Erik Amundsen's Blog, page 45

[Dork] How I Roll?

Okay, this is all deep-dork stuff, so it's all behind the cut.  Its resolution mechanics and dice shit, people, nothing non-dorks want to see.  Just warning you.



Savage Worlds - Roll Skill or Stat (D?) + Wild Die (D6) vs Target of 4 (heavily modified).  Top range explodes.  Explosions are open.  Degrees of success.
Cortex - Roll best 2 of whatever... depends on the specific game vs. dice I roll from a pool that I refresh when you roll a 1.  
Dogs in the Vineyard - Roll a bunch of dice vs. my bunch of dice.  Match numbers between, fewest dice for matches controls what happens.  Not so much degrees of success as degrees of how badly shit got fucked up.

There are others, I'm sure.  I hear Earthdawn does that, and I think Hero Quest might...?

Anyway, here's mine.
Roll dice, as many as you can get into the Fight or as few as you like, for successes 4 is 1, 8 is 2, 12 is 3 - per individual die rolled vs. Target # Successes.  Each Fight has a Target (# Successes you need to win) and a Limit (how many times you can roll dice without beating the Target before you lose) so 5/3; you need 5 successes out of three rolls.Rolls can be any number of dice you can fit in there (I am thinking the practical upper limit is going to be 4, just the way I have the characters done, and 4 might be tricky), but if you only roll 1 (and get a success) you get to say something about the Fight you are in.  2 dice and nobody says nothing.  3 or more and I get to say something about the Fight you are in.You can lose the Fight 2 ways
You run out of rolls before you get enough successes.
You roll enough times with no successes... I am not sure exactly how this works, yet.  I am thinking you get a limited number of fails you can take per Attribute you use, and making that kind of small, so you have to switch up what you are doing in a Fight pretty quickly if things are not going your way.

Signal Boosting a Rose in Winter...

Okay, this one has a working donate button!

Originally posted by csecooney at Signal Boosting a Rose in Winter...Dashed if I wouldn't give this Poet Woman Writer Goddess Editor Extraordinaire my LAST DOLLAR!

Unfortunately, still jobless, am on last dollar. D'OH!

But... Maybe YOU can help her??? Here's hoping!

***

Originally posted by rose_lemberg at Help Rose get to Wiscon

Hi everyone. As some of you know, I have been hoping to get to Wiscon this year. to be there and do a series of poetry-related things for the release of the Moment of Change, and the release of the first Stone Bird title (as yet untitled, but it will be a collection of queer poetry from Stone Telling). However, my financial situation does not allow me to go. I have fixed medical expenses connected to my child's disability; as I am the breadwinner in the household, this creates an unstable financial situation for us, where I simply cannot spend this kind of money. I was able to go to WFC last year thanks to my Rannu Fund win, but this is not a recurring situation.

Some kind folks have put my name forward for a Wiscon scholarship, but I have not heard back, and time is running out for me to buy a reasonably priced ticket, register, and register for readings.

With that in mind, I would like to fundraise to cover at least for airfare and registration. If the Wiscon scholarship will come through, that will cover my hotel expenses, and if not, I think I will be able to manage the hotel if everything else is covered. So the minimum I would like to raise is 350$.

If you would like to help, there are two ways for you to  help me raise this money. First is to donate. The donation button is below. Second is to bid on a copy of "The Book of Shapechangers." The auction is also below. Note that I will not, realistically, be able to get to this before mid-May. If you are coming to Wiscon, I will bring your copy with me to Wiscon.

Both the donation drive and the auction will only be here for a few days, until Sunday night. Thank you very much for your help and support!

--------------------------------------------

The Book of Shapechangers

The Book of Shapechangers is an artist's book, made as an accordion folder consisting of at least four and at most eight pages with block printed images of people who are shapechangers. The images will be printed by hand upon archival quality artist's paper and bound as a hard cover with decorations chosen by me. 

You will be able to choose one of the animals, and I will create a block print accordingly. The other images will be chosen by me. The higher your bid goes, the more images you will get. You can see the style of art you will receive here , as well as my process for creating this art (and please, please make sure you like it, before you bid - I don't want people to be disappointed).

Note: this will be a more modest creation than  hani's book, so please bid accordingly.

An even more important note: The Book of Shapechangers does not exist yet. I have ongoing health issues, so please only bid if you are ok with waiting at least a month (and, realistically speaking, more) until this will materialize.

I will make a maximum of six of those books, so the six highest bidders will be able to get one. Minimum bid is 25$.

If your winning bid will be 50$ or higher, there will be words to accompany your image, though I cannot promise you how many or which kind :)

Bidding is open now, and closes on Sunday., 4th of March, at midnight EST.


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WORMHOLE TECHNOLOGY ACQUIRED

CLARKESWORLD!

DRAFTYHOUSE IS GOING TO CLARKESWORLD!




Scarrans to the left.

Phone!

I have a working phone again. But of course, the phone list file was on my last iPod, the physical copy was in the notebook that got lost at Arisia, and yeah... So... If you want me to be able to call you, put in comments.  All comments will be screened, and I'll be baleeting this entry in a week or so.

Spiders Don't Matter

funwithrage has accepted the spider story for benlehman 's Skew anthology!

Kind of Like a Vacation

Went to the Childrens' Museum today with the nephews, their mom, auntie Jen and Uncle Joel.  It was a good day.  I had initially hoped that there would be a chance for me to slip away and see someone, but I decided that would be too hard to pull off.  And I was right.  Oh heavens, I was right.  4 adults to 2 kids, and 3 of us had no chance, I'm not sure how anyone parents, holy crap.  The ride up was surprisingly pleasant.  The ride back was actually surprisingly pleasant, too, but a lot less so than the ride up.  Logen is easy; he's pretty sweet, he's not particular, he doesn't get angry; Theo on the other hand, he's very challenging.  Especially when he's tired. And he did not sleep last night.

Things have Improved.

My mom and I spoke, and we're going to meet to reprogram one of the phones so I have one.  The whole thing is a mess and we're both pretty sorry about it, and I think I got her to admit that she's got some anger to work out, but we didn't have a lot of time to talk.  We're going to do a little more of that tomorrow or Thursday.  At the same time, I'm not sure she got it.  I will be patient.  This is my mom, and even though she's developed a mean streak, she's a damned good one (to me and to Haley, at least.  She and my brother are oil and water and have butted heads pretty much his whole life).  I know you can't change a person, but the way she is now is what circumstances have helped to make her.  She feels her back is against the wall.  I will do what I can do to help.  

Thursday I might be going to Boston with my nephews and their mom and my brother in law and his wife!  The plan is to go to the Childrens' Museum.  It depends on whether I can get Thursday off (I am not on the schedule for anything) and whether I can meet my mom tomorrow night instead of Tuesday.  I am pretty excited about that.

Gmail Question

I set up my Gmail account for the extra security, so it texts me a number code whenever I try to log in.  Anyone know how to disable that.  I have been poking around the settings, but nothing seems to get me where I need to be.

cucumberseed @ 2012-02-19T15:56:00

I have always tried to be on my mother's side, I always knew I was on thin ice with her.  Everyone is.  I finally fell through. 

[Signal Boost] Behold a Story I Really Enjoy on Audio!

Sayeth csecooney , author of the Story In Question:



Oh, my gosh! I'm SO EXCITED to announce that the AUDIOBOOK of Jack o' the Hills "Part One: STONE SHOES" is available for purchase and download!!!

The audiobook includes an original song "Master Jack" with my lyrics and music by Jeremy Cooney. He performs it BEAUTIFULLY. It's very creepy and jolly. 

The publisher Erzebet ANNOUNCES HERE:Welcome to 2012! I return from an extended online hiatus to bring you tidings of Jack Yap, as promised in "You Don't Know Jack!, in which the author discusses the making of the audiobook itself. 

Jack Yap is “his Marm’s good boy, maple-syrup mouth, toffee-tongue, such sweetness” — or is he? He’s a rascal, a rapscallion, a downright ragamuffin, and he’s one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read. It is therefore with great delight that I announce the release of the audiobook of “Stone Shoes”, the first of the two tales that make up Jack o’ the Hills, read by author C.S.E. Cooney and arranged by Jeremy Cooney. Many thanks go out to Jeremy, who also helped with “this GarageBand mumbojumbo”.

The audiobook can be purchased exclusively from Papaveria for the outrageously low cost of £1.69 — that’s approximately $2.99 for our American friends. Visit Circle Six to get a copy of your own.

PLEASE ENJOY! 

PLEASE SIGNAL BOOST IF IT SUITS YOU!!! 

What folks are saying about Jack o' the Hills

“The best story from the online Summer issue is also dark fantasy, this time blackly humorous: ‘Stone Shoes’, by C. S. E. Cooney, about Jack Yap and his brother Pudding and their Marm and a skinchanger’s egg — linguistically inventive, and slyly vicious.”

–Rich Horton, from the January 2008 Locus

“Claire Cooney spins tales of Grimm horror with elvish gold gleaming in their darkness. They have the vivid colors of an extremely good nightmare, a fertile and vernal radiance all their own: funny and horrifying and moving by turns — and sometimes out of turn. If you’ve forgotten why you love fantasy, these stories of Jack Yap and Shapechanger Tam will remind you.”

–James Enge, author of Blood of Ambrose, nominated for the 2009 World Fantasy Award.

“Stunningly delicious! Cruel, beautiful and irresistible are C.S.E. Cooney’s characters and prose. Just when you thought fantasy had devolved into endless repetition, ’Jack o’ the Hills’ blows us all over the next hill and into the kingdom beyond. C.S.E. Cooney is a rare and exciting new talent. Whatever she offers us next, I’ll waiting in line to read.”

– Ellen Kushner, author of Thomas the Rhymer

- Francesca Forrest

- Charles Tan

- Alexandra Erin

- Amazon.com reviews