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Re: (TFT) Yet another computer...
Over the Edge.
This is either about my general mental state, or something about computerized dice, I can't tell which.
Maybe this has been done already, I don't know, but the use of the Platonic solids as randomizers on a computer seems to be an example of squeezing a cube shaped peg into an n-sided hole.
The regular Polytopes in just the 4th dimension offer examples like 600 celled "dice", with a 120 celled Dual.
(The 6 and 8 siders are Dual, in that an 8 sided die has 6 vertices or corners, and a 6 sider has 8 corners.)
A simpler example of a "computer assisted" gaming construct like this would be the infamous hyper-cube.
n-cube = 4
16 / 0 cubes, 32 / 1 cubes, 24 / 2 cubes, 8 / 3 cubes, 1 / 4 cube = 81 n-cubes per hyper-cube.
So I project the thing as a Schlegel Diagram that's animated, one diagram per "frame" of the "roll", focused on one of the 8, 3 cubes, or cube faces.
Some very interesting correspondences can be set up with such a die, or randomizer.
Graphical projections of this are well established, "The Hypercube: Projections and Slicing" or A.K. Dewdney's article in the 'Computer Recreation' column of "Scientific American" April of '86 is material I have on hand.
Both of these approaches recommend not displaying one of the 3 square faces (2 cube) of each edge of the hyper-cube.
This technically creates a 2 dimensional surface in 4 dimensions called a Polyhedral Torus.
The 16 squares that from the surface can be considered to be a folded grid, 4 by 4 squares, i.e. a square hex.
The remaining 8 of the 2 cubes give the potential for "other dimensions".
Think Myrror for MoM'ers.
Two sides to the glass though, left and right handed so to speak.
You'd know as an outside observer by checking a Figures handedness...
...
Oh yeah, when applying provisional coordinates to the icosahedron, I come up with +/-1,0,the irrational s^2 + s -1 = 0 w/pos sol s = (-1 + sq rt of 5) / 2.
Pretty close to the Golden Ratio nei?
Speaking of Mom, I take it this one finished as expected?
< I'm expecting to win a game (4/Impossible) with Barbarians (and I captured some High Men) in which I am casting NO SPELLS AT ALL. I do have alchemy and use it, and I let myself conquer cities, but I only let myself take over enemy capitols when they are down to two cities... ...I'm winning quite handily with Berserkers and Bowmen, thank you.
[skarg@ - (Peter VonKleinsmid)]
You can think of this as 8 six siders in a kinda odd, paper, rock, scissors relation to each other.
Anyone ever read "...and He Built a Crooked House"?
The bottom floor room of the house is 1 passage away from both the 2nd floor room, and the fourth floor room, and etc. depending on how one chooses to fold it up.
To "roll" the structure is basically to determine the order of the rooms when unfolding.
Entrance connections in the Grand Dean Wizards Cottage
1st floor.
1 room.
Upstairs goto 2nd floor room.
Downstairs goto 4th floor room.
2nd floor.
1 room.
Upstairs goto 3rd floor center room.
Downstairs goto 1st floor room.
3rd floor.
5 rooms.
Center room.
Upstairs goto 4th floor room.
North door goto north wing room, south door goto south wing room, and etc.
Downstairs goto 2nd floor room.
North wing room south door goto center room, north door goto south wing room.
South wing room north door goto center room, south door goto north wing room.
East and west wing rooms arranged similarly to north and south wing configuration, but with the east wing room having an exit door to the south.
4th floor.
1 room.
Upstairs gotot 1st floor.
Downstairs goto 3rd floor center room.
Room rotation order for "friends".
1st floor
2nd floor
3rd floor center room
3rd floor south wing room
3rd floor west wing room
3rd floor north wing room
3rd floor east wing room
4th floor
Attempting 1st floor, Double Aspheric, the rotation, i.e. flip it.
Etc.
The players feel the "entrance" to be on the 1st floor, in the north wall.
This is in fact the entrance side of a gate, its exit face is on the southern wall of the east wing room.
On the door is written "Enter here as family, friend, or foe and receive my hospitality."
Knocking on the door and speaking the names Shimendrick, Semele, or Xanthus allows entry with the "family" gate rules, knocking and speaking any other name allows entry under the "friend" rules.
Any other method of entrance designates a Figure as using the "foe" gate rules.
The family gate rule allows any passage to bring the Figure to the room of their choosing.
Family may also set servant tags, activate Wards, and generally "warms up" the house.
The friend gate rule always advances the Figure to the next room forward if the final result indicates a private passage, .
This provides no access to the private quarters or storage areas for the Wizards "guests" on this plain, usually heroes of some ability needed for "mussel" in a maneuver on the chaos plane.
The foe rule takes any Figure straight to the 7th level of the Wizards chaos fortress, with that "culling" method described in Labyrinth.
Note that the foe tag requires the Figures to actually pass through the front door into the foyer.
The rule doesn't kick in until then, so a REALLY paranoid Figure could use a few methods of escape at this point, so don't spring the trap too soon.
AA Tower - Order, 8 stories ~100' w/~12' ceilings
AB Cottage - Neutral, 4 floors
BB Dungeon - Chaos, 8 levels deep ~1000'
1st floor, The Foyer
2nd floor, The Larder
3rd floor, (Center) The Hall
(North) The Dining Room
(South) The Grand Deans Private Quarters
(East) The Guest Quarters
(West) The Study
4th floor, The Office
There is a way to reach the G.D.P.Q. PDQ (GD!).
In the "away for the winter" mode that I'm likely to offer this to players, the Deans Door is set to take messages from henchmen, Followers, and other business the Wizard may require a shingle for on this plane.
The Caretaker - The cottage itself is in some since "alive" after a conversation with the famous Witch Dorthy Gale's own "home" elsewhince anon.
Without the Deans presence, the place can manage itself intelligently (I.Q. equal to GM), shutting down Wards and such.
In general, I use obvious stuff like Sticky/Slippery Floor, Open/Close Tunnel, Repair, and etc.
Depending on the power of the "party" attempting the cottage, I'll make the offensive stuff more or less direct, but a good one is Possession.
Presented right, the players get a good surprise when/IF they become aware of this.
The Golum - The suit of full plate in the Hall is able to be called into defense in situations requiring more physicality and less illusion.
Again, the power and abilities here are gauged via party strength.
I've got a lot of notes on this one as it's been a standby for a number of years now.
It's a mapping groups nightmare, but not SO hard that it can't be solved.
Just stumbling around in the dark gives clueless groups occasional appearances of the exit.
I've never had to starve anyone in it anyway.
I once had a group take the downstairs exit in the Foyer seven times in a row.
Because of the friend tag, they kept going down the downstairs and coming back through the upstairs without knowing it.
I ran outta synonyms for familiar.
So anyway, I'll type up the room descriptions and a couple of monster configurations if anyone is interested.
I've got a session tonight and I've simply nothing prepared.
The GM's got no clothes!
So stick 'em on a Mobius strip and tell 'em ta piss on the other side.
I can only Death Test 'em sooo much, but we ain't Campaign ready yet.
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