Petty Magic for Petty Matters—Part #3: Hedge

We've spoken about Arcane magic, and then Divine… Now it's time for Hedge!

Petty Magic (Hedge)

Petty Magic (Hedge) is the weirdest of the three we're discussing because a) it's by far the most dangerous magic of the three, and the most touched by Chaos, and b) it's by far the most accepted and integrated into normal everyday life, already! Many Hedge spells are more along the lines of Old Wives' Tales (given form). They're little peasant superstitions, except they're real.

Many villages, especially further away from larger towns and cities, contain a Hedge Witch of some sort—whether they're just a local guardian of the Old Faith, or they're actually attuned to the Winds of Magic, and have gone untrained and unnoticed by the Colleges of Magic. Either way, they live in an uneasy halfway between civilisation and the wilds—hence "Hedge", for they live along the hedgerow between the worlds.

Where Hedge Witches are found, you'll also find excuses as to why they should be tolerated. The Hedge Witch is often a healer, or a puller of teeth, or a warder of bad spirits. Whether they're actually doing a good job at this, or not, is up to the individual…but it always seems like villages with Hedge Witches do better than those without (though what are they trading for their prosperity?)

How does this prosperity manifest? Let's have a look.

Protection from Rain

The Witch is protected from rain and other precipitation, regardless of how heavy. This one, at first, seems like a weird spell…until you consider that most folks wouldn't have parasols or umbrellas in this age, and that to catch a cold is to flirt with death!

It may be disconcerting to see an old bent-over woman emerge from the driving rain whilst being bone dry, but I'm sure you'll forget your unease when they reveal your child, safe and sound, and unmarred by the rain. You'll be thankful when the Witch is able to guide your sheep back in, safely, when a flash storm occurs during the rainy season, or when they're the only one able to find a lost trinket out in the storm.

Plus, it doesn't hurt when nasty things come calling, to have a weirdly serene being standing among you, who has even made the rain afraid to fall on them…

Magic Flame

The Witch creates a small blue flame in their hand. In a world without lighters or easy access to fuel, being able to conjure even small flames would be a massive time saver. Sure, the fire is blue, and the edges of it look like skulls, and the back of your teeth taste like last Marktag when you were sure you heard a whispering of grey and worms and shattering and SOMETHING IS GETTING CLOSER!

Ahem. Excuse me.

Yes—the flame is weird, but it's flame. No need to dry the kindling, to labour over the spinning sticks, or to spend all your time tinkering with the flint and tinder.

Gust

The Witch creates a light gust of wind through an area, strong enough to blow out candles and scatter paper, but not to knock over objects of any weight.

Field work is tiring and very exposed to the elements. If the day is particularly hot, and there is no breeze, it would make toiling all the more difficult. Further, days of low-wind would aid crows and other scavenging birds to pick at a farmer's fields, and maybe allow larger raptors to steal young animals!

Quick, sudden, and unexpected changes in the weather, would be disconcerting to any who are paying attention (which would definitely include farmers and birds in the area), which would cause them to scatter and go elsewhere… So, whilst this might seem like a great idea to do over a farm, make sure the farmer knows the Gods are protecting them (or some other convenient lie).

Ghost Step

The Witch leaves no visible tracks for an hour, no matter where they move through.

Whilst the potential benefits of getting behind attackers who are coming to raid a village are unmistakable, I'm more interested in animals, here. There are plenty of situations where tracking animals could come after villagers: a bear has wandered into the area, the wolves of Winter are starving in the forests and are hunting closer to the village, or the Lord has discovered a theft and has unleashed their hunting dogs!

Ghost Step would aid in circumventing these dangers, and could be used to lure them away from the village, and throw off their trails. Perhaps it wouldn't be enough to stop them altogether, but it would buy time for the village to prepare: to hide the stolen goods, to gather their bows and head to the keep, or to lock their doors and hold out the hunting bear!

Ghost Step is also one of the least uncanny spells on the list: it is a talent that is conceivable to be trained (or at least, to trick a peasant that it is trained). This might require some deception on the part of the Witch, but it would be a strange Witch that didn't have to lie from time to time.

Ill Fortune

The Witch enchants an item, so that its bearer is cursed with bad luck.

This one is a little more obscured, but just remember: bad luck for one person is good luck for another. Sort of. The life of a farmer is a competitive one, and one measured in individual days. A single day of missed opportunities may mean the difference between surplus to be sold at market, and just scraping by through the Winter. Thus, cursing someone with failure, even for a day, could disrupt their whole year!

Further to that, the price of grain (as with all things) is set by the supply versus the demand. If the supply drops, and the demand is bumped up (by a farmer not having surplus, and indeed being dependant on purchasing more grain), then the farmer with the surplus will command a higher price!

There are all sorts of other uses: curse the local Lord, so they're less likely to notice their peasants short changing them, or curse the travelling merchant so they're not as savvy with their hard bargaining.

Of course, these curses are very wide-reaching, and they could have massively disastrous effects! The cursed farmer might not just be unable to work the fields properly, but might break their neck! The cursed Lord might take issue with the bad luck, and assume it's the entire village being cursed for harbouring a Witch! The merchant might get robbed on the road, and now the village will never get them back again to trade!

Ill Fortune is perhaps my favourite spell on the list: it's the most Witchy, it's the most unspecific (which means it'll cause the most drama when used at the table), and it's got such versatility. It's also, due to it being the most Witchy, the one most likely to cause the Witch strife if discovered. This sort of thing is why Witches get burnt at the stake, so be careful with its use!

Shock

The Witch touches and stuns one person.

Shock is a relatively straight forward spell: whether you need someone to stop, it has its uses. And there are definitely those times in provincial life… A man gets too drunk and disorderly at the local pub: that's a Shock. A dog goes rabid and pounces towards a young child: that's a Shock. A cow starts acting flighty, and is at risk of setting off a stampede: oh you better believe that's a Shock!

Again, however, this is a spell that looks off. It's not calming them, it's not making them drowsy: it's stunning them via a shock! If someone sees you doing this, they'll be very wary of you, and will start to spread bewitching rumours. Beware!

That's the end of our series! Make sure you read through the first two parts, Arcane and Divine, as well. I hope you enjoyed this little look into how magic can be expanded into the mundane, to make it even more dramatic and exciting!

Petty Magic for Petty Matters—Part #2: Divine

Last time we talked about how Petty Magic (Arcane) could be used by a Magister to improve the lives of the smallfolk—peasants, merchants, etc. This time, we're looking at Priests and Petty Magic (Divine)!

Petty Magic (Divine)

Petty Magic (Divine) falls into a weird grey area, for me. On the one hand, I tend to have Divine magic much rarer, in my WFRP, than Arcane magic. Divine magic is literal miracles, and rarely, if ever, is it exact or reliable. Petty Magic, on the other hand, is more along the lines of blessings, which I can forgive as being rare, but no more so than secular wizards (which are super rare, anyway).

Whilst everyone in the Warhammer world would have been blessed at some point, and most of them often and repeatedly, few would encounter true blessings in their lives (and very very few multiple times throughout their lives). But the big thing to note is: believers think that every blessing they receive is a true blessing. Every "spell" below represents what occurs when the blessings seem to have tangible effects. These would be welcomed, if misunderstood, by the people who receive them, and would give common folks a heightened sense of faith in their Gods.

Blessing of Courage

The Priest speak inspirational words, emboldening the audience to shake off fear and terror.

Whilst there are plenty of chances to use a prayer like this in combat, there might not seem to be as many chances outside of it. You'd be wrong. Consider the moments of your life which are scary or terrifying, in which people freeze up, or don't have the courage to act quickly…

A bully is harassing the children of a nearby school, and the kids don't have the courage to stand up for themselves. A fire is raging in a local tavern, and everyone is frozen with indecision about whether to rush in and save the folks inside or not. Someone needs to go down into the dark well and fish out the bucket that got cut loose.

These moments may seem inglorious, but then many instances of folk prayer are. They're not asking the priest to embolden them before battle, but to aid them in simple tasks which are made not-so-simple because of the circumstances. A priest whose words seem to miraculously lift the hearts of the people would soon find themselves beloved of the smallfolk.

Blessing of Speed

The Priest touches the beneficiary, who moves faster and with more agility.

Delivering a message just in time. Running for cover out of a terrible storm. Or just having the chance to get everything you need to get done in the few hours of the day you have to work (because peasants rarely have time to be idle).

The Blessing of Speed could be used near constantly by anyone in the Old World, and their lives would be better for it. Obviously, such flippant use of miracles would come with the ire of the Gods, but perhaps Taal would look kindly on a Priest who blessed the running of a hunter, or Rhya the busy work of a nurse maid, or Sigmar to speed of the blacksmith, to ready weapons for the coming Greenskin Waaagh!

Blessing of Fortitude

The Priest touches the beneficiary, who becomes tougher of body and mind.

This is the catch-all "please help guide me" prayer that the smallfolk ask of so many Priests. A blessing like this could aid them in choosing the wisest course of action—which grains to grow, or where to send their sheep. It could aid them in passing uncooked or spoiled food, or accepting the death of a loved one, or… You get the idea.

This would likely be the most requested blessing, and also the least understood. Because it's only a small boost to Toughness and Will Power characteristics, often the results might never be observed. Did the peasant do better because of the blessing? Or because they were more confident? Maybe both? To the simple mind, though, correlation is easy to draw, and a Priest who dispenses these blessings would be very popular.

Blessing of Healing

The Priest touches the beneficiary, who heals a single Wound.

I don't think I even need to go into why this would be useful. It's only a single Wound, so it's not a huge difference, but it is significant if tipping the balance between Heavily Wounded and Lightly Wounded (and that's a difference of getting better in a single day, rather than two).

Even speeding healing by one day is enough to separate a peasant who starves (and potentially dies) and one who doesn't. Not to mention if the healing comes during harvest season…the lack of healing could have follow-on effects for the rest of the year, or longer, if the peasant needs to sell themselves to a Lord in exchange for the extra food that is missing.

Blessing of Might

The Priest touches the beneficiary, who becomes stronger and more skilled with a blade.

Whilst clearly focused on battle, here, there are situations when being stronger would aid in the day-to-day work of a peasant. Carrying bundles of hay, back and forth, would be much easier with this little boost. Being able to thresh grain from wheat stalks more effectively. Being slightly less tired from hauling enough water back from the well…

This blessing is similar to the Blessing of Fortitude, in that when it works, it's not certain if it's thanks to the Priest or not. But most folks would be thankful for the blessing, regardless.

Blessing of Protection

The Priest bestows the protection of their deity upon the beneficiary.

Now, this one requires a bit of GM fiat. Whilst the prayer's description is entirely focused on combat, that doesn't make too much sense for most of the Gods. Why would Rhya care about a battle? Why would Ranald care about protecting from sword swings?

Instead, I would rule this prayer gives, essentially, narrative proof against the areas of influence of the chosen God. Either the GM should choose a new target for the foulness, or should roll at a -10% to see if it affects them, or the character gains a +10%, or… You get the idea.

Maybe Rhya gives a +10% bonus to gathering food, or against food spoilage, or makes sure a mother's child isn't targeted (but perhaps the mother is targeted instead?) Maybe Ranald makes it so a thief thinks twice before taking your purse (rolls a Will Power at -10%, or chooses another target). Maybe Ulric has less snow fall on your house and your fields, not destroying your crops quite as much as your neighbours.

As you can see, Petty Magic (Divine) sometimes needs a little more thinking through than Petty Magic (Arcane), but such consideration is good! You'll get more of an idea how priests fit into your game world, when you examine how their blessings would be received and even misinterpreted. Next time we'll touch on Petty Magic (Hedge)!

Petty Magic for Petty Matters—Part #1: Arcane

With On the Edge of Exile in full swing (I'm still trying to figure out how to write it up and present it, so watch this space!) I've been thinking not just about Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition a lot, but also the lives of the common folk—much of the campaign revolves around the humble backwater of Dunkeldorf in the Border Princes, and the lives of the people there.

This ruminating has resulted in me figuring out what A Day in the Life of a Dunkeldorfer would look like. But more recently, I've been thinking about how magic could influence that life. Whilst magic is anything but mundane in WFRP, we do have a Magister in the party (Apprentice Astromancer Glory Bramblewish), and she is of the more humble sort, caring about the lives of the peasants…

Below, I've written up a short description of each spell from the Petty Magic Lores from the core rule book, as well as potentially unconventional and interesting ways how these spells could influence the lives of ordinary folk…for better or for worse.

I've broken it into 3 parts. For now, here's Part #1: Petty Magic (Arcane).

Petty Magic (Arcane)

Petty Magic (Arcane) is the one Glory has, as she's a Magister of Azyr, the Celestial Wind. These spells are your standard "Cantrips" from Dungeons & Dragons, though filled as well with the usual terror of WFRP magic…

Glowing Light

The Magister causes an item to glow with light for an hour, whilst held.

I don't think, in the modern day, we give as much credit to non-burning light sources as we should. Consider, truly, how dangerous it is to be carrying a fire in a thatched-roof house, or in a mine shaft, or on a sailing ship!

Whilst the item has to be in the hands of the Magister, I daresay there would be many in a village who would find this non-burning-torch-wielding person to be VERY useful, late at night…

Sounds

The Magister makes a phantom noise, from a whisper to a roar. Any type of noise, excepting speech.

This one is riddled with uses. From sound effects in a play put on for the local children, to calls used to lure out animals on a hunt, all the way to a rallying signal when no one has a bell to hand.

Sounds is an incredibly useful spell that, whilst likely disconcerting, could be used to liven up and aid in the day-to-day minutia of village life.

Drop

The Magister compels someone to instantly drop what they're holding.

A thief is taking off at a run with stolen goods? A young child has picked up something dangerous—a snake perhaps?!—and their parents are out of reach? A careless worker is about to imbibe a waterskin filled with befouled wine? Sounds like you could use the Drop spell!

This spell might seem like it's intended to cause all manner of nuisance, but there are plenty of times when people would rather not be holding onto something.

(A modern-world situation may be if the target is holding onto a live electric wire, and being electrocuted…but that's outside the scope of WFRP.)

Marsh Lights

The Magister summons a bunch of distant bobbing lights that follow their commands.

Usually lights like these are surrounded by superstition, with folks fearing to tread into a bog when they see them…and that's, honestly, a good use for them as well. Marsh Lights work as a simple deterrent—keeping the peasant's mind ignorant of the perhaps terrifying horrors outside the village, whilst also keeping them hemmed in and safe.

Marsh Lights may also be used to help search for a missing child in the woods—more ground is covered by the bobbing lights, so the child might see them better. Or they may look like torches in the forest, making the village seem better defended than it really is, acting as a deterrent for bandits and beastmen from coming closer…

Whilst Marsh Lights mightn't win the Magister any favours (or love) from the peasants, they are certainly useful in a multitude of circumstances.

Magic Dart

The Magister summons a small magic missile to attack.

This one is straight forward—whenever the villagers would need to shoot something, like on a hunt, or to kill vermin (because magic missiles rarely miss!), this would come in handy. Not much else to say, really.

Sleep

The Magister puts someone to sleep.

Now, this one might require a bit more GM fiat, but I'd rule it that, whilst the spell puts them to sleep for 1d10 minutes, it doesn't necessarily mean they wake up after that point. If the person is already prone to sleep (such as lying in bed), or tired, they may not wake up again afterwards…

Anyone with children will immediately see where this is going: a perfect spell to get a sick child to sleep, or just one that's having trouble getting down for the night. Whilst this is, perhaps, ethically questionable, I think most parents would agree that sometimes their kids just need to go to bed. Besides, imagine how much more you could do with your day if the kids went to bed when they were supposed to!

This would be a favourite spell among parents and healers, with the ability to control one's sleep being miraculous and celebrated.

Next up, I'll explore Petty Magic (Divine)! Until then, give some thought to how the spells use din your game could, and would, change the everyday lives of the people!

How to Breach the Gap: Introducing New People to Our Hobbies...

The task of bringing new people into a hobby is a daunting one, I’ll grant you, but it need not be as difficult as it seems. Over the years I have gotten many people interested in all of my various hobbies and I believe there are a few simple steps involved in converting someone to your niche.

Now, I want it to be plainly said up front, that this is going to be massively cross-genre. This blog is about roleplaying games, Magic: the Gathering, Warhammer, Conlanging and Games Design all at once, so I am going to be talking about how to generally bring people into a hobby. Sure, I’ll use specific examples along the way, but there is nothing stopping anyone from using those same techniques on another of the hobbies I just mentioned, or, frankly, anything else.

Further, I would like to say that this can sometimes be a long winded approach, but I guarantee you will make a nerd out of your target yet!

Step One: Attraction

First of all, you need to introduce your target to the hobby you wish to convert them to. And by ‘introduce’, I mean, ‘give them a tiny taste’. You want your target to see you enjoying this hobby. You don’t even essentially want to talk to them about it at this stage (for fear you will say too much and intimidate them). You just want them to see a glimpse of the fun that you have, which will hopefully make them think “Hey, that looks like fun”.

Then repeat. Then repeat. Do this enough times that the target asks you about the hobby. But make sure they see you doing other things as well... Nothing is more off putting to a new comer than a hobby that envelopes your life!

Step Two: Comparison

Now that you have them drawn in, you want to anchor the hobby onto something they already like. Hopefully your target will already be a nerd in some way. Do they like the Lord of the Rings? Well, Tolkein was a Conlanger! Do they like painting? Well, you get to paint cool models in Warhammer! Do they like poker? Well, MtG is like poker, but with a few extra rules to hype up the strategy!

As you can see, you don’t have to tell them the whole truth at this point. That is for later. Once they have a mental image of what the hobby will most likely be like, go to step three.

Step Three: Don’t Take it Seriously!

Again, nothing is more off putting that a hobby that takes over, and nothing is greater evidence of a take-over than a lack of humour. Be humorous about your hobby (but for the love of God, not about those who play the hobby!) and teach them in a fun and memorable way. For instance, draw a diagram of a MtG card with a silly picture on it (this is actually what I did with my girlfriend... Now she is sending waves of Blue/White Flying creatures at my Kamigawa Orochi swarms!!!). Make a few jokes about the Emperor (but make sure they won’t go over your target’s head! This is certainly not the time for jokes about the Credo Omnissiah, nor references to the Adeptus Custodes changing the Emperor’s nappy!)

You want the hobby to seem fun from the get go. You want to show your target how much fun they can have whilst not even participating in the hobby itself. Hopefully, they will start thinking “If talking about it is this much fun, how much fun will it be to participate?!”

Step Four: Confrontation

Here one must tread lightly. You are now ready to show the target the hobby. But you have to be careful. Go in to strong, and you might have sealed the casket for good. Go in to weak and they won’t see the point of going further...

This calls for some specifics:

Roleplaying Games: You want to run a small game for your target. Preferably a one-on-one, or if you are trying to bring a few people in at once, then only play with the new folk. No one more experienced should be in on this trial game! Do not use pre-generated characters for this, but walk someone through character generation. You as the GM should handle all of the maths, etc, but ask them “What do you want to do?” and then make the character that fits.

Magic: the Gathering: You should make new decks. Plain and simple. Sit down with your target and show them some cards you think are cool, and explain the basics of those cards. Tell them the basics of deck creation, and then let them assemble what they consider to be a strong deck. Try and make yours equally matched. You don’t necessarily want them to win, but you don’t want to steam-roll them. After deck creation is done, play a game and answer questions. Go easy on them, but again, don’t be afraid to beat them. They will know if you’re throwing in the towel, and they will not respect you nor the game for it.

Warhammer: You should show them a White Dwarf, or show them the Games Workshop website. Anything with perfectly painted miniatures in it to make them want to try. Then you should help them choose their first models and teach them to paint the basics. Be careful here, however. Their first paint job will likely be terrible, but do not sweat it. Let them have fun with their creative sides and they will love the hobby for it. Then, once they have a few guys painted, proxy the rest of their army and have a small game. As with the MtG advice, don’t go easy on them, but don’t crush them.

Conlanging: A very tough one. Show them a little of your language, and teach them a basic phrase, like “Hello” of some such. Then, introduce them to the concept of phonology slowly. Show them the silly stuff, like phonemes that are way outside their native language (non-plumonics are GREAT for this sort of stuff). Teach them about far out concepts in languages. If they are from a nom-acc language, then teach them erg-abs. If they have no case markings, then teach them about cases. Basically, show them what CAN be done in a language. Soon enough, they’ll be making their very own cipher of their native tongue with all the bits and pieces you’ve just told them about. This is good. They need to go through a few kitchen sinks to get to the gold. Be patient.

Games Design: Jump on a topic they LOVE to talk about and consider the possibilities of making a game about it. They love talking about climate change? Hell, talk about a climate change information game where you have to manage your resources or doom the planet and lose! (Don’t laugh, I had a very long conversation about this very game concept on a recent road trip...) Then ask them how they would do X in the game, and what about variable Y. Soon enough, you’ll have them throwing ideas around and ramping to write this stuff down. You’re almost there, my friend.

Step Five: Throw them in the Deep End!

They have the basics, now they are ready to swim with the pros. Go slowly, but steadily. Introduce them to communities of like-minded hobbyists. Pick your community correctly, however. Sure /tg/ might be great once you are a pro, but for a new comer it will seem like Mos Eisley! Nice, easy going communities are the best at this stage.

Have a few games, or discussions with other people. Make sure your new comer talks to others, but also be present to give them a safety net. If things get out of hand, diffuse the situation with a few jokes (but never at the new comers expense... At your own expense is probably the best way to go). Come up with a few stories of how terrible you were when you started. Even if the stories are exaggerated, make sure you were worse than the new comer. Subtly point out how far they’ve come.

Once they are confident enough to do things themselves, let them run wild. Stay reasonably close by. Don’t leave the store. Stay online on the IM if they need to talk. Go to the kitchen whilst they talk to your other friends. Let them explore their new world for themselves...

Congradulations, you are now the father/mother of a new nerd... Doesn’t it just feel FANTASTIC!? And trust me on this one; nothing feels as great as when RPG players you introduced to the hobby begin GMing for you. They grow up so fast! *cries*

Do you have any success stories with introducing people to your hobby? Any advice I have forgotten? Anything you would advise someone NOT to do? Leave your comments below! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe on the right side of the page.

Welcome Back! ; On the Road to Games Day! (Post 1 of The Daemon Cycle)

Greetings my furry, translucent friends!

I would just like to take the time, at first, to apologise for my horrible upkeep of this blog. Several things have gotten in my way (life, for one, but also moving, no internet, being sick, yadda yadda yadda) but nothing is really an excuse for not blogging, bar that of sheer nothing to talk about. Which is sad, considering this is a gaming blog. (And therefore, nothing to talk about means I haven’t been doing any gaming.)

BUT NOT ANY MORE!

I have moved to Melbourne and reforged my gaming group, so all is underway! I have also refounded my love of Magic: the Gathering, and am going to start posting in regards to that (re)new(ed) love!

So, once again, I am terribly sorry for not posting, but I assure you I will be posting in the near future.

STARTING WITH...

On the Road to Games Day! (Part 1 of the Daemon Cycle)

(Just as a disclaimer: sorry about the overly epic title, I just thought it would be humorous...)

The road to Games Day Australia 2011 is a strange one that oddly takes us all the way back to July of 2009...

LET’S DO THE TIME WALK AGAIN!!!

Anyway, in July 2009 I presented with some pretty strange symptoms, and, after a while of pain and such and such, I went to hospital. There, I was diagnosed and misdiagnosed and  diagnosed again. Eventually, by August I had a straightish answer (after several surgeries and so forth).

Anyway, turns out I had lymphoma.

Which sucked, but I got over it. Well, I didn’t really have a choice now, did I?!

So I was contacted by the Starlight Children’s Foundation (amazing people: they deserve your support!) who offered me a ‘Wish’. Now, what the hell did I want? I wanted not to be sick, or to see my friends again, or so many hundreds of things that they just couldn’t do... So I was a little in the dumps about all of that. Nothing happened, and the Wish drifted out of my mind.

I finally got out of hospital, went home, and was bored out of my brains. I couldn’t do much but watch TV and Stumble on my computer. So I did a lot of both, and developed a rather unhealthy love of the Lifestyle Food channel!

But then I remembered Warhammer, and I cracked out my paint set (meagre as it was, as I was never the richest of teenagers) and began painting my Goblins and Dwarfs that my most generous mother bought for me in the Skull Pass set to pass my days.

All was peachy.

Then I got a call about the Wish again, and, I had a thought: Warhammer. Specifically, Dark Heresy. I had always loved RPGs and if I got the books, perhaps I could play them with my friends once I got better!

So I asked for all the books, and they said “Anything else?” and I replied that if they couldn’t get the books, perhaps the Citadel Paint Range.

Well, time went on, we all moved, and I eventually wound up in Newcastle, where my brother, for my 19^th birthday, gave me the Dark Heresy range of books. Core Rulebook, Creatures Anathema, Inquisitors Handbook, Radicals Handbook and Disciples of the Dark Gods...

I was chuffed! I loved my new books and promptly started a new group in Newcastle to play with them.

Then the Wish called again, and I said “Don’t worry about the books if you don’t already have them, as my brother bought them for me” and they were fine with all of that.

So, more time went on, I met the most fantastic girl in the world, fell in love, played some more Dark Heresy, painted some more Eldar, Dwarfs and Goblins, and just lived on.

Then my love moved to Melbourne and I started Uni. Both were good and bad, in different ways. My love moving was almost all bad: I couldn’t see her except for every couple of weeks when we’d fly to each other, and it was heart breaking to wake up alone without her every day. But there was some good in it: the feeling of seeing her and holding her for the first time in weeks, the magic of Melbourne, and finally the knowledge that we loved each other enough to keep going through all of that.

Uni was a little different: good in that I grew a lot closer to my good ol’ buddy, Mr. Fry, I learnt basic Latin and Ancient Greek, I made this blog, and played some Dark Heresy! It was bad in that I was shoved back into school work after a year and a half without having anything to do... That was jarring.

But anyway, tangents...

After my first semester, I moved to Melbourne to be with my loveliest love, and became much happier. Although, I lost my gaming group. Two months went by and I didn’t really do anything, which was really difficult because I wanted to game and to meet friends but I was scared. Then, I got the idea to email some people on the “DnD” list of a Melbourne shop called “Dungeon of Magic”. Well, lots of responses later, and I had crafted my RPG group and we are to start playing in the next two weeks!!!

Sorry, MORE TANGENTS!

I got a call back from Starlight saying that “My Wish package was ready”

What?! It is ready?! The... The Paint Set? I hadn’t been able to paint for months because of the move and everything, so I was very very excited.

“But we have added a few extra things in for you”

Oh? What could be extra? The Dark Heresy books? Maybe I could give them to my old group in Newcastle so they could play without me?

“We got you two free VIP tickets to Games Day Australia 2011, and a host of Dark Heresy books you don’t have, and free accommodation, and spending money.”

...

“Are you there?”

*flat lines*

“Did you just die?”

(Sorry, should have cleared that up) *metaphorical flat line*

“Oh good, he’s still alive”

WOOO!!! GAMES DAY!!!

So I invited my best friend, and we were all set to go to Games Day on October 1^st... I MUST PREPARE!

(To be Continued...)