Spy-Fi and Modern Military Widget

Came across this little generator today. Very useful in generating codenames for operations and projects, be they espionage, or military actions; think Operation Gothic Serpent, or Project Blue Book... now you can have Operation Field Gazelle and Project Orange Drought.

I give you:

Project Codename.

Qumari Police Emblem

With a recent purchase of Force on Force, and some lovely miniatures and vehicles from Empress currently whisking their way to me as I type, I've decided to set my Middle East scenarios around the Sultanate of Qumar. Qumar, a key U.S. allied nation north of the Straight or Hormuz, has a somewhat problematic human rights record and a growing insurrection.

I've started binge-watching all the West Wing episodes featuring Qumar to glean as much of it as I can. I'm fairly certain that it is an Arabic speaking nation rather than Farsi, despite being carved from what in our world is Southern Iran (Al No'mari played Abdul Ibn Shareef, and spoke to President Bartlett in what can be assumed to be his native tongue, I have yet to check with someone more knowledgeable about whether that was Arabic or Farsi, but given No'mari's heritage, Arabic seems more likely). Assuming the Arabic language, and reflecting Qumar's status as a former British Protectorate, this is my first draft of the Royal Police insignia for the police car doors (RQP cars will look like a cross between Kuwaiti Traffic Police and Iraqi Police designs).

Making modifications to 'the only fantasy world map you'll ever need' because I needed more Africa and Asia. Still debating where to put my Skraelings... in a pocket in the moutains of what would be Asia, or off the map to the west.

Originals by EotBeholder:

Fantastic Heraldry

Quite busy with the move. All hobby supplies (save one little EM4 mini sitting by the computer) have been packed and mostly transported. Even the computer is gone... I type now on an old laptop. Going to be like this for a while, until summer when the house is complete, and we've unpacked.

Until then, I've been worldbuilding the old fashioned way... in spiral notebooks. Getting ideas together in anticipation of my kids playing D&D...

So, since I have a moment, here is what I've been working on:

Fantasy World Heraldry Guidelines (WIP)

Under the Imperial system there were seven castes; commoners, yeomanry, gentry, peerage, nobility, royalty, sovereignty (listed in ascending order).

Commoners were not granted, and not permitted, arms of their own.

Yeomanry were permitted a simple arms of 3 complexity points. Each color, charge, field division, and non-standard line was worth one point. Thus, upon entrance to a military order, a new knight was granted arms, typically in the Order's colors, featuring a single charge, division, or ordinary. For example: Argent, a cross sable (3 points = 2 colors + 1 cross).

Gentry. Should an exceptional knight be awarded a holding, he or she was authorized an additional point of complexity (4 points total). In this case our knight added an ordinary: chief sable. The most common modification was to add a line of division and countercharge.

Peerage. Attaining a position in the this caste was difficult, and those who attained it were awarded another TWO complexity point (6 points total). In the case of our knight, she has added three griffon heads, in a third color, to the chief; the number of heads is immaterial as the group is counted as a whole.

Nobility. Again as our knight advances in status, she is awarded the right to make her Arms more complex (7 points of complexity in all) as well as the right to use a bordure - in this case she has altered the line on the chief.

Royalty. Really getting up there now. Royals are permitted another point of complexity (total of 7 pts.) and the use of furs. Our knight has chosen to alter the field to ermine.

Sovereignty. The top level has no real limits on what they can or cannot do, however there are no known examples of an arms bearing more than eight points of complexity - represented here in with a bordure or.

Of course the addition of complexity was a privilege not a requirement, and there were humble knight-kings who bore simple arms of three complexity points.

Terrene Map – NW Continent

New group of players about to start a Castles & Crusades campaign. I’m looking forward to some old-school dungeon crawls (kill things, steal their stuff). While I don’t have an overarching theme for the campaign (other than “kill monsters, steal their stuff”), I have been plotting out a campaign map – which has tied into something I’ve been toying with for years.
I was living in Kaga when Ace Combat 5: Unsung War came out and I snatched it up and poured through it.  I really enjoyed the fictional world of “Strangreal” – and it struck me as a fantasy RPG world brought out of the mythic era into the modern age.  Since that time I’ve wanted to make something similar.  Now I have the chance.
The map above focuses on the pseudo-EuroAfrican continent.  In the Mythic Age the major powers will include a Teutonic empire, a Skraeling dominated wildland, and a Moorish/Spanish kingdom.

UPDATE – 17 JUNE 2012
Well, I killed the party 4 times, with goblins and two gnolls. The farthest they made it from their cell was room 5. Basically old school D&D had a certain Darwinian aspect to it – you rolled your character (including those 1st level HP) and if you died you rolled up a new one and he/she was found bound and gagged in the next room. But newbie RPGs are all “I like my character,” and eschew replacing the horribly weak, evolutionary dead-end, characters. Instead they just want you to give them more HPs. Yep, “give.” WTF?
Soooo Castles & Crusades was a bust, since the game was hosted at one of the players apartments, and he was particularly un-fond of D&D – in an effort to appease and find a better fit with the play-style of the group – we decided to return to our Delta Green/Realms of Cthulhu game.
Yes – D&D was too deadly so we are going to go with Cthulhu… I know.
Still this is cool for me – I started blogging to support my Delta Green campaign and that blog was expanded to become 10x28mm. It’s a nice return to home in a way. My host gets to shoot things (his request), most people have characters already, and I get to put them in mortal/preternatural danger on a regular basis.

State of DisUnion

So visitors to this blog (admittedly a very small group as I don’t think even my players pop in – so basically that means “me”) will notice that I really suck at keeping a blogging schedule.  I’m full of intention – “blog posts every Tuesday from now on” but always fall behind.  This was originally compounded by the fact that I would make separate blogs for different RPG projects… when a project was shelved the blog would go months (or years) without an update.  In my general effort to degooglfy my existence (screw your privacy agreement Google) I decided to combine the archives of my 6-7 Blogger blogs into this blog about a month or so ago.
And then I didn’t post anything for a while… I fixed some tags and reuploaded some pics that got lost in the transfer (though there is still more to fix) but that was it.
So what has been going on… well I have more interviews that don’t result in full-time employment. My son had his first birthday.  I’ve run a few Daring Tales of the Sprawl (Savage Worlds cyberpunk) games and played in a couple Marvel Super Heroes games. Been painting and collecting minis and vehicles.  Planning on a big life change in the next 6 months or so… big move back to the JPN.
At paint night I continue to start projects more than finish them – though 5 Copplestone scavengers and 7 Artizan/Foundry/Unknown western figs are waiting merely burnt grass flock. And a platoon of 12 Dust Tactics US Infantry are nearly finished painting close behind.  I still need to work on coming up with a paint scheme before I start laying color – the Copplestone troopers have been Simple Greened 3 or 4 times already as I start over – however I think I have their scheme figured now.
Purchases have been a lot of vehicles – several 1/50 Hotwheels G Machines as well as a few 1/50 diecasts from Solido, Jada and other manufactures to go with bigger scale minis I have.  I also got a number of Siku, Lledo, Jada and Majorette 1/55-ish pieces to complement my collection of more true-scale vehicles for 28mm.  Vehicle scale continues to be a multi approach deal – I pick up 1/55s as I see them and 1/50s as well.  50s I think look best with larger minis like Reapers and Victory Force, but the 55s are much better suited to most of my 28s – Foundry, Copplestone, EM4/Grenadier, Artizan, TAG etc.  I have abandoned 1/43 though – going so far as to sell of a number of my grossly large 1/43 Russian trucks and such.  Since Honorable Lead Boiler Suit has pulled the 40mm UltraModern line I really have no use for the 43s anymore. Of course Eric and Tony think 1/43 is right on – ’cause of course the average man’s chin should come up to the window sill of a VW Beetle…  Sorry guys – most cars roofs are between sternum and nipple height compared to me… my Jeep is chin height and even my wife can see over the roof of the Fit.  1/55 is the stuff.
Played the 4th episode of the SW cyberpunk game last night – it’s finally gelled into a cohesive setting of general cyberpunk rather than any specific adaptation. And up on the horizon may be a post-apocalyptic game.  With limited time left to game in the US, and other friends looking to play, a second project for off weeks seems a reasonable idea.  PA gaming has been a draw to me for a while and recently it seems that many of my friends are interested in it too.  Currently I’m thinking about game systems/setting…

1. D20 Modern: Post Apocalypse – love the setting rules – find D20 too rules heavy given the rather unrealistic feel (yeah I’m looking at you levels and hit points).
2. The Day After Ragnarok (Savage Worlds) – ’bout as cinematic (read: not-gritty) as D20 but way less rules dense.  The setting is interesting – Nazi conjure up a Norse Apocalypse that is only averted with a nuke.  It’s post apocalyptic 1940s by way of Robert E. Howard.  Pulp world torn asunder by the non-Euclidean corpse of the Midgard serpent draped over Europe and Africa, leaking chaos. Sadly most of my minis and cars are post period.
3. Hell on Earth Reloaded (Savage Worlds) – also easy to run.  Basically Deadlands moved into the future.  The Weird West has been turned into the Wasted West by supernatural/nuclear/mad science apocalypse.  Mutants, cultists, gunslingers, zombies – basically all you need in a world where the Civil War ended in a cold war between the Union and CSA. Andrew wants to play a Fist of the Northstar type and this setting seems best for that…
4. Gamma World (7e) – briefly considered but really not appropriate for campaign play – as your character will have different abilities based on the cards dealt you from game to game… also GW is rather silly.
5. Atomic Highway – Newer system based on a d6 mechanic. Rules lite, with a customizable setting that can be as gritty as Book of Eli or include mutants and monsters ala Night of the Comet. Seems to have the best vehicle rules for a good Twisted Metal/Mad Max feel.

Must say that I lean currently toward Atomic Highway or Ragnarok currently – but I’m not decided yet…
So there – a post. Maybe the next one will come in a week… or whatever. Deal with it.