Knockaround Thoughts from Knighthawk

Engaged!!!

2009-03-17T13:56:04Z

Ok, because I've posted it just about everywhere else, I'm posting it here too. I am engaged now! I proposed to Mandy on 3.14.09 (Pi Day) and over a game of Descent: Journey into Darkness. I thought you guys might all be eager to know!

Now...that being said. I'm not sure if I'll be posting here anymore.
LJ represents several girlfriends-parts of my life that I'd really rather not keep revisiting. I am going to keep the LJ up because it's got a storage of my game ideas, but not much beyond that.

In addition, it also represents all the people who either I don't talk to, or don't talk to me. It's also a culmination of years and years of whining and bitching and moaning.

So let me leave you with these words: Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. BEEFCAKE!

Still Alive

2009-03-05T15:09:03Z

Nope, not in reference to Portal...but still here, still alive. If you guys wanna find me, I'm on Facebook...yes...I'm now a Facebook whore. Or you can keep tabs on me at RPGBOMB.COM Drop me a line, I'm easy to find. And if you are interested in joining RPGBOMB.COM, let me know, I could use the referals ^_^

A year in review:

2008-12-27T03:59:48Z

So...it's been a hell of a year.

Let's see, I got my car broken into and had a good chunk of my life stolen. From the fallout of that, I've resumed contact, though a bit unsteady. I've solidified several new friendships.

My relationship with Mandy is solid and continuing to progress nicely. She's moved in with me, and we continue to talking about the future.

I have a steady job now. I've left GOT JUNK and gotten a job teaching kids to drive.

Blood and Leather is finished, and awaits publishing.

Now I'm house hunting.

Obama wins?!

2008-11-05T04:20:49Z

Wow...ok...so history is being made here...and seriously, I'm glad to see that we've got our first black president. Obama 297 vs. McCain 135 (306 vs 146 at the time McCain conceeded) It's amazing knowing that we've really come about, had a high voter turn out and our votes really mattered.

Now, I'm sure most of you are waiting for the other shoe to drop...and here it comes: I am a little disappointed that CNN declared California for Obama before their votes even registered on any website!

So now...now we move into a new era...one where Obama-Biden will run this country for the next 4 years. I am hoping that he lives up to what he promised, that we pull out of this economic situation, and that, at least in general, this country gets better.

Here's hoping.

Some birthday wishes I forgot to send:

2008-09-16T22:17:07Z

Hey all, I realize it's a bit late, but I wanted to send out some B-Day wishes:
Jared Hume and Lynne Emonds...back from July. Happy birthday to you both!

That's all.

On the job hunt again....sigh

2008-09-09T17:40:46Z

So, I had a huge laundry list of "TO-DO"'s...I got them done, but instead of working on OXEN like I wanted to, I've resumed my job searching. Now, before some of you freak and think I lost my cushy Driving Instructor's job, that's not the case. I've still got it (actually just got a raise no less!) Unfortunately, due to the school year restarting, my hours have been drastically cut back, so the insane amount of O.T. I've racked up, has ceased. I've started searching for film work again. I actually just put in for DP / Editor of an upcoming short to be filmed at the end of October (for 500$ but still, gotta start somewhere!). I don't have that one yet, but I'm hoping. More news to come as it becomes appropriate.

1knighthawk @ 2008-06-23T00:28:00

2008-06-23T04:31:03Z

So apparently Erica Henderson got work with Harmonix...and I really don't give a crap. I probably should, but considering her snubbings and general bitchiness (not just to myself, but to a number of others I know) I can't help but throw my hands up in the air and say "so fucking what".

Honestly, it's a shame that the friendship between her and I, one that had been established for more than 4 years crumbled like that. It really sux. Oh well.

Nuff said. Catch ya'll later.

Blood and Leather Art Arrived!!!

2008-06-17T03:29:46Z

My Blood and Leather art arrived! Let the final steps begin!! WOOT!!

In Maryland

2008-05-24T14:32:33Z

Almost back from vacation, more later

Yesterday:

2008-05-04T16:20:52Z

Ok, so yesterday was extremely long.
I had 2 new students yesterday I was teaching, one very good, one ...umm...not so good. So that took up the first 4 hours or so of my day.
After that Mandy and I finally met up with my father at Michael's Diner on Rt. 1 (if you know, you know, if you don't, don't worry about it). That was kind of an interesting experience. I'm not sure exactly how to read my father's impressions of either me, her, or the situation... I find it interesting we both showed up with something for the other person. I had handed him a coffee table book of 1950's automobiles (American, of course) and he gave us a bag of fresh basil (I gotta figure out what I'm gonna make to start using it up before it goes bad!) Mandy has expressed concern that I was "talking too much" though my father was able to get more than a few words in edgewise. I realize that by and large Mandy was unfortunately cut out of the conversation. That kinda sucked.
After that (yeah, there's more), we headed up to Mt. Arlington to meet up with Cameron and Alan. That was definitely a good time. Mandy took us all geeking out in stride, that's a good thing. We caught Iron Man (OMG! AMAZING! Definitely one of the better Marvel movies lately!) I have to admit, my opinion regarding the new Incredible Hulk movie has been changed.
After that we hit Ruby Tuesday and played Rock Band. Cameron should never sing..that's all I gotta say about that.

So that was yesterday. Catch ya'll later.

NEW INTERVIEW FROM DEXCON IS ONLINE!!!

2008-05-01T00:17:42Z

Check this out!!

Post-Ubercon Report:

2008-04-28T15:24:24Z

I realize I haven't been posting a lot lately, but I've been seriously busy...so sorry for that up front.

So this past weekend was ubercon, and now i've gotta do my report on that.

Well, first off, this is the first time I've ever gone to a convention while Passover was in effect, so that was interesting...and a tad difficult, which makes having stayed at Mandy's instead of the hotel much more appealing and a bigger relief.

Attendance:
Frankly, the place seemed dead. Ubercon used to be a much larger convention, this time it seemed especially tiny. I dunno what that means for their future, but well, there you are. I've heard they're moving to the Radisson in Parsipanny...we'll see what it looks like before I decide if I'll attend that one or not. I think it's getting a little much that the convention keeps moving all over the place, but I've never organized a convention so I don't know the logistics, so I'm not really in a good position to criticize I suppose.

SWAG:
I got some good swag this time around! I picked up D6 Adventure (I can taste Hotfoot's Jealousy from here), Star Wars Miniatures rulebook, and Stormbringer - The RPG. I also got some cool miniatures in my swag bag and a pop-out, build a dragon model kit (Think like Pirates of the Spanish Main type). Mandy managed to get more fuzzy Chuzzles and the game too.

Panels:
I only had to do 2 panels this convention, "Attending conventions and not going broke" and "Creating Games Everyone Can Play". Had a good time, I was on the panels with Tony Digeralamo (Complete Mafia, Super Frat), MJ Young (Multiverser), Chris O'Neill (Kobolds Ate My Baby), and Peter Schweighofer (D6 Star Wars, WEGS). I even had a few guys come up to me after the panels were over and thank me, even MJ had some fine words for me...that was encouraging.

I got to play a lot of Call of Duty, I've started having a WWII kick lately, dunno why, but I even was watching Saving Private Ryan before the convention (like, a week before or so). Bridge level kept kicking my ass.
Mandy had a good time, except for an over competitive freak who kept trying to beat her out of everything. That got kind of annoying.
Also played Rock Band with Mandy. I was actually able to play the game on MEDIUM and survive!! WOOT! I are happy! Maybe, somewhere deep inside I do have a sense of rhythm.

I also had this big fat gay guy (flamingly gay) who kept giving me shit at Apples to Apples, ASAP, and "The T-Shirt Game". Mandy insists the guy was hitting on me, I insist that it was really getting irritating to the point that everytime she asked if I wanted to play a game, or we were invited to a game, my first question was "is it that guy again?" I was then torn between playing a game along side Mandy, or staying away from the guy...as you can guess, spending time with Mandy won every time.

Mandy also got ticked off at some guy running Killer Bunnies who kept leaving the table, Henry Chi or something? Gonna find out if he's a playroom rep or if he's just some douche bag who kept acting like those playing his game were a nuisance or burden.

I did manage to run into some old friends from previous conventions. Dregg showed up with a new friend, she seemed very cool. Dregg, if you're reading this, *thumbs up* I approve! Ran into Ken as well, sorry I didn't get to spend too much time with ya, just was a very busy man this convention.

Getting back to writing

2008-04-17T16:50:15Z

Yeah...it's been a hectic couple of months...between the break in, jobs, filming, and everything else I've been really neglecting my book writing. So starting next week I'm getting back to writing GAME MASTER TO GAME MASTER (AKA: THE BIG RPG F.A.Q.) I've got 12 pages to make up, and I've got a lot more that needs to get done. I've got people I need to get back in touch with to write sections. I've got pictures and illustrations I need to get done. And most of all, I've gotta line up another editor (my last one has disengaged due to personality conflicts and issues).

As some of you may know, Blood and Leather is in the home stretch. It's about as good as its ever going to get, and I'm actually quite satisfied with it. I want to say thank you to the guys at Bionic Zombie Studios and to everyone who's contributed and playtested at Ubercon, Double Exposure, and here in my home. Also, I owe a big thank you to Jay Libby and the rest of the crew at DillyGreenBeanGames and Studio 187.

Once completely finished, hopefully before the end of July, you'll be able to purchase it from DriveThruRPG and RPGNOW. Stay tuned for more details.

Still sick? Yeah, seems that may be the case:

2008-04-08T21:03:22Z

So as some may remember, I got laid out with the flu a few weeks ago, well I've been hocking phlegm and mucus out of my lungs ever since. It's actually gotten so bad that I've actually hurt my side since. It's hard to tell but I either really hurt the muscles in my right side, or I may have actually cracked a rib. I am not sure which is the case, but either way, serious pain when I cough, sneeze, laugh, or if Mandy leans on me.

Just a quick update.

Weird Dreams...yeah...again

2008-03-21T23:58:44Z

So I had this weird dream last night where someone rear-ended my car in a parking lot, and then drove off. Weird thing is, my friend Rob Kolinofsky was in a second car, apparently they were friends with the first car, and was riding me and kept saying "Anything to get something for free, that's Dave!" anytime I said I wanted to take the driver to court to get reparations for damages and because it's a hit and run. Also Steve's Comic Relief was moving from their current store front next door into the Heavenly Ham in Mercer Mall.

Weird Dream.

Sick...

2008-03-21T01:02:17Z

As some of ya know I've been really sick for the last five days. I had a serious case of the flu that left me incapacitated and pretty much useless. Mandy was amazing and took excellent care of me and helped to get my 102 fever down to a manageable level. Seriously, she's more amazing than i could have asked for! I know I've got a history of self-destructing meaningful relationships, I did it with Steph, I did it with Sheila, I even sabotaged my reunion with Lisa, but I am doing everything I can not to let it happen this time.

Not only are they not even trying anymore...but it doesn't make any sense.

2008-03-14T01:22:08Z

So I got sushi tonight, and this was the fortune cookie fortune I got:

"An empty stomach is not a good political adviser."

WTF?! Who listens to their stomach for political advise?

*sigh*

got this weird e-mail...

2008-03-12T21:36:36Z

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vxqnqgmm tvwsfnjb stesubgq xr kx jiwnvp re rw td cnxkge ks zk ej us hi yi lp kz ee

egrvyout cefbnvrj bcmzdjiy gs sg kq fo eq zm zf cl do gl om sb im mr db pq

gjtxsifg fhzdhpdc kfhdpesr jd ni el qh hb bo sy nw my hn ig dm lw ot us yh is tx kz pw

nq ze yo mm lo hd hv jckmn jvkz rp jt pk rwon hbozg mem fh uonk trdo zd bh iq

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wn He roamed about distressed The aged saint came home, to find The hermit boy distraught, Revolving in his troubled mind One solitary thought "Why dost thou not, my son," he cried, "Thy due obeisance pay? Why do I see thee in the tide Of whelming thought to-day? A devotee should never wear A mien so sad and strange Come, quickly, dearest child, declare The reason of the change" And Rishyasring, when questioned thus, Made answer in this wise-- "O sire, there came to visit us Some men with lovely eyes About my neck soft arms they wound And kept me tightly held To tender breasts so soft and round, That strangely heaved and swelled They sing more sweetly as they dance Than e'er I heard till now, And play with many a sidelong glance And arching of the brow" "My son," said he, "thus giants roam Where holy hermits are, And wander round their peaceful home Their rites austere to mar I charge thee, thou must never lay Thy trust in them, dear boy-- They seek thee only to betray, And woo but to destroy" Thus having warned him of his foes That night at home he spent, And when the morrow's sun arose Forth to the forest went But Rishyasring with eager pace Sped forth and hurried to the place Where he those visitants had seen Of dainty waist and charming mien When from afar they saw the son Of Saint Vibhandak toward them run, To meet the hermit boy they hied, And hailed him with a smile, and cried-- "O come, we pray, dear lord, behold Our lovely home of which we told-- Due honor there to thee we'll pay, And speed thee on thy homeward way" Pleased with the gracious words they said He followed where the damsels led As with his guides his steps he bent, That Brahman high of worth, A flood of rain from heaven sent That gladdened all the earth Vibhandak took his homeward road, And wearied by the heavy load Of roots and woodland fruit he bore Entered at last his cottage door Fain for his son he looked around, But desolate the cell he found He stayed not then to bathe his feet, Though fainting with the toil and heat, But hurried forth and roamed about Calling the boy with cry and shout He searched the wood, but all in vain; Nor tidings of his son could gain One day beyond the forest's bound The wandering saint a village found, And asked the swains and neatherds there Who owned the land so rich and fair, With all the hamlets of the plain, And herds of kine and fields of grain They listened to the hermit's words, And all the guardians of the herds, With suppliant hands together pressed, This answer to the saint addressed-- "The Angas' lord who bears the name Of Lomapad, renowned by fame, Bestowed these hamlets with their kine And all their riches, as a sign Of grace, on Rishyasring; and he Vibhandak's son is said to be" The hermit with exulting breast The mighty will of fate confessed, By meditation's eye discerned; And cheerful to his home returned A stately ship, at early morn, The hermit's son away had borne Loud roared the clouds, as on he sped, The sky grew blacker overhead; Till, as he reached the royal town, A mighty flood of rain came down By the great rain the monarch's mind The coming of his guest divined To meet the honored youth he went, And low to earth his head he bent With his own priest to lead the train, He gave the gift high guests obtain, And sought, with all who dwelt within The city walls, his grace to win He fed him with the daintiest fare, He served him with unceasing care, And ministered with anxious eyes Lest anger in his breast should rise; And gave to be the Brahman's bride His own fair daughter, lotus-eyed Thus loved and honored by the King, The glorious Brahman Rishyasring Passed in that royal town his life With Santa his beloved wife CANTO X RISHYASRING INVITED "Again, O best of Kings, give ear-- My saving words attentive hear, And listen to the tale of old By that illustrious Brahman told 'Of famed Ikshvaku's line shall spring ('Twas thus he spoke) a pious king, Named Dasaratha, good and great, True to his word and fortunate He with the Angas' mighty lord Shall ever live in sweet accord, And his a daughter fair shall be, Santa of happy destiny But Lomapad, the Angas' chief, Still pining in his childless grief, To Dasaratha thus shall say-- "Give me thy daughter, friend, I pray, Thy Santa of the tranquil mind, The noblest one of womankind" The father, swift to feel for woe, Shall on his friend his child bestow; And he shall take her and depart To his own town with joyous heart The maiden home in triumph led, To Rishyasring the King shall wed And he with loving joy and pride Shall take her for his honored bride And Dasaratha to a rite That best of Brahmans shall invite With supplicating prayer To celebrate the sacrifice To win him sons and Paradise, That he will fain prepare From him the lord of men at length The boon he seeks shall gain, And see four sons of boundless strength His royal line maintain, Thus did the godlike saint of old The will of fate declare, And all that should befall unfold Amid the sages there O Prince, supreme of men, go thou, Consult thy holy guide, And win, to aid thee in thy vow, This Brahman to thy side" Sumantra's counsel, wise and go

Anyone else gotten this thing? What does it mean?

An Incomplete Life...

2008-03-12T03:47:00Z

So I was talking with Mandy tonight...and she brought up a sadly true point...I've got a very bad history of not finishing things. So, in an effort to complete several outstanding tasks that I've been working on, meaning to work on, and all that lot, I'm going to focus on completing several things I've been sadly neglecting to keep my eye on. I'll likely be online less, and be posting even less on LJ...sorry.

Stolen from Christine

2008-03-10T21:51:01Z

Gary Gygax has left us....I'm actually pretty depressed.

2008-03-05T00:29:01Z

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dies at 69

By EMILY FREDRIX

Associated Press Writer

Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.

Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.

But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.

Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax's passing. The beauty of the game is that it's never quite the same, he said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

I know it's corny...but I've actually shed a tear for Gary. I know I've criticized D&D at length, and always sought to create something similar, but better...but he's the man that started it all. I wouldn't be working so hard creating games if it weren't for Gary. First RPG I played was Star Frontiers by TSR, same company that published Dungeons and Dragons. In addition, soon after exposure to Star Frontiers, I played Dungeons and Dragons, the basic version (my brother was playing Advanced D&D at that point, 2nd Edition I think).
Gary...thank you for everything you've ever done me...for us.
I'm sorry you failed your saving throw vs. Death...I'll get the d6s ready for your next character.

BTW, any KOTD fans out there...please, no rubbing your dice on his corpse for luck.

Electronic Body Art....believe it or not...I want this!

2008-02-27T02:04:40Z

http://www.physorg.com/news122819670.html

MAC Laptop:

2008-02-24T18:47:25Z

I just bought a Mac Laptop off of my friend Tim for 650$. So, this counts as my first Mac ever. It's a little weird owning one. I'm still getting used to it, and figuring out my way around in the system. So far so good.

Still no luck on the laptop, external HD, or WACOM. The guys I was talking to in Chicago seemed more content to just jerk me around than to actually be useful. In the end they said they're just going to throw my stuff away...*sigh*

If any of them are listening or reading this, I'm still available for discussion. Just send me pics of my stuff to either my e-mail or my phone (you have both). And I'll be more than happy to wire you all the money you want.

Aside from that, not much else is going on my end. The weather has put a kaibash on working recently, and that's gonna hurt my paycheck, but such is life. I need to keep job hunting for something better than 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Doug just isn't doing it anymore, and this job hasn't really paid what it promised it would when I signed on. No insurance, no benefits, no nothing. Honestly, I'm kinda hoping I come across some more stuff I can start eBaying soon so that I can MAYBE recuperate my losses, at least a little...we'll see on that note I suppose.

Mandy and I are doing ok, all things considered, so that's nice.

I'm still working on games. I'm hoping to do some playtesting with Tim tonight with regards to Blood and Leather. Then I'm gonna get back to working on Dragon Chess. Yes, O.X.E.N. is still in the works, it's hanging around in the background, and I know I've gotta get my ass in gear on it, but unfortunately it requires more servicing than my brain can actually manage to give it right now.

Colored logo

2008-02-06T03:00:00Z

It looked better on the laptop..but considering that's gone missing...well...here ya go:

Ok, I'm back from South Plainfield:

2008-01-31T21:38:34Z

I've recovered my signed copy of Cyberpunk 2020. That's a good sign. I also got Edgerunners Inc. Back, a bit messed up, but at least I've got it back. My signed copy of CP v.3 is still in the wind, as are my D&D books and my DOOM game...and of course the laptop.
I got back my Cybergen shirt ! (means I don't ahve to ask John for a replacement) and I got my I-Con 2007 shirt back (so I don't have to ask Dregg).

Everyone who's been supporting me, I really thank you for everyhthing. I am still gonna be needing more help to get through this, and I'm also gonna be needing help to replace things...I'm really not one for begging or handouts...but honestly, I'll take anything anyone wants to contribute. Thanks.

-Dave