Geeks in Love: A Joint Blog

RPG 101 - Making a Character pt 1

2010-02-23T10:35:00.002-05:00

ZOMGWTFBBQ? Geeks In Love is back? Yes it is my friends, yes it is. Maybe this time we'll actually score some readership. More importantly, my being out of school and working a crappy part-time job gives me a decent amount of time to do some real writing, and I need to get some practice in if I want to score a decent freelance posting.

Anyway, no point in clamoring on about how awesome it is that we're updating again - lets get right into it. With this update I'm beginning a series of articles on tabletop role-playing games (my nerdery of choice), specifically geared toward newcomers to the hobby, but hopefully with plenty that veterans can take away as well.

An obvious caveat: My philosophies on gaming are my own, and if there is one thing geeks are good at doing, its arguing. This is my opinion, based on ten years experience playing RPG's, and I don't expect anyone is going to agree with me 100%. And that's fantastic - don't take anything as gospel just because someone on the internet said so. See how my advice pans for you if you want, but everyone's situation is going to be different. My only goal is to increase the number of people who contribute to and enjoy my favorite hobby.

A quick google search can easily turn up dozens if not hundreds of web-pages filled with horror stories about terrible players and their terrible characters. Its the nature of the beast unfortunately - our hobby is probably the highest form of escapism, and so it tends to attract certain kinds of people with certain kinds of social awkwardness.

I could write about the TERRIBLE things I've seen people do all day. In fact I might just do an article like that later on, but the truth is that you can find stories like that anywhere. Instead of offering you terrifying examples of what not to be, I'm going to try and offer my advice on what you SHOULD be doing when roleplaying. Starting off with, as the title of the post suggests, making your character.

RULE ZERO and the RULE ZERO COROLLARY

Many people in discussions of RPGs and play philosophy like to bring up Rule Zero. Its frequently and often obnoxiously invoked as an argument ender, as if establishing it renders all other in-game conflicts moot. Even so, it is an important part of nearly everyone's gaming philosophy (unless you're James Raggi), and so will be re-written here:

RULE ZERO of ALL RPGS - Have fun.

Yup, that's it. The most important rule, the only one that follows in every game you will ever play is to have fun. You'd be surprised at how often this gets forgotten or neglected.

That being said, however, here's my corollary to Rule Zero, which I personally think is equally important:

RULE ZERO PLUS - Have fun, but NEVER at the expense of another player's fun.

Why do I add this in to Rule Zero? One of the major draws of role playing games is that they aren't zero sum - that is to say, there are no winners or losers. Generally speaking, the players are all working together to tell a story or achieve a goal, and they aren't trying to "win" against the GM or vice versa. A common issue that arises at the table is when someone plays their character in such a way as to be actively detrimental to the story/party/another character, for whatever reason.

As a GM, I've often encountered players who do this and then when they're called out on it, accuse me or others at the table for "interfering with their fun" or "taking the game to seriously." No. No no no. As much as I'm loathe to use the term badwrongfun, this certainly qualifies. If you want to indulge your sociopath tendencies by tormenting others in a consequence free environment, go fucking play Halo or WoW or something - we don't want to know you.

Character Concept

Having established that baseline principle, lets finally start talking about the focus of this article - actually making your character. The first part of any character creation process is the development of a concept. A concept lays the foundation for the rest of the character, establishing a stable reference point from which you can build your character's story. Its important to have a clear concept - your character will be much more consistent, and as a result be much more playable and better developed.

The character concept is what your character ultimately boils down to. In many cases it defines your character's role and/or archetype, or the aspect of such that is most significant in who the character is. Concept is the least fluid part of a character - its the core definition of WHAT, exactly, you are playing. No matter how ambiguous or homogenized the rest of your character's construction is, if you have a firm concept, it will still be a recognizable influence in the game.

A concept should be fairly simple. If your concept is longer than a sentence, you're probably getting into finer details that are a little ways beyond a basic concept. There's nothing wrong with this - jot those details down, put them in later as part of your backstory or personality, but its important right now to have the baseline, immutable concept clearly defined. As you develop your character they will change, certainly, but those changes are best built off of that foundation. If you drastically alter the foundation after the fact, you're basically making a different character and you may have issues with consistency.

(Which WILL make your character difficult to play and will, I can almost guarantee, relegate them to secondary status a decent chunk of the time. Its just the nature of narrative structure. This isn't 100% of course, good play can make up for it, but its true often enough.)

Some general guidelines for your character concept:

1. It should fit the setting. Goes without saying, but I've encountered enough ninjas in Waterdeep to not assume that everyone knows this.

2. It should fit the mood of the game. This is a tricky one, because there seems to be a huge number of otherwise veteran gamers who don't get that not every campaign is an invitation to explore the humor inherent in a world defined by dice rolls and narrative tropes. No matter what some old-schoolers might say, respect your GM's wishes to explore the roleplaying possibilities of legitimate drama, or horror, or thrilling mystery, and don't make a goofy character if it doesn't suit. And vice versa.

3. It should not infringe upon any other character's concept. Okay, this one is VERY tricky. See, campaigns are often organized very haphazardly, with the GM contacting disparate parties and having them make their character's in advance. This means that everyone tends to make their character without considering what everyone else is doing, and sometimes you have problems with overlap. I personally recommend having every doing character creation together, to avoid this problem.

Why is this important? Simple - whats the point of a redundant character? There isn't one, of course, which results in lack of involvement and hard feelings, usually. Would Harry Potter be any good if both Harry and Ron were orphans raised by muggles, each called to be the chose one to defeat Voldemort? Would Ghostbusters be improved if every character were a brainy scientist? No. A character is far more fun to play when it occupies its own role. Again - its just the nature of narrative.

4. It shouldn't be anything particularly "extraordinary" without the GM's permission.

And as a side note to GM's - you really shouldn't ever give that permission.

Some explanation here - I put the term extraordinary in quotes because of course I mean extraordinary from the perspective of the setting. Also because OBVIOUSLY you're going to be wanting to play extraordinary characters in an absolute sense - this is escapist fantasy we're talking about after all, and role-playing is fun because you get to pretend to be exciting characters. Your character should be unique and interesting and fun in ways that contribute to the overall campaign.

This is where the problem comes in - see, everyone wants their character to be a unique special snowflake, and that's fine. But frequently this drive to be unique causes a player to forget that she's one of four or five main characters in this story, and in order to rise above those poor unoriginal plebs they try to play something...weird. Relatively speaking.

Examples from my experiences include the young woman who, in a World of Darkness campaign, tried to tell me her character was actually a fallen angel, the guy from the same campaign who wanted to be a demon, the dude who wanted to play a SECRET vampire in a Mage campaign, and at least one person in every game of DnD I've ever run who wants to play some kind of half/half/half thingummy (usually for munchkin purposes) or a tressym or a dragonborn warforged totemist or something equally oddball.

This really goes back to the first two rules (fitting the setting and fitting the mood) but its different in that these concepts can still do both of those things and cause problems. Solution - find ways to be unique that aren't attempts to be "more unique" than everyone else.

Development

Now we're getting into the framework that's built off of the conceptual foundation. Don't worry - the hard part's over. Once you have a solid idea, developing it should come naturally.

Think about who your character is, as laid out by your concept. Now, throw in some twists and complications - work with your GM and fellow players to hook these complications in with the campaign background, if possible. Note that these complications don't have to be negative per se. When I say complications, I just mean any deviation from the standard version of whatever archetype you're developing.

Complications could really be anything. Use your imagination, cross-up the standard tropes in unexpected ways. The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself questions about the how and why of your concept, and then take those answers and ask more questions about them. You can find lists of "character development questions" online - those are nice places to get started, but I personally prefer to just let my mind wander and see where it goes.

Once you've come up with a decent chunk of complications, write them all down in a list. This, basically, is the framework for who your character is. (As opposed to the concept, which is WHAT your character is.)

Lets work with an example from concept up to this point:

I'm playing in a game of Dr. Who - Adventures in Time and Space that Caitlin is GMing. She gives me the background - the characters are members of a loosely organized grassroots Earth-defense type collective called NETWORK. Each has encountered some fantastic element of the Whoniverse at some point in their lives, hence why they are in the organization. Typically, each will have some way in which they can contribute to the Earth's defense against alien threats.

I hit on a concept pretty quickly - I'm going to play a technical expert, a gadgeteer electronics whiz. That there is my entire concept to start. No one else wants to play a techie and it certainly fits the setting, so I get the go ahead.

Notably, Dr. Who is generally somewhat silly and humorous, though it can drift into pretty excellent dramatic moments from time to time. I'll keep that in mind as I go.

So, I start asking myself questions about my techie, using the answers to ask more questions and I write everything down. Each answer is a "complication" - a way in which I deviate from just your basic "tech expert."

How old is he? - I'm thinking youngish, like maybe he's a prodigy. Rose was 19 when the 9th Doctor picked her up the first time, so lets go with 19.

Damn, that's young! How did he learn all of these technical skills then? - His grandfather taught him a lot, but he's got an instinctive, Kaylee-esque knack for stuff.

So no school then? - No, he never went to college or anything. Since this is a humorous/zany game I think its safe to go the route of he knows how to make incredibly complicated things work but he doesn't really know the science/technical details of it. Its all instinctive.

His grandfather, huh? Hows the family? - He is like his grandpa, his father is like HIS grandpa, IE the rebel gene skips generations. His father and his great-grandfather are proper businessmen, that is to say painfully boring so far as he's concerned.

So he's a rebel? - You know what, I think he is. I think he's a tattooed punk-rocker whom everybody assumes is an uneducated street thug, until he surprises them with his technical genius. Aggressively indie-rock, with a hate-on for "proper scientists." Doesn't care about making money.

How'd he get into NETWORK? - Well, with his rather...uh...random talent for technology, I'm guessing that he accidentally creates very powerful and unusual devices all the time. One of these could have led him to encountering aliens, or something along those lines.

And there you have it - I have a fairly definitive list of traits that have established my character quite well, I think. I started with "techie," and ended up with Jackson Connolly, wunderkind inventor, mechanic, technician, and punk with a chip on his shoulder.

Once you've made your list, its time to move on to the next two steps - I like to call them the Before and After segments, or the Causes and Effects.

2010-02-15T11:55:00.001-05:00

/Cast Resurrection (Rank 5)

Geeks in Love will be back online shortly. Watch this space!

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The Holy Trinity of RPGs

2009-05-15T12:10:00.002-04:00

When you boil down any RPG to its fundamental components you come up with three things. You can ditch the dice, battlemaps, settings, pencils, books, minis, food, drinks, and, hell, even the table can go the way of the dodo provided you’ve got Characters (a.k.a. players, or sometimes the GM), a GM (a.k.a. DM, Storyteller, or Referee), and a Story (a.k.a. Plot, or Adventure).

Nobody knows this better than me. As I’ve parroted over and over again, I started RPGing from a “No dice; No rules; No prisoners;” mentality. Systems come and systems go, but no matter what the ruleset the Characters, GM and Story are always there. (This is even true for RPG videogames—with the AI taking over the role of GM.)

Let’s break it down, shall we?

CHARACTERS
Much like a novel, all RPGs have characters. Typically there are two familiar types: the PCs and the NPCs. Pick an RPG you’ve played in. Let’s pull an It’s a Wonderful Life and pretend for a moment that the characters didn’t exist. Start with the NPCs. Scrub them all away. The game just got a little blander, didn’t it? The setting is starting to lose some of its flavor. Still, you’ve got the PCs! They can run around and chop up Generic-Monsters all day long! Now scrub them too. They’re characters—that big ol’ “C,” remember?—and the more important ones for that matter.

Suddenly you’re left with the barren desert town of a world filled with nothing except, perhaps, the Generic-Monsters who may just die off of sheer boredom. It would basically be as if God had made the world and then said “You know what? Fuck it.” when it came time to make the fauna. It’s a pretty sandbox, but if there’s no one to play in it, does it really exist?

Point proven, methinks. Moving on—

GM

So, remember when you were a kid and you were playing “cops and robbers” or “knights and dragons” or “heroes and monsters” or some variation thereof and you nailed that one little twerp and said “Got you! You’re dead!” and he said “Nu uh! I dodge it!” and you said “Well you can’t!” and he said “Yes I can!” and you went back and forth for hours until somebody’s mother told you to play something else or you were getting a time out? This problem could have been much more easily solved with your friendly, neighborhood GM.

(Okay, arguably, the random mom could be considered the GM, but she’s not a very good one if she tells you to stop playing the game.)

Yes, a proper set of rules or dice could have settled whether that asshole dodged or not, but if you have a GM, and everyone accepts that when the GM makes a final ruling “That’s that,” it would have been solved without 200 pages (or more) of reading and $5 (again—or more) in polyhedral plastic.

As I’ve heard many times “The GM is God.” That’s not strictly true. The GM is MORE than God. (S)He is organizer, referee, task manager, architect, improvisational actor, and, most importantly, the person who gets the game going in the first place. Without someone plucking up the courage to put themselves in the GM spotlight, there’s isn’t a game. The GM has the hardest job of all people involved in the game—namely deciding how much control to retain for themselves (and risk being that obnoxious “I AM GOD!” GM with the railroad tracks all firmly in place) and how much to relinquish to the players (and how much outrageous crap you’ll let those tricksey little bastards get away with). Personally, I’m in favor of retaining as little power as possible while still getting the “final call/if I make a ruling, you do not argue with it” ability.

As to the vitality of the GM—have you ever played a game where there wasn’t one? And how long, exactly, does a game last when the GM loses interest?

Yeah, exactly.

Now that we’ve covered those pesky “human elements” I bring you to our more ethereal friend—

STORY

Now, imagine you’ve got some Characters and a GM and you’re all sitting around a table. You’ll do scant more than drum your fingers against the wood if you’ve all forgotten to generate some sort of Story. What makes the game interesting? The answers to these questions:

What makes each character unique?

What are the characters’ goals?

What is in opposition to them achieving said goals?

What terrible things will happen if they don’t achieve said goals?

See that? That’s a Story Outline. Without Story you’ve got no reason to be playing an RPG. You might as well crack out your basic, plotless, board game. Now don’t get me wrong, some board games have plots and some board games are hilarious and fun for the lack thereof, but we’re talking fundamental RPG needs here. And that means story.

The interesting thing about Story is while it dictates Character action and is usually brought into existence by the GM, in a proper RPG it doesn’t always STAY that way. The Characters can rewrite a story faster than you can say “Scooby Doo, where are you?” Then the GM has to immediately “write” new story, to which the Characters then react.

A proper Story morphs, changes, and ultimately grows through the influence of the GM and the Characters.

And that, my friends, is what we call A Game.

Even if you only do it once and hate every minute of it, try casting aside the material trappings of your typical RPG for a free-form game. Maybe it’ll never be your cup of tea, but it might give you an interesting new perspective on gaming—and the power of The Holy Trinity of RPGs.

The above is posted at Geeks in Love and Long Island Role Players

Oh My God Its Full of Stars!

2009-05-13T16:33:00.002-04:00

So I'm going to see Star Trek tonight, and I'm very excited, given the ridiculous amount of hype the movie has been receiving. I've never been much of a Star Trek fan, though I always enjoyed TNG when I had the opportunity to watch it. Regardless of what I think of the setting, I already know what this movie is going to kindle in my mind:

I'm going to want to run some form of SF/Futuristic RPG.

Now, most of my gaming group here in Geneseo loves Star Wars, and I'm certain they would be enthusiastic about playing the Star Wars RPG (which I have). The problem that arises here is that, though none of them GM, they are all WAY bigger Star Wars nerds than I am. Which means the first time I get the name of a Jedi lightsaber form wrong or place Kashykk far to close to Coruscant the whole game falls apart.

I still love the flavor of Star Wars though, so what I'm basically thinking is that I'll try to keep the general Star Wars setting, but just change all the content and history to suit my own needs. I think the best way to accomplish this is to set it back in truly ancient history of the universe. I'll probably use the Saga Edition rules set, as its definitely the best of the lot.

What I'm trying to figure out now is a general premise - Should the players all be Jedi? Should I allow Jedi at all? How will Jedi fit into the setting?

I'm leaning towards everyone playing a "Jedi," or at least a "Force Adept" on some level, unless they really don't want to. There's plenty of variation within the concept of Jedi, so the key is to make the organization of them interesting enough that having an entire party of people who are members of said organization be varied enough to make for a good campaign.

ONE HOUR LATER:

Okay, so here are my thoughts thus far -

The galaxy is largely a feudal state, with each system or planet being controlled by independent governments. These states have drastically different cultures and attitudes, and fight amongst each other politically and physically. Culturally somewhere between medieval and renaissance Eurasia, with the Outer Rim thrown in as the "New World."

The Jedi as an order are more mystical than political, warrior-priests who seek to understand the Force and oppose the truly evil. They are politically neutral as an organization (though some of their members might not be - a graduating Knight is not obligated to remain a part of the Jedi Order following, but few return to their previous lives), but will seek to oppose and destroy anything they think will increase suffering and pain. So they do interfere with politics from time to time. Wandering members of the order operate as trouble-shooters and, basically, the galactic Red Cross. In most, but certainly not all, territories, Jedi are treated with deference and respect, and a little fear.

The player characters are all going to start as first-level Jedi, padawans at an Academy in some urban location. I think that I might actually start things off where lightsaber's do not exist, and Jedi fight with cortesis-weave blades. The PC's will be the ones who actually first find the crystals and one of them invents lightsabers, or something like that.

So yeah, further thoughts?

Star Trekkin' Across the Galaxy

2009-05-11T13:59:00.004-04:00

All ye Trekkies, rejoice!

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, fearful that J. J. Abrams would take your beloved franchise and murder it, resurrect it, murder it again, stuff it with sawdust, prop it up on a pole and parade it around in a ridiculous farce, you should breathe a collective sigh of relief. Take it from a girl who knows most of TNG and DS9 by heart—the new Trek is pretty damn awesome. Without giving too much away, here is a summation of why you should go see it—multiple times.

Fear thee not that time travel is a major plot point! I’m very, very picky about my time travel. My standard are super-high when it comes to crossed realities and timestreams. Our dearly departed Heroes (Yes, I am aware that there is going to be a fourth season) started with brilliant time-travel, but it soon lost its luster. After all, one of the big time-travel no-nos is using it ALL the time. In fact, Disney’s Gargoyles was the only show featuring time travel that I felt did it consistently right. Of course, they ascribed to the theory that “If you travel in time, you were ALWAYS supposed to travel in time. You can’t actually change anything” which Star Trek does not. But Trek features a strict one-time event that has forever mussed up what the world might have been—a rather respectable string-theory alternative involving parallel dimensions etc. etc.

For those of you who can quote the series—the series is quoted! Yes, that’s right. Every character at least once spouts one of their classic lines, though arguably it’s the lines that aren’t classic that will become the new classics. Er. Did you follow that there? Oh, and a red shirt does die. Just the one, though.

The acting is pretty damn good. Sure, they aren’t the original actors and in most cases don’t try to be them—but I think that’s what makes the movie special. It’s supposed to be a re-imagining of the series. I would also totally watch a new “Original” trek series with this crew featured. It would be hilarious and awesome. If you have any trepidations about the casting, throw them aside. Once you’re in the theater it ceases to matter.

The best graphics in Star Trek ever? Hell yes. Well done and worth it special effects.

The potential—and desire—to see more. The one thing that “bothered” me about the movie was “Hey! Where are the Klingons? The Trill? The Bajorans? The Cardassians? The Ferengi? In fact, where are any of the alien races I know and love that don’t have pointy ears? And what the hell is that thing Scotty has for a friend/pet?” There’s so much more they can show and expand on. It has me waiting for a sequel—if they do the damn thing right.

A blend of action and humor that will not be soon forgotten. Star Trek was cheesy. Let’s admit it—even the most serious of the series had their moments of ridiculousness. That’s in the movie. Also is more serious emotional pain. Spock, at one point, says “Live Long and Prosper” in a way that should be understood as “Fuck you; please, go stick a phaser up your ass.” There were points where I laughed so hard I nearly peed. Other times, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how Kirk would manage to pull himself up fro yet ANOTHER ledge (he spends a lot of time getting his ass kicked. . .).

Overall, I had a damn good time at the movie. It was also nice to see that the Rodenberrys got their just desserts with a little “In loving memory of” at the end of the credits. Mrs. Roddenberry did do all the lines for the computer in the movie too—she passed away afterwards. Would I pay the $11 to see it again? Yes. That’s a big deal for me. I’m very picky about what movies I spend that $11 on in the first place, and I hardly ever go to see a movie a second time—I’ll wait for it on DvD.

So, if you’re like me and still debating whether or not Wolverine would be worth it—go see Trek instead. That’s the movie which will really kick off the summer movie season as this year’s Iron Man.

The Mini Chronicles-Prologue

2009-05-03T16:06:00.003-04:00

In my opinion, there are different levels of (scary) geekiness. For example:

Video Games: Low

Card Games: (Such as Munchkin and Fluxx) Low

Board Games: Low- High, depending on game. (Catan, Apples to Apples—Low. Starcraft: The Board Game—High.)

MMOs: Medium (or High, depending on game)

Dice-Based RPGs: Medium to High.

TCGs: High

Costumed Vampire LARP: Extremely High

I’ve always fallen into the Medium-High shades. I’ve occasionally strayed into “High,” but now I have to admit, I’m officially in the “High” zone again.

I’ve bought a mini.

Just one, and there’s no way I’ll ever find myself commanding little pewter or plastic armies with point values (Which would officially upgrade my status to “Extremely High” permanently), but it is a mini. It’s a privateer press mini from their Iron Kingdoms Full-Metal Fantasy line (apparently the name of the “character” is Valeria Alvaro) but I’m using her as my Character for a Serenity game.

This is what the character colored their way is supposed to look like.

Personally? I think she could look better.

This is what I have to work with:

Paintbrushes and I have always had an unsteady (literally) relationship. I’m also VERY picky about my art. So whatever possessed me to think this would be fun?

Here starts: The Mini Chronicles.

It's a Bad Time. . .

2009-04-30T12:25:00.003-04:00

It’s a bad time to be a pig in Egypt. If you’re of a porcine persuasion you’d best curly-tail it outta there—you’re not even going to make it to the frying pan if you stick around.

Speaking of unfairly persecuted minority groups. . .

It’s a bad time to be a fan of the X-Men.

Tomorrow we shall be subjected to Wolverine: Origins and all I have to say is “What, another Logan-Centric movie? You’re already retconning the Movie-Verse by making him already know Cyke? How many mutants are you butchering now character-wise? Do you HONESTLY think Emma Frost would be caught dead with that hairdo?”

One thing I should establish: I like Hugh Jackman. Not because he’s a VERY good looking man, but because he’s a damn fine actor. In fact, his Wolverine is probably the only Logan/James Howlett I can stand for more than five minutes at a time because he can ACT. Still, after the first three X-Men movies—please, don’t get me started on why I think they did a terrible job with the third one (despite the fact that I still found it entertaining)—I’m really, REALLY tired of watching him hack-and-slash his way through everything. It’s like being in one of “those” D&D games where nobody’s interested in the “RP” in “RPG.” The guy looks at you funny, you kill him. “I’m the best at what I do. . .” which is slaughter. I’m sorry, I like my comic books with deeper characters AND action. (If you want a wolfish protagonist, read Fables!)

Honestly, I have no desire to see this movie. I’m not going to purposely not see it, but I’m not going out of my way to make elaborate plans to be there opening night. Part of me wants to go just so I can see how Gambit turns out. I always liked him. However, I always like Rogue—until I met movie Rogue.

I blame a great deal of this on Fox. Fox needs to realize that it is a Corporation not a Creative Genius. In fact, it’s not even close. With all the boneheaded decisions in made in regards to things like Joss Whedon’s work, and the third X-Men movie, they should have figured out by now that they really have no clue what they’re doing. Sure, they’re making money, but if they would allow for a BETTER PRODUCT they would make—novel idea coming!—MORE MONEY.

Then again, nothing pisses me off more that creative types continually bowing down and letting these assholes step all over them. Yeah, Joss, I’m talking to you! By now you should have the balls to insist on a clause in your contract where Fox can’t screw you left and right creatively. You’ve got a cult following and lots of money. You don’t need a huge paycheck, and you ARE a huge draw for any studio that wants you. Is any of this getting through?

Anyway, back on Fox. . .

The most telling example of Fox being a really terrible company creatively speaking is the fantastic difference between Spiderman 1-3, X-men 1-3, and The Hulk versus Iron Man and the re-vamped Hulk. I’ve only heard terrible things about the first Hulk movie, and tentatively happy things about the second one (which is the only one I wanted to and did see). Iron Man was amazing. First off, virtually EVERYONE hated Iron Man after the Civil War comic book storyline. Then they bring out this move. I was not a fan of Stark, at all, really, and at that point I’d drifted away from the comics. That move—done strictly by Marvel Studios, no Fox allowed—was brilliant. Stunning. AWESOME. I like movie Tony in that “He’s a charming asshole” sort of way.

Wolverine: Origins is being done by Fox. As are all X-Men and Spiderman movies until further notice.

You see why I have my doubts. After the fiasco that was X-Men 3, and Spiderman 3 (which was good, but not as good as the first two), I’m very skeptical about this one. It looks like a lot of Logan killing people left and right until, finally, they have to roll end credits because they couldn’t pay any more extras. The previews have not held my interest. That alone tells me something.

Maybe I’ll be totally wrong and this will be THE BESTEST X-MANS MOVIE EVAH, but I’ll stick with my intuition for now. It hardly ever steers me wrong—especially when it comes to movies.

RPGs are Cruel Mistresses

2009-04-17T11:38:00.001-04:00

Hi, my name is Caitlin, and I’m an RP addict.

*Pause for inevitable “Hi Caitlin,” response.*

It has occurred to me recently that in terms of gaming, I am a desperate woman trying to get a fix. I love characters and stories and RPing is a natural way to play a character and create a story. Over the years I’ve participated in no less than 9 PbP games (Seven of which have been X-Men based; currently I’m only participating in a BTVS and a Serenity game) which is REALLY how I got my start RPing. I LIKE PbP because you don’t have a set chunk of hours in which you have to play. I HATE PbP because, lord almighty, some people can’t post for their lives. Or post at a snails pace.

Now, the reaction you might have to this is “So. . .play in more PbPs!”

Easy to say, but PbPs die faster than your typical one-shot RPG game where copious amounts of alcohol is being consumed. Finding one with some standards of quality is a struggle in and of itself. Finding one that’s active is the next step. Finding one with players over the (mental or physical) age of 12? That’s the biggest pain of all.

Also, while PbP boards have their quiet moments, they inevitably slip back into complete and utter chaos where EVERYONE starts posting and VIOLA! The next time you look you have a novella’s worth of backstory to plough through. Then, if the stars align (and they always do, just to screw with you) all your boards do that at the same time . Then, suddenly you've become that guy. The person holding everything up. That person you’re the one typically bitching about. The guy who hasn't posted.

“Well, crap,” you might say.

Exactly.

PbPs have a delicate balance between life and death... and most of them straddle the “death” line on a daily basis. Even The Buffy PbP I’m in with people I know in REAL LIFE is a pain in the ass. It either needs more players or needs a certain player to figure out if he wants to commit to the game or if his character should become a permanent NPC. One post, once a week, of a paragraph or more. Is that REALLY so much to ask of PbP players?

Apparently.

So, as my two PbP boards have hit downtime I’ve found myself without a quick and easy RPG fix. Not all my friends are gamers, so I can’t just round up some folks and say “OK, who’s running a session tonight?” I do like to spend time with them, though, so I like to keep my weekend evening s open-- the time when most of the gamers I know game. Weeknights are right out of the RPG schedule becasue of work. And so far I’ve been struggling with the fact that the last several tables I sat down at people weren’t focused on the GAME so much as socializing.

I’ve been accused of being an “Intense” player on more than one occasion. But I come from a no-dice-no-rules-yet-still-somewhat-competitive gaming background. When I first RP’d with live people all we had was our character’s backgrounds (which we didn’t make ourselves! We were being judged on how well we could stay in character!) and you had to build on that. When I play a game I want to be in character 90-99% of the time. Gaming is a form of escapism, right? So when I game why would I want to be myself? There’s plenty of time for that AFTER the game when all the players yuk it up about how nuts the session was.

This is what I’ve been missing. I only get my fix of character-intensive gaming once, maybe twice a year. The last time was last August. It also pains me to note that I’ve never participate in a RPG campaign that has lasted more than two sessions. If you’re still wondering why I’m an addict and need a fix, you must not read English.

I’ll admit, I’m somewhat picky about what I want to play—but that’s mostly because I want it to be something I have the book for. Maybe I need to loosen up about this some, but there are other factors. I’m not a big fan of Lovecraftian Horror (see ya, ‘Thulu!), and I’m not so hot on most franchises that seem to have been turned into really popular games, aka Star Trek/Wars. I love Trek ( TNG and DS9 at least), but don’t feel like gaming it, and Wars. . . I “eh” that universe. Fun enough in movies, but it never really “did” anything for me. No inspiration. Firefly is the one franchise I desperately want to play in. I’ve had an awesome character idea banging around in my head for a while and while I do play in a Serenity PbP, I’d much rather play her ‘round a table.

Most recently I played a character called “Cassidy Wren” in a game of Sundered Skies and I had a great deal of fun. . . except we never finished the story.

Before that I played my Acanthus Mage, Aenaiyah, in a game of Mage: The Awakening. We never finished that story either.

Before that I played in a BESM demo where half the players were focused, the other half not so much. Also, I didn’t quite understand the game until we were almost finished :/

You see where I’m going with this now?

When I run Changeling this weekend, and am exceptionally brutal my players, they will have to forgive me. You see, if I have my own character to play I torture them. When I don’t have my own characters. . . other characters appear in my scope.

See you on Sunday, my little scapego-- players.

The Year of the Ox? No sir, it’s the Year of the MOVIE.

2009-01-05T23:07:00.002-05:00

2009, where have you BEEN all my life? Why would you take so long to get here? I was born in the year of the Ox, and, therefore, you are my kindred spirit!

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in an increasingly graphic age. If you don’t believe me, look at the growth of the graphic novel sections in your bookstores. In 1998-1999, it was a mere half a shelf of Manga wedged in the middle of the sci-fi and fantasy section. In 2008-2009 not only does Manga have its own section of shelves—which are normally quite well populated—but graphic novels in general are making a much larger splash.

And so too, is animation. Though there isn’t nearly enough traditional animation done nowadays in the American markets (I sadly have to rely solely on anime to get a traditional animation fix, especially since Avatar: The Last Airbender is over) some of the computer animated stuff is making me drool. Which brings me to the title thesis of this blog post: THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE MOVIE.

I’ve already mentioned Monsters Vs. Aliens which, if it won’t be the next Wall*E looks like a ton of fun. Or at least a few silly “B Movie” type laughs.

There’s the Watchmen—with a new trailer out now, though I must admit, I like the teaser with the warped Smasing Pumpkins song a little better—mostly because of the song. A pity it won’t be Iin the movie. If you’ve ever read the Wikipedia article on this film, you might have trepidations, especially regarding he script, but overall I think they’re going to be faithful to the graphic novel. I’m set on seeing it, possibly on an Imax screen if I can swing it.

Another dark movie I’m extremely excited about is 9. There’s no proper site up for the film as of this post, but the truly awesome teaser trailer is below:

For a few brief moment I thought this thing was a video game. Don’t the first few minutes of the trailer look like the preview of a combat system? For anyone wondering, the song in the trailer is “Welcome Home” by Coheed and Cambria. Very, very epic and yes, on iTunes. If you search Youtube you can find the original 10-11 minute film the movie is going to be based off of. I don’t know if that contains any direct spoilers, but you can correlate some of he action in the full movie trailer to that in the original short, and glean a few things.

Also, I was pretty surprised to see that one of the first Animes ever is going to make a debut as a computer animated flick—Astro Boy!

Now I don’t know this for sure, but I heard they never aired the final episode of Astro Boy in it’s original run in the US because a main character died. Nowadays that’s no biggie in any show, but back then they thought it would disturb the children watching the animation too much. That show, like most older animes, must have been chopped and dubbed so much it lost much of its original meaning. . . I hate it when people chop or change art.

Finally, I’m tickled pink (yes, I just said that) to see that there’s a stop-motion animation movie on the list of things to see this year—Coraline, made by the studio that produced The Nightmare Before Christmas and based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Trust me whan I say it is totally worth looking all over the official website. The “making of” videos are awesome.

I hope that they keep the movie as dark as the book appears to be (I’m going to read it really soon) but so far I’m just drooling over how pretty it looks. Yes, I’m a graphic addict.

The whole of this blog post indicates to me that I’m going to be very poor for most of the time—movies around here are $10-$11 a pop, and you never just “see a movie.” You have to have dinner and drinks with buddies before or after, otherwise it loses some of its charm. Seriously. Charm goes right out the window.

Anyway, I’m really, really excited about the movies coming out this year. I’ve got good feelings about all of them and 90% of the time my instincts are right on the money.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-03T17:16:00.002-05:00

This is probably the best holiday commercial I've ever seen. The song has been stuck in my head for days, and the scene is just so reminiscent of some of my families get-togethers that I actually started tearing up at one point

Anyway, got a couple of quick things here for y'all. Nanowrimo is done, Cait did good (see her tag thing, I never bothered updating mine) and I did horribly, so I'm going to try again for the month of December. I'll try to update my wordcount somewhere readable. If anyone is interested in taking a look at my work, let me know.

I know I don't update that much anyway, but I probably won't be posting for awhile here. I'm severely lacking in a job, and I need money badly. Odds are I'm going to have to give up my personal computer, at least temporarily. Not really sure whats going to happen. If anyone knows any way I could get work writing without a degree, let me know. Otherwise I'm gonna have to keep sending apps to Wal-Mart, blech.

In any case, if I don't say so before, Happy Holidays and God bless.

RPG Talk- Unknown Armies 2e

2008-11-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be totally honest with you on this one - I absolutely love Unknown Armies. There's really very little point in me "reviewing it" so to speak, because my opinions on whether or not its worth buying and/or playing are dogmatic and repetitive. So I'll get that out of the way early on - Unknown Armies is one of, if not the, best tabletop RPG's I've ever played.

Modern occult-based fantasy/horror is one of the staples of contemporary geek-dom, of course, and is currently dominated by White Wolf Game's World of Darkness line. Now don't get me wrong - I like WoD. I tend to prefer the elements of it that are a bit more unique to White Wolf, ie Mage and Changeling, but I find the games entertaining in a general sense, if a tad cliche and not quite mature enough. Caitlin loves White Wolf, so I have to be nice ^_^.

But Unknown Armies takes a much grittier approach to the modern occult by making it, well, significantly more realistic, and significantly more tied to the actual real world occult subcultures. Try to imagine Quentin Tarantino directing a film version of Call of Cthulhu. For one thing, it is made clear by everything Atlas Games puts out regarding the setting that there are no monsters. There are things lurking in the shadows, to be certain, and there is evil and darkness all around, but the important thing to remember is that every bit of it, the perfect good and the incontrovertibly bad are all derived from humankind itself.

And that's the most significant aspect of the game's thematic essence - its very obviously built around humanist philosophies, and a lot of what games are about is that humankind are creatures of limitless potential, for good or ill. They can gain power, but the power they gain is largely dependent on the will of other humans, or on a unique understanding of their own humanity.

The setting of the game is known simply as the occult underground - its the loose network of all of the organizations (cabals) and individuals (dukes) who operate on this deeper level of conscious understanding. There isn't really a cohesive "setting," so to speak, so much as a general idea of this world that exists outside of a "normal" human's comprehension. A world of greater general cosmic awareness.

Magic does occur, of two kinds. The first, adept magic, is only doable by individuals who have managed to align themselves with a particularly idiosyncratic worldview which they truly believe is the basis for true understanding, and which enables them to "shortcut" through the space between their will and the reality of the universe. This is divided into schools based on the particular obsessions that seem to work: Dipsomancy, for example, is magic that is worked by getting drunk - the idea being that by inhibiting your consciousness with alcohol, you can awaken your subconscious and "cheat" reality that way.

Avatar magic, the second kind, is very different. This is a more intuitive form of messing with reality that involves channeling "archetypes," which are more or less the "gods" of post-modernist philosophies. The idea here is that humanity, as a whole, has a conscious awareness of particular "roles" that each of them may play at any given time, and that if enough of humanity recognizes these roles as significant, they become known as an archetype, and the person who most accurately "plays" that role, in the whole of the world, "ascends" as the essence of that role - they become the literal archetype that all others emulating them hearken back too. These archetypes include such things as The Messenger, The Merchant, The One True King, The Demagogue, The Flying Woman, and others. Some of them are as old as time, while others are very new and modern. The way Avatars work is also tied in with the overall cosmic themes of the UA setting, but I won't discuss them here, too spoilerific.

I highly recommend playing this game, if you get the opportunity, and if you do, to check out the unofficial site maintained by one of the games creators at

http://ua.johntynes.com

Monsters Vs. Aliens

2008-11-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

NaNoWriMo count: 22,762 words.

So, this is probably the first time I’m going to champion a movie before I’ve seen it. Or before most people have seen the trailer. But that’s mostly where this feeling of love comes from—the trailer.

I’m not a fan of horror movies, especially the cheesy “B Movie” part of the genre. I saw Army of Darkness and wanted to gouge my eyes out. On the other hand, I loved Sean of the Dead. It’s strange for me to say that this upcoming movie Monsters vs Aliens looks like a computer animated B monster movie/Aliens try to take over the earth.

I really, really think this is gonna be a hit. If not a hit right away, then a sleeper hit, at least.

My favorite interchange so far--

“What do people scream when they see you coming? You know-- Look out! Here comes—”

“Susan.”

“—SooOoosan. . . Oh, I just scared myself.”

(It’s so much better on the trailer. Watch it.)

I really have a good feeling about this one.

NaNoWriMo (Or) “Oh god, what happened to October?”

2008-11-07T10:40:00.001-05:00

Last month was non-stop. Seriously. If you looked the phrase “Non-Stop” up, it would say “See Caitlin’s plans for October 2008.” Vacation. Doctors appointments. A Wedding. Running RPGs. Playing in RPGs. Halloween. Work up to my eyeballs. Non-freaking-stop. Hence, the serious lack of anything resembling a recommendation last month. I apologize. So does the fried stump that used to be my brain.

My evenings have been fairly filled this month with NaNoWriMo. I am FORCING myself to participate. It’s about damn time I got a novel written, even if it’s unpolished and completely terrible. As the NaNoWriMo people say “December is for editing.” Personally I think I would have chosen to NOT write it in the first person if I knew how frustrated I’d be getting with it. I’m having a hard time fleshing out the environment while I’m stuck in my character’s head. Also, I need to speed the plot up. It’s a bit too “talky” and not enough “do-y.” Again, if I actually pound the thing out, I can rewrite it later. So that’s the goal. The immediate goal is 15,000 words by the end of the weekend. More it I can manage it.

I GMd my “first” official changeling session (though I just ran a pre-gen game that had no impact on the campaign, but the characters were made by the players this time. However, I’ve already had to suffer through the “Jesus, why are you playing in my game?” moment that every GM dreads. This particular fellow, who shall remain nameless (though anyone who was there will know who he was) didn’t seem to understand that the White Wolf STORYTELLING system is NOT a hack-and-slash system. There’s only one type of dice- D10s- for a reason. That reason? Because if you role-play well enough YOU DON’T NEED THEM. This fellow made an idiot drunken bruiser who it will now be my goal to ki-- re-educate. If you insult the NPCs with the guards and the powers and the ability to banish you and be backed up by the entire changeling population of the city for doing so, it’s not going to turn out well.

Also, when it was detailed that there was a “Group A” and a “Group B” which will not be crossing over, and “Group A” consists of people who are NOT YOU, but Group B includes you—why the hell would you ask to join in a Group A session when the session is LIMITED TO GROUP A MEMBERS? Not to mention that the session is FULL. Because all the members of Group A will be there.

This is a case of “Please kid, learn some social skills!”

On the other hand, this is clearly a kid who has few friends, if any, and because of that doesn’t know how to take a hint when the hint is nearly branded into his skull. On one hand, I feel bad for him. Actually, I feel bad for him up until the point when he’s in the room with me trying to engage me in a conversation I do not want to have. He needs a D&D group or to go play WoW. This is a Role-Player’s game, not a dice-roller’s. He effectively frustrated everyone that was with him. Honestly, I ant to ditch all of Group B, except for one player. The other two boys (four people in the group total) are okay, but they give me the “Power-gamers” feel. I don’t like power-gamers. That’s not a very White Wolf way to play.

In the meantime, I have to force myself to keep my mouth shut. I want to make suggestions to my players when they’re stuck in a rut, but I think I’ll try and limit that to dire boredom situations or directly asked questions of “what can I do?” The real question should be “What *can’t* I do?” because the system is so open, but that’s another story.

Also, Running GaGG is Rapidly Approaching.

RETURNZORZ FTW

2008-11-01T14:31:00.003-04:00

I is back!!!

Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I suck. But I can't let Caitlin keep this thing going on her own. The geeks don't look very much in love if thats the case, now do they?

So a couple quick updates from me:

1. Nanowrimo starts TODAY! Bust out your laptops and start the verbal diarrhea, cuz you only have 30 days to put down 50,000 words. My working title - Roland Walters and the SEEDS OF CHAOS!!!

2. I'm officially (temporarily) no longer a student at Geneseo, so that frees up a bunch of time for me to start cranking out script work for my long-planned graphic novel (illustrated by Caitlin and my father), tentatively titled Smoke. At some point I'm going to start a writing blog for the exclusive purpose of posting updates on my personal writing projects.

3. I have like three half-posts written about this, but DnD 4th Edition ROCKS. More on that later, but any 4E haters out there can shut up. I've played it, and there's nothing 3.5 could do that this can't do, and better.

4. Annual re-reading of the Song of Ice and Fire is underway. Updates related to this coming soon.

5. Twilight sucks. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

6. No really, it has to be one of the worst things I've ever read, never mind the crappy interpretation of vampires. More like Waaaaaaah!mpires, heh heh heh. I'm hilarious.

7. Look, I'm totally not kidding here. Its shit. Skip it.

Mana

2008-10-22T09:45:00.000-04:00

http://www.manapotions.com/about.html

(Yes, that is my entire post. Because I need one RIGHT NOW.)

Together Again!

2008-10-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

Today I will be seeing Ryan for the first time sine he surprise-raided my birthday party back in August. And I'm extremely excited.

I will hopefully be working on updating the "Recommendation of the Month" soon. . . I just can't think of what to recommend.

Oh, and EVERYONE should have a Local RPing Meetup Group and a gaming store quite as awesome as Ravenbood games. The website may be pretty basic but the store- the store is the single best gaming store I've ever been in.

For one thing the owner, Pete, is a gamer himself and runs demos. For another the RPLI also frequents the store and runs demos. It's set up like a gaming art gallery, and if it isn't in the store, Pete will special order it for you. Plus there are discounts. You get better discounts depending on how much you've spent there.

The best thing, however, is the two room in the back with windows looking out into the shop that can be used for gaming. I mean, your own private place. I don't think there's ever been such a good setup in a store I've been it. Its great. Good environment, great people. I may finally get this Changeling game off the round. Huzzah!

I KNEW IT

2008-09-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

Disney Lab Unveils Its Latest Line Of Genetically Engineered Child Stars

'Nuff Said.

Role-Players of Long Island

2008-09-15T18:43:00.005-04:00

I have found my people!!

View my page onRole Players of Long Island

Yes, in a desperate attempt to "Google My Way To Gaming," I finally, finally discovered my own little Mecca, complete with fellow worshippers. Awesome. Personally? I think every decent sized area should have a group like this. RPers, unite! Hey, if we could control the LARPers, we could quite possibly take over the world. Their attempts to cast spells will confuse someone into surrendering.

It's good to be feeling good again. My Funk was quite vicious and had its teeth in me for a while. But now I'm back, and very excited to be potentially playing in a weekly game. Other fun news: I will be going to an intro to Publishing seminar all day on Wed. and then proceeding to a publishing Happy-Hour afterwards. Which reminds me I have to tell my buddies in the online heavily chat based play (which I dislike) Buffy-based RPG that I will be unavailable to chat. Well, I can tell them pretty much what my character would be doing anyway. It's probably going to be a very chatty session and my character really isn't fitting into the particular chats lately.

Anyway, I'm going to be learning a system called "Aces and Eights" which is apparently Ye Olde Wylde Wylde West" setting. My immediate reaction is "Now, Caitlin, don't start shouting GORRAM REAVERS! every time something goes wrong" They didn't have Firefly-Class spaceships in the dustbowl states.

I'll let you know if things work out. October 4th is when I'll probably be meeting people, it should be a good time.

Anyway, I have laundry to fold. 'Til next time!

Funk.

2008-08-29T16:46:00.003-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So, I'm in a funk.

You know when you suffer from a severe funk- everything you usually like doing is boring to you after five minutes, and you feel like a waste of space? Yeah. That's where I am.

I'm involved in an online RPG a friend of mine is running that I'm only half-sure I want to be in. Most of my problems with it is the fact that he's just not running it WELL in my opinion. Boil my argument down and it comes to "I hate play-by-chat" games, I prefer, you know, real life games or play-by-post.

I'm thinking of going back to school for a creative writing MFA, which I would have to do part time. Even part time, however, will take up a LOT of time if I stay at home where I don't have to pay rent. I always planned on moving out in about a year but not only has it become a primary concern in terms of school, it's also a primary concern because I need to NOT be living with my parents anymore. The "House Rules" are way too oppressive for A) An adult, and B) The child who NEVER gave my mother any problems. I could go on about that for days, though, so I'm going to leave that there.

I REALLY want a gaming group. I need to meet more people with like interests. Or get my potential writers' group off the ground. Right now, however, I'm feeling extremely tired and lethargic and, as I said, in a funk, so I don't want to do much of anything.

Which is basically my way of saying "This Blog has been slower than usual and here's why" but, let's be frank, I've only known three people to read this, and two of them write on it. So if this becomes a bit of a side project, you know why.

Anyway, does anyone know a decent way to de-funkify myself?

Exhaustion

2008-08-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I apologize for the long time without a post, but we’ve been busy. From moving offices at work to having a glorious week off with Ryan to trying to participate in a new RPG with people I know IRL via the internet to trying to set up my own RPG board (to play CtL in a similar way) I’m pooped. Tuckered out. EXHAUSTED.

So while this is a bit of a short, uninteresting post, I will try and leave you with a question to think about:

What are the best and worst practices of GMs (Game masters, in any way shape or form) you’ve played with/under?

Endings

2008-07-20T18:15:00.005-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

Being a book lover has given me a love of stories whether they be on paper, film, or told out loud by profesional storytellers like Heather Forrest or Diane Ferlatte. I have always personally thought that one of the most important parts of a story is character development, which perhaps is part of the reason I love RPGs which are character focused- White Wolf in particular if it's run properly. However, recently I've been sucker-punched in the gut by the ending of a story, and I thought it might be interesting to discuss.

Short Stories, in particular, seem to be plagued by unhappy, melancholy, tragic, or just plain horrific endings. Aside from the morality tales where you are rewarded for good behavior and punished for the bad, I'd guess about 90-95% of all short stories end "unhappily." What I don't understand is: why?

Take, for instance, the ending that really sucker-punched me: Part Three of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog. It was a project by Joss Whedon during the writer's strike. Parts one and two are lighthearted and funny and then there's part three. Part Three is suddenly super-tragedy nobody-in-the-world-is-happy life-sucks let's-all-bury-our-emotions-and-die-on-the-inside.

WTF?

Sure, I understand that there were indications that Dr. Horrible was turning Evil-er, but really, there were so many things I found wrong with this. I'm not going to spoil anything for those who haven't seen but I just think the way the character was written 1) He wouldn't have waited to act against Capt. Hammer, who was nailing Penny, pun fully intended, and 2) He should have been given a real chance to, oh, I dunno, not choose a violent path, which the character was predisposed towards (didn't want to fight in a park with children in it, never made any death rays, really wanted to change the world for the better. . . ).

Maybe this is me being a hopeless romantic, but I feel like the story turned from this farce into this really dark failure-of-true-love story. Maybe even failure-of-goodness, because, frankly, I think Dr. Horrible was pretty good-hearted.

Now, to be fair, I will just have to accept that's how Joss wanted to end it. I'm not going to try and write some sort of "True" ending to Dr. Horrible because it's what I wanted to happen. Joss wrote it, so he gets to end it. Due to circumstances that I'd rather not get into I've been lately really thrown off by any unhappy sort of ending (or beginning) to a story. Do I wish it had ended another way? Yes. Do I still LOVE parts 1 & 2? Yes. I'll live.

So why do so many people get so super-permanently bent out of shape when it comes to endings? Let's take for example the ending of a certain seven-book series about a certain boy wizard. I've heard a lot of people were pissed off by it. Why? What was so wrong with it? I suppose it's all the shippers that really have the issues. I personally found the ending to be really poetic and charming.

Can you only teach a lesson with a sad ending? Are happy endings just too unrealistic? Can you have an ending that is a little of both, happy for some but not for all? What makes a good ending? And who gets to choose? In the end(ing) does it not really matter because it's the story along the way that's made us laugh, cry and learn? After all, we as humans all share a very similar ending. It's the stories that get to pick and choose.

A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far Far Away

2008-07-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

So Star Wars.

I watched the three originals this week, kind of a vague attempt to reconnect with my geeky roots. Star Wars is an essential part of any nerd's repertoire, even if we don't all obsess over it, dress up like Stormtroopers, or rant on about how horrible the prequels were (they weren't). Even those of us (like myself) who firmly believe that better things have been made since Star Wars (Firefly springs immediately to mind), can't deny the influence that these films had on multiple generations of fanboys and girls, not to mention the sheer movie magic that sucks you in like very little else.

One of the reasons I decided to watch the movies again was because I started to notice how many quotes from Star Wars had crept into my everyday conversation, as idiomatic as their use might be. I realized that the dialogue really was the heart of what really gave Star Wars its power, and along with excellent acting allowed the creation of what have since become some of the most memorable characters ever to be put on screen.

To that end, I want to sponsor a discussion on what we think are the Top 10 most incredible, nerd-culture-defining, and significant quotes from the original three films (that is - A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). If you haven't seen the movies, go, now, see them, before the Geek Gods smite you clean off the planet. If you can't get access to them, give me a call. I have all three, and so long as you don't live too far away from me, I can lend them to you.

So go ahead, list your top 10, or five, or one, and talk about why you think its so incredible. We'll reconvene to establish the Top 10 in a few days.

Here's a few of mine, not in any real order just yet -

Darth Vader: "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Darth Vader: "Luke, I am your father."

Luke: "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you."

"May the Force be with you."

Yoda: "Oh, great warrior hmmmm? Wars not make one great.

Obi-Wan: That is no moon.

There are dozen's more perfect classics out there...so what do you think? I'll post up some more in a day or two and offer some discussion on why I think certain ones are the best. In the mean time, post your own and tell me why it should be on the top 10 list.

-Ryan out.

It's Not Easy Being Game (Part 2: A Lady's PoV)

2008-07-08T17:20:00.002-04:00

Caitlin Speaks Some More:

Since the word “Gamer” already has so many nasty associations with it- as seen (but not limited to those presented) in my last post- when the words “Oh yeah, I’m a gamer,” come out of my mouth the looks I get vary from “Uh, what?” to “You’re crazy!” Also, I get the “No, you can’t be” look a lot as I don’t fit the stereotypes at all being, female, slim, professional, and though I am living at home right now, I don’t plan on staying there for more than another year. Also, if I don’t have a shower in the morning, I can’t start my day. The only days you’d ever not see me showering first thing in the morning is if A) it is monsoon level rain outside and I’m not going to get out of pajamas all day anyway, B) I’m going to be doing some sort of messy yard work and will shower afterwards, or C) I am ill, and am therefore going to be in pajamas and/or bed all day anyway. Ryan and I actually had issues about sleeping arrangements for last January’s Running GaGG Con because I stubbornly insisted on being able to shower in the morning. Ryan is also hygienic, but as he was probably going to be overnight at the con anyway (he was planning on running a game that started at midnight), he was going to shower later in the day. I can’t do night showers. I just can’t.

It’s hard to find gamers if you don’t already know some in the area. NYC doesn’t really have a gaming con that involved RPGs so much. Plus, there are complications as a female gamer that male gamers don’t have to deal with. They’re called male gamers.

There are, obviously, gaming shops in NYC. I want to visit them. I am also painfully aware that I’m a woman in her early twenties who has never taken a self-defense course in her life. A woman who walks into a comic shop is a pretty rare site. A woman who walks into a gaming shop and can actually hold her own in a discussion about what game mechanics she prefers is a creature not unlike a goddess. I kid you not, I was hanging out with my friend Evan and meeting some of his buddies for the first time when we were trying to figure out something to do to kill time (I believe it was New Years Eve, or something like that. In any case, we were waiting for something/someone). When Evan suggested we play Soul Calibur II and I burst out with “Awesome!” His buddy Cook game me a “what kind of creature is this?” look, to which Evan responded something like “It's cool. She's game,” to which Cook responded “Really? That’s cool!” I will never forget that moment. Especially since I held my own and kicked their butts pretty good in several rounds.

Anyway, the point being that male gamers when presented with an attractive female that understands and *gasp!* enjoys their hobbies swarm around her like bugs swarm around the back porch light. Since I am, to my dismay sometimes, a nice person, there are times where my enthusiasm for a game might get misinterpreted as flirting. While I like to drop “My boyfriend, Ryan, likes XXX and XXX” lines frequently to ward off any potential advances, there are folks who will not get the point. Or don't WANT to get the point. Knowing all this, I am terrified of walking into one of the three NYC gaming shops I have hunted down addresses for on my lonesome. I also do not want to necessarily drag one of my guy friends along. I had an awkward experience with one guy friend who I do not see anymore who knew full well about my relationship with Ryan. It could be construed as me “overreacting” (all he did was touch my foot with his hand- I was wearing sandals at the time) but I know him too well. He’s had a thing for me since high school. Better to leave that one alone. Anyway, in terms of my current guy friends, I really don’t want anyone getting the impression that just because my boyfriend is far, far away that means I’m willing to date on the side. Sorry. That’s not happening. I don’t think any of the guys I hang out with think that way, but still, inviting one of them to join me in a gaming expedition might be thought of as a “date.” I don’t want to deal with that.

So it’s problematic, to say the least. I doubt that male gamers find themselves in these situations very often.

When it comes right down to it I’m just going to have to find a group of gamers who share my interests but hopefully are a mixed group of male and female so I won’t be singled out. I suppose therein lies the true problems for all gamers- finding people to game with who don’t make you feel awkward.

For those of you reading may all your dice roll natural twenties often. Me? I’m just hoping for a group and maybe a “0” or two on my D10s.

It's Not Easy Being Game (Part One: Stereotypes)

2008-06-27T09:32:00.002-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So, I totally ripped off a guru of good sense for the title. For those of you who don't think a muppet can be wise, I'd like to point out that everyone's favorite short green Jedi was a muppet. Jim Henson is one of my heroes.

Anyway, the statement I'd like to make here is sometimes it's not easy being a gamer or geek. Especially a female one- but more about that in part two. This is probably a good thread to share with those people who may not "get" gamers, or give you funny looks as soon as you mention playing RPGs (or any other type of game). In this post I would like to delve into some of the stereotypes that scare the hell out of other, non-gamer people, and why every gamer should make an effort to not be "that guy" (or "that girl") who personifies these unsavory characteristics.

Sadly, a lot of people associate images like the ones above with gamers. Personally I laughed my ass off at the South Park episode based on World of Warcraft. At the same time there was a lot of things that made me cringe. In order to become "game enough" to beat the guy in the above picture Stan, Cartman, Kenny and Kyle become fat, unhealthy, disgusting blobs who sit at their computers all day and night. Which brings us to stereotype #1.

The Fat, Unhygienic Social Misfit in the Basement:

I know a loooooot of geeks. Whether they game RPGs, Video games, love computers, or like a lot of manga or anime, I'd say the balance of overweight people to average weight people is pretty much the same as the normal populace. In the disgustingly-overweight-waddling category I've known maybe three to five people that fit that description. And, to be fair, some of them are socially awkward. Really, though, any overweight person has had to suffer a hell of a lot of torment because, let's face it, kids are mean little bastards (I believe the "Lord of the Flies" Theory- stick a bunch of kids on an island and they'll kill each other). When you've been made fun of your whole life, yes, you're going to have some issues. Same goes for any kid who was picked on. That doesn't mean you can't overcome it.

Gamers (with perhaps the exception of video gamers) need to interact with other people otherwise how, in god's name, do you play a game? A good tabletop RPG needs at LEAST three people to play it (one GM and two players) and to play properly you really need at least six (again one GM, the rest players). Now while you can argue that means they have a small click-y group of friends but, honestly, if you don't have a small click of people you get along with better than most then you're lying to yourself. Everyone is part of a click. Even the un-clickable, as that is a click in and of itself. Humans are social creatures. Those who aren't are either deeply spiritual people who commune solely with nature or deranged psychotics.

As for the basement thing, usually you have a lot more room to spread out with friends down there. People who've never picked up a D20 in their life have had friends come over to hang in the basement. It's usually a hub of interaction, especially if said basement is finished. You can also find RPG players in common rooms in colleges, the back of gaming stores, or kitchen tables. . . basically anywhere you can roll a dice and spread out the books and papers.

As for unhygienic. . .well, even I have to admit that the number of gamers that have a funky order is higher than the normal population. However, let's break this down (and please forgive me for any "politically incorrect" categorizations but most of what I'm saying is generally true):

1) A great deal more gamers are male than female.
2) Males tend to be the more unhygienic sex. They also tend to be smellier when they sweat.
3) Gaming conventions are typically crowded, and such a mass of bodies generates a lot of heat.
4) Unfortunately, hard-core gamers will stay up all night to play a several-hours-long game, then realize they have something else they need to be at, and "Hey, I can skip my shower," becomes the easiest solution besides over-caffeinating themselves (which they do anyway). This tends to happen more often at the hot, body-packed conventions since you typically have a lot of games going on that a person has signed up for. Also, some gamers don't want to deal with the hassle of renting a hotel room and will sleep wherever the convention is being held.

Personally I find the latter two habits pretty creepy. Sleeping out in the open in a public place does not appeal to me. Nor does starting my day without a shower. In fact I CAN NOT start my day UNTIL I've showered unless I expect to do heavy labor or something else that will generate a lot of sweat and just get me dirty again. I also know a lot of gamers who think this way.

Honestly, people could not peg me, or a lot of the people I know as gamers unless we told them we were. Personally, I feel mo shame in letting folks know my hobbies. Why is my hobby any less legitimate than, say, knitting? Also, if more "normal looking" people would 'fess up to being gamers, we could abolish this stereotype.

The Otaku/Japanophile:

"Otaku" is a catch all term in Japan that basically means "Fan Boy," and let's face it- if you run into any person that is a true-blue Otaku it's a scary experience. I like anime. I like manga. I like Sushi and Wasabi Peas and Pocky and green tea. I like Japanese things, but I don't not classify myself as a Japanophile, at least not what the word has come to mean- that guy or girl who is wearing anime and manga paraphernalia EVERYWHERE on their person and tries to speak Japanese that they have probably taught themselves from an anime. But, let's face it, in every fandom, there are the hardcore fans. Harry Potter has fanatics, as does The Lord of the Rings and just about every major franchise in the world. There are also the quieter fans in every fandom that do not spew their favorite things out of every pore. Everyone has something they like a lot. When it comes right down to it, if you talked to these people and didn't know they were fans of this or that, you'd probably find them to be really good people. They're just like the rest of the population of the world- there are assholes, but there are awesome folks as well. It's just when you get them talking on their particular subject that they can get creepy. It’s that extreme excess of knowledge in a subject you don’t know that’s scaring you. I’m scared of my friend when they talk about math or science, but I’m still friends with them. :p

What probably scares people away from geeks who love anime and manga is something like this:

These are cosplayers. They typically dress up as their favorite characters and go to conventions. YOU HAVE PROBABLY COSPLAYED AS WELL. Cosplay is just short for "Costume play." When you were a kid that is was known as "dress up," and most of the time it's still known as "Halloween." Let's face it, pretending you're someone else can be really, really fun. That's why Halloween is so cool. Cosplayers just don't let the "legitimate holiday" thing limit when they get to be creative.

When it comes right down to it RPGs are really just the "Make believe" adventures you used to have- except instead of you saying "I got you! I got you!" and the other kid yelling "No you didn't! I got YOU!" you have dice to determine who hits what and how hard.

The Elitist:

Everybody knows this gamer. And, unfortunately, there are an excruciating number of gamers who display one or more characteristic of the Elitiest. These characteristics are, in my opinion, the most damaging to gamers. They drive away potential new players. Yes, there are gamers out there who are NOOBs- they never learn the game properly, they never try to, and they're not fun to play with. But there are also NEWBIES- new players who could be great if only we could get off our gaming high-horses and help them.

You have displayed Elitist characterizes if :

1) You have argued excessively about why a game is now "bad" because the rules have been changed, however you have never tried playing the game, nor have you even considered that, just perhaps, the old rules didn't make sense.
2) You don't believe that anyone new to a game can be anything other than a Noob; you have lost patience with a new player trying to learn a game for the first time and/or made nasty comments about a new player's ability.
3) You won't even talk to people who say they don't like your favorite game, or you will simply argue with them for hours about it.
4) You are a rule monger.
5) You are a godmodder.
6) You think that there is only Powergaming or Role Playing and you cannot do both- otherwise known as the "XXX fallacy"
7) You won't try a game for a stupid reason (This is my worst flaw. Ryan had to drag me kicking and screaming into playing Mage: The Awakening, and now I LOVE White Wolf. However, I won't play Vampire (because I dislike the Ann Rice-ian blooksuckers; see "They're Demonic Leeches, Not Bishonen Anti-Heroes"), and I still refuse to play Cthulu because I want my character to have some chance of, you know, being a hero and winning/saving the day. Which is really funny in a way, since I keep participating in the games run by a friend where there are no truly happy endings).
8) you've looked down your nose at another player for a stupid reason (he plays a class you think is useless, he has a different play style from you, etc.)

These extremely unflattering traits are present in varying degrees in every gamer, and if you think you are free of all of them, well, my friend, you're probably one of the worst offenders but you don't know it. These characteristics make it hard to convince non-gamers to learn how to game because they get scared away or ostracized. Strange how that goes, eh? It's kinda like we're doing the same thing to them that they do to us. . .

Look, if you want to introduce a friend (or anyone!) to the world of gaming, I am all for it, but please, don't break out the D&D books right away. I've played D&D, and, frankly, all those rules are damn scary. You wouldn't throw a kid just starting to swim in a deep river with a strong current without swimmies or a life vest, would you? Start people out easier- games like Apples to Apples and Settlers of Catan, then try White Wolf, Savage Worlds or a similar, easy system. Then you can break out the serious dice and math. Realistically, not everyone will like gaming. It's a hobby. You have to like it to participate. You don't see me knitting, because I never had a desire to learn. However, why is gaming a less legitimate hobby than twirling yarn into fancy patterns? I argue that it isn't, this is all a matter of perspective and every gamer out there can change it.

On our next segment of "It's not Easy Being Game" we'll have my own personal gaming woes, delving into the world of the female gamer.

Until then, may D20s roll high!

Inverloch- Webcomic Bliss.

2008-06-18T15:16:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks :

Disclaimer: All images in this post are taken from the comics Inverloch and The Phoenix Requiem, and are the property of the artist/writer Sarah Ellerton. Who is, might I add, pretty awesome.

Note: There are no plot-spoilers in this review, for your reading pleasure

Yes, Yes. I know you're probably tired of hearing about them from me. Once again, however, I am going to dive into the deep world of Webcomics. However, I am going to devote all my time to promoting one finished story I just read, and maybe explaining why reading it has really made me want to get "Molly Tinker" up and running as soon as possible.

The comic itself is called Inverloch, part of a site called Seraph Inn, which also includes The Phoenix Requiem (another comic by writer/artist Sarah Ellerton) and a discussion forum. I discovered The Phoenix Requiem first via Tomgeeks and that I discovered via Earthsong but I digress. Ellerton's art style is very good (the first few pages on Inverloch are different than it overall, please keep that in mind) and her writing is also very enchanting.

An early scene in Inverloch.

Inverloch is a story about a little horned-wolf creature (called a Da'kor) named Acheron. He one day falls in love with a beautiful elf named Shiara and upon discovering that her childhood friend (and betrothed), Kayn'dar, went missing 12 years ago, Acheron decides to find out what happened to the pointy-eared kid. His motives look a little mixed at first- does he want to prove that Kayn'dar is dead so he can get the girl, or does he really want her to be happy?- but in the end you can't help but loving the furry little fellow. The cast of characters around him are pretty awesome as well. Normally I have a clear favorite in my webcomics, a character that stand above the rest in my heart. In Dominic Deegan it's Luna. In OOTS it's Hailey Starshine. In Girl Genius it's obviously Agatha. In Inverloch, I have three. Since there's a main cast of four. . . well, you get my drift. One, obviously, is little Acheron (which I believe is said "Ash-ear-on" as one of the characters nicknames him "Ash"); the others are Lei'ella and Varden.

The main cast of Inverloch. From left to right: Neirenn, Acheron, Lei'ella, and Varden

These favorites, however, must make me look like a terrible fan-girl. Acheron is about as close to a cat-boy as a species that's not supposed to have any cat in it can get. Lei'ella is an elf with golden eyes and silver hair. Varden is a thief, and would be the comic's Bishi character if not for Silvah (he pops up later in the story). But the fact is the characterization is simply wonderful. The only reason that Neirenn isn't up there with her companions is she gets a little gypped in that department- though reading her "Post-story summary" makes me wonder about her sanity. . . Throughout the story all the characters grow and evolve until you realize "Holy Crap, I'm at the end of the story! Waaah! I don't want to leave these guys!" But leave them you must. Until you read the archives. Again. Which I recommend. It's very pretty. I read the entirety of Inverloch in less than a day. I will probably read it about fifty more times before the end of the week. It's so pretty. It's so good. It inspires me. I love it when I can read a story and it makes me want to start writing or drawing right afterwards. My only regret? That I did not find this comic while it was updating originally as some of those suspenseful moments probably would have killed me. Cliffhangers are both wonderfully frustrating and amazingly enthralling, but since I could read through the whole story in one go I lost that impact.

Which is why I am now reading The Phoenix Requiem, Sara Ellerton's current Graphic Novel/ Webcomic. Again, I'm already in love with the characters. This time I'm pretty much enchanted by all four of the main cast so far. And I get to experience all the "Oh! She's going to leave us HANGING like that?! My god, what's gonna happen?!" As I write this, there's a major "Oh!" moment going on as we have hit the end of Chapter Five. Her art style has improved from one comic to the other, as all artist mature over time (remind me to post some pictures of a character of mine from 1998 until now. It's crazy how much my style has changed), and the coloring has gotten EVEN BETTER. I don't know how she does it. The backgrounds! Good god, the backgrounds! They're amazing. As a person who always struggles with backgrounds in art, seeing this sort of thing sends me into a fit of artist envy. I also get that feeling looking at the machinery and background in Girl Genius. All of these things simultaneously inspire me and make me wonder if I could actually pull off a webcomic (such as my "Molly Tinker" idea). Oh, I have no doubt I could write it all. The drawing is what makes me nervous.

Anyway, I am ORDERING you to go read these stories. When you find a webcomic that marries wonderful art and great storytelling, it is a huge winner. That makes both Inverloch and The Phoenix Requiem gold-medalists in my book, and you will soon find their links on the left side of the blog. You can also order two volumes of it in a nice paperback book from Amazon- Volume One and Volume Two. They're going up on my wishlist now. Also, under "The Fail Blog" link on the Blogroll is a link to Sarah Ellerton's own blog, which I hope you will all check out.

Until next time, happy reading!

Criminal Minds

2008-06-17T15:47:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

Well, Ryan pretty much summed up his trip down in a way I find wholly satisfying and charmingly poetic, so I think I will leave it at that. Though I will say that I have now decided on a new hobby- Vacation cards. Any time I have a vacation, I’m going to doodle a symbolic little card of some of the stuff and save it so one day I can put them all together on a wall. Memories without a camera. I always forget to bring a camera, so this helps. I would post a picture of it here, but I sent it to Ryan before I thought to scan it or anything.

As promised, I will be posting about a variety of topics in the near future. As CtL: Lords of Summer has yet to arrive on my doorstep and I want to tweak my big two part post so that it has a lot of links and pictures for your enjoyment I think I will talk about Criminal Minds. The Strange Things in NYC post I think will be its own entity in time. After all, about every day I see something new.

The current cast of Criminal Minds.

I have always been a fan of “Crime Drama.” I used to watch Cops (after five episodes you’ve seen them all), I loved Court TV- Now "Tru TV" for some unfathomable reason- in college, and I’ve been a fan of CSI (the original) and Law and Order (The original and SVU) for some time. But CSI went downhill the past couple of seasons, Law and Order has a habit of repeating the same twenty episodes out of the eleventy-million out there over and over again in reruns and, frankly, I was tired of forensics. It’s fascinating, but DNA matches to catch the bad guy are a little less entertaining the fiftieth time.

Looks like “Suspect Number Two” is getting a nice orange suit.

Enter Criminal Minds.

What if you can’t find that fiber in the carpeting and those fingerprints on the glass? You’ve got nothing to go on, right? Wrong. Though it is not concrete evidence as a DNA match would be, if you’ve got a crime there can be a Profile of the Criminal, or, as the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) likes to call them the "Unsub" (Unknown Subject). This show’s premise fascinated me from the beginning since my father is a Child psychologist. That’s basically what these guys are. Very well-studied psychologists, each with their own specialties.

Well studied and buff, apparently.

Now I’ll be frank. This show is not for the faint of heart. This is supposed to be the FBI’s BAU, so these characters get dragged into the really scary shit. As in serial killings and murders of the most heinous kinds. Torture. Cannibalism. Rape. Disembowelment. Obsessions. It’s out of this world how crazy it can be. I believe the fact that they only show a new episode once a week is a VERY GOOD THING, because even I walk away from some episodes with chills.

We can handle the tough stuff. Really.

The characters are great. Though Agent Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) is no longer part of the show, his contract was dissolved peacefully--- holy crap. Mandy Patinkin was Inigo “Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Montoya! HOW DO I NOT KNOW THESE THINGS?!---- and I’ve heard rumors that he left so that he could return to Dead Like Me related projects. Apparently he also dislikes TV violence, which make me wonder why in heaven’s name he would be on this show in the first place?

Fezzik? Is that you?

Gideon was a pretty awesome character, but prior to the sart of the show the character had a breakdown. It was only a matter of time before he left. It just happened to be sooner rather than later.

I am most amused, however, by Garcia, the computer whiz. In the first three episodes Garcia is barely featured, and she looks like a very straightforward official looking gal. Nowadays she sports more and more looks like this:

And you should see the collection of things she has on her desk. It’s hilarious. She and Agent Morgan (Shemar Moore) flirt endlessly with each other but it’s a game. She calls him things like “Hot Lips” while he calls her “Babycakes.” Garcia nowadays is dating another computer techie who basically saved her bacon in the episode entitled “Penelope” (her first name). When last we saw our heroes (during the finale of Season 3) Garcia was sort-of trying to hook Derek up with a cop as she showed him via video link-up. Good god, the cliffhanger still has me reeling. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!

That’s the best part about this show. As people are unpredictable no matter HOW LONG you’ve studied them, so is the show. One thing it always features is a quote by a poet or author at the beginning and ending of the show. These can be found here, and are usually quite interesting.

I think my favorite moment is when all the girls are in a bar together and “Brad” tries to pick them up by saying he’s an FBI agent. Prentiss (who replaces agent Elle) or JJ (can’t remember which) introduces him to the other two saying “Brad here’s a REAL FBI agent!” in a silly, girly way. The conversation then goes like this:

Prentiss: Can we see it?
Brad: See what?
Prentiss: Your badge.
Garcia: Please?
Brad: I'm sorry, that's classified.
Prentiss: [she holds up her badge] Tell me Brad, does it look anything like this?
JJ: [hold up hers] Or this?
Garcia: [holds up hers] Or maybe this?

Notably, Brad beats a hasty retreat.

The humor in the show is great, and it contrasts nicely with the horror that it showcases. Anyone who was or is a fan of crime drama should check it out.

I’m waiting for Season Two to come in the mail before I watch the end of Season one, as there is a Cliffhanger ending to it. However, I may watch a few episodes tonight as I do laundry. Oh , I mustn’t forget to mention Agent Reid, who is a 24 year old genius with three PhDs and serious social skills issues. He’s great and Matthew Gray Gubler does a wonderful job playing him.

Criminal Minds airs on CBS. Check out your local listings for times.

Until next time!

Being Spontaneous

2008-06-17T14:41:00.001-04:00

Ryan Speaks:

I'm going to have to yell at Cait sometime soon. She posts so bloody fast and forgets that I have other things I'm in the midst of, and so forgets that I can't post as frequently as she can. Of course, she'll claim that I'm not nearly as busy as I am a huge procrastinator but...well, I digress, but the fact of the matter is she's making me look bad! Especially when she cuts in on my areas of expertise. I can't write about cartoons hon! You gotta leave the RPG's and video games for me!

In any case I got a few things for y'all before the main topic of my post. First is a few internet virals that I'm sure most everyone has seen but I either only discovered recently or was re-introduced to since moving to my new apartment (the already legendary Nerd Citadel of Geneseo, and the biggest reason for my long absence).

First, for anyone who thrills at the overdramatic superspy black-ops what-a-twist Hideo-Kojima-Has-a-Weird-Sense-of-Humor nonsense that is Metal Gear Solid I present CRAB BATTLE!

If you've got some time to kill, you should definitely watch through the big-hair hilarity that is Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series...in America!

And finally, the best videogame reviewer on the internet, who will make you keel over laughing even if you disagree with him completely - Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's Zero Punctuation.

I could offer all sorts of commentary on each of those, but there's not much can be said beyond "watch them" that wouldn't degrade the pleasure somewhat.

In any case, one of the other reasons I haven't been posting as much as I probably should have been is that I've just been kinda down and out for awhile. The summer was boiling down to a routine that was simultaneously exhausting and dull as lembas bread, and I was really just getting sick of it all. However, a few days ago I had an interesting conversation with Myself, and I realized that Myself was rather upset with my behavior as of late. I suppose I had been misinterpreting Myself's desires and true personality for years, and thats what really caused the problem.

Suffice to say I corrected myself in short order, and promptly decided to go visit Caitlin. Spontaneity is a wonderful thing at times, so I called in sick to work, hopped in the car, and drove the 7 hours to her house, completely out of the blue. She was pleased, needless to say, and we spent a wonderful weekend enjoying each other's company in the city and at her home. Can I just say I love her parents? They constantly go above and beyond to make me feel like part of the family, even when I'm sure my sudden arrival inconvenienced them. It was an altogether fantastic time.

We got to go to Broadway too! I'm sure many of you don't exactly realized the conditions under which I live - to say its in the boonies is an insult to boonies everywhere. Its farmland for God's sake, the middle of bloody nowhere for the most part. Cait lives near enough to the city to be able to visit with a fair amount of frequency, so we got to venture forth into the blazing hot urban jungle for the day. We saw Phantom of the Opera, and I just about wet myself in nerdy glee. The opening sequence, when the chandelier is raised...oh man, I almost flipped out right there in the theater, from nothing more than pure adrenaline. Certainly it raised goose-bumps on my arms. There is just something primal in that music, something that truly resonates with the basic instincts of humanity - that aberrant behavior that can lead to the furthest extremes of good and evil. Not an experience I'll soon forget.

Most of the rest of the weekend was spent in the throes of easy-going nerd love bliss, visiting the zoo and marveling at the colors nature can produce in birds, going out for hibachi and discovering our new favorite sushi roll, finding decorations for our presumptive future apartment at an overpriced indie-art gallery, drinking good red wine and talking spiritualism with Cait's parents, and watching a poorly plotted anime movie where it took us an hour to figure out that Anna Paquin was the voice of the MALE lead, not the FEMALE.

I would like to add, for the record, that A Fish Called Wanda was slightly over-hyped by Caitlin, for anyone who receives her opinion on it. It was a good movie, don't get me wrong, but I find Jamie Lee Curtis incredibly ugly, and the stuttering jokes got old.

So...short post, yeah, but Caitlin wants me to go play WoW with her now. Next Time - Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition!

World of OH MY GOD IT'S 2AM

2008-06-17T10:51:00.003-04:00

Ryan Speaks:
Cait mentioned before that we've both started playing World of Warcraft again. I took a bit of a leveling break so she could catch up to me, which she has now.
We've since been rampaging about Zangarmarsh together, culling the Fen Strider population to a fraction of its former glory in our ongoing search for tentacles. No, really. Aren't druids supposed to protect wildlife? Anyway, it occurred to me that if there ARE people out there who actually read this, they might want to play with us or something.

This is us, so if you're interested, just message Lodestar or Illa on Stormrage (US). Noobs forever!

Oh, and I just found this. Guy does some small-time game design, tabletop RPGS and the like. Read it if you're even marginally into that sort of thing, he does good work. I particularly appreciate his variation on the standard d20 system, and I LOVE his live-action system. See, I occasionally enjoy myself some larping of various kinds and flavors, but my standard group does this very open, supposedly character driven, free-form roleplaying thing that seems great IN THEORY but doesn't really pan out the way I'd like it too. The problem with having no objective rules is that everything is arbitrated by the GM....which means its really bloody difficult to ever have anything happen thats not in his pre-plotted out story: typically a tragic tale in which everyone playing is ultimately doomed, whether they know it or not. I feel like this system...its the Dustbowl Prophets link...adapted to my GM's setting, could make for some compelling and fantastic games.

Unfortunately, thats not too likely to happen.

Thats it for me today. Remember - the couple that games together will probably argue more about which Zelda was the best than over bills, which should theoretically translate into staying together. Not very quotable, but true nonetheless.

--Ryan out.

Slow Going

2008-06-10T12:23:00.002-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So, I wanted to have a nice long new post up for you last night. However, when I write a post I like 1) linking things I find relevant and 2) adding lots of pretty images. This takes a little more time than just plunking away on the keyboard in front of me. Mostly I do this to catch the interest of anyone who might stumble onto the page or people who may look at one of the alphabet soup jumbles (NPC, HP/MP, RPG, MMORPG, LARP) or terms that pepper my posts and go "Holy sweet mother of pearl, get the holy water, she's speaking in tongues!" or otherwise not know what they mean. Let's face it, not all people are geeks and not all people will understand geek language. It's just like when you descend into the often scary world of Fan Fiction and realize there are terms for all the parings of characters based on a meld of names such as "Kataang" "Zutara" "Romy." If you're not part of the particular fandom these terms are just so alien and out of place it makes it hard to decipher what you're reading.

Also work, instead of gracefully calming down for the summer, suddenly picked up for me as I began assisting another department (since they were short an assistant). So now my lunches are a little bit busier than typical, and I usually wrote posts during lunch. Also, Ryan spontaneously drove the 6-8 hour drive (depending on traffic) to my place this past weekend to spend some time with me. So I could not post this weekend. Yesterday it was so hot out here that the trains were all delayed and I got home about a half hour later than I should have. Then my family went out to try a new place for dinner (note, I did not actually go to my house before dinner, they picked me up from the train station), it was pretty "Blah" and then we had to drive back to the train station to get my car. THEN I got to go home. And when you have to get up at 5:30am every morning bedtime is around 10pm. I got home at 9pm. That time was then mostly dedicated to making sure I had clothes to wear to work today (translation: I had to iron) getting ready for bed and sleeping. Tonight I have to do laundry- piles of it. And Father's Day is rapidly approaching (a.k.a. this Sunday) and I still haven't figured out what to get for mine. As it is, I have not really had time to relax (aside from my time with Ryan) since last week sometime. Virtually none of that time was spent on the computer (my lovely Mage in Warcraft has been soaking up double-XP rest bars).

Anyway, I wanted to share with you (and to list to remind myself) some of the things I plan on posting about in the next few posts:

Ryan's visit and the geeky things we did, including the Zoo, Broadway, tuna and wine, an angry Aussie game reviewer (who will soon be linked over on the left), Anime, 70s comedies, and more.

Criminal Minds- Why I love it, and why watching Season one on DVD has been pretty fascinating on MANY levels.

Why strange things happen in NYC, and yet no one but the tourists seem to notice.

Changeling: The Lost- As I receive the newest supplement Lords of Summer.

"It's not Easy Being Game" a two part post about gaming woes you may also suffer from, and some you may have never realized.

I'm sure I'll think of more things as soon as I post this but frankly I'm really, really tired right now and I can't think straight. I've dedicated all my brain cells to work.

Note that Ryan is responsible for reviewing 4th Edition D&D when he receives his copy. Personally I've always had a mixed time with D&D, therefore I won't be buying a copy myself. Besides, if Ryan has one, it's like me having one anyway. Too much math in that game for my tastes :P

Anyway, that's all from me for now.

May your D20s roll high.

PREVIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS

2008-05-30T10:00:00.008-04:00

This is a list of all the previous Recommendations made by Ryan or Caitlin, for your browsing pleasure. Please Click "Read more" for a full Chronological and Alphabetical listing, starting from May 2008.

Alphabetical Listing
A Avatar: The Last Airbender (Seasons 1, 2 and 3)- August 2008
B
C
Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop RPG)- June 2008
Criminal Minds- See "Heroes" September 2008
D
E
F
Firefly (TV Series)- May 2008
G
Ghost Hunt (Manga)- See “MuShiShi” November 2008
H
Heroes (TV Series)- September 2008
I
I, Robot- See "WALL-E" July 2008
Incredibles, The- See "WALL-E" July 2008
J
Jonothan Strange and Mister Norrell (Novel)- June 2008
K
L
M
MuShiShi (Manga)- November 2008
MuShiShi (Anime)- November 2008
N
O
P
Q
R
S
Serenity (Movie)- See "Firefly" May 2008
Serenity RPG (Tabletop RPG)- See "Firefly" May 2008
T
U
V
W
WALL-E- July 2008
World of Darkness Core Book (Tabletop RPG)- June 2008
X
Y
Z

MAY 2008

Joss Whedon's Firefly

Sci-Fi fans everywhere have hailed this show as the best ever made. Tragically, Fox didn't realize the huge potential and failed the fans by taking Firefly off the air. Still, that didn't stop the HUGE following from forcing them to consent to making a movie- Serenity- and potentially a sequel. Anyone who even remotely likes Sci-Fi needs to pick themselves up a copy of the series and watch it. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT watch the movie first.
If you like Firefly, check these out:

JUNE 2008

Changeling: The Lost

Out of all the White Wolf games I’ve played, almost played, GM’d, or watched being played, I have to say that this one intrigues and inspires me the most. For anyone who ever liked fairytales- the real, nitty-gritty ones, not just the Disney-riffic family friendly types- this is a simply-ruled, wonderful, scary, complex and beautiful RPG you MUST try. It is a limited 6-book series, and by August you can pick up CtL and all its supplements at once. Of course they’re releasing PDF files of prewritten games on the White Wolf site if you want more content. Make sure you have the World of Darkness Core Book in order to play!
If you like Changeling, check these out:

JULY 2008

WALL-E

If you haven't seen Pixar's latest feast for the eyes, you should. Not only is is visually stunning but the characters are compelling and the story has a good message. The lonely little robot Wall-E with his limited vocabulary will, I assure you, win your heart.

If you like Wall-E check these out:

August 2008

Avatar: The Last Airbender

I LOVE cartoons. Disney's Gargoyles was a HUGE obsession of mine. So when I say Avatar is extraordinary- beautifully animated, a great story and unforgettable characters- I hope you realize how much that means coming from my mouth. Er. . . Keyboard.

If you like Avatar check these out:

September 2008

Heroes

There are a lot of STUPID shows on TV nowadays. Despite a lackluster second “season” which poorly put together between a writers’ strike and a company trying to wrest control from the creator for the sake of making money, Heroes is still one of the best TV shows out there. Average Joes being superheroes is always fun to watch.

If you like Heroes check these out:

November 2008

Mushishi

MuShiShi is quite possibly my favorite Manga. I’m always excited when I know another volume is coming out. Each story is melancholy and contained, detailing the relations between humans and the mysterious, primordial—almost magical—creatures known as Mushi, while following the journey of Mushishi (“Mushi master”) Ginko. It has a great feel to it—especially if you like more serious Manga. Also, some of the covers are really, really pretty

If you like Mushishi check these out:

I Try to Get Out, but it Keeps SUCKING Me Back In!

2008-05-29T16:59:00.005-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

If you're wondering why my posting slowed suddenly, you can blame Ryan. For it is he who returned me to one of my former geek obsessions that he originally got me playing in the first place. What is this strange thing that could possibly drive me from my blog you ask?

It's Warcrack.

Otherwise known as "World of Warcraft." To give a definition from "Caitlin's Dictionary of Stuff you Should Know. . ."

Warcrack WAWR-Krak Noun. [Derived from "World of Warcraft" Orig. ENG 2004]

1. A MMORPG of ridiculously huge proportions, with top-notch graphics, incredible player interaction, very few and far between load screens, cool swag, and monthly fees.

2. An addictive substance that should not be touched under any circumstances. Said to lead to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, lack of a real life, excessive overeating of junk or under-eating of food in general (due to forgetfulness), loss of time, caffeine overdoses, lack of sleep and mild OCD due to wanting to "Twink" out all your main characters and/or alts.

When all is said and done, no matter how I might complain, Warcraft is fun. Almost painfully so. I'm no noob, but I'm no expert at the game either. I just find it enjoyable. I'm a bit profession-obsessed (aside from your class in Warcraft you can pick two professions that typically help you out. I'm a Mage with Tailoring- for all my cloth-armor needs!- and Enchanting- to make my, and everyone else's gear better!), and thought currently my character is statted out in such a way that she looks like she'd be a PvP character, I don't do PvP. Why? Because while there are a lot of great players out there, there are also those jackasses who do nothing but kill you and corpse-camp you so they can kill you again and again. I'm a pacifistic player. If I didn't kill you repeatedly, why must you do that to me? Really, it's those gamers that give the rest of us a bad name. (In case anyone wanted to check stats this is me.)

Warcraft is also disgustingly pretty. On a Mac the graphics are especially good. We're talking very high end here. That and other reasons are why Warcraft costs so much. You're getting a beautiful, complicated, multi-layered game that only really starts when you hit the highest level. I kid you not. Plus they keep on putting out expansions, so it never gets old. In other words, it's the ultimate in addictive gaming.

However, I am going to do my best to get some new posts up soon, including a nice two part rant I like to call "It's Not Easy Being Game." Hopefully that will amuse you all.

Until next time!

He's Baaaaaack!

2008-05-23T11:29:00.015-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

That's right people. Unless you've been under a rock, you're probably well aware that the fourth Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull debuted in theaters yesterday. While I was not one of the midnight movie goers I did see it (at a respectable 8:30pm) and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Spoiler-free review after the break.
Indy Then:

Indy Now:

Now, it's true, it's not as classic as the original trilogy. Given time though, it might be. Either way, considering the Lucasfilm fiasco that was the reaction of the general geek populace to "The Prequel Trilogy" of Star Wars, Crystal Skull was a major relief. Yes, Harrison Ford is best described as "creaky," but, hey, this movie is supposed to be about the older Indy. Just because he's a little slow does not mean that Indy isn't as cool as ever, as he takes on a team of Russian "Reds" instead of the Nazis. Apparently Russia is already trying to get the film banned. Really? This is supposed to be set in 1957. Face it, the Russians and the Americans hated each other then. I've yet to hear of an movie Americans have tried to ban because it depicted them in an unsavory light- but please correct me if I'm wrong so I can rant about how stupid we are. And, really, this is Indiana Jones we're talking about! The Russians in the film are so spoofy of the American view of the communist Russians of the '60s I thought "Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko" was going to start saying "Fearless Leader" wanted Dr. Jones to take them to where "Moose and Squirrel" were hiding.

Remeber us, Comrade?

Yeah. You know she wants to say it.

Intorduced in this film is the heir apparent to the Whip and Fedora- Shia LaBeouf. Sporting the name of "Mutt" Williams, I have to admit that LaBeouf could be a pretty decent new Indy, but please, Mr. Lucas, do not start making "Mutt Jones" films. That name would surely kill people. Somehow the kid needs the proper "Indiana" mantle, name and all. Personally, I doubt there will be another film unless Ford decides to go for it.

Instead of a fedora and a whip, Mutt sports a motorcycle, a greaser comb and a kinfe.

Look! The kid's a natural! I wonder where he gets it from. . .

Now, watching the film you have to remember, the original films were action-y, but they were also very funny. This is important to note! This fourth film makes a bit of fun of itself and the genera in it's own way, while at the same time being awesome. There are a lot of classic lines and looks, and I must say the return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood was done really, really well. The dynamics between Allen and Ford are perfect. It's almost like the two characters are married, the way they bicker.

The whole happy Jones film family.

Some people may be upset with the fates of other characters from the series, but as this is many years later things happen, people change, and no one in the movie has altered in such a way as to be unbelievable. Speaking of unbelievable, you probably want to check your disbelief at the door. There are quite a few scenes that are much better when watched under the suspension of the aforementioned trait. Even though I was able to keep my "But that wouldn't happen" impulse in check, there's a particular scene with some ants where I went "All right, even my suspended disbelief is telling me that $#!T could NOT happen." Other than that there are some overly-convenient plot devices-- remember the "making fun of itself and the genera" comment I made? This is really where it applies. Nothing is any more outrageous than the majority of actions films out there, it's just made way more obvious. It's funny. You know, funny? I know there are some of you reading this going "No, that's just stupid! The whole movie was stupid!" Well, you're entitled to that opinion. I also think you're being way too hard on the film.

Overall, I'd give the film a 7 or 8 out of ten. It was an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

I'd also like add that the overwhelming amount of awesome movies coming out that I want to see is astonishing. There was a very long dry spell where I didn't want to see any movies and now I have quite a list. Even those I'm less enthusiastic about (for various reasons) look pretty good.

ZOMG. I have just discovered that "Spider Man 4" is confirmed, and the villains might already be set. How did I not know this sooner? Could this be related to the "Avengers" series of movies? Will there be more Marvel crossovers? Maybe an "X-Men 4" that DOESN'T focus on Wolverine? I must know!

*Runs off, leaving the post to stand alone*

*The sound of crickets fills the air. . .*

They're Demonic Leeches, not Bishonen Anti-Heroes

2008-05-16T15:47:00.001-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

This is a little story about a Vampire book I cannot name. (Also, I apologize for the bad puns in this post I couldn’t help it. they slipped out)

At some point when I was cruising the web I saw a blurb about a book and said "Hey! This might be good."

I don't know WHY I thought that.

See I am not, nor ever will be, a fan of vampires. At least, certainly not a fan of what they call vampires nowadays. Much like the joke of all the Drow nowadays being chaotic good instead of evil, Vampires nowadays have turned into this "hip-hop club, sexy man/woman seducing a member of the opposite gender and making them their eternal lover, or giving up immortality for them" type. Still, I thought Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was great and I loved "The Historian" but perhaps that's because the vampires aren't the main figures in the story. It's the human hunting them that are. I did enjoy "Blade" and I saw "Underworld" (It was entertaining, but not really good. The tagline should have been "Love Bites" because, really, the male lead was snacked on like an appetizer for the supernatural) so it's not like I haven't seen decent representations of Vampires. It's just most of the time, they suck.

It's not that I don't appreciate the vampire legend. I've written a vampire or two as a character for a story (though none of those have ever been started), but holy mother of pearl, the typical garbage that they call a vampire story is not worth reading- IMHO. A lot of people like them. I'll admit, I've read the trashy romance novel from time to time, but I can equally admit that I have never once bought one or borrowed one from the library. I happened to come across a lot of them lying around in the break room when I worked in Bed Bath & Beyond. There I did come across a vampire love story. I cannot recall the name, and before I could finish it vanished from the break room. I will admit I enjoyed it on a "Good god, this is terrible. . . let me read more of it so I can snicker" level. However Vampires are supposed to be monsters. Let's face it-- Vampires are demons. Demons are bad. Even in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" how many good vampires are there? Angel and Spike are the only one I've ever heard of (true, I've only seen one episode, so please correct me if I'm mistaken on that point). Compare that to the number of BAD vampires. There's like, a million of them in the series (yes, exaggerating a little). My point being, with the number of Vampire novels out there, a great deal more of them should feature truly terrible and awesome creatures that seduce humans only to feed off them and leave their dry husks on the ground. Not these constant Ann Rice rip-offs.

Now, as we have established my general distaste for the leeches and the literature out there about them, you can understand the significance when I say I would have rather read two of those trashy vampire romance novels than this book I picked up.

I have analyzed it very carefully and I believe the formula for the plot looked something like this:

"Pretty Woman" + Ann Rice + "CSI" + Half-Hearted Dialogue + Bishonen + Terribly Cliché Cliffhanger Ending= The Best We Can Do.

It is safe to say that I will not be reading anything by this two-person team again. One of them uses what has to be a pen name, and, in my personal opinion, that was a good idea. I wouldn't want my real name associate with this piece of crap. The sad thing is I was almost looking forward to it. I thought perhaps I'd finally found an interesting modern vampire story, even if it had the typical "Anti-Hero Love Story" vibe to it. It wasn't interesting-- far from it. The characters were hollow, the story was rushed, nothing had any depth to it at all and the "love" the characters were supposed to be feeling-- well to simplify it, it felt like the whole thing was written by creatively challenged ten-year-old trying to put together a fan fiction.

Still, I'm sure there will be people who will like it. There are WAY too many people (particularly women) who slurp this stuff up like it was ambrosia. Really, I cannot say how sad this makes me. Frankly, most of it should only be read if you've totally exhausted the supply of good books out there.

Also, don't you EVER call yourself a fan of Vampires if you haven't read Dracula. That's bullshit. It's like someone calling themselves a fan of Harry Potter though they've only seen the movies. You are not a fan. You may think you're a fan, but until you've gotten to the core material, the beginning, the source of the thing, and immersed yourself you aren't. Without Stoker you wouldn't have any vampire stories. So, if you think the bloodsuckers are cool but don't know these names- Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra, John Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris- I'm sorry, you're a poser. That's just the way it is. Go pick up Dracula and read it. It won't bite. . .

Anatomy of a Comic

2008-05-11T21:09:00.008-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

For many years I was convinced I would write and/or draw for Marvel Comics when I got out into the post-college world. That changed sometime during college, when I realized two things 1) I couldn't draw as well as I wanted and 2) Comics, those involving superheros in particular, were driving me up a wall.

This may elicit a "But, wait, you love Manga! And Webcomics! Aren't those the same thing?" from some of you but the simple answer is no, no they aren't (the rest of this post being the unsimplified answer). At a fundamental level, since comics, webcomics, Manga and graphic novels are all images and words united, usually in a ratio that favors the images, they are alike. In terms of continuity, story, and character development, all the others are superior to your everyday or stories.

I love comics. I really do. I was, and still am, a big fan of Marvel-- I just tend not to pick up the comics anymore. The problem, I find, is constantly changing comic book writers and the fact that they don't care. They don't care about a character's history. They don't care that a character's personality can't radically change from month to month without them needing to be on the couch for Schizofrenia, Dissociative Identity Disorder, or any of the conditions within the Bipolar Spectrum. Sure, I don't think they should care if they get a few fanatical fans mad (change is, believe it or not, GOOD), but when you are nigh constantly pissing off everyone and finding that you need to retcon everything that's been written for the past ten years (*CoughInfinite Crisiscough*) you must realize that you're doing something wrong!!

My favorite part in any story is the characters. I LOVE character development. So, I understand the inherent need for characters to change. Sometimes, however, you need to leave well enough alone. In Dominic Deegan Mookie (the author/artist) makes a good point when making a tongue-in-cheek reference to the bad changes a lot of big comic companies make. Honestly, it's bad enough when shallow characters like everyone's everyone's favorite mutant Cuisinart are in EVERYTHING the company does related to the X-Men (including the three X-Men movies, which I loved, but really were just prequels to the stand-alone Wolverine movie), but when you complicate the characters with nonsense that the next guy is just gonna write off, it just wears me out. So do crossovers. In fact, I gave up reading the once-a-month comics from Marvel at the beginning of "House of M" because I was simply tired of having to pick up every title in Marvel to see what was going on.

Manga, webcomics and graphic novels shine where monthly comics do not, simply because they're done by the same people from beginning to end. There's consistent art, consistent story telling, and the characters evolve in a way you may not like, but at least there's some sort of rhyme and reason to it. I appreciate that Marvel and DC have to make profits, but musical writers has annoyed me beyond anything else in the images-with-text realm. True, I am always sad when a manga series or graphic novel ends (a problem you don't usually have with the monthlies) but that's what webcomics are for! They usually go on for years and years and you can read it and all through all the archives or free (in most cases)! And, really, I'm always happy when I've finished a good story. With the monthlies, well, that doesn't happen. Plus, the character you know and love might not even have a shred of similarity to the version of him five years ago or five years later. You must have a very unconditional love for monthly comics in order to tolerate them for long periods of time. Speaking of unconditional love, WTF Spider-Man and Mary Jane never got married? I love Aunt Mae same as the rest of 'em, but she's what, 800 and already died once? So you sell the happiest part of your life off to prevent her trip to heaven-- where she would get to spend eternity with her dear Ben? Why can no Superhero have a pinch of happiness in their life?

Now, all of this being said, I would like to make a couple of recommendations to the comic fans out there.

Go see Iron Man.

This movie was awesome, and easily th best superhero movie since Batman Begins came out. I'm also very much looking forward to The Dark Knight this summer.

Read Soon I Will Be Invincible

If you ever wanted to get inside a super hero or super villain's head, this is the book to read. It honors and pokes fun at the genera at the same time.

For the fans of RPGs, try Necessary Evil

When all the superheros in the world are killed, it's up to the PC bad guys to step up to the plate and drive off the evil alien overlords-- so that they can take over the world themselves

For those who read webcomics PS 238 is a great one.

It's actually a monthly comic, but always by the same person, so it wins!

Watch Heroes

Completely awesome. True, a lot of people didn't like the short second season, but I did, plus, there was that writers strike fiasco, and that's what really messed things up. It starts again this fall!! I'm so excited!!

Until next time. . .

ZOMG Iron Man

2008-05-07T20:21:00.009-04:00

Ryan Speaks:

So I saw Iron Man opening night. Caitlin did too. We had a brief phone conversation that was basically five minutes of impenetrable comic-book nerdgasms immediately following. Suffice to say it all could have boiled down to a single, on-going "SQUEEEEEEEE!" It was easily not only the best movie I've seen in awhile period, but was probably the best comic-book superhero film in recent history. It gets edged out, I think, by Batman Begins, and maybe...maybe...by Spiderman 2. Cait probably disagrees with it being better than the X-Men films, but then, I never liked those mopey mutants anyway :-P.

Either way, you can rest-assured that I absolutely loved this movie. Full, spoiler-riffic review following the break.

Making a film version of Iron Man that is entertaining to the masses while remaining true to the spirit and vision of the actual character had to have been hella tricky. Favreau did the right thing, I think, by casting veteran Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire alcoholic genius Tony Stark. Tony is not a simple character to portray - his motivations aren't as clear and pure as those of, say, Spiderman, or even Wolverine. Downey Jr. does a fantastic job of conveying the emotional development of Stark - from playboy genius weapons-designer asshole who rarely thinks twice about anyone but himself, to playboy genius weapons-designer asshole who also happens to be a superhero. The key is that Stark's snarky attitude isn't lost during his transition from complete asshole to hero, nor is his general approach to the problems he faces. This was key to the film, and it came through with absolute brilliance and incredible skill.

Overall, the film has incredible production value. The digital effects were done by the same people who did Transformers, and the quality of the CG is astounding. It blends seamlessly with the live-action in most situations. Only the part where he's messing with the gauntlet in his living room made me cringe a little bit.

The storyline was excellent, and if it was a trifle dry and straightforward, I think its simply because we're introducing a new franchise, and we have to get the core material presented. Which meant that for an old Iron Man fan like myself, running through his backstory and origin once more was an exercise in, essentially, a remake. I knew exactly what was going to happen, so the entertainment came more from seeing it well-executed and dramatically presented in a new and exciting way. The story in the film deals with a lot of the baseline Iron Man material - war profiteering super-genius weapons designer gets captured by terrorists, sees them using his own weapons, has a priority shift, and becomes a superhero. I appreciated using Obadiah Stane as the main villain, mostly because he's a villain who is very closely related to those personal developments of Tony (especially as portrayed in this film) and isn't quite so over-the-top as, say, Mandarin. Speaking of the Mandarin, I hope I wasn't the only one to catch the reference to him in the name of the terrorist cell - The Ten Rings. I also appreciated the fact that he had an AI housekeeper named Jarvis. Hooray.

And what review would be complete without discussing the ridiculous fan-splosion I had when we got the post-credits scene? Seriously, they had to bring in some extra-heavy-duty-cleaner to unstick me from the theater floor. I mean, c'mon. Mother-fucking SAM JACKSON as mother-fucking NICK FURY insinuating that they are going to have mother-fucking CONTINUITY across the latest slew of Marvel films? And its true! I looked it up! Downey Jr. is already going to be making a cameo as Tony Stark in the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie, and the slated list for the next few Marvel Studios films? Thor, then Captain America, then The Avengers.

So lets put that together. We have the Samuel Jackson Nick Fury (after whom the Ultimate Nick Fury was designed, to the extent of him making an in-book joke about how he'd be played by Sam Jackson should they ever make a movie), we have Iron Man, soon we'll have the Hulk, then Thor, then Cap. Oh yeah, they're definitely not going to be putting together an Avengers movie. Nope. Not at all.

In any case, 10 for 10 all the way guys. As I said before, one of the best movies I've seen in awhile, and certainly one of the better superhero movies out there. If you don't go see it, I will hurt you.

IN OTHER NEWS: My random thoughts for the day:

I just realized that Jayne(from Firefly) is in the film The Patriot. No really, I was watching it this afternoon, and he's the member of the Loyalist militia who pals around with Jason Isaacs's psychotic dragoon character for most of the movie. IT'S THE HERO OF CANTON FOR GODS SAKE. WHY IS HE FIGHTING IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. He does have a rather cunning hat though....

In WoW yesterday I got a quest that, I realized later, literally boiled down to: "Here, take this pointy stick. Now run out and find that HUGE dinosaur that can kill you instantly. Poke it with the stick. Be ready to run like hell.

Bling. . .?

2008-04-28T09:05:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So, on the new Dungeon Master's guide for 4th edition, there's a nice, robust picture of a large red dragon watching some hapless adventurers (The people on the cover of the Players guide, actually) fighting their way towards the Dragon's lair in a crystal ball.

What I want to know is-- who the hell got close enough to the dragon to pierce his ears?

I kid you not, our intimidating red dragon has bling: two silver hoop earrings hanging from each horn and what looks like tracking tags that they use in cows or other animals (except these are silver, and therefore more badass) sticking out of his right ear.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think that a dragon has enough dexterity in his massive claws to pierce his own ears, let alone put in earrings. Mind you, the earrings are bigger than his eyes. A dragon with eye problems is even less likely to manage to accessorize on his own.

A dollar to the person who can come up with the best (or most creative) reason how this happened.

I will post a picture as soon as I can find one that shows it well.

OkamWii!!

2008-04-22T19:03:00.009-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

"Okami" and I have had a love affair ever since I found out it existed.

Ryan and I had both seen an advertisement for the PS2 game at some point, and thought the idea was neat- You're a god on earth in the shape of a wolf, and you can change the world by painting on the earth like a canvas. Not only did this appeal to the gamer in me, but it also called out to my artistic side- specifically the part that loved Japanese ink painting.

So, last summer, when I saw a $20 copy of the PS2 game, I bought it, tried it out and LOVED it. At the same time, as I was painting whirlwinds and fire and lightning bolts, I was thinking "Gee, wouldn't this game be awesome if they did it for the Wii? I'd need a Wii to play it first, but. . ."

Note: It took me many months and two friends working at Best Buy to get the Wii. The demand for these things is nuts! What's more nuts is how people can allow the scalpers to charge them nearly twice as much for the system. If people didn't buy from the scalpers anymore, they wouldn't go out and buy up all the systems. That's a rant for another time. . .

Nevertheless, I defeated the PS2 version of Okmai, loving every minute and wanting to replay it a hundred thousand times-- but I didn't because I lent it to Ryan who is so very far away. That, and it was actually my brother's PS2, so when he went off to college, I had the game, but no system to play it on. Then Ryan went and sold his PS2, so I wouldn't have anything to play it on even when, at that point in the future, we would be living together!

So, when I finally got my Wii, I think the first games I got for it was "Prince of Persia: Rival Swords" (the remake of "Two Thrones") and "Wario Ware: Smooth Moves." After using the Wiimote in these games my burning desire to see "Okami" for the Wii returned-- along with a little voice in my head that likes to say things like "That will never happen" in order to keep me "grounded."

That little voice will never be quite the same again. After randomly seeing "Okami" for the Wii advertised on Amazon.com, it went into a state of shock and is just now recovering. I went into an immediate happy-dance and e-mailed Ryan while barely able to contain my joy. Sure, there was no format changes-- nothing was added to the game, nothing was taken away-- but just the idea of painting with the Wiimote had me so excited I marked every calendar I owned with the day it was supposed to come out.

And then it got pushed back, so I had to re-mark all of them. Why they needed nearly a month's more time for a game that all they had to do was retool the controls a bit, I will never know. I feel it was poor planning, though I will assume they had some severe problems and let it go. I still glare at the "Readyatdawn" people for delaying my bliss.

When I first started to play my Wii version (on the day it came out) I started to freak out, as my game was having issues- freezing in the middle of running around, the controls were killing me ("Power Slash," the straight line attack, and I were not on speaking terms for a while there. It took me about five hundred strokes to slash the tutorial boulder) but I adjusted quickly to the Wiimote issues. As for the freezing, I had to delete my brother's game file OFF of my Wii (he saves his stuff onto his SD card AFTER filling up my slots and NEVER bothers to delete it), and moved a couple of other files to my SD card and that took care of the problem. I did have an issue white trying to make Kohana blossom- the techniques "Bloom" and "Sunrise" are both circle based. "Bloom" makes flowers blossom when you draw a circle around them. "Sunrise" makes the sun come out when you draw a circle in the sky. I was getting very sunny flowers, but that did not help me when I wanted them to blossom! This, however, was the extant of my woes.

The covers for the two versions of the game are drastically different. Personally I like the Wii version better, but I still like the PS2 art as well.

I wish there would be a sequel to the game, but that's doubtful-- Clover Studios, which made "Okami" closed down. This is tragic; they made such a good, new game that wasn't boilerplate like "Legend of Zelda" and other franchise games have become. We need more fresh, innovative games out there. I loved Okmai the first time through and I love it this time through, and I'll probably love it when the Wii is out of style. It is my favorite video game, and I do not say that lightly.

Baroque for the Wii- Follow up

2008-04-18T10:40:00.003-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review, for your reading pleasure.

Wow. What a change!

I am still not a big fan of VT, however, it bothers me less as I discovered the key to massive Baroque success: Items.

Use them often and well, and holy crap, you destroy face. I mean, to a crazy extent.

For starters, I recommend going through the Coffin Man's dungeon. You have to deal with his Tourettes (Every phrase ends in "Goddamnit," with a few "Goddamn"s thrown in for good measure) but if you survive it, you come out with precious items, such as a weapon and a coat. Excess items can be chucked at the child with a bag on his head for next time-- but don't throw TOO many in there! You want to save some space for the good items you find IN Neuro Tower. Toss those into the consciousness orbs- which just look like big round metal balls and are featured on random floors of the tower- and when you die and are sent back outside you can beat up the little kid to get your items (I kid you not. The way you talk to people is just to stand near them, so the way to get the kid to give you your items is to punch him). The CM's dungeon assures you about 5 levels of experience, so you can head into the tower pretty well off. Plus the weapons have no level restrictments whatsoever. I had a fairly badass weapon called "Explosion" that was slow, yes, but it was +9 attack (highest I've seen in the game so far) and I added electricity power to it and basically tore through my enemies like tissue paper. I got this probably about three to four levels into the dungeon and used it the whole rest of the way through. MUWAHAHAHA!

One of my favorite things to do with such deadly weaponry was to use a thing called a "Summon Torture" to bring all the enemies on a floor into the same room as me. Then I would bite an "Invincible Bone" (guess what that did temporarily?), an "Experience Bone" (which gave me double experience for a time) throw a bunch of poison bones and paralyzing bones at the enemies and then make sort work of them. I was like an Angry Little Emo Angel Cuisinart. It was glorious. I did this at least twice and must have jumped three or four levels each time.

Interesting Fact: You only need to be about level 26 to make it through the whole dungeon alive.

So, yes, I did get to the bottom of Neuro Tower. Woo hoo. Problem is, you needed bullets in your special magic angel gun thing to finish the "goal" of the game (see below), and I had none. And you can't restock that ammo. Once you've gotten through your allotted 5 bullets, you're finished until you die and get reborn again. Unfortunately, dying at the bottom level is hard. You have to sabotage yourself. Literally I had to stand around and wait for my VT to deplete, then my health to deplete. At the point I was at, having made VT and HP better all through the dungeon, it took like 10 minutes of standing around, doing nothing, because I didn't have a bullet left in my gun. Moral of the Story: Be like Jack Sparrow. Save that last bullet for the pain-in-the-butt boss.

Tip: Pump up VT a lot by eating heart seeds when VT is already full. As much as you can. It's worth it. Health is similar- eat food when your health is full and you get more health. VT is more important, as it replenished health, and therefore it's harder to replenish VT, but pumping both as much as possible is a pretty sure way to make the game more manageable. Once that's done, you can concentrate on the monsters.

In the end, however, I'm pretty darn glad that I didn't have that last bullet. I'm not sure if that would have ended the game, but I tell you one thing-- sorting out "the boss" may be the "goal" of the game, but I don't think it's "The point of the game." Let me compare it to, say, "Harvest Moon." I have never played the game, but I know about it and here's the thing: you can work on your farm, make it perfect, and live your happy life and that's the goal of the game, but it ISN'T the point of the game. The point of the game is to give gifts to the people in the town to make them happy, thereby making your life better than simply toiling away on your farm ever could.

You follow? What I'm trying to say is: Goal=Thing that ends the game "happily". Point=why you really should be playing. This may not be your opinion at all, but I'm using these words in this context to illustrate a point, so bear with me. Having these meanings just makes it easier to explain.

The point of Baroque is to purify those sorry, twisted, grotesque people (who aren't trying to attack you. . . and some that are) into their "baroques" which are these pearl-like objects you could say are the "souls" of the creatures. This is blatantly easier in some cases than others. In fact, I have no idea how to do it in 99% of the people I met. Somebody wants "Pure water" and I imagined my character staring at her, dumbfounded, trying to hand signal to her (since he can't speak) that there IS no water in this place, and for GOD'S SAKE, why would you need any? You're a GHOST (or. . .something).

Notably, I have not seen any further cut-scenes after my deaths. I wonder if you simply don't. I keep getting this weird feeling that eventually my character is going to wake up and say something like "Okay, never again will I have two Advils, four cocktails and Taco Bell in the same night. That s* was just f*ed up," despite the fact that I have gotten to the bottom of the tower and have discovered why the world has become a weird, twisted nightmare. I promised no spoilers, so I won't say. However I did say to a friend to mine what happened: "I **** *** *****," (which you can probably fill in once you hit the last room) and now I'm never going to hear the end of THAT one.

*Sigh*

But yes, in spite of my original trepidation, the game has turned out quite good. Still, I think the instructions could have been better-- I'm STILL angry that they didn't show me what a consciousness orb looked like, but that's it, really-- but the CM's dungeon changes three times to show you different things (though the shape of it stays the same) so it helped to run through that multiple times. So, I'm going to have to spend some more time with the game, trying to save people's souls. Sheesh. A character's work is never done.

Blogger HTML loses again

2008-04-17T15:37:00.002-04:00

So it took me about 50 million tries, but I finally got that "Read more" fancy pants stuff to work. Notably I had to NOT listen to ANY of the sites that said how to do it, other than tearing apart their instructions and code until I got something that DIDN'T wipe out the entire blog.

Also, I managed to figure out how to make a third column! YAY! As it were, I'm probably going to change out the "Favorites" lists Ryan and I have and make them simply into "reccomendations" from the both of us, with featured reccomendations each month. Note that the columns are not lined up. I have not yet figured out why. Nor amd I really dissapointed per se. It looked too formulaic with them all lined up. . . tough I would like the two side ones to line up and maybe the blog be the highest of the three. . .

Oh well. Obviously my code-hacking is not in vain. . . it's bizzare how much of this stuff you can understand without ever reading a book on it. Maybe I should. If I could figure it all out, I could be an awesome hacker! Why I'd want to be, I don't know. Website design would be pretty fun though.

Baroque for the Wii- First Impressions

2008-04-15T14:23:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

Note: There are NO spoilers in this review, for your reading pleasure.

So on Monday I found Baroque for the Wii. I was interested in the game because when you die it isn't "game over"-- you actually learn stuff about what's going on. It's very Dungeon crawl, so it appealed to the part of me that liked D&D (the couple times I played) and those other adventure games. However, I can assure you that Baroque will, eventually drive me mad-- Luckily Okami for the Wii comes out this week as well, so I'll alternate playing Baroque and replaying Okamii to keep myself sane. I will post on "OkamWII" when it comes out and I've seen how they integrated the brush system.

Gameplay: *** 1/2
Intrigue (substitute for storyline): *****
Tutorials: *
Graphics: ****
Overall: ***1/2 to ****

Right away I can tell you I dislike Vitality (VT). This, for me, is the low point of the whole game so far. Why? Because your VT decreases over time and when you run out it starts eating away your HP. Now, this wouldn't be all that much of a problem except it's a pain in the ass to try and bring your VT back up to snuff. When you kill creatures sometimes (approx. 60% of the time, I'd say) they drop these heart-shaped crystals that restore VT. However they restore about 5pts of VT. Which gets you through about, say, 2 minutes of gameplay.There are seeds that restore bigger chunks of VT but they, of course, are harder to find. I'm assuming that later on you fight beasties that have better VT restoring stats, but as I've died 5 times already trying to get used to the system let's just say I'm having issues seeing these creatures. I have not, however, become frustrated, because I'm not doing the same thing over and over. The main dungeon-- Neuro's tower-- changes every time you enter it. Which is a lot, because every time you die, you are ejected.

Honestly, I think VT was just cruel. It's bad enough trying to heal your HP without getting killed. Sure, while you have VT your HP regenerates, but I become so concerned about my rapidly dwindling VT that I forget that, hey, if the monsters eat your HP, you're still dead, VT or no VT.

*Sigh*

The game is a bit frustrating on the weapons/fighting front for me at the moment. The only way you can go into Neuro's Tower well armed is to fight your way through the Coffin Man's tutorial dungeon, which, mind you, I didn’t access before I entered the tower the first time (since the Coffin Man says you're "an Eyesore" and blocks your way. I never figured out that I could have probably gone back after taking to the Angel to the Coffin Man and done it). If you don't die in CM's tutorial, you come out fairly well armed, with a few extra tips- which vary every time you go into it- and quite a few handy items to use and/or throw at the creatures in the Tower. Then you have to stand in front of Archangel in front of the tower (losing precious VT) until he gives you the magic gun with only five bullets. No tutorial to explain how to use it properly. I suppose I should grab if first, go to the CM, and see what he has to say, then get into the tower. There is a little “recovery disk” before the tower that fills up your HP and VT before you enter the tower, so they’re being fair there. I’ve yet to see one in the tower itself though. Nor have I yet been able to use parasites—I’m kind hoping those will stick around when you die, but probably they won’t.

Items, however, are a big plus- you get a lot of them and are encouraged to use them—frequently. Seeing how you lose them if you die, why not use them? And there’s a LOT of them and they do a LOT of different things. There ARE some that restore the dreadful VT and HP, of course (though these are not as frequent as I’d like) but they also do strange things to the creatures in the tower with you. Throw and item at one monster, it might just blow up. At another- oops! Better start running to the porthole to get the hell off that level. I enjoy experimenting, though it’s possible this may be the only game I ever purchase a guide for— I can see this getting very complex very quickly.

So far when I’ve died I’ve only seen one extra cut scene, but I have run across a few strange things in the tower- the first of the wandering maidens, a young apparition that looks suspiciously like me, several different types of creatures. . . but what in heaven’s name is this consciousness orb people talk about? I’m supposed to throw my items in it for the little kid to hold onto for me until I die and resurrect again. I have yet to see one, though. All in all- tutorial wise the game isn’t the best. The booklet doesn’t always tell me what I need to know and the CM keeps telling me to “Hit the XXX button” without telling me what button it is. And yes, there is a targeting system, but when the CM tells me that it allows me to “move quickly” around my enemy—well, I haven’t figured that out yet either. I get stuck hitting the fellow straight on and then getting knocked back away because I’ve yet to manage to dodge an attack. I think, perhaps, I should switch to using the classic controller. Maybe that would help. I’m also very thrown while I use the Wiimote because the “a” button is the item menu and the “b” trigger is the attack button. I’ve NEVER seen “a” be anything other than main attack.

However, all that being said, the game does intrigue me greatly. I think the graphics are fine—they’re mostly supposed to be spooky and eerie and that’s what I get from it. I never played the previous version of Baroque for the original PlayStation so I can’t make any comparisons between the two. Like I said before, despite the dying over and over thing, it doesn’t feel repetitive. Even the people in the “stable” outworld say new things when you talk to them at different times. I’m eager to figure out the kinks in my ability to play (because most of the time its my fault, rather than the games that I have issues). I've seen the apparation that looks a lot like me twice, and he's said different things both times. I've yet to talk to one of hte wandering maidens becasue I accidentally drove the one I say through a wall (as they stay a fixed distance from the character) as she was warning me to "Stay Back!" I've found strange little things that I want to find again and try out new items on new creatures. Baroque is going to be a game only enjoyed by those who have the patience to see it through further than the first five minutes.

Blogger HTML Vs Caitlin: To the Winner Go the Spoils

2008-04-14T09:35:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

This promises to be a short post.

I am simply excited that I have managed to manipulate the Blogger HTML into a state of submission. If any of you were keeping track, the final score was 1-8 in my favor. I had to give it one point for confusing me on where I could manipulate the background for a day or so. As the eternal "They" say "All you code are belong to us."

(Well, not exactly that.)

I am also happy that Ryan posted (however angry and rant-y it might be :P)

Still, it's not 100% perfect, but it's a LOT better than when we started. I'm especially proud of our geeky "Stationary" that goes behind our posts now. That took a little while to put together. Though not as much as the banner, which I made, from scratch to coloring, on the computer. Hooray Tablet! Did I mention I doodled? Guess not.

Anyway, if anyone reads this, enjoy the new layout. I, for one, am taking a break from trying to manipulate it further.

Also, I recommend learning just basic HTML skills. You never know when they'll come in handy.

Powergaming Vs. Roleplaying

2008-04-13T16:21:00.002-04:00

Oh yeah, while I was poking around the internet for things related to my last post, I also came across this. Its a pretty good example of my stance as regards what some people refer to derogatorily as "powergaming," particularly in DnD.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the

Stormwind Fallacy

D&D 4th Edition- Stop Bitching and ENJOY it.

2008-04-11T16:31:00.016-04:00

Ryan Speaks:

I guess if Caitlin can ramble on and on about roleplaying games, I can too!

That is to say, I play more of them than her, so I'm a might bit peeved of her putting up such a long post on what is supposed to be my area of expertise. So I'm going to try and outdo her, in content if not in length.

Of course, the big buzz in the world of tabletop RPGS right now is the upcoming release of the not-so-long-awaited 4th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons. There seems to be little else to debate in nerd circles presently, and of course, everyone has their opinion, their inexplicably rehearsed rants as to how or why this development in the hobby is either going to save it or destroy it forever. I see no reason why I shouldn't chip in.

And so, to that end, I present a unique form of geek pretentiousness that I have rarely, if ever, seen duplicated by my fellows in the hobby. I like to call it:

Sit Down, Shut Up, and Get the Hell Over Yourselves. You're Freaking Out Over a Game For Christ's Sake.

"Well So Are You!"

Yeah, like I said, I'm an asshole. I'm also perfectly aware that the hate-on I have for geeks who seem to have nothing better to do than hate every little thing that designers send down the pipes and write about it on the internet is no better. But I have one distinct advantage over the majority of such trollish plebs:

The Fact Of the Matter:

The people who make these games are doing it for a living. They are a business, and they need to turn a profit. The number one complaint I hear about the release of the new edition (DnD in particular, but really every RPG out there), is that people don't want to pay the money for the new books.

Now lets stop and think about this for a second - people get involved in DnD as a hobby. They purchase the core book set, typically, a Player's Handbook, a Monster Manual, a Dungeon Master's Guide. Some of them might, at certain points during their hobby, buy a few splatbooks, maybe a setting book or two. But for the most part, getting into the game requires an initial investment, and thats it. Unlike playing a trading card or miniatures game, you never have to spend more money to continue participating in the hobby - you pay once, and you're good to go for as long as you're happy with that game.

This essentially means that Wizards is really only making money off of DnD when new players are coming into the game, which doesn't seem to happen at a rate conducive to turning much of a profit. Now I'm not saying this is universally true - after all, there are people who purchase most, if not all, of the additional supplements printed for the game, but as the game becomes older, these most likely trickle off. So do you expect the company to give up and simply stop making anything related to the game?

No, of course not. They are a business, a company that produces a good for the consumption of gamer nerds like you and I. This means, quite simply, that they have to keep making new things if they want to stay in business. Its just common sense.

People are saying its too soon of course, but stop and think about that for a second - what other major industry is competing most directly for the nerd demographic? Video games! Dig around a bit and find out how much of a time gap there was between the releases of the Halo games, and then see how much fans of the franchise complained about a new game coming out.

Not Everyone Cares About How Much Money Wizard is Making:

Well yeah, of course not. I don't even care, really, I was just trying to show you why it only makes sense for them do so. You can argue that its all just a moneymaking scheme, to which I will reply: Of course it is! So are the dollar menu at McDonalds, Tivo, designer jeans, Oreo cookies, the Nintendo Wii and *gasp* EVERY OTHER BLOODY EDITION OF EVERY ROLE-PLAYING GAME YOU'VE EVER SHELLED OUT CASH FOR YOU MORON.

But for those of you truly believe that 4th Edition is going to be an inherently weaker game, I shall continue:

First of all, its incredibly pretentious to have a hardcore opinion about a game system BEFORE ITS EVEN RELEASED.

Which is about where I stand on the matter. I will, I admit, like what I have heard so far about the changes being made to the rules. For me it rarely matters of course, as I don't know enough about game design to figure out why X was made such and thus, and I don't pretend to be so self aware as to pinpoint exactly what it is about any given system that makes me like or dislike it.

As I said, however, I've liked almost everything I've heard about the game so far, and most of that is centered around a single philosophy - making the game more accessible. Its why 3rd Edition came out in the first place, and it is theoretically the driving force behind the design changes being made in 4th.

The main reason why I dislike those who support older, more complicated systems usually has little to do with the system itself - its just that the kind of people who argue in favor of the older systems tend to be arrogant control freaks. I constantly hear reference being made to newer editions losing something of the "spirit" of classic (usually referencing 2e here) Dungeons and Dragons. Hell, Gary Gygax held opinions like this, arguing that when WoTC bought the rights to the game from TSR, that they should have re-released 2nd Edition ADnD instead of going ahead with 3rd.

You know what? No. No no no. What they are referencing, this so called "spirit," seems to me to be nothing more than that complicated and overbearing rules systems exist as a litmus test so that only the most intelligent or most obsessive nerds can play. Or that contradictory or excessively housed rules were there so that the DM had more power, or that bad class balance was to weed out the newbs who made less than optimal class/race decisions.

If I'm right, and I think I am, that makes Gary Gygax an asshole. A brilliant asshole, and an incredibly inspiring individual who created one of my favorite hobbies, but certainly not someone I'd want to play DnD with.

At least Wizards had the sense to realize that what they're referring to as the "spirit" of old-school ADnD were mistakes that limited the player pool and would eventually stifle the game's growth. But I run in to a lot of the game's old timers who have started touting those mistakes as positives and that freaks me the fuck out. Its elitism really - they want the game to be complicated and contradictory so that the old vets maintain control and keep the upstart kids out. After all, these are the kids who were brought up playing Magic and WoW - they'll never be able to understand the intricacies of a table-top RPG!

My ideal would be that DnD be the type of game where a bunch of high-school age kids can go out, pick up the books, and start playing with relative ease that afternoon. Where anyone can DM because the rules are consistent and straightforward enough that you don't need 10 years of experience with the system to do it effectively.

But that horrible attitude, that elitist "old-school superior" approach to the way a game should be still pisses me off. And it pervades geek culture today - the local conventions are getting less and less new attendees, and I attribute that directly to the fact that the e-boards and chair positions are being held by thirty to forty year old alums who put far more effort into maintaining the bits of the con that keep the old vets coming than they do coming up with new events that will draw in inexperienced gamers.

Anyway, wow, I went off on a tangent there:

So back to 4th Edition - its new, its going to cost you money, and there are some differences in the way its going to be played. As I said, a lot of people are jumping right down Wizards throat for these alterations, and I'm still not sure why. Of course things are different. It wouldn't be a new edition otherwise. The problem is that I have yet to see anyone actually attach some kind of quantified statement as to why these changes are for the worse.

Power system - Simplifies everything. Really, it does. No, things aren't that radically different in terms of play, calm down and look at it for a second. You'll be doing the same exact fucking thing, its just better organized.

Racial changes - ZOMG Gnomes no longer in the PHB and Tieflings, Dragonborn, and Eladrin are. Okay....whatever. People are complaining about this bit a lot. My thoughts - I've sat through 4 or 5 campaigns now where less than half the party played a standard core PHB race. They were all *gasp* things like Dragonborn, or Tieflings. It only makes sense to put the races that are being played more often in the core rules set, even if they offend your 1970's high fantasy sensibilities. And where in the hell are people getting the idea that playing anything other than simple core-set characters means you're powergaming or munchkining? (I don't care what you think, Warlocks and Warmages suck. I'll pit my core-only Druid against them any day of the week).

Class Changes - Melee characters are on par with casters now. Nuff said. Everyone's playing the same game now, instead of fighters and pally's playing DnD while the the wizard and the sorceror gets to play Rocket Launcher Tag and Lets Bone Reality Up the Backside.

Other Stuff - Defenses are more intuitive, saving is simpler, the characters can survive mistakes easier, and the roles of party members are way more clearly defined. Cheese has been minimized, and everything is better organized. If someone wants to take the time to prove me wrong on any of these points, I'd be glad to rescind my statements. I unfortunately don't have the time right now to go through the rules changes bit by bit and show you why I think they are more accessible (read: better).

So there's my rant for the weekend. I am anxiously awaiting the release of 4th Edition, and for those of you who live near me, I'll be running an Eberron-esque campaign using 4e over the summer months, while I have nothing to do but work and play games.

Just remember - you don't have to agree with me. Games are for fun, nothing else, and that, of course, is Rule Number Zero. If you're having fun, and you're not raining on anyone else's fun, then you're doing well and you can disregard the rest of my moderately pretentious yelling.

--Ryan out.

The Much Anticipated RPG Post.

2008-04-08T19:48:00.004-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

FINALLY-- this edition of "Geeks in Love" will be talking about one of Caitlin's favorite games: "Changeling: The Lost." It's a White Wolf "World of Darkness" setting game which means a lot of d10s and nuthin' else.

Here's how I got into White Wolf and RPGs in general.:

While foolishly crushing on a emo Canadian gamer (silly me!) I got roped into joining GAGG which I have mentioned before. At the time I started I was recruited into a poor man's league for VS Marvel/DC card game. Fast forward several months to the point where I was still crushing on the guy (Ryan was still a senior in high school at this time) and was going to Running GaGG IX to participate in a "Soul Caliber 2" tournament he was holding on Friday night. Since I paid money to be at the convention all weekend, I decided I might as well see what else was running.

At this point in my life I was terrified of dice games. I had done play-by-post RPGs online (X-Men RPGs are my game of choice, I currently play over at neXus) and I had played the "Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn" PC game, but never had I touched anything other than a d6 (and a d2- which is any coin.) So when I looked over the list of games, there was but one thing that struck my interest: Jeff Hannes' Dramatic Role Playing Tournament. You got a "character sheet" with no stats, just background on your character, the current situation and some view of the other characters and basically Jeff then says "Go!" Occasionally he'd come in as an NPC and completely screw up what you thought would be a nice, easy role playing session.

Note: In the case of anything run by Jeff- nothing is easy.

Another Note: For any "Magic: The Gathering" players out there, this is the same Jeff Hannes who was the editor of "Wizard" magazine for several years.

Anyway I met a LOT of great people playing in Jeff's game, and some of them I became really close friends with and I still keep in touch with them. Flash forward to less than a year later- I am over the worthless Canadian, have met Ryan, am dating Ryan, and Ryan says "I'd like to run this game, "Mage: The Awakening," and I need players. Cait, you want to join?"

My Response: "Hell no. I don't do dice."

Of course, he still needed players, he kept on talking about how great the game was, so I agreed to give it a go. By the end of the week I had ordered both the WoD core book and the Mage core book and was creating one hell of a character called Aenaiyah. You may hear about her in other posts. Eventually I become the queen of the d10s (I adore this particular Strawberry colored dice pattern that Chessex puts out).

Flash forward again to me randomly picking up "Changeling: The Lost" two months ago after having briefly reading through my friend Greg's copy at JeffCon (guess who runs that for his friends once a year) this past summer.

Well, I devoured CtL, and it's supplements "Autumn Nightmares" (the best White Wolf supplement I've read so far) "Winter Masques" and I'm still working on "Rites of Spring," mainly because I randomly started reading other books in the middle of reading it. I have NEVER been so inspired to run a game. I now have a nice little binder with close to 15 vague plots worked out, stats for the leaders of my Changeling Courts, and an awesome home-grown setting for Changeling or Mage (or any other WoD game I feel like running, however unlikely) called "Nixville." I'll go more into that another time.

One thing Changeling inspired me to do was create an interesting political situation- something I'm not huge of in games. Politics has never done it for me. The closest I get to liking politics is watching "Law & Order." (I like the original and SVU. CI is painful. The acting. . . It hurts me on the inside).

Anyway, I have a pretty awesome set of characters for my courts- Fairlady, the Spring Queen (a Fairest), Resilience Stonefist, The Summer Queen (an Ogre), Tom O'the Harvest, The Autumn King (a woodblood elemental), and Revald Echoes, the Winter King (a mirrorskin Darkling) who took over after the old Winter King, Silence Falls, suddenly passed away. Of course there's all sorts of secrets and treachery in the courts, and some secrets are much more dangerous than others. I'd go into all the clever details here but, unfortunately, I want Ryan to play in the game, which means I can't lay my cards out on the table. Blah.

I have a soft spot for Fairlady though. She was, before I made her Nixville's Spring Queen, the idea I had for a Changeling character for myself. She's a bit of a different character for me. Aenaiyah and a lot of my characters are independent minded, but they aren't as free-spirited as Fairlady is. To put it bluntly, Fairlady's vice is lust and she indulges frequently. She was meant to have been kidnapped way longer ago than is typical for Changeling in the game. The most people are away for is between 20 and 30 years, the point being if the human world changes too much the Changeling won't recognize it and won't be able to get home. Fairlady was a civil war era changeling who stumbled home only because her house and grounds had been preserved as a museum. Then she had a psychotic break having come from one traumatizing experience (she was a sex slave for her fae master) to another (she came home naked and had no idea what things like cars were) and after she settled into a *cough* stable mental state she became a member of he Changeling community whose only desire was to fulfill her desires and the desires of others- hence she rules the Spring Court which is- tah da!- the Court of Desire. She was good friends (possibly more) with Silence Falls and loathes Revald, convinced that he had something to do with the former's death. However, she can't prove squat. Or can she? (This is about the point where the PCs would get a letter calling them to the Spring Court asking for "a small favor".)

Anyway I have a LOT of fun writing Changeling. Problem is I have no one to PLAY it. I have yet to find sufficiently geeky friends in the city and my friends where I live currently are more video-game, computer, board game, and overall electronic geeky. RPGs are scary to newbies. And anyone who tries to break people into playing RPGs going right for D&D is CRAZY. There's too much math, too many variables. Try White Wolf first- you only need d10s and the system boils down to "How many dots do you have in stat a and stat b? Eight total? Take away two because it's dark and roll that many dice. How many of those dice turned up with an 8 or higher? Three? Okay, you hit the guy for three points of bashing damage."

Simple, non?

It still allows for a lot of customization. CtL and WoD in general are game that focus more on the role playing for the character and the telling of a story than the grinding through dungeons to get loot. That's really why I like it so much. True, D&D can be fun with the right GM, especially if all you want to do is KILL something, but White Wolf allows for this Greater Mystery thing to happen. It's really quite neat.

Which is why I need people to PLAY in my games, because I have a nice long "Greater Mystery" thing planned out, plus lots of little mysteries along the way.

Sadly I did test run one of these games to a. . . Not so great result. Mainly because I let a certain boy I know *coughRyancough* have a more powerful character then he should have (totally my fault) because I was worried he and the other friend of mine playing would wind up dead. Telling a story is a great deal harder with an all-dead main cast. Unless you're writing a story about Zombies or playing "Vampire: The Requiem." I will not start on a vampire rant here. Suffice to say I do not find the bloodsuckers entertaining. Also the other friend (who shall remain nameless since I am scolding him) just didn't care about the game. He had no character, no personality and didn't even TRY to make things interesting. It was only the two of them, so it wound up being a spectacular flop. I didn't even bother going through the last fight. Needless to say, there will be massive rewriting, and next time I want a damn full Motley of Changelings going into this house. They will also NEED a full motley, as I intend to attempt to (nearly) kill them. Anyway Ryan's helping me with my mistakes. Some day I will run a whole campaign in Nixville, maybe alternating Changeling and Mage so I don't get too bored playing only one the entire time. It could be fun. Though I really want to, you know, PLAY in the game myself sometime. Ah well. Ces't la gaming.

Also, Changeling is a good deal more solidly hammered out than Mage (I can't speak for any of the other WoD core books). Mage is a "fast and loose" rules system, which is fun and fine. Changeling has more structure and it makes it really interesting. That's probably why I'm also so easily able to create a strange political backdrop- there's just more to work from. True, there are more supplements for Mage than Changeling- as there always will be, for Changeling is limited to six books total, another reason why I got into the game: no buying supplements endlessly. However, Mage likes to, shall we say, contradict itself. Changeling does not. There are a couple of serious editing errors in Changeling that as a person in editorial for a major publishing group I want to kill someone over (it describes at one point how you are about to bite into a golden apple and a worm leaps out from it and jumps, wriggling, "into your through." That's right, "your through." Never knew you had one of those, did you?) but other than that everything's great. It's just so hard to get past them sometimes. I mean it like having something suck in your throat and choking on it for a few seconds before it dislodges.

Well, hopefully I'll get to properly run a game sometime soon with a group I'll be able to game with for a while. I really want to. A weekly gaming session would be awesome. I am going to hunt down whatever floor in the RH main offices the Wizards of the Coast guys are on and make friends. And force them to play games with me.

It's when I say something like that that I realize how much of a geek I really am.

Still not about RPGS

2008-04-04T15:13:00.002-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

I promise that my next post WILL be about RPGs, but I think I just wrote the FUNNIEST MOLLY TINKER strip so far. Which is impressive. Why? Becasue in three days I've written over 50 strips! This is how great my love for this project is. I have never, EVER had a project that has written itself so easily. So I thought I would introduce you quickly to the cast--

Molly Tinker: Daughter of the Tinkerman, the ruler of the Kingdom of Tinrey. When her father disappears due to some sort of lab accident, she should take the throne- but do to strange tensions between her and the people of Tinrey she decides to go find her father's friend Milt, who was working with the Tinkerman on his last project to see if it's possible her father might be alive.

Jackson: The swashbuckling son of a Rogue and a Swordswoman, Jackson has always had a flair for the dramatic. A very smart and practical man, he's sort-of the leader of his adventuring group- but it's mostly a diplomatic process. His father and mother were part of an adventuring group with Dagahn's father, Sylph's mother, Rollo's father and the mother of the friend that betrayed them who now calls himself The Overlord. Jackson is very straightforward and honest, and told Molly prior to her hiring him and the others that he has an evil twin, Rollo has sworn vengeance against The Overlord, Sylph has been accused of a crime and seeks to clear his name and Dagahn is a runaway prince.

Sylph: A spellcaster and an elf. He resents the elves that use illusions to make themselves appear taller, since it's degrading to elf culture. As Jackson told Molly, Sylph was accused of a crime before he left home-- just what he hasn't said-- and was banished, thought it is suggested that he should have been executed. Sylph is very clever, and he loves to drink wine- the problem is his small stature means he's very drunk after only one glass.

Dagahn: The thirteenth son of an Orc King, Dagahn had no desire to participate in the barbaric tradition of his people to choose an heir to his father's throne-- when all the sons were of age they had to beat the crap out of each other until only one was left standing. Instead he became a Bard-- a very effective one-- and joined with the children of his father's former adventuring group. Dagahn's instrument of choice is the Orcish War Drum. He's also very popular with the ladies.

Rollo: Though Rollo is naught more but a bluish shrunken head in a bluish crystal ball now he used to be a normal man. Then he had a series of very bad accidents due to Perfect Bad Luck. While he was still standing on his own, however, he swore vengeance on his former teammate, The Overlord, for ruining his life and destroying his true love. Rollo is truly enigmatic, considering he can't speak, and it's not clear if he can hear anything anyway.

If you think any of that is amusing, the strip will only be more so. However, I'm not sure if I can illustrate it myself. So I'm just writing as much of it as I can right now. Perhaps I'll have a major storyline completed before I even start sketching it out.

The Book Thief

2008-04-03T13:19:00.004-04:00

Hey, Ryan here. I might not have mentioned this earlier, but I also write for Geneseo's campus newspaper, The Lamron. I've done show reviews, but my particular interests are well-suited to filling a gap that they had in the A and E staff prior to my decision to write for them: reviewing books.

So here's my most recent piece, a review of The Book Thief, a singularly fantastic novel written by Australian born Markus Zusak.

Linkage!

Lies and Potential New Stuff.

2008-04-01T13:01:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So I said my next post would be about RPGS. I lied a little.

See, I have this RPG post all written out on my computer at home, and I would have posted it last night if my internet had been working properly. From this statement, you can infer that it was not, hence the non-post.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about.

I want to talk about Webcomics.

I fully blame Ryan for exposing me to my most addictive favorite comics. To narrow it down to a "Top 5" deal I'd have to say the current high rankers are "Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire," "Girl Genius," "The Order of the Stick" (which I read the entiery of the archive yesterday), "Questionable Content" and "Something Positive." All of them are linked down under the "Webcomics you should try" link section on the right side of the Blog. The first THREE in that list I blame fully on Ryan.

Now, I would go into a full "webcomics and why I love them and why I hate them sometimes" thing here, except I don't have the time to type that all out right now. Suffice to say, you will see that full webcomic post soon. On the comics above, I will say but this in warning: "Something Positive," very different from the four that precede it, is a very bitter and angry sort of comic. Read the first S*P comic in the archives and if you are offended, disgusted or otherwise insulted, GO NO FURTHER. It's only really gets worse from there.

But, as I am rapidly realizing (thanks to reading the "Girl Genius" and "Order of the Stick" archives in close succession and realizing how much fun the stories were) that I want to write one.

True, there were days past where I briefly wrote a comic "Bing" for the school paper, but Bing was, pretty much, a newspaper gag strip. Three panels, joke inserted into the last, call it a day. For the longest time I wanted to work in comics (ala Marvel or D.C.) and I love writing epic stories. I also love inserting sarcasm and humor into the most serious of my stories, and my strongest writing assets are my character development and my dialogue. All of this spells comic. Webcomic to be precise.

Then all of a sudden I had this idea. A character I had "Molly, the Tinkerer's daughter," popped into my head while I was reading "G.G." because it's a steampunk setting and Molly was a steampunk character. Then, (thanks to "G.G."'s Heterodyne Boys and their over the top tales of their exploits) I wondered what it would be like to have her name in those outrageous block letters- MOLLY TINKER- and some little type underneath it. Suddenly, the little type appeared in my head. The title of the webcomic would be:

MOLLY TINKER and her BUMBLING BAND of MERRY MISFITS.

Good lord, you have no idea what a chain reaction this started in my brain. Originally I was thinking "Could be a book" then, the more I thought about it I realized "No, this is my webcomic, should I ever chose to do it," because more and more visual gags started piling up in my head. As well as the arbitrary jokes about typical adventuring stories.

But, as I am short on time right now I will (sadly) have to leave you wondering about Molly and her band (which I use here to mean "adventuring group" not "musical group") and leave you with this- the bumbling band was a group before Molly hired them. They are both the single BEST and WORST adventurers of ALL TIME. And one of the members is a cursed shrunken head in a ball whom I call "Rollo."

Egads you have no idea how psyches up I am about this.

Tags and links to follow when I have more time.

First Real Post

2008-03-29T23:21:00.004-04:00

Ryan:

So we'll call this my first real post, and I might as well write what I know.

See, I have this problem with liking too much stuff. As I've said before, I'm militantly opposed to disliking too many things, because most of the time people can't come up with consistent preferences anyway, which means all of the logic they give me as to why something is better or worse than anything else is so ambiguous that it doesn't actually matter. Or prove anything. Or whatever.

That's why my little sidebar thing down there will never be able to have my "favorites" at any given time - merely what I'm watching or reading at any given moment. Its a bit more relevant, but you can assume that just about anything I'm reading or reviewing, I like on some level. Simply because if I don't like it, I won't do enough with it to care about writing it down.

So cartoons. Cait's generally waay more into animated goodness than I am, and she also has better access to such things, but since I'm watching it even as we speak I think that there's no good reason why I should write a little bit about:

Avatar, The Last Airbender:

Can I say enough good things about this show? I submit to you that I cannot. Essentially, Nickelodeon has done the first right thing since Snick stopped and they took their live action shows off the air. (C'mon now, do you really think the current generation is going to reminisce about Spongebob the same way we do about such gems as Hey Dude, Are You Afraid of the Dark, or Salute Your Shorts?) They made an ongoing serial cartoon with obvious nods to anime-inspiration and they did it really frickin well.

And it is, quite obviously, an American attempt at doing what the Japanese have always done better - telling a fantastic story through overarcing plotlines in a long episodic series. Even the animation style is very anime-esque, given the standard BESM look shared by almost all of the characters. The production value of each episode, however, is far higher than your standard import, often surprisingly so. It takes a lot of the pleasure American nerds have gotten out of anime in the past couple of decades and eliminates much of the pain that usually goes with it. (Poor translations, relatively cheap animation, cancellations or shortcut storylines due to budget concerns, etc.)

The plot is fairly straightforward, overall, but its told so well and has enough internal character conflict that you never get bored with it. In a well-crafted extremely Eastern-influenced fantasy world, there are four distinct cultures, each based on one of the classic elements: The Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads. There exists, within the populations of these groups, individuals who possess the talent of "bending," which seems to be best described as powerful telekinetic control over their particular element. In order to maintain balance between the four cultures, there is also an entity known as the Avatar, a being of immense power who can bend all four elements with equal ability. The Avatar is constantly reincarnated, a process which occurs cyclicly through all four of the elemental nations in turn - Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. Approximately 100 years before the series begins however, the world is thrown into chaos when the ruler of the Fire Nation, Firelord Sozin, apparently decides that despite the obvious cosmic balance issues here, he should rule everyone. And, powered by the mystical energies of a comet passing near to the planet, he begins a war that continues until the time of the series.

The series follows the adventures of the newest Avatar, a powerful Airbender named Aang. He is joined by his rescuers, two members of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka and Katara, and together they seek to educate Aang in the ways of Water, Earth, and Firebending before the end of the summer and the return of Sozin's comet. The threesome travel the world on Aang's flying bison Appa, helping restore harmony and balance and dodging (or fighting) the Fire Nation and other foes at every turn. Some episodes are more stand alone, while others tie directly in to the ongoing storyline, but the two variations blend very well with each other.

One of the most amazing things about this series is the way the characters grow and evolve throughout. All of the major characters are relatively young, early teens at the oldest, and so much of their development is extremely realistic coming-of-age experiences. Of particular note is my favorite character, Zuko, who is the primary antagonist for much of the first season. Zuko goes from villain to secondary hero to powerful ally as the series continues, and he changes and matures in a lot of incredible ways as he experiences the world around him. And this is accomplished without any kind of cheesy moralistic after-school special kind of stories - its all achieved with a lot of good storytelling and well developed character interaction. This isn't something you see so well done a lot these days, and watching it happen onscreen is an absolute pleasure.

So I encourage you to seek this show out. The DVD sets of the first two seasons are available now, and the third season is currently airing, with the fifteenth episode set to go on April 15th (check your local listings for airtimes) on Nickelodeon. If you have the opportunity, don't miss out on one of the best American cartoons to be on television since the mid-nineties.

Ryan out.

Last night: Some comics and more Manga

2008-03-29T17:43:00.009-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

So, I could not find the "Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service" anywhere yesterday. Nor did I stay in the city for the party. After work I started to crash into sleep mode so fast it became abundantly clear that I would not survive a party that started at 10. A good thing I didn't go- my friends I would have been with missed the last train back home and were stuck waiting for the next train- which didn't come until 4:15 am. I would have been up, by the time I got back home, for 24 hours straight. I get up at 5:30am every weekday. Also, I love me some sleep. Throwing off my sleep schedule by a mere 15 minutes makes me cranky. So I probably would have been reduced to a highly cranky, violent person yesterday and today if I had been out to the city. I was very upset I couldn't be at the party, but I'm EXTREMELY glad I was in bed before 11:00.

Anyway, I WAS in the city for a couple extra hours. At work I caved in and finally ordered the volumes of "Ghost Hunt" and "Kitchen Princess" I've been missing (4&8 in the former, number 5 in the latter), and I trotted down to Borders (first in Columbus Circle, then in Penn Plaza) and read some things. First thing I got a hold of (and forgot to buy at Penn Borders, because I didn't want to lug it out of one Borders into Another and look like I was trying to steal something) was "Those Left Behind" the comic that goes between the last episode of "Firefly" and the movie "Serenity." If you've never heard of "Firefly" by Joss Whedon and even remotely like Sci-Fi, the Wild West, or any of Joss' previous stuff ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") Go buy the series. Now. Stop reading this, buy the series, watch it, then come back and continue reading. This is THAT important.

Back? Good.

Anyway, I'm really impressed by how well they did the art. It really captured the character with the exception, I think, of Simon. He just didn't look. . . Simon-y enough. I mean you knew it was supposed to be him, but you could tell more by the clothes he wore than his face. It made me sad. But other than than- pretty freaking fantastic. And, you know, it's where Inara and Book leave the ship and you understand Book's reasoning more. Overall I give it an 8 out of 10, mostly because I wanted more; it seemed drastically short. Plus, I don't think the "Men in Blue" would give up so easily. And the agent who wanted to kill Mal. . .well, it was too fast overall.

Anyway, I intended to pick it up, but as I said I went to the Penn Borders I forgot. Tragic. Then I couldn't find it today at Waldenbooks, but that's another story to follow soon.

So when I got to the Penn Borders there was nothing for me to do, so I went to the Manga section (because you can read a whole book of Manga in less than an hour and if I'm not going to buy a book, I want it all read before I leave the store). So I read through the next book of "Alive" which is, of course, a Del Rey book. Pretty good. The series is about this "suicide Virus" that makes people kill themselves, and those who are infected but refuse to die get funky powers. Most of them are crazy sociopaths, but a couple of them (called "failures") are more sane. Of course the story centers around one of them. Volume three is very, very, action-battle-action-battle-ohmygodhesgonnakillus-okaywerealive-nowwhat? Pretty good. Anyway, after reading that I went for my girly pleasure- "Kitchen Princess." Yes, I had ordered the volume (no. 5), but I wanted to reeeead it! It was also good, but goddamn it, that ending! And so much cooking! I love that they have the recipes for everything in the back of the book. However, I always get hungry after reading it. But it's pretty cute, and fairly serious considering the amount of silly love/high school manga. It's just. . . fun!

Anyway, Ryan has been pestering me to watch "Ouran High School Host Club" for god only knows how long now. So today I saw (and picked up) the manga" volumes one and two. I'm lukewarm with it so far. It;s very goofy, but I have to say that I liked the bonus story in Volume two- with the punk guy and the shy girl- better than anything else in the series so far. And that didn't contain one of the main characters. Errg. Well, I'll stick with it. It's cheaper than most Manga. And maybe I'll see the anime. One anime I want to see is "Death note." I will get to it eventually.

Anyhoo, that's all from me for now. Next time- RPGs!

And Ryan posts one up

2008-03-29T13:40:00.006-04:00

Ryan Speaks....Finally -

Hey now, the whole thing was my idea in the first place.

What? Just because Cait has waaaaay more patience than I do for setting these things up doesn't mean I don't care enough about it. She's the creative one, and she's also less lazy than I am. My posts here are mostly going to be about getting a word in edgewise. Not that I mind, really. She's a better writer too :-P

Anyway, I should probably pre-empt the inevitable and just say it now - we're not uber-geeks. At least, not from the perspective of most of the geeks and nerds that I hang out with. We have all of the requisite geeky hobbies, and we love them dearly, but we're not as up on pop-culture and things as we could be. For me its just a lack of patience, and the aforementioned laziness. I also don't post much on the assorted communities I'm theoretically a part of, nor do I have the ability to become instantaneously aware of every little update that gets released on every single nerdy movie or video game that comes out soon. So basically, I don't know everything. Bear with me. Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog with Cait was to simply have more of an internet presence and maybe start becoming more conscious of the global nerd community.

Either way, this page is primarily about opinions. Ours and yours. Its also about stepping out of the mainstream and having fun, no matter how "embarrassing" your pastimes might supposedly be. You'll find that I tend to like more than dislike, but I'm also extremely militant about giving everything a fair shake and not allowing nerdy pretentiousness to shape ones views on things. And I can be almost as pretentious as the people I'm fighting against when I take that stance, but at least I'm honest about it.

As you'll soon discover, Cait and I are really balanced, Yin and Yang almost. We can be counted on to agree on almost everything for completely different reasons, something to do with cosmic alignments or something. What you'll notice is that while she will generally focus on things like anime, manga, cartoons, and books, I'll write a lot about films and RPGs. Which is not to say that we don't both have opinions on those things, but simply that while we both like most of the same things, our personal favorites differ in a very nice alignment. Also, she gets more free books than I do.

Anyway, this is just an introductory bit. I'll get to more specific stuff a little later on tonight, probably. I have to start getting ready for work.

*cry*

He found it! A Joint Blog is born! And Manga.

2008-03-28T13:55:00.016-04:00

Well, it appears that Ryan found the Blog (thanks to a handy-dandy e-mailed link) because I sure as heck didn't post up all his favorites and stuff so- Whooppie! It's now officially a joint blog!

Since I have nothing to do (The boss is out and we're in a "quiet period" at work) I've been posting a lot (obviously, as this is my third time today). Right now I feel like spouting Randomhouse propaga-- er-- Randomhouse goodness. Seriously, it's a great place to work. The best part about it is if you can locate what floor the books you want to read are published on, you can probably find them perched on a free book shelf for you to simply take away. Free. Hence the name "free book shelf." Though most of the time it's more like a "Free book pile on a mail room counter." The most amazing thing, however, is finding the Manga.

I started reading Manga when a friend of mine (Shang-Yeon pronounced Sun-Yung) started giving it to me to read on the school bus back in 8th grade. I was an "anime fan" (which means I watched Sailor Moon, and years and years earlier had seen "My Neighbor Tortoro") so I took to Manga very quickly, liking comics and comic books and cartoons.

Little Known Caitlin Fact: During 7th and 8th grade I worked on two comics. Both were drawn in a TERRIBLE anime-esque style. The first was about a guy named Kree, and in it there were more bad plot twists than you could possibly count. Take every single bad plot twist you can think of- messed up identities, mysterious people, suddenly appearing relatives, a "cute" animal sidekick, romance, action, betrayal, way overpowered heroes- add some oregano and you might have something close. It was also the death of several trees- most panels were about one page long. And I colored it. ALL of it. Every. Last. Page. The second one was called "Omega," and had heavy influence from Sailor Moon- people from another planet who didn't remember that they were actually really powerful warriors- and again, this was dosed with bad plot twists. Even more so it was doused with just plain bad storytelling. However, some of those characters stuck around and the story evolved into the novel I'm currently working on. Basically I took the script of "Omega" burned it, threw the ashes into the sea, and sort of kept the names and personalities of the characters, but otherwise you wouldn't recognize that one is the other. In fact the word "Omega" as of right now, is never used in the novel. Ever.

Anyway, back to the Manga. My first two Mangas that I can remember are Clamp's "Magic Knight Rayearth" (which, after reading part one without any idea there was a MKRII, traumatized me- I was not aware of "mono no aware" the "graceful sorrow" ending of a lot of Japanese literature) and "Parasyte" (which they PG'd WAYYY down. I do not remember the humongous phallic symbol scene in the diner when I first read it, and that's the kinda thing that sticks with you).

Now I never got to finish "Parasyte" all those years ago. But I did read through MKR and MKRII, when it was flipped for Americanized reading. All I really have to say is TOKYOPOP'S TRANSLATION TEAM SUCKS. And they've only gotten WORSE! First off, in MKRII they misname some of the characters. True, these names were closer to Clamp's original names, but in the same book they call the wind spirit "Windam" and "Windom" the charmer is called "Gardina" (their translation) and "Caldina" (closer to the Japanese name) and there's a scene where Ferio and Fuu are talking and Ferio's clearly supposed to say "Don't cry, I didn't mean to make you upset" (or something to that effect) and what they have him saying just. Doesn't. Fit.

Graaah!

Anyway, I never noticed any of this in "Parasyte" because I didn't read very far into the series (I stopped around the time Shinchi's mother died- and I mean when he killed the Parasyte that killed his mother). I also never realized, of course, that flipping all the art had such a huge effect on the story-- Migi, the parasite, is supposed to be in Shinchi's right hand which is clear in all the promotional art. In the Tokyopop edition it was flipped around (because they clearly didn't think we could grasp the concept of reading a book in anything other than a left-to-right format) and Migi was in the left hand. So they didn't call him Migi which is based on the Japanese word for right, they called him "Lefty." How. . . un-dignifying.

Now at about this point anyone who's reading this will go "Holy crap, we've got a manga/anime/Japanese stuff elitist here," but no, that's not the case. I'm not a fangirl. I don't know- nor do I pretend to know- Japanese. I don't cosplay though I think the concept is fun, like Halloween. I watch dubbed anime. I just feel like if you're going to do justice to the work of another person, you should stay as close to that source material as possible. Which is why I'm VERY excited about the Del Rey publication of "Parasyte". Nice, thick volumes, all in the original format, with the proper names and good translation! (See? here's that propagan- uh- goodness again) I'm very excited, and I can't wait to raid the free manga shelves and find the third volume. It makes me happy. I also HIGHLY reccomend "Mushishi." It's just wonderful

Notably, I want to add a little extra anecdote to my MKR/II translation story. I was out checking bookstores recently (part of my job is to see which books of ours are on the shelves, what sort of books the competition has out, et cetera.) and I saw an omnibus edition of the first three books of MKR (so the entire first series) for $4.99 (back in the day I paid $11.99 for EACH VOLUME of MKR and MKRII- six volumes in all). Tokyopop decided some years back to give up on the flipping of the artwork, so this was a revised copy with everything reading right to left, back of the front. I figured, "hell, they must have shaped up. It's only $4.99 and my old copies look like they've been through hell. This can only be BETTER."

It was WORSE.

They tried to "update" the language to be "hip" for the times and, my god, it nearly killed me in the first five pages. Hikaru actually uses the word "Stoked" and her friends say "Wow, she's really Diggin' this."

Are you serious?

It's like one of those terrible commercials where the parents try to talk to their kids using "modern kid language" and everyone groans because the kids don't really talk that way and the parents look like buffoons. Yes, I said it, buffoons.

Luckily I only paid $4.99 for it. If I'd paid any more I probably would have returned the thing. Notably, I still read Clamp- Del Rey publishes both "Tsubasa" and "XXXHolic" and I enjoy them both.

I have yet to run into any real fax pas in the Del Rey translations (and I scrutinize these things, believe me) because they try to stay as close as possible to the original text while, you know, translating it to English. You can tell they're trying hard, you know why? Because they have something Tokyopop doesn't- Translation notes. In the back of EVERY SINGLE book, there's pages of translation notes. Why this phrase make more sense in Japanese, why this character did this, how this phrase is much too difficult to translate as it was a play on words- it's really quite wonderful. I wish more companies would do it. It allows them to stay close to the source material and allows those of us who can't read the original Japanses to understand what the heck is going on at the same time. Very good stuff.

And you might say "You're just biased! Look at your list of favorite Manga! It's all Del Rey!" and this is true. That's mostly becasue I forgot to put "Inu-Yasha" up there (which will be remedied shortly) and the fact that I liked "Full Metal Alchemist" up until the point where things started getting really weird (the manga and the anime pretty much do two totally different things, and I like the anime better). But I am trying to expand my horizions. I'm looking into reading "The Kurosagi Corpse delivery Service" if I can find a volume or two today (I'm staying late in the city for a friend's birthday and I have a few hours to myself between work and the party). I read a lot of Del Rey becasue I get it for FREE. Manga is STILL pretty expensive at $10 and up for only 200 pages. It's an addictive habit man. If I had obtained this manga (and the other books I've gotten from work) with, say, an illegal five finger discount, I would be in jail for grand larceny right now. Or soon. That is not an idea that appeals to me. And with all the manga I get for free it's a little tough to make myself buy some.

Anyway, I'm going to update my "favorite Manga" section to add a couple titles I had forgotten. If you've never read Manga- thinking it's too much for kids- then you need a good kick in the head. Manga has ratings just like the movies. Some of it has really deep questions- Like "Parasyte." That's a story that asks "What is it that makes us human? Why are we better than animals?"

Anyway, I think I'm done ranting now. If I do pick up "Kurosagi," I'll let you know how it turns out.

Geeks in Love- The Origin.

2008-03-28T11:10:00.007-04:00

Caitlin Speaks-- Again:

In case you were wondering where the phrase "Geeks in Love" came from:

However, we don't look like that. We both have brown hair, Ryan's got the glasses (though I'm doomed to have them later in life, if my parents are anything to go by) and neither of us has braces. Or knee socks. And I wear slightly less geeky shirts because, you know, I'm a working professional. It's one of those "if you have a job, you need to act 'more mature'" things.

Except that I work in Children's books. And to give you an idea of what that means: the head of the RHCB division- Chip- got up at a major forum after he was introduced in a "Poky Little Puppy" suit, removed the helmet and said, straight faced, into the microphone "My mother always told me, no matter what I wanted to do in life, I should treat my job with a sense of dignity."

Maturity? Yes, but a unique sort.

Anyway, I still have yet to tell Ryan this exists, so I think I'm going to do that now.

Breaking into Blogging

2008-03-28T09:17:00.004-04:00

Caitlin Speaks:

This will be interesting for several reasons.

One: Neither Ryan, nor I, have managed to keep a steady journal going. . . in my case -EVER. I've done online ones. I've done paper ones. I do about three days worth of postings, and then it's over. I'm done- completely. But this is something I’d really like to do. Plus, Ryan and I can alternately fill in things, which means it will be updated twice as much as if one of us were doing it alone. Clever, no?

Two: I swore to high heaven that I would never Blog. Blogging was popular. I have for many years abhorred the typical mainstream stuff, only to realize that I really don't, nor ever have. Ah well.

Three: This is kinda supposed to be a "geeky" blog, however, no one's ever come up with a real definition of what is "Geeky." I consider myself a gaming geek- RPGs, some video games, the occasional TCG (Since I stopped playing VS I swore off them forever)- a literature geek- I work for Randomhouse Publishing Group, and I LOVE to read!- and a tiny bit of a computer geek- I know basic HTML and want to seriously learn it this summer.

Four: Perhaps the most important- I can't figure out how to work this site yet. It seems easy enough and I'm sure I'll get it. Also, I should probably Ryan I started this, heh.

Anyway, a little background:

Ryan and I met at college at SUNY Geneseo in 2006. It was love at first sight- he saw me at fencing club (which I was president of at the time) followed by seeing me again at GAGG- the Geneseo Area Gaming Group. There were, however, some complications- he had a girlfriend at the time (due to the fact that she refused to understand he had broken up with her) and he was convinced that I had fallen for one of his friends (who I thought at the time was gay). After a successful breakup with the former girlfriend and several months of beating around the bush our relationship started with a bang- a story for another day- and it’s been going steady ever since.

Except it’s long-distance.

Ryan is younger than me and finishing his Junior year at Geneseo; while I’m working at RH in NYC, he’s still plugging away at thesis statements. The goal for him is to work here in marketing, publicity or sales. I work in editorial (and love it!). There’s still a way to go, but I know he’ll get here soon, yay!

Anyway, I’m gonna go tweak this thing as best I can and see if I can get some links for geeky stuff up or whatnot. Story time’s over for right now. I’ll post again soon.