0150A: Trudging Through the Work Week

Man, I'm only entering the middle of my work week and already I feel beat up. I guess it's taking me a wee bit longer to get used to full-time work again after the more relaxed period of the holidays. Lengthier vacation time always seems to feel this way.

Although I must admit that my body is feeling a lo wearier than normal. And whether this is due to work-related stress, pushing myself too hard over the weekend or just the rigors of my daily commute, it's hard to say at this point. But I can already foresee that I'm going to be feeling really beat up by the time this week is over. And no, taking additional vacation time isn't exactly going to be an option within the immediate future. May the Matrix help me keep things together until then.

As of late, Tobie and I have been playing a lot of Knights of Pen and Paper, a fairly simple mobile game that aims to somewhat approximate the tabletop gaming experience. And while it clearly caters to the D&D market from an RPG perspective, that doesn't make the game any less fun.

Like any other RPG, you get to fight various enemies in the hopes of getting more experience or accomplishing various quests. The whole game is rendered in a nicely endearing 8-bit style that is clearly meant to appeal to the older gaming generation who actually has tabletop gaming experience. The twist is that the game still has "real world" aspects that affect in-game scenarios. Thus the quality of your gaming table can give you more experience earned or more gold. Giving your GM snacks during the game can give you attack bonuses in combat.

This little quirk in the system makes it incredibly fun game despite the seemingly simple and repetitve game engine. I guess it helps that it still has a fairly decent story - not exactly something that you would expect from an RPG designed for the mobile sphere. Case in point - I've already finished the game once and now I'm playing through it again with a new set of characters using classes that only became unlocked during the first time around the block.

This game is definitely one of the things that's helping me stay sane until the weekend. A massage would be even better given the aches and pains I'm feeling, but there'll be enough time for that soon enough. For now, we persevere on.