The Adventures of a Comic Con Girl Comic

Ah, the Comic Con Girl. What an enigmatic creature.

She's revered and perhaps feared in a way few will ever understand. Of course, the Comic Con Girls are as diverse as their Comic Con Brethren. There's the ultra-fan who could out-geek the biggest boy nerd. There's the loyal spouse/girlfriend who attends out of mere obligation. There's the hostile gamer-girl who just wants to game and doesn't want to be looked as a woman at all. The variety is endless.

So Antarctic's comic examining the experiences of females at comic book conventions intrigues me. What is it like to turn the heads of a thousand geeks just simply by showing up in a rockin' Power Girl costume? How does one act when one realizes that they possess such power? What motivations do these mythical creatures have?

This comic book limited series of three issues promises to be both humorous and insightful and an industry almost exclusively devoted to males examines the fairer gender's experiences at comic book conventions.

Nerd PSA

This is a funny PSA that deals with a serious topic. Pay attention, gamers!

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Open Invite!

Now that I've analyzed those that I game with regularly, I thought I'd open up an invitation to all gamers - send me a photo of your dice (or the dice of somewhat you game with) and I'll gamer-psychoanalyze you right here on 1LR!  What could be more fun?

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #9

What do your dice say about you?

Case #9

Well, this is an interesting one. Let's tackle that bag first. It's a Crown Royal bag and I'll assume that its owner earned it honestly. That tells me that this player is going to be very social. He's the life of the party - everybody's friend! He knows his dice bag is going to attract comments and he's ready to tell the stories associated with it! This guy is all smiles. I can imagine him reclined in his chair and drinking a brewski as the game progresses. As a DM, I'd throw social roleplaying encounters into games for this guy so he can shine in-game.

Now the dice themselves obviously speak volumes just by the sheet number he has. I see several sets of dice represented along with a variety of oddballs. This gamer wants to be prepared for any situation but I bet that he has his favorite dice that he picks out each time to use over and over again (notice the red and clear dice set to the side). I'd imagine this gamer is loyal to his friends as well - both in and out of the game.

Look for this player to say, "I'm going to get another one... anyone else want one?"

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #8

What do your dice say about you?

Case #8

Okay, this is the opposite of most dice sets we've looked at so far. This gamer has brought only four dice to the table! I'd say this player is a minimalist. I'd think this guy is probably pretty quiet at the gaming table. He probably wants just the facts... cut the fluff, let's get down to the important storyline stuff! As the DM, if you want to keep this gamer happy you'll keep the table chatter to a minimum and keep the story moving quickly.

I'd imagine that this gamer probably has a lot of dice that he doesn't bring to the table. The white one looks like it belongs to a styled set of dice. So I'm guessing this is a gamer with lots of gaming experience. He'll let others take the spotlight but then steal the show with a stroke of genius. When this gamer speaks, you should listen! He has hidden reserves of wisdom.

I'd look for this player to say, "After listening to you, I think we should..."

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #7

What do your dice say about you?

Case #7

Wow. Where to start with this one? First, I am seeing quite a few ten sided dice. This gamer obviously plays a lot of games that require a large number of D10s (World of Darkness) or perhaps percentile dice (Classic Marvel Super Heroes RPG). I would imagine this player probably attributes his success or failure in a roll to the dice themselves. Look for this player to switch dice once he has a poor roll. I do see some novelty dice such as a D3 (D6 numbered 1-3 twice) as well as jumbo sized dice. That tells me this gamer is a long time gamer. I'd guess this gamer may go for style over min-maxing when making a  character.

The pencils (not just one - several!) and tabs makes me think this gamer likes to come prepared to the table and probably is a no-nonsense gamer, expecting others to come prepared as well.

The box itself is perhaps the most interesting. Unless I miss my guess this blue, clear box is an old rental VHS tape box. This speaks to the gamer's ingenuity. I'd look for this gamer to sit back, let others quarrel and then drop in an out-of-the box solution on everyone's lap.

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #6

What do your dice say about you?

Case #6

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

The gamer in Case #6 is new to gaming. All of the bronze colored dice in this collection were sold together and have been kept in the little box they were purchase in. This gamer is reliable and will show up regularly to game but perhaps hasn't fully invested in gaming as a hobby. The bronze color is an interesting choice. To this gamer aesthetics are somewhat important but he didn't choose anything too flashy. I'd imagine this gamer would let others step forward and take the lead. 

The one oddity is the inclusion of the black and red six-sider at the bottom of the box. This isn't the type of six-sider that you would buy on its own. I'm guessing this die was given to this gamer by a more experienced gamer, perhaps a mentor figure. Why have only one extra six sider? I'd imagine for pure functionality. The gamer probably had or has a character that does 2D6 damage on some weapon or something and wants to be as efficient as possible in his rolls. 

At the gaming table, you're likely to hear this gamer say, "I'll go with whatever the group decides."

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #5

What do your dice say about you?

Case #5

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

Case #5 is perhaps the most curious. Take a moment to examine the contents of this box.

First, the box itself. It appears to be a repurposed storage container that may have originally been used in a workshop or garage, perhaps for nuts and bolts or for fishing lures. I'd expect this gamer to have plenty of interests in activities other than gaming. The compartmentalized nature of the box suggests that this gamer likes things to be neat and orderly. Still, looking at the contents it appears that this gamer may be too busy with his life to take the reorganize his gaming box. 

Some of the contents of this box actually have me stumped. What are the green, yellow, orange, and purple rubber band thingies? Are those cotton balls? The orange ends look like they would fit onto the end of a rod or something. I'd imagine this is the type of guy who can find a second purpose for anything and never throws anything away. Why else would you lug around all of that stuff you don't need?

There are a variety of gaming counters I can't identify but they tell me that this gamer has a wide range of games he likes to play. This gamer has been gaming for a long time and has slowly accumulated gaming pieces and dice throughout the years. The inclusion of specialty dice tells me that this gamer has some favorite games that he likes to play. The colored bead tokens tell me that this gamer is more than willing to use his imagination in a game - a token is as good as a painted miniature to this guy. I'd imagine that this gamer would have no problem lending you dice. He probably doesn't even notice when he loses one or picks one up from a fellow gamer by accident. 

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #4

What do your dice say about you?

Case #4

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

This guy really doesn't want to lose any of his dice. He's not willing to take any chances of a drawstring bag that may come open and spill its contents. The rubber band is a specially designed gamer product meant to keep gaming boxes closed. The clear box, I believe is designed for collectible card games. This tells me that this gamer has a wide variety of gaming experiences - RPGs, CCGs, board games, and table top. I think I see Dungeons and Dragons 4th Ed. condition counters on the top of the pile so this guy is obviously playing current games but I also believe I see old-school D&D dice (the kind that you had to color in with a crayon) with the light blue D12 and the brown D8. This gamer has been gaming for a long time.

The inclusion of some specialty dice (I believe the two white D6 with large numbers are actually "D3's") tell me that this guy isn't afraid to invest in his hobby of gaming. I'd expect him to have a vast collection of games and gaming paraphernalia. This dice collection is probably just a small portion of the dice collection he has at home. It was purchased piecemeal, a handful of dice at a time, over many years.

Bring up a game and you'll probably hear this player say, "Oh yeah, I played that!"

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #3

What do your dice say about you?

Case #3

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

This guy is a serious gamer. The fact that the dice all match tells me he likes things neat and tidy. I'd imagine he's gamed for quite awhile as evidenced by the multiple six siders. He only brings to the gaming table what he strickly needs to be prepared.  I'd imagine this gamer is all business - he comes to play and he doesn't want to mess around too much. This gamer doesn't want to be inconvenienced to game - hence, the "only the essentials" bag that perhaps is always kept in the car or a backpack so he's ready to game.

The small, tidy black bag may or may not have come with some of the dice. Once again, the neatly fitted bag with a drawstring is the mark of an experienced player who is willing to invest some cash into his gaming experience. Presentation matters to this player - notice how the whole set up looks like diamonds in a black sack? I'd be a little concerned about this gamer "fudging" some roles due to the almost invisible nature of the white-on-clear dice. Why choose something so hard to see unless you're going for a little subterfuge?

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #2

What do your dice say about you?

Case #2

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

Case #2 is obviously an old-school gamer. Notice the light blue twenty sider, orange D4, and yellow D6? They're from the old Dungeons and Dragons boxed set! Look how worn the D20 is - this die is well used and well traveled - it's been rubbing shoulders with those other dice for a long time! I believe I also spy an original Marvel ten sider in there as well. I'd expect this gamer has a few decades of gaming experience in which he has played a plethora of gaming systems. I see a few dice that match each other so I know this guy has bought sets of dice in the past but I also see an assortment of "ugly" dice - perhaps a bulk purchase? This guy may be a cheapskate.

The fact that the dice are kept neatly in a red draw string pouch tells me this guy is pretty protective of his dice. He doesn't want to lose any of them and certainly doesn't want you to touch them (control issues?)! He wants to be prepared for all situations - hence the bag is large enough to hold numerous D10's and D6's that may be needed for various gaming scenarios. The volume of dice indicates that this player may take to playing with them (stacking, spinning, arranging, etc.) if bored at the table.

What Do Your Dice Say About You - Case #1

What do your dice say about you?

Case #1:

All gamers will be kept nameless to protect the innocent. We're examining the dice that gamers bring to the table to see what we can learn about the gamer merely by looking at his or her dice.

Gamer #1 is obviously new to gaming. Look at the cavalier way they treat their dice. Carried in a flimsy sandwich bag (not even a zip-lock sandwich bag!) this gamer obviously doesn't place much value on his dice. You can tell he wouldn't be too upset if he lost one or more of his dice. Gaming is not a priority in this person's life, it's a afterthought. You can also conclude that because all of the dice are of identical color that they were purchased as a set. This person probably has a friend who is more heavily into gaming that influenced them to buy a set of dice. 

Look for this gamer to ask lots of questions such as, "Which die do I roll again?"

What Do Your Dice Say About You?

A gamer sits down at the table and pulls out his dice. Before you even learn his name you know a lot about this guy by his dice. How many does he have? What kinds of dice? How are they organized or stored?

There are few items that a gamer owns that are more personal than dice. "Don't touch my dice!" is a gamer's mantra. Over the next several days I'll be examining the dice the gamers I play with bring to the table. What do they reveal about the person that owns them?

Gamers Trump Scientists - Solve 15 Year Old AIDS Problem in 10 Days

Yeah, you read that title right. Take that, Ph. D. scientists! Gamers rule! on the website Fold.it gamers were tasked with playing a game that is actually decoding complex enzymes. In this case, it was a critical enzyme in AIDS. So apparently scientists, frustrated and desperate for help from any quarter, threw this 15 year old riddle at the gamers. The gamers laughed and said, "No problem." Ten days later the mystery is solved. No biggie for a bunch of min/maxing gamers. Check out the news article here.

So I'm thinking we should go ahead and throw a whole bunch of other problems at gamers as well. Maybe, say, the economy. I'm betting gamers could run the economy pretty well. Or how about peace in the Middle East? I'd say gamers could have both of these problems solved in under a month if you turned them into a real-time game online. Maybe unsolved crimes could be next! And theological conundrums!

No problem or mystery is to great for gamers to solve! I am gamer! Hear me ROAR!

The Great Debate: Do Gamers Want a Cinematic Gaming Experience?

I've heard it said lately by some gamers that they want a "cinematic" experience in a RPG. First off, why does everything have to be like the movies? Comic books want to be more "cinematic," whatever that means. Our TV screens are now the size of a movie screen. Books are written with the movie (to be produced later) in mind. And now RPGs are suppose to be cinematic? REALLY? I don't think so.

At least, not if, by "cinematic" you mean, "like the movies." Cause I gotta tell you... I don't think you would enjoy playing the main character(s) from most movies.

Action movie characters often face overwhelming odds, split up the party, have little control over what happens to them, get few rewards from their battles, and often win based on sheer luck or the actions of "NPC" characters. Let's look at some examples from some movies I recently watched.

In "Live Free or Die Hard" or any of the Die Hard movies, John McClain is outmanned, outgunned, and gets the crap kicked out of him. Do you know how many times players would be crying "fowl" if their GM treated them like the moviemakers treat McClain? Even when he "wins" his life just gets worse and worse.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? Harry's "victory" is through sheer luck.

Any Terminator film? You're hopelessly overpowered by a superior force that you can't even damage. In gaming terms? Attack - fail, attack - fail, attack - fail... repeat 500 times. Sounds like fun!

Indiana Jones? Always gets captured and he wins by keeping his eyes closed, invoking the name of Shiva, running away from an earthquake, and a alien ship taking off. Those don't sound like satisfying RPG wins.

Even movie franchises with RPGs based on them such as Star Wars wouldn't be nearly as fun if you ran them like the movies they are based on. "Wait, I'm a JEDI! How was I beat by a wampa in a single round?" "Okay, so you're entering an asteroid field... you need to roll a "1" and a d3,720 to survive."

I Am Legend? 30 Days of Night? 3:10 to Yuma? All feature main characters hopelessly outmatched. Not much fun at the gaming table. But see, that's what movies do. Movies put the character in the darkest, most hopeless place possible before saving the character from inevitable doom.

I like all of the movies I listed above - as movies, not as a model for my RPG gaming experiences. Bottom line - I don't wall out of many movies thinking, "Boy, I wish my RPG experiences were more like that!" So why do some players insist they want their gaming experiences to be like the movies?

That's my opinion. Agree? Disagree? Feel I cherrypicked my movie examples? Post a comment with your thoughts!