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Showing posts from April, 2007

On the matter of Faith

Mass Combat System . I haven't played a war game before. I've seen it played and it looks slow. I've seen it go fast a time or two, but its still too rare. RPG skirmishes can be fast, it really depends on the GM. I got some practice in my failed Epic FR game. It was an experience that slowly brought me to wanting to do historical medieval/ancient warfare. Mom Bought me some cheap chess piece sets. 5 sets, enough to make a small army and some military exercises with it. Now that I think of it, I should have asked for 10. I remember drawings of Kriegspiel used chess pieces to represent units. I don't exactly know by how it worked but chess pieces seem to make the most sense if I'm to use ambiguous units. I really want to play wargames but its really beyond my budget. I find myself staring at the hobby and comic stores, feeling much the same way I felt when i was a kid. Wondering, if I'll ever make enough of my own money to afford it down the list of my prior

Some Good news

Liver . Acc to the Doctor, is a flaring affect. I guess its cause the medicine is supposed to be 50% stronger. I need to take another text, about a month after. I guess its supposed to go down by then. Fighters . Both DnD and WoW nerf fighters, its strange that as history becomes fantasy. the most important profession that shaped nations became the most nerfed and the most taken for granted. When history is full of tales about warriors overcomming odds, the new Fighting is a difficult profession, being good at it is a JOB. People don't have time to do anything else but practice, train or look for teachers, equipment and patrons. If they were going to make fantasy versions of warriors, it would be better to make sure that their abilities are not eclipsed by classes that can gain power more easily, despite how they started out.

Dinner with the Folks

Thomas . Thanks for the concern. Well, its a great start despite your directorial concerns :D Ironic . is it when I have players, I'll be back in the states for 60 to 120 days!!! WTF please not 120 days... not even 60 days. Just a week if god permits :((

Bad Results?!?

My SGPT(Alt) . it was usually 200s to 300s. The most I remember was 275 and one of my lowest is 130s. I know its not directly related to my hepa, it gives a good idea if somethings wrong. Could this mean that my hepa is resisting my meds? WTF? Maybe I'll have to take the injections pretty soon after I come back from the states. Damn, it :(. I noticed that most of my work got done before the meds came into the picture... but still i'm trying to get out of that Mindset.

Power's Out

No power in the condo . So i'm forced to do my work in public-ish. Planning to draw in the mall instead. Ugg... maybe just find a corner where no one will bother me. what i have to say about magical items in DnD . " ...And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that *everyone* can have powers. *Everyone* can be Super! And when everyone's Super... no one will be. " - Syndrome from the Incredibles Its just being decked out in magical finery, can make magic a bit over rated. In fact, why not just play a Modern Game?!? Chainmail shirt +4, thats the new Dragonscale armor being developed. Mithril? that titanium. Spider Silk, Thats Kevlar! Forget Swords and Sorcery. Want the power to level buildings, be a demo expert. Want the power to rain down "fire" on your foes, be an artillerist. Want all the power to command all these various powers, be a Politician with a Propaganda. All it really takes, is just spinning it differently. See

Back to Basics.

Just brushing up on some basics. Salvaging the German drawing and honing some backgrounding skills. News . Arj will be back on the 18th of may. Congrats . Congrats Kathy and Thomas, hope things turn out well and best wishes.

Game Inpired

Inspiration . I'm sure everyone would be sick by now of me raving about mount and blade. Anyway here goes another one. One of my favorite moments in the game is when I'm facing impossible odds and when i'm on the rescue. Dark Knights are master horsemen (in GURPS terms Ride-17!) all armed with the games best armor. Each knight is worth a squadron of other knights to support (1 knight would be paid around 30s these guys cost 150+ each). I saved the game (in realistic mode, there is no take backs, thus its auto saves even when you make mistakes, this is a hard game). I am right now the only force facing 68 of them. All my men are wounded and down. but thanks to Spirited Charger these horsemen are scrambling to get me. The peasants i'm rescuing may have some use, I keep the main force occupied the peasants will try to ambush a knight or two every engagement. While they chased me, I would fire into the fray of steel and earth shaking hooves, and make (this is at night with

Getting stuff aired out

Leaving for Jersey . Even if my mom relented, my dad won't let it go. I have to go back to jersey. Funny that I'll be in time for Mark Almanzor's wedding. Folks came over this sunday and we were tired saying no. I know their side, its just they have to understand ourside as well: we know better what will make us happy. Charles . yeah, i guess. Aesthetic is what makes the money. I can't get a job on my knowledge of history (especially since i have no degree in it). Old Man . There was this iconic old man in tiendesita, when chat and I went there to buy some fruits. He was asking very casual and wore a walking stick and a rattan hat shaped kind'a like peter pan's cap. He asked me what province I am from. I told him my mom's from Ilo-ilo. He asked me then if I know what it meant. It came from Irong Irong, a bastardization bec. of the chinese accent of the time. He was pretty impressed. i was impressed that he'd ask such questions. I wish I had my notebook (

Computer Woes

hanged twice . and I don't even have internet on my work computer. :( and I had to redo my german :(( i'm conflicted by aesthetics vs. realism=. Its hard to make a compromise with the two and figuring out how to make it looks cool to a modern audience and still keep the respect of history buffs :( thomas . I'll see, Henry is playing it in the Xbox, kinda got me interested but I have enough distractions already. In mount and blade I'm pretty kick ass (and this is a game where its player skill more than character skill) so I'm pretty content in the field of computer game recreations.

Don;t go blaming the game

Thomas . Thanks man :) its not long now, august is not so far away. Good luck man :D Shooting . Just before someone starts screaming videogames again. I'd just want to say that the whole world plays violent video games. Heck, look at china, korea, and japan but you don't see them go columbine.

Its too damn hot :(

Its F*cking hot . Its been so hot lately, it can be bad for my health (hygiene specifically). Work . Got on the byzantine comic. Worked at it till work was the only thing on my mind to a point of thinking about anything else hurt. It annoys my wife when I'm at my concentration lock. I can't think of anything else and it hurts to think of anything else. Its hard to come out of it, short of doing something terribly unproductive like playing computer. Its hard to get that single minded mindset to have a piece of work done. Even if I'm exhausted, the thought just keeps cycling through. Despite how helpful it is to my work, it devestates my social life. It makes me irritable and unreasonable. Its one of those ironic trade offs the big G has all off us. If i work really hard, I become an asshole, it I slack around I'm a nice guy. The thing is, I want to work and nice guy can't put food on the table or amount to much. Anyway... Lessons . The artist that teaches

Rest day

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Ravenloft . Hopefully running a Ravenloft game tomorrow... no wait just got the text that i only have 1 player left. Was actually hoping to run it using GURPs ideally. Wanted to make good use of the fear and social set rules. I've been reading them again and again and I'm not surprised when people why people overlook them. Its interesting how it works and how simple it is and yet how effective the rules are. In a realistic game social is one of the 3 challenges you face. One is combat and the other fast critical thinking. Anyway, i might as well visit nico and the guys in glorietta. Just to say hi, since i havent seen them since the wedding. Well, I know when nico comes back i certainly have some players for my games, finally.

Horses and Art.

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3rd revision . I've gone through a 3 revisions in this drawing I'm working on. NOthing seems to work, but still soldiering on. I'm in a Byzantine Mood right now but I have to finish this 1 such drawing. Its more of an exercise for coloring. Splurged . Chat bought me a book to help me draw horses. We considered it a bday gift since we didn't get anything and the need/want came up.

Shadows over mystara

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Memories . :) never had enough tokens to finish this game. now i have the chance :). Still gming would be great. I asked nico if he knows any players who could use a gm. I think thats my best bet :P

Ravenloft: GURPS or D20

Ravenloft : Berserk is inspiring and the setting of ravenloft so fits the genre. Its just demographic wise, they could've upped the scale. Adding depth to Vlad Drakov is fun and fleshing him out as a 3 dimensional character more so. The problem with flad is the redundancy with the Count Strad. I moving away from the Vlad Teppes concept and moving to a tragic figure that would be more perfect for the role: Ivan the Terrible . A tragic figure that has a lot more research material available about him and not over shrouded with the myth of Dracula. Ivan the Terrible is also my inspiration for Nikolas Balthazar, in my setting of EAS. The game is set in 751 in the setting timeline. Azalin has died and Vlad has eyes to the domain of the Wizard King. As a historical game nut, i have very low powered stuff and emphasizing on the social impact of certain abilities. Peasants crying "witch! WITCH!" and Inquisitors of the Eternal Order racing to burn those who don't follow the fai

Why so long?

Getting Into Settings . I think I have the merit to be called curious. Anyway, I have so many things distracting me. I've gotten a bit into Warhammer 40k, Then there is D20 Modern, Kindling my old Ravenloft flame, Drawing several comics, and my usual pursuits. Ravenloft . Makes a great GURPS game, especially since the setting is Low Powered and the focus is very different compared to your usual DnD. As a horror setting, there is a tendency to be gritty and realistic. Right now I've begun some work on detailing the setting. My interest peaked especially since this Setting Parallels with alot of elements in Berserk. Warhammer 40k, Traveler: Interstellar Wars, Fading Suns . Notice something in common? Basically the same elements but done with different flavor. Two are Gothic and leans on Fantasy and the other Sci Fi. I'm resigned not to use GURPS for Sci-Fi settings. Too much to keep track of. Its just a big head ache and escalating. GURPS Byzantine . Finished the basic sketch