With DDC now 84 days away and the fact that I’ve got gaming on my mind to distract me from all things mundane or anything else that falls into the category of making feel like I’m getting a rash. I am again drifting over the vast expanse of game geekery.

Last time I asked your thoughts about players in roles during a con LARP that just really jumped out at you.

This time I’m interested in your thoughts regarding ‘favorite scenes’ in a Con LARP, this can either be a scene that you participated in with another player, or one that you merely observed in a game, or heck, let’s kick it up a notch (it is Friday after all), many of us are also GM’s so maybe one that you witnessed in that role.

These could be long scenes or short – often it’s just a line or two, but it sticks in our heads.

I’ll start:

• Most recent Pacificon, observed as a GM – Eric W. as the leader of ‘Team America’ he had just lost face in front of the other foreign nations in a negotiation and called for a break, then he took ‘Team America’ outside for a little ‘chat’ - “And YOU (pointing at Joe - their version of Capt. America) you’re wearing the damn flag and you can’t support me in front of the Germans? THE GERMANS!!!???? Really????” - I almost fell over.
• dancingshaman & Myself: Harbringers Part II – Had a great moment as Protector (the Superman) of that world, trying to convince The Mask (the Batman of that world) to put back on his mask and be a hero one more time. It was emotional, and actually motivating.
• manictao & I: Harbringers Part II – he was playing the ‘other-Batman’ of that world and I witnessed him defeat an opponent by grabbing him in the unmentionables. When I professed my shock and explained to him that ‘heroes’ should a particular code of conduct that included “…not grabbing other heroes in the…the…that place.) He had a great speech about how most of the other heroes/villains there weren’t bulletproof like me, about how I should come back down to Earth and how I never had to get ‘dirty’ like the rest of them.
• deirdremoon & I: 7^th Sea game – She played my long running character Sergie’s ex-flame. When she walked up to me in the game she fixed a look on me with raised eye-brow. Then she launched into an acid-tongued greeting that transported me right back too memories of real-life uncomfortable experiences with ex’s – the kind that have all sorts of ‘unfinished’ business. She set the tone.
• random_girl & I: CC’s ‘Big Brains, Skinny Ties game: I had a fantastic scene with her character – asking her to explain to my ‘past-self’ what I had done, why I did it and how it would affect the world. [I was a time-traveler] It was a great exchange.

So gentle readers, indulge me (Okay… yes, I know you all do that a lot already).

Favorite con LARP scenes – What Say You?

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY***

astronemly

HERE’S WISHING YOU HAPPINESS, RECOGNITION IN YOUR FIELD, A WINNING POKER HAND, AND THE POWER TO GET INTO ANY CON GAME YOU CHOOSE.

With DunDraCon a mere 87 days away, my thoughts occasionally drift…to far and wide ranging expanse of gamer geekdom.

In the spirit of such things, I pose a variation on an oft repeated question O’ gentle readers: List which Con LARP characters have been among some of your favorites to watch/interact/play with, not a character/role you played yourself.

I’ll even provide some examples myself:

random_girl recent portrayal of the Delta reporter at the last Pacificon: Her use of the TK power was award worthy, we here at Team Volare’ Productions had never made use of the ‘Telekinetic’ power suite in the past, and frankly had some concerns over HOW it would play out. She was so creative, and so inventive that at many points during the game she literally turned the course of events for the whole plot on a dime. This only enhanced the fact that she was ‘on-the-money’ in terms of role-playing as well. Simply put, it was a total package performance.

manictao as El Bastard in ECM’s 7^th Sea game – Most, if not all of the people on my F-list understand what I’m saying when you get a role that suits you so well it’s like putting on your favorite shirt. He shined; in fact, he blazed, and in doing so, raised everyone up around him. I hope that he gets to reprise that role; it would be game well worth playing in for that alone.

Speaking of ECM, baronlaw as the Boogyman in our Grimm Fairytale game, he was soooooo smooth. Evil on two legs and everyone in the game flocked right into his open arms. Creepy, chilling and smug all rolled up into one package – the man was sooooo money.

devonapple as the angel Raphael in our Requiem game – This was a toughie because everyone in that game really had it going on good, but again – it think it was a case of perfect player for the role, he owned it, and in doing so, made everyone interacting with him step up their game as well.

grandmoffdavid as Baron Sunday – it really is rare that the ‘Big Evil’ in any game pulls of his/her master plan. It takes real skill, and he did it, all the way down the line. He’s still the Master Class of all our Master class villains.

…I could go on, I really could – but this will begin to bleed into my favorite scenes in a LARP, and that is a different set of Q & A.

The point is that each of the players I noted were ‘ON’ in that particular game, and in doing so, raised everyone else around them.

So I ask you O’ gentle readers, what say you?

So per the website, we’re 91 days out till DDC 2010.

That’s Officially the three month mark.

Three (3) months.

To my fellow GM’s out there, have you started writing? Hmmmm? Well have you?

I have, I know that my compadres have begun as well.

91 days

I really need to dig down and focus on some big ticket issue here as well; the biggest of course is “WHAT BEER ROB? FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD & HOLY, CAN’T YOU SEE WHAT’S AT STAKE HERE MAN?”

St. Arnold, the Patron Saint of Beer screamed that at me last night while I was dreaming, interrupting a perfectly good world domination dream I might add, he also whacked me with staff made of hardened hops when he thought I wasn't paying attention, but I can deal with that part. That’s how I knew this morning we were at the 3 MONTH mark, clearly I’m dealing with forces beyond me here people, so you can see burden I wrestle with prior to each con.

[sigh]…it’s a lonely road.

And I’ve got to walk if for 91 more days.

I was making daily rounds on the floor when I happened upon 4 very, very pregnant women (and by very, very pregnant I mean at that stage when they will NOT be pregnant sometime in the next 12 hours or so). They were all doing the “labor walk” - which means that in order to get ‘things going’ they were sent for a walk (technically at this stage of the game it’s really more of a waddle; just like those Weeble™ toys from the past.)

Now here’s where it got a bit strange.

They were all walking in a straight line, near the hallway wall, in unison. Lock step unison – I doubt that this was intentional; in fact, I don’t think they were aware of it at all. But there they were, waddling to and fro; each one had a look of grim determination, marching in unison. The best part was that the lead in this pregnancy procession had an I.V. in tow; it made her look like a drum majorette, leading the rest.

I stopped to watch them for a minute, they didn’t look up or notice me at all, I geeked out and thought briefly about Monty Python’s Holy Grail but kept it to myself. You don’t want to be mistaken as a prey animal with that crowd.

This past Saturday, for the 2^nd time in 4 months, our company car got stolen out of the lot. Probably by the same little cadre of thugs as the last time, (looked like the same hoodie-wearing little bastards to me on the security tape). The last time they did this they wrecked the steering column getting to the ignition – committed some crimes in the car and left it on a fairground lot. It cost the hospital nearly $2000 to get the car back from the police lot. That’s right kids, the police charge you to hold your recovered property – government service in action. I hadn’t even gotten the vehicle repaired – the blue book value on the car was less than the deductible so insurance balked. I was planning on donating the vehicle since it seemed to me that we were getting along just fine without it at the facility. So when it got taken the 2^nd time I thought, “Fine, run with it and don’t look back you little f$#%ers.”  But Oh NOOOOOO. That would have been too simple, too easy. Instead I just got a call from the O’so helpful PD informing me that the car has been recovered; only now is completely undrivable because the transmission is completely shot and is sitting in their lot for a charge of $115/day. 

Lovely, perfect. I mean I work in a facility that serves the greatest portion of the poor and uninsured in the entire Sac Sierra Region. On a daily basis we deal with so much more than just their healthcare needs – Jesus, last week I signed off on $1000 to pay for the repairs on a cancer patients’ car so they could keep some of their independence.  And the week before that I signed off on money to pay for another’s rent. (I sit on the charity care board for the hospital).

How does the local community repay us? 

With this kind of bulls***.  

Corporate’s attitude – “To bad for you, don’t ask me for any money.”  When I turned to them for help.

If I could only just get my hands on one of the thieves…I’m not even asking for all of them, just one…

My Mellow is Offically Harshed...damnit.

*As noted by many others recently - 2009 really does SUCK.

F***!!!!!

It was a good weekend - Halloween is my favorite time of the year - I always get a bit nostalgic for New England around this time.  We got a fair amount of Trick or Treaters, a little less than last year I think, but I did notice that this year they seem to be moving in packs. 

I got to have my first fire of the year on Friday - I luv having fires in the fireplace; I just luv it. My neighbor across the street has been re-landscaping his back yard for a few months now - and I've been lucky enough to be the recipient of a lot of the wood.  I've got enough now that I'm probably going to have to get a real rack to store it.  Yesterday D., and I went to Golden Gate Fields for the races - they have $1 days on Sundays: $1 beer/hotdogs/soda etc.  I don't know anything about horses, other than I like'em.  But it's a fun way to hang out, gamble a bit, watch the races and have a cheap date, bonus was $6 bet that netted a $60 payout.  When we got back home my neighbor had left six huge stumps for me.  Two of them I managed to split with my axe - which was a trip down memory lane: I havent' had to really split wood like that since I left N.H., I didn't have a wedge so it was quite a bit of refreshing labor.  For the remaining stumps I"m going to have to get a wedge for sure - and play with the chainsaw - big powertools and big hammers; sounds like a relaxing afternoon.  Beats getting my ass kicked by the mullberry tree and it's never ending carpet leaf bombing on my driveway.
 

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY***

manictao

To my brutha-from-anotha-mutha, here’s wishing you great health, career success, creative inspiration, excellent beer and of course, some limited edition Mad Sex Yo™ (the kind we hid in the safe)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

deirdremoon

Here’s wishing you career success, musical joy, and good health. Plus a session of trademark Team Volare’ Mad Sex Yo™, the kind that activates the emergency broadcast system.