annoying commercial

Did you see that commercial where the fish is singing the ditty and the guy is like, whatever, and the other guy walks in and he's like, uhhhh, and the other guy is like, eh, it's yummy. Isn't that funny?I toally have the stupid ditty in my head all week.I HATE THAT FISH MORE THAN TONY SOPRANO DOES!

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/mcdonalds-filet.html

OVERDUE FOR A NEW RECIPE…

…so here’s one.

Recipe for an evening (or lifetime) of fun!

2 or more friends

1 or more sets of Polyhedral dice

1 or more pencils

1 RPG , I suggest Castles & Crusades *

Optional: Garnish with snacks (pretzels, cookies etc) and drinks (soda, beer etc)

Mix all. Enjoy.

Lather, rinse, repeat!

REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT!!!

A good time will be had by all. :-)

*as you can tell from yesterday’s post, I’ve been playing RPGs since my freshman year of High School, and while I fell off the wagon after college, a couple of years ago I discovered Castles & Crusades. It’s a deceptively simple but rich game, relying more on the player’s imaginations rather than scads and scads of rules (It is easy to add “house rules” if you want to, but it really stands up well on it’s own). The game has awakened a part of my imagination that has lain dormant for a long time, and I’m very psyched about and grateful for that. Download the Quickstart rules and try it. I believe you will dig it. And if you think you wont, I say play it with an open mind and you will still dig it! How's this for an endorsement, Gary Gygax himself loved it!

BTW: The Name of the Game is in honor of the Castles & Crusades society, in their own words: the C&C Society is NOT exclusively dedicated to the RPG known as Castles & Crusades (c), rather that game was created and produced out of respect and honor for the traditions and name of the original Castles & Crusades Society as it existed several decades ago.

The original C&C Society was founded as a chapter of the International Federation of Wargamers in 1968 by E. Gary Gygax, and it was the society which began publishing a newsletter known as The Domesday Book, with a very small circulation but with enormous impact. It was this society that first published the miniatures rules that would become "Chainmail," and the first map of the legendary Blackmoor. From these, the genre of RPGs and "Dungeons & Dragons" in particular would emerge.

The Castles & Crusades Society today was given rebirth as Gary Gygax began to work with Troll Lord Games, and the Society was reestablished, first being used to help support the development of the game system that also honors the name "Castles & Crusades." But the intentions of the Society are much greater!

Check it out here...

Follow up

Couldn't have said it better myself.
(and I didn't) :-)

http://jrients.blogspot.com/2009/03/one-year-later-re-post.html

In memory of Gary Gygax.

(July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

Gary Gygax saved my life. No, he didn’t rescue me from a burning building or pluck me out of a pool while I was drowning. In fact, we never met in person. But as one of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons (along with Dave Arneson) he created a game – and many say an entire hobby and industry – that provided me years of imaginative fun and the tool to forge friendships that saved me from a downward spiral I began after middle school.

It’s a cliché, but I was that really unpopular kid with the crazy imagination, who was really smart but totally misunderstood. “Bill is 13 going on 30”, people used to say, and it’s true, I used to feel more comfortable with my teachers than my fellow students. I was always alone and found solace in my hobbies: reading, music, drawing and painting, playing Nintendo, watching movies, blowing things up. I spent a lot of time alone and felt like a stranger wherever I went. It’s no wonder Spock is my favorite character in Star Trek. You know the story. Even the AV Club wouldn’t have me.

My point is, in high school, I had a lot of trouble making friends and AD&D and the drama club (another cliché!) helped me make all my friends and filled my days with fun when I otherwise may have become destructive to myself and maybe others. So in a very real way, Gary helped save me.

What can I say about Gary that hasn’t already been said better by other people? Nothing, but even having never met the man, Gary has had a very positive effect on me, and for that, I just want to take a moment to say thank you, Gary.

Thank you, Gary.
Rest in peace.