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August
19th, 2008
AN OPEN LETTER
TO MICHAEL GOLDFARB - The following is an open letter
to Michael Goldfarb, blogger for the John McCain campaign here
in the United States, and author of both of these comments:
"The (New
York Times)'s editors seem to have all the intelligence and
reason of the average Daily Kos diarist sitting at home in
his mother's basement and ranting into the ether between games
of Dungeons and Dragons." (source)
"It may be
typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage
a fellow countryman's memory of war from the comfort of mom's
basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude
to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered
on behalf of others." (source)
It's unlikely that
Mr. Goldfarb would read this message if I sent it to him directly,
given the amount of ire that these statements have stirred up
recently (including an unofficial "Pro-Obama
Dungeons & Dragons Crowd" t-shirt) - and it's just
as unlikely that he will pop on over to this site to read it
here - but there are some things that need to be said in reference
to his comments, and I can't think of a better place to say
them.
Before I begin, I
must make it clear that The Escapist does not support any political
candidates, and these comments are only in reference to statements
made about role-playing games, which this site is focused on.
Please don't decide your vote on an issue as trivial as this
one, or any other trivial issue. Go for the big issues instead.
And please vote. Thank you.
Mr Goldfarb,
In reference to
your two recent statements about Dungeons & Dragons
players who spend an inordinate amount of time in their parents'
basements, I'd like to help you out with a misconception that
you seem to be shackled to, and I would appreciate it if you
would let the rest of your co-workers know about this as well.
Not all Dungeons
& Dragons players are confined to basements, parental
or otherwise. Many of them play above ground, in their rec
rooms, living rooms, or dining rooms, gathered around tables
rolling dice, moving figures about, telling stories of grand
adventures, and having a great time of it. You might be surprised
to know that people play Dungeons & Dragons and
other roleplaying games away from home, too - in schools,
libraries, and in game stores all over the country, and most
of those games are played above ground as well.
Something you may
never have been aware of, and which may genuinely surprise
you, is that people in the military, stationed at home and
abroad, play Dungeons & Dragons as well. In fact,
I would challenge you, Michael Goldfarb, to name a single
U.S. Navy ship that does not currently have a regular D&D
group on it. I guarantee you that it would take a long time
to find one. (You may wish to read this
article, found on my website, that mentions the benefits
of D&D to sailors on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.)
Not only that,
but service people stationed in Iraq have been known to partake
in the occasional D&D game - in fact, ZigguratCon,
which was possibly the first ever role-playing convention
held in Iraq was held by members of the U.S. Army in 2007,
a "Military D&D Game Day" was held
on June 7th of this year, and an organization called the Baghdad
Hobby Club works to get role-playing books and supplies (as
well as other hobby supplies) into the hands of our troops.
And very few, if
any, of those games are taking place in basements.
I fully respect
Mr. McCain's military service, and I would appreciate it if
you would give just a fragment of respect to people who simply
enjoy a hobby and aren't really harming anyone.
Thank you for your
time,
W.J. Walton
webmaster, www.theescapist.com
(gamer, but not a blogger)

July
31st, 2008
A CALL FOR
HELP - I've had a sudden and unexpected technical problem
that will prevent me from doing podcasts for a while. I was
getting ready to begin recording episode 4, when I discovered
that my headset mic is dead. No amount of cable-switching and
wire-jiggling will bring it back to life. On top of that, our
financial situation isn't allowing us a lot of disposable income
for a little while, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get
a new one. So, as much as I don't like to, I'm biting the bullet
and asking for help from my readers and listeners. Here is my
request:
- If anyone out
there has some podcast recording equipment that they no longer
use or would be willing to donate, please contact me -
- I'm looking for a good headset mic, something that will
isolate my voice and leave out all of the kid and pet sounds
in the background, but I'm willing to accept anything that
will improve the quality of the show.
- Barring that,
I am also willing to accept monetary donations. A new headset
runs between $30-40, so if a dozen or so Escapistcast listeners
each pitched in two or three bucks, you'd be listening to
a new episode before you could say "Am I still unconscious?"
If even more than that is received, then that means better
equipment, which means a better sounding show. I will put
all donations towards the podcast, but I'll be happy just
to get back to recording again, no matter what. To make a
PayPal donation, look for the PayPal button on the right sidebar
of the podcast
page.
As an incentive, I'll
have a special gift for the first person to make a donation, and
I'll do something special for everyone who makes a contribution
(I'm not exactly sure what it is yet, but I'll think of something...)
Thanks for listening and reading, and I hope to be back "on the
air" soon.

June 21st, 2008
FREE
RPG DAY - That's right folks, today is the second annual
Free RPG Day, when game stores everywhere hand out
special role-playing goodies. Visit your Friendly Local Game
Store today and see what they have for you!
Free RPG Day's home page is at www.freerpgday.com
- you can find a participating store on their participating
stores page, and get a sneak peek at what will be available
on the sponsors
page.

June
7th, 2008
WORLDWIDE
D&D GAME DAY - JUNE 7TH - The fourth edition of
D&D is here, and through some sort of bizarre coincidence,
it is also the fifth Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game
Day.

(Wow, time sure flies.
It seems like the last D&D Game Day was just last
November...)
So get some gaming
buddies together and play some D&D this weekend
- find a
localtion near you that will be running demos of 4e - or
play some 3.5, 2nd edition, or even (gasp!) first edition! Spread
the word, invite non-gamers to try it out, and get some kids
involved, too!
RPGS FOR
KIDS AT ORIGINS - The Origins Game Fair is fast approaching,
and I am hosting a series of six RPG events especially for kids
and their grownups. For more information, check the Origins
2008 Excursion Agenda page over at the Young
Person's Adventure League.
March
17th, 2008

EPISODE 0
OF THE ESCAPISTCAST IS LIVE - The introductory episode
of The Escapistcast, "Intros & Inspirations,"
is now ready for your listening pleasure at www.theescapist.com/escapistcast

March
4th, 2008
GARY GYGAX,
R.I.P.

(photo by Alan
De Smet)
Ernest
Gary Gygax
July 27, 1938 - March 4, 2008

March
3rd, 2008
HAPPY
GM'S DAY! - March 4th (or 'March Fo(u)rth!') is GM's
Day, a holiday organized by the folks at EN
World to recognize the efforts of RPG gamemasters everywhere.
So do something nice
for your GMs tomorrow. It doesn't have to be something material
- you could send a grateful email, card, or phone call, offer
to help out at the next game, or anything else to let them know
how much you appreciate all of the time and effort they put
into your entertainment.
To all GMs - Happy
GMs day!

March
1st, 2008
COMING SOON,
THE ESCAPISTCAST! - I
have been knocking around the idea of doing an Escapist podcast
for a couple of years now (because I don't have NEARLY enough
on my plate as it is...), and I think the time as finally come.
So, consider this the official announcement - keep your eyes and
ears peeled for The
Escapistcast, coming soon!

FACEBOOK ESCAPIST GROUP - If you're a Facebook member,
consider joining the Escapist
Roleplaying Advocacy Group to get site updates, join in
discussions, or just leave some graffiti on the wall!
Hope to see you there!

February
16th, 2008
SQUARE
ONE, EPISODE THREE - The globally anticipated third episode
of the Square One podcast is finally up and ready to enjoy! This
episode is all about creating characters, which is why it is titled "Creating
characters (and giving them character)."
Square One is a podcast
devoted to helping new gamers discover all of the great things
about the hobby. If you know someone who is thinking about giving
RPGs a try, let them know about the podcast! You can listen
and subscribe at www.squareonepodcast.com
"GOTH BONNIE AND CLYDE" FAIL THEIR SNEAK CHECKS - A young
couple from Cleveland, Ohio dubbed the "Goth Bonnie and Clyde,"
were arrested for the theft of nearly 8.5 million dollars in cash
and checks from the armored car company where one of them worked.
Roger Dillon and Nicole Boyd staged the ill-planned heist
to escape their poor financial situation and give themselves a
better life.
True-crime websites and other media outlets have dubbed the pair
with the "Goth Bonnie and Clyde" moniker due to their love of
vampire novels and Dungeons
& Dragons. Few, if any, have tried to make the
connection between gaming and the crime, other than to mention
that the couple were known for having their heads in the clouds.
The two face up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine
if convicted.
Read more: Fox News
(article
| archive) -Telegraph
(article
| archive) - New
York Times (article
| archive)

November
30th, 2007
DEAD
RISE AT BALL STATE - Over 400 students at Ball State University
participated in a live-action roleplaying game called "Humans
Versus Zombies."
With a horde of three zombies and a human resistance of about
400 people, Humans vs. Zombies began at midnight on Oct. 26.
Zombies, identified by green bandanas on their foreheads, attempted
to tag humans, identified by green bandanas on their arms, in
order to turn them into zombies. Humans could protect themselves
by shooting zombies with Nerf guns and "stunning" them for 15
minutes. If tagged by a zombie, the human gave ID cards to zombies,
which served as food for them. If a zombie went two days without
feeding, he would die.
Rules are being revised for the next installment of the game,
to prevent abuse and improve sportsmanship. Read more: article
| archive
12
SIDED DIE REVIEW - Christopher Rawson, of the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette, has published a review of
"Twelve-Sided Die," a 17 minute play that was part of a yearly
festival of short plays called the Future
Ten Festival:
Fred
Betzner's "12 Sided Die" is a geekfest bachelor party, as four
Dungeons & Dragons fanatics gather in honor of their buddy,
who's leaving their games world ("it is not a game!") to (shudder)
get married. I imagine it's funnier to those who know the lingo,
but it was funny enough to me, especially when a non-D&D
fan arrives, followed by a hired D&D version of what might
be a stripper at the more usual bachelor party.
Just
when the whining becomes repetitious, the evening tightens into
what it is more seriously about all along, the importance and
frailty of friendship and the relationship of games to reality,
for which dramaturgic Dungeon Master Betzner has a D&D-based
twist. The unevenness of director Brad Stephenson's cast doesn't
much matter because the two central actors, Glenn Bailey Jr.
and Josh Futrell, are fine; even the epic 17-minute length doesn't
seem excessive.
YOU
MAY NOW CALL HIM COUNCILMAN NEPHEW - John Nephew has won
a seat in the Maplewood City Council! You may recall an earlier
update where I mentioned that his opponents were using his
history as a publisher of such "awful" games as Let's
Kill and Corruption
to smear his character. Well, it appears that it didn't
work.
Congratulatons, John - and score another one for the game geeks!

October
27th, 2007
IJRP CALL FOR
SUBMISSIONS - The first issue of The International Journal
of Roleplaying will see publication in early 2008. From their
site:
The aim of The
International Journal of Role Playing is to act as a hybrid
knowledge network, and bring together the varied interests
in role-playing and the associated knowledge networks, e.g.
academic research, the games and creative industries, the
arts and the strong role-playing communities.
They have put out
a call for submissions for the first issue, and the deadline
is January 1st, 2008:
The International
Journal of Role Playing invites researchers, designers, developers,
academics, artists and others involved in the growing field
of research related to role playing to submit articles. The
IJRP is a peer-reviewed journal, and welcomes submissions
from any sphere of interest, knowledge network, research field
or development sector that directly or indirectly relates
to role playing interests.Potential topics include but are
certainly not limited to the following:
• Role playing
games, e.g. frameworks, storytelling and graphics; art, design
and creative industry
• Role playing culture, psychology, media, economics,
and sociology
• Role playing technology, surveys, vocabulary, training
and education
• Other aspects of role playing and related research
and development
Find out more at:
www.play.blogs.com/rp/
WORLDWIDE
D&D DAY - The fourth annual Worldwide Dungeons
& Dragons Game Day is fast approaching - November 3rd, 2007:
Now in its fourth
year, World Wide D&D Game Day is set to break all records
for sites and attendance internationally. Last year we saw
over 1300 locations provide the setting for our trip to the
horror realms of Ravenloft. Over 25,000 estimated heroes from
as far a field as Singapore to Iraq, from Alaska to Buenos
Aires threw down their dice in celebration of this D&D
extravaganza!
Participating sites
will have a prepared adventure, dice, characters, and miniatures
just waiting for you. Check here
for a participating location near you.
Or, if you can't
find one, start your own! The official page features five ready-made
characters in PDF format that you could quickly drop into an
adventure of your own design, or some dusty old module that
you've had for years but never got around to running. Call some
pals, order some pizzas, and get some adventuring going on!
Find out more - www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/gameday
JIMMY EAT
WORLD OF GREYHAWK - How do members of Canadian rock
band Jimmy Eat World have fun while traveling in their tour
bus?
The band are currently
on the road promoting their new Chase This Light album and,
according to lead singer Jim Adkins, their idea of tour bus
fun usually involves dice, boards or cards.
"We play Dungeons
And Dragons a lot. What else do we do? Scrabble. We play a
lot of Bridge."
"The craziest
we did was spin the bottle," chimes in guitarist Tom Linton,
launching the pair into a fit of giggles.
Read more at Chartattack.
GLEEMIN'
TO THE MAX - Wizards of the Coast's new gamer networking
site, Gleemax, is open and somewhat functional. There are still
many improvements to be made, but if you're the patient sort,
you can sign up right now and start posting and blogging away
- www.gleemax.com. If you
like, you can read my profile and blog posts right here.
THE FREAKS
COME OUT AT NIGHT - Joe Torok of Lansing, MI's City
Pulse has contributed a great little piece on joining a
Vampire LARP group as a complete newbie:
I myself had a
more difficult time embracing my inner geek; self-consciousness
nagged. But despite some hesitation in realizing my character,
I felt welcome in the game. When all else failed, I held out
my hand with fingers crossed, a sign that I was temporarily
removing myself from the game and going out of character —
after all, vampires have no bodily functions aside from the
desire to feed.
Read the whole article,
and even get details on joining Lansing's Vampire troupe, here:
article
| archive

October
23rd, 2007
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD ROLEPLAYERS -
The United States Army is hiring roleplayers to help train soldiers
to be advisers in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Role players cluster
in one of seven makeshift villages that stand out on the rolling
Kansas prairie. Large shipping containers, tan and metal,
have been modified to resemble homes, shops and even a mosque.
Inside, role players have couches, chairs and tables.
Military trainers
give the advisers-to-be specific tasks, such as controlling
crowds, searching buildings, securing the perimeter or arresting
terrorists. Role players are given a rough script that tells
them what the soldiers are doing and how they should react.
Cultural awareness
is the goal of each phase. For example, advisers learn that
chewing tobacco or placing their hat on the ground are disrespectful
acts that can spoil an otherwise promising meeting.
...
''It's pretty fun,''
[roleplayer Lee Anderson] said after his performance as an
unhappy Afghan, as he kicked a small footbag in a circle with
fellow role players. ''You get to mess with soldiers. And
it's pretty good pay.''
Throwing beanbags
at the soldiers while shouting "LIGHTNING BOLT! LIGHTNING BOLT!"
is strongly discouraged, however.
As good as being
a professional roleplayer may sound, don't get your heart set
on joining up:
Like acting jobs
everywhere, there's more than enough interest. Ty Evans, who
supervises the local role players for Eagle Support Services
of Huntsville, Ala., doesn't have to advertise the positions.
Word of mouth has generated a stack of applications.
''If someone quits
there are three or four people already in line,'' he said.
Participants work
for six days at seventeen dollars an hour. If you do manage
to get a position with them, please remember The Escapist's
finder's fee!
Read the full article
here: article
| archive
ANOTHER ALL-NIGHTER
- Last December I mentioned a lock-in organized by
Franklin High School's Dungeons & Dragons and Anime
Club, in which participants spent the evening in the gym playing
D&D and video games and watching anime, with the
proceeds going towards their trip to Anime Boston.
This year, they're
doing it again, and the coverage in The Citizen is a lot better:
Junior Andrew Chippinelli
is an enthusiastic member of the Dungeons and Dragons club,
speaking about the benefits of role-playing such as learning
social skills through various complex character interactions
from conversation to diplomacy.
"It gives them
their imagination they lost when they were younger," Chippinelli
said. "It teaches you to never say everything is impossible
because it could have just happened. It helps you with your
self-esteem, self-confidence."
...
The club has been
well received and supported by school administration. It is
also sponsored by Casey Family Services as a positive after-school
activity for students.
"We had a lot of
questions, a little bit when we went to the school board,"
Molly Horn said, such as some school board members asking
what the club was doing and clarifying what anyone had heard
about the game. "Some of the kids were there as well."
Once again, it's
good to see positive coverage of gaming that mentions the beneficial
aspects of the hobby, as well as a positive after-school activity
for young people. Kudos to Franklin High School and The Citizen
- and if any of you ever need any assistance, don't hesitate
to contact me - 
Read the full article
here: article
| archive
A BRIEF MOMENT
OF NATIONAL FAME - It didn't have anything to do with
gaming, but your friend and narrator and his family were briefly
mentioned in an article on drive-in movie theaters in the October
19th issue of USA Today. Click
here to read it if you're interested.

October
11th, 2007
SQUARE
ONE, EPISODE TWO - The long-awaited second episode
of the Square One podcast is finally up and ready to enjoy!
Tune in to Sam Chupp and myself with "Games You Will Meet" -
a discussion of many different genres of role-playing games.
Square One is a podcast
devoted to helping new gamers discover all of the great things
about the hobby. If you know someone who is thinking about giving
RPGs a try, let them know about the podcast! You can listen
and subscribe at www.squareonepodcast.com
ATLAS CEO
RUNS FOR OFFICE, GETS SMEARED FOR MAKING GAMES - John
Nephew, CEO of Atlas Games,
has put his hat in the ring for City Council of Maplewood, Minnesota.
He has passed the primary "with flying colors," according to
the Steve
Jackson Daily Illuminator - but it seems that someone is
trying to hold him back by bringing up Let's Kill, a
card game that his company produces.
"Let's Kill" casts
players in the role of deranged serial killers competing with
each other for media coverage. Players draw victims, weapons
and locations from two 55-card decks, using implements like
weed whackers, bread trucks and even sporks to off their quarry
in the most sensational way possible. It's published by Atlas
Games, the company Nephew runs with his wife, games editor
Michelle Nephew.
"I'm absolutely
appalled by this game," says Maplewood resident Judith Franey,
an early childhood educator who has worked in the Saint Paul
public school system for 23 years. "Fantasy and imagination
are powerful tools that fuel reality, and I worry about the
effect this game will have on people's minds." Franey is also
the author of "The Kindness Curriculum," an activity book
for parents and teachers aimed at child development.
Critics seem to be
concerned about the effects the game will have on young players,
with disregard for the fact that the game is listed as "For
mature audiences only" on the Atlas website and catalog.
Not everyone is missing
the point of Let's Kill, however:
Council Member
Will Rossbach, who with Nephew led primary voting, disagrees.
"These are stick figures doing imaginary things," he says.
"The controversy is being drummed up by people opposing John
Nephew. He's being picked on. If this is the only thing they
can find to diminish John's reputation, he must be a pretty
good guy."
I wonder how long
it will be before they discover that Nephew has also written
and produced books for Dungeons & Dragons, and
how severe the reaction will be once they do...
Read the full article
here: article
| archive
More information:
Nephew's campaign blog
| Pen
& Paper's entry for Nephew

August
17th, 2007
D&D
GOES FOURTH - The official announcement of Dungeons
& Dragons Fourth Edition was made at the Gen Con Game
Fair on August 16th, precluded by numerous subtle hints (such
as putting 4s in the place of the letter A in web banners and
MySpace messages - INDI4N4POLIS, 4DVENTURE, etc., and displaying
dice with the 4 on top).
Early reports seem
to indicate that the new version will be faster, easier to run,
and more attuned to online play - possibly through the recently
unveiled GLEEMAX social
networking section of Wizards' site. No word has been given
yet on how compatible it will be with the large collection of
published 3.x and d20 material.
As of this writing,
the D&D section of www.wizards.com
is down, possibly due to heavy internet traffic of fans
looking for more information on the update..
The new books are
planned for a May, 2008 release date. Apparently, that release
date has been considerably tightened up since the 2001
announcement of April 1st, 2011 - and the "revolutionary
d30 system" appears to have been scrapped entirely...

August
14th, 2007
LARGEST LARP
EVER - The 2007 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) could be host
to a new world record - the largest "Massive Multiplayer Live
Action Role Playing Game" - MMLARPG - in history. Later this
month, the Seattle-based convention will host TerraDrive
Live, a LARP based on the Technomancer Press tabletop RPG
TerraDrive.
A wiki for the TerraDrive
Live setting was opened on June 1st, which permitted many
participants to create factions and develop the characters that
they would play during the convention.
"I didn't expect
players to metaphorically represent different people/places/events
in PAX in the TerraDrive universe," [Technomancer CEO Tony]
Hellman told [ars technica]. "They created the planets La'an,
Ta'leTop, the Omega T'kon Asteroid, and the W'eaton Comet."
In other words, sections of the real-world Penny Arcade Expo
like the LAN gaming area and Will Wheaton's keynote will have
special meaning for players of the game, with different factions
vying for control of different area.
Hellman hopes to
get most of the attendees involved in the game by demonstrating
the rules while they wait in line for registration.
"We have to have
a system where there aren't a lot of rules," Hellman explained.
"My goal is to teach everyone how to play while they wait
in line Thursday night and Friday. If I can teach the whole
convention how to play, almost everyone will. The big barrier
is when you see a bunch of people doing something that looks
fun, but you don't know how to get involved."
It will be interesting
to see what the response from Guiness Book will be. Two and
a half decades ago, a group of friends and I inquired about
setting a record for the longest game of D&D (it
was during our "reckless youth" days), and were informed
that role-playing was not an activity that they recognized.
Perhaps this event will tell us if that has changed in the last
25 years.
Read the full article
here: (article
| archive)
Related links: PAX - www.pennyarcadeexpo.com
| TerraDrive - www.terradrive.net
| TerraDrive Live Wiki - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TerraDrive_Live
| Technomancer Press - www.technomancer-press.com

July
17th, 2007
RENO COUPLE
NEGLECT THEIR CHILDREN, BLAME D&D ONLINE -
A couple from Reno, Nevada, Michael and Iana Straw, have been
arrested for child neglect of their two young children while
devoting most of their attention to online role-playing games,
including one based on the classic tabletop RPG Dungeons
& Dragons.
In the few days since
the story broke, I have seen several different articles on it.
Few of them can agree on the ages of the children, but all manage
to drop the name Dungeons & Dragons at least twice.
The Straws were involved in other MMORPGs as well, according
to every article, but all chose to focus on the D&D
brand. Could it be because it's such a tried and trusted scapegoat?
Expect to see this
come up again later as "proof" of the corrupting nature of tabletop
D&D. There won't even be a need to make a distinction
between the online and face-to-face versions. You can likely
count on it.
Read more: (article
| archive)
DEXCON
10 - Once again, I have been invited to be a guest
at Dexcon - a great
con held at the East Brunswick Hilton in East Brunswick, New
Jersey. I've been a bit busy lately, so this update is very
late (the con starts TOMORROW, in fact). The folks at Dexcon
have also renewed their offer for Escapist readers - if you
pregister for the con, you get a $10 discount just for letting
them know that The Escapist sent you! (When filling out the
preregistration form, enter RPGADVOCATE-DEX10
in the SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE field, and $10.00
in the DISCOUNT field.)

July
13th, 2007
ORIGINS
2007 REPORT - This year at the Origins
Game Fair in Columbus Ohio, I organized five different events:
three "Intro to RPGs" events geared towards people who have
never played an RPG before and are looking for an easy introducton
to the hobby, and two "RPGs for Kids" events for kids of all
age and experience levels.
The
"Intro to RPGs" events were mostly a bust - with six seats available
in each event, only one ticket sold for one of the three, and
the buyer of that ticket, while very nice and a pleasure to
roleplay with, was not a newbie at all and was more interested
in trying out Savage Worlds, the game system I was
using. (For the record, we played anyway and had a pretty good
time.)
The
"RPGs for Kids" events, on the other hand, were a big hit. All
tickets sold out completely, and everyone had a grand time.
I ran TOON and Faery's
Tale, and both events were a good mix of kids and adults.
As I recall, none of the players, kids and adults alike, were
familiar with the game being played, and only a few had ever
roleplayed before - but all of them picked up on the rules and
concept of roleplaying right away. Personally, I consider that
the best possible outcome.
It should
go without saying - but I'll say it anyway - that I will be
organizing even more of the "RPGs for Kids" events for Origins
2008. Hope to see you there!

June
6th, 2007
GAMING
WITH KIDS ON ROLEPLAYINGTIPS.COM - Katrina Middelburg-Creswell,
a high school teacher and RPG club organizer in the Netherlands,
wrote an
article for roleplayingtips.com about gaming with kids that
shares some very useful advice. She also dropped a link to an
"excellent" (her word, not mine) gaming advocacy site and the
Facts and Fictions About RPGs PDF! (Here's
a link to it, if you have come here from there and are looking
for it.)
CHRISTOPHER
PRITCHARD RELEASED AFTER 19 YEAR SENTENCE - You may
start to hear news stories about the release of Christopher
Pritchard, who conspired with two friends to kill his stepfather,
Leith Von Stein, on July 25th 1988 - stories that will describe
him as "obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons," which,
some will say, was the whole reason behind his actions.
The details, as usual, will be hidden well, or possibly ignored
entirely. Pritchard believed he would benefit from a two million
dollar inheritance if his stepfather died, and promised money
and sports cars to his friends Neal Henderson and Chris Upchurch
if they would help him with the assassination. Dressed in black,
they infiltrated Von Stein's home and stabbed and bludgeoned
Leith and Bonnie Von Stein. Leith died on the scene, but his
wife survived and was able to call 911 for assistance.
Pritchard has always maintained that he was in a "fantasy world"
when he planned and carried out the murders - but the promises
of cash and sports cars to his co-conspirators were very real.
He didn't promise them magic chariots and bags of gold. He handed
his friends a map to his parents' home, not to a wizard's tower.
Black clothes don't make someone a ninja, or even someone who
THINKS they're a ninja - it's just the most convenient color
to wear during your assassination plot.
"Fantasy worlds," however, are an excellent cover-up for any
inhuman acts that you may have committed that you don't want
to own up to. It's a common reaction for a person to be so offended
by their own actions that they find some method of detachment
from them. In Pritchard's case, he had some help.
The crime was the focus of two novels, Blood Games
and Cruel Doubt, and two made-for-television movies
- Cruel Doubt and Honor Thy Mother. Both movies
featured misrepresentations of gaming materials in order to
more closely relate gaming the crime.
Honor Thy Mother aired on CBS (the same network that
brought us Mazes and
Monsters) on April 26th, 1992. In it, a phony copy
of an AD&D manual was featured as a prop. The cover
of the manual was unlike anything TSR has ever put out for AD&D,
and while reading it, an investigator claims to find a reference
to "extra points for multiple hits," an obvious fabrication
by the writers, as AD&D contains no rules that
are even similar to such a description.
Cruel Doubt was a miniseries that aired on NBC, May
17th and 19th, 1992. In it, a copy of TSR's AD&D Player's
Handbook was featured as a prop with different artwork
that included a picture of a character with clothing and a backpack
that matched that of one of the show's killers, as well as other
illustrations that were extremely occultic and sinister in nature.
This was an obvious attempt to make the book appear to be more
of an inspiration to the crime.
Pritchard may have really been in a fantasy world when he planned
to gain fortune by killing his stepfather, but blaming it on
a game is wrong. So is misrepresenting that game to make it
appear as if it was a part of the crime - even going as far
as to add artwork and rules to it.
Pritchard
has allegedly redeemed himself, and is now working with at-risk
children. He claims to have his head "screwed on straight" now.
Let's all hope he has gained some wisdom and personal responsibility
in the process.
Read
more: article
| archive

May
30th, 2007
HAPPY
11TH LEVEL! - John H. Kim recently ran a D&D
game in a simulated crepe paper 'dungeon' for a friend's 11th
birthday party. He posted a report, including pictures, on his
LiveJournal. Check
it out here, and get ideas for the next D&D-themed
11th birthday party that you might find yourself in charge of!
GAMER
SURVEY - PLEASE HELP! - I received this notice of a
hobby game survey conducted by Ohio State University yesterday.
I encourage all gamers reading this to participate and help
them out:
Ohio State University's
School of Communication, in partnership with GAMA and The
Wargamer, are undertaking a follow-up to last year's large
and comprehensive study of hobby game players. The researchers
are investigating patterns of motivation and usage by tabletop
(card, role-playing, minis, and board game players), digital
(computer, console, MMORPG), and other gamers (such as LARP).
The survey takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
Building on lessons learned from last year, as well as some
ongoing analyses of the existing data, the project is seeking
continue expanding the knowledge of the games world.
We invite you to participate at www.gamesurvey.org.
The study will be focusing on these key areas of motivation.
• What do game players like in a game? What do they
dislike? And why?
• What motivates continued game play and preferences
for types of games?
• Where are games bought and what influences those
purchase decisions in light of preferences and motivations?
• What interactions do gamers have with others?
• With whom (and where) do gamers play, and how frequently,
and how do these decisions influence preferences and motivations?
Official Q&A forum can be found at http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.asp?m=229482

May
13th, 2007
MORE
GEMS FROM TREASURE TABLES - In Introducing
RPGs to New Players, a two-part feature on the daily
gaming blog Treasure Tables, Ben Finney gives all
the details on an RPG he ran for a group of three that included
two gaming newbies. There are a lot of great tips and suggestions
contained within. Check it out here: Part
1 - Part
2
INTRO
TO RPGS EVENTS AT ORIGINS 2007 - Speaking of gaming
with new players, It appears that all five of the gaming events
I submitted for Origins
2007 have been accepted. I'll be running three events
using the Savage
Worlds system - a near-future zombie apocalypse game,
a 1930s exploration/cliffhangers game, and a superheroes game,
all geared toward players who have never tried an RPG before.
I'll also be running two RPGs especially for kids - Faery's
Tale and Toon,
and if all goes well, I'll also be running some grand Fuzzy
Heroes battles outside of the Kid's Track room every
day of the convention.
If
you're planning to be at Origins
this summer, be sure to look me up!

May
12th, 2007
POLICE
INVESTIGATE GRADE SCHOOL HARRY POTTER RPG - Students
involved in a "mystery suspense Harry Potter role-playing
game" invoked a police investigation when a "threatening note"
was found in a student's backpack.
Officers
and teachers searched backpacks of students for weapons or
contraband, turning up more of the game-related notes. No
threats were made to the school, staff, or any students not
involved in the game.
"After the investigation
was complete and the true nature of the situation was determined,
it was obvious this was not a police matter," (Police Chief
Richard St. John) said.
Despite the misunderstanding,
the students may face disciplinary action.
Next time, kids
- send text messages!
Read
the full article here: (link
| archive)

May
8th, 2007
CALLING
ALL LIBRARY-TYPE PEOPLE - I am considering adding
a new project to The Escapist, but I'm going to need a lot
of input, ideas, and even some assistance. The first stage,
of course, is gathering the ideas and input. So if you happen
to be either or both of the following, I'd love to talk with
you:
a librarian, especially one who works in the Young Adult
section (or someone who knows one)
a gamer who has run roleplaying games in a Young Adult program
(or someone who knows one)
If
either of these apply to you, please contact me at .
For more information on the project, visit www.theescapist.com/library
Thanks!

April
21st, 2007
WE'RE
ROLLIN', THEY'RE HATIN' - That's the title of the
flagship exhibit at this year's Version multimedia festival
in Chicago. Exhibitors Todd Bailey and Nate Murphy have created
copies of an elaborate, hand crafted D&D module
that will be available for purchase at the event:
Instead of using
a printer or Xerox machine, they're silk-screening every
one of the 25 pages for every copy. Many of the dozen or
so illustrations will be in two or three colors--doubling
or tripling the work it takes to print them--and include
glow-in-the-dark elements. In keeping with the adventure's
sun-god motif, each module will be cut into an 18-inch-wide
circle. Bailey's planning to hand-sew the bindings, though
thankfully that'll only take a few stitches--more would
make it too hard to open a circular book, and he figures
people will want to disassemble the thing when they play
it anyway, if just to pull out the map.
Each copy will
also come with a small burlap bag containing one 20-sided
die--players will have to buy the rest of the game's usual
assortment themselves. Julianna Luther, Bailey's girlfriend,
is embroidering each bag with an image of the sun god. The
dice are handmade too: Bailey, who works as a designer and
electronics engineer at Big Monster Toys, used a large store-bought
die to make a mold out of silicon-based platinum rubber,
then filled it with a clear UV-sensitive urethane he formulated
himself. The dice glow brilliant orange under black light,
and the fluorescent orange paint he's using to fill in the
numbers turns yellow.
Other
exhibits at the month-long festival include a screening of the
LARP documentary Darkon,
a fantasy fashion show fundraiser, a functioning catapult, and
a new episode by animation/video/performance stars Dungeon
Majesty.
Read
more here: (article
| archive)
THINK
'LORD OF THE RINGS' MEETS 'THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW'
- (Everyone's good buddy Nate stuck this one under
my nose recently.) The Dungeonmaster is an interactive
theater event where audience members can fill out a character
card when they come in - and if their card is one of the six
drawn before the show, then they become one of the stars!
DM is slightly different than a LARP, in that there's
an audience, and some scenes unfold that do not involve the
characters at all - but otherwise, anything goes. You even
get a discount on admission if you show up in costume (even
if you don't end up on stage!).
If
you happen to be in the North Hollywood area, be sure to check
it out. (website
| MySpace
| Yahoo
group | LJ)
(But
please... don't throw toast at the stage!)

April
18th, 2007
THE
ELFISH EXCERPT - Author Mark Barrowcliffe has generously
donated a chapter of his new book, The Elfish Gene,
for you to read freely right here on the site. Click
here to dig in, and if you feel moved enough by it to
purchase a copy of the book, click
here to do so!

April
17th, 2007
VIRGINIA
TECH - THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...
Television
psychologist (and Scary
Movie 4 star) Dr. Phil McGraw and lawyer (and Batman
fanatic) Jack Thompson agree: April 16th's tragedy at
Virginia Tech was the expected result of a society that is
steeped in violent video games and movies (but mostly video
games).
McGraw
appeared on the Larry
King show the evening of the 16th, and Thompson appeared
on Fox
News a couple hours after the incident, before the culprit's
name was even released. Neither were aware of gunman Cho Seung-hui's
background, psychological profile, or any evidence of possible
motives for his actions.
It's
a safe claim to make this early in the investigation. After
all, if you're right, you'll get lots of calls for more interviews
and you'll really look like you know what you're talking about.
If you're wrong... well, no one really follows up on these
things, anyway. If we would hold these people to their words
whenever they mouth off like this, we'd see a lot less of
this nonsense, and may even see more effort put towards finding
a real solution.
No
one seems to have publicly mentioned traditional RPGs as a
possible cause yet. The focus has changed, but our dependency
on scapegoats hasn't. Violent films will likely always be
a target (and pointing a finger at them while starring in
a movie that satirizes violence is an interesting
career move). Just eight years ago, people were trying to
connect the Columbine massacre with Dungeons & Dragons
and Vampire: The Masquerade (among many other things)
with nothing to go on. Fifty years ago, it would have been
Thompson's beloved Batman
comics.
The
more things change, the more they stay the same.

April
14th, 2007
THE
ESCAPIST ON WIKIPEDIA - After a
great effort by Sandy Atunes, Sam Chupp, and others, The Escapist
finally has an entry on Wikipedia. You can view it here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Escapist_%28website%29
This
will go a long way towards getting the word out about the
role-playing hobby.
NOW
PLAYING: THE ROLES WE PLAY - Aaron Andersen, an aspiring
film student in Olympia, Washington, will premier his short
film The Roles We Play today. (article
| archive)
"It's based off
the old-school type, where you sit down with your good old
imagination," said Andersen, 20. "It dives into this world
with these six friends who play together."
The film, though,
doesn't stay in the everyday world where the friends play.
"The whole thing
about role-playing is it's all done through imagination,"
he said. "This is providing the viewer a peek into their
imaginations. The audience is able to see what they're seeing."
Movies about traditional
RPGs (and the people who play them) seem to be more common
than ever, even with the ever-increasing popularity of online
gaming. Who knows - we may even see a major studio release
someday, if it keeps this pace.
On second thought...
maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing.
(Special
thanks to Patrice Mermoud for sharing this story.)
HOW
TO START A GAMING CLUB - Treasure
Tables comes through again with a link to a great article
on roleplayingtips.com
- Starting
and Running a Role-Playing Games Club. There's even a
section on setting up a learn-to-play convention. Great stuff,
as always.

April
10th, 2007
ZIGGURAT
CON - (from GameGrene)
June 9th is the date set for the first Ziggurat Con, a one-day
gaming event organized by and for all allied military personnel
and civilian contractors.
It
could possibly be the first convention held in a war zone
- Ziggurat Con is taking place in Iraq.
(SPC
David Amberson, the Con's organizer) "Here at Camp Adder/Tallil
Airbase, we have lots of sports activities -- baseball, football,
dodgeball, kickball -- and we work with many marathons across
the US like the Boston Marathon. This is a great way to improve
morale among the troops, but what about those who prefer Role-Playing
Games?"
The
con will be held in part of the Community Activity Center
at Camp Adder/Tallil Airbase, and will feature RPG events
and all-day anime movies.
"There
is a deeper sense of camaraderie in a war zone than you see
back home," said Amberson, who is a supply soldier with Alpha
Company, 86th Signal Battalion. "You eat with these people,
work with them on a daily basis, and can even share a tent
|