WombatZone

Song of Blades & Heroes Warband Builder v1.2.8

2008-10-21T00:00:00Z

You can get it from the Yahoo! group for the game or from my website.

Added support for loading and saving special rules similar to how warbands are loaded and saved, as well as an option to delete all currently defined special rules.
Added support for adding an image to a warband entry. You will need to select the "Rulebook Style w/ Image" display format under Configure Options for the image to appear in the entry. If you wish to make this the default display format, change the Format variable on line 103 to 6.
The default location for images is a folder named "warband_images" in the same folder as the warband builder. If you wish to use a different location, simply change the ImagePath variable on line 97. Please note, relative paths do not work in IE6, so those users will need to enter the full path to their images folder.
The various formats for warband entries now have text descriptions in the options window.
If multiple warband members have an undefined special rule, only one warning will be issued instead of one warning per member.
Moved default values closer to the top of the script, improved commenting and clarified some tool tips.

Song of Blades & Heroes Warband Builder v1.2.7

2008-10-02T01:15:00Z

You can get it from the Yahoo! group for the game or from my website

Notable changes include:

Added support for showing page number references for special rules. If you hold the mouse over a check box in the special rule grid, the rulebook and page reference will appear as a tool tip. The rulebook and page reference for each special rule used in a warband will also appear at the bottom of the printable roster. This feature can be turned off by setting the Warband Footers option to None under Configure Options.

Creatures can now be given a Combat score of 0.

The minimum point cost for a creature is now 1.

The builder now also reports the number of figures in a warband.

Heavy Armor now correctly shows up as being from the Song of Gold & Darkness rulebook.

Song of Blades & Heroes Warband Builder v1.2.6

2008-09-22T02:44:26Z

I forgot to post about the updates I've made to warband builder for Song of Blades & Heroes since I mentioned it back in July. The current version is now v1.2.6 both here and at the Yahoo! group for the game. Major additions are the inclusion of special rules from the new Song of Wind & Water supplement, and the ability for users to make changes to the special rule list on the fly.

Reason #326 not to move to California

2008-08-08T01:12:03Z

Apparently they have spontaneous fires underneath the ground as well as on top of it.

Scientists puzzle over source of county hot spots

From the article:

King stuck a thermometer 14 inches into the ground and got a reading of 550 degrees. One time, the ground was so hot, the glue holding the sole of his boots melted.

Seriously folks, fess up. Who's been testing a thermo-destructo ray without telling me?

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2008-07-23T03:00:00Z

At Origins this year, I picked up a copy of Song of Blades and Heroes, a fantasy miniatures game from Ganesha Games, who are, as the name implies, based in Italy... Er, right, anyway, the wonders of globalization aside, they were nominated for an Origins Award this year for Best Miniatures Game, so I figured I'd give them a look (sadly they were beaten out by Classic Battletech for the award).

I'm quite glad I did. It's an excellent set of skirmish rules with a surprising degree of depth crammed into a small page count. The rules are simple and game play moves quickly, but there a number of troop options and they can interact in interesting ways, which makes for an enjoyable game. Even better, the author has released the point system used to generate unit costs on the game's Yahoo group, so you can stat up any figure in your collection if you'd like.

Which brings us to today's post. Over the weekend, I decided to cobble together a point calculator and warband builder in JavaScript. Why? Because I was bored. Reasonably happy with the end result, I uploaded it to the Yahoo group for the game. Apparently the author of the game liked it enough to submit it to the news queues at The Miniatures Page and Tabletop Gaming News. No, it's not the world peace prize or anything like that, but it's kind of cool to have people think something you wrote was useful.

One Small Step

2008-07-21T03:00:00Z

On this day 39 years ago, men from the planet Earth set foot on another celestial body for the first time in human history.

Somewhat depressingly, that means this December we will mark the 36th anniversary of the last time in human history men from the planet Earth ever set foot on another celestial body.

A Good First Step

2008-07-19T04:00:00Z

The Telegraph: 'Have-a-go heroes' get legal right to defend themselves

Home owners and "have-a go-heroes" have for the first time been given the legal right to defend themselves against burglars and muggers free from fear of prosecution.

They will be able to use force against criminals who break into their homes or attack them in the street without worrying that "heat of the moment" misjudgements could see them brought before the courts.

As much crap as I have given the U.K. over such folly as banning swords and fire extinguishers, I figured it was only fair to note when they get something right. So, congratulations. Perhaps they are finally beginning to reverse the erosion of the basic right to self defense that's been taking place for decades over there.

An Individual Right

2008-06-27T00:30:00Z

From SCOTUSblog: Court: A constitutional right to a gun

"Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.
We affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

It is so ordered.

Justice Scalia
Opinion of the Court, District Of Columbia et al. v. Heller

A Giant Undertaking Unparalleled In Human History

2008-06-06T22:45:00Z

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

Ronald Reagan
40th President of the United States
June 6th, 1984

One of the greatest speeches ever written delivered by one of the greatest public speakers ever. The full text can be found at the Reagan Library website, and I also highly recommend Peggy Noonan's account of how she wrote the speech from What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era.

Giant Monsters! Mecha! Mayhem!

2008-04-11T03:25:00Z

Privateer Press Announces Monsterpocalypse Collectible Miniatures Game

http://privateerpress.com/monsterpocalypse/default.html

Pics from the 2008 New York Toy Fair here:

http://flickr.com/photos/dullspork/sets/72157603948631078/

Pre-painted giant monsters versus mecha. It's like peanut butter and chocolate. Radioactive peanut butter and chocolate that wants to destroy downtown, mind you, but still, mmmmmmm.

U.K.: Fire extinguishers banned as ‘fire risk’

2008-03-23T02:30:00Z

Dear United Kingdom,

Hi. How goes? Got time for a quick chat? We are eternally indebted to you for the Magna Carta, Shakespeare, Blackstone, C.S. Lewis, and countless other keystones in the mighty edifice that is Western Culture and Civilization. So, please, understand it is out of the utmost concern for your well being that we ask: What in the name of Nelson's missing arm are you putting in the tea over there, bleach?

The Times Online: Extinguishers banned as ‘fire risk’

]]> Quoting Pete Whittaker, the protection policy manager at Dorset Fire and Rescue from the article in the Times (the Times mind you, not the Onion):

We do not want to encourage people to leave their flat to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to a blaze. We want people to get out safely.

Apparently it's not enough that you aren't allowed to posses a weapon to defend yourself from criminal assault in the U.K., because someone might (gasp) get hurt. No, apparently they don't even trust people's judgment about whether or not to use a fire extinguisher in their own homes.

Exchange of the Day

2008-01-11T04:00:00Z

My Beloved Wife: Are you eating a lemon drop or something?

Me: Yes, why?

Wife: Oh thank god. I thought you were drinking lemon Pledge.

Me: No, today wasn't quite that bad.

More RPG Reviews

2007-11-04T20:00:13Z

I recently contributed to RPGnet's Sci-Fi and Horror Review Weeks. For those who have enjoyed reading my game reviews here on Wombatzone, here are links to those reviews:

Review: Sufficiently Advanced (more up-to-date than my previous review here)

Review: Witch Hunter: The Invisible World

Review: Against the Darkness

Mixed Messages

2007-04-03T02:00:00Z

We received the“2007 Fun Guide” circular from the city’s Division of Parks & Recreation today. It’s a directory of all of the city’s recreation facilities as well as schedules for this summer’s recreation and athletic programs. Subtitled “get out and play!” it’s 45 pages brimming with things to do in the great outdoors. It is with no small amount of irony that I must report that the back cover of this chipper little book is a full page ad for a personal injury law firm promising to “get you the money you deserve” for “death & serious injuries” and “slip & fall.” You’d have thought Parks & Recreation would be a little more selective in who they accept as sponsors for this sort of thing, but apparently not. "Get out and play, fall down and sue" I suppose.

World's Largest Bunny Beats Out "Hubby"

2007-03-14T01:32:19Z

Heavyweight Amy is world's biggest bunny | the Daily Mail

The former World's Largest Bunny, Roberto of Wookey Hole near Somerset, England, has been surpassed in size by his own mate, Amy, according to their owner.

Roberto and Amy made news in April 2006 when they were married in the UK's first rabbit wedding.

Well, they say married women tend to gain weight....