Random starting equipment

Been in a bit of a discussion with some folks over on G+.  A bit of talk about generating up some random starting equipment tables which I thought was a neat idea.  So I started working on one that is completely random for Basic Fantasy.  Basically was going to make charts for each class so they get gear that suits them.

Some people liked the idea of random starting packages of equipment.  One person spoke up and said as long as there were a lot of packages to really add some randomness to it.  Then somebody posted up a link to a blog post... the one here below to be exact:

http://untimately.blogspot.ca/2012/07/od-equipment.html

For old DnD.  The four basic classes represented with sixteen packages for each.  Now this is awesome and I will probably be using it next time I run some BECMI DnD or Basic Fantasy.  Also if you look through the comments you can find a link to a pdf version of this list. 

So two thumbs up and I salute the work that went into this resource.

Cyberpunk Sunday 2.009

The underlying theme to this weeks link is one of Gibson's favorite things.  How the street finds uses for technology. 

Wi-fi user stalking made easy. Just how easy it to spy on people using wi-fi devices like their phones or iPads? Pretty damn easy. With this very cheap set up a person can monitor and record the activity of various users as they simply pass by little boxes hidden nearby. If you think about it this can really crank up the creepyness factor as a person could monitor the entire neighborhood they live in.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/diy-stalker-boxes-spy-on-wi-fi-users-cheaply-and-with-maximum-creep-value/

Would it be cyberpunk without a drone? Heck no so here we go. Robot enthusiasts have started using Google Glass as a means to control small drones. Currently they are pretty basic maneuvers but I'm sure they'll get all the kinks worked out and a lot more options will appear. Just wait until officer Murphy can send that drone down a dark alley without having to set down his donut and coffee.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2400958/Hacker-pilots-drone-Google-Glass-using-just-head-movements.html

Tired of the worrying if the government is spying on your internet activity? Or should I say are tired of knowing that the government is spying on your internet activity? Well so are these folks and they aim to do something about it. Build a new form of internet. One that is composed of small nodes and various connections. A lot harder to control and probably a bit harder to shut down in areas with a high concentration of nodes.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929294.500-meshnet-activists-rebuilding-the-internet-from-scratch.html

Of course there are some who really don't like being spied on and have built a whole new layer of security under the net. The Darknet has become one of those things you hear about but very few ever seem to be let in on. Secrecy built on top of more secrecy. You even have to have special programs just to get in. If you ask me these guys are doing it right.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046227/meet-darknet-the-hidden-anonymous-underbelly-of-the-searchable-web.html

I found what in my bag of holding? Part 3

Now for a third batch of random items that your players can find in a bag of holding.  Because not everything thrown in has a use.

1 – Burlap sack with about a half dozen charcoal bricks inside.

2 – Large section of ordinary tree bark.

3 – Pack of rations... well beyond their expiration date.

4 – Waterskin and the water inside has been there a looong time.

5 – Handful of very pretty, but worthless, gems.

6 – Empty wine bottle.

7 – A wad of blood stained bandages.

8 – Bundle of a dozen very old and very dead roses.

9 – Bottle of Lilac scented perfume.

10 – A corkscrew in great condition.

11 – Recipe for making your own mead on a old scrap of paper.

12 – Small pouch holding chalk powder.

13 – The mummified remains of a small rodent.

14 – Leatherbound book of erotic poetry.

15 – A stack of decades old 'Wanted' posters.

16 – Around a hundred feet of thread, loose... not on a spool.

17 – Horseshoe with teeth marks on it.

18 – A nine foot pole.

19 – Small leather pouch filled with human teeth.

20 – Set of wooden dentures.

Rules for asshole gamemaster number three

There seems to be the common misconception that runs through a lot of the gaming hobby out there. That we have to accept everybody who wants in no matter what. We should greet them with open arms and friendly words despite of their actions or behavior.

This is, in my humble opinion, utter bullshit.

Now don't get me wrong here I am accepting of a lot of things. Social awkwardness, various quirks and odd habits, a lot of what gets some people ostracized from other circles I am fully aware of dealing with and allowing at my table. The ones I am talking about here are the ones who go far and beyond the average 'geek' who isn't familiar with interacting with people on a normal basis. The ones who continue, or in some cases increase, their strong anti-social tendencies even after you've sat down and had a talk with them about it.

The guy who seems okay at some points but hits on every female that comes around... as long as they are underage. I've seen this one at a local game shop, he was in his mid twenties and he seemed to like the ones who either weren't old enough to have a drivers license or just got one. Really creepy pedo factor every time I was near him.

Or how about the overly violent bully. He sees all the other players as inferior or stupid, usually the GM as well. Yells at other people for the decisions they make, threatens physical harm if they make a bad die roll. Usually states that he is the only one at the table with any form of intelligence quite loudly to the other people.

The drug addict who is always trying to get other people to join in with his habit. The kleptomaniac who thinks what is yours should be his and has no problem taking it. The guy who absolutely refuses to bathe that people on the other side of the room can smell. The ones who really push the boundaries way far and beyond their limits. Those folks are who I'm talking about.

What's my asshole gamemaster advice here? Kick them the fuck out, plain and simple. Their reputation will rub off on you and the rest of the group even if you don't want it to. Potential players may avoid your games because of a single individual at your table. Folks outside of the gaming hobby will notice the company you keep as well. Trust me, reputation is a big deal out there in the world. Not to mention legal repercussions from folks like the drug addict or pedophile types. Do you really want to testify in front of a court room that you've seen somebody dating underage girls for the last two or three years... and never reported it.

We don't have to accept everybody. Some people just cannot and will not fit in.

 

 

 

Cyberpunk Sunday 2.008

Monitoring for crime even before anybody can call it in. Several cities are now trying out a sensors that can detect gunshots by sound. Not only that they are more reliable at pinpointing the point of origin than most 911 callers ever could be. So now no gunshot will go unreported. One could see this as an extremely useful for the police in quick response to potential crimes.... or as Big Brother not only watching but listening as well.

LISTENING FOR CRIME

What would cyberpunk be without some sort of fashion? Pretty dull and boring. So coming soon to a club near you remote controlled LED clothing. First off is a light up skirt and top but I'm sure there are plenty more on the way. I'm just waiting for lit up cuffs and collars like they had in Automan years ago.

LIGHT UP THE DANCE FLOOR

Last but not least is the burger built in a lab. A project to create artificial meat has finally taste tested their results. Apparently they aren't nearly as bad as some thought they would be. With the bulk of funding for this 330k project being R&D its nice to see it end with something of a success. Now that the development costs are out of the way I wonder how much it will cost to grow this 'smeat' for larger consumption.

ARTIFICIAL MEAT OF THE FUTURE

Selling Jesus by Skunk Anansie

Music video for 'Selling Jesus' by Skunk Anansie from the movie Strange Days.  One hell of a song and she really puts everything into it.  It's actually a bit of a step away from most of the other music of hers that I've managed to listen to.  The lyrics seem even more true now than they did then.

Strange Days has to be one of the most underrated cyberpunk films of all time.  The themes, the characters, some of the tech, it all just bleeds chrome.  The only things missing are the net and cyberware.  Although the tech at the center of the storyline could be argued as a beginning jumping off platform for eventual virtual interfacing.

If you haven't see it, track a copy down and give it a watch.  Well worth the time.

Cyberpunk Sunday 2.007

William Gibson is considered one of the fathers of the cyberpunk movement. He's been involved with the literary movement ever since the early beginning years. His book, Neuromancer, blew the doors of the genre and helped get some main stream attention. His take on technology is that he isn't all that interested in new tech as much as he is interested in how the street will find a use for it. So I would recommend to everybody who is a fan of cyberpunk to follow his twitter feed. While there is a lot of 'normality' among his posts there is also those ones that catch your imagination. Not to mention some of the things he retweets are pure cyberpunk in essence.

William Gibson's Twitter

We are stepping ever closer to using our brains to control more than our own bodies. At Harvard they have managed to make a nonevasive brain to brain interface... between a human and a rat. Again small steps at first, but they all add up. Eventually I'm sure people will be using this for much more and a lot of it rather immoral.

Havard brain to brain interface

Now after the whole NSA scandal is coming to light with how much they are monitoring everybody that they can we will probably see more stories like this. Everything is being recorded and sifted through and this story shows just that. A man is questioned by police after Googling the 'wrong' things. For some reason I think a few details of how or why their search history was picked up on are being told. Then again I'm paranoid... then again it's not whether or not you're paranoid it's a question of are you paranoid enough?

Be careful what you Google for