| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 23 Jul 2004 : 08:33:41
Some of the scribes here may have an interest in this. It's from EN World -
quote:
Saturday, October 2, 2004, participating game stores will present two adventures well stocked with hapless monsters to slay. Bring some friends to adventure with or meet some new gaming buddies at the event. The mini adventure, Lair or the Mad Alchemist, provides a great introduction to D&D, while The Forgotten Forge offers the thrill of a full-scale adventure set in the exciting new world of Eberron.
More details can be uncovered here.
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| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 20 Oct 2004 : 05:33:29
Hey! Only 60% (2882 votes) say that D&D is the best fantasy game!  That means 40% are delusional.  |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 20 Oct 2004 : 02:32:49
Wow! A CNN article about this event. |
| Lysander |
Posted - 18 Oct 2004 : 17:24:49
quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
The only one I know of is Dream Wizards, in Rockville, by White Flint. I've only been there twice, but they have several tables out for playing. I'm sure they would have had something going on. I didn't check, though, because of the time involved if I went. There's a comic book store much closer, but they removed their tables for lack of use and put in more comic book racks.
Interesting... I didn't know about that one.  The ones I was thinking of - one has a store in Chantilly and in Woodbridge (Games Parlor) and another near Ft. Belvoir (Eagle's Nest, I think). GP (both locations) has plenty of tables, while Eagle's is mostly an independent Warrhammer shop. Back when they existed, there was a WOTC shop in the Springfield Mall... now I regret not buying some of the 3.xE things I could have at their (closing) discounts. |
| The Wanderer |
Posted - 18 Oct 2004 : 16:08:24
Damn.... too bad I got in late and did not see the "what is America" discussion as it (and its offshoots) are quire interesting.
As for Worldwide D&D Game, I did not get a chance to go due to the distance that the closest store was located. I did have a wonderful weekend nonetheless :D. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 Oct 2004 : 15:42:16
quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger
Did anyone participate at their local hobby store today?
There were two sessions running in my local area, and as much as I would have wanted to attend... a booksigning in a neighbouring building by one of my favorite authors was simply too good an opportunity to miss... 
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 18 Oct 2004 : 05:13:43
The only one I know of is Dream Wizards, in Rockville, by White Flint. I've only been there twice, but they have several tables out for playing. I'm sure they would have had something going on. I didn't check, though, because of the time involved if I went. There's a comic book store much closer, but they removed their tables for lack of use and put in more comic book racks. |
| Lysander |
Posted - 18 Oct 2004 : 03:48:34
quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
Since the closest one that would be having anything going on would be two hours away (I use public transport), I couldn't spare the time.
Which one are you referring to? :) The only ones I know that are good aren't near any Metro stops. |
| hammer of Moradin |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 17:55:41
I went by the FLGS. They had a shortage of DM's, but plenty of players. It is a small store, where basically every flat surface, or surface that can be made flat, had to be converted to a tabletop. It seemed to go over well, but I was just passing through so I couldn't stick around. It was a good recruitment campaign for new players at least. |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 11:42:06
quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger
Did anyone participate at their local hobby store today?
I went to mine but there was only one D&D game going the rest were playing card games. I believe it was Magic but I couldn't be sure. I was pretty dissapointed by the turnout. Oh well I'm involved in enough online campaigns to sate my gaming appetite 
I was supposed to be a DM today, but when I woke up this morning, I wanted to sleep more, and so I called the gamestore and asked them if they had more DMs to replace me, and the clerk told me that people were virtually killing each other to get in these games whether as a DM or player (because of the free stuff), so I said, "I'll sit this one out Glen," and went back to bed...  |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 08:45:33
quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Bane's boxers, I forgot about that! I intended to drop by the Wall today, but it totally slipped my mind. Instead I went over to a friend's house, out to see a movie, and then drank just a smidge more than I should have...
Shame, shame on thee! How could you forget? 
I'm still recovering from a 66 hour work week, and my mind was on other things -- like going and seeing a movie and tossing back a couple beers afterward. |
| Wood Elf Ranger |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 08:01:39
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Bane's boxers, I forgot about that! I intended to drop by the Wall today, but it totally slipped my mind. Instead I went over to a friend's house, out to see a movie, and then drank just a smidge more than I should have...
Shame, shame on thee! How could you forget? |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 07:08:57
quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger
Did anyone participate at their local hobby store today?
Bane's boxers, I forgot about that! I intended to drop by the Wall today, but it totally slipped my mind. Instead I went over to a friend's house, out to see a movie, and then drank just a smidge more than I should have... |
| Brother Ezra |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 05:39:10
My group held a game this evening, but as usual it was at my house, not at the FLGS. We all noted that it was worldwide D&D day, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary was done.
No one died either, so I couldn't even give out the "My character died on Worldwide D&D Day, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt" T-shirt. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 04:38:15
Since the closest one that would be having anything going on would be two hours away (I use public transport), I couldn't spare the time. |
| Wood Elf Ranger |
Posted - 17 Oct 2004 : 02:24:11
Did anyone participate at their local hobby store today?
I went to mine but there was only one D&D game going the rest were playing card games. I believe it was Magic but I couldn't be sure. I was pretty dissapointed by the turnout. Oh well I'm involved in enough online campaigns to sate my gaming appetite |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 23:14:58
But we shouldn't talk about it here -- it's something that needs discussion, but this isn't the place. I just wanted to make certain that the non-Americans here had a few facts that I think most of the world lacks. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 23:13:50
Colleges too? Aiya. And here I was looking around at my own and thinking it was so nice that the stupidity hadn't reached it. Well, except for the college having to fill in the gaps from high school, but we also have a lot of ESL students so a lot of things already were geared down. Of course, they have an excuse. I'm a pretty lazy guy, myself, but I think there's no excuse for a lazy mind. |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 13:43:55
quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
Like, most recently, requiring that people switch from using red ink to mark wrong answers to purple. Seems it's a less violent color.
That took place in Massachusetts if I recall right. However, I'm sure it will spread to the rest of the U.S. I  when I read this news. I put it right up there with the "Friendly D's and F's," that are taking place in some colleges now where I used to live. 
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| Wood Elf Ranger |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 09:00:54
I agree with you completely Bookwyrm. That is why I get my news from the internet and not from TV. Though I still don't believe all of it. That is one of the saddest things that has happened to this country. People believing everything they see on TV.
*hums American Idiot by Greenday*  |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 08:38:11
Very interesting, Bookwyrm  Thanks.
..and you're quite right, the American members here at Candlekeep are very intelligent and knowledgable, a lot is owed to you all.
Anyway, to get back on topic, I was mistaken previously by thinking that D&D day fell on the SUNDAY of this weekend, its actually Saturday, so i'll be there at GENCON to see if WotC pull out all the stops and really promote this
Yes, Alaundo, i'll be sure to "report back here forthwith"  |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 13 Oct 2004 : 07:46:21
First, let me say that it is completely understandable to call all of North and South America by the term "America." The problem that arises from this is obvious, though, once you try to think of what to call people from the United States. (The slang used by the FBI, as I can attest due to listening to my father's alphabet-soup-laden conversations with people he works with, is "usper," for "US Person," but that doesn't exactly work as a formal name.)
The next thing that one might think is that "the United States of America" is poorly named. After all, people from Canada are Canadian, if you're from Mexico you're Mexican . . . why did the people who started the US screw up?
Answer: they didn't.
First, you have to think about what the world was like then. The US was a new thing: a completely new country. It was ground-breaking. They had bigger things to worry about than what to call themselves.
Second, the United States was not, strictly, a single country. Not a lot of people think about how there have been two countries called the United States of America. The first was under the Articles of Confederation, wherein the states really were states -- that is, separate countries, save for the fact that they were all supposed to agree on things to do -- like how much money to print, what counties to make treaties with, etc.
(For those interested in the problems with the Articles, and how they were fixed with the Constitution, as well as the verbal battles that went into the making of the Constitution, I strongly recomend reading Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787. It's a great read, even if you aren't normally into nonfiction like this.)
The current USA actually is a union, and was from the start. Even then, though, you were a member of your state before you were a US citizen. If I lived before the US Civil War, I'd have been a Marylander, rather than simply an American. Robert E. Lee, the army commander for the Confederates, actually believed that the war was a bad thing -- but his Virginia asked him to do it, and he was a Virginian first.
It was only after the Civil War that people began talking about "Americans" without also talking about what state you were from. By then, you also had "Canadians" rather than just more British, and "Mexicans" rather than just more Spaniards. As nationalism became more important, "American" was just a simple solution to a rather complicated problem of semantics.
Is it misleading? Yeah. But I defy you to think of a better way to put it.
Now, as to American schools. What you're refering to are public schools, which are required to do whatever the state (or federal government) tells them to do. That means they have to teach every stupid thing handed them, and polititians are often more concerned about their image -- and not offending people who vote for them -- do a lot of stupid things. Like, most recently, requiring that people switch from using red ink to mark wrong answers to purple. Seems it's a less violent color.
Private schools are allowed to teach actual things, rather than stuff like revisionist history. They can use red ink -- the only people it hurts are people who aren't getting things right, and they have bigger things to worry about. They can actually teach their students how to think, rather than throw stuff at them in the vague hope something sticks. (By the way, public school teachers are the profession most likely to send their kids to private school.)
Finally, American isolationism. Oh, yeah. I haven't heard a thing about the elections in Taiwan, Australia, or Indonesia. Last time I heard about Japan on mainstream news was months ago. Tony Blair is only mentioned in reference to Iraq. Something finally popped up about Afganistan that didn't involve Kerry's complaints. High oil prices are talked about, but only to blame Bush -- nothing about the problems in Venezuela or Nigeria, which are big oil producers; bare mention of lost productivity in the Gulf of Mexico; no mention that our demand for oil has increased without the oil supply matching it; nothing about China's increase.
In short, if it's not directly "American" it doesn't make the news. Our news services care too much about a "story" rather than presenting facts. They don't try educating people anymore -- I miss Walter Cronkite, and I've only seen him on tapes.
On the other hand, I also believe in hard work, so I suppose I shouldn't complain too much if to get a proper education you have to work at it. It's frustrating to have to keep explaining the facts of life to people who only get theirs from thirty- to one-hour news segments, most of which isn't exactly headline news.
Yeah, I've been ranting here. Like I said, it's been frustrating. I get sick of dumb people, and I get sick of dumb Americans who make the US look like its full of dumb Americans. Since this forum is world-wide, I wanted to get in an explanation for a few things there.
::sigh:: At least the Americans on this forum aren't dumb . . . . |
| Alexander Heppe |
Posted - 11 Oct 2004 : 09:57:51
Hoody Hoo!
European locations have been added. 45 Locations in Germany alone. And my FLGS is in for it, too.
All right, folks. Letīs pay our favourite shop a visit on saturday.
Have Fun, everyone |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 08 Oct 2004 : 11:17:41
No offense intended here either, Wooly. I meant it a little tongue-in-cheek, as to the stereotypical American, but enough said, lets celebrate Worldwide D&D Day |
| Alexander Heppe |
Posted - 08 Oct 2004 : 10:47:54
Sorry, I used "American" in my first post to imply that only locations within the two American continents were posted. With "international", I wanted to say "rest of the world" like Australia, Asia, Africa...
By no means I wanted to imply that WotC (who are, by the way, doing a great job so far after launching the Realms into 3E) are ignoring other countries. They are famous for their international customer support. Probably thatīs the reason why Iīm disappointed of not being able to read about other Worldwide Game Day locations...
I am also not mocking the US educational system, just an ironic remark. The USA has got great schools, even better universities. Although one can get the impression that good education becomes more or less the privilege of those who can pay handsomely for it. Thatīs an international trend I observe with growing sorrows.
Please guys, donīt misinterpret me as being anti-american. To the contrary, Iīve been to the states 23 times by now, and really like the country. But I will always keep my right to critizise what I call bad politics - but that doesnīt mean critizising the Americans as a whole. So, enough of that, back to topic... |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 08 Oct 2004 : 09:45:21
quote:
Originally posted by Alexander Heppe
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia are American locations? I'm sorry, I was under the impression that those were sovereign nations, and not part of the USA.
Sorry, my fault. I was under the impression that the term "American" meant more than "just the USA, nothing else, thank you". Seems like the education in Yurop is not as good as it used to be. So could somebody please tell me by what names the continents are called, where "Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia" are located. Iīd really like to know, so that I can avoid mistakes frome now on.
By the way, is Geography in the States taught like this:
Teacher(holding a map of the solar system): "As you can see, students, the USA takes 365 days to surround the sun once, while the moon only takes roughly one month to circle the United States..."
First, to use your exact line that set me off:
quote:
Originally posted by Alexander Heppe
Still only American locations posted. Not quite "international" after all, eh?
Next, we pay a visit to dictionary.com, and we find these definitions of international:
quote:
1. Of, relating to, or involving two or more nations
2. Extending across or transcending national boundaries
Hmm, two or more, and crossing national boundaries...
Now, looking at a map, I see that the list of places I enumerated are all separate nations. Further, they are spread among two continents.
Perhaps it's just me, but that readily matches the definitions of international.
You are the one who implied that all the nations listed were part of the USA -- because if having 8 nations other than the US isn't international, then what is?
Further, I will thank you not to mock the US educational system. Your words were, to me, an implication that the WotC folks were ignoring the rest of the world and calling a US-only event an international one.
Now, perhaps we should forego any further unpleasantness, and get back to the topic on hand. |
| Alexander Heppe |
Posted - 08 Oct 2004 : 09:20:51
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia are American locations? I'm sorry, I was under the impression that those were sovereign nations, and not part of the USA.
Sorry, my fault. I was under the impression that the term "American" meant more than "just the USA, nothing else, thank you". Seems like the education in Yurop is not as good as it used to be. So could somebody please tell me by what names the continents are called, where "Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia" are located. Iīd really like to know, so that I can avoid mistakes frome now on.
By the way, is Geography in the States taught like this:
Teacher(holding a map of the solar system): "As you can see, students, the USA takes 365 days to surround the sun once, while the moon only takes roughly one month to circle the United States..." |
| Wood Elf Ranger |
Posted - 08 Oct 2004 : 09:01:50
Woo hoo! There is actually a location that is pretty close to where I'm at! Now I just have to go and find this place. |
| Hymn |
Posted - 07 Oct 2004 : 19:00:57
Hope they have organised something over here as well, only know of one actual location that would suit, well maybe one or two others as well. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Oct 2004 : 15:40:56
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia are American locations? I'm sorry, I was under the impression that those were sovereign nations, and not part of the USA.
SB whistles..."Boy, talk about Manifest Destiny."
Good one!  |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 07 Oct 2004 : 13:06:49
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia are American locations? I'm sorry, I was under the impression that those were sovereign nations, and not part of the USA.
SB whistles..."Boy, talk about Manifest Destiny." |
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