The Desert Dinks of Death Planet Iota

Another week down, and despite a full inventory showing I don't need to paint up more figures for my Fistful of Lead game at Historicon, I am working through my latest order from Battle Valor.  

Only one group got completed, generically titled Four Robed Aliens 3 in Battle Valor's 28mm Sci-Fi collection.

Four Robed Aliens 3

Not great for pictures, but I do like the way they blend into the desert cloth and outcropping.

One could call them off-brand Jawas, but halfway through painting them I realized they resembled a much-ignored race in sci-fi history:  Yogurt's Dinks from Spaceballs. 

Battle Valor does have a booth at Historicon, and I'm adding more of these guys (and Four Robed Aliens 2) and picking up some coppery glitter paint for "High Dinks."

My copy of Galactic Heroes for Fistful of Lead arrived in the mail, and I got the pdf copy of the Codex Galactica expansion for some grim sci-fi goodness.  I'll be typing up units cards this weekend and testing a few things out.  

I also finished the second of two campers I snagged up at Dollar Tree long, long ago.  

Next in the Queue:  Gnomish Space Marines and some random sci-fi civilians. 

Project: 350 - Post creep continues to 468 (312 drafts /156 scheduled posts) from 465  (313/152) last week.  

Another Month of Gaming Releases (July '23)

I've been too distracted to even realize that GenCon is coming up very soon.  For some gamers, tens of thousands will descend upon Indianapolis.  Many more will lament not having the time or money to make the pilgrimage.  For game companies, the period between Origins and GenCon is their bountiful harvest, when new releases flow out like a damn beyond capacity.  

And it appears that they're all getting solicited in this month's issue of Game Trade Magazine. 

It's normal.  It's expected.  But I don't recall the volume of this much crap stuff since prior to COVID. 

Issue #281 of Game Trade Magazine can be found at your FLGS or online in pdf form here.

As usual, I'll list the cool stuff I definitely want, the stuff I'd pick up off the shelf if I came upon some extra cash, and list the items I would order if I ran a store.  I haven't placed a gaming pre-order for a shop in over 20 years, but I enjoy going through the motions every month on this regular post. I've avoided some money-making products (see my mea culpa on One Piece this month), while proudly avoiding a number of train wrecks which could ruin an over-excited (re: all) FLGS manager.

ViscountEric's Gaming Want List

Nuttin'

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

Q-Workshop

Longtime readers know I usually avoid listing most Q-Workshop solicitations, but two things have changed my mind.  First, the deluge of dice manufacturers charging exhorbitant prices for their dice that almost normalize Q-Workshop's pricing. Second, it's Harry Potter Dice Sets.  I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but my daughter his, and a host of folks would could use a Hufflepuff set for $24.00

The Imaginary Store List (The Pegleg Gnome)

25th Century Games

Junk Drawer .................................................... $35.00

Alderac Entertainment Group

Deep Dive ........................................................ $24.99

Point City ......................................................... $24.99

Bandai

One Piece TCG Ultra Deck Display

The only person who doesn't seem to enjoy this game is my own manga-loving daughter, Maja.  Let's hope the imaginary store can catch up with the appeal.

Brotherwise Games

Overboss: Duel .................................... $29.95

Catalyst Game Labs

Shadowrun RPG: Body Shop .............. $49.99

Shadowrun RPG: Shoot Straight ......... $49.99

Crowd Games

Fabled: The Spirit Lands ....................... $45.00

Portals .................................................... $45.00

Cubicle 7

Warhammer 40K RPG: Imperium Maledictum Core Rulebook ............. $59.99

Collectors Edition for $119.99

Evil Hat Games

Monster of the Week:  Codex of Worlds HC ............... $40.00

Exalted Funeral

Carcass Crawler - Official Old-School Essentials Zine ............... $10.00

Issues #1-3 solicited

Herbalist's Primer ..................................... $50.00

Herbalist's Notebook ................................ $15.00

Herbalist's Flash Cards.............................. $20.00

Song of the Hedge: Herbalist's Primer Adventure .............. $10.00

When an appendix in the back of the Dungeon Master's Guide about herbs isn't enough...

Lilliputian: Adventure on the Open Sea HC  ..... $40.00

Lilliputian: Adventure on the Open Sea SC  ...... $25.00

Longwinter: Visitor's Book ....................... $20.00

Longwinter: Referee's Book ..................... $20.00

Old-School Essentials - Adv Expansion Set ......... $70.00

Advanced Fantasy: Player's Tome ............. $40.00

Advanced Fantasy: Referre's Tome ........... $40.00

Classic Fantasy Rules Tome ...................... $40.00

Classic Game Set ....................................... $70.00

Deluxe Referee's Screen ............................ $22.00

The Halls of the Blood King ...................... $15.00

Hole in the Oak .......................................... $15.00

Isle of the Plangent Mage .......................... $15.00

The Incandescent Grottoes ........................ $15.00

Holy Mountain Shaker .............................. $15.00

Winter's Daughter ...................................... $15.00

Unicorn Meat ............................................. $25.00

Runecairn: Wardensaga HC ...................... $40.00

Runecairn: Wardensaga SC ....................... $25.00

Witchburner ............................................... $15.00

After so items being solicited in an entire month of July, I must question what FLGS is going to order even order a small sample of the product.  

Exploding Kittens

Really Lound Librarians ............................. $19.99

Without Tail ................................................ $24.99

Free League Publishing

Dragonbane Core Set ................................. $49.99

Dragonbane Quickestart............................. $6.99

Dragonbane Dice Set ................................. $19.99

Dragonbane GM Screen ............................ $24.99

Geek Tank Games

Geek Tank Games has a huge solicitation this month for their 2-D minis and their battlemats.  It's not their first time soliciting through Alliance Games Distribution, but the last time I referenced them in GTM was way back in 2019.   The good news is prices have remained the same over 4 years, at $15.99 per pack of flats, although there's no description/details regarding quantity on this months listing... or way back in 2019.  With over two dozens separate SKUs at $15.99 apiece, that's not an investment my imaginary store would go for, unless (1) the customer base I know would go ga-ga over these and (2) there were sales records from previous solicitations/fulfillments.  

What does tickle me pink are their interpretation of the 9-pocket pages from sportscards and CCGs, converting them into 20-pocket pages for the 2-D mini storage. 

Goodman Games

DCC Core Rulebook (Demon Skull Monster Hide Edition HC) .... $69.99

DCC Core Rulebook (Erol Otus HC) .............................................. $69.99

DCC Dice Elemental Dice Sets: Earth ................. $34.99

DCC Dice Elemental Dice Sets: Fire ................... $34.99

DCC Dice Elemental Dice Sets: Void .................. $34.99

DCC Dice Elemental Dice Sets: Water ................ $34.99

DCC #100 - The Music of the Spheres is Chaos Boxed Set ...............$64.99

DCC #104 - Return to the Starless Sea ................ $17.99

DCC Character Record Folio ............................... $ 9.99

DCC Monsters & Magic of Dark Tower .................. $ 9.99

Fifth Edition Fantasy:  Monsters & Magic of Dark Tower .... $11.99

DCC RPG Reference Booklet ......................... $ 9.99

Dying Earth #9 - Time Tempests at the Nameless Rose .......... $10.99

Fifth Edition Fantasy:  Monsters & Magic of Dark Tower.

Tales from the Magician's Skull #11 ................. $14.99

Kobold Press

Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design 2nd Edition ......... $19.99

Kobold Guide to Board Game Design ..................................  $19.99

Tales of Old Margrave HC (5e) ............................................  $39.99

Midgard Heroes Handbook HC (5e) ...................................... $39.99

Midgard DMs Screen & Character Sheets ............................. $15.99

(Available for Pathfinder or 5e)

Tome of Beasts 1 (2023 Edition) (5e) Pocket Edition ...................... $29.99

Tome of Beasts 1 (2023 Edition) (5e) HC ........................................ $59.99

Tome of Beasts 1 (2023 Edition) (5e) HC Ltd Edition ....................  $79.99

Warlock Grimoire HC (5e) ............................................................... $24.99

Konami Digital Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Structure Deck: The Crimson King

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: Legendary Duelists - Soulburning Volcano Boosters

Last Night Games

Galaxy Rush ............................. $29.95

Loke Battle Mats

RPG Toolbox: The Veiled Dungeon ....................... $39.00

Nerdy Pup Games

Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes RPG .........................$35.00

Paizo Publishing

Pathfinder RPG:  AP Sky King's Tomb  Part 3 - Heavy is the Crown ............ $26.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip Mat Classics - Haunted Dungeon ................................. $16.99

Starfinder RPG: Flip-Mat - Mining Operations .............................................. $16.99

Pokemon USA

Pokemon TCG: Annihilate EX Box 

Pokemon TCG: Chien-Pao EX or Tinkaton EX Battle Decks

Pokemon TCG: Back to School Pencil Case

Pokemon TCG: Back to School Eraser Blister

Rio Grande Games

Prussian Rails ........................................... $39.95

Rookie Mage Games

Nuns with Nunchucks ............................... $19.99

Solis Game Studio

Frenemy Pastry Party ................................ $24.95

Steve Jackson Games

Munchkin: Pathinder - Gobsmacked! Mini-Expansion ....... $ 8.95

Munchkin: Tricky Treats Expansion .................................... $10.95

Munchkin: Warhammer 40k - Storming the Warp Expansion .... $11.95

Stronghold Games

Applejack ................... $59.99

Riverside .................... $29.99

Thames & Kosmos

The Lord of the Rings: Adventure to Mount Doom ............... $29.95

Trick or Treat Studios

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Miniatures ................................... $24.95

Troll Lord Games

Castles & Crusades: Player's Handbook 9th Printing ............. $39.99

Wizards of the Coast

Magic The Gathering CCG: Doctor Who  

Collector Boosters, Commander Decks

Magic The Gathering CCG Wilds of Eldraine

Bundles, Collector Boosters, Commander Decks, Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Starter Carton

Wizkids

DC Heroclix; Iconix - Batman and Robin .......... $19.99

DC Heroclix; Iconix - Death of Superman ......... $79.99

DC Heroclix; Iconix - Knightfall ........................ $29.99
D&D Onslaught - Many Arrows 1 ...................... $39.99

D&D Onslaught -  Red Wizards .......................... $39.99

D&D Trials of Tempus Board Game ................... $99.99

D&D Legend of Drizzt 35th Anniversary Family and Foes Boxed Set ............ $49.99

D&D Legend of Drizzt 35th Anniversary Tabletop Companions Boxed Set .... $49.99

D&D Icons of the Realms 27 - Glory of the Giants

Death Giant Necromancer Boxed Mini ................ $39.99

D&D - Replicas of the Realms - White Dragon Trophy Plaque 

Marvel Heroclix: Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Calendar ................ $99.99

So, I Did a Thing

 Last Friday night, instead of packing for another basketball weekend, I dropped the kids back at home, and wandered again to the new location of Sword in the Stone Games with two missions:  To find a particular Magic - Lord of the Rings Commander Deck and, if I was living dangerously, sign up for the evening booster draft.  

Yeah, ViscountEric playing Magic.  

As luck would have it, both my missions were easily completed.

Looking back I haven't done a booster draft since Khans of Tarkir block, nearly a decade ago.  Luckily, I drafting has necessarily changed.  I drafted red initially, picking up black when I needed a second color.   A lot of soldier tokens for red and "amassing" orcs. 

For being out of the loop for nearly a decade, I did okay, going 0-2-1 in matchplay (3-6-1 overall).  

Favorite card from the draft?  The passively annoying Erebor Flamesmith.  

I drafted two of them, and both seemed to appear by turn five, whittling away at my oppenents' life totals as I cast creature removal/boost spells.  I enjoy passive damage, so this was a winner in my book.  

Despite being nearly double the cost of the other Commander decks from previous sets on sale, the Food and Fellowship Commander Deck.  It's Green-White-Black, with lots of hobbits and life-gaining food.  The winner why I picked it up to start my Commander Saga experiment?  It's got a boatload of treefolk (ents).  

As I pondered experimenting with "fun" Commander, I wanted to see the deck progress through the sets of Magic from the beginning (Alpha/Beta/Unlimited) and evolve as new cards come out (within budget).  One problem: There's not enough cards to build a 100-unique card (save basic land) with the original green cards, so I pondered adding white.  Second issue, there's no legends to act as Commanders until, not ironically, Legends.  Starting with Food and Fellowship, I can start with the Fourth Age of Man, learn the ins and outs of the new cards, but transition over the Unlimited cards to represent the impending Fifth Age.  

I will be happy when I can avoid temptation from the Ring.  It's kitschy for the set, and resulted in about a half-dozen rules interpretations during the tournament. 

Silly? Yes.  Heretical to some weird Tolkein fans?  Probably.  I can also build up a reserve cache of older cards to be "rediscovered" as the sets progress. 

We shall see what we shall see, but if I have time, I might as well venture to Sword (and Dragon Knight down the street from  me) to stay active during non-basketball time with the kids.

(Star Wars d6) #96 - Multiple Procedures

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.

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.

Sqarl - Quarren ex-whaladon hunter, recently hired onto the crew.

Evus - Twi'lek male, former slave, then former associate of Ne'vets, who has found his way back to the Pretio but caught back up in the nonsense of the Pretio.  Former lover and boy-toy to the feared Rebel terrorist (and former Pretio crewmember), Latorna Savvn.

"Sid" - A peculiar woman who has shown to be a better pilot than the previous one. Possible Imperial ties, but a far better shot.

R2-H8(r) - "H8R"  Astromech with a confusing history, and harsh attitude towards most of the crew. 

"Cousin Rancor" - Social media guru, famous for foolish holo-vids across the galaxy.  Lone survivor of last failed expedition to obtain a 'werewolf'

Post-Ambush Maintenance

In the midst of their  "Werewolf Hunt,"

The crew of the Pretio have just survived 

Their first encounter with not one, but an entire 

pack of their ferocious beasts.

Desperately rushing to the apparent safety of their 

Recently crashed ship, will they be able to 

Complete the mission, or have they still

Haven't found what they're looking for?

With the damaged/wounded R2-H8(r) and Sid lying atop of the roof of the Pretio, Duk'k overseeing the fleeing of the werewolves, and Ne'vets, Sqarl, and Cousin Rancor running to the ship, the coms crackled to life with an apologetic Evus.

"Guns work, probably need Sid to see what's going on.  Lights blinking, don't know what's going on."

Nev'ets tried to seize the moment, "R2?  Sid? What's you're status?"

R2, already in pain, collected his droid self, "Sid's out, I've been in contact with Dr P3PP3R to open up the hatch."

The medical droid proved incredibly nimble in order to climb the ladder and open the hatch, popping it's head out.

"Hello, what seems to be the problem."

R-2 blurted out, "This bleeding carbon unit seems near termination."

The medical droid quickly injected Sid with a Med-Pac to barely save her from death, but its nimbleness proved fleeting, as it dragged her down into the ship and onto the main table in the lounge. 

"Oh my, this crew members life vitals are still almost non-existent!  Beginning scans."

The trio running finally reached the ship, and found all the normal access ports buried in the sand.  They climbed on top of the ship and used the same access port to get inside.  Duk'k descended from his sentinel position in the air and climbed down the ladder, manually checking the hatch after he pushed the button to close it. 

After quite an encounter, the outside world of Belkain was eerily quiet once again.

With everyone dusting themselves off before going further into the ship, Ne'vets took things in stride, "Well, that didn't go like we had hoped."

Sqarl was more positive, "But there so many things we know now!"

1- Werewolves exist.

2- They won't go into the caves around here.

3- There's a LOT of them.

4- We know they secrete some sort of acid.

Cousin Rancor interjected, "5 - Your medical droid conducts surgeries on your break room table. What the kriff!?!?"

Indeed, turning the corner toward the kitchen/lounge, even the hardiest of the crew stopped for a moment of the body of Sid on the main table.  Her body seemed stable, save the horrendous damage to her left leg.  If was still attached, but portions of it below the knee had been shred of flesh down to the bone.  Her remaining flesh reeked of an acidic burning.  

"We might have to get her to proper medical facilities, boss."  Duk'k said to Ne'vets.

"Why? Do you think she'll turn?"  Ne'vets asked.

Duk'k ,"No, cause her leg's that karked up.  Even with Dr P3PP3R here, she still might die.  That's not normal wounding there."

Sqarl agreed, "But we still need to check out all those blown-up ones first and do any tests."

"Agreed, I can fly over first before you guys go back out, but I'd scan the area first to be safe."

Duk'k climbed out to the cockpit, gave a worried Evus a confident hand on the shoulder, and scanned the surroundings. 

The intercom broadcast Duk'k, "The good news is Evus is still a fantastic shot. Nothing's alive out there."

Back in the lounge, Dr P3PP3R conferred with Ne'vets, "I can begin exploratory surgery to confirm where the leg is beyond proper repair."

"I thought she was stable?"

"Stable yes, but even a full bacta apparatus does not regrow flesh."

Ne'vets concurred and we went to get Cousin Rancor some clothing and supplies.  Cousin Rancor was more than content staying in the lounge, watching the surgery and eating the space brownies that had been removed from the space salisbury steak dinners they used to draped H8(r).  

Meanwhile, Duk'k went into a ship inspection.   The right rear landing gear was detached from the ship during the crash, but everything else that was accessible seemed intact.  As he returned to give the general thumbs up, Dr P3PP3R was briefing Ne'vets and Cousin Rancor once again.

"The exploratory surgery was successful. If we proceed with the an amputation, Sid is a perfect candidate for a cybernetic leg.  I can proceed with your approval, although in some cultures it is more proper to awaken the patient and ask them.  It will not cause further stress to the leg, and we can sedate her back into unconsciousness once she provides an answer. "

"Ask away Doctor."

Dr P3PP3R injected another substance into Sid, and she sat straight up on the table.  Outside of a strange bearded man gorging himself on brownies, she was in the familiar confines of the Pretio with the medical droid beside her.  

Ne'vets attempted his skill at bedside manner, "Good news, Sid, you qualify for a mechanical leg.  What color would you like?'

"What does that mean, Captain?"

"That means... you're going to get stronger...."

"Whatever you feel is best, Sir."

"Don't worry about a thing Sid, I'll sign all the authorizations."

Ne'vets gave the okay for the surgery, and with Dr P3PP3R sedating Sid, Ne'vets grabbed Squarl and Duk'k for a quick conference.

"Is the ship okay?

"Detached  gear, but no hull breach they I can see. If we can shake the ship loose, we can reevaluate and pick up the the gear and hopefully find the nearest shop to repair it."

"Alright.  Let's get the ship unstuck, then we can recover the gear, and use the Piscopo to investigate the werewolf carcasses.  I'm worried that acid's going to cut through most cages and crates we have on board.  Any extra info we can get on these things, the better."

Duk'k nodded, and returned to the cockpit to relieve Evus.  It took the better part of a half-hour, but the Sipsk'ud was able to rock the ship out of the sand.  Once aloft just a few meters, most of the warning lights on the console stopped flashing.

After a few quick adjustments to dump initial sand out of/off of the Pretio, the ship was 10 meters off the ground.  

With Duk'k at the helm, he descended the ship so  Ne'vets could oversee Sqarl, Evus, and Cousin Rancor moving the landing gear onto the lowered cargo lift.

With the ship part secured, Ne'vets was relieved.  "Alright, let's get outta here so we can fix Sid's leg, fix the ship's leg, get Cousin Rancor."

Cousin Rancor nodded, "Appreciated!"

"You're welcome, but there's nothing else you learned about theses werewolves on your forty days on the planet?"

"I mean, acid claws and they can jump straight up like 30 meters!"  

Duk'k interjected, "Hey boss, didn't you want to check out the site before we left?"

"Oh yeah, good catch, Duk'k"

"Great, can you drive the Pretio?"

With Ne'vets at the controls, the Pisocopo was lowered onto the surface and drove over the the massacre site.   Sqarl and Evus conducted the search. The saffron colored, powdery sand was stained black with whatever was left of the werewolf bodies.  Almost everything seemed to have disappeared or dissolved into the surface.  Sqarl began digging into the black-stained areas and pulled out a canine skull and partial vertebrae attached.  A black ichor or jelly covered the bones, particularly forming a carapace protecting the backbone.  Sqarl put the find in a crate and secure it in the Piscopo.

"This is probably going to discolor the container, but it's not eating through the metal.  They didn't revert back to their true form like the myths.  More like wolf-men with acid claws."

The alleged werewolves with acid claws. before Evus blew them up.

Evus chimed in from the cockpit, manning the sensors. "We already discussed the various myths across the galaxy."

Ne'vets agreed, "Okay, let's get out of here and off planet.  That space station we stopped at to pick up this recording equipment from Kurt. Should have everything we need."

Duk'k acknowledged, "R2 plot a course back to the Kwenn Space Station.  Leaving atmosphere once the Piscopo is secured."

The jump to Kwenn would take a number of hours, so the crew went about their business.  Duk'k helped repair H8R. 

"Hey Sqarl, H8R's damage is from werewolf.  It definitely ate through droid metal."

Hours later, Sid had been moved back to her room, post-operation.  Everything had gone smoothly.  Sid had woken up and just stared up at the ceiling, without blinking. 

Even later, the crew and Cousin Rancor, got some much needed rest.  Dr P3PP3R was back checking their work, satisfied with a still speechless Sid's healing wounds.  

R2-H8(r) was moving around the back of the ship, hooking up into a terminal, possibly running diagnostics. 

Duk'k was the only one half-awake, trying to nap in the pilot's chair in the cockpit, hypnotically staring at the hyperspace effect. 

Then everything went black..... Everything.

GM Notes: While it appears that the crew has no intention of abandoning the mission, I will confide with the reader that this scenario was based off of two articles of Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society (JTAS).    The initial Werewolf concept was based off the scenario "Werewolf Disease" from JTAS #5.   That scenario didn't have enough edge for an experienced, if undermanned, group such as the Pretio, so throwing in a twist with Creature - Retulican Parasite from JTAS #4 was in order.   The Reticulan Parasite was a very by-the-book clinical approach at describing.... the xenomorph from Alien.   GDW was notorious for "ripped-from-the-headline (or pop culture), Alien came out in 1979, and the JTAS #4 was released in 1980.  

I will point out that Sid was mortally wounded while her player was absent for the session.  Her player was present for the Health rolls, and technically failed right as the medical droid arrived on the scene.  Letting her live (with a new leg after a few episodes) is a fair trade-off for bad things happening in their absence. 

Next: #97 - Secrets Revealed!

Mandatory AAU Basketball Spring 2023 Rant - Weekend #8

 As the AAU season winds down, I must admit, the separate cars/separate lodging situation we've established has a lot more pros than cons.  Dividing and conquering the kids when needed has been a great help, although the Lancaster or Philly to home drive solo repeatedly has forced me to stop and take breaks.  

With Millie's team done for the season (Her coach had travelled to Italy with her younger brother to watch him play in an international U17 tournament.  His US won gold!), this tournament was just Maja's crew.  They have been suffering recently with the spate of Showcases and high powered tournaments, most noticeably shooting around 20% in games and letting the highly competent teams run rampant over them.  The poor shooting wasn't largely forced by their opponents.  Perhaps 1/3 were forced shots, a 1/3 were poor form, and a 1/3 were botched uncontested shots.  With a final showcase in July, it was time to work out the kinks in a smaller tournament.

This weekend was crazy, with six girls basketball tournaments spanning southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.  By count, those tournaments had 15 pools of eighth grade girls teams, with over 60 teams teams total.  No tournament had more than two quality teams, with a lot of underperforming teams from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even New England filling the spots.  

Maja's tournament in King of Prussia was the victim of this large and diluted pool.  As schedules were posted, the division was re-categorized as 7/8 girls and it looked like all of the teams were 7th grade!

Regardless, I made great time on Saturday morning and got an elusive parking spot near the door to the facility.   After a quick scrum, the girls quickly settled down and did what was expected, shooting over 50% as a team, with only a pair of girls still shooting poorly.  They even managed to hit multiple threes on half the attempts from the last few games.  There were still a number of unforced turnovers and poor decision making, but it was nice to see balls go into the basket. 

The second game in the afternoon was a far feistier, if smaller bunch.  The girls were able to score, but it required multiple attempts for routine shots, dropping down to 43% shooting, including 4 of 10 from the 3-point line.   It was as close as 15-11, but there was no true threat as they won 50-27.

Millie had gotten a job pet sitting a dog, two rabbits, and feeding live crickets to a gilla monster back home, so volunteered to drive back.    Of course, we had true requirements before the drive home.  Millie wanted Buffalo Wild Wings... I wanted to drive a half mile in the opposite direction for The Complete Strategist.  

Despite them not being on the search results for #FreeRPGDay, they were participating and had the swag laid on on the table.  Millie just wanted to chill in the car, so I couldn't double-up my take.  I grab Operation: Seaside Park for Starfinder (very convertible in many ways for our Star Wars game. No Skittermanders, but I'll make it work), and well as a Mutant Crawl Classic scenario which may or many not end up in the Gamma World game.  

Many chickens died to satiate Millie's appetite, and after twenty minutes of Taylor Swift, she passed out for the rest of the drive, plus an hour after we got home.  Once revived from her coma, she did her animal duties, we grabbed ice cream, and ventured down to Sword in the Stone's mall location.  

Sword in the Stone must have either ordered multiple kits, or folks were coming in for CCGs only, because I've never seen dice and accessories make it to lunch, much less a half hour before close.   Gina from Sword in the Stone was super excited we were there.  I grabbed the GI Joe/Transformers item, Millie got the motherload of anything involving cute animals and a set of dice.    We then proceeded to spend an hour going through a long box of Magic: the Gathering art cards for her to decorate her binders for school next year.  At 10 for $1, I really couldn't argue, and after all the free swag, this little project sent her over the moon.  

It was, dare I say, a nearly perfect day.  

Sunday we woke up early so Millie could deal with her animals, and we got back to KoP with plenty of time, and a primo parking spot.  

After a positive Saturday and an automatic entry into the championship, Maja's team fell back into old habits in the final pool game.    They dropped to 22% field goal percentage, Maja not helping going 0-for-2, but playing a younger team meant more rebounds and second chances for the centers.  

At noon, the team played their first opponent in the championship, jumped to a 14-2 lead, got up to 48-8 at half-time, then coasted in the second half, winning 45-19 and never looked back.  A couple girls started strong and had a lackluster second half, but the bench was on fire, and ball movement was vastly improved.  

After getting all the medals and customary photos, we found ourselves dashing to a back court with only a very cryptic.... "Millie is playing!"  Lo, and behold, she was wearing someone else's shoes, wearing a different jersey, and playing in a 4th grade game against a girl who was easily 8 inches taller than her!    I'm not a fan of putting ringers on teams, simply because "Everybody else does it," but between the impotent rules for questioning players ages, and the fact that this girl was taller than most of the 6th graders she played against, I wasn't going to protest. 

Millie had two jobs.  Act as a pure point guard on offense, and guard against the big girl on defense.   The big girl only had 4 points in the game, and Millie dominated the boards against her.  

Offensively, it was magical.  Millie showed the girls how to be a proper point guard by example.  Every pass was smart, crisp, in the right position, and to my initial surprise and glee, the girls were catching them and doing something, keeping the game close.  I think she took six shots total, scoring six points, but girls kept it close until the last minute.  For a team, that only won one game before this tournament, it was amazing what they did with Millie as a catalyst.   The coach lavished praise to her for her leadership skills, as we realized, another one of her 6th grade teammates had filled her role in the same match-up on Saturday, but dominated everything offensively and defensively, making it more of a highlight real for herself, than the actual girls on the team. 

An even higher point.  Two of the girls are part of our school district, so they probably won't play with Millie again until she's a Junior and their Freshmen, but it was fun to see some chemistry between them.  The future is bright. 

So, this is the last AAU update for the season.  Maja has officially decided not to attend the four-day Showcase in Atlantic City in July, so she can attend Historicon with me!  Looks like I'll be picking her up from her Sunday-Wednesday basketball camp in Kutztown and heading down.  

School Summer Ball:  I didn't cover much last year, so I'll keep it simple.  With all the changes and drama with coaching changes, the kids are like ducks.  Maja's right in the mix for both JV and Varsity playing time, and while Millie's arrival into Junior High ball isn't the second coming, comments from other parents make it feel that way, both JV and JH are undefeated, with Junior High playing the elite Dallas team this week.  My Monday and Tuesday nights are full until August.

Maja's School Project

 In the middle of the spring, amidst the craziness of Track & Field, AAU, and dance, Maja requested she come over and paint.   Not one to argue with her scant time off, we grabbed her for the weekend.  

I came to find that she needed to paint things for a school project. Her Junior High business class set up a Marketing project, and she was a teamed up with a boy to design a storefront.  

We're at that point where I'm supposed to joke about dealing with boys, but said boy had a father with a 3-D printer, so instead of gluing popsicle sticks, he printed off some IKEA-esque furniture. 

Maja slaved away at painting and setting up the display.  All I helped with was sealing the painted plastic. 

I knew they had gotten an A on the project, but I hadn't seen the assembled final result.  The teacher had kept their as an example of what to do, so she didn't get it back until the last day of school.  Over last weekend I was invited into the house to see (a) her new bookshelf she assembled by herself, already overflowing with books.   Thank God she got her library card renewed for the summer), and (b) the Project, taking up vital real estate in an otherwise bounded printed matter-dominated world:

(Painting) Chaos Space Gnomes (Space Dwarves Chaos Squad) by Macrocosm

It's been a long-long week, but, if any paltry positive could be pulled, it's that the Space Dwarves Chaos Squad from Macrocosm Miniatures are finally completed!

I've got to admit, this was one of my favorite Kickstarters, from start to finish.  I abhor UK shipping, yet Macrocosm has a knack for getting things out faster than some or their competitors here in the States.  

The minis themselves are resin with a lot of flash, but the detail was great, and I could hide some of the missed flash in the flocking.  

For Planet 28 1st Edition -

Armored Chaos Space Gnome:  Shooting 4 - Fighting 3  - Agility 5.  Hit Points 20 - Speed 10cm+1d6 running.  Exo-Armor (treat as heavy armor, except it nullifies the Space Gnomes' SLOW trait).

Figures wielding melee weapons tend to vastly improve their fighting scores, and leave shooting at base.

 

Next: The table is "clear" of long-term projects, time to look at the Historicon push list. 

This alleged Historicon push list is mostly a recent order I placed through Battle Valor well prior to my "budgetary realignment" at work.  I already have enough figures for my games, but halfway through the year I might as well try a push, since I have a bit more time.

Project: 350 -  A few more ideas appeared, pushing by total up to 465  (313/152) from 462 (310/152)

(Kickstarter) Star Rogues by beQuest Miniatures

 I've got a good deal of Oldhammer 40k-esque coming in the mail currently, from the US to boot, so I'm good, but I'd otherwise be very tempted to pledge for Star Rogues from beQuest Miniatures.

Roughly $44 per squad isn't a bad price, until the $22 for shipping to the US is tacked on.  Luckily, there's additional add-ons, including Beaky Marines, Space Dwarves, and Chaos Space Dwarves (the mutated variety). 

Summertime is Here!

(Star Wars d6) #95 - Between a Rock... and Another Rock

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.

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.

Sqarl - Quarren ex-whaladon hunter, recently hired onto the crew.

Evus - Twi'lek male, former slave, then former associate of Ne'vets, who has found his way back to the Pretio but caught back up in the nonsense of the Pretio.  Former lover and boy-toy to the feared Rebel terrorist (and former Pretio crewmember), Latorna Savvn.

"Sid" - A peculiar woman who has shown to be a better pilot than the previous one. Possible Imperial ties, but a far better shot.

R2-H8(r) - "H8R"  Astromech with a confusing history, and harsh attitude towards most of the crew.  

"Cousin Rancor" - Social media guru, famous for foolish holo-vids across the galaxy.  Lone survivor of last failed expedition to obtain a 'werewolf'

 

One Droid Left

In pursuit of a strange individual 

Interrupting their "Werewolf Hunt,"

The crew of the Pretio have left themselves in

Two compromising positions.

First, they appear to be pinned underneath a series of boulders,

Surrounded by what appears to be a pack

Of the Werewolf-creatures, with limited coms.

Second, in their haste to apprehend this intruder, 

A holovid celebrity named, "Cousin Rancor," who

Had been lured to the planet by the same

Amber Kincaid that hired the crew,

Ne'vets, Sqarl, and Duk'k left the 

Astromech droid R2-H8(r) and their pilot Sid,

Back at the ambush site, and garnering 

The full attention of the horde of creatures.

Hiding in a crawl space beneath a giant boulder, Ne'vets, Sqarl, and Duk'k all released they were missing their two compatriots, R2-H8(r) and Sid, and desperately tried to contact them via the personal coms.  

H8(r) was using his mini-repulsors to lift him three meters in the hair, a difficult feat for an astromech  mech, but far more difficult with a small female holding onto the droid for dear life.  

"Sid?  R2?  Check-in!"

"Can't talk now, trying not to die.  "Why didn't I follow, why didn't I follow???"

Panning back to the scene of the ambush,  H8(r) was using his mini-repulsors to lift himself  three meters in the air, a difficult feat for any astromech droid, but far more difficult with a small female holding onto the droid for dear life.   Beneath them were two dozen violently raging beast, who luckily did not have a tremendous vertical leap.

Sid fumbled her com down her jacket and perilously reached for her holdout blaster, unloading a full clip into the swarm.  The shots definitely hit, including a point-blank shot into one of the creatures mouths, but little damage could be seen amongst the swarming throng.

H8R began maneuvering towards his thrusters in the direction of the Pretio.

"We're heading towards the ship... slowly"  

A few of the taller beasts managed to scrape the base of the droids legs, but none could get a grasp of either crew member.  

Despite the general popularity of R2 units, a hardy C1 unit would have more thrust and stamina in a scenario like this....

Back in the small cave, the four confused men were completely awares of the deathly chaos across the open field.  

Duk'k gave "Cousin Rancor" another once-over and asked Ne'vets, "We taken him with us, boss?"   

"Um, yes?"

"In that case, I'm going to arm him, but I have a terrible plan as well.  Would you like to hear it."

"Oh boy, would I!"

While Duk'k pulled out a extra blaster for Cousin Rancor, Sqarl looked around the entrance to the cave.  One of the werewolf creatures had reached into the space and sliced his hood, before scurrying off.  The pieces of the hood were no longer there, as if they had simply vanished. 

Duk'k pulled everyone closer,  "I have armor, a jetpack, and a flashbang.  If I can get out of this cave, I can flashbang the creatures, fly up, and distract them with blaster fire long enough for you guys to get out of here."

Ne'vets found a potential flaw in the plan, "What if these things fly?"

"If they do, they must be hovering over us, because I don't see any of them outside the hole," an inquisitive Sqarl peered out into the very quiet darkness. 

On the other side of the field, H8R kept his altitude, and Sid unloaded another blaster clip to little effect, all the while kicking at any creature big enough.  

The coms crackled open with Sqarl's voice, "Hey, if you've got a flashbang, drop it!"

Sid put her blaster between her teeth and fumbled with the grenades on her belt.  One of them dropped to the ground, pin pulled.  A yellowish-green glow of a tangler grenade could be seen from behind them.  Sid and H8R could not see the success of the wrong grenade, as they proceeded to the Pretio.
"Cousin Rancor"

The crew still under a rock were tentatively peeked out to see no creatures, but on the H8R's com, a blood curdling scream could be heard.  Something had happened to Sid.  

Duk'k led the group out, they navigated around the boulders to see the werewolf horde almost toying with a hovering R2 struggling to hold a motionless Sid dangling off the side.  

The frantic droid rambling on the coms were quickly deafened by the roar of starship engines, and a new go voice coming over the coms.  

"I'm coming guys, oh kriff, oh kriff, oh kriff, oh kriff."

The Pretio emerged over the ridge, no, correction, the Pretio emerged going through the top of sandy ridge, running through two meters of the powdery sand.  It slid across the ground for only another hundred meters before coming to a stop.

The ship was still quite a distance for H8R, but the surprising voice of the ship's medical droid, Dr P3PP3R, came over the coms,  "I don't think you can operate both, Sir, without risking harm to...." 

*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*

Both turrets from the Pretio erupted with starship-grade blasters with pinpoint accuracy, hitting creatures a mere one-meter below the R2 unit and Sid. 

Duk'k ignited his jump pack and flew up in the air.  Any targets that the Pretio's limited firing arc weren't hitting, were taking shots from the Sipsk'ud's two blasters.  The monsters were finally falling from both starship and personal weapons!

The blaster fire sending the creatures fleeing, H8R barely made it to the aft of the Pretio, sparks flying from his thrusters as he dropped Sid of the hull, before clumsily landing.  

Duk'k's elevated position and hi-tech helmet allowed him to stay safe and watch the surviving creature flee into the darkness.  None of them appeared to be flanking, at least within Duk'k's scanning range. 

"Sorry guys, I got here as fast as I can," Evus apologized.  "H8R, how are you?"

"I karking hurt!!!"

GM Notes:  Sid had left early the previous session, and in the drama of the ionized R2 and the tri-directional chase of the mystery character, everyone (including myself) completely abandoned Sid and the droid.  It also took me a half a session to realize that some portion of a five-foot tall woman would occasionally dangle below H8R's legs, thus the late hit by the creatures. 

Evus could have saved everyone with a basic pass, but with only a 1d+2 piloting roll, and a "1" I ruled he barely got the ship off the ground, damaged the landing gear, and may lodged the ship into the ground.   Thank goodness he was the original ship's gunner before Duk'k took over.  We'll find out next week how bad it is. We'll also see how bad Sid's injuries are, but they might rhyme with "General Grievous."

Next: #96 - Multiple Procedures

Sad Little Gnome Gets Sadder

 It's been a very rough June, between work hours, barely seeing the kids, not winning a seat on the HMGS Board Directors, and even barely getting some distracting Monday night gaming in. 

Friday afternoon brought the biggest blow for the month:  My position at work was removed for budgetary reasons, effective immediately.  

It was never an indomitable feeling of dread, but sometimes even the squeaky wheel at work doesn't help the machine get the grease.  Sometimes the wheel gets replaced or removed altogether.  Massive IT and support cutbacks in other departments hit the local and state news, and the recent merger with a company whose name bring up memories of German autocratic rule probably have caused the bean counters to panic.  I wish my team well, as they are stuck in an uphill battle where no one can see past immediate results and have no idea how to handle the long-term consequences. 

There's positions out their for call center managers/marketing analysts/trainers, and I've already revised and sent out a host of resumes.  The best news out of all this is I'll have a 10 week severance package with benefits for the kids, and I was capped out at 8 1/2 weeks paid time off.  Worst possible case, that covers me through October.  Historicon is still on (possibly with Maja), and a few basketball camps and volleyball practices have suddenly become easier, logistically. 

On the completely selfish front, I think I'll be able to paint a little bit more, especially extra for my Historicon events.  

Happy Father's Day 2023

(Kickstarter) Groo: The Card Game by Steve Jackson

When Steve Jackson Games isn't physically removing dust from recently discovered product in the warehouse, they're Kickstarting for long-out-of-print games.  

This month's nostalgia is  Groo: The Game.

(Painting) Dollar Store Genestealers

 As we wind down from AAU practices and dance rehearsals, this concept called time is returning, and paint has returned to brushes, then transferred to figures.

Nothing jumped into the queue, although these bad boys (girls?  things?) moved all the way to the front and were finished lickety-split.  

Welcome the Bugs from Dimension-G.  

I don't think these guys are fitting into Space Hulk derelicts

These are Kharn Perimeter Defense Crawlers, which came in a 2-pack for the Final Faction action figure line.

Their paint jobs are inspired by 2nd Edition Genestealers,    I would love to get another 6-10 of them and stat them out for various forms of bug hunts. 

A Bug with Gnomish Space Marines for size comparison

Biggest problem wasn't painting them, but gluing their joints to keep the legs from swinging.   A few joints needed two or three attempts to properly set.

The ease of painting these (and the prior Final Faction "robots") will definitely get more of the Kharn creatures into the queue after Historicon, to be painted in classic 2nd Ed 40k Tyrranid styles.   There are some holes in the back of the creatures, used to insert accessories, that I left open and merely primed and painted the insides black.  With the other figures I'll need to plug those holes, as they have spots for screws that are a big obvious on the back.

Countdown to Historicon -   Only 34 days to Historicon.  I've inventoried what I have for my games, and reorganized the painting queues for not only a "wish list" for my games, but a few more figures for Mike Lung's Wasteland Warriors games using Fistful of Lead.   The Chaos Space Gnomes are almost complete! 

Project: 350 - Barely any movement 462 (310/152) from 463 (310/153). This weekend, I'd like to see two games and maybe an actual play finished.  It is Father's Day weekend, and while some dad's want grills, beer, and ties, I'm happy with simply gaming.  

Always Confirm Exactly What Your Looking For

 

Twenty Questions About My Campaign - World of Georic - Burning Trogs Redux Edition

Years ago, I completed Twenty Questions About Wargaming. While that one evolves slowly, I did discover a great post by JRients covering the basic questions that a player/character can bring up at the start of a campaign. A while ago I did his "20 Questions" about the World of Georic.   With a sudden interest in Blue Book gaming, I felt it was right and proper to revisit and revise the 20 Questions for each of my "ongoing" campaigns.  While we haven't played with the original NPCs in nearly 20 years, The original Burning Trogs Rule! Hackmaster campaign still had a few significant loose ends certain PCs would go mental over.  

Everything is based on the world of Georic, the area of the vast Mer Kasp.  Not the biggest sea in most library's geograhica, but of most import to the story.

1. So, what's the deal?

The Year is 1150. It is fourteen years since the First War with the Master ended, almost 100 years since the exploits of Echellon, Talis, and Company, eight years since the short lived Hackmaster campaign, and let's not talk about the 

Zorin Redrock was a Gnome-Titan hero of the Southern Orc wars, an Ambasador-General of the Empire of Barthey, and a two-time savior of the Kingdom of Marakeikos.  His exploits and accolades would earn a normal man an early retirement in perpetual luxury. 

But Zorin was no normal man.  He was a Gnome Titan. 

His former adventuring company, the Burning Trogs had befallen a tragic bit of bad luck at the hands of the Slavers of Roark.  The slavers had managed to capture and enslave a number of notable members.  About half of them made it back alive.  His greatest regret was that Trogs could never exact vengeance onto the slavers. 

Two years after his The War with the Master war ended,  he left his estate for the final time and travelled back to the Gnomish City States.  He convinced the City-States military to sponsor a pirate and slaver-hunting expedition throughout the Mer Kasp.   Unfortunately, Zorin wasn't much of a sailor, as are most other types of gnomes, and the slavers secret bases remained hidden.   

Six years on the sea taught Zorin a lot about sailing, and an utter disgust for human and gnome sailors.  Despite the finest armament on the Mer Kasp, his lack of naval tactics resulted in more than a few crews nearly getting wiped out from pirates.    The City-States decided to recall the ship and its crew from the mission. 

Zorin sank his small fortune into three new ships and tried to outfit them with proper crews, but his reputation for confusing independent merchants, and sometimes naval frigates, for pirate ships preceded him. After a few disasters, a few sunken ships, and a couple of replacements along the way, his two remaining ships are crewed by a swarthy, gung-ho band of halflings. 

This year, the twelfth since he "retired," his haphazard networks of contacts, spies, and informants have uncovered a tiny cove that's almost impossible to navigate.    Only the skilled, or the well-organized could get through, so that means only a treacherous overland march is required to reach it, and possibly even rappel down some cliff faces.  Even worse,  this information could be time-sensitive, and Zorin's flagship, is far, far away.  His second ship is nearby, and it's up to its scrappy halfling crew to do the recon, and possibly assault the pirates there.  

2. What is the deal with my cleric's religion? If you're a human from the western end of of the Mer Kasp, you tend to worship Akana, God of Light and Order. A few offshoot cults have given your god a bad name. Most of the faithful are helping the poor (as well as maintaining a huge bureaucracy and keeping allied kings on the throne).

Of course, one while one major deity dominates, the pantheon it is part of is full of other gods. Guya, goddess of nature, Farmesk, god of war, and even Challon, God of Piegons are part of an acceptable Ferasean Pantheon.  

Around the Mer Kasps, there are other regional, racial, and ethnic pantheons. Halfling and Gnomish civilization prosper, elemental cults and shamans abound out in the east, and the southern coast near  Parthia is a collection of Ancient Summerian and Babylonian gods, as well as the living worship of a powerful man only known as The Master.

3. Where can we go to buy standard equipment?   Most major ports along the Mer Kasp will have standard supplies at reasonable (book) cost.  For any more specialized equipment, the major cities on the western coast (Barthey City, Mirros, and Stronghome) would be your best choice.  

4.Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended? Around the Mer Kasp?  Possibly Barthey, although costs may be double.  Less skilled craftsmen and armorers are in Mirros,   Otherwise, one would need to go inland to the Dwarven or Gnomish communities.

5. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?  Wizard towers dot the countryside, although to fit the stereotype, most wizards do not interact with the public.  The greatest concentration of great wizards is the confederation known as Hermetus, which is essentially a kingdom made up of wizard towers and the lands they protect.  The most powerful spell-caster is Terari, a former Emron Ambassador to Marakeikos, who renounced their loyalty, and became head of the Marakeikan Magic School in Mirros.  Second may be whatever mage is working with the Slavers of Roark to permanently hide their lair, a "Shadowmage."  And somewhere, the aptly-titled "Bargle the Infamous" is hiding.  Any information that we've had on that wizard has either under-represented his powers, or vastly exaggerated, so no one knows the truth. 

6. Who is the greatest warrior in the land?  Despite baronial knights, and adventurers using the village as a home base, Torm Touchberry (12th level thief), is regarded as the greatest warrior. He has survived too many wars, trained too many men in the militia, and is rumored to have fought alongside the Red Mage on that fateful day when the Baronial wedding was interrupted. Part of the legend says that whatever tried to stop the wedding was defeated, but not entirely vanquished , and hides in the Nightwood Forest across the Pathfinder River from town.

7.  Who is the richest person in the land?  Royalty and nobility control the most.  While much of his political and military power has been taken, the greatest treasures in the Mer Kasp region belong to Arsaces XXII of the Parthian Empire.

8.  Where can we go to get some magical healing?  The Churches of Akana and Guya offer magical healing for a sizable donation.  Just make sure you're gnome-kind if asking a cleric of Pangrus for a spell.

9. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?  The three churches above cover most of those. Barthey, Mirros, Stronghome, and Shelley Harbor should have the capabilities to handle lycanthropy.   Only the Church of Akana has powerful enough clerics  to ressurect, and Challon does not deal well with undead.

10. Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?  Mirros in Marakeikos hosts both a notable Magic Unviersity, and a thriving Magic-Users guild.  

11. Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?  Every sizable port city will have a host of experts, although many would suggest the libraries of Parthia are where to find true experts in their fields.

12. Where can I hire mercenaries?   Barthey has been a staging ground for human mercenaries the moment the Ferasean Empire fell centuries ago.  Both Halfling and Gnome marines and infantry are available in Stronghome and all of Gnomish City States. 

13. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?  Until the slaver city can be discovered, there are no noted criminal hotspots on the western half of the Mer Kasp.  Further east, into Hyrkania, Khwarizm, and Khaziria, there are fewer laws, and anything that is not culturally apropos if considered a crime, with varying penalties.   

14. Which way to the nearest tavern?  Plenty of fine establishments in every known port.  The halfling crew of Zorin Redrock prefer to take their leaves in the halfling port of Santello in Stronghome.  There, all races frequent the Dusty, Heaving Keg.

15. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?   Rumors of sea monsters are as thick as the further lies told about them.  Each nation sharing a coastline with the Mer Kasp has a host of problems inland.  

16 Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?   The western coasts have established political and trade agreements, some of which could be interpreted as alliances.  Parthia has machinations around the eastern coats, and the various Galmar tribes could invade the northern countries, with very little true resistance.  

17. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?  Legal fighting pits are around the Mer Kasp, although none are as glamourous as central and western Talaishia.   True fighters would either venture down into Khemmet and Parthia.

Akorros, Treibezond, Barthey Empire

18. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?

The Academy of the Flaming Sword - Mercenary and Battle Mages

The Plague Lords of Mangrus - Actively seek to spread disease through the region.

Arcana Vehm - Actively seeking out damage, to record for their own dastardly plots, and destroy all other shreds of evidence. 

19. What is there to eat around here?  Western Mer Kasp is known for it's variety of fishes and grains for loves.  Eastern regions have less of a meat portion, supplemented by more nuts and dates, and even fish eggs!

20. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for? This region borders on some of the oldest civilizations in recorded history of man.   Treasures abound just under the surface and in any abandoned ruins, although centuries of searching have unearthed many of them.   The one relic that has been rumored to be around, but never confirmed, is the horrific Death Wand of Kan'neer.