A Top 3 List and Importing CDs

Its Sunday afternoon and I have a few hours together to get some writing done.  At the same time I'm importing songs from CD to my computer.  I have probably around 1000 CDs still.  Had almost 400 to 500 more, but have been getting rid of a lot of stuff.  I just need to figure out this cloud or some storage thing so every time a computer goes down I don't have to reload my CDs.  Still, I do get to rediscover some CDs that I haven't seen in a while. 

As for writing I am working away on Heimfell.  I'll be using John Stater's Blood & Treasure system.  It's me most favorite right now.  Last night while watching a movie I was rolling up NPCs for the village.  These folio of friends and fiends will not be in the printed version of the Manor.  It would take up too much room.  So it will be a separate file for anyone who purchases the PDF or print version.  Should be more then a couple dozen folks rolled up and fleshed out.  Maybe more.

Lulu is having another 20% off sale.  Here are my top 3 picks.

1. Scourge of the Demon Wolf by Rob Conley

It was his birthday yesterday.  So get a copy and tell the old man to have a Happy Birthday.

2. Blood & Treasure RPG by John Stater

When I run my next old school campaign I'll be running it B&T.  You can buy the players handbook and the treasure keeper's handbook separate, but the link I provided takes you to the combined book of the two.  With 20% its a great buy.

3. ASE1: Anomalous Subsurface Environment by Patrick Wetmore

Patrick announced that he'll be releasing the ASE2-3 soon.  If you haven't gotten the first one now's a good time.  ASE1 was one of the finalist for the Three Castle Award for old school gaming products.  I've been rereading it lately and have enjoyed it.  Patrick's got a sick humor that I appreciate. 

That's all for now.  Back to writing. 

Sleestak Video Sunday

The elusive sleestak has been recently spotted in the daylight!  While this film is not at all grainy, I can assure that is a sleestak and it appears to be skipping.

Breaking Down Metal Prices

Once in a while I get these questions in my head that I can't shake.  The one that's been bouncing around in my head had been price values of different metals.  Since I use a silver standard in my game I'm wondering how many 1oz silver pieces would be equivalent to a 1oz gold piece using today's prices?

Google research time.  I found at the time of my search gold is selling for $1730.50/oz.  Wow.  But then I watch shows like Gold Rush and think about how much they have to spend to get at the gold.  What a pain. Current silver prices are at $32.58/oz.  Wow again.  What a gigantic divide between values.  Using today's it would take 53.11 silver pieces to equal one gold.

I can see using this in game.  Round it to an even 50 silver and it makes for easy conversions.  Here's why I like using the silver standard.  It makes gold valuable.  When you make gold the standard it devalues the silver.  Since I only use a 3 metal coin system for sanity sake it makes sense to make silver the standard.

ERROR FOUND and Fixed...I think
Now let's take a look at the lowly copper piece.  The given price for copper is in pounds not ounces.  For one pound of copper you'll get handed $3.43 which works out to about .21cents/oz.  It would take 155 copper to make a silver.  I would round it again to 150.

So using today's metal prices the conversion rate would look like this.

	Copper	Silver	Gold
Copper	1	1/150	1/7500
Silver	1/150	1	1/50
Gold	1/7500	50	1

Let's say you like platinum in you game.  When I looked up its price I found something surprising for a gamer who always thought platinum was 5x more valuable than gold.  Not so.  Today's market will write you a check for $1559.40/oz.  Almost $200 less than gold.  Oh how the lofty have fallen.  That means platinum is only worth 47.86 silver pieces.  Over five silver less than gold.  Do I really need two metals that are almost the same value?  Not really.  So platinum gets the boot.  Maybe make it the 'gold' of another land.  Who knows.

And for my final calculation I thought it would be interesting to see how much tin, coal and iron ore are going for.  I think those are the three mines I usually set up in my game.  The prices in metric tons.  Tin came out way fricking ahead at $23,233.70/metric ton (for those unaware like me, a metric ton is about 2200 pounds).  Which gives it a price of $1056.07/lb and $66/oz.  Tin is more than twice the value of silver.

Coal comes in at $81.44/metric ton.  About 4 cents a pound.  And an ounce is not worth bending over to pick up.

Iron Ore is valued at $113.95/metric ton.  You can get a 5 cents/pound and again for an ounce it might be better to kick with your shoe.

I'm not sure exactly how knowing this will help me the the development of my campaign world, but its good to have a baseline.  Because it is a fantasy medieval setting I am thinking the prices for coal and iron would be high and the tin lower.  Either way what it shows me is tin barons would be hell of a lot wealthier than their coal counter parts.  Just interesting I think.

If anyone sees a problem with my math let me know.  As I've said.  I used the prices of the moment.  Since I wrote this gold went up to $1731.

Friday Question

It's Friday.  Although it has been a short week for me the weekend couldn't have come soon enough.

The question is, there are tons of great stuff pumping out of the OSR on a regular basis.  Conley just put out Scourge of the Demon Wolf.  Yesterday in the mail I got my copy of Barrowmaze II and the 3rd issue of WMPL.  Also yesterday I heard Patrick over at Henchmen Abuse is ready to unleash ASE2-3 upon the world.  With all this good stuff, and this is just scratching the top of the top layer of good stuff, how do you decide what to buy?

Are you buying the product because its OSR and in general that's what you like?  Maybe it suits your campaign or system your using?  Or maybe you like the author and his blog and figure what the hell you'll probably enjoy what they've written.  Even when it may not have anything to do with what your running.  There are hundreds of reasons and combination of reasons so if you dare to share, please do.  I've provided a comment section below for just such and occasion.

Again, have a good Friday folks and I look forward to your answers.

Tried to Draw a Graph and Drew a Map Instead

I've been seeing all these emails on Kickstarter projects progress and Tenkar taking them to task.  So I've done a little soul searching (not really) and thought I would give you the progress of the way too long Manor #3.  What I've done is a complete analysis of what will be included then extrapolated the amount estimate of the total and guesstimate the remained.  While this is probably a calculable outcome I have no way of knowing.   Ahem.  Anyways.

I've seen graphs to demonstrate the amount of work done so I thought I would draw my own graph.  And since I am a gamer I have LOTS of graph paper.  But then I got distracted and started drawing house maps.  So I'll type it here.

Introduction: 0% cause I write this last.
Maps: 100% a full color village map of Heimfell.  Hmm, well maybe only 94% cause I want to maybe add that map of the house I drew instead of doing a graph.
Background: 100% done.  Finito.  Completo.  Dorito.
Features:  see Background but add an Endo.
ART: Let me be completely serious here.  Sholtis came up with, shall I say, AWESOME, idea for the covers.  Issues #3 and #4 will be related.  It will rock so hard I hurt my leg.  Inside is a mash of clipart.  Why?  Cause its a lot of little stuff.  I may give it go myself and try to draw a rope.  I'm not going to bother the kickass OSR artists dudes for rope.  I can draw it my self.  Really.  Okay, it may be stickman rope.

Village Entries: The meat of the issue.  There will be 81 buildings in Heimfell.  Each one has their own separate entry.  How the hell are you going to do that Tim with such a limited space?  Good question from the bald fat guy wearing Spock ears.  I have no idea.  I've eliminated the use of 3 font, but may need to use 4.5 font.  I'll get them in there don't you worry.  Entries will vary.  Some focus on the building, some on the residence, and some on the history.  Each one building will have something the GM can use to run with.  Of the 81 entries I have 24 done. And the gentleman that asked the question corrected me, they are not Spock ears, but genuine hobbit ears from the Return of the King set.

 Alrighty then.

As an aside I am using all you bloggers out there as fodder for material.  There will be several Easter Eggs sprinkled in through the entries.  Some will be obvious and some I may be the only one who gets it.  But its helped with keeping it fun.

Sample Entry: 

6. Telecanter Inn

The inn is named after its famous owner, Telecanter.  During market days the inn is filled with visiting vendors.  Other days it houses visitors to the temple or guests of the lord.  Hillson, a half-dwarf oversees the daily operation.  He once bore the torch for several of Telecanter’s adventures and is now his most trusted companion.  He is in charge of a staff of six.  Prices are avarage, but the food and rooms are above average. 

     Hillson hasn’t seen his master for over a year.  When people inquire about his whereabouts Hillson has five excuses he uses.  He writes them down how many times he used that excuse to make sure he doesn’t use it too often.  Telecanter was on an expedition when he was trapped in the shadow realm.  He sometimes appears at the inn as a silhouette which has started rumors that the inn is haunted.  Some people come just to see ‘The Shadow Man’.

Borisville, Population One at a Time

So we combine team victory.  All men present.  Even Don.  He say he found a woman 'out of town'.  Boris never understood shiny suited people.  With no angel horn.  Travel to Hew Hazard's lab and find it under attack.  Put heart spring there because we thought it safe.  We were wrong.  Automatons there.

Don snaps.  Drive car into metal man nearly kills himself.  He say he meant to do it as he put fire out in hair.  Inside lab big tunnel.  Metal men burrowed into lab.  Smart.  Find Hew Hazard and he say heart spring gone.  Boris does not look surprised.  Hew okay, give Boris and others electric guns and two grenades.  To all those out there, to get on Boris good side, give guns, grenades or whiskey.  No need wrapping.

Into tunnel Team Victory go.  Erskine surprise us all when he speak.  Forgot he was there.  Good to have him.  Find conduit running through tunnel.  Metal men sip electricity like suckling baby.  Find transformer and blow it up.  Tell others to look away, but they say what instead of shutting eye.  Blind.

Three people come in tunnel look what happen.  Boris toss grenade.  Kill one.  Stun other two.  Boris make quick work of one with Ivanka.  Leave one alive.  Cornelius ask question.  Man get mouthy.  Boris apply crowbar.  Man more agreeable.  Boris demonstrate anatomy lesson of crowbar vs. spine.

More tunnel.  Then chanting.  Big fight.  Metal men and the Master and big swirling thing.  Boris send metal men to Borisville.  A place many visit, but few return.  Shooting evrywhere.  Erskin and Cornelius and Don and Boris light up tunnel with electrical fire and the smoke from gunpowder.  Make Boris homesick.

In the end the Master had many sided cube.  Boris shoot out of hand.  Don take disintegration rod away from Master and destroy many sided cube.  Team Victory walk out of tunnel.  This when Boris realize, guy who pay us is one who started this.  Probably no pay.  His brain going bad.  Hew happy it over.  He pay us.  Boris happy.  Go buy more bullets and whiskey.  Maybe buy new gun.  Name it after mother, Dominika.

PDF Version of Knowledge Illuminates is Available

Just a quick note.  I got the file converted into a readable PDF.  The PDF comes in at 28 pages because the maps and front and back covers are included.  If you've already have a copy of the old one I believe I sent out an email letting everyone know its been updated.

If I had a camera I would take pictures of the print version laying on my desk, but I ain't got one...right now.  I think we will be bringing home a digital camera this afternoon.

Those of you who have ordered the print version I'll be sending out new ones today.  With the last of my creepy butterflies.  I'm going to check a place or two for more.  They cannot all be gone.  Can they?

Anyway, if you would like please pick up a copy of the PDF for Knowledge Illuminates at RPGNow.

What Fresh Hell is This?

Take a look at it folks.  It may be the last creepy butterfly you ever see.  Ivy went to the post today and they only had one sheet left.  They said they won't be getting any more.  What fresh hell is this?!  Damn you change!  I may have to go to other posts and get a few more sheets.  I only have a few left. 

It will be a sad day when all of them have flown away.

The Re-Relaunch of Knowledge Illuminates in Print

The final, final copy of Knowledge Illuminates is done.  With the art provided by Dylan Hartwell it has never looked better.  I plan on sending out new copies to those of you who have already ordered.  You can do a side-by-side comparison and see what you think.

The front and back covers. 

There are some changes that have been made beyond the art.  I've gone through and did another edit.  I hope I got all the weird mistakes I made.  If not I'm sure someone will let me know.  I listen to what people tell me and if they find a goof I immediately go to my manuscript and fix it.  While I can't resend all issues sold (except for this once) I can fix it for future folks.  I also tried to clean up the layout.  There were some spacing issues and I resolved as many of them as I could, but there were a few I couldn't and just had to let be.

Another thing I changed is with the new art it pushed my text to the point I needed to add another page.  Well, in zine world your page count is counted in 4s.  The previous version had 28 pages, this one has 32 pages.  So what did I do with the other additional 3 pages?  I did a room-by-room checklist of things the players could do to gain experience points.  I do this for most of my homebrews.  That way at the end of the game when you have your players clamoring for their xp total you can add the marked off checklist.  No remembering required.

So if you wish to get a print copy, please click this link, Knowledge Illuminates.

The new PDF will take a little longer because I'm not good at transferring my Publisher file into a PDF file.  It wants to show them in booklet form instead of a single page scroll down.  I think I know how to solve it, but I won't get to it for another day or two.  I'll send out a mass email to those who have purchased a PDF copy and let you know when the updated file is ready.

To those of you who have been interested in getting a PDF copy, get it now while its still only a buck.  I looked at my RPGNow account and like 52 of you have in your cart and wishlist.  That sale price will be over by this weekend.

Sleestak Sunday

I really have nothing to add to this photo.  Thought it was a cool picture. 

Movie Doodle

I was Netflixing.  Yes I think that is a valid verb.  And drawing this cliff thingy with a series of caves.  I was thinking how to portray the vertical aspects of a map.  I'm lousy at those 3d view maps (ala Ravenloft) so thinking a series of side views.  Any way the movies was good.  Indie Gamer the Movie.  It was interesting how it tied in a little to RPGs and us small time publishers.  A lot of self-imposed drama which I guess can't be avoided, but not the point where I needed to shut it off.  Wow, not if that not an endorsement for a movie I don't know what is. 

New Cover, New Art, New Edits

I'll be doing the layout for Knowledge Illuminates with Dylan's artwork.  I love that part.  But you know what I found when I started doing that?  It would be weird if you did.  I discovered all my edits I had done previously to the release on print had not been saved.  With all my astute observationary skills I failed to notice the difference.  I was editing it during a storm and we had brown outs (stills sounds like something a lactose kid has after eating a big bowl of cereal) and my program blipped off a couple of times.  And don't ask me about auto save.  I got no clue.  Got it set up to save every third of a milli second. 

You know what?  Again, it would be weird if you did.  I think that was the night my computer speakers died.  My Boston Acoustics that I've transferred to each new computer since '95.  Anyway...

I am redoing the re-edits of the relaunch KI.  I do like this part of the process.  The edits should take a little time, but then putting the pictures with the text is very exciting.  Seeing it come together.  Again, Dylan Hartwell's art has its own distinct style that I enjoy and is gonna look fantastic in the pages of the adventure.  I've already completed the new cover and I think it looks great. 

On a side note.  I think the cover stock dudes are being a little smarmy.  The card stock is like |--| that much shorter.  They're shaving the card stock like thieves shave coins.  Bastards.

Anyway, edits and layout for KI should be finished this morning.  Then this afternoon I'm hitting the bookstore and getting some serious work on the next Manor. 

New copies should be shooting out on Monday.  I want to get them in the mail before Tuesday cause there is no mail.  Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy.  You'll be getting a new one and those who have been patient (Carter!) for the revised version.

I'm a Big Fricking Dork

Hey, I'm a big fricking dork.  Dylan from Digital Orc and I had a conversation a few weeks ago about him doing the art work for the Knowledge Illuminates Redux.  He jumped on board and was glad to help out.  I forgot.  The one night I was working on doing the layout I had already did the framework for and used some artwork I'd purchased on RPGNow.  So I released it forgetting Dylan was doing the art.  So I am stopping the presses!

Here's what's going to happen.  Dylan is finishing some of the pieces I am putting a halt on pushing out more copies.  You can still purchase them they'll just get shipped out once Dylan and I get all the stuff done.  To those of you who have already purchased a copy I'll be sending out the new version gratis.  Or as they said in a Deadwood episode, "Free fucking gratis".

Why?  We've already established I'm a big fricking dork.  Two, the art is very cool and I want those who shelled out the dough to get the best version.  Three, cause it was what I intended to do in the first place but I forgot.  Which brings us back around to the first reason again.  

Here is a sample of what Dylan and his beers have been working on.  I love the pics.

 

 Now you see why I want to wait!

However, Knowledge Illuminates will still be on sale and I'll ship out orders from this time forward when we get it all together again.  Thanks to everyone who has already ordered (as I said abive you'll get another copy) and to those who plan on ordering in the future.

Leave the Cat, Grab the Horn

Boris does not like apartment building with invisible membrane.  Makes nervous might not get out.  Cornelius and Boris try to find information about building, but find little.  Ask neighbors, onemention a meteor storm a month back.  That it, guess we go in with crowbar and chair.

Superintendent of building, Bookman, still nursing the bottle of Old Panther Boris give him.  A little disappointed.  He seem like a man who can handle booze.  Bookman just drunk.  

Check basement and see monster.  It move around invisible world.  Boris retreat and scavenge chemicals out of closet in case Ivanka's charms fail to impress.

Move to 1st floor.  Dead man's apartment had tins of food all over.  Find cat. Cornelius have way with cat.  Keep cat.  Cat may know when monster comes.

Next meet women.  Boris likes the ladies, but on business.  No time for Boris to play.  Man with big hair next door with spellbook try to sacrifice us.  We decide not to.  Cornelius out Boris, Boris.  Pin old man to the ground with gun in face.  Make Boris laugh.

Get attacked by Golliwog dolls.  Lots of them.  Ivanka shreds dolls.  Boris know this will cause nightmare later.

Find jazz man.  Find horn.  We take horn.  Seemed to expect.

Still can't leave.  Door held shut.  Cornelius blows horn and passes out.  Windows break, door opens, Boris pick up horn and Cornelius, but leave cat.

Mingus there.  Says horn no good.  Angels come for it.  Boris not like Mingus.  Boris not like Mingus even a little.  He tells us things we need to destroy.  Boris just wants to hit Mingus in head with horn.