Wow. If there's anything that kills my urge to sit down and write more than sitting down and writing all day, I don't know what it is. But here I am after a day's work, realizing "oops, I left this space open and didn't fill it". So, here's a quick update on what's going on in my life--at least in game terms.

First, I'd like to point people to GamePro's Pro vs. Pro: Vietnam, which, as you may know, is a subject that is very close to me. My piece is a cleaned up version of what was a very angry rant a few months ago, but it's the other parts of the debate that are interesting anyway.

With that out of the way, I'm currently gearing up to get back into the swing of having leisure time again. I'm getting Knights of the Old Republic back from my friend on Wednesday, and at the same time he and I are also planning a New Year's trip to Japan, for Comiket and general hijinks.

Meanwhile, one of my roommates, who works at EA, recently hooked us up with Madden NFL 2004. While I haven't played a football video game since NFL2K1, and had sworn that I would remain loyal to Sega forever, I've always enjoyed the Madden series, an on-and-off relationship dating back to the halcyon days of the Genesis. Besides, I told myself, ESPN NFL Football comes out in early September, so I could always just pick that sucker up if my free Madden wasn't working out.

Well, I'm currently the owner of the World Champion 49ers, having wrested Jerry Rice back from the evil clutches of Al Davis, and I have to say that I'm enjoying myself. While this, like all other football games ever, is susceptible to "finding the money play", and the Niners' money play has been the quick slant plus the YAC since 1981, it's a cinch to beat the computer. When I actually learn how to play defense, maybe I'll be up to playing against other people. But time will bring that around.

But what's really been sucking up my leisure time lately have been good ol' pen and paper RPGs. You know the kind, the ones that the Dead Alewives made fun of so well in their "I attack the darkness!" skit.

On that note, let's start with D&D. I started playing THAT back in grade school, thanks to a certain cousin who has asked for my autograph before. And I've been an addict on and off ever since, with almost a decade and a half of fantasy RPGs under my belt. And, for certain (New York Times Bestselling Fantasy Novel by a certain man I used to write letters to back in 6th grade) reasons, I've always played a ranger in the first D&D game with a new edition. Did it in 1st edition, when the followers rules could net the Ranger a baby copper dragon, did it in 2nd edition, did it in 3rd edition where the Ranger got the hairy purple shaft, and I'm about to do it with edition 3.5, where the ranger has been restored to his rightful glory. Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

But whenever I get angry at the many design mistakes of D&D 3.0 (goddamnmonkgrumblegrumble), I just turn to Spycraft and let out a relieved, happy sigh. Spycraft, the D20 RPG of espionage and underworld dealings, happens to have the best design of any level-based game out there. There's always a reason to take another level of a class, there's always a reason to start as a class instead of another, there's no reason not to pick up whatever class you like due to no multiclassing penalty... in other words, I love it to pieces. My current game may be breaking up, but if things work out I'll have another group together in no time. And I'll still be the Pointman, because Pointman is the coolest class in any RPG, like, ever :)

Until next time!