I did a post earlier today that was work related, and complained about the Blackberry Curve.
I'm just hanging out this evening, and it resonated with me that there are two sides to every coin, and this is certainly no exception. Its fun for me to blog about the terrible or bad or hectic stuff at work, but more rarely the rewarding, cool or excellent stuff. So here's some excellent stuff.
Our organization uses Cingular (THE NEW AT&T) for our cell phone needs, and the folks at the local corporate store branch are fucking awesome. That's right, fucking awesome.
Some weeks, I'm in there once a day, though usually, its a few times a month. I have to get new phones, replace old phones, all kinds of stuff - we've got like 40 cell phones. Every single person in the store is friendly, courteous, professional, and eager. They know me by sight, when I walk in, and are all incredibly personable.
So hey! There is your dose of awesome in my work day.
If you live in Memphis or North Mississippi, you'll find a fantastic bunch of folks at the AT&T store in the Southaven Town Center Mall, right by Highway 55.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Memphis RPG Day (?)
So after having read this blog post, talking about RPG games and market appeal and such, as well as this forum thread, which links to this msnbc article is leaves me musing about the appeal of Role Playing Games to the public audience. As someone who spends a large percentage of their time and attention on games, I'm interested in the future of RPGs, and in introducing new players to RPGs.
Some of the talk on the D&D 4e forums has been related to whether D&D4 targets brand new players, unfamiliar with D&D, or old school players. That argument aside, I can glean one gem from it. We need to target new players. I'm not going to sit here and claim that D&D is some lost art or magic, about to die, if only we could get people to care. However, as much as I love Role Playing Games, I am eager to see new players get involved, as much for selfish reasons (I can play RPGs *with* them!!), as for longevity and posterity.
I'm being long winded and rambly, but here's where I'm headed:
I'd love to get some like minded folks together and try to do a (Local) RPG day. Memphis in this case, of course. I'm interested in getting all of my fellow 8-5 nerd couples crowd, and all of the other demographics out there that I think would love some D&D or Dogs in the Vineyard or Shadowrun or Modern d20 or whatever - I'd love to get them together and introduce them to Role Playing Games.
It bothers me that Memphis seems to have no gaming community whatsoever.
So here's what I'm kicking around in my head:
Picking a date, asking some fellow gamer nerds if they'll prep something and be prepared to run, and then doing a Memphis RPG Day somewhere. I'm not sure how I'd entice people who are not necessarily gamers to come, or perhaps even weed out the weird/bad/scary elements, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd love to introduce new people to the hobby. Having read that blog post that I linked at the beginning of this, I couldn't help but think about all of the small social groups, unexposed to Role Playing Games, who might love it, but are unlikely to pick up 600 pages of rules and say, "Hey, lets give this a shot!". Its going to take people running games that are accessible to people who may not consider themselves as "gaming nerds".
Some of the talk on the D&D 4e forums has been related to whether D&D4 targets brand new players, unfamiliar with D&D, or old school players. That argument aside, I can glean one gem from it. We need to target new players. I'm not going to sit here and claim that D&D is some lost art or magic, about to die, if only we could get people to care. However, as much as I love Role Playing Games, I am eager to see new players get involved, as much for selfish reasons (I can play RPGs *with* them!!), as for longevity and posterity.
I'm being long winded and rambly, but here's where I'm headed:
I'd love to get some like minded folks together and try to do a (Local) RPG day. Memphis in this case, of course. I'm interested in getting all of my fellow 8-5 nerd couples crowd, and all of the other demographics out there that I think would love some D&D or Dogs in the Vineyard or Shadowrun or Modern d20 or whatever - I'd love to get them together and introduce them to Role Playing Games.
It bothers me that Memphis seems to have no gaming community whatsoever.
So here's what I'm kicking around in my head:
Picking a date, asking some fellow gamer nerds if they'll prep something and be prepared to run, and then doing a Memphis RPG Day somewhere. I'm not sure how I'd entice people who are not necessarily gamers to come, or perhaps even weed out the weird/bad/scary elements, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd love to introduce new people to the hobby. Having read that blog post that I linked at the beginning of this, I couldn't help but think about all of the small social groups, unexposed to Role Playing Games, who might love it, but are unlikely to pick up 600 pages of rules and say, "Hey, lets give this a shot!". Its going to take people running games that are accessible to people who may not consider themselves as "gaming nerds".
Memphis RPG Day (?)
So after having read this blog post, talking about RPG games and market appeal and such, as well as this forum thread, which links to this msnbc article is leaves me musing about the appeal of Role Playing Games to the public audience. As someone who spends a large percentage of their time and attention on games, I'm interested in the future of RPGs, and in introducing new players to RPGs.
Some of the talk on the D&D 4e forums has been related to whether D&D4 targets brand new players, unfamiliar with D&D, or old school players. That argument aside, I can glean one gem from it. We need to target new players. I'm not going to sit here and claim that D&D is some lost art or magic, about to die, if only we could get people to care. However, as much as I love Role Playing Games, I am eager to see new players get involved, as much for selfish reasons (I can play RPGs *with* them!!), as for longevity and posterity.
I'm being long winded and rambly, but here's where I'm headed:
I'd love to get some like minded folks together and try to do a (Local) RPG day. Memphis in this case, of course. I'm interested in getting all of my fellow 8-5 nerd couples crowd, and all of the other demographics out there that I think would love some D&D or Dogs in the Vineyard or Shadowrun or Modern d20 or whatever - I'd love to get them together and introduce them to Role Playing Games.
It bothers me that Memphis seems to have no gaming community whatsoever.
So here's what I'm kicking around in my head:
Picking a date, asking some fellow gamer nerds if they'll prep something and be prepared to run, and then doing a Memphis RPG Day somewhere. I'm not sure how I'd entice people who are not necessarily gamers to come, or perhaps even weed out the weird/bad/scary elements, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd love to introduce new people to the hobby. Having read that blog post that I linked at the beginning of this, I couldn't help but think about all of the small social groups, unexposed to Role Playing Games, who might love it, but are unlikely to pick up 600 pages of rules and say, "Hey, lets give this a shot!". Its going to take people running games that are accessible to people who may not consider themselves as "gaming nerds".
Some of the talk on the D&D 4e forums has been related to whether D&D4 targets brand new players, unfamiliar with D&D, or old school players. That argument aside, I can glean one gem from it. We need to target new players. I'm not going to sit here and claim that D&D is some lost art or magic, about to die, if only we could get people to care. However, as much as I love Role Playing Games, I am eager to see new players get involved, as much for selfish reasons (I can play RPGs *with* them!!), as for longevity and posterity.
I'm being long winded and rambly, but here's where I'm headed:
I'd love to get some like minded folks together and try to do a (Local) RPG day. Memphis in this case, of course. I'm interested in getting all of my fellow 8-5 nerd couples crowd, and all of the other demographics out there that I think would love some D&D or Dogs in the Vineyard or Shadowrun or Modern d20 or whatever - I'd love to get them together and introduce them to Role Playing Games.
It bothers me that Memphis seems to have no gaming community whatsoever.
So here's what I'm kicking around in my head:
Picking a date, asking some fellow gamer nerds if they'll prep something and be prepared to run, and then doing a Memphis RPG Day somewhere. I'm not sure how I'd entice people who are not necessarily gamers to come, or perhaps even weed out the weird/bad/scary elements, but I'm still thinking about it. I'd love to introduce new people to the hobby. Having read that blog post that I linked at the beginning of this, I couldn't help but think about all of the small social groups, unexposed to Role Playing Games, who might love it, but are unlikely to pick up 600 pages of rules and say, "Hey, lets give this a shot!". Its going to take people running games that are accessible to people who may not consider themselves as "gaming nerds".
Blackberry Curve
I keep having problems with the Blackberry Curve.
One of my hats says "Telecom Manager" and that includes taking care of all of our cellular stuff. We've got a bunch of phones, some of which are Blackberry Curve phones. We got two awhile back, which have worked fine, 100%. Later we got two more, both of which I had to replace within a few days because they would not hold a charge. It wasn't the battery - we tried replacing that. It was the phone itself. Then, a month or two later, we had to replace another of those - replacing the replacement! Because of the same problem.
Now, I got two more of them, one seems to work fine (though we'll see whether it holds a charge or not), while the other works fine, unless you try to set the time, at which point the device reboots. So its two days and a few hours behind.
One of my hats says "Telecom Manager" and that includes taking care of all of our cellular stuff. We've got a bunch of phones, some of which are Blackberry Curve phones. We got two awhile back, which have worked fine, 100%. Later we got two more, both of which I had to replace within a few days because they would not hold a charge. It wasn't the battery - we tried replacing that. It was the phone itself. Then, a month or two later, we had to replace another of those - replacing the replacement! Because of the same problem.
Now, I got two more of them, one seems to work fine (though we'll see whether it holds a charge or not), while the other works fine, unless you try to set the time, at which point the device reboots. So its two days and a few hours behind.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
game ideas
Today feels like a day for blogging.
So I have a couple of game ideas kicking around my head for running D&D. I seem to be gravitating toward ideas that somehow turn the paradigm on its head. I am unlikely to use these, but mulling over them makes me think myself clever.
Underwater! The PCs are merfolk, or sea elves, or otherwise aquatic kind of folks.
Backwards D&D. Generations ago, the ever present fighting between the High Races (dwarves, elves, humans, etc) and the Low Races -or Monstrous Races - (kobolds, goblins, ogres, orcs, bugbears, hobgoblins, etc) took a turn. The monstrous races chased the High Races out of their cities and forests and clanholds. Now the PCs, members of the High Races, live in dank dungeons beneath the ground, hiding from the monsters. From time to time, bands of monsters invade their hidden homes, seeking loot and murder.
So I have a couple of game ideas kicking around my head for running D&D. I seem to be gravitating toward ideas that somehow turn the paradigm on its head. I am unlikely to use these, but mulling over them makes me think myself clever.
Underwater! The PCs are merfolk, or sea elves, or otherwise aquatic kind of folks.
Backwards D&D. Generations ago, the ever present fighting between the High Races (dwarves, elves, humans, etc) and the Low Races -or Monstrous Races - (kobolds, goblins, ogres, orcs, bugbears, hobgoblins, etc) took a turn. The monstrous races chased the High Races out of their cities and forests and clanholds. Now the PCs, members of the High Races, live in dank dungeons beneath the ground, hiding from the monsters. From time to time, bands of monsters invade their hidden homes, seeking loot and murder.
a book!
Would you believe that I finished a book?
I am hard pressed to believe it myself.
Last night I finished A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I know, I know, I'm a few years behind.
I enjoyed it immensely.
My analysis:
I like how the story turns. Every big "bang" in the story is something that makes me think in Role Playing Game terms, as a DM, and each bang makes me consider how the author is steering the story TOWARD conflict, which is obviously important in both games and in books. Games and books about heroes sitting around in a happy peaceful land are typically un-exciting.
I like how Martin pulls no punches and doesn't hesitate to kill characters. This serves to more fully invest me in the story. I'm a big fan of (my perception of) grim and gritty - when people hack at each other with pointy metal things, bad stuff is bound to happen. It also speaks to motivation, I find myself never having eye rolling moments like when watching movies, muttering at the screen to the bad guy "will you please just kill him (the hero) already?!?!"
Next:
The Black Company by Glen Cook, followed by the second George R. R. Martin book.
I am hard pressed to believe it myself.
Last night I finished A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I know, I know, I'm a few years behind.
I enjoyed it immensely.
My analysis:
I like how the story turns. Every big "bang" in the story is something that makes me think in Role Playing Game terms, as a DM, and each bang makes me consider how the author is steering the story TOWARD conflict, which is obviously important in both games and in books. Games and books about heroes sitting around in a happy peaceful land are typically un-exciting.
I like how Martin pulls no punches and doesn't hesitate to kill characters. This serves to more fully invest me in the story. I'm a big fan of (my perception of) grim and gritty - when people hack at each other with pointy metal things, bad stuff is bound to happen. It also speaks to motivation, I find myself never having eye rolling moments like when watching movies, muttering at the screen to the bad guy "will you please just kill him (the hero) already?!?!"
Next:
The Black Company by Glen Cook, followed by the second George R. R. Martin book.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Shared Imaginative Space
More game/D&D stuff. Here goes:
When I first got my hands on fantasy role playing, and then shortly after, actual D&D 2nd ed, there was no battlemat. No minis. Sure, there were maps. I can't swear that we didn't sketch out environments and movements sometimes on paper, but I don't clearly recall doing that. So, what I mean to say is that ages ago, we didn't use any kind of tangible representation for movement and positioning. This also means that scenes were painted using only words, gestures, and creativity.
D&D 3.0 (re)introduced battlemats and minis, 3.5 solidified that, and 4e seems to be continuing that trend. Now, I'm not here to rail against that, merely to conduct my internal debate about grid vs not-grid. I sorta like the grid and minis, but I feel torn on it. For me anyway, too much in the way of boards and grids and tiles and minis and so forth reduces or eliminates my imaginative space. Let me compare it to monopoly for a moment. Never have I played monopoly and fleshed out in my imagination the thimble rolling down boardwalk, checking into a hotel, and spending every dime to its name. So too I think that you can overkill D&D into actually being a boardgame with a lot of rules. And I guess I don't want D&D to be just a boardgame. I still want to see it all happen in my mind's eye. I do appreciate how a board and minis can make the experience easier in some respects. It provides an immediate and easy medium to convey positioning and spacing and some general environmental stuff.
When I first got my hands on fantasy role playing, and then shortly after, actual D&D 2nd ed, there was no battlemat. No minis. Sure, there were maps. I can't swear that we didn't sketch out environments and movements sometimes on paper, but I don't clearly recall doing that. So, what I mean to say is that ages ago, we didn't use any kind of tangible representation for movement and positioning. This also means that scenes were painted using only words, gestures, and creativity.
D&D 3.0 (re)introduced battlemats and minis, 3.5 solidified that, and 4e seems to be continuing that trend. Now, I'm not here to rail against that, merely to conduct my internal debate about grid vs not-grid. I sorta like the grid and minis, but I feel torn on it. For me anyway, too much in the way of boards and grids and tiles and minis and so forth reduces or eliminates my imaginative space. Let me compare it to monopoly for a moment. Never have I played monopoly and fleshed out in my imagination the thimble rolling down boardwalk, checking into a hotel, and spending every dime to its name. So too I think that you can overkill D&D into actually being a boardgame with a lot of rules. And I guess I don't want D&D to be just a boardgame. I still want to see it all happen in my mind's eye. I do appreciate how a board and minis can make the experience easier in some respects. It provides an immediate and easy medium to convey positioning and spacing and some general environmental stuff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)