Because it's just more fun

I've been running games nights recently. I have a place to host now so that is way awesome. My Ikea table is getting a lot of use and I'm glad I paid that little bit extra and got the bigger one. Yesterday I went into Port Coquitlam to Drexoll Games ( http://www.drexollgames.com/ ) and drooled for a while, I had looked online at everything they carried, but to see it in person is just a bit different. I have to say I feel kinda lame, I only bought games that I had played before, nothing new and exciting for me. But with the price of these things you can't afford to get a turd, so it's the menno in me.

I did spend a bit of $$ though, I got the third expansion for the ever favorite card game Munchkin ( www.sjgames.com ), "Clerical Errors". I picked up "Ticket to Ride; Europe" ( http://www.ticket2ridegame.com/ ) mostly for my family to try playing when Josh and Heidi and everyone come for a visit in December. I got "Guillotine" (unfortunately a WotC game) just cause it is easy, awesome, and fun, and I think I can start my relatives on it slowly this next weekend (it's hard to break the "Taboo", "Guestures", "Pictionary" mold for some folks) it's described as "The revolutionary card game where you win by getting a head", make sense? And I also Picked up "Citadels" ( http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ ) which is really fun and easy to learn, and I think will appeal to various male relatives, maybe. It is kinda tough being so different from everyone in your family.

Well, last night the guys came over and we dove right in, played a few rounds of "Star Wars: Epic Duels", a great, fast-paced miniatures combat game that Aaron got for like $3. Then we played "Guillotine" twice and had a laugh both times. We wrapped it up with a long game of "Munchkin", the decks just keep on growing. I would have liked to play "Citadels", but between the pop and the pizza everyone was bushed, so we watched a movie. Can you believe a bunch of guys electing to watch "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"? I own it, it's one of my favorite movies, so of course I'll watch it, but the other guys surprised me, and that they actually didn't complain about it, good job boys.

I'm thinking about running more generic games nights now, I've been running my FFRPG for over 3 years fairly continually, and it is getting wearying. There is so much prep put into each session, and I can't see the guys enjoying it as consistently as these games nights, which require little to no prep and are just as fun for me. Like I now have 6 players showing up for FFRPG, but not all of them all the time, so how do I know who is going to show and thus who I should dedicate more prep to? There are of course the steadfast regulars, but I can't keep revolving everything around them. Take the last session for example; I spent about 4 hours doing prep, mentally completing npcs and writing out possible scenarios based on my assumptions of their actions, and 5 players showed, pretty good. But the one player who didn't controls the one character who was essential to the storyline (you can't have them rescue/warn the Queen of an assassination attempt and gain great glory if the guy who knows about the evil plot isn't there to share it, and to not enact that part of the story wastes how many hours of prep?) and so I am left with a big problem and the entire session falls apart. Lol, at least some of the characters can keep themselves entertained in a fashionable clothing boutique (seriously about an hour of Role Play, Diplomacy and Bluff skill rolls, and verbal technicalities over pretty much just a hat) but it was great.

But I am complaining here, and nobody wants to read that.

Jeremy and his "lady friend" went to Anime Evolution yesterday instead of coming over for games. I wish I could have gone. I am not an anime (japanese animated movies/TV shows) junky by any means, but I enjoy art where it exists. And there are apparently a lot of cool geek oriented things to buy there, and I so want a plush cactaur. I also think it'd be cool to see some of the Cosplayers in real (Cosplay is like halloween, but with even more dedication, people dress up as their favorite anime, manga, and videogame characters and walk around having their pictures taken with people that share their interest). It is definitely a different, and probably more accepting, subculture.

In a completely different topic, I am very very excited to have Heidi and Tristan coming out TOMORROW! I've been saving up Lego sets for him, but I think he is still a bit too young, keep on waiting... I also think I'll try to have my entire family over here for supper one day, I have a ham that is just sitting there in my freezer, and it talks to me, it begs me to eat it up, but I am only one man and it is a large ham.

Also, here's to hoping my back magically gets better before tomorrows day of work. :S