Dwarf Fortress proves that a SimCiv doesn't = Idle Game

     I know the title basically tells you all you need to know or tells you nothing at all but let me explain. In many Simulated Civilization (SimCiv) games there is a point that we all hit where you are waiting around and letting the game play itself. One of the main differences between a SimCiv and a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game is that constant action happens and you can't afford to sit and wait in an RTS because someone over the other hill is trying to get an army big and strong enough to come attack you. SimCivs on the other hand are meant to be a little bit more laid back, enough so you can knit an entire sash and pause briefly every couple of seconds to fix a problem (anyone who knits knows what I mean when I am talking about the late game of Rim World, which will be talked about soon). Dwarf Fortress fixes this by having a game with deep mechanics that require you to play the game like an RTS. This becomes one of the greatest strengths and weaknesses of the game, with a hectic fasted-paced game that makes you feel like a dwarf that's been stuck working in a mountain so long you don't realize how many days have gone by in and out of game.

    While reading through "The Hobbit" I decided that I wanted to try and have some kind of small theme if I am going to talk about both games and books. So considering all the "Dwarves in mountains" themed games, I figured the best game to represent the same key plot elements are there; both have borderline incompetent dwarves trying to do something that will end up getting them ate by a dragon. That happens to be the best part of both, thematically, if you can keep from assaulting your screen monitor when the dwarf who can't swim decides to grab a rock at the bottom of the well in the fortress. Don't worry though, there's a mod that fixes that!

    That being said, this is a game with a small team that doesn't have the same level of polish than other big budget games, but what it does have is great. Yes, to truly understand the game you need to be well read enough on all the mechanics, YouTube videos, and have a Minecraft-Redstone level degree to get the most out of it though, but it's worth it. You go from not knowing what to do in a bad situation to creating whole worlds full of lore, and the chance to fail, build up a better place near that failure, then reclaim those old fortresses and turn a ruin into a monument of "Losing is Fun." Not to mention the new adventuring mode that allows you to create a world and fortresses then send a hero out from among them to go kill all the stuff you wanted to while only having to micromanage one or four dwarves instead of seventy. What makes it feel so great is when you give into the mania and allow yourself to be the overly precise gremlin you want to be. I know the word "micromanage" in any form when uttered can bring some discountenance, but when you are building a civilization in any game that will let you decide to even pick what color you want everyone's clothes dyed, it's not bad to be a maniac of perfection. An undead horde will likely come by to your nice home and start messing up everyone and their couch, but at least everyone will die in a nice hole in the mountain. Makes you realize that maybe the people in the mines of Moria were really good, they just had a bad day where none of the dwarves could walk over a puddle or something when they got taken. 

    If you like base-building games, you will love this game. If you like games that can be modded into completely new beast, kinda like how I hope to talk about Vintage Life soon, you will make a game you love. However, if you were hoping to finish a sweater in between tasks, you might get the arm done in the first month you start playing this game. There is no such thing as just playing a couple of hours of "Dwarf Fortress." You will be there until they smooth every tile, and heck, it's only five in the morning, maybe you can finally get that nice throne room done. 

    Thank you so much for reading, and let me know what kind of base building nonsense you love. All the janky mechanics in some games makes me want to crack open some of the old bush craft books I've bought and figure out which ones are easy to learn from and which require a good foundation and credit hours before having a chance to preform correctly alone and afraid in the wild. As always, stay safe, and I'll talk to y'all later.

I'm Writing a Boy's YA novel! (I'm scared)

    "So the Dead May Rest" is a book that I have been planning for so long my notes from being a DM are starting to get jealous. I have been wanting to write this same book for so long that it has become the scariest and most exciting project I have decided to do, yet I haven't even written the first page. I've talked about it before, but what scares me the most is that this is going to be a book that I wish I could've done better down the line. That thought alone made me realize something that I had yet to give any thought; what happens if the idea isn't all that great, and unless I write it I will never have another pet project?

    To be up front, this is the book that I have mentioned before that is my own special letter of adoration for all the things that I enjoy, whether they are played at a table or on a screen. My main goal is to write good characters that follow a neat plot, and allow the complexities come from the people involved. Honestly I think life is a lot like that since most things are as simple as getting from point a to point b it just gets messy in between. All of that is to say that this is something I have been sitting on and planned so many times that putting it off writing might just do more harm than good. This is one of those writer-ism that I see all the time, and was what caused me to write most of my Weird-Westerns. 

    Going back and reading those stories also made me understand my own tendencies as a writer. Some where more weird than Western and I realized that besides a singular odd animal in a certain story it was just a Western set in the same setting I had been using for so long. Looking back at the book I had once decided was ready to be released also made me realize that what was once was a darling needed it's own story, not to be coupled with an already bizarre mix of wizard-cowboys. That is why much of the content outside of talking about games and books is going to be mostly updates on how that novel is coming along. I will keep going back and looking at stories again and writing the odd story here and there, but I want a chance to say that I actually tried to write the book I wanted to at the beginning regardless of if it works out or not. 

    The main changes that I have made about the story is how it follows a younger protagonist who goes on a trip with is older brother who has been away for a really long time. Simple, except for the huge surprise that the mission to go explore the ruins of a long forgotten kingdom is actually cursed by a mysterious flame that burns in the castle. The people there cannot die, and the king has locked himself away for centuries. I can't wait to tell y'all more but I want to wait until I have more substance to share. Let me know in the comments about any kind of project y'all have wanted to do but never did. Can't wait to get started!

I'm Back! Unplanned Hiatus Results

    So much has been going on lately with many new life changes and those kinds of things that I had to take some time away from all the blogging and social media stuff that I was getting into just from being overwhelmed. Now I'm back and happy to announce I still have no idea what I should or shouldn't be writing that I have a new direction that I want to try. Been spending all this time reading and playing all those Steam games I got on back log that I am hoping to get a return from all the Summer Sales I participated in, not to mention the Amazon book sales as well.

    Basically the main thing I want to get out of this post is to let everyone know I haven't given up yet. I need to write more I just know that right now everything is kind of stagnant or at least feels that way. Most movies are just live action versions of animated movies and vice versa, the only published stuff I hear about any more is about how great the Erotica market is, and it feels like wizard-cowboys is getting to be an impossible sale. However, I still want to write even if it wasn't what I had planned to write, and the weird west stories were never supposed to end up as my only gimmick. The more and more I read and play the more and more I am realizing that maybe writing my own stories shouldn't be the only thing I write about.

    All of this is to say that I will start dropping book and game reviews to go with the short stories and poems that I want to become more and more of at thing (like one that I will be releasing tomorrow so GET EXCITED!). I want to write the way I like to write and start publishing more on the blog, so that the stories I feel like publishers don't want to take a chance on, and I don't blame them one bit some of these are a lot to take in, still get to see the light of day. I don't want there to be all this time in between stories though, and I am always reading and playing something. I hope all the extra typing and writing will also help me develop my own unique voice that I can use to be a part of the conversation on a bigger scale when it comes to the things I'm passionate about. Games and books are very dear to me, and I feel like I've spent enough time just complaining or theorizing in private. I'm ready to take my foolishness to the Internet! Hope this goes well.

    Along with writing about that, I hope to do a Monday week in review sort of thing. Look at the body part of mind, body, and spirit. Reviews I hope show something of worth coming from the creases of my mind, the poetry/short stories I hope show how my soul is shaping and working with a creative outlet, but also showing that it is possible to be a giant nerdy writer in both title and physique. I got into my local AMTGARD group as well and have been having a ball using my time running around resurrecting my friends as cardio. My dreams of dressing up as Conan the Barbarian can still happen if I just suddenly decided to take a liking to foods I have never liked! This is going to be harder than I thought...

    Anyway, thank you to anyone who is reading this and leave a comment of encouragement as I try to get it together. Enjoy the rest of the content I have and I can't way to see y'all soon!