Hey Internet,
Just wanted to keep you in the loop. In just a moment, Conquest or Calamity will be migrating email servers and as a result we'll most likely be going radio silent for the remainder of the day. Your patience is greatly appreciated in advance.
Best regards,
- The Conquest or Calamity Web Team (James. It's just James.)
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sorry I'm late, Ma
Hey dudes, dudettes etc.
Don't really have time to do a post. Here's the new episode.
Don't really have time to do a post. Here's the new episode.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Dungeons and Dragons (and Devils and Demons?!?)
So there is an amazing post on video games and parenting over at Penny-Arcade, which you should definitively all go read. It's fine. I'll wait. Ok. You got it? Great!
While reading the aforementioned post, specifically the parts describing how even a game as benign as Minecraft, can be very concerning to parents of young children, it occurred to me that my own medium, table top role playing games, can often be even more frightening.
I grew up in what you would call a conservative home but I was also encouraged daily to be as creatively expressive as I felt I could. I can easily recall my first role playing experiences. I was a wizard with a pet dragon. I also still remember the weary look on my father's face, when I first told him about the spells I was casting and monsters I was fighting.
In his mind, I'm sure, I was basically on the gateway drug to satanism. What a completely terrifying, albeit misguided, thought. Please don't get me wrong. My dad was an amazing guy. He took me to space camp, he coached my soccer team, and he taught me more about music than probably any other person I've ever known.
But he passed away a few years ago and the sad reality is, in spite of us both being extremely creative people, he and I were never able to connect through games. I'm sure that probably bothered him then as much as it bothers me now.
So what's the parent of an imaginative young RPG aficionado to do?
Well, first off, parents need to get educated on their kids interests. I'll be the first to tell you that, as is the case with almost all games, not every table top game is appropriate for every kid. Only you, as their parent, are qualified to decide what your child should and shouldn't be a part of and occasionally you just have to be the bad guy. That said, go and get the facts first.
Secondly, play with your kids. If you have a son or daughter who wants to try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, go try it with them and then talk about it with them afterwards. "What did you like about the game?" "Were there any parts that were scary?" Ask the important questions. You will almost certainly get the important answers.
Children are (for the most part) neurologically wired to see their parents as heroes. What could be better than to prove the completely right by joining in against "the forces of evil" or "slaying the terrible dragon"?
There's a family that Will and I play with at a local game shop some Saturdays, and it warms my heart to see parents sharing in these experiences with their kids. I'm not sure if they read this blog or not but if they do, they should know I think they rule, period.
I think the bottom line here is the same as for basically any other interactive media. Imaginative play is one of the most important ways a child has to interact with the world. Any game can be used for good, evil, and everything in between. I've met some of my best friends through gaming and if it makes anyone feel better, I've never even been inside a church of Satan.
Here's to you Dad! I hope they have D&D in Heaven.
-James
While reading the aforementioned post, specifically the parts describing how even a game as benign as Minecraft, can be very concerning to parents of young children, it occurred to me that my own medium, table top role playing games, can often be even more frightening.
I grew up in what you would call a conservative home but I was also encouraged daily to be as creatively expressive as I felt I could. I can easily recall my first role playing experiences. I was a wizard with a pet dragon. I also still remember the weary look on my father's face, when I first told him about the spells I was casting and monsters I was fighting.
In his mind, I'm sure, I was basically on the gateway drug to satanism. What a completely terrifying, albeit misguided, thought. Please don't get me wrong. My dad was an amazing guy. He took me to space camp, he coached my soccer team, and he taught me more about music than probably any other person I've ever known.
But he passed away a few years ago and the sad reality is, in spite of us both being extremely creative people, he and I were never able to connect through games. I'm sure that probably bothered him then as much as it bothers me now.
So what's the parent of an imaginative young RPG aficionado to do?
Well, first off, parents need to get educated on their kids interests. I'll be the first to tell you that, as is the case with almost all games, not every table top game is appropriate for every kid. Only you, as their parent, are qualified to decide what your child should and shouldn't be a part of and occasionally you just have to be the bad guy. That said, go and get the facts first.
Secondly, play with your kids. If you have a son or daughter who wants to try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, go try it with them and then talk about it with them afterwards. "What did you like about the game?" "Were there any parts that were scary?" Ask the important questions. You will almost certainly get the important answers.
Children are (for the most part) neurologically wired to see their parents as heroes. What could be better than to prove the completely right by joining in against "the forces of evil" or "slaying the terrible dragon"?
There's a family that Will and I play with at a local game shop some Saturdays, and it warms my heart to see parents sharing in these experiences with their kids. I'm not sure if they read this blog or not but if they do, they should know I think they rule, period.
I think the bottom line here is the same as for basically any other interactive media. Imaginative play is one of the most important ways a child has to interact with the world. Any game can be used for good, evil, and everything in between. I've met some of my best friends through gaming and if it makes anyone feel better, I've never even been inside a church of Satan.
Here's to you Dad! I hope they have D&D in Heaven.
-James
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Treasure Hunt Thursday! (Hmm. Would have been way better on Tuesday...)
Hey the Ladies, Gents, Etc.
Today Conquest or Calamity's twitter account broke 250 followers! (Yaaaay!) In celebration, I've decided to give away some free subscriptions to our soon to be released online game! All you have to do is find the treasure! Easy right? Happy hunting!
-James
Today Conquest or Calamity's twitter account broke 250 followers! (Yaaaay!) In celebration, I've decided to give away some free subscriptions to our soon to be released online game! All you have to do is find the treasure! Easy right? Happy hunting!
-James
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Become a Community Partner Today!
Greetings Conquest or Calamity Listeners,
Do you have a rad RPG product that you'd like to sell more of? Do you not object to my occasionally ending sentences with prepositions, in sheer defiance of the grammar I use?
Then you, Sir, Madame, or Otherwise, are in great luck!
Here at Conquest or Calamity, nothing grants us greater joy than bringing awesome interactive experiences to people everywhere. If you think your gaming, role playing, or other nerd paraphernalia might do just that, then we definitely have some things to talk about.
Shoot us an email today at james@conquestorcalamity.com or reach us on twitter @ConquestTable and you could be our next community partner. You worked hard to create the best product possible. Now, let us help you show the world!
And as always, thanks for listening!
-James
Do you have a rad RPG product that you'd like to sell more of? Do you not object to my occasionally ending sentences with prepositions, in sheer defiance of the grammar I use?Then you, Sir, Madame, or Otherwise, are in great luck!
Here at Conquest or Calamity, nothing grants us greater joy than bringing awesome interactive experiences to people everywhere. If you think your gaming, role playing, or other nerd paraphernalia might do just that, then we definitely have some things to talk about.
Shoot us an email today at james@conquestorcalamity.com or reach us on twitter @ConquestTable and you could be our next community partner. You worked hard to create the best product possible. Now, let us help you show the world!
And as always, thanks for listening!
-James
Monday, April 6, 2015
La troisième partie de la quatrième épisode
Hello people of the internet!
Behold! Episode 4 Part 3 is right here; right now. Please feel free to comment, retweet, post, etc. Big thanks, as always, to Battle Bards for amazing sound effects.
Check back later on this week for our live recording from The Wasteland Gaming. If you're all very good, maybe I'll even post some new art tomorrow.
Ciao!
James
Behold! Episode 4 Part 3 is right here; right now. Please feel free to comment, retweet, post, etc. Big thanks, as always, to Battle Bards for amazing sound effects.
Check back later on this week for our live recording from The Wasteland Gaming. If you're all very good, maybe I'll even post some new art tomorrow.
Ciao!
James
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Correan Character Bio
Well, our beloved lore master, Will, has just informed me that the character's name is spelled "Correan not Corrian" so there's that. Other than that it pretty standard fare. Check out the origin story for our favorite shifty eyed Tiefling Rouge on the Character Bios page.
In other news, I really enjoyed getting to actually play D&D for a change with a few of you at The Wasteland Gaming on Saturday. So if you were there, thanks. Enjoyed it very much. If you signed up for our email contact list, you can expect to hear from either Will or myself within a few days. If you need to get in contact with us before then, feel free to shoot me a tweet any time @conquesttable.
Currently I believe we are still on track to have our subscriber game open beta available sometime late this week and last but not least, I am currently editing this week's podcast. It should be up around the usual time on Monday and will almost certainly conclude our current story line. Now if you will please excuse me, I'm off to go edit for the next ten hours!
Happy Easter everybody!
-James
In other news, I really enjoyed getting to actually play D&D for a change with a few of you at The Wasteland Gaming on Saturday. So if you were there, thanks. Enjoyed it very much. If you signed up for our email contact list, you can expect to hear from either Will or myself within a few days. If you need to get in contact with us before then, feel free to shoot me a tweet any time @conquesttable.
Currently I believe we are still on track to have our subscriber game open beta available sometime late this week and last but not least, I am currently editing this week's podcast. It should be up around the usual time on Monday and will almost certainly conclude our current story line. Now if you will please excuse me, I'm off to go edit for the next ten hours!
Happy Easter everybody!
-James
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)