500 Words on Travel

500 Words on Travel — Blue Ink Alchemy

We, as a species, need to travel more. I like the comforts of home. When I go away, even for a few hours to toil at a dayjob, I miss them. I miss my cat, my desk, my games, and my friends. I like being able to dip into the fridge or pantry for a refreshment I put there myself, and turning up the volume on my entertainment as loud as I like. I like pants not being a requirement. But the comforts of home to not outweigh the length and breadth of the world outside. Human beings are creatures of innovation and forward motion, for good and for ill. We are at our strongest when exposed to new ideas, new experiences, new ways of thought. We may not exist in a hive mentality like insects do, or move in formation the way birds fly as they migrate, but we do draw strength and inspiration from one another, even if the source of that inspiration is long dead. Think about the history and fables that helped to shape you. Our stories are peppered with heroes and villains, battles and debates, struggles and loss and hope and triumphs. Can you look at the long skein of human history, and tell me truly that all of it came from just one point of view, just one nation, just one continent? Is it really worth it to limit ourselves to just one point of view, just one nation, just one continent? As human progress marches on, the world has become more interconnected. Mere mortals have conquered the skies. Journeys that once took months if not years now happen in days or even less. Messages, parts of thought and pieces of our hearts and minds, traverse the world at the speed of light. If nothing else, we should be in awe of everything we have accomplished. I've traveled a bit in my time, and yet I feel I've barely scratched the surface of the world. There are so many more stories out amongst the citizens of the planet than I can really comprehend, and I want to share in at least a few of them. For me, the travel is worth the risk. I can understand folks who have fears of flying, but when a plane I'm on taxis to a runway and the engines spin up, I have to lean back and close my eyes, and when the metal tube powered by jets and human innovation escapes the bonds of the ground, I can't help but smile. I encourage you, gentle reader, to travel more. See things you haven't seen with your own eyes before. Touch parts of the world distant from your comforts of home. Eat food you're undertain of how to pronounce. Listen to the people who make their lives in those places, just as you make yours in your place of origin. Leave your comforts behind.And when you come home, those comforts will be all the sweeter.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Tabletalk: What's In A Game?

Tabletalk: What's In A Game? — Blue Ink Alchemy

As pleased as I am to see board gaming emerging from basements and grottos to become a more visible and enticing hobby, I think some people still see it as something of an enigma. The average person probably still thinks of Monopoly or Risk when 'board games' are mentioned. Thankfully, modern games provide a lot more than dice rolls to keep their action going and players coming back to the table. Let me tell you about a few of those methods.

Worker Placement

'Euros' are board games that hail from Europe, or that are inspired by the same. They lean heavily away from random chance as a game mechanic, focused more on player choice and limited resources. Gathering those resources often takes the form of worker placement, as in games such as Caylus, Notre Dame, and to a lesser extent Lords of Waterdeep. With a mere handful of representatives on the board, players must claim what resources they can to achieve their goals before the game ends. That's another feature of euros - many of them have limited turns, adding pressure to the puzzle presented by the board. And with other players competing to complete their puzzle more completely than yours... well, you get the idea.

Deck Building

Made popular by Dominion and a key feature in games like Eminent Domain, Ascension, Arctic Scavengers and High Command, deck building games present a tableau of choices to their players, letting the participants craft their experience to their liking. The goals for the game may be the same, but they can be achieved through different means. Rather than resources being directly limited by a static board, a stack of cards can get depleted if it proves to be popular. Like worker placement, deck building games do not entertain the possibility of random chance ruining the experience, but rather use it (in the form of players shuffling decks) to spice up the game and keep players coming back for more.

Procedural Boards

Perhaps one of my favorite mechanics of modern board gaming, the type of game that features what I call 'procedural boards' places a randomized set of tiles in front of the players and has them assemble the board on which the action unfolds before them at the time of play. This can be a central board, as in Twilight Imperium, Archipelago, Escape! The Curse of the Temple, Mage Knight or Quantum, or it can be in front of the individual player, as in Galaxy Trucker or Suburbia. Not only does this provide the charm of being different every time, it can also allow for other game mechanics to be layered on top with little difficulty. Archipelago, for example, uses worker placement as well as a procedural board, and Mage Knight has elements of deck building. What other aspects of modern board gaming do you enjoy?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Game Review: Transistor

Game Review: Transistor — Blue Ink Alchemy

Big budget studios love their hype machines. They see their customers as fuel for mechanical devices that print money. They choke the causeways of industry news with information on pre-orders, exclusive editions, the latest innovations and "ground-breaking" technology, sometimes before we even get a screenshot of the game in question. Independent studios tend not to do this. The only pre-order benefit that Supergiant Games provided for Transistor was the soundtrack to their game, and if you know anything about the studio, you know that they didn't need six different exclusive editions to win us over. They seem to have this crazy idea that solid design and powerful storytelling alone are enough to sell a game. Welcome to Cloudbank. It's a nice enough town. There are plenty of modern amenities from automated flatbread delivery to concert halls with plenty of seating. But for the Camerata, it isn't quite enough. They want to make adjustments to Cloudbank, on a pretty massive scale, and to do this, they have unleashed the Process, an automated vector for change. Voice have risen up in opposition, and one of those voices belonged to Red, a prominent singer popular in Cloudbank. Their attempt to silence Red forever is only partially successful, and while her voice is gone, she manages to escape with seemingly the only means to stop the Process and defeat the Camerata: the Transistor. When I talk about wanting to tell stories that draw in the audience, interactive storytelling, or getting into the gaming industry, it's games like Transistor that I have in mind. With a minimum of exposition and even dialog, Supergiant Games conveys an emotional and thought-provoking story that feels deeply personal. I still adore their first title, Bastion, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Red, as a character, is more fleshed out and more compelling than The Kid for reasons I have discussed at length - her personality shines through in her actions and design, and rather than being the blank slate many video game protagonists are designed to be, remains her own person making her own decisions from beginning to end.
Red's found herself some trouble. Another advantage that Transistor has over its predecessor is the combat system. While Bastion was frenetic in its fights, player choices coming in weapon selection between arenas, Transistor offers players a robust system for dispatching the Process. The abilities provided by the Transistor have a surprising amount of depth and customization, allowing Red to mix and match what its primary abilities can do and how she benefits from the functions it hosts. The Turn() system is also shockingly flexible, in that it can either work similar to the pause function in FTL as a break from fast-paced real-time action or pushes the game towards more of a turn-based experience. You (and Red) can either stay out of the ethereal wireframes and bash heads as quickly as possible, or you can take your time to plan a perfectly executed combo, or you can mix the two to your liking. Rather than a mere set of mechanical tools, the options in Transistor are more like dabs of paint on your palette, allowing you to participate in the creation of this work of art. It provides you with just as much agency as Red is given, pulling to further into the world of Cloudbank. I do not use 'work of art' lightly. Even if the combat wasn't extremely well-realized (it is) and the story wasn't absolutely flawless in its execution (it is), Transistor would be a treat for the eyes and ears. The richly painted and noir-inspired pseudo-future world of Cloudbank is offset by the austere white of the Process, and the wide streets and empty chairs and benches throughout the city make the experience feel very lonely at times, further underscoring the struggle Red is undertaking. Enemies each have unique appearances, abilities, behaviors, and challenges, and the Transistor's attacks produce striking effects as it takes them apart. Logan Cunningham's voice work remains top-notch, the uncertainty and pain of the Transistor's voice making the narration far more immediate and intimate than that of Rucks in Bastion, as good as that was. The music, as written by Darren Kolb, adds another layer to the world we're exploring, and hearing Red hum along with it underscores the haunting beauty of the entire experience.
You seriously cannot tell me this game is not a work of art. There's no multiplayer. No imposed social media or proprietary platform functionality. Supergiant Games isn't interested in bilking their players for money or regulating their activities. These are talented and passionate folks interested in telling good stories and making great games. With Transistor, they have knocked it clear out of the park. The art is magnificent, the music is electrifying, the combat is exciting, and the story is compelling and engrossing. It hits all of the points to make for an unforgettable experience. With a New Game plus (or 'Recursive') option, unexplored permutations of Functions, and a world this breathtaking and characters this fully realized, there's no reason not to enter Cloudbank yourself. Transistor is one of the best games I've played in a long time, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Informing Through Action

Informing Through Action — Blue Ink Alchemy

I have many, many good things to say about Transistor. I'm processing my thoughts for a review that will go up tomorrow, but my immediate takeaway was that Supergiant Games have done it again. They've shown how coherently and completely a story can be told in the medium of video games, with a bare minimum of exposition and dialog. In Transistor, they also demonstrate how effectively one can characterize a silent protagonist through action. More often than not, silent protagonists are conveyed to us through the reactions of others than anything else. They tend to be blank canvases for the player to project themselves upon. Other characters, mostly in first-person games - Garret in the Thief series, Master Chief from Halo, etc - gain more of their own character from the occasional line of dialog, opting for the taciturn badass mold of protagonist. Not so with Red. Her voice stolen by the Camerata, she cannot speak for herself. But despite being silent, and our protagonist, Red is very much her own character. Throughout Transistor, Red pulls the titular sword-like device around her as if it's quite heavy. Yet, she pulls of flourishes with it, tossing it up in the air to catch it as she runs. Her initial pose not only allows her a good range of motion with the weapon, but it can be off-putting to foes: they may think she is too weak to use it effectively, only to be surprised when she enters Turn() to bust some heads. She hums, either along to the music when in Turn() or holding the Transistor, as well as short vocalizations when she sees something in Cloudbank the Transistor wants to tell her (and us) about. Despite the loss of her voice, Red refuses to be completely silent. This is also evident in the terminals scattered throughout the game - the roles of which I will not spoil here. Finally, in the Backdoor hub for the 'bonus' portions of the game, there is a hammock, and after using it, Red yawns and dabs at her eyes, a gesture that speaks to someone used to a refined and maybe even posh lifestyle. Her life might have been thrown into upheaval, but Red refuses to let go of herself, allowing time to breathe in the midst of the chaos. All storytellers, not just video game designers, could benefit from Red's example. She informs us of who she is through her actions. Nobody tells us that she's this smart or this stubborn. It comes across in what we are shown. The guys at Supergiant are not in the habit of explaining much of anything in their games at first; players discover more about the world and the characters through play rather than through cutscene. Brevity, it is said, is the soul of wit, and it's also helpful in conveying a story in the most effective way possible. If your characters have agency, and you're allowing them to change and grow as your story progresses, you're well on your way to this effectiveness. Building on the foundation of agency, you'll want your characters to come across to your audience through actions, possibly more than words. The more speech you cram into your character's mouths, the less story you'll actually be telling. While it is occasionally okay for a character to be long-winded as part of who they are, or needing to explain something to someone else, for the most part, our conversations are relatively short. We do far more than we say. Your characters should be no different. There are a lot of things to take away from the experience of Transistor, many aspects that other game designers, even for big publishers, would do well to emulate. One of the strongest is this method of conveying character through action. I may reiterate this point in my review, but Red feels like a person, with her own life and thoughts and emotions, and this pulled me even deeper into the experience. It's powerful storytelling, and in an interactive medium like this, it's always wonderful to see. Like characters in Journey communicating almost entirely through action, forcing the player to pay attention and forge connections through their own agency, Red takes on a life of her own not just because we have a mouse or thumbsticks to guide her. Her actions show us who she is. Can you say the same for the characters you've created? Art by Jen Zee

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: Outcropping

Flash Fiction: Outcropping — Blue Ink Alchemy

For the Terribleminds challenge 100-Word Stories.

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I lean out around the rock outcropping I dragged Riley behind to give us cover. I can't see the shooters. But gunfire keeps my head down. "Dave? Are they still shooting?" "Yes." "Don't get shot. It sucks." "I'll keep that in mind." Riley coughs. His hands are over his wound. It looks bad. "I'm scared." "Hang in there, Riley. Blackhawk's coming." "We shouldn't have come here." "We had orders." "I meant the war." I look up. "Yeah. We don't belong here." "I... never told you." "Never told me what?" Nothing. "Riley? Never told me what?" I look again. Riley's not moving.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on Vera

500 Words on Vera — Blue Ink Alchemy

I named my car Vera. I think it was almost 5 years ago that my old car had a close encounter of the highway divider kind. I picked up a black Honda Civic coupe from a company called CarSense, and she already had a custom exhaust and great pick-up. Considering she was the very best car I ever owned, I made a deliberate callback to Firefly and named her Vera. She's run pretty well over the last few years. I've had very few problems to speak of. But now, she's 117000+ miles into her life. I've paid her off completely. And now, she's started developing major issues. If I were to get absolutely everything fixed, I'd be spending about half of her trade-in value. I know that other cars have lasted longer than this. A lot of people put a ton of TLC into their cars themselves, extending the life of their modern chariots to ludicrous levels. I respect that deeply. And I know that older cars were built to last. They were not built to support an economy of replacement parts and second-hand labor. They were built, simply, to work, and keep working. Vera's been a companion for a long time. She's been to and from Canada several times, crossed the state of Pennsylvania, and getting to and from PAX East could have been a lot worse. She's comfortable to ride in. I upgraded her radio recently so she syncs with my iPhone, plays music from a thumb drive, and sounds fantastic. I've always liked the thrum of her engine and the roar of her acceleration. Until the last couple days, she hasn't let me down or left me stranded. She's been reliable, quick, and tough. For years she's had a dent on her driver's side. After getting wanged by a post on the way to Canada during some nasty weather, she continued to run just fine after she got pulled out of the ditch. She's worn that dent with pride. I guess there was a part of me that thought of her as kind of invincible. She even gets good gas mileage - 33 or more miles to the gallon on the highway. Not as good as a hybrid, or the Tesla I've been eyeing up, but decent. I'm going to miss her. I'm contemplating trading her in. I don't know if I can trust her for the entire drive out to Seattle in August. It turns out that even after these repairs are done, she'll develop more problems, possibly sooner rather than later. I feel like a family member has been given a medical diagnosis with a questionable outcome. I really don't know the best way to proceed. I guess I'll figure that out over the next few days. Either way, I don't think Vera will be my car for very much longer. It's been a long trip. A good one. It's had ups and downs but I've survived, and so has she. Thanks for everything, Vera. I'll miss you.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Tabletalk: The Rules of the Game

Tabletalk: The Rules of the Game — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy Theology of Games There are only a few board games that one can play entirely on their own. They essentially become very complex puzzles that you setup and solve on the fly, rather than being assembled, disassembled, or arranged correctly. Sometimes this is fine, but for the most part, you'll want to get other people involved with your games. That means, you have to teach them the rules. The rules of any given game provide the framework and nature of the challenge that game presents. They're essential to board games of all shapes and sizes. But teaching said rules does not have to be a dull undertaking that fills up time you could spend playing and having fun with tedious rules explanations that sound just short of obfuscatory legalese. Here are a couple basic tips for making a session of teaching the rules of the game not suck.

Don't just read from the rulebook.

Direct reading of rules from a rulebook to a potential player is poison to the interest in the game. While some gamers will still be fascinated by how the rules interlace or the ramifications of certain situations, new players in particular (especially if they don't often play board games) will not want to hear the dry, uncharacterized rules right from the off. That will just play up the stodgy stereotype of board games and the people who play them, and we do not want that. Instead, give the players an idea of what their options are on their turn. As much as this can lead to players being somewhat isolated in early turns, it puts their focus on what's in front of them. "So you have these cards, these pieces, and this objective in mind. What do you want to do next?" When they decide what they want to do, be it for the objective or just for fun, encourage them and show them how its done while explaining any rules involved. It gets you playing faster, it gives context to the rules, and it pulls new players in quickly.

Introduce components before rules.

The other problem with rules explanations is that it requires new players to focus entirely on what you're saying, and it needs to make sense. Dry readings from the rulebook can be very difficult to make interesting or even sensical, as some rulebooks are more reference sources than coherent reading experiences (looking at you, Fantasy Flight Games). But your board game has more than just the board and the rulebook - you have components, cards, dice, miniatures, and all sorts of things that can help your players pay attention. I can't take credit for this one. Quinns from Shut Up & Sit Down pointed out that people are actually more attentive if they have something in their hands. If they're just sitting there listening to a tutorial, they are unlikely to retain everything they hear. Give them a component, a hand of cards, or some currency or tokens, and suddenly they're paying more attention. This also ties into the previous point of giving them options for their first turn. Tying your explanation into what they're holding and what their choices might be engages them in the proceedings right from the off.

If you're going to teach it, know it.

This might seem like a no-brainer. And it doesn't apply to all situations. If you're unboxing a game for the very first time in front of new players, it's impossible for you to know the game front to back the way you really should in order to teach it. But this is likely to be a rare occurrence. Most of the time, you'll have the game before the time comes to play it. In that case, you should know it before you teach it. This will help you in not reading dry rules from the rulebook, getting new players involved, and focusing more on their opening moves than on what the rules say.

Provide personal examples.

Most people like to hear stories. Many also like to tell them. There are some humorless folks out there who don't want some silly story about emotions and morals and personal interest to interfere in their action, but that's usually more applicable in terms of first-person shooters than board games. When you're teaching a new game to people, it can be helpful to tell them some of your own experiences with it, especially if you tell them how you've lost. Not only does this help new players figure out what to avoid, it demonstrates that while you know the game, you are not infallible. This will increase their confidence and get them more eager to play the game you've taught them. And when the game is over, they'll have experiences of their own to relate to others!

Don't take my word for it.

I mentioned Quinns and his site, and he has more tips on rules explanations right here. There are also lots of folks in the comments section to provide guidance. Be sure to check it out here! Board gaming is a great hobby, and it's even better when you get more people around the table. The more the merrier may be a somewhat cliched phrase, but it's true. Even two players tends to be better than one when it comes to board gaming, and some games really come into their own when you get a great number of people playing at the same time. As much as they all need to know the rules, there's no need for learning said rules to be boring. Make it interesting. Bring them in. And before they know it, they'll know the rules of the game well enough to teach others. The cycle will continue, the hobby will grow, and more and more games will come out of the basement and into the light.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on Personal Space

500 Words on Personal Space — Blue Ink Alchemy

Today I'm taking a break from talking about stories and games. Today there's something on my mind that really bothers me. Since it's not personal, I won't be tucking it away in a note or text post elsewhere. It's going to be here, for all to see. Because not only is this bothering me, I think it's important. We all have the right to some personal space. The more we can get, the better, especially in times of trouble. Sometimes, our circumstances dictate that we only get a small measure of it at home. But public parks are always there; go for a walk or drive, find an out of the way park, wander away from the parking area, and just breathe for a few minutes. Get away. Escape, if you must. Reclaim some personal space, even if it's in the outdoors. I'm not just talking about physical space, either. As amazing as the human brain is, there's only so much room within our minds for things on a day to day basis. It can be occupied with tasks at hand, projects to complete, concepts for new endeavors, recollections of the past, and hopes for the future. It can also start to get crowded by other people. The concerns, needs, and imposition of others takes up headspace. It occupies personal space. It crowds out the thoughts we need for ourselves. We want to be there for our friends. We have moments where we are the ones in need, as well. Neither of these things is bad. It's part of human nature. But when you start to forcibly occupy someone else's headspace because you can't stand to be alone, or you're overly worried about something, you become selfish. Friends will be there for you, yes, but you can neither expect nor demand that they sacrifice all of their time and resources for you and you alone whenever you want. A legitimate, extant crisis is one thing. The anticipation of something that may turn out better than you expect is quite another. If you want your friends to still be your friends, and you want them to be there for you in the former, do not crowd out their personal space in the latter. Let me give you a specific example. You have something coming up that worries you. You contact a friend for support. This is fine. You have a conversation with them, maybe two. Sweet! But then they start not answering your calls right away. You follow up with a text, and do not get an immediate response. What do you do? If you continuously text, get angry when they do not respond, call them selfish for not giving you their attention when you demand it, and get angry when they give their attention to others instead of you, you're not only taking up their personal space, you're making a mess in there. You are decorating your so-called friend's personal emotional space with your bullshit. Be a friend. Stop that.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on Personal Space

500 Words on Personal Space — Blue Ink Alchemy

Today I'm taking a break from talking about stories and games. Today there's something on my mind that really bothers me. Since it's not personal, I won't be tucking it away in a note or text post elsewhere. It's going to be here, for all to see. Because not only is this bothering me, I think it's important. We all have the right to some personal space. The more we can get, the better, especially in times of trouble. Sometimes, our circumstances dictate that we only get a small measure of it at home. But public parks are always there; go for a walk or drive, find an out of the way park, wander away from the parking area, and just breathe for a few minutes. Get away. Escape, if you must. Reclaim some personal space, even if it's in the outdoors. I'm not just talking about physical space, either. As amazing as the human brain is, there's only so much room within our minds for things on a day to day basis. It can be occupied with tasks at hand, projects to complete, concepts for new endeavors, recollections of the past, and hopes for the future. It can also start to get crowded by other people. The concerns, needs, and imposition of others takes up headspace. It occupies personal space. It crowds out the thoughts we need for ourselves. We want to be there for our friends. We have moments where we are the ones in need, as well. Neither of these things is bad. It's part of human nature. But when you start to forcibly occupy someone else's headspace because you can't stand to be alone, or you're overly worried about something, you become selfish. Friends will be there for you, yes, but you can neither expect nor demand that they sacrifice all of their time and resources for you and you alone whenever you want. A legitimate, extant crisis is one thing. The anticipation of something that may turn out better than you expect is quite another. If you want your friends to still be your friends, and you want them to be there for you in the former, do not crowd out their personal space in the latter. Let me give you a specific example. You have something coming up that worries you. You contact a friend for support. This is fine. You have a conversation with them, maybe two. Sweet! But then they start not answering your calls right away. You follow up with a text, and do not get an immediate response. What do you do? If you continuously text, get angry when they do not respond, call them selfish for not giving you their attention when you demand it, and get angry when they give their attention to others instead of you, you're not only taking up their personal space, you're making a mess in there. You are decorating your so-called friend's personal emotional space with your bullshit. Be a friend. Stop that.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Tabletalk: The Rules of the Game

Tabletalk: The Rules of the Game — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy Theology of Games There are only a few board games that one can play entirely on their own. They essentially become very complex puzzles that you setup and solve on the fly, rather than being assembled, disassembled, or arranged correctly. Sometimes this is fine, but for the most part, you'll want to get other people involved with your games. That means, you have to teach them the rules. The rules of any given game provide the framework and nature of the challenge that game presents. They're essential to board games of all shapes and sizes. But teaching said rules does not have to be a dull undertaking that fills up time you could spend playing and having fun with tedious rules explanations that sound just short of obfuscatory legalese. Here are a couple basic tips for making a session of teaching the rules of the game not suck.

Don't just read from the rulebook.

Direct reading of rules from a rulebook to a potential player is poison to the interest in the game. While some gamers will still be fascinated by how the rules interlace or the ramifications of certain situations, new players in particular (especially if they don't often play board games) will not want to hear the dry, uncharacterized rules right from the off. That will just play up the stodgy stereotype of board games and the people who play them, and we do not want that. Instead, give the players an idea of what their options are on their turn. As much as this can lead to players being somewhat isolated in early turns, it puts their focus on what's in front of them. "So you have these cards, these pieces, and this objective in mind. What do you want to do next?" When they decide what they want to do, be it for the objective or just for fun, encourage them and show them how its done while explaining any rules involved. It gets you playing faster, it gives context to the rules, and it pulls new players in quickly.

Introduce components before rules.

The other problem with rules explanations is that it requires new players to focus entirely on what you're saying, and it needs to make sense. Dry readings from the rulebook can be very difficult to make interesting or even sensical, as some rulebooks are more reference sources than coherent reading experiences (looking at you, Fantasy Flight Games). But your board game has more than just the board and the rulebook - you have components, cards, dice, miniatures, and all sorts of things that can help your players pay attention. I can't take credit for this one. Quinns from Shut Up & Sit Down pointed out that people are actually more attentive if they have something in their hands. If they're just sitting there listening to a tutorial, they are unlikely to retain everything they hear. Give them a component, a hand of cards, or some currency or tokens, and suddenly they're paying more attention. This also ties into the previous point of giving them options for their first turn. Tying your explanation into what they're holding and what their choices might be engages them in the proceedings right from the off.

If you're going to teach it, know it. This might seem like a no-brainer. And it doesn't apply to all situations. If you're unboxing a game for the very first time in front of new players, it's impossible for you to know the game front to back the way you really should in order to teach it. But this is likely to be a rare occurrence. Most of the time, you'll have the game before the time comes to play it. In that case, you should know it before you teach it. This will help you in not reading dry rules from the rulebook, getting new players involved, and focusing more on their opening moves than on what the rules say.

Provide personal examples.

Most people like to hear stories. Many also like to tell them. There are some humorless folks out there who don't want some silly story about emotions and morals and personal interest to interfere in their action, but that's usually more applicable in terms of first-person shooters than board games. When you're teaching a new game to people, it can be helpful to tell them some of your own experiences with it, especially if you tell them how you've lost. Not only does this help new players figure out what to avoid, it demonstrates that while you know the game, you are not infallible. This will increase their confidence and get them more eager to play the game you've taught them. And when the game is over, they'll have experiences of their own to relate to others!

Don't take my word for it.

I mentioned Quinns and his site, and he has more tips on rules explanations right here. There are also lots of folks in the comments section to provide guidance. Be sure to check it out here! Board gaming is a great hobby, and it's even better when you get more people around the table. The more the merrier may be a somewhat cliched phrase, but it's true. Even two players tends to be better than one when it comes to board gaming, and some games really come into their own when you get a great number of people playing at the same time. As much as they all need to know the rules, there's no need for learning said rules to be boring. Make it interesting. Bring them in. And before they know it, they'll know the rules of the game well enough to teach others. The cycle will continue, the hobby will grow, and more and more games will come out of the basement and into the light.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Game Review: Splendor

Game Review: Splendor — Blue Ink Alchemy

Board games come in all shapes and sizes, and run the gamut from frenetic, brief bursts of simple gameplay, like Escape! The Curse of the Temple, to day-long brain-burning grand strategy experiences, such as Twilight Imperium. Some games, however, manage the tricky feat of being both easy to learn and play, and deep in terms of strategy and puzzle-like challenge. One such game is Splendor, a contender for this year's prestigious "Spiel des Jahres" (game of the year) award in Germany. Set during the Renaissance, Splendor casts its players as gem merchants, using the glittering resources to build and expand their holdings. Some of these properties do little more than feed more gems into one's pockets, while others earn the merchant prestige. Famous figures will also watch the proceedings, lending their support to merchants who play into their interests. Merchants are, of course, too refined to degenerate into violence, but that does not mean that the competition for holdings is not excessively cutthroat. You have to be smart, fast, and ruthless to earn the right combination of holdings to earn the most prestige. The holdings are displayed on cards in a tableau available to all players, arrayed in ranks from one to three. First-tier holdings are simple mines that offer no prestige but are very cheap, and provided permanent discounts to future purposes. Second-tier holdings are pricier but offer prestige along with their discounts, and top-tier cards are pulverizingly costly but bring in tons of points. The aforementioned famous figures each display a given number of holdings in certain colors, and the first player to reach that number of holdings earns the figure's prestige. On your turn, you can pick up a diverse number of gems, double down on a single color, purchase a holding, or reserve a holding by picking up a single 'wild' gem. The purchase of holdings is facilitated with thick plastic chips, each representing a different kind of gem. The number of chips is limited, and once they're gone, they're gone, at least until a merchant buys a holding.
The bank of gems: source of and solution to all your problems. A good board game does not base its core gameplay around randomization, but uses randomization as part of its setup to increase replay value. The decks of holdings are shuffled, and the patrons selected at random, before the game even begins, so the tableau presented to players is always different. The challenge, however, is always the same: how can you use the limited resources available to grab the cards you need before someone else does? Splendor's presentation, in addition to being beautiful, always challenges its players. There are multiple ways to carve a path to victory, with some players trying to go wide in their holdings' diversity while others opt for vertical collections of deep discounts to rush towards high-prestige rewards. Players bounce off of the tableau as well as each other in their quest for victory, and the game manages to combine the tension of competition with the intellectual challenge of puzzle-solving. In addition to its rock-solid gameplay, Splendor is simply pretty to look at. The art of the holdings is very attractive, their color palettes informing the gems required to pick them up. In addition, the gems themselves are weighty, large chips that clack and clatters as they move from their stacks to players' positions and back again. It lends the game an almost poker-like feel as players study the tableau the way professional gamblers study the spread of cards at a Texas Hold-'Em tournament. For all of its relatively simple design and easy-to-explain rules, Splendor provides not only a challenging gameplay experience, but a lovely one.
The holdings are just gorgeous. The Spiel des Jahres award is one of the highest in all of gaming. To qualify for it, a game has to be challenging and interactive but also straightforward enough that anybody can play it. Splendor hits all of the right notes: its concept lends itself to diversified gameplay, its rules are clear and simple, the layout is fantastic, and the design is nearly flawless. Even if it doesn't win the award, it definitely deserves a place in your collection. In a world of heaving shelves full of wargaming and sci-fi miniatures, and massive boxes teeming with monsters to slay, games like this may seem simplistic and easy to overlook, but a game this attractive, this challenging, and this rewarding is truly a sight to behold. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Too Much Story

Too Much Story — Blue Ink Alchemy

Storytelling is (sometimes literally) my bread and butter. I lean towards games with strong story emphasis. I often value story of spectacle in movies and television. I write stories in the hope they will be enjoyed by others. A question, however, has occurred to me: is it possible for a game or novel or film to have too much story? I'm not talking about the content of a narrative, per se. Multi-volume epics like A Song of Ice and Fire or The Vampire Chronicles have a lot of story to them. That, however, is the medium of novels. In films and video games, audiences tend to expect more expedient segues into the action. Front-loading the running time of such media with exposition can lead to a negative audience experience. This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with a tale that paces itself. 2001: A Space Odyssey may be a long-winded narrative that seems preoccupied with its own visual stylization, but at its core there is a thought-provoking story that is couched purposefully within those images. For all of its run-and-gun presentation, Spec Ops: The Line slowly reveals the thrust of its tale and the true purpose of the narrative without feeling rushed no matter how intense the shooting becomes. Pacing is important to good storytelling, just as important as developed characters, a nice sharp hook, and a payoff that is both satisfactory and leaves the audience hungry for more. What I mean when I say "too much story" is the aforementioned problem with exposition. A storyteller that feels they have too much story to tell, even if they don't realize that is their sentiment, will fill their character's mouths with stilted, expository dialog rather than words that inform relationships, motivations, and emotions related to those characters. The characters in your story should exist for reasons beyond the advancement of the plot. No narrative through-line is so vital that you need to sacrifice your characters' agency at its altar. In some types of games, a little expository dialog is inevitable. Role-playing games have NPCs to fill the player or players in on their quests, the world in which they live, and what's at stake. Even here, though, it's important to flesh out those NPCs, to give them lives of their own, and make the world come to life for your players. Never forget that the word character is part of the NPC acronym. Like characters in any other narrative, the audience (in this case, players) should be enabled to make connections between and towards these individuals. The more you create these opportunities, the more chances you have for your narrative hooks to sink in nice and deep, and the better the experience will be for those you've ensnared. It's never enough for your characters to tell the audience or each other how important the story that's unfolding is supposed to be. At best, this comes off as pretentious; at worst, it makes the entire proceeding drab and uninteresting as well. Man of Steel fell into this trap. It broke what many would consider a cardinal rule: Show, don't tell. Your narrative is best conveyed through action and well-informed dialog, in subtext and purposeful characters following their motives in rational ways, even if those ways are only rational to them. In narrative fiction, let your characters inform the story; in games, give your players important choices; in both cases, let these variables shape the tale's path to its outcome, even if you believe you know what that outcome should be. Even if you outline your tale from start to finish long before you type the first word of the story itself, you should give the appearance of having no idea what will happen next. Hide your structure behind the masks of characters who come to life and events that will be difficult to forget. The more organically your plot points unfold, the less they'll feel like plot points. Obfuscate the story behind its players; hide the strings upon which your characters dance. This is merely a baseline guide for narratives, of course. Sometimes, genius comes from showing the strings - Slaughterhouse-Five comes to mind. However, if you feel like your story is mired in something you are unable to discern, try removing the structure from it and letting the characters guide you, rather than the other way around. You may be surprised at what you find; you may find yourself in a situation where you simply had too much story.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: Rayo de Baja, Jr

Flash Fiction: Rayo de Baja, Jr — Blue Ink Alchemy

For this weeks Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge, we have been tasked to use one of these photos. I chose #47.

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The sun was blazing high in the sky, and there were no clouds nearby to get in its way. Traffic was far below the rooftop terrace where he reclined, tropical drink in his hand. He tried to remember a time when he was this relaxed, and he admitted to himself that it had been a very long time since he kicked back like this. He felt quite fortunate, and not just for the view or the booze. Not everyone was cut out for life in lucha libre, even among the most prestigious families. Yet here he was, reclining under the sun as a direct result of his successes in the ring. There were those who claimed it was a "young man's game," but he thought of El Santo and the Blue Demon, who fought well into their 50s and never compromised the quality of their fighting skill or their loyalty to their fans. It was physically demanding entertainment, but it still profitable for everyone involved, and it beat working at a desk five days a week. "Your pardon, Señor?" The voice belonged to Carlos, his manager. Rather than responding, he pulled up the bottom of his mask to get the straw between his lips. The icy beverage sloshed in his mouth and down his throat. "Señor, the time is approaching." Behind the black sunglasses, the luchador rolled his eyes. "Come on, Carlos, can't you see I'm enjoying one of these junkets for once?" "This is no laughing matter, Señor. You were challenged to a relevos suicida. El Trueno de Guadalajara has been training non-stop since the challenge, and you are here drinking!" He had to smile. A relevos suicida was a rare challenge for a luchador. It was a tag team match, with the members of the losing team fighting one another to see who would be unmasked. It was quite a spectacle, and the unmasking could lead to a serious blow for the loser's career. Carlos was deep into the culture, and deeply feared the shame he would gain by association with an unmasked luchador. "Do you think I am unfit, Carlos?" "I... what?" "Am I flabby? Slow? Do I, perhaps, smell of defeat?" "No, no of course not Señor, I merely..." "El Trueno de Guadalajara is a good man. A good partner. He's also younger than I am. He's less experienced. Of course he has been training like mad. He not only wants to do his share in the ring, he wants to take every precaution against being unmasked. Not to mention the honor he'd gain in unmasking the son of the original Rayo de Baja." "Señor?" "Come now, Carlos, have you forgotten? My father first wore these colors when he took the name Rayo de Baja in honor of one of his favorite luchadors, as well as our home. His career has been long and mostly unspotted. I was, and am, proud to wear the mask and carry on the tradition. Yet I am a man. Is a man not allowed to have time to breathe, collect his thoughts, and enjoy the sunshine on a day like today?" "It is for that reason I ask you to at least warm up, Señor." "Do you really think I would dishonor the family traditions in such a way?" "I simply think you should be cautious." "I chose a good partner. I have trained quite extensively myself. The relaxation was soothing my nerves before you began prattling. What more would you ask of me?" "With your match in two hours? Some stretching, perhaps?" He lowered his sunglasses to look directly at Carlos. "Carlos... do you have a cell phone?" "What?" "Give me your phone." The manager did so, and Rayo de Baja, Jr dialed in some numbers. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was gruff but polite. "Papa, it's your son." "Ah, hello! I did not recognize the number. Isn't that relevos suicida today?" "It is, in fact. I'm catching some sunshine to relax beforehand. Like you did before yours in Mexico City, what was it, ten years ago now?" Rayo de Baja, Sr laughed. "Twelve. And what a match that was! Nearly lost my mask." "I remember. Would you blame the booze?" "No, of course not! I had worthy opponents all down the line. I would never be stupid enough to let something like booze impede my fighting skill." "Do you think I would?" "Say again?" "I'm having a drink here on this rooftop and my manager seems to think it's a bad idea." "...Is this his phone?" "Yes, Papa." "Give it back to him." He did, and watched Carlos's face as he listened to the elder luchador. He couldn't hear everything that was said, but he definitely heard his father raise his voice. He took courage whenever he heard it, and he hoped Carlos would too. Or at least get shocked into silence. "Did you have to do that?" Rayo looked up. Carlos was off the phone, but still holding it. "Call my papa, you mean? No, of course not. I know my father well enough. I don't have to call him before every match." "He... asked me if I have no faith in you." "I've asked you that before as well, Carlos. Sometimes, I'm not sure you listen." "Perhaps I don't always, Señor. I apologize for that." "Let me tell you something my father told me the first time I was humiliated in the ring." He sat up. "Learn from this. Take what you feel now and let it reinforce the lessons to be found in this moment. We are only as good as our worst defeat. We can be better than that, but only if we learn. Understand?" "Yes. Yes, of course, Señor." "Good. Now get yourself a drink." Carlos pocketed his phone, nodding as he left, reminding Rayo de Baja that he should come downstairs in an hour to meet his partner. The luchador raised his glass and settled back to soak up the sun.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on Vera

500 Words on Vera — Blue Ink Alchemy

I named my car Vera. I think it was almost 5 years ago that my old car had a close encounter of the highway divider kind. I picked up a black Honda Civic coupe from a company called CarSense, and she already had a custom exhaust and great pick-up. Considering she was the very best car I ever owned, I made a deliberate callback to Firefly and named her Vera. She's run pretty well over the last few years. I've had very few problems to speak of. But now, she's 117000+ miles into her life. I've paid her off completely. And now, she's started developing major issues. If I were to get absolutely everything fixed, I'd be spending about half of her trade-in value. I know that other cars have lasted longer than this. A lot of people put a ton of TLC into their cars themselves, extending the life of their modern chariots to ludicrous levels. I respect that deeply. And I know that older cars were built to last. They were not built to support an economy of replacement parts and second-hand labor. They were built, simply, to work, and keep working. Vera's been a companion for a long time. She's been to and from Canada several times, crossed the state of Pennsylvania, and getting to and from PAX East could have been a lot worse. She's comfortable to ride in. I upgraded her radio recently so she syncs with my iPhone, plays music from a thumb drive, and sounds fantastic. I've always liked the thrum of her engine and the roar of her acceleration. Until the last couple days, she hasn't let me down or left me stranded. She's been reliable, quick, and tough. For years she's had a dent on her driver's side. After getting wanged by a post on the way to Canada during some nasty weather, she continued to run just fine after she got pulled out of the ditch. She's worn that dent with pride. I guess there was a part of me that thought of her as kind of invincible. She even gets good gas mileage - 33 or more miles to the gallon on the highway. Not as good as a hybrid, or the Tesla I've been eyeing up, but decent. I'm going to miss her. I'm contemplating trading her in. I don't know if I can trust her for the entire drive out to Seattle in August. It turns out that even after these repairs are done, she'll develop more problems, possibly sooner rather than later. I feel like a family member has been given a medical diagnosis with a questionable outcome. I really don't know the best way to proceed. I guess I'll figure that out over the next few days. Either way, I don't think Vera will be my car for very much longer. It's been a long trip. A good one. It's had ups and downs but I've survived, and so has she. Thanks for everything, Vera. I'll miss you.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Papers, Please - A Love/Hate Relationship

Papers, Please - A Love/Hate Relationship — Blue Ink Alchemy

Glory to Arstotzka. Let me be clear right from the off: I adore the fact that Papers, Please exists. For those of you who don't know, Papers, Please is a video game described as "a dystopian document thriller." You are a citizen in Arstotzka, a fictional country ruled by an authoritarian regime, and you are tasked with monitoring one of its border posts. You examine the documentation of someone entering the country, look for discrepancies, and then bring down the stamp to either approve or deny their entry. You can detain people trying to smuggle contraband or weapons into the country, and your earnings are based on how many people you process in a given day, less any mistakes you make. In a market dominated by first-person shooters, sports simulations, and massively multiplayer online games, it's fantastic that Papers, Please even grabbed a toehold on the market, let alone climbing to success. Most of the reactions to the game have been entirely positive. Personally, I think it's a deeply immersive and very atmospheric experience, with dashes of humor and some very real moral dilemmas that add to the emergent narrative that comes with every person that steps into the booth. Despite not having top-end graphics, the stories both spoken and implied by those giving you their passports and awaiting judgment is some of the most involving story-driven gameplay I've enjoyed in a long time. It's so involving, in fact, that I can barely play it. You see, dispensing your tasks requires you to compare the would-be visitor's documents with several sources you have yourself - a guide to various neighbor countries, their seals and cities, different permits to allow, etc. The money you earn has to be split between your family's needs, and if you don't make a certain amount, you'll have to choose between food, heat, and medicine. Finally, if you miss something, the antiquated dot matrix printer in your booth begins to chatter, telling you how you messed up and how much it's going to cost you. It's this last bit that really affects me. You could even say it triggers me. I have enough problems in dayjobs where a detail slips by me, or the alignment of an element is off by a pixel, or the timing of an animation is not quite what a client was looking for. I'll think a task is done, on time and without incident, when news hits me like a hammer that no, there's more work to do, and I know it reflects badly upon me and my self-esteem takes another blow and I feel the crushing inevitability of time and decay as I re-open my assets and go back to something I thought I'd actually done well for a change. And now a game is invoking that feeling? No, thank you. I bought Papers, Please and I do not regret it. It's a brilliant piece of work, and Lucas Pope deserves all of the credit he gets for bringing it to life. Maybe, at some point down the road, when I feel less like the sword of Damocles is hanging over me every time I open a new task, I'll return to that cramped little checkpoint on the border of Arstotzka. There are good puzzles, good stories, and good design all over and throughout it, and I do recommend it. I just hope that someday, I can play the game without that paralyzing sense of dread that I feel during business hours all too often.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Back on Track

Back on Track — Blue Ink Alchemy

Just a quick update to tell you folks I'm back to a regular workout schedule. I'm alternating between running and lifting again, but I'm lifting at home with dumbbells and I'm back on a beginner-to-5k program to help get into better shape. I kind of let myself go over the winter. Hopefully, I can take steps to keep that from happening again. If you want to follow my progress, check out the following: My RunKeeper profile. And my Fitocracy profile. Thanks as always for your support!

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Let Your Characters Speak

Let Your Characters Speak — Blue Ink Alchemy

"Because I say so." How many times have we heard that phrase? Parents say it to children. Employers say it to their employees. Unfortunately, writers also say it to their characters. When a character does something that seems entirely unreasonable, or makes a sudden change to their behavior based on little more than impulse, or there is a drastic change in an adaptation between the original character and what we as the audience experience now, it's because the writer says so. The plot or the writer demands it. To me, there are few things lazier. Letting the plot dictate the actions of your characters robs them of their agency. Without agency, your characters become even more difficult for the audience to engage with on a meaningful level. If your audience is disengaged, how are they supposed to care about the story you're trying to tell? Just like a good Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons acts more like a guide for their players than a dictator, so too does a good writer gently guide their characters rather than imposing themselves upon events, undermining the characters' wills and reducing their significance. Even more egregious, to me, is the writer who seems to preserve the agency of a character but railroads them into something that goes against their development for some author-centric reason. If you ever find yourself saying "This character wouldn't do that" or "Why did this scene happen in this way? It makes no sense for them to do this," you've seen what I'm talking about in action. I'm avoiding specific cases in the name of avoiding spoilers, but that's what the comments are for! Let's talk about some of these things, especially ones that piss you off. We need to be on the lookout for this sort of thing. There's no excuse for lazy writing. Not even a deadline is an excuse for a story that makes no sense or does not engage us. If you are writing to inform, to inspire, or even just to entertain, it is worth taking the time to get the words right, set the scene just so, and let your characters speak for themselves, rather than cramming words into their mouths that don't necessarily fit. Your characters are more than pistons in your story's engine. Remember that, and your story will be that much better for it.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Welcome Back, Carter

Welcome Back, Carter — Blue Ink Alchemy

I know that not everyone is a fan of Marvel's recent forays into television. There can be an implied obligation to watch the shows to ensure nothing is missed between films, and I can understand why that's a turn-off. I'm not going to defend either side of the argument, nor am I going to sing the praises of Agents of SHIELD here. However, with the announcement of Agent Carter, I wanted to take a moment to point out, from a high-level perspective, what a good thing this is. For those of you who don't know, the character of Agent Carter was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger. Played by Hayley Atwell, Margaret "Peggy" Carter was part of the group that recruited Steve Rogers, assisting in his training and giving him guidance. She's more than capable of holding her own in a fight, demonstrates intelligence and poise, and even presented herself in a way that you wouldn't be surprised to find reproduced on the nose-cone of a B-17 bomber. Quite well-rounded and polished, she was definitely an equal to the all-American Super Soldier. Marvel produced a one-shot that featured Carter on her own. Set a year after the events of the film, Carter is working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, where the male leadership see her as little more than a glorified secretary. She takes it upon herself to follow up on a lead that seems insignificant and uncovers a major potential threat. In the wake of her heroism, Howard Stark approaches her to become part of the organization that will become known as SHIELD, and that is more than likely the jumping-off point for the series. I have no idea if the show is going to be good or not. So far, Marvel has demonstrated high production values, excellent world-building (even if it was a touch slow in Agents of SHIELD - it got better), and good characterization. This leads me to believe that Agent Carter will be just fine in that regard. But let's not overlook the fact that this show, with a female protagonist in a time period when such a thing would be inconceivable to the rich, conceited men in charge of the entertainment industry, just got greenlit, whereas Wonder Woman can't get more than a cameo in someone else's movie. Marvel's track record isn't perfect. Iron Man 2 was probably their roughest outing so far, but it did introduce us to Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of the Black Widow, another character who has really come into her own, especially in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While Jane Foster & Darcy are overshadowed by the Asgardians in the Thor films, Lady Sif has no trouble standing shoulder to shoulder with Thor and the other demigods of that world. Pepper Potts and Maria Hill definitely have strong characters of their own, and Agents of SHIELD's ensemble is a good balance of male and female alike. It's things like this that, more and more, make it look like DC simply can't get its shit together. I hear good things about their Arrow television series, but I've honestly been too busy keeping up with Agents of SHIELD to get up to speed with that show. Not unlike when Sony started running away with a good portion of the video game industry while Sega struggled to keep up, Marvel continues to outstrip the competition. With Agent Carter, that is still the case, but it's more in the sense of progressiveness than profit. Again, I have no idea if the show will actually be good - I certainly hope it is. But the fact that the show exists at all, let alone greenlit for a run on one of the United States' biggest television networks, feels to me like a universal good, a step in the right direction, and another reason that, until Superman stops brooding and Batman gets his throat fixed, you can Make Mine Marvel.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Welcome Back, Carter

Welcome Back, Carter — Blue Ink Alchemy

I know that not everyone is a fan of Marvel's recent forays into television. There can be an implied obligation to watch the shows to ensure nothing is missed between films, and I can understand why that's a turn-off. I'm not going to defend either side of the argument, nor am I going to sing the praises of Agents of SHIELD here. However, with the announcement of Agent Carter, I wanted to take a moment to point out, from a high-level perspective, what a good thing this is. For those of you who don't know, the character of Agent Carter was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger. Played by Hayley Atwell, Margaret "Peggy" Carter was part of the group that recruited Steve Rogers, assisting in his training and giving him guidance. She's more than capable of holding her own in a fight, demonstrates intelligence and poise, and even presented herself in a way that you wouldn't be surprised to find reproduced on the nose-cone of a B-17 bomber. Quite well-rounded and polished, she was definitely an equal to the all-American Super Soldier. Marvel produced a one-shot that featured Carter on her own. Set a year after the events of the film, Carter is working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, where the male leadership see her as little more than a glorified secretary. She takes it upon herself to follow up on a lead that seems insignificant and uncovers a major potential threat. In the wake of her heroism, Howard Stark approaches her to become part of the organization that will become known as SHIELD, and that is more than likely the jumping-off point for the series. I have no idea if the show is going to be good or not. So far, Marvel has demonstrated high production values, excellent world-building (even if it was a touch slow in Agents of SHIELD - it got better), and good characterization. This leads me to believe that Agent Carter will be just fine in that regard. But let's not overlook the fact that this show, with a female protagonist in a time period when such a thing would be inconceivable to the rich, conceited men in charge of the entertainment industry, just got greenlit, whereas Wonder Woman can't get more than a cameo in someone else's movie. Marvel's track record isn't perfect. Iron Man 2 was probably their roughest outing so far, but it did introduce us to Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of the Black Widow, another character who has really come into her own, especially in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While Jane Foster & Darcy are overshadowed by the Asgardians in the Thor films, Lady Sif has no trouble standing shoulder to shoulder with Thor and the other demigods of that world. Pepper Potts and Maria Hill definitely have strong characters of their own, and Agents of SHIELD's ensemble is a good balance of male and female alike. It's things like this that, more and more, make it look like DC simply can't get its shit together. I hear good things about their Arrow television series, but I've honestly been too busy keeping up with Agents of SHIELD to get up to speed with that show. Not unlike when Sony started running away with a good portion of the video game industry while Sega struggled to keep up, Marvel continues to outstrip the competition. With Agent Carter, that is still the case, but it's more in the sense of progressiveness than profit. Again, I have no idea if the show will actually be good - I certainly hope it is. But the fact that the show exists at all, let alone greenlit for a run on one of the United States' biggest television networks, feels to me like a universal good, a step in the right direction, and another reason that, until Superman stops brooding and Batman gets his throat fixed, you can Make Mine Marvel.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on Headspace

500 Words on Headspace — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy Floating Robes I hate whining. I loathe making excuses. When I break down emotionally and start blathering about why I can't keep my shit together, I feel like a petulant 4-year-old, throwing a tantrum because he didn't get his way. I'm an adult, I should be able to just roll with whatever abuse comes my way, shrug off the anguish and just do my job, right? Isn't that what everybody else does? I'm not sure why my brain is wired like that. I don't know why I get at such odds with myself. People get hurt and go through rough patches all the time. There's nothing new about it, and it's nothing that should cause an over-abundance of shame. Yet I struggle with it. Even now, I find myself getting distracted far too easily rather than hashing this out. It's hard not to feel like a good portion of my time has been wasted over the last few years. Sure, I've learned a lot about corporate culture. I've made some very good friends and I have at least some salvageable work experiences. However, I've taken "work where I can get it" rather than really trying to cultivate my actual core skill set. I've "gotten by" rather than applying myself to a craft that I both have some real talent in and feel good about producing. I've tried to cram it into narrow gaps of time and opportunity rather than making it my primary focus. I've been untrue to myself. I think that's where a lot of my angst comes from. I know I am, in essence, wasting my time. And time is a precious thing. Life could end at any moment. Traffic accidents happen every day. Everything from falling masonry to leaking gas can be fatal. Hell, I could drop dead at this keyboard right now from an undiagnosed blood clot in my brain or something. I am keenly aware of the fact that we only get one shot at making ourselves the best version of ourselves we can be, and I've been failing in that for the better part of a decade. Now and again, that version of me does break the surface. And even when I'm wrapped up in the obligations and distractions that I allow to impede me, I try to be informed more by generosity, justice, and duty rather than frustration, spite, and rage. That doesn't always work out for the best, and I know I can't expect brownie points for trying. But I do try, dammit. I can't undo the mistakes in my past, be they big or small. But I know the past me is dead and buried. The future is unwritten, but I hope the future me is better than who I am today. All we really have is right now, this moment. And I feel like I've been letting more than a few days go unseized. That's Carpe Diem for you Latin/slogan nuts. And yes... I suppose "YOLO" applies. I'm just so very tired.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

The Tank Is Empty

The Tank Is Empty — Blue Ink Alchemy

I can't. I've been struggling all week to get something together for this week's Terribleminds flash fiction, to try and maintain some semblance of a sane schedule somewhere in my life, and... it's crap. It's complete shit. It's directionless and feels lifted from a larger narrative rather than standing on its own. I can't put it up and call it Flash Fiction. I just can't. I am just going to call this week a wash, write out 500 words about how much my headspace sucks tomorrow, and try to recover over the weekend. You all have my most sincere apologies.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Schedule? What Schedule?

Schedule? What Schedule? — Blue Ink Alchemy

I'm not making nearly enough time to write. I hate myself for this. I hate that I can't seem to parcel out my hours and my energy in such a way that I can get all of the work I need to complete done in as timely and complete a manner as I would like. I can talk a bit here and vent to friends and dispense some bile on Tumblr but other than that, I feel trapped in a corner and my fingernails are raw and worn down from trying to claw my way out. Needless to say the blog schedule is in something of a state of upheaval as I work through this. I'm sorry about that. So yeah. Done with the dayjob for the day and now it's on to tackle all of the chores left undone around the flat. Hooray for adulthood.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Mind The Body

Mind The Body — Blue Ink Alchemy

People who believe in souls will sometimes say that bodies are merely vessels for souls to inhabit. From that point of view, the human body can seem inconsequential. It doesn't matter what you look like; who you are and what you do is far more contingent on thought and action than on skin color and outward gender. While this is true, the body does have significant importance in that it supports all of the higher functions we wish to pursue. People are not at their best when they don't take care of themselves. Oh, they might seem more productive due to the sheer dint of hours logged for corporate record-keeping, but they're probably dying a little more inside because of those hours and the workload and the barrage of requests, corrections, and rejection that is part and parcel of life in a cubicle. Couple this with sub-par nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, and things can go downhill pretty quickly. I'm guilty of this myself. When your therapist comments on how exhausted you look, something definitely needs to be done. I'm going to try and sleep more, exercise more, and worry less. It can be difficult to keep things in perspective and not get drawn into a cycle where I work too hard or too long and leave myself insufficient time and energy to write, plan for the future, or get my non-work ducks in a row. I struggle with it daily, and I can't imagine such struggles are that great for my circulatory or digestive systems. You have to take time to take care of your body. It's the only one you get. It is what you make of it, and you can make it as great as you want. So get out there and do it! Take some time for you today. You deserve it.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

From the Vault: Why I'll Never Grow Up

From the Vault: Why I'll Never Grow Up — Blue Ink Alchemy

I am exhausted. Today's been one of those days where time seems to stretch out like taffy in front of me, and while the amount seems small from one angle, it's incredibly long from where I am right now. Tomorrow will be different, and better. But for now, here's an entry from a few years ago that I feel still applies to me today.

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There's a picture of me out there, and I wish I could post it here with these words. It's of me, at around 8 years old, proudly showing off my Transformers backpack. Optimus Prime, in all of his 80s glory, is ready to stand up and protect my books and Trapper Keepers from anybody trying to subvert my freedom, which is the right of all sentient beings. I knew Prime wasn't real, but I believed his philosophy to be true. As you can imagine, I got bullied as a kid. My peers made fun of me. I actually got beat up once. I probably caused concern from my parents at more than one point. Somewhere along the way I tried to dial down the behavior that was causing such strife, in the name of fitting in. I never really did, and the behavior remains to this day. At this point, it probably isn't going anywhere. These days, though, I wonder why 'fitting in' is such a big deal. The people who we remember, the ones we admire, aren't people who fit in. Galileo, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther, Nikola Tesla, Rosa Parks, Issac Asmiov, Gary Gygax - these are people who refused to fit into the molds cast by the world around them. They sought change. They embraced their natures. And we love them for it. Why do we demand so much less of ourselves? Are we just lazy? Let's face it, fitting in is easy. It requires almost no effort. Just do what everybody else around you is doing. Buzz in time with the rest of the swarm. Contribute to the overall productivity that will bluesky that turnkey solution. There is no 'i' in team. Because they're all hanging out in imagination. Innovation. Initiative. Plenty of 'i's there. The problem is that imaginative, innovative people might not always channel that energy effectively. There are lots of mixed signals out there that can muck up one's internal compass. We look for immediate payoffs. Benefits with minimum investment. Bigger bang for our bucks. To get them, we settle. We compromise. We take the safe road. There isn't anything wrong with this, in and of itself. It's good to have certainty. Especially if you're in a situation where you need to concern yourself with the wellbeing of others as well as yourself, you need to find a middle ground between dangling by your fingertips and keeping your feet on the ground. The nice thing about not being alone in this is the potential for someone to watch out for you, or you for them, as you make your way towards that goal, inch by inch, one foothold at a time. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time building LEGOs. And not always with instructions. In fact, I probably spent more time digging my fingers into the big plastic bin, fishing out blocks and assembling them by the blueprints in my head rather than going by established plans. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that sort of initiative. I started doing what other people did and were successful at, rather than seeking my own path. I followed well-trod trails around the mountain, rather than looking up and figuring out how I'm going to get all the way up that thing. I'd take a few steps up the incline but then back down when it got hard, because those trails are much easier to follow. I forgot what it meant to be a kid while still occasionally acting like one. I'd lament lost time but not consider how better to spend it. I'd rage against my situation and take no steps to change it. I'd experience rejection and loss without using the motivation it was handing me. Kids at their best don't just cry over scraped knees. They let the pain out, wipe their faces and get up to try again. At some point, if you're on top of things and really want to hold onto that initiative, you'll fail enough that you'll realize why you're failing, and instead will begin to succeed. You can't get there without failing, though. Learning to ride a bike means falling a few times. Ditto traversing the monkey bars. The first few sandcastles you build are going to crumble before your eyes, possibly before you even finish. What matters isn't necessarily the scrapes, the bruises, the wipeouts. What matters is what we do after they happen. It's okay to fail. It's okay not to fit in. We have to find a way to make the most of those failures, to make not fitting in matter. When we do, the successes mean more, not just because of the failures that lead to it but because we can take full ownership of it. We had the crazy idea. We struggled to make it come to life. We were aware that we'd get odd looks and skepticism. We got to the finish line anyway, and something new and exciting is the result. That's reason enough to abandon the set paths. It's why we remember those luminaries I mentioned. And it's why, at this point, I'm probably never going to 'grow up'.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on 100(ish) Days

500 Words on 100(ish) Days — Blue Ink Alchemy

Seattle, I miss you. And I'll be there soon. Don't get me wrong. I love Philadelphia. There will always be a piece of me out here on the east coast of the United States. But I have spent years, close to a decade now, kicking around the suburbs north of the city trying to find the right niche. Most of the time I've just been happy to be employed and keep a roof over my head. But over the last couple years, the feeling has grown that I am stagnating. And stagnation leads to frustration and loneliness, two emotions that I have a great deal of difficulty controlling. I don't want to take anything away from the people I've lived with and near since I moved back here from the western part of the state. There are people who have been instrumental in helping me keep my head above water, friends that have helped me see my potential, and individuals who have been behind me no matter what. I'll never be able to repay the debt I owe to all of you, and I'm not going to forget you when I leave. But I will be leaving. I'm moving to Seattle in August. I believe that change is good for the soul. I have spent most of the aforementioned decade not changing all that much. I've been focused mostly on immediate concerns and the requirements and desires of others. My family would be the first to say that for years I've struggled with a 'martyr complex', often putting aside what I'm doing or what I want to try and make things better for other people. I haven't been believing in myself as much as I've believed in the lives and companies to which I've contributed. Standing up for myself is something that does not come as easily to me as it should. Fighting for something I want, that I truly believe in for my own sake, tends to get filed away in my head as 'selfish' and thus a negative thing. However, I've come to learn that if I want to make any headway in this life, if I want to improve where I am and work towards the goals I have in mind for myself, I have to be selfish. I have to stand up for those things. I have to grow, and change, and move. Why Seattle, you might ask? The opportunities for me to write as my profession are better. The job market in general is an improvement. The saturation of friends is staggering. I'll be closer to more game developers, who may be looking for writers. The mountains are lovely. The ocean is beautiful. I have walked its streets, and felt more at home than I ever have in Philadelphia. The coffee, the food, the events, the music - I could go on. I'm posting a countdown here. It's the approximate time at which my father and I will hit the road together. I'll see you there. (Image courtesy Creattica.com)

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Blue Ink Alchemy

500 Words on 100(ish) Days

500 Words on 100(ish) Days — Blue Ink Alchemy

Seattle, I miss you. And I'll be there soon. Don't get me wrong. I love Philadelphia. There will always be a piece of me out here on the east coast of the United States. But I have spent years, close to a decade now, kicking around the suburbs north of the city trying to find the right niche. Most of the time I've just been happy to be employed and keep a roof over my head. But over the last couple years, the feeling has grown that I am stagnating. And stagnation leads to frustration and loneliness, two emotions that I have a great deal of difficulty controlling. I don't want to take anything away from the people I've lived with and near since I moved back here from the western part of the state. There are people who have been instrumental in helping me keep my head above water, friends that have helped me see my potential, and individuals who have been behind me no matter what. I'll never be able to repay the debt I owe to all of you, and I'm not going to forget you when I leave. But I will be leaving. I'm moving to Seattle in August. I believe that change is good for the soul. I have spent most of the aforementioned decade not changing all that much. I've been focused mostly on immediate concerns and the requirements and desires of others. My family would be the first to say that for years I've struggled with a 'martyr complex', often putting aside what I'm doing or what I want to try and make things better for other people. I haven't been believing in myself as much as I've believed in the lives and companies to which I've contributed. Standing up for myself is something that does not come as easily to me as it should. Fighting for something I want, that I truly believe in for my own sake, tends to get filed away in my head as 'selfish' and thus a negative thing. However, I've come to learn that if I want to make any headway in this life, if I want to improve where I am and work towards the goals I have in mind for myself, I have to be selfish. I have to stand up for those things. I have to grow, and change, and move. Why Seattle, you might ask? The opportunities for me to write as my profession are better. The job market in better is an improvement. The saturation of friends is staggering. I'll be closer to more game developers, who may be looking for writers. The mountains are lovely. The ocean is beautiful. I have walked its streets, and felt more at home than I ever have in Philadelphia. The coffee, the food, the events, the music - I could go on. I'm posting a countdown here. It's the approximate time at which my father and I will hit the road together. I'll see you there. (Image courtesy Creattica.com)

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Blue Ink Alchemy

The Inevitability

The Inevitability — Blue Ink Alchemy

I'll spare you wonderful, patient people the sordid details of what's going on with me and how I'm feeling, at least when it comes to this blog. I may do one of my more in-depth, personal pieces over on Tumblr later today. We'll see. The salient information, here, is that there is no cure for bipolar disorder. You don't just 'get over it'. It can be resisted, and its triggers recognized before they inform full-blown episodes. But it's a part of the victim's life, and its influence can creep into the scene without much warning. Case in point: my sleep schedule has been extremely odd lately, and energy has been sporadic. I'm pretty sure I know why, and I'll be taking steps to correct it, but right now it's a matter of getting through the day and meeting my deadlines to the best of my ability. I have dealt with this before, and this will not be the last time, either. My current hope is that I can make it through the next couple days, reestablish decent sleeping habits, recover some of my energy, and avoid making things worse. I'm also reminding myself that I have a lot of things to be thankful for: I'm in a position where I can plan for a better future, I have a very strong support network, and I have wonderful, patient readers who are more interested in my successes than my failures. Thank you for bearing with me.

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Blue Ink Alchemy