Musing and articles from Peter Amthor. Usually of a role playing game influence but I do drift into other directions occasionally. You can also find me on Mastodon at dice.camp/@peteramthor. Comments and constructive criticism welcome.
Over on my Ko-Fi shop I have a new product up for folks. It's a collection of various cyberpunk themed random charts that have appeared on this blog over they years. While it's not slick, nor is it professional, it is only a buck. So go on over and check it out if you would!
Well it's also over on DrivethruRPG for those who prefer purchasing from that platform. So here is a link for you to find it over there.
Scientists grow mini human brains to power computers.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7p1lzvxjro
Brain inspired computing can help us create faster, more energy efficient devices.
Power for AI: Easier said than built.
https://about.bnef.com/insights/commodities/power-for-ai-easier-said-than-built/
Magician Forgets Password to RFID Chip Implanted In His Hand.
https://obdaily.com/weird/magician-forgets-password-to-rfid-chip-implanted-in-his-hand/
Why are we still carrying around car keys?
https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-we-all-still-carrying-around-car-keys/
For the 29th day we have Glitches as the prompt. So here is something special to aggravate your netrunners with.
A Six pack of Glitches happening while you are jacked into the net.
1 – You can’t see anyone’s actual avatar. All you see are various polygons (the more detailed or complex the avatar the more sides on the visible polygon) of different colors with their user name floating above them.
2 – A bit of strange feedback into your meat body. Every twenty seconds of so your meat house gets a shock to the area around your data port. You can feel it very distinctly and it’s quite distracting.
3 – Going from system to system is buggy. So when you go from a city view up to a regional view it may fail a few times or simply take longer than normal. Very aggravating when you are on a time sensitive schedule.
4 – All audio input has been switched over to mute with closed captioning provided but using bold flashing letters. For some reason it will not switch back.
5 – For some reason anytime you receive or send data packages your system wants you to set a passcode key for each one. It cannot be a passcode that you previously used.
6 – The trial version of the cyberdeck is in place every single time you log in. You have to reinstall the purchase code to turn it off. Otherwise after three minutes jacked in your are recalled back to the cyberdecks lobby program and have to wait an hour before you can jack back in.
If you are on Discord please check out the Old School//Cyberpunk server that is under new management.
Be A Better Player 21 "Don't expect critical role" and for damned sure don't demand it!
Player 1 - "Yeah we need some new blood."
Player 2 - "Grab a seat, we can move around a bit if need be."
New Player - "Okay great, happy to be hear. Where can I set to face the camera better?"
Player 3 - "Face the what now?"
New Player - "The camera for when you stream the game. Where do you usually set them up?"
DM - "We don't stream our games."
New Player - "You don't?"
Player 2 - "Yeah we just play here at the table. For fun."
New Player - "Why would anybody want to even play if it's not being streamed? That's kind of dumb."
DM - "Maybe you should rethink what you think gaming should be."
While Critical Role has been instrumental in propelling the popularity of the gaming hobby to never before seen levels there have been some issues to come along with it. Before I start I'm in no way bashing the show, it's stories, or how they do things. I'm simply pointing out some problems I've seen come up because of the way people see the show. Also this isn't just limited to Critical Roles influence, there have been many successful streaming actual play shows which have caused some folks to develop a false sense of expectations.
What you see, and hear, on that show is now how most gaming looks at the table. Matthew Mercer is a professional voice actor, many of cast are voice actors or work in the film industry in some fashion. These folks have been to acting school, or at least classes. They are professionals doing a job that has a production budget, editing team, writers and so much more.
Most likely, you don't have any of that.
So don't expect the person running the game to have all that. Don't expect all the players to have all that. Definitely don't DEMAND that they have all that.
I've seen players tell folks who've been running games for decades that they shouldn't be a DM because they "can't do all the voices and accents". Or that everyone at the table should have to dress up as their character. Not to mention asking why they don't have a high end streaming set up so they can "become" famous with the game. Or act like you are auditioning for Critical Role at a table where nobody else is interested in that.
Being that jackass with over the top expectations from the other people at the table will likely get you uninvited from that table. As they should do. Let everyone have the fun the way they want to. If you can't do without all the extras then leave and find a group that does. Good luck with that.
This above post got me to thinking on something that happened in my game group recently. We had a really good player who was also a really good person. He was a great addition at the table and everyone enjoyed playing with him. Everything was great when we were playing a game that was heavily class based, in particular Cyberpunk 2020 and RED.
But then when we moved on to another game that had no classes and was much more 'build your own' things began to not go so well. The new game, while still very trad based, focused much more on individual characters and being what you want to be. Instead of where you belong in a group or team.
He had some issues which we tried to help him out with. Character creation was a hurdle. What his character should be doing. Things like that. Eventually he dropped out saying he felt 'rudderless' and had no direction of what he should be doing. Now there were other issues like he loved having games with lots of lore to fall back on. But I think this may have been the central issue.
It wasn't until I read the above post that it clicked in my head. He hadn't game for over a decade at some point, only recently getting back into gaming. So I think the over all style of gaming he was used to had shifted somewhat. I never noticed because I stayed in the gaming hobby and never really got out, only burnt out a few times. So the shift was something that never caught my attention.
Adventure-Centric really harkens back to the way DnD used to be. You played the Cleric, your job was to be the healer, back up combat person and occasionally turning the undead. The Thief found traps and unlocked doors. Etc and so forth. Premade adventures where designed around going in with a well rounded party with each person doing their part to keep moving things forward. Even with modern games that do have classes they are much more open to interpretation allowing much more room for them to built outside of a central focused role.
Now while I don't think you can define gaming between just these two filters it does help provide a lens to see things through. Now understanding this I'm hoping I may be able to talk him back to the table for a bit. Just need to discuss ahead of time what his characters adventure-centric traits could be and giving a focal point. He may like it, he may not. But he's one of those guys I consider a friend and I hope to game with him again in the future. So I will give it a shot.
In the end I think this lens of two styles of play will help me (and a few others) understand the people at the table a bit more. Seeing what they are looking for and what they want. By no means is this anything like an overall classification of gaming styles. Just something more to think about.
Day 24 of Sprawlvember is pets. So I decided to do a six pack of genetically or cybernetically altered friends for a runner to have.
Sprawlvember Pets
1 – Luminescent fish. Genetically altered to create a specific wavelength of light that calms an individual and helps clear your thoughts. Only works in a completely dark room.
2 – A heavily genetically altered Boa Constrictor that is able to flatten itself when it wraps around to work like emergency armor or to compress bleeding wounds to stop blood loss.
3 – Memory Pets. Animals with wireless drives implanted in them. Routed into their ears they can only uploaded to or downloaded from after certain phrases are spoken to them.
4 – Nightwatch Owls. These owls have been genetically altered and have cyberoptics installed. They all link back to a persons video security system acting as living, moving security cameras. Great for large areas or woodlands.
5 – Canary in a Coal Mine. Various breed of genetically altered birds who have also been grafted with filtration systems. When something airborne is detected they call out and their feathers change colors with each one signifying what they are breathing.
6 – Healy Cats. A strain of genetically modified cats that have been altered to have their tongues excrete ‘natural’ antiseptics and healing agents. Thus able to help heal their owners wounds. However several got out into the wild and the modifications became primary breeding traits. Now these felines are highly sought after ferals are captured and kept by homeless and nomad encampments.
A site showing the locations of known Flock cameras and information about them.
Breaking the Creepy AI in Police Cameras (Video)
https://youtu.be/Pp9MwZkHiMQ?si=fDJ7PtQgYMR1gqfw
Drones dispatching hair-loss drugs, Ozempic and steroids to prisons. (On Archive to get around paywall)
Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/tech/folotoy-kumma-ai-bear-scli-intl
US Approves $1B Loan to Restart Three Mile Island, as Microsoft Data Centers Drive Demand
Crypto Company Creates Bizarre Drug
https://futurism.com/health-medicine/crypto-tharimmune-opioid-drug
