by leroy43

May I take the last spot?

by Smiley7172015

Related Item: Legacy of Dragonholt

We played again the other day and completed Day 3 which was our most exciting experience yet. There is a lot of reading but L (11) was listening so intently to what was happening and when it came time for choice he was very invested in our decisions and how they could impact the outcome of the characters in the story. So glad we were able to get this.

by WildCard62

I’d like to join, if I could.

by lorddillon

If you started counting when Hayden Panetierre died, then Dolly would have been 2nd of the 'three'

My go to statement when people talk about things coming in threes:
"You know why they always come in threes? Because we stop counting at three and start over counting the next as number one."

by Rachel Carpenter

Okay. We were out most of today. Errands and such. I'm tired, so I'll make this quick.

I'm happy with how Mugs of Madness is shaping up. It works. It's cute and thematic and sarcastic and I'm really loving it. The spot playtesting event has began and the Great Playtesting Race is just around the corner. Harder cards, a more extreme solo mode, and a 2-player cooperative mode are all in the works. It may be a solo contest, but Mom wants to play... and I think it's a worthwhile addition in the long run.

On the other hand, I'm not really happy with the current state of Rachel's Spider Solitaire Project. It needs more time, less interruptions, and I need to figure out how to draw a winged lion (shirdal) gargoyle.

Sooo... I'm going to shift Rachel's Spider Solitaire Project to the backburner and split my focus (design-wise) only between Mugs of Madness (Solitaire Print and Play Contest) and Caturday (54-Card Contest: WIP coming soon).

Catch you all tomorrow!

Happy Saturday and happy playing!
-Rachel

Thank you for reading my blog. If you liked it; then please click the green thumb [microbadge=23724] at the top of the page. If you really liked it; then please subscribe. And follow me across social media with my Linktree:

by chuckberry

Related Item: Button Shy

zingano wrote:

I’ve never played it, but really enjoyed reading about the mathematics of Dobble.

Indeed . . . we read about it in a whole book about games and it featured prominently.
How often do we hear about Maths in the 8th Dimension!
It's also fun that kids can probably play better than adults of any age.
It's a fun Starter Game with our elderly gang while we wait for everybody to arrive.

by chuckberry

Related Item: Button Shy

DjaliRioT wrote:

kingofanything wrote:

DjaliRioT wrote:

Olafslomp wrote:

Some people might wonder why on earth you have 17 versions of Dobble... :P

Yet, nobody asks... :meeple:

Okay, I'm asking. 😄

Because my youngest LOVES this game! She has loved it for years and years, and still does. So she keeps getting more versions from family and friends. I admit, I have contributed to that gift-giving and thus the growth of the collection. 🙈

Plus, they much be a great help with Challenges!
We recently got an Animals version and needed AI to help us identify the critters.
One thing this hobby need is more games featuring Axolotl!
What a fun Poll about your Game Day with Sweety . . . I hope you can indeed play many more than the two we pick for you!
Have a Joyous Blast!

by chuckdee68

Alcohol has been the quiet refuge of many a Delta Green agent I've played. One developed an addiction to painkillers while recovering from a particular vicious day at the races. It's just part of the job.

by triccardi

You are a special breed of animal as you have mutated from some sort of chemical as you were brought up to fight crime. With your training and expertise you hit the streets as you will go up against some nefarious forces. Will you rise up and take back the city from the scum that haunt these streets? This is the setting of the famous release from Palladium books welcome back to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness.

Originally released in 1985 this massive hardcover tome is broken up into two sections and we are going to talk about the first section which would be the core rules. The first step is to create a character and that involves rolling up the core attributes which are IQ, Mental Endurance, Mental Affinity, Physical Strength, Physical Prowness, Physical Endurance, Physical Beauty and Speed. Next you would roll up or choose your animal and each of these have something called Bio-E. These are points that can be used to give your animal speech, bipedal, hands, looks and even natural abilities and weapons. You can gain bio-e by either taking some disadvantages or if your animal is big enough you can change their size (and this can work if your animal is smaller as well). You will then roll up your animal’s origin as they can either be a subject of a military experiment or of some sort of random mutation. Each of these will give you how many skills that you can select from and they are broken into two categories which are
Amateur and Professional. Professional skills are more learned and can be such things as advanced combat or electronics. Amateur skills would be different skills with simple weapons or handguns or some basic skills such as driving a car. Each of your characters will have an alignment which is what the character would do in a certain situation (such as would they keep their word or do they kill their opponents). After all of that you can purchase weapons and equipment and your character is ready to play! The core rules also has a variety of adventures that you can run ranging from fighting a band of ninjas to dealing with a bunch of mutant bears called the ‘terror bears’. The last part of the book gives you sample characters if you wanted to run them in a campaign. From various mutant animals to the famous turtles such as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and even Donatello along with other characters and villains such as Baxter Stockman and even the infamous Shredder.

The second part of the book has two sets of adventures that were released for this system and the first one is called Turtles Go Hollywood. You will play as the iconic teenage mutant ninja turtles as the adventure starts in New York as they break into the SoloChem building in order to uncover a sinister plot. The plot shifts to California dealing with the plans to start to insert subliminal messages into Hollywood films. Along the way they will try to blend in and find out what is going on as they will fight not only a sinister mastermind but they will also deal with the foot clan and even the Shredder! The next adventure is called Truckin’ Turtles as you will play as the turtles once more as you intervene in a fight at a local bar and save a man named Bert. He is a trucker and invites you along to help deliver his load from Pennsylvania all the way over to Nevada. Along the way you will deal with ninjas, spectral beings and even terrorists that will push your players to the absolute limit. There are even rules for driving in this adventure and can be used for other adventures as well. This includes things like traffic, random encounters, crashes and other roadside attractions that you can introduce your players to.

The last part of the book goes into behind the scenes on how the book was made. Included are notes from some of the people who worked on the game such as Kevin Siembiedia and other people who discovered the game. The shining star of this book has to be the interior art as there are colored versions of the original black and white art that was in the original volumes. There are also some full color images that have not been seen anywhere else all contained in this massive 272 hardcover book. And of course this is based off the Palladium Role Playing system so it can be used with any of the other systems out there such as Palladium Fantasy Role-playing or Heroes Unlimited.

If you were a fan of the original role playing game or you love TMNT you need to check out this game. For more information on this and other products head on over to
https://palladiumbooks.com/ and get ready to unleash your inner animal

Number of players: 2-5
Age: 14+
Time: 90-120 minutes

by KatharinaKuo

Midnight Melodies is a solo RPG in which you play as a jazz pianist. Each night, you find a scrap of paper in your tip jar -- the name of someone taken without Grim Reaper's consent. You must unravel the mystery of these unauthorised deaths, using your newfound supernatural talents, and perform an eerie harmony to report your findings to the Reaper before sunrise. The story unfolds over 9 scenes (equaling 3 chords with 3 notes each).

Look here for part 1 of this story: Midnight Melodies - 1st Chord

Charakter: Taylor Calloway, the Echo.
Actions: Talk, Move, Force (-), Handle (+), Discern (+)



Scene 4 (5/6 Blue Notes)

To get to the bottom of this, I decide to pop round to Alex’s flat, but nobody answers the door. Given the late hour, that’s perhaps understandable, but I’ve got no time to lose. I ring the bell several times and knock on the door, but nothing happens. A sense of unease creeps over me. And after some hesitation, I decide to pick the lock using my lock-picking tools (which, given my work for the Grim Reaper, has long since ceased to be a challenge for me).

I slip quickly into the flat and close the door behind me. To my surprise, I notice that the lights are on despite the late hour. I look around and realise that Alex has lived in a very untidy manner. The entrance hall is littered with scattered shoes, and whilst Alex always pays meticulous attention to cleanliness in the bar, the washing-up is piling up in his kitchen. I’m overcome by a pang of guilt at having intruded into my colleague’s flat without asking. Nevertheless, I carry on and eventually end up in the living room.

And there, hanging from the ceiling, is Alex, dangling from a tie he’d tied to a horizontal bar. His eyes are wide, his limbs limp. There’s no doubt that he’s dead.

In shock, I slump onto the sofa, my eyes glazed over, and start to think. Should I have explained Dexter’s death to him more sensitively? Am I to blame for him taking his own life? Before the tears can well up, my anger towards the entity takes over. Without realising it, I clench my hands into fists and grit my teeth, whilst vowing to find whoever is responsible for this.

The anger gives me new energy and I decide to use my power to make contact with Alex once more.

Talent: Spirit Communication – Can I make contact with Alex’s spirit? 3 → No, but...

Carefully, I free him from the makeshift noose and lay his body on a blanket I’ve spread out on the floor. Then I try to make contact with Alex’s spirit, but my own emotions – my anger and grief – are too strong for me to tune into Alex’s emotions. As I crouch beside his body, touching him again and again in an attempt to make contact, something else catches my eye: there is a small tattoo on Alex’s left lower leg. At first I mistake it for an artistic pattern, but then I realise it is a line from one of Dexter’s poems.

Discern: Do the words act as a kind of protective spell? 3 → No, but...

I speak the words with different intonations and inflections, yet I cannot detect any protective magic in them. But I do notice that the words nevertheless possess a powerful force. It is as though someone had managed to encapsulate the full energy and complexity of a deeply felt love in just a few words.

Whilst I ponder this, I play a Requiem in A for my late colleague.

4th note: A

Scene 5 (4/6 Blue Notes)

When my music suddenly loses all expression, I feel dizzy. I pound the keys ever more frantically, yet nothing I produce stirs even the slightest emotion within me. And then it dawns on me what this might mean: could it be that the poem and the emotions concentrated within it have drawn the murderous entity’s attention to Alex? I think I can now detect a faint smell of decay. Or is it simply coming from Alex’s kitchen?

I decide not to waste any time pondering this, but to get Alex’s body to safety. The entity might not even shy away from seeking out the dead.

Force: Will I manage to get the body to a safe place? 5 → Yes, but...

I’m not a strong man, but Alex was a petite person and my anger gives me extra strength. So I actually manage to hoist Alex’s body over my shoulder. I carry him out of the flat and down to the underground car park where my car is parked. Fortunately, at this time of night there’s not a soul about who might be watching me. Nevertheless, I feel as though I’m being watched and sense that the entity is following us. To dispel my fear, or at least distract myself from it, I turn up the car radio, which is currently playing a catchy summer hit in D-sharp major. I hum along, and feel as though this is keeping the entity at bay.

5th note: D#

Scene 6 (4/6 Blue Notes)

I take Alex to my old band’s rehearsal room. Well, actually, it’s a storeroom on the second basement level of an old tenement block, which we were able to rent cheaply back then and convert into a rehearsal room ourselves. Although the band split up years ago, the amount of dust and cobwebs I have to battle my way through as I carry Alex’s body down the stairs into the musty cellar suggests that there’s unlikely to have been a new tenant since. The door to the rehearsal room isn’t locked, but it creaks eerily as I pull it open. And the flickering ceiling light doesn’t exactly help to make the scene seem any more pleasant. The room itself has been largely cleared out. On the walls are pentagrams and other esoteric symbols. I’d always thought we’d painted them on because they suited our goth music, but Johnny, our singer, always insisted they were ancient symbols that protected against dark forces. For the first time, I hope he was right.

I lay Alex’s body face down in the middle of the room and grab the bass drum lying in a corner. The head is torn, but I manage to patch it up, so that when I start tapping it with my hands, it doesn’t sound great, but at least it makes a reasonably loud noise. I look at Alex’s body and call his laughter and his voice to mind until I finally find a rhythm that matches my memories. Then I slowly begin to sing along, repeating the words written on Alex’s lower leg.

Talent Spirit Communication: Can I use this ritual to understand what the poem means? 6 → Yes, and...

Note: As I can’t think of anything suitable off the top of my head, I consult the inspiration lists in the zine. The following secret about a victim piques my interest: “Keeps journals in coded language”.

At first, not much happens. I sense that the words possess great power, yet my emotions and the rhythm that my drumbeats instinctively create simply do not fit with words of love written on Alex’s lower leg. Then, however, I realise that there is another layer behind the obvious meaning of the words. I begin to vary and swap letters and words, and I can feel the energy in the room intensifying and changing as a result. The poem was, in truth, not a declaration of love, but rather a kind of love spell. A command, if you will, intended to make Alex compliant. And one which, as I’ve come to understand from dealing with such powers, came at a price. Did Dexter thereby attract the entity’s attention?

Before I can think about it any further, I catch a whiff of decay. I quickly note down the final note of my ritual chant before going to check that everything is all right.

Note 6: D#
(I’d already had a D# as note 5. As the rules don’t say you have to roll again in this case, I’ll leave it at that and use the octave).

2nd chord: D# A D#

by Anganatyr

<div>Front cover of the rulebook.</div>

by Analog_RNG

Related Item: Call of Cthulhu Starter Set

$15