It took me a while to clear the dust off of my keyboard before posting this. Ever since the GenCon excitement took over in early August, I can’t say that this site has seen much activity (and rightly so), but hopefully that will all change now that I have some more free time. Speaking of which, now that the group has planned to meet for a pick-up game on the 30th, what better time to give you some links to the two items we’ve been throwing around.
My own miniature collection is cresting the 300 mark, and I know Sam has well over that – it’s pretty ironic that we have not even attempted to use them for the skirmish game they were made for. Anyway, I figure we can give it a shot and see how some quick board-based versus games go over with the group.
Spoils was another “pick-up-and-go” game that sparked some interest. From what I can gather, it’s very Magic-like in its mechanics, but claims to have fixed many of the popular card game’s flaws. I believe we’ll be picking up a deck to fool around with, so feel free to be critical! Here are the links:
D&D Miniatures Homepage – The official site of the game.
Warband Generator – This is a handy little tool that would be fantastic if we starting playing regularly (hey, we all use laptops at the table anyway, right?). There are a few different downloads, including one that you can import your own collection into, and then manage your warband through a broswer offline. Pretty slick. There are also card downloads, online generators, and other tools to take a look at.
The Spoils – The official site of the game.
The weekend of the 30th will also be a great time for me to get the final footage for our GenCon DVD. I hope to have it done in time for Christmas, and I’m confident it will be a riot to watch. Take a look and see what you think, and as always, feel free to to suggest any other games that may pique your interest. Until next post!
I’ll be picking up the Spoils game. I know, who would have thought I’d think about a card game similar to magic?? But if the content is interesting, it should be fun and easy to have “pick up” games that happen anytime. Instead of taking months to plan a D&D session, only to have it canceled for some unforeseen reason.
I can’t believe we haven’t thought about the mini’s game before either. We must have near 1000 of them.
Which makes me wonder about gaming in general. Is it really gaming that brings us together? Or is gaming just the vehicle that allows us to have that male bonding time that is rarely found these days. At least for this guy.
Having been gaming now for roughly 15 years, I can easily say I love the game (D&D). Getting lost in a world of magic is an addictive high. Watching a story come alive before my eyes, along with NPC’s that seem as real as I am.. Well it doesn’t get much better than that. Of course there is the enjoyment of teamwork, creative thinking, and tactics to boot. Not to mention the annoyance of our court jester. But its all in a sessions work, right?
If we didn’t game, would there still be a we? I don’t know.. It seems like time and life take us further & further apart. For some gaming may be the only reason to get together. So without the prospect of a future game date it might only be the occasional life event that brings us all together.
I guess I like to think its a little of both. It all comes back to balance as they say. Whoever they are…
Hmmmm, interesting take, and one that I’ve often wondered about as well. I would have to agree that it is a little of both, like you said, especially with me living as far away as I do now.
For our group, I think the dynamic is very balanced. We have the power gamer, the logistic, roleplayers and statiticians. But above all of that, I think the game is both a reason to get together and a reason to play.
Honestly, how often have we truly gamed for the entire session length? I would say we’re at 80% on a good day. That stat should speak for something.