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Video and Computer Games

Lord of the Rings Online has become my MMORPG game of choice. I prefer it to other offerings because it offers stronger narrative adventures (in the form of the Epic Books) and an immersive environment in which the in-character gameplay that I enjoy seems to thrive. I still have a subscription to World of Warcraft, but I expect to be cancelling it within a couple of weeks.

I’ve posted a few times about my LotRO play. I play LotRO three or four times a week. At the moment, I’m playing more heavily because I’ve invited my wife and two friends to the free trial, and I enjoy helping them get as full a sense of the game as possible. When their trial is over, I plan to actively seek membership in a roleplaying kinship compatible with my own style.

I’m always a bit behind the curve in what games I’m playing. Maybe I’m cheap; maybe I’m just too busy. In any case, over the next few months I hope to take some time off from from the online gaming world and try Neverwinter Nights 2 (DVD-ROM) and Portal. (I did recently play through this Flash-based Portal-inspired 2d game and had a good time.)

Board Games

Since my summer vacation, I’ve had a hard time gathering enough people in one place to play board games. Everyone finds it so convenient to gather in online games from the comfort of their homes. That said, I recently did enjoy a rollicking game of Talisman (the venerable first edition). I tried to add an actual roleplaying element by hamming up my ghoul character.

My wonderful spoiler from the BoardGameGeek Secret Santa program delighted me with both Modern Art and YINSH!. I still haven’t gotten to try them, but I’ve pored of the rules. I think these will appeal greatly to certain friends who don’t identify themselves as “gamers,” as well as to my geekier friends.

I’ve also just acquired Arkham Horror Boardgame. Geeky game; very geeky setting. I expect to try that tonight, because unlike most board games it can be played by just one player. More would be ideal, but since I struggle to get one board game night a month, I’ll have to settle for a little solo play.

Collectible Card Games

As I mentioned in my first post, I’ve become smitten with the collectible card game A Game of Thrones (Fantasy Flight Games, again), based on George R. R. Martin’s phenomenal fantasy series. Another game I haven’t played, although collecting the cards (something I’ve never tried to do before) is a game in itself.

Roleplaying Games

My system of choice is usually GURPS. My gaming group—which is basically my wife and I and another couple, with occasional participation from the other woman’s sister—doesn’t get together often enough for us to delve into many systems and play with the nuances of varied rulesets.

Our current campaign bears some undeniable similarity to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but it’s actually from the earlier and excellent Seas of Daring, Seas of Dread setting published by Ken Hite in GURPS Horror. The “crew” includes a disgraced British Navy captain, an exiled Indian martial artist, and a scrapping but aloof Ethiopian priest who knows things the Church would prefer to keep secret.

I also have (with the same players) an ongoing high-fantasy campaign set in a world of forbidden magic with a mysterious thaumaturgical catastrophe in the recent past overshadowing everything.

I recently introduced a new player to the world of roleplaying games in the form of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game. She’s familiar with and loves the television series, so she was willing to give it a go. Our own series is taking place in Spanish colonial Sunnydale, a hundred and some years before the events of the TV series. We’ve only had one session so far, I’m sure everyone will be back for more.

Acting

I’m also involved in a different sort of “play.” I’ll be performing the parts of St. Cyr and Ozzy in an upcoming community theater production of The Scarlet Pimpernel. No dice, no board, no pixels, but plenty of actual roleplaying!

It’s seriously cutting into my game time, of course. I’ve had to resigned from a static WoW group, and I’m finding it even harder than usual to schedule face-to-face gaming get-togethers with friends. Still, the chance to put on a pastel suit and prance about with a rapier while singing at the absolute high end of my just-barely-tenor range . . . honestly, I couldn’t pass it up!