Month: October 2016

So. Civilization VI.

I’ve been studiously ignoring Civilization VI, because I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO ME WHEN I PLAY CIVS.  I lose entire days*.  But I’m hearing things. Dangerous things, like “they’ve refined this game down to pure gold.”  I’m gonna regret asking this, but… is this true?

*When I finally got the first Civilization I played it until it was time for bed, then I got up, covered a short shift at the supermarket job I was at, came back, played Civ, went to bed, got up, covered a short shift, came back, played Civ, went to bed, got up, covered a longer shift, went to lunch, then realized as I was looking at my remarkably trembling hands that this was the first hot meal that I had had in three days.

So. Yeah. It’s a game series that has had its hooks in me from the start.

Whoa: “Mutable Deceptions, Vol 1: Jazz Age Newspapers” is a seriously nifty play aid.

Mutable Deceptions, Vol 1: Jazz Age Newspapers is one of those things that I didn’t realize I needed until I saw it.  Basically, for six bucks you get a bunch of templates that you can use to recreate authentic-looking clippings from 1920s and 1930s newspapers.  Shoot, you can probably get away with using that resource for WWI and WWII-era games, too.  I’ve just downloaded my copy, and I’d encourage the rest of you who gamemaster to do the same… even if that wasn’t an affiliate link.  Maybe they’ll make more era templates if there’s any interest in this one…

 

 

Item Seed: Super-Quencher.

Super-Quencher – Google Docs

Super-Quencher

There are seven impossible things about the popular new carbonated soft drink Super-Quencher:

  1. It freezes at zero degrees Fahrenheit.  There is nothing in the chemical makeup of this drink that would allow that to happen. Insert this sentence at the end of every subsequent bullet point.
  2. Its weight increases if it is frozen. This occurs even if the freezing is done in a vacuum.
  3. If you get it above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it will increase its internal temperature until it is at a sustainable 155 degrees Fahrenheit.  The air around the drink will feel noticeably cooler.
  4. It is absolutely sterile. In fact, it cleans teeth of plaque and bacteria.
  5. It never goes flat. Ever.
  6. If you open a bottle of Super-Quencher, then tap it on the bottom, the liquid inside will run up the inner surface of the glass, overflow, and run smoothly down the outer surface of the glass. Until the glass is empty.
  7. If you put your arm into a tub of the stuff, your hand and clothes will not get wet, and no residue will cling to either.

Continue reading Item Seed: Super-Quencher.

The ‘Leagues of Cthulhu’ Kickstarter.

Two things to note about the ‘Leagues of Cthulhu‘ Kickstarter:

  1. It’s set in Victorian England and has a worldwide focus, making it of interest to folks who want to do adventures outside of the usual Call of Cthulhu time periods:
  2. It’s also British, which means that the exchange rate is off the hook right now.

Seriously, assuming that the British pound doesn’t rebound in the next two weeks it’s like we’re all back in 1989. Or in a cyberpunk campaign! Picking which currency to use was a thing sometimes in that genre, too. Then again, so were interface jacks…

Continue reading The ‘Leagues of Cthulhu’ Kickstarter.

Tweet of the Day, The Alien Movie’s SFX Designer Has No Issues At All edition.

Nope. None at all.  His or her therapy sessions must be absolutely pro forma (maybe don’t click on this at work): Continue reading Tweet of the Day, The Alien Movie’s SFX Designer Has No Issues At All edition.

Field trip today!

The teachers have discovered that we’re soft touches when it comes to chaperoning and whatnot.  More accurately, my older kid’s teachers discovered that, and they cheerfully passed that information along.  Ah, well, I’m home all day anyway. Plus, nothing wrong with spending the morning with my kid looking at birds or whatever.

The Blood Fiend of Toledo [The Day After Ragnarok]

The Blood Fiend of Toledo – Google Docs

The Blood Fiend of Toledo [The Day After Ragnarok]

Toledo, Ohio is a haunted ruin.  Just ask anybody.  There was a plague, and then there was a huge fire, and then the usual Things moved in – and now the city’s abandoned.  Except for the Things. Thankfully the Things keep to themselves, whatever they are, but smart people don’t go into the ruins.  Especially once the drained corpses of various animals and lesser monsters started showing up on the outskirts of the city.  The legend of the Blood Fiend of Toledo is already making the rounds of all the dives and pirate havens on the Great Lakes, and the tales get steadily taller. Continue reading The Blood Fiend of Toledo [The Day After Ragnarok]