Gaming

My Battle with MGM Over Wargames.Com

For the past three months I've been privately engaged in a time-consuming dispute with Nathan J. Hole, a lawyer representing MGM Studios who claims that Wargames.Com, a domain that I've owned since April 16, 1998, is the rightful property of the film company because it produced the 1983 movie WarGames and registered it as a trademark. I received an e-mail this morning indicating that MGM has filed a legal complaint with the National Arbitration Forum to take the domain name away from me. I ... (read more)

2006/12/18

I Was a Teen-Age Dungeon Master

A 1983 Dungeons & Dragons commercial has found its way to YouTube. Back then, I couldn't watch that commercial without rousing my D&D jones, though it was false advertising to suggest that Jami Gertz might join your gaming group. But watching it again, I'm reminded of what huge geeks those players were. A lightning bolt cast by a magic user is five feet wide and 80 feet long in a straight line. Though it does 1d6 of damage per spellcaster level to the red dragon, half if a saving throw vs. ... (read more)

2006/12/16

Stephen Colbert on D&D: 'Enjoy Your Magnificent Isolation!'

Stephen Colbert was once an 11th-level paladin who explored Barrier Peaks: I had an eleventh-level paladin (it took me years to advance those levels) whom I took on Expedition, and he got the Power Armor, which was the big thing to get in that module. But he also went a little power mad. On the next campaign we saw merchant caravans crossing the desert, and my character flew down and landed next to a merchant and tore off the guy's head. The DM informed me that I was not a paladin anymore. I ... (read more)

2006/11/22

Child Dies While Parent Plays EverQuest

EverQuest is an addictive and time-consuming game that has attracted thousands of players who devote 10-20 hours a week or more to the game -- hence the nickname "EverCrack." Support groups have started on the Web for the families of players, such as the Spouses Against EverQuest mailing list. One of the members of that list is Christina Cordell, a woman who faces a felony charge of manslaughter related to the Aug. 8 death of her 3-year-old daughter. Brianna Cordell became trapped in the family ... (read more)

2003/08/20