Greetings from the other side.
Another busy day has passed and it feels good to be back home again. The weather has been good, though looking out the window I can see that the wind has picked up a bit again. Not too bad yet though. I am silently hoping that it won't get too rough. Tomorrow there might be some rain, so I will probably be doing most of my work indoors if that happens. The kind of job that I do tends to make me walk around a lot, so I have been seriously thinking about getting myself a stepcounter of some sort. Would be interesting to know just how much walking I do in a day. At least for me it would be interesting. :-P
I got recommended a language app called "DuoLingo", as I am thinking about starting to learn at least a bit of finnish. I figure I might as well if I am going to be living here. :) Sadly though, the app in question doesn't feature classes in finnish, so the search will have to go on.
Blog news! I have started up a new blog today, for my blog posts that relate to tabletop roleplaying and tabletop games in general. With all my other ideas for things to write about in this blog it felt like a logical thing to put that stuff in a separate blog. I probably won't be moving any of the stuff I have already written in this blog though. It isn't that much and some of it tends to be mixed in with other stuff. I will try to link to the other blog in the sidebar of this blog, once I have sat down and figured out how to do it. As I have mentioned before this is my first ever blog, so I am still learning all the ins and outs of blogging. Once that is done I will also post a link there to this blog.
I have not yet posted anything in the new blog. I will see if I have the time, or inspiration, to do that today, but hopefully I will have something there this upcoming weekend at the latest. That is what I will be aiming for at least.
I have not yet decided where I am going to be writing about my own world-building, and things that relate to that. A part of me figures it would probably fit best in the new blog. I am sure I will figure it out as I go along.
See you all on the other side!
onsdag 31 augusti 2016
måndag 29 augusti 2016
Campaign reflections & A short story
Greetings from the other side.
Feeling a bit tired today, but hopefully I can get some creative stuff done this evening. Would like to continue writing on my world-building, as the idea of one day running a tabletop RPG campaign in it is growing on me quite a lot. Will of course need to find players for it, etc, but that'll be a problem for further down the line. :) And yes, I know I said in a previous post that the world was a separate project that I was making to see what I could create if I gave myself no deadlines and complete creative freedom, not tied down by a specific tabletop rpg system or any specific campaign ideas. I have found however, that as I am building this world, a lot of ideas for campaigns are starting to take form based on the information I write down about this world. So in a sense, it is not the campaign that gives birth to the world, but the world itself that gives birth to the campaign, if that makes sense. I still have a lot of work left to do though, before I feel comfortable with using the world for a campaign, but it is coming along nicely. The fact that I have now started making maps for it is also a huge boost to me. It is 'only' world maps of individual continents or lands at the moment, but they really help me put everything into perspective a bit more.
The creative process is really calming to me. It almost becomes meditative at times, as I loose myself in the process of writing and coming up with ideas. Sometimes, I don't even have a pre-planned idea of what I want to write, it just comes to me as I sit there in front of the screen with a blank document in front of me. It is kinda like when I write this blog. I don't always have an idea what I want to write about. I just start and the words just start flowing. A good example, tying back to the tabletop RPGs, I had a character (well, I still technically have the character, it is just that the campaign is on ice for a bit) who was an elven ranger in a 4e D&D game. I initially wrote up about a page or two of backstory for the character, which were mostly bullet points to be honest, but then one day I decided I was going to expand on it to give my DM (Dungeon Master) a bit more to work with. So I sat down with a blank document in Word, and had the two pages I had already written on the side, and started writing. After a fairly short while I had about 11 or 12 pages written, plus reference lists of people the character had met in their backstory, a list of locations, etc. It was about at this point that the DM begged me not to write any more stuff. So I stopped, even though I could have fleshed it out more and written a lot more information as well, and ended up with far more pages than I already had, but I decided to be kind to our DM. ;)
See you all on the other side!
Feeling a bit tired today, but hopefully I can get some creative stuff done this evening. Would like to continue writing on my world-building, as the idea of one day running a tabletop RPG campaign in it is growing on me quite a lot. Will of course need to find players for it, etc, but that'll be a problem for further down the line. :) And yes, I know I said in a previous post that the world was a separate project that I was making to see what I could create if I gave myself no deadlines and complete creative freedom, not tied down by a specific tabletop rpg system or any specific campaign ideas. I have found however, that as I am building this world, a lot of ideas for campaigns are starting to take form based on the information I write down about this world. So in a sense, it is not the campaign that gives birth to the world, but the world itself that gives birth to the campaign, if that makes sense. I still have a lot of work left to do though, before I feel comfortable with using the world for a campaign, but it is coming along nicely. The fact that I have now started making maps for it is also a huge boost to me. It is 'only' world maps of individual continents or lands at the moment, but they really help me put everything into perspective a bit more.
The creative process is really calming to me. It almost becomes meditative at times, as I loose myself in the process of writing and coming up with ideas. Sometimes, I don't even have a pre-planned idea of what I want to write, it just comes to me as I sit there in front of the screen with a blank document in front of me. It is kinda like when I write this blog. I don't always have an idea what I want to write about. I just start and the words just start flowing. A good example, tying back to the tabletop RPGs, I had a character (well, I still technically have the character, it is just that the campaign is on ice for a bit) who was an elven ranger in a 4e D&D game. I initially wrote up about a page or two of backstory for the character, which were mostly bullet points to be honest, but then one day I decided I was going to expand on it to give my DM (Dungeon Master) a bit more to work with. So I sat down with a blank document in Word, and had the two pages I had already written on the side, and started writing. After a fairly short while I had about 11 or 12 pages written, plus reference lists of people the character had met in their backstory, a list of locations, etc. It was about at this point that the DM begged me not to write any more stuff. So I stopped, even though I could have fleshed it out more and written a lot more information as well, and ended up with far more pages than I already had, but I decided to be kind to our DM. ;)
See you all on the other side!
söndag 28 augusti 2016
A busy weekend
Greetings from the other side.
Today's post will be a short one. Will probably try and update with another post tomorrow, but today I am just exhausted. Have had some kind of stomach bug or something for most of the day, which hasn't helped matters either.
Yesterday I went with my gf to my very first wedding in Finland. It was one of her classmates from university who was getting married, and as with all weddings it was a very nice experience. I haven't been too very many weddings back home in Sweden, so it had been a few years since last time. It was nice meeting more of my girlfriend's friends, and getting introduced to them. They had only heard a bit about me, and the bride even refered to me as "the mystery man" (yes, she even used the phrase in english). Met and talked to some very nice people, and am hoping to meet some of them again some day.
There were only two downsides to the day. One was the 1½ - 2 hr drive to get there, and then the same going home again. We got home at about 1:30am. Which normally isn't that late for me, being a "night owl" and all. Though it's been a busy week at work, so I guess I was a bit extra tired. We got home alright though, and I had my gf there to help keep me awake on the at times very monotonous drive home - on straight roads with trees on either side of it for large parts.
The second one was the weather. It was REALLY windy all day, bordering on full on storm at the very least, and a bit of rain. Luckily the happy couple took it in their stride and that was the most important thing. :)
There's a cloudy sky outside today as well, but we do see some blue skies at least. Luckily there is no wind to speak off.
See you all on the other side!
Today's post will be a short one. Will probably try and update with another post tomorrow, but today I am just exhausted. Have had some kind of stomach bug or something for most of the day, which hasn't helped matters either.
Yesterday I went with my gf to my very first wedding in Finland. It was one of her classmates from university who was getting married, and as with all weddings it was a very nice experience. I haven't been too very many weddings back home in Sweden, so it had been a few years since last time. It was nice meeting more of my girlfriend's friends, and getting introduced to them. They had only heard a bit about me, and the bride even refered to me as "the mystery man" (yes, she even used the phrase in english). Met and talked to some very nice people, and am hoping to meet some of them again some day.
There were only two downsides to the day. One was the 1½ - 2 hr drive to get there, and then the same going home again. We got home at about 1:30am. Which normally isn't that late for me, being a "night owl" and all. Though it's been a busy week at work, so I guess I was a bit extra tired. We got home alright though, and I had my gf there to help keep me awake on the at times very monotonous drive home - on straight roads with trees on either side of it for large parts.
The second one was the weather. It was REALLY windy all day, bordering on full on storm at the very least, and a bit of rain. Luckily the happy couple took it in their stride and that was the most important thing. :)
There's a cloudy sky outside today as well, but we do see some blue skies at least. Luckily there is no wind to speak off.
See you all on the other side!
onsdag 24 augusti 2016
A different pace
Greetings from the other side.
Life moves at a different pace here in the countryside. It's a nice, relaxing atmosphere, and I quite like it. That isn't me saying people here are lazy or anything like that. Quite the contrary actually. People in the countryside here tend to be at least as hardworking as anywhere else, but there is still a calm atmosphere. I think everyone needs a bit of calm in their life from time to time. Sure, some people thrive on stress, or at least claim that they do, but I do believe that even they need a break from the stress from time to time. A chance to re-charge their batteries, if you will. I think that is something everyone needs, whether they realize it or not.
A surprising amount of things can be accomplished when you are relaxing. Life will start flowing at a different pace, yet you still find after a while that you manage to do all the things you want to do anyway. Perhaps the important thing is that they are things you want to do, rather than things you 'have' or 'need' to do? It's food for thought. You are welcome.
If you are relaxed and comfortable, things start to work out better, I find. You don't get stressed as easily or as much, and things that previously might have felt tedious to do can some times even become enjoyable. Almost meditative. It depends on what it is of course, and what ends up feeling enjoyable or not is very much down to the invidual and the mindset of that individual.
But it is not all about what might feel better to do when you are feeling relaxed. It is also really important to remember to take the time to rest. Rest opens up the gate to being relaxed and calm, and can even help creativity I find. My creative mind does not thrive on stress. I guess that doesn't necessarily go for all though - after all, some work better under pressure. But a relaxed mind in a restful state is wonderful at suddenly solving that problem you had been trying to solve for so many hours earlier today, or suddenly remembering that important thing that had gotten lost amongst all the other things that occupied your mind in the stress of everyday life.
See you all on the other side!
Life moves at a different pace here in the countryside. It's a nice, relaxing atmosphere, and I quite like it. That isn't me saying people here are lazy or anything like that. Quite the contrary actually. People in the countryside here tend to be at least as hardworking as anywhere else, but there is still a calm atmosphere. I think everyone needs a bit of calm in their life from time to time. Sure, some people thrive on stress, or at least claim that they do, but I do believe that even they need a break from the stress from time to time. A chance to re-charge their batteries, if you will. I think that is something everyone needs, whether they realize it or not.
A surprising amount of things can be accomplished when you are relaxing. Life will start flowing at a different pace, yet you still find after a while that you manage to do all the things you want to do anyway. Perhaps the important thing is that they are things you want to do, rather than things you 'have' or 'need' to do? It's food for thought. You are welcome.
If you are relaxed and comfortable, things start to work out better, I find. You don't get stressed as easily or as much, and things that previously might have felt tedious to do can some times even become enjoyable. Almost meditative. It depends on what it is of course, and what ends up feeling enjoyable or not is very much down to the invidual and the mindset of that individual.
But it is not all about what might feel better to do when you are feeling relaxed. It is also really important to remember to take the time to rest. Rest opens up the gate to being relaxed and calm, and can even help creativity I find. My creative mind does not thrive on stress. I guess that doesn't necessarily go for all though - after all, some work better under pressure. But a relaxed mind in a restful state is wonderful at suddenly solving that problem you had been trying to solve for so many hours earlier today, or suddenly remembering that important thing that had gotten lost amongst all the other things that occupied your mind in the stress of everyday life.
See you all on the other side!
söndag 21 augusti 2016
Reflections on time
Greetings from the other side.
The weekend has just flown by, it feels like. Can hardly believe Monday is almost here again. In general it feels like time has passed really quickly since I got here. I mean, it has already been 3 weeks since I moved here, I started my new job last week, and yet it feels like I've only been here a few days. Kinda strange how the perception of time can be so seemingly different depending on what is happening in your life, how you are feeling, etc. Yet at the same time I know that, logically, whether I feel like time has moved quickly or slowly, the same amount of actual time has still passed. It is a fascinating thing when you think about it. Like a lot of things in this world are, when you actually stop to think about them. Even things that may seem as mundane as time can be a fascinating thing when you actually think about it. We have watches, or keep track of time in other ways, for example on our mobile phones, etc. We schedule our days according to what time it is. We eat lunch and dinner at certain times, there is a certain time we start working or go home from work, etc etc. Whether a work day feels long or short can vary depending on a lot of factors, like how much we enjoy what we do, how much stuff we feel we need to get done in a day, etc. Yet, regardless of how long the workday felt, the same amount of time has passed regardless. Time is a fascinating thing, I think. It plays such a big part in our lives, yet we have all become so accustomed to it that we don't really think about it most of the time.
In tabletop roleplaying, especially world-building, time is an interesting factor to play with as well. Depending on whether you want to go really detailed on the world-building, or not, of course. If you don't mind it however, thinking about things like what does the world's calender look like? How do they measure time? Is a year the same length as it is for us here on Earth? What, if any, significance does time have in a culture? Does the view on time differ between different cultures and/or races? I love thinking about things like that, though I understand if it isn't for everyone. :) You can also think about whether you want to ever have time as a factor in a roleplaying game. There's things you can do, like timed challenges or pussles for the players to deal with, or perhaps introduce festivals or other things and events that happen at specific times of the year. An event doesn't necessarily need to be a festival or other "man-made" occasion, it can also be a natural phenomenon that happens in the world every year at a certain point in time. It can help give more flavour to the world. A good rule is to introduce it if you like it and it makes sense in the world you are creating.
I have also gotten back into map-making again. Still trying to learn the program, but I am making slow progress. Just need to keep ignoring my own inner wish to just ignore the training and get it done. :) lol Better to learn step by step in the long run. I have made basic maps, just detailing the landmasses, of two of the continents I have been working on. Still need more practise before I can add mountains, forests, etc. Though I can always practise that on other maps and then come back to these.
See you all on the other side!
The weekend has just flown by, it feels like. Can hardly believe Monday is almost here again. In general it feels like time has passed really quickly since I got here. I mean, it has already been 3 weeks since I moved here, I started my new job last week, and yet it feels like I've only been here a few days. Kinda strange how the perception of time can be so seemingly different depending on what is happening in your life, how you are feeling, etc. Yet at the same time I know that, logically, whether I feel like time has moved quickly or slowly, the same amount of actual time has still passed. It is a fascinating thing when you think about it. Like a lot of things in this world are, when you actually stop to think about them. Even things that may seem as mundane as time can be a fascinating thing when you actually think about it. We have watches, or keep track of time in other ways, for example on our mobile phones, etc. We schedule our days according to what time it is. We eat lunch and dinner at certain times, there is a certain time we start working or go home from work, etc etc. Whether a work day feels long or short can vary depending on a lot of factors, like how much we enjoy what we do, how much stuff we feel we need to get done in a day, etc. Yet, regardless of how long the workday felt, the same amount of time has passed regardless. Time is a fascinating thing, I think. It plays such a big part in our lives, yet we have all become so accustomed to it that we don't really think about it most of the time.
In tabletop roleplaying, especially world-building, time is an interesting factor to play with as well. Depending on whether you want to go really detailed on the world-building, or not, of course. If you don't mind it however, thinking about things like what does the world's calender look like? How do they measure time? Is a year the same length as it is for us here on Earth? What, if any, significance does time have in a culture? Does the view on time differ between different cultures and/or races? I love thinking about things like that, though I understand if it isn't for everyone. :) You can also think about whether you want to ever have time as a factor in a roleplaying game. There's things you can do, like timed challenges or pussles for the players to deal with, or perhaps introduce festivals or other things and events that happen at specific times of the year. An event doesn't necessarily need to be a festival or other "man-made" occasion, it can also be a natural phenomenon that happens in the world every year at a certain point in time. It can help give more flavour to the world. A good rule is to introduce it if you like it and it makes sense in the world you are creating.
I have also gotten back into map-making again. Still trying to learn the program, but I am making slow progress. Just need to keep ignoring my own inner wish to just ignore the training and get it done. :) lol Better to learn step by step in the long run. I have made basic maps, just detailing the landmasses, of two of the continents I have been working on. Still need more practise before I can add mountains, forests, etc. Though I can always practise that on other maps and then come back to these.
See you all on the other side!
fredag 19 augusti 2016
Early autumn and lightningmaps
Greetings from the other side.
Another day, another rainy day. We've had thunder too. Imagine that, huh? Autumn's a tad early this year, it seems. I am still holding out hope for more than than one day of sunshine in a row. We shall see.
In the past few weeks, with all the thunder going on, I have gotten quite well aquainted with a website called www.lightningmaps.org. It shows on an interactive map places where lightning strikes happen, in real time. So it is great for tracking exactly where the lightning is currently in relation to your current position. :) Good to know some times. Found out about it from my gf, and it's a good way to keep track of things so you know whether the lightning is heading in this direction or another. And yes, it does have maps of other places in the world other than this region I am currently in.
First week at work finally done, and I got through it unscathed. :) It's been fun, all things considered, and I am really enjoying my work. Overall I am enjoying my time here in Finland. Only slightly negative thing I have noticed so far is that things seem to tend to be a bit more expensive here. I will keep looking to see if I can find things that are cheaper. One thing that they do have, is that there is a very healthy second-hand market over here. More so than I have seen in Sweden.
My knee seems to be fine again, which I am very happy about. On a more negative note though, I seem to have some sort of infection in my left eye. It is red and irritated. We're treating it, but if it isn't better by Monday I will go see a doctor about it.
That will be all from me for this evening. I am still tired after a long week.
See you all on the other side!
Another day, another rainy day. We've had thunder too. Imagine that, huh? Autumn's a tad early this year, it seems. I am still holding out hope for more than than one day of sunshine in a row. We shall see.
In the past few weeks, with all the thunder going on, I have gotten quite well aquainted with a website called www.lightningmaps.org. It shows on an interactive map places where lightning strikes happen, in real time. So it is great for tracking exactly where the lightning is currently in relation to your current position. :) Good to know some times. Found out about it from my gf, and it's a good way to keep track of things so you know whether the lightning is heading in this direction or another. And yes, it does have maps of other places in the world other than this region I am currently in.
First week at work finally done, and I got through it unscathed. :) It's been fun, all things considered, and I am really enjoying my work. Overall I am enjoying my time here in Finland. Only slightly negative thing I have noticed so far is that things seem to tend to be a bit more expensive here. I will keep looking to see if I can find things that are cheaper. One thing that they do have, is that there is a very healthy second-hand market over here. More so than I have seen in Sweden.
My knee seems to be fine again, which I am very happy about. On a more negative note though, I seem to have some sort of infection in my left eye. It is red and irritated. We're treating it, but if it isn't better by Monday I will go see a doctor about it.
That will be all from me for this evening. I am still tired after a long week.
See you all on the other side!
onsdag 17 augusti 2016
Creative sparks, and everyday life
Greetings from the other side.
The first week in my new job has finally begun, and so far, so good. Lots to get used to, and learn, but so far I am coping well. :) To be honest, it has been a somewhat calm week, as I am getting to grips with things around the workplace. A couple of surprises, but nothing I haven't been able to handle.
We've finally gotten some sunshine today. The sun decided to show itself in mid-afternoon, clearing the rainclouds that had been covering the sky up until then. Let's see how long it lasts. If the past couple of weeks are anything to go by, I should fully expect the rain to come back tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. We shall see.
Internet is behaving... most of the time. Still getting the occasional dip in connection speed where it is much slower than normal. We might have to talk to the service providers again.
My creative spark is still there, and I have been doing quite a lot of writing and thinking. Especially when it comes to the world-building. It is so nice to be back in the creative groove again. Though it can be a bit annoying at times when good and/or interesting ideas decide to enter my mind just when I am about to go to bed. All I can do then is jot down some quick notes on a notepad and hope it will help me remember the idea until the next evening after I get home from work. Unfortunatelly the writing has meant that the map-making has had to take a backseat. Again. Not much to do about it though. I will come back to it as soon as I get around to it.
That will round out a somewhat short post today.
See you all on the other side!
The first week in my new job has finally begun, and so far, so good. Lots to get used to, and learn, but so far I am coping well. :) To be honest, it has been a somewhat calm week, as I am getting to grips with things around the workplace. A couple of surprises, but nothing I haven't been able to handle.
We've finally gotten some sunshine today. The sun decided to show itself in mid-afternoon, clearing the rainclouds that had been covering the sky up until then. Let's see how long it lasts. If the past couple of weeks are anything to go by, I should fully expect the rain to come back tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. We shall see.
Internet is behaving... most of the time. Still getting the occasional dip in connection speed where it is much slower than normal. We might have to talk to the service providers again.
My creative spark is still there, and I have been doing quite a lot of writing and thinking. Especially when it comes to the world-building. It is so nice to be back in the creative groove again. Though it can be a bit annoying at times when good and/or interesting ideas decide to enter my mind just when I am about to go to bed. All I can do then is jot down some quick notes on a notepad and hope it will help me remember the idea until the next evening after I get home from work. Unfortunatelly the writing has meant that the map-making has had to take a backseat. Again. Not much to do about it though. I will come back to it as soon as I get around to it.
That will round out a somewhat short post today.
See you all on the other side!
söndag 14 augusti 2016
A short one
Greetings from the other side.
Another day, another adventure. Today I have learned more about my job, which was quite fun. Tomorrow I begin the adventure in earnest as I journey forth into my first official day on my new job. I am looking forward to that. :) Hopefully all will go well for me. It does feel a bit nervous starting a new job like this, and it feels like there is a lot to take in and many new things to learn, but at the same time I am exited about it as well and looking forward to it! Wish me luck!
It is another day of rain over here, but looking at the bright side at least it isn't windy and there is no thunder! Hopefully the sun will find its way back soon so we can get some sunshine again. I am staying hopefull.
Besides being at work today in an 'official' capacity, I have spent most of the day working on world-building again. I know. I know. But it is SO nice to be back in the writing groove again. Elaborating on lands, religion, races, and all other sorts of things feels really rewarding to me. :) I have not been able to work any on the map-making today however. I might get to that this evening. We shall see.
Looking forward to the Premier League season being underway again as well. :) Hopefully it will be a good year. Might come back to that particular subject in a future post.
This will have to be a short blog-post, as I need to go help with dinner.
See you all on the other side!
Another day, another adventure. Today I have learned more about my job, which was quite fun. Tomorrow I begin the adventure in earnest as I journey forth into my first official day on my new job. I am looking forward to that. :) Hopefully all will go well for me. It does feel a bit nervous starting a new job like this, and it feels like there is a lot to take in and many new things to learn, but at the same time I am exited about it as well and looking forward to it! Wish me luck!
It is another day of rain over here, but looking at the bright side at least it isn't windy and there is no thunder! Hopefully the sun will find its way back soon so we can get some sunshine again. I am staying hopefull.
Besides being at work today in an 'official' capacity, I have spent most of the day working on world-building again. I know. I know. But it is SO nice to be back in the writing groove again. Elaborating on lands, religion, races, and all other sorts of things feels really rewarding to me. :) I have not been able to work any on the map-making today however. I might get to that this evening. We shall see.
Looking forward to the Premier League season being underway again as well. :) Hopefully it will be a good year. Might come back to that particular subject in a future post.
This will have to be a short blog-post, as I need to go help with dinner.
See you all on the other side!
lördag 13 augusti 2016
Building worlds & making maps
Greetings from the other side.
Yesterday was an interesting day. Not because something particularily interesting happend, but because it was one of those days where it felt like we did a lot of things, yet nothing at all at the same time. We went into the city to do some errands and some shopping, and we had a gluten-free pizza for dinner, and that was about it really. Yet it still feels like the whole day went by in a flash and we did a ton of stuff. Weird.
Last evening was apparently also "rain and thunder evening", where mother nature decided to put on another impromptu show for us. The rain has keept going so far today, but at least there hasn't been any thunder.
Because of the rain, I have instead stayed inside and worked on a bit of world-building. Feels nice to be back into the groove a bit with the writing. I have also tried my hand at learning how to use my map-making program. I have, in the past, used AutoREALM for this purpose, but that was a 'while' ago now (read: over a year... at least), so I am currently trying to learn to use Campaign Cartographer instead. I find that I have two 'enemies' in this:
* I know I need to do practise maps first, before I start working on actual maps, but for some reason there is something inside me that just want to make the maps immediately. This impatient side of me is kind of annoying at times.
* It takes too long between times that I sit down with the program, so I end up making much slower progress than I really should need to.
One of the benefits of using AutoREALM is that it has a GREAT measuring tool built in, that allowed you to measure distances in various ways. You could measure it in feet, meters, miles, kilometers, etc, but also in things like 'days travelled on foot', 'days travelled on foot in difficult terrain', 'days by sailed galley', etc, and even in astronomical units and parsecs, should one wish to do that. I have, as of yet, not found any similar function in Campaign Cartographer, though I suspect there isn't one.
Don't get me wrong, I still really like AutoREALM. It is just that I wanted to try and learn how to use Campaign Cartographer as well, as I have heard a lot of good stuff about it.
The writing goes well. I am well on my way to writing up another land and its peoples. :) I actually got the inspiration for this land when I was practising my map-making skills earlier today, so sometimes inspiration can come to you from unexpected places. Currently working on an island / archipelago nation, inhabited by two species who have learned to co-exist after a troubled past (at least, that is how the story goes at the moment). Not the most novel of ideas I know, but I am hoping to expand on it and go into more detail as I go along. It is the seed from which the tree grows as I keep writing their story, if you will. I am excited to see what it ends up being like. Knowing me though, I will probably make changes to things as I go along, so what I just posted could still be subject to change.
Well, that's about it for now. Time to get back to the creative writing again. :)
See you all on the other side!
Yesterday was an interesting day. Not because something particularily interesting happend, but because it was one of those days where it felt like we did a lot of things, yet nothing at all at the same time. We went into the city to do some errands and some shopping, and we had a gluten-free pizza for dinner, and that was about it really. Yet it still feels like the whole day went by in a flash and we did a ton of stuff. Weird.
Last evening was apparently also "rain and thunder evening", where mother nature decided to put on another impromptu show for us. The rain has keept going so far today, but at least there hasn't been any thunder.
Because of the rain, I have instead stayed inside and worked on a bit of world-building. Feels nice to be back into the groove a bit with the writing. I have also tried my hand at learning how to use my map-making program. I have, in the past, used AutoREALM for this purpose, but that was a 'while' ago now (read: over a year... at least), so I am currently trying to learn to use Campaign Cartographer instead. I find that I have two 'enemies' in this:
* I know I need to do practise maps first, before I start working on actual maps, but for some reason there is something inside me that just want to make the maps immediately. This impatient side of me is kind of annoying at times.
* It takes too long between times that I sit down with the program, so I end up making much slower progress than I really should need to.
One of the benefits of using AutoREALM is that it has a GREAT measuring tool built in, that allowed you to measure distances in various ways. You could measure it in feet, meters, miles, kilometers, etc, but also in things like 'days travelled on foot', 'days travelled on foot in difficult terrain', 'days by sailed galley', etc, and even in astronomical units and parsecs, should one wish to do that. I have, as of yet, not found any similar function in Campaign Cartographer, though I suspect there isn't one.
Don't get me wrong, I still really like AutoREALM. It is just that I wanted to try and learn how to use Campaign Cartographer as well, as I have heard a lot of good stuff about it.
The writing goes well. I am well on my way to writing up another land and its peoples. :) I actually got the inspiration for this land when I was practising my map-making skills earlier today, so sometimes inspiration can come to you from unexpected places. Currently working on an island / archipelago nation, inhabited by two species who have learned to co-exist after a troubled past (at least, that is how the story goes at the moment). Not the most novel of ideas I know, but I am hoping to expand on it and go into more detail as I go along. It is the seed from which the tree grows as I keep writing their story, if you will. I am excited to see what it ends up being like. Knowing me though, I will probably make changes to things as I go along, so what I just posted could still be subject to change.
Well, that's about it for now. Time to get back to the creative writing again. :)
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 11 augusti 2016
Another day, another update
Greetings from the other side.
Knee is better today, which is nice. :) Hopefully it stays that way now. We shall see.
Was finally able to play tabletop RPGs with my friends online again yesterday, for the first time in about 3 weeks. Am really happy about that! Was a good session, playing in an Iron Kingdoms campaign. I quite like the Iron Kingdoms tabletop RPG. Currently playing a Ranger / Rifleman, who has just picked up a third career, Military Officer. Now granted, for those of you unfamiliar with the Iron Kingdoms tabletop RPG, or with tabletop RPGs in general, this probably all sound like strange mumbo-jumbo. I can assure you that this is all in good fun, and a great way to spend some time with your friends doing something fun and creative together. :) That goes for most tabletop RPGs, and you can probably find something out there to suit your tastes whatever they may be. I would encourage everyone to try it out some time. Who knows? You might even find you enjoy it!
I might return in another post further down the line to talk about why I love tabletop RPGs, what I like about them and why I think other's should try them as well.
The Night of Arts festival is being held this evening. However, because of the bad weather, we have decided to stay at home this time around. It's a shame. I would have loved to see it, but luckily there will be other chances as it is a yearly thing.
Speaking of bad weather, it would be rather nice with some sunshine and calm winds now. Preferably for a few days.
It's been a long day, so I am signing off now.
See you all on the other side!
Knee is better today, which is nice. :) Hopefully it stays that way now. We shall see.
Was finally able to play tabletop RPGs with my friends online again yesterday, for the first time in about 3 weeks. Am really happy about that! Was a good session, playing in an Iron Kingdoms campaign. I quite like the Iron Kingdoms tabletop RPG. Currently playing a Ranger / Rifleman, who has just picked up a third career, Military Officer. Now granted, for those of you unfamiliar with the Iron Kingdoms tabletop RPG, or with tabletop RPGs in general, this probably all sound like strange mumbo-jumbo. I can assure you that this is all in good fun, and a great way to spend some time with your friends doing something fun and creative together. :) That goes for most tabletop RPGs, and you can probably find something out there to suit your tastes whatever they may be. I would encourage everyone to try it out some time. Who knows? You might even find you enjoy it!
I might return in another post further down the line to talk about why I love tabletop RPGs, what I like about them and why I think other's should try them as well.
The Night of Arts festival is being held this evening. However, because of the bad weather, we have decided to stay at home this time around. It's a shame. I would have loved to see it, but luckily there will be other chances as it is a yearly thing.
Speaking of bad weather, it would be rather nice with some sunshine and calm winds now. Preferably for a few days.
It's been a long day, so I am signing off now.
See you all on the other side!
onsdag 10 augusti 2016
Another job introduction day
Greetings from the other side.
A short blog post from me today.
Today I had another introduction day to my new job. It went pretty well, just a lot to take in in the beginning. I got my job phone and the keys I need, and next week I am meeting with the one who had the job before me to have a talk, some introduction, and get some advice from them as well.
I admit there is some nervousness ahead of my officially starting the job on Monday. I guess it is extra nervous since it has been some time since I last had a job like this. I am trying not to stress over it too much, but I am not always successful. I guess that is part of the problem with being sensitive to stress. Something I have had to deal with for many years now, since my years of depression and anxiety issues. It sort of lingers on as an unwelcome remnant from that time. Luckily for me though, I have good people around me, including my gf, who help keep me calm. Not that I would break down or anything if they didn't, but it is nice to have people around who actually know more about the job than I do and can help answer questions, etc.
I am going to get my first tastes of my new job tomorrow and on Sunday, but from the sound of it it will be a fairly slow start, or at least the one tomorrow will be, which I am happy about. After that I will learn and grow with the job as I go along. Luckily everyone seems eager to help and to answer any questions I might have, which I am really thankful to them for.
My knee is doing a little better today, though I notice that it can still act up after a couple of hours if I don't rest it. Hopefully it will get fully better soon.
See you all on the other side!
A short blog post from me today.
Today I had another introduction day to my new job. It went pretty well, just a lot to take in in the beginning. I got my job phone and the keys I need, and next week I am meeting with the one who had the job before me to have a talk, some introduction, and get some advice from them as well.
I admit there is some nervousness ahead of my officially starting the job on Monday. I guess it is extra nervous since it has been some time since I last had a job like this. I am trying not to stress over it too much, but I am not always successful. I guess that is part of the problem with being sensitive to stress. Something I have had to deal with for many years now, since my years of depression and anxiety issues. It sort of lingers on as an unwelcome remnant from that time. Luckily for me though, I have good people around me, including my gf, who help keep me calm. Not that I would break down or anything if they didn't, but it is nice to have people around who actually know more about the job than I do and can help answer questions, etc.
I am going to get my first tastes of my new job tomorrow and on Sunday, but from the sound of it it will be a fairly slow start, or at least the one tomorrow will be, which I am happy about. After that I will learn and grow with the job as I go along. Luckily everyone seems eager to help and to answer any questions I might have, which I am really thankful to them for.
My knee is doing a little better today, though I notice that it can still act up after a couple of hours if I don't rest it. Hopefully it will get fully better soon.
See you all on the other side!
tisdag 9 augusti 2016
Windy days, lessons learned, knee & internet issues, and a bit more world-building thoughts.
Greetings from the other side.
Hello from a very wind-swept island somewhere in Finland. We went to run some errands today, and the windspeed indicator indicated winds of 21 meters / second. I can believe that. It's been blowing quite vigorously yesterday and today. A shame as I had been hoping to get some more work done outdoors. Ah well, as I pointed out in my last post there's no point in stressing over things when you have plenty of time to do it in and there's no need to rush it anyway. :)
My right knee started acting up again today, having been well for a couple of days. I doubt it is an injury as there is no pain. It just feels swollen and starts feeling a bit stiff after a while of use. It got better once, so hopefully it will get better soon again. Best I can do is try and rest it, and my gf, who is a zone therapist, will probably try and help as well with some treatment. It worked wonders a couple of days ago, so hopefully it will do the same now.
I also learned an important lesson while driving today. Just because the entry-way into a roundabout is wide enough for two or more lanes, doesn't mean that the roundabout itself has more than one lane. In fact, from what I am told, there are no roundabouts, in this area at least, that has more than one lane. Silly me from Sweden who thought that when the entryway is that wide it must mean that it is just like home that the roundabout usually has two lanes. Nope. Not the case. Something to keep in mind if you are thinking of coming here from Sweden and do some driving around. I managed to get into the roundabout anyway, eventually. Appologies to any finnish drivers who might have been wondering what that crazy swede was up to! :)
New internet is still causing issues. Best advice we got at the store when we talked to them about it was to try and connect a cable between the router and the laptop. It hasn't worked wonders really. Yesterday evening the internet was on and off. The slowest speed I tested vs Bredbandskollen.se was about 0,25Mb/s down and 0,24Mb/s down. On a 100Mb/s connection. Fastest I think was in the region of about 20Mb/s both ways. Connection speed is a bit iffy it seems. Hopefully it will get better. I can't deny I'd like to get a broadband cable into the house, but doing that is kind of expensive and something that will need to be postponed for later. It will happen at some point though.
Did some more writing on the world-building yesterday. Not much, but a little at least. I would love to get working on making maps, mainly as a visual aid for myself. I find that it can be really helpful to see the things you have envisioned in writing come to life on a map. Sadly, I am not very good at drawing maps, but I suppose practise makes perfect. I do have a program or two to help me with it, I just need to find the time to actually sit down and figure the programs out and actually draw the maps. So far, most days have been booked with something, and when a day hasn't been booked I have found something else that needs to be done. :) lol I do need to get started on it though, so I will try to work on it this week. At least the 'learning how the programs work' bit.
On top of the fairly gigantic world I am already working on, ideas for a second world has already started poping into my head. The first one is, I guess, more fantasy oriented, with the second one being more steampunk-ish in nature. I need to write down my ideas for it and see where that takes me. One thing I DO know, however, is that I won't make the second world nearly as large as the first one is turning out to be. I alreay have enough material and ideas for about 3 or 4 continents in that world, and probably plenty more to come. If I would hazard a guess, the steampunk "world" will probably be limited, at least initially, to just one or two continents or areas. I might expand that further later on, but until I am done with the fantasy world I think that will do.
See you all on the other side!
Hello from a very wind-swept island somewhere in Finland. We went to run some errands today, and the windspeed indicator indicated winds of 21 meters / second. I can believe that. It's been blowing quite vigorously yesterday and today. A shame as I had been hoping to get some more work done outdoors. Ah well, as I pointed out in my last post there's no point in stressing over things when you have plenty of time to do it in and there's no need to rush it anyway. :)
My right knee started acting up again today, having been well for a couple of days. I doubt it is an injury as there is no pain. It just feels swollen and starts feeling a bit stiff after a while of use. It got better once, so hopefully it will get better soon again. Best I can do is try and rest it, and my gf, who is a zone therapist, will probably try and help as well with some treatment. It worked wonders a couple of days ago, so hopefully it will do the same now.
I also learned an important lesson while driving today. Just because the entry-way into a roundabout is wide enough for two or more lanes, doesn't mean that the roundabout itself has more than one lane. In fact, from what I am told, there are no roundabouts, in this area at least, that has more than one lane. Silly me from Sweden who thought that when the entryway is that wide it must mean that it is just like home that the roundabout usually has two lanes. Nope. Not the case. Something to keep in mind if you are thinking of coming here from Sweden and do some driving around. I managed to get into the roundabout anyway, eventually. Appologies to any finnish drivers who might have been wondering what that crazy swede was up to! :)
New internet is still causing issues. Best advice we got at the store when we talked to them about it was to try and connect a cable between the router and the laptop. It hasn't worked wonders really. Yesterday evening the internet was on and off. The slowest speed I tested vs Bredbandskollen.se was about 0,25Mb/s down and 0,24Mb/s down. On a 100Mb/s connection. Fastest I think was in the region of about 20Mb/s both ways. Connection speed is a bit iffy it seems. Hopefully it will get better. I can't deny I'd like to get a broadband cable into the house, but doing that is kind of expensive and something that will need to be postponed for later. It will happen at some point though.
Did some more writing on the world-building yesterday. Not much, but a little at least. I would love to get working on making maps, mainly as a visual aid for myself. I find that it can be really helpful to see the things you have envisioned in writing come to life on a map. Sadly, I am not very good at drawing maps, but I suppose practise makes perfect. I do have a program or two to help me with it, I just need to find the time to actually sit down and figure the programs out and actually draw the maps. So far, most days have been booked with something, and when a day hasn't been booked I have found something else that needs to be done. :) lol I do need to get started on it though, so I will try to work on it this week. At least the 'learning how the programs work' bit.
On top of the fairly gigantic world I am already working on, ideas for a second world has already started poping into my head. The first one is, I guess, more fantasy oriented, with the second one being more steampunk-ish in nature. I need to write down my ideas for it and see where that takes me. One thing I DO know, however, is that I won't make the second world nearly as large as the first one is turning out to be. I alreay have enough material and ideas for about 3 or 4 continents in that world, and probably plenty more to come. If I would hazard a guess, the steampunk "world" will probably be limited, at least initially, to just one or two continents or areas. I might expand that further later on, but until I am done with the fantasy world I think that will do.
See you all on the other side!
måndag 8 augusti 2016
A slice of life on the other side
Greetings from the other side.
This is my second attempt at writing this blog post after the first one mysteriously disappeared somewhere into the ether. I blame my computer, though I am guessing the real answer lies somewhere between that and me still learning how this whole blogging thing works. Oh well, let's try this again! :)
Yesterday I took it upon myself to do some yard work around the house. A lot of that time was spent cutting down and uprooting rowans, which grow in abundance here. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against rowans, but they are so plentiful, especially the saplings, that I kinda need to keep their numbers in check a bit. After a few hours of work I have only gone through about 1/5 of the area I was planning to go through. There is really no rush though, as I have the rest of summer and autumn in which to do it in, so there's no use stressing about it. :)
Stress is one of those things that I take seriously. Having suffered from stress-related issues before, I have learned the importance of trying not to stress too much, especially over things you have little or no control over. I am only human however, so that doesn't always work according to plan, but what is important is that I try to affect the amount of stress when I can at least.
I have found that working outside, in this beautiful part of Finland, being surrounded by natural surroundings, is very calming and peaceful, and gives a sense of serenity in the midst of the, sometimes, hard work. It can sometimes almost be a meditative experience of sorts. Working outside in the sun yesterday for a few hours, really did wonders, and it was such a nice feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Not the kind you get after coming home after a full day's work, but something that comes out of knowing that what I do improves things around the homestead, for my gf and I. That is a very nice feeling. I find that, in general, working outside is preferable to working inside. You feel much closer to the world somehow, and you get to be out in the fresh air. Of course, it is one thing to say that now, in the midst of summer, and quite another one when winter comes. But in general I quite enjoy being outside.
Speaking of being outside, I have found myself realizing just how similar it is here compared to back home in Sweden. The natural scenery looks the same, and it is only really when you look at the prices of things, or see signs in finnish or hear someone speaking finnish that you realize that you have crossed the border. It is ok though. I like finnish, even though I don't speak it. I guess it comes from my love of languages in general. I also really like the dialect of the swedish-speaking population here. To some degree I think it brings out more of my own dialect from back home as well. :)
See you all on the other side!
This is my second attempt at writing this blog post after the first one mysteriously disappeared somewhere into the ether. I blame my computer, though I am guessing the real answer lies somewhere between that and me still learning how this whole blogging thing works. Oh well, let's try this again! :)
Yesterday I took it upon myself to do some yard work around the house. A lot of that time was spent cutting down and uprooting rowans, which grow in abundance here. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against rowans, but they are so plentiful, especially the saplings, that I kinda need to keep their numbers in check a bit. After a few hours of work I have only gone through about 1/5 of the area I was planning to go through. There is really no rush though, as I have the rest of summer and autumn in which to do it in, so there's no use stressing about it. :)
Stress is one of those things that I take seriously. Having suffered from stress-related issues before, I have learned the importance of trying not to stress too much, especially over things you have little or no control over. I am only human however, so that doesn't always work according to plan, but what is important is that I try to affect the amount of stress when I can at least.
I have found that working outside, in this beautiful part of Finland, being surrounded by natural surroundings, is very calming and peaceful, and gives a sense of serenity in the midst of the, sometimes, hard work. It can sometimes almost be a meditative experience of sorts. Working outside in the sun yesterday for a few hours, really did wonders, and it was such a nice feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Not the kind you get after coming home after a full day's work, but something that comes out of knowing that what I do improves things around the homestead, for my gf and I. That is a very nice feeling. I find that, in general, working outside is preferable to working inside. You feel much closer to the world somehow, and you get to be out in the fresh air. Of course, it is one thing to say that now, in the midst of summer, and quite another one when winter comes. But in general I quite enjoy being outside.
Speaking of being outside, I have found myself realizing just how similar it is here compared to back home in Sweden. The natural scenery looks the same, and it is only really when you look at the prices of things, or see signs in finnish or hear someone speaking finnish that you realize that you have crossed the border. It is ok though. I like finnish, even though I don't speak it. I guess it comes from my love of languages in general. I also really like the dialect of the swedish-speaking population here. To some degree I think it brings out more of my own dialect from back home as well. :)
See you all on the other side!
söndag 7 augusti 2016
A morning's reflections
Greetings from the other side.
Looking out through the window this morning at the sunstroked trees outside, I can't help but wonder at the beauty of God's creation. Living here in Finland, I have realized just how similar it is to being back home in Sweden, in terms of the landscapes and natural beauty of it. I often find myself thinking about it. I think the natural beauty that can be found outside of cities, and even in parks or areas where you can get in touch with nature inside a city, are really important for the human spirit. At least, that is is my view on it.
To me there is something inherently serene, calming and spiritually fulfilling about being out in nature. Listening to the birds sing, watching the sunrays stroke the trees and plants around you. It alwyas gets me in a somewhat philosophical mood. I very much enjoy walking around, surrounded by the beauty of the natural world, and just think. About anything. It is amazing the kinds of things you can find yourself thinking about at a time like that. It can even be a bit surprising on occasion. Suddenly you find that solution that you have been looking for for that problem you have been trying to solve for a long time. Or you simply realise something you hadn't realised before. I find that it often helps to get my creative juices flowing as well.
Being surrounded by a beautiful, natural landscape can be both serene and calming on one hand, as well as thought-provoking and creativity-inducing on the other, all at the same time.
Looking up at a star-filled night sky, with no streetlights or other lightsources to distract you, can be awe-inspiring as well.
I think humanity as a whole could do well with learning to appreciate the natural beauty that is around us more. It would be such a shame to loose that connection because it gives so much. From a religious perspective I guess you could even say that this is God's green earth, and he has given it to us to tend to and take care of. This marvellous, beautiful blue ball of ours, floating out there in space, is such a beautiful place, and I wish more of us would open their eyes and allow themelves to fully see and appreciate it. :)
See you all on the other side!
Looking out through the window this morning at the sunstroked trees outside, I can't help but wonder at the beauty of God's creation. Living here in Finland, I have realized just how similar it is to being back home in Sweden, in terms of the landscapes and natural beauty of it. I often find myself thinking about it. I think the natural beauty that can be found outside of cities, and even in parks or areas where you can get in touch with nature inside a city, are really important for the human spirit. At least, that is is my view on it.
To me there is something inherently serene, calming and spiritually fulfilling about being out in nature. Listening to the birds sing, watching the sunrays stroke the trees and plants around you. It alwyas gets me in a somewhat philosophical mood. I very much enjoy walking around, surrounded by the beauty of the natural world, and just think. About anything. It is amazing the kinds of things you can find yourself thinking about at a time like that. It can even be a bit surprising on occasion. Suddenly you find that solution that you have been looking for for that problem you have been trying to solve for a long time. Or you simply realise something you hadn't realised before. I find that it often helps to get my creative juices flowing as well.
Being surrounded by a beautiful, natural landscape can be both serene and calming on one hand, as well as thought-provoking and creativity-inducing on the other, all at the same time.
Looking up at a star-filled night sky, with no streetlights or other lightsources to distract you, can be awe-inspiring as well.
I think humanity as a whole could do well with learning to appreciate the natural beauty that is around us more. It would be such a shame to loose that connection because it gives so much. From a religious perspective I guess you could even say that this is God's green earth, and he has given it to us to tend to and take care of. This marvellous, beautiful blue ball of ours, floating out there in space, is such a beautiful place, and I wish more of us would open their eyes and allow themelves to fully see and appreciate it. :)
See you all on the other side!
lördag 6 augusti 2016
Un-well knee & a roadtrip
Greetings from the other side.
My right knee has been acting up in the last couple of days. Not sure what is wrong with it. It doesn't hurt but it feels swollen, without actually looking swollen. Hopefully it is something that will go away fairly quickly with a bit of rest. I just need to be careful not to put unnecessary strain on it. Walking is generally fine, most of the time at least. It's worse when I try to negotiate stairs or slopes.
Today I went with my "in-laws" and my gf to a missionary celebration that the church apparently has each year. I was told that this year it was special because the celebrations themselves were celebrating their 60th anniversary. It was about an hour's drive to get there from where we live. It was quite nice. A small church set in beautiful, lush surroundings. Unfortunatelly, the church was too small to accomodate everyone who was there, but they had put up speakers and benches outside the church for those that couldn't get in. There were choirs singing, food, and merriment all around.
My leg didn't help much, so rather than trying to get a place inside the church my gf and I decided to sit outside so I would get a chance to stretch my leg from time to time. This quickly proved to be a good idea, and both my knee and I are very happy that we came to that particular conclusion.
It was a nice experience, and we also ran into an old friend of my gf's that she hadn't seen in a while, plus some other members of her family, which was really nice. :)
We got back home around 11:30pm. My gf has gone to bed as she was really tired, but I decided to stay up a while longer, as the nightowl that I am.
That's it for this blog post.
See you all on the other side!
My right knee has been acting up in the last couple of days. Not sure what is wrong with it. It doesn't hurt but it feels swollen, without actually looking swollen. Hopefully it is something that will go away fairly quickly with a bit of rest. I just need to be careful not to put unnecessary strain on it. Walking is generally fine, most of the time at least. It's worse when I try to negotiate stairs or slopes.
Today I went with my "in-laws" and my gf to a missionary celebration that the church apparently has each year. I was told that this year it was special because the celebrations themselves were celebrating their 60th anniversary. It was about an hour's drive to get there from where we live. It was quite nice. A small church set in beautiful, lush surroundings. Unfortunatelly, the church was too small to accomodate everyone who was there, but they had put up speakers and benches outside the church for those that couldn't get in. There were choirs singing, food, and merriment all around.
My leg didn't help much, so rather than trying to get a place inside the church my gf and I decided to sit outside so I would get a chance to stretch my leg from time to time. This quickly proved to be a good idea, and both my knee and I are very happy that we came to that particular conclusion.
It was a nice experience, and we also ran into an old friend of my gf's that she hadn't seen in a while, plus some other members of her family, which was really nice. :)
We got back home around 11:30pm. My gf has gone to bed as she was really tired, but I decided to stay up a while longer, as the nightowl that I am.
That's it for this blog post.
See you all on the other side!
fredag 5 augusti 2016
Tabletop games galore
Greetings from the other side.
This will be my second post for today and I thought I would take a moment to tell a bit about what tabletop rpgs I am currently playing as a player, and games that are currently on hiatus, as I am not running any games as a GM right now.
Currently I am playing in two D&D 4e campaigns, one of which has been running for... about 3 or 4 years ow, I think. I am also part of a Star Wars campaign that uses the Star Wars Saga Edition game, as well as an Iron Kingdoms RPG game. For those who don't know, Iron Kingdoms is a tabletop RPG from Privateer Press which is based on their miniatures wargame Warmachine.
I am also part of plenty of games that are either on hiatus or upcoming, some which use the D&D 4e system, and others using systems such as Shadowrun, Mutants & Masterminds, D&D 3.5, L5R (Legend of Five Rings), and Ironclaw. I might have forgotten some systems in there, but I can always amend that later if need be.
There are also the games I have prepared to GM at some point in the future when the schedules allow us to play them - primarily 1st edition Mutant Chronicles, and Jade Claw from Sanguine Productions, but there are plenty of other systems I would like to run a game in at some point, such as D&D 5e, GURPS, good old swedish Drakar & Demoner, Symbaroum, another swedish tabletop RPG called Viking, and try out the new 3rd edition Mutant Chronicles, to name a few. We will see what the future holds there.
I will probably return another time to talk more about the games I used to play when I was younger and first got introduced to tabletop roleplaying. That's for another post though. I might also at some point return to talk more about some other tabletop games and game systems as well.
See you all on the other side!
This will be my second post for today and I thought I would take a moment to tell a bit about what tabletop rpgs I am currently playing as a player, and games that are currently on hiatus, as I am not running any games as a GM right now.
Currently I am playing in two D&D 4e campaigns, one of which has been running for... about 3 or 4 years ow, I think. I am also part of a Star Wars campaign that uses the Star Wars Saga Edition game, as well as an Iron Kingdoms RPG game. For those who don't know, Iron Kingdoms is a tabletop RPG from Privateer Press which is based on their miniatures wargame Warmachine.
I am also part of plenty of games that are either on hiatus or upcoming, some which use the D&D 4e system, and others using systems such as Shadowrun, Mutants & Masterminds, D&D 3.5, L5R (Legend of Five Rings), and Ironclaw. I might have forgotten some systems in there, but I can always amend that later if need be.
There are also the games I have prepared to GM at some point in the future when the schedules allow us to play them - primarily 1st edition Mutant Chronicles, and Jade Claw from Sanguine Productions, but there are plenty of other systems I would like to run a game in at some point, such as D&D 5e, GURPS, good old swedish Drakar & Demoner, Symbaroum, another swedish tabletop RPG called Viking, and try out the new 3rd edition Mutant Chronicles, to name a few. We will see what the future holds there.
I will probably return another time to talk more about the games I used to play when I was younger and first got introduced to tabletop roleplaying. That's for another post though. I might also at some point return to talk more about some other tabletop games and game systems as well.
See you all on the other side!
Plans, Advancements, and Failed BBQs
Greetings from the other side.
Went to the Magistrate's office today and registered myself as a resident here in Finland, and got my finnish social security number at the same time. Next up is getting a finnish bank account for my salary, and getting what is known as a "sickness insurance card", which will allow me to get free healthcare over here.
We unfortunatelly were unable to go talk to them about our internet, so it will have to wait until next week.
After all the rain and thunder in the past few days it was really nice to get some sunshine and blue skies today. :) Warm weather really perks you up after a few days of bad weather! Me and my gf attempted our first bbq here. My "father-in-law" had kindly prepared the grill for us. Unfortunatelly it didn't quite turn out the way we thought it would... Turns out there was too little charcoal in the grill, so we didn't quite get the heat we wanted, or needed. This meant the food didn't quite turn out the way we had hoped. We bravely tried to eat it, but pretty soon decided it would be better to just go back inside the house and warm it up in the frying pan instead. Such a shame. We had looked forward to it all week. But these things happen, and all you can do is laugh about it. :)
My right knee is feeling a bit stiff and swolen today, without showing any outward signs of swelling mind you. Hopefully it is just a temporary thing.
Have also had some thoughts about the house and the yard for the future, which I have talked about with my gf. We are both very excited for the future! :)
That's about it for this time.
See you all on the other side!
Went to the Magistrate's office today and registered myself as a resident here in Finland, and got my finnish social security number at the same time. Next up is getting a finnish bank account for my salary, and getting what is known as a "sickness insurance card", which will allow me to get free healthcare over here.
We unfortunatelly were unable to go talk to them about our internet, so it will have to wait until next week.
After all the rain and thunder in the past few days it was really nice to get some sunshine and blue skies today. :) Warm weather really perks you up after a few days of bad weather! Me and my gf attempted our first bbq here. My "father-in-law" had kindly prepared the grill for us. Unfortunatelly it didn't quite turn out the way we thought it would... Turns out there was too little charcoal in the grill, so we didn't quite get the heat we wanted, or needed. This meant the food didn't quite turn out the way we had hoped. We bravely tried to eat it, but pretty soon decided it would be better to just go back inside the house and warm it up in the frying pan instead. Such a shame. We had looked forward to it all week. But these things happen, and all you can do is laugh about it. :)
My right knee is feeling a bit stiff and swolen today, without showing any outward signs of swelling mind you. Hopefully it is just a temporary thing.
Have also had some thoughts about the house and the yard for the future, which I have talked about with my gf. We are both very excited for the future! :)
That's about it for this time.
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 4 augusti 2016
Another day in the life of...
Greetings from the other side.
Every day is still a new adventure. In the sense that I still learn something new every day. Yesterday, for example, I learned not to buy regular sparkling water (Sv: kolsyrat vatten, som Loka fast annat märke) at the local shop anymore. 2 bottles of 1,5 liters each cost me 5 euros. For my family and friends back in Sweden, that's bordering on 50kr. So from now on I will be buying things like that when we go into the city to do the weekly shopping, should I need it.
Yesterday and today I have had my first introductions to my new job. It's been quite interesting, I must say, and a lot to take in at the start. Though I am sure I will get the hang of it as time goes by. Amongst today's work-related excursions, was included a part that unfortunatelly resulted in us standing outside in the pouring rain under a tree (and not one that was very well suited for keeping the rain out) for about 20 minutes or so, before it subsided enough that we could move some place more sheltered. Anyway, despite that it was an interesting day with lots of information and a lot of stuff to take in and memorize.
I am also starting to find my way around my new home better. Have been learning how the woodburner works for the heating, and was out earlier today and did some "maintenance" work - i.e. I pulled out a couple of small trees that were growing right next to the house before they would grow up and become a problem for the house's foundation.
All in all it feels like it has been a fairly productive day.
Today is also the first day that I haven't (yet) heard any thunder in the sky. I am silently hoping and praying that we are done with the thunder now. After about 3-4 days of it, give or take, it would be nice to see some blue sky and sunshine again!
Seems I am slowly getting my creative spark back as well. It sort of comes and goes in patches, but that's better than not having it at all. :)
Will be interesting to see what the rest of the day has to offer!
See you all on the other side!
Every day is still a new adventure. In the sense that I still learn something new every day. Yesterday, for example, I learned not to buy regular sparkling water (Sv: kolsyrat vatten, som Loka fast annat märke) at the local shop anymore. 2 bottles of 1,5 liters each cost me 5 euros. For my family and friends back in Sweden, that's bordering on 50kr. So from now on I will be buying things like that when we go into the city to do the weekly shopping, should I need it.
Yesterday and today I have had my first introductions to my new job. It's been quite interesting, I must say, and a lot to take in at the start. Though I am sure I will get the hang of it as time goes by. Amongst today's work-related excursions, was included a part that unfortunatelly resulted in us standing outside in the pouring rain under a tree (and not one that was very well suited for keeping the rain out) for about 20 minutes or so, before it subsided enough that we could move some place more sheltered. Anyway, despite that it was an interesting day with lots of information and a lot of stuff to take in and memorize.
I am also starting to find my way around my new home better. Have been learning how the woodburner works for the heating, and was out earlier today and did some "maintenance" work - i.e. I pulled out a couple of small trees that were growing right next to the house before they would grow up and become a problem for the house's foundation.
All in all it feels like it has been a fairly productive day.
Today is also the first day that I haven't (yet) heard any thunder in the sky. I am silently hoping and praying that we are done with the thunder now. After about 3-4 days of it, give or take, it would be nice to see some blue sky and sunshine again!
Seems I am slowly getting my creative spark back as well. It sort of comes and goes in patches, but that's better than not having it at all. :)
Will be interesting to see what the rest of the day has to offer!
See you all on the other side!
onsdag 3 augusti 2016
Sleep depravation, explanations, and every day going-ons.
Greetings from the other side.
Didn't sleep much last night. There was a thunderstorm outside, and normally I can sleep through stuff like that no problem, but for some reason I couldn't last night. I am not convinced it was because of the thunderstorm. More likely a general issue of not being able to fall asleep. Oh well. It happens.
It was pointed out to me yesterday that I had kind of forgotten to specify what kind of RPG I was talking about. As I posted in my reply in the comments to that post, I was in fact talking about a tabletop RPG game system. I do know that plenty of game systems exist out there, and I've even tried my hand at playing in some of them over the years. As I also said in my reply was that I am not really doing it because I am planning on publishing a new tabletop RPG or anything like that. To me it is a fun experiment, and one I have found that I quite enjoy working on. I find it to be a very interesting challenge. :)
Most likely, it will turn out to be something I might try out with my friends but never go any further than that. If, in fact, it turns out to be a functional system at all in the end. It is my first time trying my hand at it, so I have no idea whether it will turn out good in the end or not. The main thing is that I am enjoying working on it for now. :)
The main thing though, is still the world building, which is it's own thing. As I mentioned in my previous post I am just creating a world, without tying it to any specific game system or adventure idea. I might GM a game in it at some point, or I might not. The main thing for me is the process of actually creating it and seeing it come to life.
Am still trying to come up with a good name for the world as a whole. One of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to tabletop roleplaying is coming up with names for my characters, Not to mention coming up with one for a whole world.... But once I do I might start refering to it by it's name rather than just talking about 'that world I am working on'.
Still settling in well over here. Starting my new job in about 2 weeks time, and until then I am just getting to know my surroundings a bit more. :) Been out driving, with my gf as my guide, to learn how to find my way in, and around, the nearest city.
Sadly haven't been able to go to the store to ask up about my internet connection yet. Due to various IRL reasons it has been postponed until Friday.
Also sad that I haven't yet been able to do any tabletop roleplaying online with my friends yet this week, due to the thunderstorms. They have said we will probably be getting more of the same today, so might miss tonight's D&D game as well. :-/ If I do, I will have to wait until Monday for my next game. Keeping my fingers crossed I will get a game in tonight.
Anyway, I think that will be all from me for now.
See you all on the other side!
Didn't sleep much last night. There was a thunderstorm outside, and normally I can sleep through stuff like that no problem, but for some reason I couldn't last night. I am not convinced it was because of the thunderstorm. More likely a general issue of not being able to fall asleep. Oh well. It happens.
It was pointed out to me yesterday that I had kind of forgotten to specify what kind of RPG I was talking about. As I posted in my reply in the comments to that post, I was in fact talking about a tabletop RPG game system. I do know that plenty of game systems exist out there, and I've even tried my hand at playing in some of them over the years. As I also said in my reply was that I am not really doing it because I am planning on publishing a new tabletop RPG or anything like that. To me it is a fun experiment, and one I have found that I quite enjoy working on. I find it to be a very interesting challenge. :)
Most likely, it will turn out to be something I might try out with my friends but never go any further than that. If, in fact, it turns out to be a functional system at all in the end. It is my first time trying my hand at it, so I have no idea whether it will turn out good in the end or not. The main thing is that I am enjoying working on it for now. :)
The main thing though, is still the world building, which is it's own thing. As I mentioned in my previous post I am just creating a world, without tying it to any specific game system or adventure idea. I might GM a game in it at some point, or I might not. The main thing for me is the process of actually creating it and seeing it come to life.
Am still trying to come up with a good name for the world as a whole. One of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to tabletop roleplaying is coming up with names for my characters, Not to mention coming up with one for a whole world.... But once I do I might start refering to it by it's name rather than just talking about 'that world I am working on'.
Still settling in well over here. Starting my new job in about 2 weeks time, and until then I am just getting to know my surroundings a bit more. :) Been out driving, with my gf as my guide, to learn how to find my way in, and around, the nearest city.
Sadly haven't been able to go to the store to ask up about my internet connection yet. Due to various IRL reasons it has been postponed until Friday.
Also sad that I haven't yet been able to do any tabletop roleplaying online with my friends yet this week, due to the thunderstorms. They have said we will probably be getting more of the same today, so might miss tonight's D&D game as well. :-/ If I do, I will have to wait until Monday for my next game. Keeping my fingers crossed I will get a game in tonight.
Anyway, I think that will be all from me for now.
See you all on the other side!
tisdag 2 augusti 2016
Thunderbolts and Lightning, World building, etc
Greetings from the other side.
Today we are on the third day straight of thunder and rain. It sort of comes and goes. From having experienced almost no thunder previously this summer, mother nature appears to have now, suddenly, decided to make up for that. Really wish we could get the sun, and calm, back now. Kinda sick of it. I can deal with the rain, and thunder normally, but 4 days of it kinda wears on you a bit.
Also it will probably impede on my ability to play RPGs with my friends online in the coming days, if it keeps up. Something I am hoping will NOT happen, as I wasn't able to play with them last week and I kind of miss it. Not to mention it is a great creative outlet and might help get my own creative juices flowing again.
New internet also installed. Though for something that is supposedly going to give us 100Mb/s (at least, that is what we are paying for), we are currently only getting around 20Mb/s. Will go back to the store and ask up on that tomorrow.
Been trying to do some creative writing again on my world-building project, but haven't really been able to do much of it since I got over here. Am hoping to get that creative spark back soon. Not sure how much of it will be discussed by me on the blog in the future. I guess it will depend on whether I find something in there I'd like to discuss on here. It is a subject, and a project, that is dear to my heart though, and something that is truly a labour of love more than anything. I didn't really set out to make it for any specific roleplaying game I was going to run with my friends, but more as:
A) something I have always wanted to do, as I have had the idea and concept for a world in my head for a very long time but never gotten around to writing it down and fleshing it out further.
B) to see what I could do if I gave myself complete creative freedom, not restrained by any particular game system or adventure idea.
That being said, I might still run a game in that world in the future. A friend of mine even convinced me to start working on a game system specifically for this world. I was a bit hesitant at first, but having worked on it I am now finding it to be a very fun, and interesting, challenge to go alongside the actual world building. I am still making sure however, that the world comes first and that the game system will be adapted to it, rather than the other way around.
Well, I think that is all from me for the moment.
See you all on the other side!
Today we are on the third day straight of thunder and rain. It sort of comes and goes. From having experienced almost no thunder previously this summer, mother nature appears to have now, suddenly, decided to make up for that. Really wish we could get the sun, and calm, back now. Kinda sick of it. I can deal with the rain, and thunder normally, but 4 days of it kinda wears on you a bit.
Also it will probably impede on my ability to play RPGs with my friends online in the coming days, if it keeps up. Something I am hoping will NOT happen, as I wasn't able to play with them last week and I kind of miss it. Not to mention it is a great creative outlet and might help get my own creative juices flowing again.
New internet also installed. Though for something that is supposedly going to give us 100Mb/s (at least, that is what we are paying for), we are currently only getting around 20Mb/s. Will go back to the store and ask up on that tomorrow.
Been trying to do some creative writing again on my world-building project, but haven't really been able to do much of it since I got over here. Am hoping to get that creative spark back soon. Not sure how much of it will be discussed by me on the blog in the future. I guess it will depend on whether I find something in there I'd like to discuss on here. It is a subject, and a project, that is dear to my heart though, and something that is truly a labour of love more than anything. I didn't really set out to make it for any specific roleplaying game I was going to run with my friends, but more as:
A) something I have always wanted to do, as I have had the idea and concept for a world in my head for a very long time but never gotten around to writing it down and fleshing it out further.
B) to see what I could do if I gave myself complete creative freedom, not restrained by any particular game system or adventure idea.
That being said, I might still run a game in that world in the future. A friend of mine even convinced me to start working on a game system specifically for this world. I was a bit hesitant at first, but having worked on it I am now finding it to be a very fun, and interesting, challenge to go alongside the actual world building. I am still making sure however, that the world comes first and that the game system will be adapted to it, rather than the other way around.
Well, I think that is all from me for the moment.
See you all on the other side!
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