Well, this is random…

I like Kickstarter. I also like Etsy. Hell, I like shopping at independent bookstores and supporting my local (even though it’s 5000 miles away) comic book shop, Alternate Reality. Honestly, I try to do whatever I can to support small businesses. But really, none of that is the point of this particular post.

Getting back to Kickstarter, though… Infrequently, I’ll back a product/gadget (and to be honest, I’ve been kinda disappointed with the actual products I’ve backed) but more likely, I’ll back books and games. Books make perfect sense, sure, but games is an odd one.

See, I like playing games. The idea of a family game night is intriguing to me. I’ve taught more than a few friends to play cribbage, I’m addicted to Words with Friends, and I have the most amazing chess set ever. I’m not that competitive (at least not when it comes to board games) but it’s still fun to sit across the table from someone, or several someones, and have a friendly dual.

And so I end up backing games which look cool (and, to be honest, not that complicated) and fit into my interest areas. I’ll get science fiction games, silly games, dinosaur games, etc.

The problem, of course, is that Rasa isn’t that interested in games. She’ll indulge me from time to time, but for the most part, it’s not her thing. And that’s okay.

So one of the things I look for when I back a game is if it has a solo play option. This way I can enjoy the game on my own if I can’t find someone to play with. Taking this thinking into account, I’ve also started looking at projects which might appeal to Monki at some point in the future. Games featuring wizard kittens or soft burritos you can throw at each other (She loves that part, but hasn’t quite mastered the actual game mechanics yet) or tiny epic dinosaurs (dinosaurs are for everyone!).

But… in addition to board games, I’ve found myself backing RPGs. To be fair, I haven’t played an actual RPG in 17 years. The last one was just before I moved out of Los Angeles in 2003. But they’ve never been far from my thoughts. They’ve always been something I’d love to come back to. I have a number of friends who are involved in that world, both as players and professionally, and I keep looking longingly at dice whenever I’m at the hobby shop. 

All of which brings me back to the whole reason for writing this long, meandering post to begin with: How did I not know this existed:

Yeah…Google has a dice rolling app! I guess if I thought about it I would have realized something like this was inevitable. In fact, if you follow that link, not only will this inline, easy one come up, but the links following show me there are a number of websites you can go to if you need to throw down some randomized numbers (the Google one just happens to be the easiest interface and most visual of the bunch I looked through. That’s just cool! I know, I know, there’s nothing quite like the feel of holding actual dice in your hand, and yes, I will still look for a set which ‘speaks’ to me (I did back a dice company on Kickstarter, and there are a lot of dice companies, but I picked the wrong one and was so disappointed in their product I’m not even linking to them), but I love knowing this exists.

It really is the little things in life that can bring a smile, huh?

Now all I need to do is wait for Monki to get old enough that she’ll want a set of her own and we can go adventuring together! And hey, if any of you want to join us, the more in the band the merrier!