In time (read: once I stop working and between various baby related things), I plan on getting the Wiki more up to date, though it has been having bits and pieces added regularly by a couple of the players, with my eternal thanks. Eventually, I'd like to get all of the public logs up there... and some of the news articles.

I think my players are enjoying the game, so there's a good chance you would too. :) Let me know if you want to check it out.

I think the two week break was something I needed. I'm coming back into both my characters and Seasons of Mist feeling refreshed and full of ideas. I may not always have a firm grasp on what they're going to do next, but for the most part, I feel comfortable in them, like putting on an old, favorite pair of jeans.

Which means, now that I'm feeling comfortable about characters again, I can start working on one of my other problem spots - descriptions.

I left a little early to go get my laptop so I could continue to take quotes and, before I could head back out to where we were originally supposed to game, was interrupted by Paul and Rich, who told me we'd instead be in Michael and Ginger's room.

But Monsters! made up for it all.

After we were finished, we split all headed out to our own games. Luckily, I was in Paul's More Than You Think You Are Amber/Nobilis cross-over, so I just got to go back to my room.

The way life has been beating Deb and Bridgette around, they weren't able to really get much put together for this slot. So much of the working of things out was done while they were in the grocery store. Once everyone finally arrived, they had us pick Elder's names out of a bowl (or Deb's hand, can't remember which) and, if we were truly unhappy with it, we could switch.

So now, on with the weekend.

What’s the last board, card, or roleplaying game you bought, and what do you think of it?

I'll answer each individually.

The last board game I got was awhile ago - Vanished Planet. I haven't played it often (mostly because it's in the top of the gaming closet and I can't reach there!), but when I have, I've found it truly enjoyable. Rather than be a competitive game, it's cooperative, everyone trying to save the save the universe from the big blackness that engulfed the earth and is moving ever outward. Since cooperative is much more to my tastes, I enjoy this game far more than many others where I have to be in just the right mood to be competative. Another major advantage (in my mind) is that this game can be played with anywhere from 1-6 players. Yes, that 1 is right - you can play it solo.

Now on to the card game. We actually picked up three while we were in Minnesota for Rich's interview, but the last one was Aquarius, a goody that's been around from Looney Labs for awhile. I've only had a chance to play it once, as Rich and I far more often throw ourselves into a good game of Chrononauts (though we still need to get Early American Chrononauts so we can play ÜberChrononauts). But I did enjoy it as I played it. It's a good "all ages" game that I look forward to playing as my own family grows.

Finally, the last RPG I picked up was The Babylon 5 Role-Playing Game Pocket Guide. I mainly bought it because, eventually, I want to pick up the Techno-Mage expansion and I want to run a Techno-Mage game of some sort. I've not had much of a chance to really submerse myself into the rules of play with everything else going on, but what I've read has intrigued me enough to make sure the techno-mage book is next on my list of things to buy and think about running a game after things slow down a bit.

Spence: Come on. Role extreme for me. "You're fine but you've turned into a giant die" or...
GM: You're dead.

Voice in the Woods (Petal): They always want things from the tree. No one comes to just visit. They want this from the tree, I want that from the tree. I want the tree to fix my mom.

What truly brought all of this to mind today, however, is the fact that I'm playing a character that once belonged to someone else and trying, desperately, to stay as true to that character's background as I can. I'm not worrying completely about staying 100% true to their personality - he had major head trauma, and that could change things around a bit, though I will admit I'm trying to stick with the major things. But the background - as much as can be possible, I'm trying to keep the background cannon.

Why? Because I see myself as an actress taking over a part in this case, rather than a creatress making it up as I go along. It's makes it easier for the other people that have dealt with my character before to know what to expect and not have conflicting memories. The character may be mine from this point forward, but his beginnings were someone else's.

It does make it a lot harder for me sometimes - I'm not always good at remembering what I read, particularly if I only read things once, but I am better at remembering, even as an inkling, things that I've "lived through", which is what writing is for me. So, particularly for this game, there's a lot more going back to the GM or trying to wade through someone's previous posts or even checking with other players who've dealt with him to see if I can keep parts of his background steady. But to keep a cohesive story, it's worth it to me.

The first scenario is in honor of the anniversary of Random ascending the throne. Depending on the number of players, it could be anywhere from 10 years to 50 years after the ascension. The players will be historians, creating an encyclopedia of Random's reign, to be given as a gift to the King.

The second scenario is from the dawn of Amber, right after Benedict's birth. This scenario would have the players documenting the early years of Amber - which can include the children of Oberon that didn't survive to the years of the Corwin Saga, among any other events that the players feel like documenting.

For those who don't know what a lexicon game is, here is a good description.

This year at TBR, it could be different. Well, no. This year at TBR it WILL be different. I've joined one game that, as far as I know, there is no one that I know well in. No one to fall back on for interaction. No one to purposefully sit near because at least they are someone I know. And this is probably a good thing.

It's about time I started practicing some of what I preach. I have a good friend that has a difficult time in believing in himself. He sees every mistake as a death blow, worries about every overture he makes. And through it all, I tell him that he's got to have faith in himself, that he's worthy of that faith and there are a lot of us that believe it.

And the issue of not joining games without my "safety net" has long been my own lack-of-faith demon. I know that I haven't been gaming as long as some of these people. I know that I'm still learning. And I'm often afraid that I will seem stupid because I don't know something and that I'll take away from everyone else's gaming experience. That, in my nervousness, I'll revert to type by trying too hard and, rather than gaining friends, I'll convince everyone around me that they really don't want to have anything to do with me.

But really, if I don't take the step to do things on my own, what have I lost, beyond a possible good time for myself? No situation is ever as bad as I fear and if everyone doesn't like me/want to game with me again/whatever... so what? I haven't lost friends/gaming partners/whatever. And I will still probably have a good time. As long as I stay relaxed, I probably won't say anything I regret.

So, I'm having my first go at this challenge. Now, it could change and it could turn out that I've got people that I DO know well in this game. But if it doesn't, that will be ok. I'll still have a good time, and I'll be able to share stories about the game I was in with Rich and Paul when I get back rather than have one or the other of them know because they were in it with me.