*ahem* Please rise and repeat after me: New content makes viewers happy. Happy viewers make webmasters happy.

So I realize now that I redesigned the site last year, but really didn't add any new content. When it all boils down, this is a vanity site, just a project for me to keep up on the web and enjoy in my spare time. The message board was the best thing, because it gives me something to look at when I check the site multiple times a day. It's not like anything else is gonna change without me working on it.

Gaming comes and goes with me now. This is the second year in a row that I've missed Origins. I'd actually be there now, sitting at some RPG game, anticipating noontime when I could walk over to the Market and get a nice sandwich. Maybe one of those wonderful Maryland crab cake sandwiches with the horseradish sauce.

But alas, I didn't plan well for this one, and I don't really have the spare cash to go this year. Much like last year. Last year's absence was a bit different. Ray was getting married; Wade & Wendy were having their baby (who turns one this weekend - cool). I seem to recall other things going on preventing some of our standard Origins-goers from attending, but they're not as important. And me, I've just been somewhat broke since I moved to Cary. I increased my bills, but I also increased my salary. Apparently not enough, it would seem.

I have serious intentions of going to the convention (or at least a convention) next year. I want to connect with the crowd on EN World that attends. I'd like to maybe meet some of the Scarred Lands developers, since I have all of their material. And play in a nice huge larp. Let someone else do all of the work and I'll reap the benefits. My roommate is talking about going as well, hardcore gamer that she is. That should be cool (although we have this bad tendency of trying to kill one another in live-action games).

Speaking of larping, I'm happy to be back in the fold of Deadman. We're running a brand new chronicle with a nice twist. We have three pre-gen games where we drafted up all of the characters and the backgrounds. We assigned characters to players and let them have at it. The first game was set in the 1920s, the second will be in the 1950s, and the third will be in the 1980s. They're hitting crucial points in the recent history of the city, and we'll see elements from these games appearing from time to time in the modern chronicle once it begins.

It's a new thing for many of the players, grabbing a character that they didn't create themselves. Myself, I'm accustomed to it and I love it for the short-term game. This is what convention games are like. The good ones have nice backgrounds, great interactions between characters, all of that. That's what we were shooting for. When the pre-gen games are over, some of the characters are to be forcibly retired. Others can be continued on into the modern game if the players want. But anyone will be able to create a new character and apply the experience they've attained for their pre-generated characters. Hmm, thinking of that, I should suggest that we offer some players to continue on in the modern game with their existing characters, then retire them for a new one a bit later. Somewhat staggering the effect of so many pre-gen characters leaving at once.

I think overall the players enjoyed it, and that does a lot for me. I was still a bit nervous getting back into the games. So much work, so many players. And I know it's generally a thankless job. I can hang with that. But at times, I've seen some players go for lengthy bitch sessions with the Storytellers, and that's not cool. I remember the old days where I'd draft a scathing letter over something that irked me at the larp, but that would usually be the extent of it. Hell, I did one or two for Deadman itself before I took the reigns. Sure, sometimes things are bad and they need to be corrected, but for the most part, everyone should try to have a good time. I guess it's just tough for some, since the gaming environment can be very competitive.

I'll be joining the Camarilla soon, opting to try out a game or two in Durham. It should be entertaining. I've been leery of the hulking organization, especially after hearing the conflict that went down with White Wolf last year. But I hear it's resolved, and I really like the crew that runs and plays in the game. I'm hoping for the best, as I really need to play some Vampire right now.

Speaking of, anyone in the area up for a complex political vamp tabletop game? It's been boiling in my head recently. I just don't have the capacity to run such a game right now. I want to play…