Crimson Crux

Okay, I know this post has absolutely nothing in connection with tech stuff, but hey, it still screams “Geeky”.

Yours truly is a Dungeon & Dragons (or let’s just say “role-playing”) fan, and while not a hardcore gamer or even a one-time Dungeon Master, I can say that I’ve my own ways of expressing my loyalty. I regularly read issues of the Dragon and Dungeon magazines, not to mention having a pile of D&D-related novels (mostly on the Forgotten Realms setting). I was addicted to several D&D-related PC games, too, such as Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale.

Now, my next target was a pair of cool shirts being sold over at Paizo.com (publisher of the Dungeon and Dragon magazines). I thought the “Dungeon” shirt above was cool, and the “Undefeated” shirt below to be even cooler. What’s more, there were still Youth Large sizes available for both shirts!

The price was A-OK for me. I thought, No prob, will pay them with my new, uh, supplementary credit card. Twenty five bucks for both shirts won’t add too much debt to my card’s standing (oh, such a childish mind!). I was definitely thrilled, giddy even.

However, when I was about to check out my shopping cart, I received a genuine surprise. Using one shirt as an example:

Subtotal (1 Item) — $10.00
Shipping & Handling — $12.50
Order Total — $22.50

Egad. The shipping costs more than the item itself! I failed to keep in mind that the Philippines is a long, long way out from the States. End result: thrill fizzles out, shirts go down the drain.

Next mission: contact a relative living in the US! Should’ve thought of that first. Or maybe the money’s better off spent on D&D miniatures sold at Comic Quest…