McDaldno

[Perfect] You Start at the Top.

2009-11-12T01:42:10Z

Thought, on Perfect, that I have never had before (amazingly): Why do you start with weak abilities and focus on "character advancement"?

That's crazy talk.
Instead, you should start with good, powerful abilities and they should get fucked up over the course of play.

So, that's how it's going to be. Hurray!

On the subject of Go Play

2009-06-26T14:19:21Z

IT'S TIME TO LEAVE!

People who will be there, I'll see you at the feast!
People who already know about my mystery project: it's almost finished! STOPPIN' BY AT STAPLES!
People who don't already know about it: ONLY $3!

OH MY GOD! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[imagine this as a folk-punk tune that borrows from Dropkick Murpheys]

So give my regards
to everyone who's touched my heart -
If I make it back alive, then
that's just swell.

But if I should drown
before making it to town
at least I know I'll see the best 'a ya when I
get to hell!

Nominate me, someone.

2009-06-24T15:10:29Z

http://www.flamesrising.com/gencon-2009-send-a-friend

Send me to Gencon.

LIFE GOALS REDUX

2009-06-22T19:33:10Z

Today I went to a music store, told them I wanted to become a fiddle player.
Learned a bit about fiddles, and learned that they wanted to sell me a Gilga Genial.
Went back to work, found the same model (new) online for half the price.
Ordered it.

I am unemployed all summer, and it's my goal to become an amazing fiddler, and start a folk-punk band.
Cool.

!!!!!!!!

2009-06-18T16:22:37Z

Transition Plans: Done.
Report Cards: Done.
Resources: Organized.
Testing: Recorded.
Office: Semi-Deconstructed.
Storage Binders: 2 left to tweak.

I have 7 days in which to do nothing.
So far this week, it's been a lot of poetry writing, compulsive email checking, Ribbon Drive coordinating, shopping, and occasional fits of work. Mostly, I've just been killing time and these reports have been writing themselves.

So excited about leaving.

[Ribbon Drive] Another artist secured!

2009-06-11T22:46:04Z

Maria in the Shower have okayed me including "Consequence" on the Ribbon Drive mix CD.

Am right now talking with Jess Hill about including one of her songs.

7 things, all good.

2009-06-10T19:40:34Z

1.) 266 minutes of teaching time left in the year!

2.) Today, for lunch, I went down to W 4th and went to Las Margaritas. Had Chicken Flautas, which were really good. Looked at my watch upon finishing, expecting it to warn me that I needed to be back at school in 5 minutes. Turns out I had a remaining 45 minutes.

3.) Found this beautiful, secluded, quiet walking path (converted from the old rail tracks) between 4th and 8th, along Arbutus. Is gorgeous. Did love.

4.) On the way back to school, realized that no one in Vancouver tags "prolific". Made up a sweet tag for it, which looks vaguely communist. Which I like. Am considering ways to make it look more commie, and will post the results upon arriving at home.

5.) I have a girlfriend, we are awesome together, life is beautiful.

6.) I depart for Go Play in roughly 2 weeks + 2 days + 2 hours.

7.) Last night me, Daniel and two of my roommates (Kaleigh and Stef) started a game of Ribbon Drive. Due to time constraints, we decided to resolve the trip in a second session (this Thursday). A man caught in the past, his idealistic and estranged son, his doesn't-feel-appreciated wife, and a random hitchiker who reminds him of a childhood love (the real destination of his trip) all head from Vancouver to Lotus, Saskatchewan for a funeral. So good.

My character, who I have memorized:
Carla Harvey (bartender, mid-forties, a redhead whose fire is smouldering)
Don't reproach me!
I can mix anything, so long as its whiskey
Laughs like a foghorn
Future: I will open my own diner soon
Future: I am going to start appreciating poetry again

I succeeded at my second Future right at the end of the first session, which means I'm not the Protagonist. So far, no one else has resolved any Futures either way.

[Perfect] ANGSTY DOUBT!

2009-06-08T16:15:59Z

I'm having trouble being motivated to finish Perfect 2.
Primarily, because I've played it a lot and taken from it what I want to.

And people are like, "You should publish it!"

And I'm having trouble finding that motivation.
Also, I'm changing it so frequently that I forget what's good about it.

So, like, I guess this is me pandering for support and guidance from those who've played Perfect and/or not?

[Ribbon Drive] Soundtrack addition!

2009-06-04T21:26:59Z

You Say Party! We Say Die! just gave me permission to include "Poison".

SO PUMPED ABOUT THIS MIX.

The Decimation of Small Things
Theme: apocalypse, reckoning, reaching the end

Currently:
1. Toward Oblivion, xox
2. the devil & my family, Ghost Mice
3. The Innsmouth Look, Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
4. used up burnt out ROUGH, Hard Feelings
5. Poison, You Say Party! We Say Die!
6. Falling Out Of Windows, Tuck
7. The Rifle, June Madrona
8. 20 Minutes of Oxygen, Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
9. Portland, Chris Clavin

[Ribbon Drive] Soundtrack Updates

2009-06-02T20:31:28Z

Ghost Mice (and Chris Clavin's solo work) are on the o-fish Ribbon Drive mix now!!!

"The Devil & My Family", Ghost Mice
"Portland", Chris Clavin
"Falling Out Of Windows", Tuck
"The Rifle", June Madrona
"Towards Oblivion", xox
"20 Minutes of Oxygen", Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
"The Innsmouth Look", Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
"used up burnt out ROUGH", Hard Feelings

Possible mix titles: Reckoning Songs, Reckoning Fits, The Ending, Reckonings & Endings, The Decimation of Small Things.

Which do you like most?
Personally, I'm into Reckoning Fits at the moment, but only because I thought it up most recently.

[Ribbon Drive / Perfect] UPC codes?

2009-05-28T16:10:26Z

Hey,

I'm gearing up to publish Ribbon Drive, and know that Perfect will be released within a year.
Should I buy bar codes for these products?

It lets me sell through Amazon and some retailers.

It would cost me $110 for 2 bar codes, or $120 for 3.
Those're the cheapest I've found so far.

People who've published stuff with bar codes: is it worth it?
People who've published stuff with bar codes: are there cheaper?
People: advice?

[Don't Rest In Shadows] Update.

2009-05-27T20:56:03Z

Here's what I've written of Don't Rest In Shadows thus far:

Introduction (6 short paragraphs)

Secrets:
Secret of Hypnochondria, Secret of Red Things Obey Me, Secret of Shadow Jumping, Secret of Bat Wings, Secret of Animal Speak, Secret of the Mentor, Secret of the Master Plan, Secret of Primacy.

Antagonistic Keys:
Key of Vampiric Assassins, Key of Troll-Thing, Key of the Savant Guard, Key of Ribbon Fox, Key of The Torches.

Bold stuff, I wrote today.
Yay!

[Ribbon Drive] Mix CD Additions

2009-05-25T02:45:23Z

Just now, June Madrona (a folksy band from Olympia) just agreed to put a song on the Ribbon Drive Mix CD I'm making up.

The CD, like all RD mixes, has a particular theme.
The theme is apocalypse / oblivion / reckoning / giving in.
The title isn't solidified yet, but might be: "Props to the End Times", "The Decimation of Small Things", or "Reckoning Songs".

Anyways, the current songs on the CD are:
"The Rifle", June Madrona (http://www.myspace.com/junemadrona)
"Toward Oblivion", xox (Jackson Tegu's solo project; no link)
"20 Minutes of Oxygen", "The Innsmouth Look", The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets (http://www.myspace.com/darkestofthehillsidethickets)
"used up burnt out ROUGH", Hard Feelings (http://www.myspace.com/toothextratction)

I've contacted Tuck (www.myspace.com/tuckvancouver) and their lead singer is talking to the rest of the band about letting me use "Falling Out Of Windows".

I've contacted a few other bands (You Say Party! We Say Die!, Library Voices) that I've yet to hear back from. Hopefully I can pull this together! I think so. Still searching for other bands to contact. Thoughts?

Dostoevskyan Murder Ballad

2009-05-25T01:15:55Z

I've updated it:

http://joepub.fileave.com/Dostoevskyan Murder Ballad v1.3.pdf

People have loved this game in the past.

It has consistently delivered on its promise of depraved and petty stories about Russian low lifes, wallowing in pity and guilt and doubt. FUN!

A delightful romp through pathos.

Join me.

[Ribbon Drive] Musicians Secured For The Mix!

2009-05-22T16:17:28Z

So, definitely on the mix are:

Hard Feelings (used up burnt out ROUGH)
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets (20 Minutes of Oxygen, The Innsmouth Look)
xox (Toward Oblivion)

Awaiting reply from:

You Say Party! We Say Die! (I really want to use Poison)
Library Voices (I really want to use Things We Stole From Vonnegut's Grave)
some others.

[Ribbon Drive] Know any cool musicians?

2009-05-22T02:45:34Z

Hey all,

Ribbon Drive is going to be published with a mix CD.
I'm contacting artists right now, looking for the rights to include their songs.

So far, I have permission from The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets and xox (Jackson Tegu's solo project).
I'm looking for other bands, and if you know any groups that (a.) are friendly, (b.) are easily contactable, (c.) would lend well to a mix CD with the theme "End of the World", let me know about them. I'm thinking that I want to populate the mix with some moody indie rock vibes, but I'm really flexible. I'm contacting a band that bills themselves as Gothic / Reggae on myspace.

Ideally, you'll say, "Hey, Joe... I have these close personal friends that'd love a bit of exposure, and they're really cool about supporting artistic projects. Their stuff sounds like [link], and I could put you in touch with them!"

joepub @ 2009-05-21T08:03:00

2009-05-21T15:00:31Z

Tell me this isn't an awesome script idea:

Economic Depression

John Cusak, Alan Rickman and Nicholas Cage didn't mean to hurt any one. But when their high-stakes bank robbery went wrong, they killed 6 cops and 2 civilians. And then they (successfully) fled to Mexico with over a million dollars.

But shortly after reaching their promised land, with their promised rewards, John Cusak and Alan Rickman are plagued with moral quandry. They reach the decision to turn themselves in. How, though, will they clear this with Nicholas Cage? Well! When Nicholas catches wind of their plan, he attempts to put the group in lockdown. He knows what'll happen to him if the other two members of the Bloodbath Trio turn themselves in. Even the offer of keeping all the money to himself won't dissuade him.

So, most of the movie is spent in a ritzy Mexican resort, where John Cusak and Alan Rickman plumb the depths of guilt, and Nicholas Cage scores the heights of frustration. And in the end, they come up with a brilliant solution: fake the death of Nicholas Cage.

ENDING SEQUENCE: Alan Rickman switches the duds for real bullets. Nicholas Cage dies. There's a scene of the depressed John Cusak shocked at the savage behaviour of the depressed Alan Rickman.

John: I thought you were looking for redemption!
Alan: No. Just punishment.

Then there's a final shot where they're strolling out of the sunset, into the cop station, hands in the air.

[Ribbon Drive] EDITORS?

2009-05-20T20:48:38Z

Dear people who edit things,
Do you want to edit Ribbon Drive y/n?

if mi writting culd use sum check-over, because it has bin awhile sins i rote a nice texts!!

The details:
It is 5,515 words, though I might touch up a few things tonight, thus altering the count.
I am publishing it quite soon, barring unforseen disruption.
It is written in first-person plural (like, "we"... that's what I mean) mostly, so if that'd irk you, don't offer.
It is a hippy-ish game. The term "structured freeform" wasn't being thrown around when I started it, but that term might apply.
I want both hack-n-slash grammatical editing and content editing, though not necessarily from the same person.
I will give you a free copy of the final product, and a shout-out.

Gardening Successes, last week

2009-05-20T18:29:54Z

1.) Tore up a section of fence that blocked in a garden bed (who fences themselves out of their own garden? my yard is bizarre).
2.) Tore up the bed, prepared it for planting.
3.) With Kaleigh, planted looseleaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, pumpkins, beets, zucchini, kale, chives.
4.) Dug a new bed in the spare lot.
5.) Planted radishes, carrots and cabbage in the spare lot.
6.) Bought plants: roma tomato, thai dragon pepper, cucumber.

To do:

1.) Dig up a third bed in the spare lot.
2.) Plant bell peppers, cucumber, brussel sprouts, remaining carrots.
3.) Plant cilantro in the big planter.
4.) Tear up the final bed on our property.

mix CD.

2009-05-16T21:13:27Z

What, shit, what? We're robbing a bank?
A ska / punk opera

We're angry and broke.
LAX, Big D & The Kids Table
Selfish Man Live in LA, Flogging Molly
Open Your Eyes, Goldfinger

This is going to change the world, right?
Depleted Salvo, Mad Caddies
What Goes Around Comes Around, Catch 22
Throw a Bomb, Mustard Plug

This is it, kids. Get ready.
9mm and a three-piece suit, Catch 22
Romper Stomper, The Transplants

Hit the ground, sheep!
The Crowd, Operation Ivy
Nobody Wins at the Laundromat, Mad Caddies

Shit, the pigs are here!
So You Wanna Be A Cop, Leftover Crack
Everything Goes Numb, Streetlight Manifesto

FIGHT!
Fist VS Tact, Mxpx
Out of Control, Rancid
One Dead Cop, Leftover Crack
Vulnerability, Operation Ivy

Get the fuck out of here!
Skate & Destroy, Gray Matter
One Way Out, The Allman Brothers Band

Final Summation?
Missing Words, The Selecter
If And When We Rise Again, Streetlight Manifesto

ARTIST NEEDED

2009-05-15T16:45:01Z

I want to publish Ribbon Drive for Go Play NW.

I want it to include cool art.

I'm thinking photo manipulations of open road / road trip pictures.

Does anyone have an artist to reccomend me?

All safe on the anti-consumerist front.

2009-05-15T16:35:32Z

Recent successes in stepping away from my giant spending habits:

1.) Have constructed 2 new garden beds in the past week, both of which will be dedicated to vegetables.
2.) Have started keeping a journal of all money spending. May 14 had a total of >$4.00 (coffee + lunch), excluding groceries. I'm aiming to make May 15th a $0 day.
3.) Wrote a post at BWC about personal economic dependency.
4.) Am planning to go guerrilla gardening with Kaleigh tonight.

Recent failures in stepping away from my giant spending habits:
1.) Have been craving pizza like nobodies business (nobody's?).
2.) Have shared with others a lot of their food they've brought into the house (Steph's pizza, George's Doritos, Tess' beer). Depending on others is way worse than depending on money, perhaps.

Buried.

2009-05-11T18:54:50Z

I've posted a couple times on Buried Without Ceremony, my other blog, for those of you who are interested:

Permission
My "About" page, which is linked at the bottom of the home page. A bunch of trite, poetic "mission statement" nonsense, of course.

Setting New Priorities
In which I break down what I'm looking for in life, and in stories. Like the Permission page, but more concrete and involving some links.

Imaginary Funerals
In which I explore what I perceived to be the core of story games: creating experiences that we never live through. I explore a quote from Malcolm Sheppard, share where the title "Buried Without Ceremony" comes from, and talk about the joy of having a valuable experience that we don't owe anything to.

Trust, Criticism and Traipsing
In which I explore the two types of criticism that exist within an artistic process (not product), and which one is good. Preference beats approval, because approval generates dangerous negative space that hampers the artistic process overall.

The Internet Already Exists
A links post, in which I refer people to Play Passionately's Introduction, The College of Mythic Cartography's page on Fluency vs. Knowledge, Malcolm Sheppard's beautiful rant on how roleplaying games create experiences and what that implies, Vincent Baker's thoughts on what suspense means, in terms of narrative structure, and finally, The Centre for Nonviolent Communication's laundry list of human needs.

Blank The Police [SWTO]
The first of the [Stories We Tell Ourselves] series, I use the example of law enforcement to explore how we constantly construct narratives that in turn define us and our worldview. How does our view of police officers underscore the communities we create and the way we view authority? Also, I go into how law enforcement and crime are both hugely based in stories.

Discord, Discourse and Meaningless Interactions
A look at how moshing (as well as other stuff: breakcore, surrealist movies, spinning around a room) is a meaningless discourse and why we might engage in a meaningless discourse. Those reasons include release, an instability of perception and ilinx play.

There's been some really cool conversations, especially on Imaginary Funerals and Blank The Police. D,D&MI just went up today, but I'm hoping it gets taken in cool directions too.

I've noticed that no one from my LJ list has jumped over there. I'd like it if you did!
Ben, break your rule.

[Ribbon Drive] Where were you?

2009-05-08T17:59:04Z

I still can't hear the word "Dakota," save intertwined with "Apocalypse" and "road trip".
Time After Time takes place in a kitchen, just him, her, Cindy Lauper and three unconscious punk rock kids.
Margaret vs. Pauline ends at the outskirts of Aberdeen.
The World Is Yours is a song about going back to Georgia for a funeral and a reunion.
San Francisco is a distant city, full of high-strung, barely-making-its.
Clubbed To Death is a song about how Margaret doesn't trust Tom anymore.
"The cove" is where we realized that he was already gone; it's where the secret finally came to light.
"Alone in the Universe" is a song about how I can't bring myself to write anymore.

I love how Ribbon Drive fucks with both my geography and my discography.

Bam! Switch-ups.

2009-05-01T19:13:13Z

Hello all.

I've decided to run two different blogs. This one will exist as a venue for posting life updates, discussing cool game ideas, posting updates on my game designs, posting poetry, etc.

The other, Buried Without Ceremony, will exist as a venue for more weighty discussion on living intentionally, shared narrative, and how we interpret experience. These topics will be discussed through the vectors of story games, rewilding, communication methods, and poetry. Because I care about those things a lot.

So I'll still post here, pretty much just as regularly, pretty much in just the same style. But I'll also post there, with my BIG IDEAS. Maybe you care to meet me over there, too?