Paramount Pictures Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves

I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons on and off since the Eighties (admittedly, mostly off. It's not always easy to find a group.) I've seen the cartoon that was on when I was a kid, and both of the earlier movies. Admittedly, I missed the Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie, but that's because the reviews were terrible. I have no idea how many D&D setting based novels I've read, but it's a bunch. No small amount of them were set in The Forgotten Realms, just like the latest D&D flick, Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves. I have to say, I'm in love with this movie.

Seriously, someone took some time and put some care into this movie. Honor Among Thieves actually uses the source material appropriately. I mean, if you don't want to slap the writers of the I, Robot flick then you either haven't read the book, haven't seen the movie, or both. And if you haven't read the book then you probably know as much about Asimov's writing as the guys who wrote the script for I, Robot. Seriously, read the book. It's good.

Honor Among Thieves isn't like that. Honor Among Thieves reads like it was written by a fan, but it's not fan fiction. Here you'll find the Harpers, the Red Wizards of Thay, get visuals of Neverwinter (for all you gamers out there who aren't into the lore yes, this is the Neverwinter of Neverwinter Nights.) We get mentions of Baldur's Gate (yup, that one) and Waterdeep (from the Warriors of Waterdeep cell phone app.) We get multiple character classes that fit with the subject matter for the most part, and we get  abilities that match things you would see in game. There's even a quick dip into the Underdark, which no D&D movie would be complete without. Of course, Honor Among Thieves is its own story and not everything is straight from the rulebooks. 

I can already here some D&D fans out there crying. Someone at Paramount decided not to adhere too closely to the rules as written for D&D and I'm okay with that. If you haven't homeruled something in your life you've never been a dungeon master. Telling the rules to piss off is the second best part of the gig. (The first being creating your own world.) So one or more of the writers didn't follow the rules. Big deal. I don't either and I do DM. Homebrew, house rules and The Rule of Cool have been part of the Dungeons and Dragons game since it debuted in the Seventies. And, while I may not allow a druid to Wild Shape into an Owlbear at my table, I can't deny how awesome it was to see it on screen. I'm a bit bitter because the writers can homebrew magic items better than I can. I'll get over it though. Eventually. Probably. Maybe.

So kudos to the writing team for writing this thing the way it needed to be written and not the way the rules called for. I mean, I never saw anything about a diety following the party down a staircase and healing them every time things got too intense with no limit on spells either, but I allowed it. My players better be glad I did, too. They needed the help. What party of third level characters charges down stairs guarded by hoards of ogres? Goofballs.

But I digress.

Then again, isn't digression my strong suit? I mean, unless this is your first time here you're probably used to it. I go off on more tangents than a trigonometry book. Just don't ask me to calculate one. Interpolation isn't my thing. Or was that square roots? It's been awhile.

Huh? Calculators? TODAY'S KIDS ARE A BUNCH OF WIMPS!!!

Anyway...

While I'm feeling cranky, I'm going to whine. I'm good at that.

OMG, WHERE IS ELMISTER? HAS ANYONE SEEN CADDERLY? WHAT ABOUT DRIZZT?

Okay, I'm over it. 

Yes this is an all new cast of characters, but I like it that way.  There is no mention of any of these people in the existing canon, so Paramount was free to do what they wanted, make them look how they wanted, etc. without spitting in the fans' faces. They used the broad strokes of the setting masterfully and created something new for the fans to enjoy. 

Did I spell Cadderly's name right? It's been a minute since I've read The Cleric Quintet. Seriously though, next time you're bored, find something with the name R.A. Salvatore written on the spine. I mean that.

We do get to see some old friends. If you haven't been spoiled yet, I won't tell you who they are, but I got a real kick out of it. Then again, my buddy David didn't notice them, so if you go and don't see them it's not because I'm full of crap. You just missed it. I had a good time with it though. It took me back to my childhood. 

If every single member of the special effects team for Honor Among Thieves doesn't get a raise, the whole world is a fraud and someone needs to hit the reset button. This was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. The magic effects, the scenery, the fight scenes, that one axe thing, it's awesome. 

Also, while I'm busy praising people I don't see on screen, can I show some love to whoever choreographed these fights? (Trick question. My blog. I make the rules.) Of course I can! I'd love to know how they did it and what goes into planning something like that. These guys could put on a clinic and I'd pay to show up. The brawls are just that amazing. Of course, let's not forget about the people doing the stunt work, too. They were awesome.

I should probably mention the cast as well. I mean, they're the ones people pay to go see, right?

Chris Pine was amazeballs as the bard Edgin, but we all expect that, right? I mean Steve Trevor is pretty...

Uhh.. 

Captain Kirk totally sold me...

Yeah, so Pine's a geek icon and I would've been totally disappointed if he hadn't delivered but he totally did and I loved it.  Michelle Rodriguez was just as good as Holga. I'm still trying to decide if she's a warrior or a barbarian but it doesn't matter. Rodriguez owned that role. Seeing Hugh Grant in a movie I actually enjoyed and not some chick flick romcom was a pleasant surprise. Sophia Lillis blew me away as Doric. I have a thing for tieflings though. Justice Smith as Simon was not only fun, he was the guy a lot of D&D players can probably identify with and he pulled it off with aplomb. I can't wait to see this movie again.

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 Homebrewed Magic Items

I usually don't do this, but per Margaret Weis's Facebook page, Gary Gygax, and Dave Arneson, creators of Dungeons and Dragons, are not credited in the movie, nor is Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms D&D Setting. I find this to be troubling. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie since I didn't notice it, so I didn't include it in my rating but this is a loser move by Paramount. Hopefully, they can fix this before the movie goes to streaming. Gene Roddenberry gets credited in every Star Trek movie or episode because it needs to happen. The same principle should apply here.

Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves
Paramount, 2023

Some Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves related merchandise is available for purchase at the links below. If you click my link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.

JoCat's A Crap Guide to D&D(5th Edition)

Readers of this blog with IQs higher than that of the oatmeal I ate for breakfast this morning (cinnamon and brown sugar, if you're wondering) may have noticed that I have a somewhat strange sense of humor. I mean, I'm a little weird. I'm okay with you thinking that though.

*SIGH*

I'm not making any sense here and it's a worse attempt than usual. Don't worry though, I'll get there. I hope.

Jocat's A Crap Guide to D&D (5th Edition) is freaking hysterical. I mean, it's humor similar to mine, but if you're reading this you probably like that. Unless you're a masochist and that's okay. I'm not into kink shaming here. But seriously, if you like my humor you'll probably like his. That's unless you're not okay with profanity, because he uses a bunch of it and I try not to go there very often. Jimbo's is a family show. A Crap Guide to D&D is something I would recommend to my seventeen year old daughter, but not to her eleven year old sister. Other than that though, it's awesome.

Being one hundred percent serious though, this is not the show for those who are easily offended by either foul language or someone who makes fun of your favorite class. I mean, he's going to make fun of that one class you can't stand too, but I know how some people are. If you play a sorcerer and you've always played a sorcerer and you can't take it when someone doesn't take your class seriously, you'd be better served to watch something else. On the other hand, if you're okay with some off color language and get a kick out of fictional stereotypes than this is the place to be.

JoCat (whatever his real name is) goes through the classes in alphabetical order and gives his advice on how to play each. It is a litany of stereotypes (Horny Bard, anyone?) and worse mechanics, but it is ACHINGLY funny. One of the guys in my D&D group recommended it and I watched all twenty videos in one night.

And yes, I'm aware that there are less than twenty classes, but one gets done twice and we get some bonuses. Being a Dungeon Master, his DM guide was my favorite, as a matter of fact. It was great.

The best part about these things is that they're not that long. I binged all of them in less than two hours. It was great. I didn't have to stay up late and ruin my day at work to get it all in after my Sunday D&D session. I was in bed on time, only I was smiling because this stuff made my night. 

JoCat has some other Crap Guides. I'm going to check them out, but it looks like D&D is the only game I play and this does kind of feel like an in-joke. If you're into the other things he plays check them out and let me know how they are because I'm guessing they're just as good. 

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 One Liners

A Crap Guide to D&D (5th Edition)
JoCat
Youtube, 2019

The Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything, I get a small percentage of your purchase at no additional cost to you. 

Dan Parkinson's The Covenant of the Forge

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 When one accepts free books in exchange for reviews, the expectation is that they will read only those books and review them. I mean, I got it for free, right? And people have a right to expect that I'll hold up my end of the bargain. It makes sense on a purely logical level, right?

The problem being that I'm a human being and human beings aren't necessarily "purely logical." I wish I could be sometimes, but real life doesn't work that way. 

So, having gotten an Amazon gift card for Christmas, I decided to buy some comfort food for my brain. I picked up all three of the books from the Dragonlance Dwarven Nations Trilogy. I started with The Covenant of the Forge by Dan Parkinson because, well, it's the first book in the series. And it's definitely comforting. I was thinking that I had originally read it thirty years ago, but a quick Google search shows that it's only been twenty-seven years since it was published. I guess it was less than that.

Still though, I love this book. 

I'll be honest in stating that part of the reason I picked up these novels is because I'm writing a novel with a dwarf main character that starts in a dwarven town and I've been thinking about these books a lot. I'll also be honest in admitting that a lot of the genesis of my book (and it needs a better title than Dwarf Story, but I'm not so good at titles.) comes from the Dwarven Nations Trilogy. The concept of a dwarven society fascinates me and, if the society I'm creating looks different than this one, at least I won't get sued.  

Parkinson does a really good job of making dwarves people that aren't human (because DUH, they're dwarves) but still have recognizable and understandable motivations. The humans in the book aren't necessarily portrayed in a super positive manner, but that makes sense. Humans, to a dwarf's eyes, are short-lived and therefore in too big a rush for everything and kind of flighty. When viewed from a dwarf's eyes, some positive traits (to humans) don't look so positive. And if you've never been told to "look to the left side of your tools" well, it's a concept we could all benefit from and one that's easy to understand. It's also a concept I'd like to incorporate in my own work, but uhh...

Yeah, not sure how I can manage to mention this one and not get sued. Seriously. I don't have the right kind of file to eliminate the serial numbers on this axiom, but it's so useful and so intelligent..

Yeah, it's dwarven and I'M WRITING ABOUT DWARVES!

AHHHH!!!!

But the thing is that these dwarves are not alien to the point where we can't identify with them. They love. They hate. They marry. They have children. They're people just like you and I only they're different. They're not monolithic though, and that makes sense as well. Handil the Drum is a musician. He plays the Call to Balladine, the opening of the autumn trade festival. He ends up as a major hero. Cale Greeneye reminds many dwarves of an elf. Colin Stonetooth leads the Calnar clan with honor and distinction.. for awhile.

 And I guess that's what interests me more than anything: These are characters I care about. When a child is born at a moment that is precisely perfect and terrible (read the book, you'll get it) you want to cheer for the new father as he runs pell mell to where his wife is giving birth. When your hero, and the guy you figured would end up running things dies heroically it hurts, but you're proud of him for doing the right thing even if it ends badly for him personally. He honestly kind of reminds me of a dude named Sturm Brightblade in the Dragonlance Chronicles and that's saying a lot. If you're not familiar with the Chronicles you need to be. You should read them right after you read the Dwarven Nations Trilogy. Of course, Sturm was human, but no one is perfect I suppose...

The Covenant of the Forge has a little bit of everything. There is some extremely light romance. There is some combat. There is politics and scheming. There are loyal followers and treacherous enemies. There are even treacherous allies. You won't find anything missing from your favorite fantasy works, with the possible exception of horror. The Covenant of the Forge is not Ravenloft, even if Ravenloft  does feature a death knight from Krynn, which is the planet Covenant takes place on.

It doesn't need to be though. And the Dwarven Nations Trilogy takes place before the Cataclysm and Soth's descent into Death Knighthood anyway...

Err.. Nevermind. Nerd moment. Those happen.

The point is that this is a damn fine book and an awesome series. Looking back over twenty-five years after I read Covenant for the first time, I find myself amazed that it starts off as quickly as it does. I guess I didn't think about it at the time, but trilogies, and longer series, often start off pretty slowly. Not so much here. Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of worldbuilding that takes place, but it's so well done that I didn't really notice that it was happening. I just kind of understood things and moved on. There's no navel gazing, and no long winded explanations of things. Parkinson somehow managed to get what needs to be there stuffed in without making it feel like a chore to wade through it. 

I... will... not...

Who am I kidding? Of course I will.

Remember that feeling you got when you were a kid and you saw Star Wars for the first time? Remember how cool it was? Do you know how frustrating it can be to watch the prequels and the sequels because they don't make you feel the same way?

Yeah, I hate it too.

The thing is that I got that feeling reading The Covenant of the Forge again. I love these books for a reason. Read them. You will too.

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 Vibrar Drums

The Covenant of the Forge
Dan Parkinson
Wizards of the Coast, 2012 (current edition)
TSR, 1993 (original edition)

The Covenant of the Forge is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.

 

 

RIP Gary Gygax

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Today marks the twelfth anniversary of the death of one of gaming's greats. Gary Gygax was the impetus for the creation of Dungeons and Dragons but he was more than that. An entire generation of geeks grew up on D&D. It's more than that though, too. Three (maybe four) generations of geeks have grown up with Role Playing Games in general, be it tabletop roleplaying games like yes, Dungeons and Dragons, but also GURPS, Heroes Unlimited, Shadowrun, Pathfinder, the Star Wars RPG (yes, George Lucas invented Star Wars but without D&D there's no RPG to go with it.) or the early platform RPGs like the  Final Fantasy franchise, Wizardry and the Phantasy Star franchise, and MMORPGs like  World of Warcraft, Everquest, City of Heroes, or Elder Scrolls Online. That all started with Dungeons and Dragons.  Every bit of it comes from a game that started in someone's basement.

It's more than just Role Playing Games though, too. The D&D legacy has helped build geek culture in ways that go far beyond gaming. The Lord of the Rings novels were published long before Dungeons and Dragons ever hit the shelves, but without the growth in the fantasy genre promoted in large part by D&D in the form of its players and fans. Willow, Dark Crystal and even The Princess Bride all owe a large debt to Gary Gygax and his game whether they realize it or not.

And, can you say card games? The original audience for Magic the Gathering was, yup you guessed it, RPG players. Yu-Gi-OH and Pokemon both descended in large part for MTG and are part of Gygax's legacy as well. Of course, when MTG first came out and a flurry of card games followed there was a D&D based one named Spellfire. It didn't catch on because it wasn't as cool as Magic (and I've played both) but it was there nonetheless.

Speaking of card games...

All of the fantasy card games have one thing in common: Art. Seriously. I've already reviewed Beholder. The fact remains that some of the best fantasy art over the last forty-plus(!) years was either created for Dungeons and Dragons or descends from it. I love fantasy art. When I was married and had a bigger budget I went to the local Ren-Faire and came home with new art every single year. I bought it at art fairs. I went to a local place that features local artists... and left disappointed. There wasn't any fantasy art. But pretty much any fantasy art (with the possible exception of Cthulu related stuff) descends from D&D art somehow.

Let's not forget comics. Not only have there been like elebenty bajillion different D&D titles but the parodies are excellent. Seriously, if you haven't checked out webcomics like Darths and Droids (I cast Summon Bigger Fish because I'm a Cheddar Monk) or Rusty and Company (I haven't reviewed Rusty and Company? Why haven't I reviewed Rusty and Company? This is a travesty. THIS WILL NOT STAND!!!!)

And guys.. The novels. Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Eberron, the other ones that I'm blanking on...

They're all based on Dungeons and Dragons settings. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are two of my favorite authors of all time. Their first book was Dragons of Autumn Twilight. R.A. Salvatore is another one of my favorite authors. He got his start writing in the Forgotten Realms. (And can we get a decent Drizzt Do'Urden movie PLEASE?!??!??!?!?!?!?!?) He was the editor of the Everquest line of novels as well and I already noted that EQ was a descendant of D&D and therefore Gygax.  (Does anyone know where I can get my hands on the old Spelljammer novels?)

There are, in my estimation, only three true giants in the field of Fantasy Fiction. The first is Tolkien who wrote Lord of the Rings and really created the modern fantasy genre. Before him, we had several ancient mythologies for fantasy stories and not much else. Since Tolkien, we've seen an explosion of Fantasy. Without Tolkein I don't think D&D would have taken off the way it did in the 1970s.  I certainly don't think it would still be here.

 Most recently, we have J.K Rowling. Harry Potter is something that has taken over the world. Of course, J.K. Rowling also pushed the Young Adult Genre to new heights and pretty much singlehandedly added the Young Adult sections to both the bookstore and the library and so she's a giant in other fields than JUST fantasy, but it all starts with a magic casting boy named Harry Potter. In a way though, probably the most impressive thing about Mrs. Rowling (whom I loves and respects) is that she is maybe the only fantasy author since 1977 who didn't draw on Dungeons and Dragons fandom at the beginning of her career. Most of the Harry Potter fans that have been there since the beginning were not old enough to have played D&D before they started reading HP. (Yes, I played D&D before I read Harry Potter. I was also in my late twenties when I read Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Oh, and there were four books out by then.) Geek culture is exploding in the United States right now, and a lot of the reason for that is a British woman who can write like a champion.

The last, but definitely not least, is  Gary Gygax. I've covered a lot of the reasons above. Yes, a lot of what he did was derived from Tolkien. The fact remains that he invented the modern Roleplaying Game. Gygax did every bit as much as for RPGs as Tolkien did for fantasy in general and J.K. Rowling did for the Young Adult genre. And do you know what else he did?

That's my daughter Riley at our gaming table.

Gygax and his game have brought people together and created friendships on a huge scale. A love of Dungeons and Dragons has created friendships and brought families together. When my then-wife was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I declared that I would one day play D&D with my kid. My ex thought I was crazy because “She won't be interested. She's a girl!” I just shook my head. One of the happiest days of my life was the first time my kid showed up at my gaming table and I got to present her with her first dice. I was a proud papa that day. There are millions of stories like mine. And we owe that to Gygax as well.

So rest in peace, Mr. Gygax. We miss you. I know you're somewhere banging out some natural 20s and steamrolling mobs. I'll see you when I get there.

Some Dungeons and Dragons related products are available at the links below. If you click the link and buy literally anything, I get a small percentage at no cost to you.

It's Coming. It's Almost Here. I'm Geeked.

Below is a list of excuse for a geeky/nerdy person to have not seen Stranger Things as of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 10:45 AM EDT:

a.) I died the day before it came out.
b.) The dog ate my Netflix.
c.) I ran out of gas on the way.
d.) I blew a tire.
e.) I'm giving up my nerd card and becoming a mundane.


Seriously. If you haven't seen the first two seasons, hie thee off to Netflix and come back when you're one of the cool kids. I'll wait.


...

...

...

...

...

OK, back now? Awesome. You're obviously as excited as I am about this series. Wanna see something cool? Here's the trailer for Season 3:


Looks pretty cool, huh? I mean, it's SOOOO 80s it's ridiculous. I'm so ready to spaz out over the tubular shot of the mall! And that new monster? Gag me with a spoon!

Right?

Listen, there are those of us out there who lived and grew up in and around the times portrayed in Stranger Things. I was there. I hung out at the mall. I played Dungeons and Dragons and I loved it.

Hell, I want to find a new D+D group. If you're near the Detroit Area and like to play, hit me up!

AHEM

As I was saying...

It doesn't get much better than Stranger Things. Really the only bad part about it is that it's a Netflix show and the whole season hits on the same day. I think I might have to cancel life for a few days afterward. Who has time to work, play, see the kids when there's a new season of Stranger Things to watch?

Although, come to think of it, my oldest likes Stranger Things so maybe I can geek out with her over a bag of popcorn.

Anyway...

I'm geeked. It comes out on July 4 and it sounds like I just found a great way to celebrate American independence, because what could be better than partying with crass commercialistic capitalism and the death (I'm guessing) of a bad guy?

I'm in! I'm sooo in! I'll see you at the land of Flix on the Net!

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Top 10 Songs about Games and Gaming

Congratulations to me! This is my one hundredth post! I had to go with something big. I couldn't decide what to do. I mean, I could do another book or movie review, but that's what I ALWAYS do. That didn't appeal. I could have come up with some kind of long ass post talking about how great I am (true) and how awesome all of the authors who have submitted their work for review are (still true) but I'm just not that type. So, what to do? Well, when I started this blog, I listed some things that I considered to be SF/F. Books and movies were givens. I also listed comics and gaming. I haven't done much with either, other than to list them as part of the Dragon Award lineup.My comic budget is pretty anemic though, and the last game I bought was World of Warcraft: Legion. It's the best expansion yet, but that's not what I wanted to do either.

Then I thought about it. Okay, what really happened was that I accidentally clicked on the Youtube app on my phone when what I wanted was Yahoo, but nobody's perfect. That's when I saw the video to my favorite song about a game and thought to myself, "I should do a post about the best songs about games." So now you're all stuck reading about it. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

First off the disclaimer: No, I had no involvement in producing any of this. No, I'm not going to spend days posting all of the relevant information. Each song will include a link. If you're interested in finding out who produced any or all of this stuff, feel free to click on the appropriate link(s) and get your information there. And without further ado...

Number 10: Natural 20

Musically this track is just there. It's got the guitar riffs and Mikey Mason has the voice to carry it. Let's face it though. The charm of this track isn't just that. If you've ever sat down at a table and played a pen and paper RPG then you know why the phrase "natural (or nat) twenty" would bring a smile to any player's face. If not don't bother asking. Just go to the hobby shop and pick up a book and some dice. Now. I'll wait.

Number 9: If I Had a Billion Platinum

First off, I've been a Weird Al fan since the Eighties. I love parodies! Second off, I love The Bare Naked Ladies. Third off, when I was a broke ass n00b in Everquest, I found this track on Youtube. It was one of the earliest gaming songs on the internet. And besides, who doesn't want all the Kunark loot? (Well, other than anyone who played starting with Scars of Velious or later.)

Number 8: Hard Like Heroic

World of Warcraft. Music parody. Double entendres. What else do you want? How about some hysterically funny video footage? Seriously. Go "Do it like a druid in the general channel." If you don't know what I'm talking about, find out. This is awesome.

Number 7: Just Loot It

Gear and gold. That's what MMORPGs are all about. Oh, and when you're from Detroit, the only thing better than a gaming parody is a gaming parody of an Eminem track. If it's not obvious enough, this was inspired by Just Lose It. That's just another reason to love this one. Raiding +  Detroit hip hop = win.

 

Number 6: Crank that Druid Boy


When I first started playing WoW I wouldn't participate in Player versus Player content. No, not ever. I played on a player versus environment server, I didn't do PvP quests. I didn't do battlegrounds or arenas. I wouldn't touch it. Then I saw this video. That night I logged in and figured out how to queue for battlegrounds. The song itself is good but what really makes this video is the PvP content in the video. You've got to check this out. Then you've got to go pwn some n00bs and cap a flag.

Number 5: End of the World (of Warcraft)

I almost didn't put this on here because it's too catchy. On one hand, that's a good thing. Things don't get stuck in your head unless they're good. On the other hand, I'm going to be hearing this song in my head for for the next two weeks. Oh, and since this is a parody of The End of the World as We Know It I want to watch Deep Impact now too. There's nothing quite like mixing the images of Orgrimmar and Morgan Freeman to really make your brain tingle. Ouch.

 

Now comes the hard part. I don't wanna have to slot these last four! I don't wanna! Good Lord. I guess I'll do it. Gimme a sec to figure this out.

Number 4: Uhhhh.... Game On

Picture this with me. You're sitting in your girlfriend's bed. She says she doesn't feel like gaming. It's your girlfriends bed. It's Tuesday night. Raids just reset. It's your girlfriend's bed. The solution to the problem is obvious: Call out a bunch of Bollywood dancers to dance around the room and convince her to jump in Vent for the raid. That's really the only viable solution. You can't let The Guild down right? Oh and, if my girlfriend didn't read this blog, I might be tempted to point out that any video with Felicia Day in it is probably going to be fun to watch.

Number 3: Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

Yes, two of my top four videos are from The Guild. Sue me. It's another video featuring Felicia Day.We get to see quite a bit of Amy Okuda too. It doesn't get any better than an online relationship with a girl when you don't even know what she actually looks like. I've seen crap like this happen and it cracks me up. The fact that someone made a video about it just makes it even more funny. Just be careful with the winkies in guildchat. Oh, and yes I'm a fanboy of The Guild. That makes sense though. There are three types of people in the world: MMO players who love The Guild. Non-MMO players love The Guild and non-MMO players who don't love The Guild. That completes the list. If you don't love The Guild, you're not a true MMO player. Period. I almost had three videos from The Guild on the list, but then I realized Now I'm the One that's Cool isn't about gaming even if the show is.

Ready for the top two? I'll guarantee this is going to piss a few people off. Some of you out there only consider all "gaming" to involve video games and both of the top two are from table top RPGs. Here we go...

Number 2: Roll a D6

No it's not Like a G6 it's Roll a D6. If you don't know what they're talking about you've never done any tabletop RPG playing. The video is epic. The lyrics are on point. Anyone who has played can identify with what they're talking about in the song. Ignore the comments on this one. It's a song people, not a documentary. Some of the details are a bit off, but who gives a rat's ass? Not this guy.

Number 1: Best Game Ever (A Different D&D Song)

Mikey Mason FTW!!!!! This one will take you back if you're a pen and paper RPG player. You know that one dumb-ass you used to game with? The one that got killed every damn week and pissed everyone off? Remember all of the horrible shit you wanted to do to him? This is a song all about doing it. It's hysterically funny. It's so well performed. The emotion Mason shows singing this song is something I've only really seen from Jack Black before. Spoiler: They beat the dragon at the end. I started thinking about doing this post a few days ago. I've watched this video eight times today. It's playing right now. After all, once you've "Saved a barmaid, slayed a dragon, got some treasure, raised a flagon and we split up some XP" (yeah, I

plagiarized that part) does it get any better? Not in my book. Go. Watch it. Love it. Buy it. It's worth it. I wish I had a prize to send him. Thanks Mikey! I enjoyed it. Oh, and you bookended the list. That's worth something, right? Oh, and his bookshelf is epic.

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