Geek Goals for 2017

Play Boardgames!

I love boardgames and I have a big stack of unplayed games.  My goal for 2017 is to play 5 games that I have not played before.

Play Solo!

I always buy boardgames that are solo games or have solo variants with grand plans of playing them. However, entropy often wins and I never pull them out.  My goal for 2017 is to log 10 solo plays of boardgames.  The number of different boardgames doesn't matter as long as I log 10 solo plays by the end of the year.

In addition to that, my goal is to log 5 solo plays for rpgs.  This can be done using Tunnels & Trolls, Mythic, or those solo adventures that rulebooks used to include to teach you the rules of the game.

Play Pathfinder and Other RPGS!

Our group is good about trying new games.  I know that we will play new systems this year.  One thing I would like to do is try Pathfinder again, although this time I would like to start the campaign from first level (my other campaign used converted Hackmaster characters and had some balance issues).  My goal for 2017 is to have a Pathfinder campaign ready as a backup game.  Whenever we can play and nobody has anything ready I will pull out Pathfinder.

Read More Comics!

Just like games, I have a habit of buying tons of comics and then letting them sit neglected in the closet.  I do like comics, and I need to enjoy what I have.  My goal for 2017 is to read an average of 10 comics a month.  I also need to follow some good advice I read and if I am not reading it I probably shouldn't be buying it.

Write More Blog Entries!

I want to increase my blog output.  One technique that I will use is a weekly themed post.  I have seen other blogs do Succubus Sunday, Miniature Monday, etc, and I will incorporate a themed post into this blog.  My idea is Rolling Wednesday, and I will have a dice-themed post every Wednesday. At the very least, I can post a picture of a different die in my collection for every Wednesday in 2017.  My goal for 2017 is to have  dice-themed post every Wednesday.

Anything Else?

I would like to spruce up the appearance of the blog and make it more visually appealing.  This is not my strength so I will have to do some research and/or look for some help.  Also, I need to use the advice my mom gave me, "Things should be used for the purpose they were designed for."  Games are meant to be played, books are meant to be read, and miniatures are meant to be painted.

I look forward to 2017 as a year filled with opportunity.  May you meet all of your goals this year!

I Have Been Rolling Up Some Tunnels & Trolls Characters!

Tunnels & Trolls is one of my favorite role playing games.  It showed me that a role playing game could be simple, fun, and suitable to solitaire play.  Recently I have been reading through the Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls rules.  I was hesitant at first as 5.5 T&T was an edition that I loved.  I bought the 7th edition and I always felt that 5.5 was a tad bit better.  Deluxe T&T takes everything that I like about 5.5 and refines it.  I will need to convince my group to run a few sessions of dT&T soon.

My copy of Buffalo Castle, where many a character has met their death

One of the best ways to get a feel for rules is to play the game.  Fortunately T&T has a long tradition of providing solitaire modules for times when you can't find a GM or group.  Tunnels & Trolls solo modules follow the choose-your-own-adventure format, where you read a paragraph, are presented with choices, and then turn to a certain page or paragraph depending on what you pick.  Saving throws and combats take place within the solo module, as T&T combat can be run by one person.

I have rolled up three characters so far using the Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls rules.  I love the ease of character creation.  Roll eight stats, calculate combat adds,  roll for height, weight, and starting gold, equip, and the character is ready for adventure.  I have run my three unlucky warriors through Buffalo Castle (one of the most famous solos) where they have all perished.  I have run two through the solo adventure The Abyss, where they have a chance of exiting the afterlife.  Both failed.  I like the changes that have been made to the warrior class, and I have been able to try out the poison rules for the first time.

While solo adventures are a fun diversion between game sessions, I find that their best value is that they are a great way to learn and master the rules of the system.  When I first read the T&T rules I liked them but I was uncertain how they fit together.  After one run through Buffalo Castle I understood how the rules worked and the tone of the game.  Tunnels & Trolls is a game of risk and reward.  Characters can achieve great glory or be crushed quickly under the heal of a monster.

There are free Tunnels & Trolls solos available on the web.  You can try one out if you are curious as to how the system works, or just want a quick dungeon crawl experience.

Buffalo Castle is available on the publisher's main website.  You will stumble around  a castle, fighting monsters and having encounters.  Goblin Lake is one of my favorite solos, as you play as a goblin trying to win favor in your tribe.  Both of these solos use the 5.5 rules which are close to the Deluxe T&T rules.  Know that Deluxe T&T has amped up the power level for warriors in the new edition.