Master Harding!! Always happy to see you! I still use giving you Amaranth as an example of storytelling and balancing power with drawbacks and those that won't abuse it.
I still have all my Heroscape stuff, and break it out about once a year for a huge game with the kids, when they're home. I saw the HasLab thing, and was sad to see it not make it's goal. Very happy to hear about Renegade stepping in to help make it happen. They put out some good games.
Redblade! I know Alex was rough, but I tried not to make Neko so scary...most of the time...
I think, with a new Menagerie, I'd probably go with an honorable trophy collecting warrior idea I have.
So haslabs had a successful Kickstarter with Heroquest, which you may have since seen in retail outlets. I have a decent collection of vintage HQ myself.
In less fun news, I actually got a formal diagnosis a few days ago, it seems the specialist reviewed my case and has determined I have fibromyalgia. It explains a lot.
If anyone has the time or desire to see this site open for writing once more, I'm sure I could manage it. I don't think I've the energy for a whole game system and such, but we have a setting and freeform writing is where we started.
What about starting with just opening the Tavern again so we can chat like the old days and then go from there if it grows.
GM NOTE:: Redblade is a known felon and escaped criminal. This can and should effect all interactions with certain people that would be aware of his status. Especially the Sentinels.
"I fought the law and then I was broken out... Is that a bad thing?"
In less fun news, I actually got a formal diagnosis a few days ago, it seems the specialist reviewed my case and has determined I have fibromyalgia. It explains a lot.
Knowing helps, in a lot of ways. I've had some experience with Fibro through my wife. I won't go too deep here, but if you want to talk about things, hit me up.
In less fun news, I actually got a formal diagnosis a few days ago, it seems the specialist reviewed my case and has determined I have fibromyalgia. It explains a lot.
Knowing helps, in a lot of ways. I've had some experience with Fibro through my wife. I won't go too deep here, but if you want to talk about things, hit me up.
Thank you. It's certainly set off a bit of a depressive slump, but I'm ok all in all. This pain flare can kindly take off though, I'm attending our annual medieval faire this weekend.
What about starting with just opening the Tavern again so we can chat like the old days and then go from there if it grows.
I've got to drag myself over the to the new computer setup and actually put it to use. I also got a bunch of art supplies and now they're sitting there. Between the very fleeting nature of ADHD fixation and not feeling particularly well, I've hit a bit of a wall.
Hope the Faire was fun! We just had ours in May. The county bought it from the guy that's been running it, so some changes, but overall still good.
I also finally made it back home up in Pennsylvania last year for the first time in over 20 years and was able to attend my old faire. a LOT has changed!!!
Hope the Faire was fun! We just had ours in May. The county bought it from the guy that's been running it, so some changes, but overall still good.
I also finally made it back home up in Pennsylvania last year for the first time in over 20 years and was able to attend my old faire. a LOT has changed!!!
It was a great day out and I got through it without major issues - am still recovering though. I have figured out a few hacks to make it more manageable. I even have a handful of great photos!
I haven't quite sorted out my desktop for consistent access online just yet, but managed to figure a handful of things this afternoon. I strongly dislike this keyboard, lol.
I am about to start a new home brew Heroquest session next week, so need to get busy writing things up. It's a little humorous to see how much HQ influenced the rules and systems created with this site.
I am going to send another site email, just to let anyone in the wings know that some members are about and it would be great to hear from them.
Serafyna [M:30:350:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?board=cs&action=display&thread=854]Im so sorry!
Posts: 125
Heya.Jul 13, 2023 7:47:21 GMT -5via mobileGrayell likes this
It’s wild how much has changed but it’s good to see y’all still kicking. And congrats on so many things! I’m still looking back at my old writing here and cringing a tad 🤣 But still this place was so amazing to me and really helped me redefine my idea of writing and rp.
Sadly I don’t have an IG or Facebook, but I do have discord if anyone wants to say hi 👋 It’s XipherZen
Any question can be answered by opening a book!
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
Hey, y'all! This is Zac AKA Orp Boon / Doctor Frankenstein / Krieg Kolster / (I think there's one I'm forgetting).
Thanks for bringing us back together, Gray! I don't remember most of the specific characters you all played, but I still think about the goofing off in the tavern, cooking wood in the iron chef competition, chasing flarbs, becoming a magical scientist vampire and trying to break the combat systems. All of you were a formative part of my growing up and my interest in role playing games, so thank you for that. It's great to see you all again.
I worked as a video game programmer for a while but last year I changed jobs and now I'm a software developer at a government contractor that works on stuff like software for county courts. It's been pretty nice to work on something that helps the public. Outside of work I've been cooking, taking care of my first-ever dog, mending clothes, tending a native plant garden and playing lots of videogames with my husband.
Post by John Harding on Jul 18, 2023 12:12:22 GMT -5
Hey Doc! Great to hear that life is going good for you.
I'm on Instagram as DingoDarkly, but I'm more of a follower of others than a poster of pictures. I deleted my facebook and previous Instagram account about 5 years ago because I was fed up of all the negativity filling my feeds and the lack of engagement in the things I was posting.
By the way Ren, that was a great RP post! You definitely haven't lost your touch. I wish I was in a better headspace to post a little something but, after 6 weeks of unemployed procrastinating, I'm beginning to run out of projects to do about the house and need to start updating my resumé and look for a new job.
Holy crap! I'm got my password right on the first try!
I first joined the Menagerie at the end of the spaceship iteration of it (having found it through Heroscapers). I found a webpage I made a decade ago that has descriptions of some of my characters (was.abi.tripod.com).
Matthew: This character was a stowaway on the good ship Morrigan--vessel of the greatest space pirates/mercenaries this side of the galaxy!
Matta Swifoot V: Matta Swifoot was a halfling (read "hobbit) I played in The Third Dawn. His was a long line of official couriers for the emperor of the Imperial Union. However, due to political unrest that contract was broken and Matta ("Matt" for short) had to live on the streets as a thief and informant. Later he joined the military as a spy.
When Renquist (Wren/Graihl), the creator and maintainer of The Menagerie roleplay system, started the Sellswords run, I ran this character: Makaio Millilani: A Hawaiian-like character who was raised as... well, I'll just let you read for yourself: "Hello, my name is Makaio, which means "a gift from God." Although, I'm not sure how true that is any more. The ironic part of this first statement is that anyone reading this should already know who I am. If you do not know me, then you are probably reading this without my permission--not a wise choice. I received this journal as a gift on my fifteenth birthday. This is the first gift I have received since I left my homeland two years ago. The irony in that statement is that I once lived a life in which everything I needed was given to me. I had no requirement but learning and no obligation but study. I was the one blessed by God to do great works and one day save my people from destruction. However, I have discovered that if I am indeed blessed by God then God has also blessed many other people on this planet and given them powers I can only hope to obtain. The questions I now ponder are as follows: If I am the one prophesied then what makes me so special? If I am not such then what is my purpose? What gives me and others like me our powers and abilities?"
Simeon the Monk: A former monk of a monastery. Simeon is pure of mind and pure of body. However, he just couldn't stay in the monastery. He had to leave and see things for himself. Hiding from the world was not a solution to its problems.
As for me myself, I'm Was_Abi. I'm friends with a few people from the Menagerie on Facebook. I just turned 32 yesterday. I have been living in Japan for 5+ years now. I'm happily married, but we haven't decided yet if we want kids or not. Maybe once I get a permanent contract and long-tern visa we'll finally make those plans. I have very fond memories of the Menagerie. This place got me through high school and college. I play a lot of tabletop RPGs now, and never would have got into that if it weren't for the Menagerie.
I still own a good bit of Heroscape stuff, but I left it all in the States when I moved to Japan. I'll finally visit home for the first time since I moved abroad this winter. I'll definitely be shipping my Heroscape stuff to Japan while I'm there.
As for health and medical stuff, I ended up getting an ADHD diagnosis last year. Since 2016 or so, I've been pretty sure I had it. It's nice to know I was right and that I'm not just a lazy, forgetful, procrastinating klutz. In the US, I was never able to afford any medical care at all. I got arthritis and joint problems really early on (early 20s). It got progressively worse until in 2018 I could barely walk without a cane. When I first moved to Japan, I was working for a black company and made starvation wages. My wife was able to get a similar job that next year, and together we made enough to where we could start thinking about improving our lives. Japanese national health insurance is pretty great too. I went to a small local clinic, and my x-rays showed damage worse than the doctor's 70 or 80-year old patients. I was recommended to an orthoepic surgeon who sent me to a rheumatologist who said I didn't test positive for rheumatoid arthritis and was too young to have rheumatoid arthritis but that my symptoms matched it. So that doctor sent me to a rheumatoid arthritis specialist who confirmed that I have an undetectable version of the disease called sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis and that it had progressed incredibly far for someone my age. Thankfully, medical progress is amazing, and national health insurance is life-saving. I get a maximum dosage IV drip of Remicade once every other month and take weekly pills. It only costs me 44,000 JPY a month (300-400 USD), and I can walk and move around with no pain. My joints are still terrible and are still slowly getting worse, but the damage is progressing much more slowly and I can still live my life freely and painlessly without needing any movement aids.
You know, I hadn't thought about the space pirates/sellsword iteration in forever? That's such a wonderful thing to be able to think on and has me smiling.
I still own a good bit of Heroscape stuff, but I left it all in the States when I moved to Japan. I'll finally visit home for the first time since I moved abroad this winter. I'll definitely be shipping my Heroscape stuff to Japan while I'm there.
As for health and medical stuff, I ended up getting an ADHD diagnosis last year. Since 2016 or so, I've been pretty sure I had it. It's nice to know I was right and that I'm not just a lazy, forgetful, procrastinating klutz. In the US, I was never able to afford any medical care at all. I got arthritis and joint problems really early on (early 20s). It got progressively worse until in 2018 I could barely walk without a cane. When I first moved to Japan, I was working for a black company and made starvation wages. My wife was able to get a similar job that next year, and together we made enough to where we could start thinking about improving our lives. Japanese national health insurance is pretty great too. I went to a small local clinic, and my x-rays showed damage worse than the doctor's 70 or 80-year old patients. I was recommended to an orthoepic surgeon who sent me to a rheumatologist who said I didn't test positive for rheumatoid arthritis and was too young to have rheumatoid arthritis but that my symptoms matched it. So that doctor sent me to a rheumatoid arthritis specialist who confirmed that I have an undetectable version of the disease called sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis and that it had progressed incredibly far for someone my age. Thankfully, medical progress is amazing, and national health insurance is life-saving. I get a maximum dosage IV drip of Remicade once every other month and take weekly pills. It only costs me 44,000 JPY a month (300-400 USD), and I can walk and move around with no pain. My joints are still terrible and are still slowly getting worse, but the damage is progressing much more slowly and I can still live my life freely and painlessly without needing any movement aids.
That's a really harsh hand to be dealt, I am really glad you've managed to get the diagnosis and care you need to live your best life. I hope you never have to deal with the pain and impairment ever again, no one should have to suffer in that manner. I really enjoy seeing what you're up in Japan on Facebook.
Thanks John for the kind feedback. I'm a bit preoccupied with making some home brew elements for our next games night here, but need to follow up and run with a story.
Hex [M:40:1020:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=483&page=1#17914][b]"As the iron leaves fall, our attack will spring..."[/b]
Hi everyone. Nestor here, aka Hex. It's been over 10 years since I was last on here, although plenty of times it's crossed my mind. I wasn't around for very long, but this place holds such vivid memories for me. I'm 28 now, and was 16-17 when I was on here. I'm... a bit speechless to say the least. I have a wave of emotions coming over me from a really, really dark time in my life. If it's alright, I want to share a bit about my story about why The Menagerie was so impactful during my short stay.
When I was in 11th grade, my parents found out I was queer. They took me out of school, and for a whole 6 hours I was lectured, berated, screamed at, you name it. To spare some of the more triggering details, I was in an extremely dark place in my life. I was already a loner at school, and now my home was a source of anxiety, fear, and isolation. I was holed up in my room whenever I could. My phone was taken away from me. I couldn't even talk to the few people who did talk to me at school. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to be anywhere anymore. Instead of taking me to a therapist, my parents instead let me have my laptop so I could still do school work. Back then, I had to be extremely sneaky when chatting with people online, so I instead turned to forums.
To say that this site saved my life is an understatement.
I wasn't around for too long if I remember, but the fact that there was a community of people who were willing to chat, roleplay, and just... tolerate a teen like me really opened up my eyes to finding ways to create a support system for myself. I actually had something I looked forward to at the end of the school day. I was... still not okay, but at least I was able to connect with people. People who didn't scream and yell at me for being me. People who didn't want me gone. The Menagerie was one of many sites that I frequented for a time while trying to find myself and that gave me a reason to try and hold out for one more day. I learned a lot... about myself, about how to connect with people, about being creative. Sadly, due to the above circumstances plus some additional immaturity on my end, I eventually left, but that didn't stop me from trying to find community. I found it in many other places that are now graveyard sites... so seeing this pop up in my old email really tugs at my heartstrings for that little boy.
Fast forward to present day, I am now post-grad in my dream job doing work I love. I am constantly on edge, because I remember how close I was to falling and never getting back up, but I have people who I can turn to for support. I am in love and feel safe for the first time in my life, although I am constantly carrying a weight that I am unsure will ever be lifted. I am mending my relationship with my parents, who I can never see the same again, but I am too much of an optimist to give up on them like they did to me. I also am an avid board game and TTRPG enjoyer, and I am even working on my own TTRPG system that I hope can be published one day. And, I can 100% say that a lot of my love for roleplay and the community it brings can be attributed to The Menagerie. This place saved me when I was just about to give up. You all saved me. Just your mere presence was enough to save me. And for that, I am forever grateful for everyone I interacted with before and that came after me. And for that, I can't thank everyone enough.
Thank you for those who took the time to read a little bit about what this place means to me. I'm still reading and processing everyone's story and how they've been... It'll be nice to get to connect again.