Ruling the World

I lied didn't I. Well hopefully I'll put that to rights over the next few weeks.
I'm going to put in a few excuses, just because everybody likes giving excuses.
1) I got busy
2) I never actually had much of a chance to play it
3) I kinda forgot to.

So what is my main initial views on Earthdawn Third Edition.

PROs
1) It's a good game, enough rules to provide a framework, a rich and varied world

2) It's far better laid out that either of the two previous editions, the splitting of GM and player's guide is probably a good decision.

3) Various refinements, some optional play for those liking the old ways of doing certain things, or argue against game rule vs real world thoughs

CONs
1) It could have been better. Redbrick themselves admit it was rushed due to contract deals on publishing

2) Alot of rehashing. Alot of the material is straight copy from older editions, which means that to get some of the newer stuff, I'm seeing alot of the material I already have. And this is purely in core books, not sourcebooks. Though saying that as a newcomer you would probably view this as a PRO.

3) It's still very much the same as the previous two editions. A few tweaks here and there, nothing has really changed. In fact a number of 2nd Edition characters have been "converted" with no changes at all. The rest feel very much the same. Considering how many games systems (particularly looking at how DnD 4e has moved on) have evolved, ED is looking a bit Dinosaurish.

4) Poor support. Over six months on and very little had been released, in the way of supporting material. We have the original Guidebooks, an expansion for both GMs and Players (called companions). Nations of Barsaive I: Throal sourcebook, a rehash of the 1st edition release. Namegivers of Barsaive sourcebook, a amalgamation of previous 1st edition releases. Ardanyan's Revenge and Shards adventures, both updates from 1st to 3rd. The only truely original piece is Kratas: City of Thieves, which was to be released for Earthdawn Classic, but delayed for 3rd

So although I believe this is best edition yet, I have found it hard to justify my expenditure, if I was such a fan. Also my group that I play with has come to a shuddering halt in progress with the game we were in (I hate you Real Life).

Conclusion

If you have yet to play ED, this is the version for you. If you have Earthdawn Classic or 2nd Edition, possibly worth waiting unless you have a burning desire for the latest and greatest.

If I ruled the world, well my fantasy roleplaying world anyway

I've just taken delivery of the new version of my favourite roleplaying system. Having seen the changes to Dungeons and Dragons, in the latest incarnation that is 4th edition, how does it compare and what do I think of it.
Over the next few weeks, I will look to dissect and discuss Earthdawn 3rd Edition.

If you are an Earthdawn player or GM and yet to discover the fansite EDPT, then I suggest you scoot on over to http://www.edpt.org

Wow, LTNS

Been sometime since I posted, surprised myself how much time has passed.

Truth be known I've not had a great deal to post about.

As it happens the job I had started, in my last post, I was made redundant this time last year. However, I've not sat on my laurels. After a couple of months unemployed I took up a contract and haven't looked back.

I've so far had a few short term contracts and, for me, seems to be the way to go. It allows me to not get bored with the same constant routine, I get to meet new people and learn new tricks of the trade. During times of work the money is good to very good. I can earn usual level of income, effectively with more holiday time, just maybe not when I want to take it.

One thing I have learned so far. If you are to contract, get a specialism. Networking, servers, 2nd line, DBA, and then advertise it well on your CV. Ensure the recruiters know what they are getting, it makes it alot easier for them to place you.

I'll probably try to post more, with a few snippets of my experience.

In the meantime, if you've not seen it this web-videois hilarious. If your in IT you will probably be rolling around on the floor. It's pretty much worksafe as long they allow you viewing videos. There is one bit at the end that someone could possibly find offensive, but I don't think there will be many.

Life's too busy

Well I've started my new job and thoroughly enjoying it. It's busy, busy all the time, but the team pulls together and by the end of the day everything gets cleared.

And now to today's lesson. Effectively I work on a helpdesk, not a call centre, where we provide a technical managed service.
Personally it astounds me the lack of IT skills we encounter and the sheer lack of diagnostics and information we are provided when people raise a ticket.
So I thought I'd quickly outline the basics that people should do.

1) Who is it effecting. And I don't expect a panicky everyone.
2) What are the symptoms.
3) What are you trying to do.
4) Does any of it work.
5) Provided samples (full samples not cut and paste from the returning email, we want the whole thing including headers), and try to avoid screen shots, we can't paste them into log searches.
6) When did this start occurring
7) Has anything changed at your end (and we mean anything).

If you don't we'll just ask for it anyway.

Never save your holidays

Anyone who has been reading my blog (poor you) will know I'm changing jobs. Well I've learned a another valuable lesson. Don't save your holidays up when you want to leave, so you can have a quick break.
The Thursday just gone my boss called me in after I had been doing abit of delicate work on the system (the sort you don't want to break off half way through).
Anyway he decides it is time we had a clean break, the company needs to learn to work without me. So he offers (like I going to argue with him) to put me on garden leave. I try to not look too happy, but if that's what he wants, I was quite willing to work my notice and I made that point quite clear.

So I've spent the last two working days at home, not in the garden but working around the house. It's been a dream, I only feel slightly aggrieved that about 7 days of this garden leave is actually my own.

To add to this I met a (ex-)colleague for lunch the next day. Apparently it was sort of planned, but has left him somewhat in the lurch, I could not see the urgency he had in a few of the system changes, until you take into account I was the one that really know them.
My boss also had slagged me off afterwards to a couple of the managers, among other things calling me "unprofessional". Of all the things to level at me this I have to say is the strangest, and it makes me truly glad not to be there anymore.
I feel sorry for the rest of them having to cope with his ever more erratic Jekyll and Hyde personality.

ttfn

Counting down the days

Well I'm finally off. Handed my notice in on monday, finally chose which of the lucky companies get to employ me.
Somewhat of a relief it's been hard with only a couple of people knowing. For some reason it's been a bit of a shock to a number of people, I must have been hiding my discontent more than I knew.

Now comes the interesting bits. When you leave you get the obvious questions of why. So far I've managed a number of answers and I think I've got away with it. It's amazing what fun it can be thinking of bizarre reasons and seeing if you colleagues take it.

The other interesting observation is those colleagues who become abit envious. They seem to be the ones who are most interested in knowing where you're going, maybe if you could give them a shoe-in to whereever you are going.
I suspect another would like to leave, and I'm certain for sure another is going to go while the going is hot.

Also interesting the ones that seem totally disinterested, almost seem to avoid me. Perhaps they wish to distance themselves from me as regards to the view from management. They also seem to be the ones on the cushiest wages.

Oh well off for a drink

Don't believe the lights

Or why flashing lights don't always prove things are working

Just spend an inordinate amount of time today trying to get a fairly simply device working.
A wireless AP from 3Com, which is also now out of production, it takes wireless packets and drops them onto your LAN. Or so I believed.

Now with corporate data sensitivity the way it is, I would not want someone being either able to sniff or abuse our network. So I took the usual security precautions.

Choosing the strongest level of encryption and authentication I could, that was compatible with the wireless cards we use and the aforementioned AP.
However, it seems that one, the other or both seem to have taken different interpretations of the standards. It wasted some of my colleagues time, and alot of mine.
I got to the point were I almost believed the thing was broken (it was handed over from a director who had dubious use from it).
I could connect to the wireless network, but be damned if I could pass traffic. Now the better among you will spot my error, something I should have thought of alot earlier.

This was all until I decided to take off all encryption and authentication and provided full open access.
Now before you security guru's start screaming, I had taken a number of precautions. First of all segmenting it off from the main network, even onto it's own iNet feed.
I now could prove that despite the choices, the encryption was not working.
I then spent a further deal of time trying to find out which combinations actually worked. Despite the advanced nature of both, we've ended up back with no better than a shared key and 128bit WEP.
It'll keep the script kiddies out, but it's looking somewhat less secure than I intended.

So beware of vendors bearing certificates of conformity.

ttfn