I have set up a new blog. This blog is a place for me to highlight my Short stories and other writing. Here's the Url. I hope you enjoy. Warning the first post is a full short story about 12500 words long.
bqguymon.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Lack of Baby Sitter leads to GM'ing for a group of DnD players on Deadlands night.
I've recently been playing Dungeon Mastering for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5. (In my opinion the best Dungeons and Dragons edition. Savage Worlds is still better.)
I think the game went well, I have a group of 6 players some are veteran players some are novice players. This session led to encounters with thieves and wererats.
The players were introduced to this session by watching a collector for a protection racket shake down a bowyer. At first I wondered if they were even going to take this bone. If they didn't like that plot hook it would have been okay, I've other hooks to use. The players took the bait and followed the collector back to the guild house.
When the players followed this plot hook I expected them to defend the bowyer's shop. In retrospect I should have anticipated that the players would take the direct approach to the encounter. (There's a couple characters who's idea of subtly is tapping you on the shoulder before bisecting you with a great sword.) Rather than defend the shop, the characters went the guild house and argued with the gate guard about why they should be allowed to enter. While the other characters were arguing with the guards. The thief broke into the building on a scouting mission. After giving up on convincing the guards to let them in and after failed attempts to break in the door the other characters followed the thief into the building and triggered every alarm in the building and ended up fighting thief guards backed up by the real power of the guild the wererats.
When I tossed the wererats at the players I expected them to have to flee the fight. Instead they ended up killing 18 of the rats and using almost all of their effective magic. With more rats on the way they retreating out of the building and informing the authorities of the situation who responded by sending a couple of wizards to destroy the building by a couple of “meteor swarm” spells.
They now have the continuing gratitude of the city's prince, and a dead wererat's head. In the party is a necromancer who informed the wererat that the dead have loose lips. I'm curious to see where they go with it.
I think the game went well, I have a group of 6 players some are veteran players some are novice players. This session led to encounters with thieves and wererats.
The players were introduced to this session by watching a collector for a protection racket shake down a bowyer. At first I wondered if they were even going to take this bone. If they didn't like that plot hook it would have been okay, I've other hooks to use. The players took the bait and followed the collector back to the guild house.
When the players followed this plot hook I expected them to defend the bowyer's shop. In retrospect I should have anticipated that the players would take the direct approach to the encounter. (There's a couple characters who's idea of subtly is tapping you on the shoulder before bisecting you with a great sword.) Rather than defend the shop, the characters went the guild house and argued with the gate guard about why they should be allowed to enter. While the other characters were arguing with the guards. The thief broke into the building on a scouting mission. After giving up on convincing the guards to let them in and after failed attempts to break in the door the other characters followed the thief into the building and triggered every alarm in the building and ended up fighting thief guards backed up by the real power of the guild the wererats.
When I tossed the wererats at the players I expected them to have to flee the fight. Instead they ended up killing 18 of the rats and using almost all of their effective magic. With more rats on the way they retreating out of the building and informing the authorities of the situation who responded by sending a couple of wizards to destroy the building by a couple of “meteor swarm” spells.
They now have the continuing gratitude of the city's prince, and a dead wererat's head. In the party is a necromancer who informed the wererat that the dead have loose lips. I'm curious to see where they go with it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
For those that know this is a very obvious statement. I like history and I like role playing games.
Right now I'm working on a project to combine those two pastimes. I'm creating an adventure for a World War II game based on a small but important skirmish that took place on the morning of d-day, June 6 1944.
In the early morning hours allied paratroopers were dropped on Normandy. The allied paratroopers were assigned to protect the amphibious landing taking place latter that morning. The paratroopers were to attack and hold key points long enough for the sea born soldiers and tanks to join them in the fight.
During that chaotic morning an unknown and unaccounted for battery of cannons started firing on the forces landing on Utah Beach. These big guns were protected by foxholes, trenches, 4 machine gun nests and approximately 60 Nazi paratroopers.
An American Paratrooper company was called on to located and destroy these cannons. One small problem, because of a bad drop the Americans were scattered far and wide rather than being concentrated as planed. Only 13 men of the company could be found. The rest were dead or lost. These 13 men assaulted the fortified position, destroyed the cannons with TNT, and got out with the loss of two men. One KIA the other wounded.
The adventure I'm working on takes the players and puts them in the role of the American paratroopers assaulting the cannon emplacements.
Once completed I am going to submit this adventure to a game company in the hope of being published.
Right now I'm working on a project to combine those two pastimes. I'm creating an adventure for a World War II game based on a small but important skirmish that took place on the morning of d-day, June 6 1944.
In the early morning hours allied paratroopers were dropped on Normandy. The allied paratroopers were assigned to protect the amphibious landing taking place latter that morning. The paratroopers were to attack and hold key points long enough for the sea born soldiers and tanks to join them in the fight.
During that chaotic morning an unknown and unaccounted for battery of cannons started firing on the forces landing on Utah Beach. These big guns were protected by foxholes, trenches, 4 machine gun nests and approximately 60 Nazi paratroopers.
An American Paratrooper company was called on to located and destroy these cannons. One small problem, because of a bad drop the Americans were scattered far and wide rather than being concentrated as planed. Only 13 men of the company could be found. The rest were dead or lost. These 13 men assaulted the fortified position, destroyed the cannons with TNT, and got out with the loss of two men. One KIA the other wounded.
The adventure I'm working on takes the players and puts them in the role of the American paratroopers assaulting the cannon emplacements.
Once completed I am going to submit this adventure to a game company in the hope of being published.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Um does anyone smell smoke?
When we came home yesterday the apartment building smelt a little strange. You have to understand our apartment building to fully appreciate that statement. Our building always has a little bit if a strange smell that keeps changing so this wasn't something new. It smelled a bit like burning plastic. I had a heavy load of freshly launder clothes that I removed from our car and needed to get into our apartment. Tiffany, Trajen, and I along with another tenet that lives on the same floor started to enter the elevator. The burning plastic smell was a bit stronger in the elevator, so Tiffany and Trajen Declined to take the elevator and said they were going to go up the stairs. Our fellow tenet and I continued up to the top floor.
When I arrived on the top floor it reeked of burning plastic I opened the door to my place and put the laundry just inside the door, and stepped out into they hallway. The other tenet asked me if it look like the hallway had smoke in it. It did and it was rapidly getting worse.
About that time a door at the end of the hall opened and a guy came out and asked, “What is going on?”
I replied, “I'm not sure”, and my friend from the elevator asked, if we should call the fire department.
I didn't have my phone or I would have made the call. I asked my elevator friend to make the call. He called 911 and they told him to evacuate the building.
We started pounding on the doors waking everyone up and alerting them to possible danger. A couple of people came to the door a bit grumpy but when they saw the smoke they quickly turned from grumpy to grateful. I don't remember all of the details. I do remember wondering where Tiffany and Trajen were and racing down the stairs to look for them. I found them on the main floor. Next to the exit. Tiffany saw the smoke in the stairs and didn't come up. I remember going back up the stairs after Trajen's medicine and I remember helping a little old Lady and her cat get out of the building. I remember touching the doors in the hallway to see if they were hot.
We got out the fire department arrived and conducted a door to door search of the building looking for the fire. They didn't find and active fire. They concluded someone must have walked in the basement hallway with something smoldering took care of it outside, then left the premises without telling anyone what happened.
That conclusion seems to fit the bill. I wonder if someone melted and burned a “Tupperware” dish on their stove. Tossed it in the trash and caught the trash on fire.
On thinking back on what I did. I should have carried a fire extinguisher with me when knocking doors. What would have happened if I would've found the fire. The important thing is there wasn't and active fire.
On a sad note. The little lady with the cat fell when going back into the building, I don't know if she was hurt. The Fire Department guys were checking her out when we went back inside.
When I arrived on the top floor it reeked of burning plastic I opened the door to my place and put the laundry just inside the door, and stepped out into they hallway. The other tenet asked me if it look like the hallway had smoke in it. It did and it was rapidly getting worse.
About that time a door at the end of the hall opened and a guy came out and asked, “What is going on?”
I replied, “I'm not sure”, and my friend from the elevator asked, if we should call the fire department.
I didn't have my phone or I would have made the call. I asked my elevator friend to make the call. He called 911 and they told him to evacuate the building.
We started pounding on the doors waking everyone up and alerting them to possible danger. A couple of people came to the door a bit grumpy but when they saw the smoke they quickly turned from grumpy to grateful. I don't remember all of the details. I do remember wondering where Tiffany and Trajen were and racing down the stairs to look for them. I found them on the main floor. Next to the exit. Tiffany saw the smoke in the stairs and didn't come up. I remember going back up the stairs after Trajen's medicine and I remember helping a little old Lady and her cat get out of the building. I remember touching the doors in the hallway to see if they were hot.
We got out the fire department arrived and conducted a door to door search of the building looking for the fire. They didn't find and active fire. They concluded someone must have walked in the basement hallway with something smoldering took care of it outside, then left the premises without telling anyone what happened.
That conclusion seems to fit the bill. I wonder if someone melted and burned a “Tupperware” dish on their stove. Tossed it in the trash and caught the trash on fire.
On thinking back on what I did. I should have carried a fire extinguisher with me when knocking doors. What would have happened if I would've found the fire. The important thing is there wasn't and active fire.
On a sad note. The little lady with the cat fell when going back into the building, I don't know if she was hurt. The Fire Department guys were checking her out when we went back inside.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Art vs money
I finally got an agent to read my manuscript. He said it was the worst thing he has ever read. He loved it. He thinks it will sell, “like hotcakes given the state of reading in the United States.” I think he's French.
He gave me some suggestion on how to “improve” the manuscript making the book more suitable for an American audience. Jacques, the agent, gave me a deadline of a couple of months to get the work done. He said that it needs a complete rewrite. According to Jacques the plot is too strong said he, “You haven't lead your readers enough by the hand. You have to railroad them to the conclusion or Americans won't understand.”
I don't think that Jacques appreciates the artistry of my work. So, now I must make a choice do I compromise my work, or do I sell out for a boatload of cash?
He gave me some suggestion on how to “improve” the manuscript making the book more suitable for an American audience. Jacques, the agent, gave me a deadline of a couple of months to get the work done. He said that it needs a complete rewrite. According to Jacques the plot is too strong said he, “You haven't lead your readers enough by the hand. You have to railroad them to the conclusion or Americans won't understand.”
I don't think that Jacques appreciates the artistry of my work. So, now I must make a choice do I compromise my work, or do I sell out for a boatload of cash?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
American Idol
I can't stand American Idol. I never have been able to stomach that show, so it isn't surprising I am in the back room while all the others watch "Idol". Unfortunately I'm not far enough away from the TV to avoid hearing the contestants butchering "Rolling Stones" songs.
Oh well, at least I get good pizza out of the deal.
On a brighter note. We took Trajen to the park for the first time this year. He had a lot of fun.
Oh well, at least I get good pizza out of the deal.
On a brighter note. We took Trajen to the park for the first time this year. He had a lot of fun.
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