You Say Potayto, I Say Potahto

This article is a follow-up to the earlier one about Calidar's Game Mechanics.  Its intent is to suggest a table that helps convert stats listed as percentages into common practical ranges.  In most cases, scores allocated to character or monster statistics in CC1 "Beyond the Skies" are expressed as percentages of practical ranges used in the players’ chosen game system.  For example, a range of scores running from 1-20 is easy to translate from percentiles; on the other hand, the corresponding percent scores aren’t intuitive for a range of 1-36. The table below translates percentile scores into commonly-found numerical ranges. All results are rounded to the closest number.  If you see any other range that ought to be listed in the table below, do let me know.  Thanks!

Table XXX. Range Conversion Chart
%	10 to –10	1–12	1–18	1–20	1–21	1–30	1–36	%
0	10							0
3						1	1	3
5	9			1	1			5
6			1				2	6
7						2		7
8		1					3	8
10	8			2	2	3		10
11			2				4	11
13						4		13
14					3		5	14
15	7			3				15
17		2	3			5	6	17
19					4		7	19
20	6			4		6		20
22			4				8	22
23						7		23
24					5			24
25	5	3		5			9	25
27						8		27
28			5				10	28
29					6			29
30	4			6		9		30
31							11	31
33		4	6		7	10	12	33
35	3			7				35
36							13	36
37						11		37
38					8			38
39			7				14	39
40	2			8		12		40
42		5					15	42
43					9	13		43
44			8				16	44
45	1			9				45
47						14	17	47
48					10			48
50	0	6	9	10		15	18	50
52					11			52
53						16	19	53
55	-1			11				55
56			10				20	56
57					12	17		57
58		7					21	58
60	-2			12		18		60
61			11				22	61
62					13			62
63						19		63
64							23	64
65	-3			13				65
67		8	12		14	20	24	67
69							25	69
70	-4			14		21		70
71					15			71
72			13				26	72
73						22		73
75	-5	9		15			27	75
76					16			76
77						23		77
78			14				28	78
80	-6			16		24		80
81					17		29	81
83		10	15			25	30	83
85	-7			17				85
86					18		31	86
87						26		87
89			16				32	89
90	-8			18	19	27		90
92		11					33	92
93						28		93
94			17				34	94
95	-9			19	20			95
97						29	35	97
100	-10	12	18	20	21	30	36	100

The Countdown is On

It's about to go live... www.StrangerSkies.com 

See you there!

Happy Gary Gygax Day!

Shame on Wallpart.com Updated 7/30/15

These people are thieves. 

They reprint in poster format images people find on the internet -- for profit and without permission. It is a clear violation of copyright laws (despite what they claim).  This illicit business needs to stop immediately. I'm appealing to all fans, artists, and publishers, indies or otherwise, to join the :: Change.org :: campaign against this practice.  If you happen to be one of those people supporting their business, first off "shame on you as well for aiding and abetting," and be advised that what they sell is taken straight from the internet, which means documents are most likely produced from low resolution files.  Also be aware they ship their garbage from China, which costs more than the posters themselves. 

Do you *really* want to trust criminals with your credit card info? 

Please share this article as much as possible, with artists you know.  Thanks!

Update: July 11th, 2015

I contacted a group called :: Piracy Solution :: about Wallpart:com, and chatted with Kelley Manley working there.  He stated that his group is prepared to address the issue (such as handling dmca requests) on a pro bono basis as a service to the art community. You can contact him at info [@] piracysolution [.] com.  If you are an artist and you can see your art showing up on Wallpart:com, you may want to follow this route.  Be sure to save a screen shot of search results showing your art being sold there, without your permission.  I am not personally involved with or related to this group; I am merely forwarding the information.  Kelly has given me written permission to post this information publicly.

Update: July 13th, 2015

I found this site in the UK that goes even further than my article in their accusations.  You might want to have a look.  Click here. Meanwhile the petition against this site as reached 25,816 signatures as of this morning. Thanks for your support.  Please do pass the word!

Update: July 25th, 2015

I received a good deal of information from Alma Soto (Mamasoto) today (see attached G+ comments). In short, he's confirmed the illicit nature of that site.  I'd found out earlier that its business was being routed through a Russian site, and that the risks of phishing there were very high--in other words avoid that site.  Here is what he suggested: "Just contact the ICANN, attn. Alena Keirstead, the ICANN Registrar for the support team of http://www.INTERNET.bs Corp. You can send her your info, links of violation, proof links of the work and screenshots to show them what these guys are doing so they can stop them. The more they get hit with this information the better and faster we may see some action (. . .)"
The email address :: abuse (at) internet (dot) bs ::

Update: July 30th, 2015

Here's more information.  The offending web site is really more about phishing.  It targets professional photographers.  A good article was recently published about this (click here).  Here's an excerpt: "This contact form is the whole purpose of the Poster Shop's website.  The contact form is a phishing platform that is used to spam the user and potentially infect their computer with malware and who knows what other nasty adware and spyware.  (...)"   Whatever you do, run your anti-malware/spyware apps to clean your computer after visiting that site. 

Gary Con 2015

Now this was a fine vintage!

Although I attended in a most relaxed fashion, I spent more time at the convention than I ever did.  Then again, it was the first year that I hosted events.  I showed up Thursday and played a. . . game.  Imagine that!  (I forgot the title of course).  Sitting in the open gaming area, facing toward the lake  in back of the resort, I enjoyed the mist-shrouded landscape as much as the game itself.  We all finished within one victory point of each other.  I was brave enough then to drive away for lunch, leaving my parking spot open some someone else (yes, good parking space comes at a premium at Geneva Ridge).  The resort isn't really designed for a convention, but it's part of its charm.  I headed over to the Delavan inlet, and grabbed a giant calzone at Jojo's.  No way I could eat all of that, so half ended up in the styrofoam doggie box.  It was cold enough outside I didn't worry about the food going bad.  Miraculously, I found another parking spot when I returned.

After a quick chat with Dale Leonard, I received a much desired pass for a VIP parking slot in front of the entrance.  That was a nice touch.  While taking many pictures, I bumped into many old friends.  Time for my seminar came around very quickly.  With convention success come greater challenges: due to lack of space, seminars had been relegated to. . . the bar.  Ouch.  Between 6 and 8 pm, it was pretty noisy there.  And, I managed to misplace my reading glasses.  Great.  Without them, there was no way I could decipher my notes.  A fellow attendee kindly loaned me his.  That made for a rather bumpy seminar.  I'm told seminars will be handled at another location next year, but the exact place remains up in the air, since that's still being negotiated.  I believe seminars will end up in downtown Lake Geneva.  There already is a shuttle service to The Cove, where many participants have their rooms, since not everyone can stay at the Geneva Ridge resort (it is hopelessly full!)  It would make sense therefore that seminars be held nearby, Lake Geneva being a conveniently small town.

Leviathan

I just ran across a post showing a preview of the upcoming SF movie “The Leviathan.” The art is striking in its own right, but for me it really hits home since this parallels one of my original concepts for the World of Calidar. Click here for the original article about this movie, so you’ll know what I’m talking about. I couldn't help make the analogy with a Ghülean grön. Picture Calidaran wind-driven skyships instead of anti-grav gunboats. Replace energy blasters with wizard spells. Imagine tattered, orcish standards fitted on the leviathan, along with defensive turrets for war-machines, and a few metal plates bolted on the beast's skin. Now multiply the leviathan times the number of Ghülean hordes flying through the clouds.

For good measure, I took my original description from CAL1 and posted it here.

These creatures are native of Ghüle, the orcs’ alien world. They are colossal, grossly fat, mangy worms partially covered with gray fur except where orcs have bolted armor plates onto them. Orcish standards and the bones of defeated monsters sometimes adorn the beasts. Like those on humpback anglerfish, appendages with glowing lures extend from the top of the gröns’ monstrous heads. Two huge, greenish eyes complete the picture. Gröns vary from the size of small galleys to something large enough to swallow several thousand orcs and their war machines.