Wednesday Weekly # 11 – Slow Week!

Happy Wednesday All!

It has been a fairly slow week, hobby wise, so I will just talk a bit about what I was about to do in my free time!

This weekend, my Wife and I traveled to Montana to see family and to go for a "fun" run for St. Patty's Day. There was some drinking, some running, some horseshoes, and even some swimming.

Needless to say, it was a great, fairly relaxing weekend. And I actually love driving on these long trips because it enables me to listen to my books. I am currently on book 11 of the Wheel of Time series, so I got to put a decent dent in that.

For those interested, I did 3 miles in 22:10, which would put me well on pace to do a 3.1 in 22:30. Puts me at just under a 7:30 mile pace... for 3 miles. Happy about that, that’s for sure. And it was my fastest time since I was a junior in high school. I would love to keep training, and get into the sub-20 3.1 mark, but that will definitely take some time.

 

On Monday, I got rolling in some War Thunder for the first time in several months... Man, I miss that game. I will make a post about that game in the near future, but needless to say, I love that game. A buddy and I were rolling out the new British Tanks, and I have some tactics I need to learn to be effective.

Also, yesterday was the weekly Game night with my buddies, so we did get to rock out the last of a pathfinder campaign I started last week.

Thank you!

Have a great rest of your week!

-Rob-

Fun Friday # 7 – Magic the Gathering, and the many ways to play

Hi there everyone! 

Happy Friday! 

So for today's Fun Friday, I decided I wanted to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart... Magic the Gathering.  

I have been playing magic for only about 5 years now, but I really took to it quickly. I have built a solid friend base that plays with me on a fairly regular basis, as does my beautiful wife. Now, For this Fun Friday, I decided that I am going to talk about the different formats of magic. There are several different formats, each with a different feel and flow to them.  

The first format I want to cover is Modern. The Modern Format covers all cards from 8th edition on, and as a general rule is the most casual of the formats. There are banned cards, but those only really matter in a tournament setting. I really like playing this format because the majority of my decks fit within this range. The modern format deck building limitations are pretty forgiving, you can have up to 4 of the same card in the deck (Playsets), and the deck minimum is 60 cards. The max is actually as many cards as you can shuffle unassisted. These same guidelines apply to Standard.  

The next format to talk about is the Standard Format. Standard is much more competitive because it forces the deck building to be at the forefront of your mind... you can only use the last two blocks of cards to build your decks. I have built standard decks that I really liked, but because the blocks rotate every 9 months or so they quickly step out of standard into modern. As it currently stands, I have no standard format decks. And frankly, I am ok with that. I am a casual gamer, I play for fun with my friends. If I ever move to a competitive setting (Friday Night Magic, Tournaments, Release day events) Then I will have to move into Standard. But I will never move to competitive. It sucks the fun out of the game, and for me, I would much rather enjoy the game and lose than stress out and win.  

The last format I am going to talk about is the Commander Format. Commander is a system where you have a 100 card deck, with no duplicates in your deck other than basic lands. These games are much slower, and much more unpredictable. This is also the best game format for multiplayer games, because there are many cards which affect all other players. Commander is, without a doubt, my favorite way to play Magic. The games take so much longer, but it really opens up different ways to play cards together.  

Just a little note as I close up this segment. If you are a Magic player, and looking to improve your skills, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, the Duels of the Planeswalkers games that Wizards of the Coast made are actually really great for learning all the core mechanics. Secondly, Wizards of the Coast posts all the Magic Pro Tour coverage on YouTube. Want to see some good magic? Check that out. Watching how those guys and gals play magic is.... scary. The deck combinations they discover and utilize are really something else. It will make you a better player just to observe and listen to the commentary.  

Thank you! 

-Rob- 

Sunday Showcase # 5 - Eldar Farseer

Happy Sunday everyone!

For Today's showcase, I would like to show you an Eldar Farseer model I painted up for a friend for Christmas. 

For a long time, we struggled to figure out a scheme that would pull lore ties, and look striking on the battlefield. The solution we finally settled on was a mix of those two concepts. From the get go, the Craft world that spoke to him was Uthwe'. The idea of death, rebirth, and redemption struck a cord, but he wanted more than black and bone. This may sound truly ridiculous, but the idea struck him while he was looking at a Monster energy drink can... Bright green. So he put that to me... and I struuuuugggled with it. I had no idea how I wanted to combine that pretty defining feature into an army of Eldar who are defined by bone accentuation. I was aiming to make the model pop without making it too busy. I decided I would get a start on the model itself, and see how it spoke to me. Eventually, I got down to the spirit stones, and I knew. This was it, this is what I wanted to change, This is how I could make it fit. So, with this Farseer done, I can eventually mode on to the next things on my list, guardians, and pathfinders/rangers. 

Thank you for looking!

Have a great week!

-Rob-

Fantastic Friday # 2 - How to RPG and Have a Damn Good Time Doing it

Hey there folks! 

First things first... yes, I know it is Sunday. Yes, I know this post was supposed to come out on Friday. Lets just say life got crazy, and I didn't get a chance to get to it. Or we could also say I just didn't know how to put to computer what was floating around in my head. You know what, we could say lots of things, but I think we should talk about RPGing. 

Role Playing Games. 

Of the paper and pencil variety, at least. 

That is what I am going to talk about today. 

So this is going to be a Part - How To, and a Part - Good Player Etiquette guide to RPGing. Lets simplify, make this Part 1, and Part 2. I have put quite a bit of thought into this, and Part 2 is very derived from Part 1, but it all makes sense together. I think. Or not. Whatever. Apricots. Fandango. The Ministry of Silly Walks. 

Part 1 - How To Role Play

Guideline # 1 - Become your Character - This is the true heart of role playing. You are acting out as this character. You ARE your character. Understand as much as you can about your character when playing him/her/it, so when you are engaged in interactions, you respond not as yourself, the player, but as your character. This can be very difficult, and it definitely takes practice. Ask yourself, what are the motivations of my character? What does he/she/it want?

Guideline # 2 - Never be Embarrassed - You are playing in an imaginary world with imaginary people. There is no room for embarrassment in that. Don't judge people for the character decisions they make, roll with what the DM gives you. And always remember, there are no bad decisions, there are just bad rolls. 

Guideline # 3 - The Dungeon Master is God - The Dungeon master is your best friend and your worst enemy. RESPECT THEM. They are there to bring enjoyment and adventure to your group. It is your job to assist them the best you can in that. That means NOT second guessing them, that means NOT trying to tell them what is and what is not possible. A good DM can craft an incredible story that can span for months if not years of real time. Embrace that. RESPECT THEM

Guideline # 4 - Have Fun - At the end of the day, you are playing a game with friends set in an imaginary world. Set the drama at the door, and embrace the immersion in the experience. Don't be afraid to try things that sound crazy, or off the wall. Think outside the box. 

Part 2 - Good Role Player Etiquette

Suggestion # 1 - Don't Stomp on Other People's Ideas - Always remember that this is a game where teamwork is key. Anyone may have a good idea for how to get past a certain situation. be willing to ask for help, or take suggestions... but don't take all night with it, the game must go on. 

Suggestion # 2 - Don't Meta-game - You know what your character knows. not what the party knows, unless the party shares that information. Always remember to keep track of what your character knows in game. 

Suggestion # 3 - Be Involved - Play the game! If you get to a part where you do not understand what is going on, ask questions. If you need to disengage for a few minutes, step away from the play area. The single most irritating thing to do as a DM is to have to repeat information because players were not paying attention. Heck, most DMs will not repeat information. Pay attention to what is going on. 

Suggestion # 4 - Play as a party - This sounds like a dumb suggestion, but everyone is there to play, so let everyone play. Involve everyone. Discuss plans. Let others try that charisma check. Let someone else talk. RPGs revolve around teamwork, so play as a team. 

Ok, some closing statements here. Now, I am not trying to flame anyone. Heck, I think I myself may be guilty of... at least most of these. But the trick is learning from experiences, and building from them. As well as that, you may have noticed that there are not "Rules", or "Commands". These are Guidelines. Suggestions. They may work for you, they may not. 

I found a great resource for being a great RPGer on a blog, which I will post a link to. 

11 ways to be a better roleplayer

Thank you all!

what do you think it takes to be a good RPGer? Any suggestions or Guidelines to add?

-Rob-

Going into the New Year... Resolutions!

Resolutions are always difficult.

 

You want to choose one that will work for you... and yet make you just uncomfortable enough to actually do it.

 

As a whole, my... track record of resolutions is not actually that great. I usually make it about half-way though January, then tap out. Or, better yet, I make my resolutions too abstract.

 

Not this year. No Sir. This year, I am going to make it.

 

I am tying to avoid as much quantity as I can.... I don't want to say I will run 5 days a week in order to get back in shape. No. I dont want to do that. What I will do is give myself managable goals that will set myself up to succeed.

 

As such, here are my Resolutions.

 

 

I resolve to change my Fitbit goal steps to 15,000 steps, and resolve to meet that goal 4 times a week.

 

I resolve to stop drinking Coka Cola for the duration of 2016.

 

I resolve maintain and update this blog, and stay active in my Hobbies.

 

I resolve that I will only purchase more models once I have completely painted an equivelent model/number of models.

 

I resolve to finish atleast one unit a month, or one model a week.

 

 

Pretty steep in some parts, but I think I can do it. I suppose let me explain a bit. I, of course, want to get in better shape. Hence Resolutions 1 and 2. I have had a Coke problem (Drink) for a number of years, and it is about time I did something about it. And the nice thing is that I dont actually like any other Sodas, so... should work out ok. The last 3 resolutions are a... call to arms, if you will. Like I have stated, I have an enormous stack of plastic just waiting for some love, and by God I better take care of it. I am not the quickest painter by any means, so I decided Low and Slow was the way to go.

 

Do you have any hobby related Resolutions you would like to share? 

 

Or just resolutions?

 

Feel free to comment Below!

 

-Rob-

Origins - Part 3 - Card Gaming

Welcome to Part 3 of my Origins Series, Card Games!

 

There are many aspects to being a Nerd, but in my mind, the collecting and playing of card games ranks pretty high up there. As such, it is only right to dedicate some time and blog space to my own experinces as such.

 

As a kid growing up, card games were a huge part of how my family taught me various skills, particularly in regard to winning and losing. A sore loser or a bad winner do not get invited to play many games, where as a gracious winner or loser will consistantly be a part of the group. Beyond that, the types of games I grew up on fostered strong addition skills, as well as developing particular strategies for the order in which cards were played.

 

I started simple, with the basic Go Fish, Slap Jack, and Solitaire, moving eventually into Poker for pennies, though I had a hard time understanding that. As time went by, I moved into more complex games, Cribbage, Pinochle, and Hearts. Cribbage in particular had quite a bit to do with my ability to do relitively simple math quickly. Pinochle and Hearts are both games that are guided by team play, so understanding when and how to play the cards you are dealt is particularly important.

 

Moving into College, I got into a game called Euchre, a very fast paced game, team based, with a concentration in short hands, where mistakes cost you... a lot.

 

But enough about generic, regular card games. Lets get down to the real meat of this post, the real why it is important to understand about me. Trading card games.

 

When I was around 8 years old, Pokemon took off like a rocket. I was young, impressionable, everyone was doing it... so I was too. I remember, my very first pack of cards, I pull a Kangaskhan... I remember being so excited... then realizing that... kangaskhan really is not good. Now, remember, 8 years old, i knew next to nothing about the game.I had no idea how to deck build, so my decks were... everything I had. I tried to play the game itself with my Father, my sister... but we usually devolved down to making up rules because neither of us understood them. Pokemon cards, for me anyway, were my true Icarus. They rose fast, flew high, and crashed and burned. I bought way more boosters than I knew what to do with, and ended up giving most of my cards away. I actually went looking for them the other day, and all i found where the commons I had. I realized, as I was exiting the hobby, I gave away all my rare cards to one of my friends... and sadly, those cards would have been worth quite a bit of money now. Well, live and learn.

The only problem was, I didnt learn well enough. From Pokemon, I moved into Yu-Gi-Oh. it was probably 2-3 years later when Yu-Gi-Oh got going, and I remember, again, everyone around me had cards. Gotta fit in! So, once again, I purchased cards. There is a pretty difinitate difference between my pokemon collecting and my Yu-Gi-Oh collecting... with Pokemon, most of the boosters were bought for me. Family, Grandparents, even friends... they bought Pokemon boosters for me. With Yu-Gi-Oh, that changed. It was me, spending my allowance to by boosters. Needless to say, once the hype started to die down, I stopped cold turkey. I did not enjoy the mechanics, I didnt understand the nuances to the game, so i did not have fun with Yu-Gi-Oh. So again, I gave my cards away. The only real good thing about my experiance with Yu-Gi-Oh was that i was about to bring my Pokemon experiance back..., and buy very few boosters. I primerally bought full starters because I knew I had a deck I could play with out of the box.

 

But now I have to move on to the mother of all card games... Magic the Gathering. I went into Magic the Gathering kicking and screaming... I remembered my experiances with Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh, and knew that card games were not my style. The only problem is... card games ARE my style. I was approched about Magic the Gathering a few times in College... members of my Fraternaty played quite often. I resisted. I couldn't bring myself to even try. I knew my addictive personality would take over, and I would buy way too much. So I held off. But not for long. The year I graduated College, I was working with a very awesome dude named Jared... Jared was all sorts of into Magic, and he convinced me to give it a try. He let me play with one of his decks... and I was hooked. Perhaps the next day, I purchased the M14 Deckbuilder's toolkit. From it, I built my very first deck... a black green Festering Newt/Bubbling Cauldron/Bogbrew Witch Lifesteal deck. It was pretty terrible, but it was my own. Since that day, 2+ years ago, I have aquired a stupid collection of cards, built around 20 different decks, and played many casual games. Magic holds a much greater appeal to me for a few different reasons, the first of which being I am old enough to understand the true nuances and mechanics to the game. Secondly, the art one the cards themselves seem so... mature. Developed. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Magic is fairly easy to teach. It is easy to learn, but hard to master.

Thus is my Background for Card games, I hope you enjoyed reading about it!

How did you get into Card gaming? What got you started?

-Rob-

Origins - Part 1 - RPGs

Welcome to the First Part of a Series of Posts designed to help you, Valued Reader, get to know me, Innocuous Writer.

 

I call this series the Origins Series. I am particularly proud of how unique and innovative the name is, so please, appreciate. (Read also... Sarcasm....I see you, Hugh Jackman, put those claws away)

 

In this Inaugural Post, I will be talking about something very near and dear to my heart... RPGs

 

RPGs, or Role Playing Games, present a interactive opportunity to be someone else... to live another's life. The best modern examples are, of course, in the form of Video Games, and that is definitely where I got my start. My very first Video Game, and first RPG, was Pokemon Blue. When I first got Pokemon blue, I was astounded by the adventure. I was captured... stuck... entranced. The ability to control another character, Ash usually, or Blue... was a completely new experience, as was having a rival, Buttface McGee. (I Loved also that you could name him) In the end, it was the best 2D adventure game a 8 year old boy could hope for.

 

 

Fast forward to about 2003. Xbox.... Morrowind. I borrowed this game off a friend who told me it was incredible... and I played he living heck out of it. I sunk Lord knows how many hours traveling on Stilt Striders, running around unsure where to go, and getting bitten by Vampires. Heck, to this day I am not sure if I beat it or not. But Morrowind was immersive... enormous. I felt like a slave getting off that ship, entering a land of new hope and prospects... fearing for falling wizards with levitation potions. Everything about Morrowind was perfect for that time... I still remember the fear I would get from the uptempo music... I always knew I was a hairsbreath from death.

 

Of course, other amazing RPGS come and go, Mass Effect, Fallout, Oblivion, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic.... but there was always something missing. No matter how many different responses you may have to a character, they are still pre-generated responses.

 

In College, it all changed. I had just started my Warhammer 40k Hobby... and discovered a little game called Deathwatch. Deathwatch lets you play as a superpowered, genetically engineered soldier, with two hearts and three lungs and the ability to spit acid. I mean, come on. I struggled to get a group to play, I had never played anything like this before... but finally... I managed to collect a small group of people, some with RPG experience, most with none. Our first encounter was... well, frankly, boring as hell. There was little to no threat, no way to lose. But the interaction that we as players go to embark upon with each other... that sparked something in me. A want to delve deeper. I eventually joined a group that was playing once a week... and i couldn't get enough. I wanted to play MORE! Heck, I am not even ashamed to admit I lost a girlfriend over it. (You want to play a stupid game more than you want to hang out with me...Yes? Also, not stupid, Awesome) Those experiences drove me to bring this gaming mentality back from college, to my local group of friends. I am happy to say we have formed a semi regular group for RPG Shenanigans.

 

How did you discover RPGing? Feel free to share below

 

- Rob -

What My Nerdism Means to ME

Hello.... My Name is Rob, and I have been a Nerd for 18 years.

 

It has been about a minute and a half since my last Nerd Reference,

 

And about 12 hours since my last Nerd Gathering.

 

I am a Nerd... And I am embracing it.

 

I am Loving it.

 

Being a Nerd makes me who I am today.

 

 

Please, allow me to take a moment to Enumerate what my Nerdism means to me.



 

My Four Points of Nerdism

1. An Appreciation of topics that relate to pop culture and yet are less than mainstream.
2.        The Desire to learn more about imaginary creations and worlds to further the enjoyment of my own reality.
3. The Creativity to form my own constructions to fit within the context of not only my own imaginary worlds, but others as well.
4. The Camaraderie that comes from shared interests with those around you, and the Enjoyment you get from talking about such shared interests. (Geeking out)

 

 

I mean, Sure, that definition really boxes in my own Nerdism... but at the end of the day it all comes down to Enjoyment. We all have that movie that we watch over and over again. We all hae that book that we can never read too many times. That is what really defines your own personal Nerdom.

 

Does any of this apply to you? Do you have any personal definitions you would like to add to mine? feel free to comment below

 

 

-Rob-