Will "Radio" Kill the Blogging Star?

I'm toying with the idea of starting a podcast.

I've actually been toying with the idea for a while, but I'm getting closer to actually doing it.

The working title is Dekahedron, mainly because I own the domain name and I'm not doing much with it. By that same theory, I suppose it could just be the Snowgen podcast, but I actually have a nifty logo for Dekahedron that I paid artist/graphic designer DesignKat to create for me.

The thought is that I will host it on Anchor. I even have set up the account already. You can look at the public page, but there isn't anything there yet.

I want to do a ten minute episode once a week about the same topics I cover here. I've asked James to join me for the first episode because I find Podcasts with two voices are generally better than solo podcasts. Whether or not he would be a permanent "cast member" remains to be seen. I'm not sure how the technology will allow us to record together, and I predict scheduling issues.

On a side note, I'm in Rhode Island as I type this. But I'm driving back to upstate/western New York tonight.

Proof that D&D Occurs in the Star Trek Universe

It's no secret that I like mixing elements of Star Trek into my fantasy world. I've written about it here and here. I have various reasons why I feel that this is justified, but let me give you proof that the world of D&D is set in the Star Trek universe.

Orcs

This is a picture of orcs from the 1977 AD&D Monster Manual. It was drawn by David C. Sutherland III. Fans refer to it as the "pig faced orcs" drawing. This led to some people calling them "Porcs."

Tellarites

This is a picture of Ambassador Gav, a Tellarite. The picture is from Star Trek's 1967 episode "Journey to Babel." Tellarites are one of the five founding races of the Federation.

Conclusion

Clearly, pig-faced orcs and Tellarites are the same species!

And what's with Vulcans and Elves both having those pointy ears?

Epilogue

That's all for this week.  Just a fun little post.

Attribute Generation in Lucky 7, Part 2

At the beginning of last month I wrote 3 methods for generating attribute scores in Lucky 7. This week I’d like to give two more methods. Maybe it’s one method with a option.

Whatever.

Method 4:

This gives a good blend of diversity and player agency. Disadvantages are that it involves player decisions which might slow things down, and you you need this silly chart:

	1–3	4–6
1	-2, -2, -1, +2, +2, +2	-2, -2, ±0, +1, +2, +2
2	-2, -2, +1, +1, +1, +2	-2, -1, -1, +1, +2, +2
3	-2, -1, ±0, ±0, +2, +2	-2, -1, ±0, +1, +1, +2
4	-2, -1, +1, +1, +1, +1	-2, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1, +2
5	-2, ±0, ±0, +1, +1, +1	-1, -1, -1, ±0, +2, +2
6	-1, -1, -1, +1, +1, +2	-1, -1, ±0, ±0, +1, +2
7	-1, -1, ±0, +1, +1, +1	-1, ±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, +2
8	-1, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1, +1	±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, ±0, +1

Step 1: Roll a 1d6 and 1d8 and cross reference on the silly chart.

Step 2: This gives a group of attribute scores. Assign each score to the attribute of your choice.

Method 5:

This is a variation of the above that removes player agency for the benefit of speed.

Step 1: Roll a 1d6 and 1d8 and cross reference on the silly chart.

Step 2: For each of the scores, roll 1d6 to determine where to put the score. If that attribute has already been assigned a score, re-roll:

Roll	Attribute
1	Strength
2	Intelligence
3	Wisdom
4	Constitution
5	Dexterity
6	Charisma

Epilogue

What do you think? Is that too complicated?

It came to me as an easier way to make more diverse characters. It made more sense using only 3 attribute scores (which is where I think I’m taking Lucky 7). With three scores the silly chart only has 4 entries instead of 16.

If I decide to commit to three attributes instead of 6 that will be another post.

Speaking of other posts, James gave me an idea for a future posts. He wants me to discuss original weapon damage (where every weapon did 1d6) vs later weapon damge (where each weapon does its own damage like 1d6 or 1d8). That will be in a few weeks, I think.

The Origin of Monsters

Starting in the mid-to-early 1980’s, Dragon magazine ran a series of “The Ecology of <monster type>” articles. They were a good read, and the younger me thought they added much needed detail to the various monsters and how they fit into the world.

Every coin has two sides, and the older me disagrees with the younger me. The articles are still a good read, but in the words of Aaron E. Steele the series “made the mysterious and inscrutible, mundane.”

These days I feel that a fantasy word should not be 100% grounded in realism. In fact, I feel that eschewing scientific realism creates a better fantasy. Consider that in the middle ages it was commonly held that life forms sprang forth from nothing. Also consider that Greek Mythology stated the the pegsus and other creatures were created by drops of Medusa’s blood falling to the earth. If you provide modern scientific rationale to everything, you lose the ancient or medieval feel.

My Answer: Chaos Storms

As we’ve said before, Gob is the God of Chaos in my world. His powers are limited in heavily lawful areas (just as Hume’s powers are limited in heavily chaotic areas). But he has more power on the fringe areas where the forces of Law are just starting to press in the the Chaos Lands. In order to try to maintain these regions for himself, he will often create Chaos Storms.

Chaos Storms are very powerful thunderstorms. They are often accompanied by large hail and tornadoes. Sometimes they also contain Chaos Lightning, also called Red Lightning. Wherever Chaos Lightning strikes the ground, it creates a group chaotic monsters–complete with lair!

For example: the town of Muddy Falls is a settlement on the border of the Chaos Lands. A generation ago the baron cleared the area of chaotic beasts and monsters. One night there is a Chaos Storm, and some of the town-folk swear that they saw a streak of Red Lightning hitting a few miles to the west. When the party investigates, there is now a small orc village where the lightning was seen.

Epilogue

That’s all there is. It’s a simple idea that doesn’t need a lot of explanation.

I like the idea, but it has to be used lightly. Having a Chaos Storm every week will get old fast. It should be limited to maybe twice in a campaign.

What do you think?