OK, Geek Alert! Most of the known universe may not care, but 4th Ed is here. I finally broke down and bought the 4th edition rules for Dungeons and Dragons. I got them on sale, so I caved. I have every set ever published for this game from the "white box" to the current version. I started playing D&D in 1980 when I nieghbor "ran" me through a dungeon and I got chased by a Geletenous Cube. I spent the rest of the summer trying to get him to let me play again. Then it was club, groups and friends, all the way up until now. I can safely say I am here today because of what happen that one summer years ago.

IMHO, the 2nd Ed rules were the most complex, since they were an attempt to add more detail to the old Chainmail and "White Box" rules. I think the 3rd ed rule and later the 3.5 Edition rules try to make things easier for people to play. I still think it takes a certain mind set to be a roleplay gamer. Although, I did notice 3rd ed was eaiser to adapt to computer games.

My current groups seems to hate the 4th ed rules, but I can see some good things in the mix. In just a quick browse of the caster classes, it seems the rules have moved to spell lines and a less restrictions on amount of spells cast. Net effects is fewer spells per class, but you can cast them more frequently. I haven't looked at the others because I like caster classes. Technomage....get the hint...

Maybe I'll start up RPGA again....

If you had told me a month ago I would have a GPS, I would have said "Why?". I commute 80 miles to work everyday, but I've done the route for close to 20 years. I think I have it down by now and I can read a map. I'll admit those Tom-Tom things look pretty cool but I don't need it. Then one of my students mention Geocaching in one of my classes. I looked up the site and bookmarked it for later viewing.

The High Priestess has been talking about doing some more "family fun" stuff over the Memorial weekend. OK, I remember this site and suggest "Treasure Hunting" with Geocaching. I always do a dry run with new things just so it goes smoothly. My experience has taught me that exposing the kids to a new activity, the more wrinkle and problem free the activity is the better the chance that the kids and the wife will like it. So I figure instead of blowing my summer budget on gas I can get some cool stuff and play close to home.

I run out to my favorite electronics store (Best Buy) and pick one of these: Etrex-Legend GPS. I take it home and set it up. Very Cool, I got something that talks with satellites in space. I know my cell phone and some of my other toys sort do this , but this is sooooo much cooler. I find my house. I walk around the house. I walk down the block. Ok...this could be fun.

Technowitch is the only one really excited about hunting for treasures. Probably because I always get the rolling eye when I hatch one of my scheme. HP kinda wants to go, but Technowiz is way behind on his school work and needs a parent to use the cattleprod on him.

I prep by downloading some cache site coordinates and maps. I find there a lot of caches close by. I could walk or bike there, but remember the "Make This Fun" rule. I pile Technowitch into the van and off we go. The first couple of site are a wash, and after some time looking we call it quits and move to another place. We come to a park I've seen dozens of times but have never entered. Technowitch takes off, I follow the GPS. We find a "Hidden" entrance to the park, and start looking when the coordinates on the GPS match our notes. No luck. Technowitch decodes the hint on the computer printout.

Bingo! We find it. Dang that cache is small. I bet you would never see it unless someone points it out. The cache is like a dead drop from a Cold War spy novel. It's exciting. I've always love hiding secret message as a child, exploring and finding hidden places. The only thing in this micro-cache is a log. Just a small strip of paper you sign to prove to everyone else you were here. We sign it and put it back.

Ok, Technowitch and I have the bug now. She calls her mom and talks her ear off. She want to go again after dinner. This time the whole crew and I go out. We look for another cache in the same park. We find it, and move to a new locations. We find two more, all places we have driven or walk by a dozen times before. This is a lot like orienteering I did in Boy Scouts and summer camp. These things are all over the place! There are close to half a million of these cache all over the world.

I won't call Geocaching a sport, but it is fun. I go buy books, a compass, and upgrade my GPS with maps for all of North America. There are plugins for Google Earth that mark geocaches, the state of Iowa lights up like a Christmas tree. I'm in heaven!

I found these games, each one is great for killing a two of minute throughout the day. You have to try at least one. Links given in order of increasing gore.

Don't shoot the puppy - Just like the name said.

Don't make Mommy cry - Eight levels of play very funny.

Thing Thing 3 - Stick figures with guns, lots of blood, and zombies. Jesus shows up on some levels. I kid you not!

The Last Stand - Great Game! Hints. Look for weapons! When you fill the peg board there is still one weapon left to find. You'll need it for the last levels. You have to survive 20 nights. Play this game on a slow computer. Trust me.

Bloody Yeti Sports - No redeeming value, but it keeps me from beating my students.

Game #6 - King's Blood

Yes, Another card game. Steve Jackson makes great games. I was hooked with ORGE, then moved on to GEV, CAR WARS, Illuminati, and Hacker. King's Blood is based on a Japanese card games of royal lines, kings, queens and birth rights. It sounds complicated but it's really easy to play and learn. Technowitch pick up the game in ten minutes and by the third game she was kicking my butt. She really likes set up the marriage and making kids. The object of the game is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. This games is almost a cross between Crazy Eights, War, and mapping your family tree. The arkwork is first rate Anime-styled images and are just fun to look at.

Game #5 – World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

I could try example this game, but what is the point. Either you get it or you don’t. I’ve played a lot of “Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games” or “MMORPGs” and WoW (World of Warcraft)is the most polished. That doesn’t mean it’s the best looking or the best graphics I mean the game is fun and playable. You can go solo. You can play in a group. Depending on the choices you make you can be playing an entire different game than the person next to you. Your experiences are personal and there are parts of the game you will never see depend on the path you choose. You could play this game for years. Blizzard just made an expansion to it…

There goes my time.

If you have ever played any of Blizzard’s other games: Warcraft (I, II, and III), Starcraft (Series), Diablo, and Diablo II. You will find all kinds of Easter Eggs littered throughout the games. The some peasant dialogue comes from Warcraft. The naming convention of treasure is the same pattern as the Diablo series, and some of the monsters look like they come form Starcraft. All that aside, the game is packed with content.

So why am I updating my blog instead of killing scores of nasties and gaining PHAT LEWT? Because the server is full of noobs (new players or low level players)! The expansion has brought thousands of new player and old veteran back to WoW. The older servers are jammed and keep crashing. I could start new characters on a new server, but I’d miss my friends.

Game #4 – The Great Dalmuti

Not a video game, but a card game. The Great Dalmuti is a cross between Gin rummy, crazy 8’s, Go Fish, Oh Hell and Musical Chairs. First played this game at a friend’s house with seven people and had a blast. You need at least four people to play and they can be as young as eight. This game has all the aspect of a great game: the rules are simple, but the game it difficult to master. It helps if you have some props too: A Crown for the Great Dalmuti, and a Jester hat for the Greater Peon. When I played this at home we used a Cowboy hat and a Jester hat with light-up balls. Beside the cards are just fun to look at!

Game #3: F.E.A.R. - Extraction Point

The Bitch is Back! and her psycho boyfriend is too. Don't ask me how. I put a bullet, actually several bullets into his brainpan. Amanda GPUs are cooking at 60 degree celeius, and the graphics are kicking. This game is quite fun, scary and short. But it was on sale at Best Buy for $20. It's about $2 per hour of play. That's OK with me.

Game #2: Battlefield 2142

I so close to being done with my Christmas shopping. Last weekend I picked up a few things for me as well during the Black Friday Sales after Thanksgiving. The Battlefield Series has come quite a long way since the start. This is one of the games that show how much fun online game play can be. Yes, you can play the whole Battlefield series by yourself, but what fun is that! Yes, AI have evolved to the point where they are close to being dangerous, but nothing compares to the sneaky bastard you find online. This Game looks beautiful on AMANDA! That being said, if you are running anything less than the current gaming computer you are missing how truly great fun this game is.

On another note I may have finally licked Amanda’s overheating GPU problem. As I stop gap I was using a house fan blowing on an open computer case. I’ve been thinking about a water-cooled system, but the idea of a leak next to my $350 graphics cards just makes me shutter. I finally found this ANTEC VCool. Made by the same company that makes Amanda’s Case. I got two of theses, one for each GPU. Amanda now has a pretty blue glow that can be seen through the side panel. Pretty Freaking Sweet!

Play the Demo: Battlefield 2142 Demo

Game #1: Dreamfall

I’ve decided to keep track of my games I buy. I must go through about 10 games a year. Some games are great and others are pure crap. Dreamfall was recommended to me by a friend I ran into at Best Buy. I’m about 1/3 of the way through, and it’s pretty good. Nice graphics, the puzzles are nice and the storyline is intriguing. The interface is a little tricky, but works after a couples hours of play.