D&D Culture part 5

History of Dungeons and Dragons Original 1974 D&D Basic Set 1st Revision 1977 AD&D 1977–1979 D&D Basic Set 2nd Revision 1981 D&D Basic Set 3rd Revision 1983–1986 AD&D 2nd Edition 1989 D&D 3rd Edition 2000 D&D v3.5 2003 D&D 4th edition 2008 4th Ed Red Box 2010 1974 changed the world. At the time people thought nothing of it. Now we have so much from both the geek and the non-geek worlds to thank for this one thing. It was not a completely new creation, but it did create a whole new culture. D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, the original RPG, role playing game. It has since created a culture completely unique to Dungeons and Dragons, but has also had major influences on education, board games, video games, helped people with social disorders, what more can you ask of a single three volume set. When Dungeons and Dragons first came out people who did not want to play a game that seemed to be the same every time, the people that had imagination, the outcasts were given something that was theirs, something designed for the way they think. Since its first creation there have been a total of 4 base editions, this does not include sets like original, 3.5, etc. The real downside to OD&D, Original Dungeons and Dragons, was that the math was very complicated, making it hard for the average person to access. Each set since than has made things more understandable, and in many ways easier to play, the latest set even has a way to sit down and start playing with almost no set up, or start up time needed. My own group of friends love the Dungeons and Dragons concept, but even in our little group the exact opinions vary. None prefer OD&D, 1st Ed, or 2nd Ed, but there are the 3rd Ed faction, v3.5 faction, and the 4th Ed faction, I do have other friends from outside my main crew that are a part of the 2nd Ed . I myself started with v3.5, so even though it is not my favorite anymore, I still defend it, and probably will for the rest of my life. Caroline has tried every Dungeons and Dragons set, she believes that v3.5 is the best, for her play style at least. “3.5 is not as complicated as earlier versions, but not so simple that you can just phone it in.” I have not dealt with the Red Box Set yet so I will use the words of one of the pair voted most influential geeks in the world, Mike Krahulik, known to most of the geek world as Johnathan "Gabe" Gabriel “The first thing I noticed about Essentials was its character creation process. I have honestly never filled in a character sheet with a pencil. Since I discovered Dungeons and Dragons with 4th Ed I have always had the benefit of the online character creator. I have to say there was something cool about filling in numbers and erasing mistakes. The Essentials Player’s Handbook does an incredible job of walking you through this process via a solo adventure. “It’s structured like an old choose your own adventure with questions at the end of each section. When your wagon is attacked by goblins in the beginning the story asks you if your first reaction is to draw a weapon, cast a spell, heal the driver or sneak around behind the attackers. From there you jump to the appropriate section and continue with the adventure. What kind of spell do you cast? do you offer to help or ask for a reward? By the end of the adventure you have completely filled out your character sheet with your class, defenses, skills, languages, gear and powers. I honestly found this part to be really smart and a lot of fun.”

D&D Part 5

Who are the people involved in this research? My main group for this research was my Dungeons and Dragons crew of 8, including myself, I also asked those who are joining our group in the next few weeks as we spilt the rather large group into two smaller groups that are working towards the same goal, without being together while we are doing so. Old Lady* plays a Psion Changeling, in the real world she is the oldest in the group at 50, she is white female lawyer from New York who is married to one of the groups latest additions. Monkeys* plays a Warforged Battle Mind, in the real world he is a mixed blood 23 year old single male from Seattle that works in IT. El Toro Grande* plays a Human Fighter, while in the real world he is a 26 year old student from Seattle, who labels himself as forever alone, and is very proud to be both Portuguese and South American. Amy plays a Gnome Storm Sorcerer, and in the real world is a 26 year old artist originally from Monroe, married to another member of the group. Richard Rockhard* plays a Gnome Warlock, in the real world he is 34 year old from Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa who works in IT and is married to Amy. Bryon plays an Elf Monk, and in the real world is a 24 year old single white male from Seattle. Damoel* is the leader, AKA GM for the group, when not gaming he is a legal assistant, he is 29 years old which puts him near the middle of our ages. I also talked with Pete, who joins the group on 3 December 2010, and is married to Old Lady. Caroline and her husband Brent who will be joining us sometime in the next couple of weeks, originally they said they would never play 4th Ed, that v3.5 was the only Dungeons and Dragons they would play.

D&D part 4

What is Role Playing Culture? Language Role Playing does find most of its players speaking English, but the real part of the language that makes Role Playing language its own is the using of words no one else uses, and in ways that no one else would. Melee, GM, DM, DPS, tank, crowd control, MMORPG, and healer are all common Role Playing words, and are really required if one is to discuss what they are doing. Community Role Playing culture can still be anywhere, but is more defined and yet less defined. Online RPGs, MMORPGs, FRPGs, pen and paper RPGs, board game RPGs, and LARPs are the main forms of community of the actual gaming itself. Online forums, and conventions are major places for Role Players to go, to see and learn what others are doing and show off what they are doing. Ideology Role Playing Ideology is more than just the escape from a world that does not accept the gamer, but is a very active escape, one must either play as someone else in a world that is not the real world, or create the world the players will be using to escape. Traditions Role Playing traditions are simply the playing of the games, and usually going out either in the real or virtual worlds to meet other Role Players. Cultural Items Dice are very important to Role Players, sometimes because they need them for the gaming, other because they wish to have a connection to the past, other simply because everyone else they know has them, and the thought of being the odd one out in a group of social misfits just seems wrong. Music For the most part what has been covered for the other broader geek and gaming cultures is the same for Role Players, there is one addition, the really over the top GMs sound effects (eg rain, storm, eerie music).

Late night WoW

"I meant to hit Alt-4, but hit Alt-F4." ~ D
"This next fight is an idiot check, so we are screwed." ~ D
"You guys are killing me, I need to breath, not just laugh." ~ E

In class quotes

From Comparative Study of Death:
"I am the professional dead person." - Prof
"We use nice terms like going home, etc, you are dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead." - Prof

I expect more interesting comments to come from classes this quarter, I will be posting them here (but only when I remember this blog exists).

Posting has me confused

Clearly I have not been around here much, but over break I started posting my D&D research (as turned in) to my gamer research blog, but when I posted just now, I decided to look at the blog itself (as some classmates have shown interest in it) and it looks like all 3 posts did not go up until today, even though they are dated earlier . . . looks like I found something else I have broken, go me.

D&D culture part 3

Again, this is not the bible on the subject, just part of geek introduction. What is Gaming Culture? Language Gaming Culture does not have a unifying language, but does use words in slightly different ways. For example turn can be used as most of society uses it to mean ‘my turn’ or ‘your turn’, but is very commonly used to mean this round of turns. Community When it comes to gaming your community is whoever you game with, and whomever you discussing said gaming with, which can be anywhere, and everywhere. Ideology Many geeks escape into discussions, or non active members of their escaping by just watching TV or Movies or reading books or graphic novels. Gaming culture is built around the active escape, whether it be through playing of gaming that other have created, creating an avatar and existing for a time as another person, or even creating your own world, and people in it. Traditions Gaming cultures one real tradition is gaming. Gaming can be anything from playing a single player video game, to LARPing all across the UW campus. Cultural Items Gamers cannot really be gamers without the having of dice sets, whether that be a block of d6s or a full set of dice. Even video gamers have dice sets even thought they are not needed for their game of choice. Music McChris is very popular with gamers, most geeks have at least heard his stuff, but Gamers seem more connected to his work. Jonathan Coulton is also very popular amongst gamers.

D&D culture part 2

This is purely an overview that I thought was important for the non geek reader to understand before they could understand anything deeper. What is Geek Culture? Language Unlike most cultures where part of their self definition is a shared language, geek culture does not have a language that everyone speaks. English is a major language for many parts of geek culture, German is major in board gaming culture, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese are major in video gaming. There are some things that while not technically part of the same language has crept into the different languages. 1337 (pronounced leet) is common where the non-letters on the keyboard can be used in such a way that they look like letters. lolspeak started as a way to make fun of people that use bad grammar, etc, now it is mostly used by the people it was first meant to make fun of, and by people doing cat, etc pictures online. Geeks have also created language that others use on a daily basis, just to exist. Without C++ I could not be writing this paper, and without html I could not turn it in online. Community Space the final frontier, but not all that important to geek community. Geeks do not have one place that they need to use or share, or even deal with to be a geek. The internet was created by geeks, and while non geeks enter the space, and use it, it is still the home of the geeks, but one need not ever go into a geek forum, or write a geek blog, or even play an MMORPG to be a real geek, or be involved in the community. There are geek groups all over where people get together in the old fashioned way of face to face. Ideology There is no one unifying ideology for this culture. Mostly it is people that are misfits, but find community with other misfits that think the same way, or enjoy the same things. Most geeks do seem to wish the world to be a better place, or to exist in another space, and so they go online, and enter this otherworld, or they play games where there is no need to dealing with real things, or even create their own world to exist in for a short time. This wish to be anywhere but here likely has to do with the way society as a whole views geeks, even as we are becoming the majority. Traditions There is not one things you can say all geeks do, but there are things that are very common. There are certain shows e.g. Monty Python, Dr Who, Red Dwarf, Star Trek, and Star Wars, that most geeks have seen and have opinions on, and most of them will gladly share with anyone looking for an in depth ‘discussion’. There are also movies that the same can be said of eg Dr Who, Red Dwarf, Star Trek, and Star Wars. Most geeks also either play a lot of games, or have strong opinions on why they do not Cultural Items With such a broad spectrum of what it is to be a geek is it possible to walk into a geeks house and see something that makes a person know that this is the lair of a geek? Well, there is not just one thing, but most geeks collect or prize certain things. Dice collections are very common amongst geek, as are minis, books are a staple of most geeks worlds, as are board games. Many people today have computer along with a few computer accessories, but not on the level that most geeks do. Music Geek music is rather varied and is more defined by where a person lives, than by their level of geek. However Nerd Core is common in most geekscircles, even if they otherwise do not like Hip Hop. For people who like the more folksy sound Filk is the musical choice, from what I can gather Filk started with a certain song that came from a show that defines the geeks want to not exist in this world, “The Man They Call Jayne” was from Firefly.

Dungeons and Dragons Culture

As the final paper was nearly 15 pages when formatted the way the prof actually wanted I have decided to not post the original complete in one post, but in multiple posts. We shall start with the intro: Dungeons and Dragons culture cannot be understood without at least a basic understanding of the cultures it is a sub culture of. First is an overview of Geek culture, then quick bits on Gaming and Role-Playing culture, then to the real meat. Each culture has certain things that are common throughout the culture, that makes the culture a unified entity. Language, Community, Ideology, Traditions, Cultural Items, and Music. Not each part is required for a culture to be a culture, but to an extent each culture shares at least a part of each in some way. Geek culture is a very varied culture, but even it, and all sub cultures that are a part of it follow these basics cultural aspects to have formed itself to be.

Fall Quarter and the brain imploded

I let my class research take my time this quarter, so this research fell to the wayside. I did make sure I can find uses for any in class research, so you might be seeing some of that coming soon. For now I will leave you with a few thoughts. http://geekgirlcon.com/ Check it out, they are not anti sausage, just pro chicks, and want to celebrate the coolness of female geeks, of all types. I had the pleasure of meeting the head of this at PAX. I turned Scandinavian history class research paper into a report on Mindtwister, and still got a 4.0 (maybe the prof is a bit of a geek?) My major research topic this quarter was for a popular culture class, where I researched D&D, not specifically female based research, but I plan on spending part of my break working on it and turning that around a little bit to better fit here.

Research? Wait, this is a blog

I have been slowly doing research on my own (usually outside of the classes I take, but sometimes I find a way to make it fit). Now I want to make this a more open research topic, and see if I get more responses with a place for people to see. I want to learn about the culture that is the 'gamer girl', including why some like the term, and others prefer other terms, or no term at all. I will be posting here when I have new thoughts on the research, or when I have new questions. If you have thoughts, want to answer questions, want to be interviewed, etc you can email me inmpha (at) u (dot) washington (dot) edu I will be keeping up to date on both the research, and what I and my other 'gamer girl' friends are doing, playing, etc (with some social science comments thrown in).

Been gone so long

This quarter has been kicking my butt. It will be over in a couple more days. Then I can get back to saying what I think and bothering you all with said thoughts.

Yay insurance

Until recently I had not had insurance since I was on my parents insurance. Upon getting it I went out immediately (seriously, next day), to see a doctor. I have lots of issues, major and minor that I have learned to deal with, but have hurt my 'quality of life'.

I told my new doctor my health problems, and that I am not a fan of just taking a bunch of pills to fix everything. My issue with taking pills to fix everything would not matter for most people, but because I have multiple issues taking a pill for one thing almost automaticly means making something else worse, which of course means I would then need to take another pill to fix that, which would . . . Thankfully my doctor understands that and is going to slowly put me on meds to make sure there are no interactions, we will be dealing with things in the order of importance (but not my order, as it turns out there were issues I did not know about).

But before I go on any new meds (even without insurance birth control is not hard to get) we are seeing what can be fixed with over the counter stuff. I have a morning/evening week pill holder that just picking up makes me feel like a druggy, and all it has is vitamins. I have B, C, Calcium/D, Fish Oil, multivitamin, and a few of others. Being unhealthy seems so much simpler than having to remember to take pills in the morning, and evening.

Before we put me on any meds there will also be a nutrisonist consulated, to see if there is something I can add, or get rid of, in my diet.

I sometimes wish I was actually a person that acted unhealthy, instead of someone that did just about everything I am told to do, then at least I could say it was my fault not just genetics. However I have never been given more than I can handle, and life goes.

Memberable

Memberable
Not sure why
Not sure how
But it seems that i am
I walk into a room
People see me
They know me
This is how it used to be
But that was so long ago
It feels likes ages ago
I feel like I lost her
And yet she is back

The pain is written wherever you look
My face is etched with pain,
You think I look fine,
But you cannot see,
See inside of me.
You cannot feel the pain,
The pain I fell.
No one can feel my pain,
But me,

Ruler

I think too much
I know this
Sometimes I fear this

I overthink
I cannot live in he moment

I forgot I lived there
Only you
I lost myself in you
I let go
There is no more beautiful a moment

Bending Battles

There was a discussion my friends were having, which element would be the most powerful bending? So I will cover the basic stuffs

Air Bending - Can always be used, as air will exist anywhere.
Water Bending - Skilled/smart benders can create water. Really skilled benders can blood bend. This is the only element that can take multiple form (ice-water-steam).
Earth Bending - This is the only truly solid element. Skilled benders can 'see' through the vibrations in the ground. Really skilled benders can metal bend.
Fire Bending - The most destructive of all the elements. Much like air fire bending can always be used. Fire bending's special is lighting.

Thinking about everything I must say it all depends on the skill level of the bender.

If we are talking base level bender: Fire is the strongest, as air cannot destroy other elements without some skill/practice.
If we are talking someone who has learned their element: Air is the strongest. A jet of air can shatter ice, and stone, and much like in Fantastic Four air can be used to control fire. It takes being near master level to have blood bending, vibration vision, and as metal bending requires vibration vision, metal bending.
If we are talking master benders: This is the level where things get tricky I have not seen anything that skill/practice can gain a normal bender from the Air nation. Fire gains lighting, but when paired with an equally skilled water bender shooting lighting at them just has them letting the lighting flow through them, and then back out. Metal bending seems pretty powerful, but first the person must find the 'rock' in it, which really just mean that the earth bender has an extra step before metal can be used. I think the ability to force a person to do anything makes you the strongest, in 1v1, but if they have friends, and your friends and the person you are controlling cannot protect you.

All of this to say I cannot say which nation is the strongest. I can say fire would likely win on a base level, one of no skill, in 1v1. Air would have a good chance of winning in a skilled 1v1. In a masters 1v1 a water bender willing to go dark would win.

In truth I think strongest bender is one who fights with friends from all other nations. A 4v4 where one side has a skilled member from each of the nations, versus a group that is not diverse.

All of this logic was based on fair fighting. The Fire Navy never did play fair.

It pull you to the edge,
But leaves you hanging.
You get so high,
There is no where to go
But down.
They have always said it was wrong,
But never why.
Now you try it.
You see nothing wrong,
And never will.
No one ever does,
Not 'til the end,
'Til they have gone.

Everyday

All I ask is that someone listens,
listen to me.
Not to tell me that was wrong,
Or that I should have done this or that.
Why couldn't that be you?
Too worried about yourself,
Your own life, Not caring about anything else,
Even me, or my life,
Me, the one you are supposed to care so much about.
The simple 'I love you' everyday
Does not do shit, for me, or my life.
You think you can change me,
The way I live my life,
The friends I hang with.
You cannot,
not even by the everyday 'I love you'

The writing (is mine)
It is me
The words (are mine)
They are me
The picture (was me)
But you cannot see inside

Nothing

I am not who you think I am
I am the one hidden
Hidden behind a mask
I am the one you fear
I am the one who fears nothing
Nothing is all that I am

My love

My love
no longer pure
But was it ever so?
My heart says no
My mind says no
My soul
my soul says yes
But that was long ago
Longer than the heart, nor the mind
can remember

Opinion

Opinion
Asked for
Given
Forgotten

Opinion
Asked for
Given
Trampled
(Loss of heart)

Opinion
Asked for
Given
Misused

Opinion
Asked for
Given
Twisted
(What heart)

Opinion
Asked for
Given...
.
...Nothing

Opinion
Asked for
Given
Forgotten
Loss of soul

Opinion
Asked for
A lost soul
Has no opinion

1st Day 2nd Time 2nd Try

First day of the second quarter. I still fell out of place, but not because of anything except that I know I am not one of them anymore. I left here. It was not a choice I liked making, but I made it, and now I will never really be one of them. I know none of them is completely normal. Being normal involves so much work, while so little. The ‘normal’ college student is supposed to drink a certain amount on a daily basis, they are supposed to spend a certain amount of time at a job, time with friends, time studying, and time sleeping, and eating, but when you add up the hours needed to do all these things you end up with more than 24 hours needed in a day. Where do they take the time from? There is nothing free to take them from. Even if they eat while working, and somehow also spending time with friends the hours are too few.

I did not want to leave, I wanted to stay on course, I wanted to be in the front of the classroom by this point in my life, but I am not. I am sitting in the front row, waiting for the prof to show, waiting for the day to begin. I have always known what I wanted to do. Teach, mold the brains of our youth, teach them to think for themselves (even when it means disagreeing with me). I let my life get dragged off course, I let myself be taken from the path.

Here I sit, waiting for the class to begin, my life to be forced back to the path.

Umbrella Corp

Spent a whole 5ish minutes testing out the CD painting concept. Worked pretty well, could use more detail work, but it made the giftee very happy.

I agree with Glenn Beck? Eww

He is very set in his wrong ways, so how can I agree with anything he says or does?

In truth there is no pure right, wrong, good, or bad in our universe. It seems nearly impossible for him to change his thoughts, and his base opinions are based in facts that are not true, and logic that is flawed. But he does actually have a brain, and it seems he sometimes lucks into being right.

Last night he even gave honour (by using and giving credit for an idea) to MLK. Showed 2 videos showing similar actions, one where the victim is understood, and one where people cannot seem to agree on who is in fact the victim.

He is also siding against Texas. Texas has said the Ben Franklin is not worthy of being a founding father, Glenn Beck disagrees, and even went through a list of why he thinks Ben Franklin is worthy of being considered a founding father. In the time I listened he did not say "Texas disagrees" or anything of that nature, but it was clear to anyone that knows what Texas did that he think Texas went too far.

The Power of 3

The power of three:

Three names I go by:
1. Ella
2. Sparkles
3. Bubbles

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. Executive Assistant
2. Greeter
3. EOP

Three Places I have lived:
1. YBI
2. Edmonds
3. Seattle

Three Favorite drinks:
1. Mt Dew
2. Lambic
3. Green Tea

Three TV Shows that I watch:
1. Bones
2. Chuck
3. Lie to Me

Three places I have been:
1. Alaska
2. Florida
3. Maine
(as we already know the CA part, the other 3 corner seemed the way to go)

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Daniel's Mac n Cheese
2. Daniel's Fried Chicken
3. My Country Benedict

Three Things I am looking forward to:
1. Friday gaming
2. The quarter being done
3. Scanning some of my artwork, so I can put it online

Three Things that are always by my side:
1. My BB
2. A Sketch pad
3. My Wallet

Three people who have e-mailed/messaged me today:
1. My EOP Counselor
2. My Anth Counselor
3. My instructor for summer independent study

Three favorite colors:
1. Purple
2. Red
3. Gold

Three favorite items of clothing:
1. My pink sandals
2. My kimomo shirt
3. My African patterned summer dress

Last three words uttered:
1. pain
2. the
3. Oww