Category: Post

I recently went on a quest that started when I was 12 years old. I have finished reading through every core rulebook, including boxed sets, of D&D from original Dungeons and Dragons to AD&D to Fifth Edition. I have also read the core rulebooks for the equivalent retro clone to get a modern feel for the rules. I have not read Pathfinder as I don’t consider that a retro clone per se. 

Let me break down what I learned.

Before I break down each edition into individual components with a recommendations or not I will go over a few generalizations I discovered.

First up regardless of which ruleset you use the core game has remained largely unchanged since it was first published. Mechanics have been streamlined, new player options have been added, more monsters have been created but for the most part you can pick up and play any edition of D&D and it should feel the same as playing any other version.

Second up is the issue of compatibility. On the surface it would appear as though the different games are not generally compatible. This is not true. You can take a module that was written with BECMI in mind and run it for a 4E game and it would work with minimal effort. You have to convert things like AC, hit dice and bonuses accordingly but those are simple math equations anyone can grasp. 

Third up, all rulebooks whether they be officially published rule sets or retro clones published under the open game license represent the rules as guidelines meant to be broken. They each proclaim the rules are meant to help facilitate the game but ultimately the Dungeon Master always has the final say.

Now let’s dive into the individual editions. I will not be discussing the respective retro clone as it is essentially the same material just presented in a different order. 

Original D&D also known as the White Box set. This is the classic game set that started it all. Now I have only read the core rulebooks here so none of the expansions are discussed here. At it’s core this *IS* D&D. This is the most basic version of the game. It has just 3 classes; Fighter, Mage and Cleric. It has four races; human, elf, hobbit and Dwarf. Beyond that everything you are familiar with is here: ability scores, armor class, saving throws, starting hold, combat rules, initiative, equipment, adventuring, spells, treasure and everything else you come to expect is here. I have play tested this version of the game. While compared to modern versions characters appear weak and prone to death it really does facilitate a more story driven style of play to keep players alive. Combat is considered a last resort. If combat is successful the players are rewarded handsomely. If they fail the adventure is over. 

Some major differences of note. All attack hits roll a d6 for damage. All classes roll a single d6 to determine starting HP. Armor Class is in descending order whereas 0 is good and 20 is bad. The most glaring flaw in the published material is the references back to the Chainmail rule book. It is almost impossible to fully run a game of OD&D without referencing chainmail. Most of these short comings were fixed with the supplements and later editions but I can’t stress how annoying it is to reference a table in chainmail. 

I highly recommend getting a group of players together to experience this version of the game. It’s quite fun playing within the limits this game offers. Mind you this was how D&D was played when it first hit the scene. For several years this was all there was.

Basic D&D. 

This is the first updated version of the game. I read the BX rule books. Essentially this is TSR taking all the different supplements and core books published under OD&D and streamlining everything in a single place. While it does have level limits it has ways to convert characters to be used with AD&D so it’s not a major problem. Consider this an introductory version of the game meant to get your feet wet before plunging you head first into AD&D. Therefore this is the most incomplete version of the game. It plays like an RPG for beginners. This version is not for experienced or advanced players. The limits it places are going to turn those players off. Things like having Dwarves and Elves as classes rather than races limits what a player can do with those archetypes. 

I do not recommend this version of the game to players. It is too bogged down in old school tropes like THAC0 for true newbies and it is far too simple for advanced players.

BECMI.

The next Basic expansion is the Basic Expert Champions Master Immortal set. This was also published as the Rules Cyclopeadia. This version of the game is hard to describe. It relies largely on the same formatting as basic but it has a lot of features reminiscent of AD&D. This is more like a bridge between basic and advanced. It has some unique features that make it worth exploring on its own merits, however. This version caps levels at 36. No other edition has rules for post 20 level characters written into the core rules until you get to the much maligned 4th edition.

I highly recommend giving BECMI a try. This is simple and forgiving enough for truly new players while also having options to keep experienced players happy too. 

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

This is 1st edition AD&D. This is where the game split into a more complex game streamlined for tournament play. This is the first set that will look familiar to modern gamers as it is the first to feature the 3 core rulebooks: Monster Manual, Players Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide. It is easy to convert characters, modules, spells and monsters from OD&D and Basic D&D to AD&D. It is also possible to convert from 1e to newer editions with minimal effort. For that reason alone I highly recommend picking up these books and giving this version a try. This is the version that would be most familiar to players back in the day. 

AD&D 2nd Edition

I am going to keep this short. This *IS* 1st edition. It’s just re-written and reorganized with a few optional rules taken from supplements added in. I do not recommend playing this version of the game. Stick to 1E. 

D&D 3rd Edition

This is the first edition published by new owners Wizards of the Coast. It is also the first edition that uses the now ubiquitous d20 system. There are two versions of this, 3.0 and 3.5. I recommend 3.5 edition. This version plays the most like first edition than any other version. Besides the updated AC system and the modification ability score bonuses this is so streamlined it plays like the ideal version of D&D. This was a pretty good first attempt. It adds things like proficiencies and skills standard. It also revises the way monsters and presented as well as the way NPCs are generated. The DMG from this edition is a treasure to read. 

I recommend 3.5 edition to anyone wanted to get experienced with D&D. This could easily be your “forever” version if you so wish. This is such a perfect system I don’t see why it was even replaced in the first place. 

4th Edition

I don’t talk about 4th edition. I read the rule books and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It wasn’t just the new races, modified classes and strange way it presented information, it was also the super powers, short rest, cantrips, minions and so much more that didn’t feel like D&D at all. This was the first edition of D&D I ever experienced that I returned the book to the store. I do not recommend this version at all. Stay away at all costs. 

5th Edition.

As of this writing this is the current edition of the game. Quite simply this is perfect. It takes everything 3.5 did right and improves it tremendously. It only keeps the few good parts of 4e while largely ignoring that edition for the most part. This is D&D done right. I highly recommend playing this version of the game. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t like being labeled a “transwoman.” I am trans, but it isn’t who I am. It isn’t all I am. I wanna provide an opportunity for people to get to know me deeper. I didn’t even begin to guess I was trans, or that I wanted to be girl anyways, until 1st grade. I was 7 years old. By that time I already had firmly held interests in things such as space, dinosaurs, computers, toys, video games, comic books, fantasy, magic, horror and Star Wars. Let me break my interests down one by one with what it means to me and why it’s important for me to share my interests with others.

Let’s start with Star Wars. I developed an interest in this early one. Believe it or not I didn’t watch the original trilogy in release order. I would often rent Star Wars, as it was called back then, from the video store. I had Return of the Jedi, as it was called back then, on VHS recorded off HBO. I grew up with that as my exposure to Star Wars lore. I also had some of the story books and a few of the toys. It wasn’t until around the mid 90s when Power of the Force came back that I really began getting into Star Wars toys. By that time I was able to record The Empire Strikes Back onto a VHS tape, commercials and all. I also started reading some of the novels. By the time I was 17 I had read every published Star Wars novel released up to that point. I stopped reading when the New Jedi Order became a thing. I never got into that.

I also played Star Wars video games on my game consoles. I had Return of the Jedi Death Star Battle on Atari 2600. I rented Star Wars on NES and Empire Strikes Back on NES. A friend of mine let me pay Star Wars on his Sega Game Gear on the bus ride to school. My first time watching any Star Wars in the theater was the Special Edition re-releases in 1997. I was ecstatic to have the chance to see it fresh with a new coat of paint. I instantly fell in love with the Special Editions making them my preferred method of viewing the Original Trilogy.

I was obsessed with Star Wars at a time when most of my peers thought of it as this old movie only nerds still liked. When I was in second grade I stayed after school animated, using manual bit mapping line, by line in BASIC code, a rendition of the Death Star. I will always cherish my childhood Star Wars memories. I even would regularly “play” Star Wars with my friends and even my sisters. It was a very big deal to me.

Now let’s talk stars. I became interested in astronomy probably out of my love of Star Wars itself. I would read every single astronomy book I could get my hands on. I even would beg the librarian to let me check out books beyond my supposed reading level. Some librarians made me take a reading test on the computer to measure my reading level but I was happy to take the test if it meant getting new star books. I was very young when I knew who Isaac Asimov was. I quickly learned if his name was on a book I would enjoy it. By the time I got to college I took a 100 level astronomy course to fulfill my science requirement. I loved going to the observatory. I remain obsessed with space even to this day.

What about horror you ask? Believe it or not I was thoroughly interested into horror by the time I was in 1st grade. I would often beg my parents to let me rent “scary movies” from the video store. I didn’t limit myself to kids movies either. I would regularly rent things like 976-EVIL, Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sometimes They Come Back, Child’s Play, The Thing, Invaders From Mars, Killer Klowns From OuterSpace, and so many more. My parents didn’t care what movies I rented. It didn’t take long before the slasher genre became my favorite sub genre of horror with A Nightmare on Elm Street elevated to status of my favorite movie of all time. I even played the crap out of the NES Elm Street video game. I was obsessed with Freddy Krueger. I remain so to this day.

How about toys? Well all kids play with toys. I was no exception. The difference is I kept buying Transformers, as collectibles, well into my 20s. By the time I was 30 I found I wanted more than just re-buying the old toys from my childhood. I fell in love with all toys of all shapes and for all ages. Today my interests span from action figures, Barbie, GI Joe, super heroes, TMNT, Star Wars, video game characters, comic book characters, cartoon characters Funko Pops, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Hot Wheels, Legos, Matchbox and more. I even have Nerf guns and a few odds and ends like Light Bright, Rubick’s Cube, and others. I love toys. It is a special interest of mine.

Much like how I was fascinated by astronomy I was also deeply invested in paleontology too. I loved dinosaurs. I spent as much time reading about them as I did star books. I even had toy dinos. I was beyond excited when Jurassic Park came out. I read the book ahead of release to be prepared. I watched The Flintstones, Denver the Last Dinosaur, The Land Before Time and the Jim Henson Dinosaurs. I also bought dinobots Transformers. Unlike most of my childhood interests, however, I eventually did lose interest in dinosaurs. Not that I have a problem with science or anything it’s just they kept changing what I thought I knew and I got tired of trying to keep up with it all. I still call it Brontosaurus and nobody is going to change my mind on that.

I was interested in computers before I was even old enough to know what a computer even was. I was just fascinated by the technology. These little boxes you interacted with. I didn’t even care what they were used for I just wanted to use one. I played with a lot of computers over the years. My first was an Atari 800XL. I loved that thing to death. I didn’t care it didn’t “do much” I was just happy to play around with it.

Fantasy and magic go hand in hand. I was interested in both before I had words. I loved swords and sorcery. I loved magicians and wizards, elves, gnomes, unicorns, etc., I was deeply fascinated by all things fantasy, fairy tale, mythology and witchcraft. I was obsessed with this stuff to the point my first religious experiences or spiritual experience was witchcraft. When I learned there was a fantasy game called Dungeons and Dragons I couldn’t wait to get some dice, read the books and play with my friends. Let me just say I have been playing ever since and likely nothing will deter me from playing even well into my old age.

My first video game console was a knock off Atari clone. It was a Coleco Gemini that played Atari 2600 games. No it was NOT a Colecovision with an adaptor it was a dedicated clone console. It had it’s own style controller too. True story. When I was in kindergarten they forced me to stop using my left hand to instead use my right hand. I was already clumsy so this caused a deficiency in my fine motor skills. As a result I was put into physical therapy and special education. I was told, by my therapist, I needed to play more video games to improve my hand-eye coordination. So my parents bought us a Nintendo Entertainment System. While I did have to technically share it with my sisters, my parents let me keep it in my own bedroom hooked up to my own TV. If they wanted to play I had to let them into my room. Which I usually did anyways because I liked taking turns with my sisters. I continue to be fascinated with video games to this day.

I can’t tell you what my first comic book was or when I read it. In my memories comic books were always just there. I think I learned how to read by flipping through the pages of Batman, Ritchie Rich, Looney Tunes, Superman, X-Men, Spider-Man, Transformers, Casper, and so many other comics. I never “collected” comics. I bought them to read. To this day I read comic books all the time. I have over 200 individual titles and more than 2 dozen trade paperbacks.

These are just some of the things I am deeply interested in. If you want to get to know me or plan on having a conversation with me it is often best to pick from one of these topics of interest.

I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons since the early 90s. I started with 2nd Edition AD&D. I migrated from 2E through 5E every step of the way, yes even investing in the dreaded 4th Edition. I always got excited for a new ruleset. Why? Because the rules were constantly evolving. The game was constantly improving to meet the needs of the players. But that changed with One D&D. Let me explain.

Going all the way back to the earliest days of D&D the original pamphlets were a continuation of existing miniature war games that already had an established player base. The concept of what we call a role playing game today didn’t exist yet. It was a table top miniature war game, shrunken down to one-on-one scale where a player would control a single solider rather than entire armies. But the core mechanics were largely the same. D&D was born out of table top war gaming. The thing is, it has evolved to the point where it no longer bears any resemblance to those early days. Why? Because it’s no longer an extension, or expansion, of a war game, it’s evolved into it’s own beast, a role playing game. The first of its kind.

TSR spent every updated edition shedding the vestiges of the war gaming origins as time went on. Then they went bankrupt. Wizards of the Coats bought up the rights and published 3rd Edition, the first using the now standard d20 system. WOTC made sure 3rd edition still felt like D&D but continued to shed more of the war gaming origins left over from the old days.

Fast forward to One D&D. Fifth Edition was literally conceived and marketed as “the last edition” of the game. A culmination of everything that came before. All remaining elements from its war gaming days were long gone. The game was designed, from the ground up, to be the perfect RPG experience. It was expandable to allow for growth and accommodate new players through the use of rule supplements and modules. The game was supposed to be the final version hence why it is just called Dungeons and Dragons, not technically 5th edition. We the fans gave it that moniker. So what about One D&D?

Hasbro bought Wizards of the Coast. While D&D was always a business product Hasbro has been itching to monetize the game in new ways ever since they took over. For them it isn’t about developing the perfect gaming system. It’s about selling more product. They don’t wanna thrive on just modules and expansions alone, they wanna re-sell the three core rule books again with fresh, new modules, new expansions and new digital features to bring in new revenue. It’s that virtual table top that has me the most skeptical of One D&D.

Let me explain. There already exist virtual table tops that players can customize for their game depending on the ruleset they desire to use. These, of course, are third party apps that Hasbro cannot make money off. So greed has taken over and they are trying to develop a game with digital first as it’s selling point. They promised there will still be physical books to purchase but they are really pushing digital. Why? Because of microtransactions. See Hasbro does not manufacture miniature figures or dungeon sets to bring scale to your D&D campaign. Third parties do and Hasbro licenses them the right to brand such products as compatible with D&D but they don’t make a lot of money off those products. However if Hasbro can sell you virtual miniatures, a virtual table top, digital books, virtual skins for your virtual minis and virtual set pieces for your dungeons then they stand to make a whole hell of a lot more money. By integrating the virtual table top into the core game they are effectively trying to force gamers to buy into the new digital eco system. This would render existing minis obsolete and put 3rd party virtual table tops out of business as the core players would flock to the “official” product to support the game.

The thing is we don’t need new core rule books nor do we need an updated ruleset to launch a virtual marketplace, they can launce One D&D as-is completely compatible with existing modules and expansions, effectively keeping their promise of making 5th Edition the “last” rule set they ever publish. Now they claim, haphazardly, that One D&D will technically be “backwards compatible” with existing 5E products. If that is the case then why do we even need One D&D in the first place? Why not just launch the damn digital marketplace for those who want it, integrating it with the existing products as promised and let the established player base continue to purchase products in the edition that was promised to be the last. We don’t need a new edition. We need continued support from a company that is itching to break its promises in the name of microtransactions.

I have a confession I need to atone for. In 2016, when I was still deeply in the closet and in denial living as a red-state self-hating Christian, I made the mistake of voting for Donald J. Trump for president over Hillary Clinton. Looking back on it, in light of new evidence and based on my reasoning at the time, I do not regret my decision. Let me explain.

Trump is facing multiple indictments, some at the state level, some at the federal level and he is facing serious charges in all cases regardless of classification of his crimes. But the most damning is espionage. He mishandled, to put it lightly, classified information regarding our military secrets. For that he absolutely deserves to rot in prison. But here me out. That is the very reason WHY I didn’t trust Mrs. Clinton. I didn’t trust she could handle classified documents based on her mishandling of her missing emails. Now here is the difference. She lost classified documents and was found to not have committed any crimes. Trump STOLE documents, HID them, LIED about having them, coerced OTHERS to lie on his behalf and tried to COVER it up with more lies. He broke multiple laws.

Do I defend the Trump presidency? No I do not. I lived as a journalist working in Red State Texas during his presidency. He made the general public hate, despise and mistrust news reporters. He made my professional life a living hell. I am a trans woman. He made my personal life in danger. He also put other members of my beloved rainbow community in danger. Not to mention how he handled COVID-19.

Knowing what I know now if I could go back in time I would have told myself to vote for Hillary. After all I voted for Obama before her. But I couldn’t, as a patriotic law and order loving American, entrust a woman who put our national security at risk by losing classified documents. Today I stand here facing a new conundrum. Trump didn’t mishandle documents, he out right committed treason. There is the difference. Was Hillary right about Trump? Yes but all things considered that was a deal breaker for me. I couldn’t trust her. I wish I could atone for my sins but the fact remains the damage is done. I did what I did based on my love for this country. She couldn’t be trusted. Little did I know neither could he.

I’m not that nervous about moving back home to Twin Falls. It’s the city of my birth. I grew up there. Often times I even miss it to the point I have dreams of being back there all the time. So why am I so nervous about going back?

I left Idaho to get an education. I studied journalism at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. From there I began a career in the news media business. I worked at three different TV stations, two magazines and five different newspapers. I was a journalist in North Central Texas for nearly seven years. Then COVID-19 happened and the news industry got rid of thousands of jobs, including my own. Then I came out trans and the entire state of Texas turned its back on me. I struggled for 2 years to make it in Dallas but I failed. Now I am going back home to recalibrate.

I grew up in Twin Falls. I have countless fond memories of that small city in the Idaho dessert. I proposed to my girlfriend at the time while living on the outskirts of town. I shopped at the Magic Valley Mall. I worked at the K-Mart down the street. A K-Mart that is no longer there I might add. I cruised the city streets on a Friday night with my friends when we had nothing better to do. There is a part of me that misses it.

Then there’s the part of me that dreads going back. I never could make it in Twin Falls. Sure I was job hunting there one, during a downturn in the economy and two as a high school drop out. Of course the employers weren’t interested in hiring me. I had a really spotty resume back then too. It was full of holes. Now I have a rock solid resume with experience and top notch references. I have experience in multiple fields. I am ready to go back not defeated by Texas but ready to conquer southern Idaho.

I am not looking forward to being back in Mormon country though. However as a pagan witch I know how to fend off their advances. I won’t succumb to their willy ways. I have to be cautious in that regard. I can’t let on to potential employers that I am a pagan nor that I am a transwoman. I have to keep all of that to myself. One positive though is I actually still have a few friends there, many of whom are supportive of my decision to transition. I fully intend to get plugged into the local Pride community as well. I will bring my camera to the Pride events and interview the organizers for my web series, The Trans Station, which I fully intend on reviving once I am settled in.

Another good thing I got going for me is I will be living with a friend who is also family. My sister in fact. She will take care of me. Not only is she offering me a home but she is going to protect me from the evil Republicans with her wit and charm. I only have to seek out part time employment which will give me the extra free time to pursue my video projects and writing full time on the side.

Boise, a fairly good sized city, is only a short 3 hour drive away. I have quite a few friends there too. I am hyping myself up for this big move because for once I am not moving to a strange place. I am just going back home where I belong.

I love movies. I mostly love horror and science fiction movies but I love all types of movies. I decided sit down and compile a list of the ten greatest films ever made. This list represents the best of the best. The ten films that define cinema as an artform. The ten films that each stood the test of time, some becoming instant classics in their own right. Each with a lasting legacy that transcends the art of cinema. Here are the ten greatest films of all time starting with number 10.

10. Titanic

A love story for the ages. While I personally despise this motion picture I cannot overstate the impact it had on our society as a whole. This movie took what was a boring love story and wrapped it up in a scathing indictment of Capitalism. And it worked wonderfully.

9. Captain America The Winter Soldier

Easily the greatest superhero/comic book movie ever made. This is more than your typical superhero fights the bad guy flick. This is a worrisome cautionary tale dressed up in a political thriller based on things happening in the real world exaggerated to the tenth degree for effect.

8. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

The best Indiana Jones bar none and a damn fine action/adventure movie. Indiana Jones is the template for how to make a good adventure film. This movie dials it up to ten and throws the playbook out the window.

7. Dumb and Dumber

The greatest comedy of all time. A road trip for the ages staring a comedy genius an a solid sidekick. If you only see one comedy in your life make it this one.

6. Jurassic Park

The king of dinosaur films. This movie changed the way Hollywood make motion pictures. The special effects in this movie made you believe the filmmakers really did bring dinosaurs back to life. A thrilling hunt, a daring adventure and a fantastic cast make this a must see for every generation.

5. The Matrix

Forget about the nonsense that it’s just a retelling of the Terminator story and look past the transgender allegory and what you have is the greatest solid action/science fiction genre film to ever grace the silver screen. This movie has so many layers it would take film students with Masters Degrees decades to fully analyze it.

4. The Exorcist

You knew, coming from me, there was going to be a horror movie on this list. Good thing it’s the best horror movie to ever scare up audiences. It’s also one of the scariest movies ever made. This movie takes a religious fairytale and makes a believer out of the most staunch skeptic. This movie is intense and if you love horror you need to see this movie.

3. Back to the Future

A time trave tale for the ages. A comedy. A science fiction fantasy. An action/adventure flick with great action sequences. A compelling yet heartfelt story and an all-star cast. A classic in it’s own right and by far one of the greatest films ever made.

2. Ghostbusters

Who you Gonna Call? The masters of comedy weave a work of art using every tool in their toolbox. A beautifully told sci-fi horror story that has a big heart. A story about 3 outcasts chasing the American dream in a unique fashion while simultaneously cracking the code on the greatest mysteries of all time, what happens after death. A timeless classic and well worth multiple viewings.

1. Star Wars

Easily the greatest film ever made. It launched a billion dollar franchise while simultaneously revolutionizing filmmaking all while stretching the imaginations of movie goers everywhere of all ages and all walks of life. It’s not a genre film. It’s not a science fiction film. It’s just the greatest film to ever dazzle audiences.

My history with Star Wars is complicated. I was born in 1982. I was coming of age during that awkward period when people had forgotten about Star Wars. I have distinct memories of people my age saying things like it was old and outdated. Then the Special Editions happened and suddenly everyone was a Star Wars fan all over again. That’s what the Special Editions did. They didn’t erase your childhood, they breathed new life into a dying franchise.

I grew up in the days of VHS. I had Star Wars, as it was known then, on a recorded tape. Then one fateful day my dad recorded over it with a football game. Some stupid sports competition called the Super Bowl or something stupid like that. I hated football for the longest time for this.

I then recorded Return of the Jedi at the tail end of a VHS tape that was already full of other movies. Unfortunately the tape ran out right when Vader turned Luke’s lightsaber on the tape ended. I grew up for most of my life never seeing the ending of the film. I knew how it ended because I owned the storybook but still. My experience with Star Wars wasn’t tainted by nostalgia like it was for most people. I didn’t even get to see The Empire Strikes Back until I was in 3rd grade. Long after I had seen the first and third films a couple dozen times each. It was the missing piece of the puzzle. Yet I wasn’t a fan of the film. I liked it okay, it had a few key moments but for the most part I didn’t like it as much as everyone else. I don’t quite remember why.

Then in 1996 I got the Faces boxed Set on VHS. This was the last time the original unaltered trilogy was released on home video before the revised Special Editions would take their place. For the first time in my life I was able to watch the entire trilogy in order of release. This was game changing for me. The movies finally made sense. This was also around the time I discovered the books of the expanded universe. I quickly became a book nerd obsessed with those stories.

When I was 16 years old Star Wars returned to the big screen in the form of Episode One The Phantom Menace. This quickly became my favorite Star Wars film. It wasn’t long before the other prequels came out cementing their place in my heart while also locking me in as a life-long Star Wars fan. It took the special editions to get me to really become obsessed with Star Wars because they were finally more in line with the expanded universe which was alright with me. I also loved the newly inserted CGI special effects. The movies looked modern again. Breathtaking. I fell in love with CGI because of Star Wars.

I won’t recount my experience with the Disney fanfiction. I despise everything that has come since the Prequels. Okay that’s not entirely fair I liked the Disney Trilogy OKAY, especially The Last Jedi which was my favorite of the bunch. But I digress this is about the real Star Wars not the fanfiction.

What I learned over the years is everyone has their own vision of Star Wars. Everyone has their own preferred version of Star Wars. And that’s okay with me. I like that it has become such a phenomenon that people from all ages and all walks of life can get something entirely different out of it than every single other person. The larger community as a whole is extremely diverse. This has, unfortunately led to some division and derision in the fanbase but for the most part it’s kept the franchise alive, and that’s all that matters.

This has been my life since I was 12 years old. Working dead end jobs. I started throwing newspapers at people’s front porches. I also had a side hustle racking leaves, shoveling snow, pulling weeds, even selling Kool Aid to construction workers before I got shut down by the tax man. I have done some jobs let me tell you.

In my short 40 years on this earth I have been working for more than I didn’t work. In fact at last count I was over 100 different jobs in my life. I have done a little bit of everything. I sent a long stretch of my life delivering pizzas. This was my first career change.

It started with Pizza Hut giving me a job. I hadn’t earned my GED yet so I was limited in where I could work. Thankfully you don’t need an education to throw pizzas at front porches. I signed up for the management training program that is designed to help store employees save up to buy their own franchises. I had a dream of owning my own Dominos some day.

Then I took my first detour. While still in high school I began chasing the American dream. In this instance I was chasing the stars. I wanted to be a hip-hop producer, famous rapper and DJ. Instead of putting my savings towards buying a pizza store I blew it all on opening a record studio. I produced a grand total of 5 underground records, 2 singles and about four or five music videos. It was a fools errand. I ended up losing my ass on the ordeal. I wound up homeless for the second time in my life. I ended up crawling back to mom and dad tail tucked between my legs.

I spent the next couple of years pursuing that elusive GED I failed to get while in high school. Once completed I opened up a whole new world of possibilities. I was finally qualified to run a cash register at a local gas station. I did this nights and weekends while pursing my next dream, YouTube celebrity. YouTube was brand spanking new. There was no template for what became a sensation. First there was Smosh peeing to the Mortal Kombat theme song. Then there was that fat guy lip synching that got famous over night. Everybody was chasing the next big thing. I started a website called Gamerz Jackpot. I lived in the town of Jackpot, Nevada and the website was devoted to video games. This was before let’s plays on YouTube were a thing.

My friends and I pursued that dream for a couple of years before the money ran out and bigger sites than ours got funding from Microsoft to go big. This left us in the dust.

I went through a period of denial. I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I even ended up enrolling in truck driving school on a whim. I had to sell my car to pay for it against my better judgement. At least I had support from my parents who thought trucking was a good fit for a loner like me. They were wrong. I flunked out of trucking school and went back to the drawing board.

Through a series of unfortunate events I found myself homeless for the third time in my life. This time I did something drastic. I applied for student loans, enrolled in the local University and began pursuing an actual career field. I studied mass communications. I had a dream of going to Hollywood and making it in the movies as a producer, video editor or camera operator/cinematographer. But somehow I ended up going into local news instead. This is where my life changed for the better. I finally found my passion. I was getting paid to be a writer. My dream had come true. I made it. I finally lived on my own merits. I had an apartment, bought a car with my own money and was living a pretty good life. I even bought a house on a piece of land.

Then COVID-19 changed everything. I ended up losing my job. Most news outlets went out of business or consolidated. The jobs were long gone. I decided to make a change yet again. I moved to the big city, Dallas, Texas. This was the first time I had ever lived in a town larger than 50,000 people. I was lost and on my own. I moved into an apartment with my cat, paid off my car and landed a temp job working in an office. I figured why not?

I spent the next two full years bouncing from one temp job to another. I did a little bit of everything yet again. I worked at a day care center. I was a mall Easter Bunny photographer. I even took a job at a thrift store collecting donations. I had hit rock bottom again. I was down on my luck with no path forward.

That all changed last week. Fate intervened. First I lost my job at the thrift store. Then after only three days of job hunting I landed what was the perfect job for me. Data entry for Samsung Electronics. Although I only started today I am optimistic about this new chapter in my life. For the first time in a long time I see a path forwards that doesn’t lead to another round of homelessness. That peace of mind is all I could ask for at this juncture in my life. Things are finally looking up for me and I couldn’t be happier.

I was a Nintendo fan from the earliest days of gaming. Even before the NES I had Donkey Kong, Mario Bros and Popeye on my Atari 2600. I have been a Nintendo loyalist all the way through to the Switch. I stood in line to get a Wii on launch day. I stood in line to preoder a Switch. I bought a Wii U at a time when the cool thing to do was get a Playstation 4 or Xbox One. I stuck with them through the hard times.

I wanna talk about each Nintendo generation. Let’s start with the NES. This is the easiest to be nostalgic for because they had a flat monopoly back then. There was no competition. Everybody and their dog played Nintendo. This was the foundation of the modern retro era of Nintendo. All that nostalgia for the NES is what drives their sales to this day. 

I skipped the Super NES. I discovered the Sega Genesis and went whole hog into that eco system. I ended up buying a used Super Nintendo from a pawn shop the very day the N64 launched. I remember this vividly because I returned my brand new in the box N64 to the store to pay for it and a drum set I never played. I discovered a passion for SNES. For the longest time I swore it was the greatest console of all time. I even went so far as write Sega off entirely because I felt SNES surpassed Genesis in every way. I have since changed my mind but that’s an article for another day. 

Then along came the N64 finally. I bought mine in 2000 for my 18th birthday. The very same day I also took home my Playstation game console. In the end I would spend more time playing PS1 than N64 but my Nintendo loyalism had me sell my PS1 to buy more N64 games. Despite the droughts, which were long and painful, I continued to swear by the N64. I told people it wasn’t about quantity of games it was about quality. 

I got my GameCube in 2003 when it came down to $99 and I got it with the Zelda Collectors Disc. I went fully into GameCube. I would argue that only sheep bought a PS2 and only PC master race nerds bothered with the Xbox. I was all in on GameCube. It had some great games and delivered some fantastic experiences. But it was missing features the others had. It was lacking in 3rd party support and there were the ever present droughts. On top of that Nintendo hadn’t figure out how to make their games into the world of 3D yet so many games were lacking. But I swore by it and would get offended by people who talked down about it. 

I stood in line to get a Wii on launch day. Partially because I knew it would play GameCube games. Partially because I was excited for Twilight Princess and wanted to try it with motion controls. And partially because it was the first time I could afford to buy a brand new game console at launch. It didn’t take long before I became jaded with Wii. The first sign I was losing interest was when my parents hijacked my Wii for their own purposes. I determined it just wasn’t for me so I sold it and devoted myself to PC gaming and emulation. I determined I would rather play retro Nintendo games than current gen games. 

Then I bought a Wii U. What pushed me over the edge was the club Nintendo. I had a couple dozen digital purchases on Wii I wanted to transfer over to Wii U for the points. I got sucked into the world of Club Nintendo. I was buying retro games I already had access to just for the bonus points. While I enjoyed the Wii U for what it was I was still angry over the droughts and lack of 3rd party games. I would make excuses for Nintendo. I would get angry at 3rd party companies for not making games for my beloved console. 

Then I bought a Switch. At first I was satisfied with my purchase. Arms was a great fun new game. Mario Odyssey was super fun. But then the Wii U ports became the norm. I already had a Wii U I wasn’t going to pay full price to rebuy games I already played. I tried to get into the 3rd party offerings that were finally coming to the system but they were often lacking features or suffered from performance issues. By this time I had already bought myself both a PS3 and a PS4 so I quickly found myself preferring to buy those 3rd party games for those consoles over the Switch anyways. 

Then I lost interest in the Switch entirely. I sold it to  a used video game store for more money than I paid for it brand new. I was happy to be rid of it. My Wii U was stolen so I let it go in the past. 

By the time I realized Nintendo was jerking me around it was too late. I had already given them thousands of dollars of my hard earned money. I was knee deep into their eco system with no way out. I was a loyalist. I would defend their asinine  decisions while at the same time being angry over their bullshit mistakes. I finally learned my lesson. I went all in on PS4 and I never looked back. Now I am beyond jaded. I can’t look at a Nintendo game or console without disdain. I have nothing but disgust in my heart for every bad decision the company makes. I am over their bullshit. The spell was broken and I see clearly now. Nintendo sucks. 

I remember the first time I tried to play Minecraft. I had no idea what I was doing. I was cutting down trees and then it went dark. Out of no where a skeleton attacked me and I died. I lost my entire inventory and was left in the middle of nowhere unsure what happened. 

I had to watch YouTube how to videos to learn how to play the game. Even then I kept dying multiple times. I was so bad at the game I decided to only play on Peaceful until I learned the mechanics. I played on Peaceful for a full year in survival before I felt comfortable enough to dabble in the normal difficulty. Today I play in Normal to Hard depending on what kind of mood I am in. I prefer normal to hard but I don’t need to use peaceful as a crutch anymore. 

I would have completely lost interest in Minecraft if I hadn’t discovered Creative Mode. I kept dying so much in survival I nearly gave up on the game. Then once I discovered I could play “sim city” in creative mode by building my own cities I finally found my niche in the game. I spent multiple years building a massive city in the game before the 1.18 update destroyed my world with the new world generation. I lost interest in creative after the work I had spent years on was lost. I tried a couple of times to start over but I never got back to the level I was at before and I lost interest. 

Over the years I have grown to appreciate Minecraft even more for the type of game it is. I have learned the ins and outs of survival. I have learned how to get by in Skyblock. I have discovered the different ways to get pleasure out of Creative by just using it as a canvas to build my dream world. There are endless possibilities. This is why I have fallen in love with Minecraft as a game. 

Today I find myself so involved with Minecraft I now watch YouTubers playing the game as my primary source of entertainment. I have come to enjoy live streams, edited worlds, tips and tricks videos and different challenges as well as other sorts of interesting videos. There different ways to play the game has spawned nearly infinite ways to produce Minecraft content online. This has resulted in hours of entertainment on my end. 

I have even tried my hand at streaming Minecraft from time to time. I enjoy playing the game while others watch me and cheer me on as I experiment with the different play mechanics. I even played on a multiplayer server with my girlfriend for a period of time. 

Minecraft is a game with endless possibilities. It provides hours of entertainment in game. It provides countless hours of content online. It provides a fun way to interact with other people online. There are so many ways to enjoy Minecraft it’s unbelievable to me how much reach this game has. It has taken the top spot for my favorite video game of all time. I often find myself bored with non-Minecraft YouTube content. Even the algorithm has learned this about me. It feeds me an endless barrage of Minecraft videos from dozens of creators from all over the world. It’s the best game and I have the greatest time interacting with it in so many different ways. Long live Minecraft.