HackPrincess

These HackMaster PHB updates...

2012-01-27T00:12:00.003-07:00

...are posting faster than I can read. :) It's exciting!

Having little to blog about today, I'll leave it at that and go read my beta PDF.

NEW PHB Beta 1.04 is up!

2012-01-26T00:20:00.002-07:00

If you preordered a HackMaster PHB, this is important to you. If you haven't, you still can! Just downloaded my update. :)

Pride and Prejudice, no zombies

2012-01-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

*Maybe spoilers?*

The best part of getting sick is venturing into the world for the first time and realizing even two hours of volunteer work is two hours too many, going home, and crashing on the sofa. This is the kind of tired where lying down feels like too much work. In the middle of all the lying down, I finished "Pride and Prejudice."

I liked it better than expected, not for the romance--although I can see why some girls like Mr. Darcy--but for the multiple lessons in how to treat people. I found stuff about preconceived notions, talking behind others backs, and misinterpreting another's intentions completely...plus the worst marriage proposal ever. In summary: "I love you even though I tried not to because you're totally not good enough for me, so can we get married anyway even though we really haven't talked much until today?"

As for the "why some girls like Mr. Darcy" part, he does some really nice things behind the scenes in order to prove he isn't a total jerk. He's like that guy lurking on the forums who doesn't talk much, but when you meet him at a con, he turns out to be really nice--he just doesn't come across very well online. Elizabeth is the girl that everyone likes who figured the lurker was just another socially awkward gamer boy that doesn't know how to talk to girls. And it turns out that she was right, he doesn't, but he figures she's worth learning how. And that's why I think girls like Mr.Darcy.

Not that I'm going to start writing "Pride and Prejudice" fan fiction, but I think the Darcy and Lizzy as gamers scenario I just described would be a really cute story. :)

Lucky Cat

2012-01-24T23:34:00.001-07:00

Any dice on this shelf? No? HELP ME DOWN!

Closing in...

2012-01-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

...on completion of the HackMaster Players Handbook. :)

Via the HackMaster Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/106811059375011/

This would be a great time to order the book. :) Why look, another link has appeared... http://www.kenzerco.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_94&products_id=779

(That's where you can buy it.)

(Am I too obvious?)

(Meh. It's my blog.)

Dice of the Day: Posession

2012-01-22T21:57:00.001-07:00

I can haz attack roll?

Princess Rant 02

2012-01-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

Gah...evil things are attacking my head. While I sit here being sick, let's do a drug-induced (ibuprofen) rant about self-rescuing princesses. (If Princess Catherine has had a chance to self-rescue, the media hasn't talked about it. There seems to be a shortage of evil witches and she does not have a stepmother.)

The self-rescuing princess is the ideal princess that doesn't wait for a guy to save her. That's easy.

Tiana! Is awesome. Tiana works hard, saves her money, and starts her own business. Her Prince Naveen is lazy, happy, and broke. He gets Tiana in trouble in the first place, so any rescuing he does, he owes her. :) The best part about Tiana and Naveen is they each learn something from the other. She learns how to have fun, he decides to do something with his life besides party.

Cinderella gets a few self-rescuing points for keeping her spirits up and winning over the prince with her personality. Her fairy godmother helped her get to the ball by providing a gown and transportation; Cinderella did the rest of the things she wanted--mainly, go to the ball and have fun. Face it, her story really is about an amazing thing happening to a random girl. Sometimes life is like that.

Belle rescues her father. He thinks she needs to be rescued. Her friends rescue her from Gaston. She rescues the Beast from the spell. Beast rescues her from a lifetime of boredom in the Village that Wouldn't Read*. There is ALL KINDS of rescuing going on here!!

*"Reading Rainbow" was the least popular PBS show in Belle's village.

All right--She-Ra! She always self-rescues, right? Yeah, only after growing up evil, thinking the Horde was the opposite of evil, cruel, and unjust. Her brother and the Sorceress of Grayskull rescue her and then she rescues her brother...and pretty much everyone else for a couple seasons of fine 80's television.

Rapunzel knows how to knit, throw her voice, play guitar, paint, make candles, bake, sew, and use a frying pan as a weapon. She rescues Flynn from the palace guards, Flynn rescues her from herself, and she saves Flynn's life with the last drop of golden flower magic. Rapunzel, Flynn, and Maximus make a great team, along with the thugs at the Fuzzy Duckling. This movie was so HackMaster...

While I fully support the self-rescuing princess--the one who takes steps to change her situation or save herself, I wonder if its healthy to expect someone to do everything all alone. We have friends and families, churches, clubs, and teams for a reason. We help, coach, and back each other up. A HackMaster adventuring party is made up of a variety of characters with different skills banded together to survive in a dangerous world. Is it fair to expect the princess--or the girl character--to be fully self-sufficient, rely on no one, and come up with the perfect solution to every problem every time? Is that even realistic? She should get a hero's journey of her own, no question, but the hero only goes it alone for part of the story. For most of it, the hero has help or companionship--something worth fighting for.

If you want to go it alone with everything, fine. I read a great interview once with a lady whose husband gave her crystal meth to help her be the bestest, do-it-all, working mom, housekeeper, and little wifey ever. It worked until that pesky addiction kicked in and she ended up in prison. Also, it turns out crystal meth is an illegal drug made out of stuff like nail polish remover, not fairy spells and sunbeams.

I don't think characters should always self-rescue. I do think they should try. My current HackMaster PC, Gabriella, happens to be a princess. (I randomly determined her social class.) She is banished from her home and out adventuring because she has to make her own way in the world. She doesn't wait for the rest of the party to get her out of a jam--she contributes her own sword and shield. I'm pretty sure my GM and fellow players would kill me (the GM literally) if I declared Gabbi's action to be: "I run around screaming and try to hide behind the magic user! Aaaaahhh, that orc messed up my hair! Save me, save me!" There is a big difference between THAT stereotype and a princess doing her best to survive in the circumstances presented to her.

Also, Belle and Tiana fell in love with a beast and a frog, respectively. Kinda weird, girls.

And now to self-rescue from this fever. Good times...

Lego Mini Figure Series 6...

2012-01-19T23:57:00.001-07:00

...includes these two girls. Cuter and more adventurous than the "Friends," in my opinion. Hello--ray gun!!

This SOPA and PIPA thing...

2012-01-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

...I lack the technical expertise to "go dark" today. That, and I don't think such a small scale protest will matter much. I can send you here and here say please tell your Representative and your Senator not to vote for this.

I'm not very good at political diatribes, but here goes:

1. Censorship irritates me. I already live in a country without a space shuttle. This is ridiculous. This goes against the whole idea of freedom of speech.

2. Legislation won't stop pirates. Since when do pirates care about things like rules? I call your attention to this exchange between Will Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie:

Will: You cheated!
Jack: Pirate!

The bad guys will scoff and keep doing bad things. A flawed piece of legislation won't stop them.

3. The way I understand this is, if this thing goes off, I can't quote Will Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow without permission. I'd have to refer to them as Wil Spatula and Captain Jake Frigatebird. I couldn't put up their pictures.

4. If we can't talk about all of the cool things we love, they die. I have a blog so I can talk about my favorite game, HackMaster. If I tell everyone how great it is, a few of those people will sit in on a demo or buy the book. More people will play the game. They will tell their friends and write their stories on their own blogs. I want to see that happen.

5. Don't steal. I have a very big problem with people stealing TV, movies, and books with no intention of paying the people that made those things. Don't steal.

That's my SOPA rant. Please call or write your Representatives and Senators. Wil Spatula and Jake Frigatebird thank you.

Wil Spatula and Jake Frigatebird belong to the blog HackPrincess and may not be used without my permission. So there.

Die of the Day: Defense

2012-01-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today's die of the day is a little different from the rest. Think of it as a single die. This is the d20p-4, the base HackMaster defense die. Roll this one if you are in combat without a shield or any other defense modifiers.

I know this one can be a bit confusing. We are all used to seeing modifiers listed with a + or a -. In this case, think of it as a single die, one we can't produce with plastic.

One thing I have learned since taking up gaming is a lot of math goes on behind the scenes. The numbers you see in the rule books are not chosen at random. A lot of work goes into determining those numbers. Game mechanics has never been my strong point, but I can get behind this die without too many mental acrobatics--and believe me, I did not inherit my father's brilliant engineer's math brain. That I know of. If I did, I'm still waiting for the bad fairy to lift the magic spell that keeps me from using it. :)

Here is a visual aide to help you remember this important Die of the Day, the d20p-4.

The Origin of the Dwarven Charley Horse

2012-01-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things happen in game that stick around. Our group has some notable incidents and quotes inspired by them.

Suck it, __________ !

During combat, the battle cry "Suck it, (insert monster here)!" was heard often enough we thought we might have to make t-shirts. It's reserved for big hits on particularly annoying monsters, especially orkin wardawgs. I don't know why my players dislike orkin wardawgs so much. They come in two sizes, have terrific damage reduction, and are big growly dogs. For some reason, they try to kill them. Poor orkin wardawgs...they never killed anyone. Much.

"I'm in a healthy place."

This one was coined by our cleric Takane in the adventure Dusk of the Dead. Two zombies grabbed hold of her during a battle in close quarters. When the fighter Bulberd asked her if she needed help, she declined with, "I'm in a healthy place," because she had only lost a few hit points. She thought she would be fine until the adjacent zombies got the munchies. A few seconds later, Takane was down and on her way to meet the Caregiver. The group worked together to save her life, so the quote is now memorable and not an epitaph. ;)

"That's what we call a Dwarven Charley Horse."

I don't believe in picking up a campaign and dropping it in another city. When the group decided to go to Cosolen, they needed to have some encounters along the way. They arrived in Napalido last night where a friend of their employer asked for help retrieving an item stolen from her master's office. It was in her care, so she wants it back quickly and without fanfare.

The group tracked the thieves to a local roadside attraction. While Takane chatted the suspects up about the Caregiver, Balin--Bulberd's brother and also a fighter--walked up and asked, "are these the guys?" When Takane confirmed this, Balin promptly pulled out his warhammer and executed a called shot to one of the delinquents' leg. These are unarmed, unarmored, teenage human thieves. Face, Balin's player, knew there was a pretty good chance the blow would kill the kid. It was an in-character action to take, though, and he only took 16 of the kid's 22 hit points away. And Takane, healer extraordinare, immediately took care of the damage.

In the end, the kids ended up respecting Balin a little bit for his actions. They were mouthing off to Takane and knew it.

I have six minutes to blog on Sunday...

2012-01-15T23:56:00.001-07:00

...so I better type fast and nhot edit. Oky, so we played HackMaster and it was preetty fun. I sent them after some delinquent teenagers. ;) The road to Cosolen is paved with adventure. and delinquients.

Do you like my typos? ;) I promise a better post in a little bit. I'm dealing with some stuff right now.

Good night!

Fighter of the Day

2012-01-14T23:21:00.001-07:00

Lego Braveheart!

Say it with me: "FREEDOM!"

Well Read: Sacrifices

2012-01-13T22:15:00.001-07:00

I've avoided this for years on the grounds it is too girly for me. Yes, I own two tiaras, a Princess Aurora dicebag, and a LOT of pink dice, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

I'm finally going to read Pride and Prejudice. The one Jane Austin wrote without zombies. ;)

HackMaster Twitter Challenge

2012-01-12T22:29:00.004-07:00

I like Twitter and use it often. Posting is quick and to the point. Earlier this week I mentioned the news about Dungeons & Dragons 5 and how Twitter was filled with discussion about it. I'd love to see the same thing happen to HackMaster.

Jolly and Barb Blackburn of Knights of the Dinner Table tweet as @Jollybgood and @BabWryter. It would be cool if HackMaster and KoDT fans joined them. Therefore, I'm issuing a Twitter Challenge. If you like HackMaster and KoDT, take a few minutes to set up a Twitter account. (It's easy.) Then, before or after heading over to the Kenzer & Company forums to chat, post something about HackMaster. Why should Dungeons & Dragons get all of the attention? ;) If you use the hashtag #HackMaster, it will be searchable in the Twitter timeline. There are exciting things happening to this game, too. Spread the word!

Thanks!

Princess Rant 01

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

Given that Lego is now For Boys Only* and girls have a choice of being Princesses, pop stars, or magazine editors, or playing with Lego "Friends,"** it feels like the right time to rant about princesses. I happen to like princess characters, be they self-rescuing or not. I don't believe them to be as one-dimensional as they are represented by some skeptical girls--like me.

First of all, let's get this out of the way. When girls fret about the possible negative message associated with princesses, they are talking about Disney. ;) The vast majority of the princess toys on the pink aisle are Disney. I'm pretty sure they are not talking about Kate. :)

She went to college, after all, and got married at 29, and dated Prince William for longer than the weekend before the wedding. It's hard to argue with her life choices, unless someone is upset at her for not being a nuclear physicist, too.

Nope, we're discussing the Disney versions of fairy tale characters, none of which did any of the things Kate did...and that of course makes them bad role models. Argh. Okay, first, if your only role model is a Disney cartoon, you have problems. Go throat punch your parents for letting that happen. Second, its not hard to look for the bad if that is all you want to see. I'm going to prove this by having Ariel and Cinderella fight to the death. Actually, I'm going to talk about why Ariel--a more recent Disney creation--is a bad role model and Cinderella--the OMG, girl from the fifties that likes to do, ew, domestic stuff--is a good one.

Ariel, the little mermaid...

Why Ariel is creepy:

She makes radical changes to her body to please somebody else.
She is only 16. Really, Disney, I know its a fairy tale, but WTF?
She is willing to accept a deal that involved manipulating the guy she liked into falling for her in the space of a three-day weekend. Was she even planning to tell him where she came from?
If I may meta-game for a minute, happily ever after is not how the original story of The Little Mermaid went down.

Cinderella

I like Cinderella for the following reasons:

She never pretends to be someone she isn't.
Her life sucks, but she thinks positive. No matter how bad it gets, she hopes for better. Forgive her for running off in tears after her sisters trash her gown. I bet most of us would cry after an assault.
She wanted to go to the ball for herself--to have fun, to be part of the world for one night. She did not even know she was dancing with the prince--she just liked the guy.
She has hobbies. Nobody ordered her to make clothes for those mice. :)

Deathmatch winner: Cinderella. ;)

Thank you for playing. ;) To wrap it up, fictional characters have positive and negative aspects. You can say that Ariel was proactive in changing her situation while Cinderella waited for change. If every fictional character was one-hundred percent perfect, stories would be really boring...or Dungeons & Dragons 4e. (I have to throw in a gaming reference to keep my license.) Also, I wrote this for fun because Cinderella is one of the princesses that gets a lot of criticism for not self-rescuing. About the self-rescuing...that's another rant for another day when I feel like ranting about princesses. ;)

*This is known as sarcasm.

**This, too.

This HackMaster Fortune...

2012-01-11T00:04:00.001-07:00

...doesn't need any editing from us. ;)

"The End is Nigh"

2012-01-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today's big news is something will happen to Dungeons & Dragons in the future: a new edition.

Is this like a surprise or what...? I'm confused. Something is going to happen to everything in the future, I don't see how Dungeons & Dragons can possibly be immune. ;) The future is all one big ball of wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey edition wars after all...

I'm not going to participate in this discussion except to point out that while Wizards of the Coast made an effort to say it will be accepting fan input, don't expect them to write the game in your dreams. The game in your dreams is the one YOU and YOUR FRIENDS will make as you play. No one can do that for you. No edition will change that. The end only comes when the dice are put away. ;)

A HackMaster Song by Face

2012-01-09T01:18:00.001-07:00

You put your sword arm in
You put your sword arm out
You put your sword arm in and you yank the spleen out
You do the Hacky-Pokey and dance upon the corpse
That's what it's all about

Fighting cats...

2012-01-08T23:33:00.001-07:00

...upstaged my game. The word boring was used twice. Okay, so I hear I need to make things more exciting.

Stardust...

2012-01-07T23:04:00.001-07:00

...had a happily ever after! ;)

I don't find enough stories that end with one. Happily ever after is unrealistic, I've been told. No one really gets one. It does a disservice to the characters to let them go on to a good life. A professor once asked me to write the boy out of my story because he wanted the main character to remain alone and miserable at the end. I couldn't do it. I let her find at least the hope for a happily ever after. I've known lots of real people who found one. I disagreed with that professor. :)

Stardust managed to be both happily-ever and "realistic." Take that, snooty literary types. Of course, I don't think the prof I'm thinking of would count Neil Gaiman's books as "literature."

Screw that. I do. ;)

Maybe it doesn't lead to a well-read status, but it's okay to read and/or write what makes you happy. The reason I'm writing my fanfic is I had to know the details of those two characters' happily ever after. I'm a total romantic for a happy ending. Apologies to all of my lit teachers: That's not gonna change. :D

Quest For Well-Read-itude: January Edition

2012-01-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

Reading another book by the same author is not the best way to become "well read," but shut up, I want to read "Stardust" this weekend.

January is longer than "Stardust." I'll have time for a second book. ;)

Maybe (gasp) a third book!

"American Gods" was amazing!! It features places I've been. One is House on the Rock, where Face and I went once when we were bored. We were too cheap to take the complete tour, but I found the postcards we got in the gift shop. ;)

Dalek in the Lab!

2012-01-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

Lego sets "for girls?" Since when are Lego sets not for girls?! I'm intrigued. So much so, that I bought one to see what it was about--beyond adding pink pieces. Naturally, I picked up the set with the little girl that has the Rockin Secret Lab of Awesome! Look, she even built a robot.

It's a super-cute toy. Unfortunately, the rest of the sets revolve around the usual pet-sitting, baking, fashion design, and magazine editing that are the "approved" occupations for girls.

Game designer did not make the cut.

Given that, the lab set seems a lot out of place--like they threw the nerd girls a bone. ^^ Or in this case, a wrench.

I'll take it.

I think the toy is cute and it will appeal to a lot of girls. The little mini-fig is adorable. What confuses me is I never thought of Lego as a "boy's toy." I played with Lego stuff when I was a kid. I built a giant robot bird for the GI Joe team: General Awk. Yes, it was dumb. Lego is one of the few things that seemed to escape the manic segregation of the toy department into "boy" and "girl" and "blue" and "pink." I don't remember mourning the lack of pink bricks in the pile on the floor. Maybe some girls do and these sets will be awesome for them. I hope they mix them with the Star Wars sets, too.

I hope somebody buys them the Star Wars sets or lets them know that it is okay.

Toy-obsessed that I am, I've noticed something over the years. When I was a kid, I had She-Ra: Princess of Power and a half-dozen female GI Joe soldiers to choose from. Scarlet, Lady Jaye, Cover Girl, Jinx, Zarana, and the Baroness. Today, there is nothing comparable to She-Ra available and only Scarlet and the Baroness can be found among the Joe team--and then only rarely. There has not been a new Scarlet or Baroness on the peg since the "Rise of Cobra" was in theaters. The "girls" toy aisle is an ocean of pink with no superheroes in sight. There are princesses and ponies and fashion conscious Barbie dolls, but no sword-wielding Princess of Power. Meanwhile, on the "boys" side, there might be a Wonder Woman here or there and Cheetara and Wily Kit got represented in the new ThunderCats. They are few and far between--a lot rarer than they were when I was little.

I really thought that by the time I was an adult, all of this sexism would have gone away. Instead, its only gotten worse.

Why do we need to have a "girls" and "boys" aisle, anyway? Shouldn't toys be for kids...all kids, any kid?

Because THIS is how kids play:

Gah! DALEK IN THE LAB! Everybody run!

The cool kids, anyway... ^^

HackMaster Fortunes

2012-01-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

You will be lucky in your adventuring career. :)

The Sunday HackMaster game...

2012-01-02T23:08:00.001-07:00

...or Petting by Invitation Only as it is known to the dog, turned into Board Game Night yesterday. We don't know what happened to one of our players...it is possible the zombies got him. We decided to play Pirate's Cove and hope he shows up next week.

He did not call, text, email, or send a messenger. ^^

Gaming Etiquette 101: If you can't make it, call. Otherwise your group might spend the evening pretending to be world famous pirates gunning the crap out of each other's ships and it's not even Talk Like a Pirate Day.

It's funny--cancelling a RPG session is bigger than putting the brakes on a game of, say, Scrabble or Ticket to Ride. HackMaster requires more effort than simply setting up a game board and deciding who is going to be "blue." Sure, the dice fall where they may, but in Ticket to Ride, you don't spend hours deciding what weapon your railroad is going to specialize in, how many skills it will have, can it use a shield, and what god it follows. Oh, and does it have any Quirks or Flaws? ;) Ease of use makes board games awesome; that it's not easy is why HackMaster is fun.

The GM (ahem) has to get up at 3:45 in the morning, get ready for work in the dark, drive to work in the dark, work for eight hours, drive home listening to Dropkick Murphys turned up too loud, grab a bite to eat, change clothes, wash her face, find her gaming books and accessories, finish planning the adventure, and run it while trying not to fall asleep drooling on the battlemat. And meanwhile, the dog gets all the petting she wants.

Pirate's Cove was a good time even though Face won all the games and kept killing us. That's my job, but I'm not GM of Board Game Night or Petting by Invitation Only Night. :) My game is HackMaster.

Lists: 2012

2012-01-01T23:07:00.000-07:00

2012 is an even number and therefore has potential.
Every year I make the same New Year's to-do list.
I get about half of my list done.
This year I want to 1) Go to Origins and 2) Produce content in addition to consuming it.
HUH?
That means, instead of wasting away in Margaritaville...or in front of the television, I will write HackMaster adventures, create roughly drawn web comics, and write more fiction--even if it is just more fan fiction. ;) In 2011, on my fifth try, I wrote a NaNoWriMo novel that had an ending instead of just a stopping point. That was cool. I will figure out how to afford Photoshop. I already stole Face's Photoshop textbook. That's what I mean by producing--I'm going to make things myself and share them.
As for consuming, I will consume on my terms. I've already traded the Top 40 station in my car for music of my choice. I've traded mindless network TV for Netflix and iTunes. I have to make an effort to find the music, movies and TV that I want to see, forcing me to make better choices.
Finally, 3) I will not be afraid of the Dalek on my desk.
It's just a wind-up Dalek. It can't exterminate me.
I don't think so, anyway.
Better put a box over it just in case...
I'll cut air holes in the box.
I think "Tangled" is the cutest Princess movie ever.

Safe to say...

2012-01-01T22:00:00.001-07:00

...a game of Pirate's Cove is a good way to bring in the New Year...with parrots. ;)

I don't have a lot to say about 2011...

2011-12-31T20:06:00.002-07:00

...other than it existed.

The best thing that happened all year?

I went to Chicago in September for a cousin's memorial service and while I was gone, Face adopted a tortoiseshell. Polly is a great cat, right Krystal?

Happy New Year from the BattleCats! >^^<

HackMaster Fortune

2011-12-27T23:05:00.001-07:00

The gem was for pretending to be Batman interviewing for a quiet, beating-free desk job. ;) --Toastmasters

Polly and the Dalek

2011-12-25T22:30:00.001-07:00

K, I'm done now. ;)

New Doctor Who Spinoff?

2011-12-25T22:22:00.001-07:00

Duke and the Dalek ;)

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:54:00.001-07:00

Face gave me a Strongbox of Doom!

Last Sunday...

2011-12-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

...I did two things: I introduced a lot of original NPCs and I skipped dinner.

NPCs (non player characters) are an issue for me thanks to a GM I used to game with. He ran a lot of them, plus a few GM PCs (Game Master player characters and let us never speak of that again), and seemed more involved with their stories than the one he was supposed to be telling with the actual PCs. We'd sit there for twenty minutes at a time, munching snacks, stacking dice, or drawing on our characters sheets, waiting for a chance for us to join the action. Meanwhile, the GM carried on involved conversations with himself between two or more of his NPCs and/or GM PCs. After a while, it was sort of comical.

Not my style. ;)

I think the story belongs to the players, too--they are the ones moving it. They decide what to do. It isn't fair to have a gang of powerful NPCs around making all of the choices. When I introduce one in a role greater than that of the local innkeeper, I'm reminded of that GM.

Because of him, I tend to "under-role-play." (Is that a thing?) I don't want to develop my NPCs so much that I lose sight of what is really important.

I have three NPCs in the game at the moment. It was kind of a necessity since the group decided to join a caravan for the trip to Cosolen. I wanted to play out the trip, so I had to create a caravan. This is the perfect opportunity to run through one or more of the scenarios I came up with in my NaNoWriMo novel. At the same time I'm stoked to have my original characters running around, I'm mindful of the dangers. I'm not going to be that guy, standing at the head of the table talking to myself for twenty minutes while my players eat chips... ^^

They can't eat chips anyway because we banned food...leading to the skipped dinner. Going to bed with a growling stomach is a pretty good indication something went wrong. I skipped dinner because I did not want to deal with something that needs to be addressed.

I don't game with that GM anymore because I did not address my problems in his campaign--including the thespian NPCs--the way I should have. I avoided it, talked around it, and let it blow up into a thing. (That was a thing, trust me.) Talking things out is usually best...just not among NPCs alone...for twenty minutes...while the players struggle to stay awake. ;)

HackMaster Fortunes

2011-12-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Imagine the numbers on the fortune are your attack rolls...

Fortunes

2011-12-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

These were also posted on Twitter ;) Face wrote the two fortunes in red ink.

Caravan Duty

2011-12-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

The party has hired on with a caravan, destination Cosolen.

Random thought...

2011-12-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

I don't think the answer to promoting HackMaster will be found in prepackaged PDF adventures, quick start rules, or color coded dice. The responsibility is with the GMs to figure out a way to bring the game to as many people as possible, by what ever method that GM is skilled at.

By the way, read my blog.

2011-12-16T22:03:00.001-07:00

I could stay up, but there is no point in being tired at a flash mob. :P

2011-12-15T23:38:00.001-07:00

Wow, 2000+ words on my "other" story today! I have a skill... I wish I was that good at Christmas. I think I'm giving disappointing gifts.

Pointy it's Cold Outside...

2011-12-13T22:14:00.001-07:00

Edit: Look--I made time! (Maybe I'm a Time Lord...)

2011-12-12T22:35:00.001-07:00

See? I just wrote a Christmas song. ;)

2011-12-12T22:32:00.001-07:00

1. Presents, 2. Tree, 3. Santa, 4. Snow, 5. Pie. Mmmmm. Pie.

2011-12-12T22:28:00.003-07:00

Have you noticed that many Christmas songs are simply lists of the holiday's attributes?

2011-12-12T22:28:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow's Toastmasters meeting theme is "Baby it's Cold Outside." I have a relevant comic to post if I make the time. ;)

Amber's candle

2011-12-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

A little soy candle we bought on a trip to Iowa.

We paused the game...

2011-12-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

...to light a candle in memory of Amber Blackburn. Today would have been her birthday.

I wanted to blog about this earlier today and then time got away from me. (Figures.) Go to www.compassionatefriends.org to learn about the Worldwide Candle Lighting and sign a remembrance book if you like.

Happy Birthday to Amber, who loved Superman and Walker, playing games on her Wii, and laughing with her family and friends. We miss you.

Lists: Gaming Guest

2011-12-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

Edit: My blog is a constant work in progress as I figure out what I want it to be. I don't want to give advice about gaming, so every time I create a longer post, I wake up the next morning thinking "I can't believe I posted that I'm such a jerk everyone is going to be so disappointed in me I have to delete it." And yes, I think in run-on sentences just like that. ^^

I'm revising my list. :)

Sugar 'n Dice did a podcast about manners a few months ago. And I think it needs repeating now and then. We all make mistakes. Since this subject derails into a rant pretty quick, I'm going to make a list. I'm also going to point out the items I'm guilty of to be fair.

1. Say "please."

2. Say "thank you."

Wow, I forget these all the time. Do you? It's possible to get so comfortable with friends and family that one forgets to acknowledge their hard work. I have to remind myself "thank the host thank the host..." This is tough for a shy girl like me. ;)

3. Offer to help.

HackMaster has a proficiency called Laborer. It costs 1 building point and allows the PC to contribute to a group task without getting in the way. If it seems weird to charge a BP to do this, understand that in real life, I do not have this proficiency. Instead I took the proficiency Get in the Way as Often as Possible. My man-hands and clunky elbows are a nightmare in the kitchen. The best way for me to help is to sit quietly in the farthest corner and hope no one trips over me. I often forget to offer to help since I usually can't, but the offer is still there.

4. Clean up after yourself.

You know what I'm super-skilled at? Setting my backpack down where Face can trip over it. I'm also really good at staring into space while somebody stands behind me yelling "CAROLYN! MOVE!" This one is about remembering to take up a little bit of space...instead of ALL the space. And when I spill my food all over the table, I clean it up. I even keep a rag in my GM kit, I'm that much of a slob.

5. Chew with your mouth closed.

Ever catch yourself talking and sharing what you're chewing at the same time?

6. The snacks are for everyone. Share with the rest of the group.

7. Put away the laptop.

I'm conflicted over tech at the table. I use the iPad since it is easy to flip between source material in iBooks so I feel like a hypocrite if I tell the rest of the table to put the tech away. Playing Angry Birds in the middle of combat is uncool in my OZ, though, so I've been known to bitch over it. I'm old school in that I want to draw the maps, use physical minis, and not deal with the distraction of the internet.

8. Pay attention.

9. Don't mooch.

10. Be a good sport.

"So your PC has died. Don't cry, roll another. Such is HackMaster." A friend of mine had this quoted in his signature line a long time ago. I don't know who originally posted it. It speaks for itself.

That's my list. Take it or leave it. The point is to find a place where everyone in the group, including the host, has fun at the game. If that isn't the case, don't be scared to make the needed changes.

Up until now, our group started the night with dinner. We decided that has to end because it is a distraction and not all of the group members are participating in the work. I have to say I haven't helped very much (see Laborer above). We think eating before going to the game will give us more time to play, translating into more fun for all. Unfortunately, that means no more M&Ms at the table. Hint: M&Ms double as good last minute PCs and monster tokens.

It isn't easy to give up the snacks, but it will mean not consuming a bunch of unnecessary calories while sitting around the table. And we will have more game time. Don't be afraid to face the tough stuff--it will lead to a better game. ;)

Okay, that's my advice for the night. Now, back to the regularly scheduled whimsy! >^^<

Edit: OMG, I'm such a chicken. I'm not facing the tough stuff AT ALL. ^^

A-Team Van!

2011-12-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

Let's flip a jeep to celebrate!

Dusk of the Dead

2011-12-04T22:43:00.001-07:00

Stop reading now if you are about to play or want to play "Dusk of the Dead." GMs, read on:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Our HackMaster group officially completed the adventure "Dusk of the Dead" tonight. Total casualties were minimal. The cleric almost died early on and spent several sessions comatose while the remaining three party members took on the zombie menace. The rogue (bookseller) was the sole casualty, dying in the second-to-last battle. Overall, the group did very well and there were no tears. :D

I have mixed feelings regarding writing about a published adventure in case someone reading this wants to play sometime. "Dusk of the Dead" is available here. I recommend it for a great scary story, ease of use, and some amazing maps.

It's available as a PDF. I ran the adventure entirely from my iPad. It was easy to switch from one map to the other. I did not need to flip pages. All I had to do was touch a room on the main map and I was immediately taken to the proper room description in the text. This is one case where I can get behind using tech for gaming. I'm spoiled now. I want to use the iPad for everything. :)

I noticed I made fewer mistakes this time. In fact, I only recall one. I let three zombies out of a room they should not have been able to leave, depriving my players of a good scare when they opened that door. They still fought the zombies, just not where they were supposed to. As far as my mistakes go, its minimal and I'm certain it had to do with how easy it was to run this adventure from the iPad.

I'm sure at least one of my players will have a write-up of the action, but I have to give a shout-out to Jamie for providing the quote of the campaign. Early on, when her cleric was attacked by the zombies and going down fighting, she refused the initial offers of help from the fighters by saying, "I'm in a healthy place." That's something of an overstatement when two zombies are chowing down on your neck. ;) I have a feeling "I'm in a healthy place" will join "Suck it (insert monster type here)!" as one of our favorite group sayings.

Good job, team. On to the next adventure...

The Sugar 'n Dice Ridiculously Easy December Reading Challenge

2011-12-03T18:02:00.001-07:00

Remember the last time you got into a big fight with your friends over the definition of "well-read?" It casts a shadow over an End of NaNoWriMo celebratory dinner, that's for sure. ;)

I Googled a definition. According to the search results, it is possible to be well-read in a specific subject, like oceanography, zombies, or zombie oceanographers. To be generally well-read, the World English Dictionary said one has read "widely and intelligently, erudite." That I had to Google a definition of erudite probably means I cannot call myself that, but I may have a new Word of the Day for Toastmasters: "Having or showing great knowledge or learning."

Uh, no.

In order to prevent further arguments regarding who is well-read, who isn't, and by what definition, here is the unofficial and ridiculously easy Sugar 'n Dice book challenge. I decided I wanted to read another book by Neil Gaiman since I totally loved Neverwhere. In December, I'm going to read American Gods. The ridiculously easy book challenge is to read a damn book already. Twitter and Facebook don't count. ;) This isn't a book club. I'm not going to hold discussions or anything. And no one has to read the same book I read. During the well-read-fight, there may have been a decision made for everyone to read a Neil Gaiman book of her choice, however there was beer so I can't be sure. ;)

Join me in reading a book by Neil Gaiman this December or don't. If I become more well-read than you, don't come crying to my suddenly erudite blog. >^^<

To make this post HackMaster related, I'll add that well-read GMs write better adventures. ;)

I'm 5-0!

2011-11-30T21:31:00.001-07:00

And this year I FINISHED THE STORY!

It's the worst thing I have ever written and also the best because it is complete. I learned a lot this time around. :)

2011-11-28T23:23:00.001-07:00

The ending will be unexpected, as most role playing game sessions are. :)

2011-11-28T23:20:00.001-07:00

Three goals in 2011: Finish early, base a HackMaster adventure on the novel, and complete the story. Have yet to complete the story.

2011-11-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

Not done yet, either. ;)

2011-11-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

Aw. Twitter won't let me tell anyone I hit 50k words. Because I hit 50k words!!

Siri told me to write a Christmas wish list...

2011-11-25T00:07:00.001-07:00

...and I haven't done this since I was a kid so it was fun. You'll have to imagine it written in crayon.*

Lucky cats
Sharpie pens
Pillow pets (especially the Chicago Bear!)
Captain Morgan or Kraken Rum
A bottle of Crown Royal with the velvet dice bag ;)
My Little Pony toys from “Friendship is Magic!” (I have Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. Need the rest!)
Lindt Truffles
Dice
Dice
Dice
Toastmasters manuals (hey, I gotta finish that CC somedayand when I do…)
A “New Brand” Toastmasters pin
iTunes gift cards
Kindle Fire!
PHOTOSHOP (@$!# yes! I want to create cool things, just likeJolly!)
Dice
Dice
Dice
Lego Millennium Falcon
All of the Doctor Who merchandise available at ThinkGeek.com.All of it, including the coat and the little Dalek that runs around the desk.EXTERMINATE!
Arm warmers
Texting gloves
Merrill boots
Delta tickets to Origins 2012 ;)

*Except for the rum. I never wished for rum when I was a kid. :)

Dice of the Day

2011-11-20T23:08:00.001-07:00

What 1d4p can look like.

Dice of the Day

2011-11-15T22:02:00.001-07:00

D20s that look like candy? That is what they remind me of. These came from the Chessex "discontinued colors" bin at Origins 2010.

Die of the Day

2011-11-14T22:26:00.001-07:00

A pretty d20. One side is blue--the 13. Lucky 13!

Dice of the Day

2011-11-13T23:19:00.001-07:00

Two d20s from my GM arsenal.

Dice of the Day...

2011-11-12T20:46:00.001-07:00

d20p
Grey kitty and...um, Gundam Death Scythe...thank you for stopping by the blog today!

Dice of the Day

2011-11-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

My latest Play by Email damage roll.
Riveting, isn't it?

Siri told me to take a picture of a die...

2011-11-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

...so here is 1d6 and a Lego Dwarf. :)

My contribution to the blogosphere today...

2011-11-08T23:58:00.002-07:00

...is to link to this post on Not-so-Random Musings, which explains why I've been absent from the blogokingdom... :)

Our Toastmasters club is developing a blog and I'm crossing my fingers that they go with Blogger. Of course Wordpress is the preferred stuff to use for blogging...but I'm not into software that requires near-constant updates to work properly. *sigh* Yes, I'm an AT&T iPhone toting Blogger fan. From what I gather, this is bad. (I'd be less evil if I had a Verizon iPhone.)

What is so bad about wanting some things that...just work without having to put hours into them? I'd rather be writing or...taking pictures of dice (which I've totally slacked off on) than trying to figure out why my site stopped working or why my smartphone is acting weird.

/rant.

I'm staring at the computer wishing I did not have to go back to work in the morning.

A little box from Apple...

2011-11-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

...arrived at my door just now. Posting it here because my Apple fandom gets me in trouble everywhere else. :)

iPhone is for me, but check out Motorola's new RAZR if you like Droids.

If you read this blog...

2011-11-02T10:51:00.000-06:00

...you know I have a "thing" for the roleplaying game HackMaster. It might even be included in the name of the blog...unless I'm referring to being a horrible writer. Side story: I had a professor once that insisted the "Hack" in my title meant...I was one. Wow, way to inspire. He was upset because I did not write an angst-filled short story about family dysfunction. I wanted to write an angst-filled short story about family dysfunction inflamed by endless orc attacks. We did not see eye-to-eye about great literature. ;)

If you read this blog and have yet to invest in the game, allow me to share this link to a special offer available this week only at Kenzerco.com. Buy the Hacklopedia of Beasts this week and get your choice of HackMaster Basic or Frandor's Keep free!

This is an awesome time to get the greatest monster book ever! It is filled with creepy, crawly, stabby, fangy, fuzzy, slimy critters begging to participate in angst-filled short stories about the family dysfunction that arises when the favorite child is eaten by bugbears.

2011-11-02T00:41:00.001-06:00

Yech. What was that? Why did I feel like death all day?? Couldn't even enjoy a beer with the Toastmasters!

NaNoHackMo ^^

2011-10-31T23:28:00.001-06:00

In order to deal with some personal stuff, I took a week off from work. As it happens, this week coincides with the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. I'm giving a speech about it at the Toastmasters meeting tomorrow night, so I guess I'd better write that. :)I get to wear arm warmers for my speech. I get to because I decided to. The great thing about Toastmasters is how creative it is. ^^That's the great thing about NaNoWriMo, too. I get to be creative. First off, this means shutting off the voice in my head that says "you suck."And critting it.And shutting it in a dungeon.And leaving it there for a month.My novel is set in the HackMaster world of Tellene, so I'm nicknaming this venture NaNoHackMo. :) And we start in 30 minutes...

2011-10-31T00:08:00.001-06:00

Don't think I'll have time for my last two Picture a Day posts before NaNoWriMo kicks off, but I really want to do the last one: the cover.

A Picture a Day: Shelter...

2011-10-28T22:49:00.001-06:00

...and a trap. The arrows are part of the trap. If I reveal any more, I'd be a bad GM. ;)

2011-10-28T00:07:00.001-06:00

I drew my Picture a Day post for today...and had no time to color it. Seems wrong not to. It will be up in the next 24 hours. ;)

New video from The Irresponsibles!

2011-10-26T22:29:00.001-06:00

A Picture a Day: 3 in 1!

2011-10-25T22:42:00.001-06:00

A toy, a holy symbol, and the contents of a rucksack.

Edit: This belongs to one of my main characters.

The toy is Mr. Blades, a stuffed dragon.
The holy symbol is small and attached to the rucksack--the symbol of the Caregiver.
The contents of the rucksack include a few silver pieces, a scroll, a mug, and a sketch of the character's best friend that she hated, but he liked and kept.
The remaining contents will be revealed...later. :)

HackMaster Fortunes!

2011-10-25T19:32:00.001-06:00

Luck Points

2011-10-24T21:45:00.001-06:00

Picture(s) a Day coming soon! I have to work early in the morning, so none tonight. Next two should be fun--a toy and a religious relic/icon.

2011-10-23T21:47:00.001-06:00

A GM has to make the tough calls. Tonight's question: Do female dwarf fighters wear bras? ^^

A Picture a Day

2011-10-23T14:14:00.001-06:00

A meal: breakfast! She grabbed some fresh bread on her way outside to watch the royal guard practice combat maneuvers.

A Picture a Day

2011-10-23T00:12:00.001-06:00

A sidekick. I chose animal companion--wolf! Just felt like drawing a wolf...

A Picture a Day: Catching up...

2011-10-21T21:24:00.001-06:00

An NPC or supporting character: Dr. Ember Lee Sunwing.

Let's do this thing...

2011-10-21T00:25:00.002-06:00

I'm in a bad mood this November. That's serious, considering it isn't even November yet.

I'm in a bad mood this October. The world is stupid. I'm rage quitting the world because clearly, Magic has gotten too competitive. Just the other night I heard that the game of Tag (as in "you're it!") has a second edition. WTF? That's it, I can't take it anymore.

I'm going to spend November the same way I always do, writing 50,000 words and working too much. I'm attacking the project in a slightly different way this year. I decided to put a couple of my favorite characters in the Kalamar setting and let them run around for a while in the hope that by the end of November, I will have one or two HackMaster adventures and a better understanding of the campaign world. :) That's the plan tonight. It is a plan motivated by blinding rage at someone over something I can't talk about. :( Hence the bad mood in November.

That's the plan...as of now. There is plenty of time for it to get totally upended by my overactive imagination.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to rage quite blogging for today and go to bed.

It's morning already?

Damn.

Edit: Hoody Hoo! This is my 1000th post!!!!!!!!!!!!! I un-rage quit!

A Picture a Day

2011-10-20T23:42:00.001-06:00

An outfit 2: possible uniform for my main character. After much consideration, I believe I have a plan for NaNoWriMo.

A Picture a Day

2011-10-19T23:41:00.001-06:00

An outfit: Women were temporarily banned from being starship captains in a treaty with the Gorn after Captain Cynthia Bennett of the USS Excalibur showed off her latest honor token.

A Picture a Day

2011-10-19T23:08:00.000-06:00

Something beautiful: a silver dress. (An item from my Gundam Wing fan fic.)

2011-10-17T21:58:00.001-06:00

I love my iPhone...even if everyone else thinks its dumb not to have a Droid.

A Picture a Day (Catching Up)

2011-10-17T21:55:00.001-06:00

An animal. If Rapunzel was a kitteh...

2011-10-13T12:49:00.001-06:00

I think I can catch up on my A Picture a Day Month this evening!!

2011-10-12T09:44:00.001-06:00

Is it wrong that I really want an iPhone 4S so I can talk to Siri?

2011-10-11T23:02:00.001-06:00

If I'm ever at home and awake at the same time again, I might even vacuum the office.

2011-10-11T23:01:00.001-06:00

I'm so far behind with my Picture a Day Month that I'm actually embarrassed. Wait for it--I will have a monster update soon. ;)

2011-10-09T17:16:00.001-06:00

Does anyone in Star Wars have a college education?

No unicorn!

2011-10-07T22:16:00.000-06:00

2011-10-06T22:17:00.001-06:00

It's just like NaNoWriMo...some days are more productive than others. It gives me extra time to think of what to draw.

2011-10-06T22:16:00.001-06:00

We're in Seattle...! And I haven't drawn anything. With luck, I'll have a little downtime to catch up soon.

2011-10-05T22:29:00.001-06:00

I've never been to a con without Face. :(

2011-10-05T22:28:00.001-06:00

I'm sorry. No picture today. There wasn't enough time to draw after packing for Geek Girl Con. I'll double up with tomorrow's pic. :)

A Picture a Day 4

2011-10-04T22:47:00.001-06:00

A room.

The very simple, very empty apartment in my current story. The characters aren't home much. ;)

A Picture a Day 3

2011-10-03T22:43:00.001-06:00

Weather.

The mad scientist in the mountains has a weather machine!

When will my reader(s) notice...

2011-10-03T00:09:00.001-06:00

...I have turned the Comments back on?

Huh? Sorry, I was reading the Hacklopedia of Beasts...

A pic a day: blog only bonus!

2011-10-02T23:44:00.001-06:00

I drew them at work. Don't tell!

Two fan fic characters, one original, one not. ;)

Lara is old school ThunderCats. :) I invented her because I liked the character designs and wanted to make up my own ThunderCat. That's not weird, is it? I was a kid when I did it, if that matters at all. Don't judge me. ;)

And Noin...

I've finally come to the conclusion that some stories will not leave you alone. It's impossible to choose which ones they will be. I got Gundam Wing, among others. I suspect it is the combination of space adventure/giant robots/powerful nobility that interested me. Meh, what can ya do?

I'm so moving to Mars when this is all over...

A Picture A Day 2

2011-10-02T23:39:00.000-06:00

A main character: Rapunzel in her tower, surrounded by zombies. ;)