Bluestocking's Organic Gaming

Magic is dying, and the Magus is dying with it.  We travel together to the realm of Umbra where Magic was born. When our regular games finished, and Fan Expo was just around the corner, which meant limited our ability to play high-prep games, Rob, Rach, and I decided to try out some of the no prep games we had picked up at Jiffycon in the summer. When we were there, we stopped at Modern Myths , a gaming store of epic proportions. It was there we discovered a copy of Fall of Magic, which had been Rach's goal purchase for the trip. Coming in with hefty price tag, Fall of Magic is the one extremely expensive game that I would say is worth every penny. It's absolutely stunning in every possible way. When you open the slender, beautifully designed box, you discover a scroll. The scroll has a map upon both sides, one side for the surface world, the other for if you travel underground. There are five elegantly made tokens, an instruction book with flawless instructions,...

Ever log in to your G+ and cringe at what's going on? Ever watched your friend get trolled, wanting to help but also fearing for your own mental health at the same time? Ever played in a game that broke your soul enough you just couldn't anymore? Ever stared at your character sheet, exhausted inside, and thought "where do we go from here?" (Honestly you probably started humming the Buffy song, too, and that's okay.) Gaming can be a viciously emotional experience for some folks. If it's a form of your self care , like it is for me, it can be devastating as well to find yourself wishing there was a game that night. If you're an industry professional, new or veteran, it doesn't matter, you've experienced the drama of the industry on some level. Whether it was being a support person, involved yourself, or just watching from the sidelines, it was probably an exercise in control or at least emotionally draining on some level. From the many, many g...

A few years ago the epic and amazing Avery Alder appeared at Fan Expo after I convinced her it was a good idea and the game organizer at Fan Expo agreed. It was one of those giddy moments where something you helped make happened was happening. She was standing on the stage, giving a talk about inclusivity in gaming. J'adore. My mentor and great friend, Sara, was sitting beside me with her little dude in arms. And Avery talked. Eventually the X-card came up as a tool at the table to help with problematic players and content. Sara and I looked at each other. Our world had changed. We, meaning the organizers of Toronto Area Gamers , were having issues, repeatedly, of gross misconduct at the table. This came in the form of dudes just being subtly sexist and kinda inappropriate without it bordering on actual harassment. Combine that with one dude who followed women home and had me doxxed because I told him he couldn't live out his personal sexual fantasies at the table, and...