Dead Things

Seeing as how my birthday just came and went, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on Nuts things that were once a part of our way of life but have since gone the way of the dodo.

Magic: The Gathering


A game of Magic the Gathering in progress. Like beating someone with their own shoe, Bryan defeats Jimbob with his own brainchild.


At its peak: Magic was our excuse to get together every week and be social. We'd play, talk, laugh and throw Oatmeal Cream Pies into Ginzel's ceiling fan. Magic is a collectible strategy game - those two words were enough to hook me. Once upon a time it was the driving force behind our annual Gencon vacation.

The downfall: As the game grew in popularity, it spawned a Pro Tour Circuit. Suddenly the game was hardcore and serious, and this was reflected in the design of the newer cards. Gone were the stupid, quasi-useless, FUN cards like Cold Snap. Much of the fun for me was taking oddball cards and making them work. They were no longer making weird, quirky cards. It was all business and ass kicking. We hung on to the hobby for as long as we could.

The Legacy: Fond memories, autographed cards and a burning, searing hole in my soul where this wonderful social hobby used to be.

Mr Bungle


Mike Patton formerly of Mr Bungle creating musical fusion along with his bandmates.


At its peak: Mr Bungle was terrific, nuts music. It was original, creative, energetic and fun. It could usually be heard in the background during our weekly Magic the Gathering game nights and pretty much any other time we got together. They were certainly never commercially succesful, but we loved 'em just the same.

The downfall: Only the band members themselves could say for sure. Here is a brief excerpt from a Rolling Stone article about the band's current state (or lack thereof.) "We could have probably squeezed out a couple more records but the collective personality of this group became so dysfunctional," Mike Patton says. "This band was poisoned by one person's petty jealousy and insecurity, and it led us to a slow, unnatural death. And I'm at peace with that, because I know I tried all I could."

The Legacy: Three great albums and several fine bootleg songs. We'll miss you, Bungle. If you ever change your minds, we'll be here.

Black Isle Studios


Planescape Torment. Ahhh, the memories.


At its peak: Black Isle Studios brought us some of the best games ever made for the PC: They produced Planescape Torment and The Icewind Dale games, as well as having a hand in the Baldur's Gate series and the Fallout games. They also gave me a free T-shirt at Gencon a few years ago for roleplaying.

The downfall: It seems that parent company Interplay was suffering financial losses and began to eat its own young. Sad.

The legacy: A handful of wonderful games. And my T shirt.

The Verducci Corporation

At its peak: VC were freedom fighters, battling the agents of the evil Jeuwitski corporation. We fought against the senders of Spam and junkmail, those evil fuckers who harrass us good people at every turn. Plus it was a hell of a lot of fun and a good way to channel untamed aggression.

The downfall: We couldn't fight our enemy any more. Our emails began bouncing and the shitmail began arriving in waves. When it became clear that our battle could no longer be fought, Johnny Verducci killed his secretary, locked the doors and went home.

The legacy: The webpage and some good stories. The phrase "Dead as a Verducci."