0125E: Stepping Up To The Gaming Plate

I fear I may have caught a cold, or perhaps my body is just tired given all the activity as of late. I've been dealing with a nasty case of the sniffles since Friday night and staying up late for Saturday's Christmas get-together with fellow Marketing folks.

In light of this, we had to pass on a friend's birthday celebration last night and we've decided to stay in tonight as well. As much as it's always tempting to hit O Bar Ortigas again, especially with some friends back in town for the holidays, health needs to come first.

We're currently engaged in what is most likely our last Changeling the Dreaming gaming session for the year. I'm impressed at what a skilled swordsman my character has become over the course of the chronicle. And this is considering the fact that my character is essentially a talking cat with a sword that passes through metal and an invisibility cloak to boot. My false knight (who was actually a heroic knight in a past life) has become quite the adventurer. But I fear weather or not we'll be able to survive the continued challenges being thrown our way.

A major point of discussion as of late is me running a game - the group has been teasing me to run a Chronicle based on A Song of Ice and Fire or something. Frankly I don't feel that I'm ready for this sort of thing just yet - I've been only gaming since Tobie and I got together over two years ago, and admittedly the thought of actually running a game is rather intimidating, especially in contrast to how Tobie runs game sessions. I mean come on, Tobie comes with years of gaming experience and in contrast I feel even below the rank of a noob. And this will mean playing in an established universe, something which can be both boon and bane as I had discussed in a Geeky Guide post some time back. Pressure!

Image via Wikipedia

But I suppose it does make sense. I really need to get over my uncertainty and try my hand at running a game sooner rather than later. And 2012 is probably as good a time as any to add that to my geek resume. As much as it is intimidating to run a game with Tobie involved at a player, it's also a major advantage to have him to consult with between now and when the chronicle will finally begin. I'm just not sure if running a game based on A Game of Thrones is the best thing to attempt right now. While I do love the TV series and have started reading the books, I can't claim to be a total expert on the franchise just yet. Then again, no one in the game is either, so that does give me some wiggle room in terms of how I can steer the story and what this may lead to. A very interesting prospect indeed.

In other news, I've managed to complete my Christmas gift shopping for the year! And with two weeks to spare, mind you. That's a bit of a rarity given last year we were shopping right up until a few days right before the holidays. Tobie still ha a few gifts to figure out - the biggest delay we all face in gift-buying, but we're still ahead of the curve. I just need to find time to prep these gifts and wrap them in time for the Christmas holiday.

Some of the gifts are rather novel, and I have Tobie to thank for making some great suggestions. Plus he managed to find some surprisingly amazing gifts while we were out shopping today that were just perfect for what I had in mind for some family members. While the concept of shopping is an interesting one, I prefer the reality of thing to be a lot more efficient and quick. And thankfully Tobie and I managed that today despite the cloying press of the crowds at the mall earlier.

And yes, I'd rather invest in wrapping my own presents despite my shoddy craft-related skills instead of waiting forever and a day for the mall gift-wrapping counters to get the job done as all the other customers wait their turns as well. During the holiday season, the main goal is to get in and out of there as quickly as possible with as little damage to my wallet as is reasonably possible.

Now to deal return to focusing on the game - things are heating up again, it seems. Oh dear.