More Quotes

"I am pretty sure they think you are a gnome dancing on a cart." ~ J

"I like to fight, but I also like living." ~ A

"They look like carp, and you can't trust a fish." ~ U
after much laughing
"What do you mean fish?" ~ B
"We like gold fish." ~ A

"I think we should go straight at them, it is the last thing they will expect." ~ B

"Why would you tell us at the beginning, that is like recon and shit." ~ A"

"Technically I have multiple character sheets, does that count for anything." ~ A

"It is not the crown of light hopeful drizzle." ~ A

"And when I get hit I beep." ~ J
"You need to replace your RAM." ~ B

"Can we cross the stream?" ~ A
"Never cross the streams." ~ D

Gaming quotes

Before you think we are crazy, evil, or racist, well, we are crazy, but the other two are not true, just the crazy one. For those wondering these are from both D&D and Cosmic Encounter.

"Wizards book club of the month." ~ S

"Those hammered bronze cap people." ~ N

"Perhaps screaming for his murder was a bit too..." ~ S

"I am playing World of Commerence-craft." ~ N

"Pooky silently judges you." ~ N

"What contact information did you give him?" ~ E
"We didn't." ~ S
"So how is he going to contact you?" ~ E
(at this point I was so lost in laughter that I did not properly document)

"You usually go to conventions and play D&D, you never play D&D and go to conventions." ~ N

"It is literally like Alabama and you just said Black people are equal." ~ D

"Pickled Raelish." ~ P

"Have fun storming the universe." ~ P

"It's like Halloween over here." ~ B

"It's like a drive by." ~ N

"And now back to your regularly scheduled battle." ~ N

"The entire cosmos just shat on my face." ~ D

"I would not want to play 10 more games like this." ~ N
"Just like 9." ~B

"So what is going to happen at your party?" ~ C
"Fighting and drinking. There are going to be shots followed by shots." ~ N

"You need those troll HOTs." ~ B
"Yeah, all those troll HOTs." ~ N

D&D Part the end

Last Thoughts
Some people call geeks anti social, the people involved in this observation are the opposite of this. They are people who looked for and found people who think like them, at least to an extent. We all like to take a step away from ourselves, and play like we are someone else. Our Friday nights are spent gaming in many forms, usually starting with a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and commonly ending with us playing a game where we once again take on the persona of another non-existent person (although not always a human person).
We have recently been playing a Dungeons and Dragons game based on no fighting whatsoever. This means that the games I have been observing are a bit different than even what most gamers think of as Dungeons and Dragons, but they would recognize the basics of what we were doing, just not in the quantities we were doing.
The main evening of my observation everyone had maps of the train out, and notes made about the different questions asked, and what the suspects had said, with any other specific thoughts. When the fight finally started the sadness was clearly noticeable, even thought the group had been complaining about the lack of fighting for the last three weeks. A round before the fight end Caroline and Brent came in, while not in this 4th edition game, both playDungeons and Dragons, but only 3.5. After comments of "finally fighting?" and "so have you had to actually think in the game yet", the round was finished, and the surprise twist was announced, and more comments were made, this time more along the line of "we are so frakked" and "how did you fuck that guy (to a player about their pc and their former npc lover)".
The games for the night moved away from Dungeons and Dragons, but not role playing games. The group split with some playing a game as the evil dungeon lords, and others playing random characters in a game where someone turns evil, and tries to bring some evil into the world, or kill all the other players, or something of that nature.
My best friend has already said he will play Dungeons and Dragons with his kids, if he ever has any. “It’s a fantastic tool for social skills and problem solving.” People do not realize that Dungeons and Dragons is not just about fighting, but also about dealing with other people in the game, and in the game these skills can be learned and practiced. “If you knew you could do something to help your kids prepare for the real world, why would you not?”

New shinies

When the best friend gets new things, the old get handed down, to the poor college student. I can once again play WoW whenever I want. I can even /gasp take notes and not have to wait two minutes to see what I just typed.

The hair is short. I last had it short in high school. I let it grow, and grow, and would joke about to having a mind of it's own, and the ability to kill. It is once again short, but not as short as high school. Now it is a very good length for curls and no afro (white girls should not have an afro).

Rift is coming out soonish. I have gotten to play with the Beta. Not sure exactly how it is going be when it comes out, but I have enjoyed a good bit of it (although have not gotten high enough to get end game, or even dungeons), and have worries about how some things might turn out. I find the crafting interesting. The concept of the rifts seems to be working out well, for the most part. There are only 4 classes, and each class has 8 souls to choose 3 from, each soul gives a focus, this means a cleric might be DPS instead of healing (I am trying to figure out if you can play a cleric and be unable to heal, not that I would play it, but it is a cool concept).
My main for the Betas have been a cleric that has two heals, one is a HOT that does little real healing, and one that can only be used every two minutes, making me a horrible healer. This has caused many people to complain that the healer is not healing, I point out that I am not a healer but DPS and they still respond 'but you are a cleric'. I have only dealt with public groups, so I am hoping that expectation of the 'obvious' passing at some point, not sure I will find it a long term gaming choice, but I am sure I will find it a worth while purchase.

The best friend is proud to have finally found a type of real beers I like. Basically give me Belgian.

Enough already

Quarter half way done, birthday coming up, graduation coming up, need to find a job, practice for heritage play...

Have not had much time to deal with my side research, in fact nearly none. I am however Beta for Rift, so I will hopefully have some cool stuff to post about that (from multiple aspects of my off kilter mind).

However now I need to make sure I do not fall asleep in the choir loft in the morning.

Gaming Quotes

I am know to write down funny things said, and then loss the note. Here is one such note. Many of these make more sense in context, but read individually they are funny, just make no sense.

"Ship, Shipiti, Ship, Shipiti, Ship, Ship, Kaboom." ~ A

"Hey can I distract you, here is a baby." ~ M
"She threw a baby at the raiders." ~ D

"The cylons are pounding away, and oh, a tube of lube, spoot." ~ D

"Cylon Clause is better." ~ D
"Which is really a mind fuck." ~ S

On the other side, like from a different night, but clearly we have the same thoughts going all the time.

"I want a winged kitty mount." ~ A

"Tranny dwarfs, that shit be whack." ~ D

"We should move these, so they do not give anyone tetris." ~ A

"That would not be a hand job, so much as a body job." ~ D

"She could use you as a spring board." ~ D

"You could totally be his cock ring." ~ D

"Except they are blowing the wrong end." ~ D

"Shiv, Shiviti, Shiv, Shiviti, Shiv, Shiv rew." ~ A
"Don't Shiv 'Rew." ~ D

God is (in progess)

My lord God says to love thy neighbor
The people of God say to:
Love thy neighbor,
Unless he is gay
Unless his cheating is know
Unless he using drugs
Love thy neighbor,
Unless she is pregnant
Unless she drinks
Unless she is not the norm
Love thy neighbor,
Unless

My savior
My Jesus
Says to give to Caesar what is Caesars
The people of God here on earth say
Give me what is mine
The government should have none
The church gets only what I say is earned

The bible says God is love
The people here on earth say God is only capable of loving people like them
The bible says God needs us to give of ourselves
His people are lucky to qualify as Sunday Christians

D&D Part 8

Traditions
The traditions of Dungeons and Dragons are mostly about the actual playing, in whatever form the play choices to do so. The most important traditions of a pen and paper Dungeons and Dragonser will be to sit down with their groups and play, commonly the major celebrations are the times when they run know dungeons like Tomb of Horrors. Board game Dungeon and Dragon Players will have gaming parties where many games are played, and multiple encounters will be used. LARPing Dungeon and Dragon Players major tradition is getting together, usually once a week, and taking over a large space to play.
A common tradition amongst all Dungeon and Dragon Players is going to conventions. Not always are these conventions Dungeon and Dragons in focus, but in even the least Role Playing geek convention Dungeons and Dragons can be found, commonly at the Wizards of the Coast booth. Along with conventions Cosplay is a common tradition. Many a Dungeons and Dragons player will dress up for the convention, sometimes as one of their Dungeons and Dragons characters, or as a well known character from an MMO they play, or their character from an MMO they play, and sometimes as some character that they feel some strong connection to, even if they have never dealt with the before.
Tools of the Trade
The most important thing for most Dungeon and Dragons players is the pencil, dice are high on their list as well, as is a dice bag, and the Dungeon and Dragons books. Most Game Masters would say they need maps, or a map board.
Minis are very common, but in no way the norm, however the norm is not to not have minis either. If a group does not use minis they most likely use token or counters of some sort.
With a professional mini painter, one mini painter that just does it to cover what financial aid does not, as well as 4 players and the GM that have the kits of a professional mini painter, in the group what is seen on the table during this game is much nicer than many have, but not completely out of the ordinary. Six of the characters have fully finished minis, one is working on hers, and any side characters and extra figures are at least partially painted. This is in contrast to what people think of geeks, and gamers, where we are sitting in a dark basement with no figures, just papers telling the players everything they need to know.
One mini painter shared with me that she wishes more people wanted Dungeons and Dragons mini’s painted, “all mini’s can be expressive, butDungeons and Dragons mini’s are meant to be changed, and given it’s own thoughts and feelings, that have been created by a person, other mini’s are already given those thoughts before they reach the hands of the player, even before they are in the hands of the painter.”
Music
From what I have observed there is no one type of music that all Dungeons and Dragonsplayer listen to, but they really enjoy songs that are slightly off from the norm. For example the Guild music videos, and “Taking the hobbits to Isengard” techno.