End-of-Week Trek (5/17/13)

I always liked the version of Star Trek that was in my head more than what they have shown on the big and small screens. My preferred Trek is more like The Original Series or the current J.J. Abrams films, as well as the Enterprise series with Scott Bakula and friends (if I had to put them in order of preference, I would go with Enterprise, J.J. Abrams' version, then TOS).

Yeah, those versions are most similar to what I personally want to see when it comes to Star Trek: a more wild and woolly crew and a universe to match. The other versions of the series could be a bit too...sanitary?

Anyway, I'm going with some friends to see Star Trek Into Darkness on Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed the first film, but didn't think it was spectacular. But again, I liked it because it fits my personal preference for Trek flavor: grittier and a bit less cerebral. I'm hoping that, since the first movie is under our belts and the "get to meet the crew" phase is over, we can move on to more interesting and solid storytelling.

 

And of course, in true Anthony fashion, my returned interest in Star Trek has come with a renewed urge to ROLEPLAY Star Trek! What else is new for Gamer ADD Boy?! I fear that the talented Mr. Dan Proctor has something to do with this current desire on my part, thanks to Goblinoid Games' Starships & Spacemen RPG. But I'm trying to fight this distraction like Kirk fighting the gorn, "judo" chopping and all.

P.S. Sorry for lack of posting of late. The switch to a new job has been sucking up my time.

End-of-Week Harryhausen! (5/10/13)

Today my end-of-week post is dedicated to the late Ray Harryhausen, at the suggestion of R.J. at Gamers & Grognards. So, in honor of Ray on this impromptu Appreciation Day for him, here goes:

 

Probably not long before I got into D&D, I saw those cool movies that were staples of Saturday afternoon TV. You know the ones I'm talking about. They starred such mythic figures as Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, Perseus, and others. They featured fantastic voyages, heroes roguish or virtuous, vile villains, sword fights, hammy acting, and...the monsters! Oh, the monsters!

 

 

When you're a kid, you don't care about the names of the people that appear on the screen at the beginning of films. You want the adventure to start, and the monsters to come forth! So I didn't know who Ray Harryhausen was as a kid on those long-ago, dream-like Saturday afternoons, that magical time when there's nothing to do but let loose your imagination, and once the movie is over you're going to run out of your house and play until dinnertime.

 

 

I didn't know who Ray was, but I worshipped his work. I also didn't know that I would someday be sitting around a table pretending to fight the skeletons, dragons, animated statues, and the other creatures he brought to life. But when the time did come for me to face down those terrors, just like the heroes on TV, I knew that I'd come home, so to speak. I'd found my hobby!

 

You know, these days everybody's trying to use CGI to make film monsters look more and more real. BUT, to me, the "fake-ness" (for lack of a better term) and "jerky-ness" of the stop-motion creatures Ray created only added to their fantastical nature. I'm not sure if that's just the imagination of the kid I was when I saw his stuff for the first time, filling in the "warts" that come with stop-motion.

 

But the very "limitations" of the special effects actually created a wonderful strangeness and, at least for me, helped with suspension of disbelief. These were mythological creatures, and they looked/moved like it. The nature of the medium lent an air of the magical to the monsters.

 

Well, Ray, I just want to say thanks for being one of the inspirations behind my love for the fantastic! Rest in peace, rest well, and thanks again for the magic.

 

P.S. Does anyone else find it strange that his last big film was Clash of the Titans in '81?!

Enough with the Anti-Paladins, already!

This guy's called a "blackguard"...that's better than "anti-paladin."

 

I wanted to share a thought for the day:

 

I never understood the need for the "anti" in "anti-paladin." I know that, traditionally in the real world, the term paladin was used to describe those considered virtuous or holy warriors, such as Charlemagne's Paladins. But, ask the Saracens if the Paladins were holy; you'd get a different opinion!

 

Anyway, the Merriam-Webster definitions for paladin are: 1) a trusted military leader and 2) a leading champion of a cause. That second definition supports my point here: it doesn't say "champion of a GOOD cause." A paladin is a champion of a belief, cause, religion, whatever. So, even if that religion is evil, they are still just a paladin!

 

Ugh, in my long-gone Second Edition AD&D days, there was a guy who always, ALWAYS played a drow anti-paladin. Blech. As it turns out, that meant he was pretty much a douche, both IN and OUT of the game.

Let me leave you with a parting thought: do you call a cleric of an evil religion an "anti-cleric"?!
 

So, what do you all think?

End-of-Week Elmore (5/3/13)

Ah, that looks like a portal to an abyss (or rather THE Abyss, if we're talking Dragonlance...and the above indeed depicts Dalamar and Kitiara of Dragonlance fame). I would be loathe to step through that gate!

 

BUT, in a couple weeks I will be stepping through the "portal" of a new job, and I couldn't be more excited! So, I suppose I'll be walking through a gate to ESCAPE an abyss...not that my current job is that bad, though! ;-) However, the new job should hopefully be a much better environment/culture in which to work...fingers crossed and all that. I'll find out soon enough!

May Day and Renewal

I've heard of the May pole...but what are these guys doing? Happy bludgeoning?

So here we are and it's May 1st already! For the last few months (since about February) I've missed my Wednesday night games at the FLGS, due to the fact that I was taking a class and had other work and family commitments.

 

And, I had a new job opportunity drop into my lap (I'm here to tell you that LinkedIn is awesome, folks). I'm happy to report that opportunity has panned out quite nicely, and I'm going to start my next career adventure in a couple weeks! One of the best parts of the new gig: it's still within driving distance of my FLGS, so Wednesday game night shall live on!

 

Even though I've missed some Wednesday night roleplaying, I've managed to keep getting together with a group of guys (who were originally friends of friends) with whom I'm playing Pathfinder (I'm a half-orc rogue). Let me tell you, the game gives me a headache and causes frustration. There seems to be way too much dice rolling and time spent on all sorts of feats and other junk. And don't get me started on the friggin' attacks of opportunity! Oy vey!

 

Yes, I knew going into it that Pathfinder was more crunchy than, say, Castles & Crusades and the "OSR-approved" rules. But I thought I could get over the crunch. But I don't think I can. It's not that I couldn't learn and grasp them. I just find myself resisting the learning process. There's a very vocal part of my mind that bluntly states "Not interested!" And I guess I'm okay with that. It really leaves me yearning for the older rules, you know?

 

But hey, the way I see it, it's still roleplaying! You know those old sayings about pizza and sex, right? Even when they're bad they're good?

 

Anyway, have a great May Day kids!