Fantastic Diversions

Talisman Tales: In The Settlements–UPDATE

2012-01-25T18:13:00.001-08:00

Just a few cards this time that I snuck in during spare moments. With luck, a bit more will come soon.

Most of these are for the Temple. There are a few others scattered about for other non-draw settlement style spaces. So take a look around the development gallery as well.

That’s all for now, as work is quick busy right in-between phases of the current manuscript. Yes, there’s something else in the works in my work life, but nothing I can talk about right now.

For those who caught the last update, I mentioned the “Lucky 13” contest being run by Jon New over at TalismanIsland.com. Jon’s work life is quite hectic as well, from what I hear. I believe sometime soon he will release more information for all of you fan developers. So keep an eye on his site as well.

Talisman Tales, In the Settlements: Update

2012-01-17T11:23:00.001-08:00

Life just doesn’t seem to get any less busy these days, but I managed to draft up a few more cards for this expansion to the Talisman Tales story elements deck For Talisman 4ER.

There’s still cards to work out for the non-draw “settlement” spaces, but it’s getting closer to finished. You can find more cards to preview in the online development gallery. Keep in mind that all of the previews are drafts; the final cards will be refined and corrected, but you are free to grab some of these to try out if you don’t mind updating them later.

As a bit of news, Jon New over at TalismanIsland.com is running a contest for fan creators to celebrate the of expansions for Talisman 4ER. Drop by the associated forum topics at Fantasy Flight Games or Board Game Geek. The official notice of the contest isn’t up yet at Talisman Island, but you can get a jump on it right now. I’ve already submitted a little entry of my own which may grow into something more expansive later on.

That’s all for now, as my day job is calling… loudly… so I better get to it.

I’ll be back with you as soon as I can within the next week.

Talisman Tales: In the Settlements [Update]

2012-01-07T19:21:00.001-08:00

Now that the latest manuscript is finally off to the publisher, I can sneak in a bit more work on my pastime projects. So here’s a little update on new cards for the forthcoming first expansion for the Tales deck. There’s a couple of unusual Special Abilities in here, one of which could be quite dangerous and hence is costly and/or risky to activate. And of course you can browse for more in the development gallery. And yes, there’s a few typos to clean up as these are all rough drafts in nature…

What’s really needed now to finish this expansion is some unique Fortune cards for its targeted non-draw spaces. Looks like I’m going to have to give it some more thought, as I’ve run out of notions… or maybe the creative juices got used up in the last month. Time to revivify myself.

A few have asked, so I’ll say up front that it is unlikely I’ll do much work on cards for the standard Talisman 4ER decks. They’re pretty loaded to the rafters with commercial offerings. For my own group, we use mostly the core game’s Adventure deck plus In the Balance 2.0, and about half the Adventure cards that came with the Highlands and the Dungeon. That’s more than enough freebies and trophies… and the Tales starter deck is the additional flavor we crave instead.

After I’ve finished off In the Settlements, I have another Tales expansion waiting in the wings called In the Wild. That one will expand on cards for draw spaces, such as those not touched upon as yet, and some Tales cards related some (sub)types in the Adventure deck itself. That expansion has also given me some notions (along with some inspiration from Judd’s Cities of Adventure) for a story elements type deck for the “in the wild” spaces of Runebound 2E. That notion needs to stew awhile before anything comes of it.

So, time to finish up here and kick back for the evening, as it’s only my first night in a whole month at run without holiday or writing requirements.

I’ll be back with you again soon enough.

Beginning anew in a new year…

2012-01-02T10:35:00.001-08:00

Several people contacted me wanting to know “what’s the delay”? Yes, it has been a while since I did an update on various ongoing fan projects for Talisman 4ER and Runebound 2E.

This is the busiest time of every year for Barb and I, as we have a new manuscript due for the Noble Dead Saga around the first of each January. We're still grinding away on the current one even as I write this.

Please be patient, as I need this time for my day job most of all. More is coming about the first expansion for the Talisman Tales autonomous deck and the ongoing Runebound Alternatives Market Deck additions. There are also some older and newer things waiting to come on stage, if you’re curiou…

Spreading the Word(s)…

Occasionally I hear from fellow gamers around the globe about their own home projects for their favorite commercial fantasy board/card games. If you wish to share such and have a stable location on the web where these can be found and acquired for free, you can let me know via the F.D. Contact page. Once I determine such are truly free for home/personal play, I will try to give my meager readers a head’s up and point them your way. But in addition to this…

OFBI: Open Fantasy Boardgame Initiative?

A notion was proposed by a few old cohorts abroad that might be just a bit too insane… especially when I ran off in another direction from its starting point. That’s never stopped me before, though it has often led down a dead-end and eaten up a lot of time. I’m a slow learner, I guess. Fool that I am, I was initially hesitant at the original idea because it wasn’t really going to lead to anything new.

Few modern board/card gamer players are familiar with “print and play” games anymore; most of them stick (sensibly) to what’s commercially available. There’s great diversity out there, ready-made at a price for all our fantasy gaming obsessions. But the little known concept of print’n’play is still alive, and it exists outside the gaming world now that the web has spread into a world unto itself from the old days of HTML 1.0 (or earlier). This is about freely available, copy-left or limited copyrighted but complete new/old games that you download to print & assemble yourself.

Most are made by people who either want to be professional game designers or find it a rewarding hobby… and then realize that what they created isn’t going to lead to a commercial product. You can find some such over at BoardGameGeek.com, if you search around. And the proposed topic that came up in discussion was an offshoot of this seemed daunting in the moment… more some when I took off on a further tangent.

A couple of people suggested a system of board/card game components — rather than full games — which people could use commonly to create all kinds of Fantasy (or other such) boardgames; a common source that all could use to design their own print’n’play games. Yes, some such exist in the RPG world, and you can even buy map tiles, and such, commercially made. But that’s not quite to the point. Those are generally devoid of game mechanics, per se, so they can be adapted to established games. And then I asked the others…

“What if we threw out the notion of game dependent mechanics and replaced them with mechanics of ‘common use’ inside the components themselves?”

There was a moment of dubious, confused silence in the conversation.

Again, this is not really new, for if you look at map tiles for RPG, they have some markers on them for “spaces” or point-to-point routes. That’s certainly an intrinsic mechanic inside the component itself, but its very minimal. What about other game components standard to many fantasy (and other) board games?

Most involved in the discussion are long-time fantasy boardgamers who have a history in Fantasy RPG. Most no longer have time for FRPG as a time-intensive pursuit. Instead, they have turned to Fantasy Boardgames that lightly echo (often superficially) the RPG experience. Some will then add a few home-made additions to bring the game an inch closer in the leagues between boardgames and full-on RPG. So came about another dimension of the notion of freely available but more systematic components, as found in the RPG world, that are geared to boardgaming instead. You may wonder what the difference is, and I’ll get to that eventually.

To make things more complicated (one of my many bad habits), I countered with the following suggestion:

“Why not create a system of not only graphics but actual components to be built from them with semi-autonomous mechanics that when used in different designed games thereby share intrinsic mechanics between games?”

Another long silence followed.

The notion involves an actual system for non-game-specific components — and structured/tiered mechanics for using them in any game — that could allow these parts, and even parts of a game’s own methods of play to be moved/shared from one game to the next. Players would have a stable way to learn one game and thereby know part of all the others sharing the same component system. They use their premade components in more than one game, and even move components like a character from one game to the next. This concept has been labeled the Open Fantasy Boardgame Initiative (OFBI). Already some are asking, “How could that ever possibly work?”

Maybe it won’t. Most likely it’s another dead-end idea. But it’s just talk for now, and there’s no harm in that. As with other issues mentioned, even in “purpose” it isn’t a wholly new concept, but it might be new(er) in a different implementation. For those who’ve played fantasy boardgames from varied game companies, at one time or another you’ve briefly looked at the idea of moving a stock “character” from one game to the next. Typically, it doesn’t work, even in games which are made by the same company and/or share the same superficial aspects of a setting/world. This is because the mechanics are always different from game to game… and so are the descriptive attributes of components, like characters. Any translation is always deeply flawed.

The additional difficulty is the complexity of the games themselves. Some are basic, intermediate, or advanced in play mechanics… a few might even be classified as extreme. A shared system of components with inherent mechanics would have to account for this and have a tiered method for moving them between games of differing complexity. Again, this appears daunting to impossible. In some types of components, their inherent mechanics may not change in complexity as the complexity of game play changes from one game to the next. Certainly not much for boards, or components of such, but for others…

For anyone whose played RPGs, you may have wrestled with moving your favorite character from one system to another. You know what a headache that can often be. For boardgamers, fewer of you have encountered this unless you play games that share a setting (using that word very loosely). Both of these point to the same challenge. We like our characters, generated or premade, and want them to cross over into differing forms of high/epic fantasy play… even in games of differing focus and/or complexity… even when we’re not dealing with real characters but stock archetypes, stereotypes, or some such. This is especially so with games which shadow the nature (mostly just ambiance) of FRPG.

It’s a taller order where characters and other creatures are concerned, and probably impossible. But this is because the game was built first, then the mechanics to make it function, and then the components to serve that function. With the notion of OFBI, the process is in the reverse; and yes, the would-be game designers out there are scoffing. I’m admittedly not a game-designer. But even with characters and creatures, there’s the possibility (if limiting for some) to establish a component system with some tiered expandability that might get part way to satisfaction.

In the near future (hopefully), I’ll begin playing with some possibilities (outside of actual games) that work backwards into building components with intrinsic mechanics that might be used across multiple games… all from the boardgame side of the range vs. the distant other end of FRPG. Perhaps I’ll mock up proposed samples for fun and illustration. This will be play with a really wild-ass notion. I don’t expect anything useful to come of it, thought hopefully it might. It might at least spawn something else appealing along the way. Someone out there in the wild wild web may have already tried it and can comment on their own efforts.

In addition, I won’t be going at this as a game designer, but rather as a story-maker (something different than, but linked to, a being a storyteller). The components for a fantasy game in the abstract are not that far off from fiction, though games themselves don’t really have a full story in them. That part is really up to the players. Hence I’ll work from Setting to Character to other details of fixtures that involve the interaction of the two… and last will be Plot. For in this model, Plot is actually the varied games that might be built upon the components. Even all this is backwards and inside out for what a story-maker and storyteller does.

Enough of the abstract stuff, and I hope to be back with you again real soon, once the current manuscript is out the door. Until then, here’s hoping worldwide that this year is filled with promise for all us versus the last one.

Talisman Tales: In the Settlements [UPDATE]

2011-12-24T09:54:00.001-08:00

Just a moment for a small update before I’m off to pick up an old chum coming in for the holidays. Most of these cards relate to the Tavern. You can peek at any others by visiting the development gallery.

I’ve always imagined the Tavern as being more to the seedy side — a lawless and rough hangout with a nod and a wink to the cliché side of freeform FRPG. Well, without those lazy adventurers just hanging about waiting for something the happen, but there’ll be none of that in Talisman!

Questionable skills, opportunities and pursuits are found on long nights within this dim raucous place. Why else would it be located so far off from the Village or the City… and on the opposite side of the Land from the Chapel. But then, strangely, its right across the Storm River from the Temple… and so…

I’m still not wholly happy with some of the illustrations. But what’s a non-artist to do? Perhaps I’ll stumble on some improvements before this expansion’s final release.

Some bits and pieces are also coming together for the next expansion for the Tales deck: In the Wild. That one will focus more on situational occurrences while characters are off seeking monsters, dragons, and treasure rather than licking their wounds, gearing up… or getting drunk.

Until next time, here’s wishing you and yours a Merry / Happy Christmas, Bright Blessings, Fortune’s Favor, Solemn Solstice, Happy Hanukah, and everything else. And possibly I’ll be back with a little more before the year ends and a new brings in better times for all.

The Hobbit HD Trailer

2011-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

And of course everyone has heard about this. What, you missed it? Are you kidding?

Then see it on YouTube and then check out the additional information at Collider.com.

Talisman Tales: In the Settlements (UPDATE)

2011-12-16T08:30:00.001-08:00

Time to sneak in another update as I work to complete this first expansion for the Tales deck. You can see more by visiting its development gallery. So far, Tales has proven to be a refresher in a special kind of play for a few groups. Though my own circle’s interest in Talisman 4ER has waned, others have found this deck to be an extra option for play that goes back to the game’s roots…

With the number of commercial expansions available, problems seen in past editions have cropped up again. They are ones not exclusive to Talisman and happen with any game dependent in part upon character / player interaction inside the game environment. For one, the more boards that are added to the game, the more spread out the characters become; interaction at the character level drops off dramatically. That worsens with every new board that is added. And no, I don’t mean player but actual character interaction.

It’s a fact that Talisman is built for characters to go after each other; tedious as a primary focus, from my perspective, but there it is. The only option when characters are too far apart is to resort to interaction as players outside of the game. The only way to do that in Talisman is through Spells.

Spells are problematic, for unless a particular character always has at least one, sometimes called a “spell cycler,” its player is out of the loop for such interaction. Spells are hard to come by otherwise and not cast by characters as much as by players. Especially so if a particular spell can have an effect well beyond the character’s view or reach. But the Tales deck doesn’t really address this other than offering some add-on Special Abilities related to Spell cards. A lucky non-spell-cycler character might pick one such up, but that won’t really help with the innate problem.

I’ve heard from three groups that tried something different, something that goes against the grain. Most players find that some form of boredom sets in when the same old cards are encountered over and over, the same old spaces visited time and again. They buy up anything and everything that comes out to expand on what the game already does. I’m there, too, and enthusiastic about new additions, but perhaps a little pickier. Not all expansions offer real expansion; some introduce influences that are counterproductive, such as just mentioned. But the too point…

Those three groups, one being a test group I use from time to time, took an evening and stripped their game down. They left out all expansion boards but kept all additions that worked with the mainboard. The Adventure deck was not pre-filtered before the game; cards that came up related to expansion boards were simply discarded for another draw, thereby saving time in game setup. Then the Tales deck was used on top of it all, bringing the whole game’s focus back to the main board.

I haven’t tried this yet with the Tales deck, but it makes sense and a board-reduced game is sometimes how me and mine have played. Reports have been position from those willing to play outside the extra boxes, so to speak. They are fewer than this community likes to believe, but maybe mainstream Talisman players will also give it a try, with or without the Tales deck. Hopefully in this commercialized season, where the “more is better” epidemic hits a peak, a little common sense might creep in to override the wanton avarice.

The Tales deck is not a real game changer, but with its extra challenges, twists, and yes the Special Abilities, it appears that at least these few groups found a new (old) way to play that gained a little extra spice. The sense of story as a bit more than a misguide notion of a sequence of events was there… sort of. These groups seemed to like it, as well as having characters in closer proximity to bring the game’s standard influences — plus those of the Tales deck — back into play with increased character interaction.

Well, I can’t ask for more satisfaction than that for my meager efforts. Now I need to find time to try it myself… to get me and mine back to the table for a focus game. Time to play Talisman old school but with extra trimmings from the Tales deck, all focused on the main board once more. That’s all for now, and I’ll be back again on this project as soon as more stuff to preview comes available. And on another topic…

Runebound Alternatives – Not Forgotten

Yes, I have more coming, but this project takes a bit of work in the moment vs. the pre-setup system for now generating new Tales cards. And so…

I will be making a strong effort to finish off another step in looking at old Runebound 2E small box expansions as a source of inspiration for revisions and additions to my favorite game as of now. Next up will be a look at “Familiars” from Artifacts & Allies. As usual, expect a new take… and new cards… for that inspection. And yes, it may involve a return to those odd new class of Market cards called “Services.” It’ll be coming early in the new year.

Talisman Tales: In the Settlements (UPDATE)

2011-12-12T10:46:00.001-08:00

Some spare time came available, even with a novel deadline and the holidays rushing upon me. So you can now find more proposed cards available for viewing in the online development gallery.

A few players have already noticed that there are differences in tone between the cards released in the Starter Deck and those coming in this first expansion to the Tales deck…

One thing noted (in differing ways, to differing degrees) is that the settlement spaces, which comprise a majority of non-draw spaces, are lacking in real opportunities when and if you’re lucky enough to reach them by random movement. Most cards for “In the Settlements” do seek to offer some missing random opportunities specific to individual spaces. There’s also a few more ways to benefit in those populated zones, such as learning of a Special Ability you typically might have had to find elsewhere. Isn’t that the way of things when many people gather in a settlement? Information is just as valuable as anything else… more so in a very random game. And…

Keep in mind that the “Non-Draw Space” cards also count for these types of spaces. They offer advantages, disadvantages and stuff in-between, as well as even some dangers. “Non-Draw Space” cards mingle with non-draw space specific cards just like the “Any Draw Space” cards mingle with the draw space specific cards. So watch your back. There may even be cards in there for a forced encounter with personas of those spaces that you already know from the game.

I am not a fan of the forced choices on some of those spaces. Even in the days of Talisman 2E, when most groups decided all choices of those spaces were optional, this exposed a design flaw in the game. Who in their right mind would willingly visit the Enchantress? No one but those desperate for a potential catch-up in character attributes, but by then the game is far enough along that anyone still in the Outer Region will likely lose anyway.

So the Enchantress was ignore in being a flawed concept from the start; likewise for the Mystic of the Village to a lesser degree, who in a contradiction to namesake could randomly change a character’s alignment. And how someone like that would set up business in the lands settlements without offering even goods or services is too silly even or Talisman’s whimsy. Yet, there they are and can’t be ignored… and maybe they might be encountered out and about elsewhere as well.

That’s all for now, as it’s time to get on with the day’s labors. I’ll have more previous in the near future as development proceeds on this first expansion for Talisman Tales. If you’re new around here, you can find out more by visiting the F.D. Downloads page and taking a peek at the Starter Deck.

Talisman Tales: In the Settlements

2011-12-10T17:40:00.001-08:00

Time to move on, as I’m already hearing from a few players interested in more cards to add on to the original Starter Deck.

This first expansion will be primarily for non-draw spaces that represent settled locations in the land. Unlike draw spaces on the main board, which represent (through random movement) multiple instances of Hills, Plains, Fields, etc., many of the non-draw spaces are places that everyone in the land should (would) know how to find. Why else is there a road running around the Outer Region from place to place.

As mentioned before, this first expansion (and others) will include additional options. This one will have a rule for Characters to reach these known places in a more sensible manner. This involves an adaptation of the “Seek” rule described in the Starter Deck package. That’s all I’ll cover for now, so head off to this expansion’s development gallery for a peek at what’s in the works. I’ll have more later this coming week.

Talisman Tales: Starter Deck Available

2011-11-28T17:52:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time coming, but it’s finally ready. The Talisman Tales Starter Deck and manual are now available on the F.D. Downloads page. The manual is included in the package but is also hosted separately. You can preview what this expansion is about before deciding to grab the whole thing. And before anyone gets too power hungry…

The Starter Deck contains a minimal set of basic add-on Special Ability cards similar to (but variants upon) more basic ones found on Character cards. More Special Abilities are planned for subsequent expansion packs, which should come about in a more timely fashion. The first such should be available the first week of January 2012. But Special Abilities are not the central purpose Talisman Tales; they are just the added spice.

With each expansion for T.T., I will try to include additional options and materials. One such planned is a simple open character approach called “Bumpkins for Talisman.” It involves a points system for creating a country bumpkin character who is sick of a peasant’s life ready for some high adventure. More on this later.

Additionally, I will revisit the original “Seek” rules card from way back for release in that first expansion. The Seek rule modified for integrated into the rules for Talisman Tales but written to only apply to Tales cards that include the term “seek” in their instructions. The Seek rules card to come will cover how to use this rule more openly in the game for other purposes… within necessary limits and sacrifice.

That’s all for now, so get to it, and peek at or grab the Starter Deck!

Runebound Alternatives: Artifacts & Allies, Additional

2011-11-20T07:26:00.001-08:00

Once again it has been too long since I posted — embarrassingly too long. Work on the current manuscript for The Noble Dead Saga takes most of my attention these days. But in feeling guilty, I thought I would at least offer something new.

The card below is not a replacement for a card from Artifacts & Allies. It is an additional card in my “Fauni” race series came about during work on this project. She’s ready to go into action, so click her to view/save this card in a new window.

If you still need the Market deck card back, you can find it one or more of the previous Runebound Alternatives: Artifacts & Allies articles. Just look to the “Recent Articles” list in the sidebar.

Additional:

Part of my spare time has also been devoted to working for Jon New in doing some graphics development and illustration hacking. One of two projects he has going is not near enough completion to talk about, but the other has some ongoing previews available. Once both projects are ready for full release, he’ll likely announce it at TalismanIsland.com. I’ll also post a note here as well, so keep watching if you’re a Talisman: The Magical Quest Game, 4th editionenthusiast. You’ll like what’s coming.

Runebound Alternatives: More Services (Update)

2011-11-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

Just another “oops” by me. I’ve just got to stop trying to rush a post when I’ve got too little time. In the previous share of new Service cards, one ended up being duplicated and hence one was left out.

So here is the missing card. See the previous post if you need a Market card back as well.

Runebound Alternatives: More Services

2011-10-31T17:38:00.001-07:00

Because of writing and working on web systems for my day work as an author, I’ve had no time for more than a few new cards. As a quick reminder from the last article in this series, Service cards when drawn must be used immediately or they are discarded. They are never placed on a Market stack if not used. By standard play, another Market card is not draw if a Service is discard. That is, unless the Service card says otherwise, or you rule with your group that discarding an unused Service allows another draw.

For each of these new cards, you may wish to limit duplicates to no more than one per 100 cards in your Market deck. Hopefully they provide you enough amusement to be patient until I can get back to finishing off the Talisman Tales deck and my foraging through the Runebound 2E: Artifacts & Allies expansion. Until then, get back to the game!

Runebound Alternatives: a New Card Type

2011-10-22T19:57:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is a new card type and subtype for the Market deck. This solo card preview is not based on any card in Runebound 2E. It’s in preparation for a new take on “Familiars” that I’ll be presenting in the near future.

A “Service” when drawn must be used immediately or discarded. It is never placed in a Market stack. Part opportunity, event, and possibly a gain of some value in the moment, it is fleeting. Sometimes it cannot be taken advantage of because it is too risky or costly… and not always in gold. Other times it might tip the scales in your favor for whatever variant or expansion your are playing for the night. It is best suited to the core game and its small box variants but should work well enough with the big box expansions.

In general, whether a Service is used or not, no new card should be drawn after its discard from the Market deck as an addition or replacement. Service cards, kept as a rarity in the Market deck, are enough unto themselves. If you feel otherwise, then do as you please. The card can be discarded as something extra and a new one drawn, but I don’t recommend it. That approach would allow some players extra opportunities over others. You’ll see why once other Service cards appear.

This first Service card build’s upon the character hinted at in the previous entry of “Runebound Alternatives” cards inspired by the Artifacts & Allies expansion. Should you chose to put one or more copies of it into your Market deck, be judicious. I recommend no more than one occurrence per 100 cards in the deck, and that’s generous by my standards.

Click either image to have the full 300ppi open in a new window. Right-click and Save it to print as needed. More autonomous Service cards for the Market may come about in the future, but for now I’ll wait on those while I prepare to present the “Service: Familiar” cards. Thanks for stopping by, and sorry it has been a while. I’ve been busy rebuilding some sites as listed under “Destinations” in the sidebar. Oh, and working on another novel, too.

NobleDead.com becomes NobleDead.org

2011-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

One final little tidbit this morning that has nothing to do with Fantastic Diversions. Most of my visitors to here are aware that I write fantasy novels for a living. The original site (NobleDead.COM) that Barb and I use for our Noble Dead Saga will soon become no more. In its place is a new one (NobleDead.ORG), which is still in process and needs work, but it is fully functional for visitors. Excerpts for the latest novel in the saga are available in the Books page, and if that's your thing, you might stop by Barb's new solo site (BarbHendee.org) for her latest release as well.

Runebound Alternatives: Oops... again.

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

More snafus to fix in the latest posts. I'm not sure why image links are failing or re-routing to the wrong source files. But here are corrections for the last two posts in this article series.

The card back is one that I enlarged to 300ppi from a smaller version, as I can't seem to find (locally or in my posts) the original one. I've tested it in print, and it comes out looking fine. Here's hoping this is the last time I have to do a repost of these, but I'm still investigating why this is happening now.

NOTE: I'm bypassing LiveWriter in this post and using Blogger's clunky/slow online interface to see if LiveWriter may be the problem. If not, then I know its yet another problem caused by Google's (Gobbler's) endless assimilation and futzing with more online systems. Everytime I (we) turn around, it has swallowed another system; I never get back the old account I had already set up there and lose all that that system had connected to my blog. Here's hoping they never get their hands on DropBox.

Runebound Alternatives: Artifacts & Allies, Part 2

2011-10-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

Life is getting the best of me between a writing schedule of growing intensity and the day to day stuff. I haven’t time for many of my scattered little projects. But I still needed a break from it all, so hopefully some readers are still out there.

I came across more anomalies in Runebound: Artifacts & Allies. Since the time of purchasing this market deck “supplemental” expansion, my enthusiasm has waned a bit more. It’s still a viable expansion in some parts, but I’m doing a bit more tweaking to please me and mine. I’ll share that with you in case you see the need, or you just want some new cards to spice things up.

The Presage Cards

presage [n. pres-ij; v. pres-ij, pri-seyj]

Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford University Press. 6 October 2011 <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/presage>.
Dictionary.com. 6 October 2011 <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/presage>.

There are three such cards in A&A, each appearing twice in the expansion. On the surface, they are very useful items, but their attached premise doesn’t reflect what they do. Each one supposedly allows you a kind of retroactive foreknowledge (and options) for a type of card you may draw from some or all of the Adventure decks. Hence why I call them “presage” cards.

In one case, the premise of a card in this group is an excuse for something in the mechanics well outside the title/concept. None of the three really work the way they could (should) as implied by title. All three have like problems from slight to extreme, and two are further examples of a demigod mechanic (and one at a ridiculously low price). So we’ll start with the slight and step to the other extreme.

The Lantern of Revealing

The lantern works only on Green and Yellow “Challenge” cards. [Click the image for an enlargement in a new window.] When you draw one, you may temporarily evade (not escape) it by placing it under the lantern. If you later draw another Green/Yellow Challenge (either) that you do not wish to encounter, then you may place it under the lantern and instead encounter the one already there. You may have only one Challenge under the lantern at any time.

It seems straight forward that the lantern allows you a retroactive forewarning to avoid a Challenge you aren’t ready to face. But this is only temporary, a forestalling of the inevitable. But then there’s the issue that you aren’t just affecting your own encounters; you’re potentially affecting that of other characters (heroes).

An undefeated Challenge is placed on the undefeated track. A connected token is placed on the gem encounter space to indicate that Challenge is already there. Hence an Adventure card is not drawn when a character later reaches that space. It must encounter the undefeated Challenge already discovered there. So what’s the little problem?

There is no option to just face the Challenge under the lantern (other than by exchanging it), and thereby empty the lantern of any Challenge card. Once the lantern is used, there is always one Challenge out of play. Only one character can encounter it… anywhere there’s a gem space… regardless of whether or not the gem even matches the color of that Challenge. Yes, it is for Yellow and Green only, but when you pocket a Green one in the lantern, who wouldn’t use it in place of a tougher Yellow one to get a Yellow adventure gem. There is nothing on the card that says you can’t do this.

You get to lock in a Challenge as only your own and encounter it wherever you want. And all for a measly 2G. This is a bad card.

As stated, the lantern changes the position of a Challenge where first discovered. If it isn’t defeated when finally faced, it ends up somewhere else in the land than where first drawn… as if this little cheap lamp is a pocket prison (not a light of presage). If a Challenge is defeated, it is typically discarded (in most cases). For those who haven’t loaded up their Adventure decks with expansions, it might reappear later… maybe, once in while. Even this is altered in a minor way by the lantern. And it doesn’t have to be. More on this later herein.

The Book of Fate

The book has a similar problem to the lantern, only worse. It affects Event cards. If you encounter one you wish to avoid, you may place it under the book. If anyone (not just you) later draws another Event of equal or lesser number rating (on the card), you may take that one and place it under the book and instead put the one already there into play. Again, you may have only one Event card under the book at any time.

The problem here should be obvious. First, you are not really avoiding the event but only forestalling it. And you are not doing so for just yourself but for everyone in the game. This is purely a demigod mechanic, as it has nothing to do with a book of portents forewarning you (alone) of what is to come so that you are forearmed to face or avoid it. Of course, unlike real fantasy heroes, there’s not option to stop the causes of the event; that may be just to much for a game. This little item has the power to reorder history in the game’s loose nature of story. And worse, unlike the lantern, the book is not limited to just Yellow and Green Events. It can used against Blue and even (rare) Red ones.

In the base game and almost all variants, Events are part of a sequence that builds toward the endgame. They play an important role in giving the game a slight (superficial) sense of story… although contrary to what some gamers claim, a real story is not just a sequence of events. In godlike fashion, the wielder of this book… these books… can reorder the course of the game’s history/story, and all for a measly 4G. Enough said until later herein.

The Sphere of Vision

The sphere is the worst culprit of the three. Unlike the other two, it really doesn’t have anything to do with presage, let alone “vision” (as in visions) but rather the power to twist the fate of any other character in the Land.

When another player — or rather chararacter — faces (draws) an Encounter card, you may take the card and place it under the sphere. The affected player draws a new card and continues its turn; at least that’s a small improvement over the other two cards. On your next turn, you may skip both Movement and Adventure steps to resolve the Encounter under the sphere. You may only have one Encounter card under the sphere at any time, thereby somewhat encouraging you to use up one already there as soon as possible. But that’s not really the case.

There is a glitch here, of course, for what happens to the card if you don’t resolve it on your next turn? One can only guess that as long as it is there, you may choose to skip Movement and Adventure steps on any subsequent turn to encounter it. It shouldn’t be the case, and if it is not used on your next turn, it should have to be discarded. The card is badly written on top of other problems.

Again you get to carry around a card as if you have the power to imprison any type of encounter style event so long as it comes from an Adventure deck. Most Encounter cards are in the lower powered decks; few come to mind in the Red deck. But the sphere still lets you pick and choose from everyone’s Encounters as to which you want for yourself… or that you don’t want someone else to have.

It is a gross demigod mechanic in that. And as said, it has nothing to do with foreseeing from your character’s perspective, and it can reach to anywhere in the Land that you wouldn’t be able to see… But no, wait, it only does so where there’s another character. In other words, its all about affecting other characters as much as or more than yours.

It may seem a weak item in a game of few players and an over gunned one in game of many players (not something typical for Runebound). But in a game with few players, where you can thieve opportunity from anywhere, it gives you not only a better edge for wining but one for making another player fall behind in gains and lose.

Overall, I see no value in offering an alternative to match this nonsense and recommend you simply remove it from your Market deck. It is a petty card that leans against the nature of high fantasy adventure. However, I may have something else to offer on a different vector.

The Alternative Presage Cards

Each of the following is designed to replace one of the above cards or simply be used as new additions to your Market deck. The choice is all yours. If you have any interest in the high fantasy adventure of “characters” vs. outside mechanics aimed at “players” looking for an easier win, please do remove the spheres.

The mechanics of the alternatives were rigged to eliminate extra card upkeep and the unnecessary removal of Adventure cards from the stream of play. They also focus on the perspective of the character carrying them (as much as is possible) vs. the perspective of player outside the game environment.

There’s no need for further explanation. I’m open to suggestions if you can think of any, or if you spot a glitch in mechanics or a typo that I missed. Click each card below to open it in a new window and read it for yourself. You can then right-click and save any you want to add to your deck. Please be aware that these are works covered by the Creative Commons licensing listed at the end of this article.

You can also grab the card back if you intend to use these as additions instead of replacements. Once all cards in this subseries are finished, I will package them for collective download from the F.D. Downloads page.

For those using these as replacements, use the “lamp” to replace the “lantern,” and the “orb” to place the “book.” The “journal” and “codex” are intended to be unique items, so only one of each should be inserted into your Market deck; use these two to replace the two “sphere” cards.

Who is Ronibsonork?

Some may wonder about this new persona hinted at. I won’t say much as you’ll discover more in some future cards to come. Call it a little mystery to figure out along the way. Before I move on to the next and final set of cards inspired by A&A, I’ll be introducing a new (sub)type of card for the Market deck. It’s first example will include another hint about this unknown figure, who may influence other cards in the future… or past… or whatever.

Until later, thanks for stopping by.

Runebound Alternatives: Update

2011-09-25T06:56:00.001-07:00

Someone spotted a little typo in one of the cards from the last post of the Runebound Alternatives. Nothing major that would affect mechanics, but I corrected Iman’s card and linked to the old one found in the Runebound 2E gallery at BoardGameGeek.com. For those who drop by here, you can snatch the new version (and others below in the same set). Click any image to load the 300ppi version in a new window, and then right-click and save to print and play.

Talisman Tales: seventh Eighth

2011-09-22T18:00:00.001-07:00

The Core Deck Galleries

Other Source Galleries

Documentation (PDF): Overview, Rules, Deck Building
Card Backs
Fortune Cards (remaining)
Legend Cards (remaining)
Special Ability Cards (remaining)
Task Cards (remaining)

Radio Rivendell

2011-09-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

I’ve only recently peeked at internet radio because in general I don’t listen to standard radio. But in recent chats with Jon New of TalismanIsland.com, he mentioned a group that does fantasy ambiance music called Erdenstern. I checked them out and even acquired one of their albums for fun. It was quite tasty, so naturally I had to follow up on his other mention of Radio Rivendell. For the first time I had a reason to get into internet radio.

After listening for few minutes, I went to our household Mac Mini, which also serves as our media center hooked to our flatscreen, and I was streaming the station all over the house via VideoLAN VLC.

How do I describe it? Hmm, well, imagine all of the music you’ve ever heard behind a high/epic fantasy film, video game, MMUD/MORG, or even the rare TV show in the genre. Now make it multi-cultural from a global community of individuals, groups, and projects. Then pump it into your livingroom during work or play, including in a session of your favorite board, card, or role-playing game. Now you are the film, video-game, etc., complete with your own background music.

Radio Rivendell is non-profit operation, as far as I can see, surviving on donations. So if you enjoy it, consider sharing some spare pennies to keep it going. This much effort to present something unique needs to be supported.

The Shield: Armor or Not?

2011-09-13T10:30:00.001-07:00

Board/card gamers don’t typically think about this. Most high/epic fantasy games barely have a fantasy veneer for ambiance and that’s all it is. It’s just an excuse to believe that we’re in another world while we play. That’s all, nothing more, no matter the wild justifications, and that’s the way most players like it.

But inevitably some ex-RPGers who are also into games like Descent, Dungeoneer, Runebound, Talisman, etc. return to the Shield vs. Armor debate after too much beer, ale, or wine mixed with a long-night’s game (if it was any good). If anyone involved has done a little medieval combat, so much the worse — much worse! As to everyone else, well, you can laugh, smirk, snort derisively at us… um, I mean them… yeah, them. But a few of you might be a little curious, if you’ve been fortunate not to get caught in this debate more than once.

In short, anything labeled “armor” protects you from getting hurt after you’ve been hit. But a shield is about not getting hit in the first place. It’s an oversimplification, but it works for those who haven’t experienced sparring with mock (or real) weapons and armor. Trust me, you really really don’t want to get hit and then hope armor spares you injury… but not the pain.

Simply put, a shield is not armor, and it is closer to a weapon if you know how to use it. It’s also better than a weapon for blocking (not parrying) attacks. But would distinguishing a shield as a defensive “weapon,” per se, work in a fantasy board/card game where we have to keep things simple? Generally not, most would say, and I’d agree… in the majority of cases…

Passive vs. Active Defense

The passive vs. active distinction is how a few RPGs correctly dealt with shields. This duality is another oversimplification, but it works for adding a touch of verisimilitude. There’s also the issue of a shield as an actual “weapon,” but we’ll look at that another time.

“Passive” refers to a defense that is independent of your (character’s) level of ability or skill. That would be armor. You don’t use it; it uses you, so to speak. It either works or it doesn’t, depending on its type, quality, and sometimes the attack form. That last part is too much complexity for all board/card games.

“Active” refers to a defense you can control as you would your offense (attack), such as with a weapon; hence level of skill and/or ability is applied to it. It’s about not getting hit in the first place and never about mitigating injury after being hit (though this part might be kept in a game). This is what the good ol’ shield is really about, though applying such considerations to a board/card game is problematic.

Some games with characters that increase skills and/or abilities might be able to handle this distinction. Most modern ones don’t, opting for the simplification of a shield as another form of armor, or passive defense. Simplicity reigns, in most games, though an active shield need not be as complicated as assumed. So how do we know if a game might handle a small change for the shield?

Among previously mentioned games, I’ll stick to Talisman and Runebound for examples, as I know them best. These two exhibit a similar way of leveling up a character’s general ability, via increasing attributes, instead of accounting individual skills. They also show a difference of complexity where combat is concerned. This should give us something to show the ups and downs of shields as active defenses, and thereby affected by increased ability. Since not all readers will be familiar with both (or even either) games, I’ll try to summarize the combat systems along the way.

The Runebound Shield

Runebound is comparatively more complex than Talisman. In the latter, you (or your character) have two attributes while in Runebound you have three: Mind, Body, and Spirit. Combat rounds are engaged in phases — Ranged (Mind), Melee (Body), and then Magic (Spirit), and then repeat — until your opponent is dead, or you are “knocked out” or run away (escape).

In each phase, you roll 2D10 and add you’re appropriate attribute plus modifiers for any weapons applicable to the phase as you try to beat a like attribute-based target number on an enemy’s card. But you only attack in one of those three mentioned phases (most of the time). In the other two, if you have no Allies with you, you defend… you make a defense (not attack) roll.

You still add in bonuses from weapons used that are applicable in the particular phase, so therein is a key to how a shield as an active defense might fit in. When you take a hit in a phase you may receive one or more “wound” points. If you have armor (of various types), you can cancel some wounds but armor is applied after the hit has been taken. In other words, it is always passive… even for standard shields in the game.

Some armor is “activated” to cancel the wound(s), meaning it is a one use per combat object no matter how many rounds/phases the combat lasts. Such armors are kept and can be reused later; an example of this is up above.

Other armors (so-labeled) may be one-use-only. You must discard them to gain their one-time benefit; an example of this is to the left, but it’s not really an armor. There are shields that can be reused, though they may still be of the activate-type, but the one to the left is the most useful for cross game comparisons. And the main issue is how they are implemented.

Don’t confuse “activate” with “active” armor; anything that cancels wounds is passive, period. That covers most or all Runebound shields that I’ve run across. Typically a discard to use a shield cancels more wounds than a re-usable armor, and is cheaper, but even a discard is disappointing for a shield.

The Talisman Shield

Talisman combat has no rounds. It’s an all-in-one roll of the die, one for you and one for your opponent, and it’s over. Again you add an attribute to your result, but only one (Strength) where combat or “Battle” is concerned. There are also modifiers for possessing certain cards as weapons. If you are defeated by an enemy, you lose one life; you generally can’t lose multiple lives in combat like you would take wounds in Runebound.

Talisman has far fewer armor types, and again, the shield cancels wounds/hits after the fact, passively, but it is not automatic as in Runebound. You must roll a D6 to see if your armor saved that lost life. To the right is an example of my own shield card with alternative art, though it is mechanically the same as the version in the game. The shield has a 33% chance of saving 1 life lost in Battle (only).

As you see in Talisman’s all or nothing single roll, there’s not many options, mechanics, and probabilities to work with. Shields as active (vs. passive) defense might be very difficult to implement in a way that matches the game’s extreme simplicity.

Putting Shields into Action… or Action into the Shield

To do so, the shield must be used primarily during combat (to affect the combat’s outcome) aside from any further options it may offer after defeat to cancel wounds. This complication that sets the shield apart from either armor or weapon (as it really is) leads to three reasons why most games shove shields in as a kind of armor… passively.

First, it can be confusing to players, supposedly. In part it may depend on the age range the game is targeted twoard. Sometimes this is a legitimate reason, though this is also the most cited response by those who just dismiss the consideration. Some games should be kept simple. I repeat… some.

Second, I’ve encountered a few game designers and, from their side, it’s often about following the trend in the way other games have handled the issue. After all, for a game to be a successful product, customers must be attracted to something familiar about it; most don’t want to learn an entire new mechanics system. Of course entirely “new” is utterly impossible in the realm of board/card games if you know anything about their 5000+ year world history. As with the first reason from players, I’ve heard this second one used purely dismissively by a designers, and I dismiss them in turn.

Third, most players and game designers don’t really understand (and don’t care about) the whole passive/active thing, and hence anything about historical hand-to-hand combat even when simplified down for a basic game. That’s probably the most legitimate reason for the way shields are handled; its just outside of most people’s functional knowledge.

The real reason is probably the more positive side of all three of these put together. It’s never just one of the above. When such is the case, offered with legitimate reasoning in support and without misrepresentation of the specific game, it’s worth pondering as a caution.

So how (and when) do we consider putting a shield into actual combat in game if we consider it a viable option? We have to do it through looking at how combat is structured through the game’s mechanics, and by making it affect a combat roll but in a defensive manner. That criteria is the real clue as to which games it might be worth the effort to try it and the ones in which it will be a big pain without a balance benefit. It requires looking at the probability of successful rolls, types of rolls, and the probability ranges inside combat to determine how the shield will change the roll like a weapon might… but only in a defensive manner.

Most of you reading this have some interest in custom game alterations. Some of you have already guessed which of the two example games can handle this change. But let’s look at our examples just the same.

A Runebound “Active” Shield

Most low cost weapons increase damage (wounds to an enemy) rather than your chance to cause that damage. Some more powerful weapons do both. Those that add to an attack/offensive roll usually add +1 to +2. This would also be added to any defense roll in the other two phases where you cannot attack (if you have no Allies who attack in those phases). Therein is a hint as to what we can do with a shield. A standard mundane shield might add +2 on (only) those rolls where you are defending rather than attacking.

NOTE: There is an oddity in Runebound. Armor that cancels wounds actually works against Spirit (Magic) attacks in some cases. It’s a bit silly, for we can all imagine types of damaging spells or magic the would easily ignore armor of any kind, including a shield. And if we get into breath weapons, so called for Dragons, well, forget what you see in the movies using a shield.

As a further note for later, that +2 for a shield on defensive rolls would increase the average roll of 11 by two points to 13. Rolling 11, the most common result of 2D10, is a 55% chance. If we add +2, that’s the same as rolling 13 on average. A natural roll of 13 or better is a 36% chance. This means that a proposed shield (or a +2 weapon) gives an 9% advantage. When combined with a weapon bonus (attack or defend), the advantage is even greater.

The point is that an “active” shield for a defense only bonus vs. a discard/activate shield to cancel damage could be a game changer. That might appeal less to some and more to others (for the wrong reason). It also means thinking about the shield and its mechanics in different ways than the game presents it, or we feed the selfishness of some players looking for the a “faster game” (meaning the “easier win”). An active shield thereby needs limitations to avoid it becoming too potent. These can be the same as for some of the non-magical weapons. Certain weapons can only be used in certain phases (Ranged, Melee, Magic), and so it should be with an active shield.

Above to the right you will see an example with the limitations built in. It keeps the shield from becoming too potent or being priced ridiculously high (because of excessive advantages). In reality, a basic shield is/was pretty cheap compared to most armor and far more desired by those who traveled a lot. Most characters in fantasy have to trek all over the place.

A Talisman “Active” Shield

There are only three basic armors in this game with differing chances to save a life lost in Battle: Helmet (16.6%), Shield (33.3%), and Armour (50%). Again, weapons add bonuses to the combat roll, though its one D6 instead of 2D10. And though you are not rolling to beat a target number but rather an opponent’s own result, there’s little difference in the probabilities of the two approaches. However, there are radical differences in the steps of those probabilities because of the range difference between rolling one D6 vs. 2D10.

The average of result on one d6 produces the impossible median of 3.5. It is still workable, for if you need to roll that average or higher, you need to roll 4, 5, or 6 to match or beat that average, which occurs 50% of the time. This of course counts on your opponent rolling less than 3.5, or 3 or lower. As in the previous example, we’re assuming two opponents are of equal ability or attributes in some way, and thereby the roll is all that matters. But after this, the differences between the steps in probabilities are distinct.

In Talisman, a +1 in Battle for any normal weapon produces a 16.6% advantage vs a +2 being 9% in Runebound. That’s almost double the advantage. But Talisman weapons offer the same advantage, and so internally, a shield giving a defensive only advantage of the same amount might still work.

Obviously if we use the Runebound “Active” Shield as a standard (and we don’t have to), going to +2 for the Talisman “Active” shield would be absurd at a 33.3% advantage. Yes, that’s the chance of the standard shield canceling a lost life in Battle, but that is a passive defense roll after the Battle. We’re converting to active defense where the shield is used in the Battle (combat) roll to keep you from losing that life in the first place.

We have the disadvantage that there is no actual defense roll in Talisman, as there is in Runebound, and we don’t want to insert one. All we have to work with is your (character’s) current Strength in Battle added to the roll of one all-in-one D6 for victory or defeat.

The shield has to modify just the defeat part but not the victory part… in the same single roll vs. two types of combat rolls in Runebound. Sounds finicky, doesn’t it? Well it is, and for most it’s too much to fuss with. For the other few, here’s how it might work.

Look to the example card on the right. Note that the active shield should not help you win the Battle but simply make it harder for you to lose a life though it is hard to describe the game’s terms. This applies to fighting an enemy for the most part, where defeat would ordinarily mean you lose a life. If you are defeated by another character, that lose of life is not automatic in Talisman; you’re opponent has the option to take a gold or an object from you instead of making you lose a life. The shield should thereby have a slight chance in the combat roll to make it impossible for that other player (character) to make you lose life.

Sound complicate? Not really, it’s just all the factors to consider that make it seem so. The execution of an active shield is still simple when you’ve done it once. Too often the notion of learning options and exceptions is shied away from in games. Still, the active shield concept for Talisman might not be worth it.

Note that in Runebound if your combat roll total/result matches the target number of an Enemy, you win; there are no draws/ties in Runebound. In Talisman, there is the complication of a tied result meaning no one wins; the Battle is a draw and nothing (usually) happens to either side. Hence the shield can’t say “unless you are defeated by 1 or more points”, for that would include a tied roll.

No doubt this is a potent object, for losing lives and healing them is a serious issue in the Talisman. So aside from the numbers and percentages, there is an estimated if not calculable additional advantage in carrying a shield… in both games, though especially in Talisman. And maybe a final adjustment is needed in addition to those already shown on the cards, though it might be one to show the one of the two example games isn’t worth the trouble of an active shield.

Two Hands Only… in most cases

In some games, you can get away with using more than one or even two weapons in combat. In some games, you aren’t even required to count the number of weapons you use. You just pile on the weapon bonuses for your combat roll. But overall the better games, even those that are very loose and silly, won’t let you ignore how many hands you (or rather your character) have to hold a weapon… or a shield.

In addition, this should apply to two-handed weapons (which includes bows and crossbows) for excluding the use of a shield. If you can’t find a way in a particular game to account for the number of hands a character has (Runebound limits you to two weapons), it’s another sign that maybe an active shield isn’t worth the trouble to add to the game. Still, there are those who will want to try, so here are the above card’s re-adapted for such a consideration.

NOTE: ALL CARDS PRESENTED IN THIS ARTICLE CAN BE CLICKED TO SEE THEM IN THEIR FULL SIZE. YOU CAN THEN RIGHT-CLICK & SAVE TO PRINT AND USE THEM.

When to (Not) Give Yourself a Headache

I’m all for more verisimilitude in my fantasy games, and admittedly I push the limit on reasonable from time to time. But I do have my limits just the same. For example, I wouldn’t add in the Talisman card above… at least not with any but the most hardcore fantasy game fanatics willing to try anything once. So part of your choice in involves the most common cohorts you with whom you play your games… as well as the games themselves.

I can’t advise you creating an active shield for all possible games, as there are just too many variations. One thing you definitely have to look for first is if you can calculate the average probability of victory in combat between yourself and a hypothetical opponent of equal standing. Without this much, it won’t matter if you want to try this variation or not, as you won’t be able to figure out the needed adjustments, mechanics, and/or way to describe the shield’s influence on such. If you can find that average, look to the most common bonus toward victory that a weapon adds. A shield should add just as much defensively, and no more than twice as much.

Beyond this, there are four basic questions to ask yourself about any high fantasy board or card game into which you’re considering adding active shields:

Is combat based on a character attribute, ability, or skill that can be elevated through play?
When lives, hit points, health points, etc. are lost in combat, does armor cancel out some of those wounds automatically after the fact vs. a secondary probability for doing so?
Is potential, level, and/or probability for going on defense available in the game? Optionally, is defense handled separately from offense in combat?
Are the number of armor and weapon objects a character can use in combat limited in some way by the game’s own components, rules, and/or mechanics?

The more of these questions to which you can answer “yes,” the more likely you might find a successful way to insert active shields in place of the common passive ones masquerading as armor. If you answer yes to only one or none, you’d best forget about it. And if you still want to try it, well, please don’t ask me to help you. I come up with enough effort-laden, low-yield notions all by myself.

But if there’s interest, of if I get the urge, perhaps there are other shields in some games I might re-vamp at another time. Until then, I’ll be back soon enough with other stuff.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

The Good, the Tired, and the Despicable

2011-09-11T19:23:00.001-07:00

Just a bit of an update on three issues related to the site itself, only one of which directly affects visitors to this site.

First off, a little reminder…

The Good

A couple of readers asked where I am getting artwork recently added for a little color in my articles. I know I’ve mentioned the answer before, but to clarify, if you don’t see a caption on an image, hover your mouse cursor over it to see pop-up title details.

I always link such images so you can go straight to the artist’s site or page. Many of them come from DeviantArt.com. I’ve a soft spot for fantasy artists from a personal and business perspective, and I like to show off fan, amateur, and semi-pro artists especially. So when you see an image that catches your attention, give it a click to visit the creator.

Artists are the lowest paid contributors to any fantasy project, be it a film, book, album cover… or even a game. Most get paid once and gain nothing by how well the product sells, even if their work contributes to those sales. Take a moment for the ones you like to give them a comment, ratings click, or something… or even buy a print if a work really appeals to you. They’ll be glad you did, and so will you.

The Tired

There have been more snafus with BoardGameGeek.com. A recent upload of four Ally cards to the Runebound 2E gallery (so more players could find them) resulted in another string of disparities.

The card images were alternates for known cards but written and labeled uniquely so they could be used freely as additions. Anyone who hadn’t read “Runebound Alternatives, Revisited” would only see them as new fan made Allies. Two were accepted; two were rejected. The reasoning for the latter, of exactly the same nature as the former, mentioned that they duplicated cards already submitted. There were no such in the gallery.

Go figure, if you like, but I won’t anymore, because this keeps happening for varied reasons. Consistency keeps failing in what BGG accepts or rejects, and in this case it is glaringly obvious.

I’ll still upload there as much as I can, for I know that

this site (like most fan sites) isn’t seen by many, and
BGG is the clearinghouse for all things game related and most people prefer to download from there.

But overall, I’m won’t attempt anymore adjustments, explanations, and re-ups with a staff where one person to the next doesn’t even have a record of what the last one accepted/rejected, let alone why. What they accept the first time, I’ll leave there, and the rest you’ll just have to look for here exclusively. I’ve got better things to do with my time… like get some sleep.

And the Despicable

A recent check of bandwidth for F.D.’s file hosting has revealed some disturbing abuses. It took some real effort to be certain of what I suspected, but it turns out two other private sites hot-linked to files in the public section of my DropBox account.

The files for download are in that public folder, hence publicly viewable, as that was the easiest way to offer them up. DropBox is a free service for the little storage capacity I need and use, but the problem is that the account also has a bandwidth limit. When that is used up, my own visitors can’t get to files hosted for this site. They may think the files are gone and maybe some don’t come back.

I would have minded a little less if either of these two site owners had asked me first. Neither did, so I took care of it, shutting one of them down entirely, as every single file that one offered on that site’s download page was being hosted by someone else, like me.

I’m not certain there’s much that I can do to make this problem go away, but I will try. I’m letting you know so that if a few links on the download page seem to fail for a short while, please try them again later, as it’s just because I’m trying to figure out better security. In the near future, I will experiment with moving files into a private folder and relinking them on the download page. This means files will not be publicly “browse-able.” But linking them here still reveals their location, and I don’t know if those private links will remain stable or if they have to be renewed regularly.

Dropbox “private” folders and files are still an enigma in some ways; the generated links sometimes seem to stop working. If I can get them to remain stable, I will try a URL obfuscation service next, so that a file and its folder are more difficult to steal.

All of this will be experimental. I will make sure this does not overtly interfere with downloads for my visitors before I go too far. But I want my file transfer bandwidth reserved for those of you who do visit here. You’re why I create and host these files. Back soon.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

Ads on Fantastic Diversions?!?!?

2011-09-03T10:01:00.001-07:00

Don’t be frightened; I’m not going into full commercialization mode here. I’m giving it a try just to see how it works and what comes of it, but it’s not about personal profit. I don’t need that from Fantastic Diversions.

What meager income it might garner will be used purely for the F.D.’s own equally meager costs (domain account, file storage, etc.). It’s not costing more than a little pocket change, but even in that it might as well try to pay for itself.

I’ll do what’s possible to keep the ads somewhat relevant to the interests of my visitors, but of course we all know there’s not a lot of control over that. Perhaps once in a while something will pop up that captures your interest for a few seconds. And if not, that’s okay, and I’m simply glad if I can give you something in my articles worth dropping by now and then. Back soon.

And now an Amazon QuickLink test for Runebound

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

Runebound Alternatives: Artifacts & Allies, Part 1, Revisited

2011-09-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

In keeping with some player requests, I’m going back to the first (and only so far) entry in the Runebound Rewrites series to re-release a pair of cards and add two more related to the Artifacts & Allies expansion. It was mentioned more than once by players that presenting alternate cards to be used as either replacements or additions by choice would be a more versatile approach. And so it is.

Until I complete a full package in this particular ~~rewrites~~ alternatives phase in this series, these single cards can be acquired directly from this article by clicking on any of them. The image will open in a new window, where you can Right-Click and Save.

I have also included a copy of the Market card back in case you need that as well, though it is not yet a full bleed’n’crop version; that will have to come later when I have time.

Iman & Uirg, alias Jachim & Borka

Herein you will find the original cards intended to replace “Jacim the Brave” and “Borka the Vicious” retitled so that they may be used as new additions or replacements at your discretion. Along the way, I decided it wouldn’t really hurt to throw in a dash of other races for the land of Terrinoth.

Off-hand, I can’t hand recall if ogres or half-ogres were every mentioned in Runebound 2E or any of the other games in the Terrinoth setting, for that matter. But who cares, right?

The same touch of racial diversity exists in the next two cards, though I’m certain that “fauns,” or the “fauni” as I have labeled them, haven’t yet appeared in Terrinoth as characters (Heroes or Allies).

A Pair of Fauni, alias the Sisters

The “Sisters” (of Mercy and Vengeance) are a pair of the most ignored Allies in my Market deck. So much so that they’ve been pulled and do not waste space in the market stacks. I’ve heard the same from other player groups. I can’t say my Fauni are rewrites of those cards, because I have no interest in reintroducing the mechanics found in the Sisters. So this pair are pretty much new altogether with some purely experimental mechanics of their own. They might end up being ignored as well.

Fauni as a group/race are small and weak, but quick and tenacious. Hence if I do more of them in the future, they will likely be low cost Allies. Hiring one may be a tactical rather than general choice among Allies, requiring a player to think through the options versus hoarding up gold to go for the big guns… which doesn’t always get you a win. These two do offer up a new option for boosting an Ally, but at a cost for such versatility.

You will have to decide if sacrificing a Rune, likely a low powered one, or even one you acquired through an encounter, is worth it. It may even depend on the variant you are playing. But they are not too costly for general use, and each has an ability that can be potent in the right situations. Hopefully they see some action, as they are itching for it.

Next time out, I will get back to the Talisman Tales starter deck and push toward finishing that off. (You can also do a quick search for “tales” to find all previous relevant articles.) I also have in mind a like spin-off deck (but suitably different) for Runebound called In the Wild, but that may sit for a little bit until I get some other things done. Until then, thanks for reading, and I’ll be back soon.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.

Highland Fine Gems @ BoardGameGeek.com

2011-08-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

I received a little note from Jon New over at TalismanIsland.com letting me know that though uploads to the Talisman 4ER page at BGG have been shut down, it isn’t so for the T4ER expansion pages.

So I’ve uploaded the Highlands Fine Gems package to The Highlands page at Board- GameGeek.com should you prefer to pick it up there vs. the F.D. Downloads page here. Be patient, as it does take some time (up to a week) for BGG’s volunteer staff to review and authorize file uploads.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license.