It just dawned on me last week, after driving to work on my current route for six months, that I go vaguely by the comic book shop I’ve mentioned before. So this week I decided to drop in one day on my way home from work.

I wasn’t really looking for comic books, actually, I was interested in maybe picking up some old D&D book; nothing particular, just anything missing from my collection. I entered the store and the two guys up at the counter greeted me. The guy on the customer side of the counter was a young kid, maybe 16, maybe younger, (probably younger). They guy on the employee side of the counter was maybe 20.

I returned their hellos and then turned onto the aisle where I previously had seen a shelf of old D&D books. I stood in the area for a minute, looking around, not finding the books I expected, and then the teenager walked up beside me.

“The best graphic novels are all over on this side,” he said, pointing to some shelves. He added a comment that I didn’t catch.

“I was looking for the old D&D stuff,” I said. “It used to be in this area.”

“Oh,” he said, “that’s all back here.” He waved for me to follow him, and he took me to the back of the store. “This is where I buy a lot of my D&D material,” he added. Actually, he added a lot more — he was a talkative kid — but I wasn’t really paying attention to his jabber.

I’m not a real sociable guy to start with, and I was in the store just to look at some old books, in peace and quiet. I may have come across as rude with the kid. I just tuned out most of his talking. When we were standing before the shelf of gaming books, he pointed out, “I’ve been thinking about getting that set of second edition. I bought . . . ,” I wasn’t really listening.

I saw the AD&D [1st edition] Oriental Adventures book that I’ve been wanting for a while, but the spine was damaged. I took it down, looked through it, and found it also had a bit of discoloration in the pages. I put it back on the shelf. The kid was still talking.

He was a nice guy. He just wanted to talk about something he was interested in. Sadly, though, he was chatting up a guy who’s just ass enough to not really care.

He pulled a pristine AD&D1 Fiend Folio off the shelf. “This is the worst cover art of any D&D book,” he said. The way he said it, he was just continuing his chatting, not really being mean.

I just replied, “That’s the first D&D book I ever bought.” That’s true. It was the first D&D book I bought after the Basic D&D boxed set game. It’s a treasured part of my D&D collection, although I didn’t make my comment in defense of the cover art; I just said the first thing I thought when the kid showed it to me.

The kid froze for a moment, then put the book back on the shelf. He turned and walked away, and banged himself on the forehead with his fist. Damn, I’m an ass, I thought. He was just trying to chat, and I made him think he offended me. He hadn’t offended me, (because he hadn’t meant to offend me), even with a negative comment on one of my favorite books.

Alone, with peace and quiet at last, I continued looking through the gaming books. I found the boxes with old Dragon magazines, and started flipping through the oldest issues. The oldest Dragon I own is #68, December 1982. In the box I found a #62 and #55 for cheap. (There were a couple of older mags, but the marked price was too high.)

I took my choices up to the front of the store, but before checking out, I looked over the selection of new comics on the front shelves. (There were a couple more guys in the store at this point, college age guys — the state college is literally across the street.) Nothing on the comics rack jumped out at me.

I heard the kid and the employee talking about Magic: the Gathering. Is that still in print, I wondered. The employee introduced the kid to Feldon’s Cane. “For one colorless mana!?” the kid exclaimed. He’s pure gamer geek, God bless him.

I took my two magazines up to the counter, and the employee rang them up on the register. I handed over my debit card, and the kid looked over at my choices.

“You’re buying back issues of Dragon?” he asked. I smiled and nodded. “Do they still publish Dragon?”

“Not in paper form,” I answered.

The employee quipped at the kid, “These issues are older than you are.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling, “number 55 is . . . about 1980.” (It’s November 1981.) I didn’t add, Your parents were probably still in puberty when this was published. I was liking the kid. He was interested and enthusiastic. I can’t fault him for being sociable; it’s a good thing. I felt bad for being a surly old man.

With the purchase complete, I picked up my old magazines to leave. As I started walking away, I turned back to the kid to say, “And you’re right. That cover art on the old Fiend Folio is kind of bad.”

I don’t really think the FF cover art is bad, per se. It’s a very different style than is in vogue nowadays. I might not care much for the style, myself, if it didn’t have a strong nostalgic tie for me. But I threw the kid a bone to make up for being gruff earlier.

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (2)

Since starting my exercise regimen, I had to give up my regular, weekly game nights with my friends. My daily schedule only gives me time for the workouts in the evenings, every evening, and I can’t skip a day each week (at least not for the first 90 days). This saddens me. I miss the once-a-week evenings playing games with my friends.

I’d leave work around 4:30, to beat the rush hour traffic; it’s about a 30-40 minute drive out to my friend’s house where we play. There’s a shopping center across the street from his neighborhood, and this is the only situation when I ever really had time to shop around with peace and concentration. I’d stop in the Best Buy to check out televisions, computer stuff, or new games. Or I’d go into Target to look at clothes, toys, or home stuff.

Or maybe I’d go eat at a Chili’s restaurant and read a book. Then after the meal, I’d go park out in the shopping center lot, way out from the stores, where no one else was around, and sit in my car. I could continue reading my book, or maybe I’d lean the seat back and take a little nap. Then, after 6:00, I’d head out of the shopping center and over to the house.

Pull into the driveway, park the car, get out and go up to the front door. I’d rap on the door and immediately here, “It’s open!” shouted from the other side. I’d go in, and our sitting around talking time would begin.

We’d talk about our week, and just about anything a conversation can flow to. The other guys would arrive and join the chat. Then at around 7:00, we’d all move over to the kitchen table and set up for whatever game(s) were were going to play that night.

We’d play, talk, joke, and have a generally fun time until about 11:00. Then we’d put away our gaming stuff, and hop back over to the den for more idle chat. We’d chat for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and then we’d usually break all together, saying, “Good night, it was fun,” and head out to our cars. Another 30-40 minute drive back home, and to bed.

And then, inevitably, Calfgrit5 wakes up at 5:30 the next morning to start our day.

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (3)

My gaming group played last night. We played two games of RoboRally and one of Settlers of Catan, and I didn’t even put up a challenge for anyone in any of the games.

In the first RoboRally game, I didn’t score a single goal before someone won. In the second game, I served mostly as a punching bag for one other player (the player who ended up winning the game). In the Settlers game, I never had more than 2 points — everyone starts at 2 points, and 10 points wins.

Sure, I made some poor choices here and there (that happens to everyone) but my losses in these games was mostly due to really, really bad luck. Even the other players said so — they were just as amazed as I was at how badly luck was working for me. Although I had an enjoyable evening, being with my friends, it really sucks to barely show a presence in a game you’re playing. These three games: I could have sat out of them and it wouldn’t have changed the outcomes. The game play wouldn’t have missed me.

Luck just hates me. And the feeling is mutual.

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (1)

My current gaming group has been together for going on 6 years. This is longer than any other group of gaming friends I’ve ever had.

I started regularly gaming (mostly RISK, Dark Tower, Mille Bornes, and Dungeons & Dragons) in late middle school, around 13 years old (1980). Our group of friends expanded and contracted through high school such that by the time I was graduating, at 17 years old (1985), my regular game group consisted of no one I originally started with. And then people (including me) started moving away to go to college.

Such was the case over the next several years: game friends and game groups came and went as college and work and life called us all. No group lasted as a whole for more than 4 years.

But then I managed to organize this current group in 2003. We were all full adults, with permanent addresses and careers.

This current group, at its largest, consisted of 7 gamers — 5 men, 2 women — but we’ve been just 4 guys for the past couple of years. We’ve talked about finding a 5th person so our roleplaying games could have 4 players and a game master (a well rounded group). But we haven’t actually tried recruiting anyone.

A few weeks ago, one of the guys mentioned that one of his World of Warcraft guildmates lived in our real-world area, and was looking for a D&D game. Hmmm. We gave serious consideration on whether to bring in someone new. Someone none of us actually knew in the real world.

After some discussion, we decided to invite this guy to join our game for a test run. We’ll all be meeting him for the first time this Thursday night when we next game. Only the one who met him in WoW has ever had any interaction with this guy, and that was all through the online world. All we know about him so far is that he’s 23 years old — almost 10 years younger than the current youngest in our group. (Our oldest player is 51.)

It’s kind of intriguing and weird at the same time. He may a completely normal, nice, intelligent, and well-adjusted fellow. Or he may be some psycho weirdo dressed in black. Or he may be some unwashed dork with no life outside of WoW. I don’t know.

Funnily, though, the thing that worries us the most (or at least a couple of us) is whether he’ll think we’re the weirdos or dorks. Having gamed together for over 5 years, we’ve all gotten used to each other. We sometimes crack some terrible, reprehensible jokes. We sometimes act like total 13 year old pubescent boys. In general, we’re sometimes just not presentable to respectable public society. So it’s quite possible that this new guy will find us unacceptable.

I can only imagine this tension about meeting someone new is how online daters feel. But then, at least they get to see a picture and read a profile to have some idea of what they might be getting into. Us, we’re true adventurers. I hope he is, too.

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (0)

I took one of my favorite games — Blokus Classic — to my hometown during the Thanksgiving holiday. Calfgrit7 and I managed to make some time to play it together, but I couldn’t talk anyone else I asked into playing.

Then, at night I caught both boys playing on the floor with the board and all the pieces spread out. “No, no, no,” I almost screamed in horror.

“Honey,” Cowgrit said, “just let them play with it.”

“But, but, they’ll loose the pieces.”

“No they won’t. I’m watching them, and we’ll make sure to get everything back in the box.”

I was almost distressed, seeing my precious game (clearly labeled for “Ages 5 - adult”) being played with (as a toy) by a 7 year old and a 4 year old, in the middle of a cluttered floor. I wanted to immediately clean it all up and put it away. There are 84 very small pieces to Blokus, and loosing even one can completely throw off the play of the game.

But I was surrounded by family, in front of whom I didn’t want to seem like a ass of a father. So I let Cowgrit talk me down from my high-pitched whine.

The next night, when we were all back home, and our clothes and such were all put away, I checked my Blokus game box. I opened the game and started counting pieces. One was missing. Aaargh!

I called my mom to ask her to keep an eye out for the piece. So far, there’s been no sign of it.

I’m saddened. And it does no good to say to Cowgrit, “See, I knew they’d loose a piece!”

But do you see? I knew they’d loose a piece!

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (2)

We were on a family outing for the evening, and Calfgrit7 was sitting beside me showing off his latest Pokémon cards. Cowgrit had bought him a new pack of cards since the last time we played the game, so most of these were new to me. I was trying to read them, but I didn’t have my new glasses with me.

I could read the hit points and attack damages, barely. But for the attack descriptions, I had to hold the card about two feet from my face, and shift it just right to get good lighting on it. God, getting old sucks.

Then CG7 pointed to a part of the card I was holding and asked, “How does this power work?”

I pulled the card closer to my eyes, I held it away from my eyes, I shifted it this way and that to get lighting, and then tried reading, “Lustrous Orb. If . . . an . . . Active . . . Pokemon . . . has . . . Weakness . . . to . . . water . . . type, . . . Palkia’s . . . attacks . . .”

“You want me to read it for you?” my second-grader asked me.

How freakin’ pathetic am I? “Thanks, but no,” I said. “I can read it. Just give me a minute.” I finally did finish reading it, and I explained it to him. (I gave him my best guess, anyway, as I’ve never seen this kind of power on a Pokemon — it’s not a Poke-POWER or a Poke-BODY.)

When we got home, after the boys went to bed, I pulled out that card from his stack left on the kitchen counter. I put on my reading glasses and tried to read it again. Holy geez, but it’s difficult for me to read that tiny writing even with my glasses on. The next time I play Pokemon with him, I’m going to need a magnifying glass at hand.

It’s sad for me to think that being able to read the dag-blame game cards are going to start being an obstacle for me to play games with my boys. Do I need to petition Pokemon to make special large print versions of their cards?

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (2)

I learned a very cool thing about my new coworkers, yesterday.

I was watching over one coworker’s shoulder, while she instant messengered another coworker. I saw the guy she was talking to had a 20-sided die as his IM icon image. (I noted that the die was showing 11 instead of a natural 20.)

“Oh, he’s a gamer,” I said.

“Yeah,” she said, “one of many around here.”

That statement intrigued me. There were many other gamers at this company? Cool. Now how can I find out who without seeming like a nerd asking around? We went on with our work.

Later, when back at my own desk, I added the gamer coworker as a contact in my IM list. I then sent him a message to say, “Hi.”

During our brief introduction, I asked him, “Why is your d20 icon on 11 instead of natural 20?”

“My birthday is on the 11th,” was his answer. “No one else has ever asked that question before.”

“Well,” I wrote, “I’m a gamer, too. So I notice that kind of thing.”

“Cool. Tom, Doug, and I play D&D with some other folks on Monday nights,” he wrote.

A little while later, again, the original coworker (whose shoulder I had been looking over) was in my office. I asked her if Doug was at our lunch gathering on my first day.

“Yes,” she said, “he was sitting beside me.” She apparently figured out why I asked, because she added, “Those guys play D&D together. And my husband plays, too, but with a different group.”

Amazing. I’ve joined a company full of gamers — and the company has nothing to do with the gaming industry. How freakin’ cool is that?

Bullgrit

Email this post to a friend

Make a comment (5)