What's up in Epic Land?

Gaming wise, not as much as I'd like. School is back in session for the boys, I'm working out and they turn 14 this weekend...so upcoming birthday party has us running around doing stuff. Working out is of course taking up a lot of time. But well worth it.

We playtested the Judge Dredd Miniature Game's new rulebook, which is always fun, we are in the Playtest section, all three of us!!! Excellent. I'm also going to be preparing my most excellent Halloween event, unfortunately the demons haven't come in just yet, so it will be Sabbat commanding a legion of zombies, and a few werewolves might make an appearance.

I'm going over the playtest rules for another game which is in development.

I'm also mid-research on the Holy Roman Empire.

Games Wise, I'm looking to run some SJG soon.

I'll be doing a lot of JDMG painting in the coming weeks as well.

At Ease Games' big news

I was talking with Ron Kent at AT EASE GAMES,  and it seems he might be getting a new location....which would be the LARGEST in San Diego at a whopping 4800 square feet!! In addition it will be just outside of Miramar Air Base...talk about location, location,  location!!

We had a great conversation, he was telling me some of the plans, bar-b-ques, a bar, etc, lots of possibilities. and enough space to hold Magic tournaments AND role-playing events on Friday Nights perhaps...

Go Out and Play with your kids!!!

NICKELODEON TO CELEBRATE 10^TH ANNUAL WORLDWIDE DAY OF PLAY

WITH FLAGSHIP EVENT IN BROOKLYN’S PROSPECT PARK ON SEPT. 21

Network Partners with the City of New York and More than 30 National Organizations

For Week-Long City-Wide Health and Wellness-Themed Celebration

Featuring Activities and Games for Kids and Families

NEW YORK–Aug. 20, 2013–Nickelodeon today announced plans to celebrate its 10^th annual Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) health and wellness initiative with a signature event on the Nethermead in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Saturday, Sept. 21.   This year’s WWDoP event will feature more than 30 national and local partner organizations, including, the NFL, NBA, USTA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and YMCA of Greater NY, among others.  Leading up to WWDoP, Nickelodeon will also partner with NYC & Company to host health and wellness-themed public events across the city in iconic locations, beginning Monday, Sept. 16.  Locations include the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and Union Square.  The full details and locations of all events will be updated regularly in the coming weeks on www.nick.com/play. 

“We are incredibly excited to commemorate our milestone, 10^th anniversary Worldwide Day of Play celebration in New York City, one of the greatest cities in the world and home to our corporate offices,” said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Administration, Nickelodeon Group. “Over the past 10 years, Nickelodeon has been at the forefront of addressing health and wellness issues with our audience. With our Worldwide Day of Play signature event, kids around the globe will connect to activities and organizations that will aid them in adopting healthy and active lifestyles.” 

Nickelodeon’s WWDoP in Prospect Park will be a free, ticketed event offering an entire day of activities and games for kids and their families, including football and tennis drills, dance, stepping and double dutch, as well as arts and entertainment to encourage active and healthy lifestyles.  The network and its prosocial partner organizations*— including, Girl Scouts, National Parks Foundation and Police Athletic League, — along with the New York Road Runners, the ASPCA®, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, Association of Children’s Museums, will be at the Nethermead in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Sept. 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ET).  Additional partners will be announced on www.nick.com/play.

In the week leading up to WWDoP, Nickelodeon and NYC & Company--the city’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization--will host public events in iconic locations across the city.  For example, Nickelodeon and Zumba Fitness will host a “Bring Your Kids to Workout” event at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.   Also, Nickelodeon will partner with Art of Stepping, JumpLife,   National Double Dutch League, Afterschool Alliance and others, to help kids warm up for WWDoP in Union Square Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park.   In addition, Nickelodeon’s non-profit and educational partners will also host activities and events at dozens of grassroots locations such as schools, recreation centers and parks in all five boroughs.

For information on ticketing, kids and families can visit www.nick.com/play. Tickets are required and will be available on a first come first serve basis beginning Aug. 26.  The www.nick.com/play site also will include specifics about the WWDoP event in New York City, such as location information, activity schedules, additional partner events and resources to help families plan their own day of play.  A mobile version of the WWDoP site will also be available, through m.worldwidedayofplay.com.  For real-time updates on WWDoP activities, parents can visit www.facebook.com/NickBigHelp or follow @NickTheBigHelp and @NickelodeonTV on Twitter.  

As it has since 2004, Nickelodeon will suspend programming on WWDoP across all of its TV channels–Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons and TeenNick– and websites from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (ET/PT). urging kids to “get up, go outside and play.”  Millions of kids and families across the U.S. and worldwide are expected to participate in thousands of events in dozens of countries.

Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s The Big Help health and wellness efforts and continues the network’s legacy of promoting positive health and wellness messages to its viewers. The Big Help includes grants programs that help fund fitness and nutrition programs in local communities across the U.S., public service announcements, a dedicated website that provide kids with more information on ways they can get healthy, games and more.  Through Nick’s health and wellness efforts over the past 10 years, millions of kids have pledged to get healthy. 

Members of the media seeking more information about Nickelodeon’s 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play can visit www.nickpress-worldwidedayofplay.com.

Nickelodeon’s 10^th annual Worldwide Day of Play is nationally sponsored by Birds Eye®, Burlington, United States Tennis Association and Visit California. 

Nickelodeon, now in its 34^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 18 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.  Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).  

International Talk like a Pirate Day - And Freebooter

So it do be International Talk like a Pirate Day it do, and I got the scuttlebutt from the landlubbers at Green Ronin, that I were accepted into the Freebooter Program. YARRRRR.

So now that the ITLaPD stuff is done, that means I'll be able to get to running some cool new Games for them.

First on the Agenda will be FREEPORT FATE!!!

Mega-City Headbreakers - My future Dreadball Team

So I think I might be taking the dive into Dreadball. However, I think for my personal team I'm going to run a DREDD team, the Mega-City Headbreakers.(Now, if I had to pay for this team, it would run me around $75, which is slightly more than a normal team...well like a LOT more than a normal team, but...hey I love Dredd!!!)

I think I'll use Street Judges as Guards (The ones with the daystick)
 

I'll use Psi-Judges as Jacks
 

and Judge Jimps  as Strikers (after removing the guns)


Judge Dredd Keeper

Gam3Day Sept 15th was GREAT

So Gam3rCon Gam3Day was great, Sundays work well for me, but not so well for the first slot for RPGs...as usual; because you know...church and people like to sleep in, etc. So I had 3 players for my DCCRPG game; but since two of them were pretty young, when it got to the puzzles, they got bored, and decided they want to do other stuff. So I only got the introduction and two full combats taken care of, of course, I wracked up THREE kills in those two combats, MWUAHAHAHAH. They did enjoy the combats however, they wanted MORE combats, not realizing that combats or peasants is DEATH.

Well after the DCCRPG game went south, we played a bit of Munchkin Zombies, and some Zombie Dice.

After the Zombie Dice it was time for what I had been waiting for...The Doctor Who game run by Chris Czerniak, who stepped down from organizing the events at Gam3rCon, which is GREAT to me, since now he's GMing at the Gam3days!!! WOOHOO!!
+Chris Czerniaks game was GREAT, and Chris is a great GM, keeping even the youngest player on track, and mostly in check. We we all playing Timelords, Sol played The Doctor, I played Romana, Diz played Susan and her brother played Corrillius. We started off in a Modern TARDIS, towing the Doctor's Bluebox, We then get stuck in a Time Vortex Trap, so I had to use Romana's Boffin ability to make something to get out of the trap...We had a blast, the kids totally got into it, with Chris' narrative style working to help the kids play better, and be creative...did we save Olympus from the Daleks? Maybe...only Time will tell.

I'm not going to spoil the entire adventure, cuz maybe you will get the chance to play in Chris' adventure.

Finished off the night with +david blood teaching me how to play DREAD BALL!!! Course now i want to make a Dredd team to play Dread Ball, Psions could be the strikers. Dread Ball was very fun, and much faster than Bloodbowl....I need to really look at the Campaign rules to see how good they are. 

DCCRPG at the 10th!

So here's what I'm cooking up for the Gam3Day at the 10th on Sunday.

Before the Light from Below...there was

Vanished Under the Harbinger Moon
It was well past day break when you woke, the sun climbing beaming through your window, when the Town Bell began its keening wail. The rapidly ringing bell calling everyone to the town hall for an emergency meeting...you rose to wake the children, but they were gone...Vanished under the Harbinger Moon, the portent of doom, the Murderer's Moon, the Sacrificial Moon...

So A Blue Moon is the 2nd Full Moon in a month, I figured the second New Moon in a month would be the Harbinger Moon...

DREDD Sequel

So I had signed the Dredd Sequel petition a couple months ago...and it made them sit up and take notice, with 80,000 signatures...

So check this out!!

Thank you - you're one of more than 80,000 people have now signed the petition calling for a sequel to DREDD! The response to the petition has been just incredible and the endorsement of the owners of Judge Dredd, 2000 AD and Rebellion, has seen the numbers surpass everyone's expectations.

But we still need your help!

On 18th September, we're encouraging everyone to take part in a massive DREDD SEQUEL DAY OF ACTION - we've already made the moneymen who could get behind a sequel sit up and take notice by consistently keeping the DVD and Blu-Ray in the charts on Amazon and now on Netflix.

We're asking everyone who's signed the petition to come together next Wednesday and drive DREDD back up the charts - if everyone who's signed the petition bought an extra DVD or Blu-Ray (either for themselves or as a present for a friend) or rented/bought it on iTunes and Netflix it will send the loudest signal yet that WE WANT MORE DREDD!

So spread the word that on Wednesday 18th September, you're going to bring DREDD back into the public eye! Plus, it's the day that the new comic book sequel comes out, with lots of media attention planned for this and the campaign.

Thanks to Rebellion for helping put this newsletter together - we're also really pleased to reveal that the official T-shirt for the campaign is now available, so you can wear your support with pride!

So, you ready?


 So join together if you're a geek, watch Dredd on Netflix if you haven't already watched it, watch it again, I'll be watching it this weekend...maybe twice!!! I'm also going to go buy it somewhere! Jump in and help out!
 

Gameday at the 10th - Sunday Sept 15th

Come on down to  the Tenth Avenue Theatre for a Gam3Day this SUNDAY!!! I will be running some DCCRPG.

10th Avenue Theatre
930 10th Avenue, San Diego, Ca

 It is time for another Game Day and I can't wait. There will be card, board and role-playing games. It will be $5 and made of awesome!

What: A whole day of gaming
When: Sunday, September 15th from 12-9pm
Where: At the 10th Ave Theatre
Why: Because you're awesome!
Note: It is $5 if you RSVP through the Gam3rcon website or pay at the door. Prereg through the gam3rcon website and paypal to receive free raffle.

http://www.gam3rcon.com/sept-gam3day.html

COME ON DOWN!!!!

Numenera, Short Order Heroes and 2d10

Numenera,

d20 Hate
Well if you follow this blog, you know that I HATE the d20 linear probability. Looking at the rules for Numenera I think I can easily drop the d20 for my favored 2d10. The easy target number 3 with a d20 is a 10% chance of failure(not that easy)...Easy Target number 3 with 2d10 equals a 99% chance of success...a true easy skill check...

Short Order Heroes and Numenera
As Numenera uses 3 stats and Short Order Heroes uses 3 personality cards there's a real easy way to utilize SHO cards in Numenera. 1 card per stat.

Choose your Class
Draw your cards and add the numbers to your stats. Pull three cards, the three cards will have stats from 0 to 7. But only 1 card of 108 is a 0, so most are going to be between 1 and 6.

For Example:
Gullible 1
Enthusiastic 4
Well-armed 4



Add them to your Jack in the order you want
Might 10 + 4 Well-Armed
Speed 10 + 4 Enthusiastic
Intellect 10 + 1 Gullible

Or
Expendable 2
Cute 5
Glum 4

Add them to your Glaive in the order you want
Might 11 + 5 = 16 Cute
Speed 10 + 4 = 14 Glum
Intellect 7 + 2 = 9  Expendable

Now you have a set of traits for your personality. Pretty cool. Of course this gets away from the standard point buy, but if you really want to utilize the point buy, then just use the SHO cards for personalities.

Edit: After thinking about it for a little bit at lunch, I think I would drop all the starting scores by 1 or 2, remove the 0 and the 7 cards from the deck. This will give an average of 2-3 added to the stats, which would be closer to the intended stats.

Add them to your Glaive in the order you want
Might 10 + 5 = 15 Cute
Speed 9 + 4 = 13 Glum
Intellect 6 + 2 = 8  Expendable

JDMG playtesting

So this weekend has been about play testing the new Dredd rules, so we've played 3 fun Famous Fights so far. The rules themselves are pretty much the same, I've noticed some tweaks in point values and some numbers changed (most notably the RoboDogs, which dropped from +7 armor to +2 armor, and the werewolf templated went from +50 creds to +75 creds, which is a good change.)

We played Cheap Punk; a Dredd versus Gestapo Bob and his 30 gangers scenario. It ended up fantastically, with Dredd surviving by his "Die Hard/Die Harder" ability keeping him alive when he finally took down Gestapo Bob.

We played the Robot Uprising twice, Both times the Judges held the line, taking down the Demolition Droids. That scenario was pretty fun, the boys each played the Robots.

Today we're going to play the Dekker's Last Stand scenario, 30 zombies versus 5 judges. This scenario is awesome, since it uses the "Click, oh Grud" rules, aka, roll a 1 and end up out of ammo for that weapon; and the zombies just keep coming, each turn more zombies hit the field.

So off to Playtest some Dredd!!!

Con Report - Gateway 2013 Saturday (Ron)

The boys will be having their own con reports from Gateway 2013, the last of the Strategicon 2013 events. This is my personal experience.

Not being able to go to the Con on Friday really locks out the most popular RPG events. Even though we made it to the con at 8:30, got our badges (Strategicon is the best badge for media I've come across so far, took all of 2 minutes!! NICE.), and headed up, only to find out that nearly every game we REALLY wanted to play in were already full. So we signed up for alt spots, but weirdly enough, people showed up for those games anyway.

I was really looking forward to playing in Chris Czerniak's Doctor Who Time War game, but since it was full, I headed down to play some miniature games.

   I had Seen SAGA being played at At Ease, so when I saw Octave Vilare (sorry if that's misspelled Octave), doing demos for it, I had to give it a try. He had Welsh and Anglo-Danes as the two options, me being Welsh in descent it was a no-brainer, Welsh it was. Welsh in saga are very good at throwing pointy sticks...as in they all have javelins. The system used in Saga is VERY interesting, no tracking wounds, and you need to plan out your attacks using the battle board, and the Saga dice (sold separately, and quite expensive, though you can use normal d6...1-3, 4-5, 6 equalling the standard rolls.). The game was no going in my favor at first, I lost 2 elite hearth guard units, and his warlord ended up attacking me, however he lost and I ended up driving him back from me. Where during my third turn I used 8 warriors t launch a fusillade of javelins at him with "deadly precision" ending up in 4 hits, he immediately absorbed on of those hits, sacrificed the last warrior with him, and promptly failed both armor rolls resulting in a pincushioned Warlord, which Octave said was the first time he'd seen a Warlord die to a ranged attack...very nice.

   I had gotten Rezolution by Aberrant, last year at Kingdom Con, with the premade battlebox. I have this issue with reading and comprehension, unless I've seen it in action, sometimes, I get confused, so I decided to give the Rezolution demo a try with none other than Tony Knealy himself. . It was a 2 turn game, turn 1 I lost initiative, and so Tony went first. He moved up his troopers, I moved my psyker, and tornadoed his troops, killing two and severely injuring the other 2...this was my downfall, I didn't get him close enough for cover.But yes, normal troopers, have a hit track...making this game quite interesting for the less casual wargamer. It is skirmish based but incorporates some RPG style feats into the game, giving it more depth. Tony moved his hero up, missed my hero, but when initiative came up for the 2nd round, he didn't miss...he killed my hero, and EVERY SINGLE one of my other units Failed their Command roll, and fled the battle. I definitely need to play this some more.

  While I was playing the Rezolution demo; Sean and Ian came back down...Ian REALLY wanted to play Warlands, so he and I faced off in a car+buggy on car+buggy match that resulted in a 4 car pile up, where my buggy ACTUALLY bumped both of Ian's cars twice (each!!!) since he was pretty much pinned in there....hilarious...until my car cruised out of there, and whipped a Bootlegger reverse, and shattered both of Ian's vehicles, the buggy exploding and crashing backwards a full 6 inches. As always, a fun fun game.

  We went and cruised the dealer hall for 30 or so minutes before we went up and did the Short Order Heroes RPG demo...let's just say "Gonzo" was the order of the day. So with the GM free-forming, we decided on a Post-apocalyptic Steampunk game...Ok..My character was dealt Complicated, Nosy and Sneaky, so I instantly formulated a plan, I was on the train incognito as an agent, So I started out as the lady Josie James, but in reality I was REX HANDCANNON (it's complicated...), the nosy Pinkerton agent, and master of disguise. We were on the train with a merchant protecting a priceless piece of Romantic art, which I promptly steered the game toward calling it the "Velvet Elvis", hilarity ensued as the entire party started maneuvering to their own agendas...probably the most Gonzo hilarious game this side of Paranoia....I'll let Sean and Ian describe their experience with "SOH"

Anyway, to bed with me...more on this later.