The Most Awesome Fruit Ever!

Regards,
Walt

Martial Minute: Haedong Kumdo

In Japan, the arts involving the sword are very fast with little "flair". All business. One Cut. One Kill. However, the Korean Art of Haedong Kumdo, resembles kenjutsu (Japanese swordsmanship) with slight differences. Using lightning fast cutting and demonstrating confidence around a blade, here is a small selection to wet your martial knowledge appetite.



This one is in Korean but I think most folks will get the gist:

Ashcan Edition: Scion Fist

For the next installment we have the sinister thugs that serve the whim of Shogun 0. Of course this group can be thrown into any 4C game to swarm the heroes and give them a hard time. Enter...

Scion Fist

(Criminal Organization / unknown)

M:10 C:20 B:10 F:10 I:10 A:10 W:10

Damage:50, Fortune:30, Lifestyle: (50 see below), Reputation:0

Powers:

Mindlink (10): The members of the Scion Fist have the ability to speak with each other telepathically. This power only works with other members of The Fist. At the same time, they also share their thoughts, thus becoming a hive mind when working together (+1 RS to feat rolls when working with two or more members). Shogun 0 has taught them this ability so as to be in contact with them at anytime anywhere in the world.

Blink (Teleportation - 4): Through intense training, The Fist can move over short distances faster than the human eye can see. This often times allows them to instantaneously get the drop on someone by jumping behind them or blinking out of the way of an attack.

Ki Blast (10): In the event The Fist find themselves unarmed, the can summon a blast of concentrated force. As this attack takes immense concentration, The Fist cannot take any action other than dodging in the previous turn. This attack is most often used to blow open doors and smash through locks but in a pinch can be used as a surprise attack or for them to escape when captured.

Equipment: Typical Equipment Carried

• Armor (4): Armored vest
• Pistol (10) (4 clips of 15 shots each)
  
• Sword (10) (material strength 30)
  
• Throwing Spikes (4) (Set of 10)
  
• Smoke Bomb (Invisibility 10 - only to sight - 4 sectors - effect may be blown or washed away) (set of 4)
  
• Climbing Cord (50 ft) and hook
  

Skills: Acrobatics (C), Climbing (C), Security Systems (I), Martial Arts (C)

Lifestyle Note: Shogun 0 supplies the Fist with anything they might need for a successful mission. In the event that an item is so rare that it is beyond the Shogun's means to acquire it, he can appeal to his master Dominus. If that route fails, the Fist could always acquire what they need the old fashioned way... They can just take it!

Background: As Shogun 0 clawed his way from obscurity to the top ranking official of Omnisci Corporation, not only did he dispose of his enemies, he also rewarded his allies. The Scion Fist began as a small group of corporate spies recruited by Shogun 0. As the Shogun began to shape his destiny, he also shaped the Scion Fist to become an instrument of his will. Specializing in corporate and clandestine espionage, smuggling, and assassination, The Scion Fist has become one of the leading shadow organizations in the world.

Identifying Quote: "There is no escape. Accept your fate."

Need the 4C System?

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah... SO I am a Marvel ZOMBIE...



Regards,
Walt

Happy Holiday Shopping...

Hey there all...

The holiday season is upon us and that means that it takes all that much longer to get anywhere thanks to little old ladies gripping the steering wheel for dear life. Of course... all bets are off when you enter the malls and shops and they get in your path... Don't let the white hair fool you! These fiends are in pursuit of the latest "you know that guitar game," and will do anything to get it.

So for this weeks Martial Minute, We present the Marine Corps Martial Art Program (MCMAP). Severe in practice and deadly in execution, the Marines have put together a program that instills warrior mindset and killer instincts. Perfect for the battlefields overseas and the shopping malls against Aunt Edna!



DISCLAIMER: Aunt Edna is not an enemy combatant and should not be treated as such... if white hair and knuckles get in the way... let them be and count to 10. Honor a Marine this year by donating to their favorite charity:

http://www.toysfortots.org/

Honor any other service member by saying happy holidays and "thank you" for their service.

"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm..."


Regards,
Walt

OH MY LAWD!

Couldn't resist...

Beatbox Fame Game
Uploaded by loranger

Kalariprayat: Better late than never!

Kalari or sometimes called Kalariprayat is an old martial art coming out of Southern India. Highly systemized and taught to many Indians, Kalari contains a myriad of hand and weapon techniques.
Enjoy:

Fly By

I cannot believe how the time has been flying by since we have been back. Already November and I think I have more on my plate now than when I left. All good though... At least I am not bored.

One of the things I am really enjoying is the coffee shops I have in my town. They offer a usually quiet place to hang out while getting a nice cup of joe whatever it is that tickles you pallette. That means I have a place to sketch away from the chaos that are my dogs and get caffeinated at the same time. I think I am going to head to one tonight to finish the latest project I got from Arbor Productions. If you haven't heard or checked out their products you should give them a whirl. Hot off the heals of Halt Evil Doer!, a M&M Superlink product, Arbor is now getting Savage and moving into the world of Publishing suppliments for the Savage Worlds Role Playing game. Take a peek...

Please keep an eye on the blog in the upcoming weeks to see updates for our weekly feature on martial arts. Not only are the videos we are finding very informative, but you can use them as inspiration for your games as well as to show perspective players what what system or another look like. While you are sitting there checking out the blog, take note of the styles that we are showing off and give one of them a try. I have been doing martial arts for a while now and there is not a day that goes by that I am not glad that I started.


I wanted to finsh up by saying thanks to some of the folks who took the time to write in and let me know that instead of signing up to "follow" the blog, some folks are putting it into their feed readers and going that road. Thanks for checking in regularly and thanks for all the support. P.S. The monkey says "Hi"... you know who you are...

Up next, Martial Minute and then another episode of Ashcan Edition.
Thanks for stopping by,
Walt

Martial Minute: Combat Archery

Archery has been a prime component of the combat arts since people have been people. In this week's Martial Minute, The Atienza family show us how their family blend of archery can be brought into the modern age with the use of current technology.



Regards,
Walt

Ashcan Edition: Dominus

Dominus (Azrael Dominus)

(Supernatural Metahuman, known by General Public, Ruler of Marazul)

M:30 C:20 B:30 F:30 I:30 A:20 W:20

Damage:110, Fortune:80, Lifestyle:75, Rep:0

Powers:

Immortality:Dominus is immune to aging, disease, and can heal from any wound, however he can still be hurt and incapacitated. Bringing Dominus' Damage and Fortitude to 0 will effectively kill him. At this point, unless he is impaled or receiving a constant stream of damage he will begin to regenerate and reanimate.

Armor: Dominus wears armor made of power rank 40 material that conveys the following abilities.

Armor (40)

Flight (20)

Life Support: Dominus is protected from Pressure, environment (including lack of air and the presence of toxins), and radiation while in his armor.

The Way of Triad Sight: Dominus is extremely talented in the Arcane Arts and has the ability to work magic at power rank (50). This allows him a vast variety of powers at his disposal. His most common castings include:

Power Bolt: Energy generation

Power Shield: Force Field

Ghost Walk: Phasing

Eagle Walk: Teleportation

Skills: Knowledge:Arcane (I), Bio-engineering (I), Engineering (I), Leadership (I), Military (I), Martial Arts (M),

Background: Azrael Dominus is part of an ancient race who came to earth to conquer. Although he and his kind spread terror over the ancient world, it was the people of the Middle East that gave him the name, Azrael, The Angel of Death. As culture after culture fell under his heel, it looked as though Azrael and his kind would rule over mankind.

Unknown to the invaders, an ancient race had already taken residence on Earth and had looked fondly on the race of man, The Atlanteans. With legions of troops and technologies that dwarfed human understanding, the Atlantean war machine stormed out of the ocean to drive out the hellish invaders. One by one Dominus' people were either captured or killed by the might of Atlantis.

The true extent of the final battles are lost to the oceans of time, however, it was certain that Dominus was captured and imprisoned. Their victory in hand, the Atlanteans withdrew back to their nation to let the race of man make his way in the world.

Throughout the millennia, Dominus called across the ages to anyone who would listen. Although there were many promising attempts to free him, his liberation came in the present age. A young boy with amazing mental abilities heard his calls from the ether and decided to listen. Throughout his youth, Dominus guided and tutored the youth until he became a titan of industry. Using his wealth, Brian Takashi, sought out the mystic prison and shattered its seals. Dominus strode into the world with a terrible purpose. He would be the lord and master of this world and crush the ancestors of his enemies.

To this purpose, he raised the island of Marazul in the southern Pacific near the nation of Indonesia. He has taken in many of the undesirables of the world and turned them into a driven people. At his side, Brian Takashi, the man who granted Dominus his freedom, now serves as his Minister of Security under the guise of Shogun 0. Only Takashi is aware of his true origins as the rest of the world sees him as a powerful despot. From his new nation he plots and waits for a time to strike.

Identifying Quote: "I am Dominus... you are finished!"

Need the 4C System?

Martial Minute: Nova Scremia

For this week's Martial Minute, We deviate from the normal flavor of Asiatic Martial Arts and go for the Western. Nova Scrimia is a time tested art form that mixes elements of fist, blade, and stick to form a fantastic martial blend. People familiar with the Martial Arts of the Philippines will recognize much from this art as Filipino Arts draw heavily from Spanish Fencing for some of their technique. Enjoy:



And for some of the hand to hand elements:






Regards,
Walt

Ashcan Editions: Shogun 0

Shogun Zero (Brian Takashi)

(Psionic, unknown to the general public)

M:10 C:10 B:20 F:20 I:20 A:20 W:40

Damage:60, Fortune:80 Lifestyle: 50 Rep: 0

Powers:

Telepathy (50): Shogun is a powerful telepath and always uses his ability to read the minds of those around him.

Mind Control (50)

Combat Awareness (30)

Warlord Armor: Takashi knows that his "minions" can sometimes be traced back to him. For this reason, he created his Warlord Armor for use in "operations" where raw psychic ability would not be enough.

Trait Boost: Shogun's armor boosts his physical ability. His normal stats are M:6 C:6 B:10 F:6 I:20 A:20 W:40

Psi-Boost: The armor can also "ride the signal" of active satellites to transmit Shogun's psychic abilities across the globe.

Psycho-blast (30):Takashi can power psychic rotors inside the armor by charging it with mental energy. He can then shoot a concentrated wave of force.

Flight (10)

Armor (20/10): The armor provides power rank 20 protection against physical attacks and rank 10 against energy attacks.

Skills: Pyschiatry (I), Business (I), Engineering (I)

Background: Brian Takashi was a boy when he first started hearing voices that weren't there. It was some years before the lad figured out they were the thoughts of the people around him. His parents sent him to an isolated monastery in upstate California to be away from people and learn to control his power. While in seclusion, he managed to learn to tune out all the voices except one. The Voice he could hear belonged to no one he could see and whispered promises of power and destiny.

Some years later, Brian had graduated at the top of his class and began to work at a technology company. He fell in love with a young co-worker and the two intended to marry. He caught her having an affair with one of his managers and was grief stricken. The mysterious voice he had heard all those years ago spoke of revenge and how to take it. Using his powers to ruin the lives of his betrayers, this would be the event that solidified his persona as Shogun Zero as well as giving himself to the Voice.

Many more years passed, having witnessed to the rise in power of Brian Takashi as CEO of Omnisci, a massive corporate machine that creates everything from powerful government computers to electric toothbrushes. His corporate facade hides the truth that Brian Takashi is really Shogun Zero, a criminal mastermind that has been secretly building his power. Hidden in corporate shadow, Takashi has amassed wealth, contacts, favors, and using his powers, sleeper agents all over the world.

For now, Shogun Zero and his organization, The Scion's Fist, has been content with black market sales of technology, corporate espionage, and assassination. Only Shogun Zero knows his true goals, as dark and sinister as they may be...

Identifying Quote: "I am the voice of your destiny..."

Need the 4C System?

Oh My Aching Face!

For those that have not been following at home, HAZARD Studio is doing a weekly series of releases up to the month of December.

The Series is called Ashcan Edition and will be the pilot for a quarterly series that will be released for free on the web. The basic premise of the posts will allow a weekly posting of a piece of an adventure for the superhero Genre. Each week another piece will be released to add to the puzzle of the adventure. On the final week, the PDF will drop at fine E-tailers everywhere. The completed and compiled adventure will contain all the characters and encounters from the web series. They will be updated with full color art as well as stats to allow you to use the adventure with your favorite game system of choice.

To commemorate our first bite at this apple, HAZARD is taking any proceeds that we make and donating it to the Toys for Tots charity.

In other news... My dentist is an idiot. While I was away I found out my dental work that i had done is faulty and ALL of has to be redone. Grrrrr! In any case, I am missing a tooth, High on Novocaine, and just waiting around to take some pills. Wish me luck.

Best Regards,
Walt

Martial Minute: Jogo Du Pao

This weeks version of the Martial Minute comes from Portugal. A game of sticks, Jogo du Pao is one of those martial arts that has little exposure outside of the martial arts community but looks like a LOT of fun...



Regards,
Walt

Ashcan Editions: Raid

Raid (Quinton Davis)
(Super Human Criminal, Publicly known, Secret ID)

M:10 C:20 B:10 F:10 I:20 A:6 W:10
Damage:50, Fortune:36 Lifestyle:40

Powers:
Phantom Blast (50): Quinton’s body constantly emits a sickening radiation that does power rank (10) damage to anyone or anything within 1 sector. He wears special Regulator Gauntlets that allow him to focus and control this power. While wearing them, his body no longer emits the radiation and he can control the energy to devastating effect. The gauntlets are made of power rank (50) material and allow him to emit blasts of rank (50) effect.

Flight (30): Raid’s gauntlets can also harness his power to propel him in flight.

Phasing (50): Altering his physical state to a form of pure energy, Raid can become insubstantial and pass through solid matter. This ability is very taxing and he can only hold it for 5 turns (He can double the duration if he makes a Fortitude roll and scores a blue result. Failing the roll means that he instantly reverts back to solid and suffers the material strength damage of whatever he is inside when he rematerializes.). After Phasing he must make a successful Fortitude test or have to rest for 3 turns.

Equipment:
Flexi-Strike Armor (5)
Earbud communicator (5 mile range)

Skills: Aerial Combat (C), Power Skill: Phantom Blast (C), Robotics (I)

Background: Quinton Davis was an electrical engineer specializing in robotics. Hard working and driven, Davis began working on a new Quantum Artificial Intelligence alongside his partner Eric Lawson. Davis recognized the genius of his partner and took a back seat in many of the designs and decisions of the project. During a test of the new AI drive, a malfunction threatened the lab and the only working prototype they had been able to construct. Rushing in, Davis saved the drive but his exposure to extra dimensional energies transformed his molecular structure.

Lawson immediately brought in the best specialists in the country to work on Davis’ condition in an attempt to cure him of his affliction. While doctors and scientist pondered returning him to normal, Lawson constructed the Regulators to allow him to once again rejoin society until a cure could be found.

Spending weeks in an isolation chamber did nothing to improve Davis’ mood. He began to resent his friend for “handing” him a back seat in the project as well as not being exposed to the life altering event. Receiving the Regulators only worsened Davis’ foul mood as he saw it as his “friend” showing him up and flaunting his genius. Davis escaped the lab where he had been made to live and stole the Quantum AI Prototype. Using his new powers he staged several raids on local banks and armored cars in order to finance his new life. Now considering himself a criminal mastermind, Raid has no compunction about stealing what he needs to keep himself comfortable, well trained, and to continue his research.

Identifying Quote:”Only a fool would fight a ghost! “






Need the 4C System?

It's Wednesday and I smell .... COMBAT!

For this weeks Martial Minute I thought a little tactical application was in order. James Williams teaches a variation of an old Japanese Martial art. When not doing this... He takes his knowledge and mixes it with knowledge of Russian Systema Fighting and tactical military applications to form his "System of Strategy."

Enjoy



Regards,
Walt

Ashcan Editions: Freefall

Welcome to Ashcan Edition… Hazard Studio’s attempt to repopulate the net with super powered heroes and villains for use in the MARVELous new 4C RPG System.

Freefall (Jason Ramirez)

(Mutant, known to the general public)

M:10 C:20 B:10 F:30 I:10 A:20 W:30

Damage:70, Fortune:60

Powers:

Hyper-Shield (Force Field (50)) The same shield that Freefall creates to fly also protects him from harm. The shield is only visible when it is struck and creates a ripple effect.

Flight (50) Freefall has the power to create a telekinetic shield that covers his entire body. This provides him with the ability to fly amazingly fast. Freefall moves by psychically moving the shield.

Limitation: Linked Power: Freefall’s power of flight is linked to his ability to create his Hyper-Shield. If someone can overload the shield by soaking it with damage this will short out his power of flight as well. At this point, falling from the sky has the same effect on Freefall that it has on everyone else. If he can manage to get the shield back up (See 4C rules page 14 for details on Force Fields) it will protect him from the falling damage up to his power rank if he can’t pull up.

Thumpers (20): Freefall carries twin pistols he has affectionately called Thumpers. He uses an armor piercing round that reduces armor by 2 RS for purposes of “to hit” and damage. Each pistol does 10 points of damage.

Skills: Security (I), Military (I), Aerial Combat (C), Firearms (C)

Background: Jason Ramirez was everything a mother could want in a son. He was bright, helpful and wanted the approval of his family. Unfortunately, he was born a mutant with the ability to psychically project force fields as well fly. At an early age it was hard to control this gift and his family had a hard time adjusting to his “condition.” Ostracized by their community and local religious leaders, Jason left home at an early age to find his fortune away from the narrow minded folks of his neighborhood. At the age of twenty, he was recruited by the CIA who wanted him and his “special talents” to reach their maximum potential. Of course, if he reached his potential working black operations that would be great. After several years of dedicated service, Jason was “black listed” after a deal for information he was brokering lost the approval of the oversight committee. Hoping that he would be killed by his counterparts, The CIA turned their back on him and closed his file.

Jason turned up two months later in Los Angeles where he attacked a federal building and hacked into a computer system to download his file. Calling himself Freefall, he rushed the building and took down several of the guards before diving off the roof of the sixtieth floor. Since that incident he has attacked several government installations across the United States in an effort to find out who burned him and why. He would like nothing more than to clear his name and bring the people who wronged him to justice. Freefall is ready to test how much the law has to be broken to bring those in power to justice.

Identifying Quote:“Time for a little payback!”

Need 4C? Get it here

Martial Minute: Pekiti Tersia Kali

The Filipino Martial arts are slowly gaining ground in the United States as realistic and practical. With speedy roads to being proficient, one can become dangerous to others (rather than to one's self) in no time. One of the premier organizations in this area of the arts is Pekiti Tersia. Here is a clip of some folks doing knife drills from this fantastic art (and the music is fun too).



Regards,
Walt

Gone but not Deflated...

So a weekly blog you say... No problem I say!

I cannot figure out how everyone keeps up with this stuff. No wonder why we have an entire generation of disaffected people. None of us have slept in the last two years due to all the cool stuff out there on the Inter Webs. Oh well... sleep is so over rated...

So with last year's release of the 4C rules and this years release... well... of ME from Active Duty, I have been working on a series of supplements for the system. To get the ball rolling I am going to post a some 4C character write ups. This weekly segment should go in the on days I don't post like this and will include either a quick hero machine image or an actual sketch by me or one of the HAZARDous Crew. Look for these to drop on Thrusday's for the foreseeable future.

Looking for the certain brand of really strange or authentic kung fu to round off that RPG Character? Starting on Wednesdays... HAZARD will post a Martial Minute. Although this amounts to little more to me skimming the web and reposting something interesting about obscure martial arts... Since I am a Kung Fooligan myself, I know where to look.

And last but not least... What do you, the audience, our HAZARDous fans want to see us doing. Simply put, I am not doing this totally for myself. If there is something that we have mentioned in the past that you would like to see a reality or if you have an idea you would come to light... Let us know...

Regards,
Walt

BACK IN BLACK (and yellow)!

Ahh... Nothing like the cool crisp weather of fall to make sure that it is just nice enough to want to stay in bed but groovy enough outside to not have to. That being the case I thought I would fire up the keyboard and indulge my 2 readers with thrilling tales of and mayhem from HAZARD Studio...

For this week's Martial Moment... We take a look at a demonstration of Shorinji (small forest) Kempo as well as Araki Ryu Kenpo. Following these are an example of Daito ryu, one of the fore-runners of Aikido as well as Tenshin Katori Shinto ryu, one of the oldest martial arts in Japan. This video is a nice cross section of Japanese Martial Arts. Very cool stuff... Just be sure to turn down the music as it is moderately annoying on a computer speaker...




Also, if you have a knack for super hero gaming and are looking for some fresh ideas on the subjects, tune into The Super Hero Summit Podcast, put on by the fine folks of Fist full of comics and games. Every episode they take a look at the super hero genre and how you can put that into the context of your games.

As for HAZARD Studios, we have been busy since I got drafted back into civilian life. One of the bigger things that we have been doing is adding more artists. Artists by nature are a flighty group (WHAT ARE YOU SAYING you bone head... you are an artist!). While their skills are in high demand in the comics and gaming industries, more often than not you end up dealing with a flake that can't complete an assignment, has a billion excuses, or worse, takes a job and then vanishes into a puff of smoke when the job is nearing deadline. That being said, our spotlight this week is on the fantastic work of Marco Da'Rosa. Take a peak and let us know what you think. Marco is just getting his art on track after being deployed and should be up for hire any minute now.

Having just finished working on a project for Arbor Productions, we are once again turning our sights onto our 4c project. Released a year ago now, 4C is starting to come into its own as a gaming product and bringing forward some talented folks to forge some support for the “re-invented” marvelous system. Stop by our 4c page or if you like, take a trip over to High Moon Media and check out the active forums talking about all things 4C.

Well, that is all for now but tune in next week for our next installment...

until then keep it real and keep it HAZARDous...

Regards, Walt

Am I coming back yet... nope. Vacations Peeps! Till then...

SECRET INVASION Animated Webisode!


Regards,
Walt

Capoeira Girl

Ever heard of this particular martial art... well if you haven't... here is a little ditty to show you why it is fun to try new things...

Just When Things Were Getting Good

The one thing I love about being in uniform is that you never know where you will be from day to day. The one thing I hate about being in uniform is the same thing I love about it. The point being, one minute I am doing my thing with the rest of my crew and the next minute I was plucked from my happy little patrol base and slung onto someplace major.

The good thing about this is that I have access to more flavors of coffee... The bad news is that I have more opportunity to get myself in trouble (something I excel in doing while in uniform).

In any case, I do suddenly have more time on my hands (and semi stable internet) to get some work done. There is currrently a lot of movement in the digital front as far as RPG's are concerned in regards to the upcoming 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Pen and Paper RPG's are slowly becoming an outdated medium for telling and involving people in stories (although there are those of us helping them limp along) but that hasn't stopped the forums from being over run with posts about what 4ed will do to the gaming industry and PnP RPG's. At the moment (and partially because I am still in Iraq) none of that really concerns me. I have some other projects I am trying to play with...

I am currently working on a product that is now in the editing stages for the 4C rules. I have also been contacted about art on a few upcoming game projects. In short... I is going to be a busy kid while trying to come home. The up side is that the people I am working with understand that I am a soldier in the middle of a deployment. I have been lucky to fall in with several people who are patriotic and don't mind a little time hasle in regards to art and RPG stuff.

Pretty soon this soldier business with be over with for the moment and I can get back to pretending I actually make a difference in the RPG community. Until then I will have to stick it out in the sand and try to keep half the desert out of my laptop.

How did the Transformers do it in that movie? This stuff gets everywhere.

Regards,

Walt

I Love the Girl…

So when this whole deployment thing went down, I volunteered for one main reason. My wife! My wife is one of those rare people who have a knack for being the underdog. Like me she has few friends but the ones she does have are quality through and through.

Like many soldiers who come out here I have contact with the wife through a variety of means. For us it is a bit more difficult than others as we have certain unique obstacles to overcome at times. A lot of the times neither of us have access to a phone or an internet switch but somehow we manage to stay connected and manage to make it work.

I am a lucky guy in that my wife is a rare subspecies of woman. She leaves me alone to be myself. She is not out to change me or make me some guy she saw in Cosmo. She knows the kind of guy that I am and accepts that (I am a thug at heart… reformed of course).

I am looking forward to spending some quality time with her when this is over because it has been a long year. I miss her and can’t wait to just chill with the missus.

Anyone who wants to see what she is up to can travel over to http://fuzyvizion.blogspot.com/.
Stop by and say hello… chances are you too can make a quality friend.

Best Regards,
Walt

Two Coffees, blogs, and the Eventual Blah

Every one thinks that being deployed to a combat zone is the worst thing in the world. Normally it would be. Luckily, things here in Iraq have been cleaned up a bit since the invasion. On most big posts there are small gathering holes called Green Bean Coffee Shops. Much like the Starbuck’s that we have back home, Green Beans was started by a couple of guys who knew Joes (that military folk for those that don’t habla) would go grape ape for overpriced coffee house java.

Most soldiers are lucky in that they have access to a PX (shop) where they can get coffee and a coffee maker, but there is something about sitting down with a bunch of buddies and having a cup of coffee. I am a huge cappuccino junky and the thought of showing up to a Green Beans and sucking down an espresso filled delight gets me all stupid inside. The guys who run the shops here are mostly Pakistani, Indonesian, Sri Lankan, and from various places about the globe. Most of these places even brew their own blends of coffee that are out of this world, but at Green Beans, you can forget you are in Iraq for just a few minutes while sipping down a hot (or cold …They Have SMOOTHIES!) beverage.

I went down to the main side of the base I am staying in for the next few days (I am currently in Somewhere Iraq, rather than where I am usually stationed in Out There, Iraq) and had myself a cappuccino. It was the weirdest thing. I sat down outside to watch the varied Military Life (Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and even some civilians) pass me by and the strangest thing happened. I realized that I was completely alone.

This is pretty significant as most of the time…Soldiers are never alone. As part of the team I work in, I have been with someone with zero privacy since May of last year! Dear LAWD! But today I was totally alone to study for something I have to do here and as my platoon went back to Out There and I am still in Somewhere… I am absolutely alone.

Now aside from any masturbation jokes you could come up with, this is pretty significant. We pretty much do everything in groups and if you do get a spare minute to yourself… it is usually fleeting. Poof! There it’s gone. But I had a whole day where I got to eat, go to the bathroom, shower, and grab a coffee all by myself. Holy Crap I feel like a grown up!

Aside from getting a lot of studying done, I had an opportunity to download Heroic Moments from Highmoon Media and Purple Duck Games alongside of World Meta-human Factbook: Germany. I am hoping to give both a read while I am out here as well as a review for the boys who took the time to craft them together.

Coffee… Light reading… and the possibility of getting blowed up… what else could a person want in life.

Best Regards,
Walt

What do you mean I have to stay!

What do you mean I have to stay!

There are times in the military that one has to consider the cost to ass ratio. This formula allows one to look at any given situation and weigh the cost of putting his ass on the line for one reason or another. When I came back into the military I ended up coming in with no knowledge of the job I was entering or of the people I would be working with.

After all this time I really should have learned my lesson. I left the last time because a declining military budget combined with liberal training practices (yep… you can read that as SISSY!) meant that the Army was being populated by idiots. Unfortunately, ten years later, Darwin must be on vacation. Idiots combined with explosives should have made my return to the military a triumph. Nope. And because of all of this (and me being forced to stay while my crew goes out of the wire) I have to constantly weigh the cost to ass ratio of me telling my superiors how pathetic my current situation is.

So here I sit here in Somwhere-Ville, Iraq, and I have to wait for some dog and pony show to be over before I leave. The good part about this is that I can draw when I get some free time and continue to work on the next projects for HAZARD Studio. So what is it that the Hooligans are up to?

Research mostly. The big thing that no one can miss right now is that we have a HUGE happening in the gaming industry. Wizards is supposedly upping the ante on what an RPG should be and should be doing. They have launched certain digital initiatives backed by huge amounts of money but have they really started something revolutionary for the RPG industry? Look at what a lot of the publishers under them have done. Podcasts, digital publishing, updating PDF’s with errata when it becomes available, etc. are the hallmarks of guys like RPGOBjects and Green Ronin. These guys have been trying to up the ante for years and now Wizards is playing catch up.

One of the things I would like to see is integrated adventures. Something that can be played either on or off line. Something that could be possibly tracked online? Something that we as gamers could use to enhance our games. There are so many things that the net and associated technology can do for us that it would be silly for us as self labeled geeks not to take advantage of.

Is this what Wizards has planned? Who cares. We know they want to make money on this (who wouldn’t) but do they want to craft a superior product. I am interested in seeing what a digital initiative does to a tabletop role playing game. The thing I am afraid of is whether or not it will still be tabletop at all when the digital dust clears?

So the research continues on what HAZARD is up to next. There are some nibbles on the hook but no one has taken a definitive bite yet. Any takers?

Regards,
Walt

Art, Chai, and the Nature of War

It’s been some time since I was able to get any amount of wiggle room allowing me to get my thoughts out of my head and coherently into the digital ether. Things my way have been busy and me being currently out in the Middle East doing my best to represent the US of A and make the world a better place has kept me on the go.

One of the good things about being who I am in the age I live is that technology allows us to stay connected even in places that were previously unreachable. This is very cool as slinging graphite onto a page helps me bleed off the stress of my day. I can then take these inky hallucinations and splatter them all over the internet. Ahhh… Digital bliss.

So what does an art junky on deployment do with his spare time (other than drinking Chai and learning Arabic)? Well, I go and hock my wares (art… don’t get weird) to anyone willing to help me build a portfolio I can shamelessly show to everyone. Recently that someone has been RPGObjects. The new product by Chuck Rice entitled, Fantasci has hit digital shelves and some of the art within is mine. Of course due to twists of fate beyond my control my name was somehow left off of the credits… the art proves that somewhere in the creative process I got to tag along for the ride (this is in no way to insinuate that I had any help crafting the world. Mr. Rice has a mind like a bullet train and he can craft products that would leave my attempts chugging along like a broken diesel). The product involves fallen races, ancient and forbidden technologies, and a thirst for adventure wrapped up in a product to support his Modern20 rules. On first blush the product invokes feelings of stories many of us have played with digitally (video games rock!) but as you dig a little deeper, you can tell that this world was crafted as a playground for gamers to sink their teeth into. As sure as there is plenty of material to flesh out the world of Aurianis, there is also plenty left alone in order to let people’s imaginations go schizophrenic. All in all I was very glad to have seen how this project has progressed so far and with Mr. Rice at the helm, it can only continue to show off the elegance of the Modern20 system (Since I spewed about it why not check it out at http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?page=pro&product_id=355).

With that project out of the way and our deployment turning a corner, I can only hope to scribble more digital drool from my head into yours. The roughest part about trying to run a company and answering the country’s call is that the two are directly in conflict. Both demand your time and both want to be first. Right now…the camouflage that I wear (that doesn’t blend into anything) insists that I make the flag come first… and rightly so. But that doesn’t mean that when I have a spare minute that isn’t devoted to my duty, I can’t continue to hock my wares (art again people, don’t get loopy on me…)?

The other thing that continues to help me keep from going mental is the martial arts training that some of the guys out here get to do with me. I have a small group of guys that I get to train with on a semi regular basis (nothing out here is consistent other that nothing is consistent). Although it is unsettling to have my coworkers and friends walk up and start throwing punches… it does make for very interesting distractions to my day. I can't even begin to thank all the great folks who have supported us by sending us gear and stuff to research on the subject. Very cool.

So after all is said and done, as a soldier, I am making the best of this deployment by learning all that I can and always helping out when I am able. This was definitely the right choice to make in coming here and although I will be glad when it is over, I can say that there are elements of it I will miss.

Talk to you soon…
Walt