] ]
 
] ] ]
]
Site Navigation
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Top 5 Recent Posts ]
View Last Post Murphy's Rules
Last Post By: Rubisco
Forum: Misc

Posted: 27/Jun/2009 at: 9:25am

View Last Post Betty Bowers Explains...
Last Post By: charles
Forum: Other

Posted: 18/Jun/2009 at: 1:46pm

View Last Post DragonCon 2009
Last Post By: charles
Forum: Front Page News

Posted: 18/Jun/2009 at: 1:41pm

View Last Post Six-Word Short Stories
Last Post By: haley
Forum: Books

Posted: 12/Jun/2009 at: 12:24pm

View Last Post Statements that do not make sense
Last Post By: charles
Forum: Misc

Posted: 12/Jun/2009 at: 10:17am

]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Amazon! ]

Google
Web www.cranialherbs.com
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Welcome Guest ]
Name:
Pass:
Auto Login
Add me to Active Users list
Yes  No

Forgot password? | Register
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Online Activity ]
People Online: 5
Guest(s): 2
Member(s): 0
Robot(s): 3
Inktomi, Googlebot, Inktomi
Memberships: 23
The Newest Member is Gaven Vo'Mimbre
Most Online: 185
Occured: 28/Mar/2008
Members[0], Guests[0]
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Search For ]

Search On:
All Words
Any Words
Phrase
]
] ]

   
] ] ]
]
Welcome to

Welcome to Cranial Herbs & Rice

CH&R is dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, and roleplaying game fans.  
Join us for discussions on politics, the web, gaming, film, TV, and the world in general.

We also develop our own RPGs.  Ask us about Cold Iron, a fantasy system based on the FUDGE engine, Dark Reign: Fear the Dawn, a horror game using our Tarot engine, Midgard, a fantasy system where the players are Norse gods, using our Runedraw engine.  We have developed much of the core for our own D&D 3.5 game world.  Though these days, we play GURPS more than any other engine.

Feel free to look around and join in on the discussions!

]
] ]

] ] ]
]
DragonCon 2009
Posted: Kenneth @ 15/Jun/2009 12:08pm
Kenneths avatar

Once again it's time for me to put up the annual posting about DragonCon.

Who all is planning to attend this year?  (Commited, want to go but can't commit just  yet, etc..)

Comments:  1 | Views:  199 | Add/View Comments
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
New Site Design Coming
Posted: charles @ 05/Dec/2008 9:17am
charless avatarIt's not here yet.  But the portal software that this site runs on is showing it's age.  The designers are about 80% done rewriting the entire package, making it smoother, faster, and less prone to problems.

If everything stays on schedule* then I hope to switch to the new product some time in January.  Nothing that's currently posted here should be lost in the transfer.

During that change-over, I would like, once again, to try to find ways to bring in fresh faces and new ideas.  The site's gone stagnant lately.  Eric has basically dropped off the face of the Earth since he moved to California.  The rest of us game so seldom that we rarely have any desire or need to hash out gaming issues here.  Other than strange news posts, the site's basically languishing.

So I'm going to try to expand into technology and other areas rather than just gaming.  Hopefully, I can broaden the site's appeal and find some way to bring in new people.

Your thoughts?
Comments:  19 | Views:  797 | Add/View Comments
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
GMs Resource
Posted: charles @ 12/Sep/2008 10:51am
charless avatarI stumbled across two interesting sites recently.

The first is RPGLife.  This site has articles, blogs, and a forum run by / for gamers.  Several published game authors frequent the site and have posted articles describing the game design process from the inside, along with tips on how to do so yourself.

The other is The Arcana Wiki.  This site is set up to serve as the "Wikipedia" for gamers.  Their idea is to provide factual information along with ways to tie that information to gaming.  They aren't focused on specific game systems, but are trying to serve as a generic resource for GMs who need a bit of help figuring out how to merge real-world stuff into their games.
Comments:  0 | Views:  1025 | Add/View Comments
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Types of games we love and love to hate
Posted: charles @ 24/Jul/2008 4:22pm
charless avatar Over here, we mention one type of game that some of us love, others hate, but we all seem to have an opinion on: The so-called awakenings game.

For those who may not know, Awakenings games typically represent a game where your character has some set of abilities, typically supernatural or at least super, that your character is not yet aware of.  Most often, you as a player are not yet aware of the specific either.

We've also talked about so-called "Puzzle" or "Trap" games, in which the focus is overcoming some difficult mental challenge, typically represented by a physical barrier of some sort in the game world that has some key or means of bypassing.

There's also the Cthulhu style investigation game, which seems to have 3 main phases, each with it's own sub-phases: introduction, in which the players find out what the general objective is and why it matters; discovery phase, in which the players go about trying to figure out what their characters saw and what to do about it; end-game, in which the players form a strategy to overcome the monster and then try to enact said strategy.

"Monster" or "Enemy" hunting games are another, in which there's some big nasty "thing" opposes the players and must be conquered, escaped from, or killed.  These games can involve searches, trying to defend innocents, etc. from the enemy or arch villain.

There is also the "PVP" (player vs player) game, in which the players are overtly or covertly out to get each other.  These games can be the most political and complex, yet involve the least amount of GM effort once the game begins, since the PCs / players do most of the work.

Of course, many games are hybrids, mixing multiple elements and styles.  What other generic types of games can you think of? What do you think about each style?  What's your favorite and least favorite?


Edited by charles on 25/Jul/2008 at 2:40pm
Comments:  11 | Views:  800 | Add/View Comments
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
Best of Games; Worst of Games...
Posted: charles @ 11/Jul/2008 4:25pm
charless avatar

It was the best of Games, it was the worst of Games...

We've referenced many of our games in past.  Here's place to share those stores in more detail.  Give us some of your best and worst, funniest and saddest, scariest and happiest gaming moments.  Every player and GM has a story to tell.  So tell yours!

Comments:  5 | Views:  836 | Add/View Comments
]
] ]

] ] ]
]
RSS News ]
RSS   RPGNow New Products
  • Funkadelic Frankenstein on the Mean Streets of Monstertown
  • COPPER DRAGON: Caverns 2
  • Weapons of Starship Destruction 3
  • Gamescapes: Story Maps, Fantasy Set 5
  • Second Look: Fallen
  • Strike Force 7 - Savaged!
  • BHB: Ghost in the Machine
  • Encounters Series 5: Succubus Seduction
  • The Character Codex II: The Book of Modern & Sci-fi Character Classes
  • Horror Art Bundle 7 [BUNDLE]
  • RSS   RPGNow Best Sellers
  • Fantasy Class: Martialist
  • Funkadelic Frankenstein on the Mean Streets of Monstertown
  • COPPER DRAGON: Caverns 2
  • Weapons of Starship Destruction 3
  • Gamescapes: Story Maps, Fantasy Set 5
  • Second Look: Fallen
  • Strike Force 7 - Savaged!
  • BHB: Ghost in the Machine
  • Encounters Series 5: Succubus Seduction
  • The Character Codex II: The Book of Modern & Sci-fi Character Classes
  • RSS   En-World News
    RSS Feed Not Found
    RSS   Pulp Gamer Game Review Podcast
  • PGGK 040: Candamir: The First Settlers
  • PGGK 039: Barbarossa
  • PGOC 076: Gaming in the Old Pueblo
  • PGGK 038: Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix
  • PGOC 075: D-Day
  • PGGK 037: Pack & Stack
  • PGGK 036: Go West!
  • PGOC 074: Haunted Encounters
  • PGIT 066: Aaron Witten and Game Science
  • Weston Ochse and the Smoky Mountain Horrors
  • PGGK 035: Amazonas
  • PGGK 034: Shear Panic
  • PGIT 065: Larry Roznai of Mayfair Games
  • PGOC 073: Controversial Games
  • PGGK 033.5: Poisson d'Avril
  • PGOC 072: Jamaican Rum
  • PGGK 033: Empire Builder
  • PGOC 071: Bon Voyage!
  • PGGK 032: Silverton
  • PGGK 031: Catan Geographies Germany
  • PGGK 030: Hey! That's My Fish!
  • PGOC 070: More On Mechanics
  • PGGK 029: The Dutch Golden Age
  • PGOC 069: Mechanics Matter
  • PGGK 028: Lunar Rails
  • PGOC 068: Coordinated Campaigns
  • PGIT 064: John Ward of GAMA
  • PGGK 027: Sutter's Mill
  • PGGK 026: Monuments
  • PGCO 067: Tear Down the Lights
  • PGGK 025: Express
  • PGOC 066: Mad Science Games
  • PGOC 065: Blog Bug
  • PGOC 064: Facebook Fury
  • Game Kennel 2008 Review
  • PGIT 063: Kim Maita of Gamer Adventures
  • PGGK 024: Intrigue
  • PGIT 062: John Wick
  • PGOC 063: Stocking Stuffer Games
  • PGGK 023: Megastar
  • PGOC 062: Gateway Roleplay
  • PGIT 061: Richard Borg
  • PGIT 060: Jean Vanaise
  • PGGK 022: Theophrastus
  • PGOC 061: Spooky!
  • PGIT 059: Ethan Skemp of White Wolf
  • PGIT 058: Erik Yaple of Privateer Press
  • PGOC 060: Clubbing Up
  • PGIT 057: Nicolas Logue
  • PGGK 021: Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • PGIT 056: Justin Achilli of White Wolf and CCP
  • PGOC 059: Ahoy Maties!
  • PGIT 055: Pete Fenlon of Mayfair Games
  • PGGK 020: Catan Traders and Barbarians Expansion
  • PGOC 058: Geeks and Freaks
  • PGIT 054: Corey Konieczka of Fantasy Flight Games
  • PGOC 057: Friends and Fans
  • PGIT 053: Sterling Hershey and the Star Wars games
  • PGGK 019: Horus
  • PGOC 056: Gen Con 08
  • PGIT 052: Dave Wallace
  • PGIT 051: Kenneth Hite
  • PGGK 018: Settlers of the Stone Age
  • PGIT 050: Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions and IPR
  • PGOC 055: Table Tips
  • PGIT 049: Jeff Bellinger of Killer Bunnies
  • PGOC 054: Gamer Adventures
  • PGIT 048: P. R. Chase
  • PGGK 017: Anno 1503
  • PGOC 053: The Art of Gaming
  • PGIT 047: Michelle Nephew of Atlas Games
  • PGGK 016: Alibi
  • PGIT 046: Eddy Webb and John Chambers of White Wolf
  • PGGK 015: Nautilus
  • PGOC 052: Games for Training
  • PGGK 014: The Pillars of the Earth Expansion Set
  • PGGK 013: The Settlers of Catan
  • PGIT 045: Phil Lacefield Jr.
  • PGGK 012: Toledo
  • PGGK 011: Catan Dice Game
  • PGIT 044: Aaron Williams
  • PGGK 010: La Strada
  • Finding Good Homes for Great Games
  • PGIT 043: Anthony Gallela, Game Manufacturer's Association
  • PGGK 009: Entdecker: Exploring New Horizons
  • PGIT 042: Skip Williams
  • The COW: Catan Online World Radio, Meet the Moderators
  • PGGK 008: Bacchus' Banquet
  • POINT BLANK Special Presentation: Joseph Carriker
  • PGGK 007: Domaine
  • PGGK 006: China Rails
  • PGGK 005: Lascaux
  • PGGK 004: Chicago Poker
  • Wil Wheaton Reading at Phoenix Cactus Comicon 2008
  • PGGK 003: Weinhandler
  • PGGK 002: The Market of Alturien
  • PGGK 001: Gangster
  • RSS   Clarksville Leaf Chronicle
  • Palin resigning as Alaska governor
  • Soldiers find haven at Eagle's Nest
  • Upward Bound students wrap up summer classes
  • CPD: Two men wasted officers' time
  • Less humidity with high in 80s
  • Fla. sexual predator assigned to live under a bridge
  • @issue: Favorite Fourth of July memory?
  • Prosecutors: Demjanjuk fit to stand trial
  • LA braces for horde of Michael Jackson mourners
  • Be part of the Clarksville Business Buzz
  • Budget OK'd, no tax hike
  • Changes to PUD zone districts receive approval
  • State plans to rebuild Riverside intersection
  • County revisits tethering rules
  • N. Korea missile over Hawaii feared
  • Attorney: Police think widow helped plan Hart killing
  • Police on patrol this holiday weekend
  • Boat ramp is open for holiday celebration
  • VA silent on compensating for endoscopic mistakes
  • TENNESSEE BRIEFS
  • RSS   John's RPG Tips
  • Issue 452 - Instant Reward Cards
  • Issue 451 - Police in a Modern Campaign
  • Issue 450 - Use Logic Puzzles to Develop Plots and Stories
  • Issue 449 - 11 Homebrew Terrain Ideas
  • Issue 448 - 8 Tactics for Mooks
  • Issue 447 - How To Create Factions - 3 New Tips, Plus: 44 Awesome Ready-To-Use NPC Hooks
  • Issue 446 - Build Your Own Starship
  • Issue 445 - 4 Tips For Post Apocalypse Game Masters
  • Issue 444 - 5 Tips to Create Game Room Atmosphere
  • Issue 443 - 15 Kinds of Camouflage
  • ]
    ] ]

       
    ] ] ]
    ]
    Poll ]
    What game systems have you enjoyed playing?

    View Results and Comments

    ]
    ] ]

    ] ] ]
    ]
    Top Posters ]
    Username Posts
    charles 3242
    shiva 1789
    Eric 1785
    ]
    ] ]

    ] ] ]
    ]
    Calendar ]
    CH&R Images
    Another of my favorites pieces of fantasy art. has been viewed 856
    JULY 2009
    S M T W T F S
          01
    02
    03
    04
    05
    06
    07
    08
    09
    10
    11
    12
    13
    14
    15
    16
    17
    18
    19
    20
    21
    22
    23
    24
    25
    26
    27
    28
    29
    30
    31
     
    2009 Year Calendar
    ]
    ] ]

    ] ] ]
    ]
    RPGHost Banner Exchange:
       
    Vote for us on RPGLife.com Top Sites
    ]
    ] ]

    ] ] ]
    ]
    Random Quote:
       
    Expect people to be better than they are; it helps them to become better. But don't be dissapointed when they're not; it helps them to keep trying.
    -Merry Browne
    (Quote 418 of 2255 added on 6/10/2002 11:33:19 AM)
    Add a new quote
    Get a random quote
    Search for quote


    Quotes provided by MCD, Copyright © 1991 - 2009, Charles Moore. Follow the link for instructions on how to add these quotes to your site.
    ]
    ] ]


    ] ] ]
    ]
    This page was generated in
    4.2344 seconds.
    (©) 2000 - 2009 Cranial Herbs & Rice,
    All Rights Reserved.
    Powered by SOOP Portal
    version Raven RC1
    ]
    ] ]