Book Reviews--Marvel Comics Epic Battles of the Civil War, Vols. 1-4

 

A couple years ago, I visited the Roberson Museum and Science Center in my hometown, which had a small exhibit commemorating the 150th year anniversary of the American Civil War.  Or as wargamers like to abbreviate it, the "ACW."

 

Venturing into the gift shop, I discovered all four volumes of Marvel Comics Epic Battles of the Civil War.  I can't remember what I paid for them.  I'm sure they were priced at full retail value.  But since the money would go to support our local museum, I thought what the heck.

 

The four volumes cover the following battles:  First Bull Run, Shiloh, Antietam and Gettysburg.

 

Each volume appears to present a decent overview of the events leading up to a particular battle, the course of the battle itself, the aftermath and short biographies of a handful of key leaders.

 

I say "appears to present a decent overview" because I must admit my knowledge of the ACW is as extensive as many of my wargaming buddies.  But these are, in fact comic books, which are ideal for introducing young readers to the subject of the Civil War.

 

The one hiccup I did spot was in Volume 4, which perpetuates the #1 myth of Gettysburg:  That the battle started because Confederate troops were trying to find shoes.

 

The illustrations in each volume varies, because different artists were involved in this project.  Overall, I found the art added to the sense of drama as the battle unfolds to its climax.  If I had to choose, I liked the artwork in Volume 3:  Antietam the best.  The colors used were darker, giving a better sense of the dreary field conditions soldiers experienced.

 

The series has earned decent reviews on Boardgamegeek and Goodreads. 

 

True, there are extensive works by eminent historians that cover each battle in great detail.  However, for a quick read, which includes "eye candy" almost as good as painted miniatures on modelled terrain, Marvel Comics Epic Battles of the Civil War, is worth the modest price for each booklet.

 

Copies can be found on-line or at museum gift shops.

 

 

Game Report: Twilight Imperium, 4-Player Session

The Galactic Council convenes.

Game Set Up:

A few weekends ago, four of us got together to play Twilight Imperium.  My friend Joe & I played it a couple times before:  The last time being a 3-player session with Dallas, who couldn't make this time around.  Newcomers to "The Galactic Council" were:  Jason and Ken.

Since our Twilight Triumvirate game, I re-read the rules a third time in order to avoid our previous errors.  But during the set up, Joe discovered we did the Public Objective Cards wrong.  These cards, which help players earn victory points, are suppose to be laid out as they become available due to political action.  The first player who can claim it, along with spending the necessary resources, gets the points.  In our last game, the cards were handed to the player who initiated the political action.

 One of the great features of Twilight Imperium is the random set-up.  From the map, to the Political Action Cards, to the races themselves, it's guaranteed that no two games will be alike.

Our "4-Player Galaxy" looked like this:

Starting forces and initial positions of the four major races.

The major races vying for power this time around were--

The Yssaril Tribes (Joe):

The Federation of Sol (Jason):

The Clan of Saar (me):

The Winnu (Ken):

Conquest of the Galaxy:

Here's a pictorial history of how the Yssaril, Humans, Saar and Winnu carved-up the galaxy among them...



The Winnu invasion force is repulsed at New Albion, while the troops landing on Starpoint succumb to some form of biohazard.



The Yssaril peacefully annexes Garbozia, but the inhabitants of Saudor put up a fight.

While the Yssaril conduct mop-up operations on Saudor, the Saar annex Belatrix and gain control of the trading post Tsion.

Federation troops stumble across a lost colony of Lazax, the former overlords of the galaxy, believed to be extinct.  This discovery gives Federation Councilors a significant amount of clout in the Galactic Council.  

The Yssaril discovered additional wealth on Primor.

Lodor, along with the nearby wormhole is annexed by the Yssaril.

The Federation advances on Tar'Mann.  Meanwhile, the Winnu are still mustering-up a task force to reclaim New Albion and Starpoint.

Vespin-II (I think) is annexed by the Yssaril.

The Winnu finally mobilize and acquire Gral and it's wealth, but discover lethal doses of radiation on Centauri.

The Saar gain new wealth on Hope's End along with the planet's extensive shock troop training facility.

Vega Minor is peacefully annexed by the Federation, but the inhabitants of nearby Vega Major put up a fight.

Vega Major is captured by the Federation.

The Saar advance on Arinam and Meer, but are unable to initiate an invasion due to command & control, as well as logistical issues.  A task force remains on station at Wormhole Alpha, which leads to Lodor--in Yssaril territory.

A Yssaril cruiser enters the Lesab System, and remains in orbit.

A Yssaril carrier group plunges down the Cormund Gravity Rift, to find a hostile reception.

The Federation make another anthropological discovery.  This time a lost colony of Humans.

Thanks to conducting a fighter reconnaissance, the Saar task force directs the bulk of its troops against Meer.  Arinam is annexed without incident, however, Meer proves to be a tough nut to crack.

The entire Saar invasion force is defeated by the Meerians.

While the Saar lick their wounds, the Winnu seize El'Nath, but of course, not without a fight.

Meer is finally subdued by a second Saar invasion force.

Not wanting to provoke the Winnu, the Saar remain at Hope's End, raising shock troops, while the Winnu subdue the Centaurians. 



A Federation dreadnought task force moves out of the Sol System.

Another Sol task force discovers Wellon to be the terminus of Wormhole Beta, the galaxy's shortest--and most useless--wormhole.

The Winnu return to New Albion and Starpoint.  New Albion is invaded while Starpoint is cleansed of bio-toxins.

The Yssaril cede Lesab to the Saar, which is peacefully annexed.

At this point, only Mecatol Rex remained unclaimed. The stage was now set for a galactic-wide conflict.

End Notes:

We had to end our game at this point, which took an hour to set up and five hours to play.  Fighting only occurred between the space-faring races and the indigenous forces resisting invasion.  Although interplanetary war would have broken out if we had the time to play even just one more turn.

Applying the rules properly slowed things down a bit in terms of how many actions a player can take per turn and how much he can produce.  This can be frustrating at times, but it does provide players with a steady game pace, a less cluttered game board, and an increased awareness of using political and economic power to gain victory points.

Twilight Imperium is not for anyone who likes their games fast & bloody.

Social Gathering with Seattle's Sci-Fi and Fantasy Writers

(Image:  The Seattle Space Needle and Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum)

This past Saturday, I invited myself  was invited to the monthly gathering of the Seattle Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers group (SF2W).  Actually, I've been receiving newsletters for the past several months, but haven't been able to attend until now.

It's an informal group, whose origins date back almost a year ago at the Northwest Bookfest.

The Prime Directive of meetings are social, with no personal business agendas permitted.

One of the members followed-up on a previous suggestion to provide "Hello, My Name Is" name tapes for everyone.  So it was easy for everyone to actually remember each others' names.

However, out of the 10 of us, I only know the full names of the following writers:

Django Wexler, co-founder and meeting coordinator.

Janine Southard, our hostess for the day.

And Casey Blair.

We talked about upcoming conventions, such as next month's Geek Girl Con, various comic cons, writers conferences and even "Outdoor Trek."

While no one made any elevator pitches, folks did talk about their good, bad & ugly experiences with certain websites, on-line stores, e-book pricing and computer programs.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover nearly everyone is involved in some aspect of gaming; whether computer games, boardgames, miniatures, or role playing games (RPGs).

I had an enjoyable time, loved meeting new people, and I look forward to attending future gatherings--with my usual caveat of:  Work schedule permitting.

Buying Board Games Down Under

Dael Kingsmill rants about discusses the problems Australians have when buying boardgames and other merchandise.



I get turned off about on-line purchases when the shipping and handling (S&H) fees are over $15 (US).  I can't imagine contending with the prices our Australian gamer friends deal with.

Remembering 9/11

 

Program Review: Emma Approved

 

The folks at Pemberly Digital scored big a couple nights ago at the 4th Annual Streamy Awards, with it's ground-breaking Lizzie Bennet Diaries (LBD).

 

This vlog version of Pride and Prejudice was my first exposure to the works of Jane Austen. 

 

Now my latest video venture into the world of Jane Austin is:  Emma Approved, an adaptation of the novel Emma.

 

Meet Emma Woodhouse, (played by Joanna Sotomura), lifestyle coach not-so extraordinaire, and her business partner Alex Knightley (played by Brent Bailey).

 

She's on a quest to "improve the lives of those around her," while he struggles to keep the business afloat.

Yeah, you guessed it, conflict ensues.

(An Emma Approved version of American Gothic?)

Oh, Emma means well, and her grandiose schemes are successful--for the most part.  But, more often than not, Emma leaves hard feelings and heartache in her wake, because she's blind to the obvious.

I enjoyed the series, and from the comments I read on YouTube, the other viewers did too, and looked forward to each new episode.  Emma Approved seemed to be a rebound from Pemberly Digital's LBD spin-off Welcome to Sanditon. 

However, there's more to these webseries than posting videos on YouTube.  Apparently, Emma Approved didn't work as well as LBD, in part because Emma Approved didn't utilize the full range of transmedia that LBD did.

Other than Facebook, I didn't delve into any other media platforms during my viewing times.  I guess having an "in-character" blog, which includes womens' fashion advice isn't enough anymore.

Well being the Y-Chromosome tainted Luddite that I am, I'm still giving Emma Approved 4 out of 5 stars, or for those who like using the IMDb Scale, 8 out of 10.

I think Emma would approve.

Thank You for the 2K Visits!

(Image: The USS Constitution firing a 21-gun salute)

Sometime yesterday, Stern Rake Studio was reached it's 200,000th view.

Thank you for visiting, whether you're a frequent follower, or just passing through.

I appreciate the interest.

Best wishes to all of you.