Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Campaign Timelines

For years now, I've had every intention of taking good notes when I run a campaign.  Typically what I'm left with is piles of papers with rows of descending hit point totals, hastily scribbled npc names, and chicken scratching that I'm not exactly sure what are.  Campaign journaling rarely works out for me.  But I do gather up my notes on occasion and try to stitch them together to see what has happened.  Luckily, I have a pretty good memory for imaginary happenings, so usually everything adds up.

At the simplest level, I like to create timelines - like the one below.  This is for my Stars Without Number campaign.  Such a list is handy because I create it in excel and can do odd date math on the fly - which is especially nice since now spreadsheets can handle dates into the far future.  With an autosum, I can see that the campaign has lasted 311 days - Earth days, that is.  

Little titles and notes keep everything straight in my head, and I can remember if an NPC was planning on hunting down and killing the party - and how long that npc has been formulating the plan and stalking them - waiting for the time to be ripe.  You know, typical stuff to make the players paranoid. ;)

So that's why I like to do.  How are YOU at note taking?

Place/Event Duration Start Date Events of Note
Travel/Stay
Halal System 1 1-Jan-2300 Ship assaulted by Captian Kaylah Tabari.
Interstellar Travel 6 7-Jan-2300 On the Edmund Fitzgerald (Methan owned.)
Interplanetary Travel 2 9-Jan-2300 ''
Jaisalmar System 2 11-Jan-2300 Hijacked ore shipment on ice world.
Interplanetary Travel 2 13-Jan-2300 On the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Interstellar Travel 5 18-Jan-2300 ''
Interplanetary Travel 2 20-Jan-2300 ''
Hephaestus System 87 17-Apr-2300 Meet Methans, destoyed casino, Sgt. & Adam KIA.
Interplanetary Travel 2 19-Apr-2300 On the Konjiki Yasha (Methan bio ship.)
Interstellar Travel 6 25-Apr-2300 ''
Interplanetary Travel 2 27-Apr-2300 ''
Metha System 1 28-Apr-2300 Accepted by Methans.  
Interstellar Travel 5 3-May-2300 On the Fort Knox (Methan accountant transport.)
Interplanetary Travel 2 5-May-2300 ''
Perdurabo - Hard Light 2 7-May-2300 Begin clandestine criminal investigation.
Travel to Comet 2 9-May-2300 On the Leadbelly with Captain Ranse Hardlee
Stay in Comet 4 13-May-2300 Exploring tomb of the Ushans (asparagusheads)
Travel to Hard Light 3 16-May-2300 On the Leadbelly with Captain Ranse Hardlee
Perdurabo - Hard Light 15 31-May-2300 Foil evil plot on Hard Light
Travel to Colony 2 2-Jun-2300 On the shuttle Bon Grunj with pilot Kingston
Stay in Colony 62 3-Aug-2300 Fight pirates and capture pirate ship
Travel to Hard Light 2 5-Aug-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Perdurabo - Hard Light 2 7-Aug-2300 Fuel up and say goodbyes.
Interplanetary Travel 2 9-Aug-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Interstellar Travel 6 15-Aug-2300 ''
Interplanetary Travel 2 17-Aug-2300 ''
Euphrates System 1 18-Aug-2300 Refuel at mining asteroid.
Interplanetary Travel 2 20-Aug-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Interstellar Travel 6 26-Aug-2300 ''
Interplanetary Travel 2 28-Aug-2300 ''
Tigris - Blue Saturn 49 16-Oct-2300 Destroy 2 pirate ships, meet the Kingpin.
Interplanetary Travel 2 18-Oct-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Interstellar Travel 6 24-Oct-2300 ''
Interplanetary Travel 2 26-Oct-2300 ''
Nile System 1 27-Oct-2300 Return Thad, meet Captain Zarkon of White Chapel.
Interplanetary Travel 2 29-Oct-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Interstellar Travel 6 4-Nov-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Interplanetary Travel 2 6-Nov-2300 Aboard the Fat Tuesday.
Amazon System 1 7-Nov-2300 Arrive at Kyroth Colony. PLANT ATTACK!

- Ark

Monday, March 5, 2012

Jeff Dee's Expedition

As you may or may not know, Jeff Dee has been running around trying to recreate the art he created that someone at TSR chose to toss in the trash one confused day.  This time, he's recreating his stuff form the module S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.  I'm excited.  I love that module - and the fabulous art inside was really inspiring - well - inspiring to DMs who wanted to really confuse, mess over, and blow up the player characters.  Like I said, inspiring.

He's got a Kickstarter project for the Peaks too.  I love those Kickstarter things - especially those that help artists get projects off the ground.  Go toss him some bucks and he'll even send you a print! :)

- Ark

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Ferrit by Angel


I had Angel Urena do another commission for me - this time of Ferrit, The Boy's first Labyrinth Lord character. I think he did an excellent job - and Ferrit the Hobbit now terrifies me.  That's one bad-ass halfling!

- Ark




- Ark

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Puttin' on the Ritz

Due to an overabundance of 20 hour workdays, there will be no Rather Gamey Comic this time around.  I even had to bow out of a Realms of Cthulhu game last night so I could work until 4am.  Grr.  I'll be back on schedule next time - barring some unforeseen collapse of the financial industry.

In the meantime - please enjoy Soulvex performing 'Puttin' on the Ritz' for your amusement.



- Ark

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Chartreuse by Angel

Below is a commission of my character Chartreuse in Crazy-Ass Tim's Second Edition D&D Game by Angel Urena.  He's the same guy who did the Angry Demon Looking Dude that I've used as a banner for the blog for over a year now.  I think Angel's work is completely awesome - you can go check out his gallery on deviantArt.

Right now, Angel is doing character commissions for dirt cheap.  I mean dirt.  Go look.  Quickly, of course, since who knows when he'll close down the commissions.  If you've ever contemplated having a character drawn - now would be the time.



Again, not my art.  Waaay too good to be mine.  (Not Yet, Anyways!)

- Ark

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Hitchhiker's

Last week I was at the book store with my son.  I was digging through some art books, looking for hints on how to draw the human form, when The Boy came up behind me.

"Can I get this?" he asked.  I turned around.  He was clutching a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"Well for fuck's sake yes you can fucking have it,"  I replied.  Okay, that's not exactly what I said, but that's what I meant.

Now, after a few days of The Boy regaling me with stories of Marvin the Paranoid Android and explaining to me the meaning of the number 42, I've decided that I'm pretty happy with the universe and - given the chance - I'd make it my home for a second time.

- Ark

PS

"Now the world has gone to bed
Darkness won't engulf my head
I can see by infra-red
How I hate the night

Now I lay me down to sleep
Try to count electric sheep
Sweet dream wishes you can keep
How I hate the night"

- Marvin's Lullaby

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Dungeonspiration: Snapshots

I love the way images can inspire ideas.  I love to browse pictures to get ideas for stories, games, and art.  Here are some things to jostle your brain:



From some bovine racing competition in Sumatra, Pacu Jawi by ~dularif



A different kind of racing animal, Bike with shinny bits by ~koukei



What a lovely home for a Lich, August Burns Red by ~bleed-the-sky



Do the PCs dare move the rocks?  Against physics 1 by ~Faunish

A dangerous rainbow impact, Life in the Valley by ~sleepingwithgiants



Nighttime wandering monster roll, Bed by *Hoffine



+1 to Astral Travelling, Magic Mushroom by ~Tul-152


- Ark