More Unknown Ponies playtest reports

Wow, I talked a lot about guns last week, didn't I?  It makes sense, seeing as how it was Independence Day and all that, but I think it's time for a break. Let's talk about ponies instead!

So, in the wake of Mike Pondsmith's previous playtest of Unknown Ponies: Failure is Awesome and his request that I revamp the game engine, I got together with math guy and fellow gunbrony The Jack to help me come up with a better dice mechanic.

Using his suggestion that sixes and threes are recurring numbers in MLP: FiM  (six mane characters,  six elements of harmony, three types of pony,  three Cutie Mark Crusaders, etc) I decided that it would be amusing if we used three six-sided dice (that's 3d6 in nerdspeak), with the picture of a pony on one of the faces. That way, there would be a pegasus die and a unicorn die and an earth pony die, and if you got your pony type on a roll it would result in critical success, and maybe friendship bonuses if you got other ponies, and a super-duper mega awesome success if you got all three types of pony on your roll.

Jack took this idea, did MATH AND SCIENCE! to it, and eventually came up with the following:

The ponies replace the 1 pip on the dice. Each die represents a separate type of pony.

Skills and abilities range from Zero to Five, with 6 being "god-like". Ponies level up in increments of 1/2 (half levels not shown):

6     "God-like"
5     World Class
4     Master Class
3     Skilled
2     Average
1     Novice
0     No skill

(There were also some dice mechanics but many of them didn't survive playtest. The improved version will be listed later in order to prevent confusion.)

I sent all of this on to Mike, who declared it a step in the right direction and easy enough to implement. He said he'd run a game with it and get back to me with the results.

Well, it took him a couple weeks, but here are the after-action reports.

Episode 1: (No name given)
I'll give you a full analysis later, but in general it worked much better. Of course, by the end of the episode, Rarity and Sparklemane had divided Ponyville into one faction while Wintermayne and Forest Moon had broken off into a rival faction, with the rest of the Six forced to choose up sides. Meanwhile, the Windigoes are swirling around and Justice Colt is getting into a froth warning everyone about the "EVIL" that is looming! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

Just another day in Equestria...


Episode 2: The Worst Babysitter
Winter Mane decides to go back to Stalliongrad. However, Pumpkin Cake has learned how to teleport to wherever WM is, and so teleported onto his head as the train is halfway there. So WM comes back. He decides that since he can't get rid of the Cake twins, he will train them in the proper rough Stalliongrad way, which means taking them out into the Everfree forest and watching them fend for themselves (holy Dragon Ball Z!). They are all attacked by Timberwolves, which leads to the rest of the party (and most of the Mane 6) saving them. However, Rarity, who has been feuding with both Winter Mane and Forest Moon all along (it's mutual), uses the incident as an excuse to rouse the citizens of Ponyville against them (aided by PC Jacques Sparklemane). With all Ponyville divided and fighting... harmony is destroyed—and the Windigoes arrive!

Episode 3: Thawing Hearts of Ice
Ponyville is getting buried under snow. Most of Rarity's faction are holed up on one side of town, while the Six try to reason with the other sides. Forest Moon travels into the strangely untouched Everfree to talk to Zeccora, while Winter Mane and Sure Shot (a player “photographer” character), trek back to Ponyville, picking up groups of stray ponies trapped by the sudden blizzard. With his knowledge of arctic survival, Winter Mane easily leads the freezing ponies to Ponyville, becoming a hero in the process. A showdown ensues between Winter and Rarity's supporters, ending when Princess Celestia shows up and calls them both to task. She tells them that since her hooves will be full dealing with the Windigoes they have summoned, they will have to take Twilight's balloon and travel to Stalliongrad to borrow Mayor Joseph Stallion's magic Staff of Windigo Banishment. Contrite at the mess they have caused, both Winter Mane and Rarity apologize to each other and set out on their mission.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the fact that Mike's games of Unknown Ponies are for more awesome than my own. On the one hand, I'm happy that his players are having a good time and he's using the system to make epic adventures. On the other, I feel like I've been shown up in that someone is a better Pony GM.

Anyway. What did your players think of the new rules, faithful student?

1) Players liked the new “three pony system.” But actual play in Episode 1 showed that there was a flaw in the dice spread; exceptions happened far too often. So in Episode 3, we tried using D10s instead of D6's. Game play evened out. Much better results.

I asked Mike to explain this in detail, because math and I don't get along. He clarified:

With a D6 spread, you had two out of 6 values that could drive a "pony" special. So a 3rd of the time, something massive and unpredictable had to happen. With a D10 spread, it's down to 2 out of 10. That means only 20% of the time weird things happen. Pony specials should BE special. That's what makes them fun. Players need predictability. 80% of the time, they would get it. 20% of the time, it's wacky.

Okay, I get it. Kind of. I sent this off to mathbrony and he replied

The frequency of specials was a worry of mine. Glad that the fix was easy. It's hard to gauge how often you want to have special events go. That's why playtesting's so handy. The resolution setup is nicely streamlined too. Give Mike kudos on that, he got a much faster and simpler way that got the mechanisms I was aiming for.

Speaking of resolution (that's a segue if I've ever heard one),

2) We also reduced the number of resolution steps in the process in Episode 3. You now just roll your 3 dice and have to get enough successes to match the level of difficulty set by the PM (there's a table now). A success is any number equal or greater than your Attribute+Skill. Any “pony” dice you roll are added/subtracted to your success pool, with the number of total successes over the PM's requirement equaling how well you do. In PVP situations, both sides roll their 3 dice and the pony with the MOST successes wins. This system was fast and very easy to use.

3) Added a “damage table” for fighting. Your Pony has Physical HP equal to 5x Body and “Spirit” HP equal to 5x Soul. Physical attacks obviously are taken from Physical-- Magical and Emotional attacks come from your Spirit. Going to 0 on either one means you “faint” until your friends revive you.

If you're confused -- and I imagine that you are -- you can see what he's talking about by looking at a PDF he kindly sent me. I think the charts explain a lot better than words would. Moving on...

4) One of the players pointed out that the Earth Ponies get extra Skills rule was similar to the Human bonus in D&D 4th, , then proceeded to show me how to game it. Eventually balanced all classes by giving each THREE special skills:
1. Unicorns: Unicorn Magic, Ponykinesis & Ponyport
2. Pegasi: Flight, Weather Control and Zephyr (the ability to manipulate small objects with directed wind currents)
3. Earth Pony: Pony Tail (ability to pick up small objects with your tail, demonstrated in series by Applejack), Crafter (ability to make simple items, build things, grow plants, cook, as demonstrated by the fact that Earth Ponies tend to be the “makers” in the society) and Earth Sense (ability to perceive things about weather, animals and general environment, as demonstrated in show by Pinkie's “Pinky Sense” and Applejack's danger perception at the cliff during the Element Quest.

Notice that each pony now has a way to manipulate small objects, which players really wanted.

Now this, dear reader, is where I had what is politely called a "shit fit." To say that I vehemently oppose this patching of rules is to strongly understate my passion, which is akin to the intensity of a thousand blazing suns. Basically, my rebuttal was this:

1. I have only ever seen one unicorn teleport and that is Twilight Sparkle. While I am certain other unicorns could teleport, it is not an across-the-board ability or we'd have seen Rarity do it. 
2. I have never ever seen anything like Zephyr in the cartoon. Ever. 
3. After much back and forth, I finally conceded that Earth Ponies needed to be looked at, and that their ability of skill bonuses wasn't the simple and easy fix I thought it would be. However, "Pony Tail" is not an exclusively earth pony ability, because we saw Rarity do it in Party of One.  That said...
4. ... this fascination with making sure everypony has an ability to pick up and manipulate things is going overboard, as it is never an issue in the cartoon. It's over-analysis of the variety that MST3K* addressed and so unless it's really, really fine or especially dexterous work, just assume all ponies can do it. Okay?

5) Players liked the Attribute System, but wanted it simplified a bit. Now you get one Poor (1) Attribute, one Good (4) Attribute and the rest are Average (3). If you want to get another Good, you have to take an extra Poor. If you want to get an Exceptional, you have to take two extra Poors. The Class Bonuses worked fine with this system.

I'm cool with this, especially since I hadn't worked out a decent conversion from UA to UP anyway.
I need to ask him if he stacked pony-type bonuses (pegasi getting a boost to their Speed attribute, etc) or if this was used in place of. Based on his last sentence I'd say it sounds like you do your stats and then pick your pony type (calling it "race" or "breed" just sounds wrong) but I want to make sure. It's how I would do it.

Part of me wants to object to blank flanks having Average stats, because I do want stallions and mares to have a definite mechanical advantage over fillies and colts, but perhaps I am worrying too much over perceived balance at the risk of making the game less fun. I'm not sure. If you're still reading this, I welcome your feedback on this issue. (Especially you, mathbrony.)

The next big step, if we're going to keep using this system, is to determine how skills improve. Stats can still be bought up by spending Magic points (though I may need to increase the amount of Magic used to bump a stat) but I'm not immediately sure how best to implement the Failure is Awesome mechanic with the current skill setup.

Although it looks like we changed a lot, we actually didn't—mainly filled in some holes here and there (like a damage system, which came up when Winter Mane and Ariel Hooves fought the Timberwolves in the Forest.) Also, in general I've found it is much cleaner to even out the number of Class bonuses than to allow the players to get extra points that they can use to game the system. I hope that this letter will be useful to you and that your games will be as fun as ours have been, thanks to YOU, Princess Erin, and all your hard work!

You know,  I could get used to being called "Princess Erin" on a regular basis. ;)


Anyway, the upshot of all this is

1. I haven't been neglecting Unknown Ponies;
2. Try these rules and see how you like them;
3. If you have any questions or house-rules or suggestions for improvement, please chime in.

Thanks! Everyone (everypony?) who contributes is helping make a better game!


* Then repeat to yourself, "It's just a show, I should really just relax."

WNW: Crappy humor

This kid appears to be... (puts on sunglasses)... pooped. 






(I've had a rough couple of days. Expect proper updates to follow soon.)

Crimson Trace Lasergrip for Ruger LCR, as reviewed by my 73 year old mother

My mother owns a Ruger LCR. Through me, she received a Lasergrip for her pistol from Crimson Trace for test and evaluation. My mother is also 73 years old this month and, while she has shot before, is still a novice to shooting. This test is being done to see if Crimson Trace products are so easy to use that an inexperienced grandmother can install and implement them without issue.

Unless otherwise indicated, all of these thoughts and opinions belong to my mother, the reviewer. I am simply reporting them.

Part 1: Unboxing and Installation

The package arrived in the mail. I removed the tape around the box and she removed the product, wrapped in a smaller box. She opened the smaller box and removed the contents.

"Where are the instructions?" she asked. It took her a moment to realize that they were still inside the box, at the bottom. I observed that the manual has approximately the same dimensions as the inside of the box, and therefore presented some slight difficulty in removal.

Suggestion One: Cut the manual to slightly smaller dimensions so that it comes out easily. A tight fit, arthritic hands,  and nothing to grab onto for removal make a frustrating combination.

The instructions stated that the old grip on the revolver was to be removed. This resulted in some momentary confusion as my mother did not immediately know how to do this.

Suggestion Two: Indicate that there is a screw on the bottom of the stock LCR grip, either in the instructions or as an illustration. Either way, err on the side of "more clarity."

Inserting the batteries posed no difficulties. When I informed her of Crimson Trace's "Free Batteries for Life" program, she was pleased and impressed with their dedication to customer service.

Assembling the Lasergrip around the pistol frame also posed no difficulty. However, my mother was annoyed that her default go-to screwdriver would not work in this instance and I was tasked to retrieve the set of precision screws from the toolbox.

Suggestion Three: Include a small screwdriver of the proper size in the box.

The warning labels were met with a "Oh, how cute!" from mom and speculation if it was strictly necessary to put them on and detract from the appearance of her pistol. The general consensus was that they were included for the sake of product liability.

Finding the Master On/Off Switch took more time than expected, but my mother quickly noted, upon re-reading the instructions, that it was "on the map" (the annotated illustration) and that she was at fault in this instance. The laser was activated without further difficulty and the action proved quite natural to her.

The phrase "Confirm that laser and iron sights are in alignment" confused her greatly. She had never heard the term "iron sights" before and could not find reference to them anywhere in the illustration. I eventually had to inform her that the term referred to the fixed sights on the pistol. Similar confusion occurred with the term "front sight post."

Suggestion Four: Replace "iron sights" with "fixed pistol sights" or similar term; label the front sight post as such in the illustration. 

Having now installed her lasergrip, mom was concerned by the remaining pieces (two allen wrenches for adjusting elevation/windage and two swabs for cleaning the lens) and was worried she had somehow skipped a step or performed the task improperly. That the instructions did not mention them at all was a source of anxiety, and was only resolved when I finally stepped in and told her that there was another manual -- the Owner's Handbook -- for her to read.

The mysterious items.

Suggestion Five: Reference these items in the instructions with directions to consult the other pamphlet for information on what they are and how to use them. 

Reading the Owner's Handbook resolved this issue although it raised another concern. The phrase "Remove laser sight before cleaning gun" was met with dismay. She did not like the idea of removing the grips every time, and then cleaning the pistol without a proper grip. I informed her this caution was to prevent solvents from damaging the lens, and that if she covered the lens with a protective barrier, like a Band-Aid, and then cleaned the gun with the Boresnake I had bought her, then it would likely not be an issue.

Suggestion Six: Mention alternate strategies for cleaning that do not involve removing the grip. Old people do not like constant disassembly and reassembly, especially if they have arthritic hands. 

Overall, mother was very happy with this product, despite what she called "lack of clarity" in the instructions. She mentioned that activating the laser was quite natural, and that even though she had not practiced with it, its mere presence gave her confidence and made her feel more competent. She loved the immediate feedback of knowing where she was aiming, and when I demonstrated that it was also useful in overcoming trigger-twitch during dry fire practice she proclaimed that it was even more useful. (The long trigger pull of the LCR has been a minor impediment to her.) She would not hesitate to recommend it to other seniors who are interested in armed self-defense. In short, she loves her Lasergrip and cannot wait to put it to the test.

Granny Rating:

Instructions:  C+ to B-

Ease of installation: B+ to A-

Product: A+

Ease of use: A+

Editor's Note:  When mom removed the old grip, I was reminded of how soft it was, and how good it was at absorbing shock. I'm worried that this new grip, being all plastic, will transmit more of the recoil to my mother's hand and wrist. I'm also not sure how well a sweaty or nervous hand could hold on to it. Would a Hogue Handall work with a Lasergrip? Or would it constantly exert pressure on the laser switch?  Some of these questions may be answered when I take her shooting.

The old grip, made of a squishy, knobby rubber.

The new grip, made of a hard plastic.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Range Use!




Obligatory FTC disclaimer: I was given this product for free and without monetary compensation. I am neither required to return it, nor was I instructed to give a good review in exchange for this item. I have no personal affiliation with the manufacturer, and my professional relationship is purely that of a reviewer and as a customer.

Independence (from fear) Day

Not to brag, but while y'all were having cookouts and watching fireworks and generally sweltering in the heat, I was helping my young Texan friend find a trainer.

So here's the short version: not a day after I'd posted my request for gunnies in the Houston area, I was contacted by a gentleman known as Steve Griffiths who said "Erin, I may know someone who might be able to help. I have forwarded a link to your post to them. Sorry I can't be of more assistance."

Well, he shouldn't have been sorry, because the person he was talking about contacted me that afternoon. Her name is Lori Townsend, and she's had a CHL for 10 years now. She also lives in Houston and, as you might have guessed, is female. Not only does this alleviate the "stranger anxiety" that might occur with meeting an unknown male, Lori will also be able to address female-specific concerns such as pistol weight and grips for girl-sized hands.

Want to know what's ironic? Both Lori and Steve are friends of Oleg Volk -- the same man who helped me get my own carry pistol and permit. I swear, Oleg is the social center of the gunnie world.

At any rate, I introduced YTM and Lori and they got along like gangbusters. They've exchanged phone numbers and are making arrangements around work schedule and child care to go out to the range. Lori is going to bring her mini-arsenal of pistols of shoot so that YTM can experience difference models and calibers. And, of course, she's going to get the basic lessons of gun safety and operation. Hopefully her husband, too, who is completely on-board with her owning and carrying a gun.

So right now, the plan is this: Lori and YTM (and Mr. YTM is possible) meet, learn proper firearms safety, squeeze of a couple hundred rounds, and hopefully our gal will have a good idea of what kind of gun she wants. Then Lori will help her with the paperwork of getting a CHL. Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to chip in some money so that she can afford that pistol and permit, and god willing, maybe a shotgun for the house and some extra ammo and training and whatever else.

Donations may be sent via PayPal to [email redacted]. As soon as I can get a button set up (most likely, I'll have to have her set it up and then send me the code) I'll post it front and center on my blog.

And if you're in the area and are willing to donate training, range time, ammo, or anything else, that's also great. You can either leave a comment here or email her directly.

Let's help this young lady be independent from fear and welcome her into our ranks!

Calling all Texans, Okies and other gunnies

Any Texas CCW holders out there?

How about gun store owners or trainers?

I know a young mother who needs a carry pistol and training to defend herself and her child from violence, but cannot afford either. In her own words:

I work in downtown Houston where there's a large homeless population. Some of these people are crazy, some are people who just got out of Houston county jail (they're dropped off at the greyhound two blocks from our store) and I get into work sometimes at 4:45, or leave at 7pm. Both times have me coming and going when there's no one around. I get SO paranoid about someone trying to attack me, and I'd feel better carrying a gun.

Also, we have issues with my "sperm donor", whom I'm thinking may get stupid one day and show up and try to take E. If he does...

My husband met me when I was 4 months pregnant, and we've been together ever since. My "sperm donor" is an asshole who only contacts me when he's pissed or off his meds. When he's off his meds he's really aggressive and, well, an asshole. Again, another reason to keep a gun.

Money is really tight right now, so getting a gun soon (within 90 days) won't happen, but I'll live. I have a "war club" that I keep, and I have people walk me to and from my car/garage.

I realize I may be pushing my luck in asking for donations not three months after you folks helped me buy my pistol, but this is a really good cause. If anything, she needs a CCW more than I do.

I plan to run a fundraiser to help her buy a pistol (unless someone wants to step forward and donate, which while highly unlikely would be amazingly awesome) but right now I'd like to find out if there's anyone in the area who is willing to donate time and energy to help her through the paperwork of CCW, find out which gun is right for her, and offer her training for free or at a reduced rate.

I'd appreciate it if folks linked to this on their blogs in order to get maximum coverage. Wouldn't it be great if we could get her carrying by the end of summer?

Either leave comments here or email me at erin dot palette at gmail dot com.


UPDATE: More information, as well as a donation address, may be found here. 

I am now a product reviewer

Thanks to the kind efforts of Linoge over at Walls of the City and his relationship with Crimson Trace, I was able to score a laser grip for my mother's Ruger LCR for test & evaluation (T&E).

What will set this review apart from other reviews is that I will not be testing the product. In fact, the only thing I will be doing in any official capacity is writing about it. No, the actual testing and evaluating and opining on it will be done by my 73-year-old mother.

Now, mom has fired a gun before, but she is very much a novice at it -- as an example, she never heard the term "iron sights" before and didn't know what it meant -- and so therefore her use of this product will be the ultimate test of "Is it user-friendly? Are the directions clear? Is this product, in fact, so easy that a grandmother can install and use it?"

Part 1 will cover the unboxing and installation, and will appear later this week.
Part 2 will cover her actually using it at the range, and will occur whenever I can take her shooting.

Stay tuned!







Obligatory FTC disclaimer: I was given this product for free and without monetary compensation. I am neither required to return it, nor was I instructed to give a good review in exchange for this item. I have no personal affiliation with the manufacturer, and my professional relationship is purely that of a reviewer and as a customer. 

Monday Gunday: Holsters 4 Heroes

(This should have published yesterday. My bad.)

I am proud to be one of "the girls" Michael talks about in his latest venture, Holsters 4 Heroes:

The girls pushed me into this. Jennifer likes to brag about nice thing that I do way more than I like to. Anyway, it’s no secret that I have done my craft for the benefit of the troops at one time or another. More and more often, I have our men and women overseas contacting me to inquire about a custom holster for their issued M9 pistol. I hear the issued holsters are pretty crappy. Anyway, I would really like to be able to not charge these brave people who are serving – I’d like to make them a holster and ship it. Unfortunately, not operating at a loss is more important in my business model than supplying holsters to the troops. Bills get paid better anyway. I was chatting with Erin and bemoaning this very fact. Currently, I’ve been working with several individuals in our armed forces who are looking for new rigs. I was telling her about a woman in particular in Afghanistan who needs a different holster. Erin said that as generous as people have been to her, she would be more than happy to help pay for this young lady’s holster. And then, an idea was born. I ran the idea past A Girl, as this is kind of up her alley. She loved it. And the idea became a plan. I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to have to do legally, but my plan is to offer the custom M9 holsters for sale, but treat the troops like their money is useless. I’ll accept donations from anyone who cares to sponsor an M9 holster, and I’ll keep a list of those who are serving that have expressed interest in a holster, and basically have a random draw for the next recipient if the list of interested gets too long. Is that too vague, or too specific? Is there anything I should be thinking of differently about this? Any of you law savvy people know of anything that I need to be careful about with this thing? I want your input. So, bring on the flames. And the advice. And start donating.

I suggested that should put this on Kickstarter or Indigogo so that he could build a fund before the orders come in, as a kind of "monetary buffer."  That way when a soldier asks for a holster, he could start making one right away and deduct the cost for it from the fund. Then he'd let us know that he'd removed X amount and ask folks to donate more once the level got a bit low.

But this was just off the top of my head, and I'm no expert. If anyone has a great idea about this, or if you just want to show your support, go to his website and post!