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chgowiz chgowiz @kbin.social

Hi! I'm Michael, aka Chgowiz. (Chicago-Wiz).

Parent, grandparent, veteran of US Air Force, IT/programming guy. D&D nerd, NERD!

DIY/hobbyist at things.

Claims to fame/infamy? Dungeon Masters's Handbook podcast - Co-author of One Page Dungeon template - author of "Three Hex Campaign Starters"

Find me on Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz

Posts 2
Comments 31
For a limited time you can get the Classic Traveler Facsimile Edition for free which includes the original text of the 1981 edition of Classic Traveler based on page image Scans. Books 1-3
  • Nice to see that Marc's kept this up there for free. It's a great version if folks don't have the originals and/or want to play a great game!

  • What is this Tag?
  • For the US, every state has their own rules, as well as individual sites on what you can do, how you can do it. If you're on a Federal site, usually it's a mix of state rules and Federal rules.

    Part of the responsibility is to know those rules and follow them. Yea, it can get confusing and hard, but that's part of the deal, so gotta be done. Much better to pick up the phone and call or shoot an email and ask questions, than to not and get a visit...

    In the US, conservation officers don't mess around. They definitely can be on the unpleasant end of FAFO.

  • What is this Tag?
  • I don't know much about the show or controversy. Considering conservation laws and such, I'm thinking the hunter would have to have a valid permit to hunt, and possibly have to obey local laws regarding tagging their harvest. No matter if someone's using firearms or primitive weapons, they've got to be within local laws or risk meeting the local conservation officers...

  • F-16s for Ukraine: When will they arrive and what can they do?
  • You had said "Allegedly they can shoot down Russian planes, because their targeting systems have longer range."

    My post was to share information to indicate that is not so - F16 does not have longer range.

    The rest, you and Tom are in agreement.

  • F-16s for Ukraine: When will they arrive and what can they do?
  • The reverse is probably going to be true, unfortunately. The F16s weaponry is still based on 70s/80s engagement envelopes, more modern Russian a/c use missiles/radar that have much further range. The F16s will be most effective where UKR has additional anti-air assets to keep the more modern a/c away.

    A very good breakdown of this by someone who's studied military aircraft for a living...

    https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/its-the-range-stupid-part-1
    https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/its-the-range-stupid-part-2
    https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/q-and-a-regarding-f-16s-for-ukraine
    https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/q-and-a-regarding-f-16s-for-ukraine-51d
    https://xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/q-and-a-regarding-f-16-for-ukraine

  • Squirrel of a lifetime.
  • Some experience seems to help with that slowness and deliberate silence. My eyes pick up more sign now, recognizing things that I had passed over a couple of years ago. Clues and bits start to click together, but it all happens when I get out there.

    I love all the encounters, whether I can take a shot or not, or whether it's a deer or the chipmunk that came within a third of a meter or so, to figure out what the heck this thing in all the scrub was...

  • Squirrel of a lifetime.
  • Deer, waterfowl, squirrels, turkeys - that's whats here in the Midwest. Hell, if those "super hawgs" come far enough, I'll hunt those as well. At my age of 50+, I'm just now really getting into the "learning" of hunting that I should have done earlier in age.

    Good luck to you both on your farm.

    You're not the only lefty redneck around. ;)

  • Squirrel of a lifetime.
  • No, most western folks don't know what it takes to put food on the grocery shelves or into the freezer section. They've no clue to the work involved on the backs of labor and exploitation, and unsanitary conditions/processes all in the name of cheaper labor and higher stock dividends.

    Never seen an albino squirrel before. Thanks for sharing!

  • Transitioning from Serial One-shots to Open World Play - Seeking Advice and Suggestions
  • I don't know much about DC100, but, to me, open world means there are multiple choices and multiple things going on. Hooking them from B2 to DC100, that feels like a single funnel? From point A, go to Point B, although that path might have 3 diff variants, they all end up in the same place?

    I try to give players in a new campaign 3 different things to do. 3 hooks/paths. 3 factions. 3 locations to explore (whether a dungeon, outdoor setpiece, another town) and a homebase.

    You can make each of those 3 things another module. So DC100 for 1 hex/location after B2, and two other modules for two other locations.

    Then put them in their home base (a village or perhaps even the Keep from B2) and dangle those hooks to each of the locations - rumors, someone actively recruiting, a physical object pointing in a direction, etc...

    That's just how I would do it and have done it.

  • Sci-fi you couldn’t get into?
  • whynotboth.gif trolololol.gif ;)

  • Sci-fi you couldn’t get into?
  • Firefly (and it's movie, Serenity). I just didn't enjoy them, just didn't click with me.

  • Four simultaneous heat domes break major records across the globe - The Weather Network
  • Day After Tomorrow - the real, inverted (Hot not Cold) version.

  • A question regarding the picking of a printer that fits my use case.
  • I tried a Creality Ender 3 a couple of years ago. Struggled a lot, for me, it required a lot of aftermarket replacements to make it work well. I sold it about 6 mo later.

    In Mar, I bought an Anycubic Kobra. Out of the box, worked like a champ and has continued to. None of the struggles I had with the Ender. Only add on was a sensor to let me know when I'm out of filament.

    You'll probably hear from folks who bought an Ender and had great success, and folks who struggled w/a Kobra, though. It's like an automobile... you're going to hear good and bad stories for each model.

    Honestly, I read a lot of articles and just found what fit my use case, expectations and budget. Your first one will definitely be a learning experience.

    Good luck!

  • curious
  • If it's dimensions are suitable, it will assume a sedentary position.

  • What's your favorite off the beaten path spaceship?
  • Heh. Nope, 30something in the 90s. Just enjoyed good sci-fi then :D

  • What's your favorite off the beaten path spaceship?
  • So many good ones named, but I'm going to go with

    1. The Hammerhead from "Space: Above & Beyond"

    2. Any/all of the fighter ships from the video game series "Wing Commander"

    3. How come nobody's mentioned the fantastic Eagle Transporter System from Space-1999??????

  • NuTSR/LeNasa files for bankruptcy
  • 🤣🤣🤣

  • OSRSS: Anyone got good rss feed suggestions for osr / rpg content ?
  • Try this as a starting point? https://campaignwiki.org/osr/ It's a list of a metric ton of OSR blogs.

  • Have you ever switched from a more basic game to a more advanced one mid campaign? Looking for advice, suggestions, reasons why it’s a terrible idea, etc.
  • Funny enough, I've gone in the reverse direction.

    But I think if I were to do that, I would: be up front with players, try to mask a lot of the mechanics (unless the switch was to bring crunch to the players), be patient and willing to backtrack, have some after-game-discussions on how things went.

  • What have you been reading recently?
  • Mostly re-reading Classic Traveller 3 little black books from 1977. Amazing how much of a complete game is there and yet an open framework for implementing just about any sci-fi setting you can imagine. That is, if you're willing to do the work that 1977 RPGs expected from referees. Definitely not an "open and just run table procedures" type of game!

  • How To Play OD&D - The Hidden Resources You Haven't Seen by The Dungeon Master's Handbook Podcast

    podcasters.spotify.com Episode 57 - How To Play OD&D - The Hidden Resources You Haven't Seen by The Dungeon Master's Handbook Podcast

    I share four key resources that I think will help anyone who is trying to learn how to play along with the original three little brown books of Dungeons & Dragons as printed back in 1974. Plus, probably one of the most unusual call-ins from a fellow podcaster that you’ll hear! ---- OD&D Proboards F...

    I share four key resources that I think will help anyone who is trying to learn how to play along with the original three little brown books of Dungeons & Dragons as printed back in 1974.

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    Classic Traveller Facsimile version is free right now (6/24/23) on DTRPG.

    Classic Traveller is an amazing scifi role playing game dating back from 1977 and still played today - a 5th version is out. Since today is FreeRPGDay, I guess Marc Miller decided to make this one free.

    "This is the original text of the 1981 edition of Classic Traveller based on page image Scans. It includes Books 1-2-3, with errata and corrections inserted (where possible; and additional material in an errata appendix). The PDF has been OCR'ed. Margins are upgraded to 6x9 (from 5-1/2 x 8-1/2) for better margins."

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