The Beardian Blog

Since about September or October I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons weekly with some friends from work and, golly, it's been a blast! My unsatisfactory previous excursion with the game lead me to found a group. I'd only played once before at CCS and the game only lasted a short time before many of the other players got bored, unfortunately. Suspicious that this might be a symptom of 4th Edition, which is the version we played, I opted to try the 3.5 rulebooks, a choice validated by the fact that this was the only set of rules my local library had.

Happily, I ended up renewing the books and even keeping them overdue for several weeks. (Luckily, my mom used to work there, so I kind of have it in with the crew.) Because I was trying to start up a game, I took it upon myself to be Dungeon Master, meaning I had to spend a couple weeks studying the Player's Handbook and DM's Guide before the first play session could even begin. The work paid off, though, as the following weekly play sessions were really fun!

The group started off pretty small, but, as word spread, a few folks at work revealed themselves to be former D&D players. Soon we were seven strong: Adam, Andy, and Chauncey had never played before, while Sarah, Nigel, and Brian had varying degrees of past experience. Learning the game has been nearly as much fun as playing -- I'm blessed to have players patient enough to wait for their DM to look up the rules.

And DMing, though a daunting role, is a hell of lot of fun. In video gamer's terms, you basically get to create your own multiplayer game. You have to make up the story, the NPCs, the monsters, the level design, all of that. But the best part is putting your game before your players and having them choose how to play it. It can lead to consequences you couldn't possibly foresee and the game feels alive and elastic when you encounter moments like that, moments when you have to suddenly change your plans and figure out how these players, these anomalies would realistically affect events given the new circumstances.

In celebration of this phenomenon, and to keep a record of in-game events, I've been keeping a new blog, The Beardian Blog, where one can read up on my group's adventures. I tend to go into needless detail in each post, but that's just a sign that I enjoy writing them.

And now a few players have penned their own campaigns, meaning I get to relax and be a player! We've already played through an adventure by Nigel, and Brian and Andy both have awesome-looking campaigns lines up. But right now we're still in the midst of my game, and I'm loving the DM's chair. My stories tend to have a flair a la Pratchett, since I read the Discworld books practically nonstop through high school, and my players seem to enjoy the mild silliness as much as I do.

I'd greatly encourage anyone who's never played the game to try it. I think it's particularly easy for a video gamer to pick up, especially someone who likes RPGs or games with good stories. It might be difficult to find people to play with, but if you ask around, you might be surprised who's dabbled with dice in the past and would like to play again. If this happens, you might not even have to take on the responsibility of DM; on the other hand, if you've the constitution to read through the many, many rules, DMing can be a surprisingly rewarding experience.

I should note that we technically no longer play D&D. We abandoned the 3.5 rules recently to start playing by the Pathfinder rules... It gets kinda complicated, but from what I understand, while D&D 4th Edition completely revamped the rules from 3.5, the Pathfinder rules (which are published by Paizo, not Wizards of the Coast) are an improvement and the successor to 3.5. From my experience, this is the case -- Pathfinder is more fun and more concise than the 3.5 rules, and my, admittedly brief, experience with 4E did not end so well. So, now, we play Pathfinder, but really, at heart, we're playing D&D.

Oh, and Happy New Decade, internet!

One small step

I am mighty tired of space-based side-scrolling shooters, but Retro/Grade looks really fun.

I also turned 21 todaaaayesterday.

This town is creepy

This is a direct quote that I heard one of the kindly old men of good ol' White River Junction, VT say not five minutes ago.

"That's why I like it here. I can come outside...say hello to the people...they can say hello to me...and I don't have to worry about the cops pulling up to my front door."

Oshougatsu

Last year I was in Japan for New Year's. It's weird to think that it was a whole year ago.

I had a good 'Eve. Watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit on TV. BRILLIANT MOVIE. Said good-bye to syndicated Futurama as Adult Swim aired the first and last episodes. I was surprised -- the first Futurama episode I ever saw turns out to have been the last one! And now the last Futurama episode I'll ever see is also the last one! Huh!

Well, there are still those "movies" that are coming out in increments. Hopefully, Fox or Cartoon Network will air them at some point.

I Hate Black Friday

I really do.

Coincidence ... or something more?

Today I thought about Encyclopedia Brown for the first time in years. Tonight Robot Chicken featured Encyclopedia Brown. COINCIDENCE????

I guess so.

Halo. The third one.

Guh. I have to get up at eight tomorrow.

I hope the game sucks.

Turtle Power

Only a week into the CCS semester and already I've visited Mirage Studios, home of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Got to meet Dan Berger, one of the resident artists, Stephen Murphy, who gave us the grand tour, and the man himself, Peter Laird, the co-creator of the turtles! They were all very welcoming and informative and I had a really fun time.

As Stephen gave us a rundown on the business end of the TMNT franchise, mostly having to do with licensing and merchandising and the ups and downs thereof, I and the other students perused the huge collection of Turtle merch that the office was stocked with: piles and piles of everything from movie posters to turtle face masks to Star Trek crossover action figures. Actually, there were several walls lined with TMNT action figures; I think it was Mr. Berger's office that had practically every figure produced completely covering every wall. Really something to see!

A couple of people were taking pictures, so maybe they'll upload them at some point. I'm pretty interested in going back and reading some of the TMNT comics now -- I missed out on the comics and the show when I was a kid. It was very interesting, inspiring even, to observe what an independent studio (hell, it was just two guys fucking around back then, wasn't it?) can become when it makes it big, but doesn't become too bogged down by commercialism and profit.

Check out Chuck's Flickr photos.

CCS

Well, after a few two-hour trips back and forth from home, I'm just about settled into my new apartment in Vermont. I just attended the first-day orientation for my school, the Center for Cartoon Studies. It definitely seems like I'm going to have a good time at school ... well, I say that now, but just wait 'til I'm six feet beneath the truckload of work!

Because of that truckload, posts are probably going to be more infrequent. Not that anyone reads this blog in the first place, but I just thought I'd throw that out there for ... anyone ...who ... yeah, I don't know why I even bothered to write it. I guess it's good to have a text wastedump like this blog to just write nonsensical gibberish, whether or not anyone is reading.

Shoutout to Scott for sending me a FREE GAMECUBE!

Pirate Booty

Melissa & Doug is a sweet toy and kids' products manufacturer that makes adorable puzzles, games, play food, and other such things made from quality, natural wood. One of their products is a wooden pirate chest. Now keep in mind that an item like this is obviously going to appeal to young boys. Got that? Okay, now read what the pirate is saying on the front of the chest.

A pedophiliac pirate? I DON'T GET IT.

Exciting Acquisitions

Pawn shops and second hand stores can be virtual treasure troves at times. Take for example, the downtown junk shop I visited Friday and departed from with 14 fewer dollars in my wallet and one copy each of Mega Man Legends 2 and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Granted, the discs are rather beat up, but they do seem to play acceptably. I'm constantly wary that I won't make it through the next loading screen and Castlevania's soundtrack sometimes shorts out, but for seven dollars each, for games that can run more than $50 in used condition, I'm not complaining.

Brett from work collects the World of the Warcraft TCG. On our last workday together before he leaves for school he opened up a pack and is now the proud owner of a Leeroy Jenkins card.

Worst Birthday Ever.

I turned 19 yesterday. I'd have been more enthused had I not worked 12 hours that day and the day previous and had to go to bed early to get up at 5am to work another 8 hours today. My parents got me a Katana from Sanyo, though, so THAT'S pretty sweet.

The seventh Harry Potter book bombed today. I put myself on the waiting list at my library. Go ahead, tell me the ending, I won't flip out.

I think it's bizarre that Potter's birthday is so close to mine AND that I have a symbollic scar on my forehead. That's where our similarities end, however; I made Hufflepuff and I'm a Keeper.

Dear Scene Kids

Please adhere to these words of advice before attending your next musical gathering.

● This is a concert, not a place to hang. If you're not listening to the music, get out.
● Stop moshing. It's certainly appropriate during certain songs by certain bands, however it is not necessary to express your deep, animalistic desire to smash into other humans during every song by every band.
● Stop being an advertising tool. We already know you shop at either Hot Topic or The Gap. So do we. We just don't dress like it.
● Stop flourishing your peacock feathers. You already have a boyfriend or girlfriend. He or she probably came with you to the show. If you two are really infatuated with each other, you don't need to dress like whores. Otherwise, your relationship is a sham and you should probably ditch it before it goes too far, huh?
● Stop trying to buy alcoholic beverages. We know you're under 21. So does the bartender.
● Stop trying to be cool by smoking. If that's your definition of cool, you should go down to the trailer park and talk to the people who sound like ancient locomotives.
● Put your shirt back on. No one wants to share your mansweat.
● Watch your mouth. You just become that much more of a clown with each cussword that leaves it.
● If you're going to be a delinquent, don't be surprised when Mr. Policeman busts your ass. And don't be delinquent, because you'll ruin the show for the rest of us.
● If you don't know the band that's onstage, get out.
● Goth, death metal, emo music, and music that might be relatable to such music, sucks. If you enjoy such musical styling, please attend an appropriate musical gathering. That is to say: get out.
● This is not high school. Stop trying to be the center of attention. Guess what: the guys on the stage up there? We came to see them. Not you.
● Stop being fucking idiots.

Relief

The cat came back, they say. I think she was pleased to return to such pampering and feeding. Spoiled brat. :)

Further melancholy

My cat, Stripe, has been missing for three or four days now. I'm afraid for her because we've previously lost a couple of younger cats to the forest surrounding our house. I never thought that we'd lose her this way, though, because she's very much a homebody and has been my faithful companion for these past eight years.

It's always possible that she's off on one of those long walks that cats take. The plot thickens as our neighbor's cat has recently disappeared as well, but I've seen him before and he's a beast; I think he'd be able to fend off any predators in the area. I'll allow myself to hope for Stripe's safety for the next two weeks. After that, though... well, we're not letting our other cat outside after dark anymore.

Not necessarily an encouraging start

I have NOT been making enough money at my job. That's why all this started. I ended up job-hunting, which I hate, for a job that I'd probably hate. Hoping to save myself from the agony of a second retail festival of fun, I came up with the brilliant idea of becoming a caricaturist, which, upon second thought, isn't much of a brilliant idea since I have a notable skill in the respective field and had been considering pursuing such an enterprise for years. It was more common sense than rocket science. Anyhoo, I got the notion that I might be able to take my mad skillz to the streets and charge interested passersby. My mind was filled with the joys and thrills of a having an income that didn't involve working from behind a cash register for a faceless corporation apparently bent on making outrageously stupid decisions that seem to only affect the annoyance level of both their own employees and their own clientele.

Oh ho, but The Man ended up having the last laugh anyway. I got my mommy (yes, my mommy, as I was too ascared to call myself) to contact the two cities that I would be most likely to generate some ca$$$h in and the obligatory hefty licensing fee turned out to be accompanied by a requirement to work on private property with the permission of the owner. So no parks or street corners for this bugger unless I'm willing to find somebody charitable to lend me a few feet of his land. "Fuck that," said I.

Then said mommy, who frequents craft fairs, pointed out that one was coming up soon and that I should apply for it. So I did. For $60. Fun, yes? It gets better.

Given that this was the first time I'd be charging people for my sorry excuse for "art," I became, needless to say, somewhat nervous for the following week. And a good chunk of that week was used in preparation for the Sunday soon approaching when I'd be selling my, er, service. None of this was so bad, however, as the day before the day, a day on which I had been summoned to work at said job at which I don't make enough moolah. This day may very well have been the busiest and most exhausting day I've had the privilege of working at the store. To put things in perspective, the store closes at 9:00pm. We didn't get out until 10:30. And I was supposed to be up at 6:00. Good start.

I get home late and die for 6 hours. My alarm clock goes off and the destined day has arrived. My parents and I head to the fair despite my drowsiness. (My mommy had her own wares to sell there herself and greatly assisted in my first outing as a merchant-artisan.) We set up our booths, erecting tents above our spaces in the outdoor middle school field; we expect it to rain a tad, as this is what the weatherman told us. After many minutes of set-up, the festival officially opens and a few early bird fair-goers shuffle in. My first customer ever is a guy named Tom. Nice fellow, very friendly and open, has a twinkle in his eyes that his middle-aged wrinkles exaggerate; I try to bring out this feature in his caricature and I think that I succeeded. I get two more batches of customers, one little girl and her presumable mom, and two more little girls and their presumable father. Every thing is going well and I'm hoping to at least make my $60 back.

And then Mighty Zeus parted the clouds and let fall upon mankind, not sunshine, but fucking gallons and gallons of water. And with his blessing, all potential customers stayed inside and did not come to an outdoor fair to get fucking soaked.

I made $15 and lost $45 so that I could get up at 6am and sit in the freezing cold for 6 hours. I'm oddly not very upset over it. I think that I was just relieved to be able to come home and lose myself in Bumpy Trot, aka Steambot Chronicles, which, by the way, is an awesome game. Anyone who likes any of the following should buy this game and play it immediately: [the following] sandbox-style games, artwork and fun reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films, steam-powered mechs, the industrial revolution, customization up the ass, several different personalities for your character to take on, dating sims, renting and furnishing your own room, fun gameplay, vibrant and cool visuals, tons of rhythm mini-games, and a shitload of other cool stuff [/the following]. I actually bought this game a while ago and was immediately turned off by the horrid controls for your mech, or your "trotmobile," but I just picked it up again recently, and, having mastered the controls, I'm hooked on the game. It's a lot of fun and so far has drawn me in more than my very little experience with GTAIII. Take that as you will.

What was I talking about again?

Snowstorm II: Winter Strikes Back

It just won't die. Yesterday it started snowing heavily halfway through the afternoon and didn't stop until late last night. Buds that had been hesitantly creeping out of their sleep screamed for hours as the freezing pain of whiteness blanketed the trees. The snow was wet, too, because the weather was relatively warm; more a sleet than anything else, actually. We closed the store early yesterday and driving home took about 10 minutes longer than usual. I sat down for a comfortable viewing of Futurama when the first brownout hit. I was doing the dishes an hour later when the lights went out for the last time. With nothing to do and in the pitch dark, I decided to sleep.

And when I awoke, terror. The snow had laid waste to the world, with branches and in many cases entire trees downed, along with most of everyone's power. Our electricity had not returned, rendering the house heatless. The cable wire had fallen into the road so my mother forced me to reattach it to the house. Nothing like precariously balancing yourself on a ladder while pulling on what might be a live telephone wire.

The rest of the day wasn't too bad. The best part was that the absence of electronic entertainment gave me a chance to organize my room, which no longer has heaps of shit rivaling Everest residing on my desk and bureau, and which now has my graphic novels neatly shelved. I quickly became unhappy with the temperature of the house and hastened to my car. I stopped by work and somehow got sucked into working the day to cover another employee. Which wasn't too bad, because Guitar Hero II had been set up by the manager. Party on.

But the point is: this is fucking spring. I don't particularly approve of snowstorms in April. April snowstorms do not bring May flowers; April snowstorms KILL THINGS.

'S crazy I'm telling you.

Hiccup Cure

I just saw a great episode of Foster's in which Bloo encounters the hiccups for the first time. Earlier today, I myself got the hiccups. 'Intolerable!' said I, and immediately proceeded to eliminate them via my usual method, one that has been tried and held as always effective. Here now shall I convey said method unto any such persons as might stumble across it.

Very simply, it's the old drinking-water-upside-down trick, but the prospect of drinking from the wrong side of the glass and getting water up your nose isn't too thrilling, no? The solution is simple: take a sip of water while standing, keep that water in your mouth, then bend upside-down and swallow. Doing this three times usually yields immediate results. It's honestly worked 100% of the time for me, though I've never tested it on anyone else.

Ristar

I saw a shooting star tonight! I wished for world peace.

Important life event

Mwahaha, a whole month without any posts! Take that, imaginary person who might hold me to high standards!

On February 23rd, I was officially accepted to the Center for Cartoon Studies, where I plan to spend the next two years studying cartooning at a center. Excitement abounds. Now I have to figure out how to prevent loans and debt the size of the Grand Canyon...