4E Condition Tokens, Game Masters Set: LITKO Game Accessories

I saw these neat tokens on the internet today.  They are designed for use with D&D 4e, but can probably drop into any game that uses miniatures.  Each token represents a condition, such as prone, weakened, bloodied, etc...  From the picture, it looks like they are on 1 inch squares, so they should work with any battlemat.  Check out the link below:

4E Condition Tokens, Game Masters Set: LITKO Game Accessories

Classless 4e : Critical Hits

I've only played 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons once.  If I could sum up D&D 4e in one word it would be: balance.  The authors of D&D strove to make D&D 4e very balanced.  Every class can do damage at every level. 

The Critical Hits blog has in interesting concept for 4e: Classless D&D.  The basic concept is to start off with a base class, but you can pick any power from any class, instead of just picking powers from your class. 

I think it would be interesting to try.  Check out the article here:

Classless 4e : Critical Hits

Crystalline Counters

These counters look like they would be a good addition to any tabletop RPG. You can use them for dragonshards in your Eberron game, use them to highlight areas of ice or fire, line the walls of the cavern with stones and gems...

Pretty nifty. Hopefully my FLGS (friendly local gaming store) has some in stock.


Crystalline Counters

Vile Haberdashery for iPod Touch/iPhone

http://ping.fm/ov6D5

If you have a iPod Touch or an iPhone, check out Vile Haberdashery. It was written by my friend CC Chamberlin at Barking Dog Interactive. It's loosely based on a card game that he was developing. I got to play test the game a few times, and I really liked the game mechanic.

The game is a "pass the phone" multiplayer game. As you are making your plays, the game give audio clues to the other players. You are in a Victorian era family, and the patriarch is dying. You have to do everything you can to make sure you are the heir to the family fortune.

It's only $1.99, so go check it out!

Official Google Blog: Think big with a gig: Our experimental fiber network

I'm a bit of a Google fanatic. I use Gmail for both my work and my personal email, I use Picasa to store my photos, I use Google Calendar for my work and personal calendars. I even use Google calendar to track my migraines. I use Google docs. They host my blog. Oh, and I guess I use their search engine, too. I started playing with Buzz today.

Now, they want to be an ISP, too. Specifically, they want to experiment with fiber to the home 1Gb/s connections to test the next big applications for the Internet. Umm.. Where do I sign up? Looks like they are looking for a good community to use as a test bed. North Austin, maybe?

Check out the announcement here: Official Google Blog: Think big with a gig: Our experimental fiber network

Book 12 of the WoT series: Why bother?

A friend of mine in Las Cruces got me hooked on the Robert Jordan "Wheel of Time" series. The first four books were gripping, exciting fantasy novels.

The next four books started getting confusing. Storylines would start in one book, and wouldn't continue for another two books. Characters would reappear, and I would have to look them up on the web just to remember why they were important to the storyline.

Books 9, 10, and 11 were just a jumbled mess. I was almost done with book 10, and was about to start book 11 when I heard that Robert Jordan had passed on before finishing the final book of the series. I was actually relieved that there was no need to read book 11.

Well, I may have jumped out too soon. It looks like someone took what Robert Jordan had written for book 12 before his death, and finished the novel. While it might be interesting to see how the story wraps up, I just can't bring myself to read it.

However, if you are a fan of the series, you can listen to Chapter one on tor.com. As for me, I think I'll pass.

The Link to listen to chapter one is here:Tor.com - gatheringstorm

I love my private health insurance! or not..

Unless you have buried your head in the sand, you are aware that there is a huge debate about Obamacare, and "public option" vs. "free market" insurance. Just to personalize the debate, let me tell you what my private, free-market insurance company decided to do to me today. As many of you know, I suffer from migraine headaches. In New Mexico, I had about two migraines a year. In Texas, it has jumped to two migraines a month, and the severity of the migraines has increased. If you have never had a migraine, you probably don't understand. I see spots, I have severe neck and head pain, and get waves of nausea and vomiting. At times, I have had migraines so severe that I thought death would be the only way I could get relief.

Yep, I said death.

I have been seeing a neurologist, and we have been trying some maintenance medications to reduce the number and severity of the migraines. I have had some success, but we are still experimenting with medications and dosages. But while we are experimenting, I'm still having migraines. So, I still need medication for relief when I get a migraine, and Excedrin just doesn't cut it. Maxalt is the only medication that really provides consistent, quick relief when I get a migraine. I've tried Imitrex, but it just makes me sick to my stomach.

I have a taken Maxalt now for a couple of years. It works, and it works fast. I went to refill the prescription today, and it was denied by my insurance company. I now need special authorization for Maxalt, and I have to wait for my Doctor to tell the insurance company why I need Maxalt.

I thought that was what a "prescription" was used for. It is a form in which a Doctor tells a Pharmacist that this is the best medication for treatment. But now, my Doctor has to provide extra documentation to the insurance company before they will fill the prescription. I have one pill left. I hope I don't get a migraine while the Doctor and the insurance company argue over the best treatment for my migraines. Even with insurance, a refill of six pills used to cost me $45. Or, alternately, I could not use insurance to buy my medication. Six pills of Maxalt is retail price of $169 without insurance. Nearly thirty dollars a pill. Sometimes it takes two pills for a single migraine incident. Sixty bucks for the treatment of one headache.

I'm in my thirties, and I have asthma, GERD, migraines, and sleep apnea. Nothing super life threatening, but manageable with medicines. I have a good job, with good benefits. My total monthly premium for health insurance is about $725, and my employer pays about $500 of it. $725 a month paid to a company that can suddenly decide not to cover a certain medication, or deny a medical procedure. I have no say in the matter. The leadership of my insurance company are not elected officials. I can't vote them out of office. Sure, I could get insurance outside of the group plan at work, but they are too cost prohibitive.

I'm not saying that a "public" option would be any better, but at least "we the people" would have a say in how it is managed. Free market isn't cutting it. At least, not for me. At $725 a month, I should be able to get my Maxalt filled, and filled at the $45 rate. But, I'm stuck waiting for my Doctor to convince the accountants at my insurance company that Maxalt is the best medication for me.