Image from HERE |
From HERE |
3 out of 5 shrews
From HERE |
Image from HERE |
From HERE |
3 out of 5 shrews
From HERE |
Last weekend, we got to go to This Is Not Croydon Fest, a ska festival near Philadelphia. Good stuff; we're lucky to get to go and I'd love for it to happen every year.
One of the highlights was getting to see ska veterans The Toasters, who I always enjoy. Here they are last Sunday taking on maybe my favorite Toasters song, "Thrill Me Up." (I love recording video at shows but realized lately that instead of capturing 20 seconds apiece of like 7 separate tunes, I should maybe try to get some complete songs. This is one toward that effort...)
Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down
The caster creates a magical field of protection around themself to block out all evil monsters, who suffer a -1 penalty “to-hit” against the caster, and the caster gains +1 on all saving throws against such attacks. (What makes them "evil?" Well, if they're the bad guys, of course...)
As conversions among game systems are almost an obsessive focus of daydreaming for me, I have noted at various times in my life that attempts to transform Magic: The Gathering stats into roleplaying numbers often feel more correct with a dice pool system like D6 (as seen in Ghostbusters and WEG Star Wars, for example) than with the d20-based systems I've probably played the most (D&D and its offshoots and clones).
With this in mind, and with the additional fact that MTG and the Ghostbusters RPG are two of my absolute favorite games ever, I thought it was cool to hear RPG legend Sandy Petersen note in the interview below (from Ghostbusters, Virginia) that the resolution system pioneered in Ghostbusters was a potential influence on Magic!
(Should be cued up to about the right time in the video...MTG is mentioned at around 5:30...)
Anyone have any insight on this? Heard this before? Thought this before? I'm pretty sure I've read S. John Ross cite Ghostbusters as a big influence on Risus (another game with a formative influence on me), but I can't recall seeing Richard Garfield mention it.
(I hope it's clear that I'm asking this not to challenge the veracity of the claim, but honestly kind of hoping there's more evidence or just speculation about this connection out there. I think I found this video by specifically searching for threads connecting the two games...!)
Celery and her custom blanket (thanks Joan!) |
Princess Celery |
With Ruffles, who was absolutely obsessed with Celery... |
Celery with goodest boy Goliath at the BRC |
Celery with my sweet Tulip (left) and BRC graduate/Tulip's biological mom Lily Jane (middle) |
I think maybe we were in NC in this pic...? |
With Murray, another behavioral oddball who found some stress relief in nosework |
With previous Linneman flagship dog Angel, whose need for a playful friend was the reason we brought baby Celery home in the first place |
Fall Saturday in the South...so of course that also meant college football... |
For Easter |
For Halloween, with Dishy |
For the potentially problematic celebration that traditionally starts the Holiday Season |
From an Atlanta Christmas parade we took part in each year with Happy Tails |
Yeah, we were often amazed at how willingly she wore this stuff, too. |
Being the bestest girl on a train ride |
Posing in front of her own advertising photo...maybe Celery's most baller move ever |
I've had a soft spot for Scyther since pretty early in my journey with Pokémon. I'm sure this was partly influenced by how universally valuable its card from the Jungle expansion used to be (seriously, it could go in every deck)...but I also like mantises...and Scyther are just cool looking. And they're like ninjas! What's not to like?
I also recently had a Scyther buddy named Slash in Pokémon GO. He's a Scizor now, but we had some good times while he was growing up.
I hope he avoids the beastfighting pits, but if he ends up there, his fighting will probably play out something like this...
Slash at work with me |
(4'11, 123 lbs., DEX +2)
HD 2d8, AC 14
Actions: Swords Dance (Slash attack deals double damage next round); Slash +2 (1d6 slashing damage)
Image from HERE |
I recently saw it reported that 2024 will bring the premiere of This Town (the source of the still above), a TV series from the Peaky Blinders guy set during the 2 tone era in the UK. I'm excited!
I was going to feature them anyway, but that's still another good reason to turn my attention to the Specials for today's Rude sound!
Image from HERE |
Blank Expression
You choose one target creature within range. If that creature is familiar with you, they forget who you are and their history with you for the duration of the sound. The creature may still be aware that someone of your name and description exists, but they are unable to make that connection to you. A successful save negates the effect.
While Pokémon has come up a fair amount on this blog, I think I've somehow managed to not even mention the one that I keep coming back to as my favorite (although I guess I do have a lot of "favorites"...some of which I've talked about previously).
This favorite is...
.
.
.
.
...Jigglypuff!
This amazing crocheted 'Puff was a gift from my talented friend Judy! |
(And Wigglytuff. And Igglybuff. And I guess Scream Tail too. The whole Jigglypuff line and lineage, really.)
So, obviously, that means I want to put one in a pit for brutal combat vs. other 'mons. (It's just the way of the world, right?) And it would probably look something like this...
(1'8", 12 lbs., CHA +2)
HD 2d6 (6 HP), AC 13
Actions: Lullaby (all within earshot must make a Wisdom save or fall asleep); Pound +4 (1d4 bludgeoning damage)
Weakness: Fighting
Another sound for the Rudie to cast...
(Active for like 30 years straight, the Slackers are one of my favorite bands. I'm lucky enough to now live within close proximity to their native NYC that I can go to their shows about as often as I want to, and they never disappoint. This song is often used to kick off their sets.)
7" cover, seen HERE |
You choose one target creature within range. For the duration of the spell, an invisible force (claimed to feel like a pair of strong arms) prevents that creature from getting within 10 feet of you. If the creature is 10 feet away and you move toward it, the force will gradually pull them in the opposite direction until at least a 10 foot distance is established again.
Image from HERE |
Image from HERE |
Stubborn All-Stars (who I've always called The Stubborn All-Stars, and only realized in looking at their Wikipedia page now that maybe that "The" isn't supposed to be there) were (are?) a trad ska supergroup assembled in '90s NYC by King Django of Stubborn Records.
They are one of the greats of the era, IMO. "Pick Yourself Up" apparently got some airplay on MTV back in the day (again, I am informed by Wikipedia about this). It comes from their album Back With a New Batch and serves as a rejuvenating sound for Rudies...
Image from HERE |
You remove all levels of exhaustion from a character within range.
Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to 2024!!
On this date, in this year - once again, that would be 2024 - what once seemed impossible has come to pass: Mickey Mouse enters the public domain in the United States in the form of his earliest appearances, most notably the short film "Steamboat Willie."
(Something tells me you've probably seen this news...)
I'm looking forward to seeing where this American icon ends up now that we all have access...and how far folks push the envelope before getting Disney on their backs.
Do you have any plans for Steamboat Willie? (And actually...who is Steamboat Willie? Is he Mickey in this film, or is that just sort of a generic title for the short?)
As with so many things...I have my ideas but don't know if I'll follow through. I like the idea of "Steamboat Willie" as a story of anthropomorphic animals on a postapocalyptic Earth...and the Gaming Like It's 1928 game jam would be a perfect opportunity to finally get Battleyacht off the ground...but y'know, my attention span and all...