Simple DND

As I was browsing the internet the last few days I stumbled on to the Simple DND blog during my journeys. The tagline, "Reviving old D&D with a modern twist", really does a great job of explaining the effort in a nutshell.  If you like simpler rules or just want to check out an interesting take on the rules then visit the site.

A Dilemna...

The fiercest of enemies to all things electronic, my 5 year old son, has put me in the market for a new laptop screen.  It seems everything works and all documents are there but there is an obvious crack down the middle of the screen and streaks running across it also.  My posting may be a little sporadic temporarily until I get a new laptop, netbook, or replace the screen.  I just tested out the mobile email blogging feature and it seems to work fine.  I can use the laptop of my better half but I am not going to tie hers up for hours while I type, revise, type, etc. until the post feels "just right".  Rest assured, faithful readers, I am still hear but I am experiencing a minor setback. 

Test

Testing out the mobile email blog posting feature.

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edit - replaced listing with posting - damn you, autocorrect.
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Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T

On Writing and 2012 Goals

Well, well, well...this is post number one hundred on this blog.  I reached this point much quicker than I initially believed I would.  I know I speculated in my first post that I would probably post just once or maybe twice a week.  I guess I did not stick to that schedule but that is a good thing.  I enjoy writing and doing it about subjects that I am interested in makes it even better.  The fact that writing is something I enjoy was not always the case.  There was a time when writing was not enjoyable for me at all.  

It seems I have always been able to write once I got going.  When I say, "once I got going", I mean it used to be quite a struggle just to get started on a writing project.  I could come up with vague ideas that I would be highly interested in expanding but I just could not pull the trigger.  This all changed during my freshman year of high school.  The English class that year also included a creative writing notebook that we turned in to the teacher every so often.  I was not real excited about this but it was not part of the grade and all of the freshman English teachers had it in their class so I just figured it was something else to muscle through.

One of the things we were required to do with that notebook was write for 20 minutes after looking at a picture in the front of the class.  The picture could be anything chosen by the teacher and all of us had to write about the same picture.  I did not like being forced to write and I especially did not like to write about something of my choosing.  Then I saw the picture we were required to write about and that changed everything.

On the chalkboard at the front of the class was the inspirational picture; it seemed "normal" enough.  There was a car on the side of an empty road, a family outside of the car, and a police officer speaking to them.  The whole group was standing by the rear of the vehicle with the trunk closed.  My first thoughts were about my lack of enthusiasm over this mundane scene were were required to write about for 20 minutes.  As my dissatisfaction grew, I suddenly knew what I was to do.  If the teacher was going to make me write then I was going to make the teacher read something that she would not like.

I weaved a tale about a a rental car that the parents had picked up.  Actually, there had been a problem with their reserved car and the rental place let them  use this other car but they had to take it right at that moment.  They had gotten pulled over because the car matched the description of a car used by a serial killer that was on the loose.  The cop had asked them to open the trunk and there was a boat load of money and a body inside!  Put simply, my story was over the top and I knew it.  I turned it in at the end of class with the satisfaction that I had showed her (the teacher) what would happen every time she asked us to write.

This continued all year long.  She would put a picture on the chalkboard and I would come up with some outlandish story to go along with it.  I was - and still am - an 80s slasher movie fan so there was plenty of that type of stuff plus aliens, leprechauns, and all sorts other strangeness.  I expected her to say something but she never did.  At the end of the year it was revealed that the creative writing notebooks were a part of our grade but not in the traditional sense.  If any of us were in the position where we were close to the next higher grade for the class then the notebook would come into play.  Basically, if you participated then you would be considered for the higher grade but if you did not participate then you could forget about it.  That is how I finally "got it" when it comes to writing.

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What was the purpose of all of that and how does it relate to role playing games?  The purpose was to do something different for post 100 and look back at how I started writing.  I have written a lot of stuff since that time.  I definitely know that writing is a skill that needs to be trained.  Some people have a natural gift for it and others have to train on it pretty intensely to get some results.  I seem to be at a comfortable spot on writing.  I can generally come up with an idea and just run it through my head for a bit and then start writing.  I make no claims of grandeur or expertise, just that I am comfortable with writing.

The second part of the question was how does this relate to role playing games?  The most direct connection is that I happen to write about role playing games in this blog.  Some of the subjects - presented in no particular order - that I plan to write about in 2012 include:

1. Complete my read through and do an actual play report over Perilous Journeys.
2. Participate in the A to Z April Challenge.
3. Continued development of the 2D6 role playing system.
4. Complete my read through and do an actual play report over Adventures in Fantasy.
5. Actual play report over Far Trek.
6. Continued development of the games from The Old Gaming Notebook.
7. Continued development of my campaign world.
8. Assisting Eric at Back to the Dungeon! complete the Classic Fantasy Role Playing Game.
9. A look at any new products I may purchase in the coming year.
10. Miscellaneous jibber jabber.

There is my plan all laid out in a nice, easy to read list.  Of course, we all know how plans change so this is by no means set in stone.  I am sure I forgot to include something on the list and I am also sure that there will be things to grab my attention forcing me to write about them.  Without further delay, I am posting thing and going to catch up on some of the blogs I read.
 

    

Help With W, X, and Y...

I am participating in the A to Z April challenge this year.  The theme for all of my posts is the experiences of my gaming group and 80s gaming; of course, posts with related subjects like movies we watched as a group or video games will also be done.  I have 23 letters of the alphabet pretty much completely planned out ahead of time.  I am having problems with W, X, and Y.  Can anyone that follows this blog give me some words or phrases beginning with those letters to serve as prompts?  Feel free to submit whatever you feel - it may just be the thing that jogs some cobwebs loose and gives me an idea for that post.  Any and all suggestions will be highly appreciated!

I Made Thinker

In the past few days I have had a spike in membership and I would like to thank all of those those have recently joined and those that continue to follow and read this blog.  With my current number of followers at 42, I have moved up to fifth level according to From the Sorcerer's Skull.  I am enjoying the blogosphere tremendously and hope to continue to contribute my little part.  I am basically flying by the seat of my pants on this thing.  There is a little bit of planning - and I do mean very little - to these posts but I do seem to have hit some sort of stride where it is much easier to come up with post topics.  With that being said, I gotta go check out some of YOUR blogs now.

Post Updates & A Blogger vs. Wordpress Question

After a week that was much busier than I hard originally thought, I am now checking up on the blogosphere this morning.  I see that I also have a little bit of catch up to do so this post will serve as an update on several things of mine that need updating.

A - Z Topic

I have decided on a topic for the A-Z challenge in April. I will post about (wait for it) gaming in the 1980's.  I tried brainstorming a few topics and then it hit me a few days ago - I have a role playing blog, I dig the OSR stuff, and I was there in the '80s playing D&D so why not just post about the games and people I was gaming with in the 80's.  

Old Gaming Item - FOUND

I was unsuccessful in locating all of the items I mentioned in the earlier post but I did find one; the rule books from the Dragons of Underearth set from Metagaming. The counters are not there but I know there are plenty of microgame fan sites that have many counters available for download.  I may need to compare Dragons of Underearth against Legends and Other Worlds, who knows?  I will definitely do a read through of Dragons to see if the feeling of missing detail is there like I remember.  The search continues for the other items...

Read Throughs of Adventures in Fantasy & Perilous Journeys

I will continue doing posts about read throughs on Adventures in Fantasy and Perilous Journeys.  I would probably expect PJ to be completed first.  I know I started AiF first BUT it seems somewhat irritating and confusing to read in some (many?) spots.  Never fear, I will continue.

Wordpress

I have no desire to change blog sites because I have had very few minor problems here.  With that being said, It seems that there are several blogs that have moved from Blogger to Wordpress but I have not noticed any blogs that have moved from Wordpress to Blogger.  I admit that I have not been actively searching for such sites.  I am just curious about hearing the opinions of others on this topic.  Is Wordpress "better"?  Is Blogger a big hassle?

Insomnia Induced Rambling

My original plan was to do a post about the professions and guild system in Perilous Journeys today but that has changed after a bout of insomnia AND my 5 year old absolutely not sleeping steady at all last night.  I am posting some gaming related thoughts instead; some will relate to this blog and some will be related to just gaming in general. 

D&D Online: During my insomnia I noticed that the client for D&D Online had finished downloading.  I had wanted to try it so I did the final install and got the game up and running.  It isn't completely terrible BUT the only reason I tried it is because it is free to play now.  Don't be fooled, though, because only SOME of the options (this includes basic choices such as races or classes) are free and others have to be paid for.  I wasted a few hours on it but I would rather be playing real D&D or something like Diablo, Ultima, etc.   

The new Conan film: I saw it recently thanks to the redbox.  I enjoy the Howard stories the best but do realize that some of the pastiche work is worthwhile.  Although the film was nowhere close to authentic Howard I actually enjoyed it as a general fantasy movie. 

Netflix: I have been watching the hell out of some Netflix during the Christmas holiday this year.  I have seen some damn good stuff like The Beast and the True Grit remake.  I have also caught up on some stuff I missed in the original airing like Twin Peaks.  Finally, I have also seen quite a bit of crap to go along with it. 

Dungeon Crawl name change: I have some assorted notes on my blog about the Dungeon Crawl board game that I wanted to design at one point.  I pretty much figured the name was taken but I looked it up on board game geek and it definitely is in use by another product offering a similar play experience.  If I were to continue with the design then I need a new name and that seems to be my dilemna.  Many good names are already taken - Dungeon Crawl and Dungeon Delve (4E book) are just two examples.  I am not always good with naming stuff so this could wind up being a real challenge for me.

Gamer ADD:  I fully admit that I have a problem with taking on too many projects when it comes to gaming.  I don't think it's a bad thing and it seems to be pretty common.  I am just going to try and focus a little more on the completion of several that are important to me. 

Reading: I have surged in my reading lately; probably due to the fact that my employer took two and a half weeks down at Christmas/New Years.  The last book I read in 2011 was Christopher Paolini's Inheritance.  I know he has his fair share of haters out there, but I did enjoy it and thought the ending fit the story.  The first book I will finish reading in 2012 will be Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.  I have tremendously enjoyed it and will pick up more books by Sanderson in the future.  Anybody following this blog have any recommendations for Sanderson's other works?

Enough rambling for now.  Maybe I will get to take a nap soon?

Happy New Year!

Looking back at 2011 and looking forward at 2012, I really do not have profound observations, predictions, or resolutions to make at all.  Thanks to all that follow this blog and I hope you have a great 2012!  Most important, I hope every one out there is in a better situation this next year than they are at the current moment.  With that being said, I do have one thought about the future...

Actual Play 
I do not recall playing any role-playing games in the last year; maybe longer even.  I came back to the hobby with the release of 3E and since then have discovered the OSR movement and I am a fan of several of the games.  That is all well and good but I have not had many opportunities to play recently.  I have some games I would like to play - BFRPG, Mutant Future, Pathfinder, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardy, CFRPG, Dark Dungeons - but I will be completely honest and say that I do not even care what the system is at this point. I just WANT TO PLAY just about any rpg.  I would not even care if it was not face to face, either.  It could be play by post or whatever.  I do not care!  Any suggestions?

I originally intended to include several more "thoughts" in this post BUT I believe this is the most relevant to my enjoyment of the hobby from this point on.

 

I'm Back...

To make a long story really short, I will begin posting ASAP after a real world issue.  I was supposed to do a temporary move so the apartment complex could do a renovation on all of the units and then move back in.  As expected, NOTHING went as planned so I was moved twice and just now got back into my unit.  Then there were issues with my belongings getting delivered from storage.  Without any boring details, I'm back and will resume posting in the next few days,

Guest Post: Ethan (5 years old)

Yes, this is a junk post.  I came in from taking out the trash and my 5 year old was typing away on my netbook.  He said he "wanted to add his words to mine" so here it is - a guest post by my 5 year old.  I'm sure there is some nugget of role-playing wisdom hidden within but I have yet to find it. 

******************** ( Guest Post Below ) *******************

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Help With a Blogger Fix?

This is not a major issue but a minor inconvenience.  I show 33 followers on my dashboard but it only shows 13 followers on my blog home page.  I like to check out the blogs that my followers follow in case I have missed any hidden gems out there.  Does anyone know what I can do to fix it?

Already Tried

• I deleted the gadget and then put it back on.  Still no change. 
• I refreshed the page and that did not help.
• I cleared my cache.

If anybody can help me with this I really appreciate it.  I hate wasting a blog post on this but I just like things "right", if you know what I mean.

At Commentator, Headed for Thinker...

It seems I have had a recent spike in the number of followers.  Specifically, I have doubled in the last two weeks.  According to the ranking system found in these old posts at Cyclopeatron and From the Sorcerer's Skull I am at 4th level.  I'm almost half way to name level :-).

On a serious note, thanks to everyone that joined the blog.  The current college semester ends in a few weeks and things should pick up around here.  If anyone is interested in helping with any of the projects I have mentioned, feel free to speak up.  I always seem to work better with a partner on those sorts of things.

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edit - "bog" should have been "blog" - d'oh!