Sunday 31 March 2013


 So I am officially recognising my Kickstarter addiction.

However I seem to be very lucky, because of the 130 or so KSer I have spent money on only ONE appears to be a complete failure so far.

There are a few that haven't said much tho, and I will zero in on MORE (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1447560584/more-oldschool-turn-based-4x-space-strategy-game/comments) as being a strong possibility for being the most arrogant KSer I have been involved with.  A response to a request for update (last one was 1/Dec/2012) was as followers...

Hello,
Yes, we know that it would be nice to post some update, but we are so excited and busy on working with M.O.R.E. that we don't want to do anything else ;) In near future we will post update and I think there will be some more info for you.
Yes, we are living, and we are working hard.. and it's still possible to release basic Alpha somewhere in June/July.

 Not the most warming of responses. As I pointed out they could have put that comment into an update and at least it would have been something.




.
NameFundedUpdatesDueCompleted
.
Wasteland 217/4/201222/3/2013
.
Dinocalypse Troligy22/4/201203/04/2013
.
Grim Dawn19/5/201203/03/2013
.
Pulse Fate Dice14/7/201214/3/2013
.
Dungeon World30/6/2012Yes
.
Mad God16/6/201222/3/2013
.
Ti2 Pen18/6/2012Yes
.
ConspiracyX14/7/2012Yes
.
Our Last Best Hope17/6/2012Yes
.
Disaster Looms18/6/2012Yes
.
Embers of Caerus MMO19/6/201201/03/2013
.
Solid Pen14/8/2012Yes
.
Sedition Wars30/6/2012Yes
.
Sun Boxes in Vermont07/09/2012Yes
.
Dwarven Adventurers25/7/2012Yes
.
City of Clocks07/02/201207/03/2014Dec-2012Yes
.
Rappan Athuk07/02/2012Yes
.
Westward Steampunk07/02/201215/3/2013
.
CORE playing cards22/07/201216/2/2013
.
Art Card Sleeves07/02/201222/3/2013
.
Tales from the Fallen Empire18/7/201227/3/2013
.
Hoplomachus07/09/2012Yes
.
Defence Grid 214/8/201203/01/2013Yes
.
OUYA08/09/201228/3/2013
.
Little Urban Achievers16/8/2012Yes
.
Race to Adventure24/7/2012Yes
.
Obsidian Apocalypse09/03/201208/03/2013
.
Red Box Games15/8/201228/3/2013
.
Reaper Miniatures25/8/201228/3/2013
.
Hydra Dice08/01/201219/3/2013
.
Axes and Anvils08/11/201227/3/2013
.
Swords & Wizardry09/04/2012Yes
.
Necronomicon figs08/04/2012Yes
.
Numenera17/9/201213/3/2013
.
Wild Card Creator09/09/201227/3/2013
.
Steamcraft19/8/2012Yes
.
We're Having Sex09/03/2012Yes
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Planetary Annhilation14/9/201225/3/2013
.
Horror on the Orient Express30/9/201228/2/2013
.
Perils of the Surface World15/9/201226/3/2013
.
Truth and Lies Wu Xing09/08/2012Yes
.
Fate of the Norns16/9/201226/3/2013
.
Geek Love27/9/201229/3/2013
.
Project Eternity16/10/201227/3/2013
.
Nova Praxis11/10/201225/3/2013
.
Spears of the Dawn11/08/2012Yes
.
Hillfolk11/02/201203/06/2013
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The Reliquary11/12/201213/2/2013
.
Original Sins11/01/2012Yes
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Storm the Castle25/11/201229/3/2013
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Nightfall26/10/201229/3/2013
.
MORE28/10/201201/12/2012
.
Borderland Keep28/10/201224/3/2013
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Second Quest16/11/201203/04/2013
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Shadowgate25/11/201203/08/2013
.
Apocalyptica Cards12/01/201230/3/2013
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Star Citizen19/11/201213/2/2013
.
Shadow of the Sun11/11/2012Yes
.
Sir, You are being hunted12/02/201222/3/2013
.
TGT Wallet26/11/2012Yes
.
Strike Suit Zero17/11/2012Yes
.
Elite01/04/201215/3/2013
.
Hellfrost12/07/201217/3/2013
.
Assimilation Alien Host14/11/201203/03/2013
.
Steampunk Playing Cards12/05/201213/3/2013
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Creature Cards21/11/201222/3/2013
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Hero-U20/11/201222/3/2013
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Guide to Glorantha18/12/201216/3/2013
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Skies over Danbury19/12/201225/3/2013
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6d6 Core12/04/201221/3/2013
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Stealth PLaying Cards23/12/201203/09/2013
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FORCED12/01/201219/3/2013
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Forsaken Fortress22/12/201221/3/2013
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UP FRONT01/02/201327/3/2013
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Dark and Deep19/12/201225/3/2013
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Sui Generis29/11/201203/06/2013
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Intuition Pen29/12/2012Yes
.
BIGrootcup01/02/2013Yes
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Art of Adventure12/03/2012Yes
.
Fate Core29/1/201326/3/2013
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Guilds of Cadwallon22/12/201226/3/2013
.
DM Familiar Library01/09/2013Yes
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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain14/1/201303/10/2013
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Adventures of 19XX21/1/2013Yes
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Punktown19/12/201221/3/2013
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Tomorrow01/08/201322/3/2013
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War of the Overworld01/03/201327/3/2013
.
Legend of Sinbad13/1/201303/07/2013
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Project GODUS21/12/201228/3/2013
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DASH wallet25/1/2013Yes
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PCGaming Wiki20/1/201302/09/2013
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Grande Temple of Jing02/12/201316/3/2013
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Interface Zero 203/01/201329/3/2013
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Sorceror Upgrade18/1/201318/3/2013
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Gnomish Adventurers16/2/201329/3/2013
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Zogars Gaze02/07/201320/3/2013
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LotFP Free rpg day20/2/201314/3/2013
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Delvers Drop13/3/201328/3/2013
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Rox03/08/201324/3/2013
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Achtung Cthulhu
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Karma Cards26/2/201320/3/2013
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Bread14/3/201315/3/2013
.
Busty Barbarian Bimbos18/3/201314/3/2013
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CST-0122/2/201303/03/2013
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Mage Tower16/3/201319/3/2013
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War Stories04/08/201324/3/2013
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Jamsauce28/2/201321/2/2013
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Dungeon Roll20/3/201329/3/2013
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Torment
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Hoplomachus Rise of Rome24/3/201326/3/2013
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Deck of Thieves18/3/201326/3/2013
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EONS17/3/201318/3/2013
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Hull Breach17/3/201329/3/2013
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EXPEDITION31/03/2013
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Wicked Fantasy24/3/201325/3/2013
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Zombicide 2
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Bill the Galactic Hero
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Dungeons of the Mountain King
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Crabby Wallet
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The Raw and the Cooked
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Walk the Plank
.
Floating Face Dice
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Tablesmith Online
.
Baldricks Tomb
.
Dungeon Deck29/3/2013
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Santa Cruz del Isote
.
Westward Vol1
.
Mind Afire
.
Citizen of the Galaxy

Wednesday 27 March 2013


United States

On May 14th, 2007, the United States Postal Service eliminated international surface mail as part of its cost-cutting measures.[2]

And of course that means everyone else followed.
So an old friend of mine started a new game of ConspiracyX. Not overly excited abut the game choice but was excited about playing with the group.  The first session seemed to go well, at least I enjoyed it and two others told me they enjoyed it. Sadly a few days after that session the GM emailed that he wasn't happy with things, that it was more than he could handle and he was giving up role playing - all role playing, so bye.

My first thought was that it might have been my fault, I am a vocal gamer and can be argumentative at times, but after thinking about it for a time couldnt agree with that view.  I eventually spoke to two of the others and it turns out that it was partially their fault. THey were adjusting to the new game and experimenting with character changes and got into a discussion with the GM about some rules and I think that was a final straw.

So looking at it all, thinking how I have been feeling lately, etc etc here is my humble diagnosis: we are all getting old.

Very sad to say this but I am 55 years old and the others are (I think) within 5 years of that one way or the other (except one). Most of us have been role playing since we were 20, so fairly safe to say that we have been doing this for 35 years, or more. None stop.  I cant recall a time when I have not been role playing/gaming since I bought my first copy of Squad Leader and my first copy of D&D (within a year of each other I think).  Recently, as you may have read from previous blogs, I have been having a sort of forced hiatus running games, but I am still playing a regular fortnightly game.  But the stress and challenges I have been facing recently have shown me that gaming requires real effort and committment, especially the later.

I think as we get older our time becomes quite valuable, and strangely less available. I'm not going to propose that time moves at a different pace as you get older (yes I am), but I sure as hell dont seem to have the time to do anything these days. Back when I was twenty I would stay awake till 3am paying a game, sleep till 12mid, wake up and do nothing for several hours, read two books, watch TV for hours, go to a movie, go to a party, play 6 hours of D&D... about 32 hours worth of effort in a 24 hour period.

These days, I crawl out of bed and wonder why my pillow is all wet (apparently I snore and dribble - personally I have no evidence of this). I stagger around getting dressed, have some breakfast, sit down and have a coffee... and BAM! Its goddamn 10am already... what the hell have I been doing for 3 hours. So I watch some TV, read the papers... BAM! its 1pm and somehow I missed lunch. So I do some house work, work in the garden, go shopping.. BAM is 5pm and aren't I supposed to be ready to go to the game. Travel to the game, which seems to take longer these days, sit around chewing the fat... BAM its 7pm and hadnt we better DO something about playing. Bam! its 11pm and I'm tired, go home and go to bed.

Obviously its not quite that bad (honestly... ummm), but you get the idea.  And my point here is that not only is time against me, but we are way more cranky and temperamental than we use to be. I'm not going to go into how less flexible I am (physically). I find it difficult to spend the time that is required to absorb a new game system then play it. These days I rely on previous experience (most games have components that come from earlier games so after reading 100+ game systems I just about know it all), and group gestalt... which is to say that between all of us we have read all the rules and as a group we can stumble our way through the first few sessions.  That actually works fairly well as all of us have different interestes in any one game so most of the time we have read all the rules well... as a composite.

But still, it requires effort these days.  I'm too tired for effort, somebody sold me a story about growing old and retiring (haven't got there yet) and having all that free time was your reward. Yeah sure, by the time I get there I wont have the time to do bugger all.

Which is not to say that I dont enjoy it, because I still do. So I will persist.

Sunday 17 March 2013

The Tyranny of Distance.


I have just got back from a trip to the USA for work, and whilst there I took the opportunity to buy up on games - 24lb worth of games. Weight was the limiting factor due to the baggage limits of the airline.

I bought: Legendary, Eclipse, Mage Wars, Dominion, Fantastiqa, King of Tokyo and a bunch of expansions for those games.  In all it was just less than $400 worth of games.  It was enormously profitable - why? Because the postage on those games would have been another $400 if I had ordered them online as I normally would have.

Postage has become a major concern with games these days. This is most evident for me with Kickstarter, where postage is a big concern. I unwisely committed to one KSer that didnt advertise postage up front and ended up paying as much in postage as the item cost.  I have also seen a number of KSers saying that they are having problems coping with international postage as it is rising sharply.

And the reason - they are all using airmail and couriers. Whatever happened to surface mail?  Years ago I used to get a lot of stuff sent to me via surface mail, it took 2 months to get to me but it didnt cost much.  The usual reason I am given is speed of delivery (I want it now) and damage or loss during transit (we dont trust surface mail).  I suspect it is more of a "we can't be bothered working out" any delivery method other than the ONE method, cause it saves on handling costs.  For me speed is not a concern, COST is a concern. Damage during shipping - wrap it is a few layers of bubble wrap! Gets lost - that what insurance is for - not to mention that is 30 years of shipping I have NEVER lost an item.  I'm not sure if surface mail actually exists anymore - the web sites of the post office dont seem to mention it, so maybe its no longer an option. Ahh for the old days.