Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Courage Necromancers

Yeah, I know I haven't posted in a while. I need to get back into the habit of doing this. Of course, I'm not really going to be able to catch up where I left off on the Earth 52 game. For that, you'll need to check out KnightErrantJR's blog. But I will attempt to continue the write ups as soon as the next session.

In the meantime, enjoy some hilarious (not really) Courage Necromancers:









If anyone has any ideas for other Courage Necromancers, please feel free to make a comment and I'll likely create it. I've got nothing else to do today. Bleh.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Earth 52 Fantasy Covers

Two posts in one day? Unthinkable. Anyway, having plenty of time to kill and a picture editor to kill it with, I've had more than ample opportunity to whip up some potential covers for future 'issues' of the Earth 52 game. Of course, there's no guarantee that they'll ever be used, but it's fun and it's something to do. So check them out and tell me what you think, alright?

Portrait Of A Necromancer, pt. 2


Portrait Of A Necromancer
Caught Between Two Worlds And Halfway To The Next

I don't think I've ever really explained much about the Necromancer's powers. I've mentioned that he's a mystic, capable of casting spells but during game I've ever only really said the names. After reading the section of the M&M book on descriptors, I figured that it was as good a time as any to go ahead and explain the spells most commonly used by my character and describe what they actually look like.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Review: Earth 52 #11


Alright, it's been a while since I've made a post on here. And while this is very last minute, at least I'm getting it done. Plus, I finally figured out some stuff with Blogger and was able to update the post editor, giving me access to some neat tools and the like, including an 'After The Jump' button (thank god). So, without further ado, I bring you the recap for the eleventh 'issue' of the award winning* Earth 52 game

Friday, July 29, 2011

Portrait Of A Necromancer, pt. 1


Portrait Of A Necromancer
Caught Between Two Worlds And Halfway To The Next

I'm writing this thing primarily for myself, though also for the wonderful GM of our DC Adventures game. This is mostly just a collection of notes, thoughts, and other things that I want to expand on, to give myself a clearer picture of who the Necromancer is.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Review: Earth 52 #9 & 10

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post lately. This damned oppressive heat has kept me from making any sort of trek to the library, as I have no desire to be cooked alive. But I've made it now. So, without further ado, my write ups for the last two issues of Earth 52.


Monday, June 6, 2011

Possible Cover For Earth 52 #8

Is this the cover for Earth 52 #8? I don't know. It's a possible cover. Let me know what you all think of it.



Honestly, all this Death stuff is just wishful thinking on my part.

Oh! Before I forget, I also made a Necromancer Soundtrack. Just a compilation of music that I think fits the character's mood.



Saturday, May 21, 2011

Adventuring Tips With Adventure Time

Adventuring can be a fun and profitable lifestyle choice. And who could miss the appeal? Slaying evil monsters, rescuing fair damsels in distress, and looting fortunes and magical items. However, before you head out the door to begin a career in fighting evil, there are a few things you'll need to keep in mind:

Rule #1: Choose Your Weapon

Before you start battling against the unholy undead or bizarre dungeon dwelling creatures, you must first choose a weapon. Perhaps a weapon that suits your own personal style? If you are small and weak, perhaps it would be better to focus on weapons that are also small and weak, like you. Or if you're big and strong, a large, powerful, weapon might be just the thing for you. There are a plethora to pick from, but it is vitally important that you make the right choice.



Rule #2: Always Be Careful

When you begin adventuring, most of that adventuring will be done in dungeons. Dungeons are the natural environment for some of the most vile and putrid creatures in need of a good smiting, and (for some reason) there seems to be no shortage of dungeons to delve in. Keep in mind, however, that dungeons are extraordinarily dangerous places. They have been designed specifically to kill you in the most unusual and horrifying ways possible.

As a rule, when dungeon delving, never trust anything you see.



Rule #3: Always Be Prepared

Like the boy scouts, it always helps to be prepared. Of course, a single adventurer can't be prepared for every situation. As such, it works to your advantage to form an adventuring party of like-minded individuals, preferably individuals who can all fill a certain niche. As an example, in many dungeons you will encounter what are called 'locks'. These pesky things, believed to be some sort of dungeon-based growth that occurs on wooden objects like doors and chests, will prove to make your adventures difficult if you do not have someone with you who can take care of them.



Be sure to look out for more Adventuring Tips in the future.

Friday, May 20, 2011

How The Hell Do I Recap All Of This Part 2: The Quickening



Wait, that's not what I'm recapping... Oh right.

It's been a while since I've posted about our game. As I may have mentioned in the past, in the DC Adventures game, I play Necromancer, a magic user who can summon and communicate with the dead.



Earth 52: DC Adventures Recap



The last time we caught up with our band of intrepid heroes, they were headed to Central City to begin their crime fighting escapades, or should I say icecapades?

After getting set up in a hotel and having some time to relax after their last fight, the group decides to head out and start patrolling the city for villains and ne'er-do-wells. However, before they can get to work, the nearby monorail breaks and the train flies off the tracks, causing damage to nearby power lines and creating all sorts of chaos. The team jumps into action, with Necromancer summoning up the shadows themselves to do his bidding, lifting the train back up onto the tracks as Demoana(?) and Beorn (bear guy) work to turn off the electrical grid, and Fahrenheit Myrmidon goes about putting out nearby fires, Fahrenheit with his powers, Myrmidon with his body.

After the situation is under control, the media is on the scene to interview this group of strange new heroes. The team follows Waller's instructions to not inform anyone of their government origins, and so remain somewhat tight lipped on the subject of their origins, though Fahrenheit comes up with some bizarre backstory featuring volcanoes and I think there was something about cursed tiki idol. Wasn't there something like that in the Brady Bunch? Anywho...

The citizens of Central City are relieved to see a group of heroes after so many have gone missing, and so the team decides that what they need to do is take out some high profile villains to better improve the people's morale. After following the crimes being committed by Flash's Rogues, they discover a pattern in the attacks, realizing that the next location to be hit will be the Flash Museum! In order to stop these nefarious.. nincompoops.. they stake the place out, preparing to spring a trap on their unsuspecting enemies.

While most of the team hides, Marathon (team loudmouth) decides to stand on the front steps in his garish yellow and red costume for everyone to see. The criminals arrive, their group consisting of Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Tar Pit, and Captain Cold (I may be missing someone). However, only Weather Wizard seems to notice Marathon waiting for them, but before he can inform these ignorant individuals of their immediate and impending immolation, the team springs their trap. As they realize Weather Wizard is the only one aware of the trap, the team immediately gangs up on him, much to Weather Wizard's dismay.

The team makes short work of the group, even managing to stop Captain Cold from escaping with the help of his friend Mirror Master. With him in tow, the team begins the interrogation, discovering that this group of vile villains was hired to perform these crimes, perhaps as a distraction for some other abominable agenda. Captain Cold gives them the directions to their hideout and once the bad guys are in custody, the team takes off to investigate. What they find, however, is an empty warehouse. With no sign of Mirror Master, the group does some searching, but what they discover is that they're the ones who've been found. By a group of speed ninjas, that is.



Luckily, thanks to their ability to sense danger, the group is not caught too off guard, and they manage to make short work of the ninjas. But after interrogating one of these super speedy assassins, they discover that they are cultists of Savitar, one of Flash's Rogues. The cultist speaks of the 'Reckoning' but much of what he says is useless. The team ties up the cultists and calls for the authorities to collect them before heading out. On the way out, though, they are greeted by another team of super powered people, though this one is decidedly less.. heroic then their own.

With the help of Fahrenheit's somewhat unusual knowledge of superheroes and villains, they learn that this is a group of villains. Not just that, but a group of supposedly dead supervillains. However, Necromancer's finely tuned magical senses discover that they are not zombies. Apparently, this team was sent by Waller to do the 'clean up' on the less.. photogenic jobs. They're the team that does the dirty work, apparently. However, several of the team are not interested in handing over anyone to a group of supervillains.

Growing tired of this stand off, Mongul breaks away from his team to attack Myrmidon, and the two duke it out. Even though faced with the undisputed lord and master of War World, Myrmidon manages to hold his own, even bruising the alien conquerer before Task Force X can rein him in and take him away. With the authorities arriving to take care of the cultists, the team sets off to return to their hotel and prepare for the next day of crime fighting.

Recap to be continued...

Mood: Hungry

Music: 'Mystic Mind' by Those Darlins

Quote: "You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people." - Cornel West

Saturday, May 7, 2011

How The Hell Do I Recap All Of This?

Okay... So... Been a while since I posted last. Don't look at me that way, it's a pain in the ass to walk across town. Plus my Zune headphones broke and I hate walking without some music to distract me.

Anyway.. well, I guess I'll start with the most recent game:

The Shackled City (Pathfinder)

I've been in a Pathfinder game for over a month now, playing a Gnome Gunslinger named Fandango Galbraith Firebrand. Fandango, his brother Alastair (played by Ryan, a guy I game with frequently), and a wizened old halfling named Nathaniel Pennywhistle joined up with the current party whose names I can't for the life of me remember for which I apologize. Anyway, the party had been investigating goblin graffiti in a cave. Not exactly the most pressing adventure to be had, but it pays the bills.

Shortly after joining up, the group ran into a large number of goblins and had to fight. Sadly both Fandango and Alastair did a less than stellar job, partially due to guns jamming and due to low damage. Apparently small guns hurt less than normal sized guns. I always figured you've got about an equal chance being killed by a Derringer as you do by a Desert Eagle, but meh. We defeated the goblins, made use of their corpses as a wall, and hid behind it to get some rest.

However, that rest was interrupted when a Necromancer and his Tiefling friend showed up. Thanks to some rather mind numbing magic by Nathaniel, we were able to defeat the Necromancer and cause the Tiefling to run off. With a captured wizard, there was a great deal of discussion about what should be done with him. Some wanted to just kill him, others wanted to get the information he had and then cut his thumbs off, and a few (including Fandango) just wanted to find out what he knew and then send him on his way. We made short work of him, after all. It wasn't as though he was going to try and jump us later on just so he could get curb stomped a second time.

Venturing further into the caves, we found some rooms that had been built, most likely for the goblins and whoever they were serving. In our search, we inadvertently stumbled across the Tiefling woman again. She attacked, we beat her, and rather than go through another hour long party harangue about the ethics of torture, I shot her. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the good of the party.

But things did not go so well soonafter. While the party began searching the barracks, looking for anything of value, Alastair wandered away from the group to go scout out the caves. However, his search led him right into a group of angry orcs. When the party discovered he was missing, they found him dead, cleaved in twain by the murderous monsters. Fandango and the party slaughtered the orcs and their friends when they showed up, avenging Alastair's death. Fandango has been shaken by the experience, but attempts to keep it hidden, the full effect of what his brother's death had on him still unknown, even to himself.

After Fandango mourned the loss of his brother, and the party sort of mourned the loss of an acquaintance, they moved on, determined to be done with this god awful cave. They did find the other end of the cave, and with it, another Tiefling. However, this one proved to be less murderous than the last one. In fact, this Tiefling was a Paladin of Tyr! Yes, a very unexpected character. However, after the party fighter was convinced not to go on a killing spree, we continued onward in our exploration of the cave.

It didn't take long before our next fight. Spotting a goblin spying on us, Fandango rushed ahead of the group and shot the foul creature. It ran, naturally, and he gave chase, only to find that it had retreated back to the room of it's master a Bugbear. Fighting a Bugbear is scary enough because, as we all know, Bugbears are dangerous serial killers.



That was bad enough, but imagine our surprise when he turned out to be a vampire Bugbear!



With a throne that was actually some sort of undead Transformer (obviously a Decepticon) and aided by a group of goblin shamans who could heal them, it certainly looked to be a tough fight. However, with a paladin and two clerics, the odds were slightly in our favor. Fandango didn't get to do a whole lot of fighting, peeking around the door and taking pot shots at goblins, but the real hero of the fight was the wrinkled, old, Nathaniel Pennywhistle, who actually chased the vampire down as it went vaporous and attempted to escape.

With the vampire dead, its chair Carnage Destructicus slagged, and the goblins crushed, we looted the hell out of the place and left. Surprisingly, our eyes did not melt after having become adapted to living underground for so long. And once we hit town we sold the loot, bought some equipment (got myself a fancy new pistol and a shotgun!), and took a long deserved rest.

And that catches us back up. Stay tuned, as tomorrow I recap Earth 52, our DC Adventures game where I play Necromancer, a spellcaster that everyone thinks is a creepy, emo, serial killer.



Mood: Contented

Music: 'Teenage Kicks' Cover by the Bad Shepherds

Quote: "Truth goes out the door when rumor comes innuendo." - Groucho Marx

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh.. girl..?

A lot of stuff has gone on recently but I simply haven't had a chance to hit the library and post any of it here, and for that I apologize. I will attempt to be more active with this blog for those who actually read it.. of which there are.. three? Huh.

Anyway, tonight is the Champions Chicago game, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to play again. This time I will be playing my new non-superpowered crimefighter, the Blackbird:



Yes, that's right, I'm playing a chick.

I have, in the recent past, dabbled in playing female characters. A few years ago I would have never made the attempt, but that was when I still held bizarre delusions that women were a strange and mysterious race that I could never hope to understand in all my years. But eventually, I think a person realizes that, for the most part, people are pretty much the same.

So, in summary, Champions tonight, pretending to be a woman for a few hours (hiyo!), will post recap tommorrow or the day after, whenever is better for my procrastinating nature.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Designing a Hero

With the time change of our Chicago Champions game from Wednesday to Sunday, I decided to make a change of my own, by retiring good ol' werewolf Primal for something new. I was, at first, a bit flip floppy about what I wanted to do, but I was eventually able to narrow down my choice to a definite, if somewhat vague, concept: a superhero without powers.

Now, I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to comic books. I've read some DC stuff and I've read some Marvel stuff from time to time, but I've never made a really serious effort to learn everything there is to know about the two universes. However, even without that knowledge, I've always loved heroes that don't have powers. Sure, Superman's pretty cool with his nigh-immortality, super speed and strength, heat vision, and everything else, but you've got to respect the guy who is willing to take the same risks and face the same dangers as 'Supes' but without any of the god-like power.

It's always been a topic that me and one of my brothers have argued about. I'm sure it is one that plenty of other people have had before, though I can't claim to understand where this odd conversation piece came about: Who would win? Batman or Superman? Obviously, I go with Batman. No, he doesn't have super speed or ice blasts or mastery of magnetism, but he still manages to fight the big bad guys without any of those fancy tricks. And sure, he's got unlimited resources, a brilliant mind, expert detective skills and mastery of every fighting style known to man, but in the end he's just a normal human being, with all those same human limitations but all of those human strengths.

Just this past Friday I saw the latest Batman: Brave & The Bold which, while hilarious, also reinforced my interest in this sort of character. While he's slugging it out with a red kryptonite-influenced Superman (a fight that heavily references the one in Dark Knight Returns), he says something along the lines of: "Stop this. You know I won't quit." And that's the important element that I love so much about Batman and characters like him. Their ability to stand up to those larger than life villains, without any powers or abilities beyond those of a human being, and winning through sheer courage and ingenuity.

/rant

Friday, March 25, 2011

Steampunk Nazi Zombies!



Well, it's the day after a big group field trip to the midnight showing of Sucker Punch. Or perhaps I should say several hours after the midnight showing of Sucker Punch, since technically it was today when we watched it. Meh, whatever.

Even after getting a good night's sleep I'm still processing that movie. It was certainly something different, but different in a good way. I think even with the strange layers of reality and sub-reality and fantasy, there's definitely something to cater to everyone. Few can claim to have giant samurai statues with chainguns and missile launchers, steampunk nazi zombies, dragons, orcs, and robots all in the same film, and by that achievement alone I say that Sucker Punch succeeded.

Honestly, it was a bit like watching a live action anime movie, and I think that despite negative reactions to the strange plot, the movie was entertaining. I was entertained, and therefore I think that the movie was worth my time. I don't watch movies to receive some kind of life changing message or to see incredibly boring 'indie' films, I go to see bullets, bombs, and babes. Sucker Punch delivers upon all of those categories.

So, if you like seeing sexy women cutting things apart with katanas, I can definitely recommend this movie for you.

Mood: Mellow

Music: 'Army Of Me (Sucker Punch Remix)' by Bjork ft. Skunk Anansie

Quote: "I have tried to be a man of letters in love with ideas in order to be a wiser and more loving person, hoping to leave the world just a little better than I found it." — Cornel West

Monday, March 21, 2011

Shmusic

Because I'm relatively bored, I figure'd I would make a quick post just mentioning music that I'm currently listening to and recommend that others listen to as well:

IAMX - Volatile Times (Fantastic!)
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Jessie J - Who You Are
Skindred - Babylon (Vampire Killa!)
Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom
Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare
Ghostland Observatory - Robotique Majestique
Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose

Honestly, I can't recommend IAMX enough. I know most of my friends are more into the heavy metal stuff, but Chris Corner's music is just great. In addition to IAMX, I listen to stuff like Ghostland Observatory too, so I'm a pretty big Electronic fan. But it seems like every time I listen to these albums, they get 10 times better. When I leave the house to go to the library, or the store, or anywhere really, I'm usually listening to IAMX.

Personally, I recommend to anyone interested in listening to start with the first album 'Kiss + Swallow' and work your way up to 'Volatile Times'. Each album just seems to become more mature in terms of sound, lyrics and vocal delivery. Its edgy, raw, dark, catchy, & very well produced.

-

Anyway, tomorrow is the bi-weekly Earth 52 game. As I continue to work on my still very poor Photoshop skills, I decided to return to the original cover I did for the first session and redo it:



What do you think? Pretty snazzy? Or is it lame? I'm not sure myself, but I do like the more simplified layout which I borrowed from the recent comic covers during the 'Brightest Day' event.

Friday, March 18, 2011

'Review': Earth 52 #2

Again I'm late on posting this, but I am trying to get around to this stuff. Just been a busy week.



Our latest session of Earth 52 was, to be honest, pretty damn fun. I'm diving headfirst into a setting that I really know very little about and we've already run into some memorable characters.

The issue starts with five people, four men and one woman, waking up in what appears to be some kind of facility. After taking a moment to get their bearings, they meet the woman behind their current predicament: Amanda Waller. Despite being unable to remember the last year of their lives, Ms. Waller informs them that they all willingly joined Project: Fallback, with documentation to prove it. Of course, some of the 'team' remained unconvinced.

In the mean time, they are given the Cliff Notes version of what has happened in the past year. The Justice League is gone. Not dead (as far as we know), just gone, and the Justice Society and the Teen Titans have disappeared along with them. Currently the world is in dire need of heroes, with super powered criminals running amok all over the United States, except strangely for Metropolis which remains a bastion of law and order, thanks to Ex-President Luthor. Still, its good to see him staying active after his presidency.

The team also meets Steve Trevor who works for the Bureau for Metahuman Affairs who also does not seem entirely trusting of Amanda Waller. The team is given a few proposed sites to begin their work and they eventually decide that Central City, being the closest to their current location of Belle Reve Penitentiary, or rather a base built onto what once was Belle Reve before Bizarro destroyed it and freed all of its imprisoned supervillains.

After 'suiting up', the nameless team heads for Central City by way of inconspicuous limo, only to have it blow up around them. As the heroes crawl from the wrecked vehicle, they find themselves face to face with a team of deadly assassins: Double Dare, Lady Vic, and some assassin guy whose name eludes me (as I said, not very knowledgeable when it comes to DC). Being attacked, the team jumps into action. Wearing only a hospital gown, Marathon, whose only visible power up until this point had been Super Paranoia, flew out of the Limo and began creating force bubbles around people's heads, to strangle them.

Still in the limo, Necromancer made short work of the divider by turning it to ash long enough to pull the driver out to safety, only to be confronted and shot by Lady Vic. Luckily, the 'Casket Jacket' that he made and etched with magical symbols provided some much needed protection from bullets. Fahrenheit joined Marathon in the air, firing heat blasts to slowly wear down the provocatively dressed French acrobats (That Nightwing and his sexy rogues gallery). He got some much needed support from Beorn who had, up to that point, barely spoken more than two words since they'd awoken. Transforming into a BEAR, Beorn grabbed one of the Double Dare twins and gave her a very painful bear hug.

Before long, Marathon dropped the assassin guy, Fahrenheit dealt with Double Dare, and Necromancer defeated Lady Vic, thanks in large part to the scary bear with the claws and the crushing with its arms. However, though the fight appeared to be over, Fahrenheit spotted a figure hiding nearby, perhaps waiting for the team to drop their guard. Before he could attack, the unknown figure revealed himself to be Deathstroke the Terminator. However, despite his legendary status, the team managed to take him down rather quickly. Project: Fallback was proving to be a huge success.

With the villains defeated and taken into custody, our team of intrepid heroes head for Central City to continue the rather dangerous task ahead of them.

By the way, here's an alternate cover for this session:

Monday, March 7, 2011

Ghost Hunting

Well, the Earth 52 game is tomorrow and I've been doing a bit of ghost research and the like for my character: The Necromancer. After all that research, I've come to a single conclusion: I hate ghost hunting shows.

Have you ever watched these shows? They're terrible, and yet they stay on the air. I've watched tons of them and they're always the same. Always. You have a bunch of people go into some house or building at night with their stupid night vision cameras, walking around in the dark and then stopping periodically to look surprised or scared and say, "Did you hear that?"

No, I didn't hear it. The reason being that there was nothing to hear. And then at the end they all compile their 'evidence' or lack thereof and assume that the place must really be haunted. I have never seen an episode of one of these shows that had anything even remotely compelling about it.

The reason shows like this annoy me because they are so incredibly boring. I'm not sure who they're supposed to be pandering to. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a skeptic or anything like that. When it comes to the religious and the supernatural, I don't really have a place where I fit. I'm not a believer, but I'm not a doubter, either. Mostly, I'm just a 'don't carer'.

Mood: Annoyed

Music: 'Song Of Imaginary Beings' by IAMX

Quote Of The Day: "A young man leads the fight for spice." - DIRECTV Summary of Dune

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Catching Up

To anyone who reads this blog, sorry I haven't been keeping up. It's been a busy week and I've just been lacking any time to make any posts.

Meanwhile, not too much happening immediately. I've been working on a Magic deck after discovering that Allies, which I used in my last deck, are reviled. This new deck uses some neat cards I had laying around that I thought I had lost: Faeries, Goblins, and Rogues. The first game I used it in, I didn't do half bad, so I'll probably be using it more often now. Hopefully the new cards I spent so much money on will be worth the investment.

Tomorrow is the bi-weekly Dresden Files game, which I will give a run down of either the day after or in several days, depending. And Thursday is the Deathwatch game, where we will be investigating a dead ship drifting in space. I wonder what we'll find. Genestealers? Orks? Chaos Heretics? Tau? Who knows. But whatever it is, I'm sure we will purify it with holy fire in the name of the Immortal God-Emperor of Man!

Currently, I'm also attempting to start up an Eclipse Phase campaign with.. less than favorable results. Still, I'm sure I'll eventually find something that people are interested in playing. Maybe I'll get back to work on the Spellbreaker Campaign Setting I've been designing.

Mood: Hungry

Music: 'Psycho' by System Of A Down

Quote Of The Day: “Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town.” - George Carlin

Thursday, February 24, 2011

'Review': Earth 52 Issue 1

Haven't had a chance to post in a while, so I thought I'd do some catching up by doing a write up on one of the games this week: DC Adventures or 'Earth 52.'



The first session of the DC game was character creation. I've had a clear idea in mind for my character for a few days beforehand, so not much to really mention there. Magic-based character, magic focused mainly on necromancy spells. The other characters being made were a shapeshifter (turns into a bear), a woman with super strength (but not an amazon), a fire-based energy controller (but stealthy), and a guy who can get the crap beat out of him (and also makes force bubbles). Should make for a very interesting group.

The basic setting of this game is that it is set on an alternate Earth: Earth 52, where the heroes have disappeared, the villains are running amok, and a group of strangers wake up in a government facility, with no memory of the last year and powers they never had before.

That's about it, though. Should have more after the next session, where we will face off against the deadliest DC villain of all: Crazy Quilt.

Mood: Irradiated

Music: 'Save Me' by Remy Zero

Quote Of The Day: "I used to think I didn't need a family. I mean, I had the demons and the walking skeletons. But the difference between a walking skeleton and a kid is, a kid won't eat the soft parts of your face while you're sleeping." - Deadly Girl

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Random Stuff



Not much to talk about today. World of Darkness is tonight and then Pathfinder Society is tomorrow, though I'm not really sure I can give much of a recap on those two. World of Darkness is just too big to really remember everything that's going down.

Finally caught an episode of Young Justice on Cartoon Network after seeing KnightErrantJR recommend it on his blog. Enjoyed it, but I have to admit that I never knew much about the DC Universe. Now that I do, I have to say that I think Dr. Fate is a dick. I never really knew anything about him, but now? Damn, he's like a parasite, using people and running around in their bodies while they remain trapped, and helpless, inside.

The picture up above is of the character I've been working on for the upcoming DC Adventures game: The Necromancer. I thought I had character creation finished last night, only to realize that I hadn't spent any points on my Defenses... so, that was not good. Need to go back and make some changes, lose some things I don't really need just yet.

Mood: Tired

Music: 'Fire' by Scooter

Quote Of The Day: "It is bad luck to be superstitious." - Andrew W. Mathis

Friday, February 18, 2011

Pretty Sweet Ride

Well, yesterday was the Deathwatch game. A very entertaining session was had by all. Er.. well.. mostly all.

After receiving word from a Deathwatch team on Avalos that their team has suffered heavy losses and the mission has failed, the Fortress Erioch sends in another team to retrieve their stranded Battle-Brothers. And, if necessary, to order Exterminatus to ensure that the Genestealer infestation is stopped once and for all.

Meanwhile, back on the planet, the surviving Deathwatch Marines Lucius and Sesnian battle to hold back the encroaching rebel hordes. They repel the Genestealer cultists in time to receive message from the Kill-team Commander, ordering them to fall back to the House of Echoes for retrieval. Before they can do so, however, they decide to attempt to retrieve their Fallen brothers gene-seed, a dangerous plan given that many genestealers still lurk in the area.

With all the valor and honor that becomes a member of the Adeptus Astartes, they brave an assault against the Governor's Mansion to retrieve their fallen comrade, only to be met by the deadly genestealers who have been lying in wait. The Space Marines are fast, but the genestealers prove faster, their claws easily slicing through steel and ceramite, near fatally wounding the two Marines in short order.

However, before the hideous xeno can finish off the brave warriors of the Emperor, the Kill-team arrives, several jumping from the Thunderhawk Gunship to lay waste to the alien filth, as the others fire from above, raining death down upon their foes. Taken by surprise, the genestealers have no time to react before they are cut down. The rescue team grabs their fallen comrades and loads them back onto the transport, taking off as they order Exterminatus and wipe the planet clean of all life, both alien and human.

Such is the price of eternal vigilance, but the Emperor shall protect the souls of the faithful.


I love writing in Imperiumese!

Mood: Righteous

Music: 'The Dream' by Jerry Goldsmith (From the Total Recall soundtrack. I know. But it always sounded pretty Space Marine-y to me.)

Quote Of The Day: "I'm not familiar with the metric system." - Patton Oswalt

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Dresden Files Recap

Well, last night was certainly fun, though the fun could have been even greater if the game had even 1 more person! Is no one interested in jumping into the Dresdenverse?!

Anyway.. last night continued from where we left off on the previous run, tracking down the only lead we had so far. After an attempted hit on a wealthy businessman whose name we did not recall, we took down the license plate number of one of the cars and tracked it down. Searching the guy's home turned up diddly so we decided to leave before we were caught burglarizing, an activity which both Roland (Dave's trashman/magical artifact collector) and Nathan (my Sorcerer) were both less than adequate at.

On the way back home to rest and recuperate, we discovered the vehicle parked outside a nearby nightclub. We pulled over and I worked some magnetic mojo to yank a piece off of the car's bumper, which would come in handy when we decided to track him down again. Roland uses one of those fancy little magic items of his to take a psychometric reading off of it, getting some brief visions of where the car has been, the only one really standing out is at some meeting next to a limousine. After that it was off to enjoy some sleep, something which the game's namesake gets very little of, I've noticed.

Next morning, I run a tracking spell on the piece of bumper and decide to go looking for it on my own (Roland needs his beauty sleep after all). Tracking the car down proves to be a fruitless effort given my spellslinger has no method of transportation besides the public variety and his own feet. So, without any success I hit up 'Big Daddy Kane', the proprietor of a local 'Voodoo' shop which specializes in selling trinkets that have nothing to do with the actual practice.

Having tapped him as a contact early in this case, he's been working to dig up info on the most likely suspects (people who have the money and the means to be producing Third Eye). The list of people is surprisingly short, as most of the people capable of doing this are now turning up dead. He gives me the list which contains the very same man that I spent the day trying to track down. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

After getting home, I hit up Roland on the phone and give him the info, thinking we're definitely on to something. However, Roland has a different theory, believing that it isn't our current suspect (Chin Lo Fan) who is behind the Third Eye but rather the man he attempted to kill, the wealthy businessman whose name we can't remember. It's a possibility, so its not ruled out, but at this point its still only theory.

When we meet back up, I set up the tracking spell again, just in case we might need it. In the mean time, we head to the stately manor of the wealthy businessman whose name we have recently learned, after reading the paper, is Sandoval Kane, COO of Kane Westfield Pharmaceuticals. And they say print is dead. Pfah! However, given the man's wealth he was able to purchase a gate, which hampered our efforts of finding out anything about him, so rather than be arrested for trespassing we leave and follow the tracking spell to Chin Lo Fan's car.

Our timing is impeccable, arriving on the scene just as the tracking spell dissipates and Lo Fan leaves in a different car. We tail him, apparently unnoticed, with the aid of Roland's impeccable driving skills and his knowledge of the city. Lo Fan and his entourage head into a.. less reputable section of town, driving into a garage which immediately closes behind them. We continue to 'drive casually' around to a back alley behind the garage and plan our next step.

Though its incredibly stupid, we decide that the direct approach is the best one. We'll confront Lo Fan; if our new theory is correct than there won't be any need for a fight, if it isn't correct.. well.. then we just get the hell out of there. However, before we can put that plan into action, we notice a transient hanging around in the alley. We both approach, Roland attempting to chat him up and I notice that, for a transient, he has some very nice boots. I mention it, of course, as it just seemed like an interesting thing to me, and the faux hobo runs.

I give chase while Roland checks out what's going on inside the garage from a window. It appears that Chin Lo Fan is meeting with someone, and isn't very happy, so angry that he starts lapsing into Mandarin ('Lapsing Into Mandarin' is going to be the name of my band now). On the chase side of things, after a bit of sprinting, I manage to catch up with him. However, I'm not very good at tackling people to the ground, as a scrawny emo-boy wrestling is not my forte, so I use a Water evocation to turn the ground ahead of him into ice, which happens to be a very good decision given that he was just about to turn around and slug me in the gut.

Slipping and falling on his ass, I barely have time to try and interrogate my fighting bum friend before Roland comes screeching around the corner, and the sound of gunshots rings out on the night streets. It seems during my somewhat one sided discussion with the supposed transient (who wears nice boots and bulletproof vests, very chic) Roland decided to drive by the front and throw a rock through their window in the hopes of keeping the two groups from shooting each other. This did not seem to work out as planned.

With very little time to react, and very little interest in being shot, I jump into the car with Roland. Our transient friend decides to run away rather than get a free ride, and so we give chase after Lo Fan. Heading down the street after his car which seems to be fleeing the scene, and the lookouts currently shooting at him. Though we escape some of their notice, one of the thugs spots us and attempts to steal the car. Not particularly in the mood for this crap, I take out my water hose gun (an enchanted item) and fire, hitting him with the equivalent of a fire hydrant and throwing him quite a ways away.

Having not really expected the gun to have quite so much kick, I demand that Roland pull over so I can make sure that the guy is alright. I don't want to become a Lawbreaker any time soon, or ever if I can help it. Roland says no, so I jump out of the car and run to the thug's aid. He's a bit messed up, but nothing severe, so I promise to call him an ambulance, picking up his gun, and run off after Roland who has continued his pursuit without me.


Today is the Deathwatch game, so I'm sure that tomorrow I'll have a write up for it as well. Till then.

Mood: 'Subtle And Quick To Anger'

Music: 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry (What? I can't like Katy Perry?)

Quote: "Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob." - James Madison

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Minor Rant

Nothing really new to mention, though I just wanted to get something off my chest that's been bugging me like crazy this whole Winter: Windchill or "Feels Like" Weather.

I checked the weather today and it says that it is 34 out. However, off to the side, in tiny little writing it also says 'Feels Like: 31'. Am I missing some bizarre aspect of how the weather works here? Because it seems to me that if it's supposedly 34 out but it feels like 31 then it's 31 out!

I want to know what the actual weather is, not the fantasy weather that might exist if conditions were perfect.

Of course, this really only applies to the way the weather's been in the past, currently I have no qualms with the weather. It's doing a great job and I would much prefer it if it just stayed like this for.. well.. forever, really.

I've been working on my DC Adventures character still, got a pretty good idea of what I want to do, just need to figure out a proper background. Also, I've decided to have him use a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T as his vehicle. All I need to do now is figure out the stats for a Challenger.

Mood: Anxious

Music: 'Money' by Lissy Trullie

Quote: "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!" - Dracula

Monday, February 14, 2011

Words, Words, Words

Well, not really all that much to mention. Finally getting over this god awful cold I've had, the weather's taken a turn for the better, and I've just started reading 'Side Jobs', a collection of short stories from the Dresden Files, so everything is pretty good.

Watched the Grammys last night. Well, by watch I meant flicked back and forth between channels when the thing I was really watching went to commercials. Never heard of Arcade Fire before, so a little curious now after they won Album of the Year. For the most part, though, I think I'll just stick with my IAMX, Ghostland Observatory, and the like.

RPG-wise, I finally took a good look at the DC system and figured out how all that stuff worked. Was a little confused when I tried to build a Power and ended up with something more expensive than my whole character.

Dresden Files RPG and Deathwatch both coming up in a few days, so looking forward to that. I'll probably do summaries of those for my next post if I remember them clearly enough the day after. If there's anyone that actually reads this blog and is interested in the Dresden Files RPG, I feel compelled to inform you that there's still plenty of room to join up.

Till next post.

Mood: Optimistic

Music: 'I Need A Doctor' by Dr. Dre featuring Eminem & Skylar Grey

Quote: "I had a romance novel inside me, but I paid three sailors to beat it out of me with steel pipes." - Patton Oswalt

Saturday, February 12, 2011

First.. Post.. EVER! 2/12/11

Well, let me start by saying that I've never really had much interest in doing a web log or a 'blog'. However, given that I've taken the Hypocritic Oath (allowing me to radically alter my beliefs whenever its convenient), and given that it certainly seems like a good idea at the time, I've decided to give it a try.

Today, there isn't a whole lot to talk about. Returned some items to the library with a hefty late fee to pay. Wasn't able to return them previously as I have been doing some work at a certain local video game development company that shall remain nameless. That said, and with absolutely nothing to do with the previous sentence, I heartily encourage anyone interested in the Red Faction series of games to pick up the next one. You might spot a certain someone's name in the credits.

Currently still doing research and work for the Star Trek RPG that I'm hoping to run at my FLGS 'The Armored Gopher'. I've watched episodes from time to time, but I was never a huge fan. That isn't to say I disliked them, I just never watched them enough to get really involved with any of the series.

Also doing work to come up with characters for a few games that I'm in. After my Apothecary was disintegrated in the Deathwatch game, I have been working on a Black Shield Kill-Marine, but am currently uncertain on what Specialty to take. I already came up with my own Chapter (very fun!) which he will be a part of, though no one but me and my GM will know what it is given that he's a Black Shield.

And also working on my character for KnightErrantJR's DC Adventures game. Definitely going to go the magic route, and I'm hoping I can figure out some of the more complicated stuff in the rules before the game starts.

Will try to keep up with this, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator. So I'll do it tomorrow.

Mood: Hungry (is that a mood?)

Music: IAMX's 'Think Of England'

Quote Of The Day: "I used to work on the suicide hotline but I got fired. People would call up and I kept seeing their point." - Fat Doctor