Circuses and bread, or good old gamers and the dust

I've had an odd train of thought start up, helped along by the memory of Brian's ruined stadium.

First I wondered if anyone had ever taken a Blood Bowl match off the field, out of the grounds and into the wider landscape as a game of Mordheim or Warhammer, as a riot of skirmishing fans.

I've never seen that done. But in the Warhammer world defeat might see release of great energies.

Then it got all propluristemic and I wondered if anyone in a tabletop roleplaying game ever had the characters appear on the tabletop itself, among the players as if the miniatures had come to life. Had them look up at the giants, wonder how their every action is foreseen, controlled, then desperately take cover behind a mug of tea, or scramble for the edge.

I got to the thought of the soldiers in a wargame suddenly realising they were pawns of powerful figures, that the ideals they were fighting for were empty words, dismissed by many as 'fluff'. That they weren't really fighting for a God Emperor, or their country - not even for treasure or notoriety. Just for the fun of destruction. Or to see who's better.

Or maybe only because those powerful figures - the players - were in thrall to greater forces in their turn and had spent years building up the armies. After all, there's no point having an army and not using it. What a shocking waste of money that would be.

And then I thought, blimey. What if those players looked around and saw their actions foreseen, and the things they believed in revealed to be false? And they carried their knowledge of strategy and world-building away from the table? Off the designated field, to challenge those very same forces? Could the future of gaming be not gaming?

Then I thought, man, who can possibly fit something like that in?

We're either working - or looking for work - or it's hobby time.
_

Satireday

We're revolting. I mostly agree, but 'our' tone does seem a little righteous. Is it satire? Just in case it's not, here's some. A light prod at 'us', aimed at widening the field of view.

Users of Ringtones & Ramblings cell phones are today up in arms after parent company MoboPhono apparently withdrew technical support for older models. The company was accused of wanting to make sales.

'No freaking way!' said one long-term user. Others hurried to agree.

'I'm the proud owner of a second generation handset. Second generation, and by my definition even. Out of six, mind (leaving out the founders).'

'It may be square and clunky - and who knows what it's doing to my brain - but I accept no imitation. Call me backward-looking. Or rather don't, because simpler devices of a similar type just aren't the same.'

'If that MoboPhono thinks it's getting even a dollar out of me for the development of the next world-changing technology, well... who knows?'

'Man, I use R&R to talk to my friends! Mine! ...wait... Ours! In fact, we are R&R! Stop scratching off that logo! That's our logo now.'

Easy. Like walking into a dungeon, killing 'monsters' and making off with their valuables. Who says the hobby is a bad influence? Because, well, we imagined those valuables.