Category: Gaming

Dungeons & Dragons: The New and Improved Player’s Handbook and Role Playing in General

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Bruce

My In-laws were visiting for a couple of days and they asked me about Gen Con. I had to remind myself that even after being part of the family for over 30 years, there are still parts of me that they might not understand. I took some time to explain role playing games to them. I realized that while I get role playing games, I’ve been playing them for over 40 years, there are those who have no clue about them.

Think of a role playing game as a “choose your own adventure” story. They are collaborative games in which everyone works together to beat the game. In a role playing game, you are part of a party of characters who try to meet a goal. You are playing a character in a story, the story changes as you, and your group make choices. Your success is determined by a simple dice roll.

Your character has attributes and has a job (class) which gives you skills to help the group win. You battle bad guys and sometimes good guys (if you think they are bad guys). As you move through the story, you learn and get better. In the end you might die or you might go on to another adventure. Role playing games give people like me the chance to be someone the complete opposite of who I am. The grandfather of role playing games is Dungeons and Dragons- it’s been through highs and lows. It’s been considered the work of the devil by some 🙄 but really gave nerdy kids a chance to let their imaginations go.

Let’s Get Personal

At Gen Con this year they celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. I started playing it in middle school and had no idea what I was doing, for the most part I still don’t have a clue.

My first character was an assassin, Lawful Evil, noble by birth, Count Iblis. Most people’s first character gets a name from a book or other reference, my friend’s character was “Elrond” and yes, he was an elf. The count soon became my alter ego. He could hide in the shadows, like I kind of did in real life, but he could also move gracefully and with dexterity- something I still can’t do. He had a bendable code and ended up collecting some amazing things. He became a Marquis and by the time I was in knee deep into high school he had been put on my shelf & at some point after that lost in the ancient dusts of time.

I went to college and played a slightly different character using the MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing) system. The GM had a rule in which we were playing “heroes,” therefore we couldn’t be evil. This was before the rise of the concept of anti-hero. Funny thing, I still follow that rule when making a character. “Greyff” (A purposeful misspelling of the German word for Griffin) looked like a scruffy nerf herder of a rogue, but could sling spells at you before you realized it. Something that made you not judge this book by his cover. So my personal history with role playing ran hot and cold over the decades. Usually if I had a group that wanted a player, I could be there. GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System), Pathfinder, Starfinder… I could figure out or bluff my way through most systems. Life was easy as long as I could do mental math and knew what I needed to add or subtract from my roll.

When I came back to Dungeons and Dragons it was like having never read a Marvel or DC comic book and trying to figure things out. There were so many different realities- and therefore things that might lure in or keep away new players. There were those who missed whatever world they had started playing in, like the multiverse, each world had some changes and added classes, species, and things that make that world unique. I tend to play species and classes from the Player’s Handbook. I’ve branched away once, but really saw the other players almost discomfort because an Intoximancer, while cool, was a hard concept in normal gameplay, I’ve shelved that character.

I remember starting a game with some new players so I stuck to my standard character type. l picked something straight from the Player’s Handbook. I even commented to the DM that I find it hard on new players when some crazy class or species shows up as a player because the new players can’t just look things up in the book they have to learn about who they are playing with. You expect to have a party of elves, halflings (hobbits), and humans – our common knowledge base for fantasy comes from Lord of the Rings. In this instance someone showed up late to the game and was playing a robot, a robot cleric?!? 🙄

What’s Old is New Again

A few weeks ago Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast the current makers of the 800 pound gorilla of RPGs released the latest edition of the Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook. Things like this cause an uproar in the community with shouting and cursing about how people’s lives have been ruined. I don’t see it. First, I am no expert. As far as I can tell this is mostly just rules clarifications and changes in layout. The company has even said it’s supposed to be backwards compatible. Therefore it isn’t a new edition. When it was first talked about (in muted whispers, in the darkened hallways of the interwebs) they were going to change “races” to “species.” This way they could avoid any issues with race, a topic we humans seem to struggle over. It seems they have clarified some of the rules, and made character classes a bit more level. I won’t really know until I actually play, but on paper it seems that way.

Here Are My Biggest Takeaways:

  • They’ve gotten rid of half elves and half orcs. Doesn’t mean your old characters no longer exist, but they no longer have separate listings in the Player’s Handbook. Just Elves and Orcs. Orcs being a new addition. Your DM may continue allowing them, or not.
  • Along with Orcs, they’ve added the Aasimir and Goliath species. Not that these weren’t playable before, but they are now part of the Player’s Handbook so you don’t need some other book to play one. Then again- what are they? Aasimir are the just other side of Tieflings, right? Oh, sorry- Tieflings descended from Demons, Devils, etc. Aasimir descended from Angels. So you now can play either. Goliaths on the other hand are descended from giants. Like Dragonborn (another species) have some dragon abilities, Goliaths have abilities from giants. If you’ve played you know there are a bunch of kinds of dragons and almost as many kinds of giants. I look at Goliaths as the Incredible Hulk… could be smart Hulk could be that other guy.
  • They made the layout easier to understand. In the old version if you wanted to play a spell caster your list of spells was in the back of the book lumped in with all the other spell casters. Now you turn the page in the class description and there they are… a nice list. You still need your head to the back to read details, but that makes sense since some spells are used by multiple classes.
  • They’ve embraced their past through the illustrations. Over the years Dungeons and Dragons has had many different realms in which the stories took place. The really nice illustrations harken back to each one – I didn’t see any mention of cannibal halflings or some of the more unique realms, but I haven’t looked at every caption. It seems that they have touched upon: Valor’s Call, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, and even Eberron. Don’t feel bad, I had to look some of these up and I even have read Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons.
  • Right now there are a few things that are listed as – Consult the Dungeon Master’s Guide the one I noticed was dealing with deities. If you play a cleric or paladin you need to worship a deity… after reading NPC’s by Drew Hayes, I wanted to see the updated list of deities as I was thinking of creating a character like one in that book. No list of deities- consult the DM Guide which the new edition hasn’t been released yet. Heck, the new edition of the Player’s Handbook doesn’t officially become available until September.

Looking for Group

The hardest part in gaming has nothing to do with the rules, or which edition you are using. The hardest part is finding the right people. I recall when I joined a group that I just felt lost in. The Star Trek Adventures game had just been released. I went to my local store when I heard they were putting together a game. I came thinking that in my group of friends I’m pretty much the token geek. I know Star Trek. I didn’t know the obscure Federation history these guys were bringing up. I was figuring something around the original series, or a little later. The game was going to be set right after the conclusion of the Dominion War in Cardassian space on a ship type I had never heard of… I decided to slowly back away…They were way too serious.

How about April 12, 2419?

Then comes the issue of scheduling, when the real world interferes with the fantasy world. Almost every group I’ve been in someone stops showing up due to whatever reason. Sometimes work gets in the way, or family vacations… I try not to do this, but I’ve done this too, so I’m also to blame. You don’t show up before the group attacks a dragon, people die, and it’s all your fault.

If you think of a D&D game like a novel – you turn to the next chapter and it’s blank. That’s what happens when the DM goes AWOL. Happened to more than once. You turn the page and one of the main characters in the story is no longer mentioned. Then reappears with no explanation three chapters later… Life does get in the way sometimes, but I know I try to make it or at least give everyone enough of a heads up.

Life’s a Game… Don’t be a Murder Hobo

When creating an alter-ego for the game some people take a lot of time. Some times a DM will ask for a well thought out backstory so they can spring something on you. Other groups are just “Murder Hobos”. See the monster, kill the monster, loot the body. See the poor innocent guard just doing his job, kill the poor innocent guard just doing his job, loot the body. See the small child with a lollipop… you get the idea.

I played a Dungeon Crawl Classics Funnel at Gen Con and still think it is an awesome way to create cool characters. Instead of you sitting alone rolling dice to figure out what your character did before adventuring… you get to start with a few characters who are at that tipping point. Will they die or will they become heroes? You have nothing invested in them until after they survive the funnel. The funnel becomes the how and why they went adventuring. My my characters case, they were kidnapped by cultists and escaped, they are either trying to get back to their village or have realized the entire village was killed and they are the only survivors… Now they have a grudge against these guys and a reason to hunt them down and stop their evil plans.

As I said in my recap of Gen Con, I think I prefer the more dice roll based role playing games than the ones where you gain advantage by conning the DM into accepting what you want to do- it’s the concrete, Lawful side of my personality.

My standard character is a bard – so they can fight and cast spells. I tend to describe their singing style as similar to William Shatner, so they play music and tell stories. I used to always play a rogue, but decided that a bard forces me to not be an introvert. The ones I’ve played in the past are: Lennon McCartney, Peter Paulenmary, Simon Garnetfunkel, and recently Arlo, just Arlo. I’ve also played a dwarf barbarian named Oogachucka, and a gnome sorcerer named Antyr Rhynum (A play off of the latin name for the snap dragon). The names are meant to illustrate that I don’t always take the game seriously, so expect me to open the door while everyone is deciding if we should open the door. When the robot cleric first came through the door Arlo yelled out “Klaatu birrada nicto!” and then asked if he had the pizza I had ordered. Through out the game Arlo called the guy “Gort.” I also had modern songs either ukulele covers or those done in a classic style set on my phone so I would just start playing a song when we took too much time discussing things. I became the Final Jeopardy timer for the group. `Most of the time the campaign has just withered away, so I have these not intro level characters therefore I really can’t do anything with them. Some are lost in Ravenloft, others have some cool home-brew magic item that no other DM is going to allow.

A few of my characters- the different sheets just have different ways of displaying the same information. I’m assuming an electronic version of the updated sheet will become available in September.

Arlo’s Backstory (an example): Arlo had come from a family of brewers and not being the eldest was going to be left nothing. His older brother got everything, Arlo was expected to work for his brother (who had bullied him growing up) and be happy. Not Arlo’s style, he just wanted to play the ukulele, and tell stories. He convinced his older brother to brew a very special beer “Zombie Dust” and nice IPA, that unfortunately turned people into the undead for a short period of time. It was a hit! During which Arlo grabbed his ukulele and ran for the hills, leaving his family fending off a village full of Octoberfest zombies. His family now is hunting him down for revenge and the recipes and cash he also took. Arlo’s a nice guy, helps people, especially those that the system have left to the wayside for no fault of their own.

Final Suggestion

When you decide to create a character the one thing I can recommend is dark-vision. Humans are nice, but they are blind in the dark and that is where the monsters are. Pick a species or some way so you don’t need torches- they give away your position and once they are snuffed out, so is your life.

Gen Con 2024 – a Recap

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Bruce

I was planning on doing a recap of MINI Takes The States when – “WHAM!” I got hit with Gen Con. As many know I am a registered “Kidult” aka a child who never really grew up. I was retained in third grade because the school felt I was “immature” now as I close in on 60 I read comic books, play with LEGO bricks, and carry around a stuffed monkey- so the retention didn’t work. One of the things I’ve been testing during the early phases of my retirement has been discovering what I am really passionate about. Gen Con highlights one of those things- Gaming.

Last year was my first chance to actually attend all four days of the con. I attended multiple sessions on Puppetry and tried out a few games. In the past I would arrive and spend the day in the exhibit hall wandering aimlessly throwing money around buying games for my classroom. This year I switched things up a bit more. Instead of puppetry I focused on games, and those were divided into two categories: miniature war games and role playing games.

For Level Zero to Level One Players- A Bit of Advice

You will be overwhelmed… there are a lot of people and a lot of things going on. If you are planning on going all four days (which I recommend) plan on going with the flow. Look at what is being offered. If you see something that sounds amazing- see about getting a ticket for it, or buy some generics and hope they have an opening. For the most part you can spent fours days wandering the exhibit hall and just playing games when someone calls out from a booth- “Would you like to see our new game?”

Does it matter which days you go? Not really, Sunday is a shorter day, so it is a bit cheaper, and some activities will have concluded by then. Cardhalla would be destroyed and the balloon sculpture is popped Sunday morning. Besides that any day is good. This year the hall was really busy on Thursday. Next year? Who knows?

Unless you have something specific you are trying to get wait until the crowd dies down before entering the hall. This year I had games scheduled for 9:00AM or before, so except for one day, I missed the throngs of angry villagers storming the doorways to get into the exhibit hall.

Another thing- use the App. If you are with a group, share your schedule through the website. Hopefully they’ll figure out a way to add sharing to the app next year. so you know where to find the rest of your party.

If you are a teacher and can afford it (I know being a teacher and being able to afford something is kind of an oxymoron) I suggest getting a Trade Day badge and going Wednesday to those sessions. Bring play into your classroom, no matter what the high paid consultants who haven’t set foot in a classroom for over a decade say. I wish schools in Indiana would start a little later to allow teachers to attend Gen Con. It would be nice if the Dept. of Education even could sponsor teachers to learn about the importance of play. Most teachers that I know spend those first couple of days bored in meetings wishing to be in their classroom setting things up. The problem is a Trade Day Badge gets you a four day badge and teachers are usually teaching the first two days which IMHO is stupid- just start school on Monday. I also kinda wish they’d open Trade Day up to retired educators…

My First Game for Gen Con 2024

Thursday began with a “funnel” in Goodman Games: Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) system. Those who know about role playing games (RPGs) know that part of the fun is making a character. I recall one system that took days to go through character creation and I still have no idea how what brand of baby formula I had in infancy impacted my character’s game play. In a role playing game you assume a role. kind of like an actor and all you have is the writer’s overview of the character. In this play and you are a new character and your decisions determine if you live or don’t.

I played what was called a “funnel” in DCC. My friend Brian was running the game and each player was given four characters from a village to play. These were not adventurers, these were pig farmers, a cooper, a trader, basically the characters out of the book I read on MTTS- NPCs by Drew Hayes. We begin waking up on a ramp leading to a pit surrounded by the beautiful music of a choir. Each group of four characters is run by a player sitting around the table. Our job was to live long enough to figure things out and escape. You are given four characters because the chance of survival is low. As characters died the GM would stamp that portion of your sheet. If you lost all four characters you got up walked out to a gong and rang it. At this point the area would erupt in cheers at your death. I’m not going to give away anything else, but it was fun and I look forward to trying it again. As my friend said- he’d most likely be editing this adventure once the con was over as that is his retirement gig… what a life, if only I could spell.

*Spoilers*

My notebook pages from the funnel… Sometimes I draw to help visualize the location, other times I will draw out the situation. Then sometimes I try to flesh out the characters or monsters. In this case you can see a lot of trying to figure out where we were and where things were, along with some monster bits. If you couldn’t tell one of my funnel characters “Jean Claude” was a trapper so I drew him accordingly. The Star Trek Adventure games didn’t lend themselves as well to drawing, and in a miniatures based war game, you don’t have time to draw things out.

It’s all in the Dice

I guess this would be a good time to mention polyhedral dice used in lots of games. We all are familiar with the common cube shaped die, six-sided nice random number generator. Most role playing games use a bunch of different sided dice. Enough different kinds to make it expensive. DCC uses even more “funky” dice, so I, of course, had to buy a set when everything was over. During my the games, dice were loaned out, but as the great gamer once said, “You can never have enough dice.”

Other Games-

I focused on playing this time around, and my next game (also with Brian) was called “Rivet Wars” kind of a science fiction steampunk World War 1 battle game. My side (Germany) against his side the Allies. The hardest part about this game was turn order. Turn order is the basic order in which you do things during your turn. In this case: deploy units, attack, and move. Which was counterintuitive to deploy, move, attack. It threw us both off even though Brian had played the game before. When you are in a “Learn to Play” game, they rules are gone over and you start with simple basics, and then rules are added as you play. It’s a nice introduction to a game. These are usually led by people who love the game and play it often. My last game for the day was in the evening, so I had time to walk through the “Bazaar of Deva” aka the exhibit hall. More on that later.

Gen Con takes up pretty much all of downtown Indianapolis, most of the convention center is used to create a massive exhibit hall, those not are then used by game companies and groups to play or teach people games. As are the ballrooms and meeting spaces at every connected hotel. They even use Lucas Oil Stadium to house an open game library and that’s where I played DCC, Rivet Wars, and AerodromeACE. It is also a nice air conditioned place to sit back and relax with food if things get too crazy everywhere else.

My last game for day one was learning a game that won’t be by released until October -Star Trek: Into the Unknown. Basically this is a spaceship game using ships from the Star Trek Universe around the time of the The Next Generation and Deep Space 9. I got started early and took command of be the Defiant against a Jem Hadar fighter ship. We started off just scanning the system as an intro act. Then we started a rescue mission that ended up with some pew, pew, pewing so we could experience the combat system. Like many combat systems it seemed fairly straight forward, the ships looked nice, you had crew member that added a dynamic. The issue is that this becomes (like many games) a collector game. You need to collect things to be competitive. I love Star Trek and the ships are very cool – an Enterprise D with a saucer section that separates! But the question I will return to is – “Will I play it enough?”

That ended Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday looked similar with the games being different. I played the recent update of the Star Trek Adventures role playing game twice. One a spy mission, and another repelling a boarding party. I’m cutting the GM’s some slack since the new version came out a few days before the Con and they seemed a bit confused since they hadn’t really played it before. I think the publisher could have better prepared the GM’s especially since these folks were the ones promoting the games. Like my current game using the “FATE” system it seemed like as long as you could convince the GM enough you could do anything. Not as concrete as Dungeons & Dragons, so I found it was not to my liking. I guess I’m more “Lawful” than I care to admit. Unlike a game like “Dogfight!” that I purchased after playing, I did not buy the 2nd edition of Star Trek Adventures. I have had the first edition since it came out, and really never found a group I was comfortable enough with to play it. The first group I tried made me look like someone who knew nothing about Star Trek! The second group never got past talking about playing.

Lucas Oil Stadium as it should be, filled with games!
Cecil prepares for the funnel
Rivet Wars
Star Trek: Into the Unknown
Ship Controls
The Enterprise NCC-1701D
It’s Monkey Time!
Star Trek Adventures
Dogfight
Space Alert
AerodromeACE
My plane controls for AerodromeACE
Yes, I did get a copy of the new Player’s Handbook

One of the other games I played was called Space Alert and was a cooperative game. A cooperative game is one where everyone is trying to beat the game. In this case we are all on a spaceship and have 10 minutes (real time) to accomplish your mission and keep the ship safe. The hardest part was when a player didn’t listen to the discussion (or thought they were the one everyone was talking to – and Sue says I think it’s always about me!) so when they programmed their actions it overlapped with other people 🙄. This created chaos with our limited resources. Fun game but requires a group to play. So I probably won’t ever play it except at a con.

The other two games I played were World War 1 dogfight games. The first one was based on Wings of War and we were part of two squadrons attacking a giant monkey on a skyscraper in New York. The other one I had played the science fiction (Battlestar Galactica) version last year and decided to try a Sopwith Snipe instead of a Viper. I actually was able to shoot down two enemy planes during the missions we flew. I happen to get shot down so my wings were awarded posthumously.

The question is would I either purchase or play these games again? The dogfight games I would, I even checked and I once owned Wings of War, but since I never had the opportunity to play it at home it no longer is in my game library. Space Alert was another one that was fun, but I’m not seeing myself having the chance to play it at home. I purchased the rules for Dungeon Crawl Classics and the funky dice. Just to be prepared. As for the second edition of Star Trek Adventures… I’m not sure. I have a bunch of resources for the first edition that have sat on a shelf. After playing it, I’m not sure I like the game mechanics, but that could be the issue of Modiphius not preparing their GMs well enough, coupled with my experience last year where I spent 2 hours listening to a lecture about how the game is played without ever playing the game. So is it the GMs, is it Modiphius, or is it the game? Star Trek into the Unknown… The price point is a bit too high for a game I may never play. The ships are amazing, but I’m just not sure I need to get into another high priced miniature game. Unlike some of the massive Star Wars games, this does have a mission component, but once you’ve played out the missions… what’s next?

Level One Players- How Does One Go About Playing Games at Gen Con?

Your badge gets you into the Exhibit Hall which includes some games, there are a bunch of places that are demoing games and have other activities, but if you want to do something for the most part you need a ticket.

  • Step one- get a badge when they go on sale (Remember GenCon sold out this year, so you might want to do this early.
  • Step two- wait patiently for the event listings to get posted. They will go live about a week or two before you can purchase tickets.
  • Step three- add events to your wishlist. Put them in a preference order, your wishlist gets filled in order so think about this.
  • Step four- when it tickets go live get into the queue and submit your wishlist. Cross your fingers. The Queue is long, but you might get lucky.
  • Events get added up until Gen Con. You can also get generic tickets and use them if there are open spots. Those with actual tickets get in first. AerodromeACE wasn’t live when I first filled out my wishlist, I added it later.
  • Your badge and tickets will arrive to your mailbox (signature required) before the Con… or you could brave the Will Call line, which this year wasn’t as bad as the merch line.

My2024 Official Schedule:

  • Thursday 9:00-1:00 The Doom Spell of Amarath Seahold (DCC)
  • Thursday 1:00-3:00 Rivet Wars (Brian had the tickets he was before me in the queue)
  • Thursday 6:00-8:00 Star Trek: Into the Unknown – We started early and therefore ended early.
  • Friday 9:00-11:00 Space Alert Learn to Play
  • Friday 9:00-3:00 Player’s Handbook Early Release pick up
  • Friday 1:00-3:00 Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition – Enemies Without
  • Friday 3:00-4:00 Dogfight! Rule the Skies in 20 Minutes!
  • Saturday 8:00-11:00 King Kong: Monkeying Around!
  • Saturday 12:00-2:00 Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition – Through Fire and Fury
  • Sunday 10:00-2:00 AerodromeACE WW1

Most games started around the time they should have… people are late, sometimes even the GM. One of the Star Trek Adventure games almost ended because we had reached the old college 15 minute rule waiting for the GM. Most ended early, which was fine, giving me enough time to get to whatever was next, and have a bathroom break. By actually playing games this year two things happened: First, I didn’t spend that much in the exhibit hall. Secondly, the days went by quickly. It also caused me to actually talk to people, which I guess is a good thing.

The Hall of Wonders

The exhibit hall, like most cons are where most level one players hang out with their mouths agape trying to figure out what to buy first. As I started to go to cons this was where I spent most of my time. It didn’t matter the con, the exhibit hall was a hall of wonders filled with delights to tempt any and all forms of geek. Each hall has its own flavor in this case, lots of games (duh). Since Fantasy Role Playing pretty much started at Gen Con, a lot of the stuff on sale has a fantasy twist to it. You want a cloak, a sword, a witches/wizards hat? Games cover so many pop culture and historical topics, everything is covered in the hall. The hall also is attached to a large gaming area used by companies for tournaments or to just give people a chance to try out games. That was where I played Star Trek: Into the Unknown, and battled King Kong on the Empire State Building. You could spend all four days wandering the hall and be very content. The doors to the actual selling portion of the hall closed and gaming went into the late hours of the night.

Things to watch out for: As with most conventions people are oblivious. They are focused on one thing, and the people around them are not it. You have a wide variety of people (something great about gaming) but you also have wagons, rolling carts, and board game bags. Board game bags are backpacks designed to hold a bunch of games… which mean they still out over a foot. and the people wearing them tend to turn and hit people accidentally. Getting hit in the face with a bag filled with boxed games can leave more than a mark. So just be aware of your surroundings.

Maybe the Holy Grail?

There were thousands of games being played, demoed, and sold at Gen Con. I was fortunate enough to figure out how to get a copy of the soon to be released 2024 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. Now I’m not one who played D&D through all its iterations. I started with Advanced D&D in the 80’s moved to Middle Earth Roll Playing (based on ICE) in college, then stopped until 5th edition came out. So this is really my first rules change that I’ve been interested in. I’ve only taken a cursory look at the book and it looks like there have been some changes, but mostly in layout and placement of information. Basic changes I’ve noticed (besides races becoming species) the loss of half any “Race/Species” You no longer can play a half-elf or half orc, they’ve also added the Aasimir to the Player’s handbook, I’m guessing as a way to balance out the Tiefling. Besides that the layout seems much more user friendly, I especially like the class Spell list being a part of the class description instead of a massive list in the Spells, section. There is information that is being mentioned, but with a “see the DM Guide for more information.”

I’m not an expert player, and have limited myself to playing just a few classes so I can’t say much more than these basic “Aha!” noticings. I know there’s a lot more, but until I create a character and play it, I’m not sure how these changes will help or hurt the game. Many people online have used this as a way to promote their favorite RPG and how it is superior to D&D. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It just can be hard to switch when the audience for non-D&D RPGs is small. Pathfinder is probably the easiest to find a group. Since I don’t have that many people to game with I’ll probably stick with whatever they are playing which is currently FATE (which I’m not excited about) and D&D.

With the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons, the US Postal Service also released a series of stamps to celebrate. Not being an avid stamp collector, I’m using them to send cursed mail as I pay bills that require stamps.

Whining, Grumbling, & Complaints

There are always people complaining to complain. I’m trying to figure out why people post certain things on Social Media. After MTTS I really don’t know why. Maybe they want the attention, the dopamine rush… There is a Fans of Gen Con group on Facebook which is great about giving out good information, but also like most Social Media provides a soapbox for complainers.

For Gen Con, most of the posts dealt with the horror (Oh the HORROR!!!) of hotels, and parking. Then came the cost of Food trucks, and why Indianapolis? Why not someplace bigger? Please note I have only attended Gen Con since it moved to Indianapolis, and I live in Indianapolis so housing is not an issue for me. To me it is an Whimventure® at home. My niece flies out from Baltimore to attend so our only problem is only having cars that seat two people and getting out the inflatable mattress since we only have guests at the house once a year (and this is that time). Like MINI Takes The States people seem to think the governing organization has control over everything… they don’t. They don’t control if the air conditioning works in the hotel room you packed 6 guys in for four days because you wanted to save some money. They have no control over the hotel staffing and if your room is clean or ready. They don’t control if the food trucks charge too much. They don’t control the number of parking spots and if one of the lots got sold weeks prior to the event. They have no control over the wagons, ginormous bags people use, or if attendees use deodorant. They have no control over how many exclusive items are available and if they happen to sell out just as you get there Sunday afternoon. They can only control certain things and learn from past experience. Complaining to everyone online and saying you will never attend Gen Con again is silly, and serve no useful purpose. It’s the midwest, people try to be nice, there will be road construction. It’s August, it will be hot and humid. If you had a horrible time- don’t come back, nature abhors a vacuum and other people will fill the emptiness you create. Those people might appreciate that a bazillion people have gathered together to play and celebrate each other’s uniqueness.

If you want to keep up with the problems people have just join the Fans of Gen Con Facebook Group… As I said, they give out great information, and help you to keep track of when things are happening, but it also can be a place for people to whine and complain about things. Who knew that Gen Con has rules against cosplaying in paramilitary or police style costumes? That some cosplayers use these “police” assault team outfits to push their way through crowds? I always wondered… now I know. Like many conventions I could see the weapon check tables at the entrances, but there are so many entrances.

My complaints? Getting a copy of the Player’s Handbook througjmhnh the ticketing system was clunky. I heard of a number of people who just gave up. I just put it in my “wishlist” and then kept pushing buttons on my keyboard starting at 7:00AM until it ended up in my cart. It took a post about putting it on my wishlist, to help me get it on the second day. I probably would have given up after two attempts.

What I Learned This Year at Gen Con

I learned to pace myself. I only signed up for a few things each day. The most was three. This gave me time to play, eat, and explore. I played this time around. I decided to try to play some games instead of going to informational sessions. Thursday first time slot is nice but in some cases that’s the slot people skip (tired from travel, or celebrating being at Gen Con) so you might not have a full game. Be patient, these people are volunteers and sometimes not given the preparation needed to run a perfect game. Many have read over the material once or twice, but may never have run a party through the game until you sit down at the table. Be patient with your fellow players… like you this may be their first time playing, or it might be the 500th. Enjoy and understand that you aren’t getting a prize for winning (in most cases) so just relax and have fun. For me, I have a number of games at home that gather dust, this is my chance to actually play them, or at least try them out. I learned that I like games where the rules are more straightforward. I’m not one for games where I haver to explain or try to convince the GM about what I’m doing every time. Let me roll my dice and know that I succeeded, or that I didn’t. I guess I like games that are more black and white. I liked the DCC funnel! It was a great way to learn the mechanics, but also a way to create a character based on actual experiences, rather than having to create a complex backstory. My best character was a cooper… who now is off to adventure since his entire village was kidnapped and fed to a choir of ghouls.

My Haul

Like any geek related convention everyone proudly displays their “Haul” all the stuff they purchased. For me, I’ll just list it:

  • Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Players Handbook
  • Dungeon Crawl Classics Rulebook (Softcover)
  • One set of ‘Funky” Dice for DCC (purple)
  • Dogfight! Rule the Sky in 20 Minutes!
  • Pocket Cats
  • Two sets of “regular”RPG dice from Roll4Intitive (they have a nice easy to read d4) & DiceGuardians called the Lucky Lich (sharp edged and “pretty”)
  • A cat shaped dice tray *squee*
  • D&D postage stamps
  • a bunch of pins & stickers because pins and stickers are cool.
  • Overpriced food and beverages because it’s a con, and all food and beverages are overpriced.

We’re Going on an Adventure!

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Bruce

For the last few years I’ve been reliving my youth by playing Dungeons & Dragons. While there is a very nice game store nearby, I drive over to my favorite comic shop twice a month to answer the call of adventure. I know that many stores have games open to everyone so check out your local game shop or comic book shop if you are interested in trying it out. For first timers they tend to have pre-generated characters ready for you. This is not a post about fantasy role playing games, but rather something that has grown out of my characters’ adventures. I am currently running two characters: Cecil (you know I had to name one that), and Peter. One on Wednesdays and one on Sundays. Since the beginning I took notes to help me keep track from month to month. While the person running the adventure keeps notes and recaps at the start, I just feel better & have found it helps me focus.

So on Wednesdays, Cecil Ookington-Smythe – a halfling rogue fights to save the world from being taken over by evil dragons & those that worship evil dragons. If I slipped into geekspeak here’s a rough translation- I’m roleplaying a hobbit (you know like the short guys in Lord of the Rings- the ones without beards) he’s a thief/spy. I sneak around & do a lot of lurking, although as luck would have it he’s dealt the killing blow to a dragon so he can add “Dragonslayer” to his name. For Sunday’s adventure I am something completely different. I’m playing Peter Paulenmary, a half elf bard (think storyteller). While I’ve been using Cecil for a lot longer, I’ve really tried to flesh out Peter’s back story a bit more. Cecil’s excuse is he has told so many lies about his origin, he doesn’t remember the truth.  Peter’s basically a guy running around gathering stories of adventure, He’s not looking for fame or fortune, just a spot in the local tavern to spin tales of heroes and get some free drinks.  He  has ended up taking some bad advice by heading to Ravenloft (think Transylvania) and is trapped with the band of adventurers he had met on the road.  I like to think of the group wishing they hadn’t taken that left turn in Albuquerque.  He’s pretty light-hearted & optimistic, he keeps a leather bound notebook that was given to him by his mentor, Woodrow of Guthrie, along with his favorite history book by S. Morgenstern.

So as the adventures have gone on, I’ve been taking notes. These started as just lists & names, but have become much more elaborate as you can see from the examples. This is basically how I see Peter’s notebook, filled with doodles and information that, when time finally permits, may be made into that great novel, song, epic poem, whatever. So while the actual comic has been on hold for way too long (I only have lame excuses as to why) I’m still recording a “geek odyssey” of sorts. Like anything, my style has changed over time, but it adds a little something to our adventures. Note: in some cases off topic bits from conversations end up in there. Proper conventions of writing are ignored, including spelling since many words are made up so a “phonetic-ish” spelling is used.

& so it begins… after a month break I tend to start off with just words.

SO the adventure really starts to take off… trolls & ghosts and I almost die.

Somehow I get dragged into a tar pit by some ghasts… and almost die.

Getting to the fight before confronting the big bad guy. orcs & snake people. Did I mention the rest of my group decided to run away?

So fighting a group of orcs & snake people ends up almost killing me (again)

Finally we confront the big baddie who is trying to control a troll/dragon spirit and… You guessed it I almost die.

So the adventure ends and the spoils are handed out. You may have noticed that some notes are circled in blue- that way I can find our spoils so I can total things up. The result of my flirting with death- I get a magic item that will allow me to escape once per day! Hopefully I won’t die as many times.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon AZ85

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Bruce

az85I have been known to play a game or two in my day. As a kid there was a game store near where my first job was. I’d get my paycheck, run to get it cashed at the grocery store, then run back to see what new games were there. OK, I may have also stopped by the candy shop for gummi bears, but most of my money went to games. I remember playing a different table top games and a bunch of different role playing games. Recently I’ve tried to get back into gaming and I’ve taken the first step- I buy games. but I tend not to play them that often. Last week I had the chance to play King of New York- a game in which you are a giant monster trying to survive and gain fame to be the “King of New York.” this was for a spot in the national tournament at GenCon in August. I won the game that mattered and lost every other game after that. Today was a little different my local game shop (Saltire Games) was having an “Asmoday” an event from Asmodee Games. Today’s was the game “Cash ‘n Guns” which if you couldn’t tell from the title deals with cash and guns… basically whoever can survive and accumulate the most loot wins. It’s a fun game but not for everyone and you really need more than four people to make it interesting. So today’s MINIon comes from that game, think Reservoir Dogs, but a cute and cuddly version, with foam guns.

After that I played “Villainy” Which I actually own, but have never played.  Now I have… still lost, but I never worry about winning- competition tends to bring out a side of me I don’t like much.

Another one bites the dust…

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Bruce

So as Fall Break comes to a close I thought I’d at least share a bit about the adventures I had this past week. For those who don’t know about Fall Break in the midwest (or at least in Indiana) there has been a short break in October for as long as I have been teaching. It started off as a time for teachers to attend workshops and conferences, but slowly (because teachers have families- and therefore need to find daycare for their kiddos) it ended up being a four day weekend, until recently. Over the past few years many people woke up to the understanding that they no longer work on a farm the idea of “balancing” the school calendar had come into vogue. Ideally the calendar would be something like 9 weeks of teaching, then a break. I did my undergraduate thesis and graduate thesis on the advantages of a “year round” calendar and it finally might become reality. Sadly opponents claim this would destroy the time honored tradition of complaining that teachers get “summers off” it could also ruin the even more sacred high school athletics schedule. So many school districts have come up with a compromise, quietly extend some of the already community approved breaks and shorten Summer “vacation” a bit. This is why many people look at me like I have three heads when I talk about going back to school in early August. So this year my school district extended Fall Break to one week (many school districts have extended it to two weeks). We also have a week at Thanksgiving since attendance during that week is awful as so many people pull their kids out to travel over the river and through the woods.

What did I do this week? If you noticed an actual comic strip was published on both Tuesday and Thursday, a tradition I hope to continue. I also tried to relax… no really. I went to a game night on Friday, attended the Kokomo-Con on Saturday, and spent a lot of the week reminding myself why I hate doing artwork for other people, even friends.

Geek-wise I played Boss Monster, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic and had a great time with each. For those who have never played any of these a quick overview of each:

Boss Monster – A chance to play the evil villain in one of those old scrolling video adventure games.  You construct a dungeon, room by room, and at the end of each turn you lure heroes to their doom (you hope).  It was a Kickstarter project and the gameplay is pretty easy to understand.  I have a few questions on the actual sequence of some things, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out if I play it more. – I lost, this time around

Ticket to Ride – Where have you been living? a cave?!?  Sorry, Ticket to Ride is a train game in which you attempt to complete routes across the country (there are many versions of this game dealing with many continents the base game is mostly the U.S> with a few side trip into Canada.)  It has been around for a few years and is a lot of fun to play, especially with more than two people, when it can get challenging, and a little cut throat. I won! trouncing my opponents with a route from Miami to Los Angeles and Houston to Winnipeg worth lots of points!

Pandemic – I don’t feel so good… Pandemic is one of those games in which it is the players vs. the game.  A “cooperative” game.  Which is a really cool idea.  In this case you are trying to stop the human race from dying off from four different diseases.  Each player has a role and therefore special abilities.  The problem with many cooperative games is all it takes is one simple mistake, or a bad draw and it’s over…and yes, it was over, we lost.  For kids Forbidden Island has a similar game mechanic and is a little easier to grasp. in that case an island is sinking and you are trying to rescue four artifacts and escape before it plunges into the depths forever.

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I’ve been to many a comic-con- I started with Creation Conventions, then WizardWorlds, C2E2, New York Comic Con, and San Diego… and now I can say I’ve been to Kokomo-Con.  Kokomo-Con does not compare with any of the other conventions I have been to, but that’s not a bad thing.  It has a homey feel about that only a small convention can have.  It was small, and it reminded me almost of pop culture flea market, but again not in a bad way.  It was a lot of fun and I decided to go for a few reasons.  First my friend Jim McClain who does Solution Squad a great comic to engage older kids in Math was going to be there and I had run out of books (silly kids & teachers “borrowing” them) and he had a new poster dealing with the four steps of problem solving which I wanted to get for the schools I work in.  Then  another friend of mine (from Geocaching and Lego) had posted he was going to attend, so we hung out for a bit looking at all the different things at the show.  From rare collectible toys, to a fiberglass replica of the Bat-mobile.  Booths stocked with comics & toys and folk art made from comics and toys.  I did discover some cool things so it wasn’t at all a waste of my time.  Then again, as a teacher, a lot of what I found was stuff that would be great for school.  One thing I did pick up was a copy of Boss Monster, I know I’ll have a chance to play it again.

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My MINIon badge... Yes, I am expendable.
My MINIon badge… Yes, I am expendable, and yes, this is a  modified version of the “official” graphic for MTTS.

I started off the week with a long list of stuff, and after the first day decided to dump it all and do some drawing.  So I spent most of the week doodling and inking (hence two comic strips getting posted).  This reminded me how much I love to draw and just play with images.  It reminded me why I can never do artwork for someone.  You see MINI Takes The States is coming up next summer and I was playing around with the idea of creating “badges” for some of my friends who would be going.  Making them official “Cecil MINIons”  I did some artwork for MINI on the Mack and thought it would be fun to extend it.  Unfortunately I forgot how difficult it can be to draw for someone, and not just for myself.  I asked my friends to give their “MINIon Number” and I would create a badge for that.  Now some of these folks I have known for years, and other are fairly new so what they got may be determined by how much time I had spent with them, or the geekiness of their MINIon number.  So the person who asked for #42 was pretty easy, a monkey with a towel holding a yellow fish, others, not so much.  Stupid me started with the ones I wanted to do, the fun ones.  Then like any proud parent I posted them for the group to see… then the floodgates opened with requests- which drained the fun right out of the project.  Then my friends started asking for tweaks to the drawing I had done, “Could you add this?” “Could you change that?” “I really want this instead.” Then they started to make requests for their friends… I have stopped working on this project for the time being.  I will return to it, but not right now.  I do appreciate the person who specifically asked how much I was charging for these badges, and seemed a little shocked when I said “nothing, I’m doing this for fun- it keeps me out of a straight jacket.”  I know that many of my friends would help me in a heartbeat if I needed it, so it’s not like the favor will not be returned, but for now, I’m taking a break.

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Besides that I worked a little on a Lego Project- taking the “Just like Beggar’s Canyon Back Home” to the next level, and seeing how I can add some kind of motion to it.  I’m about 1400 bricks into my first draft so we shall see how it turns out.  Fortunately I have until March to get it done.

All in all not a bad break, kept away from schoolwork unless it connected with something I was already doing, now I just have to figure out how I’m going to get up tomorrow in time to make it to school…

Guilty Geeky Pleasures

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Bruce

While I’ve posted this before (I’m sure it’s around here somewhere) I thought it might be nice to update the list of some of the geeky things you might want to explore and my plans for some of my geeky passions for 2013.

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Podcasts-

Yes, these have been around for what seems like forever, but I’m always amazed at the number of people who still have no idea about what they are.  A podcast is a simple interweb audio show it comes out on a regular basis and they cover a large number of topics.  When I first heard about podcasting in 2005 I starting looking around and amazingly enough while I add a few here and there a few I’ve stuck with since the beginning- my top (not in any order) are:

Decoder Ring Theatre – Pure escapism from Toronto.  The shows alternate (for the most part) between the Red Panda (Canada’s Greatest Super Hero) and Black Jack Justice (with Trixie Dixon, Girl Detective).  Both are set in the 1930’s and 40’s and are in the style of the old-time radio serials.  The Red Panda will actually get a comic book treatment in Comixology at the end of the month- an announced Feb 27 release date from Monkey Brain Comics.  Many times this podcast is what makes me happy during the week.

Podcacher – Family friendly podcast all about Geocaching.  When I attended a computer education conference in sunny San Diego I decided to stop in on a session that really changed my life.  It was all about this thing called geocaching (gee-oh-cash-ing).  Sonny and Sandy are now friends and if you are interested in learning about caching I highly recommend it.  It is well produced, and filled with lots of great information.

White Roof Radio – The MINI Cooper podcast.  I bought my first MINI in 2005 and started listening to the podcast around that time.  The format is a roundtable discussion hosted by DB & Todd with regular appearances by Chad, Gabe, and Nathaniel.  The topic is MINI Coopers.  While sometimes it gets technical especially when dealing with wheels and tires its a great way to get to know what is happening in the MINI Community.  I will admit there have been times when I have skipped a bit especially when they are discussing in depth events I can’t attend.  I almost wish they would exercise the Zaxxon rule*  but over the years, Todd & DB have become close friends (again one of those great things about podcasts is they are put together by real people) and I enjoy listening to the discussion each week.

Pop Culture Happy Hour – I’m trying to figure out how I stubbled upon this podcast, but it quickly became a favorite.  PCHH is put together at NPR and is a weekly roundtable discussion about pop culture.  Linda, Trey, Stephen, and Glen have opened my eyes to many parts of pop culture and have added some pieces to my vocabulary including “What’s making me happy this week” and the Zaxxon Rule*

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Kickstarter–

It’s a crowdfunding site in which you donate money to “kickstart” someone’s project.  There are hundreds of options and the rule is the creator of the project set’s a goal.  If the goal is met by a certain date- you get charged, if it isn’t you are out nothing.  The cool thing for most projects the backers get a reward in return for their support.  in some cases it’s something as simple as “gee, thanks!” in other cases it might be some really cool items.  Every project is different.  I recommend just checking out some of the Kickstarter geekiness there seems to something for almost every kind of geek.

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Comics-

I have always loved comics.  For as long as I remember I have read comics.  The problem right now as a long time reader of comics is that the major comics publishers seem to be trying to attract a new audience or bring back lapsed readers.  So for me, I get confused as to what to read since the creative teams or story lines are getting all mixed up.  I liked Captain America, but now he’s battling evil in another dimension.  Don’t even get me started with what DC has done to the Teen Titans…

So while I still try to keep up with my old titles (though I keep bouncing between reading Batman & Superman)  there are a few titles that I have stuck with- please note not all of these are “all ages.”

Fables-  Bill Willingham’s story of what if the characters form fairy tales were real and had been exiled to our world?  Not for kids, but frankly much better than some of the TV shows presently on with the premise (although I am a fan of Grimm)

Mouse Guard-  David Petersen’s wonder tales of “mice with swords”  but it is so much more than that.  the artwork is wonderful and the tales compelling.  I’m now being very patient waiting for the next issue about the “Black Axe”

The Walking Dead-  Yes, it was a comic before it was a TV show. Robert Kirkman’s story of survival after the zombie apocalypse.  while in black & white still not for kids.

Invincible-  I’ve been reading this since issue #1 and issue #100 just arrived this week.  to overly simplify it- it’s the story of Superman’s son, except… I don’t want to give anything away.  Like Harry Potter where the first books were for younger kids, the same rule applies, not really for kids, especially as the story has become more violent and dark.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man- Again another one of those I’ve been reading since the beginning.  This started off as a retelling of the Spider-Man story for a new audience.  The villains may have the same name, but slightly different powers and origins, making it really cool.  Until they decided to kill Spider-Man.  THings then became interesting as we discover another spider in the lab escapes and bites another kid and what happens after that.  The first part of the story parallels the final issues of Peter Parker as Spider-Man which makes it even better.

While I have issues (and have mentioned them before) about crossover events and how they tend to make me stop reading a title.  Once or twice, I can understand, but most of these things cover multiple issues and frankly they don’t need to- the red sky issues in Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Hence my hesitance to read Batman or Superman.

What’s on my pull list? (a pull list is what a comic shop has for regular customers, I’ve had a pull list at Comic Carnival for close to 20 years now- to the point where Dan knows when I’ve missed something and will add it back) So here’s what usually is on mine: Earth 2, Fairest, Justice League, Justice League of America, Fables, Flash, Teen Titans, Unwritten, Ultimate Comics: X-Men, Spider-Man and,  Ultimates, Captain America… then there are various titles that I bounce around with.

As for comic conventions I’m planning right now on attending C2E2 in Chicago, but will be skipping SDCC this year.

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Games-

I’m still enjoying Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars X-Wing Miniature game. Cecil still thinks I should play an Imperial squadron… I like the game play, and while I have a few games on my shelf (right now Settlers of Catan, Munchkin, Quarriors, and Monty Python Fluxx) finding the time and the opponents seem to be the biggest issue.  I am planning on attending GenCon this year (it’s local) and hopefully will branch out and actually play some games instead of just spending money in the Hall.

As for video games-  I completed and throughly enjoyed “the Room” on the iPad.  and when I think about it the Walking Dead and Bad Piggies are quick diversions.

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Lego-

Yes, this is new and while coming back to Lego after 30+ years it’s like finding an old friend.  While I still don’t understand the cost or the various sets or story lines.  I am enjoying myself.  The thing I like the most is it tends to be relaxing.  I can build a kit and really can relax while doing it.  Although as with many of my interests I do go a little overboard.  I have promised to put together a display for Brickworld Indy and it has required me to actually attempt to create MOCs (My Own Creation) that I’m not quite sure of how well I’m doing.  This is also causing me to buy more bricks than I ever thought.  It all started with a visit to Brickworld Fort Wayne and thinking about using Lego Brick more at school and now, I’ve working on two different displays of Lego projects at both schools and one of my own.

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Geocaching-

I still am caching and once the weather settles down have planned to put out a couple new series of caches.  While I’m slowing down (weather related and other things) IndianaGeocaching.com is going well and keeping me busy.

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MINI-

My initial plan at the end of 2011 was to keep my 2005 Cooper S until the rumored new John Cooper Works GP out, trade it in and have a new GP.  In June that all changed and we went with plan “B” which has been wonderful (although all the hype about the GP is tiring).  I cannot say how much fun it was taking Alfie (the Roadster) cross country.  I really do love this new car, almost as much as my first MINI.  Once Spring starts I have a few things on my list.  First is new tire for Alfie, then I’m planning on spending the summer working on a much neglected Tink.  With everything that has been going on Tink is in need of a lot of TLC and that is the next thing.  Besides new tires, she needs a new battery and just another once over in the shop.  I really feel bad how much I’ve neglected the classic and I hope that this summer I’ll have the time to get out there and get her back into running order to keep some miles off of Alfie.

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Finally, I’ve made the decision in order to keep my sanity- My Geek Odyssey the comic will be posted once a week, this is at least a schedule I can keep up with.

SO I’ve thrown down my list of geeky suggestions and plans any thoughts?  Did I forget something?  Do have something you think I should try out?  Tim at Comic Carnival did suggest this week that I read the Batman & Robin Annual #1 which was a wonderful story, so thanks for the suggestion.

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*The Zaxxon Rule: from Pop Culture Happy Hour.  Limiting discussion (or in some cases eliminating discussion) on something that not everyone has the opportunity to experience.  This came about in the “What’s making me happy” segment specifically when Stephen Thompson for weeks would talk about a classic Zaxxon arcade game he was purchasing from Craig’s List.  I feel that many podcasts could benefit from adding this rule- one of the nice things about podcasts is you can add “Very Special” episodes focused on “Zaxxon” topics for those who care.

Gaming Geekiness- “Oh no, not again.”

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Bruce

So geeks & games…

Today I tried out a demo of Fantasy Flight’s X-Wing miniature game.  This was after purchasing a copy of the game for my brother in August, and a number of expansion packs.  I decided I should try it out.  So here’s a first dog fight review of X-Wing.

Starting out, I’m a Star Wars fan… old skool Star Wars. Episode 4, 5, & 6 before they got “fixed.”  I grew up with Star Wars, my brother & I used to beat each other senseless with broomstick light sabers.  So I decided I would try this game out after avoiding it for a while.

I started out at my local game store (Saltire Games) and watched a game finish out.  A squadron of Y-wing fighters against a squadron of TIE fighter lead by Darth Vader.  It was little confusing at first since there are a number of elements at play each turn. So here are the basics from one game:

  • Pick your side and ships-  Ships gain special abilities due to who is piloting them and added things like droids.  Each of these things are worth points.  In my case I chose Biggs Darklighter and R2-D2 for one X-Wing and a Rookie pilot for another X-Wing -50 points.  I was going against a squadron of three TIE fighters also worth 50 points.
  • Each ship has a movement wheel where you decide how fast your ship will travel and what direction it will go.  These are unique for the type of ship. You begin by setting the dial and then placing it face down so your opponent cannot see what you are going to do.
  • Movement is resolved along with actions- this could be locking on a specific target, or having your pilot focus or evading.  Each movement is performed using a guide which fits between two bumps on the front & back of the figure’s base, making it really simple to move a piece correctly without needing a game board.
  • Combat is resolved by the use of eight sided dice with unique markings.  Red dice are used for attack, green for defense.
  • When damage is taken if your ship has shields you would remove a shield token, if you don’t you take a damage card.
  • When you have the same number of damage cards as the ships structure the ship is destroyed. (ka-boom!)
  • Games have specific victory conditions which could be a time limit or until all ships are destroyed.  We played until the complete destruction of our enemies.

So those are basics, with some help I was able to win (Biggs has the ability to have all enemy fire focused on him, R2 repairs shields so basically if you can’t take this combination out in one combat phase they just keep regenerating).  I have skipped some game elements to keep this short.  I figure I will need to try out an Imperial squadron next.

The system is very player friendly and rather simple even if at first glance it looks complicated.  Each ship has certain strategies and tactics that help (ion cannons on a Y-wing).  I followed the suggestion of focusing fire on one ship and taking the squadron down one ship at a time.

The game is very true to the Star Wars universe, and I was especially happy that at this moment they are sticking to the original trilogy with a Millennium Falcon, Slave 1, A-Wing and TIE Interceptor expansions coming out before the holidaze.  It is not a collectible game… so if you buy three X-wing expansion packs, you end up with three copies of all the materials needed.  Unlike other games where you need to keep buying in hope that you get a super exclusive piece, the only unique pilot is Luke Skywalker who comes in the Starter Set.  The miniatures are painted and look really good.  They went back and looked that the original models used in the film when creating the pieces, this detail makes me happy.  Right now for the Star Wars universe this is a great game and I can’t wait to play it again.  On a sidenote: as a Star Trek fan, I haven’t seen anything to beat FASA’s Star Trek: Starship Tactical Combat Simulator, long out of print, but that is a story for another day.