Okay I'm a Grognard (look it up)

After Mike Mearls comments at GenCon I've been thinking a lot about stuff

I'm going to be writing a project that I know most (all?) of the players I currently play games with won't be interested in but I want to write it - call it an intellectual excercise, a waste of time or whatever

Been watching footage from Gencon from Fantasy Flights perpective and just want to go to Gen Con (see what I can do about that)

FF has loads of brilliant games Card, Board and RPG out and if things continue the way they are I will never play any of them (and that will not do)

Firstly though considering WOTC are releasing the entire back catalogue of dungeons and dragons electronically it's forcing the issue about a device to carry around the obscene amount of books that Pathfinder right now involves

Ipad (nice but too expensive)

Netbook (nice but small)

Laptop - in order to do this I'm trying an experiment (cause I'm crap at saving

The Rule of 1 - every day I stick to the current level of diet and excercise (workday) I put a pound in a tin

The Rule of 20 - I have a savings account that takes £20/month from my main account (I usually use this at some point over the month)

The rule of 100 - every 100 pounds in the paypal account gets transferred out to my main account

Currently £1 in the tin (I only started yesterday) £20 in the savings account and (after 2 people pay for recent ebay purchases £72 in the paypal account

count in money out of my wages at the end of any given month I think I got a shot at the end of September to get a laptop - :)


oh and still hovering around 23.5 stone

J

WOTC

funny thing about WOTC - I'd more or less written them off (oh still picking up the occasional adventure on the cheap) and there miniatures are great (well the larger ones are) but with the whole 3.5 drowning in books with more options to keep track of and then 4th ed which was like a lit match in a room full of really explosive stuff (for reasons I still don't entirely understand) I thought they were going the way of the dodo

Then I watched the keynote address for Gen Con 2012 and my mnd has been changed (somewhat) they're saying they are going to re release all previous D&D/AD&D products for all editions and settings in electronic format (if you know me you can imagine how large my smile was at that point)

They've already re released 1st ed (core books) and the covers for 3.5 re releases are on their website

Mike Mearls was saying that they are going to set the system so. for example, if you like Vancian Magic (standard D&D) 4th ed with daily powers or Spell points (ACME anyone?) you can as they plan on putting all three in the new system as options

They are using Forgotten Realms as the initial main setting but they are going to be doing something with the other settings (Dark Sun, Eberron etc)

They are going to 'put the realms right' with an event called The Sundering' which is going to be detailed in 6 novels coming out next year I think the last one of which is written by Ed Greenwood (who was at the keynote)

They acknowledged the fact that players in the realms had complianed about NPCs overshadowing what the players characters do in the game and want to move things away from that

I'm going to monitor how things are going to go but I'm interested

And of course ..... I have a plan :)

J

Listening to Clannad 'Macalla'

The theme this coming month is organisation

Better financial plaaning so I can go out when I want

putting a think black line between work and home because the work thing is beyond a joke now so it is merely tool

Been thinking about what I want to do with my life long term and I've come to the conclusion that I still don't know on the level of career etc so what I'm going to do is concentrate on my reffing

I want the games to be better run (ALL refs should want this anyway) but I want bells and whistles figures and scenery, music and sounds and I want to organise all that as well)

Got some ideas and starting work on them today

(If I do go back to OU I may take a creative writing course or something to compliment my gaming, and vice versa)

In other news - I am no longer going to Whooverville alone I am going to have some pleasant company along for the ride

I am now going out on the 24th August, Whooverville on the 1st of September and going out on the 7th (also been invited out on the 8th September as well) well I did want to go out more

Expecting Ultimate Equipment to come out in the next couple of weeks (Pathfinder hardbacks HAVE to be bought it's a rule)

as for the diet - as of this mornings weigh in I weigh 23.38 stone
I have lost 2.51 stone since I started this in May
I'm toying with the idea of starting the gym thing either in the New Year or when I hit 20 stone

2.49 stone until I hit my '5 stone by xmas' target

right now gonna catch the WOTC keynote from Gencon then go for the long walk to tescos (via 3 or 4 floors - gonna time it this week)

J

I'm going to do it

Just finished watching Fellowship (monday), Two Towers (yesterday) and Return of the King (just now)

The next campaign I'm going to run is going to be in Middle Earth

I want art on the walls
music
LOTR (games Workshop probably) figure accumulated over time and painted to match the film characters
I'm going to complete the history of middle earth (only have the first 3)

And I'm going to finance it by selling stuff on Ebay specifically for this purpose

gonna have to rip chunks out of Pathfinder to make it fit the setting

this represents a ton of work and it's going to take ages (but since Rob wants me to run my current campaign until I'm about ready to retire thats ok :P  )

going to start with Book of lost tales

"It is the Fourth Age of Middle Earth............."


J

Listening to Slash on November Rain

I've been afraid

For years I've been afraid of life, loss everything but I'm not anymore

The sorting out of the flat the losing weight everything is clearing and I'm not afraid anymore

I'm not talking about things and not doing them anymore

I'm happy

I love somebody and she doesn't love me and even thats okay

I don't know where this is going but I'm walking there with 'head and sword held high' (Princes of the universe in case you were wondering)

I'm heading off with a smile on my face

J

23.85 stone as of this morning and dropping

got an image in my head of how I want the new me to be (image, weight, flat everything) the details have been dodging me for some time but nailed it

got to draw up a shopping list for stuff for the flat (paints,decor etc)

lie to get the most of the flat done by xmas

like to be 20 stone 'at least' by xmas

I am quite optimistic

J

had a thought it's not since march I've been dieting and what not it's end (ish) of May

Still about 24 stone which is about 2 stone - giving it some welly this week though

I said I wanted to lose 5 stone by the end of the year and have lost 2 - 3 to go in nearly 5 months

probably can't afford the Ipad but still

doing bits of the flat one at a time first up the little room. working on a list of stuff needed and trying to get a load done before xmas

so need paint (and brushes etc), shelving (and helpers) and a piece of remnant (and someone who knows how to lay carpet)..... er .. easy :)

nd thats just the beginning

J

Had a thought - in about  3 weeks I have the August Bank Holiday week off. normally I would be determined to have a clear out and stuff like that but what if I get it done before then I could do what I want that week guilt free (with a certain level of excercise of course)

decided that I need more specific figures for the games Theo's got some really good DND miniatures Giants which I have coveted and I have one Eldritch Giant - looking on Ebay the giants are somewhat expensive but there are these Titans which are cheaper and one would imagine on the large side so they may do

Also need more Dragons (well you do don't you?)

and some cool Demons wouldn't go amiss :)


J

Yesterday a brand new Livingstone written (he has an OBE you know) Fighting Fantasy book released (on order)

on the way home to get me to walk for a change I decided to bribe myself by getting the book from waterstones whicvh is on the way home - on the way I went into the British Heart Foundation near Broadmarsh Bus Station and found a Doctor Who novel I haven't got - nice condition £1.25 score!!

walk home wasn't very awful and the occasional visit to Waterstones will help

At some point I'm doing the Charity Shop Run

Bus into Arnold and start opposite the Library

Walk the length of Arnold looking in Charity shops (last time I did this I found Genestealers)

then bus (or walk if I'm feeling brave) into sherwood and do the shops there

then bus (or walk) into town and plot out some charity shops there

then collapse in pub somewhere

there are a few bookshops along the way as well thinking about it

J

It gets worse

Started thinking about the whole flat as a home for my interests instead of keeping to some conventions

Music and DVDs in Bedroom Shelving to go up and Music art posters etc for decoaration

Games (RPG/Board/War) in the front room campaign maps and fantasy art to decorate (had my eye on a massive canvas on amazon with Gandalf vs the Balrog on The Bridge at Khazad Dum for some time)

Little Room - Doctor Who/Tolkien and ...Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (I Know!!) I used to love staying up late listening to the radio and doing the books with maps I'd draw out - some whoism and an Armchair I think in there

I may turn the area behind a mysterious panel I have in the hall into figure storage

there will be much measuring and listing and pricing of stuff this weekend and then we can begin

weight is still being lost

My outlook on life is still improving

Things .... Are .... Good....   (looks up expecting anvil)

J