For my friend the BEDMAN
I don't know how you keep track of your comics and games, but you may wish to look at this. It's an ongoing column by a Game Store owner. The comments by readers are great too!
I've always been curious about your catalog, and I must say that even your comics don't benefit from proper merchandising, just cause I can barely see the titles on the new comics that you've got on the shelf. As for the covers, foh-geddaboutit. Perhaps we can embark on a back catalogue push one of these days... or embark on the endeavor to count all the back issues and old games in your stores and put 'em up on a website for local and international collectors...
... lets talk... I know with the talent that visits yer store we can whip up something in no time. It could probably even run on the computer you have in the store.
Zombies on the Rise
This link promotes the Zombie Survival Guide book. Do check out the links, which have zombie infection simulations for cities... like this one here.
I recommend the nuclear death variant, which allows you to nuke city blocks to kill off infected areas. It's tough... the damn things replicate so fast! But a good strategy is to contain the buggers by bombing the area around the zombies, then killing them off inside.
I rather like the zombie movies as an inspiration to an RPG session. Zombies normally provide nice dangers for combat-hungry players... the breakdown of basic societal and organizational norms normally becomes a great opportunity for role-playing horror... and trying to figure out how to stop the zombie onslaught and what caused 'em normally challenges the puzzle solvers of the group.
This link promotes the Zombie Survival Guide book. Do check out the links, which have zombie infection simulations for cities... like this one here.
I recommend the nuclear death variant, which allows you to nuke city blocks to kill off infected areas. It's tough... the damn things replicate so fast! But a good strategy is to contain the buggers by bombing the area around the zombies, then killing them off inside.
I rather like the zombie movies as an inspiration to an RPG session. Zombies normally provide nice dangers for combat-hungry players... the breakdown of basic societal and organizational norms normally becomes a great opportunity for role-playing horror... and trying to figure out how to stop the zombie onslaught and what caused 'em normally challenges the puzzle solvers of the group.
GHOST STORIES
I'm really enjoying Adrian's foray into RPG "short stories" for his RPG Anthology titled "Manila Unseen". It's to be the first part of several "anthologies", the others to be titled "Manila Unmasked", and "Manila Unleashed".
So far, one set of characters has uncovered a supernatural conspiracy and shadow war in the Philippines... all from a seemingly straightforward journalism assignment on the "White Lady of Balete Drive". Nice working in of the Pasig River, Old Manila families and sensibilities, and the taxi driver and real estate assessment threads.
Another set of characters has resolved the case of a mysterious hitchhiker and an aging mansion in Batangas. Samurai swords, headless women in white, blackouts, and a tale of friendship, betrayal, and revenge.
HINIRANG the RPG
The magic component is slowly filling up. I'm a bit worried about the spell lists and skill lists, but I'll have to pick Dean's brains for these. So far I'm looking at the following magic systems to flesh out:
Katao Tribal Magic Types:
- Manculam (Shaman & Insects)
- Albolaryo (Sympathetic Magic)
- Salamangka (Elementalists).
Ispancialo Arcanists:
- 80% Hermetic Tradition (Magic has a long prep time)
- 20% Local translations of Katao spirit magic.
Ispancialo Gremio Poeticans
- Words and shaping reality and perception.
Nothing yet about creating artifacts in the Katao group, though the Albolaryos come close I suppose. Whew, a lot of work!
I'm really enjoying Adrian's foray into RPG "short stories" for his RPG Anthology titled "Manila Unseen". It's to be the first part of several "anthologies", the others to be titled "Manila Unmasked", and "Manila Unleashed".
So far, one set of characters has uncovered a supernatural conspiracy and shadow war in the Philippines... all from a seemingly straightforward journalism assignment on the "White Lady of Balete Drive". Nice working in of the Pasig River, Old Manila families and sensibilities, and the taxi driver and real estate assessment threads.
Another set of characters has resolved the case of a mysterious hitchhiker and an aging mansion in Batangas. Samurai swords, headless women in white, blackouts, and a tale of friendship, betrayal, and revenge.
HINIRANG the RPG
The magic component is slowly filling up. I'm a bit worried about the spell lists and skill lists, but I'll have to pick Dean's brains for these. So far I'm looking at the following magic systems to flesh out:
Katao Tribal Magic Types:
- Manculam (Shaman & Insects)
- Albolaryo (Sympathetic Magic)
- Salamangka (Elementalists).
Ispancialo Arcanists:
- 80% Hermetic Tradition (Magic has a long prep time)
- 20% Local translations of Katao spirit magic.
Ispancialo Gremio Poeticans
- Words and shaping reality and perception.
Nothing yet about creating artifacts in the Katao group, though the Albolaryos come close I suppose. Whew, a lot of work!
Government, Corruption, and Me
Well, I've decided to do a bit of study on corruption, Philippines-style. I purchased a book that collects a number of articles from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
In the process, I hopped online to find other articles and found the links to another related organization called TAG. What is that? Well, TAG is the Transparent Accountable Governance project, and it's "attempt to summarize how, why and to what degree corruption exists in Philippine society." The work has also been "extended to promoting good governance in selected cities and municipalities of Mindanao through capacity-building efforts."
Ambitious, but worthwhile.
And how can we help, readers? How can we help?
After thinking about it, I keep wondering if an online site can do anything... given the grip of popular media on shaping the values of the masa, and the deeply entrenched corruption in government. Perhaps this is where another form of popular media should come in: COMICS!
Well, if it was more popular, more folks would be in the industry here... but still, it DOES reach the youth...
Well, I've decided to do a bit of study on corruption, Philippines-style. I purchased a book that collects a number of articles from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
In the process, I hopped online to find other articles and found the links to another related organization called TAG. What is that? Well, TAG is the Transparent Accountable Governance project, and it's "attempt to summarize how, why and to what degree corruption exists in Philippine society." The work has also been "extended to promoting good governance in selected cities and municipalities of Mindanao through capacity-building efforts."
Ambitious, but worthwhile.
And how can we help, readers? How can we help?
After thinking about it, I keep wondering if an online site can do anything... given the grip of popular media on shaping the values of the masa, and the deeply entrenched corruption in government. Perhaps this is where another form of popular media should come in: COMICS!
Well, if it was more popular, more folks would be in the industry here... but still, it DOES reach the youth...
Cranium Kings
Well, last Halloween saw a very late Cranium Championship. The teams were:
1) Red: Dean, Marco and myself
2) Green: DinoYu, Carl, Vin
3) Blue: Nikki, Jason and Charles
After two games, the first team were the undisputed champions.
Still, there were impressive performances all around... Carl had the impressive "Spank" clay figure, DinoYu pulled out an impressive "Two-Fu" triumph, and Jason hummed a mean tune! Charles, alas, caught some flack for not knowing certain songs... but then, it merely served to underline how old the rest of us are in comparison. He was only around 2 when "Born in the U.S.A." was out after all.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Marco's exceptional dice-rolling skills! My God, in the second game, the Blue Team only missed one question and yet rolled terribly! Marco kept flying past the opposition in a single die roll.
I was too late to reach the Via Astris halloween party, but it's just as well I suppose. I was not awake enough to drive all that way and back.
Well, last Halloween saw a very late Cranium Championship. The teams were:
1) Red: Dean, Marco and myself
2) Green: DinoYu, Carl, Vin
3) Blue: Nikki, Jason and Charles
After two games, the first team were the undisputed champions.
Still, there were impressive performances all around... Carl had the impressive "Spank" clay figure, DinoYu pulled out an impressive "Two-Fu" triumph, and Jason hummed a mean tune! Charles, alas, caught some flack for not knowing certain songs... but then, it merely served to underline how old the rest of us are in comparison. He was only around 2 when "Born in the U.S.A." was out after all.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Marco's exceptional dice-rolling skills! My God, in the second game, the Blue Team only missed one question and yet rolled terribly! Marco kept flying past the opposition in a single die roll.
I was too late to reach the Via Astris halloween party, but it's just as well I suppose. I was not awake enough to drive all that way and back.
HINIRANG the RPG
I'm up to about 50+ pages on the Hinirang RPG, and am wrestling with the Skill List. Need Dean's help, wah! Haven't even gotten to the magic stuff yet (but I will... I will!), or conflicts.
So far I've got the attributes, task resolution (basic), effect values, skills (for now), traits, etc... In PDF format! Dean, if you're reading... let me know your availability... need to pick your brain!
I'm up to about 50+ pages on the Hinirang RPG, and am wrestling with the Skill List. Need Dean's help, wah! Haven't even gotten to the magic stuff yet (but I will... I will!), or conflicts.
So far I've got the attributes, task resolution (basic), effect values, skills (for now), traits, etc... In PDF format! Dean, if you're reading... let me know your availability... need to pick your brain!
Bush and Revisionist History
From an SF Gate Article:
During his short visit, partly to reward President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's support for the U.S. war on terror, Bush told his Filipino hosts that the United States "liberated the Philippines from colonial rule."
Bush was referring to the defeat of Japanese imperial forces in World War II at the hands of Filipino guerrillas and the U.S. military. But he skipped over a crucial fact: The United States was the colonial ruler in the Philippines for half a century before the Japanese came.
"America is proud of its part in the great story of the Filipino people," Bush also said.
In fact, that great story was a tale of American betrayal and bloodshed.
In the late 1890s, Filipinos revolted against Spain, which had ruled the archipelago for more than 300 years. After the Spanish-American War erupted, the United States supported the Filipino revolutionaries, who proclaimed an independent republic.
But eager to establish itself as a power in Asia, the United States refused to recognize the new republic and bought the country from Spain for $20 million. When the Filipinos resisted, the United States unleashed a three- year war of conquest that killed an estimated 200,000 Filipinos.
The war set off a bitter debate in the States over U.S. involvement overseas, a precursor to the outcry over the Vietnam War more than half a century later.
A former U.S. superintendent who helped set up an American-style public school system in the Philippines argued that the Filipinos "are children, and childlike, do not know what is best for them. . . . By the very fact of our superiority of civilization and our greater capacity for industrial activity, we are bound to exercise over them a profound social influence.''
Despite the carnage and the intense emotions it unleashed in the early 20th Century, the conflict has virtually been erased from American history books -- and from America's collective memory. Until recently, the Philippine-American War was not even considered a war in official history; it was "the Filipino Insurrection against the United States."
I thought that this part of history couldn't be forgotten already, after all the lobbying and outrage in the U.S. about the entry in the history books...
Chilling, this "alliance".
From an SF Gate Article:
During his short visit, partly to reward President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's support for the U.S. war on terror, Bush told his Filipino hosts that the United States "liberated the Philippines from colonial rule."
Bush was referring to the defeat of Japanese imperial forces in World War II at the hands of Filipino guerrillas and the U.S. military. But he skipped over a crucial fact: The United States was the colonial ruler in the Philippines for half a century before the Japanese came.
"America is proud of its part in the great story of the Filipino people," Bush also said.
In fact, that great story was a tale of American betrayal and bloodshed.
In the late 1890s, Filipinos revolted against Spain, which had ruled the archipelago for more than 300 years. After the Spanish-American War erupted, the United States supported the Filipino revolutionaries, who proclaimed an independent republic.
But eager to establish itself as a power in Asia, the United States refused to recognize the new republic and bought the country from Spain for $20 million. When the Filipinos resisted, the United States unleashed a three- year war of conquest that killed an estimated 200,000 Filipinos.
The war set off a bitter debate in the States over U.S. involvement overseas, a precursor to the outcry over the Vietnam War more than half a century later.
A former U.S. superintendent who helped set up an American-style public school system in the Philippines argued that the Filipinos "are children, and childlike, do not know what is best for them. . . . By the very fact of our superiority of civilization and our greater capacity for industrial activity, we are bound to exercise over them a profound social influence.''
Despite the carnage and the intense emotions it unleashed in the early 20th Century, the conflict has virtually been erased from American history books -- and from America's collective memory. Until recently, the Philippine-American War was not even considered a war in official history; it was "the Filipino Insurrection against the United States."
I thought that this part of history couldn't be forgotten already, after all the lobbying and outrage in the U.S. about the entry in the history books...
Chilling, this "alliance".
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