brock's page

However, it also kind of makes a RPG subscription not worth bothering with, since it guarantees you a 1st printing, which continues to become more and more obsolete.

Hell, that kind of errata policy makes buying a print copy at all pointless. You're far better off just getting the PDF, where you only have to pay once for a product that is kept up-to-date.

Perfectly happy with my subscriber copies. I can put a sticky red dot in the margins where a change has been made and keep a copy of the errata doc inside the back cover. Plus I get the latest PDF for free and can use it on the iPad when I am away from the hardcopy. My experience is different to yours it seems.

And if you do post more than 10 times, try to make sure that your account name isn't going to clash in a few years with the future head of PFS :)

Edit: Ah subscriber tags, how I miss thee! And back to being 'brock, no the other one...'

I never said GMs weren't to run scenarios as written. Neither Mike nor I has the time nor the inclination to define every possible adaptation a GM can and cannot make in the course of a session. What the quoted text above says is "while a change at one table *could* improve things for that one table, we owe it to the community to improve things at *all* tables." Run scenarios as written and give feedback when there are issues of logic or major mechanical errors. It they're deemed to be significant enough issues, we'll adjust the scenario as we're able and to the degree we feel is appropriate. Feedback is more valuable than people "fixing" things on the fly.

Thanks for the clarification Mark. I had indeed interpreted what you said incorrectly. I had thought that you were saying that a GM could fix things as needed as long as they shared i.e. fixing an obvious error so that your table has fun is good, but letting us know as well is better.

Given:

While we do not advocate fudging die rolls, consider the experience of the player when deciding whether to use especially lethal tactics or if a character is in extreme danger of death, especially when such a player is new to the game. Most players whose first experience in a campaign results in a character death do not return to the campaign.

I think the appropriate thing to do then, if the error above were discovered during play, would be to apologise to the players, scrap the session and let Mike know.

Feedback from the community is appreciated, especially when it helps us make the best possible content for the entire community. Yes, a GM changing something on the fly has the potential to improve the experience of the 6 players at her table, but we owe it to the entire campaign of tens of thousands of players and GMs to give them all the best possible experience. If we're never made aware of areas where we can improve, and individual GMs take it upon themselves to do this, then we don't have the opportunity to use that feedback to make things more enjoyable and easier for everyone.

The take-away message I get from the quote above is: should a GM spot a situation where the module is nonsensical or broken (such as the one here), he may make a modification on the fly to improve the play experience for the table, if and only if he reports the problem and his solution so that it can be evaluated and disseminated if necessary.

I'm interested in the level of leeway that I'm allowed to apply as I'm shortly to GM my first PFS session, but I'm not going to murder characters just to stick to the letter of an editing snafu.

If they are going to die because of a mistake, it will be one of theirs :)

The campaign coordinator has asked us not to modify things. He has even called it "cheating" and started a thread titled "Please Do Not Encourage Cheating" in the PFS General Discussion forum to curb it.

Jiggy, can you linkify this please? The messageboard search facility does not find that thread, with or without quotes.

In PFS, DM judgement is cheating. If a haunt is incurable, we need to use it. If specific mod rules make an encounter impossible to do, we need to use it. Even if it's a clear typo, and a monster has for example a 200 AC instead of 20 AC (a true story from another campaign), we need to use it.

I know I've seen whole parties in PFS die from errors in the a mod. I made a 40 year old man nearly cry this weekend because of an error in a mod.

If characters die and Dms and/or players aren't enjoying themselves, then that is the price of a campaign with high quality control. We need to respect that choice and move on.

'Cheating'? I really do not agree.

... the Game Master has the freedom to adjudicate the rules as needed to ensure a fun and fair gaming experience is had by all.

Now, that applies to rules combinations and questions, so doesn't directly apply to uncaught errata like this. However, the key part there is fun. I don't see anyone, player or GM, having fun out of killing off a whole party when the GM knows that the mod has a 'clear typo' or other obvious error.

At the very least, in this case the GM should apologise, thank everyone for their time, and halt the session.

Scenario: dragon pistol- loaded with scatter shot, idiot party member got in way = unload it and reload with a pellet.

Unload it into the party member. Solves your immediate problem and prevents reoccurrence.

Yes - I also enjoyed the last game. This was one of the two scenarios I had mixed feelings about - but it went fantastically.

It did, though I think Kavesh is still busy prying arrowheads out of his platemail.

Findas wrote:

Perhaps some of those playing the NPCs earlier in the night could move from table to table, jumping into fights to help out with a timely spell or bit of advice before moving off to another group, or something like that.

While a nice idea, I'm not sure how well it would work given that Torch was GMing our table, and the people playing the NPCs would need to be given the Chronicles for that rather than playing in the Finale (and they'd have been missed in our group - see previous flying head comment)

Utterly random thought:

The NPC's spend the first 20 minutes of the game section dropping in at tables to give a particular piece of information, item, or other aid. Then they are drawn together to one or two tables to combat a particularly nasty event while playing pregens of the actual NPCs. What happens in that game feeds into what happens for the NPCs in the next season.

Paz, I hope you don't mind me unspoilering this:

There was some confusion around nominating the 'table MVPs' to go into the draw to have a figure painted. On a couple of tables I played on, the players seemed to agree I deserved the nomination, but as far as I know, that never made it on to the sheet. Was I supposed to write it in myself, or the GM, or...? I was going to query it at a suitable opportunity, but by the time I'd grabbed a bite for lunch on Sunday the sheet was taken down and I think the draw already done.

I'll direct Chris to this thread for the official Blackfeather response, but the intent was that the GMs would sign up nominees and then Dave or Rob would draw one per slot. As some folks were leaving early, the decision was taken to just make awards for the first four slots and this freed up a voucher so that two of the goblins from Saturday night could get one each.

Here are a few pictures I took at PaizoConUK. LINK

Thanks Crispy. Excellent camera work as usual, although the back of my bald head seems to be an overly-frequent target.

I think that given the amount of confusion caused, a change in messageboard alias is needed for me. Perhaps I should become 'not that brock'?

Major Face palm time..I got my dates mixed up and thought it was this coming weekend.doh..

Sorry to hear that - you were missed.

No, no, I know. And, all things considered, I did die: Not being able to replay the scenario is hardly unfair. Just unfortunate.

My understanding is that you can replay the scenario, just not get credit for it - am I mistaken?

No to sound super-cynical, but don't expect to make much. The folks at Paizo and WOTC have done well, but most in the gaming industry publish part-time and work around dayjobs. From what I have heard, it is a labor of love that may not always put dinner on the table.

Indeed. Step one in the process of getting to work in the gaming industry is to decide what other thing you are going to do to make a living.

Pork chop, dauphinois potatoes and broccoli, courtesy of the chef at work.

Though, I imagine that the shipping container route, while very likely a plausible option, would be really slow. You'd be better off ordering through Amazon,I imagine.

It would probably be a bit slower, although the current speed is variable. With Amazon, I don't get the PDF and I don't get the pleasure of supporting Paizo directly. Those two reasons are why I subscribe. The discount I get is what makes me able to subscribe in that it brings the cost down to a swallowable increase above buying from Amazon.

I'd swap an increase in shipping time to avoid having to pay £8 to the post office for the pleasure of paying £1 in duty on a subscription box that happens to contain enough non-book items to attract the eye of customs and excise.

Pathfinder is to Dungeons and Dragons

as

Chickenfoot is to Van Halen

Discuss...

Deep dude, but it has merit. Enjoy the rest of the day.

brock wrote:

Henning Kristensen wrote:

Negatives: huge shipping costs and customs hassle here in Denmark - including a $25 fee that the postal office rakes in, no matter how much the actual tax amount is. Often just a few dollars in tax + a hefty $25 in handling fee.

For us europeans, it would be much more convenient if it was possible for Paizo to ship from within the EU. If this was the case, then I would absolutely buy all my gaming supplies directly from Paizo. And most likely buy a bit more than I do today.

100% agree. I'm getting thoroughly drained of cash for postage and customs fees. Dwarven Forge have managed to set up a European distributor.

Is the time right yet Vic?

We tried that when we were doing the magazines. Twice, actually. It went badly. And our business is much more complicated now, making it that much harder. (Just one example: we'd basically have to redo our entire website back end even just to tell you what products would be shipping from which location, and that would also probably confuse more people than it actually helped.)

To be frank, I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

Thanks for the candid response Vic.

I was thinking on a slightly smaller scale. Ship all of the EU subscription orders in a shipping container to a Paizo subsidiary in the UK (no VAT on books) with final destination labels in place. Then have them enter the postal service from that point. Shipping would cost less, and I believe the tax/duty on moving your own products from your US to UK branch would be cheaper too. EU subscribers would then not have to handle the mixed and varied duty and tax issues for their own countries due to the free trade situation within the EU. I know it would encourage me to buy more stuff to add to my subscription orders as I wouldn't have to juggle the tax/customs/duty issues.

Plus you would have an EU area phone number for customer support issues.

This falls apart when you consider spells like Detect Alignment (like, how does an entire religion not realize none of them are Good if a 1st level spell can reveal that they are not), but that's just the way it is.

Why would you check? Why would you believe anyone from outside the faith who claimed to have cast the spell and disputed your goodliness?

@DMCal - In the wash, both cultures are neutral. They do some good and they do some evil according to necessity. One possibility is that for the most zealous cleansers of the heretics, it's no longer the god that they think it is that is granting their spells.

Negatives: huge shipping costs and customs hassle here in Denmark - including a $25 fee that the postal office rakes in, no matter how much the actual tax amount is. Often just a few dollars in tax + a hefty $25 in handling fee.

For us europeans, it would be much more convenient if it was possible for Paizo to ship from within the EU. If this was the case, then I would absolutely buy all my gaming supplies directly from Paizo. And most likely buy a bit more than I do today.

100% agree. I'm getting thoroughly drained of cash for postage and customs fees. Dwarven Forge have managed to set up a European distributor.

Is the time right yet Vic?

I'd suggest modules rather than a whole AP campaign arc at this stage. At that age I started off running fun one-shot adventures, which eventually linked into each other and then eventually again became campaigns.

Well, to be honest, that was my 10x10 room with a large dragon and a treasure chest stage!

The key thing to encourage is her doing her own thing with adventures. I can't stress that enough. Feed her some good modules to read and then get her to write something that was inspired by them. Do you have Dungeon back-issues to mine?

My eyes were glazed over for hours after this was announced, but my wife ultimately convinced me that it fails the Cheetos test: if you don't want to risk getting Cheetos dust on a game product, you should not buy that game product. :)

Think of it as buying the Cheetos resistant PDF that you will get and receiving the hardback for free then :)

It appears in Downloads, but when I try to open it it labels it 'not recognized'. I've heard that my computer should have a version of XCode already on the install disk, but that has to be installed separately and the disk is currently lost. I have nothing named XCode in Applications or anywhere else I've looked.

/Developer folder?

That normally indicates that the .dmg file is corrupt. Try downloading again, and if that doesn't fix it try the previous version 3.2.5 which is available at the same page - it's possible, although unlikely, that the 3.2.6 .dmg is corrupt on the Apple server.

/Developer is a folder that is created by an old install of XCode. Now that it is distributed through the App Store, it installs in /Applications instead.

There are some other things to try on this list at Apple Support Communities.

And todays favourite is: Anglers Reward from the World Top brewery. It's a pale ale, and it is wonderfully sharp and refreshing, with a lemon-like fruitiness to it. Only 4% too.

I downloaded it, but the computer won't recognize it.

What exactly happens? Does in mount the disk image ok? What do you see in the disk image? What do you do next, and what exact error messages does it produce? Do you have any other version of XCode installed? Do you have a /Developer folder already? Do you have anything in /Applications named XCode?

I would still prefer to try C++. I've looked for previous versions of XCode, but none seem to be available on the App Store.

Odd that it's not on the App Store any more.

Do you have a free Apple Developer membership? If not, sign up here.

Then go to here and the XCode 3.2.6 download shows up on page 4 for me.

So you have the latest version of Snow Leopard. You can access the Mac App Store and get hold of XCode from there, I think. I'm on Lion, so I can't double check. There was one version that you had to pay for, but it wasn't too expensive.

Snow Leopard is supported by MacPorts, so you can get all sorts of compilers from there. You just need any version of XCode installed to get MacPorts going, so the old versions should be fine.

Look here and ignore (2.) about installing X11 for now.

Don't bother with XCode as an IDE if you are not going to be purely targeting the Mac.

NetBeans is a pretty good IDE and has support for C++. It's also cross-platform so you can use the same IDE on Windows.

That said, I'd strongly suggest starting with a basic text editor and the command line. At some point, you'll hit a problem that requires you to know what your IDE is doing under the hood and starting that way will mean that you can figure it out.

WINE is a useful tool for getting Windows programs to run, but I would think twice about using it as a target for development. Better to use VirtualBox or similar to get a Windows install running on your Mac and test your code in that.

So:

• Get an old XCode either from the web as you have already found or from the App Store
  
• Download and install MacPorts
  
• 'port install gcc' to get the latest version of the GCC compiler
  
• Use vi or emacs or textedit or TextWrangler to create a simple HelloWorld.cc
  
• gcc -o HelloWorld HelloWorld.cc
  
• ./HelloWorld
  
• ... onwards and upwards
  

So far FGG is up to $175,106, 699 backers, and with 11 days days to go. At the rate this is going, I have a good feeling we're going to hit the next goal, and I think FGG might want to start thinking about a $200,000 goal. Seems the fans are serious about launching this company into a bigger business known for putting out solid quality books.

It's the 1000 backers milestone I'm hoping for. I've already twisted my wife's arm to make a separate pledge (almost got pledge 666 too). I've mentioned it to my gaming friends. Next step is accosting random folks in the street :)

Post your version of OSX and what hardware you are running on and we can help more.

One option might be to install MacPorts and then install the GCC C++ compiler from there.

The simple bits of C++ are no worse to learn than C, although Sissyl is correct that there are better languages to learn clean and formal program design via.

I would advise just using a simple text editor and the Terminal command line to get started with programming. An IDE like CodeBlocks comes in useful later.

You are coming at this from the wrong angle. It's been discussed above just how broad a field computer game design is, and that's not covering the non-CS related stuff - motion capture, art, dialogue, sound, etc. What specifically are you good at doing in the field of software? What catches your imagination enough for you to pursue it until mastery? That's what you should attempt to sell to a developer to get your first job in the field.

Don't at this stage take something you have no experience in (e.g. hardware above) and try and make that your entry point. You won't stand out against the other candidates. Make your first job about something you can already excel at.

For example, although I'm a professional software engineer, my first degrees were in physics and mathematics. So I've targeted physics modelling and procedural texturing and 3d graphics jobs when I've interviewed in the game industry. Apart from a job writing special effects code, I've never actually taken a job offer in the industry as the pay has never been worth the crushing hours expected.

If you want to pursue game design/coding in general, google Andre Lamoth. That should give you enough fun projects to keep you occupied for a while :)

Majestea is surprisingly good! I say surprisingly as I've had the standard T.E.A. brew before and rated it as a passable C. This is certainly an A-. God save the Queen!

-Honestly I'm worried about math, but math seems to be more and more the mark of a man who can make money. I've gt a brother who finished university in 2 years, and he's training to be a black jack dealer. The job market today is not what it was even 10 years ago...

Don't worry about Math. It comes easier the second time around when you are less phased by getting problems wrong the first time and know why you are studying it. Also there is a ton of useful stuff on the web to help approach concepts from different angles until it sticks.

Ross Byers wrote:

Stefan Hill wrote:

Why do you never have jobs where a PhD in physics or chemistry is a requirement. What does Paizo have against us folks?

I'm pretty sure SKR is a chemistry major.

Cool, nice to know Paizo isn't completely populated with hippies... ;)

You have never hung out with the folks from the Chemistry block in the university bar. :)

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

Be European?

What does this mean (not taking offense just wanting to know)?

Are we Europeans known as consumate drinkers in the US of A?

I'm also curious, although I interpreted it as Sean implying that europeans were, in general, temperate drinkers. Most Italians I know are.

Europe does however include Scotland and the whole of Scandinavia :)

I bought the first set from Leisure Games in the UK and that went just fine, although I almost went nuts waiting for them to get stock to ship while folks on the boards were opening theirs. They are not yet taking pre-orders for Runelords and I don't know if the intend to.

I've decided to subscribe now, as the discount (and my Pathfinder AP discount) mean that the cost should be just about identical to what I paid to get it from Leisure Games.

I am expecting the parcel to be stopped by Customs and be charged 20% VAT at the very least. Runelords is likely to be above the limit where they start to get interested about assessing packages for duty and I'm hoping that will be charged at the 3% default rate if they do impose duty. If I'm correct about those two and the exchange rate doesn't fluctuate too much then the total cost to me should be the same as buying from inside the UK and I'll get the parcel sooner.

So, it comes down to how patient you want to be and how much you want the specials that come with pre-orders. Since you are not an AP subscriber, it would cost you slightly more than me to order direct from Paizo.

Be prepared to still meet differential equations in Marine Sciences. Sometimes there is no escaping advanced maths when fluid flows are concerned. :) In any event, it sounds like you are in for a lot of fun - good luck with it all.

I think that you just lean towards a different style of gaming than the rest of your group.

There is a cultural history of gaming that I do feel like I'm missing. I don't know that way it's been in gaming, and I often feel like I asked for something completely outlandish when I ask for something which goes against that "that's never been possible" cultural knowledge base. So when I want to do something that isn't expressly forbidden, often lots of time is spent looking for the book reference as to why to back up their "that's the way it's always been."

It's not you.

Back before 3ed, it was understood widely that the rules were not intended to be complete, and that the DM would make rulings on the spur of the moment to guide the game and to keep things fun. That was also the intent in 3ed, but for a lot of people it became lost in the expanded body of explicit rules. So no, it hasn't always been that way.

The DnD Next playtest leans strongly back towards that style of game, but it is perfectly possible to play Pathfinder in that style, if the group chooses to do so.

How about trying a play by post game here on the boards? Those tend to lean towards role-playing more than strict rules adherence - perhaps one of those would be more to your taste?

Sample some of the higher maths lectures as Khan Academy to see what you think.

It's difficult to predict whether you will find higher maths difficult based on previous experience - it's a very different beast. Although I struggled with A-level maths (UK) which lead to problems with my Astrophysics degree, I later found a Maths degree quite easy.

However, I've about reached the limit of Excel functionality, and rather than adding new features to the spreadsheet I'm going to start providing extensive feedback to the HeroLab guys so they can get their software to the level where we can use it instead of the spreadsheet.

This makes me very happy.

I've recently got on to the Glenlivet (15yr?) in the French Oak Barrel, that's just good. Aberlour is tasty as well.

Both in my cupboard at this very moment and both wonderful.

My current favourite is Bruichladdich First Growth Cuvée D: Pessac Leognan (Chateau Haut-Brion) 16 Year Old. Bruichladdich had always been a favourite, and I was sad when the distillery closed. The new owners are doing some very interesting things, and the missus spotted this on a business trip.

Their St Andrews Links was probably the nicest whisky I've ever tasted - from a miniature, sadly.

ValkyrieStorm wrote:

I have started to make note of things in movies that I see and ask outside the game "in movieX Y happened, is that how it works in Pathfinder?" (example, long spear being used as both a reach weapon and melee close combat weapon)

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that this example cuts right to Pathfinder's greatest weakness.

[lots of good stuff removed]

I don't think that it is a specific Pathfinder weakness - I've come across similar limitations in a number of systems. It comes down to GM style. If the GM does not support cinematographic play then the game will be formulaic and mechanical.

Example: Player stabs someone with their longspear at reach and drops them. They have an iterative, but the only other opponent is adjacent and they can't manoeuvre to put them where they need them. Strictly by the rules, they can't attack. Or, the GM allow the haft of the weapon to be used as an improvised weapon and do damage as a club. No rules were seriously harmed in the making of this call and the game was more fun for it.

It all depends where on the spectrum between wargame and free-form improv acting the GM and players want to sit.

hogarth wrote:

That's bog standard in Canada (and other snowy regions?).

Yeah, I think maybe it's a northern thing. In general, Southerners don't seem to get it.

Agreed. It seems to be a north/south divide thing here in England too.

I'm sure there's some ideal rate - 6 months would be good in my view too (though I suspect I'd prefer 4 months). Eight months though - that's too long between drinks. :(
.
Having said that, I suspect what feels reasonable will also depend on the size of the set (ie whether there are 40ish sculpts or 60ish).

I think that I could probably keep up with one set this size and one smaller set per year. Any more sets/minis then I'd have to drop the subscription.

The Wendigo however looks awesome!

Charlie Bell wrote:

I'd have less problem with contingency "deciding" the energy type for protection from energy than with it somehow taking effect before the energy damage actually affects you.

Hear, hear. Contingency is an effect. Causes precede effects.

Agreed mechanically, however this is a common fantasy trope - I like the idea. I'd probably moderate it down by asking for an energy type.

Drat, fair enough.

Possibly for me also, as well as the ability to influence what goes into each package when an order contains multiple packages. In short, it's best to have only one non-book item in a parcel.

Looking for an app that keeps my Pazio Download sync'd with iBooks and organized into Categories.

Should be possible with a script that logs into your account once a day and looks for changes on the downloads. It would have to handle the 'personalising, click again in 10s case'

That would get you an up to date directory of PDFs on your local disk.

Then you need to import them into iTunes if they are new or updated. Applescript should deal with that nicely. The next time you sync, it should all be there for you.

The only flaw in my opinion was that the middle act dragged a little and could have had 10 or 12 minutes trimmed (not the 30 some critics suggested).

and why the Whedon hate..he captured the essence of the team perfectly in my opinion.No-one got to hog the spotlight, there were two moments that made the whole audience laugh (both classic Hulk moments I have to say) and the team meshed eventually after some fairly heavy teething troubles.

It's rare that I hear the audience laugh out loud twice and cheer and applaud during a film, but that's what happened during the showing that I went to. Whedon did a good job with it, considering that they weren't his own characters to develop.

Aberzombie: I think they are all exactly the same. We've discussed adding a content-based filter to posting but my experience is that just starts an arms race where we have to continually revisit a complicated regex to match their ever-more-inventive attempts to get around the filter. We're trying a couple other things today, we'll see how it goes.

How about anything matching the regex only gets displayed to the person who posted it and people who logged on as guest? That way they would have to check from another account that their spam wasn't being silently ignored.