Home Geekery

Some tidbits among the chaos

2011-09-05T10:09:00.001-04:00

As you can see, our hiatus has lasted much longer than intended. However, that has not stopped us from from doing a little gaming in between.

As you may recall from a previous post we had the delight to try out some new dice. Hubby got a set of GameScience's Ugly Dice which I was really jealous of. They are lighter in weight then the dice we are use to and don't bounce everywhere when rolled. So, I decided we need to take advantage of the promotion they gave us and I begged hubby to buy me as a Mother's Day gift a set of my own. Well, I really didn't need to beg as he already had the idea to do so. Now, I own a Ruby 12 Dice Set which I have replaced my other dice with. Truthfully, they are the only dice I use now.

We also were able to check out Gaming Paper. When we first received this hubby was excited to try it. I on the other hand was not so excited. I thought it seemed like a wasteful product. Why would I want to continuously buy a product and then throw it away. Friends suggested that you could pre-draw out an adventure map and then after use could roll it up and keep it. Ya, I guess. However, I'm a tree-hugger gamer and I find it better to still use the re-usable mats. We did end up using the Gaming Paper for an adventure. During the move we had misplaced our mats and we needed something. The paper was handy and there was no smearing when we mapped out in marker. One piece was stained from food and drink(you can't game with out snacks!). So, it worked well for the time being. I think hubby really liked the product. I, however, would much rather stick to my gaming mats.

Some recent additions to our game library:
Hubby and I took a trip to New York City for our 8th wedding anniversary. We had the opportunity to drop in on some geeky stores(though I was a bit disappointed there were not more to choose from). One of our stops included The Compleat Strategist. We were able to find a few Dreamblade boosters and the board-games Ilium and Gravediggers for a reduced price.

Our most recent addition to our library is Talisman which I was able to snag for a good price at the closing of Border's. Talisman is one of those games that should be in every gamers library. It took awhile but it finally sits among our collection.

We also have received many RPG's to test out. Since there are soooo many we are trying to enlist the help of our gamer friends to test them out.
One friend has opted to take on Victoriana by Cubicle 7 Entertainment. So, I am looking forward to that.

The cute addition to the household, Chibithulhu. The devouring of souls never looked so cute!

-GeekWife

Excuse the Hiatus!

2011-05-23T09:35:00.000-04:00

We have a huge collection of awesome new products to review. However, our family is in the process of moving into a new home and things are a little chaotic. Please excuse the hiatus while we relocate. Thanks!

Yikes!

2011-05-08T13:56:00.001-04:00

Due to sound and lighting problems, we could not get the new episode of Home Geekery out this week, but here's an apology: buy anything from http://www.gamestation.net/ and use the promo code: HOMEGEEK to get 10% off your total order. I just bought the wife a 12-pc set of ruby precision dice for Mother's Day, and used the code. Look for the review of the Ugly Dice in the next episode, coming soon!

Kid Central Festival

2011-04-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

The whole family is excited about our local upcoming event with plenty of creative and geeky fun!

More Fun With Wilhelm

2011-04-23T10:19:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of compilations that showcase the Wilhelm Scream in various movies and TV shows. How many scenes do you recognize?

Wilhelm 1

Wilhelm 2

Episode 3 Bloopers

2011-04-22T09:58:00.001-04:00

W.C. Fields was right about working with children, animals, and Bill.

Here are some highlights from the cutting room floor:

Bloopers!

Episode 3 – Briarpatch, Wilhelm, and Ramen Challenge

2011-04-21T09:42:00.004-04:00

In this episode, the kids get to review games from Briarpatch, Bill teaches about an ancient Hollywood in-joke. Bite-sized episodes of The Guild, and Journey-Quest get a shout out, and finally, the long-awaited Ramen Noodle Challenge!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Ramen Challenge

2011-04-13T09:52:00.002-04:00

Bill here.

Teresa challenged me to a friendly wager to see if I can taste the difference between beef, shrimp, pork, chicken, and mushroom flavored Ramen Noodles while blindfolded.

Episode 002

2011-04-12T16:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay this week, but some reshoots were in order, new end credits, and a change of editing software, from Microsoft Windows Live Movie Maker to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. Expect the latest episode to be up today sometime. In it, we review GMT Games’ Leaping Lemmings, Gigamic’s Quarto, and Steve Jackson’s Cthulhu dice bag. We also discuss topics like Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine, Doctor Who, Neil Gaiman, Vin Diesel, A Game of Thrones, and more. Don’t miss it.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tweaks And Twonks

2011-03-30T13:06:00.003-04:00

As the first of our weekly videos is up, we’re now tweaking and playing with the site as much as possible, to ensure that it is easy on the eyes, and not difficult to navigate. Bill has been learning how to use his copy of Dreamweaver, which has been collecting dust, and Teresa is always on the lookout for new styles, colors, and backgrounds.

The videos posted are also not safe from being tinkered with, either. We really like the song, “Ice Cold Lemonade”, by Death By Chocolate, and want to use it as the Official Home Geekery theme song, so a new intro and end credits were made. Also, we’re trying to fix the audio, in that the theme song is very loud, and the conversation too low. We’re also looking at playing with the video editor to make the episodes more professional-looking.

We also have commissioned a very cool logo from a professional artist.

Don’t forget, we love comments, and take constructive criticism very well.

We’re Live!

2011-03-29T19:56:00.005-04:00

Home Geekery just went live. Today, we talk about the book, Paul Is Undead, the CD, Midnight Syndicate, the board games, Munchkin Zombies, Leaping Lemmings, and Small World, and the TV show, Lost.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Let us know what you think.

New And Improved!

2011-03-22T09:30:00.001-04:00

Home Geekery is now accepting product to review for our weekly video blog, where we will be discussing and reviewing board games, video games, movies, roleplaying games, and more, all with an angle at parenting.

Email: bill@homegeekery.com or teresa@homegeekery.com for address to send product.

National Talk Like A Pirate Day, 2010

Ravenloft and Pathfinder

2010-11-06T12:25:00.007-04:00

Image via WikipediaIt has been a long time since I have posted on anything of interest.

First thing is we attended BangPop! 2010 this year. It is always a Family event for us. The kids love being allowed to pick comics from the 50 cent boxes. My redhead (almost 7 now) loves the Catwoman comics. She is very into the whole Women empowerment thing.

It was a small gathering this year and I hope this doesn't mean we are seeing the end of it as it is something we look forward to each year.

Second, Hubby was able to attend a friend's Con at his home called ChrisCon in which there was a weekend of gaming with neat giveaways. He obviously put a lot of time and effort into putting this together. He had special dice made with the logo and hubby won a first edition of Werewolves of Millers Hollow which actually then was only called Are you a Werewolf? Wish I could of attended but

I had to stay home with the kids.

On a tangent here, if you have never played this game I highly suggest it. The more people the better. Werewolves of Millers Hollow is a game

where you have a moderator/storyteller and the

rest are villagers. Some villagers may have specific

titles/special abilities while a few are actually werewolves. Every night the villagers go to sleep

(close their eyes) while they sleep the werewolves wake up and pick one victim for the night silently. Everyone then wakes up and must decided who the werewolves might be. They must all agree on 1 person to hang that day. Many times innocent villagers are killed instead of the real culprits. That is just an abbreviated explanation of the game. Check out Board Game Geek for more info and images.

Third,

I am still running a campaign for Pathfinder and still trying to get use to the role of GM. I have so far discovered:

1. I am terrible at drawing out maps on the dry erase map.

2. I need to find some time to study the adventure more.

3. I am better at improvising than I thought I would be although needs some smoothing out.

Lastly,

I took hubby out for his birthday recently and we ended up at our local gaming store Game Citadel. I bought him the new Ravenloft board game as his birthday present and we spent 2 hours there opening it and learning how to play. After stumbling through the not so thorough game rules we decided this was fun game. It is simply put a "dungeon crawl" and as so many have said already the best use of 4th edition D&D rules as it seems to fit better into a board game then actual role-playing. I'm sure I'll come home one day from work to find that my husband has dug out all the painted D&D minis to replace the ones that comes with the game.

We are now looking forward to SnowCon 2011!

Did I mention that our 4 year old son is now obsessed with Indiana Jones? I love it. :)

Newbie DM

2010-08-25T21:23:00.003-04:00

I have finally crossed the threshold into the realm of DMhood. It has taken many years for me to get here but I decided to take the plunge. In this madness, for some reason unbeknown to me, I have decided to start off with a campaign from Pathfinder to pop my cherry.

A little background from me:

I never really played D&D or RPG's until I met my husband. I believe it was 2002 when I was actually introduced to the gaming world. I learned on 3rd edition D&D and progressed to 3.5 edition. I knew nothing of 1st or AD&D or any other systems at all. Eventually I experienced a 2nd edition game and briefly encountered a few other systems. Naturally though, I always loved 3.5 as it was what I knew the best.

So here we are back in the present!

Paizo's Pathfinder emerged from the system I loved and here I have a group of 6 people eager to play!

I chose to try my hand at The Legacy of Fire adventure path. Already in the first session I have encountered the non-linear thinking of the PCs and the task of trying to keep all players fully interested in what is going on. This new perspective has given me a new appreciation for all that DMs do. There is a lot of information to juggle and remember. I am hoping that I will fill the shoes better as time goes on as I don't want to disappoint my players.

In other news:

My oldest daughter has been going with my husband every Wednesday night to play in D&D Encounters at our local gaming store. My husband is the DM for it and it has allowed for some dorky father-daughter bonding. (Awww!)

Star Wars stuff that makes me smile

2010-02-11T10:10:00.010-05:00

Sometimes life gets me down. Sometimes I just need a good laugh or smile.

Like Star Wars? Like to laugh? Here are few things I have enjoyed.

The first is a picture created by Franco Brambilla.

I don't have the rights to the picture but you can view it at Flickr: here

My description: AT-AT Race

The next is a picture done by a guy named David Barton.

And then another Vader winner:

And one of my newest favorites directed to me from Caity from Caity B Photography is this break-up letter:

Have any Star Wars items that make you smile or laugh? Please share!

New Examiner for Bangor Geek Culture

2010-02-08T17:19:00.004-05:00

If you are not yet familiar with it Examiner.com is a site full of articles written by every day people like you or me. Wait! I am writing articles for Examiner!

That's right, yours truly has landed the spot for Bangor Geek Culture right along side of my hubby who is now the Bangor Horror Movie Examiner.

You will notice there is now an RSS Feed on the side for both of our articles. I am shamelessly plugging them as each click helps support my family. :)

SnowCon 2010

2010-01-19T09:04:00.010-05:00

This past weekend was the second annual gaming convention for this area, SnowCon!
I had the privilege to attend along with my husband, our eldest daughter and a friend's son. Many of our friends were there and we met many new people as well.
I want to give a big "Thank You!" to both Monique Bouchard and Gibran Graham for conspiring to bring this event to our area.

Not only were there many scheduled games to take part in but also there was a game library available to check out games to play.

My husband is one of Steve Jackson's MIB and so ran several games during the convention. However, I think the highlight was his Munchkin of Epic Proportions game in which he combined every set of Munchkin together that has been release thus far.

I personally participated in a D&D 3rd edition game, a game of basic Munchkin, Werewolves of Miller's Hollow, and a history RPG set during the time of the Underground Railroad in Maine.

I actually ended up playing Werewolves of Miller's Hollow twice the whole weekend because I just love that game! On Saturday our game contained 23 people!

Biggest game I have played in. At least at the time...
Sunday we had even more people! This actually thrilled the moderator, self proclaimed Loki, because he was able to use a variant of the game in which he splits the villagers into 3 Hamlets. This was my favorite of the two. Mainly because I got to be a Werewolf and even after I was the last surviving person of my village no one ever suspected me! See evil grin here:

Also, I had the opportunity to attend a talk with the owners of The Game Loft which is a non-profit organization that provides a safe place for kids to hang out and game. I was thrilled to hear about this place which is located in Belfast, Maine. I hope one day in the future they will be able to expand to the Bangor area. This is an organization I would be willing to donate my time to. The owners were the moderators for the history RPG that I played in. I was able to experience what it is these kids are participating in. It was a great experience.

Some other highlights during the Con was the Mandalorian Mercs:

And the Steampunk Soiree:

Image courtesy of Ao Arts

Both my eldest and friend, who are 9 years old, enjoyed themselves immensely also. They were able to participate in some D&D, Ninja Burger, Munchkin and more.

I'm sure there are many highlights that I have missed and I may come back to add more. My favorite thing about this convention though is that it is very kid friendly. As a gamer parent I appreciate that.
Stay tuned for more pics!

Happy gaming!

All games can be gate ways

2010-01-01T10:49:00.010-05:00

As a very young kid I can remember my older brothers playing games, games I never was allowed to play because I was "too young". I believe this is what spawned my love for games. I finally get to play what I want. Truth is though, kids don't have to be "too young" to play. There are many games out there meant for younger kids and any of these can be a gate way into the gaming hobby.

While my 9 year old is ready for D&D, my 3 and 6 year old are not. In replacement we play simpler games with them and even some of the more mainstream board games with the 9 year old. This also provides us some good family time.

Our recent game additions came this Christmas as follows:

Mouse Trap

Operation

Candy Land

Hello Kitty Bingo

Cootie

Hulk Smash Board Game

Happy Gaming!

AD&D Family Time

2010-01-01T10:09:00.003-05:00

I was introduced to role playing by my husband when I first started dating him. It was the second time in my life I had encountered it. The first time being my brothers attempt to hurriedly get rid of me by killing me instantly when I was young. I learned on D&D 3rd edition and went on to 3.5 and I enjoyed it. Then 4th edition came out and I found it wasn't as enjoyable to me. Recently I was discussing this with my husband and he suggested that we try AD&D as it might be more my flavor. We decided to make this a family affair(well at least with the oldest as the other 2 are too young) and the oldest and I are currently creating characters. My oldest seems to be following in the footsteps of hubby as they both enjoy playing thieves. I, on the other hand, have decided to go with the cleric.

On other gaming news, I continued my Shadowrun game the other night and had a blast. My Occult Investigator, I can proudly say, did not do anything exceptionally stupid this time or die! We seemed to have made friends with a mob boss who has a love of ribs and my partner(a weapons specialist). We have also met a crazy taxi driver with a roll cage(yes, it is needed) and an orc kid who has basic hacking skills. We are currently on a missing persons case and Leroy, the Jap pimp on stilts, has reappeared from our last mission to add flavor.

AND...
Coming up here in Maine is our very own Gaming Convention, SnowCon!
Hubby will be there hosting an Epic Munchkin game for 4 hours consisting of every Munchkin set that has been put out to date. I will be there with my very own spot Sunday to talk about gaming as a family hobby and the benefits it can give your kids.

Have a wonderful Geekmas!

2009-12-20T10:22:00.004-05:00

Last night in my home we had an impulse to make gingerbread cookies. Now, normally I would make the dough from scratch but seeing as this was a last minute idea hubby went to the store and grabbed a Pillsbury gingerbread roll. We also did not have all the proper supplies so we made do with what we had around the house. My hubby and I had a bottle of rum (for Egg Nog! Yum!) that became a rolling pin and our designs were free formed, cut with a table knife.
Originally, I was just going to attempt some standard gingerbread men but then hubby mentions making a Cthulhu...
Awesome!
So I end up making an Ankh, Sword and Beholder.

Behold our Geekmas cookies!

We haven't had the heart to eat them yet but I suspect that might change tonight when our craving for cookies rolls around...

Dear Santa...

2009-12-15T10:53:00.011-05:00

I can't seem to win the lottery so instead I am asking you for these super sweet items.

1. Millennium Falcon bed

2. The Ultimate Gaming Table

or even better...
3. The Sultan gaming table

4. The Tower

5. Kymera Magic Wand

6. Space Trip with Virgin Galactic

I am sure there is more but I know there are other good little geeks out there who also may want some things.

What geeky items do you dream about?

Parent Sound-off

2009-12-10T22:52:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be wonderful to get a conversation started. I want to hear from all the parents out there about how they get their kids involved in gaming(and I don't mean video games) and what they have found beneficial about introducing their children to this hobby?

I know for me I find it hard to game at all anymore and when I finally do it often ends up as mommy's time away. However, occasionally, hubby and I are able to involve our oldest when we aren't busy with other things. Besides the D&D beginner's set we have found that HeroQuest has been a good beginner's tool. Oooooh how we would love to get the add-ons and Advanced HeroQuest.

Are there any games you have found to be good intro's into this hobby for children?

Looking forward to hearing from others out there.

A long overdue update

2009-11-29T08:54:00.005-05:00

This will be a short run down on some things.

First of all, hubby went as Rorschach for Halloween. We pieced the costume together ourselves. Goodwill produced an overcoat, Dollar Store produced a white scarf, Wal-Mart had the black gloves and Hot Topic had the fedora. As for the mask...
We obtained a pair of Danskin tights from Wal-Mart and some thermal chromatic ink. We created a mask which appears to change. It was a hit.

Next,
I have started a game of Shadowrun. First time I have ever played this system and I am really enjoying it. I am playin the pregenerated Occult Investigator and teamed up with a Weapons Specialist. There has been much hilarity and Near Death.

Recently, I played a game of Cowpoker from SJ Games with hubby. I enjoyed this fun little game. We also received Ninja Burger from SJ Games and will be trying that soon.

Hubby and I busted out HeroQuest recently also and have been playing with our eldest. I have been DM while hubby and daughter have played the characters. They have completed two of the quests very successfully.

Last, but not least, we will be enjoying our local Gaming Convention in January here,
SnowCon!
Hubby will be Demoing Munchkin. Not just Munchkin but Munchkin of Epic Proportions in which he will have all the add-ons put together with the Blender.
We will be staying at Black Bear Inn for the 2 nights and enjoying as much of it as we can.

BangPop! Pictures Day 2

2009-09-21T11:59:00.009-04:00

BangPop! Report 2

2009-09-21T09:57:00.010-04:00

On the second day we decided not to go until noon when the first kids activity was scheduled. It was a presentation called Styles put on by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman. They showed the many different ways to draw comics and with comics and cartoons that kids were familiar with such as Spongebob Squarepants, Avatar, and Fairly Odd Parents. Raina also pulled out a big drawing pad in which she drew the many emotions that can be drawn in comics and how they might look. Afterwards, Raina tore off the drawings and gave them out to the kids. There was also paper and markers provided to the kids if they wish to try their hand at drawing. My kids were completely inspired by this and both my girls now want to design and draw their own comics.

Now at the time I did not really know much about these two other than Raina draws the Babysitter's Club comic. At then end of the day I grabbed both of their business cards since my oldest was interested in the Babysitter's Club comic. Plus, I like to find people online and stalk them.
Raina is also a part of Xmen: Misfits which is a re-imagining with teen angst. You can learn more about her and her work at her website: GoRaina!
As for Dave Roman, turns out he's married to Raina and collaborated with her on the X-Men: Misfits. He is also associate editor of Nick Magazine.
The comic he is involved in that looked the most interesting to me was Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden in which he is the co-creator and writer.
FInd out more about him and his works over at Yaytime!

Then we roamed around a bit and came to the table of .The Undersea Adventures of Capt'N Eli where the artist Jay Piscopo was hanging out doing free drawings for the kids. My oldest asked for Spider-Man and my red-head asked for Captain America. While he was drawing them I was able to chat with him a little. He was a very friendly guy and told me his interests were in the old forgotten comic heroes that have since become common grounds. This booth was very kid-oriented and I enjoyed the talk with Jay as I saw his passion come through while he was talking. Even though we interrupted him while he was trying to take a quick lunch he was happy to cater to the kids. Please check him out and his work.

Finally we headed over to the Flannery Brothers concert for kids. This was a lot of fun! They have high energy to match the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually ended up doing videos for Noggin or Nick Jr.

We were treated to a pre-show of balancing a guitar on the chin.

They highly encouraged the kids to get up and dance and sang about things like favorite pillows and broccoli. They even had a section where they asked for different things to sing about and made up songs on the spot. The two songs were: one about unicorns and rainbows, and one about Spider-Man and monkeys. Their CD is reasonably priced at only $12. After their concert the Flannery Brothers then led the kids on a costume parade through out the convention.

A big thank you to the BangPop! staff for putting this event together!

Check back for some more pics.

BangPop! Pictures Day 1

2009-09-20T10:11:00.010-04:00

BangPop! Report 1

2009-09-19T17:56:00.005-04:00

I awoke this morning all cheeried eyed...
Okay, not really. I'm never cheeried eyed. However, I did wake up early this morning. I misread the time for a workshop and arrived an hour early. So, instead of walking back home I decided to volunteer. For about an hour I helped out at the registration table. I then attended an awesome presentation about using comics to teach with. It was stated that we are living in time now where we rely more heavily on visuals due to the fact that they convey across many cultures.
It was nice to see the interest in using alternative methods of teaching and how much is already being used in schools.

I highly recommend checking out Ian Carlson's blog, Teach Comics.
Along with Ian another educator presented his work and experience using the Watchmen comic to educate. Dan Ryder is also a part of a Podcast worth checking out, Wicked Decent Learning.

Afterwards, I headed back home to get the family and grab some lunch. After the kids finished eating hubby and I allowed the kids to hit the .50 comic bins. The kids each picked out 4 comics which included Catwoman, X-Men, Archie, Spider-Man, Elektra, and Hawkman. I grabbed a Wolverine comic and hubby happily grabbed up a good stack of Judge Dredd comics. The kids, very pleased with their selections, then sat down at a table to read them.

Somewhere inbetween those activities hubby caught a small excerpt from a stage production of An American Werewolf in London. It is a free play that is being put on by the Freeport Community Players and Gaslight Theater in Freeport, Maine. You can see the schedule for it over at Freeport Community Players website.
Hubby is a big fan of the movie and after seeing the small excerpt from the stage production he was excited to see the whole thing.

We are all looking forward to the second day of the convention which will feature programming for children.
Be sure to check back for pictures and another report.

Is there gaming in my future?

2009-09-18T08:53:00.004-04:00

Perhaps...
I swear, one of these days, I will have a successful gaming experience.
Right now hubby and I have been invited to play a D&D 3.5 edition game. This is the game system I am most knowledgeable in. It is the system I learned on. So my mission is to create a character using just the PHB as instructed. I can't decide if I want a Ranger or a Cleric, although I am leaning towards Cleric.
If this game is successful and we actually consistently game then I will be sure to keep log of it here.

In addition, BangPop! is this weekend and my brood will be attending both days. My camera will be charged and ready to go! So stay tuned for reports from that.

Laptop Fail

2009-09-08T09:01:00.003-04:00

So, my laptop has decided not to recognize that it has a wireless adapter anymore. This is partly why there has been a lack of posts. I apologize for this.

However, here in Bangor, Maine we have a great event coming up called Bangpop!
It is our local geek convention. It will be my first time going and it will be a family affair for us. One thing that I love is that they are having a bunch of stuff for kids on Sunday. I will try to take many pictures and experience what I can so I can report here.

In addition, recently I made contact with the local SCAdians here. A great group of people. Now this is a geekery of a different kind. However, I find that it crosses over easily enough.
Our area is part of the East Kingdom. Hubby and I have decided to take the plunge and take this as a hobby and enter into the
Shire of Endewearde.
I was able to partcipate last Sunday in the Combat Arts practice which was very fun. I learned some basics in Fencing and Rattan. My oldest daughter has also started up in the youth division and is also enjoying it. I mean, hitting people with sticks? Who wouldn't love that?
They will be holding a demonstration this weekend at Fort Knox. Unfortunately we will not be able to attend this. More information about it here:
Fort Knox Medieval Tournament

Romantic Nights of Gaming

2009-08-10T12:56:00.002-04:00

Being the geeks we are, hubby and I plan romantic nights together on LAN or online play.
Most often this includes LAN play of Neverwinter Nights.
Our favorite is the Penultima series that is full of geek jokes but also good game play. I highly recommend this one. What I truly love about Neverwinter Nights is that there are so many fan made modules to play. If you don't want to LAN then you can go online to find a persistent world. Best of all, it's free! (Besides the purchase of the actual game) Just be sure to download the latest Community Expansion Pack.

My husband is a big fan of the Ultima series. For a long time he played on Ultima Online. However, since becoming a family man he had to sacrifice things and this was one of them.
Not a problem anymore, with Razor we can now play on shards without having to pay. Yep, it's free! Seeing a theme here?
I am happily playing a character who is a leather worker set in the Renaissance Age.

Oddly, these game nights work for us. They help us to connect to each other after the craziness of the day and kids has passed. We can come together to enjoy a mutual love and love each other for it.

Happy gaming!

Geek Craftery

2009-08-09T09:43:00.009-04:00

I have the privledge to know some very creative geeks. I wanted to proudly show off two of them.
The first one does absolutely beautiful knit work. What makes her more awesome is that she makes geeky crafts with her super knit skill. Let me show you some past work she has done.

Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service

Zombiebot

Adipose from Dr. Who

David Tennant Dr. Who

Tiny Totoro

Totoro

She has an Etsy site you can visit with her other knit work. If you are interested in these type of items you can request a custom work. Please visit her shop
KnottyAviendha

The next one I want to show off does mostly Copper Trees. He is an old school D&D player/DM that did a beautiful gaming inspired piece.

Troll

If you like this type of work you can go to his website:
Coppertree
and request a custom work.

Tabletop games as educational tools

2009-08-06T09:17:00.003-04:00

I know to the people outside looking in that gaming looks like an escape. Well, partially it is. To those outsiders it looks like a useless time waster with no benefit.
However, we geek parents know better. Not only is this fun for us and a way for us to use our mind outside of conventional ideals, it is a tool we can use to help our children exercise their minds. Many games reinforce math skills and critical thinking and not to mention the creativity involved. For those gamers who never thought to use this as a tool, let me point out some things.

My daughter's 9th birthday present from us

First, most tabletop rpg's use a set of dice. These are great for reinforcing math skills. The two d10's can help familiarize a child with percentage. Also, dice can be used to predict outcome or probability. It can also help their practice of mental math when having to add modifiers to a dice roll.

My daughter's character and background story

Second, writing and creativity. My daughter just made her first character for Hackmaster Basic. Part of this creation was coming up with a background story for her character. HMB makes it an easy start because you can roll for some of your background such as if your parents loved you, if they're still alive, how many sibling you have. This makes for a great base to build upon. My daughter was so thrilled about her new character that she insisted on writing a background story. I was very happy to see her take initiative. She is not normally one to voluntarily write.
This allowed her to be creative. Another idea for creativity would be to have your child draw a picture of what their character looks like.

Third, critical thinking. Often within an adventure a character is faced with some sort of challenge. For this reason your child can be encouraged to problem solve on their own. Playing within a fantasy world allows a measure of safety to make decisions whether they are good or bad. It can teach them that there is more than one way to solve a problem and to use their resources.

Fourth, social/communication skills. Despite the image of gamers being the social outcast there are social skills to be gained here. No matter what type of game is being played it is good to learn how to lose(or win) gracefully. These games can teach good sportsmanship. I have seen a few adults who seemed like they have not learned this yet. As small as this might seem it can make a big difference.
Also, the importance of allowing others to speak their mind. To discuss civilly with other players when ideas are at conflict.

If you are a Gamer Parent I hope I got you thinking on how you can combine both your hobby and parenting together. I'm sure there are many things I did not mention here that are also taught through gaming. If you have any other ideas or suggestions please comment here.

Also, I would like to share a few links related to parenting and gaming.

Santa Cruz Warhammer has a blog about gaming with your child:
http://santacruzwarhammer.blogspot.com/2009/03/playing-warhammer-with-your.html

Dragonkin is a podcast that discusses about gaming with kids:
http://dragonkin.bearsgrove.com/

Dice and Diapers has articles for and by Gamer Parents:
http://www.dicendiapers.org/ddms/

The Young Person's Adventure League is a website dedicated to kids gaming:
http://www.theescapist.com/ypal/

Heroquest-Glorantha has a great story about a first adventure:
http://www.glorantha.com/support/na_yoots.html

Happy Gaming!

Game Night cooking

2009-08-03T12:22:00.003-04:00

One of the things I love to do when I have a regular game night is cook. I'm not gourmet but I like to make my fellow geeks feel all warm and good inside.
Often times I just come up with an idea, make sure everyone likes it and cook it up myself. Other times I get the players involved by asking them to contribute ingredients or sides.

I think one of the best and easiest of these game night meals is crock pot chili. I usually use the recipe found in my Crock pot recipe booklet with variations.

Favorite Chili

1/4 lb. pinto beans (although I like to get either kidney beans or chili beans)
2 14 1/2 oz. cans of tomatoes
2 lbs. ground chuck, browned and drained (or sub. ground turkey)
1 green pepper, chopped (I usually omit since hubby doesn't like)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt

I usually add 2 jalapenos chopped

Let it cook on Low for 10-12 hours
or on High for 5-6 hours.
I usually do the latter and it comes out awesome!
In addition I get a couple of bags of Frito's and a bag of shredded cheese. I also chop up some onion to leave out.
Dish out the chili or let everyone serve themselves. You can put the Frito's on the bottom, dump chili on them and then sprinkle the cheese and onions on top.

If you're lucky maybe the GM will dig it so much he'll dish out some extra EP's!

HP: Half-Blood Prince & movies I'm looking forward to

2009-07-30T09:45:00.003-04:00

One of the things we did for our daughter for her birthday was take her to see the new Harry Potter movie. I personally was looking forward to this since I love the movie series. Sadly, I have not got a chance to read the books yet. (Go ahead and gasp!) So the perspective I give on the movie is from one who has only seen the movies. I didn't have any preconceived ideas or images. With that said I'll also tell you this movie was my least favorite of the series so far. I still liked it and enjoyed seeing the fantastic imagery. However, I was not captured like I usually am watching these movies. This movie seemed to touch more upon personal relationships and adolescence. This is partially to be expected since the whole series follows a group of friends growing up together. However, it seemed to take up more of the story than it should have. If you are a Harry Potter fan than by all means see this movie. Every series has a weak point. I hope the next movie is more captivating.

Movies I am looking forward to:

Alice in Wonderland

I love everything Tim Burton has his hand in and I'm sure this one will be no different. Classic story with the Burton twist!

9

Computer animated movie with unique imagery. They recruited some awesome voice actors for this film including Elijah Wood, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connolley, and John C. Reilly. This movie is based on a short.

District 9

A movie about aliens that have been isolated and avoided as much as possible. Until...
There is always an Until in these type of movies. :)
This movie was produced by Peter Jackson and I have complete faith in him. Plus, the previews look awesome!

Where the Wild Things Are

Who didn't read this book when they were a kid? Classic story come to life. Can't wait!

The Last Airbender

My kids and I love the cartoon. They are always running around pretending to be Benders. This film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I know some people have lost faith in his work but I still love him and enjoy his stuff. I have faith he will be able to breathe life into this film and bring us something enjoyable.

Games I love...

2009-07-29T09:38:00.005-04:00

Everyone has their favorite games. I would like to share a few of mine. I'm not talking computer games or card games. I'll probably touch on those in a different post.

HeroQuest
The first one is an oldie but goodie. I remember playing this game with my brothers when I was younger. I played this game before I even knew Dungeons and Dragons existed. This was probably my first introduction into the world of fantasy gaming. I of course had to play the barbarian since I found it satisfying to be the brute force. Besides the Barbarian for choice there was also the Elf, Dwarf, and Wizard. The role of DM or "Evil Wizard" was Zargon who would take on the role of the monsters and reveal things in the dungeon. There were a few expansions for this game. My brother had a few of them. It was a lot of fun tromping through the dungeon, fighting and looting. This classic game will never die.
What is even more awesome is that there is a freeware game of it for PC!
Check it out: http://members.quicknet.nl/lm.broers/hquest.htm

Heroscape
For me this game is less about the mindless game play and more about the building. My brother and I got together and built a tabletop specifically so we could build huge Heroscape boards on it. Basically, you snap together the plastic hexagon pieces to form a board. There are several figures you can choose from to create your army. These are not limited to just one genre but all combined. You can have MIB with Valkyries with demons with army men... Well, you get the idea. Each figure or set of figures is worth a point value and each person creates an army up to a certain agreed upon point value. Most games consist of last man standing. However variations can be made to establish goals rather than killing each other. There are several expansion sets and many figure booster packs to introduce new figures.
If you don't feel like designing your own battlefield for the night than you can always hop on over to the Heroscapers website and download scenarios and maps:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=cat&id=7

Navia Dratp
I don't think many people have heard of this game. This game has two starter sets you can buy. You'll need both to get started. It is a 2 person game much like chess but with fantasy elements. Each figure you possess on the board has a unique movement and power. The Navia works like the king. What makes this even more fun is that you can buy booster packs to obtain new figures. This game is all about strategy and certainly worth the money in my opinion.

Betrayal at House on the Hill
This is a fun game that allows you to choose a character each with their own stats. Everyone starts off on the beginning tile and must explore the house. Every time someone goes through a door a new tile is flipped and placed to form the house. Some rooms contain items and others have special conditions. Among all the players one is a traitor but no one(even the traitor) knows who it is. Once certain conditions are met the traitor is revealed and the other players are given a goal to accomplish. What is even better is there are many different scenarios so it's not the same game every time.

Munchkin Quest
This game is the newest addition to games I love. Another game made up of tiles that form rooms in a Dungeon setting. What is great about Munchkin is it is absolutely and utterly ridiculous. Your character obtains all sorts of weapons, armor and items that will have you laughing until you pee your pants. You go through the dungeon fighting monsters, looting and cheating. Yes, that's right, CHEATING. After all you want the best and you want to win. Goal is to get to level 10 and defeat the end monster. Inbetween is just cheating and screwing over the other players.

Have fun gaming!

Gygax the legend & other ramblings

2009-07-27T09:15:00.003-04:00

If you're a gamer then you know who Gary Gygax is. He was the legend who brought gaming as we know it into our existence. Today would of been his birthday and I would like to acknowledge him and give a nod. Gygax if you are listening, you're the man.
To read about him check out the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax

This past weekend we celebrated my daughter's 9th birthday. Yesterday we all went as a family to the Local Gaming store, Games Unlimited. Awesome place with awesome owners.
You can check out their website here:
http://gu-bangor.com/blog1/

Hubby ran a demo of Frag Gold Box Edition. This is a board game from Steve Jackson Games described as a First-Person shooter without a computer.
It has figures to represent players, double-sided game board, character cards with dry-erase marker, ammo markers, item drop markers, 6-sided dice, and 3 different decks. Decks are weapons, gadgets, and specials.
Each character gets to distribute 7 points between 3 attributes: Health, Speed, and Accuracy. Four is the maximum number you can have in each attribute.
Originally when my husband first got this game we played it just between us. We wanted to see what it was all about and get to know the rules. Rules were easy enough but it was obvious that this game would only be fun with more players. I got the chance to try it out with other players. Well, kind of. Half the time I was distracted trying to make sure the 3 yr. old didn't get into trouble. However, even with only half my attention I realized my assumption was right. Definitley much better with more players. Of course I was fragged first and instantly. We had a power player among us and it took him no time to maximize and gain his 3 Frags to win the game.
Personally I don't see this game becoming a classic or I playing it often but I also would not turn down an offer to play it.
I would give it 3 out of 5.
You can order the game at Warehouse 23 online:
http://www.warehouse23.com/item.html?id=SJG1901

Next, I was introduced to a game called The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow.
This game contains a deck of cards. The premise for the game is that all the players are villagers in Miller's Hollow. However, among them are werewolves which feed on one person a night. Each card designates what type of villager you are. Players sit around a table and are passed out one card which they show no one. You can be just a normal villager, a werewolf, a Seer, Hunter, Cupid, Witch, a little girl. Besides the normal villager each card has their own special ability. The narrator of the story then begins the game and moderates it. At night every one at the table closes their eyes as if sleeping. Werewolves will then be instructed to open their eyes and silently select their victim for the night. Then that victim does not wake up in the morning and the villagers must take a vote to see who gets lynched that day for being a werewolf. The whole game is built on paranoia. So the villagers just might hang a few innocents in the process and the werewolves (if they bluff good enough) might just kill the whole town.
The more players the better in this game. I have to say I had a total blast with this game! I can easily see this game becoming a favorite of mine. I give it 5 out of 5.
You can read a description of it at Board Game Geek:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25821

We then let our birthday girl pick out her first set of gaming dice and a dice bag. Afterwards we proceeded over to the bowling alley for 2 games, headed home and ate dinner, had cake and ice cream, then crashed!

Success! Geek Gene passed

2009-07-24T10:04:00.002-04:00

I have three children and nothing makes me more proud than to see our geekness passed on to them. I remember sitting around the gaming table with my 2nd child(a baby then) in the high chair. I believe we were playing the comedy module Castle Greyhawk. She didn't say too many words at the time but blurted out "Bugbear!" Then continued to repeat it several more times. It was the cutest thing ever!
My oldest (who is turning 9 in a couple of days!) plays mostly RPG type video games, already has played a few games of D&D, is currently reading Chronicles of Narnia series, and enjoys such shows as Dungeons & Dragons, Zelda, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dragonball Z, and Sailor Moon is well on her way to be a well-rounded Geek Girl when she grows up.
My son is only 3 but already he is beginning his path into geekdom via comic book characters. While this is not hard these days with the popularity of the Marvel movies it is still endearing. His room, toys, and clothes consist of Spider-Man, Hulk and Venom.
Of course, every year we go as a family to the nearest comic book store to take advantage of Free Comic Book Day.
Don't know what that is? You can check out the website here:
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Are you a geek parent? Please comment with your proud geeky parent moments!

Welcome to the beginning

2009-07-23T11:28:00.000-04:00

I'll admit there are some pretty awesome blogs out there on the internet already containing great information about gaming. What is even more inspiring is that there are a lot of them that are girls! Am I sexist? No. However, there still seems to be a lot of misconception as to who gamer chics really are.
Since I have started my trek into geekdom years ago when I first met my husband I noticed how hard it can be to be a gamer and a parent. It's hard enough to find a gaming group even when you don't have a family! Add kids and you'll find yourself more isolated. It is understandable that most people don't want to tolerate the numerous interruptions that can occur. So what are gamer parents to do?
Well, try and find other gamer parents! It's difficult at times but at least there is a mutual understanding and you don't have to pay for babysitting.
This blog will allow me to write about my own experiences as a housewife with children and still having my hobby. This may include kid tips, gaming chat and recipes.
Enjoy!