Houses of the Blooded: Mass Murder

I’m running into a stumbling block.

“Mass Murder,” the mass combat section devoted to multi-user fight scenes, is a mess. The Houses system works great with duels, but not with groups of bloodthirsty ven and/or orks.

I want a system that’s elegant. A system that doesn’t require a bunch of dice rolls and memory. And I just can’t find it.

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Clarification

I’m talking about “skirmish-level” fighting. Ten people. The typical “fight scene” in D&D.

My 9/11 memory starts with someone knocking on the bedroom door and the words more Americans heard than any other that morning.

“Turn on the TV.” 

Together, Jennifer and I watched it. The clock ticked by.

“You’re going to be late for work,” she told me.

“I’m not going,” I said.

An argument began. A cold, quiet argument. No screaming. Nothing like that. 

Cold and quiet.

After she insisted, I drove. The freeways were empty. I got to work in record time, driving across an empty Los Angeles, feeling a bit like Robert Neville. I thought of him as I drove and listened to the neverending news reports.

When I got to work, a sign on the door informed me the place was closed. I drove home.

She was there when I got there and we didn’t say anything to each other for the rest of the day.

For me, 9/11 is more than just a public memory of public tragedy. It’s also a private memory. It was the first day I knew our marriage was over.

Attention Ladies

Ladies, this is the new definition of FAT

And by that, I mean, this is the new standard. If you look like this (or, Heaven help you, if you look worse), then you are FAT.

Ignore all that bullshit we say about how Hollywood starlets and rockstars look like skeletons. IGNORE IT!

This is the new standard. The new shit. The new FAT.

No, we are not scaring our stars to starvation.

No, we are not mercilessly mocking them in a public forum.

No, we are not judgmental pricks who resent women because we can’t get laid.

No, not us. No, sireebob. We are the completely objective, emotionless media news.

And this is the new FAT.

Get on those exercise bikes, girls. And start peddling.

A Soundtrack for the Ven

 introduced me to the band. Their first album is called Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, although I’m a bigger fan of their second album, The Black Parade. A video from each.

Boisterous, dramatic, funny, grim, and geeky. And fucking loud.

Yeah, I’ve discovered My Chemical Romance.


I’ve Found Saul Williams

I don’t like rap.

I don’t like the bravado, I don’t like the violence, I don’t like calling women hos and bitches, and I don’t like… well, I just don’t like it.

But damn, I like this.

I like it’s honesty, I like its nakedness. I like it.

Damn.


The Goblin Game

Tonight, I play GURPS.

It’ll be the first time I really get to play the game for real. I’ve dabbled in Grampa Grumpy’s game, but I’ve never really played it. We’ll see how that goes.

My character is a goblin trader. He’s got eighteen kids. Yeah, I’ve got the kids with me. Also got a gobbo “wife” with severe jealousy issues. His other wives just keep disappearing. Or getting poisoned. Or drowning. Funny how that happens.

Of course, picking this kind of character is intentionally pushing the limits of what a Generic and Universal Game claims it can do. Namely, “handle any kind of character.” We’ll see.

Of course, I also have the goal “have fun.”