PAX Hiatus!

I should have posted this on Thursday, but as a warning to any new readers we get over the next few days: there will be very few posts. The Pretty Gamer team is at PAX!

Normal posting will resume on Tuesday!

A Guide for PAX Newbs: Essential Gear for the Con

With PAX just around the corner, I thought I'd point out a few items that you will definitely want to pack for the trip. If you've been to PAX before, you'll already have an idea of what gear you need for the show. But for all those PAX newbies out there, here are a few things you just can't go without for your first year.

How To: Get delicious BAWLS in your mouth for PAX!

At PAX 2004, I discovered the elixir of the gods. BAWLS. A delicious caffeinated, carbonated energy drink in an awesome blue bottle and a great name. Bawls also comes in a root beer flavor called Geek Beer.

The Horde and the Microcosm

For those of you who see "microcosm" and think "what is that crazy bitch on about this time?!", it essentially means "a small version of a larger system".

I've been thinking a lot recently about the large range of personalities and groups that are formed out of a huge gathering like PAX.  There are some very, very different perspectives about gaming and about PAX, so what I want to know is:  why are YOU going to PAX?  What do you want to do, what is on your "must see, must do" list?  Will you be enrolling in tournaments?  Scouring the Expo hall for goodies?  Playing tabletop games?  Trying to seek out your buddies and play some DS games or go to lunch?  If you're not going to PAX, then why not? 

Dissecting the PAX Panel Lineup

Have you ever been curious about what's really being talked about at PAX?

Wonder no more, as I have grouped the list of 114 panels into categories to help us all better see the overview of what, exactly, we talk about:

Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta Begins (UPDATED)

(Update: Square Enix has just postponed the FFXIV beta due to "critical bugs". Check back soon for a new start date.)

A quick note to all the MMO players and Final Fantasy fans out there:

Final Fantasy XIV's open beta is opening on September 1st - that's this week! If you want to be a part of it, get on over to http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/ and sign up.

For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy XIV is the successor to Square Enix's wildly successful previous MMO, Final Fantasy XI. The new version bears a lot of resemblance to its predecessor in terms of races and classes... and of course, what Final Fantasy game would be complete without chocobos?

Cthulhu Dice – Steve Jackson Games

Cthulhu Dice is a quick dice and token game from Steve Jackson Games – makers of some of my favourite games! The game is for 2-6 players and most games last 5-10 minutes. The game comes with a big custom 12 side die, 18 glass tokens, and the rule sheet. At this point there are 6 colour variants on the cool Cthulhu die:

Zombie Overload?

So not to long ago Rockstar Games announced they have new DLC coming for Red Dead Redemption.  One of those pieces of DLC will be the Undead Nightmare Pack that will include ghost towns and zombies.  This got me to thinking, are we starting to over do the zombie thing?

Advice: Sister set me up with a guy via email! Awkwardness ensues.

Pretty Gamer:

My sister has given my email address to a gentlemen that saw a picture of me at her apartment. They're very good friends and she's been trying to set us up for a while now. He emailed me a couple of days ago and I've been tearing my hair out trying to figure out what to say in these emails. It's really awkward and I have no idea if my emails are coming off as too brusque. I've tried to walk a fine line between informal and casual since we don't know each other well, should I ditch email and ask for his phone number instead? But if I do that, what if he same thing happens over the phone? I hate awkward silences.

-Socially awkward in Seattle

Wheaton's Law for the track

Because I now live in the desert after spending three years in the Pacific Northwest, I am a HUGE fan of working out at the gym. Running outside in 105 degree heat? I'll pass, thankyouverymuch.

Tracks are a lot like roads. Most gyms have the slower traffic keep to the outside while speedier runners get to hug the walls. Unfortunately, you do not need a license or lessons in order to gain access to the gym and therefore some people run like drunk drivers. This makes Eep angry, and when Eep gets angry she gets mean and stabbity.

My experiences at the gym have inspired me to draft up some simple rules in order to keep your running space from becoming a Mad Max nightmare. Otherwise, you never know when you will run into me and the spikes I have started strapping to my elbows.