SCHIP: Care Enough to Smoke?

Sometimes the Mind Fills with Mud

Sometimes the mind can be a strange object to carry in ones skull.

With this strange warm, thaw, freeze, rain, snow, melt, warm weather my mind has been invaded by a thick fog that is more like mud. I seem to be slowed to a crawl. Every job is taking me twice as long as normal.

I wanted to get more writing done today, but I am not getting to it. I did get the art orders shipped this morning. And I got the cards from Tim. Everything is refilled and ready to roll again.

Rogues having trouble sealing the deal

One of the things I have noticed with our high powered Rogues in games is that they have more trouble finishing off tough, smart opponents. The Valarians have a much bigger tool box to work from and better chances of resisting spells that are cast at them.

It appears to come down to what the opponents are thinking. If they are unwilling to stand and die stupidly they are more likely to escape from Rogues. However, at the same time the Rogues, with their high HP are more survivable themselves. They are more likely to drive off their enemies than Valarians, but less likely to kill the big enemies.

It is an interesting trade off. I think the most successful parties will be those of a mixed Valarian/Rogue group. It makes me more likely to limit the two to a single cross over level.

All I really want to do...

All I really want to do is cuddle up with Sue and wait for spring. I suppose that is not possible.

Trying to catch up and prep Sue for the Cat Show she is going off to. Yet another market we stick our nose into for the art income.

Good game last night. The big characters went out to chase down a very bad skinstalker. The skinstalker escaped. The characters held the field, but they were debating running, so was the skinstalker. He had no intention of fighting to his death (he added 650 experience!). They took out 20 odd henchmen, but the two big baddies got away. Their will be a rematch someday... Now the scouts will have to find him for them, again.

Freedom? Bah, you need Security.

Banning guns addresses the desire of the government to feel free to strip the people of their freedoms. This is done best by presenting Gun Bans as preserving your security. Play the emotional security card, over and over, until no one notices that they are no longer Free, and there is nothing the people can do about it.

This political moment brought to you by a tired mind.

Tuesday, Another day in a good week.

I did not start today as good as yesterday, but hey, it all counts.

I have started assembling my tasks into "groups" so I can begin actually keep track of and explain what the heck I do. I start the day with WCM (Web Communication Maintenance). So far that is 1 and 2 hours in the morning and about 30 minutes at night. We shall see if it stays at two hours a day.

Tonight is a DS game and I'll be running. We will see what happens.

Most of my game time this year is focused on the new games we are trying to put together. I am certainly glad I have the DS players to work out the kinks in DS ideas on the Beta and Madness blogs. It frees Sue and I to work on the next stuff. I can tear the stuff out of my mind, put it up, and you folks can work out the details.

Well, that is it for now.

Good Morning People

I am here at the Clanhold starting another week. I am finding myself a chipper fellow this morning.

I am looking into exactly how I spend my time each day. I am just finishing up my morning communication gig. Checking all those social network, sales sites, skype messages, e-mails, blog comments and doing this morning update. By the time I get this done it will be two hours dedicated to the morning routine.

It is really true that this activity is turning into paying customers as well. The truth is that Sue and I make a living by a combination of communicating and creating entertainment. The real advantage is that it is a life that we enjoy doing. Sure, there is a lot of work involved, but I find myself smiling as I work an awful lot. There are a few frowns, but in total it is good.

Well, I'm off to my next project to time. I have art orders to assemble and a 16x20 print to mat and pack.

Talk at you later. So go out an have a good fantasy!

The problem with thinking is that it gets you started.

I posted a piece on the DS Beta Blog pertaining to the Elethay religion and it started me thinking. We have always had a series of half formed thoughts on the Jikadell Religion and it's position on Grandilar.

Anyway, I started an outline of the Jikadell structure in Mars edit to blog about when I finish it. Then I worked some more on Jikadell's Bindings (Laws) and Jikadell's Ways (living recommendations). The next thing I knew I had a whole list of 12 Jikadell Titles in order of authority.

From there the damnable beta GM pdf started to take form. I have the first eight cards roughed out as features that you can add to a cast member to make Jikadell folks. (Yea, I can see a foxwings Jikadell Priestess as a problem.)

This kind of diversion uses up a good amount of time and I'm really not sure that it has a value. But it does keep my mind grinding away.

I will give the Jikadell piece another going over in a day or two then decide how I'm going to get this out to the GM's.

Yesterday I got carried away and reworked all of the Spirit Walker cards based on the beta blog comments. Then I set them up as PDF's. Then I did them in a release order. I printed out a set so Sue can start on art. It looks like 8 cards in each of March and April. Then May and June will be Sponsored card releases. July will see eight more Spirit Walker cards and the Rogue Clans, just before StormCon. Then in august eight cards that finish up the Spirit Walkers, release new bloodlines and more on the Clans.

This will be the first time we actually have a release schedule. Scary idea. I am going to put up the PDF's in the next few days in the DS Beta blog so we have a place for comments and a way for people to download and try them.

Now I think I need a nap. It has occurred to me that every one of these freakin' cards needs a web page story and discussion to go with it.

More work than I expected, well, more energy anyway.

I just completed beta prep on 8 cards. That means setting them in Quark, evaluating comments, setting formats, rewriting cards from comments, existing card references, in-house beta card checking and probably a step or two I can't think of. After focusing on this for a few hours my brain is wiped out. I really have never done that many cards at a time before. I guess I never realized how draining that job is. I am going to have to re-evaluate the time I set aside for jobs like this. In the end it means the other half-a-days work I had planned is out and will have to be pushed into friday. Unfortunately friday is heavily scheduled already. I am just a little depressed, I just lost my day off for this week.

Audio, is it one of the medias of the future?

What other form of entertainment can you fully enjoy and still 'work'? Audio includes Podcast stories (like my own), Radio music, news, shows, audio books, and talk shows. It allows your mind to exercise while you perform those menial tasks from shoveling snow, laundry or just driving somewhere. I think this has a real and long term future. Even as I work on this I am listening to a Rex Stout novel.

Another Flint professional has an interesting article on the Radio Industry. You can follow this link and give it a read, or have your browser read it to you....

Just be sure to enjoy life. It is not a trial, it is the penalty.

Last Day Off

Sue and I have been taking it easy for the week since Ohayocon. Today is the last day of the brief break. One of the things I want to get better at is taking time off. I have posted some new stuff this week, in particular on Mark's Madness Blog, but that was material I already had done to put up when I needed new material.

Monday is going to be a long and unproductive day. I have a huge pile of paperwork from Ohayocon and the past week to get into the books and reports. That looks to be a good 12 hours, so I'll be back to real work Tuesday.

It has been a good time off. I am thinking maybe May 3rd to 10th for the next break.

OK, that is it, done thunking until tomorrow.

The Campaign Factions

In the Tuesday night campaign I'm running there are a series of factions the players are dealing with. They seem to be having some trouble keeping track and feel that they need to make notes to keep up.

1. The Rouge Clans. Trying to find and eradicate the Pylos Agent.

2. The Pylos Agent. In charge, maybe, of the infiltration of the Valarians. Working with Black Banes agents.

3. The Black Bane Team. Both working with the Pylos Agent and, apparently, operating a different program too. They are specifically targeting Valarians who seem to have doubts about other Valarians.

4. The Dyson Brickwall people. They are working against the Black Bane and Pylos Agent forces. They are, apparently, working with the Rouge Shifters and trying to co-operate with the traditional Valarians.

5. Pylos infected Valarians. Working to promote the infection of the Valarians and hunting Dyson's people.

6. Traditional Valarians. These are the "in denial" Valarians who can not imagine Valarian Traitors. Due to Dyson's people having contacted them they are primarily hunting Dyson's people, even though, in this case, he is trying to save them. Their actions are unwittingly helping the Pylos Agent.

7. The Zachtos Clan. Lead by Shagan, they are trying to sort out who they should help and who to kill. They are more in line with the Rouges than the Valarians. Not knowing which Valarians are good or bad, they are keeping separate from the Valarians.

8. There is a Jikadell Priestess and Hag doing something.

9. An unknown ancient dragon who seems to be on his own side.

10. The infected Valarians who have been turned by the Pylos Agent. They are using there Valarian status to Banish Valarians who act to stop the Pylos agent.

11. Tainted Greatflame agents. What the heck there plan is no one knows, but Heliot seems to be hunting his tainted brethren.

If you think that is confusing, it is.