Timewaster's Guide Archive

Im always on the lookout for a good Sci-Fi RPG. Once upon a time I owned FS 1st edition, but there were issues with character creation and some of the rules.

Drive through RPG has FS 2nd edition availible for free this week. Its a better game IMHO. What make FS interesting is that it has a very Dune like atmosphere, with noble houses jockying for control against the Church and guilds as serfs starve and bleed. Its also got a better reason for sword dueling (stupid personal energy sheilds) and some other goodies.

Download it for free if you want a great free sci-fi RPG with lots of flavor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v97/maddrjeffe/Screenshot.jpg

New features... podcasting...
Publish your podcast to the largest internet music store in the world for free.
New advanced bookmarkable podcast capability to show video, text or graphics in itunes while you listen.
New iPod extras like shuffle and some pre-ipod phone stuff.

If you hate iTunes thats ok, I think its a nice jukebox, and software package, (considering its free)

After a nice long look at Dreaming Cities I can say I really like it, not as much as Ex Machina but its a great system. The one gripe I have is that character creation is very-very involved. There is a big learning curve, mainly because there is more than one way to build the same character.

For instance if you want a character who can cast spells you could take the Dynamic power attribute or Power Flux or build them into an item of power or about a half dozen other things.  Why? Its all for flavor.  But a lot of people may not like it or understand why they would build a game like that. The point costs are all different, for an effect that is basically the same.

The Tri-stat system is definitely a cooperative system between the GM and player, one where character is very very important. This is a good thing because character development can be a little slower than other games.

Dreaming cities has some cool setting info, but only one setting I think I'd want to game in. Its called The World at Twilight and it takes place as myths and legends come flooding back into the mundane world after the destruction of the world tree. Character types range from the aware mundane to the embodiment of gods and legends. Want to play King Arthur or Little Red Riding Hood then go ahead.

Ex-machina isnt too different than Dreaming cities in the rules dept. but it more than makes up for it with some amazing settings. In fact 3 out of the 4 settings are so cool I'd play them tomorrow.

this really should have been in Happy things go Here,... but I wanted the dramatic title rant effect,


Its like an explosion, which explains why lovelorn Auzzies come here. I mean in the last 5 months we've gone from 5 girl type carbon based lifeforms to 10.

Its like finding out math is all wrong.

to be sidelined by Aquinus....

Not the movie, the scandal... and one of the more interesting stories to have broken in the last 10 years.

It interesting how much Jelousy and loyalty to the FBI as an organization played into Deputy Director Felts decision to talk to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. For those of you who dont know, he had been groomed by J. Edgar Hoover to replace him (as much as Hoover groomed anyone) but was stymied when the White House put their own yes man in the FBI's top spot. His anger over losing the prestigious top spot and fear of the FBI being hurt by the various illegal operations the White House was having it do were key factors in the whistle blowing. In the Nixon tapes he was strongly suspected by Dean and Nixon, but discounted because he literally had a huge amount to lose, and because it would be embarassing to fire him on a whim not to mention dangerous. If he hadnt been the source of the leak forcing him out might have influenced him to spill what he knew about everything.

Felt was not innocent of illegal activities, having been convicted of black bag ops against fringe groups in the US. In fact only a pardon from President Reagan kept him out of jail. (I wonder if he had been known as Deep Throat then if he would have still been pardoned).

He is definately an interesting man, and I must say revealing him as Deep Throat has raised more questions in my mind than it has answered.