8 Bit Brush Design
Gaming with the Gnomies
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Saturday, April 27, 2024
Another Month of New Gaming (May 2024)
8 Bit Brush Design
Friday, April 26, 2024
HMGS Does Mepacon April 19-21, 2024
I may not have been able to attend Mepacon again this year, thanks to some sports obligations, but I was pleasantly pleased to discover that the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society (HMGS) was quite prominent there, running events all weekend.
Indochina |
Frostgrave |
Wings of Glory |
Indochina |
Tripods and Triplanes |
World of Tanks |
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
(Risus) Be Prepared for a Talent Show
Our weekly Gamma World game continues to go strong. As episode 28 dropped last Tuesday, I have another 32 weekly write-ups in the can. We left off at a good break point earlier this month to allow a player a few weeks off to deal with this odd thing called "real-life."
In his absence, I finally completed my "COVID Trilogy", or better yet, perhaps I should call in the Coffee Shop Trilogy.
Still a point of controversy all these years, COVID killed over a million Americans and millions worldwide. But few remember the bravery and sacrifice of some of the true heroes of the front-lines: grocery store employees when toilet paper was stowed away, baking hit an all-time high, and people wore the most outrageous get-ups to either protect themselves, or fight the new world order authoritarian regime, whatever was the by-line of the week.
Mike Pnevmonus was one of those heroes. A dirty, hairy, and fat Greek butcher in the meat department of a Giant Foods in Pennsylvania. He though he had seen it all before, the shortages, the runs on the store, etc. and by the end of it, he hung up his bloody apron and traveled the country, trying to find a place to settle down in peace.
He ended up in Bloomington, Minnesota, and thanks to his odd penchant for olive slacks, took a job as a cashier at the Boy Scouts of America Superstore in the Mall of America
The Boy Scouts of America Superstore, Imagined by NightCafe |
Shawn was a regular at the mall. When he wasn't accumulating 30,00 steps before lunch, he was the resident expert at every store, or so he told them. Allegedly he had been a Boy Scout as a lad, and had a broad memory of the finest BSA minutiae. Occasionally he was even helpful, so the the fellas thought it best to keep him around.
It was a beautiful day at the Mall of America. It was just the way Minnesota was.
Hoyce and Mike raised the gates to the store and wandered to their spot around the registers. Shawn, fresh from his 4-mile mall walk, came in.
"Hey guys, what's new?"
"Photography badges."
"You guys had them yesterday?"
"We got a new shipment of them yesterday."
"What about the Excalibur pocket knife I ordered for month ago."
"What about the ones we have in the case?"
"Those don't have the dentist drillbit. The Excalibur has the dentist drillbit."
"Why do you need a dentist drillbit?"
"To complete my dentist drillbit?"
"You're 85 years old!"
Even the apathetic Hoyce noticed that there were an unusual number of people shopping on a Thursday morning. He girded his loins for the overwhelming act of Scan--> Pay --> Next!
As the typical Scout Mom brought up the last Webelos scarf in the state of Minnesota. Hoyce scanned the item, the mother inserted the credit card... and the terminal kept clocking, absolutely no progress.
Mike peered over to Hoyce's machine, "Run the card again, and if it's still not working, punch in the numbers."
Hoyce, "It's not connecting at all"
Mike, "Then the internet is down. Sorry folks, we're going to have to go to cash only."
Hoyce: "The wi-fi is working, I'm on my phone right now."
Shawn: We can build an amateur radio with all the parts you have in stock.
While the chaos of the cash-only economy descended upon the store, Shawn stared out at a number of mall employees set up an entire stage, complete with lights and rigging. Shawn has obtained his lights and rigging merit badge and begins to assist the employees, who simply know better than to tell Shawn no.
Shawn completes the lights up top, when he hears the words, "Good, we're almost done. Talent Show starts in 15 minutes."
Shawn: Talent Show? Who's talent?
Employee: It's just the weekly national talent show at the mall. We placed a Sudoku Store at the old location of the stage, so this is going to do today...
Shawn: Can I participate?
Employee: Sure! It's a $50,000 cash prize... in tens.
Mike's getting frustrating handling cash. The POS system does not like people using the No Sale button to open the register, so cash is simply stacked on the register.
Hoyce has decided to simply force the customers to round up for charity,...
As the tiny talented kids in adorable costumes show up for the talent show, UPS showed up with yet another delivery.
Mike opened the box and revealed the long out-of-stock Mall Talent Show merit badge. Of course half of the last 22 years of Boy Scouts waiting on an eternally back-ordered merit badge were coming to the mall to get one, and the other half wanted to sign up to the talent show show they would qualify for the badge... then purchase it.
... and it was still cash-only.
Shawn: "These skits are going to be terrible"
Morty, the manager, finally emerged from his office in the stockroom of the store, coffee in hand.
Mike: "Waitaminute, we've had a manager here the whole time?"
Morty was surprisingly quick to call the credit card company, but hung up with worry. "We have a problem. Since the BSA is bankrupt, the credit card fees haven't been paid. We need to fundraise to pay off our bill, so let's assemble a skit for the talent show and win the $50,000. I'm going to get another cup of coffee at the other end of the mall."
Hoyce: "Whatever, I'm on the clock."
Mike handled some of the more obstinate Boy Scout moms, Shawn thought up a classic Shawn idea.
"Hey, they closed that Sears down a week before they even opened the mall, but I bet the old credit card slides are there."
Hoyce: "I think we'd still have to pay our credit card bills."
Shawn: "Sure, but you can still take the slips and process them tomorrow."
Hoyce: "Great idea, let me go get one." And like that, Hoyce wandered away from his registered and walked down to Sears.
Mike was flabbergasted, and Shawn was trying to convince Mike to sing Spice Girls for the talent show.
Hoyce was surprisingly adept at breaking into the Sears storefront, It was also a shock just how many of the old "knuckle buster" credit slides and large level carbon slip presses were on the counter in the jewelry department.
Realizing that the larger imprinter could be swung as a weapon, Hoyce almost broke a smile and said, "Cool" before returning to the store.Fast Forward two years, 2026
Coastal village, somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Another year, another pandemic. But the country couldn't afford the fancy medicines of COVID-25 and 26. They relied on other methods for social distancing.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
(Gamma World) This is Not a Test #29 - Dr Helianthus and the Return to the Lost City
Sonny felt an odd sensation. The mutant sunflower involuntarily jerked its head up. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself. He was still firmly rooted in the ground, inside a group tent with a photosynthetic amplifier on top. The journey through the Glow Zone had been trying for his team, but after a quick rest, they were all ready to finish their mission.
Dr Sonny Helianthus - Scientist, Researcher, Sunflower of Action |
He had assembled a top notch team of PLANT operators. The Plant Liberation Army of a New Tomorrow didn't hate animal-kind, but animal kind was getting in the way of everyone's improvement.
That would stop today. One way, or another.
Stick, his trusted scout and hand-to-hand expert, returned to camp. "Doc, the device was right where you said it was, surrounded by a ton of living metal."
Stick |
"Stick, I have something up my sleeve for that."
"Is that why you where a human lab coat, Doc?"
"That... and other reasons, my friend. Go tell Venus and the others it's go-time."
The scout left to tell the others: Stump, a tree with artillery-sized projectile capability. Twig I and Twig II, the big guys friends (children) but very capable plants. And Venus, the true intelligence in the party, even if she was dumb enough to get involved with Sonny for some extra-curricular activities.
Venus |
Sonny's team, about to dash across the City of Eternal Flame |
Where Venus fell. Scavengers unleashed toxic mutants from the tanks, so there was some karma. |
(L to R) Front Row: Sneaky Pete, Squiggles Back Row: Lathar the Mighty, Ramsay, No-Name. |
With a boom the device began to work, terraforming the City of Eternal Flames. Where there had been desolation, huge growths began to sprout out of the reclaimed soil.
For the members of PLANT this seemed divine, but the terraforming rapidly exceeded anything Sonny had pulled from the manual. Plant growth grew exponentially, vines covered everything, including passive humans, until succumbing to an even heartier plant growth. What could have been a paradise for all races turned into primaeval jungle only the most dangerous beasts could survive in. Most of the exploring gangs survived with only their lives.New lifeforms began emerging from the soil. Sentient lifeforms |
Sonny felt an odd sensation. The mutant sunflower involuntarily jerked it's head up. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself. He was still firmly rooted in the ground, inside a group tent, just outside the walls of the Hisser village of Notex. A noise appeared to have awoken him in the middle of the night.
But.... mutated plants don't sleep, much less dream, do they?
GM: Welcome to a proper place to put in the Fistful of Lead: Wasteland Warriors game I played in, and Mike Lung ran at Historicon 2023. Mike was nice not only have myself, but "Gnome King" and fellow Gamma World player Jim play in the session. I ran Sonny's plant commandos, while Jim statted out the other characters from the campaign to play in the miniatures game.
Next: #29 - Coffins for Hissers
Monday, April 22, 2024
Mandatory AAU Basketball Spring 2024 Rant - Weekend #2 - The Birthday Hullabaloo
This whole separate tournament locations for Maja and Millie is for the birds! Although I'm getting far less wear and tear on my car.
This past weekend, I got to take Millie (13u) to the Scranton Slamfest, while Maja's mother got the honor of fighting thousands upon thousands of people at the Live at the Nook even in Spooky Nook (Lancaster, PA).
It was also my birthday this weekend, so while Maja went down to Lancaster right after school for a 6:10pm game Friday, I watched over Millie, and Millie's Friday was going to be baking a lot of cupcakes, whether she like it or not.
My Official Birthday Sticker for the Weekend. |
I somehow traded kids with their mom, and Maja accompanied me to the birthday soiree at a decent at best local chain of pub restaurants.
I don't know if I want to use it for lunch, or get a job transporting blood or transplant organs.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Mike Lung Gallery #90 - Homemade Gemrocks for Stalagbite
In his e-mails to me promoting the Stalagbite! Kickstarter, friend of the blog, Mike, sent me these little tidbits, and they might be more glorious than the Kickstarter itself.
Inspired by a trip Disneyworld awhile back, Mike rode Snow White's Mine Train ride and noticed the barrels full of gems and other items. Upon return home, he made rocks encrusted with gems for use in the original version of Stalagbite!
The gems on the rocks were colored rhinestones.