Happy Easter

It's my favorite time of the year. Spring in Utah. It's raining, the trees are in bloom, there are tulips everywhere.

Happy Easter everyone. I'd like to say that I was deep in thought about the meaning of the resurrection of Christ, but I really just forgot all about it. Sigh.

I got up around 5am, put on some TV to get me back to sleep then slept in until about 8am. I had some Life cereal with bananas. Cut down the middle then in slices. Then Willow got up and we watched Blues Clues while I worked on my home-brew RPG.

Speaking of which, I'm working on an RPG played with cards. Something simple enough that it will play combats super fast, abstracted a bit. And simple enough that my kids can play it. I've got some preliminary cards done up. It's just for fun, I don't plan on doing anything with it. Here's an excerpt below.

I went out to hack at the dandelions in the front yard. They are back with a vengeance. I just despise those weeds. I have a two-prong hoe that I hack them with. It doesn't get at the root, but it feels good and prevents them from seeding. I also swept up the gutter in front of our house. I really need to fix up a lot of things around the house, but that's being put off for other projects probably until next year.

Then off to church. I must say that many years of forming the habit make it go smoothly, and that's saying something with four kids. The three older kids can get themselves ready now, with the odd mis-buttoning of a shirt. Plus the five-year-old can't tie his shoes yet. I got in a bit of a dispute with my wife this morning. I'm arguing for dress loafers no laces, and she thinks they should learn to tie their shoes. I put on a flowery tie. Yup, super-smooth. I sucked down some ramen noodles (to which I added some frozen mixed veggies) and we were out the door.

Once home I proceeded to vegetate in my pajamas, moving my computer to the dining room in order to watch sci-fi and work on my RPG thing. I chewed out the kids for their various bickering and interruptions. A neighbor made them some pajamas of pale green and yellow with frilly frills for the girls. They looked like a bunch of spritely sproutlings going off to bed.

How do I feel? My mind is at ease generally. I have so much to write down, so much to say, so many thoughts: the mercy of God, Gatelynomics, and working up practical solutions for the new building. I am super happy. My family is a delight. I like being at home with them. My wife looked like a hindu goddess in purple and gold with a lavender-colored flower in her hair, her eyes shining like two deep spheres of arctic ice.

Action: Attack

1. Choose an attack action card from your hand and without showing it, place it face down on the table along with up to two Effort tokens. This represents how much exertion you are putting into the attack. Once your hand leaves the card the attack is set, there is no taking it back. You are now the Attacker.

2. Declare the target of the attack. Some attacks may allow or require multiple targets. At this time check to see if the target is within range of the attack. If not, the attacker may redirect the attack.

3. The target of the attack now becomes the Defender against that attack.

4. The Defender may now play a reaction card to counter the attack. This is first priority, on top of the back and forth of further responses. The Defender may play the card in tandem with up to two Effort tokens. Note: this reaction does not have to be one of the common defenses listed here, it may be any reaction.

a. An Evade is an attempt to completely get out of the way of the attack without moving hardly at all.

b. A Block turns aside an attack with another weapon or a shield.

c. A Dodge is an attempt to get out of the way of an attack by physically moving out of the weapon’s reach.

5. Responses. The side that the Defender is on may now play a response. Then back and forth, and resolve as under Take an Action.

6. The Attacker now reveals his attack and adds up his Accuracy.

a. The base Accuracy of the weapon he is using.

b. The Accuracy of the attack card.

7. If the Accuracy is equal to or higher than the Defense, then the attack is successful. If not then the attack misses.

8. If the attack is successful the Defender takes damage.

a. The base damage of the weapon he is using.

b. The number of Effort tokens put into the attack at +1 per token.

c. Critical Hit. +3 Damage if the Accuracy exceeded the Defense by three or more.

9. Subtract the Defender’s armor from the Damage. This is how much Health the Defender loses. Set that amount of tokens aside.