Gaming

It’s all fun and games until someone loses a die

I love games. I always have. Pen, paper and dice hide in the oddest places in my house, and there are game supplements from the 80s in a bookshelf practically filled with books from various genres and publishers. I have games I haven’t played, but that’s mostly for lack others who wanted to play that particular game. I have shelves full of games, supplements, and modules, an office with tons of computer games, and a cabinet full of strategy and board games.

A Casual Addiction

I used to play MMOs like Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic regularly. Since moving to Colorado, I have a more normal life, with outside interests. I just don't have the will to play for hours at a time on a paid subscription model. I do play Genshin some, but that's mostly because I love exploring.

Foam-covered Plumbing Supplies

I used to be a big fan and player of LARPs – Live Action Role Playing games – such as Shattered Isles, King’s Gate, and even NERO. Being that I’m older than most others, I find that running up and down a field fighting kids a third my age is not my idea of fun. I want roleplaying, damn it, and games like NERO often cater to twenty-something, sword-swinging imbeciles that couldn’t roleplay their way out of a paper bag, preferring to metagame their way through any given situation. Not only that, LARPs by nature breed drama – as well as plot whores, players who will do anything to maximize their fun and participation at a game. I have not played in a single game that has managed to avoid this. Add to that the fact that most LARPs, even the ones without physical combat systems, are run by people who are mostly volunteers, and you wind up with a game rife with personal bias and unprofessional management. Yes, that's my two cents, make of it what you will.

Mythus Fantasy Roleplaying game

I run a Mythus campaign, where most actions never need a roll to determine the outcome. We started playing again in the same campaign I've been running for over twenty years. Although I've had lots of players come and go over the years, I still have things for the characters to discover, and challenges for them. Plus, since the pandemic, we've played using Discord and Roll20. I miss sitting around the table with dice and all the paraphernalia, but I've got several large screens full of maps an information, and it's nice.