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sinanjuSo Twoson came up on Saturday to visit his friends. On Monday I had the day off, and I was to drive him to the Amtrak station at 5:30 to take the train back down to his dad's place. About mid-afternoon, the phone rang. I answered and found myself talking to someone from Amtrak.
Sorry, says she, but the train's been canceled. Mudslides on the tracks, due to all the rain. But not to worry--they'll provide a bus at 6:30. So I drive Twoson to the station and drop him off. Before I'm more than a few blocks away my cell phone rings. It's Twoson. To paraphrase the kid from The Matrix, "There is no bus."
I return to the Amtrak station, park the car, go inside. Twoson and several other people are standing around. There's been a screw-up. There is no bus. The phone call was a mistake. The counter people are apologetic and doing their best to handle the situation. They tell us that they've called for a van to take the four passengers to their destination.
Well, okay.
Well, no. Actually, it won't be a van. They'll put them in a taxicab. Twoson was not thrilled to be downgraded from a train to abus van taxi. He'd just bought two new World of Warcraft game books and had been planning to read them on the trip back home. Can't do much reading in the dark.
Still, at least he got home.
Saturday was also the day I became a ruthless enforcer of the One True Way, a gun-totin' "bible"-thumpin' inquistor roaming the highways and byways of an alternate 1950s America. My regular monthly Champions game is on hiatus while we try out Dogs in the Vineyard, a new game and new game system. I wasn't sure I was going to like this game--being an inquistior/judge/jury/executioner for a very conservative religious culture didn't seem like my cup of tea.
As it happens, I did enjoy the game. It's an interesting system, using a variety of die types and a system of matching dice in poker-like "sees" and "raises" to determine how a conflict (which can be verbal discussion, argument, physical tests, fighting or gunplay) turns out. There are always explicit "stakes" at risk, and you always have the option of giving up and losing the stakes. Doing so, or losing a contest often results in "fallout" (short-term or long-term effects on your character--and these aren't always bad).
As for the "inquisitor" thing--really, a big part of the game is determining exactly how your character views his mission. Hardass enforcer or gentle cultivator? Ruthless or merciful? (But make no mistake, in this game world, demons, demonic influence, sin and evil are all very real things, and failure to stamp out real evil has terrible consequences.)
After spending a few hours generating characters and playing out the first session, I headed home where my lovely and talented wife had arranged a birthday party for me. We had a wide assortment of friends over. Our (formerly regular) gaming group, a friend of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
snippy 's, and another couple we know from an entirely different circle of friends. We drank, we ate cake, we talked a lot. It was a great deal of fun.
Plus, I scored the first (and only) season of The Flash tv series on DVD. Sweet!
Sorry, says she, but the train's been canceled. Mudslides on the tracks, due to all the rain. But not to worry--they'll provide a bus at 6:30. So I drive Twoson to the station and drop him off. Before I'm more than a few blocks away my cell phone rings. It's Twoson. To paraphrase the kid from The Matrix, "There is no bus."
I return to the Amtrak station, park the car, go inside. Twoson and several other people are standing around. There's been a screw-up. There is no bus. The phone call was a mistake. The counter people are apologetic and doing their best to handle the situation. They tell us that they've called for a van to take the four passengers to their destination.
Well, okay.
Well, no. Actually, it won't be a van. They'll put them in a taxicab. Twoson was not thrilled to be downgraded from a train to a
Still, at least he got home.
Saturday was also the day I became a ruthless enforcer of the One True Way, a gun-totin' "bible"-thumpin' inquistor roaming the highways and byways of an alternate 1950s America. My regular monthly Champions game is on hiatus while we try out Dogs in the Vineyard, a new game and new game system. I wasn't sure I was going to like this game--being an inquistior/judge/jury/executioner for a very conservative religious culture didn't seem like my cup of tea.
As it happens, I did enjoy the game. It's an interesting system, using a variety of die types and a system of matching dice in poker-like "sees" and "raises" to determine how a conflict (which can be verbal discussion, argument, physical tests, fighting or gunplay) turns out. There are always explicit "stakes" at risk, and you always have the option of giving up and losing the stakes. Doing so, or losing a contest often results in "fallout" (short-term or long-term effects on your character--and these aren't always bad).
As for the "inquisitor" thing--really, a big part of the game is determining exactly how your character views his mission. Hardass enforcer or gentle cultivator? Ruthless or merciful? (But make no mistake, in this game world, demons, demonic influence, sin and evil are all very real things, and failure to stamp out real evil has terrible consequences.)
After spending a few hours generating characters and playing out the first session, I headed home where my lovely and talented wife had arranged a birthday party for me. We had a wide assortment of friends over. Our (formerly regular) gaming group, a friend of
snippy 's, and another couple we know from an entirely different circle of friends. We drank, we ate cake, we talked a lot. It was a great deal of fun.Plus, I scored the first (and only) season of The Flash tv series on DVD. Sweet!
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 10:25 pm (UTC)It's out on DVD? I can't believe enough people watched it. Hell, I thought that a comic book addict friend and I were the only two who'd watched it.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-19 04:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-19 12:40 pm (UTC)