Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition is coming soon!

I am a huge fan of the enhanced Edition Series of AD&D adventures that are being re-released by Beamdog. My sons and I have had many hours of enjoyment with these games. I'm happy to see Icewind Dale finally getting the "Enhanced" treatment. At the pre-order price of $19.99 you get a lot of game for your dollar.

Check it out at:
The Icewind Dale website

Hero Lab for Pathfinder – Two thumbs up!

I’ve been a fan  of character generator programs since I booted up my first PC. I love the crispness of a nicely formatted character sheet with all the nerdy goodies like a Character portrait, a character journal, a full inventory of equipment- all that stuff.


My absolute favorite was the AD&D 2nd Edition Core rules set. Core rules was wonderful. It was an editable character generator, A map maker, and had all the core books for AD&D available for instant access. It wasn't perfect but it was as near to perfect as one could find (and I still haven't found it equal).


But Hero lab comes close.


Hero lab was my Christmas present to myself this year.  I’m soon going to be playing in a Pathfinder campaign, and to be honest with you, I really hate number crunching. I love the fleshing out and development of a character, but I hate the math. So I invested $29.99 and picked up Hero lab for Pathfinder. And I can report that I’m very satisfied.  I have been playing around with it the last few days and I absolutely love it.


Not only is it a breeze to get up and running, but it guides you through character generation so smoothly you're done in no time at all. And it is customizable to official Pathfinder adventure books. This software has features I haven't even begun to crack yet, I’m just having a great time making characters. 


You know Legends of Steel for ZeFRS is coming out soon- this would be a really nice tool for that one day. 


As soon as I can budget it in I’ll be getting the add-on for Mutants and Masterminds and Savage Worlds!

In the meantime I did up a pair of my Legends of Steel characters as a quick example. here is Anteus the gladiator and his girlfriend Risa  the archer, done for Pathfinder.

So the bottom Line- Hero Lab for Pathfinder gets Two Thumbs Up from the Evil DM. If you pick up a copy, tell them I sent you.

Netbooks for the Lair

Thanks to Evil DM Productions I was able to pick up a pair of ASUS Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbooks for myself and my senior minion who is starting college. we both wanted something lightweight and very portable (The 1000HE fits into my "nerdbag" with plenty of room for my other stuff). This was the first Netbook/laptop for both of us so it was important that it be hassle free, which the 1000HE was. I was up and running straight out of the box. I dumped the pre-packaged bloatware that came with it and uploaded MSOffice and a couple of other applications. I use Skype a lot and my son is on all the social networking sites, the 1000HE handles them great. It runs XP which I like, and the battery lasts around 7 hours so far. I'm not really that computer savvy but I can get around, I did my homework and this was the choice for me and it was a good one. In my opinion I'm getting plenty of bang for the buck, with a system that meets all of our needs.

Make Mine Microsoft!

For the past week or so I have been struggling with trying to get some type of website put together for the up-coming release of Legends of Steel –Savage Worlds Edition. 

Since I started Evil DM Productions I have received lots of offers for website and Logo design. Unfortunately, I really cant afford the prices that I’m being quoted. At least not until I can recoup some of my initial investment.  So I needed to take the “do it yourself” route.

I can cut n paste – drag n drop with the best of them, but when you start talking about source codes and HTML, my eyes just kind of glaze over.

So I not only needed something free but also easy.  My first stop was my usual go to- Google.  I had a crappy site there already and I figured all I needed to do was update it. But then I find out that Google is no longer supporting their Google pages product, though they keep it running for those who want to keep using it. I really didn't want to tie my site to that hitching post.

So then I went to Tripod. And quickly left.

Finally I looked at Microsoft .

Now I’m gonna say something that may cost me a few readers, but fuck it.  I happen to like Microsoft. Nay, I LOVE MICROSOFT!

When I was In college Microsoft Office got me through many a late night.  I know for a fact that Power Point was responsible for at least three A’s based on my final presentation. And if it wasn't for Excel I would have dropped out midway through my statistics class.  And the first computer game I ever bought “Close Combat: A Bridge too far”  was from Microsoft ( I still whip that baby out and run it every so often), and as if I needed one more reason: my XBox360 lets me kick Nazi ass every day with Call of Duty . So yeah, me and Microsoft- tight.

So anyway, I do a lot of stuff on office live. I noticed that office live has a sub site-office live small business. Hey that's exactly what I want to be- a small business. in this suite of stuff they have a website designer. Nothing fancy at all, but it works and its free.

Even with this bare bones, no-frills program It still took me almost two days to hammer something halfway decent out of it.

So here it is.

http://evildmproductions.net/default.aspx

She aint gonna win any beauty contests but she does her job.  Thanks Bill.

More later.

Help a brother out - Vote for Hutt

When I began my Internet journey one of the first groups of people I met were a gang of GI Joe collectors on a list called "Action Heroes". One of the members was Hutt Wigley. It's been over ten years but many of us from that old list are still hanging out together. Hutt has taken his passion for action figures and has combined it with the wizardry of stop motion animation. This contest he's entered has a grand prize of $25,000 and the film gets shopped around to industry folks. This is a great opportunity for Hutt to get some exposure and make some connections in addition to funding for more equipment and future products. Here is a message from Hutt.:

Back in February of 2008, a local (Boise, ID) Hip-Hop artist, called QS the Soul Brother, asked me to create an animated music video for one of his songs. After listening to his catalog of music, I selected the song “Let’s Do It” which QS collaborated on with a rapper named Tone. I created action figure versions of the two musical artists and, using stop-motion animation, placed them in a sort of Indiana Jones-esque pulp adventure setting. Working an average of 6 hours a day, the video took exactly 3 months to complete.



Watch more cool animation and creative cartoons at aniBoom

The music video was shown at the GI JoeFest Stop-Motion Animation Film Festival, and won the 4th place Audience Choice award.

I also entered the video in the annual contest on aniBoom.com which ends December 2nd, 2008. To vote for it and leave comments, go here: http://www.aniboom.com/video/283351/Lets-Do-It/

Thanks for checking it out!

-Hutt Wigley


So there you go folks. Once again a fellow geek needs our help. please check out the video and vote for it. Yes, you do have to register with them to vote but it takes like 2 minutes- and this could be a life changing event for Hutt if he was to win. If you collect comics, action figures or play RPG's you know you have taken some shit from people who think those things are childish, here's a chance to toss it back at them and help a brother out in the process. the animation looks fun but it's a lot of work. Let's help reward hutt's dedication to his hobby.
Thanks.

Vote here.

Free Comic book creator

Off and on for a few years I've played around with a piece of software known as Comic book creator. the software is good for guys like me who just kinda tinker around and post the occasional comic. When it comes to the guys who know what the hell they are doing It seems that the software lags in several areas. Here is one I did a few years back:



A version of their software is know apparently available online for free. The price is right so go check it out.

A couple more freebies

The other day I mentioned some free RPG's for your gaming pleasure. I wanted to follow it up with a couple more offerings that have come to my attention.



Star frontiers remastered is an exceptional effort to revisit one of the grand old games of yesteryear. The folks in charge have been doing an exceptional job of cleaning up and re releasing material for this game and also coming up with a regular offering of new material through their PDF fanzine called the Frontiersman. seriously, all gaming products-free or commercial- should look this good. The newest issue (#9)of the Frontiersman has just been released, you can find it here.



I haven't really had a chance to look into this too much, but for those of you who have trouble making time in real life for a game, Screen Monkey might be just what your looking for. And now Screen Monkey is teaming up with the gamer networking site RPGLife and releasing a free version of their platform. So now you have the means to game online and a place to find other like-minded geeks. It may not be the ideal role playing experience, but for some it may be the only game in town.


This last freebie doesnt have anything to do with gaming but it's a cool freebie I ran across last week. it's a web-based image editor from Finland called Sumo paint. Like I said not strictly gaming but it may come in handy.

The Burning Earth

One of the cool things that action figure hobbyists do is to take their figures and make a photo story. My online Buddy MG did just that with a bargain store "Knock off" of the Max Steel action figure. Actually it's kinda cool in a 1980' Post-Apocalyptic "B Movie" sort of way. I suggested he take the guy and have him fight some mutants or something. Well he did just that. Then I took the pictures he posted and used my comic book creator software to whip up a Comic book of sorts. it took me about an hour and the result aint half bad for a shot in the dark. Enjoy.

And we're back...

Thanks to my good friend Gabe we are back up and running here at the Lair. The crash we experienced was caused by my stupidity more than anything else. Thankfully all of my data was retrievable. I did have to reformat good old “Drive: C”, but that was more of a hassle than a true catastrophe, and in some ways a good thing. I tend to collect a lot of digital garbage, and a good reformat is kind of like a computer colonic.

The State of the Lair

Computer
I picked up another 160GB HD today. I also bought a 2GB pocket flash drive, some antivirus software, and spy ware protection. The new drive will hold all my system stuff and the old drive will be for files and such. I have lots of room now, but I’ll soon rectify that!
I’m hoping that “She who must be obeyed” will soon let me take my nuts down off the wall where she stapled them after the crash, but I’m not pushing it.
I’ll be looking into this thing they call “backing up” as well.

Star Frontiers PBEM
One guy left my PBEM, and he was integral to the story, so I’ll have to see how that goes. Between the holidays and the crash I’m sure the guys in my game feel a bit abandoned, hopefully we can salvage something from it.

Broadsword
Before the crash I was puttering along with the Broadsword expansion. The expansion itself is done, but James wanted three scenarios. I was halfway through completing the first when the crash happened. So I have to wrap my head around that again.

Legends of Steel
My work on Legends of Steel continues, the players section is done and the GM part is almost done. One of the artists I hired hasn’t responded to any emails since before Christmas. I paid her for a couple of pieces of art but haven’t seen or heard anything from her.

Mission Adventure
One of the guys looking over LoS is really pushing me to try writing “Mission: Adventure!” with the LoS rules-set rather than the FASERIP (Aka: four-color) system. He makes a good argument, since I have a system engine in place why use a different one? The LoS engine was primarily built around a low tech campaign, all I need to do is develop firearm, and vehicle rules, swap out magic for Psionics, and add some more contemporary skills.

ZeFRS
I’m really intrigued by this idea of using ZeFRS as the engine for an alternate earth campaign world set in the “Dark Ages”. I found a great deal on EBay for a run of Arak comics and found some more at the local comic store for 50% off. Thanks as well to those of you who wrote in with book tips and suggestions.


Gen Con
One of my favorite quotes is: “If you ever want give God a good laugh, tell him your plans”. Gen Con ain’t gonna happen this year.
After the car wreck I was out of work for almost three months. Not only out of work but out of car as well. Add in the holiday expenses and things were getting a little dicey here at the Lair. I’m back at work, and we are slowly climbing our way out of past due notices, but Gen Con is an extravagance that wont be realized this year. The medical bills are still being incurred and they are being paid, but we are a ways away from any talk of settlement, so for now we just tighten the belt and soldier on, as my littlest minion would say: “Suck it up like Conan daddy!”

Computer update

It looks like tomorrow I'll be getting a new HD for the computer. the Windows on my old HD locks up when it boots. My stuff is still there, I just need a new HD to access it. My Aptiva has stepped in to fill the void while my Dell is down. the Aptiva has given good service but she's old, really old. even stripped down to the bare bones, it takes a while to get anywhere. we can check email and pay bills but thats about it. Needless to say things like LoS, the Broadsword Adventure, and my PBEM have taken a major hit. This all just happens to come at the busiest time of the year at work, so even blog posts have to wait to get done on the lunch hour. I hope to be up again by Sunday. but you know what they say: Hope is a lying bitch.

God bless the "Computer guys"

I need a new hard drive. I have no idea what happened but I'm sure it had something to do with risky downloading. Save your sermons, I've heard them all. It's the chance you take and this time I rolled a "01" and fumbled. Anyway, I got one of those buddies, y'know the kind that has a truck. the one your wife has you call when your getting ready to move. well my "buddy with a truck" is Gabe and he works with computers for a living. He came over with his bag O' tricks and after a bit of doing his "hoodoo" he informed me I'm only partially fucked (which in this instance is a good thing). I cant open Windows as is, but he can get to my stuff. I'm just gonna need a new hard drive. So come payday we is going shopping. I might even get a new video card outta the deal.
Then me and Gabe are gonna go to the best Pizza place in Sac and gorge. I hope to be up to snuff by the end of the month. Until then things might run a bit slow but we are still here.

What the hell??

I have no idea what the hell happened, but today my computer wont work. I'm writing this from the future-tomorrow at work. I turned it on and get to the part where windows loads and then it freezes. I'm thinking virus.

Damn all porn!

anyway, hell of a way to start the New Year. posts will be light until I figure out what the hell is going on. I can still access from work, but this is open enrollment for all my districts, so it's kinda "crunch time" around here.

I'll post as I can.

Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich

When it comes to video games I am so far behind the curve I don't even try. So if you guys have heard of "Freedom Force Vs.The 3rd Reich", you can tune out now (Go flick on the Wednesday Girl tab or something).

I ran across this title months ago over at Kay bee toys. It had this really cool Kirbyesque cover of a guy that looked like "Spirit of 76" punching out a Nazi. Now as big a fan I am of Pulp Games, you know I can always get on board when it comes to punching Nazis, so I picked it up. Unfortunately it sat on my shelf gathering dust until today. I was straightening out the computer desk when Middle Minion Joshua spied it. After some prompting from him and his brother we opened it up and loaded it. Let me tell you folks, this is one cool little game.

You run from one to four Superheroes through a variety of scenarios fighting thugs, Nazis, Commie spies, Axis villains, Space Aliens,and other assorted baddies. You can play various superheroes or create your own (we haven't got to that part yet, since we just started). It's real old school "Four Color" comic book fun. The best part for me is that it's "Kid safe" no blood, hookers, or demonic overtones. It's really a virtual comic book you can play with. the heroes can gain new powers and strengths as you gain experience so there is a nice sense of accomplishment there.
I've heard of "City of Heroes" etc. which probably wipes the street with Freedom Force as far as graphics and doo dads. But for me and the minions it's fun and definitely worth the price (a quick check on Amazon shows it for about five bucks).

Cleaning out the image file

whats on my PC?

In other words I'm too tired to write about anything.

I have quite a few map makers strewn about my hard drive. one of my favorites is still the one that came in the 2nd edition core rules. Man, I wished they would have expanded on it.




Here is an old Kitbash I did with a Remco Warlord figure and a wrestlers head. he makes a decent Dwarf.


This is one of the first maps I ever did of my old homebrew campaign world of Erisa. I actually did this at work on MSPaint. not too shabby.


Kaliman the original Pulp superhero from Mexico!


I love Heromachine. I hear Jeff is working on a new and improved version! I can't wait.




Arnie My Governator.


Just having some fun with the comicbook creator software.


Danger International. Action and Adventure in the BIG 80's!




Viva Villa!

Evil DM Comics

I was reviewing my software the other day and noticed I haven't done anything with comic book creator in a while. so just to refresh myself with the program I tossed a a couple of pages together using some photos in my files. Nothing really intense just kinda putzing around with it. but doing so reminded me what a fun program it is, especially for an amateur like me. CBC has been updated considerably since the last time I played around with it. The pros may prefer Photoshop etc. for REAL projects. but for me CBC is just fine. Click on the pages for a larger view

This never happened with my Aptiva...

We had a big meltdown over Memorial Day weekend my relatively new dell computer decided to give me blue screen hell. It took 5 years for me to suffer a major crash on my Aptiva and less than six months for it to happen on the Dell. And you sure in hell can tell the difference between the sales department and the tech support department. Sales is full of sunshine and promises while tech support can barely speak English (and their tech support is in the U.S., they wouldn’t give me a specific state “for security reasons” Feh.). so needless to say not only did I have to stay on hold for hour long stretches of time, but when I did get to the support, their answer was to wipe my drive clean and start all over. After all is said and done I guess all I can do is keep making backup discs every month. Not a happy Dell customer right now.