Funky Dice Spinner Background

Here's a simple color Funky Dice Spinner to use in creating your Funky Dice Spinner to randomly generate scores for d3, d5, d7, d14, d16, d24 and d30.
The original is set up for a 5" by 5" spinner base but rescaling shouldn't be much of an issue.


(click for the full size file)
Permission Granted to reproduce for non-commercial use. Just in case you are hassled by a copy shop employee and can show them this.

Make Your Own Funky Dice.

So have a game that needs weird dice? That new RPG calling for d7's? You think you really need a d18 even when no game you'd ever seen has one? You can make your won.

I'm fibbing here a little of course, I not going to tell you how to make a d7 or d24 but I know how you can make a "randomizer" for any die type imaginable.

Make a custom game spinner. You can make the whole thing yourself from scratch, find components online, adapt one you "borrow" from a family game or even have one special made from an online service.

There is no excuse at not being able to have any "die" type possible. You can get as funky as you want.

I sooo married the right woman for me.

My wife is home feeling a bit ill today and she's currently sitting on the couch watching a show about Ancient Fortresses on the History Channel. Oh yeah baby, tell me about the roman encampments...

D&D club in the yearbook

My oldest child is in the last few days of being a high school freshman and just recently brought home the current video yearbook on DVD. It's a bunch of quick segments of different student groups and clubs and a few skits.

My son is immortalized (at least until formats change) as a member of the D&D club which got a commercial length segment in the Video Yearbook. They're pushing arround some figures on a battle-mat and look like they are having fun, no exciting audio as there is music over the segment.
There's also a segment of student comments where my son and his friend (not in the D&D club) are making a few Dr. Who jokes...yup the boy's a nerd just like his dear old dad.

Nihilistic RPGs, really?

Nihilism, I don't think most of the critics know what the hell the word means.
Being an evil bastard isn't nihilism. Neither is being a selfish dick. The charge of nihilism has of course been raised as a condemnation against some RPGs lately and that charge being leveled against the DCC-RPg and LOTFP-WF RPG are what got me to write this post. I feel the charge of nihilism leveled against both titles is inaccurate to say the least. The very fact the DCC RPG and LOtFP-WF RPG's have alignment systems makes both by definition non-nihilistic.

Nihilism claims life is without objective meaning or is a philosophy that suggest the negation of the meaningful aspects of life. There is no point to existence, no necessary norms in a nihilistic view. Some describe Nihilism as a lack of faith in faith. Nihilism is seated in the rejection of all moral principles and that all endeavors are devoid of meaning. Neither RPG presents itself as nihilistic.

Sure in LOTFP-RPG alignments have nothing to do with morality, except of course for how PC's may relate to their alignments. Lawfuls are looking for guidance and justification to their actions. Chaotic may be haunted by their alignment. Neutrals exist between those extremes and many willfully find the extremes undesirable. The PC isn't a central element in the plans of the universe, as far as they know. Nihilism doesn't support a universe of the victimized and ill-fated, destiny has no hand in the actions of man to the nihilist and the universe is moving in no direction and is without meaningful motive or destructive forces.

In the DCC-RPG alignments matter. Sure the game proclaims "you're no hero, you're a reaver...you seek gold and glory ...and you shall have them.." and then it provides rules where moral choices have an impact on the game and the character. There most certainly is right and wrong in the universe and it has a direct influence on how the universe treats it's occupants. The PC isn't a central element or gifted with any reason to expect they will achieve much at all but their choices will matter and may indeed have an impact.

Neither game system mires itself in nihilism. Sure in the Lamentations of the flame Princess Weird Fantasy RPG Grind-house Edition the imagery is horrifying and grim but few tales are told abut those who restrict themselves to polite conversation at tea, planting flowers and petting puppies and even less challenging adventure is forthcoming from the later situations.

To me how a lowly common man rips and tears his way to the middle and then makes the decision to rise as a hero or fall into villainy is far more interesting then starting out a hero from day one. Nihilism follows neither path and there is nothing to strive for.

Want to pretend to be a hero in an RPG: pretend to be a hero. Want to pretend to be a villain in an RPG: pretend to be a villain. Want to pretend to be a selfish jerk in an RPG: pretend to be a selfish jerk (don't actually be one).

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This post over at the Aldeboran blog got me typing all of the above. I almost typed it as a comment but figured it would be an awful waste of a timely blog post.

Hmmm, 1 point of AC bonus...

There's a number of posts going about on the blogosphere about the piddly little 1 point bonus AC award in most D&D and D&D-like games give to the shield. I've done it myself in the past in these posts : shields again, splintering by material and shield combat variants .
All those options were pretty much geared to action in man vs man combat where armor class modifiers vs armor type were unaccounted for (which were present in some earlier forms of the game).

One consideration in the estimated value of the shield that is often ignored is combat outside of the theater of man-to-man combat. A heck of a lot of RPG combat is man-vs-monster and the monster is often little if anything like a man. The strength, size and fighting methods of many a monster would limit the effectiveness of a shield greatly.

Inhuman Strength and Size would easily defeat the shield as defense. A nice big target for a war-mammoth to crush isn't much of defense is it? An opponent who strikes you hard enough to splinter the arm bearing the shield is little inconvenienced by the shield. A big giant would surely be able to punt a shield warded warrior rather easily.

Shields aren't really much of a barrier for attacks they weren't designed to block. Explosive spells detonating on the surface of your shield might be a little better then having hit you at all but it'd sure be nice if they missed you entirely. The touch of a wraith or spectre is little interfered with by a bit of wood and metal interposed by a doomed victim. Is there really an advantage to holding a shield when green slime drops on you?

Tiny opponents don't' much care about your shield. A swarm will climb over your shield or dodge under it with little difficulty. diminutive warriors can take advantage of your limited reach and visibility inflicted by your own shield.

Maybe when we really look at the wide range of attacks a D&D combatant actually has to deal with a 1 point bonus isn't all that unreasonable even if many of us can agree the shield is much more effective in actual man-to-man combat.

Character Deaths in Current Campaign.

Saw a few posts recently with folks talking about lethality in campaigns.

Here's the deaths of PCs and their retainers in my current weekly campaign.

1st session: (no date, other dates are in-game)
Atlatum (Elf, M-U/T)- was disemboweled by a Buggane which bit his head off and stripped the flesh off in it's maw before spitting it at the rest of the party.

18 Sept:
Jimmy the Shimmy (young thief side-kick) - killed by a poison trap inspecting a door. Corpse used to check for traps for a while after death.

Evander the Hunter (Human Ftr)- stoned by a Basilisk

30 Sept.
Ralgluk (Elf Ftr/MU)- Taken captive by the snow Queen and her Ice Gnomes, left for dead by party, last played locked in a cell with a Yeti.

17 Nov. Drenvar (Human Ftr)- Eaten by a Wyver-Cobra, corpse was expelled as a coprolite-mummy.

21 Nov. Korian (Human MU)- killed by thieves before he could even leave for an adventure.

16 Dec. Twigberry (1/2Elf Druid)- Drowned by ghouls.

4 Jan. Norvak (Human Thf)- tumbles down mountain side on horse while fleeing an army of the dead.

12 Mar. Jeer (o-level minion) killed by vampire

14 Mar. Hughe (0-level minion) killed by vampire


Only 10 PC and retainer losses so far, I'm getting lax in my old age.
The party has also lost 2 war dogs and at least a half dozen horses.
It's been about 8 months, I've lost track of how many sessions it comes in at 35 pages in my campaign log.

6 out of 11 PC's rolled up have been lost.