Recent content by mattman

I can't resist being the twit here: How about a smartphone app that displays the player's initiative number hovering over his head when you hold it up to him or his chair? C'mon, get to it someone.

Yes, holograms for starters :) Unfortunately I can't lower my sights any further than the below two visualizations of what I want for RPGs. I think that I'll just hop back on the bus and get off at the next decade... This is what I want for a technology-assisted tabletop RPG experience: The...

I loved my ragged copy of Deathworld when I was a kid. Give a paragraph that belongs in the Central Supply Catalog that fits the following narrative from Deathworld, 1960, Analog, by Harry Harrison. "This is the secret of the power holster," Brucco said, tapping the flexible cable. "It is...

I would like to play. Pls PM me. For me, private messaging is not working for some reason.

Shawn, I like that character sheet and your idea behind it. I also like the character's world info and especially the cultural prompts. Was that from a previous version of Traveller to put that on a character sheet or your idea?

I once had to portray a dark and sinister hyperintelligence. I faked it by shamelessly stealing all the terrifying tests and punishments from Alastair Reynolds' Diamond Dogs story about the Diamond Spire. The players still talk about it to this day!

INT is fantastic for saying the maximum skill die modifier. Thanks for that.

No shining Californian Star Treks or cartoon-gritty Star Warses, no offense. And yet, I want it set in a galaxy far far far away from this one, with no mention of Earth whatsoever. As far as humans are concerned, they've always been there and they have no memory of their origin. They might even...

"Skill advancement" in Traveller is such a pain in the ass for me as a ref, because virtually any answer I can come up for the person only seemingly takes away from the impression of the game. I basically wind up explaining that its a different sort of game in that regard: It's about collecting...

Also, add Frozen Synapse to your list. Hopefully there's a level editor or something to set up an encounter with: http://www.frozensynapse.com/

Those are all fantastic games and that is a great idea. I've been trying to approach this from a strictly "non-electronic" direction, using only what's available to the table top. I'm (personally) not comfortable with the "level of availability" of software or other computing devices for this...

I've been struggling with this very topic recently while preparing a Traveller campaign for next year. I'm confused. Are you saying, in your experience, that it's good to have "strings attached" and referee control and hooks over their ship or is it better for the game to let the players own it...

Ha! Ingenious! Makes me want to go through the 760 Patrons and do this too.

I remember the first time I saw that show. I walked past a television, ignoring it, when I saw what looked like X-wings obeying Newton's Laws Of Motion! On television! Cartwheeling in computer-controlled-engine-burst ballet. One of them wasted an enemy fighter and then a cut to the victorious...

Eh. You guys are a bunch of grumbly, curmudgeonly grognards :) Yes, you're quite right and very collegial about it but I bought it anyway. And by the way, I love your vids.