Hey everyone! Mac here from Dark Elf Dice. I hope everyone had a great holiday and had a chance to spend time with family and friends and perhaps do a little gaming. Were just winding down from our holiday sales rush and are busily working at restocking the shelves with some of your favorites and some new game accessories we hope youll like. Stay tuned! Well be doing some product reviews on our Game Night blog shortly.
I for one had a very nice time during the holidays, and I was pleasantly surprised when my wife gave me an Xbox 360 game for Christmas. I should mention that when I was younger I played video games a lot (much to the disapproval of Mrs. Mac), but with added work and family responsibilities over the years, video games gradually took a backseat in my life. A few years back though, I bought an Xbox 360 (mostly for the Beatles Rock Band game), and dabbled a little in video games when I found some free time. So instead of receiving slippers or a new sweater for Christmas, I received The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game and a players guide as thick as a Milwaukee phone book. Cool!
Is that a dragon or a seahorse?
Surprisingly, as much as I used to play video games, I didnt play much in the fantasy genre. In fact, the last fantasy game I used to play with regularity was Ataris Adventure. Man, back in grade school I would spend hours searching for the enchanted chalice and slaying dragons! Needless to say, my fantasy video game experiences were a tad dated (I showed my teenage daughters a YouTube video of Adventure and they just laughed). In Skyrim Im still able to search for enchanted chalices and slay dragons, its just better. Better graphics, better game play, better sound effects, better everything. But is Skyrim, a game that bills itself Epic Fantasy Reborn, better than a good old fashioned table top game like Dungeons and Dragons or Castles and Crusades? Therein lies an interesting question.
Dude! That ain't no seahorse!
As Im playing through Skyrim, I cant help asking myself how the game compares to traditional role playing. I can honestly say that Im thoroughly enjoying this video rpg and the open-ended fantasy world I can explore and adventure in at will. Skyrim really does a fine job capturing certain role playing elements exceedingly well (fascinating quests, unique magic items, powerful spells, engaging level and skill advancement, etc.), but I do find one thing lacking. Namely, playing Skyrim is a lonely adventure, whereas Dungeons and Dragons is not. When I play Skyrim into the small hours of the morning, I really do have a good time, but I cant help but miss the camaraderie of friends sitting with me at the kitchen table, rolling dice and laughing over pizza and Mountain Dew. For me personally, this is why table top rpg games will always be superior to video games. With table top role playing, I can engage in the adventure with other people — people sitting right next to me that share the same imaginative experience. Ive concluded that searching for enchanted chalices and slaying dragons is fun, but its much more fun to do so with a group of friends you know and love.
Cheers everyone, Mac here from Dark Elf Dice. The other night I had an opportunity to chit-chat with my sister-in-law from Seattle. JoAnne is a doctor, and she had called long-distance to speak with my wife about gardening. I answered the phone and had a chance to talk with her about the new house she recently purchased.
So hows the neighborhood? Are you getting to know the people on your block? I asked.
The neighborhoods great, but I really havent had a chance to meet my neighbors. Between work and moving its been crazy. The only person I know is an ENT who works with me in the clinic twice a week.
This is not the ENT you're looking for.
Eee-Enn-Tee… ENT? What the heck was she talking about? I admit that Im not the sharpest sword in the sheath when it comes to medical jargon, and all I could picture was a giant, talking tree. So, they have ENTS in Seattle?
Of course.
I scratched my head, more confused than ever. I suppose the Pacific Northwest weather agrees with them. What with the heavy rain and all. If I were an ENT thats where I would like to live.
There was a long pause before JoAnne said anything. You have absolutely no idea what Im talking about, do you?
I admitted my ignorance and JoAnne patiently explained that an ENT was an ears, nose and throat doctor. This made sense, but I have to say that I felt I twinge of disappointment that there werent any real ENTS in Seattle.
After turning the phone over to my wife, I reflected on the use of acronyms and abbreviations and how we use these unique terms as a matter of convenience to simplify phrases or names. Take for instance FAQ (frequently asked questions) or DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) — these are common acronyms that were all familiar with and that Im certain we run across from time-to-time. Things get fuzzy though when acronyms or abbreviations are used by different groups of people — terms can take on entirely different meanings. Is a CD a compact disc or a certificate of deposit? I suppose it depends on whether or not youre speaking with a Beatles Fan Club member (check out the fab bootlegs!) or a bank manager.
Game night just got a lot more interesting.
In the world of RPGs (role playing games — not rocket propelled grenades), we use a lot of acronyms and abbreviations to help facilitate game play. See if you can decipher the following:
On Saturday, the gang headed over to Gandalfs house to play D&D 4e. Now dont get me wrong, I have nothing against this latest edition, but Im an old school gamer and still pine for the days of AD&D. I didnt want to start a debate over which game was better (the WotC version or the classic TSR version), so I kept my yap shut.
Once we arrived at Gandalfs, Frodo volunteered to act as DM. I had to suppress a groan — Frodo was always losing things (even the gold ring his uncle had given him), but no one else stepped forward for the job. I suppose if he didnt lose his DMG wed be all right. The rest of us acted as PCs, and I rolled up a dwarf fighter. I wanted to be an elf fighter, but Legolas insisted on being the elf, so I let him (besides, my DEX score was pretty low and Id make a miserable elf). I briefly toyed with the idea of being a druid, but I didnt like the idea of starting a first level character with a low HP number (not to mention a low AC as well). So a dwarf it was. My STR was a 17 so I received an awesome BtH modifier.
Our PCs began their adventure in an inn named the Prancing Pony. Almost immediately there was trouble. We ran into a group of nasty trolls looking to bash a few heads. Unfortunately, our party was outnumbered and I was expecting the worst. Luckily for us, a NPC who worked at the inn helped us sneak out a back door through the kitchen. Once we escaped the inn and tasted the cool, night air I thought our troubles were over. On the way out through the kitchen though, my dwarf ate an entire plateful of salmon mousse (unknowingly made with canned salmon) and I had to use a d20 to make a saving throw against poison. Fortunately, my dwarf survived (just barely), but our party gained no XP for our hasty (and inglorious) retreat.
Could you find and decipher all the acronyms and abbreviations? Good for you! Give yourself a pat on the back and a 100 gp bonus. You deserve it. If you want to see more unique gaming acronyms and abbreviations take a look at this cool list. This is a fairly exhaustive list and there’s a lot here I’ve honestly never used or seen before. Also, check out this week’s installment of That’s How We Role. Until next time people!
Hi gang, Mac here from Dark Elf Dice. Last Friday I was busy counting inventory for a new shipment of dice we received when Calvin (one of my cheeky employees) referred to me as the old man. At first, I didnt know who he was referring to. I stopped my counting and looked over my shoulder to see if someone else had walked into the room. No one had of course. It was just me, Calvin, shelves loaded full of rpg dice, and a nickname that I didnt think Id ever hear in my lifetime…
I hear it all the time, but I'm NOT He-Man!
Now dont get me wrong — theres nothing the matter with growing older or being considered old for that matter. Its just that Ive only had one other nickname in my life. In grade school I was known as Lightning because I could run faster than my classmates and won all sorts of ribbons for track and field (I suppose you could say my agility score was a natural 16 — not bad for a gawky kid who had no greater ambition than to play Atari 2600 after school and watch Thundarr the Barbarian on Saturday mornings). I have to be honest though — its a little hard jumping from Lightning to Old Man. To make matters worse, I read that Mark Hamill just turned sixty years old this week. Somehow, I just cant wrap my brain around Luke Skywalker being sixty. Its like an evil Sith Lord mind-trick…
Oh well. As Calvin stocked the shelves, grinning to himself at his perceived cleverness and listening to his iPod, I realized that he was correct in some ways. Even though Im only in my forties, in his teenager eyes I am the old man and always will be. I also realized that I felt a little sorry for Calvin. He may not realize or appreciate it, but he missed out on one of the greatest decades ever — the 1980s.
Take heed 'cause he's a lyrical poet
All right, I fully admit the 80s werent without fault (Vanilla Ice and parachute pants anyone?), but if you were a gamer the decade was righteous. Dungeons and Dragons became a part of our very culture and literally hundreds of companies (both large and small) were creating role playing games and unique gaming accessories. Just flip through a back issue of Dragon magazine from this era and take a look at the obscene amount of companies advertising not only their products, but gaming conventions as well. The 1980s were in fact the golden age of tabletop role playing games, and Im afraid well never see the like again.
Which brings me to something that I wanted to mention. Much of the success of role playing games (both from the 1980s and today) can be attributed to Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons. Its safe to say that Dark Elf Dice wouldnt be in business today if it wasnt for the creative genius of this one man. It was with pleasure then that I learned that a Gary Gygax memorial is in the works in his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The project is moving along and the memorial will be placed in Donian Park. Stefan Pokorny (founder and chief sculptor of Dwarven Forge) has volunteered to sculpt the memorial (apparently the design will include a castle turret with a bust of Gary on top and possibly a dragon wrapped around the turret). You can read more about the project by going to the Gygax memorial website.
Until next time faithful readers! In the meantime check out this week’s installment of That’s How We Role and our blog poll.
Hi everyone, Mac here from Dark Elf Dice. We’ve been missing in action for the past few weeks, but believe me it’s been for a very good cause. Everyone here has been working feverishly to put the finishing touches on the Dark Elf Dice website. Five months ago, we began a complete website redesign with the customer in mind. When we first started the project, I thought it would take thirty days or so to jazz everything up. Boy, was I wrong! Once we started making improvements we had a hard time stopping. Not only have we made the site easier to navigate to find what you’re searching for, we’ve literally added hundreds of new rpg products. Some of the new products that I’m personally excited about include our even greater selection of rpg dice (including the d3 hybrid dice and metal dice), our expanded dice bag collection, and the addition of more role playing game books and board games (including a game I’m really psyched about called Castles and Crusades — I plan on writing more about this game in a future blog post). If you haven’t had a chance to test drive the new website yet, take a look when you have some free time. We think you’ll like what you see.
Also, during the last few weeks we secured the talents of the up-and-coming cartoonist, Jordan Smith. Jordan has created an exclusive weekly comic strip for our Dark Elf Dice blog entitled That’s How We Role, a comic about the adventures (or should I say misadventures) of Marco the Mysterious, Princess Serenity, and Boris Warmaster. Jordan is an avid gamer himself (no posers here!) and his work has recently been published in the Zenith newspaper (a comic strip called Candance ‘N Company). We’re excited that Jordan has come on over to the “dark side” and joined the Dark Elf Dice team. So with that, I’ll leave you with the first installment of That’s How We Role. Enjoy this week’s installment and keep on gaming!
