North of Reality

Top 50 Movies (29-11)

2009-11-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

To be honest the top ten list will be boring (spoiler: 80% of it is Star Wars or Lord of the Rings), so this is where it gets exciting.

29. The Dark Knight
This is the best super hero movie ever. The portrayal of a grittier, less comic bookish Joker, portrayed perfectly by Heath Ledger, really put this one over the top.

28. Army of Darkness
This is without a doubt, one of the most quotable movies ever. I am not a huge fan of "B movies", unless it is a B movie that knows it and rejoices in this fact like Army of Darkness does.

27. Goonies
Three movies went a long way to defining my childhood: Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Goonies. I can not express how badly I wanted to find a treasure map and a secret cave in my childhood. I remember one time even going into a storage room in the garage and looking all over the place just to make sure there wasn't a hidden map somewhere.

26. The Princess Bride
This movie is made by its excellent characters, simplistic fairy tale story, and witty writing. Just like Fred Savage wanted his grandfather to come back and read the story again, this is a movie that stands up very well to repeat viewings.

25. Serenity
Serenity is the Return of the Jedi of the Firefly story, and it was the end to a universe whose life was to short. Joss Wheadon's "space western" hits on a lot of the same high notes that Star Wars does (a "used" universe, constant hints at a back story, glimpses of a larger universe). However, the Firefly universe is a lot more gritty and gray. Also, the characters in Firefly are all absoluty awesome.

24. Clue
I think this movie is under appreciated. The mix of a "whodoneit?" with a comedy works really well. Tim Curry as the butler is incredibly hilarious.

23. The Rock
I don't really know how to articulate it, but there is a 90's action movie blue print. Many of these movies (The Rock, Speed, Broken Arrow, etc) have a very similar feel to them. In my opinion The Rock is the best of them. The fact that Sean Connery for all intents and purposes played an older James Bond (they just changed his name to Mason) is what really makes this one.

22. The Braveheart
This movie went a long way to spawning "the historical epic" that is common place now. Like other movies already on this list, Braveheart gives a historical looking setting and creates a fiction story using historical figures. Braveheart is the movie that historians love to hate for this reason, because the average American's knowledge of English history probably begins with Braveheart and ends with the Patriot. While not historically accurate in the least, Braveheart is a compelling story of love, loss, and honor.

21. Black Hawk Down
Because of this movie, I have shot countless terrorist on the streets of sandy war-torn cities in numerous video games. This movie is on this list for the same reason as other war movies, it just happens to be with contemporary warfare.

20. Zombieland
This is the newest movie on the list, and it may be artificially high because of its newness. However, I loved this movie. It was laugh out loud funny all throughout, and it had some great Zombie killing action.

19. Die Hard
Smart Mouth action heroes are common, but in Die Hard John McClain created the "every man" smart mouth action hero. This is officially my favorite "Christmas Movie", and Abigail and I try to watch it every Christmas eve.

18. Aliens
As scores of B-Movies and Sci-Fi Original movies will show, Space Marines are hard to get right. That is because every movie that features Space marines is trying desperately hard to capture the magic that is Aliens.

17. Shaun of the Dead
While Zombieland may replace it, this is my current favorite Zombie movie. Like Hot Fuzz the brilliance of Shaun of the Dead is that it makes fun of Zombie movies, while being a legitimate zombie movie.

16. Fight Club
I like this movies unique storytelling and its exploration of some of the dark effects that are consumer culture has on the human soul. I don't know if this is a human trait or just a male trait, but this movie touches on the fact that deep down that all of us want to beat the living crap out of something from time to time.

15. Ghostbusters
As mentioned in the Goonies post, this was one of the defining movies of my childhood. This was only accented by the fact that my favorite cartoon for a lot of elementary school was The Real Ghostbusters. I really wanted to catch a ghost, and one of my favorite books was even a "how to" guide on doing that.

14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This is the best Indiana Jones movie in my opinion. The action is top notch, and the interaction between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is brilliant. I also like the undertones this movie has about faith.

13. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Funniest. Movie. Ever. I have seen this movie many, many times and I still laught at it.

12. 300
From the visual style of the movie, to the fights, to Gerard Butler's intensity this movie is just cool.

11. Saving Private Ryan
The D-Day invasion scene at the opening of this movie is still the most incredible thing I have ever seen in any movie. The story while mostly fabricated is a very good one. For me this is the definitive war movie.

Top 50 Movies (50-30)

2009-11-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

A while ago I listed my top 25 video games of all time. Since i have seen more movies, it is only fitting the list be twice as long. Plus, I need this long of a list because if I were to do a top five it would be boring as it is mostly Star Wars (top ten is similar as you will see. I am sure there is a favorte movie of mine that I completely spaced some how and left off, or the order may be slightly variable. However, this should be fairly close to accurate.

50. The Phantom Menance
This makes the list only because it is a Star Wars movie. You could be snotty and ask why The Clone Wars is not on the list for that reason, and that is because that was just a couple of TV show episodes shown in succession. You could be really snotty and ask why the ewok movies are not on the list. If either of those two movies had a lightsaber in them, then they would be.

49. Dodgeball: An Underdog Story
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. I find this movie to be hysterical. Plus if ESPN 8 were a real channel, I would watch it all the time.

48. Dawn of the Dead
This is the Zach Snyder remake not the original. I do like a good Zombie movie, and this is one is one of the best. It is very tense and bleak all throughout.

47. The Passion of the Christ
I try to watch this movie once a year on Easter. It is a hard movie to watch, but it is worth it every time.

46. Kingdom of Heaven
There are not enough quality movies with Medieval battle scenes. This movie has them, and it raises interesting questions about the nature of faith.

45. V for Vendetta
If a movie has at least one or two quality martial arts fights I will probably enjoy it. This does have one. On top of that it has an almost film noir feeling and raises questions about the nature of government.

44. Dead Poet Society
We all want a teacher like Mr. Keating. More over, if anyone has ever taught, it is there secret dream for students to stand up on their desk and call them captain.

43. We are Soldiers
As this list will quickly show, I like war movies. The best war movies deliver incredible visuals, capture the horrors of war, and the honors of war. This movie does all of that.

42. Enemy at the Gates41. The Man Who Knew to Little
A little known movie about a hapless man that is always in the right place at the right time. This movie shows off the comedic genius of Bill Murray

40. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
There needs to be more pulp hero movies, and they need to be more like this and less like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

39. Ocean's Eleven
I think this movie may be a little to "smart" for its own good, as I like it a bit less each time I watch it. Despite that, it is always fun to watch the heist go off as planned.

38. Aladdin
One of two Disney Movies on the list. This is mainly here because Robin Williams makes me laugh.

37. Zulu
If there is a movie in the history of cinema that needs to be remade it is this one. 100 British soldiers vs. 4,000 Zulu Warriors and the British win.

36. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
It is a shame Guy Ritchie does not make movies like this or Snatch any more. The set up is great and the dialogue is clever.

35. Fearless
Back to the Martial arts thing. I like a good fight, and if Jet Li is part of it then it is even better. This is a Kung-fu historical epic starting Jet Li and the fights are excellent.

34. Hot Fuzz
While not as good as Shaun of the Dead, this spoof on action movies is very well done. The movie is good because it parodies action movies, while still using legitimately using action movie conventions.

33. Gladiator
Historically, this movie is a huge mess. . . to the point that it should probably be considered fantasy. However, it is an excellent story of a hero.

32. Fist of Legend
I have watched a lot of kung fu movies, and this is probably my favorite. It has several very well done fights, PLUS a plot that is actually worth following.

31. The Lion King
The second Disney movie on the list. The voice acting for Scar is brilliant, but overall I really like the story of losing oneself and then finding it again.

30. Shawshank Redemption
This is not a "fun" movie to watch. However it is an absolute incredible one with great characters, great acting, and an amazing story of hope in a hopeless situation.

The Complete Star Wars Saga

2009-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

So last week, Avon schools were on Fall Break. For the youth who were not going anywhere I held a Star Wars marathon, because there was more than 1 who had never seen a Star Wars movie. Fourteen youth participated in this event, but only five made it the whole night (technically if take out the people who dozed off I think only one made it the whole night with me.)

Watching all of the Star Wars movies in one sitting was a life goal of mine. Now that I have taken in the whole Star Wars story at one time here are some of thoughts about my favorite movies

1. The Original Trilogy is better
I have long been a defender of the prequel movies, especially episodes II and III, claiming they are not that bad and that episode III especially is quite good. However, when viewed from a story telling perspective and viewing both prequels as separate story arcs in the same saga, the prequel does not hold a candle to the original. The main reason for this, comes down to pacing. The prequel trilogy is to rushed in its pacing. For example compare Episode IV to Episode I. In A New Hope, there are three segments that feel roughly equal (even though time wise they are not). In a very rough outline form the plot progresses as such Tatooine (introduction)==>Death Star (rising action)==> Yavin IV (finale). Episode I though progresses as such Naboo (introduction)===>Tatooine (Introudction/Rising Action)===>Coruscant (Rising Action)==>Naboo (finale). Star Wars as always uses a change in location to push the plot along, and in the prequel movies they are changing locations to many times. Compared to the movies of the original trilogy the pacing of the prequels feels far to rushed and hectic.

2. The Best part of the story is not explicit
So when viewed as one story, all of the Star Wars movies together really do tell a good epic, with Darth Vader as the main character. The problem is that a lot of the major themes that are associated with Darth Vader's story are present but not explicitly presented. For example, a major part of the Darth Vader story is that he is the "chosen one" who will bring "balance to the force." However, the story never resolves if he actually does it (this is partly because Return of the Jedi was made 16 years before Phantom Menace, but regardless). Darth Vader does restore balance to the force, but the details are not told. Here is how it goes down. One of the MAJOR problems with the prequels is they never explain why the force is out of balance in the first place. Some references are made, and it is sort of revealed the jedi believe the force is out of balance because the sith still exist. However, this is not it at all. The force is out of balance, because the Jedi have lost focus of the light side. The jedi became to much of a political entity and focused to much on periphery concerns (avoiding attachment) instead of focusing on others unconditionally (which Anikan says is the point of the Jedi. Taking young children from their families, and commanding a slave army are not actions that a "good" organization would do without serious moral qualms. The fact that the Jedi did this show they had sort of lost their way. This is shown by how arrogant the jedi are portrayed (examples include the librarian from episode II, and Yoda saying that arrogance was becoming common in jedi) This is why their ability to use the force had diminished, and this is why the force was out of balance. Darth Vader and the Emperor swung the balance the other way, and plunged the galaxy in darkness.
However, in the end Darth Vader redeemed himself. One of the cool aspects of Darth Vader is the path that led him to the dark side was a selfish desire to save some one else, but the action that redeemed him was a selfless act to save someone else. This action left Luke the last Jedi or Sith in the galaxy. More importantly, as a Jedi he had learned to face his anger and hate without giving into them. This means that Luke, the sole force user, was balanced and this was brought by the actions of Darth Vader so he did fulfill the prophecy in the end.

3. George Lucas can not be trusted with technology
One of the biggest things the prequel movies show is that George Lucas gets carried away when he has access to computers that can literally do anything. Prime example of this is Jar Jar Binks, which reaches its climax in episode I with a juvenile and unnecessary fart joke. Even the original trilogy is tainted by this with the special editions. Going to far with technology is best seen in Return of the Jedi.

4. The music is awesome
Well actually this is a no brainer, but when watched together it is absolutly incredible how good of a job John Williams did at integrating some of the original trilogy themes into the prequel trilogies. This is especially true with the Imperial march, it makes a foreboding quick appearance in episode I, comes out in a bit more force in the other 2 prequel movies, only to be full realized in Empire Strikes Back. This music is used very well to convey the rise of Darth Vader and the Empire.

5. Timing is odd
This is a nitpick, but the timing of the movies across the board is odd. With the exception of Episodes I and II and the time between the movies is never stated, and I only knew them from outside the movie sources. Also some of the movies, especially Attack of the Clones and the Empire Strikes Back have internal timing issues. Basically, these movies have to be watched with the assumption that the events are being portrayed in the best story telling order but not necessarily chronological order, because if the events are shown in a strict chronological order, then some of then the timing is truly odd and off.

6. The universe is better than the Story
The appeal of Star Wars to me has always been the universe. George Lucas did create an exciting galaxy far, far away that is fun to get a glimpse into. When compared to other modern epics like the Lord of the Rings, story wise Star Wars does not get close. However, I would rather play a video game or read a book set in the Star Wars universe because the setting is much more compelling. Plus, with the exception of Episode I (and Episode II when I am being cynical) Star Wars is always FUN to watch and get lost in.

Zombie Day 2009 Recap

2009-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Zombieland came out and my brother and I had plans to see it. However, these plans quickly grew from seeing a movie to a full on celebration of the undead, and thus Zombie day is born. Here is a recap of how we celebrated Zombie Day:

After getting some food (sadly I didn't know of any place local that served brain sandwiches), we started with some Left 4 Dead. This is THE zombie video game, that is all about playing well with others to survive Zombie hordes and infected with mean special abilities. Using the power of the internet we hooked up with someone else we knew who was unable to come up for Zombie Day but still wanted to take part. Left 4 Dead recently had a new level come out for download so we played that.

We played through co-operatively first and beat the level. We then tried it in versus, which is were one team plays as survivors and the other as Zombies. This did not go so well. In fact we got absolutly destroyed.

After that, my brother and I switched to another video game, Zombie Apocalypse. This is simple yet satisfying game that involves fighting wave after wave of Zombies

From there it was time to go see Zombieland.

This movie was absolutly incredible, in that it did everything right, and quite honestly it is hard to do Zombie movies right. This is because Zombies are really a setting for a movie. So the movie has to still stand as a good movie in whatever genre it is in (which fro Zombieland was clearly comedy). A good Zombie movie also has to make good use of the Zombies, which this one did. Finally, a good zombie movie in some way explores the human condition, by focusing on what makes us human (either the good or the bad) in a world that has gone dead. Zombieland does all of this well. Plus, Woody Harrelson plays one of the most fun to watch characters who may have ever been created. Abigail, who normally roles her eyes when it comes to Zombies even liked it.

After the mandatory Noble Romans deep dish Sicilian (aka the best pizza ever), we continued by taking on some 19th century Zombies in A Touch of Evil. This is a board game where everyone controls a hero and strives to be the person who defeats the evil villain and save the town of Shadowbrook. For this game the villain was the Necromancer, who had an army of zombies fighting for him.

After that we played a quick dice game called "Mmm. . .Brains!"

Theoretically this game is about Zombies collecting brains and then eating them. However it is a seriously stretched theme and the game is really about rolling dice. However, it is Zombie themed so it counts!
Zombie day ended with a little bit more Left 4 Dead and my brother being gracious enough to try a rough prototype of my own Zombie game.

We only began to scratch the surface of what could be done on Zombie day. Video game wise, we could have played Nazi Zombies, Resident Evil 5 co-op or rented a House of the Dead Wii game. When it comes to table top games we did not play Zombies!!!, Humans!!!, Last Night on Earth ,or Zombie Fluxx.

Plus, in theory by the end of the month I will be receiving in the mail All Things Zombie the boardgame, which is suppose to be the definitive Zombie game.

With all that potential, maybe Zombie Day should happen more than once a year. . .

LIfe Update

2009-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

It is now October. Wait . . what? October?!? Really? This year has been an absolute crazy time warp of a year. May 1st, seriously feels like a decade ago, but I can not believe that it has been exactly three months since I started at Avon. It seems so much shorter than that.

This is, I'm not kidding like my fourth time to attempt and write this post. My problem is that I do not know what to say or how to say it. In short, everything is going absolutely wonderful, and every time I tried to write about it . . meh.

So everything is going great,I could use a lot of adjectives to describe how well everything is going. The more interesting thing to know about would be the three biggest adjustments that I have been coming to terms with since coming to Avon. So here are three greatest adjustments I have had since starting at Avon three months ago.

1. Being Clergy
So honestly, I didn't expect this one. I have never been big on titles and formality. I am seeking ordination, because I believe that God has called me to commit my life to serving God through ministry and ordination is the way that the United Methodist Church recognizes that call. I knew that being a deacon technically made me clergy, I just didn't realize how it would affect me. In the two previous churches I was at, I was viewed and treated as a leader in the church. That is still true, but being clergy is also different. It is like going from a leader (lower-case) to a Leader (upper-case). There is just something different and more "weighty" about it. I guess the best way to explain this is an example. I was in a meeting, and I asked a question that brought up an issue that had not been given any consideration. After the meeting, the senior pastor, thanked me for doing that. She said it was a point that a young person needed to bring up, and she said it also needed to be said by a pastor and I was the only person who could do both of those things at once. Also, even though it has only been three months I am still not quite use to hearing people address me as "Pastor Sean" (I technically know they shouldn't do this as pastor is a title traditionally observed for elders and not deacons, but this church does not historically use the title of reverend so from the before I even came I was referred to as Pastor Sean to the church.)

2. Working Full Time
This is technically the first full time job I have ever had. I say technically because at Pizza Hut on a light week I would work 40 hours, usually it was 42-50 hours. As a camp counselor I worked tons and tons of hours. In Corydon there were several weeks, where between three jobs I worked over 60 hours, and at Epworth I worked part time and was a full time student. However, the summer jobs were temporary so even though I was working full time hours there was always a known end point. In Corydon one of my jobs (subbing) was optional and I could decide not to do it on any given day, and at Epworth how much time Seminary stuff occupied varied from week to week. This is the first where I put in 40 hours (or has been the case a little bit more than that) every week and then do it again next week with no fixed ending. I am not complaining about this at all, but it is an adjustment. I think in some ways this was a bigger adjustment for Abigail. There have been multiple times where she has asked me to do something the day of in the middle of the day and I have had to remind her that I have to work. Of all three of these adjustments, I think this one has been the easiest and we have gotten fully adjusted by this point.

3. Split Group
This is one the adjustment I fully knew and expected coming in, and it has probably been the hardest. I have worked in youth ministry for six years thus far, and all six of those years were done with a Jr. High/Sr. High combined group. Avon (thankfully!) has split Jr. High/Sr. High groups. All of my experience has been in planning to shoot for a middle ground, and now my lesson planning has to be more specialized by age. I think by an large this is going well, but there have been a couple of instances with both groups where I felt like I "missed the mark." I aimed to low for the Sr. High and I aimed to high for the Jr. High. I am continuing to work on this, and hopefully with practice I will find the sweet spot.

Oh Hell

2009-09-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched Hell House. This is a documentary about the original and biggest “hell house” in the country. Some times these events are called Judgment houses instead, but the principle is the same. They are an alternative haunted house that features graphic depictions of people dying from a un repentant sin and then suffering eternal consequences for it, while others repent of what they have done, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and find eternal life.

This documentary was very well done, because like Jesus Camp it more or less just shows the events give a couple of different sides fair time, and stays fairly objective. Much of a “hell house” is based on shock value, and it is very easy to find it very, very offensive. Personally, I do not know if such scare tactics is the best way to reach lost souls, and they can deny it but the time of decision at the end was very much emotional manipulation.

One of the scenes they show is one of the church leaders talking to a group of people were very upset and offended by the experience. It was very impressive how loving the church leader was. Even though he was being cussed at and insulted, he never raised his voice and never acted in a way that could only be described as loving. Of this offended group, one of the more rational girls really hit the nail on the head of what caused this hell house to rub the wrong way. They portrayed the life situations as “black or white”. They had a scene where a girl gets raped at a “rave” and then out of depression commits suicide. The church member tried to stress that the girl went to hell not because of the rave or because she was depressed but because she did not know Jesus. However, the offended group missed that instead they just felt condemned because they had been to raves and felt like it was unfair the girl be eternally punished for making a bad decision while being depressed.

The problem is really one of absolute truth. The organizers of Hell House believe that there is absolute right (God, God’s will, and God’s command) and there is absolute wrong (sin). I agree with this. The problem is that they used human situations to convey this, and most human situations is a shade of grey. As creations made in God’s image (white) who are fallen into sin (black), grey is really the best color to describe us. The “humanness” of the situation is lost in hell house. Using the rave example, the human response should be to feel sorrow for a girl who suffered multiple date rapes. The Christian thing to do is support her and aid in her healing, not abandon her to condemnation.

Of course, one of the reasons why a Hell House can come off as offensive, especially to Christians, is because of how little we talk about hell. This is especially true in the main line denominations. We LOVE to talk about God’s love, and we should. However, we often over emphasize love at the detriment of what the consequences are if that love is rejected. “Fire and brimstone” in a United Methodist church just doesn’t happen. Mainline denominations may not need to go as far as preaching “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” once a month, but we should at least acknowledge there are eternal consequences for not accepting Jesus.

Of course this leads me to briefly state what I think this eternal consequence is. I believe that Jesus through His sacrifice atoned for our sins. When we accept this we become right with God and be with God. My understanding of heaven, is eternity with God, being surrounded and enveloped in God's loving presence. I have no idea what this looks like but I believe that God's love is what defines heaven. Thus, hell is eternal separation from God and the complete absence of this love. Again, I don't know what this looks or feels like, but I sort of doubt it involves being eternally poked with pitchforks.

One of the things that Hell House reminded me is that one of the sins that I am very guilty of is that I have quite literally loved people to Hell. I so wanted to not offend a person that I never took the time to share the gospel with them. I know that I am not alone in this failure of cravenness, and I know that I am forgiven but that does not make it any less tragic, and watching Hell House reminded me of that as well. I have spent a lot of time in churches and around church folk that I realized that my heart does not break enough for the lost, and that is something I should really seek to change.

Last Game Post

2009-09-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

So I know I said the last post was probably the last post about board games for a while, but this one really is. Honestly, there is no reason to read this unless your name is Abigail Johnson.

So Abigail, here is the list of games we have that I really want to play. Many of these games are games that we have not really played enough yet to do them justice. I know that you remember the game, but not by title so there is a short description to help you out. These are listed in the order of how I want to play them, and I look forward to doing them with you :)

1. Starship Catan: This is the two player Catan game that we had a blast playing. It just took a long time, but it is time we did it again!

2. Dynasties: This is the "china game", I know we just traded for it, and we have played it several times. I just can not get enough of it.

3. Hidden Conflict: This is one of the two games I got at Gen-Con that we have not played yet.

4. Palatinus: This is the other one from GenCon that we have not yet had the chance to play.

5. Hera and Zeus: We traded for this two player game, and we have only played it once. . .back in April. I don't think you cared for it but I want to give it another try.

6. Battleline: This is the one where we play cards in army formations (based on number and color). We both like this game, it is quick, but we hardly ever play it. Why is that?

7. The Ark of the Covenant: We traded for this game. It is Caracassone with a bible theme. We got it right before we moved, and we have only played it once.

8. Dominion: Intrigue: We have not played very much with the new Dominion expansion yet. Here is a perfect cheap date some night. Let's get pizza, and watch a movie, while playing Dominion the whole time. It would make my week :)

9. Ghost Stories: Is the co-op game where we are ninjas fighting ghosts. You have really enjoyed this game every time we have played it. We just have not played it enough.

10. Humans!!: Yes it is a Zombie game, but you and I have not played it with just the two of us yet.

11. Last Night on Earth: Yep the other Zombie game. I really just want to play this more, and you are the person I play games with.

12. Dungeoneer: Vault of the Lynch King: We traded for this right before we moved, and I have not read the rules yet. I need to, and we need to play it.

13. Arcana: This is the game I got at GenCon, where you compete to win cards to add to your deck. We have already played it several times, but we have not used the advanced rules yet.

Games I should probably stay away from (aka the pretty pictures post)

2009-08-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

So this will probably be the last game related post for a while. At GenCon two of the games I got to play were miniatures games. I played Star Wars pod racing, which was a variant of another game.

Along with that I also played a game called Reich of the Dead, which was a WWII man to man combat game that included. . .Nazi Zombies.

Essentially, miniature games are playing with toys with rules. There is also the element of being able to create and build something that is kind of cool. For example, the Reich of the Dead game had a fairly sweet "map" that we played on.

And compared to some of the other constructions at GenCon, that was fairly mild. These pictures are from a fantasy game:

What is really impressive, is that in the town set-up, each and every one of those buildings have removable roofs, and detailed interiors. I have always liked model terrain. For example, Abigail's mom and step-dad make really impressive Christmas village displays that are cool. However, it would most awesome to put together something similar that could be used for a game, and that is what miniatures are all about. On top of that, miniatures have a customizable aspect to them which I am truly all about when it comes to games. I could really see myself getting into miniature gaming if I let myself, whether it be a WWII game, fantasy game, or even straight up Zombie game.

The problem is that the stuff is bloody expensive. For example, in the Reich of the dead game I played, each figure cost $5. So if you look at the overview picture above for that game, the Nazi army alone cost roughly $220 (now in fairness, that is a game that was intended to have four players control that army, but still). Plus, in a traditional miniature games the figures come unpainted. Being able to do custom painting is one of the pluses of these games, but that also has an expense has the metal paints and small brushes are not exactly cheap. On top of that, terrain also has its own cost. So playing with miniatures is a very expensive endeavor.

Of course there are some cheaper options, in that of pre-painted miniatures, and some of these look fairly awesome. A video game that I really like is Battlestations: Pacific. Which has some strategy while controlling WWII-era naval and air forces in skirmish battles. There is apparently a pre-painted miniatures game that does this as well.

Even more awesome is that there are Pre-Painted Star Wars miniatures, that exist in two forms. There are miniatures for individual unit battles

AND for Starship battles

Seriously, how awesome is that?

The problem with these games is that they are collectible, which means they come in starter sets, which really do not have enough units to play the game out of the box, or blind booster packs which is built on a principle of buying a lot to get the units necessary. I suppose it is possible to buy singles, but for specific units that are "rares" I am sure the price gets rather high. So while the individual miniatures are cheaper and they come pre-painted, the collectible aspect also drives up the cost. It would be "cheaper" in theory to play these games as opposed to traditional miniatures, but the constant expansions make these a potentially greater money pit.

There are a few other options. There is a game called Arcane Legions.

the "commander units" come in random boosters, but it is possible to buy the commons on their own. Plus they are not completly randomized, so it is possible for about $270 to get the complete set, which in terms of miniatures and collectible games is an absolute steal. Unfortunately, I demoed this game at GenCon and thought that it was merely ok.

There are some other possibilities as well. The cheapest option is to find my lost book.

The company that made the Star Wars RPG I played a lot in high school also published some miniatures rules. I used the Star Wars micro machines, which I already had has the miniatures. I even bought some extra stormtrooper/rebel trooper packs and a felt mat. I think I even got my brother to play once, but it was when I was trying to figure it out and I do not think it went that well. I already had the Star Wars CCG, which was one Star Wars game I mostly played by myself, so I kind of did not pursue the miniatures that much. I still have all the micro machine men, but despite my attempts to find it the rule book is MIA. I can not imagine I would have gotten rid of it, since it is Star Wars and I only in the past couple of months purged my boxed star wars stuff. This leads me to conclude that the book got lost in a move, or is buried in some wayward box in my parent's storage shed/garage.

The other option is actually a board game called Okko, Era of the Asagiri. This game is essentially a miniatures game in a box, and it is promoted as such. The game comes with multiple boards and multiple units so that "armies" can be customized. There are a couple of downsides in that it is really not an army game, in that the game really just simulates ninja squad versus ninja squad. The other initial downside is that the game is made of cardboard

The plus side is that since it is a miniatures game in a box, they do make actual miniatures of the cardboard characters that can be used instead. These miniatures still require painting, but they are cheaper then traditional miniatures. In my opinion the extra investment of the miniatures are buildinig terrain would be worth it, because it turns the above image into this

Of course, the whole problem with this whole thing is that the games are only fun if I have someone to play them with. I know from brief flirtations with Mech Warrior several years ago that Abigail is not a big fan of measuring stuff out. This is another reason why Okko would be a good pick, because it is played on a square grid, that eliminates all measuring with rulers. I should probably stay away from miniature games in general because I know that I will like them way to much. . .but we will see. . .

Abigail's Top Ten Favorite Games

2009-08-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Fair warning, the next few posts I make here will probably all be gaming related, as I am still glowing from GenCon. As you have probably realized I like making lists of the things I like. Abigail, on the other hand does not. She might be able to pick a couple of run away top favorites, but after that everything tends to fall into a "like" or "don't like" category. When I have asked what her top ten games are before, she could get to five or so and then it was "I don't know." However, I still want to know what they are. Since she is unable to pick out her top ten favorite games, I figured that with her permission I would take a stab at. So here are my guesses, in order of Abigail's favorite games. I realize that most people have probably not heard of most of these games, so I put links that you can follow if you want to know more.

10. Ticket to Ride
Trying to guess what would be #10 was a bit hard. It was between Ticket to Ride, Formula D,Battlelore, and Ghost Stories. In the end I went with Ticket to Ride, even though we don't actually own the game. We do however, have Ticket to Ride on the Xbox, and every two to three months Abigail seems to remember this and she plays it like crazy for a few days. The game is all about maximizing combinations in set collections, which I think appeals a lot to Abigail. If we had a copy of this game, I bet it would get played a decent amount, and cement itself as one of her top ten favorite games.

9. Rummikub
As all of the Sudoku books we have attest to, Abigail loves number puzzles. She also really likes organizing things. This is a game about organizing numbers, which means it is right up her alley. The only reason why it is low on this list, is because I really don't care much for the game, so we only play it occasionally.

8. 313
313 is a Rummy variant where the hand size starts at 3 and increases each round up to 13. Being Rummy, this has organization and set collection (you may start to notice several themes about the type of games Abigail likes). 313 is also Abigail's most played game as she grew up playing it regularly.

7. Blue Moon City
This is a game that we got because Abigail wanted it after looking at it. Blue Moon City has set collection and worker placement. In this game players collect cards and then play them to play a cube on a building. Once enough cubes have been placed on a building, the building is complete and everyone who contributed cubes to building it gets rewarded. The main reward is Crystals, which are then exchanged for victory points. It sounds terribly confusing to explain, but it is a lot of fun.

6. Cthulhu Rising
This is one of our newest games, as I just got it at Gen Con. As soon as I played it, I knew Abigail would love it. When I told her I was making this list, she confirmed how right I was by mentioning that I would have to include it on the list. Theoretically, this game is about the struggle between cultist trying to raise Cthulhu from his slumber and investigators trying to stop it. In reality, this is a numbers game played on two five-by-five grids, where players are trying to get pairs, three of a kind, etc of certain numbers. Despite being numbers, based it seems to be a fairly even match when Abigail and I play.

5. Bonnie and Clyde
This summer we really did not have a vacation, we just had some scattered fun days. One of those days what we decided to was buy the first game that we found appealing, and spend the afternoon playing it. Bonnie and Clyde is a form of Rummy, so once again it is all about collecting and playing sets of cards for points. However, this game adds extra strategy of having a car that moves across the board and can be used to score extra points.

4. Dominion
Dominion is a fun game that we play a lot. The goal of Dominion is to get the most points, but this is done by systematically building a deck from available cards. These cards, make it possible to do more actions, and eventually buy the big point cards. Like many of these games, Dominion is hard to explain, but easy to learn and play.
3. Stone Age
Every time we have played this game, win or lose, Abigail has commented how much she likes it. Stone Age is a worker placement game. Each turn every player has a certain number of workers that they can use for various purposes like collecting food or resources. The main goal of this game is to collect resources, and then trade those resources in for victory points. Whoever gets the most points wins. What is really fun about this game is there seems to always be a couple more actions that one wants to do, but can't so there are hard choices.

2. Settlers of Catan (with expansion)
Abigail has played close to 100 games of Catan online, and really likes this trading game. However, she has also stated that she thinks she might like Stone Age a bit more. I am betting though that if she had the choice between the Settlers of Catan with the Seafarers expansion and fishermen of Catan that she would choose Catan over Stone Age, which is why I put this game at #2

1. Race for the Galaxy
I believe that this is the single favorite game for both of us. Since getting it in December of last year, we have played the game on average over nine times a month. Like Blue Moon City and Stone Age, this game is about converting cards/resources into points. What is so great about Race for the Galaxy is that there are multiple strategies to do that, and what strategy to pursue will all depend on the starting planet and hand. Unfortunately, this game is not very new friendly player but we started playing it together so we are usually evenly matched.

So I think those are Abigail's top ten games, in the correct order. Now I just have to wait to find out how right or wrong I am.

Gen-Con 2009

2009-08-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

I got to go back to Gen Con this year, and I moved up from the one day of attendance of last year and went over the course of the three days. I created a list of everything I did on Boardgamegeek.com. This post is a copy of that so each numbered thing is a game I played and/or bought. If you want to see pictures/read more about the games you can go look at that list here.

1. Okko, Era of the Asagiri
I arrived to the con on Thursday, and after spending an hour and half parking/waiting in line, I finally got my badge, and I went to the main exhibitor hall first. The first game I played was this one. This game is basically a "my first miniatures" game, with small squads of combat. The game was fun enough, and I liked that it was customizable.

2. Arcane Legions
Speaking of miniatures, I wondered into Arcane Legions. This is a new game that follows the collectible miniatures game model, with an exception of being able to buy common units on their own. It was simple, and kind of fun, but collectible games miniatures games are a money pit I can say no to.

3. A Touch of Evil: Something Wicked.
Next, I stopped by the Flying Frog both to check out the new expansion to A Touch of Evil. The game developer lead the demo. I really liked the new board that the expansion added, as well as the new cards and ideas like characters getting possessed. If I played a Touch of Evil a bit more regularly, then the expansion would be a must get.

4. Palatinus
So as you will see, really cheap games/good deals are my kryptonite. I am drawn like them like a moth to a flame. I heard several people mention that there were a lot more bargain priced/close out clearance games this year than in previous years. Anyway, Mayfair Games had a whole row of shelves of cheap games. This one was $4, so I figured it would be worth trying

5. Arcana
This is one of the games I knew that I would actively seek out. This game has deck building games like Dominion, but it is much more adversarial because players compete over the cards to add to their decks. After playing several other games, on Friday I would come back to buy this one.

6. Beowulf: The Movie Game
This is another sale game. There was one game publisher that had everything for $5. So I picked this up. I don't really care about Beowulf but the game is made by Reiner Knizia and Abigail likes his games so again I figured it would be worth the risk.

7. Race for the Galaxy
I left the Exhibit Hall and found myself in the Rio Grande room. While there I played this game (which is my absolute favorite) against the Designer. It was a good game, and in the end he beat me by one point. Even though he won, he still signed my copy of the game. Later in the evening I played this game a second time.

8. Dominion
While in the Rio Grande room I saw two people who were clearly trying to figure out how to play the game. They let me play and teach them how to play. It was fun. The two people made a common mistake for first time players in that they got so caught up in building a deck that they forgot to buy enough points. This meant that I won by a good amount.

9. Catan: Seafarers
This gets to Friday morning, and I got lucky that there was an opening in a Giant Seafarers of Catan game. This meant the board was extra big and three dimensional. I did fairly well. I got to 11 point and stalled, because everyone started picking on me (as tends to happen in Catan). This allowed another player to have a big turn and come back for the win.

10. The Island of Doctor Necreaux
This is another game that I really wanted to play. It is a co-operative car game. It was ok, but my biggest problem with the game is that it clearly has several rules issues. In the demo game I played there were two problems that occurred that the rules did not properly address, and the guy running the game had no clue how to resolve it. Going into the Con, this was the game that I thought I was most likely to walk out with but playing it changed that.

11. Battlelore: Heroes Expansion
Next I got to play Battlelore and experience the newest expansion, which addes heroes and an RPG-lite leveling system. The expansion seems kind of cool, but to really get a lot out of it the expansion needs to be played regularly. Sadly, I do not play this game enough to make it worth it, and to me it seemed really expensive at $40.

12. Penny Arcade
I really like Penny Arcade. I read the webcomic every week and I have all of their books. This is a light 2 player card game that simulates a fight between the two comic strip characters. It was really fun, but a tad quick. The humor of the strip comes through in the cards as well. I did not buy it, but this game is going on my wishlist for sure.

13. Adventurers
This was another game that I was hoping to play. Adventurers is a competitive game that borrows a lot from Indiana Jones type ruin raiding. The game was an absolute blast to play, but I have serious doubts about the game would hold up after repeated playings.

14. Vapor's Gambit
Remember, I am drawn to cheap games and this one was a $1 with a coupon. Seriously, how could I pass up a $1. Even if the game is awful, I could probably get a $1 from a yard sale for it.

15. Battle Spirits- Trading Card Game
I played this game because it was open as I was passing by and they were giving away free decks when people played it. The game is a simplistic and overall not good Collectible card game. Fortunately, the whole game lasted less than 10 minutes.

16. Who Would Win
demoed this game, and then instantly bought it because it is going to be PERFECT to use at youth group meetings. It is a debate game where two cards are drawn that determine to random people that will compete in a random category. Each person has to then argue why their person would win. For example in the demo I had to argue why Napoleon would beat Spider Man in hurdles.

17. Arena Assault
This booth was right next to Who Would Win, so I played it as well. This is a simplistic card combat game where each player needs their own fixed deck. It was simple fun, but the cards were ugly and it was overpriced.

18. Chthulhu Rising
I played this simple two player numbers game, and I instantly knew Abigail would really like it. I ended up buying it on Saturday.

19. Zombiegeddon
This game has nothing to do with Zombies and the theme is really forced onto the game. I found out on Saturday that I prefer Hey! That's my fish! much more, as the two games are fairly similar.

20. Universal Fighting System
There was a merchant in the exhibit hall who had old UFS decks for $1. UFS is a collectible Card game that is based on fighting video games. Several of the decks were Soul Calibur characters (my favorite fighting game). However, I know from experience that CCG like games do not go over with Abigail, so I sought out a demo for this game and played it. Turns out I was right, she would hate it.

21. Hidden Conflict
I took the money I did not spend on the decks and got this instead. It was a sale game at the Twilight Creations booth. I had picked it up and looked at it a couple of times on Thursday and Friday before buying it. The game box advertises that is a Customizable, expandable, strategy Tile Game". It had me at Customizable.

22. Small World
I went to the Days of Wonder booth to seek out a game of Small World, and once again I found three people who did not know how to play so I played and taught them. I had Seafaring Tritons at the beginning, and I held onto them a little to long, and that led to me finishing in third.

23. Circus Maximus
My last game for Friday was Star Wars Podracing. A person to the rules from Circus Maximus and created a podracing variant. It was a lot of fun, and despite having a naturally slower podracer I battled for first and second for most of the race. However, three engine stalls in rapid succession meant that I ended up finishing in 7th out of 8.

24. Endeavor
This gets my experience to Saturday I arrived to find someone I know looking for players for this game, so I was up for it I really enjoyed playing this game. Apparently, the night before someone left the game upset because they did not believe there was enough of a military factor in the game. I played this game going all in on military by the end of the game four of my seven buildings were military ones, and I had conquered most of Europe. It worked well for me, because I tied for first.

25. Catan Geographies: Germany
Since my wife and parents LOVE Catan, I figured I should try the newest Catan game. . and it is garbage. Technically it is Catan but all of the fun is gone. The board is obviously fixed. On top of that, the starting locations are fixed and terribly unfair. One person started off in much better building position than me. Technically my starting numbers were better, but that would only be true if the dice followed perfect probability. On top of that the places where settlements can be built is also fixed. The monuments add very little. The people I played with felt the same way about the game, and we actually all conspired to let the front runner win to end the misery quicker.

26. Hey! That's my Fish!
So the people I played the Catan game with gave me their ribbons. Mayfair does this thing where if someone collects all of the resource ribbons they can trade it in for a free thing. I knew that Mayfair would also accept Clay ribbons in 2 for 1 trades with the "bank". So I took my three new clay ribbons and went to the demo area to earn more. I played this quick and fun game to get sheep, and while there traded two of my clay with other people for wheat and wood.

27. Catan Dice Game
I needed an ore, and there was a wait for those games so I suffered through the Catan dice game to get another Clay. However, while playing it one of the people I played with had an idea of using the dice game dice in place of the normal dice in the regular game, and that could have some potential.

28. Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix.
I didn't realize that along with getting a free Catan map for collecting all the resources I also got a 50% off coupon so I used it to get this game which I have wanted for a while now.

29. Small World
Once again I went seeking out a game to play and once again I found someone looking to learn Small World so I taught him and we played I won a big victory. However, he learned quick because we immediately played a second game (with a third player) and he won this one.

30. Reich of the Dead.
Something I have been interested in doing was playing a miniatures game so I used Gen Con to do just that. I decided to go with a WWII game that pitted Americans versus Nazi Zombies. I played the Zombies, and got crushed but it was fun. . . the game was just about over when the fire alarm went off putting the game to an abrupt end.

Once again, Gen Con was a great experience. I was there for a lot longer than last time, but there was still so much that I did not get to do, which of course just leaves me more excited about going back next year. Until then though, I got several new games to play, which leads to the question: Who wants to play?

Time for a confession

2009-07-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have kept it a secret, but it is time you knew. I am a Wizard.

The Final Pieces

2009-07-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

So we have successfully moved, and the unpacking is going well. If I had to dare guess, I would say we are about 60% done. The only room that is completely finished is (of course) the Star Wars/video game/"man cave" room. This is the fourth room I have had that also functions as a little Star Wars museum, and I have to say it is the best looking one. However, I think that my Star Wars collection is mostly complete. I guess that in the future something could come out that I would really want to get, but I just about have all the Star Wars stuff I could possibly want. In fact, before this move I made several children very happy, by giving away a good deal of stuff. Mostly because in Indianapolis, I had several full boxes of star Wars stuff in storage, and that seemed silly. I now only have one, and they are almost all action figures, so I really hope my kid likes Star Wars because if they do they will have a very, very good Christmas one year :)

Several people have said to me, they have seen Star Wars things, but did not get them because they have no idea what I have and what I might want. I mentioned that my collection is mostly complete. There are a few things that I missed along the past 15 years, and getting those would make things complete. Here are those missing pieces:

1. The missing figures
If you have ever seen one of my Star Wars rooms, then you know the centerpiece is the border of action figures that goes around the entire perimeter of the room. Of the 700 or so figures available, there are only two that I wish I had

The first one is a character from the video game Force Unleashed. The Star Wars items I tend to be drawn to the most are Extended universe (did not appear in the movies) and obscure alien items. The second figure is a Darth Vader concept. When making the original Star Wars Ralph McQuarie made sketches of the characters, and this figure is based off of that sketch.

2. Figure Packs
I only have a few figure two packs/ deluxe figures, but I really like these two and I wish I did not miss them.

The first one, Amanaman, is one of those obscure aliens. This figure came out while I was in college, so I was not really looking at that time. However, if I had ever seen it I would have bought this one. I am excited though, because I saw this figure is being re-released in one of the comic two packs sometime this year.
The second picture is a comic two pack, and I want it because I actually have the old comic that the two figures come from, and it is amazing how much the figures look like they came right from the comic book. It might be possible to find this one in a Toys R Us or Kaybee still, but I think I missed this one as well.

3. Unleashed Figures

If I had an unlimited amount of space and funds, I would get all of the original Unleashed figures. These figures are essentially 6-8 inch plastic statues, that are awesome looking. I have several of these, but I missed (never saw) this awesome Yoda

A couple of years ago, they switched the Unleashed brand to be smaller figure multipacks. I have mostly ignored those, but I would like to get the 501st.

4. Mighty Muggs
Mighty Muggs, are cute ultra-deformed figures. They come in boxes that are awkward to display, so I only have two of them. I think the coolest of these are the stormtroopers/clone troopers, so I would like to get Commander Cody because he fits that and he is a main character in the clone wars cartoons.

5. Republic Gunship
One thing I have very little of, is vehicles. Mostly because vehicles have always been more expensive. My favorite part of Episode II was watching the republic gunships, so I would really like to get one. I recently got a Transformer one one of these ships but the full size thing would be cool too

6. AT-AT
The biggest hole in my collection is the complete lack of an AT-AT. The AT-AT is my absolute favorite Star Wars vehicle, and I do not have one. They do make a AT-AT in scale with the figures, but it is rather expensive. I would be happy with an "Action Fleet" one, which I sadly passed up on several times in high school. There are several options, and I would be happy with any of them.

Let's be Creative Part 2

2009-06-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

So a little over a month ago I posted some creative things that I want to do this year. Of course, at the time I could not say why I want to accomplish them this year is because come the end of December my free time to do these sort of things will drop off a good deal. Anyway, one of the things that I want to do is make my own board/card game. I posted six ideas at that time, and I have decided which one that I want to run with. After my last couple of posts, there should be no surprise I am going with the Zombie idea. I tried to write out a description of how I envision this game working, but I am not sure if I did a very good job at doing that. Please take a look, and IF I actually made sense then please let me know what you think:

Concept
This game would be a non collectible customizable card game for two to four players. The game will have a Zombie theme, and the goal of the game is to complete the objective or be the last surviving player.

Set Up
The way this game will work is that a common deck will be constructed from smaller decks. The game will have several locations, and each location will have its own deck of cards. Players will choose or pick by random a few of the locations. The players will also pick one objective, and the objective will also have its own deck of cards that are added to the common deck. Finally each player will pick a character that has cards that will be added to the deck. There will be more locations, goals, and characters than is needed for one game so that each game can be very different.

Gameplay
Each player will have attributes that were function a bit like resources. These attributes are life, ammunition, cunning, and luck. The players will move from location to location to play cards which will increase these attributes. For example, a first aid kit could only be played if the player is in the hospital and it would increase the player's life. Fighting Zombies, which might happen when a player moves from location to location or when another player plays a zombie horde card, is done by expending the attribute like resources. For example, a zombie horde card might require three ammunition, four cunning, or five life to defeat/escape. The player would have to expend the attribute/resource of their choice that they have enough of. If they are one or two short of meeting a requirement, then they can use luck as a "wild", but luck is the hardest attribute to replenish. If a player's does not have enough ammunition or cunning to fight off the horde, then they must use life, and once life is used up then they are dead. In addition to item cards that strengthen attributes and Zombie horde cards to attack other players there will also be special cards that can be played at specific times to either help the person who played the card or hurt another player. Occasionally, a ten sided die will be used to determine chance. For example when a player moves into a location or stays at a location they will roll the 10 sided die and each location will have a number they will have to roll over to keep from fighting zombies.
The way a player turn works is they first draw cards. They may either draw a card from the discard pile or two cards from the top of the deck. If they draw two cards from the top of the deck they keep one and put the other in the discard pile (cards that are played go to the used pile and not the discard pile) The player then decides if they are going to move or stay put. Each location will have a "board" card that is placed on the table to represent the location, configuration does not matter as each player (who will have a pawn of some sorts) can move from any location to any other location. A player then rolls to see if they have to fight Zombies. The player then gets the opportunity to "search" and play all applicable item cards (most item cards are location specific). Then other players may play Zombie horde cards to attack the active player, and then it becomes the next players turn. Play rotates like this until there is a sole survivor or a player accomplishes the objective.
An example objective would be "Signal for help". To complete the objective a player has to fire a flare from the top of a building. To do this, a player must first play the "flare gun" card and then move to another building and spend three turns to ascend to the roof. Each turn the odds of fighting the locations zombies will increase. If the player makes it to the top of the building and survives their turn they win. The objective deck that is added to the common deck, will contain flare guns but it will also have special cards that opponents can use to cause the gun to malfunction, be dropped, or even stolen.

Top Ten Epworth Memories

2009-06-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday, June 21st, is going to be my last Sunday at Epworth. My time at Epworth has been just shy of four years, and in my opinion it has been an extremely good run. A top ten list seems like a good way to encapsulate the best parts of these four years. I plan on posting this on facebook as well, so those reading on the blog will not know the names, but the people tagged in the facebook note will. Since this is a top ten list, it will be in dramatic descending order.

10. Halo Bible Study
This was an experiment that I did last year. I know there is a debate if something that is inherently violent like the video game Halo 3 can be redemptive and this experience showed me that it can. I think there is a decent chance that the teenagers who participated in it still know what the Infection game type has to do with sin.

9. First Rafting Trip
I took part in two of the annual rafting trips, both trips were excellent, but of the two I liked this one more for a couple of reasons. It was the first time that I ever went White Water Rafting, the first time that I took part in worship on a mountain side, and this is when I learned just how long Mark's "short walks" can actually be.

8. 2007 Jr. High Mission Trip
In 2007 we took the Jr. High to Southern Indiana to help a church move a playground to a new location. It was a good trip, but what made the trip so memorable was playing Capture the Flag in Unity Chapel (the church we stayed at) during the night.

7, First Planned Famine Lock-in
I have done several lock-ins at Epworth. I am not sure how many, though I know Ashley could tell me because she oddly remembers the details of all of the lock-ins. I do know that this one might be my favorites. This is the lock-in where Andy and Mark found an incredible hiding spot in sardines (though Ben Handy out did that spot at the last one). This lock-in is where Danny invented his game, I think he called it Speedball, and it ended with Trevor, Kevin, and I playing Rock Band.

6, 2009 Kentucky Mission Trip
We just got back from this trip a few weeks ago. Originally, we were going to go Mexico, but Swine Flu made that impossible. Fortunately, it was possible to organize a replacement trip to Kentucky. One of things that was so cool about this trip is that I know several of the youth did not want to go to Kentucky, but by the end of the week ALL of the participants were really glad they went. On top of that, I really enjoyed the white water rafting even if I did fall out.

5, 2006 Cayman Islands Mission Trip
This was the biggest trip we took while I was at Epworth, and it was crazy. We took 32 people, and there some logistical issues that arose onsight. Despite everything that was against it, the trip was a success. I learned a lot about God's faithfulness and provision on this trip. This trip also created some great memories like snorkeling and holding a baby turtle.

4, "Lifehouse Everything Skit
I was very fortunate in that I got to preach several times at Epworth. However, the best "sermon" I ever took part in at Epworth was this skit. This video is the skit that we did our own version of, and I think we nailed it.

3, 2006 Fall Retreat
This was my favorite of the retreats we did. The topic was Spiritual Warfare, and I think it went well. On top of that, this was the time that we had hornet fights, which several people still talk about. This retreat also hosted the epic finger fencing battle between Cole and myself, and we had a really fun time playing paintball.

2, Confirmation Class
Of all the things that I did as part of my time at Epworth my favorite thing was Confirmation. I really enjoyed teachings the fundamentals of the faith. Watching youth questions and "get" these core beliefs is a reminder why I do what I do.

1,2007 Mission Trip to Biloxi
This trip is my single best memory of my time at Epworth. The service with the families was really good, but why I remember this is because of the conversations that took place. While spending a week painting a house I had several really good, really deep conversations with several of the participants. On the most frustrating days of Seminary, or the days when I felt most down about youth ministry, the memories of these conversations were a perfect reminder of why I want to d youth ministry and helped reaffirm the call I feel to serve in ministry.

Why Zombies?

2009-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

As stated, here are five reasons why someone should like Zombies.

#1 They are scary
When it comes to horror movies, Zombies are the only thing that I find to truly be scary. Psycho killers are still just people, monsters are fake, and vampires are blah. However, Zombies are scary because anyone could be a Zombie. There is something unnerving about the idea of the people you care most about becoming soulless husk that craves for your brains.

#2 They are apocalyptic
Zombie stories are really not about the Zombies, they are about the survivors. One of the things I like about zombies, is they provide a suspenseful setting to explore what happens when human society breaks down. A common theme in Zombie stories is that some of the living people are more monstrous than undead monsters.

#3 They allow for shotguns to the face
Violence is generally bad, but I won't lie I can find it entertaining. Violence against Zombies is the best though, because even the biggest pacifist could not feel bad about it, because you are actually doing the person a favor.

#4 They are like watching a train wreck
In general a lot of us have a morbid fascination with bloody messes. This is why torture movies like Saw are so popular. Personally I don't like those movies because it is unpleasant to watch innocent people tortured in horrible ways. Zombie movies are usually exceedingly gory because of this same morbid fascination, but for me that is ok because Zombies are already dead.

#5 What if . . .
Of all of the horror conventions, Zombies are one of the more plausible. Well not really, but it is easier to imagine that sort of "what if" scenario as opposed to a Godzilla like monster attack or other similar story. Plus there are five scientific reasons why a Zombie Apocalypse could actually happen

So there you have it, that is why I like Zombies and you should too. One final thing on this subject. Abigail went to garage sales this past week to get some really cheap infant clothes. I found some baby clothes as well, but I was told no:

All Things Zombie

2009-06-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

So Abigail insist that I am fully obsessed with Zombies. As someone who knows what obsession is, I know that is not true. However, she is accurate in observing that my interest in all things Zombies has increased a bit over the past several months. I have always been a casual Zombie fan, but playing Left 4 Dead moved that up a notch. Here is all the ways I have used Zombies to entertain myself since November of 2008.

Video Games
Left 4 Dead: This is really what kicked off wanting more Zombies. Left 4 Dead is an incredible game, where four people try to survive through five acts of zombies. The game captures the Zombie feeling really well, and the versus mode may be the most fun I have ever had playing any video game ever. How much time i have played this game is one of the reasons why Abigail now thinks that I am "obsessed with Zombies. My Xbox 360's blog shows that I have played this game on 44 days, and I imagine each day probably averages at least an hour of play.

Call of Duty: World at War: Call of Duty is a World War II game, but it has an excellent little mini game called Nazi Zombies. The idea is up to four players see how long they can survive against waves of Nazi Zombies. In short bursts, this is a lot of fun. This game has seen two map packs now, and each map pack has added a new Nazi Zombie level, and each level has become more complex. I also downloaded a "Nazi Zombies" theme to decorate my Xbox dashboard with.

Shellshock 2: Trail of Blood: I rented this game a few weeks ago. It is a vietnam war game with Zombies. As far as games go it was not the greatest, but it allowed me to shoot Zombies and that was fun. However, I reached a part where it really seems like I did not have enough bullets to make it through. Message boards informed me that i had reached the first of three super frustrating parts, so I kind of gave it up there.

Movies

Dead Meat Using Netflix I have watched several Zombie movies. This one is a low budget movie from Ireland that I enjoyed a lot. It is a decent "B movie" with a few parts that are so bad they are good. Plus one of the actors has a heavy accent and every time he said a certain four letter word it was funny.

Night of the Living Dead: Previously I have watched several Zombie movies, but I never watched the classic. Despite laughable effects, the story of this movie is top notch. The suspense and civil break down really capture what a Zombie movie should be.

Quick and the Undead: This movie is Sci-fi original movie quality. It was billed as a western Zombie movie, but it turned out to be just bad.

Zombie: This is a 1970's Itallian, B Horror Movie. Overall it was entertaining, and the investment to watch it is worth the shark vs. Zombie fight.

Quarantine : I watched this on recommendation from my brother, and I really liked it. The zombies in this movie are the Left 4 Dead infected type, instead of the walking corpse type. The movie has a very blair witch project feel to it, only much better produced with tighter story telling.

Shaun of the Dead: I had seen this movie before, and I really, really liked it. I found it for cheap and bought it a few days ago.

I should mention that there are also several Zombie movies in the netflix queue including: Fido, The Dead Next Door, Undead, Dance of the Dead, Tokyo Zombie, Day of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Dead Alive.

Books

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Along with the Left 4 Dead, this s another thing that has led Abigail to think there is a zombie obsession. Since I first heard about this book in January I have been very excited about it. I read it and I liked it. I will never read an actual Jane Austin book, because I think without zombies they would be dreadful. However, this work is brilliant. I really like how a classic work of english literature was transformed into the tale of a remorseless, bad-ass, Zombie killer.

Patient Zero My brother gave me this book to read, and it was a lot of fun. Patient Zero is essentially the literary equivalent of a popcorn movie. The best way to think of this book is what would happen if a season of 24 featured a terrorist plot to unleash Zombies on the earth.

Comic Books

The Walking Dead In January/February I took the van to Sears to get its tires replaced. While I was waiting a couple of hours I went to Borders and eventually found myself reading collected works of the Waking Dead comic. I instantly fell for this series, and I have found myself, for the first time since High school, regularly reading a comic book. The Walking Dead follows the trials of a small group of survivors trying to survive the Zombie Apocalypse.

Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness A while ago I read Marvel Zombies, which is a mini-series that takes the Marvel Super heroes and makes them all intelligent Zombies. This one shot introduces Ash from the Army of Darkness into the mix. It is really goofy, but it is fun.

Board Games

Last Night on Earth: Along with Left 4 Dead and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, this is the third piece that has led Abigail to her assumption. I know I have talked a LOT about this game, because I think it sounds so cool. I finally traded for it, and I have been able to play it once. I hyped this game up for myself a lot, and I was not disappointed.

Zombie Fluxx This is another game I got in a trade, and I have played it several times. Zombie Fluxx is a very, very random card game that if not taken seriously is a lot of fun.

Humans!!! Since college I have had a game called Zombies!!! where people play humans trying to escape from a Zombie infested town. in Humans!!! people play Zombies trying to eat humans. Personally, I like Humans!! better, but a few weeks ago we managed to get seven people together to play Humans!!! vs. Zombies!!!, and I personally enjoyed it a lot.

So that makes up like seven months of Zombie consumption. Hopefully, in the next few days I will take the time to make another post about why like Zombies in the first place.

Let's be Creative

2009-05-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

So I successfully completed my really major goal for this year, which was finishing seminary, but I have a couple of other goals that I would like to complete this year, and those are both creative endeavors. One of the things I want to do is participate in National Novel Writing Month, which is November. I have never written a novel, but joining with thousands of others to try to do it in a month sounds like a worthwhile activity. I don't really have any ideas right now as to what I would write, but I have until November to figure that out.

However, the creative activity I would like to between now and November is make my own board/card game. I did this once in college (it simulated a fighting game style kung-fu fight), and since then I have had a lot of half ideas. My goal would be to fully develop a game and post it as a print and play game on the website boardgamegeek. I think the best way to acomplish this is to pick one of my ideas and run with it. Of course I have had a lot of them, so as best as I can describe them, which one sounds best to you?

idea #1: I actually semi-created this game about five years ago. The idea is that each person creates a gladiator and then fights it out with dice rolls and a small pool of selected tactics cards. This game essentially takes character creation of a Role Playing Game and distills it down to player vs. Player combat.

idea #2: This game would be a simple strategy game that uses dice to recreate video game style shooting matches. The base mechanic would be "rock-paper-scissors" So grunt soldiers would be strongest against scouts, scouts would be stronger against heavy soldiers, and heavy soldiers would be strongest against grunt soldiers. Each solider type would have their own unique attributes and abilities, as well as their own deck of weapons and special cards. In addition to that, each unit type has a terrain type that they are strongest in, and the game board would be modular so various "maps" could be made. Video game style matches such as capture points, attack/defend, and CTF would be played with this game.

idea #3: This game would be a 2 player deduction game. There would be X amount of tiles and the tiles would be arranged in some sort of grid. Each tile represents a person attending some sort of diplomatic ball in the cold war era. One player controls two of them and the other player controls the rest of them. The player controlling the majority of the tile secretly selects one tile to be the undercover spy. The player controlling two tiles secretly selects one to be the CIA contact and the other to be the KGB contact. The goal of the game for the player controlling the majority is to survive so many turns, or successfully say the pass phrase to the CIA agent. The other player attempts to catch the undercover agent with the KGB agent. The player controlling the CIA/KGB will move one and then select an adjacent tile to say the pass phrase to. The other player can then have so many tiles exchange places. I think this could be a good game of cat and mouse, while the one player tries to root out the undercover agent, and the undercover agent player tries to hide out or deduct who the CIA agent is.

idea #4: This game idea is heavily inspired by the video game Rainbow Six Vegas. The players each control a small special forces team and rely heavily on cover to either eliminate the other team or plant a bomb. One of the ways I envision this game working is that players take their moves simultaneously instead of being a turn based game.

idea #5: This game idea has inspiration from the video game Fable. It is a card game where players play various cards that essentially generate "resources" of combat prowess, renown, and acumen. So for example a player might play a card called "Married for Money" that will generate +2 Acumen per turn, but in order to play that card the player needs a renown of 8 (which other cards would have earned him). The goal is to get high enough ratings in these three areas to successfully complete quest cards that are worth victory points. When a quest is completed all of the cards currently in play for a player except one are discarded, and the player begins working on a new quest. To draw cards, players can do a blind draw or there will X amount of cards turned up that players can buy by using their resources. However to buy these cards will essentially be an auction of sorts and this will be how players have more direct interaction in this game.

idea #6: This is an idea that I have only thought about in the past couple of months while playing a lot of Left 4 Dead on the Xbox and Dominion on the table. It would be a Zombie card game. The goal would be to live longer than the other players. Each player would take turn picking various mini-decks that represent locations. The mini decks would be combined to make a larger communal deck. This does not have the deck building of Dominion exactly, but it would still allow for a lot of variety. As this is one of my most recent ideas, I have not been able to throughly think out the mechanics.

Top Ten Favorite Board/Card Games

2009-05-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have always liked board games, and I am always up for a game of just about anything. I also like top ten list, and it has been a while since I have posted one. So this seems like a good reason to post my top ten board/card games in dramatic descending order.

10. Citadels
Citadels is a fun game for a group of people. Each person takes a role every turn that gives them different bonuses and benefits. The goal is to get the most points building a city. What makes the game interesting is the roles change every turn and some of the roles like Assassin and Thief target other players. There is a lot of intrigue in this game as players try to figure out who has what role. I like this game because it has simple strategic decisions and a lot of social interaction.

9. Say Anything
This is the best party game that I have ever played. It is sort of like the more popular Apples to Apples, only much better. One player ask a question, and then everyone else writes any answer they want for that question. The question asker then secretly picks the answer they like and everyone else bets on what they picked. It always leads to a lot of laughs. I have played Say Anything with several different groups of people and it always goes well.

8. Blue Moon City
Blue Moon City is a board game relative to a card game I really like called Blue Moon. This game is kind of hard to describe. Players are trying to rebuild a city, and they play sets of cards to do so. I have only played the game with two players, but it supports four and I would love to do that sometime.

7. Pandemic
Everyone that I have taught this game to as really liked it. Pandemic is a co-operative game where up to four players work together to save the world from deadly viruses. What I really like about this game is when we lose it feels like we were about to win. When we win it feels like we almost lost. I am really looking forward to the expansion that comes out this summer.

6. Small World
This is my newest game, and I think that it raise higher. I really, really like Small World. It is technically a "war game" as the goal for the players is to take a civilization and conquer as much of the board as possible. However, the game never really feels adversarial as it is impossible to get eliminated, and players are always looking for new civilizations to get more points out of. Every time the game is played, the civilizations are random. I can not get enough of this game, and I really want to play it more.

5. The Settlers of Catan
This is one of Abigail's favorite games, and I really like it too. The Settlers of Catan is a game where players build settlements and cities on an island for points. What makes the game fun is that the players do not always have the resources they need to build what they want so they have to trade with other players. I really like the dynamic of this as each trade is mutually beneficial, but there can be only one winner so people make trades that hopefully benefit them more than the competition.

4. Stone Age
This is another game that I have only recently acquired but from my first play I really fell in love with it. In Stone Age each player has little cavemen workers that they assign to various tasks such as hunt, gather one of four types of resources, farm, or reproduce. The resources that the players get are then converted into victory points. However, there is not enough space on the board for every player to get to do what they want every turn, so players have to make the best of what they have available to them. I also really like that there are multiple paths to victory, and each one is viable.

3. Dominion
In middle school and high school I was all about the collectible card games. Sadly, those are money pits but I still really like the idea of deck building. Dominion is all about deck building. Each player starts out with three points and seven pieces of copper. These copper cards are used to buy more cards that do different things. Eventually the players get gold which can be used to buy victory points. Whoever gets the most victory points wins. What I like about this game is that the game is all about building a deck. Every game of Dominion has 10 types of cards that players can buy. However, the game has 25 total cards, this creates millions of possible combinations, so every game is different.

2. Memoir'44
Memoir '44 is a two player war game that simulates WWII battles. I like that it has a customizable board so that there are hundreds of scenarios that can be played. The game is easy to play. Players play cards to determine which units can be ordered, and combat is resolved by rolling special dice. The game mixes luck, strategy and accessibility really well.

1. Race for the Galaxy
Race for the Galaxy is my absolute favorite game. However, it is not very friendly to first time players and it is a bit hard to explain. Essentially players compete to create goods and then consume the goods for victory points. To accomplish this there are several phases each turn, but every phase may not happen as each player secretly chooses on each turn. There are a lot of strategies to Race for the Galaxy, and it is very satisfying to get one working. Race for the Galaxy also sets up and plays quick so Abigail and I play it regularly.

Seminary After Thoughts

2009-05-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

So I am officially a seminary graduate! I thought that before I get busy with a mission trip, fish fry, moving, and starting a new job it would be a good idea to record my thoughts on the overall seminary experience or rather the overall Christian Theological Seminary experience. I have thought a good deal the past couple of days about what I would write here. While I have no idea at this point what I will write, I will apologize in advance if anything I write comes off as whining, nitpicky, cruel, vindictive, arrogant or in any other way offensive. There is at least a 50% chance I did not really mean to convey it in that way.

I suppose the biggest question that shows if going to seminary was a success is "Did I learn anything?" The short answer is yes I did. I took 20 classes at CTS,and I would say that only four of them were what I would consider a complete and total waste. That is to say, I probably could have learned more about the assigned subject by sending three hours a week watching paint dry or grass grow. However, the other sixteen classes were to varying degrees educational, and I did learn at least a couple things useful about the subject matter of hand in those classes.

The biggest thing I learned in seminary though, is that I learn best when I disagree with something, and I was taught a lot that I disagreed with. However, I did learn from this. One of my fears of going to CTS is the old joke that seminary is where one goes to lose their religion, and with CTS having a reputation as being "ultra liberal" I was a bit afraid of that (Side note: CTS totally lives up to its reputation, proof positive is brining in someone like James Cone to be the commencement speaker). However, when I have two theology professors who completely and totally reject the Trinity then my choice is to go along with their (flawed and wrong) theology or learn why I believe God is three in one. From examples like this one and others I learned the most from what I considered the most disagreeable.

For the record here are the major things that I find the most disagreeable: I dislike most of the form criticisms of the Bible. I agree that the Bible should be read critically, but the methods taught for criticisms tend to work of the premise that the Bible is not divinely inspired and then go out of their way to prove that premise true. I do sincerely believe the Bible should be read critically and it can with stand challenge. However, I also believe that God wrote the Bible, and I respect it to much to tear it to shreds for my own intellectual gratification. I completely and wholly disagree with Paul Tillich. I know some people reading this could be fans of his and I respect your right to your opinion. However, if I had the power to have anyone considered a heretic it would be him. Along the same lines I have nothing kind to say about process theology, other than I suppose it could be a good theology for, I don't know, Jedi . . . but not for Christians. Finally, any sort of contextual theology including (but not limited to) black theology, black liberation theology, Feminist theology, womanist theology, Caribbean theology, and what ever the hell other the minority or special interest group thinks they should get their own theology is not really theology. These sort of "theologies" are really just social commentaries that make mention of God a lot and are written by people who have a pretentious sense of self righteousness. That may be a bit unfair. Maybe all of the people who write these books are not that way, just the ones I had to read.

In the end, I did learn a lot and I especially learned from disagreements, but learning from disagreeing is a very tiring way to do it, and this left me feeling a bit worn out. Before moving on I do want to shout out the three teachers who I learned the most from and considered the best at CTS. First is Dr. Ron Allen. He is the New Testament professor. I am fairly sure that on every major theological point, we probably disagree. However, I believe from his words and actions that he fully respects my right to disagree with him, and that is something I can not say for many of the professors. He also struck me as one of the more knowledgeable professors I had. Second, is Lorna Shewmaker, a church history professor. I have a history background, and I would consider to be one of the top history professors I have had. Finally, I want to recognized Gregory Clapper. He technically is not a professor at CTS. Dr. Clapper is from UIndy, but he taught Methodist History and Theology. This class was my most positive experience at CTS and the class I gained the most out of. Plus, I had this class at the same time as Systematic theology and having a traditional Wesleyan perspective to balance out the crap from that class was a life safer.

I remember from seminary orientation, one of things that really got brought up again and again is the community and friends that one makes in seminary. I did make some good friends, but I am a PK and I know how moving goes and how long friendships last when not constantly reinforced (that is they usually don't). That being said, there are a handful of people that I truly do hope I can keep in contact with (since I am posting this in facebook, if you get tagged that means you are probably one of those people. . .feel special :) )

Though one of my minor frustrations with seminary was the people. I know that there are people who I just naturally don't click with, and I realize it is probably my problem not theirs. That being said, I have a small tolerance for people who have a "victim complex." I initially observed in high school that there are some people who are only comfortable with life when they are in the middle of a crisis of some sort and they are the victim. These people almost purposely create drama in their life. I don't know if these sorts of people are naturally drawn to ministry or just CTS but there were a lot of them. What is worse is many of these peoples also had a great desire to be martyrs. They would self sacrifice their time, talents, whatever to their congregation/classes/in-laws/whoever to the point of feeling like a victim. During seminary I had more than one class that was hijacked by someone one with this personality disposition and it turned the whole class into a group therapy session.

I feel like I have done a lot of complaining (and I probably have), so before I complain again let me reiterate the highlights in case I have not made them clear enough. 1. I did learn a good deal in seminary 2. I met good friends who really helped me get through many of the low points of seminary. So I do have one more complaint, and it is my biggest complaint and that is the general attitude of CTS. The main problem is anything that is traditional or conservative theologically is looked down upon and belittled. A term that gets used a lot the first year is "embedded theology". This phrase is ALWAYS used to refer to traditional/conservative doctrine and it is ALWAYS used in a negative light. CTS talks big game about being opening and accepting, but that is only true if the person/idea is more left than they are. Any traditional beliefs such as divine inspiration of scripture, Trinity, or hell are completely looked down and treated with total disdain. In the same way, if you believe that the biblical intention of marriage is to be between a man and a woman then please do not mention it because that discussion never, ever ends well at CTS (basically the pro-homosexuality people rage and the pro man/woman marriage people get made to feel like they are on the same moral level as a child rapist). Further more, I left CTS feeling like the place discriminates against white men. I understand that historically being black in America sucks, and that being a woman at any point in human history means a degree of marginalization, but that does not mean that I have to get beat on the head with it. I get it, God is not a white man BUT that does not mean God is a black woman. About a semester and half in I got tired of being told I should feel guilty for having pale skin and a penis. By the fifth semester I was down right cynical about it. By the sixth semester, and a stupid "fish bowl" activity reiterates this attitude I was ready say some unchristian things to the next person who rehashed that. It is a really, really good thing I did not get a chance to talk to James Cone after graduation.

So what are my final thoughts about seminary? Overall, I am glad I went to seminary. I did learn some things that will be essential as I continue my career in ministry. That being said, I am disappointed a bit in CTS. I went to CTS because of its location, and I can not help but wonder if I would have had a better seminary experience someplace else. I have talked to people at other seminaries, and they did not have the frustrations that I have felt over the past three years.
So my final word: Glad I went to semnary, I learned something, but I will immediately throw away the "give us money" letters from CTS, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

It is Good for a Reason

2009-04-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Through this Holy Week, I have been really drawn to this song. I know that it takes some creative license with it's word usage(like the use of the word "night", so while it does not represent the historical nature of Good Friday, I do think it captures the wonder, awe, and excitement, that one feels when the grace made available at the cross becomes real to them for the first time. That God, in the person of Jesus, died to atone for my sins can only be accurately called "beautiful" and "scandalous".

What I did this Weekend

2009-03-23T10:16:00.001-07:00

What I did was play board games. . .lots of them. If you want greater detail then just click here.

Help Needed

2009-03-18T22:14:00.001-07:00

Alright, I am going to see if I can put social networking to use for me. You are here because someone shared the link with you, and if you got the link, then I think you can help me. I am in need of opinions about Christianity and violent video games. I am looking for the responses of people who

1. Self identify themselves as a Christian

2. Play Violent Video Games

If that is you, then please consider answering the following questions in the comment section, please note that by answering questions you are giving me permission to possibly quote you in my masters thesis.

1. Do violent acts in video games bother you spiritually? If so, how? If not, why do you think they don't?

2. How do you reconcile the violent acts in the games you play with the nonviolence emphasis that exist in Christianity?

3. Do you consider it hypocritical where you virtually engage in killing, but proclaim belief in the ten commandments which declares "thou shall not kill."? If you do not consider it hypocritical why?

4. Are there any violent video games that you will not play because you find them offensive? How do you decide which violent games are acceptable and which are not?

Did you know?

2009-03-14T08:47:00.001-07:00

Press Play to have your mind blown.

The Complete Guide to Giam Part 2

2009-02-27T18:23:00.001-08:00

So for this part I am going to walk through the map of Giam. I drew this map in high school. Most of Giam took shape in high school during study halls. Most people slept, and I either read sci-fi/fantasy books or created my own little world in my head. During my Senior year, I even created my own Role Playing Game system based in Giam called New Legends (and despite my best efforts to look multiple times I could not find the file anywhere). As I explain the various places in Giam, I will be explaining them as they are in what I previously referred to as the "time of legends." I apologize about the size of the map, it will probably be hard to read.

Starting on the western side of the continent is the city of Gull. After the fall of the dark lord Gull was reduced to a city-state, but the city has begun to reestablish itself as a proper kingdom. Even though Gull is on the edge of the known world, it is where the world comes together. Goods from the Northern lands come to Gull as do exotic goods from the south. A steady trickle of traveling merchants bring goods from the rest of Giam down the great road. Thus, the market of Gull is something of a wonder of the world. Gull is essentially ruled by an oligarchy. The throne of Gull has been vacated since the height of the dark age, and there are several noble families who want it for themselves. They are always trying to earn favor and position. Every decade a new steward is elected from the noble families to sit on the throne. This election is often corrupt, and the noble courts of Gull are a place of much intrigue and back-stabbing.

To the North of Gull are the Northern Lands. These lands are controlled by a vast array of barbarian tribes. Think Conan the Barbarian with a healthy dose of Braveheart and you get the idea. Each tribe no matter how small has their own territorial land. The only place not controlled by a tribe is the city of Noroun. Noroun is essentially the "United Nations" of the Barbarians. Each tribe has representatives, and diplomacy is done here. Of course, Barbarian diplomacy often inolves duels and tests of might.

To the south of Gull is the Aran Desert. I have never thought to much about what is there. South of that is the Henten Jungle. On the outskirts of the jungle there are human settlements of tree dwellers. Deep in the jungle one of only two elf civilizations still exist. The plague of the dark lord was especially harsh on the elves, as was the resulting anarchy. In response the elves became insular and extremely xenophobic. Elven culture has degenerated into almost savagery. Yet they, still remember stories of the golden age, but they have forgotten how the fall from that age was led by them. Thus, the elves are prideful and mean. East of the jungle is the Southland mountains. It is in these mountains that the greatest of the Dwarven kingdoms lie. South of that is the wasteland. A Desert of Rock, tar pits, and other unpleasantnesses. Wastelanders, which are essentially orcs, roam this area. There is a haven of decency and verdant civilization carved out of the wasteland though and that is Fanastia. Here elves and humans have intermingled to create the world's only half-elf civilization. Fanastia is very prosperous and very remote, thus most of Giam thinks the place is a legend. In the ocean is the island of Vesterou. This is an evil place that is eternally terrorized and ruled by a vampire. Vampires in this world are people who have made deals with demons. In exchange for eternal life they have to exist on the blood of others.

Going Back to Gull and heading East there is the great road. During the golden age this road ran from Gull to Valaxen, but that last leg from Bren to Valaxen has been swallowed by time. The great road is what keeps Giam still unified as information and goods travel between the two great kingdoms of Gull and Bren. Along the great road there are multiple small kingdoms, commonwealths, and free towns. There are only a few parts of the road that are wild and truly dangerous to travel. North of the Great Road and East of the North lands are lots of hills that slowly become more steeper as they grow into the Draglok mountains. There are human settlements in these hills, but these hills are one of the only place in Giam where the gnomes live. These gnomes are the "travelocity" variety. They are whimsical, peace loving creatures. In the steeper hills live the Dark Dwarfs. These dwarfs have skin that is a very dark gray in color. Dark Dwarfs are opportunists and are consumed with greed. In the Draglok mountains, dragons can be found as well as the lesser Dwarf kingdoms.

In the middle of the world is Meduka, which has you gathered is now a place of evil. Essentially if there is a monster it comes from Meduka. The areas immediately surrounding Meduka are home to evil civilizations. To the east are savage gnomes. To the North-west Cyclopeans, To the North East Centaurs, and to the North are the Wyerms. Further north of Meduka are the shirelands. This area is essentially like Germany in the late middle ages before unification, a patch work of small duchies (or in this case shires). Of these two free cities have emerged, Vasten and Lakeshire, which are slowly developing into proper kingdoms. East of Meduka is the Great Plain and this is home to the Three Peoples: The Sucroi, Yenoi, and Bedoi. The Three peoples all have Native American influences. The Sucroi are more or less akin to a Native American plains tribe. The Yenoi are a mix of Native Americans and Japanese, while the Bedoi are more like Bedouins.

South of the Great Plain is Bren. Bren is the premier kingdom in Giam. During the dark ages the throne was not lost and the same blood line that has always ruled still sits on the throne. Bren is both the high point of Giam civilization and its protector, as the Eastern areas of Bren are mostly uncivilized. Sout of Bren is the City State of Ravensport. Ravensport is Bren's constant rival despite being dwarfed by the kingdom. Ravensport is also a place with dark secrets. Black Magic is readily practiced in its alleyways and many of the aristocrat families have long standing deals with devils.

The Eastern part of Giam is mostly uncivilized wilderness. The biggest standing city in this part of Giam is Keysmit, which is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. The peninsula of Seaina is very much haunted and it also is where tribes of people who are more beast than human in their demeanor live. North of Keysmit. There are a few bright spots of goodness in the form of all small cities and their protectorate, but most of this area is the domain of petty warlords and aggressive warrior tribes. One of these tribes has taken up residence in the ruined city of Valaxen, and they essentially function as land based Vikings. North of Valaxen is a great forest. Deep in this forest is where the former elves of Valaxen reside. Like the elves of the jungle these elves are insular, prideful xenophobes. The forest is also home to intelligent wolves who can speak like humans and minotaurs. To the west of this forest is a mountain range that is more like the Appalachian mountains than the Rockies. At the heart of these mountains is a series of big valleys connected by passes. This area is home to the Hidden Kingdom. The Hidden Kingdom has always been a secluded place where Dwarfs and humans live in mutual peace. During the anarchy that followed the fall of the dark lord the hidden kingdom shut itself from outsiders so that now the outside world has all but forgotten about it, and the hidden kingdom has all but forgotten about the outside world.

So that is the world of Giam. The only thing left to talk about is how magic work in Giam, because all good fantasy worlds have to have some sort of magic.

The Complete Guide to Giam Part 1

2009-02-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

In the 25 Random Things list that I posted about a month ago I mentioned the fantasy world of Giam. I originally created this world in third or fourth grade after seeing part of Clash of the Titans. When I played by myself I pretended I was a character known as the hunter. The hunter roamed the land of Meduka in Giam. Meduka was the land of monsters, and the hunter hunted them. The hunter was half monster though. He had red eyes and the ability to become invisible. The hunter's main goal was to kill the Medusa. From there the world slowly developed. This world has a whole lot of random influences that have been taken and synthesized together. Here is a mostly complete list of where I remember influencing ideas that were incorporated into this world: Battle Cards, Hero Quest, Middle Earth Role Playing Game, Unlimited Adventures video game, Magic: The Gatering CCG, Star Wars, R.A. Salvatore (specifically The Woods Outback and The Crimson Shadow series), Gladius video game, Mortal Kombat, and the Bible. For a while I have wanted to put down in words what I have developed about this world, so I might as well share it instead of keeping it to myself.

First a brief world history. I never created a creation story for the world. The world's history picks up during the "Golden Age". During this time the elves were the leaders of great kingdoms ruled by "god-kings." Never established if these kings were angels or just blessed with extremely long lives and divine wisdom. Essentially, the elves are a bit like the Israelites, in that they are God's chosen people. During the golden age the elves led the good people in an era of kindness. The elves, over time became arrogant and selfish and the great kingdoms began to diminish. While this happened, evil, greed, and fear grew. After several centuries of this slow fall, the Dark Lord rose. It was never defined who or what the Dark Lord was, but the dark lord was essentially evil incarnate. Based out of the fallen kingdom of Meduka the dark lord gathered evil creatures and began to conquer the world. In the cliche epic fantasy way, there was a big battle and the dark lord was defeated, but when he was he unleashed his greatest spell. Meteors rained down over all of Giam completely destroying the great cities. In addition to that a plague was unleashed that decimated the entire world's population, and Meduka became forever tainted with evil. All of Giam descended into anarchy and a dark age. 400-500 years after this event the world is beginning to emerge from this dark age, and it is in this time that many of the stories of Giam take place, and this time is the time of legends. This has probably gone on long enough, so part 2 I will post the map of Giam and go through what constitutes the world. I hope reading this has been half as fun for you as it has been for me to write it.