The Day Before The Day Before

Tomorrow I'll be winging my way to Germany...again. 12 hours and 15 minutes from gate to gate, then a 90 minute drive from the airport to the venue. That's nearly 14 hours of travel to cross the more than 5,000 miles from my house, just to play some AD&D.

Having done this once already, I know it's worth the trouble.

So, before, embarking on a long, physically taxing journey across multiple time zones, to enjoy a long, mentally taxing weekend in which I run no less than five different adventure scenarios, I'm trying to relax and unwind a bit doing the non-stressful thing of living and dying on every pitch of Game 3 of the Seattle Mariners' American League Champion Series.

Yeah. Glutton for punishment.

But what are you going to do? It's the perfect conflation of circumstances. I mean, my daughter's soccer team (which I coach) has both their final game of the season on Saturday AND their first playoff game on Sunday. Yes, we made the playoffs despite a broken arm sidelining our best player the last three weeks, the conspicuous multiple absences of our club players, and our best goalie's family having a four week road trip scheduled during the second half of October (no, she won't be back for the playoffs)...did I mention her dad is my assistant coach? Well, it can't be helped. We're 5-1 and regardless of what happens Saturday, we'll be playing the next day, and I will still be in Europe. My other assistant coach...my son, Diego...will be taking the reins while I'm gone. If they get through Sunday, I'm be back in time for the semifinal. 

[Mariners are currently down 6-2 in the 4th inning. Crap]

I am a ball of stress. Packing has been a bitch. What to take, what to not. I'm checking a bag...something I haven't done in literal YEARS. Can't be helped...I'm traveling with booze. My backpack will have the bulk of what I need: laptop, hardbacks, and the adventures I'm running. Dice...need to remember to pack those. No, I'm not done packing. Until this afternoon, I was still putting the finishing touches on one of the adventures (specifically, I was hand-inking the map). Hey, some of the con attendees have been speed-painting whole armies for Chainmail the last week...I have nothing to complain about.

[hold my keyboard...I've got to go cook some meatballs]

[later]

Well, the Mariners got destroyed 13-4...on the bright side, the meatballs turned out great (as did dinner in general). ALSO...having the game basically over by the 3rd inning actually made the entire event pretty much "stress free" (unlike last Friday's 15-inning, winner-take-all playoff game). Sooo...mission accomplished. I'm relaxed.

[the wine helped]

I'm still not finished packing, but I don't have to grab an uber till 1pm tomorrow (or thereabouts). *sigh*  Procrastinating. I feel like I'm forgetting something...or I'm failing to do some sort of vital prep work for this trip. Or something.

I don't know. I guess I'm...nervous? Really? 

Yeah. Maybe. I haven't been sleeping well of late (meaning the insomnia's been worse than usual). I just want to get through this...no, scratch that...I just want to enjoy this con, get back to Seattle, and finish the soccer season.  I just want to do THAT.

And then I can move on to the next thing on my list.

Because it's been a grind lately. I haven't been writing my book...THE book...of late. Because I had so much on my plate, prepping for the convention. Prep work that's been delayed because of legal woes and the busy-ness of a kid in high school and another kid in middle school and All The Things. Glorious things, every one of them (well, except for the court stuff). But things that will mercifully settle down after NEXT Saturday. 

I'm not even worried about Halloween shenanigans this year. The wife and daughter got the house decorated without me and we're taking it casual with costumes.

One more night...it's night time as I finish this missive...one more night and then one more morning and then an Uber ride to SeaTac and then a long flight, and then beer and pork and gaming with odd-shaped dice. The fantasy; the dream. Would that I could do it every six months instead of every two years. But it would probably kill me. Probably. Hard to say.

*sigh*

I'm starting to sound maudlin (the readers hate that). I had ONE glass of red wine. Okay, maybe two (call it 1.5). But I'm out of the habit. I haven't been drinking wine lately...really haven't had much at all since the first week of...what? July? Yeah. Back in Orcas. I've been cutting back. Waaay back. Had a beer a couple days ago...that was my first in a week or two. Yeah, I've cut way back. Been too busy. Still too busy. But I was cooking this evening and trying to relax at the same time. Happens.

*sigh* I'm procrastinating. Putting off what I should be doing until the last possible minute so that I can go into a fight or flight frenzy of activity and get stuff done. It's done. I just feel like it's not. I feel like I'm missing something. I feel...unsettled. Like this isn't real. I'm not really going to Germany tomorrow, am I? Really? That's someone else's life. I'm supposed to be making lunches and driving kids to piano practice (well, piano practice is actually Tuesday...after the guitar lesson. And I will be making lunches tomorrow, in the morning). Yeah. It's me. Both those things are me.

You live long enough your life becomes a kaleidoscope of disparate activities, blending together. Your identity isn't defined by labels like "profession" or "vocation" or "culture" or "nationality." Instead, it's defined by your deeds...by your actions. By what you do. I do a LOT of different things.

But right now, I'm defining myself by my inactions. Time to get off my ass and finish organize my gear for tomorrow. Plus, I've got to make sure the kid's got his light turned out. My passport is good for another three years; that's one less thing to worry about. Now I just need to decide which of my DMGs I'm going to take with me. Probably NOT the first printing...maybe my copy with the Easley cover. I don't know. I have four or five to choose from. 

All right. That's enough. I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I have stuff to do before I sleep.

Wee Hours - Redux

Yes, another volleyball post. For those who are interested but, mostly, for my own enjoyment and edification.

It is again 5:30am and (again) I've been up/awake for, roughly, an hour plus. No volleyball today, but volleyball is what is on my mind. Also, I had some chocolate last night (Sunday doesn't count for the ol' Lenten fast) which might account for 4ish hours of sleep. Maybe. Playoff volleyball carries its own hyper-stimulation.

Some context: as a Catholic school (of course my kids go to Catholic school) we play in the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) league of the Seattle Archdiocese. The vast majority of teams we play against are our fellow Catholic schools (CYO allows the occasional secular private school to participate also), so many of these schools are teams we see many times over the years, in various sports. Schools have rivalries; schools have reputations. And schools have strengths and weaknesses (by class). 

Our school is a small one...tiny. My son's class size is 17...eight boys and nine girls. Our parish has a vibrant Latino community thanks to its offering of bi-lingual (Spanish) services...one of the reasons my wife and I chose this parish for our family, besides its close proximity to our home. However, the majority of the Latino families send their children to public schools rather than our school, despite the fact our school offers Spanish language class from kindergarten through 8th grade (another reason we chose to enroll our children).

To say that our school is NOT known for athletics would be a gross understatement. These days (i.e. unlike in my youth) CYO is very interested in giving all students an opportunity to play sports, and as such schools are allowed to partner together with other schools (or simply have their students join larger schools) in order to play sports. My son has played CYO soccer since kindergarten, but he has not played under his own school's name since 5th grade (when they shifted from 7v7 to 9v9); in basketball, he's NEVER played for his own school (there are only four boys in the class that play). Same with cross country and track. It is what it is.

That we were able to put together a full volleyball roster is...amazing. Last year we had a combined team of 7th graders and 8th graders. All three of my 7th grade players returned this year, and they brought three of their five classmates. The one 7th grader from St. Matthew's (another small parish) that played last year also returned, and we got one new 8th grader (Jesus) who attends the parish but doesn't attend the school proper. Finally, we are once again including 7th graders on our (8th grade) roster with two from our own school and one from St. Benedict's...a traditional partner school of ours that is even smaller. None of these new boys had ever played team volleyball before this year.

When last I wrote, we we were about to play our penultimate regular season game against a hated rival; I'll call them "AB." Hated is a pretty strong word, but they are a school with an obnoxious reputation (in sports) and a rather unlikeable coach who has a tendency to jump out of her seat (not allowed under the league regulations) and yells instructions to her team continuously throughout matches. The team is large in size and numbers (a maxed out 15 man roster), and tends to get by on their athleticism. We played them on their home court with a biased referee (an alum of the school) and we lost...mostly (IMO) from us losing our cool over questionable calls. They finished 7-1 and #2 in the Northern division while we finished #3 after beating (what I considered to be) the best team in our division in the final week of the season (a team who had been undefeated in play before we beat them...their only other loss coming by forfeit when most of their players were taking a high school placement test for Seattle Prep).

So, at 6-2 (our only other loss being in the first week...mostly due to nerves...against last year's champ and the eventual #1 seed of our division), we entered the playoffs this weekend. Single elimination. Our first game was on Saturday and (as with all playoff games) was played at a neutral site (St. Louise in Bellevue) with League official scorekeepers and referees. The last time we had been in that gymnasium was last year, for our first (and last) playoff game of last season...a game in which my son injured himself making a diving save (scoring the point!) before having to be carried off the court. He sprained his MCL that day, which caused him to miss soccer tryouts for his club team (and was subsequently cut/sent down to a lower division) and prevented him from most athletics till July. 

ANYway...we won (against the #5 seed from the South division) in straight sets 2-0. 

Which set up yesterday's (Sunday's) quarter-final game against AB at 5:30pm in West Seattle.

The players were pretty keyed up...as you might imagine. Excited to be playing, fired up to avenge their earlier loss, a little worn out from a long-weekend (not only did we play Saturday, but this was the weekend of our school's Spring Musical...which has all middle school kids participating. Most of our players came directly from the Sunday "matinee" performance). Some were tense just from the drive to West Seattle in the pouring rain (there was pickup truck accident on the West Seattle bridge that is never helpful). Nathan was out sick. Herbert wasn't going to make it by game time. That kind of thing.

I said to them: "You guys ever watch sports movies?" Yeah. "You know how there's always a hero team and a jerk team that gets its comeuppance at the end? Well, today's our movie day when we knock off the jerks." That settled them down and fired 'em up.

While the rules of volleyball are pretty straightforward (best two out of three sets, first two sets to 25, third to 15, rally scoring, sets must be won by two points), the method of tracking scores is fairly intricate, as there are specific rules/procedures for serves and substitutions. In addition, CYO has specific rules with regard to participation and playing time (all players must serve at least once, all players must play at least 25% of the game). None of this is a problem for us (my wife is our scorekeeper), but it's cool because these intricate score cards allow me to recreate the game as they played out. Here's how yesterday's game went:

Coaches and captains met with the ref. Our captains for today were Diego (my son) and Atticus. Atticus is, perhaps, the nicest, kindest kid in class and is (definitely) the least competitive. He is good at volleyball (he was one of my players last year) but he plays it because its fun and he likes his friends (he plays no other competitive sports). He has also begged me all season NOT to make him a captain (captains on the court are the ONLY people allowed to address the ref during games and are responsible for having their players ordered and lined-up). I told Atticus after our win Saturday that he would be a captain against AB, no "but-but-buts" about it. Before the game I told him: "I am empowering you to be a leader with your kindness. You make sure our team is being kind to each other, and kind to the other team. Help them stay out of the whole drama that comes with playing this AB team...that's your job as the captain." He understood. As the "away" (lower seeded) team, he called the coin toss, which we won, and...as I always do...we deferred serve till the second set. 

We returned their serve to score the first point but immediately gave it back with our first server, Judah. They scored a point before we won a rally (making it 2-2), then gave it back again (Diego's serve), another exchange, then Evan got an extra point before they rallied, we exchanged again, and immediately gave it back after Atticus's serve. The game sitting at 5-5. They then served five in a row before we rallied, but an immediate exchange (Jesus serving) followed by a point put us down 12-6. I then subbed in Herbert for Evan.

Evan is the shyest, quietest kid on our the team...he has literally said less than 10 words to me all season (in practices or games). Maybe six words? And yet, he has the main role in the musical and I watched this kid rattling off plenty of memorized lines along with (not very tuneful) singing. He's one of our taller players, but he lacks quickness, decisiveness, and agility. He plays soccer to be with his friends but he's generally a bench player. Herb, on the other hand, is a 7th grader who plays premier soccer (same club as my son but a year behind) and is used to high level competition. Neither have played volleyball before but they both bring their own strengths: Evan, who's been taking tennis lessons, is one of our most consistent servers, while Herb has raw athleticism and competitive fire.

They score another point (13-6) and I call timeout. I check in with them, remind them there's no time limit, make sure they're calm, deep breaths, locked in. They rally and Ryan scores a point before we exchange and the gap is narrowed to six.

We immediately rally to make it 14-9 and then Judah, our gentle giant from St. Matt's parish, gives us 10, 11, and 12. He's going under-hand today, not trusting his nerves (6'3", bespectacled kid who's actually homeschooled, the Panther kids have embraced him since last year). I consider subbing him out after the exchange (like Evan, he's one of our slower backline players) but decide to let it ride. They score another point before we exchange and now the score is only 16-13.

Then its time for "Nails" to step in: my son, the Capricorn, has icewater in his veins (you should see him take PKs). He serves up 14, 15, and 16 to tie the score. Then he serves up 17 to take the lead and the AB coach calls timeout. I check in with our players...they are locked, they are solid, they've been here before. We would scrimmage our 8th grade girls back at the beginning of the season and routinely go down 8 or 10 points and have to claw our way back. This is what we do.

And now the crowd is chanting from the bleachers on the opposite side. "Let's go Panthers!" (*boom*boom*boom*) "Let's go Panthers!" (*boom*boom*boom). I have never heard this before at an elementary school event. Not volleyball, not basketball, not anything. It's rather incredible.

The timeout ends, the crowd goes silent (viewers are REQUIRED to be silent during serves). Diego scores another point to put us up 18-16 (thunderous applause) and then the exchange. 

The ref awards a point to AB for a bad switch in the front row (we use designated setters: Jesus and Diego for this set), and they score another to get to 19, but we win the next rally and we know we have them on the ropes. I sub Evan back onto the court to serve...no need to call time. Evan goes 20, 21, 22, 23 and the AB coach calls timeout. I was told later (I wasn't paying any attention) that she was actually yelling at and berating her players on the court. That's her deal, not mine. I told the team: two points...we just need a rally and a serve and we can move on to the next set. "Or," I said to Evan with a smile, "two more serves. If you want to." Evan said nothing (he never does), but he smiled and he gave me two more serves and we closed it out 25-19.

The tale of the second set was much the same, so I'll be quicker with the telling. They went up 6-1 to start before we got into our rhythm, but at 11-6 I subbed Ryan in for Nicolas. Nicolas is a big guy (tall, not fat) who has good instincts, but his feet are stuck in mud...it doesn't help that he misses practices for ice hockey (his other sport). Ryan, my son's best friend, is the shortest kid on the team (shorter than Diego) but has the biggest mouth (it runs non-stop)...a club basketball player, he's got excellent quickness and agility and is a ferocious competitor. We rally and Jesus takes over.

When we heard we were getting a new kid named "Jesus" this year, the kids joked "Jesus will save us!" When he missed the first two/three weeks of practice we wondered if he'd ever show up...and after missing so much work, there was some grumbling that "He better know how to play volleyball." Well he does, and he's the best overall player on the team. Only slightly taller than Diego (i.e. not that tall) he's stout and athletic and LOVES volleyball (his whole family is into the sport). Sporting long, "beautiful" hair (as described by one parent the other day), when he's on, he's on. He may be even more competitive than my son (the only other person I've seen with tears after a loss). 

Jesus serves us up to 10 before AB calls a timeout, desperate. The crowd is chanting again now (I believe it was Jesus's family that started the chants...Mexicans, go figure). There's not much for me to do or say during the timeout besides "finish strong." Jesus takes us up to 14, before they rally. 

They get back to 16, but I don't panic. Herbert serves and we exchange. I put Nicolas back in for Ryan (I want Nicolas to serve; he's consistent), Logan exchanges, they exchange, Nicolas serves up 18 and 19 to take the lead, then back to them where they take the lead to 20, before another exchange ties it up and Kieran comes in. 

Kieran is about as stereotypical an Irish Catholic kid as you see. He's got the red hair and freckles, he was born on St. Patrick's day, he acted as both an altar server and Eucharistic Minister at Mass the night before (I know...we were there and he gave me Communion). He comes from a musical family and plays multiple instruments...for school Masses he accompanies the choir on the piano. While he's done a lot of swimming in the past and is coordinated, this is the first time EVER that he has played on any competitive sports team. He can get a little "adrenalized" in these games.

He hits an overhand rocket that nearly goes out of bounds...he is obviously amped up. He takes a big step back and sends in another huge shot that nearly kills some poor kid. Now our whole bench is laughing. "What did Kieran have for breakfast this morning?" Ryan says: "We're going to storm the court!" I say: "Don't you dare." Ryan, on the bench is yelling at Kieran to move back, as he continues to put a heavy dose of mustard on his shots. We hit 23 and the AB coach calls a timeout. "We just need a serve and a rally," is all I need to say. They smile. They know. It's all over but the shouting (or chanting, in this case). "You feeling it a bit today, Kieran?" I joke, and he chuckles...he's practically floating.

He gets to 24 before they return one, Diego sets to Herbert who spikes into the net (probably Herb's only missed spike of the game) and AB gets the ball back. 

But it doesn't matter. They serve, Nicolas bumps it up in the air, Diego sets it beautifully to Jesus who spikes it off the head of some poor kid in the front row...an exclamation point on a team that could have been disqualified (under CYO rules) for their coach's antics in the playoff game the day before (we stayed to watch after we finished Saturday). I told the coach of that team, "We'll get 'em for you tomorrow." And we did.  Then we cheered 'em out and shook hands and I told the boys we'd have normal practice this week (ahead of our semi-final match next Saturday), now that the musical was over and we could use our gym again (last week we were practicing at a different school...not ideal).

Ah, sports. So fun, so exhilarating. Probably not as exciting to read about as to watch in person, but writing it up helps me remember the experience, the emotion, the stress, the joy. For the rest of the day, it's pretty much all my family talked about...but we get excited about sport. Not everyone does. 

But boy, the parents of these kids are sure having fun this year.

; )

There are only four teams left, and they are all exceptional teams. I had the chance to watch all of them play on Sunday and take their measure:

St. Al/John: a two school combo that always partners together. While most school's would choose to field one large team (like AB does), St. Al/John's has taken the "interesting" approach of fielding two small teams, one of which is stocked with their best athletes. This is their "A" team; an eight-man squad, they won the 7th grade championship last year (when we were playing up a grade) and at 7-1 were the top team in the North division. They handed us our first loss of the season, mainly due to nerves (I felt we were the better team, but it was our first game and we had a lot of "frozen" players) on the court. I figured they were pretty fraudulent as their record was pumped up playing the bottom-feeders (their only loss was to a 4-4 team)...however, watching them play yesterday, it's clear they have improved steadily over the course of the season. Very tough.

Holy Rosary Seattle: a team stocked with what appears to be varsity basketball players; tall, strong, athletic kids. They were only #3 in the South division, but maybe they lost games because their players were out playing club hoop tournaments? They are a little "exuberant"...their hammer serves fly over the back line nearly as often as they land in, and they mistime many of their spikes, hitting net on easy lay-ups...but this is the kind of team that, if they get rolling and 'in the zone,' they can steamroller teams. I have been told they were the runners-up last year and have a bone to pick with St. Al/John; their head coach is an old codger who looks like he was coaching volleyball since before I was born. 

St. Anthony: the #1 seed out of the South division, and the only 8-0 team. A team composed of mainly Filipino and Southeast Asian kids (judging from the last names on their jerseys), this is an extremely well-coached, well-disciplined team. A fifteen player roster, they have three coaches, and run a circuit training warm up in small groups. Very coordinated teamwork...they lack height and athleticism (they only have two kids I'd qualify as "athletes" on their team) but they run designated setters, outside hitters with a decoy in the middle, and they are all consistent servers (at least two or three with a good jumping overhand). They are the "death by a thousand mistakes" team...they build up a lead based on your errors and woe betide you if you're sloppy and give up easy points. Their main setter is a skinny blonde kid with a wicked left-handed overhand serve; their best athlete is the coach's kid and is basically a mini Jesus with a jump serve. Watched them demolish another playoff team 25-15 and wasn't even as close as that score looks...just no shot for a "playoff" team trying to get by on size, athleticism, and hard serves. Obviously a good team with good chemistry (a lot of love for each other); really, their only Achilles heel, besides a lack of athletes, is they struggle to dig. But they are as patient as Job, and they will wear you down...quickly...if you're not on your game.

We play St. Anthony's...in Bellevue again...on Saturday. If we win, we play the other semi-final winner in the championship at Blanchet high school, in our neighborhood, on our turf (Diego will be attending BBHS next year...it's five minutes from our home). 

All right. I think all that's out of my system now. Time for a nap.

[post momentarily interrupted by the need to get kids off to school]

Wee Hours

It's 5:40am. I've been up for about an hour. Been awake since about an hour before that.

Cutting the booze and sugared goodies out of my diet (Lenten resolutions) certainly helps my energy level. But I'm pretty fiery at the moment...pretty fired up. Energized...a live wire.

It's volleyball day.

Our team is rolling through the season. Five wins in a row, two games left to play before the playoffs. Today's game will be the second toughest opponent in our division...a perennial rival of the school when it comes to sporting events. We went out to support the girls team last week and stuck around to scout the boys in preparation for today's match. They're no great shakes: a bunch of big kids with the same hairstyle who get by on their athleticism and some questionable calls from their home line-judge (need to make sure we're on the correct side of the court today).

I'm not terribly worried about losing the game today...losing could be a good check on my players' egos. I'd rather lose this one then our next game (which will be against the toughest team in our division). But if we do win today...which we should...I don't think we'll lose another game this year. Which is my preference, of course: I'm not really into the exhilaration of close, heart-attack inducing, knife edge victories. I'd rather just dominate, shake hands, and go home.

For our little school...that has a tiny trophy case and hasn't won shit in YEARS...it would be a tremendous feather in the cap to bring home the championship. But for the players? I want this so badly for them. For them to be able to say: yeah, we did that. No, it doesn't mean they'll go on to play in the Olympics or cure cancer or get elected President or anything. But it's unquestionably something that you'll cherish in your heart, years from now...as an adult, reflecting on the past victories (and failures and oh-so-close moments) of your youth.

This I know. I know it from my own experience as an old geezer, and I know it from talking to other old codgers. Little things like this stick in your brain...highlights between years of "stuff" that's faded into the grey malaise of lost memory.

Especially this group. Especially with the way they're doing it. The misfits. The "try-hards." The nerds.

In my youth, I would have fit very well on this team. 

I want them to have that photograph in the trophy case so bad. Not a runner-up prize, not a second place finish. A championship. Because they are champions...just to come out and work hard and be good teammates to each other and to play damn good volleyball. I am so proud of each and every one of them. Even the goof-offs and screw-ups that fight each other in practice. Because when they come together on the court, they are one team, one entity. Just Panthers...the team in black. I want them to have that recognition...because it will leave a lasting impression in their hearts of what they can accomplish when they put aside their differences and complaints and come together with a single purpose.

That's a valuable lesson...one I wish I'd learned in my youth. My life, my journey...good as it has been...would have been a lot happier and more joyful along the way.

But it is sport (he writes as he wipes the tears from his eyes and refills the coffee cup), and the finality of sport is that sometimes you lose and sometimes you get bounced from the playoffs in the first round. Sometimes the other team plays better than you on a given day. Sometimes the other team IS better than you. And you have to understand that and accept that and take defeat with as much grace as you can muster. Because the real, hard truth is that life goes on (until it doesn't) and...win or lose...you've got to get up on Monday and go to school or work again. The daily grind goes on, regardless of the high highs and low lows that occur in our lives. 

Which isn't to say sport and competition is useless in the grand scheme of life...quite the contrary! What we learn in sport...especially bits like teamwork, focus, practice habits, effort, consistency, gracefulness (in both victory and defeat)...is directly applicable to our day-to-day lives. Especially team sport...learning to get along with different people with different personalities, different backgrounds, different skin colors, different tax brackets, different talent levels...this is incredibly important. It is one of the most important lessons we can learn for the rest of our lives. One of the main reasons I volunteer to coach these teams is to make sure I impart that lesson to my own kids.

Well, that AND because I'm an insufferably competitive gamer.

; )

Okay, it's 6:40 (6:38 actually). I might try closing my eyes for 30 minutes before I wake everyone. Sofia's volleyball game at 9am (in Edmonds), Diego's at 11, then we're going to a teammate's birthday/pizza party (he invited the entire v-ball team), then Diego's soccer in the afternoon. A full day ahead of us.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for letting me share what's on my mind.

When The Student Is Ready....

This afternoon's blog post prompted DM Escritoire to make the following comment:

I love it when one of the good guys goes off. Alexis was similarly inclined earlier this week.

Which, of course sent me over to the good Mr. Smolensk's blog to catch up on the last few posts I've missed (busy life...same old, same old). Here's what I read:

This is why I haven't written of late. Not because this shit is just recently out here, but because I've reached a point where the thing that I love, the thing that I have a passion for, has become the only thing for which the internet is a complete waste of my time. I don't know, maybe there are home renovators in the world who can no longer watch home renovation videos, or read home renovation books. Maybe there are knitting fanatics who would rather cut their throats before reading one more "Knitworld" magazine or watch one more amateur drop a stitch. Maybe that's how it is for other people. I don't know. I've done an awful lot of cooking. I'm not the greatest cook in the world; I don't think I'm the greatest DM either. Then again, I can watch a cooking video. I can still enjoy watching someone cut a watermelon into odd shapes. 

But I cannot watch another fucking video about D&D. Of any kind. I can't listen to anybody for more than about 20 seconds. I just want to scream.

There is more...much more. But mainly Alexis is simply giving voice to frustration...a frustration that I think (if I grok what he's writing) that I share. It is the same frustration that led me to pick up that stupid book in the game store Wednesday...the book of idiotic essays that set my teeth on edge and made me decide to write my own frigging "How To" book.

It's the frustration of wanting more knowledge about a thing (in this case, Dungeons & Dragons) and searching in vain for anything...any drop...at all. And finding nothing. Just...nothing. 

Because I've reached a point now,  in my life, in my calling (and please let me be clear: it is a Calling, I have accepted this, it is my calling to be a Dungeon Master, for whatever reason) where I know more about this game than all but a handful of people on this planet. A bold statement, an arrogant statement...but I'm pretty fucking convinced it's accurate. 

And I'm not even a great DM! When Alexis wrote:

I'm not the greatest cook in the world; I don't think I'm the greatest DM either.

It nearly echoed my planned introduction for the guide book:

"I do not profess to be a great DM; I simply admit to being a competent DM."

Competent. That's it. That's all I am. Google define's the word as:

"having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully"

That's it. I'm a competent Dungeon Master. I won't even profess expertise in other RPGs. Just D&D.

With regard to competence, I am not alone. There are a LOT of competent DMs out there...though probably not nearly as many as there should be...and I am one of them. And I am proud of that.

But when I say that my knowledge of this game exceeds that of all but a few people on this planet, I'm not talking about mere competence in the doing of something. I am a seeker: a seeker of knowledge, a seeker of more than the simple understanding of "how to be a DM." I want to know as much about this game as I can...I am constantly searching for new information, new understanding, new "stuff" to fill in the gaps and cracks of my comprehension.

And...there's just not that much out there. Not much that I haven't already pursued, purloined, and integrated. 

That's what I'm running up against; that's my frustration that (I think) matches, at least in part, something like what Alexis expresses. There's nothing more (or very, very little). I am a thirsty man unable to slake his parched throat...because my cup is already full.

It is time for me to stop searching for knowledge. I already have enough knowledge.

NOW, all that's left is to teach, to coach, to share what I know. Which I've already been doing...just informally. That's...small change. Small stakes. Not putting myself out there. Not submitting myself to true judgment and ridicule. 

To put it another way:

The apprentice is learning competence.

The journeyman has demonstrated competence.

The master can teach competence.

I have not yet (so far as I'm aware) taught ANYONE how to be a competent Dungeon Master. Not even my own children. I am not...in my own estimation...a "master" DM; only a journeyman. Only a competent one. Which is still pretty groovy...I get to run solid D&D!...but I am Called to do more.

So silly. It's just a game. 

But what a game!

In other news: the Seattle Mariners dropped their opening day game to a TERRIBLE Boston Red Sox team tonight, 6-4, going 8 for 34 and drawing only one walk. Garbage. Per my usual tradition of the last couple years, I will refuse to wear any M's gear until they are above .500...maybe by Easter Sunday? We'll just have to see.

Putting A Bow On It

Last soccer post for the foreseeable future.

Our season ended yesterday, as we lost our semi-final game against the #1 team in our division. And I am content. Our opponent had not only beat every team they faced this year (including several strong, playoff teams), they had demolished them, scoring 5+ goals in five of their eight games (including their quarter-final playoff). I was more anxious leading up to that game then any other game we'd played this season. Hell, it was the most anxious I can remember feeling prior to ANY sporting event since the 2012 Super Bowl (when I actually had to go to a gym beforehand to work off the stress/nerves). It wasn't because I was hyped to win...we knew it would be a tall order. I was afraid we'd be embarrassed. Frankly, I was afraid we might show ourselves to be frauds...a team that had a puffed up record based on weak opponents, who didn't really deserve to be in the same conversation with the "class" of our league.

Instead, we gave them their toughest match of the season. We played our game (using all our players, good and bad) with equal playing time and held them scoreless for 55 minutes, frustrating and stifling their vaunted offense with our ragtag misfits...who played spectacularly out-of-their minds. Kids who had a hard time just getting a foot on the ball this season (often swinging and whiffing) were taking on players with twice their skill and athleticism and winning...winning possessions, clearing shots, doing their damn jobs out there. 

It was glorious.

When the other team DID score, it was in the last ten minutes when we (the coaches) had subbed in our best players for a last push...and here we made a tactical error. In an effort to put all our best players on the field we moved a kid who'd been playing center back for nearly the whole season to right back...and he couldn't help himself drifting to the center. He lost a very good shooter on the right side who was able to take a pass and put in a goal (many "soccer parents" on our side complained afterwards that the kid was off-sides but Diego, playing left back, assured me that it was on). We then started pressing to get the equalizer and an unlucky bounce gave their other striker a wide-open shot in the box that he smoked. The final score was 2-0...the fewest goals our opponent scored all season.

[after the second goal, with three minutes remaining, we subbed out our stronger players to give other kids more play time]

Thing is, we had multiple chances in both halves to put the game away. Our offense just failed to get it done. After the first goal was scored, Diego was able to win a ball, juked a guy, and got a perfect pass to up to our most skilled player. Miles has blazing speed, amazing footwork, and plays striker for the same premier club as my son...but he plays a team up in a tougher bracket. With nothing but green grass and the goal in front of him, he dribbled all the way to the goalie box, and from three yards out he bricked the ball off the post.

It was unfortunate...mainly because the kid, a showboat who refuses to pass the ball (and, frankly, looks down on this "school league" stuff as beneath him) had the chance to make good with all his big talk. After the game, my son was in angry tears..."Three yards out! Easier than a PK!" But we had an even easier chance in the first half when the goalie lost the ball in the penalty area and Bastien, with NOBODY in front of him and the ball on his foot, failed to put the ball on-target. 

Fact is, we could have won the game but for a couple of bounces. Fact is, we put some fear in this team...a team that came to the field with F'ing WARPAINT on their faces, chanting and singing fight songs and shit. They had rolled everyone they faced...they did not roll over us. 

I was...I am...immensely proud. And we did it without chippy-ness, without fouling, without complaining to the two referees (who had a great game). In our quarter-final, we played a team who drew three yellow cards, gave us multiple direct and indirect kicks, three PKs (in regular time!), and talked smack the whole game. That game should never have gone to overtime, but it did, and we won in a shootout at the end, and several of the opposing players refused even to shake hands at the end of the match. Our team, on the other hand, was able to hold our heads up and keep both our dignity and sportsmanship. 

Which is important! As I told my kid afterwards: 

• We don't play the game to have fun...there are lots of ways to have fun (most not involving so much effort).
• We don't play the game to exercise...there are lots of ways (better ways) to stay in shape without risking injury.
• We don't play the game to win...the joy of victory is as fleeting as the sting of losing.

We play the game because we want to play soccer. Because we love the sport. It's the same reason we play Dungeons & Dragons, instead of something easier or more accessible or more popular. There are LOTs of ways to have fun and play with friends and be active. There are lots of sports (and games!) that test your mettle, your resolve, your mind and body. We made a choice to do this one...because we want to do this one. And it doesn't matter whether we are taking home a trophy or not...we are fortunate to be able to play.  A lot of kids who want to don't get to. 

My son, to his credit, understands and agrees (though he still prefers winning to losing). After the game was done, we drove home so that he could change into his training jersey, and then we drove to his club practice to work out with his premier teammates. That practice went from 6:45-8pm (I had a beer at a nearby pizza place while watching some Monday Night Football). He was smiling and in good spirits by the time practice was over and we were driving home for our usual, late night dinner...laughing about the game and how we frustrated our opponents, gushing about the fantastic play from our "lesser teammates," bemoaning the inability of our offensive players to get a cross in to a wide open man.

Our usual debrief.

Diego has club soccer practices Wednesday, Thursday, and (for the next three weeks) a special Friday session. Saturday he has a game against PacNW soccer (they play out of the Sounders Starfire facility in Tukwila); just one more game in a looong season. 

Today, however, he has the day off...because the school season is over. We've already decided we will be playing Dungeons & Dragons tonight. We're both looking forward to it.

: )

Playoffs

About a month ago I posted a long scribbling with regard to my son's school soccer season. Again...this is his school season, a season that lasts only seven weeks, and that features a bunch of kids who (for the most part) only play this sport seven weeks out of fifty-two. As I've been coaching these kids for six years now, I care about these kids. Because I've got a competitive streak and actually enjoy soccer, I also give a shit about how they perform and the results.

The season's been...tough. As in stressful. We won four games (yes, including the game I was stressing out about in that last post). We had one game cancelled (due to poor air quality). We tied one game (neither Diego nor I were at the game and the head coach...well, it wasn't his finest effort). 

And yesterday we were beaten 3-1 in the pouring rain at an 8am game time in the cold and dark after a two week layoff.

Today starts the playoffs. We are the #4 seed. Game kicks off in two hours. We will be playing the same team that I was worried about facing in my "soccer haze" post...when we were down to 12 players and missing most of our defensemen. We squeaked that one out 4-3 (I played Diego in the backfield a LOT for that game). Today we have everyone. Season will either end today or continue to tomorrow's semi-final.

Okay, got to go feed my kid now.

Soccer Haze

Soccer. I'm going to write about soccer. It's not D&D. We'll see if I can tie it into D&D (somehow), but writing out what's in my head at the moment will...hopefully...clear space for the D&D-type stuff folks want me to write about.

This year, due to a lack of sufficient players in any single school, my son's school team is partnered with three other schools. We have a total of 21 kids on the team (at this level...6th grade...we play 9v9) fifteen of whom I'd never met before this year. It's...a lot.

Because we joined them (rather than vice versa), the team does not operate under our school name. For the first time in...mm...six years, I was not expecting to be the coach. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting Diego to want to play, not with all the club soccer he's already doing and after an extremely difficult season last fall.

[last year, our 5th grade class was combined with 4th graders due to them not having a coach or sufficient players...4th graders who, for the most part, were entirely new to soccer or who had not played since pre-Covid. When they were, like, seven years old and coached (poorly) by a volunteer parent. Suffice is to say our team was NOT competitive...at all!...and this caused a LOT of frustration, tears, breakdowns, etc. among ALL the players on the team]

But Diego did want to play, and so did all the kids from last year (minus Maceo who moved to a different school). And, somehow, I got wrangled into being the assistant coach for this year's team. 

I think I mentioned it's a lot of kids?

Anyway. The head coach...I'll call him "HC." He's a nice guy. Totally on the same page with me as far as what's important (kids participating in sport, kids having fun, kids learning valuable life lessons like team work and sportsmanship and effort). Good guy. Not a soccer guy. 

Football guy, yes. Baseball guy, yes. Soccer guy, no.

He told me I could handle the "strategy side" of things if I wanted. His plan for the season was to have one practice a week, consisting of a warm up (he has the baseball guys on the team lead the team in a baseball warm up) and then have the kids just scrimmage each other for the remainder of practice. Because we have so many kids.

The kids from his school include some "really athletic kids" on it. He's not kidding. Many of them are big, strong, and fast. They play flag football on the side. Some of them play "select" soccer and/of baseball. Some also run cross country...right now, during the soccer season. In past seasons, his M.O. has been to put the best athletes up front and the "less strong" kids on defense and let them "kind of figure out their own positions." He won a lot of games the last couple years, mainly, because he had better athletes on his team than other teams. Teams like the team we fielded last year.

Our school doesn't have kids with the raw athletic talent of these kids. They have my boy who, despite being a short, skinny, slow kid (much like his father was, back in the day) is blessed with a pair of incredibly strong, accurate boots, excellent coordination, a wicked intelligence, and a tenacious, ultra-competitive fire. We were blown out every game last year, but we were never shut out because Diego would always find a way to score a goal or two and salvage our school's dignity. And I only ever played him as much as any of the other players (in CYO sports, we are trying to give equal participation time to ALL the players). 

The other kids on the school range from "high motor/effort" to "passable" to "struggling" to "hopeless." I've always seen it as MY role to coach them up and put them in the best possible positions to succeed and contribute (thereby having an enjoyable time and...hopefully...continuing to pursue sport as a fun activity). Until last season, I was always able to do that...with positive, productive results.

SO...enter me and the new team and the new HC. As the kids are now in middle school, this is the first season that results count and that there are "play-offs" in CYO. Kids who don't enjoy soccer or who have decided it "isn't for them" have dropped out...perhaps to pursue flag football or other fall sports. Teams are larger...we're not the only team that's combined schools. Several non-Catholic private middle schools are a part of our league...many with expensive athletic facilities, paid coaches, and (I kid thee not) sports nutrition programs. It's still Catholic Youth Organization where "winning isn't the most important thing" (and where, if you beat a team by more than six goals, you have to appear before the board and explain why you are not adhering to the values of sportsmanship, etc.)...but, still, it's Big Boy soccer. We have seven weeks to accumulate enough points to be one of the top eight teams.

So, I convinced the HC to have two practices a week instead of one, with the rationale that the kids who could make both (because they're not participating in multiple sports) probably could use the extra practice. I convinced him to let me run some drills every practice (before scrimmage) and not just "make kids run." I convinced him that maybe when a kid says he plays "defense" on his select soccer team that he's suitable to play defense, not just striker (because he's big, fast, and strong).

The first week, I spent evaluating the kids, getting to know them. Our first game, I wanted to implement a formation that I thought would play to our strengths. He asserted himself as HC, however, saying the kids would just get confused, wanting to keep it "basic." I deferred to him, though I put forth very strong opinions of which role various kids should play (and why) and HC, to his credit, went with most of my suggestions. 

Our first game was tight...we went down 2-0 before coming back to even, then going ahead 3-2, only to give up the equalizer, before finally (finally) wearing them out and finishing 6-3. And I mean "wearing them out:" we played 19 kids against a team that had 9 total (no subs) and just ground them down with fresh legs. They were tough and played with a lot of heart, even playing (and scoring!) with eight men after one of their defenders took a smoked shot off the face and had to sit down for a few.

Afterwards, HC was positive and (mostly) effusive with his praise, mainly citing "areas of improvement" as being the defense...half of which had been ALL my school's kids save Diego (who played midfield).  One mother later contacted the coaches and apologizing for their son's performance, and asking if there were extra things he could practice to "train up"...when I spoke with her later she related that he had been disappointed with himself because the other kids had been yelling at him for letting in the scores (he was not playing goalie).

...

Mm.

For week #2, I told HC I wanted to implement the formation I'd talked about (a 3-1-3-1) as I felt it would give us a stronger defense, and told him I would coach the kids up on it during the week and make it work. He grudgingly agreed to this because our second opponent had just gotten their asses kicked 10-1 in their first week ("this should be a pretty easy one, so a good time to implement new stuff"). He also didn't trust one of the kids who'd be playing goalie (we let the players volunteer for the position and rotate from week-to-week...this week would be one of the "less proficient" kids from my school). We would also be playing without two of our best offensive pieces: a kid with blazing speed who plays striker for the same club as Diego (however, a year up due to an earlier birth year), and an insolent snot-nosed punk of a kid who only knows how to shoot goals (he's a real piece of work...think Jaimie Tartt in miniature).  Little did we know, that our BEST player (in HC's opinion) would spend most of the game on the sideline, getting a bloody nose in the first half.

We won the game 6-0. The last fifteen minutes we just played keep away from the other team, so as not to violate the "lopsided victory" rule. Four of our goals came from assists. It was some lovely soccer.

We are entering the third week (practice...the "extra" one I requested...is today, Tuesday). HC will not be at the game Saturday ("you can do the line-up however you want this week!") as he is going on a camping trip with several of the boys. And I don't even know if my own kid will be available...we're still waiting on his other team's schedule for the weekend.

[the problem with participating in two different soccer teams is that sometimes there are schedule conflicts (duh) and then hard choices have to be made. In our home, we leave this choice up to the kids...even though one team costs about a hundred bucks and the other one costs...mm. I'd rather not think about it. Suffice is to say we've been navigating this conflict the last five+ years]

I know, I know...this is all dumb-ass drama and not worth stressing out. Absolutely right. But I have been stressed...in a year where I thought the soccer season would be, well, stress-free (because I didn't think I'd have to do much, if anything) suddenly I have been experiencing more stress than I have in years. Which is crazy, yeah, I know.

Fact is, I love these kids...my own child not least of all. But the other kids, both the old hands from previous years and the new ones (who are all, rather quickly, growing on me...yes, even the mouthy ones). They're just kids. Well behaved for the most part. Good teammates for the most part. Doing the best they can...for the most part. How can you not love these kids? And want them to have success? For their own sake?

Let's tie this to D&D for a sec. All the games I've run the last couple years have been for kids this age...my son, his peers, etc. And I've prepped the hell out of these games BECAUSE I WANT THEM TO HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE. Because I want them to enjoy themselves. Because I want them to come back. Because D&D is awesome and it's something they can do and play and enjoy their whole lives.

Soccer...soccer is awesome, too. For kids this age, it's unlikely to do any permanent harm to their bodies. It's solid exercise. It's good training, not just in the physical realm (speed, stamina, flexibility, agility, etc.) but in the arenas of teamwork and camaraderie, sportsmanship, focus, and discipline. Players learn to both win AND lose with grace and dignity and how to play with respectfulness and gratitude (for their teammates, their coaches, their opponents, and for themselves). Soccer isn't something they can do forever (unlike D&D) but while they have this window of time, I want to instill a love of the game in them. I prep the hell out of my soccer practices and games, too.

My son...he already knows all this stuff. He and I have had long talks about both D&D and sports and why they're valuable and to what degree and their place in the grand sphere of...well, of everything. I'm not really worried about him. He'll give 110% and do his best to win, and shake hands respectfully when he loses while vowing to learn from the experience. Ultra-competitor that Diego is, his head is screwed on right most of the time (probably part of why his premier club coach named him captain of the team this year. Last year he was named captain by the coach, too...and it was a different coach). 

It's the other kids, I'm coaching for. Not my kid, who's already won trophies and has plenty of confidence. No, it these other 11 and 12 year olds...the ones who aren't "great athletes" and, probably, even the ones who are (I've noticed some ego cracks here and there). Because I want them ALL to see their own potential...and to see the potential in each other. Everyone contributes on this team...the team is the sum of all of us.

*sigh* Two practices to prepare. Against the only undefeated team left on our schedule till the playoffs...a team that just spanked some poor bastards 7-1 last week. Notice the goal differential? Another "mercy rule" game...this team is good.  And we will again be missing the same two offensive weapons, at least three defenders, and possibly Diego.  Three other "maybes," too...none of which I want to lose. 12 players. Not a lot to work with. And no help that I can count on from HC, bless his large, carefree heart.

Damn. Better make these good practices.

Monday Morning

Mmm.

Lot of distractions lately, and I'm not just talking about the putrid football coming out of the local team.

[make no mistake: the Seahawks are not good. And I was at that Monday Night Football game where they beat Denver. That victory was 85% crowd...I haven't heard the stadium that loud since the NFC championship game against Green Bay. Hell, I'll even give myself credit for starting the chants of "Geno! Geno!" but, at least in our section, we meant it in a sarcastic, raucous way in order to poke the eye of...and stick it to...Russell Wilson. If you rewatch the broadcast, you'll see that the chants started in the second half (when the offense was stinking up the joint and the ONLY thing Smith was  doing was running the ball like a poor man's RW). We weren't actually backing the QB; we were yelling nah-nah-nah at the Broncos and their $250M man. Longtime fans who remember the AFC West will remember how much we hate Denver]

No, the majority of distraction is all family-related. Good things to be sure...not financial issues or health issues or marital issues or anything like that. School, church, and a TON of sports activity. Yes, sports participation for the most part (two kids on four teams, one of which I'm coaching), but also 2-3 fantasy leagues (that I'm running, or helping to run, for extended family), a Blood Bowl season of 16 teams, and then the ongoing, must-follow fun of the NFL, Sounders team (struggling), Mariners team (ascending), and local college programs.

[let's not forget the Seattle Storm's playoff run...yeah, it ended a few weeks ago, but I didn't post much even in August, and the Storm was part of that. Much love and respect to Sue Bird] 

Fact is, Dungeons & Dragons has, in general, taken a backseat. Oh, I did get something written up for the second installment of Prince of Nothing's "No ArtPunk Contest"...a little high level one-off for AD&D that came out to some 17ish pages. This one actually got some play-testing from the kids (Diego, Sofia, Maceo, and Winston), and much fun was had.

[a couple quick notes about that (for interested parties): none of the players have "high level" characters, so they used pre-gens made specifically for the adventure (these were included with my submission adding another six pages for a total of 23). Second, on average a party of 10th to 14th level are looking for the same x.p. as a party of 16th, 18th, or 20th level so treasure scale for high level adventures aren't all that tough to write...the main thing is to create scenarios that take into account the higher level of resource attrition. I might talk about this in a future blog post]

But other than that, I haven't been doing anything as far as running/designing for D&D. I was playing in my son's AD&D campaign...absolutely destroying the Keep on the Borderlands (that's a future post, too), but even that's been put on (hopefully brief) hiatus as our focus and priorities have shifted.

And so we come to the "Blues" part of my Monday Morning: I know I've been lax in blogging, but there's two things that have delayed/prevented me from posting. I've kind of decided that I really, really want this blog to be about gaming, specifically D&D, AND I want it to be as positive and constructive as possible...which I've probably said a dozen times in the past but this time (yeah, sure) I really mean it.

I've got multiple posts sitting in draft form on Ye Old Blog because they just tend to go off into fairly negative rants (also, they're not all that good...you folks aren't missing much). And while it's easy to denigrate someone's play style or design work or gaming ignorance...or even The Company's failings...that's all a waste of my time. I mean, it's not like I haven't vented that a gazillion times already, right?

I want to be helpful. It IS useful to tear things down to build them back better and stronger, but I have to make sure that that's what I'm doing. Doing that takes focus...and the distractions get in the way of focus. Right now the majority of my focus has been on my family and (probably not surprisingly) the kids I'm coaching. I could certainly blog about the latter...but, then, that's not D&D, right?

[by the way, ripping on the Seahawks isn't exactly positive, but players and coaches in pro-sports are paid millions of dollars to entertain fans. I don't feel zero remorse about expressing negativity and disapproval to guys making that kind of money: that's the job, dudes]

So, a bit of a quandary. But I'll give it a shot, in the next few days, to get things going. I should have a little more time coming up (especially after next weekend). I'll try to put together a list of topics and see if I can't bang out a couple per week in the next few weeks.

Pizza Party

It's Wednesday...time to blog something.

The school soccer season is officially over...actually ended the weekend before last, but we had our post-season "pizza party" last night (outdoors, in a covered pavilion, in the rain). It was great and everyone had a wonderful time (funny, since I was the one that "organized" the thing...and I'm pretty terrible when it comes to party planning). 

I'm not a big believer in participation trophies, but I did buy medallions for all the kids (with their names, their school, and the year) to commemorate the season. This was a hard season, but an important one...it was our first time playing a team sport as a school in the "time of Covid," after not having ANYTHING last year. It was rough and emotional and stressful (for the kids!), but they soldiered through and no one quit and everyone got at least a little better on the pitch and they all had a good time. 

And no one got sick. Masks helped.

We lost every game, but we were never shut out (my kid is a goal-scoring machine) and we just played better and better with every game. Still hopeless, of course (half our team was composed of 4th graders, several of whom had never played soccer before this season)...but we were at least becoming competitive. Our last game we went 11 on 11 (full sized field) and only lost 5-3. Everyone wants to come back next year. 

Everyone wants me to coach again. We'll see.

[I do enjoy the coaching thing, but it takes a lot of effort to coordinate four separate team activities for two kids simultaneously; and it's possible I might be working (a regular job) by next year]

Anyway. That's done. Sofia's school season will be done after this coming weekend, and THAT will lower the household stress level to manageable proportions, right before the holidays. Serious D&D action appears to be just around the corner...need to get back to my Dragons of Insanity project.

Around the blog-o-sphere, I've been reading some good things lately. "Good" because they give ME interesting ideas and inspiration. For example, this review over at tenfootpole: I have absolutely zero desire to actually buy or run this adventure, but it makes me want to try my hand at writing something "rat related," something I don't recall ever having done in the past. Hell, maybe I'll run some sort of contest, similar to the Fat Frog Challenge...remember that? I mean, it's only been a decade plus since the last time I did that (jeez). I wonder if I have any kind of glittering prizes to offer for such a thing; hmmm....

[EDIT: yes, I am doing a contest]

Other good stuff: Well, this review of Underground, gave me insight into one of the best premises I've heard for a supers RPG. A review of Under the Waterless Sea reminded me that I have to get around to finishing my own submarine adventure module one of these days (it has the rather unoriginal working title "Sea Castle") because there just aren't enough watery challenges on the market. Alexis has been working on a great series of which I think this post and this one are the best and most useful (though I'd recommend reading all his "Other D&D" posts). Oh, and GusL beat me to the punch with his recent post on treasure, though I still plan on writing up my own thoughts on the topic because (if I can find a way to communicate effectively) it gets to the heart of why treasure is such a vital component of the D&D game.

["adventure"is another, and I think there are some things to take to heart from this old Gygax interview]

So, there...even though I'm not offering much of anything in this post (other than a look into my family's activity levels), I'm giving my readers some reading material to peruse. Hopefully, I'll have some deeper blog material in the next day or two.

Sports Stuff

I know I said I was going to write about D&D stuff, and I am, but there's just so much to write about that I'm not sure where I want to start...and I don't want to just barf a bunch of randomness all over a single blog post.

So to buy myself some time (to formulate my thoughts) and to get a little bit of a handle on the blogging, I'm going to write about some sporty stuff (mostly personal and/or Seattle-based). It will be fairly short, I think. Or not. Maybe.

First: the Mariners. I am not watching Mariners baseball right now, even though they're only 2 or 3 games out of a wild card spot and playing some fairly clutch ball (well, they were until they dropped 2 of 3 to a historically bad Diamondbacks team). I'm keeping track, but I just don't have time to sit down for three hours a game with very real probability of having my heart broken by a team that has disappointed for twenty years. Twenty years! You'd think they would have lucked into a playoff game in that time...you have to really try to be that poor/mediocre. I have been wearing my M's cap (to cover my bald head) because they are still over .500. But I have been in "show me" mode for the last few years, and that hasn't changed. Yes, I am a literal "fair weather fan:" I enjoy going to the park when the weather is sunny and beautiful (and when there isn't a pandemic). But I am not going to live and die by the ball club who's given so little as far as results are concerned. Not when there's so much else to watch.

[and, yes, I am all-but-convinced that the new ballpark was built on top of some ancient Salish burial ground and the team is cursed. Cursed! I say!]

What other things? Well how about the NFL? Hey, folks: there are D&D nerds...and there are football nerds. I, of course, am both. Fantasy football is just as nerdy and ridiculous as any tabletop gaming...(as my sporty buddies will freely admit)...it's just been better monetized. The last few years, I haven't played it, but this year I decided it was time to introduce my FAMILY to fantasy football. So we started a four-team league for just us: wife, kids, and me. They (the rest of my family) have never played fantasy football, so we've spent the last few days (I just started it up Thursday afternoon...on a whim) totally geeking out with drafts and trades and waiver wire pick-ups and roster moves. My 7-year old daughter has soccer practice tonight, but she's on the edge of her seat to see if Lamar Jackson (her QB) can get her 50+ points to pull out a win (good luck with that).

The Seahawks looked great, by the way. But then, their defense played against a woefully depleted Colts offense. And Chris Carson will be lucky to last the whole season with his running style (91 yards on the ground, 72 yards after contact!). Besides, they still need to win the west and ALL the NFC West teams looked good (49ers, Rams, and Cards dominated every game). Fortunately, we weren't bitten by many injuries. Cautiously optimistic for the season.

The Seattle Kraken drop the puck September 26th. NHL hockey, y'all. Still need to research what the hell "icing" is. It's been a few years since I last attended a T-birds game (like, since, the 20th century) and it was mostly about chanting for the fights.

And then there's soccer...glorious soccer.

The USMNT finally got a win in World Cup qualifiers, only after Berhalter deigned to replace the high profile European stars with MLS stand-outs. Funny how players who play IN their own country seem to have more fire, energy, and passion when it comes to playing FOR their country. Whatever. *sigh* 

[I will not rant I will not rant I will not rant I will not...]

Sounders got another win. That's great. Over projected-Most-Awesome-Minnesota-super-star team (again). Even better. And did it without the guys who've been playing on their international squads. Helped to have our #1 goalie back (finally) from his injury. Steph looked great. Should be a nice run-up to the season's finish. 

And then, of course, there were my own kids' games: the team I coached (boy's school team) was thoroughly overmatched and dominated on Saturday. The final score was 6-1, only because the other team stopped trying to score on us in the second half. The coach (me) turned out to be the guy with the most "rust;" I did not put my players in a position to succeed. And to be fair, half our "5th grade team" is made up of fourth graders (7 out of 16) and most of the team doesn't even know A) positions or B) their teammates' names. "You're going in for Lucas!" "Who's that?" "The guy playing midfield!" "What's a midfielder?" Ai-yi-yi. It was a rough outing; Diego ripped off his jersey in disgust at the end. 

We have a LOT of work to do this coming week.  

[D then proceeded to get beat 3-0 his premier game, though that was more bad luck (and some poor play from normally reliable players) than any kind of "domination"]

Finally, my daughter Sofia played her first club soccer game on Sunday, and I got to be amazed at just how much she's grown in skill over the last few weeks. Wow. They only had 6 players show up for a 7v7 game, and decided to play a man (*ahem* lady) down rather than forfeit against a team that brought 12. My daughter is one of two 7-year olds on a team that ranges up to age 9, and she tracked the entire field with, quite frankly, astonishing effort, energy, and determination. I completely underestimated the reserves of strength she has within her. They lost 4-0, but their goalie saved about 20, and Sofia's track back ability from a forward position (she often beat her own defenders) aided a lot of those saves.

I don't mention my daughter as much as my boy on this blog, for a couple reasons. One is the blog's main subject matter (gaming) which my son is far more invested in than my daughter. The second is so much of our (family's) time has been taken by my son's activities (he's older, so he does more). But while both my children have great depths to them, Sofia has (I think) far deeper, more mysterious depths. Her imagination, creativity, inventiveness, and humor are profound, and different from Diego's intellectual precision. Both children take after both their parents but Diego takes all the "surface stuff:" the fiery emotions, the competitiveness, the sharp mind and grasp of concepts. Sofia has all the hidden stuff: the fears, the darkness, the inner resolve, the secretiveness, the independence. Diego cares so much about his identity in the world and how others view him. Sofia cares about what she cares about...those things that matter to her, the rest of the world be damned!

[Hmm, I suppose they pretty much match their astrological signs...or I am viewing them through my "astrologer's lens" which is something I haven't done in a while. Interesting]

But, okay, that's enough of that...I am straying far afield from my topic of sports. It's just a lot on the mind these days: each of my kids play on two teams. One has practice five days per week (with games on the weekend); the other has practice three days per week (with games on the weekend). Even without the distraction of...well, everything...it's a lot to continually process and coordinate, mentally and physically. 

My dog is snoring on the couch next to me. Tough morning, huh, Chewb?

All right, things to do. Next post will be about gaming. I'll try to start writing it this afternoon.

Back To The Field

For the first time since 2019, my kids' school is playing Fall sports...specifically soccer...and once again I will be coaching my son's team. Monday evening was our first practice.

It was glorious.

[more on that...perhaps...later]

However, complications have already arisen. Our practice field has been yanked. We are currently negotiating with other schools (and Seattle Parks) for a change of venue. Kids have schedule conflicts. Parents have concerns. Our Athletic Directors are new this year. The first game is this Saturday. And to top it all off, my team is double the size that it was two years ago.

So, I'm juggling a bit this week. Lots of emails, zoom meetings, phone calls to make and stuff to coordinate. And what with the OTHER busy-ness going on (first full week of school, other soccer teams for both kids, meal planning, etc.) I'm a bit slammed at the moment.

Normal blogging will (hopefully) begin again in a few days...perhaps after Saturday. I have stuffs to write about...and not just Blood Bowl! D&D stuffs!

Though, of course, there will be Blood Bowl: the semifinals have started. First semifinal match: Amazons (The Kick-Butt Ladies) versus the Orks (Bubblegum Dynamite). 

More later.

[hey! And don't people have football to watch this weekend anyway? Beats screaming at the USMNT for not being able to beat Canada on our home soil. Jeez, Louise]

Learning to DM

Most Dungeon Masters are "self-taught" (that is, they are themselves solely responsible for their own training), for the simple reason that there isn't all that many (any?) teachers taking on students for this particular curriculum.

[and, yes, I am excluding Alexis, whose on-line classes are aimed at individuals who are already "DMs;" he is, in effect, providing a higher level of training to individuals already possessing a degree of knowledge and ability in the art of Dungeon Mastering]

And yet, in the great scheme of things that can be taught, learning to DM isn't one of those things that fall in the "easy" or "straightforward" category. My eight year old is currently learning how to write in cursive...a simple enough task for someone who already has a grasp of the alphabet, consisting mostly of memorization and practicing the proper hand motions. My five year old is in the process of learning to read: much more complex (despite having a working knowledge of the 26 alphabet characters) because of the various rules and exceptions found in the English language.

Personally I have a bit of a phobia (well, more like trepidation) when it comes to working technology, yet even I can learn to configure a printer (or to change its toner cartridge) by following a simple instruction sheet...and rather quickly. Cooking simple dishes for my family (frying eggs and bacon for my children's breakfast, as I did this morning), took very little time to master...though it's a bit trickier than pouring cereal in a bowl and adding milk. And as far as learning new games (of the board and card variety)...well, it really doesn't take me long to digest the small pamphlets of instructions that come in the box, whether you're talking Happy Salmon or Axis & Allies (both games I've learned in the last couple years).

But learning to DM? No, that's a whole different level of learning.

Still, I have learned how to DM...as have ALL the DMs and GMs I've ever sat with at table (as a player). And regardless of their particular level of competence, or base adequacy (proficiency, of course, varies between individuals) we've all shared the common thread of having been forced to learn for ourselves how to do this thing that we're doing. I've yet to meet a single person who was trained in the art of running and refereeing an RPG.

Now, for the rest of this post, I'll only be discussing Dungeons & Dragons specifically.

So, how does one learn to be a DM? For myself, I've run (as a DM) at least five different versions of D&D, not counting "half" editions (3.5, etc.). My longest and most memorable campaigns were run using the 1st edition AD&D rules...but I didn't learn how to DM from those books. I learned from Tom Moldvay's Basic set (the "B" in B/X). And I think, if you polled most DMs running pre-WotC versions of Dungeons & Dragons, you'd find MOST of them got their initial "chops" from some form of Basic D&D: either Holmes or B/X or Frank Mentzer's rewrite of Basic (the one with Bargle and Aleena). Prior to 1977 (Holmes) the haphazardness of dis-integrated rules that made up "D&D" was such that unless you were one of the primogenitors of the game (Gygax and Lake Geneva folks) your D&D quite possibly looked wildly different from what would eventually become mainstream Dungeons & Dragons.

[see Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign notes, Hargrave's Arduin, St. Andre's Tunnels & Trolls origin story, Barker's Tekumel, etc. The operable phrase here is "wildly different;" certainly most (if not all) campaigns, mainstream or not, exhibit differences in table/house rules]

But I believe that it is only with the advent of "basic" that D&D has any chance of proliferating at all. DMing is just too complex a task without an entry level set of instructions.

Looking at the cover of my Jeff Easley-illustrated AD&D books, the game is explicitly written for players "ages 10 and up," an age range exactly duplicated on the covers of the later 2nd edition books. But while I don't deny (or doubt) that there are some brilliant 10 year olds abounding in the world, I find it difficult to believe that there are all that many who could pick up the AD&D books alone and start running a campaign. Can a 10 year old play AD&D? Yes, of course...my younger brother was probably 9 years old when the campaign of our youth went "full Advanced." But learn to run a game? Mmm...it's hard to believe. I could...but only because I had a basic set as an entry point.

Self-teaching...the only route open to most (if not all) would-be DMs...involves learning the rules (i.e. reading the instruction manual), integrating them, and then practicing them. Competency and skill are acquired from the practice of being a DM: designing/prepping adventures and running the game for live players. But you cannot design, prep, or run if you cannot first learn the rules...and for most individuals that means putting them in an accessible, readily digestible format. 600 pages of instructions (the combined count for the 5E PHB and DMG) isn't what I call "readily digestible." But then neither is first edition's 300+ pages. Is it any wonder that we see so many folks running games of Basic or Basic retro-clones or cutdown "semi-clones" (like Microlite20 and Black Hack)?

Dungeons & Dragons is still a game that people want to play, but play requires someone to run the game as a DM. Running a game of D&D isn't rocket science, but it is complex, requiring the internalization of a number of different systems and mechanics as well as an ability to manage a number of unique personalities (i.e. the players) while providing engaging situations/scenarios through a combination of pacing and tension based (mostly) in narration. That's a lot to juggle. And while many players have come to the game through a form of "mentorship" (being shown the ropes by more experienced players), there ain't a whole lot of mentoring available for those willing to pick up the mantle of "Dungeon Master." Videos showing actual play or providing advice on how to create a campaign are just another tool for a person engaged in "self teaching," but it's not the same thing as being addressed and coached by an actual teacher. And hell, a lot of these videos have information that is bad or downright incorrect.

Forget certification...can we get some sort of apprenticeship program for prospective DMs?

Learning to play D&D is simple. Learning to run D&D isn't. And learning to run D&D well? That's a whole 'nother level.

I suppose this might work in lieu of
a Basic rulebook. Is it 64 pages?