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Quest For The Superb Owl


For two people who are not very sporty, and not even particularly interested in sports, this blog brings them up quite often. While neither of us were ever experts, and especially when we were younger, video games (and even tabletop games that included sports) have always filled in knowledge gaps and provided opportunities where in-person skills prevented inclusion. Sports do seem to be important though, even if it's a little less so when it comes to tabletop players. There are even annual ritual championships where those at the peak of their games can attempt to gain some sort of…honor? I suppose. This time around, it's the Superb Owl Super Bowl that's brought sports to mind. While it isn’t hard to avoid watching it, even those of us less inclined to partake of sports viewing still find ourselves at watch parties - if not for the game itself, then to catch advertisements that play during such things. Fear not, though, if you do find yourself headed for just such a predicament, you’ve found the right blog post. Now before you go, you can pick up  some suggestions on how to make the event more enjoyable and maybe take home some tips for your tabletop RPGs.

Adding Magic to the Game

Some sports games do have some excitement in them at least, while others (I’m looking at you, blernsball* baseball!) seem to drag on through multiple extra innings of boringness. Occasionally, these games may offer  some enjoyment when they’re played at an incredible level and you don't care who wins or loses. Otherwise, you’re going to need to figure out how to add a little magic to the game. A while back, I attended a high school football game so my eldest child could play with the band. I sat in the chilly stand trying to keep my youngest warm, but I managed to learn something from the kid while doing so. While I was keeping track of snacks, coats, and whatnot, the kid was pretending he was controlling the ball through telekinesis or perhaps "the Force." And that's something to build on! We can assign characters from our favorite games, movies, books, or TV shows to players in the game. We can tell ourselves stories, or maybe figure out some new ones while the whole thing is going on.

Gaming during the Game

If you find yourself at a party during one of these sporting game events, you might find an option available to play games. That's all well and good, but what if there isn’t a pool table, dart board, or some sort of tabletop game available? You can always play games yourself. A "games night" game called Pretense comes to mind. Before you go to the event, think about the types of people you might run into. Make a list. You can earn yourself points each time you meet one of the categories on that list. Just like telling stories with the game, you can combine that and this effort into your own game. Each time a particular team makes a play, that could result in a bonus or penalty to your own character - written down or just tracked in your head. As the game progresses, depending on the team, you might have earned enough bonuses or taken enough penalties to win or lose. You can also learn a bunch from just the commercials. The Superb Owl is a time when the most…"creative" commercials get aired. You might think that's completely useless, but tell that to your next adventuring party after sending pack of puppymonkeybabies after them. Something they’ll be unlikely to forget.

While attending a gaming event, or the watch party for one, may not be your ideal social gathering, you can still have plenty of fun. Any of these ideas could be expanded to include a few other people "in the know" or just played on your own to supplement your own enjoyment. Of course, you could also spend the majority of the time imbibing and indulging on party's food and drink. Even if none of these ideas appeal to you, one can always take notes on their phone or journal as they come up with ideas for their next tabletop adventure game. No matter where you are this weekend, I hope you find some time to enjoy your dices and your tables.

* Blernsball actually sounds pretty exciting. Especially when the count is 3 blerns, and 2 anti-blerns and the infield blern rule is in effect. 

- A

Send questions, comments, and your favorite companies to air expensive Super Bowl ads and immediately go bust to neversaydice20@gmail.com or tweet us @neversaydice2.

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