Archive for March, 2010

I’ve added entries for Dark Conspiracy, Twilight 2000 and Babylon 5 to the Open the Door page.

• Beware of an additional g when writing about a click-a-thon or telethon. #
• And I thought our charity shows were bad RT @sciamannata @impworks: Extra g is just fine if talking about an *Italian* telethon… #
• @d20plusmodifier Nice. Although in my case its being rubbish at painting miniatures in reply to d20plusmodifier #
• @jearle More philosophical than mine: follow those who look interesting; ignore those using keyword tracking & drop in 3 days strategy in reply to jearle #
• @qwghlm Escaping the input would have cost them another $1000 in reply to qwghlm #
• @GRIMACHU #Shadowrun is like Marmite – Gamers either Love it or Hate it. in reply to GRIMACHU #
• @qwghlm I'd forgotten that – so used to escaping feeds. Now I'm even more torn between laughing and crying. in reply to qwghlm #
• You'd think a bot would only need 1 try to discover an injection attack wouldn't work not a couple of hundred… #
• @acrobatic_flea I thought they announced double whammy Good Friday for Ashes to Ashes and Easter Saturday for Dr Who the other day? in reply to acrobatic_flea #
• @undeadbydawn I can come up with a couple of ways but I'd get into trouble for tweeting them in reply to undeadbydawn #
• @acrobatic_flea Several sites reported Steven Moffat announced April 3 on BBC Breakfast March 19th – I didn't see it myself in reply to acrobatic_flea #
• @acrobatic_flea My pleasure – it caught me out too – they've kind of slipped it out by accident rather than announcing it really lol in reply to acrobatic_flea #
• @pookie_uk If by less talent you mean talent so small that I've yet to see any sign of it – yes. in reply to pookie_uk #
• @fluffcthulhu Don't you just just need a translation of "Die mortals die" ? in reply to fluffcthulhu #
• @guardiantech I don't know how general it is but a Frenchman once called the @ le Petite Escargot when telling me an e-mail address in reply to guardiantech #
• New York's Museum of Modern Art honours the @ symbol http://bit.ly/9fRj6z #
• @very_true_thing That should be a question on a poll… in reply to very_true_thing #
• @Danacea So your @ won't be in the New York Museum of Modern Art lol http://www.bit.ly/9fRj6z in reply to Danacea #
• China through the lens of John Thomson @ Merseyside Maritime Museum is stunning. Will be going back for another look http://bit.ly/dg6i2z #
• @sciamannata Oops! I miss read that as Giant Kitten Sink Salad… in reply to sciamannata #
• @jearle Email and comment spam is hovering around its usual level for me. Could it be all your new domains? in reply to jearle #
• @eyedoubleyou Sorry nothing secret. I did a tiny job for the MerseyVLC this morning & @iancockayne will be training them on it l8r in reply to eyedoubleyou #
• @RobinDLaws I ran into a spell checker not knowing "wit" the other day which seems a little ironic. in reply to RobinDLaws #
• @acrobatic_flea My guess because if they tie it down in the schedules too much in advance someone will deliberately schedule against it… in reply to acrobatic_flea #
• Making a start on writing Street Hawker up for Ragnarok http://bit.ly/dsvBEw #
• @RFLong Gratz. Bet you're all Gratzed out by now in reply to RFLong #
• Well I was struggling to find quality Street Hawk reference material – but I see it came out on DVD yesterday so that won't be a problem… #
• Sheep effect on the bus this morning: 7 empty seats but 1 person stands up and no one getting on sits down in them #
• @iancockayne Sorry it really does look like you've joined the Boy Sprouts from a distance today #
• Star Wars + Steampunk = http://bit.ly/9Ti7fs #
• @qwghlm Shame but only because Celebrity Foursquare sound like a game show from the '70s in reply to qwghlm #
• @ResGamer Not quite yet… in reply to ResGamer #
• New Photo: Chandelier in St George's Hall, Liverpool: http://www.bit.ly/d630gL #
• After prompting updated by LiveJournal for the first time in 3 years… to suggest visitors look at my real blog #
• I was wondering if anyone had noticed that gem RT @Tamsynjk Mega cool – RT @impworks: Star Wars + Steampunk = http://bit.ly/9Ti7fs #
• @qwghlm Content aware fill – Otherwise known as the X removal tool for editing ex girlfriends / boyfriends out of pictures in reply to qwghlm #
• Photoshop CS5 image touch-up aka the minus X tool for prized photos with the ex in http://bit.ly/aSlWcZ (via @owenblacker @qwghlm) #
• @daneofwar They make me wish I had the skill to make something that visually creative too. in reply to daneofwar #
• @aniakovas Aster? Is that like esters? Not every day I get to make a sarcastic chemistry joke. in reply to aniakovas #
• @DaveWebbBC Congratulations in reply to DaveWebbBC #
• @KimKnox SF, Fantasy or Contemporary? in reply to KimKnox #
• @Danacea That feeling I know… in reply to Danacea #
• Only 1 word adequately describes this: Weird http://bit.ly/9aDRKr #
• @jearle I moved those off onto a list and unfollowed them a couple of weeks ago. Twitter lots more managable. in reply to jearle #
• The Gotomeeting advert is a bad powerpoint with fidgeting presenters + business ads during entertainment shows = massive #fail #
• Too tired for writing so I've sorted my #WiP #039;s mood shelf – Worried its now over 6 feet long & I just ordered more from Amazon #
• @beltonwriter I was starting to think our twitter days never crossed. Nice to see your tweets live rather than digging back into my night. in reply to beltonwriter #
• @beltonwriter Almost hit 18 degrees C here yesterday. What's the land of the rising sun like at this time of year? in reply to beltonwriter #
• @Danacea Was that the excuse they told you to get to go to the Con? (Not the Valium part) in reply to Danacea #
• @DaveAllsop Do you know which issue it will be in? I only pick it up occasionally but that one I'd look for in reply to DaveAllsop #
• World of Womblecraft #culturallybritishtaxbreakgames #
• Sid Little's Pirates! Captain Pugwash edition #culturallybritishtaxbreakgames #
• Sim Trumpton (with Life on Mars Expansion Pack) #culturallybritishtaxbreakgames #
• @jearle You old gaming tart. That said they used to get a CG designer after inspiration in Best Books and Games… in reply to jearle #
• Added Dark Conspiracy to Open the Door http://bit.ly/3ZlAUa Tried to add Colonial Gothic but I keep slipping into Amish Paradise #
• @aeonofdiscord @jearle I'd buy a copy. I still think you're a gaming tart though #
• @daneofwar The Fraternity of Shadows forum is positive on Ravenloft as board game but I'd rather see it in RPG setting form in reply to daneofwar #
• @daneofwar I'd be fine with that too. Yes Ravenloft has some flaws but nothing that a few tweaks in a rebuild couldn't fix. in reply to daneofwar #
• @daneofwar I liked it best pre shadow rift. Some good bits in 3rd. Distances & pop need a scale up but otherwise 2nd eds my gold standard in reply to daneofwar #
• Pretty cool allegedly RT @jearle: Nivo Slider – "The Most Awesome jQuery Image Slider" apparently. http://bit.ly/bNydqy #
• @aniakovas Yup just had one – Don't hang up this is a free ca<Click> in reply to aniakovas #
• @aniakovas Nothing wrong with well put together ones I call. Just don't want to hear from any autodiallers. in reply to aniakovas #
• Very chirpy bus driver this morning confusing everyone by greeting them onto the bus and wishing them a good day as they got off #
• @lpooltwestival You could see the look of confusion on faces as people got on. We don't know how to cope with nice anymore lol in reply to lpooltwestival #
• @undeadbydawn Shame because I really like undeadbydawn – I think it was why I followed you in reply to undeadbydawn #
• @ghostwoods Thanks for the #ff in reply to ghostwoods #
• @richeym It's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it. in reply to richeym #
• Looking at Yahoo Analytics as an alternative to GA in case it came up for work. You can't just sign up so no way to learn it #fail #
• @ResGamer Thanks for the #ff in reply to ResGamer #
• RT @daneofwar: Star Wars + Steampunk + Cosplay = Awesome: http://tinyurl.com/yky8pyj #
• @grahamwalmsley That links broken in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• Am I alone in not having come across the use of listing for spamming on twitter before? #
• @DMSamuel Rather than follow the spammer added me onto a twitter list which I spotted and foolishly went to see what the list was in reply to DMSamuel #
• @grahamwalmsley Cool. Looks like an interesting scenario too. in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• @DMSamuel Yup. I use a list for following PR feed accounts but if they're going to get filled up with spam in reply to DMSamuel #
• @DMSamuel Thanks for the #ff in reply to DMSamuel #
• @grahamwalmsley I'll try and remember to pick it up later for a look. in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• @antoniapearce An inhuman form of torture. My own writing always feels ugly unless I leave it for a few months before I read it. in reply to antoniapearce #
• @daneofwar Time to get out Harpoon and head down the bunker in reply to daneofwar #
• @Tamsynjk I only get the twitter trollops too. The list spam was a 1st. I guess they'd hit their follow limit. in reply to Tamsynjk #
• Anyone else spot the Union Jack under the Dalek's eye stalk in the trailler and go Huh? And then go cool! http://bit.ly/csQlUZ #
• Nice detail RT @ghostfinder: Hehheh. Stuck on Earth in 1963, the Doctor joined a library: http://bit.ly/9dcaM0 #
• @KadrinaLage The first trailler was awful. Don't know why they did it. Just a bad scrapbook. Moffat + latest trailer = feeling a lot better in reply to KadrinaLage #
• @pookie_uk Very, very cool. Fingers crossed they can carry it off. in reply to pookie_uk #
• @KimKnox Are you trying for the million word a year club? in reply to KimKnox #
• #WiP Open working on Equipment chapter. Crunch done. Now for the fluff. #
• Why are they trying so hard? We're sold already! RT @natalief: BBC-Doctor Who-Official Site http://j.mp/9DErtS Tonight at 18:00? #
• @pookie_uk Have you really upset the ex England manager that much? in reply to pookie_uk #
• @anthroposgames Like a job it gets in the way but @ worst it pays the bills & @ best it achieves something good too. in reply to anthroposgames #
• So much for getting on with the day: Fighting Seabees on Film 4 #
• Managed to knock out a page of research while watching Fighting Seabees. #
• @sciamannata Wait till you get attacked by fighter aircraft in the finale in reply to sciamannata #
• @anthroposgames Probably the PhD but you never know in reply to anthroposgames #
• Time to put the #WiP away and put the calculator away with it and cook something for dinner. #
• @jearle I wish I knew what the word (if one exists) is for a creator's belief that their work is far worse than anyone else does in reply to jearle #
• @jearle Your probably right. Sometimes I wonder if its something different: really harsh self criticism when viewing your own creation. in reply to jearle #
• Aarrg. Shouldn't have fired up TweatDeck after closing #WiP Too many interesting things to read. Bedtime. #

When making rules for a role playing game there is the ongoing balancing act between narrative and simulation.  Both of which ultimately need to create fun.  At one extreme you’ve a game like Over the Edge with very lightweight rule system and at the other end you’ve got rules heavy, simulation game like Rolemaster.  Both have their place and both have advantages and disadvantages.  A rules light game can be as hard to run (harder in some ways for a novice) than a rules heavy game.

When I wrote Under Stairs Over Stairs I deliberately decided that character development should be based on a character’s age not on how many fights they had been in.  However over the years some of the feedback I’ve had suggests some players would prefer an experience system.  They’re just more comfortable with games that keep the elements most games have like Statistics, Skills, Combat Rules, Experience Rules and buying equipment with cash.  The further a game moves from the comfort zone the less they like the sound of it.

Simulating an episodic TV shows before the story arc era of shows like Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer presents an interesting dilemma.  In that era, where episodic and serial TV shows were clearly separate, characters didn’t develop much from one episode to the other.  There were good reasons for this: channels could show the episodes in any order and repeat them in any order without having to worry about it.  Writers didn’t need coordinating so the story line maintained continuity.  Crucially it was felt the audience could miss an episode and then start watching again.

So in the game I’m running I’ve been talking to the players about how we can simulate this narrative style in-game since the setting is style after episodic TV shows.  Traditional experience systems see XP awarded and characters improving from adventure to adventure.  The game has that kind of system at the moment.  Episodic TV didn’t see characters changing and growing.  They usually began as fully formed heroes, at least once the pilot episode set them up, and then carried on in the same way for the rest of their dramatic lives.

I’ve been considering a few different approaches to take to this.  The first is simply to not bother with XP.  The second is to not bother with XP but to allow players to reshape their characters a little between episodes by moving skills or stats round till they are happy with the balance.    A slight variation on these possibilities is to give the players more points when creating their character’s so they start out better.  Many games are designed with the idea that the characters will become more powerful and thus deal with bigger challenges as time goes on so this would balance that out.

Another thought is to use XP but instead use it to buy prominence in an episode’s story or to buy central casting in the next episode.  I’ve seen this in a few games – role buying in Hong Kong Action Theatre springs immediately to mind.  I’m wondering if a system that allows the players to buy into the story could work. A little XP would net them a part in the adventure’s B plot.  A bit more would buy them a connection with a character in the story or being in the right (or wrong) place at the right time.  A really big spend in advance of the adventure would let them buy a pivotal position in the next adventure.

So would throwing out XP or using it in a different way make you less likely to be interested in a game?  How would you feel about buying a bigger role for your character in a game?

I’ve been writting the next adventure for the role playing game I’m occassionally running today.  As well as the traditional overhead map of one of the key locations I’m considering using elevations of the streets to help players visualise their surroundings.  The small sample above is a section from a trial elevation I sketched tonight.

I can’t remember ever seeing elevations used in any roleplaying game.  So I thought I’d throw the example out there to see what any gamers reading this thought.

I’m wondering if I should add textures to some of the surfaces or leave it as line art.  If I leave it as line are I’m thinking I’ll use different pen styles / weights to enhance the look.  I’m also wondering if I should include people and cars on the drawing.  Do you think I should add in postboxes, lamp posts, pedestrian crossings and other street furniture.  One detail that’s missing from the example: I’ll be including labels on the final elevations.  Is there anything else you’d suggest?

I’ve been looking for an idea for a new article to send in for the SFSFW’s Ragnarok and I think I may just have found it a mashup of Steampunk and the short lived 80′s TV show Street Hawk…

This is the Honourable Jesse Macintosh, a former penny-farthing policeman, whose reputation was perilously injured whilst performing his lawful duties.  Now a Scotland Yard trouble shooter, he’s been recruited for an exceedingly secret government mission to ride Street Hawker – an all-cobbled surfaces attack bicycle designed to fight urbane criminality, capable of incredible speeds up to thirty miles an hour… immense firepower… and a really loud speaking horn. Only one man, Her Imperial Majesty The Queen-Empress Victoria’s confidant, Lord Axminster (the prominant inventor, industrialist and engineer Norman Tuttle-Herringbone-Smyth), knows the Honourable Jesse Macintosh’s true identity. The Man… The Machine… Street Hawker.

Miniatures shouldn’t be a problem with Eureka’s Pax Limpopo range including a variety of eminently suitable figures.  I’ve not settled on a rule set yet suggestions in the comments would be greatly appreciated.

• Just received a spam message full of visible broken html including font and blink tags – some people just take no pride in their work #
• Should I switch my avatar to face to the right instead of the left? #
• Wow that was fast the spammer with the bad html has already been suspended for strange activity! Sign up to suspension less than 10 minutes. #
• Lunchtime trip to Lewis's fifth floor exhibition @ National Conservation Centre. The photos remind me of Edward Hopper http://bit.ly/arz3zx #
• Very Cool RT @jearle Now that's clever. #
• Anyone know a high street shop that sells "00" Flour / Semolina Flour for making pasta? #
• @RFLong I used to know physicists who used two fifths of a part of a gnats anatomy as the smallest measurable unit of anything in reply to RFLong #
• listening to "Sharpe over the hills and far away" ♫ http://blip.fm/~lyxv0 #
• Great Shame RT @minapop: Oh no, Christian's fruit & veg stall is closed and the place will be demolished soon… http://bit.ly/awre1L #
• Reading rn an m gives don't burn bridges a different meaning #whentypographygoesbad #
• @sizemore New TV show pitch 1975. Is he mad, in a coma, or has he taken the cat out for coffee? in reply to sizemore #
• @jearle The decisions just seems disconnected – if its about originality Radio 1 and 2 should be axed ahead of 6. in reply to jearle #
• #killhaveyoursay RT @JamesWallis: Oi BBC–want to save money on websites? Kill off the ridiculous Have Your Say. Please. #
• So the BBC have started cutting back their web site – a picture of Mark Thompson on the news page is 404 missing in action #
• @KimKnox @RFLong 30+ years on from Star Wars and we're all still suckers for the merchandise. in reply to KimKnox #
• Cool Star Wars merchandise that didn't make the jump to light speed… http://bit.ly/9kQzMj #
• And this afternoons game is called chop the flowery language to make a better article. #
• @undeadbydawn I agree with you but I can't help but hear Monty Python's Spanish inquisition sketch… the BBC, NHS and Democracy in reply to undeadbydawn #
• @eyedoubleyou Its her Elaine Paige medley that makes me want hearing protection. in reply to eyedoubleyou #
• Why does a Direct Message each day from pushing a website feel far more like spam than 3 tweets a day? #
• Roman d20 (with Greek numerals) for @ehlanakovas http://bit.ly/9pdNWn #
• @grahamwalmsley Architecture, especially big civic architecture, using Stone was common up to the 19th Century if thats what you're after? in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• @grahamwalmsley Nottingham Council House and St George's Hall Liverpool spring to mind – stone clad steel frame buildings can be deceptive in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• @grahamwalmsley The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building, are reinforced concrete frames clad in Portland stone not so good #
• I'd be more impressed with British Pie week if it didn't seem to be 1 companies marketing ploy & if it combined with Pi week later in March #
• RIP Michael Foot #
• Saw Michael Foot and M Thatcher debating at PMs questions. He was more impressive live than TV made him seem. #
• RT @sizemore: I think someone just saved the Star Wars franchise: http://i.imgur.com/FbFAn.jpg #
• @qwghlm You'll know its lost the plot when you can sue the character and not the writer in reply to qwghlm #
• @grahamwalmsley Grand Central's main concourse has a plaster vault ceiling on a steel frame and is limestone clad. I'm guessing not stone. in reply to grahamwalmsley #
• Boom! RT @spacefuture: Re-entry video of Jules Verne ATV [vid] #space http://bit.ly/9q6hKS #
• @jearle Reminded me of the Valkyrie letters page fiasco lol in reply to jearle #
• @KimKnox You forgot the biscuits? in reply to KimKnox #
• @jearle Don't tell Jay I found it funny but I wrote the comedy letter that was supposed to be one of a page of letters & not 1 of 2 letters in reply to jearle #
• @KimKnox No biscuits! Has civilization collapsed at your end of Liverpool? in reply to KimKnox #
• @newscientist Just curious are you A/B testing your Tweets to see which ones get the most referrals? in reply to newscientist #
• @newscientist Happens to all of us sometimes. Could be interesting to see how headline language relates to interest in science stories. in reply to newscientist #
• Need to knock this short adventure into shape just in case my players solve the bigger adventure… #
• RT @spacefuture: USSR's plans to go to the the Moon. In 1955 #space http://bit.ly/993IGz #
• Does the bloke in the Sure ad sound like he's worried about something else when he says "I'm worried I sweat more than others" #
• @jearle A lot of people want to change the world when its to their benefit and love the status quo when its not in reply to jearle #
• @sizemore Time to develop the worlds first hyperdimensional developer room to get those extra walls. Just don't slip down the cracks. in reply to sizemore #
• @DaveAllsop Spotted that yesterday in Liverpool Waterstones. Don't remember them being there last time I went in a couple of weeks ago. in reply to DaveAllsop #
• @stephenfry And good reading on the bus this morning it was too. Thank you. in reply to stephenfry #
• @qwghlm BBC never apologised in 70s when they showed The Flashing Blade even though they'd lost the last episode. in reply to qwghlm #
• Anyone using TweetMiner? Is it any use? #
• I was supposed to be writing lol RT @ghostwoods: Surreal… RT @canis_uk: Squee! http://bit.ly/9rpwDE #
• listening to "Dire Straits – On Every Street" ♫ http://blip.fm/~m75yv #
• @Trollgodfather Possibly a little but the odd one now and again and no one will notice in reply to Trollgodfather #
• Ok that adventures nailed. I might give it a bit of a polish tomorrow night. Now back to the weird sushi cat game http://bit.ly/cTz5KV #
• @DanDiplo Maybe we should examine the vibration damping qualities of different computer books to find the optimal anti-buzz option? in reply to DanDiplo #
• @sciamannata Just curious – which Game Writer / Game? in reply to sciamannata #
• Very cool – the human body as a tube map by Sam Loman: http://bit.ly/aY0U9H (http://bit.ly/9mCsoi) (via @jodiekearns @benzo8) #
• @sciamannata Check your wolfsbane too – something had to get at the garlic for the vampire in reply to sciamannata #
• Unfortunately not the truth about the sell your old mobile ads @guardiantech Mobiles move from cannibal to creator http://bit.ly/9ju2g1 #
• @benzo8 @ghostwoods I'd hate to see the rider list for that gig: 120l mineral water, flowers and presidency for life #
• Oo-er-missus RT @newscientist: Self-charging cellphone harvests energy from owner's wrist action http://bit.ly/9A3TrD #
• @eyedoubleyou Calm Down Ian! Calm Down in reply to eyedoubleyou #
• Time to do some plotting in several senses of the word. Down twitterscope… #
• @johnmcc Lesson learned a long time ago: Whenever possible avoid going live on Friday. Risk of service being down for weekend is too high. in reply to johnmcc #
• Warning World of Warcraft humour RT @WoWInsider: Breaking: Worgen druid flight form revealed! http://bit.ly/caZ8ND (via @ghostwoods) #
• Latest playtest went really well. Referees screen needs a lot of work. Think I may now know how to make unworkable adventure work. #

Wellington's Column Liverpool

Every work day I pass Wellington’s Column (or the Waterloo Memorial) on the corner of William Brown Street and Lime Street in Liverpool.

I think I may have spent too much time at work using Google Analytics and playing with numbers this week…

The following fact has absolutely no practical value I can think of…

On the first five days of March a seagull was stood on Wellington’s head four days out of five when I went past in the morning.

I thought I’d post another satellite picture after last weeks picture of the boneyard. Being a fan of the old Bond film Goldfinger I thought Fort Knox and the United States Bullion Depository (the large building with nothing around it at the bottom of the map).

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