Month: August 2024

Posted in: Doctor Who, Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Star Wars

RPGaDAY2024 Day 31: Game or Gamer you miss

Written by TardisCaptain

We made it to Day 31 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge. It’s kind of a sad one in a way. The subject is Game or Gamer you miss. Unfortunately no one lives forever and I’ve lost a few friends in my life. Roger, Rex, Richard, Marcus. I miss you guys and I wish I could hear your jokes around the table again. Thankfully there are a lot of gaming buddies that I just haven’t had a chance to play with in a while who are still with us. Jeff, Gibby, Andrew, Jill, Erin, Libby, Kevin and others, if we can get anything arranged, I’d love it. Even if its on a virtual table.

As for a game that I miss, I’d love a chance to play the West End Games D6 Star Wars once again. I have many memories of past games. To try the FASA Star Trek or Doctor Who game once more would be a dream. I’d never turn down almost any variant of Dungeons and Dragons. Especially if it was an older version that I hadn’t played in quite some time. But I’d be willing to play almost any system just to hear the dice rattle on the table again.

Do you have a gamer that you miss? Is there a game you’d love to play again (even as just a one-shot)? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 30: Person You’d Like To Game With

Written by TardisCaptain

On Day 30 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge our topic is a person you’d like to game with. There are a lot of people that I’d like to sit at the table with and game with them. Some are various bloggers that I’ve started following after we’ve interacted online. The two that I’m going to mention now are artists and they are in no particular order.

One of them is Howard Tayler. I’ve mentioned him on my blog in several different posts. As an artist guest of honor at a convention I use to chair he drew me as the “con chair”. I also backed one of his Kickstarters for the X-Treme Dungeon Mastery 2nd Edition book that he provided the art for. He has had an RPG based off of his Schlock Mercenary comic, but I’d play in any system that was at the table.

The other artist I only know from his online persona of DysonLogos. Primarily he is a map-maker who’s work has been featured in Dungeons and Dragons, Steve Jackson Games, Kobold Press and others. Most Monday, Wednesday and Fridays he live streams his map-making on his TwitchTV channel. Not only does he play awesome music while drawing, he interacts with his viewers. This is how I found out that he read my blog when he asked a question about my Shadow Ops review I had recently posted.

With how much I’d love to game, I’m open to gaming with anyone (if we can get the dreaded schedules to line up). Is there someone that you’d love to game with? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Conventions, Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 29: Awesome App

Written by TardisCaptain

For Day 29 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge we’ve been tasked with talking about an Awesome App for gaming. With my recent attendance and involvement with SaltCON, I just want to say how great the TableTop dot Events website is.

Primarily this website allows gaming conventions to organize their events and sell tickets to them. This includes inserting the games ran by the GMs and allowing attendees to schedule their games reserving a seat at the table. It also handles ticket sales and merch sales if needed.

Besides being easy to use on both computer and mobile browsers, I love the fact that I can download an ICS (internet calendaring and scheduling) file after I’ve got my events scheduled and I can import that into my Google calendar. Not only does it add it to the calendar, but it sets up reminders. I’ve found myself talking with friends in the hallways of the convention hall and suddenly my phone will buzz with a ten-minute reminder that a game is coming up. Very handy. As a player I can check up on favorite GMs and as a GM I can see who has signed up for my games.

When I’m scheduling my games, I can make sure to leave gaps in the schedule to grab lunch or check out the dealers room. Also since other gaming events use this same site, if I’m able to attend their convention I don’t have to sign up for a whole new system.

What awesome app have you discovered that helps with your gaming hobby? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 28: Great Gamer Gadget

Written by TardisCaptain

Almost to the end of the month with Day 28 and our topic for the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge is Great Gamer Gadget. I wondered about this one until I realized that I hadn’t really talked about the dice tray I had picked up a few years ago at FanX 2022. I had picked it up from a local small business that had a booth at the con called Level 1 Gamers. I had also picked up a pin with the same logo. I’ve used this dice tray at several games in person and at SaltCON. Considering how many dice I’ve lost after they have fallen off of the table, this little gadget has been a lifesaver.

In a flat state for easy transport.
And all snapped up holding my North to South gaming dice.

Do you have a favorite RPG gadget that has helped you in your games? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Conventions, Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

Prepping for SaltCON End-of-Summer 2024

Written by TardisCaptain
Remember, Krom am hate you!

I’ve been doing more than just participating in the #RPGaDAY2024 challenge this month. I’ve been prepping for the SaltCON End-of-Summer gaming convention that happens at the end of every August. One of the first things that is different is that I’m planning to attend a couple of panels this time around. I don’t recall if there were panels at the past SaltCONs that I’ve attended. But I’ve signed up to listen to “Game Mastering Tips from One Shots to Multi-Year Campaigns” and “Sharing Your Gaming Experience Through Blogging & Podcasting” (hmm… I wonder why this last one sounds interesting). There is also a panel about horror gaming but the system wouldn’t let me “snag a ticket” for it because it conflicted with a game that will be ending up just as the panel starts. So hopefully I’ll be able to check that out as well as horror gaming confuses me a little bit. I don’t know how I’d get scared sitting comfortably at a table with friends?

This time around I’m not going to the convention alone. I signed up to run some extra games so that I could get an extra ticket to the event. So a member of my family will be joining me this weekend for some of the games. You can read about my past adventures at SaltCON in my past blog entries. I will be packing my Convention Backpack that I have documented in a previous blog post.

I’ve signed up to run three games for the end-of-summer event. I had a lot of good responses to my last Basic Fantasy one-shot, so I’ve lined up another one on Friday. According to the scheduling system almost all of the slots are gone. On Saturday I’ll be running a Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition one-shot. The players will be members of the USS Challenger crew. And finally on Sunday I’m running an experiment. I go to these conventions to try out new games. That doesn’t mean that I can’t try running something new as well. So, I’m going to run a “Lets Learn” session where I bring a game that both the GM and players can try out for the first time. For this convention I’ve selected the comedy RPG Ork! 2nd Edition. The players will see if their un-named Orks can survive the gunk pit and sent on a mission against the squishy mans. There are still slots open for these last two games.

Of the games that I’ve signed up to play they include Savage Worlds Deadlands. The GM is the person who gave me a quick demo at the SaltCON Summer and I’m interested to see how it works out at the table. There is also a D&D 5th edition game that has a cat in it, so the person coming with me wanted to play in that game. They also wanted to play Fallout with me so we will be at that table on Saturday.

I know it doesn’t sound like many games. But SaltCON End-of-Summer is only three days instead of the spring event which has four. But, I’m looking forward to sitting down with some friends (or soon-to-be new friends) and throwing some dice. I wonder if I’ll find any RPG bargains in the game swap? Look for the after-action report soon.

What should I be on the look out for? Any recommendations for the games I’m going to be playing? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Star Wars

RPGaDAY2024 Day 27: Marvelous Miniature

Written by TardisCaptain

And here we are on Day 27 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge and we’ve been asked to talk about Marvelous Miniatures. OK, confession time. I love playing around the table with a battle mat spread out a hand-drawn map and miniatures or standees representing our characters and the bad-guys we were thumping. However I’ve never been a big collector of the miniatures. I’ve got a few that I’ll show photos of in this blog post, but when it came to running a game for my daughter and her friends or GMing at SaltCON, I borrowed the collection of plastic miniatures that my DM friend has been slowly gathering for years. I’m very grateful that he’s been willing to let me use them on an odd-weekend. Another friend who participates in a few Star Trek Adventures games has a done the same thing with various Star Trek miniatures. I really need to get a better collection of my own if I’m going to GM more even if they are used for another genre than what they were created for. There were a few times that the stormtrooper minis stood in for the orcs we were fighting in our past D&D 3.5 campaign.

So for this blog entry I pulled out the two boxes of miniatures that I still had in my collection after many, many moves. I had realized when I was taking the pictures that I hadn’t opened up these boxes in years (and possibly even more than a decade). So it was interesting to look these over and handle the metal pieces again. I don’t think I painted these. I just don’t have the patience or the setup to even attempt painting. But I do admire a very well painted miniature when I see one.

Hmmm… I’m sensing a theme here with these two boxes. Both FASA and West End Games had a large number of miniatures for their respective games. The boxes are battered, but are still intact and not splitting in the corners.

Here are some of the minis that were inside the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan boxed set. It primarily focused on the Regular 1 space station crew. It included both characters and computers. None of them were painted.

When I opened the Star Wars box, I found this miniature still in it’s package. The plastic is brittle and cracked along the top, but still connected to the backing. I believe that I was intending to use this to represent a character in a past Dungeons and Dragons game.

In the Star Wars Bounty Hunters boxed set was these miniatures. As I mentioned above, I don’t think I painted these minis with how shaded some of them are. The big guy with the spikes (in the middle) is obviously from another set and I think the guy in gold and green is also from another manufacturer. All of the figures are loose, but I have them wrapped up in some foamy paper.

If I expand my collection of miniatures to a usable set, I’ll be sure to post about it here. Are there miniatures that you remember from your gaming sessions? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Reviews, Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 26: Superb Screen

Written by TardisCaptain

I’ve been looking forward to Day 26 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge. I’m going to be reviewing a Superb Screen for the topic. I’ve had this for a while and I’ve been meaning to post a review of it. I had picked it up for a session at a past SaltCON. When I was running Basic Fantasy for my daughter and her 5e playing friends I had to use a Star Trek RPG screen that I had with some Basic Fantasy inserts clipped on it. So when I was looking for a screen on Amazon, I was looking for a screen that I could slip inserts into. I found one with the Stratagem “The Master’s Tome” 4-panel customizable GM screen. These included several inserts that could be used for both Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition or Pathfinder 1st Edition. But I used the Basic Fantasy inserts since I was running several Basic Fantasy one-shots for SaltCON. If I run another game, I can swap out the inserts for more appropriate ones. I’ve heard that too much use could cause some of the plastic ends could split or break off, but I haven’t experienced it so far. But I also only use them for the one shots. I’ll keep an eye on this as I continue to use this. My photos are posted below.

Feedback from readers: both LexTenebris and Pulp Tickertape on Mastodon reminded me that the GM should also be having fun as well. This is in response to my Acclaimed Advice entry. I went back and re-read my entry and I realized that I had left that part out (while it was floating around in my head). So let me also re-state, everyone should be having fun and that the GM should be a part of that fun. Thanks guys for tapping me on the shoulder with that one.

Do you have a GM’s screen that you prefer? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: August 26-September 1

Written by TardisCaptain
Kirk in another timeline?

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Twitter account and the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account for the week of August 26th through September 1st. Coming soon to Bluesky once we can find a scheduler option.

August 26
Happy Birthday to Chris Pine. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Chris_Pine #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

“I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it.” Spock “See? We are getting to know each other!” Kirk- Star Trek (2009) #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

August 27
“You can’t let wishful thinking guide your decision, Counsellor. It’s time to leave.” Ro “We will separate the ship when I decide that it’s time and not before. Is that clear, Ensign?” Troi- Disaster, Stardate: 45156.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

August 28
“I dreamt about exploring the stars as a child and I wasn’t going to allow any… handicap-not a chair, not a Cardassian station-to stop me from chasing that dream.” Melora- Melora, Stardate: 47229.1 #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

August 29
(Holding up a fancy sword) “A Claymore. You’re a beauty.” Scotty- Day of the Dove, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

August 30
“Mr. Data, what kind of cake is this?” Picard “It is a cellular peptide cake.” Data “With mint frosting.” Worf- Phantasms, Stardate: 47225.7 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

August 31
“I dread the day when everyone on this ship agrees with me.” Janeway- Random Thoughts, Stardate: 51367.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

September 1
“Our mission is to make contact with those whom humans consider new life and new civilizations.” T’Pol- The Andorian Incident, Date: June 19, 2151 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #WeAreStarfleet #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 25: Desirable Dice

Written by TardisCaptain

For Day 25 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge we are going to talk about Desirable Dice. Now I’ve mentioned past dice (and dice like items) on past blog posts. There is the Jason Fox Lucky D20 that I purchased from the artist that drew the daily newspaper comic Fox Trot. One post that continues to get a lot of online visitors years after publishing it covers dice I purchased from the Dollar Tree store. Every time I check my visitor logs, that post gets a lot of visits from online searches. From Amazon I picked up the Lynx RPG Dice Dunce Chair with cap. This is a type of dice shaming jail. I’ve had a couple of free dice sets sent to me that I’ve reviewed in the past. These include the North to South Gaming Dice and the Dice Legends products. A very good dice like product was the 20-in-One Card Deck from Precis Intermedia. It is a set of 56 playing cards that also contain random dice rolls (and other random responses) for players and GMs to use. I’ve used this last item in several games that I’ve GMed.

So for this entry I thought I’d show pictures of a few dice items that I have in my dice bag. The first is a 30-sided die that I had picked up back in the 90’s. I remember using it a few times and even found a book with tables needing a D30. I believe it was from the same manufacturer of the die.

I’ve never really used it, but I keep it in my bag for some reason or another. It’s a D6 that is oddly shaped. It obviously wouldn’t roll very well and is quite large. In the photo I placed a regular sized D6 next to it.

The next photo is the original dice that I had picked up from the original Basic D&D boxed sets and other original gaming boxed sets. Most of these are the dice that needed the crayon to fill in the numbers. I haven’t really used these in a while, but they do stay in the dice bag to bring me luck.

This last set is the unusual dice (D3, D5, D7, D14, D16, D14 and D30) used for the Dungeon Crawl Classics and Mutant Crawl Classics RPGs. This one was labeled the DCC Special 7 that are black dice with white numbers.

Do you have any desirable dice that you have used for role-playing games? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2024 Day 24: Acclaimed Advice

Written by TardisCaptain

Welcome to Day 24 of the RPGaDAY 2024 Challenge and the list has Acclaimed Advice listed as the topic. If you read various blogs, social media posts, message boards, podcasts, RPG videos, convention panels or just talking with fellow players, you might get a lot of advice about our hobby. There are quite a few of them and it may get a little overwhelming. I think there is a golden rule that everyone should follow for advice when it comes to roleplaying games.

Everyone at the table should have the opportunity to have fun. To make sure you and your fellow players are having fun, please communicate. Communicate with your players and GM before, during and after the game. What may have sounded like fun at the start may turn out not to be fun. You may have stepped on someone else’s opportunity to have fun or vice-versa. Things change, just make sure that you let others know when that happens. These are just games and we play these games for fun. If that goal is in mind, then you’ll have done your part at the table.

There was a time as a player I called up our GM and said “we need to stop this adventure and move onto the next one”. I explained the situation to him and he agreed. We moved onto to the next scenario and continued to have fun. I thanked him for that.

What advice would you give players? What advice would you give GMs? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

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