Saturday, April 26, 2008

Marvel Super Heroes Power Stunts

As written, Marvel Super Heroes has a mechanic that forces characters to use large amounts of karma to use their powers in varied and interesting ways.

For example, Storm's mutant power is weather manipulation. To use that ability to create winds that permit her to fly is a 'power stunt.'

Since I want to use the karma mechanic to propel the story rather than encourage players to save them up, I need something else.

My thought is to break the rankings of powers into two categories: power and skill. At character creation, it would be assumed that both are equal; players could raise one at the expense of the other, if desired (at character creation).

Any power stunt would be assigned an 'intensity' ranking by the judge (aka, game master). Some stunts would be automatic (making it drizzle in Seattle with weather manipulation) and would only require the normal roll. The intensity ranking would go down every time the hero successfully uses the power in that way.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

My Good Friend Nick's Picture

Posted completely without permission, but with all remaining rights reserved, here is a picture from my friend Nick. It may be a draft, but it's way more art than I've done lately!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Monday, April 14, 2008

Yearly Marvel Heroes Game

Here is some role playing stuff for my once per year game that won't make sense to most of you:

********
In a rare discussion with the press, Nimrod stated "Mutant and mutant sympathizer incursions will not be tolerated. The Canadian government has been advised that harboring militants will not be tolerated and that they will be held responsible for such activities." European analysts suggest that this is in reference to the situation in the nation's Pacific Northwest...

Earlier this morning, the BBC reports that the federal government has declared a state of emergency in the three states which constitute its Pacific Northwest: Idaho, Washington and Oregon. An increased Sentinel presence has been confirmed at several points along Interstate 90 and Highway 2, specifically in the Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass areas.

Goooood Morning to the Liberated Northwest! Canadian Liberation forces are in direct confrontation with Sentinel forces

Attention citizens of Seattle! Mutants and mutant sympathizers have invaded your community, and a general curfew has been declared. Sentinel forces are here to help you. You are instructed to stay indoors until the situation has been stabilized. Violators of the curfew will be treated as enemies to the nation.
********

Karma starting base:

Lightlord 50 (Sentinel battle), 20 (RP 'leadership' bonus and artwork submission)
Shadowmaster 50(Sentinel battle), 10 (RP 'my brother!' bonus)
Silverbrand 50(Sentinel battle), 20 (RP 'my people' and character refinement bonus)
Fool 50 (Sentinel battle), 10 (character refinement bonus)

Nora's character: 10 (character refinement)

Current Role Playing

My oldest friends and I always had a string of role playing geekery in us, but have never played seriously. Last year, we pulled out some of their Marvel Superheroes characters (last played over 10 years ago), which we had played a few sessions in something resembling the 616 universe. Then I plunked them into the Days of Futures Past timeline.

In story terms, the young characters my friends had played in the late '80s, early '90s continued adventuring, as their world went into decline.

My vision for this game is to play it somewhat convention style. We don't play often enough for a normal campaign, but even if we play once or twice a year, we can string some stories with continuity together and have a good time of it.

Here is the history these characters live in:

***********

In January of 2003, a mutant terrorist group attacked the Super Bowl, murdering dozens. A larger disaster was averted largely because of timely intervention by the Avengers. However, the press was terrible and wave of mutant hysteria began to boil.

Later that year, 1500 innocent civilians died during a battle between the Marauders and a group of young crimefighters. The majority of those crimefighters were mutants.

The anti-mutant hysteria continued, and began to spread to include all super humans.

In the fall of 2003 the U.S. military became involved in a Waco style incident surrounding Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Like Waco, it ended in fire and death. Unlike Waco, the besieged gave as good as they got. There were many deaths on both sides.

In the spring of 2004 a member of the Senate, Joseph McGrafton was revealed to be a mutant with emotion-control based powers. He hanged himself two days later. In his journals, a mutant conspiracy was revealed that spread throughout North America, whose goal was to create a pro-mutant apartheid state, with non-mutants serving as second class citizens.

That election led to a wave of anti-mutant extremists being elected to federal office. Most moderates were forced to resign; some grew silent, a few died under mysterious circumstances.

In January of 2005, the Sentinel Program was begun anew. By the end of the year, mutants were forced to live in special areas (ghettos) of cities. Camps were established for those who resisted, planned to resist or those deemed otherwise too dangerous to be free.

Resistance groups have sprung up across the country, most notably, a large group is based in Canada, not far from Vancouver. There have been cross border incidents, and the relationship between the U.S. and its neighbor to the north has seen better days.

Two Legged Dog

I first saw video of this dog a year or two ago. It's really pretty amazing, and shook my perspective of what is possible and what is normal.

Moving People

I've become a person who believes that dedicating our energy into expanding and improving the bus system is the proper answer. We've seen that rail based construction projects are extremely expensive, usually wind up destroying some businesses, can disrupt communities, and rarely are any faster at getting from point A to point B than the car it often competes with. This is particularly true of street level light rail.

Instead of throwing money at building rail lines that can't be moved to adapt to changing demographics, I much prefer increasing service, increasing 'bus only' and/or high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and increasing express bus lines.

We learned in Seattle that a thousand little adjustments to traffic flow can make a huge difference in reducing congestions. We already have streets, we already have buses (though not enough).

Here is an article from 2003, written on behalf of the Independence Institute. I don't endorse this group, and am not a member. I offer the article only because it provides a clear summary of my 'pro-bus' perspective. They seem a little nutty, but I have great sympathy for their libertarian perspective.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 1

Last Friday marked the beginning of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. This show is one of my favorite things in the world. I love it more than Star Wars (the prequels knocked that franchise off its pedestal for all of us, didn't it?), more than Star Trek (again, filled with great bits, but frequently dodged the tough questions, and was too deeply rooted in the Roddenberry Utopian Vision), more than the Seattle Mariners (but probably not more than the Seahawks), and probably more than the World of Warcraft.

***This brings out the question, why do I play so much WoW if I don't LOVE it? Good question. The short version is that it's a very good game, which I enjoy a lot, and it's extremely cost effective. With that, there's the communal element, and the fact that my wife plays. And she doesn't play ANY computer or video games (aside from the occasional solitaire, Tetris and Lego Star Wars).***


One of the most impressive things in last Friday's episode of BSG was the opening space battle. This was the first time since the miniseries that the entire fleet was in jeopardy of being destroyed by the Cylons. When the first ship was lost, it suddenly became very clear that this was real. No one was safe. Then, when the circular roundy ship (I don't even know its name) started taking heavy damage, I realized how emotionally invested I had become. Aside from Galactica and Colonial One, the ship with the circle around it is the most distinctive part of the fleet's skyline.


The three part set up is just one of the reasons why I love BSG so much. 1) they established that ship as a part of the fleet in a subtle way. I grew to have affection for it over these years, 2) They established a threat to the civilian ships by destroying one, and 3) the ship took heavy damage, which obviously threatened its existence.


The result was pure rapture.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Shadrachgrey at 70


My first World of Warcraft character, Shadrachgrey just achieved level 70!

Saturday, April 05, 2008

John McCain is a Republican

The list below comes from Moveon.org. Yes, they're a lefty group. However, this list is filled with facts which should dissuade any liberals and left leaning moderates from being swayed by McCain's occasional appearance of humanity.

*************

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-4278654-en4CiM&t=232

Thank you for all you do.

–Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Saturday, April 5th, 2008

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

Map of Humanity

I found this amazing thing yesterday. The url says it comes from www.joeydevilla.com, but I didn't see it on that fella's blog.



This reminds me of my relationship with maps in general. Topographical maps sooth me. I can literally feel my blood pressure drop, in a good way, in an almost spa-like way, when I have a good map in front of me. This comes, at least partially from my time in Explorer Search and Rescue as a teenager. Navigating with map and compass was one of the earliest real-world and useful things I was good at. We spent many nights running along behind a black lab who was chasing a scent. There were no GPSs then; it was up to us, with flashlight and map to keep track of where we were so we could find our way home. Good times.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind

It sounds like willpower is just like a muscle. You can develop your ability to resist temptation through things like money management classes, brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand and other medium to long term activities.


On the other hand, people who must exert their willpower multiple times in short succession experience diminishing ability. Just as you wouldn’t expect to run your fastest mile shortly after completing a 10K, it is more difficult to work toward multiple goals at the same time.


This makes me think of the White Wolf willpower mechanic, which models this real world description of will very well. In that game, you have a max number of will points, which can be increased gradually, and as your character exerts his or her will throughout the game, your current bank dwindles. Over time, the bank of will points grows back to that character’s max.


It’s always nice when a game mechanic both resembles real life and is simple to use.

Facilitative Interventions

As a padawan facilitator, I’ve observed a commonly arising decision when dealing with groups: to intervene, or not to intervene. One large part of a facilitator’s work is to establish boundaries, or at least, to lead the group to establish boundaries, so less intervention is required on the facilitator’s part. When intervention is necessary, the group understands and respects the reasons why.


This same decision is common in everyday life as well. After observing something against your sense of order, do you intervene? If so, how?


I will admit that I choose my bus seat (and sometimes stop) to avoid the practicality of intervention. I generally avoid those seats up front, so I reduce my involvement with the elderly, handicapped or impaired. I usually stay out of the back to avoid the rowdy kids and poorly behaved adults.


This also applies when one’s friends are having a disagreement, or seem to otherwise be drifting astray. When do you intervene? We’re all familiar with ‘Interventions’ in the addict sense, but the word also applies to smaller interactions. For example, if you are with a group that’s running late, it’s generally appropriate to remind them of the time. The next step might be to seek out your server and ask for the check.


Anyway, this is a topic that’s been on my mind some. There’s no real point to it.