30.3.2009 by Traveler.

After arriving safely in Aschaffenburg we were picked up by our good friend Motte and transported to our lodgings (the flat on the first floor in the same house Motte and Olaf live in). Then, another friend came round and the four of us went shopping for con-supplies.
No, not the usual crisps, chocolate andfizzy drinks, we were going for actual food because we were going to run th kitchen (well, I only helped prepare the food but did not actually take shifts in the kitchen, open from 10:00 to 01:00, afterwards).

And the preparation of the food once again bore witness to the superiority of the Steampunk lifestyle:

The onions were rather on the powerful side and cutting them was literally painful, sooooo…

I just whipped out my goggles, pulled them over my eyes and got the job done in no time! The Chilli Con Carne was ready in time to feed the first wave of hungry roleplayers!

Geschrieben in Tales of the travelling steampunk | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

30.3.2009 by Traveler.

Yes! What a great way to spend a weekend! We had so much fun, but I am getting ahead of myslef, let me start this tale of RPG Weirdness with the really weird travel exsperience which brought us to Aschaffenburg.

The Strange Universe within the First Class ICE Coach

For this occasion we had purchased first class train tickets for the ICE (Inter City Express, Germany’s fastest and most unreliable train) and we where in for a ride.

The conductors of the Bahn have a well earned reputation for being rude, arrogant, bossy and generally unhelpful and intend to making your trip using the German railway system as unpleasant as possible. NOT when you are travelling first class with the ICE. First of all, the conductor who checked our tickets was so polite, said “Guten Morgen” to us personally and not to the coach in general, said “Thank you” when I handed him our online-ticket and wished us a nice and save trip when he left.

Next: A lady came and offered us complimentary newspapers (high end, like Süddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine). After that, another lady came round and offered to get us something from the Board-Bistro, so we need not get up.
The same lady came back a few times during the trip and offered complimentary chocolate.

The biggest thing however:
When we got off in Aschaffenburg, the conductor actually offered to give my wife a hand. My wife uses a crutch to help her walk and usually the staff on board the trains does not give a thing about disabled passengers.

So we see: Travel first class with the Bahn, you will get fist class treatment, otherwise, you will be treated like a dish cloth.
Side note: I just saw on the news that The Bahn’s CEO, Mr. Mehdorn, after all the blunders he made and trouble he caused, has finally offerd to resign. However, he did not announce his resignation, he offered it and he sees no personal fault at all. Quite an arrogant and self-righteous piece of work.

Geschrieben in Tales of the travelling steampunk | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

23.3.2009 by Traveler.

I like to see myself as a non-conformist which is a bit odd since I have been a Goth for most of my adult life, however:

I also very much enjoy wearing suits which is actually quite steampunk/dieselpunk and in these modern times also quite non-conformist. I do not long for the days which ended sometime in the 1960’s or 1970’s when it suddenly was no longer cumpulsory to wear a suit in a non-menial job, that would be stupid. Wearing a suit is just my personal thing, just like a tie to go with it and a shirt with cufflinks. I like wearing suits even when the general dresscode is casual because for me a suit is casual.

Back in 1998 during my glorious Nottingham days I went to Rock City quite often wearing a suit, nobody cared, why should they? I can still dance to my favourite music (which back then was Punk, Hardcore, Goth and Metal, same as today) wearing a suit. It also makes for a good wannab-detector: Everyone who comes up to you and says: “You can’t dance like this, you are not dressed like…” is highly likely a wannabe.

Basically, being fond of wearing a suit in this day and age even in your leisure time achives a few good things:

1. You dress in a not so fashionable way and therefor are unlikly to  be a fashion victim.
2. With just a few (if any) alterations to your ensemble you look quite the part in a steampunk or dieselpunk setting. Added bonus: The inside-pocket of the jacket accomodates a pair of goggles quite nicely.
3. A factlet which I consider unfortunate and which tells a lot about the state of customer care in Germany:
   You get much better service in most shops and department stores when you wear a suit. I all likelyhood, they presume you have more money to spend.
4. A thre-piece suit also accomodates a pocket watch very nicely. Some jackets also come with a smaller pocket outside on the right. This small pocket also is very useful if you prefer pocketwatches (like I do).

So, it pays to be a non-conformist suit wearing freak, if you choose Steampunk or Dieselpunk as your favourite subculture style.

Geschrieben in General Steampunk Things | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

22.3.2009 by Traveler.

The headline actually promises more than this article actually is about. Fact is, I have been running a Steampunk themed RPG for the last few weeks and finally everyone is getting the hang of the game, including me. May have something to do with the fact that I am employed again and far more relaxed and creative than I was, say, two weeks ago. As for the Cthulhu aspect of the game:

We are using the Chaosium Basic Roleplaying system, which of course is fully compatible with their famous and much beloved Cthulhu RPG. I have talked about this system elsewhere, you can check out my other site Sarkomand for details.

So far we have everything in this Steampunk campaign which I define as really steamy: Zeppelins, weird science, steam-powered robots, political turmoil, strange occurences in distant parts of the world and we have a real cliché cast of characters:

A noble, a headstrong young woman, an independent older woman (the younger woman’s youngest aunt), a professional boxer and expert gambler and a Zeppelin machinist. It is almost too good to be true, it’s like in a cheesy ’60s Jules Verne movie.

I will also run a Steampunk-themed one-shot adventure at the Cave-Con this Saturday, it shall be fun  and may the Air-Kraken swallow everyone who thinks differently.

Geschrieben in Off Topic, General Steampunk Things | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

15.3.2009 by Traveler.

Finally I got my lazy behind up and created something steampunky. I have not touched a soldering iron in years but I still remember how to us one. So, I went to our local arts and crafts store down the street, got myself a few pieces I found quite appealing and combined them with parts from one of my cannibalized broken pocket watches.

The result was this brooche, unfortunately I do not have a better image:

The above brooche is on its way to the USA as part of the Secret Air Kraken Day Gift Exchange from Brassgoggles.co.uk. I hope the Lady recipient likes it as much as my wife does.

I also have a pair of recently finished steampunk cuff-links, but I have to get better images of them, and those cufflinks are my precioussssss…

They will not be sold or given away. I hope I will put images of them up here soon.

Geschrieben in Technomantic Stuff, General Steampunk Things | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

14.3.2009 by Traveler.

So,

we cannot make it to Japan as planned. We may be able to do it in autumn or maybe next year. However: This gives us the opportunity to visit friends and attend a Con. In this special case: The Cave-Con in Aschaffenburg.

And since it is a Roleplaying-Con I can go Steampunk style in full gear and I will use the opportunity. Hurray!

Lang Lebe der Kaiser!

Seriously, I would have liked to see Japan so much, but the expedition has only be postponed, not cancelled. However, seeing some of our dearest friends and being among fellow roleplayers for a long weekend is a very nice thing, too.

So, we are very looking foreward to this trip.

Geschrieben in Tales of the travelling steampunk | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

11.3.2009 by Traveler.

After almost nine months my beloved wife and me once again returned to the fringe of civilization, Unterfranken, to visit my family. Once again we chose to set up our basecamp at the Papperla Pub in the Bahnhofstraße of Würzburg. From there, we travelled by automobile to the very border between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where most of my family still lives within a 10 minutes walk of my grandparents.

Our visit was brief.

I feel no need to relate the misbehaviour and lack of culture certain members of my family displayed during my sister’s birthday party.

On the plus side: We finally got to meet my brother’s new girlfriend.

Geschrieben in Tales of the travelling steampunk, General Steampunk Things | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

10.3.2009 by Traveler.

So, everything concerning the journey to Japan has been cancelled, which saddens me…

Now I am using my spare time (which I have a lot of right now) to study PHP, catch up on my Kana-studies and browsing the web. A good friend has poimted out WAMP to me which is a great help in applying what I have learned as far PHP is concerned and there is some movement on the job-fromt, too.

I leave you again with an advertisement for Zeppelin tours and tomorrow I shall relate another story comming from the borders of civilization…

Geschrieben in Off Topic, General Steampunk Things | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »