For DM, Ravi and I, dice inevitably happens at the end of the day, usually on Friday or Saturday, once we've had time to do everything else for the day, get our ducks in a row and whatnot. This way, when we finally sit down to game, we can go as late as we want and our schedule for the next day allows. It could be midnight, it could be three, four, five in the morning. It all depends on what time one of us needs to be in bed, how much fun we're having, and how much material the DM has for that night. There's one other factor, though: the game is almost over when the clock hits "Loopy".
I can't remember where the term "Loopy o'clock" came from, but it's a familiar term for our gaming sessions. Do you remember this post? This is what happens at Loopy o'clock. Someone gets the giggles, and the giggles are infectious. The other will start laughing, DM will inevitably say "Calm down, it wasn't that funny," and we end up laughing harder. The later it is in the evening and the longer we've been up, the more likely it is to hit the magic hour. There's nothing standard that sets it off, either. The setting can be completely serious or lighthearted, mid-fight or in-game downtime; it can be something said in-character, out-of-character, a roll gone wrong, a roll gone RIGHT, anything with the slightest bit of humor in it. Most likely, it's something that at an earlier time would not have sent us flying into fits of laughter. That's what Loopy o'clock does: the funny get funnier. It brings several minutes of game distraction (sometimes to the point of ending the game early), LOTS of snorts (What are we up to on your count, Ravi?), and that feeling of lightness that comes after tears roll down your face from laughter. It gives you a high you can get while still being completely sober, and it feels good, man. Sometimes we can pull past the magic hour and keep on playing, but more often than not, Loopy o'clock marks time for the game to be slowing down so we can get some much-needed sleep.
So the next time you sit down to play after a long day, the hour draws late and a giggle fit descends upon your game, check your watch - it's Loopy o'clock.
Happy rolling!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Pokemon are not food
Another foodless week here. Sorry folks. Wish I had a good reason, but it's mainly 1) I'm lazy and 2) guess who got Pokemon White this weekend? I've...already played almost 20 hours. I think I have a problem. Hell, I know I do. I've been playing these games since Red and Blue. The only one I didn't get immediately was from the Ruby and Sapphire set - those I waited until Emerald to get. But I know that as time goes on, there will still be Pokemon games, and I'll still be buying them. Watch, Ravi and I will be talking about our grandkids' graduations and I'll still be dragging my wrinkled butt to the store to buy the next Pokemon game. Assuming we have stores still then. Maybe by then, we'll just be buying everything online.
I'm thrilled about this game, though, and not for a reason I thought I would be. Am I thrilled because of the amazingly improved graphics, innovations in the play format, and changes that we're been waiting for since the originals hit the shelves? Of course. Am I thrilled that I can go into a cave and not run into a Zubat or Geodude because for the first time they're not catchable pokemon in the main game? Hell yes, but still not it. I am thrilled because for the first time since Gold and Silver came out, I caught the Pokerus. If you're not familiar with the games, I'm probably talking nonsense, so let me explain. In Gold and Silver, two new things were introduced: shiny pokemon (alt color Pokemon) and Pokerus, a pokemon virus that improves your pokemon's stat gain. The chance of getting either of these in the game is insanely low. I think a pokemon wiki said the chance of finding a wild Pokemon with Pokerus to infect yours is 1 in about 25,000. INSANELY rare. It spreads easily in your party and goes away after two days, but you can "save" it by storing a pokemon infected with it instead of using it. You find out you have the illness by taking your pokemon to a Pokecenter to be healed. The nurse will tell you "Oh! You've got the Pokerus!" when she hands you them back. I've been loyally playing these games for over a decade now, never finding the rare and elusive shiny pokemon, never getting the virus, until finally, last night, I stared at the little figure on my DS telling me that my pokemon were infected. And then I did a little dance. It's about damn time.
I do have a guarantee for you: the next time my Tuesday rolls around, you're going to have a grand slam of treats to read about. Indeah's throwing a party, and she decided to do all of the food. All of it. Well, okay, minus some that a friend has offered to help with. But I've got a decent menu to pull together myself, and it's all bite-sized and great stuff for a gaming session. You're gonna love this set-up.
I'm thrilled about this game, though, and not for a reason I thought I would be. Am I thrilled because of the amazingly improved graphics, innovations in the play format, and changes that we're been waiting for since the originals hit the shelves? Of course. Am I thrilled that I can go into a cave and not run into a Zubat or Geodude because for the first time they're not catchable pokemon in the main game? Hell yes, but still not it. I am thrilled because for the first time since Gold and Silver came out, I caught the Pokerus. If you're not familiar with the games, I'm probably talking nonsense, so let me explain. In Gold and Silver, two new things were introduced: shiny pokemon (alt color Pokemon) and Pokerus, a pokemon virus that improves your pokemon's stat gain. The chance of getting either of these in the game is insanely low. I think a pokemon wiki said the chance of finding a wild Pokemon with Pokerus to infect yours is 1 in about 25,000. INSANELY rare. It spreads easily in your party and goes away after two days, but you can "save" it by storing a pokemon infected with it instead of using it. You find out you have the illness by taking your pokemon to a Pokecenter to be healed. The nurse will tell you "Oh! You've got the Pokerus!" when she hands you them back. I've been loyally playing these games for over a decade now, never finding the rare and elusive shiny pokemon, never getting the virus, until finally, last night, I stared at the little figure on my DS telling me that my pokemon were infected. And then I did a little dance. It's about damn time.
I do have a guarantee for you: the next time my Tuesday rolls around, you're going to have a grand slam of treats to read about. Indeah's throwing a party, and she decided to do all of the food. All of it. Well, okay, minus some that a friend has offered to help with. But I've got a decent menu to pull together myself, and it's all bite-sized and great stuff for a gaming session. You're gonna love this set-up.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
You Don't Always Have To Kick Down The Door
We've finally had a few chances to sit down and play D&D lately - life has been getting in the way for both of us playing. Ravi's classes are working towards graduation (You can do it, sis!!) and DM and my weekends have been mostly preoccupied. However, two of our friends have been able to make trips down to visit us on Sundays, and we've happily pulled out the dice for a new game the past two times they've made it here.
The game, run by our friend Matt, is more focused on large-scale battles than D&D usually is, usually us versus three to ten enemies harder than us and a dozen to twenty smaller, easier enemies. We've had to focus much more on strategy and conservation than with a normal dungeon crawl. After two sets of long combat sequences (3 to 6 fights each) and one gained level, we were given the option to pick a goal: kill the hobgoblin king, take out a well of demons, go kick someone out of our territory, or stay there in case of attacks on the city. We chose to go after the hobgoblin king; we had already seen him at least once, but he ran away. So, off we went. We arrive relatively unscathed and find ourselves facing a dozen or so hobgoblins and ogres, with an ettin (a two-headed ogre) behind us. Roll for initiative, right?
Have you ever heard the concept "Walk like you know exactly what you're doing"? Meaning, look like you belong and you can go anywhere. Rather than draw our weapons and fight, we rolled Bluff checks. And rolled Bluff checks. And rolled more Bluff checks. We bluffed and argued our way right through the gates. Do you remember how Han and Luke found Leia without being caught in Star Wars IV: A New Hope? They marched Chewbacca down the halls like stormtroopers escorting a prisoner and killed the guards in the prison itself? Yeah, we did that with DM's Warforged. We avoided probably an hour or two realtime of large combat, broke two other humans out of the prison to help us, and got the jump on about 7 hobgoblins before they knew what hit them. In the end, we got our man with relative ease thanks to a very high summoning scroll Bryan, our other player, had just bought.
It's odd to think about strategy in D&D. It's usually so easy to just kick down the door and barge in. You don't NEED to consider alternatives. But there really are plenty of other ways to use your skills: bluff, intimidate, and diplomacy combined with known languages all allow different forms of negotiation with an enemy (provided they're not mindless. Don't try to negotiate with a zombie. It won't end well for you.) Hide and move silently can help you skirt around a group of enemies, as can climb and some cheap climbing tools. These are all good tactics to consider using when there's the possibility of avoiding a fight. Will you get the experience you would have from straight-up fighting? Not always. That depends on the DM. But if you're low on HP, badly outmatched, or just don't feel like fighting, try a different tactic. You don't always have to kick down the door.
The game, run by our friend Matt, is more focused on large-scale battles than D&D usually is, usually us versus three to ten enemies harder than us and a dozen to twenty smaller, easier enemies. We've had to focus much more on strategy and conservation than with a normal dungeon crawl. After two sets of long combat sequences (3 to 6 fights each) and one gained level, we were given the option to pick a goal: kill the hobgoblin king, take out a well of demons, go kick someone out of our territory, or stay there in case of attacks on the city. We chose to go after the hobgoblin king; we had already seen him at least once, but he ran away. So, off we went. We arrive relatively unscathed and find ourselves facing a dozen or so hobgoblins and ogres, with an ettin (a two-headed ogre) behind us. Roll for initiative, right?
Have you ever heard the concept "Walk like you know exactly what you're doing"? Meaning, look like you belong and you can go anywhere. Rather than draw our weapons and fight, we rolled Bluff checks. And rolled Bluff checks. And rolled more Bluff checks. We bluffed and argued our way right through the gates. Do you remember how Han and Luke found Leia without being caught in Star Wars IV: A New Hope? They marched Chewbacca down the halls like stormtroopers escorting a prisoner and killed the guards in the prison itself? Yeah, we did that with DM's Warforged. We avoided probably an hour or two realtime of large combat, broke two other humans out of the prison to help us, and got the jump on about 7 hobgoblins before they knew what hit them. In the end, we got our man with relative ease thanks to a very high summoning scroll Bryan, our other player, had just bought.
It's odd to think about strategy in D&D. It's usually so easy to just kick down the door and barge in. You don't NEED to consider alternatives. But there really are plenty of other ways to use your skills: bluff, intimidate, and diplomacy combined with known languages all allow different forms of negotiation with an enemy (provided they're not mindless. Don't try to negotiate with a zombie. It won't end well for you.) Hide and move silently can help you skirt around a group of enemies, as can climb and some cheap climbing tools. These are all good tactics to consider using when there's the possibility of avoiding a fight. Will you get the experience you would have from straight-up fighting? Not always. That depends on the DM. But if you're low on HP, badly outmatched, or just don't feel like fighting, try a different tactic. You don't always have to kick down the door.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Good Food Blogs
I'm gonna be straight up: I had a dish planned for today. I did not, however, get to the grocery store to get the ingredients. That's gonna have to wait and be my next update. So, in place of a recipe today, I'm putting out a few links to some of my favorite food blogs.
Baked Perfection
A baking blog you may recognize the name of - this is the blog I linked for the s'mores cookies recipe! Risa, the blog's creator, has about three years worth of delicious-looking recipes to scour through with sweets to satisfy any craving or fit any occasion. It's one of my most recent additions to my blog list, but I expect you'll see other recipes from there on here as I practice more with my baking skills.
Cake Wrecks
How many times have you gone to the grocery store or the mall, scanned the cake (or cookie cake, at the mall) rack, and seen utter messes, egregious misspellings, multiple cupcakes squished together in an attempt to shape them into a recognizable form, or brown icing plopped down in a way that makes it look like, well, not icing, to say the least? Cake Wrecks, a humor blog, brings these delicious disasters to the world's attention. Any professionally sold cake is free game to this blog: the more disastrous, the better! At the very least, if you're planning on ordering a cake from a bakery soon, give Cake Wrecks a look. Because if the baker asks if you want anything on top, be sure not to answer "I want sprinkles."
Hudocks to Haddocks: The Life, Times and Food
A general life blog run by a friend of mine who has a knack for 1) throwing amazing parties and 2) cooking! Many of the recipes she's posted on her blog are in my cookbook compilation, and making these recipes has pushed me outside of my comfort zone of cooking to put something new and regularly delicious on the plate. Some of DM and my favorites include the Creamy Taco Mac and the Broccoli and Shrimp Scampi Pasta. Not all of the recipes will work well around a gaming table, but they'll be hits around the dinner table!
Happy rolling!
Baked Perfection
A baking blog you may recognize the name of - this is the blog I linked for the s'mores cookies recipe! Risa, the blog's creator, has about three years worth of delicious-looking recipes to scour through with sweets to satisfy any craving or fit any occasion. It's one of my most recent additions to my blog list, but I expect you'll see other recipes from there on here as I practice more with my baking skills.
Cake Wrecks
How many times have you gone to the grocery store or the mall, scanned the cake (or cookie cake, at the mall) rack, and seen utter messes, egregious misspellings, multiple cupcakes squished together in an attempt to shape them into a recognizable form, or brown icing plopped down in a way that makes it look like, well, not icing, to say the least? Cake Wrecks, a humor blog, brings these delicious disasters to the world's attention. Any professionally sold cake is free game to this blog: the more disastrous, the better! At the very least, if you're planning on ordering a cake from a bakery soon, give Cake Wrecks a look. Because if the baker asks if you want anything on top, be sure not to answer "I want sprinkles."
Hudocks to Haddocks: The Life, Times and Food
A general life blog run by a friend of mine who has a knack for 1) throwing amazing parties and 2) cooking! Many of the recipes she's posted on her blog are in my cookbook compilation, and making these recipes has pushed me outside of my comfort zone of cooking to put something new and regularly delicious on the plate. Some of DM and my favorites include the Creamy Taco Mac and the Broccoli and Shrimp Scampi Pasta. Not all of the recipes will work well around a gaming table, but they'll be hits around the dinner table!
Happy rolling!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Getting Down with Dice
Back when we started this blog, I talked a little bit about the types of dice that are typically used to play tabletop games. They're a common accessory to the tabletop nerd and can be found in complete sets or mix-and-match in any gaming store. Dice themselves seem plain, only mixing up colors in their basic format, but if you want to get creative or show off your nerdiness, your dice can be so much more. Today, I'm showcasing three different ways to express yourself with your dice.
1. There's more than just the basic dice you get in those plastic boxes at a game store. There are metal dice, fuzzy dice, giant dice (and giant fuzzy dice), tiny dice, and even specialty dice (ex: Thorn Dice). If you know someone who works with wood, you might be able to round up a set of wooden dice. There's no better way to express yourself at the table than with special dice.
2. Deck yourself in dice jewelry (ex: here). You usually won't be able to roll it anymore after it's been converted to jewelry, but if it's tastefully design, you can show that you're a geek girl and you're not afraid to show it off with a little bling. (Did you hear DM wincing? Cause I did!) It's also something that with a few tools and a little handiwork, you can learn to make yourself.
3. Invest in a dice bag that shows you roll with the best (ex: here). The only thing that you can use to express your gamer side more than your dice would be your dice bag. Some people use Crown Royale bags, and there's plain or simply designed ones at any gaming store. Etsy has plenty of specialty bags as well (I've seen Dragon-shaped bags and Cthulu-shaped bags as well as the above link), and if you've got some talent with a needle or even a pack of iron-ons and an idea, you can personalize your own.
You've got plenty of options to personalize your dice and show off your gaming style. Whatever you decide to do, remember to have fun; it's all about the game. (Also, Ravi, you just lost it.)
Happy rolling!
1. There's more than just the basic dice you get in those plastic boxes at a game store. There are metal dice, fuzzy dice, giant dice (and giant fuzzy dice), tiny dice, and even specialty dice (ex: Thorn Dice). If you know someone who works with wood, you might be able to round up a set of wooden dice. There's no better way to express yourself at the table than with special dice.
2. Deck yourself in dice jewelry (ex: here). You usually won't be able to roll it anymore after it's been converted to jewelry, but if it's tastefully design, you can show that you're a geek girl and you're not afraid to show it off with a little bling. (Did you hear DM wincing? Cause I did!) It's also something that with a few tools and a little handiwork, you can learn to make yourself.
3. Invest in a dice bag that shows you roll with the best (ex: here). The only thing that you can use to express your gamer side more than your dice would be your dice bag. Some people use Crown Royale bags, and there's plain or simply designed ones at any gaming store. Etsy has plenty of specialty bags as well (I've seen Dragon-shaped bags and Cthulu-shaped bags as well as the above link), and if you've got some talent with a needle or even a pack of iron-ons and an idea, you can personalize your own.
You've got plenty of options to personalize your dice and show off your gaming style. Whatever you decide to do, remember to have fun; it's all about the game. (Also, Ravi, you just lost it.)
Happy rolling!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Nerdy Nibbles: S'mores Cookies
Let me ask you a question: Who DOESN'T like S'mores? The ooey, gooey, melty, crunchy marshmallow-roasted-on-a-stick-between-two-graham-crackers-with-chocolate goodness is one of my childhood favorites, and something I haven't been able to have for years. Honestly, when you go to the grocery store and do your weekly shopping, how often do you think, "Hm, I should get some marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars and make s'mores"? For me, not often. In any event, most nerdy pursuits don't usually take you anywhere near a campfire, and s'mores are too messy to try and use as table treats. Or at least, they are when you leave them as normal s'mores. When you make them into something else, though...
Introducing the S'mores cookie! Soft, chewy, buttery melt-in-your mouth deliciousness. I was linked to these on the blog Baked Perfection by a friend and fell in love. I knew these were going to be my next entry, and, coincidentally, my first ever real, honest-to-goodness baking adventure. I have never in my life made real cookies. These were a triumph!
At their base, these are chocolate chip cookies with graham cracker crumbs in the dough. During the last few minutes in the oven, they're topped with marshmallows and chopped Hershey bars. They're surprisingly simple to make and they're good as both mini-cookies and full-sized ones. The recipe makes around 4 dozen - I made 30 mini-cookies and 18 large ones.
S'mores Cookies (from Baked Perfection)
Bake for 8 minutes and carefully remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool and enjoy! Share with friends if you can...
Happy rolling (and baking!)
(This recipe shared on Sweet As Sugar Cookies)
At their base, these are chocolate chip cookies with graham cracker crumbs in the dough. During the last few minutes in the oven, they're topped with marshmallows and chopped Hershey bars. They're surprisingly simple to make and they're good as both mini-cookies and full-sized ones. The recipe makes around 4 dozen - I made 30 mini-cookies and 18 large ones.
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash of cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups miniature chocolate chips (regular sized chocolate chips work too, I found out accidentally)
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 2-3 Hershey bars, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon. In a second larger bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour and graham cracker mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop in balls onto either ungreased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. (I used the foil.)Bake for 8 minutes and carefully remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool and enjoy! Share with friends if you can...
Happy rolling (and baking!)
(This recipe shared on Sweet As Sugar Cookies)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Video Games Live: The Best Concert A Nerd Can Imagine
DM's birthday was last month, and we were surprised a few weeks early with a trio of tickets to a concert in his hometown. It wasn't just any concert, though. It's a show I only vaguely knew about called Video Games Live, and it's almost exactly what it sounds like. Local orchestras team up with two top video game composers (Tommy Tallarico [host] and Wataru Hokoyama [conductor] for our show) and play several mind-blowing hours of classic video game music accented by game footage and lighting.
VGL started in 2005 and has expanded to anywhere between 50 and 70 shows a year in countless cities, and they're all performed with the local orchestra and for the first time this year, they came to our state. According to Tommy, our show was lucky enough to have over 110 performers on stage at once, and it was utterly stunning! They performed pieces from everything: A highlight reel of old classics to start, followed up with Metal Gear Solid, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy 7, Halo, World of Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, a beautiful-looking game called Afrika that was composed by the conductor, and they finished up with Castlevania and Chrono Trigger/Cross. I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two.
Along with the standard music, they had several extras. Before the show, apparently, there was a cosplay contest and it was won by a VERY deserving costume I'll describe later. Martin Leung, a young pianist famed for playing the Mario theme blindfolded serenaded us with a Final Fantasy 7 medley and a repeat of his blind Mario performance. Two people got the chance to win prizes by playing games on stage while the orchestra performed (one played Space Invaders, another played Expert mode of Sweet Emotion on Guitar Hero. He was only asked to play Hard - he upped the ante himself.) There was a video of the first ever video game being played and a live Skype interview with the inventor of the game. There were also cute little videos of video game mix-ups (What if Sonic were the main character of Pac-Man, or GTA played like Frogger?) and top 10 lists (we saw Top 10 worst video game voice acting and Top 10 worst video game names. Apparently there's a Korean dictionary game for the DS they decided to call, in America, Touch DIC. Bravo, translators.) All together, it made for a completely amazing time! They encourage getting involved and rooting for your favorite games - by the end of the night I could swear I wasn't going to have a voice in the morning!
After the show, there was a Meet & Greet with Martin Leung, Tommy Tallarico and Wataru Hokoyama in the auditorium's lobby. We decided to get swag first before getting in line, and having waited to come out of the theater itself, we were near the back of the line. I decided to people watch and see if I could spot some of the cosplayers. There was a Riku (FFX) running about getting pictures, and after several minutes, I spotted on the other end of the lobby a giant Sackboy costume running around giving hugs and getting pictures. I just assumed he was someone with the show as he was acting like a professional mascot.
After we finally got our things, we hopped into the M&G line. Most people had already left, but the line was still decently long. The three of us chatted amongst ourselves for a minute before I turned around to see how many people had lined up behind us. And not 5 feet behind me was Sackboy, standing a good 8 to 9 feet tall. Let me tell you, that's not something that you want to see directly behind you. We struck up a conversation, though, and spent the entire time in line talking with him and his girlfriend. The costume was made primarily of foam and burlap, was impossible to take off without help, his head was level with the costume's mouth, and it had taken several weeks to make. Also, they had a second at home for her. Simply stunning. We five stayed at the end of the line and happily got our autographs, a little chat with the group, and watched as all three signed the Sackboy costume. We all left the concert with good music, good memories, and new friends.
If you're a fan of video games and video game music, check out Video Games Live. It was seriously one of the best concert experiences I've ever had, and if they come back again next year, you can bet you'll see us there. If you can't go to the live concert, they also sell CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays of their shows so you can enjoy it again and again from the privacy of your own home. But seriously, if you have the option and the ability, go see it live. You will not regret it.
Happy rolling!
VGL started in 2005 and has expanded to anywhere between 50 and 70 shows a year in countless cities, and they're all performed with the local orchestra and for the first time this year, they came to our state. According to Tommy, our show was lucky enough to have over 110 performers on stage at once, and it was utterly stunning! They performed pieces from everything: A highlight reel of old classics to start, followed up with Metal Gear Solid, Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy 7, Halo, World of Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, a beautiful-looking game called Afrika that was composed by the conductor, and they finished up with Castlevania and Chrono Trigger/Cross. I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two.
Along with the standard music, they had several extras. Before the show, apparently, there was a cosplay contest and it was won by a VERY deserving costume I'll describe later. Martin Leung, a young pianist famed for playing the Mario theme blindfolded serenaded us with a Final Fantasy 7 medley and a repeat of his blind Mario performance. Two people got the chance to win prizes by playing games on stage while the orchestra performed (one played Space Invaders, another played Expert mode of Sweet Emotion on Guitar Hero. He was only asked to play Hard - he upped the ante himself.) There was a video of the first ever video game being played and a live Skype interview with the inventor of the game. There were also cute little videos of video game mix-ups (What if Sonic were the main character of Pac-Man, or GTA played like Frogger?) and top 10 lists (we saw Top 10 worst video game voice acting and Top 10 worst video game names. Apparently there's a Korean dictionary game for the DS they decided to call, in America, Touch DIC. Bravo, translators.) All together, it made for a completely amazing time! They encourage getting involved and rooting for your favorite games - by the end of the night I could swear I wasn't going to have a voice in the morning!
After the show, there was a Meet & Greet with Martin Leung, Tommy Tallarico and Wataru Hokoyama in the auditorium's lobby. We decided to get swag first before getting in line, and having waited to come out of the theater itself, we were near the back of the line. I decided to people watch and see if I could spot some of the cosplayers. There was a Riku (FFX) running about getting pictures, and after several minutes, I spotted on the other end of the lobby a giant Sackboy costume running around giving hugs and getting pictures. I just assumed he was someone with the show as he was acting like a professional mascot.
After we finally got our things, we hopped into the M&G line. Most people had already left, but the line was still decently long. The three of us chatted amongst ourselves for a minute before I turned around to see how many people had lined up behind us. And not 5 feet behind me was Sackboy, standing a good 8 to 9 feet tall. Let me tell you, that's not something that you want to see directly behind you. We struck up a conversation, though, and spent the entire time in line talking with him and his girlfriend. The costume was made primarily of foam and burlap, was impossible to take off without help, his head was level with the costume's mouth, and it had taken several weeks to make. Also, they had a second at home for her. Simply stunning. We five stayed at the end of the line and happily got our autographs, a little chat with the group, and watched as all three signed the Sackboy costume. We all left the concert with good music, good memories, and new friends.
If you're a fan of video games and video game music, check out Video Games Live. It was seriously one of the best concert experiences I've ever had, and if they come back again next year, you can bet you'll see us there. If you can't go to the live concert, they also sell CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays of their shows so you can enjoy it again and again from the privacy of your own home. But seriously, if you have the option and the ability, go see it live. You will not regret it.
Happy rolling!
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