What are y'all up to these days?

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I used to work with a guy who's hobby was filling waterbeds up with oxyacetylene and a really long fuse. He'd drive away after lighting the fuse and pull over to listen to the explosion.
Come to think of it I had another friend who's hobby was buildit pipe bombs and blowing them up in his back yard. He lived out in the sticks at the time on a large plot of land.

WTF did I do wrong in my life that I have friends and co-workers like this?
 
When I was very young, there was this guy that went to the same church as my family. He lived on a large plot of land in the woods that he built a large train set on. The train was a fully functional steam engine, but scaled down to about refrigerator sized and had a full complement of cars. He'd sit in the tender and drive it around the tracks he laid out around a big hole that he dug to eventually make a water feature. One day my father takes me up to see him and he brings out a full on civil war era cannon. He even fired what i think was a coffee can from it out into the wilderness. I use him as a sort of gauge for how dedicated to a hobby someone is.
 
Well, that still means you can be a player, right?
With my original group I'm usually the one who runs a game, so I forgot to add play. With my other group, so far me and my wife have always been in the player seat, and I don't think I could pull that off over Zoom while feeling at ease either.
 
No webcams just audio and text, there were blocks with the participants names so you could see who was in class, although I didn't notice if they indicated who was speaking as they were not visible through most of the training as the instructor screen covered them.
A few of the people had an avatar of sorts, probably those who were using zoom a lot, but it shows that is possible.. Throughout the presentation we were able to watch a projected computer screen so we could follow along with what the instructor was explaining.

As I took the class I thought Zoom showed a lot of potential for gaming. I assume a GM could place a map, documents, images on screen for visuals, share documents, jpegs etc. The text can be general to all or selective essentially allowing players to secretly pass notes to the GM or other players.
That sounds promising. I only ran it on my cell phone where options seemed limited. I'd give it a try on PC but I don't own a good headset or mic.

That said, I'm not sure my group would be up for it.
 
Rescheduled my next session of Astounding Space Adventures for 2 weeks from today. We couldn't do next Saturday as one player's daughter is celebrating her birthday. Finally got past the first paragraph of my adventure notes.

Last session, the two main characters (Reggie and Agent 86) saved the Yithians from being wiped out by an insane (by their standards) Mi-Go who had genetically engineered an alien mosquito like creature that feeds on the sap in the bodies the Yithians reside in at that time. It was going to send them back in time to wipe them out. The players stopped the plan, destroyed the mosquitos, and took possession of a time portal device powered by a stone made of the same material as the Shining Trapezohedron (the stone that summons The Haunter in the Dark, and avatar of Nyarlathotep). The Yithians living in the current time suggested they cast it into a Black Hole, so they went off to find one.

The next session will be them finding one, but there is a crystalline citadel there:
ddsstt8-29a1015e-e850-4c3b-9d6e-aca64a468444.png


The station is controlled by the Adjudicators, a race of gemstone like humanoids who arbitrate disputes for other races. They're currently overseeing a major trade dispute between two races, and if the players throw the time portal into the black hole, it could affect things (like destroy the station). They ask the players to hold off, and let them stay at the station until the case is concluded. They'll meet the two races in dispute (one is an race of bird like humanoids, the other a blue skinned humanoid with 3 eyes). Because of the stone in the device, it attracts the attention of another avatar of Nyarlathotep, who starts messing with everyone using Illusions and the like. The idea is to be less a combat based story, and more of a mindf*ck, as they're dealing with a power they can't just punch out. I'm sort of testing out a new rule for Supers! Revised. Much like M&M (and a couple of other games) have a trait for unlimited power, I've created one for Supers!. It just basically allows anyone with that trait in a power, etc, to have as many (or as little) dice as the scene requires. Should be fun to see how it turns out
Agent 99 would be cuter than 86! Great plot by the way!
 
That sounds promising. I only ran it on my cell phone where options seemed limited. I'd give it a try on PC but I don't own a good headset or mic.

That said, I'm not sure my group would be up for it.

You don't even really need a good headset, I have a Logitech camera with an inbuilt mic that I used to use for work when I did remote work and it is great, all purpose and high quality, I think it cost around $80 CAD on sale. I also have a good quality Logitech pair of headphones with mic but don't even bother to use it anymore.
 
Metahuman News
As Memorial Day approaches we wanted to take a turn from our more light hearted adventures to reflect on events within the US, and at the same time acknowledge the long history of comics as a means to highlight inequality, and problems without our society. (Some great comic examples include Black Panther 19, Green Lantern & Green Arrow 76, and of course a whole lot of X-Men)

This adventure can be played without alteration, but provides guidance for an allegorical tale. Our goal was to give people an entertaining story, that while potentially uncomfortable at times will help inspire conversation and awareness of violence in our country.
http://housedok.com/tools-of-the-south/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HouseDokPro
Website: http://housedok.com/
Print: https://studio2publishing.com/products/metahumans-rising?_pos=2&_sid=145b3fa95&_ss=r\
PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/277614/Metahumans-Rising
#Metahumans #MetahumansRising #Superheroes #RPG #TTRPG # MemorialDay
 
Had a fun session with the teens yesterday. While they were in a large city, the newest PC who joined the party last session (elven ranger/druid) was approached by a human female who gave him a scroll to give to the elven M-U in the party. When he did so, they rest of the group realize from his description that this was Alissa, the minstrel-thief who seduced and then robbed the M-U earlier in the campaign. The letter to the M-U says that she is soooooooo sorry about any misunderstanding that might have arose from their last encounter, and that she wanted to make up for it by giving the group the location of of a ruin containing a valuable treasure. Much too dangerous for a lone minstrel, of course, but it surely won't prove difficult for a group of seasoned adventurers. The ruin contains a brooch that is a family heirloom of one of the local merchant houses, who would pay a pretty coin to have it returned to them.

Suspicious (but ever-greedy) the group does some investigations, and finds out the story tracks. After making the necessary preparations, they head south down the side of the river to the ruins in question. While there's a few monsters to be dealt with, traps and physical barriers form the main obstacles to be overcome. They eventually work their way to where the main treasure is, secreted in a small alcove some 40 feet up the side of the wall. The halfling thief scales the wall, wedges her way into the alcove, manages to disarm the trap, and after a few tense moments manages to return with the brooch, which she gives to the elven M-U for safekeeping ("in case it's cursed or something").

On the way out, they are ambushed by a group of rival treasure hunters. The cleric amongst the enemy casts Darkness from a scroll, causing complete and utter confusion all around. The heroes manage to win, but not before the elf M-U gets knocked out by a venomous dart that she was hit by (which the players note doesn't seem to match the attacks of any of the rival treasure hunters). A quick check reveals that the brooch is still in her pouch. They opt to get out quickly before any other ills befall them.

On the way back to the city, one of the two rangers spots signs of movement on the other side of the river; they can see where the grass and foilage is being disturbed by movement, but they can't actually see what is causing said disturbance. The PCs quietly confer with what to do and if they can cross the river (about 50 yards wide) to deal with this unseen danger. Then, somewhat uncharacteristically, the halfling thief abandons any notion of subtlety or stealth and calls out for whoever it is to reveal themselves.

From across the river, Alissa does so, deactivating her cloak of invisibility. She explains that, yes, she had been following the group at a distance invisibly, so she could get the brooch herself. She was soooooooo sorry for having to use the knockout dart on the lovely elf, but it gave her a chance to switch out the fake brooch she had previously obtained with the real one during the fight in the darkness. And hey, they did get some other treasure in the ruins, so no hard feelings, right? She knew a shortcut back to the city, and could claim the reward before they would be able to arrive, so there wouldn't be any need for any further awkward meetups.

The two rangers try to attack with their bows, but she wins initiative, and slips deeper into the woods invisible once again. The group is obviously irked and frustrated (rightly so), but can't think of a way to cross the river in time to track her down before she gets back to the city. After continuing their walk back, the thief asks if Alissa is still nearby, invisible. The rangers see no sign of movement... at which point the thief pulls out the real brooch from her backpack. She explains that she managed to acquire a fake brooch before they left the city, as she anticipated Alissa might somehow be following them.

They get back to the city, and make arrangements to meet with the merchant house. The matriarch of the house is suspicious, since there was someone just earlier that day who tried to pass off a fake brooch on them. The town guard was called, but the scoundrel managed to escape their grasp. The brooch is tested, and found to be genuine, and the party gets their reward.

Really pleased how this session played out. Could have went in a lot of different directions, but in the end everyone had fun, and the thief's player was clearly the MVP of the session.
 
Ordered a pair of books off Lulu today: Sentinels of Echo City Deluxe Edition, and Wild West Cinema. I have them both in pdf, and have been wanting to get them in print. There is a new discussion about Echo City on the tbp, which made me remember I needed the print version still (tbp can still be good for something occasionally lol)
 
I'd love that but I'd have to return to being single (which right now certainly seems appealing for a while). I do enough cajoling/yelling/admonishing children to not do something that will get them killed.

Yesterday I got out the new Costco slip and slide. I'm trying to teach them to run and jump and skid along on the accompanying blow up sled. I say "Get out of the way and watch me". They back off until I run at the slide and jump. Then they run to the edge of the slide and I kid you not lose interest in watching me while I'm mid air. So standing at the edge they look away. They are oblivious to the 200lbs object flying down a slide at them. I closed my eyes due to the raining water and crash into them. The 6 year old took the crash well. I still have some neck pain. WTF people?!?! When dad says watch me he means watch me not lob your body in front of me and look away.
Just to let you know, man...this kind of distracted seems really common with kids 6 to 8 years old. But I think it starts to subside after that:thumbsup:.

Had a fun session with the teens yesterday. While they were in a large city, the newest PC who joined the party last session (elven ranger/druid) was approached by a human female who gave him a scroll to give to the elven M-U in the party. When he did so, they rest of the group realize from his description that this was Alissa, the minstrel-thief who seduced and then robbed the M-U earlier in the campaign. The letter to the M-U says that she is soooooooo sorry about any misunderstanding that might have arose from their last encounter, and that she wanted to make up for it by giving the group the location of of a ruin containing a valuable treasure. Much too dangerous for a lone minstrel, of course, but it surely won't prove difficult for a group of seasoned adventurers. The ruin contains a brooch that is a family heirloom of one of the local merchant houses, who would pay a pretty coin to have it returned to them.

Suspicious (but ever-greedy) the group does some investigations, and finds out the story tracks. After making the necessary preparations, they head south down the side of the river to the ruins in question. While there's a few monsters to be dealt with, traps and physical barriers form the main obstacles to be overcome. They eventually work their way to where the main treasure is, secreted in a small alcove some 40 feet up the side of the wall. The halfling thief scales the wall, wedges her way into the alcove, manages to disarm the trap, and after a few tense moments manages to return with the brooch, which she gives to the elven M-U for safekeeping ("in case it's cursed or something").

On the way out, they are ambushed by a group of rival treasure hunters. The cleric amongst the enemy casts Darkness from a scroll, causing complete and utter confusion all around. The heroes manage to win, but not before the elf M-U gets knocked out by a venomous dart that she was hit by (which the players note doesn't seem to match the attacks of any of the rival treasure hunters). A quick check reveals that the brooch is still in her pouch. They opt to get out quickly before any other ills befall them.

On the way back to the city, one of the two rangers spots signs of movement on the other side of the river; they can see where the grass and foilage is being disturbed by movement, but they can't actually see what is causing said disturbance. The PCs quietly confer with what to do and if they can cross the river (about 50 yards wide) to deal with this unseen danger. Then, somewhat uncharacteristically, the halfling thief abandons any notion of subtlety or stealth and calls out for whoever it is to reveal themselves.

From across the river, Alissa does so, deactivating her cloak of invisibility. She explains that, yes, she had been following the group at a distance invisibly, so she could get the brooch herself. She was soooooooo sorry for having to use the knockout dart on the lovely elf, but it gave her a chance to switch out the fake brooch she had previously obtained with the real one during the fight in the darkness. And hey, they did get some other treasure in the ruins, so no hard feelings, right? She knew a shortcut back to the city, and could claim the reward before they would be able to arrive, so there wouldn't be any need for any further awkward meetups.

The two rangers try to attack with their bows, but she wins initiative, and slips deeper into the woods invisible once again. The group is obviously irked and frustrated (rightly so), but can't think of a way to cross the river in time to track her down before she gets back to the city. After continuing their walk back, the thief asks if Alissa is still nearby, invisible. The rangers see no sign of movement... at which point the thief pulls out the real brooch from her backpack. She explains that she managed to acquire a fake brooch before they left the city, as she anticipated Alissa might somehow be following them.

They get back to the city, and make arrangements to meet with the merchant house. The matriarch of the house is suspicious, since there was someone just earlier that day who tried to pass off a fake brooch on them. The town guard was called, but the scoundrel managed to escape their grasp. The brooch is tested, and found to be genuine, and the party gets their reward.

Really pleased how this session played out. Could have went in a lot of different directions, but in the end everyone had fun, and the thief's player was clearly the MVP of the session.

Their next meeting is going to be fun:grin:!
"Hey, dear, we let you get the brooch the MU had in his purse...so no hard feelings, right:shade:?"

Also, this player is obviously good at RPGs. I was thinking "and then the party backtracks regularly with See Invisible, because I'd believe in that NPC giving me free lunch only if it's cursed and/or poisoned". But her solution was rather good as well, if less aggressive than what I'd have gone for:devil:!
 
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OSE, Session 4: we rescued a passel of moss dwarves from a witch who was using their bits to flavor her baked goods. The dwarves were guarded by ambulatory gingerbread men, and I got to ask (possibly for the first time in human history) if the cookies were waking up as we tried to free the dwarves.
 
OSE, Session 4: we rescued a passel of moss dwarves from a witch who was using their bits to flavor her baked goods. The dwarves were guarded by ambulatory gingerbread men, and I got to ask (possibly for the first time in human history) if the cookies were waking up as we tried to free the dwarves.
Didn't anyone suggest eating the cookies before they'd wake up?
 
Session 4 of werewolf 20a. we are apparently bad at werewolf. The characters have good interaction, some of them are good. We screwed up combat badly - like... the only things we did right were the actual mechanical roll. Order was wrong, damage was wrong, Etc. it does not help when more than half of the group doesn’t read the rules.

we found a short web page that covers most of it. I think if they don’t read that, I’m going to open with “if you don’t read the rules, we don’t play”. It’s really bad. And really, if they don’t want to learn a new system, that’s ok, but don’t vote for a game with a new system :smile: the GM is pretty frustrated, I’m pretty frustrated because no one else bothers.
 
Rewatched Bad Mom's. Funny but in the credits they interview the moms of the actresses as with their daughters.
One mom is recounting how she took her small daughter to see Crusing with Al Pacino because "Al Pacino is good looking"
She took her small child to see an S&M serial killer flick cuz the actor was hot. Accepted parenting has changed a bit and I can't say it's for the better.
 
Rewatched Bad Mom's. Funny but in the credits they interview the moms of the actresses as with their daughters.
One mom is recounting how she took her small daughter to see Crusing with Al Pacino because "Al Pacino is good looking"
She took her small child to see an S&M serial killer flick cuz the actor was hot. Accepted parenting has changed a bit and I can't say it's for the better.
Back in the old days, she would provided better moral instruction by taking her daughter to a flogging or public execution.
 
Session 4 of werewolf 20a. we are apparently bad at werewolf. The characters have good interaction, some of them are good. We screwed up combat badly - like... the only things we did right were the actual mechanical roll. Order was wrong, damage was wrong, Etc. it does not help when more than half of the group doesn’t read the rules.

we found a short web page that covers most of it. I think if they don’t read that, I’m going to open with “if you don’t read the rules, we don’t play”. It’s really bad. And really, if they don’t want to learn a new system, that’s ok, but don’t vote for a game with a new system :smile: the GM is pretty frustrated, I’m pretty frustrated because no one else bothers.
I have played with this group, or one much like it:thumbsup:!
 
Rewatched Bad Mom's. Funny but in the credits they interview the moms of the actresses as with their daughters.
One mom is recounting how she took her small daughter to see Crusing with Al Pacino because "Al Pacino is good looking"
She took her small child to see an S&M serial killer flick cuz the actor was hot. Accepted parenting has changed a bit and I can't say it's for the better.
My wife clearly remembers watching Cannibal Holocaust on TV with her sister when they were both still pre-teens...
 
Rewatched Bad Mom's. Funny but in the credits they interview the moms of the actresses as with their daughters.
One mom is recounting how she took her small daughter to see Crusing with Al Pacino because "Al Pacino is good looking"
She took her small child to see an S&M serial killer flick cuz the actor was hot. Accepted parenting has changed a bit and I can't say it's for the better.


My parents took my brother and I to see the Kentucky Fried Movie. I was probably 9 and my brother 4 or 5. In their defense they had no idea how much sex and nudity were in the movie, but they didn't leave either. This movie along with Wizards had a big impact on my development. In retrospect I guess it should be no surprise that I ended up marrying a woman who can cosplay Princess Elinore with almost no effort. :grin:
 
My mom was a nurse at a juvenile detention center in the early 70's. She once took the kids to the movies to see Fritz the Cat instead Felix the cat. They were kind enough to tell her after the show started "We should go back". These are the same kids who one time disassembled her car and chased after her with the exhaust pipes.
 
My parents took my brother and I to see the Kentucky Fried Movie. I was probably 9 and my brother 4 or 5. In their defense they had no idea how much sex and nudity were in the movie, but they didn't leave either. This movie along with Wizards had a big impact on my development. In retrospect I guess it should be no surprise that I ended up marrying a woman who can cosplay Princess Elinore with almost no effort. :grin:
I have watched Kentucky Fried Movie so many times I can recite a lot of those stupid skits by heart.
 
I have watched Kentucky Fried Movie so many times I can recite a lot of those stupid skits by heart.
I did the same with the Movie Up The Creek! Had it on VHS one lame summer.
 
Ordered a pair of books off Lulu today: Sentinels of Echo City Deluxe Edition, and Wild West Cinema. I have them both in pdf, and have been wanting to get them in print. There is a new discussion about Echo City on the tbp, which made me remember I needed the print version still (tbp can still be good for something occasionally lol)
Tell us about Wild West Cinema. Is it a film reference book, an RPG, what?
 
The nature of my players and their lives is such that none of them are 100% reliable when it comes to attendance. I don't really mind; that's why I have an eight-player group: so I'll consistently get 4 or 5 players every game night, and occasionally more.

Well, tomorrow night, something unprecedented is scheduled to happen: all eight of them are coming! It will be the first time ever that this group has had 100% attendance. I'm excited and it should be fun, but I'm not used to running a game for that many players! I have done it a couple times with prior groups, but it was a rarity.
 
My parents took my brother and I to see the Kentucky Fried Movie. I was probably 9 and my brother 4 or 5. In their defense they had no idea how much sex and nudity were in the movie, but they didn't leave either. This movie along with Wizards had a big impact on my development. In retrospect I guess it should be no surprise that I ended up marrying a woman who can cosplay Princess Elinore with almost no effort. :grin:

Its funny what parents will allow and not allow. Mine wouldn’t let me watch horror or very violent movies but were ok with me regularly watching Animal House, Doctor Detroit, Weird Science, etc.
 
Tell us about Wild West Cinema. Is it a film reference book, an RPG, what?

It's an rpg that was published by Spectrum Games (Cartoon Action Hour, eetc). It's not a typical western game. I'll just post the description:

Want a heaping dose of spaghetti with your Wild West roleplaying? If so, then Wild West Cinema is the game for you. To hell with history! Bring on the showdowns at high noon, rollicking saloon brawls, enigmatic drifters, and all the other exciting aspects of the Wild West films that have thrilled and captivated audiences for many decades! With Wild West Cinema, you and your friends will be saddling up for action and adventure in no time at all, thanks to a fast and breezy game system that encourages genre-appropriate conventions and tropes. So, strap on your shootin’ irons and get ready to step into a West that never was!

So its more of a high action western that isn't trying to be realistic. I've conversed with the author, and had a few conversations about the game.

Funny enough, he's done some OSR games after this, like Xplorers and Shotguns & Saddles.

Second funny thing is my books shipped today, while Drivethru is stating there could be delays with their print stuff.
 
I was also a free-range kid. Mrs. Savage is 19 years younger and seethes with envy at the freedom I had as a kid.
That's an age gap. I have issues with my wife and she's only 6 years younger than me.
 
I'm running one very nice Dwarf-themed WFRP game where the PCs are marching with a throng to retake Mount Gunbad from the Goblins. Got some pretty great players for that one. :smile: My Hunter: the Reckoning game... well, I've recruited three new players to replace the ones who randomly dropped out, so I'm going to make a second attempt at getting it to work, but I'm not holding my breath. :tongue:

On the playing side, I'm also in a really cool 50 Fathoms game where I play a grouchy giant crab physician, a really cool Barbarians of Lemuria game where I play a fast-talking Sinbad the Sailor knockoff, and about four other ones that I'm less excited about. As far as online games go, I'd say I'm doing pretty well.

I've also finished writing my own game and am playtesting it on alternate weekends. It's working out pretty well - in a lot of ways, it really is a game perfectly suited to my playstyle (which is good, because that's what I wrote it to be). Though it'd be nice if I could figure out a rule for consistently running a turn order that didn't slow things down quite so much.
 
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Baeraad Baeraad That's a lot of gaming, how do you make the time for it?

Everything but the playtesting is play-by-post, so it's not too burdensome. All of it put together just takes like half an hour out of each day on average... though there is admittedly a problem with it not being evenly distributed, so some days I get to do nothing at all and some days I need to post in every single game I'm in, and that can feel a little much, yes. :tongue:
 
The HEPCATS current adventure has them in Neotopia, the retro-future sci-fi Shard. I'm really looking forward to playing some ridiculously over-the-top, evil-for-evil's sake, let-me-tell-you-my-master-plan villains!
 
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