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Showing posts from May, 2021

converting b/x THAC0 to whitehack-style attack values

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edit: fixed!! instead of having THAC0 values which you use by basically rolling d20 >= that number and adding the opponent's AC (a table is usually included to be helpful), whitehack works by giving each player a specific attack value (AV) to roll d20 <=. to account for AC, you also have to roll > whatever value is indicated for the opponent's armor. in a way, it's "THAC9". anyway i like it better than THAC0 and i wanted to see how it would work in b/x or OSE or whatever. here is the table to convert from ose-style AC to whitehack-style AC. here are the AVs for clerics and thieves: for fighters: for magic-users (why not 'mages'???): yeah!

thoughts on gender-sex

this has been on my mind, and i woke up in a mood so i looked at what i had been writing about it. however, i didn't want to bring more negativity and instead wanted to make something more productive. i am a random person on the internet but maybe this is something interesting/useful for someone else. here i revaluate some definitions for words like 'transgender' and 'trans-sex' to call specific attention to fundamental differences between individuals who are altogether called 'trans' (i myself fall under the 'trans-sex' category [1]). i also talk about how certain discussions surrounding gender diminish the experiences of individuals who experience dysphoria, by treating gender as essential while simultaneously treating its relationship to the body as arbitrary. overall, i hope to develop a view of gender which distinguishes two things: gender as the categorization of individuals according to their sexual characteristics, and the essentialization of

critique 1: towards better critiques of games

i want to start this by saying that a critique of games does not really matter, and anyone who says otherwise has something in it for them (whether that's money, influence, or plain ol' enjoyment). at best, we should engage in criticism of the 'field' because it's a way to sharpen our minds towards other more important topics. there is a sort of irony in this attitude, in that our criticism of games itself becomes a sort of play, insofar as play is the emulation and practice of social forms. bearing this in mind, let's play critics and see how we can flesh out our understanding of tabletop games and the modes in which we play them.

LIKE-A-ROGUE: metaphor and metonymy

i meant to write this post a week or two ago but i got so busy! my friend Liber Ludorum ( twitter , blog ) pointed out this game to me one day to ask my opinion as an overzealous lacanian. here are my thoughts on LIKE-A-ROGUE ( link ) by @4illeen ( twitter ).

let's talk about small town gothic, part 2: dice

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you like pokemon ? how about megaten ? well i sure hope you do! here is the sort of bloated system i came up with in small town gothic to support fights between monsters of all (metaphorical or literal) sizes.