Chaotek Thoughts

Kindergarteners get a tough lesson in tardiness from the President:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Kindergarteners-Snubbed-for-Steelers.html

It has been reported in the last month that Macs have been attacked with a Trojan virus from pirated software. From what I understand is that the virus intends to create a Mac-based botnet for denial of service and other zombie style attacks. It’s notable that this isn’t the first Mac virus or botnet, just perhaps the first popularized one.

I don’t think it’s a good thing that a virus is getting out there. But I am pleased that the self-righteous Mac people might be taken down a few levels. It has been proven that Mac people are snobs. There is an unending arrogance that radiates from the Mac community that Macs are inherently more secure and generally better, or that Mac users are more sophisticated than other computer users.

At the end of the day, Macs are just as secure as PCs. It’s just that it’s not worth the time to write malicious code against these systems. If you’re going to do the work, I’d think you want the most bang for your buck and PCs dominate the market. Finally, the irony that the virus came from pirated software is so precious that I giggle at the thought of Mac snobs looking down their noses at the rest of us from behind their cloud of smug. It’s not that I don’t like Macs–I just don’t like Mac users.

We’re starting to save our campaign information to RPG Herald. We used to use Tiki-Wiki to save our information. In the past, we’ve run into two primary issues with saving our campaign information: attention span and ease of use. The problem with ease of use was that it was difficult to teach others to use a wiki, and how to use it correctly. The attention span issue was that only 1-2 people would ever have the ability to change the wiki, because it wasn’t always easy, and while a campaign might start well it quickly was forgotten until the start of the next campaign.

Hopefully the ease of use will be resolved by using the new RPG Herald web site as it is pretty simple to use while allowing for a lot of customization. The attention span issue will also hopefully be resolved as we’re going to have everyone in the group involved, to different degrees I’m sure, but involved enough to help keep the site updated. There are other sites which offer services similar to what we’ve setup on RPG Herald, but most of them are either pay sites, not any better than our previous wiki, or limit the number of campaigns you can have.

Additionally, RPG Herald is open for anyone else to use as well, free of charge.

Perdue sent me this great skeptic video:

[video:dailymotion:x8uei4_openmindedness_tech]

I’m trying out b2evolution for this site instead of Drupal. I don’t have any specific issue with Drupal, however I wanted to try something new.

I’ve recently been reading quite a few trade paperbacks. Most recently I’ve read the Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman: War Games, and Batman RIP. Considering that I’m mostly a Marvel fan, its been an interesting experience reading so many DC comics. I’ve found that there are things in these books that I like and hate about trade paperbacks in general.

The first two, Watchmen and Killing Joke, were self contained story lines. This was nice because you can just pick it up off the shelf and enjoy a good story. War Games, with the prequel War Drums, was also a mostly self-contained story. Sure, it took 4 books to tell the story, but it’s all there. War Drums was especially important because it helped catch me up on what was going on before the War Games story starts. It even went as far as to introduce individual characters.

Batman RIP is perhaps the example I have for a bad trade paperback. The entire story made you feel lost, not because it was a complex plot, but because I just no idea who people were and what was going on. Many story points seemed like Deus Ex Machina or just random dribble.

Coming from Marvel books, I was also impressed by War Games by how the stories were integrated into a single whole. Comics from multiple lines, from multiple Batman comics, Robin, and Catwoman, were all intermingled into a single chronological story. Even when the featured character jumped from Batman to Catwoman then to Robin, I never felt like it didn’t make sense. I got the whole story in one pass, which I thought was terrific. Marvel trades, unlike War Games, would have had the core story in one book, and each side-story in its own trade. Some might see this as being nice to the consumer because you can get the basic story at a cheaper cost, but if you were planning on reading all of the stories there was a massive lack of continuity as you read each of the trade paperbacks in order. For example with Civil War or House of M, reading the secondary trades after reading the main story book was difficult because it wasn’t always easy to figure out when this occurred in the main story, or it is irritating because the contents of the side story help the main story and would have made it better if they had been inserted into the main storyline.

DC also produced War Games in a cheaper format. Instead of being a glossy, heavy paper like you typically find in many comics and trade paperbacks, War Games was printed on paper that was very much like newspaper. While cheaper to produce, I don’t feel like the quality was diminished and I got a better product at the end of the day because I could read the entire story, with all side stories, in chronological order for a much cheaper cost than it would be to read a similar Marvel based trade where I would have felt disconnected by the side stories.

Create unique and memorable characters

One way to create a memorable character is to create a unique character by breaking the standard mold. We’ve seen this in novels, namely Drizzt Do’Urden the goodly drow, and Olive Ruskettle who was a halfling bard when halflings couldn’t be bards (in 2nd edition statted as a thief with music instrument proficiency). These characters followed standard rules for character generation, just taking the rules and spinning a good background story. Without house rules, you can break the mold very easily by changing the “power source” of the character. Here are some ideas to get you started on breaking the mold for your next PC:

• Two Minds – Instead of a barbarian flying into a wild rage because of their less civilized culture, rather they become a different person while raging. Imagine a barbarian who is possessed by a demon (real or imagined), and that demon takes over whenever the person uses their rage ability. While not in a rage the character is cowardly or otherwise passive, but turns into an aggressive monster when threatened or hurt. Alternatives: might be multiple personality instead of possession or any use a non-rage character like a fighter and use the same personality change.
• Culture Shock – Many character concepts have a stereotype based on culture. Try using an alternative culture which results in the same game effect. Try a wild bard, like a Viking war-chanter (skald), who has all of the same skills as a typical bard but acts like a barbarian or druid. Another example is a barbarian from the city. Maybe they grew up on the streets, lacking formal education and harnessing anger as a street brawler or thug. Alternatives: consider a character who is not typically found in a given culture, like a sorcerer from Thay (Realms), a paladin from Neraka (Dragonlance), or a dwarven druid (Pikel Bouldershoulder).
• Monster Race – Like everyone’s favorite drow, using a monster race as a PC can definitely make for a unique and memorable character. Now I’m not encouraging the creation of more dual scimitar wielding drow, or an absurd monster race. Consider something weak, like a kobold, goblin, etc. This will allow the PC to avoid that ridiculous level adjustment and still have a special character. Alternatives: consider using a character, who like Drizzt, has abandoned his race or culture but instead comes from a normal race. For example, a human who has abandoned humanity to live underground with dwarves or a half-orc who yearns to live as an elf.
• Poor Training – How about a character who did not receive the normal training for their abilities. Imagine a martial artist (monk) who did not receive standard training and instead learned their superior fighting skills fighting on the streets of a city. Or a wizard who is self-taught, maybe from a culture which looks down on magic. Alternatives: maybe consider a character who was trained, but in something else. Maybe they spent years training to become a wizard, but it never sunk in.
• Retirement – Perhaps instead of being a spirited youth seeking adventure, your character could be an older, retired person before their started their adventuring career. In the modern world, this would be akin to a mid-life crisis. Something mundane like a blacksmith who took to the road after closing up shop, keeping his trusty hammer retooled as a weapon. Or a career soldier who never saw any action, so after retirement he’s set out to find it. Or a librarian who grew tired of 20 years of reading others’ tales and wants one of her own. Older characters benefit from lots of experience, even if indirect, which could be a lot of fun. Alternatives: Obviously the alternative to old age is youth, perhaps the character is a child or teen (or equivalent for their race). The youth could make them fearless, yet naïve. This could be a very good character concept for character growth, as the realities of the world start to sink in.
• Divine Power – A common concept in RPGs is divine influence. This is obvious for religious characters like priests and paladins. However this doesn’t mean that a character from another character type can be divinely powered (or believe that they are). For example, a bard could be an evangelist instead of a common storyteller. In a modern game, imagine a vampire who is a devout catholic (the self-loathing would be immense, I know), however this vampire might believe that God made them this way for a reason. Maybe the character believes that their magic is not arcane at all, but divinely granted and requires prayer like a priest to accomplish. Alternatives: instead of using divine power, maybe the character thinks their abilities are a display of their own divinity. This delusion could be quite entertaining. Additionally, any character can be highly religious, regardless of character type. Even a fighter can have a lot of interesting flair if they are devoutly religious. On the opposite grain, perhaps the character is an atheist, or doesn’t believe the deities are really gods at all, powerful yes but not divine.

I hope these ideas get you started on creating unique and memorable characters. Like I said above, I’m not encouraging more dual wielding good drow, as that’s not unique anymore. Create a character who stands out, with a lot of personality. It doesn’t require house rules or major rules “interpretations” to have a character break the mold. Just take a character’s abilities and apply a different source for those abilities other than what is provided in the text

The Supreme Court just banned the death penalty for child rape cases, on a 5 to 4 vote. I can’t disagree more with this decision. Perhaps the questionable circumstances of this case had some influence, as I admit that the victim’s testimony in this case is questionable as it took 20 months for the victim to identify the convict even though he was arrested within weeks of the event. However I don’t think that this should remove the possibility of the death penalty entirely. In fact, I would support expanding the death penalty to more non-homicide crimes.

For example, bank robbery has historically had a very steep penalty compared to similar robbery charges because in the past robbing a bank could destroy the lives of thousands. Since banks are insured by the Federal bank, this isn’t the case anymore, but the punishment is just as severe. I would go as far as to say that others who ruin many lives or destroy the life of someone without killing them should be eligible for execution. Consider cases in Africa where a man throws battery acid on the face of a woman, or in Europe where a person was held as a sex slave for years. These sound like cases where a person’s life is ruined even if they are still alive. Or consider a case where the attempted murder resulted in paralysis, blindness, or even severe emotional damage. In some ways, isn’t that a fate worse than death?

Considering the circumstances, I think I would not have supported the death penalty in this case, and perhaps even would have voted not-guilty if I was on the jury since the eye witness testimony allows for some doubt. I don’t like the death penalty in cases where the only evidence is eyewitness testimony, especially that of a child, given how unreliable it is. However that shouldn’t destroy the ability to sentence the death penalty in non-homicide cases.

I picked up the three core books for Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition today. I am very excited about the new rules. Based on a quick browsing of the books and earlier Wizards statements, I think that this is going to be a great version of the game. I’m still a little nervous about the state of the Forgotten Realms setting, but I think that the rules will be very fun to play.

When running a large gaming group, things slow down. Every round of combat takes longer, and on average each player has less time in the spotlight. An entire game session can revolve around a single encounter. While certainly entertaining, the story will progress very slowly this way. Speeding up combat also balances the time in the spotlight, giving all players an equal amount of focus. To get through combat faster, here are some tips to get your large group game moving faster:

1. Avoid out-of-game discussions during the game, especially during combat. While gaming is a hobby, not a job, it feels good to be productive nonetheless. Try to save out of character/game discussions for breaks, as well as before and after the game.
2. Plan you actions before your turn. A single player’s turn can take a very long time if the player waits until their turn arrives to decide what to do. Try to plan what actions you are going to take during your turn during others’ turns. If necessary, plan 2 possible actions for your turn, to allow for the changing battlefield. For example if you are playing a spell caster, plan an offensive and defensive spell, so if the fight changes before your next turn, you can react accordingly—and quickly.
3. Pay attention when it isn’t your turn. This may seem contrary to the preceding suggestion, but it is important to know what is going on during others’ turns. This speeds up combat simply by limiting the time it takes to re-describe the current battlefield situation. This will still occur, especially if there are rapid/dramatic changes, but limiting the unnecessary re-description can allow you to better plan you actions as well as speed up your turn.
4. Limit breaks, take breaks as a group. Whenever possible, try to wait until after an encounter to take a break rather than interrupting an encounter. Also try to take breaks as a group, if one or two people leave the table while the others are still playing, the entire game can be held up while the group waits for the person to return. If this occurs, assume the player is delaying their action, even if it means losing a turn if the round ends.
5. Have the spell/ability description ready. It can consume a lot of time looking up spell or feat descriptions in the middle of a fight, especially if you don’t decide to look it up until a question arises. This also includes having the DC, casting time, range, effect, etc. ready to answer questions.
6. Roll multiple dice at the same time. You can greatly speed up your turn if you roll all the necessary dice for an action at the same time, rather than one roll at a time. For example, an attack action might include the attack roll, concealment, damage, caster level check, etc. Rolling all of the dice at the same time can greatly reduce the time it takes to do such actions. Please note that if you are rolling more than one of the same die for different purposes, please specify this ahead of time. For example if you roll two d20s for touch attack and caster level, please state which is which before the roll to avoid confusion or cheating accusations. If you are consistent in die selection, you might only have to state this once or twice and it will be assumed thereafter. If you are unsure about if you need to roll certain dice, like concealment or spell resistance, do your best to judge based on previous encounters or scaling combat.
7. Avoid splitting the group. Aside from the survival reasons for not splitting the group, few things slow down a large group game than splitting the group. This requires running multiple encounters, which actually takes longer than if you had run the two encounters back to back. Sometimes splitting the group is unavoidable or story-driven, but these are planned for ahead of time. It doesn’t take long for the group to wait until everyone is ready before moving on to the next room/encounter.
8. Don’t argue DM decisions during the game session. Many arguments can be avoided by having a book open to the necessary rules before you take your action, but some situations cannot be foreseen. To keep the game moving forward, it becomes necessary for the DM to judge a situation as best they can off the cuff. Let the ruling stand for the current situation, but feel free to look up the rule during breaks or between sessions. Thereafter the ruling can be reversed or changed for all future cases.
9. Share/assume initiative rolls when appropriate. If the group is walking down a narrow corridor, consider assuming that the initiative order is the same as the marching order. This saves a lot of time and effort if the people in the back can’t act because everyone in front of them is in the way. If the PC has a henchmen or pet, have them share initiative order. NPCs should also share initiative, either all going at the same time, or group them into initiative groups. For example, two foes might have the same initiative order; or a boss might have an initiative and all of his minions share another initiative position.
10. Use index cards for initiative. This helps ensure that all players and foes get their turn every round and reduces time in looking up and remembering who is next. If a player is not ready when their turn arrives, consider allowing them a free delay action of one or two other players to allow them time to decide what to do, rather than have everyone wait for the player to decide.

While it’s important for combat to occur smoothly, it’s still important to have fun. Don’t be afraid of limiting your actions out of simplicity or speed; just try to be timely. You are playing a role-playing game, not a roll-playing game; so don’t let the mechanics of the game or combat speed restrict your role-playing opportunities. For example, feel free to describe the nature of an action while you are rolling all of your dice. You can say “My barbarian roars in anger as he slashes his great axe at the wretched troll’s maw” while you roll your attack, damage, and concealment checks in the same throw. Or say “Alice calls out to her goddess to smite the infidels” while you roll the ranged touch attack, concealment check, caster level check, cast defensively check, and damage dice at the same time. Flavor text like this can make even the most mundane actions fun and exciting for all.