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Thoughts on the Ouya?

Does anybody have an option on the new ouya thingie? Right now the main selling point seems to be ease at which it can be used as an emulator.

World Building (Youtube Series)

I found this very entertaining and helpful and figured you guys might want to check it out.

Note that this is from a tabletop RPG perspective but the same principles work for literature or CRPGs.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D083A0970853B57

Zombies: The first leg of the Necromancer's Tripod.

Ok, a few nights ago I started writing the bible for my fantasy universe, trying to put years worth of disjointed notes I have together in one cohesive whole. Due to couple a conversations I had this forum and having just finished reading a book on the wild hunt I started with the various undead. The first part to finish was the sections on zombies. Here it is. THREE FRICKING PAGES!!! I hope this gives people ideas or a least a good laugh.

Zombie:
Zombies are reanimated corpses without a soul that can sustain themselves for a short period of time without direct assistance from a necromancer or unholy being. The easiest of the undead to create, any necromancer can raise a zombie provided the corpse is good condition, such as those killed by drowning or poison. Local thieves guilds are usually quite happy to provide such corpses for a reasonable fee. On the other hand, raising a damaged corpse is more difficult, required greater effort and skill yet yielding only a mere zombie. Wounds to the heart or brain are especially difficult to overcome and only a powerful and very stubborn necromancer will bother with such a corpse. In areas where necromancers are known to be present driving a spear through the heart of a dead corpse before burying them is a common precaution, lest one have an unexpected reunion with a deceased friend or loved one.

Raising a zombie is one thing, controlling it is another and more than a few aspiring dark apprentices have been eaten by their own zombie, much to the embarrassment of their masters. Unlike skeletons, zombies do not acknowledge those who raised them as their masters and there certainly is no sense of loyalty among the walking dead. So learning to dominate a zombie is a critical part of a necromancers skill set. Zombiejacking or seizing control of another wizard’s zombie is considered impolite but is still an important combat skill when petty internal disputes must be settled among dark brothers. Zombies can never be controlled with any absolute certainty either. They can be directed and given simple orders such as ‘stay here,’ ‘carry this’ and ‘eat anyone who comes through that door’ but even then they may wander off in search of living flesh.

Any peasant knows to attack a zombie in the head. Why? Because the reanimating enchantment is focused in the brain and destroying a zombie’s brain will break the spell, ‘kill’ the zombie and revert it back to a stinking corpse. This usually works and is the best way to approach a zombie problem when one does not have access to strong magic. If facing one zombie the crossbow is the weapon of choice. It takes nerves of steel to wait for a perfect close in (about 20-30 feet) headshot but it gets results and does not put the zombie hunter in reach of the brain craving zombie. If the shot misses the hunter can sprint away from the zombie and reload for a second shot. If facing than one zombie a halberd or poleaxe is probably your best bet. Close in weapons such as axes, warhammers and maces should only be considered as a last desperate resort.

Zombies crave the flesh of the living, especially the brain. What they are actually after is the life force which is absorbed and used to reinforce the animating spell that keeps the zombie going and prevents the flesh from rotting away. Unlike ghouls zombies cannot use this energy to heal injuries. Life force lingers in dead bodies for a few days and zombies will eat dead bodies unless there is fresher meat nearby. Injured zombies can be restored by necromantic magic but unless the zombie is a special variant it is usually more efficient to simply raise a replacement.

The normal lifespan for a zombie is about a month although with enough food this can be extended to up to four months. While a young or fully restored zombie can move at roughly the same speed as an average human up to a light jog. As a zombie ages and the animating magic begin to weaken they will begin to move slowly and in a jerky and irregular manner. Old zombies will eventually collapse in a pile of rotten flesh that in turn will rapidly age into dust or ash as the cursed flesh of the zombie is slowly restored to a natural state. Zombies that are killed or disenchanted also age rapidly in this fashion although if a necromancer moves quickly the corpse can be reused as a weaker but still useful twiceborn zombie or since the bones are the last to rot, raised as a skeleton.

While the common zombie is no threat to an alert adventurer, more powerful varieties do exist. Zombies are looked down upon as beginner ‘summons’ skeletons and ghost are far more useful to than simple zombies when it comes to accomplishing a wizard’s dark goals. However as a necromancer learns more of his art other zombie related possibilities open up, some of them very powerful.

The most powerful and insidious are the curse carrying “Infected” Zombies. Infected Zombies are so powerfully enchanted with a necromantic curse that spread the curse to any fresh corpses they touch or even those they pass close by, raising then up as new zombies. Some of these zombies will also carry the curse while others only partially affected will be raised as common zombies. Only one thing slows this multiplying process, the zombie hunger for brains means that many of the recently killed will be partially eaten and too damaged for the curse to raise them as zombies. Still do not underestimate the power of Infected zombies as an entire province can be destroyed by a single well placed Infected Zombie that is not identified as such and dealt with quickly. One positive note Infected zombies do carry a strong aura of evil about them that other zombies do not. Individuals who are magically sensitive will detect their auras and are vital to combating Infected zombie attacks.

Disease carrying ‘Plague’ zombies are also a fearsome threat that can cause horrible damage to a region. While normal zombies are made up of partially rotted meat and often carry natural diseases adding a magical disease to a zombie means that (even when killed quickly) it can infect and kill a whole village or town in slow and dreadful manner unless there is immediate intervention by skilled supernatural healers. A combined arms attack consisting of plague zombies to create bodies and Infected Zombies to raise them is far more effective then using either type alone.

Poison Zombies are less powerful but will still make things far more difficult for undead hunters as their blood and innards are not merely unsanitary rotten flesh but outright deadly poison. If a zombie hunter has been forced into melee range this can have a very lethal outcome and leave a nice fresh athletic corpse with an intact brain to make a great zombie from. Poison zombies do have a slight greenish tinge to their skin but only an expert will see it in time and only under good lighting conditions.

Summoning or creating a ghoul is beyond all but the most powerful necromancers but with careful effort and enough talent it is still possible to create a middle ground, the ‘fast zombie’ or Zomghul. A most unwelcome surprise to those used to fighting slow unthinking simple zombies. Called fast zombies as they move quicker in a more coordinated fashion and have an uncanny predatory instinct, Zomghuls are fearsome foes. While still a soulless undead Zomghuls are at least semi-intelligent and can be given more complex orders than a zombie or skeleton, making them useful as guards or in the right conditions assassins.

The ‘Headless’ zombie has the animating enchantment focused not on the brain but the heart, the liver or some other internal organ, making them MUCH harder to kill; Especially when the zombie has a head and looks normal. Many brave warriors trained to fight the undead have fallen to such ‘trick’ zombies, justifying the far greater amount of time and effort it takes to create a headless zombie. The best way to identify a headless zombie to watch it feed. A normal zombie will eat the brain first; a headless zombie will instead go for the organ that the focus of the magic in it’s own body. If you suspect you are facing headless zombies sacrificing a useless party member in order to find out for sure is a ruthless yet practical solution.

Common zombies moan groan and generally make a lot of noise. While unnerving all this racket does warn the victims that zombies are in the area and that they should take precaution. Adding a ‘silence’ spell to a zombie makes for a much more frightening attacker especially at night as the victim will have no warning of danger. Silent Zombies are highly situational however and of less use in daylight or against races with darkvision.

When a dark cabal has both trained necromancers and rune magicians it is possible to create ‘Runic Zombies’ with a wide variety of enhancements by tattooing runes into the corpse before it is animated. Runic zombies are quite dangerous because it is nearly impossible to identify the nature of the enchantments without putting oneself in close proximity to what you know to be a powerful undead. Such complex creations while powerful are rarely worth the strenuous effort and teamwork required and are used mainly to show off the power and artistry of the cabal to other dark wizards. Essentially a form of ‘zombie bling’ if you will.

Flaming Zombies (enchanted with eternal hellfire) and Electric zombies have also been reported. Although such creatures are beyond the scope of normal necromancy and must be the work of Unholy beings, possibly bored devils. If you encounter such super-enchanted zombies it is usually a sign you are over your head and should turn around and go back the direction you came. Screaming in terror is optional yet generally appropriate.

It should also be remembered that while humans are the easiest creatures to zombify other races and a wide variety of animals can also be raised. Zombie ogres have been used in sieges with some success and are effective terror weapons against the unprepared. A pack of zombie hounds can be combined with a soul seeking spell to hunt fleeing enemies. Few necromancers are known for their creativity but those who can think outside the box can usually find a tool for any task. Remember zombies (and other undead) are most deadly when combined with other magic.

Fun Trivia: Because zombies are soulless, it is possible to take a recently deceased individual raise their body as a zombie and then call back their soul as a ghost; Thus creating two undead from a single unfortunate victim. This is a great way for an overlord to express his displeasure to a lackey who has failed him for the last time.

I'm not quite ready to say 'I'm Back'

I really don't know what to say here. I've been away for probably a year and a half now and I'm mainly just posting this to let people know I'm not dead or in jail.

Still I'm getting the itch. I've long since come to the conclusion that RM2k3 is not the best creative outlet for me. But it's so hard to walk away from everything especially the people that I've met here.

So... :P Yeah let's try this shit again. I'm mainly some guy who 'plays' games and occasionally gets the idea to try an make one.

I'm embrassed to have written this.

OK this conversation takes place in the middle of the opening chapter of what I hope will be a science fiction novel. Very much a work in progress and I still need to work out a few contradicts in the subtext but I can't help to think what a normal person would think about it. Since I can't find a normal person. I guess I'll post it on RMN :P

`````````````

Kateli was reluctant to bring the first order of business up. A literal son of a whore and having spent his entire life in the shadow of Roland’s red light district, Kateli hated the sex trade like an ancient mariner hated the sea. Still despite his best efforts to get completely out of that sort of business he kept stumbling ass backwards into more of it. Kateli might honestly try to focus his efforts on making money ‘any other damn way he could’ but at the end of the day he knew a lot of whores and a lot of potential clients and if ‘Mister K’ didn’t bring them together it felt like he was cheating his friends.

Rachel toyed with the last sausage on her plate, savoring an unstated yet clearly dirty joke, “Something on your mind, K?

Kateli was glad he couldn’t blush. “Yeah about that um… request we got the other day.”

Oh yes,” Rachel chirped up. “One whore extra puffy. Yeah I got it covered, no problem.”

“No problem?” Kateli replied very skeptically, “just like that?”

“Yeah I worked a few contacts and managed to talk directly to the client. Real bitch getting to him through all that security but yeah everything’s set up.”

“Really? Sounded too good to be true,” Kateli replied. “With the kind of money that guy was willing to throw around; he’d be better off just buying a real noblewoman.”

“Security risk,” Rachel answered. “A real puffball, while dumb as a blowup doll and slightly more plastic is going to have family connections, maybe even connections to certain merchant cartels or unfriendly regulators. Can’t use one of the Big Agencies either as they’re all owned by the exact sort of people he’s worried about. On the other hand a nice “independent” girl who can put on a convincing act, is going to be a great deal safer and probably a better date once the lights go out. Our friend might be ridiculously paranoid but he has lot of money and he’s not afraid to put it to use when he thinks it will make a difference.”

“That does make sense in a twisted sort of way,” Kateli admitted. “At least for a foreigner I suppose. Still I got a few reservations about this.”

“Why?” Rachel asked sharply. “We deal with weird shit all the time. The client’s legit, just worried about the local busybodies which I might add we don’t like either. Fuck K, he advanced me a thousand marks to prove he wasn’t full of shit. Like I said I got everything taken care of. What’s there to be concerned about?”

“Just the thought that Warren’s Worlders can be a little rough on the girls,” Kateli said coldly. “That’s why I didn’t exactly jump on this opportunity. Don’t really want to be a part of something like that.”

Rachel grinned and pointed at Kateli with her fork, “See now that’s just ethnic stereotyping.”

Kateli starred at her. This was not the sort of thing he found funny.

Rachel cackled, “I didn’t say it wasn’t true, only that it was a stereotype. They might be a bunch of macho gun-toting fucktards who all have daddy issues and yet somehow think they’re the greatest fuck ever but that’s no reason to call them names, or anything.” Even Kateli had to laugh at that. Vicious biting sarcasm was Rachel’s specialty after all.

“No,” Rachel continued. “The end client is the Captain-Owner. Concordian, real gentleman type too, from the sound of him. The Warrener, that’s the First Mate is just setting things up like a good friend.”

“That doesn’t always mean an easy call,” Kateli answered. He was preaching to the choir here but it had to be said. Rachel might do most of her business ‘not on her back’ these days but she’d been raped at least four times that Kateli was aware of.

Rachel smirked as she knew exactly what Kateli was thinking, such a typical overprotective man. “I managed to discreetly check with my contact in the embassy. He’s some kind of war hero or something. Rich as fuck too, even if he’s careful to hide it.” Rachel rolled her eyes, “seriously K, Courtney can’t wait to meet this fucking guy.”

“Wait? You talked Courtney into this?” Kateli stammered. The nice giggly ‘party girl’ would not have been his first choice for this assignment.

“Didn’t have to talk too hard,” Rachel said cheerfully.” Five grand to be arm candy at the sort of party she’d probably love to go to anyway… and our Friend Captain is the guest of honor! Giving Courtney the chance to completely show up all of those dumb snooty bitches? Fuck yeah! She’s in.”

Kateli looked stunned for a moment. Then shook his head, he was baffled by the whole situation but the money being offered for this particular request was simply too good to pass up. “Ok, ok, it’s just I keep telling people I’m not a pimp and they keep coming up to me with this shit.”

“Maybe if you wore a normal hat?” Rachel fired back. “Fuck, maybe we should drop everything else and go straight into the whore business?”

Kateli had to groan at that hat remark. His purple fedora had been his trademark since he was a teenager. As for the other thing it was getting harder and harder to keep saying no to Rachel’s rhetorical questions on the subject. Kateli had always kept as many eggs in as many baskets as possible as insurance if nothing else.

“Well I think the whole thing’s funny as fuck.” Rachel blurted out, breaking the silence. “And if you’re wondering why the Warren’s Worlder came to you, turns out you did him a favor the last time their ship was in port. Impressed the fuck out of him, whatever you did.”

Kateli vaguely remembered wandering through the red light district with the John Lee’s rather impressing looking first mate looking for a half dozen missing crewman and then finally finding that navigator-assistant in a hotel lobby overdosing on some ridiculous cocktail of designer drugs. All in a day’s work and it certainly hadn’t seemed like anything special at the time. “Okay. I’m just wondering if Courtney’s really cut out for this sort of thing.”

Rachel had to smile at that,” Trust me, Courtney is easily the puffiest girl we know. Hell, half the time she’s got me convinced she’s just slumming with us peons.”

Kateli took a very deliberate bite of his meal but made it clear he wasn’t completely buying Rachel’s arguments.

“Oh come on,” Rachel teased, interrupting Kateli darker thoughts before they could completely form. “I’m having Kevin fly her out in a goddamned air limo. She’ll have a fucking blast.”

“Where did you get an airlimo?” Kateli asked honestly impressed about that.

Rachel smiled, “Well you’re not the only one around town who can scrounge things. We’ll put it back when we’re done with it. No biggie.”

Kateli decided to leave it at that. “Okay next on the list. What the fuck is going on around town? Lot of rumors and I don’t like any of them.”

“Local branch of the Green Hand Mafia is breaking down,” Rachel stated, “Going to make for some fun times.”

Ideas are cheap. Let's throw some around.

Would you play this game?

Spaceninja Extreme.

You are Dave, Cyborg Spaceninja. Evil Space Pirates have taken over one of DaemonCorp's asteroid bases. You must use your nanotechnology arsenal and psychic ninja powers to defeat Beigebeard the Pirate and his crew of murderous mutant mercenary freaks all the while rescuing the sexy catgirl scientists from horribly dramatic danger.

and YES there will be zombies.

Go ahead throw out your randomest ideas. Comment on others ideas. Or at least sit back and count the tropes.

A player's humble request.

Please people when you are going to use random encounters, for (expletive deleted) have AT LEAST four encounter types per area minimum!

But it's the start of the game and the level 1 heroes are just killing rats and slimes!

(expletive deleted)

Why not different kinds of slimes? A blue slime that stuns you and runs away, a orange slime that shoots acid. A black slime with a drain attack.

Mix things up a little because there is nothing more annoying than running into the same group of monsters fifteen times in a row. Stuff like this WILL make people quit your game, especially during the first thirty minutes or so, before they've become emotionally attached to the game.

Be very very careful about the early encounters in your game. All the cool skills and custom systems you've worked so hard on won't mean a damn thing if the player quits before hitting level 3.

Mushroom Sprites

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had any RTP friendly mushroom sprites for 2k3? A mix and natural and 'weird' would be prefect but I'll take whatever I can get.

Fan Games -- The Golden Rule

I've been thinking a lot about fan games lately and I would just like to remind everybody of one very important point.

Can your fangame be understood by people who have not seen the source material?

Thank you for your time.
-Billwilliams, Anime Hating Heretic.

Faceset Request: Elves

Does anybody have any R2K facesets of elves? I've been looking but I've only found a few. Anything you might have is probably better than what I've using.
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