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Wednesday, September 29, 2004
.NET: Tooltips Displayed as Balloons
Here's a helpful hint from Wes. In Whidbey, the Tooltip class has an IsBalloon property. It's false by default. But, if you set that to true, your tooltip takes on the appears of a balloon (with rounded corners) instead of a normal looking tooltip.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
.NET: FlexWiki Goes Open Source
Today, Microsoft posted FlexWiki, a wiki implementation by David and Craig, to SourceForge as an open source project. This application allows you to create a wiki on your webserver. Very cool, that it's now open source. We've been using it internally for a while.
[via David Ornstein]
[via David Ornstein]
Monday, September 27, 2004
DnD: Blood Mephit
Rock was looking for a new special familiar, and we toyed with a couple of ideas that tied into the fact that he's a Blood Magus -- something like a vampire bat or a stirge. But, we settled on a whole new type of creature, the Blood mephit. It's similar to the other types of mephits in power and abilities, but it's special abilities revolve around blood. Here's the new creature that I created in both 3E and 3.5 (since they're slightly different).
Blood Mephit (3E)
Small Outsider (Water)
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
AC: 16 (+1 size, +5 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, spell-like abilities, summon mephit
Special Qualities: Fast healing 2, damage reduction 5/+1
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +5, Hide +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), gang (2-4 mephits of mixed types), or swarm(5-12 mephits of mixed types)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium-size)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of bloody liquid, 15 feet; damage 1d4 hp + Cause Fear, Will negates DC 12.
Spell-Like Abilities: Once per hour a blood mephit can attempt to Charm Person as if cast by a 3rd-level Sorceror. Once per day it can use a touch attack that duplicates the effect of Vampiric Touch as cast by a 6th-level sorcerer.
Fast Healing (Ex): A blood mephit heals only if it rubs its body with a pint of blood. A pint last for 1 minute.
Summon Mephit (Sp): Once per day, all mephits can summon other mephits much as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a 25% chance of success to summon one mephit of the same type. Roll d%: On a failure, no creature answers the summons. A mephit that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.
Blood Mephit (3.5)
Small Outsider (Water, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
AC: 16 (+1 size, +5 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, spell-like abilities, summon mephit
Special Qualities: Fast healing 2, damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +5, Hide +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack, Toughness
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), gang (2-4 mephits of mixed types), or swarm(5-12 mephits of mixed types)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium-size)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of bloody liquid, 15 feet; damage 1d4 hp + Cause Fear, Will negates DC 12.
Spell-Like Abilities: Once per hour a blood mephit can attempt to Charm Person as if cast by a 3rd-level Sorceror. Once per day it can use a touch attack that duplicates the effect of Vampiric Touch as cast by a 6th-level sorcerer.
Fast Healing (Ex): A blood mephit heals only if it rubs its body with a pint of blood. A pint last for 1 minute.
Summon Mephit (Sp): Once per day, all mephits can summon other mephits much as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a 25% chance of success to summon one mephit of the same type. Roll d%: On a failure, no creature answers the summons. A mephit that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.
Blood Mephit (3E)
Small Outsider (Water)
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
AC: 16 (+1 size, +5 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, spell-like abilities, summon mephit
Special Qualities: Fast healing 2, damage reduction 5/+1
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +5, Hide +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), gang (2-4 mephits of mixed types), or swarm(5-12 mephits of mixed types)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium-size)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of bloody liquid, 15 feet; damage 1d4 hp + Cause Fear, Will negates DC 12.
Spell-Like Abilities: Once per hour a blood mephit can attempt to Charm Person as if cast by a 3rd-level Sorceror. Once per day it can use a touch attack that duplicates the effect of Vampiric Touch as cast by a 6th-level sorcerer.
Fast Healing (Ex): A blood mephit heals only if it rubs its body with a pint of blood. A pint last for 1 minute.
Summon Mephit (Sp): Once per day, all mephits can summon other mephits much as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a 25% chance of success to summon one mephit of the same type. Roll d%: On a failure, no creature answers the summons. A mephit that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.
Blood Mephit (3.5)
Small Outsider (Water, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (22 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
AC: 16 (+1 size, +5 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, spell-like abilities, summon mephit
Special Qualities: Fast healing 2, damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +5, Hide +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack, Toughness
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), gang (2-4 mephits of mixed types), or swarm(5-12 mephits of mixed types)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium-size)
Level Adjustment: +3 (cohort)
Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of bloody liquid, 15 feet; damage 1d4 hp + Cause Fear, Will negates DC 12.
Spell-Like Abilities: Once per hour a blood mephit can attempt to Charm Person as if cast by a 3rd-level Sorceror. Once per day it can use a touch attack that duplicates the effect of Vampiric Touch as cast by a 6th-level sorcerer.
Fast Healing (Ex): A blood mephit heals only if it rubs its body with a pint of blood. A pint last for 1 minute.
Summon Mephit (Sp): Once per day, all mephits can summon other mephits much as though casting a summon monster spell, but they have only a 25% chance of success to summon one mephit of the same type. Roll d%: On a failure, no creature answers the summons. A mephit that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
BLOG: Hey Scoble, Over Here!
Well, it looks Scoble is passing around links to folks who link back over to him. Here's my chance to get noticed in the blogging world. Become rich and famous. And, start my plot to take over of the world.
And, if he doesn't link to my post, I guess I can always join the 'I hate Scoble' fanclub, so it's a win-win situation... :)
And, if he doesn't link to my post, I guess I can always join the 'I hate Scoble' fanclub, so it's a win-win situation... :)
.NET: Using the PropertyGrid In Your App
Here's a cool project in C# that shows how to use the property grid in your own WinForms application. This is cool because it allows you to change properties on an object in a standard way, including changing the appearance of controls at runtime.
However, you can use this for other objects too, as long as they expose properties and use the appropriate attributes to hide and show them in the property grid, like the Browsable attribute. Also, it uses custom type editors, so that you can use appropriate editors for certain types of properties, like Color. It behaves very similar to the property browser in Visual Studio.
However, you can use this for other objects too, as long as they expose properties and use the appropriate attributes to hide and show them in the property grid, like the Browsable attribute. Also, it uses custom type editors, so that you can use appropriate editors for certain types of properties, like Color. It behaves very similar to the property browser in Visual Studio.
Monday, September 20, 2004
BOOK: Just A Geek
Well, my weekend travel across the country gave me the perfect opportunity to get through Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton. It's a very interesting book, and if you liked his previous book, Dancing Barefoot, then this is right up your alley.
Wil takes a unique and humorous look at Hollywood life and trying to get acting work as someone whose not famous enough to be a major star, but too recognizable to play the non-descript background actor either. After his early success, he's been type cast as a dramatic actor, and even though he's done some comedic work on stage, he hasn't been able to land a comedic acting job on TV or movies. Wil does a good job of showing what acting life is like for those actors who don't make $20M per picture, but struggle from week to week looking for their big break at the next audition.
Wil has some very interesting stories about Star Trek, the time he spent on the show, and how he was treated by fans and the producers after he left the show. Some of the stories are actually quite sad, and I'm surprised that Wil hasn't turned out a lot more bitter about it. Folks really disliked his character and appeared to take it out on him at conventions.
The interesting thing appears to be that his website has turned this around for him. Although he still gets lots of flames on his site, people who visit there usually take a liking to him, and that has translated to better receptions at conventions too. And, it launched his career as a writer. Ah, the power of blogs and the web...
The best part is that Wil shows his true inner geek: from developing his own website, to working at a couple of high-tech companies, to running his own Linux web servers, to being published by O'Reilly books, to video games, to Dungeons and Dragons, etc, etc, etc. It's all geek all the time, and I can appreciate that.
Wil takes a unique and humorous look at Hollywood life and trying to get acting work as someone whose not famous enough to be a major star, but too recognizable to play the non-descript background actor either. After his early success, he's been type cast as a dramatic actor, and even though he's done some comedic work on stage, he hasn't been able to land a comedic acting job on TV or movies. Wil does a good job of showing what acting life is like for those actors who don't make $20M per picture, but struggle from week to week looking for their big break at the next audition.
Wil has some very interesting stories about Star Trek, the time he spent on the show, and how he was treated by fans and the producers after he left the show. Some of the stories are actually quite sad, and I'm surprised that Wil hasn't turned out a lot more bitter about it. Folks really disliked his character and appeared to take it out on him at conventions.
The interesting thing appears to be that his website has turned this around for him. Although he still gets lots of flames on his site, people who visit there usually take a liking to him, and that has translated to better receptions at conventions too. And, it launched his career as a writer. Ah, the power of blogs and the web...
The best part is that Wil shows his true inner geek: from developing his own website, to working at a couple of high-tech companies, to running his own Linux web servers, to being published by O'Reilly books, to video games, to Dungeons and Dragons, etc, etc, etc. It's all geek all the time, and I can appreciate that.
DnD: The Cast of Characters
Our D&D group has 8 player characters with a varied set of skills:
Alkoth - 14th level Bard/Fighter/Arcane Archer (human)
Alkoth joined the party after Errol's demise and revelation that he no longer hungered for adventure. Alkoth came from the nomadic tribes northeast of Revelstone looking for the valiant heroes prophecisized as the Heroes of Revelstone. His attempts to decipher the prophecy has led him to a bard college that specializes in prophecies of all types.
He joined the party on their quests to protect the clan of the Twelve Faces from the attacks of neighboring factions.
Donal - 15th level Fighter/Rogue (human)
Donal is an agile fighter that depends more on speed and finesse than raw power. He uses his spiked chain to great effect, killing enemies before they can even get close enough to touch him. He's dabbled a bit in the roguish arts but is best known for his skills in combat.
He's currently on a side quest trying to learn about his family history. It appears that there's more to his heritage than he's been told, as a couple of distant relatives have come looking for him to discuss a strange prophecy of power that they believe is meant for their bloodline.
Garett - 15th level Rogue/Fighter (halfling)
Garett is a quick-witted rogue that at first specialized in ranged sneak attacks but has recently been moving into more melee combat. His most prized possession are his Eyes of the Night, which allowed him to finally roam throughout a dungeon without the need for light (or mage with Darkvision). His focus has been on the stealthy arts, with high ranks in move silently, hide, tumbling, spot, disable traps, etc.
He joined the Guild of the Flaming Dagger many months ago and has since created a branch guild in the town of Revelstone with a goblinoid bartender named Grummell. Recently, both decided to move their guild closer to the party's new keep in Dover. They're currently building a tavern in the village sprouting up outside of Dover.
Ellaron - 15th level Sorceror/Dragon Disciple (half-elf)
Ellaron had magic coursing through his veins even before he became a sorceror -- that was just a natural expression of his bloodlines. Only years later did he discover his father's true nature (a bronze dragon in disguise). At that point, he began tapping into his dragon abilities gaining more and more dragon attributes: natural armor, strength, natural attacks, and size. He was also able to attract a pseudo-dragon familiar.
Around that same time, Ellaron began having strangely realistic dreams about himself and the party. Only after a few encounters did he come to realize that these dreams were coming true in bits and pieces. That revelation scared him as his dreams became darker and darker.
Rock - 14th level Bard/Sorceror/Blood Magus (human)
Rock has dabbled in quite a bit but focused mainly on bard. However, his death early on in his career in a gladiatorial arena has haunted him ever since. That experience molded him into the perfect pupil to become a bloood magus. Since then, he's become a student of death and the afterlife, and a collector of blood.
The bard is best known for several ballads that he's created about the party's exploits while killing several dragons in Solace. As well as, quite a few eulogies for members of the parties have died and been raised.
Thallion - 14th level Ranger/Fighter (half-elf)
Thallion is a whirling wall of blades. He fights two handed with longsword and short sword and charges in where only fools would tread. His main abilities deal with outdoor survival, tracking, hunting, and friendly furry woodland creatures. He's building a nice cabin by the lake a couple of miles away from the party's keep in Dover.
Thallion also has the uncanny knack for dying. He survived the early levels virtually unscathed, but since achieving 10th level has died quite a few times. The first time, he was killed by a juggernaut, then a phantasmal killer in the form of a juggernaut, a fire giant, a black dragon, and who knows what will be next...
Vallan - 14th level Cleric/Barbarian/Fighter (dwarf)
Although Vallan is the party's only full-time healer, he doesn't consider himself "that" type of cleric. He's equal parts butt-kicker and healer. Although he does spread around that healing touch when the party gets into dire situations.
Vallan is a modern dwarf unencumbered by dwarvish traditions. Not only does he like to bathe, his ring of Swimming makes him a very strong swimmer. He also fancies himself a spider, climbing walls with the greatest of ease.
Zook - 14th level Wizard/Alienist (gnome)
Zook is a gnomish wizard with the knack for summoning creatures of great power just at the most inconvenient time -- or summoning weak creatures that a easily destroyed by their enemies. However, when this high level wizard finally connects, he can do quite a lot with damage from fireball or chain lightning, support spells like invisibility, cat's grace, and teleport, and monsters summoned from thin air.
Alkoth - 14th level Bard/Fighter/Arcane Archer (human)
Alkoth joined the party after Errol's demise and revelation that he no longer hungered for adventure. Alkoth came from the nomadic tribes northeast of Revelstone looking for the valiant heroes prophecisized as the Heroes of Revelstone. His attempts to decipher the prophecy has led him to a bard college that specializes in prophecies of all types.
He joined the party on their quests to protect the clan of the Twelve Faces from the attacks of neighboring factions.
Donal - 15th level Fighter/Rogue (human)
Donal is an agile fighter that depends more on speed and finesse than raw power. He uses his spiked chain to great effect, killing enemies before they can even get close enough to touch him. He's dabbled a bit in the roguish arts but is best known for his skills in combat.
He's currently on a side quest trying to learn about his family history. It appears that there's more to his heritage than he's been told, as a couple of distant relatives have come looking for him to discuss a strange prophecy of power that they believe is meant for their bloodline.
Garett - 15th level Rogue/Fighter (halfling)
Garett is a quick-witted rogue that at first specialized in ranged sneak attacks but has recently been moving into more melee combat. His most prized possession are his Eyes of the Night, which allowed him to finally roam throughout a dungeon without the need for light (or mage with Darkvision). His focus has been on the stealthy arts, with high ranks in move silently, hide, tumbling, spot, disable traps, etc.
He joined the Guild of the Flaming Dagger many months ago and has since created a branch guild in the town of Revelstone with a goblinoid bartender named Grummell. Recently, both decided to move their guild closer to the party's new keep in Dover. They're currently building a tavern in the village sprouting up outside of Dover.
Ellaron - 15th level Sorceror/Dragon Disciple (half-elf)
Ellaron had magic coursing through his veins even before he became a sorceror -- that was just a natural expression of his bloodlines. Only years later did he discover his father's true nature (a bronze dragon in disguise). At that point, he began tapping into his dragon abilities gaining more and more dragon attributes: natural armor, strength, natural attacks, and size. He was also able to attract a pseudo-dragon familiar.
Around that same time, Ellaron began having strangely realistic dreams about himself and the party. Only after a few encounters did he come to realize that these dreams were coming true in bits and pieces. That revelation scared him as his dreams became darker and darker.
Rock - 14th level Bard/Sorceror/Blood Magus (human)
Rock has dabbled in quite a bit but focused mainly on bard. However, his death early on in his career in a gladiatorial arena has haunted him ever since. That experience molded him into the perfect pupil to become a bloood magus. Since then, he's become a student of death and the afterlife, and a collector of blood.
The bard is best known for several ballads that he's created about the party's exploits while killing several dragons in Solace. As well as, quite a few eulogies for members of the parties have died and been raised.
Thallion - 14th level Ranger/Fighter (half-elf)
Thallion is a whirling wall of blades. He fights two handed with longsword and short sword and charges in where only fools would tread. His main abilities deal with outdoor survival, tracking, hunting, and friendly furry woodland creatures. He's building a nice cabin by the lake a couple of miles away from the party's keep in Dover.
Thallion also has the uncanny knack for dying. He survived the early levels virtually unscathed, but since achieving 10th level has died quite a few times. The first time, he was killed by a juggernaut, then a phantasmal killer in the form of a juggernaut, a fire giant, a black dragon, and who knows what will be next...
Vallan - 14th level Cleric/Barbarian/Fighter (dwarf)
Although Vallan is the party's only full-time healer, he doesn't consider himself "that" type of cleric. He's equal parts butt-kicker and healer. Although he does spread around that healing touch when the party gets into dire situations.
Vallan is a modern dwarf unencumbered by dwarvish traditions. Not only does he like to bathe, his ring of Swimming makes him a very strong swimmer. He also fancies himself a spider, climbing walls with the greatest of ease.
Zook - 14th level Wizard/Alienist (gnome)
Zook is a gnomish wizard with the knack for summoning creatures of great power just at the most inconvenient time -- or summoning weak creatures that a easily destroyed by their enemies. However, when this high level wizard finally connects, he can do quite a lot with damage from fireball or chain lightning, support spells like invisibility, cat's grace, and teleport, and monsters summoned from thin air.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
MISC: And Now For Futurama
Well, I couldn't talk about the Simpsons without also mentioning a little something about Futurama. Here's a link to the 25 Best Futurama Moments Ever. If you're a big fan (and I know that you are), give it a try.
[via Wil Wheaton]
[via Wil Wheaton]
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
MISC: Map of Simpson's Springfield
Here's a link to a cool map site that contains detailed (very detailed, probably way too much) maps of the Springfield that the Simpsons live in. It's quite entertaining...
Monday, September 13, 2004
.NET: Math Calculations in Programming
Justin Rogers put together several posts in a series about the mathematics needed for drawing and layout in .NET. He discusses several interesting topics (with code examples) for things like: aspect ratio, centering, bounding calculation etc. I can't wait for more...
Math: A bi-weekly journal describing the use of math in solving programming problems
Math Installment #1: Image layout logic
Math Installment #2: I needed some circular oriented text
Math Installment #3: A quick look at wavy text
Math Installment #4: Bounding Regions
Math Quickie: Relationship between arc distance and linear distance.
Math Quickie: Centering
Math Quickie: Introduction to combination formulas
Math: A bi-weekly journal describing the use of math in solving programming problems
Math Installment #1: Image layout logic
Math Installment #2: I needed some circular oriented text
Math Installment #3: A quick look at wavy text
Math Installment #4: Bounding Regions
Math Quickie: Relationship between arc distance and linear distance.
Math Quickie: Centering
Math Quickie: Introduction to combination formulas
Friday, September 10, 2004
DnD: Posts About Dungeon and Dragons
For the most part, I haven't discussed much about my D&D playing, but I think I'm going to start doing more blogging about that. So, I guess the focus of my blog will be: .NET coding, books, Dungeons and Dragons, and other random stuff.
I've been playing D&D on and off for about 20 years now. Is it still only considered a hobby after that long, or something else? Luckily, I had a geeky major and am surrounded by geeks at work, so I've always been able to find people to play with. The core of the current group I'm with has been playing together for about 11 years - several different versions, game worlds, and DMs. For most of that time, I've been the DM - minus some time I took off to rejuvenate my joy of the game. But, I'm back in the DM's chair again.
When 3rd edition came out, we were all very excited to play it and started a new campaign. We've been playing our current campaign for close to 3 years, and the party is averaging about 15th level. Our group is big: 8 players and 1 DM, especially considering that D&D 3E is set up around groups of 4 players. We tend to play every two weeks on Wednesday evening. We play in a conference room at work after everyone has left for the day.
The conference room is a great venue for D&D. First, no wives or girlfriends get upset about having a bunch of loud guys over every two weeks. There's free drinks. Whiteboards line the walls. Lots of table space. Projector that we use with a laptop to run the encounters. Other rooms nearby to use for one-on-one conversations. Etc...
The world we play in is called Solace and the continent the party inhabits is known as the Kingdoms of Solace. I created this world many years ago and have fleshed it out as we've adventured. Each campaign provides history for the next ones. Old characters become heroes or myths. But, I'm not terribly imaginative, so most of the place names are ones I've read in fantasy books. As I talk more about these places, I'm sure some of them may sound familiar to you.
In future posts, I'll talk about what characters the group is playing, interesting rules thoughts or questions, new things that I come up with for our game, and recaps of interesting things that happen during our gaming sessions.
I've been playing D&D on and off for about 20 years now. Is it still only considered a hobby after that long, or something else? Luckily, I had a geeky major and am surrounded by geeks at work, so I've always been able to find people to play with. The core of the current group I'm with has been playing together for about 11 years - several different versions, game worlds, and DMs. For most of that time, I've been the DM - minus some time I took off to rejuvenate my joy of the game. But, I'm back in the DM's chair again.
When 3rd edition came out, we were all very excited to play it and started a new campaign. We've been playing our current campaign for close to 3 years, and the party is averaging about 15th level. Our group is big: 8 players and 1 DM, especially considering that D&D 3E is set up around groups of 4 players. We tend to play every two weeks on Wednesday evening. We play in a conference room at work after everyone has left for the day.
The conference room is a great venue for D&D. First, no wives or girlfriends get upset about having a bunch of loud guys over every two weeks. There's free drinks. Whiteboards line the walls. Lots of table space. Projector that we use with a laptop to run the encounters. Other rooms nearby to use for one-on-one conversations. Etc...
The world we play in is called Solace and the continent the party inhabits is known as the Kingdoms of Solace. I created this world many years ago and have fleshed it out as we've adventured. Each campaign provides history for the next ones. Old characters become heroes or myths. But, I'm not terribly imaginative, so most of the place names are ones I've read in fantasy books. As I talk more about these places, I'm sure some of them may sound familiar to you.
In future posts, I'll talk about what characters the group is playing, interesting rules thoughts or questions, new things that I come up with for our game, and recaps of interesting things that happen during our gaming sessions.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
MISC: Wil Wheaton Is Cooler Than I Thought
I just started reading, Just A Geek. Wil got Neil Gaiman to write the foreward for his book. Holy, crap, that is sooooo cool.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
BOOK: Dancing Barefoot
In Dancing Barefoot, Wil Wheaton relates some stories of his life. There were a couple of tales that I found to be quite poignant -- one about visiting his aunt's house after her death and one about playing hide-and-seek with his kids. Both were quite good but for different reasons. In the first, Wil did an excellent job of describing the loss he felt. In the second, I could see myself doing the same thing on a warm summer night...
And, of course, there's the chapter on his coming to terms with his Star Trek past. This was by far the longest, and I thought the best of the stories. I always liked Wesley Crusher (I often pictured myself being the young ensign saving the day), but there were many Star Trek fans that really disliked that character (I never fully understood why). And, it appears that many of them translated that dislike into a dislike for Wil. Unfair? Oh yeah, but that was life for him at the time. Nice to see Wil has gotten over it and can now appreciate a good Star Trek convention.
The part about his first meeting with William Shatner was classic. It made you feel for Wil having to deal with being disappointed by someone he idolized. All in all interesting stories, I can't wait to start reading his next book: Just a Geek (I plan to start it tonight).
Oh, and in case you missed it (or been dead to the blogging world), Wil has a blog: http://www.wilwheaton.net.
And, of course, there's the chapter on his coming to terms with his Star Trek past. This was by far the longest, and I thought the best of the stories. I always liked Wesley Crusher (I often pictured myself being the young ensign saving the day), but there were many Star Trek fans that really disliked that character (I never fully understood why). And, it appears that many of them translated that dislike into a dislike for Wil. Unfair? Oh yeah, but that was life for him at the time. Nice to see Wil has gotten over it and can now appreciate a good Star Trek convention.
The part about his first meeting with William Shatner was classic. It made you feel for Wil having to deal with being disappointed by someone he idolized. All in all interesting stories, I can't wait to start reading his next book: Just a Geek (I plan to start it tonight).
Oh, and in case you missed it (or been dead to the blogging world), Wil has a blog: http://www.wilwheaton.net.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
BOOK: Tuesdays With Morrie
This books has been out for a while, and I had heard very good things about it but haven't had a chance to read it until now.
'Tuesdays With Morrie' is definitely a good book. Reading the passing of Morrie's life and his fight with ALS is touching. And, his approach to is coming death was inspiring. Not only to the readers, but it was obviously inspiring to the author, Mitch Albom, as well.
If you haven't read it, you probably should. It's short and sweet, so you have no excuse.
'Tuesdays With Morrie' is definitely a good book. Reading the passing of Morrie's life and his fight with ALS is touching. And, his approach to is coming death was inspiring. Not only to the readers, but it was obviously inspiring to the author, Mitch Albom, as well.
If you haven't read it, you probably should. It's short and sweet, so you have no excuse.