CNN D&D alert!

[Angcuru]

The number of our forces that are gamers is incredible. In fact, I recently received an email from a soldier who was holed up at the airport in Baghdad playing D&D with seven others while they were under mortar fire. He was in just one of two large groups playing D&D there in his unit.

It's a testament to our troops, that even during wartime while under fire they pretend they're killing stuff.

DM- Ok, Thordar the Dwarven Rifleman, you're taking aim at the Calimshiet Guard standing behind the wall of rubble-INCOMING-*EXPLODY SOUND*- right?
Player1 - Yeah, I load the rifle and adjust the sight appropraitely for the wind, and Aim straight for his forehead.
DM - Alrighty then, roll for attack.
Player1 - Oh, he is SO dead. *Clickity Clack* hmm... alright! I got a natural-DUCK AND COVER!*KABOOMSKIES!*-........something. Where'd my d20 go?
Player 2 - I think that's a piece of it over there. *points*
Player1 - *picks up d20 shard* well, I think I see a 0, possibly an eight..... and a A 2! HAHA NATURAL 20! I crit his as*!
DM - Dude, just becuase all that's left of the die is the 20 face doesn't mean you got a NAT 20.
Player1 - How about I L.A.R.P. it then?
DM - Waddaya mean?
Player1 - Calamshiets are a-rabs, right?
DM - Yeah. Wait a sec-
Player2 - I think I see where he's going with this....
Player1 - * stands up from behind Humvee* *positions M16* *BLAM-O!* *sits back down* There, critical hit.
Player2 - You're just saying that.
Player1 - *Hands Player 2 a pair of binoculars* Wanna bet?
DM - *snatches Binoculars* Lemmee see that....*looks* Well, you got a crit, alright. But I never agreed to let you LARP the action.
Player1 - Don't make me pull rank, Private...
DM - But Sarge... .
Player1 - Well, do I take out that guard or does a certain DM of mine have latrine duty tonight?
DM - Ok, the Calamshiet's head explodes like a melon and you see brain-juice fly everywhere. However, the sound of your rifle gives away to your position to the rest of them, and you see about three-INCOMING-*KABLAM!*-*looks at charred notebook*-make that about two-hundred of them stand up from behind the ruined wall and make a charge for your position.
Player1 - OH CRAP! I stand up and start running in the opposite direction. "HEY THADDEUS!"
Player2 - "What's up Thordar?"
Player1 - Thordar runs past you and motions over his shoulder, keeps running.
Player2 - Well, darn it. I drop an extended Fireball right in the middle of them and start running.
DM - Ouch. Roll damage, 6d6.
Player2 - *Clickity-*-INCOMING!-*BIGFRIGGINBOOM!* DAMMIT! Where's my d6's go?
Player1 - They're lodged in the Hummer right above your forehead.
DM - Well, what'd ya get?
Player2 - I dunno, they're all black and charred-looking. Hey, can I LARP it like he did?
DM - Hey, wait a second!-
Player2 - *Picks up RGP(ironic, eh?)* *points at enemy position* *KAFWOOSH!* *earth-shaking KABLAMMO!* HAHA! Was one of them carrying a keg of gunpowder by any chance?
DM - *slaps forehead*
.....

and so on and so forth.

 

[tarchon]

Oh, the bastards teased me with that "Dragons and Dungeons" line and then spent the next hour going on about gold plated AK47s. Yet another reporter was cleverly quoting from "Ozymandias" when I turned it off and went to bed in disgust.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I have to say that while the current trends in media organization and tone aren't totally satisfying I'm much more pleased at the state of things now than I was ten years ago.

I mean there was a time when CNN was brave new possibility, and now we have something like a little over double the number of Television news sources.

Newspaper consolidation is a little more worrisome, but then again... ...who reads.

Plus the little papers used to be really yellow. I live in an area that still has several independent papers and they print some scary stuff. Though there is more of it.

 

[Henry]

From its inception, this thread has walked a fine line - but it's gone into areas it really doesn't need to go, and it's time to let the topic rest.