A lost part of the Hobby revived!

    I recently was able to participate in something very interesting, that as far as I'm aware hasn't been done since around the time I was born (the mid 1980s).  If you read the old gaming magazines it was something that anyone who went to a Gaming Convention between 1975 and 1985 would have been familiar with, even if they were not brave enough themselves to test their mettle at it... The Competitive D&D Tournament!

    I'm not the only one who's been fascinated by the idea of turning what most people would say is a "game you cannot win" into something not only competitive, but with indisputable scoring that clearly demarcates the winners from the losers from the dead.  Polyfamous, the founder of the Living Urf Gaming Club, recently put together a tournament module for the elite players of this most auspicious digital club.  To further ensure fairness in a way that Gaming Conventions of old could not, instead of all three teams being run simultaneously, Poly is running 1 team each week.  The three teams the club put together are:

1) The Globo Gym Purple Cobras: Jake, Nekro, Matthew, and myself

2) Generation X: Brig, Josh, Rdubs, and Krafty Matt 

3) [Team Name Undecided]:  Snufkin, Rump, Hollyfelled, and Angry Steak

    The session would be played using Barrows & Borderlands, the teams were given 4 Level 6 character types to choose from (and could run multiples of the same type if they so chose), and 200sp to buy equipment for the trek from the Barrows & Borderlands equipment list.  The 4 character types available were: Sword and Board Fighter, Musketeer, Cleric, and Werebear.  The Goals/Scoring for the Tournament are as follows:

1) Each team has 3 hours to complete the dungeon, for each minute early they finish all players will receive 10 points

2) For destroying the source of the Undead 1,000 points.

3) For sanctifying the shrine of the Dungeon 500 points.

4) For each Artifact of Vakhar recovered 250 points.

5) Each point of value of Gold recovered from the Tomb will be worth 1 point (and can be divided as the surviving players see fit).

 

    Since the tournament is still ongoing, I won't give too many details about how the Purple Cobras tackled Vakhar's Grief, but will give some highlights (things may be changed to not give my opponents an unfair advantage from reading my blog).  The Purple Cobras decided to compose our team as Golden Locks/White Goodman the Cleric (Jake), and 3 Bears named Lazer (Matthew), Blazer (Nekro), and Me'Chell (myself).  Our thinking was to have the three ridiculously strong bears be the hammer while the Cleric stayed back to heal up the frontline as required; due to their strength we also reasoned that the bears could take the hit from any traps we encountered and still be dangerous enough if we encountered a room full of skeletons.

    We entered the tomb, Jake as the only character in human form, was our caller, Nekro and I were both mapping; to keep the pace of play moving Poly was rolling all the dice.  We were logical in how we followed the trails from room to room, always barring any spare doors, doubling back to investigate them later.  On the first level we encountered a spooky but ultimately harmless bedroom, a couple of monsters hiding in plain sight, a few nasty surprises and traps, and after a few times investigating the same area, the stairs to the lower levels of the tomb.  Once down in the bowels of Vakhar's Grief, we followed the snaking corridors to an ornate throne room that was suspiciously empty.  On our guard against the standard tricks, we went forward to investigate an ornate throne covered in jewels and gold relief work, our mapping indicated a possible hidden room behind the throne.  Blazer volunteered to use his bear strength to push the throne aside to see if there was either a trap door beneath it or a pressure plate under it that would reveal the treasure room; little did we know there was one last trick of old Vakhar to guard that secret door and when Blazer pushed on the throne he activated a cloud of gas failed his save and died instantly.  Unfortunately for us Blazer was also the one carrying the Bag of Holding with all our loot and gear in it, at this point my mic had been muted (a train had passed earlier and I had forgotten to unmute myself) so my idea of having one of us grab the dead Blazer by the feet and drag him from the cloud of death was unheard by my teammates.  Jake decided that since he had on a Ring of Protection that gave him a bonus to Saving Throws, he would attempt to retrieve the Bag from the dead Blazer's neck; unfortunately he also succumbed to the deadly cloud.  At this point it Lazer and I could either run for our lives and admit defeat, or screw our courage to the sticking place and attempt one last time to recover the gear of our departed friends.  Lazer leapt forward and by the barest of margins dragged out the lifeless Cleric and Bear; and because many of the items we would need to complete our quest were located in that bag and too fine or small for massive bear paws to wield Lazer changed back into his human form donned the dead Cleric's armor, weapons, and gear.  By the time the change was completed the cloud had dissipated and a small staircase was revealed, we struck a torch and went down once more into the darkness, found a landing, and another set of stairs going up into the void on our map.  Once we reached the top of the stairs we found a hoard of gold, gems, magical items, and a large Skeletal Warrior guarding an evil font; surely the animated remains of old Vakhar himself!  Me'Chell rushed in and tackled him in a bear hug, and while Vakhar was pinned Lazer ran forward to dump a couple vials of Holy Water into the font then turned to help me bring down the large skeleton.  After a tense combat, Vakhar had been vanquished, and the shrine had been sanctified.  Now we needed to find the source of the Undead; we returned to the throne room and looked at our map, there was one door we had seen but hadn't investigated.  We returned to that door and read an ominous inscription on the frame; the room contained terracotta warriors arranged in ranks, and in order to cleanse the energy infused in them by an ancient Necromancer we must cast the "Divine Arm-Launched Exploding Device of Great Holiness" in amongst them, destroying them all, and once destroyed the Undead throughout the rest of the tomb would drop lifeless to the floor.  So I knocked open the door as Lazer began the ritual, hurling in the exploding device, we took cover on either side of the door; a great light burst forth from the door-way and a shriek was heard throughout the Tomb that quickly transformed into complete silence, "so silent you can hear your own hearts pounding in your ears."

    Goals completed, we retraced our steps and escaped the Tomb, with 40 minutes to spare; the Purple Cobra's final score was: Matthew and myself as the survivors 3315 points each (we had elected to split the treasure evenly), Jake and Nekro 2500 (for what of the adventure they completed before death).  It was a fun evening and the pressure of not only trying to complete all the goals, but also explore the dungeon and find as much loot in 3 hours was a great challenge and I totally understand now why this was such a common thing at Gaming Conventions in the first decade of the Hobby.  It really does push you to the limit of your abilities as a gamer, but that's not to say the whole experience was nothing but meta-gaming knowledge; there were plenty of opportunities to roleplay thanks to some of the inhabitants of the Tomb that Poly put in there and paying attention to the descriptions he gave allowing us to solve some puzzles (or how keeping good maps allowed us to find the treasure room and shrine).  If you have a Club full of Elite Gamers, you should try to put together your own tournament to see who is the best of the best and can crown themselves Club Champion!

Player report from BunkerStein 1945

     A couple weeks ago, I was able to join Dragons Beyond's impressive historical "Bunkerstein", here's my report of what transpired and the pros and cons of this very fun evening.  The setting for the game was an infamous Bunker in Berlin during April 1945.  I had previously been committed to another event that evening, but when things fell through on the farm (as so often happens) my schedule changed and I was able to make the time-slot work out.  Coming in at the last minute I was given a list of historical personalities to choose from to play as, I picked the one I am most familiar with the head of the German Navy, Admiral Karl Doenitz.  My goals were as follows:

"1) You have two U-boats standing by to take AH and his entourage to an unassailable fortress known as Base 211 in Antarctica; you must convince AH to head to Naval HQ in Northern Germany.

2) Should AH turn suicidal, ensure you are designated the new leader of Germany; do not let Himmler, Goering, or Krebs get the job.

3) If needed, once aboard the U-Boat you can perform a marriage at sea for AH and EB.

You are aware that Speer has not implemented a scorched earth policy as directed, he may be an ally."

    The layout of the Bunker was a series of interconnected rooms, with the exception of the Main Hall they all had occupancy limits, most of the players started unarmed (and with the cramped quarters of the Bunker it was nearly impossible to have a fight or murder take place without everyone in the game quickly becoming aware).  In order to pass through the various voice-channel rooms, you followed the map, using Joshuagaxian Space as pioneered in SpaceStein.  The referee informed us he would be in the Cloak Room channel solo-playing a game that recreated the defenses of the city, but to send him a DM if we needed adjudication or had special messages to send out over the radio in the Switchboard (such as requesting that Navy HQ prepare 2 U-Boats for sea).

    The game started quickly with a marriage between AH and EB, I was ordered to go make some wedding soup in the kitchen, while AH quickly took other players into the Operations Room to discuss various things.  One by one people would filter into the Kitchen to see how the soup was coming, I spent considerable time in there talking with various players, trying to suss out who could be trusted and who needed to be taken care of if possible.  After about 15 minutes the soup was ready, and several players found various excuses to not partake of it (fearing poison or other foul play).  As AH kept slipping away with people for private one on one chats, it became apparent that several factions had started to emerge.  Bormann and Speer were forming some sort of plan to get AH away with them, the SS were forming plans to pull him under their wing and influence, Goering was trying to do the same and using the Luftwaffe to bring a plane in near by for us to escape to.  I was able to bring some over to the idea of using the U-Boats to escape and conduct a guerilla war in exile from our secret base, while the SS wanted to flee to the Alps to continue fighting from there.  As the night proceeded and the Soviets drew nearer, AH grew increasingly unhinged, issuing non-sensical orders and rambling on and on about time-flux machines, I knew something must be done or the madman would ensure we would be trapped like rats by the Soviet menace.

    After we had received word that the Reichstag had been captured, I and one of the slighted SS generals made our move, we knew that Goering had become close with AH, and cornered him in the main hall.  We drew our pistols that had been acquired searching various rooms in the Bunker during the preceding hours and gunned him down where he stood.  The commotion soon brought the rest of the players in, and we came up with the cover story that he had become traitorous and tried to threaten us into his plan to kidnap AH and sue for peace with the Allies.  AH had taken my accomplice into the Cloak Room for questioning, Speer had gone to the Generator Room to get supplies for our escape from the city (with Goering dead I had managaed to convince everyone that from reports I had seen that the way to the Alps was untenable, the air was cloaked with Allied planes, and the safest route for escape was to go North to Naval HQ and escape by U-Boat).

    Shortly after Speer disappeared the lights went out, and a rush of air could be felt as he made his way through the crowd and exited the Bunker in the confusing dark.  The rest of us fumbled for flashlights, and I made my way around the wall to the door to the Cloak Room where I hoped I could convince AH to name me his successor before putting him down as well.  Unfortunately for me, AH didn't buy our story that Goering had turned traitor and was waiting for me to see if I would confess to my lie.  I drew my pistol as he drew his, my shot rang out and winged him in the arm, his wild blaze of fire in the dark forced me to retreat.  I fell back into the entryway of the Bunker and into the arms of the guards who promptly arrested me.  By this point the other players were able to convince him that we couldn't leave, the lack of power was possibly from Soviets near by.  They had heard Goering call for an airplane to land at the Tiergarten, but when we arrived it was over run by Soviet troops.  We quickly rushed from block to block North and West through the falling city and AH announced he would be shaving his trademark moustache to help avoid detection by the Soviet soldiers, where the Ref was using the results of his boardgame to determine what if anything was around.  And eventually we made it across the river to the "safety" of the NW suburbs.  At this point we'd been playing for a few hours and the ref asked AH to make a decision about the prisoners (myself and my accomplice); I was able to successfully plead my case that he needed me to get to the U-Boats, as he was now unrecognizable, so we could escape a crumbling Germany and that my shot had been in startled self-defense not an assassination attempt.  We quickly piled into a truck and headed to Naval HQ, the game was over with a couple dead, 1 missing in the City (Speer), and a small handful on the run to parts unknown.

     In the wrap-up discussion after the game, a couple players mentioned that they would have felt more comfortable if they'd known more about the people they were playing, and we all agreed that due to excellent roleplaying it was hard to get time alone with AH; especially as he became more deranged no one wanted to step on his toes, earn his ire, and be ordered to certain death.  One of the most unique aspects was the time keeping mechanic, where the ref played a solo-game so none of us knew how close things were to ending with all of us losing by the Bunker being captured (really kept the tension up) and once we escaped we didn't know where in the city was safe, making it all a tense guessing game to try and get out (very immersive).  The other interesting and new (to me) mechanic the ref came up with after learning from Josh's SpaceStein was to outsource to the players the searching of rooms; if you were looking for something that might be reasonably found there you had a 1-in-6 chance of finding it (i.e. a knife in the kitchen, or rope in the store room), if it was something less likely to be found (like a pistol in Bormann's office drawer) it was a 1-in-12 chance, each round of searching took 10 minutes of real time, meaning that it was possible you'd be caught in the act by other players.  The set up factions were well done, and figuring out who you could turn or who you could trust and how to get them alone to discuss things away from prying ears was an interesting challenge (greatly helped by the room occupancy limits).  All in all a fun evening was spent with friends playing what is probably the most controversial "stein" that will ever be run. 

On Wargames Campaigns & Weekly Sessions

        Recently, I've been playing a Discord Wargame Campaign, being run by Capt. Hook, using the rules from Tony Bath's "Setting Up a Wargames Campaign".  On the Ferrnus Isle, three years ago, six colonies were laid down by two competing peoples for dominion over the isle.  This post will be a combination AAR of the game so far from my perspective as a player, and musings on how such a game can be used to benefit your ongoing RPG game.

    To start, Hook drew a map for us to fight over, with 6 inlets for our exploring parties to land at and begin our colonies, divided into two factions the Greeks and the Vikings.  The next two campaign years were split between exploration (gaining new territory) and expansion (promoting growth amongst our population).  This was all the prep needed for us to begin the game proper, which is divided into 12 months of 3 weeks, with each week in game taking a week in the real world.  

My version of the Isle of the Ferrnus, made in MS Paint so that I can mark it up as I see fit.

 

 

 

The Ferrnus Isle at the start of Year 3; the Purple is the Greeks, the Red the Vikings

    All inter-player communications are handled through the Referee, as well as all orders for our domains.  Each player is in control of the leader of their colony (the Thane for the Vikings,  the Delos for the Greeks), we can improve our colony, raise troops, train to improve them, conduct raids or wars, spy on our friends and foes, the possibilities are endless.  There is a nice bit of roleplay going on in the communications between the characters, and the fog of war is thick.  Not only do we not know where the various armies that have been raised are moving and planning, we don't even know if the couriers we've sent have arrived or have been intercepted by bandits or worse (the enemy)!

     So far we are about to begin the 2nd week of the 3rd month of the 3rd year, and already things have heated up.  I am controlling the Jarl of Sommerheim and leader of the Viking expeditions (and for OpSec purposes what I write from here on out may or may not be the truth), which is located on the Western Coast sandwiched between two Greek Colonies.  In the first month armies were raised, roads and defenses constructed, units began to train their way up from Levies into true soldiers.  Regular contact has been had with the Vikings on the South Coast, but no one has heard from those on the East Coast.  Rumors of bandits abound in the lands, but whether they are true bandits or enemy raiders no one knows for sure.  During the end of the 2nd Month, the Delos of Aidos (the Greeks in the NW corner of Ferrnus) sent a raiding party to burn and loot a village on the border of our realms, those raiders were quickly captured and dispatched by my Cavalry patrols, and with proof in hand of their vile treachery War was declared between our people's (which allows all participants to recruit a larger percentage of their population into the army).  The troops of Sommerheim are marching to the border with Aidos, leaving some men behind to look over the border with our Southern neighbor Poryphyrachora, lest they try to squeeze us in a vice.  And so stands the situation as the 3rd month drags on...

     Which brings me to the second half of my title.  This type of campaign (weekly/monthly orders/turns with adjudication by the referee) is a perfect backdrop for adventuring.  The Jarl of Sommerheim would give anything to have an assassin infiltrate the court of Aidos or the enemy camps, have a thief steal the idol from their temples causing heartache amongst the people, have an adventurer lead a small band to attack their supply lines and communications or safeguard an important message to his allies and ensure it arrives.  Especially if the timeline for orders were to be expanded from weekly to monthly, that offers a lot of room for a friendly DM (either the referee or someone in his club) to run games in the same shared region, with each game style impacting and influencing the other.  Can the adventurer dodge the moving armies?  Can the Delos really be trusted or is the party being used as a patsy?  Will the theft of the artifacts from the temple cause the wargame player to divert precious military resources to recover them or will he take the morale penalty amongst his troops?

    The interactions and possibilities are near limitless, even more so when more players are taking part in the wargames campaign.  Is the general of the army of Sommerheim as loyal as his player claims to be?  Is there a grand conspiracy amongst dissatisfied generals/thanes to overthrow the Jarl?  Which side will the party choose?

     I know you're thinking, "surely, Hoot, this is too ambitious an undertaking for myself and my humble band of friends!"  To that I respond, yes it is ambitious, but it's not impossible!  The founding of our shared hobbies were built by clubs (both formal and informal) and friend groups; and with the internet it is easier than ever!  Arneson and Gygax lived 300 miles away from each other, and through the USPS were able to conduct grand campaigns on the scale of rulers and armies (both the historical and the fantastical).  With Discord, e-mail, twitter, and blogs; it's easier than ever to contact friends in far off places!  All it takes is one friend who's interested and willing to run a wargame campaign in the style of Bath, Featherstone, Arneson, and Gygax; and keep you informed as the DM to the state of the world, as you must also keep him informed if the party manages to steal that idol from the temple.  

     What are you waiting for... the banners are raised, the armies are marching, and adventure calls! 

In SpaceStein no one can hear you scream...

    This past Saturday (June 28th) at 7pm Central, I was fortunate enough to participate in Josh's SpaceStein.  When he originally posted about it, I wasn't very interested for two main reasons: 1) I'm not much of a sci-fi person and 2) I had never played Traveller before.  After a bit of light badgering I acquiesced and dove into the rules to get myself ready for the game, and I sure am glad I did that, it was one for the ages!

Enter Lt. Hootonius

      The first character I rolled up wasn't much, but had some interesting potential.  A 2 term veteran of the Space Navy, he was intelligent, educated, a social climber, but relatively weak, undexterous, and average endurance.  On his second term he was commissioned an officer and promoted to Lieutenant, but on his re-enlistment had been politely but firmly told his services were no longer needed; I imagine he made some dreadful error that forced him into early retirement.  He left the Navy with 55k Credits, a Blade, and skills in Computer-1, Gunnery-1, and Auto-Pistol-1.  He was contacted by P. B. Ricks to join the crew of the Sun Shredder, a small courier vessel on it's way to URF Station to locate some missing packages, in exchange for the passage Hootonius was asked to code up an anti-hijacking program to make sure that the passengers aboard didn't try to steal the ship.  On the voyage in, a distress signal was picked up, and a lone survivor was brought aboard, due to lack of space in the Sun Shredder he had to spend the rest of the ride to URF Station in the airlock.

    As we traveled to URF Station, we reached transmission range and picked up some unsettling rumors about our destination: corruption, dying miners, skilljackers, the works.  Hootonius also received an encoded message from my employer, the Tharsis Corporation, informing him of his goals once aboard the station, which if successful would land him a lucrative job with the company: 1) Find the Golden Spore and escape with it; 2) Find the Designer Combat Drugs; 3) Do not allow anyone to connect Tharsis to the dead miners or skilljackings.  I was also informed that there would be other Tharsis operatives aboard to help me in achieving these goals, they were to be identified by correctly responding to the phrase "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." with "Now get your ass to Mars."

    We soon arrived at URF, and upon disembarking were met in the Hangar Bay by other Travellers as well as the officials of the Station.  Marshall Garrick Stone (SNUFKIN) confiscated all non-bladed weapons and informed us of the rules of the Station, he then took the players with Medical experience to the Med Bay to get their opinions on some of the recently deceased miners.  The rest of us filtered over to the Casino and various other interest points in the Station.  Almost immediately upon arriving in the Casino, the two Barons had begun a spat amongst themselves over standard aristocratic non-sense.  Baron von Weltraumsfelsner had insulted the honor of Baron Kane, calling him an upjumped peasant, satisfaction was demanded and the two squared off with blades drawn to defend their personal honor.  Those of us in attendance were quick to lay wagers on who we thought would draw first blood, Hootonius had his money on the Teutonic Titan Weltraumsfelsner.  After several rounds of thrusts, parries, ripostes, and narrow misses; the eager spectators doubled down on their bets against these two equally skilled opponents.  At last after several minutes of exciting fencing, Baron Kane went wide while Weltraumsfelsner's blade found purchase in the meat of Kane's thigh, the duel was ended and Hootonius several hundred Credits richer.  Baron Kane non-chalantly adjourned to a table, his leg still bleeding, as he nursed a space whiskey and waited for a medic to attend to him.  He briefly talked with P. B. Ricks and discovered that he too was looking for something, a package of some sort, perhaps he was also on the hunt for the Spore and the Drugs, maybe even an ally or at worst a possible patsy.  The excitement having died down, Hootonius decided now was the time to begin snooping around the Station, but first he needed to recover his Auto-Pistol from the Marshall's Office so that he could use the silencer he had concealed in his uniform to eliminate any one who got in his way.

    He successfully picked the lock to the Marshall's Office, but neglected to close the door behind him, and inside he saw three weapons lockers and tried his hand at opening them, searching for his confiscated pistol.  He picked open the middle locker and saw the Marshall's Weapons cache for deputizing the station, 4 shotguns and 4 blades... too conspicuous.  Next he tried the right hand locker, and as the tumbler slipped the faint smell of high explosive powder wafted from the lock.  Hootonius decided against turning himself into a fine pink mist, and went to open the left hand locker, the tumbler slipped the locker door cracked open when he heard steps behind him... Lance Corporal Sneed of the Space Scouts.  Panic-stricken, Hootonius laid every line of bullshit he could think of, trying to explain away the obvious, that he was up to no good.  He somehow managed to convince Sneed that he was simply scared after Guy Vickers had made some statements about wishing to brawl in the Casino, how Hootonius was a frail man and no match for the Army Veteran so hoped to be able to defend himself with his pistol if needed.  Sneed took pity on Hootonius and allowed him to leave on the promise that he would stay clear of Vickers and any trouble, Sneed also promised to keep quiet about Hootonius' poor judgement and indiscretion, but declined his offer of a drink at the Casino instead staying behind to guard the now vulnerable gun lockers in the Marshall's Office.

    Flustered and unsure of how to accomplish his goals of eliminating any threats to Tharsis without his silenced pistol, he went back into the Casino.  P. B. Ricks approached him, asked to speak in private, Hootonius followed him to a back room of the Casino.  Ricks informed him that he thinks the package he is looking for is somewhere on the Station and that he's assembling a team to find and recover it.  Knowing that there were other Tharsis agents aboard, Hootonius decided to test the waters in his thick Space German accent, "have you ever herd ze story of ze zwei astronauts who vere locked out in ze airlock?  Und von says to ze other, very funny now open ze pod bay doors, Hal?"  Ricks looked puzzled and certain he didn't like where this was going "uh no man, never heard that one..." as he opened a bag revealing a shiny helmet inside, slowly drawing it from the bag.  "Are you one of zose, how you say... Psykers?" Hootonius asked nervously.  "Nah man, I thought you might be one... look I don't think this is gonna work... keep your distance from me... I'd hate to have to do something I'd regret after that work you did for the Shredder on the way over here," Ricks said in his jive accent.  Ricks left Hootonius, surely spreading the word amongst his team that I was not to be trusted.  

    Dejected, worried his cover had been blown, Hootonius finished his space whiskey, wondering who could be his contact.  It struck him that the Station Manager Gustav Fehlinger was a representative of Tharsis Corp, and surely would be informed that agents of the company were coming aboard to search for the Spore and Drugs and help cover up the for the dead miners and skilljackings.  He went into the hall to search for him, walking past the Marshall's Office, where Sneed still stood, now armed with an Auto-Rifle and a badge.  "Herr Sneed, I see you have been deputized, I zank you for your discretion over my foolishness." Sneed responded curtly, "yeah I haven't told anyone yet, but the Marshall's looking for whoever broke in here, it'd probably be best for you to go fess up before he finds out."  "Ja a gut idea, zank you," Hootonius replied, as he finished his sentence in came Fehlinger who began inquiring something of the Deputy; Hootonius was too distracted to pay attention, trying to figure out how to get Fehlinger alone without arising the suspicions of Sneed.  "Herr Fehlinger, may I have un moment of you time, you represent Tharsis yes? I have something to discuss with you, if you please."

    The two adjourned to the now empty Casino, Fehlinger rambling about the goings on of the Station, the trouble with the miners, his fast talk only punctuated by constant sniffles, his eyes darting around as a man possessed by the finest uppers a man could acquire on such a remote station.  "Herr Fehlinger I need your assistance... but first I must ask you, have you herd ze tale of ze astronauts on ze airlock?  Vhere one says to ze other 'Please open ze pod bay doors, Hal?'" "Ja," responds Fehlsinger, "un ze other says 'now get your ass to Mars'?" "Genau," says Hootonius excitedly, "I need  your assistance in recovering my veapon from ze Marshall's Office... I have been zent to assist in keeping things quiet about ze dead miners... I have an auto-pistol in ze lockers, but my silencer is in my pocket... it vill make zings easier for me if I have it... as you can see I'm not a strong man," Hootonius informs the Manager, hoping he'll be able to use his influence on the Station to allow Hootonius to recover his pistol and complete his mission.

    "Unfortunately... he refuses to do anyzing vithout orders from that Dummkopf Marhsall... but perhaps we can over power him... zere are zwei of us und only ein of him," Fehlinger responds.  Both men have blades and a plan is formed, a risky one for sure, but the chance of success seems good, surprise is on their side.  However, no sooner do the two men reach the ajar door of the Marshall's Office, than Fehlinger words drip with menace "zis is your last varning, Sneed..."  As soon as the word's leave the Manager's lips, Sneed levels his Auto-Rifle sending a hail of gunfire toward the two men.  Hootonius doesn't have time to even react before the bullets tear into him.  He and Fehlinger are unconscious and bleeding out when a crackle comes over a concealed communicator in Fehlinger's pocket "Fehlinger.... we have found it...".  As soon as the message ends, Sneed gives both men a coup-de-grace and their worlds fade to black.

Enter Sir Reginald 

    Hieronymous bid everyone a good game and good night after the death of his character.  I was intrigued to see what would transpire, Josh told me to roll up a new character and wait for goals and instructions, he would be waking from cryo-sleep in one of the ships and would re-enter with late arrival Leon Harvey.  During the battle in the Marshall's Office the Free Trader Ferigno had been discovered listing off the Station, it's crew apparently massacred.  Sir Reginald's goals would be: 1) Find out more about the hijackers and bring them to justice; 2) Find out what happened to the Ferigno, if it is functioning, make it aboard as a crewmember; 3) Locate the Golden Spore and escape with it.  The quickly generated character I rolled was of average strength and dexterity, but with low endurance, certainly no brawler; he was reasonably intelligent, well educated, and of minor nobility (a Knight), he served one term aboard a Merchant where he was made 4th Officer, he had skills in Bribery-1, Medical-1, and Piloting-1, 25k Credits and an Auto-Pistol, Blade, and Dagger.

    He stepped out onto the Hangar Bay where Lt. Hyades was waiting, guarding the Sun Shredder.  Ricks had obviously informed him of Hootonius' intentions and Sir Reginald was immediately threatened (NOTE: in a game where Disguise Kits are on the standard equipment list, when rolling a new character remove your gamer handle to avoid situations like this), it took lots of convincing and some minor cowardice to convince Hyades of my story, no words would do and when he threatened to Reginald harm, he ran as fast as he could to the Marhsall's Office to turn in his weapon passing by a crowded and excited Casino.

    In the Casino, I tried to regain my bearings, it seemed much had transpired between Hootonious' death what felt like moments before and now.  Sir Reginald introduced himself to the assembled players and bought a round of space whiskey, claiming it helped "put the lead back in his pencil" after a long sore cryo-sleep in low passage.  Soon Ricks entered with some others who had recently returned from the Ferigno, and rumors started flying as to what was transpiring on the listing ship.  Apparently something had wiped out the crew and damaged the main drive, but otherwise the ship was in decent shape and could be limped to a repair facility.  Sir Reginald inquired about if it had been hijacked, and was informed that some form of poisonous gas had killed the crew aboard, possibly a leak from the damaged jump drive.  Discussion in the Casino also turned to salvage rights, and Guy Vickers claimed to know a guy in the the next sub-system who could scrap it.  Sir Reginald, however was convinced that it could be made good and if the proper paperwork was acquired, made a legal trader again.  Sir Reginald made an offer to Ricks, if the Ferigno was salvageable, the two could go into a partnership, expanding operations from just the small Sun Shredder to include the larger cargo ship.  Ricks and the recently returned men soon left to discuss the findings with the Marshall and others more knowledgeable about the rights of salvage and repair down in the Engineering Bay.  After they had left, Sir Reginald realized there was a man here in the casino who could help his newfound goal of ownership of a Free Trader, the Baron Kane!  He quickly inquired about the Baron writing out a space affidavit attesting to the status of Ferigno as an abandoned hulk and placing it's title into my hands for transport to a repair facility and if no claimant was found to the ship, my eventual ownership!

    Sir Reginald soon took leave to head down to the Cargo Bay and see if another Ship's Boat was available to head out and investigate the Ferigno for himself, it gnawed at him that something about Ricks' story wasn't adding up quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  Why would there be such damage, what could've caused it, why was Ricks seemingly so secretive about what he saw up there...

    When he entered the Hangar Bay, a fight was in progress between Inquisitor Eilon Mux and Reginald Feathering PhD, it was clear Feathering was done for, he quickly hurried on to Cargo to not invoke the ire of Mux.  There he was able to find another Ship's Boat, and quickly other's joined him eager to see the Ferigno for themselves and escape from the threatened decompression of the Engineering Bay.  So much for secrecy.  In his new company was Baron Kane, Medic Kane (no relation), Lt. Col. Cooper, and Lt Col. Max Force, they floated out to the listing Ferigno and once aboard investigated the ship.  Mysteriously empty and despite the jump drive relatively undamaged, Lt. Col. Force went below to investigate the Cargo Hold and see if there were any more clues to Ferigno's fate or traps laid by the hijackers/previous crew.  

    While waiting for his return they saw a bright flash in the darkness of space, the Sun Shredder had jumped from the Station, and they received a hailing beacon from the Puddle Jumper (the Ship's Boat of the Sun Shredder).  Upon making radio contact with the Puddle Jumper, they learned that the Sun Shredder had been hijacked by Mux, and they were set adrift in the Puddle Jumper.  Sir Reginald convinced Baron Kane that not only was it within his power, the right and proper thing to do was for the Baron to write a Space Letter of Marque, commissioning the listing Ferigno as a privateer.  They hailed the Puddle Jumper, eager to bring them aboard and tell them the good news for their bad situation, Ferigno would put into the nearest repair station and upon completion of repairs would hunt down that bastard Mux and retrieve the Sun Shredder!

    Unfortunately, such the happy reunion soon turned sour.  Unbeknownst to Sir Reginald and his companions, during the first trip out to the Ferigno, Ricks had made a terrible discovery... the previous crew was not killed by hijackers... they were eaten by Space Monsters!  One of those monsters had taken the form of the Ship's Cook, and had turned the unsuspecting Ricks and his investigators into one of their kind.  Ricks, Vickers, and the other recently rescued monsters made quick work of the Ferigno's new crew, converting each one in kind.  Still hungry for more victims, they concocted a plan... URF Station was hailed, but locked down and would not let anyone from Ferigno aboard.  One of the monsters (I believe Max Force) had found the Golden Spore aboard Ferigno and offered it to the Station in exchange for our weapons (under the guise that we were not monsters, but wished to leave the system on the trail of the Sun Shredder).  Still no dice from the valiant defenders of the Station, and it too jumped from the system.  Our plans dashed, Space Monster Baron Kane informed us that we should steer for his home planet and feast until we were fit to burst, from there we could spread our evil race across the galaxy to any unsuspecting victims, converting the strongest to increase our ranks!

     And so ends our tale, Inquisitor Mux ignominiously and cowardly retreated from the system, leaving it in the hands of a Xeno scourge.  Baron Weltraumsfelsner, LCpl. Sneed, and Marshall Stone had saved the station and hailed as heroes of the local mining populace.  The rest of the cast had been converted into ravenous Space Monsters intent on taking over the sub-system, with nothing in their way to stop them.  Only the dead could say they now knew peace, things would be forever changed in this tiny remote corner of the universe.

     

Boot Hill & Braunstein: Escapades in Norazona

     A couple Saturdays ago, the members of the Living Urf Club™ got together in Discord to play a game of Boot Hill in their alt-history setting of Norazona.  The game took place in a small town in Missouri.  There were three local characters and a band of disparate drifters; the locals were Sheriff Bass Armstrong (played by Hollyfelled), Reverend George Stuart (played by Night Danger), and the proprietor of the local watering hole the Golden Slipper Saloon Jeremiah "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe (played by myself).  The drifters were: Frogan "Nutcracker" Zappa (RaptorJesus), Zan Van Gief (Polyfamous), Sam Slater (Jake), Seabass Johnson (Joshinyu), Barnum Bailey (StDewd), Cody Flynn (nekrodvna), and John Marinier (Intanius). 

Jeremiah "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe

    Before the game began the Referee (Crom) sent out objectives and goals to the players and any information they had on the town and eachother (which was little). My objectives as the Barkeep were as follows: 

    I had talked with the Referee and decided that the Golden Slipper would be home to a Faro table, as well as allow players to play Poker amongst themselves at the other tables in the establishment.  I had also been contacted by Barnum Bailey to see if I would allow him to host a Knife Throwing contest, which sounded like fun so I readily agreed (for a 10% cut of the entry fee, obviously). The night began with a handful at the Faro table, a few in the back throwing knives, and a few of the brawnier drifters out in the streets wrestling.  I received a note from the Referee that one of my employees had overheard Barnum talking about the mysterious package, but I was so caught up in the Faro game (and keeping track of the various cheaters) I forgot to respond.  I was able to call out Sam Slater for moving his bets after the cards were drawn (he had a 9% chance of being detected at cheating) and John Marinier was also doing suspiciously well but before I could call him on it he removed himself.  Only one player was consistently at the table and obviously not cheating, Seabass Johnson.

    After about an hour or so of gambling, Zan Van Gief came in and called all the players wussies for not wrestling out in the streets like real men. The gamblers and bar flies quickly filed out to watch the fights and make some money betting on the contestants.  All except one, the affable and obviously trustworthy Mr. Johnson.  He asked me if I had heard anything about robberies in town lately.  I responded that I hadn't heard of any robberies but there was some mail that had been delayed, possibly due to nefarious means.  He asked what it was and I responded a package was sent by a friend to me that had not turned up, but a letter had asking if I had received it.  He said he had received a similar letter and asked if we could adjourn to the back room to discuss this privately lest the wrong person walk in off the street and overhear us. (Note: this was all happening in various Discord Voice channels, the Saloon, the Streets, and the Outhouse were the only open channels that you didn't need permission to enter)

    We stepped in back and he asked to see my letter.  I showed it to him and his eyes lit up, I hoped due to him being one of the drifters I was seeking.  Instead he responded by grabbing me, putting me in an arm lock and before I could defend myself with my knife, had not only subdued me but drained me of my blood! Seabass Johnson was a Vampire! (As soon as "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe was killed, I minimized the Voice Chat, saw in the General Chat that Frogan had been knocking on the door for several minutes; had I seen it earlier, Oglethorpe may have lived!)

    The Referee allowed me to roll up a new Character, Little Tex, a drifter who was given 2 Goals: 1) Collect $200, 2) Live.  Little Tex rode up in to town, and his first stop was the Sheriff's Office to deposit his firearms (the town had enacted an ordinance against firearms being carried), from there he headed over to the Golden Slipper to see what he could learn about the area.  He arrived to a scene of chaos; while I was busy rolling up a new character and getting my new goals Slater and Bailey had gone into the back room of the Slipper to discuss something and stumbled upon the shriveled husk of "Turkey Creek".  Bailey had gone to get the Sheriff, and Slater was hypothesizing on what could have done this to the poor bartender, one by one the Players and the Sheriff entered the bar and we began discussing who the culprit of this grizzly crime could be.  The Sheriff then told us all to follow him to his office where we could discuss this further and lock up any suspect(s).

    Back in the Sheriff's Office we continued to eliminate suspects based on their alibis and as the focus narrowed in on three men, Seabass Jackson who showed up late to the street fighting, or Sam Slater and Barnum Bailey working together to accomplish the crime.  I bit my tongue, as a newly arrived drifter, and Bailey was put in the holding cell, Slater was eliminated as a suspect based on statements from one of the other players (I believe it was Marinier). While we were debating whether it was prudent to lock up a potentially innocent man with whatever monster had drained the poor bartender, Seabass threw a wrench in the works and accused Cody Flynn of robbing Van Gief while he was knocked out after the street fight.  All eyes turned to Flynn as he was asked to empty his pockets, but he had an ace up his sleeve; earlier in the evening he had contracted Frogan to watch his back just in case something like this happened.  Everyone began to surround Flynn, Frogan pulled a stick of dynamite from his boot, allowing Flynn a chance to escape.  As soon as the dynamite was produced and the fuse lit, a chorus of announcements in the voice chat of "I'm pulling a derringer from my pocket/sleeve/pants" flurried out.  Frogan was gunned down by Slater who was the fastest draw, Marinier stamped out the fuse, and while the debate resumed into Seabass' guilt or innocence the newly Deputized Van Gief took off after Flynn (chasing him through various voice channels until he holed up in the Church for a minute to plan his next move).  

    While this chase was going on, we decided that Seabass was just as likely a suspect as Bailey, but it would be inhumane to lock up an innocent man with a crazed and deranged monster.  Bailey would remain in the holding cell and Seabass would be shackled and taken by Slater (now also deputized for putting the madman Frogan down) to the County Jail a few blocks away.  Van Gief burst in letting us all know that Flynn was on the run last scene stealing a horse and heading out of town.  Little Tex agreed to join the Sheriff in the chase, while Van Gief guarded Bailey, Slater walked Seabass to jail and Marinier decided to hang back for an unknown purpose. We were hot on Flynn's trail and got a few miles out of town before realizing that Flynn had stolen a random horse and we weren't sure if we could catch him, our Referee made a quick roll to determine the quality of the horse and unfortunately Flynn had stolen a prized thoroughbred and we couldn't catch up.

    As we turned back to town empty handed the Referee informed us we could see the glow of fire coming from places in town; Flynn must have set them to cover his escape!  As we got back onto the main street, we heard shots ring out; the Sheriff ordered me to ride ahead while he covered me with his rifle.  I got out front of the Sheriff's Office to see Van Gief, Slater, and Seabass who was no longer shackled standing over a bullet ridden Marinier.  They explained that Marinier had attempted to bushwhack Slater and Seabass on their way to the County Jail; Slater had uncuffed Seabass so he could defend himself more easily, while Van Gief had arrived at the sounds of gunshots and fired into Marinier from an angle he wasn't expecting killing him.  We all walked back into the Sheriff's Office, Seabass was able to argue that the attempted hit was exoneration for himself and that the real killer must be Marinier (who also happened to be the most ardent advocate for Seabass being the murderer).  The Sheriff went for his keys to unlock Bailey and shots rang out from Seabass and Deputy Van Gief killing the Sheriff and wounding Bailey.  I reflexively fired at Seabass with my derringer hitting him twice, but both wounds can't take down the undead.  Slater holds his fire.  At this point a Mexican Standoff begins with Seabass on one side, Slater and Little Tex on the other.  Seabass offers to let Little Tex leave and take Frogan's body with him (a wanted criminal with a $1,000 reward), Slater agrees not knowing if he can trust the newcomer and presuming he can beat Seabass on the draw.  I don't think I stand much chance against a scattergun at this range and take the offer, keeping my eyes on the other two and back to the door, I drag Frogan's body out throw it over the back of my horse and leave the burning town to collect my reward (both of my objectives had been completed!).

    I stuck around in the voice chat to hear what comes next, Van Gief announces he's a vampire and lunges at Bailey, Slater fires on Van Gief.  Van Gief is down.  Seabass sends a hail of bullets into Bailey, killing him with the first round (a headshot).  It's now one on one.  Knowing that the monster is down, but assuming that Seabass is in cahoots; Slater turns to fire at Seabass.  Before he can squeeze the trigger the vampire is on him and lands a killing blow sucking the life out of Slater's veins.  The town burning down around him Seabass grabs his wounded and unconscious partner and drags him to safety.  Flynn has escaped (and revealed he had the sought after package), the vampires lived to fight another day, a pile of bodies are ready to be consumed by the funeral pyre of the burning town, Little Tex has escaped and will be $1,000 richer.  At this point its a little after 2 a.m., the game is done, but many of us stay on til 4 a.m. discussing the game and peaking behind the fog of war.  We're all hooked on Boot Hill and can't wait to play it again.  The next morning Slater's player posts this in the Discord and I heartily agree!

 

Moscow Informer - Issue 1, Summer 1900

     Greetings citizens of the Russian Empire and readers of the World.  This humble paper has been founded on the order of His Excellency Tsar Nicholas II to inform the citizens of the mighty Russian Empire of what is happening in these fast paced modern times.  The new century promises to be one of peace, prosperity, and power for Russia and her friends around the world.  We will do our best to present the news as it transpires and to the best of our abilities.

     In France, the Republic has been ended in a bloodless coup and the Bourbon dynasty has resumed its rightful throne.  His most Catholic Majesty Charles Raphael d'Bourbon has been coronated as the new King of France.  He has pledged his sacred honor to restoring France to its rightful place upon the world stage and to expand and protect the Catholic faith wherever its adherents may be found.  One of King Charles' first acts was to publicly call for the abdication of Italy's Victor Emmanuel III and to return Italy to what he declared was "its rightful place as the Papal States under the rules of the most pious and wise Pope Leo XIII;" Victor Emmanuel did not deign to dignify this proclamation with a response.  The editors of this humble paper wish King Charles a long and peaceful rule and Bon Chance in his endeavors!

 

King Charles Raphael d'Bourbon

    In England, Albert Edward has abdicated the throne in favor of his son and our sovereign's cousin George V.  Upon ascending to the throne, George V immediately dissolved the ancient Parliament to ensure a free hand in expanding Britain's interests.  George's father, Albert Edward, was recently sighted in St. Petersburg meeting with his nephew Tsar Nicholas.  Our friends at the British Court have heard rumors of support from their ancient ally Portugal, but what that tiny and rather insignificant nation can offer to aid the might of the British Empire can hardly be fathomed.

George V

 

Albert Edward and Tsar Nicholas aboard the Baltic Fleet

    Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire recently issued a cryptic message concerning a new ally of the Sick Man of Europe, a group calling itself the CONWHDIOSORS.  We have been unable to identify this unnamed ally, most certainly a group of radical fundamentalists.  This announcement was met with a response by George V: "it is in the best interests of Western Europe to move beyond the internal rivalries of previous centuries; a divided West is vulnerable to the pet vultures of the Old Turk."  Strong and wise words from a magnanimous man who clearly only desires peace and prosperity for all Europeans.  Rumors from our Orthodox friends in Constantinople have indicated a possible move by the Mohammedeans to make one last show of their fading empire, extending control over lost lands in North Africa and across the Aegean.  Surely this attempt to extend the waning empire to the height of the Caliphate of old is more than the aging empire can manage.  We hope these are nothing more than mere rumors and that the Turks do not intend to violate Bulgarian independence or the treaty of San Stefano hard fought for and won only 20 years ago.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II

    Our most kind and benevolent sovereign recently gifted a fine hound to his cousin, the German Kaiser Wilhelm.  In recent months the Kaiser has done much hot winded saber rattling, but his goals and aims are known only to himself; our sources at the German Chancellery have not been able to provide any insight into the Kaiser's intentions for this new century.  Perhaps he is merely compensating for his weak hand, perhaps he intends to inflame the old rivalry with France, perhaps his eyes are set to loftier goals in Central Europe and the Baltic; your guess, dear reader, is as good as mine!

Kaiser Wilhelm

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was recently seen in Serbia.  Our reporters in the Balkans have reported that he met with local government and student leaders who unanimously requested the Austro-Hungarians intercede on their behalf should old Johnny Turk try to watlz his way into the Balkans.  Why they would ask a Catholic king and not send envoys to the mightiest nation in the Orthodox World, we cannot say.  Hopefully, it is merely due to proximity to the Austrians and not a slight or snub against our own beloved monarch.

 

Emperor Franz Josef

Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia

    Nothing has been heard from Italy, the last we have heard, dear reader, is that Victor Emmanuel III rules benevolently and is beloved by his countrymen.

Victor Emmanuel III

     And lastly, dear reader, news from our beloved Motherland!  Tsar Nicholas publicly proclaimed for one and all: "Let it be known in good faith and benevolence that the Bear of Mother Russia will protect & defend the integrity of her Slavic and Orthodox Cubs in the Balkans against any who would subdue or otherwise harm them!"  Whether this is a serious warning to those who would subjugate our Orthodox kin or merely empty bloviating is yet to be seen.  As previously noted, Albert the father our Britain's George V and uncle-by-marriage to our own Tsar, recently visited St. Petersburg.  The two were seen touring the Baltic Fleet in their naval finery, discussing family gossip, and the latest in naval technology.  Sources have confirmed a stream of ambassadors, emissaries, envoys, telegrams, and other communiques streaming in and out of the Summer Palace going to and from the various powers of Europe.  Our sources have told us that much of this has been idle family gossip between the Tsar and his cousins, but letters bearing the seals of the fleur-de-lis and crescent moon have been spotted in the Tsar's mail.  Most certainly nothing more than the usual diplomatic niceties, it is highly dubious that His Highness would stoop so low as to form an alliance between the infidels and the schismatics.  It has been noted that no communication has been seen originating from either the Italian Peninsula or from beyond the Danube.  Sources at the General Staff have heard of general military maneuvers and training exercises to be conducted over the Summer by the fleets at sea and the armies in the field.  The Generals are most anxious to try their hands at a new training aid sent over by Kaiser Wilhelm, a curious game meant to simulate modern warfare.  This game, Wilhelm claims, is the reason the Prussian generals won their victory over the French so quickly back in '71; in true Germanic fashion it has the precise if unimaginative name that translates to "War Game."

Tsar Nicholas II; Guardian of the East, Protector of Orthodoxy, Patriarch of all Slavs

BREAKING

 

    Just prior to printing this inaugural issue, we have seen a diplomat enter the Summer Palace bearing a fine gift, a bust of the warrior-maiden Joan of Arc.  A fine gift from His most Catholic Majesty King Charles d'Bourbon.  The diplomat spoke with our reporter saying, "His Highness instructed the Diplomatic Service to deliver gifts to all the European Heads of State to show His Majesty's good will and noble intentions to bring France prosperously and peacefully into the 20th Century."

 

The fine gift from the most magnanimous monarch in Europe!

Musings on sharing social hobbies with your kids

    This post is going to be a little philosophical. A recent comment on X inspired me to think about this over the weekend as my son and I participated in another hobby of mine, historical reenacting. This past weekend was Texas Independence Day (the 189^th Anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence to be specific). I usually spend my weekend on Independence Day down where the Declaration was signed, dressed in old timey clothes, talking about old timey things, and generally helping the State Historic Site bring those events to life for the public. The past two times I've been out, my son has joined me (although there's been a gap the last couple years as the State has been renovating the site). While he enjoys coming out and spending time with dad, I realized I enjoy it for additional reasons.

    First of all, sharing hobbies with your children not only shares the passion you have for those hobbies, but also allows for good father-child bonding moments that life may not otherwise afford. Secondly, and this is the main reason I'm writing this, sharing social hobbies with your children like reenacting or in-person tabletop gaming help develop social skills (what the BROs call social technology) that we all recognize are severely lacking in the younger generations.

    We arrived Friday night, and went around saying our hellos to the friends we'd be spending the weekend with, he was taught to shake hands and properly introduce himself. Saturday morning some other friends arrived with their kids, so while I was busy doing what he saw as the “boring things” of talking to the public for several hours, he and the other youngins entertained themselves by playing together and watching the Punch & Judy and Magic Shows (which were excellent). Once the sun set and the public left, I let him stay up a little past his bedtime (and the other kids regrettably became distracted with screens they had been forced to neglect all day) while I and my friends spent time on the porch of an 1840s farmhouse. The men entertained ourselves by drinking, talking, singing songs, reciting Shakespeare, and other manner of 1800s entertainments. I wanted him to see something he doesn't get to see much of in 2025, a dozen or so men out and enjoying each others company and holding conversations together (both in group or as quiet sidebars so as not to distract or otherwise interrupt the main discussion being had).

    We spent another night sleeping in the loft of the farmhouse, and awoke the next morning to the event being over, and everyone packing their things and heading their separate ways. Time for another important oft neglected lesson on being sociable, making the rounds of good-byes. Again, as I bid my farewells, let my friends know how good it was to see them, and inquired about when I'd get to see them again; I had my son do the same with a firm handshake (for a 7 year old) and a sincere “it was nice to meet you.” 

    Either he is incredibly unpopular (which from what I've seen at his school activities isn't the case) or there's been a massive shift in how busy we all are and the way it is impacting how we raise our children; there haven't been nearly as many birthday parties in his time at school as I remember attending as a boy (and these concepts of etiquette seem to be quite foreign to him and many of his classmates; simple things like saying “Thanks for having me, I really enjoyed myself, I can't wait for the next one.”). I know my wife and I are guilty of this as well, preferring to do family trips for birthdays as opposed to class parties either at home or a child-friendly venue.  Due to this fact, it's extra important to bring your kids along so they can acquire these vital social skills that will serve them through their lives.

    So if you take anything away from this ramble, please let it be this. Share your hobbies and passions with your kids. Take them places that allow you to put those hobbies on display, if not just for the bonding time, but also for the important social lessons that can be imparted which we all recognize are fading from our ever increasing digitized world. We can fix the anti-socialization we're seeing, but it's going to take effort, and most importantly getting out into the world, seeing friends, and allowing your kids to see you be that good example of a friendly and properly socialized human being.