Robins Laws Revisited Complete Series

Here's the series about RPG blogging Chatty mentions in the Podcast.

I also read some of a series about RPG blogging from Chatty a guest post by Berin Kinsman

What not to do

I thought it was really interesting and helpful.  It made me begin thinking about what type of RPG blog I might have one day . . . hmmmmm . . . What to expect from the Expecting Gamer? Or Just Expecting Gamer (I guess I won't always be expecting, but oh well).

Well, I really didn't intend for this to be such a drag out little bitch fight.  I honestly didn't intend any harm when I posted the to our site.  I had seen a similar post that Chadarius had put up from A Hero Twice a month, and it appeared to be the whole article to me -- which was more than 3 paragraphs, incidentally.  I went about it wrong, but thought I had sited appropriately.  I would really have prefered if Trask had contacted me privately to talk about the copying of the content.  It would have been handled quickly and calmly and more so with the utmost of remorse.

Having it handled this way has made me feel attacked and truly . . . do you want to discourage new young women from the RPG community?  Consider how you are treating people before you publically attack them and wine about a little misunderstanding all over the place.  And before you even think of saying that I should have thought about it before copying the whole article . . . please, please understand that I thought I was going about it correctly.

Between Shane's We-e Care classes, La Leche League, Pumpkin Patch Duty and preparing for Natural Childbirth I have noticed this strange obsession that has creeped its way into my daily life. Many of you may suffer from it as well. I feel like Shelly M. after one of her successful DM ing moments sneaking around for a game fix. DnD is always on, in the back of, or right up front in my mind. I even caught myself watching Enchanted with Shane the other day wondering how I could possibly roll up a Jizelle-like bard and what her coolest power might be.

Live video by Ustream

I have thought about DMing for a while and would really like to try it.  I have two fears . . . having everyone in the room know/think I have no idea what I'm doing and having anyone in the room tell me what I should be doing.  I find this concept of backseat DMing fascinating.  Here's why: did you know that some people in our group backseat PC?  Have any of you experienced this?  Or even have any idea what I mean?  Simply put, there have been several times when guys in the group flat out have said to me, "You don't want to do that." and then explain why.  Now all of you who've DMed for our group . . . do you like being second guessed as the DM?  I'll answer for you, No!

Okay, so it's not really a date, it's the podcast.  But, I'm clearly smitten'.  Girl crush or not, I have been beefing up on Shelly's articles, blogs etc.  I was perusing her personal blog when I found a link called critcal hits.  Seems to be a DnD website I haven't bumped into yet.  They have a weekly poll called the inquisition and this week's was about how many women play in your primary gaming group.  I voted (based on a consensus from Chad and I) that there is 1 woman in our group -- me.

Surprisingly the the results at the time were:

20% no women in their group (38 Votes)

29% 1 woman (55 Votes)

33% 2 women (62 Votes)

13% 3 women (24 Votes)

 3% 4 women (5 Votes)

 2% 5-9 women (3 Votes)

 0% 10 or more (1 Vote)

www.critical-hits.com/2009/10/12/inq-of-the-week-gaming-women/

This tells me two things A) there are plenty of gaming women out there. B) I clearly need a DnD BFF to come play in our group and  well be my BFF twice a month.

Not to beat a dead horse, but there is yet another druid build coming out in October!  It's called the Summoner Druid . . .

"You are a champion of nature, a leader of spirits, and a summoner of feral beasts. You place your trust in the magic of the hunting tiger, the stalking wolf, and the shrieking hawk. The creatures you summon obey your every command, yet if you fail to guide them, they act according to their instincts. Only the most powerful of your evocations can summon creatures to fight at your side, so you must be careful to pick the right moment to summon them. They fight with courage and tenacity regardless of the foe. The creatures that heed your call are companions, not mere pawns. You are their caretaker and guide. If you allow them to run rampant, the blame for any foolish decisions they make rests on you alone. With the power to command the spirits and give them physical form comes the responsibility to use that power with wisdom and foresight."

This is a thread on Astrid's Parlor Groupies on the WoTC community website:

This thread IS about the perceptions and experiences of non-traditional gamers (people outside the assumed White male default). White male gamers are encouraged to ask information-seeking questions that are on topic (detailed below) and geared toward better understanding the people who share their hobby, but attempts to debate, invalidate, or otherwise silence the perspectives and voices of non-traditional gamers are off-topic. Right now, in this thread, non-traditional gamers have center stage. The mic is ours. Please respect that.

Anyway, on to the questions.

1. How does the assumed White male default in D&D as a game (rules, flavor text, artwork, settings, supplements, published adventures, etc.) affect your play experience?

I was checking out the latest from Shelly in CoFtW.  For September she wrote about taking some of the core rules in DnD and applying them to the scariest of all situations Dating.  Wouldn't you know it . . . that totally make sense.  Yes, we have one more way to make DnD relavent in our daily lives.  Alright, many of us in our group are married with kids or luckily are engage/ off the market thanks to that little diamond ring.  But some are still "available' and haven't totally swarn off the dating scene.  What better way to practice for our next campaign or even bone up on your player etiquette than out there in the real yet dangerous dating world (or vise versa)?  Or do any of you have that friend or relative who wonders why they haven't found "the one?"  There's valuable information for aeveryone right in a game of DnD.  Check out the article and see what you think.  Perhaps I'm just a crazy girl.

www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx

"I am the voice of the wilderness, and when I speak, the world shudders."

As a lover of Druids, both 3.5 and 4e, I was intrigued by this new possibility.  Basically, as a Swarm Druid your powers call on insect-like qualities and when you beast out your do so as a bunch of bugs rather than on singe raging beast (panther bear croc etc.)  The new build includes powers that will call new creatures to your aid as well as the massive colonyish swarms of creepy crawlies.  I'm suddenly reminded of the time Rhiannon called forth a Shark in that battle with the burning ships and my heart is 'strangely warmed" by this possibility in our 4e games to come.

www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx