You fucking love it.

I’m having considerable trouble even beginning to create a world in which to place my players’ eventual characters. This may seem like a rare and crippling issue, considering one of the primary intentions of a Dungeon Master is to craft an experience that stays with his players, that creates lasting memories for them both individually and as a group. Nonetheless, think about it: we, as Dungeon Masters, are tasked with the creation of an entire world. In this imaginary land, we are nothing less than gods, or perhaps more than that. I would go so far as to say that we are the primal, creative energy that first breathes life into all things. We are not gods, but that which created them. Thus it becomes easy to see why the fabrication of a realm in which our players may roam with unchecked curiosity is so difficult.

Dungeon Masters do not create a mere backdrop for their characters to interact with; it is not simply a curtain behind which extends a great void of nothingness. At least, it isn’t that way if you’re any good. No, Dungeon Masters are not tasked only with creating the people, places, creatures, perils and wonders of a world, but also with the explanation of why these people are here and not there. How did these places come to be? Who or what created these creatures and when or how did they arrive at their present location? Did they evolve or do they simply exist? Why is the world dangerous? Why is there anything wondrous at all and how did it come to be that way? An intrepid player may ask all of these questions or, the more often and frustrating for thorough Dungeon Masters, none of them at all. Nevertheless, it would seem a poor Dungeon Master who is caught tongue-tied.

Once I arrived at this conclusion, it then befell me to decide how to record my imaginations. Should it be in the narrative form, as if writing a book from which to draw description and lore? Or should it be clinical, a kind of scientific reference to the when, what, where and how of this world? I suppose I have come to the exhausting realization that it must be both. A world cannot be truly alive if viewed only under a microscope, but I don’t imagine it could ever be fully explained without the presence (metaphorically) of such a device. The burden now becomes even heavier as we realize that, if we are truly worth our salt as storytellers, we must have both a technical and mystical understanding of our imaginative creations. This concept becomes truly mind-boggling when it is accepted that you need not only explain characters, enemies and key plot points, but also every nook and cranny, farmer and tradesman along the way. All of this of course is stated under the assumption that you intend to tell a story, not just roll some dice and toss a few adjectives out there.

On that, I guess it isn’t so hard to be a Dungeon Master… It’s only difficult to be a good one.

EDIT: Just so those of you that happen upon this aren't completely confused, I've recently started running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns for some friends of mine and have decided it might interest some of you to see the things I have observed from our sessions. This then is the first of many such entries to come.
                
I have realized through my own early failings as a dungeon master and information hence gathered that a great weakness of mine (and assuredly other dungeon masters) is not keeping on top of each aspect of my campaign. Judging myself from the most objective viewpoint possible, I have determined that this is not due to a lack of enthusiasm, but rather to over enthusiasm. The frequency of our sessions and my limited knowledge of this admittedly daunting game coupled with my misguided enthusiasm to put my players in fresh, engaging environments each session lead to a disjointed, unsatisfactory experience for the player side of the equation. Not only this, but due to the frequency and length of our sessions I am later too burned out and exhausted to “do my homework” (with regards to player development) before the next session. Judging from the reactions of my players and further based on my own knowledge of human beings, the best route is to have an adventure fully prepared before a play session and time said session appropriately so that all rewards may be adequately dealt with before its close.

Thus I have determined that it is best to play only at regularly scheduled times, and that pick-up games often end poorly. It is within my own capabilities as a dungeon master to play perhaps twice a week and still deliver what I hope to be considered a riveting experience. The amount of behind-the-scenes work and preparation required make asking more of a still inexperienced DM unreasonable.

 Another thing that I have noticed in the short time I have spent dungeon running is that players are often ignorant of various rules (including those pertaining to their own character, ie, abilities, feats, etc.) and lack sufficient knowledge of the game to realize when it might be appropriate to ask for a Spot check or similar action. Instead the weaker players rely on the few stronger, more imaginative ones for queues, rolling Spot checks when they do, checking for Traps when prompted, etc. I recognize that it may in part be some of my own shortcomings that have led to this, particularly in the descriptive department. Nonetheless, I cannot help but think that the mediocrity of some sessions is entirely as much a fault of the players than it is the dungeon master’s.

 Although what I have said so far has been largely negative, that is not the way I wish to construe the majority of our sessions. Though each are peppered with their own dull moments and periods of exasperation, for the most part myself and (I believe) those who I play with have enjoyed exploring this game together. I look forward to the day when we all find ourselves in full understanding of the rules and can play the game entirely as intended. For now, we will have to continue playing only to the best of our abilities, and that goes for me, too.

Greetings once again, fellow Bombers. I haven't owned a handheld console since the Game Boy Advance (original issuing), but seeing my friends entertain themselves endlessly with the DS and a lifestyle that involves a fair amount of travel has been steadily pushing me toward picking one up. So here's the question: which five DS games (not ten, not three) would you recommend to a fan of old-school handheld RPGs (Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, etc.)?

Well, I was just enjoying Street Fighter IV’s ranked mode when I figured “why not keep track of my wins and losses?” So I think I’ll be adding a regular Street Fighter segment to my blogs. Without further ado, here you have it (all matches were played with Akuma):

1. The first round was against, you guessed it, Ken. This guy was bad. I mean really bad. So bad that I had to take 69 BP away from him.
2. My second round was against the unconventional (and arguably unpopular) “El Fuerte.” My opponent was a bit of a jump addict, which Akuma does not take kindly to. I walked away 76 BP richer.
3. In my third round I fought another Ken, this time with a mic. Though I prepared for the worst, I actually ended up liking my opponent. I lost amicably and walked away with only 7 BP less.
4. My fourth round saw me pitted against a Ryu player. Both players took a round, but Ryu took one more than I. Lost 14 BP on that one.
5. Next was Balrog. This character’s moves leave him so vulnerable to hadokens. Apparently we weren’t evenly matched at all, as I took 99 BP away at the end of the match.
6. Ken again. This one was also addicted to jumping, which is what got him KO’d. Took 63 of his BPs.
7. Ken. This one was pretty good and ended up taking 28 of my BP. It might just be my aching pride, but I felt like there was some lag here and there.
8. Yes, another Ken. This one was reckless, repeatedly submitting himself to punishment after throwing shoryukens to the wind. In fact, he threw a Super Shoryuken that got him caught with a game-winning Raging Demon. 52 BP nom nom nom.
9. This one hurt, as it rendered my previous fight with Ken obsolete and then some. Another Akuma player, this one superior to my own. Bugger took 62 of my BP.
10. The tenth round saw me lose to an exceptional Abel player; an excellent fight that ended up costing me a mere 7 BP.
11. Ah, my final Ken fight. At this point I almost pray for my opponents to pick Ken so I can slap the shit out of them. This match-up saw me slap 82 BP out of my opponent, anyway.
12. Blanka was the last recorded fight of the night, and oh what a ringer. After watching one round slip through his fingers, my Akuma came back and won the next two, taking an impressive 109 BP from my indubitably enraged opponent.

My total BP at the end of the night was 690. As much as I would like to tell you how much it was when the night began, I didn’t record that and am too lazy to do that fancy pants math stuff to figure it out. Thanks for reading.

-End Boss.

Well folks, I've been going through some rough times lately with personal and scholastic issues, and this weekend was supposed to be a much needed break from all of that stress. After making the drive back home, I figured I'd fire up XBL for a few, what with the girl at work and all. Now, it had been a long time since one of my friends had been online... Over a month, in fact. For a guy that I used to play Gears and PSU with daily, this was strange. Let it be understood that myself and Mike (just so I don't have to throw his gamertag out there) have been good friends over XBL for three years now. At one point I even bought Castle Crashers with credit card information given to me by him over the phone just so we could try it out. Needless to say, I forgot the information as soon as I erased it from my XBOX's memory.

Anyway, I fired up the XBOX to find I had eight new messages... Pretty strange for me, when I can usually disappear for three weeks and have three messages waiting for me when I come back. One was from a recently added friend, and the other seven were from Mike. Mike has had a stroke, and can no longer control his muscle movements well enough to play games or music, which is his other great passion. His speech is greatly slurred and he finds it difficult to pronounce properly, which leads other people to think he has a mental disorder, which makes him more angry which further slurs his speech.

I'm posting this here only because I'm not sure where else to go, and I suppose I just needed an outlet. I feel like I have lost a great friend.

Well folks, I just finished playing another round of Street Fighter IV, and in case you hadn't heard, that game is amazing. When the popular vote, in all its fickle glory, finally swings against it, I will be one of the rabid fans fervently defending its honor.

There is something about stepping into Street Fighter's (or, I suppose any fighting game's) arena that immediately introduces adrenaline to your veins and overwhelming, furious pride to your psyche. The agonizing pause that precedes the announcer's enthusiastic "fight!" seems to last an eternity, especially when you're about to play a match that matters (at least in your mind). Though some of this excitement and hullabaloo remains in online play, to me the only way to truly experience all that Street Fighter has to offer you have to be beside your opponent, hearing their frustrations and their satisfaction after a move is vindicated.

A friend of mine who I regularly step into the virtual ring with and I were talking about how and why Street Fighter goes a little deeper than who can combo what when. It sounds a little absurd, but we determined that playing a few rounds of the game is an excellent way to get to know someone on the most basic level. It begins with which character they choose; for example, an opponent who mains Fei Long or Dhalsim immediately wins my respect. On the flipside, a Sagat or Ken player is someone I am immediately wary of because of the negative connotations associated with said characters that it is hard to not be aware of.

Let it be known, however, that no character choice another player makes will ever make me discount them completely; at least not at first.

The first match against a new player is often awkward and janky, like two strangers meeting for the first time in a crowded bar. As the fights progress, however, the two strangers begin to understand each other more and more; patterns are recognized and blocked, weaknesses spotted and exploited. Eventually the pair, now knowing each other far better than even a few hours of conversation could allow for, engage in a kind of deadly dance, feinting and jabbing, experimenting with new combinations and toss-ups, trying to catch their enemy off-guard.

The best fights, therefore, must occur between two people of comparable intellect, because when one player analyzes the other more fully and can easily predict the kind of modifications he/she will introduce to their library, it becomes a non-contest. When both players are of equal understanding of the game's mechanics and have comparable cognitive abilities, Street Fighter really shines. Those are the matches that can spawn ten, twenty, fifty more to follow.

I type this as my college friends brawl it out in front of me. Not long ago, another Akuma player challenged my own in a kind of grudge match, as we had played some time ago and I had... Well, pulverized him. Since then he had bought his own copy of SFIV and (according to him), trained relentlessly. I picked up the controller confidently and we settled in for a "best of three" extravaganza. The first round yielded a flawless victory for my Akuma, the second was another victory for me, albeit close. The second match yielded a win for my opponent, with me taking only one round. The final match was mine and I left the sticks vindicated, but shaky. In the contest of who-knows-who better, I had just barely snatched up another victory.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the point of this blog was, or if there were multiple, or if there was one at all. Regardless, thanks for reading.

- End Boss.

I have to start this blog off by admitting that I have slipped. My plan was to keep you informed of what was happening in Commander Shepard’s universe as I slipstreamed through it; that hasn’t exactly happened. My plan was to get as close as possible as I could to the end of the game, and then complete all of the side-missions and expansions before concluding the story. Unfortunately I overshot my save opportunity and am now locked into the story inexorably and, through a series of spoilers that I won’t reveal here, unable to dock my ship on the Citadel to start new missions.

Before I give my thoughts on Mass Effect as a game, I do have to rant a little bit about this save problem. In fact, I don’t think I’m the first one, since the guys on the Bombcast had this same problem with Fallout 3. In a game as huge as Mass Effect that has more intricate sub-plots than you would ever care to shake a stick at, this weird meshing of open-world existence and linear progression storytelling just doesn’t work. The issue may seem like a bit of a nitpick, but it really has dulled the experience for me, and I’m sure for others; though I was lucky enough to do plenty of side-questing the first time around and thus got a healthy dose of Mass Effect’s greatness, I can imagine that there are those that were so engrossed in the overarching storyline that they just burned through those missions as fast as they could and, after completing them, put down the game forever. Sadly, that means that they never had the chance to know what they were missing. You can’t even continue to play the game after you’ve completed the final chapter, which doesn’t make any sense; the way the story leaves off it is completely reasonable for you to have a continued interaction with the world post-plot conclusion. Simply because Shepard’s foes have been vanquished doesn’t mean that there are no bad people left in the traverse.

Despite all my ranting on Mass Effect’s save system, it is without a doubt an amazing game that deserved every Game of the Year award it got. The plot, while not taking a hugely creative path, is masterfully told. The combat, while reminiscent of Bioware’s previous work, is a solid foundation for that story to be built upon. The dialogue system was (and is) a complete revelation, transforming long conversations from an exercise in menu-surfing monotony to an organic, fluid and most of all engaging affair. The characters are flawed and believable; one important player borders on out-and-out “species-ism” in their dialogue while another tests the boundaries of ethics in his pursuit for justice. I give Mass Effect a 4.5/5.

You may have noticed that I didn’t mention anything about the expansion in these blogs. That’s because I foolishly locked myself into the story before I could explore them. I have restarted with the same character just to delve more deeply into the side quests and may posts blogs on them, depending on the reaction I get from this series.

‘Till Next Time,
End Boss.

I’m taking a break from my Mass Effect blogathon (that’s a blog and a marathon in one… Get it?) to write you, my esteemed compadres, with regard to a disturbing development within my psyche. I seem to be finding that… Well… I’m losing interest in online multiplayer. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the concept is still awesome, but poor execution and abusive players seem to be ruining it for me.

I’m willing to admit that it may be my recent and heavy foray into Halo 3 multiplayer, but I can’t help but notice it elsewhere and especially in the collective gamer consciousness (if such a thing exists). Frustration and dissatisfaction with multiplayer games is mounting; from cheaters and erratic server-side lag to abusive players and indifferent companies that seem to censor only the unnecessary, I can’t be the only one who hears the cry for a reasonable online experience, both in customer satisfaction and the treatment of others. Call me a hippy, but I sure would like to get online one day and trade jokes with some other gamers without having to listen to someone on the opposite team ranting and raving about all of the deplorable things he’s done to my mother simply because the game didn’t put me on his side. Call me crazy, but I sure would like for a game to be released in its most finished state, without the need to patch it for six months post-release to make it playable (Gears of War 2 comes to mind…).

Despite those undoubtedly utopian ideas of mine (god knows I could never ask someone with the opportunity to be racist and insulting guilt-free to at least pretend to be educated), I know this will never happen. I know the hordes of online fanboys, trolls, bashers and sore losers can never be overcome. I know the sleazy developers riding on brand popularity out there won’t jump back on the good game bandwagon just because I bitch about it. So what am I to do? Retreat to my Mass Effects, my Bioshocks, my Lost Odysseys? Play Street Fighter IV strictly with my friends on a couch? I have a dream, friends.

I have a dream that one day online gamerdom will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “let’s get to it and slaughter each other like gentlemen.”

I have a dream that one day on the sandy hills of Sand Trap former fanboys and former sore losers will be able to frag each other with a sense of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the streets of Liberty City, a virtual metropolis crawling with the pseudo gangster, will be transformed into an oasis of awesome kills and sweet jumps.

I have a dream that I will one day get online and find a gamerdom where players will not be judged by sexuality or gender, but by the content of their kill/death ratio.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Gridlock, with its vicious smack-talkers, with its developers releasing it half-baked; one day right there in Gridlock, little boy gamers will be able to join hands with little girl gamers as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every kill will be exalted, every slur and insult shall be made low, the rough edges of our collective personality made smooth, and the crooked mindsets will be made straight, and the glory of Master Chief/Gordon Freeman/Mario shall be revealed, and all gamers will see it together.

WAIT WAIT WAIT.

Mass Effect spoilers to follow. You have been warned.

Maintaining a progress blog on a game like Mass Effect sure isn’t easy. So many things happen in this space odyssey that it’s hard to choose what to focus on and what to let lie by the wayside. It’s not even that the main storyline progression is so intricate, since even though it is truly enough to fill many a blog, it’s the in-betweens that really get you. I find myself wanting to write about each conversation I’ve had with even the most insignificant crewmember, simply because the emotionality of that game is so engaging. Of course I would never burden you with reams of (to the outsider) boring dialogue, so that’s out of the question.

I’ll try to summarize this by only going into detail on major events. I should mention that an oversight was made in my last entry: Garrus Vakarian, a Turian Citadel Security (“C-Sec”) officer joined my group. He was part of the C-Sec investigation into Saren’s affairs after it was suspected that he was a traitor. Although no concrete evidence was found against Saren in the investigation, Vakarian still holds a strong conviction that his fellow Turian is dirty. He’s also an active member of my party (Ashley Williams being the third) and thus takes part in all major events.

Since officially becoming the first human Specter, Captain Anderson (Shepard’s former commanding officer) relinquished his ship (the Normandy) along with all of its crew to Shepard’s use. After further inquiry Anderson reveals that twenty years ago he was the first Specter candidate, but that Shepard’s current nemesis sabotaged him then as he is attempting to rid the galaxy of Shepard now. This instance perfectly demonstrates how Mass Effect caters to both those interested in gunning down some evil robots without much need for a reason and those interested in intricate storylines at the same time: for the former, all you need do is ignore the back story queues given; for the latter, you can get about as deep into any one character’s past as you’d like. Although I’ll admit that sometimes the game does bludgeon you with its clues that “hey, there’s something you should investigate here,” there’s so much to Mass Effect that I’m sure that even with its flagrant advertisement I’m sure to miss some juicy backstory here and there.

After some relatively insignificant shenanigans at Noveria’s major hub, Shepard and his crew pile aboard the Mako, an all-terrain reconnaissance vehicle that is kept aboard the Normandy. This is where one of my major gripes with Mass Effect comes in: the driving levels. I really don’t like this for a few reasons:

A) The Mako handles like a half-dead fish.

B) It is so overpowered that everything you encounter becomes “free EXP.” It’s just a coincidence that everything you encounter happens to be huge and therefore worth a ton of experience. Hand-holding, anyone?

So after slogging my way through the blustery Noverian landscape I finally arrive at Peak 15. Things don’t look good from the outset with an ex-Mako’s charred hull still flickering just in front of the lab’s garage. At this point I’ve been blasting Geth the whole way up the mountainside with my Mako’s uber super-scoped ROFLcannon, so I’m not surprised to find more of the robotic beasties waiting inside. After lighting up a bunch of them with my shotgun however, a new enemy is introduced: a mysterious and savage alien species incapable of speech and intent on my (and everything else’s) destruction. At this point combat has mostly become Lift, Throw, Shotgun, not necessarily in that order, rinse and repeat. After further investimagation, we find out from the lab’s survivors that the evil little space bugs are called Rachni, and were once a tyrannical universe-spanning super species that was hunted to near extinction by the other denizens of the galaxy. I say near extinction because somehow or other Saren’s people got a hold of a Rachni egg that had been chillin’ (no pun intended) on a derelict space rig in the middle of nowhere for roughly two thousand years. Maintaining the suspension of disbelief was difficult as I was told that not only did this egg survive its long encounter with ridiculously cold temperatures, it also just happened to be a Rachni Queen, capable of revitalizing the entire race without much of a problem.

After the fight we are treated to some awkward voice-acting on behalf of Benezia who reveals that nothing she did is her fault ‘cause she was under Saren’s mind control. Yeah, sure Benezia; where should I go next? Oh, to this long forgotten mass relay? Okay cool. Wait, now you want to fight again? Well alright.

Queue second annoying battle with Benezia. Queue Benezia dying.

Now you’d think this particular chapter is over, but not quite. With Benezia dead, the curious Shepard inches closer to the caged Rachni Queen to get a better look at her beady little eyes. The Queen chooses this moment to reveal that she too has super awesome mind control powers over people that are mostly dead and revives one of Benezia’s Commandos to have a little chat with Shepard. The Queen speaks of her “children” (the other Rachni Shepard’s been laying waste to this whole time) and begs you to slay them all, for they “do not know how to sing…”

It’s a long story.

Anyway, she asks you to fry the lot of them. Sure thing, Queenie, anything else I can do for you? What’s that? Release your big-assed self to the galaxy to begin your species anew? And you say that you will sing songs of my greatness if I do this? Well, you’re only a galaxy-ravaging space monster, so sure. G’head.      

Damn… I hope that doesn’t come back to bite me in Mass Effect 2.

Well, that was the end of the Noveria chapter and this is the end of this blog, since three pages ought to do it for ya’.

‘Till next time,
End Boss.