To all of my fellow Americans, I want to send out a hearty happy Independence Day!

May your powder be dry and your explosions be controlled

I had Taco Hell and cheep beer last night, my 'explosions' are anything but controlled this morning...
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Thomas A. Tullis

Fat Dragon Games
www.fatdragongames.com

Castles & Crusades...more D&D than D&D.

Happy 4th of July to all. May our barbaques burn hot and our beer never warm.

~O
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

We're having about a half dozen friends over (maybe a few of their kids, dunno yet) for Brats & pretzels and a run at C&C.
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The Rock says ...

Know your roll!

I'm gonna BBQ and game tonight. I was going to go to a tea party to see what the fuss was about but there were none close. Happy Birthday to the U.S. and God Bless America!
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

I still get chills up my spine every time I read this.

By my math, you took 8 minutes to destroy the intent of this thread. You are SO my best friend now.

In all seriousness, Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans. And to all the Brits that read this, don't be mad. It was over 200 years ago. Led Zeppelin and dark beer have more than made up for it. We hate the Iraqis now.
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kim@trolllord.com

Click here: http://tiny.cc/4rvo5

Boom-Boom Day is the 2nd best day of the year. I will miss setting off the pretty nukes, but relish the taste of the grill... in more than one pun.
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If it matters, leave a message at the beep.
Serl's Corner

This should be read before any BBQ, pool party and before any fireworks are set off IMNSHO.
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

QFT, I wish this was on the front page of ever newspaper and TV news cast today.




Would've been sooner but I was occupied birthing some colon cobras.
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Thomas A. Tullis

Fat Dragon Games
www.fatdragongames.com

Castles & Crusades...more D&D than D&D.

I just had a thought that sent chills up my spine. Suppose on every Independence Day at noon on the steps of city hall the Declaration of Independence was read to the citizens gathered for parades and other celebrations. Also suppose this was broadcast locally so everyone that couldn't attend could be a part of this. That would make for some excellent celebrating.
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

Just imagine if it were actually taught in schools.
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Thomas A. Tullis

Fat Dragon Games
www.fatdragongames.com

Castles & Crusades...more D&D than D&D.

As part of my summer "Popular Culture & The Media" course, I showed the "Independence" episode of the John Adams miniseries, an excellent depiction of these events, including the full reading..... (also showed two scenes including the vote from the 1970's musical 1776 for comparison and contrast)

My students' response? "That was boring.... "

They found it boring, when I pressed for explanation, because "it's just a bunch of guys sitting around arguing...."

Which I want to scream out (and did): Yes! This is what we are celebrating! A country founded on a unique idea that welcomed and celebrated dynamic and passionate argument of ideas. Not just 4th of July sales, hamburgers and fireworks, but the very heart of a country where people like Adams and Washington debated and fought their own friends Jefferson and Madison over the role of government, rights of states, what liberties should be enumerated and which not.... all debates and arguments that we still fight over passionately today...

For those who run cynical about politics today, I'd say Adams and Jefferson would actually be quite happy - because the debates and ideas they fought for are still alive today.

(Not wanting to veer things too far into politics - my point is we should celebrate the vibrancy of ideas and freedom to stand up for whatever we believe, no matter where we stand).

Happy 4th everyone!
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John "Sir Seskis" Wright

Ilshara: Lands of Exile:
http://johnwright281.tripod.com/

High Squire of the C&C Society
www.cncsociety.org

It's going to be a soggy 4th of July in southern Indiana this year. The good news is the neighbor kids can't set my yard on fire
Debating on whether or not to attend our planned BBQ/'splosion display if it rains to much longer.

Excellent point, John. I also think if so many citizens didn't find thinking, arguing, and debating over our government so boring we would be very close to engaging our "duty" to change our government and institute a new government with new laws to safe guard our future against similar events. OR maybe if we were being so vigilant in the first place, we wouldn't be anywhere near such actions.

Which to me is why we should be doing exactly what Julian suggests, reading our Declaration of Independence, not only to keep ourselves familiar with the ideals put forth, but to ask ourselves if we our doing our duty to our country, and those who came before us.

To me this is what this day is about, not only to celebrate the birth of our nation, and to drink beer and eat hot dogs and hamburgers, but to reaffirm the commitment of the people of our nation to the lofty ideals upon which this country was founded, and to assess how well our government is doing, and if it still serves.

Which I don't even think of as politics, but as fulfilling our duty to our nation and each other.
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The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

Next Con I am attending: http://www.neoncon.com/

My House Rules: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... llordgames

I have to say I have been guilty of some apathy towards the DoI and the Constitution for some time. But, I recently realized how wrong this thought really was and found a website that gives away free booklets containing both documents. I intend to read them fully once or twice a year and really learn what is in them and do as Tree suggests. I think it is something that any who claims to be a patriot should do no matter your political beliefs.
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The Lord of Ravens
My blog

It truly is our duty, we are our own "watch dogs".

So it is my thinking that to truly honor our country, and those who have come before, not only should this be a day of celebration, it should also be a day of reflections, assessment, and re-dedication.
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The Ruby Lord, Earl of the Society

Next Con I am attending: http://www.neoncon.com/

My House Rules: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... llordgames

Con Law I and Con Law II ... nuff said.

Happy fourth.

I guess your student's aren't candidates for gaming then?
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"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

For the Fourth we decided to have some friends over and play C&C. After rolling up the characters and joking around for a couple hours we got down to some serious dungeon crawling.

I tried to get them to run BHP-1 Secret of Ronin Skeery but I was outvoted in the end and we went with DCC#31 The Transmuter's Last Touch. (everybody wanted to fight Kobolds, heh)

The players expected to meet in a stereotypical fashion; either in the bazaar or a tavern. When both turned out to be 'Sold Out' of everything, even ale:

"The marketplace is out of everything? That sucks. Let's go to a tavern."

"Okay, the tavern keeper hands you all empty cups. You notice the place is crowded but no-one seems to be drinking."

"Um, barkeep? Can I have some ale here?"

"We're out. Sorry."

"Your out?! What am I supposed to do with this cup?"

"Catch some rainwater."

After throwing a fit at the bar the locals at the tavern elected by show of hands one of the players as 'Chief of Supplies'. When he tried to get out of the job (after being handed a stack of request forms) they protested and called him the Enemy of Democracy and the Oppressor of Freedom.

Reluctantly taking the job the group decides to investigate what happened to the old 'Chief of Supplies'. They searched his house and found many receipts for supplies that never arrived to town and a map showing the route caravans used.

The players decided to investigate the route next and try to lure whatever was taking the supplies out by taking the towns last wagon and loading it up with empty barrels and sacks stuffed with request forms.

While camped for the night they were attacked by a band of kobolds but put up too much of a fight so the kobolds ran away. The party had taken a prisoner who led them to area 1-1. They then killed him for backtalking them and poured his blood into the statues mouth (the Paladin recognised the iconography of the Soleth ritual and the Cleric deduced the clues).

As you may know that opened the rest of the dungeon up to the "nasty bad big-bigs" who went looking for the towns' missing supplies.

Most of the players were old school gamers. One hadn't played with me since we had our BECMI D&D campaign as teens (over twenty years ago). He loved it though and really liked the twist on the kobolds the module presents. He was the party Cleric and though he had some dice trouble managed to save the party Knight at the end when they fought the mutant kobold chief Tezax (the Knight got dropped in the first round causing a scramble).

We even had a brand new gamer join us. My friends ten year-old son played a dwarf Assassin who wielded a halbred. He liked playing the game and will be joining us until school begins on saturday-gameday from here on.

My wife played an Illusionist but went outside with the other wives when the fireworks started so I ended up finishing the game using her as an NPC. We were about 80% done and she was out of spells anyway. So all I had her doing was standing back and shooting a crossbow (and missing every time, LoL).
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The Rock says ...

Know your roll!

Good points, Treebore. I agree. I think it's a good thing to be knowledgable on the foundations of our country.
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LD's C&C creations - the witch, a half-ogre, skill and 0-level rules

Wow, an old thread, but I'll bring it back with

Hope you all have a fun, safe, remembrance .

Getting ready to finish home made ice cream, then head to church with my 2 girls to grill dinner for the local under privileged kids that live in the low rent houses & the Indian houses next to church. Then after sun set, make sure the girls don't hurt themselves as they set off their fireworks (they are old enough this year to light them off themselves)

I'll reply to the old thread, too.

We did the BBQ thing after a dip in the pool, then played a round of the Harry Potter deck building game. Then it rained buckets about halfway through the fireworks. Fun ... fun … fun … ugh.

Back around to this ole one

Hope you all have a good safe 4th and enjoy Independence Day.

I have Bologna, kabasa and brats ready for the smoker, the potato and pasta salad are in the fridge, And the girls are waiting for dusk so their friends from church can come over and set off fire works (not sure why all the families think I'm the safes because I was demo qualified ... that actually makes me more dangerous with fire works

Happy 4th everyone!

Happy 243rd birthday, 'Murica!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Vr5__6bd8

Okay....now the 5th of July.

Hangover count?
Finger Count?
Survivor Count?

:rofl: