2024 year in review

 

Well we made it another year on the mudball spinning around the big light bulb. So how'd I do this year?

Managed to keep my Tuesday night gaming group together. Had a couple people leave had a few more replace them. It's all good and we're still having a lot of fun. I ran Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk RED and Little Fears this year. This next year I hope to do even more. 

Health wise I've been slowly pushing toward improving myself. The progress is slow but I'm going in the right direction. Had to start using a CPAP when I sleep because my sleep apnea was seriously bad. I do feel a lot better in the mornings than I used to. Need to get an exercise routine in place that I can stick to so that's in the works and will hopefully work out.

My stuff over on Drivethru/itch/Ko-Fi hasn't sold worth a damn. But I haven't really done much new at all. Hoping to get a couple more things out this year. 

In other news I haven't said much about. My son has become my daughter. She started transitioning this year and is paying for everything herself (we can't afford anything above just barely scraping by) while at college. It was unexpected but I'm being supportive and trying to use her new name and pronouns. But I'm an old man who has trouble remembering things anymore so it's hard and I keep correcting myself. I'll get there eventually. 

Anyone following my blog has noticed that it's really went up in posting over the last month or two. I've got no way to keep myself from thinking about the bleak future after this last election other than diving into that. Trying to be creative is the only way I can stay positive enough to keep going.

Still working at Aesop's Treasury. It's so much less stressful than any other job I've ever had. Probably added years to my life after the hell that working at Red Wing Shoe turned into. My boss, and long time friend, is great to work for. He's been really great to me above and beyond what anyone has to be. 

This was also the year I grew completely sick and tired of all the different streaming services. Going to try and lean into physical media products for now on. Like DVD's, Bluray, music CDs, etc. Which, since my wife and I really enjoy thrift store shopping, can be a way to find a lot of really damn good deals. So it's time to start watching out for complete series sets and whatnot. 

So this year wasn't to bad. Hoping next year doesn't hit the toilets. 

2025 Game Resolutions

Well it's that time of year again. Time to look at what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year in the gaming side of my life. I managed to actually accomplish a few of the ones I put forth last year. Honestly there probably won't be a lot of change from those. 

Six pack style.

1. Continue on with my Tuesday group. It's been going for over a year now. We've gone from Cyberpunk 2020 and are now into RED. Did a bit of Little Fears in there as well. That needs to stay as my break form the norm from time to time. Although I will only be the guy running games every other week now, which leads to number... 

2. Play a bit more this year. Last year I wasn't a player in a single game. This year it appears that it's going to be starting with me being the alternating GM with the one person who I enjoy gaming with the most. So getting to set back and lapse into another persona at the table for a bit is going to be really nice.

3. Release more products through Truly Rural. Probably shovelware for the most part. Random generators and lists, that sort of thing. But I want to get either 'Welcome to the City' or 'Members of the Guard' into a full on playtesting level by the years end.

4. Hopefully I will get to playtest a few more products for R.Talsorian as well. It was a lot of fun doing the ones for "Tales from the Red: Hope Reborn" and the Shadowscar starter kit. They were one of my favorite game companies back in the day with Cyberpunk, Castle Falkenstein, Bubblegum Crisis and so many more. 

5. Worry less about the community and focus more about making myself happy. I'm just to old, tired and worn out from trying to herd kittens. Somebody else with more youth and enthusiasm can do that. I'll still host a discord server in case anyone locally wants to use it. But I don't see me pushing it. 

6. Do more with my blog. Brought back the six packs, maybe I need to do a few more Masters Workshop installments. Or, holy shit, more Be A Better Player. Lots of Jaded Gamer Diary rants. Oh and definitely a lot more reviews.  Who knows?

Jaded Gamer - New Year Social Media Edition.

 

Going into the new year, social media edition. 

It's time to take a look at the various social media platforms I use and what I'll be doing with them in the upcoming new year. Because sometimes you just need to look at all your time sinks and let some go to get some of that time back.

BlueSky - I'm all in on this one. Currently It's my preferred platform for social media. Just wish a few more folks were over there and that a few features were present as well. They may be in the future as they are always rolling out improvements.

Twitter - Pulled the plug on this one. I'm out. Didn't delete my account so nobody else could take the name. It really turned into a shit hole that's for sure.

MeWe - I'll keep using it, but really besides the groups there isn't much going for it. 

Threads - More useless than three day old shit. I'm done there.

Instagram - Random posting of memes is about all I can find a use for it. Bailing on it here soon as well.

Facebook - To many folks I know are still there. To many locals are still there. I'll keep using it until other folks leave. Much like MeWe groups are the only real big perk.

Mastodon - I'm on the dice.camp server. It's nice. I'll keep using that one as well.

Discord - Really getting tired of trying on there. Sometimes it feels like it's working out, other times not so much. Not really my vibe for the most part, but there are lot of people there and discussions that I like. But just having to drop in at just the right time before they scroll past is not a fun thing.

Jaded Gamer Diary - The edition nobody wanted until they did.

 

The edition everybody said they weren't going to buy.

It started quite some time ago. Here locally every little leak about the new edition of DnD (DnD One, 5.5, 6th already, etc) people were bitching about. The usual bullshit, some saying it's going "Woke", or the usual grognard saying now ADnD was better like they always do, many saying it's just a cash grab. Whatever. But everybody was bound and damned determined to tell everyone, especially those working at game shops, that they weren't going to be laying down any cash for the new version.

Already we had seen a huge drop in sales for new DnD material. Ever since Wizards went full moron with the OGL debacle we have a hard time selling their product for the line. So we got stuck with extra copies we really don't want.

So, my employer and FLGS, didn't order that many copies. A lot less hobby covers and only a few regular covers. Now he also had to preorder ahead for all three corebooks. So raising the number you wanted to get was damned near impossible.

Then guess what happened? C'mon guess. You know what the answer is. 

Everybody bought the damn thing they said they weren't going to buy.

So our hobby covers sold out really damned fast and we couldn't get anymore. Had a few folks accuse us of having a bunch stashed back to sell later at a higher price. Others doing the usual pouty fit. Some even saying they knew they should have ordered it online from some other shop that "actually stocks it". The fuckers who said they weren't going to buy it at all ever are suddenly mad that we didn't have it for them to buy.

It's times like this that I feel DnD has more jackasses in it's community than any other game. Then I remember to how I've seen Vampire: The Masquerade fans act many years ago and they still hold that number one spot. 

Superman | Official Teaser Trailer

Now I'm ready to see the new Superman movie. 

Weekly Health 12/16/24

 Starting weight: 362

Weigh in this week: 353

Welp I stayed the same this week. Better than going up. Between the extra hours at work and the bitter ass cold front that came through I haven't been getting out and walking that much. At least I didn't go up. So I'll just keep on moving forward I guess. 

Food Review - Super Stack Chili & Lime

 

I should have suspected something. My boss at work asked me if I wanted the rest of his chips that were in a Pringles knock off can. He said they weren't to his liking, but as soon as I said sure he was out the door with a quickness. All it took was eating one to know why he didn't want them anymore.

It's a burst of flavor. Just not the kind you want to have in your mouth. Not so much the chili flavor but the overwhelming level of citric acid and fake lime flavoring that just absolutely should be illegal. Probably is in some countries. I have absolutely no idea how in the hell people can eat these things. These will leave you with a twitching eye and a yearning for the time before you knew these existed.

Do not buy these, do not eat them, don't even make eye contact with the can. 

Jōvan Sex Appeal - The Power (1978, USA)

They just made better commercials back in the day. 

Roll A D10 - What they want in payment

 

Sometimes the supernatural entities want strange forms of payment for their services. It's not all human sacrifice after all. So what are ten things they could want in return?

What do they take in payment?

1 – Human teeth that have been removed from a living person.

2 – A lock of hair from a virgin.

3 – Human fingers, fresh human fingers.

4 – A small vial of YOUR blood.

5 – Currency from a country that no longer exists.

6 – Dust from the collapse of the twin towers on 9/11.

7 – The spent shell casing from a bullet that took someone’s life.

8 – Personal belonging of someone who was executed by the government.

9 – A vial of blood from somebody who has a net worth over 25 million dollars.

10 – A jar of liquefied human brain.

Cyberpunk Six Pack - Specialty Services

 

In the dark gritty cyberpunk future there are times when you need some specific services for your edgerunner. Well here's a six pack of services that you may not think of. But at some point my prove to be rather useful. 

Six Cyberpunk Services

1- Speedy Lupe Crime Scene Clean Up. When all hell breaks out at your business and the cops come buy and scrape up the bodies but leave you with the mess. Call Lupe Fernandez and his trusted crew of cleaning experts to get your place spotless and back up to code so you can open without your customers tracking bloody footprints everywhere.

2 – Cybersex Dysfunction Solutions. Whether it’s a clenched up Midnight Lady or a flaccid Mr Studd. CDS is here to help. Any sexual complications due to cybernetic malfunction or interference is our area of expertise. Up and including Virtual Vickie addictions.

3 – Virtual Courtesy. This company provided holographic staffers for all your needs. Whether it’s a waitress to checking to see if patrons need anything to a nursing assistant taking notes while you diagnose a patient. They’ll be there for you and your customers.

4 – ReHarden. Did your Metal Gear get mauled? Your favorite kevlar nearly get killed? That leather jacket in tatters? We repair all your damaged armor and get it as close as we can to like new. Years in business of fixing those things that save our lives.

5 – Cheap Suits Security. Want to impress somebody by looking like you have a private security detail or a bodyguard? Give us a call. We’ll put an impressive appearing group of folks together to escort you wherever you need to go. Although they aren’t really security and any trouble you run into, well, you’ll be on your own.

6 – MisFaced. Want to clog the facial recognition software algorithm? We’ll digitally layer your face into thousands of videos and photos complete with fake names attached then spam the servers with them. After a few weeks any attempt to pull your identity from a simple face scan will pull up hundreds of results.

Magic Item Six Pack - Special Pistols

 

How about some modern day magic items of the firearm variety. It's always fun when you throw these little bad boys into a game. If you're looking for more modern day magic items you can always pick up my small compilation of such things over on DrivethruRPG. 

1 – Fear Monger. It’s metal is damaged, pitted and rusty. The wood is stained black and chipped away. But whenever it’s held anyone seeing it is struck with fear of the person whose hand it is in.

2 – The Assassins Friend. Very ordinary looking pistol with a few notches carved into the handle. Every time this pistol takes a life the damage it inflicts is increased by at least one. The more important the person is the more damage it will do.

3 – Memory Soak. Very old and well worn handgun with multiple initials carved into the handle. When the PC is in a tense situation and holding this firearm they get sudden flashes of relevant memories from others who have owned the gun before. Possibly giving them insight on what to do next and maybe even a skill bonus for using it in the next few rounds.

4 – The Brothers. A pair of identical silver and brass decorated dueling pistols. When the PC possesses one they can feel where the other one is and are even somewhat drawn to it. But if they ever have both at the same time the owner dies from a sudden heart attack.

5 – Mistrusted Curse. A small compact pistol, easily concealable. Any person who has this firearm on their person finds that others doubt everything they say and are suspect of their actions. The longer they are around them the more they get animated about their suspicions.

6 – Forget Me. A flashy polished up pistol with gold leaf decorations on the handle. When you carry or wear this firearm out in the open people just don’t notice you. Security doesn’t stop you, walking through metal detectors doesn’t set them off, even video cameras only capture a blurry image of you.

Please give my Ko-Fi page a visit if you would. 

Weekly Health 12/09/24

 Starting weight: 362

Weigh in this week: 353

Okay so I lost the two extra I gained back and then another half pound to boot. I'll take that. Back towards creeping towards the right direction. 

Pulmonologist appointment today to go over the result of how things are going since I started using a CPAP. I went from averaging 40+ stoppage of breathing per hour down to an average of one. That's one hell of an improvement. My blood pressure was also down even after driving myself there and dealing with morning school time traffic. Due to the immense improvement the CPAP has made he's putting off the next appointment until six months from now. 

So that means less time in a doctors office for me!

Nothing else much has changed. No new meds, same dosage on everything. 

Roll A D10 - Cyberpunk Funny Hat Characterization

 

Funny Hat characterization is an old writer and film maker trick to help you remember a particular character. There is something odd about the person that just stands out so you automatically associate that with them and it triggers your memory of them every time you see that 'thing'. So here are ten 'funny hats' for your next NPCs a Cyberpunk game. 

Cyberpunk funny hat characterization

1 – They have a cybereye that moving around all over the place

2 – Always wears a ball cap that says Arasaka Reject Squad

3 – Wears a holojacket that is always displaying graphic hentai scenes

4 – Has a light tattoo of a dollar sign on the top of each hand

5 – Always has a small drone near them playing synthpop tunes

6 – Has a high pitch squeaky artificial voice

7 – Has a lone cyberarm that is painted construction zone orange

8 – Carries a cyberdeck built inside an old style ‘brick’ cellphone

9 – Uses a handheld portable AI assistant to do all their talking

10 – Has an a cyberneck that is twice as long as anyone’s regular neck

If you like this blog please show me a little love on my Ko-Fi page!

Jaded Gamers - Block the Toxic.

 

Okay now let me get started on this one. I'm all for whoever wants to play tabletop role playing games should be allowed to do so. The biggest scumbags should be allowed whatever hobby they want to dump money into if they wish. HOWEVER nobody else that is that hobby, or the communities they form, are required to put up with them. 

This is not gatekeeping plus it accomplishes a few things. First it protects your own mental well being. Nobody should have to put up with toxic individuals spewing hate into their field of view. Second it protects your ability to have fun participating in your hobby. Once you aren't having fun there is a good chance you may drop out and move on. Third it reenforces to assholes that nobody has to listen to them. Which needs to happen a lot more often.

A lot of the feelings of accepting anybody that wants to come to the table stems from the early days of tabletop roleplaying. When finding new people or those who were interested were far and few between. Back then people put up with some assholes just so they could either have a full table of player or so they could be a player at a table. Now that's no longer an issue. Plenty of people to chose from so be picky about who you bring into your circle.

On social media platforms block them. Don't be afraid of that button. People have FINALLY leaned hard into this idea over on BlueSky and guess what? It's fucking working. They are still there but the reach of their hate is drastically diminished. So diminished that some have simply given up and moved on back to where they came from. If the social media you use doesn't have a full block function then it's time to find one that does and move. Trust me, it's not worth wading through the shit for a little bit of interaction. 

At your table you can tell them to leave. Introduce them to the world outside of your private gaming area. If you are at a table that lets every asshole in to do as they please. Then you really need to find a new group. I know that's hard but sometimes it has to be done. Take the other good players with you, help them find a place away from the pricks who are making things terrible. 

Don't let anyone guilt trip you into thinking that you have to provide a place for everyone. Because you sure as shit do not. 

Another thing is do not let them attempt to gaslight you into thinking that their toxic bullshit is something else. The old "You're only doing this because of my politics" or "You just can't handle people telling you the truth" crap is an absolute pile of garbage. Also they are major big ass red flags. They pull this shit you need to kick them away even faster.

Roll a D10 - What does the monster feed on

 

Sometimes it's good to change up things. Like what a monster feeds on. Well here's a list of ten ideas for you to roll on. 

What does it feed on?

1 – Human Spinal Fluid, the younger the better.

2 – Dissolving flesh and absorbing that through its touch.

3 – Psychic feeding off of human emotions, pain being what nourishes it the most.

4 – Devouring the flesh of humans.

5 – Good old fashioned, and very cliché, blood.

6 – Brains of mammals, the smarter the more nourishing.

7 – Bone marrow.

8 – Rotting and decayed meat.

9 – Heat, the hotter it gets the faster and tougher it gets.

10 – Electricity, and lots of it.

Fantasy Six Pack - Magical Fair Foods

 

In a fantasy world it's always fun to have some passive magic that really isn't anything more than a cantrip. In this case it's a six pack of some slightly magical foods that are sold at larger fairs and events. 

Slightly magical fantasy fair foods

1 – Smokin’ Speakin’ Chick’n Wings. A small pack of four smoked and sauced chicken wings. Once eaten you’re every fourth word spoken comes out as a chicken squawk. Lasts for 2D6 minutes.

2 – Rose Hard Candies. A small pack of three rose colored hard candies. Whenever you have one in your mouth everything in your field of visions has a rose pink tint to it. Makes natural firelight look really pretty. Each candy lasts about five minutes.

3 – Tongue Pleasing Frog Legs. Two frog legs, batter dipped and deep fried on a stick. Slightly spice and makes you salivate quite a bit. Once consumed your tongue will increase in length to twice it’s size and you can pop it in and out of your mouth like a frog. Lasts for 2D6 minutes.

4 – Happy Sticks. Three six inch long crisp bread sticks filled with a sugar and browned butter mixture. Served in a brown paper wrapper shaped like a cone. For each one you eat you spend six minutes thinking everything is blissfully fine and dandy.

5 – Cold Fruit Cocktail. A mix of fruit juices, sugar, and a bit of alcohol kept as cold as possible. Served in small cups or poured into whatever the fair goer has. While you are drinking this you feel a slight chill and can see your breath as if your in a very cold climate.

6 – Lightening Candy. Crystallized hard candy on a stick that comes in a variety of colors. The flavor is pretty much just sugary sweet. However whenever a person who has been eating one gets close to somebody else who is it creates harmless bursts of colored electricity to go back and forth between them. Lasts for about fifteen minutes.

Horror Six Pack - Gore Soaked Spells

Time to pop open a Horror Gaming six pack!

Every now and then you just want to make your players cringe. Especially when it's something bad happening their characters or to the people their characters care about. Here are some really nasty spells to give the bad guys to help this happen.

Gore soaked spells

1 – Pop. Creates a small sphere of super heated liquid to generate inside of a targets skull. Immediately liquefying the brain and causing their skull to blow apart from the pressure. Those nearby are usually struck by chunks of the scalding brain and bone matter.

2 – Back Pain. Seizes the vertebrae in a targets back and spins each one in place the opposite direction of the one next to it. Immediate agony and pain as the spinal cord is shredded and their back is turned into what looks like a meat grinder running at high speed spraying blood several feet out.

3 – Skin Tight. Causes the targets skin to tighten up and shrink up. Causing severe pressure to build up and excruciating pain. Within a minute the skin begins to tear itself apart splattering anyone nearby with blood as it does so.

4 – Blood Transfusion. Transfers the blood inside one target into the body of another. Extremely painful for both but the one receiving the extra plasma begins to swell and starts to spray blood out of any wounds and body cavities as their body over fills.

5 – Words Can Kill. Whenever the target speaks their words are carved into their skin across their body. The bleed excessively and will not clot normally unless the wounds are bandaged tightly. The more they speak, or even scream, the more words that are carved into them.

6 – Joint Aches. Every joint on the target instantly bend completely in the wrong direction. Usually causing many to split open, snap and tear cartilage and tendons completely.

Cyberpunk Six Pack - Street Media Teams

 

At the street level there are all kinds of different groups of folks tapping into the media frenzy. Money can be made just about anyway. Those at the bottom are the most desperate for some bucks just so they can get by. So here are six street level media teams your Edgerunners may run into. 

Six street level media groups

1 – JamCamz. This a group of skaters, high speed bike riders and others who are hooked on fast personal transport devices. They all have cameras mounted on their helmets and make a habit of chasing cops and rushing to scenes where something is taking place. Most of their product is video footage, although a few have gotten quite talented at doing quick and dirty reporting quips while filming.

2 – Poser Squad. These people never show their real face. What they do is disguise themselves as various workers and slip into secure facilities with small concealable cameras. Exposing illegal activities going on behind closed doors in all sorts of businesses. The bigger the business, the better. Everything from illegal dumping of toxic chemicals to full blown sex trafficking rings have been exposed by these folks.

3 – All Glamour. Chasers of the rich and famous. They track down celebrities and catch them reveling in the all the wonderful perks of being rich and well known. Often they will compile footage of an individual star together as a ‘Glam Packs’ and sell it to network. Sometimes they even manage to bag an interview or a quick exchange or two with those they are following.

4 – REAL. This small group goes into the combat zones, the homeless centers, slums and everywhere else where society is falling apart or completely failing. Interviewing people, showcasing their hardships and pushing the idea that things are really, really, bad. Most networks won’t even touch their stories so they run a few streaming channels showcasing their work and advertise via bumper stickers, street tagging and other such low cost means.

5 – Eyes in the Sky. A group of netrunners and techies who specialize in drone operations. Using some highly modified drones equipped with some of the most cutting edge cameras they send these into areas where events are happening right now. Shootouts in the streets, high speed police chases, gang wars, anything that can be viewed from above. Then they sell the footage to the networks with a quickness before the story can even begin to cool off.

6 – Politics Suck. A group of folks who are tired of politics at almost every level. So they follow any elected official they can around and try to capture them engaging in illegal activities. Not to mention having a few people hack their Agents or home computer systems to dig up some dirt as well. Most security for politicians have full privileges to rough up those who are part of this group that get close.

Weekly Health 12/2/24

 

 Starting weight: 362

Weigh in this week: 355.5

Well fuck. Gained back two pounds. Thanksgiving sure didn't help. Neither did working extra hours this weekend and eating whatever I could when I could. Boss bought us pizza one day, next day I was offered fast food that I didn't have to pay for. So yeah. Sucks.

I'm up to about 6 to 7 hours on the CPAP now. Falling asleep a lot faster with the face hugger on me than I did before. So I'm getting used to that. Feeling much better in the mornings than I used, like actually somewhat rested.

Nothing else to report. No medication changes or appointments.

Roll a D10 - How are they getting rid of the bodies?

 

Sometimes the psycho's causing trouble in your horror games need a way to get rid of the bodies. Especially if they are starting to stack up some numbers. Here are ten non-supernatural ways that a killer or group of killers can get rid of their victims bodies. 

How are they getting rid of the bodies?

1 – Into an old ventilation shaft that leads down to long abandoned mines.

2 – Strapping them to cinder blocks and dropping them into an old water filled quarry.

3 – Sealing them in old concrete septic tanks in a section of the city where nobody lives anymore.

4 – Putting them through a wood chipper and spraying them into a local river.

5 – Crushing them inside of old cars in an a junkyard.

6 – Putting them in large suitcases and tossing them into garbage dumpster to be hauled to a landfill.

7 – Sealing them in 55 gallon metal barrels and storing them in a storage unit that’s been paid ahead for years.

8 – Dismembering the bodies and tossing them into the pens at a pig farm.

9 – Placing them in the grave that has been dug and prepared for a funeral. So the casket is dropped down over them.

10 – Tossing the dismembered pieces into a funeral home crematorium with the body of someone being cremated.