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Joe Walsh

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Posts posted by Joe Walsh

  1. 2 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

    Out of curiosity, do you happen to know her vaccination status?

     

    I know she got the first two doses (they were offered onsite through our employer, and we got them at the same time), but other than that I don't know.

     

  2. Although Talents weren't explicitly pre-built powers in earlier editions, you're right that there should be a strong message to GMs about changing not only the availability of particular Talents based on campaign requirements, but also their pricing. It does make for a more diverse list of Talents, and it's not a bad idea to have more examples for GMs to draw from. So it makes sense to leave the seemingly less-useful but otherwise benign Talents in there.

     

    Thank you!

     

  3. I hope you're feeling better, Duke -- especially if you did have to go back to work yesterday. 😬

     

    A woman I work with (younger millennial, no complicating medical conditions, etc.) avoided Covid until late last year, then caught it and was down for months due to reoccurring infections by every virus or bacterium she came into contact with.

     

    I hope you're on the mend for good!

     

  4. We all know the value of everything in the game is dependent on the campaign, but some of these Talents seem like extreme cases of that. It makes me want to just leave them to a generic category like 3e has for Perks. Absolute Range Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump of Direction, Lightning Calculator, and Perfect Pitch are good examples. What're the chances they'll be valuable in a given campaign? Are they worth having specific Talents? Maybe an Other Talent category or some such would be more appropriate (like Limited Power or the various Knowledge/Professional/Science Skills, where you can put any miscellaneous thing)? Or are they more commonly useful than they've been in my campaigns over the years?

     

    Here are the Talents I set aside but about which I'm most on the fence:

        JI DI 4e 5e 6e
    Body Toughness Full PD vs. BODY damage done by Killing Blow. Too hyper-specific w/o extended Martial Arts' KA?   X      
    Double Jointed Bonus to contortionist rolls. Increase Contortionist skill instead. X   X X X
    Enhanced Senses Bonuses to PER roll for specific senses. Use Perception Skill’s rules instead. X        
    Environmental Movement

    2 CP per -1 CV/DC of Environmental Conditions penalty removed. (6e)

          X X
    Pain Resistance Use PD to reduce STUN damage of killing attacks.   X      
    Universal Translator Not useful enough?     X X X

     

  5. Over the weekend I took a look at the Talents in JI, DI, 4e, 5e, and 6e. Considering the base I'm starting from is Espionage!, coupled with the fact that at this point I expect to keep Superheroic as a separate base, the Talents that seem to make sense to include are in the following table.


    I decided not to include Talents like Height Manipulation and Hypnosis that seemed a bit too genre-specific. For Talents that had a Stop or Caution symbol, I plan to either use a less-powerful version (like going with the JI & 6e Missile Deflection rather than the more powerful Missile Deflection & Reflection combined Talent) or set it aside for later consideration if I don't feel like it fits in well (like Universal Translator). Also, existing 2e/3e Other Skills that became Talents in 4e and beyond (like Ambidexterity and Luck) will remain Other Skills.


    This is just a first take on it. Let me know if I'm missing something important.

        JI DI 4e 5e 6e
    Absolute Range Sense (Useful enough?) Accurately determine distance w/o external aid.       X X
    Absolute Time Sense (Useful enough?) Accurately determine the passage of time w/o external aid X   X X X
    Animal Friendship +3 to PRE roll only to gain animal's trust, etc. (use 6e version) X       X
    Bump of Direction (Useful enough?) Accurately determine compass direction w/o external aid. X   X X X
    Combat Luck +3 rPD and +3 rED for 6 CP, only vs. perceived attacks you try to avoid.       X X
    Combat Sense INT Roll each round for no darkness penalty to OCV and DCV. (use 6e version)   X X X X
    Danger Sense Just the “cannot be surprised in combat” level. X   X X X
    Defense Maneuver Combat Maneuver, ½ Phase, attacks from behind don’t halve the character’s DCV.   X X    
    Eidetic Memory Perfect memory for images studied (photos, written pages).   X X X X
    Extra Push +1 to EGO roll, only for purposes of Pushing.   X      
    Immunity Immunity to one specific toxic substance or disease. X   X    
    Lightning Calculator (Useful enough?) Accurately and quickly add numbers w/o external aid. X   X X X
    Lightning Reflexes DEX bonus only for purposes of acting first.     X X X
    Lightsleep Automatically wake up on nearby activity. If activity is performed with a successful Stealth roll, then awake on a successful PER roll (roll skill vs. skill). Roll EGO to feign sleep if desired.     X X X
    Missile Deflection Use JI version. Later versions included Reflection (a mistake 6e corrected). X       X
    Perfect Pitch (Useful enough?) Accurately determine any note you hear. X   X X X
    Resistance 1 CP per +1 to roll for resisting one of: Interrogation & Wounding, Persuasion, Bribery, Seduction, etc. (6e)     X X X
    Self Healing 10 CP; for 10 END, stop Bleeding (from Bleeding rule or when BODY <1, so it also includes internal bleeding from blunt trauma). +3 to REC for healing. X        
    Simulate Death EGO roll to slow metabolism to the point character appears dead. X   X X X
    Speed Reading Learn new Knowledge Skills in 1/2 the time. Combine with Eidetic Memory to memorize as fast as you can turn the page.   X X X X

     

  6. Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow

     

    This is the first book by Doctorow that I've read.

     

    Set in and around present-day San Francisco, the book starts out as a pretty standard mystery story, then morphs into something of a techno-thriller. The characters are strongly drawn. Early on some of the character interactions reminded me of Heinlein's awkward handling of masculine characters, but thankfully that wasn't continued in the rest of the novel.

     

    The protagonist is a freelance forensic accountant who, nearing retirement, gets one last job that kicks off the story. A cliche start to be sure, and as I mentioned the first part could have been written by anyone familiar with the standard conventions of mystery stories. Don't get me wrong, it's competently-written, but there's nothing really surprising going on until the initial mystery is resolved. From there, it gets a lot more interesting. The book spends time with various interesting characters and the plot sometimes zigs where others would zag.

     

    Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read/listen. Thanks to a recent Kickstarter, I have both the physical book and the audio book. I read the first few and last few chapters, listening to the rest on my way to/from work. For those interested in audiobooks, I can recommend this one. Wil Wheaton did a good job on the audiobook.

     

    Overall, I'd say this one is worth checking out if you're into mysteries, techno-thrillers, and/or the intersection of cryptocurrencies, organized crime, the legitimate accounting world, and government.

     

  7. 12 hours ago, Dr. MID-Nite said:

    Season 3 of Picard is DEFINITELY much better. Better than the first two seasons combined by far.

     

    12 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

    You can pretty much skip the first two seasons, and go right to season 3. There are a very few references to events from the previous seasons, but they have almost no bearing on the plot of the third, and if you want them clarified you can always quickly Search the Internet (or ask here) ;) . Almost everything important to Season 3 is derived from Next Generation/Deep Space 9/Voyager continuity, so if you're reasonably familiar with those you'll have no trouble keeping up.

     

    And I agree with the Doctor above. Picard S3 is arguably the best Trek we've gotten in decades, and truest to the spirit of the former shows.

     

    Well that's good! I'll definitely skip S2 then (given how low the audience ratings on those episodes are) and if S1 keeps being boring I'll feel OK skipping the rest. Thanks!

  8. Tried Picard (P+) again. 4 eps in and it's just OK-ish. Not really worth the time; in the 90s, it might have been on in the background while I was doing other things. These days, of course, there's no need to watch mediocre content. Still, I've heard S3 is much better, so I'm going to try to stick with it but I'll probably fast forward to Season 3 at some point.

     

    Started watching I Hate Suzie (HBOMax). It's one of those shows about someone who is sort of likeable, but who is so messed up you're mostly watching a train wreck in progress. Like Barry, Fleabag, Oh Hell, and many others. It's pretty good.

     

    The Rehearsal (HBOMax) is funny and so far just good enough to keep me watching.

     

    School Spirits (P+) is about a high school girl who wakes up dead at her high school as a ghost with no memory of how she died. She's stuck on campus, seemingly forever, as are other ghosts -- many of whom are stuck in their own personal hells of their own making. She finds out that one of her friends -- still among the living -- can see and hear her sometimes. They set about solving the mystery of how she died.

    It's pretty good so far, with some humor, some drama, and some typical teen genre stuff. At times it's handled almost as well as Pretty Little Liars was, and at other times it's just par for the course as a teen show.

  9. So long my unfairweather friend
    I leave you here
    Under the cloud
    Where the sidewalk ends

     

    My misery, your company
    They fit so well
    My need to please, your self-esteem

     

    So give back the hand
    Of someone you can't stand

     

    When I fall
    Into peace
    Into place
    When I'm in love
    And in light
    And in grace
    You, you don't
    Like me this way
    And so I say

     

    So long my unfairweather friend
    I'm all filled up
    Your soul ascends
    My sadness ends

     

    You make amends, I make a mirror
    To your soul
    The way from here is getting clearer
    I've got to go

     

    Someday I pray
    You'll smile for my sake

     

    When I fall
    Into peace
    Into place
    When I'm in love
    And in light
    And in grace
    You, you don't
    Like me this way
    And so I say

     

    There's no wrong or right
    It's not black and white

    I know you can't see it now
    But I feel color in my life

     

    Yes I fell
    Into peace
    Into place
    And I'm in love
    I'm in light
    I'm in grace

    And I
    I really love me this way
    And so I say
    I hope you fall
    Into peace
    Into place
    That you're in love
    And in light
    And in grace

     

    And I
    You know I love you anyway
    But I can't stay

    So long, my unfairweather friend

     

  10. All the king's horses
    And all the king's men
    Can't put your heart back together
    What can you do
    She's not a tattoo
    Can't stay on your own forever

     

    So what do they feed us
    If it's not a lie
    All of the mice here are dying
    And what are we selling
    if it's not our souls
    I don't want to believe that I'm buying

     

    And I thank you for your time
    But it's getting hard

     

    Shooting at love in the dark
    Beating it into the ground
    If he goes and she goes
    If they go we all go
    We all go down, down, down
    Down, down, down

     

    Superimpose me in your frame of mind
    Am I still a shadow that listens
    And are we so far we can't come back around
    I saw the signs of forgiveness

     

    And I thank you for your time
    But it's getting hard

     

    Shooting at love in the dark
    Beating it into the ground
    If you go then I go
    If we go they all go
    We all go down, down, down
    Down, down, down
    Down, down, down

     

    Game over
    Game over
    Game over

     

    Thank you for your time

     

    Shooting at love in the dark
    Beating it into the ground
    If you go then I go
    If we go they all go
    We all go down, down, down

     

    Maybe I already know
    Tell them it's time to come home
    If he goes then she goes
    If they go we all go
    We all go down, down, down.
    Down, down down.
    Down, down, down.

     

  11. 13 hours ago, greypaladin_01 said:

    Currently I would be treating them as Skills not Characteristics checks.   However that is also because I am looking at de-coupling Perception from INT entirely and making it something along the lines of 11- equivalent base and then purchase it higher based on concept.   While I understand the baseline logic of INT/Perception, I can think of so many examples in fiction of "smart but unobservant" in fiction that I would rather treat it as it's own thing.

     

    Interesting! What would the roll be for someone who didn't purchase the Skill?

     

     

    13 hours ago, greypaladin_01 said:

    Thank you for your input!   The draft I am working up does rework skills into a Difficulty Target Number style system with additive rolls for ease of flow.   Once I have it more fully fleshed out and some of these other points I mentioned up, I intend to post a thread for review and feedback.  

    I am not expecting to be able to streamline HERO into a "one mechanic" system, nor do I want that.  I am simply looking to consolidate a few disparate systems together where I can and rework the flow of the math for some others to make it easier to teach newer players. 

     

    I look forward to seeing your completed system! I've tinkered with changes to the mechanics over the years, but so far I haven't come up with anything worth adopting.

  12. 56 minutes ago, Cloppy Clip said:

    The number of games I've seen where there's no rounding rule specified, and where every example that could demonstrate one conveniently picks values that end in whole numbers, is truly perplexing something...

     

    So true! I can understand keeping page counts lower back in the day with shoestring operations and having to print everything up front and hope sell them fast enough to stay afloat, but these days it's a little harder to understand.

     

    On the subject of rounding, I'd love to go with dropping all fractions like D&D 5e. It'd break tradition, but would it break anything else? Hmm.

     

     

  13. I so want to waste your time
    Want to mess your head up
    Chase the morning back to Vegas
    Tell your girlfriend to find a life

     

    Tell me a story
    Tell me where I come in
    Cash in your dreams
    And count all the stars that fell
    The love that could have been

     

    Nothing else matters in the end
    What you did and what you said
    Nobody cares how much you planned
    When it's over, baby
    Every beat
    Every breath
    Every day you live
    Until death

     

    I so want to change your life
    And I want to change mine
    And I'm picturing the
    Friend by your bedside
    I'll bring out your best side

     

    Tell you a story
    Tell you where I come in
    Throw you a rope
    I'll pull you up close to see
    The sorry shape you're in

     

    And I say
    Nothing else matters in the end
    What you did and what you said
    Nobody cares how much you planned
    When it's over, baby
    Every beat
    Every breath
    Every day you live
    Till death

     

    Move a little closer to me
    Move a little closer to me, now
    Forget about your life on trial
    I'm gonna make it worth your while
    Yeah

     

    'Cause nothing else matters in the end
    What you did and what you said
    And nobody cares how much you planned
    When it's over, baby
    Every bond
    Every break
    Every single heart you take
    And every beat
    Every breath
    Every day you live
    Until death

     

  14. 15 hours ago, greypaladin_01 said:

    Characteristic Rolls:  I would like to remove these completely and replace with something similar to the STR contest system of BODY pip comparisons.    This would also help bring up this system beyond just damage.  I like games that have repeated systems, it helps to reinforce things for players.   At first I considered trying to work up something where it is adding the dice like how Mental Powers or PRE attacks work, but that feels like it would lead to TOO much variation even between matching dice.

     

    Any thoughts on a system like this being implemented?   Other than being "different" can anyone spot any flaws with using this system to resolve Characteristic Contests?

     

    How would you handle Perception rolls?

  15. Another writing exercise. I only gave it my lunch hour, so I'm not as happy with this one. But I think my writing skills are finally starting to break up the accumulated rust.

     

    Quote

    How Your Character Does Things

     

    You will roll dice when the outcome of an action is both uncertain and meaningful. To find out if your character is successful, you’ll usually roll three six-sided dice (3D6), add them up, and compare the result to a target number based on the situation. If the roll is less than or equal to the target number, your character succeeded. This is the type of roll you’ll make when your character uses their Skills in a nontrivial way or attempts to strike someone in combat, for example.

     

    Figuring out exactly what happens when you succeed will sometimes require an additional roll. For example, you’ll determine the damaging effect of your character’s successful attack by rolling either normal damage dice or killing damage dice. Each is handled differently:

     

    For normal damage (the type done by blunt objects like fists or clubs, or from hitting the ground after a fall), you’ll roll the number of dice warranted by the attack. The sum (minus the value of any protection the target has) will be subtracted from the target’s Stun Pips Characteristic. If your attack total exceeds their Constitution Characteristic, then your opponent will be momentarily stunned. If you reduce their Stun Pips to 0 or less, they will fall unconscious.

     

    But normal damage attacks don’t just do Stun damage, they also do longer-term damage. To determine that, you’ll take a second look at each die rolled and evaluate it in a different way: each 1 rolled counts as a 0, each 2 through 5 rolled counts as a 1, and each 6 rolled counts as a 2. The target subtracts the total (again, less any protection they have) from their Body Pips characteristic. If their Body Pips drop to 0, they must receive first aid or they could die.

     

    For killing damage (the type of damage done by objects likely to penetrate the skin, such as knives and bullets), roll the attack’s damage dice. The target will have to apply the sum to their BODY, with results following as above. Then you’ll roll ½D6 (that is, roll one six-sided die, with the result of 1-2 being considered a 1, a 3-4 equaling 2, and a 5 or 6 resulting in a 3) then multiply that by the earlier sum and subtract the total from the target’s Stun Pips, with effects as described above. One other key difference from normal damage is that only special protective gear like armor will work against killing attacks.

     

    When your character tries to have an immediate emotional impact on someone (by making an appeal to their decency, trying to frighten them, or when rallying allies, for example), you’ll roll based on your character’s Presence Characteristic. To make such a Presence Attack, your character will do and/or say something in an attempt to bring about an emotional response. You’ll then roll 1D6 for each 5 points of Presence your character has (plus any bonus dice your speech and actions may earn) and compare the total to the target’s Presence Characteristic. The effect of a Presence Attack is greater for each multiple of the target’s Presence Characteristic that the Presence Attack roll achieves.

     

    There are other possible effects rolls for specific situations, but generally they involve rolling 1 die per 5 points of an indicated trait, then summing the dice and comparing the result with another value.

     

  16. I feel old. It's taking more effort than it should to write in the current style for RPGs. I keep defaulting to phrasing like "the character" and "the GM" instead of "your character" and "your GM". But I'll get there!

     

    Quote

    What Defines Your Character

     

    Your character begins with standard values for each of fourteen Characteristics along with the ability to use a variety of Skills (some only with assistance). They also have a number of other capabilities, some of which are derived from related Characteristics.

     

    You’ll receive an allotment of Character Points to customize your character by purchasing Characteristics and Skills. You can add Disadvantages to your character to further define them and earn an extra allotment of Character Points.

     

    Characteristics are divided into two categories: primary and figured. Primary Characteristics such as Strength, Intelligence, and Presence begin with a base value of 10, while figured Characteristics such as Physical Defense, Speed, and Recovery have base values calculated from primary Characteristic values. You can buy up or sell down your Characteristics to fit your character conception.

     

    Several capabilities are derived from the Characteristics, including jumping distance, perceptiveness, and accuracy in combat. Others, like running and swimming speeds, start with default values. You can adjust them in one or more ways, such as through the purchase of Skills or by altering the value of the Characteristic they’re derived from.

     

    The Skills everyone is assumed to have include Climbing, Deduction, and Stealth. The Skills everyone has access to with appropriate reference materials include knowledge of specific areas and cultures, as well as how to perform routine professional or scientific tasks. The chance of using these Everyone Skills successfully is lower, but they can provide needed options when your character’s strengths lie elsewhere. Taking extra time will improve your character’s chances.

     

    You can use some of your Character Points to buy Skills that give your character a better chance at any of the above, or to show particular areas of expertise, interest, or experience with any of the Skills.

     

    Adding Disadvantages can make the character more interesting to play and more grounded in the game world. As a bonus, giving your character Disadvantages gives you more points to use for Characteristics, Skills, and Abilities.

     

    Packages simplify the process of character creation. You can select a Package that fits with your conception of the character and simply follow its guidance about Characteristics, Skills, and Disadvantages, then optionally add to that solid base to further define and personalize your character.

     

     

     

    ^ The result of more than 2 hours of effort over two days. 😩

  17. Here's another 2e/3e rule that was lost during the 4e system integration. I'm writing it down here mostly so I don't forget. Heck, it seems even more relevant today than in 1983, with the rise of YouTube "How to" videos and the like:

     

    Quote

    Generally, any Knowledge Skill can be used by anyone (for no cost) with an 8 or less chance, if they have appropriate references (books, maps, etc.).

     

    "Generally" is doing a lot of work there, but still -- losing the ability for anyone to attempt reasonable Area Knowledge, City Knowledge, Cultural Knowledge, Knowledge, Languages, Professional Skills, Sciences, and Transport Skills with an 8- as long as they have appropriate references was a big deal, in retrospect. I'm glad to welcome it back into my sessions!

  18. On 5/10/2023 at 11:02 PM, rravenwood said:

    For the example of a right-handed shooter firing around a corner to their left, let's assume they are facing north, so they are firing to the west.  In my mind's eye I picture it as the shooter keeping most of their body behind the corner, still facing north, and only leaning their torso and head out enough so that their right arm (holding the gun - which I see as being a handgun) is pointing west, to the left, and can make the shot.  Their head is turned to the left (west) as well.  So their target would see the gun just clearing the corner, along with the attacker's shoulder and head.  (This is unlike your first photo above, where the shooter is using their left hand.)

     

    For the example of the right-handed shooter firing around a corner to their right, they're now firing to the east.  I picture this (again, using a handgun), as the shooter at the very least having to lean out their torso and head much further so their whole right arm can point to the right (to the east), and probably also expose some of their left leg for added stability.  This is closer to your second photo, but I'm picturing the shooter as being a little less exposed than that.

     

    Does that help?

     

    I'm assuming a handgun here because Espionage! is spy-centered, and most spy characters would presumably be running around with handguns (because they're more concealable, etc.)

     

    Ah, I see. I wasn't thinking about it that way. Thank you for taking the time to help me understand what they meant! :)

     

    (I guess I'd better get cracking on this stuff because Jason chose a selection of the files from this project and made them part of the official Espionage! downloadable package on DTRPG. 😬)

     

  19. It's interesting looking at the original work Wayne Shaw did back in the late 70s to develop his system for Superhero 2044. It is so much more familiar to anyone who has played Champions from the early days than I thought it would be. Disadvantages as "Crocks". "Detective Work", "Security Systems", and "Computer Programming" skill names. "Power Points". The 5 point basis. Energy projection in beam, burst, or fan format. "Ego attack". "Elemental Control". And on and on.

     

    If you ever run across a copy of issue #8 of the fanzine Lords of Chaos (1979), take a peek at Wayne's article.

     

     

  20. 8 hours ago, rravenwood said:

     

    I think the text as written in the book makes sense.  Think of the way the elbow naturally works.  One's right arm can very easily point to the left while essentially laying flat across one's torso, meaning that it doesn't have to stick out much past the wall which covers the rest of the character (excluding the head, which has to be exposed as well in order to see!).  To point to the right, however, more of a person's body needs to stick out past the cover in order to aim at those targets around that corner to the right.  (Hopefully that makes sense.  Just stand against a corner and try it and you'll see what I mean.)

     

    I feel so dumb lol I still don't get it. 😂

     

    Maybe a picture will help me.

     

    Here's a person trying to shoot around a corner to his left. When using his left hand on the trigger, he seems much better protected.

     

    Or is he doing something wrong?

    Use-Cover.05.jpg

     

    (It's from this article for anyone interested: https://www.recoilweb.com/how-to-use-cover-lessons-from-the-special-operations-community-150133.html )

     

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