Magical Mondays: Roll20

Welcome one and welcome all! It is Monday, and we are back with Magical Mondays.

If you’re just tuning in for the first time, this series will be posting every Monday on all things magical! This includes Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and anything else in the realm of magic.

This is post #4 so go ahead and look back through the blog to find the past posts. Along the way you might even see some other cool stuff the rest of the library staff are working on. Give it a go!

This week we’re continuing with the awesome topic of D&D. Unlike MTG, my knowledge is pretty sparse on D&D. I gave you some basic information in the last post, but it is definitely more involved than it seems. 

I’ve played a handful of times, but I have never been the DM, or Dungeon Master.

To prepare for this video, I realized how little I knew about the prep work that goes into making a campaign for D&D. However, the storytelling and artmaking that happens when you are the DM is super cool!

Now, if you’re a regular in the D&D world, you might have already heard of this program. If not, it is a really awesome way to get back into it with your usual playgroup while following social distancing guidelines.

If you’re not a regular, welcome to this crazy world of becoming characters! It’s fun, and the internet is here for you with the site called Roll20 (https://roll20.net/).

Some of the games that Roll20’s system supports.

Alright, onto Roll20. I will say, it isn’t the easiest interface to learn, but that’s why I’m here! 

I also want to let you know that even though this post is D&D themed, Roll20 is great for any kind of RPG, not just D&D. And though D&D is inherently fantasy driven, there are RPG games out there where you play as pirates or focus on war as human soldiers or really whatever story your DM makes.

So a lot of Roll20 is learning the menus and where stuff is. I go through a bunch of that with you, but that’s pretty boring, and I really don’t want my videos to be boring. However, this is a tutorial so it may be boring anyways. Roll20 also has their own tutorial, but I think my angelic voice is better than their non-speaking dialogue boxes.

However, my focus for showing you Roll20 is to keep it free and fun, even though they give you a bunch of options for buying campaigns.

You’ll see that I’ve added my own drawings (doesn’t it look like I’ve majored in art?) of characters and maps, and uploaded some character sheets I made on 

D&D Beyond (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/builder#/).

Have fun with the video! I hope you’re able to get going with some campaigns faster than I’ve been able to. Don’t be discouraged, it takes some messing around, but once you got it, you got it.

Good luck and see you next Monday for all things magical!

~

Email me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.

Magical Mondays: D&D Edition

Monday is here, so guess what that means…it’s Magical Mondays time!

If you’re just tuning in for the first time, this series will be posting every Monday covering all things magical! This includes Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and anything else in the realm of magic.

The first two posts were about MTG, so go ahead and read them if that’s what you’re into. Don’t worry, I’m not done with MTG, either. There is tons to say, but I’m going to shake things up a bit this week.

Today’s blog is going to feature the first tabletop role-playing game (RPG). That’s right, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)!

D&D first started in 1974 after Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson transformed their local wargame clubs into written rules for D&D. Below you can find pictures of the first three booklets printed: Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and Underworld & Wilderness Adventures.

https://tinyurl.com/vn3avbh

Since then, the game has risen in popularity as people of all ages took to the game. Today, we are up to the 5^th edition of rules, with various manuals, handbooks, and campaigns being released yearly. The best place to find any info is https://dnd.wizards.com/.

If you don’t know what an RPG is, I’m here to tell you.

https://tinyurl.com/solhusa

Yes, sometimes it looks like this, though this is more commonly referred to as LARPing (Live Action Role Playing). But really, D&D looks like a bunch of different versions of this:

 https://tinyurl.com/uontv2j

The game is all about storytelling, with each player acting as a different character in that story. One player is the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM is the one who does most of the storytelling and keeps the players on track to completing a campaign.

All other players have a character sheet that they fill out. This includes your race (what type of magical being you are), class (your calling or profession), abilities, weapons, stats, and character traits. Throughout the game, you will act as your character would and make decisions based on the traits your character has.

If you really want to get into learning how to play, I used this awesome YouTube channel called Don't Stop Thinking https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRwnhxFZrL2yY5I60d5Ae_Q/featured.

They have different series on how to play 5th edition, how to be a Dungeon Master, and some other fun D&D stuff. There are so many podcasts and YouTubers that focus on D&D that you won’t struggle with finding someone you like.

If you want to start, I’ll tell you another secret. There’s a program that is great for playing online!

It’s called Roll20 and it’s free and relatively easy to use. You will have to play around with the interface, but I’m going to do some of that work for you!

Next week, I’ll be posting a Roll20 tutorial!

Before I sign off, I have to say it again, if you’re a YA, always ask a parent before downloading anything onto your computer or using any of the pay to play features.

That’s it for this Monday, but I’ll see you next week, so stay tuned!

~

Email me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.

Magical Monday

Hello again, and welcome to Magical Mondays!

If you’re just tuning in for the first time, this series will be posting every Monday on all things magical! This includes Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and anything else in the realm of magic.

Magic: the Gathering was the first topic of these posts. If you want a quick run down on its history and how to play, I would go back to that post from April 6^th.

If you’re a veteran, keep reading because I’m so excited to talk about this free and easy program to play called Magic: the Gathering Arena! Here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/sqgdmyk to download.

First things first, if you’re a YA, always ask a parent before downloading anything onto your computer or using any of the pay to play features.

Now, on to the fun stuff!

As a player for the past year and a half, I’ve only ever played Commander. MTG Arena teaches Standard, a format I’ve heard of but never tried. This made this first video a bit of a challenge for me, but I was really excited to be learning a new format. 

The Standard format only uses the most recent card sets released in Magic. The main rules to creating a Standard deck can be found at https://magic.wizards.com/en/content/standard-formats-magic-gathering but I’ve also included them here:

Sets used for Standard as of 4/13/2020.

Note: some are not released, yet. 

• Your deck must be at least 60 cards.
• Up to 15 cards may be included in your sideboard, if you use one.
• Include no more than 4 copies of any individual card in your main deck and sideboard combined (except basic lands).
• There's no maximum deck size, as long as you can shuffle your deck in your hands unassisted.
• Though there is no deck size, most Standard players play with a 60 card deck and a 15 card sideboard.

Some other things to know are that this format is usually one vs. one, with each player starting with a total of 20 life.

MTG Arena does this all of this work for you, so don’t worry if you’ve never created a deck before!

After creating your account, you move through the tutorial where you have five different computer opponents that each teach you a different mechanic or combo of the game. For instance, they teach you when to best use an Instant card, or when to hold back from blocking against attackers. 

After that, you still play with computer opponents until you unlock the ability to play with other online users. I still haven’t unlocked this yet, and it might take me awhile to do so (you’ll see why in the video). You also unlock different cards to build your own deck instead of playing their premade ones.

There are pay to play features, but everyone I know who uses this program has never needed to pay for anything to get the most out of the game. That’s what makes MTG Arena really great, especially when Magic can become a really expensive hobby in its paper form.

So, if you’re looking for people to play Magic with or want to learn something new, MTG Arena is definitely the way to go. It’s great for beginners and veterans alike (everyone in my in-person playgroup, who I consider way better at Magic than me, have it downloaded). 

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for more magical content every Monday!

Email me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.

Welcome to Magical Mondays

Introducing Magical Mondays!

Calling all Young Adults (and YAs at heart)! Are you a fan of trading card games (TCG), like Magic: the Gathering? Ever wanted to learn, but didn’t have the money to start or anybody to teach you? Did you play in the 90s, and want to try it out again?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is the place for you!

I’m Amanda, I will bring videos of gameplay performed by none other than me, and some basic knowledge that I have about Magic, D&D, and other cool magical things to you every Monday.

Since my inspiration for these posts is Magic: the Gathering, I’m going to start there, with some history and how to play.

https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/18583/how-should-i-set-up-a-draft-from-multiple-old-sets

This is what happens to most TCG cards, where they’re sold for change at yard sales. This can be a huge mistake.

TCGs have only increased in popularity since their inception in 1993 with Magic: the Gathering. Games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, and countless other collectable card games have surfaced after Magic gained traction in the gaming community. Not only a game, these cards have trading and collectable value. Cards with a limited number of prints (like the ones printed in the very first sets called Alpha and Beta) can be worth thousands of dollars when kept in mint condition. To see prices by set visit https://shop.tcgplayer.com/price-guide/magic/alpha-edition.

Sounds pretty risky to play with $1,000 cards, right? It definitely is, so most people don’t play with those cards. Actually, most of those cards are on a banned or restricted list. This means they can only be played in a particular format of Magic, or not at all. Even with relatively inexpensive cards, players cover their cards with sleeves to protect them since the values of the cards fluctuate so much.

This leads me to mention, what is this game really all about? 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magic_the_Gathering_-_Commander.jpg#/media/File:Magic_the_Gathering_-_Commander.jpg

First, let me clarify. When I talk about formats, I mean different ways of playing Magic. All the basic rules stay the same, but deck construction, amount of life, and number of players can change. Different formats are called Vintage, Modern, Commander, and Standard, just to name a few. You can visit https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/formats for more on this.

Ultimately, each player is a planeswalker (kind of like a wizard). Each player has a deck of cards that have creatures and spells with varying different abilities and mana costs. These cards, depending on their type, allow for players to interact with their opponent or their own cards. You play creatures to defend yourself and attack your opponents for life, and you play spells to buff up your creatures or stop other spells from being played. The last player alive wins! 

If you want to watch some gameplay, one of my favorite streams is MTGGoldfish: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAZTSd0xnor7hJFmINIBIw/playlists

I swept past a new word: mana. Each card is associated with one-five colors – white, green, blue, black, and red – and can be paid with their associated colors of mana given by land cards – plains, forests, islands, swamps, and mountains, respectively. These colors are known for specific abilities. An example: black cards are best at getting cards from your graveyard (cards defeated by your opponents or spells that are only cast once). Having to pay a mana cost limits how much a player can do on their turn, keeping the game fair.

Here’s an awesome picture to sum up the parts of a card 

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Parts_of_a_card

I know this sounds like a lot, and yeah, it can definitely get complicated. But there is a deck for everyone!

And I’ll tell you a secret…there’s a program that can teach you how to play!

Yup, that’s right. It’s called Magic: the Gathering Arena, and it’s an easy and free way to play the first and, I unabashedly say, the best TCG (yes, even above Pokémon). If you’re a YA, always ask a parent before downloading anything onto your computer or using any of the pay to play features

Next week, I’ll be playing MTG Arena!

So stay tuned for more Magic: the Gathering and other magical content every Monday!

~

Email me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.

Looking to entertain the kiddos?

Click on the photo to view a list of super-fun online resources to keep kids entertained that includes science experiments, dance tutorials, virtual theme park rides and more! 

The Blackstone Public Library Virtual Community Quilt

Let's build a community in pictures! 

Our Blackstone Public Library Virtual Community Quilt seeks to "stitch" together a visual reminder that we are still connected as a community of families and individuals of all ages even if we are physically apart. Come join our virtual neighborhood!


The Project

Our Goal: 
To assemble a collage of original designs or pictures that represent you or your family, or that inspire you with hope or peace during stressful times.


How to: 
1. Create an original drawing, painting, or digital design, or take a photograph that represents the theme described in our goal.

2. If your design is done on paper, snap a photo of your creation with a phone or digital camera, or scan your artwork and save as an image file. Email your images to blackstonelibrary86@gmail.com

3. If your submission is a photograph or digital design, simply email your images to blackstonelibrary86@gmail.com

Important notes:
1. The online quilt square is small, so please remember that your image will be resized down quite a bit. Keep this in mind when you consider how your image will look in the quilt.
2. Your image will be seen by the public, so only submit what you feel comfortable sharing with everyone. Family-friendly images only!
3. Please do NOT use any images from the internet that have copyrights. 

If you have any questions, please email us at blackstonelibrary86@gmail.com

Here's a glimpse of the quilt in progress:

Share your arts and crafts at the Blackstone Public Library's Virtual Museum

Calling artists and creators of all ages! You are invited to share your artwork, photographs, craft projects, and LEGO creations by "exhibiting" at the NEW Blackstone Public Library's Virtual Museum.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1m7uuKj_sVVG6aPZ33IUJZoRbP6jTsvsS-4TbfAHd1-Q/present?usp=sharing

At the moment, we have plenty of space for exhibitors. Rooms 1 and 2 have a few examples of how artwork will look in the online gallery. We will rotate displays as we receive more submissions.

Here's how to participate:

1. Draw, paint, color, build, sculpt clay, take a photograph - whatever you or your children feel inspired to do.
2. Snap a photo of your creation with a phone or digital camera, or scan your artwork and save as an image file.
3. Email your images to blackstonelibrary86@gmail.com
4. If you wish, you may include the artist's first name and last initial, and/or a description of the artwork.

We are looking forward to seeing your creative projects!