Good-bye 2008, hello 2009! In honor of the changing of the year, and in light of the fact that I'm exhausted (seriously me, why did it seem like a good idea to clean the house, renovate the game room, and have your family over for a nice sit-down dinner and gift exchange all in the same week?), this column is going to be a nice little 2008 gaming retrospective. Looking back on it, 2008 has actually been a momentous year for gaming for me, and I suppose for the gaming world in general. In no particular order, here are all of the highlights and lowlights I can think of. Ok, maybe there's just a little order. I should probably start off with the death of Gary Gygax (way to start on a downer note, self). By the time I arrived on the D&D scene, Gygax was on the way out. However, I have to respect the impact that the man had on the world of gaming. D&D is the quintessential tabletop RPG, and love it or hate it, just about everyone has played some edition of it in their life. More recently came the announcement that WizKids is folding. I've never played miniature or clicky games, but my brother was a big MageKnight player for a time, and I think that was good for him. It's always sad to see a gaming company go under, even if it's not a game I play. When a company is dedicated to providing a fun product, you want to see them make money at it. I have a feeling, though, that it's indicative of people being less willing to have a money-sink hobby in this economy. While we're discussing things ending, 2008 marked the end of both of the campaigns that I'd been playing since 2006. I'll admit I was happy to see the D&D game go. By the end of it, I was tired of the D&D rule-set and playing an uber-good character in a neutral-to-evil party. But I do still miss the Legend of the Five Rings game, even if I have to acknowledge that it played itself out to its natural end, and our power level had grown a bit ridiculous. After the D&D game ended, a Rifts game took its place, and the first session of that game was the impetus for me to quit Saturday gaming for the foreseeable future. My issues with the Rifts system and the personalities and playstyles of certain people involved in that game made it necessary for my mental health that I not be involved (oooh, dramatic). And I have to say, I don't miss it. I get a lot of writing, reading, and jewelry-making done on those alternate Saturdays. The L5R game was replaced with a Scion campaign, something which I have been greatly enjoying. The game starts to get ridiculous in the demigod level, and I think god will be outrageous, but it's all in good fun. Of course, I can't really talk about this year without talking about Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition. True to my word, I have not played it yet. I don't think that anyone in my gaming group has. It's not that we're old school, or loyal to some past edition. We admit the flaws in all past editions. It's that we're burned out on D&D in general, and specifically burnt out on shelling out the cash for new editions. Not to mention, we've all heard various things about the new system that don't appeal to us. To be fair, I've heard some things that interest me as well, but not enough to coax me away from games that I know I enjoy, like Scion. 2008 saw a lot of venue changes for our gaming group. As we and the other GM's household both left behind apartments and became homeowners, we had more room and were less beholden to our previous gaming locations. The Wednesday group now meets in our game room, and the Saturday game moved from the game shop to the other GM's house. The end of 2008 finds me plotting to once again step into the role of GM, with a Scion game set in a steampunk alternate history. Two great things that are even better together, or a disaster waiting to happen? Only time will tell. Thanks for reading, and may 2009 bring you lots of happy gaming experiences.

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Copyright © 2008 By AJ Reardon E-mail AJ at: ErtheFae@aol.com Visit AJ at: www.erthefae.com