Tag Archives: chances

Unpredictable Roll

Posted by Daria on

I never thought that I would be able to enjoy role-playing games, until I was introduced to the universe of D&D, the world of charismatic characters, dungeons, dragons, and surprises around every imaginary corner. My game is Dungeons and Dragons and I play it because it allows me to be who in real life I am not. In real life I am an introverted individual with little desire for heroic actions, yet in D&D I play a courageous character that has no flaws and no issues with self-esteem. Plus the combination of risk, attention to imaginary details and plethora of possible outcomes keeps me away from getting bored, stressed or unhappy. On top of all of that I can watch an entire world unfold before my eyes on a battle mat, carefully centered on my grand dining room table.

What makes this game so dining-room-table worthy? In the last few years D&D brand has gone over some major changed in design, usability and marketing. Today Dungeons and Dragons are made for people of all groups and ages. Rule books and accessories have a much more appealing design. Miniature figures range in colors, shapes and forms and can now be placed on ergonomic battle mats. Character sheets have been dramatically improved and can now be neatly updated on our computers. (Coast) Changes that took place over the last few years make the game easier to understand and to play. Even with all the extras D&D still requires simple things to make it fun- friends, dice, pencils, and most of all imagination. The essence of this game is the game play itself, but it is the fantasy of it all that makes it enticing.

A good set of 20d dice is the most important element of the game. Dice determine what steps characters take, how quick and when. Rolling the dice determines what chances your character has against the enemies and other dangers. The group of players needs to pick a Dungeon Master (DM), someone to be in charge of the adventures. DM controls monsters, narrates the story and acts as a referee (Heinsoo, Collins and Wyatt 8). Being a DM is like playing an imaginary omniscient ruler of the D&D universe. Player’s Handbook explains the rules of the game and helps to create characters based on their Race, Class, and Role (Heinsoo, Collins and Wyatt 14). A Character Sheet is also provided for adventurers to record information they might need. It includes everything from character’s name, to strengths it possesses, skills it uses, to what imaginary gold and equipment it can carry.

Imagination and the handbook help players to create strong characters with interesting backgrounds. One of the books on the D&D experiences mentions that “the dice may have a hand in your character’s present, but you control your character’s past” (Mazzanoble 20).  Polishing and investing time into a character gets players more involved in the game play itself. Many little details make D&D the game, as it can be replayed, yet never repeated, over time and “perhaps the best most unique game-play element is that it’s non-competitive” (Mazzanoble 20). 

Adventurers have to work as a team in order to survive the onslaught of monsters. D&D has two types of encounters, Combat and Noncombat, in some cases characters fight monsters, in others they use their other pre-set skills to get out of traps or figure out dungeon’s puzzles. You can try and prepare your character for the hardest of adventures, but at the end the dice still determine your character’s luck. (It is important to mention that DM rolls dice for monsters thus the probabilities of winning are equal on both sides.)

The game play can sound complicated but the truth is: it is not. The game mechanics are all linked to one major rule: “Decide what you want your character to do and tell the DM” (Heinsoo, Collins and Wyatt 11). The freedom to decide what your character will do next makes the game fun and so do various suggestions and impossible requests that are addressed to the DM during playtime. Team of adventurers continues on for hours and when adventure is over, the next one is just around the corner waiting for players to meet up again. On the plus side each time adventure is finished all characters present that day acquire experience points (XP) and gold. Over time characters evolve, by gaining experience points and gold, therefore being better equipped with spells, weapons, and greater armour for each following adventure.

D&D has returned to our Chapter’s bookshelves and to our dinner tables, because it is a fantastic way to spend an evening with friends and to exercise a mind. In case you are not ready for a full out D&D adventure you can start out small with D&D Miniatures Game sets and see if this type of adventure is for you. 

 Works Cited

Coast, Wizards of the. Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page-Tools. November 2009. 12 November 2009 <http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tools.aspx>.

Heinsoo, R., A. Collins and J. Wyatt. Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook: Arcane, Divine, and Martial Heroes. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, Inc, 2008.

Mazzanoble, Shelly. Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress:A Girl’s Guide to the Dungeons and Dragons Game. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, Inc., 2007.

I want that DOG!!!!

Posted by Daria on

 This is an outcry for help! This post is about me not getting what I want! The truth is: I am ANGRY!!!! And I want everyone to know about it, so please read this a.s.a.p.

This is a post about me wanting a puppy. I’ve been on this ‘I want a puppy’ thing for a while now and to many I sound like a broken record. There is nothing wrong with wanting things from life, especially those things that you feel you deserve, and most importantly that they deserve you. On Tuesday I was in a la-la land like a little kid dreaming about getting a puppy as a gift. How many years have I spent dreaming about a magic moment when someone brings me a(n open) box with a puppy in it? I feel like I have spent half of my life waiting for that gift. I spent my Tuesday wandering around Petland and dreaming of one of their puppies to come home with me, to love me and to play with me. I could have bought one, brough it to my home and that would be it. I would have been a puppy owner! I would buy myself a new friend, a life companion, a walk-partner, a life to invest into… All I had to do was take my debit card out, buy supplies and be happily ever after. Stop. I couldn’t do that because there are many factors to consider. I decided to think about it more. “Was it a wise step? How would others react?” etc.. etc.. etc..

After a few hours I have left Petland and decided that I will go look at other options and give myself time to think. I did my thinking on the drive to the Calgary Humane Society.

I have never been there before and right away I felt that there was some force pulling me into those big glass doors. It was quiet at first with no people in sight. I’ve read their website and I had a great idea of what to expect from this building and the adoptions. I have looked at about 30 dogs and at enormous amount of very sad cats. I wished I could bring all of them home, however I was not the only one looking and the cat section was full of people wishing to adopt. At some point of a time I found the part of the building that had younger dogs in it. I was still thinking about puppies what it would take for me to get one.

I noticed an adoption card on the wall… It said “4 months old, Montana, German Shepard Mix”. I looked inside and there she was… Montana. She is the cutest puppy I have ever seen. She is a wonderful dog and that is exactly how I felt about her. She looked up, noticed my eyes and just sat there watching me watch her. We had a connection. I felt it. It went through my body like a surge of invisible energy. I knew that all of a sudden it felt right. I liked her and she liked me. We stood there looking at each other for another 10 minutes, wishing that there would be no glass separating us. If you could be there to record that moment- you’d know we are right for each other. It was love at first sight.

Few minutes later I have found an adoption counsellor so I could find out more about her. I wanted to get to know her better. To know who she is and what was her story.

I asked the counsellor to tell me how I can get to know Montana better, and if I could take her for a walk in their special area that I have noticed on my way back to the little glass room where Montana lives. The counsellor told me that I first had to fill out a form, so they (counsellors) could see if I was suitable.

Well it turned out that because I was getting married this weekend I could not have a dog. This cousellor told me that I was not “stable enough” to take Montana home. Montana was afraid of people because she was rescued from a reservation when she was much younger… etc etc. The counsellor told me that I “had to get my life straight” before I could get Montana. After that she also told me that they can put her “on hold” for 24 hours. TWENTY FOUR  HOURS?

I have to get my life straight?  

I am not suitable for a dog like Montana?

I AM VERY ANGRY!

It is like saying a mother that she can’t be one because some form told her so! WTF?

You people, tell me if YOU see what is wrong with that picture!

EVERYTHING!

If living in a condo, with a small yard, being in very stable relationship (hence the marriage), two adults, calm couple, no other pets, no CHILDREN, no older people, lots of free time , tons of dog parks around, desire to walk the dog as much as needed, planning on moving into a bigger stand alone house, patient, understanding, and very caring person is not enough for Montana then what the F%#&  is?

I am angry because I feel that some stupid counsellor just ruined not only my life but Montana’s life as well. Some form broke two hearts and a life companionship. We would be a perfect pair, a wonderful company. We would work on our problems one puppy step at a time! In life I’ve never had a lover break my heart, but I finally know how a broken heart feels. I know why I left that place crying. I know why last night I woke up thinking about my puppy stuck behind a glass door, with little kids tapping on it with empty excitement.

 I am crying even writing this post. I can only hope that she will still be there when I try again….

 

Marco Polo: the game of chance

Posted by Daria on

Have you ever had random texts appear on your phone? You read it and then for hours you stare at it and wonder if someone mistyped your number, while in a drunken haze. What if you get that particular text early in the morning and you think to yourself ‘ it is too early for someone to be in a drunken haze’. Yesterday I got one of those messages, it said: ” i am too seksi for my shirt, too seksi for my shirt…” I stared at the phone trying to figure out if that number rings any bells. It did not. I went and checked my Outlook contacts; pathetic I know. Nope, no number like that. My cell phone service does not provide me with an opportunity to phone and ask who owns that number. The only thing left to do was to respond. Kids, do not respond to people you don’t know. It might be dangerous!

If you are too busy with your life you’d send a message back, saying: ” you’ve got the wrong number”. If you are bored and curious you ask “who is this?”. Lucky me. After about half an hour of random messages, which I hoped will help me figure out who it was, I got a name. My name. Whoever it was on the other ‘text’ line knew me… by name. My list narrowed down from all the people in the 403 area code to those that I have met. Considering that I had this number for last 10 years the list was extraordinarily large. People like to play games: if they have time to do so. I did ask, by the way, who it was; I did not get the answer I wanted. It was a “secret”.

I feel like I am too old for secrets. The truth is if that phone number would ring me up I don’t think I would pick it up. It is due to my limitless text messaging service that the conversation took place in the first place. After scanning through millions of people that might have ever had my number I managed it to narrow it down to a few and with some tricky questions I finally figured out who it was.

It was “secret admirer” from the past. Past that is more than six years of age. I’ve met this person at work- may be maximum of three times. (I do not remember giving out my number.) This person is nothing but a faded memory of a busy work day. What is with the interest in me all of a sudden and why start a conversation with a horrible text message, and what is the point of playing games? The truth is -I am not available. Especially if it is someone of the opposite sex and wants to catch up. Catch up on last six years? On entire life? We haven’t spoken about anything but work and possibly soccer. Should I give the benefit of the doubt?

Why is it that it is always the members of the opposite sex that want to reconnect so many years later? Why is that I never get a text from some old girl friend who wants to take me out for coffee? Is it all just a game of Marco Polo? How many people genuinely want to become friends with no benefits, other than friendship?

Rain: it only rains when I am in it.

Posted by Daria on

What is it with me an the rain? We have no common understanding of each other. We try to live our separate lives but we still run into each other on the streets and on the parking lots. Rain’s touch is a blessing and a curse. I think it doesn’t like me. It violates my private space, it hits me in the face, it blinds me, and leaves me cold. Rain kills the beast I travel on; my metal horse gets paralized as if it was stung. This happens every time it rains. I should be used to it, but I always find a reason to get out and be a part of it.

It hates me, it tricks me, it makes me sad. It’s a creature that can stay around for days or vanish in seconds. I am always involved with it. If I watch it from a distance I enjoy it; when it touches me I dislike it. What is with the hate and the love.

Why is there so much duality?

A case: of a missing bridesmaid

Posted by Daria on

After many days of considering my situation I have decided that it is time for the world to read my latest story. It begins with fun and excitement of planning a wedding. Not a big wedding; a nice small size wedding with a very small bridal party. I guess the first thing brides decide is who will be there for them on their big day. Who are those special few unmarried girl friends that have their heart and soul to offer on the day when you need them the most? You decide that family has to come first… Check! In my case that fills up a very important role of my Maid of Honour. Great who do you pick next? Do you sit down and chat with all your friends and decide who is best? Do you go according to how long you have known them? Do you look for that special connection? As a matter of fact, you do all the above!

Once I start going down the list I decide that I do not have many girlfriends. I was not born in Calgary so I am unable to pick a friend whom I have known since kindergarten. I have not kept up any relationships with girls from high school. Well… I can always pick a bunch from those special friends that have been there for me at work. Who can be better than your close colleagues that have been by your side for at least six months, 40 hours a week, sharing your bad and good days, gossip, coffee, shoe stories and after-work glasses of wine? Yes, what a perfect match; those girls not only know how to work hard, party hard, but they also know what shoes hurt where if you wear them for longer than eight and a half hours. I pick one of them to be my bridesmaid. She is honoured, happy and helpful. We start planning the wedding. We share ideas about flowers, colors, invitations, and more gossip over a few very nice lunches. Everyone else is notified of the bridal party- who is where and does what kinda thing. “Fantastic!” I say. By this point I am happy that I do have girl friends that are there for me. I wish I could have all the girls that I know in my bridal party- but they are aware that it is going to be a small wedding so they will be glad to show up.

Five months before the wedding I am franticly looking for suitable bridesmaid dresses. Most of the trips end up in conversations over coffee and more gossip. Very productive, I know. You know it’s all about keeping up the relationships, making sure that your friends are there for you, that they know what is going on your life so they could be prepared for your big day. And at least if you screw up or start hyperventilating they can slap you in the face and tell you to concentrate. Isn’t that how it works? With all this work in mind I one day wonder into the store that has those dresses- just what we all wanted. Perfect color, perfect shape, even better- oh, what a price! Without thinking any further I make some phone calls to my special ladies, send few e-mails with pictures of the dresses, carefully taken with my phone camera. At least an hour and a half later I get the approval from the girls and I buy two dresses. Perfect! I scratch “bridesmaid dresses” off my imaginary wedding-prep list.

Next few days I make plans to deliver those two dresses to my girls. To make sure they fit and the colour indeed looks like they thought it looked on the fuzzy picture I have taken while sales ladies weren’t looking in my direction. To point out I did have two dresses of the same color and type in my dressing room- plus they were the same size. I am sure they thought I was suspicious.

The first dress has been approved. Check! The second was desperately waiting on the hanger to be tried on. The fitting time, with my bridesmaid, was scheduled for the next morning. Check! Except for getting a phone call to make sure that the time was still OK, I received a text, received that text from my friend and from my only bridesmaid. It was late evening and text was glowing on the glass surface of my phone. Eclipsed in a blue box with rounded corners, white letters were glowing at me, mocking me, hurting me… The text said: “I can’t be in your wedding, sorry.” That was it. No phone calls, no e-mail, nothing. Not even picking up her phone…

It has been exactly a month since that text. I still have not heard anything from that girl. I was worried. I cried. I felt alone. I felt like an idiot. At the end I felt like there must have been a reason, but I still at need an explanation. Have you ever had someone break up with your over text? I haven’t but I know how it feels. The dress is still hanging on the hanger… all alone, unworn, and non-refundable. I am missing a bridesmaid, and a friend.

In this case of a missing bridesmaid: have I lost a girl friend or have I gained an understanding that I have very few? In this city, why is it so hard to keep girl friends, have meaningful relationships with them and meet them more often then one day, every two years, for a quick coffee?