This is my 50th blog post! Huzzah! This is a milestone if there every was one! Time to celebrate. Normally for these types of things, you're suppose to do a big event or something special. I originally planed on doing a blot post about making a F.A.T.A.L character as a ridiculous promotional stunt. My experience on the internet taught me that doing things that are torturous to yourself always draws a decent crowd. However, to get the F.A.T.A.L. rule set, I need to use a torrent. I’m not comfortable using torrents so I decided to not do it. Another reason is that it’s the F.A.T.A.L. rule set! It’s considered the most horrible RPG game ever to be created! Forgive me for not wanting to subject myself to reading it. That means I’ll have to do something else.

First off, I can make a few announcements. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been making a few additions and changes around here. I added an intro page and new categories to make navigating my blog easier for you. Expect more improvements to randomly pop up in the future. Making these improvements means that the blog have been too meta-ish lately. Sorry about that but rest assured, more RPG-related stuff will come soon.

Now I would like to give you some random and pointless statistics about my blog. As of Augest 28, 2009, my blog is Enword’s 6th largest blog (in terms of number of blog posts). That means my blog is larger then about 97 percent of other Enworld blogs. Off the 232 blogs here on Enworld, about half of them have less then 5 blog posts. All my blog posts take up about 2.7 percent of the total number of blog post here on Enworld. Isn’t math fun?

For those of you who managed to get this far (or managed to just skip here), you efforts won’t be in vain. I also decided to celebrate my 50th blog post with a contest! This is your chance to win some RPG related material! Here are the rules…

1. Make a comment here on what I should do for my 100th Blog Post Celebration. If you can’t think of something for that, a suggestion on what else you would like to see on my blog will be fine as well.

2. At the end of October, I’ll select some winners. Winners will be selected by random selection (aka I roll some dice) and/or by the suggestion I like the best.

3. I’ll make a Blog Post announcing the winners. The winners will PM me their addresses (since I’ll need to know your address to send you your prizes) as well as what they want from the prize pool. I only got one copy of each listed prize, so it’s first come, first serve. The lower you place, the more alternatives you should have. I then mail what you picked to you.

4. The prize pool currently is: The Advanced Player’s Guide, Khyber’s Harvest, Punjar: The Tarnished Jewel, Hearts of Choas/Immortal Heros, Pathfinder’s Bonus Bestiary, and The Village of Hommlet (4th Edition Version).

5. I’m playing this by ear, so expect changes as they are needed. This includes changing rules, upgrading/changing prizes and other adjustments. As this point, I don't think I'll need to change much but you never know. Note that I don’t exactly have a large budget for this so expect modest prizes at best.

Lastly, thanks to all of you who read my blog so far. It’s nice to have people read what you wrote. I hoped you all enjoyed yourselfs so far. I’m looking forward to the next 50 blog posts.
　

MichaelSomething

In terms of the Enworld blogging community, I imagine that I have roughly the same position as Vigilante in the old Justice League Unlimited show. Of a colorful, if minor, member who contributes his talents in useful ways but is in no way the main attraction. Well that ends today! I read The Huffing Post Complete Guide to Blogging recently and I am prepared to utilize the blogging advice it contains to become a BLOGGING GOD! HAHAHAHAHA!

At the very least, I can gain some useful tips to improve the blogging experience for both you and me. Some of the advice is obvious. Regularly producing great content is always a good idea but easier said then done. It’s also suggest I do more communicating and promoting. I guess no matter what you do, shameless promotion will always be needed. It also has some nice suggestions that I will use to make some adjustments and tidying up (FYI, expect a few changes in the future). I’m not gonna tell you what those suggestion are thought (if you’re that curious, read the book yourself).

If you plan on reading the book, then good for you! It’s a book that lives up to its name. It really is something you should read if you’re serious on being a blogger. If you’re interested in learning about blogging, you’ll find good stuff too. Of course, the technical advice should be obsolete in about five years but that’s technology for ya.

MichaelSomething

Today, I am a true Geek. Add “Geek 1” to my level entry. If there was ever any doubt (then again, isn’t having your own RPG-themed blog proof enough that you’re a geek?) cast them aside; for I have attended the World Boardgaming Championships (WBC). Every year during the first week of August, people far and near converge towards Lancaster to play board games.

The 2009 WBC is first one I decided to attend. I only went for one day of the week plus long even so I could sample the boardgaming goodness. I wanted to see what the WBC was like; to experience the event and get a general feeling of what it is like. I was “testing the waters” if you will. I also wanted to blog about it

The first thing you’ll notice is the scope of the event. There was over a thousand people playing in over 140 tournaments over eight days. About five events (on average) were being started every hour for twelve hours a day. The WBC requires a convention center to hold it all in. It takes a while to figure out where everything is. The organizers deserve credit for making it all happen.

The first anyone needs to do is sign in. It’s a quick, if annoying, process. The entry fee was more expensive then I thought it would be. An event this size has to has its costs though. There is a discount if you pre-register and I think it’s cheaper per day if you buy a multi-day pass. I also got a high quality physical copy of the schedule/program as well as a snazzy badge holder. It has a built in pocket and everything! They also took my picture in the odd event that I placed in one of the gaming tournaments. And of course, there were forms to fill out. There’s always forms to fill out.

After that I decided to try my luck in a few of the gaming tournaments. I entered the Dominion and Stone Age events. The Dominion evemt was packed with over a hundred people entering it. The game is only one year old and it’s already massively popular. It’s very easy to learn yet crunchy enough to satisfy the hardcore. The game is also very quick. My group completed its game even though someone has to go to his room to get a copy, discovered that he brought the wrong box, and had to go back to his room to get the correct copy; during an hour long round. I enjoy playing it even though I’m not very good at it and got last place in my group. I did no better in the Stone Age tournament. I didn’t win but I got to relax and enjoy the game and the people who played it. After both tournaments, we filled out more forms so the WBC could compile useful boardgaming statistics.

When I wasn’t being fodder in the tournaments, I was simply hanging out. I walked around and checked things out like the vendors and demos. I chatted with my board gaming comrades who also came to the event and a few random strangers I bumped into. I decided to go off premises to get food since the whole area screams “shop around here and eat in our restaurants.” If I had the time, I could have checked out all the things Lancaster has to offer. Instead, I decided to spend a lot of time in the open board gaming section.

The section reserved for open gaming was a small theater. There were about 50 tables set up for people to just hang out and play. What was really cool was that there was a library of board games you could borrow; which ensured there was always a game to play. There were plenty of games you could just hop in on. The first chance I had was a game of Agricola with some children. I decided to join a group of Agricola players closer to my own demographic type instead. Highlights of that game includes some strategy discussion, people complaining about their bad board positions, a person getting a successful Mansion played (that’s hard to do), the last place person having the Wet Nurse (IMO the most broken card there is), everyone calling my farm “perfect” and me winning the game. Needless to say, I enjoyed it.

The next tournament I wanted to enter was a night time Agricola heat. Instead I decided to skip that to play a game of Battlestar Galactica (BSG). That game was about as fun as getting assaulted by Cyclons every thirty-three minutes for days on end. I could never imagine that a game of Battestar Galactica couldn’t be fun. One guy bailed out on us before the first turn and we had two newbies, one of whom couldn’t even read the cards/board because he got the wrong glasses. A good game of BSG requires that everyone knows the rules because of all the subtle backstabbing required. It normally takes two to three hours to complete but we were so slow we only got a quarter of the way done in two and a half hours. We all just voted to crash the stupid ship into the sun. After that game, it was late at night so I had to end my time at the WBC.

I learned a lot at the WBC. First, get some good directions from an actual person at a visitor’s center because online directions are wrong. If the WBC is being held at the same place next year, it’ll be next to the giant amusement part called Dutch Wonderland (in case you want to go yourself). Second, pace yourself. You can literally spend 15 hours everyday for a week doing nothing but playing boardgames. Unless you’re abnormally active, you’ll wear yourself out quickly. Prioritize the most important events and do other stuff if you got the energy to do so. Third, consider leaving the building once and a while. The WBC is fun and all but there’s more then life then playing board games (a strange thought, I know). At the very least, go out for food instead of eating the convention stuff. Forth, go for the gold. If you’re going to the WBC, why not try to win a championship for your favorite game? It is called the World Boardgaming Championship after all. And last but not least, have fun!

I definitely had fun there. The WBC was great and there was so much stuff to do. I never even went to the seminars available! I will be going there again next year, and for more then one day. I plan on being a champion next year. One of my friends told my I gots what it takes. I can hang with the best of them. I got the talent and I got the skills. I’m gonna be a contender baby!

MichaelSomething

The purpose of this Blog post is to be my links page, where I post links to all sorts of cool stuff. Think of it as a resource guide or a Blog roll-type thing. After each link, I’ll write a few words about what the site is and/or my opinion about it.

I also complied this huge list of links as a potential tool for my FLGS, The Games Keep. More will be added as I come across them/think of them.

Dungeons and Dragons links

Enworld - Enworld is one of the largest (if not the largest) D&D websites there is. It’s a message board plus reviews, blogs, groups, marketplaces, news, and so much more.

MichaelSomething's Blog - A totally awesome RPG-themed blog you should really see (and tell your friends and family to see!).

Goodman Games - The leading third party publisher of 4th Edition D&D. They also have a ton of adventures and stuff for 3rd Edition D&D as well. Their Dungeon Crawl Classics line is a good source for adventures.

Paizo - Paizo began as the second party publisher who produced the Dungeon and Dragon magazines. Today they’re known for their online store, excellent customer service, great adventures/fluff books, and now the creators of Pathfinder; the (hugely popular) rebirth of the 3.5 D&D rules.

Wizards of the Coast presents Dungeons and Dragons - The official page of the latest edition of the world’s most popular role playing game. There’s tons of stuff here if you’re willing to look for it. The pod casts, RPGA, and the Test Drive of 4th Edition are good places to start.

Kobold Quarterly - A print magazine for Dungeons and Dragons. If five ENnie nominations and praise from Ed Greenwood can’t convince you that this is good, then you aren’t the target audience. Also the home for Open Design, where patronage and D&D adventure writing cross over.

RPG Bloggers - This is a massive network of RPG Blogs. There’s more RPG stuff then you can fit in a Bag of Holding!

RPG.net - Where you can find info on practically every RPG ever published; including D&D.

Magic: the Gathering links

Star City Games - A very large and popular Magic site. It’s had an extensive online store, subscription-fueled in depth strategy articles, and they host huge tournaments too!

Wizards of the Coast presents Magic: the Gathering - Let me assure you, there is plenty of cool content once you dig through all that multi-media intro junk. The “Making Magic” column is especially worth reading if you have any interest in game design.

The Magic Show - The best weekly show on the Magic card game you can find on Youtube.

Board Gaming links

Board Game Geek - If there’s a larger/better website for people who like board games, I’ll be very surprised.

Boardgame Players Association - Another website for board game lovers. They host the World Board Gaming Championships.

Webcomics

Order of the Stick - A popular webcomic that creates a world based on the 3.5 D&D rules set. There's also a nice forum and a few articles to read.

ErfWorld - A webcomic based on SRPG conventions.

Flintlocke's Guide to Azeroth - A webcomic based in the World of Warcraft MMORPG. This is one of the funniest thing I ever read. Be sure to read the sequel too!

MichaelSomething

If you watch as much Comedy Central as I do, you would have noticed commercial promos for their latest series, Krod ManDoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. I was interested in Comedy Central’s take on the fantasy genre so I watched the first two episodes that were shown. I’m also writing a review of the series too but I bet you already figured that out.

This show has all the fantasy staples; from an evil empire and the resistance that fights it to heroic prophecy and even a party “wizard.” This is a show that screams “I’m fantasy!” very clearly. I was surprised the effort and expense that when into making this show. Things like proper(ish) middle age dress, fight choreography, and a ship to burn in Viking funeral style can’t be cheap. I have to give them props for that.

The strange thing is that I don’t find the show that funny. There are plenty of jokes, but I never find myself laughing at them. They do parody fantasy tropes on a regular basis but I don’t laugh at those jokes. Maybe I’m simply not familiar enough with fantasy tropes to see the joke? There also seems to be a strong theme of stupidity and sex jokes. If you’re an Enworlder with kids, don’t let them watch this show until they hit at least the teenage years. I wouldn’t show this to Eric’s Grandma either. It just doesn’t appeal to me a comedy show.

I’m more interested in it as a serious show. The characters are interesting and they interact well with each other. The world feels big and full of stuff to see. There’s even an ongoing plot with a clear direction. It works well as an action/adventure fantasy story.

I don’t know if you would like the show, because I image it would quickly offend some of the more mature members. It’s also only 3 episodes old at the time of this blog post so this show still has a ways to go. I’m willing to see how the Krod ManDoon saga plays out. I just can’t resist a show that willing to write a strip tease into its plot.

MichaelSomething

In case you didn't know, I am of chaotic alignment. Not convinced by my argument? Well I created an entire list of reasons why I'm chaotic! Just Because! Enjoy!

-I am the proud owner of Bella Serra Cards and mini
-When I was DMing a D&D game, I included playing the G.I. Joe Card Game as an in game challenge
-I have purchased/consumed/shared "Tim Tams"
-I have actually rolled dice to decide what food to eat
-I have read the complete Dr. McNinja Saga. Mexician bandits riding raptors? Chainsaw nunchucks? Sign me up!
-I have consumed Jeff Foxworthy Brand Beef Jerky
-Can I point to the rest of my blog as evidence?
-I don’t participate in online alignment discussions (becauuse only lawful people wish to strongly define what alignment is)
-My MP3 Collection includes "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley, "Taylor the Latte Boy" by Kristin Chenoweth, and "Talk like a Pirate Day" by Tom Smith
-I have played the "Red Neck Life" Board Game
-I have once been banished to THE SHADOW REALM!
-My Infamous lines included such classics as "Wait! I have an anti-land card!", "When will Ronald Reagan deepen the pool?" and "PIZZA ATTACK!"
-I am dumb and my face is a butt

This is all the reasons I can think of for now. I’ll update this with more reasons as they come to my head.

MichaelSomething

For you Enworlders not from the USA, November 4 is election day here! Now is the time the population of this land votes for the leaders they want in office.

I, being of the high intelligence and wisdom crowd that participates in roleplaying games, voted today as well. Huzzah for me! I think I got like 5 xp for completing a minor quest! At this rate, I might level up in the next decade. If the news pundits are correct, it looks like Obama is gonna become the president. (Update: Obama is the president!) If by "news pundits" you mean "CNN panel" and/or "The Daily show and Colbert Report." I hope you watched the live election night special on Comedy Central like a cool person would J

As I was sitting in front of my computer congratulating myself, it occurred to me, wouldn't this make a great adventure for an RPG? Seriously, think about it.

A land reborn, recovering after an evil tyrant’s wrath, decided to pick its new leaders by holding elections for them! However, this land needs help. If a brave band of heros don't act, this first act of freedom could by corrupted (or not) by the forces of evil! There are all sort of things a band of adventurers could do in such an event!

Stopping voting fraud could be an epic level quest all in itself. Developing a voting system and building voting infrastructure would be a lot of work. It'll be at least as tough as a dungeon.

There's also making sure everyone gets to vote. All sorts of villains could try to intimidate potential voters into not voting. It could be everything from over zealous supporters stopping people from voting against their candidate to demons/devils in disguise enacting an evil master plan. If this is the first time voting, everyone would go vote. People could become sick waiting in lines for so long and would require healing skill challenges.

If your more into evil adventures, adventurers make great lobbyists and campaign managers! Smearing someone's reputation with slander should come easy if you read these forums enough. Warlocks would be perfect for convincing the new president to "see things your way." The sky's the limit.

No matter what happens, no matter who wins, remember this; anything can be made into an RPG adventure.

MichaelSomething

Greetings! Welcome to MichaelSomething’s RPG Blog! If you’re looking for a place to kill time by reading stuff, then you’ve found the right place! The post you’re reading now is the intro page, which will explain what this blog is about.

Obviously, this is a Role Playing Game (RPG) blog. Here I post and store (mostly) RPG related articles you can read. Most of the time, the specific RPG is the 4th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Sometimes, I’ll write about a different RPG or something else all together. I'm also a big believer in having fun and not taking things too seriously. Thanks to cool internet technology, I can organize everything into categories.


General Posts - This is the catch all category for all the all the blog posts that don’t strongly relate to RPGs.

Dungeons and Dragons and Stuff - This is where most of the RPG-related stuff goes. Like many subjects, there can be a lot of different things to consider. That is why there is another division into smaller sub-categories. (more to be added later)

Editorials - This is the internet. Of course I post my opinions about RPGs!

Fiction - Short stories relating to D&D in some way.

Homebrew D&D Stuff - Since everyone else homebrews stuff, I might as well too! Here you’ll find custom D&D material created (mostly) by me.

The Man without a plan - Read about my misadventures as a Dungeon Master here.

Meta Posts - Blog posts about this blog.

These categories are a rough separation as best. I can‘t be very specific due to the random nature of my blogging (or of blogging in general). The subject could be anything from song parodies and food, to waging edition wars and even fear itself. Let me recommend some of my best posts to get you started.

My Link's Page - This isn't my best stuff. This page serves as my Blog Roll; where I link to places that I like. Look a little lower to get to the good stuff.

My Most Popular Post - This has the most page views of any post I written! That means it has to be worth reading!

My Greatest Moment - With a name like that, it has to be good!
　
Using Verbal Components - I like this post and I hope you will too.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. I hope you come back on a regular basis to enjoy my material. Be sure to check out the achieves and tell your RPG playing friends to check this place out! I NEED MORE PAGE VIEWS!!!!!

MichaelSomething

This blog post is all about my Friendly Local Gaming Store, The Games Keep! A place where games are kept! A good FLGS is worth supportting. Today I'm gonna support it by blogging about it! I would support it by buying more stuff from it but I'm poor and don't like to buy stuff unless I use it. But you didn't come here to read about my economic status, did you? You want information on a great FLGS!

The Games Keep is located in the Parkway Center in West Chester, PA. It's owner is named Karl. One of the best things about it is how easy it is to get to it. Simply take the High Street Exit on Route 202 and take the first right turn. It's right there! Simple, eh?

The Games Keep lives up to its name all right. It has over 1500 different gaming products! It has hundreds of board games including war games, euro games, and party games. Apples to Apples, Set, Flux, and Goa are just a few of the games this place has. There is also an extensive collection of RPG products including many of the WOTC 3rd Edition D&D books, some Shadowrun stuff, and lot of 3rd party products from Pathfinder, Goodman, and Necromancer. And to top it all off, there's a very respectable collection of Magic: The Gathering products. You can buy packs from all sorts of sets and the single collection is nothing to sneeze at either. If that isn't enough for you; Games Workshop product has recently been added. That means Warhammer and Warhammer 40k! The Games Keep collection of games is impressive to say the least.

No FLGS is complete without a gaming area. Thanks to a newer, bigger and better store, there's plenty of gaming space. Boardgaming is held every Friday as well as every other Saturday. Turnout is usually good there and it's easy to have a fun time. RPGs are also regularly played here. There's Living Forgotten Realms, Free RPG Day, Worldwide D&D Gamedays as well as several semi-private campaigns (like a Song of Ice and Fire game) being played there. Other gaming events include Arcane Legions, Warhammer, and Magic: The Gathering. Being an active gaming area, things change regularly (in fact I had to rewrite this paragraph to include the new games being played). There's a lot of gaming going on here!

The Games Keep even goes online! There a regular newsletter that goes out informing its customers of upcoming events and products. It even has an Amazon Market Place! Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. If your the type of person who can't resist Amazon's low low prices, consider doing your online ordering from The Games Keep. You'll pay less and support a real FLGS; the best of both worlds!

I could go on like this for at least 500 more words but I think you get the point. The Games Keep is worth keeping around. I'll end this by placing the contact info for the place. If you're ever in the West Chester area, check it out!

Karl Kemmerer
The Games Keep, LLC
929 South High Street
Parkway Center
West Chester, PA 19382
484-905-5533

MichaelSomething

This blog post is about the Kingdom of Loathing. We're gonna learn what is it, why I like it, and how you too to can become part of it.

Kingdom of Loathing is a MMORPG that is a parody of all the other MMORPGs out there. Power sources for classes include Italian cooking, disco, and killing animals. The items you'll pine for include cans of air and alcoholic drinks like whiskey. Fight horrible monsters like hippys, frat boys, and an seemingly endless army of hobos! All from the comfort of your browser!

There are many great things about this game. For one, the community is pretty cool. There are all sorts of contests and events players host. You can score awesome prizes by throwing bricks at people, drawing cool stuff, or even cooking. You can someday even have a whole week dedicated to you! Chat can be great fun if you respect the rules and the mods. For those of you who love pop culture references, this place will be paradise for you! They are literally everywhere! And the gameplay is pretty nice too.

What do you need to join, you may ask? What the cost and the system requirements, you may ask? None! If your computer can get you to this blog post; it can handle the Kingdom of Loathing! It's completely browser based! It also has no subscription price! You can play if forever for free! Isn't that awesome! So why not check it out?

www.kingdomoflaothing.com

If you do join the game, contact my ingame account there, Kayarath(#622247). I can help you out with advice and stuff.

Due to the awesomeness of this game, I plan on doing more Kingdom of Loathing based blog posts in the future. I hope to see you ingame!

MichaelSomething

Enworld 2 is mere hours old and I already like it more then Gleemax. Yeah, I know saying Gleemax sucks isn't original at all but it's still true, to some extent at least. For one, I'm blogging here. The blogging system here is easy to understand and use. When I first tried blogging on Gleemax, I just couldn't get into it. Sure they were giving away mini booster packs to the best blog posts but that doesn't matter if the blog tools are hard to use. I may be wrong in not being a believer in Gleemax but I find myself very comfortable over here in Enworld. This is where I'll be blogging.

Now what to blog about? I can always review stuff. I can also write opinion articles and watch the heartless internets tear it apart. I can post Homebrew stuff and whatever else I can think of. And craziness. You can’t have enough craziness. Hopefully, this will be the start of a long and fruitful blog.

MichaelSomething