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Wednesday, June 8, 2011
DCC RPG Playtest Files Available for Download
My quick impression: the game is gorgeous, with some of the best neo-old school art I've seen in years. In fact, I might be willing to say that it's one of the nicest looking RPG products of any type produced in a while. Seriously, the art is really, really good. Like it or dislike it, Goodman clearly gets the old school esthetic like few others and the DCC RPG shows that in spades.
The game system itself is a lot less complex than I'd expected it to be. It's main turn-off for some might be the preponderance of tables, since, for example, every spell requires its own unique table to adjudicate its effects. Likewise, critical hit tables are divided by class, so there are several of those, too. Again, this will either intrigue or repulse depending on one's own tastes. Not having played it, I find myself intrigued by the conventional wisdom-defying boldness of this design choice, but the proof will be in the playing.
In general, though, the DCC RPG looks like it'll be, at the very least, a much talked about game, since its design and presentation are a direct challenge to the trends in the industry for the last decade or more. I suspect it's a game about which there will be little middle ground in terms of reaction: one will either love it or hate it. At the moment, I tend toward the former; time will tell whether that tendency solidifies or not.
85 comments:
- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 8:25 AM
It does look good from a game standpoint- I'd personally prefer MUCH less art. I love old school art, but most of it I found not to my tastes. The "funny" game mechanic related pieces and Holloway picture of the 0 level "butcher,baker, and candlestick maker" were the only things that really grabbed my attention in a good way. The overabundance of art makes for a cluttered presentation-the book as a whole is pretty gaudy looking IMO.
ReplyDelete I totally agree with you on the art. Peter Mullen's work is especially good, but it's all pretty amazing.
My only concern is that there isn't anything about random encounters or dungeon stocking. I'm hoping that's just because it's a beta version, but the text in the monster section makes me worry.My only concern is that there isn't anything about random encounters or dungeon stocking. I'm hoping that's just because it's a beta version, but the text in the monster section makes me worry.
I suspect that's because it's the playtest, but it'd worth asking on the Goodman forums about this.The overabundance of art makes for a cluttered presentation-the book as a whole is pretty gaudy looking IMO.
That's a reasonable reaction, I think. I'm not a huge lover of over-abundant art in RPGs myself, but I was so blown away by how much old school art there is in DCC RPG that I wasn't bothered by it. In fact, I welcomed it.I must say I'm intrigued. We often use effect tables in our game (death & dying for eg.) so having varying effects on criticals and especially spells is really interesting. Our players are currently 4-6 level so we were about to recruit henchmen and run a side-adventure with them. Savage Worlds was bandied about, but maybe we can try these rules instead.
Even if we weren't to use these rules, I think I'd still grab the crit and fumble tables.just looked threw it and i must say, way too much art. it is almost like the art is hiding the rules. a lot of the art just isn't that good also. i was hoping for the art work to be a little more refined.
their spells seem a little complicated also. i wonder how they do in a game. too much rolling of dice for me.
i'm not a big chart person so all the charts didn't sit well with me.
one thing is true tho. if you like all that stuff you will probably like the game. if not it wont be for you. i don't think their will be any middle ground on it.From what I have read it seems like a fun game. What I like most about it so far is that it seems like you could read the rules, once, and master most of what is going on. Even better, you could explain the rules to a new player while he is rolling up his 0-level characters and convey that same level of mastery by the time he is done. So the game seems to lend itself very well to quick pick up games.
I don't mind all the tables but I do think they will eventually wear pretty thin. After a few games it seems like you will be familiar enough with them that they won't seem novel any longer. Inevitably I see more and more tables being created to account for this as supplements are released and the combats becoming an exercise in page and book flipping.
I was disappointed in the monster section though. I thought one of the big selling points to the game was going to be when you ran into a creature the players would have no idea what it was or how to handle it. This doesn't seem the case with the monsters in the beta at least. For the most part they are all the same monsters we've been fighting for years with the same abilities. Yes, the rules of the game are new so maybe you don't know exactly how the basilisk gaze works mechanically but you still know it has one.
Despite the fact that the game assumes the "Judge" has the knowledge to build and stock a dungeon (it explicitly states this) I can't help but feel like there is a heavy dependence on pre-published adventures. I can't quite explain why this is the case, and I don't think it's bad I like pre-published adventurers, but I do still feel it. Something about the way the level progression works, especially including the deadliness of 0 level I believe is the root of it. Since the game flat out states that many 0-level characters will die and many after that level as well it's hard to picture exaclty how a Judge would stock a dungeon. If the game assumes death is rampant it makes it difficult to determine when a dungeon is too hard, too easy, or just right. Pre-published adventures will no doubt illuminate this but I can't help but feel they will be required to fully enjoy the game. Which again, is fine by me, I just did not think this would be the case.
I like the simplicity of alignment and the way it is used in spells. I also like the idea that your alignment will effect your character throughout his career both mechanically and spiritually (for lack of a better term). In fact I may start doing something like this in my 3E games. Of course it didn't take long for "Cthulhu" to be mentioned by name. I guess baking Lovecraft into every RPG is required now for some reason.
I'll read the entire manuscript over the weekend. All in all it looks like a fun dungeon crawling game.- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 10:02 AM
As a DM who has a group of power gaming munchkin players who revel in dying in droves (they refuse to run away). This looks like a fun break from our current game to just build a bunch of low levels and pray they survive. The Funneling part is intriguing and accurate. I am enjoying reading this quite a bit.
This does not feel like you could run some massive, epic, far reaching campaign from these rules but providing a "Dungeon of Death" and let the PC's run in and loot the place silly. I get the feel of a Dungeon Keeper type gameplay from this where the PCs are the heroes and the DM is stacking monsters in their way :D Darn it looks good enough for me to part with the funds to pick up the full version.
It actually reminds me of a variation of the game as played back in the olden days, they've succeeded in that regard.
0-level nobodies clawing their way to the middle appeals as well.
The magic system while familiar is still just different enough to make the game different. Each spell is customized, there can be fumbles and worse along with a range of effects. Magic looks wild and dangerous it's not generic push-button magi-tech. Would you really want to stand next to a guy you met at the local pub shooting fire out of his hands?- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 10:51 AM
Nonunfied XP tables. Bleh, those gotta go. Too much of a Pain in the Butt keeping track of what level an elf gets a level vs a cleric. 3.x had it right to standardize and I'm going to go with that. First house rule done!
ReplyDelete I've only done a quick skim but it's obvious somebody is a fan of Rolemaster! I will definitely be picking up the final prodcut!
As for the art, it is very cool. I especially like the homages to some of the original TSR art. As to the amount, I wouldn't get my panties in a bind about it until the final release. I'm guessing they're using the demo to showcase the kick-ass artwork.I was download number 2356.
The cartoons are great. My favorite feature of DCCRPG is the plethora of character record sheets at the back, each designed to accommodate a particular class or race. Very old school!
I presume the final version will refine the placement of the art. Wow, Goodman went hog-wild on the artwork, including a smorgasbord of old-school homages.
I was leery of DCCRPG because of the d20 mechanics (which i'm no fan of), but having looked at the beta, I really want to play-test this game!It definitely has some clever ideas; I was particularly surprised at how they actually made good use of the Zocchi dice with action dice, and I also liked the idea of the Fighter Deeds; really presented a new way of doing maneuvers. Still, I don't think this game holds much interest for me to actually buy and run, but I wouldn't mind trying it out in someone else's game.
ReplyDeleteRead it last night and was disapointed. Didn't get why thiefs get different % chance on skill based on alignment ( why not just pick a career path), didn't understand why halflings get a skill bonus to stealth skill and not just a hide in shadows move silently % chance, don't like the warrior extra dice instead of a flat attack bonus, the deeds system was not my cup of tea, the way clerics heal their own alignment better ( well Jim's cleric is lawful so I guess I better be lawful), or the luck mechanic. All easily house ruled.
Magic system though is the reason I will buy the game and house rule it into regular dnd.Well, all I can say is wow. So far it has exceeded my expectations, and I've been lurking on the DCC RPG forums for some time now.
Artwise, I'm stoked - quantity and quality wise.
Rulewise - wow. I thought I'd find the d20 legacy irksome, but the rules as a whole just make me want to roll with it.So after another read I still like it and think a one off game or multiple session dungeon delve would be fun. It doesn't seem to me like a long term campaign system but it also doesn't seem to try to be, so that's fine.
I still don't feel like I have an answer to my primary question about who will play this game. I'm not sure who the game is targeted at. No one who enjoys 4E is even going to entertain playing this, no way. This is definitely an "old guy" RPG which I am both proud and sorry to say.
One question: how can Goodman declare "critical hit and fumble descriptions" as intellectual property? Seems a bit of a stretch to me.- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:20 PM
Goodman can declare all he wants, just pickup the old Rolemaster crit charts and he won't have a leg to stand on.
Don't like the % stuff with the rogues, that just seems so wonky. I remember that from 1/2E but I was glad to get rid of it and standardize on one die for everything.
Personally this is a good BETA and I'm looking it as such. - AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:21 PM
I never thought I'd say this about a game book, but it's got too much art! The art is generally pretty good, and does a good job of capturing an old school aesthetic, but there's just way too much of it -- I find it a little overwhelming.
I really, really want to like this game, but the weird dice are a huge turn-off for me. I don't own any of them and have no intention of buying any. Sure, I know for most of them, there are inelegant work-arounds, but what about the d30? - AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 2:25 PM
@cibet - I don't know about that. I very much enjoy 4E, but am excited as hell about this. Enjoying 4E is not mutually exclusive with enjoying other types/styles of gaming.
I haven't had a chance to really give this a good solid read at all, (because I'm at work) but what I've seen so far, and what I've read here and on the DCC forums has me really excited. I have a feeling me and another friend are going to "inflict" this on our gaming group very soon. I have a feeling they won't mind one bit. - AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 3:31 PM
Joseph Goodman has been very receptive to feedback given so far in the pre-Beta discussions on the DCC forum, so anyone with opinions and ideas, now's your chance....
ReplyDelete Granted, I may be a little biased because I do art for the retro-gaming community, but how can there be "too much" art? More art means there's more cool images to peruse while reading over the rules. It's as if some of you are suggesting that Goodman had to make a decision on whether to put ALL the rules in the book and leave out some of the art or just went, "Wow, I've got so much cool art, I'm gonna leave out some of the text/rules to squeeze it all in." Goodman has used so many various artists in this book that even if you don't like a particular artist' style, there's plenty more that have to strike your fancy amongst the rest.
Every D&D based book from the game's inception has had a decent amount of artwork in them. To me, it seems that Goodman was gracious in providing this much artwork to go along with the text (purchasing art for publishing isn't cheap.) Art fires the imagination and suggest ideas in a visual way that some, who may not be as imaginative as others, can grasp and get ideas from. Also, at the end of the day, I've always found it interesting to see another artist' interpretation of a classic monster, setting or situation in a gaming world.
Saying there's too much art is like winning the lottery and griping about having to pay the taxes on it. It's there for you to enjoy and to enhance the reading experience of the rules in the book. I think J. Goodman has done an excellent job at doing just that.- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 4:29 PM
Yeesh. Sorry for disliking too much art. I'd rather see less art, like say the Moldvay/Cook rulebooks. A few pictures here and there, but I cannot stand rulebooks with art all over the place- ESPECIALLY if I don't care for it cos it can totally ruin my own imagination/perception of the game(C&C/Peter Bradley, I'm looking at you).
This book has alot of art I don't care for- so I'd rather see much less of it. Not to mention it messes with the layout. How hard is that to understand?
If it was full of 3E DungeonPunk, I bet most of you would be changing your tune. I also find the "too much art" complaint a little odd. But I'm willing to bet that it won't seem that way once the complete text is added.
I'm very excited to try this Beta out in a playtest session. I haven't been this excited about a new rules set for a long time, and a large part of that is the magic system. Charts are fun, you can just print them out no problem.
The Zocchi dice might be a bit of a sticking point, since I'm not likely to want to buy more than one set, and if they're needed frequently I could see it getting annoying passing them around.
I have no idea whether this will appeal to "new school" players or not, but I'd like to *think* it will, given that its mechanics are a little more systematized than the typical Old School game.So far from what I have seen, I like this more and more. It uses a basic system and has a charts and tables system for it's mechanics that is easy to use and understand. In my opinion it needs some better utility and presentation (especially for each spell having it's own list). Maybe in a GM screen?
I was skeptical and admittedly critical of the tone of the artwork defining the feel of the game outright, but after seeing the beta, I have a better understanding of how it all fits togather. (BTW Cthulhu as a Neutral god??)
Oh well, pencil me in for this one. BTW I like the abundant art!i am starting to wonder if people love the art and how much their is just because it has art from people that did the old art for tsr. when i started reading it i thought i was gonna be reading rules, but it seemed like i got an art book instead.
i agree with litrtrdnck. if this was wizards of the cost people would be having a fit because their is so much art in it.Well, lost me on page 6 ("The Core Mechanic"). But I'm not the target audience since I already have my 1e stuff.
Other turn offs are the broken alignment system (we tried Law, Neutral, Chaos and it don't work - either add Good and Evil - or use just them with Neutral - or scrap alignment); Luck as an ability (very bad idea) and the other coy ability names; 3 saving throw categories; critical hits (I'm not 13 any more, so that's SEVEN PAGES I would literally never even read); skill system (are we seriously still pretending that a DC of 20 is something only heroes can do; yeah, and any lucky peasant); decimal coinage (deary deary me); armour encumbrance (actually MORE complex than AD&D's system!); combat resolution too complex; wildly over complicated spell descriptions (basically, a nice idea looking for a game but this is the wrong game); dog-headed kobolds (these were stupid when DCSIII drew them and they're still stupid now); OGL (have some bloody backbone).
Obviously, if I was looking for a new game I'd probably overlooks some of these.
I did like some of the ideas in the magic system, but they're too over-wrought for a game that's supposed to be harking back to fast-paced adventuring "like it used to be". Initiative also looks interesting; the mercurial magic idea is nice too but actually underplayed; and I'm a big fan of race-as-class, so it's not all bad.
The artwork is very nice. Given that I'm not interested in the game, I'd vote for chucking the rules out and just having the artwork!- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 5:04 PM
Examples from the first 50 pages, James-
Page 9,10,13,21,22,23,29,30,31,32,39,44 (not up to EO's usual standards), 46, 47, 49.
Of course it has nothing to do with the game itself, which I'm excited about, but aesthetically I'm disappointed in this Beta (and mind you I'm well aware its a BETA and likely will get some changes). S&W: Complete is a much better looking book for my tastes- it has ample art but never beats you over the head with it. @cibet - I'm not an expert in the OGL. However, I believe it is the verbage of the crits and fumbles that is Goodman's intellectual property. You can make all the crit and fumble tables you want, as long as the result's verbage is different from Goodman's. The overall mechanical result (i.e. numbers)can still be the same.
At least that is my layman's understanding of the OGL.- AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 6:20 PM
Initial look through seems that they have added an awful lot of complexity via tables for random results and all the cutsey weird dice. Not sure if this makes the game better or if the randomness is just designed to keep peoples interest longer before they move on.
I'm not sure why Goodman just didn't design their own system like a d24 or something like that rather than going OGL. If it is for compatibility reasons 3e players will not care about this because it undercuts the character generation that players like and it's obviously not Oe/ADD compatible.
The magic system is interesting but seems awfully gimmicky. If you want complexity use Ars Magica or even Spell Law. This just seems like it will turn into a magic sub-game, a la everything outside of fighting in Shadowrun 2e
The art is generally good but causes lots of issues that make the layout look awful. I suspect this is only because the final layout is still a work in progress and Goodman wanted to include as much as possible in the beta. I think I was download 60 or something. So far the game seems well thought out and designed but there are a ton of things that make me go meh,
The tone of the game is too "agro" as if it was trying to be edgy and dark and invoke Slatanic Panik or something. Not my style. The L0 rules tone was also flat odious reminding me a satire of High Gygaxian
The spell system is too complex and JMO the roll for each spell defeats the entire simplicity of the older system where what you do with it is the decision, not how much stat damage should I take or can I risk a 40% failure rate. If I wanted that I'd play something else
As for the art, no offense to any of the excellent artists here, its something I could care less about. I buy games for mechanics not art or stories. A nice cover and a piece or two if needed is fine. Its well done buts its too "stoner" and dark for my taste.
I did kind of like the idea of just adding L0 stuff to L1 as a kicker. That was a DOH! idea I just never thought off
The deeds were pretty cool as well
Lastly the Zocchihedrons, just no. Its a clever mechanic and all but I am not going to buy a set of specialty dice made by just one company to play a game. And yes I eventually had to buy some back in the day but that was than and this is now.
However the game does have a few ideas worth stealing and I suspect some will like it. I'd even try it, yes even L0 more so thats something.I was hopeful, but i'm becoming more luke warm as I continue reading. Are crit and fumble charts really necessary when PC's start out with a handful of hp' and start at level 0?. I'm sure i'll find one or two things I like about i but so far I think Basic Fantasy does a much better job of taking 3E trimming it down to it's bare essentials, plus it's much more modular. I think the art i the only thing I really like so far.
ReplyDeleteI read the back cover and hated the rejection of the concept of "hero" ala LotFP. It deliberately discourages the ideas of nobility, self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, honor, etc. Better to be non-committal philosophically, and let DMs create the tone they want. Game designers are trying to give their games a nihilistic bent, which I think is a mistake.
ReplyDeleteI think the book looks great, and with all the work put into it thus far, I think there's reason to think that the final product will be even better.
Had I not already played the game, I might be inclined to view all of the tables as problematic. I've never been a fan of chart heavy games. However, my experience in playing DCCRPG is that the spells tables are no more a drag on the game than 1E spells.
I think my gaming group is going to participate in the beta by using these rules to play The Keep on the Borderlands. We're starting this weekend, and both of us who gave the game a spin this past Sunday are really excited about it.I agree with the "too much art!" crowd. There is so much filler art that I was bored of scrolling by the time I got through the classes section. Some of it is clever, other not so much, but it's the quantity that gets to me.
Honestly, for all the hype about how the game was going back to the roots, more appendix N than D&D per se, I expected something different from this. From what I read so far it can be described as 3.x with 90% of the complexity stripped out, rebuilt along the lines of B/X, and then with a big bunch of charts to remind you of Rolemaster.
I also found the alignments bizarre. Cthulhu is your neutral? Not in any game I run. It irks me that Ahriman is namechecked for chaos but Ahura Mazda gets left out of Law. But the lowest point is that we get a lecture about how there are "no generic monsters" followed by an uninspired and short monster list - if you want to ram that point home give us an example and skip the lecture.
It doesn't seem like a terrible game or anything, but at this point it really doesn't seem necessary at all. I can't see why one would pick it over their preferred iteration of D&D.After the reading the rules, I too have mixed feelings about the game. I see lots of neat ideas but also lots of stuff that seems to add unnecesary complexity, and concepts that seem very 'new school' for what I thought was supposed to be an 'old school' RPG. Also, way too many charts, even discounting the separate spell charts. When I have to check one chart and then roll a die and reference a second chart, being sure to subtract the difference between...zzzzzz. Huh, what? Sorry, I dozed off there. Maybe it would play better than it reads.
The funny dice don't bother me, though. Frankly, D&D players complaining about 'funny dice' amuses me, considering our hobby was built on funny dice. But whatever. I like the idea of using different dice to resolve iterative attacks. Seems like it would be a lot faster to roll a d20, a d18 and a d16, adding the same modifier to each, then roll three separate d20s, adding three different sets of modifiers.
I also like the Deeds system for warriors--that's bloody inspired, imo, though I can do without the results charts for them. Halflings as luck charms is a neat idea, too. But super dual-wielding halfings? Where does that come from? I guess I missed that in the source literature.
The magic system seems way too gimicky and complicated. After streamling combat, why would I want to slow everything down with wizard duels and constant chart referencing? And does the game really need five or six (probably more in the final version) critical hit tables? Why not a single consolidated critical hit chart, with different classes rolling different sized dice to determine results (i.e. wizards roll a d6, warriors a d20, dwarves a d16, etc.). Or even chuck the critical hit chart all together.
Also, since this is a d20 inspired game (at least partially), why use percentiles for Thief abilities? Why not use the same unifying mechanic that the game uses for just about everything else?
All that said, though, I see enough good ideas to steal and cobble together into my own Frankenstein's monster of a house rules set, so I will still probably pick it up when it comes out.
Ed Green@THOMAS
I don't think it discourages the ideas of nobility, self-sacrifice, honor, etc, purely for nihilism's sake. It is seeking to emulate a genre (sword and sorcery), whose protagonists tend not to lean towards nobility, et al.
From another point of view - comparing it to D&D (which is the only game it can be fairly compared to), no matter what the intent of the DM or players, things inevitably end up like the picture on p. 58 (DCC RPG Beta). Or take a look at the cover of the PHB - the party is not destroying the evil idol - they're looting its eyes while moving corpses and divying loot.
Old D&D and it's sources of inspiration are far more mercenary in bent. That the DCC RPG goes out of its way to declare its intent is to be lauded - you won't buy it by mistake if it doesn't suit your taste.
@ Wayne Rossi
Cthulhu neutral - absolutely. Chthulhu is about as neutral as they come - removed and indifferent to man, in all likelihood to have existed well before the very concept of Law and Chaos.
His followers are another story - they're Chaotic for sure - likely to commit all kinds of abominable acts to attract his attention/gain power.Sure, not purely for nihilism's sake, but the section on alignment demonstrates that good/evil are merely ideas or opinions. This makes all ethical ideals baseless, including valuing life and respecting others. The cosmology chosen in the alignment section leads to nihilism, which leads to the mercenary spirit, contra honor, nobility, heroism. Honor and nobility become opinions without base, no more intrinsically good than dishonor and evil. That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default.
Oh I absolutely agree with you in terms of the games outlook, I couldn't agree more. My point was that the game is specifically trying to remain faithful to a genre, which is predisposed to this world view.
Take an extreme example - imagine someone released an RPG that paid "homage" to the works of Disney(TM)(C)(R), and specifically stated such every opportunity, wearing it's heart firmly on its sleeve...
I think it's perfectly valid for me to say "Well, you know I'm not a fan of saccharine sweet morality, and cheesy family friendly type stuff, so this is not a game for me."
I don't think it's valid to say "Hey I read the intro and hated the rejection of the concept of real world morality and life. It deliberately discourages the gritty real-world truths of compromise, failure, greed, etc. Better to be non-committal philosophically, and let DMs create the tone they want."
UNLESS - the game had set itself out to be generic.
I think the issue here is that DCC RPG is not a Retro Clone of Dungeons and Dragons, it is it's own thing. LotFP /is/ a Retro Clone, so I guess the point could be argued there, but with so many clones available, it's easy enough to move on to another, if the moral bent is not to taste. But again with LotFP, it, too is trying to return to some extent to the Appendix N inspirations for the game, which, for the most part would not be to your taste.
I don't have a problem with noble ideals and notions of self-sacrifice for the common good etc. However I must admit that it comes as a bit of a relief when notions of heroism are set aside in a D&D style game. In my experience, this type of game typically reverts to a very mercenary style of play, where most Players are simply out for lucre/experience to further their PCs. The cheesy ad campaigns will spout "You are the HERO!", but the reality is usually - you are the gang of powerful thugs and misfits looting and pillaging, paying little more than lip service to notions of gallantry or heroism for the chance to score loot and kill monsters.- AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 2:30 AM
What I don't get is that if this game is supposed to be D&D before D&D and based in Swords and Sorcery literature, then why is all the art trying so hard to look like old school D&D? The cover art seems more inline with that goal but all the interior art, especially the redrawn clone D&D pictures work against this whole idea. Overall, this entire product seems really confused.
Why make the combat simpler, the magic harder, the races classes, the thief abilities percentile in a d20 base system, the super complex crits and fumbles? It's just all over the map.
This game is going to be an entirely different thing from beta to release, just watch. - AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 2:36 AM
As far as the implied anti-hero setting mentioned above, this is all the DMs realm of choice.
The mechanics do not support this anti-hero aspect at all, aside from the alignment system, which is lifted straight from D&D despite what the designers may say about Moorcock or Poul, and shares the same ambiguities which led Gygax to incorporate additional axises into it.
In short, the alignment system should indicate where you stand in conflict between good and evil, not your moral leanings. I love the artwork and am sure that the finished product will have a great layout.
I just had quick look at some of the rules and so far like what I see.
Only thing I really dislike are the Zocchi dice.
Many of the previous posters seem to forget that these are only the Beta version rules. A lot can change until the final rules set.
And there is a huge difference between just reading the rules and playing them.
Look at the 3rd ed. grapple rules. Less than 1/2 a page and easy to read, but the application makes DMs sweat since 3rd ed came around.
So go out and play the game and see what works and what not. Describe what did not work and why. Post your idea how to improve the rule in question.- AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 9:01 AM
The cascading spell effects are a HUGE misstep in their present form: you need to read down the entire table for EVERY spell effect, i.e. if you cast Chill Touch and roll a 30, tell me - quick - how much damage your touch does. Go ahead, figure it out.
Big screwup. If they're gonna learn from WotC, they should borrow the good stuff: clean, quick table lookup. WotC's new monster stat blocks are exemplary info design; DCCRPG's spell tables are rubbish. The Degenerate Elite said...
"What I don't get is that if this game is supposed to be D&D before D&D and based in Swords and Sorcery literature, then why is all the art trying so hard to look like old school D&D?"
"Why make the combat simpler, the magic harder, the races classes, the thief abilities percentile in a d20 base system, the super complex crits and fumbles? It's just all over the map."
Like me, I think they are trying to figure out who this game is for. I don't think anyone really knows who is supposed to buy and play DCC. I think it is a question that has not been answered yet but will be one way or another by the time it is released.I think this game, and LotFP, are both trying to make their games more unambiguously conformed to the nihilistic sorts of literary inspirations (e.g. Lovecraft). In other words, they are "purging" so to speak other works from Appendix N (Tolkien).
AD&D was less committed to this nihilism than these two newer games.Outside of Tolkien and maybe Three Hearts & Three Lions I think you would have a hard time finding an Appendix N world where Good and Evil are treated as supernatural 'factions' at odds as seems to be the case of Law and Chaos (ala Moorcock) in DCC. DCC seems to be emulating certain aspects of Appendix N rather than the lot of them in any case.
There is incidentally nothing stopping acts of heroism in an uncaring world unless the very idea of heroism hinges on being 'cosmically' right for you, rather than doing what you believe is Right.
Somehow this very same complaint always seems to crop up when one side of the fence interprets 'Sword & Sorcery' to mean Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and Conan and the other side reads it as Lord of the Rings.@ THOMAS
> AD&D was less committed to this nihilism
> than these two newer games.
Yes, it certainly wasn't overt, but I'd have to say there were still traces of it there (PHB cover, and other illustrations for example), not to mention the Thief and Assassin class. I think more importantly, typical gameplay tends to revert to a very mercenary style, much to the distress of the party Paladin.
But again, DCC is not D&D, not even a retro clone. I think you could argue the point with LotFP, which is a Clone, but I don't think you can with DCC. It's kind of like criticising RuneQuest for being all about Glorantha and not generic like D&D - you're accusing it of failing to do something it was trying very hard not to do.
@ Uffish
> There is incidentally nothing stopping acts of
> heroism in an uncaring world unless the very idea
> of heroism hinges on being 'cosmically' right for
> you, rather than doing what you believe is Right.
I'd agree, although it's a hard grind going against the grain of a system that is 'diametrically opposed' to this, which I think would be THOMAS' main concern.
Yes Law and Chaos are a big tip of the hat to Moorcock, and truth be told I'd rather there be no alignments at all in any game. I've come to accept that it's something that one has to suffer when playing D&D or similar.
> Somehow this very same complaint always seems to
> crop up when one side of the fence interprets
> 'Sword & Sorcery' to mean Fafhrd and the Grey
> Mouser and Conan and the other side reads it as
> Lord of the Rings.
I couldn't agree more - but let those who stick with their interpretation and make no bones about what they're doing have fun in their corner. If they're not claiming to be generic and all things to all people, why criticize them for not doing so?
I think Tolkien gets misrepresented terribly. Most peoples view of Tolkien comes from childhood memories of reading LotR or the movies. It is generally regarded as a very black and white good vs evil epic fantasy where the good guys win. What is generally forgotten is the aching melancholy and sense of loss that permeates the text. Yes there is strong christian Good vs Evil present, but it is not all clear cut and black and white - there is more than enough room for the grey failings of man - Boromir, Denethor, Saruman, Theoden. Good wins, but at a terrible cost - Frodo a shellshocked husk of a hobbit, Bilbo a sad recovering ring junky. I think it's this grounding in 'reality' for want of a better expression that makes true heroism shine. I'd take the LotR true grit any day over Moorcocks sensationalist eternal champion hoo ha anyday.
"That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default."
The strangest and most disturbing thing about your comments is the easy equivalence between the moral universe in the GAME and the moral universe of REAL LIFE?
Is this really what we're all doing here? Is this how we're playing games? As dry runs for what we'd do in real life?
When we play chess should we just go "Oh wait, white player, why are we even fighting?" and shake hands instead of playing?
When we play WW2 games, can we only ever play the allies?
What the hell? What planet are you from?Zak. Its a necessary part of most religious and ethical traditions to mind how you think.
People who adhere to these beliefs can certainly play RPG's but its incumbent on them to mind how they play
Games like RPGs require a bit of extra vigilance as they take you deeper into the dark places in your mind , far deeper than the antiseptic and detached act of moving chips around a board.
Roleplaying evil and 'wallowing' in it isn't spiritually healthy.Art is always matter of taste, but it should be noted that the cloned "Old School" art was drawn by the same artist as the originals, 30 years later. When I first encountered this game, I was also a little put off by the "You're No Hero," copy. Now that I've played it a bit, I'll say that nothing prevents you from being a hero, or discourages it any more than OD&D and AD&D did
ReplyDelete"Better to be non-committal philosophically and let DMs create the tone they want. Game designers are trying to give their games a nihilistic bent, which I think is a mistake."--THOMAS
If, when you say "better" and "mistake", you mean with regard to marketing, sales and financial success, then I disagree. It seems to me that the majority of the most financially successful RPGs are philosophically commital in some way. And I see a huge market for nihilism of all sorts out there.
But if, when you say "better" and "mistake", you're making personal value judgements, then I somewhat agree.
"Cthulhu neutral - absolutely. Cthulhu is about as neutral as they come - removed and indifferent to Man, in all likelihood to have existed well before the very concepts of Law and Chaos. His followers are another story - they're Chaotic for sure - likely to commit all kinds of abominable acts to attract his attention/gain power."--maxam
"The cosmology chosen in the alignment section leads to nihilism, which leads to the mercenary spirit, contra honor, nobility, heroism. Honor and nobility become opinions without base, no more intrinsically good than dishonor and evil. That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default."--THOMAS
In the real world, I agree. But, in games, it can be fun to play nihilistic, mercenary, and even evil characters.
"...imagine someone released an RPG that paid 'homage' to the works of Disney(TM)(C)(R), and specifically stated such at every opportunity, wearing it's heart firmly on its sleeve... I think it's perfectly valid for me to say 'Well, you know I'm not a fan of saccharine sweet morality, and cheesy family friendly type stuff, so this is not a game for me.'"--maxam
Just to let everybody know, not all Disney stuff is like that. In particular, I recommend Mulan.
"I think this game and LotFP are both trying to make their games more unambiguously conformed to the nihilistic sorts of literary inspirations (e.g. Lovecraft)."--THOMAS
In the case of LotFP, that's true only with regard to the game's implied setting, not how characters are expected to act in that setting. And, in fact, the LotFP modules actually tend to punish characters who act nihilistically.
"There is incidentally nothing stopping acts of heroism in an uncaring world unless the very idea of heroism hinges on being 'cosmically' right for you, rather than doing what you believe is Right."--Uffish
"I'd take the LotR true grit over Moorcock's sensationalist eternal champion hoo ha any day."--maxam
Me too!
"Is this really what we're all doing here? Is this how we're playing games? As dry runs for what we'd do in real life?"--Zak S
Some people, yes. Others just try to play how they imagine that they, personally, would really act in the game world if it was really real. And others play to explore ways of thinking and acting that differ from their own. And still others just explore dungeons. And every one of those approaches, and every other approach that results in the participants having fun, is a good and valid way to play these games.@5stonegames
If the idea of whatever moral/ethical/religious system you are allegedly describing truly descends to the level of "you have to watch what kind of character you play in a game" then I feel that says a lot more about the limitations of the moral/ethical/religious system you think you are describing than it does about the limitations of the game.
If you are good because you refuse to consider what bad is like...
Well that's a can of philosophical worms that I don't think anybody should dump all over somebody's game just because they happen to have it writhing around in their own head.
They should just come out and say: "I think it's morally/ethically/religiously bad to do things in games you wouldn't do in real life" and have a conversation about THAT rather than picking on recent releases and assuming everyone listening already knows about and agrees with this bizarre underlying assumption."If you are good because you refuse to consider what bad is like..."--Zak S
That's, at best, a total misunderstanding of, or, at worst, an intentional, assholish, straw-man misrepresentation of, what people like THOMAS think.
They don't think it's bad merely to consider what bad is like. They just think it's bad to imagine acting bad and it being okay. That's all.
"They should just come out and say: 'I think it's morally/ethically/religiously bad to do things in games you wouldn't do in real life' and have a conversation about THAT..."--Zak S
I agree.
"...this bizarre underlying assumption."--Zak S
That underlying assumption may seem bizarre to you, but it's the way most people thought until very recently. And it's the way many religious people and social conservatives still think.@Ed Dove
Then they should say "Hi, I'm a socially and/or religiously conservative person in the English-speaking world in 2011 and want you to listen to me talk anyway, let's have a conversation about all the hundred of thousands of items of beef with modern games that this position implies" not "Y'know what's wrong with this here game that James put out..."
In classical rhetoric that's called "begging the question" and it slows any useful conversation down to a crawl.@Zak S To quote Jim Raggi, "I'm going to call great hairy bullshit on this one." Why should "they" have to define themselves to you before expressing their opinions? Do you do that for anybody? If so, I've never seen it. And I know I sure don't do it. And I can't remember ever conversing with anybody else who ever did either. So, "great hairy bullshit".
I wish you'd stop trying to stifle further expression of things you don't like by ridiculing anybody who thinks those things. Such narrow-minded bullying is a waste of your intellectual brilliance -- especially when all you do is just slap together some straw-man misrepresentations of their positions. That's just pathetic.I read through the playtest, and so far I'm not a fan. The game feels very much like it's trying to emulate D&D and not its sources.
The "race-classes" of Elf/Dwarf/Halfling weren't a major part of Appendix N and can be dropped entirely. Focus on humans, have a page of optional PDF material for folks who must go Tolkienesque.
Lose Law/Chaos - especially since they're just "Good" and "Evil" renamed, if Law gets angels and Chaos gets demons.
Why is Cleric even a class? It can be handled entirely by broadening the spell selection of wizards - lots of Appendix N spellcasters were capable of healing and holding dark powers at bay. The fact that both wizards and clerics use patrons also suggests that the best course of action is to combine the classes. The "Clerics heal their own alignment best" will prove to stifle party creation, and is yet another reason to remove alignment.
The tables for Deeds were incredibly specific and didn't appear much easier to use than those same maneuvers in 3.5.@Ed Dove
I sure as hell do define myself when I make comments. Everybody who can click a mouse button knows I write a blog called "playing D&D with porn stars" and work in the adult industry in Los Angeles and anybody with access to google can see my gigantic degenerate decadent urban elitist anarchist resume and interviews where I yammer on about it and if anybody wants to write off anything I say on account of my profoundly obvious intellectual biases, fine.
If you represent some point of view that's equally extreme in the opposite direction, then help us all out by saying that up front. If I click THOMAS I see nothing. Who is Thomas? Thomas could say "Well, I'm a born again" or " Hey, I'm a pretty conservative guy, but...."there's no shame in that. And its intelligent and thoughtful and helpful to realize that it's germane to the discussion.
If there's a point to talking to other human being about your ideas, then there's a point to being clear about where they come from and obfuscating that is, at best, laziness.@Zak S Do I understand correctly that you think just having your blog and being relatively easy to find out about online counts as defining yourself to others before you express yourself to them, not just on your blog and in I Hit It With My Axe episodes, but anywhere?
And, while I agree that it'd certainly be considerate and helpful if people did explain, to the best of their understanding, at least what they see as the main reason why they think what they do before they go on and on about the specifics of what they think -- do you really believe that people have some sort of obligation to do so? And that, if they're not 'famous' like you are, then they're, at best, lazy if they don't do so at the beginning of every conversation with strangers?
Please be assured that all my questions are sincere, not rhetorical. Right now, I'm really just trying to find out if I understand what you're saying so I can figure out how I should respond.@ed dove
I am totally identifiable in these little fracases online 'cause my name is clickable when I comment.
And in real life, the clicky link is unnecessary since most people know where the guy with the green hair and tattooed hands is coming from.
And, yeah, I think, in general, if you are articulating an extreme position then you don't just drop in on one discussion of one of the zillion things in ordinary life you object to and expect to be taken seriously or be understood.
I'm not going to pop over to homphobia.com and say "gee this -particular- antigay rant really sucks" and so, likewise, I wouldn't expect mr. THOMAS to suddenly appear here in the modern gaming scene and say "This -particular- game is bad because it does not uphold a heroic ideal" without explaining where he's coming from.
It wastes time. Like I said, it;s a classic rhetorical fallacy: begging the question.
Right there:
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/begquest.html@Zak S Okay. So you really do think that your blog somehow makes you special. That, just because people can go there to find out about you, that means you shouldn't be expected to introduce yourself before you make comments elsewhere -- even though that's what you expect people without blogs to do. And that's exactly the sort of privileged attitude that I'd expect someone who has a blog might have.
And so you also think that you're way more well-known than you really are. And that's exactly the sort of conceited attitude that I'd expect someone who has a blog and a webshow, and who works as a performer in Hollywood, might have.
So your attitude really is as privileged and conceited as what you said before made me suspect it might be. That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.
"I'm not going to pop over to homphobia.com and say 'gee this -particular- antigay rant really sucks' and so, likewise, I wouldn't expect mr. THOMAS to suddenly appear here in the modern gaming scene and say 'This -particular- game is bad because it does not uphold a heroic ideal' without explaining where he's coming from."--Zak S
That makes sense. But it's also not what THOMAS did.
What he actually did was just say that he, personally, just him, "hated the rejection of the concept of 'hero'", compared that (mistakenly, I think) to LotFP, explained why he feels the way he does, said that he thinks that something -- the game, its marketing, maybe both -- would be "better" if the game was noncommital rather than prescriptive in philosophy and tone, and added that, I think for marketing reasons, he thinks it's a "mistake" for game designers to make their games nihilistic. Not what I'd call "extreme" positions. Just common opinions. Though I do wish that he'd explained them more clearly than he did. But, then, he did explain his views more clearly in later posts -- in which the most "extreme" thing he ever said was "That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default." Again, a pretty common opinion.
So I don't understand why your panties got all up in a wad over it.@Ed Dove
No, Ed. I would be "conceited" if I thought I was somehow different than everyone else and I don't.
If I make an extreme statement, it is within anyone's power to INSTANTLY find out the point of view that statement is coming from. This is true of ANYBODY who has their name attached to anything they have been doing for a long time. Anybody with a blog or a real name they use.
Introducing myself beforehand is NOT necessary because if I don't I am--unlike THOMAS--not -entirely denying the people listening the possibility of doing that.-
So if you're going to make extreme statements either:
A) have a track record people can look at (I do, this doesn't make me special.)
B) say what the extreme point of view you have up front is.
That's not some special rule for me, that's pretty much an accepted rule of any debate: state your assumptions up front, or at least have them checkable.
As for his extreme positions, it is hidden in the statement:
"That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default."
Because this implies the following extreme belief the fact that this cosmology stinks IN REAL LIFE means it also stinks IN A FICTION.
Again: he's begging the question. He's assuming a controversial premise without addressing it. I said that already, you ignored it.Ed, I've just finished going back and forth between Thomas's comments and the original text he's commenting on. Part of the time he does what you say he does, and part of the time he does what Zak says he does.
For example, the back cover text of DCCRPG says more or less exactly what Thomas says it does:
"You're no hero.
"You're a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets.
"You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them.
"Return to the glory days of fantasy with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. Adventure as 1974 intended you to, with modern rules grounded in the origins of sword & sorcery. Fast play, cryptic secrets, and a mysterious past await you: turn the page..."
So yes, the back cover rejects the concept of hero, but the game itself does not, contrary to his second post.
Thomas wrote "...the section on alignment demonstrates that good/evil are merely ideas or opinions," but I'm looking at the text right now and it says nothing of the sort. On the contrary, it says the cosmos itself is organized around a great cosmic struggle of law versus chaos, that law and chaos represent objectively existing cosmic forces, and that a man's choice of alignment "will become increasingly important as you become more powerful." This is the opposite of what Thomas says about the game.
Worse, the section on Law says "Lawful characters believe fundamentally in unity and prioritize the values of mankind: order, authority, loyalty, and charity. They support organized institutions and 'do what is right.' They have a moral conscience which points them toward the appropriate action." This contradicts the back cover and Thomas's entire point, making it clear that not only can you play a hero in DCCRPG, the heroic perspective is not just an idea but actually represents one of the sides in a great cosmic battle.
Thomas has over-reached in his comments and fallen prey to the Procrustean fallacy of twisting the subject to fit the argument about nihilism he wanted to have. DCCRPG encourages a far wider range of play than Thomas said it does, and so does LOTFPWFRPGGH. Zak was right to take him to task for it, regardless of whether you approve of the way he went about it."I would be 'conceited' if I thought I was somehow different than everyone else and I don't."--Zak S
You don't? I'm sorry I misunderstood you again. I thought you said that you are different from anybody who doesn't have a blog, like you do, or isn't famous, like you are.
So you don't think either of those things?
"If I make an extreme statement, it is within anyone's power to INSTANTLY find out the point of view that statement is coming from. This is true of ANYBODY who has their name attached to anything they have been doing for a long time. Anybody with a blog or a real name they use. Introducing myself beforehand is NOT necessary because if I don't I am--unlike THOMAS--not -entirely denying the people listening the possibility of doing that.-"--Zak S
All that's true. But it still seems to me like you're saying that everybody who has a blog, like you do, and everybody who's famous, like you are, deserves certain privileges that people who don't have blogs and aren't famous don't. Or, stated inversely, that people who don't have blogs and aren't famous have obligations that people, like you, who do have blogs or are famous don't. And, either way, that's a privileged attitude. Am I still misunderstanding you?
"So if you're going to make extreme statements either:
A) have a track record people can look at (I do, this doesn't make me special.)
B) say what the extreme point of view you have up front is."--ZakS
While it would be nice if people did do that, the problem I see with expecting people to do that is that it expects them to first recognize that both the statement they're going to make and the point of view they're basing it on are extreme. And almost nobody can do that. It requires the ability to assess oneself objectively -- a feat that's at least very difficult, and arguably impossible. So it's just not a reasonable expectation to place on anybody because most people can't do it.
"That's not some special rule for me, that's pretty much an accepted rule of any debate: state your assumptions up front, or at least have them checkable."--Zak S
Those very limited rules of debate are very different from your expectation that people should either have blogs, become famous, or recognize the extremity of their positions and explain them up front before saying anything else."As for his extreme positions, it is hidden in the statement:
'That cosmology stinks, and it is too bad that it is accepted by default.'
Because this implies the following extreme belief the fact that this cosmology stinks IN REAL LIFE means it also stinks IN A FICTION."--Zak S
It's "hidden" there, huh? Hmmm...
First, even though that's how I interpreted it too, I don't think that's the only reasonable interpretation. I think, given just that statement alone, the person could just as likely be saying merely that having that cosmology as the default cosmology of a game prevents them from enjoying playing that game. That's all. Nothing extreme or in any way judgmental of others. Just a bit of information that game designers might find useful to know.
Second, even the interpretation we share isn't extreme. That is, at least the "this cosmology stinks IN REAL LIFE means it also stinks IN A FICTION" version of it isn't. It's just a common, narrow-minded opinion. Much more likely an unexamined assumption on the part of anybody who holds it, not an indication of any conscious, let alone articulated, philosophy. Worth pointing out to try to get them to examine their assumptions and consciously articulate their philosophy. But no cause for raising any sort of alarm. And, even more so, no cause for insulting, berating and ridiculing a person who probably just hasn't yet given much thought to why they think and feel the way they do about things.
"Again: he's begging the question. He's assuming a controversial premise without addressing it. I said that already, you ignored it."--Zak S
First, I didn't ignore it. I just didn't realize you expected me to say anything about it. Now that I know you do, I will...
Second, even though the premise we think he's assuming seems controversial to you -- and if, by "controversial", you mean merely not almost universally accepted, then I'd agree -- I'd be very surprised if he thought it was controversial. And it's just not reasonable to expect him to see himself, his feelings, his assumptions, his beliefs, his opinions and his thoughts through your eyes and warn you about himself before he says anything else.
When you think someone has begged the question, then it's your responsibility to ask them the question.
And it's your responibility to ask them the question in a way that's intended to actually solicit their honest answer to the question too -- not in any way that's intended to shame them, or intimidate them, or otherwise affect their answer.@Rick Marshall Thanks for fact-checking THOMAS! If I hadn't been so busy acting as Mr. 'Being Right Doesn't Justify Being An Ass', I might've thought of doing that myself.
"Thomas wrote '...the section on alignment demonstrates that good/evil are merely ideas or opinions,' but I'm looking at the text right now and it says nothing of the sort. On the contrary, it says the cosmos itself is organized around a great cosmic struggle of law versus chaos, that law and chaos represent objectively existing cosmic forces, and that a man's choice of alignment 'will become increasingly important as you become more powerful.' This is the opposite of what Thomas says about the game.
"Worse, the section on Law says 'Lawful characters believe fundamentally in unity and prioritize the values of mankind: order, authority, loyalty, and charity. They support organized institutions and 'do what is right.' They have a moral conscience which points them toward the appropriate action.' This contradicts the back cover and Thomas's entire point, making it clear that not only can you play a hero in DCCRPG, the heroic perspective is not just an idea but actually represents one of the sides in a great cosmic battle.
"Thomas has over-reached in his comments and fallen prey to the Procrustean fallacy of twisting the subject to fit the argument about nihilism he wanted to have. DCCRPG encourages a far wider range of play than Thomas said it does, and so does LOTFPWFRPGGH. Zak was right to take him to task for it, regardless of whether you approve of the way he went about it."--Rick Marshall
Excellent work! Again, I think everything you've said here is correct. And I really apprectiate how you've said it too.
Now, in light of the fact that THOMAS completely misrepresented the facts (oh, okay, I'll come right out and say it -- he lied), I'm done defending him."You said it: 'It's just a common, narrow-minded opinion.' There's no defense for that, ever, no matter how common it is. Unless the dude's 12."--Zak S
I agree. Even though I don't think it's extreme, I do think it's indefensible.
But how do we know that THOMAS isn't 12?
Heck -- how do we know that anybody we haven't met in person isn't 12?
Everything online can be fabricated.To all those whining that this game 'requires' Zocchian dice.
Uh. No. Go re-read pp 9-10 of the 1e AD&D DMG. Seriously. You need math help badly. Read it until you grok it.
Here's the breakdown of what DCC says it requires in the way of dice rolls, and how to achieve them w/o Zocchi dice:
d3 - ROUND_UP[1d6/2]
d5 - ROUND_UP[1d10/2]
d7 - REROLL_HIGHEST(d8)
d14 - d7 + d4(even, +0; odd, +7)
d16 - d8 + d4(even, +0; odd, +8)
d24 - d12 + d4(even, +0; odd, +12)
d30 - d10 + d6(1-2, +0; 3-4, +10; 5-6, +20)
Or, you could read the paragraph that immediately follows the one that says the game uses Zocchi dice and use the relatively simpler guidelines given there. The results are statistically the SAME - flat distributions of results.
Seriously, this sort of stuff has been in the game for 30 years and now that someone comes along and implements actual mechanics that frequently call upon you to use them you complain? Really? How absurd.- AnonymousJune 14, 2011 at 1:09 AM
lulz, the special dice are not something I have or will get. And J random's explaination makes my head hurt more than THACO +/- other AD&Disms.
I love AD&D btw.


text:
- Fonds
- 1960 - 1993
Fonds consists of records arising from Klaus Rieckhoff's teaching and research activities as well as records made and received by Rieckhoff as an elected member of the SFU Senate, Board of Governors, and various faculty, departmental, and university committees. Records include correspondence, memos, notes, publications, reports, lists, minutes, and evaluations.
Rieckhoff, Klaus E.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
WinHugs is the Windows user interface to Hugs. Further details, including a preview download, are available here. In addition to all of the Hugs features, it includes type browsers and hierarchical constraint views. WinHugs should run on any version of Windows since 95, i.e. 95/98/ME/NT/2K/XP. A list of bugs and features is maintained here. I am considering rewriting some parts, especially the main user interface. If you want to have your say comment on this page.
WinHugs manual entry
This section is intended to become the official entry in the Hugs user guide
WinHugs is a Windows user interface to Hugs. It provides an environment in which to experiment with Haskell commands in much the same way as Hugs, but instead of using a console and textual commands to perform operations such as loading, buttons are provided. It is intended to be more user friendly, and more approachable for new users.
WinHugs has all the Haskell features of Hugs, plus a few others not found with the Windows version of Hugs
- Colored output, the prompt and various other items are colorised to aid reading.
- Some escape codes are supported, in particular those which change the foreground and background color.
- Hyperlinks and editor integration, when an error occurs a link can be clicked to open an editor at the appropriate line.
- Easy control of options, in a convenient dialog.
- Easy access to some commands, such as load.
- Browse commands to view the type hierarchy and items in scope.
Getting started
This is just a simple guide to get you started with WinHugs, and give you a small introduction to some of its features.
Create a file, called Main.hs, and inside put the text
module Main where main = putStrLn "Hello, WinHugs!"
Now run WinHugs, and click on open (File/Open) and browse to the file Main.hs. It will open in WinHugs. Now click on the run button, and watch it say a message.
Now modify the program to say
module Main where main = putStrLn "Hello, WinHugs!
Note that no closing quote is given, so this program will crash. Now click on the refresh button in WinHugs, or type :r (all the Hugs commands still work). Note that this time an error is given, along with a link saying where the error. Click this link, and the file will open in your editor, at the appropriate line.
If the file doesn't open at the correct line, visit the options, and under the WinHugs set Editor value appropriately.
This overview has presented some of the most commonly used features in WinHugs. WinHugs can also be used exactly like Hugs for most uses, with command history, commands like :quit etc.
Who should use WinHugs?
WinHugs is only available on Windows. If you are a Windows user who wants a quick haskell environment to test out your ideas and programs, then WinHugs may certainly be an option. If you are a fan of the console, or if you need your program to go really fast (even while you are developing it), then GHC might be a better choice.
The code is currently maintained by Neil Mitchell, and has been rewritten from scratch. Previous versions were written by ...
Good points about the rewrite
- Rewritten to use less code
- Redesigned options, better layed out
- Easier integration with text editors, just textpad for now but ask for more
- Better designed menus
- Updated artwork, hicolor large size
- Uses XP style
- Faster on output, about 5 times
- About twice as fast as the console version of Hugs on Windows
- Can use drag/drop and cut/copy/paste better
- Hyperlinks for errors
- Better support for interact and getChar


text:
There was really only one tech story last week — the potentially disastrous Heartbleed bug. This week, we return to more of a panoply of tech-related news, starting with NPR stories in the ICYMI section, the broader topics in the industry in The Big Conversation and fun links you shouldn't miss in Curiosities.
Digital Distraction Remedies: Is a backlash beginning ... in favor of the physical world? Kids, gamers and restaurant-goers are finding ways to step away from smartphones and reconnect the old-fashioned way. Laura Sydell introduced us to Ingress, a video game that gets people to connect in person. Steve Henn's daughter reminded us that in some cases, parents are too distracted by devices and ignoring their kids. And the service industry says put those phones away and just enjoy breaking bread together, in a piece I reported on Monday.
Big Conversation
Tech Earnings: The tech bubble 2.0 questions keep swirling, and stocks started tumbling even before Google reported its numbers, which were disappointing to Wall Street despite 19 percent revenue growth. Yahoo performed relatively better in the eyes of investors, thanks to its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which is poised for an IPO. More companies will be releasing numbers in the next couple of weeks, so as Time notes, it will all be interesting to watch.
Heartbleed Hacker Charged: It was a vulnerability that someone skilled could exploit, and law enforcement believe they found at least one guy who did. A 19-year-old Canadian student was arrested for allegedly exploiting the Heartbleed vulnerability to steal taxpayer data from as many as 900 Canadians. And researchers say an attacker used the bug to break into a major corporation.
The Verge: The Inventor of Everything
This profile introduces you to Mike Cheiky, a darkside version of Elon Musk. "He is either the world's most unheralded genius, or he's criminally insane," a former colleague says of Cheiky.
Wall Street Journal: Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto 'Unmasked'...Again?
It wasn't that long ago that Newsweek caused a tempest over its claim that a man living in LA named S. Nakamoto was the father of the digital currency. He denies it and may sue. Now, a linguistic analysis points the finger at Nick Szabo, "a well known name in cryptography circles," the Journal reports. Szabo has also denied being Nakamoto.
Engadget: 'Wearable eyes' take all the work out of having emotions
A Japanese professor has designed a high-tech version of those novelty spectables with eyes drawn on them. "The digital eyes blink when you nod or shake your head, look up when you tilt your head down and (best of all) it stays open even while you doze off ... ," the tech blog says. They're designed "to make you look friendlier and less socially awkward than you actually are."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Prisoners' use of smuggled cellphones rising
The Associated Press
| Monday, February 17, 2014, 11 a.m.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — They're hidden in babies' diapers, ramen noodle soup packages, footballs, soda cans and even body cavities.
Not drugs or weapons, but cellphones. They're becoming a growing problem in prisons across the country as they are used to make threats, plan escapes and for inmates to continue to make money from illegal activity even while behind bars.
"You can pick states all across the country and you'll see everything from hits being ordered on individuals to criminal enterprises being run from inside institutions with cellphones," said Michael Crews, head of Florida's Department of Corrections.
When two murderers serving life sentences escaped from Florida Panhandle prison last fall, a search of their cells turned up a cellphone used to help plan the getaway, drawing attention to the burgeoning problem. It was just one of 4,200 cellphones confiscated by prison officials last year, or 11 per day.
"The scary part is, if we found 4,200, we know that's not all of them," Crews said.
And while prison officials are trying their best to keep cellphones out, it's not such an easy task. Jamming cellphone signals is prohibited by federal law, and it costs more than $1 million each for authorized towers that control what cellphone calls can come in and out of prisons. Some prisons even have to police their own corrections officers who sometimes help inmates receive contraband.
In Texas, a death row inmate made several calls with a cellphone to state Sen. John Whitmire, who chairs the Criminal Justice Committee. Whitmire didn't believe it when he started receiving calls from death row inmate Richard Tabler.
"He held his phone out, I guess outside his cell and there was a very distinct prison noise. He said, 'Did you hear that?' and I said, 'Yup. That's a prison,' " Whitmire said. "I said, 'How'd you get that phone?' He said, 'I paid $2,100 for it.' I said, 'How do you keep it charged?' He said, 'I have a charger.' "
The calls continued, and Whitmire had the phone investigated. The month before, Tabler used 2,800 minutes and was sharing the phone with other prisoners, Whitmire said. Tabler's mother, in Georgia, was paying the bill and collecting payments from the other prisoners' families.
Tabler asked Whitmire if he could help arrange a visit with his mother. When she arrived in Texas she was arrested for her part in the prison cellphone scheme. Tabler wasn't happy about that and made another call to Whitmire. "He said he was going to have me killed," Whitmire said.
In other cases around the country, infamous murderer Charles Manson, imprisoned in California, was found with a cellphone under his mattress, twice.
Two Indiana prisoners were convicted of using cellphones smuggled in by guards to run an operation that distributed methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs. A prisoner in Georgia was accused this year of using two cellphones to impersonate a sheriff's lieutenant and scam elderly drivers who had received red light camera tickets, getting them each to pay about $500.
In Oklahoma, a newspaper investigation found dozens of prisoners using cellphones to maintain Facebook pages. The Oklahoman found about three dozen inmates who were disciplined by prison officials and its reporters found about as many who hadn't been caught.
Florida prisoners have also been using social media with cellphones.
"We've got inmates running their own blogs and all kinds of stuff. We stop it when we catch it, but it's very difficult to police the whole Internet. We don't have Internet police on our staff," said assistant corrections secretary James Upchurch.
Those helping inmates smuggle phones into Florida prisons can be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. In Mississippi, the penalty can be 15 years for having a cellphone in prisons.
As corrections departments keep looking for new ways to stop cellphone smuggling, prisoners are finding creative, new ways to get them in.
"You may get a prepackaged, sealed ramen noodle soup — and it's completely sealed — the weight seems to be right, but when you open it, there's a cellphone inside," said Timothy Cannon, Florida's deputy corrections secretary. "They're very, very, very creative in the way they do some of these things."
Phones have been hidden in the hollowed out centers of large stacks of legal documents. One corrections officer found two liter soda bottles that were used as floats outside a prison. When he pulled them out of a pond, bags containing more than a dozen cellphones each were found tied to them.
"We've found cellphones and drugs in babies' diapers" during visitations, Cannon said. "If they think you'd never search an infant child, that will be the next place they go to try to get it in."
Phones hidden in body cavities can't always be picked up by traditional metal detectors, and many are wrapped in electrical tape to further avoid detection.
"We have found cellphones in the private area of visitors — I'm talking females and males," said Christopher Epps, head of the Mississippi prison system and president of the American Corrections Association. He said it's not unusual to find three phones in a body cavity.
States are looking for new ways to find cellphones or to prevent their use. Epps said that includes recently installed netting held up by 50-foot poles to keep people from throwing bags over prison fences for prisoners to retrieve.
Federal law prohibits jamming cellphone signals, but Texas, Maryland, California and Mississippi installed towers at some prisons that control what cellphone traffic is allowed. Phone signals reach the tower, but only authorized numbers are then passed through.
It's not something Florida is considering because of the hefty price tag. Each system costs about $1.5 million, and with 49 major prisons, the state doesn't have the money to cover them all.
Instead, it's testing machines that detect a cellphone's magnetic fields. And like Indiana and other states, Florida is also using dogs trained to sniff out cellphones.
Still, with 100,000 prisoners in Florida, Crews knows the problem will never be completely solved, especially with the profit that can be made.
"When you're talking about that kind of money, you're going to have a lot of people who are willing to do just about anything to get them in," Crews said. "For a large portion of these inmates, it is about making a dollar."


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Monday, November 16, 2009
Liptauer Cheese Spread - Blue Monday
This may look familiar. It is Arva castle and from its highest parapet there is a view of Lipto, home of Liptauer cheese spread. It's also the site where the old vampire film Nosferatu was filmed.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know that early exposure helps us develop an affinity for certain foods. It's the only plausible explanation for my love of Central European food. I had my first taste of Liptauer cheese at the age of 4 and we've had an improbable love affair ever since. Lipto is a fresh Hungarian cheese that's made with sheep's milk. It has a very soft consistency, but it's so mild that it's almost flavorless. That's taken care of by the addition of herbs and seeds and spices that are used to flavor the food of the region. A little paprika, a few capers and a spoonful of caraway seeds help move the bland to "bingo." When we lived in Chicago, Lipto cheese was just a bus ride away. It became harder to find in the suburbs of New Jersey and I haven't been able to find it at all where we now live. This cheese spread is popular in Slovakia and Italy , where it's called Spuma di formaggio all'ungherese, as well as in Austria and Hungary. It's almost effortless to make and it's wonderful for those occasions where beer is the beverage of choice. Liptauer cheese spread can be made with any soft cheese. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark, and soft goat or sheep cheese are all great substitutes for Lipto. The cheese is mixed with sour cream, butter, and finely chopped onions. Spices like ground paprika, fresh parsley, and bruised caraway seeds are added to the mix along with mustard and anchovies. The cheese is served with crackers or dark breads such as rye or pumpernickel. Some folks serve it with vegetables and others use it to stuff vegetables. All in all, it's an amazingly versatile spread. If you add two or three extra tablespoons of sour cream to the mix, it becomes a dip that's not at all bad with chips or pretzels. Liptauer takes 10 minutes to assemble, but it's flavor improves if it's allowed to sit for a few hours before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Here's the recipe.
Liptauer Cheese Spread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
8 oz. of Lipto or cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup soft butter, softened
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 mashed anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds smashed or bruised to release flavor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1) Combine cream cheese, butter, sour cream and anchovies in a small bowl. Mix well to combine.
2) Add capers, minced onions, mustard, paprika, caraway seeds and salt. Mix well.
3) Form a smooth mound. Make slight indentations in mound using tines of a fork. Sprinkle with paprika.
4) Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish as desired. Yield 1-3/4 cups.
You might also want to try:
Choosy Beggars - Spinach and White Bean Dip
Grow.Cook.Eat. - Baba Ganoush
The Perfect Pantry - Herbed Cheese Spread
This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
45 comments :
- Chubskulit Rose said...
Another yummy BM, thanks for sharing!
wood router bits
metal drill bits - November 16, 2009 at 1:45 AM
- Chubskulit Rose said...
Opppps please disrgeard my first comment, I gave you the wrong link for my post. Just please delete/reject it.
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe once again!
Here's my Blue Monday Contribution - November 16, 2009 at 1:49 AM
- Sally said...
Oh Mary, that'd be good to try for holiday entertaining. Thanks. Happy Blue Monday.
- November 16, 2009 at 2:17 AM
- Angie's Recipes said...
This is a perfect sourdough bread spread!
- November 16, 2009 at 4:23 AM
- KathyB. said...
With all the football games and holidays ahead this sounds like a good spread to have on hand.
As soon as I saw the picture of the castle, before i read your post, I thought, 'Vampires!' So I did recognize it as a familiar place in my memory. I always enjoy your history lessons, very much. - November 16, 2009 at 4:41 AM
- Federica Simoni said...
una bella ricetta gustosa!
- November 16, 2009 at 5:11 AM
- Unknown said...
Very interesting! I have been totally ignorant of Liptauer cheese (apart from having heard the name)I am so sure I would love it!
- November 16, 2009 at 7:07 AM
- Schnitzel and the Trout said...
You know, I will be looking for this cheese!!!
- November 16, 2009 at 7:19 AM
- Megan, Life Revamped said...
wow! looks too marvelous to eat!
glad to be back for so long! Here's today's share of blue!
have a great week! - November 16, 2009 at 7:25 AM
- NKP said...
I have heard of this cheese but didn't know what it was about. Sounds like the perfect project for the simple cheeses I have been making. Thanks so much for the recipe!
- November 16, 2009 at 7:27 AM
- Karen said...
Looks like another great recipe to try! I love reading your blog and seeing not only the wonderful recipes but also the background you give with it. Very interesting!
Happy Blue Monday! - November 16, 2009 at 7:30 AM
- black eyed susans kitchen said...
Yum to the cheese! Maybe it is my little bits of Hungarian heritage coming out here.
Susan - November 16, 2009 at 8:19 AM
- Cathy said...
My mom served something similar with crackers and celery sticks. Love the wonderful flavors you've combined in this spread, Mary.
- November 16, 2009 at 10:04 AM
- storyteller at Small Reflections said...
Kewl photograph and tasty looking cheese spread ;-)
Hugs and blessings, - November 16, 2009 at 10:27 AM
- LV said...
Thanks for inviting me over for lunch. As usual, you are the best of cooks.
- November 16, 2009 at 10:48 AM
- Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...
Maybe I'm a wierdo but cream cheese and anchovies really appeal to me. I think I would have to park myself in front of this at a party and not move! It looks gorgeous too Mary!
- November 16, 2009 at 10:54 AM
- Mimi said...
We are family of cheese eater. This would be great to have on hand for snacking.
Mimi - November 16, 2009 at 11:07 AM
- Maria said...
Perfect for parties.
- November 16, 2009 at 11:12 AM
- Unknown said...
This would be great for the holidays; it's very festive-looking!
- November 16, 2009 at 11:56 AM
- Marice said...
awww that first photo is lovely scenery! :)
and the second really looks yummy!
u may view mine if u have time - November 16, 2009 at 12:08 PM
- Fifi Flowers said...
That makes my mouth water!!! Putting that one in my party collection!
- November 16, 2009 at 12:17 PM
- The Quintessential Magpie said...
Beautiful picture, and I absolutely love that cheese! Oh, Mary... I have got to try this!
Happy Blue Monday...
Sheila :-) - November 16, 2009 at 12:51 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
That sounds amazing! I love anything that comes from a castle!
- November 16, 2009 at 12:59 PM
- Charlotte said...
What an interesting castle picture. The cheese looks delicious. I'd never hard of this kind of cheese.
Happy Blue Monday.
Charlotte - November 16, 2009 at 1:25 PM
- zenmasterlars said...
wow!!! I'm going to make this...what an interesting combo of flavors!!!! :) yum!
- November 16, 2009 at 1:35 PM
- Inspired by eRecipeCards said...
as always, great story. Love the Nosferatu reference.
The dip is terrific sounding. Don't know if I can find the lipo, but it i son the list now - November 16, 2009 at 1:47 PM
- Knitty said...
Mmmmmm, I may make this for Thanksgiving afternoon. Thanks!
- November 16, 2009 at 2:38 PM
- Heather S-G said...
Wow, this sounds delicious!! This would be great for our holiday table :D
- November 16, 2009 at 3:46 PM
- Greenearth said...
That food looks so good.
- November 16, 2009 at 4:19 PM
- aspiritofsimplicity said...
I think the cheese spread might be a bit much for me but the cranberry apple cider looks delish!
- November 16, 2009 at 5:17 PM
- The Cooking Photographer said...
I'm not sure if I want to kiss you or cry. I haven't been near this stuff since I lived in the Czech Republic and traveled to Budapest.
Thank-you Mary. I can't wait to have my husband try this.
Laura - November 16, 2009 at 6:03 PM
- Foley said...
You started developing your palate very young!!!
Looks delicious - so many times it could be used, not just for holidays! - November 16, 2009 at 7:14 PM
- noble pig said...
Well, I've learned something new today, it sounds wonderful.
- November 16, 2009 at 7:27 PM
- jeanne said...
Hi Mary, this cheese sounds delicious. I am sure we would love it too. We do love cheese but our tastes are uneducated in all things cheese. We have never been to Europe. One day. I love the castle but I don't like Vampires. LOL.
Your recipe sounds very good. A holiday effort. Smile.
hugs, Jeanne - November 16, 2009 at 7:37 PM
- xinex said...
You always post the yummiest food, Mary!...Christine
- November 16, 2009 at 9:25 PM
- Shirl said...
Hello Mary, Happy Blue Monday! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment. Love your blue post this week, looks delish as usual. I'm still making Pink Saturday vists, your post this week looks yummy too!
Blessings to ya! Shirl
Shirls Rose Cottage - November 16, 2009 at 9:27 PM
- Pam said...
What a wonderful holiday appetizer. This looks delicious.
- November 16, 2009 at 10:00 PM
- theUngourmet said...
I love goat cheese spread with dark breads like Pumpernickel! This looks wonderful!
- November 16, 2009 at 10:12 PM
- ❀~Myrna~❀ said...
It looks and sounds delish ,it will be great for the upcomimg
~Myrna - November 16, 2009 at 10:16 PM
- Alessandra said...
lovely, I will omit the anchovies for a vegetarian version.... :-)
- November 16, 2009 at 11:50 PM
- My Little Space said...
What a irresistible spread! Just look at all those cheese in the recipe...wooo.... Btw, I finally found out what is butterscotch! hehe.... silly me!
- November 17, 2009 at 3:11 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
Mmm...it looks so hearty and good. I have not had Liptauer in ages.
- November 17, 2009 at 5:02 AM
- Katy ~ said...
Awww, the power of cheese, just like the commercial says. I would love to have a nice swipe of that cheese on some lovely crackers!
- November 17, 2009 at 2:47 PM
- we are never full said...
i feel like an idiot. i actually wanted to comment about this cheese b/c, originally, the title made me laugh out loud. i thought i read "LIPITOR" Cheese spread (like an idiot). You know, Lipitor, the cholesterol medication. And then I realized it was Liptauer...
thanks for the laugh anyways. oh and this does look delish. its the type of app I'd sit with for 20 minutes and then get too full off of! - November 18, 2009 at 5:25 PM
- Julia said...
So wonderful that you don't need to "find" it in the market anymore since you can recreate it at home. Looks like a great recipe with the anchovies and capers!!
- November 19, 2009 at 9:01 AM


text:
The Master Narrative Nobody Dares Admit: Centralization Has Failed
All centralized systems, open and shadow alike, act as heavy taxes on the society and economy. This is why they cannot compete with the forces of networked decentralization.
Resistance, Revolution, Liberation: A Model for Positive Change (print $25)
(Kindle eBook $9.95)
We are like passengers on the Titanic ten minutes after its fatal encounter with the iceberg: though our financial system seems unsinkable, its reliance on debt and financialization has already doomed it.We cannot know when the Central State and financial system will destabilize, we only know they will destabilize. We cannot know which of the State's fast-rising debts and obligations will be renounced; we only know they will be renounced in one fashion or another.
The process of the unsustainable collapsing and a new, more sustainable model emerging is called revolution, and it combines cultural, technological, financial and political elements in a dynamic flux.History is not fixed; it is in our hands. We cannot await a remote future transition to transform our lives. Revolution begins with our internal understanding and reaches fruition in our coherently directed daily actions in the lived-in world.
Thank you, Donald M. ($10), for your most generous contribution to this site--I am greatly honored by your support and readership. |


text:
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- Programming to meet needs which remain unserved by the totality of media voices available to the people of certain nations
- Information about developments in each significant region of the world
- A variety of opinions and voices from within particular nations and regions prevented by censorship or repression from speaking to their fellow countrymen
- Reliable research capacity to meet the criteria under this section
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Voice of America Broadcasts 5
The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts:
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text:
Why do the best weightlifters have short arms? What's the biggest physical challenge that marathon runners face? What kind of advantages do athletes from West Africa — and from Asia — enjoy? Those questions are answered in a great post over at our sister blog, Shots.
Our colleague Adam Cole analyzed information from a range of sources to come up with conclusions about the bodies of Olympic sprinters and rowers, as well as weightlifters and marathon runners.
It's no secret that today's athletes look a bit different than the ones from 100 years ago. Adam explains some of the changes, and the reasons behind them, for a post called "Olympic Bodies: They Just Don't Make Them Like They Used To"
It's irrestible to compare athletes — and because the Olympics has been timing races and other competitions for more than 100 years, it's also possible to do it fairly reliably. The New York Times has a neat feature in which Usain Bolt is compared to every other 100-meter sprint medalist in Olympic history.
The question has also been on the mind of The New Yorker's Anthony Lane, who asks, "What on earth would Leonardo have made of Michael Phelps?"
That would be Leonardo da Vinci, who inspired a current London exhibit titled "Anatomist." Da Vince, Lane predicts, would have been "peeling Phelps apart like a tangerine" to analyze his physique.
And let's not forget ESPN the Magazine, whose "Body Issue" asked several Olympic and pro athletes probing questions about their bodies — such as, "Is there a part of your body you wish were bigger or smaller?"
As we posted yesterday, you can see how YOU compare to athletes' bodies, by entering your height and weight in a handy BBC interactive chart.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Like with most things in life there are new trends that come and go, but one new trend, within interior design, which I think is here to stay is Floor Tiles. They have been available for years and it wouldn't be a surprise to find them in the bathroom of most houses. But today you can also find them in the kitchen, hallways and conservatories.
The most common materials chosen were carpets, then everyone got on board with the idea of laminate flooring and if your budget allowed real wood flooring. Now more and more people are choosing floor tiles. But why? Below are the main reasons why I believe you should follow the crowd and consider them for your home:
Modern Look – Floor Tiles in other rooms such as Hallway, kitchen and other rooms in house is a relatively new concept and more popular. Therefore to keep you home in touch with modern taste and designs then you should look into Tiling. Picture yourself walking into the hallway of a house with light coloured flooring leading all the way through to the kitchen with the same floor tiles. It creates a modern, open and classy look that all your guests will notice.
Choice – A massive reason why floor tiles are highly sought after is because of the amount of styles and colour choices available. Whether you're looking for a neutral stone affect or basic white tiles to create a fresh, modern look there are many variations available. You could also choose quartz tiles which have shiny metallic pieces inlaid within the tile which sparkle in the light. So if you're looking for that something different and trying to give your room that WOW factor then this could be the option for you.
Add Value – If you have installed floor tiles and you're selling your house, they will help add value. They are classed as a luxury material and as they create such a great modern look that will make your house more attractive to potentials buyers, it will add value. Plus it could be the deciding factor in the sale of your house.
Easier to Clean – A very good bonus is how much easier they are to clean. You spill red wine on a carpet then you got a hard job of removing the stain. If you spill red wine on tiled flooring you'll be finished cleaning within a few minutes. Plus general cleaning is easier, as carpets are proven to hold all sorts of bacteria no matter how many times you hoover. They are great for pets as-well, as all the hair and dirt that comes with them can be easily brushed up.
Floor Tiling will always look amazing and not ages too much, whereas carpets can, with time, start to look faded and dated. So floor tiles should be the only choice when you thinking of what flooring to have in your home.


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An affordable solution for recreational applications. Perfect size for tailgating,camping and power tool use.
Generac's OHV engine with splash lubrication provides a long engine life.
Large-capacity steel fuel tank with incorporated fuel gauge provides durability and extended run times.
Low-oil level shutdown automatically safeguards engine from damage.
Hardened steel tube cradle for added durability and strength.
Fold-down handle for sturdy portability and compact storage.
Heavy-duty, never-flat wheels for reliable portability.
CSA and CARB Certified.