I commute to work each day with my bike and a high-speed train.
San Francisco's pretty cool. It's certainly a far cry from being cooped up in Gilbert and having to beg to get out of the neighborhood.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Bicycle
Maybe it's time to start using this blog again! It seems to be better organized than Livejournal, easier to log into and make quick posts.
Anyway, I got my bike from UCI shipped up to San Francisco. It took a while to get all the pieces put back together, but now it's...well, it's just like riding a bike. It's weird the difference between my abortive attempt at inline skating, and getting back on my cruiser bike. I just know exactly how my bike moves, how she turns. How long it takes a gear change to kick in. The grip of the tires, how much pressure it takes to make them slide. She's a good bike. I'm still concerned that, after several years in outdoor storage, that the handlebars are just going to fall off, or the chain break...but the rust isn't that deep, and I think she's fine. Remarkably well-lubricated, still. I do hope the chain doesn't fall off; that's the only way to stop this bike. Fortunately, it's nearly impossible to slip the chain unless it physically breaks. If that happens, well, we just jump off and hope for the best. Wouldn't be the first crash I've had, and I'm a lot more mature nowadays about wearing safety gear and following a reasonable path.
Anyway, I got my bike from UCI shipped up to San Francisco. It took a while to get all the pieces put back together, but now it's...well, it's just like riding a bike. It's weird the difference between my abortive attempt at inline skating, and getting back on my cruiser bike. I just know exactly how my bike moves, how she turns. How long it takes a gear change to kick in. The grip of the tires, how much pressure it takes to make them slide. She's a good bike. I'm still concerned that, after several years in outdoor storage, that the handlebars are just going to fall off, or the chain break...but the rust isn't that deep, and I think she's fine. Remarkably well-lubricated, still. I do hope the chain doesn't fall off; that's the only way to stop this bike. Fortunately, it's nearly impossible to slip the chain unless it physically breaks. If that happens, well, we just jump off and hope for the best. Wouldn't be the first crash I've had, and I'm a lot more mature nowadays about wearing safety gear and following a reasonable path.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
My RPG to-do list
Here's what's on my RPG to-do list, and maybe some commentary on each part.
Legend of the Five Rings: Character history, ancestry, finish up my character sheet. I think this campaign is going to be fun. I got really pissed at how L5R divided up the UCI RPG Club, but I think the group here will be able to just have a fun RPG without getting too into it. I'm glad Chip is setting the game back in Rokugan's 'history' a bit, because nothing was more annoying than listening to the constant stream of clan news when people down South were really into the game. Imagine a bunch of college students pondering and debating the plotline of Days of Our Lives.
Demon: The Fallen: I need to do something to get 1 XP, because being 1 XP short of what I want to buy all the time is frustrating! (We get 5 XP a night, usually, and everything I've been buying costs multiples of 5.)
Exalted 2nd Edition, Solars and Lunars: I need to figure out a plot! A lot of my games stall at this point. I love my characters, I love the world, I just don't know what to do in that world. I don't want to let this one stall. I'm considering making it a face-to-face game...but it also sounds cool to do it online. Dunno.
Mage LARP: That's the problem I'm having here. The system and setting are ready to go, but I just don't know what to do as an overarching plot. LARPs are tricky. Too much handholding/railroading, and you're just running a tabletop session that's way too GM-time intensive. Too little handholding/railroading, and the players are just mulling about, chatting about nothing as they look for something to do.
I feel like I need to get some LARP going, though, partially because a lot of people are getting into the Vampire LARP in San Francisco. I'm constantly tempted to go join in, but...I just haven't been having fun with Vampire. I don't like the Mind's Eye Theater system, and I don't like the Vampire: The Masquerade setting. The STs could be doing a stellar job, but the burrs of the system and setting would just keep knocking me out of the fun zone. So I want to get my Mage LARP going, or do some kind of other LARP. Any kind of LARP, really, it doesn't matter to me much. Exalted, Nobilis, four-guys-locked-in-an-elevator, whatever, just something to show to the world that not all LARPs are huge, overarching political conflicts.
So, Mage...I just don't know what to do with it. I guess I really should just storyboard it out, like I would a tabletop game. This scene features this event, it approaches this conclusion...fight scene! Continue...
It'd be easier if I had my characters lined up, so I could base the plot off them, but I don't want to announce I'm getting this started and get 20 characters only to let it falter. I worry about time - if I'm going to have time to organize games while working, or organizing a business, or whatever I end up doing.
Ok, so here's what we've got as far as games for me - which are pretty much my whole schedule at this point.
Tuesday, 6-10: Zombies!
Thursday?, 7-10: Demon
Saturday, 4-7: Serenity
There's my D&D game, which was Thursdays, but I'm kinda tired of running it. It was fun while it lasted.
Doug's Sandstorm game was usually Wednesdays or Thursdays, but I'm gonna leave that in one or two more sessions. I don't really like my character or the group. I mean, it's not a bad group or a bad character, but neither one really makes me want to spend 3 hours a week there.
Games to be added:
Legend of the Five Rings
Exalted 2nd Edition
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
That's at least 6 games I'll be in...probably 1 per night. Pretty intense. I guess I could run one more game, just to make sure I'm gaming every night! Maybe a short game of something on my bookshelf. There are plenty of games I'd love to try...Mage: The Awakening, Rune, Nobilis...um, some others I'm forgetting. Oh well.
Oh, right, Hunter. 7th Sea, too. And Fireborn.
Legend of the Five Rings: Character history, ancestry, finish up my character sheet. I think this campaign is going to be fun. I got really pissed at how L5R divided up the UCI RPG Club, but I think the group here will be able to just have a fun RPG without getting too into it. I'm glad Chip is setting the game back in Rokugan's 'history' a bit, because nothing was more annoying than listening to the constant stream of clan news when people down South were really into the game. Imagine a bunch of college students pondering and debating the plotline of Days of Our Lives.
Demon: The Fallen: I need to do something to get 1 XP, because being 1 XP short of what I want to buy all the time is frustrating! (We get 5 XP a night, usually, and everything I've been buying costs multiples of 5.)
Exalted 2nd Edition, Solars and Lunars: I need to figure out a plot! A lot of my games stall at this point. I love my characters, I love the world, I just don't know what to do in that world. I don't want to let this one stall. I'm considering making it a face-to-face game...but it also sounds cool to do it online. Dunno.
Mage LARP: That's the problem I'm having here. The system and setting are ready to go, but I just don't know what to do as an overarching plot. LARPs are tricky. Too much handholding/railroading, and you're just running a tabletop session that's way too GM-time intensive. Too little handholding/railroading, and the players are just mulling about, chatting about nothing as they look for something to do.
I feel like I need to get some LARP going, though, partially because a lot of people are getting into the Vampire LARP in San Francisco. I'm constantly tempted to go join in, but...I just haven't been having fun with Vampire. I don't like the Mind's Eye Theater system, and I don't like the Vampire: The Masquerade setting. The STs could be doing a stellar job, but the burrs of the system and setting would just keep knocking me out of the fun zone. So I want to get my Mage LARP going, or do some kind of other LARP. Any kind of LARP, really, it doesn't matter to me much. Exalted, Nobilis, four-guys-locked-in-an-elevator, whatever, just something to show to the world that not all LARPs are huge, overarching political conflicts.
So, Mage...I just don't know what to do with it. I guess I really should just storyboard it out, like I would a tabletop game. This scene features this event, it approaches this conclusion...fight scene! Continue...
It'd be easier if I had my characters lined up, so I could base the plot off them, but I don't want to announce I'm getting this started and get 20 characters only to let it falter. I worry about time - if I'm going to have time to organize games while working, or organizing a business, or whatever I end up doing.
Ok, so here's what we've got as far as games for me - which are pretty much my whole schedule at this point.
Tuesday, 6-10: Zombies!
Thursday?, 7-10: Demon
Saturday, 4-7: Serenity
There's my D&D game, which was Thursdays, but I'm kinda tired of running it. It was fun while it lasted.
Doug's Sandstorm game was usually Wednesdays or Thursdays, but I'm gonna leave that in one or two more sessions. I don't really like my character or the group. I mean, it's not a bad group or a bad character, but neither one really makes me want to spend 3 hours a week there.
Games to be added:
Legend of the Five Rings
Exalted 2nd Edition
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
That's at least 6 games I'll be in...probably 1 per night. Pretty intense. I guess I could run one more game, just to make sure I'm gaming every night! Maybe a short game of something on my bookshelf. There are plenty of games I'd love to try...Mage: The Awakening, Rune, Nobilis...um, some others I'm forgetting. Oh well.
Oh, right, Hunter. 7th Sea, too. And Fireborn.
Friday, August 24, 2007
First Steps
Today, I took the first concrete steps toward opening a new game store. I arranged an appointment with a local real estate agent to look inside a property across the street, and I composed my membership application for GAMA. I'll send that in tomorrow. GAMA is the Game Manufacturer's Association, and they have a mentoring program specifically designed for people in my situation, who know what they want to do but are bewildered by the choices involved in getting there. I'll write a business plan, then secure funding: either my parents, or small business loans, if I feel confident enough about this. I'd like to get a retail job in the meantime...maybe at Stonestown, just for a few months of grinding to the next level.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Gen Con
By chance, I ended up near Gen Con Indy this year. 'The big one' for gamers, and it falls in my lap. It's only Thursday, but I'm going to have a good time. Take some photos, attend some seminars. If there's anything anyone wants, of course, let me know. Maybe in a year or two, some of us can make a real trip to the con.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Poker
Some time ago, I had some friends over. We had been drinking somewhat (just to give some background to the story) and were looking for a simple game to play, and one suggested we start playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker. I tried to sit through the rules, but got fed up and left the game. Acted like an ass, kinda, which is why I brought up the alcohol - and also why I've been thinking recently about why I have such a strong reaction against poker and other gambling games.
I think it's the competition. I play games to have fun with my friends, and gambling - even harmless gambling, like valueless poker chips - puts me in an antagonistic mood. Do you see people at these 'World Series of Poker' games talking to each other, laughing and having a good time of the game? It's all focused on the competition and the payoff. It angers me, because it corrupts our hobby and draws good potential players away, teaching them that the purpose of the game is to win, not to play.
That's how I roll, really. I'll play simple versions of blackjack and poker, and other games, but if chips come out, I'm out. I don't want to sit silent around the table, glaring at my opponents and trying to call their bluff. I want to laugh and have a good time. I do have some games where bluffing and hiding are part of the game, but in those games, the need to bluff is often tied to a specific opportunity or event - not the entire game. With poker, at least for me, there's no room to relax. Because I get into the competition. I get focused on the win. And I hate who I become.
We were playing a game of Twilight Imperium at a recent con, and one of the con staff gave me a TI3 poster as a prize for the winner. Immediately I became cutthroat - I was ready to pounce on a new player's undefended home system - and the game stopped being fun. (I miss that poster, too. While prizes are cool, I miss that the con just sprung it on me without warning, and I'm also annoyed that I didn't get anything special for running the game for 24 hours, while joe random who just stumbled upon the game walked away with an awesome prize.)
So, that's some explanation there, of how a person can love games of all kinds, but loathe competition and gambling. I hope my hobby never becomes mainstream.
I think it's the competition. I play games to have fun with my friends, and gambling - even harmless gambling, like valueless poker chips - puts me in an antagonistic mood. Do you see people at these 'World Series of Poker' games talking to each other, laughing and having a good time of the game? It's all focused on the competition and the payoff. It angers me, because it corrupts our hobby and draws good potential players away, teaching them that the purpose of the game is to win, not to play.
That's how I roll, really. I'll play simple versions of blackjack and poker, and other games, but if chips come out, I'm out. I don't want to sit silent around the table, glaring at my opponents and trying to call their bluff. I want to laugh and have a good time. I do have some games where bluffing and hiding are part of the game, but in those games, the need to bluff is often tied to a specific opportunity or event - not the entire game. With poker, at least for me, there's no room to relax. Because I get into the competition. I get focused on the win. And I hate who I become.
We were playing a game of Twilight Imperium at a recent con, and one of the con staff gave me a TI3 poster as a prize for the winner. Immediately I became cutthroat - I was ready to pounce on a new player's undefended home system - and the game stopped being fun. (I miss that poster, too. While prizes are cool, I miss that the con just sprung it on me without warning, and I'm also annoyed that I didn't get anything special for running the game for 24 hours, while joe random who just stumbled upon the game walked away with an awesome prize.)
So, that's some explanation there, of how a person can love games of all kinds, but loathe competition and gambling. I hope my hobby never becomes mainstream.
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