text:
Hey, I absoulutly love your system, I have played a crazy amount with it. This is such a versitile system, honestly it is by far my favorit game.
R. Miller, introduced us to the system and I cant be anymore thankfull.
An excellent, eminently teachable, system for playing old-school AD&D style. Character creation is a breeze, and the system is simple enough to explain quickly, and capable of being mutilated in a number of ways without falling apart. Some classic archetypes of the game are not included (notably, the more hybrid styles, such as warrior-wizards or mage-thieves), but the style is such that they're creatable without much effort or fear of breaking the game. While they're widely praised, I feel the multiclass options in the back of the book are too complicated and not well enough explained, but the game is my standard for "A bunch of people who don't know D&D want to play D&D"... I can pick up an old school module, hand out sheets with race and class information, and start playing relatively quickly.
"The Codex Germania unearths the mythological realms of the ancient Germans. From the murky forests of their beginnings rise the myths, the magic, gods, goddesses, monsters, heroes and legends of the ancient Germans, all brought to life for your Castles & Crusades game."
Let me go on record as saying that 'The Codex Germania' is a big book for Castles & Crusades weighing in at 112 pages! That 112 is packed in wall to wall Germanic mythological goodness & its perfect for Halloween! With new PC classes such as the witch & variations on the slayer class not to mention the variety of horrid monsters waiting to chew on your PC?! But there's more here then simply that. Brian Young goes into the book's contents in the intro & it sets the tone for the entire book;
"This book allows both the Castle Keeps and the players to explore the breadth of early Germanic mythologies and culture.For the sake of history and religion, the pre-Christian Germans are covered because their imagination and colorful beliefs hadnot yet submitted to a European commonality. By the time of Christianization, the Germanic world largely lost it imaginative heritage of wondrous sagas about divine heroes, other worlds,supernatural creatures, and magic. This codex attempts to capture some of that essence and places it into the hands of gamers"
But does the 'The Codex Germania' deliver on its promise of mythological Germany rife with new monsters, PC classes, spells, & more?! Well the mythological & historical background is right on point with the beginning chapters;
'This chapter serves a twofold purpose in telling history. First, it will give a brief overview of early Germanic history in Europe, giving beginners in this field of study a basic understanding.
Secondly, it gives the creation mythos from the early Germanic pagan religions as best as possible. Note, that due to the variations among the many tribes, those disparate but similar strands
of myth among Germanic peoples do have a commonality and a link to the Nordic sources that came later.' The book here is really on point & gives the dungeon master an actual usable thumbnail view of ancient Germany's history & mythology. The second chapter in we get even more background focusing on the peoples & land itself after the first chapter with a an inter spacing of some mythological elements ;
The many descendants of Tuisto dwell in many lands throughout Europa, from east to west and have large tribes often numbering a 100,000 or more members. The three groups of peoples have covered a wide territory over time, from the boundaries of
the furthest south (Roman Empire and Spain) to Britannia to the west, Scandza to the North and the Black Sea to the east.
In this section, the many tribal confederations and regions across Europe, from east to west, will be given a detail that joins both the mythical and historical into a unified perspective for
game play. Germania, on the far side of the Rhine, was seen in Roman eyes as Germani Liberia (Free Germania) where the many tribes there were not under imperial control.
Mythical places in the Germanic Otherworld will also be describedas best as information can be gathered from the limited sources. Key locations in Germania and other settled (and invaded) regions by Germanic tribes are detailed here for places that CKs can use in their games. The mythical locations in the Codex Nordica can be used to enhance those listed here by the CK."
This sets everything up to come just as we've seen in The Codex Celtarum because we get a detailed history on the two ancient Germany's. Germania Inferior & Superior are brought to the forefront by Caesar Augustus;
'Caesar Augustus sought to have total control over all of Germania early in his reign before letting this wild and untamed part of Europe deluge the Empire. His designation was Germania
Magna or 'Great Germania', but this was cut short after the fatal Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 C.E.
It was deemed unrealistic that Germania would ever be completely in the Empire's possession and so other strategies were employed to find means in which to incorporate this untamed land. The method of divide and conquer, which had been working well against the Greeks and Celts, was not so simple in the
face of this newly encountered people.'
You get a really nicely detailed semi mythological setting with lots of historical details & then the book jumps feet first into the mythological realms of Germanic mythology after detailing swaths of history on kings, tribes, & gobs of history. This material parells many of the Teutonic & Norse mythologies that I've seen over the years but its got a slightly different take here. Take for example 'ÆLFHÁM – Home of the Elves
This magical world exists outside of the reach of Middangeard normally and is bound tightly to the tree of Irminsul, as it is filled with its constant magical energies. The elves that live here are whimsical and frivolous acting among each other, but they turn sinister and devious towards strangers (specifically humans) if they are interrupted.
Fair beings, standing both short and tall, the ælf-kind are purely composed of magic. Their world is a large, wild forest-land filled with other magical beings and creatures that can be called faery.
These ælves can glow with a white light from within in a heavenly manner if needed to banish away evil or dark beings keepingthis world untainted by the presence of darkness.
Wēland the smith (or deor) is their king (Ylfcynig), who dwells in a simple forest smithy away from the hustle and bustle of the court and palace. In his stead, he has many stewards and chiefs that function for him while he creates wondrous items at his
forge. Wēland's crafts have been sought after by many across the worlds, and they have attempted many deceptive plots to do so.
To outsiders, the myriad rulers of Ælfhám will appear lofty and arrogant in manner, but this is due to the immortals' difference from mortals, and the possession of their great magic. The land is largely untamed and filled with wondrous sights and beings beyond all comparison (CK can refer to the Codex Celtarum for faery abilities and extra beings not in this particular codex).
The inhabitants of this world choose to intrude on Middangeard often, becoming involved in the affairs of mortals and altering events to suit their own purposes. They do not, however,
allow mortals to meddle in their business. Mortals are looked down upon by the ælf-kind for their crudeness, vulgarity, and lack of refinement.
The goddess Frigge dwells here and is often seen riding in her chariot in the forests, surrounded by her faery entourage. It is wisest by mortals and invited strangers to never interrupt her ride. This world has never known the scourge of the giants or other invaders in its history because of the powerful enchantments possessed by its natives.'
These are the Elves I grew up hearing & reading about with my German neighbors in my home town. Yes they have some of the qualities of the Tolkein Elves but these are the origins & their every bit as alien & weird. The realms of Fairy & the Germanic gods are not to be treated upon by mankind. The monster section folds neatly within the mythological places & realms of the gods starting with alp is a type of elf vampire & then finally ending with the Germanic dragons which we get solid guide line rules ala Beowulf.
The Germanic dragons are nasty pieces of work & this might happen to your PC's.
Chapter four In Wizardry & Enchantments goes into the magic PC classes, magicks, spells, & enchanted items of 'The Codex Germania';
'There are many new character classes included that are different from the normal wizard and illusionist classes in that their approach to spell-casting and enchantments are
not typical, the Erilaz or (rune master), and Wælcyrig/Halirúna
or (witch).
The many aspects of rune magic are detailed here and how they can be used in normal gaming. Runes in gaming have always been somewhat close to the ancient Migration Period attestation of runic magic and their later Viking parallels. This chapter
will outline a system that is closer to those mentioned previously." Yes I'm skipping over the ring oaths because there's a ton of background with these which are for adventures & I'll go into this later. This chapter is very well done in my opinion & really sets 'The Codex Germania' apart in its approach to handling the whole of Germanic mythological magick in Castles & Crusades. And this brings me to Serve the Gods which really dives deeply into the Germanic Pagan & Druidic traditions. It dives deeply into the Germanic mythological pantheon from the creator gods to the gods of warfare to hearth & home. Sacred groves & funeral practices actually get a solid style of use for Pagan cleric PC classes here.
Chapter six 'Skilled in Battlecraft' gives the PC martial classes something to use in the Germanic mythological world. We get more pseudo historical information on the Germanic warrior, further details of the ring oaths of a warrior, & more useful information on the martial affairs of Germanic warriors, soldiers, etc. Including historical information on women warriors of Germany. Deadly rules for ancient artillery & arrows along with the shield wall. Property, land, blood money, and more all used in ancient warfare in Germany. Then finally two new PC classes The Dragonslayer & the Wod or Germanic 'Fury' which is similar to Norse beserker but they have some of their own mythic or divine wrinkles. Both classes are very well done. The slayer & witch classes from the magic section are excellent foils for both of these classes & I can see using all of this to put together an adventuring party for ancient Germany.
Finally we get to the Castle Keeper's information about ancient Germany, its rulers, & society. This is a very well laid out chapter & has critical information about the whole of running a campaign. Again its very well put together. 'The Codex Germania' is a solid & well put together product. I like how accessible it is & how well put together all of the information is in this book. I think that the 'The Codex Germania' is a solid five out of five.
Now for the Amazing Adventures! rpg dungeon master this is another in my mind essential book. Why?! Because of the fact that there is so much to pillage & use. The Wod, the Dragon slayer, the slayer class,the witch, & more make excellent foils for the Pulp adventuring of AA! But once again this is a solid case of using the Amazing Adventures companion & the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters especially because of the Dragon Slayer class. The dragons & NPC witches of 'The Codex Germania' are solid evil & make excellent vile villains. They have motives, personalities, & out and out agendas that should they find their way to civilization would wreck havoc. The Monsterous Manual has a wide array of minor dragonic monsters that could also wreck havoc with the world of ancient Germany. The Wod could be used as the basis for a nasty PC class of fighter or adventurer. The use of 'The Codex Germania' for a World War two game is both intriguing & beyond the scope of one blog review & yes I will go into this more as my Amazing Adventures campaign continues!
Eric Fabiaschi
Swords & Stitchery Blog
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"Norv & Galv crawled along the guttural entrance to the former Roman temple, its gods long replaced by something much worse. 'Did you bring the torches?!', the voice quivered & it wasn't the rime cold or the slime under Galv's backside. Norv made his way to the ruin's gated remains which had been bent years before by something it hitting it from inside with great force. The candle light arched around the rusted remains & Norv held his hand up for silence. He took the ox oil from his pack & literally applied it but neither warrior saw the spent made from darkness as thick as a man's thigh crawl from right over their heads. The monster was another limb of the thing of darkness that lived in the ruins of the temple. The village chief would keep his half of the warriors bargain & his daughter. Norv's son would marry another & he would mourn his father. There were no time for screams & only the wet sucking sound of flesh then silence played in the aqueduct. But this was the price to pay whist messing in the darkness in the affairs of wizards & demons. ."
There are a few OSR products & rpg products that use the Slav mythology & occult traditions as the basis for an rpg setting. The Codex Slavorum does exactly this & perhaps a bit more.
"The Codex Slavorum opens roads into the mythological realms of the ancient Slavs. Born in the shadow of Siberia their myths and magic, their gods, goddesses, monsters, heroes and legends offer an untouched wealth of material for your Castles & Crusades game.
New Classes! New spells! More monsters!
Bring the ancient Slavic worlds to life!"
I opted for the physical package & grabbed my order on Friday from the mail.The books are beautiful with the cover art striking with a Chrenobog demon being confronted by a Slavic wizard in the spirit realm. Drivethrurpg lists three books in the Mythos line for Castles & Crusades by Brian N. Young. Young presents the Slav spiritual & mythological world as easily accessible & fundamentally usable to the dungeon master ( no I'm not nor will I ever be a Castle Keeper, I'm a dungeon master as Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson were). I'm going to turn this book on its side because I'm planning on using this material in my campaigns. But I want you to see the quality of the layout & the black & white artwork.
Peter Bradley does a bang up job with his artwork.
Opinions about the 'The Codex Slavorum' vary wildly from Amazon 3 star rating by Chrytal Cartwright . Then there is the five star rating on Good Reads by Winston Crutchfield.
Can't understand the hate nor the three star rating because I happen to be on the Crutchfield side of things. Here's why.
I'm really glad I spent the money to grab this book because the Slavic material is actually useful to me. Al of the OSR setting & campaign material is in the front of the book & the PC stuff is in the back with a solidly done index. Yes this book has an actual index enabling the reader to quickly access the section he or she needs. This layout is similar to the older Ars Magica rpg books. The quality of 'The Codex Slavorum' reminds me of those books. The setting here is pure Castles & Crusades Slavic world setting with a solid overview of both the Slavic/Russian 'real world' & the spiritual world. This includes a good array of monsters, spells, Gods, interactions, & low & behold a good damn solidly usable Slavic Shaman class! Growing up in a Polish neighborhood with Russians, Hungarians, & lots of Eastern Europeans the Slavic shaman & some of the mythical traditions of Eastern Europe make me twitchy with the traditional Dungeons & Dragons clerical classes. They don't mix well. In
The Codex Slavorum we finally get the mix of the Slavic myths & the spiritual realms with D&D style elements even though its Castles & Crusades. Volkhv & their ilk finally get their due & its well done. Among these folk your not going to find any flashy fireball wielders unless you want to get burnt at the stake. This is set during the 'Time of Legends ' & folks like Oleg are important NPC's. The artwork(not in the book btw) below illustrates the importance of the occult world against the world of man. There are some dark reasons for this. 'The Codex Slavorum' presents the all too real struggle of light vs darkness with the Slavic shades of blood red & dark mythic gore. This is an epic book & tool kit.
Most folks think of the world of Slavic mythology being the world dragons, liches,a myriad of ghosts, spirits, etc. but its really the world of the vampire. The vampire of 'The Codex Slavorum' is not a monster to be taken lightly at all. This is a force of undeath at its worst & there is a PC vampire hunter class here to counter it. I have to say that there must be more then a few very dead vampire hunters. Sure they may be formidable but here the vampires are very dangerous indeed. These are the vampires of Slavic legend fueled by the gods of the underworld. Forget your cinematic vampires these are the horrors of legend & they make the vampires of "Flavenlost" look tame. The forces of darkness & horror are well represented in the ninety eight pages of the ' The Codex Slavorum'. But the forces of light have their due Eagle Knights, heroes of legend, the gods, Pagan priests, hunters of the supernatural, & more are also within these pages.
The Slavic world of ' The Codex Slavorum' is a complex & dangerous world intertwined with the gods as well as native legendary knights. Mythic knights whose stories are as complex as any of the legends of Arthur & his band. There are as many versions of these stories as well all across the Slavic world. They have a very boiled down version of these knights that can be used as PC class. I was very pleased to see this.
So what does all of this material in the ' The Codex Slavorum' mean for the Amazing Adventures dungeon master? Well many of the monsters & elements have been transcribed & filtered into The Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters.
This isn't a slight on Jason Vey's work but when you want to have a party of adventurers meet the forces of the Slavic underworld head on. There's nothing like having the original source book in your hands to pull from in order to do it.Sure there's Wiki entries & internet what not but when you want your OSR source book to pull from when constructing then your going to want the ' The Codex Slavorum'.
I've already gotten the question of 'how can an Amazing Adventures rpg demon hunter class & the vampire PC class coexist. The answer is simple. The vampire which was transcribed over to the Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters & the demons of Slavic lore are all under the umbrella of the gods of darkness.
There is more then enough darkness across the planes for an army of demon hunters & vampire slayers besides the two classes work extremely well together.
For the pulp/super hero gamer who wants a Slavic slant on their character's origins this is a must buy. Raiders & the like who are looking for far deeper depth on the artifacts & treasure that their going after this is the book that can give your PC's deeper grounds. Five out of five for me because of easy of use, utility, & a solid no BS approach to the Slavic mythology & material .
Eric Fabiaschi
Swords & Stitchery
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"The Codex Celtarum contains a veritable host of gaming material. Built around the complete mythological cosmos of the Celts, in it you'll find new spells for your druid, cleric, and illusionist. New monsters, including mountains of fey. New magic items. For the very bold, there are new powers for your characters, allowing your characters to become fey! 190 new spells 90 gods and monsters from the Celtic mythos 150 powers for the fey monsters & characters (optional) The Druids."
For the last two years I've been looking at the cover for Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum & pretty much wrote it off as yet another "elf games" source book for Castles & Crusades. Every time a Troll Lords sale would come up I look & think maybe?? Two things have occurred that changed my mind. One I'm actually running a Seige Engine powered game. Two I've got players who are nuts about all things Celtic. So I contacted (stalked) Troll Lord Games about the Mythos Bundle for Castles & Crusades.
When they didn't contact me right away I went ahead & bought the entire line of physical books. I loath & hate pdfs but love books at the table. Over the years I've seen various hog pog incarnations of pieces of Celtic mythology in many editions of Original Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 3.0, OSR etc.
There is a lot of material to cover & this book tackles the subject head on & goes right into the meat & patatoes of the material. Is this a book for the player or the dungeon master? The answer is both. This book clocks in at about a hundred & seventy six pages of very well researched material. Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum came out about five years ago & Troll Lords has expanded the Mythos line quite a bit.
This is a book for the serious dungeon This book is for the dungeon master who wants to run an entire Castles & Crusades game within a mythological Celtic Iron age setting with Fey & all that goes with it. In one book you get all of the tools for doing this because your going to be placing all of those elements into the realm of the Fairy. This book was written by an academic who knows, eats, breathes, & lives his material. Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum encompasses the entire experience of playing within & without in the realm of Fairy & Fey.
This book boils down all of the classic elements of Celtic mythology & legend into an actual playable supplement for Castles & Crusades. It does with professionalism, class, & its very well written. Brain Young is an academic who really gets into his mythological gaming material with wit & solid writing.
The layout is solid, the writing is easy to get through, the material sparks the dungeon master's imagination. But is Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum
good for other Siege Engine products? Could this book be useful for say Amazing Adventures?!
The answer to this is yes! Much of the material here is straight up fantastic to adapt to a pulp setting & it easily lends itself to whole cloth idea. The Fey are legendary & very alien their own right. These are not weird Elves & lets play them, this is straight up epic mythological C&C material. This makes it unexpected & straight out of the box a surprise to player in a pulp game campaign. If you are going to use Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum with Amazing Adventures what are you going to need?Much of this material has been filtered after a fashion & adapted to the Amazing Adventures Companion by its author Jason Vey.
With 190 new spells 90 gods and monsters from the Celtic mythos 150 powers for the fey monsters & characters (optional) The Druids all of these C&C elements can be ported over easily into other Troll Lord products including Amazing Adventures! rpg. I can actually see using Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum with the Victorious Rpg. Using Victorious or Amazing Adventures I can see a pulp investigative or heroic campaign using the Celtic mythological material as adventure fodder. The adventure elements within the Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum are very fresh & well presented.
The book packs a lot into its one hundred & seventy five pages. But is the book worth its price of admission into the Celtic world of the Fey & Fairy? In a word yes! I think that Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum is not only a high quality book for Castles & Crusades but for any OSR or old school dungeon master. I give the Castles & Crusades Codex Celtarum a solid five out of five.
Eric Fabiaschi
Swords & Stitcery Blog
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For TLDR, scroll to the bottom.
On initial inspection of this book, it offers a lot of new and tantelizing content. To a flexible and amenible Dungeon Master/Castle Keeper such as myself, it is exactly that.
However, it is stated in the Systems and Rules (Chapter 1) that it makes reference of the Wizards of the Coast's 3.0 SRD, as opposed to the core rulebooks of 5th Edition. Additionally, the writers make comment to the fact that from previous editions, the Druid's Animal Companion and the Paladin's mount were removed, and claimed to provide a way of returning those mechanisms. However, in the actual description of Advantages (which may as well be called Feats since they function the exact same way, and are even stated as only being gain-able when a player could take an ASI or feat) does not acknowledge this. I quote from the Animal Companion [General] advantage description: "You gain the ability to form loyal bonds with animals, allowing you to gain an animal companion in the same manner as a druid of the appropriate level." And yet, it was acknowledged earlier in the same chapter that this mechanic for druids no longer exists, and no alternative or replacement is provided. Fortunately, I am both familiar with and in possession of the necessary core books from v3.5, in order to better make sense of and rule fairly on what this might look like in a 5e game.
Additionally, it is apparent the majority of focus was spent on the animal familiars for each class, and the dragon rider paths in the final chapters, as the information for animal companions is scant other than general and by-class comparisons between familiars and animal companions (more than a tad redundant, unless a simplified summary in a sidebar were to be used) and the three advantages specifically pertaining to animal companions: Animal Companion [General], Companion Tricks [General] (which also makes references to rules regarding training and tricks which do not exist in 5e), and the Vermin Companion [General] (which is based off a creature-type distinction that no longer in 5e - Animals and Vermin alike are "Beasts").
Finally, as alluded with my comment on the Vermin Companion [General] advantage, the bestiary specifically and the book as a whole make use antiquated creature-types that are no longer used in 5e: Aberrations and Outsiders of older editions were combined into simply Aberrations, in addition to the aforementioned consolidation.
In summary, I appreciate that the publisher, Troll Lord Games, made the effort to convert the concepts herein from their core game rules (C&C) to the D&D 5e system, however the inattention to detail I find cumbersome. I sincerely hope that they take reviews and discussions on this distributor's (DriveThruRPG) website seriously enough to either:
TLDR: All in all, the artwork and central concepts are too beautiful to call this work a waste of time and effort. The familiar-themed archetypes for each class, as well as the dragon-rider archetype per class is truly an intriguing and exciting concept. However, the cumbersome nature of making the included options viable in a 5e game should give DM's pause before purchasing, or implementing, this book. I myself am comfortable undertaking the task because of my deep love of creativity, and commitment to Capt Barbossa's view of the Pirate Code: "They're more like guidelines than actual rules." However, this material is hardly plug-and-play quality. Groundwork on the part of the DM will be mandatory.
THOUGHTS: The PDF is pretty no frills. No clickable links in the table of contents, no PDF index. The spells list LOOKS like it's indexed and clickable, but it was sure unresponsive when I tried to click on anything.
The adventure doesn't quite work for me, especially the first act, as noted above. It feels like the editing could have been tighter, at the least, given the mix-up I noted. It also feels like a missed opportunity to provide pregenerated characters, and then have an adventure that's too low of level for them.
I've never played Castles & Crusades (bought a corebook from Troll Lord at a convention years ago), but it looks like it has the same high level math problem that a lot of d20 games do.
That said, the flexibility is amazing. Soooo many options for customization, including the multiclass variations and swapping out general abilities. All the extra little variations in magic (like Counterspells and Emergency Spells, as well as Dragon Lines and Places of Power) are really cool, too. All the optional rules that can be added to fit what you're wanting are more than welcome, and the game boasts almost complete compatibility with Castles & Crusades, so you can combine the two for all kinds of crazy action.
The bestiary selection is pretty small, but in a mostly realistic game, using mobsters and Nazis should be more common than fighting legions of monsters.
CONCLUSION: The author insists that this more than "just" a pulp game, but that's largely what the core book does, and I suspect it does it well. I'm a little leery of that high level math, with the way the bonuses escalate. That said, if that's not a concern for you, this is a ridiculously flexible game with loads of pulp archetypes to use as your base and a great toolbox for modifying them. The author has mentioned that a 5e-based version is in the works, and if it can combine that base with all the great options and features in this book (I love bounded accuracy and flatter math), that should be a great pulp game. For this edition, I'd run it without reservation...I'd just be keeping a close eye on high level play.
Also, it is worth noting that the Companion and the Book of Powers expand the game significantly, but this review doesn't cover those, just the core. I'll try to crack into them soon.
Full review is posted here: https://mostunreadblogever.blogspot.com/2018/05/tommys-take-on-amazing-adventures.html
Not a particularly good RPG resource, unfortunately.
First, it is 30 pages shorter than Celtarum. The author clearly had a great deal more interest in Celtic myth than Roman or Greek, and it shows in length, detail, and quality. It also wastes a fair few pages on a basic outline of the history of Rome and Greece. I buy a detailed setting resource to get details, not generic overviews I can find on Wikipedia. Celtarum focused on mythology, rather than history, making it a useful supplement for an RPG even if set elsewehere than the real world. The author's opinions on Caesar Augustus, on the other hand, aren't especially useful for a purely historical game, and utterly useless if I'd hoped to use the book to fluff up a corner of Airhde with a classical flair.
Monster section is nice, but is full of typos and left out information. For example, the Cynocephaly "Special" trait is "See Below;" all there is below is a reference to their natural abilities being found in "the Hound/Wolf 'Wilderways' as given in the Codex Celtarum," but a quick search of Celtarum shows nothing of the sort. So not only does this expect a reader to own two books to use, it's also obvious that nobody did a proper edit, both listing specific page numbers instead of a general pointer and making sure the actual reference existed.
There is no equipment section. Despite having a long sidebar on hoplites and gladiators, there is no information on how to represent these weapons or tactics in game.
The extra classes are rather hit or miss, and riddled with inconsistencies and errors. Class abilities are not always listed for a given level, sometimes are described in the vaguest of prose, and occasionally feature no mechanics at all. The Gladiator has d12 Hit Die listed in the text, then six lines down in the chart have a d10 Hit Die.
Between the low value information, frequent errors, and lack of mechanics, Codex Classicum feels very much rushed out, as if someone sat down and typed it out in a week or two to meet a deadline.
A bit disappointing. There is NOT a map of the city in this set of Maps for the CITY OF GAXMOOR. Come on man.
It is often said that Castles & Crusades is the Rosetta Stone of Old School Gaming. It certainly is that, but there is a lot more going on here than just that. Castles & Crusades is very much a stripped down version of the basic 3.x SRD. As such there are lot of concepts that are modern including a one-roll mechanic for all sorts of situations. Though if that were all then there would be nothing separating this from say True20 or other "lite" d20 iterations. Castles & Crusades plays like good old fashioned D&D. The aesthetic here is 1st Ed. AD&D, with the simplicity of Basic era D&D. The concept is noble and one we see in many of the retro-clones. But where the clones attempt to use the OGL to make an older version of the rules, Castles & Crusades makes it's own rules and instead goes for the feel or nature of the game. So while you will see Thieve's abilities represented by percentage rolls in Basic Fantasy or OSRIC and as a skill in 3.x in C&C it will be a Dexterity check. Simple, elegant and easy. The Ability check, whether your abilities are Prime or Secondary, are a key element of C&C.
The Players Handbook is the first book you need for Castles & Crusades. At 140+ pages it is all about getting your character up and going. The abilities here are the same six you have always used and they are even generated by rolling 3d6 and assigning. If you have a different method that you liked back in the day OR if you have adopted some point by system from a new version I see no reason why it would not work here. I am a fan of 4d6, drop the lowest myself. The ability score modifications are a bit different than new OGL games, but are in fact much closer to older games. Bottom line is just pay attention to how many pluses that 18 gives you if you are used to playing newer games.
Next you will choose a class based on your abilities. Each class has a prime ability; one that is most associated with it. So fighters have strength, clerics wisdom, wizards intelligence and so on. Speaking of classes, all the "classics" are here and some new ones. So you have Assassins, Barbarians, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Illusionists, Knights, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues and Wizards. There are some minor tweaks that make them different from other versions of the same class in another game, but nothing that made me scream "That's not right!" in fact in most cases I was more inclined to agree with what they did. For example I like the Barbarian for the first time ever. Each class has some special abilities and skills. In C&C it is assumed that if a character wants to do something that instead of a skill roll an ability check is made. There is Target Number, 12 for Primes (something you are good at) or an 18 for Secondary. You add your mods, any class or race based modifications and there you go. Simple. Skills are no longer of a list of things you can or can't do, but now potential to do or at least try anything. This is something we did back in the old days, but the newer twist here is that this is just the same as any d20 based roll. Be it skills or attack. So Rangers and Barbarians are good at tracking, wizards at arcane lore and so on. makes things pretty easy. So improvement over 3.x games, no tracking skill points. I have to add, that there is such a cool old-school vibe here that it is just like reading a book from the early 80s. Only with far better layout and art. As another aside, the art is fantastic. I love my old school games and wizards in pointy hats and all, but the wizard in C&C looks AWESOME. I would not mess with that guy, I don't care if he looks like a farmer or not.
Races are up next and all the usual suspects are here. Races and Classes are built in such away that customization is REALLY easy. If I wanted to play a Goblin here I bet I could rather easy. Every race gets two Prime stats. Typically you want one of these to correspond with your class. Humans get three allowing for their flexibility. All other races also get modifiers to abilities and/or special traits. While the modularity of 3.x is obvious, the feel is still more 1st ed.
We end character creation on completing the character with persona, gods and alignment. Up next are some lists of equipment and rules on encumbrance. The rules are some of the easiest encumbrance rules I have seen. So far so good? Well we have by this point gotten through roughly a third of the book. Not too bad for 50 pages.
Magic and Spells take up the remaining bulk (65 pages) of the book. Not a surprise given four spell casting classes. Spells are listed alphabetically and range from 0-level cantrips to 9th level spells for each of the four classes. That is a major break from their old-school roots when only wizards had access to 9th level spells. The spell format itself is also closer to that of 3.x, though no XP penalties that I could see. The nest 20 or so pages deal with the Castle Keep (GM) of the game. This includes all sorts of advice on how to handle conflict, award XP and even how to set up an adventuring party. Good advice all around to be honest and enough to keep most groups going for a long time. There is also an appendix on multi-classing as an optional rule. I have not tried it yet, but it looks solid. Not as elegant as what you see in 3.x, but better than what we had in 1st or 2nd ed.
The Players Handbook is all most players will ever need and even some Castle Keepers.
A great little book about all the different kinds of castles that you might want to have in your world. It's a good mix of text and tables. It includes useful information about construction materials and what that might mean to both physical and magickal attackers, and it covers both castles based on the real-world as well as purely fictional principles (for instance, what might a demon lord use to construct a castle?).
A worthwhile read, and not a bad book to have handy at the gaming table for when your players stumble upon a castle that you hadn't planned on.
I'm happy to see some content being created for 5E outside of the official sources made available by the original publisher.
This adventure is both complete and engaging, allowing the PCs to become familiar with the town in which the adventure is centered and the surrounding areas that will lead them to further adventures in later modules. As mentioned in one of the discussions, Hommlet comes to mind while reading over the characters and locations. I'm grateful that the level of detail isn't nearly as granular as that module, though. There's enough material to allow the PCs the freedom to explore nearly at will without need for the GM to steer them in a particular direction.
My one complaint would be the desire for better proofreading and editing. Consistent misuse of homophones indicates the writer and/or editor ensured the words remained the same throughout the test, but they are still incorrect. I'd welcome the opportunity to work up a list of changes or corrections whenever I read through this one again, or any of the subsequent adventures If I had a contact willing to accept them.
6 Total Pages.
Page 1 - Title, Author and Description page.
Page 2-5 - A d100 type 1 treasure table. A decent listing of some nice type 1 teasures already laid out for you. Just toss the dice and point to the result and there you go. Baubles to Coins to weapons and a few magical items. It's a good spread with enough detail to give your players something good to oggle over especially the lower levels.
Page 6 - Credits, contact and licensing. I got mine as part of a bundle for free but this table is worth a buck for any C&C CM.
A neuronphaser.com review.
Arms and Armor was updated during the Castles & Crusades "Three Sisters" (AKA core rulebooks) Kickstarter a couple years back (circa 2016), even though the cover pictured on this product page doesn't show it. What this means is that it is a COMPLETE reference for all mundane armors, helmets, shields, and weapons for the Castles & Crusades system, and with scads of pages of descriptive text noting physical features, measurements, and the history of each piece of gear, this is a useful reference for any OSR game, and probably most any D&D-derived system. There may be some historical inaccuracies -- I didn't note any, but that's not my field at all -- and you may see a lot of items with effectively the same stats, but any duplication in game stats is ignored when you have so much good detail on such a wide variety of items. In other words, the fluff is great, the stats are great, so anywhere you find duplication or superfluous distinctions can be ignored because the whole of the work is fantastic.
Opinion only, but I found a few stats wacky...but literally only a handful. And this opinion is almost strictly formed from having the same general damage notations for said weapons for YEARS. For example, the battle axe in Arms and Armor is rated at 1d6+1 damage and has a throwing range (albeit very short!), and the throwing axe is rated at 1d4 and has a slightly longer throwing range. These numbers are comparable to a shortsword and a dagger, respectively, and the low damage numbers on axes across the board suggests...I dunno. Maybe the writer has a problem with axes? Or maybe they were thinking of some weird critical hit rule that makes axes double their damage more often than swords...? I really don't know, but having played with battle axes dealing 1d8 damage for about 30-ish years just made this stand out, so I personally would take a look at things like that and consider them.
Now, as an off-hand mention, I'm planning to use this book in my Dungeon Crawl Classics games. In comparing the AC bonuses, the damage ratings, gear costs, and all that other stuff to the same in the DCC RPG rulebook, I found most things were a 1:1 match, and the few that weren't were rarely off by much. I quick skim of games like Swords & Wizardry suggests much the same. Point being: if you want to pick this book up and use it in your OSR game of choice, your conversion work is either non-existent or involves flipping a handful of numbers here or there, at most. That's hugely beneficial, and opens up hundreds of weapons, shields, armor, and helmets for any OSR game you care to play.
This is a great book (and system) for old and new players alike.
I recently (about 3 months ago) started up a "D&D Night" group at work. Myself and another we old greybeard players/GMs from the olden days and the others never played tabletop. They were all familiar with RPGs in the context of computers and consoles, but playing a tabletop, pen-and-paper RPG was new.
So in looking around, I wanted a rule set that was easy but still invoked the old school feelings. Most of my tenure was during the 2nd Edition days [mostly pre-Player's Option 2.5], with a smattering of AD&D 1st, BECMI D&D [where I cut my teeth initially], and some 3rd Edition. I originally though LL or OSCRIC to get really into the nitty gritty, but unless you were into that sort of thing back in the day, there is a bit a goofiness and complexity that may turn off the uninitiatied.
So I looked into C&C. It fit the bill perfectly. It plays like a lightweight AD&D 1st, mixed with some elements of 2nd, with the Seige Engine mechanics cribbed from 3rd's basic machanic. It's lightweight, plays to classic archetypes and mechanics to the point you can basically throw OD&D, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd materials at it with little thought or modification, and it works. Characters roll up quick, order of play is very straightfoward and a good deal of the rest can easily be roleplayed, ruled from the table, or house ruled in no time flat.
Although I have a soft spot for retro-clones and simulara (or amped up ones like DCC), C&C is an awesome fit for anyone wanting a simple, streamlined, yet classic D&D experience in the modern day.
In regards to this book, it is laid out well, covers everything it should, and not overburdened by too much. It is quite literally what I expect in the Player's Handbook. The art is of good quality and the quality of the PDF file is good as well. I was never a real fan of the faux parchment finish of a lot of RPG books, but since it is so ubiquitious, I will let that criticism slide.


text:
Thu, 15 May 2014
Howdy hey there, friends and neighbors! You're reading the companion blog entry for Epi87 of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast. (Just 12 episodes left until we hit 100, which will mark the end of Season 1. What can I say? Long seasons. Kind of like the winters in Game of Thrones…)
In addition to a barrelful of podcast clips this episode, I had a fascinating chat with Geoffrey Welchman. I announced last week that GW was folding up the tent on Inverse Delirium, his 4-year-old podcast, which he has done. So then I thought it might be insightful to find out what led him to that decision and it is – so we'll hear that in a little bit in addition to the final message to his listeners that he posted this past week.
We also have our Burst O' Durst segment with comedian Will Durst, a classic Henderson's Pants spot, the Tweetsack segment, the 10 Most Active Shows In The Stitcher Top 100 Comedy Podcast List and, of course, our obligatory nod, salute, or genuflect to the boys (Dean Haglund & Phil Leirness) over at the Chillpak Hollywood Hour podcast, who just said goodbye to their 7th year in podcasting and mentioned us along the way. I also contrast and compare the old and the new theme songs for the Hob The Troll podcast.
The 10 Most Active Shows in Stitcher's Top 100 Comedy Podcasts List
The Clips
Chillpak Hollywood Hour
Monster Party
Hob The Troll
Crunch Time Show
The Bonn & Obo Show
Cashing In With TJ Miller
The Dork Forest
Center City Comedy
All right, it's time to saw goodbye to Epi87. Until next time, don't be afraid to shop at Amazon by using the oh-so-handy banner at the top of our SuccotashShow.com page. Or click the Donate button you'll see there and we'll give you a hearty shout out during the next episode. Or click on the link to our Succotashery and purch some murch there – we'll be eternally grateful and, again, will shout your name to the heavens.
I'm off to LA for a week. I may do a little Epi87.5 from the road if I'm in a mood for rambling. Otherwise it will be Epi88 when next we meet. Either way, please remember to pass the Succotash!
— Marc Hershon
Direct download: Succo_Epi87_051514.mp3
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 5:36pm PST

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Assembly House was designed for London-based clients who spend some of their free time in Hawaii and receive numerous visitors. More of a residential campus than a house, the 4.5-acre complex consists of eighteen pavilions set around a formal family quadrangle and loosely defined guest courtyard.
The site is organized around a central axis that starts at the 10-foot-square stone entry lanai; carries through the central garden and a cruciform-shaped structure containing the kitchen and living, dining, and family rooms; and ends with the main swimming pool, a rectangle more than 100 feet long that extends views out toward the ocean. This central axis aligns with the 8,200-foot-tall Hualalai volcano some ten miles away to the southeast.
Entering the property, the family quarters consisting of master and childrens' pavilions, two offices, and the tennis pavilion are to the left of the main axis, while guest quarters bedroom pavilions, a guest living/ dining/kitchen structure, and a freeform pool and courtyard are at right.
The pavilions are open on all sides. In some areas, freestanding wood columns frame non-structural wood partition walls that float within. These are combined with structural walls of quartzite stone, set horizontally to resemble rock strata a special request of one of the owners, a geologist. Additional retractable walls throughout the complex are composed of three layers glass, bronze insect screens, and operable louvers for privacy that can be closed independents or in combination. Ceilings are of larch wood, set in radial patterns inspired by the architecture of Bali.
The serpentine perimeter wall is built of local lava stone, emphasizing the house's strong connection with its natural surroundings.


text:
Perfect is the Enemy of the Good
I believe the headline quote is attributed to Voltaire. I am not sure who Voltaire is, nor what he (she?) is, but the observation is true and timeless. I have managed to lose countless hours in search of perfection or the "right" answer. (And trust me when I say clients are not interested in paying you for those countless hours!) Unless you are teaching simple addition, there is no right answer. We live in a world that is Fifty Shades of Grey (interesting, titillating and scary book by the way), every color of the rainbow, and all shades between the colors. To accomplish anything, one must quit muddling about looking for the one right answer and choose a "good enough" answer.
So what is an insecure person, looking for the absolute "right" answer, or the perfect execution of an action to do? How does the perfectionist know when they have a good enough answer?
I am not yet sure. However I am living proof of the adage that doing the same thing leads to the same results. My search for the one right answer though has cost me much. Not only money (one can only charge a client for so much research), but in confidence, satisfaction, relationships, just about everything.
This year I am resolved to do something different.
I will research, practice, plan less and do more. It is tempting to steal the Nike slogan: Just do it!, but I think when you have been so far on one side of the continuum, it might help to aim for the other side of the continuum in order land in the desired middle. So with that thought, my resolution for the first half 2013 is:
Average but Fast
I have not come up with my resolution for the remainder of 2013, but in the interest of being "Fast", I am stopping here!
Happy New Year!on Friday, January 4, 2013


text:
Private Client Solicitor
- Recruiter
- Douglas Scott Legal Recruitment
- Location
- Easton
- Salary
- £40,000 per annum
- Posted
- 15 Jun 2018
- Closes
- 28 Jul 2018
- Job Function
- Lawyer
- Industry
- Secretarial / Administration, Legal
- Position Type
- Permanent
The firms Private Client and Wealth Structuring department has an excellent reputation throughout the country. The team is made up of 9 partners and 30 lawyers with a national and international profile, founded on a sophisticated and wide-ranging client base. Lawyers in the UK team advise mostly (but not exclusively) UK resident and domiciled clients on a wide range of specialisms including, private client, tax and estate planning, landed estates, partnerships, wills, probate and agriculture.
Working alongside a talented and recognised team of solicitors and reporting to a reputable Managing Partner, the chosen Private Client Solicitor will work on a varied case-load that may include; wills, probate, trusts, estate administration, lasting powers of attorney, tax planning, estate planning and the Court of Protection. The firm works with a range of HNW individuals and the work can be technically challenging and varied. It is essential that you not only have a strong technical grounding, but that you are also able to demonstrate excellent client care and service levels. This is a client facing role, so all round excellent communication is essential.
Apply now for further information and a completely confidential discussion about a move at this level.
Please contact Alex Forsberg, Legal Recruitment Consultant, to discuss the role in more detail or apply through the vacancy for immediate consideration.
Douglas Scott are a legal recruitment expert and the UK's leading law firms trust us with their legal vacancies. You can therefore apply for our London legal jobs with confidence. We are a regulated recruitment consultancy and will discuss this role and seek your approval before submitting an application directly to the decision maker.
Please see our website www.douglas-scott.co.ukà for more legal positions in London and the South East.


text:
So this happened the other day, who do you think is more excited? lilStrange is just 10 months old, and already hanging like a monkey on the monkey bars. I don't even know what to expect next! I think it might have something to do with her new pediped shoes making her SuperBaby.
Pediped shoes were created after a lot of research, soft leather sole shoes are considered the best for infant and toddler developing feet, the "next best thing to bare feet". Pediped's are designed to be comfortable and stylish and can be worn both indoors and out. Pediped has three different shoe lines including Originals (soft soled shoes for children ages birth to 2), Grip 'n' Go (soft rubber soled shoes for children 9 months to three years) and Flex (rubber soled shoes for children 1-8 years).
lilStrange is wearing the Grip 'n' Go Ines shoes in silver, and they are great for her because she is learning to walk, and needs shoes to help her stay balanced while transitioning into a confident stride.
Once the temperatures start rising in New York City, all of the parks come to life as spray water parks. It is important for your kids to still wear shoes when playing at the park, but having water safe and washable shoes that are still comfortable and supportive is vital. H's new shoes for the summer are the Flex Shoreline shoe in earth.
I have been a fan of pediped shoes for kids since H received his first pair of originals when he was first born. Once I found out pediped made an adult line of shoes called Brian James, I was excited to try them out for myself. After countless requests to bring the comfort of pediped to ladies' shoes, Brian James was created. Brian James embraces the core features and beliefs of pediped: comfort, quality and style.
I have walked miles and miles in my new Angelique shoes in snake & taupe. No need to break them in, the Brian James flats were ready to wear right out of the box. Plus I am getting compliments everywhere I got, and they match with everything I own in my wardrobe.
To check out all the new kid shoes from pediped click here or from Brian James click here.
or "Like" on Facebook pediped Footwear and Brian James Footwear
or "follow" on Twitter @pedipedfootwear and @BrianJamesUSA
My Strange Family was provided with shoes for review purposes, but all opinion express here are my own.


text:
(This is a homily preached at St. Hildegard Catholic Community on June 25, 2016. The scripture readings for that week are listed here. Instead of the Epistle, we read Jan Richardson's Blessing for the Brokenhearted, which is also quoted in parts of the homily.)
So many times as a preacher, the lectionary has saved me. When I didn't know how to give voice to the pain or rage or joy that was felt in my church or the world I would look at the lectionary readings and find that the assigned scripture for that week spoke to those feelings so much better than I ever could, that all I needed to do was let those ancient words speak for themselves.
This isn't one of those weeks for me. I am so aware that this is the first time we gathered as a community after the shooting in Orlando, and I wanted readings that would give voice to the grief of having lost more LGBT people and people of color to violence. Or perhaps readings that would name the resilience and joy and life-among-ashes that is taking place in Pride celebrations all over the world—including our own San Francisco– this weekend. Or readings that could speak courage and love into to the culture of fear and divisiveness that is entrenched in our political discourse.
For me, today's readings don't do that. As a hospital chaplain who regularly sits with people whose lives have been forever changed by death, and as a person who lost her own father only a little over a year ago, these words of Jesus to "Let the dead bury the dead," his refusal to allow this man a few days to bury his father cuts deep, it feels tone deaf, it feels hurtful.
Earlier this week, I met a woman at the hospital who had recently lost two children. At one point in our conversation, she told me, "I keep getting up each day, but it's empty. There's some happiness sometimes but it's a shallow happiness. There's not any meaning in it."
In that moment, it was impossible to offer any sort of hope, any sort of promise that things would ever be OK again. There was no telling her to "let the dead bury the dead," because right now she is nearly buried with them, except for that stubborn heart of hers that keeps beating, that keeps waking her up each morning, that keeps her tied to the land of the living.
"Perhaps for now
it can be enough," Jan Richardson says,
"to simply marvel
at the mystery
of how a heart
so broken
can go on beating."
In today's first reading, when Elijah names Elisha his successor he gives Elisha time to process this information. He lets Elisha finish his work, kiss his mother and father goodbye, celebrate his new calling with the community that raised him.
But in the Gospel, Jesus doesn't allow anyone that wants to follow him that time. He tells us: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Reign of God." He seems to be saying that in order to follow Him we have to be willing to forget everything about past lives: our friends, our family, our work, even our grief.
But in order to follow Jesus into the land of the living, do we really need to turn from the dead? Must we leave our grief on the side of the road as we go ever forward, never turning back as we plow the fields? Are those really our only options? To forget the dead or to seem to die with them ourselves?
Isn't what makes us unique the love we've had, the experiences we've shared, the times our hearts have been broken open? If we were to abandon all of that, wouldn't we be denying Jesus the parts of us that are most precious, most important? Those are the things that make us who we are. Those are the parts of us that are best equip to serve the Kin-dom of God.
As I was struggling with this reading this week, I spoke to a friend—a Baptist minister who is perhaps a little less inclined than I am to argue openly with a gospel reading, about how much I was struggling with this week's text. He reminded me that Jesus was also someone who had let grief shape him. This, after all, was a man who traveled for days to weep outside of Lazarus' tomb, who was brought to tears by watching his dear friend Mary cry. When Lazarus died, Jesus did not let the dead bury the dead. He looked back, called Lazarus out of the tomb and carried him into new life.
How can we carry those that we've lost into new life? How can we let our heartbreaks, our grief, our losses help us follow Jesus more fully? Instead of leaving the dead by the side of the road, is there some way we can carry them on this journey, make them a part of our traveling companions?
If that woman I met at the hospital has any hope of following Jesus into new life, I don't think she'll be able to do it by letting the dead bury the dead, by continuing to plow forward without ever looking back to what she's lost. If she is going to follow Jesus she will need to carry her two lost children with her on the journey, making them her constant companions, letting that grief shape her and teach her and lead her to a new sense of meaning.
This week, the Bay Area and much of the rest of the world gather to celebrate Pride in the shadow of the Pulse shootings. On one level, it seems like a strange time to have a party, but then, of course, Pride was never really a party. Pride was always a mixing of grief and rage, joy and resistance. This celebration that began as a riot in Stonewall, and that became one of the first places people could openly grieve loved ones lost to AIDS, has always known the place of grief in celebration. I have never been to a pride celebration that left the dead on the side of the road. At each parade, the dead, it seemed, were somehow carried along on as fellow travelers, a cloud of witnesses who called people to live more fully, more joyfully, more honestly. Grief and loss have never been a distraction from Pride, but a teacher and a guide that has allowed hearts to be broken open so they could love more and love more bravely.
When Richardson talks about the wonder of that still beating heart, she says:
"Perhaps for now
it can be enough
to simply marvel
at the mystery
of how a heart
so broken
can go on beating,
as if it were made
for precisely this—
as if it knows
the only cure for love
is more of it
as if it sees
the heart's sole remedy
for breaking
is to love still"


text:
At Michigan amusement parks, basic household entertainments meet trendy-day thrills. A splashing good time for all children, the moist boats travel in a round water-stuffed canal. Since its worldwide debut at Household Kingdom, it has develop into very talked-about at parks around the nation. This era saw the development of the new innovations in roller coasters that included extreme drops and speeds to thrill the riders.
With more than 50 rides, shows and sights designed for kids to take the lead, superior awaits at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort! We're at all times searching for new methods to have enjoyable at Cliff's and one of many coolest methods we are able to do that's through the assorted promotions and offers we offer all through the season!
LEGOLAND Seaside Retreat is a lakefront resort with eighty three themed bungalows providing 166 separate rooms. You'll be able to enjoy cave excursions, thrill rides, youngsters' sights, stunning views, dining and special events all year long. The electrical-powered vintage cars take the passengers along a scenic monitor beneath the Swamp Fox curler coaster.
Quassy Amusement & Water Park celebrates 109 years of inexpensive family fun in 2017! Get pleasure from nice games for guests of all ages to play – on the midway and in our Tipton Creek games area. The Golden Age of amusement parks also included the appearance of the kiddie park.
Locals and vacationers alike know us as the hottest spot in town for having the time of their lives. No listing of amusement parks can be full with out the happiest place on earth, Disney's Magic Kingdom. Just like the classic teacup" journey, the berry lets kids flip a wheel within the heart of their strawberry-shaped automobile to manage how briskly and in what direction their berry spins because the experience goes spherical and round.


text:
Sorghum originates from Africa and India, though the Bob's Red Mill crop is grown in a special gluten free environment in America. Sorghum is the seed of a grass similar to corn. Sorghum is similar in size and flavour to millet.
This wholegrain, sweet flour is ideal for making breads, biscuits and cakes. There is a scone recipe on the back of the packet to get you started.
Wholegrain White Sorghum.
Guaranteed gluten-free • Wheat-free • Vegetarian, Vegan • Dairy-free.
Healthy Supplies


text:
Alpine Living is a student-produced magazine which is part of a journalism class I took at the University of Alabama. Throughout the fall semester in 2010, we worked on finding story ideas and securing contacts in Germany and Switzerland, where we would be traveling during spring break and the following week of 2011.
This experience was one of the best of my life, and really boosted my desire to do more travel writing, something I have had the great opportunity to continue with some of my pieces for VIE magazine as well.
The experiences I had while traveling for the article "Living Fairy Tales" (page 44) in this issue of Alpine Living has also greatly inspired my in-the-works fantasy novel, Howl: A Red Riding Hood Story.
I had such an amazing on the Alpine Living trip, made many good friends, and I was so excited to find the issue online today. I hope you enjoy looking through it as much as I am enjoying reliving the adventures!


text:
"Sophia Kosan" delivered in early October
1 Nov 2008
Early October "SOPHIA KOSAN", a 9,000m³ Ethylene carrier has been delivered from STX Shipbuilding Co., and completed the series of three gas carriers for Lauritzen Kosan from this Korean building yard. "SOPHIA KOSAN" executed the gas trial with Ethylene cargo which was supplied by trucks from a Terminal in Onsan. She proceeded to an outer anchor position off Ulsan after loading the vessel's own deck tank, gassed up and cooled down both 4,500m³ cargo tanks.


text:
The first thing your visitors notice will be the design of your website. Given the power of initial impressions, getting the design nailed down well and good in advance is critically important to keeping visitors from fleeing their first visit. These tips can help you prevent this outcome.
If your website is going to attract visitors, it needs to be easy to navigate. Display links prominently so that they can be easily found. Menus will make it a lot easier to navigate around your site. Make sure you have links back to your main pages accessible on every single page of your website; that way, visitors are able to always get around.
Use fixed-position navigation. The navigation panel is essentially stuck in one place as the user scrolls down to view more content. This is convenient for visitors and helps frequent visitors quickly find what they need.
Do not use any type of pop-ups. It's annoying to visit a website and get ambushed with a lot of pop-up ads. Many people will leave a site that has pop-ups, even the big sites. So make sure you have happy customers, by not including these aggravating pop-ups ads. Any host which requires you to have pop-up ads is a host you don't want to use!
Look at your site in multiple browsers when designing it. What you see on your screen may be different from what others see. Make changes to your site to make it look good on all popular browsers. Send your website to a bunch of friends to see if they have trouble.
Research keywords. You need to focus on giving your audience good information, but keywords will help you gain a customer base. To ensure your site is successful, do your keyword research.
Do not go overboard with graphics. They are good for making your site more professional, but too much looks messy. Graphics should be used to improve the site, not overdecorate it. Having the right graphics improves your site all around.
Understand your subject. For example, if you are creating a blog, don't post without doing your research. You will lose your readers if your provide them with incorrect information. Having a thorough understanding of your subject matter is vital to having a successful website.
It is very important that you double-check your website for broken links before you publish the pages. A visitor will get very annoyed when they click on a link that takes them to either a blank page or one that gives them an error. You can do this manually or run a software program if you like.
Other than the aesthetics of your site design, one of the most important things to consider is keeping all your file sizes to a minimum. The reason behind this is because the file sizes will affect how fast your website loads. You always want your site to load as quickly as it can. Remember that not all visitors will have a high speed connection to the Internet. Perform a test of your website to be sure that it will load quickly on every speed of internet connection.
Know your subject thoroughly. This means that no matter what information you share, do your research. The last thing you want to do is distribute incorrect information. Blogging requires knowing your intended audience.
Keep load times to a minimum of your site. If people visiting your site are waiting for pages to load, boredom will quickly set in and they will leave. Reduce graphics, scripts and Flash consoles on your web page, optimize HTML and utilize SSI files.
Alt Tags
Keep your font selection professional and readable. The quality of a professional website is measured by it's fonts. Don't use handwriting or comic fonts as most people won't have them installed. If one of your visitors does not have your chosen font on their own computer, another font is substituted. Try to use common browser fonts so your users don't see unexpected type layouts.
Use ALT tags for your images when designing your site. These tags are important because they describe the images people see when they don't have their graphics turned on or they're for people that can't see and need help with getting a website read to them. If you have images that are links, your ALT tags will tell people how the link will behave. ALT tags are also used by crawlers and this can boost your ranking.
Don't install pop-up adverts on your website. A big part of web design is definitely integrating PPC ads to earn a few bucks, but having ads that pop-up and obstruct your visitors' view is just annoying. It will end up driving visitors away instead of getting them to read and click. Make sure you do not put up anything too annoying to others.
Test your website on all the different web browsers. Different browsers will read and display a site in different ways, which can have some unintended results for site visitors. A little bit of research will help you decide which browsers are used most often, at that time. Make sure your website works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and the major mobile browsers.
You simply cannot go wrong when building a website by way of Dreamweaver, a popular Adobe program. Even novices can understand this program quickly. It also includes great templates to make your site look amazing.
Get in the habit of testing early and often. This will give your site great usability. That will allow you to make necessary design changes during the build process.
When choosing your hosting service, you should review the package you are purchasing carefully. Fundamental items that you need details of include bandwidth, CPU usage and disk space. Be certain you understand what you are purchasing.
Check Links
Meet with a professional web designer and learn how they do things. The easiest way to improve is to learn from someone who already knows the trade. That way, you ensure you won't make beginner mistakes, and you also have a greater chance of becoming a professional yourself since you continue to learn.
Check links carefully before you include them on your site. Make sure the links all lead to valid web addresses. Make the check right before your upload it and make it available online. You need to check links frequently because visitors will click on your links. If many of your links are broken, visitors will give up on exploring your site. Make sure everything is in working order to keep this from happening.
Keep in mind that the site you create does not have to be built entirely by you. Creating a comprehensive website will require knowledge in design, programming, interface, content and SEO. It's common to outsource some of this work, so don't feel ashamed to do so. You can pick and choose which areas you need help in and farm it out accordingly.
Buy books that can help you become a great web designer. Just keep in mind that since you are new to the website design world, you want to start out with the basics and build from there. Avoid skipping any steps and learn at your own pace, so you can eventually become a great web designer.
If you use the file server FileZilla, you should ensure that the quick menu options have been programmed with your site's information. When you enter the server, you will have instant access to everything that you have personally stored. This will save you plenty of time.
Make sure to familiarize yourself with HTML5. If you don't know how to use HTML5, you need to learn.
Check with your host to make sure video hosting is allowed if you have the intent of hosting videos on your site. Many hosts forbid hosting video using their servers. They do this because FLV files can take up quite a bit of space on a public server. Just make sure you check before doing this so that you do not waste a lot of time and effort.
Website Development
The design process doesn't stop once your website has gone live. You will have to keep working actively on your site. Although there is no reason for you to constantly update your site, it will need to be updated on a regular basis. Updates will almost definitely be needed if your website hosts articles or videos featuring current events. Maintaining your site is different from making an occasional post on your blog. You need to put a lot of work into it.
Photoshop is a very effective and helpful tool when it comes to website development. However, the companion program of Dreamweaver will take your website development to a whole new level, so do not neglect incorporating it into your portfolio of skills.
When adding videos to your website, you should take into account that some people's Internet bandwidth isn't very high at all. While videos and graphic-heavy layouts might looks nice, they will only serve to annoy people if it is too slow to pull up. This means a very slow-loading video that's going to buffer every other second.
Try to begin your site with minimal content. This helps build a niche and gets them focused on whatever message you are delivering instead of spending wasted time jumping from page to page looking for what interests them. Don't give in to the temptation to fill your site up with dross just to make it look full. You'll only have to remove non-valuable content later.
If you design websites, think like an artist. By this, we mean that you should always be ready to let inspiration strike you. If a great idea comes your way in your favorite restaurant, grab a napkin and write it down. If something occurs while you're working, leave yourself a text message on your cellphone so you will remember it later on.
Create a usability test to see how effective your site is. These tasks involve finding information on your website. Users should not have any trouble completing the task if the site is designed well. They can give you valuable feedback if they encounter an issues.
If your site has a logo, you want to be sure that when you click it you go right to your homepage. People have learned to be accustomed to a few things, including menus on the left, headers at the top and logos which lead back to the front of the site. It can cause frustration for the visitors to your site if the logo is static. They will then have to waste their time searching for a link to your home page. Having a logo that is clickable makes your website much more easy to navigate.
Open Source
If you are looking to create your own site, then consider trying a grid or shared hosting, rather than using a dedicated host or VPS. That is because you don't know how many visitors your site will attract, and you want to avoid overpaying or underpaying before you have a good idea of what your hosting needs will be.
Designing a website can be very affordable if you do it yourself. Though there are very good tools out there for making great websites, there are also ones that do the job for considerably less financial input on your part. For example, open source software that is free can assist you in accomplishing tasks that are exactly the same as paid software. You can realize significant savings by seeking out such open source alternatives for your software needs.
Hosting your site may sound good, but you need to know that it's not that easy. Don't become a host until you know what you're getting into and the cost of it.
If you want to host videos, check with the web host to make sure that it is allowed. Many hosts do not allow for video hosting on the servers they provide. Do not waste time by building videos to be be hosted on a site that does not allow the space you need for FLV or similar files.
During the site design process, it may be helpful to create a series of lists and shortcuts that can be referred to whenever needed. Not to mention you might find some advice that you didn't know before.
Consider the security of your site. SSL certificates go a long with for security. In addition, talk to your host about the security features they might have available.
Don't overload your website with too many advertisements. If you do this, your site will instantly appear spammy and unprofessional, meaning visitors will not be attracted to it. Choose carefully and incorporate ads that have a high level of importance.
Think like an artist when designing your website. This means that you should be prepared to receive inspiration as it occurs. Be prepared to write down your thoughts as they strike you. Even if you have to call yourself and give a reminder about an idea, do so.
Be certain that the website is simple to use and visually pleasing. A website that is easy to navigate helps visitors stay longer because they know how to find information. Provide all the necessary information, but simplify things as much as possible, so that people do not become frustrated when using your site.
Don't utilize Flash players on your website. While it is indeed flashy, it can cause your site to slow down, crash your reader's browser, or even not show up at all. Remember that some cellphones and tablet PCs cannot use Flash, which might ruin a visitor's experience of your site, and they will stop coming to your site.
When you are thinking of a web design, and feel you may have the need to possibly display larger documents, consider using a PDF file instead of a Word document. When you did this, you have a universal program that can be viewed anywhere.
A big part of your site's first impression is its design. This factor alone can determine whether a visitor sticks around or goes to a competitor's website. It's advantageous to make certain their first impression of your site is a great experience. We hope this article will help you do just that.
A good looking website has more credibility if someone double checks for grammar and spelling mistakes. Some users will be quick to point out any errors you made. If you did not proofread the wording on your site, people will not have much confidence in the website that is in front of them.


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More facts about pet obesity
So we've already talked about facts and figures concerning pet obesity across the world. But unfortunately there are quite some more statistics known about overweight cats & dogs. One of our goals is to raise awareness about pet obesity through this website. That's why we'd like to share with you some more interesting facts about this matter:
- More than 20% of pet owners thought their pet's weight was normal while they were actually overweight, and some even obese.
- On average, cats and dogs who are 10% above their ideal natural weight are considered overweight while cats and dogs who are more than 20% above the their ideal weight are considered obese.
- Golden hamsters should weigh somewhere between 5 to 7 ounces while dwarf hamsters should weigh in between ¾ and 1 ¾ ounces.
- Even with pet birds obesity is the number one health problem. Many birds have food lying around in their cage all the time. Because they don't have to work for their food and don't get enough flying space they just eat and sleep all day long.
- According to the so called Purina Lifespan Study, obesity can take up to two years of a dog's lifespan.


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Back in the winter, I decided to bust some of my fabric stash to make a couple of summer dresses for Dolores. It was fun to dream of warmer weather during chilly greyness, and because this is a TNT pattern and I felt confident in the sizing, I knew that I was making garments that would get lots of wear when it eventually got warm enough.
Both this white dress, and the orange African wax fabric version pictured at the bottom of the post, have been made using the Geranium dress pattern by Made by Rae. If you have a child in your life who likes to wear dresses, I kind of feel that you owe it to yourself to get this pattern. It has a number of neckline, armhole, skirt style, skirt length and pocket variations included which can help you create a multitude of different looking garments and gets you your money's worth. And Rae's released an expansion pack that gives you even more design options, totalling an insane number of mix and match options.
These dresses represent at least the 8th and 9th times I've sewn this pattern. I've previously made four for Dolores (this, this, this and this), as well as at least two for window displays at the Village Haberdashery, and one as a birthday present for Dolores's friend, Naomi. Plus I've taught a couple of Geranium dress classes at VH in the past, so I feel I know this pattern pretty well now!
Dolores is now 4.5 years old, so I made the size 5 (the biggest size in the smaller pattern size range), hypothesising that they'd see two summer's worth of use. For the white dress, I used the sleeveless armhole option with notched neckline and gathered skirt. For the orange one, I chose the faux cap sleeve option with simple scoop neckline and, again, the gathered skirt. I like the pleated skirt option too, however the gathered skirt option has the perfect amount of fullness, IMO. Enough to satisfy a child with 'girly' clothing preferences, but not so much as to make it unsuitable for everyday wear.
After cutting out the white version, I realised that I had enough fabric left over for a matching bucket hat. So out came my fave: the Oliver + S free bucket hat pattern. The hat is looking a little battered in these pictures because it's already seen MASSES of wear this year, by both Dolores and Frankie.
Part of the popularity of the Geranium pattern is down to the fact that it works well in quilting cotton, and fabrics with that type of weight and handle. In fact, when I tried making this pattern in a drapier fabric (by accident), it definitely didn't hold its shape as well and looked tatty after fewer wears than the stiffer stuff. Quilting cotton can come in such amazing, beautiful and fun prints, and it's so often crying out to be made into children's wear.
The white-background fabric above has a beautiful circus acrobats print in lovely subtle colours that I found in the spring of 2017 at the Ditto fabrics closing-down-their-warehouse-space sale. Initially, I felt the dress looked a bit plain, and I planned to add some pompom trim or something to it somehow. However, I struggled to find anything in a suitable scale and it started to get worn, so it's remained plain. It's a firm favourite with Dolores, and even though these photos were only taken a couple of weeks ago, it's now sadly (but inevitably) stained with pasta sauce and lord knows what else.
The insane eyeball print African wax fabric found its way into my stash via a fabric swap I hosted in Brighton a trillion years ago. She's modelling it here, appropriately, in the African section of the anthropology museum in Madrid when we visited in April. It's the same fabric I used to make her this Geranium dress three years ago. I loved her wearing the initial version, and it's made me really happy to see her wearing this reboot!
This pattern has been the very definition of a TNT pattern for me. I've relied upon it to make fantastic, well fitting and perfectly proportioned dresses in the type of fabric (quilting cotton and similar) that often doesn't lend itself well to garment sewing. Now that Dolores is at the top of range of sizes of the pattern I own, I have to debate whether or not to buy the size 6-12 range pattern. Perhaps it's time to hang up my Geranium making hat and venture into the unknown with some of the other amazing kids patterns that are out there.


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F-715SG With a large 2-line LCD display, the advanced F-715SG Scientific calculator comes in three colour variations. It's part-manufactured from recycled Canon materials, making it a sustainable choice. View details
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Are you a volunteer, or know someone who is?
The SSA depends on their volunteers and in an effort to honor and recognize these individuals SSA is going to start a volunteer of the month program. Each Month a different volunteer will be recognized in Soaring magazine. If you know someone that you think should be given this honor such as a tow pilot or instructor that spends their free time giving to the other members of your club, or an individual that is always willing to lend a hand to at the glider port give us their name and a description about their hard work. Let these special people know they are appreciated, send your nominations to the SSA office at P.O. Box 2100 Hobbs, New Mexico 88241 or email them to email@example.com.
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Today's post is 'Suji Ka Halwa'. Suji ka halwa is a dessert made of semolina. It is a very popular halwa recipe of India. This halwa requires very less time in its preparation. It is very commonly served as a Prasad for puja in India. Also popularly known as rava sheera, other versions of it are pineapple sheera or kesari sheera.
For this dessert, you will need- Rava/semolina/suji, ghee, milk, sugar and dry fruits. There is one more method of preparing this halwa in which milk is replaced by sugar syrup. In this recipe, I am using milk. My ration of semolina: milk is 1:3, i.e. for 1 cup suji add 3 cups of milk.
For more halwa recipes, you can check – Atte Ka Halwa | How to make atte ka halwa , Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa Recipe) , Moong Dal Halwa (with a twist), Bread Halwa | How to make bread halwa, Shahi Tukra (Indian Bread Pudding)
You can share your re-creation of this recipe or any other recipe from Rasoi Recipe. You can share it on Facebook page or directly email it to me on firstname.lastname@example.com . I would love to hear from you guys. If you have any suggestions or if you want to share your views or appreciation, you can leave your message in the comment section below.
Serves: 2-3
Duration: 20 minutes
Ingredients for Suji Ka Halwa
|1 cup
|1/2 cup
|3 cups
|1/2 cup
|Dry fruits (cashew nuts + raisins+ pisatchios)
|2 tsp
|Saffron strands
|7-8 strands
|2 pods
Method for Suji Ka Halwa
- In a deep pan, heat ghee. When ghee melts, add dry fruits of your choice.
- Add semolina and roast it, till suji starts changing its color.
- When semolina changes its color, add milk in it. Continuously stir the semolina while pouring the milk.
- Add cardamom seeds or powder and saffron strands in the pan.
- When suji absorbs milk and starts releasing ghee, add sugar.
- Cook till sugar disappear and halwa turns glossy.
- Garnish halwa with dry fruits and saffron.


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Jacob Berghoef | FineArtPhotography
Kunst fotografering | Abstract, minimalist & impressionist Photography
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3 April 2017
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Priyanka Chopra teases 'sanskaari' trolls with one more picture!
Priyanka Chopra responds to the sanskaari trolls with a new picture, captioned 'legs for days'
Priyanka Chopra has responded to the slew remarks by the sanskaari brigade on her 'controversial' picture with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Legs for days" she captioned another picture in her response that also has her mother, wearing a skirt.
Prime Minister Modi was in Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Coincidently, Priyanka Chopra was also there to promote her Hollywood debut Baywatch. Both of them agreed for a surprise meeting, and Priyanka Chopra even posted a photograph of the moment.
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05/31/17 – Reverend Al Sharpton discusses the alarming facts surrounding President Trump's budget.
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Hot weather is here to stay and soon we'll all be cranking up our AC and dreaming of a cool dip in a rooftop pool and frozen margaritas.
I love the speed at which Bostonians switch the narrative from 'will this winter never end?' to 'I can't remember the last time I felt cool!' I'm as guilty of this as anyone, perhaps more so as my English bones are only used to the most moderate changes in temperature season to season.
It gets harder when you factor kids into the equation. Not only do you have to keep yourself sane during the hottest months of the year, but you also have to look out for little people who, helpfully, can't communicate when they're too hot or that they've had too much exposure to the sun.
Don't panic. Here are some indoor activities in the South End that will keep you and your little ones in a nice, air-conditioned cocoon this summer.
1 Swimming at YMCA, 316 Huntington Avenue, 02115
It's the perfect time of year to take your kids swimming – not only is it a great way to cool off but getting changed at the end is much easier when they have fewer clothes to put back on!
The pool at the YMCA on Huntington Avenue was recently renovated and is a great option for lessons or simply taking your kids for a dip. During June and July, you can try out the pool for free on Tuesdays and Thursdays
The next block of swimming lessons starts June 26, 2017 for 4 weeks or 8 weeks:
- Stage A, Water Discovery (6-18 months): Saturday 9am and Sunday 9.40am
- Stage B, Water exploration (18 months – 3 years): Saturdays & Sundays at 9am
Swimming lessons are 30 minutes and cost $140 for non-members or $70 for members.
If you preferring swimming on a more ad-hoc basis, then you can take your kids along to open swim sessions. Open swim sessions are not available when swimming lessons are taking place (Saturday & Sunday mornings and Monday & Tuesday afternoons) so you're best to phone ahead and check: 617-536-7800. Non-members pay $15 per adult for each swim or you can get full membership for $77 per adult per month.
2 Little Groove Music and Art Classes, Boston Center for the Arts – Calderwood Pavilion – 527 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118
Little Groove music classes are really popular among families in the South End. Kids get to sing and dance to music, while playing with trucks, balls, puppets, bubbles and so much more. They also offer art classes if you want to give your child the opportunity to get creative in a different way. Summer classes run from the second week of July for 7 weeks and cost $160-175.
3 Boston Public Library, 685 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02118
The South End branch of the Boston Public Library is a great place to take refuge when it gets hot. They have storytime on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10.30am for kids aged 0-5. On other days, you can still go and make use of all the books and toys on offer.
If you can manage the walk to the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, there is a fun, air-conditioned space for kids to explore, plus events such as storytime, lego club, and dance parties for you and your little ones to enjoy.
4 CouCou Play Room, 24 Union Park Street, 02118
Not only is CouCou a shop with beautiful toys, books and clothes, but it also has a fabulous playroom where kids can read, do arts and crafts and play. The Play Room is open Tuesday through Sunday during store hours, except when there is a class or event in progress. You can pay a drop-in fee of $12, which covers 2 children per family (adults and infants under 3 months are free) or, if you know you'll be a regular visitor, you can get unlimited visits for $175 for a year. In addition to the Play Room, CouCou also runs yoga classes and infant and toddler play date events – check out the website for more information about what's on offer.
5 Little Lovage Club events, 778 Tremont St, 02118
The Little Lovage Club has an air conditioned space where you can shelter from the heat and socialize with other families. There are a range of Mom groups, art, music & dance classes so check out the summer schedule. On July 11th, come along to a July 4th themed open play from 4-5.30pm for kids 0-4 years. There will be red, white and blue themed crafts, songs and toys for you and your little ones to enjoy.
6 Sitter While Mom Spins Classes, Recycle Studio, 18 Union Park St, 02118
Ok so this option won't keep you cool, but it will be an indoor activity for your little one. Recycle Studio in the South End has teamed up with Summer Sitters to make it easier for Moms to find time for a workout. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can come to an 8.30am spin class and sitters will be there to take care of your little one. The cost is $10 (in addition to the cost of the class) and sitters are there 30 minutes before and after the class so that you also have time to grab a shower and a coffee. Recycle Studio is offering all South End Moms 20% off their first ride – contact email@example.com and mention the South End Moms blog to redeem this offer.
Here's to staying cool, calm and collected this summer – well, the cool part at least…