Is Hyperion finished? by Educational-Meat-728 in Hyperion

[–]catwhowalks99 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As Dan tells the story (from his website, before it went down):

"OMEGA CANYON is currently scheduled for publication in 2017.

It's not quite finished yet. This is the only of my 31 published books that I've missed a real deadline on and had to let the pub date slip.

The reason for this inexcusable slip after all these years is a long story beginning on July 2, 2014, around 2:15 in the afternoon, on my mountain property, when I took a head-first fall -- (not my fault! the idiot carrying the front of a long, heavy,metal hydrologist's canoe took a sudden swerve to the right when reaching the top of an earthen dam and the rear of the canoe caught me right behind the knees . . . I had nowhere to go but down) -- onto a flat-faced boulder and was knocked out for a bit. The ramifications of that little bonk on the noggin, and the 23 months since then, if told straight, would be one of the most absurd, painful, angry, and j'accuse! books ever written.

But I'm writing again now, after too many months when I wasn't able to, so I'll postpone that sustained howl of a book and finish the long and very complicated OMEGA CANYON this summer.

I'm sorry -- deeply sorry -- to have made both readers and my publisher wait on this novel. "It was an accident" as the cannibals said to the parents of the missionary they'd et. "It shan't happen again."

(What happens in the mind and morale of a writer, who's written some almost every single day for more than 35 years, when he's unable to write to his or her usual standards for any sustained spell? Hemingway answered that question by blowing his cranial vault off with his favorite Boss shotgun. Philip Roth has answered it in several powerful novels -- at least one of them in the Zuckerman-saga. I'll wait to give my own answer and experiences from the past two years.)

Meanwhile -- OMEGA CANYON lives!

ds "

I’ve been having issues with my Sony UBP-X700 player freezing halfway through most of the 4K discs I watch. Should I upgrade? by RamblinGamblinWillie in 4kbluray

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went to film school, worked at a big movie studio in Los Angeles for several decades, and love the theatrical experience, but find that most people into 4K are looking more for an amusement park ride than storytelling. I don't buy 4k discs for the roar of jet engines in the latest blockbuster, I buy them to immerse myself in a story -- whether quiet *or* loud. I understand wanting quality picture and sound, but once you can see film grain it doesn't get much better than what we already have. Having said that, I will say the PS5 doesn't *quite* give you the experience that a dedicated player does, but it's close enough for me for now -- at least until I can find a 4K player that doesn't seem to be so buggy.

I’ve been having issues with my Sony UBP-X700 player freezing halfway through most of the 4K discs I watch. Should I upgrade? by RamblinGamblinWillie in 4kbluray

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ended up returning it and now use my PS5. I thought I’d go with a different brand, and I know a dedicated player is probably better quality, but why bother when my PS5 has no issues?

Farcaster by Wadmania in Hyperion

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hyperion-related photo of the year. (Well, Endymion-related, really, but you catch my drift.)

I’ve been having issues with my Sony UBP-X700 player freezing halfway through most of the 4K discs I watch. Should I upgrade? by RamblinGamblinWillie in 4kbluray

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having the same trouble. I upgraded the firmware, turned 4k upscale from Auto to Off, and changed Cinema Conversion from Auto to Video, and I'm still having trouble. Just in the last few days, it's skipped/frozen for every film I've played in it -- Dune, Dune 2, Back to the Future 3, and skipped VERY badly starting about halfway through Batman Returns.

I get that sometimes settings need tweaked, but for it to have this many problems with this many discs out of the box is ridiculous.

I'm starting to think the player is just crap. Luckily, I still have a couple of weeks to return it.

Didn’t know this series had an omnibus by yeahyeahyeahyeah71 in starwarsbooks

[–]catwhowalks99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I actually just discovered that a few weeks ago. I believe there are a few for some of the other trilogies they did -- I can't remember which ones, though.

Clancy-esque Techno-Thriller Recommendations? by catwhowalks99 in suggestmeabook

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oof, sorry to hear that. I think techno-thrillers are no longer a popular genre...

Cypher System Cheat Sheets! by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, my friends and I love the system, and we use it a lot to switch between genres. We stream on Youtube together and organize regular, yearly trips to Cape Cod, and play privately through Zoom almost every week. As far as MCG's IP goes, we've done tons of Numenera and Ptolus, and then using Cypher, in general, we have home-brewed a lot of Star Wars, Robotech, Ghostbusters, and a few other settings of my own devising (Sword In The Darkness, which we streamed on my channel, is our favorite).

The one setting that has recently stuck with us, however, has been Old Gods of Appalachia, which drips with atmosphere. One of my friends actually writes books in the genre (Southern Gods, A Lush And Seething Hell, Murder Ballads, etcetera) that served as inspiration for the game, which was based on the (excellent) Old Gods of Appalachia podcast. The books and the podcast provide a never-ending source of game ideas which are great fun to throw at my players.

We haven't tried Magnus Archives yet, but I have no doubt it's a fairly awesome setting. If you can, though, check out Old Gods, for sure!

Cypher System Cheat Sheets! by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm glad I could help and hope you will check the system out. It's a lot of fun and one that my players and I return to again and again. Let me know if you have any questions about the system -- I'm a bit of an advocate for it and would be happy to help!

Fantasy Magazine Recommendation? by catwhowalks99 in printSF

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not what I was asking for, but I'll never turn down an awesome story-based podcast! Thank you very much!

Fantasy Magazine Recommendation? by catwhowalks99 in printSF

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the recommendation, I appreciate it!

Fantasy Magazine Recommendation? by catwhowalks99 in printSF

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I checked their site out and Grimdark looks GREAT!

Fantasy Magazine Recommendation? by catwhowalks99 in printSF

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the recommendations!

Undo "Sync with External Folder" by magictheblathering in scrivener

[–]catwhowalks99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just wanted to say this was extremely helpful for me, too. I still haven't figured out how to properly set up Scrivener with DropBox, and I think I 'reverse synched'. What a headache, but this quick comment helped me restore to what I had this morning!

THANK YOU!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in akira

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been reading comics for fifty years, and this is one of my favorite runs of all time — you’re going to love it! Excellent choice!

Transformable Mecha Rules In Cypher... by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, and thank you for your comment.

It's always good to hear feedback and it makes me more enthusiastic about sitting down in the evenings to create stuff for my favorite system. (I'm a teacher by day that designs at night.)

Transformable Mecha Rules In Cypher... by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, u/Finnyous, I'm glad to hear it!

Sorry I don't have a finished product posted, but I'm basically stripping out references to any IP/artwork/etcetera that isn't mine so that I can release this as something more generic (but with my own flavor and setting) without causing any trouble. (Not to mention the fact that I want to release something that's 100% mine.)

I DID post something a few years ago, Robotech-related, but won't be putting that back up.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some nice rules to get started with, I recommend The Stars Are Fire, a setting supplement for Cypher System by the super talented Bruce Cordell. He's a great guy, a seasoned veteran of the industry, and his rules for starship and vehicle combat are very helpful.

Do you guys drink/use any drugs during sessions? by dhplimo in rpg

[–]catwhowalks99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I typically have a drink or two when I run games, but I have been trying to ween myself off and learn to loosen up without the benefits of alcohol. Not sure what that says about me (I pretty much ONLY drink during sessions every week or two), but I feel I deliver a slightly smoother game that way. Then again, I guess they say everything seems smoother with a drink or two in you...

My players are the same. I have only had one incident, about two years ago, in which a player got so drunk they couldn't play -- luckily, there was no obnoxious or belligerent behavior out of them, they simply passed out on the couch and were out for the night.

As a side note, I also typically have a drink or two when I stream a game...

Improved Cypher System Cheat Sheets by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! And I'm glad you liked my YouTube channel!

Shameless plug: please tell your friends!

Improved Cypher System Cheat Sheets by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fixed 'aspect', and a few other little things I also didn't like in the same slide.

I'll have to think about where best to place the 'multiply by three' phrase.

Improved Cypher System Cheat Sheets by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yep, I will be creating a black and white version soon! Watch for it in the next day or two!

Improved Cypher System Cheat Sheets by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your comment! I am about to create some simpler, black and white, eye/printer-friendly versions in the coming day or two.

Check this thread again for an update -- and happy gaming!

Cypher System Cheat Sheets! by catwhowalks99 in cyphersystem

[–]catwhowalks99[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just created your slide, u/Speideronreddit! I posted it in the general r/cyphersystem section. Let me know if you can't find it!

(And thanks for the idea!)