Societies Life - Game Soc

I've often credited pen-and-paper roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons as one of the things which got me into writing in the first place. In fact, some of my friends reckon that I only went to university so I could play it again. OK, so I don't actually play Dungeons & Dragons specifically. I'm just using the title as a shorthand for those kind of games as it's the one most people are familiar with.

For those who don't know, Dungeons & Dragons is essentially a form of interactive storytelling. One person is the Dungeon Master (or Games Master), who tells the story and assumes the role of supporting characters and villains, while the other players assume the roles of the protagonists with different skills and personalities.

The Society meets weekly to play these games, using a variety of systems. Personally, I run my games using the Savage Worlds system, a generic universal system which is easily adaptable. When I started, I found that not many people were familiar with that particular system, so I saw a chance to corner the market. I volunteered as a GM, and ran numerous "one-shots", intended to last a single night and using existing characters. These included a horror story, a gritty crime drama, and an Indiana Jones-style adventure.

This term, I'm continuing my role as a GM, but have opted to do a longer-running campaign set during a Zombie Apocalypse. This also involved my players having the choice of making their own characters or using pre-made ones.

As for linking it with writing, I have experimented with that. Not too long ago, I only had two players able to attend, and ran a one-shot using characters from a Work-in-Progress. My favourite thing I took from that involved a player assuming the role of a brawny character picking up enemies and using them as clubs. What TV Tropes refers to as "grievous harm with a body". I don't think I'm going to work that into the story.

I'm planning on doing this on a larger scale for another project.

Societies Life - Laser Tag

One of the more unusual hobbies I took up since coming to university was laser tag, after a chance encounter of the society's stand at the Freshers' Fair.

For those who don't know, laser tag is essentially a real-life first-person shooter. You put on a pack and go into an arena, scoring points by shooting the lights on other players' packs. If you're tagged, your pack goes offline for a few seconds, giving you a chance to run away. Games can be free-for-all or team-based, and can sometimes come with special rules. For example, "Friend or Foe" is a team-based game in which everyone's packs display the same colour and friendly fire is in effect, with penalties for hitting teammates.

Like a video game, it can be a mix between frustrating and cathartic.

We've also done special events at Halloween and Christmas, even a "prom" for the week Valentine's Day fell in, during which everybody wore suits. It's not often I'm dressed to kill. There have also been some nights in which we've been joined by other societies, such as the Harry Potter Society. Apparently gun does not beat wand.

In addition to laser tag, the society also does semi-regular sessions at a "board game cafe" in town. The venue has their own board games, but you get discounts if you bring your own. Which also lets us play a few less family-friendly titles, such as Joking Hazard, based on the dark and surreal comic strip, Cyanide and Happiness.

Societies Life - Fencing

I often make the argument that one of the big lures of university life was the societies side of it. This was something I missed out on with going down the apprenticeship route. It also ends up being a good avenue for research.

In one of the more unusual methods of research, I joined the university's fencing club. After all, my main Work-in-Progress is a swashbuckler series. Some technical knowledge would come in handy.

So far, I've only had regular practice with epee fencing, which could be described as the middle ground between foil and sabre. I've only used foils and sabres once, and that was simple techniques rather than a practice bout. This is mainly because epee fencing only needs one wire which can run through your kit, due to the fact that any part of the body is a legal target. You may only target the torso in foil fencing, and the upper half of the body (including arms) in sabre fencing. Additionally, sabres are slashing weapons, so you need to wear a jacket with all kinds of sensors to detect the hits. In comparison, foils and epees are thrusting weapons, so you only need to press down the button on the end of the blade to score a hit. 

There's also something to do with "priority" in foil and sabre, in which the person who moves first gets the point in the event of the players hitting simultaneously. This doesn't apply with epee fencing; if the fencers hit each other simultaneously, they both get the points. Good thing really, because I've become something of a defensive player.

At the moment, I mainly take part in the Sunday practice sessions rather than competing in any fixtures against other universities. I'm managing to get a few hits in during these shorter bouts, and my parrying is getting better. I've even managed to win some of my sets, but I do this more for the thrill rather than the competition.

Oh, it does sting, even with the kit. My most notable hit was during a bout against a member who competes internationally. They managed to jump up and hit the back of my shoulder. As this was epee fencing, and the button was pressed, this was a legal hit. It's a tricky move to pull off, though.

And apparently movie quotes are forbidden during bouts. 

With the exception of The Princess Bride.

Welcome!

Hello there!

For those who are new to this, my name is Andy Roberts. I used to be an accountant, but decided that I wanted to go to university and study for a BA in Creative Writing.

I've been writing as a hobby since I was 17, and wish to take things further. My main work in progress is a series of pirate stories, but I have also diversified into poetry.

As part of my course, I'm being asked to set up a second blog, which I'm going to dedicate more to student life and academic work. I have a few posts already detailing this quarter-life crisis on my regular blog, The Writer's Block, which I guess I'll be gearing more towards popular culture.

Life has been a lot fuller since starting university, and while I'm something of an introvert, I have a more active social life now. I'm in societies for laser tag and roleplaying games, and am also a member of the fencing club. Alright, I'll say that laser tag is my hobby, while the other ones are regarded as "research".