captramses's page

AntiVirus: TrendMicro's PCCillin is very good, along with AntiVir. Both are quite capable replacements for Norton's (which is devilishly insidious to get rid of). AntiVir has the benefit of being free.

Spyware & adware: Spybot Search & Destroy and AdAware. Free.

I'll see if I can't get my hubby on here with some recommendations, as he's in the biz.

Ok here is the skinny: STAY AWAY FROM NORTON of any flavor; it is an extreme resource hog and is unworthy of being called software. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have seen that on peoples systems and have had to tell them that the reason they are loosing performance is because of that software. Also stay away from Mcafee for the same reason.

Use the following: TrendMicro PCCillin Internet Security; it is good software which does not hog resources and is actually user friendly. You have to pay for this but it is worth it.

Free: Spybot Search and Destroy followed by Adaware SE. I would not reccomend AntiVir or AVG unless you are totally willing to run the progs yourself on a regular basis. They are both good but they require active participation as to when they run.

captramses wrote:

...some people have had the nerve to say that I can spin a yarn using the wonderously confusing medium of the english language...I write...

Darn that nerve, I tells ya! How dare it speak up and say "This is some good stuff, right thar!"

captramses wrote:

...despite the fact that I think it is hyperbolic...crap...but hey I have always known that people whop claim to be artists are their own worst critics.

I'm glad you clarified that...*waggles finger at you*

captramses wrote:

I have put pen to paper (or finger to key) for an adaptation of the adventure that my lovely wife, lilith has created for me and three friends (DnD). Now I thought then and I still think that it is lacking in form, context, style, and substance...However my friends and my wife have used terms like...."Jaw Dropping Hilarity" "...Man it felt like I was there..." "Gut Wrenchingly Good" "Fan-F238746-Tastic." and my all time favorites..."You captured the emotions, tempo, mood and character of all the PC's and NPCs, when they cried I did, when they laughed, I did..." and "You brought each part I was interested in to a cresendo and then right out of no where switched to another section and did the same thing...FRIGGEN EXCELLENT!!!!"

Ah yes - SUCH good adaptations. You should get back to it. *snaps the whip*

See what I mean Farewell2keings.....Can I get a drug test in the house PLEEEEEEASEEEEEEE......:)))))

I realize that if I were to define the term artist by what art is produced by the contributors of this topic I would have to say that this topic is not for me...You see I can't draw, not one whit, not even a stick figure...However some people have had the nerve to say that I can spin a yarn using the wonderously confusing medium of the english language...I write...

Some people say it is even good despite the fact that I think it is hyperbolic...crap...but hey I have always known that people whop claim to be artists are their own worst critics.

I have put pen to paper (or finger to key) for an adaptation of the adventure that my lovely wife, lilith has created for me and three friends (DnD). Now I thought then and I still think that it is lacking in form, context, style, and substance...However my friends and my wife have used terms like...."Jaw Dropping Hilarity" "...Man it felt like I was there..." "Gut Wrenchingly Good" "Fan-F238746-Tastic." and my all time favorites..."You captured the emotions, tempo, mood and character of all the PC's and NPCs, when they cried I did, when they laughed, I did..." and "You brought each part I was interested in to a cresendo and then right out of no where switched to another section and did the same thing...FRIGGEN EXCELLENT!!!!"

Hey Farewell2Kings...Can we get a Controlled Substance check in the house :)

The point is this: No matter what art you do...DO IT!!!!

Thank you

The reason the police do that is because very frequently, the suspect will blurt out something incriminating. Case law is chock full of suspects that yell out things like "I killed her and buried the body in my backyard" when the officer asks "why were you going so fast?" Also, the conversation that you have with a police officer prior to arrest is outside of Miranda. So, if they ask how you are doing and you respond with something incriminating, that statement is not going to be excluded because you had not received your Miranda rights. Finally, if the officer says something to you and you respond with a very sketchy answer, that can be part of the grounds for probable cause to justify a warrantless search.

Asking you how you are doing is a surprisingly effective tool of evidence gathering. As F2K said, people love to needlessly confess to the police.

Actually my friend this is not true...I just checked the stats and I know quiet a few police officers from my days in law enforcement. I have also chatted with real Criminal Justice instructors who work in the field. The opposite is true. Now I am not saying that F2K is full of it all I am saying is that his experience appears not to be the norm...So please if you are going get it right. Thanks

WOW!!!!!

Never have I heard such crying in my life....Listen all you wonderfully adept history majors: This country of ours; the land of the beautiful is nothing more then one great big large college fraternity: Every one gets hazed, Italians, Irish, Blacks, Chineese, Japanese, Jews, Germans, Women, Native Americans, Role Players, Cops, Sick People and now it is the Islamic peoples turn....Thank you Mencia!!!!

Now as to those supposed abuses by law-enforcement: I guess the 60's rejects here don't read the paper or listen to c-span---The Patriot Act; although thankfully still here have been whittled away so it has more oversite then the streets of LA.

Oh but wait...it was our elected officials who; being afraid of the wrongfully collected files of one Hoover who swung the pendulum so far the other way that cops and innocent peoiple were getting killed because the cops could NOT share valuable information amonst themselves...Now right after 9/11 these same pansies who WE elected are asking..."Why did these agencies who are supposed to protect us not communicate?" HEY PANSY....GO SEE A DOCTOR ABOUT YOUR FRIGGEN ALZHEIMER's...Oh but wait....now they are communicating and guess what....."Oh no we must protect the peoples privicy."....DR FREUD TO THE CONGRESS!!!!!

Ok so what are these people saying about those who wear the uniform of the law enforcement community and those of us who do not?

1. We do not trust you to look out for the best interests of the community....In fact given the chance we suspect you will treat every one like Rodney King...YET.

2. We want you to do whatever you have to in order to protect us.....Jusat don't get caught, filmed, taped, googled, or friggen iPODed.

3. You do not know how to do your job....we do....Nevr mind the fact that there is a clear seperation of powers and we have never been on the streets on that intense of a level...

4. Finally and most important: We are so paranoid due to some Scientologist actor starring in a movie where we are charged for a crime we will commit in the FUTURE and scared to death by fears that we will be forced by our government to believe that 1+1 is actually 3. Never mind the fact that we the people are our own worse nightmare.

STOP!!!!! We who wear the uniform or have worn the uniform of Law Enforcement whether local, state or federal walk an extremely dangerous line so fine that at times it can't be seen....The laws they enforce do not come out of thin air....we the people through our elected officials TELL them which laws to enforce....You don't like it....either act within the confines of the constitution to change them or...GET OVER IT!!!!

Now for the other end of the spectrum: Hey all you jack-asses who think that just because you are a cop and can get away with anything: Ding-Bat---WE HAVE CELL_PHONES WITH CAMERAS AND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET----AND WE KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.

So you've read this far...What to really do if you get pulled over:

1: Pull over immediatly!!! Not when you damned well feel like it...at the very least is a speeding ticket, at the most...'Worlds Scariest Police Chases."

2: When you do pull over, turn the damned engine off, put your hands on the steering wheel with fingers spread and in plain sight. Nothing fills a police officer with confidence more then not being able to see your hands....In fact it should make the passenger of your car want to beat the...you know what...out of you for forcing that rookie cop to stick his/her shotgun in your face (Don't laugh or balk moron...It happened to me.)

3: If you are pulled over at night...Turn your interior light on....Let the cop see what the hell is inside your car.

4: DO NOT SAY SIR OR MA'AM!!!! Ever!!!!! Guess what? That person is human and just might be reminded of the arguement he/she got into with their kids or might take slight offense at these terms....They have a title: 'Officer' They have not been knighted and they work for a living.

COPS:

1. Quit asking stupid questions like..."How are you today?" Hey retard: I just broke the law and you caught me...HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL BESIDES LIKE AN IDIOT. "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Oh jeez...was it because of my winning personality?? Or was it because I broke the law and you busted me...I think it was the latter...WHAT ABOUT YOU???

2. Guess what...If we act nervous it is because we are TERRIFIED of you...You have a gun and you can lock us away because you think that we deserve it...You can put us in tight cuffs and because we have no idea where your limits are...It is not because we are terrorists or because we are drug dealers or because we chopped up the neighbors cat...You have a car with lights, a gun and power to totally disrupt our lives!!!!

BOTH SIDES:

Guess what we need those people with that kind of authority...Some one once said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance and the boys, girls and dogs in blue are that vigilance and I LIKE HAVING THEM THERE!!! However do not forget that it is the people you boys, girls and dogs serve...show us the respect we deserve just as we should show you the respect you so rightly deserve.

Oh BTW I was a Federal Law Enforcement agent for 6 years during the Regan Administration so I have seen my share of pervs and perps both in uniform and out of uniform.

Wow: What a question---well to put it simply 2ed was like watching a petite woman give birth to a full grown beholder; painful and not to much fun.

1. There were way to many ways to cheat the system and create the perfect unstoppable, unrunable, and unenjoyable character.

2. Thac0: Need I say more you mathmatical loving fools...I know it was a way to get people to hate math...'Adding negative and positive numbers.' Dee--Dee--Dee Yea right. Combat should not be like that for one simple reason...It was NEVER fun; I watched as a simple shot with a bow took TWENTY FRIGGEN MINUTES to resolve...What bs is that...Oh and btw all you mathmatic people....The players and GM were mathmaticians!!!!! That adding and subtracting line is older then the Difference Engine...Get a new one!!!!! Combat is not like that and I should know...I have been in combat!!! With real people shooting at me and not once did I hear..."Wait let me figure my THAC0..." Dee---Dee---Dee In fact Every player that I know personally did the same thing I did...Burned my copy of the PHB and DMG for 2ed. It seemed to me then as now that the only people I know who LOVE that feak show called THAC0 hide their complete lack of a creative synapse by exposing themselves and their hapless victems to Negative math!!!

2. There was no way to personilize a charcter; oh sure you could make a rouge stronger and faster but there was no true way to specilize, great for the uncreative types but not for those of us who had an imagination and loved to use it...Thank god for templates...thank god for 3ed....thank you wizards of the coast.

3. Greed!!!! Yea that's right I said it...GREED!!!! The company that owned the rights at the time of 2ed creation were so paranoid about someone actually improving upon the product they earned an acronym...Those of us who know laugh...Those that don't....Find someone who does and ask!!!!

4. IBM Syndrome...DnD was the largest and oldest on the block...They did not feel as if they had to improve (Also see #3) and they did not...Instead they ended up sucking all the originality and creativity out of the game and turning it into a free-for-all; munchkin making freak show.

Ok so now I am done and I know I might have offended some people here by my attack on THAC0....Ok so...I'm sorry.....NOT!!!!!

I love the concept of Time Travel as a GM but I dread it as a player. If I run the game then I have a real serious list of rules that I stick to but they are real small...1.There will NEVER be any attempts to activly seek out your progenitors (now if you meet them by my design that is something else entirely) 2. There will be no way to alter the environment under any and all circumstances; not by me or the players and 3. There is always the possibility that due to your action in the past...you may end up in an altered version of your future while your *true* future; the actual starting point for the characters moves right along as if nothing has happened.

I have done this to players on more than one occassion hehehehehehehehehe.

As a player I worry that the GM can't do it correctly; yes I know that this is fantasy and we have lots of latitude however we as players have to have some grounding and the laws of Physics are a good grounding.

Again I can't disagree more. That vampiric player has limitations and that player better know since...IF the GM is doing their job they would know it and would not be afraid to point those disadvantages out in the most inopportune moments. Mature players would know this and play to those disadvantages.

As for mature players appreciating being limited...This is totally anathema to my experience...What mature players truely appreciate (In my experience)is the chance to decide for themselves and to know that the GM is willing to go there; whereever that may be.

Let me give you an example: I ran a group for many years who had decided in the beginning to start with the basics but let fate take them where the game took them...All except one player who came to me and wanted to play a Vampire (The rest were human psychics or magic users but HUMAN.) there was one catch to his plan...He would go out of his way to avoid detection by the other players/characters; now he knew what this meant and he knew I would not play fair...He knew this going in and he still wanted to play it. If it had been any other player I would have immediatly said NO!!!! In this world a Vampire was just too powerful however this player knew this and created some self-imposed limitations that were well within the game mechanics...Guess what? Despite some hairy close calls and despite my best attempts he managed to avoid detection for TWO REAL TIME years; every one else would swear on a stack of bibles that the character was human!

That is what I mean by flexability and maturity; A Vampire in a Human campaign IS overpowered as is; an ECL+3 is overpowered as is; a Cyber-Knight IS over powered in a Human campaign...Unless the player is Mature Enough to realize this and impose some limitations on themselves. That is where true 'Role' not 'Roll' playing comes in; mature players invest time and consideration into the Characters' Character; motivations, disposition and flaws 'Why am I, as the Character, doing this?' is a question that players in my campaigns better ask if they want to survive.

This brings me to another point: In my experience we as human beings have hard lives no matter what we do for a living...we have extreme highs and extreme lows...There are days where we want to shout out how much we love most people in general and then there are days where we wake up to discover we want to be the screaming Alien bursting out of the chest of the fool that pissed us off...all of the mature players I have experienced want to play harder than they live and therefore they want me to create a hell for their heroic characters that give them the opportunity explore darkness in a safe environment...I would be disrespecting my friends if I did anything else.

Just the thoughts of a 'Role' Player

Oh man!!! This is the place for me:

I absolutly, positivly, extremely, ruthlessly, and without remorse hate...no!!!! HATE those olympic class YoYos' who bring their computers in to the place I work to be fixed, I diag their systems and have to give them the bad news that there system is hosed, they ask me to back up their data which includes pictures...not bad thus far....But Then These World Class Loosers Who Could Not Form A Thought That Might Be Considered Humane name those &*@#&^! Folders 'Underage'!!! Yea...You all Guessed It.

I do what I am Legally and morally bound to do----Call the cops....Oh no this is not the end.....These Porch Bangin' Pedos' then have the nerve to say TO ME...."Hey man; why'd you rat me out....I thought you were cool."

COOL!!!!!!!!! COOL!!!!!!!!

I'll tell them what would be cool!!!!!

Throw their sorry <insert long string of profanity here> into jail, teleport some real nasty frothing Beholder into that pervs' cell and...(Oh hell....You all get the point)

Thank god that Lilith creates a gaming environment that allows me to channel my frustrations into the wonderfully crafted villans and adventures she so twistingly and lovingly creates.

I can't disagree more with the sentiment displayed here; In my humble opinion limiting players to specific characters and races and types is for beginning players; if you are an experienced GM and have a mature, experienced group of players then limiting yourself and your players limits the game...Iron-Fisted? YES!!!! Only in so much as the lack of flexability that entails.

I better stop now before my frothing caused by theis thread gets the better of me...<grin>

Wow:

I am forced to think about this one; the longest game I have ever been in as a player was 35 hours long and it was a blast-Rifts of course.

The longest game I have ever run was 40 hours long--Beyond the Supernatural

I currently run Star Wars d20 (The lovely Lilith plays in it) and she runs the Forgotten Realms Campaign I am a player in; we meet every sunday with the two of us alternating. I find that is an excellent way for the GMs' to relax from the hard work we do and does not allow us to forget that we started out as players.

I have to agree with lilith when she said it takes the right GM.

As far as Force Powers being too weak....That's what house rules, within reason of course, are for

Well Heck I tend to GM soulful games and as such I tend to get inspired by the true Guitar Gods:

B.B. King;
Albert King;
Robert Johnson;
Albert King.

I also get inspired by the likes of:

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy;
Ice Cube;
Rammstein (The Remixes);
Suzanne Vega;
Lacuna Coil;
Ice T;
Johnny Cash;

I know that my vic...Uhmmm I mean players appreciate my sources of inspiration hehehehehehehe

Hate with the utmost passion....Dire Octupi

****RANT WARNING****

I absolutly, totally, and completely despise uncreative players who think that just because they create what they consider to be the UbberMunchkin character I as the DM should allow them to dominate the game and then these total 'tard monkeys get upset to the point of epileptic seziures when they get killed by a tiny bug...These full blown wacko-loons throw temper tantrum, slam books, swear at you and then have the nerve to say..'I'll never play in this group again' like it actually friggen means some all important thing that they do not want to play any more...ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

My rant is this:

Why do so many D and D gamers take it personally when someone does not like the 3.x system. I have played the game in one incarnation or another for going on 24 years now. I play other systems as well.

I do not take it personally if people do not like the rules set I use, yet on some boards (usually not these) it is considered heresy to dislike 3.x. And if you have an opinion on the rules that they do not agree with then you must just not understand how things are.

I enjoy the game.
I am, however, starting to actively dislike some of the personalities who participate in it. Ironically, it is usually these same people that complain that the gaming industry is on a downward trend.

This is not meant to offend or start a flame war. Do not take it personally as it is not aimed at anyone in specific.

Hooray...Darkwolf has hit it right on the head...

Tatterdemalion wrote:

some stuff

captramses wrote:

I can't disagree more.... Again it is not about the characters as it is about the players behind the characters.

...a party in Age of Worms that lacks front-line fighter types will likely die gruesome deaths.

A party of rogues would die quickly in almost any scenario I can think of.

Regards,

Jack

I know nothing of this 'Age of Worms.' that you keep mentioning however I can say for sure that Rouges who vary in specializations can and have survived everything that can be thrown at them.

That said, the DM will usually have a big job in front of him/her trying to spare the lives of a group that lacks either front-line fighters or arcane spellcasters.

The core classes are just that -- core to the structure and assumptions of the game. There are a few vital tasks that must be performed:

1) beat things up
2) cast powerful spells
3) heal people

Perhaps slightly less indispensible:

5) pick locks/disable traps
6) turn undead

I'm sure I've missed something. For what it's worth, I wish diplomacy had evolved as a fundamental need of the game, but it hasn't (though most good scenarios will require some).

My two cents :)

Jack

I can't disagree more. If this were true then the New Rouge would be locked into a certain characters set which they are not. In fact I have seen and played in campaigns where the characters were all rouges who specialized in different areas and they lasted despite the best efforts of the GM.

Again it is not about the characters as it is about the players behind the characters.

Things I love:

1. That the wise ones at WotC got rid oif the dreaded THAC0...

2. The horrified anticipation of my victims...oops players when I walk into the room cause they know that my Doom and Gloom machine is running at peak performance...

3. I love the look of abject terror on the faces of the characters when out of no where they see a little girl playing in the street...in front of them...

4. The players/Characters spend valued time working on a tactical plan with their heads hunkered down as if their very lives depend on it, they come up with an excellent plan that would work, they look up at me, tell me thier plan, tell me they are ready...There is a pause and a silence...And then the looks on their face when I raise an eyebrow (Spock Like) and say the four most fear inducing words ever...'You Can Try That." No emotion on my face and in a complete monotone...

5. Being the player in a real intense game no matter how long...

6. Steve Jackson...

7. Kevin Sembeida...

8. When me and my gaming friends are out and about, we see someone trip and we look at eachother with the same thing on our minds and coming out of our mouths..."I guess he failed his walking roll."...

9. Bumper stickers that say 'Driver is Chaotic Neutral' or 'Baby Juicer on Board.'...

There was the undead familiar in Ravenloft, but that was when the familiar came back because of abuse by the master.

Something I've done is the familiar tries to "attach" itself to a new master. It has led to some interesting roleplaying situations and storylines.

Monkey! Get my coffee hehehehehehehe

Unfortunatly the answer to this question is not as easy as it sounds. The truth of the matter is the players and GM. If the players and DM are creative then no matter the Character combination the players are bound to get through most situations that the DM creates as long as they work together. I personally have seen some group combinations that consisted of mostly magic users who I thought for sure were not going to make it to Level 3 pull some of the most amazing creativity I have ever seen and survived some of the most dangerous scenarios I could manage to retire their characters at 20th level.

Now the flip side of that is the group who were the most well balanced characters but could not work well enough together to open a paper bag...Their deaths was boring to say the least.

In conclusion it is the willingness of the players to work together and the willingness of the GM to force that creativity and that comradship.

Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday days would be a "no calls please" time because of all-weekend gaming marathons.

Actually they would be..."No Calls Please...Unless it concerns Gaming." Otherwise how would we get pick-up games. LOLOLOLOL

Well; as someone who has been playing and GMing for as long as most games have existed I can say that I like alignments. I can also see that some people are making the same mistakes I have seen others make.

I will attempt to explain this as best as I can: We all have real alignments as real people HOWEVER we do not have a single alignment...Example--Generally speaking a Police Officer is of Good Alignment--Or as Palladium puts it 'Principled'. That's their job, however there are some circumstances where this does not apply and other more grey alignments fit the bill.

Now in game let us take a look at the Ranger; That person starts out life real alignment confused...They have an afinity for nature and as such have a lawful bent. That same person gets favored enemies, most people do not love their enemies and their feelings for them are determined by that enemies actions...In this case that same Ranger ALSO has an alignment of chaotic or evil when it comes to their favored enemies.

So in essense; to truely enjoy and understand the alignment scheme of any game a GM must ask the tough question--not so much directly but by creating the scenario and running the gamers through them and seeing how the characters respond to--Threats to their friends and family, threats to their financial status, threats to their reputations, and so on...The outcome of all this is that the GM assigns the alignments based on circumstances and character responses.

If I could I would play ever other day but I already don't deserve my wife so why push it;P

FH

I guess I am lucky in that My signifigant other happens to be a gamer herself. I guess I'm lucky that is :)

If our world had aspects of the gaming worlds and I ruled said world...Congress would be forced to ride Banthas to work;

We would all have speeder bikes or Samas Power Armor...Heck why not both...

For every above ground city there would have to be two underground and/or underwater city;

There would be no ground vehicles...Only riding animals;

All of the great religious books would be relegated to the status of spell-books...all would have to be proven to work of course;

My cabinet would be filled with the greats of Gaming, Gary, Kevin, and so on.

- The people who thought Eberron deserved to be published would be consigned to the deepest pit I could find, along with the folks who gave us Barney, the Teletubbies, Desperate Housewives, and Reality TV.

Let us also include the creators of the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles Animated show and Movie....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

For myself personnaly I have found that Pre-Gen adventures are great for starting points. Take a Complete Adventure and then peak and tweak it to fit the gaming group and session. In fact I have played in games just like that Under Lilith and have found them stimulating and fun especially when she shows us the original plot after our adventure and then shows us the tweaks she has made to them.

I have played Pre-Gen Characters and have had players play pre-gen characters...I am not a fan for a very simple reason: Investment...I have found that as a player and a GM people tend to get emotional and some form of spiritual investment into their characters and from them as well. The games tend to be more fulfilling when people are invested in their charcters from creation to finish.

A Neurotic, Poo-flinging, coffee-making Paranoid Monkey..Spider Monkey at that who wears a vest of Immense Holding....'I fling poo at the Anchient Red Dragon'

Our group tries to meet once a week and we lovingly call the sessions "Liliths' wonderful world of doom." One of our group actually said to Lovely Lilith; get this..."Bringith on the Doomith!" What a fool he was...She brought on the doom LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

This is one of those times where it is a grand idea to actually sit and chat with your GM and vis-a-versa. As it always happens this was one of those things that was a side character issue where my Character...Yes I was a player in the Lilith game she mentioned above...Actually believed that his mission in life was, to get this, 'Reunite the elven races' However The setting up of a town was not part of the plan. However when this did indeed happen the amount plot opportunities increased exponentially. Did we as a group, GM and Players, take advantage of these opportunities? No.

Use this as a lesson that it is paramount to a great gamming experience is to periodically sit and chat. Get an idea of where a group is at, where it wants to go, where it sees itself as a group of players and characters within a period of time...etc

Good Day Good Souls:

I have studied the martial arts since I was about 8 years old...Slightly giving away my age here..when my uncle brought back some friends from the far east. I have continued my Hand to Hand Combat training for about 30 years. I started with Chin-Na ad from there my travels with the martial arts have included Hwarang Do, Shaolin Kenpo, Eagle Claw, Korean Sword Forms, Taijutsu (Ninpo) and now I am currently a student of Ki Aikido. I have to say that for the number of game writers who have studied the martial arts I find the hand to hand combat options and or flexability in game systems to be woefully lacking...But hey that's why I usually develop rules for various art forms :)

Well now this is an interesting topic:

Battlestar Galactica.
Stargate SG1.
Stargate Atlantis.
E-Ring.
Threshold.
Law&Order (The whole package)
Criminal Minds.
Bones.

I have to say that although I am not suprised to see that it was cancelled I loved Enterprise more then any of the others. Yes I even liked the Temporal Cold War story arc. For the most part the show was not only the best it washed away the travesty that was called "The Next Generation"

However the one show within the Enterprise series that insulted me to no end was "The Hatchery" Now out of all the episodes when only one of them insults my intelligence and personal experience I would have to say that the show was beyond excellent.

Pen&Paper: Rifts, D20 Modern, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk, Gurps, Palladium Fantasy, Beyond the Supernatural and Star Trek.

PC Games: Morrowind, Alpha Centuri, Neverwinter Nights, Birth of the Federation.

PS2: Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Splinter Cell.

Well I can see that I am the only one who loved this film. In evbery ones attempt to blast this film I wonder if anyone actually paid attention to what the director has said in the interviews. Oh and let us not forget that it is a prequel.

Well as it relates to this film I would have to disagree with everyone here. Is it Star Wars worthy? Nope...It's better. It actually relies on story as opposed to half baked borrowed themes and pedantic characters. Not only do I think it sets the new standard I would most assuredly own the DVD.

I would have to say that I am completely dissapointed with this film. The special effects were bland when compared to such films as the Highlander Series, any of 'The Minds Eye' series or even such TV shows as Threshold, Farscape, Firefly or any of the Star Treks.

The story was old and played out and almost inmsulting and quiet mediocre. Let us not mention the most disgusting fight sequence of the lot: Obi Wan Vs Anikan. I have seen them all and the fights between Luke and DV as well as the fight sequence between Yoda and Count Duku were ten times better. I am also not including any of the other fight sequences from any of the other non-SW films.

Oh and one final thing...Where was the innovations? The vasiline on the camera to hide the wheels in New Hope or any of the other things that made New Hope so spectacular. I would expect the team that put together the first three films together to care enough about the second three to push the Special Effects envelope.

Up until today I would have said that the best film I have ever seen was Exorcist the Beginning. It is the classic fallen hero story about a man who is forced by his convictions to stand up in the face of evil. However I have to say that the excellently complex yet simple story of a man named Edward R. Murrow who stood up to illuminate the abuses of the Communist witch hunts led by a 'Junior Senator from Wisconsin'
The thing that makes this story so powerful is the one telling fact that it did happen. It is a story about a dark time in our history and one of the men who stood up to it.
I strongly reccomend this film to anyone who wants to see a very well told story.

I believe that the price of something is based on the availability of the materials from which is was made...The Sling Bullet inb your list did not have a material from which it was made thusly telling us that it could be made from whatever was local. However the Adamantine Sling Bullet is exceptionally specific about what, exactly it is made from. Although I see you point '1' as opposed to '6001' does seem slightly on the pale at first glance we must remember the rarity of an item and adjust accordingly. The rules and said prices should be used only as a guidline.

Example: I ran a Rifts Campaign where the players had to make certain gear. The raw materials for said gear included canvas, a lining material, a flooring material, rivets and riveter or stitching and poles of saome kind...Yes they were making tents but since this is Earth some three hundred years after the apocolypse you get the idea. Now each of the players obtained the materials (Oh I had 5 players) Player 1 payed a total of 100 credits for material, player 2-175 credits, player 3-435, player 4-75 and plaer 5-775. Why?

Oh and in the above costs I did not factor in their barginning skills or 'soft' thoughts I only used quality of the materials. The rare materials should cost more while the more comon materials should be easier to obtain.

Can a character use a exotic one-handed weapon with both hands and receive the 1.5 ST bonus? I say they can because the rules don't forbid it.

Also, when a 4 level character (Fighter/Rogue)uses two weapons, even with the Two-Handed Weapon feat, they still do not get their full ST bonus to both attacks, they get full ST bonus with first atk and no bonus with second atk, right?

I know that the rules say that only 1/2 st bonus is applied during an attack with the second (Notice I did not use the stupid term 'off') hand; however I dump that rule based on a few things...Is the character Ambidexterous (Yes I kept that) is the weapon in the second hand lighter then the one in his first hand. Fortunatly for me the rules are only a guideline.

I would agree with most of the posts here concerning a true name. I am currently in a campaign with a good GM and we have had to deal with a demon from the Nazumi (sp?) pantheon. It turned out to be one of the higher demons which required us to learn it's true name in order to banish it. Also in games that I have played when the subject of summoning a greater to greatest demon has come up the only way to do so was by using it's true name.

What system and what specific supplement? There are many games out there and some of them do have the Demonologist although they are listed with a different skill set. :)

I had that perfect world once, as a player and as a GM. I lived in San Francisco and being a diverse player and GM I could run a Palladium Game once a week and then play once a week. Usually the games I ran were weekend games with small breaks of about an hour or two for every 5 hours of play....Ahhhh The good old days...That would never fly now.

Currently a perfect world would be to run one day for at least 8 hours and then play for 8 hours...I lean back with a smile at my dream fantasy :)

In TSR's D&D, demihumans had strict level limits, based largely on the notion that if they didn't, these long-lived creatures would quickly level-up so much that they'd rule the world, with humans as either an enslaved underclass or an entirely extinct "failed race." Level limits make this a non-issue. If a human can reach level 20+ during his lifetime before old age brings an end to the ability to adventure successfully, an elf that lives ten or more times as long should have no trouble making level 100+ during that time.

In WotC's D&D, there's no limit to the levels that demihuman characters can attain. So what had been done to circumvent the "superelf problem?"

Hi all:

I am new here however I have been playing RPG's since before DnD 1st edition and I have to say that after first edition the whole system got screwed up...It was as if a bunch of people had great ideas but neither of them were talking so nothing formed into a single cohesive unit.
I slightly digress here though, sorry, I think that the one thing that is being overlooked in this question is the unknown equation of the players and the GM. Any good GM uses the rules sets as a guideline and nothing more.
In a good group there is a synergy where the players and the GM are operating as a single unit. This being said the players know the boundries of what can and cannot be done and in reality one of the things that draws a good group is fun which, if the GM is doing his job means a great character death or one that focuses on extremely dumb mistakes. Yes there is always the potential for overpowered characters however there are many variables that follow...The chance mistake...The exceptional GM who changes tempo, style and target of their campaigns and then ultimatly there is the desire that players and GMs' have to 'try something new'

These solutions have been used as far back as I can remember and I have to say that the unpredictable nature of a Characters life and choices and outcomes are what makes the games fun. I know that as a GM I have never had any complaints.