An Open Letter to Gaming Store Employees
If a potential customer walks in your store to do nothing more than browse and maybe buy something, don’t ambush them with stories of yore. We don’t care about your favorite RPG unless you’re trying to sell us a copy. If you’re talking about an out of print book, then don’t hype it up. It just makes us want to walk out and spend our time in the nearest used RPG book store to try to find what you’re talking about.
This is especially true if it’s around noon-time. This means I’m in your store during my lunch hour and I have limited time to get through my browsing/purchasing.
Case in point: I was in a FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) a few days ago to look and see if anything new came out. I came across a copy of Twilight 2013, and I wanted to see if they had the same background items Twilight 2000 had. It did, but they were toned down, I think. I didn’t get a good chance to read through the character creation because I ran out of time. Without enough time to read the pertinent parts of the book, I didn’t make a purchase. Why didn’t I have time to make a purchase? Because I was ambushed in the corner of the store by an employee who just had to tell me about his favorite out of print RPG. sigh He even went on to detail the races, the combat system, his favorite three characters, and some back story about the author of the RPG.
Had I not been trapped by this over-eager employee, the store probably would have made a $40 sale that day. Their loss.
RIP : Gary Gygax
I received this link this morning from a co-worker who doesn’t play D&D, but knows that I do. I spent some time searching, and came across here and here as well. Wikipedia also confirms it, but we know how trustworthy that is.
I never did meet Gary in person, but I’ve touched his spirit countless times through my adventures in his many games. I feel a sense of loss for losing the patriarch of my main hobby, but not a personal loss. It’s an odd dichotomy of feelings. I think I should be impacted more, but I’m not. Maybe it’s just sinking in.
As I did when Bobby Fischer died, I’ll tell you a little bit about why I care about Gygax’s passing.
When I was 10 years old and in the Cub Scouts, I got the Boy’s Life magazine. On the back of every magazine was an advertisement for selling Captain O greeting cards. The deal was this: For every item you sold, you could either get a point or a dollar. If you chose to collect points, you could “spend” them on various items from the catalog. This didn’t interest me too much since some of the points were outrageous (over 300 points for a $120 bicycle) and such. Well, one of the items was a red box with a dragon on the cover, and it looked so very cool that I had to have it! I think the point cost was about 10 points. I figured I could easily sell 10 items. In the end, I sold over 100 items, and collected various trinkets from Captain O, but I don’t remember what any of them were, except for that really cool red box.
At the time, I didn’t have a group to play with. I didn’t care. I fell into the game with a fervor that was only equaled by my passion for computers. I would create characters, roles, adventures, evil lords, evil minions, damsels in distress, monsters, maps, worlds, countries, and so much more. I did this on my own until I hit junior high at age 12. That’s when I found a handful of other people that played the games, and things went from there.
We’d game before school (yeah, we got to school early to do this), at lunch, after school, and on the bus home. It was a great time. I still remember J.P., Marc, Van, Roger, and Stephen quite fondly… well… except for Roger because he thought fantasy names like Frodo, Bilbo, Dwalin, etc. were stupid, so he would name his characters Bob, George, Joe, Steve, etc. We all agreed that Roger was the stupid one.
I continued picking up the various box sets as they came out. I went through the Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortals rules. Out of all of them, I really loved the Companion rules the best. It added so much more to the game like having followers, controlling your own nations, tournament fighting rules, and quite a bit more. The Immortals rules were the worst because they took the power level of the game to a quite insane level. It was fun for a while, but after the 5th round in a row of dealing out over 200 points of damage with a single strike you become numb to the numbers.
Then my sophomore year in high school rolled around, and 2nd Edition AD&D was released. I somehow managed to totally miss the 1st Edition rules, but I joined in with a gaming group that lasted from 1989 until about 1993. Not a bad run in those days. Every since then, I’ve tracked D&D through its incarnations, and bought every core book and damn near every supplement that has been released since then. Years ago, I even went back and tracked down all of the 1st edition hard covers, and quite a few of the adventures from that era. They’re all on my shelves next to the other role playing books.
I just wonder what it would take to track down and get my hands on the original three D&D pamphlets that were called Chainmail back in the day. Maybe I’ll do some snooping on them. I had a chance to buy them in their original box back in the early ’90s, but I didn’t have the cash for it back then. I still kick myself from time-to-time for not selling a kidney to raise the requisite money to purchase those. Now that Gygax is gone, I’m sure the price is going to go up a few pennies.
Of course, Gary didn’t have much to do with 2nd Edition back then, and didn’t have anything to do with the 3rd Edition that was released a while back. Now 4th Edition D&D is coming out in March. I’ve seen and heard quite a bit about the changes, and I’m very happy that Gary didn’t live to see his wonderful creation utterly destroyed to ruination…. but that’s a rant for another day.
I still have a book that he published many moons ago titled “Role-Playing Mastery” that’s quite a good read. Maybe I’ll pull it from its shelf, dust it off, and check it out.
Even though Gary is gone his legacy will continue to live on through the millions of role-players out there. I have no doubt that role-playing would have evolved into existence without Gygax, but it would not be the quality experience that it is today without his early foundations and influence.
I’ve seen word that Gygax converted to Christianity at some point in his life. I’m glad for that. It’s one more person at the Heavenly Gaming Table that I’ll be able to take a turn with when my time comes.
Update: Story picked up by CNN.
Update 2: Something I had wanted to mention in my original post, but forgot about until just now… It’s very ironic that the original Dungeon Master died on DM’s Day.
Update 3: Great single-panel comic tribute from Penny Arcade.
Update 4: Some more tribute pages that I’ve come across today:
Dork Tower
Steve Jackson Games
Full Frontal Nerdity
Order of the Stick
I’m sure there are probably others out there, but I’m not actually looking for them. These are just ones that I’ve stumbled on.
If anyone finds decent ones that I don’t have listed here, drop it in the comments, please.
PS: Somehow this morning it all seemed real that Gary is gone. While doing my daily thing, I came across those above sites, and it hit me that a man that drastically changed my life is now gone. While reading the comics and posts, a few tears were shed. Steve Jackson’s words, “And now it’s the day when the best-known GM of all time put down his dice.” really hit me hard. So final. So true. Gary may not be rolling any more, but we can keep his spirit around by picking up the dice, throwing them around the table, lamenting or cheering or laughing over the results, and being with each other. Gaming isn’t about winning. It’s about companionship. I’ve tried to explain this to “outsiders” in the past, but it’s never really become more clear to me in the past than it is right now.
Update 5: Another mention of Gygax. Very subtle. Check out the specials board in the background of the Questionable Content web comic for 2008-03-06.
Update 6: Another one. This time from xkcd.
Update 7: Two more
- User Friendly
- NY Times Article Check out the “flowchart” along the left side and enlarge it. Except for the Harry Potter section, it pretty much sums up my life
Update 8: An article on Wired about the history, innovations, movement, changes, inspirations, and personalities that went into the creation and evolution of D&D. Great article, and I highly suggest reading all seven pages of it.
unrazored
Random word list:
yarn-mercerizing
Rhinelander
unrazored
parachromoparous
respell
Word chosen: unrazored
Definition: Not shaven.
Free association word list:
whiskers
beard
goatee
pointy
black
evil
necromancer
naked dancer
stripper
lap dance
pasties
g-string
shaven (woah! round trip from starting point.)
tuna
fresh
smell
raindrops
snow
drift
snow blower
24 minutes, baby!
Word chosen: necromancer
Writing:
Name: Malakos
Keywords: dark elf, mouse-like features, silver hair, red eyes, long fingers, skinny.
First draft:
Malakos stands against the wind as it whips his thick black robe about his sparse frame. The long fingers of one hand struggle to hold the robe closed against the gale, as the other hand shields his face against the blasts of rain. His red eyes glitter in the supernatural witch-light that suffuses the hills around his tower. He looks into the storm searching for those that he knows are coming.
Revision:
Malakos’ already pinched, mouse-like features tighten even further as he turns into the wind of the blowing storm. The long fingers of one hand struggle to hold his robe closed against the gale winds as the other hand shields his red eyes against the blasts of rain. The dark elf necromancer knows that the villagers are coming to his tower tonight to reclaim their children. It is too bad that the children have already had their throats slit, and have been reanimated as shuffling undead. Malakos’ white teeth shine in the eerie witch-light that emanates from his nearby tower as he ponders how many parents will be driven insane by facing the untiring assault of their own dead children. By the end of the night, the village, and its secret, will lie in the dark elf’s hands.
Malakos was a recurring villain that I used in a D&D game back in the early 1990′s. Even though it has been over 10 years since I have used him in an adventure, I still love him as one of the best villains that I have come up with. I knew that he was a high quality bad guy when the players would scream in rage when they would realize who was behind the slaughter of an entire village. The players (not just the characters) truly hated Malakos, and the mention of his name (even after the campaign had been done for over a year) would cause the players’ blood to boil. Muahahahahaha…. Yep. I’m proud of myself for creating such a mean bastard.
refrangibility
Random word list:
disyoking
unculpable
serried
Kohistan
refrangibility
Word chosen: refrangibility
Definition: capable of being refracted, as rays of light.
Free association word list:
refracted
bent
twisted
warped
crazy
insane
asylum
Arkham
Cthulhu
Cthuga
R’yleh
underwater
ocean
sea
river
lake
pond
scum
algae
green
veggie chips
Paranoia (the RPG, not the condition)
hilarious
clones
communism
Word chosen: veggie chips
Writing:
Mark-R-STN-2 walked down the red hallway while pulling his cart. He couldn’t wait until he reached orange status. The oranges got motorized carts. Sure, they still rolled on the ground, but at least they could move themselves. The real luxury didn’t begin until you reached green when the wheels were replaced with anti-grav technology.
Mark-R-STN-2 sighed at the unfairness of it all. All of the other clones that he had graduated the academy with had been promoted. Even CommieB-G-ONE-6 was on his last clone, and he was, obviously, a green citizen. How could CommieB’s insanity in combat have earned him green status already when Mark’s seven months of steady service as a delivery and repair agent had earned him nothing?
Mark-R-STN-2 reached an intersection where a yellow hallway ran off at an angle that would save him at least ten minutes on his delivery time. He quickly glanced around, and realized that he was alone in this corridor. There may be some hidden cameras, but he would risk it. Maybe if he started taking the “back routes” on his deliveries, he would shave time off of his performance and earn a promotion.
Mark-R-STN-2 darted down the yellow hallway, but he only made it halfway down the corridor before alarm klaxons sounded, and the Computer’s commanding voice spoke up, “Mark-R-STN-2, you are in a prohibited area. Your record shows that you have been performing suspicious activities for quite some time. This is evidence that you are a Communist, and this infraction of roaming a yellow restricted hallway only confirms the reports that I have received. You are a Communist. Prepare to be vaporized.”
Mark-R-STN-2 opened his mouth to protest, but this only meant that the nozzle that had ejected from the wall while the Computer was speaking had perfect aim down Mark’s throat. Mark barely tasted the vile chemical as it poured down his gullet and dissolved him into unrecognizable gray goo that oozed through a drainage hole and into the recycling center.
Mark-R-STN-3 stepped off of the high-speed tram a few minutes later with his cart in tow. He glanced at his watch, and realized that he only had a few minutes to make his trip in. Cursing clone number two for its incompetence, Mark-R-STN-3 hustled to do his job.
Ok. Paranoia is a role playing game that is all about a dark future, but it’s done in an absolutely hilarious style of writing that I just can’t match. Maybe if I were doing some writing in a group collaboration, then I could come up with some good off-the-cuff humor, but I really have a hard time with it just sitting here and typing. Ah well…. I’ve never aspired to be a humor writer anyways. I’m better at the dark and gritty stuff. I’m happy with doing that, so I’ll stick to that in the future.
satyromaniac
Random word list:
satyromaniac
sphenocephalous
nivernaise
territorialism
psychos
Word chosen: satyromaniac
Definition: a lascivious man; lecher.
Free association word list:
Vince
roommates
studio apartment
simple times
Pizza Hut
delivery
hard on the car
POS car(s)
Chevy Citation
strange cars
Dodge Diplomat
old cop car
bullet hole
guns
shooting
NRA
guns good
people bad
Word chosen: simple times
Writing:
When I was first on my own, I was in a two bedroom duplex with 4 other people, but that’s a story for another time. I want to tell you about the apartment that J.J. (and then eventually Vince) and I lived in.
It was a two-level studio. That basically means one big room downstairs, and one big room upstairs. Big is a relative term. The rooms were about 12×30 or so. Not really all that big. Downstairs was the kitchen, and upstairs was the bathroom. There was also a closet on each level. It was a great place to live because we were all just getting started out, and didn’t have lots of money.
The apartment ran $99 a month, and our two phone lines and electric bill ran us another $25-$30 a month more. Once you split that three ways, the total cost of living there was about $40 bucks a month for each of us.
We all worked at Pizza Hut. Vince and J.J. were cooks at a normal Hut that didn’t deliver, and I worked down the road at the Hut that was just a DelCo (Delivery/Carry Out) unit. They were cooks at their Hut, and I was a delivery driver. They had a harder time making ends meet than I did, though. They just got their hourly wages. I had my hourly wages plus $0.50 per delivery plus tips. In a week, I would usually make enough to cover my monthly bills. That left me with my paycheck, and extra tips to have fun with.
Most people would consider that extra money beer money. There were two problems with that. J.J. and Vince were recovering alcoholics, so no booze in the apartment. We were also all under 21, but that was more of a challenge than a true barrier to getting booze in my hometown.
Instead of booze, I would spend my extra money on books. Role-playing books to be exact. That was during my “buy every RPG out there” phase. There were some crappy ones (Pendragon and Dangerous Journeys come to mind), and there were some really good ones (Cyberpunk 2020, Top Secret S/I, and D&D 2nd ed. come to mind.) There were also some mediocre ones, but they slip my memories right now. I guess that’s why they were mediocre.
Those were good times… Simple living. Simple job. Simple hobbies. Lots of spare time.
Having said all that, I wouldn’t go back to it in an instant. My life now is much more rewarding than it was back then in every aspect.
Guelphism
Random word list:
spermatozoic
paranitrosophenol
Guelphism
Slovintzi
masque
Word chosen: Guelphism
Definitions:
1. a member of the political party in medieval Italy and Germany that supported the sovereignty of the papacy against the German emperors: opposed to the Ghibellines.
2. a member of a secret society in Italy in the early 19th century that opposed foreign rulers and reactionary ideas.
Free association word list:
Pope Bennedict
Modern Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
torture
waterboarding
interrogation
General Attorney
nomination
Senate
vote
approval
balance of power
unbalanced
spying
telecom industry
EFF
Steve Jackson Games
Secret Service
Word chosen: EFF
Writing:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation was started when Steve Jackson Games was erroneously raided by the Secret Service for things that they had nothing to do with. One of SJG’s authors was working on a role-playing supplement called “Cyberpunk” for the GURPS RPG. During the course of the author’s investigation, he came across plenty of information on hacking, phreaking, cracking software, and the people that do such things. Most of this went into the game as rules on running these situations. Turns out that the Secret Service thought it was a how-to manual, and raided SJG’s office.
SJG lost all of their computers, all of their in-process work, lots of equipment, and Steve Jackson damn near lost the company. He had to cut back so severely that he had to lay off half of his staff! In the end, SJG persevered, and is thriving quite well.
The EFF was the organization that helped bail SJG out of their legal troubles, and went after the Secret Service to get justice for SJG. Ever since those days in 1990-1991, the EFF has fought the battle to keep our electronic communication mediums open, honest, secure, and private from the prying eyes of the government.
I’ve been a moral supporter of their efforts for years and years, but I only recently joined the ranks of the monetary supporters since it was only recently that I was able to do so. I hope to be able to continue my membership with them for quite some time.
If you have any fears about privacy in our digital age, and what people are doing to protect that privacy, please check out the EFF. They’re a great group of people doing great things for this nation and its citizens.
Their web site is located at: http://www.eff.org/
maundy
Random word list:
disqualifies
fannier
hyperfastidious
interveniency
maundy
Word chosen: maundy
Definition: the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor, esp. commemorating Jesus’ washing of His disciples’ feet on Maundy Thursday.
Free association word list:
Jesus
savior
Heaven
conversion
Heather
Katie
Mrs. Setzer
The Dark Side of the Moon
Space Shuttle
Space Station
solar power
repairs
good job!
space role-playing
Alternity
current Saturday night game
crazy
bat-shit crazy
Phil the Robot
escape from the Inhibitors
…for now….
FTL travel
Word chosen: current Saturday night game
Writing:
I could write for hours on this topic, but our current Saturday night game that Kolvedic is running is a hoot! We’ve been playing it for several months. I could try to summarize everything that we’ve been doing, but I think I’ll just describe (from my point of view) the characters (and one NPC) that are on our ship, “Smooth Operator.”
Spice is playing a homicidal mercenary named Greer. She’s all in favor of killing the easy targets, and really hates getting into tight spots. However, she’s always there when we need her, and has pulled us from the fire a few times.
Jhianna is playing Lephanie. Lephanie is an archaeologist that specializes in Forerunner technology, civilization, language, culture, etc. She’s also an open book. She will blather the honest truth to anyone that is asking her questions. She, like all of us, has some Conjoiner technology in her body and head. This means that we can talk to each other over a wireless network. It also means that other Conjoiners can do the same with us. More advanced Conjoiners can probe into our minds and get us to ask questions. Some of us can resist… Lephanie doesn’t have a chance!
Eric is playing Michael, who is a psion that seems to always have trouble follow him (which is not a unique trait in this group.) He always somehow manages to get loose from the trouble, but not without a little death following him. Michael is very proficient at causing physical harm to people, and I think he enjoys it a little.
I’m playing Marcus, who is a former hero of the Empire, and, through some twists, decided to join the rebels. Well, he still wishes harm to the Empire, but not her people. Things have come up that have caused him to maybe switch back to the Empire’s side. He’s really not sure right now. Marcus is a leaf on the wind, and we’re in the middle of a hurricane. He’s just trying to keep himself pointed in the direction of the moment, and is trying not to get anyone on his ship killed. He’s the captain of the ship, and he feels responsible for everyone on board. He had hoped to have retired from the military to smuggle goods to the rebels as a merchant. That pretty much didn’t happen. Now, he’s just struggling to keep his head above water, and try not to let anyone around him drown.
We had two NPCs on board, but one got fed to the Green Flies as part of a (we think) necessary step to stop the Inhibitors. The other was a psion from Earth that can through some strange technology see the future in bits and pieces. We had the leave him behind on the capital ship, Tellus, so he could guide them through building a faster drive system to get them unstranded from the middle of dead space, and on their way to the nearest star system with their hull full of refugees.
Now, we only have one NPC. It’s Phil. How to explain Phil? We first met Phil, and he called himself “The Sentinel.” He had been alone in a Forerunner complex for over 20,000 years, and had pretty much gone bat-shit crazy from loneliness. How did he survive so long? Well, he’s a robot packed full of Forerunner technology… mostly weapons. Ouch. Somehow a few of our people decided to snag Phil (the name Eric gave him) and leave with him when we released the Green Flies to fight off the Inhibitors in the Tilo star system.
I could go on and on trying to make things about this game more clear, but it’s such a mess right now, that I’m not sure any level of explanation will make it clear. Don’t get me wrong. I’m having a blast on Saturday nights. It’s a great time, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next because, with Kolvedic running the game, it’s damn hard to predict. That’s part of the fun.
Good times, man… good times….
wahine
Random word list:
flavanilin
night-prowling
forepad
trasy
wahine
Word chosen: wahine
Definition: (in Hawaii and Polynesia) a girl or young woman.
Free association word list:
hula skirt
luau
food
roast pig
pineapple
fruit
fruit cake
breaking a tooth
dentist
oral surgery
implants
bone graft
not fun
expensive
broke
paycheck
income
401k
retirement
old age
endless vacation
RV
road trips
travel
good times
summer vacation
Word chosen: Road Trips
Writing:
When I was a kid I spent most summers with my paternal grandparents. There were some exceptions, but not many. During these summer vacations, my grandparents and I would pile into the RV of the year*. Our destination was always Colorado. I’m not sure why.
We’d trundle across New Mexico heading for different parts of Colorado. We’d head to Colorado Springs, Durango, Pueblo, and various scenic parts of the state. The trip there would invariably take a full week. We’d stop at every little cafe, historical marker, scenic outlook, and tourist trap. Every. Single. Year. It got to the point where I would know what historical marker we were at without even getting out to look at it.
Thinking back on it, I’m sure that my grandfather was just looking for a chance to get out and stretch his legs. He had to sit in the driver’s seat the entire time while I was free to romp and play in the back of the RV. I’d spend most of the time reading books, or coming up with some great** D&D adventure.
After creeping across New Mexico, we’d finally reach our destination. We’d spend about a week there. I always had a blast hiking, fishing, rafting, walking the small towns, and just hanging out with my grandparents. It’s one of the more innocent times of my life, and I really miss it quite a bit. I can sometimes recapture those moments in memories, but they’re distant and fading.
Maybe with the coming of my son in less than three weeks, I’ll be able to re-experience those wonderful times through his eyes. Everyone seems to want to live vicariously through their single friends that come home with a different hottie every night, but those dreams are behind me. I no longer envy those friends, but I don’t find them pathetic either. They are what they are.
I now look forward to the days where I can recapture a little innocence, wonderment, and excitement at “the new stuff” (even if it’s old to me) through the life of my son. Most people ask me if I’m nervous, anxious, scared, or frightened at the prospect of having a child. I do have a little of that, but it is background noise compared to the things that I’m looking forward to with excitement, eagerness, and longing.
* – My grandfather always seemed to find something newer and better every spring, and he would trade in the old RV for a new one.
** – The word “great” is relative. I’m very sure that my first hundred attempts at creating a D&D adventure were anything other than “great” by any standard. They seemed great to me though. I was always known as the guy that could use the widest variety of creatures in a single dungeon. Of course, there was no logical explanation for the zoo-like collection of critters, but my players didn’t care because even the “wild dogs” that were roaming a 10×10 room on the 4th level of the dungeon came with at least 2,000 GP worth of treasure. Yeah. I know. Pathetic. Don’t scoff. I was in elementary school, ok?
Happy Birthday To Me
Happy Birthday To Me.
Happy Birthday To Me.
Happy Birthday Dear Beosig.
Happy Birthday To Me!
Yep. I’ve made it around the sun for the 34th time. Somehow it’s not that much different from the last several times I’ve done it. Of course, that’s all going to change in November with the arrival of the baby. Then I get to start counting someone else’s years that are more important than my own.
I opened my email this morning, and I had 5 birthday messages from people that I’ve bought stuff from in the past that had my email address and birthday on file. I think it’s kind of cool. I got emails from a local RPG/game store, Steve Jackson Games, VanDyke Software, RPGNet, and Borders. Very neat. I like the Borders one because they’re giving me 15% off of a book for my birthday, but the Steve Jackson Games one was especially neat. I’ve received it the past 3 or 4 years, but it still tickles me to read it. It goes:
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
The Illuminati are watching
Everything that you do
Fnord!
I just get a good giggle out of that every year that I see it.
Time to get back to work, so I can grow older while sitting at my desk typing away. Could be worse, eh?
Best Graphics In The World
I’m going to get on my mud soapbox again just a short period of time. I hope you don’t mind. Today’s User Friendly comic really struck a cord with me, and reminded me of better times… The times when people actually had to read, pay attention, and concentrate on what they were doing while playing a game in order to merely survive. To excel in the games, you had to think about what you were reading, and how it might affect you. There were even tiny hints as to what things (that were usually not readily visible) needed to be pulled, pushed, turned, twisted, poked, or looked at. It was an amazing time of gaming.
Sure, World of Warcraft has pretty good graphics, but they just can’t compare to something like this:
Something Wicked The cave reeks of old, decaying bodies. The smell of fresh blood also mixes, and any who enter are almost immediately overcome with a strong desire to vomit. The strange writings are all over the walls and ceiling and even parts of the floor, but there have been so many messages written over the tops of others, nothing is discernable any longer. The only way out is south, to somewhat fresher air. [ Exits: Unknown! ] Some strange deformity of a man cackles, and draws on the wall.
$ look man
Drool dribbles out of his mouth, and there is definitely an insanity in his eyes - deep and forever insane. He looks around, but doesn't see anything but the dreams constantly in his head. He grabs his knife, cuts his finger again, and as the blood oozes out, writes his messages. This poor remnant of a man has no worthwhile reason to live.
This is just one example of a wonderful creation done by Syra D’Hornan on my mud. I could probably find and post even more wonderful creations, but I don’t have the time to track more down. There is a great and simple elegance in the written word, and I fear that we are rapidly losing the appreciation of such a thing.
I’m no different. If I need to research something, I hit the Internet. In the past, I would go to the library and spend hours there. At one point, I wanted to know more about feudal Japanese society, the Huns, Celtic warriors, and all sorts of ancient cultures for a world that I was creating for D&D. I spent every day at the library (except Sunday because it was closed) for close to two weeks doing research. It was one of the most enlightening times of my life.
Sure, modern technology lets me get to the heart of the matter faster, and maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s a bad thing. Knowledge is no longer hard earned. It is practically given to a person, and this gives them little appreciation for the difficulties that it took to accumulate that knowledge.
Ok. I’m getting off track, but I think I’ve pretty much said what I wanted to say. I’ll pack it in before I ramble even more than I already have. I could on and on and on about this topic. I’ll stop here before I bore you even more than I already have.
