Prodigal Son: Inspirational Films for Space 1889

                                                                    Part Twenty One

    I’ve been thinking a lot about various roleplaying games recently, particularly about cinematic inspiration in relation to games.  I’ve already written a few articles about this, tackling player character groups, as well as specifically Call of Cthulhu and Ars Magica.  I thought this time I’d branch out a bit and do a slightly more obscure game, but one I like the setting for quite a bit.  This time around, I’m going to look at ten inspirational movies for the game Space 1889, a ground breaking early example of what would become Steampunk.

10.  Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959):  An excellent cast of characters goes on a wild adventure into the heart of our own world, discovering strange secrets, hints of ancient civilizations, weird pre-historic creatures, and dangers undreamed.  Victorian morality, self-motivated adventure, and hints of deeper history make this an especially charming tale.  (See also; At the Earth’s Core).

9.  The Jungle Book (1994):  British Colonialism meets native life in this classic tale of West meets East in India.  This film could be translated almost directly to one of the canal cities of Mars.  The British officers, their relationships with the locals, even the plot would all work.  In many ways, though the weather is different, Mars is the India of Space 1889.  (See also; Gunga-din).

8.  The Time Machine:  The Victorians were all about exploring and inventing.  In this tale of an inventor who rockets himself into the future, we see the perils of war and the potentials of Darwin’s dangerous idea.  The Time Traveler is a perfect character for Space 1889, even if he can’t get that particular machine to work (and goodness, what if he could).  (See also; The Golden Compass).

7.  The Prestige:  The darker side of invention and the wild showmanship that really came into its own during this time.  Mad science, mysticism, and the obsessions of driven men.  Plus, Tesla.  Thomas Edison plays a large role in Space 1889, but what if Tesla was luckier or craftier?  What if Tesla and Edison became epic and powerful rivals?  What would Tesla be doing in space?  (See also; The Illusionist).

6.  Sherlock Holmes (2009):  This more earthy, grimy rendition of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mad genius is my favorite cinematic version, and just behind the Jeremy Brett TV version for all time favorite.  Here we see the world of the late 1800s in all its dingy, ugly glory.  Fast paced adventure that recaptures the pulpy aspect of Doyle’s work that has generally been lost in previous film versions, and excellent renditions of the various characters make for a very charming whole.  The Holmes-Watson relationship is one of the best, most honest friendships I’ve seen on screen, and the fact that Watson’s fiancé isn’t  relegated to nagging harpy was a pleasant surprise.  She’s got all the pluck (if not the screentime) of a good heroine.  (See also; The Wolfman [2010]).

5.  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954):  This action packed adaptation of the Verne novel features an excellent cast and amazing production design.  Once again, the issues presented could translate either directly to Earthly seas of Space 1889, or with very little work, into some area of the solar system.  Captain Nemo might be a disenfranchised native of Mars who flies an advanced ship through the either, blasting other ships in a protest against England’s continued expansion of influence.  (See also; Atlantis The Lost Kingdom).

4.  John Carter:  Though it fails to capture much more than the barest fraction of the magic of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels, this film still visualizes some of the things that were obviously influences on Space 1889, including the Barsoom air ships.  Mars itself has a lot of the right look and feel, if you just put more fins and bat features on the Red Men, they’d make pretty good Martians.  The deep history implied in the film captures some of that ambiance, too.  (See also; First Men in the Moon).

3.  The Ghost and the Darkness:  Life on the frontier, building outposts of civilization can be difficult and dangerous.  It takes people with a lot of nerve and maybe too little smarts.  Capturing some of the societal situations of the day, this historically inspired yarn of killer lions also cranks up the mystery and horror.  (See also; The Mountains of the Moon).

2.  The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello:  A creepy animated story of plague and lost love, this film feels more like the tales told by children in the slums than an actual Space 1889 story.  But don’t those tales usually have a grain of truth in them?  A very creepy and dreamy film.  (See also; City of Ember).

1.  The Man Who Would be King:  Daniel and Peachy are fantastic Space 1889 characters; men ready to take on the world, looking to make their fortune, and just about mad enough to pull it off.  A beautiful epic of two mad bastards putting their mark on a mysterious land.  (See also; She).

    There have also been a few TV shows over the years that capture at least something of the spirit of the game.  The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne was deeply, deeply flawed, but did have some cool elements.  The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., as well as the original Wild, Wild West give the American West a steampunk vibe that works pretty well with Space 1889.  The Amazing Screw-On Head was the pilot for what could have been a great show.  And the Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Jeremy Brett is quite excellent.

-Matt

Prodigal Son: A Bit More Homework

                                                                        Part Twenty

    As I’ve been reading over my Prodigal Son posts, thinking about the upcoming push to start a regular roleplaying game, I thought I’d turn again to inspirational movies.  One of my favorite games, one that I very much want to run, is the medieval fantasy game (one of the few fantasy settings I like) Ars Magica.  Ars Magica, typically, takes place in medieval Europe, often around 1200 or so, but in a version less tied to history than to myth, less how it was and more how people imagined it was, ‘Mythic Europe.’  Forests full of fairies, dragons in the mountains, angels & demons, ghosts, and of course, wizards.  The game is about wizards; a secret society of magic users who live throughout Europe, studying, experimenting, and increasing their powers.  There are three levels of player characters in the game.  Magi (wizards) are primary, Companions are secondary, and Grogs are tertiary.  While Magi are the main focus of the game, companions are also fully realized characters with goals and histories.  Grogs are medieval equivalents of  ‘red-shirts’ from Star Trek, rarely becoming more than background players.  Countless movies set in the medieval world have been made, but few that capture the essence of the atmosphere I most connect to the game.  What follows is a list of a few of the best Ars Magica films.

10.  Brave:  Merida, with a few twists, could make an excellent companion.  In a world dominated by men, adventurous women can become more profound, more inspiring, and more interesting.  While Mythic Europe, especially within the world of magi and the Order of Hermes may not be as misogynist as the middle ages actually were, it’s hardly an enlightened world.  There's some good magic and the setting looks amazing.  (See also; How to Train Your Dragon).

9.  A Field in England:  Not even close to the correct era, this film is a perfect representation of the life and times of grogs.  Ignorant, earthy, and slightly cracked, these AWOL soldiers go through a strange, mushroom laced adventure in magic and madness.  While it might be more extreme in tone than I would go for in a game, I think it captures the right mindset for grogs when they’re not under the watchful eye of a magus. (See also; Marketa Lazarova).

8.  Beowulf:  A weird visualization of the myth, Beowulf embraces the crazy adventure and magical mayhem that is the undercurrent of Ars Magica’s Mythic Europe.  One could imagine this story being told around camp fires, inspiring young, adventurous folk to travel north, to seek their fortunes in strange and haunted lands.  (See also; The 13th Warrior).

7.  Brothers Grimm:  While set many centuries later than Ars Magica, this movie captures the more fanciful and mysterious vision of Mythic Europe I’m inclined to attempt.  (See also; Snow White: A Tale of Terror).

6.  Ladyhawke:  Getting past the absolutely awful music (or at least, absolutely inappropriate), this romantic tale is full of charm and magic.  A young thief finds the secret of a beautiful woman and a taciturn knight, and the curse that keeps them apart.  Etienne and Isabeau could easily be companions or a companion and an NPC.  Phillipe would also make a solid companion character. (See also, The Princess Bride).

5.  Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut):  A sprawling epic of the Crusades, this film features various political and religious elements, while also taking us from backwoods village to the urban centers of the Holy Land.  Characters, plots, histories, and events to inspire abound.  (See also; El Cid).

4.  Excalibur:  The ultimate, high fantasy telling of the story of King Arthur, this wild and operatic film is pure magic.  Like Beowulf, it feels like the mythological base for Mythic Europe, a fundamental part of the cultural language of the people who live there.  If this isn’t what happened, it’s what people may have imagined happened.  (See also; The Fool of the World and his Flying Ship).

3.  The Virgin Spring:  A simple tale of lost innocence, a horrible crime, revenge, and a wrestling with faith.  The stark but somehow charming life of a landed man and his family is depicted in this film.  It’s idyllic, until it’s soiled.  The look and feel of the film capture Mythic Europe, including the danger posed by strangers in the wood.  (See also; The Reckoning).

2.  The Seventh Seal:  The disillusionment of Crusaders returning from the wars clashes with the consuming shadow of the Black Death in this haunting and surreal tale of life and death.  The knight and his squire would make obvious choices for companion character inspirations.  But there are plenty of other interesting characters in this film.  And the manifestation of Death feels very much like something one might face.  (See also; Valhalla Rising).

1.  The Name of the Rose:  While this film deals with the clergy and the Church, it doesn’t take much to turn the priests and monks into Magi and the monastery into a covenant.  William might very well be a Quaesitor, sent to investigate some crime against the Order.  Gritty and ugly, it’s also mysterious and oddly beautiful.  This film is kind of a must for Ars Magica players.  (See also; The Advocate).

    There are also several TV series that are worthy of seeing.  The 80s version of Robin Hood, Robin of Sherwood, the recent series Vikings, The Storyteller, and the Cadfael mysteries.  And there are other movies, perhaps not as good or as spot on, that might do for a watch.  Solomon Kane, Erik the Viking, Dragonheart, The Last Legion, Season of the Witch, and others have plenty of fun ideas.

-Matt

Prodigal Son: Let’s Try This Again

Part Nineteen

    It’s been some time since I last wrote a Prodigal Son article.  Things came up, the way things do.  I got busy, other folks got busy.  I made some priority choices, and gaming lost out.  Life happened.  Well, I’m back, and this time I’m going to give it a serious go.  I’m not stopping off at the Moon, I’m taking a rocket straight to Mars.  While I would love to do another game night some time soon, I’m putting my effort into going straight for a regular roleplaying game.  Now, I would absolutely love to get a weekly session, but while I’m a dreamer, I’m not kidding myself.  That won’t be happening in all likely hood, and I’d rather have something than nothing.  So, come the new year, I’m gathering a few friends together, and we’re going to discuss options and interests.  At the moment, it looks like most, if not all, of my potential players will be new to the hobby, which is exciting (and a bit scary).  I have to remember a few things in the meantime.  1. Roleplaying is one of the most creative and exciting hobbies around; it trumps video games any day, and on the best days it trumps film and literature.  And 2. Roleplaying should be fun.

    I figure the first night, we’ll just chat about the hobby, and maybe play a round of Once Upon a Time or some such.  From there, I figure we’ll arrange a schedule of sorts, hopefully on a no less than bi-weekly basis.  To start things off, I’ll run a one or two night game of something easy and introductory, with pre-made characters.  The obvious options here would be my go-to one-shot game, Call of Cthulhu, or maybe Unknown Armies.  Or maybe, in spite of my frustration with the over-saturation of zombies, All Flesh Must Be Eaten.  Or I could go really crazy and do something like Terra Primate.  Anyway, whatever it ends up being, the point is to get the basic idea of how it all works.

    Once that introductory game is done, we can look at doing something more long term.  Maybe not an indefinite game, but a mini-campaign.  The growth and development of a character is one of the great things about a game, and something missing in one-shots, of course.  With a mini-campaign, there could be a particular story direction, with some major events mapped out, and an ending (or at least a place for an ending to fit).  It gives some sense of development while it also gives the satisfaction of a conclusion.  Short campaigns have a lot of advantages, not the least of which is their finite length.  If they’re good enough, and feature particularly memorable endings, they’ll be remembered for years to come.

    If the group only makes it through one mini-campaign, I’ll count it a success (assuming folks enjoy themselves).  But my hope isn’t to do a single four to eight session story and be done with it all.  There was a time when I was involved in two or three ongoing games a week, when some games lasted several years.  While those days may be long gone, I’d like to get back a bit of it.  So, if the first game and/or the first mini-campaign is a success, I’d sure like to do more.  More mini-campaigns?  This is, of course, an option.  It allows for various types of games, and there are so many I’d like to try.  However, I’d very much like to do a long form campaign.  Something open ended.  As with all things, there are pros and cons to this.  But the longer the game, the more character and setting development, and the more players can influence not just events, but the whole tone and direction of the story.

    The real trick, and this will likely take some time to get rolling, will be to get a game of Ars Magica going.  For that, the group’s numbers might have to be expanded.  Ars Magica is the only game I can think of where very large groups can still work.  Otherwise, six people is pushing it.  Before an ongoing, open ended game, it’s time to get serious, and get this business done.  Time to stop putting things off and talking about how cool it would be if…  Come January, I’m getting a game together, dang it.

-Matt

See the rest of the series here, and here.

Prodigal Son: The Role of the Player

Part Sixteen

    I’ve been gaming, with a couple fairly large gaps, since I was in early junior high.  Oh, sure, I’d tried a couple things before that, but not with any serious success.  My dad and one of my brothers were both gamers, and I’d seen the evidence around the house, been curious, but not been old enough to really give it a go.  My early days as a writer changed this.  My father showed me roleplaying as a way to explore my storytelling skills.  Those days were pretty dark.  Lots of combat, lots of monsters.  Obsession with doing it right, according to the rules.  Not a lot of character development or complex storytelling.  Still, it was a taste of things to come.

    Over next 25ish years, I was exposed to many different games, many different philosophies of game mastering, and many different styles of play and player.  While I never reached the levels of the best game masters, I think I learned some pretty useful skills and ran several very successful games (alongside many not so successful games).  I also played in many, many different games and gained skills as a player, too.  What follows are a few observations on playing a roleplaying game, what it means and what one should do.  This comes both from a selfish place, as a frequent game master, and from the heart (or lump of coal I have in place of one), from one player to another, as a means of improving the experience.

    Most games contain a chapter, essay, or paragraph that answers the question ‘what is roleplaying.’  I’m not going to go too far into that issue.  Suffice to say, it’s a form of communal storytelling mixed with concepts from more traditional tabletop games.  Generally, one person takes the role of game master (or referee, Dungeon Master, or any number of other titles).  This person takes on the responsibility of shaping the story, driving the action, peopling the world outside of the players’ characters, and many other odds and ends and sometimes quite difficult tasks.  Depending on the game and game style, this person might have a lot or very little control over the overall progress of the game.   The players then take on the roles of characters who interact with the greater world, stories, and ‘non-player’ characters.  The exact details, levels of control, etc. vary with game and with group.  I won’t go into that, but know that what I’m writing comes from my way of doing/thinking, and might not hold true for every game or every group.

    Running a game is hard work.  When I put together a session that is planned for between 3 and 4 hours, I often put in between 8 and 16 hours of preparation in the week leading up to the session.  The exact amount depends on many factors, but think about that time.  We’re talking a shift or two worth of work that I’m not being paid for.  And then, half a shift spent actually presenting that work, during which all sorts of nerve wracking things might happen, including but not limited to, skipping over some or even all of that work, going off the prepared map and into free-formed improvisation.  To say the very least, it’s a stressful thing to do.  However, the rewards can be great and can be more than worth the stress.

    As players, many people simply show up at the appointed time (or thereabouts), sit down, chat a bit, respond to a few things the game master says, quote The Holy Grail a couple times, role the dice a bunch, and then go home, not to think about the game again until the following session.  Having run games that included many such players, I can say that with few exceptions, these folks can be soul crushing.  All that work, pouring your heart and soul into preparing for a grand story, and you get someone who might as well have stayed home and watched the Simpsons for all the engagement you get.  Ouch.  (I’m not even going to bring up the people who actively work against you.  I have had a couple of them over the years, and they’ll outright kill a game).

    So, here’s the thing.  Roleplaying games are a group effort.  It’s a game.  A group game.  If you don’t want to be social, to be part of a group, to forge a story in the grandest sense that will be remembered and retold, then why are you playing?  Why not just do what most people did 15 years ago, and switch to online video games?  Roleplaying feeds a specific hunger in us, and I really do think it’s a great one.  But, it’s not the hunger that is fed by a movie, book, or a video game.  It may be related, but it’s not the same.  As a player, you have unprecedented control over how the story is told.  It’s not like reading a book or watching a movie or playing a video game, where everything has already been written down, filmed, or programmed.  Where at best, you have a very limited variety of options to direct events.  Roleplaying lets you make a difference.  It lets you answer those questions.  What would I do?  What’s behind that other door?  What happens next?  What if I let this guy live?  What if I don’t help her?  If you’re just showing up and letting the story happen at you for a few hours, you’re not really playing and chances are, you’re wasting your time and that of the game master.

    You get out what you put in.  Actually, you can get out a LOT more than you put in, but you won’t get much of anything if you don’t put in any effort.  The more time and energy and thought you put into the game, the more you’ll get out of it.  The best games I’ve played were the ones where I was most engaged, hungry to do more, and excited about the game outside of the actual session.  I think back to a game of Ars Magica where I would spend my high school study hall time writing feverishly in my character’s lab notebook (a journal of sorts), hatching plans and exploring ideas.  I was always excited to show the lab notebook to my game master, to get his thoughts, and yes, to get a few experience points for my effort (like gold for character improvement).  The game was exciting for me, not just during the four hours on Sunday night that we were playing, but for many hours over the course of the week, when I’d be thinking about the previous session, planning for the next, and making grand plans for the months to come.

    As a good player, you must be fully engaged in the game.  This doesn’t mean showing up and having someone talk at you for a while.  It doesn’t mean simply sitting back and being entertained.  It means becoming a part of the story, taking control of it (at least in part), and putting forth real effort (yes, sometimes outside of the 3 or 4 hour game session).  While I believe the game master will likely always be the hardest working member of the team, because he or she has the most balls to juggle, the most pans on burners, the player can make it all worth while if they pitch in their fair share.

    This means a few simple things first:

1.  Show up on time.  Sounds simple enough, but over the years I’ve had many a player who can’t be bothered to show up at the appointed time.  Sure, once in a while something happens.  But stopping off at McDonalds every week before the game, then showing up a half hour late doesn’t count.  It’s rude and its disrespectful to everyone.  Honestly, showing up a touch early is a good rule of thumb.  Maybe help is needed in setting things up.  But whatever the case, being there a bit early is better than being there a bit late.

2.  Stay on task.  Tabletop roleplaying is a social activity, often done among friends.  It’s likely you’ll want to catch up with folks about how their week(s) has gone, or what new developments have happened at their job or home.  Heck, you might just want to gab about the new episode of that show you both like, or about the new RPG website you’re reading.  That’s all great.  But, do it before the game or save it until the end.  A bit of friendly talk is one thing, but constantly jabbering about non-game related things during the game session is distracting, annoying, and again, disrespectful.  Just don’t do it, or at the very least, keep it to a minimum.  Again, another reason to show up early is that you can catch up with folks BEFORE the session begins.  Though it’s not always an option, planning dinner as part of the evening can be a nice way to take care of both issues 1 and 2.  Everyone eating together gives folks a chance to settle in, be ready on time, and get a lot of the non-game related talk out of the way.

3.  Get involved.  As I said above, the more you put in to a game, the more you’ll take out of it.  So many people I’ve gamed with have refused to do any extracurricular work for whatever game they’ve been playing.  No to lab notebooks or journals.  No to outside research or writing.  No to anything that requires any effort at all, much less effort outside of the actual session.  This is sad.  And coming at it from both angles, as a player and as a game master, it’s frustrating in the extreme.  As a player, sitting next to someone who refuses to fully engage in the game is like being in a class you really enjoy and being partnered with someone who doesn’t care one bit.  Nothing you can do or say will get that person to help with projects or participate in class.  They’re a weight around your neck.  As a game master, these folks are nothing short of a soul crushing negative.  Often with blank stares, forgetful of previous events, unwilling to take notes or pay close attention, and then upset when they miss important details…Ugh.  Why even come to the game?

4.  Feed your game master (and fellow players).  OK, you can take this literally.  I can tell you that few things make me happier than players showing up with snacks or dinner.  If said food can be tied into the game session in some way…Wow.  Great.  Playing Ars Magica?  How about some authentic medieval cooking.  Playing Star Wars?  How about blue milk.  Characters on the open range?  Some jerky wouldn’t hurt.  Food is awesome, but more, it shows that you’re thinking about the game and care about it.  This can go a long way.  But, while food is great, I’m not talking literally.  Feed the creativity of the game master and your fellow players by being creative and thoughtful.  You’re not viewing a film or even a play.  You’re taking on the role of an active, vibrant character within the greater story.  Nobody wants to read about passive characters who just let things happen to them (well, the Twilight novels may prove me wrong there).  So, don’t be passive.  Don’t be quiet.  Think and participate.  Once again, it’s a group effort and if you’re not putting the effort in, you’re leaching it from everyone else.  Believe me, the game master needs your input more than anything else.  So give it.

5.  Bring supplies and take notes.  Make sure you bring a dedicated notebook, a pen, and maybe your own set of dice (or whatever).  And anything else you think you might need.  Calculator.  Ruler.  Whatever.  What you might need depends greatly on the game and group.  But a notebook and pen should be with you EVERY time.  And use them.  Take notes.  Make notes of non-player characters you meet.  Rumors you hear.  Locations you visit.  Plans you devise.  Take notes.  And, before you go to a session, read over your notes from the previous week(s) as a refresher.

6.  Silence, turn off, and/or do not check your phone.  This isn't a problem that really existed when I gamed more frequently.  The ubiquity of cell phones, smart phones particularly is still a relatively recent development.  Do not, under any circumstances have it out to check messages, play games, text people, etc.  Just don't do it.  For all intents and purposes, treat the game as a movie in the theater, and keep your cell dark and silent.  If you have to use the phone, excuse yourself and go into a different room or outside.  If used as a tool within the game, for looking up important information, or what have you, under the direction of the game master, OK.  Otherwise, turn it off and keep it hidden.

    I’m sure there are plenty more observations that can be made, more advice given.  But that’s a start.  Be mindful of your fellow players, especially the game master.  It’s one thing if you’re all playing some beer & pretzel game where everyone’s just screwing around.  But, if you’re playing anything with any meat to it, chances are, the person running the game is putting a great deal of effort into each and every session.  If you’re not reciprocating with some effort of your own, you’re doing the game master and yourself a disservice.  Be a better player.  Play better games.  Have more fun.

-Matt

Prodigal Son: Back on the Horse

 

Part Thirteen

     With the holidays starting to fade in my rearview mirror, this boy’s fancy once again turns to the missed hobby of roleplaying.  Lots of craziness happened last year, with scheduling difficulties and weddings, and all sorts of things getting in the way.  But, I did manage to get together with my co-Dork Brad and have a couple evenings playing Call of Cthulhu.  Sadly, I was not able to get the follow-up session with his wife before everything went mad.  So, with the new year, I figure it’s time to get back on the horse and see what I can do. 

    I still have some of the same eventual goals.  The dream is still to run an ongoing Ars Magica game.  And I’d love to take on Fading Suns, Star Trek, Middle Earth, and/or a couple other old favorites again.  I still have this idea that combines a couple concepts from the awful anime Gantz with some ideas from Lost, all wrapped up in Over the Edge.  That one is crazy, and may never happen.  And, heck, I wouldn’t mind doing a long term (though finite) Doctor Who based game.  I put together some pretty good ideas for that a while back.  So many games.  So little time.

    As I mentioned in the last installment, I discovered a new game, the first I’ve purchased in a LONG time.  Diaspora from VSCA Publishing plays to a lot of my interests.  It’s on the harder side of science fiction (more Traveller or Foundation than Star Wars or Fading Suns) and has a simple system that not only encourages, but demands heavy input from players as well as game masters.  One of the many aspects of the game I find especially interesting is setting creation, where the whole group takes on making the region of space you’ll all be playing in.  I imagine this gives players a real sense of investment, as they’ve actually helped create the places their characters act within.  I’m severely tempted to make this my next major focus, but I’m not sure yet. 

    The problem remains one of scheduling and personalities.  Can I find enough people who get along enough, and can match up schedules enough to play an ongoing game.  While one-shots are fine here and there, I don’t think the satisfaction of roleplaying is ever as strong as in the ongoing game, when you can see events and characters change and develop.  A one-shot tends to feel a bit like a pilot episode for a show, or perhaps a segment of an anthology film.  But, with an ongoing game, you get something more akin to a full fledged series.  Like watching the pilot episode for Babylon 5, where a lot of the kinks hadn’t been worked out, the characters not well defined, and the general theme of the show only hinted at.  It took half a season before things really got going, before the viewer could start to get a handle on the setting and the characters.  An ongoing game tends to work something like that. 

    As I write this, I’m beginning to lean toward an option I discussed previously.  Perhaps, I will simply start hosting a Sunday night game night, where we’ll try various things for a while, and I’ll invite various people.  From that, perhaps I can build a small team of players willing to try something a little more serious.  I have several non-roleplaying games I’ve been itching to play for a while, from Settlers (I picked up the Seafarers of Catan supplement too, but haven’t even cracked it open yet) to Once Upon a Time.  And some sick part of me really wants to drop the titanic 80 something bucks on the Lovecraft based Mansions of Madness game.  Yikes.  Plus, I know at least one possible player has been wanting to play Twilight Imperium for some time. 

    Taking stock of the games I have on hand, I find that I have a pretty good variety for a range of 2 to as many as 10 players.  2 and 4 players seeming to be the most common ideal.  I like that what I have varies greatly in both subject and complexity.  Nothing could be simpler than Mancala, while Crimson Skies is fairly involved and rules heavy.  Lunch Money is fairly perverse, while Chess is as wholesome apple pie (even 4-Way Chess).  And while I’m not into gambling at all, I do have plenty of playing cards and a copy of Hoyle’s. 

    So, as we begin 2012, I am once again on the path of my Return to Gaming.  I made some baby steps in 2011, but now it’s time to get serious about having some fun.

-Matt