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sinanju

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  1. Like
    sinanju reacted to Ragitsu in Coronavirus   
    I must say...I don't appreciate the insinuation that people who want more localized manufacturing are parochial xenophobes. While it is possible some people (especially during recent times) have adopted this desire because someone more powerful with nationalist agendas manipulated them into buying the hog (for the powerful one's benefit, natch), I've been hearing this discussion for decades now and from people across the political spectrum. Also, his last comment about government reveals an attitude which is endemic to the United States of America; it is one very much born out of living here for an extended period of time while in possession of an at least halfway decent brain. Personally? I would kill (okay, not actually) for a government closer to what Canada has, or Denmark has, or Australia has, or...
     
    V from V for Vendetta said "“People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
     
    I prefer,
     
    "The most pointed is V's belief: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." I am not sure V has it right; surely in the ideal state governments and their people should exist happily together. Fear in either direction must lead to violence." - Roger Ebert.
  2. Like
    sinanju reacted to ScottishFox in Coronavirus   
    Population of America:  328 million - 67,913 deaths
    Population of Italy: 60 million - 29,079 deaths
    Population of Spain: 47 million -  25,264 deaths
    Population of France: 67 million - 24,900 deaths
    Population of UK: 66.6 million (satan!) - 28,808 deaths
    Population of Germany: 83 million - 6,866 deaths
     
    Population of the 5 European countries is still less than that of America (328 vs 323).
    Total Deaths in Europe is much higher (so far) at 114,917 vs. 67,913.
     
    Deaths per million population:
    America: 207.05
    Italy: 484.65
    Spain: 537.53
    France: 371.64
    Germany: 82.72  (What are they doing?)
  3. Like
    sinanju reacted to massey in Coronavirus   
    Depends what your goal is.  I think the United States needs to make a strategic decision to bring key manufacturing centers back onto US soil.  It doesn't matter if they're 100% crewed by robots, it's becoming clear (to me anyway) that we need that stuff under our physical control.
     
    Employment is a secondary concern, but still important.  You'd create some amount of jobs here by moving factories back, even if it wasn't as many jobs as you'd have had back in the '50s.  As always, these issues are incredibly complex.
  4. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Grailknight in Alternatives to Capital Punishment/Life Imprisonment in a Superhero setting   
    My campaign (currently on hiatus while I run a Traveller game online) is one in which superpowers are new. It's been just over a year since the Wild Card virus imbued 7,000 residents of Hudson City, NJ with superpowers.
     
    It's been a chaotic year, to nobody's surprise. The current approach is placing captured superpowered bad guys into a single federal prison where the warden is a Wild Card. Her power is the ability to a) boost the stats of normal people to haman maximum for a period of several weeks, and b) to neutralize the powers of wild cards for an equal length of time. So she empowers the guards to Captain America-like levels (as well as a select number of federal agents) regularly, and keeps the prisoners' powers suppressed. This is, obviously, a stopgap solution as it depends entirely on her willingness and ability to continue in this position indefinitely. But it has given the authorities *some* option for holding otherwise unstoppable bad guys safely, reducing the likelihood that defeated bad guys will be summarily executed.
     
    This was not planned, by the way. I introduced the warden as a lieutenant of the first campaign season's Big Bad. Her power is invisible, so the first time the PCs tried to fight after running into her, they got a nasty surprise when they were reduced to their normal pre-Wild Card stats (and no powers). The Big Bad had "the gift of gab" and had persuaded her to work with him. Once she was freed of his influence, she turned state's evidence against him in return for immunity for her own behavior--and it occurred to the authorities (i.e., me the GM) that she could be very useful to them. So now she works for them.
  5. Like
    sinanju reacted to Hermit in Sheep In Wolves Clothing (Campaign brain storming)   
    We posted at roughly the same time I think, but yes, at least half of the villains I plan to be 'on the record' just to make it a challenge.
  6. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Scott Ruggels in Shapeshift, Transform, and You   
    Except that it's not. I agree with Duke Bushido on this. Transform *actually* turns you into [whatever]. Multi-form *actually* turns you into [whatever]. Shapeshift only presents the ILLUSION that you have turned into someone or something else. And illusion that, unless you buy every sense group in existence, will always be seen thru eventually.
     
    Next time I want to play a shapeshifter, I'm going to use Transform vs Self.
  7. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Duke Bushido in Shapeshift, Transform, and You   
    Duke Bushido is a man after my own heart. I love shapeshifting characters (like Mystique), but 6ED Shapeshift sucks for that. I transform into a Schwarzenegger-sized thug or a slinky asian female. If I want it to be convincing, it's gotta cover sight, hearing ,smell, taste, touch--and those are just the basic senses. If you to want to cover *everything*? It's ridiculous. And as DB points out, you never *really* turn into whatever it is, you just pretend to.
     
    There's gotta be a better way.
  8. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Sundog in What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...   
    Oh come on! It's not like it wasn't COMPLETELY OBVIOUS that he'd come back as a zombie after he got swarmed by them on that away mission. They never found his body, so you KNEW he wasn't really most sincerely dead.
  9. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Grailknight in What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...   
    Oh come on! It's not like it wasn't COMPLETELY OBVIOUS that he'd come back as a zombie after he got swarmed by them on that away mission. They never found his body, so you KNEW he wasn't really most sincerely dead.
  10. Haha
    sinanju got a reaction from Mightybec in What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it...   
    Oh come on! It's not like it wasn't COMPLETELY OBVIOUS that he'd come back as a zombie after he got swarmed by them on that away mission. They never found his body, so you KNEW he wasn't really most sincerely dead.
  11. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Iuz the Evil in Coronavirus   
    My local Albertsons has a clear plexiglass shield between the checker and the customer. They will bag your groceries if you accept paper bags from them; if you bring your own reusable bags, you have to bag them yourself.
  12. Haha
    sinanju got a reaction from Pariah in Coronavirus   
    We could have, but we voted against her.
  13. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Old Man in Coronavirus   
    We could have, but we voted against her.
  14. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Ockham's Spoon in The Fantasy Races Thread   
    I threw out my idea (for dealing with multiple fantasy races) on another thread. They're all the creation of some ancient civilization (elder gods, traditional gods, ultra-tech/magical mortal civilization, whatever), and effectively different breeds of humanoid. Humans are what you get when any of the other races don't carefully police their bloodlines, i.e., mutts. The elves (and dwarves and goblins and et cetera) have specific appearances (as opposed to humans, who can vary widely) because that appearance is *the definition* of an "elf" or "dwarf" or whatever (again, like breeds of dog). Vary from it by too much, and you're considered a "half-elf" (etc). Vary even farther, and you're just another mutt (i.e., human). Some cultures practice infanticide on those who don't meet the criteria, others will simply banish you, or just view you as definitely a second-class citizen or worse, and would never let you marry their daughters. In this world, humans are more numerous than the other races (they can breed like rabbits and nobody cares--other races have to police such things, so tend to be fewer in number), but also the least respected--albeit, to quote the News Monster from Futurama, "numerous and belligerant."
     
    This is *why* elves are graceful and beautiful (they were playthings). Dwarves were bred to labor in mines and other enclosed places. Halflings were intended as quiet,  unobtrusive servants). Giants, goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, and the like were bred as cannon fodder. More exotic forms ( minotaurs, for instance) were bred to be hunted for sport. 
     
    This rationale satisfies my desire to explain how and why so many different intelligent races co-exist.
  15. Thanks
    sinanju got a reaction from Duke Bushido in What makes a complete game "complete"?   
    Nope. No subscriptions. It's nothing but a money grab.
     
    If I buy Software 1.0, and it serves my purposes, I don't need or want anything more. IF and when I find it lacking, I can *choose* to pay for an upgrade (Software 1.1 now with flavor!) or a whole new iteration (Software 2.0). But I'm NOT going to pay a monthly or annual subscription just to maintain access to a product I bought.
  16. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Tywyll in What makes a complete game "complete"?   
    I was, at one time, interested in InDesign for doing covers and layout for my books, but that was before they went to a subscription model. To hell with that. If I can't *own* the software, I'm not interested. I ended up learning GIMP for doing book covers, and I used Jutoh for formatting ebooks for a long while. Now I'm using Draft2Digital's website to format my ebooks. They have a pretty decent system, it's free, and Amazon accepts them. I might eventually look into Vellum, but not yet. I'm not sure I'm really interested in publishing anymore.
  17. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Chris Goodwin in Easiest software to run a game online   
    You and me both. I hate it when I follow a link to some news item and I get a video instead of text. I want TEXT. A transcript I can skim to see if it's worth my time to read more closely, or to actually watch the video. Usually, I just hit the BACK button and move on. Life is too short to watch a 10 minute video that turns out to be pointless.
  18. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Scott Ruggels in Saving Champions/Hero   
    I don't hate JJ Abrams. I don't allot him that much brain space. But I have no use for him. I watched the first season of LOST, but gave up after that because it became clear me at that point that there was no "there" there. That he was happy to create an endless series of mysteries, but there was no answer forthcoming--well, other than an ass-pull at the eleventh hour, if that. Life is too short for that kind of crap.
  19. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from pbemguy in Saving Champions/Hero   
    Yeah, that point for me was the end of S1 of LOST, and I did care. A lot. Because it meant a lot of the stuff we saw--the polar bear, the smoke monster, the hatch...ultimately meant nothing. And I didn't care much for the characters because they were (in my opinion) too stupid to live in most cases. Same reason I never got into The Walking Dead. I can't care about characters (and their conflicts, growth, relationships, etc) if I find them to be ignorant morons who would all have long since been eaten by walkers if they weren't wearing plot armor. On the other hand, I'll forgive wooden acting, laughable SFX, and cheap sets...if the writing is tight, and the characters are smart.
     
    I like Brisco County, Jr. I'm a big fan of Bruce Campbell. But I thought the main bad guy (whose name I can't even recall now) was horribly miscast and/or a horrible actor. I thought several of his minions were FAR more entertaining to watch. "You touched Pete's piece! Nobody touches Pete's piece!"
  20. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Spence in Two Questions: Map Scale and Campaign Preparation   
    I'm 61 and I've been gaming a long time.
     
    I use 1 hex = 1 meter, since we're using the 6ED ruleset. Occasionally I use scaled down print-outs of buildings (restaurants, apartments, bases) so everyone has an idea of the layout, but the actual combat takes place at 1 hex = 1 yeard on a Battlemat.
     
    I always write up my notes before a session. I create NPCs in Hero Designer and print them out. I have a binder with the NPC character sheets, and another binder with NPC "headshots" with their names and hero names/job titles as appropriate. I write up notes on what's going on in the campaign city, and what the bad guys are up to, and how the PCs might encounter them. In the most recent session, the PCs (who have made a name for themselves in the game) began encountering NPC journalists (some hostile, some friendly) in planned encounters initially; after that, it depends on how the PCs react.
     
    My notes on the NPCs (Villains in particular) tend to cover the same things:
    1. What does he want? (Wealth? Power? Revenge? What, specifically, does that mean to him?)
    2. How does he plan to obtain it? Rob a bank? Hold the city for ransom? Murder someone?  [This is his plan. Unless he's a newbie, he knows it will go awry, probably sooner than later--but this is the plan.]
    3. What resources are available to him? His own powers? Minions with guns? Minions with powers? Allies? Pawns?
    4. How does he plan to handle resistance (from the authorities,  bystanders or victims, or the PC heroes)? Will he try to bribe people (mostly early on, before the overt crime happens)? Threaten them? Hostages? Murder? Distractions?
    5. When things go off the rails, how quickly does he recognize it, and how quickly does he abort? [This often plays into his Psychological Complications. How clear-headed is he about it all?]
     
    While the NPC has a plan, I don't need a detailed if/then flowchart. I don't assume the PCs will do anything in particular, and whatever they do, I can improvise the bad guy's reactions. Sometimes they ignore what's happening and the bad guy happily proceeds with his plan behind the scenes and they only find out later. Sometimes they do exactly the right thing and foil him without ever even knowing it. Mostly they stumble across a plot, investigate, and face increasing resistance until the big battle.
  21. Like
    sinanju reacted to zslane in What makes a complete game "complete"?   
    While I admire the artistry inherent in the page layout and design of modern RPG books like D&D and Pathfinder, I also find them difficult and unpleasant to read. All those background textures and small typefaces and random pieces of artwork create a wildly cluttered page. As spartan as it may appear, I still feel that the 4e BBB hits the sweet spot in terms of clear presentation and appealing aesthetics.
  22. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Rails in Easiest software to run a game online   
    You and me both. I hate it when I follow a link to some news item and I get a video instead of text. I want TEXT. A transcript I can skim to see if it's worth my time to read more closely, or to actually watch the video. Usually, I just hit the BACK button and move on. Life is too short to watch a 10 minute video that turns out to be pointless.
  23. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Duke Bushido in While sheltering in place....   
    I like Classic, but while I still have a bunch of classic Traveller books and a bunch of supplements and JTAS supplements, I only have my original Book 3. The first two basic books have gotten lost in the last 40 years and umpteen moves. Funny how that happens.
     
    I *have* the Hero Traveller books, but they don't appeal to me. I'd run GURPS Traveller if my gaming crew were up for it, but they don't like GURPS. Plus, with either one I'd end up doing a lot building/conversions of weapons and equipment.
     
    So I'm going to go with Mongoose 2nd Edition Traveller. I have the Core Rules, Companion, High Guard, and Central Supply Catalog. That's pretty much everything I need all in one ruleset. Plus, if I'm gonna play a game from my personal Golden Age of Gaming, I want to use essentially the same game. So there I am.
  24. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Oruncrest in What makes a complete game "complete"?   
    Nope. No subscriptions. It's nothing but a money grab.
     
    If I buy Software 1.0, and it serves my purposes, I don't need or want anything more. IF and when I find it lacking, I can *choose* to pay for an upgrade (Software 1.1 now with flavor!) or a whole new iteration (Software 2.0). But I'm NOT going to pay a monthly or annual subscription just to maintain access to a product I bought.
  25. Like
    sinanju got a reaction from Spence in What makes a complete game "complete"?   
    Nope. No subscriptions. It's nothing but a money grab.
     
    If I buy Software 1.0, and it serves my purposes, I don't need or want anything more. IF and when I find it lacking, I can *choose* to pay for an upgrade (Software 1.1 now with flavor!) or a whole new iteration (Software 2.0). But I'm NOT going to pay a monthly or annual subscription just to maintain access to a product I bought.
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