Happy Birthday to Us, and here is a little something for you all.
50% off all our PDF Products.
http://ift.tt/1ziGof9
50% off all our PDF Products.
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[DramaScape] Third Year Anniversary Sale 50% off
jeudi 30 avril 2015
[Q&A] David Okum (Save the Day) 5/01/2015 8:00 p.m. CDT!
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Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
[Q&A] David Okum (Save the Day) 5/01/2015 8:00 p.m. CDT!
Dragon Magazine Is Back - Digitally, As A Newsstand App
Link
From Morrus at EnWorld:
An official DRAGON app from WotC called DRAGON+ has appeared in the iOS App Store. I don't have Android so don't know if it's there too [UDPATE: Android coming soon]. "Dragon+ is your official mobile source for all-things Dungeons & Dragons. This free app for iPhone or iPad has everything you want to know about D&D in one easy place." The app says that "In addition to ongoing up-to-the minute news updates, every second month you’ll enjoy a new issue of Dragon+ showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what’s coming next with the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products." It appears to an issue-based subscription service.
Android? The official announcement is now live, and says Android is coming soon. When asked about timing, WotC said "How soon is Dragon+ coming to android? Well, we're checking out the final version on our android devices in house right now."
Windows Phones? "Windows phones are something we'd like to explore. We'll update once we know more."
DUNGEON+? "No plans for Dungeon+, but we want Dragon+ to have DM and Player content, along with pc/console/mac/mobile content."
Content Exclusivity? "Right now it's just in Dragon+, but we might share some/all of the content on the site."
Types of Content? "Some Dragon+ content is edition agnostic, but in this 1st issue the tabletop crunch is for the current edition. Dragon+ may feature some cool Adventurer's League content, but it won't be the exclusive place to find it."
Is it free? Despite the references to "in app purchases", the content is all free. "Dragon+ is indeed free, and our plan is to keep it that way... Yes, the content will be free but there are ads that point to our products and partner products."
It's a newsstand app, and the first issue contains (thanks to Gecko85 for downloading it!)
* A Word from the "DM to the Stars"
* Editor's Letter
* Elemental Evil: Unearth the Deception
* Tavel Talk
* Profile: Goliaths
* Interview: Sword Coast Legends
* Video Highlights
* Player Factions: Our "Heroes"?
* Know Your Enemy
* Community
* Interview: Rob Overmeyer
* Ye Olde Magical Emporium
* Gauntlet Gophers
* Where it All Startedf
* Next Issue...
Here's the app's description on the app store:
What you get
• Game strategies and insights straight to your mobile device
• In-depth overview of the current D&D storyline
• Informative interviews
• New comic based on the Table Titans series
• Great bits of lore too
• Forgotten Realms world information
• Community updates and fan submissions
• Entertaining videos
In addition to ongoing up-to-the minute news updates, every second month you’ll enjoy a new issue of Dragon+ showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what’s coming next with the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products.
There’s always more about the worlds of D&D to learn and the Dragon+ app is your light in the dark, and your constant D&D companion.
Subscribe now to get the latest issue delivered straight to your iPad or iPhone. Editions of Dragon+ are available every 2 months for download via a FREE subscription. Subscriptions may be turned off by going to Account Settings after activation. Single copy issues are also available for FREE
Welcome to Dragon+!
From Morrus at EnWorld:
An official DRAGON app from WotC called DRAGON+ has appeared in the iOS App Store. I don't have Android so don't know if it's there too [UDPATE: Android coming soon]. "Dragon+ is your official mobile source for all-things Dungeons & Dragons. This free app for iPhone or iPad has everything you want to know about D&D in one easy place." The app says that "In addition to ongoing up-to-the minute news updates, every second month you’ll enjoy a new issue of Dragon+ showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what’s coming next with the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products." It appears to an issue-based subscription service.
Android? The official announcement is now live, and says Android is coming soon. When asked about timing, WotC said "How soon is Dragon+ coming to android? Well, we're checking out the final version on our android devices in house right now."
Windows Phones? "Windows phones are something we'd like to explore. We'll update once we know more."
DUNGEON+? "No plans for Dungeon+, but we want Dragon+ to have DM and Player content, along with pc/console/mac/mobile content."
Content Exclusivity? "Right now it's just in Dragon+, but we might share some/all of the content on the site."
Types of Content? "Some Dragon+ content is edition agnostic, but in this 1st issue the tabletop crunch is for the current edition. Dragon+ may feature some cool Adventurer's League content, but it won't be the exclusive place to find it."
Is it free? Despite the references to "in app purchases", the content is all free. "Dragon+ is indeed free, and our plan is to keep it that way... Yes, the content will be free but there are ads that point to our products and partner products."
It's a newsstand app, and the first issue contains (thanks to Gecko85 for downloading it!)
* A Word from the "DM to the Stars"
* Editor's Letter
* Elemental Evil: Unearth the Deception
* Tavel Talk
* Profile: Goliaths
* Interview: Sword Coast Legends
* Video Highlights
* Player Factions: Our "Heroes"?
* Know Your Enemy
* Community
* Interview: Rob Overmeyer
* Ye Olde Magical Emporium
* Gauntlet Gophers
* Where it All Startedf
* Next Issue...
Here's the app's description on the app store:
What you get
• Game strategies and insights straight to your mobile device
• In-depth overview of the current D&D storyline
• Informative interviews
• New comic based on the Table Titans series
• Great bits of lore too
• Forgotten Realms world information
• Community updates and fan submissions
• Entertaining videos
In addition to ongoing up-to-the minute news updates, every second month you’ll enjoy a new issue of Dragon+ showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what’s coming next with the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products.
There’s always more about the worlds of D&D to learn and the Dragon+ app is your light in the dark, and your constant D&D companion.
Subscribe now to get the latest issue delivered straight to your iPad or iPhone. Editions of Dragon+ are available every 2 months for download via a FREE subscription. Subscriptions may be turned off by going to Account Settings after activation. Single copy issues are also available for FREE
Welcome to Dragon+!
Dragon Magazine Is Back - Digitally, As A Newsstand App
What horrible fanfic would make a good campaign?
Like the title says. Have you seen any legendarily bad internet fanfics which would make great RPG campaigns?
I think My Immortal by Tara Gillespie would be awesome as a TFOS game. Lack of knowledge of Harry Potter wouldn't even be a drawback, as canon rape was pretty much the name of the game for the entire fanfic.
Just imagine the possibilities of a full scale war of the goffs versus the prepz! Enoby would be a great recurring villain because of her exceeding Sueness. Being around her could have a reality warping field which would cause your parents to die and you to become a vampire statinist!
Bonus XP for constantly describing what your character is wearing.
If you don't know what My Immortal is, then FU poser prepz!!!!1111
Or just watch some of these videos: http://ift.tt/1AmQEhL
I think My Immortal by Tara Gillespie would be awesome as a TFOS game. Lack of knowledge of Harry Potter wouldn't even be a drawback, as canon rape was pretty much the name of the game for the entire fanfic.
Just imagine the possibilities of a full scale war of the goffs versus the prepz! Enoby would be a great recurring villain because of her exceeding Sueness. Being around her could have a reality warping field which would cause your parents to die and you to become a vampire statinist!
Bonus XP for constantly describing what your character is wearing.
If you don't know what My Immortal is, then FU poser prepz!!!!1111
Or just watch some of these videos: http://ift.tt/1AmQEhL
What horrible fanfic would make a good campaign?
Recommended OSR compatible bestiaries?
I'm in the market for a good monster book (or two). What's good and why?
Recommended OSR compatible bestiaries?
OneDice Urban Fantasy PDF Out Now!
OneDice Urban Fantasy is a game of hidden magic in a fictionalised version of our world, where the enchantment of the Otherworlds spills over into mundane reality. The action takes place in the present day, in a fae-haunted city near you. Whether you want to play a Rosicrucian occultist, a werewolf detective, or a fae-blooded rock star, all the rules you need are in this book.
There are additional “skins” for adding other urban fantasy genres – the magic school, the modern world with magic everywhere, and a world with magic but no fae. Now get ready to rumble – the Unseelie Court have made a pact with the Twilight Brotherhood and there’s trouble brewing at the Goblin Market!
Written by Nick Clements, published by Cakebread & Walton.
The PDF is available now, and look for the paperback coming soon!
http://ift.tt/1DILRuB
There are additional “skins” for adding other urban fantasy genres – the magic school, the modern world with magic everywhere, and a world with magic but no fae. Now get ready to rumble – the Unseelie Court have made a pact with the Twilight Brotherhood and there’s trouble brewing at the Goblin Market!
Written by Nick Clements, published by Cakebread & Walton.
The PDF is available now, and look for the paperback coming soon!
http://ift.tt/1DILRuB
OneDice Urban Fantasy PDF Out Now!
[FM2015] FC Denuo Iuvenis FM2015 Edition
Inleiding:
Met FM2011 heb ik een aantal jaar geleden een novelle gestart onder de naam FC Denuo Iuvenis; Feeling young again....
Nu in het jaar 2015 wil ik deze novelle een nieuw leven inblazen en er een FM2015 editie van maken.
Het verhaal gaat over een nieuwe revolutie in de sportmedicatie waarmee een sporter nog één keer kan pieken en zijn potentieel behalen.
Het middeltje krijgt de toepasselijke Latijnse naam Denuo Iuvenis wat letterlijk betekend 'weer jong' (young again).
Een nog ongenoemde tycoon verovert het patentrecht op de medicatie en heeft er zijn eigen plannen mee...
Opzet:
In tegenstelling tot de vorige FC Denuo Iuvenis novelle probeer ik hier een wat meer interactieve novelle van te maken.
De lezer zal dus een bepaalde stem hebben binnen deze novelle en kan o.a. beïnvloeden wie er bij de club aan de slag gaan
Op het moment ben ik druk bezig in de editor om de club te maken maar ook werk ik aan de bijbehorende graphics (logo, kits e.d.)
Oudere spelers zullen dus de club gaan vormen en krijg nog één kans om te laten zien wat ze kunnen.
Om dit te verwezenlijken worden de spelers via de editor naar hun volle potentieel gebracht en kunnen ze nog één keer schitteren in het shirt van FC Denuo Iuvenis!
Met FM2011 heb ik een aantal jaar geleden een novelle gestart onder de naam FC Denuo Iuvenis; Feeling young again....
Nu in het jaar 2015 wil ik deze novelle een nieuw leven inblazen en er een FM2015 editie van maken.
Het verhaal gaat over een nieuwe revolutie in de sportmedicatie waarmee een sporter nog één keer kan pieken en zijn potentieel behalen.
Het middeltje krijgt de toepasselijke Latijnse naam Denuo Iuvenis wat letterlijk betekend 'weer jong' (young again).
Een nog ongenoemde tycoon verovert het patentrecht op de medicatie en heeft er zijn eigen plannen mee...
Opzet:
In tegenstelling tot de vorige FC Denuo Iuvenis novelle probeer ik hier een wat meer interactieve novelle van te maken.
De lezer zal dus een bepaalde stem hebben binnen deze novelle en kan o.a. beïnvloeden wie er bij de club aan de slag gaan
Op het moment ben ik druk bezig in de editor om de club te maken maar ook werk ik aan de bijbehorende graphics (logo, kits e.d.)
Oudere spelers zullen dus de club gaan vormen en krijg nog één kans om te laten zien wat ze kunnen.
Om dit te verwezenlijken worden de spelers via de editor naar hun volle potentieel gebracht en kunnen ze nog één keer schitteren in het shirt van FC Denuo Iuvenis!
[FM2015] FC Denuo Iuvenis FM2015 Edition
Orginele uitdagingen
Ik ben op zoek naar wat orginele uitdagingen om het spelplezier terug te krijgen.
Ik heb zelf de uitdaging met alleen jeugd staan en ik wil de CL winnen met een club uit Malta.
Hebben jullie nog leuke ideeën?
Ik heb zelf de uitdaging met alleen jeugd staan en ik wil de CL winnen met een club uit Malta.
Hebben jullie nog leuke ideeën?
Orginele uitdagingen
Anderlecht: De club waar het allemaal gebeurd.
hallo mensen
Ik heb besloten om een novelle te gaan schrijven over Anderlecht.
Het word echter geen gewone novelle maar een novelle van fmh en niet van fm(ik heb geen fm).
ik hoop dat jullie me blijven volgen en tips willen geven.
ik zoek ook nog naar een beetje achtergronden enzo iemand die mij kan helpen?
gr bart
Ik heb besloten om een novelle te gaan schrijven over Anderlecht.
Het word echter geen gewone novelle maar een novelle van fmh en niet van fm(ik heb geen fm).
ik hoop dat jullie me blijven volgen en tips willen geven.
ik zoek ook nog naar een beetje achtergronden enzo iemand die mij kan helpen?
gr bart
Anderlecht: De club waar het allemaal gebeurd.
mercredi 29 avril 2015
?2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI Lowest Fuel Consumption Guinness World Record
Hi All:
In the early planning stages of a 48-State Guinness World Record attempt. Last one in the Passat TDI ended at 77.99 mpg. <-- That is a scary high number for a 48-state drive.
2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Ready to Hit the Road
The vehicle? The $21,995, 30/45 mpg city/highway rated 2015 VW Golf TDI S.
Still a ton of work to do but will add more as I receive it.
Wayne
In the early planning stages of a 48-State Guinness World Record attempt. Last one in the Passat TDI ended at 77.99 mpg. <-- That is a scary high number for a 48-state drive.
2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Ready to Hit the Road
The vehicle? The $21,995, 30/45 mpg city/highway rated 2015 VW Golf TDI S.
Still a ton of work to do but will add more as I receive it.
Wayne
?2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI Lowest Fuel Consumption Guinness World Record
Text/word document of 5e basic rules?
The minor trouble with the 5e basic rules provided by WotC is that they are in pdf form. I'd like to perform extensive editing on their text without having to copy paste into a word document for hours to get the whole thing. Does anyone know if someone has already converted that stuff into a word or text document of some sort?
Text/word document of 5e basic rules?
What kind of supplements get the most actual play?
For purposes of THIS thread, we are going to define supplements as any written content for a RPG line EXCEPT adventures.
Based on your experience over the years, what kind of supplements get the most use in actual play?
In general, do you see more GM-centric supplements being used by GMs OR do you see more Player-centric supplements being used by the players?
AKA, how much do supplements get used regularly vs. only as reference vs. just read for fun?
Also, any particular supplements have had the most use at your game table?
Based on your experience over the years, what kind of supplements get the most use in actual play?
In general, do you see more GM-centric supplements being used by GMs OR do you see more Player-centric supplements being used by the players?
AKA, how much do supplements get used regularly vs. only as reference vs. just read for fun?
Also, any particular supplements have had the most use at your game table?
What kind of supplements get the most actual play?
[Q&A] Eddy Webb (Deluxe V20 Lore of the Clans) 4/30/2015 7:00 p.m. CDT!
http://ift.tt/1zqxWuT
Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
[Q&A] Eddy Webb (Deluxe V20 Lore of the Clans) 4/30/2015 7:00 p.m. CDT!
Hoe krijg ik mijn spelers fit voor de finale?
Ik heb met ajax de champions league finale bereikt. Deze is echter pas over 3 weken en de competitie is afgelopen, dus er zijn geen wedstrijden meer tot die tijd. Nu wil oefenwedstrijden organiseren zodat mijn spelers met een goede wedstrijdconditie aan de finale kunnen beginnen. Dit kan echter niet. Hoe krijg ik mijn spelers fit voor de finale?
Hoe krijg ik mijn spelers fit voor de finale?
Rescue missions swoop into villages
Rescue missions swoop into villages to carry the injured to safety as the U.N. warns that 1.7 million children in the Nepal quake zone need urgent help. CNN joins an aid flight.
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______________________
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http://ift.tt/1bV07HP
http://ift.tt/1GG4KPT
http://ift.tt/1bV08vr
http://ift.tt/1GG4IYp
http://ift.tt/1bV07HR
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______________________
Rescue missions swoop into villages
A picture speaks a thousand words
Apropos of ... something, not entirely sure what, here's Ron Edwards playing Basic D&D (the J. E. Holmes edit).
A picture speaks a thousand words
My First Day With Savage Worlds
So, the Rifts thread reminded me that Savage Worlds exists. I had recently been thinking of taking a break from Mekton after I finish running my current arc, and was considering running a space pirate game. In the process of trying to find any piratey resources, I had come across Pirates of the Spanish Main, which also uses Savage Worlds. Also, since I had recently been looking at my Space 1889 books, I accidentally ran across Space 1889: Red Sands, which uses Savage Worlds too. The universe was aligning to point me towards Savage Worlds. I had never paid it much heed before, but since the Deluxe Explorer's Edition was under $9, I decided to burn some rewards points and order it.
After work, it was waiting in my mailbox. I popped a Robotech DVD in for background noise and started reading. I was pleasantly surprised to find most things fairly well explained and intuitive. I read the character creation section (minus reading Edge/Hindrance lists). Then I read the Game Rules chapter all the way through, and skimmed the rest as I browsed whatever seemed interesting. By the time a few episodes of Robotech had played, I felt like I had enough of a command of the system to do something with it. What's more, it seemed interesting and I was eager to do something with it.
At the suggestion of the book, I decided to take one of the pre-made character templates and run a fight against three orcs. I chose a Marksman with a bow, and the fights did not go well for my bowman (even after I switched to Goblins), but the mechanics seemed fun. Happy with the experience so far, I changed out the DVD for some Martian Successor Nadesico, and decided to make up a character.
What kind of character should I make? I glanced around the room for some inspiration. I found it in my Real Action Hero Saber Lily figure. I decided to make her up as a character.
I start by looking at the two melee fighter templates: Fighter, Fencer and Fighter, Great Weapon. I decide she has characteristics of both. Since she's an anime girl, I figure she'll follow the standard fighting game trope of agile and fast, but not a bruiser. Fencer fits more with the idea, but the character look itself is more of a Great Weapon fighter. I'm going to fuse the ideas. (But in the end, I just make her a Fencer with different Edges.)
She's human. So that's easy.
For her Attribute Traits I use the Fighter, Fencer unchanged. I note that she has 6 points assigned here, but I figure having only 5 points for Attributes is a typo or something.
I chose Quick Draw because my sample combats with the Marksman showed it was very useful. I pick Trademark Weapon because that fits the background I dreamed up. I pick Attractive because she's pretty cute. I really wanted some others. Sweep and First Strike looked pretty good.
I start her off in some hypothetical fights with three goblins. She mops the floor with them. Hey, this is pretty cool! She's doing much better than the Marksman. I decide to try her against the three orcs.
I'll mention now that I messed up another rule. I missed the Minimum Strength rule. Whenever Altria rolled damage, I rolled 1d6 (her Strength) + 1d8 (the Longsword). I should have been rolling a 1d6 for the Longsword, because her Strength was lower than the die code. It's OK, though. Excalibur is magical. Maybe Excalibur could be a Katana (+1d6+2 damage)? I guess I'll have to beg the GM to please let me have cool stuff.
The fight with the orcs didn't go so well. By ganging up, and one of them getting an Ace on his attack roll, Altria got hit. Then the orc Aced on his damage roll and scored a 20 on his damage roll. That was three raises and three wounds. Altria was going to drop in one hit! I remembered the Damage Soak rule and had Altria spend a Benny to make a Vigor Check. She succeeded, but only barely, and therefore got to remove one of the three inflicted wounds. The situation was still bad, but at least she was still standing.
Next initiative, the orcs drew an ace of spaces. I figured Altria was about to die, but I drew a Joker for her. Cool! Now she'd get +2 to her rolls to offset the -2 to Trait Rolls for having two wounds.
Once again, I misread something. I figured as long as she wasn't moving she could use Defend and still attack at -2. So, that's what she did. She managed to hit an orc! Then the damage roll Aced about 5 or 6 times. The orc fell to Altria's blade and there was suddenly hope that she might make it through this sample fight.
Since this was a pure hypothetical fight, there was no terrain, and I didn't have Altria do any tricks. However, at Altria's awesome damage roll (which must have vaporized that orc like he was hit by a phaser), I decided to roll spirit checks to see if the other two orcs were Shaken. One passed his check, the other failed. The next round, Altria tried to push her advantage on the Shaken one. She hit, and more or less whiffed on damage (damage roll less than the orc's 9 Toughness). The orc then recovered from his Shaken status.
For several rounds Altria Defended and made cautious attacks. At least the orcs couldn't hit worth a damn without their +2 modifier. The rules said Altria's -2 modifier for being Wounded only applied to rolls, so I figured it didn't affect her Parry score. After a few rounds of stalemate, Altria finally dropped her second orc, and the third followed the round after.
After the fight I read some more stuff in the book and saw my error regarding the Longsword damage. I probably made some other mistakes, but it was all in the process of learning.
I was a little concerned about how Altria had the maximum skill level a character could possess in melee fighting until Legendary level, and still had such problems with a couple of enemies. Then again, things would play out differently in a real game where the character was actually in an environment and not a blank featureless area. The tricks Edges provide seem to make up for the shortfall in other ways. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was a bit mixed on how well it would handle the kind of one versus many action I typically go for in my games.
Regardless, I had fun just playing around with the system, and I think it would be fun to play a real game with it. I'm wanting to get a one shot going as soon as possible. The game plays blazing fast, and I like that a lot. It doesn't hurt that it's so easy to learn and absorb the rules.
And at that, the fourth episode of Martian Successor Nadesico ended, so I called it a night.
After work, it was waiting in my mailbox. I popped a Robotech DVD in for background noise and started reading. I was pleasantly surprised to find most things fairly well explained and intuitive. I read the character creation section (minus reading Edge/Hindrance lists). Then I read the Game Rules chapter all the way through, and skimmed the rest as I browsed whatever seemed interesting. By the time a few episodes of Robotech had played, I felt like I had enough of a command of the system to do something with it. What's more, it seemed interesting and I was eager to do something with it.
At the suggestion of the book, I decided to take one of the pre-made character templates and run a fight against three orcs. I chose a Marksman with a bow, and the fights did not go well for my bowman (even after I switched to Goblins), but the mechanics seemed fun. Happy with the experience so far, I changed out the DVD for some Martian Successor Nadesico, and decided to make up a character.
What kind of character should I make? I glanced around the room for some inspiration. I found it in my Real Action Hero Saber Lily figure. I decided to make her up as a character.
http://ift.tt/1QJXSXsSaber Lily comes from Fate/Unlimited Codes, a fighting game based on a popular visual novel/anime/game franchise called Fate/and then some other name depending on the installment (Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero, Fate/Extra, etc.) I really don't know anything about her as a character. The only things I know are that she's King Arthur (I imagine it's a long story), she wields Excalibur or Caliburn, and she's the best "Saber" class fighter. The only other thing I know is that she looks cool. With this in mind, I'm not making up a character based on the source material. I'm just using the character design as a springboard to make something inspired by it.
I start by looking at the two melee fighter templates: Fighter, Fencer and Fighter, Great Weapon. I decide she has characteristics of both. Since she's an anime girl, I figure she'll follow the standard fighting game trope of agile and fast, but not a bruiser. Fencer fits more with the idea, but the character look itself is more of a Great Weapon fighter. I'm going to fuse the ideas. (But in the end, I just make her a Fencer with different Edges.)
She's human. So that's easy.
For her Attribute Traits I use the Fighter, Fencer unchanged. I note that she has 6 points assigned here, but I figure having only 5 points for Attributes is a typo or something.
Agility d8Now I do her skill Traits. I mostly use the Fighter, Fencer again, but I remove Taunt. The Real Action Hero figure has a "I mean business" option face which exudes confidence. I figure she should probably have Intimidate instead. But for the time being, I just leave my options open and leave 4 points unspent.
Smarts d6
Spirit d6
Strength d6
Vigor d6
Fighting d12I calculate her derived values. That's easy enough.
Notice d6
Stealth d6
4 skill points
Parry 8The template has 1 major and 2 minor Hindrances. That seems normal for all characters, and I'm not going to buck the trend. I start with Heroic as her Major Hindrance. I follow that with Loyal as her first Minor, because that just fits the paladin style personality I think she looks like. For the last, I have a backstory in mind kind of like in the movie Excalibur. She draws the sword from the stone and since she's not one of the approved people to draw it, she gets people pissed at her. I'm not sure what to make this. Criminal seems to fit. I go with Enemy(Minor) because I figure she's already run away from those people and won't meet them that frequently yet.
Toughness 5
HeroicNow I get to choose her edges. As you can tell from what I said about Attributes above, I've already misinterpreted some things. I figure my Major and two Minor Hindrances give me two Edges. Then I get a free one for being Human. I think what is actually happening in the templates is all of them are human, and already have the free Edge pre-assigned. The Major Hindrance pays for the extra (6th) Attribute point, and the two Minor Hindrances pay for the second Edge. But I didn't grok that at the time, so I figured I had three Edges, the ones show and one free one for being human.
Loyal
Enemy (Minor)
I chose Quick Draw because my sample combats with the Marksman showed it was very useful. I pick Trademark Weapon because that fits the background I dreamed up. I pick Attractive because she's pretty cute. I really wanted some others. Sweep and First Strike looked pretty good.
AttractiveFinally, I get to choose Gear. She has $500, and that's not going to buy her much of anything. It immediately becomes apparent she isn't going to be able to afford her cool armor. In fact, her longsword alone eats up over half her money. She's going to have to start out as the non-armor variant of the figure.
Quick Draw
Trademark Weapon
No Armor VersionI think about buying a buckler and saying it's her scabbard. Another, non-posable, version of the same character has an oversized shield that looks like it could be used for this purpose.
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Shield as bucklerI also think about saying her pretty white/off-pink dress gives her something like bulletproof nudity and acts as leather armor. I forgo these options. The buckler idea makes sense but I won't use it right now. The dress as armor idea is really stretching it. So, I'm finished.
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Gear: Longsword (Excalibur??)Now that I've mostly statted her up (still some open skill points), she needs a name. I decide to name her Altria. She's now ready to kill stuff, and even after character creation, I'm still in the mood to play around.
I start her off in some hypothetical fights with three goblins. She mops the floor with them. Hey, this is pretty cool! She's doing much better than the Marksman. I decide to try her against the three orcs.
I'll mention now that I messed up another rule. I missed the Minimum Strength rule. Whenever Altria rolled damage, I rolled 1d6 (her Strength) + 1d8 (the Longsword). I should have been rolling a 1d6 for the Longsword, because her Strength was lower than the die code. It's OK, though. Excalibur is magical. Maybe Excalibur could be a Katana (+1d6+2 damage)? I guess I'll have to beg the GM to please let me have cool stuff.
The fight with the orcs didn't go so well. By ganging up, and one of them getting an Ace on his attack roll, Altria got hit. Then the orc Aced on his damage roll and scored a 20 on his damage roll. That was three raises and three wounds. Altria was going to drop in one hit! I remembered the Damage Soak rule and had Altria spend a Benny to make a Vigor Check. She succeeded, but only barely, and therefore got to remove one of the three inflicted wounds. The situation was still bad, but at least she was still standing.
Next initiative, the orcs drew an ace of spaces. I figured Altria was about to die, but I drew a Joker for her. Cool! Now she'd get +2 to her rolls to offset the -2 to Trait Rolls for having two wounds.
Once again, I misread something. I figured as long as she wasn't moving she could use Defend and still attack at -2. So, that's what she did. She managed to hit an orc! Then the damage roll Aced about 5 or 6 times. The orc fell to Altria's blade and there was suddenly hope that she might make it through this sample fight.
Since this was a pure hypothetical fight, there was no terrain, and I didn't have Altria do any tricks. However, at Altria's awesome damage roll (which must have vaporized that orc like he was hit by a phaser), I decided to roll spirit checks to see if the other two orcs were Shaken. One passed his check, the other failed. The next round, Altria tried to push her advantage on the Shaken one. She hit, and more or less whiffed on damage (damage roll less than the orc's 9 Toughness). The orc then recovered from his Shaken status.
For several rounds Altria Defended and made cautious attacks. At least the orcs couldn't hit worth a damn without their +2 modifier. The rules said Altria's -2 modifier for being Wounded only applied to rolls, so I figured it didn't affect her Parry score. After a few rounds of stalemate, Altria finally dropped her second orc, and the third followed the round after.
After the fight I read some more stuff in the book and saw my error regarding the Longsword damage. I probably made some other mistakes, but it was all in the process of learning.
I was a little concerned about how Altria had the maximum skill level a character could possess in melee fighting until Legendary level, and still had such problems with a couple of enemies. Then again, things would play out differently in a real game where the character was actually in an environment and not a blank featureless area. The tricks Edges provide seem to make up for the shortfall in other ways. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was a bit mixed on how well it would handle the kind of one versus many action I typically go for in my games.
Regardless, I had fun just playing around with the system, and I think it would be fun to play a real game with it. I'm wanting to get a one shot going as soon as possible. The game plays blazing fast, and I like that a lot. It doesn't hurt that it's so easy to learn and absorb the rules.
And at that, the fourth episode of Martian Successor Nadesico ended, so I called it a night.
My First Day With Savage Worlds
Teardown Analysis of the BMW i3
This is an interesting discussion about all the remarkable technologies in the BMW i3:
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Teardown Analysis of the BMW i3
mardi 28 avril 2015
What kind of maps/minis do you use?
I've played Theater of the Mind until now, but have been looking for a good battle map and set of figures or pawns to use.
My first instinct is to look here for monsters: http://ift.tt/1QHKtPA
You get a ton of cardboard cutout figures with bases to use. The only problem is that it has so few of each monster. Like 3 goblins. Nobody ever fights ONLY three goblins. So it is basically unuseable if I'm running something like Lost Mines of Phandelver.
For the battle mat, there is the Chessex one. http://ift.tt/1QHKtPC
But everybody says that arrives rolled up and needs to go through some uncreasing before you can use it. Surely there are some big mats out there that aren't so foolishly packaged?
My first instinct is to look here for monsters: http://ift.tt/1QHKtPA
You get a ton of cardboard cutout figures with bases to use. The only problem is that it has so few of each monster. Like 3 goblins. Nobody ever fights ONLY three goblins. So it is basically unuseable if I'm running something like Lost Mines of Phandelver.
For the battle mat, there is the Chessex one. http://ift.tt/1QHKtPC
But everybody says that arrives rolled up and needs to go through some uncreasing before you can use it. Surely there are some big mats out there that aren't so foolishly packaged?
What kind of maps/minis do you use?
Charge!!!
In the same vein as other recent threads, I'm curious which RPG system the ever humble and perspicacious posters here consider to be the best, or to have the best system, for mass battles? Please discard any genre prejudices at the door to the thread, as mass battles might be ranked armies on a faux-medieval battlefield, but could just as easily be attack-ships off the shoulder of Orion, tough hombres packing state-of-the-art firepower, or 30ft tall humanoid metal titans that dominate the battlefield. What RPG system or supplement provides the most fun, the most carnage, or the best RPG experience, and why?
Charge!!!
How to find legal status of a particular IP
Is there any way to easily find out who owns the rights (e.g., who I'd need permission from or licensing fees to, I suppose) to the Crimson Skies IP, originally created by FASA?
I am doing a home-brew conversion of the original game background (not the Wizkids later rules with nice plastic minis), but using the new miniatures on attack-wing style bases with maneuver dials, weapon options, etc.
Would I have to hire an attorney to find this kind of thing out?
I am doing a home-brew conversion of the original game background (not the Wizkids later rules with nice plastic minis), but using the new miniatures on attack-wing style bases with maneuver dials, weapon options, etc.
Would I have to hire an attorney to find this kind of thing out?
How to find legal status of a particular IP
Skill-based fantasy systems
My DM wants to try to cook up a homebrew system for us to use in our game once the current campaign wraps up. I'll admit I'm not particularly keen on the idea; I've wanted to get away from the moar bigger numbers style of Pathfinder for a while now, but I just wanted to sub it out for Earthdawn, not put in all the time and effort of hammering out a whole new ruleset. Which I understand is a conversation I need to have with her and not something you lot can help me with, but in the meantime studying up on some games what handle the genre differently and mining them for ideas hopefully will help a bit, whether in finding a system we like better that we can just tweak to suit our needs or making the homebrew process easier by removing some of the mental heavy lifting.
I know most high fantasy RPGs (or what seems like most) are generally built around D&D's class-and-level paradigm, often for no better reason than Because Tradition. Earthdawn gets away from this to an extent by using sort of a weird class-and-skill hybrid, which I feel works remarkably well for what it is but still carries the baggage of AD&D. Are there any conventional high fantasy games or setting-agnostic systems what take a more or less purely skill-based approach?
I know most high fantasy RPGs (or what seems like most) are generally built around D&D's class-and-level paradigm, often for no better reason than Because Tradition. Earthdawn gets away from this to an extent by using sort of a weird class-and-skill hybrid, which I feel works remarkably well for what it is but still carries the baggage of AD&D. Are there any conventional high fantasy games or setting-agnostic systems what take a more or less purely skill-based approach?
Skill-based fantasy systems
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How about a nice trip out on the Lake?
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and here is your link for 50% off, the link expires on Sunday 3rd of May
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and here is your link for 50% off, the link expires on Sunday 3rd of May
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[DramaScape] Village on the Lake w/50% coupon till 5/3/2015
A father tells CNN's Arwa
A father tells CNN's Arwa Damon how he desperately dug through his collapsed home in a vain attempt to rescue his toddler daughter -- one of thousands killed in the Nepal earthquake.
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A father tells CNN's Arwa
Netwerkspel
Recent ben ik een netwerkspel gestart met een maatje.
Wat natuurlijk een hoop spelplezier oplevert, het enige nadeel is dat veel wedstrijden niet gelijk tijdig worden afgewerkt en je daardoor vaak op de ander moet wachten.
Is het mogelijk om dit in game aan te passen, heb namelijk bij het aanmaken van de game gekozen voor ´´het niet gebruiken van echte speeschema´s´´maar door de CL wedstrijden loopt dit in de soep.
Heeft iemand hier ervaring mee en kans ons hiermee verder helpen?
Wat natuurlijk een hoop spelplezier oplevert, het enige nadeel is dat veel wedstrijden niet gelijk tijdig worden afgewerkt en je daardoor vaak op de ander moet wachten.
Is het mogelijk om dit in game aan te passen, heb namelijk bij het aanmaken van de game gekozen voor ´´het niet gebruiken van echte speeschema´s´´maar door de CL wedstrijden loopt dit in de soep.
Heeft iemand hier ervaring mee en kans ons hiermee verder helpen?
Netwerkspel
lundi 27 avril 2015
D&D5E Dark Sun: a different direction
i also posted this on TBP, but I'm looking for more feedback and expect to get different opinions here.
Okay, I've found both Cyber-Dave's and Gabriel Zenon Wach's 5E conversions, but this is going a bit different than a direct conversion. Some of the guys in my group do not like psionics in fantasy, so if I want to run Athas, I have to pull out the psionics. Options I'm considering are:
A) just pull out the extra bit of oomph psionics could have provided and run with 5E races/classes modified for the setting
B) give all creatures a small magic talent or knack that uses their own HP to power (instead of external defilement, it would be a sort of internal defilement. Yes, this is a cheat around no psionics.
I'd appreciate any other possible suggestions on other options. Of these two, I'm leaning toward B. The knacks would be something less than a cantrip. Any suggestions here or recommended places to look?
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Okay, I've found both Cyber-Dave's and Gabriel Zenon Wach's 5E conversions, but this is going a bit different than a direct conversion. Some of the guys in my group do not like psionics in fantasy, so if I want to run Athas, I have to pull out the psionics. Options I'm considering are:
A) just pull out the extra bit of oomph psionics could have provided and run with 5E races/classes modified for the setting
B) give all creatures a small magic talent or knack that uses their own HP to power (instead of external defilement, it would be a sort of internal defilement. Yes, this is a cheat around no psionics.
I'd appreciate any other possible suggestions on other options. Of these two, I'm leaning toward B. The knacks would be something less than a cantrip. Any suggestions here or recommended places to look?
Any thoughts or suggestions?
D&D5E Dark Sun: a different direction
The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence
This is a review of the OSR setting, "The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence", described as "an old school weird science-fantasy campaign setting and wilderness hex-crawl". It is written by "Venger As'Nas Satanis", the OSR's resident Cthulhu-Worshiping Satanist Magician; you know, the type of guy I've written about in some of my "Real Magick in RPGs" blog series. His continued existence is proof that he's either not a real magician, or Cthulhu is not a real being. Or maybe both.
Anyways, "Islands" is a 106 page softcover, published by "Kort'thalis Publishing" (Cthulhu sure does like his apostrophes!), with a full color cover of a needlessly-salacious pair of female buttocks looking over a nightmarish sort of landscape; the words "caution: mature content!" appear in bright red on the front cover, but somehow 'mature' is not the first word the image brings to mind.
I should mention that in my experience Venger is definitely one of these guys (like James Desborough) who like to court controversy and outrage on purpose (could you really expect anything less from a guy who's no doubt chosen the last name "Satanis"? I assume that's not an old family name..); I know I'm sometimes included in that same list but in my case (as in some others) it's really that I just don't give a shit, as opposed to actively trying to find (sophomoric) ways to be 'edgy' about sex or violence with my RPGs in the hopes of getting negative attention.
None of that impresses me much, but I won't judge a book by its cover (in this case literally). The interior art is certainly filled with relatively good-quality art, mostly of Lovecraftian monstrosities of different kinds, most of which manage to be impressive (a few even actually creepy) without being needlessly offensive; though I'll note that in the entire book out of the half-dozen or so images that have identifiable female figures in them, all but one are either naked or very scantily-clad (with a predominance of bare buttocks and thigh-high boots). While none of the images are explicitly sexual several are being attacked by monsters while naked and/or bound. I guess that's the author's interpretation of 'maturity'. It's the kind of thing that would give Tracy Hurley conniption fits if she wasn't too busy being worried about how tight Aleena the Cleric's full-body chain mail looks.
(even the map has tentacles!)
But fine; let's accept that the art here is almost certainly an intentional ploy to get attention by causing outrage, and move on. The question then is whether the content is any good? Note: you'll need to read this whole review, to get the big picture, because it's complicated.
The book starts (after some in-game fiction that, like most in-game fiction, is forgettable) with a set of "optional rules for the GM". The first few of these are not particularly good; in the sense that while nothing is terribly wrong with them they don't really fit (to me) the old-school model. You get a system of task-resolution that the author admits is inspired by countless dice-pool mechanics (which are really, to me, outside the whole boundary-markers of what defines old-school), where you roll a number of D6 based on the perceived difficulty of the task and have to count any die that results in a 6. Then you have an optional rule for giving players a +1 to their d20 rolls if they are suitably flowery in their description of their actions (an example: instead of saying "I put up my shield" they say "just before he shoots something from his luminous fingers I raise my shield for protection"; in other words, precisely the kind of needless wordiness without meaningful value that I don't particularly want to encourage). Then there's a mechanic whereby if a player asks a question about whether there is something in the environment (example: "is there something down that well?") the GM should roll a flat 33% chance that there in fact is. None of these are mechanics I would want to implement in an old-school game.
After some suggested porting-over of 3e D&D's "attack of opportunity" and "flanking" rules (again, no!), and a checklist for how to frame a one-shot adventure, you get the advice that every player should (when creating a character) tell the GM one thing about their character that is not written on the character sheet, which is not terrible but not exactly brilliant either.
It does start to get better after that, however. At this point we start getting into some of the mods that specifically apply to the "islands" setting. For example, you have a "darker secrets" table, which PCs can roll at character creation that involves strange details like "you have a special fondness for spiders and spider-like beings", or "after losing your wife and children in a recent war you want nothing more than to see the world burn". There's still a few problems with this table: it only has 20 options (which really isn't enough for an OSR-type game where presumably a lot of characters will end up being cycled through), and some of the selections are kind of questionable in various ways: from "you were the product of incest, so you are either physically sensitive or emotionally cruel" to "you were convicted of rape and successfully escaped from prison" to "you're extremely nearsighted and this can't be corrected by lenses or magic" (for some damn reason not explained in the entry). There's a rule for randomly rolling a flashback scene for each character before start of play, which is better than a lot of the background-stuff just by virtue of at least being interactive; it's the sort of thing that works really well in Amber (minus the randomness, of course) but probably won't be to the liking of a lot of Old-school gamers (for their old-school games at least). Again on a better note, there's a rule for how magic-use is affected by the immensely unstable influence of chaos on the Islands: anytime you cast a spell, you roll a D6. On a 6, the spell is doubled in all effects; on a 1 the spell has a disastrous discharge (it either has the opposite of its stated effect, or it affects the caster instead of its target). On a 3, a random magical effect happens, most of which effects are harmful to the caster but a couple are neutral or arguably useful. It's also stated, on a slightly later optional rule, that wizards can choose, on rolling a 1, to become chaos-aligned instead of having a disaster happen; and subsequently start to become mutated (unfortunately, it doesn't provide a random mutation table, which is a pity).
(note: in spite of Cthulhu-worship, this has not happened to Venger in real life)
We're also told that the Islands are full of dimensional gateways all over the place, so there's a random table as to where a given gateway leads. The selections are generally lovecraftian (a world of the Old Ones, the distant past or future, R'lyeh, the Dreamlands) but a couple are unusual (a world that looks like an Erol Otus painting, Earth in the present day).
After this we get a few other Islands-specific rules: there are apparently corpses of ancient worms lying around the island (not sure how that's an "optional rule"; maybe we switched sections without the reader being told?), and there are deep horrific things under the earth (again, that's all we're told, no 'optional rules' in sight). There's also an effect that happens when you travel in time called chronosis, which causes temporary disorientation and memory loss. There's some optional rules for fighting modifications after his first injury and when he's at death's door, and some rules for regaining hit points after resting.
Then we get an optional Monk class. It isn't radically different from other monk classes out there but with less special powers (only the ability to captivate an audience, and a sort of psychic attack that can potentially be deadly - literally blowing up an opponent's brain- but has a high element of chance and a constitution drain).
After this we find out about how magic swords work differently on the islands: they cause critical hits on a 19-20 if wielded by fighters; the crit effects are rolled on a table. Also, all magic swords that spend enough time on the island become intelligent, with a table of random personalities for said swords, and a random table for a sword's origin.
Finally, there's a random permanent injury table, rolled any time a PC gets to below 0 hp but somehow survives.
(there's this thing too, which must have come through one of the Islands' dimensional-gateways from a RIFTS sourcebook, or something)
So the next section is called "Running Purple" and here we get a guide to the setting information. It starts with one of those lengthy past-history timelines, dating back from "20000 years ago". Back then the islands were apparently only one landmass, but later broke up. A snake-man empire rose up, who rode on the ancient wyrms. They ruled for 7500 years until a coalition of men, elves and dwarves drove them out using magic to kill the wyrms. Two thousand years later a powerful Azure Witch took power, but her rule was cut short by the rise of the Purple Putrescence (of the title), a horrible purple mist full of tentacles that even to this day floats over the islands that dissolves living creatures, causes mutations, and all other kinds of terrible things.
The islands were also infested with strange crystals some 3200 years ago; these crystals augment magic but make it more chaotic. There's other stuff too: the "tentacles from the water", a great inexplicable super-computer created by an unknown race, and in the last ten years some distant lands have started using the islands as a penal exile colony.
The islands, we are told, have a mind of their own, and there's a "what do the Islands want" table to roll on.
We are told that the Islands are intended as a sandbox, but in case a GM wants some more structure we're also given a table of potential adventure seeds.
We also have a random table that PCs can roll to determine what their own connection to the Islands are, why they're there.
There's also a good old 'rumor table', complete with a T and F rating for whether the rumor is true or false.
You can also get into truly gonzo territory with the "what happened when you were sleeping" table, which can cause a number of inexplicable effects, like having a severed head appear on a PC's bedroll, having a PC lose his memories, or a henchman getting his brain sucked out by something in the night, or a magic-user losing 1d6 memorized spells while they slept.
These various tables, and sections with interspersed detail, are not really put in any kind of coherent order as far as I can tell. Likewise, there are some of the sections in the previous chapter that I would have put in this one, and vice versa. Maybe Venger is trying to evoke the scrambled style that some old-school books had. Some people find that kind of thing quaint. I'd rather it had been put in some kind of more coherent arrangement, myself.
(or maybe he spent too much time trying to do this?)
In regard to the economics of the Islands, we are told that gold pieces (or other forms of coin economy) are not really used here; instead, trade is mainly done in slaves (particularly human and elven women, which given the whole aesthetic of the setting comes as no surprise), in magic, and advanced technology, as well as shelter and information.
From there we switch to guidelines as to how to obtain a "sherpa", a local guide. And then, we suddenly veer to hearing about how if you profane the name of the Dark Gods you get a -2 penalty to saving throws for the next day, and if you profane the name of an Old One in the presence of a lead cultist you will get shot by a destructive wave of purple energy falling from the sky. Clerics, priests, and holy men do get a percentage chance of divine intervention, though.
There's also more details on the Purple Putrescence, which (when it shows up) can randomly attack people with a save-or-die type of situation.
There's some details on the dreamlands, and on randomly-occurring mutagenic rain which leaves behind a lethal purple mist in a way pretty much identical to the Putrescence itself.
The whole of the islands seem to be some kind of machine, too. There's random illusion-hidden control panels that can do various effects, and there is a "mechanical and mystical under-system" that is found deep beneath the islands that keep everything running, as it were.
Alongside this, there's also the mysterious "Black Pylons": trapezoidal monoliths that act as gateways to other dimensions, space and time, but only if you have the right crystals to use them.
The crystals are one of the more interesting details of the setting: they're all over the islands, mostly underground, though obviously a lot of people have ones that were already taken from under the earth. They come in a variety of colors; several of these allow you to use the Pylons to travel through dimensions or space/time. Many of them also grant you one or more powers if you carry them, but most of them also come at a serious cost (of temporary daily draining of an ability score). Sometimes, combining two or more crystals can have powerful or catastrophic effects. So they're good items in the sense of being a mix of powerful and dangerous.
After this, we get details on the various factions found on the Island. This include descriptions of the major ones that detail their leaderships, beliefs, numbers, behaviours, agenda, technology level, common trade currencies, and any special details. There's also random tables that simulate developments that may have happened with a faction since the last time the PC party encountered them; and a table for determining events that happen (between or at the start of adventures, presumably) if the PCs stay around with a certain faction for a while. Factions include the worshipers of the Purple Putrescence, the mysterious Overlords who operate the underground machine, the native monkey-men of the islands, the hapless followers of the god of light, the remnants of the once-great Snake Men empire, and the followers of a strange deity called Zygak-Xith
Then we get a wandering monster table, a one-number saving throw chart for monsters (that is, if you're using or want to use a system where all saves are based on a single base number, which is what's used in Swords & Wizardry, if I recall correctly, and Arrows of Indra, among others). There's a small outdoor-terrain trap table to finish off this section.
After this, we finally start to get to the section that details the islands themselves, arranged by hexes. There's a very short description of each of the three Islands: Korus is the biggest, with its prominent mountain range. It has populations of Mi-Go, Snake men, a necromancer with something called "doom hawks", and various other unnatural creatures. Kelis is a jungle-island that features the ruins of a previous civilization, and its main feature is something called the "Shattered Dome". Kravian is the island that features Zygak-Xith and his worshipers.
I'm obviously not going to detail every single hex; I will say that the hex entries cover 51 pages of the book, so nearly half of the total content. Almost all of them include small, medium or large-sized adventure/encounter hooks, with a wide diversity of subject matter. As much as I've been mocking the over-the-top 'heavy-metal turned-to-11' attitude of Venger's writing, and some of his other stylistic and structural foibles in the book, there's no question that the vast majority of the stuff he's got in the hex entries is spectacularly creative, playable, diverse, and interesting, if what you want is gory, sometimes sophomoric, occasionally sleazy, and highly weird gonzo-fantasy writing. If you look at his hex-crawl section, he writes the way I imagine Geoffrey McKinney only wishes he could write. That is to say, cleverly.
You won't find hex after hex of the same bullshit here, nor will it seem like he just randomly-generated the hex contents. They're all weird, sometimes ridiculously so, and rarely make much if any sense, but each one was obviously given inspiration and not just dialed-in. No "you encounter 2d6 bone-men" here, no fifty-hexes full of different-colored statues or hybrid animals that seem taken from mixing two randomly-generated normal animals and rolling on a randomly-generated special-attack table. This section was VASTLY better than I expected it to be based on the first forty pages of the book.
Discounting the Isle of Dread as vastly more vanilla than this product, when you look at the other important "lost island" or "weird world" products out in OSR-land, you have what? Isle of the Unknown, Carcosa, maybe LotFP's Weird New World.. are there any important ones I missed? As a setting (again, if you can bear the level of almost comical "extremeness" of the book), the Islands of Purple Putrescence kicks the living shit out of all of these, BOTH in terms of creativity and in terms of the level of Gonzo the book has.
The book concludes with a few pages of new spells (over a dozen spells, all of spell levels 2-4, of a suitably weird or badass-destructive nature), and some very interesting magic items; the latter (there's 28 of them, if I counted right) are of the dark-wizardry and nasty-chaos-sword variety, some of which are for all intents and purposes cursed items.
So what to conclude about this book? Well, it's clearly far from perfect; some of the style is grating to me personally. And some of the organization is haphazard. And given that I personal ADORE "gonzo" style play, there are parts of this book that feel like they're trying too hard, to be as "exxxtreme" as possible.
But ultimately none of this matters so much as all the good parts: most of the tables, and even a lot of the optional rules, fit the setting well, and at least some of them could easily be shifted over to other settings in a similar genre. The place where Islands really stands out is in the quality of the hexcrawl itself.
If you're looking for a weird-fantasy gonzo-sandbox with sci-fantasy, lots of lovecraftian overtones (does that make this Venger's equivalent of a really-Christian guy writing a Christian RPG?), and a "Heavy Metal" aesthetic, you pretty much have to get this book. Even if you want any of those component parts for use in your own D&D or OSR game, you'll get a lot of great stuff here.
RPGPundit
Currently Smoking: Dunhill Shell Diplomat + C&D's Crowley's Best
Anyways, "Islands" is a 106 page softcover, published by "Kort'thalis Publishing" (Cthulhu sure does like his apostrophes!), with a full color cover of a needlessly-salacious pair of female buttocks looking over a nightmarish sort of landscape; the words "caution: mature content!" appear in bright red on the front cover, but somehow 'mature' is not the first word the image brings to mind.
I should mention that in my experience Venger is definitely one of these guys (like James Desborough) who like to court controversy and outrage on purpose (could you really expect anything less from a guy who's no doubt chosen the last name "Satanis"? I assume that's not an old family name..); I know I'm sometimes included in that same list but in my case (as in some others) it's really that I just don't give a shit, as opposed to actively trying to find (sophomoric) ways to be 'edgy' about sex or violence with my RPGs in the hopes of getting negative attention.
None of that impresses me much, but I won't judge a book by its cover (in this case literally). The interior art is certainly filled with relatively good-quality art, mostly of Lovecraftian monstrosities of different kinds, most of which manage to be impressive (a few even actually creepy) without being needlessly offensive; though I'll note that in the entire book out of the half-dozen or so images that have identifiable female figures in them, all but one are either naked or very scantily-clad (with a predominance of bare buttocks and thigh-high boots). While none of the images are explicitly sexual several are being attacked by monsters while naked and/or bound. I guess that's the author's interpretation of 'maturity'. It's the kind of thing that would give Tracy Hurley conniption fits if she wasn't too busy being worried about how tight Aleena the Cleric's full-body chain mail looks.
(even the map has tentacles!)
But fine; let's accept that the art here is almost certainly an intentional ploy to get attention by causing outrage, and move on. The question then is whether the content is any good? Note: you'll need to read this whole review, to get the big picture, because it's complicated.
The book starts (after some in-game fiction that, like most in-game fiction, is forgettable) with a set of "optional rules for the GM". The first few of these are not particularly good; in the sense that while nothing is terribly wrong with them they don't really fit (to me) the old-school model. You get a system of task-resolution that the author admits is inspired by countless dice-pool mechanics (which are really, to me, outside the whole boundary-markers of what defines old-school), where you roll a number of D6 based on the perceived difficulty of the task and have to count any die that results in a 6. Then you have an optional rule for giving players a +1 to their d20 rolls if they are suitably flowery in their description of their actions (an example: instead of saying "I put up my shield" they say "just before he shoots something from his luminous fingers I raise my shield for protection"; in other words, precisely the kind of needless wordiness without meaningful value that I don't particularly want to encourage). Then there's a mechanic whereby if a player asks a question about whether there is something in the environment (example: "is there something down that well?") the GM should roll a flat 33% chance that there in fact is. None of these are mechanics I would want to implement in an old-school game.
After some suggested porting-over of 3e D&D's "attack of opportunity" and "flanking" rules (again, no!), and a checklist for how to frame a one-shot adventure, you get the advice that every player should (when creating a character) tell the GM one thing about their character that is not written on the character sheet, which is not terrible but not exactly brilliant either.
It does start to get better after that, however. At this point we start getting into some of the mods that specifically apply to the "islands" setting. For example, you have a "darker secrets" table, which PCs can roll at character creation that involves strange details like "you have a special fondness for spiders and spider-like beings", or "after losing your wife and children in a recent war you want nothing more than to see the world burn". There's still a few problems with this table: it only has 20 options (which really isn't enough for an OSR-type game where presumably a lot of characters will end up being cycled through), and some of the selections are kind of questionable in various ways: from "you were the product of incest, so you are either physically sensitive or emotionally cruel" to "you were convicted of rape and successfully escaped from prison" to "you're extremely nearsighted and this can't be corrected by lenses or magic" (for some damn reason not explained in the entry). There's a rule for randomly rolling a flashback scene for each character before start of play, which is better than a lot of the background-stuff just by virtue of at least being interactive; it's the sort of thing that works really well in Amber (minus the randomness, of course) but probably won't be to the liking of a lot of Old-school gamers (for their old-school games at least). Again on a better note, there's a rule for how magic-use is affected by the immensely unstable influence of chaos on the Islands: anytime you cast a spell, you roll a D6. On a 6, the spell is doubled in all effects; on a 1 the spell has a disastrous discharge (it either has the opposite of its stated effect, or it affects the caster instead of its target). On a 3, a random magical effect happens, most of which effects are harmful to the caster but a couple are neutral or arguably useful. It's also stated, on a slightly later optional rule, that wizards can choose, on rolling a 1, to become chaos-aligned instead of having a disaster happen; and subsequently start to become mutated (unfortunately, it doesn't provide a random mutation table, which is a pity).
(note: in spite of Cthulhu-worship, this has not happened to Venger in real life)
We're also told that the Islands are full of dimensional gateways all over the place, so there's a random table as to where a given gateway leads. The selections are generally lovecraftian (a world of the Old Ones, the distant past or future, R'lyeh, the Dreamlands) but a couple are unusual (a world that looks like an Erol Otus painting, Earth in the present day).
After this we get a few other Islands-specific rules: there are apparently corpses of ancient worms lying around the island (not sure how that's an "optional rule"; maybe we switched sections without the reader being told?), and there are deep horrific things under the earth (again, that's all we're told, no 'optional rules' in sight). There's also an effect that happens when you travel in time called chronosis, which causes temporary disorientation and memory loss. There's some optional rules for fighting modifications after his first injury and when he's at death's door, and some rules for regaining hit points after resting.
Then we get an optional Monk class. It isn't radically different from other monk classes out there but with less special powers (only the ability to captivate an audience, and a sort of psychic attack that can potentially be deadly - literally blowing up an opponent's brain- but has a high element of chance and a constitution drain).
After this we find out about how magic swords work differently on the islands: they cause critical hits on a 19-20 if wielded by fighters; the crit effects are rolled on a table. Also, all magic swords that spend enough time on the island become intelligent, with a table of random personalities for said swords, and a random table for a sword's origin.
Finally, there's a random permanent injury table, rolled any time a PC gets to below 0 hp but somehow survives.
(there's this thing too, which must have come through one of the Islands' dimensional-gateways from a RIFTS sourcebook, or something)
So the next section is called "Running Purple" and here we get a guide to the setting information. It starts with one of those lengthy past-history timelines, dating back from "20000 years ago". Back then the islands were apparently only one landmass, but later broke up. A snake-man empire rose up, who rode on the ancient wyrms. They ruled for 7500 years until a coalition of men, elves and dwarves drove them out using magic to kill the wyrms. Two thousand years later a powerful Azure Witch took power, but her rule was cut short by the rise of the Purple Putrescence (of the title), a horrible purple mist full of tentacles that even to this day floats over the islands that dissolves living creatures, causes mutations, and all other kinds of terrible things.
The islands were also infested with strange crystals some 3200 years ago; these crystals augment magic but make it more chaotic. There's other stuff too: the "tentacles from the water", a great inexplicable super-computer created by an unknown race, and in the last ten years some distant lands have started using the islands as a penal exile colony.
The islands, we are told, have a mind of their own, and there's a "what do the Islands want" table to roll on.
We are told that the Islands are intended as a sandbox, but in case a GM wants some more structure we're also given a table of potential adventure seeds.
We also have a random table that PCs can roll to determine what their own connection to the Islands are, why they're there.
There's also a good old 'rumor table', complete with a T and F rating for whether the rumor is true or false.
You can also get into truly gonzo territory with the "what happened when you were sleeping" table, which can cause a number of inexplicable effects, like having a severed head appear on a PC's bedroll, having a PC lose his memories, or a henchman getting his brain sucked out by something in the night, or a magic-user losing 1d6 memorized spells while they slept.
These various tables, and sections with interspersed detail, are not really put in any kind of coherent order as far as I can tell. Likewise, there are some of the sections in the previous chapter that I would have put in this one, and vice versa. Maybe Venger is trying to evoke the scrambled style that some old-school books had. Some people find that kind of thing quaint. I'd rather it had been put in some kind of more coherent arrangement, myself.
(or maybe he spent too much time trying to do this?)
In regard to the economics of the Islands, we are told that gold pieces (or other forms of coin economy) are not really used here; instead, trade is mainly done in slaves (particularly human and elven women, which given the whole aesthetic of the setting comes as no surprise), in magic, and advanced technology, as well as shelter and information.
From there we switch to guidelines as to how to obtain a "sherpa", a local guide. And then, we suddenly veer to hearing about how if you profane the name of the Dark Gods you get a -2 penalty to saving throws for the next day, and if you profane the name of an Old One in the presence of a lead cultist you will get shot by a destructive wave of purple energy falling from the sky. Clerics, priests, and holy men do get a percentage chance of divine intervention, though.
There's also more details on the Purple Putrescence, which (when it shows up) can randomly attack people with a save-or-die type of situation.
There's some details on the dreamlands, and on randomly-occurring mutagenic rain which leaves behind a lethal purple mist in a way pretty much identical to the Putrescence itself.
The whole of the islands seem to be some kind of machine, too. There's random illusion-hidden control panels that can do various effects, and there is a "mechanical and mystical under-system" that is found deep beneath the islands that keep everything running, as it were.
Alongside this, there's also the mysterious "Black Pylons": trapezoidal monoliths that act as gateways to other dimensions, space and time, but only if you have the right crystals to use them.
The crystals are one of the more interesting details of the setting: they're all over the islands, mostly underground, though obviously a lot of people have ones that were already taken from under the earth. They come in a variety of colors; several of these allow you to use the Pylons to travel through dimensions or space/time. Many of them also grant you one or more powers if you carry them, but most of them also come at a serious cost (of temporary daily draining of an ability score). Sometimes, combining two or more crystals can have powerful or catastrophic effects. So they're good items in the sense of being a mix of powerful and dangerous.
After this, we get details on the various factions found on the Island. This include descriptions of the major ones that detail their leaderships, beliefs, numbers, behaviours, agenda, technology level, common trade currencies, and any special details. There's also random tables that simulate developments that may have happened with a faction since the last time the PC party encountered them; and a table for determining events that happen (between or at the start of adventures, presumably) if the PCs stay around with a certain faction for a while. Factions include the worshipers of the Purple Putrescence, the mysterious Overlords who operate the underground machine, the native monkey-men of the islands, the hapless followers of the god of light, the remnants of the once-great Snake Men empire, and the followers of a strange deity called Zygak-Xith
Then we get a wandering monster table, a one-number saving throw chart for monsters (that is, if you're using or want to use a system where all saves are based on a single base number, which is what's used in Swords & Wizardry, if I recall correctly, and Arrows of Indra, among others). There's a small outdoor-terrain trap table to finish off this section.
After this, we finally start to get to the section that details the islands themselves, arranged by hexes. There's a very short description of each of the three Islands: Korus is the biggest, with its prominent mountain range. It has populations of Mi-Go, Snake men, a necromancer with something called "doom hawks", and various other unnatural creatures. Kelis is a jungle-island that features the ruins of a previous civilization, and its main feature is something called the "Shattered Dome". Kravian is the island that features Zygak-Xith and his worshipers.
I'm obviously not going to detail every single hex; I will say that the hex entries cover 51 pages of the book, so nearly half of the total content. Almost all of them include small, medium or large-sized adventure/encounter hooks, with a wide diversity of subject matter. As much as I've been mocking the over-the-top 'heavy-metal turned-to-11' attitude of Venger's writing, and some of his other stylistic and structural foibles in the book, there's no question that the vast majority of the stuff he's got in the hex entries is spectacularly creative, playable, diverse, and interesting, if what you want is gory, sometimes sophomoric, occasionally sleazy, and highly weird gonzo-fantasy writing. If you look at his hex-crawl section, he writes the way I imagine Geoffrey McKinney only wishes he could write. That is to say, cleverly.
You won't find hex after hex of the same bullshit here, nor will it seem like he just randomly-generated the hex contents. They're all weird, sometimes ridiculously so, and rarely make much if any sense, but each one was obviously given inspiration and not just dialed-in. No "you encounter 2d6 bone-men" here, no fifty-hexes full of different-colored statues or hybrid animals that seem taken from mixing two randomly-generated normal animals and rolling on a randomly-generated special-attack table. This section was VASTLY better than I expected it to be based on the first forty pages of the book.
Discounting the Isle of Dread as vastly more vanilla than this product, when you look at the other important "lost island" or "weird world" products out in OSR-land, you have what? Isle of the Unknown, Carcosa, maybe LotFP's Weird New World.. are there any important ones I missed? As a setting (again, if you can bear the level of almost comical "extremeness" of the book), the Islands of Purple Putrescence kicks the living shit out of all of these, BOTH in terms of creativity and in terms of the level of Gonzo the book has.
The book concludes with a few pages of new spells (over a dozen spells, all of spell levels 2-4, of a suitably weird or badass-destructive nature), and some very interesting magic items; the latter (there's 28 of them, if I counted right) are of the dark-wizardry and nasty-chaos-sword variety, some of which are for all intents and purposes cursed items.
So what to conclude about this book? Well, it's clearly far from perfect; some of the style is grating to me personally. And some of the organization is haphazard. And given that I personal ADORE "gonzo" style play, there are parts of this book that feel like they're trying too hard, to be as "exxxtreme" as possible.
But ultimately none of this matters so much as all the good parts: most of the tables, and even a lot of the optional rules, fit the setting well, and at least some of them could easily be shifted over to other settings in a similar genre. The place where Islands really stands out is in the quality of the hexcrawl itself.
If you're looking for a weird-fantasy gonzo-sandbox with sci-fantasy, lots of lovecraftian overtones (does that make this Venger's equivalent of a really-Christian guy writing a Christian RPG?), and a "Heavy Metal" aesthetic, you pretty much have to get this book. Even if you want any of those component parts for use in your own D&D or OSR game, you'll get a lot of great stuff here.
RPGPundit
Currently Smoking: Dunhill Shell Diplomat + C&D's Crowley's Best
The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence
Nieuw fm/sport kanaal Britse Nederlander! :)
Beste managers united leden,
Ik ben sinds kort aan een leuke football manager serie met Cardiff City.
Dit komt door mijn moeder die in Cardiff geboren is en mijn neef die een ontzettend grote fan is van the Bluebirds!
Ik zou het ontzettend waarderen als sommige leden mijn serie willen checken!
Ik heb het becommentarieerd in het Engels, omdat dit een groter publiek zou aantrekken.
Naast voetbal ben ik ook een groot liefhebber van basketbal en maak daar ook video's van.
Hier is een link van mijn kanaal: http://ift.tt/1GCgDJq
Ik ben al een tijd lid en heb veel gelezen om mijn FM skills een beetje te laten bijspijkeren!
Bedankt alvast en hopelijk zie ik jullie op mijn kanaal!
Tommy/Gosu44 :)
P.S. Als ik iets totaals verkeert doe door het posten van dit bericht, excuses alvast!
Ik ben sinds kort aan een leuke football manager serie met Cardiff City.
Dit komt door mijn moeder die in Cardiff geboren is en mijn neef die een ontzettend grote fan is van the Bluebirds!
Ik zou het ontzettend waarderen als sommige leden mijn serie willen checken!
Ik heb het becommentarieerd in het Engels, omdat dit een groter publiek zou aantrekken.
Naast voetbal ben ik ook een groot liefhebber van basketbal en maak daar ook video's van.
Hier is een link van mijn kanaal: http://ift.tt/1GCgDJq
Ik ben al een tijd lid en heb veel gelezen om mijn FM skills een beetje te laten bijspijkeren!
Bedankt alvast en hopelijk zie ik jullie op mijn kanaal!
Tommy/Gosu44 :)
P.S. Als ik iets totaals verkeert doe door het posten van dit bericht, excuses alvast!
Nieuw fm/sport kanaal Britse Nederlander! :)
Monte hires an awesome guy to write new Native content for The Strange
You may have heard about the recent controversy over the depiction of native american culture in Monte Cook Games' The Strange RPG.
Well, something genuinely great came out of it:
Anthony Pastores, who does the wonderful Pacific Northwest-themed Straits of Anian blog got hired on to write new Native content.
Anthony not only knows his native folklore backwards and forwards, he writes great stuff…
If a Cannibal Bird is fated to appear and quick motivation is needed, a d20 may be thrown to determine what exactly the creature thinks it's up to:
1 Hunting humans to eat. It will likely attack.
2 Feasting on corpses. If the party was looking for someone, here they are.
3 Harassing a cannibal. The bird is tormenting a Cannibal Dancer or Untamed Wind for its own amusement.
4 Reminiscing. "I remember you, or perhaps an ancestor, hm... Tell me the story of when I last met you, man-thing."
5 Bored. Simply bored, the creature will banter until it gets hungry.
6 Acting out an ancient drama. The Wind that Bites from the Dark once instrumented a great calamity here, or slew a great hero. The bird wishes to reenact this, and you arrived just in time to facilitate. Roll reaction to determine how dangerous a role it has in mind.
7 Making war. There are two cannibal birds here either fighting each other or engaging in a contest (roll again to determine its character).
8 Witnessing savagery. The bird has heard of a great cruelty or tragedy, natural or man-made, occurring or about to occur, which it wishes to observe. If none manifests it will create one, figuring that it itself must be the cause, though it did not know this beforehand.
9 Destroying man-made objects. The bird is tearing down buildings, defacing sculptures, altering trail signs, or otherwise warping humanity's mark on the environment.
10 Dressing itself in grave goods. The beast is pulling clothing from a corpse or pile of refuse, which it will proceed to wear incorrectly. It solicits opinions on its aspect from any onlookers. Anything other than excessive flattery angers it.
11 Hiding and observing. You are being watched really obviously, but without interference. It is far too big to hide behind that bush, or far too humanoid to perch on that branch. It leaves after a few turns, but only if unacknowledged.
12 Pretending to be a human. The bird wants to play at being a headman; you will be the slaves. It wants you to construct a makeshift village out of found materials (or occupy an abandoned one) and go through the drudgery of daily life. In a day or two it will get bored and just wander off.
13 Telling a lie. There is a very specific thing it needs to tell to you and only you. This thing is absolutely untrue; assuming otherwise leads to catastrophe.
14 Building something. The bird is constructing a sculpture or effigy (d6: 1. giant spiky nest, 2. wicker man, 3. intricate maze, 4. wooden cages dangling from branches, 5. mosaic of many colors, 6. elaborate gauntlet of traps and snares) from detritus & human remains. It may ask a critique, or force intruders to assist in finding the perfect finishing piece.
15 Doesn't remember. "I have forgotten my purpose here. You tell me." It attacks if the answer is completely against its nature but otherwise follows the instruction exactly.
16 Asking questions. The bird has questions about the nature of humanity. It has no context whatsoever with which to understand the answer and will become frustrated and angry when it doesn't.
17 Learning to be a human. "Teach me to be like you." It copies the player's actions exactly, becoming angry if the player performs an action it cannot.
18 Collecting shinies. "You have many shiny objects. Give me all of them." All of these are immediately put to use as self-adornment, or littered on the ground (equal chance).
19 Starting fires. The bird starts a fire, fans it with its wings, watches it burn for a moment or a day, and then puts it out again, over and over and over. It only acknowledges intruders if interrupted.
20 Singing to the sky. Carrion birds circle overhead as the bird caws a semi-intelligible tune at the sky. Any human copying the song finds that it incites birds to attack them suddenly, which causes the Cannibal Bird to laugh. It attacks if any of these birds are injured, but does not otherwise do harm. The song continues to work long after the meeting but cannot be taught to others.
...so it's awesome that its getting a chance to be seen by a wider audience:
Well, something genuinely great came out of it:
Anthony Pastores, who does the wonderful Pacific Northwest-themed Straits of Anian blog got hired on to write new Native content.
Anthony not only knows his native folklore backwards and forwards, he writes great stuff…
If a Cannibal Bird is fated to appear and quick motivation is needed, a d20 may be thrown to determine what exactly the creature thinks it's up to:
1 Hunting humans to eat. It will likely attack.
2 Feasting on corpses. If the party was looking for someone, here they are.
3 Harassing a cannibal. The bird is tormenting a Cannibal Dancer or Untamed Wind for its own amusement.
4 Reminiscing. "I remember you, or perhaps an ancestor, hm... Tell me the story of when I last met you, man-thing."
5 Bored. Simply bored, the creature will banter until it gets hungry.
6 Acting out an ancient drama. The Wind that Bites from the Dark once instrumented a great calamity here, or slew a great hero. The bird wishes to reenact this, and you arrived just in time to facilitate. Roll reaction to determine how dangerous a role it has in mind.
7 Making war. There are two cannibal birds here either fighting each other or engaging in a contest (roll again to determine its character).
8 Witnessing savagery. The bird has heard of a great cruelty or tragedy, natural or man-made, occurring or about to occur, which it wishes to observe. If none manifests it will create one, figuring that it itself must be the cause, though it did not know this beforehand.
9 Destroying man-made objects. The bird is tearing down buildings, defacing sculptures, altering trail signs, or otherwise warping humanity's mark on the environment.
10 Dressing itself in grave goods. The beast is pulling clothing from a corpse or pile of refuse, which it will proceed to wear incorrectly. It solicits opinions on its aspect from any onlookers. Anything other than excessive flattery angers it.
11 Hiding and observing. You are being watched really obviously, but without interference. It is far too big to hide behind that bush, or far too humanoid to perch on that branch. It leaves after a few turns, but only if unacknowledged.
12 Pretending to be a human. The bird wants to play at being a headman; you will be the slaves. It wants you to construct a makeshift village out of found materials (or occupy an abandoned one) and go through the drudgery of daily life. In a day or two it will get bored and just wander off.
13 Telling a lie. There is a very specific thing it needs to tell to you and only you. This thing is absolutely untrue; assuming otherwise leads to catastrophe.
14 Building something. The bird is constructing a sculpture or effigy (d6: 1. giant spiky nest, 2. wicker man, 3. intricate maze, 4. wooden cages dangling from branches, 5. mosaic of many colors, 6. elaborate gauntlet of traps and snares) from detritus & human remains. It may ask a critique, or force intruders to assist in finding the perfect finishing piece.
15 Doesn't remember. "I have forgotten my purpose here. You tell me." It attacks if the answer is completely against its nature but otherwise follows the instruction exactly.
16 Asking questions. The bird has questions about the nature of humanity. It has no context whatsoever with which to understand the answer and will become frustrated and angry when it doesn't.
17 Learning to be a human. "Teach me to be like you." It copies the player's actions exactly, becoming angry if the player performs an action it cannot.
18 Collecting shinies. "You have many shiny objects. Give me all of them." All of these are immediately put to use as self-adornment, or littered on the ground (equal chance).
19 Starting fires. The bird starts a fire, fans it with its wings, watches it burn for a moment or a day, and then puts it out again, over and over and over. It only acknowledges intruders if interrupted.
20 Singing to the sky. Carrion birds circle overhead as the bird caws a semi-intelligible tune at the sky. Any human copying the song finds that it incites birds to attack them suddenly, which causes the Cannibal Bird to laugh. It attacks if any of these birds are injured, but does not otherwise do harm. The song continues to work long after the meeting but cannot be taught to others.
...so it's awesome that its getting a chance to be seen by a wider audience:
Monte hires an awesome guy to write new Native content for The Strange
Daredevil
Ah well, I complained last time (when there still was a tv series thread around here) about so much series becoming a soap instead of a "good show". You have soap in crime (Sons of Anarchy), soap in urban fantasy (Supernatural) and soap in the superhero genre (Arrow, Heroes). Now I like all these show and I watched them, but it was more out of habit.
To me a soap is when there is nothing ever resolved. Characters die, but they come back to life. People who get abducted escape, people in coma wake up and characters who dissapear return later in the show. So the more things change, the more things stay the same. Nothing gets resolved, there is nothing final. There is no closure. Plus the characters are always a little shallow. Plastic people populate these shows.
And here and now I stumble across a series that isn't at all like that and this time it's called Daredevil. Watch it. It's gritty and dark, just how I like it.
To me a soap is when there is nothing ever resolved. Characters die, but they come back to life. People who get abducted escape, people in coma wake up and characters who dissapear return later in the show. So the more things change, the more things stay the same. Nothing gets resolved, there is nothing final. There is no closure. Plus the characters are always a little shallow. Plastic people populate these shows.
And here and now I stumble across a series that isn't at all like that and this time it's called Daredevil. Watch it. It's gritty and dark, just how I like it.
Daredevil
2015 AWD Tesla Model S 70D Preview
Tesla Model S 70D – $75,000 to start and offers a 240 mile all-electric range (AER) from full to flat.
Following on the heels of the 270 mile AER $85,000 AWD 85D and 253 miles AER $105,000 AWD P85D, Tesla today introduced its newest AWD Model S called the 70D.
Like all Tesla’s, the 70D is first and foremost known as a long range battery electric vehicle. Beyond that, the accolades continue with a stunning interior/exterior – Cd of 0.24 – design plus ride and handling prowess that rivals that of any performance car available regardless of price.
While not nearly as quickly as the 4.4 or 3.1 seconds to 60 mph AWD P85 and AWD P85D, the AWD 70D can sprint to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds.
Tesla 70D Drivetrain
All Model S’ regardless of RWD (single motor) or AWD (dual motor) configuration is built around a liquid-cooled battery, motor(s), drive inverters and single speed transmission for both longevity and optimal long term performance.
Specific to the 70D, it uses a 70 kWh Li-Ion battery pack powering an AC induction motor through a variable frequency inverter with regenerative braking.
Charging that big pack is handled by an onboard Level1 or Level2 10 kW capable on-board charger with an optional 20 kW capable Dual Charger setup that increases Level2 charging input compatibility to 80 A.
Like all available Tesla Model S’, the 70D includes Supercharging to enable free long-distance travel after being connected to any of the available Super Charging network charging stations.
2015 Telsa Model S Interior
Very well appointed and unique with the large 17” touch screen display.
Very well appointed and unique with the large 17” touch screen display.
Where the grip comes from
A longish 116” wheelbase provides great high speed stability. The base 19” alloys are shod with either P245/45R19 Michelin Primacy MXM4 Grand Tourings or Goodyear Eagle RS-A2 High Performance All-Seasons. Both provide good road holding and low NVH.
Moving to the 21” wheel/tire combination is where the real grip arrives with very low profile
P245/35ZR21 Continental ContiSportContact 5 Max Performance Summer tires or Michelin Pilot Super Sport Max Performance Summer tires.
Connecting the wheels to the chassis is a well-tuned independent multi-link front and rear suspension with plenty of lower aluminum suspension bits to reduce unsprung weight, hollow aluminum subframe out back plus stabilizer bars front and rear.
To bring the approximately 4,700 pound P70D to a halt arises from some rather large ventilated 14” x 1.25” and 14.4” x 1.1” discs all around.
Anti-Lock disc brakes (ABS) with an electronic parking brake is standard.
“AutoPilot” - Autonomous Driving Capability
The P70D incorporates a camera mounted at the top of the windshield, forward looking radar in the lower grill, and ultrasonic acoustic location sensors in the front and rear bumpers that provide a 360-degree view around the car. With the various sensors, "Autopilot Convenience" $2,500 option includes Adaptive CC and a Lane Departure Warning system with an automatic lane centering, AutoPilot will allow some hands-free driving.
Soon afterwards the car is expected to automatically pull itself into or out of a garage using just its sensors when summoned via a smartphone app.
The "Autopilot Convenience" option also includes Automatic high/low beam headlights.
2015 Tesla Model S
Still expensive but a unique way to meet your daily transportation drive needs fuel free.
2015 AWD Tesla Model S 70D Preview
Finally replaced the HSH
Over the past 2 years I have owned 3 HSH's. There were various reasons that I went through 3 of them, but the most recent was a faulty hybrid system that Hyundai refused to acknowledge, the result was me having to hire a lawyer to force the return of the car. While I enjoyed the styling and FE of the Sonata, Hyundai's refusal to honor their warranty left me vowing to never own another Hyundai.
We kicked around stepping up when replacing this, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to spend $50,000.00 + on a car.
What I ended up buying was a 2015 Camry Hybrid. I will compare my experience with the HSH and TCH for anyone interested. I will try to remain objective and ignore the problems that occurred with my last HSH.
What drew me to the HSH was styling, FE, and Wayne's high opinion of it.
I did enjoy the car, the styling, and the FE was spectacular. However there were some things I didn't like. All 3 cars had rattles in the doors and roofs. IMO the cars vibrated excessively, to the extent that the passenger seat would shake back and forth. The road noise seemed to me to be excessive as well. Also, there was a quirk in the stereo in which the audio would sometimes mute and the only way to get it back was to turn the car off or use the Blue Link call function. These were all things I was willing to overlook in exchange for the things I liked about the car. I also assumed that I shouldn't expect more of a car in that price range.
What drew me to the Camry was that Toyota has been doing Hybrid for an eternity and should have all the bugs worked out. After driving the Camry for a week, the build quality difference compared to the HSH is striking. There are zero rattles even with the stereo all the way up. It is also considerably more quiet and smooth.
Here is what I feel I gave up with the HSH:
Highway FE
Panoramic roof
Styling
Remote start from phone app
Here is what I gained with the TCH:
Build quality
Power passenger seat
Radar Cruise
Blind spot monitoring
City FE
Rear cross traffic alert
Frontal collision warning
Wireless phone charging
Trunk Space
Just thought I would share.
Happy Hypermiling! :stickshift:
We kicked around stepping up when replacing this, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to spend $50,000.00 + on a car.
What I ended up buying was a 2015 Camry Hybrid. I will compare my experience with the HSH and TCH for anyone interested. I will try to remain objective and ignore the problems that occurred with my last HSH.
What drew me to the HSH was styling, FE, and Wayne's high opinion of it.
I did enjoy the car, the styling, and the FE was spectacular. However there were some things I didn't like. All 3 cars had rattles in the doors and roofs. IMO the cars vibrated excessively, to the extent that the passenger seat would shake back and forth. The road noise seemed to me to be excessive as well. Also, there was a quirk in the stereo in which the audio would sometimes mute and the only way to get it back was to turn the car off or use the Blue Link call function. These were all things I was willing to overlook in exchange for the things I liked about the car. I also assumed that I shouldn't expect more of a car in that price range.
What drew me to the Camry was that Toyota has been doing Hybrid for an eternity and should have all the bugs worked out. After driving the Camry for a week, the build quality difference compared to the HSH is striking. There are zero rattles even with the stereo all the way up. It is also considerably more quiet and smooth.
Here is what I feel I gave up with the HSH:
Highway FE
Panoramic roof
Styling
Remote start from phone app
Here is what I gained with the TCH:
Build quality
Power passenger seat
Radar Cruise
Blind spot monitoring
City FE
Rear cross traffic alert
Frontal collision warning
Wireless phone charging
Trunk Space
Just thought I would share.
Happy Hypermiling! :stickshift:
Finally replaced the HSH
VW Updates its U.S. Corporate Social Responsibility Report
2015 VW eGolf SEL Premium – $36,265 to start incl. D&H while offering owners an 83 mile all-electric range (AER) estimate.
The 5-door hatch e-Golf is recognizable as a member of the brands Golf’s family but the BEV includes unique alloys and std. LED headlights.
On the high end trim, a newly developed heat pump is used. The pump uses both ambient air and heat from the drive system components to heat the cabin rather than relying solely on the high-voltage heater, helping to reduce on-board electrical consumption significantly during in winter driving.
VW and its U.S. Corporate Responsibility
VW of America released an update to its Corporate Social Responsibility Report, “At Home in America” highlighting its progress since the previous 2013 report.
In 2014, Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) donated an estimated $8 million to organizations across the country. These donations are just one part of the company’s efforts to deepen its roots within the United States and carry out its commitment to being a good partner for employees and communities alike.
The 2014 VW Corporate Social Responsibility Report include the following:
Environmental Sustainability - VW and Audi established key partnerships to better meet their goals for ultra-low carbon mobility. Volkswagen, Audi and 3Degrees, a renewable energy and carbon offset provider, are working to neutralize emissions created from the production, distribution and recharging of the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf and upcoming 2016 Audi e-tron.
VW added the e-Golf, its first all-electric, zero-tail pipe emissions vehicle, to its lineup of fun-to-drive and eco-friendly cars and has been rated by the Environmental Protect Agency as the most efficient car in its class at a rating of 126 city, and 116 combined miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent, and given a range of up to 83 miles.
Audi’s 2016 A3 Sportback e-tron offers all-electric, blended hybrid and gasoline models with the option of an energy sustainability package that includes carbon offsets from 3Degrees, Inc. and a home solar solution by SunPower.
Upcoming 2016 Audi A3 e-tron PHEV-20
The Audi A3 e-tron PHEV-20 is an Audi A3 five-door hatch with a 150 hp 1.4L TFSI I4 engine. Think of the Jetta Hybrids engine but instead of being mated to a 27 hp engine and 7-speed DSG, it is mated to a much larger 100 hp electric motor integrated into a newly developed 6-speed S tronic.
The liquid cooled Li-Ion battery has a capacity of 8.8 kWh and can be charged in approximately two hours from a Level2 charging station. Precooling/heating is also included in the package.
With the drivetrain combination producing 204 total system hp and 258.1 lb-ft torque, the Audi A3 e-tron is delving into “Hot Hatch” territory while offering the greenest credentials available when on the plug. The “hot” part arises from its ability to reach 60 in under 7.5 seconds and offering a 138 mph top speed. Both will/should never be used of course.
In electric mode, top speed is limited to 81 mph.
Thanks to the lightweight design, the five-door hatch has a curb weight of 3,395 lb, just 220 pounds more than the A3 1.8L sedan while offering space for five and some luggage.
Back to VWs sustainability report…
Serving U.S. communities - VW launched a “Volunteer Day” program as part of its “Get Involved” campaign to encourage employees to take paid time off to volunteer in local communities, supporting charities and other philanthropic efforts.
VW matched $190,000 in employee donations to worthy organizations throughout the United States. This commitment includes VW’s work with the Excel Institute in Washington, DC, where Volkswagen and Audi technicians help at-risk youth and adults think about their future careers.
Becoming a leader in diversity and inclusion - VW established a Supplier Diversity program and achieved the 10 percent target for inclusion of women and ethnic minorities in its supplier network, and designated 33 percent of 2013 corporate giving to organizations that benefited underserved communities.
VW celebrated its employees with Diversity Week, an annual opportunity for Volkswagen to recognize the different cultures, heritages, and backgrounds employed across the country.
VW Updates its U.S. Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund
My wife started a small fund for Earthquake Relief. All monies raised will go to UNICEF.
Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund
[FM2015] The Alphabetical Challenge
Ik ga onder de naam van Usain Bolt de alphabetical challenge aan. Ik begin hierbij met de A. Aan jullie nu om te stemmen in welk land ik ga beginnen. De keuze bestaat uit: Amerika, Australië en Argentinië. Als het land bekend is mogen jullie gaan stemmen voor de club.
[FM2015] The Alphabetical Challenge
[5th Edition] The Breaking of Forstor Nagar 8th Level Adventure
Fifth Edition Done Rite!
You must rescue your city’s ambassador from a city overrun by the Hungering Legion, a militant group of cannibalistic demon worshiping cultists. This glacier carved city is lost, there is no saving it, now you must make the hard choices of who to save and who to leave behind.
Welcome to The Breaking of Forstor Nagar.
This amazing 5th Edition adventure from the ENnie award winning adventure designer Ben McFarland (Streets of Zobeck) and with glorious cartography by Jonathan Roberts (George R.R. Martin’s Lands of Ice and Fire), is now available!
Check out the full-sized free preview, find out more, or get your copy HERE!
Print version coming soon!
[5th Edition] The Breaking of Forstor Nagar 8th Level Adventure
BMW Motorrad Achieves its Best Q1 Global Sales Result In History
2015 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure – $22,190 to start incl. $495 D&H and the very expensive $3,355 Premium pkg. with heated grips, TPM, an LED headlamp, ESA, CC and Aux lights. The Super Tourer offers an excellent 56 mpg at 55 mph and 7.9 gallon tank provides a range of almost 400 miles. More for some. ;)
Global 2015 First Quarter Sales Results
BMW Motorrad achieved its best quarterly results of all time with more than 30,000 bikes sold through March.
Global sales of 31,370 vehicles was up 9.2 percent over the 28,719 bikes sold in the Q1 of 2014.
In March BMW Motorrad delivered 15,912 motorcycles and Maxi Scooters worldwide, up 4.8 percent over the 15,183 bikes sold in March of 2014.
According to the company, Germany continues to be its strongest market with 5,369 bikes sold year to date, up 12 percent over the same period in 2014.
Other major markets included the US (3,229 bikes), France (3,155 bikes), Italy (2,936 bikes) and Great Britain (1,746 bikes).
BMW Motorrads R 1200 GS and R 1200 GS Adventure continue to power the company’s sales with more than 10,000 bikes delivered globally this year so far.
2015 F800 GS
My favorite BMW bike.
My favorite BMW bike.
2015 F800 GS Overview - With a starting price of $12,190 (including ABS) the revised F 800 GS continues to provide on/off-road versatility, power and efficiency.
For 2015, a new side trim, intake snorkel, upper mudguard and a new windshield were added.
Low suspension is now available as an option for the F 800 GS and in conjunction with the low seat, this means it is possible to create a seat height of 32.3 inches for shorter riders.
ABS as standard while optional ASC (Automatic Stability Control) provides improved safety.
With its 4.2 gallon tank, 240+ miles of range is doable with > 300 available when pushed.
All in, it appears that BMW Motorrad is doing very well compared to its Asian counterparts that are still trying to recover from the 2008/2009 recession.
BMW Motorrad Achieves its Best Q1 Global Sales Result In History
2016 Mazda MX-5 Provides a 25% Fuel Economy Boost
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata - $30,495 + $820 D&H with the short throw 6-speed MT now offers a 27/34 mpgUS city/highway rating vs. todays 22/28 result. 27/36 with the new 6-speed AT.
The first generation MX-5 was introduced 25 years ago whereas the all-new fourth generation stays true to the model’s original driving fun intent that only a lightweight sports car can.
The all-new 2,332 lb. 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata – 148 lbs less than the outgoing model – is absolutely loaded with the brands latest SKYACTIV technology improvements. For the 2016 MY, efficiency has improved dramatically as shown above.
For 2016, even the base MX-5 Sport trim arrives with a decent amount of std. features. These include 16-inch alloys, cruise control, LED headlights and tail lights, Bluetooth phone pairing and audio streaming, leather-wrapped shift knob, power door locks and a single USB input.
The automatic adds $1,075 to any trims price while a proximity key upgrade costs just $130 on the MT (standard with AT).
The current Sport with the 6-speed MT spins at a buzzy 2790 RPM@60 RPM, the Club and GT spin at a slightly less 2,675 RPM and the same trims with the 6-speed AT spin at a far more relaxing 1,980 RPM at the same 60 mph. The 2016 full specs have not yet been released yet but I suspect a little less spin and a little more distance for every given rotation of the crank.
2016 Mazda MX-5
The std. 2.0L I4 displacement remains the same but it has been completely reworked as a direct-injection unit offering 155 hp and 148 lb-ft. of torque vs. the 167 hp and 140 lb-ft. of torque 2.0L on the previous MX-5. The hp and Torque peaks come 1,000 and 400 rpm less respectively.
From the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club Review, the little Roadster offered an excellent 48.7 mpg actual result.
If the EPA result is 25-percent higher than the 2015 MX-5's EPA highway results when paired with the outgoing model's available six-speed manual transmission, what do you think the 2016 is going to be worth?
The interior appears to have been massively reworked and brought up to current spec.
According to Mazda, the all-new MX-5 followed the same "Gram Strategy" as other Mazda vehicles including the CX-5, Mazda6, Mazda3 and upcoming CX-3 – paring approximately 150 pounds while strengthening the body and improving safety.
With just 8-days before its release to dealerships, the 2-seat sports car game is about to improve with an better offering from Mazda than ever before.
2016 Mazda MX-5 Provides a 25% Fuel Economy Boost
[Q&A] Keith Baker (Phoenix: Dawn Command) 4/28/2015 7:00 p.m. CDT!
http://ift.tt/1OvJxiT
Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
Log to be posted at http://ift.tt/OM4vfy
To join: http://ift.tt/1p9x3NK
RPGnet is a registered trademark of Skotos Tech, used with their permission.
[Q&A] Keith Baker (Phoenix: Dawn Command) 4/28/2015 7:00 p.m. CDT!
The Dwarves of Demrel and dramatic roleplaying
The Dwarves of Demrel, currently in Kickstarter, is a steampunk fantasy movie involving three dwarves trapped by a mine collapse. The focus is very much on character interaction and drama rather than epic adventure.
I'm wondering if any of you have taken a setting with the possibility of flashy action and high adventure, be it fantasy, sci-fi, supers, or what have you, and used it instead for a "low-budget" scenario such as this. And if so, did your players enjoy it?
I'm wondering if any of you have taken a setting with the possibility of flashy action and high adventure, be it fantasy, sci-fi, supers, or what have you, and used it instead for a "low-budget" scenario such as this. And if so, did your players enjoy it?
The Dwarves of Demrel and dramatic roleplaying
Week of April 27 to May 3, 2015 (Nat'l Avg price $2.536)
National average gas price has jumped a further 7.9¢ on a week ago at $2.536 due to sharply rising crude oil costs but is still down $1.16 on a year ago. Diesel is up 1.7¢ to $2.804, an ever reducing 10.6% premium to regular.
UK prices as up over the last 4 weeks in dollar terms at $6.551 (+22.7¢) for regular and $6.833 (+17.7¢) for diesel. Increase is mainly down to exchange rate.
___________________________________________________
No commute for me this morning - car pooling :D
UK prices as up over the last 4 weeks in dollar terms at $6.551 (+22.7¢) for regular and $6.833 (+17.7¢) for diesel. Increase is mainly down to exchange rate.
___________________________________________________
No commute for me this morning - car pooling :D
Week of April 27 to May 3, 2015 (Nat'l Avg price $2.536)
[FM15] De Heikanters
Uitleg
Ik ben momenteel druk bezig met m'n werk en dagelijkse leven en dus niet echt een ideaal moment een novelle te beginnen. Maar juist omdat ik zo druk ben zoek ik naar dingen die mij ontspannen en dit is er dus 1 van. Verwacht dus geen dagelijkse updates, sterker nog mischien dat het voor gaat komen dat ik langer dan een week niet post. Zoals zovelen moet ik ook maar net de zin hebben om FM op te starten. Dus geen beloftes maar wel plezier en daar draait het om hier :) Enjoy!
[FM15] De Heikanters
Ronde van Romandië
Ronde van Romandië
Na al het klassiekergeweld stevenen de renners af op de Giro d’Italia. Op de weg daar naartoe nemen sommige coureurs nog de afslag van Romandië, waar een zesdaagse rittenkoers verreden wordt komende week. Echter is dit vooral een ronde waarin de Tour-favorieten rijden, en waar Giro-kanshebbers schitteren door afwezigheid. WielerFlits neemt het parcours en de favorieten onder de loep.
Historie
In 1947 werd de allereerste editie van de Zwitserse meerdaagse ronde georganiseerd. Niet Gino Bartali (tweede) of thuisrijder Ferdi Kübler (derde) was de allereerste winnaar, maar de Belg Désiré Keteleer mocht zijn naam als eerste in de boeken schrijven. Tourwinnaars Bartali en Kübler wisten de daaropvolgende edities van Romandië nog wel op hun naam te schrijven. Andere Belgen die de eindzege grepen, zijn Willy Bocklant (1963), Eddy Merckx (1968), Wilfried David (1973), Johan De Muynck (1976) en Claude Criquielion (1986).
Nederlanders waren ook vaak succesvol in de Zwitserse koers. Wout Wagtmans won de zesde editie in 1952, waarna Joop Zoetemelk in 1974 hem opvolgde als Nederlandse eindwinnaar. In 1978 was het helemaal Oranje Boven, toen Johan van der Velde zijn landgenoot Hennie Kuiper naar de tweede plek verwees. In dienst van een Zwitserse ploeg wist Gérard Veldscholten in 1988 zijn grootste overwinning uit zijn carrière te boeken. De laatste Nederlandse winnaar in Romandië is een 23-jarige Thomas Dekker in 2007; hij sloeg zijn slag in de afsluitende tijdrit rond Lausanne.
Lange tijd was die chrono beslissend voor de eindzege, ondanks de prachtige Zwitserse cols die aangedaan moeten worden. De laatste vier edities werden gewonnen door de Tour de France-winnaars van datzelfde jaar. Met uitzondering van Chris Froome, die vorig jaar wel in Romandië won, maar in de Tour af moest stappen. De Tour de Romandie (2.WT) blijkt dus een prima opmaat voor de Tour de France, maar wie weet ook voor renners die pieken naar de Giro.
Eindwinnaars laatste vijf edities
2010: Simon Spilak (na diskwalificatie Alejandro Valverde)
2011: Cadel Evans
2012: Bradley Wiggins
2013: Chris Froome
2014: Chris Froome
Parcours
Het was eerder regel dan uitzondering dat de Ronde van Romandië begon met een proloog, maar dit jaar is de organisatie van dat plan afgestapt. Geopend wordt met een ploegentijdrit, gevolgd door een viertal bergachtige ritten, waarvan de laatste een aankomst bergop kent. Er wordt afgesloten met een individuele rit tegen de klok rond Lausanne. In totaal zullen de renners 711 kilometer en 700 meter afleggen.
Dinsdag 28 april – Etappe 1: Vallée de Joux – Juraparc (19,2 km)
Zoals eerder al gemeld zal voor het eerst worden afgetrapt met een ploegentijdrit. Aan de zuidwestkant van het Lac de Joux zal het startpodium staan, waarna aan de oostzijde van het meer vaart gezet wordt richting Juraparc. De laatste twee kilometers lopen omhoog op de Col du Mont d’Orzeires, een klim van 2,2 kilometer aan gemiddeld 2,5% stijging. De maxima lopen op tot 5%. Hierdoor zullen er geheid verschillen ontstaan. Welke ploeg kan hier al een mentale tik uitdelen aan de tegenstanders?
Start eerste ploeg: 15.45 uur
Aankomst laatste ploeg: 17.30 uur
Woensdag 29 april – Etappe 2: Apples – Saint-Imier (168,1 km)
In het westelijke plaatsje Apples wordt de eerste rit in lijn begonnen. Onderweg staan vier beklimmingen op het menu. Eén berg van derde categorie en drie van tweede categorie. De eerste is de Col de Etroits, gevolgd door de Le Haut de la Côte van derde categorie. Vanaf de flanken kan uitgekeken worden op het Meer van Neuchâtel. De derde klim is de Col Les Pontins na 122 kilometer en deze vormt het voorgerecht, omdat de beslissing hoogstwaarschijnlijk zal vallen op de slotklim van dag: de Col de la Vue des Alpes. De top van deze acht kilometer lange klim ligt op zeventien kilometer van de eindstreep in Saint-Imier. Gaan de favorieten hier al de degens kruisen, of kan een vluchter victorie kraaien?
Beklimmingen:
Na 56,9 km – Col de Etroits, 2e categorie (11,5 km aan 4,8% stijging, max. 9%)
Na 84,1 km – Le Haut de la Côte, 3e categorie (3,8 km aan 8,1% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 122,9 km – Col Les Pontins, 2e categorie (4,0 km aan 8,6% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 150,9 km – Col de la Vue des Alpes, 2e categorie (8,0 km aan 6,7% stijging, max. 9%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.07 – 17.27 uur
Donderdag 30 april – Etappe 3: Moutier – Porrentruy (172,5 km)
In het industriestadje Moutier vertrekken de renners voor etappe drie. Om stipt 13.00 uur zal gestart worden, aangezien in deze streek onderdelen gemaakt worden voor de fameuze Zwitserse horloges. Aan Zwitserse precisie geen gebrek. Ook op deze dag zijn er vier gecategoriseerde klimmen opgenomen in het parcours. Ook zitten er twee serieuze cols in, die geen categorie-sticker opgeplakt hebben gekregen.
Pas na 80 kilometer doemt de eerste klim van de dag op: de Côte de Bure. Na de afdaling hiervan staan twee korte, venijnige klimmetjes te wachten: de Col de la Croix en de de Col des Rangiers. Hierna wordt weer een lus gemaakt en zal de Côte de Bure opnieuw beklommen worden. De afzink zal voor een snelle finale zorgen, waar beslist gaat worden wie als eerste over de finish in Porrentruy raast. Loont de aanval hier, of gaat een uitgedund peloton sprinten voor de zege?
Beklimmingen:
Na 80,8 km – Côte de Bure, 3e categorie (1,8 km aan 7,4% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 115 km – Col de la Croix, 2e categorie (4,8 km aan 6,3% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 125,1 km – Col des Rangies, 2e categorie (5,0 km aan 7,2% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 147,4 km – Côte de Bure, 3e categorie (1,8 km aan 7,4% stijging, max. 10%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.09 – 17.28 uur
Vrijdag 1 mei – Etappe 4: La Neuville – Fribourg (169,8 km)
Aan de oever van de Billersee zullen de renners worden afgevlagd voor de start van rit vier, een van de minst zware etappes van deze ronde. Toch zitten er drie klimmen in de bijna 170 af te leggen kilometers. De eerste is Les Paccots van de tweede categorie, die halfweg de rit gelokaliseerd is. De slotfase wordt gekenmerkt door twee beklimmingen: Sorens en Treyvaux, al moeten die niet voor problemen zorgen bij de grote kleppers in het deelnemersveld. De laatste tien kilometers gaan vooral in dalende lijn, waardoor een sprint met een grote groep onafwendbaar lijkt in Fribourg, de stad waar Feyenoord-verdediger Terence Kongolo het levenslicht zag. Vorig jaar ging Michael Albasini met de zegebloemen weg uit Fribourg.
Beklimmingen:
Na 97 km – Les Paccots, 2e categorie (3,9 km aan 6,8% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 136,6 km – Sorens, 2e categorie (4,4 km aan 5,1% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 157,8 km – Treyvaux, 3e categorie (3,8 km aan 3,7% stijging, max 8%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.08 – 17.27 uur
Zaterdag 2 mei – Etappe 5: Fribourg – Champex-Lac (162,7 km)
Direct vanuit de start in de finishplaats van de dag ervoor, Fribourg, gaat het bergop. In het begin vallen de stijgingspercentages nog mee, maar het is de inleiding van de Col des Mosses. Deze berg zal de eerste van vier cols zijn van eerste categorie op deze zaterdag. Een bijna twintig kilometer lange afdaling en een vlak stuk leiden de renners naar Les Giettes.
Na deze beklimming is er weer een lang tussenstuk, alvorens La Petite Forclaz staat te wachten. Dit is het voorproefje voor het slotstuk dat Champex-Lac heet. Bovenop deze steile klim van veertien kilometer ligt de eindstreep getrokken. Hier zal het klassement op zijn kop gezet worden. Welke klimgeit kan zijn vorm het beste etaleren op de flanken van Champex-Lac en wellicht een voorbode nemen op de eindzege in deze ronde?
Beklimmingen:
Na 63,8 km – Col des Mosses, 1e categorie (13,7 km aan 4% stijging, max. 9%)
Na 105,8 km – Les Giettes, 1e categorie (9,4 km aan 7,6% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 142,1 km – La Petite Forclaz, 1e categorie (5,1 km aan 9,8% stijging, max. 13%)
Na 162,7 km – Champez-Lac, 1e categorie (14,2 km aan 7% stijging, max. 13%)
Start: 12.40 uur
Aankomst: 17.05 – 17.28 uur
Zondag 3 mei – Etappe 6: Lausanne – Lausanne (17,3 km)
De afgelopen jaren is de laatste rit een individuele strijd tegen het (Zwitserse) uurwerk. Thomas Dekker was de laatste renner die de chrono won in en om Lausanne. De afgelopen edities werden ook Neuchâtel, Genève en Crans-Montana verkozen tot start- en aankomstplaats van de slottijdrit. Onderweg moet wel een stuk geklommen worden, de top aan de Rue de la Mercerie ligt op 514 meter hoogte, terwijl start/finish op 375 meter hoogte ligt.
Nadat het hoogste punt is bereikt, gaat het in dalende lijn naar de oever van het Meer van Genève, het grootste meer van Frankrijk en Zwitserland. Lausanne, de geboorteplaats van de Zwitserse toptennisser Stanislas Wawrinka, is het eindpunt van deze meerdaagse rittenkoers. Na de tijdrit weten we wie Chris Froome op zal volgen en met wie rekening gehouden moet worden in de Giro d’Italia en in de Tour de France.
Start eerste renner: 11.59 uur (uitgegaan van geen uitvallers)
Aankomst laatste renner: 15.15 uur
Favorieten
Eén van de twee oud-winnaars die dit jaar aan de start verschijnt, is Chris Froome. De in Kenia geboren Brit wist de vorige twee edities te winnen. Hij gaat proberen zijn titel te verdedigen en zo een heuse hattrick te scoren als het om eindzeges gaat. Stephen Roche is de enige die dat eerder gelukt is. Hij schreef de Ronde van Romandië op zijn naam in 1983, 1984 en 1987. Roche’ zoon Nicolas is, alsof het zo zou moeten zijn, nu een van de meesterknechten van Froome.
In februari wist Froome nog Alberto Contador af te troeven in de Ruta del Sol, maar de afgelopen weken loopt het nog niet zoals gewenst. In de Ronde van Catalonië speelde hij geen rol van betekenis en in de Waalse Pijl kwam hij ten val. Ondanks de tuimelpartij lijkt het geen probleem te zijn om als kopman te starten in Vallée de Joux. De kopman krijgt naast Roche ook Peter Kennaugh en Geraint Thomas mee als helpers in de bergen.
De tweede oud-winnaar aan de start is Simon Spilak. De Sloveen is de kopman bij Katusha en werd vorig jaar nog tweede. De Russische ploeg heeft daarnaast ook Yuri Trofimov en Ilnur Zakarin in huis voor de bergritten. Sergei Chernetckii kan voor ritzeges gaan, zoals hij Catalonië al liet zien. De laatste podiumman van 2014 was Rui Costa. De wereldkampioen van destijds reed al naar de top 10 in Parijs-Nice en het Baskenland, en werd vierde in de Amstel Gold Race. Met de vorm zit het wel goed bij de Portugees, die sterke ploegmaats meekrijgt. Rafael Valls lijkt zijn doorbraak te maken dit seizoen, met winst in Oman en top 10-noteringen in Parijs-Nice en Catalonië. Ook Przemyslaw Niemiec kan uit de voeten op hoogte.
Vincenzo Nibali komt ook opdagen in Zwitserland in voorbereiding op de verdediging van zijn Tourtitel. De Italiaanse kampioen krijgt een sterke selectie mee, met Jakob Fuglsang, Michele Scarponi en Rein Taaramäe als meesterhelpers. Lieuwe Westra zal ook in dienst rijden, maar kan met zijn aanvalslust wellicht hopen op een ritzege. Etixx-Quick-Step komt op haar beurt met Rigoberto Uran. De Colombiaanse ronderenner mikt naast de Giro ook op de Tour en liet zich al zien in Tirreno-Adriatico (derde) en de Ronde van Catalonië (vijfde). De altijd sterke Tony Martin is er ook bij, hij kan een belangrijke schakel zijn in de ploegentijdrit en een gooi doen naar de ritzege in de slotchrono.
Wielerliefhebbers zullen uitkijken naar de eerste clash tussen Froome en Nairo Quintana. De Girowinnaar van 2014 zal in de Tour een gooi doen naar de macht, en zal hier al een flinke dreun uit kunnen delen aan zijn concurrenten. Movistar stuurt een sterk zevental met de Colombiaanse kopman mee. Een andere renner die zijn pijlen richt op La Grande Boucle is Thibaut Pinot. De Franse hoop liet zich al van voren zien in het Baskenland, het Critérium International en Tirreno-Adriatico en wil zijn vorm doortrekken in Romandië.
Andere Franse kanshebbers moeten gezocht worden in het kamp van AG2R La Mondiale. Zij nemen hun twee Tourtoppers van vorig jaar, Jean-Christophe Péraud en Romain Bardet, mee naar de Zwitserse rittenkoers. Zij krijgen daar gezelschap van de in goede vorm stekende Alexis Vuillermoz. Carlos Betancur en Jan Bakelants kunnen de Franse ploeg aan mogelijk dagsucces helpen. De Zwitsers zullen uitkijken naar de verrichtingen van hún ploeg, IAM Cycling. Mathias Frank is de grote man. Stef Clement is de Nederlander van dienst, hij zal hier zijn vorm opbouwen richting de Giro.
BMC heeft Darwin Atapuma aangewezen als kopman, maar ook Alessandro De Marchi en werelduurrecordhouder Rohan Dennis kunnen de Amerikaanse ploeg met de Zwitserse sponsor laten juichen. Orica-GreenEDGE mikt op het talent van Simon Yates in het klassement, maar Michael Albasini zal zich koste wat kost willen tonen in eigen land. Vorig jaar wist hij nog drie etappes te winnen. Ook Simon Gerrans zal zijn opwachting maken.
Dan hebben we het nog niet over de Nederlandse ploeg gehad. LottoNL-Jumbo heeft nog steeds geen wedstrijd gewonnen, maar hoopt zich hier van dat probleem te verhelpen. Robert Gesink heeft zich bij zijn rentree direct laten zien in de Waalse Pijl met een 25e plaats. Kan hij de gele formatie aan die broodnodige overwinning helpen? Een andere renner, bij wie zijn seizoen ook nog niet gaat zoals gehoopt, is Tom Van Asbroeck. De rappe Belg kan in een uitgedunde groep voor een verrassing zorgen met zijn snelle benen.
Lotto Soudal heeft vertrouwen in de klimmersbenen van Jurgen Van den Broeck, die voor de derde keer in zijn carrière de Giro gaat betwisten en hier zijn vorm zal opbouwen naar Italië. Cannondale-Garmin heeft Daniel Martin een troef voor de Zwitserse cols, maar kan ook hopen op prestaties van Ramunas Navardauskas of Nathan Haas. Tinkoff-Saxo hoopt op haar beurt dat Rafal Majka zich goed profileert, hij krijgt steun van onder meer Robert Kiserlovski en Chris Anker Sørensen.
Voor de rappe mannen is de Ronde van Romandië geen goede uitvalsbasis. Toch zullen enkele spurters de reis naar het Frans sprekende deel van Zwitserland maken. Luka Mezgec (Giant-Alpecin) zou Tom Veelers als lead-out meekrijgen, maar de Nederlander moet zijn rentree uitstellen. Bryan Coquard is de snelle man bij Europcar, Etixx-Quick-Step neemt Gianni Meersman en Julian Alaphilippe mee, Tosh Van der Sande vormt met Greg Henderson het sprintersduo van Lotto Soudal en Sky heeft met Elia Viviani een spurtbom in huis. Daarnaast beschikt Trek Factory Racing nog over de rappe Giacomo Nizzolo.
Favorieten volgens WielerFlits
**** Nairo Quintana
*** Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome
** Rigoberto Uran, Simon Yates, Simon Spilak
* Thibaut Pinot, Mathias Frank, Rui Costa, Jakob Fuglsang
bron: http://ift.tt/1bKeRsR
Na al het klassiekergeweld stevenen de renners af op de Giro d’Italia. Op de weg daar naartoe nemen sommige coureurs nog de afslag van Romandië, waar een zesdaagse rittenkoers verreden wordt komende week. Echter is dit vooral een ronde waarin de Tour-favorieten rijden, en waar Giro-kanshebbers schitteren door afwezigheid. WielerFlits neemt het parcours en de favorieten onder de loep.
Historie
In 1947 werd de allereerste editie van de Zwitserse meerdaagse ronde georganiseerd. Niet Gino Bartali (tweede) of thuisrijder Ferdi Kübler (derde) was de allereerste winnaar, maar de Belg Désiré Keteleer mocht zijn naam als eerste in de boeken schrijven. Tourwinnaars Bartali en Kübler wisten de daaropvolgende edities van Romandië nog wel op hun naam te schrijven. Andere Belgen die de eindzege grepen, zijn Willy Bocklant (1963), Eddy Merckx (1968), Wilfried David (1973), Johan De Muynck (1976) en Claude Criquielion (1986).
Nederlanders waren ook vaak succesvol in de Zwitserse koers. Wout Wagtmans won de zesde editie in 1952, waarna Joop Zoetemelk in 1974 hem opvolgde als Nederlandse eindwinnaar. In 1978 was het helemaal Oranje Boven, toen Johan van der Velde zijn landgenoot Hennie Kuiper naar de tweede plek verwees. In dienst van een Zwitserse ploeg wist Gérard Veldscholten in 1988 zijn grootste overwinning uit zijn carrière te boeken. De laatste Nederlandse winnaar in Romandië is een 23-jarige Thomas Dekker in 2007; hij sloeg zijn slag in de afsluitende tijdrit rond Lausanne.
Lange tijd was die chrono beslissend voor de eindzege, ondanks de prachtige Zwitserse cols die aangedaan moeten worden. De laatste vier edities werden gewonnen door de Tour de France-winnaars van datzelfde jaar. Met uitzondering van Chris Froome, die vorig jaar wel in Romandië won, maar in de Tour af moest stappen. De Tour de Romandie (2.WT) blijkt dus een prima opmaat voor de Tour de France, maar wie weet ook voor renners die pieken naar de Giro.
Eindwinnaars laatste vijf edities
2010: Simon Spilak (na diskwalificatie Alejandro Valverde)
2011: Cadel Evans
2012: Bradley Wiggins
2013: Chris Froome
2014: Chris Froome
Parcours
Het was eerder regel dan uitzondering dat de Ronde van Romandië begon met een proloog, maar dit jaar is de organisatie van dat plan afgestapt. Geopend wordt met een ploegentijdrit, gevolgd door een viertal bergachtige ritten, waarvan de laatste een aankomst bergop kent. Er wordt afgesloten met een individuele rit tegen de klok rond Lausanne. In totaal zullen de renners 711 kilometer en 700 meter afleggen.
Dinsdag 28 april – Etappe 1: Vallée de Joux – Juraparc (19,2 km)
Zoals eerder al gemeld zal voor het eerst worden afgetrapt met een ploegentijdrit. Aan de zuidwestkant van het Lac de Joux zal het startpodium staan, waarna aan de oostzijde van het meer vaart gezet wordt richting Juraparc. De laatste twee kilometers lopen omhoog op de Col du Mont d’Orzeires, een klim van 2,2 kilometer aan gemiddeld 2,5% stijging. De maxima lopen op tot 5%. Hierdoor zullen er geheid verschillen ontstaan. Welke ploeg kan hier al een mentale tik uitdelen aan de tegenstanders?
Start eerste ploeg: 15.45 uur
Aankomst laatste ploeg: 17.30 uur
Woensdag 29 april – Etappe 2: Apples – Saint-Imier (168,1 km)
In het westelijke plaatsje Apples wordt de eerste rit in lijn begonnen. Onderweg staan vier beklimmingen op het menu. Eén berg van derde categorie en drie van tweede categorie. De eerste is de Col de Etroits, gevolgd door de Le Haut de la Côte van derde categorie. Vanaf de flanken kan uitgekeken worden op het Meer van Neuchâtel. De derde klim is de Col Les Pontins na 122 kilometer en deze vormt het voorgerecht, omdat de beslissing hoogstwaarschijnlijk zal vallen op de slotklim van dag: de Col de la Vue des Alpes. De top van deze acht kilometer lange klim ligt op zeventien kilometer van de eindstreep in Saint-Imier. Gaan de favorieten hier al de degens kruisen, of kan een vluchter victorie kraaien?
Beklimmingen:
Na 56,9 km – Col de Etroits, 2e categorie (11,5 km aan 4,8% stijging, max. 9%)
Na 84,1 km – Le Haut de la Côte, 3e categorie (3,8 km aan 8,1% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 122,9 km – Col Les Pontins, 2e categorie (4,0 km aan 8,6% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 150,9 km – Col de la Vue des Alpes, 2e categorie (8,0 km aan 6,7% stijging, max. 9%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.07 – 17.27 uur
Donderdag 30 april – Etappe 3: Moutier – Porrentruy (172,5 km)
In het industriestadje Moutier vertrekken de renners voor etappe drie. Om stipt 13.00 uur zal gestart worden, aangezien in deze streek onderdelen gemaakt worden voor de fameuze Zwitserse horloges. Aan Zwitserse precisie geen gebrek. Ook op deze dag zijn er vier gecategoriseerde klimmen opgenomen in het parcours. Ook zitten er twee serieuze cols in, die geen categorie-sticker opgeplakt hebben gekregen.
Pas na 80 kilometer doemt de eerste klim van de dag op: de Côte de Bure. Na de afdaling hiervan staan twee korte, venijnige klimmetjes te wachten: de Col de la Croix en de de Col des Rangiers. Hierna wordt weer een lus gemaakt en zal de Côte de Bure opnieuw beklommen worden. De afzink zal voor een snelle finale zorgen, waar beslist gaat worden wie als eerste over de finish in Porrentruy raast. Loont de aanval hier, of gaat een uitgedund peloton sprinten voor de zege?
Beklimmingen:
Na 80,8 km – Côte de Bure, 3e categorie (1,8 km aan 7,4% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 115 km – Col de la Croix, 2e categorie (4,8 km aan 6,3% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 125,1 km – Col des Rangies, 2e categorie (5,0 km aan 7,2% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 147,4 km – Côte de Bure, 3e categorie (1,8 km aan 7,4% stijging, max. 10%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.09 – 17.28 uur
Vrijdag 1 mei – Etappe 4: La Neuville – Fribourg (169,8 km)
Aan de oever van de Billersee zullen de renners worden afgevlagd voor de start van rit vier, een van de minst zware etappes van deze ronde. Toch zitten er drie klimmen in de bijna 170 af te leggen kilometers. De eerste is Les Paccots van de tweede categorie, die halfweg de rit gelokaliseerd is. De slotfase wordt gekenmerkt door twee beklimmingen: Sorens en Treyvaux, al moeten die niet voor problemen zorgen bij de grote kleppers in het deelnemersveld. De laatste tien kilometers gaan vooral in dalende lijn, waardoor een sprint met een grote groep onafwendbaar lijkt in Fribourg, de stad waar Feyenoord-verdediger Terence Kongolo het levenslicht zag. Vorig jaar ging Michael Albasini met de zegebloemen weg uit Fribourg.
Beklimmingen:
Na 97 km – Les Paccots, 2e categorie (3,9 km aan 6,8% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 136,6 km – Sorens, 2e categorie (4,4 km aan 5,1% stijging, max. 10%)
Na 157,8 km – Treyvaux, 3e categorie (3,8 km aan 3,7% stijging, max 8%)
Start: 13.00 uur
Aankomst: 17.08 – 17.27 uur
Zaterdag 2 mei – Etappe 5: Fribourg – Champex-Lac (162,7 km)
Direct vanuit de start in de finishplaats van de dag ervoor, Fribourg, gaat het bergop. In het begin vallen de stijgingspercentages nog mee, maar het is de inleiding van de Col des Mosses. Deze berg zal de eerste van vier cols zijn van eerste categorie op deze zaterdag. Een bijna twintig kilometer lange afdaling en een vlak stuk leiden de renners naar Les Giettes.
Na deze beklimming is er weer een lang tussenstuk, alvorens La Petite Forclaz staat te wachten. Dit is het voorproefje voor het slotstuk dat Champex-Lac heet. Bovenop deze steile klim van veertien kilometer ligt de eindstreep getrokken. Hier zal het klassement op zijn kop gezet worden. Welke klimgeit kan zijn vorm het beste etaleren op de flanken van Champex-Lac en wellicht een voorbode nemen op de eindzege in deze ronde?
Beklimmingen:
Na 63,8 km – Col des Mosses, 1e categorie (13,7 km aan 4% stijging, max. 9%)
Na 105,8 km – Les Giettes, 1e categorie (9,4 km aan 7,6% stijging, max. 11%)
Na 142,1 km – La Petite Forclaz, 1e categorie (5,1 km aan 9,8% stijging, max. 13%)
Na 162,7 km – Champez-Lac, 1e categorie (14,2 km aan 7% stijging, max. 13%)
Start: 12.40 uur
Aankomst: 17.05 – 17.28 uur
Zondag 3 mei – Etappe 6: Lausanne – Lausanne (17,3 km)
De afgelopen jaren is de laatste rit een individuele strijd tegen het (Zwitserse) uurwerk. Thomas Dekker was de laatste renner die de chrono won in en om Lausanne. De afgelopen edities werden ook Neuchâtel, Genève en Crans-Montana verkozen tot start- en aankomstplaats van de slottijdrit. Onderweg moet wel een stuk geklommen worden, de top aan de Rue de la Mercerie ligt op 514 meter hoogte, terwijl start/finish op 375 meter hoogte ligt.
Nadat het hoogste punt is bereikt, gaat het in dalende lijn naar de oever van het Meer van Genève, het grootste meer van Frankrijk en Zwitserland. Lausanne, de geboorteplaats van de Zwitserse toptennisser Stanislas Wawrinka, is het eindpunt van deze meerdaagse rittenkoers. Na de tijdrit weten we wie Chris Froome op zal volgen en met wie rekening gehouden moet worden in de Giro d’Italia en in de Tour de France.
Start eerste renner: 11.59 uur (uitgegaan van geen uitvallers)
Aankomst laatste renner: 15.15 uur
Favorieten
Eén van de twee oud-winnaars die dit jaar aan de start verschijnt, is Chris Froome. De in Kenia geboren Brit wist de vorige twee edities te winnen. Hij gaat proberen zijn titel te verdedigen en zo een heuse hattrick te scoren als het om eindzeges gaat. Stephen Roche is de enige die dat eerder gelukt is. Hij schreef de Ronde van Romandië op zijn naam in 1983, 1984 en 1987. Roche’ zoon Nicolas is, alsof het zo zou moeten zijn, nu een van de meesterknechten van Froome.
In februari wist Froome nog Alberto Contador af te troeven in de Ruta del Sol, maar de afgelopen weken loopt het nog niet zoals gewenst. In de Ronde van Catalonië speelde hij geen rol van betekenis en in de Waalse Pijl kwam hij ten val. Ondanks de tuimelpartij lijkt het geen probleem te zijn om als kopman te starten in Vallée de Joux. De kopman krijgt naast Roche ook Peter Kennaugh en Geraint Thomas mee als helpers in de bergen.
De tweede oud-winnaar aan de start is Simon Spilak. De Sloveen is de kopman bij Katusha en werd vorig jaar nog tweede. De Russische ploeg heeft daarnaast ook Yuri Trofimov en Ilnur Zakarin in huis voor de bergritten. Sergei Chernetckii kan voor ritzeges gaan, zoals hij Catalonië al liet zien. De laatste podiumman van 2014 was Rui Costa. De wereldkampioen van destijds reed al naar de top 10 in Parijs-Nice en het Baskenland, en werd vierde in de Amstel Gold Race. Met de vorm zit het wel goed bij de Portugees, die sterke ploegmaats meekrijgt. Rafael Valls lijkt zijn doorbraak te maken dit seizoen, met winst in Oman en top 10-noteringen in Parijs-Nice en Catalonië. Ook Przemyslaw Niemiec kan uit de voeten op hoogte.
Vincenzo Nibali komt ook opdagen in Zwitserland in voorbereiding op de verdediging van zijn Tourtitel. De Italiaanse kampioen krijgt een sterke selectie mee, met Jakob Fuglsang, Michele Scarponi en Rein Taaramäe als meesterhelpers. Lieuwe Westra zal ook in dienst rijden, maar kan met zijn aanvalslust wellicht hopen op een ritzege. Etixx-Quick-Step komt op haar beurt met Rigoberto Uran. De Colombiaanse ronderenner mikt naast de Giro ook op de Tour en liet zich al zien in Tirreno-Adriatico (derde) en de Ronde van Catalonië (vijfde). De altijd sterke Tony Martin is er ook bij, hij kan een belangrijke schakel zijn in de ploegentijdrit en een gooi doen naar de ritzege in de slotchrono.
Wielerliefhebbers zullen uitkijken naar de eerste clash tussen Froome en Nairo Quintana. De Girowinnaar van 2014 zal in de Tour een gooi doen naar de macht, en zal hier al een flinke dreun uit kunnen delen aan zijn concurrenten. Movistar stuurt een sterk zevental met de Colombiaanse kopman mee. Een andere renner die zijn pijlen richt op La Grande Boucle is Thibaut Pinot. De Franse hoop liet zich al van voren zien in het Baskenland, het Critérium International en Tirreno-Adriatico en wil zijn vorm doortrekken in Romandië.
Andere Franse kanshebbers moeten gezocht worden in het kamp van AG2R La Mondiale. Zij nemen hun twee Tourtoppers van vorig jaar, Jean-Christophe Péraud en Romain Bardet, mee naar de Zwitserse rittenkoers. Zij krijgen daar gezelschap van de in goede vorm stekende Alexis Vuillermoz. Carlos Betancur en Jan Bakelants kunnen de Franse ploeg aan mogelijk dagsucces helpen. De Zwitsers zullen uitkijken naar de verrichtingen van hún ploeg, IAM Cycling. Mathias Frank is de grote man. Stef Clement is de Nederlander van dienst, hij zal hier zijn vorm opbouwen richting de Giro.
BMC heeft Darwin Atapuma aangewezen als kopman, maar ook Alessandro De Marchi en werelduurrecordhouder Rohan Dennis kunnen de Amerikaanse ploeg met de Zwitserse sponsor laten juichen. Orica-GreenEDGE mikt op het talent van Simon Yates in het klassement, maar Michael Albasini zal zich koste wat kost willen tonen in eigen land. Vorig jaar wist hij nog drie etappes te winnen. Ook Simon Gerrans zal zijn opwachting maken.
Dan hebben we het nog niet over de Nederlandse ploeg gehad. LottoNL-Jumbo heeft nog steeds geen wedstrijd gewonnen, maar hoopt zich hier van dat probleem te verhelpen. Robert Gesink heeft zich bij zijn rentree direct laten zien in de Waalse Pijl met een 25e plaats. Kan hij de gele formatie aan die broodnodige overwinning helpen? Een andere renner, bij wie zijn seizoen ook nog niet gaat zoals gehoopt, is Tom Van Asbroeck. De rappe Belg kan in een uitgedunde groep voor een verrassing zorgen met zijn snelle benen.
Lotto Soudal heeft vertrouwen in de klimmersbenen van Jurgen Van den Broeck, die voor de derde keer in zijn carrière de Giro gaat betwisten en hier zijn vorm zal opbouwen naar Italië. Cannondale-Garmin heeft Daniel Martin een troef voor de Zwitserse cols, maar kan ook hopen op prestaties van Ramunas Navardauskas of Nathan Haas. Tinkoff-Saxo hoopt op haar beurt dat Rafal Majka zich goed profileert, hij krijgt steun van onder meer Robert Kiserlovski en Chris Anker Sørensen.
Voor de rappe mannen is de Ronde van Romandië geen goede uitvalsbasis. Toch zullen enkele spurters de reis naar het Frans sprekende deel van Zwitserland maken. Luka Mezgec (Giant-Alpecin) zou Tom Veelers als lead-out meekrijgen, maar de Nederlander moet zijn rentree uitstellen. Bryan Coquard is de snelle man bij Europcar, Etixx-Quick-Step neemt Gianni Meersman en Julian Alaphilippe mee, Tosh Van der Sande vormt met Greg Henderson het sprintersduo van Lotto Soudal en Sky heeft met Elia Viviani een spurtbom in huis. Daarnaast beschikt Trek Factory Racing nog over de rappe Giacomo Nizzolo.
Favorieten volgens WielerFlits
**** Nairo Quintana
*** Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome
** Rigoberto Uran, Simon Yates, Simon Spilak
* Thibaut Pinot, Mathias Frank, Rui Costa, Jakob Fuglsang
bron: http://ift.tt/1bKeRsR
Ronde van Romandië
[Ennead Games] - Quick Generator - Disease Names
Quick Generator Disease Names
Sometimes you don’t need an insane amount of tables and charts. You may just need something quick and simple to help flesh out basic details without going overboard on the details. This is where the Quick Generator is helpful, providing you with a simple one-sentence description of a particular subject.
This particular Quick Generator covers disease names and is suitable for a fantasy or medieval type of game or story, although this could also be used in sci-fi or modern settings to create the use/popular name of a disease.
Sample names you can generate:
Price : $1.25
Available at Drivethru, Paizo and d20pfsrd.com online stores
Sometimes you don’t need an insane amount of tables and charts. You may just need something quick and simple to help flesh out basic details without going overboard on the details. This is where the Quick Generator is helpful, providing you with a simple one-sentence description of a particular subject.
This particular Quick Generator covers disease names and is suitable for a fantasy or medieval type of game or story, although this could also be used in sci-fi or modern settings to create the use/popular name of a disease.
Sample names you can generate:
- Ancestral Smell
- Umbral Suffering
- Dark Eye
Price : $1.25
Available at Drivethru, Paizo and d20pfsrd.com online stores
[Ennead Games] - Quick Generator - Disease Names
Project C.A.R.S.
Project C.A.R.S.
Citaat:
Project CARS (or Community Assisted Racing Simulator) is an upcoming motorsport simulation video game developed by the British video game developer Slightly Mad Studios. It is scheduled to be released in May 2015 in the US and in Europe[4] for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, while the Wii U and SteamOS/Linux versions have been delayed to later in 2015.[5][6][7] Project CARS was originally also due for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but it was later announced that these versions had been cancelled.[8] On February 18, 2015 it was announced that Project CARS would be delayed until April 2, 2015 for Europe,[9] and eventually confirmed to be released on May 7, 2015 in Europe and Australia; May 8, 2015 in the UK; and May 12, 2015 in North America.[10]
Funding for the game was raised by the community and the developers themselves, without the financial aid of a traditional publisher. Through the purchase of Tool Packs players could contribute to development in roles including content creation, QA, and marketing media.[11] Members gain special perks, depending on their purchased tool pack. Members will receive a share of game sales profits generated within the first 3 years after launch as compensation for their efforts, to be paid quarterly.[12] Bron: Wikipedia EN
Beschikbaar op: Playstation 4, XBOX One, Windows PC (Later ook MAC & Wii U)
Releasedatum: 7 mei 2015
Cars
Fictional cars
- 250cc Superkart
- Formula A (Vergelijkbaar met F1)
- Formula B (Vergelijkbaar met GP2)
- Formula C (Vergelijkbaar met F3)
- Formula Rookie (Vergelijkbaar met Formula Ford)
- RWD P20 LMP1
- RWD P30 LMP2
Real-world cars
- Alpine A450
- Ariel Atom 300 Supercharged
- Ariel Atom 500 V8
- Ariel Atom Mugen
- Aston Martin Rapide S Hydrogene
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4
- Audi R18 TDI
- Audi R8 LMS Ultra
- Audi R8 V10 plus
- BAC Mono
- BMW 1-Series M Coupe
- BMW 320 Turbo Group 5
- BMW M1 Procar
- BMW M3 E30 Group A
- BMW M3 GT
- BMW M3 GT4
- BMW Z4 GT3
- Caterham SP/300.R
- Caterham Seven Classic
- Caterham Superlight R500
- Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600
- Ford Focus RS
- Ford Mk IV
- Ford Mustang Boss 302R1
- Ford Mustang Cobra TransAm
- Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth Group A
- Ford Zakspeed Capri Group 5
- Formula Gulf 1000
- Gumpert Apollo S
- Ginetta G40 Junior
- Ginetta G55 GT3
- Ginetta G55 GT4
- Lotus 49 Cosworth
- Lotus 72D Cosworth
- Lotus 78 Cosworth
- Lotus 98T Renault Turbo
- Marek RP 339H LMP1
- Marek RP 339H LM2
- McLaren 12C
- McLaren 12C GT3
- McLaren F1
- McLaren P1
- Mercedes 190E DTM
- Mercedes 300SEL
- Mercedes A45 AMG
- Mercedes AMG C-Coupe DTM
- Mercedes SLS AMG
- Mercedes SLS AMG GT3
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ400
- Oreca 02 Nissan
- Pagani Huayra
- Pagani Zonda Cinique Roadster
- Pagani Zonda R
- Palmer Jaguar JP-LM
- Radical SR3-RS
- Radical SR8-RX
- Renault Clio RS Cup
- Renault Megane RS
- Ruf CTR3
- Ruf CTR3 SMS-R
- Ruf RGT-8
- Ruf RGT-8 GT3
- Sauber C9
Monthly free cars (DLC)
- Lykan Hypersport (Fast & Furious 7)
*Lijst onder voorbehoud.
Tracklist
Real-world tracks
- Nürburgring (eight layouts incl. Nordschleife)
- Le Mans (two layouts)
- Laguna Seca
- Donington Park (two layouts)
- Mount Panorama Bathurst
- Oulton Park (three layouts)
- Road America
- Imola
- Watkins Glen (two layouts)
- Brands Hatch (two layouts)
- Dubai Autodrome (five layouts including one karting track)
- Hockenheimring (three layouts)
- Monza (two layouts)
- Oschersleben (two layouts)
- Silverstone (four layouts)
- Zolder
- Cadwell Park (three layouts)
- Le Mans Circuit (two layouts)
- Road America
- Snetterton (three layouts)
- Sonoma Raceway (three layouts also known as Infineon Raceway)
- Spa Francochamps GP
- Brno GP
- Willow Springs (two layouts)
- Zuhai
Fictional tracks
- Azure Coast (point-to-point, five layouts)
- Azure Circuit (Monaco F1 circuit, vanwege de rechten heeft deze een fictieve naam.
- California Highway (point-to-point, five layouts)
- Glencairn karting circuit (six layouts)
- Sakitto (three layouts)
*Onder voorbehoud.
Project C.A.R.S. - Coverage
Career Mode Trailer
Lykan Hypersport Trailer
Become a Legend Trailer
The World is Yours Trailer
PS4 Preview
Grafische Opties PS4
2-lap Race op de Nordschleife PS4, met controller gespeeld
Online mulityplayer PC
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Het is nog 11 dagen tot de release en ik kan echt niet wachten om deze game te spelen. Hij staat hier al een tijdje in pre-order. Van @Steven013; en @Montass; weet ik dat zij hem ook al gepre-ordered hebben. Ben vooral benieuwd of er nog meer mensen zijn hier die overwegen om deze game te halen. Persoonlijk denk ik dat de beste racer ooit (tot nu toe) gaat zijn. Met name de diepgang die deze game biedt is heel erg interessant. Het plan is om ook toffe online races te gaan doen samen met Steven & Montass. Maar als er nog meer mensen zijn die deze game gaan spelen dan zijn die natuurlijk van harte welkom!
Ik zelf zal deze game met een stuur spelen. Heb ook speciaal voor deze game een nieuw stuur gekocht die door deze game en de PS4 ondersteund wordt, namelijk de Thrustmaster T300RS. Logitech is echter gestopt met wheel support en dus werken logitech peripherals niet meer op de One of PS4 Het kostte wat, maar het is wel weer een heel vooruitgang ten op zichtte van mijn oude Logitech Driving Force GT. . Echter, uit de verschillende previews maak ik op dat deze game ook met een controller prima te spelen is. Enige oefening is uiteraard wel vereist. Project C.A.R.S is een hele uitgebreide game die je naar je eigen voorkeuren kunt aanpassen. Dit geldt dus ook voor de complete button configuration. Wil je gas geven met R2 en remmen met L2, of juist met de rechter analoge stick, alles is mogelijk.
Kortom, ik kan niet wachten tot volgende week donderdag :love:
Project C.A.R.S.
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