All Kinds of Fun!
The excellent materials from Blacksburg Technical Research Center keep coming. After buying the older 3G3 product, I invested in the EABA Stuff! product. I like them both, though I must confess that I enjoy 3G3 more. (It has more math and more detail.) Both systems are compatible, so I use them both.
3G3 is being used to create weapons with odd characteristics. For example, caseless silver bullets for discreetly hunting down those with silver allergies. Other examples include odd calibers, stone cannonballs, and the like.
Stuff! is being used for creature creation, vehicle and mech creation, and the all important gizmos such as the TK gun (telekinesis gun - handheld rail pistol), magic wands, and other things.
The amazing thing about both products is that a person with too much time (me) can scale just about anything.
It has already affected a major change. More on that in the next post.
Played first half of one game against the Tornadoes of the BFL.
I’m getting killed, though I managed to hold on to the ball for the last 10 minutes of the second quarter. It’s 17 - 0. Brunell is 3 for 13 in the first half. The biggest offensive play of the game was an interception thrown by Brunell to a DB that fumbled it back to me 38 yards down field.
Still, it’s fun to play again. I remember why I love Statis-Pro Football.
Some time ago, the Blacksburg Tactical Research Center wrote an interesting game aid called Guns, Guns, Guns. The interesting thing was that this was a system designed to help the GM create consistent weapons of all kinds. Everything from swords to railguns are covered. Not only that, you can create weapons that are “ahead of their time”. For example, the tech exists for a rail gun today, but no standard issue soldier has one that we know of. However, if you want to have a secret commando group that has a prototype, there is a way to create one.
Swords? Yes, swords, axes, bows and crossbows. All of these are detailed as well. One thing to note is that there is a theory that a heavier blade delivers more damage. That is mostly true. Mass and velocity do the damage, not just mass alone. Given that, it balances it pretty well. Still, if you put in an unrealistically heavy sword (like 10 kg for a two handed sword), you’ll get a powerful blade. That is probably the book’s only flaw, though it suits RPG pretty well.
I am creating spreadsheets to cover all kinds of weapons, including a ‘gun’ for Bedriana. I’m using magic in a slightly different way than I’m accustomed, I’m using it to create better ‘black powder’. The shot will still be stone or a round iron ball (which is not as accurate as a slug). It’s great to be able to create this.
Even better, a consistent system for everything from a club to a particle beam.
Oh yeah, there’s lots and lots of math.
sorry, I drooled a bit.
So, I finally got most of MUSE up here, including the start of the Bestiary.
The mechanic has changed to a 1d6-1d6 type and a sixth vessel has been added.
What do you think of the only creature so far?
Off to camping for the weekend!
I updated the perl script to have a third option. If you type ‘muse’ as the third option, the stats will print in MUSE format (BODY, MIND, AURA) instead of Mnemosyne format (9 stats). To print Mnemosyne format, do not enter a third option (or you can enter anything else except muse.)
New feature is that instead of Natural or Weapon for attack type, the results will show Bite, Claw, Bludgeoning, or Constriction attack. I plan on adding special attacks, soon.
As always, the code follows:
#!/usr/bin/perl
srand(time ^ $$ ^ unpack "%L*", 'ps axww | gzip');
$usage="usage: $0 number maxsize\n";
$ARGV[0]=~/^(\d+)$/ && ($numb = $1) || die $usage;
$ARGV[1]=~/^(\d+)$/ && ($smass = $1) || die $usage;
$pr = $ARGV[2];
%rule = (
‘W’,'VF YF YF YXF YXF YXYF B’,
‘B’,'PB YNF YNXF YNXF YNXYF YXYNF’,
‘P’,'a ambi ante circum cis co de dis ob per prae se sine sub’,
‘Y’,'Ca Ce Ci Co Cu Cy Da De Di Do Dy’,
‘X’,'Ce Ci Co o’,
‘V’,'a e i o u’,
‘F’,'Ca Ca Ca Cae Cos Com Cus Cus Cus Cus Cus Cium Cium Ces’,
‘C’,'b b c c ch ch d d d g g l l m m n n p p ph r r r s s s t t th th v x z Rr sH Ll’,
‘D’,'b b c c ch ch d d g g l l m m n n p p ph r r r s s s t t t th th v x z Rr sH Ll h qu gn pt’,
‘R’,'b b c c c ch ch g g p p ph t t th th’,
‘L’,'c ch p g f’,
‘H’,'c ch cl m n p ph pl pr qu t th’,
‘N’,'n c l r’
);
for (1..$numb) { print &parse(’W'), ” : “, &stats, “\n\n”; }
sub parse {
$_=pop(@_);
/[^A-Z]/ && return $_;
@TMP=split(/\s+/, $rule{$_});
$_=splice(@TMP, rand @TMP, 1);
for (split(”)) { print &parse($_); }
}
sub stats {
$scl = (rand>0.333? 0: int(rand()*$smass)-2);
# $tst = int(114*(log($scl)));
$tst = int(rand()*8)+1;
$scfl = $scl<0? int(62*(1/(1.5**(abs($scl))))): int(62*(1.5**$scl));
$scfh = $scl<0? int(123*(1/(1.5**(abs($scl))))): int(123*(1.5**$scl));
$scm = (int(rand()*$scfl)+$scfh);
$wgfl = int(41*(exp($scl)));
$wgfh = int(72*(exp($scl)));
$wgh = (int(rand()*$wgfl)+$wgfh);
$str = int(rand()*8)+3 + ($scl*2);
$ref = int(rand()*8)+3;
$hlt = int(rand()*8)+3;
$inq = int(rand()*8)+3;
$wil = int(rand()*8)+3;
$pre = int(rand()*8)+3;
$psi = int(rand()*8)+3;
$def = 10+$ref;
$ini = int(($ref+$inq)/2);
$tgh = int(($str+$wil)/2);
$lif = ($hlt*3)+($wil*2)+($scl*5);
$av = int(rand()*(20-$scl));
$mov = int(($str+$ref+$hlt)/3);
$mind = int(($inq+$wil+$pre)/3);
# $dmg = int(rand()*3)+$str . 'd6';
# $type = (rand>0.6?”By weapon”:”Natural”);
%weapon = ( ‘1′ => ‘Bite’,
‘2′ => ‘Claw’,
‘3′ => ‘Claw’,
‘4′ => ‘Claw’,
‘5′ => ‘Claw’,
‘6′ => ‘Bludgeon’,
‘7′ => ‘Bludgeon’,
‘8′ => ‘Constriction’);
$type = $weapon{$tst};
$damage{’Bite’} = $str . ‘d6′;
$scl<3? $damage{'Claw'} = '1d6': $damage{'Claw'} = $str-2 . 'd6';
$damage{'Bludgeon'} = $str+2 . 'd6';
$damage{'Constriction'} = $str+1 . 'd6';
if ($pr eq "muse") {
return "Size $scl\n Height $scm cm\t Weight $wgh kg\n BODY $mov\t MIND $mind\t AURA $psi\n DEF $def\t INI $ini\t TGH $tgh\n LIF $lif\t AV $av\t MOV $mov\n $type attack $damage{$type}"
} else {
return "Size $scl\n Height $scm cm\t Weight $wgh kg\n STR $str\t INT $inq\t AURA $psi\n REF $ref\t WIL $wil\n HLT $hlt\t PRE $pre\n DEF $def\t INI $ini\n TGH $tgh\t LIF $lif\t AV $av\n MOV $mov\n $type attack $damage{$type}";
}
}
Got an invitation by gmail to visit Barrok’s Tower. I registered and then he was kind enough to visit here.
The least I can do is provide a link (and also appearing in the right column).
Maybe I can do something really quick for the hat contest. All I can think of this morning is a Felt Golem. (I think I need coffee.)
Inspired by Microlite20, I designed MUSE. Unlike Microlite20, MUSE is based on a revision of the old Action! System Rules. This revision is called Mnemosyne.
I have the rules entered, the only thing missing is a bestiary, mainly because the Action! System didn’t have a bestiary of fantastic creatures. For simplicity, I’ll convert the non-Epic monsters from the 3.5SRD for the time being. Some conversion are done, most notably I converted a horse first so that I could build a template for modern devices’ measure of horsepower. It’s simpler than it sounds.
Legacy of Bedriana will be the source book that provides crunchy bits for a campaign setting. The rules speak of elves, dwarves, etc, but LoB will not have traditional genera. Those will be included shortly.
The backend is a wiki because it is easier to convert material I’ve already written. Thanks to PMWiki.
The look and feel is not settled yet. You can email me for the edit password if you like. Let me know what you think.
More to come, just needed to write it down.
Microlite20 has a new domain. This is a great project that is an incredible resource for preserving all the old sourcebooks you may have. Microlite20 is the inspiration for MUSE, which I hope to publish in wiki form, soon. Unlike Microlite20, there’s a dearth of Action! System information to use, especially a bestiary. I’m working on it, really!
Also taking part of the Odyssey Authors Project. I presented an original idea and two story threads from my old prairiecomber site.
My friend SpiritualTramp is big into podcasting. He has five episodes of his series Archangel written so far.
1 2 3 4 5
I would like to do it, but we’ll see. For now, it is easier to write instead of speak.
Actually, I found that the system works better if you use 3d12 and a base of 20.
I know, I know, 19 and 20 are just as likely. Why 20? Why not? the effects are the same mathematically regardless of which one I choose.
So far, it looks like given a resolution mechanic of Attribute Score + Skill give you the plus/minus to apply to 20 and assuming a nomral attribute of 3 and a normal skill leve of 2:
A Range of 15 through 25 would denote a success. The chances of acheiving success are a shade over 70%. The built in system of diminishing returns means that a person with a score of 6 and a skill of 6 has only a 90.5% chance of success.
Not bad. Still more to look into
It centers around 4d6. I call it Base14.
Basically, your chance of success is a roll of 14 on 4d6. It is the most common roll, but still something like 11% chance. Your skill bonus gives you lower and higher numbers on either side of 14. For example, if your skill bonus is +5, your range of success is 9 - 19.
I have to double check the percentages to see if this is viable.
Sycarion Diversions hopes to be a different type of game company. Our mission isn’t unique, we want people to be entertained by playing games. What’s different is that we aren’t completely about selling games. The rules of all our games are free.
That’s right, the rules are free. In addition to that, any ideas on our blog are available with a few rights reserved. Basically, just say you got it here.
So how do we make money? Since we are in the business of selling entertainment, any money we make comes from providing conveniences to our customers, time with game creators, merchandise, and patronage. Basically, we sell dice, pre-made game boards, pre-printed rules (like a hard-cover edition or paperback), t-shirts, etc.
The rest of the story can be found here.