I missed tabletop

In a way, video games are one of the easiest nerdoms to get into, along with TV shows and some books, in the sense that it's something you can easily find and get into.  I think that's part of the reason I devote a lot of time to video games in this blog.  It's something that easiest for me to enjoy after a long day of work.  But I really became a full fledged nerd with tabletop, and now I'm finally getting back to that.

You all got a peak of my character in a friend's Obsidian game Amy Valencia.  I had never really played a truly carefree character before so I decided in this universe I would play one.  She is kind of a ditz following the easiest path of a high power, a high demonic power.  She's not entirely stupid, just entirely honest about her love of drugs, parties and the occasional visit to the masseuse.  It's been very liberating playing her because she is not one to give two shits about most dramatic stuff.  I think the most concerned she got was when a bomb was about to kill her and her group in a tiny office.  Having traditionally played characters that have stressed out very easily, it's great to play one that is not.

I think my experiences with Amy have colored my choices in playing a new character in another game.  I got invited to play in a Apocalypse World game that has been going for some time but had some people playing new characters due to old characters dying off or becoming unplayable.  I came in with Iris, the classiest brainer in the tree town.  Brainers actually can manipulate people with their psychic powers and find out personal things just by touching people.  Usually people go for the mystic in rags look for brainers.  I went a little more fabulous.  She has her kinky hair in an up do and wears a shiny pants suit with a corset.  Still weird, but a bit more approachable.  Like Amy she is a social creature who looks for the fun in life.  Unlike Amy, she strategizes more in the long run.  She's not really book smart but she is definitely world-smart.  If someone has recently become very powerful, you damn well make sure that you are their friend.  Things like that.

On top of those two games I am also running my 3.5 D&D campaign again!  I'm super excited about it.  The last two times I ran the game we had a ton of characters who were honored, privileged and eager to serve a king to the 2nd largest kingdom in the world.  This time I have a lot of hesitant characters who decided to go along merely because is somewhat fulfills their alternative goals, which include siring a messiah and selling potables to whoever will buy them.  The first session happened last week and even though it ran so late I was working on low brain power, we all had fun.  Next session will immediately start with combat!

It's so great to go back to my roots.  I really became a nerd when a friend of mine in high school invited me to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons that her father was running.  I'm not sure how nerdy I really was before then, but after that there was no turning back.  It now feels like I'm really a nerd again, spending a significant amount of time rolling dice and playing make believe with friends.

Character Week: Amy Valencia

I've had the writing bug in me, so I want to use it for productive things.  This week I'm going to have a fictional story about an RPG character I played (video game or table top) posted Monday through Friday.  That's right, I'm giving myself homework!  Woot!

It actually all started with

Amy Valencia

Amy is a character I am playing in a table top RPG, the game being called Obsidian.  Obsidian is this great mix of a post-apocalyptic world with future technology.  Demons have taken over everything except this one tiny spot in America, which is a literal pillar of humanity.  There are good mystics who fight demons and then there are "bad" kultists who worship them.  Amy is the latter, a worshiper of the Kult of the Chemical.  When I was thinking of motivations for her, I suddenly had this scene in my head.  

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Amy wasn't entirely sure what she was smoking.  Why should she care.  It was at that magical part of the evening where only a couple people had lasted to the end.  The ones where sleep was something that could be postponed, and good company was better than caffeine.

She took another hit of the hookah, and carefully blew the smoke toward Alik, a short, smart man with a muscle tone that was just enough.  Amy hadn't decided if she would sleep with him tonight.  It could go either way.

Alik's eyes had a longing, but not lustful.  He sighed, barely parting his lips.  "This is all pointless, isn't it?"

Amy pouted.  "Oh, poor dear, I knew this moment would happen.  She lay her head on his lap and looked up to him.  Her long dark hair blanketed his legs.  "You thinkers can get in a funk.  Tell me about it."

"We're all in a funk, Amy.  Humanity's locked up inside this tiny tube, and the whole world is taken over by everything evil!  Why bother living?  Why bother surviving?  Haven't we already lost?"

"Well, yes, but why focus on that?"

Alik sat up straight.  "I thought you a more hopeful type."

Amy giggled.  "Why?  Because I'm not as smart as you?  Oh, you sweet thing, just because I'm not book smart doesn't mean I can't see the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

"The long run game is already won.  We got to appreciate the now, any way we can."  Amy took another draw of the hookah.

"You're giving up?"

"No, my dear," she exhaled, "I've found a new way."

"To win?"

"To enjoy."

Amy had ensnared his attention.  She sat up but kept her face close, keeping their gaze.  Alik couldn't look away.  She continued.

"So you've figured out the truth: we're screwed.  We can't expect to keep this up forever.  So what do we do with ourselves?  Lay down and die?"  She paused.  "That was your answer, wasn't it?  Just end it all?"

"What else is there to do when life is pointless?"

"We still have things to live for.  Appetites to sate, thirsts to quench.  Ones you've probably never thought of before.  Imagine not eating for a week and then finding a full meal with real meat and everything.  Imagine how good it feels.  Close your eyes and think about how that would taste."

Alik closed his eyes, leaning toward her, an inch between their noses.  "Nothing could taste better."

"I can get you something that would make you feel twenty times better than that meal."

He opened his eyes.  "You can?"

"Yes.  I have many ways to make you feel better than that.  And you'll forget this 'meaningless' stuff and really start living.  For the things that make you feel the best."

She wrapped her arms around him.  He put his hands on her hips.  "How?"

"I've made friends with great power and connections, mystical you could say.  I can introduce you to them, see how much you like us."

"Are they all like you?"

"Like what?"

"Beautiful?"

"Oh no, you got lucky on that one."

She knew by the end of the night, the demonic affiliations would no longer bother Alik.  She had shown him the only rational path for his rut.

There was no longer a question of whether they would sleep together.