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Fever broke last night. I'm going to be okay.

My school is providing box lunches (and breakfasts). Student comes in, gives their code, takes the box and leaves. In and out in under a minute. It's not ideal, but it's better than kids not eating.

Proof that Bernie Sanders is actually Sith Lord.

This doormat is going viral, or so I hear.

Dude, if there was a sudden epidemic of a diarrhea virus, they'd start hoarding shampoo and mustache wax.

This is important: It’s COVID-19, not CORVID-19. A corvid is of the crow family. 19 crows are not gathering to kill you. But if they are...it’s a murder.

Well, I suppose such an epic battle deserves appropriate musical accompaniment:

You can't have a complete lockdown. That's not even happening in Italy; essential stores are still open, like grocery stores. You also have to deal with public reaction. The hammer blow we're feeling in the US is that...this bloody well feels like an Infinity Gauntlet finger snap. Wednesay noon...normal-ish. at least in many places. Wednesday night...20 foot waves crashing onshore. Thursday noon...tidal wave hits. It was that fast, that sudden, and that complete a change. We couldn't, and still in many places, shouldn't go to a complete lockdown yet. There are some serious consequenc

Option: Hercule Poirot Title: Murder on the Seussical Express

From everything I've been hearing about the coronavirus, these announced policies sound wrong-headed. Banning overseas foreign visitors while allowing free traffic from the United States is like trying to bail out a leaking boat with a sieve. Screening at airports for symptoms won't catch the majority of infected who are asymptomatic. This isn't science, it's a PR stunt to try to calm the stock market.

I'm good.

Unlike certain national leaders, the leaders at local levels tend to do that. AND care about trying to find a workable solution.

That's what we're doing here as well. Coordination will improve over the next few weeks.

With regular Sunday night gaming cancelled due to COVID-19 based social distancing, I've decided to re-read the Adventures of Fish Guy. With outside activities canceled for the near future, I may decide to use my now-free time to throw together Book 2.

Straight up Ranger DM< with maps, See?

Spence, Brennall on the Hero Discord server is finalizing a phase one release of a Hero System skin for Tabletop Simulator. TTS costs about $20 on Steam, but the Herosystem module will be free, and handles 5th and 6th editions. It’s one way of running a game without having to deal with Roll20 and Roll20’s monthly rent for Hero GMs, while Corona-Chan from Wuhan is out and about.

During the discussion on the thread, The Turakian Age is Seriously Underrated, it was brought to my attention that not only were many folks unfamiliar with that fantasy setting published by Hero Games, but the degree to which other books in the Fantasy Hero line were directly connected to it, providing supporting elaboration for various facets of its world. It occurred to me that Hero's signature sci-fi setting might also suffer from a similar misconception. Just as with the Turakian Age, most of Hero's science-fiction books use the Terran Empire as their default reference, in some cases even

Was just talking about this with a friend. This is really on the money. Most small businesses don't have the two month's of capital they will need to stay alive. This is going to kill so many businesses out there. Looks like Amazon is going to be the biggest winner in all this.

Yeah, I saw a similar headline...very high number of first-time gun buyers. And I had a thought just now. There will be another set of indirect victims. Fear. Stress. Sense of Isolation. Disconnection from social networks, such as one's workgroup. These are big risk factors for suicide. I doubt it's a factor in the US just yet, but I am very much afraid it will become more significant within a few weeks. Especially, for example, high school seniors. Unable to finish...no graduation in sight. Missing friends from school.

It's not just toilet paper: People line up to buy guns, ammo over coronavirus concerns This makes me nervous. The only thing worse than a fool with a gun, is a panicked fool with a gun.

"You can fly?" "Sometimes," said the little girl. She smiled as she floated lazily in the air. "If I have fairy dust." Hermione scrunched her face in disapproval. Fairies were bad business as far as she was concerned. "That's amazing," said Violet. "Indeed," said the cat as he flew in a loop up to meet Wendy's face. "I never met a flying girl before. Do you like tea?" "I adore tea!" she said happily as she bounced in the air. "Too bad we don't have any tea," said Frodo, not for the first time, or the last.

*A truck carrying Worcestershire sauce crashes* Deputy: What's the situation? Sheriff: It's hard to say.

Next up, this guy:

Thanks. Hopefully it doesn't last more than a few weeks. On the bright side, I needed a vacation anyway.

The walls are Barriers to whatever you want barriered. TV/internet/whatever gets piped through the cable.

Sorry to hear about your job tkd. FWIW I think you're going to have a lot of company in a month or two.

Fair enough. Personally, I don't believe that all the people who got to live full lives in safety and freedom due to the actions of heroes in any era, count for nothing just because that era came to an end. In some places and times its appropriate for those heroes to be paladins, in others costumed supers, in others starship troopers. But that's my perspective, which in no way invalidates yours.

I've got to get to bed, so if you will accept it at least short term, I'll summarize: It's an intellectual distaste. I have no problems with separate worlds / separate universes / no; not a multiverse; it's just a whole different book now, and these two authors don't both write about the same universe-- None whatsoever. It's not really enjoyable for me when two distinctly different writers tell stories in the same world or with the same characters (might be part of why I never got into comic books; I don't know). It's somewhat bothersome wh

This is actually covered in the Equipment Guide (in more general terms). Basically, if the transmissions are completely undetectable, you apply the Invisible Power Effect advantage to the sense ability tied to the radio receive/transmit. Season the special effect to taste. There is a second option discussed that gives a more "this is highly encrypted" feel to it, but I can't recall what it is. In short, yes. I was starting down an AoE-based Invisibility rabbit hole on this, but the KISS answer is, Selective (+1/4). Since Darkness is already AoE, you tack that advantage on and ju

Thanks, Spence; that helped a lot, actually. Though it did raise one question: If you view the ship as little more than a setting for an adventure, why are you opposed to maps of them upon which the scenario can be mapped? Or is it a general aversion to minis and maps? LL: It's rare, but I have to disagree with you. Yes; some of the aliens are really creative. _However_, the idea that the official sci-fi setting is directly descended from the superhero setting irks the piss out of me, and I have a similar problem with the fantasy setting

From Pee-Wee's feed...

“I think Warren is right,” Kris said. “In my nightmare I saw two men. They reminded me of those thugs Mind Warp uses.” “Oh?” Ash stepped outside. “You mean those two that did that riff off Hans and Franz?” Warren asked. “'I'm Ahlo,” Ash said with a heavy accent. “'And I'm Alphonse,” Warren added. In tandem, Warren and Ash said, “And we're here to...” they clapped their hands, “f*** you up!”

I found a few xenomorph and yautja (under various names) Hero write-ups, for Fourth and Fifth Edition Hero System. Links below. Xenomorph: http://www.devermore.com/surbrook/adaptationscreatures/movies/alien.html http://surbrook.devermore.net/bigbrawl/movie/alien.html Yautja: http://surbrook.devermore.net/bigbrawl/movie/predator.html https://the-wild-hunt.org/villains/solo/predator.html http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/mathew/cspredator.html Nothing yet for Ripley, Dutch, or the marines. I may poke around again when I have more time.

To me, the GM review of the sheet is an important part of the process. If I am buying great interaction stats and skills, seven different languages and a few Linguistics skills, I am telling the GM that I want/expect this character to overcome challenges by being able to communicate broadly, effectively and persuasively. Maybe that is right in line with his plan for the game (he may even have said so, perhaps indicating this will be a globetrotting campaign where the PCs will interact with many different potential allies, as well as possible and definite allies). Great - charact

In Denmark, scientists extracted a full genome from a 5,700 year old wad of chewing gum. They could tell all kinds of things, from gender and blue eyes, to having eaten duck and hazelnuts recently. Also she had mono. https://gizmodo.com/scientists-reconstruct-lola-after-finding-her-dna-in-1840481633 I'm having fun imagining her looking down and seeing this happen. Having it published in a journal that you had mono has to be something that would torment the long-deceased.

When Steve put up a Kickstarter for this project years ago, the big stumbling block was raising enough for him to devote time to writing it instead of earning a living doing something else. By working on it in his spare time all these years, he has to have dramatically cut the margin needed to get it ready for publication.

Darkness with personal immunity could work. The immunity being those with access to a VPN of sorts to the radio communications. Security Systems could also work. Basically, you use the base's security systems skill roll to encrypt the transmissions. This has precedence in early Hero supplements. As unclevlad noted. Barrier can also be used. Any power which can prevent a sense can be used to block radio reception and personal immunity used as an exception. You could use Clairsentience to go outside the restricted area, but this might be limited to receiving, depending on

I don't care for the flat amount either. It is a little simpler to just doll out a flat amount (I use 3d6 for Heroic), but it mechanically falls apart outside of the sweet spot. Weak attackers get a massive bonus and very powerful attackers get a bonus that is relatively small. In my Fantasy HERO campaign I do allow Haymaker for spells (but not spreading, bouncing, etc.), but the extra 1 segment on top of the usually 3s (or longer) cast time at -5 DCV makes the caster so vulnerable that the maneuver is rarely used. None of the casters want multiple arrows in their chest or to en

How about enhancing Personal Immunity to make it Selective Immunity

Probably better to work with the rules than try to work around them. I will almost never allow an advantage on an advantage; it's far, far too cheap, and this is just trying to ignore the power's fundamental limitation. Option 1: Very simply, they can't scry from within the area. So what? They go to some nearby secured location and scry from there. Or buy it with Personal Immunity for you, and *you* are the only one allowed to do so. That's perfectly fine in my book. Option 2: Create an advantage: +1, blocks in one direction only. EDIT: I'm thinking

Swine flu Bird flu H1N1 Yes; they're bad. But thus far, all of them have achieved the same level of frenzy and terror, and none of them have lived up to the hysteria the media created. Be smart; be intelligent; don't do dumb things. But dont look for a species-sending plague, either. Just my two unprofessional cents worth.

When the Coronavirus really hits the tech industry will we switch to UDP to avoid handshakes?

Hi Steve, I know you have Chinese mythology listed, but I urge you to consider the mythological beings (gods, creatures, etc.) and folklore of Taiwan. Taiwan folklore is different than that of the mainland since it incorporates native islanders (aboriginal) myths which are unique, and a fascinating mythology in itself. Here's one site that has maintained a repository of Taiwanese folktales and traditions. Thanks in advance for considering Taiwanese mythology.