Monday, November 30, 2015

Bill and Ted's Excellent Boardgame

After weeks balancing between ennui and my head racing at a million miles an hour, something simple drags me back to Earth, and brings me unbridled joy.

Steve Jackson Games has announced the intended release of Bill and Ted's Excellent Boardgame.  


Excellent!!!!!

From the website:
Strange things are afoot in Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame!

Collect personages of historical significance in order to pass your oral history report. But beware! Every time you bag someone, the phone booth breaks most-heinously, and your adventure through time will take a most serious turn!

For $19.95, it immediately goes to the top of my want list.  This will arrive at the house as soon as it comes available... unless I find a phone booth

Edited due to over-enthusiasm.  I thought it was already released. 

Sunday, November 29, 2015

This is Madness... This is SATLOF 2015!

Our extended group, both gamer and general weirdo alike, had a lot more mandatory high holy days than we had before.  Halloween and Paupuno Day (Super Bowl Sunday) are both run by Steve and attendance is nothing like it was before.   I have the day of Day of Sloth, and that has declined over the years to the point that this year we effectively had a secret enclave.

Nate has SATLOF, and while the numbers have declined, it is a can't-miss occasion for the core group.

SATLOF (Saturday After Thanksgiving Left Over Feast) was originally a concept (born of Steve's high school friend FATLOF) where everyone brought their leftovers for a party and pig-off two days after Thanksgiving.   It's evolved over the years, to where Nate essentially cooks a turkey with all the fixings, and we all bring a non-leftover item to the festivities (We took responsibilities for corn and rolls.)  Lots of good food, lots of good booze, and perhaps a game or two.

Outside forces have changed the holiday.  Nate moving to Allentown scared away a number of the Pocono attendees.  Kids have certainly changed the dynamic, but since there's more of them now they distract themselves.  And the desire to get completely faced has been whittled down to two or three participants.

This year, the front of the  food line was graced with this disturbing image.  

Of all the aluminum foil clad dishes, one was empty with another picture inside it and  "You chose ... Poorly..."  Food was great as always.

We managed to shed the children and meet at the basement bar for gaming and liquor.    Steve broke out Eggs and Empires, and it still ran great with six players.

The Silver Gnome overlooks the fate of the Empire.
I then broke down and played my first-ever game of Cards Against Humanity.    I stand by all my previous claims, although I must admit it was a raucous good time.  As my girls were quietly playing on the other side of the basement, I was given the questionable cards to read alot, essentially a parental filter.  Luckily, I only needed to rework one card.  

We got 15 minutes of game talk in, solidifying the 13th for the first game of the 2nd Edition AD&D campaign Hoyce wants to start.  I covered Spirit of '77 with a few of them, and we had a hasty debate about using Goodberries on unconscious characters.

The International Sign for a Par-Tay!
I had a great time, the girls had a fun time playing with some ... boys (???), and even my wife enjoyed herself.  So long as there are toys, I don't think I need to bring along kids games for the group, but it's a good cross-section for a playtest.


Saturday, November 28, 2015

(Kickstarter) Harwood Hobbies Presents 28mm Cutists

The holiday season isn't the greatest time to launch a Kickstarter, but Harwood Hobbies' 28mm Cultists, is low-key enough that it should work

 
For the pledge levels, disregard the prices on the pictures.  A $13 CAD pledge (just over $10US) will net you the three axe cultists, and $25CAD/$19US level gets you the axe cultists, a Mr Karswell figure, plus the Daughter of Yog-Sothoth.   "The Duke" is considered an add-on for the time being.

 
 
They are also offering their current minis lines, Sinbad and Lovecraft Circle, as add-ons.

Friday, November 27, 2015

(Kickstarter) Runequest 2nd Edition Reprint

On a day full of new Kickstarter launches, most are just horribly displayed, disastrously planned, or seemingly redundant (really?  ANOTHER Kickstarter for magic missile dice?)

The one exception is the Runequest 2nd Edition Reprint, presented in conjunction with Moon Design/Chaosium.  The material is ready to go to the printer, the pdfs are bookmarked and are ready to be emailed.  

The $30 tier nets you the Runquest 2nd Edition hardcover, 20 pages of player handouts, and a handy GM screen, plus pdfs of all the products (Shipping from the US looks to add an additional $11-33+ to the cost of your pledge, but we aren't looking at Horror on the Orient Express-level disasters that eventually forced Moon Design into their current position within Chaosium. 

And yes, if stretch goals are reached, Apple Lane will become available again.

Shelving the Elf

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT***

This year, the lovable "Elf on the Shelf" may be unavailable to tens of thousands of homes..

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Apathy of the New Releases (Dec '15)

My Must-Have Want List
Osprey Publishing
DRAGON RAMPANT: FANTASY WARGAMING RULES ...................    $17.95

My Money Is No Object Want List
Atlas Games
Hamlet's Hit Points .......................................................................................   $20.00


My Imaginary Store List
Action Phase Games
Ninja Camp ..................................................................................................... $19.99
Scoundrel Society ........................................................................................... $19.99

Alderac Entertainment Group
Ravenous River ............................................................................................... $ 9.99

Atlas Games
The Bones, Us, and Our Dice .......................................................................... $18.95
Things We Think About Games ...................................................................... $20.00

Army Painter
ZOMBICIDE: BLACK PLAGUE PAINT SET ............................................... $29.95

Cakebread and Walton
OneDice Universal RPG .................................................................................... $ 9.99
You're a company with a near-ridiculous sounding name and you're soliciting a $60 Pirates and Dragons RPG, a $60 Dwarf/Norse sounding game, an 18th Century London Horror RPG for $30, and a universal game for ten bucks, I would order the $10 book first to dip my toe in the water.

Chaosium
Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Quickstart Rules ...................................................... $  9.95
CoC: Alone Against the Flames ........................................................................... $12.95
CoC: Doors to Darkness ........................................................................................$22.95
CoC: Nameless Horrors .........................................................................................$29.95
I know, a bit of a shocker, given my propensity to put anything CoC on my "IT MUST BE MINE!!!" list. But, as I mentioned in previous posts, I'm taking a break from new Chaosium material until they get the stuff together.    Won't mean I wouldn't order a copy or three for the store.   The ten dollar quickstart rules puts a bad taste in my mouth, given the expenses of the new rulebooks, if and when they actually come out.

Engine Publishing
FOCAL POINT: THE COMPLETE GM’S GUIDE TO RUNNING EXTRAORDINARY SESSIONS
                              ................................................................................................... $24.95
I like to keep my how-to gaming books under $20 for impulse buys, but I'll bit on this.

 Fantasy Flight Games
STAR WARS RPG: AGE OF REBELLION LEAD BY EXAMPLE  HC ........... $29.95
STAR WARS X-WING Dial Upgrade Kits ........................................................... $ 9.95 each
(Imperial Manuever, Rebel Maneuver, and Scum and Villany Maneuver)
Warhammer 40K Dark Heresy: Enemies Beyond HC ............................................ $39.95

Gale Force Nine
3 PIECE SCULPTING SET  .....................................................................................$9.99
8 PIECE METAL FILES ..........................................................................................$14.99
HEAVY METAL CUTTER ....................................................................................  $15.99
DIAMOND MICRO FILES ...................................................................................   $12.99
HOBBY BONE SAW .............................................................................................   $11.99
HOBBY DRILL WITH BITS ....................................................................................$9.99
HOBBY KNIFE .........................................................................................................$6.99
PLASTIC PRECISION SIDECUTTER .....................................................................$9.99

DUNGEONS &  DRAGONS RPG: DECKS
ARCANE  $3.50
Cleric Domains $6.99
DRUID CIRCLES $3.50
MARTIAL POWER & RACES $6.99
MONK PATHS   $3.50
PALADIN OATHS $3.50
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS RPG:  OUT OF THE ABYSS DM SCREEN ............. $14.99

TANKS:  STARTER SET PANTHER VS SHERMAN ............................................. $24.99
I don't remember seeing anything about this at Fall-In! but to be honest, I was unable to peruse any Gale Force Nine stuff thanks to the force of nature that is my daughter.  Don't know the scale, but at $5-10 per tank, I'm assuming 15mm or smaller? 

Games Workshop
Infiltration Cadre Burning  Dawn ................................................................................. $110.00
Shadow Force Solaq ...................................................................................................... $140.00
Armies/Battleforces/Etc for over a hundred dollars I've come to expect over the last two decades, but after that things went ridiculous.  $40-50 for Space Marine Veteran Squads?  Crazy!  And this new penchant for stupidly large units that make Stormblades look like Yugos for $100 each?  Unless you're playing on 6 x10 tables, it just looks stupid.

Goodman Games
Dungeon Crawl Classics 2015 Holiday Module:  Advent of the Avalanche Lords ........ $9.99

Hasbro
Magic: The Gathering - Arena of the Planeswalkers Board Game Battle for Zendikar Exp ... PI

Konami Digital Entertainment
Yu-Gi-Oh! Breakers of Shadow Boosters
Yu-Gi-Oh! Emperor of Darkness Decks

Mantic Entertainment
Dreadball Season 6 Core Book ......................................................................................... $24.99
Even more seasons?  Don't get me wrong, if my local FLGS can support a Blood Bowl league (with horrible prices for figs), then even more teams and specials for the sci-fi version makes sense.

Monte Cook Games
No Thank You Evil! RPG ................................................................................................. $39.99
FORTY DOLLARS  for a Kid's Game!?!?   Sorry Monte, I may have plugged your Kickstarter, but there are plenty of inexpensive/free games that can introduce kids to role-playing are early as three without crazy, funky dice and extra handouts.  My blog has covered a bunch!

The Strange RPG:  Encyclopedia of Impossible Things HC ........................................... $39.99

Ninja Division Games
Angry Sheep ................................................................................................................. $19.95

Offworld Designs
Vote Cthulhu T-Shirt .........................................................PI
Always a good sell... and tis the season....

Osprey
Collision of Empires ................................................................................................. $18.00
Bolt Action: Duel in the Sun .................................................................................... $29.95
Railway Guns of World War II ................................................................................ $17.95

Paizo Publishing
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game:  Inquisitor Class Pack ....................................... $19.99
Pathfinder AP: Hell's Vengeance Pt 1 - The Hellfire Compact ............................... $24.99
Pathfinder Campaign Setting:  Darklands Revisited ................................................ $22.99
Pathfinder Flip-Mat:  Bigger Tavern ........................................................................ $19.99
Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Dungeon ................................................................... $13.99
Pathfinder Flip-Mat Classics: Town Square ............................................................ $13.99
Pathfinder Map Pack: Urban Sites ........................................................................... $14.99
Pathfinder Player Companion:  Blood of Shadow ................................................... $14.99
 
Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Savage Worlds RPG:  Lankhmar Savage Foes of Nehwon ..................................... $19.99
Savage Worlds RPG:  Lankhmar Savage Tales of the Thieves Guild ..................... $19.99
Savage Worlds RPG:  Lankhmar City of Thieves .................................................... $19.99
SAVAGE WORLDS RPG: BEASTS & BARBARIANS: TRICARNIA - LAND OF PRINCES AND DEMONS             ..................................................................................................... $29.99
 
Reaper Miniatures
Cavalry Officer ...............................................................................................  $7.49
 
I don't know what market Reaper is shooting for with this figure?  Non-licensed Deadlands?  There's plenty of Civil War Officers (even Cav officers on foot) who might be a half a head shorter at 25mm but look far better. 
 
Steve Jackson Games
Munchkin Steampunk ................................................................................... $24.95
 
Wizkids
Marvel Heroclix Captain America Civil War Starters and Gravity Fed Packs
 
Star Trek Attack Wing Expansion Packs ........................................................ $14.99
(Algeron, Drovana, Einstein) 

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

(Hackmaster) Burning Trogs Rule! #20: Escape the Slavers

Our Burning Trogs:
Cecilia Darkspruce: Half-Elf Warrior Priest of Sif,
Gwendalyn Lorax:  Half-Elf Druid
Marek the Learned:  Human Double Invoker
Brother Thomas:  Human Monk
.... are stuck in the slaver city of Roark, not in physical chains, but in economic bounds, flat broke, working menial jobs for coppers a day, a whole silver if they're lucky.  Something needed to change.


20th of TriDec, 1134:  The Slaver City of Roark, Location Unknown.
While Cecelia works a double at the inn, The fellows take Gwen to see the Temple of Ikka Patang. The guards (hobgoblins and a bugbear or two) give the men dirty looks and not much more.  Outside of an earthen trench and a drawbridge, there were no other entrances into this odd citadel.

Cecelia tries to work the staff and clientele over any details about the Temple.   Not much known is known the locals about what goes on there, except they are guarding something BIG.

Back at the Temple, Brother Thomas wants to attempt to crawl through the sewers to gain access, but Gwen vehemently vetoes that plan.

Upon returning to the inn, all four went back to their rooms to discuss their intel and plot their next move, only to discover a dead stable boy in the room, and the town guards already arriving at the inn.
Brother Thomas punches one out and everyone jumps out a window into a side street below.  Cecelia jumped first, but as the others followed, they could not find her.   Brother Thomas, Marek, and Gwen blasted through the streets escaping into the hills, and going off the path to avoid the pursuing patrols.

21st of TriDec, 1134:  Outside of Roark.
Organization fell apart quickly as the three remaining Trogs traversed a relatively barren landscape. Water could be found, but nothing remotely edible.  Gwen found a small copse of trees, and even befriended a squirrel who provided limited directions, but as Gwen slept, the other two caught the animal and ate it.  Once an infuriated Gwen woke up, Marek set fire to the trees, found no apparent reason.

Gwen: "We need to go back for Cecelia. These people do not care about her at all. Things would be much better if Cecelia was here."

22nd of TriDec, 1134: Still Outside of Roark.  
The group ran into a pack of frothing, feral gnomes who attacked them.  Gwen could muster an Entangle on the majority of the gnomes, Marek just set fire to the tall grass and brush .  Brother Thomas just punched and kicked as many as he could.
Frothing gnomes want to fight.  

The feral gnomes were finally all put down, but not before one of the gnomes bit down on Gwen's foot, nearly biting off her toes.  A hobbled  and woozy Gwen used her last healing spell to stabilize herself, infuriating an almost equally hurt Marek.  Marek tried to attack Gwen, but failed miserably. Realizing all the goodwill built up with Brother Thomas was gone, Marek tried to run away, the monk chasing right behind, and Gwen stumbling behind him.

It's unsure what exactly happened in what order during the chance, but the invoker began summoning fire spells just from his willpower.  He set fire to a small woodland, chasing out all the wildlife, including a pack of velociraptors!

Marek couldn't control his powers and a burst of flame spread through the area, killing a few giant lizards, but turning him into a wizened husk in the process.  Brother Thomas tried to fight back, but soon the beasts overwhelmed him.

Gwen escaped from the lizards by barely managing to surf down the side of a rocky hill , riding down on two bucklers they had scavenged.  The wounded velociraptors did not wish to pursue any longer, as they had a feast already in front of them.

It looked  a little like this....
Gwen had survived, but now she was all alone.

Brother Thomas and Marek had stood out like sore thumbs while scouting the temple, so the inhabitants tracked them back to the inn, killed the stable boy and put him in their room, and called the town guard as soon as returned from their morning stroll around the outside of the temple the following day.   

The women survived on pure luck, guile, and for Cecelia, the fact that she zigged when everyone else zagged.  Her story will to told soon enough, but for now, we'll turn our entire attentions to Gwen, as she navigates through a strange and hostile land....

...and looks for Cecelia.

Next:  #21 Gwen's Journey

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Chaos Gnomes

This is what I get for ignoring GwtG contributor Mike Lung, I completely fail to give full praise to The Dice Bag Lady's  Chaos Gnome army.



I love the idea that Mike isn't the only crazy person obsessed with unusual mounts.

I also love that these make my Martian goblins look rather pedestrian. 
 

Friday, November 20, 2015

(Kickstarter) Legends of British Steampunk

I tend not to mention a Kickstarter campaign unless the figures look great, or I would pledge to it if I had the necessary funds.

The Legends of British Steampunk Kickstarter fits neither criteria.  Steampunk isn't one of my go-to interests, and the figures remind me of some flat toy soldiers I own.   

But I mention it due to two figures that would be part of wave two, if the stretch goal is met.

Lower Right Corner...
Your very own Professor Elemental and Mr B, the Gentleman Rhymer is very tempting.

Car Wars Arenas Arrive!!

After dealing with a school open house with enough parkng for a quarter of the parents, and the discovery of the source of the newest plumbing leak (the stainless steel washer hook-ups aint so stainless anymore), I took a few second to apply some paint to the palm tree jungle and herd of spiders on my workbench. 

I waited until today to open up my package I received in the mail yesterday.  Hoo-ray for Car Wars!

With my snazzy new Car Wars patch and Munchkin paraphenalia
Seven map sheets, all double sided, stats on all the arenas provided, a Car Wars patch, and a few promotional cards. 

Knowing my wife and kids, they will appreciate the bubble wrap it was packed in far better.

That's a lot of snazzy double-sided maps!
Steve Jackson has pulled off every Kickstarter backer's dream, a product that's arrived a month early! 

To continue my good fortune, my copy of Star Patrol: Carrier Commander should be in the possession of the USPS today and arriving at my house, possibly before Thanksgiving!  I could say that communication from the designer could be considered overbearing, but given the tiny margins for error for a $3 game (postage included), that's far preferred.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, another disappointing update by RAFM for the CoC 7th Edition minis.  While I had gathered from the last update that they would direct all attention to shipping out product, the entire last week has amounted to organizing product.  Items might be shipped after Thanksgiving.    I've been completely patient with the campaign, but I don't think I'll be seeking out any RAFM prodcut after this scheduled disaster.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

The Mike Lung Gallery #36 - Ameribear Settlers and Some Big Cabbages

Still going through Mike's neglected emails.  The man's imagination and talent is just getting better and better.
 
Below are some of the colonial bear women he made.  They're cast open handed so Mike can affix whatever tool/weapon/implement best suits them. 

In the front, is one of Mike's dead casualty bears with his stuffing oozing out of his torn stitches! The General (the Duke of Cucumberland) is just simply a (former) Eureka bear that he remounted from the rocking horse to a more mobile rabbit.  


Also, notice the “cabbages.” They are become a staple crop for the bears and gnomes, alike... and according  to Mike, really simple to make. They're just some artificial plants bought at Michaels, torn from their stems and glued gunned directly to the field as is.  Hearty cabbages for hearty bears.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

(Hackmaster) Burning Trogs Rule! #19: A Slaver's Life is NOT for Me!

When we last left our heroes, Cecelia Darkspruce, half-elf warrior priestess of Sif, Gwendalyn Lorax, naive half-elf druid, Brother Thomas, human monk with a dark streak, and Marek the Learned, human double invoker with an addiction to fire, had all been captured by slavers and put to work on their ship for three long weeks.  After a severe storm crippled the ship, they managed to waylay the surviving crew and release the other slaves. 

To escape the ship, they fashioned a raft just for the four of them, and Gwen used  her druidic powers to summon a pod of dolphins to pull the raft to the nearest human port.

Unfortunately, the nearest port was the last place they wanted to go. 

15th of TriDec, 1134: The rocky shores outside the port of Roark. 
The dolphins fulfilled their obligation by depositing the Trogs on the rock-strewn coastline outside of the town of Roark... the city of the slavers!  With their cobbled together collection of ill-fitting and
foul smelling clothing taken from the slavers and poor weaponry, they surprisingly fit right in. 

The Trogs decided to get menial jobs, scout the location, and figure out a way home.  Revenge, forthe time being, was the last thing on their minds.

17th of TriDec, 1134:  The Slaver Town of Roark, Location Unknown
Gwen: "This trip is horrible.  Why did I leave the forest?"   Everyone in town needs a bath.  There are too many guards around, and most look like they can't be trusted with their mothers lives.    Try to set up a healing business in the ruins of a building, but are chased out by the town guard.   Get jobs in horrible inn for money.  We end up trapping drunks in back alley .  Two guys show up after the attack, force us to split spoils.  We're too beat up to argue

Day is complete, can afford a room... and  a hairbrush.

18th of TriDec 1134:  Roark.
While the men try very poorly to fit in, the girls got better jobs at local taverns doing more than menial labor and earning a whole whopping silver piece each!  They hear ship captains bragging that a full slave ship can fetch 50,000 gold!

The men stumble around town and come across a temple of Ikka-Patang, god of nature/neutraility.  It looks more like a citadel than a temple.

19th of TriDec, 1134: Roark
Gwen:  Town is very slow.  Men all went out on ships - Brother Thomas and Marek went out to explore town.   Bugbears guarded the temple - Marek stole a horse and gave to someone else for free. They rough up a few drunks and terrorize a stable boy.  "What good are boys except for kissing?"


After scraping by with nothing in this den of villany, the Trogs were ready to take action.  Unfortunately, action was ready to take them first!

Next:  #20  Escape the Slavers

Monday, November 16, 2015

A Groovy Weekend

This weekend capped off two weeks where no one was home each night until 7pm or later.  This week will be MUUUUCCCH better.  We have two nights off this week (TWO!... One if you count the kid's much delayed open house at school on Wednesday.)

The whole week was dominated by the kid's play. Groovy, a tribute to the sixties, whichran Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and we, as dedicated thespians, just had to go for all three showings.   The kids did great, the songs are infectious, and Millie stole the show as the youngest kid in the show by two years (and three or four inches).

My wife did give me an out for Sunday to allow me to go to Mepacon, but the idea of paying the one day fee, plus gas, plus parking, it was far better to deal with under-13 hippies.  

My Flower Children
The world is also dead set against me attending Cold Wars next year.  As if the concert in Pittsburgh wasn't already the last nail in the coffin, the kid's next play runs that weekend as well.    Guess it's time to plan my three events for Mepacon.
 
No rest for wicked...
 
I had snuck into work early on Saturday for some prep work for my staff before dashing off to Maja's first real basketball game.  My first hour there was dominated... by gaming.  First off, I tacked on the Space Mouslings to my Reaper Bones III Pledge Manager.  There's not much I might be interested in, outside of more of what I already snagged.   Those Frost Giants and Fantasy Mouslings are screaming for a game.  Might need to start the research for the right game system.   I'm planning on slapping a few more dollars Reaper's way before the Pledge Manager closes in May.
 
I also snagged pdf copy of  Spirit of 77.   Man, it is solid.  Love the character sheets (the exact opposite of Risus in many ways) , the system explanation is rad, and I can dig the handouts.  Still working through a great "bad" Rockford Files/Bionic Woman crossover actual play on the Rolling Intentions Podcast, but it gives me some hope that the system does handles failure well.  Let's just say that everytime a roll fails on a six or less on 2d6, the character earns an xp, and these fellas are earning xp left and right.   I have a ViscountEric-warped concept game I want to right, but I have a LOT of movies to watch for research.
 
Of course, this weekend was also the attacks on Paris.  I've moved up a topic in the queue which might seem the complete opposite of  talking about evil and terrorism, but I think I can weave everything together.
 
Busy busy busy bee!
 
 
 

 




Coc #31: Masks of Nyarlathotep #11 Obey the Black Pharaoh!

April 4, 1925 Cairo, Egypt

Steven O’Hara - Doctoral Student of Physics
Dr Nathaniel “Doc” Millheim – Parapsychologist

After combing over all the documentation from the Carlysle Expedition, after conversing with Dr. Ali Karfour of the Egyptian Museum about antiquities and the Black Pharaoh, and visiting some of the seediest (and violent) bars in Cairo, the investigators had one priority before venturing any further.  

Getting as much information out of a mentality and physically scarred “Dr Bob” Wintermute from his misfortune venturing out to one of Carlysle’s dig sites.

While stable from the severe sunburn he suffered under the Egyptian sun, he still wasn’t lucid enough to talk. O’Hara and Millheim thought some outside stimulation might cause a breakthrough, but instead of hashish like Walter Besart had wanted, they had the ex-Foreign Legionnaire Francois Guerin go find opium. A little while later and Guerin returned with his Egyptian contact Habib, and enough to sedate a shipful of sailors on leave in China.

Dr. Bob became delirious, hallucinating at the furniture in the room, but he manages to detail the ambush in the desert, his first attempt at casting a spell, and the disastrous consequences.  

Even after hearing this American’s wild ramblings, Habib ran a few errands for cash for the investigators and was ultimately convinced not only to go back to his house and fetch his pistol, but to accompany the trio the following day back out into the desert.

April 5, 1925
There was nothing at the first site they hand visited, but the second site (an unimportant site according to Karfour). Over another dune they notice a major depression. Ringing this near-crater were rows of large stones nearly buried in the sand. At the bottom of the crater was a large rectangular slab. Digging around the slab resulted in a stone foundation that made eerily appear like an altar. It took all four of them, but pushing the slab off revealed a stairwell leading down beneath the desert.

They descended the stairwell to a large, ancient, empty burial chamber, dominated by two alabaster columns. Steven discovered a secret door in the one column that provided an additional stairwell inside leading further down.

Upon Francois hearing some faint gunshots off in the distance, the party decided it might be best to head back up top, get better supplies, and more batteries for the flashlights they carried. A quick hat on a rifle butt trick yielded no shots. 

When they reached their car, two tires had been ruined. They scouted the area again, and could find no tracks, save the ruined car from Dr Bob’s previous foray out and the peculiar combed sand of the area beside it.

Steven managed to repair the one tire and used the spare to replace the other, but it only held up for a few rock-strewn miles down the road. With the sun setting, they abandoned the vehicle and tried their luck with a village down the road. Steven carried the tires along with him to make additional repairs.

Thanks to Habib, they managed to acquire a meal and shelter, even if they were split up among different households in village. The villagers admitted that there was a bandit problem, but they had little there for them to take. Regardless, they had acquired an almost random assortment of firearms to defend themselves, from rusty jezzails to more modern Great War models.

None of the investigators could get a wink of sleep, so it was no surprise that they all jumped into action when they heard gunfire outside.

Habib got to his door first. He and the man of his host family, got into position to see five bandits with modern weapons, terrorizing their neighbors, kicking open doors and shoot indiscriminately inside.

Steven peaked out the door with his family’s patriarch, but decided to hold their shots until the optimal moment.

Francois took it upon himself to shoo the family away, and as the only investigator with a rifle, found a great defensive position to aim. 

Doc Millheim tried to break the only table his host family had to make a club for defense.

Francois took the first shot, completely incapacitating the bandit. 

Habib unloaded as fast as possible with his revolver, sinking shots into three more bandits, killing one and wounding the other two.

The only unwounded bandit charged Habib, but Habib managed to hit him with the door, knocking him out. 

Steven just held his shot.

Although one bandit escaped with his life, the villagers finally got organized, shooting all the bandits, alive and dead, in the head, save Habib's capture. 

In the aftermath, the damage to village was less severe than the bandit's rampage sounded.  A few hand minor wounds and by the grace of Allah, only two had persihed.

Habib took the bandit into his host's home.  His interrogation skill seemed swift and brutal, if ineffective.  The bandit basically admitted he was a cultist in sheer defiance to Habib and their endeavour was doomed to fail.

Then Habib took the man's trigger finger off with the flick of the wrist.

Just laughter from the bandit.

Habib kicked the man's chair over, and proceeded to drag him by his hair out to the center of the village.

Steven's persuasive insults that this man's god was a bootlicker for the Jewish god didn't translate well through an already flustered Habib. 

Habib with fire gently crisping  the open wounds finally brought the man to screams.

After a few moments, a large hand appeared on Habib's shoulder and gentle but slurred voice said, "Stop."

There stood a huge man who had his right side of his face gouged off, a missing right arm, and a prosthetic for a right leg.  His crutch/walking stick was a large spear, which he impaled the cultist with.  He then asked the investigators to follow him.

He led them to a small shanty on the outskirts of the village, where he introduced them to his grandmother, an woman who was completely missing her jaw.  The man explained that he knew the investigators were powerful and driven, "but in the end, it all ends in failure."

The grandmother's eyes lit up when she saw the investigators.  She could only make these foul, gurgling noises and point to communicate, but Doc Millheim could see a basket in the far corner with the Egyptian hieroglyph for protection on it.  Inside the basket was a large piece limestone, multiple inches thick, with a portion of the symbol from the basket carved on it.  The best they could determine was that it had been used for outdoor use.

April 6, 1925
Steven got the car operational again, and they were back in Cairo before lunch.  They tried to talk to Bob, but he was still out of commission, and even the least empathetic member knew not to try the opium trick again.

The returned to the Egyptian Museum and sought out Dr. Karfour.   He identified the piece of limestone as the capstone for the Red Pyramid, which had been discovered vandalized shortly after the principals of the Carlysle Expedition had left for Kenya.   He confirmed that it had been used as some sort of a ward, either trapping something in or keeping something out.

The investigators admitted where they had been and what they had discovered.  Dr Karfour advised that they stock up on supplies and visit him the next morning and he'll try to get additional information on the site.

April 7, 1925
Before leaving for the site, they dropped in on Dr Karfour.  He provided them a stone with a strange symbol that would help them ward evil spirits away.  Upon leaving, Doc Millheim spied the large book on Dr. Karfour's desk, an aged copy of... The Necronomicon.  *cue dramatic music*

Back at the site, everything was back in its original positions, they pushed off the lid, cleared the blocks, and went back down.

The descent in the alabaster staircase was dark and monotonous, only the ragged breathing of a tiring Dr Millheim interrupting the footsteps.  The repetitive steps up caught the group in a small panic, but they finally reached a level floor. 

The floor opened up into a ancient throne room, a giant obsidian throne dominating the back wall.  A mixture of Egyptian and Mythos dominated the back wall.  Six five- foot tall pillars stood beside the throne, each with an alien, flame-shaped gem set atop the stone.

The right wall had a barely recognizable map of the world on it, with a huge red triangle filling up the Indian Ocean, it's corners meeting in Africa, Australia, and somewhere in the water.  An odd ebony strip ran across the ocean like a line of latitude, with a inscription about the Old Gods making their appearance. 

The left wall had a huge star chart, each star lit up by unknown means.  It seemed that the star alignments and a planetary alignment showing the solar system with NINE planets (Pluto was discovered in 1930!)  It took a few moments, but they were able to determine an eclipse scheduled for the ebony area of the map... on January 14, 1926, along with the birth of a child, possibly that of the god Nylarathotep.   (The investigators really started making their astronomy rolls in force.)

Then the alien gems lit up.

In a panic, they realized  the passageway leading back to the alabaster columns had been sealed up.

And sitting on the obsidian throne, was the Black Pharaoh himself, two swirling vortexes floating beside him.


The Black Pharaoh only spoke a few words, warning the party of the foolishness of their search, how they should give up their quest, and simply return to their normal lives.

Habib, who had been warned that this search could feel more like war than research, pulled out his .38 and unloaded three rounds into the dark god... to absolutely no effect.

After the first shot, everyone could see these foul, almost dog-like beings emerged from the vortexes. Second shot rang out and the beasts moved forward. The third shot missed and the beasts stood at the feet of their apparent master.

The Black Pharaoh simply raised a single finger, and Habib vanished from existence.

O'Hara immediately agreed to the being's demands, "No, we will never bother you or your friends ever again!"  At the moment, Nylarathotep seemed pleased. 

For Francois, this was entirely too much, as he crawled into the far corner in a sobbing mess. Doc Millheim's fragile psyche managed to hold on through such a mind-blowing encounter but his sense of right and wrong went right out the window. 

"We humbly apologize for irritating you like a fly on an elephant, but I myself have questions that I know only you can answer!"

"Answers?  You want answers?  Here, little one, go find the knowledge you seek." 

And with a move of the the Black Pharoah's hand, the star chart was replaced by a scene of an Egyptian marketplace.  Doc Millheim simply walked through the portal without any hesitation or concern for his friends and the scene from ancient Egypt faded from view, back into the stars and planets.

With that, the passageway materialized, Steven grabbed the maddened Francois, and the ran out of the alabaster columns without turning back.

Perhaps it was time to leave Egypt. 

For Hoyce's character Habib, he knew coming in he was to be hired muscle.  Trying to shoot a god in the face was what he was paid to do, although if he had succeeded he would have asked for more money.


Habib's Character Card for the table, edited in hindsight.
For Doc Millheim, it was a sad but fitting way for the parapsychologist/pulp writer to leave the game. He was the last original character still operating from session #1, and he knew his 30% in Cthulhu Mythos and 25% Sanity meant he was already on borrowed time.
But the commiserating of the good Doc didn't go on as planned.    Nate (the player) said that Doc Millheim would survive as long as he could, scratching anachronistic symbols and writing on any stone surface he could find.   He wasn't going down without a fight.

Then there was Steve (the player).   Although he had avoided learning anything from the Mythos, Steven the character had obtained tremendous amounts of knowledge regarding teleportation in an encounter in New York years ago.  He had been talented enough back then to improve upon the mad calculations of a raving madman.    Two years later, his knowledge in physics and mechanical engineering were far superior and, if he could get the materials, he would build a gate to travel back in time and rescue Doc Millheim.

We might be onto Kenya next, but I have a justified fear that I may need to prep a Stargate game... just in case.

Next: The Mountain of the Black Wind

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Games Workshop Specialty Games Rise from the Dead... Again

While Easter is the traditional resurrection holiday, Bell of Lost Souls reports a special Seasons Greetings announcement that originated from Australian stores, and has since been confirmed at a few locations here in the States.
 
Click to enlarge...
After what feels like a few failed attempts over the years, Game Workshop is again setting up a Speciality Division for those games that don't have WARHAMMER plastered thirty times over the cover of a box/book. 

Reviving the smaller lines makes a number of fans extremely happy, but I wonder what will come of the some of the third party sites and material.  I also worry about the cost of the GW-official products.  The third party unofficial products for things like Blood Bowl seem ridiculously high (I've seen $80 teams...that's a LOT unless your dealing with 15 figures). 

Perhaps there will be almost affordable reprints, perhaps a collected editions of the 'zines?  One can only hope.


Saturday, November 14, 2015

Spirt of '77

It's already a crazy time for me with RPGs, with very little time, and THREE campaigns vying for some spotlight.

Let's add one more, I can dig it.

Spirit of '77 is a high-speed, low drag RPG of 70s pop culture and the slew of media, good and bad that was generated from it.

Do you want to know kung-fu?  Done.  Blaxploitation heroes?  Damn Straight!  A bunch of honkies with fast cars, big trucks, and amorous primates?  Awww yeah!

I've been listening to a number of actual plays of the games and interviews with the designers and I'm this close to snagging a hard copy of the rules.

Apparently the Powered by the Apocalypse Engine is criticized by it's "yes, and..." approach.   I'm more of a "yes, but..." GM, and I'm a bit leery where the rules emphatically state the Players roll all of the dice, but I am a fan of any system which can start a campaign of random PCs with the DJ (Gamemaster) asking, "So..... just to clarify.... who stole the beer truck?"

Plots and role-playing can be just as awesome or awkward as you remember 70's movies being.  There's a lot of potential for any play style you want, The Good, The Bad, and the Groovy.


More to come, hopefully!

Friday, November 13, 2015

The Man Cave: Fall-In: The Games

Pictures and blog posts about Fall-In! have been in short supply.  

Thanks to The Man Cave, I finally have seen a few pictures from the "Gnome Pirate" game that ran parallel to the Assault on Santa's Village game my daughter and I played it.

Good stuff!  (And I'm a sucker now for parent-child bonding over wargaming... Bravo!)

From The Man Cave
 

Sherlock Gnomes: The Movie!

Although every news headline basically says "Johnny Depp! Johnny Depp!"  I'm far more excited that "Gnomeo and Juliet" is getting a sequel!  "Sherlock Gnomes" will have Depp voicing the titular character, aiding Gnomeo and Juliet over a rash of disappearing gnomes.

It's planned to hit theaters January 12, 2018.

 

Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Mike Lung Gallery #35 - The Last of the Mohaircans

Fall-In is over, work is slow, and now I can feel guilt for not going through the pile of e-mails that I've received from my friend Mike Lung.

Let's introduce the world to Mike's Mohaircan Bears that he sculpted.

My Mohaircans like them so much they decided to throw a party. Some gnome settlers thought the party was captivating!  Alas they could not participate because they were all tied up!  Things got out of hand when the Mohaircans broke out some jars of Huny.
 


These minis were sculpted for personal use and are not available for sale. 

The longhouses are from Acheson Creations. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Pulp Figures Movember Figure Details Finally Released!

As I mentioned last week, Bob Murch of Pulp Figures will be releasing a limited edition fundraising figure to benefit Movember (Canada).

Here's how you can snag up a copy of Captain Krustach:
1.  Go to Bob's Movember Page and make a donation of at least $5.
2.  Send the receipt of the donation to Bob and he'll throw the good Captain into your order.
3.  If you just want the good captain, just add $5.00 for US Shipping, $7.00 for International.

Don't know who exactly needs to be paid for the shipping, so emailing Bob might be your best bet.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

(Hackmaster) Burning Trogs Rule! #18 - Smacked by Don

20th of DuoDec, 1134 - Linnard Harbor, Kingdom of Marakeikos.
After their clandestine meeting with Dame Silver to agree upon the terms to save her brother, The Trogs left in the pre-dawn light to stay in Linnard.  They met,  Yurgan Wolf, Captain of the Ewe. Only one other captain was available, and he refused to to any farther than half the distance of the Mer Kasp, so 200 gp per day was agreed upon.

Journal Note:  It will cost 6,000 gp for a potential 30-day voyage. ***NEED 6,000 gp REIMBURSED FROM DAME SILVER***

21st of DuoDec, 1134 - Linnard
They met up at the dock at dawn, the crew of the Ewe already loading up the extra rations the Trogs provided.  An exhausted Cup ran up to the ship.  His family's house on Windyvale was burned to the ground.  Cup feared everyone dead.

The group held the ship and dashed back up to Windyvale.  Dame Silver's Estate was burned to the ground.  The survivors could barely grip their weapons.  Most of the dead were burned beyond recognition.  Of the notables at the party, only the body of Black Kerri could be identified.  The few non-charred bodies had multiple sword and spear wounds.  Blue and Orange Fish tattoos were on some of their foreheads.

Gwen:  "We spent a lot of money and everyone is dead.  I hope Mitgan made it out alive."

As far as everyone knew, Dame Silver was dead.  Even with little chance at reward or reimbursement, the Trogs plodded on with their mission.

Captain Yurgen knew of the fish tattoo as  a symbol of  the Bloody Whip, one of the most evil organizations he knew of.  They were the worst of the pirates  Old men on the crew didn't even want to hear talk about it.  By dinner time, the Ewe was out of Linnard Harbor and on its way.

22nd of DuoDec - On the Mer Kasp
Captain Yurgen gave the Trogs a tour of the ship, including where the pumps were .  Storms are coming and everyone aboard needed to know how to operate and fix them.

Gwen: His food tastes better coming up than going down.  

With the weather looking worse, they headed north to Amatay, also known as Shelley Harbor, in Vlachia.  The ship docked in a desolate corner of the harbor, nicknamed "Banana Island"

Gwen: Place looks like crap.  Everyone here looks tough.  No cargo on ship, huge mass of people came to help but with no cargo they ran away.    

Crew and Trogs reached nearest bar, but the dwarf tossing competition was too violent and too bloody even for the crew.  They moved onto to the Cracked Flagon, where more civilized  blood sports were being conducted.

Trogs were waylayed in the bar.  Most of the lights in bar went out.  Cecelia smited a few, but was  knocked out with a blow to the back of head.  Gwen cast a  Flame Blade that made everyone step back.  She swung wildly to make more room and set part of the bar on fire.  The others grabbed Cecelia and dashed out the bar and back to the ship before the press gang arrives.

23rd of DuoDec
Cecelia was healed and the others recovered from nasty hangovers.  The day was bright and sunny and the only sea sickness came from the galley.

The night,   Brother Thomas caught little sprite creatures attacking, and barely managed to wake Gwen.  The sprites swarmed the Trogs and three water-logged undead blocked in the doorway.  Soon, the cabin went completely silent, and a few seconds later the druid and monk both passed out.

24th of DuoDec
The four Trogs awoke to all of them with iron muzzles around their heads, the men were naked, and the women wore nothing but raggedy shirts.  They all had oars chained in their hands.  It was quite apparent that they all had been captured and enslaved when the crack of the whip was heard behind them.

Gwen, from her recollection: It was hard and tiring.  We got food once or twice a day normally There were storms on occasions and we were forced to row faster or bail water to stay afloat.  This went on for many days.

32nd of DuoDec, 1134.
The slave ship came to a small port town.  Some of the slaves were given clothing and  forced to move cargo off the ship.  Cecelia made an innocent enough distraction and Marek had a chance to run off, but froze.  The others failed to follow out of fear of the unknown of this odd town.  There chance to escape gone, the Trogs trudged back onto the ship.

6th of TriDec, 1134
Gwen: We hit a storm the slavers were having some of us bail water.  The water continued to rise and the slaves still chained to the oars all drowned.  A few days we get no food or water.  Cecelia pleaded for her holy symbol to heal everyone, slave and slavere alike, to get the ship moving.  The crew always said no.

7th of TriDec, 1134 - Somewhere on the Mer Kasp
With the overwhelming smell of death already in the air, the Trogs finally decide to to take the ship. Brother Thomas managed to break free, and then freed the others.  The Trogs and their freed slave companions took the ship using sheer brute force. 

It was definitely far more exhausting and desperate than the painting shows.
The few survivors decided to try to nurse the ship closer to the shore. 

Gwen had other ideas.

She fashioned a raft with boards ropes and ropes.  She used her druidic powers to to summon a pod of dolphins to take them to the nearest port.  For a few days the Trogs survived by hanging on to the makeshift raft for dear life and the dolphins pulled them to civilization.  There only sustenence was raw fish the dolphins caught for them, which is the origin of the nautical saying, "Never look a gift dolphin in the mouth..."

Nautical Uber for Adventurers!
Although I don't remember any Aquaman-style riding of dolphins, this is the true beginning of Smackdown the Slavers, the Hackmaster version of A1-4, Scourge of the Slavelords.   As the more combat-heavy members of the party away at Frandor's Keep, it was time for the second-tier characters to shine... and suffer mightily.    Without their magical abilities, the mediocre stats of the characters prevented an earlier assault on the slave ship.    Unfortunately, their dolphin friends only know of one real port in this area with big ships....

Next: #19 - A Slaver's Life is NOT For Me!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Fall-In! 2015 AAR

We have survived Daddy-Daughter weekend in Lancaster!

I had planned on taking my daughter, Maja, to our local convention, Mepacon, next weekend, but that interfered with the children's theatre production that she and her little sister Millie were in.  In a stroke of luck, my wife decided that I should take her down to Fall-In! instead.

I love my wife. 

After a deliriously good day of pizza, cake, and a company paid chair massage, I managed to leave work early to get Maja off the bus. A few dogs walked, a house straightened up, and a packing of the car later and we were off.
What am I getting myself into?
We stopped for a sit-down bite to eat at the slowest Wendy's in recorded history (outside Indiantown Gap), and still got to the Host with plenty of time to walk around.
Even with a blurry picture, this was the talk of the con....
 
Lighted buildings?  These guys were crazy in the most awesome way.

 
 

Who knew zombies loved soft-serve... brains
Friday night's event was the Gnome Joust. Team Jacobson went a combined 3-4. Maja did gain some notoriety (and a bounty!) by unhorsing one of the “Canadians.”
Maja versus the Gnome Guy himself, Jim Stanton.  Jim eeked out a 5-4 victory
The Canadians were planning on running a sci-fi game using some of their products and I would have loved to jump into that but Miss Maja insisted we go to the hotel (The Continental across the street). My buddy Brian got a room for the week and allowed us to crash. A little hotel wi-fi for a show and we both passed out. Good call, Maja.

Saturday
We woke up early for our 9am game, got a good spot in line for breakfast, and outside a jelly disaster on an chair, we dashed over to the Host to squeezed into the last parking spot before the roped off(?) overflow lot (It was reopened when we left that night). Picking up our badges at pre-reg took a whole 38 seconds, most of that was Maja talking about the Santa game.

First game was an Attack on Santa’s Village using GASLIGHT in the H.A.W.K.S. room. It was one of their multi-use tables, as a WW2 game was run on an almost identical table later that afternoon. Figures were a nice mix of Eureka Toy Soldiers, Brigade Game games, GW goblins, giant toys, a collection of evil and good snowmen, plus an assortment of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer collectibles that were perfect scale. My personal favorite were the Misfit Toy figures with umbrellas (as they were dropped into homes at the end of the special) who were treated as paratroopers that could be dropped anywhere on the board.
Even Santa's hiring illegal gnome labor to support the elf shortage
The objective for the evil players was simple: blow up the bridge on the other side of the board (no further explanation was provided nor necessary). Maja took dibs on Rudolph and two giant mechanical Minion toys. I got Yukon Cornelius and the Bumble.
The Giant Purple Minion Toy emerges from the factory
With few defenses on that flank, Yukon and the Bumble charged right at the bad guys, Yukon diving into a horde of goblins with berserker rage, and the Bumble stalling the Giant Evil Lego Tyrannosaurus Rex. Both did considerable damage, Yukon slaying goblin flunkies and the Bumble stalling and damaging the T-Rex before both heroes succumbed to the onslaught. I did my job, holding a good chunk of the evil horde at bay before reinforcements could come.
The hordes of evil storming through the town to blow up the bridge
The opposite side of the battlefield was far more vicious as snowmen and goblins clashed across the North Pole cemetery (!?!) Even with King Moonracer’s paratroopers dropping in, the good guys barely held on. Thanks to Herbie and Rudolph, the last of the wolf riders were routed and the few survivors could direct their attentions to the town square.
Pay no heed to the melted snowmen or slain misfit toys, it was Rudolph who routed the goblin wolfriders.
The evil doers took advantage of a confused defense of the town square and their overwhelming force managed to breakthrough down the main road to the bridge, a cave troll and a unit of evil penguins supporting from the flank.
The Purple Minion pops a gear....

So close....
It took the late appearance of Santa to stall them, but a clockwork gnome barely got its way onto the bridge and blew it up. Christmas might be slightly delayed this year.
 
Santa and friend finally show up and neither are Ho-Ho-Happy.
By the time the big fight at the bridge took place, Maja had already entertained herself lining up some of the good snowman with an unused Grinch toy on the set-up table. Three and half hours is an eternity for a six year old, so I give her credit for lasting as long as she did.

I like the way GASLIGHT goes, the only issue I had with the game was that the younger kids handed units of troops slowly, while many of the adults took on special characters. One on one combat seemed find, but mass combat with firing and melee felt a bit tedious and the kids did their best to stay interested and excited. The adult-commanded goblin units against the snowman with kids controlling special characters and smaller units fared better and played faster than the kids controlling armies and adults with specials/small units. The GM did do a great job interpreting the dice rolls of the damage/failures for all the mechanical units/giant toys/ Lego dinosaurs.

Since the H.A.W.K.S. room is the closest spot to the Tennis Barn, we then headed over to the dealer hall. Maja was completely overwhelmed and easily distracted. Luckily there was room for her to run-walk around like a kid in Willy Wonka’s factory. An impatient Maja and a limited time frame to boot, did not allow me do my normal shopping routine, so although there probably was someone with the Zap-A-Gap and the spray primer I wanted, I had no time to peruse some of the probable booths. She did pick up a necklace (which almost immediately broke) and a Hello Kitty dice bag. With a precocious six-year old and the clutter of some booths fighting against me I grabbed what I felt was necessary and we dashed back to grab a hot dog and go to Maja’s high point of the day, her “school”.

Strange jaundiced fellows on an MBA table.
We ran up to the Hobby University to take Hobby Painting for Complete Beginners. I’ve always stopped for the Paint-and-Take at Hobby U and seen every scheduled class booked solid, so I was surprised to see openings for this class. It was great to see families attending together, and I’m pretty sure everyone left picking up a number of tips of technique, brushes, or paint. The instructor provided a very detailed handout breaking down the different facets of painting. Maja did very well with the tiny mousling she picked up, although I’ll probably have her keep working on her Egyptian terrain or some 54mm figures to practice what she learned.

We had to cut class early to return to the H.A.W.K.S. room for Maja to jump into the Lego Pirate Brawl. This was much smaller than the Santa’s Village game and Geoff the GM was perfect at keeping the six or seven kids in line and entertained at the same time.   
Lego Pirates!!!!
The game allowed me to dash out for fifteen minutes for the bathroom, a giant meatball sub, and a five minutes in Wally’s Basement. There were a few items left that were deals, but nothing that inspired me to find an ATM with money in it. I snagged up a random card game for a dollar and two plastic horses to fulfill my younger daughter’s request for “a pony.”
The Requisite Gnome Pic


 


I was questioning why no one was playing on this Soloman Kane board

Then I noticed this (for the same game) on the next table.


I returned to the Lego Pirate game for find it filled with back-stabbing, hooliganism, and outright chaos.

The kids were having a great time.

I spent the last half hour talking general wargaming with the other spectating Dads. It was a nice affirmation that we were all in the same boat (and loving every second of it). I also was given a great new game concept that I’m going to steal, if I can find a Russian sub…. or just use one of the Gups from Octonauts for a kid-friendly version.


Maja was invited to jump in, but she declined.  I knew it was time to go home.
Although Maja wanted to wait until the Toys for Tots Chinese auction, I felt it better to saddle up, check back at Brian’s room to recover a bit and charge up the phone for the ride home, and sneak into IHOP for some dinner. For the second straight Lancaster con, I avoided a place with a line out the door and had a great dinner. How great? I actually called the number at the bottom of the check to compliment our server, Heather. I know people love their steak, but I swear the same people in motorized scooters were outside Texas Roadhouse when we left that were there when we pulled into the parking lot.  Chain food isn't that good, folks.

Finally, to top off a hectic, but memorable weekend, we stopped off at Sheetz for gas and a bathroom break and I discovered these:

 
The flavor is spot on, although it's obviously missing the texture of dip. Still, it made an uneventful drive home quite enjoyable.

Site: The Host is the Host. I got relatively easy parking both days, the rooms were temperate, and rumors of leaks were in areas that didn’t affect me. On-site food ate away at the cash budget (Maja’s bottomless pit of a stomach is right after her Dad’s when he was six), but the meatball sub was oversized, overflowing, and strangely delicious.

Lodging: The Continental is not a brand-new La Quinta, but it does what it needs to do and their hearty breakfast powered us through the day. I’m tempted to take a Daddy Day Off and travel down for The Weekend in July in lieu of Cold Wars next year (more on that in a second).

Events: Lots of events, but very little interested me. Add in Maja’s dictates and we had a limited schedule. Historical or not, we definitely need more kid’s games. Using Maja as a guide, most of the pictures were what piqued her interest in our limited time walking around.

Gnomes: I had near zero-time with my fellow gnomies, and I will be missing Cold Wars next year fulfill some marital demands. Blake Shelton in Pittsburgh does not equal Wargaming in Lancaster, but I failed at procuring tickets for the local event. We did get better seats at a cheaper price, and free lodging, so I’ll take a weekend with the wife but away from the kids nonetheless. I also promise to read my emails from the fellow gnomies right after I finish this.
 

Dealers/SWAG: I have a LOT of online ordering to do, thanks to an impetuous Maja. I never got to some booths. A couple of packs of Pulp Figures for some upcoming games with the girls, some “green army guy” foliage that will work well with my jungle terrain on the workbench, and a couple of Windsword items for Maja to paint. (Plus the previously mentioned flea market swag…. Millie loved her ponies by the way).

Maja: The convention pace is certainly faster than game pace at home, but she hung in there. She was friendly to the right people, and avoided the rest. She could be easily distracted and was still subject to a “SQUIRREL” moment, or two, but I must remember she's only six. She’s growing up faster and faster, but she's definitely at an age where we can do "stuff" and best of all, she wants to do stuff with me. Apparently, my wife and I may have done a decent job raising her. Can’t wait to take her again…