Solo Gaming Appreciation Month

I accidentally stumbled across Solo Gaming Appreication Month towards the end of November last year, when I just started to get into solo gaming.  It looked awesome fun and I was so gutted not to have the time left to get involved before it was all over.  But this year I am ready at the start, and with I hope, a greater knowledge of solo gaming.

So What is Solo Gaming?

Solo Gaming is literally playing a game by yourself, either a board game, a card game, dice game, wargame, or my favourite choice, a tabletop roleplaying game.  Now at first this thought was strange to me.  Why play a game by yourself?  Isn't that a little sad?  And then I remember reading somewhere, a comment made by someone who worked in a board game shop, that as soon as you relate this activity to being no different than sitting down and playing a video game by yourself, people's perceptions change.  And mine did too.  

It's considered perfectly acceptable to spend time by yourself playing your favourite video game, but somehow we fear the idea of sitting alone at a table and playing a favourite board game.  Why?  The only difference I see is no electricity is involved in bringing your game to life.  You still have the narrative of the game written down, the images of the game through the artwork, your imagination in devising strategies and ideas as to how to win, and game mechanics such as dice and cards to see if you succeed.  It's a whole new experience, that's actually really refreshing, and highly addictive - because it's so much fun!

Solo gaming also has some advantages.  You can play any game you feel like, pretty much whenever you want to.  No compromising and going along with other people's choices, you can make your own choice.  You also don't have to wait for someone else to play with, anytime you have spare time and want to play, nothing is stopping you.  You also get to try out new games no else you know wants to play, or just don't fancy.  Such as tabletop roleplaying games like Shadowrun or Dungeons and Dragons.  I have found a great deal of help and advice in solo roleplaying from Ken Lau's The Lone Crusader blog.  Part of the fun can sometimes be figuring out how to play solo, the joy of discovering a new way to play, and finding your options are wide open to doing anything you want, in a virtual world of your imagination (often helped along by inspiring artwork and writing in published adventures and sourcebooks).  

I have also learnt so much from the wonderful folks over at the Lone Wolf Roleplaying Google+ Community, and can now proudly take part in the Solo Gaming Appreciation Month Google+ Community!

So What is Solo Gaming Appreciation Month?

Well, the man who made the logo above, the awesomely cool +Steven Lincoln, author of the Solo Heroes blog, made a really cool video which in my opinion, sums it up perfectly...

Now all I have to do is pick some fun ideas for what I'm going to to for my very first Solo Gaming Appreciation Month, November 2016.  Will you join me on a brand new adventure and a voyage of discovery?  What games will you try?  What will your favourite be?  Can you guess before the month begins, and will your guess be accurate?  Or will it be something entirely unexpected?

Happy Gaming!

Blogging Inspiration - Exploring New Hobbies & Living An Adventurous Life!

I stumbled across a blog today called Sphere of Annihilation, a blog about Tabletop Gaming, Comics, and other nerdy stuff the blog's author, +Ned Leffingwell, likes.  I was first drawn by his post about a new Shadowrun Anarchy product coming out soon - I am loving exploring Tabletop Roleplaying Games, especially Dungeons & Dragons (D&D 3.5e) and Shadowrun (Fourth Edition).  So far I have been enjoying learning to play D&D, and have so far only collecting books on Shadowrun, and hope to learn to play it soon.  

I am enjoying exploring new hobbies, and hope to share what I try on this blog.  Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with everything I want to try, and everything I want to blog about, that sometimes I don't try or blog about anything.  Which brings me to another lovely blog post Ned Leffingwell wrote, on a Blogging A to Z Challenge he took part in.  I don't know much about the challenge, though it seems to be a challenge where you write something related to each letter of the alphabet, which sounds a fun challenge to me!  But what I really liked about this post, was that it was a personal post of reflection on the challenge, what he liked blogging about, and what he got from blogging.  He says, "I like writing about my hobbies."  It "helps me to gauge how much time and interest I put into them."  "By writing about them I make sure that I am appreciating the things that I collect.  I look at them, read them, play them, and think critically about them."  This is a lovely way to think about hobbies and why to write a blog about them.  

I originally chose to write this blog as a way to explore new hobbies, discover more about what I love, and share an interest for some perhaps unique hobbies that people wouldn't otherwise thought of trying.  I want my life to be more adventurous.  I don't imagine myself travelling the world be doing amazing feats (I'm not sure that is what I would want, even if I had the means to do so), but I do believe you can live a more adventurous life from your armchair.  Even if you are tied down by a career, responsibilities, or even ill health.  There are many fun, unique and exciting hobbies for to discover, attempt and challenge yourself with.  Why not achieve amazing feats in a hobby you can do at home?  Why can't every day of your life be fun, exciting, and filled with a sense of achievement and time well spent, in overcoming a personal challenge of your own choosing, in your own life, right here, right now.  That's how I want to spend my life, always discovering and exploring something new, and having fun in my an adventure playground of my own creation.

Whatever you do, this morning, afternoon, evening, or weekend, have fun and enjoy your life.  

NaNoWriMo 2015 - Story Ideas

It's September and I'm starting to think about Nanowrimo 2015, that exciting and crazy month in November, where every year I attempt to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel.  I think September is the earliest I've thought of my Nanowrimo novel, normally it's some time in October I start to think of it.  But I'd really like to give myself a good go of it this year.  Perhaps this year will be the first one I actually win Nanowrimo?

Beckie / Flickr Creative Commons License

Feeling inspired by my Art Challenge earlier this year, where I created a fantasy image based on an idea of a British secret service covertly fighting alien threats in the Victorian era.  How would Victorian technology fare against alien technology?  Aliens, alien abduction, experimentation on humans, shapeshifting aliens, alien robots and monsters attacking Earth and it's inhabitants would all seem very alien and very strange to 19th century humans.  

My Artwork: 'Ancient vs Futuristic' - Colour Pencil on A5 Sketchbook paper

Although they could use Victorian guns, probably flintlock pistols and rifles, and gunpowder (most enemies don't fare too well against large explosions), I think they would still struggle against alien enemies.  Perhaps they could make use of the occult knowledge that was so popular in Victorian times.  Consulting psychics to determine when and where any alien encounters or threats had or would happen.  They could also seek out witches and mages to do battle against alien enemies, summoning spirits and werewolves to do their bidding.  This may make the battleground a more even one.

Lemurian Grove / Flickr Creative Commons License

Their communication abilities would be very archaic compared to today, before telephones of any kind were invented, not even radio communication existed.  Letters would have been posted, and if something could not wait 24 hours for first class post, messengers could be sent, like errand boys (or grown men if they could not trust them) to deliver paper messages that were urgent.  Members of the secret service could turn up at an agent's house, or meet them at a pre-arranged time, such as at a park.  They could pass paper messages that would need burning after reading.  Or they could have some sort of code.  Perhaps Braille? They could have secretly invented before it was released to the public to be used by the blind, it could have been used as a discreet code around the edge of postcards or greeting cards to be sent through the post to secret service agents.

lokarta / Flickr Creative Commons License

Steampunk technology could have been invented in a similar way, to look like Edwardian technology, that was secretly invented earlier than was released to the general public.  What kind of Steampunk technology could they have had?  Electricity hadn't been invented, so it would have to be something running from a steam engine, or cogs like a wind-up clock mechanism, which could be very small like a pocket watch, or something very large like Big Ben.

Calsidyrose / Flickr Creative Commons license

Perhaps I can spend these 2 months leading up to Nanowrimo researching Victorian technology and what occult and superstitious beliefs they had, to give me plenty of ideas to go through in November.  I find I struggle when I don't know what is going to happen next in my novel, I've tried winging it with absolutely no prep at all, and I've tried with lots of ideas seemingly carefully planned, and then run out of steam.  

This year I hope to be more prepared with ideas I can pick at random, and make use of the Mythic Game Master Emulator, originally designed to emulate the Game Master (or Dungeon Master, if playing Dungeons & Dragons), and allow a group of friends to roleplay without a GM (or DM), or to play a roleplaying game solo, without any other players (which is what I originally bought it for).  But when you read into the Mythic Game Master Emulator ebook, you learn that it can actually be used for writing a novel, ideal if you up against a deadline (such as Nanowrimo), and don't know what to throw at your characters next.  I'm hoping it will help me keep pressing on with my novel, when I'm stuck and feel I don't know where to go next.  It should also help it feel like a game too, making it more fun!  I might even try having a list of ideas or events, up to 100, that I can then throw a 100 sided dice (1d100 or 2d10's), to pick something at random to put my characters through.  I love challenging my characters, and seeing what they can survive through!

Anyone else thinking of their Nanowrimo 2015 novel?  I'd love to hear what you're working on and any tips you have for ploughing on through 50,000 words in 30 days!

New Year's Resolutions 2015

1. Declutter all my possessions
   #Declutter #Minimalism #Minimalist #SimpleLiving
2. Lose 2 stone (28 pounds) in weight
   #Exercise #Fitness #Motivation #Healthy
3. Get Up Early every day
   #GetUpEarly #ReclaimThePowerOfTheMorning
4. Nothing New - Don't Buy Any Luxuries this year
   #StopSpending #Money #SaveMoney #Declutter #Minimalism
5. Be Kind, Be Patient, and Make Time for People in my Life
   #Kind #Relationships #Friendship #Family #Familytime
6. Learn to play new Card & Board Games
   #Dice #DnD #PlayingCards #CCG #TCG #TableTop #BoardGame #RPG
7. Start an Art Journal
   #ArtJournal #SmashBook #ScrapBook #JunkJournal #Crafts #Stamping #RubberStamping #Scrapbooking
8. Be more Adventurous in my Personal Style
   #Style #Fashion #Wardrobe #Hair #Bohemian #Boho #Tomboy #PersonalStyle
9. Learn to play a musical instrument
   #musicalinstrument #keyboard #ukulele #ocarina #recorder #pennywhistle #irishflute #harmonica
10. Write a Short Story
    #ShortStory #Write #Fiction #AmWriting #Writing #Stories #Books #Novels #NovelWriting
11. Read 10 Novels and 10 Reference Books
    #Reading #Books #Novels #ReadingChallenge #AmReading #YearofBooks
12. Discover new music
    #Music #Genre #Rock #Country #Blues #Classical #Pop #Funk #Soul #Acoustic #Folk #Traditional
13. Learn more about Ancient Traditions & Beliefs of England
    #England #History #Research #Ancient #Tradition #Beliefs
14. Keep a Sketchbook
    #Sketch #Sketchbook #Drawing #Pencil #ColorPencil #ColourPencil #Illustration #Art #Artist