Ravings of a Textual Deviant

The Grand Ellipse has been on hold for a few weeks…unavoidable really, with me changing jobs and all. Now that I am starting to settle in, I hope to remedy that soon.

Of course, that would mean I’d have to get one of the desktops at home working. Not as easy as it sounds. The computer that is hooked up to the scanner had some serious resource-conflict problems that Ed has finally managed to solve, after a week of effort. Both computers really need an enema; we’re even considering blowing out both hard drives and starting from scratch because there’s just so much to uninstall. However, we’ve been working on them and all the actual problems have been solved.

But wait…there’s more.

Ed just got a new desk, and in the process of getting the darn thing into his office had to disconnect both computers in order to move furniture around. The desk had to go into the corner opposite the door, which is bad enough without having to maneuver around the the corner of the closet that is only a couple of feet from the door. Also, the door only opens to 90 degrees, because there’s another wall in the way. Very poor design, that. If we didn’t need desks, it would be all inflatable furniture in there, I tell you.

This is all about my obssession with NHL hockey. Skip to the next post, if you are not similarly obssessed. I won’t mind.

Stanley Cup finals…game seven. It’s been an amazing series. If you’d invented it, nobody would’ve found it plausible. Last night’s game was fast and furious, just the way I like it. Paul Kariya scoring a goal after being knocked out–not down, but out–by Scott Stevens. (Kariya claims he wasn’t knocked out, but it certainly looked like he was–lying on the ice, not moving or visibly breathing and all.) New Jersey’s coach pulling Martin Brodeur out in the third period. More turnovers and odd-man rushes than you can shake a stick at. I’ve still got goosebumps.

I’m not an especial fan of either team, although I am quite grateful to Anaheim for knocking Detroit out in conference quarterfinals. (I’m a Maple Leafs fan, and therefore contractually obliged to detest the Red Wings.) Ten years on, I still think that the Mighty Ducks is a really stupid name for a team. That doesn’t keep me from wanting them to win, even if that stupid name will be engraved on the cup and pass into history. I’d like to see a relatively young expansion team win, and besides, New Jersey’s won it twice in the last decade already. Either way, it’ll have been a great ride.

On Monday night, I get to find out how it ends. I’m all a-tingle with anticipation.

Before I start, I want to congratulate Ginger on coming up with 50 questions. Woo-hoo!

The big 5-0 asks

Have you ever considered trying to publish something professionally in the gaming industry? Why or why not? What are the good points and bad points of being in the industry?

I’d love to publish something in the gaming industry. The key word, though, is publish. If I were going to take the plunge, I’d much rather have my own company than try to work for others as a freelance writer. Frankly, if I own the company, and I have an idea that’s too good not to share, then I can safely assume that getting published wouldn’t be a problem. Acquiring content would not be a problem, as there are plenty of people out there who’d like to get paid for their nifty ideas. Ginger eloquently describes the lot of the freelance writer, so I won’t repeat it here. I don’t have the free time to develop something on my own and try to market it to someone else. If I had a paying contract before I started, that might be different, but I’m still leery.

The problem is that the way to make a small fortune in niche publishing is to start with a large fortune and open a publishing house. As I am not currently in possession of a large fortune, I’m unlikely to open my own company any time soon. (If anyone reading this is in possession of a large fortune and wants to start a gaming company, I’m ready to open negotiations.) I can understand the “If it becomes work, then it’s not fun any longer” perspective, but I would point out that if you love your work, it’s fun. The only way I could love that kind of work is if I were so financially secure that I wouldn’t have to worry about what happened if the company folded.

Role Call #21 asks

What are three movies whose mood and/or situations you’d like to emulate in a roleplaying game, and why?

First of all I must compliment Iron Llama on his choice of Terry Gilliam’s Adventures of Baron Munschausen, which certainly comes to my mind for the same reasons, although I won’t “me too” him. However, I will stake a claim to Terry Gilliam’s enchanting fairy-tale flick, Erik the Viking. Grand scope, awesome locations, and a stellar mythology to work with. I’d never run out of plot there–we’ve woken the gods…now what?

First runner-up would be Galaxy Quest, and for much the same reasons as Erik the Viking. Again, vast scope and an infinite choice of locations. Add in lots of options for non-human characters, and plenty of opportunities for silliness. Cool gadgets, near-instantaneous long-distance space travel, and things that go “splat!” Presumably, the characters are the only ones who know about the aliens, which adds exasperating (and humorous) complexity to the human characters’ life on Earth. (”It was an invitation, not an abduction.”) For non-human characters, their attempts at passing for human are loaded with comic potential.

Second runner-up would be Mystery Men. The superhero genre is not my favorite, and I haven’t played many campaigns in it. However, I’d be first in line for this one. Although the physical location is quite limited geographically, I think that there’s still plenty to work with. And I am utterly enamored with the idea of being able to create any superpower or special ability imaginable. (My favorite character in the movie was The Bowler.)

So, a few words about the new job. Somewhat more coherent ones than of late, I hope.

First of all, the place itself, which I will call the Great Big Company for the duration of my time there. GBC is one you’ve probably heard of, and its headquarters are in Indianapolis. GBC also has several facilities all over town, and I am working at one on the southeast side of town. Getting there is definitely not half the fun, although I can manage to avoid most of the traffic by leaving the house at around 6:15 A.M. This is currently my biggest work-related headache. I only like to see one 5:00 per day, and it’s not the early one. On the plus side, everyone at Great Big Company knows that it can be rather overwhelming to be a new person there, and has been very helpful.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I am one of four new people. The other three I’ll call The Scotsman, Dog’s Best Friend, and Tall Guy. Having spent most of my unstructured time this past week with these three, I’ve gotten to know them a bit. The Scotsman is from Glasgow, and has been in the States for eight or so years. He’s been around Great Big Company for a while now, on one project or another, and was kind enough to share a lot of what he’s picked up. He’s very perceptive, intelligent, and an all-around pleasure to talk to. Also has a great sense of humor. Actually, all of the three have a great sense of humor, but the Scotsman gets my subtle/obscure jokes, which means that he gets my vote as favorite new co-worker. Dog’s Best Friend is a very Texan woman who’s got something of an aging hippe thing going on, but in a good way. She’s got six dogs–shar-peis and Great Danes–around whom her life revolves, hence my choice of nom de guerre. She’s been around the block at Great Big Company, under the aegis of various contracting companies, so she’s got a lot of helpful information on that topic. Tall Guy probably has about as much experience at GBC as The Scotsman, and his opinions on work-related topics are similar. Tall Guy is a bit of a worrier, but I suspect that’s mostly because he wants to do a good job. All three of them are nice, sensible, intelligent people whom I think I can not only work with, but enjoy going to lunch with. As for the rest of the team, I’ll find out next week, I guess.

Today was my third consecutive day of training at the new job. My brain is full.

I think I have managed to figure out what I’m going to be doing, specifically, at my new job. Of course, I can’t actually start doing it until I a) finish training; b) get a computer account; and c) get a desk, but I feel that it’s progress nonetheless. Other accomplishments include badge and parking pass acquisition, and successful solo navigation to the vending area, the restrooms, the cafeteria, and the general location where my desk will be. Ended up spending most of the day with a coworker who’s new to the project but not the client, and he provided me with all sorts of interesting and useful tidbits of information…some of it even job-related.

So far, so good.

I don’t know if an excuse can be clever yet lame, but if so, this one certainly is.

In the seven years or so that Ed and I have been together, I have never known him to replace a used-up roll of toilet paper. (Fortunately, I have learned to store additional rolls within easy reach after being, er, stranded a few times.)

Apparently, hunters don’t care where an item is, so long as it’s “in range,” while gatherers are very aware of (and fussy about) the exact placement of items in their environment. This particular gatherer is of the opinion that the entire raison d’etre of a toilet roll holder is to keep the toilet paper in a specific place, and we’re bloody well going to use it. Even if I have to change out the roll myself every single time, for the rest of my natural life…which I exepct will be the case.

I’d forgotten how much new information can come at you the first day at a new job. My brain is full, and I’ll need to make room for the rest of the week’s training somehow.

In addition to being new to the project, I’m new to the client–the only one in my group of new people who is–and that, more than anything, makes me feel out of place. I think I had less culture shock going from Indianapolis to Italy than I did from the last job to this one. I’d like to take comfort in the fact that I feel that I’m capable of doing the work…but I’m not entirely sure what the work is. It’s a nasty paradox–you need the training to show you how to do the job, but the training doesn’t make sense until you’re actually doing the job.

I will say this, though–everyone at the client site has been extremely helpful and very understanding about the sheer volume of information being thrown at us. There’s a huge amount of written information, and while it’s a lot to read all at once, I can’t begin to express how happy I am to have documentation to refer to in the future. I’m sure I’ll need it.

Game WISH #49 asks

Is there a way to win or lose in a roleplaying game? Are you in competition with other players, NPCs, or the GM? What are the rewards for winning or the penalties for losing? Do you feel like your characters have to “win” to enjoy a game?

I suppose it depends on what you mean by winning. For me, winning a game means attaining the goal and having a good time doing it. Even if I don’t always manage to attain the goal, it’s still a partial victory if I’ve had a good time in the process. Therefore, it logically follows that the only way to lose is to not have fun.

Normally, I don’t see myself in competition with either the other players or the GM (if I’m playing), or the players (if I’m the GM). My character may be in competition with other characters and NPCs, but that’s different. Or, from the GM perspective, while I enjoy challenging my players and making them think (and work) to solve the puzzle/win the race/defeat the enemy, I prefer to see them suceed rather than fail.

Rewards are where you find them. The most important one is the fun you’ve had along the way. There’s also the satisfaction of having met the GM’s challenge (or seen your players meet yours). In-game goodies are great–don’t get me wrong–but at the end of the game, what are you really going to take home with you?

That said, it’s a hell of a lot more fun to actually achieve your goal than not.