I'm back from vacation, tanned, rested and ready to rock!
So to speak.
Look for blog posts regarding my current fantasy game, especially some of the props I use/have created for it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Usual Middle of the Year Burn Out
Yeah, lots going on, not all of it RPG related and I'm hitting the wall.
I've got some home improvement stuff that has sidelined me lately, as well as some vacation-oriented stuff and the usual time-consuming things I do throughout the week.
I was hoping to get up a new Bounty Hunter of the Month before the end of August, but we'll have to see if that materializes. I'm working on prepping for me next tabletop RPG as well...so...yeah. Lots of stuff going on and I'm needing a break soon.
Anyway, for the two folks out there that follows this blog and the website, just thought I would give you a heads up...enjoy the current fiction I posted and all fo the other offerings we've acquired over the last eight years, I'll let you know when something new pops up.
I've got some home improvement stuff that has sidelined me lately, as well as some vacation-oriented stuff and the usual time-consuming things I do throughout the week.
I was hoping to get up a new Bounty Hunter of the Month before the end of August, but we'll have to see if that materializes. I'm working on prepping for me next tabletop RPG as well...so...yeah. Lots of stuff going on and I'm needing a break soon.
Anyway, for the two folks out there that follows this blog and the website, just thought I would give you a heads up...enjoy the current fiction I posted and all fo the other offerings we've acquired over the last eight years, I'll let you know when something new pops up.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Why So Serious?
You know, I read a lot of blogs. Being fortunate enough to have a job that literally allows me to work on my hobbies while paying me a crazy amount of money, I fill about six of the eight hours of my day at work by surfing the web, working on fiction and reading the musings of others gamers.
And one thing I noticed is this:
People take this hobby or ours way too damn seriously.
Really...for all of the rhetoric, discussion and emotional investment I've seen people make, in the end, it's just something to do for fun. Now, if arguing and beating your head against the wall is your idea of fun, so be it. But me? I like to just sit down and toss some dice. That’s it, pure and simple.
Sure, I run a website based off an old campaign I used to participate in, but again, that’s more so that I can continue other hobbies I have, namely writing and creating art. The website simply offers inspiration.
But man, a lot of people seem to have a lot to say about something we all seem to do just for fun, and not always in the nicest or most respectable of ways.
I guess it's the need to be heard. Or the need some feel for validation of this hobby, or something. Hell, maybe it's just to try to feel smarter than the next guy because you can stat out a 13th level half human, half dragon wizard blindfolded while sucking on a Popsicle, I really don't know.
Funny thing, and I guess this gives rise to why we hear so much about the Old School Renaissance lately, is that ultimately, the pen and paper RPG is going to die.
Sure, it might take a while, and yeah, there are going to continue to be those who play it, and even those who write homebrewed stuff, but eventually, as technology advances and the generations get further and further away from the original RPG roots, the demand for something as archaic as a pen and paper rpg is going to die off. Hell, it's already happening. You see how small publishers struggle and try to adapt, only, ultimately, to fail (or publish their stuff for next to nothing on the web as PDF's). Even the big daddy, Wizards is struggling and constantly adapting it's business model to try to keep up with the changing desires of its consumers. But that's also just delaying the inevitable, because ultimately, the cost-to-profit ratio will make producing these books bad business, and Wizards will turn away from P&P Rpg's and become enveloped into other areas of Hasbro (which I think is happening already-gradually). It may not be in the next few years, but eventually, as video games continue to evolve (see Project Natal for the 360, but I know you already have, haventhcha?)the new generations of gamers who grew up on video game RPG's won't even look twice at a dice bag, or if they do, they'll wonder what the hell you do with it. That's technology filks, and it's not just hitting the RPG industry...look at Baseball cards, or any other hobby that falls into the category of a "niche" hobby...they have their heyday, then, gradually, disappear as something else takes their place.
I think this whole "OSR" as it's being called is simply older players trying to come to grips with the fact that their hobby will one day be as dead as they will. In many ways, I think this has whole movement is spawned not from a sense of nostalgia, but adult gamers trying to come to grips with their own mortality. And I think what gave it rise with the death of Gary Gygax. When we saw the father of the RPG die, followed by the death of Dave Arneson, it resonated with us, reminding us that we are all mortal, and to a degree, their death foreshadows the death of the RPG as we know it.
So, players and lovers of the game do what we ALL do when faced with the imminent demise of something we love: We try to resurrect it in some way.
Thus the OSR.
At the end of the day, I think we should all put differences, preferences and rhetoric aside and just sit down and enjoy what we have for as long as we have it. And if blogging endlessly about it is your way of taking the game off of the table and into a place where you can enjoy it, well, I guess I can get behind that too.
But the "old school" versus "new school" discussions are laughable, because at the end of the day, on a long enough timeline, it's all "old school".
So seriously, just game.
And one thing I noticed is this:
People take this hobby or ours way too damn seriously.
Really...for all of the rhetoric, discussion and emotional investment I've seen people make, in the end, it's just something to do for fun. Now, if arguing and beating your head against the wall is your idea of fun, so be it. But me? I like to just sit down and toss some dice. That’s it, pure and simple.
Sure, I run a website based off an old campaign I used to participate in, but again, that’s more so that I can continue other hobbies I have, namely writing and creating art. The website simply offers inspiration.
But man, a lot of people seem to have a lot to say about something we all seem to do just for fun, and not always in the nicest or most respectable of ways.
I guess it's the need to be heard. Or the need some feel for validation of this hobby, or something. Hell, maybe it's just to try to feel smarter than the next guy because you can stat out a 13th level half human, half dragon wizard blindfolded while sucking on a Popsicle, I really don't know.
Funny thing, and I guess this gives rise to why we hear so much about the Old School Renaissance lately, is that ultimately, the pen and paper RPG is going to die.
Sure, it might take a while, and yeah, there are going to continue to be those who play it, and even those who write homebrewed stuff, but eventually, as technology advances and the generations get further and further away from the original RPG roots, the demand for something as archaic as a pen and paper rpg is going to die off. Hell, it's already happening. You see how small publishers struggle and try to adapt, only, ultimately, to fail (or publish their stuff for next to nothing on the web as PDF's). Even the big daddy, Wizards is struggling and constantly adapting it's business model to try to keep up with the changing desires of its consumers. But that's also just delaying the inevitable, because ultimately, the cost-to-profit ratio will make producing these books bad business, and Wizards will turn away from P&P Rpg's and become enveloped into other areas of Hasbro (which I think is happening already-gradually). It may not be in the next few years, but eventually, as video games continue to evolve (see Project Natal for the 360, but I know you already have, haventhcha?)the new generations of gamers who grew up on video game RPG's won't even look twice at a dice bag, or if they do, they'll wonder what the hell you do with it. That's technology filks, and it's not just hitting the RPG industry...look at Baseball cards, or any other hobby that falls into the category of a "niche" hobby...they have their heyday, then, gradually, disappear as something else takes their place.
I think this whole "OSR" as it's being called is simply older players trying to come to grips with the fact that their hobby will one day be as dead as they will. In many ways, I think this has whole movement is spawned not from a sense of nostalgia, but adult gamers trying to come to grips with their own mortality. And I think what gave it rise with the death of Gary Gygax. When we saw the father of the RPG die, followed by the death of Dave Arneson, it resonated with us, reminding us that we are all mortal, and to a degree, their death foreshadows the death of the RPG as we know it.
So, players and lovers of the game do what we ALL do when faced with the imminent demise of something we love: We try to resurrect it in some way.
Thus the OSR.
At the end of the day, I think we should all put differences, preferences and rhetoric aside and just sit down and enjoy what we have for as long as we have it. And if blogging endlessly about it is your way of taking the game off of the table and into a place where you can enjoy it, well, I guess I can get behind that too.
But the "old school" versus "new school" discussions are laughable, because at the end of the day, on a long enough timeline, it's all "old school".
So seriously, just game.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Fiction is up!!!!
Well, I've put off posting the new ficiton long enough! It's as my wife said, "If you wait until you have everything done you want to get done you won't be posting the fiction for at least another month or longer."
Well, she's right! And since this fiction has been ready to go up for the past few months, I see no reason to delay it any longer just so I can be a perfectionist. Anyway! It's here! And it's up! You can follow the link below to find it and I think you will enjoy it. Book III wraps up the Episode: 10 Rebirth story line and ushers in a new age in Raptor Squad mythology. Questions are answered, new ones are asked and the teams heads in a different and exciting direction. The tension and drama are ramped up in this one folks, and the sparks begin to fly! Friendships are broken, people are betrayed and characters die! So! Enjoy the read and of course we would love to hear your feedback.
Raptorsquad.Net
Well, she's right! And since this fiction has been ready to go up for the past few months, I see no reason to delay it any longer just so I can be a perfectionist. Anyway! It's here! And it's up! You can follow the link below to find it and I think you will enjoy it. Book III wraps up the Episode: 10 Rebirth story line and ushers in a new age in Raptor Squad mythology. Questions are answered, new ones are asked and the teams heads in a different and exciting direction. The tension and drama are ramped up in this one folks, and the sparks begin to fly! Friendships are broken, people are betrayed and characters die! So! Enjoy the read and of course we would love to hear your feedback.
Raptorsquad.Net
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Walkin' & Talkin'
My wife Elfgirl and I went for a walk the other night around our neighborhood, and the following discussion transpired. I thought it was interesting and wanted to go ahead and post it here, and to me, this sums up the difference as to why I prefer D6 above all other systems I’ve played.
Enjoy
Me: You know what I don’t understand…you and your sister used to play old school D&D when you were young, where character deaths occurred like, every five minutes.
Elfgirl: True. In the Temple of Elemental Evil we went through a few characters each.
Me: Right. So now, when your characters die, or even get close to dying, you guys act like I just ran over your kitten with a lawn mower. What gives? Shouldn’t you guys be numb to TPK’s and character death by now?
Elfgirl: Well, it’s not the same.
Me: How so? And speed up, you’re lagging.
Elfgirl: Well, in old school D&D you really had no control over your character’s stats. They were randomly generated and you had whatever you rolled. You were basically “trapped” by whatever the dice came up. In D6 you can customize your character- put your D wherever you want and in what abilities you think the character will utilize the most.
Me: Ah…
Elfgirl: Yeah, it makes you more in tune and connected to your character. When you can craft your PC from the ground up, customizing what they are and what abilities and skills they have, it’s a greater investment as a player, rather than having some random rolls determine what your character is good at.
Me: So when your creation is threatened, it’s not just some character that was effectively thrust on you that you had little real control over creating (outside of a name), it’s more disconcerting.
Elfgirl: Right. We, as players, have invested a lot of time crafting our PC’s to be what we want, so when they take a beating or die, there is a greater sense of loss.
Me: Gotcha. Well that makes sense. Still, the game is pretty lethal, so at the end of the day, your PC’s, and by extension, you the players, need to start using your heads a little more and investing some time in studying your inventory and what you have and what you can use in certain situations. It’s not my job to remind you that you have a potion or scroll that would help you out of a bind, it’s YOUR job to remember these things, and if you don’t? Well, I see that as little different than taking an ill-advised course of action that results in a PC’s death. At the end of the day, in my game, as in life, ignorance is no excuse.
So!
An interesting discussion I thought.
Enjoy
Me: You know what I don’t understand…you and your sister used to play old school D&D when you were young, where character deaths occurred like, every five minutes.
Elfgirl: True. In the Temple of Elemental Evil we went through a few characters each.
Me: Right. So now, when your characters die, or even get close to dying, you guys act like I just ran over your kitten with a lawn mower. What gives? Shouldn’t you guys be numb to TPK’s and character death by now?
Elfgirl: Well, it’s not the same.
Me: How so? And speed up, you’re lagging.
Elfgirl: Well, in old school D&D you really had no control over your character’s stats. They were randomly generated and you had whatever you rolled. You were basically “trapped” by whatever the dice came up. In D6 you can customize your character- put your D wherever you want and in what abilities you think the character will utilize the most.
Me: Ah…
Elfgirl: Yeah, it makes you more in tune and connected to your character. When you can craft your PC from the ground up, customizing what they are and what abilities and skills they have, it’s a greater investment as a player, rather than having some random rolls determine what your character is good at.
Me: So when your creation is threatened, it’s not just some character that was effectively thrust on you that you had little real control over creating (outside of a name), it’s more disconcerting.
Elfgirl: Right. We, as players, have invested a lot of time crafting our PC’s to be what we want, so when they take a beating or die, there is a greater sense of loss.
Me: Gotcha. Well that makes sense. Still, the game is pretty lethal, so at the end of the day, your PC’s, and by extension, you the players, need to start using your heads a little more and investing some time in studying your inventory and what you have and what you can use in certain situations. It’s not my job to remind you that you have a potion or scroll that would help you out of a bind, it’s YOUR job to remember these things, and if you don’t? Well, I see that as little different than taking an ill-advised course of action that results in a PC’s death. At the end of the day, in my game, as in life, ignorance is no excuse.
So!
An interesting discussion I thought.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Days of Future Past
Small update this time. Cleaned up the Links section and doctored up some code on various pages. Wow, in deleting some of the links from the site it appears the state of SWRPG websites is kinda depressing. No worries though, your pals here at RS will be around for quite a while.
The above sentence was written almost eight years ago.
Man how things have changed- and not necessarily for the better.
I’m not going to waste time reminiscing about how the SWRPG community used to be, suffice to say though, that it was a hell of a lot better than it is now-especially because there was a community. Now? Now I honestly can’t say that.
It’s sad really, to see sites wither away and die off. Hell, the laundry list of great sites that have disappeared goes on and on:
StarwarsRPG.net
Tales of the Lost Star Warriors
Jedi Sanctuary
SWRPG Reviewed Sites
Elrood Sector: Tales of the Freespirit
Servais Sector
Just to go to those pages and see 404 messages or placeholder pages makes my stomach churn.
Yeah, I know a lot of it is because people get older, responsibilities change and they lose interest. But that doesn’t make it any better.
Ultimately, I know Raptor Squad won’t last forever either. I’m sure, some day in the future I’ll fall prey to the ravages of real life (and have already in some cases) and the site will cease to be updated with new content.
But I can guarantee you this folks: As long as it’s within my power, the site isn’t going anywhere. And I have a few things to do before I hang it up for good. We’ve been going strong for over eight years and too much work and sweat and effort and cash has gone into this site for me to just shut it down and walk away.
I’m proud of what I’ve created, because I feel like it’s unique and special and not something you can see just anywhere, and to let it die off like some sites have would be a disservice not only to the community but to what the site stands for and the people who have worked hard to make it what it is.
So! We’ve still got some gas in the tank, still have a few destinations to hit before we wrap up this crazy wild trip, and I can keep going for a few hundred more miles at least (course’ every now and then I might need to pull off at a rest stop and take a break), hopefully you folks will sit tight and see where we take you.
I promise you it will be worth it.
The above sentence was written almost eight years ago.
Man how things have changed- and not necessarily for the better.
I’m not going to waste time reminiscing about how the SWRPG community used to be, suffice to say though, that it was a hell of a lot better than it is now-especially because there was a community. Now? Now I honestly can’t say that.
It’s sad really, to see sites wither away and die off. Hell, the laundry list of great sites that have disappeared goes on and on:
StarwarsRPG.net
Tales of the Lost Star Warriors
Jedi Sanctuary
SWRPG Reviewed Sites
Elrood Sector: Tales of the Freespirit
Servais Sector
Just to go to those pages and see 404 messages or placeholder pages makes my stomach churn.
Yeah, I know a lot of it is because people get older, responsibilities change and they lose interest. But that doesn’t make it any better.
Ultimately, I know Raptor Squad won’t last forever either. I’m sure, some day in the future I’ll fall prey to the ravages of real life (and have already in some cases) and the site will cease to be updated with new content.
But I can guarantee you this folks: As long as it’s within my power, the site isn’t going anywhere. And I have a few things to do before I hang it up for good. We’ve been going strong for over eight years and too much work and sweat and effort and cash has gone into this site for me to just shut it down and walk away.
I’m proud of what I’ve created, because I feel like it’s unique and special and not something you can see just anywhere, and to let it die off like some sites have would be a disservice not only to the community but to what the site stands for and the people who have worked hard to make it what it is.
So! We’ve still got some gas in the tank, still have a few destinations to hit before we wrap up this crazy wild trip, and I can keep going for a few hundred more miles at least (course’ every now and then I might need to pull off at a rest stop and take a break), hopefully you folks will sit tight and see where we take you.
I promise you it will be worth it.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ep 10 Book 3 is DONE!
Finished! Completed!
However, not quite ready to post yet.
Still working on the artwork for this installment, but start to finish, Episode Ten (all 3 books) has weighed in at a whopping 547 pages.
WOWZER!!
I'm really happy with it as well, and I think this fiction really was a breakout for me..in terms of plotting, pacing and overall craft I think I really made some strides in it's creation.
I still have a lot to learn in regards to writing, but I'm also of the mind you never really quit learning in life, so I'm comfortable with that. I learned a lot while writing this fiction and in the eighteen months since I began. One of the most important things I learned is that when you hit a wall and the words just aren't coming to you- forge ahead. Get past the writers block and keep moving. Sitting around and trying to figure out how to overcome it doesn't work, you've got to put your nose down and stay focused and keep writing, because ultimately you will always come back to rewrite what you don't like anyways. What you first put down on paper (or screen) is seldom the end result...merely a foundation that gets reworked until you are happy with it.
So! Hopefully you fans out there will be seeing this new fiction posted by the time my summer vacation comes around at the end of the month and I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it and more importantly enjoyed advancing the adventures of our Big Damn Heroes.
For those who have already asked me, yes, I have every intention of compiling Episode 10 into one physical paperback novel you can hold in your grubby little hands. I'll post when I have more info on the cost and whatnot and you can feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the deets.
However, not quite ready to post yet.
Still working on the artwork for this installment, but start to finish, Episode Ten (all 3 books) has weighed in at a whopping 547 pages.
WOWZER!!
I'm really happy with it as well, and I think this fiction really was a breakout for me..in terms of plotting, pacing and overall craft I think I really made some strides in it's creation.
I still have a lot to learn in regards to writing, but I'm also of the mind you never really quit learning in life, so I'm comfortable with that. I learned a lot while writing this fiction and in the eighteen months since I began. One of the most important things I learned is that when you hit a wall and the words just aren't coming to you- forge ahead. Get past the writers block and keep moving. Sitting around and trying to figure out how to overcome it doesn't work, you've got to put your nose down and stay focused and keep writing, because ultimately you will always come back to rewrite what you don't like anyways. What you first put down on paper (or screen) is seldom the end result...merely a foundation that gets reworked until you are happy with it.
So! Hopefully you fans out there will be seeing this new fiction posted by the time my summer vacation comes around at the end of the month and I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it and more importantly enjoyed advancing the adventures of our Big Damn Heroes.
For those who have already asked me, yes, I have every intention of compiling Episode 10 into one physical paperback novel you can hold in your grubby little hands. I'll post when I have more info on the cost and whatnot and you can feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the deets.
Monday, June 22, 2009
No Time For Love Dr. Jones
Simply put, I just don’t have enough time anymore.
This realization didn’t come on out of the blue of course, but gradually, day by day, I'm realizing I just don't have the time I used to to invest in the things I love and enjoy.
Without getting super personal, I've had to reallocate some of my free time lately (not much, but some) to my family situation. In addition, I've rededicated myself to getting physically fit, so you can yank at least another 7-8 hours a week out from my free time pool. I'm still almost single handedly creating artwork for the fiction I'm writing for the Raptor Squad site, which, if I'm lucky takes 1-2 hours a day (if I'm lucky) away from me. Oh and of course there is the new feature I rolled out in April on the RS site, "Bounty Hunter of the Month" which I can't really fold up for at least another nine months because, well, that would just be lame.
And I also happen to be running a monthly game of D6 Fantasy for my gaming group that takes a while to prep for and create.
And of course there is this pesky job that I have to attend for at least eight hours a day to keep me in Cheetos and video games.
So what is the end result?
Not enough time, unfortunately.
Short of winning the lottery I really don’t know what I can do, other than scale some things back, which I hate doing. Partly this is because I (sometimes, ok, oftentimes) set unrealistic expectations for myself, but the fact is that I can't keep up this pace any more, despite how much I would like to.
So, solution?
Well, I can’t quit my job (yet), I won’t shortchange my family (where else would I spend Christmas?) and I love creating artwork and fiction too much to give that up. As far as longevity goes, I won’t/can't give up working out as it relieves stress (which I deperately need some days) and gives me more energy and as we all know more energy=more productivity.
So...my monthly game.
Yeah, I think I might have to scale that back some. I've been Gm'ing almost full time in some capacity for almost four years and I might have to start taking a break here and there and letting some of my players handle the heavy lifting for a while. Not forever, as I love Gm'ing too much- but maybe seeing if one of them would like to take a spin behind the GM screen every other month or so. Plus I think it owuld be good for them to see exactly what goes into creating a game and what it's like.
Plus it would be nice to sit on the other side of the screen and just be a player every now and then- a luxury not often afforded.
This won’t free up a ton of time, but it will take a load off of me for a while and allow me to get caught up and recharge my batteries a bit. Hopefully that will be enough to allow me to realign my schedule and streamline my life a little better so I can get everything accomplished I need to in the time allowed.
Ugh, this was a lot easier when I was a teenager and had nothing going on and more than enough free time.
Anyway, we'll see what happens.
This realization didn’t come on out of the blue of course, but gradually, day by day, I'm realizing I just don't have the time I used to to invest in the things I love and enjoy.
Without getting super personal, I've had to reallocate some of my free time lately (not much, but some) to my family situation. In addition, I've rededicated myself to getting physically fit, so you can yank at least another 7-8 hours a week out from my free time pool. I'm still almost single handedly creating artwork for the fiction I'm writing for the Raptor Squad site, which, if I'm lucky takes 1-2 hours a day (if I'm lucky) away from me. Oh and of course there is the new feature I rolled out in April on the RS site, "Bounty Hunter of the Month" which I can't really fold up for at least another nine months because, well, that would just be lame.
And I also happen to be running a monthly game of D6 Fantasy for my gaming group that takes a while to prep for and create.
And of course there is this pesky job that I have to attend for at least eight hours a day to keep me in Cheetos and video games.
So what is the end result?
Not enough time, unfortunately.
Short of winning the lottery I really don’t know what I can do, other than scale some things back, which I hate doing. Partly this is because I (sometimes, ok, oftentimes) set unrealistic expectations for myself, but the fact is that I can't keep up this pace any more, despite how much I would like to.
So, solution?
Well, I can’t quit my job (yet), I won’t shortchange my family (where else would I spend Christmas?) and I love creating artwork and fiction too much to give that up. As far as longevity goes, I won’t/can't give up working out as it relieves stress (which I deperately need some days) and gives me more energy and as we all know more energy=more productivity.
So...my monthly game.
Yeah, I think I might have to scale that back some. I've been Gm'ing almost full time in some capacity for almost four years and I might have to start taking a break here and there and letting some of my players handle the heavy lifting for a while. Not forever, as I love Gm'ing too much- but maybe seeing if one of them would like to take a spin behind the GM screen every other month or so. Plus I think it owuld be good for them to see exactly what goes into creating a game and what it's like.
Plus it would be nice to sit on the other side of the screen and just be a player every now and then- a luxury not often afforded.
This won’t free up a ton of time, but it will take a load off of me for a while and allow me to get caught up and recharge my batteries a bit. Hopefully that will be enough to allow me to realign my schedule and streamline my life a little better so I can get everything accomplished I need to in the time allowed.
Ugh, this was a lot easier when I was a teenager and had nothing going on and more than enough free time.
Anyway, we'll see what happens.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Not just another Pretty Face!!!
Just updated the RS site and added this months "Bounty Hunter of the Month!"
She is a hunter named Velena and she's got more in her arsenal thatn just a blaster! So head on over and check her out!
Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
She is a hunter named Velena and she's got more in her arsenal thatn just a blaster! So head on over and check her out!
Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Damn Rust Monsters!!!
You know, there has been a lot of hubbub lately on other RPG related blogs about “old school” vs “new school” gaming and which is best and why. Truth be told, I don’t really have a dog in the fight so I could care less. See, fact is that while I tried to get into playing D&D in about ’81, I was never really successful until about 84-85, and even then the amount of gaming I did was sporadic at best. My fellow gamers had parents who were very religious, so most gaming was done below boards and as there was no real consistency among our group or experience levels most games fell flat and died before they ever had a chance to start.
Fast forward to 1992 and I dabbled in a few hack n’ slash games with some friends, but as we were more interested in the ladies and our newfound freedom at this point, again, the games were scattered and half-assed at best. Then, between 1992 and 1999 I dropped out of gaming entirely.
Without rehashing a lot of old and boring history, that time was filled with various failed relationships and a failed marriage (which was doomed from the start, so shed no tears for me Argentina!) and included me moving out of town and away from any potential gaming buddies for about three years. So, in 1999 I moved back to my hometown, single and with a lot of free time and found that my friends were still gaming and tossing some dice. So it was in March 1999 I found myself learning and loving WEG’s D6 system, and for the next seven years was content to exclusively play the Star Wars RPG.
So, after that campaign ended, I found myself faced with a dilemma: Keep playing Star Wars or branch out into something new. My gamer wife and her sister played D&D back when they were kids, so there was already two players who were interested in branching out into a fantasy setting- throw in another player and all of a sudden I had a group willing to try something new. Needless to say, I was thrilled that D6 had thrown their hat into the fantasy ring with D6 Fantasy and before I knew it I was running my players through a good old sword and sorcery campaign.
Now, let’s clarify something right here. As much as I love roleplaying, I’ve never been an RPG fiend like some folks. I’ve had friends who had all of the RIFTs and D&D books, but, save for a handful of sourcebooks I got for my birthday that wound up being stolen a few days later by a so-called “friend” I never possessed much more than the core ruleset (and the “friend” got his karmic payback when he was busted a while back and sent to prison for bringing illegal reptiles through an airport- trust story).
So where does all of this lead us and how does it relate to Rust Monsters?
I guess it comes down to the fact that while I’ve been playing/Gm’ing games for the last decade, I’m not what you would call a gaming connoisseur. I don’t have the AD&D rules memorized, nor do I have every result on the potion miscibility table in the original DM’s guide memorized. I’d never mapped out a “Dungeon of Doom” before a year ago and you know what?
It’s great.
Really. Think about it, all of you old school (and new school) guys. Think about what it would feel like if you opened those books for the first time, un-jaded by all that you’ve seen and done already and lost yourself in the magic and wonderment that you first felt back when you were a kid.
Cause that’s what I’m experiencing right now baby!
So you can understand my surprise and amazement when my group came across a trio of Rust Monsters this past Saturday while making their way through a city’s underworld.
See, Rust Monsters (as most, if not all) of you know, are bad.
But what’s worse?
A Dwarven Monster Slayer who is easily goaded into rash actions by the GM.
Heh.
Yeah, just a few thinly veiled cracks about his honor and bravery and about how a real Dwarven badass would go in and “take care of bidness” and *poof*.
One regular Battle Axe: Gone.
One Magical Warhammer: Gone.
One suit of Magical Chainmail: Gone.
The end result of seeing what these little bastiches can do and those adventurers- the same who took down a Red Dragon and survivors of countless battles with Trolls, necromancers and all other manner of badass- ran.
Fast.
It was crazy, wild and completely unexpected and the players were as stunned as I was.
In just 2-3 combat rounds the dwarf was almost naked and weaponless and another PC had lost a nice suit of half-plate armor. But what was damaged more than their gear was their morale. And due to the terrible draws made from the “Deck O’ Many Things” last game session, this last encounter literally stripped the group down to a bare-bones magical inventory that is almost laughable compared to what they were toting around at the beginning of the year (so many items they actually lost track of what they had).
And as the group ran wildly to get away through the dark tunnels beneath the Imperial City, their valuable items reduced to a bedtime snack, a piece of advice regarding magical items and powerful PC’s passed on to me by Uncle Angus, an old-school GM just a week before rang through my mind:
“Sometimes, you just have to do some pruning.”
Indeed Uncle Angus. Indeed you do.
Fast forward to 1992 and I dabbled in a few hack n’ slash games with some friends, but as we were more interested in the ladies and our newfound freedom at this point, again, the games were scattered and half-assed at best. Then, between 1992 and 1999 I dropped out of gaming entirely.
Without rehashing a lot of old and boring history, that time was filled with various failed relationships and a failed marriage (which was doomed from the start, so shed no tears for me Argentina!) and included me moving out of town and away from any potential gaming buddies for about three years. So, in 1999 I moved back to my hometown, single and with a lot of free time and found that my friends were still gaming and tossing some dice. So it was in March 1999 I found myself learning and loving WEG’s D6 system, and for the next seven years was content to exclusively play the Star Wars RPG.
So, after that campaign ended, I found myself faced with a dilemma: Keep playing Star Wars or branch out into something new. My gamer wife and her sister played D&D back when they were kids, so there was already two players who were interested in branching out into a fantasy setting- throw in another player and all of a sudden I had a group willing to try something new. Needless to say, I was thrilled that D6 had thrown their hat into the fantasy ring with D6 Fantasy and before I knew it I was running my players through a good old sword and sorcery campaign.
Now, let’s clarify something right here. As much as I love roleplaying, I’ve never been an RPG fiend like some folks. I’ve had friends who had all of the RIFTs and D&D books, but, save for a handful of sourcebooks I got for my birthday that wound up being stolen a few days later by a so-called “friend” I never possessed much more than the core ruleset (and the “friend” got his karmic payback when he was busted a while back and sent to prison for bringing illegal reptiles through an airport- trust story).
So where does all of this lead us and how does it relate to Rust Monsters?
I guess it comes down to the fact that while I’ve been playing/Gm’ing games for the last decade, I’m not what you would call a gaming connoisseur. I don’t have the AD&D rules memorized, nor do I have every result on the potion miscibility table in the original DM’s guide memorized. I’d never mapped out a “Dungeon of Doom” before a year ago and you know what?
It’s great.
Really. Think about it, all of you old school (and new school) guys. Think about what it would feel like if you opened those books for the first time, un-jaded by all that you’ve seen and done already and lost yourself in the magic and wonderment that you first felt back when you were a kid.
Cause that’s what I’m experiencing right now baby!
So you can understand my surprise and amazement when my group came across a trio of Rust Monsters this past Saturday while making their way through a city’s underworld.
See, Rust Monsters (as most, if not all) of you know, are bad.
But what’s worse?
A Dwarven Monster Slayer who is easily goaded into rash actions by the GM.
Heh.
Yeah, just a few thinly veiled cracks about his honor and bravery and about how a real Dwarven badass would go in and “take care of bidness” and *poof*.
One regular Battle Axe: Gone.
One Magical Warhammer: Gone.
One suit of Magical Chainmail: Gone.
The end result of seeing what these little bastiches can do and those adventurers- the same who took down a Red Dragon and survivors of countless battles with Trolls, necromancers and all other manner of badass- ran.
Fast.
It was crazy, wild and completely unexpected and the players were as stunned as I was.
In just 2-3 combat rounds the dwarf was almost naked and weaponless and another PC had lost a nice suit of half-plate armor. But what was damaged more than their gear was their morale. And due to the terrible draws made from the “Deck O’ Many Things” last game session, this last encounter literally stripped the group down to a bare-bones magical inventory that is almost laughable compared to what they were toting around at the beginning of the year (so many items they actually lost track of what they had).
And as the group ran wildly to get away through the dark tunnels beneath the Imperial City, their valuable items reduced to a bedtime snack, a piece of advice regarding magical items and powerful PC’s passed on to me by Uncle Angus, an old-school GM just a week before rang through my mind:
“Sometimes, you just have to do some pruning.”
Indeed Uncle Angus. Indeed you do.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hitting the Motherlode!
I just wanted to send a big shout-out to my wife’s Uncle Angus (and yes, everyone should have an Uncle Angus) who saw fit to bestow upon me a great treasure for a GM running a fantasy game- about two decades worth of TSR's Dragon and Dungeon magazines!
Yeah!
For books over twenty years old these are in great condition! And these magazines are great, outside of the obvious new material and adventure ideas and stuff, it’s a trip down nostalgia lane looking at the old advertisements for other games, like James Bond and Paranoia and of course WEG’s Star Wars.
So again,a big thanks to Uncle Angus for his unparalleled generosity!
Now I just need to buy another big bookshelf to hold all of these!!!
Yeah!
For books over twenty years old these are in great condition! And these magazines are great, outside of the obvious new material and adventure ideas and stuff, it’s a trip down nostalgia lane looking at the old advertisements for other games, like James Bond and Paranoia and of course WEG’s Star Wars.
So again,a big thanks to Uncle Angus for his unparalleled generosity!
Now I just need to buy another big bookshelf to hold all of these!!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
May's Bounty Hunter of the Month!
Heya Folks!
We're back with a new Bounty Hunter of the Month! A special thanks goes out to Elfgirl who did a great job creating this months Bounty Hunter from top to bottom! This month's offering is Sleek Sanjo, a tough as nails street Cathar from the underbelly of Coruscant! But Sleek's not just out for herself. she's doing it for the kids! Check out her full bio and stats along with her colorful accessories by heading over to www.raptorsquad.net
Enjoy! We'll see you next month with a new hunter and as always, we would love to hear your feedback!
We're back with a new Bounty Hunter of the Month! A special thanks goes out to Elfgirl who did a great job creating this months Bounty Hunter from top to bottom! This month's offering is Sleek Sanjo, a tough as nails street Cathar from the underbelly of Coruscant! But Sleek's not just out for herself. she's doing it for the kids! Check out her full bio and stats along with her colorful accessories by heading over to www.raptorsquad.net
Enjoy! We'll see you next month with a new hunter and as always, we would love to hear your feedback!
Friday, May 8, 2009
State O' De Site Update
Still moving on several things over at RaptorSquad.net!!!
I'll be rolling out the next Bounty Hunter of the Month in about a week, so look forward to that. I've got some new profile pics I'm working on, as well as re-working some older pics to bring them into line with the new format.
On the non-artwork related front, I'm about halfway through polishing up Episode 10: Book 3. It's coming along really well and is going to wrap the three-part episode up nicely, while still leaving some cliffhangers and intrigue out there for future fiction. I'm hoping to have it posted by June or July at the latest.
Add in to all of that new starships,personalities, and your usual RS goodness and you've got something to look forward to in the coming months!
Any comments or suggestions, please post them here or e-mail me. We love to hear from the folks who visit our site!
Thanks for your support!
I'll be rolling out the next Bounty Hunter of the Month in about a week, so look forward to that. I've got some new profile pics I'm working on, as well as re-working some older pics to bring them into line with the new format.
On the non-artwork related front, I'm about halfway through polishing up Episode 10: Book 3. It's coming along really well and is going to wrap the three-part episode up nicely, while still leaving some cliffhangers and intrigue out there for future fiction. I'm hoping to have it posted by June or July at the latest.
Add in to all of that new starships,personalities, and your usual RS goodness and you've got something to look forward to in the coming months!
Any comments or suggestions, please post them here or e-mail me. We love to hear from the folks who visit our site!
Thanks for your support!
Friday, May 1, 2009
To Boldy Go...Looking for Trim
This week’s Newsweek magazine’s cover screams “To Boldy Go…how Star Trek taught us to Dream Big”.
Now, I’m not a Star Trek hater, so all of you fanboys out there about to get your panties in a bunch and fire off angry responses can simmer on down and take a deep hit off that inhaler (yeah, that was a cheap shot, but it’s my blog so sue me- and save your venom). Point is, I don’t mind ‘Trek…I used to like some DS9, and the original series is good for some laughs, and TNG was pretty decent, hell, I even caught some Voyager (but let’s be honest, that was more for Jeri Ryan than anything else.)
Anyway, the point of all this is that for years, hell, decades, we’ve been hearing from scientists and physicists and all other kinds of “ists” about how Star Trek pushed them to enter the field of space exploration and all that.
Now, I’m not disputing that for a second, I think Star Trek did push these folks into the profession (and good for them!) but I think their reasons ( or the reasons of some) may be a bit too altruistic for my tastes.
Considering that science fiction and space travel stories predate Star Trek by more than a century, that these people would all of a sudden point to Star Trek as their main source of inspiration seems a bit laughable.
But, I have a different proposal.
There is one thing that Star Trek had when it debuted that no other previous sci-fi novel or black and white movie serial had before then: It had sexy.
That’s right, Star Trek had sexy. I mean, come on, what did Kirk really do? He kicked all kinds of ass and got laid by alien chicks- a lot. Sure, they threw in some sociological crap here and there about the condition of man, segregation and all of that noise, but let’s be honest, you think these guys that tuned in when they were pre-pubescent teens were tuning in for tips on how to be a better human being or for those short-short skirts Uhura wore?
Yeah, you’re damn skippy. They tuned in to see those legs brother.
And that’s cool! I wouldn’t expect any less from red-blooded American teenagers. I mean, until then they had to go all the way to the theaters, drop hard earned coin on black and white serials just to see some action, and even then the quality of the ladies was marginal at best (And let's be honest, just look at some of these guys and tell me if you think they were scoring all kinds of action when in high school.)
But now? Woah brother! This was in color, and right in their living rooms! Right there! Kirk banging some green chick! Hell yeah! And I bet you could hear the cry across America the first time these brainy, geeky teenagers tuned in:
I’ve got to get me some of that!
So they did. They used those big brains and good grades and got into college and pursued the dream of making it into space so they could kick/get ass like Kirk did, and if they had to stare at Uhura’s short skirt and backside every shift, well that was okay too.
So, next time you tune in to some show on Discovery Channel or whatever and this scientist begins to go on about how Star Trek and it’s deep sociological ideals and concepts caused him to study and enter the field of aeronautics or whatever, put that sucker on pause, take a good, looong look at the screen and imagine this guy as a kid back in 1966, glued on the tv screen to check out the hot green alien slut parading around in next to nothing. Yeah, he might be running a line of bullsh*t on us now, but the real reason he got interested is because of the possibility to boldly go where no man has gone before- right up some alien skirt.
And now there is a new Star Trek movie on the horizon, and the producers aren’t fools. They’ve followed the same formula the moviemakers of the X-Men films and Spider-Man flicks and Batman franchise….oh the list goes on.
Bring the sexy, and the closet geeks out there who are too “cool” for the comic books will show up in droves. Why? Because you’re bringing the sexy. Sexy actors, actresses, top notch eye candy for the masses to sink their teeth into because, “if Actor X is cool enough and hot enough to be in the movie, then it’s cool if I go see it”, and that’s the greenlight for all of the superficial asshats out there to flock to the theaters to check it out. Oh, but they aren’t geeks, no, no way. They don’t read comics, but they will shell out fifty bucks to see Chris Pine shake his ass a few times.
But I digress, and that’s a whole other blog topic.
Anyway, the lesson to this theory is that Star Trek brought the sexy to TV, and that’s the reason a majority of folks got interested in the space program and decided to pursue their dreams- but those dreams weren’t of space exploration folks, oh no, it was of getting laid. Plain and simple.. And personally I say Thank God for it. I got no problem with our space program being driven by raging hormones.
No problem at all.
Now, I’m not a Star Trek hater, so all of you fanboys out there about to get your panties in a bunch and fire off angry responses can simmer on down and take a deep hit off that inhaler (yeah, that was a cheap shot, but it’s my blog so sue me- and save your venom). Point is, I don’t mind ‘Trek…I used to like some DS9, and the original series is good for some laughs, and TNG was pretty decent, hell, I even caught some Voyager (but let’s be honest, that was more for Jeri Ryan than anything else.)
Anyway, the point of all this is that for years, hell, decades, we’ve been hearing from scientists and physicists and all other kinds of “ists” about how Star Trek pushed them to enter the field of space exploration and all that.
Now, I’m not disputing that for a second, I think Star Trek did push these folks into the profession (and good for them!) but I think their reasons ( or the reasons of some) may be a bit too altruistic for my tastes.
Considering that science fiction and space travel stories predate Star Trek by more than a century, that these people would all of a sudden point to Star Trek as their main source of inspiration seems a bit laughable.
But, I have a different proposal.
There is one thing that Star Trek had when it debuted that no other previous sci-fi novel or black and white movie serial had before then: It had sexy.
That’s right, Star Trek had sexy. I mean, come on, what did Kirk really do? He kicked all kinds of ass and got laid by alien chicks- a lot. Sure, they threw in some sociological crap here and there about the condition of man, segregation and all of that noise, but let’s be honest, you think these guys that tuned in when they were pre-pubescent teens were tuning in for tips on how to be a better human being or for those short-short skirts Uhura wore?
Yeah, you’re damn skippy. They tuned in to see those legs brother.
And that’s cool! I wouldn’t expect any less from red-blooded American teenagers. I mean, until then they had to go all the way to the theaters, drop hard earned coin on black and white serials just to see some action, and even then the quality of the ladies was marginal at best (And let's be honest, just look at some of these guys and tell me if you think they were scoring all kinds of action when in high school.)
But now? Woah brother! This was in color, and right in their living rooms! Right there! Kirk banging some green chick! Hell yeah! And I bet you could hear the cry across America the first time these brainy, geeky teenagers tuned in:
I’ve got to get me some of that!
So they did. They used those big brains and good grades and got into college and pursued the dream of making it into space so they could kick/get ass like Kirk did, and if they had to stare at Uhura’s short skirt and backside every shift, well that was okay too.
So, next time you tune in to some show on Discovery Channel or whatever and this scientist begins to go on about how Star Trek and it’s deep sociological ideals and concepts caused him to study and enter the field of aeronautics or whatever, put that sucker on pause, take a good, looong look at the screen and imagine this guy as a kid back in 1966, glued on the tv screen to check out the hot green alien slut parading around in next to nothing. Yeah, he might be running a line of bullsh*t on us now, but the real reason he got interested is because of the possibility to boldly go where no man has gone before- right up some alien skirt.
And now there is a new Star Trek movie on the horizon, and the producers aren’t fools. They’ve followed the same formula the moviemakers of the X-Men films and Spider-Man flicks and Batman franchise….oh the list goes on.
Bring the sexy, and the closet geeks out there who are too “cool” for the comic books will show up in droves. Why? Because you’re bringing the sexy. Sexy actors, actresses, top notch eye candy for the masses to sink their teeth into because, “if Actor X is cool enough and hot enough to be in the movie, then it’s cool if I go see it”, and that’s the greenlight for all of the superficial asshats out there to flock to the theaters to check it out. Oh, but they aren’t geeks, no, no way. They don’t read comics, but they will shell out fifty bucks to see Chris Pine shake his ass a few times.
But I digress, and that’s a whole other blog topic.
Anyway, the lesson to this theory is that Star Trek brought the sexy to TV, and that’s the reason a majority of folks got interested in the space program and decided to pursue their dreams- but those dreams weren’t of space exploration folks, oh no, it was of getting laid. Plain and simple.. And personally I say Thank God for it. I got no problem with our space program being driven by raging hormones.
No problem at all.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
D6 Goodness!
I've recently become a moderator over at The WEG D6 Fan Forums:
WEG D6 Fan Forums
It's a great community and full of really solid folks. Great conversation and interesting discussions abound, so if you have any interest in D6 RPG's at all, it's definitely worth a look!
WEG D6 Fan Forums
It's a great community and full of really solid folks. Great conversation and interesting discussions abound, so if you have any interest in D6 RPG's at all, it's definitely worth a look!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Raptor Squad Update!
The Raptor Squad site has been updated with a brand new feature!
Enjoy!
WWW.Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!
WWW.Raptorsquad.Net
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Deck o' Many Buttkickings
Yeah, lots of folks don't like this item in D&D but I found the concept intriguing. And he, why not use it, right?
Well....
In my last game of D6 Fantasy, after my players defeated the baddie and saved the day, he granted them draws from the deck. And, because he's an evil bastard, re-draws.
Ouch.
The deck was modified to fit into the D6 system by me, So, here is the major draws my players drew from the deck:
First:
The Bard drew the IDIOT card.
This Reduced his KNW Attribute by 1d Permanently. It also allowed him the option to draw again, which he did.
The Bard re-drew and drew the JESTER Card.
This card gave him the choice of 100 cp's or two more draws from the deck. He chose the 100'cp.s
Second:
The Ranger drew the DONJON card.
This card immediately signifies Imprisonment. Either by the Imprisonment spell or physical imprisonment. All gear and items are stripped from the PC. This means that he is imprisoned somewhere and his stuff has been taken from him (but he could still get it back).
He disappeared from the game for now.
Third:
The Dwarf drew the STAR card.
Immediately gained 1D to any attribute score.
Fourth:
The Mage drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
Fifth:
The Cleric drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
NEXT
The Baddie offered more draws for anyone who wished to take them (Eeeeeeeeviillllllll!)
Sixth:
The Bard re-drew and drew the VOID card.
This black card spells instant disaster. The character�s body continues to function, as though comatose, but her psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere�in an object on a far plane or planet, possibly in the possession of an outsider. A wish or a miracle does not bring the character back, instead merely revealing the plane of entrapment. Draw no more cards. ***
More on this below.
Seventh & Eighth:
The Dwarf re-drew and drew the GEMS card.
The character must change to a radically different alignment. If the character fails to act according to the new alignment, they lose 2d off all skills. The Dwarf chose to loose the 2d off ALL skills.
Ninth:
The Cleric re-drew and drew the FOOL card.
Loose 3D from all of your skills and you MUST draw again.
Yeah, again, ouch.
There were a few decent draws in there, but overall this group appears to have the absolute worst luck, well, ever.
One of the things I do like is how the deck can change the course of a game. Before, my players had a few things on their plate, but now? Now they not only have to find and rescue their Ranger from a prison they have no idea the location of, they then have to track down and find out what happened to the soul of their Bard.
Yeah, it kind of shook things up a little- which I like. It makes things interesting and in addition now gives my players a definite path and goal, so while it bites that they drew some of the worst possible cards, it's great becuase it instantly created several adventures for me.
So, has anyone else used this? Do you like it? Dislike it? Did it result in any wild or unpredictable things happening?
Oh, and for those interested, I used the following deck:
http://www.greenronin.com/store/product/grr3004.html
Well....
In my last game of D6 Fantasy, after my players defeated the baddie and saved the day, he granted them draws from the deck. And, because he's an evil bastard, re-draws.
Ouch.
The deck was modified to fit into the D6 system by me, So, here is the major draws my players drew from the deck:
First:
The Bard drew the IDIOT card.
This Reduced his KNW Attribute by 1d Permanently. It also allowed him the option to draw again, which he did.
The Bard re-drew and drew the JESTER Card.
This card gave him the choice of 100 cp's or two more draws from the deck. He chose the 100'cp.s
Second:
The Ranger drew the DONJON card.
This card immediately signifies Imprisonment. Either by the Imprisonment spell or physical imprisonment. All gear and items are stripped from the PC. This means that he is imprisoned somewhere and his stuff has been taken from him (but he could still get it back).
He disappeared from the game for now.
Third:
The Dwarf drew the STAR card.
Immediately gained 1D to any attribute score.
Fourth:
The Mage drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
Fifth:
The Cleric drew the TALONS card.
When this card is drawn, every magic item owned or possessed by the character is instantly and irrevocably gone.
NEXT
The Baddie offered more draws for anyone who wished to take them (Eeeeeeeeviillllllll!)
Sixth:
The Bard re-drew and drew the VOID card.
This black card spells instant disaster. The character�s body continues to function, as though comatose, but her psyche is trapped in a prison somewhere�in an object on a far plane or planet, possibly in the possession of an outsider. A wish or a miracle does not bring the character back, instead merely revealing the plane of entrapment. Draw no more cards. ***
Seventh & Eighth:
The Dwarf re-drew and drew the GEMS card.
The character must change to a radically different alignment. If the character fails to act according to the new alignment, they lose 2d off all skills. The Dwarf chose to loose the 2d off ALL skills.
Ninth:
The Cleric re-drew and drew the FOOL card.
Loose 3D from all of your skills and you MUST draw again.
Yeah, again, ouch.
There were a few decent draws in there, but overall this group appears to have the absolute worst luck, well, ever.
One of the things I do like is how the deck can change the course of a game. Before, my players had a few things on their plate, but now? Now they not only have to find and rescue their Ranger from a prison they have no idea the location of, they then have to track down and find out what happened to the soul of their Bard.
Yeah, it kind of shook things up a little- which I like. It makes things interesting and in addition now gives my players a definite path and goal, so while it bites that they drew some of the worst possible cards, it's great becuase it instantly created several adventures for me.
So, has anyone else used this? Do you like it? Dislike it? Did it result in any wild or unpredictable things happening?
Oh, and for those interested, I used the following deck:
http://www.greenronin.com/store/product/grr3004.html
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cad Bane....Intergalactic Rip-Off
Yeah, so about this "new" bounty hunter Cad Bane appearing on Cartoon Network's Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series....
Thing is, I liked him a hell of a lot better the first time I saw him...back in 1986:
Yeah, see this guy in the image to the left? For you younglings, his name is Eddie, and he's the mascot for the heavy metal group Iron Maiden. Yeah....and that image? From 1986, you know, over TWENTY years ago?
So..checklist for both!
1. Brown Eddie-style fedora? Check.
2. Brown Eddie-style coat? Check
3. Gaunt face? Check!
4. Cybernetics? Check!
So...just to clarify...someone with George's cash backing them can't do any better than to come up with a rip-off of a heavy metal icon that showed up over two decades ago?
How proud. Nice "character design" guys! Really earning that paycheck from Lucasfilm, huh? What are we going to see next? Four bounty hunters dressed up in black leather and spikes with white and black make-up and themes like "Starchild", "The Demon" "Cat Man" and "Space Ace"?
I really look forward to it. Nice work.
And yeah, I know people are going to throw Eastwoods name into the mix, but the only thing robotic about Clint's "Man With No Name" was his acting (which I liked).
Mah. This is why I create my own Star Wars universe and leave the crap to Hollywood.
Oh, and for the record? Eddie would eat Cad's lunch and send him home crying to mama. Count on it sideways Fanboys.
Thing is, I liked him a hell of a lot better the first time I saw him...back in 1986:
Yeah, see this guy in the image to the left? For you younglings, his name is Eddie, and he's the mascot for the heavy metal group Iron Maiden. Yeah....and that image? From 1986, you know, over TWENTY years ago?
So..checklist for both!
1. Brown Eddie-style fedora? Check.
2. Brown Eddie-style coat? Check
3. Gaunt face? Check!
4. Cybernetics? Check!
So...just to clarify...someone with George's cash backing them can't do any better than to come up with a rip-off of a heavy metal icon that showed up over two decades ago?
How proud. Nice "character design" guys! Really earning that paycheck from Lucasfilm, huh? What are we going to see next? Four bounty hunters dressed up in black leather and spikes with white and black make-up and themes like "Starchild", "The Demon" "Cat Man" and "Space Ace"?
I really look forward to it. Nice work.
And yeah, I know people are going to throw Eastwoods name into the mix, but the only thing robotic about Clint's "Man With No Name" was his acting (which I liked).
Mah. This is why I create my own Star Wars universe and leave the crap to Hollywood.
Oh, and for the record? Eddie would eat Cad's lunch and send him home crying to mama. Count on it sideways Fanboys.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Happy Anniversary to US!
My wife, Elfgirl, has just created a fantastic anniversary gift for the Raptor Squad site!
It is now gracing the front page, and I couldn't be happier with it!
Thanks honey!
You can see it by heading over to:
www.Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
It is now gracing the front page, and I couldn't be happier with it!
Thanks honey!
You can see it by heading over to:
www.Raptorsquad.Net
Enjoy!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Ten Years Man...TEN.....YEARS!
Woah!
I almost forgot! My old age must be creeping up on me!
This month marks my tenth year straight of gaming!
Long history short...I came to my senses back in 1999 and got divorced. Living in Cincinnati, I had no real family or friends, so smart money was on moving back home to the Louisville area where I was originally from.
I did so, and upon my return, a good friend of mine, "Scout" asked if I wanted to run a game his brother "Linny" was running. At first I didn't have much interest...a lot was going on...I almost even skipped the first Saturday morning session we had planned after I worked late the night before.
But I showed up and it literally changed my life forever.
I met new friends (both online and off), it gave my future wife and I something to talk about (and she eventually joined the group after I decided I was going to keep her around for a bit) and a lot of pluses and minuses came out of it.
But I don't dwell on the bad stuff, Life is too short- I focus on the pluses.
So! Here I am, ten years later and I can honestly say it's been one hell of a ride and I got an E Ticket that I don't plan on turning in any time soon. I still got plenty of years of gaming left in these bones and there are still lots of stories to tell over at www.RaptorSquad.Net
But I do want to say this, to my friend "Scout", "Linny" my old GM, and the other fellas that allowed me to sit down at that table on that cool March morning way back in 1999 and bring a PC named "Vic Palisades" to life:
Thank you. It opened up a whole world for me and despite anything else that has happened between all of us, I appreciate what you did and what you allowed me to participate in.
That's it folks! I've got work to do on the site so I better get back to it.
Here's to another ten years!!!
I almost forgot! My old age must be creeping up on me!
This month marks my tenth year straight of gaming!
Long history short...I came to my senses back in 1999 and got divorced. Living in Cincinnati, I had no real family or friends, so smart money was on moving back home to the Louisville area where I was originally from.
I did so, and upon my return, a good friend of mine, "Scout" asked if I wanted to run a game his brother "Linny" was running. At first I didn't have much interest...a lot was going on...I almost even skipped the first Saturday morning session we had planned after I worked late the night before.
But I showed up and it literally changed my life forever.
I met new friends (both online and off), it gave my future wife and I something to talk about (and she eventually joined the group after I decided I was going to keep her around for a bit) and a lot of pluses and minuses came out of it.
But I don't dwell on the bad stuff, Life is too short- I focus on the pluses.
So! Here I am, ten years later and I can honestly say it's been one hell of a ride and I got an E Ticket that I don't plan on turning in any time soon. I still got plenty of years of gaming left in these bones and there are still lots of stories to tell over at www.RaptorSquad.Net
But I do want to say this, to my friend "Scout", "Linny" my old GM, and the other fellas that allowed me to sit down at that table on that cool March morning way back in 1999 and bring a PC named "Vic Palisades" to life:
Thank you. It opened up a whole world for me and despite anything else that has happened between all of us, I appreciate what you did and what you allowed me to participate in.
That's it folks! I've got work to do on the site so I better get back to it.
Here's to another ten years!!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Getting My Groove (back) On!
It's back babies!
It leaves for a few months, then comes back in force!
Keep your eyes on the Raptor Squad site for more new stuff, or keep em locked here for updates!
It leaves for a few months, then comes back in force!
Keep your eyes on the Raptor Squad site for more new stuff, or keep em locked here for updates!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wow, EIGHT Years?
Wow, it’s already been eight years since RaptorSquad.Net has been up and running- that’s damn hard to believe. But true it is fiends! Anyway, this month we don’t have much Star Wars related to throw at you, but rest assured that new material is in the works. For now though, I’m going to be showcasing one of several other RPG projects I’ve worked on in the past with my gaming group.
At the bottom of the Raptor Squad page you will find a link to the OCW- Outlaw Championship Wrestling. This was a play-by-post wrestling game I ran back in 2007. My group and I had a lot of fun with it, though real life, other endeavors and simple time constraints ended it far before it’s time had come.
The game itself involved players running wrestlers, or stables of wrestlers. Matches were held every week, with the outcome determined by a point system assigned to wrestling holds the players would pick for each grappler. Wrestlers would win “money” based on their performance in the ring that they could redeem for various prizes or advantages. Every Monday night the matches were posted in a weekly write-up, detailing the results in a play-by-play format.
Anyway, some entertaining material was created and I thought it would be fun to unveil it to the world for everyone to see. So, if you are into “rasslin” it might be something you will want to check out.
Hope you enjoy and as always we love to hear your feedback!
At the bottom of the Raptor Squad page you will find a link to the OCW- Outlaw Championship Wrestling. This was a play-by-post wrestling game I ran back in 2007. My group and I had a lot of fun with it, though real life, other endeavors and simple time constraints ended it far before it’s time had come.
The game itself involved players running wrestlers, or stables of wrestlers. Matches were held every week, with the outcome determined by a point system assigned to wrestling holds the players would pick for each grappler. Wrestlers would win “money” based on their performance in the ring that they could redeem for various prizes or advantages. Every Monday night the matches were posted in a weekly write-up, detailing the results in a play-by-play format.
Anyway, some entertaining material was created and I thought it would be fun to unveil it to the world for everyone to see. So, if you are into “rasslin” it might be something you will want to check out.
Hope you enjoy and as always we love to hear your feedback!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
ONE YEAR!?!
I've been doing this blog for ONE YEAR?
SERIOUSLY!?!
Wow it really doesn't feel like it.
Of course there were times where I should have updated more, but in my defense 2008 was a particularly craptacular year.
Well, I have no regrets. So far 2009 is going in the right direction and I'm at a good place in my life and happy. Hopefully this will translate into more goodies for you folks soon.
Anyway, my thanks to all the folks who have commented and given me feedback!
SERIOUSLY!?!
Wow it really doesn't feel like it.
Of course there were times where I should have updated more, but in my defense 2008 was a particularly craptacular year.
Well, I have no regrets. So far 2009 is going in the right direction and I'm at a good place in my life and happy. Hopefully this will translate into more goodies for you folks soon.
Anyway, my thanks to all the folks who have commented and given me feedback!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A personal rant to Alan Moore- Shut the hell up
So, Alan Moore, the "tortured" artiste isn't going to watch the "Watchmen" film.
Big freaking deal.
The problem with Moore, and Frank Miller and all of these snapperhead comic book writers is this misplaced sense of self-worth that Hollywood and the Fanboy nation has instilled in them.
So when one of their "creations" gets picked up by Hollywood, driven downtown, bought dinner and then brutally raped senseless like most Hollywood projects do, they want to cry and whine like little spoiled bitches that their "precious works of art" didn't get translated how THEY would have liked or wanted.
Oh, but these sausage-chewing a-holes will be more than happy to take those nice fat checks from "The Big Evil Hollywood Machine" so they can blow their wad on crack or man-whores or ugly-ass suits.
Look, shut your hole, write your funnybooks, take the money offered and be glad there are enough Fanboys out there that find you at least moderately entertaining to keep your ass form having to go out and get a real job.
Cause I hate to break it to you, but your asses wouldn't last five minutes in the real world- and I don't care how many cigarettes you smoke and how much beer you drink down at "the pub". The second you start thinking you're as bad and hardcore as the protagonists you script in your graphic novels is the day you wake up with your ass in a sling.
Whew.
That felt better.
Sorry for the rage, but I'm tired of the pissing and moaning I hear from these idiots every time a new flick based on their marginally-entertaining funnybooks come out.
Big freaking deal.
The problem with Moore, and Frank Miller and all of these snapperhead comic book writers is this misplaced sense of self-worth that Hollywood and the Fanboy nation has instilled in them.
So when one of their "creations" gets picked up by Hollywood, driven downtown, bought dinner and then brutally raped senseless like most Hollywood projects do, they want to cry and whine like little spoiled bitches that their "precious works of art" didn't get translated how THEY would have liked or wanted.
Oh, but these sausage-chewing a-holes will be more than happy to take those nice fat checks from "The Big Evil Hollywood Machine" so they can blow their wad on crack or man-whores or ugly-ass suits.
Look, shut your hole, write your funnybooks, take the money offered and be glad there are enough Fanboys out there that find you at least moderately entertaining to keep your ass form having to go out and get a real job.
Cause I hate to break it to you, but your asses wouldn't last five minutes in the real world- and I don't care how many cigarettes you smoke and how much beer you drink down at "the pub". The second you start thinking you're as bad and hardcore as the protagonists you script in your graphic novels is the day you wake up with your ass in a sling.
Whew.
That felt better.
Sorry for the rage, but I'm tired of the pissing and moaning I hear from these idiots every time a new flick based on their marginally-entertaining funnybooks come out.
Revamp!
The blog is getting a revamp!
In addition to discussion about the Raptor Squad site and roleplaying in general, in teh near future we will be featuring guest blogs and covering topics such as film, tv, pop-culture and whatever else catches my fancy.
In addition to discussion about the Raptor Squad site and roleplaying in general, in teh near future we will be featuring guest blogs and covering topics such as film, tv, pop-culture and whatever else catches my fancy.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Getting Back to Form....
Well folks, just a quick update:
I'm back. Surgery went great and I'm slowly getting back to my old self (much to the dismay of the world at large).
Anywho, I've got a game coming up I'm getting ready for and after that hope to jump back into updating the Raptor Squad site and posting things here.
So! You know, keep your eyes open!
I'm back. Surgery went great and I'm slowly getting back to my old self (much to the dismay of the world at large).
Anywho, I've got a game coming up I'm getting ready for and after that hope to jump back into updating the Raptor Squad site and posting things here.
So! You know, keep your eyes open!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
When last we left our Hero (Me!!!)
...I was about to have surgery.
Nothing life threatening (as far as I know) but I wanted everyone who reads this to know why I've not been posting regularly as of late.
Hopefully that wil change in a week or so and I'll be back on a semi-regual schedule.
In addition, I'm getting the writing itch again...so you might see the last installment of Ep.10 coming down the pike soon.
Yay!
Anyway, feel free to send your well wishes my way and keep me in your thoughts as I go under the knife!
Nothing life threatening (as far as I know) but I wanted everyone who reads this to know why I've not been posting regularly as of late.
Hopefully that wil change in a week or so and I'll be back on a semi-regual schedule.
In addition, I'm getting the writing itch again...so you might see the last installment of Ep.10 coming down the pike soon.
Yay!
Anyway, feel free to send your well wishes my way and keep me in your thoughts as I go under the knife!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
When Last we left our Heroes....
…They had just settled down for a long nap as vampires….
So, we pick up…new year, new props…and FIRE!
Yeah, I had the tavern they were sleeping in set ablaze by a band of gypsies.
The first part of the adventure was frantic fun as I produced an Hourglass of DOOOOOOOOOM and told them they had till time ran out to make rolls to get out of the flaming tavern…it was hectic insane fun.
The rest of the adventure was great and we ran a marathon on Saturday…Fourteen hours straight of gaming.
Yeah, you read that right.
Fourteen.
Marathon!!!!
And it was a blast. The only downside was the craptacular pizza served up by Papa John’s. YOU SUCK PAPA JOHNS!
But I digress…
Some highlights was the group having to fight through a wave of suicidal Kobolds who were hopped up on crack (or Moon Sugar as the Fantasy case may be) who were throwing themselves at the group while grasping alchemical bombs…helping a barbarian Orc tribe who was dying due to their growing fields being polluted by a mage and the acquisition of a cleric for the group, though perhaps not exactly what they expected.
In all it was a lot of fun, and when I can get my players to laugh so hard they turn purple from lack of oxygen, well, there’s the sign of a solid game eh?
The high points? I’ll post the high points this week, but the props this time around had a lot to do with it.
So! Keep your eyes peeled for the good stuff!
So, we pick up…new year, new props…and FIRE!
Yeah, I had the tavern they were sleeping in set ablaze by a band of gypsies.
The first part of the adventure was frantic fun as I produced an Hourglass of DOOOOOOOOOM and told them they had till time ran out to make rolls to get out of the flaming tavern…it was hectic insane fun.
The rest of the adventure was great and we ran a marathon on Saturday…Fourteen hours straight of gaming.
Yeah, you read that right.
Fourteen.
Marathon!!!!
And it was a blast. The only downside was the craptacular pizza served up by Papa John’s. YOU SUCK PAPA JOHNS!
But I digress…
Some highlights was the group having to fight through a wave of suicidal Kobolds who were hopped up on crack (or Moon Sugar as the Fantasy case may be) who were throwing themselves at the group while grasping alchemical bombs…helping a barbarian Orc tribe who was dying due to their growing fields being polluted by a mage and the acquisition of a cleric for the group, though perhaps not exactly what they expected.
In all it was a lot of fun, and when I can get my players to laugh so hard they turn purple from lack of oxygen, well, there’s the sign of a solid game eh?
The high points? I’ll post the high points this week, but the props this time around had a lot to do with it.
So! Keep your eyes peeled for the good stuff!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Quick Update
Not much of an update I'm afraid, but I thought I would address my recent absence:
GAMING!
Or more specifically, I'm preparing my game for my group as we speak. It's our first campaign game since October (the holidays play hell with my gaming group) and it's going to be a marathon! I'm guessing it will weigh in around 10-12 hours.
And I got some great stuff planned.
No more info here I'm afraid, as my players visit this blog, but I'm hoping to have pics and info up afterwards, so keep your eyes peeled.
Something else I'm going to do that I've talked about int he past but have yet to follow through on is posting pics of my gaming props. See, I like to think I'm a creative guy, and I love using props in my game. There really isn't any substitute for being able to hold something in your hand that loses you in the game world.
So! Keep watching this space for some stuff soon!
GAMING!
Or more specifically, I'm preparing my game for my group as we speak. It's our first campaign game since October (the holidays play hell with my gaming group) and it's going to be a marathon! I'm guessing it will weigh in around 10-12 hours.
And I got some great stuff planned.
No more info here I'm afraid, as my players visit this blog, but I'm hoping to have pics and info up afterwards, so keep your eyes peeled.
Something else I'm going to do that I've talked about int he past but have yet to follow through on is posting pics of my gaming props. See, I like to think I'm a creative guy, and I love using props in my game. There really isn't any substitute for being able to hold something in your hand that loses you in the game world.
So! Keep watching this space for some stuff soon!
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