My seven year old son and I have been enjoying playing a new board game together. This is a new game from Wizards of the Coast called Wrath or Ashardalon a game based on Dungeons and Dragons.
The game is about a team of heros from one to five that travel into the Firepeak mountain for many adventures. My son's favorite hero is the Half-Orc Rogue named Tarak. I usually change up my hero from game to game sometimes I am the Dragonborn Wizard or the Human Cleric.
What is interesting about this game and how my son plays it is that he introduces a lot of "role-playing". When he attacks a monster, it isn't just roll a dice, he sometimes acts it out or tells me what he is doing. "Dad, I'm gonna use my crossbow and shot this monster then run over here."
I am a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and role playing as I love to wander around in my imagination. My son is now bringing me back into those fantastic adventures as we play this game together.
Pokemon the Card game has come back into my life full swing. My son and I are enjoying playing the game as well as going to the Pokemon League events.
He is the youngest player having just turned seven. As his father it is so much fun to see him play and have a good time interacting with people all ages.
I think his desire to play Pokemon has assisted in his effort to learn to read and do math. The rule was he will need to be able to play a game on his own knowing what his cards do and his opponents. The skills he needed was to be able to read and interpret what the reading mean. Also he needs to be able to do math adding and subtracting damage done to Pokemon.
I was a big fan of Pokemon a long time ago, even playing it with my wife. It is fun to have this game back in our life and it is bringing us much enjoyment.
For those of us that have fallen in love with the Apple computers it seems there has always been a big disconnect between using a MAC computer in the office versus using one at home. (Unless you are graphics designer).
Here is a list of commonly used programs that will run just as well on a MAC as they will on a PC in your office:
1. Microsoft Office – Microsoft Office for MAC 2011 is fully compatible with other versions of Microsoft Office and now even includes Microsoft Outlook
2. Email – Office 2011 includes Microsoft Outlook which is one of the best email clients that will interact perfectly with your Exchange 2007 or higher mail server. Older versions of Exchange can use Entourage which is a part of Office for MAC 2008 or lower
3. Network login – A MAC computer can join a Windows domain just like a PC to take advantage of your domain security
4. Printing – Any printer that can be setup on a PC can be setup on a MAC
5. File Sharing – Network shares can be setup easily on a MAC so you will be able to share files on your networks
What won’t work?
If you are running specialty applications like Electronic Medical Records, QCC, manufacturing software, etc. You will have to contact the software vendor to find out if they offer a MAC client. If they do not then you would have to either go without of find alternative ways to access those programs. (Coming soon to a blog near you)
I am very excited my son and I have been playing a lot of Pokemon. He is turning 7 and really getting the hang of this game. It is so very fun to battle him.
Soon we will be taking our gaming to local hobby shop for league play. I think this will be very fun however I am not sure how he will react to playing other people and how they will react to him. But you never know until you try. I know he can play the game and I told him to just focus on having fun. Can't wait!
One of the things I really enjoy about table top gaming is the finished product. When I can put a fully painted army on the board it just invigorates my gaming. As I build up my Retribution for Templecon I can field a fully painted force, but not yet the one that I want (which keeps changing). So I have been trying to get on myself to turn out the painted units and be done.
Recently I finished my full unit of Sentinels with the unit Commander and as I said prior I get so motivated pushing those little painted soldiers across the table. My painting skills are not even that terrific, they are good enough to be on the table and they make me proud.
Even having my new fully painted Malifaux crew makes the game to me that much more fun. I see it as the time and energy I put into my miniatures to make them look good and I am proud of that.
So I will ride this wave to hopefully get all my painting done for Templecon, now off to the table.
The new hotness in my life on the gaming front is Malifaux. Last year at Templecon I had the pleasure of seeing the D6 Generation run a Malifaux demo. At this demo I won a Gremlins box set (starter set) Fast forward 8 months and I have fully painted the Gremlins and played in my first game of Malifaux.
I bought the rule book as I decide what faction I want to purchase as the Gremlins would not have been my first choice but who can argue with free! The book has an interesting mix of telling a story then mixing in the rules and game mechanics, then continuing the story line. I really like it and it is helping to decide what me next faction is, Lilith or Victoria's.
So it does seem that I am off and running into a new game but isn't that what all us gamers do.
I really enjoy the card mechanics of Malifaux as it does not use dice. I would recommend this game it is really fun.
I hear lots of talk from many podcasters as they plan for Templecon in February 2011. I need to get ready myself. So what am I going to need and what am I going to do?
After talking to the wife it looks like I will be there Friday and Saturday, heading home on Sunday morning. I will need to come up with some lists for tourneys, make sure everything is painted, get signed up and registered.
I am also a Press Ganger for Privateer Press so should talk to the events coordinator on how I can help out if needed. I also really want to bring my Malifaux team and get a demo and some games in to learn that game.
Templecon has become the premier event in the world for Warmachine/Hordes and grows bigger and bigger every year. It is so cool that it is only an hour from my house. Can't wait to go.
