I recently won a contest to receive a prototype Dungeonmorph Die from the kickstarter campaign that I backed a few months ago. I had written about Kickstarter before, so I'll focus solely on the die I received from the project.

The Dungeonmorph Dice are six-sided dice that display a small, square portion of a dungeon on each side. The sides are numbered, so they can be used as regular six-sided dice, but their primary purpose is to be used to create random dungeons. You simply roll a handful of these dice, assemble them together (all of the flat edges will join), and you have a random dungeon waiting to be explored.

What I received today was merely a sample of the dice from the set - a single d6 die. The thing that surprised me most about the die (and I'm not sure why it should have) is the size. Each die is about as big as a quarter. This is quite a different beast from the other custom dice (which are called "custom" but usually are only customized on one side) shown in other Kickstarter projects (like the d6 dice from the Eaten by Zombies and Carnival board games -- Sorry, these links might only work for existing backers). The weight is about what you would expect for a die of this size, certainly not light, but not disproportionately so. The detail on the die is very good, everything is nicely rendered and there are no missing or misprinted details.

On the downside, the dice sides are slightly visibly concave. You probably can't see it in the photos, but if you're familiar with dice, you know what I'm taking about. The sides are just a tad indented. This does not detract from the design on the dice, and doesn't seem to affect the die at all, really. I assume that this is one of the last things that the manufacturer is trying to work out before their production run. Even if they don't, it probably won't bother you at all. But this brought me to my next discovery...

I wasn't ever assured (because I didn't ask) that the die would do this, but I was curious so I tried it. I tried to make a rubbing of the die face with a pencil. Sadly, this didn't work. The detail of the die was too fine for the pencil to pick up. If I rubbed it just right, it might be able to do it, but it was already pretty difficult holding the paper in place. It was a long-shot anyway, and certainly not practical.

Beyond that, this die is as hard to roll as you would expect a die of this size to be to roll. You might consider using a dice tower, which (in spite of being a long-time gamer that will spend money on practically anything) is something I don't own, and will now be looking for. You can roll them by hand, it just feels like you just need a bigger angle on the surface to do so. The die has better edges than most dice, therefore doesn't "roll" - which is usually a good thing.

All that said, this die is great! It's exactly what I was expecting from the Kickstarter project, and the quality is pretty darn good. If all of the dice in the set turn out this well, I'll be quite happy.

I've been playing Heroica and Talisman with the kids lately, and combining that fun experience with prior desires to create a simple paper-based game, I've come up with a new idea that I think both I and the kids will like.

The game I'm thinking of consists of a single book that provides all of the background materials necessary to play in short sessions while waiting for dinner to come at a restaurant, using only a pencil and a blank placemat.

It's not precisely a role-playing game. It's more like a board game with a dynamic, drawn board, and a story. The players choose characters with specific abilities that they can use during the game to achieve success. The game has the additional primary characteristic of being aimed squarely at kids my kids' ages. As such, the actions are varied enough, but simple to remember. The consequences are finite -- unlike a true RPG, where you can do anything, this game is limited to a specific set of actions with specific potential results.

I've been doing some "market research" with the kids, asking them to look at the character classes in the D&D Players Handbook and tell me not just which classes they like, but what they like about them. The results are interesting. For example, they like that the Cleric is good, and that he can wear armor and use weapons. Basically, they see him as a good Fighter. But they didn't like the Fighter class at all. Also, they were in love with the Druid, especially the possibility of having an animal companion. These insights are very helpful for focusing the game on a limited number of potential classes that the kids will love, as opposed to leaving the game open to endless expansion.

I've been doing a little bit of work on the game each evening. It could be anything from doodling icons that might appear in the book, to sketching out mechanics for playing the game, to creating some background for the world the game takes place in. The game story will be pretty rich, or at least rich enough for the kids to enjoy playing, and possibly even enough for a light game that adults could play. Something like this game would have gone well as a "play anywhere" game in groups I've been a part of.

In addition to the game itself, I've also been looking at pricing for producing the game as a product. There aren't many good games for kids in this genre. The few I've found are so simple that they're not fun to play with the kids, or they're so dry that even the kids don't care to play. Seeing them light up while playing Heroica (this is a great Lego set, by the way) recently merely convinces me that the market is set up for a game that parents could introduce to their kids, then let them take it from there.

Producing a book is actually not too pricey. For about 120 pages, you can have a full-color on-demand book printed for under $10. Add a bit to that for the retail price and there's potential for at least a meager profit.

The problems I have right now with producing the game are time (obviously) and illustration. I really don't want to produce another "Word doc with clip art RPG for kids", the likes of which I've scoffed at myself many times. I originally thought that maybe I could get some color art in there, and have the book be full-color, but I think I might be able to handle line art drawings better. There might not be a custom illustration on every page, but I think there would be enough variety and decent layout that it wouldn't look like it came off of the dusty dot matrix printer in someone's basement.

For now, I'm taking many notes, and I've started a production notebook with some random supplies from Staples. I loaded an A5 notebook with graph paper and such, so that I can sketch out ideas for the various sections of the book. If I get a reasonable distance with the game bits (gameplay, background, testing), maybe I'll throw the project on Kickstarter, and get some initial funding for a real artist to supply art for the project. That would be pretty neat.

It seems not too long ago when the Nintendo DS came out and we were all wondering why they needed two screens instead of one. I think I'm still wondering why, but at least they've made good use of the two screens in games that have been released since. But now the Nintendo 3DS is out, and I've got one (as I'm wont to do with pretty much any significantly interesting gadget), and it has me asking a bunch of other questions.

The 3DS is essentially a DSi with some minor hardware and software changes. Obviously, the major thing is the addition of a no-glasses 3D screen. Only the top screen is in 3D and it's been made wider, making it not only wider than the original DSi screen, but wider than the bottom screen that's on the 3DS itself - which seems weird to me.

There is also a new analog pad for the 3DS, which allows fine-grained control over on-screen action. The analog pad slides around on the surface of the unit, which has the same ill feel as the PSP analog controllers, although the pad on the 3DS is actually of a useful size. For long-term use, I can't say that its placement or shape is really good, but with the available area and the presence of the existing D-pad, it seems like this may have been the only option.

The 3D screen is coupled with an extra external camera, making it possible to take stereoscopic photos with a single button press. The ability to take 3D photos is possibly the most practical (!) new feature of the unit, although the resolution of the photos is quite low compared to other dedicated 3D consumer-oriented cameras. It's worthwhile to note that while the viewfinder for the 3D camera feature is the 3D screen itself, the photos that it takes are actually taller than the viewport of the screen. If you cut someone's head off on the screen, it's entirely likely that the raw file still has the part you cut off. I've taken photos that complete cut off heads on-screen, and the digital file contains the head!

Overall, the build of the device seems solid, but oddly more plasticy than the DSi. Maybe it's the matte finish of the DSi that leads to this perception over the 3DS' glossy finish, which looks like something I should be peeling off. The kids' DSi's otherwise seem pretty solid compared to the 3DS, and I'm particularly disheartened by the quality of the hinge between the screens. It tends not to lock perfectly, and seems sort of flimsy. There are places in the software that detect the hinge opening, and you can see that it detects this a lot more often than it actually happening. Based on handling the unit at the store also, I'd say this was not a manufacturing defect on my unit, but a general design flaw.

The software is quite updated, as one might imagine to make better use of the hardware, but there are little changes that you will appreciate if you've ever played with a DSi. On a DSi, when you press the power button during a game, the unit kicks you back to the main menu of the unit, where you can select from any of the internal software or the cartridge to play. This always seemed like an afterthought to me. The 3DS does better.

The 3DS adds a Home button that displays the system menu, rather than dual-purposing the power button. Also, when you press the Home button, the software that you're using pauses while the DS provides the system menu. This is nice because some of the options available in the system menu can be run while you're using the game. In particular, there are ares for you to make notes about the game you're playing, which could be nice in a complicated RPG, and access to built-in game instructions, which I think is a great idea for both downloadable games and games on carts. Sadly, not all software can be run simultaneously to a game or other software, and starting a different game while in the middle of an existing one will terminate the existing game. Still, this is an appreciated little change.

The system software that ships with the 3DS includes some completely new functionality for the DS. There is a Mii-maker application, which lets you create a personal avatar for use in many of the 3DS games. This is very much like the Mii functionality of the Wii. The Mii functionality is fine, but it both seems outdated after having played with XBox avatars, and I don't yet see any way to integrate these Miis with the ones on the Wii. Also, just like the Wii, it sometimes feels like games were built just to make use of the Mii functionality, and it gives the game a really cartoony feel. To me, it seems like this causes the game diversity to suffer. I think I would rather see something that allowed the Miis to be more customized and used even as static photos in games that don't use the actual Mii within the game. This would lend itself more toward the type of gamer profile that the XBox has, which I think I prefer.

One of the things you can do with the Mii is use this new Streetpass software. I think this software is probably the most underspoken new feature of the 3DS, and deserves a little more attention, yet still feels like there should be more - and maybe more is on the way with a future system update.

Streetpass uses some of the new hardware features of the 3DS to make it function like a pedometer in sleep mode. Basically what you do is close the clamshell to put the 3DS in sleep mode. The internal sensors (accelerometers like those found in the iPhone/iPod/iPad) track the movement of the 3DS. So you put it in your pocket while you're walking, and it can track how many steps you take. Or you could jog with it. Personally, I think the 3DS is too heavy to do any strenuous physical activity with it in your pocket, but the pedometer is a nice touch, and compared to other devices I have that track steps, it actually does a really good job.

What does this pedometer feature have to do with anything? Well, the more steps you take (the more physical activity you participate in), the more of these credits you earn, and you can use the credits to buy items in several games that are included with the system software.

Also, while you're out walking around with your 3DS, Streetpass tries to find other 3DS users wirelessly. You set up a Streetpass profile in advance, and when you walk within wireless range of someone else with a public profile, your 3DS exchanges Streetpass data with theirs. It's kind of interesting. There is also a little adventure game that requires you to have Streetpass friends to participate. You can buy friends (ha!) with credits, or use the friends you've collected.

The credits can also be used to buy new levels in at least one of the included games, which uses AR cards. The AR cards are kind fo neat. You place a card - it's just like a playing card with a different design on the face - on a flat surface and look at it through the camera on the 3DS. The game changes what it sees into an animated game. You end up shooting at targets that you can see on the screen in 3D, but are superimposed on whatever you happened to lay the AR card on top of. The effect is really neat, and although this is not the first game I've seen like this (there's a good one for the iPhone), it is the best implementation. Plus the 3D makes it really nice.

The AR card game and the included Face Raiders game (which I also like, even if it is very strange) both make use of the accelerometers to track your movement, and expect you to move around. You cannot complete the games without physically moving yourself. This seems to be a theme for the 3DS, really. Combined with the pedometer and these games that make you move, there seems to be a continuation from the Wii's "motion required" mindset into what Nintendo has produced for the 3DS.

One very sad thing about the internal software is that the internet functionality is crippled. They're expecting to release a system update at the end of May to add this functionality, but its lack at the system release is a huge hole in the product offering. One of the best things about opening the DSi box was the availability of downloadable games without having to go to the store and buy additional carts right away to make the system useful. While the 3DS comes with enough games to keep you busy for a little while, they're not all going to suit each player. Downloadable games seem like a necessity for modern consoles. So yeah, what about the games?

I bought Pilotwings and Samurai Warriors for the 3DS. Pilotwings is a cartoony flying game that makes use of the Mii functionality. You pilot a plane, a jetpack, a hang-glider, a jet, and some other vehicles through a neat little island setting. The game is very 3D, and it's use is pretty stunning. Sadly, the game is not particularly challenging, and the sorties that it makes you run become more tedious each time you run a mission. If it weren't for the great visuals, it wouldn't really be worth it at all.

There's also this weird feature where you can take in-game 3D photos. Why you would want to include photos of the game in your camera's photo roll, I can't say. This extra feature sounds neat, but there are places where you must take photos, and it asks you whether you want to save the ones that you're required to take. I simply can't imagine wanting to do this.

The Samurai Warriors game is much like the other games in this franchise. It's been a while since I played them, though, and I didn't recall that there was so much tedium involved before even getting to the action of the game. And then the action is more like the typical button-pounding of these types of games. Kill everything around you, and use no skill in doing it.

While the game progresses, it gives you a richly detailed history of the events leading up to you killing everyone that nobody would ever really care about. You occasionally have to toggle between the character you created and a character that they've provided for you, which is quite annoying, since I only really want to build my own character up, not the built-in one. There are many power ups that you can earn, but then have to allocate between the characters you pick up.

I dunno. Maybe I came into this game with certain expectations that it would be fun. Guess not.

Unfortunately, the game lineup for the 3DS is pretty sparse. I should see if there's anything else worth picking up. I hear good things about the Street Fighter game, but I don't know if I even really want to play that. What I'd really love is a good RPG. Zelda would be fantastic.

So, I don't really have a conclusion to my 3DS review. I need to see more games. Right now, it's a great piece of machinery with some small hardware flaws that could really benefit from a handful of system upgrades and killer games. Depending on what Nintendo releases for it over the next couple months, it could be a really neat system, as opposed to the big red Gameboy VR goggles that we still have in the basement.

Bonus info - I upgraded my M3i Zero to the latest firmware, and it does work with the 3DS when you load it with DS or DSi-compatible ROMs. As far as I know, there is nothing available yet that will even rip the 3DS ROMs, so there isn't a way to even test them on the M3i. From what I've read online at the various "scene" sites (why can't these idiots write a single succinct page that explains the status of things?) you would need a cracked 3DS ROM (similar to what you need to run DS homebrew) in order to play homebrew 3DS games. And since no 3DS games are even ripped in the scene yet, there's no opportunity for a 3DS ROM to have been cracked. The basic sentiment is that we all need to wait. And that's fine. But the good news is that home brew movie players and emulators that worked on the DS will still work on the 3DS after you upgrade the firmware of the cart. This is the case with most carts that work with the DSi.

Of all of the things that happened at the game last night, at least the story thread didn't fall apart. I've been running this game with the intent of getting the players to a specific place, and seeing what they do with it. There's the intent to bring drama to the adventure along the way, and have to have the characters make some decisions that they might not want to make, which as a DM I feel is part of essential character development. So that they're mostly keeping to the story that I'm producing is a good thing. I guess.

To provide a quick introduction to the story: While on a search for her missing sister, a House Canith artificer finds the remaining parts of an artifact that her sister hastily let behind, and begins to unravel an ancient mystery. The church of the silver flame has issued a command to the cleric and paladin that are her temporary companions, to stick with her and make sure that she makes the right decisions that do not upset the balance of the world, or else "do what needs to be done". The search for her sister and the missing component of the artifact she's collecting have led the party - including a wizard and an archivist - across Thrane in the continent of Korvaire, Eberron.

Our first session was decent. Aboard a flying ship, besieged by ground forces with specialized reaving equipment, the players defended themselves. It was an interesting scenario, and it had them escaping from the Mournland, which is plenty of a relief to begin with. One nice thing to note about this scenario is that it was very free-form on the part of the players. They relied on their abilities, sure, but the most fun and creativity was gained from trying to do extraordinary things that aren't really covered by what skills the players have. "Push people overboard" may technically be covered by the bull rush rules, for example, but it's a lot more dramatic to watch the heaving deck toss NPCs about and allow the players to use that momentum to carry them overboard. The bottom line is that the fun from the action was derived not entirely from extensive journals of what the character is capable of, but from paying attention to what's going on around them.

As a DM, you must take into account how your players have fun if you are to produce a game that they enjoy. If you try to produce a game that is very story-driven and the players are primarily war-gamers who are interesting in miniatures and tactics, you're going to disappoint everyone. So during the last game session, I tried to give the players a bit of what I know they've been clambering for: A shopping trip.

They've come back from a mine with many riches, and want to spend them. Only natural. I made the mistake of trying to turn the shopping trip into an adventure. I put a large marketplace in the town they arrived in immediately after exiting the Mournland, and set up some story hooks for a couple things that would bother them during the trip. There was an auction. Here's a weird failing. Of all of the things that could have happened during the auction, the players were so uninterested in the process that their distaste rubbed off on me, and I didn't bother doing any of the neat things that could have happened during the auction. This was the overarching sentiment I picked up on during the session. "Why can't we just pick what we want out of the Dungeon Master's Guide and continue with the game?"

But that's just the beginning of the session, and when I had finally had enough of trying to have a "shopping adventure" with them, I sent them to a graveyard meeting via a note that they found on a child thief. In the graveyard, a seller of poisons set his wares on a table for those willing to make a purchase. I expected there to be combat, because the party is good and selling poison is evil. But this "shopkeeper" wasn't all that complex. If things turned bad, he would simply kick his wares at the players and make a run for it, which makes things interesting because of the types of poison that he's selling.

We got to that point. The bad guy kicked the poisons at the players, who I should mention are nearly immune to most of the poison or could cure their ill effects mostly by sneezing. Somehow along the way, I skipped one of the players, the paladin who initiated the combat session by drawing his sword and calling foul in the first place. I told him he could insert his turn. So what does he do? He kicks the table of poisons back at the shopkeeper. While I'm willing to concede that this could be an idea that he had on his own, the explicit drawing of the sword and threatening seems counter to that. But whatever. I'm left thinking that if you derive your enjoyment of play from essentially cheating, then maybe you should just enjoy the game.

This lends to a thought that I'm having about the sessions more often, which is that I've put a decent amount of effort to make the encounters interesting in their own right. In prior games and sessions, it has been all about what high level monster would face the party. These sessions, while technically challenging, aren't very interesting. I'm not recalling that interesting session where we took down yet another high-HD monster whose name is irrelevant and whose presence really had nothing to do with the overarching story. Could we reasonably find that monster in the place we found it? Sure. But just because it could be there doesn't mean it is. I dislike that kind of adventure. I want the story to have purpose, and I don't believe that purpose is mutually exclusive with challenge. It just takes a bit more effort.

Also, I'm interested in keeping the challenge rating low by the numbers, because in the past, merely to compensate for the (I guess you could call it) ingenuity of the players, the monsters needed to be 2 levels higher than the players just to offer a challenge. The end result is players that level too fast, and a game that accelerates beyond control. I don't care if we do only play once per month, leveling up once per session is too fast. It's hardly time to become familiar with the skills you have, and certainly not enough game time to actually learn a new skill. It shouldn't be possible to level up from one or two random monster encounters!

The bottom line is I'm trying to make the encounters more interesting by introducing elements that would complicated things that are not necessarily your standard happening, and by doing so, stretch out the number of encounters between levels. This is the basis for the poison encounter I've described. Undoubtably, I'll be characterized as the DM that doesn't ever allow players to level up. Well, when they've had the requisite number of encounters between levels (the book says 13, and that's what I've been trying to build), then you can level up. That they've only had 3 total encounters during my entire run as DM should be an implication that there is no level advancement yet. All of this is yet this just the setup for the troll session of last night.

I envisioned an encounter made difficult for the players by employing certain specific factors. First, I wanted to negate some of the problem caused by the go-to spell Blade Barrier. This party does not use the spell defensively, as even the name implies. It's meant to create a magical, spinning-blade barrier between the protectees and the creatures that threaten them. Instead, it's become an area-of-effect blender. I've got a new repertoire of countermeasures for the barrier, and one of them is the troll plus ochre jelly combination.

I didn't want to end it there, though, because if the spell doesn't come out (it didn't), then that would be slightly anticlimactic. So I came up with the idea to hide some trolls in a treelike close to a rushing river. When the players come by, the trolls surprise them by leaping from the trees at the most stout of the group and bull rushing them into the river beyond. Depending on the strength of the character attacked, this could be difficult. To do so, it requires that the strength check is 5 higher than the target for each 5 feet they're intended to be pushed. With some hefty bonuses from size and charge, I was just able to pull this off with the paladin, and managed to hit the artificer (no contest in the bull rush) with the other troll. So at least that part went well.

I guess the problem with what happened next was mine in assuming that the players would recognize this as something planned. An encounter that is designed to make it harder by putting them in the water to do it. Because the paladin activated boots of speed, took a full attack plus the haste attack, then spent an action point to attack again, and used his Smite Evil ability twice. Because he was complete submerged in water, he took.... no penalties.

I really get tired of it. Shouldn't there be a penalty? Yes. There is a table. Can you move at full speed underwater without free action? No. What are the damage adjustments? Who knows. I couldn't be bothered to argue any more. I think it's pretty clear that if you're players don't actually want to role play, and want to simply ignore any rules that might prevent them from slaughtering everything in the first round, that you're dealing with a different kind of player, one that requires a different kind of game than the one I'm running.

This begs the question: What would my kind of player do? He would assume that there is a penalty for being underwater in a raging river wearing full plate and self-impose penalties or at least assume that taking a full attack action doesn't deal full damage... or something. I realize that the game has rules to be followed. But just because a rule doesn't exist or is unclear for a certain situation doesn't mean that there is no effect. The game may have no rule for having boulders fall on you from the sky, but that doesn't mean you ignore the potential effects when that happens!

Fine, whatever, there's no point to continue arguing about it. This one action is dragging on forever and there are other players who might want to actually play the game. Sure, obliterate this poor CR8 troll, whose sole purpose was to drown you, before he even gets to take a non-surprise action. All the while, be sure to complain that you didn't even get a spot check to see him coming, and that sometimes the DM wants things to happen so they just do. Call out "Plot point" several times during the game. That's not annoying at all. And then it happens again.

Dear artificer, you're not using spells with a verbal component underwater are you? No. But there is a material component. Oil! Where are you keeping this oil? In a jar. I guess there's some weird impression that when you cast a spell with a material component, the jar just magically drains as the component is used. No. It doesn't work that way. Let's have a look at that spell...

I don'r recall the name of the spell today. It basically grants any +1 armor bonus to an armor. That part seems fine, but I think the power applied to the armor ("Armor of the deep", which grants freedom of movement, waterbreathing and tongues to the wearer) is more than the standard +1 that should be applied. Regardless, you're putting oil on armor underwater in water that's moving 50 feet per round. Also you're wearing arm ore that is made of wood and floats, so how is this even happening at a touch range? Whatever. I give up.

I think the thing that is escaping the players is that it's a water encounter, it's supposed to affect them. They're supposed to figure out how to deal with it. It's not just some other condition that they can shrug off, which is what seemed like happened.

It's not really worthwhile to go on at length about the number of other acts of rampant disregard for the environment in which the story is supposed to be taking place. Suffice to say that there were plenty. I'm impressed with the newcomer's use of his archivist to role-play, though.

The clincher for me, with this game, is this. The party gets to town and I've set up things in such a way that someone specific in the town is going to have to be sacrificed. Everyone's upset because of the word "sacrifice", basically. But rather than deal with the situation as I've laid it out, it's almost as if every effort must be taken to circumvent the scenario. No guys, the scenario is the girl is thrown in to the cave, the cave which only opens when the girl is sacrificed and happens to be where you want to go. Sending for higher-level magic help isn't going to happen. Replacing the girl with someone else isn't going to happen. It's this girl. Just roll with it. Ugh.

But the archivist, in non-characteristic role-playing for our group (he hasn't been tainted by playing with us for so long) convinces this girl that she needs to come back and be the sacrifice. There is something odd about her, and I know he knows it, but he's playing it close to the vest. That's all fine. But then when the rest of the party arrives, it's simply assumed that she's some waif needing saving. They didn't hardly look at her or try to figure her and her odd attitude out. Yes, it seems strange, but we're still going to turn her to stone (an act that's somewhat difficult to come back from, I might add) and leave her here, never mind that she might actually need to be a live sacrifice to get the magic of this cave opening to work at all. And boy, would you be in trouble if that was the case, since I sincerely doubt you've memorized Flesh to Stone, since you're gearing up for combat with who-knows-what inside the cave!

I think this characterizes my frustrations with the group well. This isn't the only time this happens. I would think they'd notice that I reward - significantly - when players think outside the box. The numbers on the paper should be the last resort. They're where you go when you need to figure out something random and fair. And at no point am I biased toward what scenario I've constructed when characters try to come up with something interesting. But when you fall back on the numbers, that sucks. That's not the game I want to play. I want to tell a good story, and I want there to be entertainment, and I guess what I'm saying is that I'm tired of putting together detailed story and scenarios to have the fun bits unidentified, ignored, and sometimes outright ridiculed ("Plot point! DM wants it to happen so it just does! Nothing we can do! Plot point!!!") for want of the type of adventure where the next uber-power monster comes along and they slay it. Go play a video game, if that's what you want.

So what's the bottom line here? I'm retiring from D&D. I'll give the game until the end of this story, and then I'm through. I've been complaining about these players for ages; about how they don't share my style of play. Making the game fun for them as a DM makes the game not fun for me, and it's too often not fun for me as a player in the games that they do enjoy. Looking back at it, it perplexes me why I've even hung around this long. But I've had enough. I've had enough of the play style that doesn't suit me. I've had enough of the showing up at 7-8 for a game that's supposed to start at 5, getting through a single encounter and having to call it quits for the evening, even though we play only once a month.

When your inclination is to start yelling at players who won't play along, and you're concerned that you're simply going to be bludgeoned with rules every time you lay down a scenario with the purpose of doing something new and interesting, it's just not worth it. I know one of these players has walked out of games when the rules aren't run to the letter. I don't run the rules to the letter. I allow for drama. He's within his rights not enjoy that kind of game. I've simply reached the end of the line in what I'll tolerate.

This probably means that I'll be retiring from D&D altogether. The likelihood of finding a new group and cultivating it is very low. That's kind of a shame. I told Berta when I got home last night that I should teach the kids to play, and then we can play at home. That seems like a worthwhile way to both get my fill of fantasy and spend time with the kids.

It was just a matter of time until I lured them into my hobbies. Abby and Riley have both been playing Torchlight on the Xbox lately.

I sat with Abby as she chose her character and went through the first 6-7 levels of advancing her character. Her choices were interesting. When choosing a character to start, there are only three options -- two male characters, and one female. She chose the female character reluctantly, saying that she was wearing too little clothing. Abby doesn't care for immodestly dressed women. I'm not sure where this comes from, but she doesn't care for most magazine ads, either. I told her that as she played the game, it was likely that she would be able to acquire different clothing for her character, so this worry passed.

Probably the most difficult thing to convey to her was that you need to pick up everything in these games. Especially in Tochlight, where you can send your animal companion back to town to sell your junk, there's no reason not to pick up every last thing you find in the dungeon. It was difficult to get her to stop killing monsters and pick up the things she found along the way. Of course, this led to another interesting problem.

It was difficult for her to choose between the things she found in the dungeon to determine what she should keep and what she should sell. I think this is difficult for any player. Torchlight tries to make this a bit easier by using indicators to show which thing is better or worse compared to your existing equipment, but this only uses the absolute attribute of the item. So a helmet with an armor rating of 4 and no magic is shown as better than a helmet with an armor rating of 3 that can obliterate your enemies at will. As a base determinant, this isn't bad, but it gets a lot more complex very quickly, and figuring out what you should sell or keep of all the junk you pick up is a real challenge.

Riley played the game for a while when Nana was home. I didn't see how this went. I imagine Nana spent a lot of time reading the prompts for him, and being frustrated by having to sit through another video game, even if she wasn't playing. Riley occasionally makes Nana play Lego Batman with him, which she's not a fan of. Riley says he read most of the words himself, but Nana was helping. This could be a nice gateway into Riley wanting to read for himself, not that he doesn't, but he doesn't really seek out activities that demand that he read. Anyway, Riley did reasonably well with his lizard companion, getting to 3rd or 4th level. He enjoyed killing lots of huge monsters.

I'm anxious to get back to my game as well. Torchlight was a lot of mindless fun when I played it on the PC, and I want to see what awaits me at higher levels than what I was able to achieve there.