I find myself wondering how

I find myself wondering how to divide my blogging entries. The purposes of blogging is many fold, at least, it is for me. If you have any thoughts to add, please do.

First, I want to keep in touch with the people I know. I have friends from across the country and I enjoy reading their blogs as to what is happening. It gives me the feeling that I am staying in touch without interfering with their lives by taking up unwanted time. I have a number of personal blogs that I follow. If you want to let me know about your blog drop me a note at markharmon@mac.com. Intrinsic with this I want to keep interested people up on my life, which is here at my Daily Blog.

Second, I want to pass on our game data. That is DS, Prismatics, Tark, unnamed and Furzz at this point. There is just too much in our brains and not enough out there for you guys. The way I enjoy the most is to do podcasts. I feel better doing the "bardic" tradition than I do writing, and I like it. If I'm not enjoying these things then why do them? I have started using the LJ Journal for the primary release point for DS, but what do I do with the rest? I am nibbling away at a Core rules system for new games and I want to find a place to discuss those that makes sense. I can use help making sure they are clear. I am thinking I'll do that over at the Mark's Madness blog.

If you are confused, as I am, about where our "stuff" is you can find a page of our links right about here. I think of it as the central Empire of links.


Right now my mind has started to wander, so I will work on this again for the next post. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, I would be glad to hear them, comment, comment, comment.

What the heck do you people want to see/read/hear?

More Core Game Stats Talk

Defense is the targets basic ability to deflect damage from physical, mental and magic damage. The character's card Defense is subtracted from all damage that targets Health Points. Additional Defense for specific types of damage, such as physical, spells, warp or od, comes from equipment worn, active spells and the powers and skills of the character. The attacking items, spells etc. may have special rules relating to Defense on them and they would supersede the General Defense rule here.

The maximum Defense that may be applied to any single damage dealing attack is 10. Even if equipment, spells and Powers give a greater number, Defense is capped at 10.

NOTE: This is different than the DS system. First, it is designed to be simpler in that it seperates DEF from outside items and the cards basic DEF. Second, it applies across the board to all damage, simplifying the use. Third, because it is used universally it will be smaller. Natural DEF will rarely go beyond 3. Fourth, DEF is capped at 10. This is essentially a way to keep danger in every encounter, no matter the characters experience and the characters value. It also gives everyone a chance to help, no matter how inexperienced they are.

Next Stat: Ranged

The Ranged stat is intended to reflect the effectiveness of the character with missle type weapons ranging from slings, bows, javelins, beer mugs, blasters and slug throwers. The Ranged stat would be added to all ranged attacks.

NOTES:
The card stats will be primarily for combat and what you add to the character will be the role-playing skills.

Most role-playing bonuses will be in the cards/skills that the character adds.

Special situation contest rolls will have there own section in the rules. We can collect the questions from you guys and then do a list of "if this, then roll this"

More Stat Talking: Melee

Melee as a Stat. Melee is intended to represent the characters skill bonus in melee combat. It may be strength or natural skill that is used to do damage in melee combat.

Card Value

Ongoing Game notes, look below if this does not make sense by itself.

The Card Value may be in terms of Card Points (CP), Experience (EX), or monetary (GP).

Card points means it can be used by/added to a character or Cast member. When used by a Cast member it is also the EX Value.

Experience value is the points awarded for encountering the card during play. This is usually found on a Cast Member, Location or Trap. We use encountering to express that surviving can teach as much as winning.

GP. Gold is the basic monetary unit in the system, although it could be Credits etc. These are things you buy.

A bit slow right now

I am moving a bit slow at the moment. I'm afraid that the wet, warm weather is setting off my Allergies and bringing my some nice headaches, sniffles, sneaezing and watering eyes. Such is life. I think Trouble has caught my allergies as he helps me sneaze when we go out to walk. The solution, of course, is to stop letting all that nasty air from the outside world into the house and just stay inside. I mean, what is out there that I can't see on video from the computer. Maybe a floating webcam..... I have to check that out.

Sue has gotten me the art for the language cards. I've checked the comments and it looks like they are ready to go. The art above is for common languages. Now I need to assemble the cards and get them up. A webpage and podcast should be done on these as well.


We had a good Tark idea session on Sunday. I think that in a couple of months I may be able to move it to a beta version. That assumes that I can continue to devote substantial time to the project. I'm not sure that with the Con season coming on I can do that. We will see.


Right now I need to get some more stuff up on e-bay to get the money my Uncle Sam wants..... I just luv those special holidays.

New MM Podcast is up!

MM00-10 podcast is up and available. I also have 11 finished. It is in for touch-up work.
We have been playing the Three Worlds game on a regular basis. It is coming along. Something about crossing Blasters, lightning bolts and demons has an appeal. I'm getting the terminology straightened out through working on the training podcasts. It makes me hear the words and consider what to use as names. The names of the categories and cards give atomosphere for the game. The game is slowly taking a good form.
Trouble is 17 this spring and he can feel the good weather approaching. He is bouncing around like a twelve year old dog. Times are good!

The Gap I See

I have been thinking a lot lately about the different worlds that technology is creating. It has opened up, for me at least, access to the ancient ability to be a storyteller. To use my voice to communicate my ideas. I am just glad that I have lived long enough for the future that suits me to arrive.

At the same time I find that a lot of people that I have grown up with look at me with confusion. They know that the future is here, but they want to stay in the world they grew up in. I can't blame anyone for that, but I don't want to stay "back there".

I don't know how to espress myself on this. I know that people don't know why I do the podcasts. The best explanation I can give is because I have waited all my life to do this, and now I can. I must do it, so I do.

Mark

Yes, day off is be come

Friday is off, but I'll be spending it ferrying my mom to doctors..... Saturday I should be back to work, but I'm not sure I'll be able to.

I spent most of the day working on GM sheets and new cards for the Three Worlds game. The next play test session is on Easter. While this process is a load of work, it is fun to be doing something new. Working on the cards gave me a series of ideas for instruction podcasts for Three Worlds. I will have to squeeze them in over the next week. No way I'll get 'em done for Sunday's testing.

I also updated the Mark's Mysteries Blog and website today.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people have to say about the Clanborn podcast on the DS Live Journal. I saw Tim's comment. It gave me a smile.

It's midnight 30 and I think I need a break.

Tuesday

Monday I got all of the DS orders pulled, packed and on there way. For some reason everything I did took way too much time to get done. One of those mondays, I guess.

I spent today polishing the Mark's Mysteries podcast #11 and got a chance to here #10 with all the sound in it. I think it really sounds good. Gregg is improving.

Tomarrow I'll be doing web catch up, a short Grandilar Game Podcast and integrating the new Tark/Three Worlds rpg ideas into the Alpha version. We had a good game Sunday. Looks like I can stop remaking the basic deck, at last. I'm actually trying to build an encounter section for the GM. Should save some time. Should be fun.

For now, I wave at all of you as I head over to the DS Beta board for some light reading.

working

Saturday I got through three recording sessions for the Mark's Mysteries. One rough of Episode 12 and two of episode 11. That means that I am sending Episode home with Greg after tonights game with Episode 11 to do the music for. He should have episode 10 with him ready for me to put in the art and ready to upload monday.

Tonights game will be a "Third World" alpha test. I have already gotten a few new monster sheets done this morning for the GM. I will be getting new decks done, printed and cut in a while. At this stage there are weekly changes to make. I think it is forming up now so that I'll be able to focus on getting some accessories done this week after the game.

So, back to work with me.

another card set to make

We played three worlds again last night. We had a good time shooting up stuff and enjoyed the demon rain. Afterwards we had a nice long talk and once again there are changes in the alpha version. Means I have to do yet another set of cards with the changes. Once we get this down so the changes aren't weekly I'll start spreading out some test versions. So far it is fun, but different. Sometimes the changes make it hard to cope, we keep slipping into DS think, and it doesn't work in this new world. It is causing us some confusion, but I think we are getting past that one. Well, it is still alpha version, not even ready to go beta. I do like the world we have created, it is a mess.

Enough for now, back to work.