That time I got reincarnated as peter III of Russia.

 Solitaire skirmish games are the heir of the free form narative adventure games like Inquisitor. That sounds a little absurd after I typed so I better get explaining: Solo adventure games are somewhere between meditation and classic game of solitaire. I mean it is at once a creative act set within a series of limitatations (the rules) and yet you can always do what you want. Fluff a roll, force it to make narrative sense by interpreting the past like a cheap oracle.

All of these choices are framed with “what am I aiming to get out of this game?” Constantly doubting the purpose of painting toy solders and making elaborate systems of rules to interoperate how and why they are shooting at each other. The next thing you’re thinking about is the peter III of Russia and how that man child played with toy solders. I think made them watch as he put rats on trial and hung them…

In a lot of ways it is a man child kind of situation… except its not all that different then other creative acts. I am reminded of an anecdote gave in an interview where he said a little girl was drawing in the sand and talking to herself in different voices. And then he thought “if I did that people would lock me up”… and then in a moment of clarity he realized that sitting at the keyboard and typing all those books was a very similar exercise.

We’re defined by roles (a series of expectations) and whether we are congruent with those roles define how successful we are at what we set out to do.

Competitive war gaming seems even more naive in its self denial as if the meticulously painted solders, orks or space elves had anything to do with the simple mechanism of die rolling. Or that by winning it made them any more a strategic genius then a player of a rpgs character sheet made them anything then what they were. And don’t even get me started on fantasy football….

I guess at the core of it the question why waste so much time and money on something so trivial and childish. And the conclusion I have come to is… what is the alternative? Should we all do some kind of violent extreme sport or act like Misogynistic early 2000s pick up artists and get laughed at by drunk college girls… No! I proclaim.  If only because if we succeed at those ambitions (which are not that hard) then we are creating more harm then good. We’re dominating and being violent and there is enough of that in the world already. 

I mean how many times do you have introduce yourself as an asshole with a really small penis before it dawned on you the girls may be fucking you only out of curiosity? How many times can you get in a fight before you regret it. I got in a fight once and got lucky that I didn’t end up with an aggravated assault charge leveled at me…I am not saying live like a hermit like me but ultimately most of the truly satisfying thrills are cardinal sins, active risk taking behavior or both.

I guess what I am getting at is let the cool kids get addicted to drugs and ruin families… stay home and paint your damn pile of shame because ultimately life is not that complicated. Do whatever lets your souls sing without killing someone else’s song. Because there is enough damage in this world.

Peace and love

Be safe out there friends.