Games Based Learning MOOC

This is probably cheating a bit, but hopefully you'll indulge me. I haven't played an MMO in several years, and don't really want to start now. I have a bunch of characters I've created in single player games that I could probably use, but figuring out how to get screenshots off the console is more effort than I want to expend right now. And, I haven't really played any of them in quite awhile, so I don't feel all that attached to them anymore.

So, this is probably the closest thing I have to an avatar at the moment. This is Absylonia, the Terror of Everblight, from the Hordes miniature game. Her name and backstory were written by Privateer Press, but I tend to think of her as the quite type who doesn't talk much but knows more than anyone realizes. She uses subtlety to manipulate events to her liking, and others rarely even notice she's involved. She also gets along better with her beasts than most other people.

I had to look this one up blueappaloosa, not familiar with this miniature game. I have a friend who owns a game store for miniatures, etc., and have seen many of the beautiful miniatures in their full compliments. I did find a quote about her that said, "There is no sign that Absylonia will ever settle into a stable form. She is a unique manifestation of Everblight's power, a creature who can adapt her flesh and bones to suit her needs. Her mind and body have been changed irrevocably and now bear little resemblance to what she once was. Most would call Absylonia a horror, but among the Legion she represents draconic perfection."

For those not familiar with miniature game play, here is a link to this game being played: Iron Gauntlet Live Play I love the focal vocabulary of individual gaming, listening to the commentary is amazing. People familiar with the game knows the abilities of all the avatars . . .

I think in the miniature world, or the card/combat game (like Magic the Gathering) you do feel an affinity for one or more of the miniatures or card depictions of a character, and in that sense, they become your avatar.

I don't always like doing screen shots and then manipulating them if I just wanted a part (like the one of my avatar "Dilt" in another post) but there is this great program called SNAGIT, that I couldn't live without, it can capture any part of what you see on the screen and you can then work with that image, it can also capture a rolling web site. I mostly use it for capturing partial. You can try a free download, and the program is to buy. I swear by it! Check it out!

Tech Smith - SnagIt Home Page

As to whether showing a miniature is, "probably cheating a bit," I will leave that to those above my pay grade ;) I did enjoy seeing it and doing a little research on the game and the backstory of this character.

I actually have one of my son's old D&D miniatures (back then they were all hand-painted -- 1970s-early 1980s), in a miniature cactus garden ion my window sill to protect me from any outside evil forces :) Old habits die hard!

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed learning more about the game. :) I realized after I posted that I probably should have included some links and more info on the game. The "jargon" is impressive. I'm still a pretty new player, and learning all the rules was overwhelming at first (and I still forget things fairly frequently).

In the Hordes game (and the very similar WarMachine game), you have a warlock who's your player character. The warlock is the one who gives commands to the beasts/machines and other units in your army. If your warlock dies you immediately lose the game. There can be other goals as well (capture and hold, etc), but killing warlock will always end the game regardless of other objectives. So, they're a bit more like an avatar than just having a bunch of troops on the table.

It's also kinda amusing how backstories and personalities emerge in the miniatures through the gameplay. For example, I have a beast called a Ravagore, who often eats (i.e. kills) one of my smaller beasts during games. So now he's got the reputation of needed to be "fed" one of my small beasts in order to do his job. Other people have their own miniatures with personalities. Most of these things are largely based on dice, so a lot is just random chance, but it's amusing how our human brains create a narrative to describe it.

The Hordes miniatures come unpainted (and "some assembly required"), so my guys are all hand-painted by me. I actually am quite fond of Absylonia, both from a play perspective (she likes beast heavy armies, and I like beast heavy armies), and from a character/backstory perspective.

I want to expend right now. And, I haven't really played any of them in quite awhile,

Full Pc Game