Monday, June 23, 2008

I Don't Want to Have Kids, Is That So Wrong?

I'm at the stage that I don't think I want to have kids. It's partly for selfish reaons and partly moral objection. Although kids are cute and adorable, they can really get ugly and annoying when they don't do as they're told. It's not their fault; they cannot grasp the concept "schedules" or the "needs of others". They concern themselves with one thing only: themselves.

Now a lot of you might think that my particular line of thinking is crude and one-sided. You would be right about that. I don't make claims of being a saint so you don't need to get out of your seat and hold a prayer rally. I'm honest, which is something most people in this day and age need to be more.

What I am not is in that state of mind where I am willing to put my needs on hold for someone else 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I don't have the patience to indulge on someone else's whims or stupidity. Most of all, I do not have the moral ground to tell anyone what is right or wrong.

Because that's what parents are (or should be). So that means that if you have to put a hold on replacing your old pair of shoes so you can pay for your child's tuition and other ridiculously expensive fees for kindergarten, then so be it. If you have to repeat the answer to the question of "Why can't I go out with my friends?" one more time without screaming, then good for you. And if you have to explain why a child should wait for the right time and way to have sex without being reminded of your own mistakes, then congratulations! You're ready to become a parent.

But if you have even one iota of doubt that you can do just one of those things. If you don't think you're ready or if you feel you wouldn't make a good parent, then don't be a parent. I don't know if there's a government in the world who doesn't require you get a license before you're allowed to drive. So why aren't parents regulated the same way? Can you think of any other role that has a more significant effect on a human life than that of a parent?

Sunday, June 22, 2008

As Promised...

As promised, I am writing a game log of the recent session we had playing Amber. This is in part to make sure I don't get penalized for extra points I received in the game during character to creation. So, what is Amber, you ask?

As I mentioned, Amber is a role-playing game based on a series called Chronicles of Amber. The players take the roles of immortals called Amberites, beings with god-like abilities. In their quest for amusement, they visit Shadow Worlds which are a lot like parallel universes where anything and everything is possible. They are called Shadows because they are considered "partly" real to the world of Amber and not because they are "dark" of "evil".

What sets apart Amber the role-playing game is that it is a dice-less game. If you are a long-time RPGer, your eyebrows would be cocked right now. Afterall, all games have a randomizer which makes things more or less equal to all players, be it dice or cards or a roulette of sorts. Amber pretty much works on the idea that anything is possible. It's basically up to the Storyteller/Gamesmaster to tell you what can or cannot happen, which means that the game is for "mature" gamers.

With the setting malleable, you could pretty much play in whatever time or place you want, be it fact or fiction. In our game session, we went through detective pulp-fiction era, WWII England, Tolkienese Middle-Earth, the Matrix Universe and Star Wars.

Sam's character, Amaryllis, finds herself the target of a fugitive allied with Chaos. She is framed for murder in a Shadow world and is forced to escape and find her nemesis. The King of Amber hears of it and sends her two cousins Braxis (my character and Mathrim (Urim's character) to find out what has happened.

We follow her trail from her Shadow world of 1930's pulp-fiction to Rivendale just before the Council convenes to decide the fate of the One ring. They find the rulers of Narnia and Aslan there as well, seeking the White Witch who has escaped into Middle-Earth. Finally deciding to bring the One Ring to Mount Doom and investigating the rumors of an alliance of Fire and Ice, the group heads towards the mines of Moria. Ambushed by goblins, they fight their way to a fork where the Fellowship and the Amberites must continue on different paths.

The Amberites, finding their quarry, follow him to the world of the Matrix where the two factions seem to be capable of a crude version of travelling between worlds, though limited only to their own. They also discover that he seems to be baiting them, appearing just long enough for them to follow him. Sensing that he is allied with the agents, the three throw their lot with Morpheus and his crew. Battle ensues between the Agents and the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar during a recruitment of trained assassins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Again, the fugitive makes an appearance and goads the Amberites to another world where they find themselves in a pitched battle between Jedi and Droids in a fire-stoked world of volcanoes and earthquakes. Cornering their fugitive, Braxis challenges him to a duel and subdues him. He is revealed to be Gerald, a member of the Royal line of Amber and a relative of the three.

Gerald explains that he had goaded them to chase after him in an attempt for them to experience adventures in the Shadow worlds. The trump he had given to Amaryllis earlier recorded the entire endeavor. He planned to give the gift to Fiona who was celebrating her birthday. After all, what better gift to give an immortal than a souvenir of one's adventures in the Shadow world.