Monthly Archives: July 2015

RPGs

Types Of Jewelry Table

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A year or so ago, I did some research into types of jewelry, so I could have something besides simply rings, necklaces, and bracelets.

I had been meaning to make a table out of it, and finally did it the other day while working on organizing my various campaign notes into a coherent form.

This information is taken from multiple Wikipedia articles. I had no idea there were so many formal classifications of necklaces. Other than a watch, wedding ring, or occasional friendship bracelet at camp, I have not worn jewelry. Not being my thing, I knew there were a lot more options that seem to come to mind.

If anyone has a type of jewelry that I missed, please let me know.

The whole issue of whether or not any of these items is magical, is for the DM to determine.

Jewelry Type (d20)

  1. Anklet – Like a bracelet, but on the ankle.
  2. Armlet – Also arm ring, or arm band. Like a bracelet, but on the upper arm, can also be thicker.
  3. Badge – Specific type of pin worn to identify oneself to others. Like a watchman or a clan badge.
  4. Bracelet – Various widths worm on the wrist.
  5. Bracer – A decorative item, not the armor or arm protection for archers.
  6. Brooch – Decorative jewelry item designed to attach to garments to hold them together. See video below on penannular brooches.
  7. Buckle – Used to hold a belt or other article closed/together.
  8. Chatelaine – Holds keys and various useful implements like scissors, thimble, watch, household seal, etc. Historically signified the woman of the house.
  9. Circlet – Circle of gold, silver or jewels worn on the head.
  10. Collar – Like a necklace, but hangs flat to the body. Can be attached to a garment.
  11. Crown
  12. Earrings
  13. Hairpin
  14. Necklace – see subtables
  15. Pin – Decorative item attached to the clothes for ornamentation. May also serve as a functional piece to help hold clothing in place.
  16. Ring – see subtable
  17. Sash – Colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, draping from left shoulder to the right hip, or right shoulder to left hip. Can also run around the waist. Ceremonial sashes in a V-shape drape from both shoulders to the stomach like a large necklace.
  18. Tiara
  19. Toe Ring – Ring designed to be worn on the toes.
  20. Torc – Also Torq, or Torque – A large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, of either a single piece or from pieces twisted together. Open at one end.

Ring Subtable (d8)

  • 1-2 – Signet
  • 3-4 – Thumb Ring (like an archer)
  • 5-6 – Key (like used by the Romans)
  • 7-8 – Poison (hidden compartment)

Necklace Subtables

Type (d6)

  • 1 – Choker 14-16 inches
  • 2- Princess 18-20 in
  • 3 – Matinee 22-23 in
  • 4 – Opera 30-35 inches
  • 5 – Rope > 35 inches
  • 6 – Lariat (Very long version of the Rope necklace, looped multiple times.)

Feature (d6)

  • 1-3 – None
  • 5-6 – Pendant – Something that hangs down from a necklace. (see subtable)

Pendant Subtable (d10)

  • 1-2 – Cameo – Features a positive (relief), i.e. raised image, as opposed to a negative image (intaglio).
  • 3-4 – Emblem – An abstract or representational image, like a moral truth, a king or saint, or a badge or patch, like a coat of arms.
  • 5-6 – Locket
  • 7-8 – Medal or Medallion – Small, flat and round or oval piece of metal that is marked by casting, stamping, engraving, etc. with an insignia, portrait or other artistic rendering.
  • 9-10 – Combination of above.

Pendant Special Feature (d6) 

  • 1-2 -Amulet/Cartouche – Alleged power to protect owner from danger or harm. Holy symbols, holy water, wolvesbane, belladonna, and garlic can be considered amulets.
  • 3-4 Talisman – Believed to bring luck or some other benefit, though it can offer protection as well. Items such as four leaf clover, rabbit’s foot, lucky penny, etc.
  • 5-6 Holy/Unholy Symbol

 

RPGs

My New Gaming Table

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It’s not fancy, but it is simple, portable and expandable.

I just use the plastic folding tables you get at WalMart or other retailers. They are lighter and more portable than the old fashioned and heavy wood or particle board tables. You can get them in a variety of sizes from four feet long and two feet wide, to lengths of five, six, or eight feet with  a width of two and a half feet.

This makes them easy to fit nearly any gaming space, and able to be modified for different uses. Need an L-shape or U-shape to maximize table space for a large number of players?

Playing at another location? Pack them in your trunk or back seat and go to the game location.

You can put a table cloth, sheet, blanket, or tarp over the tables if a cloth surface is desired to minimize the sound of rolling dice on the plastic surface. If you have a large sheet of plexiglass/plastic, you can lay it on the table over a section of Gaming Paper, if you want to make a map.

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For my table, I have a six foot and a five foot folding table. I have a black table cloth I can’t seem to find, so I used a greenish sheet for these pictures. I got a section of Gaming Paper that I tore off the roll for a review in a prior post, and laid my sheet of plastic over it. You can then write on the glass or plastic with a dry erase marker, so that it can be wiped clean for re-used. I don’t often draw maps in live play, but I may use it more for illustration purposes, next time I run a game. Some people like to use permanent marker to put a pre-measured grid on the glass or plastic on their tables. For full versatility, you can buy Gaming Paper with either squares or hexes, and avoid the headache of making sure all the lines are straight.

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Sample using dry erase markers.
Sample using dry erase markers.
Easily wipes off.
Easily wipes off.

This sheet of plastic is from one of those big projection style flat screen TVs. My son found one online for free. He wanted it for the Fresnel lens to heat up, melt, and burn things. I asked for the plastic “screen”. It wasn’t until my son and his family moved out a couple weeks ago that I had room to set this up. I have been planning this in my mind for a few months. I finally bought the second table on sale Saturday, so I could set this up.

The only part of this gaming table I have to be careful about is this three foot by four foot sheet of plastic. It gathers dust quite readily, so I used special electronic cleaning wipes to avoid scratching it. Since it is so thin, it easily slides behind other things so it is out of the way.

Both tables take up most of the living room, but I have room around it for chairs, and people can still move around.

Since I live alone, except for the dog, I can leave this up if I want.

I also like this table combination, since I can arrange it so I can spread out my game prep materials to have different pieces of notes, manuals, dice, maps, and more readily available.  Since I started working at home at the end of February, I lost the work space I had been using for game prep. I have to pack up my work computer If I want that space back. That space isn’t that big, and I couldn’t get at everything, as something always ended up on top of something else.

I look forward to having Monday off and a full day of game prep! I really need to get my online AD&D campaign ready to roll.  I also have desires to run Metamorphosis Alpha and White Star. Now, I have a good setup to run live in-person games too!

RPGs

Cell Phones – Handheld Communicator And Computer

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I was struggling with a topic for an article, and was about to give up and end my streak of a post a day back to the end of January. Then I had a message indicator on my cellphone, and it hit me.

We have such small devices that handle all forms of communication: two way (calls, texting, email), and one way (received: emailed receipts, bill reminders, entertainment & sent: payments, notes/lists/reminders). Some phones have gone for bigger screens with higher resolutions for better experience, two cameras, motion sensors, GPS, etc.

If one does no have a cell phone in today’s world, good luck finding a pay phone. The only place I see pay phones now are in airports, and they take credit cards.

For a science fiction setting, one can imagine a computer as powerful or more so than today’s desktops, in the palm of your hand. The display will be holographic, so the size of the screen is variable. As dense as memory is getting, what limits will one have on a hand held computer/communicator?

Encyclopedic knowledge will be available, for topics that are in the system. Landing on a backwater or uncharted planet will present a world of unknown factors. Other than being able to check the atmosphere, and scan air, water, and potential food for pathogens/compatibility, how would this device help you?

Is it able to communicate to orbit? Can it make interplanetary calls, or signal ships passing through the system? How does GPS help when there are no GPS sattellites? Is there a star-faring version of GPS and do the general civilian devices have access, or does it require a separate device?

Would a general purpose device be capable of basic first aid, or contain the ability to guide the user in basic first aid, or perhaps something more advanced?

How tough/resilient would such a device be? I dropped a cellphone out of my pocket onto a cast iron floor vent in my house (It was built in 1920.) and it cracked diagonally across the screen. Touch screens don’t work so good, or at all when that happens. How far of a drop would it take to damage it? What water depth can it reach and for how long before it is compromised? What about the vacuum of space? There are also radiation, concussions from explosions, shrapnel from explosions, or projectiles from weapons.

Like today, there would be various levels of such devices, from cheap burners with an older interface. Now, burners tend to have actual buttons, but some small touch screens have appeared. In the future, an old interface might be a touch screen that require physical contact, and not have a holographic screen. They are severely limited in how much you can put on them. These are not as well made and would survive only so many hardships of daily use. How often do you have a player roll to see if their communicator survives a crash or fall, or fight?

Next would be the standard comm-puters that can handle more drops, but have a limit. My youngest son can still manage to crack a cellphone screen in less than a day. I’m glad I’m not responsible for his phone anymore.

Premium devices would be made of sturdier and more expensive stuff. Advertising how long they can stay in vacuum, and how long they can last at 100 meters, or some such.

At the pinnacle would be government/military grade devices that are resistant to a variety of abuses and resistant to cracking, i.e. “black hat hacking”.

How long does the battery last? A day, a week, a month, longer?

Instead of earbuds on a wire, there would be a vibration pad or pads you stick to your head behind your ears. Voice activation and voice recognition would be the norm. Minimal contact with the device would be needed. Placing it in your pocket or a shoulder bag and placing it for use of the holographic display could be the only times one touches such a device.

The device could be so small that the device(s) behind your ear(s) IS the comm-puter. Some societies might advocate implanting the device, especially so the government can keep an eye on you, “to keep you safe”. What if some nefarious organization or person cracks the system and uses it for mind control of the populace?

Take what we know of the current direction of technology and extrapolate it for a futuristic RPG. It gets smaller, more powerful, and more ubiquitous. It could end in nanobots that reside along the optic and auditory nerves and send signals straight to the brain. A display would be limited to the person, but could be shared with others within a certain range.

A fun thought experiment that have given me several more ideas, if I ever get things together for a science fiction campaign, either White Star or Metamorphosis Alpha.

RPGs

Sages And Their Arguments

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Earlier this week, some researchers claim to have identified Phillip of Macedon’s bones, that is, the father of Alexander the Great.

There is some pretty impressive results, but there seems to be a war of opinion between those who say these bones, and another who say those bones.

This gives me two ideas. First, what wounds would adventurers find on the body of a warrior? Would they be the broken skull of the final fight that killed him, or some major wound from which he recovered? In the presence of magic or advanced technology, such massive injuries might not be seen. Where magic is not so plentiful, or technology not so advanced, this gives us a good idea.

Second, if the ruins nearby are of interest to more than one sage or groups of sages, mighty they resort to means other than logic and reason to make their point? I can see one sage hiring players to “take back” something another sage “stole” from him, in order to destroy it, or modify it to strengthen his argument. Perhaps, it might go beyond mere theft to outright murder and destruction.

War of the Sages makes for an interesting historical event, or perhaps and adventure, or even a series of adventures in a campaign. Interesting what might happen when the agents of the sages interfere with the agents of the big bad. Or one of the sages IS the big bad!

I have an interesting and quirky sage in my campaign, but so far, he does not have a “nemesis”. I can see how it might be very interesting for players in my campaign if he had one. At least I would be entertained by their reactions to what might occur.

 

RPGs

READ AN RPG BOOK IN PUBLIC WEEK – 2015 – July 26th – August 1st, 2015

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Just a little reminder that next week starting this Sunday, July 26th through August 1st, is the second of the three annual weeks for Read an RPG Book in Public Week.

This year, I have not managed to read an RPG book in public during an official week, but I have read part of the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook while in my hammock, between two big trees in my front yard. If the weather cooperates, I should be able to manage to actually meet this challenge.

 

RPGs

Thanks For Buying Stuff Through My Affiliate Links!

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I signed into RPGNow to check out +Jame’s Spahn‘s new supplement for White Star, White Box Options: Psychic Talents. It’s less than $2.00 (1.99), so I figured I would use my accumulated credits to get it. Since this credits is not actual cash in the bank, I don’t feel bad about spending it. This first supplement from James was just announced yesterday and was in the top 8 at RPGNow at the time I wrote this the night before last. I’ve been trying to come up with my own ideas for psionics and not making much progress for something coherent.

I was amazed! It was $48.09! Holy fiduciary increase, Batman! Last time I looked it was less than$5.00. Once it got up to almost $10.00, but I spent it on a few things.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has bought something through one of my affiliate links through RPGNow, DriveThruRPG, or D&DClassics. I will use the money to add to things that interest me, and will share my opinions in a review, as time permits.

RPGs

AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide PDF Updated

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I just got the email that the Dungeon Master’s Guide PDF was updated. Based on the email two weeks ago about the Player’s Handbook, and last week’s email about the Monster Manual PDF, I assume that means that the Dungeon Master’s Guide with the Gygax Memorial cover will be available for sale tomorrow. It is not currently available for sale at the moment, just like last week.

So what will be released to PDF? We will see the return of Chainmail, OD&D, modules, etc?

Here are what should be the valid [affiliate] links when they release the PDF for sale.

RPGNow

DriveThruRPG

DNDClassics

Collected Errata for all AD&D 1st Edition Re-Prints at Dragonsfoot.

Here’s an in-depth comparison of the print versions of the re-prints to some originals at The Delver’s Dungeon.

EDIT – in 2015 WotC released the PDFs for OD&D and Chainmail in 2016.

RPGs

DungeonMorphs 2: Cities & Villages: Map Generator Dice/Cards by Inkwell Ideas – They’re Here!

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I backed this Kickstarter last year, and it was intended to ship by the end of May, and my dice set of five dice, plus two challenge goal bonus dice arrived today. I haven’t had a follow up post on this since this one in December. In addition to the dice, the five dice set has a small canvas dice bag, labeled Dungeonmorph Dice.

I knew this might be here today, after the update email on Saturday. I was glad to finally get it. My desire for them was to help give me ideas to flesh out a large ruined city. Aspects of my personal project keep dragging on and on due to real life, etc. I’m glad I finally have it,!

Now the outstanding Kickstarters I have backed are down to four:

  • Grimtooth’s Ultimate Traps Collection (The PDF is done and an update with bookmarks and clean up is nearly ready for us to review, before the book is printed. I order the hard cover.)
  • City State of the Invincible Overlord (I went for the book and the maps. I hope I get my stuff soon. The last update at the end of June indicated the first draft is done.
  • The Planet Mercenary RPG (I didn’t get the game, I got the book – “THE SEVENTY MAXIMS OF MAXIMALLY EFFECTIVE MERCENARIES”.)
  • Finally, the one I don’t expect anything to happen: The Great Kingdom, which was supposed to ship this month; before all the legal issues.

While I might back other Kickstarters, I’m not sure how many of them will be RPG related. Most likely, they will be nostalgia related, such as stuff from back in the day that I never had, or no longer have.

 

RPGs

Ant Man

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I saw Ant Man yesterday. It is a good movie and I really enjoyed it.

After it was over I reflected on a couple of points in the movie. The second one made mention of something from the first, but the second mention required the character to know something that was not shown. I suspect it will be shown as a deleted scene in the DVD that was cut to make a bigger surprise.

I was purposefully vague about these points because I don’t like reviews that repeat the movie, book, or whatever. A review shouldn’t regurgitate a movie, especially since so many trailers grab some of the best parts of a movie. Any spoilers then leave little to the imagination. Why go spend money on a movie when the surprise is ruined?

I never read an Ant man comic. I have seen cartoons from the 90’s and later with Ant Man, so I know a bit of the back story.

What I like about the Marvel movies, is that they give enough of the back story, so that one does not need to know all the details from the comic books. If you have not read any of the Ant Man comics, or think Ant Man is a dumb idea, try this movie anyway. It is fun, entertaining, and action packed.

As with all the other Marvel movies, you will want to wait until the end of the credits.