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Happy New Year, everybody!!! Hard to believe it's 2005 already, isn't it? Time just seems to fly by these days. I guess I'm actually glad to have 2004 behind me, it really wasn't that good of a year, for the world, for America, and for me personally. I hope that things improve in 2005. My best wishes go out to my fellow CT writers and to all you readers out there! Now on with our show . . .
I don't make New Year's resolutions. It was never a tradition in my family. When other people are talking about their resolutions, I think about my goals. I like goals better. They're usually ongoing goals, but the New Year is just a time to remind myself of them. Every year, I put most of them off as usual, but a few of them actually get done. In 2004 I was successful in finally acquiring my state and city business licenses, for example.
But you're not here to read about my personal life (at least, I hope you're not. I don't need a stalker), you're here to read about gaming. This year, my goal is to get back to world development, since this is what this column is all about. I want to finish and turn in something for the D&D game where I have to design a continent (the rules have been tightened, so my old continent is gonna be used for something else and I need to start over). Once that's done, it's really time for me to get back to working on the world which inspired me to start this column.
Since, as I mentioned in my review of The Book of Dragons, it has been a long month and I'm tired, I'm going to be a bit lazy and dedicate this column to "New Year's Resolutions for Gamers". A few things for you to think about and maybe try in the New Year.
- Break away from your stereotypes. It's too easy to fall into the rut of playing the same type of character all the time. Resolve to try something different this year. Or, if you usually play a variety, play something you normally refuse to play. You might find that you like it. Note that this does not mean that I will be playing a dwarf this year. Stupid dwarves.
- Try a new system. Many gamers that I know seem to be reluctant to break away from the systems they're familiar with and give something new a try. In 2004, I tried Legend of the Five Rings. In 2005, I'd like to try Nobilis, Exalted, and Ninja Burger. I of course always recommend trying Earthdawn, Call of Cthulhu, or BESM. Good games every one of them.
- Introduce someone to gaming. Get your significant other to come to gaming. Or your sibling. Or your scoffing friends. Drag your books over to your parents' place and teach them. I've had the pleasure of watching several new gamers get hooked this year. Newbies are great!
- Write more background stories. Back in 2003, if I wrote a background story at all, it was a couple paragraphs long. Now they range from 3-100+ pages. Background stories really help you get a feel for your character, it gives you a convenient place to note things like who's in their family, and a good GM will give you bonus experience points for a well-written story.
- Read some sourcebooks. Maybe it's just me, but I have a whole stack of gaming books that I purchased and haven't taken the time to read. Sometimes it's good to just spend a day with your nose buried in a book, discovering alternate rules and cool character ideas.
- Support your local game stores. Yeah, you can probably get the books for cheaper from Amazon, but does the customer service at Amazon joke with you while you check out? I think NOT! Keep the little guys in business and stimulate your local economy.
- Play nice. This is as much for me as you guys. If there's someone in your gaming group that you don't like, work extra hard to get along with them, or at least not let them get under your skin. Remember, we roleplay to have fun. There's plenty of drama and misery to be had in our day-to-day lives without letting it ruin our fun time, too.
- If you don't normally GM, give it a try. Running a game is a lot of work, but everyone should try it at least once. You can even have fun doing it, although I'll always prefer playing. Give your regular GM a break. It gives him or her the chance to think up more evil ideas... I mean, more ways to entertain the rest of the group.
- Let the game creators and GMs know how much you appreciate them. These folks are doing a lot of work to keep you entertained. Your GM even does it for free. Say "thanks".
- Most importantly, have fun.
Take care everyone, see you next month.
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