Notes to self

Blender Camera-Notes

Part of moving my projects over Blender 2.83 LTS is collecting my notes on various topics, including cameras.

5 cool camera tricks in Blender 2.80, this covers some cool stuff. However, I’ll have to manual set up the cameras until isocam gets updated.

Isometric Camera

From the Isocam script:

  • The one, TrueIsocam called camera, is the mathematical correct isometric camera with the 54.736 rotation to get the 30 degrees angles at the sides of the rhombus. (54.736,0,45)
  • The other, GameIsocam called camera, is a camera with which you can render isometric tiles for a 2d game. Here we need a 60 degrees angle instead of the 54.736 one to get a proper stairs effect and a ratio of 2:1 (60,0,45)
  • Then there is the special case with a 4:3 ratio, which is button 3. You can also make 2D games with that one. The view is more topdown though as with a 2:1 ratio of the traditional game iso view. (41.5,0,45)

It’s worth noting that for TrueIsoCam, the X-Rotation Slot can be set to ( atan( sqrt(2) ) ) degrees.

The Wiki page for IsoCam needs updating.

Notes to self

Fantasy mapping

Ever since reading Tolkien as a kid, I’ve just loved the style of map that he created for Middle Earth. And this style has carried across to Fantasy RPGs. So when the opportunity came to create a map for The Tales of Tarya, I jumped at it.

The Map of Litonya

This time I wanted to make a good quality digital copy for this project. YouTube came to the rescue with this excellent video on mapping from the Fantastic Maps Channel.

Drawing Technique

A short summary of the technique for mountains…

  • Use a CC-0 paper or parchment texture for the background layer (0).
  • Add a separate ‘lines’ Layer (4) for the mountain ridge lines and some texturing detail. Use the pressure sensitive to control the thickness of the line
  • Add an Overlay layer (1), for the ‘Light & Shade’ on the mountain ranges. Use the pressure sensitivity to control the darkness.
    • Start by blocking out the shading the dark side of the mountain range. Take your time to build up layers of darkness.
    • Add shadows to the light side for the ridges and valleys.
    • As you go reduce size to add more detail.
  • Another Overlay layer (2), for the ‘Light/Shade Detail’, but this time using the pressure sensitive to control line thickness.
    • Then switch to a white brush to add highlights to the light side, with the peaks being the brightest.
  • Now, a Color Layer (3), to add the colour details to the mountains.
    • Using a hard round brush set to a middle grey for bare stone, deep emerald green for amazonian forest, or red for the Arizona badlands.

Combine that in to a group I then proceeded to do the same for the coastline, hills, forests, rivers, cities/towns, and labels. So about 20 layers all up.

Cyberpunk, Notes to self

Common People

Although, YMMV, I find this CPAF, because hidden behind the music are words that bite home with the cutting wisdom of the bards carving ideas into your mind. So, I’m filing this piece of forgotten ‘art’ under CPAF!

Pulp‘s lyrics fill a void only the poor can really understand, combined with a saccharin pop beat and the overacting god, otherwise known as William Shatner, on the album, “HAS BEEN” … No truer words spoken … elevates it too the next level with an almost act of piracy (or a cover for the uninitiated) by not signing! The sheer genius and greatness of this! Remix culture at it’s finest.

The Bratva Connection

#4: Monday’s Day of Deals

What follows are my pre-session notes with modifications for what happened during the session.

Scene #1: Meeting with the Bradi bunch

Purpose: This scene is for Mr. White to trade weapons with the gang, the Bradi Bunch (Checking youtube for video snippets, I realise how much I dislike the late ’60s TV series). And for me to pass on information to the team about the Nomad’s lost family.

Place: 10 am in a disused ’60s-style dinner/milk bar, decked out with Linoium & chrome.

People: “Mike Bradi” acting as the face Mr. White will talk to. Greg & Bobby to lug boxes. Alice as the sniper across the road with an assault rifle, just in case. NB: They all look like they’re out of the ’60 Tv show (See Disposable Goons sheets).

Plot:

  • Mike in friendly tones: “Nice to meet you Mr. White. Do you have the crates?”
  • Mike: “Oh Alice”, to call in help from the sniper (Alice). NB: Not used but I’ll save this for later.
  • Mike, slightly warning tone: “Now, here’s a story… Nobody likes a fixer who plays both sides of the street. Eventually, people will turn on the middle.” – implying don’t sell to our enemies, possible persuasion roll. – “You wouldn’t be doing something like that?”
  • Mike: “You hang with that Naked Nomad, Tracer Naught?” “I heard that his family got aced by some corp goons. Little Bobby here saw the vans leaving the site. Some euro for his tuition could help him remember more details”. Streatdeal: 15 (Cost:100 eb).
  • Bobby, the illiterate kid punk. “Yea.” “I saw 3 vans with the logo of a flaming man on the side.”
  • NB: Lazarus Bio-Engineering.

Postscript: This went off without a hitch and Mr. White met up with the others.

Scene #2: Firefight with the Red Chromer Legion

Purpose: Again it’s weapons trading in this day of deals, but this time put some bullet holes in the PCs.

Place: 1pm in a dock-side warehouse full of useless plastic dolls.

People: Ben “the Purifier” Williams as the chief goon with 4 obvious goons, plus 4 others in ambush (See Disposable Goons sheets).

Plot: This is a stright up firefight. Try to luse the PCs into the warehouse and shoot them to bits. It’s gangers, sop no real planning. if it starts to go south, Ben will make a run for it.

Postscript: The gangers were almost commically ineffective and Ben died just inside the door of the warehouse.

  • The Russain remains obivious to they others, by trying to be a clear cop.
  • The Chemist has now moved onto collecting cyberware, in this case the Rippers are still in the hands from the 6 dead. The Russian will be investigated for this
  • Mr White collects the cash and now offers the weapons to the Bradi Bunch. Deal to follow.

Scene #3: Meeting with the Metal Warriors

Purpose: More weapons trading, but pay some kudos for surviving the last encounter. Also need to speed things up to get to the truck heist.

Place: 4pm at a local bar.

People: Andrea “Kali the knife” as the group’s face with 5 cybered up combat gangers (See Disposable Goons sheets).

Plot: More friendly trading

  • Kali: “Nice of you boys to make it here with the scratches you’ve got.”
  • “Why’d you bring the fucker here”, pointing at the Chemist. “Sable from mealstrom is looking for him.”. Something happened at that party Saturday”
  • “We got parts (ie cyebrware), if you can trade. We’re looking for some good heavy body armour.”

Postscript: The gangers were almost commically ineffective and Ben died just inside the door of the warehouse.

  • The Russain remains obivious to they others, by trying to be a clean cop. Will have to do somethign about this
  • The Chemist has now moved onto collecting cyberware, in this case the Rippers are still in the hands from the 6 dead. The Russian will be investigated for this
  • Mr White collects the cash and now offers the weapons to the Bradi Bunch. Deal to follow.

Scene #4: The Truck Hiest

Purpose: The truck hiest is the culmination of the last 2 session, and it’s split over 3 parts to this scene.

Place: 10pm on the I-115 Freeway.

People: 2 cop cars & 3 trucks.

Plot: 

  1. Taking out the cops
    • The Netrunner is used to take out these, but it wasn’t a PC. So I just used the Netmap from the jumpstart Kit and rolled to work out how long it would take. As fate would have it they got hit by a Hellhound once they’ed taken out the second cop car. it gave the Medtech something to do.
  2. Hitting the Road-block
    • The trucks got hit before they hit the roadblock before they hit the road-block.
    • Shotguns loaded with acid shells to take out the windows, and followed up with custom gas grenades.
    • The passenger in the first truck tosses the grenade out before looking concenious. The Chemist jumps onboards to take control of the vehicle and blowing most of his luck to avoid running through the roadblock
    • With the second truck, the gas grenda bounched back and forth between the Russian and the driver, before logding in the truck, which subsequently slows to a stop.
    • the third truck is secured by the Nomads, without fuss.
  3. Wrap-up
    • The team secured the vehicles and drop the bodies on the freeway. The Nomads leave with 2 trucks, but not the third as it’s not a fuel truck.
    • The group of Streetraces the team persuaded that the Freeway would clear, leave the scene quickly.
    • This leaves the PCs with a truck loaded with robotics and stuff. They call their Bratva masters to have the vehicle disappear. during this time tyhe team walks with a collection of cyberware. About 100,000 eb worth of processers, eyes & limbs, but it’s marked by the NorCal Military.

Postscript: This worked to get the pockets of the PCs lined with cash while increasing the possible problems.

  • The NorCal Military will be back, once they discover who’s responsable. Especially if the cyebrware starts coming out of a single location in the zone.
  • Word of what happened will spread from the group of streetraces. They don’t like been used, so they will happily share the story of what happened.
  • The Nomad pack hired will handover half the agreed weapons, for the 2 out of 3 trucked provided. But question the details provided by the team in the future. Asking for a higher price or offering less for what’s provided.

Scene #5: Facing Sable

Purpose: The Pcs wanted to chase down Sable, so set up a meeting in a park.

Place: Tuesday, 12 noon. Local Park

People: Sable & 5 Mealstrom gangers. The Chemist and a hired sniper. Along with soem Metal Warriors (See Disposable Goons sheets).

Plot: Nothing really planed, just layed out a firefight.

  • Mealstrom through against Metal Warriors

Postscript: 

  • The Chemist detonated a kilo of C6, so the cops will have to head this up. And the Russain is the best for the job.
  •  

The Bratva Connection

#3: Planning the Heist

With 2 players canceling at the last minute, this session was just the 3 Bratva sellouts. So I made use of the time to finish off details from last session, gather information, research the details and get them to plan the heist.

The Russain used his contacts in NCPD, and Grush his ex-military nomad contacts to discover this information.

  • The convoy of trucks to be loaded down the coast from an unknown ship.
  • The convey splits at a junction south of night city. 2 trucks head south out of town and the 3 the PCs are interested in head north along the I-115
  • Cops are due to escort the trucks from this junction at 7pm.
  • The convey is due to his the I-115 junction near the heart of Night City, by 1:15am, but this does not fit with the rest of the timing.

The plan should work something like this

  • The team hires a Bratva Netrunner to take out the cars in close range.
  • They get 3 double-barrel sawn-off shotguns and load them with acid shells to take out the armored windows.
  • They talked with the Concierge of the motel they are staying at, to connect them with some street races. They pass on information about the blind spots in the police patrols.
Notes to self

#2: Sunday

I really should take better notes for this stuff. This session follows on after the PCs return to the motel and from when they wake the next morning. (NB: Grush’s player couldn’t make it, so I had him leave early, while the others were asleep).

The Russain was contacted by Zeeshan “Bellock” Fry (Police Beneficiary Fund), after saving so many SWAT cops from Maelstrom. We need you to deliver 2 crates to a private security company, Security Blanket, by Monday. This was dealt with by the afternoon and recieved the payment of a Heckler & Koch MPK-2020 SMG & Militech Bulldog Compact Assault Shotguns with a box of ammo for each.

Grush gets a message from the Bratva for an accident. A Soloil contact, “Capsian”, knows of 3 fuel trucks bringing in a shipment up through the 828-928 interchange headed to the NorCal Military Base, Monday morning. The rest is for him to sort out.

Mr White is contacted by Khadeejah “Zigzag” Chang, Militech Home Security specialist with crates of weapons. 5 crates of “Dai Lung Cybermag 15” and 2 of “Budget-Arms C-13”, with boxes of ammo. He quickly oragnises financing via a local factor friend.

Tracer gets an old truck as part of a deal to dispose of some toxic waste from “CyberHammer”, a worker from NightCity’s treatment plant.

All this before they leave the motel…
On the way to secure the cash, Mr. White, gets caught in the crossfire of gang violence between the Bradi Bunch & Red Chrome Legion. He waits out the conflict from behind cover, using his knowledge of the streets to identify the contacts with both groups.
Cashed up, Mr White gets a van & storage space, before proceeding with the others to collect the weapons.

The Bratva Connection

#1: Saturday Night

What follows is a quick summary of events from the game and used as the basis of my own notes.

  • The team makes contact with the Media Corporate, My Johnston, by rescuing him from a pack of Inquisitor gang members.
  • The fifth member of the team (Mr. White) joins a little later.
  • On their way to the Block party, the Russian takes to two cops who have just called SWAT to break up Maelstrom’s party.
  • The party is in an abandoned building with a crowd out the front. The entrance is blocked by the doorman, Codey “Sable” Guthrie. Fixer tries to talk their way past, fails annoying Sable. The Chemist steps up, trying to talk their way past and pisses Sable off, shoving him away with some violence in his eyes.
  • Grush breaks a chain around the side to allow them to walk into an empty ground floor shop front.
  • Heading up the stairs to the first floor they encounter; a pimp accepting payment for the pleasures inside, a ripper doc charging for an optic implant, and thing corp (Authorised Militech reseller), and a big Voodoo guy.
  • The second floor has been cleared, only leaving the supports in place, and a large hole in the roof. The Russain has previously noticed a large mass of people on this floor.
  • They persuade the Manager, Hafsa “Requiem” Kaur, to let the band escape the SWAT police action. The band, “My Heart, Your Teeth” takes a 10-minute break.
  • The team move to the van in the basement and escape before the SWAT arrives.
  • The team follows on foot.
    • The Chemist hangs off the back of the vehicle. 
    • (Fixer) and Grush catches a Cab back to the Motel.
    • The Russian talks to SWAT and warns them about Maelstrom. Then leaves the scene to catch a cab back to the motel
    • (Nomad) gets injured, applies first aid to 2 acid burn victims from the Bozo attack, then walks back to the motel.
  • Mr Johnston and Hafsa Kaur hammer out a deal for “My Heart, Your Teeth”
  • The team gets paid, goes home… Well they pay for 2 days in a local motel
The Bratva Connection

#0: A Cyberpunk 2020 Intro

So, I’ve been running a Cyberpunk 2020 introduction in the lead up to Cyberpunk Red. When I started this I hoped that Red would be released at Gencon, no such luck. Talking to my local game store I’ve managed to get five players…

Session Zero. The team consists of

  • “The Chemist”, a Medtech
  • Yuri “The Russian” Kolganon, a Cop
  • “Grush”, a Solo
  • Tracer Naught, a Nomad
  • Mr White, a Fixer

And 3 of them decided to sell out for extra cyberware and cash. Which is how I get to the name of this group because they sold out to the same group, the Russian Marfia, or Bratva. And this connection will influence the entire series of games from this point onwards. So, I needed to do some research to add flavor to the game;

#0: Initial Combat & Job Offer

Once the characters were created the players wanted to have a go at combat. So using the random encounter table, I had the Inquisitors attack the Corporate they were meeting. After a few rounds of a brutally one side combat with the Inquistors, the players gain a small bonus for saving the corp’s life. An extra 450eb.

The Job is simple, get the band and persuade them to come meet the corporate for an offer. He was happy to pay a finders fee for 50eb for a quick collection of the band and their van.

Gaming

DM’s Encounter Sheet

A friend asked me to create an Encounter sheet for his D&D game. So I had a quick hunt around for appropriate resources and assembled the following sheet. There are 3 versions up on DriveThruRPG.

During the process I found some useful D&D fonts;