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.