I Got Bit

Some time in the last week or so I got bit by the writing bug.  I remember some random ideas popping in my head during the work day.  I wrote it down so I could add some detail later.  Then another idea came, followed by another, and then even more.  I seem to write better when I have several projects going at one time.  I can jump to another project instead of being stuck on the only one I am working on at the moment.  Yes, focus is a good thing but I need variety in my writing projects or my output starts to dwindle off pretty bad.  The following projects are currently in development as future posts.

Adventures in Fantasy: I am going to either scan the reference sheets or type up new versions; it depends on whether or not the information in the official sheets is all that useful.  There always seems to be a table or two that really should have replaced with something else in these type of resources.  I am also working on a character sheet for this old game.

Back to the Dungeon RPG: I am working on a supplement to BttDRPG that basically serves a similar purpose as Greyhawk back in the OD&D days.  I am shooting for a 32 page document that will show the house rules and custom mods for my campaign world Toldara.  I am also working on a character sheet for this game.

Old Gaming Notebook: I am starting to develop ideas for expanding on the original ideas and move closer to making complete games out of some of these concepts.

SteamCraft RPG: I have a pdf of this game BUT I am waiting on the hardback to arrive in the mail any day.  I definitely will be doing some posts on this game.  I am enjoying the pdf but I work much better with printed product.  Posts are coming soon,

USR: I completed version 1.0 of the generic character sheet.  I am still writing, testing, & revising the Outbreak RPG book.  I need to come up with another name because I found out there is already a zombie type game by the name of Outbreak - d'oh! I am also working on doing some USR to B/X monster conversions. 

WordPress: I have started experimenting with a blog at WordPress just to see if I am missing anything.  I like to try out several options before deciding on a product and in the case of blogs I did not do that.  If anyone is interested you can check it out at The Old Gamers Notebook to see the contents.  There are only two posts so far and - at least in the early stages - there will be some overlap between old posts here and there; there will be new posts there mixed in wit the old.  This is mainly just an experiment to see what all the free version of WordPress has to offer.  If I like it then I will maintain a separate blog there.  Regardless, this blog you are reading right now is staying and will continue to be developed. Basically, I just need to scratch my writing itch.  If I do not write something when I get the urge then it is probably gone or it will block me from writing most anything.  Writing is something I enjoy and would love to do it professionally but it does not come easy for me and I am not very confident in a lot of it.

There is everything I am writing on at the moment.  Some of it will be regular posts while some of it will make it into the A to Z challenge. Stay tuned...





   

A Little Reorganization Around Here

I have not updated the layout of my blog in a while.  I started to take a look at the page arrangement due to new projects I have committed to complete.  The biggest change at the moment is the arrangement of the tabs at the top of the page.  There was 4 but now there are 5 tabs.  The old Resources & Links tab is gone and has been replaced by two new tabs:

 

Downloads - Links to all of the downloads that I have created or helped to create will be placed in this tab.

 

Various Links - Links to downloadable resources, information, and miscellaneous sites that I enjoy using or visiting from time to time.

Eventually, I am going to add an About tab to the top of the page that will explain how I got into gaming and how my gaming tastes have changed over the years.

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edit - changed the theme also.



USR Character Sheet v1.0

In my fiddlings with USR I have come up with a simple character sheet for anyone that is interested.

 

USR character sheet (pdf)

 

It's nothig special but it may come in handy...

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edit - added a link to the character sheet on the Resources & Links page.

A Few Updates Around Here...

The latest happenings around here include:

 

A - Z: It looks like I am still going to do all of the posts about my campaign world.  If things work out correctly all of these posts should be related to the B/X rules and that is a good thing.  I have not flexed my B/X muscles in a while so I'll do my best.  Fingers crossed...

 

SteamCraft: I ordered the SteamCraft rpg and it should be here soon.  I was impressed with the author's ability to turn Lejendary Adventures into a game I could understand with his Perilous Journeys game so I wanted to support his latest product and I really need to break out of the fantasy genre. 

 

Outbreak RPG: Writing is coming along at a decent pace.  I am adjusting the outline and writing as I go so there will be backtracking and rewriting as I continue.  I am digging the USR rules but I must admit that I am not accustomed to such rules light games so I tend to hit a brick wall at times trying to do it "right".  There doesn't need to be rules that cover many things when these rules can easily handle making judgements on the fly.  The biggest change has to be the name.  When I orderd the SteamCraft game earlier, I noticed that there is already a small press zombie type game out there with the title of Outbreak.  No big deal - this is purely an amateur exercise - but I don't want to step on any toes so a new name will be decided on soon.

 

S.T.A.G.E.: That is the Simple Tabletop Adventure Gaming Engine.  I have had an idea for a rules light game for quite some time.  As I mentioned above the rules light type of games are something I do not have much experience with at all.  I can understand the appeal of such games and with the reduced free time as I grow older the quicker playing games appeal much more to me.  I am still working on it from time to time but it is not top priority at the moment.

 

There's what is going on in the gaming realm of my life.

 

 

A Little Assistance on the A to Z?

I have signed up for the A to Z challenge this year and have narrowed the themes down to just a few.  The theme that has currently caught my attention is my campaign world.  I really need to update the information because I have switched game systems and doing 26 posts on my campaign world just might motivate me to actually get it updated.  I have subjects for 16 of the posts but I would like to hear suggestions for the following 10 letters:

 

J, L, M, N, Q, V, W, X, Y, Z

 

Yeah, I know, the easy letters.  If you have any suggestions on what subjects you think would be appropriate for the above letters I would highly appreciate it.  

I Did It

I have not been all that productive on my blog lately due to real life.  There has not been anything drastic or life altering occur - do not get the wrong idea - it has just been a whole lot of little incidents ocurring closely together that has gotten my attention.  I am making a conscious effort to get back in the swing of things and get the posts completed and put up in a timely manner.  What is coming in the future?

 

I signed up for the Blogging A to Z challenge coming in April.  This will be my second year participating in this event.  I had a blast last year and hope to do so again this year.  I would encourage anyone with a blog and the time to sign up for it.  I admit that I am just jumping into it this year without a theme or anything decided as of now but I still have time.  I am sure that some of the letters will be handled by updating some of my old gaming notebook posts or uploading the latest draft of something.  The rest is up in the air...   

Book Vs. Movie?

Popular opinion holds that the book is usually much better than the movie based on the book.  I, like I am sure all of you, have heard that for years.  I can see the point and the appeal of that side of the argument.  This made me wonder - are there are any movies that are generally considered "better" than the book they are based on?

 

I am not talking about specific scenes or points in the work.  I can easily recognize the ending of the film version of Misery as superior to the novel.  In the novel, Paul Sheldon hallucinates that his captor is there in the room with him on the final pages.  In the movie, Paul Sheldon is eating with his agent and the waitress tell hims, "I'm your number one fan!".  You can see the look of dread on his face as he hears the same words that Annie said to him.  You can also see the anxiety as he wonders how many more times in his life he is going to have to listen to a fan utter those words. 

 

I know I gave an example of a better scene in a movie when compared with the same book.  If others want to point similar instances out that is fine.  What I really want to know is if there are movies based off of books that are generally held in higher regard than the book?  I do not care about the genre - I am just curious - so can anyone help me out?     

Honest Trailers - The Dark Knight Rises

I also found the HONEST TRAILER series on YouTube earlier today.  Since I used The Dark Knight Rises for the Everything... post I thought I would just use it for this one also.  Any thoughts?

Everything Wrong With The Dark Knight Rises In 3 Minutes Or Less

I found this series of videos by CinemaSins while I was browsing YouTube earlier.  I received The Dark Knight Rises for Christmas.  I enjoy it but I think it is a step down from The Dark Knight.  I have heard some negative chatter about The Dark Knight Rises - what do you think?

A Four Pack of Nostalgia

I was at Wal-Mart about a week ago to pick up some items I needed.  I always check out the book section to see what is available.  During this trip I noticed a small four book package of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books.  I got a little excited because I started thinking of the 1980s and 

discovering the hobby.  Along with role-playing games, my buddies and I would read these and the Endless Quest, Fighting Fantasy, Zork, Lone Wolf, and various other series.  I continued on with my shopping and left the books on the shelf.

 

I took my 6 year old son with me earlier to take care of a few things and my wife took our daughter with her.  When I got back home I noticed a few treats waiting on us.  Ethan had several of the LEGO mystery figure packages waiting on him and there was that four pack of Choose Your Own Adventure books waiting on me!  

 

Opening up the package to take a closer look at the contents revealed that the first four books of the series was included - The Abominable Snowman, Journey Under the Sea, Space and Beyond, and The Lost Jewels of Nabooti.  It has been so long that I have no idea if I have previously read any of these or not.  I am looking forward to sitting down with these to see if I can capture the magic again.  Maybe I will record every route I take through the book so I can figure out the optimum path just like we used to do in so long ago...