Home on Frank Mitchell's Blog

The 'Playing God' RPG

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 08:58:46 -0500

A play-through of Playing God, an RPG about being a deity.

A Non-review of Tunnels & Trolls: A New Age

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:56:57 -0600

Curmudgeonly grousing about the Quickstart for the new edition of Tunnels & Trolls

A Non-review of 'The Perilous Void'

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:19:00 -0600

A non-review of a system-independent supplement for any science fiction tabletop role-playing game.

A Note On The Front Page (2026-02-09)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:01:43 -0600

Explanation for dozens of modified files.

NOMAD Space Stations

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:15:39 -0600

Space stations in “Faster Than Light - Nomad”.

NOMAD Supercarriers

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:36:47 -0600

Super Carrier space ships in “Faster Than Light - Nomad”

Elf Warden Class for Shadowdark

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:31:51 -0600

Elf Warden “race-class” for Shadowdark

OpenQuest: Alternative Religions

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:51:31 -0600

Rules and suggestions for non-standard religions in OpenQuest

OpenQuest Quick NPCs

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 08:27:04 -0600

Shorter notation for NPCs in OpenQuest

On Lords of Gossamer & Shadow

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:51:52 -0600

In praise of the RPG ‘Lords of Gossamer and Shadow’, based on the Amber Diceless Role-playing system.

NOMAD Aliens: Ylem Wraith

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 10:25:28 -0600

Description and NOMAD stats for the bizarre extradimensional Ylem Wraiths.

NOMAD Aliens: Tlaqotl

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 09:41:32 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the mysterious insectoid Tlaqotl.

NOMAD Aliens: Tlakeli

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 08:58:01 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the insectoid hive mind Tlakeli.

NOMAD Aliens: Verduran Mission

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:42:10 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for a Verduran Mission sent to other planets as ambassadors.

NOMAD Aliens: Onyx Titan

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:09:31 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the towering, inorganic Onyx Titans

NOMAD Aliens: Sarn

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:07:25 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the bat-winged, star-traveling Sarn

NOMAD Aliens: Xarol

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:04:39 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat block for the singular synthoid Xarol

NOMAD Aliens: Verduran

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:02:04 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the diverse, plant-like Verdurans

NOMAD Aliens: Tlachatl

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 22:53:22 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the parasitic insectoid Tlachatl.

NOMAD Aliens: Tlapaku

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 22:53:14 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the technically inclined insectoid Tlapaku.

NOMAD Aliens: Tlatoku

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:38:08 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the violent insectoid Tlatoku

NOMAD Aliens: Tlaka

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:37:35 -0600

Description and NOMAD stat blocks for the caste-based insectoid Tlaka.

Re: Modified Articles (2025-10-25)

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 19:27:14 -0500

On the articles recently “modified”.

Solo Journal 1: The Isle of Dread

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 01:59:53 -0500

First part of a Quantum Dungeons exploration of the Isle of Dread

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 3: Dungeon

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 02:26:20 -0500

In the last installment I sketched out a region which I’ve decided to call Bergarus Vale after the Bergarus Mountains that loom in the northeast.

In this installment I will detail a dungeon in that region, the entrance of which is called called “The Radovol Door” or “The Door In The Pit”.

(Yes, it took me two years to finally finish this thing. I’ve had a lot of distractions. If I were starting this project today I’d probably use Shadowdark instead of DCC, but for now I’ll continue with DCC.)

The Island of Unmade Games

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 01:39:53 -0500

A list of planned RPG settings/systems, most of which I’ve blogged about, and which remain unfinished.

OpenQuest: Tutors and Trainers

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:53:21 -0500

OpenQuest rules for learning skills from tutors

Mages per Capita

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 18:01:13 -0500

An exploration of how many mages exist in a setting affects world building.

Gridless Rules

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 09:24:03 -0500

This article contains my default rules for running tabletop role-playing game combats without a combat map. This should work in all TTRPG systems with only a few minor adaptations.

(For a full discussion of alternatives, see Gridless Movement.)

Time

In the following discussion, a combat scene is divided into rounds during which all characters involved in combat take one or more actions. Characters customarily take all their actions on their turn. Depending on the system they may also take a reaction during someone else’s turn; this may or may not count againt the character’s total actions per turn.

Toward a Psionic System

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 22:10:39 -0500

Initial notes and thoughts about possibly multi-system psionics rules.

Injury System for 2d6

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 04:04:51 -0500

An alternate damage system for 2d6-based games.

Solo Journal 0: Introduction

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 17:35:26 -0500

An introduction to the Solo Journal series.

OpenQuest Character Generation

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 06:47:43 -0500

A walkthrough of character generation in OpenQuest v3.

Shadowdark Character Generation

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 06:27:32 -0500

My first Shadowdark character, generated by hand.

Quantum Dungeons Preview 5

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:22:39 -0500

In past posts I gave an overview of the draft Quantum Dungeons rules, created some characters, and ran them through three adventures (1), (2), (3a), (3b). I then did the same with higher level characters (4a), (4b).

In this last post in the series for now, I’ll add some conversion notes I wasn’t able to test, then give my final verdict on the game.

Conversion Notes for Dungeon Crawl Classics

While I didn’t run a DCC adventure, I did put together some conversion notes.

Quantum Dungeons Preview 4B

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:45:50 -0500

In the last installment, a group of six 8th level Quantum Dungeons characters have begun exploring the ship in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

See the previous post for an introduction to the six characters, and this part to explain why only six characters have braved this strange dungeon.

The Expedition Continues

At a Crossroads

The party reaches a decision point. Crossing their path is an unlit corridor, 3m (10’) wide. Ahead of them is a dimly lit section that comes to a T junction in about 15m (50’). Left, right, or straight ahead?

Quantum Dungeons Preview 4A

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 10:56:26 -0500

Well, I was planning to wrap up the series, but then two new drafts appeared in rapid succession, so I guess I’m doing a little more playtesting.

Notes on the New Draft

Changes that I noticed include:

Human 1st level characters may choose only a single Talent. Non-humans may choose no talents.
QD AC is renamed “DV” (Defense Value).
Two sample Patrons for priests.
A paragraph on Alignment.
A short section on 0-Level NPCs.

Quantum Dungeons Preview 0: Rules Summary

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:42:49 -0500

Omer Golan-Joel of Stellagama Publishing sent me a draft of his new project, Quantum Dungeons, which uses the Quantum Engine for dungeon crawling. Quantum Dungeons uses only six-sided dice but aims to remain compatible with OSR and Classic D&D dungeons.

The rules have changed quite a bit in the past few weeks, so I’m going to update this summary as the rules change or I find an error in my description.

Quantum Dungeons Languages

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 01:41:27 -0500

House rules for languages in Quantum Dungeons.

Quantum Dungeons Preview 3B

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 07:27:50 -0500

This is part B of the Shadowdark adventure begun in part A.

Recap

Concerned rangers sent Ragnar and his Crew to a creepy old house around which people were disappearing and berserkers and beastmen seemed to be working together. There they found a heap of bodies, beastmen and berserkers acting oddly, giant rats, a giant spider, a bear, skittering eye creatures, and odd of strange mucus which are probably nothing. So far the loot has been strange but sub-par.

Quantum Dungeons Preview 3A

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 04:04:51 -0500

Last time I ran characters from Stellagama Publishing’s upcoming Quantum Dungeons through an Old School Essentials adventure. This time I’ve chosen a longer adventure for Shadowdark.

Ragnar’s Crew

As a reminder, these are our six sample characters. I’m applying the “nerf” referred to in an alternate universe but not the wounds incurred in said universe. In other words, each character has one less Talent.

Name	Lvl	Skills	Talents (Species)
Aelfred	1	Combat 2, Stealth 1	Marksman
Berthold	1	Combat 2, Physical 1	Two-Fisted
Duri	2	Combat 1, Craft 2. Social 1	Dwarf
Giles	2	Combat 1, Physical 1, Stealth 2	Sneak Attack
Mithrius	2	Combat 1, Lore 3	Sorcerer
Ragnar	3	Combat 3, Physical 1	Armor Training, Heavy Hitter

Mithrius’s Spells: Respite, Sleep

Gold in a Silver-Backed Fantasy Economy

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 08:08:09 -0500

In previous articles on fantasy role-playing games I’ve argued for a silver economy in which gold is worth 100 silvers. I’ve also revised the weight of coins to a more reasonable 200 per kilogram, or 100 per metric pound. Finally I’ve introduce the concept of banks in fantasy role-playing games, which may also serve as temples, to mitigate the effect of players suddenly carrying ten time the coins.

The Role of Gold

What I haven’t addressed is the role of gold in such an economy.

The Weight of Fantasy Coins

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 03:40:21 -0500

How Many Coins Can You Lift?

For convenience, we assume all coins weigh the same. But how heavy is a FRPG coin in real-world units of mass?

In Shadowdark 100 coins occupy a Gear Slot, although the first 100 don’t count. D&D 5e uses pounds; 50 coins weigh a pound, which means each coin weighs 9.07 grams.

However, these are heavy coins. The historical denarius and drachma weighed about than half of that, between 4.3g (source) and 4.6g (source), with denarii growing smaller and less silver all the time. The sceat, predecessor to the English silver penny between the 5th and 9th centuries A.D., weighed only between 0.8g and 1.3g. (source) The modern British pound coin weighs only 8.75g. (source) Only the modern American half-dollar, rarely used, weighs more than our fictional coins, at 11.340g. (source)

Quantum Dungeons Preview 2

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 03:32:42 -0500

Last time I gave an overview of the rules for the upcoming Quantum Dungeons RPG from Stellagama Publishing. I also ran six characters through what was supposed to be a challenging combat, but which proved easier than I had heard.

Ragnar’s Crew

Name	Lvl	Skills	Talents (Species)
Aelfred	1	Combat 2, Stealth 1	Marksman
Berthold	1	Combat 2, Physical 1	Two-Fisted
Duri	2	Combat 1, Craft 2. Social 1	Dwarf
Giles	2	Combat 1, Physical 1, Stealth 2	Sneak Attack
Mithrius	2	Combat 1, Lore 3	Sorcerer
Ragnar	3	Combat 3, Physical 1	Armor Training, Heavy Hitter

Mithrius’s Spells: Respite, Sleep

Quantum Dungeons Preview 1.5

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:31:46 -0500

Questions linger about how easily Ragnar’s Crew conquered eight orcs in less than two rounds with six characters in an encounter known to be deadly.

Omar Golan-Joel saw the last post and decided to “nerf” first-level characters by giving them only one Talent. If he implements that rule change, Ragnar’s Crew might look like this:

Name	Lvl	Skills	Talents (Species)
Aelfred	1	Combat 2, Stealth 1	Marksman
Berthold	1	Combat 2, Physical 1	Two-Fisted
Duri	2	Combat 1, Craft 2. Social 1	Dwarf
Giles	2	Combat 1, Physical 1, Stealth 2	Sneak Attack
Mithrius	2	Combat 1, Lore 3	Sorcerer
Ragnar	3	Combat 3, Physical 1	Armor Training, Heavy Hitter

Mithrius’s Spells: Respite, Sleep

Quantum Dungeons Preview 1

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:21:12 -0500

Rules

::: note 2025-07-21: This summary is obsolete; I leave it here to explain the rest of the text. Please see this summary instead. :::

The Quantum Engine

To determine the success or failure of an action, players and the Referee throw two six-sided dice (2d6), add any modifiers, and try to meet or exceed a Target Number determined by the situation. Quantum Dungeons introduces Advantage and Disadvantage dice: throw 3d6 and total the highest two if the player has Advantage, or the lower two if the player has Disadvantage. Advantage and Disadvantage cancel each other out.¹

Dwarf Expert Class for Shadowdark

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 20:10:02 -0500

Dwarf Expert

Clever craftsmen, wily merchants, and veteran delvers with a lifetime of experience living underground.

Weapons. Club, crossbow, dagger, hand axe, light hammer, mace, shortbow, shortsword, spear.

Armor. Leather, chainmail, shields.

Hit Points. 1d8 per level.

Languages. You speak Common and Dwarfish.

Dwarf Defender Class for Shadowdark

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 19:11:30 -0500

“Dwarf Defender Class” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Dwarf Defender

Stout defenders of Dwarfkind and those to whom they have sworn their loyalty.

Weapons. Club, crossbow, dagger, greataxe, hand axe, light hammer, mace, shortbow, shortsword, spear, warhammer.

Armor. All armor and shields.

Hit Points. 1d10 per level.

Languages. You speak Common and Dwarfish.

Clash of Steel Playtest

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:35:23 -0500

On March 8, 2025 I ran a playtest of Clash of Steel from Zozer Games. Here are my (much delayed) playtest notes.

The Adventure

Taking a cue from one of the adventure seeds in the back, the adventurers start by witnessing five boys being flogged by the royal guards. A distraught old man reveals they are his sons, who approached the king to tell him their taxes would be delayed because some thing was killing their flocks of sheep. The king accused them of lying, hence the flogging.

Players Roll All D20s

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:20:29 -0500

So, I’m trying to figure out how to do a “players roll all dice” version of d20 where the probabilities remain the same for both sides.

Addenda to the d20 SRD suggest that enemies receive an Attack Score equal to 11 + their normal attack bonus and make Defense Checks equal to 1d20 + (AC - 10). However, when I brought this up on a Discord server, one user insisted that I should use (AC - 11), and indeed 11 across the board to convert static DCs to bonuses and vice versa.

Myrkheim, Land of the Dwarfs

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:14:45 -0500

Originally I created Myrkheim for Clash of Steel, but I’ve transplanted it into Shadowdark for an upcoming “mostly humans” campaign using some version of my ancestry classes instead of the usual Ancestry rules.

This write-up works for any world where Dwarfs exist but are rare in most human lands. In my settings the Dwarfs have significant influence over the lands between Myrkheim and major trade routes. In one they effectively control the feckless human government; in another they have a “seventh city-state” of mixed humans and Dwarfs along the river that connects Myrkheim to the nearest seaport. In the Shadowdark setting they rely on their own fortified settlements along their land trade route and the relative peace brought by the Empire.

A (Revised^2) Report on SLAN: Scheme List-Atom Notation

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:40:40 -0500

::: note

CHANGES (2025-06-13): Since R1:

Removed restrictions of character encodings, in line with ELTN; any bytes outside the ASCII range remain unchanged.
Converted the formal grammar to official EBNF.
Removed rejected proposals.
Moved Java APIs to a new page.
Replace Lua string escapes with SRFI-75.

CHANGES (2025-06-14): spell-check.

:::

Introduction

SLAN is the Scheme List-Atom Notation¹, because I really wanted the acronym SLAN. Like XML, YAML, JSON, TOML, and my own ELTN it’s a language for describing data structures, not performing calculations. In SLAN everything is a list of “atoms” – strings, numbers, “symbols”, and booleans – and other lists.

SLAN in Java

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 14:34:20 -0500

These are the Java APIs that might implement SLAN.

SLANPP: The SLAN Pull Parser

One might write a Pull Parser to parse SLAN with an interface like this.

public interface SlanPullParser {
    public enum SlanEvent {
        SYNTAX ERROR,
        START_STREAM,
        START_LIST,
        END_LIST,
        SYMBOL,
        STRING,
        NUMBER,
        BOOLEAN_TRUE,
        BOOLEAN_FALSE,
        EMPTY_LIST,
        END_STREAM
    }

    public boolean hasNext() throws IOException;

    public void next() throws IOException;

    public SlanEvent getEvent();

    public String getString();    // value of SYMBOL or STRING

    public boolean isNumber();    // if NUMBER or maybe number-like STRING

    public Number getNumber();    // converts string ... if possible

    public boolean isTrue();      // not BOOLEAN_FALSE or EMPTY_LIST
}

And here’s one way one might use it:

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.2

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:41:50 -0500

::: note

CHANGED 2025-06-06: Since 0.9.1:

Clarified role of Nil in parsing, serialization, and deserialization.
Rearrange “ws” (whitespace and comments) productions in top-level EBNF.
Added form feed and vertical tab as whitespace characters.
Fixed error in “hex_number” production.
Added explanation of root of ELTN Path.
Minor rewording.

CHANGED 2025-06-14: spell-check.

CHANGED 2026-01-10: fix markup / markdown.

CHANGED 2026-01-18: remove UTF-8 character in source.

:::

Objectives

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN) provides a text representation of data drawn from syntax of the Lua programming language in the same way JSON draws from JavaScript / ECMAScript. The author envisions ELTN as an alternative to TOML for configuration and manifest files, but ELTN could also play a role in data exchange similar to JSON in exchanging data over HTTP or raw sockets.

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.1

Sat, 31 May 2025 09:50:09 -0500

::: note

CHANGED 2025-05-31: Since 0.9.0:

Rearranged sections for better readability.
More speculative sections moved to Appendices.
Tightened up some language.
Removed booleans as table keys.

CHANGED 2025-06-04:

Fix minor typos in text.
Add link back to previous version.

:::

Objectives

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.0

Fri, 23 May 2025 08:14:38 -0500

Objectives

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN) provides a text representation of data drawn from the Lua programming language in the same way JSON draws from JavaScript / ECMAScript. The author envisions ELTN as an alternative to TOML for configuration and manifest files, but ELTN could also play a role in data exchange similar to JSON in exchanging data over HTTP or raw sockets.

As a strict subset of the Lua programming language, ELTN owes a great deal to Lua’s authors, Roberto Ierusalimschy, Waldemar Celes, and Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo, as well as its many contributors and maintainers over decades.

A Specification of the ELTN File Format (v0.6)

Sun, 11 May 2025 22:23:56 -0500

::: note

CHANGED 2025-05-11:

Preserved old version in ELTN Past.
Incremented version to 0.6
Fixed missing text under Streaming ELTN.
Removed “changed” notes in the text.
Removed sections on rejected features.
Removed links to “in-progress” implementations.
Ran through spell-checker.

CHANGED 2025-05-13:

Added line numbers to all examples in use cases.
Added two missing fixed-length tokens.

CHANGED 2025-05-18:

Renamed “var” to “def”, as in definition.
Remove dependency on UTF-8. Parsers should handle any encoding based on ASCII, and pass any unfamiliar bytes in strings and comments straight through.

:::

Timeless Threats: Antigod

Sat, 10 May 2025 18:08:26 -0500

Introduction

antigod (plural antigods)

(mythology) A preternatural being opposed to the gods.

An Antigod is a being opposed to one or more Deities, either through personal enmity or by representing the antithesis of what those Deities stand for. Examples from mythology include the Greek Titans, the Norse Giants, the Indian Asuras, and the Christian Devil.

If Deities are good (in their own minds and those of their worshipers), it stands to reason that Antigods must be evil (in the eyes of the Deities and their followers). Most Antigods embody traits that few religions endorse: malice, anger, greed, gluttony, pride, ignorance, indifference, and destruction for destruction’s sake. While Deities thrive on worship, Antigods draw sustenance from terror, horror, and hatred.

Monster, Void King's Court for Shadowdark

Sat, 10 May 2025 10:27:18 -0500

“Monster, Void King’s Court” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Void King’s Court

The Void King dwells in a huge cube-shaped citadel, 32 kilometers (20 miles) on a side, somewhere in an uncharted Void Zone. Few have been in its vast airless labyrinth and lived to tell the tale …

Monster, Adonic Angel for Shadowdark

Sat, 10 May 2025 09:17:32 -0500

“Monster, Adonic Angel” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

In the world of Adon, a minor god named L— grew in fame and glory to become the only god of that desert world, thanks to the efforts of his creations, the Adonic Angels. When the one now referred to only as the Most High discovered the multiverse, his angels followed him into a grander battlefield. They won many battles against Chaos, and razed the benighted world of Erebus.

Magic Item, Grigori Artifact for Shadowdark

Sat, 10 May 2025 09:12:37 -0500

“Magic Item, Grigori Artifact” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The Grigori Empire appeared in the Mythic Age. They challenged the Builders to a war in the skies that rearranged the landscape. Eventually the Grigori left, apparently defeated. The Grigori left very few portable artifacts, mostly weapons and ships.

Timeless Threats: Deity

Sat, 10 May 2025 07:52:54 -0500

::: license

Chapbook typeface by Feòrag NicBhrìde, available here. This typeface is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/.

:::

Introduction

In the countless Worlds, some beings can only be classified as “deities”. These deities can produce calamities or work miracles on a grand scale. They have cults, sects, or entire religions dedicated to their worship, and priests of these sects can accomplish magical or miraculous feats. Sometimes these deities descent to earth in a mortal form or disguised as mortals, but most of the time their true bodies dwell in an earthly or extra-planar paradise of their own making. Only their senses, powers, and servants frequent the places where mortals dwell.

Timeless Threats: Relic

Fri, 09 May 2025 16:04:58 -0500

Introduction

Many fantasy worlds contain magic items that provide a small boost to combat or other common tasks, or carry extra items, or otherwise provide an incremental benefit (or curse) for the wielder.

A Relic is another thing altogether. Relics bend reality around them. Being imbued with sentience and power by a god, devil, or sheer antiquity, a Relic can sway the hearts and minds of an entire kingdom, break the known laws of nature and magic, or bear a blessing (or curse) coveted (or shunned) by all thinking beings.

Timeless Threats! Appendix A: Probability

Fri, 09 May 2025 15:39:10 -0500

This appendix breaks down the probabilities of all the mechanics used by Timeless Threats.

Diceless

Used by: Antigod, Deity, Devourer, Handler,

Gods and antigods do not play dice with the universe. All their abilities manipulate narratives, not probabilities. Their minions and incarnations operate under the rules of the Host System in the Worlds where they operate.
Devourers do not roll dice, but they provoke dice-rolling in other characters.
Handlers operate entirely under the rules of the Host System.

Timeless Threats: Occultist

Thu, 08 May 2025 07:04:59 -0500

::: license

Dearmach font © Feòrag NicBhrìde, available here. This typeface is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland.

:::

Introduction

Faced with a harsh, prosaic world, some minds rebel. They latch onto unsubstantiated beliefs about past lives, ghosts, Bigfoot, global conspiracies, psychic powers, a flat Earth, a hollow Earth, mythical civilizations with mystical powers, astral projection, extraterrestrials, ultraterrestrials, or worlds beyond their own.

Sometimes, by sheer accident or mysterious design, they happen to be right.

Timeless Threats: Phantom

Thu, 08 May 2025 06:23:02 -0500

Introduction

Existence is a privilege, not a right. The multiverse can erase those who now exist for many reasons: a timeline rendered impossible by irresponsible time travelers, a Shadow World already on the bringk of nonexistence falling into the Devourer’s maw, or an entire body of evidence wished away by a cabal of Revisionists manipulating consensual reality.

Whatever the cause, survivors of the vanished timeline, world, or evidence become Phantoms, their own existence gradually fading … assuming Devourers don’t come for the first.

Timeless Threats: Time Gem

Sat, 03 May 2025 10:23:21 -0500

Introduction

Time Gems first appeared in the hands of the Time Thieves, who used them to commit daring burglaries in the present and past. As the name implies, a Time Gem has the ability to alter time and to some extent space for a user with whom it has bonded.

Appearance

A Time Gem is a glowing amber stone, roughly oval, about 10 cm by 7cm by 5 cm.

Tactics

Time Gem users employ the Time Gem’s power to enhance their own movement and impede the mvement of others. The most powerful abilities of a Gem in that regard are Freeze, Haste, and Slow, Portal may be used to escape as well as travel to the past.

Timeless Threats: Time Guardian

Sat, 03 May 2025 08:39:07 -0500

Introduction

Since the solution to humans playing with powers they do not understand is apparently more humans playing with powers they do not understand, a mortal organization of Time Guardians has sprung up. They pursue Time Thieves using the same techniques, further polluting the time stream.

Appearance

Some Time Guardians wear uniforms and helmets that mark them as some form of soldiers or agents. Others attempt to blend in with the locals, although any “streetwise” characters, particularly Time Thieves, can identify them by their quasi-military bearing and slightly – or obviously – “square” behavior.

Timeless Threats: Revisionist

Fri, 02 May 2025 18:06:11 -0500

Introduction

Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem – neat, plausible, and wrong.

– H. L. Mencken

In the sciences and the humanities, dedicated and passionate researchers uncover new facts, formulate new hypotheses, and refine their hypotheses into provable theories. Even historians, whose work revolves around documents of sometimes questionable accuracy, are no less rigorous or skeptical than physicists or biologists. Slowly, in halting steps, our understanding of the physical world, of nature, and of humanity’s troubled past grows and improves. Sometimes scientists make wrong turns, but others step in to weed out the bad science and bad history and put our collective knowledge on the road to

About Timeless

Thu, 01 May 2025 09:55:46 -0500

The wacky idea I had last week took over my brain, and has now transformed into something like a real game.

Timeless is a “metasystem” that ties together independent characters in different tabletop roleplaying game systems into a single being, a Timeless, who incarnates in different parallel worlds at different times. I added more explanation, alternate mechanics, and a quartet of equally system-independent potential antagonists.

Consider this thing in pre-alpha development. I wrote it over a week, and it hasn’t been tested at all.

Timeless Threats: Devourer

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 18:24:28 -0500

Introduction

Devourers are incarnations of entropy. They have put dying worlds out of their misery and converted grim but habitable “shadow worlds” into so much rubble and empty space.

From the vast Wyrms of the Void Between Worlds to the small, innumerable clock-roaches that appear during temporal paradoxes, scavengers of the Devourer portend doom for a divergent timeline or fading world.

Appearance

Devourers typically resemble lower earth vermin of uncommon size. They seem made of a black plastic that glistens, but in the wrong places.

Timeless Threats: Handler

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:26:40 -0500

Introduction

Handlers work for a mysterious being called the Arbiter, who heads something called the Cosmic Balance. The Arbiter sends out Handlers to aid his agents throughout space and time, and collect their intelligence reports.

Handlers also act as brokers for just about everything an agent could need, if not always what they want. They negotiate in rough neighborhoods and dangerous areas, yet still keep to their principles of doing no (direct) harm. They walk unarmed, but can handle themselves in a fight.

Timeless Threats: Time Thief

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:26:40 -0500

Introduction

Humans, as is their wont, tread where wiser species dare not go. Thus we have humans who, having acquired magic that transcends time to a limited extent, set about stealing treasures from their own past.

Other time travelers have appeared every so often. Most have been scholars, or at least tourists, with some sense of responsibility. Some will remember the so-called TimeWatch, who tried to police time travel.

Blatantly plundering the past, however … there are just no words.

Timeless Threats: Discarnator

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:25:47 -0500

Introduction

Human fanatics stalk the Timeless during their Incarnations. They wish to destroy the Timeless, and have acquired a few nasty mystical tricks to do so.

Appearance

Most, but not all, Discarnators look religiously fanatic. either disheveled or obsessively neat in an archaic style. They often brandish a holy symbol and speak a litany of protection against evil in the face of a known or suspected Timeless.

Tactics

Discarnators masquerade as fringe religions with innocent-sounding names. Cultists start off as friendly missionaries, but soon their circle grows tighter around a suspected Timeless and becomes more threatening. At last the Discarnators make their move: kidnapping the suspected Timeless, locking them in an abandoned building, and subjecting them to tortures aimed at “drawing out the demon” or some culturally acceptable religious idiom.

Timeless: Timeless City Lore

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 16:32:53 -0500

You wake up … nowhere.

Timeless City is a sort of Limbo between Incarnations. Picture a town from 1930s America, or medieval England, or imperial China; it’s like none of them, or all of them. It’s what you want it to be. It’s what you fear it to be.

::: license Artwork copyright Nikola Avramovic, used with permission. :::

Places

The Diner

People eat at the Diner – food tastes exactly the way you remember – but mostly they talk. Rival factions of Timeless, Handlers conferring with their clients, old friends catching up … they’re all there. If anyone tries to stir up trouble, the Chef sends in some bouncers.

Timeless Lore

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:20:46 -0500

::: sidebar

Note

The author hates, hates, hates metaplot in role-playing games. The reader should therefore consider this merely one interpretation of the fiction underlying Timeless.

:::

Introduction

In order to answer deep philosophical questions about Timeless, I’ve put together some answers to questions nobody has yet asked.

The Classic Enigmas

What Are The Timeless?

We do not know. Some regard them as little more than psychic bundles of memories and emotional scars, misfiled memoirs in the Akashic Records. Others regard them as entities of the Psychic or even Causal Plane, able to meld with the minds of mere mortals for a time.

Timeless Rules

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:20:46 -0500

::: license

Vespasian font © Feòrag NicBhrìde, available here. This typeface is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/scotland/.

:::

Introducing Timeless

See “Many Systems, One Campaign” for more context.

The Frame

Players portray the Timeless, reincarnating eternally across space and time. In one incarnation they may fight a brutal war involving other Timeless. Tn the next, they find they are the ones who start it.

The Timeless break consensus reality to perform seeming miracles. Mundane consensus reality, however, is a powerful force. Every time the PCs break the laws of time, space, and parallel worlds, the metaverse has a chance to fight back. And it fights dirty.

Timeless: Tales

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:20:25 -0500

::: license

:::

::: note

Please first read the rules for Timeless. This document only explains differences between those rules and this variant.

:::

The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchhausen inspired this variant of Timeless. It demonstrates how simple a (small-s) storytelling RPG could be.

This variant of Timeless uses elements of Fate Core, specifically the Fate Point Economy. Please refer to linked pages for a more comprehensive explanation of concepts and rules.

Timeless: Timeless City

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:17:14 -0500

::: license

:::

::: note

Please first read the rules for Timeless. This document only explains differences between those rules and this variant.

:::

“Timeless City” owes a heavy debt to the Fighting Fantasy books of Steve Jackson (UK), and to official and unofficial sequels like Advanced Fighting Fantasy and Troika!.

Timeless: The Ladder

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:14:30 -0500

::: license

:::

::: note

Please first read the rules for Timeless. This document only explains differences between those rules and this variant.

:::

Psyche in Timeless: The Ladder

Psyche is divided into eight levels, each representing the average level at which the Timeless can bend reality.

Bending Reality

The Referee determines the Difficulty Level (DL) of a proposed alteration to reality according to the following chart:

Timeless: D20 Edition

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 06:14:07 -0500

::: license

:::

::: note

Please first read the rules for Timeless. This document only explains differences between those rules and this d20 variant.

:::

Psyche in Timeless D20

The Psyche score represents the modifier to the twenty-sider die that the player rolls when a Timeless attempts to Bend Reality. A newly created Timeless’s initial Psyche is +0.

Many Systems, One Campaign

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:45:37 -0500

Introduction

Often I find myself sighing, so many role-playing games, so little time. After writing a much longer and more tedious essay, I’d like to explain ways we can play multiple RPGs within the same campaign.

Why Do It?

So why entertain this strange idea of a multi-system role-playing campaign at all?

To sample other systems and settings.
To try other genres ill-adapted to one’s favorite system.
To capture the multiversal strangeness of Marvel’s Exiles, Moorcock’s Eternal Champion series, etc.

Prior Work

Many games contain elements of what I’m searching for, but I will restrict myself to three.

Astral Notes

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 22:17:19 -0500

The long article I didn’t post included some notes on Astral, an RPG I’ve talked about writing for years but on which I’ve yet to make any progress. I was considering Astral as a unifying mechanic for multi-system play, but decided it ran afoul of the Unifying System Paradox and possibly Shadowrun’s Netrunner problem.¹

The Astral Report

Astral’s main problem is Feature Creep in the “magic” and “crafting” systems. In brief, though, each character’s Astral Body would be defined by the following abilities:

Depletion for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Depletion

Some magic items and artifacts have a Depletion. This represents running out of charges, fuel, or some other energy source, or simple wear and tear. Instead of tracking those charges, roll a die to determine if the previous use of the item was its last.

Lesser Gods for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

While the Nine receive the majority of worshipers, the people of the Shadowdark Worlds appeal to lesser gods for their day-to-day needs.

Lesser Gods for Daily Life

Madeera the Covenant, Gede, or Ord handle huge sweeping concepts like law, nature, or secrets, but most people need a god to help them through the day. A fisherman or sea-traveling merchant needs a god of the see to hear his prayers for safety. A god of oaths and contracts must bear witness to a proud man’s boast. A god of the hearth or motherhood must see a busy stay-at-home wife through her many, many chores. To sooth their minds and salve their consciences, and maybe for a bit of luck this day, a commoner may stop into the shrine of a lesser god and donate some silver or sacrifice a small bird.

Magic Item, Void Ship for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

“Magic Item, Void Ship” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Void Ship

A huge, roughly ellipsoidal vessel made of some pitted black rock.

Benefit. By engaging the Void Engine, the ship can travel through the Void Between Worlds to any other physical world, or to another Void Zone. Setting a destination is a DC 15 INT check and requires knowing written Voidspeech.

Monster, Deva for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Deva

Free-spirited divine beings tending to mortals in their own way.

A female Deva is called a Devi.

Deva, Lesser

A blue-skinned humanoid with silver wings growing from the small of their back.

AC 15 (leather armor and shield), HP 25, ATK 1 spear +3 (1d6, magic) or 1 transform, MV near or near × 2 (fly), S +2, D +2, C +2, I +3, W +3, Ch +4, AL L, LV 5

Monster, Dwarf for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Dwarf

Dwarfs are short (1.2 m/4 ft.), stocky humanoids who dwell mostly underground in mines, caverns, and fine halls they have carved for themselves. Dwarfs are renowned as craftsmen and miners. Through adaptation and training they have learned to navigate the Shadowdark almost as well as the monsters they battle.

Monster, Elf for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Elf

Ethereal, ageless fey-people infused with ancient magic.

Elf Knight

An Elf clad in shining plate armor, carrying a shield and a sword.

AC 17 (plate and shield), HP 18, ATK 1 longsword +2 (1d8), MV near, S +2, D +2, C +2, I +1, W +1, Ch +2, AL L, LV 4

Monster, Empyrean for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Empyrean

Empyreans are divinities from another world at war with Cosmic Chaos. They send emissaries to other worlds who have yet to succumb to Chaos in what they call the “Cosmic Struggle”.

Guardians protect temples and other holy sites. Messengers carry the word of Empyrea to mortals. Luminaries assist humans, sometimes with object lessons. Archons ensure the proper working of natural law. Aeons command the others and maintain natural law.

Monster, Faction of Balance for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

“Monster, Faction of Balance” is an independent products published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The “Cosmic Struggle” as the Empyreans call it has driven many beings in many worlds to ally with the “Cosmic Balance” against both Cosmic Law and Cosmic Chaos. Grass-roots organization comes from Temples of Balance, where masters of martial arts and spy-craft teach ordinary mortals their arts. Above them are the mysterious Handlers, who receive intelligence and issue orders to each school or spy cell.

Monster, Lemurian for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

Lemurians ply the seas between worlds, trading wares from across the multiverse. Survivors of a sunken continent, Lemurians are known for their flashy fashion sense, their close-knit cultural ties, their language, and their “Lemurian Way”, a quasi-religious code of honor few if any Lemurian would violate. The Lemurian Way suits a culture of merchants and sailors who are warriors only when unavoidable.

Monster, Void Wraith for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

“Monster, Void Wraith” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Void Wraith

An unholy hybrid of corpse and machine in black robes, wielding a glowing black sword.

Void Wraiths enforce Voidborn laws, such as they are, and the whims of the Void King.

AC 16 (adamantine plate armor), HP 53, ATK 3 adamantine greatsword +9 (1d12+1d6) or 1 raycaster pistol (far) +7 (1d10) or 1 smite +9 (2d12+2d6), MV near × 2 (fly), S +4, D +2, C +4, I +4, W +4, Ch +4, AL C, LV 11

The Mysteries of Saint Terragnis for Shadowdark

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:01:19 -0500

“The Mysteries of Saint Terragnis” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The Saint’s Enigma

Those who travel the worlds find Saint Terragnis a mystery.

Unlike the other Nine Gods, or even the lesser gods, she was born human, within human history. Yet if the tales of Saint Terragnis were all true, she would have lived a dozen human lifetimes.

Magic Item, Portal Stone for Shadowdark

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 06:02:16 -0500

“Magic Item, Portal Stone” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Portal Stone

A plain, off-white oblong standing stone atop a plinth of similar stone. One side is blank, the other side is covered in Builder Glyphs.

Benefit. When used properly a doorway opens in the stone, through which you and your party walks to enter another plane or world. (See the spell Plane Shift.)

Psyche for Shadowdark

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 06:02:16 -0500

Psyche represents a character’s total psychic strength. An ancient artifact may require a Psyche Check to activate it, and some eldritch beings force a Psyche Check to oppose their powers.

Psyche Modifier

To determine your Psyche Modifier, add your INT Modifier, WIS Modifier, and CHA Modifier together. The total is your Psyche Modifier, sometimes abbreviated PSY.

The Origins of Humanoids for Shadowdark

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:45:46 -0500

“The Origins of Humanoids” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Many have wondered if and how the various humanoid species are related.

The Elf Hypothesis

Elvish tradition claims they gained sapience first, followed by humans and Dwarfs. Others emerged as blends or mutations of those three species. Traditionally, Elves do not recognize the Elvish or Orcish lineage of Half-Elves or Half-Orcs, considering them merely variant humans.

The Primordial Age for Shadowdark

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:42:20 -0500

And so the Primordial Age ended, and the gods fled. In their place rose mortals, and they scattered the earth with their shining kingdoms and lost ruins…

This is a speculative timeline of the Primordial Age.

Timeline

Relative to the wider multiverse, time in the Shadowdark worlds passes more slowly and more irregularly.

Magic Item, Raycaster for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 18:36:34 -0500

“Magic Item, Raycaster” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Raycaster Energy Crystal

A glowing crystalline sphere, emitting a rainbow of colors.

Benefit. Provides energy to a Raycaster.

Benefit. May be thrown up to Near range; when it shatters, does 3d6 points of damage.

Raycaster Pistol

A short brass metal rod tipped with an amethyst gem at one end and a glowing crystalline sphere at the other. A handle with a brass stud projects from the sphere end.

A Human-Centric World for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:11:19 -0500

“A Human-Centric World” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Standard fantasy role-playing games present a smorgasbord of player ancestries from standard elves and dwarves to cat people and shark people. Some GMs and players may hark back to simpler game and literary roots. These rules are for those GMs and players.

Alternate Alignments for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:11:19 -0500

“Alternate Alignments” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The GM may want to consider other alignment systems in their Shadowdark games.

For a grimdark world no alignment might suit the ethos better.
For my setting where “True Neutrals” actively oppose Law and Chaos, four alignments.
Other settings may prefer fewer than the standard three, or possibly more, or likely none.

Half-Orc Warrior Class for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:05:43 -0500

“Half-Orc Warrior Class” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Half-Orc Warrior

Hulking warriors whose brutish looks belie their keen intuition.

Weapons. All weapons.

Armor. All armor and shields.

Hit Points. 1d8 per level.

Languages. You speak Common and Orcish.

Insight. When assessing the behavior and motives of other beings, you make WIS Checks with Advantage.

Half-Elf Class for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:35:31 -0500

Half Elf

Children of Elf and human who can do anything a human can.

Base Class. Choose a class available to humans. Your Weapons, Armor, Hit Points, Talent Table, and other class features derive from this class. When a feature in the Base Class conflicts with this class, use the version in this class. You do not choose a Specialty.

Elf Noble Class for Shadowdark

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:34:59 -0500

Elf Noble

Equally adept at fighting and spellcraft, yet most comfortable in the wilderness.

Weapons. Club, crossbow, dagger, longbow, longsword, shortbow, shortsword, spear, staff.

Armor. All armor and shields.

Hit Points. 1d6

Languages. You speak Common and Elvish.

Feyblood. You have Advantage on DEX checks while in the natural wilds.

Languages for Shadowdark

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 17:25:12 -0500

Revised Language Rules

These house rules benefit settings with more languages than in the Shadowdark rules (p 32). In particular, each human culture or civilization would have its own language, as in the real world. The GM must not get carried away, however; more than a dozen or so Common languages and another dozen Rare and Extinct languages becomes unwieldy.

Magic Item, Elysium Grimoires for Shadowdark

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 05:40:18 -0500

“Magic Item, Elysium Grimoires” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The Elysium Codex

A blue, leather-bound tome with unrecognizable writing embossed on the cover.

In the Elysian Language, the cover and title page read, “Introduction to Sorcery, volume 1”.

Benefit. Anyone who reads this tome learns the Elysian language. If the reader is a Wizard, they also gain one level.

Magic Item, Benediction Supernal for Shadowdark

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:05:04 -0500

“Magic Item, Benediction Supernal” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

The Benediction Supernal

A white, leather-bound tome with a winged angel embossed on the cover.

Benefit. A lawful being who reads this tome gains a level and learns the Celestial language.

A chaotic being who reads this book must pass a DC 18 Wisdom check or lose one level.

The 'Verse for Shadowdark

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:19:22 -0500

Overview

These works rely on the following cosmology, called the Uncounted Worlds.

In the diagram below, every box represents a plane or world; every box cluster stands in for an unbounded set of worlds. Each line represents the ability to contact or travel into another world, with arrows indicating the direction in which beings usually flow.

Void Raider Compact for Shadowdark

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:44:43 -0500

“Void Raider Compact” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Void Raider Articles of Agreement

translated from Void Glyphs by an anonymous sage

All hail the Void King! All glory to the Void King!
By birth into this tribe, we solemnly agree to abide by the terms of these articles.

Hard Alignments Gods for D&D 5

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 17:09:44 -0500

The Hard Alignment system reduces Alignment to four: Lawful, Unaligned, True Neutral, and Chaotic. Most deities use the nine-alignment system introduced in Advanced D&D. Adapting deities to the new system may prove challenging.

Bypassing that, I propose a system based on the simple alignments, and another with a set of multiversal “lords” of each Alignment.

Powers That Be

A Cleric may dedicate themselves to the unnamed Powers of their Alignment. Below are the alternate names for the Powers of each Alignment and their primary Domains.

A Silver Economy for Shadowdark

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 22:20:04 -0500

This entire discussion replaces the entry for Coin (Shadowdark p 34).

The Silver Standard

In this house rule, one gold crown is worth 100 silvers. Read “The Ecstasy of Gold: Money in RPGs” for the exact reasons why.

	gc	sp	cp
1 gold Guilder (G) =	1	100	1000
1 gold crown (gc) ≈	1	100	1000
1 silver piece (sp) =	1/100	1	10
1 copper piece (cp) =	1/1000	1/10	1

Silver pieces may be abbreviated s, and copper pieces p.

Awe for Shadowdark

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:45:24 -0500

Introduction

Those who plunge into the Shadowdark may or may not be religious. All mortals must bend the knee, however, when they confront the truly divine.

Awe Check

When the GM calls for an Awe Check, they will specify the Difficulty Class (DC).

Horror for Shadowdark

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:45:24 -0500

“Horror for Shadowdark” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Introduction

Those who plunge into the Shadowdark may not be wholly sane, but they normally do not bolt or quail at the horrors down below. Yet some sights can unhinge even these jaded explorers.

Horror Check

When player characters first encounter something horrific, the GM will call for a Horror Check with a specific Difficulty Class (DC).

Monster, First One for Shadowdark

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:10:07 -0500

Monsters for my H. P. Lovecraft pastiche (or rip-off).

First One

Star headed, radially symmetrical creatures with five manipulators, five locomotors, and five wings.

AC 15, HP 45, ATK 5 arms (1d3 or weapon) or 2 kicks (1d4), MV near or near × 2 (wings), S +4, D +4, C +3, I +4, W +2, Ch +2, AL N, LV 6

Monster, Outer One for Shadowdark

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:10:07 -0500

Monsters for my H. P. Lovecraft pastiche (or rip-off).

Outer One

All Outer Ones have the following traits:

Horror. DC 12 Horror Check upon first seeing an Outer One.

Resistant to Missiles. Non-magical arrows, bolts, and bullets do minimum damage. On a critical hit they do double minimum damage.

Monster, Xothian for Shadowdark

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:10:07 -0500

Monsters for my H. P. Lovecraft pastiche (or rip-off).

Xothian

A giant with a vaguely humanoid body and a cephalopodean head on top.

AC 15, HP 84, ATK 7 tentacles (1d12) MV near or near × 2 (wings), S +5, D +0, C +3, I +2, W +2, Ch -4, AL C, LV 14

Monster, Astral Warden for Shadowdark

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:58:56 -0500

“Monster, Astral Warden” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Astral Warden

A tall, gaunt, pale figure with primitive clothes and a skeletal aspect.

Astral Wardens reside primarily in the Astral Plane. In a corporeal world, Astral Wardens gather in “creche villages” to conceive and raise young. The Astral Plane stops all biological processes.

Monster, Void Raider for Shadowdark

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:58:56 -0500

“Monster, Void Raider” is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Void Raider

Pale, towering humanoids with surgically sealed ears and nostrils, brass-rimmed lenses for eyes, and mouths shut tight.

A raiding party consists of 2d6 Void Warriors, one Void Lord, one Void Pilot, one Void Arcanist or Void Psion, 1d3 Void Techs (roll 1d6 for each: 1-3 Wartech, 4-5 Biotech, 6 Necrotech) and 1d3 Void Revenants.

Realistic Banking in a Fantasy World

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:25:32 -0600

::: note

CHANGED 2025-02-15: Small grammatical fixes for clarity.

:::

These are some rules I threw together for “realistic” banking in a fantasy world. They’re written primarily for Clash of Steel and the assumption that temples (or temple moneychangers) act as banks, but they should be easy to adapt to any system. Enjoy!

Realistic Banking in a Fantasy World

Quoting Clash of Steel:

Adventurers will amass silver coins and spend them on training and the honing of their skills, as well as weapons and more mundane items. Their savings should be lodged in a temple, with its god passing knowledge of this wealth to its other temples, allowing PCs to withdraw funds from any of that god’s temples.

The Adventurers' Guild Revisited

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:27:29 -0600

The Guild Structure

One of my fellow gamers called into question using medieval craft and merchant guilds as a model for my adventurers’ guild.

For context, the Adventurers’ Guild I first proposed would be placed in a region I developed for the Gygax 75 Challenge, specifically the town of Knight’s Haven. Earl Gareth, ruler of Bergarus Vale and founder of Knight’s Haven, used to be an adventurer himself, and wanted to harness the might of adventurers without creating an army. (Neither the King nor the neighboring Eastern Hegemony would take kindly to an army of experienced fighters, wizards, clerics, and thieves.) He therefore created an Adventuer’s Guild to help pacify and civilize the region without raising any hackles.

Fantasy Banking

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 13:46:26 -0600

Introduction

This essay asks a simple question: in fantasy tabletop role-playing games, how do characters carry their money?

The Encumbrance Problem

I’ll only link to the D&D 3.5 encumbrance rules. D&D 5e is somwhat simpler (and optional): character’s can carry their Strength score × 15 lb. Other games rate encumbrance as number of “items”. In the Clash of Steel RPG a character can carry 8 + their MIGHT score in “items”. (Starting character MIGHT ranges from 1 to 4.)

'Barbaric!' Character Generation

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 08:04:35 -0600

Introduction

Having just covered Clash of Steel, I realized that I never created a character for Barbaric!. Now in its second edition, Barbaric! shares the same Quantum Engine base system as Cepheus Atom and other games.

Making Characters

The basic steps of character generation are as follows:

Start with a character concept.
Distribute 5 points among six Skills, none higher than 3:
- Combat: attacking and defending
- Craft: expertise in a variety of tasks
- Lore: knowledge about the world and magic
- Physical: strength, agility, health
- Social: interpersonal interaction
- Stealth: sneaking and skulduggery
Choose an Archetype (pp 12-13).
Calculate Stamina: 14 + 3 × Physical
Calculate Defense: 8 + ½ Combat (rounded up)
Record starting Equipment: food and water for 3 days, a backpack, a waterskin, a knife, and 3d6×10 gold coins worth of items (pp 18-21).
If Combat is greater than 1, choose (Combat-1) Combat Moves (pp 14-15).
If Lore is greater than 0, choose (Lore) Spells (pp 37-39).
Decide on the character’s Name and Appearance.
Jot down notes on the character’s motivation and personality.

Rather than walk through all these steps I’m just going to show the final results.

Clash of Steel Character Generation

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:27:03 -0600

Zozer Games recently released the second edition of their RPG Clash of Steel. It’s been on my radar for a while. I bought the first edition but didn’t read too far in. (I noticed some characteristics were renamed in this edition.)

Having finally read¹ this second edition cover to cover, I’m ready to at least create some characters, and maybe compare it to the other sword-and-sorcery games I’ve read.

Making Characters

The procedure for creating a general adventurer differs from that of a Priest or a Sorcerer. Priests and Sorcerers are discouraged as regular player character adventurers, but I’m going to try one of each anyway.

Random Alien Tables 3: Dragon and Beyond

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 08:51:27 -0600

To create alien species for a proposed ongoing science fiction RPG I tried three alien generators then “uplifted” randomly generated alien animals.

Honestly I was relatively content with the “Uplift” method of random alien generation. However, recently someone referred me to a Dragon magazine article from 1981. I thought I’d try it out for comparison, then conclude this accidental series with some thoughts on procedurally generated alien species in tabletop RPGs.

Species 4, “Make Your Own Aliens”, Dragon 51 (1981)

Roger E. Moore begins “Make Your Own Aliens” as follows:

Teufel Notes

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 06:24:47 -0600

Related Projects:

These are random notes on my pie-in-the-sky language project, Teufel, including excerpts from other blog posts.

Someday, I hope, I’ll look back at this and laugh.

Excerpted from Unwanted Software Thoughts Syndrome:

Teufel

Well over a decade ago, I read Bertrand Meyer’s Object Oriented Software Construction, and thought it the bee’s knees. Since then, I’ve had experience with functional languages, dynamically-typed languages, and distributed computing. Meyer’s approach, and the Eiffel language, is one way to construct systems. As a whole, though, it’s a slow, brittle, and sometimes over-complicated way. Eiffel’s design also reflects not only Meyer’s personal preferences (unsurprisingly) but an earlier era where memory and processor cycles were much more scarce. Scripting languages like Lua, Ruby, and (ugh) JavaScript provide a complementary construction technique: less efficient but more flexible glue between Eiffel style “reliable components”. The nature of the Web and distributed computing also argues for a more function-oriented approach. A lot of Web programming is transforming GET and POST requests into HTML (or, lately, JSON) responses, with a few side effects.

Blasts From the Past?

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:12:40 -0600

Anyone who’s been watching my homepage the past few weeks have noticed that huge swaths of articles are being “modified” with little if any explanation. Here’s what happened:

A role-playing game creator asked me to preface my rules for his game with a copyright notice, as required by Creative Commons.
A second RPG creator, when asked, also suggested I make sure I give credit where credit is due.
I recently ran a link checker over my website and found not only broken internal links but links to deleted pages.

NOMAD Technology: Translators

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 01:12:53 -0600

::: license This work includes material taken from the XD6 System Reference Document by Stellagama Publishing. This Reference is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0. You can read more about this license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ :::

Translator

Technology Age: Late Atomic

Cost: 250 Cr.

A handheld device that translates between two languages for which it has a Translator Module.

Communication is necessarily slow because the device must listen to a sentence or two then repeat back the translation, just like a live translator. Depending on the language and quality of the module the translation may have problems translating idioms, figurative language, and slurred or garbled speech. The user of the device should throw Social to see whether the other party understood their intent, and vice versa.

Teufel Again

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 01:19:24 -0600

::: note MODIFIED (2024-11-22): Minor edits, further thoughts. :::

A video excerpt of Robert “Uncle Bob” Martin prompted some thoughts about the programming language I will probably never write, Teufel.

Encapsulation

In the video, Martin speaks of how the C programming language had strict encapsulation: a .h header file that provided the interface and a .c code file that provided the implementation. He then laments that nearly all object-oriented languages jumble interface and implementation together in one (or, worse, two) files, with compiler directives to make certain members “public”, “private”, “protected”, or other. (In Java that’s “package protected”.)

OpenQuest: Notes on Taluism

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 07:33:56 -0600

::: license This work is based on the OpenQuest System Resource Document (found at https://openquestrpg.com/srd), a D101 Games product developed, authored by Newt Newport with Paul Mitchener. OpenQuest System Resource Document © 2021 by Newt Newport with Paul Mitchener is licensed under Attribution 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

::: note FIXED 2024-11-12: Markdown cut off Other Skills column in Ranks.

OpenQuest: Faith and Invocations

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 03:47:56 -0600

Some religions not only do not use magic, they consider it an affront to their god(s). They have, instead, acquired powers of casting out demons, blocking spells, and resisting magic.

Implied Settings In D&D and Other RPGs

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 08:58:48 -0500

This YouTube video makes an interesting (if somewhat belabored) point: every RPG system carries implicit assumptions which imply certain setting elements.

(Note: the following discussion will refer to the creator of a world variously as the Dungeon Master (DM), Game Master (GM), and Referee, to match the terminology of each game system.)

Assumptions of D&D

To summarize the video, the implied setting of most Dungeons & Dragons and D&D-like games includes the following elements:

OpenQuest Variant Language Rules

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:04:59 -0500

Note: These rules are a work in progress.

OpenQuest: Domains

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 17:51:39 -0500

::: note ADDED 2024-11-02: Using Domains

Toward a Ritual Magic System, Part 3.6: Other Designs

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:52:55 -0500

Apropos of nothing, I’m going to address why I’ve chosen this particular design for the Ritual Magic System, and why I’m designing one at all.

Existing Work

While as stated previously the major inspiration for the system comes from the magic system for King Arthur Pendragon, 4th Edition, I’m drawing from a number of other systems I’ve seen and liked over the years, including:

Barbarians of Lemuria and Everywhen, Sorcery
Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, Sorcery
Carcosa (Lamentations of the Flame Princess), Sorcery
Castle Falkenstein, Sorcery
D&D 3.5 SRD, Incantations
Stormbringer 1st Edition, summoning demons
Ghosts of Albion, Magic
GURPS Thaumatology, Book/Path Magic, Energy Accumulating variant
The Laundry RPG, Sorcery
A Magical Medley (Fudge), “Occultism” system
Mythras, Animism

Features I like include:

Toward a Ritual Magic System, Part 3.5: Refinements

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 23:30:36 -0500

Right now I’m working on compiling the Ritual Magic System into a single document. One BIG missing part is actual rituals, which will be the next post I’m also working on.

Disciple of Balance (DCC)

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:24:47 -0500

A class for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG.

Normally I like the simplicity of Dungeon Crawl Classics’ small number of classes. However, when creating my world of Eordh I decided I needed a class similar to the D&D Monk (or “Mystic” in the Rules Compendium). The “Disciples of Balance” as they’re known in Eordh represent the True Neutral force of Balance the way that Clerics champion their Lawful, Neutral (Unaligned), or Chaotic gods.

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 2.7: Religions of Eordh

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 10:20:24 -0500

As I may have argued elsewhere, the primary unit of belief is not gods but religions. A religion may have zero, one, or many gods in it.

Below are the primary religions of Eordh in the Fifth Age and the gods (if any) they believe in.

The Imperial Pantheon

The Imperial religion practices syncretism. Sol Invictus is the Eastern god Mitra renamed, Perkunnus comes from the North, and Kel, Thalassa, and Nox come from the South. Even Mortifex, the evil god of Death and Undeath, has a place in the pantheon.

Morale for D&D 5e

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:35:13 -0500

D&D 5e and its cousins probably need to restore the Morale Check.

Old-School Morale

In old D&D monsters and opposing NPCs had a Morale score, which was a number between 2 and 12. The Referee would roll 2d6 and compare it to Morale to determine whether the monster or NPC would stay and fight or break and run. I’ve reproduced an example below.

If I ever DM again, for D&D 5e or any similar game, I may introduce a rule like the one below. This will help monsters act like real creatures, or at least prevent them from becoming XP farms.

NOMAD Technology: Robot Upgrades

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 16:56:45 -0500

More upgrades for your Faster Than Light: Nomad robots.

Cybernetics

Technology Age: varies

Cost: varies

A robot may have certain cybernetics installed in place of regular arms, legs, and equipment if the cybernetics provides an advantage that ordinary equipment does not. Robots do not incur Loss.

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 2.6: Systems

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 10:27:38 -0500

It’s been well over a year since I started this series. A number of new d20/OSR systems have come out since then, or are coming out soon. I’d like to run down the systems I considered, and see which ones may be better a better fit for certain ages of Eordh.

For what it’s worth my list for the Fifth Age of Eordh is still:

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Review

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:49:10 -0500

::: note Originally published on RPG.net. Some typos corrected. :::

Full Disclosure: Stellagama Publishing sent me a coupon for a hard copy of Faster Than Light: Nomad at cost after one I bought from Lulu.com was … not right. Otherwise I have received no compensation for this review.

Introduction

Stellagama Publishing’s Faster Than Light: Nomad provides a toolbox for space traveling, star-hopping adventures without the fiddly detail of some other systems in the same genre.

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 2.5: History of Eordh

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 04:28:52 -0500

Remember the Gygax 75 Challenge?

My article queue has three uncompleted articles in the series, and I’m trying to clear the queue … but writing a dungeon is hard. So I’m going to flashforward to “Week” 5 and start detailing the history of this proposed campaign world, mostly from a magical perspective.

::: sidebar This ran much longer than I intended. Sorry. :::

Before Human History

Years: at least 3000 years before the Era of Canon (B.E.C.)

I Have More Opinions About Comics

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:35:03 -0500

While I suspected I’d do at least one more “Opinions About Comics” post, I didn’t think I’d do it this soon. Mostly I was dissatisfied by the stuff I wrote in 2020 and didn’t edit (much), so this is sort of a redo.

Superheroes as Relics, Take Two

My paragraph and a sentence from last time essentially summarized the 1930s, reviewed Superman’s early history, then made a crack about fascism. First, I’d like to back up those claims:

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Probabilities 2

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:29:03 -0500

(This article refers to Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.)

Just showing off a new version of the Python script that I use to generate the probability tables for Nomad. It includes command line arguments to change parameters at runtime, and a much faster recursive algorithm to calculate probabilities. Same probabilities though, just with more dice in something less than several minutes. (Or hours … or days …)

The Table

./rollkeep.py -b 5

Fountain: I Have Some Notes

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:46:02 -0500

First off I’ll admit I’m in no way a screenwriter, or maybe any kind of writer. I write fanfic – mainly Arcane, Doctor Who, and Star Trek – for my own enjoyment. It’s not really good enough to show anyone yet.

Second, let me say I like Fountain. I tried using Scrivener to write screenplay fanfic, but it seemed like overkill. (Maybe if I write that novel …) Then my Macs died, one by one, and I couldn’t run it any more. (I did dig around the .scriv file and rescue my text, though.) So I tried Markdown, but the formatting never looked right. Fountain, however, reimagines Markdown specifically for screenwriters.

Star Trek: More Gorn Headcanon

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:43:42 -0500

If I’m not writing about Klingons, I’m writing about Gorn.

We know so little about the Gorn, really, because the original costume was hot and uncomfortable and still looked a little hokey. Unsurprisingly, nobody wanted to use them again, even if they had a better idea than “kill humans, grrr”. Follow-on media and even official canon therefore made up pretty much whatever they wanted.

Technology didn’t improve matters much. The CGI Gorn in Enterprise seemed a little too … CGI. Only two decades later did Strange New Worlds depict the species again, albeit as horror movie monsters with lots of concealing shadows.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Languages

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:08:01 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Starting Languages

The player maintains two lists for their character:

Known Languages, i.e. languages the character knows.
Unknown Languages, i.e. languages the character definitely doesn’t know.

Every character adds Alliance Standard to their list of Known Languages along with one other language reflecting their culture, ancestry, or species. The character also knows how to read and write the written form of each language, called a Script.

NOMAD Confederation Space: Languages

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 02:03:53 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. For more information see the main article and the enclosing directory

These rules expand the Language rules in Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Starting Languages

Every character speaks Tradespeak (Danaut) and one other language reflecting their culture, ancestry, or species. The character also knows how to read and write all languages they start with.

About Tradespeak

Tradespeak descends from “High Confederation”, the formal language used in Confederation deliberations, back when the Confederation used to deliberate. You wouldn’t know it, though; it has enough slang and foreign loanwords to make it a wholly incomprehensible new language. Furthermore, the variation of Tradespeak used one sector over is not the same as the one in the Danaut sector.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Robot Generation

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 01:10:27 -0500

::: note 2024-08-21: Upgrades moved to Robot Upgrades. :::

Yet more exploration of Stellagama’s Faster Than Light: Nomad.

Having tried my hand at ships (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7), I’m now going to make a few robots.

(Note: Most of this is self-plagiarism.)

TOBOR

Technology Age: Late Atomic

This is the clunky cylindrical robot from innumerable Republic serials and low-budget movies. Perfect for the mad scientist on a budget.

TOBOR’s Construction

Section	Description	Notes	Cost
Chassis	Large: bear-sized	Dur 18, Pro 6	20,000
Brain	Limited		500
Arms	Work Arms x2	Dam 1d6	2,000
Upgrades	Night Visor		600
Subtotal			23,100
Locomotor	Two legs	human speed, 10km/hr	+10%
TOTAL			25,410

TOBOR’s Specs

Size	Durability	Protection	Speed	Brain	Skills
Large	18	6	Two legs, normal movement	Limited	Combat 1

Upgrades and Equipment: Two Work Arms with crude grippers: +1D6 when lifting, 1d6 in melee, can grapple.

NOMAD Confederation Space: Aliens

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:51:03 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. For more information see the main article and the enclosing directory

Below are the sapient species in the Confederation Space setting, converted into Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Games.

Class 0

This species is always available as a player character. As per the FTL: Nomad rules (p 14):

Your character stats with 5 Skill points to allocate among skills, with no more than 3 in any one skill.
You may choose an Archetype.
You may start with one Talent.
Your Stamina is 14 + Physical×3
Your Encumbrance limit is 10 + Physical.

Human

Humans are by far the most common species in Confederation Space. Most have skin in shades of pink or brown and hair ranging from silver to reddish-brown to black, but some bloodlines have bluish or greenish coloration, or something even more unusual. Despite skin and hair color, though, only the most backward provincial would consider them not human.

Random Alien Tables 2: The 'Nomad' Solutions

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 10:15:44 -0500

Since my last attempt was a bust, I’ll look to purely Nomad-based solutions for my Nomad-based problems.

Xenofauna

This time I’ll generate some base species using the Xenofauna tables in FTLN (pp 242-253, 259), then “evolve” them into sapients.

Random Alien Tables: A Test

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 23:45:05 -0500

Introduction

When evaluating Confederation Space so far, one notable gap was sapient alien species. Sure, I had the four aliens from Nomad – Insectoids, Gekkonids, Greys, and Reptilians – and my concept for Confederation Space was heavily human-dominated (despite Earth being in another octant). But I wanted more.

One of the things I admired about Babylon 5 was that instead of an alien a week they started with about 20 alien species in the background, and brought them to the foreground whenever necessary. Granted, their aliens were actors in makeup or masks, but hey, it’s a TV series. In an RPG we can go weirder.

Grand Unified FTL 8: Conclusion

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:58 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

Previously

We looked at five fictional means of faster-than-light travel: Hyperspace, Jump, Portal, Teletransport, and Warp.

More Exotic Forms of Travel

“Transwarp”

The elusive next step after Warp, “Transwarp” functions like near-instant travel between two regions of normal space. Whether Transwarp permits travel between any two regions of space or only between two connected “nodes” in a network depends on the exact method. (I.e. it’s whatever the Game Master decides it is.) It may have other limitations such as only functioning within a galaxy due to an invisible but pervasive medium through which the ship moves.¹

Grand Unified FTL 7: Warp

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:53 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Previously

We looked at sending a person as information from one place to another.

How Warp Works

A bubble of spacetime wraps around the starship, expanding space behind the ship and contracting it in front, effectively propelling it forward at speeds exceeding the speed of light. The ship remains in a stable region of spacetime where normal physics still works. Sound like something out of Star Trek? It is, but a physicist thinks it could work … assuming such things as negative mass and sub-vacuum energy existed.

Grand Unified FTL 6: Teletransport

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:45 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Previously

We glanced at “portals”: magic doors between one volume of space and the next.

Now we look at what I’m calling teletransport, i.e. the Star Trek transporter extended to transport across light years.

How Teletransport Works

Teletransporters disassemble a person or thing into atoms, subatomic particles, or “energy”, fling them across space, and reassemble them as they were at the beginning of the process in another star system.

Grand Unified FTL 5: Portal

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:34 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Previously

We considered the “jump drive” present in Traveller and other RPGs, based in older science fiction works: press a button, and you’re parsecs away.

How Portals Work

Conceptually a “portal” is even easier to understand than Jump drive: fly through a doorway in space and end up in another star system. There’s an entire subgenre called portal fantasy where protagonists walk through a magic door, or a looking-glass, or a wardrobe and end up in another world.

Grand Unified FTL 4: Jump

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:23 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Previously …

We presented hyperspace, a common FTL trope in which ships exceed the speed of light by opening a portal to a parallel space where the distances between stars are much shorter.

Next we examine a related trope: jumping between stars without crossing the space between.

How Jumps Work

The crew powers up the FTL Engine and they’re suddenly … sumeplace else.

Grand Unified FTL 3: Hyperspace

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:32:08 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Previously …

We discussed that knowing how far stars are from each other in realspace will affect our fictional Faster Than Light devices.

First up: hyperspace.

How Hyperspace Works

Hyperspace is a realm at right angles to our reality – “realspace” – where distances between two points in realspace don’t correspond to the distance between corresponding entrance and exit points in hyperspace. Hyperspace posits a parallel space where the distances between stars is much smaller; a ship can fly between them in weeks or days, not years or centuries.

Grand Unified FTL 2: Astrogation

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:34:51 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

Previously …

We discussed why Faster Than Light travel is impossible in reality, and broke down the various FTL mechanisms in fiction into five categories.

And Now …

Before we talk about travel between the stars, we have to know where the stars are located relative to each other, and how easy (or hard) we’ll have to work to get there.

Why Do We Need This?

For the GM: At some point someone will want to know how long the trip between Horvath and Simonds World takes. It’s hard to give a definitive answer if you don’t know where Horvath and Simonds World are, relative to each other or to some reference point.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Space Combat Example

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 03:58:10 -0500

::: summary This is a totally made-up example of space combat in the RPG Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing to illustrate “Space Combat Made Simple”. The scenario is loosely based on “Lurian Space Patrol” in Faster Than Light: Nomad Quickstart Rules. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. :::

The player characters have answered a distress call from the Vebos Research Station around the gas giant Mari. Suddenly, they see three fighters coming straight for them:

A 'Nomad' Sensor/Weapons Lock Hack?

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:12:00 -0500

While compiling “Nomad Combat Made Simple”, my reference for Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing, I ran into an interesting conundrum about the order of Combat Actions in a space combat round.

In a game where all the players go then all the GM’s NPCs go, a Sensor Operator can establish a Sensor/Weapons Lock, the Gunner can use it, and then an NPC can attempt to break it.

If PCs and enemy NPCs are interleaved arbitrarily¹, however, some may object that an NPC can undo a Sensor/Weapons Lock with a Break Sensor/Weapons Lock. Thus the Sensor Operator’s action would be “wasted” before it accomplishes anything.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Space Combat Made Simple

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 02:07:58 -0500

Having seen someone’s printout of Faster Than Light: Nomad’s Space Combat Actions section on FTLN pp 177-181 (FTLN Quickstart pp 55-59), I thought, “hey, I could explain it more simply.”

:::sidebar Arguably I’m about to explain it a little too simply.

NOMAD Technology: Full Body Cyborgs

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 11:00:16 -0500

Full Body Cyborgs take cyberware to a whole new level: nearly their entire bodies are machines, with only their brains and maybe a few vestigial organs left. The classic example in fiction is Motoko Kusanagi from the Ghost in the Shell franchise.

Why 'NOMAD Confederation Space'?

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:38:33 -0500

Recently I wrote up a proposal for a campaign using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Pubishing, based on my Confederation Space setting. Somehow I feel compelled to explain myself.

Why Confederation Space?

So why Confederation Space? I designed it to be broadly compatible with any general space game, including Nomad, Classic Traveller, current Traveller, Cepheus Deluxe (also available from Stellagama), Scum and Villainy, etc. It pretty much hits the Classic Traveller vibe I prefer: an overarching government too far away to really interfere, individual settled worlds ripe with adventure, a human-dominated cosmos, etc.

NOMAD Confederation Space

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 06:31:31 -0500

This is a proposed one-shot, limited campaign, or unlimited campaign using the Faster Than Light: Nomad rules (or the Quickstart Rules) by Stellagama Publishing using my Confederation Space setting.¹

The Setting

In brief, Confederation Space is a standard Nomad (or Cepheus or Classic Traveller) setting. While nominally all planets are part of a grand Confederation, in practice all planets are on their own. Some have developed client relationships with other, richer planets. Some are colonies wholly dependent on their owners.

More Human Than Human

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 02:57:59 -0500

Here is the final¹ installment of a series begun years ago in “A Space Opera Setting” and continued in “The Less Evil Empire” and “The Not So Good Republic”.

This post details the Transhuman Commonwealth, a.k.a. The “Post-Human Dominion” as its critics call it. Its population are 100% artificial intelligences, and while they’re willing to trade with organics they feel uncomfortable mixing with them.

The Commonwealth’s most direct inspiration is Charles Stross’s Neptune’s Brood and the RPG Eclipse Phase. I’ll also borrow from my own “Theta Priori” setting somewhat, specifically the part about “side-loading” skills and direct brain-machine interfaces. (Except the brains in question are also a kind of machine …)

NOMAD Technology: Wormholes

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 02:27:15 -0500

Note: This article uses Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing, but can be easily translated to any science fiction RPG.

A standard FTL Engine¹ travels between two stars (or star-like masses) as long as they are close enough together. A wormhole creates a path through hyperspace that connects two stars no matter how distant they are. Traversing this path can take one between galaxies.

Wormhole Basics

Open vs. Closed

Wormholes are either “closed” or “open”.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Ships of the Greys

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 05:22:31 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

(Inspired by Stellagama Publishing’s UFOs.)

Page references are to Spacecraft Go! (SCG) or Faster Than Light: Nomad (FTLN).

About the Grays

The Greys or “Grays” have possessed FTL long before humanity, and according to uncorroborated reports have visited Earth in the past.

While other civilizations have built a variety of ships (some documented in System Ships of Alliance Space and Faster Than Light: Nomad pp 147-157), the various Grey tribes have consistently built their distinctive saucer-like and cigar-shaped craft, to the exclusion of all other designs. That and their distinctive biology suggests that both they and their technology originate from some as yet undiscovered home world.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: System Ships of Alliance Space

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 13:34:12 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Page references are to Spacecraft Go! (SCG) or Faster Than Light: Nomad (FTLN).

Solar Defense Fleet Ship Classes

Technological Age: Late Interstellar

The duty of the Solar Defense Fleet is to protect Earth, Mars, Jupiter’s moons, and their Solar System. Many of its ships have been copied or sold to similar defense fleets across the Alliance.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Ships of the Alliance Merchant Fleet

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 02:00:55 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Page references are to Spacecraft Go! (SCG) or Faster Than Light: Nomad (FTLN).

Alliance Merchant Fleet Ship Classes

Technological Age: Early Galactic

The Alliance leases these ships to corporations with interstellar scope. They may only visit Alliance member worlds, and must abide by other restrictions to prevent cultural contamination and proliferation of dangerous technology.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Ships of the Alliance Peacekeeping Fleet

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:29:20 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Page references are to Spacecraft Go! (SCG) or Faster Than Light: Nomad (FTLN).

Peacekeeping Fleet Ship Classes

Technological Age: Early Galactic

These ships are exclusive to the Peacekeeping Fleet.

Fighter

This ship’s powerful thrusters and gravitic compensators mark this model as a starfighter with eventual civilian uses. It consists mainly of a spherical cockpit in a reinforced transparent aluminum bubble with holographic heads-up displays, four multidirectional ion thrusters, and a main fusion thruster toward the rear. While the cockpit is pressurized with a day’s worth of breathable atmosphere, the pilot and gunner usually wear spacesuits just in case.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Ship Generation, Part 2: Fleets

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:23:31 -0500

::: note 2024-07-06: Links to Confederation Space article.

2024-07-21: Fix ships to show numbers in parentheses as Passengers, not total aboard.

2024-07-22: Added rationale for Ylem Wraith Sphere variant damage table. :::

Introduction

As part of my exploration of Stellagama’s Faster Than Light: Nomad, I decided to make yet more ships.

Standard STL Ships

These are some common smaller vessels used below.

Fighter

See “Defense Fighter”, FTLN p 148

Life Pod

(I don’t know whether the standard ship builds include life pods, but I’m going to include some.)

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Aliens

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 21:16:43 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series.

Below are the Alien species available in the Stellar Alliance setting, converted into Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Class I

“Class I” species conform to the rules from page 15 of FTL: Nomad. Each listing provides a physical description, some cultural tendencies, and finally the specific abilities (and inabilities) members of the species exhibit.

NOMAD Technology: The Hypernet

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 07:31:06 -0500

::: note 2024-08-20: Extended Hypernet technology to the Early and Late Cosmic Ages.

2025-04-02: Corrected math in Hypernet Hub.

2025-10-26: Reword effect of additional Payload on Nodes.

2026-02-08: Sidebar on alternative Hypernet technologies. :::

The Late Galactic Age sees the creation of the “Hypernet”, a true galactic distributed network of Hypernet Nodes.

NOMAD Technology: FTL Telegraphs

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 07:29:50 -0500

Description and NOMAD rules for the FTL Telegram, a ship’s component that can send and receive short messages across interstellar distances.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Ships of Alliance Space

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 07:19:42 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Page references are to Spacecraft Go! (SCG) or Faster Than Light: Nomad (FTLN).

Stellar Alliance Exploration Fleet

Technology Age: Early Galactic

These are the three primary ship classes of the Exploration Fleet, plus two shuttle classes. The Merchant Fleet, Peacekeeping Fleet, and various system defense fleets have their own classes of ships.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: READ ME FIRST

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 07:33:35 -0500

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

What Is This?

If you’re reading this, someone (probably the author of this Web site) asked you to play a character in a role playing game called Faster Than Light: Nomad in his homebrew setting called the Stellar Alliance.

This document will help you create a character appropriate to the setting.

Where Do I Start?

First, it may help to read the Background of the setting, to get a feel for what characters would fit into the Alliance.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Fleets of the Alliance

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 00:08:45 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad from Stellagama Publishing.

Alliance Exploration Fleet

The Alliance Exploration Fleet explores new star systems, makes contact with new civilizations, and pushes the boundaries of Alliance Space.

Exploration Fleet Ship Classes

See Ships of Alliance Space.

Exploration Fleet Ranks and Uniforms

All crewmen aboard an Exploration Fleet starship belong to one of six services. Each wears a color-coded uniform during their time in that service, and each service has a slightly different rank structure.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Background

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 00:07:57 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Overview

The Alliance started when four species – Minervans, Nommos, Rephaim, and Terans – joined together in 2467 to found an interstellar government. In the 26th century the Stellar Alliance spanned over three hundred worlds. Its decentralized yet unified government, its advanced technology, and its ideals have irrevocably changed this quadrant of the galaxy.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: The Away Team

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 00:07:23 -0500

WARNING: This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. See the enclosing directory for more about NOMAD Stellar Alliance.

Part of the NOMAD: Stellar Alliance series, using Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.

Basics

What Is An Away Team?

An Away Team explores unknown planets and civilizations when scans from orbit will not suffice. “Space Exploration” is part of the Alliance Fleet’s full name (Alliance Space Exploration and Peacekeeping Fleet), but the Alliance explores more than space anomalies and solar systems.

NOMAD Stellar Alliance: Technology

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 00:05:16 -0500

Technology Ages and specific technologies for the NOMAD version of the Stellar Alliance setting.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Ship Generation, Part 1: Communication

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 10:45:00 -0500

::: note CHANGED 2024-06-27:

Distinguish FTL Message Protocol from Hypernet Protocol.
Add a section on FTL Telegraph Throughput.
Reorganized and expanded text.
Miscellaneous other tweaks.

CHANGED 2024-06-30:

Supersede this article with revised rules for the FTL Telegraph and Hypernet. :::

Introduction

As part of my exploration of Stellagama’s Faster Than Light: Nomad, I decided to make a few ships, or “ships”. I’m not sure I’m doing it quite right, and I think I’m breaking the rules with the Express Drone and the FTL Relay Pod.

Grand Unified FTL 1: Introduction

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:38:36 -0500

Part of the Grand Unified FTL series.

WARNING: this article may contain numbers.

Science fiction authors (and some scientists) have proposed several methods to allow humans and (as far as we know fictional) aliens to traverse the vast distances between stars. In this article I will categorize the various methods, provide simple but specific ways to handle each method, and at least sketch out system-independent mechanics that game designers and tinkerers can incorporate into tabletop RPGs and hobby games.

More Thoughts on 'Coriolis: The Great Dark'

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 01:07:45 -0500

As I reflect on what little Free League has released about their upcoming Coriolis: The Great Dark, I find myself becoming apprehensive about the new version of a game that became “obsolete” before I played it.

Here are some nagging thoughts running through my head.

The Great Shadowdark?

Coriolis: The Third Horizon presented a cluster of 36 stars; the main book and supplements detailed climates and cultures for most of them. The Third Horizon therefore provided players a varied, vibrant setting with numerous cultural, political, and religious factions with their own areas of influence, ideologies, technological advances (and regressions), and ultimate objectives.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Probabilities

Mon, 20 May 2024 22:16:41 -0500

(This article refers to Faster Than Light: Nomad by Stellagama Publishing.)

::: note

2024-06-23: WHOLLY REWRITTEN to use a Python script rather than https://anydice.com.
2024-06-27: Minor corrections to the code and explanation. :::

Inevitably I wondered what the probability table for Faster Than Light: Nomad looked like.

The Table

And here it is:

TN	Skill	-3D	-2D	-1D	+0D	+1D	+2D	+3D
2	6	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
3	5	80.38	86.81	92.59	97.22	99.54	99.92	99.99
4	4	56.65	67.98	80.09	91.67	98.15	99.61	99.92
5	3	34.84	47.84	64.35	83.33	94.91	98.46	99.52
6	2	19.41	30.56	47.69	72.22	89.35	95.99	98.50
7	1	9.43	17.36	31.94	58.33	80.56	90.97	95.78
8	0	4.22	9.03	19.44	41.67	68.06	82.64	90.57
9		1.50	4.01	10.65	27.78	52.31	69.44	80.59
10		0.48	1.54	5.09	16.67	35.65	52.16	65.16
11		0.08	0.39	1.85	8.33	19.91	32.02	43.35
12		0.01	0.08	0.46	2.78	7.41	13.19	19.62

The Code

#!/usr/bin/env python3

from collections.abc import Callable, Collection, Mapping
from fractions import Fraction
from functools import partial
from itertools import chain, product

import tabulate

NKEEP: int = 2
NBONUS: int = 3
NSIDES: int = 6

Evaluator = Callable[[Collection[int]], int]

Histogram = Mapping[int, Fraction]

Table = Collection[Collection[Fraction | int | None]]


def keep_highest(roll: Collection[int], nkeep: int, low: bool = False) -> int:
    ndice: int = len(roll)
    if ndice <= nkeep:
        return sum(roll)
    sroll = sorted(roll)
    if low:
        return sum(sroll[:nkeep])
    return sum(sroll[-nkeep:])


def histogram(ndice: int, nsides: int, func: Evaluator) -> Histogram:
    hist: Histogram = {}
    die: list[int] = [x for x in range(1, nsides + 1)]
    incr: Fraction = Fraction(1, nsides**ndice)

    for roll in product(die, repeat=ndice):
        result: int = func(roll)
        if result not in hist:
            hist[result] = Fraction(0, 1)
        hist[result] = hist[result] + incr
    return hist


def cumulative(h: Histogram) -> Histogram:
    result: Histogram = {}
    counter: Fraction = Fraction(0, 1)
    for key in reversed(sorted(list(h))):
        counter += h[key]
        result[key] = counter
    return result


def format_pct(h: Histogram, i: int) -> Fraction | None:
    if i not in h:
        return None
    return h[i] * 100


def skill(k: int) -> int | None:
    return 8 - k if k <= 8 else None


def collate(hl: Collection[Histogram]) -> Table:
    allkeys: list[int] = sorted(set(chain.from_iterable([list(h) for h in hl])))

    return [[k, skill(k)] + [format_pct(h, k) for h in hl] for k in allkeys]


if __name__ == "__main__":
    headers = ["TN", "Skill"] + [f"{n:+}D" for n in range(-NBONUS, NBONUS + 1)]

    table = collate(
        [
            cumulative(
                histogram(ntotal, NSIDES, partial(keep_highest, nkeep=NKEEP, low=True))
            )
            for ntotal in range(NKEEP + NBONUS, NKEEP, -1)
        ]
        + [
            cumulative(histogram(ntotal, NSIDES, partial(keep_highest, nkeep=NKEEP)))
            for ntotal in range(NKEEP, NKEEP + NBONUS + 1)
        ]
    )

    print(tabulate.tabulate(table, headers=headers, tablefmt="pipe", floatfmt=".2f"))

Notes on the Code

This code has zero doc strings or code comments. Sorry.

'Faster Than Light: Nomad' Character Generation

Mon, 20 May 2024 12:40:13 -0500

Introduction

Faster Than Light: Nomad is the latest title from Stellagama Games. It expands their Quantum Engine for space adventure without relying on Cepheus or Traveller Open Gaming Content.

Dice Mechanics

Like the vanilla Quantum Engine, FTL: Nomad uses only six-sided dice (D). The basic skill check is 2D + skill, 8 or more succeeds.

Instead of fiddly modifications to the die roll or target number, FTL:N uses “advantage” and “disadvantage” dice, rated also in ±nD. For example, if you have a net +1D on your die roll, you roll three dice and pick the highest two. If you have -2D on your check, you roll four dice and pick the lowest two. And so on.

duplicate-files.py - 2024-04-07

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 17:43:44 -0500

For an explanation, see the directory above.

`duplicate-files.py`

Summary of Changes

Add type annotations
Rework code for type safety.
Ran code through mypy and pylint, and fixed most problems.
- pylint objects to the hyphen in the name.
- pylint wants docstrings for all function.
Removed attempt to import simplejson

Usage

usage: duplicate-files.py [-h] [-q, --quiet] [-v, --verbose]
                          [-o, --output FILE] [-j, --json] [-y, --yaml]
                          [-p, --pretty] [-z, --zero-length]
                          DIR [DIR ...]

Find duplicate files in one or more directories.

positional arguments:
  DIR                a directory to scan

options:
  -h, --help         show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet        run without printing to standard output.
  -v, --verbose      print extra information to standard output.
  -o, --output FILE  write to the given file (default: standard output)
  -j, --json         write output as JSON
  -y, --yaml         write output as YAML (default)
  -p, --pretty       "pretty-print" the output
  -z, --zero-length  include zero-length files

Listing

#!/usr/bin/env python3

from pathlib import Path
from itertools import combinations

import argparse
import filecmp
import fnmatch
import json

YAML_ENABLED: bool = True

try:
    import yaml
except ImportError:
    YAML_ENABLED = False


STD_EXCLUDES: list[str] = [
    # version control directories
    'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.git', '.gitignore', '.svn',
    # macosx-specific hidden files
    '.DS_Store', '.Apple*', '._*',
    # trash directories
    'Trash', '.Trash*',
]

def prunable(name: str) -> bool:
    return any(fnmatch.fnmatch(name, pat) for pat in STD_EXCLUDES)

def find_files(sizemap: dict[int, set[Path]], name: str | Path) -> None:
    f: Path
    if isinstance(name, Path):
        f = name
    else:
        f = Path(name)

    if prunable(f.name):
        return

    if f.is_symlink():
        return

    if f.is_dir():
        for child in f.iterdir():
            find_files(sizemap, child)
    elif f.is_file():
        sz: int = f.stat().st_size
        if sz in sizemap:
            sizemap[sz].add(f)
        else:
            sizemap[sz] = set((f,))

def duplicate_files(file_i, file_j) -> bool:
    return file_i != file_j \
        and not file_i.samefile(file_j) \
        and filecmp.cmp(file_i, file_j, shallow=False)

def add_to_dupsets(dupsets: dict[Path, frozenset[Path]], file_i: Path, file_j: Path) -> None:
    if not file_i in dupsets:
        dupsets[file_i] = frozenset((file_i,))
    if not file_j in dupsets:
        dupsets[file_j] = frozenset((file_j,))
    newset = dupsets[file_i] | dupsets[file_j]
    for f in newset:
        dupsets[f] = newset

def compare_files(sizemap: dict[int, set[Path]]) -> list[list[str]]:
    dupsets: dict[Path, frozenset[Path]] = {}
    for sz, ls in sizemap.items():
        if sz == 0:
            continue
        for file_i, file_j in combinations(ls, 2):
            if duplicate_files(file_i, file_j):
                add_to_dupsets(dupsets, file_i, file_j)

    superset: set[frozenset[Path]] = set(dupsets.values())
    result: list[list[str]] = [sorted(str(p) for p in s) for s in superset]
    result.sort()
    return result

def make_argparser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
                    description='Find duplicate files in one or more directories.')
    parser.add_argument('dirs',
                    metavar='DIR',
                    nargs='+',
                    help='a directory to scan')
    #parser.add_argument('-d, --from',
    #                metavar='MAINDIR',
    #                dest='canondir',
    #                help='Compare other directories to this directory.')
    parser.add_argument('-q, --quiet',
                    action='store_true',
                    dest='quiet',
                    help='run without printing to standard output.')
    parser.add_argument('-v, --verbose',
                    action='store_true',
                    dest='verbose',
                    help='print extra information to standard output.')
    parser.add_argument('-o, --output',
                    metavar='FILE',
                    dest='outfile',
                    help='write to the given file (default: standard output)')
    if YAML_ENABLED:
        parser.add_argument('-j, --json',
                        action='store_const',
                        const='json',
                        default='yaml',
                        dest='format',
                        help='write output as JSON')
        parser.add_argument('-y, --yaml',
                        action='store_const',
                        const='yaml',
                        default='yaml',
                        dest='format',
                        help='write output as YAML (default)')
    parser.add_argument('-p, --pretty',
                    action='store_true',
                    dest='pretty',
                    help='"pretty-print" the output')
    parser.add_argument('-z, --zero-length',
                    action='store_true',
                    dest='zero',
                    help='include zero-length files')
    return parser

def main() -> None:
    sizemap: dict[int, set[Path]] = {}
    parser: argparse.ArgumentParser = make_argparser()
    args: argparse.Namespace = parser.parse_args()

    for dirname in args.dirs:
        find_files(sizemap, dirname)

    result: list[list[str]] = compare_files(sizemap)

    if args.zero and 0 in sizemap:
        zero: list[str] = [str(p) for p in sizemap[0]]
        zero.append('')  # so remove-files will remove *all* files
        result.append(zero)

    if not YAML_ENABLED or args.format == 'json':
        if args.pretty:
            indent = 2
        else:
            indent = None
        out = \
            json.dumps(result, sort_keys=True, indent=indent)
    else:
        out = \
            yaml.dump(result,
                    width=4096,
                    explicit_start=True,
                    explicit_end=args.pretty,
                    canonical=args.pretty)

    if not args.outfile:
        print(out)
    else:
        outpath = Path(args.outfile)
        outpath.write_text(out, encoding='utf-8')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Thoughts on Coriolis: The Great Dark

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:42:40 -0500

Free League Publishing have a kickstarter for a new version of Coriolis entitled Coriolis: The Great Dark. The setting and the rules differ from Coriolis: The Third Horizon, with only a few scattered callbacks.

Free League has also said that their publishing and support of the original game will end. The Great Dark is essentially Coriolis 2.0, and understandably they don’t want to sell both old and new editions. They will announce an “open license for third party content” for both games shortly.

Physics Levels and Other Nonsense

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 01:42:43 -0500

Having always been fascinated by the idea of alternate worlds, I once worked out parameters other than thaumic levels to characterize different worlds (or different locations within a world). Sadly I seem to have misplaced those notes, but here I recreate “Physics Levels”, “Psi Levels”, and “Superscience Levels”.

Physics Levels

Long before I encountered The Strange I had an idea: not only do alternate worlds vary by magic quantity and quality but by the physical laws that govern them. As far as I remember, I used the GURPS Mana Levels as a model. Below are the labels and the highest Progress Levels or Tech Levels in various systems.

Fantasy Metals

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 04:47:10 -0500

::: license This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. :::

This article summarizes rules related to common and not so common metals in fantasy games and literature. It presumes something close to Standard Physics¹ in a particular fantasy world, despite other core assumptions, e.g. the existence of magic or the prevalence of gold.

Toward a Ritual Magic System, Part 3: Lore Redux and Ritual Procedure

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:51:00 -0600

Lore Revisited

Last time I defined Lore thus:

Low Magic 5e: Dwarfs

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 21:01:48 -0600

Dwarf Ancestry

Scholars consider Dwarfs¹ a distant sub-species of humanity, one shaped by the necessities of a life spent substantially underground and perhaps by deliberate tampering from the Eldren or Fey.

Low Magic 5e: Eldren

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 20:43:56 -0600

::: note CHANGED 2024-03-02: Altered the Half-Bresailians.

CHANGED 2024-03-06: Improved Ageless Eldren’s Flashback ability.

CHANGED 2024-11-11: Minor changes to Languages.

CHANGED 2025-02-20: Helpful diagram of Languages, minor fixes. :::

DM’s Note

The origin and destinies of the Eldren are intertwined with the forces mortals call “magic”. Therefore, DMs should consider carefully whether to introduce them into their campaign.

Low Magic 5e: Nonhuman Ancestries

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 22:43:53 -0600

Introduction

Inspired by Ancestries and Cultures, I first thought I would devise a set of interchangeable Ancestries and Cultures for a “Low Magic 5e” setting I was working on. I quickly ran into two problems:

Low Magic 5e: Cultures

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:35:38 -0600

Introduction

Inspired by Ancestries & Cultures I decided to separate “Races” in 5e into an Ancestry and a Culture. However, I wanted to make “Culture” more sophisticated and meaningful than simply “Human”, “Orc”, etc.

Toward a Ritual Magic System, Part 2: Essence and Lore

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 11:52:39 -0600

Several months ago I considered mechanics for a ritual magic system in OpenQuest. After doing some probability calculations I decided the best system would roll a number of d6es equal to the character’s “Essence”. What is “Essence”? Whatever I want it to be.

House Rules for D&D 5e

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 11:37:39 -0600

::: note ADDED 2024-06-14: Action Points

ADDED 2024-07-24: Multiclassing

ADDED 2024-08-15: Flying, Grids, Light

ADDED 2024-08-16: Sidekicks

ADDED 2024-08-21: Rating system in Summary, extended “Races” options.

CHANGED 2024-09-30: Under Alignments:

Renamed “D&D 5 Hard Mode Alignment” to “Hard Alignment”.
Added “Corruption” option. :::

This page details house rules for any D&D 5e game I run, excluding those using all the Nimble v1 modifications to D&D 5e. They are a work in progress.

Action Points

(Most of this comes from Nimble.)

Low Magic 5e: Characters

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 10:57:48 -0600

Low Magic Settings

Magic exists in a Low Magic setting, but it remains subtle, elusive, and sometimes dark and dangerous.

The Mundane

So what do adventurers do in a Low Magic setting? What humans have done in every world and in every time: earn gold by unsavory means, fight wars, rescue maidens¹ (usually for a price), eat, drink, and kill each other over trifles. A Low Magic world is like any other adventuring world, only without the conveniences and safety of magic on command.

D&D Mundane Class Character Generation

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:20:44 -0600

Recently I acquired Masters of the Mundane, a supplement with non-magical classes that parallel the spellcasters of standard D&D 5e. Since I can’t seem to let go of this idea, I thought I’d create a character using the “Scholar” class, which is a very rough parallel to the Wizard.

Note that quoted text, below, comes from Masters of the Mundane.

Nicodemus Torquatus

Ancestry	Background	Class	Subclass	Level	HD	Max HP	AC
Human	sage	Scholar	Arcanist	3	d8	24	12

Attacks

Weapon	Attack	Dice
Handaxe	+0	1d6 slashing
Light Crossbow	+1	1d8 piercing
Quarterstaff	+0	1d6/1d8 bludgeoning

Defenses

Source	AC
Leather	11
Dex Mod	+1
TOTAL	12

Ability Scores

	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
Base	10	12	13	15	14	8
Anc.	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1
—	–	–	–	–	–	–
Score	11	13	14	16	15	9
Mod.	+0	+1	+2	+3	+2	-1

Proficiencies

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Unwritten Games

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 03:38:36 -0600

Warning: I’m going to be whining for this whole article.

The Problem

It’s easy to come up with ideas. It’s hard to put in the work to turn the idea into a final, finished form. This is especially true for games, where an initial playtest can completely upend a designer’s assumptions.

Not that I’m a designer. I’d have to finish something before I call myself a game designer. But I do want to finish something … I just have too many ideas of what that might be.

Gridless Movement

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 13:44:18 -0600

D&D 5e assumes players and GMs run combats with miniatures or tokens and a grid of 5’ squares or movement measured in inches. This becomes inconvenient if you want to run a game without a slick VTT or perhaps entirely over Discord or voice chat.

Below are some ideas to remove the 5’ grid from D&D 5e – or any other game – without sacrificing all the tactical elements of gameplay.

Nimble Monsters

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:18:28 -0600

The Nimble booklet says:

A DM can use any 5e compatible monster book or stat block, as written. Only two small tweaks are made and can be done easily, on the fly:

Monster Attacks. Like PCs, monsters simply roll their damage dice + stat modifier, as usual. They miss on an attack by rolling a 1 on their Primary Die, and crit by rolling the maximum.

Monster AC. Unlike PCs, monster armor is simplified into three groups:

Luck Points

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 02:00:27 -0600

Note that these rules are a work in progress.

Inspirations

Luck Points represent the intervention of the Fates, the marvelous luck of heroes, or something similar. The GM should represent them with a distinctive and non-edible token, e.g. poker chips, fake metal coins, or unusual dice that can’t be confused with the players’ dice. The GM should have a large supply of these tokens, at least twice as many as he distributes to the players at the start of each session.

The Ecstasy of Gold: Money in RPGs

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 21:49:09 -0600

Money in D&D

For a while now I’ve been dissatisfied by the way The World’s Most Popular¹ Role-Playing Game(tm) has handled commodity money.

In D&D, 1 gold piece (gp) equals 10 silver pieces (sp) equals 100 copper pieces (cp). Electrum pieces (ep) are worth 5 sp and platinum pieces (pp) are worth 10 gp, but they’re not as common. 4th Edition tried to add “astral diamonds” as a currency above platinum, but they never caught on.

House Rules for Nimble 5e v1

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 14:40:12 -0600

Nimble contains modifications to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules to simplify and streamline play. Alas, a 32-page booklet or even a Web-based FAQ cannot account for every rule in the 300+ page Player’s Handbook, let alone Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and other non-SRD content.

While the Discord server and eventually the Web site hosts a FAQ for some of the corner cases and non-SRD content not in the book, even those sources do not cover all cases.

Character Generation in Nimble 5e

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:48:39 -0600

Below is an example character using “Nimble”, a set of rules meant to streamline and simplify D&D 5e.

Fargrim Fireforge (Nimble)

Ancestry¹	Background	Class	Subclass	Level	HD	Max HP*	AC Mod
Hill Dwarf	Acolyte	Cleric	Light Domain	3	d8	28	+6

* Including Dwarven Toughness, below

::: sidebar Because Nimble removes to-hit rolls (see video and below), the Armor Class Modifier absorbs damage from a hit if the character uses the “Block/Dodge” reaction. :::

D&D YouTube Roundup 5: Alignment, West Marches, and Online

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 21:27:22 -0600

Alignment

Listen to a calm, British voice explaining why the 3 alignments of “Classic” D&D – Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic – are superior to the 9 of AD&D, 3rd, and 5th.

To summarize, using only those three allows for ambiguous or impulsive moral choices while defining a “core personality” of rule-driven (religious or not), flexible, or unreliable. In reality most characters (and people) are a mix of “good” and “evil” tendencies, and classifying them by the flexibility of their beliiefs more accurately models real behavior than classifying everyone as Good, “Neutral”, or Evil all the time.

The War of Sun and Light

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 18:47:41 -0600

A story of Eordh.

A Beginning

Young people today hear the word “theurgist” and think “blasphemer”. “Heretic.” “Sorcerer.” But I am old, older than you can imagine, and I remember when Theurgists commanded respect, reverence, gratitude sometimes. We erected Stelae in the wilderness to keep monsters out of human lands. We barred the way for invasions and barbarian raids. We tended sick and wounded commoners. We advised lords on how to run their domains wisely and with kindness.

The Artificer's Tale

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 18:12:50 -0600

(Inspired by “The Necromaton” by Antonio DeMico.)

I. The Artificer’s Lament

Anaxandre Markiz Paluzarian was the greatest artificer of the Late Third Age.

Anaxandre created many wonders and innovations of the High Tiriondean Empire, including the Moving Walkways of Tirionde, the Clockwork Memory Doll, the Cooling Apparatus of Duke Orthos, the Jeweled Songbird of Mithronde, and the sadly underappreciated Aetheric Long Distance Distribution Engine. Exactly how these devices worked has been lost to the centuries.

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 2: Region

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 23:09:59 -0600

Last Time …

In a previous post I outlined the concept for an OSR D&D world. To summarize:

As in older versions of D&D there are only three alignments: Law, Balance, and Chaos, plus the great Unaligned masses.
Humans dominate the world, with surviving enclaves of “Elder Peoples”¹: Elves, Dwarves, and (technically) Halflings. Other Elder Peoples and demi-human species may participate in human society, e.g. the rare Antediluvians, the intimidating Lizardkin, and the unsettling “planetouched” or Planars for short (a.k.a. “Tieflings” and “Asmimar”).

D&D YouTube Roundup 4: Magic Numbers, Rules Light, Nimble

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 00:50:42 -0500

As I said before, I’ve been taking a deep dive into D&D vlogging. Recently I found playing these videos at x1.5 speed shortens them without losing information. Americans just talk slowly. If Jenna Coleman just rerecorded all these videos they’d be much easier to listen to (never mind watch).

Really I wish these vloggers would write blogs instead, because I read faster than most people talk.

The 5e DM’s Magic Number(?)

Professor Dungeon Master (yet again) has an interesting video on the secret to guesstimating target numbers in D&D 5th edition.

D&D YouTube Roundup 3: 5e Hardcore Mode, Folk vs. Official, Math

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 10:21:19 -0500

Once again, rather than work on the Gygax 75 Challenge I decided to watch some YouTube videos for D&D inspiration.

5e Hardcode Mode

After a YouTube review from, yes, Professor Dungeon Master I recently picked up “5e Hardcore Mode”.¹ Other, written, reviews are sharply polarized between “this is garbage” and “this is brilliant”. One such criticism is a wall of text on RPG.net. A second, or maybe the same one, is a wall of text on the Giants in the Playground forums.

The Grimdark Age

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 02:09:28 -0500

In a previous post I outlined a setting that has gone through at least five ages, including the “Age of Confusion”.

In another post I whined about buying a YouTuber’s two pages of rules for $4. Not only was the content thin, the grimdark setting just didn’t work for me.

Through the weird alchemy of my brain, though, I somehow managed to plan out how I might play out the “Age of Confusion” within these minimalist grimdark rules.

D&D YouTube Roundup 2: Deathbringer RPG, Grimdark, Clerics

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 01:47:59 -0500

Last time I linked to a few videos by DungeonCraft’s “Professor Dungeon Master”. Lest anyone think I’m an unqualified fan, I don’t always agree with him.

Deathbringer RPG

I bought PDM’s “Deathbringer RPG” for $4, which works out to $1 per page. The first page is an introduction and an explanation on how to fold the next two pages, printed back-to-back, into a tri-fold pamphlet. The last page is a larger version of the character sheet included in the pamphlet.

D&D YouTube Roundup: DCC Review, Faster Combat, and More

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:17:26 -0500

Because of the Gygax 75 Challenge I set myself and a D&D 5e game that’s (hopefully) getting off the ground, I’ve been watching various D&D-related YouTube videos. (Yeah, that’s the reason.) Below I’m going to discuss a few memorable ones.

Dungeon Crawl Classics

This YouTube review of Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (DCC RPG) is tough but fair. The highlights:

DCC “is an engine of … danger, triumph, and hilarity”. It’s more D&D than official D&D itself.
Negatives:
- DMs need experience before they tackle DCC.
- “Zocci dice” – d3, d5, d7, etc. – are atmospheric but not statistically different from “orthodox” polyhedral dice.¹
- The core book could be split into a Rulebook and a Spellbook, since spells take up at least a page for the highly variable and random effects.
Positives(?):
- Magic is unique, dangerous, and darkly funny when it backfires.
- The zero-level funnel filters randomly generated peasants into a few cherished survivors.
- The artwork and rules evoke the older editions of D&D.
- DCC has a huge amount of fan-generated and official settings, adventures, and variant or supplementary rules.

Ultimately DCC shies away from coddling PCs like special snowflakes who can’t be allowed to die. In DCC dungeon-delving is dangerous and potentially fatal. Conversely, rolling up another character is pretty fast, especially when starting at 0th level.

On Classic D&D

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 01:33:56 -0500

In the “Basic D&D” a.k.a. “Classic D&D” rules I prefer, players choose from only seven classes: Fighter (or Warrior), Magic-User (or Wizard), Priest (or Cleric), Rogue (or Thief), Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. (Yes, the latter three are races (or properly species) but also classes.)

DCC, Into the Unknown, Labyrinth Lord, Old School Essentials, etc. all have just four human classes plus Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. (Third parties have written additional classes for all these games.¹) Obviously D&D 5e has many more classes, and separaces species from class.

The Adventurers' Guild

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 16:24:11 -0500

::: note UPDATED 2023-10-22: Clarify text, fix typos.

UPDATED 2024-02-27: Added text about “wizards’ guilds” in low magic settings.

UPDATED 2025-02-11: Fix more typos. :::

As noted in “The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 1” I’m fond of the TTRPG and JRPG trope of “adventurers’ guilds”: a meeting place and clearing house for all fetch quests and monster hunts in a kingdom. However, stereotypical “Adventurers’ Guilds” bear little relation to medieval guilds. While little in a fantasy RPG bears any resemblance to historical medieval norms, it might behoove us to borrow from the origin, purpose, and structure of medieval guilds.

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 1: Concept

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 10:17:00 -0500

Instead of NaNoWriMo, I’ll be doing this.

What is the “Gygax 75 Challenge”

“The Gygax 75 Challenge” is both the title and premise of a PDF by Ray Otus. To quote the website:

This workbook is based on an article written by Gary Gygax in 1975, less than 12 months after D&D was released. It encapsulates his thinking at the time about how to get your own D&D campaign world started. I have taken his general advice and parsed it out into achievable, bite-sized prompts & goals for a week-by-week program.

The Stellar Alliance: Warp Ships

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 15:48:02 -0500

Part of a series on the Stellar Alliance.

An Alcubierre Ring (a.k.a. “Warp Drive”) generates a bubble of space time (the “warp bubble”) which carries the ship along the interface between normal space and hyperspace at superluminal velocities.

::: sidebar These sidebars translate the text to specific rules for the nD6-based Mini-Six and various 2D6-based systems like Cepheus Quantum, Quantum Starfarer, and Cepheus Deluxe. :::

Warp Travel

The realspace speed of a warp-powered starship depends on its Warp Factor (WF). WF 0 can attain speeds up to 20% the speed of light C; warp ships use this effect to replace conventional maneuver drives. WF 1 is light speed. Each WF above 1 multiplies speed by a factor of about 5.¹

The Stellar Alliance: Quantum Rules

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 15:21:13 -0500

Part of a series on the Stellar Alliance.

This game incorporates text from Cepheus Quantum by Stellagama Publishing. It is therefore licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike International License 4.0.

The Basic Game Mechanic

Throw 2d6: throw two six-sided dice and add the results together, add the skill modifier, and compare to difficulty. If the total equals or exceeds the difficulty number, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. Skill notation: “throw Technical 6+” = throw two dice, add them together and add the Technical skill, and if the total equals or exceeds 6, you succeed. If you lack a skill, throw at -1 penalty (i.e., subtract 1 from the throw).

The Stellar Alliance: Ships of Alliance Space (Quantum)

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 08:46:51 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

Note: These rules are a work in progress.

These rules supplement those in Quantum Rules and Warp Ships.

Ship Weapon Systems

Except for Exo-Beam weapons, only half a ship’s conventional weapons (rounded up) can fire at any one target.

Code	Direct Weapon	TL	Damage	Depletion
EB	Exo-Beam	6+	varies
GV	Grav Beam	4+	special
HP	Heavy Particle Beam	5+	Super-Heavy
LL	Pulse Laser	4+	Light
ML	Missile Launcher	3+	varies	varies
PP	Particle Beam	5+	Heavy
RG	Rail Gun	3+	Heavy	2D6

Ships of the Stellar Alliance

See Ship Classes for descriptions.

Into the Unknown Character Generation

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 03:44:20 -0500

Into the Unknown uses D&D 5th Edition rules to recreate Basic/Expert D&D rules from the 1980s. It comes as five distinct booklets (harking back to Original D&D), two of which are meant for DMs. Quoting from the description:

How is this different from B/X or 5e?

Into the Unknown is based on 5th edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game and is fully compatible with it to the extent that you can easily create a 5th edition character and use him in a game of Into the Unknown and vice versa, without any conversion.

Hard Alignments for D&D 5, OSR, and other RPGs

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:23:32 -0500

::: note This article is based on “Alignment Hard Mode” and “Frankenverse in D&D 5: Old School Alignments”, which itself relies on rules by Lynn Willis, Jason Durall, and Ben Monroe. See the Bibliography for details.

It is still a work in progress.

2024-09-13: Use “True Neutral” as the adjective for an adherent of Balance.

2025-04-14: Move list of gods to a new document.

2025-04-17: Replace the term DM with “Referee”. :::

Summary

This article proposes an “alignment system with teeth” for D&D.

The Frankenverse in D&D 5: Chess Pieces in the Cosmic Struggle

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 21:33:05 -0500

This continues the “Frankenverse in D&D 5” series. Having replaced the Great Wheel cosmology with my own, I now redefine the celestials, fiends, and other residents of the Outer Planes in the new yet eternal chess game between Law and Chaos.¹

Influences include Steve Jackson Games’s In Nomine, some YouTube videos and supplements from “Pointy Hat” (Antonio Demico), a little bit of Kevin Crawford’s OSR RPG Godbound, the approach to divinity in The Primal Order, and of course shallow knowledge of angelology, demonology, Gnostic theology, and other real-world religions.

The Frankenverse in D&D 5: The Planes

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 00:08:24 -0500

In a prior article I began adapting D&D 5e to a new cosmology with only the alignments of Law, Chaos, and Balance (plus Unaligned). Here I outline a new cosmology for these reduced alignments based on the Uncounted Worlds, a.k.a. the Frankenverse.

Overview

Below is the Uncounted Worlds model with the Astral Plane and Corporeal Worlds from another perspective.

The diagram highlights the Corporeal World of “Eordh”¹, the liminal Ethereal Plane, Shadow Plane, and Faerie Realm, a few other Corporeal Worlds, the Astral Plane, and a few demi-planes: the Infernal Realms, the Supernal Realms, two Divine Realms, and Jinnistan.

The Frankenverse in D&D 5: Old School Alignments

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 23:11:43 -0500

Following on from previous alignment posts, I’d like to present a D&D 5e cosmology based partly on the Frankenverse and partly on elements of Original D&D, Basic / BECMI D&D, and the D&D Rules Cyclopedia:

Original D&D had only three alignments – Law, Neutrality, and Chaos – just as in the works of Michael Moorcock.
Clerics didn’t need gods in Original D&D and some editions of Basic. They followed either Law (clerics) or Chaos (anti-clerics).
In BECMI and RC players could elevate their characters to Immortals (gods) implying that the gods of one age were the heroes of a prior age.

The Four Alignments

The four alignments in this multiverse are Balance, Chaos, Law, and Unaligned.

Alignment Hard Mode

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 05:13:06 -0500

Alignment? Huh! What Is It Good For?

A long time ago I wrote two posts about D&D’s notion of “alignment”. Recently some YouTube videos about D&D 5e started talking about alignment, and I just had to post about it. (I thought I was out …)

The other posts may not have made this explicit, but let me say this for the record:

Alignment makes an interesting premise for a world or multiverse in which cosmic forces vie for dominance.

D&D 5 Character Generation

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 14:27:36 -0500

I have yet to play D&D 5th edition.

Thus, to experience what a majority of modern roleplayers have experienced already, I’m going to walk through my creation of a D&D 5e character.

Making a Character

Concept

In a D&D 4e mini-campaign I played a Tiefling Warlord¹. 5th doesn’t have warlords, so I decided on a paladin instead, because a Tiefling Paladin struck me as funny and because Charisma is a secondary Paladin characteristic.

DCC RPG Character Generation

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 11:29:33 -0500

What is DCC RPG?

In brief, the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG is an Old School Rules reimagining of D&D Basic Edition from the 1970s and 1980s with a lot more randomness.

The publisher, Goodman Games, provides a quickstart, from which I drew most of the following. (I also own the full rules in PDF.)

Major Differences

The aforementioned Quickstart draws these comparisons with D&D 5th Edition:

DCC RPG does not use proficiency bonuses, advantage and disadvantage, specific skills, or spell slots.

Instead of advantage and disadvantage, a player might roll a die with more sides (a larger die) or one with fewer sides (a smaller die) depending on if circumstances favor or hinder them. You could roll a 1d12 to hit an opponent if conditions aren’t in your favor, but you also might roll a 30-sided die to attack if you’re in a position of superiority!

Ability points and even race are randomly determined rather than chosen. While this might sound limiting, in practice it’s been observed that players often end up with characters they never could have imagined on their own and love these unexpected heroes.

Classes and races are one and the same. You are a wizard or an elf.

There are only seven classes in DCC RPG.

There are only three saving throws (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will) and these are not ability saves.¹

DCC RPG does not have prestige classes², attacks of opportunity, feats, or skill points².

There are no backgrounds in DCC RPG, but there are occupations which might suggest what your character did before becoming an adventurer. These occupations suggest rather than codify what types of knowledge and talents a character possesses.

Generally, like those earliest editions, the game defines a character’s adventuring abilities and leaves everything else up to “roleplaying”.

The Frankenverse

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 12:27:56 -0500

The “Frankenverse”¹ is what I’m calling the multiverse in which I set my homebrew settings (and fiction, if I ever finish any of that). While I tried various other concepts (PDF)² I finally settled on the ones below.

Structure of the Multiverse

The Five Layers

The larger Multiverse has five layers.

The Causal Plane

The Causal Plane – along with any hypothesized “higher” planes – is an incomprehensible place where time and space have no meaning. It’s said that mortal minds touching this plane briefly produces precognition, retrocognition, and more esoteric forms of ESP, and that more than brief contact brings madness. Some religions believe that beings closest to the Creator live here.

The Elf Game Again, And What Comes Next

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 12:07:35 -0500

Over July 4th I started thinking about “The Elf Game” again. For those who came in late, thanks for coming, and “The Elf Game” is basically my take on Classic D&D if elves were the focus and humans just a race class.

I suspect what prompted this outbreak was Godbound, Sine Nomine’s “old school” game of demigods in a broken world. Among other achievements Godbound introduced a classless variant of Classic D&D without an awkward skill system grafted on. Instead it uses “Facts”, freeform text that grants bonuses to attribute rolls for tasks and situations mentioned in a Fact. It’s Fate Aspects, Barbarians of Lemuria Careers, Shadow of the Demon Lord Occupations, Risus Cliches, and PDQ Qualities all rolled into one.

Shadow Vale: The Setting

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 11:54:46 -0500

This is the larger setting of “Shadow Vale”. A future post may drill down into Shadow Vale itself.

The Three Realms

It’s not certain whether the Three Realms, a.k.a. “Otherworld” is a Corporeal World, a Demiplane, or something else entirely.

While it appears to be a single contiguous albeit dimension-defying planet, it in reality consists of three distinct worlds: the Supernal Realm, the Shadow Vale, and the Infernal Realm.

The Supernal Realm

Inside the Outer Wall lies a lush, rolling land of forests and farms. Most Supernals – the inhabitants of this realm – lead a bucolic life. Only a few Supernals pass the trials that permit them to serve the Paragons, godlike masters of this realm, and the Tetrarchs, its creators. Despite the seemingly endless landscape, inhabitants always have two landmarks: the dark Outer Wall always visible around the edge, and the shining Citadel of the Tetrarchs at the center protected by the transparent Inner Wall.

XTIDL

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 20:44:23 -0500

Until I can spec this out properly, I’ll just quote from “Unwanted Software Thoughts Syndrome”

Type Interface Definition Language (TIDL)

Originally I wrote:

An IDL that is essentially the datatype and interface parts of the full Teufel language, with an accompanying code generator. It will generate stub and skeleton code in C much like CORBA. An extension will generate skeleton code for modules in Ruby, Lua, Python, and other scripting languages, not unlike SWIG.

TPP

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:13:43 -0500

Until I can spec this out properly, I’ll quote an old post:

TPP stands for either Text Pre-Parser or Template Pre-Parser. The original design derived from the C pre-processor and a simplified Eiffel version. Having encountered StringTemplate, however, I thought of doing a Lua interpretation of that instead. (Maybe with a more readable syntax.)

Preprocessor

Conditionals

Leaving aside operator precedence for a moment, this is the EBNF for all conditional expressions in an ifdef and ifndef

Lua-CSP

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:13:28 -0500

Until I can spec this out properly, I’ll just quote an old post:

Programming in Lua, 4th Edition ended with an example of multiple Lua interpreters, each in its own OS thread, sending text messages to each other. I can refine that into a module for “Channels”, “Messages”, and “Processes” (POSIX or C11 threads, since Lua already has cooperative single-process Threads). Combined with a non-blocking IO module one could implement any kind of server with worker threads or chained stages: HTTP, message queue, pub/sub, etc. All you’d need are the underlying modules and some Lua scripts. (Maybe a configuration file to tie it all together.)¹

luaenv

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:13:13 -0500

::: note UPDATED 2024-11-08: see below.

UPDATED 2024-11-09: see below. :::

Until I can spec this out fully, I’m just going to quote my original blurb:

Even though Lua was intended as an embedded language, its standalone interpreter makes testing modules much easier. However, testing against multiple versions of Lua isn’t exactly straightforward. luarocks, a module manager similar to Ruby Gems, hard-codes the path to Lua not only in config files but the luarocks script itself. Worse, Lua’s module loader assumes Lua is installed in /usr/local on Unix systems. Users can override the search path in the standlone interpreter by setting an environment variable, and within the interpreter one can change package.path and package.cpath. It might be simpler, though, to change those defaults to the directory in which Lua is installed – found once in luaconfig.h – and then compile the interpreter.

TypeLib

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 01:52:51 -0500

Until I can spec this out properly, I’ll just quote from “Unwanted Software Thoughts Syndrome”

TypeLib is essentially

A library of other useful data structures, probably developed as a side effect of M-Strings and using similar memory managed techniques.

A Non-Review of the Vaesen RPG

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:47:58 -0500

Earlier articles have covered the Free League Publishing RPG Vaesen: random comments on the preview and nearly complete alpha, a walkthrough of character generation, a (too?) detailed analysis of difficulty factors, and some very broad comparisons with other YZE games.

In mid-2021 I said this:

… I’ll give an overview of the system and drill down on what I think are the most interesting bits:

establishing and enhancing a Headquarters

the structure of adventures, or Mysteries as the book calls them.

how vaesen work, mechanically and thematically

This is that article.

A Non-Review of the Mutant Year Zero RPG

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 09:04:50 -0500

::: note As the cliché goes, this non-review wasn’t so much finished as abandoned. Apologies. :::

Previously I said this:

Mutant Year Zero would probably be next [favorite] as the progenitor of the rest. Post-apocalyptic settings with “mutants” have become a little cliché, but MYZ has solid mechanics and a larger game of rebuilding civilization.

Since I’ve referred to Mutant Year Zero as one of the RPGs I might want to play (or if necessary run) at some point, I may neeed to drill down into what it is and what I like about it.

D100 Opposed Rolls

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:05:30 -0500

::: note 2024-03-24: Fix bug in code and tables, explain all die rolling algorithms in plain English. :::

After the terrible code I wrote in a previous post I wanted to see if a) if I could still write less ugly code and b) what the opposed roll “resistance table”¹ would look like for other d100 systems.

I therefore set out to calculate opposed rolls for the four major extant d100 systems that I know about: Basic Roleplaying (Chaosium), Call of Cthulhu 7th ed (Chaosium), Mythras (Design Mechanism), and OpenQuest (D101 Games).²

OpenQuest: Keep It Simple ...

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:25:09 -0500

As I look over what I’ve written here and in my private notes I’m struck by how much work I’ll have to do for the settings I’ve defined so far:

Nearly everything needs alchemy, artificing, or ritual systems. So far I’ve yet to define them.
Many settings need further systems because I originally defined them for other games in and out of the d100 family. Magic World for example assumes magic (“sorcery”) is rare and disturbing, so that leaves out all of “Grigoria”. “World of Qi” started as a setting for a custom system.

OpenQuest: Toward A Ritual Magic System

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 08:32:27 -0500

If anyone besides me got anything out of “OpenQuest: Other Magic” it’s that I need to develop systems for Ritual Magic and Making Magic Stuff (Alchemy/Artificing/Herbology) ASAP. (Why, you ask?)

OpenQuest: Metered Thaums (a.k.a. Limited Mana)

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:28:47 -0500

::: note 2023-06-27: Renamed Mana to Thaum(s), Limited Mana to Metered Thaums, and Mana Meter to Thaum-o-meter. I’m not sorry.

OpenQuest: Other Magic

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 05:43:25 -0500

::: note MODIFIED 2023-06-19: New and revised explanations of Alchemy and Artificing, Herb Lore, Ritual Magic, Witchcraft, Zanathari Religion, and Magic Systems and Rules.

A Non-Review of Tunnels & Trolls

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:45:54 -0500

This is an introduction to Tunnels & Trolls I wrote for players back in 2011. I’ve updated it for the latest edition.

Setting: Troll World

Ken St. Andre created T&T in 1975 after deciding D&D’s combat was too complicated, and he could write his own. T&T uses only six-sided dice – sometimes a lot – and eschews tactical combat for quicker resolution.

T&T doesn’t take itself too seriously. Most notably, spells have silly names like “Take That You Fiend!” (TTYF, a basic attack spell) or “Poor Baby” (a basic healing spell). While Serious Role Players may have problems with that – after all, pretending to be wizards and elves is serious business – one might need a vacation in Trollworld after fighting Chaos and foul sorcery in the Dung Ages.

Tunnels & Trolls House Rules

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 09:51:37 -0500

Here are some house rules I put together for a game back in 2011.

This is a work in progress; my notes from back then are a mess¹, so as I dig up new ones (or come up with something today) I’ll add them.

Character Generation

There are three ways to generate characteristics.

Roll Dice In Order

The 8th Edition specifies this method: roll 3d6 using the TARO² rule for all attributes in order: STR, CON, DEX, SPD, … Then apply Kindred multipliers and continue with character generation.

Mini Six Bare Knuckle Edition (v. 0.7 RC2)

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 15:40:48 -0500

Editor’s Note

This is the complete text of “Mini Six: Bare Knuckle Edition” as downloaded from Google Docs on 2023-06-10. My only changes were to add Markdown and whitespace and to make minor spelling and formatting fixes as needed. If this copy does not accurately reflect the original text I take full responsibility.

As Antipaladin Games publishes new versions I will update this text with the differences.

– Frank Mitchell

Mini Six: Bare Knuckle Edition

Version 0.7 RC2

Cepheus Quantum

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:33:02 -0500

Editor’s Note

This document attempts to preserve the text of “Cepheus Quantum Revised Edition” but with necessary formatting changes for Markdown and some small spelling and punctuation differences. Any divergences from the original text that change the meaning are the fault of the editor.

Frank Mitchell

The following text is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Stellagama Publishing. See LEGAL, below.

Cepheus Quantum

Revised Edition by Stellagama Publishing

In Praise of Tunnels & Trolls

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 02:47:40 -0500

::: note 2024-03-06: Minor corrections :::

A few (thousand?) words about this game.

It’s Old

It’s the second oldest RPG ever printed. Allegedly. I suspect some tiny forgotten homebrew D&D may have beaten it to “press”. But for now we’ll stipulate it’s second oldest.

It’s Not Popular

T&T has never been as popular as D&D (nothing has been), or even as popular as RuneQuest (second most popular in the Long Long Ago). Maybe it’s too weird. Maybe the early T&T editions had too many D&D-isms like levels that made it seem like a cheap knock-off. Maybe Flying Buffalo never had the luck or business savvy to parley their game into a household name. Maybe they had too many irons in the fire with a play-by-mail business back in the day.

The Stellar Alliance: Warp Ships in Mini-Six

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:08:16 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

Note: These rules are a work in progress.

The following rules supplement or supersede those of Mini-Six and/or Warp Ships.

Warp Ships as Mini-Six Vehicles

To convert Quantum statistics for ships to Mini-Six’s Vehicle rules, cross-reference the Quantum value(s) to the corresponding Mini-Six value, as noted in the table below.

Mini-Six	Derived From
Skill	always Pilot
Scale	Size
Body	Armor
Maneuverability (MNV)	Agility
Move	Agility
Crew	unchanged
Psg	unchanged
Weapons	see below
Cargo	undefined

For more about vehicle statistics, see the full Vehicle rules.

Tech Levels: A Comparison

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 16:20:14 -0500

::: note 2024-06-23: Added Faster Than Light: Nomad’s Technological Ages :::

It’s impossible to know the future, but various science fiction and multi-genre games have tried. Below are seven radically different “Technology Level” or “Progress Level” systems from six different tabletop role playing games and one guy who just thinks about them a lot.

d20 Modern Progress Levels

From the d20 Future SRD.

PL	Title	Key Technologies
0	Stone Age	fire, textiles, domestication, agriculture
1	Bronze/Iron Age	metal working, communication, empires
2	Middle Ages	printing, sea travel, middle class
3	Age of Reason	“science”
4	Industrial Age	steam, electricity
5	Information Age	computers, fission, internal combustion engine
6	Fusion Age	fusion power, intra-solar travel, cyberwear, gene-splicing
7	Gravity Age	“gravity induction reactor”, star drives
8	Energy Age	“power plants the size of marbles”
9	“beyond reach or comprehension”	subatomic assembly, folding space, time travel

Verdict on d20 PLs

Progress Levels give equal attention to past and future eras, but lack detail.

OpenQuest: The Midlands

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 14:03:06 -0500

::: note MODIFIED 2023-06-13: Moved notes on magic to a new post. :::

The Stellar Alliance: Mini-Six Rules

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 23:27:26 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

These rules extend Mini-Six Bare Knuckle edition. Unless superseded by the rules below or in the ship rules, all rules in that document save “Freeform Magic” are in effect.

Character Generation

Below are the allowed skills and Perks in games set in the Stellar Alliance.

Skill List

Might: Brawling*, Close Combat*, Knife*, Lift, Stamina, Staff*, Sword*
Agility: Athletics, Bow*, BFG*, Drive, Dodge*, Exo-Gun*, Gunnery*, Pickpocket, Pilot, Pistol*, Rifle*, Stealth, Throwing*
Wits: History, Computer, Language, Medicine, Navigation, Pick Locks, Repair, Search, Science, Tracking
Charm: Command, Courage, Diplomacy, Persuasion, Seduce, Streetwise

* denotes a combat skill; no specializations allowed.

OpenQuest: The Polar Continent

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 20:43:28 -0500

NOTE: The following refers to a prior article on OpenQuest, some D100 games listed here, and some non-D100 games.

The Stellar Alliance: The Away Team

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:09:32 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

Basics

What Is An Away Team?

Who Is On An Away Team?

The Captain or Executive Officer assigns junior officers or crewmen¹ with a broad range of skills. Typically this includes:

The Stellar Alliance: Background

Tue, 30 May 2023 02:24:52 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

Overview

History

The Solar Alliance

In the twenty-fourth century the Earth Commonwealth, the Republic of Mars, and the Union of Outer Planets put their differences aside to form the Solar Alliance. This required a great deal of work to harmonize three legal systems. This new alliance guaranteed the rights of parahumans, genetically enhanced sapient animals (“uplifts”), and artificial general intelligences (“Synthetics”). The Outer Planets shared their technologies to synthesize food which abolished hunger on Earth, Earth shared its biological diversity to enhance the life support of Outer Planets colonies, and Mars shared its terraforming expertise to improve the environments of Earth and the Outer Planets.

The Stellar Alliance: Fleets of the Alliance

Tue, 30 May 2023 02:24:52 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

The Alliance Exploration Fleet

Command (violet) officers not only command a ship. They conduct diplomatic missions, first contacts, and negotiations between hostile parties. Command staff usually did tours through other services before they underwent grueling instruction in motivational psychology, ethnology, diplomacy, tactics, strategy, and political science.

The Stellar Alliance: Technology

Tue, 30 May 2023 02:24:52 -0500

Part of a series about the Stellar Alliance.

Tech Levels

Tech Levels often help members of one civilization understand the difference in technology in another civilization. Alliance legislation has referred to the scheme below, but other authorities have defined other schemes.

TL:: Tech Level, a rough guide to the technological capabilities of a civilization and the sophistication of their artifacts.
RTL:: Relative Tech Levels, i.e. difference between the average for interstellar civilizations and a particular TL.

TL	RTL	Description	Earth History / Other Civilizations
0	-5	Stone Age	< -3000
1	-4	Bronze Age, Iron Age, Medieval	-3000 … 1450
2	-3	Age of Sail, Industrial Age	1450 … 1950
3	-2	Information Age, Space Age	1950 … 2200
4	-1	Interplanetary Age	2100¹ … 2300
5	0	Interstellar Age	2300 … 2400
6	+1	Alliance Age	2400 … ????
7	+2	Transhuman Age	Transhuman Commonwealth
8	+3	Teletransport Age	(Outer Ones?)
9	+4	Sufficiently Advanced Technology	Dominion of the First
10	+5	Weakly Godlike Entities	Ylem Wraiths²

::: sidebar Purely hypothetically, if a GM needed a random TL they could just throw 2D6-2 for a TL or 5dF for an RTL. :::

OpenQuest: Rekindling the Flame

Mon, 29 May 2023 12:37:27 -0500

::: note MODIFIED 2023-06-11: Added Godsplat and Orclands, updated Kutheria. :::

Recently I discovered both the third edition of OpenQuest (dtrpg) and the OpenQuest SRD. Having had a long history with RuneQuest and Basic Roleplaying, it rekindled my desire to do something with a d100 system.

History

OpenQuest began as an adaptation of Mongoose’s OGL “Runic SRD” for its version of RuneQuest in the mid-2000s. OpenQuest’s author, Newt Newport, wanted something simpler to run, reminiscent of RuneQuest II in 1978.

A World of Qi: Notes

Tue, 23 May 2023 19:50:54 -0500

Here are some bits and pieces from “A World of Qi” that I cut for length, but felt compelled to write here.

A Note on Numbers: Most are pretty speculative.

Earth Qi probably tops out at 10 or 12, since it represents dice rolled to avoid death, among other things.
Basic Qi – Fire, Metal, Water, Wood – and Chaos represent pools of points expended to fuel effects or neutralize damage.
- Middle World creatures have natural Qi comparable to their Earth Qi.
- Lower World creatures can store and channel Chaos to fuel their spells.
Subtle Qi – Light, Shadow, and Aether – represent dice rolled to resist damage or generate power for effects, much like Earth Qi.
- All corporeal conscious beings have Aether Qi equal to their Earth Qi.
- Upper World spirits have Light and Shadow Qi only.
- True Demons are composed entirely of Chaos energy.
- Some Spirits use their Aether Qi directly to influence the Aether Qi of other beings. True Demons and Upper World spirits are immune.

Creatures of The Middle World

Species	Earth Qi	Other Qi
Animal	1 .. 12
Beast Folk	3 .. 9
Human	3 .. 6
- Adept	6 .. 9	one of Fire, Metal, Water, Wood
- Alchemist	3 .. 9	alchemical preparations and artifacts
- Hero	6 .. 12	Fire, Metal, Water, Wood
- Paragon	6 .. 12	Earth talents
- Saint	6 .. 12	Light¹, Shadow¹
- Sorcerer	3 .. 9	sorcery pool²
- Spirit-Touched	3 .. 9	Aether talents
Magical Animal	1 .. 9	one of Fire, Metal, Water, Wood
Monster	1	Chaos
- of Sorcery	9 .. 18	possibly powers
Spirit Folk
- Gnome	3 .. 9	Metal
- Ifrit	9 .. 15	Fire
- Kitsune	6 .. 12	Wood
Undead	2 .. 12	Aether or Chaos

Animals

Normal animals lack reasoning and language ability. Innumerable species abound in nature, while civilization domesticates only a handful of species: horses, riding birds, oxen, chickens, and dogs. (Cats aren’t truly domesticated.)

A World of Qi

Sat, 13 May 2023 20:11:15 -0500

This is a sketch of an RPG system and setting I’ve been toying with for a while. For now I’m abandoning it rather than finishing it, but maybe it will inspire some hypothetical reader.

Summary

In a possibly Asian-influenced fantasy world, a minority of humans use a multi-faceted power called Qi to battle monsters, create magical artifacts, and work miracles.

Types of Qi

In the Middle World – the world in which mortal beings live – there are five types of Qi:

ELTN For Lua (Work in Progress)

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:41:48 -0500

Summary

As indicated in ELTN-C, we intend to keep the Lua API for ELTN as simple as possible. We therefore will implement only the following functions:

eltn.parse
eltn.parse_file
eltn.emit
eltn.error

Documentation

`eltn.parse`

eltn.parse(eltn_string) => eltn_table | nil, error

Converts a string of ELTN text into (usually) nested tables. If the ELTN text is malformed or invalid, returns nil with an error string.

`eltn.parse_file`

eltn.parse_file(filename) => eltn_table | nil, error

Opens a file of ELTN text and parses it into (usually) nested tables. If the ELTN text is malformed or invalid, returns nil with an error string.

ELTN in C (Work in Progress)

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:41:42 -0500

This project will create a C library to parse and emit ELTN text. It will then provide wrappers for various languages including Lua, Python, and Ruby.

Design

The ELTN parser is a pull parser similar to the JSON Parser implemented in Java. The Buffer object takes in text, either passed directly or read through a callback, and stores it in an expandable ring buffer. When the Parser is queried for the next event, it asks the the Lexer for tokens, which prompts the Lexer to read characters from the Buffer and transforms individual characters into tokens which the Parser then interprets into events.

JSON in C

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:41:42 -0500

This project will create a C library to parse and emit JSON. It will then provide wrappers for various languages including Lua, Python, and Ruby.

Design

Since there are so many C JSON parsers already, this one will try to do things a little differently:

It will offer a “pull parser” interface modeled after JSONPP.
The implementation will attempt to avoid allocation and leaks in general.

API

#include <stdbool.h>
#include <stdint.h>

typedef enum {
    SYNTAX_ERROR = 0,
    START_STREAM,   /* initial state before parsing */
    START_ARRAY,    /* read `[` */
    END_ARRAY,      /* read `]` */
    START_OBJECT,   /* read `{` */
    END_OBJECT,     /* read `}` */
    KEY_NAME,       /* read key for Object */
    VALUE_NULL,     /* read `null` */
    VALUE_TRUE,     /* read `true` */
    VALUE_FALSE,    /* read `false` */
    VALUE_NUMBER,   /* read JSON Number */
    VALUE_STRING,   /* read JSON String */
    END_STREAM      /* reached final state */
} Json_Event;

typedef struct _Json_Pull_Parser Json_Pull_Parser;

/**
 * A convenience type for a single byte character.
 * Per the JSON spec, the parser can only parse ASCII characters.
 */
typedef char    byte_t;

/**
 * A convernience type for a byte in a UTF-8 sequence.
 */
typedef uint8_t utf8_t;

/**
 * A callback to fetch more characters from a file, file descriptor, socket,
 * or anything else.
 * `data` is the same pointer passed into `Json_Pull_Parser_new()`.
 * When the function returns, the client should return new bytes to parse, 
 * and set `*sizptr` to the number of bytes pointed to.
 * The parser checks that all characters are in the ASCII range.
 * Buffer management is the client routine's responsibility, perhaps in
 * conjunction with the `data` ptr.
 */
typedef const byte_t* (*Json_Reader)(void* data, size_t *sizptr);

/**
 * Create a new parser at `*pptr`, reading in characters with `r` and `d`.
 */
JSONPP_API
void Json_Pull_Parser_new(Json_Pull_Parser* *pptr, Json_Reader r, void* d);

/**
 * Advance to the next significant token in the input.
 */
JSONPP_API
void Json_Pull_Parser_do_next(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * The type of the last event parsed.
 */
JSONPP_API
Json_Event Json_Pull_Parser_event(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * Whether the parser is currently processing a JSON Array.
 */
JSONPP_API
bool Json_Pull_Parser_in_array(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * Whether the parser is currently processing a JSON Object.
 */
JSONPP_API
bool Json_Pull_Parser_in_object(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * The number value of the last event parsed, if that event was VALUE_NUMBER,
 * or NULL otherwise.
 * Clients should copy the value before the next call to 
 * `Json_Pull_Parser_do_next()` or this value will be overwritten.
 */
JSONPP_API
double_t*  Json_Pull_Parser_number(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * The string value of the last event parsed, or NULL if the last event
 * was not KEY_NAME, VALUE_STRING, or VALUE_NUMBER.
 * The result converts all Unicode and other escape sequences to UTF-8 bytes.
 * Clients should copy the string before the next call to 
 * `Json_Pull_Parser_do_next()` or this value will be overwritten.
 */
JSONPP_API
const utf8_t* Json_Pull_Parser_string(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * Acquire another reference to this parser, so that a call to
 * `Json_Pull_Parser_release()` doesn't immediately destroy the parser.
 */
JSONPP_API
Json_Pull_Parser* Json_Pull_Parser_retain(Json_Pull_Parser* p);

/**
 * End parsing and release the memory held by this parser, if no other
 * client "retains" it.
 */
JSONPP_API
void Json_Pull_Parser_release(Json_Pull_Parser* *pptr);

Wrappers

Wrappers will use native I/O to construct a tree of native equivalents to JSON Arrays and Objects.

ELTN Pull Parser in Java (Work in Progress)

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:36:00 -0500

This is the working interface for an ELTN Pull Parser. Source code is available at https://github.com/frank-mitchell-com/eltnpp.

See also the JSON Pull Parser and ELTNC.

API

Event

package com.frank_mitchell.eltnpp;

/**
 * Events representing the major semantic elements of an ELTN file. See the 
 * <a href="https://frank-mitchell.com/projects/eltn/">ELTN Specification</a>.
 * 
 * @author Frank Mitchell
 */
public enum EltnEvent {
    /**
     * Invalid ELTN syntax.
     */
    ERROR,

    /**
     * Before first ELTN element
     */
    STREAM_START,

    /**
     * Comment (`--`...)
     */
    COMMENT,

    /**
     * Definition name assignment outside a table (...`=`)
     */
    DEF_NAME,

    /**
     * Start of ELTN array (`[`)
     */
    TABLE_START,

    /**
     * End of ELTN array (`]`)
     */
    TABLE_END,

    /**
     * String key in an ELTN table (...`=` or `[`...`]=`)
     */
    TABLE_KEY_STRING,

    /**
     * Number key in an ELTN table (`[`...`]=`)
     */
    TABLE_KEY_NUMBER,

    /**
     * Integer key in an ELTN table (`[`...`]=`)
     */
    TABLE_KEY_INTEGER,

    /**
     * ELTN nil (`nil`)
     */
    VALUE_NIL,

    /**
     * ELTN Boolean `false`
     */
    VALUE_FALSE,

    /**
     * ELTN Boolean `true`
     */
    VALUE_TRUE,

    /**
     * ELTN integer
     */
    VALUE_INTEGER,

    /**
     * ELTN number
     */
    VALUE_NUMBER,

    /**
     * ELTN string (`"`...`"`)
     */
    VALUE_STRING,

    /**
     * After last ELTN element
     */
    STREAM_END
}

Pull Parser

package com.frank_mitchell.eltnpp;

import java.io.IOException;

/**
 * A pull parser for an ELTN (Extended Lua Table Notation) document.
 *
 * See the
 * <a href="https://frank-mitchell.com/projects/eltn/">ELTN Specification</a>
 * for more information.
 *
 * @author Frank Mitchell
 */
public interface EltnPullParser {
    /**
     * Checks whether the underlying stream has more ELTN elements.
     *
     * @return whether the stream has more ELTN elements.
     * @throws IOException if the character source could not be read.
     */
    public boolean hasNext() throws IOException;

    /**
     * Advances to the next significant ELTN element in the
     * underlying stream.
     *
     * @throws IOException if the character source could not be read.
     */
    public void next() throws IOException;

    /**
     * Get the event parsed by the most recent call to {@link #next()}.
     *
     * @return most recently parsed event.
     */
    public EltnEvent getEvent();

    /**
     * Get code for this error.
     * If {@link getEvent()} is not {@link EltnEvent#ERROR},
     * this method will return {@link EltnError#OK}.
     *
     * @return the current error code, if any.
     */
    public EltnError getError();

    /**
     * Gets the raw text associated with the current event,
     * minus any surrounding whitespace.
     * Every event has associated text, although
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_START} will only return "{",
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_END} will only return "}",
     * and {@link EltnEvent#STREAM_START} and {@link EltnEvent#STREAM_END}
     * will only return "".
     * This can be especially useful on errors.
     *
     * @return text associated with this event.
     */
    public CharSequence getText();

    /**
     * Get the current text's offset in the character stream, if available.
     * This will be a number greater or equal to 0 indicating the number of
     * characters processed before the beginning of the text shown in
     * {@link #getText()}.  Thus the first character is at offset 0.
     *
     * @return an offset &ge; 0, or -1 if not available.
     * @see #getText()
     */
    public int getTextOffset();

    /**
     * Get the current text's line number, if available.
     * This will be a number greater than 0 indicating the number of
     * newline sequences processed before the text shown in
     * {@link #getText()}, plus 1.  Thus the first character is at line 1.
     *
     * @return an offset &gt; 0, or -1 if not available.
     * @see #getText()
     * @see #getTextOffset()
     */
    public int getTextLineNumber();

    /**
     * Get the current text's column number, if available.
     * This will be a number greater than 0 indicating the number of
     * characters processed since the last newline sequence, including
     * the first character of {@link #getText()}, plus 1.
     * Thus the first character in any line is in column 1.
     *
     * @return an offset &gt; 0, or -1 if not available.
     * @see #getText()
     * @see #getTextLineNumber()
     */
    public int getTextColumnNumber();

    /**
     * Indicates if the enclosing value is a ELTN Table.
     *
     * If this object is currently processing the contents of a ELTN Table,
     * this method will return {@code true}.
     *
     * @return {@code true} if the enclosing value is a ELTN Table.
     */
    public boolean isInTable();

    /**
     * Gets the value associated with the current event.
     *
     * On {@link EltnEvent#DEF_NAME},
     * the result is the ELTN string value for the key.
     *
     * On {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_STRING} or {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_STRING},
     * the result is the ELTN string value with all escape sequences
     * converted to their character values.
     *
     * On {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_NUMBER}, {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NUMBER}
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_INTEGER}, or {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_INTEGER}
     * the result is the string value
     * of the number in its original form (decimal or hexadecimal).
     *
     * On {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_TRUE}, {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_FALSE},
     * or {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NIL} the result is "true", "false", pr "nil".
     *
     * Otherwise the method throws an exception.
     *
     * @return the string for the current value
     *
     * @throws IllegalStateException if the current event has no string value.
     */
    public String getString();

    /**
     * Gets the numeric value associated with the current event.
     *
     * If {@link #getEvent()} is
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_INTEGER}, {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_INTEGER},
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_NUMBER} or {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NUMBER},
     * this method returns an unspecified subclass of Number.
     * Otherwise this method throws an exception.
     *
     * @return the value of the current ELTN Number
     *
     * @throws IllegalStateException if the current event is not a number.
     */
    public Number getNumber();

    /**
     * Gets a {@code boolean} value for the current event.
     *
     * If {@link #getEvent()} is {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_TRUE} or
     * {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_FALSE}, this method returns the value.
     * If {@link #getEvent()} is {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NIL},
     * this method returns false.
     * Otherwise this method returns true.
     * This method emulates the convention in Lua that in a Boolean test
     * statement, a value of <em>nil</em> or <em>>false</em> counts as false.
     *
     * @return the Boolean value of the current ELTN object
     */
    default public boolean getBoolean() {
        switch (getEvent()) {
        case VALUE_FALSE:
        case VALUE_NIL:
            return false;
        default:
            return true;
        }
    }

    /**
     * Indicates the depth of nested tables at the current point in the ELTN
     * document. The Definition Table is at depth 0.
     *
     * @return the depth of nested tables.
     */
    public int getDepth();

    /**
     * Gets the key or definition at the current point in the ELTN document.
     * On {@link EltnEvent#DEF_NAME}, {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_INTEGER},
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_NUMBER}, or
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_STRING} this is the current key text.
     * On {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_START}, {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_FALSE},
     * {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_INTEGER}, {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NIL},
     * {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_NUMBER}, [@link EltnEvent#VALUE_STRING}, or
     * {@link EltnEvent#VALUE_TRUE}, this is the most recently seen key, or
     * the implied key if not preceded by a key or definition name. On
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_END}, this is the key to which the closed
     * table belongs. On other events it is undefined.
     *
     * @return the key or definition name currently being set.
     */
    public CharSequence getCurrentKeyText();

    /**
     * The event type that created {@link #getCurrentKeyText()}. It will be
     * one of {@link EltnEvent#DEF_NAME},
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_INTEGER}
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_NUMBER}, or
     * {@link EltnEvent#TABLE_KEY_STRING}.
     *
     * @return the type of the current key.
     * @see #getCurrentKeyText()
     */
    public EltnEvent getCurrentKeyType();

    /**
     * The concatenation of keys or definition names from the top level
     * to the current point in the document. Each element that is an
     * identifier save the first will be preceded by a dot.  Each other
     * element will be enclosed in square brackets and, if a string,
     * single or double quotes, with escape characters marking unprintable
     * characters.
     *
     * @return the path of all current keys.
     */
    public CharSequence getCurrentPath();
}

Pull Parser Factory

package com.frank_mitchell.eltnpp;

import com.frank_mitchell.codepoint.CodePointSource;
import com.frank_mitchell.codepoint.CodePoint;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.Reader;
import java.nio.charset.Charset;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;

/**
 * Factory for a {@link EltnPullParser}.
 * Each factory creates an ELTN parser for a stream of ELTN text.
 * Text may be ASCII, UTF-8, UTF-16, or an arbitrary encoding.
 *
 * @author Frank Mitchell
 */
public interface EltnPullParserFactory {
    /**
     * Creates a parser to process UTF-16 characters.
     * In other words, a stream of Java {@code char}s.
     *
     * @param reader a stream of UTF-16 chars.
     * @return a parser for the reader.
     * @throws IOException if the reader throws an exception.
     */
    default EltnPullParser createParser(Reader reader) throws IOException {
        return createParser(CodePoint.getSource(reader, StandardCharsets.UTF_16));
    }

    /**
     * Creates a parser to process UTF-8 characters.
     *
     * @param stream a stream of UTF-8 bytes.
     * @return a parser for the stream.
     * @throws IOException if the stream throws an exception.
     */
    default EltnPullParser createUtf8Parser(InputStream stream) throws IOException {
        return createParser(stream, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
    }

    /**
     * Creates a parser to process bytes in the specified encoding.
     *
     * @param stream a stream of bytes.
     * @param cs a character encoding.
     * @return a parser for the stream.
     * @throws IOException if the stream throws an exception.
     */
    default EltnPullParser createParser(InputStream stream, Charset cs)
            throws IOException {
        return createParser(CodePoint.getSource(stream, cs));
    }

    /**
     * Creates a parser to process a stream of Unicode code points.
     *
     * @param source a stream of code points.
     * @return a parser for the reader.
     * @throws IOException if the stream throws an exception.
     */
    EltnPullParser createParser(CodePointSource source) throws IOException;
}

Error

Note: The implementation will add more codes as it progresses, ideally one per specific parse error.

CodePoint

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 14:42:50 -0500

::: note Excerpted and expanded from JSONPP. :::

A simple API to abstract out Unicode code points from the underlying source – Readers / Writers, InputStreams / OutputStreams, CharSequences / StringBuffers, even a java.nio.ByteBuffer of ASCII, Latin-1, or UTF-8 bytes – took on a life of its own. Since I planned other parser projects, I split it off into its own library called “CodePoint”.

Design

Provider

A facade called CodePoint hides the exact classes used to wrap I/O classes and buffers. CodePoint notionally¹ calls the Service Loader to load an implementation of its two primary methods, getSource() and getSink().

Faster Than Light Communications

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:26:47 -0500

As of this writing I’m working on a longer article on faster-than-light travel¹. For now let’s tackle a simpler aspect of star-spanning science fiction games and fiction: communications across light-years. All those I could think of break down to the following cases.

None

In Classic Traveller no “FTL radio” exists. One of the rulebooks likened it to the Age of Sail wherein all communications required a courier.

Coriolis has the same trope: no EM communications can cross the portals between star systems. The mass media outlets of Kua have to ship their broadcasts to other worlds on the equivalent of hard drives. Aiwas or Hamura might see “broadcasts” a day or two late; Menkar might see one weeks late, if at all.

In Which I Rant About Intellectualism

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 18:21:21 -0500

Normally this blog stays away from politics for fear that some employer may not want to hire me for my non-mainstream opinions. Since employers don’t seem to want to hire me and AI is going to render me obsolete real soon now, screw it.

This article from the Atlantic talks about “intellectuals” diminishing any attempt to connect history to the present day. Back in my college days before the fall of the Berlin Wall – I’m old, hey? – I remember a long, frustrating, and fruitless discussion at a “party” with a conservative who took exception to Steven Jay Gould’s attempts to connect prior instances of “bad science” to modern examples of racism, sexism, and religion-based intolerance. After several loops around his circular logic I finally had to agree to every one of his talking points just to extricate myself from the conversation. I felt like a poltitical prisoner forced to confess his recidivist ways, or a heretic recanting in public.

Exported Objects

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:47:50 -0500

Exported Objects¹ (ExO) allows programmers to define “objects” in C and use them in any scripting language or environment with an ExO binding. Initially that will include Lua, Python, Ruby, and a standalone runtime similar to Objective-C usable from plain C.

Concepts

In this document, we use the following definitions:

Class

Informally, all objects with the same structure and functions. Formally:

An E_Class structure that records the constructor, destructor, and other functions that instances respond to.
The set of Objects with the same E_Class.

Domain

A region of memory containing interconnected objects (q.v.) Exported Objects divides a system into multiple domains, each lying in another process, thread-local (or global) memory, or the memory used by an interpreter or compiled runtime.

export

To provide an object(q.v.) to another Domain (q.v.), either explcitly via E_Domain_export(name, obj) or implicitly by returning it as a result from a function.

object

any structure with private state and functions to manipulate that state.

Object (capital-O)

an object that is registered as an instance of a Class.

Domains

All Exported Objects live in a “domain”. Environments that define domain boundaries include:

CSymbol

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 05:41:09 -0500

To represent character encoding names in M-Strings I created a small API inspired by JavaScript Symbols. After some thought I realized it was only loosely related to M-Strings and could be useful in other contexts.

Symbols

Symbols are unique, interned values. They’re used for significant and often-used strings like character encoding names, HTTP method names, function and variable names, etc.

Symbols cannot be used like C strings. Instead use C_Symbol_as_cstring(sym).

API

#include <stdbool.h>
#include <syst/types.h>

typedef unsigned char utf8_t;

/**
 * A unique value sometimes tied to a string value.
 * The mapping to strings, if any, resides in a thread-safe global hashtable.
 */
typedef struct _C_Symbol* C_Symbol;

/**
 * Determines whether `p` is a C_Symbol.
 * The implementation checks whether `p` is in the right memory range instead
 * of dereferencing it, in case it points to an invalid memory location.
 */
bool is_C_Symbol(void* p);

/**
 * Return a new Symbol value unique in the current instance of the host program.
 * The value isn't guaranteed to be unique across all parallel or future
 * instances in memory.
 * The Symbol has no corresponding string value.
 */
C_Symbol C_Symbol_new();

/**
 * Return a Symbol value unique in current memory, indexed by `cstr`.
 * Since `cstr` is a C string, it cannot contain embedded nulls.
 * By convention, symbols don't contain whitespace or non-printable characters,
 * but this is not a hard and fast rule.
 */
C_Symbol C_Symbol_for_cstring(const char* cstr);

/**
 * Return a Symbol value unique in current memory, 
 * indexed by a UTF-8 string of length 'len' starting at `uptr`.
 * The string may contain embedded nulls.
 * By convention, symbols don't contain whitespace or non-printable characters,
 * but this is not a hard and fast rule.
 */
C_Symbol C_Symbol_for_utf8_string(size_t len, const utf8_t* uptr);

/**
 * The value of the string used to create the symbol.
 * This is a copy of the string passed into `C_Symbol_for_cstring`
 * or `C_Symbol_for_utf8_string` with embedded nulls replaced with '\xC0\x80',
 * "" if the symbol was created by `C_Symbol_new`,
 * or NULL if the symbol value is invalid (e.g. another type of object).
 */
const char* C_Symbol_as_cstring(C_Symbol sym);

/**
 * Copy the first `len` bytes of the string used to create `sym` into `buf`.
 * The string may contain embedded nulls.
 * The return value will be the number of UTF-8 bytes written to `buf`;
 * if 0 the symbol has no corresponding string value,
 * and if negative `sym` is not a C_Symbol.
 */
ssize_t C_Symbol_as_utf8_string(C_Symbol sym, size_t len, utf8_t* buf);

Statiki

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 15:24:19 -0500

Quoting from here:

Several years ago, I began using Instiki to record RPG-related ideas, bits of constructed languages, and notional computer projects like these. The project went through multiple revisions, including a change of database and a port to Rails.

UPDATE: Since I wrote this, the new version runs on Ruby 3.x. However I still have to start up a whole new server, and edit only through the Wiki editor page.

“Statiki” mimics a wiki, but with statically generated HTML pages I can browse directly.

M-String

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 07:49:48 -0500

Purpose

The M-String library provides C with two features present in higher-level languages:

strings that are full-featured objects.
memory management.

Right now memory management is limited to said strings, but a future release will provide a general Memory Manager that can handle arbitrary blocks of memory.¹ The author chose strings as a test case because a garbage collector for strings is almost trivial, the lack of memory-managed strings was a particular pain point of the author’s, and if the interface between managed and un-managed code worked for ubiquitous strings it would work for anything.

CConv

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:49:48 -0500

While planning various future projects I identified a need for some even more basic portable utilities. Both need an API to convert characters from one character set to another.

Front End

UTF Encodings

cconv_is_ascii checks the first sz bytes in buf and returns TRUE if they are all ≤ 127, FALSE otherwise.

All cconv_utfm_to_n_length functions calculate how many UTF-n characters the given UTF-m characters will produce. Incomplete codepoints won’t be counted. (*csz), if given, is set to the number of input characters contributed to the count of characters that would be written. Using these functions will aid in sizing output buffers correctly.

CPort

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:49:48 -0500

Purpose

CPort stands for both C Portability and Character Ports. As the overloaded name suggests, its goal is to provide an API to read and write streams of Unicode code points on any platform that supports C, even embedded and non-standard platforms that cannot use <stdio.h>.

Concepts

Ports

A port provides a stream of characters. An input port provides an incoming stream for an application to read; an output port provides an outgoing stream to which an application may write.

CTable

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:49:48 -0500

::: note MODIFIED 2023-07-23: As coding began I hit upon a radical simplification of the C_Table interface. Expect more over the next few weeks. :::

While planning other projects I identified a need for some more basic portable utilities.

C_Symbol needs a simple but solid hashtable implementation. To avoid unnecessary dependencies, we will provide our own.

The table accepts three types of keys:

A void * compared by pointer value.
A const char * compared by string value (strcmp).
A C_Userdata struct compared by binary equivalence or a custom comparison function.

Values may likewise include an unmanaged void *, an unmanaged const char*, or managed C_Userdata structs stored and retrieved by deep copy.

Music Videos 6

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 14:23:00 -0500

I’m avoiding something, so it must be time for another Music Videos post.

Batman: The Animated Series

Having presented a few selections from Howard and Zimmer’s bat-music last time, I thought I’d spotlight the work of Shirley Walker and her team on Batman: The Animated Series.

Luckily I found a YouTube playlist of the whole six volume collection of B:TAS episode soundtracks. (Which I also own.) Some have called B:TAS the best kids’ cartoon ever made, and Walker’s scores – a mix of gritty noirish jazz and sweeping Wagnerian orchestral motifs – contributed to its darkly heroic atmosphere.

Tiny Project List

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:28:46 -0600

Purpose

Tiny C Projects presents a good idea for any language: write small applications in a language to practice techniques for bigger ones. Below is a list of “tiny” projects I may pursue to brush up skills in languages I know well (e.g. C, Python, Ruby), get up to speed in languages I don’t know as well (e.g. JavaScript, modern C++), or learn languages I don’t know at all (e.g. Go, Julia, Rust).

Relearning Python #2: duplicate-files.py

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 21:15:27 -0600

In the last post, we wrote a rough cut of a Python script to list duplicated files in one or more directories. In this post we have added command-line options, output options, and some internal improvements.

Improvements

Last time I said I’d do the following:

Parsing command-line options with argparse or something else.

[…]

Write results to a file instead of STDOUT.

Installing pyyaml to generate (pretty-printed) YAML or JSON as desired.

duplicate-files.py - 2023-03-07

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:48:21 -0600

For an explanation, see the directory above.

Highlighting shows changes from the previous version

`duplicate-files.py`

Summary of Changes

Add command-line options comparable to the Ruby version
Redirect output to a file.
Convert results to YAML or “pretty-printed” JSON.
Optionally include zero-length files in output.
Assorted optimizations and Pythonicization.

Usage

usage: duplicate-files.py [-h] [-q, --quiet] [-v, --verbose]
                          [-o, --output FILE] [-j, --json] [-y, --yaml]
                          [-p, --pretty] [-z, --zero-length]
                          DIR [DIR ...]

Find duplicate files in one or more directories.

positional arguments:
  DIR                a directory to scan

options:
  -h, --help         show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet        run without printing to standard output.
  -v, --verbose      print extra information to standard output.
  -o, --output FILE  write to the given file (default: standard output)
  -j, --json         write output as JSON
  -y, --yaml         write output as YAML (default)
  -p, --pretty       "pretty-print" the output
  -z, --zero-length  include zero-length files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env python3
  2
  3from pathlib import Path
  4from itertools import combinations
  5
  6import argparse
  7import filecmp
  8import fnmatch
  9import json
 10import sys
 11
 12try:
 13    import simplejson as json
 14except ImportError:
 15    import json
 16
 17global yaml_enabled
 18
 19try:
 20    import yaml
 21except ImportError:
 22    yaml_enabled = False
 23else:
 24    yaml_enabled = True
 25
 26
 27STD_EXCLUDES = [
 28    # version control directories
 29    'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.git', '.gitignore', '.svn',
 30    # macosx-specific hidden files
 31    '.DS_Store', '.Apple*', '._*',
 32    # trash directories
 33    'Trash', '.Trash*',
 34]
 35
 36def prunable(name):
 37    return any(fnmatch.fnmatch(name, pat) for pat in STD_EXCLUDES)
 38
 39def find_files(sizemap, name):
 40    if isinstance(name, Path):
 41        f = name
 42    else:
 43        f = Path(name)
 44
 45    if prunable(f.name): return
 46
 47    # TODO: Check we have permissions 
 48
 49    if f.is_symlink(): return
 50
 51    if f.is_dir():
 52        for child in f.iterdir():
 53            find_files(sizemap, child)
 54    elif f.is_file():
 55        sz = f.stat().st_size
 56        if sz in sizemap:
 57            sizemap[sz].add(f)
 58        else:
 59            sizemap[sz] = set((f,))
 60
 61def duplicate_files(file_i, file_j):
 62     return file_i != file_j \
 63        and not file_i.samefile(file_j) \
 64        and filecmp.cmp(file_i, file_j, shallow=False)
 65
 66def add_to_dupsets(dupsets, file_i, file_j):
 67    if not file_i in dupsets:
 68        dupsets[file_i] = frozenset((file_i,))
 69    if not file_j in dupsets:
 70        dupsets[file_j] = frozenset((file_j,))
 71    newset = dupsets[file_i] | dupsets[file_j]
 72    for f in newset:
 73        dupsets[f] = newset
 74
 75def compare_files(sizemap):
 76    dupsets = {}
 77    for sz, ls in sizemap.items():
 78        if sz == 0: continue
 79        for file_i, file_j in combinations(ls, 2):
 80            if duplicate_files(file_i, file_j):
 81                add_to_dupsets(dupsets, file_i, file_j)
 82
 83    superset = set(dupsets.values())
 84    result = [sorted(s) for s in superset]
 85    result.sort()
 86    return result
 87
 88def make_argparser():
 89    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
 90                    description='Find duplicate files in one or more directories.')
 91    parser.add_argument('dirs', 
 92                    metavar='DIR',
 93                    nargs='+',
 94                    help='a directory to scan')
 95    #parser.add_argument('-d, --from', 
 96    #                metavar='MAINDIR',
 97    #                dest='canondir',
 98    #                help='Compare other directories to this directory.')
 99    parser.add_argument('-q, --quiet',
100                    action='store_true',
101                    dest='quiet',
102                    help='run without printing to standard output.')
103    parser.add_argument('-v, --verbose',
104                    action='store_true',
105                    dest='verbose',
106                    help='print extra information to standard output.')
107    parser.add_argument('-o, --output',
108                    metavar='FILE',
109                    dest='outfile',
110                    help='write to the given file (default: standard output)')
111    if yaml_enabled: 
112        parser.add_argument('-j, --json',
113                        action='store_const',
114                        const='json',
115                        default='yaml',
116                        dest='format',
117                        help='write output as JSON')
118        parser.add_argument('-y, --yaml',
119                        action='store_const',
120                        const='yaml',
121                        default='yaml',
122                        dest='format',
123                        help='write output as YAML (default)')
124    parser.add_argument('-p, --pretty',
125                    action='store_true',
126                    dest='pretty',
127                    help='"pretty-print" the output')     
128    parser.add_argument('-z, --zero-length',
129                    action='store_true',
130                    dest='zero',
131                    help='include zero-length files')    
132    return parser
133
134def convert_results(result):
135    return [[str(p) for p in ls] for ls in result]
136
137def run():
138    sizemap = {}
139    parser = make_argparser()
140    args = parser.parse_args()
141
142    for dirname in args.dirs:
143        find_files(sizemap, dirname)
144
145    result = compare_files(sizemap)
146
147    if args.zero and 0 in sizemap:
148        zero = [str(p) for p in sizemap[0]]
149        zero.add('')  # so remove-files will remove *all* files
150        result.add(zero)
151
152    if not yaml_enabled or args.format == 'json':
153        if args.pretty:
154            indent = 2
155        else:
156            indent = None
157        out = \
158            json.dumps(result, sort_keys=True, indent=indent, cls=PathEncoder)
159    else:
160        out = \
161            yaml.dump(convert_results(result),
162                    width=4096, 
163                    explicit_start=True,
164                    explicit_end=args.pretty,
165                    canonical=args.pretty)
166
167    if not args.outfile:
168        print(out)
169    else:
170        outpath = Path(args.outfile)
171        outpath.write_text(out, encoding='utf-8')
172
173class PathEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
174    def default(self, obj):
175        if isinstance(obj, Path):
176            return str(obj)
177        # Let the base class default method raise the TypeError
178        return json.JSONEncoder.default(self, obj)
179
180if __name__ == '__main__':
181    run()

duplicate-files.rb - 2023-03-07

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:48:14 -0600

For an explanation see the directory above.

Highlighting shows changes from the previous version.

`duplicate-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

PRUNE list of directories now regular expressions and constant.¹
Use Pathname objects to implement file queries and sort by path elements, not ASCII sort order (e.g. ‘-’ before ‘/’).
Reimplement append_duplicates to use Array#combination, like its younger Python cousin.
Remove progress bar, replace with Spinner.
Only generate performance data when output path provided.
Deprecate -d, reimplement by post-processing the results list.
BUG FIX: Make option arguments mandatory.

Usage

Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -d, --from DIR                   Compare arguments to files from DIR (deprecated)
    -o, --output OUTFILE             Write standard output to OUTFILE
    -j, --json                       Write output as JSON
    -y, --yaml                       Write output as YAML (default)
    -p, --[no-]pretty                Pretty-print output
    -P, --perf-data DIR              Write performance data to DIR
    -z, --[no-]zero                  Include zero-length files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'find'
  4require 'fileutils'
  5require 'optparse'
  6require 'pathname'
  7require 'rational'
  8require 'tempfile'
  9require 'yaml'
 10require 'json'
 11
 12
 13# List of file patterns to prune in search
 14PRUNE = [
 15  # Version Control directories and files
 16  /CVS/, /CVSROOT/, /\.git/, /\.gitignore/, /\.svn/,
 17  # Trash folders, usually off user or media root directories
 18  /Trash/, /\.Trash.*/,
 19  # Apple Mac metadata files and folders
 20  /\.DS_Store/, /\._.*/, /\.Apple.*/
 21]
 22
 23# Unfortunate artifact of transition between Ruby 1.9 and 2.0
 24if self.class.const_defined?(:Encoding) then
 25    ENCODING_UTF8 = Encoding.find('UTF-8')
 26else
 27    ENCODING_UTF8 = nil
 28end
 29
 30# Simple class to manage an ASCII spinner
 31class Spinner
 32    SPINNER_STATES = ['-', '\\', '|', "/"]
 33
 34    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 0.5 # s
 35
 36    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 37        @io = io
 38        @state = 0
 39        @updated = nil
 40    end
 41
 42    def start
 43        @updated = Time.now
 44        @io.print(SPINNER_STATES[0])
 45    end
 46
 47    def update
 48        if not @updated then
 49            start
 50        end
 51
 52        now = Time.now
 53        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
 54            @updated = now
 55            @state = (@state + 1) % SPINNER_STATES.length
 56            @io.print("\b", SPINNER_STATES[@state])
 57        end
 58    end
 59
 60    def stop
 61        @io.print("\b ")
 62    end
 63end
 64
 65def prunable?(path)
 66    name = File.basename(path)
 67    PRUNE.each do |p|
 68       return true if p =~ name
 69    end
 70    return false
 71end
 72
 73# Recurse through array of `dirs` and produce Hash of all files by size.
 74def files_by_size(fmap, dirs, spinner=nil)
 75    Find.find(*dirs) do |path|
 76        if prunable?(path) then
 77            Find.prune
 78        elsif File.file?(path) then
 79            size = File.size(path)
 80            path.encode!(ENCODING_UTF8) if ENCODING_UTF8
 81            if not fmap[size] then
 82                fmap[size] = {}
 83            end
 84            fmap[size][Pathname(path)] = true
 85            spinner.update if spinner
 86        end
 87    end
 88end
 89
 90# Compare each file in `paths` and append lists of equal files to `fmap`
 91def append_duplicates(result, paths, progress, verbose=false)
 92    idsets = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k] = { k => true } }
 93
 94    paths.keys.combination(2) do |path_i, path_j|
 95        if path_i.exist? and path_j.exist? \
 96                and path_i.realpath != path_j.realpath then
 97            $stderr.print("Comparing <", path_i, 
 98                          "> and <", path_j, "> ...") if verbose
 99            if FileUtils.cmp(path_i, path_j) then
100                idsets[path_i][path_j] = true
101                idsets[path_j][path_i] = true
102            end
103            progress.update if progress
104            $stderr.print(" done!\n") if verbose
105        end
106    end
107    idsets.values.uniq.each do |s|
108        result << s.keys.sort
109    end
110    result.sort!
111    return result
112end
113
114# Find all files in `fmap` and append lists of equal files to `result`
115# `fmap` is a map of files by size.
116def append_all_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
117    progress.start if progress
118    fmap.each_pair do |size, paths|
119        if size > 1 and paths.size > 1 then
120            append_duplicates(result, paths, progress, opts.verbose)
121        end
122    end
123    progress.stop if progress
124end
125
126Options = Struct.new("Options", 
127                     :info, :verbose, :canondir, :dirs,
128                     :io, :format, :pretty, :perfdir,
129                     :zero)
130
131def parse_options
132
133    config = Options.new(true, false, nil, [], 
134                            nil, :yaml, false, nil, false)
135
136    outfile = nil
137
138    OptionParser.new do |opts|
139        opts.banner = "Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]"
140
141        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
142            config.info = (not v)
143        end
144        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
145            config.verbose = v
146        end
147        opts.on("-d", "--from DIR", 
148                "Compare arguments to files from DIR (deprecated)") do |d|
149            config.canondir = d
150        end
151        opts.on("-o", "--output OUTFILE", 
152                "Write standard output to OUTFILE") do |f|
153            outfile = File.new(f, 'w')
154        end
155        opts.on("-j", "--json", "Write output as JSON") do |v|
156            config.format = :json
157        end
158        opts.on("-y", "--yaml", "Write output as YAML (default)") do |v|
159            config.format = :yaml 
160        end
161        opts.on("-p", "--[no-]pretty", "Pretty-print output") do |v|
162            config.pretty = v
163        end
164        opts.on("-P", "--perf-data DIR", 
165                "Write performance data to DIR") do |v|
166            config.perfdir = v
167        end
168        opts.on("-z", "--[no-]zero", "Include zero-length files") do |v|
169            config.zero = v
170        end
171    end.parse!
172
173    config.io = (outfile or $stdout)
174
175    config.dirs = ARGV
176
177    return config
178end
179
180def log_perf_data(perfdir, info, data)
181    begin
182        name = 'perf-' + Time.now.strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S-%N') + '.json'
183        path = nil
184        if not perfdir then
185            dir = Dir.mktmpdir('dfperf')
186            path = File.join(dir, name)
187        else
188            Dir.mkdir(perfdir, 755) if not Dir.exist?(perfdir)
189            dir = Dir.new(perfdir)
190            path = File.join(dir.to_path, name)
191        end
192        # TODO: check that file doesn't already exist.
193        File.open(path, 'w') do |file|
194            file.write(JSON.pretty_generate(data))
195        end
196        if info then
197           $stderr.print("Wrote performance data to ", path, "\n") if info
198        end
199    rescue Exception  => msg
200        $stderr.print("Cannot log performance data: ", msg, "\n") if info 
201    end
202end
203
204def run
205    opts = parse_options
206
207    spinner = nil 
208    if opts.info or opts.verbose then
209        $stderr.print("Looking for files in ", opts.dirs, " ... ")
210        spinner = Spinner.new($stderr)
211        spinner.start
212    end
213
214    time_start = Time.now
215
216    fmap = {}
217    files_by_size(fmap, opts.dirs, spinner)
218    if opts.canondir then
219        files_by_size(fmap, [opts.canondir], spinner)
220    end
221
222    time_search = Time.now
223
224    if spinner then 
225        spinner.stop
226        $stderr.print("done!\n")
227        count = 0
228        fmap.each_value do |v|
229            count += v.size
230        end
231        $stderr.print("Found ", count, " files in ", 
232                      fmap.size, " size groups.\n")
233    end
234
235    if opts.info then
236        $stderr.print("Comparing files ... ")
237    end
238
239    time_before_compare = Time.now
240
241    results = []
242    append_all_dupes(results, fmap, opts, spinner)
243
244    time_compare = Time.now
245
246    if opts.info then
247        $stderr.print("done!\n")
248    end
249
250    if opts.zero and fmap[0] then
251        zerofiles = fmap[0].keys.clone
252        zerofiles << Pathname('')
253        zerofiles.sort!
254        results << zerofiles
255        results.sort!
256    end
257
258    if opts.canondir then
259        bubble_up(opts.canondir, results)
260    end
261
262    if opts.perfdir then
263        log_perf_data(opts.perfdir, opts.info, {
264            "ngroups" => fmap.size, 
265            "time-compare" => time_compare - time_before_compare,
266            "time-search" => time_search - time_start,
267            "data" => fmap})
268    end
269
270    if opts.format == :json then
271        if opts.pretty then
272            text = JSON.pretty_generate(results)
273        else
274            text = JSON.generate(results)
275        end
276        opts.io.write(text)
277        opts.io.write("\n")
278    else
279        # :line_width setting so file names w/spaces don't break across lines
280        yamlopts = {:line_width => 4096} 
281        if opts.pretty then
282            # {:canonical => true} looks almost identical to pretty-printed 
283            # JSON so the header keeps them distinct.
284            yamlopts[:header] = true
285            yamlopts[:canonical] = true
286        end
287        # Using Pathname upstream means exposing it in YAML;
288        # build new results with just Strings and Arrays
289        saferesults = []
290        results.each do |set|
291            safeset = []
292            saferesults << safeset
293            set.each do |path|
294                safeset << path.to_s
295            end
296        end
297        YAML.safe_dump(saferesults, opts.io, yamlopts)
298    end
299end
300
301def bubble_up(canondir, results)
302  cpath = Pathname(canondir)
303
304  results.each do |ls| 
305    ls.sort! do |a, b| 
306      canon_first(cpath, a, b) 
307    end 
308  end
309end
310
311def canon_first(cpath, a, b)
312  a_in_dir = is_parent?(cpath, a)
313  b_in_dir = is_parent?(cpath, b)
314
315  if a_in_dir == b_in_dir then
316    # how we originally sorted them
317    return Pathname(a) <=> Pathname(b)
318  elsif a_in_dir then
319    return -1
320  else
321    return 1
322  end
323end
324
325def is_parent?(cpath, path)
326  result = false
327  path.ascend do |p|
328    if cpath == p then
329      result = true
330      return true
331    end
332  end
333  return result
334end
335
336run

`remove-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

None.

Relearning Python #1: Python At Last

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:52:50 -0600

While waiting for a Python Meetup to start¹, I decided to start writing a Python version of the duplicate-files script I presented previously. These are my thoughts on the experience of cutting a whole 68-line script.

Follow along in another window as I comment on duplicate-files.py.

General Comments

How hard was it?

Honestly, the second hardest part was looking up how the builtin objects and libraries work. I kept flipping between the docs and my source code, multiple times, to figure out how to get the entries from a ~~Hash~~ Dictionary, how to iterate over an ~~Array~~ List, and so forth.

duplicate-files.py - 2023-03-02

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:17:31 -0600

For an explanation, see the directory above.

`duplicate-files.py`

See “Relearning Python #1 for more information.

Listing

 1#!/usr/bin/env python3
 2
 3from pathlib import Path
 4
 5#import argparse
 6import filecmp
 7import json
 8import sys
 9
10STD_EXCLUDES=['CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.DS_Store', '.git', '.gitignore', '.svn']
11
12def find_files(sizemap, f, exclude=STD_EXCLUDES):
13    # TODO: Check we have permissions 
14    if f.name in exclude:
15        return
16
17    if f.is_symlink():
18        pass
19    elif f.is_dir():
20        for child in f.iterdir():
21            find_files(sizemap, child)
22    elif f.is_file():
23        sz = f.stat().st_size
24        if not sz in sizemap:
25            sizemap[sz] = []
26        ls = sizemap[sz]
27        if f not in ls:
28            ls.append(f.as_posix())
29            # using strings so JSON can print them
30#end
31
32def duplicate_files(file_i, file_j):
33     return file_i != file_j and filecmp.cmp(file_i, file_j, shallow=False)
34
35def add_to_dupsets(dupsets, file_i, file_j):
36    if not file_i in dupsets:
37        dupsets[file_i] = set((file_i,))
38    if not file_j in dupsets:
39        dupsets[file_j] = set((file_j,))
40    dupsets[file_i].add(file_j) 
41    dupsets[file_j].add(file_i)
42
43def sort_uniq(sets):
44    result = list(set([tuple(sorted(s)) for s in sets]))
45    result.sort()
46    return result
47
48def compare_files(sizemap):
49    dupsets = {}
50    for sz, ls in sizemap.items():
51        if sz == 0: continue
52        max_i = len(ls)
53        for i in range(0, max_i):
54            for j in range(i, max_i):
55                if duplicate_files(ls[i], ls[j]):
56                    add_to_dupsets(dupsets, ls[i], ls[j])
57    return sort_uniq(dupsets.values())
58
59def run():
60    sizemap = {}
61    # Assume all arguments are directory names for now
62    for dirname in sys.argv[1:]:
63        find_files(sizemap, Path(dirname))
64    result = compare_files(sizemap)
65    print(json.dumps(result, sort_keys=False, indent=2))
66
67if __name__ == '__main__':
68    run()

duplicate-files.rb - 2023-03-02

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:17:19 -0600

For an explanation see the directory above.

Highlighting shows changes from the previous version.

`duplicate-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

Sort results more thoroughly.

Usage

Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -d, --from [DIR]                 Compare arguments only to files from DIR
    -o, --output [OUTFILE]           Write standard output to OUTFILE
    -j, --json                       Write output as JSON
    -y, --yaml                       Write output as YAML (default)
    -p, --[no-]pretty                Pretty-print output
    -P, --perf-data [DIR]            Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)
    -z, --[no-]zero                  Include zero-length files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'find'
  4require 'fileutils'
  5require 'optparse'
  6require 'rational'
  7require 'tempfile'
  8require 'yaml'
  9require 'json'
 10
 11
 12# Default list of files to prune in search
 13PRUNE = ['.svn', 'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.DS_Store', '.git', '.gitignore']
 14
 15# Unfortunate artifact of transition between Ruby 1.9 and 2.0
 16if self.class.const_defined?(:Encoding) then
 17    ENCODING_UTF8 = Encoding.find('UTF-8')
 18else
 19    ENCODING_UTF8 = nil
 20end
 21
 22# Simple class to manage an ASCII spinner
 23class Spinner
 24    SPINNER_STATES = ['-', '\\', '|', "/"]
 25
 26    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 0.5 # s
 27
 28    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 29        @io = io
 30        @state = 0
 31        @updated = nil
 32    end
 33
 34    def start
 35        @updated = Time.now
 36        @io.print(SPINNER_STATES[0])
 37    end
 38
 39    def update
 40        if not @updated then
 41            start
 42        end
 43
 44        now = Time.now
 45        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
 46            @updated = now
 47            @state = (@state + 1) % SPINNER_STATES.length
 48            @io.print("\b", SPINNER_STATES[@state])
 49        end
 50    end
 51end
 52
 53#
 54# Not-so-simple class to manage a progress bar
 55#
 56class Progress
 57    BAR_LENGTH = 40
 58
 59    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 1.0 # s
 60
 61    attr_accessor :actual, :estimate, :io, :quiet
 62
 63    def initialize
 64        @io = io
 65        @updated = nil
 66        @estimate = 0
 67        @actual = 0
 68        @quiet = quiet
 69    end
 70
 71    def do_estimate(results, canon)
 72        @estimate = 0
 73        results.each do |fileset|
 74            # choose(x, k) is the number of ways one can choose `k`
 75            # items from a set of `n`.
 76            size = fileset.size
 77            size += 1 if canon
 78            if size > 1 then
 79                @estimate += size * (size - 1) 
 80                # @estimate += choose(size, 2) 
 81                # @estimate += factorial(size)
 82            end
 83        end
 84        update
 85    end
 86
 87    def factorial(n)
 88        if n <= 1 then 1 else n * factorial(n-1) end
 89    end
 90
 91    def choose(n, k)
 92        if n < 1 or k < 0 or k > n then
 93            return 0
 94        end
 95        result = 1
 96        1.upto(k) do |i|
 97            result = result * (n + 1 - i) / i
 98        end
 99        return result
100    end
101
102    def add(amt = 1)
103        @actual += amt
104        update
105    end
106
107    def progress(increments = 100)
108        if @estimate == 0 then
109            return 0
110        else
111            return Rational(increments * @actual, @estimate).floor.to_i
112        end
113    end
114
115    def progress_bar
116        str = String.new
117        1.upto(BAR_LENGTH) do |i|
118            if i <= progress(BAR_LENGTH) then
119                str << '#'
120            else
121                str << '-'
122            end
123        end
124        return str
125    end
126
127    def update
128        if not @updated then
129            @updated = Time.now
130        end
131
132        now = Time.now
133        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
134            @updated = now
135            if not quiet then
136                msg = @actual.to_s + "/" + @estimate.to_s + \
137                      " |" + progress_bar + "|"
138                @io.print("\b"*msg.size, msg)
139            end
140        end
141    end
142end
143
144# Whether `path_i` and `path_j` refer to duplicate but not identical files
145def duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j)
146    return (File.exist?(path_i) \
147            and File.exist?(path_j) \
148            and not File.identical?(path_i, path_j) \
149            and FileUtils.cmp(path_i, path_j))
150end
151
152def prunable?(path, prune=[])
153    name = File.basename(path)
154    return (prune.include?(name) or File.fnmatch('._*', name))
155end
156
157# Recurse through array of `dirs` and produce Hash of all files by size.
158def files_by_size(dirs, prune=[], info=false)
159    result = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k]=[]}
160    count = 0
161    spinner = nil 
162    if info then
163        $stderr.print("Looking for files in ", dirs, ": ")
164        spinner = Spinner.new($stderr)
165        spinner.start
166    end
167    Find.find(*dirs) do |path|
168        if prunable?(path, prune) then
169            Find.prune
170        elsif File.file?(path) then
171            size = File.size(path)
172            count = count + 1
173            path.encode!(ENCODING_UTF8) if ENCODING_UTF8
174            result[size] << path
175            if info then
176                count = count + 1
177                spinner.update
178            end
179        end
180    end
181    if info then
182        $stderr.print(" done!\n")
183
184        $stderr.print("Found ", count, " files in ", 
185                      result.size, " size groups.\n")
186    end
187    return result
188end
189
190# Compare each file in `paths` and append lists of equal files to `result`
191def append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
192    idsets = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k] = { k => true } }
193    max_i = paths.length-1
194    0.upto(max_i) do |i|
195        (i+1).upto(max_i) do |j|
196            path_i = paths[i]
197            path_j = paths[j]
198            if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
199                idsets[path_i][path_j] = true
200                idsets[path_j][path_i] = true
201            end
202            progress.add
203        end
204    end
205    idsets.values.uniq.each do | s |
206        result << s.keys.sort
207    end
208    result.sort!
209    return result
210end
211
212# Find all files in `fmap` and append lists of equal files to `result`
213# `fmap` is a map of files by size.
214def append_all_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
215    fmap.each_pair do |size, paths|
216        if size > 1 and paths.size > 1 then
217            $stderr.print("Comparing ", paths, " ...") if opts.verbose
218            append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
219            $stderr.print("done.\n") if opts.verbose
220        end
221    end
222end
223
224# Find all files in `srcdir`, compare to all files in `fmap`,
225# and append lists of equal files to `result`.
226# The path from `srcdir` will always be first in the list.
227def append_dir_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
228    # Use names from the pre-rewrite version
229    srcdir = opts.canondir
230    prune = opts.prune
231    verbose = opts.verbose
232
233    $stderr.print("Looking for files in '", srcdir, "':\n") if verbose
234    Find.find(srcdir) do |path_i|
235        if prunable?(path_i, prune) then
236            Find.prune
237        elsif File.file?(path_i) then
238            size = File.size(path_i)
239            paths = fmap[size]
240            if size > 0 and paths and not paths.empty? then
241                dupes = []
242                $stderr.print("Comparing '", path_i, 
243                              "' to ", paths, " ...") if verbose
244                paths.each do |path_j|
245                    if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
246                        dupes << path_j
247                    end
248                    progress.add
249                end
250                if dupes.size > 0 then
251                   dupes.sort!
252                   result << [path_i, *dupes]
253                end
254                $stderr.print(" done.\n") if verbose
255            end
256        end
257    end
258    $stderr.print("Done!\n") if verbose
259    return result
260end
261
262Options = Struct.new("Options", 
263                     :info, :verbose, :canondir, :dirs, :prune, 
264                     :io, :format, :pretty, :perfdir,
265                     :zero)
266
267def parse_options
268
269    config = Options.new(true, false, nil, [], PRUNE, 
270                            nil, :yaml, false, nil, false)
271
272    outfile = nil
273
274    OptionParser.new do |opts|
275        opts.banner = "Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]"
276
277        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
278            config.info = (not v)
279        end
280        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
281            config.verbose = v
282        end
283        opts.on("-d", "--from [DIR]", 
284                "Compare arguments only to files from DIR") do |d|
285            config.canondir = d
286        end
287        opts.on("-o", "--output [OUTFILE]", 
288                "Write standard output to OUTFILE") do |f|
289            outfile = File.new(f, 'w')
290        end
291        opts.on("-j", "--json", "Write output as JSON") do |v|
292            config.format = :json
293        end
294        opts.on("-y", "--yaml", "Write output as YAML (default)") do |v|
295            config.format = :yaml 
296        end
297        opts.on("-p", "--[no-]pretty", "Pretty-print output") do |v|
298            config.pretty = v
299        end
300        opts.on("-P", "--perf-data [DIR]", 
301                "Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)") do |v|
302            config.perfdir = v
303        end
304        opts.on("-z", "--[no-]zero", "Include zero-length files") do |v|
305            config.zero = v
306        end
307    end.parse!
308
309    config.io = (outfile or $stdout)
310
311    config.dirs = ARGV
312
313    return config
314end
315
316def log_perf_data(perfdir, info, data)
317    begin
318        name = 'perf-' + Time.now.strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S-%N') + '.json'
319        path = nil
320        if not perfdir then
321            dir = Dir.mktmpdir('dfperf')
322            path = File.join(dir, name)
323        else
324            Dir.mkdir(perfdir, 755) if not Dir.exist?(perfdir)
325            dir = Dir.new(perfdir)
326            path = File.join(dir.to_path, name)
327        end
328        # TODO: check that file doesn't already exist.
329        File.open(path, 'w') do |file|
330            file.write(JSON.pretty_generate(data))
331        end
332        if info then
333           $stderr.print("Wrote performance data to ", path, "\n") if info
334        end
335    rescue Exception  => msg
336        $stderr.print("Cannot log performance data: ", msg, "\n") if info 
337    end
338end
339
340def run
341    opts = parse_options
342
343    time_start = Time.now
344
345    fmap = files_by_size(opts.dirs, opts.prune, (opts.info or opts.verbose))
346
347    time_search = Time.now
348
349    if opts.info then
350        $stderr.print("Comparing files ...\n")
351    end
352
353    progress = Progress.new
354    progress.io=$stderr
355    progress.quiet=(not opts.info)
356
357    time_before_est = Time.now
358
359    progress.do_estimate(fmap, opts.canondir != nil)
360
361    time_estimate = Time.now
362
363    results = []
364    if opts.canondir then
365        append_dir_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
366    else
367        append_all_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
368    end
369
370    time_compare = Time.now
371
372    if opts.zero and fmap[0] then
373        zerofiles = fmap[0].clone
374        zerofiles << ''
375        zerofiles.sort!
376        results << zerofiles
377        results.sort!
378    end
379
380    if opts.info then
381        $stderr.print("... done!\n")
382    end
383
384    log_perf_data(opts.perfdir, opts.info, {
385        "actual" => progress.actual,
386        "estimate" => progress.estimate,
387        "ngroups" => fmap.size, 
388        "time-compare" => time_compare - time_estimate,
389        "time-estimate" => time_estimate - time_before_est,
390        "time-search" => time_search - time_start,
391        "data" => fmap})
392
393    if opts.format == :json then
394        if opts.pretty then
395            text = JSON.pretty_generate(results)
396        else
397            text = JSON.generate(results)
398        end
399        opts.io.write(text)
400        opts.io.write("\n")
401    else
402        # :line_width setting so file names w/spaces don't break across lines
403        yamlopts = {:line_width => 4096} 
404        if opts.pretty then
405            # {:canonical => true} looks almost identical to pretty-printed 
406            # JSON so the header keeps them distinct.
407            yamlopts[:header] = true
408            yamlopts[:canonical] = true
409        end
410        YAML.dump(results, opts.io, yamlopts)
411    end
412end
413
414run

`remove-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

None.

duplicate-files.rb - 2023-02-25

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 11:30:22 -0600

For an explanation, see the directory above.

Highlighting shows changes from the previous version.

`duplicate-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

Un-break pretty printing.
Add option to remove all zero-length files.
Silence progress bar when in --quiet mode.

Usage

Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -d, --from [DIR]                 Compare arguments only to files from DIR
    -o, --output [OUTFILE]           Write standard output to OUTFILE
    -j, --json                       Write output as JSON
    -y, --yaml                       Write output as YAML (default)
    -p, --[no-]pretty                Pretty-print output
    -P, --perf-data [DIR]            Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)
    -z, --[no-]zero                  Include zero-length files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'find'
  4require 'fileutils'
  5require 'optparse'
  6require 'rational'
  7require 'tempfile'
  8require 'yaml'
  9require 'json'
 10
 11
 12# Default list of files to prune in search
 13PRUNE = ['.svn', 'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.DS_Store', '.git']
 14
 15# Unfortunate artifact of transition between Ruby 1.9 and 2.0
 16if self.class.const_defined?(:Encoding) then
 17    ENCODING_UTF8 = Encoding.find('UTF-8')
 18else
 19    ENCODING_UTF8 = nil
 20end
 21
 22# Simple class to manage an ASCII spinner
 23class Spinner
 24    SPINNER_STATES = ['-', '\\', '|', "/"]
 25
 26    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 0.5 # s
 27
 28    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 29        @io = io
 30        @state = 0
 31        @updated = nil
 32    end
 33
 34    def start
 35        @updated = Time.now
 36        @io.print(SPINNER_STATES[0])
 37    end
 38
 39    def update
 40        if not @updated then
 41            start
 42        end
 43
 44        now = Time.now
 45        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
 46            @updated = now
 47            @state = (@state + 1) % SPINNER_STATES.length
 48            @io.print("\b", SPINNER_STATES[@state])
 49        end
 50    end
 51end
 52
 53#
 54# Not-so-simple class to manage a progress bar
 55#
 56class Progress
 57    BAR_LENGTH = 40
 58
 59    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 1.0 # s
 60
 61    attr_accessor :actual, :estimate, :io, :quiet
 62
 63    def initialize
 64        @io = io
 65        @updated = nil
 66        @estimate = 0
 67        @actual = 0
 68        @quiet = quiet
 69    end
 70
 71    def do_estimate(results, canon)
 72        @estimate = 0
 73        results.each do |fileset|
 74            # choose(x, k) is the number of ways one can choose `k`
 75            # items from a set of `n`.
 76            size = fileset.size
 77            size += 1 if canon
 78            if size > 1 then
 79                @estimate += size * (size - 1) 
 80                # @estimate += choose(size, 2) 
 81                # @estimate += factorial(size)
 82            end
 83        end
 84        update
 85    end
 86
 87    def factorial(n)
 88        if n <= 1 then 1 else n * factorial(n-1) end
 89    end
 90
 91    def choose(n, k)
 92        if n < 1 or k < 0 or k > n then
 93            return 0
 94        end
 95        result = 1
 96        1.upto(k) do |i|
 97            result = result * (n + 1 - i) / i
 98        end
 99        return result
100    end
101
102    def add(amt = 1)
103        @actual += amt
104        update
105    end
106
107    def progress(increments = 100)
108        if @estimate == 0 then
109            return 0
110        else
111            return Rational(increments * @actual, @estimate).floor.to_i
112        end
113    end
114
115    def progress_bar
116        str = String.new
117        1.upto(BAR_LENGTH) do |i|
118            if i <= progress(BAR_LENGTH) then
119                str << '#'
120            else
121                str << '-'
122            end
123        end
124        return str
125    end
126
127    def update
128        if not @updated then
129            @updated = Time.now
130        end
131
132        now = Time.now
133        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
134            @updated = now
135            if not quiet then
136                msg = @actual.to_s + "/" + @estimate.to_s + \
137                      " |" + progress_bar + "|"
138                @io.print("\b"*msg.size, msg)
139            end
140        end
141    end
142end
143
144# Whether `path_i` and `path_j` refer to duplicate but not identical files
145def duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j)
146    return (File.exist?(path_i) \
147            and File.exist?(path_j) \
148            and not File.identical?(path_i, path_j) \
149            and FileUtils.cmp(path_i, path_j))
150end
151
152def prunable?(path, prune=[])
153    name = File.basename(path)
154    return (prune.include?(name) or File.fnmatch('._*', name))
155end
156
157# Recurse through array of `dirs` and produce Hash of all files by size.
158def files_by_size(dirs, prune=[], info=false)
159    result = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k]=[]}
160    count = 0
161    spinner = nil 
162    if info then
163        $stderr.print("Looking for files in ", dirs, ": ")
164        spinner = Spinner.new($stderr)
165        spinner.start
166    end
167    Find.find(*dirs) do |path|
168        if prunable?(path, prune) then
169            Find.prune
170        elsif File.file?(path) then
171            size = File.size(path)
172            count = count + 1
173            path.encode!(ENCODING_UTF8) if ENCODING_UTF8
174            result[size] << path
175            if info then
176                count = count + 1
177                spinner.update
178            end
179        end
180    end
181    if info then
182        $stderr.print(" done!\n")
183
184        $stderr.print("Found ", count, " files in ", 
185                      result.size, " size groups.\n")
186    end
187    return result
188end
189
190# Compare each file in `paths` and append lists of equal files to `result`
191def append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
192    idsets = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k] = { k => true } }
193    0.upto(paths.length - 1) do |i|
194        (i+1).upto(paths.length - 1) do |j|
195            path_i = paths[i]
196            path_j = paths[j]
197            if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
198                idsets[path_i][path_j] = true
199                idsets[path_j][path_i] = true
200            end
201            progress.add
202        end
203    end
204    idsets.values.uniq.each do | s |
205        result << s.keys.sort
206    end
207    return result
208end
209
210# Find all files in `fmap` and append lists of equal files to `result`
211# `fmap` is a map of files by size.
212def append_all_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
213    fmap.each_pair do |size, paths|
214        if size > 1 and paths.size > 1 then
215            $stderr.print("Comparing ", paths, " ...") if opts.verbose
216            append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
217            $stderr.print("done.\n") if opts.verbose
218        end
219    end
220end
221
222# Find all files in `srcdir`, compare to all files in `fmap`,
223# and append lists of equal files to `result`.
224# The path from `srcdir` will always be first in the list.
225def append_dir_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
226    # Use names from the pre-rewrite version
227    srcdir = opts.canondir
228    prune = opts.prune
229    verbose = opts.verbose
230
231    $stderr.print("Looking for files in '", srcdir, "':\n") if verbose
232    Find.find(srcdir) do |path_i|
233        if prunable?(path_i, prune) then
234            Find.prune
235        elsif File.file?(path_i) then
236            size = File.size(path_i)
237            paths = fmap[size]
238            if size > 0 and paths and not paths.empty? then
239                dupes = []
240                $stderr.print("Comparing '", path_i, 
241                              "' to ", paths, " ...") if verbose
242                paths.each do |path_j|
243                    if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
244                        dupes << path_j
245                    end
246                    progress.add
247                end
248                if dupes.size > 0 then
249                   dupes.sort!
250                   result << [path_i, *dupes]
251                end
252                $stderr.print(" done.\n") if verbose
253            end
254        end
255    end
256    $stderr.print("Done!\n") if verbose
257    return result
258end
259
260Options = Struct.new("Options", 
261                     :info, :verbose, :canondir, :dirs, :prune, 
262                     :io, :format, :pretty, :perfdir,
263                     :zero)
264
265def parse_options
266
267    config = Options.new(true, false, nil, [], PRUNE, 
268                            nil, :yaml, false, nil, false)
269
270    outfile = nil
271
272    OptionParser.new do |opts|
273        opts.banner = "Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]"
274
275        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
276            config.info = (not v)
277        end
278        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
279            config.verbose = v
280        end
281        opts.on("-d", "--from [DIR]", 
282                "Compare arguments only to files from DIR") do |d|
283            config.canondir = d
284        end
285        opts.on("-o", "--output [OUTFILE]", 
286                "Write standard output to OUTFILE") do |f|
287            outfile = File.new(f, 'w')
288        end
289        opts.on("-j", "--json", "Write output as JSON") do |v|
290            config.format = :json
291        end
292        opts.on("-y", "--yaml", "Write output as YAML (default)") do |v|
293            config.format = :yaml 
294        end
295        opts.on("-p", "--[no-]pretty", "Pretty-print output") do |v|
296            config.pretty = v
297        end
298        opts.on("-P", "--perf-data [DIR]", 
299                "Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)") do |v|
300            config.perfdir = v
301        end
302        opts.on("-z", "--[no-]zero", "Include zero-length files") do |v|
303            config.zero = v
304        end
305    end.parse!
306
307    config.io = (outfile or $stdout)
308
309    config.dirs = ARGV
310
311    return config
312end
313
314def log_perf_data(perfdir, info, data)
315    begin
316        name = 'perf-' + Time.now.strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S-%N') + '.json'
317        path = nil
318        if not perfdir then
319            dir = Dir.mktmpdir('dfperf')
320            path = File.join(dir, name)
321        else
322            Dir.mkdir(perfdir, 755) if not Dir.exist?(perfdir)
323            dir = Dir.new(perfdir)
324            path = File.join(dir.to_path, name)
325        end
326        # TODO: check that file doesn't already exist.
327        File.open(path, 'w') do |file|
328            file.write(JSON.pretty_generate(data))
329        end
330        if info then
331           $stderr.print("Wrote performance data to ", path, "\n") if info
332        end
333    rescue Exception  => msg
334        $stderr.print("Cannot log performance data: ", msg, "\n") if info 
335    end
336end
337
338def run
339    opts = parse_options
340
341    time_start = Time.now
342
343    fmap = files_by_size(opts.dirs, opts.prune, (opts.info or opts.verbose))
344
345    time_search = Time.now
346
347    if opts.info then
348        $stderr.print("Comparing files ...\n")
349    end
350
351    progress = Progress.new
352    progress.io=$stderr
353    progress.quiet=(not opts.info)
354
355    time_before_est = Time.now
356
357    progress.do_estimate(fmap, opts.canondir != nil)
358
359    time_estimate = Time.now
360
361    results = []
362    if opts.canondir then
363        append_dir_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
364    else
365        append_all_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
366    end
367
368    time_compare = Time.now
369
370    if opts.zero and fmap[0] then
371        zerofiles = fmap[0].clone
372        zerofiles << ''
373        zerofiles.sort!
374        results << zerofiles
375    end
376
377    if opts.info then
378        $stderr.print("... done!\n")
379    end
380
381    log_perf_data(opts.perfdir, opts.info, {
382        "actual" => progress.actual,
383        "estimate" => progress.estimate,
384        "ngroups" => fmap.size, 
385        "time-compare" => time_compare - time_estimate,
386        "time-estimate" => time_estimate - time_before_est,
387        "time-search" => time_search - time_start,
388        "data" => fmap})
389
390    if opts.format == :json then
391        if opts.pretty then
392            text = JSON.pretty_generate(results)
393        else
394            text = JSON.generate(results)
395        end
396        opts.io.write(text)
397        opts.io.write("\n")
398    else
399        # :line_width setting so file names w/spaces don't break across lines
400        yamlopts = {:line_width => 4096} 
401        if opts.pretty then
402            # {:canonical => true} looks almost identical to pretty-printed 
403            # JSON so the header keeps them distinct.
404            yamlopts[:header] = true
405            yamlopts[:canonical] = true
406        end
407        YAML.dump(results, opts.io, yamlopts)
408    end
409end
410
411run

`remove-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

Add interactive mode to stop deletions at last minute. Does NOT work if piping output from duplicate-files.rb into STDIN.

Usage

Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [listfile ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -j, --[no-]json                  Read input as JSON
    -y, --[no-]yaml                  Read input as YAML (default)
    -x, --[no-]mixed                 Deduce format from files
    -i, --[no-]interactive           Wait for user approval before deleting.
    -u, --[no-]dry-run               Don't delete, just list files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'optparse'
  4require 'yaml'
  5require 'psych'
  6require 'json'
  7
  8# Append all but the first paths from each set in `filesets` to results
  9def append_files(result, filesets, verbose=true)
 10  filesets.each do |fset|
 11    delset = fset[1..-1]
 12    # Skip the first file in each set
 13    if verbose then
 14      $stderr.print("Skipping ", fset[0].inspect, ";\n");
 15      $stderr.print("Adding ", delset, "\n")
 16    end
 17    delset.each do |n|
 18      result << n
 19    end
 20  end
 21end
 22
 23# Figure out if the `text` in `path` is JSON
 24def is_json(path, text)
 25  text.strip! # Bad form to modify an argument
 26  path.end_with?(".json") or text.start_with?("{", "[", "\"")
 27end
 28
 29def read_file(files, path, verbose)
 30  $stderr.print("Reading ", path, " ...\n") if verbose
 31  text = f.read
 32  begin
 33    if is_json(path, text) then
 34      $stderr.print("Assuming JSON: ", path) if verbose
 35      append_files(files, JSON.parse(text), verbose)
 36    else
 37      $stderr.print("Assuming YAML: ", path) if verbose
 38      append_files(files, YAML.safe_load(text), verbose)
 39    end
 40  rescue JSON::JsonError => msg
 41    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 42    $stdout.print(path.inspect, "isn't valid JSON; skipping.\n") if info
 43  rescue Psych::Exception => msg
 44    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 45    $stdout.print(path.inspect, "isn't valid YAML; skipping.\n") if info
 46  end
 47end
 48
 49#
 50# Run the main loop
 51#
 52def run
 53
 54  info = true
 55  verbose = false
 56  input = :yaml
 57  dry = false
 58  interactive = false
 59  files = []
 60
 61  OptionParser.new do |opts|
 62    opts.banner = "Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [listfile ...]"
 63
 64    opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
 65      info = (not v)
 66    end
 67    opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
 68      verbose = v
 69    end
 70    opts.on("-j", "--[no-]json", "Read input as JSON") do |v|
 71      input = :json if v
 72    end
 73    opts.on("-y", "--[no-]yaml", "Read input as YAML (default)") do |v|
 74      input = :yaml if v
 75    end
 76    opts.on("-x", "--[no-]mixed", "Deduce format from files") do |v|
 77      input = nil if v
 78    end
 79    opts.on("-i", "--[no-]interactive", 
 80            "Wait for user approval before deleting.") do |v|
 81      interactive = v
 82    end
 83    opts.on("-u", "--[no-]dry-run", "Don't delete, just list files") do |v|
 84      dry = v
 85    end
 86  end.parse!
 87
 88  begin
 89    if input == :json then
 90      # Assuming we're getting a single JSON object ...
 91      result = JSON.parse(ARGF.read)
 92      append_files(files, result, verbose)
 93    elsif input == :yaml or ARGV.empty? then
 94      append_files(files, YAML.safe_load(ARGF.read), verbose)
 95    else
 96      ARGV.each { |path| read_file(files, path, verbose) }
 97    end
 98  rescue Psych::Exception => msg
 99    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
100    $stdout.print("Input isn't valid YAML; skipping.\n") if info
101  rescue JSON::JsonError => msg
102    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
103    $stdout.print("Input isn't valid JSON; skipping.\n") if info
104  end
105
106  files.uniq!
107  files.sort!
108
109  if info and not files.empty? then
110    if interactive then
111        $stdout.print("About to remove the following files:\n")
112    else
113        $stdout.print("Removing the following files:\n")
114    end
115    YAML.dump(files, $stdout)
116  end
117
118  if interactive and not files.empty? then
119    $stdout.print("Remove ", files.size, " files? [y/N]: ")
120    response = $stdin.gets
121    if not response then
122      $stdout.print("No response; are you piping to STDIN? Exiting.\n")
123      return -1
124    else
125      response.strip!
126      if not response.start_with?('Y', 'y') then
127        $stdout.print("Exiting.\n")
128        return 1
129      end
130    end
131  end
132
133  count = 0
134
135  files.each do |path|
136    $stderr.print("-> rm ", path.inspect, "\n") if verbose
137    begin
138      File.delete(path) if not dry 
139      count = count + 1
140    rescue StandardError => msg
141      $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
142      $stderr.print("Cannot remove ", path.inspect, "; skipping.\n") if info
143    end
144  end
145
146  $stdout.print("Removed ", count, " files.") if info
147  $stdout.print(" (Not really.)") if info and dry
148  $stdout.print("\n") if info
149
150  return 0
151end
152
153run()

Star Trek: The Gorn Ship

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 02:53:32 -0600

The remastered version of Star Trek (TOS) inserts real ships into episodes where the original airing showed only a vague flickering light, if that. The Orion ship looks interesting, especially the rear section that explained the whirling lights in the original. The Eymorg and Medusan ships, unseen in the original eps (IIRC), look fascinatingly retro. I have a soft spot for advanced technology used to recreate something that looks low-tech, as if the guys 55 years ago would have made it if they’d only had the time and budget.¹

JSONPP: JSON Pull Parser (Work in Progress)

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 01:13:12 -0600

This document somewhat more formally presents the JSON Pull Parser mentioned in two previous blog posts.

Source code is available at https://github.com/frank-mitchell-com/jsonpp.

Purpose

As JSON has become more prevalent in Web applications, Java on the Web need a JSON parser. JDK 11 removed javax.json and JSONP, and while the Jakarta project continues to develop JSONP as jakarta.json, developers may want something simpler and more lightweight.

The StAX parser demonstrated that pull parsing provides a lightweight API that, unlike the “push parsing” model of SAX, keeps the application code in control without the memory overhead of DOM. For example, in JSON-RPC can stream the outer envelope to glean the id and method element then delegate params parsing to the code that performs the procedure. The only overhead is that the parser can’t use the Java call stack to track parsing state, and must save state when the application regains control.

The Estimator

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 03:13:56 -0600

Origin

When I worked in Chicago supporting trading desks at a succession of big banks, I noticed how long calculating risk analytics took. The general procedure was to take the current market price of a portfolio, adjust some parameter like interest rates or the currend date, take the difference, divide by the unit of change, and call it a derivative. (Not to be confused with traded derivatives).

“Wouldn’t it be nice,” I told myself, “if we could estimate how many calculations it would take to analyze a portfolio, multiply that by the time to do one calculation, and warn the user it might take a while?” I called it the Estimation Framework because everything was a “framework” in the 1990s and early 2000s. Then I wrote it on a piece of paper, and eventually on other pieces of paper and in various files, for thirty-some years.

FM Cache (Work in Progress)

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 03:13:46 -0600

Origins

When I worked at Hotel.com my manager asked me to write a simple cache library. Assembling all the information about a hotel – description, amenities, price quotes, etc. – too a lot of time, so it would speed things up, and ease the burden on databases and SOAP interfaces, to keep the results around. But not too long: price and availability change in an instant, and even though we doublecheck when someone tries to book a hotel we don’t want the information to get too stale.

Relearning Python #1/2: Ch-ch-ch-changes

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 22:56:13 -0600

When Last We Left Our Heroes …

A few things have changed in the three months(?!?) since the last article.

Computers Change

For reasons I ~~was forced~~ decided to upgrade to Linux Mint 21.1l which has Python 3.10.6 installed.

Also for reasons, I bought a Windows 10 machine that also has Python 3.11.2 available to download. So I guess I’m going to get acquainted with the Power Shell.¹

Scripts Change

I made a few upgrades to duplicate-files.rb and its companion program, remove-files.rb:

Music Videos 5

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:40:36 -0600

The Dark Knight Trilogy

For some reason the soundtrack to Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) is my go-to music whenever I have to get things done. I guess it’s the combination of intensity and repetition that forces me to keep going without getting distracted by the music itself.

Thanks, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. I’m sure that’s just what you were going for.

“Molossus”

All the tracks on the Batman Begins sountrack are named after types of bats. O kawaii koto.. So I have no idea what scene(s) this corresponds to, except it’s loud.

duplicate-files.rb - 2023-02-07

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:42:22 -0600

For an explanation, see the directory above.

Highlighting shows changes from the previous version.

`duplicate-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

Replace Printer classes with simple if statement.
Add progress bar during comparisons. Note that estimates are wildly inaccurate.
Write performance data to /tmp or a configured directory to help deduce why estimates are so far off.

Usage

Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -d, --from [DIR]                 Compare arguments only to files from DIR
    -o, --output [OUTFILE]           Write standard output to OUTFILE
    -j, --json                       Write output as JSON
    -y, --yaml                       Write output as YAML (default)
    -p, --[no-]pretty                Pretty-print output
    -P, --perf-data [DIR]            Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'find'
  4require 'fileutils'
  5require 'optparse'
  6require 'rational'
  7require 'tempfile'
  8require 'yaml'
  9require 'json'
 10
 11
 12# Default list of files to prune in search
 13PRUNE = ['.svn', 'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.DS_Store', '.git']
 14
 15# Unfortunate artifact of transition between Ruby 1.9 and 2.0
 16if self.class.const_defined?(:Encoding) then
 17    ENCODING_UTF8 = Encoding.find('UTF-8')
 18else
 19    ENCODING_UTF8 = nil
 20end
 21
 22# Simple class to manage an ASCII spinner
 23class Spinner
 24    SPINNER_STATES = ['-', '\\', '|', "/"]
 25
 26    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 0.5 # s
 27
 28    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 29        @io = io
 30        @state = 0
 31        @updated = nil
 32    end
 33
 34    def start
 35        @updated = Time.now
 36        @io.print(SPINNER_STATES[0])
 37    end
 38
 39    def update
 40        if not @updated then
 41            start()
 42        end
 43
 44        now = Time.now
 45        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
 46            @updated = now
 47            @state = (@state + 1) % SPINNER_STATES.length
 48            @io.print("\b", SPINNER_STATES[@state])
 49        end
 50    end
 51end
 52
 53#
 54# Not-so-simple class to manage a progress bar
 55#
 56class Progress
 57    BAR_LENGTH = 40
 58
 59    UPDATE_INTERVAL = 1.0 # s
 60
 61    attr_accessor :estimate, :actual
 62
 63    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 64        @io = io
 65        @updated = nil
 66        @estimate = 0
 67        @actual = 0
 68    end
 69
 70    def do_estimate(results, canon)
 71        @estimate = 0
 72        results.each do |fileset|
 73            # choose(x, k) is the number of ways one can choose `k`
 74            # items from a set of `n`.
 75            size = fileset.size
 76            size += 1 if canon
 77            if size > 1 then
 78                @estimate += size * (size - 1) # choose(size, 2) # factorial(size)
 79            end
 80        end
 81        update
 82    end
 83
 84    def factorial(n)
 85        if n <= 1 then 1 else n * factorial(n-1) end
 86    end
 87
 88    def choose(n, k)
 89        if n < 1 or k < 0 or k > n then
 90            return 0
 91        end
 92        result = 1
 93        1.upto(k) do |i|
 94            result = result * (n + 1 - i) / i
 95        end
 96        return result
 97    end
 98
 99    def add(amt = 1)
100        @actual += amt
101        update
102    end
103
104    def progress(increments = 100)
105        if @estimate == 0 then
106            return 0
107        else
108            return Rational(increments * @actual, @estimate).floor.to_i
109        end
110    end
111
112    def progress_bar
113        str = String.new
114        1.upto(BAR_LENGTH) do |i|
115            if i <= progress(BAR_LENGTH) then
116                str << '#'
117            else
118                str << '-'
119            end
120        end
121        return str
122    end
123
124    def update
125        if not @updated then
126            @updated = Time.now
127        end
128
129        now = Time.now
130        if now - @updated > UPDATE_INTERVAL then
131            @updated = now
132            msg = @actual.to_s + "/" + @estimate.to_s + \
133                  " |" + progress_bar + "|"
134            @io.print("\b"*msg.size, msg)
135        end
136    end
137end
138
139# Whether `path_i` and `path_j` refer to duplicate but not identical files
140def duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j)
141    return (File.exist?(path_i) \
142            and File.exist?(path_j) \
143            and not File.identical?(path_i, path_j) \
144            and FileUtils.cmp(path_i, path_j))
145end
146
147def prunable?(path, prune=[])
148    name = File.basename(path)
149    return (prune.include?(name) or File.fnmatch('._*', name))
150end
151
152# Recurse through array of `dirs` and produce Hash of all files by size.
153def files_by_size(dirs, prune=[], verbose=false)
154    result = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k]=[] }
155    count = 0
156    spinner = nil 
157    if verbose then
158        $stderr.print("Looking for files in ", dirs, ": ")
159        spinner = Spinner.new($stderr)
160        spinner.start
161    end
162    Find.find(*dirs) do |path|
163        if prunable?(path, prune) then
164            Find.prune()
165        elsif File.file?(path) then
166            size = File.size(path)
167            if size > 0 then
168                count = count + 1
169                path.encode!(ENCODING_UTF8) if ENCODING_UTF8
170                result[size] << path if size > 0
171                if verbose then
172                    count = count + 1
173                    spinner.update
174                end
175            end
176        end
177    end
178    if verbose then
179        $stderr.print(" done!\n")
180
181        $stderr.print("Found ", count, " non-empty files in ", 
182                      result.size, " size groups.\n")
183    end
184    return result
185end
186
187# Compare each file in `paths` and append lists of equal files to `result`
188def append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
189    idsets = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k] = { k => true } }
190    0.upto(paths.length - 1) do |i|
191        (i+1).upto(paths.length - 1) do |j|
192            path_i = paths[i]
193            path_j = paths[j]
194            if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
195                idsets[path_i][path_j] = true
196                idsets[path_j][path_i] = true
197            end
198            progress.add
199        end
200    end
201    idsets.values.uniq.each do | s |
202        result << s.keys.sort
203    end
204    return result
205end
206
207# Find all files in `fmap` and append lists of equal files to `result`
208# `fmap` is a map of files by size.
209def append_all_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
210    fmap.each_pair do |size, paths|
211        if paths.size > 1 then
212            $stderr.print("Comparing ", paths, " ...") if opts.verbose
213            append_duplicates(result, paths, progress)
214            $stderr.print("done.\n") if opts.verbose
215        end
216    end
217end
218
219# Find all files in `srcdir`, compare to all files in `fmap`,
220# and append lists of equal files to `result`.
221# The path from `srcdir` will always be first in the list.
222def append_dir_dupes(result, fmap, opts, progress)
223    $stderr.print("Looking for files in '", opts.canondir, "':\n") if opts.verbose
224    Find.find(opts.canondir) do |path_i|
225        if prunable?(path_i, opts.prune) then
226            Find.prune()
227        elsif File.file?(path_i) then
228            size = File.size(path_i)
229            paths = fmap[size]
230            if size > 0 and paths and not paths.empty? then
231                dupes = []
232                $stderr.print("Comparing '", path_i, 
233                              "' to ", paths, " ...") if opts.verbose
234                paths.each do |path_j|
235                    if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
236                        dupes << path_j
237                    end
238                    progress.add
239                end
240                if dupes.size > 0 then
241                   dupes.sort!
242                   result << [path_i, *dupes]
243                end
244                $stderr.print(" done.\n") if opts.verbose
245            end
246        end
247    end
248    $stderr.print("Done!\n") if opts.verbose
249    return result
250end
251
252Options = Struct.new("Options", 
253                     :info, :verbose, :canondir, :dirs, :prune, 
254                     :io, :format, :pretty, :perfdir)
255
256def parse_options
257
258    config = Options.new(true, false, nil, [], PRUNE, 
259                            nil, :yaml, false, nil)
260
261    outfile = nil
262
263    OptionParser.new do |opts|
264        opts.banner = "Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]"
265
266        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
267            config.info = (not v)
268        end
269        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
270            config.verbose = v
271        end
272        opts.on("-d", "--from [DIR]", 
273                "Compare arguments only to files from DIR") do |d|
274            config.canondir = d
275        end
276        opts.on("-o", "--output [OUTFILE]", 
277                "Write standard output to OUTFILE") do |f|
278            outfile = File.new(f, 'w')
279        end
280        opts.on("-j", "--json", "Write output as JSON") do |v|
281            config.format = :json
282        end
283        opts.on("-y", "--yaml", "Write output as YAML (default)") do |v|
284            config.format = :yaml 
285        end
286        opts.on("-p", "--[no-]pretty", "Pretty-print output") do |v|
287            config.pretty = v
288        end
289        opts.on("-P", "--perf-data [DIR]", 
290                "Write performace data to a directory (default /tmp)") do |v|
291            config.perfdir = v
292        end
293    end.parse!
294
295    config.io = (outfile or $stdout)
296
297    config.dirs = ARGV
298
299    return config
300end
301
302def log_perf_data(perfdir, info, data)
303    begin
304        name = 'perf-' + Time.now.strftime('%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S-%N') + '.json'
305        path = nil
306        if not perfdir then
307            dir = Dir.mktmpdir('dfperf')
308            path = File.join(dir, name)
309        else
310            Dir.mkdir(perfdir, 755) if not Dir.exist?(perfdir)
311            dir = Dir.new(perfdir)
312            path = File.join(dir.to_path, name)
313        end
314        # TODO: check that file doesn't already exist.
315        File.open(path, 'w') do |file|
316            file.write(JSON.pretty_generate(data))
317        end
318        if info then
319           $stderr.print("Wrote performance data to ", path, "\n") if info
320        end
321    rescue Exception  => msg
322        $stderr.print("Cannot log performance data: ", msg, "\n") if info 
323    end
324end
325
326def run
327    opts = parse_options
328
329    time_start = Time.now
330
331    fmap = files_by_size(opts.dirs, opts.prune, (opts.info or opts.verbose))
332
333    time_search = Time.now
334
335    if opts.info then
336        $stderr.print("Comparing files ...\n")
337    end
338
339    results = []
340    progress = Progress.new($stderr)
341
342    time_before_est = Time.now
343
344    progress.do_estimate(fmap, opts.canondir != nil)
345
346    time_estimate = Time.now
347
348    if opts.canondir then
349        append_dir_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
350    else
351        append_all_dupes(results, fmap, opts, progress)
352    end
353
354    time_compare = Time.now
355
356    if opts.info then
357        $stderr.print("... done!\n")
358    end
359
360    log_perf_data(opts.perfdir, opts.info, {
361        "actual" => progress.actual,
362        "estimate" => progress.estimate,
363        "ngroups" => fmap.size, 
364        "time-compare" => time_compare - time_estimate,
365        "time-estimate" => time_estimate - time_before_est,
366        "time-search" => time_search - time_start,
367        "data" => fmap})
368
369    if opts.format == :json then
370        if @pretty then
371            text = JSON.pretty_generate(results)
372        else
373            text = JSON.generate(results)
374        end
375        opts.io.write(text)
376        opts.io.write("\n")
377    else
378        # :line_width setting so file names w/spaces don't break across lines
379        yamlopts = {:line_width => 4096} 
380        if @pretty then
381            # {:canonical => true} looks almost identical to pretty-printed JSON
382            # so the header keeps them distinct.
383            yamlopts[:header] = true
384            yamlopts[:canonical] = true
385        end
386        YAML.dump(results, opts.io, yamlopts)
387    end
388end
389
390run()

`remove-files.rb`

Summary of Changes

Huge rewrite to prevent accidentally deleting the difference file, among other mishaps.

Usage

Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [listfile ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -j, --[no-]json                  Read input as JSON
    -y, --[no-]yaml                  Read input as YAML (default)
    -x, --[no-]mixed                 Deduce format from files
    -u, --[no-]dry-run               Don't delete, just list files

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'optparse'
  4require 'yaml'
  5require 'psych'
  6require 'json'
  7
  8# Append all but the first paths from each set in `filesets` to results
  9def append_files(result, filesets, verbose=true)
 10  filesets.each do |fset|
 11    delset = fset[1..-1]
 12    # Skip the first file in each set
 13    if verbose then
 14      $stderr.print("Skipping ", fset[0].inspect, ";\n");
 15      $stderr.print("Adding ", delset, "\n")
 16    end
 17    delset.each do |n|
 18      result << n
 19    end
 20  end
 21end
 22
 23# Figure out if the `text` in `path` is JSON
 24def is_json(path, text)
 25  text.strip! # Bad form to modify an argument
 26  path.end_with?(".json") or text.start_with?("{", "[", "\"")
 27end
 28
 29def read_file(files, path, verbose)
 30  $stderr.print("Reading ", path, " ...\n") if verbose
 31  text = f.read
 32  begin
 33    if is_json(path, text) then
 34      $stderr.print("Assuming JSON: ", path) if verbose
 35      append_files(files, JSON.parse(text), verbose)
 36    else
 37      $stderr.print("Assuming YAML: ", path) if verbose
 38      append_files(files, YAML.safe_load(text), verbose)
 39    end
 40  rescue JSON::JsonError => msg
 41    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 42    $stdout.print(path.inspect, "isn't valid JSON; skipping.\n") if info
 43  rescue Psych::Exception => msg
 44    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 45    $stdout.print(path.inspect, "isn't valid YAML; skipping.\n") if info
 46  end
 47end
 48
 49#
 50# Run the main loop
 51#
 52def run
 53
 54  info = true
 55  verbose = false
 56  input = :yaml
 57  dry = false
 58  files = []
 59
 60  OptionParser.new do |opts|
 61    opts.banner = "Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [listfile ...]"
 62
 63    opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
 64      info = (not v)
 65    end
 66    opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
 67      verbose = v
 68    end
 69    opts.on("-j", "--[no-]json", "Read input as JSON") do |v|
 70      input = :json if v
 71    end
 72    opts.on("-y", "--[no-]yaml", "Read input as YAML (default)") do |v|
 73      input = :yaml if v
 74    end
 75    opts.on("-x", "--[no-]mixed", "Deduce format from files") do |v|
 76      input = nil if v
 77    end
 78    opts.on("-u", "--[no-]dry-run", "Don't delete, just list files") do |v|
 79      dry = v
 80    end
 81  end.parse!
 82
 83  begin
 84    if input == :json then
 85      # Assuming we're getting a single JSON object ...
 86      result = JSON.parse(ARGF.read)
 87      append_files(files, result, verbose)
 88    elsif input == :yaml or ARGV.empty? then
 89      append_files(files, YAML.safe_load(ARGF.read), verbose)
 90    else
 91      ARGV.each { |path| read_file(files, path, verbose) }
 92    end
 93  rescue Psych::Exception => msg
 94    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 95    $stdout.print("Input isn't valid YAML; skipping.\n") if info
 96  rescue JSON::JsonError => msg
 97    $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
 98    $stdout.print("Input isn't valid JSON; skipping.\n") if info
 99  end
100
101  if info and not files.empty? then
102    $stdout.print("About to remove the following files:\n")
103    YAML.dump(files, $stdout)
104  end
105
106  files.uniq!
107  files.sort!
108
109  count = 0
110
111  files.each do |path|
112    $stderr.print("-> rm ", path.inspect, "\n") if verbose
113    begin
114      File.delete(path) if not dry 
115      count = count + 1
116    rescue StandardError => msg
117      $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
118      $stderr.print("Cannot remove ", path.inspect, "; skipping.\n") if info
119    end
120  end
121
122  $stdout.print("Removed ", count, " files.") if info
123  $stdout.print(" (Not really.)") if info and dry
124  $stdout.print("\n") if info
125end
126
127run()

A (Revised) Report on SLAN: Scheme List-Atom Notation

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 15:22:47 -0600

::: note CHANGED (2025-10-25): Fixed broken link to ELTN. :::

Introduction

SLAN somewhat resembles the programming language Scheme, but even smaller: entire data types and constructions have been cut out to make parsing simpler.

Future(?) Project List

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 10:58:22 -0600

Mostly for my own sake, here’s a list of programming projects I’d like to do. I lack the time, energy, and skills to undertake most of them. Enjoy.

Pri	Name	I.L.	Description	Status
A++	ELTN-C	c, …	ELTN Pull Parser with C, Ruby, Python, etc. bindings	partly coded
A+	ELTN-Lua	lua	ELTN Parser in pure Lua	mostly¹ vapor
A	Cache	java	Simple in-memory caches	partly coded, barely works
A	codepoint	java	library to read and write Unicode code points	preliminary version on GitHub²
A	JSONPP	java	JSON Pull Parser	preliminary version on GitHub²
A	ELTNPP	java	ELTN Pull Parser in Java	implementation barely started
A-	C-Conv	c	portable unicode conversion library	implementation almost complete
A-	C-Symbol	c	portable library for interned C-strings	implementation almost complete
A-	C-Table	c	portable hashtable implementation	implementation almost complete
A-	JSON-C	c, …	JSON Pull Parser with C, Ruby, Python, etc. bindings	vapor
A-	Tiny Projects	various	assorted small projects to learn various languages	only three (of 80+ possible) done
B	C-Port	c	portable library for I/O in embedded and non-standard C	vaporware
B	Estimation Framework	?	estimate time a calculation takes for more accurate progress bars	still exploring³
B	SLAN-C	c, …	SLAN Pull Parser with C, Ruby, Python, etc. bindings	vapor
B	SLAN-J	java	Scheme-like alternative to JSON, YAML, etc.	spec written and amended, implementation barely started
B-	Bookmark DB	js? py? ts?	database of ALLLLL my bookmarks	small prototype using Python, not ready for prime time
B-	Dependency Tracer	java, js/py/rb	trace code dependencies and unused classes in Java and JSPs	some half-baked programs, but mostly vapor⁴
B-	E-Book DB	js? py? ts?	database of ALLLL my pdfs and epubs, including if I’ve read them (yet?)	vapor
B-	luaenv	lua	rbenv for Lua	vapor; done better by other people
B-	TPP	lua, py, rb	Template Pre-Parser, for non-C source/library version incompatibilities and simple code generation	vapor
C+	Contract Definition Language (CDL)	java? py?	DbC DSL	vapor
C+	Contract-X	java, py ⇒ c, cs, java, js, ts, …	CDL preprocessor + library for various programming languages	vapor
C+	JSON-RPC Server	c	library for a non-blocking HTTP(S)-based JSON-RPC server frontend	vapor
C+	Lua CSP	lua, c	Communicating Sequential Processes in Lua	vapor
C+	Statiki	go? lua? py? rb?	hugo for wikis	vapor; a private hugo server fills most of my needs.
C	E-Any	c	ref-counting framework for any “object”	all vapor
C	E-String	c	ref-counted Unicode String	all vapor
C	ExpObj	c, lua, py, rb	“exported objects” in C	all vapor
C	M-Pool	c	memory manager for M-Strings (and other things?)	mostly vapor
C	M-String	c	memory-managed Unicode strings	mostly vapor
C	TypeLib (formerly M-Lib)	c	extending M-Strings to useful datatypes, data structures, and a hybrid XPCOM/CORBA component model	vapor
C	XTIDL	java, c	ExpObj/TypeLib Interface Definition Language	vapor
D	Agile Project Tracker	?	index cards and whiteboards automated	vapor, plus there’s at least a dozen
D	Game Table	?	play tabletop games on your browser!	vapor, plus there’s at least half a dozen now
D	Language Construction Tools	?	write your own Klingon!	vapor, plus https://www.vulgarlang.com does it better.⁵
D	Lending Library	?	database and app for friends who borrow books	vapor
D	Teufel	c, teufel	The best parts of Eiffel, Java, SML, and Go	total vapor
D	TTRPG Character Generator	html, js	chargen for my current favorite table top role-playing game⁶	very vapor
E	Inventory and Invoicing	?	toy enterprise app for educational purposes	vapor
E	Messaging Framework	?	exorcizing ghosts from my message-oriented-middleware startup past⁷	very, very vapor
E	Space Game	?	live your Star Trek⁸ and Last Starfighter⁹ dreams!	oh so vapor
E	Text Adventure Engine	?	write your own Infocom game!	so very vapor
E	Trade and Market Data	?	exorcizing ghosts from my trading desk support past	very, very vapor

Yes, many of these come from an old list I found. I’ll add more when I come up with new ideas or act on these old ones.

Contact

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 14:27:41 -0600

If you need to get in touch with the owner of this site, you can use the form below.

Your name:

Your email:

Subject:

Your message:

Star Trek Head Canon Roundup

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 12:12:30 -0600

Since I have been watching a lot of Star Trek (and about Trek) I’ve collected a few bits of headcanon that have been building up. Some of these have shown up on YouTube comments I’ve posted when I’m bored.

Is Klingon blood red or pink?

In most Star Trek shows wounded Klingons bleed red. In Star Trek VI (1991), though, when assassins shoot Chancellor Gorkon and his party with slugthrowers (guns for us 21st century barbarians) while the artificial gravity is off, globules of pink or magenta fluid spews from the wounds. Even in his death scene, Gorkon’s bleeding pink, not red. What’s the deal?

A Specification of the ELTN File Format (v0.5)

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 02:30:23 -0600

ELTN (Extended Lua Table Notation) is a structured text format to describe data structures. It fills similar niches to other text formats like XML (1997-2008), YAML (2004-2021), JSON (2006-2017), and TOML (2013-2021). Like JSON it’s a strict subset of a dynamically typed embedded programming language, Lua.

The name Extended Lua Table Notation reflects that the syntax does not simply include Lua tables but a sequence of key-value pairs similar to Lua global variable assignments. Thus one doesn’t have to group the whole document in curly brackets (’{’ … ‘}’).

Adventures in Java, or, a 'Three Hour' Tour

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 13:56:35 -0600

Yesterday I thought I’d spruce up a “JSON Pull Parser” that I apparently wrote in 2019 using the Eclipse IDE, then write a new version of a caching framework I wrote for Hotels.com way back in 2006. It would be an opportunity to scrape the rust off my Java programming skills, get better acquainted with Git¹, and see what the new version of Eclipse was like. I figured it would only take a couple of hours, three tops.

Original D&D Elf Revised

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:19:17 -0600

Someone who saw my post on elves may remember this picture taken from the Original D&D White Box manuals.

A while ago I was playing around with http://heroforge.com and created my own take on this, um, “elf”.

Since Hero Forge makes 3D printed miniatures for a living¹, I bought a print of this miniature in gray plastic. It’s kinda nice.

Music Videos 4

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:57:07 -0600

As I dig through my old iTunes music files, I find music I can’t believe I forgot about.

Batman: The Animated Series

Possibly the best American kid’s cartoon ever made, full stop.

In November 2022 we lost Kevin Conroy, voice of Batman/Bruce Wayne in this show and many, many other cartoons and video games since. He will be missed.

And yes, I own all four sountrack albums on six CDs.

Music Videos 3 (C)

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:05:46 -0600

This whole post eats up a lot of memory in Chrome, so I've decided to split it into three parts. Part A is here. Part B is here.

Previously on “Music Videos 3” …

Doctor Who

“This Time There’s Three of Us”

In 2013’s The Day of the Doctor a mystery involving paintings whose subjects are missing leads the Doctor to the incarnation he’d rather forget: the War Doctor, the one who fought the Daleks in the Great Time War and who could only “win” by destroying both Daleks and Time Lords¹. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors end up at that moment with the War Doctor, and decide to rewrite their own history …

Music Videos 3 (B)

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:05:45 -0600

The whole post eats up a lot of memory in Chrome, so I've decided to split it into three parts. Part A is here. Part C is here.

Previously on “Music Videos 3” …

Doctor Who

The Cyberman Variations

One of the Doctor’s other most often recurring antagonists are the Cybermen. The 1966 serial The Tenth Planet introduced the Cybermen as survivors of the planet Mondas who turned themselves into unfeeling cyborgs. Their goal is to convert all humanoids into Cybermen so they can join their ~~collective~~ ranks.¹ The costume evolved over the years.

Music Videos 3 (A)

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:05:44 -0600

This whole post eats up a lot of memory in Chrome, so I've decided to split it into three parts. Part B is here. Part C is here.

Just like the other two installments, this collects Youtube videos containing music that’s been stuck in my head lately.

Doctor Who

Composer Murray Gold’s soundtrack for Doctor Who complemented and sometimes elevated Doctor Who (2005) from Series 1 through 10. I think more people were upset when he left than when showrunner Steven Moffat left at the same time. (So did Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, but people were sad about that.)

Star Trek: The Qegh Dynasty

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 14:40:58 -0600

So I wrote the last article to write this one. Sort of.

To summarize the last article:

Following a line from Star Trek: Enterprise episode 2x19 “Judgement”, I elaborated on some purely fan-fictional ideas about the Klingon social classes beyond the Warrior Class.
I posited that the military takeover of the Empire in the 22nd century gutted the “Scholar” class of intellectuals, scientists, and legal experts, and set back science, medicine, law, the arts, and historical interpretation. The effect on medicine was pretty dire: doctors as a profession virtually disappeared, replaced with “medtechs” who required only a few years in the equivalent of a trade school before they could work on live Klingons. As Klingons can survive a lot of things, not many noticed.
The other classes – Merchants, Workers, and an underclass of “aliens” and slaves – suffered severe restrictions in the 22nd and 23rd centuries, but gained more power and legal rights over the 24th century. Merchants could own their own ships, workers could and did amass enough wealth to own farms and factories, and non-Klingon slaves, freed in the late 24th century, saw their fortunes improve albeit as second-class citizens.
Even the Scholar class eventually started to come back, thanks to an Imperial School of Medicine, greater tolerance for free speech, and scientific and cultural exchanges with the Federation.

This article details a Merchant/Worker family that persevered to become the equivalent of a warrior Great House, at least in influence. We also finally come to Lurlenn Qegh, the minor character from another fanfic whose development apparently required over 9000 words of prose.

Star Trek: The Other Klingon Classes

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:39:00 -0600

You didn’t believe all Klingons were soldiers? […] We were a great society, not so long ago, when honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed.

– Advocate Kolos to Captain Archer, 2152 (ENT 2x19)

For some reason my brain drifts to Star Trek fanfic.

One originally minor character in an ever-expanding story is a Klingon doctor now working for Starfleet. Therefore, I felt compelled to establish not only her backstory but her family history and ultimately the history of Klingons outside the warrior class, by birth and by choice.

Star Trek: The Gorn Continuity

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 14:25:02 -0600

Since I’m on a Star Trek kick lately, I decided finally to watch the last two episodes of Strange New Worlds. One of those doubled down on the Gorn as space monsters, only this time Alien’s xenomorphs crossed with Jurassic Park’s velociraptors.

The Gorn Conundrum

While I still believe canon isn’t real, it’s a little worrying that the copyright holders can’t agree on the basics of such a popular yet little-used starfaring species. Checking with Memory Alpha¹ I count the following depictions:

Star Trek: The Speeches

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 10:24:40 -0600

::: note EDITED 2023-09-20 to replace missing videos with text. :::

A fixture of Star Trek shows, verging on cliché, is the captain giving a rousing speech about Federation values, humanoid rights, etc. I previously noted Pike’s speech in Strange New Worlds.

But what about the other crew? Where are their speeches?

Prodigy

What is the Federation?

In the third episode, a hologram of Captain Janeway (technically not the captain) explains the Federation to a bunch of alien kids from the other side of the galaxy who just stole a (stolen) ship … and their hostage.

Music Videos 2

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 12:01:58 -0600

Since the last post I’ve thought of a few more.

Akiba Maid War

There’ve been some good anime this fall, but nothing quite like Akiba Maid War, which reveals that employees at Akihabara’s maid cafés are part of organized crime. Cue girls in maid costumes toting guns, whacking the competition and anyone else getting in their way.

Yes, I still don’t understand Japanese, but the songs still run through my head at random moments.

Trek and Canon

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:17:45 -0600

YouTube Considered Annoying

Honestly, I’m not a big Star Trek fan. I was more into Doctor Who.

Still I’m enough of a fan of Lower Decks and Prodigy that, when I should be doing someting productive, I watch YouTube clips and even read the comments. (Which is my big mistake.) A lot of criticism of Lower Decks boils down to the following:

It’s just a Rick & Morty version of Star Trek.

Music Videos

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:19:04 -0600

Since my brain has entered some weird Twilight Zone where I can neither rest nor really concentrate, I’ll ~~inflict~~ treat my hypothetical readers to the music that’s been running through my head lately. Not surprisingly it’s all from anime and Western cartoons.

Arcane: League of Legends

Netflix’s Arcane is, arguably, a masterpiece: the animation where every frame looks like a painting¹, the dialogue where no words are wasted and every word matters, the story that resists simple categories of heroes and villains … Even Honest Trailers had few bad things to say.

duplicate-files.rb - 2022-11-26

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 11:40:16 -0600

For an explanation, see the directory above.

`duplicate-files.rb`

Usage

Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -d, --from [DIR]                 Compare arguments only to files from DIR
    -o, --output [OUTFILE]           Write standard output to OUTFILE
    -j, --json                       Write output as JSON
    -y, --yaml                       Write output as YAML (default)
    -p, --[no-]pretty                Pretty-print output

Listing

  1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
  2
  3require 'find'
  4require 'fileutils'
  5require 'optparse'
  6require 'yaml'
  7require 'json'
  8
  9
 10# Default list of files to prune in search
 11PRUNE = ['.svn', 'CVS', 'CVSROOT', '.DS_Store', '.git']
 12
 13# Unfortunate artifact of transition between Ruby 1.9 and 2.0
 14if self.class.const_defined?(:Encoding) then
 15    ENCODING_UTF8 = Encoding.find('UTF-8')
 16else
 17    ENCODING_UTF8 = nil
 18end
 19
 20# Simple class to manage an ASCII spinner
 21class Spinner
 22    SPINNER_STATES = ['-', '\\', '|', "/"]
 23
 24    SPINNER_INTERVAL = 0.5 # s
 25
 26    def initialize(io=$stderr)
 27        @io = io
 28        @state = 0
 29        @updated = nil
 30    end
 31
 32    def start()
 33        @updated = Time.now
 34        @io.print(SPINNER_STATES[0])
 35    end
 36
 37    def update()
 38        if not @updated then
 39            start()
 40        end
 41
 42        now = Time.now
 43        if now - @updated > SPINNER_INTERVAL then
 44            @updated = now
 45            @state = (@state + 1) % SPINNER_STATES.length
 46            @io.print("\b", SPINNER_STATES[@state])
 47        end
 48    end
 49end
 50
 51# Collects duplicate file sets in lieu of an Array, 
 52# and writes them as Ruby objects
 53class DefaultPrinter
 54    attr_accessor :io, :pretty
 55
 56    def initialize
 57        @results = []
 58    end
 59
 60    def pretty?
 61        return @pretty
 62    end
 63
 64    def << (obj)
 65        @results << obj
 66    end
 67
 68    def print_results
 69        @results.sort!
 70        print(@results)
 71    end
 72
 73    protected
 74
 75    def print(obj)
 76        @io.write(obj)
 77        @io.write("\n");
 78    end
 79end
 80
 81# Printer class (see above) that serializes as JSON
 82class JsonPrinter < DefaultPrinter
 83    def print(obj)
 84        if @pretty then
 85            text = JSON.pretty_generate(obj)
 86        else
 87            text = JSON.generate(obj)
 88        end
 89        @io.write(text)
 90        @io.write("\n")
 91    end
 92end
 93
 94# Printer class (see above) that serializes as YAML.
 95class YamlPrinter < DefaultPrinter
 96
 97    # :line_width setting so file names w/spaces don't break across lines
 98    DEFAULT_LINE_WIDTH = 4096
 99
100    def print(obj)
101        opts = {:line_width => DEFAULT_LINE_WIDTH} 
102        if @pretty then
103            # {:canonical => true} looks almost identical to pretty-printed JSON
104            # so the header keeps them distinct.
105            opts[:header] = true
106            opts[:canonical] = true
107        end
108        YAML.dump(@results, @io, opts)
109    end
110end
111
112
113# Whether `path_i` and `path_j` refer to duplicate but not identical files
114def duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j)
115    return (File.exist?(path_i) \
116            and File.exist?(path_j) \
117            and not File.identical?(path_i, path_j) \
118            and FileUtils.cmp(path_i, path_j))
119end
120
121def prunable?(path, prune=[])
122    name = File.basename(path)
123    return (prune.include?(name) or File.fnmatch('._*', name))
124end
125
126# Recurse through array of `dirs` and produce Hash of all files by size.
127def files_by_size(dirs, prune=[], verbose=false)
128    result = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k]=[]}
129    count = 0
130    spinner = nil 
131    if verbose then
132        $stderr.print("Looking for files in ", dirs, ": ")
133        spinner = Spinner.new($stderr)
134        spinner.start
135    end
136    Find.find(*dirs) do |path|
137        if prunable?(path, prune) then
138            Find.prune()
139        elsif File.file?(path) then
140            size = File.size(path)
141            if size > 0 then
142                count = count + 1
143                path.encode!(ENCODING_UTF8) if ENCODING_UTF8
144                result[size] << path if size > 0
145                if verbose then
146                    count = count + 1
147                    spinner.update
148                end
149            end
150        end
151    end
152    if verbose then
153        $stderr.print(" done!\n")
154
155        $stderr.print("Found ", count, " non-empty files in ", 
156                      result.size, " size groups.\n")
157    end
158    return result
159end
160
161# Compare each file in `paths` and append lists of equal files to `result`
162def append_duplicates(result, paths)
163    idsets = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k]=[k]}
164    0.upto(paths.length - 1) do |i|
165        (i+1).upto(paths.length - 1) do |j|
166            path_i = paths[i]
167            path_j = paths[j]
168            if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
169                set_i, set_j = idsets[path_i], idsets[path_j]
170                set_i << path_j
171                set_i.sort!
172                set_j << path_i
173                set_j.sort!
174            end
175        end
176    end
177    idsets.values.uniq.each do | s |
178        result << s
179    end
180    return result
181end
182
183# Find all files in `fmap` and append lists of equal files to `result`
184# `fmap` is a map of files by size.
185def append_all_dupes(result, fmap, verbose=false)
186    fmap.each_pair do |size, paths|
187        if paths.size > 1 then
188            $stderr.print("Comparing ", paths, " ...") if verbose
189            append_duplicates(result, paths)
190            $stderr.print("done.\n") if verbose
191        end
192    end
193end
194
195# Find all files in `srcdir`, compare to all files in `fmap`,
196# and append lists of equal files to `result`.
197# The path from `srcdir` will always be first in the list.
198def append_dir_dupes(result, fmap, srcdir, prune=[], verbose=false)
199    $stderr.print("Looking for files in '", srcdir, "':\n") if verbose
200    Find.find(srcdir) do |path_i|
201        if prunable?(path_i, prune) then
202            Find.prune()
203        elsif File.file?(path_i) then
204            size = File.size(path_i)
205            paths = fmap[size]
206            if size > 0 and paths and not paths.empty? then
207                dupes = []
208                $stderr.print("Comparing '", path_i, 
209                              "' to ", paths, " ...") if verbose
210                paths.each do |path_j|
211                    if duplicate_files?(path_i, path_j) then
212                        dupes << path_j
213                    end
214                end
215                if dupes.size > 0 then
216                   dupes.sort!
217                   result << [path_i, *dupes]
218                end
219                $stderr.print(" done.\n") if verbose
220            end
221        end
222    end
223    $stderr.print("Done!\n") if verbose
224    return result
225end
226
227def parse_options(config)
228    
229    outfile = nil
230    pclass = YamlPrinter
231    pretty = false
232
233    OptionParser.new do |opts|
234        opts.banner = "Usage: duplicate-files.rb [options] dir1 [dir2 ...]"
235
236        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
237            config.info = (not v)
238        end
239        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
240            config.verbose = v
241        end
242        opts.on("-d", "--from [DIR]", 
243                "Compare arguments only to files from DIR") do |d|
244            config.canondir = d
245        end
246        opts.on("-o", "--output [OUTFILE]", 
247                "Write standard output to OUTFILE") do |f|
248            outfile = File.new(f, 'w')
249        end
250        opts.on("-j", "--json", "Write output as JSON") do |v|
251            pclass = JsonPrinter
252        end
253        opts.on("-y", "--yaml", "Write output as YAML (default)") do |v|
254            pclass = YamlPrinter 
255        end
256        opts.on("-p", "--[no-]pretty", "Pretty-print output") do |v|
257            pretty = v
258        end
259    end.parse!
260
261    printer = pclass.new
262
263    printer.io = (outfile or $stdout)
264    printer.pretty = pretty
265
266    config.printer = printer
267    config.dirs = ARGV
268end
269
270Options = Struct.new("Options", 
271                     :info, :verbose, :canondir, :dirs, :prune, :printer)
272
273def run
274    opts = Options.new(true, false, nil, [], PRUNE, nil)
275
276    parse_options(opts)
277
278    fmap = files_by_size(opts.dirs, opts.prune, (opts.info or opts.verbose))
279
280    if opts.info then
281        $stderr.print("Comparing files ...")
282    end
283
284    if opts.canondir then
285        append_dir_dupes(opts.printer, fmap, opts.canondir, 
286                         opts.prune, opts.verbose)
287    else
288        append_all_dupes(opts.printer, fmap, opts.verbose)
289    end
290
291    if opts.info then
292        $stderr.print(" done!\n")
293    end
294
295    opts.printer.print_results
296end
297
298run()

`remove-files.rb`

Usage

Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [file1 [file2 ...]]
    -q, --[no-]quiet                 Run absolutely quietly
    -v, --[no-]verbose               Run verbosely
    -j, --json [INPUT]               Read paths from JSON file
    -y, --yaml [INPUT]               Read paths from YAML file

Listing

 1#!/usr/bin/env ruby 
 2
 3require 'optparse'
 4require 'yaml'
 5require 'json'
 6
 7
 8def append_files(result, filesets, verbose=true)
 9    filesets.each do |fset|
10        delset = fset[1..-1]
11        # Skip the first file in each set
12        if verbose then
13            $stderr.print("Skipping ", fset[0].inspect, ";\n");
14            $stderr.print("Adding ", delset, "\n")
15        end
16        delset.each do |n|
17            result << n
18        end
19    end
20end
21
22def run
23
24    info = true
25    verbose = false
26    interactive = false
27    files = []
28    jsonconf = []
29    yamlconf = []
30 
31    OptionParser.new do |opts|
32        opts.banner = "Usage: remove-files.rb [options] [file1 [file2 ...]]"
33
34        opts.on("-q", "--[no-]quiet", "Run absolutely quietly") do |v|
35            info = (not v)
36        end
37        opts.on("-v", "--[no-]verbose", "Run verbosely") do |v|
38            verbose = v
39        end
40        opts.on("-j", "--json [INPUT]", "Read paths from JSON file") do |v|
41            jsonconf << v
42        end
43        opts.on("-y", "--yaml [INPUT]", "Read paths from YAML file") do |v|
44            yamlconf << v
45        end
46    end.parse!
47
48    jsonconf.each do |path|
49        $stderr.print("Reading ", path, " ...\n") if verbose
50        File.open(path) do |f|
51            append_files(files, JSON.parse(f.read), verbose)
52        end
53    end
54
55    yamlconf.each do |path|
56        $stderr.print("Reading ", path, " ...\n") if verbose
57        append_files(files, YAML.load_file(path), verbose)
58    end
59
60    ARGV.each do |path|
61        files << path
62    end
63
64    if verbose then
65        $stderr.print("Files to remove:\n")
66        files.each do |path|
67            $stderr.print("- ", path.inspect, "\n");
68        end
69    end
70
71    count = 0
72
73    files.each do |path|
74        $stderr.print("-> rm ", path.inspect, "\n") if verbose
75        begin
76           File.delete(path)
77           count = count + 1
78        rescue StandardError => msg
79           $stderr.print(msg, "\n") if verbose
80           $stderr.print("Cannot remove ", path.inspect, "; skipping.\n") if info
81        end
82    end
83
84    $stderr.print("Removed ", count, " files.\n") if info
85
86end
87
88run()

Relearning Python #0: Introduction

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 11:40:16 -0600

Python is a popular programming language, on a par with C++ and Java, especially in the numerical analysis community. I thought it would behoove me to pick it up again.

Unfortunately the last Python version I used for a job was 2.0, back in 2003. The most recently released version was 3.11. Python 3.5, installed by default on my laptop, is no longer supported¹, and Python 3.7 is the earliest one that is supported². Python 2.7, used by some software on my laptop, is apparently way old.

My Christmas List

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 15:10:52 -0600

My only working¹ computer is a used² Lenovo ThinkPad T400 on which I installed Linux Mint 18.3. It has several issues:

The battery is pretty much shot. I let it run on battery power alone and it abruptly died after about 10 minutes.
Originally I had two adaptors, due to a snafu with the company I got the laptop from.
- The one I’ve been using has what looks like a nick in the cord to the computer. I wrapped it in packing tape(?!?) to keep it from getting worse. Today it didn’t want to supply power to the laptop for a while, although now it’s fine. Don’t know what that’s about.
- The other had a loose connection that I had originally set aside. It started heating up and sparked when I tried to use it today.
The lower right mouse button no longer works, maybe from overuse. (Hey, I like opening pages in a new tab. So sue me.) The upper one still works, for now.
The keyboard is filthy. Which is what I get for computing and eating.
A while(?!?) ago the DVD tray on the side kept randomly popping out. I kept pulling it out all the way and pushing it back in. On one of those occasions the whole tray broke off. I sealed the hole with packing tape, but something’s still rattling around in there somewhere.
At some point I think Mint 18.3 was end-of-lifed, because all the little software updates I used to get stopped. (Except for the Chrome browser, which I downloaded from Google. They’re always tweaking that thing.) That’s good in that I’m no longer prompted to upgrade inetd or whatever, but bad because I’m probably missing important security fixes.
Part of the right front corner is broken. I don’t recall if it came that way or it cracked soon after I got it. In any case, I keep it together and smooth out the sharp edges with, you guessed it, packing tape.

Today I remedied the first two problems by ordering a new charger and battery from a company I hope won’t sell me the wrong thing or rip me off. The others are harder to fix. For example, when popping off a sticky key I have sometimes broken the little plastic thing that makes it pop up when pressed; I can’t imagine popping them all off to clean out the gunk that’s accumulated there. Plus, I bought the thing for $150, so I don’t fancy taking it to a repair shop to replace the DVD drive and fix other issues because they might charge nearly as much as its worth.³

Trek-Nature

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 13:20:30 -0600

Over the weekend I commented on a YouTube clip – surely one of the most pointless activities¹ on the Internet – and used the term “Trek-nature” with reference to modern Star Trek series: Discovery, Lower Decks, Picard, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds. I coined the term as an analogue to “Buddha-nature”, which I remembered from high school researches into Buddhism as a nebulous, mystical term for the “Buddha within” … or some such.

What's a Non-Review?

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 23:15:14 -0600

So what exactly is a non-review?

Short answer: it’s commentary on a product that in no way should be taken as thorough, complete, or authoritative. Examples:

My non-review of the Alien RPG presumed I’d be raiding the game for ideas, not playing or running it.
My non-review of Coriolis, a game I quite like and actually wanted to play, nevertheless picked out cool mechanics and aspects of the setting but didn’t address if all of that was actually a fun game. Having not played it, I really can’t say.

Twilight 2000 Dice

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 10:18:25 -0600

::: note 2024-04-03: Changed the program and output in response to a question on Discord. The probabilities and commentary are unaltered. :::

Last year Free League Publishing released Twilight 2000. They’re the makers of Coriolis, Vaesen, Mutant Year Zero, and other Year Zero Engine games, about which I’ve probably written a little too much.

T2K is based on a 1984 post-WWIII survival RPG from GDW¹, with roughly the same setting but different mechanics superficially similar to their YZE games:

Update (2022-11-11)

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 20:04:38 -0600

To date I’ve made the following changes to the blog:

I’ve upgraded hugo from 0.90 to 0.105, and fixed any breakages. The main changes I noticed in these pages were a different code highlighter and more aggressive use of fancy closing single quotes. A couple of pages needed fixing.
I’ve added a “Writing” section, which for now contains most of the fiction I’d posted to previous iterations of the site.
I’ve tweaked the CSS and templates a little, mainly because the aforementioned fiction and some other articles use <HR> elements internally as scene and chapter breaks while the site chrome uses them to set itself off from article content.

Still Alive

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:55:47 -0500

Apparently I haven’t put anything onto this blog for over a year. There’ve been a few articles in the queue, most of which I kept tweaking and rethinking. Since I have more urgent things to do, probably for the rest of the year, I’m going to put them out there now and move on.

Beyond that I’ve fixed typos and brainos in a few other random articles. (Yes, I reread my own stuff.) I can’t remember which ones I fixed, but if you read this blog and noticed a change … congratulations.

Dice Pools Explored

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:55:39 -0500

OK, I thought I was done with this, but I’m not.

Difficulty

The system as written gives the GM two ways to alter probabilities:

Bonuses and Penalties alter the size of a Dice Pool.
Target Numbers alter the probability of a Marginal Success on a Dice Pool of a given size.

This may prove confusing, so I’d suggest this:

Add or remove dice from the Dice Pool based on external factors like equipment used (or not used), lighting, range to a target (if in ranged combat), etc.

I Have Opinions About Comics, Part 1

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 10:55:22 -0500

All but the last section was written in 2020, with minimal editing. You have been warned.

Amidst all the other and far more important things in the world right now, I nevertheless feel compelled to express opinions about comic books. These opinions are neither original nor particularly startling, but I’m writing them anyway.

Superheroes are Relics of the 1930s

Superman, the best-known superhero in mass media, debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938. At that time the Great Depression had been going on for nearly a decade, with no end in sight. Prohibition had inadvertently fueled the rise of organized crime, but by the time of Prohibition’s repeal the gansters had diversified into other rackets. Most people of the time were struggling earn a living, at the mercy of landlords and political machines, and frightened by stories – and incidents – of violent crime. Superman became popular because he was a wish-fulfillment fantasy; his initial foes were slum lords, callous business men, corrupt politicians, and gangsters. He was far stronger than any mortal man, and incorruptible.

Dice Pools Revisited

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 20:55:39 -0500

A few years (yes years) ago I wrote about dice pool mechanics in RPGs, and sketched out what I called the “Third System”.

Recently, after watching lots of isekai and shonen anime about overpowered heroes brushing off lesser foes, I started thinking about this system again. At this point the system is even sketchier than “Shadow Vale”; I have a bunch of ideas how to define Player Characters, but none I really like.

Shadow Vale: Alternate Rules

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 09:36:46 -0500

In an earlier article I talked about stealing mechanics from published games, and recently I put that into practice. Yet the final result was a bit unsatisfying:

I intended to borrow the Career mechanic from Barbarians of Lemuria and Everywhen, but it didn’t mix with the Cepheus Quantum approach to skills.
Having different systems for ranged and melee attacks is likely to cause some consternation.
While I had intended to make Magic as simple as possible, I’m afraid the result is a little hand-wavey. A long time ago I tried to run a campaign with an incomplete and badly explained magic system, and it didn’t go well.

Shadow Vale: The System

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 13:39:15 -0500

As mentioned previously, a setting I’ve been musing on seems to cry out for a custom system. While I’m using Cepheus Quantum as a primary inspiration, I’m also adopting bits of of AFF2 and other systems as needed.

Many rules are To Be Determined at this point, but here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Note: This system uses only six-sided dice, abbreviated D.

The Setting, In Brief

The “Shadow Vale” is a barren, brutal wasteland situated between the seemingly idyllic Supernal Realm¹ and the prison pit known as the Infernal Realm². Collectively Shadow Vale and the Realms are (for now) called “Otherworld”. The world more closely fits the “sword and sorcery” genre than high fantasy. Think Mad Max meets Norse Nidhvellir meets D&D’s Dark Sun.

Writing RPGs is Hard, Part 4: I'm Borrowing Not Stealing

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

One of my purposes for examining Cepheus Atom, Advanced Fighting Fantasy, and The Fantasy Trip was to examine some design principles for games I might write. Below are three I kind of prefer, found mainly in Cepheus Atom.

Definition By Differences

Maybe I talked about this obliquely before, e.g. “a blank sheet of paper is a valid character sheet”. The basic principle, though, is that the rules should define a PC or NPC by how they differ from an “average” character, not in absolute terms. This keeps the size and complexity of player character sheets down and allows GMs to more easily create NPCs on the fly.

Update (2021-07-07)

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 13:05:22 -0500

Welp.

In a previous update I said I was:

Adding some CSS specific to tabletop RPG statistics, as seen in a few new character generation articles.

Ignorant fool that I was, I didn’t know that ALL browsers cache CSS. Thus I (and whoever might read this site) would need to clear each browser every time I updated the CSS. While I’m willing to do this whenever I make profound changes to the site, doing so for fiddly CSS that affects only a few articles is a bit much.

The Not So Good Republic

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 21:12:41 -0500

In a previous article I presented a space opera setting that attempts to subvert standard tropes. Here I address the “Republic”, which is generally depicted as noble, or well-intentioned but flawed, or at worst riddled with corruption and about to fall to the Evil Empire.

Fictional republics often evoke the Roman Republic, which wasn’t exactly a paragon of democracy. The ancient Romans were always a militaristic people. Even at its height the Roman Republic existed to keep patricians above plebes, and Romans above their neighboring city-states and tribes. (And even the Roman Republic was also an empire, albeit much smaller.) But after the fall of the Western Empire, and particularly after the religious wars and plagues of Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Roman rule seemed like a vanished golden age. Italian republics of the Renaissance appropriated the architecture of ancient Rome while reinterpreting ancient Roman and Greek literature. This veneration of the Roman Republic continued through America’s Founding Fathers, and into modern American popular culture.

Update (2021-07-02)

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:46:55 -0500

In addition to adding a bunch of articles that queued up, I’ve also modified the templates and CSS for this site. If the site looks wonky in some browsers (*cough* Firefox *cough*), clear the browser cache and reload.¹

Most of the changes are invisible, but I made a major structural change by using a single base template for common elements instead of multiple partial “header” and “footer” templates. This lets me see all the “chrome” for the site in one file, which will make further modifications easier. This means I’ve stopped using the XMin theme completely, and copied the few remaining theme resources I hadn’t overriden – the static CSS and a few minor templates – into my site-specific files.

A Note on Dates

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 10:57:02 -0500

Hugo, the tool I’m currently using for this blog, defines a few fields for a post’s date:

date is the default, generic date for a post, and the one used for other fields if they’re not specified.
lastmod is the date content was last modified.
publishDate is the date at which the content should be published. If in the future, the tool won’t include the post.
expiryDate is the date beyond which hugo will no longer render a post.

The Fantasy Trip

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 12:40:36 -0500

::: note CHANGED 2026-1-20: fixed messed-up markdown :::

After the previous two articles about early RPG rules revived and retooled in the last decade, we’ll look at one that I actually played back in the day¹.

The Fantasy Trip began in 1977 as two skirmish-level tabletop games, Melee and Wizard, both written by Steve Jackson². Jackson’s In The Labyrinth (1980) expanded it into a full role-playing game. After a split with the original publisher who then ceased operation, the system got lost in copyright limbo. Its sudden disappearance spawned a few “retroclones”, including a series of solo and GM adventures from Dark City Games that I blogged about a long time ago. In 2019 Steve Jackson Games recovered the rights and republished a deluxe “legacy edition” of the rules.

The Less Evil Empire

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 12:34:29 -0500

As stated previously, one afternoon I though about subverting common political tropes in fantasy and science fiction, particulary the Evil Empire.

But could a truly “good” Empire exist? Probably not. By definition an Empire funnels wealth from its provinces and/or colonies to a central region or authority; typically the residents of those outlying areas produce that wealth, so the Empire must take it by force or threats of force. But history offers a few examples that have their good points:

A Space Opera Setting

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 00:58:38 -0600

Introduction

While watching/reading some space opera, I began musing on how certain forms of government have certain connotations:

“The Empire” is almost always bad, although those with high positions in it inevitably extol its real or imagined virtues.
“The Republic” is usually good, if flawed, but doomed to collapse and/or transform into “The Empire”
An Alliance or League is good if it’s opposed to an Empire, but can go bad if it forms on its own (as in Firefly) or stagnates after the end of the Empire (as in comics, novels, and movies set after Return of the Jedi).
A Federation is usually good, but …
A Confederation or Confederacy is generally bad.

Most of these connotations come from history, notably Rome, Greece, and the United States.

Advanced Fighting Fantasy 2e

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 06:22:42 -0500

After our exploration of Cepheus Atom, let’s look at another system that uses two six-sided dice.

Advanced Fighting Fantasy 2nd ed. by Steve Jackson¹, Ian Livingstone, and Graham Bottley expands rules from the Fighting Fantasy game books by Jackson and Livingstone into a complete and official RPG. (Unofficial expansions exist, such as Troika! which I’ve discussed before.)

Like the game books before it, AFF2 requires only two six-sided dice per player, although more dice, particularly of a distinct color, would be helpful.

Orclands Revisited

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 08:55:00 -0500

Recently I posted the campaign logs from a very short campaign I ran back in 2009, titled “The Orc Lands”. I’d decided to use the extremely flexible Basic Roleplaying system and a low magic setting of my own design.

The second session log, ironically, ended thus:

The big challenge will be next session, where the campaign starts its second act.

Ironic in that:

One or other of the two players kept cancelling, and we finally called the whole thing.

Cepheus Atom

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 10:37:43 -0500

While some of the Year Zero Engine games I considered last time make character generation and task resolution simple, they could be simpler.

Enter Cepheus Atom, a post-apocalyptic RPG using a radically simplified version of Cepheus, which itself is a debugged and somewhat streamlined derivative of Mongoose’s Traveller SRD. The author of Cepheus Atom, Omer Golan-Joel, describes his work as a “beer and pretzels” game in a “gonzo apocalypse” of mutants and futuristic weapons. Mutant Year Zero, which we touched on last time, is a somewhat more grim and gritty exploration of the genre.

Character Generation in Year Zero Engine RPGs

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:33:57 -0500

Having created characters for Free League’s Coriolis and Vaesen, I thought I’d try creating characters for Free League’s other published Year Zero Engine games¹:

ALIEN, based on the science fiction horror movies.
Forbidden Lands, a fantasy sandbox set in a cursed land only recently opened to explorers
Mutant Year Zero, a post-apocalyptic game of mutants scavenging the wastelands²,
Tales From The Loop a “rules light” game of kids finding dark secrets in their seemingly normal company town.³

Rather than walk through the steps as I did for Coriolis and Vaesen, I’ll simply note how character generation differs from Coriolis, Vaesen, or the YZE SRD.

More Coriolis Ships

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 10:49:57 -0500

After the original ship generation article I started brainstorming other ships, some of which may or may not fit into the Third Horizon setting:

The rules mentioned bulk haulers and torpedo ships, so I thought I’d design one of each.
The rules didn’t mention a Cargo Tug, but it seemed to be a logical extrapolation.
Systems with multiple inhabited planets (e.g. Kua) might have enough traffic between them to justify building ships dedicated solely to hauling cargo between them. Thus I designed the ultra-spartan Light System Freighter, Heavy System Freighter, and System Shuttle. Player Characters probably wouldn’t want to own them, but they may see these at space stations and planetside space ports. More rakish PCs may want to steal one.

Vaesen Character Generation

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 23:19:57 -0500

Much like I did with Coriolis, I’d like to walk through creating a single character in Vaesen. As the subtitle “Nordic Horror Roleplaying” suggests, the setting of Vaesen is an anachronistic 19th century Scandinavia, wherin human technological and social change encroaches upon supernatural creatures of Nordic myth and legends – the vaesen, who are very displeased. Previously I commented on the preview and the Alpha rules. At some point I’ll do an overview and/or “non-review” of the final rules, but as far as I can tell nothing dramatic has changed since the Alpha.

Old RPG-related Essays Incoming

Mon, 17 May 2021 17:05:30 -0500

About a decade ago I used to post on a message board called Pen and Paper Games. Many of the regular posters were people I knew from one or another of the Dallas gaming meetups.

Inevitably, people dropped out or dropped away. Some moved away, or got busy, or left gaming. Others left the board when some obnoxious trolls made posting less fun. (Yes, they had moderators. I was one. But some trolls, one in particular, was very good at pushing other posters' buttons without actually violating the stated rules of conduct.) Eventually the board mainly became a place for “play by post” games, and all the other discussions died.

Alignment Redux

Mon, 17 May 2021 16:20:12 -0500

While looking through some old files, I found the following essay. It’s at least two years old, probably several more. Unfortunately, I changed version control systems several times, so I have no idea when I wrote it.

“Alignment and Allegiance” refers to the Allegiance system on pp 315-318 of Basic Roleplaying As stated later in the essay, a percentile “allegiance” score measures a player character’s relationship with a divine being, cosmic principle, or moral philosophy. Acting in accordiance with that being or belief system’s principles raises the score. The rules as written suggest raising a diametrically opposed score for actions violating those principles, but back in the day some BRP sourcebooks simply lowered the Allegiance. For example, in Dragon Lines, loosely based on East Asian magic and religion, some violent and destructive actions violated Daoism, Confucianism, and most of the other philosophies.

Update (2021-05-17)

Mon, 17 May 2021 08:08:37 -0500

Apparently I haven’t updated this blog since last October. The sad fact is that nothing has really happened since then. (Not that I talk about personal stuff here.) Mostly I’ve been in self-imposed quarantine.

When I stopped, I had about a dozen posts in “draft” status, some for more than a year. I’m (slowly) picking through those and deciding which to drop entirely and which to cut down, clean up, and finally finish.

Languages in RPGs: Why?

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 15:32:21 -0500

In the RPG section I posted three articles about representing languages in tabletop role-playing games:

rules for language groups to make related languages cheaper and easier to acquire.
rules for an “Understand Languages” test.
related rules for written languages.

These were based on notes for a few campaigns that never really got off the ground.

Having rewritten and re-examined these notes, I now ask myself … why bother with languages at all?

Reasons Not To Bother About Languages

Around the table, we all speak the same language. Communication is the essence of tabletop role-playing games. Should the rules prevent players from talking to an NPC because the PCs don’t speak Gubbish and the NPC only speaks Gubbish?

Languages in RPGs: Written Languages

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 15:32:01 -0500

NOTE: These rules are a work in progress.

::: note MODIFIED (2024-11-16): Added Polyglot Script type.

MODIFIED (2024-11-22): Fixed broken links. :::

Tabletop RPGs address languages in the game world in various ways. Written languages, henceforth called Scripts, are sometimes an afterthought, and the results can be either too simplistic, too fiddly, or just not well thought out.

Most RPGs I’ve seen take two basic approaches: either a literate character can read every language they speak, or every written language is as much a skill as every spoken language. In this article I’ll present a “Hybrid Approach”, and then offer some options for more unusual situations.

Languages in RPGs: The 'Understand Languages' Test

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 19:58:09 -0500

NOTE: These rules are a work in progress.

In a few Old School tabletop role-playing games, notably Crypts & Things and Lamentations of the Flame Princess, the designers avoid defining what languages characters know at character creation and during later play. Instead they give every player character a probability of understanding a language they encounter based (mostly) on the character’s Intelligence score.

This mechanic has a number of advantages:

It accelerates character creation and advancement. Under many RPG character generation rules, players have a finite number of language slots or character points, and little information with which to choose the most useful languages. (Or else the system mandates specific languages for specific classes.) With this mechanism, players don’t need to consider languages at all, and retroactively pick them up when PCs need them.

Languages in RPGs: Language Groups

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 05:18:38 -0500

NOTE: These rules are a work in progress.

In the real world, humanity speaks hundreds if not thousands of languages, and has spoken thousands or tens of thousands in its history.

Most table top role-playing games (RPGs) make the following simplifying assumptions:

PCs and most NPCs speak a “common language”.
Some communities – nations, “races”¹, religions, professions – speak less common or uncommon languages. There are at most a few dozen of these languages.
PCs can understand languages in the communities they belong to, and possibly “foreign” languages depending on their class (game or social) and education.
Languages are unrelated to each other, and must be learned separately if they can be learned at all after character creation.

To approximate how languages work in our world, these rules reverse the last assumption. But it requires a little work.

A Non-Review of the Coriolis RPG

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:57:29 -0500

This wil probably be my last post on Coriolis at least for a while. (I’ll turn my attention to Vaesen soon.)

The latter more-than-half of the Coriolis Core Book details the sprawling and atypical science fantasy future of the Third Horizon. The authors liked this setting¹ so much that they named their company after one of the factions. But it’s the player-facing rules that shape the game experience. So I’d like to compare these rules to the later Alien RPG, which I previously didn’t review. Then I’ll expand on the setting. In doing so I hope to explain why this setting inspired not only unique mechanics but a 400-page book and the name of a game company.

Robots in Coriolis

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:41:41 -0500

Coriolis: The Third Horizon includes a wide range of science fiction gear, but very few robots. (A.k.a. automatons, artificial intelligences, “droids” in that one franchise.)

Ships can have a Ship System dedicated to replacing one crew position, or a more generalized and potentially eccentric Ship Intelligence that can replace any one crew position.
A “Spider Doctor” is a portable, automated replacement for a medic (or “medicurge” in Coriolis); it can treat Critical Injuries on a battlefield during those crucial minutes or hours after which they become crippling or fatal.
Other technology, especially shipboard and Faction tech, has embedded “djinn intelligences” to make them work better.
Prior wars, some before humankind, have left biomechanical monsters or “constructs” prowling wastelands and deserted planets.

But that’s about it.

Synthetics in Coriolis

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 01:41:41 -0500

The contents of this article used to be at the end of "Robots in Coriolis". I've expanded it a bit, including stats for the Original Three of the Hyades, and nerfed them all somewhat. They're supposed to be scary, but not unstoppable.

Coriolis: The Third Horizon cites the movie Alien as an inspiration, and Fria Ligan recently made an Alien RPG. It’s only natural to borrow elements from one into the other … in this case, Synthetics, a.k.a. androids or “artificial people”.

Coriolis Portals

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 17:42:56 -0500

Information on this page comes from the hardcover edition of Coriolis - The Third Horizon, published by Fria Ligan, Modiphus Entertainment, and Paradox Interactive. It is presented under the Fair Use Doctrine, and is not intended to challenge the original work's copyrights.

The Coriolis Core Book PDF lacks the map of portals between star systems that the print version provides inside the front cover. This document provides equivalent information, less conveniently arranged as tables and lists.

Coriolis Ship Generation

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 00:40:55 -0500

Coriolis, a science fiction RPG from Fria Ligan / Free League Publishing, has rules for building a ship. Typically a group of players would build a ship, and in any case the pre-built ships in the book cover most of the bases. Still, I wanted to try my hand, and I think I came up with a niche not previously addressed. Maybe not one that needs to be addressed …

Coriolis Character Generation

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:15:39 -0500

The past few days I’ve been reading Coriolis: The Third Horizon, an RPG by the Fria Ligan team. So far I’ve read all the player-facing rules and am plowing through the extensive background.¹

The tag line for Coriolis is “Arabian Nights in space”. In brief, long before the setting’s present mankind discovered portals from one star to the next. The interconnecting routes between stars form a “Horizon”. Centuries ago, the “Third Horizon” fought a war against the first two, and destroyed the gates back to the Second and First Horizons. The Third Horizon then dissolved into petty wars; worlds drifted out of contact. Within the past century, however, the slower-than-light generation ship Zenith, packed with frozen colonists, completed its 1000 year journey to … the already inhabited Kua system. After arguments internal and external, the Zenith crew unfroze the colonists and created the space station Coriolis. Much of the setting revolves around the conflict between the Firstcomers who have lived in the Third Horizon for untold generations and the upstart Zenithians. Firstcomers tend to be religious, traditional, and tribal; Zenithians tend to be commercial and technocratic.

Yet More Year Zero, Again

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 12:17:29 -0500

So far I’ve read half of Coriolis and have just started the published version of Vaesen. I’ll have more to say about them in future posts.

Difficulty Factors

In the meantime I’ll look into how Difficulty Factors in Tales From the Loop and Vaesen change probabilities of success.

In Year Zero Engine games, players roll a pool of six-sided dice based on their character’s attribute and skill scores; each six counts as a “success”. Players can “push” a roll – re-roll failed dice once – at a cost, such as a Condition that negatively affects their character. In Coriolis, Vaesen, Tales From the Loop, and Things From the Flood, 1-5 have no effect.¹

Life on Theta Priori

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 12:53:47 -0500

Introduction

In 2018 my gaming group started playing Disaspora, or rather Diaspora rules from 2013 grafted onto Fate Core from 2018.

In Diaspora players create not only characters but the small star cluster in which they live. This is the star system and planet I designed, using only three die rolls and a lot of inspiration from topics in the news. The main text is what I sent out to the group, with some small formatting tweaks, but I’ve added some commentary and explanations at the end. Maybe someone will find it interesting.

Why an SRD, Again?

Sat, 28 Mar 2020 18:12:28 -0500

In the whole six weeks since I wrote “Why an SRD?”, I’ve had some additional thoughts and revelations, and one relevant external event.

A Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document At Last?

In a previous post I wrote:

Older, more established publishers like Chaosium may prefer to zealously guard their “intellectual property” and stick to traditional company-to-company licensing agreements.

Thursday night / Friday morning (March 27, 2020), Chaosium released a Basic Roleplaying System Reference Document, or BRP SRD for short.

Goblins and Kobolds and Trolls, Oh My

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:31:03 -0500

This is (probably) the last of what I’m calling my “Creatures Reconsidered” series. Here I want to look at goblins, kobolds, and trolls, the creatures that, in most fantasy RPGs and miniatures games, are the howling “evil” hordes that “good” beings, i.e. the PCs, can kill without compunction. (See the post Drow for my problems with that trope.)

Goblins

The term “goblin” has been applied to a wide range of ghosts, evil fairies, small grotesque monsters, and assorted imps and petty demons. The picture below is Goya’s “Duendecitos”, sometimes translated as “Hobgoblins”¹. “Duende” in Spanish and related languages also means spirit or ghost. And “animal magnetism” or charm. And a particulary soulful, melancholy, and passionate form of art.

Lost Cities

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 02:39:56 -0500

This morning I started playing around with “Humblebird’s Lost Cities Generator”. Using two six-sided dice of different colors, one generates descriptive words or phrases in the following categories:

Overview: What’s the viewer’s first impression?
Architecture: What shapes and theme predominate?
Gimmick: What makes the civilization unusual?
Government: Who or what was in charge?
Technology: How did their advanced techno-sorcery work?
Ethos: What did they value most?
Disappearance: Why is it “lost”?
Prime Remnant: Why do people remember it today?

It’s geared mainly for fantasy role-playing games, with some distinct H. Rider Haggard / E. R. Burroughs vibes. With a few tweaks it could work for actual pulp settings, or as the author states for living if slightly fantastical cities. It’s a pretty good random idea generator at a decent price.

An Elf Not Off The Shelf

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 08:31:03 -0500

In the popular imagination, especially among those who’ve read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, seen the Peter Jackson movies based on Tolkien, played Dungeons & Dragons which borrowed heavily from Tolkien, or played World of Warcraft and similar games which borrowed heavily from D&D, elves are tall, beardless, usually pale, pointy-eared immortals.

Before those franchises became popular, though, not everyone had the same idea of what an “elf” looked like. The original (“White Box”) version of D&D contained this drawing of an “elf”:

On Converting the Year Zero Engine SRD into HTML

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 02:05:13 -0500

Recently I converted the Year Zero Engine OGL SRD into Markdown, which my blog generator converts into “clean” HTML.¹ The results are here.

Why?

On the Fria Ligan forums I floated the idea of using the document to recreate something like Tales from the Loop. However, I prefer writing in Markdown, or plain text formats generally.

This blog runs on Markdown, and I planned to post whatever I came up with in my new Table Top RPG section.
Whenever possible I try to avoid vendor lock-in, notably Microsoft Word … and Google Docs. Yes, I can export to Open Document Text, but …
I also have a philosophical objection to using complex file formats when something simple like plain text will do. It’s easy to find the differences between text files using simple command line tools (another preference of mine), whereas the only way to find the changes in Word and similar formats is to turn on change tracking then depend on the application to do it however (and however well) it wants.
I keep everything in a Version Control System which also prefers flat files in ASCII or Unicode over binary formats like ODT.

So I had to get the original into Markdown somehow.

Year Zero Engine OGL SRD

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 00:14:42 -0500

::: note 2023-03-28: A newer draft of the Year Zero Engine SRD is available from Free League Publishing, subject to the Year Zero Engine Free Tabletop License. :::

Foreword by Frank Mitchell

This is the text from the prior official Year Zero Engine SRD, converted to Markdown and hence to “clean” HTML. The differences are mainly formatting, fonts, headers, etc., with some minor errata fixed, links added or refined, and chapter numbers converted to section names. Any other differences between this version and the original are the fault of the transcriber, Frank Mitchell.

Blog Facelift Complete

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:27:23 -0500

For better or worse, this is what my blog will look like going forward. Anyone who saw the ‘dev’ version, mentioned in the previous posts, will find this familiar. (I’ll take down the ‘dev’ site shortly.)

To summarize the changes:

I retired the Ananke theme in favor of XMin.
I then heavily customized the XMin theme for the following:
- “Single” (article) pages list tags at the bottom
- “List” pages note creation and modification of articles
- The Home page uses its own template, which at the moment differs only slightly from the “list” temlate.
- The Posts list page uses XMin’s original “list” template, i.e. posts in order of creation date, most recent first.
- Some “single” pages include a Table of Contents, based on a toc parameter in the article’s “front matter”.
- The Resume page (see below) omits the standard title header, again based on a single parameter in the article’s “front matter”.
I’ve also integrated my resume page into the Hugo project.

Blog Facelift: Real Soon Now

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 10:51:12 -0600

After my post a few days ago, I got inspired to push through what I considered the big issue – tags at the bottom of each post – and got it done. That uncovered a few other issues, notably how the non-blog sections will work given that it makes most sense to sort them by title, not date.

My current working version will go up on (a now invalid URL) shortly. In future revisions I may, however, remove the “TTRPG” section until I have something to put there. Interestingly, I had to override some of the (few) templates XMIN provides, and augment the CSS. Soon I may get to the point that I’m not using an XMIN “theme” so much as I’m borrowing bits of XMIN “code” to implement my own site. (Which may have been the author’s intent.)

Blog Facelift Progress

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:15:59 -0600

A quick update: there’s been little progress.

Three cosmetic fixes I’ve decided to make now, before the “facelift”:

By default, the new version of hugo strips out all the literal HTML from the Markdown source of my posts. In practical terms, that means that all the embedded YouTube videos in older posts were gone … until this most recent update. See, for example, the articles on She-Ra or Brexit. I’ve tweaked the configuration to fix that. (This is more of a bug fix than a facelift.)

Why an SRD?

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 18:57:53 -0600

As I noted in a previous post, many RPG publishers reuse some or all of their rules¹ between RPGs in different settings and genres. Sometimes one publisher will license another’s core rules either to provide supplements to the first publisher’s products or to adapt the system for another setting and/or genre.

Beginning in 2000 with Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons 3.0, some companies compile and publish a “System Reference Document” (SRD) which contains bare-bones rules, classes, skills, spells, etc. Under WotC’s Open Game License or another “open content” license like Creative Commons (CC), anyone can include some or all of the SRD’s text into their own work, with some (usually minimal) restrictions.

Yet More Year Zero

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:26:30 -0600

After having read (half) the PDF of Tales from the Loop (TFL), I’ve had a few remaining thoughts about the Year Zero Engine.

Conflict Without Combat

Since the focus of TFL is Kids having Adventures rather than ~~murderhobos~~ adventurers questing for loot, TFL is a bit of an outlier among Year Zero Engine games.

When Kids get into “Trouble”, they always roll unopposed. The GM never rolls dice for NPCs. NPCs don’t even really have attributes, save in a few cases mentioned below.

One RPG, Many Genres?

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 00:51:49 -0600

In the ever-growing marketplace of role-playing games, designers of role-playing games have an incentive to keep their rules simple enough to learn in 10 minutes with no nasty surprises, or to reuse rules that players may already know.¹ (Ideally, both.)

To that end designers have created many systems meant to be reused for different settings and even different genres. I’ve seen some of these endure for decades, others flourish briefly then burn out like any other fad, and still others fall quickly into obscurity and irrelevance despite trumpeting how “universal” they are. I’ve long been curious about why some of these systems succeed and others fail. While market forces, business decisions, and luck play a part, I’m convinced some designs are more flexible, adaptable, and general (or “generic”) than others. Below I’ll try to tease out a few traits that I think make a difference.

Vaesen Alpha Comments

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 02:53:40 -0600

Fria Ligan / “Free League” dropped an alpha version of their upcoming RPG Vaesen to Kickstarter backers. It’s still missing a number of things, notably an introduction and the stretch goals unlocked during the Kickstarter. Still, it’s complete enough to get an idea of the final product.

Having read most of the PDF – I skimmed the “what is roleplaying” section and assorted tables – I’m going to give some quick (?) impressions.

Alien RPG Dice Table

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 06:20:31 -0600

In previous posts (1) (2) I’ve been figuring out probability tables for various RPGs by Swedish publisher Fria Ligan, a.k.a. Free League Publishing in English-speaking countries. Their Alien RPG, recently released, has some interesting wrinkles which made analysis a little more difficult, at least for me.

Nearly all¹ their RPGs use the same basic resolution mechanic, dubbed the Year Zero System:

The player (and sometimes GM) assembles a pool of d6s. For most player actions, it’s the sum of a Base Attribute, a Skill, and modifiers for equipment and circumstances.

Knives Out

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 23:22:16 -0600

This evening I saw Knives Out. A bit off-brand, I know: no aliens, demons, or super people. Occasionally I do see things grounded in the here-and-now or the non-alternate past.

Short review: I liked it.

To expand on that, it was essentially a who-dunnit, with a twist. (Much like The Last Jedi, the only other Rian Johnson movie I saw, was a Star War that subverted expectations yet played well within the bounds of the genre and setting.) Christopher Plummer plays a wealthy mystery novel writer who is found dead, apparently by his own hand. But was it murder? Somebody thinks so, and put a famous private detective – Daniel Craig with a passable Cajun accent – on the case. Suspects include the deceased’s parasitic children, overly sheltered grandchildren, in-laws, and assorted hangers-on, all of whom have, as the police detective calls them, “weaksauce motives”.

Blog Facelift Underway

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 18:20:51 -0600

In the next few weeks (months? years?) I’m going to overhaul this blog.

First, I’m going to change the Hugo¹ theme from Ananke to XMin, and then customize the hell out of it. You can see an evolving preview of this project at http://dev.frank-mitchell.com. (As of Dec 21, 2019, it really doesn’t look like much.) The “dev” version’s content may lag behind the main site’s a bit, since I’ll only update “dev” for style changes but the main site will update when I add new blog posts … or any other content.

Year Zero Probabilities Redux

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 18:14:11 -0600

::: note 2023-03-18: Added Table of Contents and Titles. :::

In Which I Consider The Number Of Successes

In most versions of the Year Zero System, if players roll more than one 6, they can spend them for added benefits. (Mutant Year Zero and the Alien RPG calls them “stunts”; Forbidden Lands has no special name and only certain skills benefit.)

So how likely are you to roll more than one 6? Not very. The average number of successes is N/6, where N is the number of dice.

Year Zero Probabilities

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 21:49:06 -0600

::: summary SUMMARY: All the Year Zero System games from Free League that I’ve seen contain the same table of probabilities, despite mechanical differences that should change probabilities. In this post I try to derive the results they did, fail, and derive tables that are close and as far as I can tell more accurate. The post ends with a Lua program to generate a basic probability table. You have been warned. :::

A Non-Review of Fria Ligan's Alien RPG

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:58:11 -0600

Rather than review the new Alien RPG from Fria Ligan (Free League), I’d like to highlight new mechanics and other stealable content.

Stress

The most notable new mechanics in Alien, (and the reason I ponied up $25 for the PDF) are Stress and Panic.

The game uses two distinct sets of six-sided dice, Base Dice

and Stress Dice:

(Images from the Free League Store.)

Vaesen Rules Preview

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:52:33 -0600

Recently I spent way too much money¹ on the Vaesen Kickstarter.

Still, I’m pretty confident about it. For one thing, my intended add-ons are the currently out of print Forbidden Lands boxed set (plus PDF), the Coriolis core rules (plus PDF), and the art book Vaesen that inspired the RPG. Two of those I was intending to get at some point anyway, and the Kickstarter price is cheaper than retail in the States², so I’m saving money. The art book just looks pretty, and it’s nearly $90 USD on Amazon, vs. 250 SEK (~$26 USD) in the Kickstarter.

Big Companies Suck

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:13:23 -0500

This past week I’ve been struggling, physically and morally, with the products of a few big tech companies.

Apple

This past week I upgraded my 2014 Mac Mini to Catalina. It took a whole day of updating and rebooting. At one point it stopped with the message “Estimating time remaining” … for hours. I rebooted it manually at that point, but that probably just meant it had to start over from the beginning.

She-Ra Season 4

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 00:32:06 -0500

As usual, I’m the last to know … but Netflix will release She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 4 on November 5, 2019. (Guy Fawkes Day, for whatever that’s worth.)

A teaser trailer from the recent New York ComicCon:

So why does a middle-aged guy with no kids care about a cartoon for kids?

Have you seen my other posts about DC Super Hero Girls?

Writing RPGs is Hard, Part 3: Dice Pools

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 22:51:51 -0500

::: note UPDATED (2019-12-12): Using the apparently official name for the Free League’s house system: “Year Zero”.

UPDATED (2023-04-03): Added table of contents, revised titles. :::

Reading the “quickstarts” for Mutant: Year Zero and Forbidden Lands¹ has sparked some thoughts about the Untitled dice pool system I’m temporarily calling “The Third System”.

The Year Zero System

Mutant: Year Zero, from Free League Publishing², uses a d6 dice pool mechanic:

Assemble a pool of color-coded six-sided dice:

FICTION: Bunker Bomb

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 02:16:24 -0500

District Attorney Burke concluded his opening arguments. Despite promising himself not to, he found himself staring at the defendant. The defendant, inside his box of bullet-proof glass with only a metal grill to talk and breathe through, smiled cheerfully and waved.

Victor Jackson didn’t look like a mass murderer. Nothing like the ones Burke’s predecessor sent to Death Row. Jackson had pale skin, thinning straw-colored hair, expressive blue eyes. Any citizen could pass Jackson in the street and not even notice.

To Hugo or Not to Hugo

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 22:25:55 -0500

When I decided to revive this blog a while ago, I decided on … Jekyll, actually. Instead of installing Perl, PHP, or other scripts on my hosting provider, I could generate static HTML and upload it. I wouldn’t blog much, I figured. And knowing me, each entry would be the length of a term paper. It would give me time to reread and polish each post before releasing it out into the world, a thing discouraged by sites like G+, Facebook, and ugh Twitter.

About Paranormality

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 01:25:40 -0500

The first two RPGs I ever tried to write from scratch were Astral and Paranormality, roughly at the same time. That may have been the problem.

After abandoning both projects for a while I’m returning to them. Below I’ll outline the goals of Paranormality, the history of the project, the fairly minimal setting, the mechanics I’ve currently chosen, and a very rough roadmap for future work.

Goals

Paranormality started as a default settting and system for Astral characters in their not-quite-mundane lives. It provides ultra-light rules for life in a modern mundane world with strange happenings on the edges. Any rules with a comaparble setting will suffice. Its main advantage lies in that both its setting material and its systems translate to Astral. In Paranormality telepathy and ESP emanate from mental planes “above” the Astral Plane, and astral entities – the players’ and others – can wield them. Other forms of “magic” also lie outside the Astral Plane. Conversely, creatures from Astral can show up in the “mundane” world.

About Astral

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 02:46:49 -0500

The first RPG I tried to write from scratch was Astral, a game about exploring the Astral Plane. After abandoning the project for a while I may return to it. Below I’ll outline the goals of Astral, the fairly minimal setting, the mechanics I’ve currently chosen, a brief motiviation and history of the project, and a very rough roadmap for the system.

Goals

Astral strives to provide rules for encounters in the Astral Plane, not just as a standalone game but as an adjunct to other RPGs in any genre. It’s also an experiment in starting players with a blank character sheet and building up their “character” during play. Unlike many other “multi-system” rules it provides its own ultra-lightweight system that stands outside whatever RPG rules a group normally uses just as the Astral Plane stands outside tangible reality. Eventually I will provide conversion notes to and from various common systems. To a large degree, though, just as a character’s astral body obeys vastly different rules from their physical form, so too does Astral define a distinct player avatar in a new game world with new game rules.

Writing RPGs is Hard, Part 2: Combat Rounds and the M x N Problem

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 04:35:29 -0500

As I write rules for an ever-expanding number of notional role-playing games, I repeatedly crash into the M x N problem¹.

In a classic situation, Our Heroes, the Player Characters, have just gotten into a fight with some less heroic fellows, run by the GM. Let’s say there are M player characters and a total of N ruffians involved in this scrap. In each round² of combat, each player decides what their one (1) character does, and plays out the consequences. During that same round, the GM has to decide what N ruffians are doing, and play out the consequences of each of their actions.

Writing RPGs is Hard, Part 1

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 05:22:18 -0500

::: note Changed 2023-04-03: Added headers, fixed links.

Changed 2024-11-20: Fixed links. :::

Introduction

In two previous posts (1) (2) I talked about trying to write custom RPGs. To summarize, here’s my working list of projects:

Astral, an RPG about adventuring in the Astral Plane usable standalone or with with any other RPG.
The Elf Game, D&D if it revolved around Elves.
Paranormality, rules for paranormal powers in a default modern-ish setting.

Is the Best Magic System None At All?

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 00:16:02 -0500

::: note UPDATED (2024-06-20): Extract this essay from another article. :::

On page 18 of The Pendragon Campaign, 1st ed. (link), Greg Stafford writes:

Pendragon has no magic system. All magic is within the hands of the gamemaster, and is used to imitate traditional effects rather than to make comic-book flash-bang nonsense spells.

At the time I read that I was in the first year of college. I thought to myself something like, Wait, I can do that?

Magic in RuneQuest and Its Descendants

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 00:16:02 -0500

::: summary This was originally an appendix to Magic in D100 Games It’s a useful enough reference, though, that I decided to make it its own independent article. :::

::: note UPDATED 2023-05-26 to update status of OpenQuest. :::

RuneQuest’s multiple versions and derivatives have had multiple, incompatible magic systems, sometimes with identical names. Below are the highlights.

Major Magic Systems

These systems were used or adapted in multiple products.

Battle / Common / Spirit Magic, a.k.a. Sorcery But Not That One

RuneQuest 2nd ed. a.k.a. RQ2 introduced Battle Magic, a low-powered set of spells that burned Magic Points to give advantages in battle. RuneQuest 3rd ed. a.k.a. RQ3 renamed it Spirit Magic and added some spells.

Notes on a Magic System for d100 Games

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 00:16:02 -0500

::: note UPDATED (2019-09-13): added paragraph on King Arthur Pendragon history, replaced DriveThruRPG links with Chaosium equivalents, trimmed bibliography, fixed formatting.

UPDATED (2020-03-28): Appendices moved to separate article.

UPDATED (2024-06-20): Essay on King Arthur Pendragon moved to separate article.

UPDATED (2024-11-20): Changed product links. :::

Earlier I mentioned wantng to write a d100 ~~heartbreaker~~ system with better approaches to lots of things.

One of my sticking points has always been magic systems. As I mentioned last time it’s easy to bolt other rules onto the side of the Chaosium d100 system’s core.

Why Are Drow Dark?

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 04:02:57 -0500

Dark Elves in Gygaxian D&D

The Drow or Dark Elves as originally envisioned by Gary Gygax et al. have dark skins, despite living underground, and are (almost) Always Chaotic Evil. Humanoids with dark, sallow, or unnaturally colored skin being morally corrupt is a trope that goes back to Tolkien, even further to H. P. Lovecraft, and ultimately back to white people trying to justify enslaving Africans. For that reason I hate this trope with a fiery passion.

Game Fanatic's Log, Addendum 2019-09-08

Sun, 08 Sep 2019 06:16:02 -0500

After a couple of days’ thought, I’ve changed my list of prospective homebrew RPGs from last time:

Astral
The Elf Game
Paranormality
Troika! Redo
Zeta World
“Third System”
“Quest World” (new)

Astral

The basic premise remains the same: “PCs explore the Astral Plane.” Likewise, I’m still wrestling with my biggest obstacle:

this is an “embeddable” game, i.e. someone playing some other RPG can Scheherezade into [Astral] to represent their main characters. […] mechanics should be simple enough that anyone can grok them immediately […]

Quick(?) Update 2019-09-02

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 21:40:39 -0500

Four posts I’ve been working on for weeks are still marked as drafts. This weekend I also started a post on RPG design that keeps shifting and growing. For the sake of posting something, here’s a quick update for both my readers (if I have that many).

Three posts in Limbo are attempted followups to the dwarf and giant ones, namely less stereotypical elves, dark elves, and other humanoids. In the fourth I pontificate on an article on computer memory management (Degenbaev, Lippautz, and Payer, “Garbage Collection as a Joint Venture”, Communications of the ACM, June 2019). Riveting stuff, right?

Progress Report 2

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 20:15:46 -0500

My coding projects progress in fits and starts. For now I’ve suspended work on ELTN and turned my attention to Json Pull Parser.

JSON Pull Parser

Unbeknownst to me, Java already has a JSON standard: JSONP. Its focus, however, seems to be enterprise application servers. The top-level javax.json package mostly revolves around trees of JsonValue objects; javax.json.stream resembles a bare bones version of my pull parser. My intent was a small library with minimal footprint, yet with enough conveniences to use it as a primary API. For example, JSONP reports a key within a JSON Object once when encountered; my JSONPP saves the name until it finishes parsing the corresponding “value”, which might itself be an Object or Array. (Although I might provide an option to turn that off to reduce overhead.)

Random Youtube Vids

Fri, 17 May 2019 20:44:06 -0500

Music from the first Captain Marvel trailer

and from the second trailer …

Brie Larson pushing a 5,000 lb. Jeep

John Bercow, remixed

Carol Ferris is suuuuper clingy in DC Super Hero Girls short “#PictureDaze”

For reference, an excerpt from her previous appearance in “#HateTriangle”:

Giant Steps

Fri, 10 May 2019 21:37:28 -0500

From dwarves to giants …

In role-playing games, giants seem kind of … uninspiring.

D&D giants top out at 20 feet or so. In miniatures-based combat giants usually take up four or more squares (or three or more hexes); their longer reach means they can attack characters one or two spaces away. Otherwise they move, attack, and take damage like other figures.
Some versions of RuneQuest allow larger giants, but damage done and HP scale linearly with the giant’s height. On one forum I commented that Glorantha giants must be made of aerogel.

All Dwarves Reconsidered

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 06:26:59 -0500

Most fantasy role-playing games stick close to Tolkien’s portrayal of elves, dwarves, halflings, and orcs. While various FRPs have embellished elves, halflings, and orcs in one way or another, all dwarves are basically the same¹.

Myth and literature provide a wider range of portrayals.

In Viking myth, from which Tolkien drew his version, four dwarves hold up the sky. They fell half-giants and demigods, build divine weapons like Mjolnir, and brew the Mead of Poetry. Original sources used the terms dwarfs (dvergar) and dark elves (svartalfar) interchangeably, and the lines between dwarfs, elves, trolls, and spirits of the dead are often blurred.

Captain Marvel Second Viewing

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 10:54:45 -0500

(Note: I’ll keep this as spoiler-free as possible. As I personally don’t care about spoilers, though – I call it the Rosebud Theory of Surprise Endings – I may inadvertently let something slip. Caveat lector.)

Yesterday I saw Captain Marvel for a second time. This movie rewards a second viewing.

Granted, my first viewing at the local Alamo Drafthouse had some distractions. The waitperson took my order when I was sitting in the wrong seat. (Off by one. Typical programmer error.) Somehow it got confused with the order of the guy who actually had a ticket for that seat, and neither of us got our order until halfway through the movie. That, the waiter’s apology, and the manager’s apology kinda distracted me. On the plus side, they comped both our meals.

Unwanted Software Thoughts Syndrome

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 06:26:14 -0500

Working on ELTN opened a floodgate of backburnered projects I was going to work on in my copious free time. A few have begun to haunt me again. In order of likelihood, they are:

Lua Version Manager a.k.a. Lua-Env (name not final)

Even though Lua was intended as an embedded language, its standalone interpreter makes testing modules much easier. However, testing against multiple versions of Lua isn’t exactly straightforward. luarocks, a module manager similar to Ruby Gems, hard-codes the path to Lua not only in config files but the luarocks script itself. Worse, Lua’s module loader assumes Lua is installed in /usr/local on Unix systems. Users can override the search path in the standlone interpreter by setting an environment variable, and within the interpreter one can change package.path and package.cpath. It might be simpler, though, to change those defaults to the directory in which Lua is installed – found once in luaconfig.h – and then compile the interpreter.

DC Super Hero Girls Rebooted

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 09:49:06 -0500

New obsession: the Cartoon Network TV version of DC Super Hero Girls.

Promo:

Scene from the excellent pilot, "#SweetJustice":

Scene from the most recent episode, “#MeetTheCheetah”

See? Much better than the previous YouTube series. (From what I could tell, the YT series existed to sell dolls to pre-teen girls.)

Sadly my new obsession has severral flaws:

What, me update?

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 15:36:40 -0500

So I wrote a week’s worth of posts and haven’t uploaded any of them. My bad.

As explained previously, I write posts on my computer(s) in Markdown, generate all the Website files using Hugo, zip them up, upload the archive to my hosting provider using their Web tool, unzip them (overwriting existing files), then check that everything looks OK.

Ideally I should automate all this: a script would check my Subversion repository¹ for any updates, run hugo to generate new site files, zip them up (or, hey, just the ones that changed), sftp them up to my hosting provider, unzip them, then alert me somehow so I can double check. All I have to do is:

Progress on ELTN

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:19:10 -0500

In an earlier post I introduced ELTN, the Extended Lua Table Notation.

Well, I decided to try writing the thing. In Lua. Which seems pointless except for the JSON parsers in JavaScript. I chose Lua since:

It’s more function-oriented (“functional”) than object-oriented, and I haven’t worked with function-oriented languages since college.
The syntax is simple but a little unfamiliar.
The interpreter however, was faster than Ruby or Python several years ago. (Since then Ruby began using a virtual machine and Python started experimenting with Just In Time compiling, so that may not be true anymore.)

G+ Roundup 2: We Have To Talk About Brexit

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:12:27 -0500

OK, we don’t have to talk about Brexit. But I’m going to, so keep reading. Or don’t. I’m not your mom.

For those who’ve been without Internet or cable for the last three years, here’s a summary of Brexit, up until March 6, 2019.

Since then it’s gotten weirder. TLDR News has the latest, but to tl;dr TLDR:

Parliament voted down May’s deal again.
The Speaker of the House of Commons¹ ruled she can’t present it a third time unless it’s “substantially” different.

G+ Roundup 1: Links about Software and Such

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 09:27:25 -0500

G+ will disappear at the beginning of April. (Much like the British economy.) Despite its impending doom, I’ve been posting images and links, because it’s easy. As stated previously, I have an archive of (most of) my G+ posts but reposting them all will be a non-trivial amount of work. Some of these one-offs don’t merit oblivion, though. So this is the first in an irregular series of repost … posts.

Agents of A.X.E.

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:09:37 -0600

Since Marvel Comics has S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D., S.P.E.A.R., A.R.M.O.R., and briefly H.A.M.M.E.R., I decided to come up with my own secret agency with a melee combat acronym.

The origins of the Applied Xenoscience Executive are, to put it mildly, murky. In World War II, a memo from the S.O.E. with Winston Churchill’s signature proposed an Allied Xenoscience Executive. No copy of this memo appears in Churchill’s papers, and no other documents from World War II mention such an agency. The memo itself is a master class in doubletalk and obfuscation. Depending on the reader’s background and beliefs, one could believe A.X.E. was a cryptography group that discovered occult-sounding nonsense was a clever code for practical weapons projects, a disinformation campaign to encourage Nazi pseudoscience over science, or a weapons project involving newly discovered physical principles¹.

In Defense of Cosmic Horror

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 14:32:27 -0600

For the Prosecution

There’s a lot to dislike about the Cthulhu Mythos:

Lovecraft Was Racist

H. P. Lovecraft, credited with inventing cosmic horror. was a neurotic racist xenophobe. His racism was sometimes blatant like the name of the cat in “Rats In The Walls”, and sometimes implicit like the recurring theme of “degenerate” races, often darker skinned.¹ Imitators occasionally adopted these tropes along with the creatures that embodied them: ghouls, Deep Ones, the “Black Goat of the Woods With a Thousand Young”, probably others I’m forgetting. His stories and those of his imitators are worse for it.

Barbarians of Lemuria Playtest

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 11:56:49 -0600

The two Barbarians of Lemuria adventures I ran provided me with information on how readily my current group would accept the system, how easily I could handle the system, and inevitably my failings as a GM.

“The Plains of Death”

This was one of the short adventures in the back of the core book.

In this adventure, a shady merchant hires the PCs to protect his carts on the long journey from Oomis. Sooner or later the PCs realize that a Blue Giant riding an elephon (Lemurian mammoth) is pursuing the merchant. In our playtest, one of the PCs approached the giant to hear his side. According to the giant, the merchant stole one of his tribe’s idols. After the players discussed the ethics and professional consequences of the situation at length, the PCs opted to step aside and let the Giant take his revenge, with maybe a little help. The giant asked them to escort him and the idol back to his tribe; in return, he’d escort them wherever they were going next and give them whatever help he could. (Plundering the merchant’s other wares made a nice bonus.)

About Barbarians of Lemuria

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 01:41:25 -0600

The past two weekends (Jan 12 and Jan 19) I ran Barbarians of Lemuria: Mythic Edition. In an upcoming post I’ll describe lessons learned and future plans. In this post, however, I’ll give a brief overview of the system.

Barbarians of Lemuria (BoL) has been around for at least a decade. Despite three editions – the original “free” edition, Legendary, and Mythic – the basics haven’t changed. Below I’ll describe the system as briefly as I can (so not very) and conclude with why on the whole I like it.

Troika Playtest

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 11:01:57 -0600

A little over a week ago I ran a one-shot Troika! game for two of my regular Numenera group.

Recap

A Red Priest and a Vengeful Child read (and stole) a posting on the Adventurer’s Guild bulletin board.¹ After winding their way through the goblin tunnels they found their would-be employer: a wealthy goblin who needed ~~expendables~~ adventurers to explore the other side of a mirror portal. They emerged through a mirror in a curio shop on what they would eventually discover was called Sabaziopolis. Customers in the curio shop ran screaming into the streets shouting for the “Sparthexes”. The Red Priest took the curio shop owner as a traditional hostage. A few minutes later, two Sparthexes arrived: armored and fusil²-armed guards whose full-face helms made them mute except when they played pre-recorded discs containing “the word of Sabazios”. A firefight ensued, the traditional hostage died as did one Sparthex, and our pair ran into the street.

RPG Design Diary 1

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 11:16:51 -0600

Over the years(?) I’ve babbled about writing my own RPG rules and settings. I’ve done some small amount of work lately, so here’s where they stand:

Astral

Premise: Travel in the Astral Plane, perhaps between adventures under other rules.

I’ve been slowly poking at this thing. So far I know that I know the basic mechanic will be 2d6 vs. a GM-determined target number and that players will roll (nearly?) all dice. Everything else seems to be up in the air?

Space Ship Habitat

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:43:47 -0600

I’ve written about this before and I’ll say it again: fore-and-aft spaceship design is silly. By which I mean the common assumption that a space-going vessel is laid out like a sea-going boat: horizontal decks, a bridge in “front”, engines in “back”, and some kind of gravity operating at right angles to the direction of motion.

The Space Shuttle looked like that because it was a shuttle between Earth’s gravity well and orbit. TV and movie space opera get a pass because they’re shooting on Earth. A few movies tried to get it right: 2001 strove mightily to simulate near-future space travel with 1960s practical effects, and The Black Hole despite its other problems started with its cast on wires floating around their tiny ship.

'The Only RPG Book I Need'

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 05:16:26 -0600

Somewhere I read that an old-school Dungeon Master – Arneson maybe? – carried only Allston’s D&D Rules Cyclopedia. (Presumably he also had dice and notes on whatever he was running. But maybe not.) He said it was the only book he ever needed.

Maybe some people have found their One True RPG. Most likely it’s some edition of D&D. Not me, though. I’ve found some that have come close: The Fantasy Trip, Traveller, RuneQuest and its descendants, GURPS, Fate, PDQ, Open D6, Gumshoe, Cypher System. Each fell short in some respect. TFT characters were too simple, Traveller characters were too random, and GURPS characters were too complex. The D100 lineage – RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and so on – looked “just right”: only slightly complex character generation, easy to run at the table, easily customized for genre … but seemingly simple percentile skill values needed on-the-fly math adjustments when making adjustments for task difficulty. (Other people can do arithmetic flawlessly in their heads; I can’t.) Systems without fixed attributes like Fate, HeroQuest (the Moon Design one), and some versions of D6 look simpler, but everyone has to agree on what all the terms mean, which leads to building a common vocabulary of “freeform” abilities. Gumshoe works for investigative scenarios, and that’s about it. Cypher System looked most promising, but it assumes heroic if not street-level superheroic characters. Plus all the player-facing class-and-level trappings are kind of off-putting.

Too Many Thoughts

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 04:39:22 -0500

Speaking of tabletop RPGs and way too many ideas …

For some reason I’m obsessed with Troika!, which someone described as “hipster Planescape”. Maybe it’s because the Fighting Fantasy-derived rules are dead simple. Maybe because the text drops tantalizing hints about a bizarre setting it never actually describes.¹ Maybe because to date the only publisher that’s paid me real money for something I wrote is Melsonian Arts Council.

In any case Saturday morning I knew what my “pilot” for a Troika! campaign would be. A lot of recent influences dropped into place:

So Much G+ ...

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 04:24:44 -0500

Sunday night I went through a download of my G+ posts.

Hoo boy.

The past couple of years I’ve been posting a lot. Even screening out “hey lookit this” links and political moaning, I still found 200+ posts that might be worth republishing¹. Many of them are about things I planned to do but haven’t (so far). So right now I’m considering a few options:

Do some Ruby-fu to turn HTML into Markdown and then do cleanup by hand. Which means also figuring out how hugo handles posts with images. Mostly I created text, but in a few the image was vital.

Livejournal Live

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 01:33:43 -0500

I’ve copied all the “interesting” posts from my old LiveJournal. Next on the list:

Google+,
Pen and Paper Games,
old BRP Central posts maybe?

Elf System Basic Rules, 3d6 Version (Pre Alpha)

Sat, 13 Oct 2018 16:58:59 -0500

::: note This was the core engine for the “Elf Game” I keep threatening to write. I passed this document around my gaming group in 2018 and won some praise for the document. (They were less sanguine about its intended use.) Except for a little cleanup, I’ve left the text alone. Maybe someone can do something with it? :::

The “Elf System” is a set of lightweight rules for table-top role playing games. It vaguely resembles The World’s Most Popular Fantasy Role-Playing Game and its many, many successors. All players but one takes on the role of protagonists (a.k.a. “player characters” or PCs) in a collaborative story. That last player takes on the role of Game Master¹ or GM to portray all the antagonists and incidental characters, called non-player characters or NPCs. The GM also devises situations that the protagonists find themselves in. For more about this type of game, see Wikipedia.

Elf System Basic Rules (Pre-Alpha)

Sat, 13 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Negative Waves

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 17:30:56 -0500

(Originally posted on G+.)

Here I am, spreading these negative waves …

Reading all these farewells to G+, I can’t help but think of something my father said, well maybe once or twice: “You get what you pay for.”

Cold comfort, I know.

In 2004 I bought a domain of my own and I’ve been paying $60 a year for Web hosting. So far I’ve done relatively little with it. Definitely not $60 a year worth. Part of that is that building something like Blogspot or LiveJournal is hard.¹

Here We Are

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 01:19:44 -0500

In November of 2004 I bought the domain http://frank-mitchell.com. Then some stuff happened.

In January of this year (2018) I resolved to start blogging on this site, for reals this time. In October of this year (2018) we learned that G+ would soon be no more. And today I finally use this site for its original purpose. Or at least that’s the plan.

The blog you’re reading now is all static pages generated by Hugo. I’d considered Jekyll but people kept telling me “Hugo is fast”. That’s kinda all they said really. After some research I found out it’s modeled after Jekyll. And it’s a single compiled executable written in Go, not interpreted Ruby code. (Except I read and write Ruby, and don’t know Go. So, theoretically at least, if Jekyll doesn’t do what I want I can patch it.)

Black Panther Redux

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:00:43 -0500

Another G+ article rescued from the archives. Save for some markdown it’s what I wrote back in 2018.

Original Post

So I’ve seen Black Panther twice in the theaters within a span of a few weeks. I also watched Civil War and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on Netflix a day or so ago.

And I want to see Black Panther again. I have the orchestral soundtrack on now.

Granted, CW and GotG2 were pretty good movies.

A Non-Review of Black Panther

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 17:37:48 -0500

This is a G+ post I pulled out of the archives for no reason. Except for removing an Obama joke¹ and some markdown, this is what I wrote back in 2018.

Original Article

Last night I left my hermitage to see Black Panther. In my opinion it’s most definitely not over-hyped: a special effects superhero extravaganza like we’d expect from Marvel with excellent performances, an ethical dilemma at its heart, and a resonance with Africa’s tragic history. I can’t really speak to that last part; many others can and have, far more eloquently than I. But the part I can relate to, as a suburban white guy, is the tale of a modern superhero.

The Apparatus of Talamira, A History

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 16:03:00 -0500

Originally posted on G+. Except for editing two posts together and assorted Markdown, this is what I posted in 2017.

(For those who read The Apparatus of Talamira, I’ve decided to bore you.)

The First Apparatus

I. Discovery

The “Talamira” in the Apparatus’s common name was not its inventor. To this day, no one knows who created any of the Apparatuses, and no wizard has managed to duplicate it.

At the time she discovered the First Apparatus, Talamira of Riverbend in Tannis Valley was but a journeyman (journeyperson?) sorceress. She discovered the Apparatus while on an expedition to explore ruins of the Tekmal-Ku, i.e. tomb-robbing. Most of what we know about the Apparatus comes from her detailed notes.¹

Magic Items: The Trinkets of Talamira

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Originally posted on G+. Except for markup and a little editing, this is exactly as I posted it in 2017.

During the enchantress Talamira’s centuries as a disembodied floating head, she discovered her less “encumbered” form posed several problems, most notably luggage. To this end she developed an enchantment that allowed her to carry those necessities and luxuries she simply could not do without.

Many critics dismiss this enchantment as wholly unnecessary when Bags of Holding are, comparatively, plentiful. From comments attributed to Talamira¹ the two main drawbacks of a Bag of Holding, from her perspective, are a) that they do not function in certain planes of existence which she was known to frequent, and b) a floating head carrying a Bag of Holding, or any bag for that matter, resembles a penanggalan far too closely for comfort.

Astral RPG Essential Rules v0.1

Tue, 23 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This is an early, skeletal version of the "Astral RPG" I've described in blog entries. It was also an attempt to define an RPG in 200 words, which failed. I'm leaving it here for historical interest. I hope I can define a version that's both simpler and more versatile.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Change Log:

2017-05-22: Initial version.
2017-05-23: Simplified mutual attacks, clarified DEFEND action, added Task rules.

PREMISE: You project your spirit into the Astral Plane and start exploring.

The Coins of Ys

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Inspired by Electrum Campaign Coins (available here).

On many Earths, they tell a story about Kêr-Ys, drowned by the thoughtless action of Dahut, the wicked daughter of good king Gradlon. On other Earths, they tell this one.

One evening, centuries after Ys grew into an economic empire, the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ys received a summons to the throne room. Dread made him almost plead illness. At this hour, the summons could only have come from one source.

Magic Item: The Apparatus of Talamira

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Originally posted on G+. Except for some Markdown, this is exactly what I posted in 2016.

When James Raggi held a contest for Lamentations-worthy magic items, I came up with an idea I rejected as too useful and insufficiently cursed. Yesterday I wrote it up anyway. Here it is.

The Apparatus of Talamira

Description

To date, scholars know of only three Apparatuses.

All three at first appeared to be a wooden square about two feet (60 cm) on a side, with a circular hole less than 1 foot (30 cm) cut in the center. What appears to be a metal sheet fills the hole from side to side. A padded “leather” rim lines the interior of the hole on each face.

Minimalist d20

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum, under the title "Searchers of the Unknown + True20 + Numenera = ???". Only formatting and links have been changed.

Searchers of the Unknown + True20 + Numenera = ???

Lately I’ve found myself fascinated by minimalist D&D rules like “Searchers of the Unknown” and its worthy successor “1974 Style”. I also like the d20-only philosophy of True20 and Numenera’s Only Players Roll principle. All three have collided in my brain to create the following incomplete rules:

A Questionable Review of The Strange Bestiary

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

These ambiguities, redundancies and deficiencies remind us of those which doctor Franz Kuhn attributes to a certain Chinese encyclopaedia entitled ‘Celestial Empire of Benevolent Knowledge’. In its remote pages it is written that the animals are divided into: (a) belonging to the emperor, (b) embalmed, (c) tame, (d) sucking pigs, (e) sirens, (f) fabulous, (g) stray dogs, (h) included in the present classification, (i) frenzied, (j) innumerable, (k) drawn with a very fine camelhair brush, (l) et cetera, (m) having just broken the water pitcher, (n) that from a long way off look like flies.

A Space Opera Recursion for The Strange

Fri, 14 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

Original Post

Recently I’ve been playing The Strange with a reasonably stable group. Yesterday I had an idea for a space-opera style recursion (parallel world for the rest of the gaming world), and having nobody else to tell I’m telling you. Don’t you feel special?

The problem with wedging an entire galaxy, or even a solar system, into one of the Strange’s recursions is that recursions are supposed to be small, much smaller than Earth, so that the GM isn’t madly mapping planets for every adventure. The two best defined – and canonically largest – recursions are Ardeyn (about 2000 miles across) and Ruk (about 200 miles across, or so the map appears). Most are only as big as a city; some are as small as a house, or a room. The only real planet is our Earth; everything else is a fragment in the vast dark matter cyberspace of the Strange.

Setting Idea: Sixgun and Planet

Mon, 26 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

For those of you who don’t know what “sword and planet” is, it’s science fiction in which our lone Earthling hero is thrown onto an alien planet with generally low technology and must fight to survive. Examples include Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom series (A Princess on Mars, etc.) and some of Jack Vance’s work (particularly the Planet of Adventure series). The excuse for swords being the weapon of choice varies from decaying cultures to alien oppressors.

Rules as Interfaces Redux

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

Yesterday I babbled about viewing RPG rules as an interface between players and GMs, similar to a GUI or API in computer programs. In this view, the game rules, like GUIs or APIs, are most useful when they avoid unnecessary clutter and complexity.

One other interesting consequence of this analogy is that, like interfaces, rules have to be stable in order to be useful. This applies both to official versions of the rules and house rules.

Rules as Interfaces

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

Reading Numernera and a few other rule sets reminded me of a (not terribly original) idea that popped in my head ages ago: rules are the interface between players and GM.

By “interface” I’m thinking of programming interfaces in object-oriented design, but the analogy works just as well with Advanced Programming Interfaces (APIs) in applications like Excel, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) in any window-keyboard-mouse desktop application, a Web site’s interface of forms and links, or the protocols between remote processes (like HTTP between a Web browser and a Web server). In every case the interface defines a set of concepts or abstractions, operations one can perform on those abstractions, and discrete elements that make up an abstraction or operation. In object-oriented programming one strives for the smallest or narrowest interface that expresses all relevant operations and information; graphic design follows a similar principle which strives for the greatest amount of information relevant for a task without cluttering the display with useless information.

Numenera Stream-of-Consciousness Quasi-Review

Sat, 28 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

::: note This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed. :::

Original Post

So far I’ve read the Player’s Guide and skipped through the core book. I’m not sure whether I like Numenera or not.

The central mechanics are pretty cool:

The system requires only three dice: a d20, a d6, and a d100. (OK, a d100 is two dice unless one is brave/stupid enough to use a Zocchihedron.)

Alignment: Heresy and a Reformation

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

::: note This essay originally appeared in multiple parts on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed. :::

D&D’s various alignment systems provoke a lot of discussion, partly because they have multiple interpretations and multiple purposes. To quickly review changes across editions:

Original D&D and Basic D&D had only three alignments: Law, Neutrality, and Chaos. (One version of Basic, I forget which, added “Good” and “Evil”. Not Lawful Good or Chaotic Good, just “Good”.) Essentially it represented which “side” a character was on in an epic struggle, and spells could detect alignment. If I recall correctly, in OD&D Clerics could only be Lawful or Chaotic, and Chaotic clerics had “evil” replacements for a Lawful cleric’s “good” spells.

A Traveler and an Emperor

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

[Based on two different copyrighted properties. Kudos to those who know the other one.]

In the most powerful city in the greatest intergalactic empire mankind had yet known, The Temple loomed over all.

From orbit the Old City resembled a human figure with outstretched arms, with a nimbus of urban sprawl. The Temple roof, atop glass-steel shoulders, bore an orichalcum image of a square-jawed face smiling beatifically. Anyone in the Empire would recognize that face from countless icons and medallions: the God-Emperor of the Empire of Man.

The Chromatic Kingdoms

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

A tweet on my feed reminded me of a science fantasy location I dreamed up ages ago. It’s inspired by post-apocalyptic fiction, medieval romance, Greek classics, colors from Magic: The Gathering, simplified Mendelian genetics and racism.

The Chromatic Kingdoms

The so-called “Chromatic Kingdoms” are two opposed kingdoms of several cities each, seemingly in a continuous race war with an implicit war of the sexes.

Races of the White Kingdom

Kyrioi (Whites)

A fair-skinned and fair-haired people, males are tall and athletic, while females are small, frail, almost dwarfish. Reflecting this disparity, Kyrioi have a patriarchal, hierarchical society: men rule the women, and the king has absolute power over his dukes, who rule iron-fisted over their barons, who dominate their knights, who dominate free craftsmen and merchants. All Kyrioi, even women technically, have absolute authority over Khloroi serfs/slaves (see below) and a minority of enslaved Kobolds (see below), who do all the work.

My House, My Rules

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A version of post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Changes apart from formatting have been noted.

Some random house-ruling thoughts.¹

FATE

Dispense with fixed stunts. Instead, I’d adopt a house rule (which I can’t find a reference for now) that allowed players to “lock” an aspect to behave like a stunt: substitute one skill for another, grant a “permanent” circumstance bonus, a new function for an existing skill, etc.

New time-waster

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

Somehow I discovered Face-Maker, a limited but still useful program for making anime-ish character faces. It allows you to save faces as a long numeric code; to save the actual faces requires a screen grab. Here’s a few faces I’ve worked up and their codes:

Me:

002007033005001001013015001001001001003004001001100100100100055054088100100100100100100100100100038026020086100100100100000000060100100100100100100100100061100100100100100100100000

Ming the Merciless (the politically correct, green-not-yellow version):

005004017026001001014001001005001001005001001001079100063100100100100100100100100100091085063100020020020100080060040100100000000100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100

Yavandir (Warhammer Fantasy, High Elf Thief):

005003028009001002007003001001001001002001003001100100100100100100000100100100100100100100100100020020020100080060040100080080060100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100

Orianna (D&D 4e, Tiefling Warlord):

The Uncounted Worlds

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This essay originally appeared in multiple parts on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

This is an alternate worlds / time travel idea I might use in the future.

The Basic Model

The “Many Worlds” interpretation of quantum mechanics posits that a new universe springs into existence to account for all possibilities. The massive number of quantum events each second would spawn billions of universes. For all practical purposes, there are four categories of alternate timelines:

Constructs in BRP (2011 version)

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

::: summary I wrote this article in 2011 for an irregular Basic Roleplaying fanzine that ended before the article could run. Except for formatting – the original was an RTF file – it’s exactly as I wrote it back then. It’s not really playtested, not that organized, and very out of date. I present it here mostly for historical interest, and in case it sparks ideas in readers. :::

From the bronze giant Talos in Greek myth and Rabbi Loew’s clay golem to Terminators, droids, and Major Kusanagi, speculative fiction abounds with animate artificial beings. That Other Game calls man-made creatures “constructs”, a name as good as any.

Time Travel and Keyboard Cat

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

Excuse me while I have a strange interlude:

Lately I’ve been thinking of time travel and alternate universes. (Not too surprising, since new Doctor Who episodes started this month.) This past week I’ve bought PDF copies of Pacesetter’s RPG Time Master and its supplement Timetricks … as yet unread, just like GURPS Infinite Worlds, C°NTINUUM, Timestream, Time & Temp, Timelord (based on Doctor Who), BTRC’s Time Lords, newly released Microscope RPG (not time travel per se, but history building nonetheless), not to mention a whole bunch of historical settings and supplements. I buy games and books like Imelda Marcos bought shoes.

A Tale of Two Games

Sat, 14 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

Note: a thread on RPG.net concerned playing D&D in a world-spanning “anti-magic field”; commenters who implied the whole idea was stupid triggered the following gibberish.

Imagine a session of D&D with four characters: Brother Julian, a male human cleric, Russ the Slayer, a male human fighter, Morgan Ironwolf, a female human fighter, and Carathel Prestameril, a female elf magic-user. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is a damn shame. (The last two names come from a classic D&D module and an Elvish name generator.)

In Memoriam - Elisabeth Sladen, 1948-2011

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

Elisabeth Sladen, who portrayed Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who’s old and new series, and in spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away today at 63. The BBC News website, among others, includes what details there are and testimonials from former co-workers.

Like many Americans, I first saw Doctor Who in the Tom Baker years, starting with the 1974 serials. Sarah Jane Smith was his companion in those first two years, and (as I found out later) in the last year of John Pertwee before him. The character, and actress, struck a fine balance between the “scream queen” stereotype typical of previous companions and the plucky, courageous assistant overdone to various degrees by Leela, Romana, and Rose. She also made overalls look good.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 6: The Last Roundup

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This, the last installment, will take a look at some other interesting systems, detail some possible campaigns, and try to make sense of all this mess.

The Story So Far

In the first installment I considered six relatively light-weight, generic, modifiable role-playing systems. In the following installments, I looked at variations of d20. In the most recent installments, I finished with d20, and looked at various others.

Some criteria for consideration include:

How long it takes to translate a character concept to a valid character? How complex is character generation?

A Tellurian Primer

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This is a fantasy RPG setting I wrote in 2010. Originally I meant it as an alternative to Lemuria in Barbarians of Lemuria, although any other low magic swords-and-sorcery system would probably also work. This is the same text I first put on the old site, but with some formatting tweaks.

What is Telluria?

Telluria is the largest continent on the planet of Tellus. It’s the center of human civilization, what there is of it. It’s a place where demons stalk darkened streets, city-states worship fraudulent patron gods, and the wilderness holds wonders and terrors undreamed of. Here, heroes forever strive against overwhelming forces, winning small victories against the darkness; here, wise men know that evil may wear a pretty face and a twisted body may harbor a pure heart.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 5: New Year, New Games

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The Story So Far

So far I have reviewed some lightweight game systems, agonized over d20, and tried random character generation in Traveller, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition, and Labyrinth Lord.

Summarizing character creation times, our consistent and possibly irrelevant metric, we have:

Game	Time (mins)
PDQ Plain	5	#
Terra Incognita (Fudge)	30	######
ASCB (Fudge)	20	####
FATE 2nd ed	45	#########
Call of Cthulhu	25	#####
HeroQuest 1st ed	20	####
GURPS Lite, 4th Edition	45	#########
D&D (Standard)	45	#########
D&D (Generic)	45	#########
True20	20	####
Labyrinth Lord	15	###
Warhammer 2nd ed	30	######
Traveller	45	#########

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

A lot has changed since I began this seemingly unending series:

The Time Lord Problem

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

After watching the Doctor’s recent regeneration for the Nth time, I realized how to solve a persistent problem in Doctor Who RPGs: Time Lords rock, companions suck.

A traditional solution is to make all players Junior Time Lords. The Buffy game gives non-Slayers more Drama Points, and I’m sure some Doctor Who game has tried a similar equalizing factor. Another suggestion I’ve heard is that the Time Lord is an NPC Patron, who makes the Companions do all the work.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 4: Let's Make Some Characters, Already!

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The title of this series is “Comparative Character Generation”, and yet the past two installments involve me going into Analysis Paralysis over whether to run a d20 game or not. I’ve pretty much decided NOT, at this point.

However, let me build three characters under the d20 system, just to wrap up. Then I’d like to explore random character generation in Labyrinth Lord, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2nd Edition), and Mongoose’s Traveller.

The Dominion of Man

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Subtitled "A Campaign World for Traveller or GURPS Space, this article appeared on the old verson of my site in 2009. Save for some formatting tweaks, corrected typos, and a table of contents, it's just how I wrote it back then.

In A Nutshell

Humans populate nearly all of the Known Worlds.
Aliens are extremely rare, and not suitable for player characters.
Computers and robots in the Dominion of Man have very sophisticated behavior, but aren’t true sophonts/sapients. True artificial sophonts do exist, but have their own society.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 3: Same Crap, Different Year

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been close to three years since I started this “series” (see here and here. A lot has happened since then:

After years of talking, I finally started a BRP campaign … which has two players, and so far two sessions after I announced it in January.
Another edition of D&D has come out, completely unlike 3.5 or any preceding edition. Having played in one short game, I can’t say I like it much: too much attention to tactical combat, and only a bare-bones set of skills for all non-combat activities.

Orclands Session 2: Mar 1

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

The Story So Far

The Village of Red Briar

Red Briar resembled an armed camp, thanks to the War Chief, Swift Sword. He’s convinced of an imminent attack from the Blood Axe tribe, the Over-Sea Folk, the now-disappeared Shadow Foot tribe, the Stone Home tribe in the mountains, or possibly neighboring Ashen Hand villages. He trust no one … except Saddle, who humored him as long as possible.

Orclands Session 1: Feb 15

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

The Story So Far

Intruders!

All the People of the Ashen Hand have a duty to stand watch at the borders of their lands. Saddle the shaman and Thinks Much the scholar, as residents of Green Plains Village, spent their mandatory two weeks standing watch at a camp near the Swiftwater River, within sight of the Over-Sea-Folk settlement on the other side.

The Orc Lands: An Introduction

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Pen and Paper Games Forum. Only some markup (markdown) has changed.

The Orc Lands is a BRP-based campaign I’m running every other week. All the PCs are members of the People – what humans call “orcs”. They live in a land haunted by spirits and the Forest Folk, mysterious beings who guard the deepest forests.

In the time of legend, the People built great cities and created wondrous devices in what is now the Wasteland. Somehow, according to legend, they fell under the sway of the Shining God, whose symbol was an eye, and that led to their ruin. To this day, the People have many superstitions about eyes; they never refer to eyes except in euphemism, never make eye contact for more than a second, and never draw a representation of an eye. (Dots are OK, but blank circles push the edge.)

Resume

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Richardson, TX, 75080

fmitchell238@gmail.com | [email for phone number] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-mitchell-250481/

Profile

In every job I have learned new languages and tools in a few weeks. I’ve evaluated many new technologies; some work well, some promise more than they deliver. My relentless focus on automated testing, performance measurement, code metrics, and process improvement uncovers surprisingly simple solutions to hard problems. Over my long career I’ve mentored junior programmers, taught even veteran programmers the virtues of unit testing, and learned to winnow important tasks from the chaff of urgent tasks.

Resume, Long Version

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Richardson, TX, 75080

fmitchell238@gmail.com | [email for phone number] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-mitchell-250481/

Experience

Senior Programmer/Analyst, Hotels.com, Dallas, TX

Mar 2007 - Feb 2009

Implemented architectural improvements to Hotels.com’s primary e-commerce web application. Wrote support services for QA and production infrastructure. Evaluated technologies and tools to improve application architecture or streamline development process. Gave technical presentations on architectural changes. Specific tasks include:

Wrote a web application that caches results from an Expedia development web service, and emulates the booking portion of the Expedia web services API. This application allows testers to isolate a particular data set with minimal effort, and avoids round-trip traffic to Expedia for Hotels.com performance and stress tests.
Removed all Java-side EDI calls to AS/400s that once provided inventory, but now returned zero or error results. By removing these calls, I allowed Operations to decommission a block of AS/400s.
Removed long-standing code dependencies on ATG Dynamo, in preparation for deploying the Hotels.com and Web Sales Entry applications on Tomcat or another J2EE-compliant servlet container. Eliminating ATG dependencies set the stage for deploying code tied to front-end web applications into independent middle-tier or back-end services.
Evaluated caching solutions for database and web service query results. Candidates were Terracotta, Ehcache, and a home-grown solution.
Implemented a simple A-B test between the US Hotels.com site and an equivalent in Europe.
Evaluated Jira as a replacement for a home-grown issue tracking system.

Senior Developer, AeroXchange, Irving, TX

Aug 2006 - Oct 2006

All Right, Who Started the Apocalypse?

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Kyzrath scuttled timidly into the chamber. THEY would commend it, surely THEY would commend it, but Kyzrath had survived uncounted centuries in the shadows while mortals had ruled the Earth, and THEY were far more terrible. Far more terrible.

(The last pair of true eyes were being plucked out of a screaming woman’s skull at the same time this meeting occurred. If there had been a pair of eyes observing this chamber, they would have noted that Kyzrath might have passed for a human, except that its knees bent in the wrong direction; the shabby clothes and shapeless broad-brimmed hat that it yet wore hung at odd angles, and the glowing yellow eyes, all three, swivelled in peculiar ways.)

The Invaders

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Duke K’thkryli of the Chul Hoch Empire, captain of the interstellar dreadnought Swift Retribution, drifted serenely in his tank, tentacles curled under his massive head-body. Yet the Ztarrian crew knew his eyes watched their every move, his vast, cool, unsympathetic intellect searching for even the slightest violation of protocol. Yet the crew could do nothing, except their duty: chitinous digits tapped crystalline controls, multifaceted eyes scanning sensor readouts for the slight anomalies that could indicate enemy activity.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 2: An Overview of d20 Systems

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

AUTHOR’S NOTE (2006): I wrote much of this report in previous months, but left huge gaping holes for actual character generation. I have decided to present the “fluff” text, and defer the “crunch” to my next report.

Introduction

Last time I considered six relatively light-weight, generic, modifiable role-playing systems. This time I’ll give an overview of some d20-based systems: Dungeons and Dragons, Iron Heroes and True20, plus some PDF-only material I’ve found on RPGNow or elsewhere on the internet.

A Story for Amy's Dad

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

(Originally posted on LiveJournal)

Michael had started to doubt his sanity over the past few months, ever since the stray black cat had calmly walked into his life. First had come the nagging feeling someone was watching him, or trying to talk to him. Then had come the dreams, no nightmares of tentacled horrors and walking dead, of rending claws and twisted parodies of human beings, of giants and rats, and cats, always cats.

Gods and Religions in RPGs

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

(Special thanks to Gary McBride and Ron Pyatt.)

::: note Apart from some minor Markdown fixes, and some fixed links, this article is essentially as I wrote it in 2006 :::

After reading Monte Cook’s Requiem for a God I began thinking about the nature of gods in role-playing games. D&D presents a sort of polytheism unknown in history: each god acknowledges the existence of others, but insists on exclusive worship. As this RPG.net article notes, in polytheistic cultures like Egypt, Greece, and the pre-Islamic Middle East, worshippers pray to one or another depending on the nature of their request. Even if a priest dedicates himself to one shrine or another, he’d might still pray to another god, or at least ask his god to intercede with another. On the other hand, religions with one primary god usually regard others as subordinates, demons, or empty delusions.

Immortal Characters in RPGs

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

::: note Apart from fixing Markdown and broken links, this essay is essentially what I wrote and posted in 2006. :::

One rainy day I got to thinking about representing an “immortal” character – hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of years old – in a role-playing game system. If the GM needs to create NPCs, or if an entire campaign revolves around immortal characters amidst mortals, maybe the following ideas would prove useful.

Comparative Character Generation, Part 1: Generic, Lightweight Systems

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

(With corrections and comments by Gary McBride and Ron Pyatt.)

Except for broken links and markup, and some commentary from 2020 in the footnotes, I've left this document as is.

Introduction

For the past few months I’ve been thinking (and proclaiming) I’m going to run my own role-playing game, but I have yet to settle on a system, or even a genre. After some thought, genre is likely to be either low-magic heroic fantasy or modern “dark fantasy”/occult horror, but I still need a system for the style of play I settle on.

HeroQuest Simple Contest Probabilities of Success

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

HeroQuest Simple Contest Probabilities of Success

Quick Probability Guide

In the absence of mastery levels, there is a relationship between probability of any victory and the difference between Ranks:

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
47.50%	47.75%	48.25%	49.00%	50.00%	51.25%	52.75%	54.50%	56.50%	58.75%
10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
61.25%	64.00%	67.00%	70.25%	73.75%	77.50%	81.50%	85.75%	90.25%

Absent differences in mastery, the probability of ties is equal to (20 + lower-rank - higher-rank) x 0.25%. For example, between equal ranks, a tie will occur 5% of the time. If the difference is 4 (e.g. 17 and 13), the chance of a tie is 4%.

hq-prob-table.rb

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This is really old Ruby code from 2006. I'm sorry.

The syntax higlighter screws up at the first “here document” at line 128, but at that point the code just generates HTML. I thought about rewriting the code to generate terse Markdown instead of paragraphs in HTML and/or to replace here documents with literal strings, but I think I’ll leave it be.

Original Text

Definitions and Probability Functions

 1#!/usr/bin/env ruby
 2
 3#
 4# hq-prob-table.rb: generate a probability table for Issaries's HeroQuest
 5#                   RPG, and interactively assess probabilities between
 6#                   two Ability Ranks.
 7#
 8
 9CRIT_ROLL = 1
10FUMB_ROLL = 20
11
12CRITICAL = 2
13SUCCESS = 1
14FAILURE = 0
15FUMBLE = -1
16
17DEGREES = [
18  :complete_victory, 
19  :major_victory, 
20  :minor_victory,
21  :marginal_victory, 
22  :tie, 
23  :marginal_defeat, 
24  :minor_defeat,
25  :major_defeat, 
26  :complete_defeat
27]
28
29def outcome(rank, roll)
30  if roll == CRIT_ROLL then
31    CRITICAL
32  elsif roll == FUMB_ROLL then
33    FUMBLE
34  elsif roll <= rank then
35    SUCCESS
36  else
37    FAILURE
38  end
39end
40
41def degree(mastery, a, r, rolla, rollr)
42  diff = mastery + outcome(a, rolla) - outcome(r, rollr)
43
44  case diff
45  when 3 then
46    :complete_victory
47  when 2 then
48    :major_victory
49  when 1 then
50    :minor_victory
51  when 0 then 
52    if rolla < rollr then
53      return :marginal_victory
54    elsif rolla == rollr then
55      return :tie
56    else
57      return :marginal_defeat
58    end
59  when -1 then
60    :minor_defeat
61  when -2 then
62    :major_defeat
63  when -3 then
64    :complete_defeat
65  else
66    (diff > 0) ? :complete_victory : :complete_defeat
67  end
68end
69
70def counts(mastery, a, r)
71  result = Hash.new(0)
72  1.upto(20) do |rolla|
73    1.upto(20) do |rollr|
74      result[degree(mastery, a, r, rolla, rollr)] += 1
75    end
76  end
77  return result
78end
79
80def total_success(c)
81  return [
82    :complete_victory, 
83    :major_victory, 
84    :minor_victory,
85    :marginal_victory,].inject(0.0) { |sum, d| sum + c[d].to_f/4 }
86end

Output Routines

`parse_rank`

 89def parse_rank(s)
 90  match = /(\d+)([MmWw])?(\d+)?/.match(s)
 91
 92  return nil unless match
 93
 94  a = match[1].to_i
 95  if match[3] then
 96    m = match[3].to_i
 97  elsif match[2] then
 98    m = 1
 99  else
100    m = 0
101  end
102  return a, m
103end

`rank`

105def rank(a, m)
106  astr = a.to_s
107  astr << 'w' if m > 0
108  astr << m.to_s if m > 1
109  return astr
110end

`print_header`

112def print_header
113  printf("<tr><th>higher rank</th><th>lower rank</th>" + 
114	 ("<th>%s</th>" * DEGREES.size) +
115	 "</tr>\n",
116	 *(DEGREES.collect { |d| d.to_s.tr('_',' ') }))
117end

`print_probabilities`

119def print_probabilities(m, a, r)
120  c = counts(m, a, r)
121
122  printf("<tr><th>%s</th><th>%d</th>" +
123	 ("<td>%5.2f%%</td>" * DEGREES.size) + 
124	 "</tr>\n",
125	 rank(a, m), r, *(DEGREES.collect { |d| c[d].to_f/4 }))
126end

`print_probability_page`

128def print_probability_page
129  puts <<EOT
130  <html>
131    <head>
132       <title>HeroQuest Simple Contest Probabilities of Success</title>
133       <style>td { text-align: right }</style>
134    </head>
135  <body>
136    <h1><i>HeroQuest</i> Simple Contest Probabilities of Success</h1>
137EOT
138
139  puts "<h2>Quick Probability Guide</h2>"
140  print_difference_prob_table
141
142  puts "<h2>Detailed Probabilities</h2>"
143  print_probability_table
144  puts "</body></html>"
145end

`print_difference_prob_table`

147def print_difference_prob_table
148  puts <<EOT
149    <p>
150       In the absence of mastery levels, there is a relationship
151       between probability of any victory and the difference between 
152       Ranks:
153    <p>
154    <table border="1">
155EOT
156  print("<tr>")
157  0.upto(9) do |df|
158    printf("<th>%2d</th>", df)
159  end
160  print("</tr>\n")
161  print("<tr>")
162  0.upto(9) do |df|
163    c = counts(0, 19, 19 - df)
164    printf("<td>%5.2f%%</td>", total_success(c))
165  end
166  print("</tr>\n")
167  print("<tr>")
168  10.upto(18) do |df|
169    printf("<th>%2d</th>", df)
170  end
171  print("</tr>\n")
172  print("<tr>")
173  10.upto(18) do |df|
174    c = counts(0, 19, 19 - df)
175    printf("<td>%5.2f%%</td>", total_success(c))
176  end
177  print("</tr>\n")
178  puts "</table>"
179
180  puts <<EOT
181  <p>
182    Absent differences in mastery, the probability of ties is equal to 
183    <code>(20 + lower-rank - higher-rank) x 0.25%</code>.
184    For example, between equal ranks, a tie will occur 5% of the time.
185    If the difference is 4 (e.g. 17 and 13), the chance of a tie is 4%.
186  </p>
187EOT
188end

`print_probability_table`

190def print_probability_table
191  puts <<EOT
192    <p>
193    How to use this table:
194    </p>
195    <ol>
196      <li>
197        If both parties have levels of Mastery, reduce each by the 
198        lower of the two levels.
199      </li>
200      <li>
201        Determine which party has the higher Rank.  A Victory for the 
202        party with the higher rank is equivalent to a Defeat for the 
203        other party.
204      </li>
205      <li>
206        Convert ranks of 20, 20w, etc. into 19, 19w, etc.  Mathematically,
207        they're equivalent, due to automatic Fumble at 20.
208      </li>
209      <li>
210        Look up the probabilities on this chart.  Note that "5w" is 
211        "five Mastery", and "1w2" is "one Mastery two".  Representing 
212        the actual Mastery rune (|_|_| in ASCII art) using 
213        programmatically-generated HTML is just too annoying.
214      </li>
215    </ol>
216
217    <p>
218      Note that this chart is meant only for informational purposes.
219      To actually resolve conflicts, roll as instructed in the
220      <i>HeroQuest</i> rules.  (You'd need two d20 to use these 
221      percentages anyway ...)
222    </p>
223
224    <table border="1">
225EOT
226
227  print_header
228
229  1.upto(61) do |t|
230
231    m = t / 20
232    a = t % 20
233    maxr = (t > 19) ? 19 : t
234
235    if a > 0 then
236      1.upto(maxr) do |r|
237	print_probabilities(m, a, r)
238      end
239    end
240  end
241
242  print_probabilities(4, 1, 19)
243  puts "</table>"
244end

Main Loop

246case ARGV.size
247when 0 then
248  print_probability_page
249when 2 then
250  a, ma = parse_rank(ARGV[0])
251  r, mr = parse_rank(ARGV[1])
252
253  c = counts(ma - mr, a, r)
254
255  printf("%16s: %5.2f%%\n", 'SUCCESS', total_success(c))
256  DEGREES.each do |d|
257    printf("%16s: %5.2f%%\n", d, c[d].to_f/4)
258  end
259else
260  puts "usage: #{$0} [ active-rank resist-rank ]"
261end

OUTPUT w/ no arguments

... And The American Way

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Karen waited nervously in her gynecologist’s office. It’s been twenty minutes, at least. What’s the deal?

Again her eyes darted from the rhododendron, to the window overlooking another window, to the other vivid orange chair, to the pinewood desk stacked with manilla folders and loose papers. In the seat of the doctor’s faux leather chair lay a folded newspaper, and for something to do she walked over and picked it up.

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Solo Journal 1: The Isle of Dread

The Gygax 75 Challenge Part 3: Dungeon

The Island of Unmade Games

OpenQuest: Tutors and Trainers

Mages per Capita

Gridless Rules

Time

Toward a Psionic System

Injury System for 2d6

Solo Journal 0: Introduction

OpenQuest Character Generation

Shadowdark Character Generation

Quantum Dungeons Preview 5

Conversion Notes for Dungeon Crawl Classics

Quantum Dungeons Preview 4B

The Expedition Continues

At a Crossroads

Quantum Dungeons Preview 4A

Notes on the New Draft

Quantum Dungeons Preview 0: Rules Summary

Quantum Dungeons Languages

Quantum Dungeons Preview 3B

Recap

Quantum Dungeons Preview 3A

Ragnar’s Crew

Gold in a Silver-Backed Fantasy Economy

The Role of Gold

The Weight of Fantasy Coins

How Many Coins Can You Lift?

Quantum Dungeons Preview 2

Ragnar’s Crew

Quantum Dungeons Preview 1.5

Quantum Dungeons Preview 1

Rules

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Dwarf Expert Class for Shadowdark

Dwarf Expert

Dwarf Defender Class for Shadowdark

Dwarf Defender

Clash of Steel Playtest

The Adventure

Players Roll All D20s

Myrkheim, Land of the Dwarfs

A (Revised^2) Report on SLAN: Scheme List-Atom Notation

Introduction

SLAN in Java

SLANPP: The SLAN Pull Parser

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.2

Objectives

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.1

Objectives

Extended Lua Table Notation (ELTN), v0.9.0

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Timeless Threats: Antigod

On Lords of Gossamer & Shadow