The Vast Sea Of Worldviews

While total skepticism is entirely refuted by the necessary nature of logical axioms and the truths that follow from them, some skeptics of the self-refuting variety mistakenly claim that knowledge of every distinct worldview and fact is required to have even foundational knowledge.  To deny axioms is to affirm them, but I have addressed this contradiction extensively.  There is an alternate way to demonstrate the intrinsic errors of total skepticism (legitimate skepticism acknowledges that anything that cannot be logically proven is ultimately unknown).  The very nature of reason allows for knowledge of necessary truths even if one is not familiar with every worldview.

I do not need to know exactly what the sum of 32,541 and 78,905 is to know with absolute certainty that the answer is not five.  To refute any contrary claims in full, I only need to show that two plus three (like four plus one or five plus zero) is five; this alone proves that adding larger numbers by necessity results in a greater sum.  There is always a way to disprove every incorrect mathematical conclusion about which combinations of numbers equal five without resorting to something so simple.  Despite this, it is not as if one has to prove that three plus four--or four plus five, five plus six, and so on--does not equal five in order to know that two plus three infallibly amounts to five.

Mathematical truths form only a subset of logical truths.  Logical truths, therefore, are far broader than those merely pertaining to numeric values.  Proving any logical fact, like proving a specific truth about addition, automatically refutes all possible alternative claims, even if someone is not aware of just how many alternative ideas there are.  No one needs to comprehend how many different forms of theism there are, for example, to know with absolute certainty that there is an uncaused cause [1].  Similarly, no one needs to know how many different epistemological frameworks (rationalism, empiricism, sensory empiricism, etc.) there are to know that reason is true by necessity.

Epistemology is far more complex and simplistic than many people realize all at once.  Many articles of knowledge are far more difficult to obtain than the average person would like to pretend; simultaneously, many articles of knowledge are also far easier to obtain than is commonly imagined.  There is a vast sea of worldviews, but reason provides epistemological solidity due to the absolute certainty it imparts.  Refuting a host of philosophical positions is often as simple as proving a basic logical truth.  Cling to reason, and a legion of demonstrable truths will never be distant, even if some truths remain unknown or unknowable.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-uncaused-cause.html

Visit By Head Of Games Design At TT-Games - Arthur Parsons

We are very lucky to welcome Arthur Parsons to our Games Design studio at UCLan this week.
Arthur is Head of Games Design at TT_Games and as such, it's so amazing that he takes time to visit our course and speak directly and openly with our students.
Arthur gave a great presentation about the criteria involved in designing and making a Lego game and offering a broad insight into the workings of the industry in terms of producing and marketing a game.
It's great to have the chance to speak with experienced industry experts such as Arthur.
His warmth and enthusiasm always motivate our students so much and encourage them to work hard and develop their passion for games design.

 

Storium Theory: Inverting The Trope

We've seen it before.

A young hero has an older mentor, who taught the hero everything the hero knows. The mentor takes on a mission, and is captured, or killed, or goes missing, or what-have-you. Now the hero has to step up and save the day.

It's a trope.

It's a trope for a reason. It's a pretty powerful story. There's a personal connection between the hero and the mission - a need to carry on after a person the hero respects, perhaps, or redeem the person's reputation, or even rescue the person. It ties the hero more deeply to the tale than if the hero had simply taken the mission himself in the first place.

There's nothing particularly wrong with tropes, even with tropes that are used extremely often. Frequently, tropes are tropes because they are powerful and beneficial to stories. They give additional emotional impact. They create interesting character types. They give us connections to stories.

But for all those reasons, they can also be extremely powerful when inverted.

Consider the above trope. And consider these others:

• The combatant has to save the non-combatant.
• The parent has to rescue their young child.
• The lawyer has to figure out the conspiracy entrapping their client.
• The detective has to discover the secrets of the corrupt corporation.

You've seen all these stories. And oftentimes, they're good stories. There's nothing inherently wrong with using these tropes - they can lead to gripping, emotionally affecting tales.

But let's look at taking each of the tropes I've mentioned and turning them around:

• The older mentor's successor takes a mission and is captured/killed or goes missing, and the mentor must now take the mission in his place.
• The non-combatant has to somehow rescue the combatant.
• The young child must figure out how to rescue their parent.
• The client must figure out a conspiracy that has even enveloped their lawyer.
• The corporation is being menaced by a corrupt detective, and an employee must figure out how to clear its name.

These sound interesting, don't they? In some cases, they give us natural questions that are inherently intriguing. Take the "non-combatant has to rescue the combatant" one...if the combatant, i.e. someone trained in battle, is in trouble...it's going to be extremely dangerous for a non-combatant, i.e. someone not trained in battle, to come to the rescue. We'll wonder how this person is possibly going to accomplish their goal against such odds.

And sometimes, they're interesting just because they play with our usual sympathies. In a battle between a corporation and a detective, we're pretty hardwired to sympathize with the detective - large organizations are generally things we mistrust instinctively. If one's being investigated, there's always a background thought of "well, there's probably something going on there, right?" So if a story plays with that, and has the corporation innocent and the detective corrupt, it twists our sympathies around.

Sometimes, these inverted tropes can become so popular that they then become tropes themselves (I'm sure that you've seen at least some examples of each of the "inverted" stories I mentioned, too). But the point stands: When you find yourself thinking about using a trope, consider for a moment how you might invert it. Sometimes, an inversion of a trope can be just as powerful, or more powerful than the trope itself.

When you're creating a story concept, or a character concept, tropes are going to come into play. You'll find yourself slotting characters into recognized boxes, consciously or unconsciously. And that's fine. But take a little time to think about what you might be able to do if you turn the trope on its head instead. Maybe it won't fit your story, or maybe it won't give you the ideas you need...if so, that's fine. Write your story the way you write your story. But maybe, just maybe, an inverted trope will give you some inspiring story or character ideas, something that excites you and will excite your fellow players and readers.

So take some time. Look at the tropes you find yourself using, and think about how to invert them. When you walk a well-trodden path, look for the points where you can step off or make it lead to a different destination. You can get some excellent stories from tropes...but you can get some excellent stories by twisting them around, too.

Quick Review - Fry Thief By Laid Back Games - Kickstarter Preview

Fry Thief
Designed By: Patrick Rauland
Published By: Laid Back Games
2p | 10m | 12+

Quick Review - Fry Thief by Laid Back Games - Kickstarter Preview
DisclaimerSupport me on Patreon!

Do you like fries (or chips if you're from across the pond)?  Of course you do!  How about salads?  Maybe, but probably not as much as fries.  If you're trying to eat healthy though, then a salad is the way to go, because you can steal fries from your friends, and we all know that food eaten off of someone else's plate doesn't have any calories.  That's a fact* of science!  (*I may not understand the meaning of the word fact.)

If you like to live vicariously through someone else's food you may enjoy Fry Thief, a new, fast playing, asymmetrical card game for two players all about stealing (and eating) fries off of your friend's plate.  The game plays in about 10 minutes and is small enough to carry in your pocket, perfect for getting a few plays in over lunch.

Fry Thief will be available on Kickstarter starting February 5, 2019.  You'll be able to pick up a copy for only $15!

Yummy, yummy fries!

Overview:

In Fry Thief each player takes a plate card and chooses a role.  The fry player starts with all twelve of the fries on their plate and the salad player starts with an empty plate.  The goal of each player is to eat more fries than the other.  The salad player has to steal fries before they can be eaten, though.  Players also have opportunities to dip fries in ketchup to double their points.  When all the fries are gone, whoever has the most points is the winner!

Try to eat as many fries as you can, before your opponent eats theirs!

Fry Thief is super easy to teach and about as easy to play.  Once players decide on their roles and give all the fries to the fry player three cards are dealt to each player.  The salad player goes first and then layer alternate turns from that point on.  On your turn you do three things: 1) Draw a card.  2) Play 1 or more cards OR Draw another card.  3) Draw or discard to your hand size - discard down to four cards if you have more, or draw up to two if you have less than two.  Shuffle the discards any time you need to draw a card and the deck is empty.  That's it!  Easy peasy!

There are only 16 cards in Fry Thief (maybe a few more if some stretch goals are hit).  Some are red cards that can be played by either player and some are split green and yellow cards.  These can also be played by any player, but each player must play the card for the effect on their side of the card.  The salad player gets the green side and the fry player gets yellow.  Most cards have an immediate effect, like Steal 2 Fries, Eat 1.  Some cards remain in play until their effect is triggered, like the Fork, which lets the salad player steal extra fries the next time they play a steal card.

16 cards make up the core of this game.

The salad player has a few more cards that let them steal fries while the fry player has a few more that let them eat fries.  This creates a tug-of-war scenario were fries are constantly moving back and forth, and eventually getting eaten.  Once eaten, fries are placed in a score pile.  A few cards let you add ketchup to a fry.  Sometimes you get to eat the fry right after dipping it, other times the fry remains in play as a more valuable fry that can be stolen back and forth until someone manages to eat it.  Ketchup covered fries are worth two points, so they can let a player catch up (see what I did there?) if they fall behind.  The game is balanced slightly in favor of the fry player, so if there's a tie the salad player gets the win (because they got free food, and free food tastes better).

Fun for all ages!

In addition to the 16 (or more) cards, the game also includes 12 wooden french fries and 6 wooden ketchup discs (maybe upgraded to splats or ketchup bottles as stretch goals).  Each player also has a play mat with a plate on it.  A rules sheet rounds out the components in the base game.  I know Patrick, the designer, is also testing some additional player powers with several characters, and I believe at least four will be in the base game as well (maybe more with stretch goals).  Those are still being tested and balanced at the time of this review.

Ketchup and fries!

Final Thoughts:

I first played Fry Thief as an early prototype at Protospiel Milwaukee in April, 2018.  I thought it was fun, but still needed some work to make the cards interesting and balanced.  I played again at Protospiel Madison in early December 2018 and was pleased to see that the game had matured quite a bit.  The game was much more interesting and tactical, cards were more balanced, and the game had artwork and components that were close to final.  I had quite a bit of fun playing and was fortunate enough to bring a copy home for this review.

A very early version of Fry Thief at Protospiel Milwaukee in April, 2018.

Playing Fry Thief at Protospiel Milwaukee in December 2018 with the designer Patrick Rauland.

After playing about a dozen games, I've found that Fry Thief still holds up.  Right now it feels like it's balanced a bit too much in favor of the fry player (although I've won games playing both roles), however I've been talking with Patrick, the designer, and a few cards are still being tweaked in order to shift the balance a bit more in favor of the salad player.  The salad player really has an uphill battle, having to steal the fries first.  Given the right combination of cards at the start of the game the fry player can eat two or three fries on the first turn.  This removes a good portion of the potential points from the game very early on, making it even harder for the salad player to gain an advantage.  However, a few cards have been changed since I got my copy, tempering the fry player's strength a bit, and giving the salad player a few more opportunities to make bigger plays.  I think this will really keep the game exciting and balanced.

I've won every game I've played so far...  Just saying...  =)

Fry Thief plays in about 10 minutes, and it's pretty small, so you can take it out just about anywhere.  It has a small table presence, so it doesn't take up much room at all.  It's perfect for playing at lunch at your favorite fast food joint or local diner.  I've had a blast playing it, and my sons have even pulled it out to play on their own a few times (something they only occasionally do with my review games).  If you enjoy fast, tactical fillers, Fry Thief will be an excellent addition to your collection.  It's always a blast to play!

Be sure to check out Fry Thief on Kickstarter on February 5.  It's a great game that you can get for only $15!

Preliminary Rating: 7/10

Rating Scale

This review is of a prototype game.  Components and rules are not final and are subject to change.



Did you like this review?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon!Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

GJJG Game Reviews are independent, unpaid reviews of games I, George Jaros, have played with my family and friends. Some of these games I own, some are owned by friends, some are borrowed, and some are print and play versions of games. Where applicable I will indicate if games have been played with kids or adults or a mix (Family Play). I won't go into extensive detail about how to play the game (there are plenty of other sources for that information and I'll occasionally link to those other sources), but I will give my impressions of the game and how my friends and family reacted to the game. Quick Reviews will only get a single rating of 1-10 (low-high) based on my first impressions of the game during my first few times playing. Hopefully I'll get more chances to play the game and will be able to give it a full review soon.

King Saul

Here is King Saul with his men of valour. They are ready to fight the dreaded Philistines, confident in victory. The day will not end well for defeat will come and King Saul will fall on his own sword. Figures are Castaway Arts mainly with Newline Designs and Miniature Designs. Saul is converted a Eureka upcoming Trojan Wars figure. The figure shaking fist is Ral Partha.

I'Ve Got 99 Problems But A Lack Of Bits Ain'T One:

Miniature Modeling for Advanced Beginners

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

Hello, all! I think it would be an understatement to say that the Growing Up Gamers crew was on a big Privateer Press kick lately. The Warmachine Tactics Kickstarter really got us going, and speaking to Matt Wilson also really got us excited. This is not a new thing, however. I have personally been a fan of the Iron Kingdoms from very early on, and had a years-long roleplaying campaign based there. This article, however, focuses on the miniatures.

Elf warcaster Kaelyssa, on a custom Cygnar ruins base. 

I have been painting minis on and off for about twelve years, not counting a handful that I mangled in high school. Rather than a veteran, I would classify myself as an "advanced beginner". What does that mean? I can paint models, and they usually look pretty good. I can make pretty nice bases, do fun conversions... but when it all comes down to it, I don't have a lot of time to invest in it. So I try to get a lot of mileage out of the techniques I do know.

Scenic base, probably for a warjack.

One thing I love is what is called converting miniatures. Basically, this is taking a miniature and altering it. It can be as simple as a repose or a swap of a weapon or head from another mini. Or it can be a more drastic thing where you take a bunch of parts from different minis and/or made from epoxy putty and making something altogether different. It helps to have a well-stocked bits box.

Work  in progress: Mage Hunter Eiryss on fallen tree base.

What's a "bits box", you might ask? Well let me tell you. A bits box is a box where you keep any stray mini parts that aren't going on a mini. You have a kit with three different weapon choices? Put the other two in the box. You sawed the head off a mini to put on another mini? Put the rest in the box. Made an order from the Privateer Press Parts Store? Put 'em in the box! Here's my bits box:

Here's a few choice bits:

Weapons & accessories!

Heads!

Flag!

...and here's what you can do when you have a stocked bits box:

Master Necrotech Mortenebra, iron lich and crafter of Cryx's legions of Helljacks!

For the record, this is an alternate version of the Cryx warcaster Mortenebra that I started quite a while back, before she was released as a mini. Since then, she has gotten her own mini, and I picked up the upper torso from the stock mini to use. The parts are from eight different models from Wyrd Miniatures and Privateer Press, with some parts built from sheet styrene, putty epoxy, paperclips, some old guitar strings and a brass rod. I'll put up more pics when I paint her up.

So... anyone else into miniatures? What are some of your favorite? Any miniature modeling topics you'd like to see here? Let me know!

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