Writing systems galore

Please check out www.omniglot.com! It's an excellent site on various writing systems for various languages. It breaks them down into Alphabetic, Syllabic, Logographic, Undeciphered, and Alternative Writing Systems.

Alphabetic systems refer to writing systems that represent individual consonants or vowels. There are apparently some that only have symbols for consonants.
Syllabic systems refer to symbols that represent consonants and vowels.

What the heck are Logographic writing systems? Hm....

Greek Gods
Hm. Interesting...


Morpheus


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, I'm off to get my artifacts back...

Research
To blow off steam, I like to do web research. Today I happened upon some information regarding U.S. Aircraft Carriers (Nimitz-class):
General Characteristics, Nimitz Class

Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Power Plant: Two nuclear reactors, four shafts
Length, overall: 1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
Beam: 134 feet (40.84 meters)
Displacement: Approx. 97,000 tons (87,996.9 metric tons) full load
Speed: 30+ knots (34.5+ miles per hour)
Aircraft: 85
Cost: about $4.5 billion each
Ships:
USS Nimitz (CVN 68), San Diego, Calif.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), Newport News, Va.
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Bremerton, Wash.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Norfolk, Va.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Everett, Wash.
USS George Washington (CVN 73), Norfolk, Va.
USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), San Diego, Calif.
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Norfolk, Va.
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), San Diego, Calif.
George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (keel laying 6 Sept 2003)
Crew: Ship's Company: 3,200 - Air Wing: 2,480
Armament: Two or three (depending on modification) NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts: (3 on Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower and 4 on Vinson and later ships of the class.)
Date Deployed: May 3, 1975 (USS Nimitz)

Note the name of that last one.

Campaign Planning: Terran Empire
I've been planning my Terran Empire campaign and decided it would be run akin to a TV series. This would mean setting up a Tripod website and making it seem like a real ongoing series with character profiles, a synopsis for each episode, and out-of-character speculation.

Since it's still in the planning stage, here's what I posted on the HERO GAMES website about it:

I've been thinking of a Terran Frontier-based campaign, probably on a Fleet ship that's got a bunch of Marines and Navy folk on it that's sent to patrol the area.

Initial adventures:
- pirate skirmishes (introduce different races and trade routes)
- Ackalian skirmishes (introduce major alien presence)
- security for Imperial explorations of Mandaaran worlds
- putting down a few localised rebellions against the Empire (mostly unjustified, but with some basis)

Next set of adventures:
- saber-rattling against the Ackalians
- instituting Draconian measures against troublesome worlds in the sector, some even the higher-ups in the military are uncomfortable with.
- discovery of a link between the Mandaaran flight and the Xenovore statuettes.

And on from there.

Much of this doesn't make sense to those unfamiliar with the setting... but it will.

Tech Levels and Science Fiction
Too often when running Science Fiction games (particularly cyberpunk ones), I find that the latest "in-game" technology is often already dated by modern technology. Guns, sensors, and computer capabilities are often far beyond what's printed.

Fortunately HERO will allow me to tweak the Imperial Marine battle suits (Starship Troopers, anyone?) to improve after each mission that they wear it.