March 14, 2007
Happy Pi day!
It is 3/14 1:15:92 Really. Look at the entry date.
Posted by paul at 1:15 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
New GURPS Advantage
For those of you that don't know GURPS, this will be complete gibberish.
I would like to suggest the use of a new GURPS Advantage.
Precognitive Character Generation 15pts
The first 10 points are the true cost of this advantage. The GM then gets to pick where the last 5 points are spent for you, based on what is planned for the campeign and your character will ***REALLY*** ***NEED*** to be able to do! This is deeper than the GM specifying that everyone needs to be able to swim and ride horseback, this is for selecting something that you will DESPERATELY need later on. Yes, you can just guess and not waste a huge 10 points. But then again, maybe you wasted all 15 of those points instead of getting that skill in advanced potterymaking that will enable you to save the whole town AND campeign 3 months down the road.
Posted by paul at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2005
Fake, fake, fake!
So many things available to the general public are just so... fake. What does it take to find something real?
Case in point: through the wonders of modern technology I have watched an episode of American Chopper where they made a bike to be auctioned off for charity. Being a huge celebrity deal there was a red carpet, reporters, fancy dinner, famous guests and so on. Wonderful, eh?
But that's not what I saw. I saw a prefab concrete slab building with a layer of heavy-duty carpet on it. I didn't see a really fancy dinner, I saw conference food served up on the usual round conference center tables. The stage was a steel monstrosity with some fancy burlap covering up the crossties and cloth clipped to the tables so you don't have to watch the feet and legs of the people sitting in the place of honor. There was nothing there to inspire me about the importance of the event.
I had the opportunity to go to two conferences in Orlando, FL. Universal! Disney! Downtown! There should have been PLENTY to see down there! Not really. I went to several theme restaurants, and they were all fake. Fiberglass props, industrial seating, blaring music and yet another hamburger or chicken with special sauce does not a memorable evening make. I went to a Cajun place, all decorated with garish crabs, grass and rusty toys on the walls. The only thing of any note in there was that you could order fried Conch. The rest was your standard theme restaurant.
I got to go to the Universal theme park and Disney's "Downtown" street thing. Both were more of the same, just painted fiberglass over steel rods and I-beams. It was all rather sad. Here I was in one of the vacation spots of the world, and it was all fake. At least at Kennywood Park there is some history and wonderful topiary alongside the fiberglass junk. But the rest is just... cheap.
With all of this put together, I really can't find it in myself to really get excited over most of the usual vacation or outing destinations. But, all is not lost. For I DID find something real to visit in Orlando.
You see, it is foolish to think that you can send me within 100 miles of Cape Canaveral and not have me disappear for a day! *THAT* was real. Stopping at the Hoover Dam was real. Taking the children out to pick apples at a local orchard was real. Real sticky, that is! (10-month old + apple fresh off tree = STICKEY BABY SLIME)
So what does it take? Is it possible for me to be wowed by a meal that isn't at the Waldorf Astoria? But don't expect me to enjoy New Year's Eve there, because it's the same old stage setup. I don't know. Maybe I should just stick with home cooking and historical sites.
Posted by paul at 4:47 PM | Comments (7)