Halloween Shopping Tips

HALLOWEEN IS COMING: ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUN?
By Toni Weri

Halloween is just weeks away! Do you know what you are dressing up as?

IN PERSON SHOPPING

For those of you that are looking for local stores, in Ottawa, Audrey’s Costume Castle is my go-to for everything. They have various kinds of make-up, wigs, costumes and accessories all year round. They can even order pieces in for you as long as you give about 1-3 weeks for the order to come in. 

For you do-it-yourself folks, Value Village is a great place to find pieces of clothing or fabric you can sew and alter. For example, I once used a vintage looking curtain to make a fun steampunk skirt. No one could tell it was once a curtain AND it only cost me $5.00 for the curtain panel.

Malabar is another costume store in Ottawa (and Toronto). A bit pricey, but another stop to add to the list. I normally venture there to grab my makeup supplies and various accessories. The staff there are friendly and know their products well. 

ONLINE SHOPPING

For those of you that shop for wigs or corsets on eBay, my go-to stores are:

Cosplay Anime Wigs

Wedding Checklist (Please Note: These corsets will probably last about 5-6 wears, hence the price.)

In my experience, ordering a costume from Spirit Halloween has been troublesome. The site offers quite a few neat “online only” costumes, but I would be weary of the quality of the costume. Make sure you read the customer reviews and give about a month for the order to come in unless you pay the expedited shipping fee.

For some fun makeup tips and ideas, I found this link helpful and entertaining.

Have a fun and geek-tacular Halloween!

Toni Weri is a freelance artist and a proud member of the Rebel Legion. She is a geek of all trades, but her forte lies with anime, costuming, video games and Sci-Fi


You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @ TONIGEEKGIRL

Resource Management Games: An Introduction

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GAMES: AN INTRODUCTION
By Tracy Thillmann

When you think back to your childhood, remembering all those fond moments of dice rattling in a cup, arguing with siblings over who wins because they have the most money, or puzzling out what your dad is drawing when all it looks like is a demented duck in a tutu.

So Many!

Fast forward a decade or two; you have decided to try out board games again. So you walk into the local game store, and are dumbstruck by the sheer volume of choice. Dice, deck building, cooperative, zombies, dungeon crawls, and then most daunting of all… the worker placement/resource management (WP/RM) strategy games.

The WP/RM games are by far my favourite games, despite the fact that learning them sometimes make me feel like I have had a two hour brain freeze. Yet don’t let that stop you. From Settlers of Catan to The Village, or Lords of Waterdeep to Noblemen, there is a game for any level of play experience.

*hands of the audience snap up into the air*

“What is a WP/RM game?”

“There are so many, where do I begin?”

“How many…?”

“What about…?”

Don’t worry; by the end of this article, you should be ready to tackle the, often daunting, WP/RM strategy genre.

So where to begin… 

DEFINITION 

A WP/RM game is a strategic, competitive style game. They often involve Meeples (little wooden people, or even little wooden animals, food shapes, ships, and so many more), as well as cubes representing gems/elements/minerals/etc. And who doesn’t love Meeples.

MEEPLES!

Traditionally they are played over a defined number of rounds, or until a goal is met. In Noblemen the game plays over three decades, Lords of Waterdeep is over eight rounds, Hermagor is when you have no more action tiles, and the list goes on.

PLAYERS

So what if you are a couple who often have to play just the two of you, or you are a big family trying to find a game for everyone? Strategy WP/RM games are great for groups of most sizes.  Most are traditionally designed for 2-5, where some play, with expansions, up to 6 players; and some even have solo options. Traditional age range is usually 12+ but some allow for younger players to catch on quickly.

With so many fantastic games coming out every year, the hardest decision is where to begin. Even an experienced gamer can open up a new game that was thought to be a nice, easy strategy game and sees that the rule book is a small novella. The size of the box, the art, the description can all be deceiving. A hard game looks easy or vice versa. I have yet to find an easy way to tell one from another until I start to play; now to be fair I thrive on the heavy brain hurt games. As a teacher of games at a local lounge I have begun to compile a list of beginner, intermediate and advanced list; which I will post at the end of the article. When in doubt, just ask a friend who plays them, or an online group/page; and if by chance you pick a heavier than expected game, there are so many great walkthrough videos that I have used many times to help figure out those sometimes-not-so-clear rulebooks.

STRATEGY

The biggest strategy to a strategy game; don’t take on too much. Often there are more action/play options than there are action turns. You often want to try to do everything to try to gain more points. You usually spread yourself too thin, and actually make a lot less points than focusing on one or two parts in the game. This gives the games lots of playability, because next time around you can try a different strategy, and then a third, and so on. Mix it up; get out of your comfort zone.

The WP/RM style of game has a sea of choices, and so many play mechanics that one article can’t do them justice. All I would say is don’t be daunted by them. Read the rule book, take your time to learn, and have snacks at hand.

The artwork for these games is always so beautiful and unique to the theme.

AS PROMISED: THE LIST

Beginner Games: Settlers of Catan (a great gateway game; and most gamers have played it so you can probably find someone who has a copy), Stone Age, Lords of Waterdeep (D&D based), Pillars of the Earth.

Intermediate: Belfort (made in Canada), Helios, Agricola (many would argue it is an advanced game but the base play is quite quick to catch onto), Valdora.

Advanced: Noblemen, Archipelago, T’Zolkin, Hermagor, Dungeon Lords (you get to be evil dungeon lord fighting off the dungeon crawling adventurers), Glass Road.

Hurt your Brain Hard: Keyflower, Troyes, De. Vulgari Eloquentia, Terra Mystica, Caverna.

.. And my favourite you ask? Hands down, it is The Village. You use time as payment to kill off your people to gain more victory points. It is a strange mechanic, so technically makes it an advanced game, but the strategy itself is more intermediate in level.

No matter your likes, the WP/RM strategy game genre is so varied you will probably find something in a style/genre you enjoy. So go ahead, grab some Meeples and just have fun

Married, with four fur babies, Tracy has recently rediscovered her love of board games, and has acquired a wonderful collection. Being new to writing, it is just one more newly discovered world she is exploring. At the age of 37, Tracy now proudly shows off her geekiness, through her love of crafting and creating; well, at least until she defeats Ganon with the master sword, she finds the blue crystal staff, or the TARDIS shows up on her front doorstep.

School Lunches for Geeky Kids

MAKING LUNCH FUN – HOW TO PUT A LITTLE GEEK INTO KIDS LUNCHES

By Sandi Moser

It’s back-to-school time again. This year will be a bit different for our family – my youngest will finally be going to school full-time. He’s over-the-moon excited, which is catchy, but my husband and I can’t help but groan when thinking about the extra lunches and snacks we’ll have to start packing. We’ve had a bit of experience (my daughter is entering grade 3), but adding that extra lunch bag to the mix has put a bit of a drag on the upcoming return to school.

In an effort to inject some excitement into the lunch-making tedium, I went on a mission to find some new, fun, and (because it’s me) geeky snack and lunch ideas. 

Surprisingly, searching online for ideas wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be. Most searches brought me to links to articles about the importance of healthy school lunches, or to message boards asking questions about what geeks are eating these days while playing computer games (your typical Doritos and Fritos made those lists – I guess they’re not reading the previously-mentioned healthy-snack articles). 

What finally did the trick for finding appropriate school ideas was searching for a particular theme. For example, searching for “Star Wars school lunch ideas” brought me to a blog by Wendy Copely, author of Everyday Bento: 50 Cute and Yummy Lunches To Go, showcasing the different ways you can use Star Wars cookie cutters (to cut sandwiches, quesadillas, and even cheese slices) and lightsabre picks to infuse some fun into lunch: http://wendolonia.com/blog/2013/05/02/star-wars-lunch-ideas-for-your-little-jedi/. 

The Wendolonia blog brought me to even more Star Wars ideas, including this awesome lunch, with a Princess Leia cheese sandwich with almond butter and jam sandwich hair “buns”: http://www.veggie-bento.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/may-the-fourth-lunch.jpg. While making Princess Leia sandwiches probably takes a bit more time than I’m willing to commit, turning pretzel sticks into lightsabres is definitely a possibility.

Here are a few of my favourite finds. With luck, they’ll help make us all excited for lunch-making time, and won’t result in too many Pinterest fails!

Superhero lunch (http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/back-school-superhero-lunch-box/) – I especially love the idea of using a toothpick to write into the peel of the banana, which will brown up by morning. I can think of many possibilities for that trick!

Minecraft lunch (http://www.bentonbetterlunches.com/2013/04/thriftee-gear-review-minecraft-lunch.html) – I have to admit, when my daughter talks to me about Minecraft, I feel like I have the same expression on my face as my parents did when I tried to explain how to program the timer of our VCR. But, the sandwich looks easy to make, and gives new life to simple squares of cheese.

Dragon lunch (http://www.bentonbetterlunches.com/2013/09/how-to-train-your-dragon.html) – Most of the dragon-inspired things in this lunch come from rings that decorate cupcakes at the grocery store. The idea I really liked on this page, however, was the egg. I make hardboiled eggs every week for my own snacks, but it can be made so much more fun and kid-friendly by cracking it, then soaking it in water and food colouring.  

Don’t forget to get the kids involved in making lunch. With some of these ideas, lunch-making will become an enjoyable game instead of a chore!

Sandi is a 30-something environmental engineer and mother of two from the metropolis of Stittsville, Ontario. Writing for Capital Geek Girls is a new adventure for her, with previous writing experience limited to technical documents, briefing notes and Facebook updates. In her spare time, Sandi enjoys playing board games and video games, reading books, watching movies, and crocheting. She looks forward to sharing her geeky endeavours with you, as well as reporting on the next generation’s response to those endeavours.

Writing the Geek Novel: Part Two

WRITING THE GEEK NOVEL PART TWO: ENVIRONMENT

Hello fellow Geek Writers! As you may recall, last month we covered creating your characters for your novel. Today we will work on environment.

Now before you get all excited about your newly created world, I need to stress that your world is NOT more important than your story.  As cool as you can make your world, whatever wonderful things it has, including purple unicorns that grant wishes but steal your fingers, is not your story.  Your story should be able to be told anywhere, regardless of the world. That being said, let's have some fun:

WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS IT?

Is it completely different than ours, like Middle Earth? Or is it our world, but different, like Hogwarts?  The cool thing about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that it's our world in the 'now'. Nothing is different. Except people have crazy powers and can blow things up with their brains or things shooting out of their brains. Or arms.  Is it different place but can be accessed, like through a wardrobe or a portal?  

WHEN DOES THIS STORY TAKE PLACE?

If you're looking at medieval times, you need to get the facts down of how they lived and what they wore. If you're looking for a 'Noir' novel, make sure you get the type of gun and bullets down pat. If it's the future - utopian, dystopian -  how did that happen? Also, dystopia is very crowded right now. You might want to give it a few years and try again later. 

WHAT DOES THE WORLD SAY ABOUT YOUR PROTAGONIST?

Does it change who they are/become?  The character's history up to this very point, will affect the created world.  How does this world challenge your characters? How does your protagonist view the world?  Look for internal and external obstacles. Frodo was challenged in leaving the Shire.  And then every bloody thing created in Middle Earth tried to kill him. 

HOW DOES YOUR WORLD WORK?

The rules of magic, the rules of punishment, the rules of leaders, the rules of logic, gravity, time-travel, space speed and mind-reading.  You need to be very firm on your created rules and do NOT change them.  Because then your reader will accuse you of 'copping-out' and throw the book across the room.  Do not preach or  spend too much time directly comparing your world to the real world. Your job is to make the readers come away satisfied, and maybe appreciate their own surroundings just a little bit more. 

Next time we will cover plot. Happy writing!

Jenn Kelly is a writer is on hiatus because she's discovering the world of board games.

Magic: The Gathering For Playing With Friends!

by Marla Desat

MAGIC: THE GATHERING GAME FORMATS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS

Never played Magic: The Gathering before? Check out Angela Hartwick's A Beginner's Guide to Magic: The Gathering!

If you're like me, your collection of Magic: The Gathering cards is a mismatch of half-starts, fleeting infatuations with Blue-Green decks, and years of telling myself, "This year is the year that I'll really get back into Magic!" Instead of fussing over whether or not your dusty old deck is legal for sanctioned play, here are three great ways to break out the game with friends!

STAR FREE-FOR-ALL

If you have a big collection of cards, getting together to construct decks and pit your brand new burn deck against your best friend's experimental Squirrel onslaught is a ton of fun. If you have exactly five players, the Star method is a great way to add a bit of structure to the free-for-all format. Each player picks a single Magic colour and builds a 60-card deck using only that colour. Each colour has two allied colours and two enemy colours (see the chart).  Players can attack any other player at the table, and players win when both their enemy colours lose. Allied victories are also possible. For example, if White and Black are eliminated, and then Blue is removed from the game, Red and Green win simultaneously.

BOOSTER DRAFT TOURNAMENT

If you don't have a large collection of cards, but you do have a few friends and about $15 each, a booster draft is a great way to have a tournament among friends. You will need at least four people and three Magic: The Gathering booster packs for each player. Use boosters from the same set if you can. To start the draft, each player opens a booster pack and secretly selects one card from it, and then passes the pack to their left. The pack continues around the table with each player selecting a card and then passing it on. Once all the boosters are empty, the players repeat their process with the second and third booster packs. Players pass the second booster pack to the right, and pass the third to the left. After drafting all three booster packs, players can freely add as many basic lands as they like. After adding lands, each player must have a deck of at least 40 cards. Once everyone has a deck, each pair of players plays a best two out of three match. The winners of those matches play the other winners, until only two players remain to battle in the final match.

PACK WARS

Also known as Mini-Master, Pack Wars is the quickest game of Magic I know. Simply grab a friend and a booster pack for each of you (or randomly draw 15 cards from your collection). Open the packs without looking at the cards, and add in three of each basic land. Shuffle, and enjoy the chaos! Play a game of Magic just like normal with your 30-card mystery decks. Pack Wars is one of the most joyful ways I know to open a fresh booster pack, and it's the quickest way to play out of a box of neglected cards just begging to be taken off a shelf.

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat.

Writing the Geek Novel: A Multi Part Series

WRITING THE 'GEEK' NOVEL  PART ONE: CHARACTERS

by Jenn Kelly

There are way too many books written on how to write a novel/story.  I should know ... I own about twenty of them.  But I have created my own cheat-sheet and am willing to share with you, my fellow geek writers. So let's do it, my way. The first thing you need when creating a story is...

PROTAGONIST: 

You remember this big word from school - the hero.  Who is your main character?  Write out her entire description.  Looks, age, shoe size, height, eye colour, favourite foods/books/hang-outs/gun.  Where does she live? Write everything out about her so that you know exactly what she looks like.  Now write out three strengths that she has. Is she scientifically brilliant a la Jemma Simmons? Is she a butt-kicking ninja a la Melinda May?  Is she a devious hacker a la Skye? I'm choosing characters from 'Agents of Shield' because they are perfectly contrasting characters and they make up all the generalizations of characteristics usually used in novels. Plus it's an awesome show.  While choosing your three strengths, you need to be imaginative as possible.  Maybe your ninja makes a mean spaghetti.  What does cooking have to do with ninja-fighting? Nothing. But it makes your ninja more relatable to the reader, because now the spaghetti-makers believe that they can be ninjas too. Dream big here. And feel free to steal ideas from other characters that you admire. In fact, what are three things do you love about yourself?

Next are your protagonist's three weaknesses. Now for this, I want you to be as mean as possible.  Pretend you don't like the hero and you want them to fail. Yes, you can pick something cute, like they're clumsy, but honestly, it is so overdone and so typical and YOU are going to change the world with your writing, so focus on being different.  An example for your brilliant scientist is that you can make them greedy.  Greedy for selfish reasons, not 'Robin Hood' reasons.  Why are you doing this? Because NO ONE wants to read about a perfect hero. They're annoying and we cannot possible ascertain a lifestyle like theirs.  And we all have big Uglies in the closet that we hide, so why not air out your hero's? Uglies make the reader sympathetic, and THAT will sell your story. (In case you didn't catch that, Uglies mean the awful parts to your personality)

ANTAGONIST:  

Ah, yes. The Villain.  Write out everything, just like with your hero. Be as descriptive as possible. Now give your villain three strengths and make them so amazing, that your villain will probably win.  And now the weaknesses.  But use your imagination.  Don't worry about plot yet, we'll get to that soon.

Other characters to sketch out: the SIDEKICK (Hero's best friend), WISE MAN (who the Hero gets answers from -this could be a computer), MOM (who loves and cares for the Hero? Are her parents dead?), LOVE INTEREST (self-explanatory) and RULER (who makes the rules - government/police/employment/planet).

Now print it all off and put it up on your wall so you can see it.  Writers are usually visually stimulated, so keep it where you always see it. Change when and where you need to.

I confess to you that my walls are covered in yellow post-it notes of ideas and scribbles.

Happy writing! Next time we will cover, the ENVIRONMENT.

 Jenn Kelly is a published author who is learning the girl geek-dom.  You can visit her webpage that she is supposed to update, but never does. http://www.jennkelly.com/ Um...that's all.

Cosplay No-No's: Three Big Tips for Con Season and Beyond

COSPLAY ADVICE: HELPFUL TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR COSPLAY EXPERIENCE MAGICAL

By Toni Weri

As a cosplayer, it’s a fun challenge trying to be as accurate to the character you are portraying as possible.  There are different things that can enhance your costume, like contact lenses or makeup for example, but there are also things that can take away from it as well.  Here are three cosplay no-no's to keep in mind.

NO-NO #1: WIGGING OUT

Your sewn or store bought costume can look amazing, but I find that details, such as the wig/hair can make a difference. To truly capture the essence of a character, you have to go that one extra step further. Either finding a great wig or style your hair to match your costume will increase your transformation into your favourite character. Try to avoid buying cheap wigs from big-box stores. If you have puffy or thick hair, taking the time to put on a wig cap to keep your hair under the wig will keep it from peeking out of your wig.

Photo taken by Megan Leduc 

               Cosplayer: Kudrel (https://www.facebook.com/KudrelCosplayer)

NO-NO #2: UNPLANNED POSING

As silly as this may sound, practice posing in front of a mirror. You’re going to get pictures taken of you in costume by event goers because, hey, you are totally rocking your costume! The depiction of your costumed character might have been captured well in-person, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Take 5 minutes to search for reference pictures of your character. Try to mimic a pose, a facial expression or a combo of both! Cosplayers need to avoid the “deer in the headlights” look. If your character is supposed be gallant warrior, then puff out that chest, lift up that head and give that camera a confident smirk.  

Photo taken by Corey Graham

             Cosplayer:  ÁLI (https://www.facebook.com/UniverseofALI)

NO-NO #3: CONTINUITY OVER SECURITY

If you are going to cosplay, do not put your wallet or anything important in the pocket of your costume, unless it is secured in some manner. Time and time again I have heard sad tales of cosplayers losing their badges, wallets, hotel key cards etc… because they stuffed it into their costume pockets. These items are lost while posing for pictures, going to the bathroom or by just getting into character and running around. Keep a bag with you, or have a trusted sidekick carry a secure bag while you are at an event.  Cosplaying is fun, but losing spending money you saved up for your convention weekend can ruin the experience for you.

Toni Weri is a freelance artist and a proud member of the Rebel Legion. She is a geek of all trades, but her forte lies with anime, costuming, video games and Sci-Fi.

You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @ TONIGEEKGIRL

March Break Geek-Activities for Your Little Monsters

by Jenn Kelly

MARCH BREAK GEEK ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR LITTLE MONSTERS

Notwithstanding your usual routes of checking out the local libraries, museums, newspaper, bookstores, movie theatres and March Break Camps, here are five ideas (I was only allowed to write about five) that can entertain your little monster so you don't pull out your hair or begin drinking.

1- Cosplay.  Little Monsters love make-believe.  And it is so much more fun when you can make-believe with a costume.  Remember when you were a little monster yourself?  Look deep into your closet, check the internet and help them make costumes. But remember, let them be in charge. And guess what? Darth Vader is totally allowed to wear a pink tutu. And then you re-enact scenes from movies or books.  Be sure to participate.  Your little monsters will love you for it. And how precious would it be to video it?

 This is my little monster and his garbage pail R2-D2 costume.

2- Create Your Own Comic Strip.  This will involve some printer paper, a ruler and a thin black marker.  Sketch out an empty comic strip.  Let the kids draw in their own characters, create a story and then colour it.  If your child is stuck for ideas, offer them a scenario. "Hey, what if Batman broke both legs falling out of a helicopter and the alligators are going to eat him and only Wonder Woman can save him, but she's mad at him?" Even better if you can help them create their own characters. My child has created an amazing character called 'Ninja Abby' and I adore her.  Try looking here for more ideas.

3- Make Your Own Movie!  This is a lot of fun. If you are privy to a tablet, you can download the Lego App for making still-shot movies. So the idea is that your little monsters can pull out all their Lego, set up a scene, and shoot a movie. Then they get to play it back with effects and music and sounds. And if the snapshot movie making is too time-consuming, you can download many 'video' apps and then boot it up into YouTube. Just make sure it's private.  It is ridiculously cool, and eats up a lot of time for those important phone calls and emails you have to respond to.

4- Grow A Garden. Of course I put this in. There is nothing wrong with getting your child excited about planting sunflower seeds or even sprouts.  Cut up the cups from your egg package, fill it with moist soil and plant a seed. Create markers for them.  There is nothing more fun than digging your fingers into cold, moist dirt and slapping it around, making mud. And the smell is the smell of springtime.  And it teaches them how the seed cracks and germinates, the little endosperm grows, the cells duplicate rapidly, the first leaves pop out and if they turn yellow it means they don't have enough nitrogen, and purple means they need potassium... I'll stop here.

5- Make Harry Potter's Wand! Found on Pinterest of course. This super-cool tutorial encourages you to use the glue-gun! Which if you don't have, you can purchase at Michael's for about 3$. Don't forget the costumes!

I want to encourage you parents, care-givers, and relatives, that March Break doesn't have to be stressful for you, or for your little monsters.  This is a precious time where you can be a kid too and just come down to their level and play.  Pay attention to them, talk to them, play with them. Because this time will fly by and you will miss it when you're older.

Jenn Kelly is a published author who is learning the girl geek-dom.  You can visit her webpage that she is supposed to update, but never does. http://www.jennkelly.com/ Um...that's all.

Courtney's Cosplay Confession: Day 1

Day 1: HOW I GOT INTO THIS

I was at the Comic Book Shoppe working on some Capital Geek Girls  stuff with editor/founder Jordan and writers MJ and Jenn.  The topic of cosplay harassment and Cosplay is not Consent came up and I admitted that I had a cosplay I wanted to try, but was scared of the comments I would get.

As some of you may have noticed from my bio, writer’s card, or if you’ve met me in person, I absolutely adore the show Torchwood. It has become one of my go to comfort programming options and I am likely to recommend it at any opportunity. Did I mention my laptop is named Toshiko? Since last year’s Comiccon I’ve thought about what I would cosplay as, if I could, and one character’s name pops into my head more than any other: Gwen Cooper. A former police constable who finds herself chasing aliens with Captain Jack Harkness while trying to hold together some semblance of a normal life with her in-the-dark-for-his-own-good partner Rhys. Gwen’s not the most popular person in Torchwood fandom but I’ve always found something in her story that spoke to me. I also happen to adore the actress that portrays her, Eve Myles.  A butt-kicking brunette with great style who personally inspires me? Why wouldn’t I cosplay  as her?

Because Gwen Cooper looks like this: 

And I look like this: 

This is where that lovely little voice in my head comes to remind me that I’m not going to look like Gwen because unless I go on The Biggest Loser until Comiccon I am not going to magically shrink in half. I see every negative comment I have ever read on a cosplay review board or Facebook group flash before my eyes. If I can’t find a screen accurate biker jacket with zipped pockets in a size 22/24 why should I bother?  If I’m not going to “do it right” should I do it at all? 

According to my fellow CGG’s the answer to that question is a resounding Yes.  With their help, and probably a good dose of caffeine from time to time,  I’m going to attempt to leave my baggage behind and rock this Comiccon, Cardiff-style.

  

66 Days to Go.

[Editor's note: I think Courtney is amazing. The idea that she would have held off trying out cosplay based on snarky comments hurts my heart. I am super excited to support her on this adventure, and I hope you all will, too. -Jordan]

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.

A Beginner's Guide to Magic: The Gathering

by Angela Hartwick

THE BASICS OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Even if you’ve never personally tapped a land for mana, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of the card game “Magic: the Gathering”. First released in 1994, Magic has stood the test of time as both a fun and strategic game that continues to attract players with its high level of customization and widespread network of both casual and competitive gameplay opportunities.

While you’ll certainly want to spend some time practicing at the kitchen table, joining in an organized event can be a lot of fun! My first foray into organized tournament play was four years ago when I attended a “Friday Night Magic” event at the Place d’Orleans mall. There were only about eight other players and they were roughly the age group of Doogie Howser...which did a lot to calm my nerves. Over the years I’ve attended many more local Magic events (usually with a mostly adult crowd) and, sadly, I’ve yet to see more than four women at any event (with the exception of those run by the Ottawa Ladies’ MTG Society).

Magic is certainly a complex game, but like most good games the fundamentals are actually pretty simple. Here is a summary of how the game works:

Each player has a deck of cards and 20 life points. Your mission is to use your cards to bring your opponent to 0 life (or in rare cases, to run them out of cards).

At the beginning of your turn, you draw a card and may play one land card:

The five basic land types

Lands provide “mana” - which is what you need to cast spells - and come in five colours: red, green, black, blue, white.

The most common thing you will use your mana for is to play creatures, which can be used to attack your opponent or to protect you from their creatures by “blocking”. The two numbers in the bottom right hand corner indicate the creature’s power (how much damage it deals) and toughness (how much damage it can take before it dies).

Lovisa Coldeyes is one of the fiercest-looking (and most fully clad) female characters

Other types of spells include artifacts, enchantments, instants, and sorceries, which can do things like directly injure your opponent, kill opposing creatures, and increase the power of your own creatures.

And that’s basically it! You take turns drawing cards, playing lands, and casting spells until one of you deals the final blow and declares victory.

Would you like to learn more? “Duels of the Planeswalkers” is a decent online version of the game with easy-to-use tutorials and is available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, iPad, or your Android tablet. If you prefer to play face to face, contact the Comic Book Shoppe or check the event schedules of our local comic book stores as many offer several M:tG events per week.

Angela is a 30-something year old mom of three kids - a baby, a school-aged kid and a teenager – and a furbaby, living in Orleans with her geek soul mate husband. She studied English Literature and Social Work but took an unexpected turn somewhere and ended up working as a policy analyst for the feds. Hobbies include reading, playing boardgames and Magic: the Gathering, cooking healthy foods, blogging, and discussing favourite tv shows and movies. She is the proud organizer of the Ottawa Geek Social Club, which strives to provide meetup opportunities that reflect the many facets of geekdom and beyond! www.ogsc.ca.