Mapping Out Success

Since getting the projector (the coolest house warming gift, by the way), I’ve been scouring the net for different programs that will allow at-the-table mapping with ease and little money.  Well, as of now, I haven’t seen much in the way that would conform to those standards.  NeverWinter Nights seems to have a fantastic map generator, but the requirements to run the program are steep, and the learning curve is a little higher than I would like.  I’m not sure how fast I would be able to generate a map on the spot if I needed.

Then there’s Dunjinni.  The app allows for some fantastic map making, but like NWN it is not conducive to quick creation.  I couldn’t justify the price tag to buy a program where I’d have to create the scenes prior to the session.  We simply have to many encounters that are out of scope, or in different locations, due to the group’s wide area of choices and alternatives.  Believe me, some of the directions you guys take the story in are beyond me (and that’s not a bad thing at all)!  In short, I don’t want to railroad the battles for the sake of some cool maps.

Enter DungeonForge.  This is a very cool app that is detailed enough to make the projection interesting, extremely easy to use so that immediate maps can be drawn, and it’s free.  What’s the catch?  Well, while I’ve been able to make some amazing maps, the program is extremely buggy.  Sometimes, the map exports don’t work, other times I receive memory errors.  Why, oh why?!  Just when I’ve found the perfect app!

I would try it out (especially you, Sammy) and see what you think.  You can find the download at www.dungeonforge.com (you’ll need to register in order to access it).  I’m going to continue my search for a map creation program before we get our projector set up, but in the meantime, I’ll add to the DungeonForge community and report any bugs I find.  With any luck, the devs over there will patch the program up as time allows and a more stout product will be the result.  So download the app, keep your eyes peeled and we’ll see everyone next weekend!

Lest We Forget

Five years after the World Trade Center attack on September 11, its effects can still be seen as they are echoed down throughout the years.  Regardless of your stance on the current war on terror, or the residual issues that have arisen as a result of the Trade Center bombings, please use today to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom, or lost them on that tragic day.

To the firefighters and law enforcement who gave their lives that day, to the victims and their families, and to all of the servicemen and women overseas protecting our freedoms, you will be in our prayers and thoughts. 

Yesterday, we watched a fantastic documentary on CBS entitled simply “9/11″.  Shot from the camera of a filmmaker who went to New York in order to make a chronicling of a young fireman’s rise through the ranks of acceptance within his station, he was thrown right into the thick of the attacks.  The footage was absolutely stunning, many of the shots take from inside the building as it was crashing down.  Powerful and meaningful, the documentary in its entirety can be seen here:

http://www.cbs.com/innertube/player.php?cat=112614&vid=112618

It was a potent reminder of the evils in this world, and the brave and unyielding forces that continue to fight against it.

Before You Crash, Back Up

Yes, it happened again.  And like the many times before, I did not have the foresight to create a backup of my critical files.  Somehow, I was subject to a nasty little program that rendered my computer useless, despite the many precautions I had taken to keep it safe.  Windows Defender, Symantec Corporate and Windows Firewall could do nothing to stop the malicious actions of said virus/trojan/worm. 

Luckily for me (in the context of work), and luckily for you (in the context of gaming), we had purchased this website.  I was able to use the FTP address of this site to copy all of my perishable files for both business and fun, saving a great future aggravation.  I was able to recover many of the files I use for gaming, all of my work files, and a majority of miscellaneous chaos I have collected over the months.  Long story short, this crash (coupled with my week-long vacation) has been the reason for the long time-lapse in between posts. 

One of the victims of this crash was our last website, as well as any of the flash movies I had tied to that site.  I was hoping to archive them here in case anyone wanted to download them, but that will be quite difficult now.  If anyone has saved them somewhere, it would be awesome if you could email those to me.  I don’t expect that to be the case, but I have to ask.  Regardless, I’ll be making an effort to practice what I preach when it comes to securing data from now on.

That being said, we’ve decided on our next session – a whopping 2-day event that will occur on October 7th and 8th.  To my knowledge, this is the first time we’ve done a back-to-back session, so I’m really going to have to pull out all of the stops when it comes to storyline.  This should leave some room for plenty of good role-playing and interesting combat, so my expectations are pretty high.  Let the countdown begin!