So almost all of the paperwork is complete and a couple of letters as been written, thanks for that guys, you know who you are.
And now I almost got all the SQL things worked out, hate using Ingres its so old and obsolete its not even funny! The only thing that’s doesn’t work at the moment is a integrity based on columns with the value of NULL, cant for the life of me get it to work. After that I need to get stared with the JAVA code for making changes and some other DB related commands. I think Ill just finish up the entity relationship diagrams instead, and maybe I come up with a way to solve the SQL problem.
I have all the PhP code and applications already done, and they should be working. So now just to get a teacher to look at them and grade it.
So there is some Call of Cthulhu planned for this weekend and hopefully we have enough people to run Ghost Lights tomorrow, and I really need to sit down and do the additional handouts that I’m planing on using and make the final corrections to the musical score for the scenario. The mood images and all that extra fluff had to go becuase there wasnt time to get it sorted this week, to much bureaucracy that needed to be sorted.
So Ghost Light is postponed until next week, so this gives me a little more time prepare. I haven’t managed to copy the handouts yet, and still need to do some setting up during this week.
In the next few months I’m going to finish up many unfinished courses that I have accumulated over the years, and hopefully get a part time job while I’m at it. So during these next few months I won’t have much time for hobbies, I will try and get some role-playing in and some more Battlefield BC2 BETA which I haven’t gotten around to this past week.
And this week has been hectic so I haven’t been willing or able to train this week, I can’t remember when I actually got around to the gym. Hopefully this will change in the future maybe even today.
Now on to something completely different; I have been catching up on some old wrestling shows both WWE and TNA, currently I’m two weeks out from Night of Champions in 2009. First off TNA is still really weird, the last TNA Impact! I watched was a few months before this episode. But It still starts the same way Main Event Mafia comes out and cuts the same promo as they always does, bitching about the TNA management and how they will take over the show, yet again. Then after they laid out Mick Foley and the former Main Event Mafia security, Double J runs in and hits Foley over the head with a guitar and actually busts himself open with the shrapnel from the guitar shot. More backstage segments, one thing that strikes me about TNA is the amount of segments and promos that don’t go any ware at all, they change from promos to backstage interviews and back again. There was at least 20 minutes of promos before the first match and that was Cody Deaner vs. someone think It was amazing red, what was the buildup for this match have they been feuding, the commentators didn’t mention it so I guess this was just filler before the next batch of promos. I almost forgot the loooong and tedious video montages just showing matches set to music that they keep putting together to waste even more time. Just remembered the short clips with one performer speaking some lame tagline that I can’t remember right now, and too lazy to look up.
OK enough of TNA and on to WWE the things I have the most problems with at the moment with the WWE product is the never ending Orton vs. HHH feud as its not interesting enough, but I really like the CM Punk segments that’s what keeps me watching. Actually there are many great feuds with good matches from the bigger stars. Can’t believe that mark Henry is getting a face pop, but that’s just funny but it won’t last for long. All the great Khali and Kane stuff needs to go it’s just stupid and will only lead to boring matches. Other than that I haven’t a problem with the WWE product there are good feuds and that outweighs the bad by a long shot at the moment. I’m only three weeks into the guest hosts so it has been good so far Batista and the million dollar man did a good job, Seth Green was ok, I was dreading that Orton would have to sell for Seth Shane O’mac style but that didn’t happen so that was a relief.
Next week I will probably run the Ghost Lights scenario with my regular gaming group, and there might be enough other people to run it a second time as well. I had plans to run this scenario earlier a few months ago, but peoples schedules weren’t compatible at all. So now I just need to copy all the handouts and set a definite date, all this after I get back from Luleå next week. But more on the trip to Luleå and the other things related to that trip in a later post.
So Ghost Lights check list reads as follows
- Handouts
- Go through the music selection again
- Prepare the different clues and rumours for the characters
- Find some nice images to set the mood for the scenario
- Book a time to run the scenario
Why does time go by this fast, It feels like it was yesterday the NFL season started and now its over. Stayed up all night Sunday and watched the Super Bowl maybe Ill do a quick write-up of my thoughts and feelings surrounding the actual pageantry that is the Super Bowl.
On Monday we also experienced a complete party wipe in Complete Masks of Nyarlahotep, so we are taking a 3-4 week break form the campaign while the GM finalizes his contingency plans for our continued investigations. We have played a year and a half so far, with 40 or 41 sessions so we all have had lots of great moments, I’m probably going to do a complete write-up about the actions from my characters perspective and how he viewed the events that lead up to his untimely demise and all the friends he made and lost during our adventure. The party wipe where semi planned as we had dug ourselves into a big hole which we couldn’t escape alive.
But this small break allows us to run a few one night scenarios, and first up is me running Ghost Lights which I have discussed here before. I just need to sort out all the handouts and book a date for the four players that the adventure demands.
I also have been accepted into the closed Beta for Battlefield: Bad Company II so I have to make some time to play that game as well and post my thoughts on the game barring that the NDA doesn’t forbid it.
I started rereading the Horror on the Orient Express and have getting deep into Italy & Beyond so that’s kinda on track. The two shorter lead in scenarios are almost ready to go, as I got some great music tips from a friend for New Orleans jazz for a bayou segment of the adventure.
My Innsmouth adventure will start with the fall and then I will run scenarios from Before the fall to let the players learn more in depth what was really happening in the little sleepy fishing community. Another idea I have is starting running the scenarios from Escape from Innsmouth as one off scenarios giving the players so high octane combat sequences and then working backwards giving them the background after having the ending. I really liked the idea of having the story told backwards but It can be difficult to get the details right, but I will have a better idea after I planned out the order of the scenarios. The Innsmouth scenario is not a priority as we are still mid-game with Complete Masks and then Im trying to get Horror on the Orient Express going and probably some shorter scenarios in between.
But first things first I need to get the soundtrack sorted for the adventures I’m planing on running “Ghost Light” from The terrors from beyond. In the ghost light scenario I’m planning on using lots of weather and ambient sounds and very little actual musical scores relaying more on the actual mood to carry the story. This will be hard as I haven’t game-masterd in a really long time and never for this group, I have played with them for several years but never run a scenario. And I haven’t put together a musical score for an adventure in a really long time as well.
The music I’m planning on using for the “Still Water” scenario is as follows. Thunder and rain sounds for atmosphere, Im going to use lost of nature sounds when running scenarios and not so much music as I have in the past. Haven’t narrowed down the selection of jazz music.
- Assymetric Rhythms – The Hunted OST
- The Desert – Seven OST
- Main Title – Aliens Deluxe Edition
- LV-426 – Alien Deluxe Edition
- Facehuggers – Alien Deluxe Edition
- The house of Usher – Nox Arcana
- Sephiroth – Raison D’etre
- Mourning – Raison D’etre
Music that Im planning on using with “Ghost light” Water, wind and wave sounds for setting the mood.
- Destiny- Constantine OST
- They Cross Over – Constantine OST
- Gossamer Mist – Nox Arcana
- Ancient Shadows – Nox Arcana
- Dream’s Essence – Raison D’etre
- The Stars Align – Nox Arcana
- Arriving At The Derelict – Memento OST
- Assymeric Rhythms – The Hunted OST
- Within the Depths of Silence and Phormations – Raison D’etre
- Chasing John Doe – Seven OST
- The Desert – Seven OST
Several power outs today, and the Internet have been sketchy all day, that put a damper on my studying and productivity today.
We played the 3o-something session of The Complete Masks of Nyarlahothep last night and I had one and a ¼ cups of coffee and couldn’t sleep all night. I need either stop drinking coffee all together or drink some often enough not to be all hyped up of caffeine when I choose to have coffee.
Back to cthulhu we actually have been making a lot of headway the last few sessions, started to put pieces together and find out that most of our suspicions where actually correct. Found out that one of our missing party members had actually died from his injuries and that brings the body count to 3 for the campaign, and several close calls, especially for my character.
Now I watched the Dallas@Greenbay and I was not impressed with what I saw, Dallas was outplayed all night and had several injuries. Haven’t looked up the stats yet on NFL.com because I want to watch a few more games without having the results spoiled. The Eagles lost and the Giants have a bye so Dallas didn’t lose that much in the standings, but they will need to play better than this to win the division.
Going to finish watching The Pyramids of Mars before I go to bed early so I can get up on time tomorrow.
UPDATE: Tried sleeping but it didn’t work, watching the second quarter of CIN@PIT Week10 until I feel sleepy again.
The waters of Mars the second to last episode with David Tennant as the doctor, hopefully its better than the last few specials. I didn’t care for the Christmas episode and the Easter special. I’m going to watch the episode after we have watched some NFL and finished session #37 of the Complete masks of Nyarlahotep.
I’m going to watch a mythos related episode of Dr.Who called the Pyramids of Mars, both mythos and Pyramids we are currently in Cairo in Call of Cthulhu.
And for the mythos tie-in, the ood.
Today I bought the newest Call of Cthulhu book, Terrors from beyond. What sealed the deal what that one of the scenarios had a light house in it. I have read a few reviews online and it seems to be an ok book, the biggest complaint was the lack of deep characters and that the adventures where designed to be run separate from a campaign. That suits me just fine as I want to have quick adventures to run in one or two nights. the other complaint shouldn’t be a problem for the players in our group to flesh out the characters on the fly and making the session memorable.
Perched on a bleak and inhospitable rock off the coast of Scotland, the Hallowsay Light has guided sailors for over seventy years. Now its beacon has gone inexplicably dark, imperiling the ships that ply the waters of the North Atlantic. The news has reached the lighthouse tender Helios, already steaming toward the island of Hallowsay for its fortnightly relief of the station. A search party, made up of three volunteers from the crew of the Helios and a relief keeper, is sent to investigate. What awaits them are horrors from beyond!
I find light houses awesome for setting up a horror adventure. I fondly remember playing the adventure game Lighthouse well over 10 years ago and liking it, having some memories about a byakee like creature. Haven’t read Terrors from beyond yet so I don’t have a clue what’s lurking in the darkness. And as I can’t write short one night scenarios, I’m more into writing longer campaigns; this book seems like a good purchase. Maybe this can fill some of the downtime between the different parts of the massive campaign we are currently playing.
The preparations for my introduction adventure to the Horror on the Orient Express is almost done, just need a few songs for the soundtrack and making all the handouts. Then it’s just getting the characters made for the participating players and maybe a quick reread of the adventure.
I’m currently starting to plan two different projects for the Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying game. I have never run a classic era CoC game before, only Delta Green/Current era games. But I have started reading some adventure sourcebooks and have started writing down ideas for the campaigns.
The first project I have started is a “Horror on the Orient Express” campaign this is one that I have wanted to run for close to 8 years now. The current plan is to have the players (havent assembled a group yet) created characters and run two shorter scenarios to give the players and the characters a bit of experience. This is to get me some time to adapt to be the keeper and the players used to my playstyle, and giving the characters some mythos experience that will help in the”Horror on the Orient Express”. Even though I
havent read the entire thing if the players are to naive when playing and not collecting enough clues along the way they are going to have a though time finishing the campaign.
The prelude scenarios will take place about 10 years prior to the”Horror on the Orient Express” and will give the players time to evolve their characters through experience.
The other project is running an mini campaign based around “Escape from Innsmouth” and maybe starting out
t with some adventures from “Before the fall”. This mini campaign is radically different from any other as this is a action centred adventure with lots of combat and suspense right from the start. Adding “Before the fall” adds some extra background and detective work to the action packed raid segments in the adventure.
My planning so far has most of the first two scenarios for “Horror on the Orient Express” mapped out. Need to get all the handouts in order, maybe create some new handouts using MS Publisher. Getting the right music for the scenarios, have gotten the nature sounds sorted now to get some mood music and combat soundtracks. Luckily I have an assortment of music left from when I game mastered last, many years ago, now to dig them up again from the basement.
