Why Entry Level Gaming Industry Jobs Aren't Wise in Southern California

I love playing games. All kinds of games. Boardgames, roleplaying games, computer games, you name it. If I had infinite time and no responsibilities, I would become a professional game player. Not a professional game "winner," more likely a professional game loser, but I would have a great time.

I also like to tinker with game rules and game master a Savage Worlds or D&D 3.5 game every now and again. So naturally, I have grandiose dreams of becoming a hugely successful, and lavishly wealthy, game designer like Matt Forbeck or Chris Pramas.

This is why I like to look to see when new entry level jobs are available in the gaming industry, especially from companies I like. One such company, Fantasy Flight Games, is apparently growing at a good pace given that they seem to be continually on the lookout for new employees. This is amazing, especially given the current soft-ness of the gaming marketplace. It is not so amazing when you look at the quality of Fantasy Flight's games, which are very high indeed. No fewer than three of the boardgames I play most frequently were produced by FFG.

But given the fact that according to USC's Lusk Center, "Rent increases of six to seven percent can be expected in Los Angeles where the average monthly rent at the end of last year was $1,416," I don't think I will be able to work for the $10/hr that FFG pays its entry level employees. To be fair, the job is in Minnesota where rent is much cheaper. It is also true a friend of mine is looking for an assistant in a similar (i.e. Marketing) position and is paying a similar wage (in Los Angeles). As an entry level job, the wages aren't bad, but they aren't going to support my family.

To be honest, the more I look at how much the people who work making the games I enjoy earn, the more it makes me want to win the lottery to start a high paying game company. The people who work in the industry are brave indeed, and the freelance ones are definitely living "without a net." Especially when you have a very successful product and never see a dime because your fulfillment house goes bankrupt. I can't even imagine how much elbow grease and work ethic it takes to be able to pay the bills, by selling new products, that it takes in that situation.

To put $1,416 a month in perspective, for those who don't live in SoCal. It's essentially a mortgage payment on a $250,000 home. Like those exist in SoCal!

What $250,000 gets you in Inglewood. One bedroom condos and Inglewood isn't known as the safest place in the world.

What $200,000 gets you in Minneapolis. I don't know if the area is safe, but the picture sure looks nice.

Needless to say, if you want to be a game designer in SoCal, you better have a day job.

Cooking Up a Winner?

I expected to hate Bravo's new series Top Chef. I have avoided watching episodes of the show for weeks. I was a pretty big fan of Hell's Kitchen, which I discovered thanks to Fritz, and I just didn't think a new show could measure up to Chef Ramsay.

My objection to watching the show were overthrown the other day by two clips from a promo for the show. The first was listening to the chef's complain about having to make dishes from food purchased at a mini-market. This was immediately followed by Top Chef's top chef, Tom Colicchio, saying that he wished the rules allowed him to fire "two...no all three of you." I immediately knew I had to give this show a try. Besides, it was a Bravo show. They were responsible for Blow Out, another show I enjoy when I am feeling ornery.

Top Chef follows a tried and true formula for reality television. First you have an "immunity" competition, followed by an elimination competition, ending with the board room interview. This is the Apprentice/Endurance model and creates a natural narrative structure with minimal need for "editorial creativity" to increase tension. The challenges, like the mini-mart grocery hunt, are sometimes silly, but they highlight the creativity and talent of the chefs. In fact, that is where this show truly shines. I actually believe that the contestants on this show are all competent cooks. That wasn't true on Hell's Kitchen which seemed more about turning people into good chefs by putting them through cooking boot camp.

Every week, on Top Chef, the winning recipe from the elimination challenge is featured on the website allowing for additional audience participation. This is something that was lacking on Ramsay's show. In fact, I can't really recall much about many of the contestents on Kitchen other than the fact that they all smoked like chimneys.

Hell's Kitchen was about how well the contestants could handle the stress of running a high-end kitchen. Top Chef combines the stress of providing and presenting food. The chef's are expected to be more than cooks, but personalities as well. After all, if you want to be a "famous chef" your personality is almost as important as your other talents.

The prize competed for is another major difference between HK and Chef. Chef Ramsay was supposed to provide the winning chef on HK with their own restaurant, but when Chef Michael won he was offered a job at one of Ramsay's existing restaurants. This is a significant offer, but is more along the lines of Trump's Apprentice than the initially advertised prize. Top Chef, on the other hand, offers a three prong prize. First, the contestant will be featured in Food and Wine Magazine and be a featured chef at Aspen's Food & Wine classic. Second, they will receive a full line of Kenwood appliances for a restaurant kitchen. Finally, they will receive $100,000 to assist in their culinary career, a nice down payment on a loan to start a business if you ask me.

Structurally, I think Chef is what I wished Kitchen would be. The lack of a strong personality like Ramsay is a drawback, but overall I think Chef is a better show. I have already begun developing favorites and foes.

Invitation to Bloggers

When I first envisioned Cinerati, I desired a blog with several members who discussed popular culture. Currently, we have three regular posters from our list of "columnists."

I want more.

So if you are interested in blogging about the topics we like, even if we don't blog about them enough, and you want to be a "cinerati-ite," let me know and I'll ship you an invite via email.

Live the Dream or Merely Dream

For the past two days this blog has idled in its subject matter, all the posts have been about Bones, that will not be the case today. Instead, I think that I would like to begin a discussion on a theme which will continue for the remainder of the week. Certainly, it will be the focus of my post today. That subject is the disconnect between "Living the Dream" and "Merely Dreaming."

What do I mean by "Living the Dream?" As you might have guessed, it deals with having a job in some creative/entertainment field. A professional baseball player, minor league on up, is living the sporting dream. The struggling rock band playing at a local dive bar is living the rock and roll dream. The author who slavishly writes stories and books with the hopes that they will sell, is living the literary dream. You get the picture. Naturally, in all of these cases the more successful the person is in their professional field the more of the dream they are living. But what I mean by living the dream is the actual taking of the risks and making of effort to actually attempt to succeed at a desired entertainment profession.

This is opposed to "Merely Dreaming." A mere dreamer is the person who goes to batting cages, buys baseball cards, and carefully monitors his Orosco Number, but who never even tries out for independant baseball. It is the girl who sings in the shower knowing that a famous record producer is going to call and she doesn't have to put in any effort. It is the "idea man" who has hundreds of great story ideas that he never shares with anyone or bothers to jot down on paper. The "mere dreamer" is the person who expects to be discovered and handed the dream, but who doesn't put in any effort.

This may all sound very hard on the dreamer. After all, it is important for all of us to be able to fantasize about being a professional athlete, rockstar, or writer. Fantasies help us deal with the stress of our day to day lives. That is not the kind of mere dreamer to whom I am referring, that would describe everyone. I am pointing out the person who knows they "deserve" to be a superstar.

There are also those who want to succeed, and don't know how. There are those who find the prospect of trying daunting or even frightening. Where do they fit in? They aren't "living the dream," but they aren't "merely dreamers." They are in a kind of goal limbo. An acquaintance and I were having a discussion about life and I asked her what her brother was currently doing.

Since I work for a non-profit devoted to youth civic engagement, I often find myself talking with young adults just deciding their potential careers. I also am presumptuous and typically decide to give my own, obviously invaluable and correct, advice on "how to succeeed."

My acquaintance told me that her brother wanted to do computer graphics work on video games or become a professional, but that he was currently not studying it in school or anything. I responded with my typical two-fold answer. First, college isn't necessary for every occupation particularly artistically oriented ones. Sure it can be helpful in programming etc., but a real "computer genius" could be self-taught. Second, that too many young people think they have to hurry into life and often rush into bad decisions.

Lord knows, I did. I spent 3+ years as a 21/Craps dealer, not going to school, because I thought it would be a good paying career choice. It can be, but it was misery for me. In fact, I was a "mere dreamer" when it came to being a college student for a time. I claimed to be a student when I hadn't been for a couple of years. I was dreaming, but not making effort to return to school.

The young woman followed up my responses with a very simple statement. "Well, actually, he just spends a lot of time playing World of Warcraft, and he doesn't even draw anymore." Boom! Instant "mere dreamer," right?

Not so fast. Given her brother's youth, he is twenty, there is hope for the young man yet. Sometimes there is a tendency to make even slight obstacles seem epic. When I dropped out of college for four years, returning to school seemed an absolute impossibility. So I didn't even try for a few years. It wasn't until I met the woman who is now my wife that I was able to see how easy it was to get back into school. We weren't dating at the time, we were just friends, but she was a subtle inspiration and constant reminder of possibility.

So I gave my third piece of advice, this for my acquaintance. Don't worry. Be supportive and discuss realistic ways to a career path. When one only looks at the end goal, in this case being the person who designs the next World of Warcraft equivalent success, it seems impossible and is hugely demoralizing to the beginner. Instead, I offered, talk to him about his drawings. See if he is interested in cartooning. If he still is have him draw some single panel jokes based on op-eds written in small local papers. When he gets about thirty, have him send them in to those same local papers asking if they need a cartoonist or illustrator. It won't pay a lot, but it will build a resume and give good experience. Of course, then he will also be..."living the dream!"

I should offer that the advice I gave is basically a description of how John Kovalic and Patrick McDonell, among others, got their start.

But that's not where my advice comes from, no it comes from watching my wife. You see, one of the things that was so inspiring about her was that she was able to live off of money she was being paid as an illustrator for two local papers and the university newspaper. She wasn't making much money at all, but she was making just enough to live with 3 roommates as long as her scholarships kept paying for school. She wrote a romance novel as her Master's thesis, and directed a neat 8 minute romantic comedy as her MFA thesis for film school. My wife is "living the dream." It is a true inspiration to watch and it started with very small steps.

Chewing on Old Bones

I know I just posted some reasons why I like Bones, Fox Network's semi-procedural, but I have to be completely honest and admit that I went into viewing the first episode with a very positive "pro-Bones bias. Was it because I was an Angel and Buffy fan? Sure, but it was more than that.

David Boreanaz answers a fan's question at the 2005 San Diego Comic Con

At last year's San Diego Comic Con, Fox did a presentation on the show where they screened the entire Pilot and provided David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel as panelists to discuss the show. In retrospect, I wish that they had included Micheala Conlin and some of the other cast members as well, but Emily and David were the only cast members most people would recognize. I say that realizing that my own remembered experience of Emily had been in the movie Boogeyman, and that in all honesty not many people other than those who saw Boogeyman three or more times would recognize her. Point of fact, during the panel discussion all the questions were directed at David Boreanaz.

It was an excellent panel and David was the perfect "fanboy/girl" interviewee. Emily and David were on time. David answered every question, no matter how silly with seriousness, candor, and humor. He was also gentleman enough to make sure that Emily, who was being ignored by the audience (for the most part), was included in the discussion. He spent time using his own "clout" to promote the relative newcomer to the "Whedonfanverse."

Emily Deschanel is baffled by just how specific "Whedonfans" knowledge of David Boreanaz is.

BTW, if you want a preview of the television shows coming out in the next season are, at least those that might be of interest to comic fans, the San Diego Comic Con has some of the best pre-season panels/presentations around. If The Inside hadn't been cancelled, I also would have attended a panel with Tim Minear.

Bones to Pick

Friday, Shouting at the Wind linked an article at the Hollywood Reporter confirming that Bones had been picked up for a second season. In her post, Shawna Benson (the author of Shouting), added the descriptive "against all reasonable thought" to the news of the shows renewal. I was surprised, not disappointed, at the comment because my wife and I are regular Bones watchers.

[BTW, being disappointed because someone disagrees with your taste in film/tv is ridiculous. Entertainment is one of those cases where friendly disagreement easily accomodated.]

For those of you who don't watch a lot of TV or who might not know what I am writing about, Bones is a one-hour semi-procedural on Fox. The show is loosely based on the very procedural Temperance Brennan novels by Kathy Reichs. The novels are often gruesome and let you see more into the mind of Tempe Brennan than any television or film can accomplish (as an aside The Weather Man with Nicholas Cage did a pretty good job of getting into the head of the character, just the right amount of voice over).

I flippantly asked Shawna if she was not a big David Boreanaz fan and she responded in a very friendly fashion that she wanted to like the show, had watched the first three episodes, and had returned for the Adam Baldwin episode. Here answer told me two things. First, yes she is a David Boreanaz fan and second that she is a Joss Whedon fan. (Elementary my dear Watson!) So her disappointment lies elsewhere. In fact, according to her statement "[she] just found the whole thing predictable and though some of the dialogue is better than it used to be, they seriously need to staff some better writers."

This got me thinking. I took her comment about predictability very seriously and I agree the show is very predictable, but I find most shows to be. Take your average 1 hour drama, say last week's Smallville.

First we have the set-up or introduction, setting the stakes if you will.

Clark reveals his secret to Lana and asks her to marry him. Clark's father is finding out the results of his election bid. And the season stake is that we know someone close to Clark must die.

Second at minute 20 (usually spot on, maybe one or two minutes off depending on commercial selection), we have the moment the stakes are raised.

Clark's father wins the election. Lana goes to see Lex, gets upset, leaves and dies in car accident. After a commercial break, Clark decides to "change the result" and is notified that while he can change the past that fate will make up for the difference.

At the 40 minute mark (give or take a few seconds) the hero will suffer a major crisis. In a movie, this will be the point the hero struggles back from to save the day, in a serial TV show it may just be a character developing loss.

Clark has saved Lana, but their relationship is over forever and right at minute 40...Clark's father dies of a heart attack.

From here the story gets resolved.

Clark tells his mother everything (off camera) and his mother doesn't blame him, but it has obviously affected their closeness. Lana "supports" Clark, but abandons him. Chloe loves Clark, but can't be too close because Clark loves Lana. Lex looks on from afar. Clark is more alone than ever and more than ever needs human connection. Sets the stakes for the whole season. BTW, serial TV also has a "season" structure similar to the episode structure, and a series structure, etc. So...you might guess that before the show ends that Chloe is likely not long for the world. Why? Well, she knows Clark's secret, she is Lois' cousin, and she doesn't exist in Superman's "adult" life. Hmm...

This is a long way of saying that all narrative has a certain level of predictability. In fact, I often find myself looking at the clock during episodes of television programs. That said, it doesn't mean that Shawna is wrong. This is because Bones is a semi-procedural and thus doesn't always reveal the killer until the 40 minute mark. In fact, if it is well written it should have one or two very plausible red herrings to throw the audience off course. The question, should be (as I am interpreting Shawna's meaning), "Who did it and how?" If the answer is too obvious in the procedural then why watch the show?

It's a good question and one that I have an answer for, but it may not satisfy Shawna. I think the answer lies in the nature of the show. Bones, as I have written, is a "semi-procedural." By which I meant that it appears to be a procedural, but in reality is a romantic drama like Smallville, but instead of having superpowers Tempe Brennan has near infinite analytical skills, a superartist, super-biology geek, combat guru, and...okay they might as well be superpowers. For me, Bones is more Doc Savage than CSI, thus it is the character interactions that are most important. I like the banter and the little insights I get into the characters.

For example, during the episode where Tempe and crew solve a murder in the tunnel system under D.C., we encounter a mentally shattered veteran who asks Booth (Boreanaz) sarcastically, "Are you trying to tell me you know what I've been through?" Booth's answer immediately lets the character know that he really does have an understanding and had similar experiences. In fact, one thing the audience has learned over the course of the show is that Booth has done some horrible things. We just don't know what they are. In many ways, Booth is similar to Angel (another Boreanaz character). Except, where Angel was forced by a curse to do horrible things, it is the very sense of duty/nobility in Booth, the thing the audience most likes about him, that allowed him to do those things.

I have to admit that the surprise factor is a difficult challange for "mysteries" to maintain or achieve. That is probably why my favorite show in the genre gave up the ghost at the beginning of each story. Columbo always began with the audience watching the murder, we know all the facts. It was in watching Columbo unravel those facts that the audience was entertained. I look at Bones the same way, even though the murder and results are supposed to be "discovered."

Maybe Bones would be better if the format followed the Columbo format, but as for the dialogue I think it is some of the best on television.

Booth:"So it was the Spelunker, in the Steam Tunnel, with a Climbing Pick?"

Brennan:"I don't get it."

Oh, and I like that the show ends with the ultra-traditional (think Wild Wild West and Star Trek etc.) "group laugh" at the end of the show.

When in Need of Discipline and Learning...

Don't forget the wisdom of Tae Kwan Leap!

Time has no meaning...to a true student a year may be as a day1

Palm Springs' M Modern Gallery to Put Future on Display

For many in my generation, no name is associated with visions of the future than Syd Mead. His visionary design work can be seen on Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the slo-motion picture), 2010, and Strange Days. From the fantastically futuristic to the plausible, Syd Mead's artistic interpretations of the future are what I see when I imagine the world of tommorrow.

Palm Springs M Modern Gallery will have sketches spanning the past 50 years of Mead's imagination. Some of the work will be utopian and others dystopic, but I think one thing can be said for certain...it will be a sight to see.

When I think of fantasy, the first name that comes to mind is Harryhausen, but when I think the future I think Mead.

Random Thoughts From Random Blogs

This makes me think face masks might not be such a bad idea in Amateur Soccer.

Some Soccer players might be playing too much Tekken. Boot to the head!

Realizing that one of this woman's favorite movies is Conan the Barbarian makes me want to say "Ia, Ia, Cthulhu ftaghn!" Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe.

An excerpt from the Book of Eibon. Actually this is the first blog that reads like one of those random word spam emails.

Stick Figure Theatre: Jet Li Distributes Justice

Sometimes I just love the interwebonetosphere beyond belief. A couple of years ago the PS2 came out with a video game (Rise to Honor) which used motion capture technology on Jet Li and allowed gamers everywhere to put the beat down on baddies like they were Wong Fei Hung. In fact, you can replay the game in Fong Sai Yuk/Wong Fei Hung garb. While I was "slicing" the interwebonetosphere today, I came upon something that would make any fan of Jet Li, The Order of the Stick, and Rolling Thunder (available on Namco Museum) jump for joy.

Without further ado...here is Flash Stick Fight! But it's totally Jet Li, you can tell by the open hand strikes and the "no shadow kick!"



The full series can ne seen at Stick Figure Death Theatre, just click on the image below.

Shatner Sings is Passe? What About Nimoy?!

For those of you who think that William Shatner was the only Star Trek star to sing tunes, here is a clip of Leonard Nimoy singing about Bilbo Baggins in Vulcan wig and all.

The amount of geekdom in this video is immeasurable. This is like crack for gamers.

Birthday Shatnerica

Whew! I came in under the wire! As all true William Shatner fans know, today is the birthday of the third most popular imaginary friend in the world. Happy Birthday Bill!

For your viewing pleasure here are some amusing Shatner vids.





And one of the greatest weapons in the TV Cop's arsenal.

Christian and Marriage

In the comments to my post regarding the Coulbert Report Dungeons and Dragons Online segment, I stated something along the lines of, "Tenser is actually a member of the Circle of Eight and not the Circle of Light so Stephen ought read that teleprompter a little more closely when pretending to have been a D&D geek." This, plus what I wrote in the actual post, prompted LYT to ask:

No offense, CJ, but...how the hell did you ever get married?

seriously. i could use that knowledge.

The answer is pretty simple, I adore my wife much like J.C. Loophole does his. But I guess that only answers how I stay married, I am after all approaching my 9th Anniversary (May 18th) for those who wonder.

The answer to how I got enough women to date me to find my perfect match, well that's a little more complicated but still easily enough done.

First, I have had a secret identity. Prior to the internetowebosphere, I had no "public" forum where women could find out my dirty little geeky secrets.

Second, I am a nice guy who has a sense of humor. I tend to make women laugh. I am no Lewis Fein when it comes to comedy, but then who is?

Third, I listen. Maybe this is the most important trait. This may have developed as a subset of my secret identity. After all, if you want to hide your comic collecting, action figure owning, roleplaying game addiction, this is much easier when you spend most of the time listening. That doesn't mean I always listen to other people, I am after all quite chatty. But I certainly spent a lot of time listening to the women I dated. It helps you find common interests and things that might make people laugh. Be attentive of other's interests.

Fourth, I actually asked women to go out. As Charlie, on Two and a Half Men keeps trying to show his brother, volume matters. Sure you will be refused dates by hundreds of women, but you will have some great dates as well.

Fifth, gradually reveal your geekdom. It lets women think they are being shown the "real you" and adds an illusion of depth. Trust me, that requires a big illusion in my case. I am open about my geekdom and hobbies now, but I have been married for almost 9 years so it's easy.

Sixth, have women friends who have similar interests. My wife isn't a gamer, but she is a talented cartoonist who liked the comic timing of Keith Giffen's Justice League when I revealed my comic fandom to her. In fact, I read these to her in bed. If John Rogers, the Kung Fu Monkey, reads this I hope he passes it along that Mr. Giffen helped provide the foundation for a healthy marriage. If he asks, we modeled ourselves after Booster and Beetle not Ice and Guy.

Seventh, my secret identity was the real me, just minus the D&D and comics. So when women were given the real me it wasn't a betrayal.

Really my advice comes down to the following. Be kind, honest, caring, and brave. If you want you can be:

* Trustworthy,
* Loyal,
* Helpful,
* Friendly,
* Courteous,
* Kind,
* Obedient,
* Cheerful,
* Thrifty,
* Brave,
* Clean,
* and Reverent.

As an aside... When I was younger, and still today, my hobbies were just that...hobbies. In High School, I only played computer games and roleplaying games in the Summer. During the year, I had Baseball, Soccer, Wrestling, and Speech/Debate to do. I was never one of the "popular" kids, but I wasn't Duckie either. I was more like Ethan Embry in Can't Hardly Wait.

Own a Piece of Christian's Library #2

It looks like David Scott will be getting The Annotated Lovecraft. Sorry Jay, but he was first. Don't worry though, I will be sending you a copy too as (appropriately for you) an Easter gift.

Today I will be making available two offerings, though I ask that David and Julie give some other people a chance on this one. I will make it a rule that contestants can only win with lightning speed bids once per week. David's post was almost instantly after I posted the article. I figure that's unfair to our reader in Kuala Lumpur or to the myriad readers who come merely to look at the South Park Version of Me (minimum 5 hits a day).

So today's offerings are:

1.A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. This book is a published version of the journal Lewis wrote in response to the death of Joy Davidman. Someone recently gave me a copy to read, not knowing that I already have a well loved one at home, so the edition offered is "uncracked." This is the Bantam Paperback version. It's a quick read, the Lewis section is only 89 pages, and is well worth the time.

2. Triplanetary and First Lensman by E.E. "Doc" Smith. These are the first two volumes in the famous, maybe even quintessential, Lensman "Space Opera" series. Anyone who is a big Star Wars fan should read these. That goes double for anyone who is a fan of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. The Silver Age GL tales are very much inspired by the "Men of the Lens." The first 80 pages or so of Triplanetary are a little dull because they set the background/history for the series, but once you get past this point the series gets more action packed. If you are a Savage Worlds fan, this is a setting dying to be "savaged" and Triplanetary has almost all the information you need. Triplanetary is a 75 cent Pyramid Books edition, read but well taken care of, printed in 1970. First Lensman is $2.50 Berkeley edition printed in 1982. Both have mild yellowing, but no chipping. I have recently acquired Old Earth Books editions of the series and these need to move.

Own a Piece of Christian Johnson's Library -- Free Lovecraft Book

In a Cinerati first, I am going to offer free of charge to our blog fans a piece of Christian Johnson's library. From time to time I will be offering, free of charge, to Cinerati readers -- on a first come first serve basis -- overstock from my book collection. As many of you know, I read a lot of books. Some good...some bad. But reading a lot of books also means that I accumulate a lot of books. Sure I am donating some to my local library, but I would also like to share a limited few with people who I have tangential connections to.

So without further ado, the first book to be offered on Cinerati is The Annotated Lovecraft. I have two copies of this book and one of them needs to go.

The Annotated Lovecraft is a collection of some of H.P. Lovecraft's most famous tales edited by Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi. The book contains useful and enlightening annotations and benefits from Joshi's love of the material. Joshi's hard work in promoting scholarly research and weird writing is something that I deepley appreciate, but his disdain for the "Cthulhu Mythos" phenomenon is one that I take issue with. To quote:

Nor need we rehash the sorry story of the "Cthulhu Mythos," which (thanks largely to Derleth's rabid enthusiasm) took on a life of its own...

Joshi's own atheism, he has written books on the subject, seems to have made him overlook certain influences into Lovecraft's mythology. This is not to say that atheism isn't the best lens to look at Lovecraft, it is, rather that Joshi's particular atheism has made him overlook certain aspects in the fiction. Chief is the influence that Lucretius and the Epicurians had upon Lovecraft's mythos. As Bertrand Russell points out in his "Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization?," Lucretian Epicurianism is no friend to religion, but Epicurianism does have a kind of representation of the gods.

Epicurian "gods" are described as living inter mundia (in the spaces between universes) and Lovecraft and his friends often describe the "Mythos" characters as living "in the spaces between the stars." Not to mention the underlying elemental nature of Epicurian "theology" as witnessed in Lucretius' "De Rerum Natura." Derleth got his concept of the elemental nature of the "gods" from somewhere, but Derleth (like Joshi ignores the elemental connection) ignored the lesson from "Mountains of Madness" that the gods aren't really gods.

All of this is neither hear nor there for the collection, which is wonderful, or for Joshi's contribution, which is significant.

This volume includes the following stories:

Rats in the Walls -- Lovecraft's most Poe-esque piece (other than "The Stranger")
The Colour out of Space
The Dunwich Horror
At the Mountains of Madness
and his essay on Weird Fiction.

If you want it, just leave a comment and email me where to ship it. If you want to reimburse me shipping that's fine, but not necessary. I might, just might, request that you post about the book.

The Coulbert Report on D&D Online

Thanks to Matt Forbeck for pointing this one out.



Now for a brief cheat sheet to some, but nowhere near all, the jokes.

GenCon is the largest gaming convention in the country.

Len Lakofka wrote two of the early Dungeons and Dragons modules Secret of Bone Hill and Assassin's Knot. These adventures were known as the Lendore Isle series because of their location on the Lendore Isles on the World of Greyhawk. Assassin's Knot was one of the modules that first introduced me to true city based gaming and was innovative for its abandonment of the traditional "dungeon crawl" motif. These modules marked the first time that modules began to simulate narratives rather than tactical wargames.

All Paladins have to be Lawful Good.

There is no "Save vs. Psionic Attack." The appropriate save would be "Save vs. Spells" or "Rods, Staves, or Spells" depending on whether he was playing Basic or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.
[Edit: After looking through my 1st edition DMG, I must correct myself. There is indeed a save vs. "Psionic Blast" for non-psionics. The implication then is that Coulbert's Paladin was a non-psionic character. Naturally this is a testimony to his honesty, and fairness, as a player. After all if your 21st level Paladin is non-psionic you can't be a munchkin.]

The idea that a "Cure Light Wounds" spell would be used on a 21st level Paladin is itself funny.

Tenser is a powerful mage in the World of Greyhawk.

The Sheldomar Valley is on the World of Greyhawk.

Displacer Beasts, Mind Flayers, and Beholders are creatures unique to the Dungeons and Dragons game.

By Stephen's difficulty pronouncing the names and places, it is likely his writers didn't go to "Exorcism Summer Camp" or find girlfriends.

Lagunies: The Real Newpsies

Following in the footsteps of MTV the Bravo (an NBC Universal Company) network will be premiering its new series The Real Housewives of Orange County tonight at 10pm. The Washington Post article by Tom Shayles makes it clear that the title is meant to appeal to fans of the ABC show Desperate Housewives, but his description of show content makes it sound more like Laguna Beach. To quote a description of an episode:

To give you an idea of the style of living: A teenage boy is given a new Mercedes-Benz as a present from his parents, but when his friends claim that the model is a "girls' Mercedes," the boy complains and is promptly given a new one, a different model. The original car goes to his 16-year-old sister.

That sounds more like one of the storylines on Laguna Beach than on Desperate Housewives, though to be honest most Laguna stories aren't much like The OC either. The OC focuses on people who feel "out of place" in Orange County and Laguna Beach focuses on "real" versions of the people who make Ryan, Seth, Marissa, and Summer feel out of place. In The OC the "Newpsies" (definition: McMansion Divas) are characters on the edges of the storylines who are antagonistic toward the central characters. In other words, the "newpsies" are stereotypes used to show that the central characters play against type. It looks like Real Housewives has decided to further ingrain that stereotype in our minds.

So I just have one question. Would you rather hang out with Kimberly Bryant or Julie Cooper?

By Dave Bjerke -- Bravo

For my money, I'll take Julie Cooper. Primarily because she even looks hot as an undead punk rock zombie.



Fans of "The O.C." know fully well the show's meta-cognative qualities. Summer, played by the beautiful Rachel Bilson, watches both The Valley (an evening soap like The OC and Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley. So it is only a matter of time before we hear mention of Lagunies: The Real Newpsies on the show. I am sure this will immediately be followed by Seth screaming, "Hey you guys!" when the show is on. (That's a Goonies reference, if you didn't get it.)

BTW, Rachel Bilson has been slowly but surely working her way up the charts toward actress I have the biggest crush on. Currently, Renee Zellweger is in first place, but that Summer as Wonder Woman image from Season 1 keeps coming back.

Origin Award Nominees Announced

Every year the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design of the Game Manufacturers Association announce the nominations for the "Origin Awards" or the American Gaming Oscars. Thanks to Matt Forbeck's site, I am able to list the nominees. But to be fair to Matt I will only post the categories I have something to say about, and I will post comments as well. If you want a complete list go to Matt's site.

Nominees for Board Game or Board Game Expansion of the Year: (Board Game College)
Amazonas by Mayfair Games, Inc.
Parthenon: Rise of the Aegean by Z-Man Games, Inc.
Rheinlander by Face 2 Face Games, Inc.
Shadows over Camelot by Days of Wonder
Vegas Showdown by Avalon Hill

Of these games, I own Vegas Showdown and Shadows over Camelot and I have to be honest that I do wish I owned the others. But finances and time are limited and so must my choices be. Of the two I own, I am particularly fond of the Camelot game. I like collaborative games and this is a good collaborative game. The added effect of the possibility that one of the knights working to save Camelot may indeed be a traitor adds some nice depth.

Vegas Showdown was a pleasantly surprising game. Players pretend they are Steve Wynn and try to become casino moguls, not at all what I expected by the title. The components, like much of Avalon Hill these days, don't keep pace with other company's offerings, but the design and playability make up for it.

Disappointments: Where is World of Warcraft?

My Vote: Shadows over Camelot.

Nominees for Traditional Card Game or Expansion of the Year: (Traditional Card Game College)
Gloom by Atlas Games
Oriente by Mayfair Games, Inc.
Paranoia by Mongoose Publishing
Plunder by Laughing Pan Productions
Reiner Knizia’s Poison by Playroom Entertainment

This is an extremely strong category. I own all the games except Plunder, they are all fun, but Gloom holds a special place in my heart. Poison is published by Playroom Entertainment and I have to be honest that their Killer Bunnies card game is one of the best games ever made.

Nominees for Role-Playing Game of the Year: (Role-Playing College)
Army of Darkness by Eden Studios
Artesia by Archia Studios Press
Deryni Adventure Game by Grey Ghost Press Inc.
Serenity by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd.
World of Warcraft by Sword and Sorcery Studios

It is a sad year when none of the roleplaying games nominated feature original game mechanics and when they are universally from licensed products. This is not to say that individually these are bad games, but it does say something about the state of the industry when licenses and reused mechanics are the nominees.

Artesia uses the sometimes maligned, but quite good, Fuzion system as its basis for mechanics. Fuzion was originally designed as a reboot for the Champions rpg. While the system was quick, easy, and innovative, the grognards of Champions largely rejected it.

Serenity uses the system used in the first release of the Sovereign Stone RPG (Sovereign Stone eventually went to d20 in order to increase sales). The mechanics are solid and work similar to those of Savage Worlds, there was talk on the Savage boards about how Serenity seemed "too similar," but those players didn't realize that the similarities came not from the rules being inspired by Savage Worlds, but from The Great Rail Wars which also served as the inspiration for Savage. Yes GRW was inspired by Deadlands which was inspired by...(we don't have to take the regression too far do we?) Serenity is a good game based on a cult show/film.

Army of Darkness is has high production qualities and uses Eden Studio's Uni -System. With a little work Ash can fight Buffy and Angel and All The World's Zombies. The mechanics are good, why reinvent the wheel, and the semicompatability with other rules sets expands the playability of the game.

Deryni, which came out late from Grey Ghost, uses the Fudge rules set. Fudge is to RPGs what Linux is to programmers (d20 is Windows, and Champions/Gurps are Apple OS). That is to say, it is something that appears simple, but then requires a lot of work and that most of the support comes from other individuals who have very little consensus regarding mechanics. Grey Ghost is a great company who released a game based on Dying Earth a couple of years back. Deryni is a good product, but I don't think it quite measures up to Dying Earth.

World of Warcraft is this year's obligatory d20 nomination. I can say without a doubt that I love the d20 system, I honestly believe that Dungeons and Dragons is the greatest rpg ever made. I often defend the ability of d20 to simulate any genre, but I don't think it can reflect accurately every IP. WoW is case and point. After seeing how well Fantasy Flight mirrored the MMORPG experience with its boardgame mechanics, it is hard for me to play a d20 Warcraft game. I think Savage Worlds or an extrapolated version of Fantasy Flight's boardgame system would be more suitable to the feel of Warcraft. If you want to use d20 well, you have to be flexible like the Game Mechanics or Green Ronin.

Nominees for Role-Playing Game Supplement of the Year: (Role-Playing College)
Exalted Autochthonians by Whitewolf
GURPS Infinite Worlds by Steve Jackson Games
Mage by RPG Whitewolf
Midnight 2nd ed. RPG by Fantasy Flight
Shackled City by Paizo Publishing, LLC.

All I have to say is that you need to go out and buy Shackled City now. After that, you might want to buy Midnight just to read, but Shackled City demands to be played. Shackled City collects a series of adventures published in Dungeon magazine which form a campaign spanning from first through about twentieth level (D&D). The adventures are well written, balanced, and fun. Even if you don't play them, the book is a perfect text for how to design a compelling campaign.

The Future of America's Political Parties

Sometimes my 9-5 work and my graduate work line up together in beautiful ways. The month of April is a month where there are two events that do just that.

The Henry Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College will be hosting a one-day conference April 7th. The subject of the conference, and the tagline of this post, is "The Future of America's Political Parties." Yes, I know that CMC is an undergraduate college, but I go to Claremont Graduate University 25 steps away from CMC and take classes from CMC professors from time to time.

The CMC event will have speakers adressing, not surprisingly, the health and strategies of the two major political parties in the upcoming elections. Speakers for the Democratic side are Peter Beinart of The New Republic, Professor Elaine Karmark of Harvard University, Professor Samuel Popkin of UC San Diego, and Dr. Ruy Teixeira of the Center for American Progress. Essentially two intellectuals and two "pundits."

What I like about the mix is that the two pundits represent what I see as the split in current Democratic politics. Peter Beinart represents the Wilsonian Social Liberal. If you don't know what that means you had better rush to the newstand to pick up last week's New Republic. But to quote Peter,

In 2001, Mead published a book titled Special Providence, in which he argued that four traditions comprise U.S. foreign policy. Wilsonians believe America must make the world safe for liberty. Hamiltonians believe America must make the world safe for commerce. Jeffersonians fear that both of these crusades threaten liberty at home. And Jacksonians believe in destroying America's enemies and defending America's sovereignty, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

Mead described Bill Clinton's foreign policy as a coalition between Wilsonians and Hamiltonians. Wilsonians saw the post-cold-war world as a golden age for democracy. Hamiltonians saw it as a golden age for free trade. When human rights and moneymaking clashed--over China, for instance--the Wilsonians and Hamiltonians split. But they agreed on something fundamental: The best thing for America was to make the rest of the world as much like us as possible.

BTW, Peter has been very good to the non-profit I work for by speaking at a number of our events. His is generous of his time and sincere in his beliefs, something his critics don't often give him credit for being. An acquaintance once commented how "The liberal New Republic" was something of a joke among "progressive" circles, but I assure you that TNR is anything but a joke. It is a thoughtful and well written magazine with a long history of liberal politics. Sure, Walter Lippmann (an early TNR Editor) might disagree with some of their current arguments, but he would admire their sincere love of liberal politics.

On the other end of Democratic politics, at what is often called the "progressive" end, is Dr. Ruy Teixeira. Dr. Teixeira writes the Public Opinion Watch column at the CAP website. Dr. Teixeira, and the CAP, are perfect examples of what I think of as the Wisconsin-Madison brand of modern liberalism. From the Winter Soldier hearings to today's anti-war movement the northern Mid-West has played a significant role in American progressive politics, a brand of liberalism that is more socialist than that advanced by TNR.

On a side-note, the fact that the more socialist left uses the term "progressive" I find mildly ironic. After all, Wilsonian Progressivism was created as a response to socialism/socialist movements in the United States and some of the most heated "redbaiting" was during Wilson's administration. I think that might also explain some of the tension between TNR and CAP liberals.

On the Republican side of things the speakers include Michael Barone of US News and World Report, Professor Andrew Busch of Claremont McKenna College, Professor John Green of the University of Akron, Hugh Hewitt (Radio Host) of Chapman University Law School, and William Kristol of the Weekly Standard. I look forward to hearing from Barone, Green, and Busch, but am leary of Hewitt and Kristol.

Though the Republican panel features one additional speaker, I don't think it will much affect the substance of discussion. Hewitt will paint Republican politics with rose colored pro-Bush glasses. Hewitt's raison d'etre seems to be defense of Republican Presidential policy without criticism, not Republican politics generally, just Presidential. And for those who want to expose the dark conspiracy at the heart of PNAC, Bill Kristol anxiously awaits your conspiracy theories.

My one criticism of this panel is that while it has its "partisan hack" (Hewitt), it doesn't well represent the split in Neo-Conservative politics. While the panel includes William Kristol, son of Irving Kristol (an early Neo-Conservative and student of Leo Strauss), it doesn't include Francis Fukuyama. I think any discussion of modern conservatism necessitates a debate over the the "neo-conservative rift." Fukuyama may have theorized that the End of History was all nations becoming free democracies, but he has been critical of the forceful promotion of that end since before the Iraq war. Kristol believes that one can militarily promote democracies while Fukuyama sees any democratization as the long working out of History (the capital H is for the Hegelian use of the word). Hopefully either Professor Busch or Green will bring up that position.

Later Panels will include discussions by Professor Nelson Polsby of UC Berkeley and Professor William Mayer of Northeastern University.

Needless to say my inner PoliSci geek is weeping with joy.

The second event is an event being hosted by Southern California Grantmakers on April 10 and is about "Supporting Nonpartisan Voter Mobilization" with a panel that includes the Elvis of Modern Mobilization research Dr. Donald Green of Yale University. I look forward to listening to his ideas, especially considering this is an off-year for elections so increasing turnout is badly needed.

New Games in 2006

This past week was GAMA's annual trade show which is the gaming equivalent of E3 or the ShoWest. At this event, the various gaming manufacturers make announcements regarding the products they will be releasing this year in the hopes that local hobby stores will carry their merchandise. There were some pretty exciting announcements this year, though none as major as Fantasy Flight Games' announcement of the World of Warcraft boardgame at last year's show.

Without further ado, here are some of the offerings.

BLACK INDUSTRIES
Black Industries has announced the long awaited production of a Warhammer 40k Roleplaying Game. 40k's first incarnation, Rogue Trader, was a semi-rpg miniatures game which has made longtime fans fantasize for decades about the posibility of a true 40k rpg. Games Workshop has had many products that continued the desire, games like Space Hulk, Inquisitor, and Necromunda combined with the detailed background of the 40k wargame universe make this one of my most anticipated games of the year. Black Industries will continue to support the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game that is currently available.

FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES

FFG had the surprise announcement of last year's trade show, they announced a board game version of World of Warcraft (the popular Massive Multiplayer RPG). The announcement was huge, but so was the game when it finally released last November. It was a solid game by a solid company. This year's announcements by FFG look like they are continuing to build their reputation as possibly the leading American boardgame manufacturer.

A complete list of their offerings this year can be found at their rant page in the 3/13 listing. But I am particularly excited about the following.

The Mutant Chronicles Collectible Miniatures game. Mutant Chronicles was an RPG that satisfied my hunger for a 40k rpg for sometime. You see, unlike 40k, Mutant Chronicles started as an RPG and then became a miniatures game called Warzone. It looks like the IP is returning in the form of a pre-painted miniatures game. If the figures are of the standard of most pre-painteds coming out today, I'm in.



Building on their success at adapting Blizzard computer IP into boardgame format, Fantasy Flight will be releasing Starcraft as a boardgame. The Starcraft computer game is one of the most successful computer games in the history of computer games and Fantasy Flight has shown they are capable of making enjoyable and challenging games based on PC IP. I can't wait to blow up zergs with my Terran marines.


2006 will also see the release of some games announced by FFG in 2005. FFG may make quality games, but their production schedule does leave something to be desired. I have been waiting with baited breath for the release of the Marvel Superheroes board game and it looks like I will finally get my hands on a copy this Summer.



FFG will also be releasing new editions of their Drakon and Cave Troll games. These are games, along with the exceptional Twilight Imperium, that helped establish FFG as an American company capable of producing quality and "newbie" friendly boardgames. It also appears that they have finally found the proper look and feel for their enjoyable Mag-Blast card game. John Kovalic's artwork looks like a nice addition.


In addition to new games, and new editions of older games, FFG will be releasing expansions for some of the excellent games they released in 2005. Look forward to additional sets for Arkham Horror, Battles of Middle Earth, Game of Thrones, and World of Warcraft.


This weekend I will post information about some of the other games coming out this year. I am still overwhelmed by the FFG announcements. No massive "new" announcements, but I am drooling so hard over their potential games that I might shut down my computer.

My Generation Was Ripped Off!

In a non-media related post today over at Cathy's World, Cathy Seipp finished her piece with a paragraph that reminded me how much Generation X (among others) was cheated out of all the "muckety-muck" we were due.

He suggested I have my dad, who turns 77 next month, handle it: "Have him show up in a raccoon coat, holding a pennant, saying, 'Back off -- Maia and I have been dating for six months!"

I know, the quote is out of context and doesn't really make any sense. So what, within this quote, triggered my ire? Thanks for asking.

The description of Cathy's father "in a raccoon coat, holding a pennant" reminded me of what I thought college was going to be.



Between Goofy and Warner Bros. cartoons I was certain that my college days would be filled with raccoon coats, pennants, model T Hot Rods, the works. I spent a great deal of my childhood dreaming of these trivialities as if they represented a fantasy world of wonder, success, and contentment. And for someone whose parents had to live in a motel or in another family's RV, among other struggles, visions of such petty bourgeoisie were what made doing homework possible.

I don't know if you have ever imagined what it would be like to live with a "kitchenette" in your motel room, and have that be a step up from the crazy free-base addict who rented your family a room before, is like. Motel rooms aren't exactly the best study environment, especially given the "creative project" focus that a lot of Elementary and Middle School education contains. "I'm sorry Ms. A, but I was unable to build a ginger bread version of the Walls of Troy because we don't have a baking tray at home" isn't something your average 5th grader is ready to admit openly.

So the raccoon coat wearing, happy go lucky, whimsical view of college that Disney shorts displayed, and the struggling "poor" college student of the Kurt Russell films, gave me hope that there was a better world. Sure Animal House came out when I was a child, but it didn't refute that college had these things, it just made fun of them. I could handle that. Little did I know that my visions of college had been tossed into the dustbin of history, abandoned by those who found them trivial and demeaning. As Samuel Blum describes...

SB: Oh, they were phenomenal. Tremendous. For one thing, all the freshman junk went out the window. The dinks. You don't remember that. Freshmen wore a dink. He wore a green tie and he tucked it in. He wore white hose and he tucked his trousers into his socks. He had to carry matches should an upperclassman stopped him for a light. And if whistled at on Queen's campus, he had to run. You carried your stuff in a shopping bag. You wore a button with your name. With these G.I.s coming back after the war, in '46, '47, do you think they were going to do any of these things? They'd laugh at you. You couldn't do it. It went out the window. It just was completely different. And the new guys that came in, ... many of them were guys who in '38 ... couldn't afford to go to college. And that was good. The G.I. Bill was a great leveler and a great thing. I can't say anything bad about it. And I think it was a great thing for the country ... It gave men who never before would have had an opportunity a chance to go to college. Now, college was also something very different. The '20s and early '30s, things like the raccoon coat kind of baloney, and the proms and all was passe.

KP: But a lot of that went out. You could see, that went out.

SB: Right away it went out. Even when I was an undergraduate Rutgers wasn't that kind of a school, they had the freshman
silliness, but I didn't sense anything like the raccoon coat Ivy League stuff. It just wasn't that kind, because it was a more
plebeian school. People came from ordinary circumstances. Look at all the guys you're interviewing. How many of these guys come from rich people? Very few. Ordinary. In that sense, ordinary. But not ordinary in another sense. I'm sure that ...
anybody that sent his kid to school in the '30s had to sacrifice to do it. And that was a commitment and something they believed in and it was good.

Before I was even born, the beanie, hazing of Freshmen, and graduating Seniors carving their names in the belltower had all gone the way of the dinosaur. Gone was the possibility of my dream of "burying the hatchet," and thus ending the war between the Freshmen and Sophomore class, at the end of my first year of college.

In fact, the things that gave me motivation to go to college weren't a part of college at all. I wanted to read Chaucer and was given Bakhtin before I ever saw a page of Chaucer. I wanted to read The Federalist Papers and I was given a standardized Introduction to Politics text. I wanted to go to an "introductory dance" only to endure a formal and processed orientation which discussed the dangers of alcohol and notified us of what constituted sexual harassment.

My Freshman year was a disappointment and a shock. It was no wonder that, for many reasons, I left school for a period of time before returning to college with the desire for learning as my only motivation. The "college culture" I had desired didn't exist, but at least I found out that good professors weren't abandoned like so many of the things I had expected.

Number One...No More!!!!

For the time being I will be posting under my real name rather than under my classified program name. There are a couple of possible reasons for this...

1. I have escaped the village.
2. I have gone insane.
3. I have a huge ego and want full credit for all words I write.
4. I have joined a blog related to my work and the administrator still has the settings set to publish the nickname of the author rather than the real name.

Please forgive any confusion and understand that there NEVER WAS A NUMBER ONE any memory you have of one is a fiction. Nothing to see here, move along, move along. The computer is your friend and your friend wants you to be happy.

Any future changes back to Number One, followed by remembering this post, are a sign of your own mental illness.

An Opportunity to Meet an Icon

As everyone may have guessed, I am a big-time William Shatner fan. So this announcement is big news to me. The History Channel is offering a chance to "meet" William Shatner at the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. I, naturally, entered the sweepstakes, but I must say that I am less than excited for more than one reason.

• First, the "meeting" is at a Star Trek convention. I have never and will never go to a Star Trek Convention...Comic Book and Gaming Conventions only please.

• Second, since the meeting is at a convention the likelihood of it being "intimate" is unlikely. If I want to meet with Shatner, I want it to be a casual meeting over coffee and not some wierd public deal.

• Third, the event is in Las Vegas. I know everybody thinks Vegas is cool. But like Rob, who posts here, I was a 21/craps dealer as an undergrad in Reno. Gambling has about as much appeal to me as going on a vacation to fill potholes does for a Caltrans worker.

• Fourth, meeting William Shatner should be about more than Star Trek. It should be about meeting someone who has entertained you in a variety of media, and who became more endearing when he finally presented himself in a more human light.

Still, I applied and so should you. Just click on the picture below.

Contentment and Loving in Glendale

As you all know, my wife and I moved from Crenshaw to Glendale at the first of this month. What you may not know is that we had somewhere in the realm of 100 boxes of books accompany us. Needless to say this made our move slightly backbreaking, and given my aging knees we had to have a large amount of assistance bringing our stuff up to our second story apartment. In all honesty, my wife an I had to stop and hire some movers to finish the job. We did 70%, but that last 30% was too much. Being a bibliophile-boardgame lover who owns 400+ DVDs and who was a catcher/soccer player when they were young is not a combination that is nice to the knees, especially when both your apartments are upstairs.

So we are in our new, 2-bedroom, apartment and have begun unpacking our boxes of stuff, and boy is it a lot of stuff. I can't believe that we still have this much, especially considering how much we gave away to libraries/used bookstores/local kids/(insert recipient here). My wife has kindly purchased three more bookcases for the second bedroom, now termed "the office." Though I have to admit "den of distractions" would be a better name. The room is filled with board games, comic books, fantasy/SciFi novels, role-playing games, and RPG related magazines. As an aside, I now hate myself for keeping 6 years worth of Dragon and Dungeon magazines. That high quality stock paper they use makes for quite a load, but I do like to go back and review the articles from time to time.

At least now I can segregate our books so that the living room contains all the books we want people to know we read. So all our Political Science, Philosophy, English Literature, and Film related books are in the living room and all the guilty pleasure stuff is in "the office."

It's nice to live a place that can fit all our stuff and still feel roomy, and that describes our new place accurately. It's very comfortable. In fact, my experience in Glendale has been somewhat "dreamy" to be honest. Most of my childhood was spent in poorer neighborhoods, and as a college student I lived in places that struggling students can afford. From houses shared with 5 roommates to Crenshaw with my wife (had to be close to USC and still have affordable housing) my adult residences have left something to be desired.

So far Glendale has been a land of chocolate rivers and marshmallow trees. I am certain I have seen little orange men running around singing. I know, I know, Glendale is just another suburb/town, but so far I love it. My wife and I even saw a squirrel eating nuts outside our front door this morning, a far cry from the crows who welcomed me home in other places.

I am still waiting for my new place to feel like home. I still feel like I am visiting someone else's apartment.

Who knows...maybe when we are finished unpacking I will invite you all over for a game of Killer Bunnies, Britannia (review to be posted on Monday), Kingmaker, or Scene It?

Fantasy Films For the Compleat Gamer Part 1

Hawk the Slayer-- Game Grene has a review of this quintessential cheeseball fantasy film. No one who played roleplaying games in the 1980s hasn't seen this movie. Flying swords, machine gun crossbows, rapid fire arrows, "giants", elves named Crow, and Jack Palance. Need I say more? Two, very generous, stars. A must see for roleplayers.

Best Quote: "I am no messenger, but I will give you a message. The message of death!" --Crow

Krull-- A world lightyears beyond your imagination. Like Hawk the Slayer this film is another of the roleplayer must see fantasy films. Also like Hawk this film comes from the vast fantasy wasteland that is the 1980s. I don't know what it was about the 80s and cheeseball, low-budget, fantasy films, but it seems a mainstay of the decade. Earlier decades got classics like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and the 80s gets Krull. Liam Neeson, kidnapped princesses, teleporting fortresses, magic vs. technology, and the Glaive! After watching this film, I wanted all my D&D characters to have Glaives, but then I read what a real glaive was and changed my mind.





Memorable Quote" "I am Ergo the Magnificent! Short in stature, tall in power, narrow of purpose, and wide of vision and I do not travel with peasants and beggars, good bye!"--Ergo the Magnificent.

When Was the Golden Age of Baseball Again?

Young baseball fans growing up in today's America know one thing for certain, in the past there was a golden age of baseball. During this golden age the players were all gentlemen, there was no cheating, and the game was pure and beautiful. After all, the newsstands are filled with books and newspaper articles about how Barry Bonds is a veritable pharmaceutical factory. We are in an era without heroes and love a sport better forgotten until it becomes more like it once was.

It is with this backdrop that baseball historian Harvey Frommer wrote his newest book Old Time Baseball. His introduction hints at the sports need of a return to a "better" time:

In 1975, my appreciation of the game of baseball deepened and
expanded...that year made me acutely aware of the hold of the game on America, of its roots, its idiosyncrasies, its magic...
Baseball in 2005...[T]he blaring rock music, the private boxes filled with people who too often have scant knowledge of and even less feeling for the game...crass commercialism fueled by print and electronic media...

Frommer's introduction is filled with the lament of the scholarly lover of baseball. It seems as if Frommer began his book looking for a lost, better, more innocent era than the one today. But if that was his goal, he failed. He succeeded instead to show how baseball has always been a sport with its scandals, lies, and artificial pageantry.

Old-Time Baseball is a brief, but detailed, look at baseball's growth from an amateur game to a professional sport during 19th century America. The book is the story of a game that went from idle recreation to national pastime. The story is one of false mythology, collusion with gamblers, and ruthless businessmen. It is a great story and one that puts the modern controversies of the game into context. This doesn't mean that the current controversies aren't legitimate, they are, but it does mean that controversy, conspiracy, and eventual correction are mainstays of the wonderful game that is baseball.

Frommer's book is useful both as entertainment and as a future reference which collects an abundance of baseball information into its mere 188 pages. You can read the book in a few hours, but to truly soak in the information takes repeated visits.

The first chapter is a simple timeline of baseball's history. It provides a list of important dates in the development of America's pastime and is thus a chapter readers will find themselves returning to again and again. Do you want to find out when the first recorded triple was hit? According to Frommer, that would be April 24, 1876 by Levi Meyerle. Though more interesting is the fact that on July 18, 1882, Tony Mullane pitched both right- and left-handed during a game. The second through fourth chapters are a narrative description of the development of the game throughout the century and the fifth chapter is a collection of biographical sketches of many of the great players of the gilded age. All of the information in the book is useful, even if it is dryly written.

While the book begins with what appears to be despair at the modern game, it ends on a high note. It is as if the author has regained faith in the modern game by looking honestly at the game's past. I can remember how reading The Southpaw and The Natural put into perspective some of my own worries that the game was less than it once was. An honest look at the past is tonic to this wonderful game, a game which has rules friendlier than most who play it.

Frommer closes:

Despite the naysayers that have surfaced through the decades, baseball is still our national pastime...Baseball is still comforting regularity, a sport played and viewed from childhood on.

Frommer's book was a pleasant addition to my readings during the Void between the World Series and the World Baseball Classic.

Genera vs. Generic and the Paladin

WARNING GEEKDOM POST BELOW...DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE OVERWHELMED WITH GEEKITUDE

Matt Forbeck posted a link to an excellent article by Greg Stafford discussing game design decisions in roleplaying game design. In the article, Stafford discusses two underlying philosophies regarding what to include or leave out in a specific game's mechanics. To quote:

A genera game player wishes to imaginatively experience a limited and specific setting, within its own context and rules. Basic Pendragon is this kind of setting. It is about knights in a pseudo-medieval setting that includes the fantasy and legend that is (more or less) appropriate to that setting.

A generic game may use a specific genera as a basis, but the players want to expand it with the modern experience of open, freewheeling experimentation. Not just knights, but druids and wizards and thieves and ninjas in a King Arthur-like setting. Not just traditional knights, but women knights, Beowulf-era warriors, and Sigurd and Theoderic and El Cid too. Not just native British folklore, but kobolds and nagas and deep ones too.

His article is the beginning to a wonderful discussion, and one at the core of game design. When Matt Forbeck designed the Brave New World game system (based on Greg Gorden and Shane Lacy Hensley's system for Deadlands ) he had to decide whether to make his game a generic superhero game with the ability to capture all superhero types or whether he wanted to limit the types of heroes and the scope of powers to fit the genera his fictional narrative provided. He chose the latter. Because Forbeck's fictional history of the United States was one in which Alphas, or almost limitlessly powered superheroes, no longer existed. The only "supers" who remained in Brave New World were the lesser powered Deltas who primarily fit into easily defined archtypes.

Given the high level of competition in superhero RPGs, Forbeck's decision was a brave one and a necessary one. In the end, Forbeck produced an internally consistant game that was largely free of the "power creep" often associated with more generic settings.

But what does this have to do with Fantasy games, and the Paladin in particular? One of the big reasons people play Fantasy roleplaying games (big F because I am referring to the genre and not the game type) is to, for a brief moment, imagine and act as if they are one of their favorite characters from fantasy literature.

Games like Dungeons and Dragons allow players from a broad array of fantasy traditions to play the same game with only slight limitations. If you want to be Aragorn you can. If you want to be Belgarath you can. If you want to be Fafhrd and the Grey Mauser you can. The Dungeons and Dragons system is fairly generic and has become more so under the design influences of Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynolds. Certainly more so than Pendragon. But Dungeons and Dragons isn't a completely generic fantasy RPG.

In fact, Dungeons and Dragons has some very specific limitations resulting from the interpretation of fantasy that its initial game designers had. Gary Gygax's vision of fantasy was one inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack Vance, Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Lieber, and Robert E. Howard (among a few others). As a result, the game does a wonderful job in simulating the source material. The magic system is rooted in a "Vancian" system heavily influenced by the Dying Earth stories of Jack Vance. The thieve's abilities, including the ability to read/use magic scrolls, is heavily influenced by Lieber's Fafhrd and Grey Mauser. Rangers come from Tolkien. The strict alignment system comes from Moorcock (among others). And the dreaded Temple of the Frog comes from Lovecraft, Smith, and Howard (Tsathoqqua arguably makes an appearance in Howard's Scarlet Citadel). The combination of influences lead to an interesting kaleidoscope rules set where Vancian magicians battled Hyperborian warriors.

This made for an inspirational and cutting edge game, one that spawned an entirely new game type. But fans soon found that they might need other rules sets if they wanted to play their vision of fantasy. Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynolds are among those for whom the kaleidoscope of earlier versions of Dungeons and Dragons were insufficient and some of their opinions can be seen in the current rules of the game. I say some because there are a couple of choices that Cook and Reynolds were pressured into by playtesters that Cook and Reynolds are less than satisfied with. One of these choices is the limiting of the Paladin class to Lawful Good alignment. The Paladin, you see, is a chosen defender/crusader for a god and couldn't an evil or not lawful and good god have defender/crusader's?

The answer is a simple one...yes and no. In a completely generic fantasy simulation, ti would certainly be reasonable, but in one where each character class comes from a different inspiration it isn't. The Paladin, like the Thief, in Dungeons and Dragons have very particular archtypes it is modelling. Why do all Thieve's have to worry about "thieve's guilds" in D&D? Because they did in Lieber. Why are all Paladins lawful good? Because Lancelot and Galahad are. The Paladin may exist in a roleplaying game with polytheistic pantheons in abundance, but it was inspired by mythology from a monotheistic society. Genre convention is the reason for the choice. It may not be a reason that satisfies Cook and Reynolds, because in many ways it is an arbitrary choice, but it is a creation of the understanding behind the creation of the class.

J. Eric Holmes, author of Dungeons and Dragons first basic set, gives another reason that Gygax may have which is behind the requirement. To quote his book on Fantasy Role Playing Games:

I don't mean to imply that the designers of games set out to teach us little moral lessons about everyday life -- except Gygax. In the D&D world fighters can do no magic, but magicians are so weak that they need to be protected by fighters. Clerics can heal wounds and do a lot of fighting but are no good at long distance offensives because they can not shoot arrows or throw offensive spells. The constraints of the rules practically dictate cooperation and mutual respect for the talents and weaknesses of each class, and I find it hard to believe that Gygax was not fully conscious of the principle when he wrote them.

Gygax calls this "play balance" and insists that it is not good for one character to grow too powerful with respect to the others. It is just this principle that some designers of other games have objected to and tried to write out of their own rules.

From a "moral education" standpoint, it makes sense to give additional powers and abilities to players willing to make sacrifices. If you create a game where some mechanics and goals feed "greedy" behavior, a class that accepts limits but gets benefits in return is an educational tool.

This is not to say that more generic games are less moral, that depends on the players involved. But what is certain is that in my experience those who want to play the Paladin with all the abilities and none of the restrictions have yet to give me a compelling argument not based on self-interest. At least within the context of D&D, in the campaigns I run. It is easier to defend the Paladin if you limit the Pantheon(s) available to the players. Easier still if your "universe" is monotheistic. Mine isn't, I play in Eberron, but I limit Paladins to the Silver Flame.

Sorry for the Long Delay Between Posts

I would have posted much more in the past two weeks save for a couple of big events that have occurred.

First, I have moved from South Los Angeles, the Crenshaw area...to be specific right across the street from Dorsey High School (alma mater of Chili Davis). Information about the school can be read here.


I now live in the suburban conclave of Glendale, where the cops ride in their cars without partners beside them. I no longer hear the thrumming of helicopter blades as I go to sleep. Gone are the sounds that I wonder whether they are gunshots or fireworks. They were usually fireworks. Now I live a block from Porto's.

Life is good, but my computers (laptop and desktop) are packed away.

Second, I was attending the California Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference in San Diego. I apologize to Professor Shugart for not harrassing him for a lunch meeting, but I was dog tired and sans communication devices. I was there for my day job promoting youth civic engagment (read VOTING) talking to teachers about using a 4 lesson curriculum the Non-Profit I work for designed. The curriculum is an attempt to get young people interested in voting.

So I have been busy unpacking and working and that is why I have been absent. I will attempt to address the problem with a book review or two in the next day or so.

Friends, the Internet, and MMORPGs

Before I moved to Los Angeles, six years ago this August, I lived in Reno, Nevada, a college town that thinks it is a casino resort destination. Not that Reno doesn't have some very nice casinos, it does, it's just that as nice as they are...Reno is no Vegas. Then again, when it comes to quality of education...Vegas is no Reno.

While I was a college student in Reno, I made some very good friends. Two of whom are members of this blog community, Rob (Robert Barker) and Logan 5 (Patrick Ditton), and one who stops by for a visit every now and then (John Ford). These are the friends who I have managed best to keep in touch with, and I largely have the internet to thank for that.

But Fritz's last post regarding the Dungeons and Dragons Online game, I am indeed preparing an article about it but want to get some post-move play time in first, reminded me of one of the ways I had planned on using the internet to keep in contact with friends.

As you may have guessed, I am a gamer, but unlike the l33t masters of a single game I am a gaming renaissance man. If it is a game, chances are I have played it at least once or at least am familiar with it because a friend of mine has played it. I enjoy playing games for the new experiences they offer, but I also like them as cultural artifacts. The mechanics/tone/setting/subject of a particular game can tell us a lot about the game designer's (and our own) thoughts about the subject of a particular game.

Take Chess as an example. Chess is one of the most popular abstract simulation of war played in the world. The construction of its rules tell us that the "inventors" of the game felt that their are two central variables to winning a military conflict. First, you must control territory. Chess is, after all, a territory control game. Second, the elimination of the "highest ranking" piece of your opponent's army grants victory. The capture/trapping of your opponent's king is the only necessary condition for victory. That is a very simple beginning to a conversation of what Chess tells us about warfare, there is much more that can be discussed, but you can see the point. Any time a game deals with real world subject matter, it is by nature of its being a simulation of that subject matter a commentary or description of that subject.

Even when the games deal with entirely fictional subjects and situations games can tell us a great deal about the society that created them. That is why I love games, all kinds of games.

When I moved out of Reno, I had hoped to use a game to keep in contact with some of my friends. It seemed like a natural communication medium. My friends Josh and Rob both were signed up, as was I, to a MMORPG titled Asheron's Call. Like many MMORPGs, Asheron's Call is an open ended game with the ability to type text, alsolike many there were supplemental programs that allowed users to talk via microphones with other players. It was my hope that my friends and I could meet up online and catch up on what was going on in each others lives.

I had failed to take into account two things, among others I am sure. I failed to understand how much my friends', and my own, schedules would change after I moved. With Rob in Philadelphia going to Law School, me attending Graduate School in Claremont and working at a non-profit during the day, and Josh returning to school (as well as preferring odd times to play online), it was all but impossible to keep in touch using Asheron's Call. I guess we could have scheduled a regular weekly meetup, but the game design of AC didn't reward that kind of behavior. The second thing I failed to predict was how much better some of the newer MMORPGs would be. I haven't even looked at the Asheron's Call box in five years, let alone played a game. The monthly subscription cost that each MMORPG has limits the number of MMORPGs that a reasonable player will subscribe to at a given time.

I currently limit my self to two MMORPG subscriptions. Largely because my online game time is about 5 hours a week (max.) and I don't want to spend money on something I am not using. At 10 hours a month per game at $15.00, I am getting more than my movie equivelent value (MEV) of entertainment. MEV's are based on one movie costing approximatly $10 and providing 2 hours of entertainment. All of my entertainment purchases are done in MEVs. (I will do a more complete post on MEVs later). Needless to say $30.00 had better provide a minimum of 6 hours of entertainment value to meet the MEV formula, and the nature of MMORPGs mean that approximately 40% of game time is spent either "crafting," training, or getting to where you want to go.

The internet is a great communication tool, but like any other it requires effort to make it useful. I am still in contact with some friends thanks to the internet, but there are others whom I have lost contact with and that saddens me. I still think of those I have lost contact with as friends, just ones I have to hunt down and reconnect with.

So Sean, Robert June, Josh, and everyone else I am currently out of contact with, if you happen to be browsing through blogger and find this leave a comment in the comments section.

Christian Johnson would love to hear from you.