I recently heard the news that Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting due to illness. He now suffers from Aphasia. Aphasia is a disease that affects a person’s ability to speak and understand language.
This news makes me sad. I am a big fan of Bruce Willis. I have been a fan of Bruce Willis since I first saw him in Moonlighting in 1985. He is one of the greatest comedic actors and action heroes of our time. He is funny, can sing, and does many of his own stunts. He is the total package acting-wise. I will miss seeing him on the big screen.
Here are a few of the trailers of my favorite Bruce Willis’ films:
“We’ve only got one shot Gonna take it now Goin’ all in, gonna make it count Won’t look back, gonna set my eyes ‘Cause there ain’t no practice runs in life”
Many years ago I sat in a church on a Good Friday and watched The Passion Of The Christ for the second time. It was a moving and traumatizing experience. (Not as traumatizing as my initial viewing, but still very powerful.) I say that as some who is pretty desensitized to on-screen violence.
I am a Christian. The movie, The Passion Of The Christ, pulls no punches when it comes to the horrible reality of the Roman crucifixion process that Jesus underwent. It brings the crucifixion to life. It brings the events of what we call Good Friday to life. Which begs the question, what is so good about Good Friday?
That is a good question. I could give you all kinds of answers. That the good in Good Friday in this context means holy. That Good Friday is good because without the events of Friday Jesus’ resurrection will come. Or even that Good Friday is good because without Jesus’ torture and death on the cross our sins could not be forgiven.
All of that a true. But does it answer the question? Well, maybe and maybe not. Let me explain why I see it as Good Friday.
Good Friday is good. It is the day we remember that Jesus endured the torture of the Roman executioners in my place. I should have been the one on the cross. I should have been the one taking the blows of the Roman soldiers’ fists and whips. It is a reminder that I am a sinner in the sight of God, and without the horrors both physical and spiritual endured by Jesus, I would not have been offered grace for all my transgressions. I would still be a dead man walking.
Thanks to the horrors of the cross. I can be reconciled to God. Yes, the resurrection is the key to my rebirth, but without the cross, there is no resurrection. You can’t have one without the other. Jesus’ work on the cross and subsequent resurrection are what saved us, me, from eternal death.
And this life-saving work can save you as well. It was and is given as a free gift. All you have to do is believe. Believe that Jesus is the son of God. That he died on the cross for our sins. That he was resurrected on the 3rd day. All you need to have a faith in those facts and you are guaranteed eternal life with Jesus.
I know I don’t talk about my faith that much here. Most of my posts are fluff or movie reviews and such. If you read any message that I have written and take it to heart. I hope it will be this one.
I’m sure how to end this so I’ll just leave you with a video of the song I quoted at the beginning. Enjoy!
I confess I have, in a way, been paid to game master. This has happened at conventions (both physical and virtual) when I have been given items and swag and/or free memberships for my efforts as a game master. (But I have never been paid money directly to run a game.) So does that make me a professional game master? Or does it require direct payments of cash to a game master to make them a professional? I don’t know.
I confess I have also paid to play games. Usually at a convention (either physical or virtual) when they charge for individual events or via paying for a membership. I admit that when I pay for a game my expectations go up a bit, but I don’t necessarily assume I’m going to play with a “professional” game master. (Although, I have played with gaming professionals at conventions.)
Now normally, I wouldn’t even have thought about this, but when I decided to attend Roll20con, I discovered StartPlaying.Games. StartPlaying.Games is a site that allows “professional” game masters to market their game sessions and campaigns for money to potential players. Roll20con used StartPlaying.Games to manage its sessions.
Now at a convention, I don’t mind paying for my sessions and I didn’t mind it at Roll20con either (especially when there is no membership fee), but I will say that the costs were a bit out of line with other conventions I attend. Normally, conventions, if they charge for individual events, run about a dollar or less an hour. StartPlaying.Games averages $18 for a 4-hour session which is more than $4 an hour. That is pricey for a one-shot or a campaign session. Even one offered by a so-called professional.
This all leads to what constitutes a professional game master. I’ve played with a lot of game masters most at no cost to me but my time. Most of them are pretty average. (I include myself in this category.) I expect a lot out a game master that calls themself a professional. And that bar is set by my friend Dave Coulson.
Dave Coulson is a gaming professional. He runs a small company called Cut To The Chase Games. Dave is the best game master I have ever played with. He writes great adventures. He knows how to manage a table of gamers and keep everyone involved. He brings life to all his NPCs with his acting skills. He is imaginative and knows when to apply the rules and when not to. He is all around a great game master.
So in the end I guess, I consider the whole idea of professional game masters kind of silly but if people want to charge for their games (outside of a convention) fine, but if you are going charge that game, it better be great.
Republic of Resistentialism 