I wanted to add a few things, but decided to make a new post so anyone checking this semi-regularly would not miss it. First, I want to clarify that none of the types I spoke of were reflective of any one individual or event. I have been lurking on gaming forums and blogs for quite some time and these are an amalgam of instances I have noted recurring often. If someone thinks I was directing a comment at them particularly, please make yourself a nice cup of chamomile tea and listen to Carly Simon before getting all offended. Second, I wanted to be clear - I am not saying that people should not be upset when things don't turn out the way they would like. It is okay to feel disappointed and hurt when your expectations are unmet. However, there is something to be said for behaving in a dignified manner. And I must admit, much of what was written is in fact directed at a specific person - my teenage self. I was a tremendous asshole when I was younger. For all you who rage and ramble, bite and bait - I have been there, done that, and probably was far more horrible and grotesque in the act. This sort of thing is unsustainable - if you do not learn to quell the fires raging inside, you will be consumed by them. But doing so requires sacrifice, and worse. It is easy to forget that youth should be both pitied and exalted for dancing upon the edge of the knife.
I will offer a quote here, from a critical essay written by T. S. Eliot on the subject of Shakespeare's Hamlet. "The intense feeling, ecstatic or terrible, without an object or exceeding its object, is something which every person of sensibility has known; it is doubtless a subject of study for pathologists. It often occurs in adolescence: the ordinary person puts these feelings to sleep, or trims down his feelings to fit the business world; the artist keeps them alive by is ability to intensify the world to his emotions. The Hamlet of Laforgue is an adolescent; the Hamlet of Shakespeare is not, he has not that explanation or excuse."
I will offer my thoughts on one more type, which was omitted from the first post - the opinionated, know-it-all blogging gamer lady. Lived experience, age, should provide an ever-growing repository of understanding, of compassion and acceptance of the foibles of men (and women). Yet you use this gain as a means of forgetting, a way to abolish the memories of a youth spent raging and railing. You divorce yourself from truth, deny the legitimacy of young emotion, forgetting a time when passion trumped reason, and depth of care was measured by magnitude of response. Wisdom should mean appreciating such fervor, not dispensing stupid platitudes about the superiority of learned apathy. You grow old and forget the horror of becoming Prufrock, as you too measure out your life in coffee spoons.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Entering the Hobby, and Why I Don't Hate GW
While I eagerly await any news from what delights this GenCon brings, I will while away the time with another post. This is about my 20-year relationship with the miniature gaming hobby - which, by the way, is the longest relationship I have had. Really, aside from reading, this is the one constant thread in my interests over the years. I wrote a different version of this elsewhere a while ago, and will no doubt revisit this topic in the future.
Two things prompted me to think about this: (1) recently, I was told that because I have never played, nor have any particular knowledge of, RPG's that I have somehow messed with the order of the universe. I know pretty much nothing about how RPGs are run, what people do there. I don't see myself getting into it either, mainly because I am a tactile person, I like holding my minis, I like painting and collecting my minis. And the RPG thing just seems very social, which freaks me out a bit. I'll get to (2) in a bit.
My younger brother received the Heroquest game and a few expansions for Christmas one year, probably 1990 or 91. My brother got much more cool toys than me - so even though I am a few years older, I stole his toys a lot over the years (and dismantled several of his Lego creations to make my own, sorry about that). This game was somehow affiliated with GW, and inside the box was a tiny advert for Warhammer and 40K. My boyfriend at that time was British, and had played Warhammer in its earlier incarnation with friends there before moving to the States. So I came to understand that models were put on a table and stuff got blown up with magic and such. This was not too exciting. But those space marines, and the promise of a future ruled by "grim darkness" and war, that sounded awesome. Trying to find the minis became a challenge, which is it's own tale. I think I managed to order/buy Rogue Trader from the Waldenbooks in the mall eventually.
Point is, I didn't learn about the hobby from friends or enter into it as a natural progression from RPGs. It was luck and advertising that got me into it.
(2) The second point which prompted me to write this, I am meeting a number of people who are starting their adventures in miniature gaming with a game system that is produced by someone other than Games Workshop. This is just crazy to me - it's like skipping beer and pot and jumping straight into smack.
I think it is great, and really shows that the hobby is diversifying rapidly, but at the same time, it creates differences in the understanding of how things work. Particularly in regards to how customers are treated by various gaming companies. For any of you that have played GW games for more than a few years, I am sure you can agree that the way the company functions has, um, evolved over the years. Back when I got into this in like 1992, I was on a road trip and decided to make a detour of several hours to hit the GW store in Arlington, VA (there were only a few in the States at that time, mostly centered around their HQ in Baltimore/Glen Burnie). I was thoroughly let down as the store had a really pathetic selection in stock (in retrospect, they were probably just about to shift to 2nd edition). So I wrote GW a letter, letting them know what a disappointed teenager I was. And their response? They sent me a $20 gift certificate to use through their mail order. Seriously - can you imagine that these days? I loved GW, up until several events signaled a change in their operating practice - particularly the closing of their forum and the descent into suckiness of White Dwarf.
Luckily, I had a serious stash of minis to work through. I moved to Orlando, FL for a while and met some of the nicest gamers ever at Rhubarb Games (sadly they have closed) and at about the same time, new Eldar and Dark Angels codexes were released, so I started purchasing stuff for a while. Then I moved away and again put new GW purchases on hold. About a year and a half after I moved, I received a random email from Rhubarb announcing Malifaux and its exceeding awesomeness. I was hooked immediately, and so put the pointy ears and the power armor away for many years.
Two different themes here at this point, I will resolve them individually. First, it is hard to understand the frustrations of non-GW veterans when reacting to the customer interactions and general information relay of other companies. Because everything they do is so much more involved, faster and generally more gracious. Waiting less than a year for an update or a model fix or an FAQ? That's nothing, as I am sure any of you who played Dark Eldar since 3rd edition can agree. And at least Wyrd, and maybe PP too (I have no idea about them), has the guts to maintain a forum where people can discuss, and criticize, their game and business practices. GW hasn't done that for what, 10 years now? So, when I see people getting upset at Wyrd for not doing this or that at the beck and call of some of its customers, I get annoyed. So do others obviously, because I guess we have learned patience from having seen much worse.
Second thing, though, I have decided I am not really mad at GW anymore. I am willing to give them some of my money, luckily not so much as the bulk of my main armies have already been purchased. (***oh how this statement was proven false***). They lost a lot of business from me, because I am a collector, not the type to finish one army and then stop. If they hadn't made me mad, I would probably have about 6 40K and at least 3 WFB armies at this point, instead of 2 and the beginnings of 2. (**now that is more like 5 and 3**)
I never quit GW, I just needed a break. I didn't hate them, they just disappointed me. And they do make some really nice models. And Eldar were my first love, which just doesn't leave you. And because I have met some nice people in the area who play GW games exclusively.
That said, I will be picking up the new 6th edition box next month (I hope). I will finish painting my Ravenwing, probably strip my plastic troops just to get them uniform (and because I am a much better painter now). I will get the last few Eldar boxes I need to feel complete there and finish painting up the machines and possibly strip and repaint the troops. I really like some of the High Elf models, so will probably get that going. And I have always wanted a Lizardmen army, but that would be well down the road.
So for any locals, you may see me showing up at DL without my Malifaux stuff on occasion. Please be nice.
Two things prompted me to think about this: (1) recently, I was told that because I have never played, nor have any particular knowledge of, RPG's that I have somehow messed with the order of the universe. I know pretty much nothing about how RPGs are run, what people do there. I don't see myself getting into it either, mainly because I am a tactile person, I like holding my minis, I like painting and collecting my minis. And the RPG thing just seems very social, which freaks me out a bit. I'll get to (2) in a bit.
My younger brother received the Heroquest game and a few expansions for Christmas one year, probably 1990 or 91. My brother got much more cool toys than me - so even though I am a few years older, I stole his toys a lot over the years (and dismantled several of his Lego creations to make my own, sorry about that). This game was somehow affiliated with GW, and inside the box was a tiny advert for Warhammer and 40K. My boyfriend at that time was British, and had played Warhammer in its earlier incarnation with friends there before moving to the States. So I came to understand that models were put on a table and stuff got blown up with magic and such. This was not too exciting. But those space marines, and the promise of a future ruled by "grim darkness" and war, that sounded awesome. Trying to find the minis became a challenge, which is it's own tale. I think I managed to order/buy Rogue Trader from the Waldenbooks in the mall eventually.
Point is, I didn't learn about the hobby from friends or enter into it as a natural progression from RPGs. It was luck and advertising that got me into it.
(2) The second point which prompted me to write this, I am meeting a number of people who are starting their adventures in miniature gaming with a game system that is produced by someone other than Games Workshop. This is just crazy to me - it's like skipping beer and pot and jumping straight into smack.
I think it is great, and really shows that the hobby is diversifying rapidly, but at the same time, it creates differences in the understanding of how things work. Particularly in regards to how customers are treated by various gaming companies. For any of you that have played GW games for more than a few years, I am sure you can agree that the way the company functions has, um, evolved over the years. Back when I got into this in like 1992, I was on a road trip and decided to make a detour of several hours to hit the GW store in Arlington, VA (there were only a few in the States at that time, mostly centered around their HQ in Baltimore/Glen Burnie). I was thoroughly let down as the store had a really pathetic selection in stock (in retrospect, they were probably just about to shift to 2nd edition). So I wrote GW a letter, letting them know what a disappointed teenager I was. And their response? They sent me a $20 gift certificate to use through their mail order. Seriously - can you imagine that these days? I loved GW, up until several events signaled a change in their operating practice - particularly the closing of their forum and the descent into suckiness of White Dwarf.
Luckily, I had a serious stash of minis to work through. I moved to Orlando, FL for a while and met some of the nicest gamers ever at Rhubarb Games (sadly they have closed) and at about the same time, new Eldar and Dark Angels codexes were released, so I started purchasing stuff for a while. Then I moved away and again put new GW purchases on hold. About a year and a half after I moved, I received a random email from Rhubarb announcing Malifaux and its exceeding awesomeness. I was hooked immediately, and so put the pointy ears and the power armor away for many years.
Two different themes here at this point, I will resolve them individually. First, it is hard to understand the frustrations of non-GW veterans when reacting to the customer interactions and general information relay of other companies. Because everything they do is so much more involved, faster and generally more gracious. Waiting less than a year for an update or a model fix or an FAQ? That's nothing, as I am sure any of you who played Dark Eldar since 3rd edition can agree. And at least Wyrd, and maybe PP too (I have no idea about them), has the guts to maintain a forum where people can discuss, and criticize, their game and business practices. GW hasn't done that for what, 10 years now? So, when I see people getting upset at Wyrd for not doing this or that at the beck and call of some of its customers, I get annoyed. So do others obviously, because I guess we have learned patience from having seen much worse.
Second thing, though, I have decided I am not really mad at GW anymore. I am willing to give them some of my money, luckily not so much as the bulk of my main armies have already been purchased. (***oh how this statement was proven false***). They lost a lot of business from me, because I am a collector, not the type to finish one army and then stop. If they hadn't made me mad, I would probably have about 6 40K and at least 3 WFB armies at this point, instead of 2 and the beginnings of 2. (**now that is more like 5 and 3**)
I never quit GW, I just needed a break. I didn't hate them, they just disappointed me. And they do make some really nice models. And Eldar were my first love, which just doesn't leave you. And because I have met some nice people in the area who play GW games exclusively.
That said, I will be picking up the new 6th edition box next month (I hope). I will finish painting my Ravenwing, probably strip my plastic troops just to get them uniform (and because I am a much better painter now). I will get the last few Eldar boxes I need to feel complete there and finish painting up the machines and possibly strip and repaint the troops. I really like some of the High Elf models, so will probably get that going. And I have always wanted a Lizardmen army, but that would be well down the road.
So for any locals, you may see me showing up at DL without my Malifaux stuff on occasion. Please be nice.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Lonesome Death of the Angry Nerd
I mentioned this in my last post, but wanted to look at an aspect of gamers which I find perplexing in more detail. Specifically, the enormous emotional investments some make in what should be a hobby. Yes, it is a hobby that requires a tremendous outlay of time and money, as well as developing social connections. But it is just a hobby - and really, if this is your only hobby, you need to expand your horizons a bit. I say that with love. Because if you are pouring all of your available discretionary energy into just one thing, you are bound to get your heart broken sooner or later. And it will make you a more interesting person, rather than a one note tune, if your list of interests doesn't end after 1. - Wargaming.
In browsing various forums over the years, I've seen repeated incarnations of a few flavors of the angry gamer nerd stereotype. Going to look at a few in depth - hope nobody takes this personally.
"I'm right, and you're just an idiot Fanboy"
I was going to do a whole separate blog post on my issues with the "fanboy" epithet, but then it kind of blew over and I moved on without having written on the subject. So, to sum up my main thoughts: I don't care if you call yourself a fanboy, but I really get annoyed when calling someone a name becomes an argumentative tactic. Anyone who does this, you need to grow up. Calling people names to make your point is what you do in grade school. Assuming you are old enough to drive a car legally, you should have developed a much more sophisticated rhetorical repertoire. If you haven't, then I have no time for you. And if you ever happen to actually meet me and try and engage me in some sort of name-calling hissy fit, it will end with you sobbing in a corner, I promise.
What I find so incredibly weird about people who engage in this sort of dialogue, though, is that they will spend months and even years on forums dedicated to some game/company towards which they feel such obvious disdain. The world is so full of choices, and yet, they can find nothing better to do but hang around someplace and spout their disgust at this and that. If it is so awful, move on. No need to stay and attack everyone who disagrees with you. You're the idiot who can't seem to find something more enjoyable to do with your time.
I get that there are valid criticisms to be made, and there is an appropriate way to engage in debate. I have no issue with this. But if finding fault becomes your singular occupation with the hobby, then something has gone wrong for you, and for your own sake, you should figure it out and fix it. My main problem with these sorts of criticism is that I just don't care about a lot of the issues. Few things are so annoying as to get me pissed off, and if something does get me angry to that point, I have options on other ways to invest my time and money. Case in point, when I finally got fed up with GW a few years back, I didn't waste time ranting on the internet. I just quit giving them my money and gave it to Wyrd instead. Corporations don't care how mad you are - they care about profit, and I denied them any from me for several years.
Also, the way criticism is framed matters. There is never a reason for allowing your opinions about some game/company to devolve into personal attacks against some other gamer. There may be many worse things to call a person than "fanboy", but this is specifically used to say "You can't see the truth because you are blinded by your devotion. Therefore, I must be right and you must be wrong." Which is stupid. First, there are differences of fact, which are decided by presenting the best well-supported by evidence argument. Then, there are differences of taste, opinion, aesthetics. There can be no right or wrong here. I like chocolate, but that doesn't mean you are wrong for preferring vanilla. It's just dumb; anyone who cannot admit that views different from their own are valid, is just petty and sad.
One more thing here - if you are in your early twenties, you are probably not absolutely right about most things. Sorry, but the one thing you will certainly learn as you get older is that you know a lot less than you thought you did when you were younger. So if you're young and angry, take a breather. Patience is not a virtue, it is a learned survival skill. Save the anger for things that matter, like people starving or dying in the streets and the fact that the education you've invested tens of thousands of dollars in will likely only get you a slightly better than minimum wage job once you're done with school.
"I quit" (throws minis into a flaming bin in epic youtube video)
A confession, the terms Nerdrage and Ragequit are fairly recent additions to my lexical understanding - I tended to ignore slang, even when I was a teenager, and the profusion of words not properly defined in a standard dictionary are just one thing I do not care to expend time in learning. However, having watched a few of these episodes play out recently, I wanted to probe the phenomena.
Having studied media for a time, I get the motivations behind creating a spectacle. We are all, in the end, just minute specks in a chaotic world. It is nice to feel that we can somehow defy our destiny and make a grand statement for which we will be remembered. Staging a ragequit on a gaming forum does not qualify. I mean, really, you're competing against people who set themselves on fire and stand down heavily armoured enforcers to make a statement about something important. Throwing a fit worthy of a teenage girl who has just been stood up for the prom in a relatively less populated corner of the internet is just not on par with such noble defiance.
I get that people are pissed off when things don't go their way. I get wanting to quit something and feeling bitter because you feel jilted by some company/game/group and wanting to express your outrage. But I would urge anyone contemplating this sort of feat to consider the aftermath - because there won't be one. For a few days or weeks, people will talk about you. Some will miss you for about five minutes, more will mock your pathetic display of indignance. And then you are forgotten, and nobody cares why you left, or that you were ever there. If you still feel the need to stage some righteous final stand, by all means go ahead. Just give me a heads up, please, so I can get my popcorn.
"I love this game. But I don't like this about it. Or this. Or that. Or these. Or that. And don't forget ..."
Yes, you get these people everywhere. And in general, I don't care. If you are so dedicatedly dismayed by the various aspects of a world around you that does not meet your expectations, I pity you. What annoys me is when this sort of disgruntled faux constructive critique pervades my leisure time reading venues. Because it is boring and predictable, and I am quite certain I am not alone in this observation. At least the Ragers provide some mildly amusing entertainment. But the grousers, Yawn.
In some educational text I read at some point, there was a discussion of the ratio of good/bad feedback teachers should strive to maintain. the reason is obvious - children who hear nothing but negative feedback will just stop trying, while obviously, some criticism is needed to help them grow and not keep doing things incorrectly. The minimum ratio was 3:1, 5:1 is better, optimal you should be trying for 9:1 or better. The point I am making with this, forums aren't really any different. You should be aiming for at least 5 positive things to every one negative. If you fall short of that, you are probably contributing to an unhealthy environment. At best, people just ignore you. Worse, they think you are a whiny loser.
My reason for posting this: please be aware that you are a member of the gaming community. Like any citizen, we each have a responsibility to make this hobby a better place. I have met far more nice and helpful gamers than the types listed here. I remember forum members and game store denizens whom I have not seen or heard from in years, but I recall them by name because of their excellent contributions to creating an awesome environment. The boring, insulting, rude, obnoxious ones - after a few weeks, forgotten.
So in closing, remember what somebody's grandma said: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."
Anyway, that's it for now. I have a week or so before classes start again, so will try to post a bit more before things get hectic again.
In browsing various forums over the years, I've seen repeated incarnations of a few flavors of the angry gamer nerd stereotype. Going to look at a few in depth - hope nobody takes this personally.
"I'm right, and you're just an idiot Fanboy"
I was going to do a whole separate blog post on my issues with the "fanboy" epithet, but then it kind of blew over and I moved on without having written on the subject. So, to sum up my main thoughts: I don't care if you call yourself a fanboy, but I really get annoyed when calling someone a name becomes an argumentative tactic. Anyone who does this, you need to grow up. Calling people names to make your point is what you do in grade school. Assuming you are old enough to drive a car legally, you should have developed a much more sophisticated rhetorical repertoire. If you haven't, then I have no time for you. And if you ever happen to actually meet me and try and engage me in some sort of name-calling hissy fit, it will end with you sobbing in a corner, I promise.
What I find so incredibly weird about people who engage in this sort of dialogue, though, is that they will spend months and even years on forums dedicated to some game/company towards which they feel such obvious disdain. The world is so full of choices, and yet, they can find nothing better to do but hang around someplace and spout their disgust at this and that. If it is so awful, move on. No need to stay and attack everyone who disagrees with you. You're the idiot who can't seem to find something more enjoyable to do with your time.
I get that there are valid criticisms to be made, and there is an appropriate way to engage in debate. I have no issue with this. But if finding fault becomes your singular occupation with the hobby, then something has gone wrong for you, and for your own sake, you should figure it out and fix it. My main problem with these sorts of criticism is that I just don't care about a lot of the issues. Few things are so annoying as to get me pissed off, and if something does get me angry to that point, I have options on other ways to invest my time and money. Case in point, when I finally got fed up with GW a few years back, I didn't waste time ranting on the internet. I just quit giving them my money and gave it to Wyrd instead. Corporations don't care how mad you are - they care about profit, and I denied them any from me for several years.
Also, the way criticism is framed matters. There is never a reason for allowing your opinions about some game/company to devolve into personal attacks against some other gamer. There may be many worse things to call a person than "fanboy", but this is specifically used to say "You can't see the truth because you are blinded by your devotion. Therefore, I must be right and you must be wrong." Which is stupid. First, there are differences of fact, which are decided by presenting the best well-supported by evidence argument. Then, there are differences of taste, opinion, aesthetics. There can be no right or wrong here. I like chocolate, but that doesn't mean you are wrong for preferring vanilla. It's just dumb; anyone who cannot admit that views different from their own are valid, is just petty and sad.
One more thing here - if you are in your early twenties, you are probably not absolutely right about most things. Sorry, but the one thing you will certainly learn as you get older is that you know a lot less than you thought you did when you were younger. So if you're young and angry, take a breather. Patience is not a virtue, it is a learned survival skill. Save the anger for things that matter, like people starving or dying in the streets and the fact that the education you've invested tens of thousands of dollars in will likely only get you a slightly better than minimum wage job once you're done with school.
"I quit" (throws minis into a flaming bin in epic youtube video)
A confession, the terms Nerdrage and Ragequit are fairly recent additions to my lexical understanding - I tended to ignore slang, even when I was a teenager, and the profusion of words not properly defined in a standard dictionary are just one thing I do not care to expend time in learning. However, having watched a few of these episodes play out recently, I wanted to probe the phenomena.
Having studied media for a time, I get the motivations behind creating a spectacle. We are all, in the end, just minute specks in a chaotic world. It is nice to feel that we can somehow defy our destiny and make a grand statement for which we will be remembered. Staging a ragequit on a gaming forum does not qualify. I mean, really, you're competing against people who set themselves on fire and stand down heavily armoured enforcers to make a statement about something important. Throwing a fit worthy of a teenage girl who has just been stood up for the prom in a relatively less populated corner of the internet is just not on par with such noble defiance.
I get that people are pissed off when things don't go their way. I get wanting to quit something and feeling bitter because you feel jilted by some company/game/group and wanting to express your outrage. But I would urge anyone contemplating this sort of feat to consider the aftermath - because there won't be one. For a few days or weeks, people will talk about you. Some will miss you for about five minutes, more will mock your pathetic display of indignance. And then you are forgotten, and nobody cares why you left, or that you were ever there. If you still feel the need to stage some righteous final stand, by all means go ahead. Just give me a heads up, please, so I can get my popcorn.
"I love this game. But I don't like this about it. Or this. Or that. Or these. Or that. And don't forget ..."
Yes, you get these people everywhere. And in general, I don't care. If you are so dedicatedly dismayed by the various aspects of a world around you that does not meet your expectations, I pity you. What annoys me is when this sort of disgruntled faux constructive critique pervades my leisure time reading venues. Because it is boring and predictable, and I am quite certain I am not alone in this observation. At least the Ragers provide some mildly amusing entertainment. But the grousers, Yawn.
In some educational text I read at some point, there was a discussion of the ratio of good/bad feedback teachers should strive to maintain. the reason is obvious - children who hear nothing but negative feedback will just stop trying, while obviously, some criticism is needed to help them grow and not keep doing things incorrectly. The minimum ratio was 3:1, 5:1 is better, optimal you should be trying for 9:1 or better. The point I am making with this, forums aren't really any different. You should be aiming for at least 5 positive things to every one negative. If you fall short of that, you are probably contributing to an unhealthy environment. At best, people just ignore you. Worse, they think you are a whiny loser.
My reason for posting this: please be aware that you are a member of the gaming community. Like any citizen, we each have a responsibility to make this hobby a better place. I have met far more nice and helpful gamers than the types listed here. I remember forum members and game store denizens whom I have not seen or heard from in years, but I recall them by name because of their excellent contributions to creating an awesome environment. The boring, insulting, rude, obnoxious ones - after a few weeks, forgotten.
So in closing, remember what somebody's grandma said: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."
Anyway, that's it for now. I have a week or so before classes start again, so will try to post a bit more before things get hectic again.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Busy, busy, busy
I should be used to this by now, as it is how my life goes. Teaching always end up requiring more time than I think it will. Even though I have taught the class before, and had things planned out, it never runs smoothly as one might hope. And then there are farm animals and a household to look after, all while trying to schedule time for demos, gaming and painting. So this blog ended up at the bottom of my list of priorities. Someone who responded to my survey (I have a feeling I know who) suggested I try and just set a goal for posting once a week, which is probably a very good plan.
***edited a bunch of stuff out***
Actually, this kind of leads back to gaming. I've taken a break from posting on the forums of various places lately. Because people have been getting all worked up there too. I just don't get it - if everything is so very awful in this hobby, why not try something else? At first, I wanted to jump into the fracas, but I didn't because I couldn't think of a way to respond that wasn't filled with vitriol. So I just edited what I was reading, but still I would catch a bit of back and forth that in the end, just turned so utterly BORING. I guess people don't get that if you choose to stand and shout incessantly, it all ceases to have any meaning whatsoever. Because most everybody just wishes you would pipe down so we could have some peace and quiet, instead of the nonstop babble. Ugh. I guess people think being exceedingly opinionated about everything makes them more interesting, but really, it just makes you the person who has an issue with everything all the time. And that isn't interesting at all, just a one-dimensional caricature. A bloviating bore. And it's election year, there's enough of that going on already, everywhere else.
***edited a bunch of stuff out***
Actually, this kind of leads back to gaming. I've taken a break from posting on the forums of various places lately. Because people have been getting all worked up there too. I just don't get it - if everything is so very awful in this hobby, why not try something else? At first, I wanted to jump into the fracas, but I didn't because I couldn't think of a way to respond that wasn't filled with vitriol. So I just edited what I was reading, but still I would catch a bit of back and forth that in the end, just turned so utterly BORING. I guess people don't get that if you choose to stand and shout incessantly, it all ceases to have any meaning whatsoever. Because most everybody just wishes you would pipe down so we could have some peace and quiet, instead of the nonstop babble. Ugh. I guess people think being exceedingly opinionated about everything makes them more interesting, but really, it just makes you the person who has an issue with everything all the time. And that isn't interesting at all, just a one-dimensional caricature. A bloviating bore. And it's election year, there's enough of that going on already, everywhere else.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Ophelia and Lady J crews
I am trying to get one crew from each faction painted so that I can run some demos with a few options. First out the gate: Lady Justice and Ophelia. I actually started the Lady Justice crew ages ago and finally got them done (it's been a busy couple of years). Ophelia's crew got finished in record time (for me) at just about two weeks. Lucius and Guild Guard are nearly done, and I've started Rasputina. After that, moving on to Collodi and then Seamus. And finishing off Puppet Wars somewhere in between.
Pics are posted on their own page - Finished Crews, so that they aren't clogging up the main page.
Pics are posted on their own page - Finished Crews, so that they aren't clogging up the main page.
My First Real Malifaux Game
So, this past Monday, I finally played my first game of Malifaux against an actual person. It went pretty well, I think, if a bit slow (which was totally my fault). I got creamed, but that is to be expected, and I don't tend to care much about winning anyway, so it was all good. There were a few things my opponent did that really helped me get a handle on what was going on, so I wanted to point them out here.
I have already mentioned that I work in education, so I am aware that people learn best in many different ways. For me, I cannot learn by reading alone. I have read the rules manual numerous times, and it just doesn't click. I learn best by repetition and by writing. For my classes, I need to recopy my notes and problem sets several times over the course of the semester, else it won't stick.
My opponent talked through everything that was going on, before he drew cards he would state what he needed to make the ability work. This was invaluable to me. By the end of the game, I felt like I had a vague understanding of what was going on. We didn't play a particularly sophisticated game, just a shared strategy and no schemes, which was good, because I can't handle too much information all at once, I lose focus (because ADHD).
I need to get used to the noise of a game store at night. I don't care for loud, busy environments in general. So, it was difficult for me to concentrate (probably due to this, I forgot my opponent's name, as well as the name of the person who introduced himself while we were setting up, so I apologize for that - I am pretty bad with names in general).
My plan this weekend is to go through the rules manual and the cards for my starter crew (Lady J is what I think I will concentrate on for now) and write down relevant information. Then reorganize and rewrite. We have another game set for Monday, so hopefully I can have enough of a clue at that point to not spend hours looking at my cards each activation.
On a related note, several people have expressed interest in the game, so things are looking up at the local level (the scene here was pretty dead when I started this - deader than a twice resurrected guild autopsy (could not resist)). If you are in Austin and looking to play Malifaux, feel free to contact me through this blog, the Wyrd forum, or centexwar (my user name is pretty much the same in all 3) and I will let you know where we're at.
I have already mentioned that I work in education, so I am aware that people learn best in many different ways. For me, I cannot learn by reading alone. I have read the rules manual numerous times, and it just doesn't click. I learn best by repetition and by writing. For my classes, I need to recopy my notes and problem sets several times over the course of the semester, else it won't stick.
My opponent talked through everything that was going on, before he drew cards he would state what he needed to make the ability work. This was invaluable to me. By the end of the game, I felt like I had a vague understanding of what was going on. We didn't play a particularly sophisticated game, just a shared strategy and no schemes, which was good, because I can't handle too much information all at once, I lose focus (because ADHD).
I need to get used to the noise of a game store at night. I don't care for loud, busy environments in general. So, it was difficult for me to concentrate (probably due to this, I forgot my opponent's name, as well as the name of the person who introduced himself while we were setting up, so I apologize for that - I am pretty bad with names in general).
My plan this weekend is to go through the rules manual and the cards for my starter crew (Lady J is what I think I will concentrate on for now) and write down relevant information. Then reorganize and rewrite. We have another game set for Monday, so hopefully I can have enough of a clue at that point to not spend hours looking at my cards each activation.
On a related note, several people have expressed interest in the game, so things are looking up at the local level (the scene here was pretty dead when I started this - deader than a twice resurrected guild autopsy (could not resist)). If you are in Austin and looking to play Malifaux, feel free to contact me through this blog, the Wyrd forum, or centexwar (my user name is pretty much the same in all 3) and I will let you know where we're at.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Dice, Decks, Doors, and Math Part 2
The word distribution is bandied
about a lot, and it is not always clear what is intended by its use. When we
are talking about probability distribution, we are looking at the likelihood of
a number of outcomes for a certain experiment (the set of all possible outcomes
is called the sample set). Distribution is also used in statistics to describe
the shape of data, often in a graph. Most people are familiar with the normal
distribution (bell curve) and skewed distributions, which have a “tail”. There
is also the uniform distribution, which is what I will be focusing on when I
start talking about dice, at first. It is important to note, there is a statistical
theorem, the law of large numbers, which states that after a large number of
experiments are performed, the outcome should be close to what was expected
according to the theoretical probability. There are many misunderstandings
regarding this application of statistics. One that I have seen come up often is the expectation
that previous outcomes have an effect on future outcomes in independent events.
I will discuss this in the dice section. Note, I tend to use experiment and
event interchangeably, and this is not entirely appropriate. An event is
defined as a subset of the sample space, but event is a lot easier to read and
write than experiment. It shouldn’t be too confusing I hope.
Understanding the difference between
independent and dependent events is essential to being able to properly apply
probabilities in a gaming environment. Two events are independent if the outcome
of the first does not affect the outcome of the second. An event is dependent
on another if the outcome of the first experiment affects the conditions of the
second. In general, when we are looking at dice, we are considering independent
events. When we are drawing from a deck of cards, without replacing cards
drawn, we will be talking about dependent events. In either case, the
probabilities of all possible outcomes should add up to one (we express
probability as a ratio of number of events/size of sample space).
Basic Scenarios with Dice
Dice are pretty easy to talk about
with regard to probability, largely due to the fact that we are considering
independent experiments. Here I will refer to six-sided dice, but the methods
can be applied to other types. Say we are rolling one die. The probability of
rolling any of the six numbers is 1/6. What if we roll one die and get a 4.
What is the probability of getting a 4 if we roll a second die? Well, it is still 1/6. If we are rolling two
dice, the probability of rolling two 4’s is 1/36. So many people assume that the
chance of rolling the second 4 is somehow lessened. IT IS NOT! This is one of
the most common misconceptions I have seen. If we continued rolling a (fair) die
many, many times, it will be the case that the number of 4’s rolled/total rolls
will approach 1/6, but the die does not care what you just rolled.
Say you are rolling 5 different
colored dice. There are 7776 unique outcomes, with respect to the color of the
dice and the numbers given. However, since what we usually care about is simply
how many x’s are rolled, many of these outcomes are in effect the same. How did
I arrive at 7776? Imagine that you write five blanks on a page to record each
roll. There are 6 possible outcomes for each die; we multiply these together
(6*6*6*6*6 or 6^5). If anyone asks, I can post a diagram to give a better idea of
why (or you can look it up).
In a lot of games, we are not
concerned with one specific number, rather we want to know how many of a certain
number or greater we can expect. This is easy – we just take the probability of
rolling the least number we want (say we want 3 or better, then there are 4/6 outcomes
that will work) and multiply it by the total number of dice rolled. Note, this
is just an expected outcome based on the probability – it is possible to roll
all 1’s and 2’s, just less likely. So this method works for the purpose of estimation, but it is not entirely accurate mathematically. I will write about this idea again with more detail, specifically the notion of using a subtractive method to gain a better idea of the actual theoretical probability distribution.
Another situation that comes up in wargames is
when two dice are rolled and we want a certain total (or better). Assume we use
two different colored dice. The sample space is the same as the previous
examples, where we want a certain number, but the way we calculate the probabilities
is different because we are asking a different question. There are still 36
possible arrangements, but with this question a red 3 and black 5 is the same
result as a red 5 and a black 3 is the same result as a red 4 and a black 4,
because they all sum to 8. The possibilities for the sums range from 2 to 12,
with 1/36 the probability of rolling a total of 2 or 12, while a sum of 7 is
most likely as it occurs in 6/36 arrangements. But trying to estimate based only on what one number is most likely is not terribly accurate. A 7 total is only slightly more probable than 6 or 8. And there is a 5/6 probability of not rolling 7. Which again, leads to a topic worthy of further discussion, the most likely range of outcomes.
I’m not going into great detail
here, and it is easier to see what is going on with a diagram (maybe I can work on that in future). But the
important lesson here is, in independent probability your next roll absolutely
does not influence your next. Period. Never.
Cards Are Different, Usually
If we want to draw a card from a
deck of 54, then put it back in the deck and draw again, then we are talking independent
probability still. However, this is not how we tend to use cards. Recall with
the dice, if we rolled 5 different colored dice, there were 6*6*6*6*6 possible
arrangements, many of which were essentially the same. If we draw 5 cards from
a deck, without replacement, then there are 54*53*52*51*50 possible
arrangements, for just the first 5 cards drawn. If we want to know the total
possible arrangements in a deck of 54, it is 54! (! is read factorial). The
reason for this is there are 54 possibilities for the first draw. Once we have
drawn a card, it is removed, so the next draw has 53 possibilities, and so on,
until we come to the last card. If we know the first 53 draws, we can be
certain that there is only one specific card left. By the way, 54! is a really
huge number. This is one of the things that makes talking about probability
with cards so much more difficult – what we might draw next depends a great
deal on what has already drawn. And the enormous number of possible arrangements
makes it very difficult to calculate on the fly.
We can rather easily calculate the
probabilities of getting a certain type of hand at the initial draw, but to
talk about the possibilities for gameplay in general, it is near impossible, as
so much depends on what cards have been drawn, played, are being held, etc.
What is possible, if you are any good at card counting, is to estimate the possibility
of drawing a certain card that you know has not been drawn yet.
The intial draw: How many different 6
card hands are there given a deck of 54 cards? Well earlier I said there would
be 54*53*52*51*50*49. But this is not exactly the answer to the question. This
is the number of arrangements, where order matters. In our hand, we generally
don’t care in what order cards are drawn. So, given 6 cards, there are 6!
(6*5*4*3*2*1) different arrangements, so we want to divide out this number. The
way we write this mathematically would be 54!/(48!6!).
What if you are in game and you have
drawn half the cards (27). You know for a fact that you have not drawn the Little
(Red) Joker – I use big and little joker because I’ve played spades a lot, and in Malifaux Black trumps Red. For
those who play Malifaux, you should be familiar with the red and black joker.
There is a 1/27 chance that the next card drawn will be the Red Joker. As your
remaining deck dwindles, if you have still not drawn it, the chance of doing so
will increase. What if you want to know the possibility that it will be among
the next three cards drawn? Well, that would be 3/27. There is also a 3/27
chance that it will be one of the last three cards, or any three cards of those
remaining.
That is as far as I am willing to go
with the card probabilities at the moment. Because it is entirely situational. Remember that there
are 54! different arrangements? Well, let me know when you’ve played that many
games. And note, it is far more likely if you could play that many games (you
can’t by the way) that you would have had the exact same arrangement twice or
more, rather than having each arrangement exactly once.
The main point here: the more cards
drawn during the turn, the more cards you are likely to see (shocking!). And as your draw
pile gets lower, the probability increases that a certain card will come up. In
a game like Malifaux, looking at probabilities is further complicated by the
fact that different masters and minions have different card requirements (and
that sometimes you want “good” cards and other times you don’t), which
influences the percentage of your deck that is desirable (or not). I will try to go into more detail on much of this in future.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Dice, Decks, Doors and Math - Part 1
Warning – this post will be long, and probably quite
pedantic. Also, I assume most of you can google, so I won’t be posting links to
anything, as I feel you should look for it on your own, perhaps finding other
things that you find instructive or interesting on the topic. And, this is not
my best writing. I chose clarity over elegance (okay, I was just being lazy).
I had intended this post to be in one piece, but I don’t
have time to finish it today, and I had promised to get it posted. So I’m going
to slap a Part 1 on it and come back to it in a day or two. Sorry to those of you
who have been on pins and needles awaiting this exposition.
Background on Me:
I have both Bachelors’ and Master’s degrees in Mathematics,
and am working on a PhD in Mathematics Education. I have only recently begun to
identify myself as a mathematician, but I don’t consider myself a very good
one. But that is because I compare myself to others who are much more knowledgeable
and capable than I. In relation to the general population, I know a great deal
more about mathematics than at least 90%, probably more like 95%. I’m not
saying this to brag, but it is important to note, because the way non-mathematicians
understand and use mathematics can be quite different from those who have had
more training and experience in the subject. I also teach mathematics, currently at the
introductory college level, but I did teach high school for one year (and then
ran like hell). So, a lot of my assumptions about the general level of
mathematical knowledge is based on what I see in my classroom, which may not
reflect the composition of the overall population, or the gamer subpopulation in particular.
Background on Mathematics:
There seems to be a large misconception about what mathematics
is, and how it is applied. I don’t offer quotes much, but this is one of my
favorites “As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” (Albert
Einstein) Mathematics is an axiomatic system – which means there are a basic
set of assumptions (axioms) upon which the body of theorems are built. There
are also definitions, which are used in building theory, and these definitions
must be precisely stated and applied. Many people have the belief that
mathematics is always black and white, right or wrong. This is not the case.
There are many areas of mathematics where disagreement can occur, often
stemming from the basic axioms and definitions. What is true, and this is the
focus of much higher order mathematics, is that once a theorem is proven
correctly, it must be universally accepted, but with the caveat that it is only
as good as the axioms and definitions upon which it rests.
Background on Statistics:
It is not unanimously accepted that statistics is a subgenre
of mathematics. I have read several articles discussing this issue, and my
opinion on this is not definitive, but statistics is as much about
interpretation as calculation. Stealing from a statistics professor I know, statistics
is the study of variation. There are a number of statistical terms that are
also words in the general lexicon, but the statistical meaning can be quite
different than the commonly understood definition. My point here is, people use
the terms of statistics in a manner that is not always correct or, more
importantly, precise. Precision of language is of the utmost importance in
mathematics!
Background on this Post:
I have noticed on forums, that probability theory is not
always correctly applied or calculated. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack
of understanding of the different kinds of probability and a misuse of
statistical terms. I’m not calling anybody dumb, but it inspired me to write
this post as a means of describing some of the ideas behind probability theory and
explain some of the mathematics involved in making calculations. I will also
offer my opinion on the feasibility and usefulness of applying probability
within the context of gaming. I’m assuming a level of mathematical knowledge
that has Algebra as a background, but I will try to be as clear as possible for
people that haven’t seen this before.
Famous Problems in Probability
Perhaps the most well-known probability problem is the Monty
Hall problem. This is based on the television show “Let’s Make a Deal”, where a
contestant is given the choice of three doors.
Behind one door is a prize, behind the other two is sometimes a goat (I
haven’t seen the show in many, many years). I will refer to the prize as good
and the other two as bad. So, given three options, the contestant chooses one.
The host will subsequently reveal one of the remaining two doors, which is
always going to be bad, as in no prize.
This is important. There is a 1/3 chance that the contestant has the
prize, while a 2/3 chance that the host does. There is a 100% certainty that
the host has at least one door with no prize. When looking at a deck of cards,
probability can be reassessed based on information that is revealed. In the
Monty Hall problem, no information is revealed. The host will always have a
door with no prize to reveal. After the reveal, the contestant is given the
option of trading their door with the one the host still has not revealed.
Probability is in favor of the host holding the prize, so according to the
probabilities, the contestant should always trade. This is a contentious problem, and some very
well-educated people still can’t agree with this conclusion. It took me a while
to come to terms with it. It is natural to say that there is an equal chance
that the contestant or host holds the prize, 1/2. This is not however the case,
the initial probabilities still apply. As I stated, the important thing is that
no information is revealed in this case. Information will be key to later
arguments.
For those not convinced of the truth behind the Monty Hall
problem, I offer an alternate scenario. Say there are 20 doors. The contestant
chooses one, so they have a 5% (1/20) chance of holding the prize, while the
host has 95% (19/20). If the host reveals 18 doors with no prize behind them,
would you still feel the contestant has a 50% chance of winning?
Friday, July 13, 2012
Faux Pas
Another not gaming related, but short, post. This is an example of the sort of thing that goes through my mind in relation to the social anxiety problem. I'll post more on this at some point, but wanted to take a break from more personal stuff.
The other day, I had made a post and ended it with something to the effect of "Perhaps this whole thing is just a type of ego masturbation, but at least I have the balls to admit it.
Don't go looking for it, because it's not there. It's not that I felt too much was revealed, or that my crudeness would be a turn-off for you readers, which it might but sometimes I need to be crude to make the point.
I took it down because it occurred to me that other people, and other bloggers in particular, might read it and think I was trying to be an asshole towards them. Well, I guess I was being an asshole, but that was entirely pointed at me, not anybody else. But I freaked out after a bit as it occurred to me somebody might feel it was directed at them. I'm still freaking out about it.
***The thing is, I know a lot of the reactions I feel are probably irrational. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure that most people don't spend hours replaying a perceived social misstep or phrase that *may* have been taken in the wrong way. And more than likely wasn't. This is why I say social situations can be exhausting, because the post analysis is constant and I don't know how to turn it off. I'm trying to learn.***
So, not to go into detail, but this happens often, pretty much anytime I extend myself a little and reveal some sliver of my true thoughts, my internal monologue. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize if anyone took offense.
The second part of it, was actually sort of me congratulating myself. Because posting like this feels like a tremendous risk. Go back and read the first post. Yes, it was somewhat humorous (maybe), but that kind of is a snapshot of how I feel, not all the time, but often enough. And yet I'm still doing it, which is a tremendous accomplishment even though there's really nothing worthwhile here.
Also, I promised a post on math and gaming, but I want it to be well done so am taking my time with it. I hope to get it up by Sunday.
The other day, I had made a post and ended it with something to the effect of "Perhaps this whole thing is just a type of ego masturbation, but at least I have the balls to admit it.
Don't go looking for it, because it's not there. It's not that I felt too much was revealed, or that my crudeness would be a turn-off for you readers, which it might but sometimes I need to be crude to make the point.
I took it down because it occurred to me that other people, and other bloggers in particular, might read it and think I was trying to be an asshole towards them. Well, I guess I was being an asshole, but that was entirely pointed at me, not anybody else. But I freaked out after a bit as it occurred to me somebody might feel it was directed at them. I'm still freaking out about it.
***The thing is, I know a lot of the reactions I feel are probably irrational. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure that most people don't spend hours replaying a perceived social misstep or phrase that *may* have been taken in the wrong way. And more than likely wasn't. This is why I say social situations can be exhausting, because the post analysis is constant and I don't know how to turn it off. I'm trying to learn.***
So, not to go into detail, but this happens often, pretty much anytime I extend myself a little and reveal some sliver of my true thoughts, my internal monologue. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize if anyone took offense.
The second part of it, was actually sort of me congratulating myself. Because posting like this feels like a tremendous risk. Go back and read the first post. Yes, it was somewhat humorous (maybe), but that kind of is a snapshot of how I feel, not all the time, but often enough. And yet I'm still doing it, which is a tremendous accomplishment even though there's really nothing worthwhile here.
Also, I promised a post on math and gaming, but I want it to be well done so am taking my time with it. I hope to get it up by Sunday.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
About Malifaux
Okay, so since it is possible that a few people make their way here from a non-Malifaux site, and perhaps have no idea what the game is about and why it's so cool, I'll post up a few thoughts. Any of you Malifaux people who are here, this should be nothing new, but feel free to add a comment if I missed something important.
The official line is that it is a character-driven skirmish game. What it means, to me at least, is that the stories are an integral part of the game design. Yes, there is some debate on whether the rules may be too beholden to the fluff, but for my part, I'm all for it.
[An aside, one of the reasons why I chose to collect Eldar back in 1993 was their story, with their technology and their fancy clubwear.]
Anyway, there are seven factions in Malifaux that each have their own idiosyncracies. Within each faction, there are about six masters. Probably half of the available models are either unique characters or rare types. A big difference between Malifaux and other games is you probably don't want a whole bunch of models of the same type. Most of the non-unique models have at most 3 different sculpts and, with a few exceptions, this is probably all you would want. My point with that blurb is, if painting is an important part of the hobby for you, this game gives you a chance to put together a really nice crew without having to paint the same model 100 times over.
Instead of dice, duels and such are made using a deck of cards. Some strange debates with even stranger mathematics go on about this. I try to stay out of those, which may seem odd since I'm a mathematician, but I try to steer clear of OPM (other people's math). The point with the deck is, yes there is a lot of random, but there is also a certain amount of control, or resource management as the folks at Wyrd like to say, involved in the gameplay.
Another interesting attribute is that winning revolves entirely around accomplishing the most points from a shared mission and two individually selected schemes. So there may be games where you can win without killing anything, or even more hilarious, games that you win when your entire crew is dead.
I moved away from where I started, so let me go back to the characters and the story. Quite a bit of background preceded the game, and so if you want to get a feel for the sort of characters and environment of Malifaux, you can download the Chronicles online mag and see for yourself. Also, I believe the fluff from the version 1 rulebooks is also available now in electronic form. Like I said, this is what drew me into the game. Plus undead hookers.
I probably sound like a total "fanboy" (future topic there) and Wyrd shill, but whatever. I'm not doing it justice. One last thing to note, the cost of entry for Malifaux is pretty low. Now if you're a completionist collector/addict like me, maybe not so much. In general though, for about $100 (that's full retail) you can pick up enough models to give you a single master force that allows for a bit of variation, an extra set of minions, a mini rulebook, and a deck. Depending on the master you choose, that could be pretty much all you need.
That's just my blurb - if it sounds interesting, then you should go to the official site and poke around. Especially because I've not been a very good writer for the last few days, don't know what's up with that but this is nothing like my usual writing style. It's kind of (totally) annoying me.
So why am I sounding like some kind Malifaux corner-pusher? Well, I figure if you got here from the local forum where I post, you should know that I think Malifaux is the best minis game I've played. So, I wanted to give you a little background to pique your interest, and state that you should contact me on the forum, because really the worst that could come out of it is you lose a couple hours of your time. And you're already wasting some of it reading my crap, so I know you've got at least a little to spare. At best, this could be your new favorite game. And despite all the crazy stuff in the first few posts, I'm really not that bad.
**Updated to be more consistent with version 2 Malifaux
The official line is that it is a character-driven skirmish game. What it means, to me at least, is that the stories are an integral part of the game design. Yes, there is some debate on whether the rules may be too beholden to the fluff, but for my part, I'm all for it.
[An aside, one of the reasons why I chose to collect Eldar back in 1993 was their story, with their technology and their fancy clubwear.]
Anyway, there are seven factions in Malifaux that each have their own idiosyncracies. Within each faction, there are about six masters. Probably half of the available models are either unique characters or rare types. A big difference between Malifaux and other games is you probably don't want a whole bunch of models of the same type. Most of the non-unique models have at most 3 different sculpts and, with a few exceptions, this is probably all you would want. My point with that blurb is, if painting is an important part of the hobby for you, this game gives you a chance to put together a really nice crew without having to paint the same model 100 times over.
Instead of dice, duels and such are made using a deck of cards. Some strange debates with even stranger mathematics go on about this. I try to stay out of those, which may seem odd since I'm a mathematician, but I try to steer clear of OPM (other people's math). The point with the deck is, yes there is a lot of random, but there is also a certain amount of control, or resource management as the folks at Wyrd like to say, involved in the gameplay.
Another interesting attribute is that winning revolves entirely around accomplishing the most points from a shared mission and two individually selected schemes. So there may be games where you can win without killing anything, or even more hilarious, games that you win when your entire crew is dead.
I moved away from where I started, so let me go back to the characters and the story. Quite a bit of background preceded the game, and so if you want to get a feel for the sort of characters and environment of Malifaux, you can download the Chronicles online mag and see for yourself. Also, I believe the fluff from the version 1 rulebooks is also available now in electronic form. Like I said, this is what drew me into the game. Plus undead hookers.
I probably sound like a total "fanboy" (future topic there) and Wyrd shill, but whatever. I'm not doing it justice. One last thing to note, the cost of entry for Malifaux is pretty low. Now if you're a completionist collector/addict like me, maybe not so much. In general though, for about $100 (that's full retail) you can pick up enough models to give you a single master force that allows for a bit of variation, an extra set of minions, a mini rulebook, and a deck. Depending on the master you choose, that could be pretty much all you need.
That's just my blurb - if it sounds interesting, then you should go to the official site and poke around. Especially because I've not been a very good writer for the last few days, don't know what's up with that but this is nothing like my usual writing style. It's kind of (totally) annoying me.
So why am I sounding like some kind Malifaux corner-pusher? Well, I figure if you got here from the local forum where I post, you should know that I think Malifaux is the best minis game I've played. So, I wanted to give you a little background to pique your interest, and state that you should contact me on the forum, because really the worst that could come out of it is you lose a couple hours of your time. And you're already wasting some of it reading my crap, so I know you've got at least a little to spare. At best, this could be your new favorite game. And despite all the crazy stuff in the first few posts, I'm really not that bad.
**Updated to be more consistent with version 2 Malifaux
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