Wednesday, April 26

LegoTown: My Son's Deadwood

My son and two of his friends have been playing what I would classify as a role-playing game, for about two years.  It's a game they made up themselves (although I believe it's mostly from the brain of my imaginative son), involving a town they built and the people who inhabit it.  It's pretty intricate in its mechanisms and history and rules and procedures.
Originally, it was called Lepodink, which was short for the three main elements of the game:  Legos, Pokemon figures and dinkies.  Sometime in the past few months, the Pokemon figures and dinkies have been abandoned in favour of 100% Lego-only.  Hence: Lego Town
From what I can tell, each of the three have several characters (who each have families) they're responsible for.  Each character has his or her own profession and associations with other characters.  It's all played on a couple of those play mats that have streets on them, etc., with Lego buildings and Lego people populating it.
Here's a picture:

Lately, they've felt the need to implement some rules, to make the town run more smoothly, and to protect themselves from the criminal element.  They've also made me Judge, and whenever there are grievances between citizens, or laws that are allegedly broken, they come to me, explain themselves, and I judge what I think is a fair punishment or fine (if the case doesn't get thrown out of court for any number of protocol breaches).
Here is the list of rules that they made up.  This is the list that they need to make their Lego Town run more smoothly.  I wonder if Charlottetown would do well to implement some of these:

  1. Do not steal.
  2. Do not kill or hurt any living thing.
  3. Must have permits to have a weapon or job.
  4. No speeding or bad driving.
  5. Two warnings and you go to jail.
  6. No mafias.
  7. Respect officers and the law.
  8. If you help in a crime you get blamed for everything.
  9. No threatening.
  10. Do not try to solve a crime yourself.
  11. Don't break people out of jail.
  12. Do not break into a house.
  13. Drinking and driving.
I like how number 6, "No mafias" is just sort of stuck in there, in the middle, like it's akin to jaywalking or something.  And I also like how number 13 isn't really a law at all, like an unfinished thought.  But I think I understand its meaning.  And as for mafias, they were a big problem in this town a month or so ago, and I believe that was the impetus for establishing a system of law and order.  The town was out of control, much like the town Deadwood in the HBO show, and, like that town, is only now taking the necessary early steps to make it a more livable, enjoyable place to live.  One difference, though, between LegoTown and Deadwood, is that there is far less swearing in LegoTown.  Now that law and order has been established, the mafias are quickly dying out as respectable businesses and owners take back the town.

I'm very thankful that they spend a lot of time each day playing this game, rather than spend it playing computer games.  Now that the weather is nicer, though, the challenge will be to get them outside.  Which isn't really a challenge at all.  We spent about an hour playing football in the backyard tonight, after they spent about an hour playing LegoTown.
Busy lives.  Busy lives.

Technorati Tags: , , ,



3 comments:

Paul H said...

Sounds like a good place to live...and there wouldn't be any shortage of building material. Maybe we are actually just living in a reality legoTown in some cosmic bedroom in some really big house.

Rob said...

That's deep, man.

Nice guy Jay said...

I have references. I think Cameron would make a good landlord. Plus, I've quit my mafia ways. Ya hear that?! I said I've quit my mafia ways and anyone who says otherwise'll be swimming with the fishes in the Hillsborough River. Have a nice day.