Tech Tuesday: Technology and Traditional Gaming.

Not doing my usual Tuesday linkdump, although I'm overdue for one.

I've discussed a bit on how things like Roll20 with their character Field of View settings make a lot of interesting things possible to increase immersion and blur the line between traditional gaming and video gaming. I can't help but predict that things like the Occulus Rift, combined with easy digital modelling software like Google Sketchup, will lead to a further blurring of these lines, for GMs who are so inclined.

Just got a Logitech G35 headset as a slightly late Christmas present. One of the features it comes with is built in voice change software. Voice changing software is something I've been looking at for a while for GMing and playing characters. Why? Because there's something that bugs me about playing a woman with not-quite-James-Earl-Jones voice. Fantastic for comedy, but doesn't work so well and breaks immersion in more serious stuff. I haven't had the chance to play around with voice changers in a long time, they've come a LONG ways since where the ones I had as a kid.

Am I the only one who goes into this much depth to get my characters to be differentiated from just me talking? I can do, and maintain, an accent for a whole session as needed (or 5, or 10, if GMing. I've had several campaigns where the players couldn't remember which NPC was what, but could keep track of them based on the accents they'd had)

Galdernit

Something in intermediate caliber pistol with a wrist brace was on my list of things to buy. The ATF has figured out that if you let people have a really easily available loophole around a stupid, bullshit law, they're going to take it, and have moved said wristbraces into weird legal territory of "perfectly legal unless you do things with it in which case it becomes Super Illegal Forever" because once something gets classed as an SBR it is an SBR forever because that makes perfect sense.

Don't get me wrong, I still plan to get my .300 BLK and/or 5.45x39 pistols because along with SMGs, intermediate caliber pistols are something I have an unabashed, unreasonable love for (also, because They say you should use a pistol for home defense, right? It's technically a pistol, it counts!)

Travel bleh

Going to Florida in a bit. Florida doesn't honor WI concealed carry permits. I don't believe I can get this corrected in time. I've never traveled with a gun anyway, so I guess I can kick that can down the way a bit.

On the plus side, FL knife laws are pretty lenient, although the bit of looking I'm doing indicates my ludicrous pocket-kukri is right on the borderline of questionable (the retention shaping and sheer size make it questionable). On the other hand, the good old fashioned Ti-Lite should be pretty much perfectly legal.

Maybe I'll bring my dive knife as well, because nothing says "I'm here to have a good time but don't screw with me" like a string bikini and a dive knife. Open Carry of whatever is good to go.

Headlines; What they say vs. what really happened.

http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/Actor-known-as-Screech-from-Saved-by-the-Bell-arrested-in-Ozaukee-County-286876021.html

Screech from Saved by the Bell got arrested up here right near my town. The headline that shows up all around the social media says it's because of the switchblade he had.

What they DON'T mention until you actually click through for more, is the fact that he stabbed someone in a barfight and fled the scene. Quite a world of difference between assault and "You had something we said not to have".

For reference, carriage of arms without a license (anything, even a 1.75" blade pocketknife, can still be counted as a concealed weapon if the police decide they don't like you) is a misdemeanor, and I believe that so is possession of a switchblade, because WI is still stuck in the 50s where only gangsters and greasers have switchblades and banning them turns them into harmless law abiding citizens.

A very merry stuffsgiving to you all

Merry Christmas or whatever you practice. May you give and receive many heartfelt things and have a good time with family or not, as is your preference.

Be of good cheer damn you!

Motor Monday: Concept Supertires, Why American motorcycles kinda suck, and Pretty Bikes

Not quite Rollcages, but I'd happily have a go in one of those things.


Anyway, on to bikes

http://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/why-no-one-will-sell-you-the-bike-you-want-1641411378
Motorcycles are dangerous. It's inherent to the design, asking less surface area to do more, the fact that cars can't fall over (and don't try to do so if you attempt to slow down while turning, because they aren't leaned halfway over using the lean to keep from falling completely over). But there's a fair bit of distance between the inherent danger of motorcycles and how many people manage to get killed or kill themselves with them. Why?
Because of how they've been marketed in the States. Other countries with colossal motorcycle ridership don't have anywhere near the death rate from them we do. They also don't have motorcycles where "Enough horsepower to smear your remains across FOUR COUNTIES!" is a selling point.

Another problem with the motorcycling crowd is the resistance to safety gear, or insufficient safety gear. With the right gear, life is a hell of a lot safer.
http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-motorcycle-sa-1596858706 The things people can and have walked away from after motorcycle crashes are frankly astonishing. Combined with above (driving things back towards bikes that aren't 40 billion tons and marketed as ludicrously expensive toys that will kill you), it would seem quite reasonable to assume that a good full suit of motorcycle armor should just be factored in as part of the price of the bike.

Also, a lot of them make you look like a damn space marine. I've yet to figure out why people don't like the idea of the protective gear. I'd go around dressed like a space marine all the time if I could get away with it.


And now, a few pretty bikes. Have some Futuristic Streamliner and Art Deco.

More at the link

More at the link

GURPS: Improved Character Sheet

Specifically for GURPS Metro, but I plan to make it useful for all games for people who find the standard character sheets to be lacking. In my experience with the system, I've met very few people who didn't have problems with the default sheets, or even some of the attempts by other people available online.

So, I'm taking a crack at it. It's going to be built in a spreadsheet, and offered as both spreadsheet with a lot of auto-calculating and a .pdf. I'd like some feedback from other people familiar with GURPS for further ideas. This is for 4e, specifically, although adding a slot for Passive Defense out of 3e wouldn't be too hard.

What I've got so far;


ST, Lifting ST, Striking ST, Current HP/ Max HP
DX, Arm DX, Hand DX (these are questionable, thinking I may leave them out because if I include them, I'll need to include arm ST and such)
IQ, Will, Per, Current Morale/Max Morale
HT, Current FP/Max FP, Current magic FP/Max magic FP
Other resource pools (temporary HP, resources for characters with a separate thing than HP/FP, etc)

Advantages and disadvantages, with all the stuff for point cost, level, and a brief note for how it works or reference to sheet that has it. An extra section somewhere will be provided for descriptions of things too long to fit in one line for easy reference.

Quirks, perks, and habits
Quirks and Perks are pretty standard, other than including room for notes. Habits is something that I'm adding, and functions as an extra 10 slots of minor quirks (primarily likes/dislikes). 5 are to be chosen at character generation, with a further 5 to be determined in play (example, a character is relaxing at the bar and decides to try shooting some darts. A few lucky rolls, and the player decides he takes a liking to the game of darts, and all things being equal, will play darts for relaxation over other bar games, and it goes on the list for ease of remembering in a game that may not meet for a while between sessions).

Skills, with a spot for name, skill difficulty, level, points spent, and maybe a brief notes section similar to advantages and disadvantages for skills that have special applications or rules. Techniques are listed slightly indented below the base skill they function on.

And here's where things go really different. The biggest problem I've had with GURPS is the equipment.

Character portrait, hit locations, and items carried. rather than a list, there's room for a fairly large character portrait, with a series of boxes connected to each of the body parts. Each box has that body part's stats if different from the rest, slots for individual wounds, current/max HP, and a slot for armor worn and all relevant information to that. Locations within the greater hit locations use approximately the rules from Low Tech, (example; a hit to the arm, roll 1d6. 1-2 is forearm, 3 is elbow, 4-5 is upper arm, and 6 is shoulder. The size of a given hit location determines the odds of an attack striking that round hitting other equipment carried there). Equipment such as backpacks take up the entire back slot, and include a checkbox for whether they are presently being carried or not. Holsters, slung weapons, and so on have their stats listed elsewhere, but for inventory purposes list weight, and checkboxes for if they are presently slung/holstered. The weapon stats themselves include slung/holstered, in hand, and off character. All equipment listings will have room for listing DR/HP for campaigns of the sort where it's relevant.

A second section for equipment is provided, for listing things like houses and vehicles, equipment stored in them. Depending on space, room for a tiny diagram may be provided, should it become important to know layouts/setups. My handy dandy reference to all the commonly desired-but-not-remembered rules will be included as an extra page or two, and include a few things off the GM screen, tables from the back of the book, and other such things