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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2009)
4 Clackamas Print Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Arts Culture Roleplayers hone their skill: Larissa Figley The Clackamas Print Create a whole new world by preventing destruction, bat tling evil, traveling to the brink of chaos and back, or simply stepping into the shoes of a character who couldn’t be more different than yourself, all without even getting out of your chair. This is the task of groups of people that gather to do role playing games. There are several groups that meet right here at Clackama. Role playing is something we’ve all done before, whether at a job, for a friend, in the bedroom, or as a hobby played with groups of people. Most are based off of books or cartoons and are usually fantasy based. “There are many different games from Cowboys, Magic, Star Trek, Star Wars, video games, CCG: collectable card games, or even naughty nurse and doctor can be considered a form of role play ing,” explained Chris Anderson. “(Although,) video games provide much less face to face interac tion as opposed to other methods,” explained Anderson A huge gaming culture has sprung up around these roles playing games or RPGs provid ing entertainment for gamers of all ages and levels. The unique aspect of role playing games as opposed to your average card game is the amount of creativity, imagination and ultimately group cooperation utilized to produce the event. Anderson has been playing dif ferent role playing games since seventh grade, so for about 14 years. Over the years, he has played several different games including his favorite, Rift, a post-apocalyp tic game. He said, “The best games are table top as opposed to online games. The games take a tremen dous amount of imagination.” Anderson is currently the Game Master or GM of the Star Wars group and has been a GM since eighth grade. He said that, “being the game master can bum you out after a few times a week.” The game master is basically the ring leader of the group and is usually someone who has played ' the longest. Star Wars is a table-top. game ideally played with eight to nine people and this group tries to meet every week The game master is the one who comes up with the driving characters and seems to have the last say in the happenings of game sequence. The master also plays any general characters such as shop keepers or any other generic roles; these are called NPCs or non player characters while all the other peo ple’s characters are PC or player characters. Games can usually be played with as little as two to as many as 20 people. Anderson explained, “That in large groups like that there can be two GMs, one for the evil side and one for the good.” The games try to incorporate everyday life aspects that aren’t part of the game into the game itself. ‘Tor example, silly excuses are used to leave for class or bathroom breaks such as it started raining or their character suddenly developed narcolepsy. Or, if leaving for a soda, the character is running up a spiral staircase not involved in the game,” explained Anderson. Another player in the game is Devon Seale who has also been playing for several years and started with Star Trek. He also plays “Holy Land, a Christian based game that i doesn’t take place in Jerusalem ” In these games, ‘Teal ex^feri- ’ ence helps progress the game”: said Seale. Keith Underwood had been gaming for about eight years and is another player in the Star Wars game. Underwood said, “I have two characters, one evil and one good. Sometimes one,of my characters is trying to kill the other one so no matter what, I win.” Jaime Kemp, left, and Zach, who wouldn’t give his last name, right, fight against James Furman and Reegan Hunt, off to the left. The four of them are planeswalkers in the CCG game Magic: Ht Gathering. This Star Wars game is played in a “twisted universe that is differ ent from the one shown in the mov ies. For example Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, are children who live together with Padme. Obi Wan Kenobi is evil and Anakin is a non- helmeted Darth Vader,” explained Anderson. ... The group k > all “playing togeth er on one ship but each using their skills independently,” said Seale. These variations from tradition al Star Wars allow for more artis tic licensing in these games. The game is played with a 20-sided die, which is rolled to find the outcome of each action or event; the higher the number the better the outcome for the character. “So a 20 is epically success fill while a one is an epic failure in which the character not only doesn’t succeed, but something bad happens, too,’’said Anderson. “So whether encountering pirates, using the force to make pretty or scary tilings, there is sure to be lots of chaos,” he said. _Said Andgjson,“Table top RPGs Have been looked down upon and considered a waste of time. There was even one player who commit ted suicide when his character of 15-20 years died. Strange things can happen when mentally unstable people get too involved.” Another group that meets here at Clackamas plays Magic. It can be played with two to 10 players; the more people the longer the game. The use of characters on the cards creates roles and a direct the game. Jaime Kemp explained, can be played as just ca role playing. There are two different types of play, al and the super nerds tha play battling.” He.,describes. himscl casual player, but likes competitively too.” There are countless p< enjoy these games, and ter which one is played, limitless possibilities for tion and character deva Anyone that has ever rol knows tiie excitement of out of yourself to enter a ing world of fantasy and lectual creation. New rock opera DVD splattered with bloody ballad Narrated .for the viewer in panel to panel comic book format, this- is the premise of Repo! The Genetic Opera, a twisted, gory, rock and roll opera-now on DVD. The movie stars Alexa Vega as Shilo, the heroine, Anthony Stewart Head as Nathan, the less Sheppard infamous Repo Man, Paul Arts & Culture Editor Sorvino as Rotti Largo, the, antagonist overlord, and Sarah* Seventeen years ago every Brightman as Blind Mag, the thing seemed perfect for wise and melancholy opera Rotti, Marni, Nathan and singer. Bill Moseley, Paris Blind Mag. Hilton and Skinny Puppy’s Rotti Largo had just found Ogre play Rotti’s strange,and the cure for the world’s epi sadistic children. demic of organ failure. ' Also important to the show Blind Mag, the opera singer, is the writer Terrance Zdunich, received new eyes, courtesy who plays the part of Grave of Rotti’s company GeneCo. Robber, the film’s seductively And, Marni and Nathan had nhacabre narrator. found true love in each oth The movie is truly mind er’s eyes. blowing, from the comic book But, things only seemed beginning chronicling the perfect on the outside. past of the main cast, to the In a fit of jealous rage, dark and engaging scenery Marni’s ex, Rotti, has her that portrays the world as a murdered during childbirth. corrupt empire built on one Distraught and blaming him vast cemetery. Imagine, if you self for the death of his wife,, can, a world where you can Nathan accepts a job with finance your new organs, but GeneCo. as an organ repo- if you miss a payment your sesser and raises his daughter very life will be repossessed Shilo in isolation. by the ominous Repo Man. Murder and music unite in this macabre vision of a not-so- distant future I II by Kayla Berge and John Shufelt Clackamas Print The story is augmea quirky and sometime musical numbers. And on that very note, let the viewer be that this movie has an for a very good reaso of the delightfully ea ing musical numbers at the same time as ti gruesome gutting you’ see. One song in par “Legal Assassin,” ft Nathan singing from tl tom of his heart aboutl row over the untimely of his wife, and howl is a lie without her. But he sings this truly pt piece, Nathan is brutal ting a man like a fis sorting his intestines® piles. If blood and got music at (he same til not your cup of tea, the is also not your cup For the sadistically n Repo! The Genetic Off delight to watch with a of similarly minded fii if you need to laugh at ulous bloodshed and characters. This is the for deviant lovers.
