Archive for Author: Vangie Ridgaway

  • Gamer Girlfriend: A Guide to D&D, Part II

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments4

    As with any other game, the first—and often most frustrating—step of playing Dungeons & Dragons is learning all the rules. This is most definitely not an easy task, since D&D rules are a bit more complicated than most other games. Remember in my last article, when I mentioned that the D&D rulebook was a “tome”? This was not, in fact, entirely accurate. The truth is that the D&D rulebook is actually several tomes. Apparently, the official creators of D&D like to revamp the rules every so often, and regularly put out new editions with formal changes and updates. Meanwhile, other people, whose identities I cannot comment upon except to say that they are most definitely not the official creators of D&D, are also putting out their own volumes. For example, the last several campaigns I have played in were based on a book called Pathfinder, which is an unofficial “streamlined” version of the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition Rulebook. But hey, it’s not so bad, right? At least you just have to deal with one book that serves as the bible for your campaign!

  • Gamer Girlfriend: A Guide to D&D, Part I

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments12

    Not all gaming has to be electronic. Over the last year or so, I’ve been making my first forays into table-top gaming, which is another way of saying that, yes, I now know how to play Dungeons and Dragons. Well, kinda. It’s a steep learning curve. When I think of “game rules”, I think of the stapled 4-6 page pamphlets that come with most board games. The D&D rulebook, on the other hand, is a hardbound, 200+ page tome. And that’s only the latest edition.

  • Gamer Girlfriend: An Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments4

    Who would have known that there was such a fine line between "gamer" and "part of the videogame mafia"?

  • Avenue Flo: Special Delivery (PC)

    Reviews Reviews by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments1

    Avenue Flo: Special Delivery falls pretty squarely into what I would term the "Marshmallow Fluff" area of gaming. It's sweet, and relatively insubstantial; enjoyable but not profound. The most success

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    Gamer Girlfriend: Alley Cat 2: Rise of the Ninja Kitty

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments2

    I think they should make a game about my cat. Her life is an adventure unto itself. See, most cats just like to take it easy. Their daily routines involve a lot of sleeping, and lounging, and the occa

  • Gamer Girlfriend: An Obscure Prestige Class, Indeed

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments2

    Well, it’s official: after ten months of planning, organizing, coordinating, arranging, rearranging, and generally unleashing my Bridezilla Fury upon the world, I have finally attained the status of Gamer Wife. Along with the accompanying name changes and the addition of a new ring to the third finger of my left hand, I’ve noticed that the attainment of this obscure prestige class has caused a noticeable shift in how I view myself. Not only am I now the wife of a gamer, I can no longer deny that I myself have some “more-than-casual” gaming tendencies.

  • Gamer Girlfriend: The Gamer and the Matriarch

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments2

    My mother would be appalled. Why, you ask? Well, to tell the truth, it isn't really that important. After all, I'm getting married in seven weeks. There are about a hundred reasons why the Mother of t

  • Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air (PC)

    Reviews Reviews by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments1

    "It all started out as a normal morning..." On the day before her 18th birthday, a young woman named Lyra wakes up to find herself all alone. Surrounded by the empty buildings in what was formerly the

  • Gamer Girlfriend: Thoughts for a Rainy Afternoon

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on Comments2

    It’s weird how things change. I was recently looking back over the archives of "Gamer Girlfriend," which date back to early 2008, and I was surprised to notice a gradual but distinct progression in the way my column has evolved over the years. Originally, it was about the crazy antics and wacky misadventures of Mike, my own dear “Gamer in Residence,” and the trials and tribulations that came from first dating, and then living with him. After a while, it was about my own tentative forays in the gaming world. “Reflections on Grand Theft Auto IV” was followed with a cute story about how I acquired my pink DS and very first game cartridges (Animal Crossing and Cooking Mama). Then came Kingdom Hearts, the first “real” game I ever played by myself. From then on, my column became increasingly focused on the games I was playing, and somewhat less on the games Mike was into.

  • Gamer Girlfriend: Lessons in Gaming

    Columns Columns by Vangie Ridgaway on

    OK, I’ll come out and say this right up front: I realize that it’s been a while. Thus far, our bearded taskmaster has been generous (or maybe just forgetful) enough to overlook the fact that I haven’t contributed a new column since last June.