D4: Easily the weirdest way to play Ron Edward's Sorcerer
Playing it where the demons are pokemon.
D6: Will the Traveller computer size arguments ever die.
James at Grognardia takes on the Traveller computer size issue and Rob at Bat in the Attic responds. You would think 30+ years later this would be over.
Just to add my two cents my opinion is look at the size of modern supercomputers. Now, explain to me why calculating warp jumps won't be several orders of magnitudes more complex than the multi-hour simulations I do at work using a room full of computer and instead could be done on a modern laptop. I really don't expect them to use room sized computers, but I also don't make the mistake of considering those calculations on the order of running a web server. How much volume do the Space Shuttle's computers take (yes, I know they're 30 years old but it's barely a Traveller cutter). Oh, and btw, while you were arguing the pirates got a firing solution with their out of date computer.
D8:Crom isn't the only god laughing
Ancient vaults gives us three asshole ancient astronauts who became minor deities in the campaign world. For some reason they remind me of Purple from David Gerrold and Larry Niven's The Flying Sorcerers except they do it on purpose. If you're doing science fantasy and want powerful aliens beyond the stars but don't want to go the Cthulthu route give these guys a look.
This week is looking good for content. We're going to have some inspirational art, a new character class, and the second Silver Age Appendix N entry (finally).
Playing it where the demons are pokemon.
D6: Will the Traveller computer size arguments ever die.
James at Grognardia takes on the Traveller computer size issue and Rob at Bat in the Attic responds. You would think 30+ years later this would be over.
Just to add my two cents my opinion is look at the size of modern supercomputers. Now, explain to me why calculating warp jumps won't be several orders of magnitudes more complex than the multi-hour simulations I do at work using a room full of computer and instead could be done on a modern laptop. I really don't expect them to use room sized computers, but I also don't make the mistake of considering those calculations on the order of running a web server. How much volume do the Space Shuttle's computers take (yes, I know they're 30 years old but it's barely a Traveller cutter). Oh, and btw, while you were arguing the pirates got a firing solution with their out of date computer.
D8:Crom isn't the only god laughing
Ancient vaults gives us three asshole ancient astronauts who became minor deities in the campaign world. For some reason they remind me of Purple from David Gerrold and Larry Niven's The Flying Sorcerers except they do it on purpose. If you're doing science fantasy and want powerful aliens beyond the stars but don't want to go the Cthulthu route give these guys a look.
This week is looking good for content. We're going to have some inspirational art, a new character class, and the second Silver Age Appendix N entry (finally).
Excellent blogs slip by me quite often, but today, for obvious reasons, I saw this blog and scuttled right over and read through it.
ReplyDeleteI really like how the blog is varied and many games are covered, which is a good thing.
As a night owl I actually end up talking to, and hanging out with, disc jockeys, probably more than is healthy as you are an odd lot, but we always have a lot of fun, even if it is just terrorizing drunks at the local 24 hour burger dive.
I have to confess I've always found issues of "realism" to be one of the most off-putting parts of gaming. The reason? It is a big part of what makes us look like obnoxious, rules lawyering, no-fun-to-be-around people to other potential gamers. Who CARES how realistic the computer size is when you're talking about a computer designed to calculate FICTIONAL space travel? What does the notion of "realistic" in such a context even mean? Against what kinds of standards are you going to measure that realism? If the function of the machine is inherently nonexistent, you cannot possibly bring any "expertise" as to the nature of the device which will accomplish it.
ReplyDeleteWhich is likely to be the bigger challenge, discovering how to travel faster than the speed of light, or building a computer that is a reasonable size to make such travel possible?
Since the answer to that question is decidedly unknown, and any answer purely an opinion (no matter how informed, still just an opinion and thus not at all authoritative), the debate is inherently endless, and thus futile. A counter-argument for any position will always exist based on different assumptions and thus equally potentially valid.
So forget about it, agree on something "acceptable" to all members of a given game and who cares if anyone else in the gaming world agrees? It isn't their game.