Gone Fishing

Go go vacation gadget. I’m off to the wonderful state of Alaska for a week of fishing. Last time I thrashed my father and brother. They will probably pay me back in spades with loads of large, beautiful specimens. I return in early July. Until then, enjoy your summer.

Gone Fishing!

Mead Progress

After five weeks, the two batches of mead have clarified nicely. The blackberry will need to be racked at least one more time. The layer of sediment from the fruit and yeast is substantial. I may have been too eager and racked early.

FM 999-3 Counter-Zombie Operations

I do love satire. Today, it came in the form of an Army Field Manual. More specifically, the newly released manual FM 999-3 Counter-Zombie Operations at the Fireteam Level. The layout was sufficiently accurate to fool many people who didn’t take time to look at the contents.

FM 999-3

The original link is back in action. I saw has been overwhelmed but is also available on scribd. The manual has been out for several days. I finally saw it today. What a hoot.

Worthy of several chuckles. Well done to the author.

From the manual:

Electronic civilian distribution of this version of the manual is authorized through:

Hard copy civilian distribution of this version of the manual is authorized through:
Kevadrin’s Wares
http://www.cafepress.com/kevadrin

Cascading Code / Escalating Functionality

Last year, I started writing PHP code with a trivial bit of code to roll RPG dice. The functionality aided in the creation of the Labyrinth Lord Treasure Book of the Day. The parsing capability was a foundation I could build upon.

When my interests took a modern twist, I added modern names, business types and job titles. Each built upon public datasets. The individual elements combined into a data cascade resulting in the Zombie D6 Lite Generator. Each generator has become a building block, which I can include in larger projects. Every block adds functionality.

I did not plan the process. Years of being a software engineer prompted me do so. Conscious choice or not, the decision keeps delivering benefits. Now, I’m beginning to integrate a half dozen smaller building blocks into the most complicated utility I’ve written yet. It should be fun.

Most game masters follow a similar path. The tool kit starts small and grows gradually. Once established, the combinations extend and expand upon themselves. Everyone has to place the first block. Who knows where it might lead?

Labyrinth Lord Resources, Take II

The original consolidation of the various Labyrinth Lord resources was well received. The list was a generic blog post; soon eclipsed by other posts. The expanded version has been moved.

The shift allows me to manage the content more effectively. I can also change the appearance of the page independent of the rest of the site, as needed. I appreciate the feedback on the original variant. The current one is far more useful. Errors in the listing are mine. If something is mangled, let me know.

Rough Cuts: The random dm’s Random Swords

Like many members of the RPGBA, I have been trying to visit and occasionally comment on several fellow alliance member blogs per day. Trying to keep up is difficult. The volume and variety of content is astounding.

One post that caught my eye was from the random dm. The recent posts covered sword construction from hilts, blades and fullers and ornamentation and engravings. The topic was interesting and he’s done a fair amount of research regarding sword construction. Far more than I would have undertaken to generate a few random tables.

The tables he’s produced so far cover a variety of blade features not seen in common random tables for an RPG. The density of the information is a bit overwhelming. Thoughtfully, he cross linked reference sites for the tables to explain the details. Still, there are a few gaps within the information. I stopped short when reading the ornamentation and engraving tables. The tables were cool but the process didn’t include a path for non-adorned swords. A small oversight given the work he’s already undertaken. Within a few days, he’ll probably have the oversight corrected and expand the tables into other options.

Of course, cool but complex random tables occasionally benefit from quick and dirty generators. So I started one based on his sword tables. It needs work. More work than the tables.

Cool stuff, the random dm. Keep it up.

Mead Progress

Back on May 17th, I started my original batch of mead based on the grocery store items recipe. A week later, I ventured further with another variant using blackberries. After 3 weeks, the fermentation of the original batch has definitely slowed. I plan on racking it into a secondary fermenter either this weekend or early next week. It still looks rather hazy but I expected nothing less.

The blackberry batch continues to ferment at a reasonable clip. The “airlock” balloon continues to work well. I was dubious of the effectiveness of the balloon system. Much to my surprise, it works wonderfully.

Blackberry (left) and Grocery Store Mead (right)

The rodajas de naranja do not appear anything like oranges other than the peels in the blackberry mead. The meat of the fruit is an off-white color and puffed as you would expect from something floating in liquid for 3 weeks. The raisins have retained the original color. Within a few days, they rehydrated and now seem more like puffy, dark grapes.

I need another gallon jug to rack both gallons. After that, all I require is more patience until bottling in the fall.