Draw!

This is an RPG I'm working on - all the general stuff is here, it just needs some refining. I'm hoping to do some playtesting soon, and if any of you try it, let me know what your thoughts are!

Possible missed updates

So, Stan Lee is running a contest for writers and artists, and I'm pretty damn excited about it - find it here. In any case, because I'm using pretty much all my brainpower on that, there may not be any content for the next week or so. If I need a break from The Seekers I'll post something up, just follow me on Twitter @Micorku, and you'll know when I post stuff.

Religion in Iroas

So, this will explain what a Pilgrim is from the RPG - I've changed it since then to say Pilgrim or Keeper, which is another term you will learn here.

The Nobility of Alitheia

If you look closely at the early version of the RPG I put up Wednesday, you may find some words you don't recognize yet. Today I'm introducing you to the Skafos and Sofos of Alitheia, while sometime next week I intend to do a little discussion on Iroan religions.

I'm also interested in doing another Worldbuilding series, but this time I want their to be input at every level. So, to start us off, we need to figure out what kind of setting we'll be building - sci-fi, high fantasy or low fantasy. In addition, I'd like to hear how cynical you want the setting to be - would you like Lord of the Rings, which is extremely idealistic even in the worst of times, or 1984, where everything is terrible forever? Or perhaps somewhere in between? Let me know!

Iroas RPG

So, this is why I stopped writing stuff about Iroas for a while; I'm designing a tabletop RPG for the setting. This is a pre-alpha version of it, which is missing a few things to make it playable - mostly the armor and weapons, but I'm trying to work on that. In any case, if you have any comments at all, please let me know - I'm kind of spazzing out about this, and would love some feedback.

New Olympus

I'm doing something a bit deeper this time - working strictly within the rules of a game. While Tyranix and Aquas were based in the MTG Multiverse, they didn't adhere to those rules very strictly. However, this past weekend I created a setting for the Technoir RPG, a fantastic new cyberpunk/noir RPG. The pdf is already available on DriveThruRPG, and the print version will be out sometime around September.


For those unaware (most of you), Transmissions (as settings are called in Technoir) have a fairly strict formula - they have to contain Connections (people that the players can call on for favors or information), Events (Things that happen before or during the story), Factions (large groups that have most of the power in the setting), Locations (places that are important to the setting), Objects (items that can play an important role in the story) and Threats (smaller groups that are likely to go up against the players directly). There have to be six of each of these because of the unique GM system, which essentially randomizes the story every time you play. You also have to give the Connections, Objects and Threats stats. I won't be showing the Events, Objects or the stats for the Connections and Threats here because this is what I would give the players, and that information would either be spoilers or unnecessary to them.

WWE Smackdown 8/5/2011

This week: the build up to Summerslam is in full gear, with them promoting the Christian vs Orton and Sheamus vs Mark Henry matches heavily. For those who know me, they may be wondering why I'm not reviewing Torchwood: Miracle Day. Simple answer: I'm enjoying it too much to review it, though I may review it after it's done.

We start out tonight with that little promo of Sheamus vs. Mark Henry, and continue into a match between Sheamus and the Great Khali. Not a big fan of Khali, really – he doesn't have any personality to speak of because he is unintelligible, so his character is essentially just “big guy.” I think Sheamus is reasonably interesting, though. He's a big guy with the gimmick of a Celtic warrior, and I'm always down for that. He's a bit of a berserker and he is supposed to be really good with weapons. And his skin is practically translucent, it's so pale. This match is mediocre, with all the good spots coming from Sheamus.

Next up is A.J. vs. Natalya, and my first impression is that A.J.'s music is awful. Not a great match, though A.J. is pretty damn hot. Natalya uses a pretty terrible Sharpshooter to win. And then comes the obligatory post-match beating as Natalya becomes a heel. I guess the new feud for the Divas is perky vs. nasty? I don't know? I guess the new default diva heel is just being angry at the popular girls.

Hey look, a promo featuring Randy Orton! And it's not a bad one, with him saying that Christian is “helping him work out his anger issues.” It's a good angle for him, because anger is pretty much the only emotion he can show. Well, maybe simple creepiness. After that as they set up the Justin Gabriel promo, I wanted to slap Booker T because his South African accent was AWFUL.

Next up we have what initially looks like it will be a squash match between Daniel Bryan and Tyson Kidd, because Kidd doesn't even get an entrance – he just starts in the ring. Not a bad match, I liked Kidd's submission with Daniel Bryan wrapped around the ringpost. As a sidenote, I find it funny that every time Michael Cole calls Daniel Bryan a nerd it just makes me more of a fan of Bryan. Then again, that's the reason Cole is a heel. The match gets a lot better after the commercial, with some good back and forth counter chains. Bryan ends up winning by submission.

The State of the Showski Address! Zack Ryder is gloriously lame. Ezekiel Jackson interrupts him and the quality of the promo goes down significantly as he complains about last week's handicap match against Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Speak of the devil, and they shall appear! The quality of the promo goes up once again once Rhodes starts talking. Jackson is just not a good speaker, so every time he speaks the promo gets worse. When Rhodes responds the quality goes up. Eventually Teddy Long comes out and it says that Zack Ryder and Jackson are wrestling. The match starts immediately and is quality – they both play to their strengths, with Jackson just showing off his strength as Ryder essentially just bounces around him for the most part. Jackson wins using his trademark submission, which I enjoy because it forces the victim to slap his head to tap out. What follows the match is a slightly creepy promo where a (new?) diva uses sex appeal on Teddy Long, and he continually looks way too old for her.

Mark Henry vs. Vladimir Koslov. From the very beginning this is clearly just showing off how strong Mark Henry is. It lasts a few minutes long, though Koslov gets a few good moves in. Mark Henry is pretty intimidating, but I'll be happy when this angle is over. I did like that Sheamus came down to protect Koslov from the post match beating (I need a word for that).

Sheamus has a good promo after this, explaining why he wants to stop Mark Henry. He has some good lines involving a gold horseshoe. This is followed by a six man tag team match which is David Otunga, Michael McGillicutty and JTG vs Trent Barreta and the Uso's. It looks like the Uso's are getting into a feud with Otunga and McGillicutty. This actually seems like it was set up to show off Barreta, who has a good top rope maneuver. Once again Otunga and McGillicutty win, and once again I have to say that I'm looking forward to when they lose the titles.

I'm glad that Johnny Curtis is done with his lame puns, though I have enjoyed most of them. Christian gets a reasonable promo, and R-Truth's new story seems to be unifying the heels as conspiracy theorists, though the best line is Christian's last one “Who the hell is Little Jimmy?”

And now for the main event: Randy Orton and John Morrison vs R-Truth and Christian. This has the potential to be a good match, as all four of them are quality wrestlers, and there is some kayfabe bad blood going on within this grouping, though at first they avoid the obvious pairings in the ring. A good match, as R-Truth and Morrison work well together, as do Orton and Christian. That and the fact that all of them are good performers. We get a little bit of a preview of Orton vs Christian, and it is fantastic. They work incredibly well together, with a good sequence of moves and counter moves. Christian pins Orton for the win, ending a good episode with a satisfying ending.