Timitius's page

So, once again I'm the track leader for the gaming panels at Norwescon. Norwescon 33 is coming up on Easter weekend, April 1-4, 2010. I set the lofty goal of getting Pros in the gaming industry on my panels, and I'm doing pretty well with that...several of the Paizo folks, WotC folks, Green Ronin, and quite a few other game companies in the Seattle-area attended. And it looks like we will have a great group of Pros again this year!

I have a lot of good panel topics...thanks in part to the post I made here last year, I had a list of 38 topics that I used to establish my 26 panels for Norwescon 32. However, I really don't want a replay of last year. So, I need more IDEAS for gaming panel topics.

My first step: ask my Pros. Done. And I'm getting some great ideas.

Second step: ask a bunch of gamers what they'd want to have for panels if they were to attend the Con. And, I hope many of you will attend.

So, this is the 2nd step....hit me with your ideas/requests!

Fire away!!

Right now, I'm playing Howell B. Talbot III, a human Taldoran paladin of Abadar. The B. in his name.....stands for Backus. After Jim Backus, the actor who played Mr. Howell.

Yep, Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island. Thurston Howell III. Who better to be a follower of Abadar?

I play him complete with accent. Drives the Paizo folks nuts. You can follow the exploits on the Shadow under Sandpoint thread in the campaign journals...it's been stickified.

I have done it......oh, dear GOD, what have I done?????

PDF Split and Merge

Best program I've ever seen to do this....it's free!

Hey Andrew.

I have a Wii, and about 20 games for it. I do not, however, buy the typical console games for it. If it's got Mario/Wario in the title, it's not coming in this house!

If you bought the Wii console, it comes with 1 remote and 1 nunchuk (the controller pair). You will need AT LEAST one more pair. We have 4, the max supported. The Wii Fit Plus is a great buy. However, does it come with the Wii Fit Balance Board? We bought the original Wii Fit, which came with the balance board. I just bought the Wii Fit Plus for MY wife for Xmas...it was a stand-alone disc, but it requires the balance board.

Another good game is Wii Sports Resort. It, however, requires the Wii Plus remote plug-in. It comes with one, but you'll most certainly need another.

Other games she might enjoy: Dance Dance Revolution 2 or 3 (with a dance pad!). A good workout.

Boom Blox 1 and 2...very fun.

A hidden goodie, if you can find it: Monster Lab. Surprisingly, my wife loves it and plays it more than I do!

I have fallen behind a bit, BUT, since we aren't playing until next year (gasp!), I appear to have some time!

I've just been really slammed at work and home lately. I am very much looking forward to Howell's take on the latest session's.... occurrences.

Yes, let's call them that....occurrences. >;D

Suggestion:

potion = magic item anyone can drink

"concoction" = extracts, bombs, and mutagens that alchemists drink.

Or, put a lush spin on it, and call 'em cocktails. ;-)

Look up the board in Pathfinder Society Grand Lodge.....

Fenrystar meet darkemblem.....darkemblem meet FenrysStar!

:D

btw, I lived in Levittown, and worked in Philly for nearly 4 years, and never found a group, or played. I'll admit that I wasn't really looking hard, but it was strange to not to even bump in to a gamer. Seems like everyone I know out here in Seattle games...even my boss plays FPS computer games!

Good luck!

Look down the board in Gamer Connection.....

darkemblem meet FenrysStar....Fenrystar meet darkemblem.

:D

Imrika? Who plays the Shoanti woman?

Rob McCreary does. And it's Imrijka, our half-orc Shoanti cyphermage.

Howell will post another entry soon, detailing Ostog's big send-off for his mates, and a bit on the interaction with Imrijka (both of which were made awesome by the great Erik Mona).

There's been a LOT of discussion on how "broken" the paladin is now.

I don't buy it.

I've been playing a paladin in James' campaign for a few months. I've used the smite ability a total of 4 times now. Each time, James utters a "oh no!" for his undead or outsider beasty. I get the one good hit in, and think, "I am going to make quick work of this one!"

And then James shows he is a creative GM. One time, the monster paralyzed the paladin, effectively removing him from combat. Another time, the bad guy was levitating out of reach. The last time, the evil bad guy was up in a tree, and flew out of reach as the paladin spent a full round action just to get up to the creature. The only truly successful smite thus far was a single hit that took down a wight. Now, if I was playing a paladin in light armor or something, perhaps his mobility would not hinder his ability to race all over, and jump up trees and off cliffs. But then, that really wouldn't be paladin-like, my "tank for God".

So, for all this talk of how super-broken and powerful the paladin is now....really? Perhaps it just requires the GM to make an adjustment of your encounters. Honestly, from all I've seen and played, the PF barbarian is likely the most powerful class, in terms of melee.

Just my impressions thus far....

I'll glady drink, eat and game anything you bring to PC2010.

I do parties too

And he's housebroken, too.....mostly.

This is going to be a blast! Anybody know how early the festivities start on Friday? And how late the go on Sunday? My wife's birthday is Sunday, so I will be driving back to Portland to take her to dinner.

Festivities officially on Friday at Noon. However, there is a Meet n' Eat get together on Thursday night, probably at the Crab Pot in Bellevue. This last June, we got over 50 people to show up for drinks, dinner, and socializing. It was a great way to kick it off!

By meeting folks the night before the Con, you start your PaizoCon off on Friday by seeing several familiar faces.

I believe everything was packed up on Sunday by 5pm. I seem to recall that stuff went until 3-ish on Sunday...

I hear Timitius make a darn good nanny!

And I will entertain them with the Paizo Clown (played by Hugo!).

BTW, Hugo....you heard wrong.

;-)

First, this should probably be moved over to the PaizoCon section...

But secondly, I would love to see a video of the stage show! That sounds great!

Stuff you should be excited about? EVERYTHING!

Also I'm hoping for Blake or Tim to volunteer another day for Daytriping on Seattle *hint* and maybe several of us could tag along and do the typical Seattle downtown rip starting wita healthy breakfast at Pike Place *YUM!*

Darn' I'm already getting eager to go back there :D

I'd be down with a day of site-seeing again!

I will probably be staying at the hotel this year, as well. There was just something about having to stay sober and awake enough to drive home after a rockin' day at the con. I'd rather stumble back to my room!

A couple other points:
We will be doing the annual Meet n' Eat again. The Crab Pot is the most likely venue, but I am taking suggestions from people on other places.

Second, we really want to load the rooms up with fan-run games in 2010. We had a great selection for PaizoCon II/2009, but we could have had more. And with a cap of 500 people, we are going to NEED more games running. So, dust off your brains, work up a good adventure idea for a 4-6 hr session, and start preparing it, because we are going to have twice the gamers!

That is all.

kikai13 wrote:

How much are the dues--and do you have the "fat guy" size?

If you require that size you need to row more!

I imagine Tim can't make money on the shirts, as they include Paizo artwork, so it'd be whatever cost is. (Tim can confirm) If we're doing cafepress or another similar shirtmaking service, we can look around for a company that will accommodate you if it becomes an issue.

Correct. No money to be made....just collecting to pay for the cost of the shirt.

I am with you Union Brother! Bought my 3-day pass and my banquet ticket!

And....I will have shirts made for us to wear! (Request a collection of union dues to purchase said shirts though)

Row Like You Believe!!!

I'd say anything with Industrial or Electric Body Music (EBM) themes to it are good. As my entire CD collection is motivated by cyberpunk, here are some suggestions:

Voivod (their early stuff, like Dimension Hatross, or Nothingface) search on Amazon MP3, and you'll get some good samples. Also youtube has good videos

Front Line Assembly - many many good songs...try this one

Front 242 (especially 06:21:03:11 UP EVIL!)
Headhunter is one of my favs.

KMDFM - anything. And I mean it. Although, my fav is Juke Joint Jezebel

Ministry

Einstrurzende Neubauten - old skool industrial Yu Gung

VNV Nation (like Electronaut)

Covenant (like Bullet...if you watch this video and DON'T see cyberpunk...well, there's no helping you!)

Gravity Kills (Guilty is a good sample)

Machines of Loving Grace (Concentration was great...listen to Butterfly Wings)

Also, the soundtracks to Doom 2, Mechwarrior 2, and Forsaken (if you still have those around) are pretty good too.

Hmm, I really have to get back to Seattle soon. Isn't that where the Malt and Vinegar shop is?

Malt and Vine, Ted. I believe you may be able to get malt and vinegar with some fish and chips down at the Three Lion Pub, though.

Both are in Redmond.

Vic Wertz wrote:

Zuxius wrote:

Maybe it was just me, but when I visited the Walmart in Redmond...I got the feeling I was in a bad area.

There is no Wal-Mart in Redmond. Did you maybe mean Renton? It's a few towns south of here, and it has the scariest Wal-Mart in the area (and it's also where Wizards of the Coast is located).

Now that is a scary place. Full of brainless zombies.

On the upside though, Billy McHales and Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse right next door! Yum!

I tried to take pictures of the office last night, but they wrestled the camera away from me and stuck magnetized minis all over it.

They are a fierce lot when threatened!

Awesome!

Howell Talbot III wrote:

Hemlock recommended an able and eager young mercenary woman to aid our task in the meantime. She apparently took a liking to Vorn.

Who is this? NPC or New PC?

This is a special guest appearance PC: Hazel the dual-wielding fighter was played by Jodi, SKR's girlfriend who was visiting, and who joined us for the session that week.

Can you give me a basic idea of what the cost was so I can start getting a handle what my costs will likely be for PaizoCon III?

How much were hotel rooms? Did most people stay in the same hotel the Con was held or were there other hotels within walking distance. What did rooms cost? How much was the Con itself?

Hey Marc! Glad to hear that you're coming next year!

Hotel rooms ran about $110-125 a night. For downtown Bellevue, that is a pretty fair price. Most people did stay in the hotel (unless they were locals or had local friends/family to stay with), as the other hotels nearby are going be the same price, if not more expensive. Plus, if Ted brings more of that delicious beer again, you will really want to be able to just stumble back to your room. ;-)

Price of PaizoCon II was $30, plus $5 more for the banquet ticket. That was a SUPER deal, btw.

I'm local, so I can't answer airfare questions. The only other cost I can quantify is the "Meet and Eat" event we throw the night before PaizoCon at a local restaurant. Cost for that is typically in the $30-$40 range (a good meal plus a couple drinks).

Oh, and bring extra cash for the Paizo Store on-site in the lobby. Lots o' stuff to buy!

You'd think I was a freshman bio student instead of a Master's student soon to defend, forgetting stuff like that. Yeesh. It's been a longer week than I thought.

LOL. I know where you are coming from, Lathiira. I defended back in 1998. You are never completely ready for it, though. I got waylaid by my major prof, when he asked me a stat question...out of left field. WHAM! Explain "Coefficients of Variation".

There is the logistic growth model and the exponential growth model.

Links give a very good explanation, btw. The logistic growth model has the parameters of r and K.

Yes, this sounds like the r/K selection theory

Your first example is of an r-strategist. Your 2nd is not quite a K-strategist, but I think you were going there, with the stabilizing population bit.

(Part of my thesis had to deal with r-strategists...a estuarine amphipod invading and colonizing a freshwater reservoir 100s of miles upstream)

Welcome, Russell. Sorry it slid into a debate on semantics, but people get passionate here...albeit sometimes about the weirdest things. ;-)

I'll see if I can get Lilith to drop off some virtual cookies here, and calm the crowd a bit.

And....this here is a prime example of how we all need to be mindful that we have new players in our midst. No, they don't know the rules as well as some of you...hence, that is why they post in the "Rules Questions" section! Please remember that, especially from someone brand new to our community.

Just....geez, come on guys! This is the Paizo messageboards for Gorum's sake! Let's show 'em why this is the BEST forum around!

(OK. Putting down the pom-poms now)

Oh, and Russell...if you want to get really fired up, visit the "Smite Evil is EVIL" thread. ;D

Yes. The Paizo crew does answer rules questions in the forums. That's what makes this a great forum and a great company!

However, I can give you a pretty positive second-hand official confirmation: I played as Kyra in Jason's playtest of "Crypt of the Everflame" with the PFRPG rules. I used channel energy...a lot. And that's how channel positive energy works.

One roll, apply the result as healing to ALL living targets within 30 feet.
OR
One roll, apply the result as damage to ALL undead targets within 30 feet.

One or the other, you choose before you channel.

Now, if you get the Feat "Selective Channeling", you are able to exclude some living targets from receiving that healing. It is very effective when party members are being....difficult. You just remind them that you DO have selective channeling, and it doesn't have to be bad guys....
;-)

This means that your when 1st level cleric channels energy to heal, he/she rolls 1d6, and everyone within 30 ft of the cleric heals that amount. And I mean EVERYONE living, good guy and bad guy alike. It's a sort of mass heal.

The bit about not exceeding your max HP just means that any healing beyond your max is not gained as temporary HP.

As Ross had posted for Paris C., I will point you to this thread to get you started.

Vancouver, B.C. is a great trip for a day or two. Actually, having spent my honeymoon in Vancouver, I'd highly recommend spending your anniversary there. Not entirely sure of the border ID/visa requirements these days, though.

I've been playing a 3rd level paladin in James Jacobs' campaign recently.

I think that the paladin definitely has a good amount of beefing up with the new rules, but, no, I do not see the "Smite Evil is EVIL" thing. It's not broken...no way. Smite can indeed open a can of whoopass, but let's be honest...it is really, really focused. The paladin isn't doing that on every opponent he comes up against...and he isn't doing it very often, either.

Here is my first experience with smite: We were facing a dark stalker mummy, and I announced my intent to smite it. I charged up, and smacked it....doing some truly significant damage. And then....failed a Will Save and ended up paralyzed. Made my Will Save, and became freed. Then failed my Will Save again, and became paralyzed again. My paladin got ONE good smite hit in, before the creature pretty much neutralized him.

Sure, the paladin has some great abilities, and has the POTENTIAL to really go to the mat with evil....but a paladin is only going to outshine other classes if all you are battling is EVIL. Specifically, evil undead, outsiders, or dragons.

As for stealing the cleric's thunder? Haven't seen that yet either. A little lay on hands is no match for a cleric's channel ability, or the cleric's spell arsenal. In our game, healing seems to be the only area that the cleric and paladin seem to overlap, and that is actually pretty fortunate, because this party needs the extra healing!

Lastly, my paladin is pretty weighed down by the heavy armor. He's definitely NOT as mobile as the barbarian, sort of average with a ranged weapon....

No, I find the paladin to be pretty well balanced thus far.

My pleasure! I will endeavor to post an entry for Howell's journal following each session. I know I'm not as much of a draw as one of the Paizo staffers, but perhaps I'll be able to enrage one or two of them to post a rebuttal to Howell's obviously skewed perspective.

;-)

I loaded and played over the Labor Day weekend. I could not get the 3rd party downloader to work, so I just went with Turbine's incremental installer, and it worked fine.

I was quite impressed with the new entry adventures on an island. I could solo play, and the only bothersome aspect was all the chatting going on in the General tab...are people REALLY that stupid???

As a prior player of the original DDO game, I noticed many of the new dungeons were just rehashes of older dungeons...just new story/goals. That was fine. The loot you get from these initial adventures was actually pretty darned cool. I played until 2 am the first night...I haven't done that for a game in a long time.

Then I got to Stormreach.....and all the original adventures and missions, and dungeons came back. So, yes, I see stuff I've done before. BUT, if I can play for free, and IF I can do so by playing solo, or at least without a total dependency on forming a party with jerk strangers to advance, then I'll be OK with this game.

BTW, I'm Develon Prowesson, Paladin Lvl 2, on Argonesson.

Indeed...PaizoCon III. Being a "local" of sorts, this should be on the top of your list for 2010.

As for it being "sold out", it certainly is possible, now that the juggernaut that is Paizo has tons of momentum, and will continue to build up steam; but, this year's PaizoCon wasn't sold out. And there's nothing preventing that cap being raised...if the demand is there.

Hey Wes....how about trying some cheaper battery-operated computer speakers? The audio jack is the same, I believe.

We did this kind of thing in the Ryder truck when moving across the country. Hooked in my Discman, and cranked those little speakers up.

Or, I see from Amazon that they make portable speakers for ipods....some in there around $30-40.

So sorry, Timitius. I wasn't trying to correct you, just to see if you (or anyone else) had come to the same conclusion I had.

No, no, no problem at all. Not offended at all. It was a good clarification, and I was more than happy to confirm that I read it the same way!

BTW: You really are going to love playing this one. It had a good, old-school feel to it. And it is a wonderful way to bring the players' characters together to be a party.

Did he show where along the Tourondel River Kassen is (closer to Lake Encarthan, near the western edge or the center Fangwood, etc)?

OK, Jason's going to have to confirm this one, as I cannot precisely remember...but I THINK that Kassen lies right around (maybe just west of) that large bend in the river that points north, along the Eastern edge of the Fangwood.

Also, isn't the entirety of the forest north and south of the Tourondel River the Fangwood? The text in the campaign setting under the entry for Nirmathas would suggest that, and not that the Fangwood was contained solely within the borders of Lastwall.

True, that's how I read it too...the Fangwood is in Nirmathas as well. I was merely referring to the map and the labeling therein.

Jason DID show us where Kassen was on the map during the playtest. Correct, it was south of the river that borders Lastwall, south of the Fangwood.

And as I recall, there were comments about river names (or the lack thereof) on the map as well.

We survived the weekend, but it was back down to the dungeon today. The end is in sight. I believe that there is a good chance that all the books will be out the door tomorrow, as scheduled. It hasn't been fun or easy, but at least it is almost done.

-Lisa

I, for one, was super surprised to get it this weekend. And it was packed very, very well. In fact, it fit perfectly, like a glove, in that box.

Lisa, I thank you and your awesome staff for all your hard work and efforts. It is very much appreciated!

I have 2 decks of the Netrunner base game, and a case of the expansion, Proteus. I had hopes to be able to adapt the card game to my Cyberpunk games, to cut down on the intrusiveness of a netrun. Turns out that the card game is more involved than role-playing the run!

I liked the game a lot, but I haven't played in a LOOOOOONG time. But from what I recall, it seemed that the Corporation was TOO good. I remember that I altered the rules a bit, making Trashed programs stay trashed (no re-rezzing), and it made the game a bit more level.

Since reading the latest Dresden novel, I am really enamored with skinwalkers, the Navajo shapeshifting witch/werewolf. The folklore is vivid. Their abilities are plentiful, and as diverse as the personal accounts.

They are definitely more interesting than plain ol' werewooves.

If they find a way to bring Tact-Tiles back, that would be sa-weet.

You didn't hear about Wayfinder, the fanzine produced by fans for fans for the 2nd PaizoCon in June?

Lilith started her call for articles back in March, with a deadline of April 15th.

There are calls for Wayfinder #2 already, but the word is "not until AFTER GenCon".

My advice is to work on your concepts, and when the call goes out for submittals, pick the one you REALLY like, put a shiny polish on it, and send it to Lilith.

I wonder if you could laminate it or something.....

Oh, man, that's good.

You should've held this one in reserve for the Wayfinder #2, though, complete with a short story. However, if everyone respects that this one is YOURS, you probably still could...just update/expand on it after the RPG release.

This feat is TOTALLY Wayfinder worthy....think of the art order that would go in for it!!

Closing on the house (not the short sale, another one a block away) in a little over 2 weeks!

Got an extra feel-good moment when we heard that the 2nd lienholder on short sale house (GreenTree) changed their minds AGAIN and asked for even MORE money. Pffft. Yeah, right. Good riddance.

Grimcleaver wrote:

it seems weird that established adventurers from other lands would ever be welcome to partake in what seems clearly to be a rite of passage for their late adolescent townfolk.

Except they're not established adventurers. 1st-level Valeros, Merisiel, Ezren et al. have 0 XPs, just like any other 1st-level character. When they start at 1st level, you just have to ignore their backstories.

You don't even need ignore their backstory....you just expand on it, bringing their history up to Kassen. Just read Kyra Sief al Kiraan's profile. By doing this, Kyra became MY character, not just a copy of the iconic, and certainly not the same Kyra that found her way to Sandpoint.

Don't forget that Crypt of the Everflame will be out along with the RPG and is fully compatible. It may be only first level, but it will have pregens for four PCs. I don't think it's under the same shipping restriction as the RPG so it might arrive sooner if your a subscriber. At least the pdf should. And you could then show of the excellent Flip Map: Dungeon and further get players hooked. Aaaand, if someone wants to play a non-pregen, making a level one PC at midnight is much easier than making a level eight or higher.

I heartily agree with yoda8myhead....Crypt of the Everflame was a lot of fun to playtest. It's perfect for a 1st level adventure, giving all the characters a reason to be a party, and ample opportunities to roleplay their interactions with each other.

Warforged and Drow are paid contents

(sigh) Guess I'll have to pay to play my warforged ranger, Shaft!

Shaft!
Who's the cat that won't cop out
When there's danger all about?
SHAFT!
Right On!

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT