VirusHead

I have a new “zone-out” activity. I crank my iPod and play Pirates vs. Ninjas on Facebook. It’s a simple virtual dice game, on which you wager a specific amount of “gold” per play. You can attack individuals on the other side, and you defend against them too.

After accumulating over a thousand plays as a Pirate (I told you I used it to zone out), I had gained and lost an enormous amount of gold. Someone with a lot more gold can wager up to half my amount, and take it all in a couple of big bites – and this happens a lot.

I had no idea about the background story when I accepted the invitation to play. When you attack, you can send a brief message, and after a few volleys of this sort with a very sweet woman, I decided that I was really more of a Ninja than a Pirate. You can only switch once (and I didn’t realize that you lose your experience points when you do) but evidently the new affiliation agrees with me. Since I switched sides two days ago, I’ve accumulated almost 4000 pieces of gold and only dropped by a couple of hundred points a couple of times.

If you add me as a friend, be prepared to get invitations to vampires, zombies, werewolves and slayers too. I love these little games, and I get points just for inviting you. No worries if you don’t feel like playing.