The real tragedy is the demise of the Oaked Arrogant Bastard. That by itself brought a tear to my eye, especially when I realized I don't have any of my own in the fridge. Must rectify. Dave @ NASA is right about the brewing and the kegging, but kegging requires a bigger investment than a basic brewing kit. For me, it's the time commitment that keeps me from brewing my own as often as I would like. Not only do you need to commit a few hours on the day you brew, but you then need to set aside time in the coming weeks to rack to a secondary fermenter (I highly recommend) and then hours a couple weeks later to bottle. Oh, there's some play in there (you can leave in the secondary for up to a month) but I hate having my back up against the wall. There's also getting the equipment you need. Fortunately, you can repurpose bottles from commercial beer. I can always find time to empty those.

Very nice. I don't know why you want so bad to get into long-form writing, when your short-form stuff is so good. I guess there's more money and fame in the former. When you get to be big and famous, you aren't going to forget about us little people, are you? FYI: That "settling" of the Guinness is generally called a "cascade".

Had a character die this past weekend in my D&D 4E campaign. Was bummed, and I was just the DM. Didn't think of the CSI angle, though. They're pretty psychotic with their puns, aren't they?

You mean, of course jinx.com (or, as they prefer: J!nx.com). http://www.jinx.com/men/shirts/geek/failboat.html?catid=1&cs=19&csd=failboat http://www.jinx.com/women/shirts/geek/failboat_womens.html?catid=1&cs=19&csd=failboat

I got big into MtG back in the day...had a beta Black Lotus at one point and even managed the Usenet FAQ for a while...but I got out shortly after whatever the expansion was after Ice Age. I got out for the same reasons as you: I couldn't keep up with the arms race. I don't need another expensive geek hobby, thankyouverymuch, so I think I will stay away. (I don't think I miss it much. Playing with card sleeves seems too ridiculous to me.) Good luck, though.

Nicely done, Mr. Wheaton. As an old married person (15 years in April) I can certainly appreciate The Wrath and other withering glances. I think this is one of your better pieces. I literally LOL'd a couple of times. More, please.

That sucks. Except, well, I got mine when it originally hit Woot. (I've even been complimented on it.)

Thanks for this, Wil. I'm about to embark on my own journey as a DM for 4E. Neither I nor any of my players have played any sort of RPG for twenty years or more. One piece of DM advice I've seen lately (cuz I've been reading like a fiend) is this: Players have a flashlight. They can only see what's in front of them and some glimpses at the edges of the light. The DM has a 150 watt bulb: To the DM, everything is clear and well-lit, and drowns out the flashlight of the players. It's too easy to lose track of what the players are interested in. You have to pay attention. I'd source it, but I honestly can't remember where I saw it. Another good one was: The Players are the rock stars. The DM is the (super) roady.

Thanks for this, Wil. My kids are a bit too young, although my nine-year-old might be able to handle it. But I am about to re-embark on a DM voyage with a bunch of other forty-somethings, none of us whom have played any sort of tabletop RPG in over a decade. I'm just the tiniest bit terrified. I feel like I'm cramming for an exam, what with the way I'm poring over the PHB and DMG trying to learn 4E. But I can't wait to get started, either.

You know, Wheaton, I think I have to blame you for this huge tabletop RPG nostalgia kick I'm on. I haven't played anything at all in a few years, and nothing of substance in over ten. Yet I've been listening to the Penny Arcade podcast and every episode is over too soon. Then in between I've been trawling RPG blogs and forums. Worse, I've bought the 4th Edition Players Handbook and DM Guide, read both cover to cover, and am working like heck to get a group together of like-minded forty-somethings. And it's killing me that I haven't been able to play yet. My kids don't understand though my wife is trying to. I hope you're proud of yourself, sir.