Time & Temp Tuesday: The Many Faces of Dr. Thraxis

The problem with the Overriding Theory of the Fragile Immutability of Time is that there’s no way to test it without risking all of reality. But to not test it, when such a test would be so simple, is just plain sloppy science. And sloppy science may be good enough for the corporate heads at Browne Chronometric Engineers, Inc., but not for the former head of their research and development: one Doctor M. Thraxis.

It is this schism that is at the heart of one of the most intense Temporal Wars ever fought, and our temps are the front line. A long, drawn out game of cat and mouse spanning millennia with the very nature of existence at stake, the war with Dr. Thraxis has no beginning and no end. The corporation and the scientist have been chasing each other on such a convoluted path through the past, present and future, that it has now become impossible to map out just exactly in what order things have happened.

In fact, it always was impossible.

Here then, are three of the many faces of Dr. Thraxis not currently found in the book Time & Temp.

 

It Is the End

The Mayans predicted it.

As did Nostradamus.

As did a bushel of other mystics, seers, prophets, and holy men. And a more than a few crazies. “2012,” they said. “2012 is the year in which it will all end.”

And by all, they mean “Time & Temp: Unbound Edition.” And by end, they mean “go out of print.”

Yes, 2012 is the year in which it will Time & Temp: Unbound Edition go out of print.

Or some arrangement of those words that make sense.

As of right now, I have no more copies of the Unbound Edition. Nor do I intend to print any more. There are still some floating around out there, at various stores and whatnot. A smattering of them are still available at IPR. I’ve personally seen a few of them on the shelves at Modern Myths. So, if for some reason you’re desperate for the Unbound Edition and you haven’t found the time to purchase it in the past two and a half years, you still have a chance if you act fast and dig around.

But This is Not the End End

No, not by a longshot!

• You still have Time & Temp: Paperless Office to knock around. All the power of Time & Temp: Unbound Edition in the convenience of a PDF.
• I have finally begun work on a bound edition, simply called Time & Temp. All the content of the Unbound Edition–plus some extra stuff I’ve been working on–in the convenience of a book.
• Current owners of the Unbound Edition, fret not! It remains a living file. Whatever additions are in the bound edition will be made available to you for free via PDF.

And that’s not all! The Time & Temp family is growing. There is a card game in the works, tentatively title Time & Temp: Office Politics. It’s a bridge-like bidding and trick taking card game in which the players compete to lead the temps as they police history and maintain temporal integrity. All the drama of Time & Temp–gunslingers, mummies, Nazis, dinosaurs, spacemen, a shattered time machine and ass-kissers trying to earn a full-time position–in the convenience of a card game.

 

A Grim Future for Browne Chronometric Engineering, Inc.

Tough times are ahead for Browne Chronometrics. Recent protests in NYC (and around the world) about unchecked corporate power have included a vocal minority calling for government oversight in the heretofore unregulated industry of temporal engineering. These demands have focused, of course, on the industry leader–and sole owner of the only working temporal transport patents–shining a very uncomfortable spotlight on BCE, Inc., and its operations.

What’s more, the change in the political climate may provoke further investigation into the recent economic troubles the world has been facing, which could uncover some unfortunate temporal trading schemes of certain CEOs.

And now the chronometric cat is out of the bag. New Scientist has just published a how-to guide to building your own time machine, presaging the 2013 boom in temporal tourism which will lead to a massive influx of work orders for temporal maintenance technicians as millions of hapless tourists make a right mess of history (in particular over 55 million Americans trying to beat themselves to the 2012 polls in order to change their votes).

Browne Chronometric Engineering, Inc., must have known this was coming. And I’m sure they have a plan. Still, can’t expect it will be easy. They’re going to need some help.

 

The Wayne Foundation Bundle

 

If you’re one of the twelve people left on this Earth who don’t have a copy of Time &Temp, this is your chance. Time to stop feeling left out. Time to stop wondering what all the excitement is about. Time to finally be let in on the mystery of time travel.

The Wayne Foundation Bundle is $80 worth of gaming material for $15–a great deal and for a worthy cause. All of the proceeds generated from the sale of this charity pack will be donated directly to The Wayne Foundation, a 503(c) charity organization dedicated to ending child prostitution in the US and assisting underage victims.

 

 

 

MonkeyDome Accused of Being Classy

Teacher Pete Figtree talks about using games and gaming tools in the classroom on his freshly minted podcast Ruthless Diastema. And on episode 01 he gives MonkeyDome some loving. If you’re curious about the game, but not ready to commit to the zero-dollar price tag, I highly recommend giving this a listen to. It includes a thorough rundown of the game, how it works and how it can be used as a teaching tool. So thorough, in fact, that he actually manages to solve an issue I’ve been having trying to communicate one of the MonkeyDome rules that has survived the process of becoming Swords Without Master.

 

Of Adventurers, Conquerors, and Kings

Here’s a conversation that sort of starts over on The Mule Abides. Tavis, an erudite thinker on the topic of games and a man who certainly knows what it means to play, and I share a great many interests and something of a common ancestry in the world of roleplaying. Late last year, at AnonyCon, we enjoyed a game of Swords Without Master together. It was actually kind of an amazing game–with our heroes being flung around an ancient treasure room by giant animated statues and then later picking gems and other bits of treasure from each others’ flesh as they fled down the jungle river leading from the temple and that was all before they were beset by the ghost tribe, hand-sharpened teeth glowing in the fog . . .

I could go on and on. And we did, that night, and afterwards at the con.

The game was a personal victory of mine, because of the type of player Tavis is. He’s an open-minded gamer, willing to try all sorts of new forms of game and play, but his heart belongs to his true love, the primogenitor of the hobby: D&D. There’s a little Tavis in me, hell probably in all of us, and I wanted to see if Swords could seduce him.

 

For the Time Traveling Foodie

Dear Time & Temp GMs,

If you’re mucking about in British history, you’re going to want check out the History Cookbook for all your dining needs. It’s a lovely collection of dishes categorized by the eras in which they were commonly eaten.

Regrettably, the recipes seem to be confined to British history, but if that’s good enough for Doctor Who, it should do quite nicely for the occasional temp adventure. And I have no idea how accurate any of this is, but then again, accuracy is not a temp’s strong suit. In any case, it should make a lovely resource for creating a reasonably realistic meals whether they’re for your temps or for your players.

Yours truly,

Eppy

P.S. One’s favorite meal would make an excellent eidolon or simulacrum for a Swords Without Master rogue.

P.P.S. If anyone has other resources on the history and anthropology of food and cuisine, hit me up with a link in the comments. I know they’re out there.

P.P.S. Do check out the comments.

 

For My Ravening Wolves, Part III

Where’s My Preview?

I’ve got about 85% of it written, roughly. I have no idea what that comes out to in terms of pages, because I’m a little adrift in the graphic design department. But it does mean progress is being made and this 85% includes the Great Pronoun Shift of 2011, a necessary and laborious task.

How Do You Suggest I Spend My Time Waiting For This?

Adventuring! Get thee to the Unstore and check out Simon Carryer’s sword & sorcery game: On Mighty Thews. And then check out the Pulpy Primer he put up for free over here. Actually, it doesn’t matter the order, just buy the game and play it.

 

The End Is Finally Here

I have, at long last, heard of the first game of Time & Temp in which the temps managed to end reality in its entirety before it ever even happened.

This is just breaking news at the moment, but I’m breathlessly awaiting more details as the story unfolds.

Paradox: 1

Reality: 0

 

Suck it, things that have once or possibly ever will have existed!

 

More Chatter About Swords Without Master

Brennan Taylor and I sat down at Dreamation 2011 to talk a bit about Swords Without Master, some of the basics of how it works, and some of the challenges I’m facing making it into a thing. All this ended up on Episode 52 of Voice of the Revolution, which has plenty of other material worth listening to.

And speaking of those challenges, over on the forums there’s some chatting going on about how to make sure the folks sitting down for a game of Sw/oM know what they’re getting into. It’s a bit more complex than you might expect. I’d love to hear your two cents worth.*

 

* Offer of two cents void anywhere within or without the continental United States of America.