All religious people in jail!

Unbelievable. Two days ago I read in the newspaper, at work, about a church that closed itself after one of their priests had abused some people from the congregation sexually. Reading the article made it very understandable, but at first I commented on the title only with a bit of wonder about why they would close the whole Church - not having read it yet. This prompted one of my colleagues to strongly state that he wanted all Churches to be closed – by force, we understood. As I asked him why, he told me that they were harmful to people. After telling him how some of his own interest that do accept members down to at least three years of age (so no free chose, really) could be considered harmful to people (professional soccer, in this case) he got angry – of course, as he strongly disagreed. Then I asked him if people should be thrown in jail for attending Church after they had been closed, as you know they would be (even if we start with fines, money to pay will eventually run out, and people will still go) he said yes! I then started listing people at our work that would be incarcerated, or whom spouse would be – most of them present at this time but not saying a word, and asked if he really meant that. Shockingly he said “I thing so”! Then I asked him “are you so arrogant that you think that you know what is bast for people, and rally think you can jail them for disagreeing with you. Now he was about to loose it, so might be answering without thinking. But he said yes again! Still no one backed me up, and after he left there were just complete silence.

~J

Meaning of AC and HP - 1st attempt.

When people whom are not familiar with OSR games and Dungeons & Dragons' combat resolution system encounter it they may question the way it works. AC for a monster type doesn't always make sense – like a ghoul having AC6, or a Medusa AC8, and why doesn't wisdom add to the combat roll, given that being wise would help you to know when to strike. And dextrous charismatic swashbuckler types (not the level title) should get some form of attack bonus from high stats in those areas, no? Oh, and what's with those hit points anyway?

Saying that it's just game mechanics is fine. But I sat in the train and thought I'd like to BS it a bit better. This is what I came up with regarding the OSR games and B/X D&D versions – realizing that my stab at this is just as good/bad as anyone else's.

AC armor class.

AC is not only based on armor but a combination of armor worn as well as the general survival instinct helping you to dodge attacks. Therefore it is present even for unarmored characters where it is 9, and are modified by dexterity as well as armor.

AC can also be based on the creatures fierceness or a frightening special ability (like a petrifying gaze) making it harder to “go in” to land the hit.

This help explain the ghouls high AC. It's skin cant be that tough, but no one want to get close to those claws. And the medusa is served well by the attackers inability to look directly at it. And an ogres AC5? I'll take the skin could be as leather armor, but not chain mail. Those big crushing fists on an enraged stinking juggernaut might just make you hesitate a bit, though, adding the bonus of 2 or 3 to AC.

HP hit points.

Hit points symbolize the ability to withstand pain, resist strain, and perry at the last moment. Therefore constitution and class level affects HP. A fighter learn to dodge and perry better then a thief, and can resist more pain then a magic user. And someone with a high constitution can withstand shock better then someone with a low constitution. The attack and damage roll is therefore also modified by strength as strong attacks affect a person if it hits armor, and also course more strain upon the target if blocked or parried.

This works pretty well, and also make clear that it's not the ability to get a sword stabbed through the torso, and keep fighting. The explanation isn’t perfect, neither is the system. But I do think they boat work.

Weapon damage is based on weapon effectiveness and weight.

Given that they drain HP until the last moment this is the best I could come up with. It's more sensible with a wpn vs. wpn+AC with a set HP loss die per att, but then playability suffers. I might try to build it as an ivory tower pursuit some time though.

Space: Above and Beyond - Kill the right thruster you stupid tank!

I just finished watching the to part pilot of Space: Above and Beyond. It's the first time since 1996 when I'm pretty sure it ran on Danish TV, And it hooked me again. It's funny how much I remember from just those two episodes. Anyway, this entry isn't interesting to anyone, I guess. I just wanted to give the show a shout out. I watched it every time on TV at some time after 02:00 at night - no wonder it wasn't big over here :D Too bad it got cut before any wrap up. I think I read the reason in a magazine ones, but I can't remember it. It beats Star Wars and Star Track in my book. I ones had a facebook profile named Clear Sky Blue Sea, which is a positive rewrite of a term I heard in that show. Looking at the vid files I think it's s1e22: Sugar Dirt, but I will see in the days to come :)

Oh, and that theme music ^_^

How to win Dungeons and Dragons

This was written in a comment reply to The Iron Goat http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2011/08/compression.html) on B/X Blackrazor

"That's one possible consideration of the original game designers: with unlimited levels, play can extend as long as one wants (i.e. until you get bored with your character) with always "something to look forward to." I'm not sure that's what I want in the game...though probably some type of End Game is desirable, to have an "overall goal" players can attain through the life of a campaign."

It made me think of the Frank Mentzer line.

Now I newer played the Immortals rules of the BECMI sets, but that has a clear end to the game – that no mortal will ever reach! Well, everything is possible, I guess…

On page 3 to 5 of the Immortals DM's Guide it state that you have to become one of the most powerful gods in the multiverse, twice.

This means first surviving to become a god in the first place.

I'll first quote the companion sets Players Guide page 2 to show what it takes:

“Paths to Immortality These paths will be explained in detail in the D&D Master Set, but you should know some general details at this time, so you can plan your character’s future. After reaching level 26 or greater, a character can gain Immortality by following one of four paths: 

A dynast is a character who builds a great and powerful empire. The dynasty must be vast, and must stand for a long time.

A hero (or Epic Hero) is a character who represents the ultimate ideals of heroism. The character must display the traits of the classic Epic Hero in every thought and action. Among other things, the character must travel to far lands and perform great and noble deeds. 

A paragon is a character who reaches the ultimate in his or her profession. The paragon must invent or discover new skills and knowledge, and must be renowned as a master professional. 

A polymath is a character who learns much about everything, not only in the original profession, but in all areas. The character must give up all known skills before gaining others, and becoming a member of a mysterious and unique brotherhood.”

Wow! Reading this I think: Paragon you can do, I guess. Hero is the simplest. I don't know how Dynast will be played out. I mean, how do you know if it will stand for a long time? And polymath is just brutal. Remember; you have to stay alive from level one again – as I read it.

The Masters set does go in to more detail on page 15 of the DM's guide, however.

For all the paths you need to first get some god to sponsor you. If the DM is nice this could be a breeze.

Now you have to do the following:

Gain 4'000'000 XP, unless you wish to be god in an area (sphere) that does not mach your class. In that case it'll be 6'000'000 XP!

Quest: Quest for an artifact. And it is written that it should take many in-game years.

Trail: Complete a trail fitting his class or sphere. For a Dynast this involve traveling in time to help decedents – no less then three different ones at different times! So I guess that's how you know...

Testimony: The Epic Hero must create a legendary weapon, but the Dynast must found a nation… Hero wins, no?

Task: The Paragon must become known as the most powerful within a 1'000 mile radius. He should challenge opponents of no less then level twentyfive, and might have them gang up on him!

This is hard and time consuming. And try to read this combined Quest and Task of the Polymath:

“Quest and Task: The Polymath must face the challenge to succeed in three additional lives as cleric, thief, and magic-user. The Polymath, during each of his three lives as another character class, must quest for and gain the same artifact. He begins each new career at first level, with no memories of his previous lives. The quests may not begin until the character reaches 5th level in each class. The first two times the artifact is gained, the Immortal reappears to the character within 10-200 days to claim it. The Immortal then reduces the character to first level and causes him to forget his past so that he may begin as the next character class. The third time the artifact is gained, the character may retain it, and the Immortal returns all past memories.”

So, a full weekend, eh?

Then after godhood, you have to play the Immortals set long enough to become member of the most powerful cast of gods. What then? Go back to LEVEL ONE and do it all again. And if you die at level two? Oh, your character didn't make it the second time, and you have to start ALL over to “win” the game.

I'd like to know if anybody ever won Franks version of D&D :D

I'll quote the Immortals set:

“The Secret of the Multiverse.
Immortals have imagined much of the following, and have in fact deduced most of the truth, but have never found real evidence to support their theories. They remain uneasy, intellectually capable but unable to fully accept their own deductions. Coming from a place now lost in the mists of forgotten time and memory, the first Immortals found the multiverse; they did not create it. They found it without order, and without purpose, so they made the achievement of these things their highest goal. The many planes of existence are still being explored by the Immortals. The Outer Planes seem to be innumerable. With each passing millennium, the Immortals grow ever more awed by the apparently infinite size and variety of this vast creation. Someone must have been here before, they reason. Someone or some group, or perhaps some thing, made all of this. The Immortals call them the Old Ones – beings to whom even the power of the Immortals is but a drop in an ocean. The Immortals are correct. With such power, the Old Ones knew that the Immortals would come. They saw this as an opportunity. For despite their unimaginable abilities, the Old Ones are tragically similar to Immortals in one respect. They cannot reproduce and the only way for other beings to achieve their level of power is through a test of time, experience, and will. Just as Immortals await and desperately desire the appearance of exceptional mortals, so do the Old Ones watch and wait for the greatest and best of all the Immortals. But knowing that Immortal power could transcend all boundaries, the Old Ones set a limit to restrict the Immortals to help them concentrate their efforts. This is the Barrier. Withdrawing themselves into the sixth and higher dimensions, the Old Ones created a type of wall between themselves and the rest of existence. Whenever an Immortal tries to pass beyond the first five dimensions, he or she enters a special realm. Immortals perceive this realm as a whirlpool of infinite size. made of a watery form of ether. Some Immortals have been lost in the huge swirling mass for many years; they are known to still live, but are missing, and presumed unrecoverable. The Immortals have made many attempts to explore, penetrate, and solve the mystery of this vast whirlpool, but have never succeeded. This swirling chaos is called the Dimensional Vortex. Perhaps even worse than the existence of the barrier is the simple fact that some creatures, presumably life forces but of a type different from all others, enter and leave the Dimensional Vortex. Simply called vortex creatures by Immortals, these beings are powerful and greatly feared. The Immortals believe that the vortex creatures are servants of the Old Ones, sent to observe, correct, or destroy. In creating the barrier, the Old Ones knew that its existence would produce certain odd effects – most notably the evolution of life forms with a new dimensional viewpoint, the Nightmare creatures. They saw this as another opportunity. Immortals have begun to look at Nightmare creatures as an alternate stock from which Immortals may arise once they have reached the level of evolution of the Normal dimensional creatures. The barrier will not be removed until this great experiment of the Old Ones has reached a conclusion, for it has been successful in creating new Old Ones. Approximately one Immortal per 10,000 reaches Full Hierarch status. Most of these beings are content in this exalted post. But some very few Hierarchs have become dissatisfied with their fate. They sought even greater power, and wondered about the paradox of the great barrier. Most of these overcame their concerns and curiosity, but a few—perhaps one of each hundred or two— chose to prove their ultimate superiority, on the remote chance that some greater power might be watching. They dispersed their life essences into their Home Planes, and reincarnated themselves as mere mortal humans once again. Most of these daring individuals perished in the process, for they indeed became mere mortals, with no better chance to survive and achieve Immortality than any other mortal man. Only a handful both desired and reached Immortal status a second time. And of these, only a few reached Hierarch status a second time. And finally, of these few, only two dared once again to seek more. They saw the coming of the blackballs as their punishment and final destruction, and the other immortals still believe that this is what occurred. But unbeknownst to all, they passed beyond the barrier, and exist now with the Old Ones. One success could have been chance, but the second arrival proved that the great experiment known as the Multiverse would serve its purpose. The Old Ones continue to watch and wait for other daring Hierarchs. And someday when they are satisfied, when their unknown goals have been reached— someday the Old Ones will return. 

Summary.
This set does not attempt to fully describe the Old Ones. We cannot even fully describe their servants, the Immortals, nor their vast realm of the Multiverse. And no future volume will provide details on the Old Ones, for their powers transcend the framework of any mere game. To reduce them to game terms would trivialize their power, which is of an order far greater than the Immortals'. The Old Ones are prepared to wait indefinitely, for Time has no hold over them. If any player character succeeds in the great journey, not merely achieving Hierarch status but proving his or her superiority by doing it twice – well, no higher goal can be attained, and no reward is too great. The player wins and his character vanishes. And that is the final end of this game. One fact remains for you, as Dungeon Master, to decide. Who are the Old Ones? Are they indeed the greatest and most powerful beings of all? Or perhaps, as they wait secure in their power, do even the Old Ones naively fail to see the most obvious fact of all? Can they really believe that no higher Being watches them? One who also watches... and waits…”

Just wow! But at least you know exactly how to WIN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS!!! And also that you will never be able to do it :D