Gaming

When I say gaming I don't just mean video gaming. Actually, I do very little video gaming comparatively. Let me tell you about the various game I do:

Board and Card Games: I have a lot of baord game around the house, and I frequently go over to friend's houses to play board games, since most games are made for more than one person. My favourite games are Ascension (a deck building game), Takenoko (a game about panda's, bamboo and the weather) and Betrayal at House of the Hill (a game about exploration of a haunted house). Of course these are not the only game I play, but a selection of my favourites.

Tabletop Games: The classic example of which is dungeons and dragons, which I do play, but not as much as other systems. Take a Game Master, who comes up with the plot and challenges, six or so players with character sheets and dice, sit around a table, add pizza (or food or choice) and you have a very good evening lined up. The main system of tabletop that I play is the World of Darkness, by White Wolf. It's like the normal world, but things really do go bump in the night, from werewolves and vampires, to changeling and demons, you can play them all. I also play in a rogue trader campaign, which is in the Warhammer 40K universe. Doesn't matter what system, it's all really good fun around a table.

Video Games: I do actually play some video games, although I tend to watch other people playing them more (we only have the one big TV between four people, we have to share it). The last console game I played was Dragon Age, trying to get an import I like enough to take through to Inquisition which will be coming out soon. What I do play a lot of is World of Warcraft. I play a druid healer, and thoroughly enjoy yelling at my raid every Wednesday evening, telling them to stop being idiots so we can kill this boss.

Live Action Role Play: This is a bit like amateur dramatic, in that you have a character (and often a character sheet) but instead of sitting around a table, you dress up, act, talk, and basically become that person (hence the acting part). This can take a lot of different forms, from local games with a few players, to massive games where 2,000 people go and camp in a field for a weekend (and indeed that was what I was doing last weekend). There are two main different types: combat and non-combat. Combat LARPs use fake weaponry, specially crafted swords and other weapons, including NERF guns, and you physically hit the other person to resolve combat or other conflicts where acting and talking is not appropriate. The other type is non-combat and uses card or dice as a resolution mechanic instead. Both are fun, both are awesome, both make for some really good stories with lots of other people being involved.