Gaming and Stuff

So, I posted this over at my gaming blog, Wishful Gaming, but thought I would re-blog it here too.  Cuz I'm excited!

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So, I get to really get my Geek on in November. I just registered for a 3-day, VIG (Very Important Gamer) pass for Gamehole Con here in Madison on November 1-3.

This will officially be my first gamer convention where I am strictly a patron. I went to Gen Con a few years back, but that was as a vendor, when I worked for ACD Distribution. This time I will be participating in games, sitting in for panels, and probably spending too much money on RPG-related crap that I don’t need (I need to start squirreling money away for this).

I’m kind of excited because, as a VIG pass-holder, I get access to early registration for special events. There is a good chance that I could play in a game run by either Ernie Gygax or Frank Mentzer (or, heaven forbid, BOTH!). Truth be told, this actually makes me nervous. I have this fear of being looked down on by other gamers because I “do it wrong.”

I never said I was a rational person.

Regardless, I am also looking forward to just taking it all in. I’m hoping this thing has a pretty big turnout, and that there will be lots to do. My wife is only going to go on Saturday, so two of my days there I will be on my own. I have a friend who is supposed to be getting the 3-day pass as well, so I will probably hang with him most of the time.

It has taken me many years, but I think I have finally accepted the fact that I am just a big ol’ geek. My exes tended to try to nudge me away from my hobbies, and none of them were ever interested in sharing in my adventures (well, there was one who played AD&D with me…but I’m sure it was just so she could keep tabs on me). My current wife, however, is a gamer. And though our tastes in games are sometimes a bit different (she is a huge Vampire fan), she totally gets my love for the hobby.

So, if you are coming to Madison, look for me. On one of the days, I will be the guy in the black Barbarian t-shirt from my Zazzle store. Not sure what I will wear the other two days, though…

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In other news, I got confirmation from the editor at Weird tales that my stories are slated to be published in the near future.  The issue after the next one is a S&S issue, and he would like to publish both stories there.  I offered to edit the stories together, so I may do that, if he likes.  This is awesome news, as I had not heard anything in many months, and was about to start shopping the stories around.

There are some new developments on our housing situation, but I will wait until things are finalized to chit-chat about that.

All in all, life is pretty good.

New Blog!

In an effort to focus my blogging efforts, and avoid mixing my chocolate with my peanut butter, I have created a new blog strictly for games and gaming (as in tabletop RPG’s). I know some of you probably only come here because I occasionally wax poetic about my favorite hobby. And I will completely understand if you abandon this blog in favor of the new one...  *puppy dog eyes*

For those of you who don’t game, you will now be spared my ramblings about that hobby. This current blog will remain my forum for sharing choice slices of my delusionally epic life, as well my thoughts and efforts on the craft of writing.

So, for you gamer dudes (and dudettes…do any ladies even follow me here?), please head over to Wishful Gaming and follow me there as well. Nothing says you can’t hang out in both!

Game on!

Tonight we were supposed to have a make-up session for our ongoing D&D campaign.  We're at a pivotal point in the story, where my character (and the party, really) is about to gain a very special weapon to be used in the current war with the forces of evil.  However, real life being what it is, we won't be able to play tonight.  So, we're back on our regular bi-weekly schedule next week.

In the meantime, I and at least two other players (including my wife) are jonesing for adventure!  To that end, the other player who isn't my wife is thinking of starting a new campaign to "fill in the gaps."  I'm excited about this idea.  Probably more than I should be, or thought I would be.  This is the same friend that ran an all-day marathon session of AD&D for his birthday last year.  Now THAT was fun!

Anyways, nothing concrete is in place.  In talking with him, he says he has a lot of ideas, and would need to hash out details of how it would work; what genre, what system, etc...  This, combined with Tim Shorts' Friday Question today, as well as an email from Scott Oden yesterday, has me thinking about gaming.

I think what I would like is a game that is focused on swashbuckling adventure with pirates on flying ships, and evil sorcerors, doing battle with dashing heroes, all for the hands of maidens in distress.  Something akin to Barsoom with magic and D&D races (elves, orcs, halfling, dwarves, etc.).  That would be cool!  Maybe Spelljammer, but confined to a single world.

Of course, I could be currently influenced by the fact that I am trying to finish up my Sword & Planet tale for Scott Oden's planned anthology.

Be that as it may, I have suggested a supplement for the Pathfinder RPG, Distant Worlds.  It looks awesome, and I really like Pathfinder as the successor to D&D 3.5.  I see it as an updated Spelljammer, with a Sword & Planet feel.  Sounds perfect!  Let me roll up my Elven privateer, so that he may clash swords with that dastardly villain, Blackskull!

End of Days

Ok, no, I don't think the world is going to end on Friday.  And if it does, what could any of us do about it?  No, it's just that this may be one of the last posts I make in 2012, so I thought a bit of reflection was in order.

2012 was a pretty normal year for me.  Spikes and dips, and all manner of events in between.  I kind of gave a summary a few posts back, so I won't repeat myself.  But, I am feeling a bit melancholy these days.  I mean, I just turned 42, and I feel like I haven't accomplished much in that time.  I know that I have done a lot, and I am proud of those things.  But, none of the dreams I had as a young man have come true.  I'm not an Action Star, I haven't written a screenplay, I haven't published a novel.  I had a lot of big dreams when I was young.

But then, didn't we all?

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, but I feel like I need to set some goals, and actually work towards achieving them.  So, for 2013 I think I will focus on the following:

1.  Finish a book-length rough draft.  I have several projects in the wings that could get me there.  Right now it'll most likely be the historical fiction novel about Agesilaus.

2.  Lose 20 pounds...and keep it off!  This has more to do with better habits.  Lately, I have been feeling stuffed on less food, and I think that my body is telling me something.  Ordering smaller meals, and not feeling like I HAVE to eat every bite will probably help me a long ways towards this one.  Add in some regular exercise, and I think this is very doable.

3.  Come up with a five-year career plan.  I love certain aspects of my job.  I have a great boss, a lot of fee time to do what I like (write) at work, and the tasks I am handed are usually not very difficult.  But, I think that's the problem.  I feel underutilized and underchallenged.  So, career-wise, I think it's time to shit or get off the pot.

That's probably enough for now.  I will also resolve to read more for pleasure, and watch more movies that I like.  No need to watch more TV (though I was stoked to find out this weekend that NetFlix has season 2 of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes on instant view now!).  I will also try to play with my kids more, and to be more patient with them.  Some days, I feel like a bad dad, and I don't like that.  I know it's mainly their ages (4, 9 and 17), but I hate feeling like I need to raise my voice so much.

I other news, I had a bit of random inspiration while driving to church yesterday.  So, I have started laying the groundwork for the next Orc story.  I should probably come up with a catchy title to encompass all of them.  Something like "The Orc Cycle"...I dunno.  Anyways, this one focuses back on Pekra, and heavily involves Bofdak the outcast Dwarf.  Should be some good old-fashioned violent fun.

On the gaming front, been playing a lot of Skyrim on the xbox, a lot of Star Wars - The Old Republic online, and will be playing some Shadowrun with my wife and a couple of other friends.  My biweekly D&D game is still going, but I feel like it will either come to an end this year, or take a turn in a new direction.  Either way, I'm looking forward to some change there.

So, there ya go.

Been a bit...

I want this for my desk.

Just realized it's been a bit since I updated all of my loyal minions on my shenanigans.

Not really much to talk about.  Which, of course, begs the question "Why am I doing this?"  I don't know.  Maybe I just like the illusion of minor fame that being a regular blogger gives me.

I have had a plethora of doctors' visits lately.  My shoulder is sore from getting shots of cortisone yesterday.  And I get to get shots in the other shoulder in 2 weeks.  I have an unrelated procedure next week.  And I even had a mole removed.  I'm kind of a mess, but I'm feeling better.

Anyways, enough of that. 

Writing
I've been chipping away at my orc story for Scott Oden's anthology.  It's coming along nicely.  I really only have one more major scene, and some connecting details.  Then there will be some re-reads and edits before I show it to The Man.  Also been thinking about and working on a Sword & Planet story with a twist.  With John Carter in my near future, that genre has been on my mind.  And finally, with the help of my wife, I managed to polish up a good story and will begin shopping it around.

Some of you may recall that a while back I had an idea with a couple of friends to do an e-anthology of S&S stories set in a shared world of my creation.  Well, it's still in process, though probably still a ways off.  I have one story complete, and probably publishing-ready.  The other two friends have been busy with lots of other things.  But one is planning a surge in the project soon, setting himself a due date.  The other had started his stories, then fell out of love with the concept and characters, and decided to scrap it in favor of something else for the anthology.  Haven't heard from him in a long while on that.  We'll see how it all turns out.

Gaming
Finally getting back to our regular D&D game tomorrow night.  It's been a few weeks, and I really miss my Half-Orc Barbarian/Favored Soul/Fighter.  Tomorrow starts another short arc, and I am eager to see where we go from here.  Also, still looking forward to the AD&D game in April for my friend's birthday.

Been playing a lot of Star Wars online.  Really enjoying my Sith Marauder (dual lightsabers).  Started a new Trooper last night, just so I could play with my wife and her Smuggler.  We're only 4th, but it's still fun to game with her.  Last night I also realized that DCU Online is now free-to-play, so I updated it and logged in for a quick mission.  Still a very pretty game, and fun to play.

Reading
Recently finished Outworlder by Lin Carter.  Not a "bad" book, it just seemed too brief.  Like it was a rough draft that had potential for so much more story.  But, it was a product of the short fantasy books that were popular in the 70's, so I guess it works.

Got a Kindle Fire recently, and now that I have a really nice cover for it, I'm using it more.  Currently reading Hunters of the Red Moon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Paul Edwin Zimmer.  Really cool book.  It's apparently the first in a series (trilogy?), so I may have to track down the others if they are available as Kindles.

Also on my Kindle, I recently read Scott Oden's short story Amarante (also available at Smashwords and DriveThruFiction).  Holy cow, what a great story.  My only complaint after reading it was that it was over.  I am eagerly looking forward to his Orc novel.

Other stuff
Speaking of Kindle, despite my love of their services, Amazon is irritating me.  Rather I am irritated on behalf of authors like Scott Oden.  I'm sure a quick Google search will enlighten you to their latest BS better than I can.  Suffice it to say, they are screwing authors and publishers.  They really need to back off.  Or other e-tailers need to step up and take a bigger chunk of the market.

On a brighter note, I started my next class: "The Wars of Ancient Greece and Macedonia."  It's pretty interesting, and much more relaxed, as far as the format of the class.  It's straight up learning about and discussing history, rather than the mechanics of studying and reporting on it.

And finally, I have been oddly obsessed with Marvel's Hercules lately (hence the picture at the beginning of this post).  No explanation given here.  Just thought I would throw that out there.

Huh.  Well, I guess I had more to talk about than I initially thought.

Btw - If it seems like I talk about Scott a lot, it's because he's such a great guy, and really great writer who deserves much more attention than he is getting.

D&D Tom Edition – Part 1: The Foundation

So, I had this great idea. In light of WotC’s announcement of 5E, I thought it would be cool to make my own Edition of D&D. This would be the equivalent of forming a mercenary company for the Edition War.

What I am proposing is to take all of the bits I like from all of the previous editions (there are even a couple of things I like in 4E), and see if I can make them all mesh smoothly into one system. Personally, I think it’s doable. All of the various editions have a few elements in common. These I consider the foundation:

Six Attributes – Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. These have never changed. In a variation of 2E there were optional modifications, but the basic attributes stayed the same. So, they will in mine as well. I will probably also add Comeliness from Unearthed Arcana.

Hit Points – This is the one point that seems to get a lot of flack from non-D&D fans. The idea that you can fight at full strength until you hit 0 HP. True, it defies logic, and I may integrate wound rules, but the basic premise of having Hit Points is a good mechanic, so it stays.

Armor Class – There have basically been two variations on this, with various third-party alterations. Either higher is better, or lower is better. I will probably go with Higher for simplicity, but either way, AC stays.

Classes – I have always liked classes, and each edition seems to have a different explanation for their use. Personally, I like 3E’s version, wherein “classes” are not the same as “professions.” Rather they are classifications for a specific set of skills, abilities, etc. So, a level in Fighter doesn’t necessarily mean you have been trained to be a professional soldier. It just means that you have learned to use a set of skills (wielding weapons, wearing armor, etc.) that are typically associated with the Fighter “class.” It’s up to you to determine how you got them.

Levels – Related to Classes are Levels. In the 1E PHB, there is an extensive explanation for the use of the term. Basically, “level” is a way to level the playing field, so to speak. It’s a way to measure one’s ability against the ability of others, including monsters and foes. Also, in 1E character levels had a title associated with them. For the most part, this was just flavor text. But in the case of Clerics, for instance, those titles could be used as Ranks within an organization. This was how I always justified level-limits for non-human characters (though I think in some cases, they were set too low). After all, how many churches would allow a half-orc to gain much power and influence within their hierarchy?

Half-Orcs – 4E lost major cool points with me when they dissed my beloved half-orcs in the Player’s Handbook. True, they included them in the PHB2, but that meant I had to buy a whole other book just to play one. But, all kidding aside, there are basic races that should always be available: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs and Gnomes. Everything else is optional.

As you can probably surmise, these foundation concepts will lead into some decisions about other rules (such as multi-classing, Advanced/Prestige classes). I will admit that much of my Edition will draw heavily from 3E (or more accurately, 3.5), as that is my favorite edition, all nostalgia aside. But, if I could compile all of this into an actual RPG format, it would definitely have a more old-school feel. B&W illustrations, tables, etc.

I basically have my ideas for this already in place. But, I’m interested in hearing others’ opinions as well.  Have I forgotten or overlooked something you think is essential?

D&D 5E...?

Today Wizards of the Coast announced that it is developing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (technically this will be #7, but who’s counting?). This may cause many people to roll their eyes and wonder “Again?” To that I say “Yes!” And here’s why...

First of all, it’s not like this kind of thing is new. How many editions of GURPS are there? HERO System? Shadowrun? Tabletop RPG’s are supposed to be evolving, ever-changing. Otherwise, we’d all still be using Dave and Gary’s original rules.

Second of all, 4th Edition sucks. Let me just say that right up front. Your mileage may vary, but this is my blog, so I say it sucks. And when I say it sucks, I mean that it just isn’t D&D anymore. It’s an MMO on paper. 4E tries too hard to emulate the button-mashing strategies of MMOs and video games, and leaves behind the nuanced playing and social interactions that D&D pioneered. In short, with 4E they left the D&D track, and now they need to get back…er…on track.

That being said, it’s still a fun game. The problem I had with it the few times I played was that I got easily confused about what my character could do, and when he could do it. So much so, that I found myself concentrating on that, rather than enjoying the story. Maybe I should say it sucks “for me.”

So, what would make a “perfect” edition of D&D? Well, in my opinion (shut up, it’s my blog, I said!) they already did that with 3.5. 3E was innovative in that it created a game that works, no matter how many or how few of the rules you use. At it’s core, using a very few rules can garner a very enjoyable game. But, it also provided tons of rules to make the game as crunchy or as smooth as you like. In short, if people were willing to open their minds to the possibilities presented in 3.5, and get rid of the notion of “If it’s in the rulebook, you have to use it,” it could be ANY game they wanted it to be.

Can WotC do that again, and do it better? Probably. Based on their announcement, they are relying heavily on massive playtest feedback. This will no doubt inundate them with varying ideas. But, I can see that the most popular ones will get some good treatment. And as long as they keep the game itself flexible, the rest can work as well.

One of my all-time favorite
D&D illustrations.  Inspired me on
many levels as a 12-year old boy.

For me, personally, what I would like to see is some scaling back on the presentation. Rules are rules, and with a little adjustment, I can handle most of them. But, something about the recent books (even as far back as the 3.0 books) seems overblown to me. Maybe it’s the full-color art inside. Call me nostalgic, but there was something very charming and inspirational about the B&W illustrations in the old books. Also, I rather prefer the Medieval Europe look and feel of the equipment being depicted. I can see going kind of “alien” with the demi-human races, but for the most part, I like the pseudo-realistic portrayals in older editions.

I think I still have a copy.

Also: Pricing. D&D has a long tradition of requiring the Big Three core rulebooks; Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. With those three books alone, infinite games are possible. The downside is, with production costs being so high (see my comments on art), these books run about $40 each. That’s $120 just to get the basics! Maybe they can provide variations of the game. A “cheap” version, similar to the old red book that had just about everything you needed in about a hundred soft-bound pages. That would be cool, I think.

However, as a business in it to make money, these may not be valid considerations.

In short, I want a flexible game that allows me to be as detailed or flowing as possible. One that caters to as many different play styles as possible. And most importantly, one that allows for improvised rules on the fly. That right there is, from a rules standpoint, the one issue that separates Tabletop from Computer. If my character wants to improvise by throwing his shield, he should be able to do that without much fuss, and with a reasonable chance for success. Can’t do that at all in WoW.

I wish them luck, and I will no doubt buy at least the core books when it comes out. If for no other reason than to have the right to bitch about and bash them.

Reflections on Gaming

This past weekend was GenCon. I'm Facebook friends with many people in the gaming industry, and a lot of them talked about their experiences over the last few days. I have been to one GenCon, and that was a few years ago, as a vendor. I worked for the second largest game-distributor in the country, and I spent my weekend mostly in meetings with game companies; talking about what was coming up, how we could best serve them, and generally trying to cultivate working relationships. Of course, I was fired a couple of months later, but that's neither here nor there. I enjoyed the experience, and kind of miss having an inside track on the industry.

My only regret was that I was unable to just experience the Con as a gamer. My wife was allowed to come with me, and she got to view a lot more than I did. But, neither of us got to participate in any games, or sit in on any panels. We were hoping to make it this year, but money and the economy...well, you can probably see where that went.

The plan is to try to make it next year, and hopefully make a road-trip to DragonCon in Atlanta as well.

This is how it all started.

As always, the presence of GenCon and DragonCon gets me to thinking about my gaming experiences; past, present and future. I was introduced to the hobby, like many of us, through D&D. In 1981, I moved from Kansas back to my hometown in California. I was just entering the 6th grade. One of my new friends there asked me one day "Do you play D&D?" I responded with "What's that?" And thus a lifetime of gaming was born.

Throughout high school I played a large variety of games. D&D, AD&D, Marvel Super Heroes, DC Super Heroes, Star Frontiers, James Bond...the list is rather exhaustive. I even still have some of those old games in my collection. While in the Army, the hobby continued. A lot of Champions (and various other HERO games), AD&D 2E and Call of Cthulhu.

When I got out of the Army, we moved to San Diego, and I started school at a junior college in 1996. While there, I was reading a Forgotten Realms novel before class. This guy noticed and asked if I played. And thus began a friendship that has lasted for years, and has lead to a lot of new friends. And indirectly, it lead to my current marriage, and my moving to Wisconsin (through the City of Heroes MMO).

The pseudo-medieval settings of D&D lead me to explore history, which lead me (and continues to lead me) academically. The interactive story-telling of RP-sessions has lead me to pursue writing. The games I have played have fired my imagination on so many levels, and lead me to read books and see movies I might never have experienced otherwise.

Sometimes it's kind of amazing to think of how much my life has been influenced, directly and indirectly, by Role-Playing Games. I can't even imagine what life would be like if my friend hadn't asked me if I played D&D back in 6th grade.

Cross-Pollination

Cross-Pollination - Influence or inspiration between or among diverse elements.

This happens a lot between my writer side and my gamer side.  Like many gamers (particularly RPG players), I imagine my characters' adventures as stories, and indeed have chronicled such adventures (whether actual play or just made up) in fiction of one form or another.

However, this happens more often in the backgrounds of said characters, rather than with actual game-play.  Either my latest D&D character is inspired by a fictitious character I made up, or my latest fictional character is inspired by an RPG character, the two seem to go hand in hand for me.

WARNING:  What follows could be construed as me doing that thing that dorky gamers do when they talk about their favorite characters.

For instance, when I was in early high school, a friend and I decided to start a D&D game using the Expert Set (remember that blue box?).  These rules had details for making half-elf characters.  Brilliant!  So, inspired by Longshot from the Marvel Comics X-Men titles, I proceeded to roll up Tomos the Half-Elf Fighter (yes, he was my alter-ego).  Had some fun times with him.  Eventually, the game petered out, and I put Tomos away.

Later, I started gaming with some new friends after my old friend had graduated and moved on.  They had higher-level characters.  So, rather than roll up a new character, and artificially advance him, I converted Tomos from D&D to AD&D.  And thus was born a bad-ass.  Tomos had the maximum strength allowable to a Half-Elf (18/90), 18 Dex, 17 Cha, and he ended up having a 19 Comeliness (from Unearthed Arcana).  At the time I was reading a lot of the Conan paperbacks, and I was highly influenced by them.  So, I decided that Tomos was a cross between Conan and D'Artagnan.  Physically powerful, but roguishly handsome and charming.

Tomos soon became the subject of MANY planned works of fiction.  From short stories to novels, to fan-fiction involving established Forgotten Realms characters.  Nothing was ever written beyond copious notes, the beginnings of a few novels, and one complete short story (which, unfortunately, got lost in the computer shuffle years ago).

Tomos has since been converted to each new incarnation of D&D (with the exception of 4E, because that game just sucks), but has seen very little play since high school.  I've also made him in a few D&D-based computer games, like NWN.  Yep, Tomos Elvenblood is probably my all-time favorite D&D character, and a source of seemingly endless inspiration.

Even today, I find myself using details I developed for one character to flesh out others.  From game to fiction and back the other way.  Shades of Tomos crop up every now and again, but other characters have also been highly influential.

Like Vin Diesel said, "D&D is a training ground for the imagination."  I wholeheartedly agree, Vin.

Orcs...again.

I seem to recall many ages ago blogging about orcs. I like them. They are arguably my favorite fantasy race, and I will often judge a high fantasy world (at least partially) on whether it has orcs in it or not (sword & sorcery worlds get a pass as they tend to be human-centric).

I am also a huge role-playing geek, and I love to tinker with the idea of creating and writing my own rpg. Therefore, it stands to reason that eventually I would try to combine those two ideas and create and write a game about orcs. Well, I have been doing just that for some time now (off and on). And I have the first part of the project more or less done.

I have often seen this project as having four phases. The first is to write the rules. This involves devising a dice-mechanic, the relating system for using that mechanic, and putting it all together in a coherent manner. I believe I have done this fairly well, though I use the term “devise” loosely in regards to the mechanic. I basically borrowed a mechanic from another game, modified it to my liking, and plugged it in. It works, and has the potential for the level of brutality a game about orcs should have.

The second phase will be to create the world that the game takes place in. This will be both easy and difficult. Easy because I have done this sort of thing a lot, and world creation is in itself a fun activity. But it will also be difficult, because the world needs to be familiar enough that people who pick up the game will recognize familiar tropes, yet unique enough that it won’t be derivative or plagiaristic.

After that will come playtesting and editing, which will probably be the most difficult, as I have no idea who I will get to playtest it. And the final stage will be revision and production, to include art and layout. This part I can do on my own, though I may try to get art from other people in there. That’s assuming this whole thing doesn’t just peter out and fall by the wayside, as so many of my projects do.

So, there I am. I have a basic, functioning rules set. And I have a decent idea of what kind of world I want to make. It will be a world where the only playable race is orcs, and everyone else is either an ally or an enemy, depending on the day and the mood of the characters.

At this point (if you’ve bothered reading this far) you may be wondering what kind of orcs will be presented? As most fantasy aficionados know, there are as many kinds of orcs as there are books and games about them, or involving them. They range from the original form presented by J.R.R. Tolkien, to the wildly bizarre ilk found in many of today’s games. This topic has come up during conversations with Scott Oden, who is a Tolkien Purist when it comes to orcs, and equally passionate about them. Personally, I like the orcs of WarCraft design. They represent more of the “noble savage” rather than the mindless killing machine so often portrayed in fiction and gaming (the irony here is that this is how Scott likes his orcs as well, even though WarCraft orcs are much more so than the orcs of Middle-Earth, though he still maintains their inferiority).

As a result, my orcs are hulking, brutal warriors, with an honorable streak that is rivaled by their capacity for treachery in the name of self-affectation. They fight constantly, for pleasure, sport, money, or just because. They respect strength and despise weakness. They are willing to ally themselves with anyone who pays enough, or promises to benefit them in some way. They are often loyal to each other, but not to the point of useless sacrifice. Orcs will support their friends and comrades, but if those friends do something stupid, they are on their own. They live in a tribal, shamanistic society, where only the strongest rule, and an orc is not an orc until he (or she) has proven himself in combat.

So tell me, would you play this game?