Monday, August 30, 2004

A whole new World (of Darkness)

Alright,

I've succumbed to the temptation the moment I heard that it was out, and now a brand-new, shiny copy of the World of Darkness Storyteller System Rulebook sits on my shelf. I haven't had a chance to really sit down and read it as of yet, but I am a happy man.

From what I've seen the system is cleaner, and less prone to confuse people, making it a lot easier to teach the system to newbies, and allowing Storytellers more time to teach the more esoteric rules for the Supernaturals, like Vampiric Disciplines, Werewolf Gifts and Mage Spheres, if ever.

Mage is still slated for around June next year, giving me ample time to finish my Mage: Revised collection, and maybe even and "End of the World" campaign based on the Ascension book that's on my shelf as well. :)

Thursday, August 26, 2004

New blogger feature for kicks.

Hey guys

If I ever end up typing something that you find to be amusing enough to share to your friends, then don't hesitate to click on the little email icon thingy at the end of the post. That'll allow you to go and send that post off to someone else via e-mail.

Now if only I had stuff up here fit to send... :p but that's another thing entirely, I suppose.

Last Song Syndrome...

Hey Julie
by Fountains of Wayne

Working all day for a mean little man
With a clip-on tie and a rub-on tan
He's got me running 'round the office like a dog around a track
But when I get home,You're always there to rub my back

Hey Julie,Look what they're doing to me
Trying to trip me up
Trying to wear me down
Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it
And I'd never make it through without you around

Hours on the phone making pointless calls
I got a desk full of papers that means nothing at all
Sometimes I catch myself staring into space
Counting down the hours 'til I get to see your face

Hey Julie,Look what they're doing to me
Trying to trip me up
Trying to wear me down
Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it
And I'd never make it through with out you around
No, I'd never make it through with out you around

[Bridge]How did it come to be
That you and I must be
Far away from each other every day?
Why must I spend my time
Filling up my mind
With facts and figures that never add up anyway?
They never add up anyway

Working all day for a mean little guy
With a bad toupee and a soup-stained tie
He's got me running 'round the office
Like a gerbil on a wheel
He can tell me what to do
But he can't tell me what to feel

Hey Julie,Look what they're doing to me
Trying to trip me up
Trying to wear me down
Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it
And I'd never make it through with out you around
No, I'd never make it through without you around
No, I'd never make it through with out you around

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Hungry, Sick and Stranded

Fantastic.

It finally happened. After several weeks in night shift, and a grueling week of pulling overtime, my body broke down and got hit with a cold. I spent tuesday evening at home, nursing the mother of all colds and trying to get my voice back so I could get to work again.

Today, I'm here, still with a cold, sniffling and having a hard time breathing, and I'm in the office. Heck, even my customers who listen to me are telling me to go home and get some rest.

Better yet, with the storm outside, the elevators of the building are down as I type this. Power fluctuation knocked most of the building out, and only the generators are keeping the lights and PCs in this place running.

It's my lunch hour right now, and the elevators are down, food is a good 30 stories below. I'm hungry, sick and annoyed... perfect for blogging. :p

Now that I think about it, maybe I should have stayed home instead.

And the list goes ever on...

Hmm...

I'm feeling a little on the OC side today, so I'll list down all the RPG books that I've got lying around the house.

D20 System

Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook 3.0
Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide 3.0
Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual 3.0

Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed
Plague of Dreams - An Arcana Unearthed Adventure

Engel

Ravenloft Campaign Setting 3.0
Van Richten's Guide to the Walking Dead

Spycraft

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3.0

Big Eyes, Small Mouth D20

D20 Modern

White Wolf

World of Darkness: Combat

Dark Ages: Vampire
Dark Ages: Vampire Storyteller's Companion
Dark Ages: Mage
Blood and Silk

Werewolf: the Wild West
Frontier Secrets
The Wild West Companion

Adventure!

Exalted
Exalted Player's Guide
Book of Three Circles
Scavenger Sons
Exalted: the Dragonblooded
Castebook: Zenith
Savage Seas

Mage: the Ascension Revised edition
Mage Storyteller's Companion
Mage Storyteller's Handbook
Mage Guide to the Traditions
Mage Guide to the Technocracy
Bitter Road
Sorcerer Revised
Book of Madness
Dragons of the East
Lost Paths 1: Ahl-I-Batin and Taftani
Dead Magic
Dead Magic 2
Manifesto: Transmissions of the Rogue Council
Blood Treachery
Convention Book: Iteration - X
Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood
Tradition Book: Cult of Ecstacy
Tradition Book: Celestial Chorus
Tradition Book: Dreamspeakers
Tradition Book: Euthanatos
Tradition Book: Hollow Ones
Tradition Book: Order of Hermes
Tradition Book: Sons of Ether
Tradition Book: Verbena
(and still going... I've got two more Mage books left here in the Philippines to buy someday)

Mummy: the Ressurection

Orpheus

Others

Metabarons Roleplaying Game
Sengoku
Mekton Zeta
Tri-Stat Dx
Legend of the Five Rings 1st Edition

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Wow... now that I've had a chance to put that all on a list, I just realized how many books I had. Not that it's a bad thing though. :) I'm looking forward to getting more, all in good time.

Monday, August 23, 2004

More RPG rumor mill goodness...

Completely unsubstantiated by anything in writing as of yet... but the rumor mill has it going that Alderac Entertainment is dropping the D20 license in a new (and 3rd) edition of their Legend of the Five Rings RPG!

My inner Lion Samurai is celebrating... I've never been a big fan of the D20 system's treatment of the L5R setting, and the tendency of it to make things too tactical. My first epic campaign was an L5R game, and it holds a special place in my gaming history. :)

Rumors also indicate that the new edition will be centered on the new Diamond Edition of the card game. Should be interesting to see what changes would happen then...

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Quiz!


You're Leona. You realize that you have a dark side, which if let loose may cause unpleasant things happen to people, especially the ones you love. You don't want to see them hurt, therefore you strike at the heart of the problem and strive to overcome your dark side at whatever cost
necessary.

Take the KOF characters Quiz!

Interesting.

Admittedly, I do feel this way sometimes. It's hard to avoid being a prick sometimes, especially without prolonged contact with "humane" society. I feel a little disconnected right now, and I wish I could get rid of this feeling that I'm doing more harm than good to the people I consider closest to me.

So to those who have been offended by things I have said, or have done, or failed to do, I offer my most sincere of apologies.

----

On the other side of things...

The new World of Darkness RPG is officially out!

I haven't actually seen it with my own eyes just yet, but I'm more than eager to flip through a copy. I'm very enthusiastic about this new edition of the World of Darkness, and I think that it'll be great to be able to tell new stories with this game.

And even better... the Capcom World Tournament RPG is also coming out towards the end of the year. I know next to nothing about this game, but heck... it's Street Fighter! What else could you ask for?

Along with the Red Star, things are shaping up to be a great time to be a Gamer! :p

Friday, August 20, 2004

Dammit... at least there's the RED STAR

I had a huge post here a while ago.

Then IE decided to take it all away with a stupid error.

Gah.

---

oh well... looking at the bad stuff won't help.

here's something to make me smile. Taken from the Green Ronin Website.

The RED STAR Campaign setting!

A Mythic Vistas Sourcebook for the d20 SystemWritten by T.S. Luikart and Ian SturrockCover by Christian Gossett192 pages, full-color hardbackMSRP: $34.95GRR1406ISBN: 1-932442-31-6

Archangel Studios' The Red Star took the comic world by storm in 2000, with its innovative storyline and gorgeous computer-generated art. Now Green Ronin brings this award-winning world to the d20 System with The Red Star Campaign Setting. The epic mythology of the Soviet Union comes to life in a bold setting that combines science fiction and sorcery.

While the workers and peasants of the U.R.R.S suffer under the rule of Imbohl, a murderous sorcerer of incredible power, the Heroes of the Red Star struggle to rekindle the true spirit of the Revolution and to save the very souls of their people. Will you join the cause of Marcus, Maya, and Makita, pitting your will against the Skyfurnaces and Military Industrial Sorcery of Imbohl's regime?

The Red Star Campaign Setting provides everything you need to have exciting d20 adventures, from new classes, equipment, vehicles, and sorcery rules to stats for all the comic's important characters. Comic fans will thrill to the world and character details revealed, and the lavish use of Christian Gossett's inspiring art. Whether you are a d20 System gamer looking for a unique and original new setting or a comic enthusiast looking for the ultimate Red Star sourcebook, The Red Star Campaign Setting delivers.

Requires the Use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, Published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Check out the cover here! http://www.greenronin.com/images/product/grr1406_450.jpg

This is a fantastic comic, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this book. :)

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Bow to the sexy alien putty guy!



This, my students, is a Dralasite.

A very old character race from my very first RPG: Star Frontiers, now suddenly resurrected from the very depths of RPG obscurity by the latest in the D20 Modern line: D20 Future.

I'll probably never own a copy of D20 Modern (unless I buy it second hand from someone,) but it warms my heart to see this guy again.

Sunday, August 08, 2004

More than meets the eye...

You are Optimus Prime!

Vast, red and ready to turn into a lorry at the slightest provocation, you are a robot to be reckoned with. Although sickeningly noble, you just can't resist a good interplanetary war, especially when Orson Welles is involved. You have friends who can shoot tapes from their chests. Tapes that turn into panthers. And other friends who are dinosaurs. Dinosaurs who jump out of planes. Will you have my children?

Tell the world you're an Autobot with the following non-heat-sensitive sticker:

Optimus Prime!
Which Colossal Death Robot Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

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Woohoo!

Autobots, transform!

Monday, August 02, 2004

New Funky Flash Stuff.

From the man who brought you Kenya comes:

Magical Trevor!

Even more catchy nonsense songs to weird looping flash.

:p

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Flatlining with Blogger

Hey guys!

Just wanted to make sure that people still know that I'm alive. The night shift has done nothing to aid in my blogging to be honest, as my schedules revolve around getting to work, working, and crashing to bed when I get home.

It doesn't leave much to be done, believe me.

I'm starting to think that the sun actually fuels people similarly to plants. Even with the same amount of hours in a day, working in night shift tends to screw with your energy levels.

----

Work-wise I think I'm doing okay though. Got two commendations for getting "happy customers" over the phones this week, which is most likely a freak accident of being lucky enough to get callers who ask to speak to your supervisor to say something good for a change.

It's an interesting experience to be honest. But I think I need a lot of stress release. You can't always avoid speaking with people which will teach you just how limited your patience is. Because I'm working in customer support, I've experienced being shouted at for just greeting a customer, getting scathing insults and generally trying to smooth over ruffled feathers, all while trying to maintain an average talk time of 5.25 minutes.

Hey, at least I'm earning money.

----

Going to be in Arnis today, and I think that's a good thing. While I'm usually a lazy bum who couldn't be bothered to get out of my chair, I think hitting things is a good way to release stress. I'm not that good at it though, and I'm pretty sure that somewhere my instructor is still a tad disappointed at my lack of mobility.

I do make a good training dummy apparently. I don't flinch from near hits in demonstrations.

----

Gaming wise, I'm thinking of how to plan a game for once. While I'm confident with my abilities as a GM, I do tend to be on the low end of the planning side, and thus some of my games seem to lack the same amount of detail and focus that the other GMs have.

I'm not ambitious enough to think that I can run a gigantic epic on the fly, and so I'd better get to rolling up my sleeves and learning to sit down and plan for it. :p

Seeker #4 article is done as well, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in print eventually.

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Man, I'm grateful for weekends. It's the time when friends are there to keep me sane. The lack of actual social contact with people outside the office is driving me just plain nuts.