Poll Response

Alright, so everyone answered "What's an SDCC?". I think I shouldn't have used the acronym. San Diego Comic-Con. Oops.

GURPS Session July 30 '11

Characters

Canin the Protector
Frederick the Archer
Smith the Dwarven Warrior
Bo'ul the Martial Artist
Corean the Swordsman

Since I finished Eadoria yesterday, I let the players loose in the city. It's been fully explored, and actually worked well in the game. Most of the sesssion was spent shopping, talking to NPC's (quite a lot of roleplaying-I think I ran out of accents) and harassing the city guards. Around the end of the game, the characters split up. While Canin was walking down the street, he saw a thief sprint out of a tailor's shop. Of course, being the Boy Scout he is, he ran after the thief. What followed was an extremely cool and unplanned parkour chase across the Eadorian rooftops. The thief eventually slipped and hung from the edge of a building. Before Canin could catch up, he fell to the alleyway below. The city checks weapons when non-citizens enter and returns them the next day, so Canin was unarmed. However, he has Judo skill. A few throws later, the thief was unconscious, the city guards were rushing in, and the tailor was enthusiastically thanking Canin. So, good session, but I think next time I'll have an adventure ready in addition to the normal city activities, so I can begin that once Eadoria starts to lose its luster.

The City of Eadoria!

Here are pics of my 9-page map of Eadoria. Yeah, they're pretty roughly drawn, but I've never made a map this size before. So I'd say for a beginner, I did alright. Open the pics in a new window to get a glimpse of my terrible photography skills.

1:18 Assassin's Creed Toys

(left to right) Cesare, Doctor, Da Vinci, Ezio, Harlequin, and Machiavelli

Not sure how new this info is, but the other day at Target, I saw 1:18 scale toys based on the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood video game. There have previously been 6 inch scale Creed figures, but these are new to me. And they look pretty cool.  The first wave includes...

Cesare Borgia
The Doctor
Da Vinci
Ezio Auditore Da Firenze
The Harlequin
Machiavelli

Anybody play the game? Anybody want the figures?

A City Without An Adventure

The maps and NPCs for the city of Eadoria are almost done. (Pictures soon) I'm pretty satisfied with the results. However, I don't really have an adventure in the city planned. The players have stated they'd like to just mess around in the city for a while, as it's completely new to them. Is this a bad idea? Without planned encounters, will the session lack excitement and fun? Will the players hate me? Will I never GM again out of shame? If so, what is a good adventure or adventure idea to take place in a large city?

City-Building 101

A city called Eadoria has been a part of many of my recent adventures. However, the players have never actually been to the city. I've spent much of the day mapping out Eadoria, so the next game can take place there. The city will be split into six districts- Government, Crafting, Pleasure, Academic, Theatre, and Slum. (Chaotic Shiny helps a lot) I'll post maps soon.

Newbie Blogger Award!

I'd like to start by thanking...nevermind. Thanks Tim! It's much appreciated. I am proud to be a newb. And thanks to the readers. Yeah, you. Thanks.

I Just Had An Idea, Part 2

A while ago, I wrote a post about an alternate way to handle dodging in GURPS. Although I'm a little late with the answer, I have one now. I used the new rule in last night's game, and it worked beautifully. It added an element of unpredictability to combat I really enjoyed. I encourage other gamers to try this, as I found it to work wonderfully.

GURPS Session July 24 '11

Characters

Frederick the Archer
Smith the Dwarven Warrior
Corean the Swordsman
Canin the Protector
Bo'ul the Martial Artist

So, last night was a game night. The band of mercenaries were drafted into service by the government of Eadoria, the city-state the characters reside in (Drafted is the preferred term, forced into service is more accurate) The anarchist group known as the Militia had overtaken an abandoned Eadorian fortress atop a mountain far from the city. The Eadorian army couldn't make it up the mountain without being cut down by Militia forces. However, the characters specialize in the impossible. They ended up tying Canin to a ballista bolt and firing at the fortress. Once Canin took out some of the catapults that stopped Eadorian troops from assaulting the Militia, he signaled for the rest of the mercenaries and a small Eadorian strike force to attack the fortress. The mission was successful, and because of its exceptionally difficult nature, the characters were handsomely rewarded.

Avengers Panorama Revealed

A new panoramic poster for The Avengers has been released. It shows each of the Avengers as well as releasing Captain America's new costume (which looks amazing) If this doesn't get you excited about Avengers, nothing will. The poster is large, so I linked to it. Prepare your puny eyes for an explosion of majestic and heroic beauty.

Greatness

Poll Response

Off to Jupiter's poll closed today, and I learned that you, my appreciated readers, prefer to play tall characters in RPGs, rather than Dwarves, Halflings, and the like. Why?

Marvel on the Small Screen

ABC is bringing Cloak and Dagger, AKA Jessica Jones, Mockingbird and The Hulk to television as live-action shows. There will also be new animated shows. Ultimate Spider-Man, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Astonishing X-Men are all in development. My question? Who (or what) is S.M.A.S.H.? i09 reports the show featuring Green Hulk, Red Hulk, Scar, A-Bomb, and She-Hulk. It's a great time to be a Marvel fan.

GURPS Character Of the Day #4

Cogadh the Warlock-277 pts

ST-13[+30] HP-13
DX-12[+40] WILL-13
IQ-13[+60] PER-13
HT-12[+20] FP-12
Basic Lift 34 Damage: thr 1d/sw 2d-1
Basic Speed 6 Basic Move 6
Dodge 9 DR 0


Languages
Common(Native)
Orcish(Accented)[4]
Elvish(Accented)[4]


Advantages and Perks
Combat Reflexes [15], Enhanced Parry [10], Fearlessness 5 [10], Magery 2 [20], Penetrating Voice [1]

Disadvantages and Quirks
Callous [5], Intolerance (Halflings) [5],

Skills
Interrogation 15 [8], Intimidation 15 [8], Leadership 15 [8], Broadsword 14 [8], Two-Handed Axe/Mace 15 [12], Parry Missile Weapons 15 [16], Riding 16 [16],

Techniques
Retain Weapon (Broadsword) 16 [3], Retain Weapon (Two-Handed Axe/Mace) 16 [2]

Magic
Ignite Fire, Shape Fire, Create Fire, Fireball, Detect Magic, Foolishness, Daze, Sleep


Equipment
Cloth Tunic-torso, groin-DR 0-20cc
Steel Corselet-torso, groin-DR 6-1,300cc
Plate Legs-legs-DR 6-1,100cc
Plate Arms-DR 6-arms-1000cc
Heavy Gauntlets-DR 5-hands-250cc
Sollerets-feet-DR 4-feet-150cc
Greathelm-skull, face, neck-DR 7-340cc
Heavy Cloak-DB 2-DR 1-HP 5-50cc
Broadsword-sw+1 cr/thr +1 cr-Reach 1-Parry 0-500cc
Great Axe-sw +3 cut- Reach 1,2-Parry 0U-100cc

DC Reboot Toys at SDCC

The August 31 reboot of DC comics has spurred the creation of some toys. Although I'm not totally behind the reboot, I'm always up for new plastic men. The reimagined versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern (so, the Justice League) have toy representations. See more at ToyArk.

DC Team-Up!

DC and LEGO have partnered and created Hero Factory (build-a-figure) versions of Marvel and DC characters. Namely, Iron Man and Hulk for Marvel and Batman and Green Lantern for DC. I... I'm screwed. I'll buy all of them. My impulse control is lacking. See Toy News International for more.

Batman Legacy and Batman: Arkham City Toys

ToyArk has a gallery of Batman Legacy and Batman: Arkham City figures revealed at SDCC. The Legacy figures look comic-accurate, and the Arkham City figures? Mind-blowing. Sculpt, articulation, paint, accessories, accuracy-thay seem to have raised the bar for 6 inch figures.

Aikest, The Spear Of Thunder

Aikest was first forged by the smith Voim in the Northern Waste, a tundra lacking life. His isolation as he built the weapon caused Voim to be driven mad. Once the spear was finished, he took it in his hand and was corrupted by its power. The smith marched to the city of Jutenedus. Voim brandished Aikest with the fury of a madman. The city was decimated that day by the power of the magical spear. Once news reached the Dwarven king, Fulgar Bronzeblade, an alliance was formed. The Dwarves' strongest warriors joined forces with the best troops the Elves could offer. Together they marched on Jutenedus. The force, ten thousand warriors strong, attacked one man.  Yet the power of the spear had grown, and the army was almost destroyed. One elf had been spared. In Voim's madness, he lost much of his rationality. He left the elf to die, and marched toward the next city. The elven warrior recognized his chance. He fired a single arrow, and Voim was no more. The elf came closer and gazed upon the beautiful weapon. He grasped it, and another slave was claimed by Aikest, The Spear Of Thunder.

Aikest, The Spear Of Thunder
                 thr + 8 imp, Reach 2, Parry +1, Weight 8, ST 11, Thunderclap!-After a successful attack, roll 
two hands thr+10imp
a d6. On a roll of 1, 3, or 6, there is a shockwave that envelops 1000 ft around the "user." Damage 5d

The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer has been RELEASED!

I'm being such a geek about this, but I am exceptionally excited about this new film. And now the trailer is released. And it is amazing. And I want to see more.

New Marvel Universe Toys

MarvelousNews.com has a great gallery of the new Marvel Universe figures. I'm most excited about Kraven the Hunter and a new, repainted, and resculpted Magneto. Hmmm...to make up for the Secret Wars version? These figures look great.

2012 Marvel Legends First Wave Revealed!

The first new Marvel Legends toys have been revealed.The figures will release early next year. The line-up is as follows... Klaw, Steve Rogers, Constrictor, Hope Summers, Iron Man, Thor, and Ghost Rider. The wave will have a BAF, which will be Terrax.

Avengers Poster Revealed

The new Avengers movie poster has been revealed at San Diego Comic-Con! Not any clues to the actual movie, but it looks really cool!

Yet Another GURPS Session

Last night, the characters learned not to meddle with high-profile criminal groups. The Takers returned and attacked Frederick the Archer's cabin. The gang was repelled, although not without Smith the Dwarven Warrior and Bo'ul the Fighter badly injured. This was really not a "high-quality" game, as the enemies were recycled and there was no player development. But it was some good, old-fashioned, enemy bashing.  I had fun. And remember kids, the most important thing is that you have fun!

I Just Had An Idea...

What if...to dodge a missile in GURPS, a player first had to make a successful Perception roll. Then he/she could roll Dodge. I'll test this in a future (today or tomorrow) game. Thoughts?

Last Two GURPS Sessions

The last couple GURPS games have seen our band of mercs recover the Leonus Ring (an artifact that transforms its wearer into a lion) from a tribe of lion-worshipping peoples. The follow-up adventure featured the characters hunting a band of Takers (a gang specializing in thievery and fraud) through the Moab Hills. Above is a picture of the Leonus Ring. (Crafted by Rick Cameron)

2000 More Things I Am No Longer Allowed To Do In An RPG

This thread at the Steve Jackson Games forums is absolutely hilarious. Gamers reply to fill the 2000 "things" with events in their games. Sadly, I think some of these have happened in my sessions.

196: I cannot hire peasants to kill the goblins that have taken over my home when I have the combat abilities to take down a dragon single handed.

GURPS-Dungeon Fantasy 13-Loadouts Released!

A new GURPS supplement from Steve Jackson Games has been released. Dungeon Fantasy 13-Loadouts.


The site says..
Enter Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts, which does for gear what character templates do for abilities. Simply look up your delver's profession (anything from Dungeon Fantasy 1-12) and pick a few lenses and options to get a decent set of equipment for him – all the armor, weapons, and other gear he needs to get out there and start having adventures. Leave the accounting for later, when you come home with the loot!

Although the book's premise is solid, the lack of all-new material means I likely will leave this off my "want" list.

Off the Grid

Just wanted to post and say I won't be online for the next five days, starting tomorrow.  Why? It's classified. I'm not supposed to talk about it. But it involves expensive tuxedos, futuristic gadgets, and shaken drinks. Not stirred.

GURPS Character of the Day #3

Toulan the Thief-256 pts

ST-11[+10] HP-11
DX-13[+60] WILL-13
IQ-13[+60] PER-13
HT-10 FP-10
Basic Lift 24 Damage: thr 1d-1/sw 1d+1
Basic Speed 5 Basic Move 5
Dodge 8 DR 0


Languages
Common(Native)


Advantages and Perks
Acute Senses(Hearing) 3 [6], Danger Sense [15], Fearlesness 5 [10], Fit [5], Night Vision 4 [4], Rapier Wit [5]

Disadvantages and Quirks
Curious [5], Greed [15], Overconfidence [5], Impulsiveness [10] Secret Identity( Art connoisseur by day, thief by night) [20]


Skills
Acrobatics 15 [12], Acting 16 [12], Carousing 16 [20], Climbing 15 [8], Connoisseur (Visual Arts) 15 [8], Counterfeiting/TL 3 [20], Escape 14 [8], Lockpicking 15 [8] Melee Weapon ( Knife) 15 [4], Observation 14 [4], Pickpocket 14 [8], Stealth 15 [8], Streetwise 16 [12]


Techniques
Scaling 16 [2], Slip Manacles 15 [2]

Equipment
Cloth Tunic-torso, groin-DR 0-20cc
Leather Leggings-legs-DR 1-40cc
Cloth Hood-skull,neck-DR 0-20cc
Cloth Gloves-hands-DR 1-15cc
Shoes-feet-DR 1-40cc
Light Cloak-DB 1-DR 1-HP 3-20cc
Small Knife(2)-sw-3 cut/thr-1 imp- Reach C,1 sw/C thr-Parry -1-30cc
Lockpicks-50cc

GI Joe 2-Ray Stevenson Revealed as Cobra Saboteur Firefly!

Not much has been revealed about the Cobra side of things in the GI Joe sequel. However, it has been revealed that Ray Stevenson ( Punisher: War Zone, Thor) will be playing the part of Cobra Saboteur Firefly. Firefly is one of my all-time favorite GI Joe characters. After watching some video of Stevenson as Punisher, I am fully trusting in his ability to pull off Firefly. Everything about him is perfect for the role. Ruthless facial expressions, relatively thin physique-he doesn't need to change at all. Just slap on a gray skimask, and... perfect saboteur.

The Hobbit-Dwarven Reveal!

Here are some pics of some of the dwarves in The Hobbit film with costumes. They all look amazing. Super-hyped for the movie!

Nori, Ori, and Dori (respectively)

Oin and Gloin (respectively)

Deadshot Review-DC Universe Classics Wave 9

To escape the memories of a family altercation that left his father paralyzed and his brother dead, Floyd Lawton moved to Gotham City where he began his career as a criminal. In the process he trained himself to become a highly skilled marksman and adopted the name Deadshot. During one of his many stays in prison, Lawton was offered amnesty for past offenses if he would accept a potentially fatal mission on behalf of the U.S. government as a member of the Suicide Squad. Since then, Lawton has worked both on his own as a criminal, and occasionally as a member of the Squad.


Sculpt


Deadshot's sculpt is amazing.  The Four Horsemen have once again made his head look like a masked person rather than someone with no face. His wrist-mounted guns are entirely sculpted, with holes in the barrels and separate cartridges. His belt, emblem, boots,and eyepiece are all sculpted pieces.  Therefore, his head, torso, gauntlets, belt, calves, feet, and biceps are all new, a rarity for a DCUC figure. But the little details really make this figure stand out. Raised edges on the costume's piping, a fully sculpted target on the eyepiece, little details add to the figure's quality.  5/5


Paint


This is where the figure suffers a loss. The colors look good and the red is not too "toylike".  The orange wash is nice on the gloves and boots. The high point, the guns, have a black wash that gives the metal texture, and the scopes are painted. However, there is a huge silvery scratch on Deadshot's right shoulder. The gold on his biceps bleed over onto the red. There is a yellow dot in the target that doesn't really show up well in the photos, but it still affects the paint quality. The black stripes on the torso look almost cartoony, and the segmented armor would be better represented with a sculpted element.  3/5


Articulation


Deadshot features the standard DC Universe Classics articulation-which is excellent. Ball-jointed head, swivel-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, ab crunch, swivel waist, h-hips, swivel thighs, single-hinge knees,    and rocker ankles. The head only swivels, but it is a small fault in the grand scheme of the figure.  5/5


Accessories


Deadshot's only accessory is Chemo's right arm. It looks great. It's translucent and filled with air bubbles. The armor is well sculpted and painted perfectly. The cord attached to the gauntlet does not plug in on the arm, rather, it attaches to Chemo's back. Chemo's arm  has a swivel-hinge shoulder, swivel-hinge elbow, and swivel-hinge wrist, which is a nice addition to the normal articulation. 5/5

Overall, Deadshot is a great figure, marred only by a few paint issues.
9/10

Callgrim Custom Corps coming Friday!

Jesse at Callgrim is releasing a wave of Callgrim Custom Corps at 9 pm EDT Friday. The figures look simply amazing with the addition of soft-goods capes, scarves, and cloaks. The "roaring" faces look great, and the color choice looks phenomenal, adding to the perfect "marauder" vibe of the toys. If you have the money, buy them. If, like me, you don't, gaze upon their beauty and hope they don't sell out (which they will.)

Happy 4th of July!

Just wanted to say Happy Fourth of July to any and all readers. Keep our military in your thoughts and prayers today, and enjoy detonating brightly colored explosives and eating meat.

GURPS Session July 4 '11

NOTES: Characters are given classes only for identification-they have no function in-game. Also, NPCs have no point value, because they have no skills. However, there is no default penalty for skills( at GM's discretion)

Players

Canin-Human Fighter-218 pts

(I still have quite the small group)

NPCs allied with the characters

Smith-Dwarf Warrior

Frederick-Human Archer

Bo'ul-Human Fighter

Canin and his band of mercs were alerted to a group of assassins targeting him. Frederick took the group to his cabin in the Ringwood Hills. However, crossing Moaf River, they were apprehended by a young cobalt dragon. After its defeat, it was skinned for Canin's use. Once they made it to the cabin, Canin made gloves out of the dragonskin for Frederick. The group then heard screams close to the cabin. Shepherds and their herds were being attacked by a group of Jackalmen( men with the head of a jackal) and Crocodilians( Crocodiles that can move on two legs) The party fought off the beasts, though Frederick suffered a grave wound. Canin returned to the cabin and spent the rest of the day building a crocodile-skin helmet and dragonskin greaves. The player stated that this was one of his favorite sessions yet, so GM'ing win today.

GURPS Session-July 2 '11

NOTES: Characters are given classes only for identification-they have no function in-game. Also, NPCs have no point value, because they have no skills. However, there is no default penalty for skills( at GM's discretion)

Players

Canin-Human Fighter-218 pts

(I have quite the small group)

NPCs allied with the characters

Smith-Dwarf Warrior

Frederick-Human Archer

Bo'ul-Human Fighter

Canin was recruited by the above mercenaries to assist in a assault on Castle Chepstow, an abandoned fortress. Orcish warriors serving the orc warlord Garnak had overtaken the castle, and the characters were to "clear it out." The adventure progressed mainly by moving through the castle and systematically eradicating the orcs(and occasional ogre) inside. Frederick mainly stood back and provided "cover fire." Smith charged each enemy, and was responsible for many of the finishing blows with his double-bladed battleaxe. Bo'ul acrobatically dispatched Garnak's troops with his spear and martial-arts skills, and Canin used his Flying Leap skill to powerfully attack orcs. However, Smith was overpowered and never missed, and Canin's leaps were oft without consequence.  The session itself lasted about forty-five minutes, and although lacking in variety, seemed to be exciting for the players and was useful for improving combat GM'ing skills.

Currently Reading

Just thought I'd make a list of the books, I've read this week and am currently reading. ( Inspired by Philip Reed at Battlegrip)

Green Lantern: Rebirth-Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver
The Dilbert Principle-Scott Adams
The Idiot's Guide To Graphic Design-Marjorie Crum and Marcia Layton Turner
The Onion-Dispatches From The Tenth Circle
Dave Barry Is From Mars and Venus-Dave Barry
Dave Barry's Greatest Hits-Dave Barry

Thor 2 Announced-In Theaters July 2013

The sequel to May's Thor has been announced. Kenneth Branagh will not return to direct, but Chris Hemsworth will continue to play the role of the Norse Avenger. Hopefully the film has some more build-up to The Avengers, and hopefully more awesome, pulse-pounding, hammer-throwing, Frost-Giant shattering, Loki-scheming, Thor-bragging action. Look for Thor 2 July 26, 2013.

Highwayman-Campaign Character

This image made in HeroMachine 3 is of a highwayman that will be involved in our group's next adventure.

Highwayman
All stats 11 except IQ 9
Leather Armor-torso, legs-DR 2
Boots-feet-DR 2
Belt
Shortbow-thr imp-+1 acc.-750 yd range-1 round shot(2 round reload)-50cc
Shortsword-sw cut/thr imp-Range 1-Parry +0-400cc
8 arrows
Straps(26) wrapped around legs to hold items.

Gamemaster Tools

When GM'ing an RPG, it's often hard to come up with original names, items, and locales. Two of the best tools for a GM are Chaotic Shiny and Seventh Sanctum. They are random generator sites, with such useful generators as Fantasy-Style Name and The Bookspinner. And also, such useless ones as Humorous Fantasy Class Generator. (e.g. Hobo Fighter) Both sites have proved themselves in games and are strongly recommended to any Gamemaster.