Alesmiter - Blog with an Eye on History

I just found the Alesmiter blog and added it to the list. So far, my favorite post is about Wolf Island Castle in England. Rod Thompson has an excellent photo series on this historical site and a series of inspirational posts in addition to gaming information.

Rod also posts on C&S other great games, both new(ish) and old. I love the old school vibe of his site and the images he uses.

I can't wait to read it all. And the way things are going, I will probably have the time.

I... We Still Hate Read Magic

I hate read magic as spell. Its... well, let me tell you, it's everything Dragons Gonna Drag said it was. Justin says everything I thought about this useless spell and more. With poetry, actual poetry. He doesn't just hate this spell, he has all kinds of tips, tricks and mechanics to get rid of it in a comprehensive fashion.

Someone once told me, "Criticism without an action item is... assholish." Justin Stewart names the issue and gives the reader many, many good ideas on alleviating the problem. It isn't just criticism, is valid criticism with a viable solution. Love it!

Why not add him to your reading list? Go check him out. 

By the way, feel free to add your blog or your favorite blog to my reading list by mentioning it in the comments. I can't wait to add it to my blog roll.

Build Worlds, Second Edition by Dancing Light Press

I've been looking at Build Worlds, Second Edition by Dancing Light Press for a while. It retails for $4.99 and tops out at just shy of 90 pages at 89. The cover art is excellent and the table of contents is tight. The book is divided into three main headings, Intro, Format and Elements, each one bigger than the last.

From the links above, you can see I am heavily invested in World Building for my B/X and AD&D campaigns. Back in the day, I picked a wonderful book for second edition AD&D called Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide. While I had a low awareness of second edition and a slight dislike of it, this book was a revelation to me. Now, it isn't exactly built for world building, but it drags you through the process of designing the adventures within your world.

Building Worlds is specifically meant for world building and is totally rule set agnostic. That means it should rejuvenate your eyes, giving the reader fresh insight in to their current campaign or a new one they are planning.

Go ahead and give them both a try. Both are available at DriveThruRPG from the links above.

Strictly (Duke) Springer - Day 078 – March 18th.

On entry to the New Karma system, we are mind probed. Ugh. Duke is struck dumb and the crew struggles to find a target as he takes damage. Deadeye locates a small ship and blasts it out of his sky. He is also struck by an incredible force. Both Duke (2 hits) and Deadeye (4 hits) are wounded, but we will recover.

I forget this game psionics. Cool, but not cool.

New Karma is one of those double planet systems. Nipna, Mynkuria, Talitar, New Karma and Byzatium are all double planets. I have always thought there might be a way to set up a trade route from planet A to Planet B, but haven’t really found a good one.

Let’s look at the areas on New Karma. Planet I has Slums, 2 Spaceports, Colony, Mining, Gambling, and 2 Industrial areas. Planet II has 2 Colonies, Military Base, Industrial, Ruins, Rural, Prison, and Rough. I think I could set up a trade route from the Ruins to a Spaceport.

We have no problems and land at the spaceport on Planet I. Before we start rolling, Deadeye, Duke, Lefty and Bones report to sick bay for healing. Emily takes the rest of the crew out to get supplies in the remaining 4 hours of daylight.

Emily hires a woman named Ace as a backup pilot then refuels the ships with Hypercharges by the end of the day.

Lefty and Bones are fully healed. Duke has one more day and Deadeye has 3 more days of healing.

I have 165,743 secs. We are wanted in the Palatek.

Eagle Torch Ship Deckplans

I've been making deckplans for Star Smuggler style ships, which probably also could be included a great deal of other gaming products. This one didn't work out, but I like the style so far. This is good Inkscape practice.

I'm not done by a longshot, but some of the ideas running through my head is a mercury capsule like crew compartment at the nose, surrounded by all kinds of mechanical workspaces. The large rounded wings like structures are for solid cargo while the circular parts are for liquid and gaseous materials. The engines are inaccessible by the crew, except by spacesuit. 

I'm still brainstorming ideas. I pictured this vessel as a control space, an engine, life support and a lot of open space not really dedicated for anything. If it has a shuttle, there are probably two double parked in one of the larger areas of the ship. It is not optimal for any purpose except space for work.