Roll for Initiative - 27 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 502

Micah 6:8
Esther 3:7-11
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is a very special day in the calendar of geekdom. It's Gary Gygax Day. This marks the birthday of the co-creator (with Dave Arneson) of Dungeons and Dragons, initially published by TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), now owned by Wizards of the Coast. D&D, amazingly enough, is still a paper and pencil, roll physical dice kind of game. It's never been computerized in any decent way, really. (Sure there are many PC, online, and console RPGs that owe their existence to the inspiration of D&D, but none that really embody the idea of a DM leading the players through a world / campaign created just for them.)

I spent many more hours than I should have in my university days playing D&D with friends. I've only just realized that I was really there at nearly the very beginning. The first sets of rules were published in 1974, and I started playing in 1975. I really had no idea I was so cutting edge as a nerd. Something to be proud of, I suppose.

If you're wondering what it's all about, and how people can have fun doing this, check out the folks at Critical Role to watch a bunch of friends who've been playing together for years. There are some very fun videos there.

Now I have to go roll a d20 to see if my magic flail (+4/+4) has hit and killed the hellhound that just burst into my room. Wish me luck!

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

22 September 2020 - Plague Journal Day 193

Micah 6:8
Psalm 104:16-23
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

As you know, yesterday marked the 83rd anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Oddly, today we celebrate National Hobbit Day. Perhaps that's because the book came out a day later in these United States than it had back in the United Kingdom? I don't know, and it's not worth researching, as we may as well simply celebrate Hobbits today as we celebrated the book yesterday.

Additionally, today is Chainmail Day, and that links with Hobbit day nicely (see what I did there?), as both Bilbo and Frodo wore mithril chainmail. I don't actually own any chainmail, but I have seen the rule book for chainmail, which was part of the basis for the original combat system in Dungeons and Dragons. If you search for images of chainmail clothing, you should probably keep your safe search turned on. Just a word to the wise - there's a lot of NSFW chainmail out there. Who knew? (I do now.)

As nearly everyone knows, today is the Autumnal Equinox (one assumes it's the Vernal Equinox in the Southern hemisphere), so we have equal amounts of day and night as we move from Summer to Autumn. In defiance of the calendar and the stars and planets, today is also National Ice Cream Cone Day, so why not indulge in a micro-retro-revolt and have an ice cream cone today? That sounds good to me, and I don't even like sweets much.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

22 August 2020 - Plague Journal Day 162

Micah 6:8
Acts 1:21-26
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Christian is after me to get back to playing D&D again. 

 

It's been a looong time since I've DM'ed a game, and even longer since I've been a player. Looking at the current rule books and so forth, I'm amazed at how much things have changed since I was a regular player.

OK, maybe changed isn't exactly the right word. The whole concept is the same - a role playing game of the mind, not on a board, it's almost like radio, in a sense: theatre of the mind.
As I've written before, I'm a big radio fan for that very reason - it engages the mind rather than subsituting for it. So the changes in D&D are not exactly cosmetic, but they're not fundamental. There are new character races and classes available. There are new weapons and spells and magic items and all that. But we're still left with a game where one person (the DM) has created a world within which other people (the players) will roam and act. It's a shared creation of a story or stories. In a sense, it's what authors are talking about when they say their characters dictate what they write. The bones of the plot are there: the setting, the cast of characters, their basic attributes, etc. Then, as the author puts them through their paces, it sometimes becomes obvious that what was originally intended simply won't work; that the characters need to be true to themselves and do what they need to do, not what the author initially intended.
That's pretty exciting.

I have often wondered how authors can collaborate on stories and novels and so forth, but maybe now I know. They're each bringing some of the background, the setting and characters and story arc, but then they each listen to the characters they're dealing with and weave it into what it really needs to be, rather than what they had intended.
I know sometimes one author has created a world and a basic plot, maybe a very detailed outline, and then the other one writes to that outline and plot, but often they work much more closely than that. I think that's how D&D creates stories. The DM has created a world with a set of problems to be solved, or a series of goals to be achieved, and then the players go in and make it what it really should have been.
This could be exciting!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

27 July 2020 - Plague Journal Day 137

Micah 6:8
Psalm 74:13-14
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is Gary Gygax Day! One would have hoped the folks over at Critical Role would be on top of this, but it seems they've missed an opportunity for a One Shot in Greyhawk or Blackmoor or some such special video.
"Who is Gary Gygax?" you ask. Why he and Dave Arneson are the co-creators of Dungeons and Dragons (based on all kinds of previous gaming systems, granted, but this was a new thing). If you're interested in celebrating, a quick trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin might be a good start.
Or, maybe you should just roll a d20 to save against geekdom. (Maybe not!)




I was stunned to see a set of the original rule books on ebay going for crazy money ($800!). Maybe those old booklets in the back room are worth keeping as an investment?! I even have a few of the early supplements! (Yes. I know.)

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.