Games

When I'm not in/studying for school or doing something else (eating, sleeping, surfing the 'net, etc.), I can usually be found playing a game of some sort. To this end, most of my web pages deal with games of one sort or another.

Collectible Card Games

Collectible Card Games take up much of my spare time. They combine the variety and quick, easy play of standard card games (like Fluxx or Lunch Money) and the collectibility, tradability, and customizability of trading cards (like baseball cards, for instance). The first CCG was Magic: the Gathering, made by Wizards of the Coast, and has become a very popular and profitable game. Since then there have been over 70 CCGs, some of which have been very excellent games and some of which have really sucked. The CCGs I have played with much consistency are Middle-earth, Legend of the Five Rings, On the Edge, Netrunner, Shadowfist and Magic. Others I've played include Quest for the Grail, Jyhad (now Vampire: the Eternal Struggle), Legend of the Burning Sands, 7th Sea, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt.

I spend a lot of time on the newsgroup for miscellaneous CCGs (all but Magic, Jyhad, and Star Trek): rec.games.trading-cards.misc which gets moderate traffic. It's not the place to sell, buy, or trade cards, though, as the FAQ will inform you. That's carried on in the marketplace group David Q. Spitzley has provided a convenient list of web and mainling list resources.

Board Games

I recently discovered how cool Go is. I sort of gave up on chess when I was finding that the board was too small for my tastes, but Go's 19x19 grid is big enough.

Computer Games

For all the time I spend on computers, I don't spend all that much time playing computer games. Some games I do play on occasion are Moria, SimCity 2000, Bonk!, Spectre VR, etc.

As for online games, I've made an online interactive labyrinth called MWAEZBE. I've done a little MUDding, mostly on Multi Users in Middle Earth.

Role Playing Games

In a role playing game, each player takes the part of a character or the game master. Using the immagination of the players, a story is created which involves the players' characters. Contrary to many people's beliefs, they are NOT Satanic, have no evil influence, and actually make people more creative and better at coping with people. The most well known RPG is Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, which is also the one I have the most experience with. I have also played some GURPS, which has a pretty good character creation system. I've also played some Middle-earth Role Playing. MERP seems to be a system quite inferior to MECCG, and would make more sense and be easier to understand if it were ported to AD&D with some modifications. My favorite RPG is Over the Edge, a freeform RPG set in an isle of weirdness (the same as On the Edge). I'd also like to play some/more Feng Shui (Hong Kong action films) and 7th Sea (swashbuckling).


Looking for a gaming club near you? Check out NAGCL.