Time for gaming?

An article by a guest poster over at Gnome Stew triggered this bit of a rant.  There is no connection between these sites except maybe for our fondness for gnomes maybe.  If you have not read anything over there, I suggest you check it out.

The article was mostly about getting back into gaming, and how to make gaming recruits that stick.  The author did make one point which triggered this rant.

We don't find time for gaming, we make time for gaming.

Insert what ever else you are passionate about in place of gaming if you prefer.  If you wait to find time for the things which are important, then you are letting life pass you by.  Make time for what is important, find time for things which are not.  Simple.

You have said it.  I have said it.  We have heard it over and over again.  I can't find the time for...

So - if gaming is your passion and you are not playing because you cannot find time for it, something is broken.  No excuses, get out there and make time for what is important.

The dice never lie.

I have been bested by a fortune cookie

Chinese food, or at least what passes as Chinese feed here in New England, is a staple for eating out or 'take out' or 'take away' depending on from where you call home.  As ubiquitous as the faux Chinese cuisine is, so too is the fortune cookie.

Some just read and laugh at the pithy Confucius like sayings, others prefer to read them aloud with the suffix "in bed".  To me a bit of Chinese sounding advice is not a fortune.  To open an orange flavored cookie and read, "Wisdom comes from experience", is disappointing.  It may be wise, but it is no fortune.  "You will win the lottery" or "A dark stranger awaits outside" is a fortune.

So there I was, finished with my meal and ready to heap scorn upon my not-fortune cookie.  I carefully opened the plastic wrapper, which is strange since I am going to crush the cooking anyway to get at the paper inside.  I guess I am just obsessive like that.  Good news, the cookie is not stale and I can eat it.  So I pop half the cookie in my mouth and read what I expect to be my not-fortune, followed by shaking my head and clever witticisms of scorn.

Instead I laugh.  I laugh hard.  Hard enough that I am not able to read it immediately and pass it to my wife to read.

It says, "You will be successful someday."

Not only has this simple sentence taken me aback but it has disarmed my scorn by providing a real fortune. Further more, the clever bastards have in the guise of saying something clearly positive cut me off at the knees.  One simple sentence, and I can visualize the Asian gentleman smiling every so slightly at me, has devalued my accomplishments as a parent who has successfully raised four children, my achievements of thirty years as a business professional, my contributions to local civic organizations, my short stint as a musician in my younger days, you name it - they have all been stripped away by this good natured, I have faith in you, do not give up now, little piece of fortune.

Touche master fortune writer, for tonight you have bested me.  But be wary, for someday I will be successful and then, watch out!

The Face of Evil

I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Costa Rica.  This gives me material for blogging, and explains the gap in posts.  I love to travel.  It gives me a wealth of personal experiences that expands my horizons.  It also gives me game fodder.  Places, environment, people, animals all give me interesting and insidious ideas to use as a DM.

When it comes to animals in game, I have always played them as recommended by the various editions.  Animals are neutral, not good or evil, and are largely driven by simple basic instincts.  The danger in animals is when a character interferes or becomes the target of one of those instincts.  Otherwise, animals pose no threat and have no complex motives.

Or so I thought until I was only a few feet from The Face of Evil.  The face was at one end of sixteen feet and 1,000 pounds of American Crocodile.  Rationally, I knew this was just an animal with animal instincts, desires and thoughts.  Rationally, I knew this creature was a simpleton, with only simple cunning, muscle and teeth to make it dangerous.  Irrationally, I looked at this beast and shivered right down to the marrow in my bones (of which I am certain it was contemplating just how tasty they might be).  Irrationally and viscerally, I was dead certain this evil creature was plotting my demise and inwardly getting great pleasure from it.

Since I am writing this blog and have posted these pictures you can surmise that the creature did not get to enjoy my bone marrow.  It is not the first time I have seen a dangerous creature up close, there are others I can draw upon.  The experience does add to my perspective to use in game, mostly from a description standpoint.  When you think about fear, let us say for example, generated by the presence of dragon.  The little inkling of terror that felt is just a taste of the overwhelming presence of a great wyrm!

I was relatively safe in a fiberglass boat (hah!), and there were another 40 or so delectable morsels to choose from if the crocodile decided we were lunch and could figure out how make that a reality.  Therefore my odds were pretty good of coming out alive even if my evil fantasy were true.  So why the terror?

I wonder if I would have felt differently had I been on the muddy shore next to this leviathan of the river.

Its long teeth lining that evil grin transfixing my gaze as it slithered closer and closer to my quivering form, all the while pretending it was large, ungainly, and slow.

Memorized and indecisive I might be, pondering my choices.  Should I run?  Should I fight?  Should I....


Until in a moment of stunned surprise it rushes forward and  - snap!  Is it all over?

Time to make your saving throw.  The dice never lie.

Astral Projection & Divination

After playing D&D for over 30 years, today I discover there is real magic in these books.  I kid you not.  I was doing a Google search on divination and I came across a website with instructions on how to force Satan or demons (it didn't specify how you know which, perhaps that was on another page) out of a persons body.  Afterward there is a prayer, and in that prayer you must renounce a good many things (and many of those things it seems like a pretty good idea to renounce).  I did come to notice that in paragraph 7 of 10 in this rather detailed and specific prayer it says this:

I renounce heavy metal music, satanic rock and black rock, watching occult movies and all demonic role-play games, such as Dungeons and Dragons.

So, they wouldn't make you renounce that unless it could lead to, you know, the dark magic of astral projection and divination right?  I suppose since you are renouncing heavy metal music that could lead to the same dark magic, but then it would involve big hair and being hard of hearing too.

All kinds of ideas sprang into my head.  Is there really the secrets of astral projection hidden in one of my D&D books?  I wonder which edition?  (Oh, no, more fodder for the edition wars!)  What exactly is 'black rock'?  How do I know what is an occult movie as opposed to a just weird one (I wonder if they have a list?  Do they update it regularly if I subscribe to the site?)  Also I noticed they capitalized Dungeons and Dragons; they fear not combating Satan and his minions but tremble before copyright lawyers?

The more I think on this it may not be D&D which is the main tool in Satan's weaponry.  It makes me wonder about this divination spell called Google.

What Polyhedral Die Am I?

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Hmmmm.... a scienterrific quiz from the folks at dicepool.  Not the result I would have predicted, but I have heard it said, "The dice never lie."

My RPGless summer

Where did the time go? Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event. Oscar Wilde It is bad enough my group only gets together 1-2 times per month normally due to our combined busy schedules, but we had no regular game outing all summer. We had a busy summer, and the schedule was out of control. I suppose I am mostly to blame, but since I am DM at this time who is going to call me out (and have there character live, mwah, ha, ha, ha). We should break our gaming fast this coming weekend. Finishing a ship board adventure on Talk like a pirate day. Fitting. With such a long hiatus I will be recapping much from the last outing. I do not normally like to do that. Game logs and group memory is for that purpose. This time I will make an exception. What do you other DMs out there do?

If its broke, fix it

One of my favorite euphemisms is 'percussive maintenance'. Go forth and use it today. Break something if you must. I guarrantee it will give you a good feeling.