltCgZxOwzB4OUHzTer2HnDDBi9YHi-aW-/s320/r2d2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1kN-vozne4dT7dSbAN7mXkMyGLq2DnMoR62qohT1p34STW_nD66u03dptfpvtil6n52m_-vcTPMe0PxuFtv55oL5_1i08dCf1Nyw3drLYQSuDw2LzGO7th85tp56VlMZry5b7KiZHA0rVO7Vc2zGPnvHcOkltCgZxOwzB4OUHzTer2HnDDBi9YHi-aW-/s1600/r2d2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A lot of times magic use feels like a machine gun in a knife fight. And then there are days where it doesn't work out like that. <p></p><p>I have one simple improvement for magic users of all stripes that doesn't involve dice throws. It is a clarification of my house rules. </p><p>First - To loose and/or lose a spell it has to be prepared. This is usually part of the rules of the game. One word to improve this rule is "completely", as in "completely prepared". </p><p>Adding this one word completely changes the dynamic of spellcasting. </p><p>Let's say a wizard or cleric selected a complex spell. They start to prep it then they are hit in the face. "Completely prepared" switches the result from "I lost a spell" to "I have to start over". They weren't done prepping. That seems kind of fair as the player and the character pays a cost in terms of frustration but doesn't actually lose anything else. </p><p>They need a better plan, but they can use that spell later. </p><p>The next modification to spell casting for simplification is: to allow the character to pull back unused spells. I can't tell you how many times I have had a player prep a fireball in the last round of combat and simply lose it. It seems reasonable to me that a player should be able to undo that action if nothing else is happening. Perhaps it takes the same amount of time to put the spell away as it does to prep it. Seems reasonable to me. </p><p>A third simplification is what I call "spell coast". On Monday, a cleric prays for three spells - Light, Purify Food and Water, and Bless. He has only one opportunity to cast the Purify Food and Water spell on Monday. On Tuesday, decides to replace that one spell with Cure Light Wounds. Being a small-town adventure, nothing happens until Sunday night. If the cleric is happy with his spell choices, he doesn't have to study every day. He coasts along with the 2 spells he prayed for on Monday and third, he prayed for on Tuesday. </p><p>The less time the players spend memorizing spells, the better. I had a diabolical DM that would take people's memorized spells away the moment they lost consciousness. </p><p>All of these things together make spell casters more powerful while also providing more role-play opportunities. </p>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-81233055064357556052023-10-05T21:53:00.007-04:002023-10-05T21:53:56.744-04:00Random Encounters/Making Memories<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQy_0ItephtfrS2F5lZmzCmtYcn1-12_3nqfeQiRMNIpPvKLj3sWXhOPP1rbONBTa9tzZ4JuyYIf42DOmMuWIwH3JutHLv3FiDVprLeayNwEAyp2a9dWcZTrDJgJpPAxzfI5bLkSbwYUo8V7HKYBPLunrqeleA-ofxE-KURQl96Q_-2mNDeeAjbyw6wm3/s1032/2023-09-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQy_0ItephtfrS2F5lZmzCmtYcn1-12_3nqfeQiRMNIpPvKLj3sWXhOPP1rbONBTa9tzZ4JuyYIf42DOmMuWIwH3JutHLv3FiDVprLeayNwEAyp2a9dWcZTrDJgJpPAxzfI5bLkSbwYUo8V7HKYBPLunrqeleA-ofxE-KURQl96Q_-2mNDeeAjbyw6wm3/s320/2023-09-04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Tonight, Jen and Catherine are at a Stevie Nicks concert leaving me and Nathan to fend for ourselves for dinner. Nate and I picked a local favorite and got to talking... about D&D. <p></p><p>This only sometimes happens. He plays e5 while I am into AD&D e1 or OSE. They seem wildly different, to me anyway. But tonight proved that wrong. </p><p>Halfway through dinner, Nathan realized he planned a D&D session with his friends. He looked rather glum about it. I said I was envious because I have very little time to game. </p>The problem was he didn't know what to do for tonight's session. I asked him about the past sessions and he filled me on the problems first. They are 4 sessions into this campaign and they skipped a planned Session 0. Nathan was forced to cob together a very basic idea into a full-fledged campaign due to a lack of planning. <p></p><div>Here is the gist of that idea: The players have found a cursed town. There are a couple of levels to the curse. A dragon is rampaging around the edge of town, but cannot enter due to a spell cast by a witch. The witch stole the dragon's eggs and placed them around the perimeter of the town to protect the town from a threat, a non-dragon threat. The hag was killed by the dragon mid-cast, so the spell is partially broken. </div><div><br /></div><div>Currently, the spell is supposed to protect the town from a threat. Thus far, this averted threat is limited to the rampaging dragon. The spell should be fixed on and powered by the maturing dragon eggs, but unfortunately, it is wavering. When a person touches the edge of the spell, say by entering or leaving the town, their memory becomes corrupted. The corruption is like amnesia, people forget personal facts but don't lose skills or abilities usually. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two characters have already been corrupted and lost the knowledge of a spell and resources. The mage forget the spell is in their spell books and are surprised every time they see it. The other character has forgotten he is rich. This is being played for laughs. </div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDXLHdvIiVmE-HFXPN0v_9uxUC1vEwl-lGSI6YWY9_3Ee2Jqoj_wEx2M8bEC9D3m7fxtWb5uohO4BtEfP4tXtCtIb57wB2_n39FJr9tVWnt_JZb18UeBoyKvzUyBpzVF76o-en4t-elubyyLBPw-xtgD6oe_ePhKaAcz-KrzuzEsukfq2Jrw0vtyZa1t5/s4000/20220603_165405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDXLHdvIiVmE-HFXPN0v_9uxUC1vEwl-lGSI6YWY9_3Ee2Jqoj_wEx2M8bEC9D3m7fxtWb5uohO4BtEfP4tXtCtIb57wB2_n39FJr9tVWnt_JZb18UeBoyKvzUyBpzVF76o-en4t-elubyyLBPw-xtgD6oe_ePhKaAcz-KrzuzEsukfq2Jrw0vtyZa1t5/s320/20220603_165405.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathan, dressed to impress.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>That's it. Nathan didn't define the threat to the town and threw the characters right in the middle of the mess without a plan to get them out. Worse, the players are fighting a bone construct for one of the eggs. Nathan has no idea why he introduced this combat. The players are hell-bent on destroying the egg for unknown reasons. The last session ended in the middle of that battle. </div><div><br /></div><div>Memory... funny thing that is. </div><div><br /></div><div>I parsed out the whole situation, problems and all. </div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Here is what we came up with as a solution. The hag, a witch, was the town shaman. Unfortunately, she was fated to die young but didn't know when. As the appointed day came close, she bargained with the dragon for its eggs. She would cast a spell on the eggs, to protect the town from bad weather and disease in her absence while also protecting the eggs as they matured. People who found the eggs would be afflicted with memory loss about the eggs and would not harm or steal them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Problem one is solved, we know why stuff is happening. That's important. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next, time to tackle some other issues. Nathan starts every session with a synopsis of what happened in the last session. He simply reads from a notebook. Tonight, he decided that will change. Instead, he will hand out notes to all of the players. Once they have the notes, he will absentmindedly flip through his notebook as if looking for the notes he just handed out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Queue the laughs. He'll ask someone to read the synopsis for him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oddly, there will be no mention of the combat with the bone construct. Instead, the players will find themselves in an ancient and desecrated graveyard at the edge of town. It says that right there in the game notes. The graves have been pillaged for something. In the dark, a shambling bone creature will disrupt their investigations. The bone construct was made by a previous shaman with the intent to protect the town in their absence. As long as the party doesn't attack, it will not attack them. It needs them alive to protect the town. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems all of the players are suffering from memory loss. They didn't fight a bone construct, they are about to fight a bone construct. Maybe. When they return to the town proper, fight or not, they will find some of the NPCs have changed. These will be subtle changes, maybe someone needed to step out for a while and a friend took over. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now for the real fun. One of the PCs wears a wedding band. The same player inquired about having it turned into a ring of wishes in the prior sessions. This was an off-handed comment, a part of their character background. They would wish their spouse back to life if they could. Obviously, they recently saw the Dungeons and Dragons movie. </div><div><br /></div><div>A week from now, Nathan will be armed with a letter from a sage explaining how exceedingly rare rings of wishes are and that it would be virtually impossible for this particular ring to be one of wishes. Of course, no player character asked a sage about this. But here is a letter like they did. </div><div><br /></div><div>How did that happen? Who paid for it? It appears to be the guy who can't remember he is rich. </div><div><br /></div><div>The path is now clear, the party needs to become the protector of the town and eggs while the spell casters try to correct the malfunctioning spell or end the spell by finding another shaman. It would be helpful not to be eaten by the dragon while doing this, but it's starting to look like one of the PCs or NPCs will become a dragon snack. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's fine by Nathan. Not only is he counting on it, he has a friend scheduled to show up with a brand-new character, and prepped and practiced to act as if he has been there since the beginning. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's amazing how a chance dinner-time meal can turn into a campaign session. </div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-22689464188184548392023-10-01T13:35:00.003-04:002023-10-01T14:30:14.823-04:00Setting, Theme, and Narrative<p>Last week, I was so hopeful. I would get myself back on track by returning to reviews until I was back on a regular posting schedule. Thursday morning, that goal was evaporating as my son got sick and by Friday evening, I had it too. </p><p>It's been 147 days of Sudafed haze and sinus hell since Friday night. It's one of those sucky things you can't shake off. That's a shame because I wanted to post about something I received in the mail: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1InlMuZaNy2puJLfVMllk_lvMB11BU6NJEt5XTsV_85VR4XUHyYoZv-glaTeU21jbkwLOU4SBeurABTodBknkDOKYR-gaRThGh9L3ICNdQhnzP1pF4ff41JGyiuSBayM4XYSfZ0gsTzfjTYBKsNWPv73z_8mDcch5mws-GwuGnhejDpblV1snPMy-aJg/s4080/IMG_20230930_103312394.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1InlMuZaNy2puJLfVMllk_lvMB11BU6NJEt5XTsV_85VR4XUHyYoZv-glaTeU21jbkwLOU4SBeurABTodBknkDOKYR-gaRThGh9L3ICNdQhnzP1pF4ff41JGyiuSBayM4XYSfZ0gsTzfjTYBKsNWPv73z_8mDcch5mws-GwuGnhejDpblV1snPMy-aJg/s320/IMG_20230930_103312394.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dragonlance is one of my favorite settings, my most hated modules, and THE THING that made me think about game design. It is a great setting. I can't wait to review these books and get into the Setting, Theme, and Narrative. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134273408102615046.post-63015847935582027302023-09-24T15:45:00.006-04:002023-09-24T15:45:50.514-04:00My Friends, I Have Wasted a Year - Civilization II Gold Review<p>Title: Sid Meier's Civilization II Gold <br />Publisher: MacSoft<br />Author: MicroProse<br />Year: 1999<br />OS: Mac OS 7.1 up to OS 9.2<br />Overall Rating: 5 of 5 stars</p><p>The misquote in the title is from Emperor Titus in 79 A.D. and is apt for a review of any of the Civilization Games. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujOP4gpXDiMHDP0UTpCiuxlMi12YLMMzRIH-L6clt_YIx8fC_zDsTlVEVe747D8-RpmmsK4Nx_xuyyDe_qbqjH8r3sZiiMJhZ8e0BGtxOr5VDSoEdTYZJhOFo4mpJk3COgviw2fG_b7O6Ka-Egjaug1oKs5SQDMr_1ZU7OGnehKwOguUZTqDot13DN-nZ/s647/Title%20Screen.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="647" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujOP4gpXDiMHDP0UTpCiuxlMi12YLMMzRIH-L6clt_YIx8fC_zDsTlVEVe747D8-RpmmsK4Nx_xuyyDe_qbqjH8r3sZiiMJhZ8e0BGtxOr5VDSoEdTYZJhOFo4mpJk3COgviw2fG_b7O6Ka-Egjaug1oKs5SQDMr_1ZU7OGnehKwOguUZTqDot13DN-nZ/w640-h240/Title%20Screen.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>There were so many changes from Civ I to Civ II and the Gold version expanded on those, this version is like a brand new game. This particular version is my favorite despite being "made of glitch". I have delayed reviewing this game due to the incredible breadth of content and play options. </p><p>This is an exploration strategy game, if not THE strategy game of the late 90s and early 2000s. You pick a civilization headed by an avatar representing that culture/civilization. From there you select a map type, either pre-made like the one below or a randomly generated world. Next comes scenario modifiers, where you can race for Alpha Centauri or have a slugfest to dominate our Earth (or approximation of Earth). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsF5MdaAgpWu2eb6GQkqH9_P6TxJDf29kLP8m9uxYwdqaTVlMZhivcgxuk_z-E1eI482dMhEl7IJ8fqHmgm36Yh2hzZf172FKY5seohFHsYkbEV8liLhkMfzE31JBUQJekyiKwtwzuY3b5ppBrivV_o-D2y0J1-I5yrplCbCU6MGeNyYrAbvLK4BEFNUk/s1654/Map.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1654" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsF5MdaAgpWu2eb6GQkqH9_P6TxJDf29kLP8m9uxYwdqaTVlMZhivcgxuk_z-E1eI482dMhEl7IJ8fqHmgm36Yh2hzZf172FKY5seohFHsYkbEV8liLhkMfzE31JBUQJekyiKwtwzuY3b5ppBrivV_o-D2y0J1-I5yrplCbCU6MGeNyYrAbvLK4BEFNUk/s320/Map.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>From there, you explore and build cities to support both combat units and non-combat units like explorers and settlers while also competing to complete Wonders. The incredible number of wonders, improvements, and units keeps the fun going for hours if not weeks or months. <div><br /></div><div>Now, here is where the fun begins. In Civ Gold, you get a wonderful introductory video (if you have the CD-Rom, that is) and a scene cut of your wonder being built. These videos are beautiful and well-timed so as not to disrupt gameplay while also being fine enough for educational purposes. They actually enhance gameplay rather than being annoying. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Throne Room option is annoying because it adds nothing. </div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to the basic game, the Gold came in the form of a scenario editor, a cheat mode, hot-seat multiplayer options, and three collections of scenarios. Conflicts in Civilization, 8 "Best of the Net" designed by fans, and a final collection called Civ II: Fantastic Worlds based on MicroProse games. </div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, the AI was much improved over the last iteration... Ha-ha, Just kidding!</div><div><br /></div><div>Seriously, there must have been some improvement made to the AI, considering it would have to deal with random scenarios, new city improvements, new wonders, new units, and a mess of different scenario concepts all of which could be modified by hot-seat multiplayer or scenario parameters. This is asking a lot of any AI, even today. </div><div><br /></div><div>So it was taught to cheat, like instantly constructing units or improvements at will while having barbarian hordes wash over the map. Add in some actual gitches and you have comedy in the making. My personal favorite is you can use a wrapping map that the AI doesn't get. It will try not to go off the non-existent edge and send troops the long way around the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most famous glitch was allowing the AI to have Gandhi. Each AI-controlled civilization has a preassigned level of aggression, 1 to 10. One is non-aggressive and 10 is omnicidial manic. This would be fine if it weren't for the modifies applied by technology gains. Democracy applies a -2 to aggression right about the same time cultures start getting cruise missiles and atom bombs. Gandhi starts at 1 then goes two less with Democracy. In computer math, he ends up with nukes and an aggression level of 255 on a scale of one to ten. Amusingly, if you disable nukes (through the scenario editor), Gandhi's opts for a Macrosss style cruise missile massacre. </div><div><br /></div><div>Either works exactly like this: </div><div><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rKBz5_pbdzM?si=lih_WzzyKm5g2WA9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite all of this, it is very easy to kill a week or more playing this game non-stop. I give it 5 stars due to the endless replayability provided by the scenario editor and the excellent modding tools provided out of the box. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Phil Viveritohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316096327859610399noreply@blogger.com2