Gaming and writing - what fun!

Gaming!

Recently the hubby and I went to a local gaming store for International Tabletop Day, a day devoted to tabletop games and all the fun that goes along with it. The idea is to try out and discover new games that you usually wouldn't try on your own and without buying them, of course. It's a great way to find something new to add to your huge game collection. (okay, OUR huge game collection...)

The idea of International Tabletop Day came from Felicia Day and was/is supported by Wil Wheaton. (yes, *those* two) The two of them, proud geeks, often review tabletop games and post reviews on Day's page, Geek and Sundry.

So we discovered Smallworld.  Discovered, played and purchased on the same day. Same with another board game.

Smallworld is a fantasy type of Risk – you take over territories with your fantasy characters such as Orcs and Giants. It's a great game and I recommend it if you like that sort of conquering the board fun.

Now I know what you're thinking – what the heck does this have to do with writing? Or reading? Or anything other than geeks, not that there's anything wrong with that…

I find gaming to be a wonderful way to kick back and generate new stories without really having to work at it – the games we play tend to create their own reality and it's fun to work and play in someone else's world for a bit.

When I return to the computer after a good gaming session I'm usually reinvigorated. Not because I've found a story to write necessarily (and any gamer can tell you that often the story is so *not* what counts in a good session) but the ability to step into another character's shoes (or armor) allows me not to only stretch my creative muscles but also to watch and study others as they work their way through situations.

It doesn't have to be a role playing game as well – we picked up the X-Wing miniatures game based on some good tutorials and jumped on that this past Tuesday for our weekly gaming night. It was great to play a rookie pilot running into two other rookie pilots on the other side and the resulting dogfighting.

So if you're stuck for an idea and want to boost your creativity, why not check out some great board games for inspiration? Grab a copy of Smallworld or kick back with a game of old-school chess or even Monopoly (if you want a family fight but that's another column!).