News Manager: février 2015

samedi 28 février 2015

[Youtube] The Delver's Dungeon Youtube Channel Launches!

Hi folks!

I've started a video 'blog all about old-school games, and pen and paper gaming subjects that interest me.

Check out Season 1, Episode 0 here: It's a "mission statement" but there will be some great content coming. So give it a look and tell me what you think!

http://ift.tt/1LZgwFG

[Youtube] The Delver's Dungeon Youtube Channel Launches!

[Estafettegame] NEC Nijmegen

NEC Nijmegen

NEC is een voetbalvereniging uit Nijmegen, opgericht op 15 november 1900.

NEC komt uit in de Jupiler League. De club speelt in het Goffertstadion dat plaats biedt aan 12.500 toeschouwers.

Na lange tijd degradeerde NEC vorig seizoen naar de Jupiler League.

Deze club hoort natuurlijk in de Eredivisie thuis en daar moeten wij voor gaan zorgen.

De doelstelling is om het eerste seizoen kampioen te worden.

Daarna moeten we zorgen dat we een stabiele club in de Eredivisie worden om vervolgens door te groeien naar een (sub)topclub.

Deelnemers

@joeyscenijme

Volgende update: Selectie, transfers en tactiek.

[Estafettegame] NEC Nijmegen

The DM/GM as Human Being: Balance vs. Vindictiveness

Compared to the rest of you, I think I qualify more as a dabbler than a serious role player by your definitions. I played a lot in my youth, and in fits and starts for a few moths at a time here and there more recently. There's plans afoot to start up an AD&D 1E game next month. We'll see if it comes to pass.

Anyway, when I did play RPG's, I was almost always the DM/GM. I had the deepest knowledge of the rules, and was the only one willing to put in the work necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed being a DM/GM. But, as with every party in every campaign ever run I suppose, there were problems. In my most long-lived and successful D&D campaign, the main problems were personality differences and game balance, one stemming from the other.

Specifically, we had a group of 4 players, with two characters each. Two of the players were hard core role players, one was a munchkin, and one was just an idiot. The munchkin rolled up a ranger just because they get 2d8 hp at 1st level, and his second character is a cleric, created specifically to keep the ranger healthy. I had a house rule that allowed rangers to move silently through foliage, and hide in it, using thieves' tables for moving silently and hiding in shadows, with the same penalties for wearing metal armor as found in the Unearthed Arcana. While rolling for the magical component of a treasure hoard in one of their early adventures, the item that came up was a Sword +5 Defender. I thought this would be perfect for the ranger, since it would allow him to put the "plus-es" into his AC and wear lesser armor while still being protected, and still enjoy all the benefits of his class.

Of course, the first thing he does is go out and buy a suit of plate mail. This dude became a walking tank. The plus-es went into his AC exactly one time in a two year campaign. This used to annoy the role players - and me - in equal measure. One of the role players was a half elven ranger, who lost the random dice roll for the sword, and often took off his metal armor to take advantage of the house rule. He would have put that item to so much better use. And the Tank would cleave through all opposition in short order, often leaving little for the rest of the party to do in many combat situations. Anything that would have been a challenge for him would have made mincemeat out of the rest of the party. I used to go out of my way to dream up things to counter him. Too bad we never finished that underground campaign. It was populated with a healthy community of rust monsters and disenchanters. And I purposely had a village full of people that worshiped the cleric's deity get slaughtered by their enemies just before the party arrived, and when the cleric failed to perform burial rituals in accordance with their religion, I stripped him of his powers until he made amends, which sent him off on a solo side campaign, leaving the rest of the party for most of a session. I made a lot of mistakes as a DM, but none I regret so much as giving him that damn sword.

So my question for the DM/GM's out there is: was this me trying to restore/maintain game balance, or me being vindictive because this guy and his tactics upset so many of my carefully laid plans? In my defense, I think this stuff started to infringe on the other players' good time. After a while, even the role players started to cower behind him, and came to rely on his massive combat abilities as the solution to every problem, doing little themselves. Sometimes out of a sense of laziness, and sometimes out of a sense of the inevitable; Bob's just gonna kill everything in 3 rounds anyway, so why bother? So I'd like to think I was doing the Lord's work. What do you think?

The DM/GM as Human Being: Balance vs. Vindictiveness

how to 0 out TPS gauge?

I was wondering if there is a custom throttle xgauge that starts from 0? My built in TPS gauge range is 13-78.

I was using the obd2 apps for android and it displays my TPS accurately from 0-100 (5-6% at idle since its dbw), but use of my cell phone consistently is not practical.

Thanks.

how to 0 out TPS gauge?

Cage Match Play

So, when I was young and D&D was new to me, we always wanted to play and DM so we did. We drew up a map, each of us drawing a quarter of it, rolled up a couple characters and took turns DMing each other in the same session.

But with all this troupe style play and rotating GMs from scene to scene and narrative stuff I wonder what it would look like if everyone was in the same party and DMing each other at the same time? I'm envisioning something in a more board game style but with player directed control. So if the party's in the dungeon I drew up I get to DM it but have limited ability to do various things, say make choices, search and find treasure, must take last pick of the loot.

I don't know exactly, I've never tried it, has anyone else?

Cage Match Play

editor doet het niet na update

Hallo allemaal

Begin van de week heeft steam de editor geupdated en nou doet ie het niet meer.

Als ik hem opstart begint het programma wel maar ik krijg alleen maar een zwart scherm.

Ik heb de editor al opnieuw geinstaleerd maar dat hielp niet.

Wie kan mij hier mee helpen? en hebben meer mensen hier last van?

editor doet het niet na update

[Estafettegame] PEC Zwolle

Citaat:

PEC Zwolle is een Nederlandse profvoetbalclub uit het Overijsselse Zwolle. De club werd in 1910 opgericht als PEC. Sinds het seizoen 2012/13 komt de club uit in de Eredivisie; het seizoen ervoor werd het kampioenschap in de Eerste divisie gevierd. Ron Jans is de huidige hoofdtrainer; hij wordt bijgestaan door Gert Peter de Gunst en René Hake. De thuisbasis van de voetbalclub is het IJsseldeltastadion. Vanaf het seizoen 2010/11 heeft PEC Zwolle ook een vrouwenelftal. Het team speelt in de Women's BeNe League.

PEC Zwolle

Tijdens de kampioenshuldiging van de selectie, op zaterdag 14 april 2012, werd bekendgemaakt dat FC Zwolle vanaf het seizoen 2012/2013 weer PEC Zwolle gaat heten. Het doel is om de banden met het verleden op intensieve wijze te accentueren en hierbij voort te bouwen op de roemruchte reputatie die PEC Zwolle in de jaren tachtig in de regio heeft ontwikkeld. "Het begrip dat PEC nog steeds is, spreekt in de regio meer aan dan FC. Om als club verder te groeien, dient deze volgende stap gezet te worden", aldus voorzitter Adriaan Visser.[4] Het thuistenue blijft blauw-wit, het uittenue neemt de oude, groen-witte combinatie van het voormalige PEC Zwolle over. Beide tenues worden voorzien van een extra logo, dat de nostalgische gevoelens van PEC dient te accentueren. Het clublogo blijft ongewijzigd, met als kanttekening dat het opschrift vervangen wordt van "FC Zwolle" naar "PEC Zwolle". Volgens Visser zou de structuur en beleidsvorming van de club verder niet beïnvloed worden door deze ontwikkelingen.

PEC Zwolle is in het seizoen 2012/2013 succesvoller op het hoogste niveau dan tien jaar geleden. Het seizoen begint matig; pas in de zevende speelronde boekt PEC de eerste overwinning, tegen mede-promovendus Willem II. In de 13e speelronde volgt de eerste thuiszege: 2-0 tegen NAC Breda. De rest van het seizoen verliep echter voorspoedig, met een aantal memorabele hoogtepunten zoals de 1-3 overwinning in Eindhoven tegen PSV, de 3-2-overwinning thuis tegen Feyenoord en het bereiken van de halve finale van de KNVB-Beker. PEC eindigt als elfde en weet zich dus moeiteloos te handhaven.

Door het succes in de Eredivisie en het sprankelende voetbal waarmee PEC de harten van veel voetballiefhebbers wist te veroveren, kwam de club in het vizier van veel (top)ploegen. Zo ging het succeskoppel Art Langeler en Jaap Stam respectievelijk naar PSV (hoofd jeugdopleiding) en Ajax (verdedigingstrainer). Maar met het aantrekken van hoofdtrainer Ron Jans keert een verloren zoon terug. In aanloop naar het seizoen 2013/14 kent PEC Zwolle een fantastische voorbereiding, waarin alle wedstrijden werden gewonnen (waaronder een 3-2 zege tegen Werder Bremen). PEC komt in de Eredivisie als een raket uit de startblokken. Achtereenvolgens Feyenoord (2-1), Heracles Almelo (1-3), NEC (1-5) en promovendus SC Cambuur (2-0) worden aan de zegekar gebonden. PEC bezet voor het eerst sinds 1988 de eerste plaats van de Eredivisie en breekt het record na record. Pas tegen FC Utrecht in eigen huis werden de eerste punten gemorst met een 1-1-gelijkspel.

Het grootste succes van de club volgde echter pas aan het einde van het seizoen 2013/14. In de competitie was PEC al teruggevallen naar een 9e plaats, maar de club wist de finale van de KNVB-beker te bereiken. Daarin troffen zij op 20 april 2014 in Rotterdam landskampioen Ajax, dat toen al bijna verzekerd was van een nieuwe landstitel. PEC versloeg Ajax met 5-1 door doelpunten van Ryan Thomas (2x), Guyon Fernandez (2x) en aanvoerder Bram van Polen. De club pakte zo haar eerste prijs in de 104-jarige clubhistorie. Op 3 augustus 2014 won PEC ook de Johan Cruijff Schaal door weer Ajax te verslaan met 1-0 door een doelpunt van Stefan Nijland.

Het seizoen 2014/15 begint voor PEC Zwolle opnieuw voortvarend. Na zeven speelronden heeft PEC 15 punten; even veel als koploper PSV en Ajax.

Deelnemers:

1. Kyrill

2 @Duarte.;

3 @Jiimm;

4 @Boeruh!;

5.

6.

Filosofieen:

Kom ik later nog op terug.

Op zn minst nooit meer degraderen. En binnen 8 jaar kampioen van Nederland?

Feedback hier is welkom. Qua transfers spelers kopen die met winst zijn door te verkopen en jonge spelers opleiden voor 1e elftal?

Ik ga nu beginnen en de game inladen! We spelen ieder een halfjaar.

[Estafettegame] PEC Zwolle

filters, werkt niet meer

voorheen (voor update) gebruikte ik spelers filter en backroom staff filter.

Kan deze nu niet meer selecteren, heeft iemand een idee hoe ik dit kan oplossen.

filters, werkt niet meer

Poll: Welke novelle verdient de onderscheiding om als derde IDS te mogen staan ?

Geen Novelle van de Week dit weekend, want het is alweer tijd om je te laten horen: wie mag volgens jou IDS ?

Naar goede gewoonte maken we opnieuw onderscheid tussen novelles die nieuw in het nominatielijstje plaats namen, en herkansers.

Novelles in de laatste categorie verliezen hun sticky (die ze kregen bij de NvdW-toekenning) en mengen zich zodoende opnieuw onder het plebs.

Nieuw:

Vechtvoetbal door mhwk

De groene hel van het Noorden door delichris

Journeylen door Lazy

Tweede kans:

Die Roten Teufel door Niejo101

De weg naar... door Wallemme

Plagiaat! door Leonnekle

Tropical United door Geppiej

Stemmen doe je nog steeds door je voorkeur aan te duiden in de poll.

De deadline om te stemmen is op Vrijdag 6 maart, 23u59

Submods Arjan en ikzelf hopen op een massaal aantal stemmen, aarzel dus niet en stem NU !

Poll: Welke novelle verdient de onderscheiding om als derde IDS te mogen staan ?

vendredi 27 février 2015

Random Subhex Wilderness Generation

I guess I feel ashamed for posting about this on RPGnet and not here....

There's been a lot of tables and systems intended for creating random wilderness, but almost all of them are on the one league or more hex scale, for an overland map. Very few have been aimed at generating individual boulders, trees, or hills. It's the kind of thing you might need to set up an area around a dungeon entrance, or if your players wanted to take a quick jaunt outside town in an area you forgot to map.

I call that the subhex scale. And back in 2012, I did a series of blogposts about it, then forgot about it.

But now, at the urging of Jason Alexander, I've edited everything, did a complete overhaul, really. And now it's available as a free PDF.

Subhex Wilderness Crawls

The system is a lot simpler than before, the text reads a little clearer, and with the drop-dice option is pretty quick. Enjoy!

Random Subhex Wilderness Generation

Favorite MtG Card Series/Block

I played Magic Edition VI back in the 90's with some friends, and hadn't played since until my son found my cards and became interested. Since then, we've acquired a boatload of the 2015 Core Set, and cards from the Theros block and the Gatecrash set. A guy my wife works with also gave us a HUUUUUUGE number of stuff dating back to the Mirrodin and Innistrad blocks. I admittedly don't know much about what happened in between.

So far, I like the concept of the Innistrad block the best (as a horror fan, the idea of hordes of vampires, werewolves and zombies taking over the world is just awesome), but I like the mechanics of the Return to Ravnica block. There's just so much going on with each guild having its own new mechanic (The Orzhov Extortion mechanic, or the Simic Evolve mechanic, for instance). We've built some fantastic decks around these.

I was curious as to what those playing MtG thought was their favorite series/block?

Favorite MtG Card Series/Block

Need 3 cool magic tattoos the players could buy in Eberron. Help?

I need three awesome magic tattoos to offer for sale in a city in Eberron. The artists are doppelgangers who believe in de-emphasizing personal identity. I'm using 5e and I'd like each tattoo to have an effect that would cost between 200 to 500gp. I'm ok with the tattoos basically taking up a permanent attunement slot as part of their implicit cost.

Does anyone have suggestions that would knock the players' socks off?

Need 3 cool magic tattoos the players could buy in Eberron. Help?

2015 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

Lexus owns it once again.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Feb. 27, 2015

J.D. Power released its annual Vehicle Dependability Survey with similar results as prior years. According to their release, Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition issues are the most frequently reported problems after three years of ownership. Study findings show that technology is playing an increasingly critical role in owners’ perceptions of overall vehicle reliability, which, in turn, is impacting their likelihood to repurchase the same brand next time around.

The study considers problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2012 model-year vehicles. Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. The study has been enhanced in 2015 to better measure the quality of today’s vehicles, particularly related to new technologies and features now being offered. The study covers 177 specific problem symptoms grouped into eight major vehicle categories.

The top two problems reported by owners are Bluetooth pairing/connectivity and built-in voice recognition systems misinterpreting commands. These are also the most frequent problems reported by owners at 90 days, according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Initial Quality Study.

While J.D. Power may have weighted the study towards connectivity issues, I have more advanced problems with Toyota vehicles than any other when it comes to smartphone connectivity and integration from a short one week review standpoint.

Technology now impacts overall dependability and impacts repurchase intent. The study finds that 56 percent of owners who report no problems with their vehicle say they “definitely will” purchase the same brand next time, compared with 43 percent of those who report three or more problems. Together with the fact that 15 percent of new-vehicle buyers indicate they avoided a model because it lacked the latest technological features — up from 4 percent in 2014 — plays a key role in affecting future purchase decisions.

J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study Findings

Smartphone Connectivity - Among owners who experienced a Bluetooth pairing/connectivity problem, 55 percent say that their vehicle would not recognize their phone, and 31 percent say the phone would not automatically connect when entering their vehicle.

Personal inclusion: With the latest smartphones in hand including LG G2 and G3s, Samsung S4s and S5s, and iPhone 5s, pairing for phone use has not been a problem with Chrysler, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Nissan and Toyota products. When it comes to phone book uploads and solid internet interaction – iHeart radio and Pandora - connectivity, I have more problems with Japanese makes than the Korean’s, Europeans and Domestics. This is a personal experience with 29014 and 2015 vehicles.

The number of engine/transmission problems remains unusually high in this day and age with nearly 30 percent of the respondents reporting powertrain problems are a result of automatic transmission hesitation and rough shifting.

Six of the top 10 problems are design-related as opposed to defects or malfunctions.

By vehicle category, the most frequently reported problems are related to exterior, followed by engine/transmission and audio/communication/entertainment/navigation.

Overall vehicle dependability industry-wide averages 147 PP100, or approximately 1.5 problems per vehicle.

vs.

J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study Highest-Ranked Makes and Models

Lexus ranks highest in vehicle dependability among all nameplates for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 89 PP100.

Buick (110 PP100) follows Lexus in the rankings, moving up three rank positions from 2014.

Following Buick in the rankings are Toyota (111 PP100), Cadillac (114 PP100), and Honda and Porsche in a tie (116 PP100 each).

Notable rank improvements from 2014 include Scion (121 PP100), improving by 13 rank positions from 2014; Ram (134 PP100), improving 11 rank positions; and Mitsubishi (140 PP100), improving 10 rank positions.

GM models receiving an award include the Buick LaCrosse; Chevrolet Camaro; Chevrolet Malibu; Chevrolet Silverado HD; GMC Sierra LD; GMC Terrain; and GMC Yukon.

Toyota awardees include the Lexus ES; Lexus GX; Scion tC; Scion xB; Scion xD; Toyota Corolla; and Toyota Sienna.

The 2015 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 34,000 original owners of 2012 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded in November and December 2014.

Top Three Model Scores in Each Segment according to J.D. Power.

Subcompact

Scion xD

Toyota Yaris

Honda Fit

Compact

Toyota Corolla

Nissan LEAF

Honda Civic

Compact Premium

Lexus ES

Lincoln MKZ

Lexus CT 200h

Compact Sport

Scion tC

VW Eos

Mini Cooper

Midsize

Chevrolet Malibu

Nissan Altima

Toyota Camry

Midsize Sport

Chevrolet Camaro

Ford Mustang

Midsize Premium

MB E-Class

Lincoln MKS

Infiniti M

Large

Buick LaCrosse

Toyota Avalon

Ford Taurus

Subcompact CUV

Kia Sportage

Hyundai Tucson

Jeep Patriot

Compact CUV

GMC Terrain

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota RAV4

Compact Premium

MB GLK

Acura RDX

BMW X3

Compact MPV

Scion xB

Mazda5

Toyota Prius v

Midsize CUV

Nissan Murano

Buick Enclave

Toyota Highlander

Toyota Venza

Midsize Premium CUV

Lexus GX

Lexus RX

Cadillac SRX

Midsize Pickup

Honda Ridgeline

Nissan Frontier

Toyota Tacoma

Minivan

Toyota Sienna

Honda Odyssey

Large SUV

GMC Yukon

Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevroelt Suburban

Large Light Duty Pickup

GMC Sierra

Chevroelt Silverado

RAM 1500

Large Heavy Duty Pickup

Chevrolet Silverado

GMC Sierra

2015 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

All-new 2015 Ford Edge Begins with 400 New Employees in Ontario, Canada

Sharp looking Ford Edge gains power but not a peep on any efficiency improvements.

With a total of 1,400 new Ford employees – 400 newly announced and 1,000 announced in 2014 – and a $700 million Canadian Dollar investment, Ford launched the global production its all-new 2015 Ford Edge at the newly transformed Oakville Assembly plant outside of Toronto, Canada.

2015 Ford Edge coming off the Oakville, Ontario assembly line.

Ford stated the new CUV will be exported to more than 100 countries.

The Ford Edge will eventually be shipped around the world, from North America and South America, to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. With the addition of right-hand-drive and a diesel engine – not for us :(, the Edge will also be exported for the first time to Western Europe.

The enhancements at Oakville Assembly will enable Ford to shift production more quickly and efficiently to meet increasing consumer demand. Worldwide demand for utility vehicles is up 88 percent since 2008 and utilities now account for 19 percent of the global automotive market, with the segment expanding more than three times the rate of the vehicle industry overall.

In Europe, the utility vehicle segment grew from nine percent market share in 2008 to 21 percent in 2014.

All-new 2015 Ford Edge

The 2015 Ford Edge incorporates improved driving dynamics and quieter ride within an entirely new body structure and redesigned front and rear suspension.

The all-new 2015 Ford Edge will be the first Ford vehicle in North America powered by the company’s new twin-scroll 2.0L EcoBoost engine. The 2015 model is the first Edge to come standard with EcoBoost power.

When it goes on sale this spring, the all-new Ford Edge will be available in SE, SEL and Titanium trims.

Oakville Assembly

The Oakville Assembly Plant has undergone a massive transformation to include new tech and robotics, new processes, and new training. More than 250 new robots were added, including new software and vision systems that improve efficiency, precision and quality. In addition, approximately 1,000 robots have been upgraded. These robots have been installed to work to the most demanding levels of precision and accuracy – with duties to ensure repeatable and high-quality assembly, including:

New robots to apply urethane to glass creating a perfect seal

New robots to install panels, doors and hoods reducing variability

Laser brazing with new robotics to offer cleaner lines and higher strength and precision

“Vehicle on Wheels” visions system to ensure the flushness of doors, hood and lift gate through laser and optical imaging

3D dirt detection technology and increased robotic automation in paint

To prepare for Oakville’s 1,400 newest hires, a simulation classroom was created to provide hands-on training. Throughout the plant, existing employees received training to manage new systems and processes.

Oakville Assembly has also been recognized for its environmental efforts. The plant is the first North American Ford assembly plant to go zero waste-to-landfill, and has recently upgraded to LED lighting across the plant, replacing 7,000 lights and saving an estimated 15 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year.

All-new 2015 Ford Edge Begins with 400 New Employees in Ontario, Canada

Leonard Nimoy Dies at 83 :(

Hi All:

Leonard Nimoy, RIP. Along with the Space Race, you – through your character Spock on the original Star Trek - helped spark a new generation of engineers and scientists with the vision to look outwards with the curiosity of a child armed with the modern tools of science.

Wayne

Leonard Nimoy Dies at 83 :(

[FM15] Mes Que Un Club

Citaat:

Spel plezier weer terug gevonden met FC Barcelona. Dus daarom besloten om dat met jullie te gaan delen en ook maar weer eens photoshop te gebruiken.

[FM15] Mes Que Un Club

70e Omloop Het Nieuwsblad [28/2]

Er is al een beetje gereden in Qatar en Oman, maar zaterdag begint het wielerseizoen natuurlijk écht. Dat maken wij in België ons toch elk jaar weer wijs. Wie volgt Ian Stannard op die vorig jaar na een heroïsche race Greg Van Avermaet klopte? Neemt Greg revanche, vult Boonen het laatste gaatje in z'n palmares op, kan een andere landgenoot de Belgische fans meteen blij maken (Sep Vanmarcke, Stijn Vandenbergh, Jens Debusschere) of gaat een buitenlander met de eerste prijs lopen (Niki Terpstra, Zdenek Stybar, Alexander Kristoff)?

Parcours:

Op TV:

Vanaf 13.30 op Eén.

70e Omloop Het Nieuwsblad [28/2]

Death Frost Doom

Death Frost Doom is a newly revised edition of a horror adventure. The title very accurately sets the prevailing mood, that's for sure. While written for OSR games such as Lamentations of the Flame Princess, it could easily be used with Dungeons & Dragons (any edition, really) or with your prefered d20/OSR game. With a bit of homework, it could be used with other games as well by tweaking the stat blocks and any of the prompts for saving throws.

It is a 66-page adventure written by James Raggi IV and Zak S. The cover art (in color) was done by Yannick Bouchard and the black and white interior illustrations, cartography and design were done by Jez Gordon. This is a review of the PDF edition.

The writing is conversational and clear. The layout, editing and typography are top-notch, making the text easy on the eyes despite the density of the content. The illustrations are wonderful and eerie: absolutely pitch-perfect for this module. Some of the full-page images slam you like sudden jump cuts in a horror film (the Referee gets an early preview of some of the terror that the players will encounter during the game). The maps are easy to understand and use. Overall an impressively well designed product.

The book begins with two maps: one for an exterior (and a small floorplan) and an interior dungeon map The former is keyed with letter, the latter with numbers (which was a nice idea for added clarity). As already mentioned, these are very well designed and easy to use.

There's a concise table of contents with obvious section headers. While some have titles that are more flavorful than practical, their meaning is clear (eg: "Hell vomits its filth", one of the last chapters before an Appendix of sorts, clearly implies a very messy, grim climax). The headers are each clickable and link to each section. Very nicely done.

We’re given a page of notes about this new edition by the two authors which includes some history of the adventure and insight into minds of its creators. Interesting stuff.

Then there's a page on how the Referee can use this module ("The Approach") which includes a few different possible options on how to get things started. After that, it jumps right into the first encounter with a very memorable NPC.

What I really liked about the structure of this first NPC encounter is that the author gives several options on how to use him (or her). There are roleplaying tips, a random table to dictate what he's doing when the PCs arrive at his home and a full page of "ifs" to cover just about any possible interaction. This approach of handling an NPC is really, really fun and memorable besides being a great method to bring in some ominous foreboding. I'm a huge fan of modules taking a "do-it-yourself" approach. With this sort of tool, one can determine all of the details before or during the game, either randomly or by choice. I like this a lot and I'm very inspired already.

As an aside, the cool thing about this module is the author's inclusion of suggested musical cues. That's a nice touch; I appreciate putting effort into preparing good music for a game session. When I run this, I'll follow this advice as closely as possible.

The first major location is the Graveyard. It is an open-ended and creepy place with all kinds of things that can happen to unsuspecting adventurers. There's a strong hint that bad things once happened there (and are about to happen again). There's lots to find or experience in this awful place: it is a great prelude to what comes next. The Cabin, which is totally an homage to a particular horror movie (three guesses which one), adds even further to the creepiness. There is a lot to find and interact with inside that weird place: players who like to tinker and prod at everything will be rewarded (and/or punished, depending on how you look at it). Really weird and neat encounters here: I would be sad if my players missed some of them. I'd probably include a hapless NPC ally or two as insurance (ie- to trigger some of these cool events if no one else takes the bait). These discoveries are not all negative: there are some beneficial things there too (or at the very worst: benignly WEIRD).

Next we get to the main dungeon, the Shrine, where the proverbial "shit" gets real. This is a very unique dungeon and it's a delight to read, so I'll omit any spoilers.

There are about thirty encounters in the Shrine (but more rooms than that number).

To start off, there's some clear advice on how to run this location: it is not a typical dungeon crawl. First of all, there's a time limit (that is measured in a really awesome and memorable way). A Referee really needs to keep track of this for maximum effectiveness. More on that later.

There are many things to explore and scrutinize here without referring to a character's skills or abilities (except if something triggers a nasty trap or evil supernatural forces). Being careless or reckless will likely spell doom for a PC; being clever and methodical is by far the safer and more interesting way to go about it.

My favorite example of this sort of thing is the Organ. I won't spoil it, but there are some really neat things built into this object. It ties into a feature of many of the other locations to a clever degree; the PCs will have reasons to return to it several times throughout the course of the dungeon. I'll absolutely delight in presenting this device to the players and getting excited trying to anticipate what they'll do. To me, that's a trait of a well-written adventure, right there.

There are so many things to do and objects to experiment with that my mind reels with the possibilities. Admittedly there are a few "gotcha!" moments but they are never dull or straightforward and they always add to the weird horror mood.

Many of the rooms have ominous triggers such as "If the dead have risen" which modify the encounters quite a bit. In essence, the party could go through most of the dungeon, trigger this conditional event and then work their way back through the same rooms very differently. It's a really effective technique.

Some of the key monsters provide fun possibilities for social interaction. None of them, as far as I can tell, are just there only to fight and kill. While interactions with the PCs may indeed lead to battle, this is not a certainty. Again, what a great idea: many undead monsters are not just mindless automatons, after all, but personalities with motivations (usually twisted). Several of these NPCs have had relationships, good or bad, with others of their kind, and if the conditions are right, encounters with them will be greatly affected by the PCs actions.

At last, near the end is the main event: what happens if certain conditions are met and how quickly (depending on that timer mentioned earlier). This is a BIG DEAL, tapping into the third word of the adventure's title (Doom). Potentially, this event could have a huge impact on your campaign whether or not it completely wipes out the party.

There is no happy ending for characters involved with this adventure, really. Even if they do survive, their world will be quite affected. With a bit of tweaking, the Referee could build a really cool post-apocalyptic setting on top of the previous one, though. If I run this with well-liked pre-established character, I may indeed go that route. I'd run it as-is with newly created PCs, though, as a one-shot.

At the end of the book there's a nice retrospective in which the original author (Raggi) talks about the first edition of Death Frost Doom and even includes some of the original artwork and maps.

Lastly there are a few player handouts, which are always nice to include.

Summary

This is an extremely well-written and fascinating adventure, even though it is quite grim and dangerous. Say what you will about the potentially lethal ending or the horrific themes: Death Frost Doom is the antithesis of boring or mundane. This is a very memorable adventure that oozes atmosphere.

I definitely recommend this adventure: even if you never run it (which would be a shame), you will be greatly inspired by the style and game-writing techniques. It is also a really fun read and the artwork is incredible.

Attached Images

63592-thumb140.jpg (34.5 KB)

Death Frost Doom

RIP Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, Actor, Director, and 'Star Trek' Icon, Dies at 83.

He was one of the greats, sorry to see him go.

RIP Leonard Nimoy

Is there a way to extract a generic system from Amber/Lords of Olympus/etc?

I have the original Amber print somewhere in a box, so I can't remember all the details. Is there enough of an underlying system to make it worth abstracting into a generic one?

Is there a way to extract a generic system from Amber/Lords of Olympus/etc?

Laatste patch verdwenen na het opstarten van Steam

Ik heb een paar dagen terug zonder problemen FM laten updaten, ook zonder problemen kunnen spelen. Maar iedere keer als ik Steam afsluit en later weer opstart moet FM een update van 72 mb downloaden en is daarna de patch verdwenen als ik hem opnieuw opstart. Dit is me nu al 2 á 3 keer gebeurt en Steam download daarna zelf ook de patch niet meer. Ik moet dus de 'integriteit van spelcache' laten controleren en dan wordt de patch opnieuw gedownload, dit werkt wel maar is best vervelend om de hele tijd te moeten doen.

Iemand die hier een oplossing voor weet of dit ook heeft?

Laatste patch verdwenen na het opstarten van Steam

Problemen met mijn World League

Hi guys,

Ik heb een paar vragen voor jullie en ik hoop dat jullie me hierbij kunnen helpen. Ik probeer een database te maken waar de 80 beste teams van de wereld (gebasseerd op reputatie) tegen elkaar zullen strijden deze 80 teams zullen verspreid zijn over twee divisie en de competitie zal plaatsvinden in Amerika.

De divisie volgorde is als volgt:

Major League of Soccer (MLS), dit zal de hoogste divisie zijn.

North American Soccer League (NASL), dit is de tweede dibisie van mijn cometitie

De twee verschillende divisies hebben een aantal verschillende regels van elkaar. Ook lijkt het niet op de standaard systemen die we kennen in Europa. Ik heb de divisie in Amerika gemaakt omdat ik de opzet van de Amerikaanse voetbalcompetite een mooi idee vind. Ik zal kort even toelichten hoe de verschillende divisies in elkaar zitten:

De MLS heeft de volgende regels.

- Een seizoen loop van 1 maart tot 31 december

- 40 teams verdeeld over 5 groepen van 8 teams

- De bovenste 4 teams uit de divisies zullen voor het kampioenschap spelen

- De onderste 4 teams uit de divisies zitten in de degradatie zone ( hierover straks meer )

(20 teams gaan spelen voor het kampioenschap en de andere 20 zullen degraderen of hiervoor strijden)

De NASL heeft een paar afwijkende regels.

- Een seizoen loop van 1 maart tot 31 december

- 40 teams verdeeld over 5 groepen van 8 teams

- De bovenste 2 teams uit de divisies promoveren naar de MLS

- Plekken 3-6 zullen spelen om promotie naar de MLS

- Plekken 7 en 8 zullen nog een jaar in de NASL spelen.

( Er zullen dus 10 teams rechtstreeks promoveren en er spelen nog eens 20 teams voor 10 andere plekken)

Ik hoop dat jullie nu een globaal idee hebben van wat ik wil maken. De basis dingetjes heb ik kunnen editen. Denk hierbij aan het selecteren van de 80 teams die in de competities gaan spelen, transferperiodes, regels met betrekking tot kaarten, prijzengeld. Maar ik kom nu op een punt waar mijn kwaliteiten als editor niet meer kunnen voldoen aan de eisen die ik heb voor mijn database. Voor de duidelijkheid mijn database werkt wel. Alleen zijn er wat problemen die het minder leuk maken.

De drie grootste die ik heb zijn:

- Internationale wedstrijden

- Degradatie en promotie play offs

- Champions league

Ik zal beginnen met de internationale wedstrijden. Ik krijg het niet voor mekaar om ervoor te zorgen dat de internationale wedstrijden en competitie (met name de play offs) niet tegelijkertijd gespeeld worden. Op het moment worden die wedstrijden steeds ingepland tijdens de competitie. Nou zou ik graag willen dat of de internationale wedstrijden op een ander tijdstip gespeeld worden ( ik weet niet of dit mogelijk is ) of dat mijn competitie tijdelijk stop gezet wordt voor het spelen van interlands. Dit gebeurd namelijk wel in alle andere competities, denk aan Eredivise, Premier league, primera division enz. Ik weet niet hoe ik ervoor kan zorgen dat dit ook het geval wordt in zowel de MLS als de NASL plus de bijbehorende play offs. Ik zal ook elk jaar problemen krijgen met andere soorten internationale toernooien. Hiermee bedoel ik Copa America, Gold Cup, EK, Confederations Cup enz. Ik weet niet of het mogelijk is om de competitie om deze toernooien heen te plannen, of dat het beter is om deze toernooien te verwijderen.

Het volgende probleem dat ik tegenkom is hoe de promotie en degradatie verloopt. Ik zou graag willen dat de bovenste twee uit de NASL groepen gelijk promoveren ( dit is ook gelukt) en dat de overige 20 teams in een competitie/play off systeem komen met de 20 teams die in de degradatie zone zitten bij de MLS. Ik twijfel nog of ik wil dat de onderste twee uit de groepen rechtstreeks degraderen en nummer 5 en 6 voor play offs moeten spelen, of dat iedereen voor degradatie play off moet spelen. Hier zou ik moeten kijken wat er allemaal mogelijk is.

Het laatste grote probleem dat ik tegenkom is dat de teams die vanaf dag 1 geplaatst zijn voor de Champions League, Real, Barca, Chelsea, City enz. elk seizoen weer opnieuw in de Champions league blijven komen. Deze wedstrijden kan ik echter niet simuleren dus moet ik steeds een dag op vakantie gaan. Op zich zou ik deze competitie kunnen verwijderen, maar het is altijd leuk als Europa een kweekvijfer wordt voor talenten die nog niet bij de grote clubs uit de MLS of NASL spelen.

Dit zijn de drie grootste problemen die ik op het moment tegenkom. Ik weet niet of het mogelijk is om ze op te lossen, maar als een van jullie dit kan zou ik dat super vinden. Als ik mijn database online moet zetten zodat jullie kunnen kijken hoe ik tot nu toe alles verwerkt heb wil ik dat gerust doen. Ook zou ik de database online willen zetten ALS hij af komt en ALS er interesse voor is. Natuurlijk zullen er dan credits zijn voor de personen die me hebben geholpen ;)

Als iemand weet hoe hij me met mijn problemen kan helpen hoor ik dat graag, je kan ook gerust een pm sturen zodat we op een wat makkelijkere manier kunnen communiceren.

Alvast bedankt!!

PDaams

Problemen met mijn World League

[Historical-ish] Anyone playing games set during the wars of 17th century?

Admittedly, I'm reading Daniel Defoe's lesser-known Memoirs of a Cavalier, which is about a young English gentleman who fights first in the Thirty Years War, then is embroiled in the civil wars back home.

It would seem, to me, to be a ripe time for the usual sort of adventuring type behaviours, not least because there were mercenary companies around and about which make an idea PC organisation. There were also lots of local associations organised to fight and irregular warfare away from the standing armies too. The PCs as a troop of dragoons seems a pretty viable means of them getting involved in lots of things and having mobility too.

Anyone done something like this? Are there any games (besides pastiche like WFRP) that are set in this era?

[Historical-ish] Anyone playing games set during the wars of 17th century?

Tangency Creates a 34-page Alternate Universe Out of Their Own Bullshit

Maybe someone should go tell these motherfucking morons over at rpg.net that this guy they've invented and given my name, and indeed the website they say he works for, exists nowhere but in their own delusional reality bubble?

Not that it will do much good, when you're talking about a site that regularly just invents its own fantasy-alternate-universe and revels in their bubble of delusion.

And then they wonder why normal human beings don't trust anything that comes out of these asshole's mouths ...

http://ift.tt/1LOFxTN

Tangency Creates a 34-page Alternate Universe Out of Their Own Bullshit

Hobgoblins (Pet Peeve)

Do you know what a hobgoblin is?

A nice goblin. A brownie who does your housework for you, or little people who make shoes in your shop while you're asleep. Its a beneficial faerie rther than one out to screw you. A hobbit would be the closest example in modern fantasy fiction.

But for some reason, in RPGs, hobgoblin inevitably means a "bigger, meaner goblin". The halfway point between goblins and orcs. Why? Just one of many such ridiculous reinterpretations of folklore that serves no good purpose from Gygaxian era D&D.

Hobgoblins (Pet Peeve)

Through the Breach

The new Malifaux RPG, with card-based mechanics. Anyone pick it up, read or play it yet? Any thoughts?

Through the Breach

jeudi 26 février 2015

5E: Online character generators?

I'm looking for a website, app, tool etc to generate characters for DnD 5E that preferably exports to PDF, or at least generates something printable.

I know a couple of decent generators got taken down recently.

Are there any left?

Am I stuck with generating characters by hand on paper or using a form fillable sheet or something like that?

5E: Online character generators?

DiTerlizzi Character Sheet

For your viewing enjoyment...

So, anyone want to share their favourite custom character sheets from online? (any system)

DiTerlizzi Character Sheet

Sports that have featured in your campaigns

Ever had a sport (real or fictional) play a significant part in one of your campaigns? Was it just fluff and flavor or did the PCs participate in any way? Did you just wing the rules or did you develop any sort of mechanical system for it?

Sports that have featured in your campaigns

2 Spectators Killed, 1 Injured In California Street-Racing Hit-And-Run

Two spectators were killed and a third was injured when a Ford Mustang plowed into a crowd of onlookers during an illegal street race in Chatsworth on Thursday.

Q. McCray - ABC7 Los Angeles - Feb. 25, 2015

Mustang involved in Street Racing Deaths in Chatsworth, Calif. according to ABC7 LA.

2 completely avoidable and senseless deaths thanks to uncontrollable egos at a minimum. -- Ed.

Two spectators were killed and a third was seriously injured when a Ford Mustang plowed into a crowd of onlookers during what police described as an illegal street race in Chatsworth on Thursday.

The injured victim was said to be in critical but stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to survive.

LAPD investigators said all three pedestrians were watching the street-racing event at the time of the crash. All three were described as men in their 20s.

Officials believe two cars were racing up Plummer Street when one of the cars, a Mustang, lost control, jumped the sidewalk and slammed into the pedestrians.

"Street racing, all too often, is publicized as glamorous entertainment, and here's a case where street racing is criminal, dangerous and unfortunately this morning, we see it's deadly," said LAPD Capt. John McMahon… [Read More]

2 Spectators Killed, 1 Injured In California Street-Racing Hit-And-Run

#CAS2015 – Chicago Auto Show: Best Auto Show on the Planet plus a Final Highlight

Despite one fewer days, the Chicago Auto Show’s attendance grows 7 percent over 2014’s totals.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Feb. 26, 2015

Chicago, IL. -- A familiar sight at the Chicago Auto Show made its appearance once again.

The Chicago Auto Show press folks released details on this year’s event which ran nine-days and saw 7 percent more attendees than the 2014 show.

With more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space, the Chicago Auto Show is the nation’s largest auto show and could hold the LA, Detroit, and NY Shows combined within its confines.

The home page stories documented the media preview were we learned about the 18 world premieres including the introduction of the Kia Trail’ster Concept, Chevrolet Equinox, Honda Pilot, Toyota Avalon, Hyundai Elantra GT and Veloster Rally, Kia Rio, Ram Laramie Limited, and Toyota Camry and Corolla Special Editions.

Complete coverage can be found in the following:

#CAS2015 - Hyundai in the Windy City 2015

#CAS2015 - 2016 Honda Pilot Set For 2015 Chicago Auto Show Reveal

#CAS2015 - Toyota at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

#CAS2015 - Kia at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

#CAS2015 - 2015 VW Golf SportWagen Pricing Announced

#CAS2015 - Mazda at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

#CAS2015 - Chevrolet at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

#CAS2015 - Ram 1500 Laramie Limited Reveal in Chicago

#CAS2015 - 2016 Kia Rio Refresh Reveal and Preview

#CAS2015 - Full 2015 Chicago Auto Show Presentation and 2016 Kia TRAIL’STER Reveal

#CAS2015 - Refreshed 2016 Hyundai Elantra GT Revealed

#CAS2015 - Nissan Exec Addresses the Economic Club of Chicago

#CAS2015 - Refreshed 2016 Avalon + Camry and Corolla Special Editions Introduced

The Chicago Auto Show and Chevrolet provided free and very robust Wi-Fi to all attendees. The official Chicago Auto Show app had more than 33,000 downloads during the run of the show – easily doubling the number of downloads from a year ago thanks in part to a free large drink and cup for just $2.00. Yes, we downloaded and installed the app and received the $2.00 drink and cups too. The KIA winter hat was other swag I picked up during the last day of Public Days last week.

Pass up a deal? Not a chance. ;)

The Chicago Auto Show app incorporated location technology designed to message attendees as they approached significant vehicles or sponsor-activation areas.

The Chicago Auto Show also continued to engage with thousands across social media. The show’s #CAS15 – I used #CAS2015 the entire time – was a top trending hashtag on Twitter during the Media Preview and helped the show reach 30 million people with over 22,500 tweets. I probably accounted for one hundred of those. ;)

On the last day of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show Public Days, the FCA - Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and RAM - venue was by far the best attended. Expect big sales results from the company throughout the year if the venues attendance is any indication.

FCA at the Chicago Auto Show

Planning is already underway for the 108th Chicago Auto Show. The 2016 Chicago Auto Show will open to the public on Feb. 13 and run through Feb. 21. The media preview will be Feb. 11-12, 2016, and First Look for Charity will be Feb. 12, 2016.

Last look at a non-Car highlight from the 2015 Chicago Auto Show

A highlight of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show was not a car at all but was a Google Glass inspired project. Within the Ford area is a 2015 F-350 with the V10 Triton. Powerstroke is not yet available within this particular spec chassis.

Google Glass in service of patients within the ambulance.

Google supplied some Google Glasses to the Illinois based MedEx ambulance service. With the help of a Dept. of Defense (DOD) approved software (SW) vendor named Pristine - they erase the Google Operating System (OS) and install a DOD certified encrypted one - a Google Glass equipped ambulance can stream real time video of the EMS workers in action back to a trauma doctor at a local hospital. It is encrypted on secure servers and controlled by the doctor on his tablet.

An example of the lifesaving scenario that occurred just the other day.

Here in Chicago there are stroke specific emergency rooms to transport patients too. For an EMS provider to deduce a stroke takes minutes. A trauma doc diagnosed a stroke with the question have the patient try and smile. He saw the drooped corner of the patient’s mouth and diagnosed the stroke instantly with instruction to head to the nearest stroke trauma center vs. another less equipped emergency facility.

In other words, this Google Glass solution saves lives!

Michael Pieroni, Director of Operations for MedEx, thank you for the Google Glass for the EMS rundown.

All in, the Chicago Auto Show is the best Auto Show on the planet. It was informative, exciting and chocked full of the latest manufacturer’s offerings for millions who passed through the doors to see.

#CAS2015 – Chicago Auto Show: Best Auto Show on the Planet plus a Final Highlight

The Breaking of Spring for Renaissance Deluxe Out Now

Hi All,

A new Rogers' Rangers PDF adventure is out now for Renaissance Deluxe!

1756, early spring. Some snow still lies on the ground in the colonial north-east. The Adventurers are all French-speaking colonial frontiersmen, who have been conscripted into the British Army. Due to their special skills, they have been assigned to the crack regiment known as Rogers’ Rangers. Tasked with sinking a French ship in the harbour of Port Louis, they little suspect the obstacles that stand in their way...

A historical adventure for Renaissance Deluxe, and a follow-up to the first Rogers’ Rangers adventure, The Depths of Winter.

Written by Roger Nicholls and Adrian Jones. Published by Cakebread & Walton.

http://ift.tt/1LLP7a9

The Breaking of Spring for Renaissance Deluxe Out Now

FM Store

Ik wil wat kopen in de FM Store maar blijf steeds hangen bij dit scherm

Ik kreeg wel een pop-up van Steam met iets van Universele toegang, maar kan het nergens vinden.

Iemand dezelfde ervaring of iemand die me gewoon kan helpen?

FM Store

Nissan Altima SL or Sonata Limited to replace Passat TDI

Hi All:

Via twitter, mrbill8603 asked what are my thoughts between 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited and Nissan Altima 2.5 SL to replace his 2012 Passat TDI?

Not sure why Bill wants to replace the Passat TDI yet? Love that car too.

Passat SE TDI

The 2015 Nissan Altima provides a more sports driver oriented feeling mid-size from ride and handling to interior appointments whereas the Sonata Limited provides a larger full sized luxury experience.

Altima SV

Unless you were to purchase the ECO variant, the Altima will save more at the pump. The upcoming HEV/PHEV-22 are going to save far more but are probably going to be priced high out of the blocks.

Sonata 2.0T

Wayne

Nissan Altima SL or Sonata Limited to replace Passat TDI

Problemen na update

Hoi allemaal,

gisteren is de nieuwe update, 15.3 uitgekomen voor FM15. Ik had weinig behoefte aan deze update aangezien ik een goed werkende tactiek had in een PSV-game. Dus ik was eigenwijs genoeg om deze update uit de steam map te knippen, om te kijken of mijn tactiek weer zou werken. Helaas dit was niet zo, dus ik de update weer terug geplakt. Nu blijkt echter dat ik tijdens de wedstrijd alleen nog maar het 'wedstrijdoverzicht' kan zien. Dingen zoals de 'Stand', 'Tussensstand' en de belangrijkste 'Wedstrijdstatistieken' krijg ik niet meer tevoorschijn getoverd. Iemand een idee hoe ik dit op kan lossen?

Na een test bij andere save-games is het me opgevallen dat ik ook bij die games niet meer de wedstrijdstatistieken tijdens de wedstrijd kan bekijken.

Of zit er niets anders op dan FM verwijderen en weer opnieuw installeren? Als dit het geval is, iemand tips om dit op een goede manier te doen?

Alvast bedankt!

Problemen na update

Peaky Blinders

Citaat:

A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

Deze serie was een tip van een maat van me en ik was na de eerste aflevering direct verkocht. Als je Boardwalk Empire hebt gezien, en je vond het tof, dan is 'Peaky Blinders' absoluut een aanrader. Het gaat hier om drie broers en een tante, een soort van familiebusiness dus, waarbij ze zich omhoog proberen te werken binnen het criminele circuit.

Seizoen 3 staat in de planning voor 2015, maar er is nog geen exacte releasedatum bekend.

Peaky Blinders

[5e] I'm betting psionic will be a sorcerer subclass

It just seems like the quickest, most user-friendly, least intrusive, and least taxing on WotC's reduced manpower way to handle an update. The sorcerer is already point-powered, and many people feel it needs more branching paths anyway.

Thoughts? Yay or nay? Opinions from the Dark Sun contingent?

[5e] I'm betting psionic will be a sorcerer subclass

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Test Drive

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with PHEV's so I arranged an overnight test drive. I had a go in a Mitsubishi Outlander GX3h which is the bottom of the range. When I picked it up it had 22 mile EV range as it hadn't had time for a full charge as it had already been out.

It's not a cheap car but it's about the same price as the equivalent diesel Outlander after the £5k ($7.5k) UK Govt grant which gives people a choice. If you want a 4WD and do loads of longer trips the diesel will probably be the sensible choice as the PHEV runs on a 2.0 gas engine when the battery is exhausted so the MPG is worse on a run. If most of your journeys are under 30 miles between charges then the PHEV wins easily. Mitsubishi's Twin Motor system offers permanent electrically driven all-wheel drive.

It doesn't apply to me but apparently there are excellent tax breaks in the UK for the PHEV for company car drivers.

It has a 119bhp 2.0-litre, four-cylinder gas engine and gas and electric combined produce 200bhp and 249lb ft.

The EV range is supposed to be 32.5 miles but it's bound to be less than this in practice and especially in the winter and it has a 45 litre fuel tank to give a total range of about 500 miles.

The kerb weight is 1870kg which is 195kg heavier than the diesel version but it's still light enough to be fairly typical for the class and a pretty good result for a plug-in hybrid.

The PHEV comes with 190mm of ground clearance and unusually for a PHEV it has enough towing capacity (1.65tons) to tow a medium-size caravan or large trailer.

Standard kit for all trim levels includes dual-zone climate control, cruise control, electric windows, remote central locking, Bluetooth connectivity, USB port, six-speaker stereo, electric heated mirrors, automatic lights and rear parking sensors.

It's very easy to drive being an automatic, press on the brake pedal, press the on button, pop it into D and then release the brake pedal and it will creep like any automatic (we're not big on auto's in the UK ;) ) but almost silently. The gear lever is small but easy to use - it doesn't actually go into a gear, it's more of a select switch and then it returns to the central position.

Once on the move you can pop the gear lever into B mode which activates the throttle lift regeneration. On my drive I loved flicking the paddles up and down between B0 (coasting) and B5 which really slowed the car down fast but pumped lots of electrons back into the battery pack. By using these paddles I hardly needed to press the brake even in heavy stop start traffic.

The model I drove, the GX3h doesn't have an electric heater so it uses the petrol engine to generate heat in the cabin as opposed to the next models up, the GX4h and GX4hs, which have an electric heater so in winter the 3 will definitely use more fuel than the 4. I needed a bit of demist this morning so after reading a forum last night found you can blow air onto the screen by pressing the snowflake button and 59°F (15°C) so I did this every so often which worked a treat and didn't use any fuel. If it was colder I would definitely have turned up the heat though so a bit of an omission in my opinion but they've probably done it to keep the entry level price point down.

The handling was pretty good for a large heavy SUV helped by the fact that the batteries are under the cabin floor. My car pooler noted it didn't seem "wallow about" like some 4X4's he's been in.

I tried "booting it" to see the effect of the engine and battery combined and I can definitely say it's not a slouch! As soon as I eased off the accelerator, the engine switched itself off seamlessly and went back to full EV mode again - neat.

Later on last night we all went out in it for a drive around (5 of us) and I was still in EV mode for the majority of the time. It was very roomy inside, slightly less width on the rear seats than my car but more leg room for everyone. It has a decent boot so very practical.

In total I did 46.9 miles and this morning's run was 96% EV.

The next model up, the GX4h gets a reversing camera, DAB tuner, sat-nav and powered tailgate as well as the standard kit.

In conclusion I enjoyed my time in the PHEV and it would definitely work for some people who want to steer away from diesel but would like a 4X4 SUV that doesn't guzzle fuel. The residuals are on a par with the diesel too so there's no extra depreciation hit.

I also managed to fit it in the garage - just. Fine for width but a bit longer than my Honda FR-V!

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Test Drive

IMA battery #3!

Well, will be getting my ima battery replaced for the second time in less than 4 1/2 years...at least they gave these components a good warranty! Too bad they're all refurbs, but they're better than nothing I guess! I love this car so much, just can't believe what a mess the battery components are!

Chris

IMA battery #3!

mercredi 25 février 2015

VW e-Golf

We now have an e-Golf to go along with our Leaf, and I have not had much time to drive it yet; as we picked it up yesterday, and I got the flu, so I stayed home today. It is great to drive - because it coasts when you lift your right foot. You can get several levels of regen by bumping the shifter to the left, and then remove regen by bumping it to the right.

It fits my family very well - I am 6'-4" and my son is 6'-6", while my spouse and daughter are a mere 5'-9" and 5'-10". It is very smooth and planted.

I have a couple of things that I would change with the e-Golf:

It has no visible way to tell from outside the car when it is done charging. The Leaf has three blue lights at the base of the windshield, that do this. There is an app for your phone to do this, and more - but it has a 6 month trial period, and after that you pay a fee. No thanks.

You have to unlock the car in order to remove the charging cord. Again, the Leaf has this as an option, while the e-Golf has it all the time.

The HVAC system resets to Auto / 72F every time. So, you have to shut it off, or change it to where you want it. I would much prefer that it stayed where it was left when you shut it off.

It doesn't have a tradition trip odometer, but rather it has several different automatic trip data screens on the center console touch screen.

I post some pictures. The wheels are particularly sleek, as there is a very flat transition from the tire to the wheel.

The LED lights are very good - every single light on the car is LED.

It has got front and back proximity sensors that flash graphics on the touch screen.

VW e-Golf

Make an Icosahedral World Dice Drop Map with Hexographer

I've had this idea in my head for a couple of weeks and finally got the chance to write it up. If you're stuck for how to create the shapes of your world, it may help, regardless of which map editor you like to use.

http://ift.tt/1JOQM35

Make an Icosahedral World Dice Drop Map with Hexographer

5e Rogue Question: Sneak attack

This one came up over on BGG, with the same Opportunity Attack guy no less.

Question to put to those here.

When would you read Sneak attack with Two Weapons as being declared? Before you make the attack? Or after?

The question came up that by the rules wording you can make your first attack and if it misses, try for sneak attack with your second. Or if the first attack hits, call that it wasnt a sneak attack and reserve it for the second?

It doesnt quite sound right. But the wording of Sneak Attack just says.

Quote:

Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.

If I am reading that right then yes you can wait to declare it till you know the hit is a success or not?

5e Rogue Question: Sneak attack

How to handle seafaring on DnD 5e?

Recently in a gaming session the player were in a ship chasing another ship that was slightly faster than the player´s ship.

The players’ ship had no experience captain, but they had a “good navigator”. The ship they were chasing had an experienced captain and navigator.

We tried to find something on the topic in the core books and the only thing we found was a brief and general description of some types of boats on the Dungeons Master Guide, if I´m not mistaken. There is no skill related to that, and there was none in 3.5 as well. This is very strange because if you think about it, up until very recently, transport through the seas was by far the fastest way to travel, and should be fairly common.

Since we did not even know what skill to use, I just described what happened, that the players lost sight of the boat but eventually found it again by following the coast. But just is just telling a story ain't that fun, and besides, what if

a) The players had to travel during a storm?

b) The players had to go through deep seas?

c) What if I wanted to have opposing skill checks to see if they were skilled enough to reach the ship they were chasing?

How to handle seafaring on DnD 5e?

Dragonball Z: Light of Hope

Citaat:

Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope - Pilot Episode

Hope is worth fighting for. In Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope, Gohan and Trunks fight against the unstoppable Androids #17 and #18 and try to save as many human lives as possible. The young Trunks must grow up quickly and learn from his mentor, Gohan; but with battles to fight on both the outside and inside, how long can they endure, and where will they find a light of hope?

This series is an adaptation of “The History of Trunks” TV Special. In this timeline, Goku and the other Z Warriors are dead. This is the story of Gohan and Trunks in their battle to survive against the Androids.

Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope is a non-profit, live-action Dragon Ball Z web series. It’s made by fans, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official license holders.

Website: http://ift.tt/1AFSGeW

Facebook: http://ift.tt/1vOe6Sc

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Twitter: http://ift.tt/1vOe7FJ

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Our goal is to bring the Dragon Ball world to life in a way that's never been done before, while staying true to the characters and story. We want to use this episode as leverage to make more episodes for this web series and other projects. So please help us out by sharing, commenting and liking! The more support we have, the more likely we are to do more Dragon Ball Z. We want to keep making DBZ content, and that’s only possible with your help!

Want to see an Episode 2? Donate: http://ift.tt/1abSXOg

Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope

Directed by Donnie McMillin

Produced by Rita McMillin

Written by Derek Padula: http://ift.tt/1vOe4K1

Starring

Tyler Tackett as Android 17: http://on.fb.me/1Lyzend

Amy Johnston as Android 18: http://ift.tt/1vOe4K8

Anton Bex as Gohan: http://ift.tt/WgoUhA

Jack Wald as Trunks: http://imdb.to/1ab8P3q

Ruthann Thompson as Bulma: http://bit.ly/1zcdPJV

Tim Neff as the Voice of Future Trunks:

Dragonball Z: Light of Hope

Fiat 500e Lemon

Don't get me started. Or please do so.

I leased a new 2014 Fiat 500e with 62 miles on the odometer on June 24, 2014. Took the car out at 5PM, the car was back the next day at 8AM, with 80 some miles (round trip from dealer lot to my home). It wouldn't charge at home.

Service found that it had a wiring harness problem. Had that changed and also the dashboard because the included Tom Tom navigation unit would not fit in the cradle.

On Sept. 27, the Fiat 500e was back at the dealer for multiple problems. The car wouldn't get into gear, turtle "limited power", not charging, etc. It was out after they replaced some wiring and put a new engine in it.

So far, over 40 days for those two "hiccups".

Now it's 2015, and the car goes back in for 1 more week for turtle mode, they replaced the electric power steering module on column.

Back in December 2014, I had written a letter, return receipt required, to Fiat Customer Service requesting a repurchase of the vehicle due to being a lemon. California law states 30 days or more in the shop for any maintenance issue is considered a lemon.

Fiat received the letter on Dec. 22, 2014, explaining the times its been in the shop, how unsafe it is, etc., etc. I made multiple calls in January 20, 22, and 28, 2015, until finally they replied with a letter that they would look into the matter.

Fiat would send the matter over to their outsource company Impartial Services Group (ISG). ISG requested a copy of everything that I had already sent in the letter to Fiat. I was, literally, out of my mind. I told them to get that info directly from Fiat.

ISG replies that they can't do anything until I send them the stuff. I told them I was thinking of getting a lawyer involved so that I could get some resolution.

They hung up the phone and forgot about me.

Two days later I called Fiat and they automatically transfer me to ISG. ISG says 'forget you', you said you'd get a lawyer, we terminated the case number that Fiat gave us.

Talk about running for the hills at the mention of lawyering up. Chrysler and Fiat, you sure have a fuzzy, warm way of making customers feel inspired to buy more from you.

I didn't give up, this lemon kept giving me turtle problems, coming to a dead stop and charging problems. Finally on Feb 3, ISG is back on the case. Yeah, are you following the dates here? Almost two months since my initial letter to Fiat.

Now, ISG is only asking for a copy of the lease and the letter showing how much my lease payment is to Chrysler Capital. Like if they can't get this directly from Chrysler. Only makes me wonder who is the genius handling the information from Chrysler to ISG.

Feb. 4, and 13 come around, ISG playing around with the numbers, until finally Chrysler Capital sends them the information they need. :Banane39: :eyebrow: Really!?

They will pay back what I paid, taxes, fees, and the last 8 lease payments. Not one penny more.

Through out this whole ordeal, I kept reminding Fiat and ISG how unsafe this vehicle is. They did note it on their "case" information.

Now, January 21, 2015 comes around, and guess what?

I told you so, is not definitive enough.

Going home, after I make a turn from one street to another, the front left wheel comes off and goes flying. Sparks fly all over the left side, I thought the vehicle was on fire. You name it, it crossed my mind. Do I bail out, turn off the engine, try to steer to one side or just press on the brakes? I stayed in the car and pressed on the brakes while trying to regain control of the vehicle as it came to a stop on the right curb. I got out of the car faster than rabbit running away from a fox and went over to the curb. Didn't know if the car would explode or what not. After a few minutes, I come back and check everything. Car was laying on only 3 wheels, the front left wheel ended up on the other side of the street with all four lug nuts.

I then called Fiat Road Service. Guess what, Fiat also outsources this. My call is taken in Florida by an outsourced company. It takes about 40 minutes to get someone on the line. They say it'll take 90 minutes for them to send a tow truck. Enough is enough, I'm not chilling and tell them I'm going home, they can pick up the vehicle when they get here. I took high resolution photos of everything, car, wheel, lug nuts, brake disk, road scratch marks, etc.

Two hours later, the third party company that handles road service for Fiat calls and says I have to be with the vehicle for a towing company to pick it up. Something about no one will pick up if damages, etc. I tell them, I'm not going there until tomorrow, I've had enough, have a headache, body hurts, feel like crap. They say OK, 9AM Sunday is fine.

Lo and behold, at 6AM I get an automated call from Fiat Road Service. They are sending a tow truck at 7AM. I only slept like 2 hours, waking up every 15 minutes wondering about the 500e, etc. Well, I go to the vehicle and wait, and wait and wait. Called Fiat Road service and Fiat customer service several times, until the tow truck shows up at 830AM.

Remember that the vehicle is only sitting on 3 wheels, right? Now, the tow truck does not have a lug wrench to put the wheel back on. For those of you that don't own a Fiat 500e, you may not realize that these vehicles come with no spare tire and no lug wrench. So, they put the jack under the disk brake and that's how it's loaded unto the flat bed. Over and out, so I thought.

Next morning at 11AM, I call the dealer. There's no car. No one know about it. So, I contact Fiat customer service and Fiat road service to find out. They later tell me the tow truck is on its way to the dealer.

2 hours later, I call the dealer, they say the car was towed to the body shop that they work with, and don't know what's wrong with it? What? Really? And many other words that came to my mind but did not leave my lips.

I call the body shop, and they say, "so, who are you going to use for your collision insurance?" WTF, I think to myself. The dealer, apparently, had not fastened the lug nuts, or there was a massive disk brake/axle failure. I'm not paying for it, I tell them. So, get on the phone with Fiat and make it right. I'm paying for a vehicle that I can't use, it's unsafe, I told you so, and now I'm without wheels. I need a replacement rental until ISG, Chrysler and the gods that be, buy back the vehicle and settles this nightmare with me.

Next day, the dealer give me a rental in the mean time. Writes on the service receipt, "customer states left front wheel came off when making a turn".

By the way, I contacted Fiat customer service on Feb. 23, and sent an email to ISG on Feb. 23 advising them that new figures would need to be made, since the vehicle was involved in an incident, not of my fault. ISG replied, sorry to hear about that, let me get a manager and we will see what can be done.

So, what other options do I have? Anyone have any suggestions for this 500e from Hell, er, I mean Fiat.

Douglas L

Los Angeles, California

Fiat 500e Lemon

2014 Fiat 500e from Hell

2015 Ford F-150 – The 23 Gallon Tank That Holds 33+ Gallons

You will never get their however.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Feb. 25, 2015

2015 Ford F-150 4X4 Supercrew Lariet with the 2.7L EcoBoost, NAVI, Sony Audio plus more – $51,175 as driven incl. D&H provides a 18/23 mpg city/highway rating.

Last night I was sitting at my hometown Shell in Gurnee, IL with the all-new 13th generation 2015 Ford F-150 after spending over 2 hours to top it off for the calibration drive...

When Press Fleet vehicles arrive, the handlers fill them up just before dropping the off. They do not top them off but a first click and then they drive to your home to swap out or pick up the vehicle with another driver.

Standard for the U.S. Press fleets nationwide.

The "Ordeal" about to begin

A look back. With that in mind, when we drove the 2011 2WD Ford F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost across the country during the 2011 Ford F150 EcoBoost Fuel Economy Adventure Challenge, we discovered that its 26 gallon spec tank was actually the optional 36 gal. tank with some kind of loop seal plumbing to make the 2WD owner believe he had the 26 gal. tank. With 2 East to West and back East cross country drives, I was refueling with between 33 and 35 gallons at each fill when driving it close to and even some times down to < 0 DTE. I perform top off fills to provide fuel economy accuracy from tank to tank.

Back to the present... I drove about 18 miles incl. the photo shoot location before arriving at this Shell. When I began the fill, first click came at about. 9 gallons as expected. I pulled out the fuel filler spout from the truck and began the ordeal. I added 5.410 gallons at a rate of 0.004 and 0.006 gallons at a click for over an hour. At that point I stopped and went inside for a break.

It is in the mid 20 degree F range here right now and falling so you can understand why. After 5 minutes I went back out for another hour plus and added another 4.649 gallons before there was a stable fuel level in the plastic fill spout.

The included external fuel container spout funnel to bypass the refueling port EasyFuel shutoff flap(s).

All told, after over 2,000 pump clicks from a Full indication and maybe. 9 gallons consumed from its press fleet handler fill, I added 10.059 gallons. In other words the standard 23 gallon tank is actually the optional 34 gallon tank on all 2015 F-150s with some unique plumbing but nobody will spend 2+ hours to get it.

Really wish Ford would pull whatever plumbing change out if the new F-150 and just give everyone the true 34 gallon capacity that it can actually hold without all the drama.

On a positive note, 35+ gallons at 30+ mpg provides 1,050 to 1,100 miles range which is excellent for a full sized truck just like the previous 12th gen offered us quite a few years ago. :)

2015 Ford F-150 – The 23 Gallon Tank That Holds 33+ Gallons