Return to the World of Minecraft

I slid open the cabinet door that our main family room television sits upon and saw our X-box sitting there in the dark. No one has turned that on in recent memory. My daughter and her friends like to hang out in the basement where we also have a sizeable television, so I thought they may like to play the X-box if I put it down there.

I unhooked it from the family room and moved it to the basement without much fanfare. I thought I might like to see if they notice it down there and do some exploring. The X-box is where my daughters and I would huddle around to play Minecraft several years ago. My kids are older now (college and high school), so I didn’t think Minecraft would appeal to them anymore, but we have other games they and their friends might like to play.

A weird thing happened. I got the system all plugged in, connected to wifi, and updated the system and games. Then I stopped to look at that Minecraft login. A bit about Minecraft. My girls and I have created in Minecraft for roughly 10 years. We goofed around with several different worlds and play styles, but we kept going back to a world called “Dad’s World.” I played countless hours with them and by myself building in my Dad’s World. If you start with the character in the original spawn point and walk in any particular path to the end of the road we built, it takes roughly 40 minutes for that to happen. All along that “paved path” you will encounter dungeons, towers, houses, boat rides, and villages that we all built. They even secretly built a mall to surprise me.

Like opening the wardrobe that leads to Narnia, I clicked on the Minecraft login and returned to “Dad’s World” for another visit. Memories, tasks, locations came rushing back to me, and yes, I have returned as the adventurer and builder that I am. In a matter of two hours of exploration and road building I discovered a villager/pirate village, a ruin with a broken portal, and I found a massive underground cavern while mining for resources. The absolute joy, creativity, and excitement returned. My girls and even my wife, will indulge me and look at some of the things that I have built recently. But, my mind came alive, and I have played many hours this summer. There is no Mr. Tumnus or Winter Queen or Aslan, but it is a magical world that I want to keep visiting. 

Gen Con Days 1 and 2 Reflection

Walking into the hotel room at 11:30 PM with tired feet from miles of walking, sore shoulders from carrying bags of games, and a heart filled with joy from new and old friends laughing, strategizing, and putting all “to the roll of dice” means Gen Con is here, and it is the midway point. A weary body and buzzing mind are in reflection of what I have experienced and in planning what I still want to do. For now, I reflect on my top moments of the first two days of Gen Con 2026.

5. Dungeons and Dragons shares plans:

From the D&D Tower on West Washington Street, company leaders announced Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft, and a revival of the gritty, post-apocalyptic D&D setting Dark Sun. Writer, producer, and actor Joe Manganiello took the stage to announce D&D Icons will bring Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and Luke Gygax back to creating classic settings. R.A. Salvatore brings back the Forgotten Realms hero Drizzt Do Urden. Greyhawk was highlighted in the reveal of Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch Queen, where we will experience the ascent the very famous Tasha. Maybe the biggest reveal, at least the one with the most questions, was made by Darth Vader. He announced a partnership between Dungeons and Dragons and Star Wars in 2027. Vader said nothing more other than to stay tuned.

4. G.I. Joe Operation: Crimson Masquerade:

Friday opened with espionage as I joined a G.I. Joe RPG adventure. Five of us took on the roles of various Joes, as we went undercover to stop an arms dealer at a Metropolitan Art Museum Gala. We discovered Major Bludd was planning to sell state-of-the-art weapons systems to a foreign power. Our GM was awesome at teaching us the mechanics of the game and encouraging a game with serious role-play. Then, he let us set up a very cinematic fight at the end to top off the session. Let’s just say the final battle would be great on screen but was probably even more epic in our imaginations.

3. Dungeon Crawl Classic:

There isn’t much to say beyond this was a simple dungeon crawl of zero-level (basically civilians) characters who are certain to die. Not much story, not much role-play, we simply go in, fight, and try to survive. The laughs and action, with new and old friends at the table, made this a game to remember!

2. The Four Doors:

This may be my favorite game discovery of Gen Con 26! The Four Doors was created by Matt Leacock, Matthew Riddle, and Ben Pinchback. Matt Leacock is known for his very popular game Pandemic. I learned and played this game with four enthusiastic strangers who were fun and ready to play. We worked together to try to keep the evil shadow from closing the four doors of a magical lighthouse. Our job was to collect four sacred treasures to protect the doors, then cast a spell to ignite the lighthouse to stop the sinister shadows. This collaborative game was easy to learn, but we found it challenging to win, which is a good thing!

1. The Stars Come Out:

I had the chance to meet, face-to-face, authors Jim Zub and Stacey King, whom I have interviewed several times on the podcast Teachers in the Dungeon. While waiting in line to see Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, creators of DragonLance, I met Jesse Theiler and Joelle, creators of The Dungeon Cocktail Experience. Then Joe Manganiello stepped in front of me to talk to Margaret and Tracy. I came face to face with Joe’s dog Bubbles, with whom Joe carries everywhere. He turned to say hi to me, and I gave him a hi right back. It was a good afternoon checking the box of “rubbing elbows with celebrities.”

As I finish writing this, I have crossed the midnight hour, sliding into early Saturday morning, which means we have officially passed the halfway mark of Gen Con. I plan to post the top 5 moments of days 3 and 4 on the normal day Seeking Positivity In The Galaxy posts, which is Tuesday, August 4.  

Gen Con 2025: Photo Journal

Grab a set of dice.  Roll them on a table.  Now, imagine 70,000+ sets of dice rolling, add conversation and laughter, and you now have a sense of what Gen Con 2025 might sound like.  So many games, so much food and drink, so many vendors, so much fun!  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this year's Gen Con: 

Balloon Sculpture

Awesome Cosplay: a tired Belle

Barbarian Rage!

A Goblin Grappler!

Someone looking over my shoulder

Badge Line out the door for hours!

Night Settles on Gen Con

Gen Con Friend!

Gen Con 2025: Top 5 Games Played

There is no way that I could even scratch the surface of playing all or even a majority of the games played or demonstrated at Gen Con, but of the games I played, these are my Top 5: 

5.  Starfinder first edition: Paizo

I love the setting for Starfinder and the system works for me. I have played Starfinder every year I have attended Gen Con.  I have always enjoyed the people I have played with in the Paizo ballroom, and even better, the DMs for Starfinder have always  been A+.  When I went to play, I knew what I was getting, and I wasn't disappointed.  

 

4.  Thunder Road Vendetta: Restoration Games

First, lets start by saying the people at Restoration Games are awesome and enthusiastic.  I had three different people demonstrate how three different games were played at this booth, and they all made the demonstration clear and fun.  Thunder Road Vendetta is a raucous game.  One might think you simply drive your three cars to the end of the board first and you win.  Oh, if it were only that simple.  There are hazards, helicopters, and a hell of a good time!  The best part of this game are the domino affects of crashes and hazards.  Play it with friends and be prepared to shake fists, taunt, and laugh.  

3.  Starfinder second edition: Paizo

When you've got something good, you go with it, right?  Well, Paizo isn't sitting back and watching as things change around them.  They released the second edition of Starfinder at Gen Con this year, and I am not disappointed.  Same fun, same general idea, more streamlined, and now is compatible with big brother, Pathfinder.  I am making the switch, sorry first edition.  

2.  Rumble Slam: TTCombat

Sometimes you can have a good game, but the person teaching it makes it a great game.  That was the case for Rumble Slam.  We had a young employee introduce us to this game, and he was awesome.  Is Rumble Slam good?  I have no idea, but the employee made it great!  He called out the moves, did the moves, and played announcer.  It was hilarious and fun.  If I purchase this game or have the opportunity to play it again, I am inspired by the TTCombat employee, and I will totally ham it up with all the good wrestling calls.  P.S. It is a fun game and really easy to figure out.  Have fun with this one! 

1.  Dragon Bane: Free League Press

This game has been out for a couple years, but continues to sell out game play at Gen Con.  I got lucky and one of my friends had an extra ticket, so we went adventuring.  First, as mentioned above in other games, the person teaching/leading a game can sometimes make it great.  That was the case here.  We had a pro DM who connected with the group right away.  We also had a table of eager players wanting to learn the system.  Dragon Bane is a streamlined system with some cool features like on a failed die  roll, you can give yourself temporary conditions like sickly, exhausted, and disheartened for a reroll.  Spells are not recorded with slots, but with a bank of willpower points.  Kinda cool.  It was fairly easy to learn and we played an adventure with a satisfactory ending.  (No Photo, I was having too much fun!)

Games played or demoed at Gen Con: 

Goats and Goblins, Fortune and Famine, Splendor, Earth, Mandalorian Adventures: Clan of Two, Starfinder first edition, Rumble Slam, HardWar, Fortune and Glory: the Cliffhanger Game, Starfinder second edition, Dragon Bane, Bo Jackson: Battle Arena, Thunder Road: Vendetta, First Exposure Play Hall 

Gen Con 2025: Trade Day

Trade Day at Gen Con is one of the most productive of the convention for me.  I get to hang out with my people. Yes, they are gamers, but they are educators, librarians, game publishers, and store owners.  It is the fourth year that I have presented with my colleague and podcast co-creator/host, Dan Reem.  It has been a good outlet for us to share our model for a school game club as well as our RPG Summer Camp.  It isn't just presenting that makes this day worthwhile; however, I get to attend the sessions of other educators and librarians to hear how they are using games in their schools and libraries.  Public librarians share how they use games to increase usage of their resources and build community with games.  

Trade Day also allows everyone the opportunity to talk with vendors on a more one-to-one basis.  I have learned about new games and how they are designed to meet the needs of educators and student learning.  I get to talk game mechanics and the business of game design.  It is a unique opportunity for both parties to talk and share ideas and needs. 

Finally, my favorite part of Trade Day is the evening social after I have enjoyed dinner at the food trucks.  The social is a great time to wind down after learning all day.  It is at the social that I get to socialize with the other educators and librarians.  I also take a good chunk of the time to get game demonstrations and talk about the business side of the game design.  There are also opportunities to play some games that are still in development and on Kickstarter.  This year I got to play a prototype of Goats and Goblins, a fun, competitive card game that involves strategy and luck to win.  

There are less important benefits to participating in Trade Day, but nice conveniences all the more.  First, there aren't long lines to pick up badges.  We walked up to the check-in table, got our badge, and moved on in less than one minute.  We also got to visit the Gen Con store.  This year we had to wait about 45 minutes in line, but that is nothing compared to the hour to hour and a half lines during the convention.  Finally, we get to walk around the Indiana Convention Center.  The vendor and play halls are closed, but we get to look around the long corridors where the signage is already up.  At the end of a long Trade Day, this walk got me pumped up for four days of convention fun.  

Trade day is a great opportunity for learning and networking.  Trade Day is also a great way to acclimate to the next four Gen Con days ahead.  If you are a librarian, educator, game developer, or game store owner, I highly recommend attending this day. 

Dungeon Crawl Classic: A Wild Time!

Our monthly D&D group had to take a hiatus as our DM, was unavailable.  Not a big deal, it happens.  We normally just pull out some board games or just take the month off.  Not this month!  

One of our players has been running a Dungeon Crawl Classics game in our school game club and thought it might be fun for our group to give DCC a try.  We were all up for it, so when Friday night came craziness ensued.  

For those who aren't familiar with Dungeon Crawl Classics, it is, as the name implies, a straight-on dungeon crawl.  What does that look like?  Move into a room, fight, investigate and move on.  That may be simplifying it a bit, but actually, probably not.  One thing that didn't take long getting used to was character death.  All of the characters start at zero level.  We were playing ordinary townsfolk like Squire, Rutabega Farmer, Hunter, Cheesemaker, Locksmith, and our favorite Gongfarmer.  There are many more, but the point being these characters are regular people so hit points and bonuses are quite low.  The max hit points on any character was 4 and the fewest was 1.  They all might as well have been one, because almost any hit was a death.  

Marc our game judge (that is what they call the Dungeon Master in DCC) handed out four characters for us to start with.  I knew things were going to be a little crazy when I saw that the stack of pre-made characters was quite large.  Marc gave us a bit of a preview for the game and we were off.  The first room we examined had some statues that we all investigated and a negative energy field of some sort killed off about 6 characters, two of them mine.  Great start!  The night went fast as we got the hang of fight, investigate, survive, move on.  We also got used to character death.  I was the worst about it as I lost my original four pretty quickly.  I drew two more characters...lost them.  Then I drew two more and one of those survived the end.  A couple players, Paul and Nate, managed to keep an original character to the end.  Careful, they were, or maybe they were just lucky.  

I think what made this so fun is that we were playing with a group that has been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a few years and we caught on to what each other was doing pretty quickly.  The other aspect to the fun was, even thought it was kill or be killed and characters didn't last long, we still tried to build in some role play.  This is when things got crazy.  You could have some fun with the personalities of the characters

because you knew the likelihood of them hanging around was pretty slim.  So, why not have a little fun?  Olfana the Rutabega Farmer just wanted to get back to her plants, while Grave Digger, Bob Shovelsmith, was excited at the job security the group was creating for him.  These conversations teetered on the ridiculous, but on a Friday night hanging out with friends, why not let loose?  Dungeon Crawl Classics did just that.  

Fantasy Baseball: June 1 Update

The Major League Baseball season is in full swing!  It is June 1, and it seems like a good time, being 1/3 of the way into the season, to do a Fantasy Baseball check-in.  If you missed the opening post from April 11, check it out here.  That the Kid's manager's thoughts at the top of the season and a look at the team as it was drafted.  

Here is the roster of The Coca Cola Kids on June 1: 

C: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

1B: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

2B: Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies

3B: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

SS: Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays

OF: Nick Castellanos, Cincinatti Reds

OF: Trey Mancini Baltimore Orioles

OF: Nick Solak, Texas Rangers

Utility: Javy Baez, Chicago Cubs

SP: Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox

SP: Nick Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox

SP: Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers

SP: Michael Pineda, Minnesota Twins

RP: Yimi Garcia, Miami Marlins

RP: Alex Reyes, St. Louis Cardinals

P: Giovanny Gallegos, St. Louis Cardinals

P: Tejay Antone, Cincinatti Reds

Bench: Adalberto Mondesi, SS Royals; Josh Rojas, 2B, SS, OF Diamondbacks; Brian Reynolds, OF Pirates; Gavin Lux, 2B, SS Dodgers; Luis Garcia, SP Astros; Diego Castillo, P Rays; Michael Kopech P, White Sox.

Injured List: Luis Robert, OF White Sox; KeBryan Hayes 3B, Pirates; Ryan Jeffers, C Twins.

The Coca Cola Kids have taken their beatings early in the season, but as the weather is heating up so are the Kids.  Just 2 weeks ago, the Kids were sitting in 9th place several games under the .500 mark thinking it would be time to start looking at buyers for some draft picks next year, but then the hitting and pitching have come around.  The team is really coming together.

An early-season trade giving up Ketel Marte and Michael Kopech for Ryan McMahon and Eddie Rosario, worked out well as Marte is on the DL, Kopech was dropped by the team picked back up by the Kids.  Kopech is a nice back-up on the bench and Ryan McMahon took the starting 2B position and  hit really well in May!  The Kids did pick up Nick Solak and a hot-hitting Gavin Lux as bench back-up  if McMahon cools off or there are injuries. 

The Kids also picked up Trey Mancini off the waiver wire early in May and dropped Ian Happ who is difficulty finding his stroke from last season.  Mancini has been the hottest hitter on an Orioles team who is having a hard time winning games this season.  

The Injured List has been tough on the Kids this season with Jose Abreu, Buster Posey, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez all hitting the Day-to-Day status or 10-day injured list.  Mondesi, second-round pick, Luis Robert, and keeper from last season Ke'Bryan Hayes have been out almost the entire season.  Mondesi just came off the list on May 31. 

As of June 1, the Kids currently sit in 6th place overall in the league and 3rd place in their division.  They have managed to bring their record above .500 with a record of 75-69-16.  They are 8.5 games out of first place.  The last two weeks they won their match-ups 11-5-4 and 13-6 respectively against current 9th and 5th place teams.  The first week of June the Kids face off against the current 4th place team.  This will be a good test, and the Kids manager will be looking to see where the team is deficient against upper-tier teams.  Stay tuned for another Fantasy Baseball update in July.