751

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

Most games do require the creation of some sort of character, because of various stats that the characters have. Without some sort of number to represent skills, there's no way to determine success or failure within a dice-based system.

That isn't to say you can't "be yourself" - there's no need to go into trying to be an Ork Rigger or something in Shadowrun, when you can just be a human with no magic or anything named Fig Newton. I played simple warriors and thieves for years in D&D before moving on to magic-using classes (bard and paladin primarily, for those wondering), and while I'm not too familiar with Shadowrun yet I'm sure there's some pretty simple ways to build a character that won't take much effort to play.

752

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

Lots of reading, but being introduced to tabletop RPGs in general is hard to do with just reading a particular rulebook. You can get a lot more feel for a particular system while creating characters. Because we're all sorts of different skill levels, from very familiar with Shadowrun to not familiar with that system at all (me) to not familiar with RPGs (you, Teague), working together to create characters will get a feel for the party as well as explaining a number of things needed for the game.

If the reading legwork is too intimidating - and again, that's totally okay - just show up on Monday with some six-sided dice (aka "dice" to non-gamers) and a willingness to learn.

For those that this means anything to, my first RPG was AD&D 2nd Edition. I knew basically nothing of the rules, I just showed up and the other players helped me figure things out. (I was also 13 at the time, my uncle was the DM, and my Dad was one of the other players, but still.)

If that all meant nothing to you, it means I started out in the deep end of RPGs without having had any swimming lessons, but my fellow players kept me afloat and taught me to swim, and we'll do the same for anyone else who's interested this time around.

753

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

Added. I'll try to familiarize myself with the ruleset before we start. Will we be creating characters on Monday?

754

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

Fun fact: given enough of something you begin to get delusions of grandeur.

I AM A GOD

http://pressenter.phispace.net/Photos/Dice%20Collection%20April%202015.jpg

(Actually godling, my dad's collection is easily five times as big, maybe ten.)

755

(15 replies, posted in Off Topic)

An idea might be having subforums, so that Movie Club and Gamin' Dungeon could be inside of Off Topic. Alternatively, I don't know how easy it is to move them around, if it starts as a seperate one but six months down the line it fizzles and could get rearranged as an OT subforum.

756

(108 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I wanted to be a video game designer, largely in part to the awesome interview at the end of the strategy guide for the game Diablo. Fast forward quite a few years, I get to college to get a Computer Science degree and find out that I can't code worth beans, squeaking by with C's my freshman year because I documented the hell out of my programs to say why they should have worked even if they didn't. Sophomore year I walked into a math class for CompSci, took the "you should know this stuff by now" pretest, then NOPED the hell down to the registrar to switch to the only major that had anything resembling film classes, because I was really digging this whole Star Wars fanfilm thing I'd been getting into the last few years. I ended up knowing more than the teacher of the "film" class but that's okay. I met cool people, including my wife, and graduated with a Professional and Technical Communications degree (combo tech writing and graphic design). Eventually I ended up where I am today, as a wedding videographer. I hope it's not what I do the rest of my life, but it could certainly be worse.

What's an opinion you have now that a younger version of yourself would be appalled at?

757

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

If Mondays are under discussion then I'll cast my vote thataway. I tend to have most of them off.

758

(93 replies, posted in Creations)

A slight flare in the port fusion reactor when powering up from a dead stop tongue

759

(93 replies, posted in Creations)

The original Pyro-DX from Descent I + II will always be the best <3 The D3 ones are neat but not the same.

Er I mean. tongue

Really digging the texturing work so far, Owen. It's got this aesthetic of being a rusted out 70's Chevy... in space. I can imagine its engines not firing quite simultaneously so it rocks a bit on its frame, like when you see a truck with the brakes out of whack and the bed rocking around when the truck starts moving again.

760

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

Ah right, setting. I prefer sci-fi over fantasy but can do well in either. (I'd also prefer sci-fi because I'm in a semi-weekly D&D 5th Edition campaign in the Forgotten Realms setting, so sci-fi'd be a nice change of pace.)

761

(149 replies, posted in Friends in Your Dungeon)

I've used a roll20 plugin for Hangouts, it worked great.

I'm in, would just need to figure out the webcam situation (have a headset for audio though).

762

(36 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Oh shelter names. Ronon was posted with the name "Carter", but his earliest medical record with them suggests he came in with the name "Gremlin".

RE: sleeping puppies. Ronon curls in a tight little ball when sleeping, while my boss' two Bernese Mountain Dogs sprawl like nobody's business. I wonder if the thickness of the coat has anything to do with that.

763

(36 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Awww. Great photo, and Ben looks like a great companion.

764

(36 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Also because I am a sucker about such things I must point out BarkBox. 25-30 USD a month with roughly 40-50 USD worth of treats and toys and stuff.

765

(36 replies, posted in Off Topic)

:3

We got our dog, Ronon (after Ronon Dex, Stargate: Atlantis) in late September, coincidentally on our one year wedding anniversary. He's a German Shepherd/Doberman mix.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10710905_10154671483345641_3925110463390764164_n.jpg?oh=c9483c5f78a5ec9f416b0b981662a215&amp;oe=55AF6AB5&amp;__gda__=1437098720_498e2dbfc22ce1b9393606004f196795

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10421269_586049327074_7213998040008946797_n.jpg?oh=ebddf976cabf9b6899a476c408e29779&amp;oe=55B48309

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/q81/s720x720/10444585_591552398874_8072860985435033787_n.jpg?oh=1f6f6c6f8a430c6a595df8b6be14153d&amp;oe=55A3548F

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/p480x480/154525_586049127474_3478297816814511559_n.jpg?oh=4a75fe34c9850aaf3debb1b9192d6409&amp;oe=55AA1950

I actually don't have any good ones from this year. That last one is from October or so but he's only packed on between 5-10 pounds since then, he's about 50 right now at a year and three months.

766

(1,649 replies, posted in Off Topic)

That was amazing, thanks so much for sharing. I'm going to watch it five more times now if that's okay with everybody else.

Phi wrote:

If I upload four 1.5 gb video clips to an undisclosed location is that workable? They're right off the camera. Or should I shrink them first?

If shrink them is the way to go, what settings are good these days? I'm feeling strong TF.n deja-vu asking that question...

I wasn't using any of my Google Drive footage so I just uploaded it there, giving Teague more than that. I assume after he said to me "rad man, thanks" he printed up my new headshot and used it as a dartboard.

768

(0 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I was rather fond of my bachelor party, but it pales in comparison to taking the groom-to-be on an all-day, twenty mile journey through one of his favorite franchises of all time.

769

(11 replies, posted in Off Topic)

My boss got an Epson, supposedly so we can display same-day edits at weddings but more often it's hooked up in his basement as the primary tv/movie/gaming screen of the house. Hasn't had any problems over the last two years or so. Don't know the exact model, though.

770

(670 replies, posted in Creations)

Very well written, Teague. Though I can't speak to the VFX specific side of things, my internship at a wedding video company went much the same way - take time on what's assigned, be awesome, a good demo reel, etc.

One thing I'd add is, don't be afraid to ask questions. When I have interns working under me now (went from intern to lead editor in two years, granted it's a small company but still), I'd rather they ask a somewhat stupid question than try to stumble their own way through it for an hour. It'll frustrate them, it'll waste time, and while they may eventually find out a way to do it, chances are it won't be the best way to do it.

Also, I was going to try to give you a Diet Coke. I spent about twenty minutes looking for a video whose title I can't remember for a version of this with no text. Then I looked closer and realized it was a Diet Pepsi. Never could find what this originally belonged to. But, thought that counts.

http://pressenter.phispace.net/Photos/DontFeedFig.JPG

771

(2,068 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Watched Kingsman last night. Though I'd enjoy it from the cast, premise seemed a bit too silly to me from the trailers, but apparently I hadn't accounted for it basically being a British film. I loved it, even when the last act flipped the switch from taking the spy movie premise seriously to a more lighthearted homage to the genre.

Also, someone really likes wide angle lenses. I can describe two shots the next day that used them (both with strong center framing and should-be-vertical lines) and know there are a few more I'm forgetting. Oh, and entire sequence with a dynamic camera that was probably wide-angle as well.

772

(6 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Only one I've read was a gift, Moving Pictures. Thoroughly enjoyed it, though, and it's been too long since I gave it a re-read.

773

(356 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I guess these guys have been around for a while, but I just discovered Me First and the Gimme Gimmes today as a coworker was playing them. Ehhh let's go with this one, but they've got 7 or 8 albums.

774

(149 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I have Star Wars Racer on my OC and still play now and again. I'd love to get a cabinet from the arcade version and somehow patch the full game into there.

/nowthisispodracing

775

(35 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I don't see how you could make a drop with something in it. Their "manufacture" is very chaotic, you can't just place something inside.