I love to L.A.R.P....
[Level - Public] (so it cross-posts to FaceBook)
I’m a roleplayer. I once upon a time did some LARPing (Live Action Role Play to the uninitiated) but now favour tabletop (sheets of paper, dice and pencils, more sitting down, less stomping through woods in the mud and rain and no camping involved). It is, admittedly, a geeky thing to enjoy. I table-top on a Tuesday. Shadowrun if you’re interested. Female Cat-Shaman-Physical-Adept called Bob (just to wind everyone up, she’s a bit like that).
If you haven’t role-played before, it’s rather tricky to try and explain it and the chances are you’ll think it’s excessively geeky. If you have role-played, you’ll love the below ‘parodies’ and understand why I’m sharing them with you. Because I can’t think of a group of people which is as self-depreciating and tongue in cheek about their hobby as role-players. We KNOW it’s geeky. But it’s a lot of fun. So.
Firstly, if you’ve never listened to it, please-oh-please check out The Dead Alewives Dungeons and Dragons sketch… script handily put here;
Narrator: Dungeons and Dragons. Satan's game. Your children, like it or not, are attracted in their weaker years to the occult, and a game like D&D fuels their imagination and makes them feel special, while drawing them deeper and deeper into the bowels of El Diablo! This afternoon, the Dead Alewives' Watchtower invites you to sit in on an actual gaming session. Observe the previously unobservable as a hidden camera takes you to the Inner Sanctum of Dungeons and Dragons.
DM: Golstaff, you have entered the door to the north. You are now by yourself, standing in a dark room. The pungent stench of mildew emanates from the wet dungeon walls.
Cheeto: Where are the Cheetos?
DM: They're right next to you.
Golstaff: I cast a spell.
Cheeto: Where's the Mountain Dew?
DM: In the fridge, duh!
Golstaff: I wanna cast a spell!
Cheeto: Can I have a Mountain Dew?
DM: Yes, you can have a Mountain Dew, just go get it.
Golstaff: I can cast any of these, right? On the list?
DM: Yes, any, any of the first level ones.
Cheeto: I'm gonna get a soda; anyone want one? Hey, Graham, I'm not in the room, right?
DM: What room?
Golstaff: I wanna cast...Magic Missile.
Cheeto: The room where he's casting all these spells from.
DM: He hasn't cast anything yet.
Golstaff: I am though, if you'd listen. I'm casting...Magic Missile.
DM: Why are you casting Magic Missile? There's nothing to attack here.
Golstaff: I...I'm attacking the darkness!
DM: Fine, fine, you attack the darkness. There's an elf in front of you.
Elf: Whoah! That's me, right?
DM: He wearing a brown tunic, and he has grey hair, and blue eyes...
Elf: No, I don't, I have grey eyes.
DM: Let me see that sheet.
Elf: Well, it says I have...Well, it says here I have blue, but I decided I wanted grey eyes.
DM: Whatever. OK, you guys can talk to each other now, if you want.
Golstaff: Hello.
Elf: Hello.
Golstaff: I am Golstaff, Sorcerer of Light.
Elf: Then how come you had to cast Magic Missile?
DM: You...you guys are being attacked.
Cheeto: Do I see that happening?
DM: No, you're outside, by the tavern.
Cheeto: Cool, I get drunk.
DM: There are seven ogres surrounding you.
Elf: How could they surround us? I had Mordenkainen's Magical Watchdog cast.
DM: No, you didn't.
Cheeto: I'm getting drunk. Are there any girls there?
Elf: I totally did! You asked me if I wanted any equipment before this adventure and I said No. But I need material components for all my spells. So I cast Mordenkainen's Faithful Watchdog.
DM: But you never actually cast it.
Cheeto: Roll the dice to see if I'm getting drunk.
DM: (rolls dice) Yeah, you are.
Cheeto: Are there any girls there?
DM: Yeah.
Elf: I did though! I completely said when you asked me!
DM: No you didn't! You didn't actually SAY that you were casting the spell. So now there's ogres. OK?!
Cheeto: Ogres! Man, I got an Ogre-Slaying knife! It's got a plus 9 against ogres.
DM: You're not there! You're getting drunk!
Cheeto: OK, but if there's any girls there, I wanna DO them!
Narrator: There you have it! A frightening look into America's most frightening pastime. Remember that it's not your children's fault that they're being drawn into a Satanic world of nightmare. It's their gym teacher's fault, for making them feel outcast, when they couldn't do one single pullup.
If you ever played D&D (or indeed AD&D) as a teenager, the above will ring oh-so true for you. The sketch is up in various forms on youtube, go check it.
Secondly, in an attempt to out-geek/out-cool me, a certain person has sent me the following links, which you should all also check out should you not have done so before;
Nuclear Power:
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/02/episode-001-were-going-where/
Order of the Stick:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
Saturday Morning Breakfast:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=1220
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=213
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=672
the thing is, being a female role-player gets you instant cool points with male role-players, by and large. Men, please do remember that a cute face and a sweet disposition means nada when it comes to getting one over on your group (I’m particularly thinking back to my table-top VTM days as well as Larp VTM days here…). We can be vicious, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Thirdly, unless, of course, you’re Felicia Day in The Guild (http://www.watchtheguild.com/ - web-vid-comic re: group of ‘WoWers’, they are a beautifully dysfunctional group of people and quite frankly, it rocks) in which case you’re such a darling, it hurts. Hunt for ‘Do You Want To Date My Avatar’ on youtube.
Whilst we’re going cool/geeky, other stuff you should check out (if you don’t already!) includes;
Loading, Ready, Run. Those guys quite frankly rock. Saying no more, check them out here:
http://loadingreadyrun.com/
(I’m a ‘Desert Bus’ fan)
But they blatantly started off life as the guys from Questionable Content: http://questionablecontent.net/
Then there’s Penny Arcade:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
And xkcd:
http://xkcd.com/
And not forgetting A Softer World:
http://www.asofterworld.com/
And Dex Lives (for this one particular strip alone if nothing else which always cheers me up):
http://dexlives.comicgenesis.com/d/20010617.html
But finally, the wonderful Nemi:
http://www.metro.co.uk/games/nemi/
(I am loving the long-haired guy continuing strip atm and will load them up on facebook for future drooling purposes as it goes… and put them all on an lj post when it concludes!)
So to feed my need for geek, what else should I be checking out?
I've other stuff to say but gotta see a man about a dog first...
Edit - and HOW could I forget Looking for Group: http://www.lfgcomic.com/
I’m a roleplayer. I once upon a time did some LARPing (Live Action Role Play to the uninitiated) but now favour tabletop (sheets of paper, dice and pencils, more sitting down, less stomping through woods in the mud and rain and no camping involved). It is, admittedly, a geeky thing to enjoy. I table-top on a Tuesday. Shadowrun if you’re interested. Female Cat-Shaman-Physical-Adept called Bob (just to wind everyone up, she’s a bit like that).
If you haven’t role-played before, it’s rather tricky to try and explain it and the chances are you’ll think it’s excessively geeky. If you have role-played, you’ll love the below ‘parodies’ and understand why I’m sharing them with you. Because I can’t think of a group of people which is as self-depreciating and tongue in cheek about their hobby as role-players. We KNOW it’s geeky. But it’s a lot of fun. So.
Firstly, if you’ve never listened to it, please-oh-please check out The Dead Alewives Dungeons and Dragons sketch… script handily put here;
Narrator: Dungeons and Dragons. Satan's game. Your children, like it or not, are attracted in their weaker years to the occult, and a game like D&D fuels their imagination and makes them feel special, while drawing them deeper and deeper into the bowels of El Diablo! This afternoon, the Dead Alewives' Watchtower invites you to sit in on an actual gaming session. Observe the previously unobservable as a hidden camera takes you to the Inner Sanctum of Dungeons and Dragons.
DM: Golstaff, you have entered the door to the north. You are now by yourself, standing in a dark room. The pungent stench of mildew emanates from the wet dungeon walls.
Cheeto: Where are the Cheetos?
DM: They're right next to you.
Golstaff: I cast a spell.
Cheeto: Where's the Mountain Dew?
DM: In the fridge, duh!
Golstaff: I wanna cast a spell!
Cheeto: Can I have a Mountain Dew?
DM: Yes, you can have a Mountain Dew, just go get it.
Golstaff: I can cast any of these, right? On the list?
DM: Yes, any, any of the first level ones.
Cheeto: I'm gonna get a soda; anyone want one? Hey, Graham, I'm not in the room, right?
DM: What room?
Golstaff: I wanna cast...Magic Missile.
Cheeto: The room where he's casting all these spells from.
DM: He hasn't cast anything yet.
Golstaff: I am though, if you'd listen. I'm casting...Magic Missile.
DM: Why are you casting Magic Missile? There's nothing to attack here.
Golstaff: I...I'm attacking the darkness!
DM: Fine, fine, you attack the darkness. There's an elf in front of you.
Elf: Whoah! That's me, right?
DM: He wearing a brown tunic, and he has grey hair, and blue eyes...
Elf: No, I don't, I have grey eyes.
DM: Let me see that sheet.
Elf: Well, it says I have...Well, it says here I have blue, but I decided I wanted grey eyes.
DM: Whatever. OK, you guys can talk to each other now, if you want.
Golstaff: Hello.
Elf: Hello.
Golstaff: I am Golstaff, Sorcerer of Light.
Elf: Then how come you had to cast Magic Missile?
DM: You...you guys are being attacked.
Cheeto: Do I see that happening?
DM: No, you're outside, by the tavern.
Cheeto: Cool, I get drunk.
DM: There are seven ogres surrounding you.
Elf: How could they surround us? I had Mordenkainen's Magical Watchdog cast.
DM: No, you didn't.
Cheeto: I'm getting drunk. Are there any girls there?
Elf: I totally did! You asked me if I wanted any equipment before this adventure and I said No. But I need material components for all my spells. So I cast Mordenkainen's Faithful Watchdog.
DM: But you never actually cast it.
Cheeto: Roll the dice to see if I'm getting drunk.
DM: (rolls dice) Yeah, you are.
Cheeto: Are there any girls there?
DM: Yeah.
Elf: I did though! I completely said when you asked me!
DM: No you didn't! You didn't actually SAY that you were casting the spell. So now there's ogres. OK?!
Cheeto: Ogres! Man, I got an Ogre-Slaying knife! It's got a plus 9 against ogres.
DM: You're not there! You're getting drunk!
Cheeto: OK, but if there's any girls there, I wanna DO them!
Narrator: There you have it! A frightening look into America's most frightening pastime. Remember that it's not your children's fault that they're being drawn into a Satanic world of nightmare. It's their gym teacher's fault, for making them feel outcast, when they couldn't do one single pullup.
If you ever played D&D (or indeed AD&D) as a teenager, the above will ring oh-so true for you. The sketch is up in various forms on youtube, go check it.
Secondly, in an attempt to out-geek/out-cool me, a certain person has sent me the following links, which you should all also check out should you not have done so before;
Nuclear Power:
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/02/episode-001-were-going-where/
Order of the Stick:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
Saturday Morning Breakfast:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=1220
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=213
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=672
the thing is, being a female role-player gets you instant cool points with male role-players, by and large. Men, please do remember that a cute face and a sweet disposition means nada when it comes to getting one over on your group (I’m particularly thinking back to my table-top VTM days as well as Larp VTM days here…). We can be vicious, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Thirdly, unless, of course, you’re Felicia Day in The Guild (http://www.watchtheguild.com/ - web-vid-comic re: group of ‘WoWers’, they are a beautifully dysfunctional group of people and quite frankly, it rocks) in which case you’re such a darling, it hurts. Hunt for ‘Do You Want To Date My Avatar’ on youtube.
Whilst we’re going cool/geeky, other stuff you should check out (if you don’t already!) includes;
Loading, Ready, Run. Those guys quite frankly rock. Saying no more, check them out here:
http://loadingreadyrun.com/
(I’m a ‘Desert Bus’ fan)
But they blatantly started off life as the guys from Questionable Content: http://questionablecontent.net/
Then there’s Penny Arcade:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
And xkcd:
http://xkcd.com/
And not forgetting A Softer World:
http://www.asofterworld.com/
And Dex Lives (for this one particular strip alone if nothing else which always cheers me up):
http://dexlives.comicgenesis.com/d/20010617.html
But finally, the wonderful Nemi:
http://www.metro.co.uk/games/nemi/
(I am loving the long-haired guy continuing strip atm and will load them up on facebook for future drooling purposes as it goes… and put them all on an lj post when it concludes!)
So to feed my need for geek, what else should I be checking out?
I've other stuff to say but gotta see a man about a dog first...
Edit - and HOW could I forget Looking for Group: http://www.lfgcomic.com/