J6, the miniatures game...

Well...it's Presidents' Day.  Or...Washington's Birthday as I guess the federal government actually recognizes it, but also a day to remember the contributions of other past American presidents.  So, it's the perfect time to point out this interesting little pursuit out there in the world.

NPR ran a story yesterday about a pretty cool collision of art and gaming: Fight for America! is a wargame hosted by a Brooklyn-based art nonprofit called the american vicarious.  It is a reenactment/gamificaton of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, in seemingly amazing 1:64 scale detail.  (I'm stealing all the pics here from the NPR article, which used images provided by the american vicarious.)

Participants are divided up into the Red Team...

...and, of course, the Blue Team...

...and a GM dressed like Uncle Sam guides them through the day...

The NPR article does a really good job of leading the reader through one person's experience as they attempted to find Vice President Mike Pence with the rest of their team.  A slight spoiler alert: They do find him, and then the fact that they vote on whether or not to hang him to close out the game is...well, a little chilling.

I'd like to believe that there's power in gaming that really could help us recognize what it's like to be in the shoes of those with whom we disagree.  That chance for empathy is one of the (many) really cool things about RPGs in general.  There has to be a LOT of unexplored space to use games like this.  I'm a little bummed I missed the test runs in NYC last month, but I hope to catch it when it returns to the States sometime after a run in London starting June 8.  You can check out the Fight for America! website here.

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Have I really put two political posts on here in less than a week?  Is this even a political post?  I was tempted to tie it into the gaming I usually talk about by writing out some sort of feat or item that helps a character wield a flag as an improvised weapon.  But...for obvious reasons...nah.  (Plus, why not take the "high road" while also artfully taking credit for such a horrendous idea by mentioning it...?  It's my blog, I'll take the win/win whenever I can...)

Y'know what, it's Presidents' Day, so I'll just end with a quote from George Washington, from his farewell address written to the American people in 1796.  It sure seems to fit today's topic; he's writing about political parties here...

However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

There's a "last straw" joke here...

I generally try to avoid making this a political blog.  I think most people who know me know how I stand on political actions that systematize the harm, belittlement, or marginalization of other people (Americans or otherwise), especially those who are most vulnerable.  It's simply(?) not what we should be doing as humans, and we have the resources in the United States to behave in a way that considers both the implied purpose of the government (to act in the interests of Americans) and affirm the humanity in all others.  And that's why I'm so depressed about political stuff at the moment.

That is to say...I do recognize that there are bigger concerns at play right now.  However, this thing I'm gonna point out today is just a good old WTF phenomenon.  For those outside the States, or those within that understandably haven't caught everything in the whirlwind of actions and orders we've seen over the past few weeks, this is currently a page at the White House website:

It is admittedly a cliché, but I actually had to double-check to make sure this wasn't satire.  You can read the full fact sheet for the executive order here.  And another cliché...yeah, it is hard to believe this is the timeline we live in.

It isn't clear yet how sweeping this declaration will prove to be (although it sure sounds pretty sweeping), so I can't really comment on that.  And overall, I'm not looking to get a bunch of comments that are either pro- or anti-Donald (not that I have a tendency to get a bunch of comments on anything🤣).  I certainly have people very close to me who support pretty much every decision this guy makes, and they probably have an argument for why this was necessary.  I mean...hey, maybe Joe did go too far in his persecution of plastic straws.  But this is a real government document...😅

I'm sure there's a productive discussion to be had about the best approach to our straw use and its environmental implications.  I don't think this is it.

Anyway, I made this item so the characters in your games never have to deal with the indignities we've faced drinking fast food soda here in the US:

+1 Paper Straw of Drinking

This item appears to be a typical paper straw made of thin cardboard.  However, it is enchanted such that its user gets a +1 bonus to all drinking checks (even better than plastic!).  In addition, it won't dissolve or get soggy in liquids intended for drinking (not even hot ones) no matter how long it soaks.

If lost or discarded, it will decompose naturally in 6d6 days.  (For comparison in your game, plastic straws take 15d20 years for similar decomposition.)

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Ugh.  I feel dirty writing about anything this "political," even something so...silly.  Who knows if I'll even keep it up here on the blog...?  I don't know, but surely there are others out there who will similarly appreciate the absurdity here...

The first annual Monstrous Matters year-end awards...

...because I may as well pretend like my opinions are that important!

2016 is about to close out.  Here are some random reflections.

First, the non-gaming stuff:

WTF Event of the Year - The United States Presidential Election

I get that some bad stuff went down this year.  The entertainers who died got a lot of coverage.  On the world stage, the situation in Syria is pretty depressing.  And on a personal level, there was a tragedy in my hometown that people in a community that small aren't used to dealing with.

But when people around here talk about 2016 just needing to end, I can't help but think that a lot of it comes back to the U.S. election.  For what it showed us about American politics.  For what it showed us about lingering division in the country.  For what it showed us about the power of media (which we'll be sorting out for a long time to come).  And from my perspective (although certainly not from the perspective of a number of people I know and love), for the outcome.

Seriously, America.  What in the actual fuck.

There's really not much to say that hasn't been said many times over.  From where I stand, this was clearly the event that dominated the year.

From @DungeonsDonald.

New Song of the Year - Michael Bublé's "Nobody But Me"

Now, on to a happier note.  I'll admit that I don't really hear enough popular music to make a truly educated choice here, but when I hear a song that blows me away like this one did (and in such a genre-agnostic way), it oughta be recognized:

I couldn't find an easy link to the performance on The Tonight Show, which is the one I first heard, and which actually got to feature Black Thought of The Roots in the rap breakdown (rather than the trumpet solo above, which is also great), as on the album.  If you can find that one, it's definitely worth checking out!

Song That Would Have Been New Song of the Year, Hands Down, If It Had Been Released Several Months Later - Kendrick Lamar's "Alright"

Thank you to Atlanta community radio for letting me hear this song.  I make no claim to the emotions expressed therein, but I know they held a lot of power in the political climate we experienced this year.  It's also just a great song.

And now, for the games!

New Game of the Year - The Black Hack

In the OSR community, new games drop on a pretty regular basis.  It's kind of what we do, and it's a trend that lends itself to spreading one's attention all over the place.  So, when a game like David Black's The Black Hack comes along and gets people brewing and buzzing with such a central focus, it's worth paying attention to it.  Heck, I couldn't resist hacking it myself.

It also works as game, and it's a lot of fun!

RPG of the Year - Lamentations of the Flame Princess

James Raggi's game of Weird Fantasy is one of the real success stories of the OSR.  My buddy Ted has been running an awesome campaign using a bunch of the published LotFP adventures, which has helped to keep me connected to roleplaying in a busy year and given me a pretty good feel (I think) for the game's themes.  Check it out (you probably already did, long ago)!

Non-RP Game of the Year - Bohnanza

Yeah, these are just personal awards, so this one takes the prize by sitting idle in my game collection for about 15 years before making a leap to family favorite when it was pulled out of the closet on a whim this year.  I think this one has great potential as a "gateway game."  You gotta love "The Bean Game!"

Bohnanza on BGG

So...there we are!  Despite some struggles earlier in the year, and the stresses of the fall (as noted above), I have to say that I've actually had a pretty outstanding end of the year, and I hope you have, too!

Big thanks to all who have stopped by this little blog and become friends over the course of 2016.  I really appreciate being a part of your community.  Best of luck to everyone, and I'll see you in 2017!

5 days to go

See more from @DungeonsDonald.

Dungeons And Donalds

I realize I'm not "on Twitter," as they say, but the important stuff seems to find its way to the web.  How have I missed that this is a thing?

You can check out @DungeonsDonald here.  Good stuff.