Serious Combat, cont'

So, we start the game with Daniel explaining lots of data. Once I have all the info I can process, my brain shuts off. And Daniel kept on talking. Then he talked some more. Then we started - when we did, he needed to explain just a few more things. It felt like the whole thing took about 5 hours - it was actually 30 minutes.

Combat finally begins. People are fighting on 3 fronts and Daniel asks me to track Initiative. WTF?!?!? How do I do that?!?! Why do I have to do that!?!?! I get all the character names and people start telling me how to do it. Daniel says one thing, Paul says another and someone else says something else. I go with Paul - he's the sanest of those offering "guidance". So we shoot and cast spells and grapple on board a boat that is flying and the wind is making us work extra hard. One player keeps talking and I literally cannot hear what others are doing. At one point in the game when I am feeling especially frustrated, I ask for help and Daniel tells me I should have read the book while another player tells me "that's why they teach English, so we can read!"This kid does not know me, we are not friends, and quite frankly from what I understand, most of the other gamers aren't too fond of him either. Just after 10:00 at the end of the round, I tell Daniel its time to go. I am fuming so I put my purse in the car and go back in to help Dan. While I'm inside I start packing things and Paul and I get into an impromptu religion/race/general heavy topic discussion. I don't like to talk like this without really devoting the time to have a quiet, open, honest discussion, and I think Paul is a really cool guy so I hope we get the chance to talk again - but maybe due to my aggravation and all the misc people milling about, it just felt awkward and REALLY made me want to leave.

My aggravation clearly stemmed from embarrassment and not knowing what to do next. Part of this derives from Daniel telling me he would teach me what I need to know and I should ask the players for help to fill in the gaps. My issue now is do I really want to devote the time it takes to learn this game, think through strategies, and deal with this asshole - all for an indefinite amount of time?

N-G Follow-up

• Initiative - Each player rolls Initiative on a D-20 die. The numbers rolled from highest to lowest determine the order in which players take actions in combat. When you hear the GM say, "everyone roll initiative," you know the ass-kicking will commence soon.

Serious Combat

So, at the end of the game, there were two war ships bearing down on us. We were about to enter combat and I had no idea what to do...

I am glad we had a week to think this through - except that I spent no time thinking about this. My character has all kinds of spells and skills and I don't really know how to use them. My character could actually be mortally wounded. That would really suck.

My game preparation this week consisted of getting cute frosted dice to play with. (Thanks, Daniel!) Also, I read the list of spells my character could use while Daniel was doing character updates. Then I played 'Portal' and 'Endless Ocean'. Daniel's game prep consisted of buying more miniatures, buying card holders for his miniatures' collectible cards, updating NPCs & PCs, referring to the Monster Manuals a lot, giggling to himself when thinking of his game, building massive Excel spreadsheets to calculate our mph on the ship (and distance traveled during each 6-second round), and finding just the right topographical map to be sure we understood the hazards our little journey include. I hope other folks have put more into game prep that I have...

Non-gamer update:

• Spells - you know, like in that movie Practical Magic. Each player gets spells according to your level and you have to have proper components to cast them although sometimes the cast just doesn't work out and you turn your arm into a giant pen or snake or sandwich.
• Miniatures collectible cards - these cards look like baseball cards and contain stats about each monster/beast/humanoid. They help the GM figure out the most efficient monster to use to shred you the fastest.

Pre-Game Stuff

Happy Easter everyone!

After taking me to breakfast, Daniel returned to his home to prepare for the game. Today's preparations for me consisted of writing this blog; for him, finding more miniatures to use in the game and drawing a replica of the boat we're on so that we have a more accurate depiction of our positions on the hex map. I've watched Daniel as he's planned for games in the past. Any time he starts digging through his miniatures, the party gets creamed like spinach. Ok, maybe not creamed, but at least beaten to a frothy end like meringue. Clearly this means for us that we will face combat and hopefully our characters will live through it. I'm ready - I have my dice, my lemon water, my snacks, and hey, what's the worst that could happen? (Oh, no! I didn't say that, I didn't say that, I didn't say that. Damn, I said it - no one tell Anthony Bourdain...)

Non-gamer follow-up:

• Miniatures - You've seen them in dioramas for years. They're tiny immobile action figures usually mounted on a base so they stand alone. The base also helps you stick them to things temporarily. Once, my boyfriend super-glued a skeleton warrior to his finger while repairing it. Each character has a miniature representing it, so opponents, monsters, player characters, and NPCs will have representations on the hex map. Gamers buy these regularly depending on what the need and Daniel has hundreds. From 1-inch to 6-inches, they all sit on the living room shelf, or in boxes, or in divided containers, looking at us as we eat, watch TV or play video games.
  
• Hex Map - I'm even confused on this one. Its basically a huge grid the GM uses to display the party's location relative to other party members, opponents, etc. The can draw topography or whatever else they need directly on the map. Daniel's is vinyl, which works just fine with his multiple wet-erase markers. I just don't get is why this thing is called a hex map, since the grid is made of squares.
  
• Combat - Yep, its a fight. But very organized and played out step by step. Players roll a specific die (one of many) to determine the action sequence. They then, on their turn (which counts for about 6 seconds of time), roll the same die to determine if they land a blow. Finally they roll another die (sometimes 2 or more) to determine how much damage is done. It's all fairly complicated if you're not a gamer and this should not be attempted without guidance. You'll mess around and blow your own arm off or you'll roll the wrong die and the world will come to a screeching halt. Combat is dangerous.
• Dice - These aren't just the 6-sided dice you use in Vegas. Those are too simple for this game. There are numerous dice, used for different reasons. The D4 looks like a 3-sided pyramid with 3 numbers on each side the highest # shown is 4. The D6 is what most people know. Its got 6 sides and the highest number shown is 6. The D8 has a 3-d diamond shape. Its like two 4-sided pyramids mounted base to base (an octahedron). The highest number shown is 8. The D10 is a decahedron and looks like two 5-sided carnival tents mounted base to base. It has 10 sides and th highest number shown is a 9. (Ha, I caught you off guard there...) The Percentage die looks just like the D10, just a little smaller, well at least mine is smaller. It starts with 00 and works up to 90 by 10s. A D12 die is a dodecahedron. Each side is a pentagon with the largest number shown being 12. The D20 is the most regularly used die during the game. It, of course, has 20 sides and is an icosahedron (yeah, I used the proper name - eat your hearts out!). Its used for spot checks, determining your success at spells, bluffs, attacks, etc. Rolling a 1 is the worst for any situation and rolling a 20 makes everyone happy. One member of our group, Paul, is fond of saying that rolling 1s makes things more interesting and challenging. Forget that - give me boring and easy - I want 20s.

Game Preparations

So, my boyfriend (Daniel, the GM) and I begin our game preparations for tomorrow. Mine consists of asking him to remind me what happened last week and trying to figure out how to get my party into some action before the GM starts dropping anvils from the sky. Daniel's consisted of reading the Monster Manual - we are so screwed.

Hmmm - some of that confused you non-gamers, didn't it? Gamers, at the end of each post I'll attempt to explain things and make them clearer for the non-gamer. However, inasmuch as I'm, not a big gamer myself, I need will need you to assist me. NOTE I said ASSIST me, not EMBARRASS me...

1. Game - In this game, we play Dungeons and Dragons. We are pretending to be on the fictional world of Eberron. This is an RPG(Role-Play Game). We put ourselves in the position of our characters and try to think through what they would do and make moves, alliances, etc based on what they would do. We are not LARPers (Click that link for some hot Live-Action Role Player action). These are the folks you see in the costumes with foam, wooden, or cardboard weapons. At their core, LARPers are improv actors with a theme. Those folks are hard-core and I don't have that much energy (or time). There are 7 players in our party. My character wants to kill 1 of them. Coincidentally, I personally want to...well, that's a whole other issue...
   
2. Characters - its like a movie or a play. We make up characters and assign them (through a point system) attributes we think will be helpful. NON-GAMERS PLEASE NOTE: RPGers and LARPersGamers are the OG's of gaming. They say what they want and don't give a bit of a damn what you think. They are honest to a fault and will boggle your mind with a combination of logic, rules, and otherworldly theories. They will kill you with brain overload if you're not careful. (I've seen grisly death with my own two eyes!) Sitting with a group of these gamers can be exhausting, but don't sleep these are not the punk-ass console and computer gamers. They simply play what someone else has programmed. THESE FOLKS ARE the program and if you forget if for a second you are toast. Your character better rock!
   
3. GM - The Game Master. This is the guy who plans the game, controls the game, and voices the non-player charaters (like extras in a movie). He works really hard to be sure player characters (lead and supporting movie roles) get the crap beat out of them, miss some major point which will cause them trouble later, or misstep and die. He writes the plot, rolls dice of his own for the non-player charcters, makes a map or other supporting pieces, and puts out all the minaitures so players get a visual idea of whats happeneing. Usually this guy has a ton of books, knows the rules by memory and got this way by learning this game while non-gamers were wasting time getting drunk, clubbing, fighting, partying, or other useless socializing over the years. Gamers socialize with a purpose and all that other crap is beneath many of them.
4. Action - basically don't stand around debating for a long time. Pick a direction, a weapon, a spell, or something and go with it. Inaction annoys most GMs and they will punish you for it. Daniel likes to make things fall from the sky...
   
5. Monster Manual - There are dozens, probably hundreds of books that explain the rules, characters, weapons, Gods, and backgrounds of D&D or D&D-based games. And yes, there are actually 5 books that list monsters, their strengths, weaknesses, and where they live on fictional worlds and planes. Every GM has at least one Monster Manual. It helps him punish you. Thank goodness the GM loves me...
   

Who am I?

My name is Nadka. Well, its Neelia. No, its Sunshine. OK - my given name is Erin and I now have 4 names. Nadka is my Umbragen assassin from Eberron. Neelia is my Troll Mage from World of Warcraft. I don't remember where Sunshine came from but she really kicks ass!

I vaguely remember how I got all these names and when I started playing all these games. I don't remember what made an MBA with her own business try to game with folks who've been doing this for years. I don't have the time to perfect stuff they've learned over many, many years. While I was dating, partying, drinking and traveling, these folks were slaving away over hex maps and computers, over books and miniatures, honing their craft so that any military strategist would be hard pressed to figure out how to beat them (on a theoretical basis). The bottom line is I haven't gotten a solid hold on any of these games. I am a noob(newbie). I roll 1's and have no idea why that's bad. I have never read the player's manual. And I damn sure don't intend to spend my spare time on non-travel books. I see you're confused; so am I.

I'll take you with me you through the world of RPG so you can learn what mistakes not to make, what REALLY annoys gamers, and what gamers like. Yes, I'll stumble my way through it so you don't have to. Thank goodness my boyfriend's the GM...