The way the site works is fairly simple.  Instead of using your normal search engine, you use theirs.  As you search, you win “Swagbucks”, which accumulate into your account.  The search results are based on Ask and Google and in my experience, are reasonable.  I’ve had to go to Google a few times after not having much luck with Swagbucks, but I didn’t really expect that I’d completely replace Google with this service.

There are additional ways to win Swagbucks as well.  Posts on the Facebook page, Twitter, the Swagbook website, etc. sometimes have Swagcodes posted to them, worth varying amounts.  Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating to understand what you’re supposed to do when looking for the Swagcodes when you first start, but after a few you should get the hang of it.

In my three months, I’ve earned enough Swagbucks to redeem for $25 in Amazon gift certificates.  I’m nearly ready to redeem for another $5.

If you’d like to give Swagbucks a try, I’d really appreciate if you signed up with my referral link.  The link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Bazin.

Background

Born into the middle hive, Jericus found himself crammed in between the nobles and the dregs of the manufactorum. His parents instilled a hive-sense of order and justice, which Jericus could not reconcile with what he saw around him. Jericus served with the Arbitrators of the hive, but not out of a duty to the hive itself, but to search for the sense of order and justice had to exist outside of his experience.

Within the hive, Jericus became known for his skills in investigations and rapport with his contacts. Jericus also developed keen perceptive skills, assisting him in his search for his prey. His skills helped him to uncover hive corruption leading up into the echelons of the hive nobles. After his superiors re-assigned him with strict orders to discontinue his investigation, Jericus began to see how deeply his hive had fallen.

Traits

Accustomed to Crowds
Caves of Steel
Hivebound
Wary

Characteristics

Skills

Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int)
Speak Language (Hive Dialect) (Int)
Literacy (Int)
Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites) (Int)
Common Lore (Imperium) (Int)
Inquiry (Fel)
Awareness (Per)
Scrutiny (Per)

Talents

Basic Weapons Training (SP)
Melee Weapon Training (Primative)
Quick Draw
Rapid Reload

Upgrades

BS Upgrade (Simple)
Toughness Upgrade (Simple)

Equipment

Shotgun
32 Shells
Club
Brass Knuckles
Knife
Mesh Vest
Uniform (Good Quality)
3 doses of Stimm
Injector
Arbitrator ID
Chrono
Lho-Sticks
Micro-Bead
Lamp Pack

Notes

Jericus was created for a play-by-post game that I was a member of.  Unfortunately, the game fell through, which happens with PbP games.  I present him now, as he was after he had made a few advancements.

Background

Hiledbrant immigrated from Great Britian to the United States with his parents, Ambrose and Gertrude Hildebrant in 1845, at the age of eight.  The Hildebrant’s settled in New York state, building a large estate, thanks to the medical knowledge of Ambrose.  Expected to be a doctor, like his father, Philip was placed in high quality boarding schools and eventually medical school.  While he did not resent the life he was given by his parents, as it was quite comfortable, he did resent his inability to choose what he wanted to do.  To add insult to injury, Philip’s skill as a physician far exceeded his Father’s.

In 1862, Philip joined his father’s medical practice.  At this time, Ambrose was beginning to show signs of his age.  In 1865, Ambrose was confined to bedrest.  Philip did everything in his power to help his father.  In 1868, Ambrose passed away, shortly after the great Earthquake.  Philip believed that his resentment of his profession prevented him from saving his father.  Like many, he went West to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Ghost Rock.

Infernal devices were being developed by others.  Philip saw these devices as an opportunity.  An opportunity to save others from the fate his father had to endure.  Philip believed that Ghost Rock could be harnessed to allow someone to live for eternity.  Thus began his obsession with immortality.

Vitals

Sex: Male
Age: 42 (in 1879)
Height: 5′5″
Weight: 105 lbs.
Birthdate: November 7,  1837

Attributes

Agility: d4
Smarts: d10
Strength: d4
Spirit: d6
Vigor: d6

Derived Statistics

Charisma: 0
Pace: 6
Parry: 2
Toughness: 5
Grit: 2

Skills

Healing (Sma): d10
Weird Science (Sma): d8
Guts (Spi): d4
Gambling (Sma): d4
Riding (Agi): d4
Shooting (Agi): d4
Knowledge – Anatomy (Sma): d6
Knowledge – Pharmaceuticals (Sma): d6

Hindrances

Ailin’ (Minor – Cancer, Undiagnosed)
Habit (Minor – Cigarettes)

Edges

Arcane Background (Weird Science)
Knack (Breech Birth)

Powers

Bolt – Trapping: Ray Gun

Notes

Philip Hildebrant is a tragic figure.  Forced into a life he didn’t want with unsurpassed healing skill, but unable to save his Father.  Philip can be used in a variety of ways. As a PC, he could continue on his quest to find immortality or struggle with his madness and try to regain his humanity after several failed attempts.   As an NPC, he could be a fixture in a small town – the local madman/doctor/drunk.  He also could be used as a villian, with a little tweaking.  Perhaps he fully embraces the madness and turns an entire town into Walkin’ Dead.

Philip might have a six-shooter and some cigarettes in addition to his Ray Gun.  His other posessions are likely junked attempts at an immortality device.

Background

Melker Göransson grew up in Västerbotten province of Sweden, near the city of Umeå.  Melker’s mother worked for TV4, his father for the Norrland University Hospital. Melker played Hockey from a young age.  He was recruited by several Universities to play for the collegiate hockey teams.  Melker had a bright hockey future, especially considering the quality of programs that were courting him.  However, Melker wanted to serve his country in a different way.  Melker decied to attend Military Academey Karlberg, which effectively stalled any potential for his Hockey career, a choice Melker has yet to regret.

The strong, athletic Melker’s conditioning was tested throughout his Officer training.  Driven to succeed, Melker graduated near the top of his class, ready to lead.  Melker moved into a position with the Amphibious Corps and showed great skill as a leader and as a solider.  These skills were quickly recognized by the Särskilda Skyddsgruppen, who recruited the young man into their ranks.

Fresh out of SpecOps training, Melker is ready to lead his new unit against what ever threats may arise.

Vitals

Rank:  Löjtnant
Sex: Male
Age: 29 (in 2009)
Height: 6′0″
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthdate: March 23,  1980

Attributes

Agility: d8
Smarts: d6
Strength: d6
Spirit: d4
Vigor: d6

Derived Statistics

Charisma: 0
Pace: 6
Parry: 6
Toughness: 5

Skills

Fighting (Agi): d8
Shooting (Agi): d8
Repair (Sma): d4
Survival (Sma): d6
Stealth (Agi): d6
Intimidation (Spi): d4
Driving (Agi): d4
Notice (Sma): d6
Knowledge – Tactics (Sma): d4

Hindrances

Loyal (Minor) – Loyalty to Sweden
Code of Honor (Major)

Edges

First Strike
Command

Notes

Melker is suited for any modern game, but may require some modifications, depending on the actual details of the setting (eg, if the setting was set during the Weird Wars, one might want to add some points to Guts).  Melker can be outfitted with a wide range of weaponry, personal armor and other Spec-Ops gadgetry. A recommended outfitting for a general assault mission would be include:

• Kevlar Vest
• Leg/Arm Armor
• Spec-Ops Helmet
• Assault Rifle or MP5
• Colt .45
• Entry Charges (x2)
• Frag Grenades (x2)

A few notes on the series:

• Characters will generally be generated in a particular system.  I will identify the system in the opening paragraph and in the tags of the post.
• I will be intentionally leaving large amounts of backstory/personality/appearance to the individual to flesh out.  I will provide some major details, but I’ll leave enough open for the individual to clarify what they feel is required.
• I will provide a few notes on the character, including a recommended equipment list.

There’s no charge to use the character, but I’d appreciate that you’d let me know that you’re using my character(s).

The first character will be posted later today.

World Adventure Writing Month takes place in June.  The goal, like NaNoWriMo, is to produce a piece of work within the constraints of a month.  The work, in this case, is an Adventure for any RPG that you wish (it can even be systemless!).  I am unsure as to if this event is being supported any longer by it’s founders, but I am going to give this challenge a try.  As I’ve become quite the Savage Worlds fan, it seems likely that I will try to develop something using that system and perhaps one of the settings that I’ve come into ownership of.

The rules for WoAdWriMo are very…lax.  In the first iteration, there was a 30 page minimum placed on the competition.  The next year, this minimum was removed and the deadline turned ’soft’.  In short, the organizers wanted individuals to write adventures that individuals could use.

In addition to this project, I am going to do my best to produce a series of characters that I will post on this blog.  I’m hoping to be able to produce at least a character a week.

Now, for those of you thinking, hey, didn’t you have a different blog for RPG stuff?  Yes, I did.  I’ve made the decision to consolidate my writing rather than fragment it.

Truth be told, the actual process of making the wine (at least thus far) is boring.  You mix water, grape (or other fruit) juice with “Package A”.  Take a hydrometer reading, record.  Cover the primary fermenting vessel and wait for at least a week.  Take another hydrometer reading.  Once the hydrometer gives you the appropriate reading, transfer the wine to a different vessel, and wait for several weeks.

Yea.  Not much goes on there.  However, I hope that through making a variety of kits and working through this process, I can start developing a greater understanding of how the wine develops and perhaps make my own changes to the wine-kits to tweak them more to my liking.

And of course, there’s also Beer to be made.  That process sounds a bit more exciting.

I didn’t account for:

1. Full Time Work
2. Full Time School

Ok, so I guess, for sanity’s sake, I had very little time to blog.

Also, I really didn’t know what to say.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m excited.  I’m scared.  I’m all sorts of things.  I just didn’t know how to coherently put that to “paper”, so to speak.

With less than a month to go, I still don’t have much to say.  It’s an experience that you’ll never really be ready for.

I suppose you can return the favor. While nothing is set in stone yet, I will begin to work on an application for graduate school in the near future.

I don’t want to be misinterpreted here – CSR is important.  Businesses, like individuals, need to consider social issues and make decisions based on what is considered the ethical thing to do.  Giving back to the community, looking for ways to save energy and other issues along this vein are the sorts of decisions and actions that a company’s CSR policy will cover.  Sometimes, companies will not make the decision that falls in line with popular opinion, miss targets, etc.  I think the key for a company that is truly responsible is to admit to these ‘failures’.

Consider the Syncrude document above.  Anyone that has any exposure to the media will be able to tell you that there are omissions and/or misstatements in this document about Syncrude’s impact on society.  However, it does appear that Syncrude has done a reasonably good job of engaging the Aboriginal peoples and ensuring that they are able to co-exist with Syncrude’s operations in the area (while there are dissenting opinions on this, let’s assume my statement is true).  There are several areas that are only considered by a cursory notation in this document.  Syncrude’s Environmental impact, for example.  It appears that Syncrude’s operations has contaminated some of the water supplies in the area, but this information is not reported within this document.  This does not seem socially responsible, does it?

So, ultimately, while Syncrude is doing good works in some areas, they are failing in others.  While Syncrude may consider themselves socially responsible, it should be up to the public to determine who they feel to be socially responsible.

Organizations have every right to present documents that outline themselves in the best possible light.  I just don’t think it’s right to try and pass a document off as proof of corporate responsibility when only half the picture is included.