Ben Browder Wants to Game!

[talien]

I just needed to share. I was just at the Creation Entertainment Thanksgiving Con for Farscape in New Jersey: http://www.creationent.com/cal/thanksgiving.htm

The stars included:
Anthony Simcoe (D'argo): http://www.anthonysimcoe.net/
Gigi Edgley (Chiana): http://www.gigiedgley.com/
Ben Browder (John Crichton): no web site (for shame!)

Ben was talking about how he's a huge closet geek and that he doesn't game as much as he wished he could. He mentioned text-based games and massive multiplayers (someone asked if he plays any, which he doesn't). In fact, Ben was refreshingly honest about what he doesn't know or do. He did however mention Zork. As an administrator for a MUD (http://www.retromud.org), I was pleased by the reference.

But what he said next really made me laugh:

"You know what I heard is big now? Dungeons & Dragons! It's coming back man! The new third edition is out! I so would love to get into that. I just don't have the time. Can you imagine me walking into a game store? I need to get some people to play with, between the kids and the wife I just don't have the time..."

So there you have it. Ben Browder wants to be a gamer. I think it's up to us to convince him it's worth doing.

PLEASE BE THE LEAD IN A HEROIC FANTASY MOVIE BEN! YOU CAN BE THE SARCASTIC WISEASS LEAD! PLEASE!

Ahem. Thanks, had to get that off my chest.

P.S. Gigi is adorable. To coin a phrase Stephen King just used in his column in Entertainment Weekly to describe the Fanta girls, "Gigi's cute as bunnies."

 

[RangerWickett]

Hey, find his email address and point him at the gamers seeking gamers forum. I'd game with him. I wonder how it affects one's roleplaying when, y'know, you've actually done things like your character is doing. Is acting in sci-fi actually fun for the actor, or are the numerous takes and rehearsals more tedium? I know I've seen his character shooting aliens and stuff, so would he still get a thrill doing that in a game? I wonder.

Very nifty, though. I don't suppose he lives in Atlanta?

 

[talien]

I forgot to add the follow up to this...

So then I am at the signing table and my wife hands him the Farscape RPG.

And I said, "You know it's funny that you mentioned Dungeons & Dragons. I'm a big fan of gaming. Did you know that your character is IN a role-playing game?"

And he said, "No, really?"

We showed him the book (he signed his picture in it, we have almost the entire cast). At that point I think Ben was getting a little fed up talking to people.

"My stats probably suck," he said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Except for luck! I bet my luck is good. John's lucky but that's about all he's got."

And that was the end of the conversation.

 

[talien]

Hey, find his email address and point him at the gamers seeking gamers forum. I'd game with him. I wonder how it affects one's roleplaying when, y'know, you've actually done things like your character is doing. Is acting in sci-fi actually fun for the actor, or are the numerous takes and rehearsals more tedium? I know I've seen his character shooting aliens and stuff, so would he still get a thrill doing that in a game? I wonder.

Very nifty, though. I don't suppose he lives in Atlanta?

The impression I get is that Ben's a very thoughtful kind of guy, the kind who would probably enjoy gaming a lot. He implied (although he didn't come out and say it) that he was a gamer in high school too.

That said, I also think he's an actor "on the cusp." I'm sure we'll lose him to the world of big stars soon enough. He reminds me quite a bit of Bruce Campbell (although I have to say, I think Bruce is more amused by his fans than Ben, who seems a little freaked out at times by the adoring masses).

Far as I know he lives in California.