Gaming Man Cave: The Dojo

Finally!

While it is still a work in progress, I'm pretty much done setting up my game room. A few more coats of sealant on the table and a few odds and ends, but this is basically it. So now I have a place to play, anytime. The table, dubbed "The Field...of Evermore!" is the one rescued from School of Comics and built for Gamers Conclave. Both stores are now only memories, but I am hoping a little TLC of the table and the dice gods may favor me! Special thanks to Lassider for bringing it here and then helping me shoe horn it into the house. Now, which should be the first game played on it? :)

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

Dungeons and Dragons Encounters

So with all the craziness that is going on, it is nice to have a hobby that lets one take a break from all the insanity of the day. For some it is golf. Others it may be playing pool. For me and my crew, it is swinging a long sword playing Dungeons and Dragons.

But who has time to play D&D anymore? Many have family obligations, work, school, second jobs, etc...how does one fit in time to play a long roleplaying campaign?

Enter D&D Encounters.

Wizards of the Coast, in a stroke of brilliance, has devised a way for those who wish to get their RPG on without the hefty time commitment. In Dungeon and Dragons Encounters, players can meet on a specific night each week, Wednesdays, and play a campaign session of D&D in less than two hours. They take this a step further buy making it so that one need not even know how to play! Encounters is great for beginners and veterans alike. WotC provides everything the DM needs to run the campaign for the season, which lasts about 13-15 weeks. Players may make their own level 1 character or play one of the pre made characters provided in the Encounters kit. In addition to the characters earning loot, gear and XP, the players themselves earn Renown Points by achieving certain milestones over the course of the season. These points earn them exclusive Fortune Cards that they may use to further enhance their character's options during game play.

Each season of Encounters focuses on telling a story in a grand setting with the players as the Heroes and centerpiece of the tale. This season's Encounters takes place in the classic D&D campaign setting of The Forgotten Realms. In Faerun lies the ruined city of Neverwinter. Decimated after a volcanic eruption, Neverwinter is the home to all manner of monsters, nefarious factions, and intrigue. Yet there is hope. Some are trying to reclaim Neverwinter and restore it to its former glory as the Jewel of the North and seek the lost Crown of Neverwinter. But who, if any will succeed in such a task? It is up to your party to find out!

So check out your FLGS on Wednesdays nights and participate in D&D Encounters. Discover (again) why gathering around the table with your friends and fighting some baddies is a great way to get away from the craziness of the day...even if it is only for two hours. You can find a D&D Encounters location here.

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

Places to Play: Big Easy Comics

In an effort to both inform and promote the New Orleans area gaming community, I thought I would start a series of articles on where local gamers can get together and meet, play some games, and have a good time. It seems we are enjoying a Renaissance of gaming down here in the Deep South, as many excellent gaming locations have opened around the city. Perhaps one day I will chronicle my own personal experiences with our local game stores throughout the years, but not today. However, I feel I would be remiss if I started writing about game stores without at least giving a shout out to the one that, for me, started it all. Wargames and Fantasy, owned and operated by Clay and Deanna LeBrun (and occasionally, Caesar) was where I discovered hobby gaming. That is where I learned to play a little unknown game called Magic:The Gathering and some miniature games called Rogue Trader and Space Hulk. I have many fond memories of that store, and some of my oldest friendships can trace their roots back to a game played on those gaming tables.

But that is a story for another time.

Today, we are very fortunate to have several game stores in and around New Orleans and in Baton Rouge. Here on the Northshore, in Mandeville, there is a wonderful new comic shop called Big Easy Comics. Owned by Stephen and Tracey Smith, Big Easy Comics is the place to get your comic Geek on, pick up some collectible action figures, and get some games in on their dedicated game nights. To say they have a few action figures, collectible statues, and comics would be a gross understatement. They also carry a small but respectable, budding selection of games and gaming supplies. Games Workshop figures prominently in their store, and there is no lack of finding opponents to play Warhammer Fantasy or 40,000. For my game group, we have been getting together on Wednesday and Friday nights, with most folks showing up on Fridays.

Now, I'll shoot ya straight. I do not think Steve and Tracey set out to run a game store, as most of us would define it. However, they have been so unbelievably accommodating to us gamers that it has reinvigorated and rejuvenated many of us to start playing again, in earnest. In truth, I have never seen a store adapt so much to its customers like BEC has done. While BEC may be cozy space wise, it does not take much effort to transform it to a comfortable gaming area. All of the floor displays are rollable and easily tuck out of the way. There are custom built comic back issue bins that serve double duty as gaming tables. All it takes is the addition of an overleaf, a few snaps of the locks, and BAM! Instant gaming table. On game nights, folding tables and chairs occupy space that was once dedicated to comic books or collectible toys. They definitely make the best of their situation, and my hat is off to their ingenuity and eagerness to give us a place to play.

On the gaming front, BEC has certainly hit the ground running. They have been hosting our local Game Night for several weeks now, and are quickly responding to their customers needs by adding events and tournaments to the line up. For those seeking to tap some Land for mana and cast crazy spells at their opponent, Friday Night is the time to show up and play some Magic:The Gathering league games. My game group is currently playing in a Warmachine/Hordes campaign of our own design, and many of us base our games for it at BEC (more on that later). Big Easy Comics recently held its first Warhammer 40,000 Tournament. A great time was had by all, myself included, pitting our armies against one another in some GW 'Ard Boyz scenarios. In the end, it was Zach and his magnificently painted Eldar warhost that won the day. Alas, my Chaos Space Marines did not fair too well against Addison's Grey Knights or Zach's Eldar, but I did manage to eek out a Victory over Richard's formidable Sisters of Battle.

As I have mentioned before, hobby gaming is very much a social hobby that requires folks to get together and play one another and have fun. Having a dedicated, common place to meet and act as the social hub for the gaming community is a big part of the enjoyment of hobby gaming. While they may be the new kids on the gaming block, Big Easy Comics is already developing a strong Northshore gaming community and provides an excellent, fun and professional atmosphere in which we get to do our thing. Which is namely to utterly crush one another's armies into a heaping, bloody pulp and leave us crying on the tabletop.

If you are in the Mandeville/Covington/Slidell area, I invite you to experience Big Easy Comics and come by for a game. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Big Easy Comics can be found at 5150 Hwy. 22 Suite C-3, Mandeville, LA 70471. (985) 792-7800. They are open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m.

Their website can be found here.

Next week I will review and spotlight another fantastic game store. This one will be somewhere in Metairie! :-)

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

Miniature Update: Progress!!

It is a well known fact that I seem to collect miniatures faster than I can assemble and paint them. This is partially a time issue but really I have to be "inspired" to really sit down at my table and get things going. There is nothing like a good campaign to really tear me away from Call of Duty or World of Warcraft and start assembling...and painting...some miniatures. My game crew is starting The Battle for Firecania campaign for WARMACHINE and HORDES. Since we custom designed the campaign rules, we were able to address specific needs of our players. For one, we can play any faction we would like each game. This has led to me getting some models that have been on the back burner for a (long) while back on track to getting done. You may recall from my last post my Blindwater Congregation models on my painting table still in boxes. Well, now they are assembled and primed! I'm going to challenge myself to get the initial fifteen points painted up over the next few weeks. My last painting challenge was to assemble and paint a small Cryx force in two weeks (see my earlier blog entry). I was pleased with how they came out and I am going to use the same "quick and dirty" painting technique on Bloody Barnabas and his warpack. I also was able to "pre-paint" and assemble my Manticore for my Retribution army. Given how the model is assembled, I decided to prime and paint each piece individually before I assembled the model. I was not sure if I would be able to get a paint brush into some of the areas if I assembled it first, so I tried this route. It is still far from finished, but I like the way it came together. I do have lots of touch up work to do on it, but that will come later. I will post a further rundown of The Battle for Firecania and how we are faring in it later.

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

My Painting Table: Where All the Fun Begins!

Part of the hobby aspect of miniature gaming is assembling and painting up your models for the battlefield. This requires all manner of hobby supplies. From clippers and files to glue and paint pots, having a dedicated area to work on your miniatures goes a long way to enjoying the process and makes organizing your supplies easier.

Now, this area can be as simple as a desktop or portion of the kitchen table. Even a shoe box and box top can make a great painting area. The point is to have a space where you can work on your models from start to finish that makes this a fun and rewarding project for you. For me, it is a corner table in my soon-to-be game room. Now, wherever your place is, the most important advice I can give on its location is make sure it is well lit. To me, lighting is one of the more crucial aspects of assembling and, more importantly, painting miniatures. Proper lighting allows you to see the miniatures better, see the colors sufficiently, and to overall see what you doing. It can be disheartening to have worked on a model to completion and bring it outside and then you notice a paint blemish, piece of flash, or mold line that you thought you got got rid of. My light set up consists of the room light, a desk lamp, and a third light the extends over my back shoulder. As you can see from the photos, I prefer the desk lamp to be higher than most, as I like that lamp to provide the most light. The shoulder lamp helps fill in any shadow areas as I move the model around. Combined the lights really define how accurate my color hues are. This is why I use white bowls as my paint palettes. I can see what the paint color truly is.

I also find having ample area to work handy. I know I am not the norm, but having space to put boxes, trays, primer boxes, etc. is very helpful when trying to manage several models at once. I often have many projects going at once (which explains why I have some many incomplete armies!) and the space help me keep them, organized. (Where are Lassider's Lizardmen, I wonder? :-)

With our upcoming Warmachine/Hordes campaign soon approaching, I will be assembling and painting a small Blindwater Congregation army to plunder the land of Firecanium and slaughter my opponents. More on that campaign later, but I will document my progress with this army here on the Dojo. So here are the beginning models ready for assembly. Check back to see how it turns out!

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

Game Review: Star Trek Online

Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise....

Like many folks of a certain age, many a night was spent watching the original Star Trek t.v. show. I was just a young boy then, but the show has left a lifetime impression on me. This impression was solidified when the Star Trek franchise made the jump from television to film, riding the wave of science fiction movies of the late 1970's and early 80's. Seeing the Enterprise on the big screen was cooler than cool, and still is to this day. I remember fondly playing with my Start Trek action figures on the bridge of the Enterprise (anyone else remember these Megoo toys?) and getting a bed spread that was full of space ships and laser blasts and space stations. Of course, Star Wars was an influence as well (that is a whole other topic!) but there is no denying that Star Trek had become part of my science fiction DNA.

The Star Trek Universe has since become an iconic part of Americana. Star Trek has spawned an industry of licensing, encompassing movies, books, cartoons, toys and (among other things)...video games. As video games keep pace with technology, the scope of what these games offer has also increased. Building on the success of other MMO's, Cryptic Studios has boldly gone where no game company has gone before and developed Star Trek Online. This is the first and only officially licensed Star Trek MMO and, to borrow a line from a certain Science Officer, I find it "Fascinating".

Canonically, Star Trek Online is in a unique position. Working closely with Paramount, who has rebooted the film franchise by setting the movies in an alternate timeline, Cryptc lets STO players continue the storyline from where the reboot movie takes off (I think this is a very cool thing to do, as it puts the "original" Star Trek timeline in the hands of the fans. Very cool indeed). Romulus and Remus have been destroyed. Both of these empires are struggling to gain a foothold and rebuild. The Klingons are moving to take back whole sectors of space they claim are rightfully theirs. The Dominion are rebuilding. A new threat from Fluidic Space has emerged. And on top of it all, The Borg are back, once more. The Federation is at war on multiple fronts, fighting hard to reestablish peace across the galaxy.

Star Trek Online is a unique MMO in that it allows players to play in two modes. There is a Space mode, which allows players to captain starships, explore uncharted space, and engage in space combat. There is also the Ground mode, which allows players to go on Away Missions, dock at space stations (such as Deep Space Nine) and beam down to planets or onto other vessels. This makes for some dynamic and engaging game play. It also presents players with a unique challenge. By this, I mean your character is not just one person, say as in World of Warcraft. Rather, it is a combination of your Captain character, your class, your starship and your Bridge Officers. All of these combined make up what and how you play STO.

Players can choose from one of three Officer roles: tactical, science, or engineering. These correspond to DPS, Healing, and Tanking, respectively. There are also corresponding starships one can captain: Cruisers, Escorts, and Science vessels. Your Bridge Officers man the various stations on the Bridge, each bringing a unique set of skills that they may use at each station, depending upon their rank. You begin the game as an Ensign and can advance all the way up to Vice Admiral (1-51). Every ten levels grants you access to different Tier starships as well as the ability to promote members of your crew. These Tier ships provide more console slots for various gear upgrades. Of course, the higher the Tier ship, the more powerful it is.

There are many different mission types in STO. From patrolling sector space or engaging enemy contacts to exploring uncharted systems or engaging in diplomatic missions that require the player to "think" their way through to a solution. My favorite are the Episodes. Episodes are missions that follow a storyline and develop very much like a Star Trek t.v. episode. These Episodes further the continuity of Star Trek along and are usually a mix of diplomacy, space combat, and Away Missions.

In addition, there are PVP zones, material gathering, item crafting, accolades, titles, Fleet Actions, Task Forces, and other such odds and ends that add to the immersive experience that is Star Trek Online. And for me, that is one of the more entertaining aspects of STO. The immersion and total sense that you are a part of the Star Trek story, not simply watching it unfold on t.v. or on a movie screen. This is further punctuated by certain parts of the game being voiced by Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, and Chase Masterson.

Now, it is by no means a perfect game. I still think it has a few things that could be made better (at times Ground combat does feel a little clunky). Fortunately, Cryptic is aware of them and is diligent in gathering player feedback and makes changes where appropriate. Indeed, after a year of being out, it feels much more polished and vastly improved than when the game first went live. I was lucky enough to have been in closed beta testing, and the improvements over the year are quite noticeable. I can only hope that Cryptic continues to further innovate and update STO in the future.

So if you have ever wanted to sit in the Captain's chair of a starship and warp into space, Star Trek Online is your chance to "make it so".

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked

New Year. New Games. New Blood!

Happy New Year Everyone.

Now that the dust from the chaos that was the 2010 Holiday Season has finally settled, I can now focus some attention back to The Dojo. Last year was a roller coaster of gaming goodness, I can only imagine what is in store for 2011. From the few industry rumors I have heard so far, this year looks very promising for all types of gamers. But before I get into what is in store, let me first give a quick round up of what has happened since my last post.

(<--Jason fielding Lord Carver and his Farrow army for the first time at Big Easy!)

Traditionally, my gaming club goes on hiatus during the holidays. It is just too difficult to coordinate with every one's schedules with all of the holiday preparation, celebration, and aftermath. So we have not met for Game Night in quite some time. We have put our D&D campaign on hold until we get some group dynamics worked out. I for one was sad to do this, but I can see the wisdom in doing so. I love the new edition of D&D and I hope we can pick it up again this year. In the months that have past we lost a local game store, but gained a new one here on the North Shore. I am working on creating a game room of my own, but that is a slow process. I now own a gaming table that originally hails from one of the game stores here, which is fortunate. So once the room is set up, it will give us one additional place to play and that is a good thing.

Presently, we are beginning to set some things in motion to kick off our 2011 gaming. We now have a new game store to play at, Big Easy Comics, located here in Mandeville. I'll cover Big Easy in more detail in a later post, but Steve and Tracey have been very gracious and accommodating for us and we are very thankful for their willingness in hosting our games. Warhammer 40k seems to be the game of choice there now, with a tournament scheduled in March. Friday nights are shaping up to be the best day to get some games in there, as we can stay waaaay late if we need to. Roman has plans for a Warmachine/Hordes campaign of his own creation that we will participate in throughout the year. He is also hosting Game Nights at The Cave once again, with the first one to be all about board games. Namely Puerto Rico and Power Grid in particular. I am looking forward to playing a few new board games, too. I would like to give the new version of Tannhauser a go. Jason and I are looking into two new game systems: Freebooter's Fate and Dystopian Wars. They both look promising, but we are committed to playing what we have now first, so look for more scoop on those games later in the year.

So for now, we are getting things going with a new game shop, several new players (which is always a good thing) and planning ahead to get our game on. With multiple things going on, it should not be difficult to get a game of something in, somewhere.

For Thunder Dojo, I am setting the ambitious goal of writing three articles a month. This may not sound like a lot, but it is all I can comfortably handle at the moment. So check back here a few times a month and see what nuggets of gaming awesome I have come up with!

Strength and Honor,

-Wicked