In Which The Warlock Assembles the Dream Team...

Something I managed to skip--don't ask me how!--were my remarks on my GenCon experience this year. Yes indeedy, the PlatinumChick, Will the ManMan, BoardGame Karen, and yours truly found ourselves at GenCon Indy this year.

I will be honest, though. I didn't get to see much of the show. I did manage to swing by the GameWick booth to say 'hi' to El Willy and his crew, but I almost immediately had to ship out to my game--a private Eberron game run by none other than Keith Baker, the creator of Eberron. Little did I know, though, that we would be joined by C.A. Suleiman (author of Dragonmarked and several other Eberron books) as well as E, the infamous blogger from Geek's Dream Girl!

After a brief meet-and-greet, Keith got the game started. Our characters were all members of the Order of the Ebon Skull--a military order in Karrnath which was defamed and banned at the end of the Last War. However, this involved a pretty major twist--all of our characters were either undead or necromancers! I ended up playing Mandible, a former con-artist turned flameskull. Keith really did a smashing job making these characters unique and interesting, while keeping the "feel" of 4e.

All told, the game was really a blast, but it got me thinking. I got to game with some of the big names of the gaming industry, in their own setting. But if I could game with any celebrity--whether they're an actual gamer or not--who might it be? As such, my lovely readers, here's my list!

Stephen Colbert: This one's almost cheating, as Colbert's a self-professed gamer on his own, back in the days of 1e and 2e. He's just got such a sharp wit and a conviction about him, both in real life interviews and in his 'show persona', that I had to include him. Classwise? He'd make for a perfect Paladin or Warlord, leading the charge into battle with carefully crafted repartee.

Bruce Timm: This is a guy who needs no introduction. As one of the masterminds behind the DC Animated Universe, Timm's writing skills and creativity are without peer in the Western animated world. In the interviews I've seen with him, both live at conventions and recorded on the DVD releases of his animated series, Timm displays a craftiness and a deep knowledge of his subject material. He'd make for about the most epic wizard I could imagine, building plot upon plot, contingency upon contingency.

Lady Gaga: Shocked by this one? Don't be. Of all of the musical minds out there, Gaga's got to be one of the most creative of the modern era, and she's not afraid to make a statement. It's likely that she's never slung dice in her life, but I doubt that would stop her! I'd love to have her at the table, dicing up baddies as a Red Sonja-esque barbarian or avenger-chick, replete with the most fashionable chainmail-bikini that gp can buy!

Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw: Yahtzee is the mastermind behind the tongue-impaled-in-cheek web-series, "Zero Punctuation", which is hosted on "The Escapist" web magazine. While I doubt that Yahtzee would be willing to descend "back into the basement" for a session of D&D, I could easily see him joining the party as a snarky, dagger-slinging rogue or a sardonic warlock.

Mario Batali: For those of you longtime followers of my blog, you'll know that I'm a self-proclaimed foodie. I love small, family-owned restaurants, and I follow Food Network and the like as if it was my job. My favorite celeb chef of all time has been Mario Batali: the Rutgers-educated, clog-wearing, maestro of Italian cuisine. In addition to his affable nature and personality, Batali absolutely looks the part of a classic Viking warrior. I've joked before that, as an Iron Chef, he carves turkeys with a battle-axe. Having him jump in as a straight-up, sword-and-board fighter or warden would round out our group perfectly.

So, how about you, gamer nation? Who would you ask join your table for a night of dice-slinging action?

In Which The Warlock Ships Out for a Week...

Just a brief off-day post for you, fellow gamers, to keep you appraised of a few things.

Firstly, your friendly neighborhood Warlock is shipping out tomorrow with the PlatinumChick for our long-delayed honeymoon in Orlando. While I might have sporadic access to 'teh Intarwebs', I won't be around enough next week to focus on blogging and the like. As such, the lovely and talented Ms. L (I guess it's Mrs. L now, but let's not get technical) will be providing a guest post next Wednesday. Enjoy!

Also, the WittKrew's GenCon plans are coming into focus finally. In fact, I managed to end up in a very special situation.

You see, Keith Baker--WotC designer and creator of the Eberron Campaign Setting--has been holding a contest over on his blog: Have Dice, Will Travel, for the rights to play in an exclusive, off-the-books 4e Eberron game, with him as GM! And, with a little bit of creative writing on the part of yours truly, I have a seat in this game! I'm definitely excited about this one...

You can see my contest-winning entry at HDWT: Week Two Results.

Adios, fellow gamers! Back in two weeks!