My Game Writing blurring with my Work studies

"The adventure should have the least amount of barriers. The wording and material should be designed with a GM work flow that takes account of the amount of time the GM uses to prepare and the use of his time."

I was writing down objectives to some of the material I was creating for my catharsis. One of the things that struck me is how people find realistic-level games difficult to prepare. So I thought about the objectives that would clear this up, based on my experience running historical RPGs. In my learnings at work, I should gun for the highest bang-for-buck in terms of problem solving catharsis.

Currently at work I'm kinda enjoying the "building a consensus" exercise when troubleshooting. Since we are dealing with many different individuals who have different motives and objectives, the process is simple in theory but time consuming in practice. The time consuming part in practice, is easy to adjudicate in a game. Most of the time what goes wrong are things that are mundane yet are barriers deserving of respect, despite how "everyday" it might appear to those who thirst for magic and wonder.

In fact, as I get older, these everyday challenges hold more and more "magic and wonder" for me. Its part of that humanist spirituality (Professor Robert Solomon: the passions, intelligence of emotions). So I'm more inclined, or Biased, to bringing a new perspective to mundane conflicts and the deeper aspect of it rooted in the myriad of human natures.

Progress in Low-Tech World.

My work in Low-Tech World is focused right now in Load Outs. Going to as far as detailing: Combat Load (Carried and Worn), Marching Load, Squad and Squadron Baggage and Support staff. There are some minor problems in terms of rulings. Eventually some of it lead to finding out the GURPS errata e-group subscription has been down since 2007 and that I'm not the only one feeling that there is no one updating the errata on the PDFs (as the ideal).

I'm near finished in reading Qin: The Warring States. Although, even when done, I'll have to leave it to digest. Meanwhile, I'll be working on classic Load-Out stapples: Imperial Roman Legionaire, Republic Roman Loadouts, Alexander's Army load outs, Feoderati Loadouts etc. Load outs that have some or a hint of what they are comprised off.

Right now "balancing" the loadout weight budget of the Roman Horse Archer found in Procopious History of Wars I: The Persian war is having some problems. Its just too heavy, so I've got to fix it.

Other Historical or Low-Fantasy Gamer Blogs?

Where are they, I'm more interested in reading those kinds, I'm not for the DnD stuff unless there are bits of Historical and Economic elements.

Looking forward to more about China

The east is the least understood and least played setting in RPGs. So I have a special props for Qin: The Warring States for making a game about the Warring States period. I realized that part of the focus I will do in my Low Tech direction, (there was only one vote to a particular direction and it is towards Low Tech) would be to cultivate more information about Ancient China.

I've gotten back into studying my Putong Hua. My 8 week year old son happens to find it funny when I practice to him. I'm particularly influenced me is the talks by Patricia Kuhl: the linguistics genius of babies. So I'm getting the little guy primed with Putong Hua sounds and speech pattern (all that Anime subtitles growing up helped developed an ear for Japanese and Chinese, particularly Ranma since we had a lot of it in Chinese with english subtitles).

Right now downloading all the free history books and wiki articles on Ancient China. Confucius, being very Secularist Humanist friendly (contrary to how it may be interpreted, it has strong a humanist and nerd philosophy).

I'm looking more for Household Life. That JSTOR subscription is looking more tempting, good thing the last time I had that subscription I downloaded all the material related to ancient history (of all cultures). I still have some JSTOR articles about marriage statistics and culture in ancient china (can't remember what era).

I've checked GURPS china and sadly, I cannot recommend it. China seems like just another setting where you just have to memorize another roster of dieties. My opinion is that, given how Sun Tzu wrote, the affairs of the supernatural were something quietly dismissed by the academic and technical elite.

"Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.

"Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.

5. Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.

6. Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men."

Sun Tzu

I think the approach for a Chinese setting requires an understanding of difference in values. I think a Tour-guide book to China can very well do a better job than a gaming book. Professors Hammond's "From Yaho to Mao: 5000 years of chinese History" is a great place to start also.

Help Me Focus, a Poll.

Last week I had a bad fever and all I could do was write and read about games. Now that I have a bit more control of my willpower, I realized I started a lot of projects (each one I would love to finish or produce more product) but I can't decide which one should I focus on.

Currently my Game writing projects and their current status:

• IMTU Military Doctrine. Where I detail military doctrine of the Imperial Military Branches. Clocked in probably 6 hours this week writing and doing equipment load out calculations. Ended up finding a lot of UTerrata that has not been taken care off. I need to provide my own Magazine weights and stats for the Gause of ETK weaponry, better Scout Robots.
• Primary and Secondary Education for gaming. I did a study about secondary education, as an exercise of my understanding of how study and learning works. So I'm getting a handle on it, as well as understanding more about how and where education can fail. So why not make a character generation system that allows the detailed accounting of the subject matters and skills of a character. I realize this is a throw away choice
• GURPS Low-Tech World. Inspired by my study about Harnworld, Origins of Civilizations, Ancient Empires before Alexander, all lectures of Kenneth Harl, "From Yao to Mao: 5000 years of Chinese History". I've modified my GURPS Knights and Incomes document and converted into a overview (just started outlining the topics I feel i can cover). I got the idea to reorganize it to a more top-down approach and overview of a medieval world. I have been unable to update and maintain my previous and related work: Low Tech Households revenues and expenses. I got carried away

Thanks in advance for those who can contribute the time to help me focus on a more relevant topic.

IMTU Doctrines of the Imperium

I was doing a detailed review of Gurps Traveller (Ground Forces and Star Mercs) and I was disappointed with the inconsistencies. I was supposed to write a review, but I got busy and filed it as a Draft in my blog. I don't think it would be productive to "rant" when I can do something about it instead.

What I choose to do about it is write about the Military Doctrine of My Traveller Universe instead. I began with a description of the economic state of the Imperium, and I'm slowly working my way towards details and a more unified outline. I realized the Economic overview helps build a more consistent explanation as we move towards details.

I've recently did a pretty in-depth read on US Army and Marine training and proficiencies. The Philippines is pretty much patterned after that, except that its poor and its soldiers are not taken well taken care off. My country's military provides a good example of what balkanized and unstable military services are like in the many poor and struggling worlds of the Imperium.

I will also tackle Naval Doctrine, building on Mark Gelis' article The Imperial Navy in a 4th Edition GURPS Campaign Part I. Basically detail it in the way David Webber did for Honorverse, but given Traveller equipment and ships.

I like doing load-outs so thats one of the things I've begun to do with the details. Currently my internet is buggy and I can't finish my writing.

As for the Doctrine Overview, I'm considering doing Army first.

FAQ: Knight Incomes in GURPS 4e

I made this little thing to sort out what is a knight income. The basic template is household knight/man-at-arms. Whats funny about this one is that I'm using Suzie Orman's rule of thumb that your household expenses should be 40% of your income (which i roughly translated as 50% cost of living). She says that if your spending beyond this for just household expenses your living beyond your means.

what has changed compared to my other incarnations of such is that I've more sources and my assumptions are more plainly stated. Also there is some symmetry in the numbers.

I will go into Household expenses more in detail in this google doc.

Low Tech Households

Here is the google docs of the list of Household Revenues and Expenses. I've just listed all the items so far and have yet to define them along with putting where I got all my sources and footnotes.

I decided to do this first before making a spread sheet. This is meant to be generic, as I plan to do several households: Roman Republic, 11C Crusader, Han or Zhou (can't decide yet), and maybe a Spanish Hacienda in the 19C Philippines.

People interested in a shared work, can just ask for an invite. The intent is to be flexible and open, to allow as many interpretations to presented in an orderly fashion.

So much work plus the baby, its fragmenting my writing and concentration.

[GURPS High Tech] Resource: PTR products

Precision Target Rifles - A gun-manfucaturer that had a revamp. The happen to have my prefered airsoft gun: the G3. Contrary to Gurps HT stats, its $900 not $1,500. What is also interesting is how a old gun gets new life.

Its April 1, so I guess I can't trust any of the news I hear. There is unverifiable news that PTR is building an MP44 for production. This is a big deal for my WW2 re-enactors airsoft friends and I'm quite interested at the collectors market for such a weapon.

Also gaming related, is about the "rights" to produce these anacronistic designs, the ww2 guns. Governments will always have the resources to make their own gun. Although, a Freetrader in traveller, can bring $2-3M worth of equipment (stamping machines, steel casts and molds, machining tools, etc.) and give a small country an arms production facility. In order not to conflict over copyrights, they may use those made by governments that don't exist anymore and were the holders of the weapon design rights.

So imagine going into a port and seeing a bunch of ww2 german weapons. Slightly modified to take advantage of what was available in the locality.