[Weekly Words on Women] Voices in the Knight

Strong inside but you don't know it

Good little girls they never show it

When you open up your mouth to speak

Could you be a little weak-

Madonna, What It Feels Like 

---------------------------------

All the people in the world are dreaming (get up stand up)

Some of us cry for the rights of survival (get up stand up)

Saying c’mon c’mon! Stand up for your rights

While others don’t give a damn

They’re all waiting for a perfect day

So you better get up and fight for your rights

Don’t be afraid of the move you make

You better listen to your tribal voice!

Yothu Yindi, Tribal Voice

I'm not generally known for making snap decisions. I have something of a reputation for being pretty accommodating, even when I don't directly agree with the person or idea.  Finding peace and compromise are things I excel in, or at least I used to have those talents. 

Being a peacemaker and a master of compromise doesn't mean I don't know myself or understand my own voice. I've always been able to speak for myself, and I'm one of the few people that can stand up to the incomparable and stubborn man in my life, TheDude. Despite being something of a "mouse" for most of my life, I finally found my voice and pretty much haven't shut up since. 

[RPG] Wonderland Session 1

Last night was the beginning of my Wonderland campaign.

I had more players than I expected, which was a very good thing. I explained the world and background to them, and answered a LOT of questions from a player that is new not only to the system, but roleplaying as a rule. It was really fun being able to explain things in a way that made sense, but gave the sense of mystery and uncertainty that a "new world" offers. I started them off on Miracle City, one of the islands in the ocean of the void. The city itself was Steampunk/Victorian in overall setting. 

I had them roll up characters, and I wound up with the following people: A Sorceress, A Drunk Cop, The Ghost of a Samurai, A Crazy Explorer, An Engineer Plumber and a Miming Clown. 

The Games that Shaped Me

A little while ago, Frontline Gamer put out a charge to all of us, to think about the games that have shaped us, and talk about when, where, why and so on.

Well, I can't really let that Brit have all the fun, now can I?

I told him I had a lot, and I felt a post was probably a lot more appropriate than a quick reply over on his blog. So here we are at mine, with my ever so verbose thoughts.

After the jump, of course.

Pimpin': Headshots from the Heart

DaveG over at WargamingTradecraft.com is doing some awesome THIS SATURDAY!!

24 hour marathon of playing the video game Borderlands to raise money for the Childs Play Charity. The entire event will be broadcast online, hosted by more friends and volunteers.

Full details can be found here: http://www.wargamingtradecraft.com/2012/04/charity-headshots-from-heart.html

But basically we’re asking for pledges on a per-headshot-kill basis, direct dontations, and / or offers to cover expenses for the event itself. (Such as equipment, streaming, etc)

As for a minature gaming tie-in, I’ve been sponsored by MiniWarGaming to paint 4-6 Borderlands themed miniatures (the 4 PCs, Moxxi and Marcus) with full Work-In-Progress shots over the next month and a half, to be auctioned off during the event. 

The WIP on those guys have been BONKERS. You should check them out and give Dave some love/cash/stuff for a great cause. 

[Spin-Off Central] What Constitutes a Game?

I was going to review Hive, an abstract chess-like game that has been reviewed very favorably by lots of people I like.

The game looks cool and appeals to me due to the two player nature. It's portable and seems straightforward enough, and doesn't have any math or random elements- all of these were plusses in my book. 

So I busted it open and discovered that to ME; it's not a game. It's a problem that needs solving. It didn't have "rules", it told me what I could do with certain pieces. There weren't any examples of "how to play". It confused the crap out of me. I decided I was not smart enough for the game and put it away.

(I will be totally fair and let you know I will give it another try before completely writing it off.)

What's the difference between a game and a problem? To ME, the difference is games have rules. Especially with board games, there are clear sequences and operational things to do, with an end goal in mind.

Hive does things differently. It tells you "here are how things work", and then asks you - "how would you make X happen?".

Based on this specific understanding, at the moment, I don't consider Hive a game. I consider it a puzzle. I don't mind that, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

While I was thinking this little idea over, I came across this post and the conversation it generated. I was very taken by the comments made between Sandwyrm and CaulynDarr. Here's the part I found most compelling:

CaulynnDarr: Games on the other hand are math, cognition, and memory problems, with art supporting the implementation.

You can have great process and great products at the same time. Usually great process is the difference between having 1 great product and several great products. Process is often that thing at the end that sends the whole project back to square one if it needs it.

Actually McDonnell-Douglas had the better design, but got out lobbied by Boing and bought out. Though all three designs would be in the same shape now, due to the conflicting requirements.

 

sandwyrm   23 hours ago in reply to CaulynDarr

Don't be silly. Games are not about math or the technical stuff. They're about the experience. The interactions. Making the interactions of a game interesting and rewarding is just as much of an art as any film or video game. The technical stuff has to support an artistic vision, as Star Wars taught us so long ago. As Apple teaches us now. As Blizzard, id, and Valve prove every day.

Good processes require consistency and predicability. But creativity is never consistent or predictable. So you have to optimize on one or the other. You cannot have both together. Or both end up mediocre at best.

I know these guys were talking specifically about miniatures games- table top war games with figure soldiers and dice and whatnot. But the comment put me in mind of something Porky asked me a while ago:

What is a game?

I think I discovered that anything I will consider a game (at least a board game) has to have operational structure- who does what when; that's essential to me. I think that my tastes have shown that I want a combination of math and/or logic problems ALONG WITH the experience and the interactions for almost any OTHER kind of game.

What about you? What do you consider essential components to be considered a game? What turns you totally off? If you understand either answer, why are those your answers? I'd love to hear.

[Review] Tok Tok Woodman

So, TheBoy and I came upon this fun idea. We would play a bunch of games. We would have fun. We would learn more about the products we sell at the store, and I could review them for my little blog.

We started out innocently enough with the Axis and Allies game. That was a blast. We had so much fun playing that game. I think we will play it a few more times so that I can get a chance to win. (Fat chance, but chance nonetheless.)

We have tried a few games. We loved some and didn't like others at all.

Tok Tok Woodman is one of our perennial favorites.

This game is billed as a "dexterity game", which means it involves hand/eye coordination. This is something I am usually truly bad at, but I STILL love this game.

It's more like a twisted version of Jenga than anything else.

The premise of the game is that you have a tree that you are trying to cut the "bark" off of without knocking any of the wood out from the base of the tree.

You do this with an axe, of course.

The axe pictured is actually from the expansion, but you get the idea. (Yes, there is an expansion. It's just as fun as the original!)  You tap the tree three two times, trying to knock the bark off but leave the discs of wood intact. Every piece of bark is worth points, while the wood COSTS points. Whoever ends up with the most points wins.

I have to say that for me, the largest portion of this game's appeal is how ramped up TheBoy gets. He is absolutely like a little kid, being given permission to break stuff. With an axe. (Yes, it's a little plastic axe, but it's an axe.)

I have sold this game on numerous occasions as a "party game". It's a great icebreaker or timewaster, without any complex strategy or overall need for thinking. It's just silly. The best part of the party game is that if you add drinking, it just gets sillier. I can only imagine making shots a part of this game.

There's no real rules breakdown, or complaint about pieces, or discussion of confusing something or other. This game is straightforward, and fun. It's even better when the folks you play it with understand it is meant to be silly, and get into it with the over the top actions (and reactions) to make it more entertaining.

The only downside I can think of is that if you like a serious, intelligent game, this isn't it.

I think you should play this game, and enjoy some good laughs.

[Review] GW's How to Paint Citadel Miniatures Book/DVD

I am probably the perfect customer for this product. I'm a casual painter with absolutely no real training. I taught myself, but I have a notoriously heavy hand and I find my work to be sloppy, grungy and just plain messy. If anyone needs help learning to paint, it's me.

A sample of my work. 

I love products like this, with step-by-step PICTURES of how those guys behind the curtain accomplished their magic. I bought the Privateer Press DVD as well, and watched it several times in the vain hope that talent would be transmitted through the screen to my feeble self.

I really enjoyed the P3 video, but I thought it went a little fast and missed some vital "up close" materials a NEW painter would want to see. Not so with the GW book. I've only browsed through it a few times and quickly gone through the DVD, but I can tell you that I will be checking both out over and over again.

So here's a look at the actual book:

It's got a "kickstand" or easel that's intended to help the book stand up right in front of you was you paint. The pages are magazine thickness and glossy, and spiral bound to make flipping to a specific page a breeze, with no worries about breaking your binding or pages falling out.


There are several sections of the book that I found super helpful, and others were "meh". The only issue was sometimes these were on the same page!

Warning! Blurry Pic. 

This example is from the "Shades" page. They show 3 examples of using their shades products. Example 1 is super clear about what they used and where. Example 3 is also perfectly clear- what shade was used, how much, and why. Example 2? VAGUE AS HELL. It also had a small box of text about "how much is too much" that I found to be counter-intuitive for a beginning painter, advocating a "laissez-faire" attitude on washes. For a beginning painter, this was not helpful. However, it's countered by two great samples, so it works out to be a "meh" for me.

I have only checked out two sections of the DVD so far. One was the "Basecoating" section, and the other was the "Glazing" section. The Basecoating section has been super, super informative for me already. Just by watching the demonstrated watering down technique, I can see where I have room to improve. (Uh, that would be everywhere, folks!) I also saw how OTHER people hold their brushes and their approach to the model that has given me a hint that maybe more is NOT better after all.

The glazing section was incredibly cool for me. I truly enjoyed seeing ways to add depth and intensity to models- it was sort of like watching someone get their hair glazed... but with models. (Dudes, ask your lady people about hair glaze. It's awesome.) I want to try it (someday).

The DVD comes right IN the book- no weird sleeve or taped in envelope to lose. 

I've had a couple people in the store balking at the price. I can understand the concern, as it IS spendy. I did (and will) point out to those that are concerned on cost that I GLADLY spent $25 for the P3 video, used it over and over and over; and find the GW Guide to be FAR superior. It is well worth the money to me, especially with the well designed format and obvious THOUGHT that was put into how someone might want to use something like this.

The breakdowns and sections on each step of the modeling process inside the book are full of tips that I found very helpful (along with an interesting outright admission that FINECAST products are prone to warping and bubbles from the injection process), making the book more than a "painting guide". It's a great primer and starting point for a beginning or inexperienced hobbyist.

For the more advanced model enthusiast or painter, this product is a little tougher to see as useful. I didn't see anything "to write home about" unless the start-to-finish army guides are your thing.

Just having this book out and open ALMOST makes me want to break my models out again to start painting... which could well be worth the $50 price tag if it means my procrastinating streak is broken and I get SOMETHING done!

So there you have my take on it- I found it useful and will use it a lot, assuming I get back to painting. It is intended for a starting or inexperienced painter, but it's a well made product with thoughtful touches throughout to make a good, solid and useful tool for someone without a good painting background. 

[RPG][Wonderland] Creating Opposition

I have finally decided on a system to use for Wonderland. I'm going with Risus.

After considering about 6 systems (including Savage Worlds and Mutants & Masterminds) and talking to TheDude about running something I can't "sell", I decided to do what I wanted and worked best for my game idea, and stop trying to do what I "should".

The map has been made (although it needs serious cleaning up) and the setting(s) are defined fairly well, with a lot of room to breathe and change if the soon-to-be players mess things up, confuse me, or otherwise X+1 me.

The next thing I am working on is the "opposition"- the things the players will face in the environment, and decide motivations, mannerisms and so forth for them. Because as much as this game is ultimately intended to be a "players vs. the world" sort of idea, there will be things to Deal With.

Most of what the players face will be much like themselves, but maybe with different beliefs, reasons for doing things, or understandings of the fundamental rules of the world. At some point there will be conflict; or at least I expect so given this is a game and there is an underlying want to "kill orks for beer money" in many gamers I know.

Coming up with those beliefs, values and reasons is a lot harder than coming up with "what they look like". GM's, what is your take on making opposing forces?

How do you make them, what do you consider important, all those things- please share!

[RPG] What's Your Take on Surprises?

I am in the beginning stages of working on an RPG campaign, and the majority of the plot will involve something very dramatic and life-altering happening to the players.

I'm debating how to handle this particular aspect of the plot. I'm torn between "make it a big surprise" and "include the players in the process".

  

Surprises definitely have a place in games, and I'd be stupid not to use SOME elements of the unknown some of the time. This decision is a lot more in-depth than that. It's something that would fundamentally change the character- let's say; he sprouts wings overnight, or becomes 16 fee tall. 

But this wouldn't happen to just ONE character, EVERY character would face something huge, dramatic and honestly challenging within the first few runs of the game. 

I'm currently considering putting a "warning label" on the game before I start it. With enough up front disclosure that SOMETHING BIG would happen, maybe player agency won't be lost. 

There's always the option of letting the players help decide what happens to them, but keep it a surprise as to when or even if it actually happens. 

It's a lot to consider. 

Players: would you want to be involved, be warned, or be totally surprised? What factors might change how you feel about this sort of scenario?

[RPG] Destroyer of Fun

I had a weird dream last night that my version of Ultimate Rival showed up at the FLGS.

Instead of being someone I want to destroy in game, my particular guy is the guy who ruins all my fun. What's really frustrating is that it's very subtle and I seem to be the only one that has him figured out as a ruiner of fun.

What makes it worse is that everyone else really likes him and thinks he's "great".

But he's not. He's a creep with a really good ability to disguise it.

So when I woke up, I checked to make sure he is still where he is supposed to be, and then giggled at the idea of turning him into a BadGuy in a game that I'm working on (I hope to be ready by summer).

Ultimate Rival, Destroyer of Fun, Closet  **&^%- what are the names of your opponents? Is it a joke, or is it for real? It'd be fun to hear your stories....

Because it's relevant

Many of you may know that I'm writing a series on Intelligent Design over at HOP.  

I'm interviewing various folks, talking about the various aspects of design and their takes on them. In doing so, I've checked out a lot of awesome work that I want to share. 

Before I quoted a single person, shared a single image, or used a single comment, I asked permission. Mostly because I am nice; but because I don't want to infringe on anyone's copyrights. Why? Well, because it's the *^%$ law. Wanna see more about this?  Check out the utterly awesome article written by Lauby here. 

I hope you enjoy this article- it's well written and well researched. Plus, it's by Lauby; so it's double awesome. 

[RPG] Jeff Rients as GM of [Fill In the Blank]

Last night TheBoy and I were having one of our epic gaming conversations (how cool is that when you can talk about geeky  stuff with your kid and they totally get what you are saying) and mentioning how a certain dude in our crowd is kind of like, the worst GM ever wrought. He's really terrible. Poor guy.

We then contrasted said guy with Jeff, who is, in our opinion, "like, the awesome GOD of GMing". We discussed how pretty much everything Jeff runs at least SOUNDS cool and/or fun. It was mentioned that Jeff could run TIDDLY WINKS and we would play it. TheBoy was very enthusiastic about this idea, complete with coin flipping sound effects and pantomimes to prove his approval of the concept.

It was then asided that Jeff is really good at a certain kind of game, and that for other types, maybe he was not the ideal GM. Jeff's natural habitat as proposed by us was "goofy and/or over the top", but we are willing to admit we might be wrong. However, to prove our point, we got into one of our famous "what if" discussions.

An example was made of Traveller, which; while having a huge following in our area, has some pitfalls. TheBoy was full of demonstrations on how a Jeff-lead Traveller group could go awry ("I don't know what the *&^^% is going on! Crap, I'm dead.) and we declared this MaybeNotAGoodIdea.

Next was a Jeff-run Vampire game. The mere IDEA of this premise was so mirthful as to elicit an 8.2 on the lolololololololograph (IE I could not stop laughing for the life of me) and TheBoy voted the scenario as officially Hilarious.

Paranoia in all its variations seemed the best place evah for Jeff to unleash his personal brand of awesome, but we were perplexed as to who plays the game anymore, so we had to pronounce this possibility as Meh due to potential lack of interest.

From there, the conversation sort of broke into fits of giggles and occasional hiccups of insanely stupid inside jokes, but it was a very fun thought exercise at the time.

Why not suggest "What Should Jeff Run", and cause a little laughter today?

[RPG] Check this out instead

No RPG material today. I'm busy finalizing the last minute details of a benefit for a local gaming couple.

Details here 

[RPG] Chemistry

In RPG's, I've found that the single most important element for a game to go well is chemistry.

Yes, maybe a little beverage helps....

Chemistry is inexplicable to those outside the game. In many ways, it's like obscenity- "you know it when you see it". I've had some games that were hilariously fun and I couldn't wait to play- but people watching from the outside had no idea what was good about it. I've also had games that, on paper, were stellar. Well known GMs, great players, interesting plot- but when the group was together, the chemistry was terrible and the game fell apart.

Recently I've seen games with great starting chemistry lose steam because a member of the group had to quit, and I've seen dying games take on new life with the addition of a single player. I've been impressed by the fact that in most cases, the key to good chemistry is a SINGLE person with a dynamic personality. At least in my area, when you add more than one 'big voice', things kind of go off the rails.

There's no crystal ball as to whether a game will work with the people in it or if you need to do some quick chemical adjustment. Because chemistry is fairly important to me, I often sit in on a session or hang out with the group I am considering joining before I agree to play in a new game. I know other people do a sort of interview to figure out if the people they will be playing with 'fit their needs' and others just hope for the best.

What experiences have you had with group chemistry, and what advice do you have for those having problems?

[40K] Tootin' Lantz' Horn

The Admech Fandex is out- and the guy behind it is one of my nearest and dearest.

Please go over to Lantz's Place to enjoy his Magnum Opus.

Know that besides being brilliant and talented, Lantz is a genuine peach; a totally nice guy.

He works hard- 5 different blogs with incredible amounts of material. He's totally passionate about the hobby and loves promoting the community. He's a genuine asset and I'm really proud to be his friend.

Ladies, he's SINGLE.

enjoy

Mine's Bigger Than Brent's

Dethtron and Brent's little "war" got me motivated to do something I really haven't done here- show pics of my place. So, in the spirit of a good, healthy competition, let's do this!

Quoting Dethtron here: 

Well clap if you believe in Project Mayhem, because I’m throwing down the gauntlet. Brent thinks he’s got the disease, well it’s time to prove he’s still standing on the tip of the iceberg; still one straw short of a camel fracture. So, beloved space monkeys- if you’ve got a ridiculous collection/game room of your own let the world know. Post your own blog entry under the title “Mine’s Bigger than Brent’s” for all the world to see. Then, re-post this challenge to every blog and forum you’re on.

Here it is, folks- a challenge meant for the "big boys", and I am ready to kill 'em. Here's a look at all my stuff. 

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The outside, before we got a sign or any fancy stuff.

We did have fancy door graphics, though. Custom made acrylic transfers, baby.

There's places to play- lots of tables. These are set up for 40K.

This photo is of the early days in this location, before we got WAY more merchandise and so forth.

Here are some samples of our stuff. I swear, this was the day after we opened in this shop, because we have SO MUCH more crap now.

We found out that this shelf-on-a-shelf idea was not a good one. We moved it, don't worry!

 All right, this is from the WAAAAAY back machine, as we had AT-43 in stock still.

Other assorted sundries and such-again, probably from the second or third day at this location.

Wow, we were so proud of this clean, shiny case....

 The view from behind the counter- BEFORE it got messy. It's a wreck now.

The whiteboard is totally awesome. We use it for SO many fun things. It came as a donation from a customer.

So next, some pics of actual GAMERS and GAMING.

The giant windows are a pretty big hindrance in the summer months.

The following pics are from my *verysmall* house. The two larger shelves are *literally* packed from top to bottom full of gaming material. There's about a foot of my scrapbooks, but all the rest is games, books, minis,  notes, etc.

This is another shelf, tucked in the corner. It's actually got a shelf ON the shelf just to hold all the stuff we have.

Menoth, Part the One.

More Menoth.

Tons of paint. The top case on the left is the Vallejo line and the stuff on the right is paints picked up from hobby supply stores. Plus, tools! I love tools. Brushes, washers, clippers, many other goodies. The boxes are full of bits.

 Oops... That tray of models is full of Harlies I am supposed to be painting.

 More foam, waiting to be used.

A random game hiding between the couch and a shelf.

 While I don't have drums tucked away in my gaming closet, I do have to rep some music here.

Back to the store, where there's even MORE stuff. Here's a much more recent picture of the outside. I think I took this in August.

Lots of 40K and way more WarMachine than we need.

GW's greedy- it takes two full shelves, the tops, AND two spinner racks to fully display their stuff.

Our used shelf! Bargains, dudes!

 This is the "Big Red Monster", and it's the home of many board games. That we want to sell to you.

Middle shelf=roleplaying, mostly.

Grey Shelf=more board games.

 Of course, paint and all the stuff that goes with it.

The dragon, the case and the Confrontation models are all on "loan". One of our regulars displays them at our place because... well, it involves a wife- I'll be nice.

This is the second "Big red monster", also lovingly known as "The Gamer Nutrition Center" (inside joke). The setup varies, but it is usually sleeves, card boxes and other "Magic crack" related materials. 

This is my personal hell. It is also one of my proudest and best achievements as a store owner. Inside each box, divided by uncommon or common, are playsets of MtG cards. Each box holds several hundred playsets- and there are more than 50 boxes.

I was instrumental in taking huge piles of 5 slot boxes of random crap and turning them into a well organized system for our customers to find what they want instead of rooting through the dreaded "penny bin". Yes, we charge more- but we have made a killing out of these boxes. Well worth the HUNDREDS of hours put into it.

Also on this shelf is our "50 cent box", which is chock full of rares that don't trade at crazy insane costs. It's sometimes known as the "jank box", but there are a lot of cards in it that are great EDH material, fun to trade, or just interesting. The 50 cent box generates some serious cash, so we keep it stocked.

We recently filled that "gap" with boxes of cards, and added enough boxes to go all the way to the bottom shelf.

Here's our display case now. We pride ourselves on having the best pack choices around- and man, we find (and sell!) some oldies but goodies. Ravnica block, Onslaught, Invasion, Visions, Ice Age, Chronicles (we did an afterdraft with it!)- all kinds of things are in our case.

The blue binder above and the binders below are part of our singles. We divide by price- and stick cards in any order as long as it's starting low and going high. Our customers really seem to like it, and even ask for the "make your wallet cry" binder by name. (That's the red one seen below.)

A rare shot of TheBoy, from behind. He was hard at work, helping his buddy with something or other.

We have a fridge with sodas and snacks, too.

Chips & giant Pixy stix! Also visible is our "demo shelf" with copies of popular games to try before you buy.

Don't think this is a lot of stuff? We rented an entire PODS unit for overflow, random crap, and the assloads of terrain we have. Really, we have a shit ton of terrain. 

Four huge rubbermaid type totes, another Glass case, several random boxes, felt mats, and a ton of stuff I don't even know what it is. Here's some pics: 

 Well, this is an entire terrain table that was donated by one of our customers.

Some terrain.  (And models)

 More terrain.

Plus, more terrain!

And more terrain.

 More terrain.

 Even more terrain.

 Yeah, more terrain.

And, more terrain.

The POD and all the random stuff inside it. 

Don't think we have enough terrain? We have more.

And some of the nicest chairs you'll ever see in a game store. Really.

 Card boxes. Lots of them.

I don't know what this is. Maybe some more terrain?

 Older fixtures, files, light bulbs, other stuff.

This is terrain building material. Once upon a time, we made our own. I think we have plenty, now.

Well, the gauntlet is down- let's see YOURS.