Some of you may remember (if you’ve read my blog before) that I run a sort-of-summer camp (or winter camp, or March Break camp) for kids, studying knights and chivalry.

We just finished the last one and I believe it will now all come to an end.

No, it’s not because every kid gets injured.
It’s not because one kid smashed open both his knees and mashed his forearm- that’s okay.
It’s not because one kid took a hard foam sword thrust in the eye (at the walk-in clinic he jokingly said he knows now how an eight ball feels)
It’s not because we have classes on foiling abductions and surviving school shootings.
It’s not because we have meditation classes where some kids have quasi-religious experiences in their mind’s eye with eagles.
It’s not because we’re housed in a two hundred year old building full of ghosts and half the kids are terrified (a seven year old girl this year kept hearing a piano…)
It’s not...

I recently blogged and made light of OCD.
I’ve been obsessing about that blog. Perhaps I shouldn’t have made light of OCD. I’m not even sure what I’m obsessing about, but I’m definitely obsessed.

I read all the forums even though I don’t post much. (I’ve challenged myself to have more blogs than posts, just because I’m obsessed with blogging)
In the forums, people are really obsessed with the whole idea of OCD, and that it is negative.

Truly, it can be. If it interferes with your life and relationships, it’s a problem. If you can’t have a job or won’t speak to your partner because they’re wearing a shirt with an odd number of polka dots, then it’s a problem. If you’re washing your hands until the red raw skin flakes off, it’s a problem.

Life is so tenuous, so iffy. To some, it seems like we’re invincible, but once you reach a certain age, or have suffered through some nasty experiences, you realize that you’ve...

Our most common game right now is a 2 on 2, 250 points per person.

My 16-year-old daughter has become our regular fourth player and we are delighted.

She has now started making her own customs (my 12 year old son says it means she’s hooked too). She’s reading Tolkien right now and her customs are Mirkwood elves- archers and pole arm fighters with two heroes that synergize with the Mirkwood patrols.

My sons are currently obsessed with goblins (12 year old son) and dwarves (9 year old son). I’m still stuck on archers.

It was a very natural game- everyone’s obsessions.

My two sons teamed together, goblins and dwarves, and joked that we would have good hunting against them, since both factions are regarded as weak. The goblins rely on numbers rather than strength, and the dwarves are tough but soooo slow- in our game they have a move of only three.

My daughter and I laughed, confident that...

And the forces of York

Please forgive my ignorance and omissions in historical details; it’s interesting enough stuff but I’d rather be playing Scape.


Edward of York (later Edward IV of England) (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was a claimant to the English throne on the Yorkist side in the War of the Roses.

He fought on the field at the head of his troops, on foot. (many knights at the time dismounted to fight).

Apparently he was a good fighter and uncommonly tall for the times, approx 6’ 4”.
He became king when all the other people who had claims to the throne died (were killed- many in battle, many others executed and assassinated).

He was a well-liked king; his motto was modus et ordo, or method and order, and his reign resorted order to an England that had slipped into banditry.
...

Some folks asked, so here they are.

We tried to make our spell books simple to use and understand. We tried to use mostly Scape words and concepts.

A “charge” is a unit of magical energy. You can buy one for 5 points. You buy charges at the beginning of the game when you select your figures. You’ll need something to represent the charges- toothpicks, pennies, Lego.

Spells in book one require one charge to cast, spells in book two require two and spells in book three take three.

Each mage usually has a “natural spell”; for example Emirroon’s is his Elven Summoning Spell. A mage’s natural spell costs nothing for that mage to use. A mage only has to use charges to use spells from the spells books.

You must decide what level (one two or three) each mage is. Emirroon, I’d say, is a level three mage.

Mages in level one can only cast from spell book one. Mages in level two can cast...