A Gaming Vacation to Michigan

Enjoying some Biggby Coffee in Grand Rapids!

Once upon a time I wrote a post about gaming vacations: visiting new and exciting places with friends and family, breaking out the dice, and playing some awesome games.  Sure, Gen Con fits the mold, but I wasn't referring to trips to conventions.  In the age of social media, when many of us RPG'ers play with gamers from around the world, often we never get the opportunity to meet up in person as much as we would like.  

Thankfully, this past weekend I remedied that situation with a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan!

This kind of journey was EXACTLY what I was looking for when I first thought up the idea about a great gaming vacation.  I threw my eldest daughter Carrie in the new'ish Civic (so shiny, so chrome!), and we set out on a 450 mile journey across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and  Michigan (adding Indiana on the return trip) for twenty-four hours of gaming awesomeness. 

I can't take credit for cooking up this quest to Grand Rapids.  Several months ago my friend (wife of my friend and Tuesday night Cypher System player Jeremy) invited a whole bunch of gamers to Grand Rapids to celebrate Jeremy's birthday.  It was a surprise party, so we had to keep it under wraps for quite some time.  All that adventure planning over the last few weeks?  That was for this event, and I didn't even get to use everything!

Inside "Out of the Box Games"

Although we squeezed in a little gaming during our first night of the trip, it was fairly late.  We played a few rounds of Aquarius, before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.  But that next morning we were ready to roll!  Carrie and I arrived at Out of the Box Games, just south of Grand Rapids, with dice and books stashed in my "Han Shot First" bag.  

Out of the Box Games is such a fantastic game store!  There's a great selection of board games in the front of the establishment, and a fairly large open gaming room in the back that takes up over half of the building.  Snacks and drinks are available, for a reasonable price, but gamers are invited to bring their own food as well.  

Biggby has some great cups

During our trip, our little "Team Pittsburgh" also discovered the taste-sensation that is Biggby Coffee.  Although I'm a Starbucks addict, I could see myself becoming a full convert given the tastiness of Biggby's hazelnut blend.

What a wicked grin

Carrie and I came prepared to run several role-playing games on Saturday, from Numenera to Savage Worlds.  But we wanted to start with something light and fluffy... like Dungeon Crawl Classics!  Grimtooth's Museum of Death may be my new favorite DCC adventure, and Saturday marked my third time running the vicious and deadly adventure.  After selecting some players, and handing out 0-level characters for a brutal funnel, we were ready to go.  

Carrie's ready to unleash 1000gp of potatoes on the party (true story)

Rather than face off with her Judge-father, Carrie opted to spend the game on the other side of the screen as a "co-judge".  I took care of running most of the actual game mechanics, but Carrie added significant flavor to the session.  She helped generate some random items and monsters (specifically a cat-sized dragon) during the quest, and generously added a few splashes of peril for the player characters.  

Bring out yer dead!

During this game I figured out a terrific way of dealing with two player characters with the same exact name.  When two players made up a "Bob" character, I opened the adventure with a pretty bluebird arriving on the scene with a letter marked to "Bob."  After fighting over who would get the letter, one "Bob" opened the envelope, allowing a holographic David Bowie to appear from beyond the grave.  Holo-Bowie instructed Bob to accompany him to the other side, causing both to disintegrate.

Needless to say, when a sixth player arrived and announced that his real, actual name was "Bob," there was a little nervous laughter around the table!

The perfect Savage Worlds table

After our DCCRPG experience, I immediately prepared for another adventure, but this time with Savage Worlds: East Texas University.  Carie had been asking to play this game for several months, ever since the books arrived over the summer.  While there are many one-sheets available for ETU, one of my favorite ways to experience the college-themed setting is with the random adventure generator in the back of the main book.  

I challenged myself to come up with the adventure in the short amount of time just before the session was to take place.  While the players selected their pre-gen characters, I randomly generated a strange selection of plot hooks, including a ritual, a mass event on campus, a weather event, and aliens.  

I could definitely wing that kind of adventure!

Carrie prefers her own character portrait

One by one I went around the table asking players to contribute pieces of their own character backgrounds.  When one of the players announced that their character had a pair of strange Aunt Jeans, and another was an archaeology student interested in weird burial mounds, I realized that I had my story:

An alien spacecraft, crewed by Aunt Jean aliens (Auntjeanians), created a snowstorm above a campus building, with "snow" that would eventually turn into a dirty burial mound.  

Initially I didn't have an ending worked out to the adventure, but the party of college students eventually ended up on an alien spacecraft, where the Auntjeanians were trying to get everyone drink water that would turn them into Aunt Jean.  Only two characters survived!

GM Greg teaching Tau

After a quick dinner, everyone was back at the table and Greg was teaching us how to play Tau, a card-based role-playing game where everyone dies...

... sort of reminded me of Dungeon Crawl Classics, in that regard!  

We all took on personas of cruise passengers trying to survive a terrible day on the high seas.  My passenger turned into a shield-wielding dolphin and lived to fight another day... woot!

Carries four 0-level characters

Our final game of the night brought Carrie and I back to DCCRPG.  I'd been wanting to run something out of the Peril on the Purple Planet Boxed Set ever since picking it up at Gen Con 2015.  Saturday was my chance!  While the core adventure is designed for higher level play, the box came with a 0-level funnel titled "Escape from the Purple Planet."  So Carrie, Allison, Tamara, and I sat down for a tale of planetary fantasy under a wierdling sun!

When all your dice work against you

Unfortunately for poor Carrie, her dice rolling was going down hill as the night progressed.  By 10:30pm we were wrapping up our adventure, and Carrie's last remaining characters had burned most of their Luck.  At least one, her French Immigrant Alyda Amadour Alouette, survived a return trip to Earth!

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By the end of the evening we were both exhausted.  After running three RPG's, spending much of the time standing, I was ready for bed... although not ready to get back in the car and drive seven hours the next morning.  But despite the long drive, the gas fill-ups (thankfully cheap), the snack food, and the tolls, this was such a memorable trip that Carrie and I will remember for a long time.

I wonder where we'll journey next?

Ready for some birthday cake!

Tabletop Gaming in the Magic Kingdom

A Walls Family Disney "Game-cation"

Our family is obsessed with all things Disney.  

The characters, the television shows, the movies, the games, the art, no matter how much "ear-marked" goodness we consume we still crave more!  We are also incredibly fortunate in that we can make the trip down to Walt Disney World every eighteen months or so.  My wife Jennifer and I first vacationed in Disney World as a family in 2007, and have watched our three children grow in the Disney parks.  Note my reluctance to use the exact phrase "grow up", as it is our hope that our children never lose that delightful spark of childlike imagination.

While a vacation in Disney World is exciting and wonderful, it is also physically demanding.  If you've never been there, imagine spending six to seven days in four theme parks, surrounded by thousands of fellow vacationing parents and children, eating way too much food, while walking seven to ten miles each day.  

Yes, for us, this is paradise!  

This is an actual photo from our trip… look at that sky!

Over the years we've created many unique memories in the parks, so for 2015 we wanted to take our visit to the next level…

… and yes, that is an intentional gaming reference!

As well as being extreme Disney-fanatics, we are also a family of devoted and intense gamers.  Whenever we travel, our family packs an extensive collection of handheld devices (tablets, Nintendo DS's), card games, board games, dice, and tabletop roleplaying game books.  You just never know when a good game will break out!

In 2014 we brought our Numenera core book to Orlando and played two tabletop role-playing sessions in Disney's Art of Animation Resort.  One of these games took place in our hotel room while the other smack dab in the middle of the resort food court.  Following a very successful game, I knew that the only way to "up the ante" in 2015 would be to run a tabletop RPG in an actual Disney park.  

More on that later… 

A proud geek-parent moment captured on film

X-Winging at Saratoga Springs

Knowing that we had nothing planned for our first night in Disney World, I wanted to prepare our family for a week of awesomeness by gaming in public at our resort.  This year we stayed at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, a peaceful property that emulates the feel of an upstate New York country retreat.

After arriving at our hotel, my daughters and I scouted out potential places to sit down and play a tabletop game.  There were a few tables in the main lobby, as well as at Artist's Palate, the resort's casual dining area.  But neither of these felt right.  

We ended up choosing a very comfortable table right outside of a small bar attached to the resort's table service restaurant.  The room featured a pool table and a TV, and several other guests were watching some kind of sportsball.  

I don't know which one… I don't do sports'ing.  

After unpacking, we went through the games we brought to find just the right one to play.  While Love Letter and Fairy Tale Gloom would seem appropriate given the magical fantasy world of Disney, my daughter Evie wanted to explore a different kind of Disney fantasy…

… the kind that only exists in a galaxy far, far away!

Along with our card games, we had packed the new Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing Miniatures Game starter set, featuring ships from The Force Awakens.  Before leaving Pittsburgh I also purchased a pair of new fighters, the Z-95 Headhunter and the Kirhaxz Fighter just for this occasion.  

Carrie and I chose the Resistance fighters (X-Wing and Z-95) while Evie and my mom went with the First Order TIE's (bolstered by the Kihraxz).  This would be my mom's very first time playing X-Wing, and while it took her a few turns to get the hang of the game, eventually she became a sinister adherent of the Dark Side!  

We set the victory conditions as follows:

• Resistance victory if they shoot down two First Order fighters.
• First Order victory if they shoot down one Resistance fighter.

Perhaps I was setting Carrie and I up for disaster with these rules!  In the end, it wasn't Evie that scored the killing blow against my Z-95 Headhunter, rather it was my mom and her Kihraxz!  After almost losing her fighter to the combined fire of both Resistance fighters, my mom took her Kihraxz far to the edge of the game table, circling back while we were tangled up with Evie's TIE's.  The next round it was all over, three hits against my poor Z-95's already whittled hull.  

I can't wait for the chance at revenge next time we are at my parents house in Delaware!  

Running a No Thank You, Evil Adventure in Adventureland 

Back in September I posted Disney World: Strange or Weird, highlighting my own internal struggle on which tabletop RPG to run while at Disney.  By the end of the post I was leaning towards The Strange.  Here's a sample from my initial notes:

• The Walt Disney Corporation has a close, but secretive connection to the Estate
• The Estate is called in to investigate a missing persons report
• An entire boatload of park guests disappeared on the Jungle Cruise ride 
• These guests fell through a translation gate into a recursion based on the Jungle Cruise ride

Great idea, I thought.  Neat concept, cool plot possibilities… but I shelved it for a future adventure.  

Several people, notably +Henry de Veuve on G+ and my kids at home, mentioned how No Thank You, Evil would be a perfect fit for "Disney Con 2015."  I agreed.

For those of you who may have missed out on the Kickstarter, No Thank You, Evil is a family-friendly role-playing game by Shanna Germain and Monte Cook, currently under development over at Monte Cook Games.  No Thank You, Evil allows children to enter the world of Storia and take part in all manners of fantastic adventures, many of which could come right out of their favorite storybooks.  

Although No Thank You, Evil has yet to be released, my family and I had the opportunity to take part in the playtest.  So I reached out to the folks over at Monte Cook Games and they gave me permission to run a very special session of No Thank You, Evil using the playtest materials while on our Disney vacation!

On the third day of our Walt Disney World excursion we packed our already stuffed bag with the playtest rules, character sheets, art from the Kickstarter page, dice, and pencils.  We were bound for the Magic Kingdom, and in search of the perfect gaming table for the ultimate fantasy #GetOutAndGame experience!  After a full morning of rides and shows we stumbled across a terrific selection of tables right across from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction!  

We ordered our lunch from Pecos Bill's in Frontierland, and set up our game while we finished eating.

I can't share any details from our game session at this time, but I can say that we were able to play a full and enjoyable adventure while in the park.  We were scheduled to spend nearly fifteen hours in the Magic Kingdom that Tuesday, since we had tickets for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party.  Taking a few hours in the middle of the day to relax, eat lunch, and play a really fun and family friendly adventure was a needed recharge!

If you want to find out more about No Thank You, Evil, definitely check out MCG's website dedicated to the upcoming game! 

Future Plans

Sadly, like all good things, this visit to Disney World had to come to an end, but plans for the next "Disney Con" were already underway before we left the parks.  On Friday night my daughter Carrie and I discovered the perfect game table for old-school, fantasy RPG'ing… 

… right in the back of New Fantasyland!  

At Gaston's, a cozy quick service restaurant based on the dastardly villain from Beauty and the Beast, we came across a round table tucked away in the corner.  Located beneath a large chandelier made out of fake antlers, this table could host a myriad of adventures…

… oh yes, there will be a Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG encounter at the next Disney Con… and it will be in New Fantasyland!  

Before I sign off, I need to thank my amazing wife (and professional travel agent specializing in Disney-awesomeness) +Jennifer Walls for making this vacation possible.  She's the one that develops all our itineraries and makes our reservations way ahead of time.  So when I tell her "hey, I want to squeeze in some gaming on Tuesday", she goes out of her way to make it possible. 

I love you Jenny!   Thanks for another great trip :) 

IRL Adventure 1 - #GetOutAndArt at Twin Lakes Park

A Quest for Creativity

Summer activities are in full swing at the Walls residence: tabletop gaming, Wii gaming, Xbox'ing, computer gaming, Norwin Game Knights gaming, Kindle watching, TV watching... you get the point.  Any activity that involves lounging within the confines of a room chilled with central air is perfect for our family.  If a Walls-family crest existed, it would feature a quote by Azrael from the Kevin Smith classic movie Dogma:

"No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater... than central air."

Sure, we've had other excursions over the last few months.  #GetOutAndGame with our friends Melinda and Tristan was awesome, as was our summer beach vacation in Delaware.  But if I'm ever going to teach my kids how to properly appreciate nature, I need to spend a little more time outside.  I just needed the proper motivation.

Recently my wife took a job with a local salon which would require her to work Saturdays.  This is perfect for us, since I work during the week, and it still left most of Saturday evening and Sunday for family time.  But I didn't want Saturday mornings to turn into more wasted days spent in front of YouTube, so I proposed an idea to the kids...

 

IRL Adventure*

*For those who don't spend their lives in front of computer screen IRL stands for "In Real Life"

Every Saturday (weather permitting of course) we would try to find something awesome to do out in the world.  Later on in the year this could mean trips to museums and libraries, but while the weather is beautiful we would try and stay outdoors.  Upon proposing the idea to the kids we came up with the following rules:

1. We would try to do something new each week
2. Each trip should involve something physical 
3. Each trip should involve something educational and creative
4. We would spend as little money as possible on the trip
5. There would be minimal usage of technology (Kindles, iPads, iPods) during these trips

Since my regular car was in the shop still, I had access to a brand new Ford Fiesta and the kids wanted to go for a drive.  I love tiny cars, not sure why, but I was all for a journey.  Opening up Google Maps I looked for a large park that our family never visited.  Once I found someplace "special", I settled on an activity that would get the kids really excited.  

#GetOutAndArt at Twin Lakes Park

A departure from our regular #GetOutAndGame'ing, we left our dice, maps, and books at home and instead packed up pencils, pens, crayons, markers, and lots of paper.  We also grabbed snacks, water, sunscreen, hats, and a soccer ball (just in case).  Although my wife visited Twin Lakes Park when she was younger, the rest of the family had never been there.  All I knew was that the park had two lakes (obviously), walking trails, fishing, boating, a skate park, a dog park, and several playgrounds.  

Our itinerary was awesome:

1. Drive to Twin Lakes Park
2. Start a hike along the 2.5 mile walking trail
3. Find an incredible view of the lake during the hike and sit down
4. Draw something amazing
5. Finish the hike
6. Go to the playground
7. Drive to Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee and wake-up wraps (we all love wake-up wraps!)

Here's how the day went... 

We arrived at the park around 12pm.  At first we were a little confused.  We found the playground and skatepark, but didn't see any lakes.  After wandering around a bit I became quite concerned!

This is my concerned face.

I figured that we were on the wrong side of the park, so I made the kids get back in the car and we set out to find the lakes.  

It turned out that we were in the newer section of the park, and that only a mile away was a second entrance.  Once we got there the kids started to freak out with excitement!  The view of the lake was gorgeous, and the walking trail was paved.

There were many sights along the lakes, and we took our time.  Around 12:30 we began our trek around the Twin Lakes.  

The kids were completely enamored by these physical activity setups all along the trail.  Tests of physical strength and stamina are stationed every couple hundred feet.  Some required pull-ups or sit-ups, others (featured above) were feats of balance.  I managed to scale a grown-up sized set of monkey bars... which I must admit was pretty cool!

The walking path at Twin Lakes is broad and well kept.  Other walkers were out enjoying the path, as well as runners and bikers.  We even ran into a few dogs... and a cat... on a leash.

The lower lake has boats that you can rent.  All three kids wanted to take a paddle boat tour of the lake, but given their lack in swimming abilities I told them that we would have to wait until another trip.

There are several portions of the lake that empty into waterfalls.  The water level seemed low, but it was still fun to watch.  

On the southern end of the lower lake we found a terrific place to set up our "outdoor art studio!"  Both a bench and a picnic table lay underneath the shade of several massive trees.  I instructed the children to "draw what you see."  The view was inspiring, so the kids unleashed their creativity.

While the girls took up the bench, Cooper sat with me at the picnic table.  I will admit, I started working on a map for an upcoming RPG... so I broke the rules a bit.  But I can say that a feature of the map involved water.

Cooper insisted on drawing something that he saw during the hike, which was perfectly acceptable.

Evie found her inspiration in the boats that were paddling by.

Cooper's butterfly!  Cooper said that if you look closely at a butterfly's face you can see a smile, so he put it in his picture.

Carrie didn't finish her pencil drawing of the lake and surrounding hills, but we took a picture so that she could later.

Evie drew our family walking around the park, along with the canoe and paddle boat that we saw.

Around 2pm we started back on the trail.  We found another waterfall, which was only dribbling but was still peaceful to watch.

When we reached the upper lake, Carrie looked out and announced that she felt like we were in the "Legend of Zelda."  

Carrie's Legend of Zelda conversation continued into the nearby woods.  She now wants to purchase a full cosplay outfit so that she can return to Twin Lakes for a photo shoot.  I told her that she needs to save up some money first, those costumes are expensive!

We finished our walking tour of Twin Lakes around 2:15.  It was a great day, and I'm so happy that the children didn't complain once about not having their Kindles.  Not to say there wasn't a little complaining, but it was all about who had to hold their water bottles.

At 2:30 we arrived at the massive playground back in the new section of the park.  The kids ran around for about twenty minutes until Cooper fell and scraped up his knee.  He was bleeding a bit, and everyone was tired, so we wrapped up our first quest... 

... with a trip to Dunkin Donuts for iced coffee and wake-up wraps!

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Adventure is Out There

There is so much to discover in Western Pennsylvania, and we've only just begun.  Over the next few weeks and months we plan to do more of these "IRL Adventures", and will continue to share our tales.  Perhaps we'll include some gaming, or art projects, or cosplay in our upcoming quests.  

What kind of trips are you taking with your family this summer?  What adventures can you recommend to folks on a budget?  

Let us know!