Who Left the Lights On?

OK, so it's been quite a while between posts.

I started to put one up a few days ago, but it got eaten by a boojum and I didn't feel like trying to reproduce it. But I'm trying again today.

This one is definately a random musings sort of post... I've been spending quite a bit of time playing "Neverwinter Nights" (NWN) -- once again I have waited until I could buy the original game plus its supplements for less than the original went for at release. I just hate spending $50.00 or more for a computer game, so I rarely buy them as soon as they come out. This is why I just bought "Grand Tourismo III ASpec" less than a month ago, when GT-IV is already out. NWN, for anyone who doesn't already know, is a game built on the AD&D 3rd edition ruleset. You build and develop your character just as you would for AD&D (except that you use points for stats instead of the more traditional 3D6 roll), and combat and magic are resolved just as they would be in an AD&D game. There is even an on-line component where you could run an on-line campaign just as you would a face-to-face one, but I haven't explored that option much. It's my son's favorite part, though -- he's not really interested in any game that won't let him get on-line and play with other people. Me, I'm more old-fashioned -- I think computer games should be played by yourself in a dark basement, at least metaphorically speaking; and that if you're going to play an RPG with other people you should set up a big table, get out your Magic Map and set of Sharpies, a bunch of dice, and have all your buddies over to play face-to-face.

I miss playing real RPGs... I was never much of a D&D fan, but there were lots of others I played -- Champions, Earthdawn, GURPS, Twilight 2000, and Shadowrun, just to name a few. Champions was probably my favorite -- I've always been a big fan of the old spandex-clad superhero genre, and Champions was about the best version of a supers RPG out there. I'd love to find a campaign out there somewhere I could join (hint, hint, if anyone reading knows of one in my area... ;) ). My son is a bit interested in RPGs, to the horror of his mother, but I think mostly he just wants to be a gun bunny rather than doing much in the way role-playing. By the way, his mother is an ex-role-player -- her horror stems from her perception that RPGs will have him ending up an anti-social nerd with bad hygene, despite that neither of us really ended up that way. Well, I'm a bit anti-social, but I was that way long before I played RPGs. I think RPGs were more of an effect than a cause. If anything, playing games probably made me socialize more than I would have otherwise.

Well, I'm off to Jesus' General to see if I can't stir up some trouble. Ya'll take care, and I'll see you around.