I’ve become hooked on a new vice: hot chocolate. Specifically, hot chocolate from Panera. Yeah, I know. As far as personal vices go, I’m boring. (But my ho’s and dealers still bring me my money on time ’cause they  know I’ll put my boot in they ass if they late.)

I was never a big hot chocolate fan, except during my week in Sweden a couple years ago. But when back here in the States, I again became just “meh” on the stuff. But a few weeks ago, I was told I should try some Panera hot chocolate.

Wow, good stuff. If food was physical activity, Panera hot chocolate would be warm, slow, morning sex. Now I’m addicted to a couple cups a week, especially since it’s been unusually cold in this area so far this winter. I’ve tried a cup of chocolate from a couple other places, as well, but only Panera’s blend of chocolate syrup and milk really turns me on. (Those other hot chocolates conjure up the coyote ugly delimma.)

But what is it with heating the drink to a scalding temperature? I presume this is an issue with coffee drinkers, as well. They make the stuff so damned hot I can’t actually take a taste of it for 20 minutes.

I went in Panera one time with Calfgrit9 and got two cups — one for me, one for Cowgrit waiting back at home. The cashier apparently thought one of the cups was for CG9, so she asked if I wanted one of them “Not so hot.” I said, “Yes, make both of them not so hot. Thanks.”

This was a good option. I could drink my warm chocolate immediately, and it stayed warm enough right to the last sip. But I’ve thrice since requested this “Not so hot” temperature, and although the fixer said, “Okay,” they were still far to hot to drink right away. Again, I had to wait at least 20 minutes before letting any of the liquid touch my tongue.

That’s rather frustrating, having a really good treat in hand but knowing if you even take a sip of it any time too soon, you’ll burn your tongue and nothing will taste good for the rest of the day. <insert joke tying in this statement to the “morning sex” comment above>

Bullgrit

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Bullgrit

I’ve offered to run a Basic D&D (Moldvay edition) game session for my group, and they’ve accepted. I’ve actually offered a few times through the years, but this is the first time they’ve agreed.

I started D&D with the Basic edition. One of my Players started with OD&D (1974), another Player started with AD&D1 (early to mid 80s), and the third Player started with D&D3 (2002-2003). So at least two of my guys have no previous experience with BD&D, and the other two of us hasn’t had the experience for around 30 years or so.

My goal with this one-shot is to get and give a little taste of the old, classic D&D play feel. So I’m going to use a classic module, and I’ll run everything right by the book. And this is where I have a slight problem.

The adventure module I plan to use is: B1 In Search of the Unknown – it’s a classic dungeon crawl, with plenty of classic monsters, traps, tricks, puzzles, and gimmicks. Strangely, though, what it doesn’t have plenty of is treasure. For those who don’t know or remember, B1 maps out and describes the dungeon areas in great detail, but it leaves the monster and treasure placement up to the DM.

There are 25 monster encounters listed in the back of the book. The text says to use only 16-20 of these encounters, but because there’re 56 rooms in the dungeon, I’m going to place all 25 encounters somewhere. That will still leave over half the rooms empty of monsters. (Random wandering monsters are 1 in 6 every two turns.)

There are 34 treasures listed in the back of the book. The text says to use only 15-25, and the treasures are relatively very small – at total gp value of just 2,841 (counting all 34). That’s not much gp (or xp) for a two-level dungeon of 56 rooms. In fact, it seems extremely cheap compared to other classic modules I’ve read – even the Caves of Chaos (in B2 Keep on the Borderlands) has a total treasure of 29,852gp (over 10 times the B1 amount).

If I were designing this dungeon, with an eye on playing the numbers, I’d put enough xp on the first dungeon level for a party of six 1st-level PCs to reach 2nd level if they fully completed (secret rooms and all) the first dungeon level (assuming all beginning PCs survived the dungeon level completion – not at all a sure thing by BD&D standards).

Then enough xp on the second dungeon level for a party of six 2nd-level PCs to reach 3rd level if they fully completed (secret rooms and all) the second dungeon level (assuming all PCs survived the dungeon completion – not at all a sure thing by BD&D standards).

You may think this leveling is too fast or too slow, but this is what I would like. It’s enticing to the Players. But with the dungeon as written – with only 2,841 gp – it’s not likely (arguably not possible) a group of 6 PCs would gain a single level even by fully completing both levels of this adventure. Wouldn’t that be rather disappointing? To complete a whole dungeon and still all be only 1st level?

So, I’m considering placing enough treasure in the dungeon to make this level-gain formula happen. (Again, assuming they fully complete everything, and all survive.)

Or, maybe I could use the Basic D&D rule book to roll the entire dungeon randomly? I’m thinking, though, this is a lot of work.

But whichever I do, I’m concerned that it might not be a “fair” example/test of classic Basic D&D if I increased the treasure in a published adventure. Hell, my Players may not care to play more than this one game session, regardless of the treasure/experience haul their PCs get. But then I’d hate for them to decide they don’t like the game because for all their work in the adventure, all they ended up with a rather pathetic/unexciting reward.

Bullgrit

Leaving Calfgrit9’s Cub Scout Pack meeting, we had to walk up stairs to reach the ground floor exit. While walking up the stairs, I asked CG9 if he had counted the steps he goes up and down in his school (his classroom is on the second floor). He hadn’t counted them, but he guessed there are probably 20-30 steps.

At my office building, I always take the steps rather than riding the elevator. I said, “You know how many steps I go up in my office building to get to my office?”

“How many?” he asked.

“Ninety-six.”

“Wow,” he said. “That’s almost a hundred.”

“Yep,” I said. “Ninety-six up to go to work, down to go to lunch, up to go back to work, down to come home. That’s almost four hundred steps up and down every day.”

We exited the church school building, and walked through the parking lot to our van.

“That’s a lot,” he said. “That’s more than I walk up and down in a week. Why don’t you just take the elevator?”

“I can use the exercise,” I explained.

We got in the van and went home.

96 steps up, twice a day (plus down twice a day). It sounds like a lot, but it’s just four flights – 1st to 5th floor. Judging by how I feel once I reach my floor, I doubt I could make it up to a 10th floor without having to sit down and rest. I’m not completely winded, and I’m not sweating, but I figure another couple of floors would be difficult.

This is rather pathetic and disappointing to me. I was in excellent physical condition less than 10 years ago –- I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do just before Calfgrit9 was born. As little as 5 years ago, I would have said I was in decent physical condition. But now walking up four flights of stairs wears on me.

I can run and play and climb with my boys at a park, but I can’t keep it up for as long as I used to could. I have to beg off the play after 15 minutes or so. Watching Calfgrit5 dash at full speed for the full length of our neighborhood street amazes me. His little short legs have to run four strides for every one of my own, but he just goes and goes after I’ve had to stop and slow walk at just halfway.

I haven’t had a really good, extended exercise session for many months. Maybe more than a year. Sometimes I think I can feel my body getting older by the minute. When I get up off the floor from building Legos with my boys, my bones crack, my muscles ache, everything just screams, “You’re closer to senior years than youth.”

Man, if I’m feeling this now, at just 42, what will I feel like at 62? Hell, I couldn’t imagine what 42 physically felt like when I was 22. I’ve got to get my shit together and get back to exercising regularly.

Maybe I can start something this weekend. It’s been unusually cold the past few weeks, but it’s warming up a bit, now. So maybe me and the boys can get to a park and run and jump and climb to get me back on the exercise fun.

Bullgrit