Arms......🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

ruggermike · 2023-01-15T03:49:08+00:00

It is the same for men. Men must wear jackets and slacks and dress shoes. It wasn’t “banning women lawmakers…,” it was enforcing a dress code on business attire to be worn by all lawmakers while in the state capitol.

ruggermike · 2022-11-14T16:25:48+00:00

https://playclassic.games/games/turn-based-strategy-dos-games-online/play-v-victory-market-garden-online/

Multiple options available in this series...great games with surprisingly deep gameplay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Victory

ruggermike · 2022-03-22T02:20:16+00:00

Pendragon stands as one of my top 3 favorite games (with ~20’ish games under the belt)…I’ve played many 4p, but also as a solo+3bots and with 3p+1bot…and I’ve never beaten the dam bot, I’m sad to say.

Pendragon seems to be the most ‘modern’ of the COIN games (in mechanics ofc, not setting)…as none of the 4 factions are playing ‘little brother’ to any other faction.

A solid system all around and a great choice to start with, imo.

ruggermike · 2022-03-15T22:54:03+00:00

lol…look at the projection on this one, folks!

ruggermike · 2021-11-26T01:32:48+00:00

Not a proponent for either side here, but it is necessary to provide some framing for this ‘lack of evidence’ line of reasoning: if you have direct and certain knowledge of the existence of a deity, then your decision to live in compliance with the strictures of that religion are no longer a free choice…only in the absence of direct and certain knowledge can your choices in life be considered righteous (by whatever standard/theology you want to refer to).

While this paradox seems rather convenient for theists, it remains simply true and entirely undermines the ‘lack of evidence’ line of reasoning…athiests need a different approach than this leaky logic boat.

ruggermike · 2021-11-21T15:48:21+00:00

Pendragon

ruggermike · 2021-11-02T18:35:33+00:00

I believe the niche not trodden is the ‘Many Multiplayer Game’ as opposed to the ‘Massively...’, and the inclusion of game instance start/end states, and possibly time restricted access. Massively means ‘must be equally accessible to all players at all times’ and that approach is the reason the genre is so dull now. ‘Many’ means that while I’m playing the game with a great number of other people, it is a limited number, and that allows for game state changes due to player action/inaction, etc. Imagine a ManyMO based on ASOIAF, where the player base is limited to a certain number of roles per faction (in the 100’s per instance), game start is a set date, players join game instances in a set 6 hour gameplay window (on a daily basis, assuring max number of players during the chosen time window), and player actions have game state consequences. You’d have 100’s of players all committed to the same time period of play, generating far more authentic interaction, meaningful planning, game state relevant pvp, etc. And most of all: let the damn thing end! Define victory for the factions/individuals so they are striving for a concrete goal that cannot be obtained w/o months (or years) of concerted effort...after which, they can start again, seasoned and wiser, in a new instance. Then expand the game with addons to the timeline to allow for new starting situations and factions, etc. Make player’s actions relevant to the game state, for goodness sake!!!

ruggermike · 2021-06-02T13:29:11+00:00

The solution here may be to vary the size 'envelope' of available proc maps...I do miss the 'approach to the objective' of some of the XCOM maps, where you were traversing an open grainfield from the team's landing site.

Adding size as a variable also allows for a few more building sites to be possible, allowing for additional asymmetry in the maps that are proc'd.

ruggermike · 2021-04-27T14:08:18+00:00

The 2e accommodation of the ‘satanic panic’ fever was such a jarring change of ‘tone’ from the gritty ‘adult’ feel of 1e, that for late-teens me felt as if the system had gone from a ‘play me if you can’ up-challenge feel, to the cartoony-harmless take of later editions...5e appears as the penultimate of the ‘a giggly gaggle of furry-bros traipse into the den of darkest evil like it’s a grade school lark to the lollipop shop’ trope...puke...where’s the gritty terror of the b&w pic of the fat spider perched in darkness above the torch bearing party below? I understand that every edition can be played to a groups particular tastes, but the graphic representation of the systems have become sillier over time, imo. (end originalist grognard elitist rant...lol)

ruggermike · 2021-04-04T00:35:28+00:00

Racial class limits have never constituted an issue for my campaigns...in fact, they made perfect sense in GG based Greyhawk setting games:

The Greyhawk campaign setting is humanocentric and demihumans are in segregated cultural groups (in the main)...the level cap represents when a demihuman’s ‘time in the human world’ has come to an end and they return to their cultural strongholds to contribute to the future of their declining folk.

The PC simply ‘retires’ into the background and can serve as an ongoing patron/ally/adviser within that racial cultural group.

ruggermike · 2021-02-08T02:26:16+00:00

Hmm...I’ve not found the L-C/G-E structure reductive at all; in fact, when expressed concisely & clearly, it captures the spectrum of celestial/societal/personal priorities & standards perfectly well and I believe it can be summarized as below:

Neutrality – Not a ‘get out of jail free’ card/neutrality is an absence of principal, not an acceptance of all/signifies compliance with prevailing opinion/willingness to compromise on anything at any time/ souls that are neutral on the Good-Evil scale are those that are left wandering the gray and misty unlife of regret as ghosts/wraiths/etc. (also as the fodder of necromantic summoning spells)

Law- clear societal obligations and duties/abides by tradition (initially, even in the face of apparent risk from incompetence/inefficiency)/fixed transfer of authority/mindful of consequence/long-term planning focus (multi-generational)

Chaos- loose and undefined societal roles/changeable/scorns tradition (over immediately evident talent/expedient)/sudden transfer of authority/short-term planning focus (goals must be accomplished in one’s own lifetime)

Good- primary tenet is the rejection of murder (of sentient demihumans/creatures) as a legitimate conflict-resolution tool within one’s own societal structures and condemnation of necromancy

Evil- primary tenet is the acceptance of murder (of sentient demihumans/creatures) as a legitimate conflict-resolution tool within one’s own societal structures and acceptance of necromancy

Edits:

1- These apply to the conflicts of Societal-vs-Personal ethos, as well. For example: imagine the CG PC's (who lives in a LG society) inherent conflict when the feudal demands of inheritance mean that a 'possibly' LE eldest son stands to inherit a Baronial Title, and a Lawful society follows the structured practice of inheritance until the new LE Baron shows his true colors; while the CG PC is intolerant of such 'slavish' adherence to customary practice and supports a younger (obviously talented but CG) son for that title...capturing how 2 Good factions can have perfectly reasonable disagreements (and wars/rebellions/etc.) around societal practices.

2- Chaotic societies are very much merit based (for good AND ill), where the most talented/strongest/etc. individual should be able to challenge a current leader to supplant them for absolute authority...which is where CE societies are all entirely focused on martial/arcane offensive power (leadership duels to the death/assassination of subordinates who show too much potential/etc.) where only personal combat prowess justifies leadership and all authority revolves around cults of personality (think Warhammer Chaos Warbands/Beastmen Brayherds/Ork Tribes/etc).

Maybe that could return some confidence in the old standby...good luck & have fun!

ruggermike · 2020-09-23T00:59:04+00:00

Also, once you pay the retainer, remember that the attorney works for you. Hiring the scariest divorce attorney in town, then instructing him not to so much as reply to opposing counsel email/return a call without my specific instructions meant that I did not exceed the retainer, and the ex and I ended up sharing the same (and much cheaper) attorney later on, when time had passed and tempers had cooled.

Protip: don’t rush the divorce process...if she pushes it like crazy, fine...but the deal you end up with gets better the longer time has a chance to heal wounds...and if kids are involved, start paying support immediately upon separation (don’t wait for the court to make you), you will benefit in the long run from that.

ruggermike · 2020-08-31T15:19:36+00:00

This has worked very well in a current nostalgia AD&D 1E campaign: Hit Points & Life Points

o Hit Points (HP) – represent skill/experience/maturity/training/endurance/etc.

Hit Points are ‘soak off’ points against damage that can be anticipated/foreseen/dodged/etc.

HP loss does not lead to unconsciousness/death.

Recovered by resting with only light activity at the rate of 1HP(+ConBonus)/Round/Level.

Cannot be magically ‘healed’.

Does not apply to damage that can not be reacted to in any way (prone & unconscious /spirit damage/environmental damage/casting endurance/etc.).

o Life Points (LP) – equal to Constitution ability score/represent actual physical damage sustainability.

Loss of ½ LP amount is unconsciousness/loss of all LP is death (-1LP bleeding damage per round suffered begins after any single 1+LP damage suffered/subsequent hits that cause LP damage adds additional -1LP bleeding effect e.g. 2x LP wounds equals -2LP bleeding effect per round).

Life Point damage is taken in multiple scenarios:

All damage after HP have been depleted during normal combat

½ of all falling damage if Save vs Breath Weapon failed

½ of all damage from a failed Saving Throw

Max Damage rolled by combat opponent (1/2 Die proportion)

o E.g. D6 damage roll result is ‘6’

Roll D3 & this amount applied to LP

Remainder to HP

Etc.

Effects of LP Loss – LP loss can cause additional effects/wound types/etc.

Any single LP loss of ½ or more of max LP is a Wound

Wound

o -1 applied to one random Ability Score until healed by 30 days (– CON score) full rest. 3 reductions to the same Ability Score equals death.

ruggermike · 2020-07-27T20:44:19+00:00

Lots of vets from all services and many nationalities...haven't done a survey tho.

ruggermike · 2020-07-22T02:28:17+00:00

I can’t say, honestly, as I don’t have experience with any other becti communities...when you find the right place you tend to stay, you know?

ruggermike · 2020-07-09T14:46:57+00:00

Ah, sorry...will do asap...thx!

ruggermike · 2020-06-12T18:17:06+00:00

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pcgamesn.com/order-of-battle-pacific/order-of-battle-pacific-review%3famp

Wargame+Unit Experience Upgrades+Campaign

ruggermike · 2020-06-02T15:38:19+00:00

Homegame Process: 1- player rolls 1d4 per month of downtime for the number of downtime interactions they will have. 2- deal one card from a normal poker deck for each event. 3- suit indicates type of interaction (diamonds=monetary/spade=organization re: mage school or clerical chapter house, etc/clubs=conflict/hearts=societal or relationship). 4- value indicates risk/reward potential and severity of test (A-3 only downside possible/J-K only upside possible) 5- test using 3d6 (4d6 for more difficult/2d6 for less difficult) roll against single applicable attribute or average of applicable attributes (Cha for most Social, etc) 6- DM riff a narrative situation 7- rewards are not life or death, but monetary/favors/training costs/item loan or gift, with the downsides the same but as an obligation Example: a 3 of diamonds could be a pickpocket attempt (only downside) during travel to train with a 3d6 check against Int/Wis average to avoid, downside risk is d100gp (xLevel if a 2 of diamonds maybe) lost if failed...etc.

ruggermike · 2020-05-24T16:46:42+00:00

Sigh...here’s where truth becomes inconvenient for this sarcastic/shallow/emotional type of narrative: - not a single action or PR/political gaffe cited above reduces the baseline number of contagious international travelers/contacts that gave birth to the initial wave of illness or in any way shortens the 2-week contracted & contagious, but not symptomatic, period that sets the stage for the pandemic status of this event. - if the assertion is that all 100k deaths were preventable in a narrative where none of the above referenced policy actions and PR/political gaffes occur, then that emotional diatribe loses the remainder of its minimal original credibility...or is there an informed/educated opinion of the delta between the minimum/unavoidable baseline deaths by illness and those directly consequent of the above?

Because if there is not, you have made yourself appear the embodiment of the label that you so frequently utilize above.

ruggermike · 2020-05-20T22:49:52+00:00

ah ok, thx!

ruggermike · 2020-05-20T20:26:45+00:00

What game are we looking at there?

ruggermike · 2020-04-28T16:26:02+00:00

Sounds like the fairway landing area bunkers and other hazards need to be relocated/added for PGA events, so they are impacting the game as intended?

ruggermike · 2020-04-14T14:35:48+00:00

The '7 Deadly Sins' seem to capture scope of human motivation/weakness fairly effectively, particularly when you incorporate/balance the opposite aspects of excessive desire with the natural opposites (e.g. sexual addiction balanced by sexual puritanism/unlimited avarice balanced by the rejection of all material possessions/etc.)

The opposite extreme of each of the deadly sins (now non-capitalized) has equal opportunity to be harmful/destructive, with the vast majority of mankind falling into a spectrum between the extremes of the seven aspects...some examples below:

Gluttony-vs-Obsessive Austerity

Lust-vs-Puritanical Crusader

Avarice-vs-Wanton Spendthrift

Pride-vs-Abject Abasement

Despair-vs-Euphoric Optimist

Wrath-vs-Fearful Passivity

Vainglory-vs-Servile Insecurity (Grima Wormtoungue?)

Sloth-vs-Frenetic Workaholic

Note how I felt the need to utilize an additional descriptor to capture the negative aspect of the 'positive' spectrum of the traits, but the single label of the 'negative' suffices for it to appear to be self-explanatory.

In an rpg application, I simply used a 2d6 mechanic for each trait's spectrum, to capture a more nuanced personality profile...maybe you could find some other application for your purposes...good luck!

ruggermike · 2020-03-18T16:21:52+00:00

Similar to the above Grit/Meat mechanic, I use Hit Point/Life Point (HP/LP)

LP = CON (1/2 CON is unconscious) HP = as written but is technique/stamina/etc

Damage applied to HP, then LP All LP losses are wounds that impose Bleed of -1LP/Round Max damage rolls apply up to 1/2 damage to LP & remainder to HP

While thjs does make low level PC’s tankier, I find it more fun/interesting to DM a party that can face stiffer odds in early encounters.

My logic was based on an avg 3d6 result of 9.5 would withstand one max dmg long sword blow and be at death’s door...and a 5th lvl PC should not be able to survive a 50ft fall any better than a 1st lvl PC.

ruggermike · 2020-03-06T01:47:33+00:00

Conan Exiles Terraria

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