Lady Gumdrop's Garden

A glass rose tinted in hues of pink is translucent enough to reveal some sort of faceted stone in its center. Its stem is a dark green, but it has no thorns.

Check: The stone is a diamond, and the process of putting it inside the glass rose didn't seem to have harmed it. (This can be discovered either by breaking the rose or by looking at it closely and attempting to appraise the stone. The quality of the stone isn't revealed unless the stone itself is free of the rose. It's a high-quality gemstone, though GMs can lower the price if the PCs attempt to sell it inside the rose.) This rose is the fabled rose given to Alhandra by Prince Lerien; bards sometimes sing the ballad "Alhandra's Rose" in taverns.

Price: 2,500 gp.

A bejewelled band has an emerald green silk base and a layer of black lace over it. The top of the headband has a round-cut emerald in it, and smaller round-cut emeralds and faceted onyx stones are sprinkled over the rest of the band, creating a sparkling effect when the light hits it. The band has some clips on it that allow it to be attached more securely to hair.

Check: There's some long red hair attached to the clips still.

Price: 750 gp.

A beautiful crystal flute has a blue tint to it.

Check: Those who can play the flute find that it has an extremely nice sound to it. If a character does research or knows musical lore, this could be the flute that Hedron Ferrinson played over a century ago at a masquerade ball. The story goes that he came in as a guest and joined the musicians. As long as he played, the attendees found themselves filled with an urge to dance continually, as well as the energy to do so. Otherwise, during those brief times when he didn't play and instead flirted with the ladies at the ball, they felt as they normally would. The ball was considered a success, but while the hostess got Hedron's name after seeking it for a month or more, she never saw him again. None know where he went to after that, nor did anyone ever determine his origin. His blue crystal flute, however, is always attached to his name in the region in which the famous masquerade ball took place. Despite what people might think, the flute itself is not magical. (If sold in the region in which this tale originates, the flute can go for as much as five times as much as the price below.)

Price: 750 gp.

A clear glass bottle has a layer of grime on the inside that won't come off no matter how hard the dirty liquid inside is shaken. The grime obscures the item secured within the bottle.

Check: The grime was actually placed within the bottle on purpose, and it isn't really grime -- it's some sort of dark adhesive. The water inside the bottle is salt water and it smells of decay if the bottle is opened. If the PCs figure out a way to clear off the adhesive, they can reveal a three-masted ship whose name has been etched off the side crudely. However, the ship still flies a flag: a black circle sits off-center in a background of dark purple. The flag is well-known to any who know ship lore: This was the infamous Dark Destiny. It was originally captained by a woman named Opal Weber, who was cursed by an unknown entity. The curse itself required her to make a blood sacrifice each time she wished to visit a port; the ship would then dock at a port somewhere in the world the moment the last drop of blood left the sacrifice and hit the surface of the sea -- and tales tell that sometimes the ship docked in ports unknown to all but those who ventured off the world. (Some telling the tale believe that the type of sacrifice determined the type of port.)

Price: 25 gp.

An 18-inch black pearl necklace has an ornate square clasp fashioned from gold and small diamonds. A yellowing tag dangles from it, and the tag says: Item #253 (Case #2432): Found on Lady Travertine's corpse. Clutched in left hand. Belonged to Lord Travertine's mistress Beth Struthers.

Check: This necklace was part of the evidence at a rather notorious mass murder at an estate in the country several years ago. Nobody survived the night and the case was never solved. An astute observer might notice that the ornate clasp has a bit of hair stuck in it: curly red hair. Lord Travertine had no hair, Lady Travertine had blonde hair, and Beth had brown hair. Was this the result of a careless investigation or did the hair get there after the investigation (and what is the necklace doing where the PCs found it anyway?).

Price: 3,500 gp.

A blue-tinted metal hoop dangles from a tiny chain, which is attached to a similarly blue-tinted metal earring stud. The hoop itself is about an inch in diameter, and its interior rim has a pattern of scales etched into it.

Check: The metal of this single earring is steel that has been treated with a special coating to make it the hue it is. It is not uncommon to see other hues coating similar earrings in an island nation to the west of where this earring is found.

Price: 25 gp.

A scarlet-hued leather eyepatch has a smooth amber stone in the middle of it. The amber has a wasp of some sort trapped within it.

Check: The wasp was probably the precursor to some wasps found in a northeastern forest about 100 miles away from where the eyepatch was found.

Price: 100 gp.

A platinum holy symbol has fifteen round-cut sapphires within its intricate metal framework. In contrast, the cord upon which it hangs is a braided strand consisting of threads of just about every hue imaginable.

Check: Over a thousand years ago, an order within the religion indicated by the symbol used specific colors of thread as a cord for their symbols -- each color represented something specific and was awarded by the order's head. Perhaps someone is reviving this order's traditions? (Given the strength of the thread, it was a bit of a chore keeping the first few strands from breaking.)

Price: 3,000 gp.

And I think it's still on Spore.

At any rate, Mass Effect for the PC just went gold today, and here's what you can expect to see on it (aside from the game), plus some speculation based on Bioshock's SecuROM version (which was the most recent one at the time):
( Read more... )

A silver charm bracelet has silver letter-based charms dangling from it. The letters are as follows: BEADGCF.

Check: Aside from being the order of a certain type of musical notation in sheet music (come on, GM, give the player extra XP if he or she blurts this out at the table and if your game allows such things!), it could also be someone's sly way of keeping track of either social conquests or stealthy assassinations. (In the latter case, of COURSE it would be muffled and hidden during sneaky work.) In this latter case, it could align with the initial of a person's first or last name.

Price: 35 gp.

I probably posted this before, but I think it bears repeating:

I remember a conversation I had with Cindi and I think Steven and maybe Bill C. (and maybe Stan!) at TSR regarding creature names. We'd come to the realization that we had so many different types of undead ghosty things that we had very few options regarding alternative terms to use when we meant ghosty things in general. Ghost was taken. Wraith was taken. So were a bunch of other terms.

So, designers who are building worlds and monster catalogs, take heed! Try to reserve at least ONE shorter word that you can use when you want to say incorporeal undead creature or some other subset of creatures. (We did have people using words that were actually statted creatures, by the way.) Otherwise, you may end up with a mouthful. And you know what, work with Those In Control of Your House Style Guide to make sure that this word shows up somewhere in there along with an explanation of why it's there and why it shouldn't be used to make a new statted creature.

So, in case you hadn't heard, both Spore and Mass Effect are going to "enjoy" the whole DRM thing (SecuROM) and require an Internet connection, because the DRM measures will require "authentication" on an EA server every 10 days (at least, for ME it will). Plus you get only three activations of the game. Note the following: An activation is different than an installation. You can have three computers activate the game. You can uninstall and reinstall the game on the same machine, and you'd presumably use only one activation total. However, if you upgrade components on your machine after you've already used one of your three activations, you may find yourself needing to use another activation.

So, in the long run, this isn't a long-term game unless EA is going to support customers calling in to reactivate it after their initial three activations. (I still go back and play KOTOR...and Mass Effect is a SERIES, which means I'll go back and play that again and again as each new installment comes out.)

If you've dealt with the Bioshock DRM on PCs, this is supposed to be an improved version of that (which, from what I understand, caused a lot of problems).

There's quite a stir about this in various locations. Evidently, you can't uninstall SecuROM without taking a bit of extra effort to do so. (Plus, if you have multiple games using SecuROM and UNinstall one instance of it, you could ruin your ability to play the other games with SecuROM -- if I understand things correctly.)

A small roughspun cotton drawstring pouch has four 3-inch tall ivory pieces that are carved into elegant towers, a lapis lazuli marble, a rose quartz marble, and a hematite six-sided die within it.

Check: These items were used in a game oh-so-imaginatively called "Ivory Towers," which was a game popular with artisans and some noble courts over two hundred years ago. They could be worth more to a collector.

Price: 150 gp.

A handwritten, leatherbound tome has the rules for many games of chance, plus several regional variants, written within it. The dark brown leather binding is well-worn, and gilt lettering on the cover and spine proclaim this book to be "HRO's Games of Chance and How to Beat Them." Inside, the author's handwriting is extremely precise, and the generous margins of the book have plenty of room for the various notations in other hands that are on each page. Here's a sample of text from "Under the Full Moon," which is a card game (plus a few of its notations):

Though the game uses similar mechanics to those you find in A Fool and His Money*, Under the Full Moon varies in one important way: Probability isn't as important as bluffing**. In fact, in Under the Full Moon, it is more important to pull off a successful bluff than to win a hand. Each successful bluff you achieve earns you twice as many points as a winning hand does.

*In loopy, loose handwriting: Similar? Who taught this idiot how to play that game? The mechanics are nothing alike.
**In very small handwriting: The part about bluffing is true. It's irritating, but true. I much prefer Torrent, the variant that gives you no points for bluffing. Any game that rewards deceitful interaction more than rewarding a person's ability to figure out mathematical probabilities# is a game I avoid.
#In flowing handwriting: This person needs to get his (or her) head out of his (or her) rear end and enjoy those deceitful interactions in games.@ Besides, you can still enjoy the math of it all while you're lying through your teeth. Sometimes the cards aren't with you, and lying is all you've got.
@[This note is in another language.]^
^In small, blocky writing: By all that's holy, who had this book before I did?

Check: First of all, the other language is that used by those living underground, and it says this: Felrien, please inform Her Most Exalted Reverence that she should assassinate the princeps tomorrow by her own hand. Secondly, this book could contain all sorts of games in it -- GMs can introduce games to the table by using this book, and perhaps add some more margin notes. Finally, this book could be worth a lot more to a collector.

Price: 10 gp.

A fine white mesh sachet smells faintly of roses, oranges, geraniums, and another underlying musky scent. One side of the sachet has a pewter medallion attached to it, and set within the medallion are five small round-cut emeralds.

Check: The underlying musky scent comes from the petals of a rare night-blooming carnivorous plant.

Price: 350 gp.

So, which ones are you tempted to see? Here's my list; as always, previews may entice me into other ones (though, admittedly, I haven't seen previews for all of these -- IMDB is very helpful for things like making this list).

My list is behind the cut. But, oh, July...you seem so far away. I'd love to see the Batman movie RIGHT NOW. Impatient, am I? You bet.

( Read more... )

Small silver conch shells dangle from silver hoop earrings. Each hoop has one miniaturized replica shell.

Check: Metal shell earrings were popular with the merchant class in a nearby province about ten years ago. A closer look may reveal that something is stuck in one of the earrings, though the object is very small. (GMs could choose to have it be a very small scrap of paper with part of a message on it -- a clue for a current investigation, perhaps?)

Price: 25 gp.

I saw it on Friday, and I enjoyed it immensely. :)

It was one of those movies that made me want to see the next one IMMEDIATELY. And I mean IMMEDIATELY.

The feeling lingers even today.

Are the actual comic books as good as this movie? Because I might just read some now. (Suggestions are definitely welcome for specific things to seek out and things to avoid!) Those who know me know that I'm not much into comic books overall -- I have to be enticed into them via some other media first. Thus I am enticed.

So, I'd guess that those working on the film did their jobs and then some when it came to me. ;)

A simple platinum drinking mug has a yellow gold lion's head on its side.

Check: The lion's head can pop off, and the empty recess within it contains a small amber bead. (GMs could have the bead be a limited use charm of sorts that neutralizes any poisons placed within the mug. When the charm wears off, presumably the owner of the mug replaces it with a new charm. Adjust the price accordingly if magic is in place. The charm could also neutralize any alcohol, thus allowing the imbiber to appear to be drinking heavily when he or she is not.)

Price: 1,250 gp.

A rose gold circlet has three brass keys on it. The circlet is about 2 inches in diameter, and the keys are about 3 inches long. The middle key has a very ornate filigree design to it, while the other two are more utilitarian in design but have two round-cut light blue sapphires set on either side of the hole through which the circlet passes. The circlet is designed to open and close using a hook-and-eye latch.

Check: These keys have never been used in a lock -- they are pristine.

Price: 675 gp.