I think it was about three years ago that my friend Jordan, until recently also my coworker, played one or two sessions of D&D with me after work at the office. And it was a few months ago that she told me her boyfriend Iain wanted to try it out, and asked me to run a game for them. Of course, I said I would. On Saturday evening, we followed through on that agreement.Read More »
Zack’s Maiden Dungeon Master Voyage
One of my favorite parts of D&D, and of gaming in general, is teaching my friends. Saturday night, Erik and I got to help Zack workshop his first D&D adventure as a Dungeon Master.Read More »
The Magic Circle
In my last post, I made reference to the “Magic Circle,” but didn’t explain it. It’s the idea that you don’t let game strategy influence nor be influenced by things that happen outside of the game. Or maybe you could say, “What happens on Catan stays on Catan.”
A Human Dilemma
Here’s a moral dilemma for gamers: Someone has been helping you toward your win condition in a game for the last few hours. You have the opportunity to win now, but the player who has been helping you this whole time tells you this will cause him to lose, and he asks you to wait just one more turn. You could potentially lose in the meantime. Do you play to win and end the game now?
Schadenfreude in the Stocks
“I try to break out of the stocks.” He had been waiting all session for combat, trying to pick fights with anyone who threw him shade, and here he was watching combat helplessly from the stocks.Read More »
Shouting Over Camelot
There were three conversations happening in a group of seven players, everyone’s voice a little elevated in order to be heard. I’m not sure everyone even knew whose turn it was anymore, because this had been going on for a couple of minutes. I pulled myself back from the melee for a second to smile in appreciation of how into it everyone was. We were all (mostly) on the same team, despite the appearance from the shouting, and everyone had their own excited ideas about the best next play.Read More »
Instead of Church, I’m Playing “Shadow of the Demon Lord”
Yesterday morning was my second time playing Shadow of the Demon Lord. The last time I played it, probably a year or so ago, ended in a party wipe, which was fine since it was a one-shot, but because we played at level 0, it didn’t feel like we really got into the meat of the game very much. I was hoping for a slightly different experience this time around, and got it.Read More »
Trick or Tri 2016: Super Stoked
Last Saturday morning, I ran the Trick or Tri olympic distance for the second year in a row. This was my second Olympic distance race of my 2016 season, and my third of four races overall. Let’s get into some stats of my results, shall we?Read More »
Sponsored Malibu Triathlon presented by Sponsor: Sponsored International Distance
Saturday morning I completed the second triathlon of my 2016 season, the Malibu Triathlon, International Distance. (Or, as it was drilled into my head dozens of times between 5:15 AM and 10:15 AM, “The Nautica Malibu Triathlon presented by Equinox, Herbalife International Distance.”) This was also my first Olympic distance triathlon of the season.
So it’s time once again to reflect on the event and my performance in it. Let’s get to it!Read More »
My First Triathlon of the Season: The 2016 Pacific Coast Triathlon
Today’s post will be a little different, because the “game” in question may not actually qualify as a game to most people, but is still nevertheless a competition: the 2016 Pacific Coast Triathlon, which I completed on Sunday morning.Read More »
No Free Parking Money 