On Saturday, Michele had to journey to the University of Chicago, there to spend the afternoon doing research in the stygian depths of the Regenstein stacks. Walking through those stacks sure brought back the memories, so I quickly decided to abandon Michele to her research and strike out on the ultimate gamer’s pilgrimage: a trip to Games Plus, the biggest game store in Chicagoland.
Games Plus (hereafter GP) is a really cool store, and if you’ve got even a passing interest in RPGs or board games, you really ought to make a trip out there at least once in your life. They stock just about every in-print game in existence, and plenty of out-of-print games as well. The clerks are friendly and know about the games they sell. It is pretty much impossible for me to visit GP and not find something I want to spend money on, which is why it’s probably a good thing that I live in Michigan and only make it out there about once a year.
The most fun part of any GP pilgrimage, aside from tracking down and purchasing expensive game books that you don’t need, is watching the other customers. There are always several other gamers drifting through the aisles with you, scouring the shelves for bargains, and I enjoy taking note of the games over which they pore. Look–over there’s a guy scouring methodically through all the old GURPS books, perhaps hoping to fill the holes in his 3rd edition collection before the new 4th edition takes over; there’s a middle-aged gamer (perhaps escaping, for a few precious hours, the responsibilities and hectic-ness of work, family, children?) trying to decide whether to spend his hard-earned cash on Sengoku or that Tribe 8 sourcebook he’s been thinking about getting. And here’s me, standing quietly in the aisle next to them both, mentally weighing my budget and deciding whether to go for The Riddle of Steel, which feels like it should belong in any gamer’s library, or Ex Machina, which is the cyberpunk sourcebook I’ve been wanting. What are we all doing here?
And then, of course, in the middle of the store, a group of middle-aged guys is gathered, all painting miniatures and loudly discussing the State of the World. The conversation is always loud enough to be easily overheard from any point in the store, so even if you don’t want to eavesdrop, you don’t really have a choice. Among the conversational points discussed at much length and at great volume:

• Can you believe that kids these days don’t even care about World War II? I mean, I once talked to this kid who couldn’t recognize the silhouette of a Tiger tank–I mean, is there any more recognizable tank in the history of the world? Kids these days.
• At Gencon last year, I got really mad at this group of gamer punks, and I wanted to kick their scrawny little butts. But I didn’t. I used to be more aggressive than I am now.
• The world sure would be a lot better without those nasty Republicans! Remember how they worked over Jimmy Carter? The world was a vibrant green paradise under Jimmy Carter’s benevolent and watchful eye, until the Republicans ruined it all.
• Mechs in the Battletech universe are way too weak compared to other battlefield units. Battletech would’ve been way cooler if they had listened to all the advice I gave few decades ago when I was a playtester for the game.

At least, those are a few of the conversational pieces that I happened to overhear while browsing around. Strangely, the noisy conversants aren’t really annoying at all; they sort of add to the general ambience.
But after a while, it was time to head back to the U of C to pick up my beloved wife; my time at the game store was over. I made my purchasing decision (Ex Machina), exchanged witty banter with the friendly cashier, and headed out. The distinctive Gamer Conversation(TM) taking place at the miniatures-painting table faded into the background; last I heard of it, the discussion had now moved on to mocking derision of somebody’s failure to properly employ some German 88‘s in a bitterly-fought clash of arms the night before.
All in all, a very good trip. Games Plus, you rock–see you again next year.

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Well, well, well–maybe the Lord of the Rings RPG isn’t dead after all. Decipher plans to release some new supporting material for the game over the course of this year.
Now, I have a sneaking suspicion that Decipher is going to release the books that were already near completion when they put the game line “on hold” last year, and then let the game line sit again. But I’m not complaining–any new material for what I think is an excellent Middle-Earth RPG is welcome.
Which brings to mind a few rambling thoughts on the related topic of gaming in Middle-Earth:
Whenever the subject of Middle-Earth roleplaying comes up in online discussion, somebody invariably comes along and insists that the only supporting materials you need to run a game in Middle-Earth (aside from the main game rulebook) are Tolkien’s novels.
I agree in principle; there’s nothing to keep you from running a satisfying and faithful-to-Tolkien game using only Tolkien’s books and notes as a reference. However, I have always felt that Middle-Earth gaming, despite the thoroughness of the novels upon which it is based, actually benefits greatly from having published support game material and books available.
The main reason for this opinion of mine is that a Middle-Earth RPG, to truly capture the “feel” of Middle-Earth, requires the cities, settings, and populations of game areas to be much more fleshed out than do more generic fantasy settings. One of the biggest things that strikes me while reading through The Lord of the Rings is the sense that Middle-Earth itself is real and alive–I always get the sense that the people and places of Middle-Earth continue to go about their business even after the protagonists of the book have come and gone. In other words, the places of Middle-Earth aren’t shallow backdrops against which the heroes (of the books or the RPG) play out their dramas; they’re deep, realistic communities driven by the loves, fears, hates, and hopes of deep, realistic people.
In terms of an RPG, a supplemental game book that compiles the vital information about a particular area–geography, economy, regional philosophies and lifestyles and conflicts–and puts them into readily-accessible game terms (“stats them out”) is a huge time-saver for the GM. It presents the GM with a deep and well-thought-out environment with which the heroes will interact. In a typical Forgotten Realms-style “save the village from the orcs” adventure, depth of background and locale isn’t necessary; but a game set in Middle-Earth that ignores such things is missing out on one of the great qualities of Middle-Earth. “Typical” fantasy RPG scenarios focus almost exclusively on the heroes and their actions; most adventure locations and characters exist as little more than “props” to tell an enjoyable story about the protagonists. In a Middle-Earth RPG, however, each area of the game world should exist realistically, consistently, and believably before the heroes even arrive. Once the heroes do arrive, if the environment is sufficiently detailed, the resulting stories and encounters will create themselves. Middle-Earth itself is a character in the game, with its own motivations and characteristics indepedent of the heroes’.
So I say: Bring on the Middle-Earth supplements. Explore areas of Middle-Earth that aren’t detailed thoroughly in the novels, and describe them exhaustively in such a way that they fit seamlessly into the themes and styles of the better-known parts of Arda.
And Decipher: next time around, consider timing the release of licensed RPG materials so as to capitalize on the overwhelming success of major, universally-loved movie trilogies.

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