I Think I've Caught on the Problem...

...Of current American politics, at least in terms with what we're seeing in international and domestic policy, at local, regional, and national levels. It's very simple:

America protects the freedoms and rights of its citizens. Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't stop them from being American.

It's as simple as that. I frequently debate with a staunchly Republican friend of mine about this very thing. Every time people make a proposal that impacts rights (right to marriage, abortion, etc.), I think the issue of agreement becomes the key. And disagreement does not stop LEGAL rights of citizens. That's not values at work. That's totalitarianism, my friends.

In a country whose voting body now determines their support of ideas based on intangibles (character, morals, religion, promises) rather than results (numbers, record of successes, support of measures, defense of civil rights and the environment, adherance to the Constitution), I think this principle is in danger.

Disagreement is as American as apple pie - that's why we have laws. That's why we have the separation of church and state. That's why we have English as a Second Language for children. That's why we have private universities. That's why we have a religiously pluralistic society. That's why it's America.

All I ask of our candidates and my fellow voters is to remember that when they cast their votes this Tuesday, and each year from here on out. Because you're letting our country drift into the ugly, beast-strong, idiot-brained creature that people say we are.

Happy GTA Day!

Well, friends, the long wait is over - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been released, and oh what a game it is. Customizable characters, deeper plots, larger landmasss, more missions, and just plain more GTA makes me a happy, happy boy. I was lucky enough to get a copy last night. Tonight, to celebrate this international holiday, I feast on gin and juice with friends, grab a hooptie, and roll like hard-ass muthaf*ckas should as we indulge in an orgy of electronic mayhem. God bless you, Rockstar North.

Free at last, thank God almighty, we're free at last
As of 3:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time this morning, I am finished with the Bosnian section of Battlegrounds. Overall I think it should be an interesting section, and I think the adventures should be fun. I only hope I did the conflict justice. Considering I dropped over 70 hours of work in this bad boy in less than a week (on top of my day job for 5 of those), only time will tell.

Weepingly Funny

As I struggle through my last push of Battlegrounds text (e.g. albatross), I decided for some reason to take a look at UrbanDictionary.com, where I found this definition:

"gangsta: A sociopathic member of the inner-city underclass, known primarily for being antisocial and uneducated. Also known for ready access to illegal drugs and weapons, and staggeringly poor marksmanship."

For some reason, this became the funniest thing I've seen in days. Perhaps it was the idiocy of the photos of these submoronic suburbanite gangsta tools hanging in front of their Mommy-n-Daddy-funded ricers that did it. All you need is some kanji stickers there and you'll be the shizzle, there, kids.

Haiku of the week

Haiku - strange little
phrases, strung five-seven-five
in three lines, like this.

Good Things Do Happen to Good People

Man, today has been a good day for feeling good vicariously. I just found out that friendly neighborhood Vampire: The Requiem game dev and frequent college guest Justin Achille has been promoted over at White Wolf, and newly-married college buddy and Feng Shui developer Will Hindmarch has been taken over as developer for Vampire. I'm thrilled for both these guys, as they deserve nothing less. Will will certainly fill Justin's large shoes admirably and move Vampire's freshly-kickstarted world forward in new and intriguing directions. Congratulate them over at their blogs, if you have a moment.

It's great to feel this sort of excitement for other people, to see friends travel down new paths in their lives and become truly "adult." Friends are getting married, having babies, getting careers, starting new projects...it's really good to see after the utter shit that 2003 and a good portion of 2004 have turned out to be for almost everyone I know.

My best friend just started medical school to become a physical therapist, and got to work the Chicago Marathon as a triage worker. He spent 6 hours hauling runners who sprinted, stumbled, or collapsed across the finish line to a tent, giving them water, massages and comfort as they rose and plunged throught the heights and depths of human emotions. He said to me, "It was that day that I knew that I have chosen the right path for myself. My eyes till well up with tears when I think about those people, even 3 weeks later." And that thrill was so contageous -- to know that friends are finally getting to that age where they can live their dreams, where the hard work and economic troubles and romantic disasters are finally paying off -- that I was drunk from it, bursting with joy. I have a hope that maybe things will soon turn around for me, but if they don't, I'm just as happy to watch my friends celebrate the victories of their lives.

For Whom the Blog Tolls

...it tolls for me. Good afternoon, friendly neighborhood blogsters. Tis been a quiet and agonizing week on the game design front; I am currently slogging through the mire of misinformation, conflicting data and ill documentation surrounding the Bosnian War in an effort to finish my contribution to Battlegrounds, the next book in the Spycraft line. What a mess this thing is. I can summarize in 1 sentence:

The Bosnian conflict was a guerilla war fueled by ethnic nationalism and outside agitators in an attempt to cause an apocalyptic struggle between three formerly friendly ethnic groups that would result in a sole victor which would then be absorbed by one of the outside agitators.

That's not even mentioning the abyssmal failure of the international community in mounting a response or protections for the 200,000 civilians who died in the conflict or preventing a displacement of over 60% of the population (approx 3 million people). This is a three way conflict marred by shotgun politics, savage warfare and crimes against humanity. It's not a fun time to write about, but boy are there a lot of story seeds in the conflict.

On a Lighter Note
Every evil genius needs an evil plan. But let's face it -- most of them are just not too bright. Thank goodness Darksites has made it easy for all levels of evil genius to generate their own maniacal plan...on the Internet!

Speaking of Poor Leadership...
The New York Times assembled a damning record of the 'faith-based' presidency, both religious and instictual, and what it could mean for the U.S. Long, but definately worth a look. As Jeff Tidball says, "If this doesn't convince you of the merit of voting for Kerry, nothing will."

...And On the Evil Genius Tip
See how close we got to being rid of the real power behind the throne - King of Spin, Karl Rove.

"AMERICA - F*CK YEAH!"

Wow. I saw Team America: World Police, by the creators of South Park, and it's freakin' brilliant. They successfully make hamburger of just about every sacred cow they can, hitting on all cylanders for the entire film. You'll laugh, you'll be offended, you'll feel no guilt in the end.

Things to watch for:

Team America's theme song
Puppet kung-fu
"You've got to look deep in........here."
Gary's 'disguise'
"I promise."
The sex scene
"Matt...Damon!"
Michael Moore's cameo
Puking
"This is the eye of the needle, Gary, and we've both got to go through it!"
The montage song
"Unleash the panthers!"
Every music number
"I can't outact Alec Baldwin - he's the best actor ever!"
The final soliloquiy

And stay til the end of the credits.

Fan-freakin'-tastic

What a great time last weekend was - Pat, Scott and I had a good time exploring Portland, talking shop, arguing passionately, and playing games together. It was a good time for renewal and reflection, and I'll tell you what, my interest in Spycraft has been reinvigorated five-fold. Next year is going to be so amazing, your eyes are going to bleed from joy.

Quotes:

"Schwa."
"Heat is like Ocean's 11's grandfather -- one that has been through both World Wars, lost a leg in one, and feels compelled to tell you about it each time you visit."
"TOKI! TOKI!"
"L.A. has nothing like this."
"I bring the mad blue sparks."
"WHY IN GOD'S NAME DO YOU HATE MY SKILLS?!"

Awesome.

Job News
Remember back in the day, when I was talking about a cool game-related job that I was going for? Well, it was the creative writer position on the Magic: The Gathering development team, and I didn't get it. I just found out 2 days ago, after a 5-month long (!!) application process involving numberous letters, 2 homeworks assignments and agonizing waiting. I was in the top 10 out of 600 applicants, but not in the top 4 that got interviews - consequently, I was good enough to not blow off but not one of the 4 to be interviewed. Let's split the difference at 7.

The final hire is a Magic artist, seen here (bottom of the page). While I'm a little disappointed that the end choice was someone with an "in," I'm not surprised. Gaming is still very much a cottage industry, and considering the tight nature of relationships combined with the generally tight finances of most companies, having someone you already know and trust makes things that much easier. My having to move to Seattle also factored into the decision, I'm sure.

But at least I can get some use out of my materials. For my initial "creative project" in round 2, I created this one page example of my creativity while explaining why I wanted the position. Read and enjoy (and gaze upon my comic likeness - Fish XXIII informed me that some of you have tried in vain to find a picture of me out there). Comment below if you like.

"Does he look like a BITCH?"
I'm probably catching on to a trend a few years too late, but I thought this was funny as hell.

Weird Campaign Idea of the Month: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Back in the late 80's and early 90's, when D&D was struggling through its new second edition launch and the gaming market was in a bit of a slump, there was one shining gem that attracted new gamers to the market like nothing else - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness. Fueled by the success of the cartoon show and franchise properties, Palladium revised the original small run of the first edition and put out what is arguably their best and most universally praised product ever. In 7th grade, I ran an 8 player group during lunch hour, taking the mutant weasals and porcupines and elephants of our campaign through many chop-sockey adventures from the streets of New York to the reaches of outer space and the Mesezoic Era. From there, we expanded into other Palladium games like Ninjas & Superspies, Heroes Unlimited, and finally Rifts, but never was gaming so darn satisfying as when we were playing TMNT together.

I was fortunate enough at GenCon Indy this year to find some TMNT books for extremely low prices (as in, I rebought my print run for less than $15), and though I hate the system, the nostalgia is overwhelming. In considering all the new fun bits of the Dark Inheritance setting (now, or shortly, available in stores), one kept coming back to me. We've got the Martial Artist; we've got the Edgemaster; we've got Sword Basics and Mastery (both the Edgemaster and the new melee feats of DI appear in the Sharper Edge web supplement) and the coup de grace - we even have mutant animals, thanks to the Hybrid macro species.

So, with Dark Inheritance in hand, what else do you need? Pan-Asian Collective, with its excellent expansion on the basic unarmed combat feats, addition of new unarmed and melee feat trees, stances and all things Oriental, is a great place to start. Don't forget the Martial Arts Mook NPC class either - it's perfect for Hand ninjas. Mystics of the East, another web supplement, can also be great for squeezing in some mysticism with the Shinobi PrC. If you want to stay true to the game's roots,
Shadowforce Archer's physical adepts or mentalists would be good for modeling both the TMNT superhero Radical, or just plain crazy wuxia. Finally, if you want some true weirdness like the Triceratons or the little squiddy aliens that appear in the early TMNT runs, the Daemonhost of DI might be a good place to start.

Look for more from Mythic Dreams TBA that will further enhance this type of campaign, too. Enjoy, folks!

WMD&D


I always knew this guy was prone to fantasy, but never like this.