If you are a gamer and have yet to check out KoDT, odds are you are missing out. KoDT was originally created in 1990 as short strips in another gaming magazine called Shadis, which is no longer. By 1994 the knights had there own comic book. It has evolved into a comic/gaming magazine and is currently on issue 192. Each issue is packed with nerdy goodness. Sampled above are three images of typical KoDT cover art. Many of the covers parody gaming culture, cult movies/games and old fantasy art that anyone who grew up in the 70's and 80's playing rpgs will recognize. The heart of the magazine is the comic strips of the knights and the world they live in. There have been many story arcs, some short and some appearing on and off and stretching over many, many issues. The Knights live in Muncie, IN and live for playing the game. Some story arcs center on their in game exploits and others focus on other gaming groups in Muncie as well as out of game events that affect their lives. It is well written and the characters have become very well developed over the years. The characters live stereotypical gamer lives. For example the game master of the group is the assistant manager at the local pizza shop and lives in his moms basement despite being in his 30's.
Outside of the comic strips there are articles, forums, letters, reviews and sometimes mini-games included in the magazine. New products and the latest in trends from the gaming community are reported here. KoDT is published by Kenzer Co. They also have many original Kenzer Co games on the market. Their flagship fantasy rpg is called Hackmaster. Lot's of supplemental material for the game can be found in the pages of KoDT. Even if Hackmaster isn't your game, there is plenty to enjoy in the magazine.
I have been reading the magazine for 12 years and have every issue but issue one(I have the bundled reprint containing issue #1 but not the original). Reading the comic feels like coming home so to speak and is a great stress reliever for me. My father in-law who is a casual gamer at best, was over and saw the magazine laying around and picked it up and ended up reading all the strips and loving it. He is currently borrowing the reprint of issues #1-3. Who would have thought? I hope this inspires someone to try the magazine :-).
Merriam-Webster defines a gamer as : a person who plays games; especially : a person who regularly plays computer or video games. At Urban Dictionary it is defined as : someone who plays video games as a hobby. Some definitions encompass table top gaming like role playing and board gaming. Digging a little deeper you find a variety of opinions and terms like casual gamer, mid-core and hard-core gamer. Topics like nerd culture, gamer nerd, comic nerd, dork and geek come up. Social stigma is a common topic.
My definition of a gamer to the uninitiated is simply: One who plays games to the extent that it is part of his/her lifestyle. To those who are initiated, the answer can be varied and emotional and is full of minutiae that would be lost on most non-gamers. What does it mean to me to be a gamer? For me being a gamer and a nerd go hand in hand. I enjoy using my imagination and I enjoy pitting my wits against an opponent or opponents(be it a person or a computer) using logic, math and chance. Games that incorporate both these aspects are best. Sometimes just getting lost in my imagination is preferable, like reading a good story, watching a movie, playing a solo game or painting miniatures in preparation for a future game. Most importantly for me is the social aspect. I love connecting with other gamers. People who are as passionate as me about gaming and the associated nerd culture. Playing an MMORPG with my friends, gathering around a table with friends for a board game or old fashioned pen and paper rpg, heading down to a local game shop to play a tabletop miniature game or spending the weekend at a Comic convention or a gaming convention are what I like best. I consider myself a hardcore gamer but often I only have time for mid-core games. Gaming is what makes me happy :-).
