A Return to my Roots: DMing a 3.5 Campaign

I'm super excited I get to take my place behind the old DM screen again, and I mean the OLD screen.

For the first time in over two years, I'm going to start a DnD game that isn't 4th Edition. By the looks of things, I'll be going back to good ol' 3.5, full of it's ugly tables, confusing rules, and overall lack of a grapple mechanic (SHUT UP. IT DOESN'T EXIST).

While I never really found much ease working with 3.5 in the past, I think my time spent in 4th Edition will help me out greatly. 4th Edition is much, much easier for DM's, and allows them to tell a great story without having to come up with too many weird mechanics, or having to have a Ph. D in game logic. All of this comes at a price, however, and it's at the player's expense.

After going back and reading (parts of) the over 100 books written for 3.5, I realized how much of this was true. Sure, DMing 4th Edition was just as fun for me, but it really did limit the players by quite a bit. I really came to see how it was more board-game like then 3.5, and how that can be boring for some.

At the end of the day, I came to this conclusion: 4th Edition is great for a pick-up and play game, with lots of kick-in-the-door style of puzzle solving, and not very much room for whatever else. 3.5 gives the players a huge selection of character creation options, with all kinds of neat tricks, spells and feats, and is clearly meant to last much longer then just a few short games.

Long story short, I'm glad I'm back to 3.5. Next stop: Azeroth!

(ALSO: Happy Birthday, me!)

Things that Get Me Through the Work-Week: Humor

Humor is that magical thing that makes anywise unbearable situation that much better. With a little bit of humor, and the right mindset, anything that can be seen as mundane, boring, or even painful can be made all that more tolerable. It's what gets me through those tough days.

I'll give an example.

One of my good friends and co-workers was having a bad day. He looked like he was about to fall to tears, even as he worked hard as always. You see, his girlfriend he'd been with for over a year, and living with for 8 months, had been cheating on him. He finally called her on it, and they broke up. She spent the next night clubbing, and told him it was all his fault.

I was sure he wasn't gonna make it, and he being a usually hard worker, I felt very bad for him. Just when all seemed lost, however, humor came to the rescue.

Several of my other co-workers would talk to him, try to consul him, then follow it up with a quick joke. "I'm so sorry, man. That's rough. But hey, on the bright-side, now you don't have to sneak all those hookers in while she's asleep."

Not long after, my manager saw that he and another employee were trying to scrape something off a container using a knife. "Woah," my manager yelled, "hold the phone! What the hell is wrong with you?! Where the hell are your cutting glo- you know what, never mind. I'm just gonna walk away..." Both employees looked alarmed until they saw him snicker and keep walking. It was the first time that day I saw him smile.

So remember, people, put a little humor in your step, and your bound to get through that work week. Happy Wednesday, everyone!

That got a few laughs, to be sure.

Why Starcraft 2 will be the First Game I Buy in 2 Years

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Blizzard Entertainment. Not just because of their games, but because of their design mentality, their close-connection to their fan-base, and a winning business model that attracts employees from around the world, and keeps them coming back for work every day 9 to 5.

Blizzard Entertainment, at least in recent times, has failed to put out a bad game. The reason for this is simple: if it's bad, they won't release it. Ever since the not-so-famous Warcraft Adventures, Blizzard Entertainment (or I guess I should say, Activision-Blizzard now) has always stated they would rather pull a game that's finished from the production line that have it released and hurt the company's image.

This is why Starcraft: GHOST was cut, and why the last game I bought was Wrath of the Lich King.

I can't think of any other company that I have so much faith in. Blind faith, perhaps, but faith nevertheless. While I may not be super excited about all their big upcoming titles (Cataclysm, yes. Diablo 3, maybe not), I still think Blizzard is one of those rare companies that takes so much pride in their work, that they'd rather pull a product from the shelves then let it be a flop and waist their fans' time and money.

Needless to say, you all know where I'm going to be Tuesday...

My Family, and Why I Hate Birthdays

*WARNING - SOAPBOX*

Expect lots of ranting to follow. You have been warned.

I can't say my dad and I have ever really gotten along. Every time we seem to get a little closer, he does something really dumb that makes me want to scream. We'll play catch in the park, then he'll get drunk and cry on my shoulder for literally hours. We'll spend a day together, he'll spend the whole time telling me how terrible my mother is. I'll tell him something going good for me in my life, and he'll proceed in telling me how much I'm going to mess up. He can't go one day without shooting me down.

Now go back to look at every birthday party I've had with him. Every time we get the family together, he and my step-mother will wait for everyone to get together, then they'll take turns bashing me into the group for no real reason. It'll be on everything, from how much they don't like my friends, to how bad my hair looks, to how ugly my choice in shoes are.

Let's go over what's most likely on the menu this time:

• My new religion
• My girlfriend
• My job
• My scholarship that I'm (not) about to lose

Let's address these line by line:

Yes, dad, I'm a pagan. To be more specific, I'm a Thorsman, a heathen. I really haven't shared this with my family yet, so I don't expect this to be an issue, but who knows, maybe they'll finally notice that Mjolnir I wear all the time.

Yes, dad, I have a girlfriend. She's smart, funny, has a very level head, and shares quite a long list of interests with me. Above all, I'm happy. If that bothers you, I'm so sorry.

(On a side note, I think he may have a point about that "lack of maturity" thing he likes to mention...)

For the 4th time this month, dad, I'm doing well at my job. I was employee of the month last month, and I got a raise the month before that. I like my job, it pays well, and I don't care if it's basically a bus-boy job, I'm still proud to have it.

Now, for my favorite one: No, dad, I'm not about to lose my scholarship. Sure, I'm taking 13 hours this semester rather then 18. I'm doing that for a reason: money. I can't afford to take that many hours and still pay for books and food. Are you willing to help me pay? No? Then butt out.

With all that said, it is nice to see my family every once in a while. I just wish I could get through one family gathering without the whole house shouting about religion, politics, and how bad of a person I am.

Ah well, no-one knows like family, am I right?

First Post - Too Many Hobbies, and Summer Boredom

Oh look, just what I need: another hobby.

Sarcasm aside, I have way too many hobbies. Generally, this would mean that I have plenty of things to do to take up time. I mean, I've dabbled in woodcarving, painting, song writing, short stories, saber-smithing, combat choreography, gaming, Judo, and now blogging.

The main problems lies in that I have no idea what hobby I want to do at any particular time. I usually spend my days driving around town, hanging with my friends, girlfriend, working, or going to class. Combined, all that takes up most of my time. Too bad it's summer, when most of my friends have gone out of town, state or country, and class is no longer in session.

That just leaves me to my job, my few good friends that stayed behind, and my girlfriend (all of whom I'm convinced are sick of my hanging around by now).

Oh, and not to mention my couple hundred hobbies.

All is not lost, however. All my friends will be back by the beginning of August. In less then a month, class starts back. I'll be moved back into my own place, and I'll have plenty of things to keep me busy. What, with class, a part-time job, my awesome friends, my bad-ass girlfriend, and all the stuff in-between, who has time for boredom?...

Or, for that matter, another hobby.