The Talk

If I had to give a presentation to a class about my job, my profession, my possibly foolish choice of becoming a small business owner, my main concern is this: I really don't want to sound like an asshole. I say this because I didn't use to be a small business owner, so I know how I sound when I talk about state mandated wage inflation, reckless politicians in Sacramento, and our incoming tariffs from our learning disabled president. I've got enough opinions about politics and policy to really sound like an asshole, to everyone! It crosses political boundaries. I'm that good.

Maybe I am an asshole. It's always a consideration. Maybe I should consider the advice of Raylan Givens: If you meet an asshole in the morning, you've met an asshole. But if you meet assholes all day, you're the asshole.

Or maybe Master Zhuangzi. To paraphrase:

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was an asshole, pontificating hither and thither, to all intents and purposes an asshole. I was conscious only of my irritation as an asshole, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was an asshole, or whether I am now an asshole, dreaming I am a man. 

The distant memory of the man I once was, before I became an asshole, sometimes haunts me. Spending Other Peoples Money (amusingly referred to as OPM), flitting from job to job, voting based on lofty principles with no consideration of financial responsibility. Oh to be a man again.

To really be an asshole is to be seen as being somewhat greedy of spirit. This is a problem for small business owners. I regularly spend half a million dollars a year on games, and another half a million on labor, utilities, rent and other garbage. I am a rich man by individual standards, while a poor man by business standards. Surely I can be squeezed for a few more dollars, why so much complaining? When I think of putting The Man up against The Wall, I envision a legion of like minded people behind me. What I don't realize, is I am The Man. I will be put against The Wall. Chuang Chou never dreamt of that!

So class, to understand my plight, to understand whether I'm a man or an asshole, I think perhaps you need to grasp the duality of the situation, that both states are potentially true. That my survival depends on stability, that society is increasingly in a state of flux, and that my ability to flit around like a butterfly, hither and thither, is increasingly dependent on the whims of an indifferent populace and their feckless leaders. Also, STEM fields. Business is a good safety.

HOTT 52 - Battle 5 - A Final Desperate Battle

Battle 5 was fought over the weekend. The more I play, the more that setup finishes more quickly, and I remember the combat factors a lot more now. Less referring to the sheet and rules. However, each game finds me asking questions and I have a question from this week's battle below. But first, let's get to the action!

I generated both armies randomly. Both armies would consist of mostly militia and a few regular forces.

Humans General - Sp x1 Spear (Sp) x3 Warband (Wb) x2    Shooters (Sh) x4 Knight (Kn) x2

Orcs - defending General - Wb x1 Warband (Wb) x3 Hordes (Hd) x2 Shooters (Sh) x3 Spear (Sp) x4

I thought about substituting fantasy elements (like Aerials, Magicians, Cleric, etc), but a toss of the dice said that wasn't happening.

 

I'm painting those Saxons as fast as I can to complete my Human warband elements. Hopefully they'll be done for next week's game! I don't like empty stands!

The Orc Warchief, Ib'Nuzgran, lines up his troops as a solid bunch.  He details a warband to remain behind in case the sneaky humans try to send a detachment down the road to sack their stronghold! The human commander, Major Nesbin, sees an opportunity and details his Knights to head down the road and see what trouble they can cause.

 

"Goblins to the front!" Ib'Nuzgran roars! The goblins rush ahead of the whip cracks from the orc sergeants, eager to taste human blood! Nesbin, seeing an opportunity to rain missile fire on the hordes, has his Shooters fold inwards as the goblins approach. The treacherous goblins then turn towards the wings, and Nesbin regretfully moves them back to keep the line intact.

Behind the goblins, the Bestials move forwards towards the approaching Human army.

 

The Human Shooters do their job, launching a hail of arrows on the exposed hordes. Their courage melts like snow in the sun and the goblins run away, ignoring the curses of the Orc sergeants. The lines draw close and then rush to attack! The Orc Warband drives through the Human lines, pushing their opponents back and pursuing with bloodlust!

 

Meanwhile, the Knights head down the road to see if they can sack the Orc stronghold. The warband left behind to guard it takes up a position in the woods near the road. The Knights are reluctant to take their hoses into the woods, so one element attempts to distract the Orcs while the other group of Knights attempts to swing around. Unfortunately, being so far away from their commander, it is hard to keep their attack organized! The Knight's attack falters as they delay in how to best approach the stronghold. (The distance is greater than 600p to their commander and the Kn are behind an impassable hill with woods - it requires 2 PIPs to move each element, instead of 1. With the battle focus on the line, as you'll see below, this is as far as the Kn got. If only the humans had a couple of better PIP rolls...)

  

The battle's momentum swings towards the Bestials as the Human attackers are pushed back or destroyed! However, the impetuous Orc Warchief breaks off from supporting his warband to attack the nearby Human Shooters. Recoiling from the Human's counterattack, the Orc Warlord finds himself behind the other Orc Warband, out of position should the Warband be forced to recoil! Lucky for Orcs, the warband fights on.

It turns grim for the humans. Only a Blade, the Majorand his command of Spears, and two Warbands remain of the line of Human attackers! The Bestials line is mostly intact and howling for human blood!

 

Nesmith sees an opportunity, however, and orders a desperate charge! The warbands and shooters surround the Orc Warchief and press the attack. The Warchief falls! The Bestials, disorganized and demoralized, retreat from the battle and their encampment. (6v1 in favor of the humans almost always guarantees a victory, as it did in this case. The odds were good for the humans for this bound, but had it not gone well, the Orcs were looking well on the way to victory.)

Humans win versus Bestials (Orcs/Goblins) (8 - 10G)

---

The Orc General didn't have many options when his surrounding elements were defeated, leaving him exposed. It was a close battle and with the Human line as wrecked as it was, there were going to be a lot of overlap situations when the lines closed again.

So my question came about with regards to when one element moves into contact with an enemy. For those of you who don't play HOTT/DBA (Hordes of the Things game is derived from the historical wargame De Bellus Antiquitatus), how elements contact each other and then "conform" (line up so that the elements are square with each other) is a whole set of precise rules - written in what is known as "Barkerese"! For comparison, the language (and organization) of 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is similar to DBA/HOTT. 

My question came to who had to conform to whom, when a group contacts a group, and if supporting elements (elements in the 2nd rank that can add to the combat resolution of the elements in the front rank) also conformed. I ruled at the time in one way, but after a quick (and slightly embarrassing) newbie question/discussion posted to the HOTT Facebook group, I reread the rules and now I understand - when a group contacts a group, the conforming applies to the entire group, including supporting elements.

My shorthand for remember this is: Moving group conforms to standing group, single elements conform, otherwise, check the rules! It works for me... 

The other thing I (re)learned is that when moving through Bad Going, you move a group as a single column, or if you want to keep a line, those elements in Bad Going move as individual elements. It didn't come up this game, but has happened in previous games and I had forgotten that.

That's what I'm really enjoying, is this relearning and learning of little bits and elements. It feels just like AD&D/OD&D in that regards, and that just makes me happy.

On to Battle #6 next week!

Granblue Fantasy Versus Free Download

Granblue Fantasy has soared into the hearts of millions since its release as a browser game for smartphones in 2014, and will celebrate its sixth birthday in March 2020. Featuring Cygames' high-quality art, captivating sound design, and an ever-expanding game system, Granblue Fantasy has continued to charm its fans throughout the years.

Now Cygames has partnered with Arc System Works, known for such popular fighting franchises as GUILTY GEAR and BlazBlue, to bring Granblue Fantasy to the world of fighting games, complete with top-notch game design and one-of-a-kind 3D graphics.

GAMEPLAY AND SCREENSHOTS 

DOWNLOAD GAME:

♢ Click or choose only one button below to download this game.
♢ View detailed instructions for downloading and installing the game here.
♢ Use 7-Zip to extract RAR, ZIP and ISO files. Install PowerISO to mount ISO files.

Granblue Fantasy Versus Free Download

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS GAME

➤ Download the game by clicking on the button link provided above.

➤ Download the game on the host site and turn off your Antivirus or Windows Defender to avoid errors.

➤ Once the download has been finished or completed, locate or go to that file.

➤ To open .iso file, use PowerISO and run the setup as admin then install the game on your PC.

➤ Once the installation process is complete, run the game's exe as admin and you can now play the game.

➤ Congratulations! You can now play this game for free on your PC.

➤ Note: If you like this video game, please buy it and support the developers of this game.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
(Your PC must at least have the equivalent or higher specs in order to run this game.)

Minimum:
• OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
• Processor: AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-3470, 3.20 GHz
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: Radeon HD 6870, 1 GB / GeForce GTX 650 Ti, 1 GB
• DirectX: Version 11
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 7 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible soundcard or onboard chipset

Recommended:
• OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1400, 3.2 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.40 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB / GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB
• DirectX: Version 11
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 7 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX compatible soundcard or onboard chipset

Supported Language: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian, Hungarian, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, and Simplified Chinese language are available.

Weekend Gaming Update 4/22/2019

   Friday night watched a great episode of Dragons and Things on Twitch while I painted minis. I don't think I have mentioned Dragons and Things here, which is a shame. It's a live play stream of a bunch of crazy people playing Pathfinder. It's a lot of fun, and they interact a lot with the viewers, which is what drew me to it so much in the first place. Anyway, from 6:00-10:00 Pacific that's what I am usually doing (which is 8 to midnight for me).

   Played a game of Infinity with my buddy Zach and his son. Went to a local-ish game store to play, Montag's Games. I ought to do a Store Report on them, but I may have already. They've just moved into a new space, though, so it may be time for an update.

   I finished the following minis over the weekend:

Reaper Bones Mechanical Monkeys

These are destined to serve Otto Maton if he ever reappears...

 Reaper Bones village woman with her rugrats.

 Frostgrave Soldiers (Archer and Infantryman)

These are painted for the witch, specifically, but could be used for anyone really

More Frostgrave Soldiers (Tracker and Man-at-Arms)

More Frostgrave terrain

Closer up

So, knocking a few things out. Which is good, considering what's on the way soon...

Ep 28: Grimdunk Is Live!

Ep 28: Grimdunk is live!

We talk with Mike Hobbs about Warhammer 40,000 and his new fantasy wargame project.

https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-28-grimdunk

Join the conversation at https://theveteranwargamer.blogspot.com, email theveteranwargamer@gmail.com, Twitter @veteranwargamer

Follow Mike on Twitter @wargamer_mike or his blog http://mikehobbs.co.uk/

Other companies we mentioned:

McVitie's Dark Chocolate Digestives http://www.mcvities.co.uk/products/chocolate-digestives

McVitie's Chocolate Hobnobs http://www.mcvities.co.uk/products/hobnobs

Sachertorte https://www.sacher.com/en/original-sacher-cake/

Previous Episode with Mike https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-15-in-my-day

Oldhammer https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-3-everything-oldhammer-is-new-again

Oldhammer II https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/episode-22-give-me-lead-til-im-dead

Meeples and Minatures with Jon Tuffley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH4MJlW8vHk

Music courtesy bensound.com. Recorded with zencastr.com. Edited with Audacity. Make your town beautiful; get a haircut.

Making Steps Forward ("Killing Your Darlings")

In a few of my games I have started with a specific mechanism or idea that, over the course of the game, has had to drop out, or change significantly. I'd venture a guess this happens in many, if not most, designer's games.

For example, in my first published title, Terra Prime, I began with a "great" idea for a supply/demand mechanism for the value of resources you deliver. Based on Power Grid's fuel market, you would get paid more for delivering Bluium if there hadn't been any delivered yet than you would if there were already some Bluium sitting there on the ships, ready to send back to Earth. Every once in a while, the ships would take off, and the resources on them would clear off, resetting the demand (and therefore the price). Each resource was supposed to have a different curve - maybe Yellium was worth 7 the first time it's delivered, then 4, then 1... so it's super valuable, but goes down fast. On the contrary, maybe Bluium would range from 5 down to 3, and be a lot more steady:

I forget the exact details, but the bottom line is that while I liked the idea, the mechanism just wasn't working in Terra Prime.

In the end I (thankfully) decided to replace the whole thing with a Demand Tile mechanism. Much more simply, each resource had a price, and tiles indicated how many were required. Once all the blue spaces were filled, the demand for Bluium dries up, no more can be delivered. As soon as one of the tiles fills up, it goes away and a new one comes up, which may bring back some demand for Bluium.

This worked a LOT better, and I'm happy that's how I ended up going in that game.

The point of that story is to show how a major mechanism that I really liked ended up changing because it wasn't right for the game. Recently, that dynamic has showed up again on one of my current active designs: Apotheosis.

One of the instigating ideas for Apotheosis was that your workers would level up when played, like the cards in Solforge. The crux of the game was intended to be whether you play out all of your workers before recalling, and leveling up your entire workforce evenly, versus playing just a couple of workers then recalling them and playing them again, and ending up with a few high level workers while the rest remain at low level. That idea being the whole point, survived the first several revisions, and many playtests. However, as of last week, I tried a new version -- instead of leveling up every worker you have played when you recall them, we said you could only level up one worker.

I was hesitant to try this, but I was hopeful it would fix certain issues I was having with the game. As we began the first game with that rule, I missed being able to play an extra worker before recalling in order to level them up, but pretty quickly I could see how certain aspects of the game seemed to be tighter and work better. All told, you're still choosing whether to recall early to level more often, or play more workers first for their effects.

One concern with only leveling one worker at a time was that it slowed things down, but that's just a matter of balancing costs, and could be easily fixed. However, in an effort to try something in between "level one worker" and "level all workers," we tried something that amounted to "level some workers." I had expected that to be better, with some of the benefits of the restricted leveling, and some of the benefits of the original idea. But in practice I found that it didn't really work as well, and it became clear that just leveling once per recall (and maybe a few special rewards for things could get you an extra level-up) is the way to go.

So there you go -- once again I've had to "kill a darling," so to speak, and remove or significantly change an instigating mechanism for a game.

As a side note on this topic, my friend Gil Hova (of Formal Ferret games) has a particularly aggressive auction mechanism from an old, unpublished game of his called Wag The Wolf (one which I thought was good!) that he keeps designing games around. He used it in Battle Merchants, but in the end cut the mechanism. He used it again in The Networks, and again cut the mechanism before the game was finished. And I believe he started his latest game, High Rise, with that mechanism, and eventually cut it from that game too!

SaltCon 2020 Preview

SaltCon 2020 is almost here and the lineup of activities is impressive. This is Utah's largest tabletop gaming event with four days of all types of tabletop games, contests, panels, and ways to expand and adjust your own game library. And SaltCon is a great place to meet up with over a thousand other tabletop gaming enthusiasts.

Games to Play

With a game library containing thousands of games you will be able to find something to play. You can find everything from an old favorite to something you've never heard anything about. The library games are free to check out and if you aren't sure how to play something you can grab a "Teacher Wanted" sign and there is almost always someone who has played it before and willing to share their knowledge of the game.

Don't worry if you don't have enough players for the game you want to play. You can also pick up a "Players Wanted" sign and invite new friends to the table. If the sign is up on the table, you can check it out and see if it is something you can join in on. You can find new games for your home group or find a new group of players for after the convention.

Along with the Game Library there are the games that are listed as the "Hot Games" and "Play to Win" areas. Hot Games are newer games being talked about. You can sit in on a game and see what the chatter is all about. The Play to Win games are just that. Play one of the games and you are entered into drawing to win the game. Just like the Game Library, there is no additional cost to play these games.

For those looking for the newest games coming, there is Prototype Alley. Here is where game developers are showing what they are working on. These games are in all stages of development. You get to sit in and learn games and participate in giving the designers your critique on what you like and how they can make their game even better.

There are also near non-stop role-playing taking place in the RPG room. You can jump in with the Adventurers' League and play some DnD. And there are a number of other games scheduled. A quick look at the schedule showed dozens of systems being played with around 100 scheduled games already taking signups. You can find something you like or try something new. Don't worry about having a character or dice, there are always plenty of them around to use (or you can pick up some new dice in the vendor hall).

Tournaments and Contests

This year is lined up with a lot of tournaments to go along with the Ion Game Design Contest and the Figure Painting Contest. Right now there are 30 tournament slots listed. You can challenge your skills against other players to see how you compare. I know in years past, some of the tournaments at SaltCon have been qualifiers for national events. I didn't look deeply into that, but this could be your chance to make your mark.

Live Action Events

Artemis will be there. If you are not familiar with the name, it is a Star Fleet simulator. Yes you can be a part of the bridge crew of a Star Fleet vessel. New experiences are available to be out among the stars.

There is also some live Action Role Playing on the schedule. Not only do you get to decide what your character does, you get to become your character.

Vendors, Sponsors, and More

There is more to see and do at SaltCon. There are going to be around 50 vendors in attendance with games, gaming supplies, art, and usually there are a few surprises mixed in. The vendors provide a lot to the experience, so check out what they are doing. Many of the Play to Win games and Door Prizes given away throughout the event are given by these great people who understand our enthusiasm and addiction to playing games, having the right miniature, or the newest dice.

For those interested in developing games, there is more than just competing in the Ions (of course the submission date for this year's judging has come and gone), there are panels scheduled about designing crowdsourcing. Even if all you have is an idea, you can start into the next level of gaming by learning how to create your own.

There is a lot of room in the SaltCon gaming area, so you don't have to sit on other people to play your game. But when you want some quiet time to play, there is also a quiet gaming room. A relaxing place to slip away to and still get your gaming on.

 

The Math Trade is already in motion for this year, but don't miss out on the Flea Market and Game Swap. You might have a game you just don't play anymore and want to give it a new life with another group and this is a place to give it that chance to live again. Or, you might just find that game you have been looking for to slip into your personal library. New and old games can be found at these events.

SaltCon 2020 looks like another great event is in the making. I will be there all 4 days Thursday, March 5 through Sunday March 8, 2020. Come on up and say hello. I enjoy meeting new friends and being able to put faces with the names of people who have written me.

To find out more about the schedule of events and many other things going on this year, check out SaltCon's website (link).

I'm working at keeping my material free of subscription charges by supplementing costs by being an Amazon Associate and having advertising appear. I earn a fee when people make purchases of qualified products from Amazon when they enter the site from a link on Guild Master Gaming and when people click on an ad. If you do either, thank you.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

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Fundamentals Of Software Architecture - IT eBooks

Fundamentals of Software Architecture

Leap Day Cha'alt Sale!!!

Every 4 years, right?  Lots of sales going on, so here's mine...

Get the premium, luxury hardcover book of Cha'alt for $40 (shipping inside the USA included, otherwise, it's an extra $30).  Normally, Cha'alt retails for $60.

Not familiar with this eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting + megadungeon?  Here's a text review and this is a video review.

Each book is signed and numbered (limited to 2,000 and I'm almost out - no reprints!)... plus, since it's leap day and all, I'll "ultra-personalize" it with an amateur drawing of some tentacled monstrosity.

This offer is only good until midnight tonight, so don't delay!

You can paypal me the money using my email address: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Of course, if you order the hardcover, you'll get the PDF for FREE

Hi Rez Volunteering For Students.

Got this email today:

Here's a great opportunity for folks outside of Hi-Rez to help with Hi-Rez Expo and get free tickets to the full Dreamhack event and more.

College students (18 or older) are typically the best fit since this is a great networking opportunity even beyond the free event access and swag. 

http://www.esportsxchg.com/