So what's new in your life?

[RollCasket]

Whoa! They put a price on your head?!

Wait...how much? >.>

[ThePaul]

Don't know, I never bothered to ask any of their assassins before I dispatched em.

[Bear]

[chrisb]

[TracerBullet]

Hey Bear, any tips from your time being a leader? I ask because I just became the de-facto leader of a new club at the local college in hopes of making an actual game (or a working piece of one). Lord, I hope I know what I'm doing and haven't overscheduled myself again.

Also, got an interview for a summer teaching job lined up this week. In an interesting twist, they want to interview me through a video-chat. Fingers crossed and all that.

[Bear]

Hmm, that's kind of a tough one Tracer. Let's see.

1) Be bold. Be as confident as you can be, but don't be uptight. If you are timid, you won't be taken seriously or people will talk and walk over you.
2) Be easygoing. Try to maintain an approachable demeanor and encourage conversation. Reach out to people and get them to share things about themselves or their thoughts on the project. You don't want to be too serious either.
3) Sense your environment. Get a feel for energy levels, attitudes and group dynamics. This will help a lot for steering the general direction of the groups efforts. Being able to diffuse tension is a huge asset.
4) Check the ego. Even if you KNOW you are right, never assume you are or that it invalidates someones perspective or experience. It's okay to disagree and it's okay for people to be wrong.
5) Don't take it personally. Sometimes people will have unreasonable expectations of you or may be genuinely feeling let down. Be able to see those issues and act to resolve them as best you can; assure them you are giving your all. Learn to be able to take jokes thrown at you or criticism flung your way.
6) Keep your cool. If they bark at you, let them bark and learn not to reciprocate the anger; keep a level head and think of creative solutions to the source of the anger.
7) Wind down. Learn to wind down and start fresh every day / session / meeting. Check old baggage for the day at the end of each day. Find ways to relax and de-stress in your off time (watch a funny movie, take a bath, play a fun game, etc.)

Being a good leader is a lot like being a good host at a party. Make sure everyone is having a fun/good/pleasant time and that the conversation is lively and flowing.

[Fixxxer 117]

I made this wallpaper.

But that is the not the full wallpaper, and it can be many different colours, all in all it took me about six hours to be able to customise it easily.

[Bear]

Haha! That is so awesome Fixxxer! I was telling Pie that she should just send you a completed one because it wouldn't take too long, but she thought giving it to you like a bit of a jigsaw was better so you could alternate colors and set the pattern to match your resolution and what not. It's really cool to see the finished wallpaper, thanks for sharing =)

[Fixxxer 117]

This is what I am using as my wallpaper:



This is just to show the different colour areas.

If anyone would like me to make them one then just tell me your resolution and colour preferences and I will make one for you.

[TracerBullet]

Thanks for the words, Bear. I'll see how it goes when the "official" meeting gets underway.