Forecasting the Force

I should be writing right now. Okay, I am currently writing, or else you (my three followers) would not be reading this. I should be writing Cthulhu Confidential (Gumshoe 121), as the news recently dropped I am going to be in the core book with ROBIN LAWS and RUTH TILLMAN!!!  The excitement has not worn off yet or the crushing weight that I should be WRITING! There is not enough time in a day but instead...my brain keeps replaying parts of The Force Awakens. 

I really really liked the movie, liked the homage that it was to the original trilogy and happy about some actually diversity in the movie. I have even had a few talks with some other fans about it. Surprising? No, but I have noticed that it is harder to have these conversations having only seen the movie once. 

SPOILERS from here on! Turn back or be forever spoiled!

So, my issue with the movie is that it feels like Finn fails his way through the movie. Every task he undertakes usually ends with him failing or being knocked out. Just look at how he drinks from the water trough like an animal, is captured by the tentacle monster, and gets beaten by the forcepike wielding storm-trooper. Kylo beats him (yes he did get to nick the dark force user, but...) and it looks like he's getting friends-zoned by Rey at the end of the movie. I would have like to have seen him succeed at something. All of that said, he was the force (see what I did there) that moved the plot along and was the heart of the movie which is excellent given his stormtrooper "conditioning." 

Rey is not a Mary Sue. She is a chosen one; each chosen one is gifted beyond the pale and most come to terms with that responsibility. That is kinda the whole thing. Just look at little Anakin destroying a starship by sheer "luck," being an incredible pod-racer, building CP3O and . . .  You get the general gist. 

My predictions: 

Here are my thoughts about what Disney will do for Episode 8, based on nothing other than speculation and having only viewed the movie once:

1) Rey will be Luke's daughter. There's also still the possibility that she will be the daughter of Leia and Han, which would follow the Expanded Universe story arc of their twins. Jace who falls to the darkside and Jania who has to kill her brother.

2) Finn and Rey will only be friends. *sad trombone*

3) Kylo will get his cyber enhancements and die in Episode 8. 

4) The story will focus on a more personal battle, and not on the First Order and the Resistance which have suffered massive losses. My reasoning is that Snoke and Kylo are focused more on Luke. If they kill him, they will win. Basically.

5) Finn is not a force user. 

6) Luke dies. 

My wishes:

1) Rey is actually Nomi Sunrider or a descendant of hers. 

2) Rey falls to the darkside after Kylo kills Luke and she kills him. During her battle with Kylo in Episode 7, I could have sworn she has flashes of anger and rage. We all know that anger leads to the darkside!

3) Finn is force sensitive and introduces some of the other amazing force traditions.  My personal favorite is Warden of the Sky.

4) Episode 9 will be Finn pulling Rey back from the darkside, so that she can deal with Snoke in the later half of the movie.

5) Rey and Finn pull off a happy version of Han and Leia. 

Just a few bullet points, as it churns away in my brain. OK. Back to my other writing. 

Gaming While Black: Convention Planning

The 2016 con season is upon us and I plan to go to at least one new con this year. While this means writing at least two brand new scenarios that will be run multiple times at each con, it also means dealing with The Concern. The Concern is not about running a game (I issued a challenge; none of my players have accepted the it.), writing the scenarios, or figuring out the travel. The Concern is for my safety.  I weigh various factors in my mind before every con that I am going to attend. 

"What concern?" is likely the first thought most readers may have, but being a black man in America can be dangerous and has, in many instances, turned deadly. The color of my skin is not a boon in a society that continually devalues black lives and considers blacks to be inherently criminal. All of this prejudice and bias escalates to situations where white supremacists think they are protecting "their country,"  corrupt law enforcement plants drugs or covers up shootings of black people, and a "good" citizen calls into a hotline about that "thug" person walking down the street (who just happens to be African American). Don't even get me started on the ramifications of racist politicians feeding into that hate. 

A couple of years ago, I was going out for drinks with a friend; it had been ages since we hung out. I rushed from work to the bar, a swanky new place in Northwest DC, and didn't realize my phone was nearly out of juice.  The initial plan for my buddy and me was to catch up for an hour or two, but for people that know me well, once I get talking and telling stories . . . 4-ish hours later, I walked home and opened the door to find my (then pregnant) wife visibly upset and giving me a huge panicked hug (and a little side eye) when I stepped inside. She had been crying and told me that after she did not hear from me, she was afraid I had been killed. (She was absolutely right to be concerned; punctuality might as well be my middle name because I am always early.)  Her first reaction said everything to me, and it reflects my own fears and concerns about walking down the streets of America on any given night. (And henceforth, my phone shall always be juiced.) 

So, going to a con means going through my mental Rolodex of preparation for the con. Where is it located? Are friends going to meet me? Have there been any racially motivated attacks recently? Will I need to rent a car? Or get a taxi? If I have to get a taxi, is it some place like an airport where they will stop? If not, I need to rent a car. Does the area have any recent unjust stopping of motorists or recorded increased stopping of African Americans? These are the kind of questions I weigh in my mind and decide if it is worth the risk; in the past, the answer has been yes. But that is just a glimpse of the careful consideration that black gamers go through before going to a con. 

Some people ask me why I talk about this, telling them about my experience. It's simple: I don't have the privilege to not think about it, and if talking about it makes others aware of it and maybe changes their understanding, then maybe they'll try to change the world with me.  It's important that we are honest about our experience. We cannot stand by and watch the world whitewash history, teaching our children lies that slavery, KKK and Jim Crow did not / do not exist. Changing the story, distorting the reality of the African American experience, will only delay (and possibly destroy) a healthy future for our collective society. By telling my story, I hope one day I can reduce The Concern and help a PoC go to a convention with no worry other than, "I hope my dice don't fail me!"

My Force is AWAKE!!!

Spoiler Free Bit

I saw it yesterday morning! Yes, at 9 am and it was AWESOME!!!

I might go into more detail in a future post, but here are some initial impressions. This was a great movie--not just a Star Wars movie, but a great blockbuster of a movie. It felt like being back in the Star Wars Universe with an added bonus of actually reversing some of the damage done by the prequels. The prequel's shrank the universe and felt limited, while The Force Awakens took advantage of the fact that they have an entire universe to play in. That means different planets, races and types of spaceships.

The casting was incredible and it was gratifying to watch these new heroes interact with the previous generation whose mere presence added so much gravity to the movie. Unsurprisingly, this movie is one to see in theaters, though from the looks of the box office, I am one of the last people to see it. So maybe you already knew that. But go and see it again! Great work, J.J.!!!

(Very Small) Spoilers Ahead

Watching the movie had me figuring out who all of the new characters represented in the movie. It is the geek in me. Like, who was the new Han, Leia and Luke? Chewie is still Chewie after all. 

Rey: Rey is obviously Luke. This one goes almost without have to say it. She was raised on a desert planet, dreamed of leaving, and a droid from space changed the course of her life. 

Finn: This one to me is kinda obvious too. Finn is Han. He was not looking to be a hero, planned to leave when the going got rough, but returned to save his friend (hopefully love interest! Yes. I am officially shipping those two and their crazy amount of chemistry.) and has that roguish charm.

Poe: Poe has to be Leia in this new rendition. He is captured early on a secret mission, already a member of the Resistance, and has that biting Leia wit during an interrogation scene. Some people may say Poe is Han because he can fly a ship but his motivation doesn't line up. 

My overall thoughts of the movie is it felt like A New Hope but that is mostly due to covering a few of the same beats, similar worlds and the starting of a new trilogy with Han as a faux mentor. I could not stop smiling when Han stepped on to the screen. He is my Star Wars character, I even read the now defunct Expanded Universe books to follow the journey of the character. 

After watching The Force Awakens, my film order has to change. OK. My ranking of Star Wars.

1) The Empire Strikes Back

2) The Force Awakens

3) A New Hope

4) Return of the Jedi

5) The prequels. I refused to re-watch them, generally remembering a feeling of dread. Lucas executed my childhood love while distracting me with the insult that was Jar Jar.

Overall, it was everything I had hoped for from a movie that needed to make fans happy, to be accessible to other non-fan people, and to be something I want to show my kid. A good show, indeed.  I am going to think on it for a couple of days and then really think through the details, but I can't wait to buy the blu-rays, run some RPGs based on it, and show this movie to my daughter.

2015 Top 10: New TV Shows

I am sitting here looking for something to watch on "me" night! The kid is asleep, the wife is out and I am looking to catch up on some TV. Yes, I should be writing, but my ideas need to marinate (and I need to procrastinate). It is the time of year when all of us reflect on the highs and lows of the year: what we liked best, what was okay, and what we walked away from. So here are my top picks out of the 400 odd new shows that dropped in 2015.

Jessica Jones: This is Marvel's best TV outing to date.  The story is strong, the cast is excellent and it deals with a series of issues in an approachable manner with a noir wrapping. It has 13 really good episodes (but could have been 9 or 10 amazing episodes).  (LUKE CAGE!!!! SWEET CHRISTMAS! 2016!)

Red Oaks:  I am surprised by how much I like this Amazon original show.  It is an homage to 80s movies, with all of their greatness, quirkiness and lack of diversity. My wife laughed the whole time and it reflected swaths of her life. 

Dark Matter:  This show was incredible breath of fresh air. It is so hard to find good science fiction that based in space. The acting was good, the stories solid and the Blake's 7 like ending (one of the best I have ever seen) had me giggling, even as my wife asked, "Blake what?" (I am also a huge Roger Cross fan so that may have given the show bonus points.) 

Catastrophe: Another great Amazon original show.  It is incredibly funny, and depicts modern day relationships and the inherent struggles within them. 

Galavant:  I have already written a love letter to this great show. Can't wait for the new season in 2016!

Master of None:  An incredible show that did not back down from masterfully and humorously addressing some serious issues in our society. One of the funniest shows of the year, that was also self assured and a tight 10 episodes. 

Togetherness:  A dramedy about the death of dreams and the struggle of a midlife crisis. An incredible show and one that HBO should be proud to have. The Duplass brothers rarely disappoint. My one hope is that they add more diversity to their projects. 

The Carmichael Show: I loved this show, even watching it reminded me of a TV version of my family and home life from my youth. The cast was incredible; they touched on some serious topics and did not back away from them. Refreshing, even more so given that it is on network TV and has been renewed for another (hopefully longer) season.

Honorable Mention!  iZombie: This is a gem of a show with a stellar cast, doing some great geek television and making it look easy. Each episode has me laughing and wanting to see the next one. 

All in all, a great year for television demonstrating the power of the medium. 

RPG Fridays: When To Call It

This one goes out to all of my fellow GMs, Keepers, DMs. Basically the person running the game. When do you call it a quits? You lost players. The game keeps getting canceled due to real life.  It has lost its mojo.  Has it happened to you? It has happened to me on more than one occasion and seems to happen with the same blasted campaign! 

I recently called my Horror on the Orient Express game. This was the fourth time trying to run it (I'm nothing if not persistent.). I was jazzed to be running the game, on the cusp of completing a two and half year run of Mask of Nyarlathotep.  That game was amazing! I made a matchbox and one of the players still talks about all of the great props for it. This is the amazing part . . . a CALL OF CTHULHU game got up to 12 players at once. Yea. I ran a CoC with 12 players a couple of times.  But as expected, gamers come and go, so we really had a solid six players. 

With all of that momentum from successfully completing Mask, having one of my players tell me that the ending was incredible and felt totally Lovecraftian (yeah . . . they did not win), I took on my cursed campaigned with my shiny new Kickstarter HoToE books. 

After nearly a year of more missed games than played,  a player doing the fade away (after the first session due to it being mostly character creation and in-character attending a lecture full of clues), as well as personal stuff all around, I ended the game. I took stock, made notes about what I would do differently if I ever tried it again, but really would a fifth or sixth time be the charm? Probably not; I'm guessing the curse would continue. And I do have a shelf full of other games. 

I have been running Call of Cthulhu for ages now as my primary game. For a while I was running three campaign games a month: Cthulhu, Star Wars (SAGA) and Pathfinder. Then it narrowed down to just CoC, due to the kid for the past year or so, but it is time to put it back on the shelf and break out some other systems as my main campaign game. 

My current contenders in order of preference are: Esoterrorists,  Shadowrun, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire or One Ring. I have year-long campaigns in mind for each one and plot strings for additional campaign arcs after that. I am close to just narrowing it down to the first two, as I love Robin's work, the premise of the game, and it is burning a hole though my bookshelf waiting to be run. My love of Shadowrun goes back to my teen years;  I have never had a chance to run it, and all of the great games from Harebrained have my brain churning out ideas.  Currently, the game to be chosen is still up in the air until early 2016, and it has six confirmed players. 

So much like Jean Grey, even when you have to end something, you can rise from the ashes. All right, I am off to work on one of my con scenarios and speculate on what game to run from my local crew.