Mandatory Basketball Rant - Winter 2022-23 - Week 8

 Two and weeks left in the scholastic calendar, two weeks left in Millie's leagues, and AAU is staring us in the face.

Maja:   Two basic games against Pittston and Tunkhannock.  As Maja's the last line of defense in the press and the first line of defense is usually creating turnovers her stat lines have been weak, but she's out with the A-team.  It always begs the question, with her friend returning from injury and lighting the other teams up with her shooting, would Maja benefit from some time running the B-squad and generating opportunities for those girls?  The coach is known to tweak with the 4th and 5th starters, but I guess Maja's been a rock out there for him and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Just in case it starts raining 3's 

Millie: The Wolfpack had another 30-point within the Schuylkill League.  It's their fun league to do together before AAU kicks in.  Sunday night was a different story.  The Wolfpack ended their regular season against Millie's Mountain Top team on Sunday, and it was a bit more than advertised.

After trading foul shots, the Wolfpack went on an 8-0 run, followed by a 7-2 run.  Then Mt Top slowly began to dominate the boards for good stretches of the games, remembering they had two girls taller than any Wolfpack player.  Ultimately, the running clock (league rule) was too much to overcome the deficit, and they lost their second game in the last 50 weeks, 31-27. Individual stats were lopsided to two players, but the fact that 21 out of 27 points had an assist attributed to them was pretty significant.  Of course, that means their nine offensive rebounds (versus 13 Wolfpack) were insignificant since they didn't generate any offense.  

To add insult to injury the father of Mt Top's center was bad mouthing Wolfpack players while on the bench, players, mind you that his daughter played with during AAU.  There are rumblings that she won't be returning to the AAU program, relying on a tenuous arrangement with an NYC club, which is a huge deficit I don't think the program can react to and be competitive at 6th grade play. 

Local Rec League:  For the first time ever, playoffs started in January.  The 11-teams in the 3rd/4th grade boys division will require four whole weeks of double elimination basketball before the championship weekend.  Outside of paying a few refs for games that weren't scheduled (We only used four out of six time slots, and none of our byes could play exhibition), the games went off without a hitch.  To be honest, working scoreboard for the3rd/4th and 5th/6th girls games garnered ultra-competitive games moving into their playoffs. The complaints are pouring in and all negotiating with these coaching terrorists will do is embolden them.   Now if we can only get some confirmation on the pizza parties for the little ones, before winter plays, spelling bees, and snow days screw those up.

7th/8th Grade:  The calm before the storm, the teams had their second confidence boost of the season, playing Bear Creek Charter again, to 24-9 and 35-15 wins respectively.  Everybody got significant playing time, the usual suspects did not get high scorer on their teams, and even the girls deep in the bench made some nice plays.  As the Jr High parents have been the volunteers at the concession stand for home games, I've answered a ton of questions and set up text and e-mail groups to forward any training, try-out, or practice opportunities.

(Star Wars d6) #75 The First Rescue on Ruie

The Crew of the Pretio in This Week's Episode 

Ne'vets Aharo - an exotic animal broker, both legal and otherwise, majority owner in the Pretio.
"Sid" - A peculiar woman who has shown to be a better pilot than the previous one.  Possible Imperial ties, but a far better shot.  
Evus - Twi'lek male, former slave, then former associate of Ne'vets, currently working for Crom-Crom the Gungan on Naboo, but caught back up in the nonsense of the Pretio.

Latorna Savvn - Noted terrorist working for the Galactic Rebellion.  Wanted by the Empire and multiple systems for multiple deaths in the name of "Freedom."  Laying low on the Pretio, while also bleakly looking for any news that her brother, former Pretio pilot Tarrie Prolek, is still alive.

Duk'k - Sipsk'ud Bounty Hunter, recently rescued by the crew. Offering his services in order to get off this barely existing hunk of mud. His warning shots are dead center mass kill shots.  Currently blown out of the Pretio while manning the top turret and is presumed lost on the planet Ruie

Checking In

The crew of the Pretio, contracted to rescue 

Sergei Oberlates, son of industrial magnate, 

Mark Oberlates, have arrived on the planet Ruie.

Within a few minutes, the ship came under attack

Duk'k the bounty hunter was ejected from the craft. 

Using the Something Awesome, Rebel Agent and Saboteur 

Latorna Savvn made contact with Duk'k but also has

Made contact with two Z-95 Headhunters, which 

Certainly does not match the tech level of the planet.

Will the crew make nice with the locals, or will there be

A sudden influx of off-worlders in the planet's penal system?

With two Z-95 Headhunters powering towards Something Awesome, she did not feel like testing the full capabilities of the experimental aircraft.  

"We will comply.  We're missing a crew member on the ground from an explosion.  He was last seen in an area with three local transports."

"We can send a recovery team once we smooth over the details."

Latorna switched channels and provided coordinates to the Pretio and followed the navigation.  At the altitude programmed in, she could notice more buildings, although most were one story tall, and none more than two.  Once arriving at the coordinates, a blast door door opened up from the the rocky ground and an entrance to an underground hanger could be seen.  Latorna landed in the first of many empty spots in this hanger, unbuckled, took off her helmet, popped the hatch, and waited for the welcoming committee.

A few moments later, a squad of men in jumpsuits emerged, followed my a group of men in cheap light armor and ridiculous helmets.   At first look, it appeared that each of them were armed with a flame thrower, but the upon further inspection, all but one were energy packs.   One of the larger fellows was indeed, armed with a flame thrower.

Upon the Pretio's arrival, the first squad motioned the crew to disembark from the vessels and come forward.  Everyone but Sid and the droids left the ship.  

Once they left their ships, two native individuals seemed to take the lead, a small-ish pale human with spikey hair and a nervous visage, and a darker-skinned individuals with arms like a Rancor which dwarfed the flame thrower he carried.

"Welcome to Ruie, guys.  You know you guys can't just land.  We are in the middle of a war zone."

"That wasn't on the travel brochure."

"We have a brochure now?  These off-worlders bring nothing but problems."

"And money, don't forget about money."

"We'll talk about that later.  I'm Dash Anker, the large fellow next to me is Big Bob.  Welcome to the Jingarlu Union."

Going through the formalities, a discovery was made to the poor sensors on the Pretio.  One major omission in the scant planetary information was the solar radiation levels on the surface of the planet.  Moderate exposure of just a few weeks would be debilitating at best, deadly at worst.  The original colonizers had brought shielding for residences, but as communications evaporated and materials dried up, civilizations immediately began looking beneath the surface, coming out only the plant, maintain, and harvest crops (the radiation did help create bumper crops, even if there was a quarantine period before one could consume them.)  Everyone above surface used 

"You guys are missing someone too, how did that happen?"

"He fell out after the explosion."

"You don't have seatbelts?"

"He's a bigger dude, seatbelts aren't always comfortable."

Big Bob nodded, "I feel you."

Dash kept going, "If have coordinates, we'll have the same artillery guys who hit your ship look for him." 

"We got hit by artillery?"

"Yep, lucky shots happen.  Why are you guys here?"

"Tourism... and we'll talk about our friend missing and jail on planet later?"

"You're here for the Oberlates kid?"

"Yeah, you heard about him?"

"Of course, I kriffing heard about him.  His old man raised a stink, but the kid's in Neevlethorn.  It's not going to fun...."

Back on the surface, Duk'k was carefully making his way through the forest, heading towards wherever the natives and the transports had appeared and returned to.  He quickly ducked back into bushes as the three transports came back down a trail, much slower than before.  The soldiers were bellowing into the woods.  

"Bro!!!! You out here, Bro!  You're friends landed safely and reported you missing.  Man, are you okay?  We don't want to shoot anybody else today, we just want to return you to your friends!"

Duk'k pondered the situation for a few moments, and decided emerging from the woodline with a tangler grenade in hand wasn't the silliest action he would do over the past few months.

"Hey, he's right there. Dude, sweet purple armor... oh...oh... he's an alien too!"

The soldiers offered to take them back to their base, patch him up, feed him, and wait for proper transport to take him to the city.  Duk'k deactivated the tangler grenade and agreed.  

The majority of the soldiers' base was underground as well, a concrete motor pool, and a lot of camouflage netting.   They spent most of the time asking Duk'k questions and taking pictures.  They even showed the Sipsk'ud how they were integrating the cupola from the Pretio into their anti-aircraft explosive slugthrowers.  Duk'k also received a layman's version of politics involving Jingarlu, Neevlethorn, and the Commors Union.

Within a few more hours, a single, four-seater speeder arrived and whisked Duk'k away from his fan club and back to his fellow crewmates.

DM Notes:  This episode brings out two cameos from another Star Wars campaign.  My friend Eric "The Other Eric" to some, EricFromNewJersey on Happy Jacks ran a Star Wars campaign in the mid to late 90's that was simply the gold standard I measure all other Star Wars games by.  The leaders in the hanger meeting the group I vaguely modelled after the captain of the "Blitz" and a certain Big Bob Watts, a large black man with heavy weapons, who was the exact copy of Big Bob Watts from Mutant Chronicles/Doomtrooper CCG fame.

I'm sure I'll borrow others as things progress. 

Next: #76 - Cold Call

(Gamma World) Montese - Radioactive Hamster - #CharacterCreationChallenge

On the final day of the #CharacterCreationChallenge, I can finally present my daughter Millie's entry to my Gamma World Campaign,  Montese, Radioactive (non-Blackbelt) Hamster.

Montese,  Mutant Hamster Scout

PS:  12 (+1)

DX: 16 (+2)

CN:  9   (0)

MS: 11 (0)

IN:  13  (+1)

CH: 10  (0)

SN:  6 (-2)

Armor Class: 5

Hit Points: 30 

THAC Melee:  +1

THAC Range:  +2

Cryptic Alliance:  No

Character Skills:  Navigating (6), Tracking (6),  Detect Ambush (3), Wilderness Scout (3), Hunting (2)

Animal Abilities:  Cheek Storage, Climbing

Mutations, Physical:  Talking, Use of Tools, Transfusion (13), Size Change

Mutations, Mental:  Mental Invisibility (18)

No one contests that Montese is a good scout, rather it's the constant conversations and staring up at the sky that confound most. Hamsters are a rare sentient animal race, and they're all a little goofy.  

Montese loves to profess that his ancestors weren't changed animals the ancient humans knew about, rather they arrive from beyond the highest points of the sky, in flying ships no less!  

Another Month of Gaming Solicitations (February 2023)

Issue #276 of Game Trade Magazine can be found at your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) or in pdf form online here.

ViscountEric's Gaming Want List

Back to Nothing!

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Object Gaming Want List

Nothing

The Imaginary Store List (The Pegleg Gnome)

The Army Painter

Character Brush Set ....................................... $16.50

Wandering Monsters Paint Set ....................... $49.99

Wilderness Adventures Paint Set ................... $49.99

Catalyst Game Labs

Battletech: Battle Mat - Aerospace ........................................................ $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Alien Worlds/Caustic Valley/Mines ................. $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Alien Worlds/Crystalline Canyone/Badlands ... $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Alien Worlds/Fungal Crevasse/Washout .......... $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Alien Worlds/Lunar Base/Sand Drift ............... $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Alpha Strike - Alpine/Lunar ............................. $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Grassland Tundra .............................................. $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Strana Mechty ................................................... $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Tukayid - Robyn's Crossing/Devil's Bath ......... $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Tukayid - Pozoristu Mountains/Kozice Valley.. $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Tukayid - Holth Forest/Lake Losiije ................ $39.99

Battletech: Battle Mat - Tukayid - Racine River Delta/Deployment Zone ... $39.99

Battletech: Dominions Divided ..................... $39.99

There's a younger part of me going absolutely berserk over these map options.  Another is plotting which banks to hit to afford it.  The imaginary store owner in me is figuring out the cash outlay to stock it, and how to promote this within the confines of the store's customer population.

Cheapass Games

Devil Bunny: Needs a Ham .................................. $19.95

Devil Bunny: Versus the Entire Galaxy ................ $19.95

Cobblestone Games

Quatermain ..................................... $54.95

Devir Americas

Bamboo .......................................... $39.99

Magic Labyrinth ............................. $39.99

Savernake Forest ............................ $19.95

Evil Genius GAming

Everyday Heroes RPG ....................... $59.99

Everyday Heroes: GM Screen ........... $14.99

The Crow: Cinematic Adventure ......  $24.99

The Crow Miniature .......................... $ 3.99

Escape from New York Cinematic Adventure ............ $24.99

Hunt a Killer

Body on the Boardwalk ......................... $31.99

Death at the Dive Bar ............................ $31.99

Murder at the Motel .............................. $29.99

Nancy Drew: Mystery at the Magnolia Gardens ........ $31.99

Iello

Cheese Master ......................................... $15.99

King of Tokyo: Even More Wicked! Micro Expansion ..... $ 9.99

Little Town Artisans ................................ $19.99

Konami Digital Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh! Maze of Memories Boosters

Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of the Elements Boosters

Legendary Games

Mother of Monsters GM Guide (5e) ......... $12.99

Looney Labs

Across America Fluxx .............................. $20.00

Mantic Entertainment

Kings of War Ambush Starter Sets ............. $45.00 each

Empire of Dust, Halfling, Forces of the Abyss, Ogre, Goblin, Ratkin,

Modiphius

Dune RPG: Arrakis Melange Dice Set ............ $25.00

Monte Cook Games

Cypher System RPG 2nd Edition: Planar Character Options ..... $29.99

Osprey Publishing

Pulp! .............................................. $20.00

Paizo Publishing

Pathfinder RPG: AP Stolen Fate 1 - The Choosing ................. $26.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip Mat - Boardwalk ................................... $16.99

Pathfinder RPG: Lost Omens - The Grand Bazaar HC (Special Edition) ..... $59.99

Starfinder RPG: AP - Drift Hackers 3 - Into the Dataverse ........................... $24.99

Plastic Soldier Company 

Dogfight! ..................................... $29.99

Role 4 Initiative 

Polyhedral Dice Diffusion ............................... $16.99 - 33.99

Micro-rant: These dice sets vary from 7 to 15 dice, but I've yet to understand why they seem so overpriced for dice that were trendy in the 90's.

Sirius Dice

D6 Dice Set (12 or 18) .................................... $19.99 - 34.99

Another Micro-Rant: Pretty cool colors, but staring at a block of Chessex D6 16mm dice I thought were pricey at $12.00 for 12.

Steve Jackson Games

Gregor's Guide to Gates ................................. $10.00

Munchkin Cows ............................................. $ 8.00

Munchkin Squids ........................................... $11.00

Trick or Treat Games

Gold West (2nd Edition) ................................ $59.95

Texas Chainsaw Massacre ............................. $59.95

Wizards of the Coast

D&D - Keys from the Golden Vault ............... $49.95

Hardcover, with Alternate Cover available.

D&D - Tyranny of Dragons HC ..................... $49.95

Magic: The Gathering - March of the Machines

Including Draft Boosters, Collector Boosters,  Jumpstart Boosters, Set Boosters, Commander Decks, and Bundles.

Wizkids

D&D Onslaught - Sellswords1 ....................... $39.99

D&D Onslaught - Harpers 1 ........................... $39.99

D&D Onslaught - Zhentarim 1 ....................... $39.99

D&D Idols of the Realms 2D - Goblins ......... $14.99

D&D Idols of the Realms 2D - Wizards & Warriors ........... $14.99

Marvel Heroclix Iconix: Spider-Man Double Identity ........ $19.99

Star Trek: Alliance - Dominion War Campaign Part II ......... $49.99

Star Trek: Alliance - Dominion War Campaign Part III ........ $49.99

(Big Damn Robots) Mech-Nasty - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Day 30 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge, and I'm either scraping the bottom of the barrel, or I've simply augmented my game exponentially.

Today is taking another mini I've painted, this time Mech-Nasty from Macho Women with Guns, and plug them into a system.  No GURPS Mecha, no complicated sci-fi system, just Big Damn Robots by Crunchy Frog Enterprises.  BDR is more of a wargame than anything, but I'll treat Mech Nasty closer to Battletech scale, but with a personality.

Mech-Nasty

Mech-Nasty

Economy Size Frame (4)

Weapon: Bomb Launcher +1 Modifier, 18" range,  1/3 Damage\

Armor: 8 Torso, 4 per limbs, 2 for the head.

Battery: Economy (4)

Movement: 8"

Computer: Veteran (5)

(Brutal Quest) Modren the Rogue Fusilier - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Winding down the #CharacterCreationChallenge, I've still got a few random figures I've painted over the past year that need a purpose.  

Modren

Modren - Rogue Fusilier   280 points
Agility:  6

Melee:  4

Ranged: 6

Awareness:  5

Psyche: 5

Speed: 10cm

Hit Points:  20

Abilities:  Deathless, Mercenary, Aimed Shot

Inventory:  Leather Armor (1d6), Handgonne (2-handed, 4d6 damage, 25cm range, must spend one round to reload.), dagger, 

Firearms have been a great equalizer on the battlefield, the weakest man can pull a trigger or ignite the primer and cause gruesome harm to everyone, friend and foe alike.  While even the strongest and bravest fighters fear a wall of black powder weapons, the wisest warriors in particular, fear the Emperor's Fusiliers.  It appears that not only are they viscous warriors, but they stubbornly refuse to die on the battlefield unless given the order directly from the Emperor himself.

Modren didn't leave the battlefield with the Emperor's permission.  He outright deserted his post, and is wandering the countryside, evading the men he assumes is pursuing him, while earning what little gold he can.  While one handgonne doesn't have the same effect as a company, It is catastrophically great in close quarters fighting.

(Planet 28) Ignate Perditius, Lost Space Marine

I've been doing enough of these various monthly challenges over the years to know two little secrets:  (1) Prep work is almost always required (and usually openly permitted) to complete 30+ entries and (2) Most people cheat.  

Below is Ignate Perditius, a Space Marine I painted up and statted out from way back in April.  

Short story, good ol' Ignate Perditius was a newb when his unit of Space Marines got sucked into a vortex of some sort and got deposited on Ruie, a backwater planet with some industrialization but no way off.  To complicate things, numerous other military factions, some from what appeared to be completely different universes.

Ignate's unit managed to carve out a decent corner of the local, but heavy losses continued to shrink their gains, until it was only him a few remaining members of the cohort.  From there, he disbanded the unit and struck out on his home.  

It's unknown what chapter Ignate was originally with, and the few people who would have such knowledge either don't remember or don't care to remember.  Other Space Marine of various chapters have appeared and moved on, sometimes joining forces in the interim.  Almost all followed the same path when it came to equipment maintenance. 

As equipment and armor wore out, the Space Marines used whatever materials and paint that they could scrounge.  A stockpile of of primer gray and what was labelled "DOT Orange" were enough to give many fresh coats.  Many wandering the world are entirely the two colors, while the others are simply painting over the worn out pieces of armor first, and updating further as time passed.

The original post from 4/1/2022

While, much of the armor has been scrounged up to make repairs, Ignate's chest plate is still original, so much so that the Imperial Aquila has largely been worn down.   He doesn't really remember what that symbol stood for, just that it used to be important to him... in a past life. 

For Ignate, years on planet have left him with with a bolt pistol and a civilian grade chainsword to deal with the foes, civilians, and bests he's encountered on planet.

Ignate Perditius - Lost Space Mariner   257 points

Shooting -  5   Fighting - 7   Agility - 7 Hit Points - 20   Speed - 10cm

Traits: Shore Footed, Unshakable

Equipment:  Bolt Pistol (1d10+2 damage, range 25), Chainsword (2d6+6) , Heavy Armor (1d12+6, -1 Agility already calculated)

I haven't gotten my copy of Planet 28, 2nd Edition yet, but I'm hoping for a revision on Heavy Armor, or at least a bigger grade of armors.   As effectively a Space Marine scout, Ignate is nigh impenetrable from conventional attacks.  Other armor options seem incredibly weak (and fit other minis I own better), so it begs the question, "If the scout wears heavy armor, what the heck does a Terminator wear?  Or does he use vehicle rules?"

(Kickstarter) The Guild of Assassins! from Midlam Miniatures

 Midlam Miniatures has launched their 45th Kickstarter, The Guild of Assassins!

(Risus) Squirrely from KODT - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Day 27 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge and I fill in the holes of the games I would normally use.  

There's already a talking chimp, Mister Bipp, in my Risus - Illuminati University game, but there's always room in Risus for the most famous chimpanzee in gaming, Squirrely from Knights of the Dinner Table.  Weird Pete Ashton game store sidekick is a scene stealer, but is a more importantly a fleshed out character.  

Squirrely
Hyper-intelligent Chimpanzee, formerly of a US Government research facility (4)

Full-time gofer at Weird Pete's Games Pit (3)
Chain-Smoking Role-Player for hire (3)

Adequate in a pinch long-distance driver (2)

Equipment: Carton of cigarettes, lighter, keys to Weird Pet's Volkswagen mini-van.

There is an ulterior motive for posting stats of an existing entity.  After nearly two months I'm almost moved in and comfortable in my apartment.  Expect some rantsm, and a quick little tour, once this challenge is over and while #Zinequest is in full swing in February, but I'll start by posting my only prestigious piece of artwork on the wall near my computer. 

This is Jolly Blackburn's original concept art for Squirrely.  I got it as a freebie during one of Kenzer & Company's holiday grab bags offers, many moons ago.  People who ordered the random grab bags sometimes got extra product, cool swag like dice Kenzerco staff's dice, and in the coolest of cool, some original artwork made it out.  It sat in my office at work for nearly a decade until I took it to my new place, where is gets a proper spot over the Greyhawk Adventures poster from Dragon Magazine, and the true gaming bookcase,  updated shelfie forthcoming.  

(Backerkit) Kobolds Ate My Baby: The Orange Book.... Now With Plushies!

 9th Level Games has launched their most recent crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit:  Kobolds Ate My Baby: The Orange Edition (Polymorph).

I was one of the original fans of the game, ordering multiple copies of the game once it appeared in distribution channels.  It was a beer and pretzels zine well before the recent trendiness of 'zines.  Like most fans, I've wanted more material whenever it came available, but there is a point where you either roll with the absurdity or quietly proceed with your life.

The latest crowdfunding has a host of options to fans, new and old, to acquire:

• Kobolds Ate My Baby! The Orange Book (a completely new edition of the game powered by polymorph™)
• Plush Kobold
• SMÖRKAS BORG, Kobolds Ate My Baby x Mörk Borg Zine
• Kobolds Ate My Baby! The Coloring Book and an Orange Crayon
• Kobolds Ate My Baby! The Dice Set
• Kobolds Ate My Baby! The Digital Adventure Pack

The plush kobold itself should heal the wounds of the most butt-hurt fanboy.  Remember, the KAMB pre-dated the Pathfinder Goblins by over a decade and those dudes have been close to over-saturation for years.

Eh, it's Kobolds Ate My Baby.  So long as there's kobolds, chickens, babies, and the hailing of King Torg (ALL HAIL KING TORG!) unless you're trying to run it in Phoenix Command, there's no wrong way to play it. 

(My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria) Sapphire Twister - Pegasus

For Day 26 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge, I break out a reliable My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria by River Horse.  Accept no substitution, even the new version.  Not only do I think it's a great iteration of a My Little Pony game, but it may be one of the most complete one-book RPGs from top to bottom.

Sapphire Twister - Pegasus

Element of Harmony: Laughter

Strong d4

Mind  d6

Charm d6

Stamina: 10

Talents: 

Fly d6

Cloud Wrangling d6

Quirk: 

Messy

Sapphire Twister, generated by Hotpot.ai

Mandatory Basketball Rant - Winter 2022-23 - Week 7

 Blink and you'll miss it.  Almost all scholastic-esque games will be over for the girls by February 11th.   Still a few tournaments outside of things. 

Maja:  A tale of three extremes this week.  Maja scored nothing in a big game against Dallas that ended up being closer that sources indicated. However, she piled on the other stats, including THREE blocks!  In the Wednesday game, she was a statistical force in their game at Wilkes-Barre Area.  Six points, six boards, but soft on everything.  Then in the final game game of the week at Wyoming Valley West, her statline disappeared:  One assist, one steal. Yet she played 20+ minutes out of 28 in what turned into a 30-point win.  

Probably because she kept doing stuff like this.  

There are three more dynamic players in the starting five, but her defense can neutralize two players at times, allowing for the others to take the glory.  

When our friend sent over the video of her taking the charge, I was just as proud as when I was there, but the two girls jumping up from in front of the scorer's table and going crazy.  Between Varsity, JV, Freshmen, Junior High, heck even grade school, I'm not seeing that level of energy most of the time.   More on that later.

Millie:  Two games and a scrimmage this week.   The scrimmage was against the local Catholic school, and for some reason, she tore them a new one.  I wasn't there, but multiple reports say they beat the team by 20+, with Millie putting in 28 points.  

She hasn't 28 points all season, but something about that scrimmage just made her go off.   

It continued with her Wolfpack game on Saturday morning, where she actively drove against bigger girls and score repeatedly, even before the outcome of the game wasn't decided.  

Wolfpack didn't have a game at Kingston Rec on Sunday, but her regular Mountain Top did, against one of the new teams they previously beat 41-3.  Good news for everyone:  the new team got better, we only beat them 35-5 this time.  Up until a rash a drives at the end of the game, Millie was the only player shooting above 50% (including their centers), hit a deep three, followed by a half-court shot at the end of the half that rimmed out.  With a little extra rest and her teammates finally hitting shots, she almost smiled after the game.

Local Rec League:  Why did I come back?  I discovered last week that no one provide foul sheets to any divisions this year, so I ran around and distributed them to competing choruses of "Thank God" and "Why start now?"  The "Why start now?" people seemed to be the folks who complained the most of the playoff schedule, as I believe excessive concessions were made to coaches regarding schedules.  I'm now secretly rooting against kids just to get them out of the playoffs and multiple complaints,  when nine other teams are willing to adapt and overcome any issue.  

One positive was finally getting to watch the 3/4 Girls Division.  Lots of competitive, confident girls in what I swear is the toughest, roughest division.  I did have visions of setting up at least a 5th grade travel team for next year, but after dealing with nay-saying board members, I'm not as enthused anymore.

7th/8th Grade:  The 8th graders go shellacked by Dallas again, but the 7th graders had an epic game against their Dallas counterparts.  

After giving up a second half  lead, they traded points back-and forth in the final minutes.  With 15 seconds left, one of the bench players stole the ball at mid-court passed it to the star center, who raced down and put up a lay-up.

That had too much power.  The ball bounced off the glass and onto the other side of the basket, into the waiting hands of that same bench player, who had hustled down behind the center.  She grabbed the rebound and gently put in the basket which 4.8 seconds.... not enough time for Dallas to try to score.  

If I focus on the Freshmen's enthusiasm and how important it is, the 7th graders showed theirs's for the first time in those final two exciting minutes.  With two new heroes in the last two weeks, here's hoping it motivates the rest of the crew in their final two or three games of the season.

(Merovingian Hack) Godun - Skirmisher and Spy - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Day 25 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge, and I'm well without the treasure trove of games, this time using the Merovingian Hack from ZineQuest.

Meet Godun from Neustria (Western Frank)

Parents; Father was a fisher, while the mother was a thief within town.  Both are still alive.

16 years old, 5th in the family birth rank.  Illiterate

Agility  0
Majesty   -1

Might    0  
Perception  +1
Resolve  +2
Speed +1 
Vitality:  Blood  14    Bone  21

Skills: Defense +1, Small Weapon +1, Carousing +1, Medicine +1, Unarmed +1

Weapons: Seax and 2 Fransciscas

Armor: Shield only.

(Star Wars d6) #74 - Search and Salvage

 The Crew of the Pretio in This Week's Episode 

Ne'vets Aharo - an exotic animal broker, both legal and otherwise, majority owner in the Pretio.
"Sid" - A peculiar woman who has shown to be a good pilot, and even better shot, than the previoius pilot.  Possible Imperial ties.  
Evus - Twi'lek male, former slave, then former associate of Ne'vets, currently working for Crom-Crom the Gungan on Naboo, but caught back up in the nonsense of the Pretio.

Latorna Savvn - Noted terrorist working for the Galactic Rebellion.  Wanted by the Empire and multiple systems for multiple deaths in the name of "Freedom."  Laying low on the Pretio, while also bleakly looking for any news that her brother, former Pretio pilot Tarrie Prolek, is still alive.

Duk'k - Sipsk'ud Bounty Hunter, recently rescued by the crew. Offering his services in order to get off this barely existing hunk of mud. His warning shots are dead center mass kill shots.  Currently blown out of the Pretio while manning the top turret and is presumed lost on the planet Ruie

Duk'k Hunting

A sudden and unexpected explosion on the roof 

Of the Pretio, has left the ship in a flight trajectory 

Tens of thousands of meters in the atmosphere of the 

Planet Ruie, and one crew member, 

Duk'k: the Bounty Hunter's status, unknown. 

Can they find their friend, and while they're at it, 

Any sign of intelligent life?

Despite Ne'vets' protests, Sid roared the Pretio into the upper atmosphere of Ruie.  Upon obtaining an altitude of 20,000 meters, far enough away for most primitive missile system, Sid parked it in the sky, to ascertain the damage.  Luckily, the ship's shields were automatically re-routed to maintain the cabin pressure with the breach through the entire ascent.

Sid immediately bullied R2-H8(r) to repair the cupola.   The astormech droid spoke with a peculiar cadence everyone but Sid could follow,  "What does this kid expect me to do, there's a kriffin' ten square meter hole in this roof!!!"

Ne'vets could only encourage the droid with the last shred of hope he had left, "Thanks R2, you're the best."

"Kriffin' humans."

R2 was lifted into the location where the turret used to be.  He crimped some wires, re-routed more power to the shields, and lowered himself down to the main level, and immediately headed towards the escape pods.  Dr P3PP3R noticed the astromech droid and immediately followed suit.

Latorna was worrisome gleeful when she suggested that she use the Q-Ship Something Awesome for reconnaissance, locate a starport, and if one wasn't found, a safe place to land.  Whether or not those were possibility, finding Duk'k would be a second priority.  

Latorna's visual and systems scans picked up no sign of Duk'k, and little beyond the basic civilization they had seen up landing.  The systems scans were so back that they did not detect some sort of ground firing behind the ship.  The Q-Ship had simply outrun whomever was firing at her.  

Using the coms, Latorna, tried to find Duk'k,  "Duk'k... Duk'k,  click twice if you hear.  "

Two squelches came over the com system, then an unfamiliar voice "Hey Sarge, bro, are you like trying to call us.   

On the surface of the Ruie, Duk'k  unfastened  himself from the cage that once held him into the Pretio's top turret, and ran off into the nearby woods. Finding a safe enough spot away from the crash, he spied three small, wheeled vehicles arrived at the crash site.  As the men disembarked their vehicles, they were soldiers, at least militia, with their scratched up olive drab helmets, googles, and beat-up light armor.   Slug-throwers at the ready, they investigated the flattened wheat field where the Pretio had attempted to land.   A trio ran off into the field of the direction of the turret wreckage.   They had just found the apparatus and were carrying it towards the vehicle when one of them stopped.  

"Hey, did you guys hear anything?"  Their radios somehow picked up pieces of the Latorna's coms, and the subsequent squelches from dark. 

After a tense few moments, they completed their trip back to the vehicles, sporting their damaged trophy, "Dude, we found a gunnery seat, this thing is totally sweet.!"

"Awesome, Bro!"

"Can we take it back?"  

"Sure, we can use it for the sky guns."  

With that, they set it on top of one of the wheeled vehicles, and strapped it down in multiple ways.  it over to the vehicles.

Their loading and safety checks were interrupted by the sound of an approaching aircraft that certainly wasn't their friend, they hastily sped off to the direction from which they came.

Within moments, the Something Awesome was soon hovering over the field.  Turning clockwise facing out.  

Getting another confirmation from Duk'k, Latorna used the Q-ship to patch him through to the Pretio.

Duk'k confirmed he was banged up a bit, but intact, "But I don't know how secure this line is, somebody is out here."

The major flaw of Latorna's plan to use the Something Awesome was that the ship was a strict one-person fighter, so she could confirm Duk'k was alive, but was unable to return him to the Pretio.  Duk'k gave his impromptu intelligence report, and advised the Something Awesome and Pretio continue to search for a safe harbor and let him meet up with the locals.  Ultimately they would cross paths soon enough.  

Latorna left Duk'k's location and began to head to return to the Pretio, only to have two ships miraculously appear on the sensors. 

Two Z-95 Headhunters, tricked out with weapons and detailing, had appeared out of nowhere, and hailed the coms for both the Pretio and the Q-Ship.  

"Hailing the fast attack fighter, please follow coordinate A17-D17.0009 to land.  If your fellow vessel could follow suit, it would be appreciated. You have some explaining to do."

Next: #72 - The First Rescue on Ruie

(D&D 5e) Edgar the Deaf - Traveling Sage - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Day 24 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge and I'm just about finished with D&D 5e Ghosts of Saltmarsh 5e campaign. pre-gens, so I'm moving over to a new NPC not in the campaign book.

Edgar the Deaf - 5th Level Rogue (Thief)

Age, 45  5'8"  145lbs

ST:   7  (-2)

DX: 15 (+2)

CN: 16 (+3)

IN:   17 (+3)

WS: 15 (+2)

CH: 19 (+4)

Hit Points: 43

Armor Class: 15  (Leather+1 plus Dex Bonus)

Initiative:  +2

Speed: 30

Skills: Deception +10, Insight +5, Performance +10

Languages: Read/Write Trade Prythax (Common), Senzar

Speak: Common, Senzar, Thieves Cant

Skills:  Thieves Tools, Disguise Kit, Poison Kit.

Equipment:  Leather Armor+1, Shortsword +1, Normal Shortsword, Explorer's pack, Dagger of Warning

Special Abilities:  Sneak Attack (3d6), Cunning Actions, Uncanny Dodge, Fast hands, Second Story Work. 

Edgar was once a promising young thief, an up coming second story burglar from the streets of the capital.  His services were held in demand for some of the most dangerous individuals an organizations within the realm, or at least place he had heard of.    He had earned the nickname Edgar the Deft for his death-defying traversing of rooftops and tip-toeing along ledges.  

Until he took a job from a crime lord who condescendingly called him Edgar the Deaf, and mocked the handicap he did not have.   Edgar completed the job, then quickly left town with thousands of gold.  He has not returned to the capital since. 

Since that day, Edgar has taken on the persona of Edgar the Deaf, a traveling sage, dispensing wisdom, fleecing the idle and stupid rich, using his alleged hearing problem to avoid confrontation and quietly garner more information.  

He's been in Saltmarsh for a few months now, getting his drinks paid, trying to establish a network of sources within.  He knows that Saltmarsh is a hot spot for illegal trade, so if he can contact with a few pirate lords, smugglers, and even the remotely alleged Scarlet Brotherhood, he could exact a vengeance on them unseen in modern.  

Worst case, he'll rob them blind, and develop a new persona, hopefully not one involving deafness. 

Personality Traits:  He dedicated to convince folks to buy his worthless wares. 

Ideals:  Only the rich and powerful with his swindles

Bonds: "The rich have ruined my family, I will avenge other families as well."

Flaws: "I can't resist swindling the rich and powerful."

 This is another idea driven from a promotion at PetSmart, yet.another name of a pet written on a bone-shaped piece of paper hanging on the wall during a pet donation drive.  "Edgar the Deaf" was right next to  Ranger Tupac.

It doesn't hurt that the AI program I used for his face made him look like a gaunt Clancy Brown with a beard.

(Planet 28) The Battle for the Tractor of Ukrainius

So, for the folks who only come here to read battle reports, I'll get you up to stage in a jiffy.

Getting divorced - moved out to an apartment with a room just big enough for an office and my gaming stuff (pics to follow one day), but not big enough to set up games in it.  No worries, because the living room can safely fit one table, perhaps two if I move some furniture.  

That all out of the way, the kids had come over for some board gaming in the kitchen, but this past weekend with them, it was time to see how the living room would fare.

Using the Planet 28 1st Edition rules and basing the terrain off of similar set-up from a 2017 Rogue Stars Facebook group post. 

It's been awhile since I've used the rules, and even if there's a 2nd Edition Hardcover is on its way, I might as well throw some stats together and get back into the swing of things.

As most of my stuff is part of my Gnomish Space Marine universe, it was as good a time as any to bring out the Hivers Gang.

(L to R - Delaque Blackie, Van Saar, Escher, Delaque Blondie and Cawdor driving the Space Tractor)

In reality they're ideal for the close confines of the undercity or worse,  but these new Space Tractors are worth a half million credits, so it's worth the risk to move it in plain sight and make contact with the buyer.

Escher (301 points)  Agility 5, Shooting 6, Fighting 7, Blessed (rolls two dice, takes the better result), Bulwark (no benefit for charging at the character), slow (-1d6cm per action), Iron Skin (extra 1d4 armor).  Light Armor (1d8 protection), Greatsword (1d12/knockback), Hand Flamer (2d8 damage, 10cm range, figures within 5cm suffer 1d6 explosive damage).

Van Saar (127 points)  Agility 6, Shooting 2, Fighting 7, Slow, Iron Skin, Light Armor (1d8), Pickaxe (2d6)

The Delaque Twins (195 points each)  Agility 5, Shooting 6, Fighting 6, Slow, Iron Skin, Light Armor (1d8), Pickaxe (2d6), Hand Flamer (2d8 damage, 10cm range, figures within 5cm suffer 1d6 explosive damage).

The Tractor:  Is a bare bones medium-size vehicle, with armor plating up front.  Fighting 5.  And it's a tractor with only 7.5 cm of movement each turn.  At best a 50 or 60 point vehicle. 

Looking to lighten the gnomes' load was part of the Wretchin' Gretchin' Gang, a group of nefarious Blue Martians.

Broken down into two groups: 

Shooters (@140 points each) x3 Agility 7, Shooting 4, Fighting 3, Laser Rifle (2d8 damage, 40cm range) No Armor (1d4-1 base).

Whirling Dervishes (@175 points each) x2 Agility 8, Shooting 5,  Fighting 4, Laser Pistol (1d8 damage, 20 cm range), Dagger, No Armor (1d4-1 base)

The Gnomes did hold an advantage, but while randomly generating the scenario, and interesting predicament emerged.   The Hivers were to set up within 12cm of the center of the table.  The Blue Martians were set up within 12 cm of the near table edge, the actual edge the Hivers needed to leave the board on. 

Instead of waiting for the Hivers to reach a nearby intersection and turn left past the power generator, the Blue Martians decided to jump to life early, using the generator to block progress until it gets around.  While the laser rifles missed Escher, the crazed Dervishes moved forward, but not too far as to get into range of the hand flamer.  

Pretty soon Blackie was on the ground and Blondie was locked in combat.  

It wasn't until the slow gnomes got within range that I realized I had given the Blue Martians an unfair advantage.  Between low ability scores and memorizing the handful of modifiers, I completely forgotten that Planet 28 uses a d10 resolution system, and I had given the Blue Martians rolls on d6 (Low is better).   I'm surprised that Blackie Delaque lasted as long as they did. 

Meanwhile, Van Saar, the melee specialist, used the Space Tractor as interference, as it tried to round the corner past the generator.

Once I corrected the dice issue, the Blue Martians hit less frequently, and unlike Blackie's cheap discount armor, light armor was more than enough to absorb many of the shots from the laser pistols and rifles. 

With renewed confidence, Escher stood out from cover and worked his way towards the attackers.

Blondie had jumped at the Blue Martian advancing on his flank, knocked him back with his pick axe, but the creature hit the deck when he pulled out the hand flamer (Blonide rolled snake eyes for damage, the Blue Martian rolled a 3 for armor. 

In another round, Blondie's opponent was dead and the duo out in the open were chasing the Blue Martians, who were fleeing around the other side of the generator.  

One Blue Martian Rifle had left early and was waiting to either fight the tractor for control, or destroy it during the combat.  Unfortunately, Van Saar was waiting around the other corner, and despite two abortive attempts to charge the creature, on the third attempt his stubby little legs hustled over equipment and waylayed him as best he could.  

Van Saar couldn't finish the job, but so horribly low on hit points, the Blue Martian's morale broke and he dashed off the table edge.  

Realizing that attrition on their side would happen before they punch holes in that armor, the Blue Martians changed from seizing the Space Tractor to disabling it.   They opened fire on the vehicle, and without armor on the side (it is a Farm Machine after all), the engine was quickly destroyed and the "pilot" gravely injured.  

In a regular game, Escher came around the corner and killed one more Blue Martian before they scattered.  In a more thematic game, Cawdor would emerge from the cab, climb to the top and brandish his pulse rifle (treated as a heavy rifle).    As I had learned from my previous turns, the light armor PLUS the iron skin was no match for light arms fire, so was wearing it while driving, Cawdor should have emerged with only minor injuries and a busted Space Tractor. 

While it's been quite a while since I perused my pdf of Planet 28 2nd Edition, I'm hoping the armor rules gets tweaked a bit.  There are definitely multiple tiers of play styles based on armor (a more rogue trader element, a more original Laserburn/40k, and the heavy/powered armor dudes where many of the original weapons in the 'zine usually did not penetrate the armor. 

I'll continue to experiment with the Hivers.  Cawdor is just under 200 points, so the entire gang is 1,000 points.  Between combat tiles and cityscapes, we'll see just how tough they are, against a host of opponents.  

And then... the actual Gnomish Space Marines will need to hit the table. 

Following the base campaign rules on the back page of the 'zine,  I definitely need to do better tracking basic hits.  Some of these are definitely undercounted.    

The Hivers

Escher -  0.9  xp

Blackie - Full recovery.  Ready to play the next game   0 xp.

Blondie - 0.8 xp 

Van Saar - 1.3  (Survived completely unscathed)

Cawdor -  Not applicable.

Blue Martians:  

Whirling Dervish #1 -  Shaken   0.3 xp

Whirling Dervish #2 -  Slow Heal (miss one game)   0.6 xp

Shooter #1  - 0.7 xp 

Shooter #2 -  0.9 xp

Shooter #3 - 0.3 xp

Skills improve with 20 xp, hit points cost 20xp  for 5.  Special traits, abilities, cost can be obtained using their point cost during warband creation.  

(D&D 5e) Daelynn Fireglow - 1st Level Half-Elf Fighter - #CharacterCreationChallenge

Day 23 of the  #CharacterCreationChallenge, and yet again I return to building more pre-gens for a D&D 5e Ghosts of Saltmarsh 5e campaign. 

Daelynn Fireglow - 1st level Half-Elf Duelist (Actually a disguised 1st level Human Bard)

Age, 22  5'5"

ST:   9 (-1)

DX: 15 (+2)

CN: 14 (+2)

IN:   11 (0)

WS: 11 (0)

CH: 14 (+2)

Hit Points: 10

Armor Class: 13  (Leather plus Dex Bonus)

Initiative:  +2

Speed: 30

Skills: Deception +4, History +2, Performance +4, Persuasion +4, Stealth +4

Languages: Read/Write Trade Prythax (Common), Dwarvish

Speak: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish

Equipment:  Leather Armor, Rapier, Dagger, Diplomat's Pack, 25 gp (Hidden: Scroll of Pedigree, fine clothes, signet ring.)

Special Abilities:  Spellcasting (4 spells known, 2 1st level per day, 2 cantrips per day), Bardic Inspiration (d6)

Cantrips Known: Blade Ward, Dancing Friends, Friends, Light

1st Level Known: Unseen Servant, Comprehend Languages, Cure Wounds, Unseen Servant

Thanks to the demand for hard working folk in Saltmarsh, people barely bat an eye at a graceful half-elf working various jobs, from hard labor to being a scribe.  It also doesn't hurt that Daelynn Fireglow is one of the friendliest, most gregarious people anyone could meet.  Even the most hardened folk in Saltmarsh can't help but like her.   

To the townsfolk, Daelynn is a duelist, possibly from the Agenmoor, but that would make her but a baby before the fall to the Shadow Elves, and she doesn't carry herself like any refugee they may have encountered before.  

Little does anyone know, but the friendly half-elf is not only completely human, but also technically on the list for royal succession in the kingdom.  Lana Silvershield is the 4th Cousin, Four Times removed from the current king.  Her grandfather and great-grandfather graced the royal palace as an administrator for many years before relinquishing control and returning to rule over their Duchy of Ferrand.  

Not that Lana would every become Duchess, either.  As forth in line for the title, her other siblings have taken the military route and the clergy, so an adventuring lifestyle doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Except she's not adventuring incognito without a plan... from his Royal Majesty the King himself!  

Saltmarsh and the surrounding areas have largely been independent from the kingdom for two or three generations.  Beyond the mercantile machinations, there have been outright rebellions staged over the years.  

The King has determined that loyalists to the crown need to be placed in positions of power around Saltmarsh and Orlane, to influence the independent towns and eventually get them under the auspices of the Crown.  

Coming from a distant, but loyal, branch of the family, Lana has been offered a small barony to the north of Saltmarsh.  She arrived in town incognito, and once she finally traversed the wilderness, discovered most of her barony entailed the dreaded Drowned Forest and lizardman infested swamp.  She's staying in character to determine if she wishes to follow-through with accepting the title, and the work it involves, or promote the good deeds of the Silvershield name in Saltmarsh and the surrounding towns.  Open rebellion created many opportunities in the past, and none of those folks had royal blood in their veins. 

Personality Traits:  She can be utterly serene, even when she's in distress.

Ideals: Respect:  "My position demands respect, but all people regardless of their station deserve to be treated with dignity."

Bonds: "My family's bonds with the Royal Silvershields must be maintained, no matter at what cost."

Flaws: "I can quickly turn someone's words and action beyond their original intent, and I can be quick to anger. in those situations."

 

(BECMI D&D) Ranger Tupac - Tanaroan Wilderness Scout - #CharacterCreationChallenge

 Day 22 of the #CharacterCreationChallenge, and I'm dipping into questionable creditability.  

I present.... Ranger Tupac - Tanaroan Wilderness Scout for my "Home" campaign.

Ranger Tupac - 1st Level Tanaroan Wilderness Scout 

Strength: 14

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 6 

Dexterity: 14

Constituion:12

Charisma: 10

Hit Points: 5

Armor Class: 8

Scout Skills: Open Locks 25%, Find/Remove Traps 10, Move Silenty 15%, Hide in Shadows 10%, Hear Noise 10%, Climb Walls 80%, Rope Walk 50%, Tumblefall 25%

General Skills: Muscle (14), Nature Lore (10), Survival-Jungle (10), Stealth-Jungle (10)

Equipment:  Club, Lt Spears (Javelins) 

More explanation than exposition on this one.  This is a BECMI D&D take on the Wilderness Scout from Dragon #161.   The Wilderness Scout is the default rogue class for my always-planned, never-realized "Home" campaign, where the PCs are the residents of X1: The Isle of Dread.  

But Ranger Tupac?  And that artwork?

This one was inspired by the a donation campaign at PetSmart.  You know the drill, you get asked at the register is you want to donate a dollar to Chihuahua Diabetes Prevention, and if you do, you can fill out some fun shape with the name of your choice, to be hung on the windows/wall/bathroom stall.  This one in particular had folks putting pets names on the paper and "Ranger Tupac" was the big winner to me. 

Plug in "Ranger Tupac" to Nightcafe and this is what generated.  Perhaps in the actual game I would call him Ragner Tupac, or perhaps "Leoleoga" in Samoan, but in RPGs, there usually plenty of anachronistic stuff.  

(TWERPS) Aerin von Hutschtuff - Android Space Ranger - Character Creation Challenge

The 21st Day of the #CharacterCreationChallenge and I'm cleaning up random pictures from my phone.  

I don't grab screenshots or save photos of cosplay but this one classy enough, yet set up enough that it deserves a try as Aerin von Hutschtuff, Space Ranger, for the TWERPS Space Cadets setting.

Aerin von Hutschtuff - Android Space Ranger

Strength:  6

Movement: 7  (13 for Jet Pack)

Skills:  Android (+1 the knowledge rolls and movement, -1 to combat)  Fighter x2 (+2 with personal weapon (Ray Gun)

Jet Pack  (Strength 2, +1 defense

Jump Suit   (+2 defense) 

Ray Gun (2 damage, 10 hex range)

 

New Year, More Problems

I've seen variations of this pic appear all throughout the pandemic, and yet I couldn't find an appropriate post to use it on. 

Technically, I still haven't.  Despite all the potential for problems.  I find no garbage alight, nor feces striking oscillating wind machines.  Things could always be better, but I have food in the fridge, the roof over my head has nary a leak, and my kids are doing awesome, and after a flurry of basketball Saturday morning, they'll be hanging out with dear ol' Dad in the new Kriget Rum the whole weekend.

Kriget Rum Update:  Since I share my office with my gaming space, it's almost a living, breathing entity.  Multiple projects, the Gamma World campaign, and slowly getting paint on figures has kept the room in a messy near-cluttered state.  This week I brought in all my mdf Middle-Eastern buildings from storage, and I believe I may have hit capacity.   On a positive note, everything I want hung on the walls is up, and I'm pondering hanging more shelves for storage.  This move has forced me to buy all new tools, and with the death of a 10-year old drill, even the powered ones are now getting replaced. 

The Kriget Rum isn't ready for prime time, but the actual room for wargaming gets a nod. 

God, I need curtains to hide those blinds. 

Yeah, that's my living room, and with no TV (Yep, I'm one of those weird ones), it's really only used when the girls visit.  Perfect excuse to set up the extra folding table and set things up, whether it's the girl or some solo action.  There's enough room on the far wall to move the couch and set up a second table, just in case things need to go a little crazy...  but not quite yet.  

Painting Bench:  There are boxes currently on the bench, while I continue to optimize my shelves of minis, terrain, etc.  Once those are cleared off, the entire queue is sci-fi.  Gnomish Space Marines, Planet 28, Legions of Steel, and a few waves of new items in need of priming.  Once I get any of these finished, I need to turn, yet again, to Season Four of my Pulp Campaign.

The Blog:  I've always said that a blog like Blogger is what I've always wanted, even going back beyond the 35 years I've been doing TTRPGs and formal wargames.  Despite using it for what I want and not generating views and traffic.... I know what generates views and traffic on the blog.  While my Big 3 isn't Androids, Aliens, and Wizards, I do know people come in droves for Convention Reviews, AARs, and Painting, which haven't been in large supply this year.  As the first month of Q2 of my gaming year winds down, it's been Cons, Kickstarters, and Star Wars d6, with some of the #CharacterCreationChallenge posts cracking the Top 25. Should be interesting moving forward.

Project 350: A big dip to 491 (320/171) from 502 (332/170).  At this point I can say I survived my second year of the #CharacterCreationChallenge with some light admin work to do the last week.