It’s been a long time since I’ve made a simple post about things going on in my life, and there’s no better way to frame it around the recent passing of Thanksgiving. Here’s a handful of things I’m grateful for, beyond the typical family, friends and health, all if which I am of course extremely thankful.
Archipelago and Fan Mods
I recently wrote on the amazing things fan communities have brought to a variety of games. Not just in challenge runs with an existing game, but overhauling it through mods.
Randomizers have been fun to run on my own, but adding in a multiplayer element with the archipelago system is a whole new level of enjoyment. Being able to play a wide range of games with my friends, all the while unlocking items and progress for each other is a blast. Hundreds of games are available in this system, and the list is ever growing as more and more modders are able to shake things up.
Randomizers are just one of hundreds if not thousands of ways mods have changed gaming. Adding new content, adjusting difficulty or outright changes to a games fundamental gameplay systems are all possible when modders have the tools and the willpower to put something together.
I was talking with my brother just the other day on how unique of a playthrough Skyrim, what is probably one of the most modded games of all time, can be with just a few mods to change things up.
A majority of Old School RuneScape (OSRS) players rely on the free tools in Runelite and the OSRS Wiki. Both of these are tools maintained by the community. The wiki, much like Wikipedia, is a crowd sourced encyclopedia and knowledge base of all things OSRS. Runelite is an alternative client to the main OSRS game. It allows a variety of plugins that lightly interact with or even expand the game, e.g. highlighting certain gameplay elements, playing different sound effects than normal or even enhance the multiplayer experience.
One of the most incredible things about many mods is that they are for the most part free. I do think modders are well within their right to ask for or expect some kind of compensation. What is nice as a consumer is that for the most part, so many of these creators are willing to do the work they do without expectation of financial gain.
The Windy City Rollers and the Derby Community
On the subject of putting in time for no expectation of getting paid, over the last few years I’ve been lucky to be able to volunteer to help The Windy City Rollers (WCR), Chicago’s flat track derby team. My friend brought me to a bout WCR had with New York’s Gotham Roller Derby a few years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The movement and explosiveness of derby is a blast to watch.
As I attended more and more games, I began volunteering at first for simple roles like helping with the merch stand, but with time I’ve even gotten to assist more behind the scenes as a Non-Skating Official (NSO).
Helping primarily at scrimmages, I’ve been cutting my teeth on the tasks and duties and should soon be helping at my first actual game. I’m excited to be involved in the derby community and learn more about the sport, all the while meeting new people along the way.
Amtrak
Just before the first roller derby bout of this season, I had the pleasure of going on my first long train trip across the country. In order to visit some friends in Seattle, I took the Empire Builder line from Chicago to Seattle, and it was an absolute blast.
My departure trip was in coach, and while a little rough, there was a grittiness to the journey that I enjoyed. There wasn’t much to do, so I was able to get a ton of reading done which was really nice. I was able to catch up on a few books I’d been meaning to get around to but never made the time while at home.
While trains are quite a bit slower than something like a plane, there’s a freedom and flexibility you totally miss out on. Being able to walk to a different part of the train gives the feeling that you aren’t trapped in place until the trip is done. Being able to enter the observation car when I was tired of my seat was a relief. The cafe car below offered a decent range of food to stay satiated throughout the whole trip.
The downside of coach was difficulty in sleeping. I had an expectation of some kind of bedding for the night, but was quite surprised when there was nothing at all. This was definitely a layer of that grit. I figured there was nothing to do but get through everything. Otherwise, the other rough part was how long I was wearing the same clothes. Finally arriving in Seattle, I took a shower and realized I’d worn the same socks for three days. I did find there is a dressing room that I will certainly take advantage of should I take coach again in the future.
The return trip was a very different story, as I took a private sleeping car, the first class of trains. This experience was a luxury. Meals in the dining car were included, I had a full bed made for me by a member of the train staff and of course a fully private space for the 46 hour journey.
To start with the meals, I was surprised how good they were. Coach passengers can attend meals in the dining car, but they are $20, $25 and $45 for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively. I had planned to try out the food, and decided to wait until my meals were covered before doing so. I’ve got to say they are really good. The food is all chef prepared meals, with the dinner being a full 3 course starter, main and dessert all of which were fantastic.
The private space was of course a luxury in of itself. After three days in coach and then three more days at my friends’ apartment, it was definitely nice to have even just a few cubic meters completely to myself. I did not get much reading done on the return trip, but I did play some games, watch some videos and even get some writing done.
Finally, both trips had some amazing views. While about half of the trip pulls through the western Midwest, from Illinois to North Dakota, partway into Montana the mountains emerge and the remote feeling of where the tracks lie provide incredible views.
Trying Out Before Buying In 