But how will I know the good side from the bad?

Over several months of contemplating Star Wars and the two older RPGs thereof (don't have anything like the money to even touch the FFG trilogy of tomes), I've continued to find my mind split right down the middle. I own the core books for both the West End Games D6 version (the original one), and the Wizards of the Coast d20 version (revised). My miniatures habit has continued to swell like Val Kilmer's ego once did, and I'll briefly put some notes in bullet points.

• The Star Wars Miniatures game based on the d20 rules is pretty good. Relatively fast to play, and the abundance of characters in the Fringe faction means that I might be able to adapt the rules for three sides instead of just two (living with two other nerds, one wants to include them when possible). The very small number of New Republic minis that aren't Luke or Han's kids is a bit disappointing, but there are still some gems out there.
• Thirdly, as much as I like the core of the d20 System for combat skirmishes, the roleplaying games based on it are just too much. Not running Star Wars d20 unless at least one of my potential players makes a massive commitment to mastering the rules - in exchange for which, I might be persuaded to make a similar effort for her Starfinder campaign. Quid Go Pro, and all that.
• Next, the D6 version has some peculiarities. Part of this is my own unfamiliarity with things that aren't D&D or D&D-based, but some of the rules are a bit confusingly worded and structured. Perhaps the 2nd edition resolves some of these issues, but I'm reluctant to drop more cash on that core book without trying this one in more detail.
• Sixth and lastly, this White Star game that everyone's been talking about (or was a few years ago, back before the Renaissance turned into the Old School Ragnarok). It's pretty cool! Rules-lite enough for me, but maybe a bit too rules-lite in places - especially where starships are concerned. Still might pick it up at some point, though.
• And in conclusion, I nabbed the Star Munchkin RPG at my game store. Might actually be persuaded to give this a shot if I find the right group - who I might have to sew together from HackMaster 4e and Halberd players.

Psychosis: Ship of Fools

So, a lot has happened. We've moved to a new city, and one of the first things we did was make a trip to a Friendly Local Game Store in this city. Aside from the usual D&D 5e and Pathfinder stuff, alongside less common fare like Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls (plus organized Dungeon Crawl Classics events - I can't wait until this pandemic is through), they also have an interesting selection of vintage games and supplements that changes over time. Though several splatbooks for Vampire: The Masquerade 2nd Edition tempted me, the only book I walked away with this time was an obscure game from the early 1990s, called Psychosis: Ship of Fools.

Having read through the whole thing, I can say that it's out of my league as a referee (or Guide, as the game calls it), but I hope I can shake off the rust and sharpen my skills to run it in the future. Using Tarot cards as the sole task resolution mechanic is a neat idea. My sole gripe is in some of the scenarios presented; suffice to say, fascism isn't the forgotten relic of the distant past that a lot of people once assumed it was.

Overall, though, I like this game a lot, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for any other installments in the series (assuming any actually got made).

House Rule: Asogians

(The following is a homebrew species write-up for Asogians in the D6 version of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Enjoy!)

Asogians are a humanoid species who have long been a part of the Galactic Republic. They typically have hairless brown or yellow skin, with long arms, very short legs, and necks that can be extended almost half a meter. Many Asogians are adept in the ways of the Force, and the philosophy of the Jedi is largely in accord with their peaceful, botanically-oriented culture.

Home Planet: Brodo Asogi
Attribute Dice: 11D
DEXTERITY 2D/5D
KNOWLEDGE 1D/4D
MECHANICAL 1D/3D+2
PERCEPTION 2D/5D
STRENGTH 2D/4D
TECHNICAL 1D/3D+1
 
Special Abilities:

• Inner Glow: Asogians can naturally produce light within their bodies, especially within their hearts and fingertips; these tend to glow whenever they feel strong positive emotions. This light is fairly dim, approximately the brightness of a small candle.
• Telepathic Bond: Asogians have a natural affinity for telepathy, even apart from any skill they may have in the Force; when an Asogian uses Force powers that involve interacting with another person, treat all difficulty modifiers for relationship as one less. (Examples: acquaintances would have a +5 difficulty, friends would have +2, and close friends would have no added difficulty.)

Story Factors:

• Love of Life: Most Asogians have a natural respect and affinity for living things, especially plants, and have been known to nurture and heal weak and dying ones. This attitude is similar to the Ithorians, but less extreme - an Asogian has no qualms about exploring and studying an environment as long as they feel safe doing so.

Move: 8/10
Size: 0.8-1.2 meters tall

Back It Up

So, my computer got so screwed up by malware (installed via software I've used hassle-free for years) that I had to do a complete system restore. Fortunately most of my pictures were preserved, and most of my games were already on my external hard drive; but one of the things lost was my file I've been using for my world map in Hexographer.

Fortunately I had a few screenshots of parts of the map, so I won't have to rebuild the entire continent from memory. I've made a little progress already, and finally bit the bullet and upgraded to Worldographer - the interface takes a little getting used to, but it runs so much smoother. I'm also being more careful with my files, and have copied a backup of my work so far onto my external drive in addition to sending it to one of my partners.

Lesson learned: Back up your data before you have a total system failure.

My reconstruction so far; hopefully I can at least finish the Kingdom.

Alembics & Alchemists

I've been doing some more of my hysterical tinkering with the AD&D rules (treating 2e as an extensive revision of 1e, which is basically what it is in practice). A sticking point comes up with me where the wizard classes are concerned; there's some desire to have a third one, besides mages and illusionists. One of my favorite ideas I've been chewing over is the alchemist.