A Gamers Point of View

City Gate and Wall WIP

2010-08-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I was dared to make by Dora. I was looking at terrain manufacturers web sites for inspiration and Dora saw a City/Town gate piece and dared me to make one in my own style, so I've started work on it.
I still need to mount it on a piece of hardboard, but I'm not sure if I want to add more wall sections or not, since the whole idea is for the pieces to be modular.

Cemetery WIP and Completion.

2010-08-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard on the cemetery, and yesterday, finally finished it.

Luck and the Cemetery WIP

2010-08-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today, as Dora and I were returning from a trip to exchange some pants, I decided to stop by the Michaels in Rome. If you aren't familiar with Michaels, they are a craft store chain. I needed to pick up a new drybrush and some craft-paint for terrain projects but, as luck would have it, they had their Scenic Woodlands pre-fab trees on clearance. Unfortunately, I was the second guy to find this out and was only able to get two packs, an autumn set and an evergreen set. Jackpot!
I also found a set of headstones in the Halloween decor section. Five headstones for $3! I found the pieces to start on my long-put-off Cemetery. I plan to re-paint them and I'll put them up along with other WIP photos. As for now, I have started the base and taken a pic of it to start the show.

Ruined Wall and Tower Complete.

2010-08-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Having finished the beast, I've been moved to work on greater projects. I'll be adding them as WIP posts as they come along.
Here are a few pics of the finished Wall and Tower section. If you have any questions about the construction, feel free to ask.

Ruined Wall and Tower terrain WIP

2010-08-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of a terrain piece I've been working on for a few weeks now. It started as an entry for a MiniWarGaming group build contest, but never got really started on. I decided to pick it back up with the re-launch of the blog.
It started out life as a Pringles can, 3/4 of a toilet paper tube and some 1/2 inch blue foam. Some depron foam carved with bricks as an outer sheath, paint, sand and presto, a tower!

Official Re-Launch!

2010-08-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Greeting fellow gamers!
It's been a long time since I've posted anything and it's time for that to change. I've decided to refocus the blog and its content. My older posts covered all sorts of junk, from my rants about old school movements to stupid movies. My new posts will be tightly reigned in and cover mini games, new releases, terrain projects I'm working on, minis I'm painting and RPGs and their aspect of the hobby.
I hope everyone enjoys the new focus and I will try to post new content as regularly as I'm capable.

James

Been messing with the layout.

2009-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have finally settled on a layout for the blog and plan to stay with it for a while. I hope everyone likes it.

Old School Gaming Just Gets On My Nerves!

2009-10-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know why and I really don't care why, but the old school gaming movement just makes me want to scream. I've read arguments for this new old school game and why it's so cool or that "revisioning" of OD&D, but with new rules that just cleans up the originals weak spots, until I'm sick to my stomach. Let's face it, they are like a bad Robert E. Howard pastiche, all the elements are there, but it's not the real thing.

Just pick a game you like and play it! I don't care what it is, just play it. Don't contribute to "edition wars" or get into arguments in the game store over whatever version you like better. Be open minded and PLAY A GAME.

My First Game of 4e.

2009-10-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, I met with a new Marietta Meet-Ups group at a great new Friendly Local Game Store called the Raven's Nest. About 10 of us gathered in this shiny, friendly store to meet and play some RPGs.

I volunteered to run my first ever 4e D&D game. While I and the players were shaky, I had fun. Now, I thought the game mechanics were very cumbersome and not easy to handle, I am willing to give it a second try. I did have fun with the players, who are as new to the game as I am, and that helped a lot.

I'm not going to give a review because I feel my experience wasn't the best to gauge the game on. I may give the game a serious review after I have a chance to play, instead of run, a game.

A New Campaign Begins.

2009-09-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks, my game group will be starting a new Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign set in the Kingdoms of Kalamar.

This will be a massive undertaking, the likes of which I've never attempted before in 20 years of DMing. I am planning to run a co-op game style where my players will also take on the roles of major NPC's, as well as their characters. I hope they are up for the challenge.

The Dresden Files

2009-08-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm behind the times. Nothing surprising there. I just watched the first episode of the Dresden Files and all I can say is why the hell isn't this show still on?

I guess I'll watch what I can online and find the books as I can. TV networks and executives are morons when it comes to keeping good shows.

This is huge!!!

2009-08-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Live Action series to start filming.
http://www.examiner.com/x-20187-Sacramento-SciFi-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Star-Wars-live-action-TV-series-to-start-filming-this-year

Um... hello?

2009-08-13T09:27:00.001-07:00

My return to the blog-o-sphere is slowly in the works.

Keep your eyes peeled, fellow gamers.

A Notice.

2009-06-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'll be going dark for a while due to circumstances I could have controled but chose not to in a attempt to be happier. I'll return, fear not, and be better for it.

The Mad Irishman... and no, I don't mean me.

2009-06-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

I ran across a reference to the Mad Irishman some years ago in Dragon magazine, you know, back when it was a real paper magazine. Seems he's still around and pumping out fan-made character sheets for a ton of RPGs.

You can find a sheet for just about any game you want to play and all in handy-dandy PDF format.

Visit his site and see for yourself.
http://www.mad-irishman.net/index.html

Free RPG day.

2009-06-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

June the 20th is coming up soon, folks, mark your calendars!

Free RPG Day 2009 is a great way to bring friends into the hobby we all love. I mean, who doesn't like free stuff and what gamer doesn't love free game material?
This is a no-brainer.

Go to http://www.freerpgday.com/ to find a participating retailer near you.

Oh, and make sure to check out your favorite gaming companies web sites, most offer great Free RPG Day online products such as PDF's.

Forgotten Realms, my old friend.

2009-05-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, my game group resumed it's Forgotten Realms campaign with much fanfare ( if you count us being excited as "much fanfare ). I made a bold move and had the survivors of the ill-fated run in with Ransar Pristoleph in the Palace of Ankhpur sucked through a Zhentarim portal, which was located in the bottom of their keep.

I felt like Ankhpur was becoming stagnant and needed to up the ante, especially after one PC, Padraig the half-orc, was obliterated by a broken magic wand, and two others, Eldan the Exalted halfling monk and Thazar-de the teifling wizard, fell to two Baleful Polymorph spells. Needless to say, the rest of the party was lucky to be alive.

The survivors and Thazar-de's apprentice, Wilimac, a Stronheart halfling, ended up dropped in the middle of ruined Myth Drannor, a very dangerous area of the Realms. I was excited by the possibilities, they were, well, less than excited.

I'll try to expand on their adventures further when I have a chance. Until then, their fate remains unknown.

The Hunt For Gollum

2009-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

The independent fan film, The Hunt For Gollum, is released. This 40 minute film follows the Heir of Isildur as he searches Middle Earth for Gollum, trying to find him before the forces of Darkness, to keep the One Ring and the Shire safely hidden.

Check it out at http://www.thehuntforgollum.com/ ,you may like it.

Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

That's right, gamers, it's the first Saturday in May and we all know what that means. Free Comic Book Day!!

Head to your friendly, local, participating game/comic store and pick up a few free comics and support your FLGS. I'm heading out now to support mine, Dr. No's Comics and Games.

This is a great way to get kids into a life-long love of reading. So, get some free comics and help stamp out illiteracy!

Meneros

2009-04-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

My home campaign world is coming along at a pace I had never expected. I've been fleshing out human cultures for two different geographical regions and plan to detail at least 20 human cultures all together. Nothing in role-playing turns me away faster than generic humans.

However, my elven cultures are giving me a bit of trouble. I've broken them into two different, but similar groups, and that's where my trouble begins. I've grown disgusted with drow/dark elves and want a more ambiguous race of not-good/not-evil elves. I want elves to be more like the Celtic Sidhe, otherworldly and dangerous. Peter Jackson pretty much made elves lame with his horrid Lord of the Rings adaptation and I want to make them elves again.

On a another note, I've asked friends to produce original artwork for me, since I plan to publish the campaign guide once it's finished, even if it is just for my friends and I. A few days ago I got a preview of a rough sketch for one of the elven cultures and I was astounded. I can't wait to see a finished version. Look for previews as they become available.

Castles and Crusades

2009-04-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I purchased the 3rd printing pdf of Castles and Crusades by Troll Lord Games. I've been somewhat leary of "old-school" versions of games because they rarely live up to the hype. Castles and Crusades is not one of those. The system is marketed as familiar yet new. In truth, it really is. It has all the familiar races and classes as 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons plus two new classes, the Knight and the Assassin. The classes themselves are somewhat the same though changed enough to make them fit with the changed rules.

The changes are not major, at least not to me. They don't use skills or feats, something that can really bog down a good D&D game, especially when the rules lawyers are playing. The spell lists are simplified as are the saving throws.

All around, I'd recommend Castles and Crusades to those want an old school feel without having to hunt down actual old school books.

Wizards of the Coast, what are you thinking?

2009-04-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

The other day I received an email from Paizo Publishing saying that Wizards of the Coast, publishers of Dungeons and Dragons, had decided to pull all sales of the PDF versions of their books. I, at first, thought this was some ploy by WotC to mess with Paizo. Now I found out that it is ALL outside PDF sales.

WotC has said it was done to stop piracy of their products. Great! Good for you, WotC! Way to show that you're the big dog on the block. Don't worry about those people who still play older versions of your games. Forget them and the fact that PDF's are one of the few ways they can still purchase those products. Wait.... Hang on a minute.... I can't buy directly from WotC, so where am I supposed to buy my 2nd edition products?

The answer to that is, I have no clue. RPGNow was where I bought my 2nd edition PDF's, but I can't even download the products I've already paid for!

Thanks a pant-load, WotC! Only not really.

Researching pod cast topics, or the lack there of.

2009-03-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm going to rant for a minute here.

I can't stand to listen to pod casts where the hosts do not research the chosen topic. This happened recently on an episode of Gamers Haven. I usually like to listen to the show, but this time I got quite irritated. They were talking about using minis in games, a topic I like to hear different opinions on. However, when they started discussing painting minis, I became angry.

First, they kept referring to Reaper Miniatures Dark Heaven line as Dark Haven. Not much, but when said several times, it shows lack of detail and research of the topic.

Second, I'm a war gamer as well as a role-player and the paint tips they gave were just wrong, not to mention confusing and misleading to people who want to start painting minis. They made it seem daunting, mentioning terms and techniques without explanation.

Thirdly, they gave bad advice on purchasing starting paint gear.

This being said, I will still listen to the show, but will hope, deep down, that the hosts will show more attention to researching future topics.

A Thank You

2009-02-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

I noticed tonight that the host of my favorite podcast, Jeff Greiner, host of the Tome show, commented on my blog.

I have to say I was surprised and very happy. Jeff is one of the inspirations for this blog.

Thank you very much, Jeff.

Old Timers and Grognards

2009-02-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty old school when it comes to gaming, edition-wise. I started playing when Advanced Dungeons and Dragons was still out and latched onto gaming with a passion thanks to it. However, I find dealing and relating to other gamers who can't move past that edition or think that newer editions are inferior to "their" game very difficult. In August I joined the local Meet Ups group for Role-playing and found it to be a Grognard stronghold. I was hoping to find some new players and did, yet I also met power-gamers, LARPers and yes, the Grognards.

Wikipedia defines Grognards as :

Grognard is French for "grumbler".[1] It is not necessarily pejorative and is sometimes used as a compliment. Historically it meant a soldier in Napoleon's army, particularly a member of the Old Guard.[2]

"Grognard" came to mean a veteran war gamer in the early 1970s.[3] It was first used by John Young, at that time an employee of SPI, and subsequently popularised by Strategy & Tactics magazine.

From war gaming, the term moved to role-playing games where it was used to mean someone who preferred older-than-current editions of a game (for example, a person who stayed with first edition Dungeons & Dragons even after the second or third editions were released).

Nowadays, in colloquial usage, it refers to someone who has been involved in a hobby or pastime for a long period, particularly those involved in earlier phases of a now-popular hobby. It is still most often used with reference to war games or role-playing games. It is primarily used as a pejorative term for gamers who refuse to try newer versions of a game out of nostalgia for older games.

My frustration with this segment of the gaming community is immense. I can completely sympathize with enjoying a version of a game that's out of print, I still love West End Games D6 Star Wars, but these folks take it to a new level. Their stubborn refusal to play, even TRY, new games is stifling to the hobby. Our hobby's veterans should be mentors, I know I try to bring new gamers in all the time, but sadly, most view any other version of the games they play as anathema and shun other players who aren't interested in older games. Instead of trying to bring new players around, they just hide in their "red box" or "Chainmail". This sort of mentality is just wrong. It goes hand in hand with the stereotypical fat, long haired, bearded, unwashed gamer who lives in his parents basement.

I hope that the new generation of gamers, who play collectible card games, who play MMORPGs, who like plastic, pre-painted minis, will be able to get along with those of us who are old school yet don't hate new games. Our hobby could die without them and us.

Once and Future King

2009-02-17T22:07:00.001-08:00

If you know me, you know I have a real love of the Arthurian mythos. I have several books on the subject and have read them voraciously until they are dog-eared. I surf the web looking for as much Arthurian knowledge as I can find. Most of it is spurious at best and the rest is already known to me.

Stephen Lawhead has to be my favorite author of the genre. His novel Merlin was monumental, in my opinion. It changed Merlins back story from the familiar incubus father and mortal mother to one more in line with a Celtic background. In Lawheads novels, Merlin is the son on Taliesin, the legendary welsh bard and Charis, an Atlantean princess. His novels have a Celtic Christian tone and blend Celtic and pre-roman christian myths in a way that makes the timeless tale new again. Lawhead also takes threads from the many different legends and weaves them together into a cohesive story with a definitive timeline and purpose.

King Arthur : A Military History by Michael Holmes is another great book. It deals with the military side of Arthur and provides a view of western Europe during Arthur's time, background on other Celtic leaders of the era, an examination of Arthur's campaigns and talks about the consequences of those campaigns. I've used the information in this book many times to form tactics and strategies in miniature games.

By far my favorite book is Warriors of Arthur by John Matthews and Bob Stewart. This book, with amazing illustrations by Richard Hook, takes a decidedly Celtic tone when dealing with the once and future high king of the Britons. Using sources such as the Mabinogen, the authors take Arthur away from Malory's and de Troyes french chivalric period of chaste, courtly romance and steel encased knights on towering destriers and places him firmly in his time as a romanized Celtic Briton.

I believe one of the most important hinges of the Arthurian mythos is his sword, Excalibur. The very word brings up images of knights and kings. The differing tales concerning the famous sword are as varied as those concerning Arthur himself. Was Excalibur the Sword in the Stone? Who forged the sword that could cut through steel as though it were nothing more than smoke? All of these and more remain unanswered, but it doesn't take away from the mystique of the blade itself, only adding to it. Stephen King even used Excalibur in his Dark Tower Cycle, stating that the sword of Arthur Eld, King Arthur in his otherwordly realm of gunslingers and low-men, was used to forge the guns handed down through the Deschain line all the way to Roland, the last gunslinger, himself. However, in the Dark Tower, Merlin becomes Maerlyn and is an antagonist, though only mentioned as more of a boogey man than a flesh and blood menace.

The books and sources I have sited here are all available with a little searching, though most will be used. If the owners are or were fans like me, you won't have to worry about the conditions, I was only kidding about dog-earring my books.

Miniatures and Battle-Mats.

2009-02-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

Last night, in our Pathfinder game, we decided to use a wet-erase battle-mat and minis. I've long been leery of using minis, fearing the game would bog down into a tactics session and no actual role-play. My group, as luck would have it, favors the story over tactics. The combats were smooth, quick and allowed everyone full use of their class features and my monsters even had the occasional advantage. I now have a new-found love of minis and erasable mats.

I also purchased a large, wall-mounted dry erase board for the game room. I took the time to completely draw out the sub-floor of the ruined dwarven monastery the group is exploring. I covered the unexplored areas with loose paper and magnets, only removing them when they entered an area. This proved to be a stroke of genius on my part. Coupled with the battle-mat, it was far easier to describe and move through the dungeon. I have even decided to add a section in my side bar area to list tools and accessories I recommend for use in gaming. Check them out if you get a chance.

Collaborative Writing

2009-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

I've decided to give my home brew campaign a make over and asked HP to give me a hand in writing and brain-storming it out. I always liked the setting I created, but it was really a renamed amalgamation of other settings. I find that when I read new novels or game books, I tend to rip off a lot from them and only later realize it. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it can also be plagiarism.

The only downside so far is that I accidentally erased all of what I had saved about the setting. I kind of find this to be a blessing in disguise. I plan to keep some of what I had, but change it in a way that it is fresh and inviting. Meneros, the principal province of the setting, will be the first area to get an overhaul. I'll post updates when they are ready and may start a wiki to make online viewing easier.

Dark Haven is released.

2009-02-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Tuesday February 3rd, Dark Haven, book 3 of Gail Z. Martins Chronicles of the Necromancer series was released. Today I picked up a copy. I can't wait to read it and will probably start tonight. The first two novels in the series were quite intriguing and sort of broke the old mold for what necromancers are and how they are portrayed in popular fantasy novels.

The protagonist of the novels, Martris Drayke is a necromancer, but instead of being the typical creepy, ghoulish zombie keeper, he is a guardian for the dead and caretaker of souls in the Winter Kingdoms, Martins fictional setting for her novels. I don't want to give anything away so go read the novels, trust me, you'll love them.

There is a link in the Books section to the right.

A Time of Troubles

2009-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Finding a 4th edition game group amongst my group of regulars has proved as difficult as I expected. It's because half of them have no interest in the game and the other half have regular games on the days we would try to game. Oh well, at least the Pathfinder campaign is taking off like a rocket. Everyone is having a great time and becoming a bit more setting-familiar with each session we play.

I suppose I could find a 4e play-by-post game on some forum. I'm really getting interested in 4e from a mechanics point of view. The system seems to play quickly and has a dynamic flare to the powers each race and class receive. I hope the game plays as well as it reads.

4e and my strange desire to play it.

2009-01-29T18:02:00.000-08:00

Lately, especially after talking with Steven, I've had this urge to give 4e D&D a try. Seems he is playing in Korea and enjoying it. This could simply be from the fact that he hasn't gamed in a while or Steven is branching out. I like to think it's both and after talking with HP last night I think I'm going to give it a try myself. Hell, I bought the slipcase set of core rule books, so why not give it a try? Couldn't hurt and it may even be fun like Steven says.

I want to try a sword-mage, but I'll need the Forgotten Realms Players Guide to access it. I really don't want to buy any books for it until I decide if I'm going to actually pursue a constant game of it. I'm sort of managing my desire by bringing a Duskblade into my Pathfinder game, since that class is the 3.5 D&D analog of a sword-mage. I may see if someone has a copy of the FRPG and copy the pages I need.

It's weird that I was completely downing the game, yet hadn't given it a try, and now I want to play. I guess I'm taking my own advice and trying as many different games as possible.

This is crap!!

2009-01-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to GM a Pathfinder Society game at a MeetUP today at the local Hobbytown. Well, one person signed up for my table and since it's organized play with strict rules, I can't just let anyone play. So I'm not even bothering to go. It's a waste of my time and money to go down there to sit around and maybe play a pick-up game. I'm very angry and I'm sure some folks will be mad that I didn't show, but right now I don't care.

Pathfinder Campaign

2009-01-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start a diary style blog for my character, Joren Nemal, half-elf wizard, for my up-coming Pathfinder Chronicles campaign. It will be written with Jorens' personality and writing style with dates in line with the Golarion calendar and Absalom Reckoning. I hope to detail the groups adventures and trials in the world of Golarion and I'll put up a wiki link to the characters and what-not.
Hope you like it.

Sad news.

2009-01-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I found out that my best friends mom passed away.
I've known Steven for 18 years and his mom, Nancy, nurtured our love of gaming and pushed us to use our imaginations. She and Steven's dad, Van, let us use their basement and pool table to game on every weekend and all summer during high school. We would game for marathon sessions and she would supply the food and drink and smile the whole time.
Some of my best memories of that time in my life revolve around the Garrison house. The Satalite dish fiasco, the wreck Steven and Lou and I had, Nat punching through the glass of the basement door by accident, Van getting a jolt from ground lightning, having my first ever beer with Van and telling him his homebrew was "good".
Nancy would tell us stories from when she lived in Macon and ran with the Allman Brothers band, even playing piano live with them on a few occasions. I remember her sitting in the kitchen and playing solitare on the computer while we stuffed our faces. She treated all of us boys like her own and made sure we felt at home and always welcome in her house.
She will be greatly missed by all of us geeks.
RIP Nancy Garrison, proud gamer mom!

New Year in Gaming.

2009-01-07T09:40:00.001-08:00

So, it's the new year and it's time to get down to some serious gaming. We have a Meet-Up at our local Hobbytown USA on the 24th and I hope to play in a game of Castles and Crusaders. I've read and been told by friends that it's a game that hearkens to Gygaxian D&D, but has a 3rd edition feel as well. I hope it's fun, that's all that matters.

My game group is going well, yet I feel the unmistakable beginnings of burn-out coming on. In hopes to quell that, I've decided to start a Pathfinder campaign as an alternating week game. I think I just need another creative gaming outlet. I would also like to get some mini gaming in or even some good board games, like Zombies!!! or Settlers of Catan. Perhaps a step back from RPG's would help, at the least it can't hurt.

I recently received an email from an old player whom I stopped inviting due to his attitude problems. He wants to game with the group, but I have doubts that he's changed his ways or attitude. I don't need a disruptive presence at the gaming table throwing off the great dynamic game play we have now. I'm sure I'll come to a decision about it soon.

Now, as I've stated before, I want to use this blog as a launchpad for a podcast. Recently I listened to an episode of All Games Considered and they spoke about getting started in pod casting and this was a huge help. They pretty much pointed me in the right direction and I couldn't be more grateful. So, look for a podcast from me by summer at the earliest.

Year in review.

2008-12-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

This year has been a great year in gaming for me personally. I have a steady group of great role-players, I have expanded my game knowledge and experience and I've excepted that 4e is not a good system. This being said, I must strive to continue the level of growth I've achieved this year in the next.

Gaming experience.

2008-11-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

I HATE it when a person tells you how much gaming experience they have. Not what they've played , but how many years they've played. It always seems like a pissing contest. First off, it doesn't matter how many years you've played if you're gaming maturity level is that of an unexperienced child. Recently I've started gaming very regularly again. I started out with a close friend, an aquaintance, and two guys we met through a gamer site. They both seemed ok until we started playing and one of them made a character that was nothing more than a name and a list of numbers. He hd said he'd played for 30 years(meaning he started when he was 6). I was like , wow! a mature gamer. I couldn't have been more wrong. He had never progressed beyond the power-gamer stage. All he wanted to do was hack and slash. Needless to say, this group didn't make 4 games before I ended it.
Luckily, Steven and I found a D&D Meet-ups group for Atlanta and found a wealth of gamers in the Dallas/Hiram area. So many in fact that we now have a Friday and Saturday night game. These new players have been the nicest, most mature gamers I've met in a long time.
So, never let a gamer tell you that they're experienced until you actually sit down and play a game with them, then make the call for yourself.

Gaming during the holiday seasons.

2008-11-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

Gamers around the world have always had a difficult time getting in games around the holidays. Family should come first and that's great. Work usually takes the forefront and that's what kills the campaign during the holidays.
I've been thinking about a way to get game time in and do something good for the holidays. The thing to try is having a game session or mini tournament at your FLGS and do a food drive. Charge cans of food to play or offer incentives in-game for so many cans brought. A free re-roll, an extra unit or something along those lines. Now to be honest I didn't come up with this idea, I heard about it on an episode of the Iron Agenda podcast. I figured I could co-opt it, with due respect, and do a good thing with it locally. I think gamers get a bad rap sometimes and something like this could go along way to improve our standing.
Tell me what you think.

My plans for this blog.

2008-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

I started this blog as a way to let off steam from my game groups. I also want to use it as a spring-board for a podcast about gaming. I've listened to alot of podcasts out there in the ether and I think I can do just as good a show as they do, if not better. If you've nver listened to a podcast of any kind, take a few minutes and listen to one. Maybe you'll find a great, well-made show. However, you could find one that sounds like a bad conference call. I've found more of these than I care for. Five or six people scattered across the country, calling in, telling bad jokes and talking about topics they didn't research. This really angers me. I found a podcast and the notes said it was about minis. Now, if you know me, you know I love to paint minis and play wargames. I thought, great, it's right up my alley. Wrong! These losers only wanted to talk about D&D random, collectable minis. For those who don't know, these are pre-painted plastic minis. They look like crap and when you buy a box, you never know what you're getting. Needless to say, I dropped it from my iTunes and joined their forum to leave them some "constructive critisism".
So, keep an eye and ear out, because I'll be working hard to get a podcast going. Please be a bit more nice in you're critisism of mine.

Disrespctful gamers.

2008-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to run my Friday night Pathfinder campaign at 6pm tonight. At 5:30, one of my players texted me and said, "I'm not feeling it tonight.". I was beyond pissed. First at waiting until 5:30 when I have people coming in from Woodstock and second because he could have come up with a better excuse.
All he wanted to do and had been bugging us about was getting in a game and now, after finally inviting him against my better judgement, he flakes, two games into the campaign. It would be one thing if this was still high school or something but its not. The game doesn't revolve around him, or any of the others for that matter.
I host, because all my books are here, and it's a neutral spot with plenty of room. His actions are disrespectful to me because I have a life outside of gaming. I have a loving girlfriend who, while understanding my need to game, doesn't game. She just sits by while we occupy the living room for a 4 to 6 hour stretch and doesn't say a word. Now her Friday night is changed. We could have gone out or something, but she has other plans because she knew we'd be gaming.
I'd be tempted to just kill the whole campaign were it not for my Woodstock friends. They don't deserve to be disrespected either.

The declining state of RPG gamers.

2008-10-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been role-playing for a long time. I've played a ton of different games and systems starting with 2nd edition Dungeons and Dragons in 1989. When it comes to table-top, I can be an elitist. I admit it, I'm guilty. This is only because I see gamers around me becoming lazy. Their character backgrounds and concepts are weak to horrible. I'm all for playing your favorite race or class, but sometimes you've got to leave your comfort-zone and try something new, be it a new class or even a new game system. This is where I start to become elitist.
I've never been the type to balk at trying a new game, however my friends aren't that way.. There's always something new coming out in the game community, be it small-press games or even home-made systems, but they don't see that. All they see is D&D 3.5. Hell, some of them only see D&D 3.0! I had one arguing a 3.0 rule with me the other day and we were playing using the Pathfinder RPG rules!
I'm trying slowly to introduce them to new games, but I'm getting alot of resistance. Hopefully, this will change.