Stern-Rake Studio

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T10:47:00.001-08:00

Ahoy! Age of Sail Links Added

2012-02-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

(Image USS Constitution vs HMS Java)

I've always loved naval history, especially Age of Sail, when I played my first game of Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Then I immersed myself in C.S. Forester's stories of Horatio Hornblower and later other naval heroes. Not to mention, watching the movie produced by Raoul Walsh, anytime it was on TV. Of course, I also had a wicked crush on Virginia Mayo, but that's another story...

Anyway, I stumbled across a post inquiring about ship armaments on The Miniatures Page, which in turn, led me to the following databases:

Three Decks--Warships in the Age of Sail, and it's companion wiki, 3 Decks--Naval Sailing Warfare History.

Both links can now be found under the Historical Sites section in sidebar.

Wishing all of you "fair winds and following seas" in all your endeavours.

Product Review: Freedom in the Galaxy

2012-01-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

Ever since Dan started his Star Wars Freedom in the Galaxy Campaign, I've toyed with the idea of getting the actual Freedom in the Galaxy game. Last week, I stumbled across an inexpensive copy for sale on the Boardgame Geek Marketplace. This one was still in its original shrink wrap!

Once I tore off the 34 year-old plastic, I opened the box...

By today's standards, the counters are rather bland and generic, but they're functional. The game gets a decent 6.61 out of 10 rating on Boardgame Geek. The main complaints about Freedom in the Galaxy are:

--It's unbalanced and favors the Evil Empire.

--The convoluted rules often require the creation of in-house rules and variants.

--And finally, the game itself takes a lo-o-o-ng time to play. 20 hours from start to finish is considered an optimistic estimate.

Despite the above complaints, many gamers still love Freedom in the Galaxy, which published in 1979, is considered an enjoyable "...thinly veiled Star Wars game..." (Commenter #17, giving it an 8.5).

Even if my group never plays FitG as it was meant to be, so far it's serving as a great campaign vehicle for our not-so thinly veiled Star Wars game.

Book Review: A Place Called Armageddon

2012-01-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Byzantium. The very name conjures up images of Orthodox churches, mosaics--and multiple layers of convoluted schemes.

Less than seventy-five years after the fall of Rome, The Eastern Empire had regained nearly all the territory lost in the west. However, by the middle of the 15th Century, the Byzantine Empire barely controlled the landmass beyond the walls of it's capital, Constantinople.

On 21 May 1453, this thousand-year empire fell.

A Place Called Armageddon by C.C. ("Chris") Humphreys, is a sweeping saga of Constantinople's lasts days as a Christian empire. Although not a sequel, characters introduced in Vlad, The Last Confession, "reprise their roles," so to speak, and find themselves on one side, or the other of the siege lines--and sometimes both.

The story focuses on Gregoras Lascaris, his reluctant return from disgrace and his relationship with his family. A relationship that remain strained, even as the Turkish host closes-in. Chris deftly weaves fiction with historical fact that binds towering figures like Constantine XI, Memhet II and John Grant, to common soldiers, sailors, pirates, mercenaries, a sorceress--and even a cat--as the siege drags on.

Chris brings his experience as an actor and fight choreographer to the written page. The reader is plunged into the midst of desperate assaults fought around--and even under--key positions of Constantinople's defenses, while even the "slow moments" are taught with emotion. Reading A Place Called Armageddon, is like watching the movie Titanic, (or better yet: A Night to Remember ). Despite knowing the historical outcome, one is compelled to read-on, to see what fate befalls the Lascaris Family and nearly 50 other minor characters, once the Theodosian Walls are breached.

The story doesn't end happily for everyone, but it Chris ties-off every loose end, which makes A Place Called Armageddon very satisfying to read. A definite 5-star story to add to your historical fiction collection!

A Place Called Armageddon was released last year in the UK and Canada. It will be available in the US sometime in the fall of this year (2012).

Adding "Ad Sense"

2012-01-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

Writers are always on the lookout to earn money for their work. With this in mind, I finally signed up for Google's Ad Sense this evening. After Google reviews my blog, there will be advertisements placed in the side bar. I could have opted to have ads attached to each post, in addition to the sidebar notes, but I didn't to bombard my readers with "This post brought to you by..."

Cushing Coolness

2012-01-19T03:20:00.001-08:00

My friend, Adrian, came across this video on YouTube of Peter Cushing with his miniature collection. In addition to the link, Adrian also tossed this comment in his e-mail: "You didn't know that Grand Moff Tarkin was a Napoleonic wargamer did you?"

The story Cushing's hobby has circulated throughout cyberspace for some time. So this posting isn't so much as breaking news, as it is a tribute to the late, distinguished actor.

Product Review: GW's Battle of Five Armies Rulebook

2012-01-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

I picked up this set of rules for about $10 and then paid an addtion $2+change for shipping and handling.

The game itself was produced by Games Workshop (GW) in 2005. Copies are available on-line, like the one I found on eBay. Bidding, however, is due to close in just under two days (17 January 2012). US distrubitors appear to still carry the game, according to GW's website.

Reviews on the complete game average just under 7 on Boardgame Geek's 10-point scale. The most common observation was this game is based on their Warmaster system. Or as one reviewer quipped: "It's Warmaster in Middle Earth."

I own several Warmaster rule books, along with bags of unpainted 6mm (millimeter) figures. Warmaster is based on 10mm, which is too large for my 6mm-scale terrain. But I figure the rules should work well enough with 6mm figures as with 10mm. (When it comes to miniatures, I game exclusively in 6mm for large-scale battles and 25/28mm for skirmishes and role playing games).

Flipping through the lavishly illustrated book, I recognized the Warmaster mechanics, before I logged on to Boardgame Geek's page. I doubt I'll ever buy the game, because of the scale difference, but I'm happy I acquired the rules. I'm sure GW will roll out more products later thsi year, as The Hobbit's release date draws near.

Star Wars Freedom in the Galaxy: The Heliax Rebellion

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Leroy Jenkins was promoted Grand Moff to Province Four after his predecessor, Argon was killed in a "terrorist attack." However, Jenkins has been unable to enjoy his new title because a civil war erupted on Heliax-412 between the oceanic side and the mountain side.

Group1 assembled a task force consisting of a Stardestroyer, a Sith Infiltrator, the Ghtroc-720 freighter Heliax Gambit and the Consular-Class Cruiser LukStar Explorer. A full compliment of fighters, shuttles and stormtroopers were onboard the Stardestroyer, while the Heliax Gambit and LukStar Explorer were loaded with vital supplies for the Imperial garrisons besieged on Heliax-412.

Imperial intelligence reported the Oceanic Rebels were receiving support from the Mon Calamari. When Group 1 Task Force (G1TF) dropped out of hyperspace, they discovered that for once, Imperial Intelligence was right. A Mon Calamari MC80 Cruiser was in low orbit transporting mercenaries down to the planet. Once the cruiser detected G1TF's approach the ship moved to high orbit and launched fighters--the Rebels' new X-Wing.

In response, the Stardestroyer launched TIE Fighters, which formed a screen for the assault force dispatched to relieve the Imperial garrisons.

As the opposing ships and fighters raced towards each other, a YT-1300 Freighter dropped out of hyperspace. Thanks to the advanced sensor array on board the LukStar Explorer, the YT-1300 was identified as the Millennium Falcon, belonging to pirate captain Han Solo. Thanks to transmission intercepts, the Mon Calamari task force leader was identified as Admiral Ackbar.

The Imperial assault force successfully evaded the Rebel fighter screen and began landing on Heliax. Meanwhile, the fighters of the opposing capital ships clustered together as X-wing and TIE Fighter pilots fought to out shoot and outmaneuver each other. Within minutes, the capital ships began blazing away at each other with their turbo lasers.

However, not weapon in G1TF was targeting the Mon Calamari cruiser. The Stardestoyer's ion cannons disabled the Millennium Falcon. Within minutes a tractor beam latched on to the Rebel freighter.

As the rebel freighter was dragged into the docking bay, TIE Fighters swept the X-Wings from space and the Mon Calamari Cruiser's hyperdrive was disabled by a devestating volley of turbo laser fire. Sensors on the LukStar Explorer detected escape pods jettisoning from the crippled cruiser. Imperial ships and fighters veered away from the cruiser, as the last wave of escape pods were launched. Within minutes the containment field of the cruiser's powerplant failed and ship exploded in a nova-like fireball.

Throughout the battle, the LukStar Explorer and Heliax Gambit remained in close orbit around an asteroid. Once the glow from the former Mon Calamari Cruiser faded, both vessels got underway and landed on Heliax.

The Rebel mercenaries were soon routed. The presence of four Force users was detected, but it is unclear as to whether they were captured or killed in combat.

Meanwhile Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, led stormtroopers on a merry chase throughout the Stardestoyer. Pirate captain Solo was soon captured. The fate of Admiral Ackbar and Luke Skywalker remain unknown at this time.

Now that the Heliax Rebellion has been crushed, the newly promoted members of Group 1 will settle into their new assignments:

Adjunct Tavore--Moff of Erwind 41

Kyllbacca--General of Erwind Defense Forces

Pepsor--Moff of Voru 43

Quix Ornega--Moff of Deblon 44

Aeros--Moff of Martigna 45

Daedelus--Moff of Wex 42

Tren Luk and Garik Starka--awaiting Imperial contracts for their new firm, LukStar-Lines (LS-L) Shipping Company.

D&D "5e"--Playtesters Wanted

2012-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

(Image from Wizards of the Coast website--go to actual site to sign up)

Several days ago, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) issued a call to arms for playtesters interested in participating in the next development of Dungeons & Dragons. This past Monday, articles appeared simultaneously in the NYT, Forbes and on WotC's website.

Shelly Mazzanoble, author of Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons, even hinted at having employed her "part time sorceress" skills to initiate this new edition.

I currently own D&D 3.0, along with some 3.5. I grabbed a set of 4th edition core rulebooks at a used book store just a few months after the new edition's release. Not everyone was happy with the new rules. The most common complaint is that the streamlined rules practically eradicated the role playing aspect of the game.

I haven't played D&D 4.0 yet, so I can't render an opinion. Hopefully, involving player feedback on such a massive scale, WotC will quell the "Edition Wars" as Dice Monkey calls the emotionally-charged and highly opinionated debates.

Upcoming Novel of The Battle of the Wilderness

2012-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

My close friend Lance Weller will have his debut historical novel, Wilderness published this October in the UK. Lance has been editing, revising and seeking representation in the several years I've known him.

I'm very happy to see that his diligence has paid off.

It gives hope to the rest of us!

Until Lance's novel hits the bookshelves, Wikipedia provides a decent synopsis of the actual battle.

Web Comic Chapter 1 Posted

2012-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

After nearly a year-and-a-half, I finally posted the first chapter of my third on-line graphic novel, Breakout from Bongolaan. The story is based on the initial Star Wars role playing adventure, set in my Redshift Chronicles Campaign, which can be viewed under my Studio Spin Offs Tab.

Not only did I post Chapter 1, but I launched a "media blitz" and uploaded a "book trailer" on to YouTube.

This is not a typical graphic novel, but an art form known as fumetti, or photonovel. In this and upcoming stories, I used figures from Wizards of the Coast, Star Wars Miniatures figures, in place of drawings. I tried to cram in as much narrative and dialogue into each picture without crowding out the image or slowing down the pace. But I couldn't include all the material I wrote in Pam Binder's Popular Fiction I class. So I had to do some extensive editing and in most cases relied on images, rather than words, tell the story.

To start things off, I followed the advice of Bob Mayer and introduced the villain first.

Why?

Because he sets events in motion. Remember in Star Wars: Episode IV, we're introduced to Darth Vader, before we meet Luke Skywalker.

So without further adieu, allow me to introduce to you Bunda Akhtar...

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to all of you in 2012!

The Grue Cafe #5: Top of the Table, Ma!

2011-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

The Grue Crew is back with an end-of-year-holiday special. This episode stars Rox of Spazhouse, Kim, Dom and Kevin Pettway, author of the webcomic Heroes of Lesser Earth. I linked Kevin's site and it can be found under the On Line Comics tab. I'm particularly interested in reading Kevin's work, because one of the characters is none other than my sister, Rox.

Meanwhile, back here on AfterChristmasSales Earth, the Grue Crew takes on the following issues: Game Master (GM) techniques, character knowledge vs player knowledge, the pitfalls of on-line gaming and recommendations for newly released and upcoming games. One clear favorite among the pack, at least with Kim, is Skyrim.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Best wishes to all of you this Christmas Day.

Wisdom of the (New) Ages

2011-12-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

Geek culture continues to infuse itself into mainstream consciousness. Now, sci-fi and fantasy stories can be viewed as a source for inspiration and other life lessons.

Of course, most of us geeks knew this all along...

How to Be a Better Blogger

2011-12-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

This is my blog. Yup, one of many among the cacophony of internet noise. So, can I, or any other blogger, improve their presence in the ether?

Ann R. Allen, author of the Camilla Randall mystery series, has 20 steps to starting an effective blog.

Many writers jump on the blogo-wagon, but don't really have any interest in blogging. This, according to Jane Friedman, the former publisher of Writer's Digest, is a critical mistake. What non-blogging writers need is a static web page. A professional one can be expensive and may yield minimal returns. So Miss Friedman came up with an idea on how to constuct a freebie website using WordPress.

I've had a WordPress account for several years. While WordPress has the larger slice of the blogosphere pie, I find Blogger to be easier to use and appears to be popular among gamers. But I took Miss Friedman's advice and created my internet portal which links all my blogs. As I become more tech-savvy, I'll make improvements on all my sites.

Sci-Fi Technicals

2011-12-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

Last year, I constructed several "Dust Devil" reconnaissance craft I downloaded from Paper Make It!

However, none of my vehicles are armed, because prior to assembly, the weapons look like this...

...which is just a bit too complicated for my meager skills. So my collection languished, weaponless for several months.

Later, my friend Daryl gave me and my gaming group his ENTIRE Star Wars Miniatures collection. After the joyous feeding frenzy, all that remained were several Snowtroopers manning e-web blasters (Collector's # 17/17 Imperial 18), that no one wanted.

After talking with my friend Dan about saving every spare piece from models and miniatures, I came up with a "cunning plan." I bought a package of NW-215 washers.

Then I removed the e-web blasters from the snowtrooper figures. If they were generic stormtroopers, I would have been very reluctant to do this, but the snowtroopers are too unique to Hoth-like environments.

I sprayed the washers with black primer, then dull black paint to match the weapons.

Finally, I glued the blasters to the washers using superglue gel. I prefer using the gel, because it doesn't run--usually on to my fingers--like the regular stuff.

And presto! I can now field armed vehicles. None of the weapons are permenantly mounted on any of my paper models. The washer's weight keeps the blaster in place, as long as the vehicles aren't flung around the game table.

This gives my collection some versatility, where players can encounter military or civilian vehicles, depending on the scenario. Nor are these heavy weapons limited to my Dust Devils. I have several open-topped vehicles, like this Floater Truck I downloaded from Ebbles Miniatures.

Unfortunately, Christopher Roe is no longer producing his fine line of paper models. Some of his work though, is still available on World Works Games.

As long as there's a big enough surface, I can plop down one of my blaster cannons to convert a sci-fi pick-up truck into a futuristic technical.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T17:21:00.001-08:00

Program Review: The Clone Wars, Seasons 1 & 2

2011-12-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I just picked up the DVD set to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Season 3. While Season 4 started back in September, I'm just now finishing-up Season 2. Due to my active life-style and rotating work schedule, I don't watch much television. Even when a show has been on the air for a few years, as the The Clone Wars has been, it may take a while for me to get around to viewing it.

I managed to catch a few episodes at a friends house, which spurred me on to buy the DVD sets. I could say the shows are better than the movie prequels--but that would be setting the bar too low. Based on their own merit, the shows are decently written and are entertaining. The show even explores the lives of the clones, some of whom fall in love, desert and betray their comrades.

What I really like is each episode runs under 30 minutes in length. This is a perfect amount of time for me to watch a complete show, without having to set my DVD player on pause, before I turn in for the night.

For as long as the Star Wars franchise has been around though, The Clone Wars still suffers from a few defects. While the animation and special effects are superb, the small unit tactics employed by the droids and clones are often absurd. Both sides march against each other, with blasters blazing, in close-order formations, as if they were Greek hoplites facing the Persian horde. On a personal level, Padme and Anakin's love story is still awkward, clunky and grates on my nerves at a fingernails-on-the-chalkboard level. I find the relationship between Obi-Wan and Satine, the Duchess of Mandalore to be far more interesting and feels more natural. (Spoiler alert: Obi Wan considered leaving the Jedi Order for Satine? Who knew?).

Overall, The Clone Wars is a good investment of my sparse free-time and I give the series a 4-star rating.

Star Wars Freedom in the Galaxy Campaign: The Heliax Affair

2011-11-27T03:10:00.000-08:00

Acting on a hot tip from a brothel, Special Group One (SG1), ventured into the Heliax Mountains to search for rebel operative Ly Mantok. Using nap-of-the-earth flying, the group set their Ghtroc-720 freighter down within a few kilometers of a suspected rebel training camp.

The four beings selected as the landing party were: Peros (Seth), Pepsor (Daniel), Garik Starka (Ted) and the Trandosian soldier Bossk (Kayla).

The party evaded the inexperienced security patrol and came within several hundred meters of the rebel camp. Despite the malfunctions of their visual tracking equipment, the party determined neither Ly Mantok, nor his associates were among the inductees in the camp.

They made their way to the starship parked less than a kilometer from the camp.

The ship, which turned out to be the Consular-Class Cruiser Explorer, was left unguarded and the access hatches were open. The team entered the vessel, hoping to catch the bridge crew by surprise. Unfortunately, the rebels were waiting for them.

When the team opened the blast doors, a fire fight erupted on the Explorer's bridge. Events took a turn for the worse, when the rebel Wookie Odene Hobar and the young Jedi, Robi Samuul entered the fray.

Garik was shot by Hobar's deadly bowcaster.

Because of the seriousness of his wound and his exposed position, Garik played dead for the remainder of the firefight. Despite the surprise attack by the Wookie and the Jedi, SG1 managed to turn the tide of the battle. Vudot Vodot, the rebel Jedi/Scout, was critically wounded, while Pepsor cornered Ly Mantok at the pilot's station.

The remaining rebels quickly surrendered when their leader gave up. Once the ship and prisoners were secured, SG1 took off and rendezvoused with their freighter and team mates.

Each of the rebels was brought before Pepsor and the Durosian pilot, Tren Luk (Ted), who were both skilled at persuasion. Robi, the first one to be interviewed, broke down in tears after several minutes of mild questioning. He was despondent over his failure and talked about how he could never face his teacher again--the Jedi Master Yoda, living on Degobah.

The Sith Adept, Kess (Adrian) employed his dark arts to block Robi's emotions from the Force and possibly communicating with Yoda. After all the rebels were questioned, Kess informed Tren and Pepsor that he "could not feel" Robi's thoughts any longer.

The team immediately went to Robi's cell, only to discover the young Jedi hung himself using various articles of clothing.

Not knowing SG1 consisted of Imperial operatives, the remaining rebels decided to cooperate, especially after given food, water and medical treatment.

After the interrogations, the stormtroopers were called in to clean out the rebel training camp and the team met with their contact Moff Jenkins on board his stardestoyer. He then brought them up to date on the current situation within the system. While SG1 was rounding up rebels, civil war broke out on Heliax. Grand Moff Argon raised planetary taxes without the Emperor's approval, putting the system one step closer to open rebellion.

In Jenkins opinion, Grand Moff Argon is incompetent. If he could be removed, Jenkins would be next in line for Argon's position and could restore the situation on Heliax. Of course, it would take far too long for the Imperial bureaucracy to draw up the necessary orders to fire Argon. If SG1 could help "expidite" matters, Jenkins would be very appreciative.

For SG1, however, one level of intrigue apparently isn't enough. As soon as the team returned to their two-ship flotilla, they received a message from Grand Moff Argon. He expressed his appreciation for their work at cleaning out Heliax of rebel scum and everyone on the team is cordially invited to the formal dinner he's hosting in their honor...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

Kristen Lamb, author of We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media, wrote a very touching post about gratitude on her blog.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Star Wars: Freedom In The Galaxy Campaign

2011-11-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Dan started his own Star Wars RPG (role playing game) campaign over the weekend. It takes place at the beginning of the Rebellion Era, but before the Battle of Yavin. Dan's campaign has two unique features. First, it is a Dark Side campaign. That is, we're working for the Galactic Empire.

Dan gave the group a choice on whether we'd work for the Empire or the fledgling Rebellion. The motion to play Dark Siders was decided by a margin of one vote.

Now I have to ask: What kind of guy would want...

...to work for a government as corrupt and depraved...

...as Palpatine's Empire?

It boggles the imagination, doesn't it?

Alterior motives for joining the Empire aside: The second unique aspect of Dan's campaign is he's using the game Freedom in the Galaxy, as the area of operations for our PCs (player characters).

The first session consisted of training completion and the group's initial mission. According to a Top Secret communique, that GNN (Galactic News Network--"a loyal citizen's ONLY news source") received from an anonymous tipster, the group managed to uncover cell of "rebel scum" at an undisclosed location. They're currently on the trail of someone by the name of Ly Mantok.

My characters couldn't make this first mission because they were...um...

...indisposed.

But fear not, loyal citizens of the Empire, my characters are eager to...

...see new worlds...

...make things right, and...

...do their part and serve!

The racy images are brought to you by Feng Zhu Design.

The Redshift Chronicles Spin-Off

2011-11-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

(Image from: Next Movie)

After much careful thought, I decided to create a "spin-off" from this blog. I've been running a Star Wars role-playing game for about a year now. That is, as much as my work schedule will permit me to do so. While I'm an omnivorous player, I intend to focus my game mastering energies on my Star Wars Legacy Era campaign.

I copied and pasted all the "SW Redshift Campaign" material over to it's new home, The Redshift Chronicles. The current Redshift material will remain here, for historical and continuity purposes, but future posts will be uploaded on to the new blog. Updates can be found on the Studio Spin Offs Tab, on the right and near the top.

I don't think I'll be spreading myself thin, because this is material I've been writing and posting about anyway. I'm just creating a unique space for this game's story arc on the internet, in order to make it more accessible to readers and fans.

For those of you who've been following the misadventures of the Redshift Players, thank you for your support and encouragement. I hope you enjoy the new site.

For anyone new to Stern Rake Studio and are curious about one man's version Star Wars gaming, albiet however warped and twisted it might be from George Lucas's vision, come on over to The Redshift.

Star Wars RPG PCs: Garik Starka and Tren Luk

2011-11-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

Disembarking from their shuttle, Garik Starka (human scout) and Tren Luk (Duros scoundrel), are represented by Mercenary Commander (35/40 Fringe 24 and Duros Scoundrel (43/60 Fringe 12), figures, respectively. Both were manufactured for Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Miniatures. The shuttle, a paper model, was available at Ebbles Miniatures.

Tren Luk

(Size--Medium) Duros Scoundrel 1

Tren’s parents owned a small shipping firm located on Duro. Tren, an only child, was actually born on a starship during one of his family’s business ventures. Unfortunately, the family home and business was destroyed, along with major portions of the planet, during General Grievous’s Operation Durge's Lance, at the height of the Clone Wars. His father was wounded during the Battle of Duro.

The rise of the Empire hasn’t helped the Luk family. Forced to relocate to orbital cities, while the Empire pillaged Duro’s natural resources, Tren’s parents lacked the finances and political connections to buy an adequate-sized apartment. To add insult to injury, the only jobs they could get were custodial positions—which they hold to this day.

In order to escape the poverty of the lower levels, Tren became involved in a juvenile gang, something his father continually fought against, but to no avail. Despite--or maybe because of, his gang connections--Tren managed to graduate from starship pilot training. Once he was old enough, Tren signed-on with an independent freighter, where he met…

Garik Starka

(Size--Medium) Human Scout 1

Garik’s life mirrored Tren’s in several ways. Born and raised on Corell, in the Corellia System, Garik followed his father’s footsteps and learned the trade of scouting. While his father specialized in wilderness tracking, Garik was more interested in starship operations. Garik’s father ran his own outfitter business, taking tourists to the peak of Dregan's Pike. However, in the aftermath of Operation Durge’s Lance and the devastation of Duro, the business folded in the following recession. Garik’s father now works as a taxi speeder driver in Coronet, the capital city, while his mother works as a cashier in a speeder parts store.

Both Player Characters (PCs) became friends and budding-business partners shortly after the Clone Wars (circa 19 BBY).

They’re ambivalent about the Empire and are more concerned about the health and welfare of their respective parents. (They send 10-20% of their earnings home). They currently work for a private shipping company, specializing in government contracts for transporting supplies, equipment and personnel (the other PCs), for the Empire.

They plan on owning their own YT-Series starship once they’ve scraped up enough credits. Right now, they’re content serving their time on board—whatever ship they’re assigned to.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Tren Luk's Stats

Destiny: -- Force: 5 Dark Side: 0

Init: +2 Senses:

Languages: Basic and Durese

Defenses: Ref-15, Fort-12, Will-12

HP 19; Threshold 12

Speed: 6

Base Atk: +0

Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 17

Talents: Expert Pilot, Spacehound

Feats: Weapon Proficiencies (Blaster Pistols, Simple Weapons and Starship Weapons), Point-Blank Shot

Skills (Trained): Initiative +7, Persuasion +8, Pilot +7, Mechanics +6, Use Computer +6

Possessions: Heavy Blaster Pistol, Knife, Concealed Holster, Data Pad, Credit Chip, Power Recharger, Binder Cuffs, Utility Belt with the following--3 day supply of food capsules, medpac, tool kit, power pack, energy cell, liquid cable dispenser, small grappling hook, comlink and glowrod; plus 2 additional Power Packs.

Garik Starka's Stats

Destiny: -- Force: 5 Dark Side: 0

Init: +1 Senses:

Languages: Basic

Defenses: Ref-13, Fort-12, Will-11

HP 25; Threshold 12

Speed: 6

Base Atk: +0

Abilities: Str 12, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12

Talents: Jury Rigger

Feats: Shake It Off, Vehicular Combat, Weapon Proficiencies (Blaster Pistols, Blaster Rifles and Simple Weapons)

Skills (Trained): Endurance +6, Initiative +6, Mechanics +6, Perception +6 , Pilot +6 ,

Possessions: Blaster Carbine with Standard Scope, Knife, Credit Chip, Fusion Lantern, Utility Belt with the following--3 day supply of food capsules, medpac, tool kit, power pack, energy cell, liquid cable dispenser, small grappling hook, comlink and glowrod; plus 2 additional Power Packs.

Honoring Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here's the story behind the Eagle on the Headstone photo, from The Last Refuge.

Gaming the Next War?

2011-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

Normally, I don't mix politics and wargaming, but the trouble brewing over Iran's nuclear program is on the verge of reaching critical mass, which makes it impossible for anyone to ignore. Speculation is high that Israel will launch a preemptive strike against Iran.

The question is: When?

Possibly before Christmas, according to this article in the UK Mail. Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) is also convinced that such a move will most likely occur under Obama's watch, rather than a Republican successor, in this NRO article.

What would be the fallout of such an operation?

Clash of Arms Games latest product, Persian Incursion, explores the geo-strategic and operational dilemmas, such a strike would entail.

Michael Peck discusses his lessons learned in his latest article in Wired.

Persian Incursion, harkens back to the military roots of the gaming hobby. That is, using military simulations to analyse the possiblities of imminent conflicts, dating to Prussia's Kriegspiel.

2011-11-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a pulp-ish title I made up for the Star Wars RPG adventure on Gadnek Island.

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #10: Gadnek Is AAR, Part 6

2011-11-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Saved from a gruesome death!

Situation: 1900 hours.

En-route to Pierson Station at hypersonic speed.

Pierson Station and TAg facilities.

Cad So Billes and Seleq Seel escort Damathon Cohain off the rescue shuttle.

They're greeted by Penelope Pelletin and Adoko.

Rican Vranos Lah To Ceel escort Lt. Onjo Naguza off the rescue shuttle.

Damathon Cohain and Lt. Naguza were given a quick medical exam and determined to be suffering shock. However, despite the party's harrowing experience, their time back on Pierson Station proved to be fleeting.

One of the files Sei'do Avari downloaded from the Bongolaanian computer contained invasion plans directed against the station and the surrounding Tarsan-held islands.

Since it was now imperative that the invasion plans be taken to the Tarsan Defense Force Command, the station's only emergency express boat (x-boat) was prepared for immediate take-off.

As the weary members of DST-3, along with Damathon Cohain and Lt. Naguza boarded the x-boat, they were joined by the Tau Tau Force Mystic, Gobar Been, who wanted to "follow the Will of the Force."

The x-boat lifted off from Pierson Station before midnight and once beyond Zenya-3's gravity well, Cad So Billes, pushed the throttles forward and the vessel fired into hyperspace.

Destination: Tarsus.

The invasion plan details will be addressed in Intelligence Brief #11.

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #9: Gadnek Is AAR, Part 5

2011-11-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Preparing their last stand.

With only minutes to spare, the party split into two teams. The first team with the most combat skills and led by Thege Kli'Klotaz, manned the rooftop barricade.

Situation: 1700 hours.

The Bongolaanian basecamp was perched on top of a cliff, overlooking a small bay. The camp consisted of one prefab building, two storage facilities and a dirt-packed landing strip. The forward defense was in the form of a 1.5 meter-high wall, that extended between two rocky outcrops, the party hoped would be impassable for the oncoming mutants.

Several members vowed to throw themselves off the cliff, or save one blaster shot for themselves, if they were about to be overrun.

Barricading the door.

Meanwhile, the second team, led by Cad So Billes, worked on barricading and re-sealing the damaged door, while Sei'do Avari and Lt. Naguza reactivated the camp's computer and transmitter. Naguza assisted Sei'do in bypassing the computer's security firewalls and swore that if he survived, he would seek political asylum on Tarsus. Sei'do utilized Naguza's code cylinder and downloaded various files from the camp's computer.

The mutant horde charges out of the jungle.

The rooftop team opened fire as soon as the first mutants broke out of the treeline. The rooftop team blazed-away at the mutant horde with impunity.

A Force-User leading the rifle-armed mutants.

However, within several minutes, the tactical situation took a turn for the worse. The squad of rifle-armed mutants arrived and subjected the team to a steady barrage of suppression fire with their slug throwers. As bullets pinged off the barricade walls, the rooftop team returned fire and spotted a human wielding a red-beamed lightsaber among the armored mutants. The Force-User handily deflected any blaster shots directed at him.

As the battle raged, Lt. Naguza contacted Rican Vranos, another member of DST-3 (Diplomatic Security Team Three), leading a search party on another island. Cad So Billes reported their dire situation and requested immediate evac.

Rican promised he'd depart immediately--however--it was a two hour flight time to their position.

Cad replied, "Frak! Better hurry, or there'll be no one left to evacuate!"

The mutants breakthrough!

Once the door barricade was in place and their exact coordinates transmitted to Rican, the ground team abandoned their position and scrambled on to the roof. They arrived, just as the mutants neared the perimeter wall. Thege braced his heavy blaster rifle, switched to full-auto and poured blaster fire into the seething mass of howling mutants. On the other end of the rooftop barricade, Sei'do lobbed several hand grenades at mutants clustered behind the perimeter wall. The rest of the team picked-off mutants as they climbed over the wall.

Despite cutting-down mutants by the score, more creatures poured into the narrow gap. After nearly two hours of continuous fighting, the party was down to their last, half-empty powerpacks. The hand grenades had all been expended during the first minutes of the battle.

At sunset, the mutants breached the perimeter, thanks to the Force-User, who used his lightsaber to gouge a large hole in the wall. The mutant horde surged forward and swarmed around the building. As the axe and club wielding mutants smashed windows and battered the door, the rifle-armed creatures intensified their suppressive onto the rooftop redoubt.

All seemed lost, when the rescue shuttle dropped out of the sky, with repulsor engines screaming.

Saved in the nick-of-time!

Rican manned the entry hatch, firing his blaster rifle at mutants climbing the building. Damathon was pulled into the shuttle first, while the rest of the party boarded two-at a time. Thege was the last one to board, after draining the powerpack of his heavy blaster rifle.

Blasting-off amid a hail of bullets.

The rooftop redoubt overrun by mutants.

Situation: 1900 hours.

Once everyone was strapped in, the shuttle pilot shoved the throttles forward and set course for Pierson Station at hypersonic speed.

The epilogue will be found on Intelligence Brief #10, Gadnek Is AAR, Part 6.

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #8: Gadnek Is AAR, Part 4

2011-11-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

Mutants in pursuit.

Situation: 1100 hours.

Within minutes of setting-out for the Bongolaanian basecamp, the party was assaulted by scores of mutants. The creatures attacked from all directions, even dropping out of trees and leaping out of spider holes.

Barely maintaining the lead.

While traversing the southern hills, mutants threw rocks and even rolled down boulders in an attempt to stop the party.

Situation: 1200 hours.

When the party reached the crest of the southern hills, they discovered the primitively-armed mutants were the least of their problems. From their impromptu observation point, the party watched several Lambda-Class shuttles air-dropping cargo containers onto the island's central valley. These containers were identical to the one they came across earlier (see Gadnek Island AAR #2).

Lambda-Class shuttles dropping cargo containers.

The Lambdas sped off as soon as the containers hit the ground. However, two vessels circled-back and landed near the Ruins of Mumbak (located at the "M" on the map). The ships appeared to be Sith Infiltrators. One member of the team mananged to keep his electro-binoculars during the pursuit and observed the activity near the Infiltrators. Within minuts of landing, over a dozen rifle-armed mutants in red battle armor, disembarked from the ships.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Situation: 1500 hours.

At this point the party faced a tough choice: Make a run for it in the open valley, gaining speed, over cover and concealment? Or, continue to hack their way through the hills and jungle, mainting their concealment against the new arrivals?

Ambush!

Breaking through the trap.

After fighting through a major ambush near the treeline, the party made a break for it, on to the open plains.

Situation: 1600 hours.

The mutants harried the party for 13 kilometers.

In sight of the eastern hills.

Through the mountain pass.

Outrunning the mutants.

By the time the party stumbled into the basecamp, everyone was suffering from some level of exhaustion. Damathon collapsed and was dragged into the small compound.

The Bongolaanian basecamp.

Everyone else took a moment to catch their breath and take stock of their situation. Looking around, they realized the camp was ransacked--probably by the mutants, while Naguza and his battledroids went off to search for Damathon. Everyone had lost, or expended, half their blaster power packs and hand grenades. Sian Squnn and Jad Jo Dop had lost their weapons during the final run to the camp.

The roar and howls of the approaching mutants meant the party only had several minutes, at most, to establish a defensive perimeter and attempt to radio for help.

To be continued in Intelligence Brief #9: Gadnek Is AAR, Part 5.

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #7: Gadnek Is AAR, Pt 3

2011-11-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Situation: 0900 hours.

The sound of blaster fire grew louder as the party moved northwest. In less then an hour, the party came across a clearing, 200 meters wide. On the north side of the clearing, a pack of mutants were advancing against several battledroids trapped against the cliff.

Mutants in the treeline.

The mutants were unaware of the party's approach and continued their assault against the droids. The party spread out in two-being teams and approached the edge of the southern treeline. Once in position, they steadied their weapons and took careful aim.

Sneaking up on the mutants.

Once everyone had a target in sight, they unleashed a volley of blaster fire into the backs of the mutants. Several of the creatures were killed in the fusillade, but the surviving mutants pressed on with their attack against the battledroids.

Mutant vs droid melee.

Half the party sprinted across the clearing, while their remaining teammates covered them with their blasters. Once the northern treeline was cleared of mutants, the rest of the team entered the jungle. As they approached the cliff, they discovered two humans, in partial cover, among the rocks.

A battledroid falls victim to a rampaging mutant.

One of the humans was dressed in an Imperial officer's uniform, while the other wore the remains of a flight suit and binder cuffs. The party found Damathon Cohaine.

"Meezah Zak Tenko. Meezah here to rescue you!"

The Tau Tau warrior, Zak Tenko was the first to reach Damathon and began unfastening the binder cuffs. The Imperial officer turned and aimed his blaster pistol at Zak. However, before he could fire, Thege Kli 'Klotaz burst through the foliage. Leveling his heavy blaster rifle at the surpirsed officer, the Durosian soldier demanded the Imperial's surrender. The officer immediately dropped his pistol.

The rescue of Damathon Cohaine.

The party then spent the next hour consildating and securing their postion. None of the droids survived the battle, while Damathon and the Imperial officer appeared to be suffering from shock. The officer turned out to be Lieutenant Onjo Naguza of the 7th Cohort, 599th Droid Infantry Legion, from Bongolaan.

After some questioning Lt. Naguza confirmed the location of the Bongolaanian basecamp and his mission to find and apprehend Damathon. More importantly, Naguza informed the party, the basecamp contained a radio capable of signalling for help. While the lieutenant talked, Sei'do Avari noticed a code cylinder in his brest pocket and removed it.

Before the team could question Naguza any further, the silent jungle erupted with roars and howls of mutants--hundreds of them--converging on the party's position.

Mutants in hot pursuit of the rescue party.

To be continued in Intelligence Brief #8: Gadnek Is AAR, Pt 4.

Happy Halloween! (Cards 7 & 8)

2011-10-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my Cauldron of Candy.

I hope it's enough!

Halloween Card of the Day #6

2011-10-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween Card of the Day #5

2011-10-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #6: Gadnek Is AAR, Pt 2

2011-10-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

Situation: 0600 hours

Once the team entered the jungle, the Tau Taus noticed it was quiet. Too quiet. Other than the sound buzzing insects, there were no indications of the wildlife normally present in such an environment.

The rescue party enters the jungle.

After travelling 3 kilometers (km) northwest, the team, discovered a cargo container in a clearing, along piles of animal bones strewn about the field. After a careful search, the team determined the cargo container was airdropped, sometime within the past two weeks.

Discovering the bone field.

All the bones were broken in several places and hollow. Every bone examined were scarred with deep gouge marks, as if a carnivore gnawed on them and sucked out its marrow.

Situation: 0700 hours

Scouting ahead, Cad So Billes spotted a dozen, large red-skinned creatures hiding along the path the party was following. The creatures, wearing animal skins and wielding simple weapons, appeared to be a deformed, possibly mutated version, of a Gunganoid race, like the Tau Taus.

Avoiding a mutant ambush

Cad backed away from the mutant pack and briefed the rest of the team. They spent the next hour navigating around the ambush site.

Situation: 0800 hours

After traveling 2 kms northeast the team discovered the remains of six battle droids.

Destroyed battledroids

Every battle droid was bashed to pieces and their parts scattered over the jungle floor. Sei'do Avari and Sian Squnn examined two droids that still had their heads intact. Sei'do noticed the number "7/599" stenciled on both heads. Cad recalled the battle droids they encountered during their escape from Bongolaan had the numbers "4/599" stenciled on their heads, which stood for 4th Cohort/599th Droid Infantry Legion (DIL).

They surmised then, the destroyed droids were part of the 7th Cohort/599 DIL, from Bongolaan.

Examing the battledroids

Sei'do and Sian extracted the memory chips of the two droids and installed them into Sei'do's data pad. He played back the droid's memory and discovered the following details--

--The droids were part of a squad consisting of ten droids, led by a Bongolaanian/Imperial Reserve officer, from the 7/599th DIL.

--Their mission was to find Damathon Cohain, but no reason given as to why.

--They were activated at a small basecamp on the eastern tip of the island, less than 15 kms northeast of their current position.

--The squad found Damathon and four crewmen of the Ivory Bantha less than three days ago. Two of the crewmen were killed by the battledroids in the encounter.

--Two days ago, while on their way back to the base camp, the squad was attacked and overrun by the mutants.

--The last two crewmen from Damathon's ship were killed--and devoured--by the pack of mutants.

The team decided to head towards the basecamp to see if they could pick up the survivors trail.

After travelling another kilometer, the party was startled by the sound of blaster fire echoing through the jungle...

To be continued in Intelligence Brief #7: Gadnek Is AAR, Pt 3.

Halloween Card of the Day #4

2011-10-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

SW Redshift Chronicles, Intelligence Brief #5: Gadnek Is AAR, Part 1

2011-10-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Stardate: Fiday, 069-130ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector: Shannekam

DST-3's Mission to Zenya, After Action Report (AAR)

On Senday, 057-130 ABY, Diplomatic Security Team Three (DST-3) dodged a harrassing flight of TIE fighters from the Zenyan Restricted Zone and landed safely on Pierson Station. Based on the information from the Ivory Bantha's flight recorder, the team determined Damathon Cohain and several crewmembers escaped the destruction of the ship and landed somewhere on Zenya-3.

Pierson Station's location in the Tau Tau Archipelago

Within hours, Penelope Pelletin, director of TAg Facilities on Zenya and Adoko, Pierson Station administrator, organized search and rescue (SAR) effort to find the Ivory Bantha's crew.

On Tuday, 059-130 ABY, DST-3 joined the operation and was assigned to search Gadnek Island. King Gethen and Force Mystic, Gobar Been, joined the planning session. The Tau Tau king informed the group they have been unable to contact the inhabitants of the island for the past several weeks. Communications have gone unanswered and teams have been sent to investigate, but none have checked-in, let alone returned from Gadnek. (The island serves as an historical, spiritual and nature park). The Tau Taus were reluctant to discuss this matter with offworlders until they had more information on this strange occurrence.

Situation: 2300 hours, 060-130 ABY--the team is selected

The members of DST-3 selected to lead the Gadnek Island search party, were: Sei'do Avari, Thege Kli 'Klotaz and Cad So Billes. King Gethen assigned some of the best warriors of his bodyguard to augment the team. These were: Seleq Seel (Knight of the Guard), Lah To Ceel, Zak Tenko and Jad Jo Dop. The Royal Engineer, Sian Squnn (a Sullustan), would also join the group. The remaining members of DST-3, Rican Vranos and Coden were re-assigned to lead a search party on Tandek Island, 500 kilometers to the northeast.

Gadnek Island's location, just below the Zenyan Equator

Despite filing several complaints with the Zenyan Drylander Government, aerial harassment and electronic jamming continued throughout the Tau Tau Archipelago. Drylander officials claimed these actions were caused by pirates and swoop gangs.

Because of this ongoing threat, the team decided to ingress via waterspeeder. (Undersea transport was available, but deemed far too slow).

Using the islands for cover, the team sailed through the archipelago and arrived at the northern tip of Gadnek Island at 0200 hours, local time, Forday, 061-130 ABY.

Northern view of Gadnek Island

Southern view of Gadnek Island and crash site

Within several minutes, the speeder's sensors picked up a faint signal from the escape pod's distress beacon.

Situation 0230 hours--Ivory Bantha's escape pod discovered

The search party discovered the escape pod, submerged in 60 meters of water, one kilometer south of the island. Once over the crash site, the Tau Tau warriors dove into the sea to investigate. Within minutes, they resurfaced to report the escape pod was empty.

Situation: 0300 hours--search party attacked

As soon as the Tau Taus dried off from their swim, the waterspeeder's alarm klaxons blared to life. Sensors indicated an approaching air speeder--with weapons systems activated.

The airspeeder turned out to be a droid Hunter-Killer Assault Craft (H-KAV). The airspeeder opened fire as soon as it was in range.

Situation: 0400 hours--waterspeeder is destroyed and the team swims to shore

Piloting the waterspeeder, Cad So Billes led the H-KAV on a high-speed chase through the barrier islands. However, the droid craft re-acquired the waterspeeder at every turn and repeatedly hit the waterspeeder with blaster fire and concussion missiles. Within minutes, the starboard-fore and port-aft repulsor fans were destroyed and the port-fore fan was on the verge of failing.

Throughout this pursuit, everyone else wrapped as many weapons and as much gear as they could into waterproof bags. Once everything was wrapped, the bags were dropped at the points selected by the Tau Taus. After all the equipment was jettisoned, Cad locked-in a course for Gadnek Island's southern beach. As the flaming waterspeeder careened towards the shore, each Tau Tau grabbed an offworld team member and dove into the sea--just seconds before the waterspeeder crashed onto the beach.

The H-KAV strafed the wrecked waterspeeder one final time and then veered off to the northeast. The team swam to shore, once they determined the H-KAV was gone for good. Sian Squnn could not swim and was pulled ashore by Jad Jo Dop. When everyone flopped onto the beach, Thege Kli 'Klotaz revived the Sullustan engineer, while the Tau Taus swam back into the sea to retrieve their weapons and gear.

Most of the bags were recovered. Once their equipment was checked and cleaned, they set out to into the southern jungle in the hopes of finding the Ivory Bantha's crew--and transportation off the island.

Continued in Intelligence Brief #6: Gadnek Is AAR Part 2.

Gamemaster's (GM's) Notes:

The planet map of Zenya, was derived from the world of Lefiguura, found on page 76 of Smash & Grab, Traveller: The New Era, by GDW (1994).

The Pierson Station map was derived from Elinore's Realm, on page 78 of Smash & Grab.

The map of Gadnek Island was derived from the map included in Rescue On Galatea, by Mark Lawerence, FASA (1982).

The characters, Damathon Cohaine, Thasallah Cohaine, King Gethen and Seleq, were also derived from Rescue on Galatea.

Halloween Card of the Day #3

2011-10-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Halloweend Card of the Day #2

2011-10-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

My second card for the Puyallup Wargamers Group. This time, I used a two image page to get a full view of the model cemetary, which is an old terrain piece from Games Workshop.

Redshift Chronicles News Brief #10: CEO's Son Found

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Stardate: Forday, 068-130 ABY/Fringe Info Network (FIN)--Taurus Bureau

Subsector: Shannekam

"All the news that's fit to transmit."

TAg Market Heir Found on Zenya

Damathon Cohain, son of TAg Market CEO Thasallah Cohain, was found several days ago, on the planet Zenya--five parsecs coreward from Tarsus. He is seen in the image above, taken at Pierson Station, being assisted off of a shuttle by an unidentified Durosian of the Tarsan Diplomatic Security Force and a Tau Tau (Gunganoid) warrior.

As a company vice president in charge of operations, Damathon was scheduled to visit TAg (Tarsan Agricultural) Market's seafood processing facilities in the Tau Tau Archipelago. However, his ship, the Ivory Bantha, was listed as overdue, two weeks ago.

The Cohain family spokesbeing declined to comment on this incident.

Damathon landed, by way of express boat, at Newland Down Starport today, amidst heavy security.

The fate of the Ivory Bantha and her crew of six, remains unknown at this time.

Halloween Card of the Day #1

2011-10-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just a week away. To celebrate the occassion, I thought I do a Halloween Countdown of the holiday cards I made, using various figures from A Touch of Evil and it's supplements.

Another Fright Night Flyer

2011-10-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

This Weekend's Gaming Events

2011-10-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some guys from the Northwest Historical Miniature Gaming Society, will be holding a "Fright Night." I'm not sure if I'll be attending, but I thought I'd do an on-line flyer for the occassion.

These are some additional photos from my Pass and Review post, back on 1 Oct.

The enlcosed graveyard is an old Games Workshop terrain piece, while the headstones came from more manufacturers than I can remember. I did buy some of them from Michaels a few years back. The ghost on the left, in the lower photo is from Wizards of the Coast (WotC) Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures game. While the ghost on right, I purchased from Michaels.

The figures in the forefront are from Flying Frog Productions, A Touch of Evil.

Abstract Chase Scenes

2011-10-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

After a 6 month hiatus, I resumed my Star Wars RPG (Role Playing Game) campaign this past Saturday. For this adventure, the PCs (Player Characters) and several NPCs (Non-Player Characters) were sent on a search and rescue mission. However, this turned into a desperate battle for survival, when our heroes found themselves stranded on an island overrun by Sith Mutant Cannibals. The mutant horde pursued the party for 13 kilometers, to an abandoned base camp. A Rorke's Drift-style battle ensued, with the rescue shuttle arriving to pluck our heroes off the roof of a prefab building--just as the first wave of mutants scaled the walls.

I was planning to use Hot Pursuit, to run The Big Chase Scene. However, one of the players was attending a concert later in the evening and had to leave by 4 PM. This put me under a time-crunch, so it was time to improvise.

With the help of the players, here's what we came up with, based on the D20 System--

--The pursuit was conducted using a map of the island, with the usual wargame hex-grid. Each hex equaled 1 kilometer.

--Each movement turn was an hour.

--Movement rate (on foot): 6 hexes/hour in open terrain, 3 hexes/hour in jungle and hill terrain.

--At the end of each turn, every PC and NPC had to roll d20 (a twenty sided die) and make a Difficulty Check (DC) against their Willpower.

--The Task Difficulty normally would start at Easy (roll 5, or greater), unless the party was in difficult terrain, or was in some other disadvantage condition.

--If successful, the PC or NPC, suffered no ill effects.

--If the character failed, he moved one step down on the Condition Track.

--For each failure, the PC or NPC moved another step down the Condition Track until he fell unconscious.

--In addition to moving down one level on the Condition Track, he lost one item. PCs got to choose what item to discard; while a random die, usually a d6, was rolled for NPCs. (Representing an item was dropped, or powerpacks and grenades being expended).

--If the player rolled a natural "20," a critical success, he was able to negate another PC or NPC's failure. (He encouraged a nearby companion to keep going).

--If, however, a player rolled a natural "1," a fumble, he caused another PC or NPC, selected at random, to go down one step on the Condition Track. (The other character had to drag him along, or lug his gear).

--If 51%, or more of the party failed to make their DCs, then the next turn's DC would be made at one level harder.

--If 50% or more of the party succeeded in making their DCs, then the next turn's DC would be made at one level easier.

In our adventure, our heroes were beset by a horde of Sith Mutants while in the jungle, so the Task Difficulty started off at Medium. Everyone then had to roll a 10, or higher, adding any Willpower modifiers.

Over half the party promptly failed, which set the trend for the rest of the pursuit.

Mercifully, this death spiral only lasted a few turns. The party outdistanced the pursuing Sith Mutants when they reached the hills and stumbled into the abandoned base camp.

I wouldn't be so bold to say these rules worked "well"--but they certainly had the desired effect of simulating a desperate chase: Every PC and NPC suffered from some level of exhaustion. One NPC fell unconscious at the gate of the base camp, two players lost, or more likely, expended several hand grenades; while two NPCs lost their weapons.

(Image: Sith Mutants in hot pursuit of our heroes. Photo by Adrian)

Optional Rule for Devious & Cruel Gamemasters:

I came across my pursuit notes after the game ended, which was a stroke of luck for the players.

Here's what I wrote down for PCs and NPCs loosing items--

--If the PC or NPC fails his Willpower die roll, he loses 1d3 (a d6/2) items on his first failure.

--On his second failure, he loses 1d4 items.

--On the third failure, 1d6 items are lost.

--By his fourth failure, he loses 1d8 items.

One final note: Beware of wily players. The clothing the PCs are wearing does not constitute "an item."

Wargame Wreckage

2011-10-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

I love hosting wargames, especially in my own home, which is pictured in it's natural state above. Yes, I'm a "Felix Unger" neat freak. But I host my games with an "Oscar Madison" style of wild abandon.

Last weekend, I hosted a Star Wars RPG (Role Playing Game) adventure for a few of my friends. Normally, all of my miniatures, books and terrain are neatly tucked away. But with the impending adventure and feeling uncertain on what I'd need, I pulled a dozen boxes out of storage and pre-position them throughout the house for instant use.

After a couple hours, my set-up looked like this:

Yes, that is a phtographic back-drop behind the chandelier. My gaming friends are very tolerant of my penchant for turning every session into a Cecil B. DeMille-scale production.

At the end of the adventure--when the players barely escaped with their lives--my house looked like this:

It was as if the Sith Mutants that harried the players for 13 kilometers, tore through the fabric of space and broke into my home. The guest bedroom and the den also had that Nouveau March-to-the-Sea look. It took me three hours to clear away the wreckage. I must admit, though, taking an additional 30 "staged shots" may have had something to do with the lengthy clean-up time.

Notice the bag of tortilla chips on the counter? That, along with the remains of humus dip, was my dinner that night.

Despite the hours of toil and the unbalanced meals: I can't wait to host my next production--I mean--game session!

So: What does your house look like after a get-together?

Star Wars Gaming Art

2011-10-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

(Image: Babeafett, "I've Come to Collect," by Wolf)

Thanks to Dice Monkey's work on making character templates for his Star Wars (d6) game, I discovered SWAG--the Star Wars Artist Guild.

This site provides fan art, "...for to all members of the community for use in their own roleplaying games" (SWAG Mission Statement). Players can even contact artists directly for specific work.

Star Wars Gaming with "The Doctor"

2011-10-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting Star Wars Miniatures , made by Wizards of the Coast (WotC), for several years. Most of us wargamers didn't care for the random packaging and found a number of game stores that sold individual figures. Even though the game is no longer produced, the figures are still very popular among wargamers like myself and Doctor Merkury.

I liked how the Doctor used Transformers cross-over toys for the tanks. I've seen them in stores, but I wondered if their size was compatible in-scale with Star Wars figures. (It's hard to eyeball such a thing when the vehicles are still in their package). Judging by the photos in his battle report, they look just fine.

So I'll "take the Doctor's advice" and check out the action figures in the Toy Section.

GeekGirlCon at Night

2011-10-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

As the autumn sun set and the younglings were sent off to their suppers, the gears of GeekGirlCon shifted to more adult-themed topics. Or at least in the seminars I, ah--just happened--to stumble into. Tickets to the Whedonesque Burlesque show were sold out in less than 48 hours of the initial advertisement. By the time I decided I could attend the convention, the tickets were long gone--and not a scalper in sight, within the City Center Park.

I planned on browsing through the exhibitors hall in the Northwest Rooms, but that closed at 6 PM. So I was left with a choice of attending Women in Fantasy or Nerd Burlesque: Translating Fandom to the Stage. I was reading the synopses of both seminars and wandered into the Lopez Room, when a volunteer closed the doors behind me. I was in the Nerd Burlesque seminar.

Yeah, I know, I could have walked out, but where's the fun in that?

Seriously, the remainder of this blog post deals with sensual and sexual topics and is intended for readers who are 18 or older. And for you folks older than 18, some of the links border on the NSFW (Not Safe For Work) category.

"Nerd Burlesque" is a riske romp, based on sci-fi/fantasy shows and movies. This panel's colorful cast of characters consisted of: Elsa Von Schmaltz, Jo Jo Stiletto, The Mad Marquis and Sophie de Maltease (from Portland, OR), Billy Corazon, Hottie McNaughty, Miss Elaine Yes, Sailor St. Claire and Heidi Von Haught. Heidi is "...co-producer of Seattle's Naked Girls Reading chapter and is currently acting as Chair for the Programming Committee of BurlyCon 2011..." (Panelist Bio).

The basic topics of discussion were: Paying homage to the show or characters you're parodying, the importance of being comfortable with one's body in order to perform effectively; and art versus exploitation.

It wasn't until I started this blogpost, that I realized I forgot to take any photos. It's not like any of the panelists were indecently dressed--although some folks do have issues with the women's uniform in the original Star Trek series--I simply forgot to whip out my camera.

(Image: Kaylee and Simon battling Reavers in Serenity)

Speaking of whipping things out, the last seminar, Everything You Wanted to Know About Kinky Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask), required presenting a photo ID to the volunteers at the door. This steamy session was hosted by: Allena Gabosch, Mac McGregor and Cunning Minx.

What followed, was a discussion on every aspect of kinky sex imaginable. If any topic was left undiscussed, it was only because we ran out of time. In fact, the workshop went into 15 minutes of overtime.

(Image: From Geeks and Sex and Kink! Oh My!)

Okay, is it really necessary to have such a seminar during a geeky, sci-fi/fantasy-type convention?

Well, Teresa Jusino, Pendard and Minx, explain this very well in their respective articles and podcasts.

Geeks like to ponder and speculate about everything: From space travel, nano technology and yes, even to human and/or alien sexuality. This not a 21st Century phenomena either. Back in 1967, Star Trek, opened it's second season with the episode Amok Time, about Spock's ordeal with pon farr, the Vulcan mating ritual.

Basically, geeks are willing to let their minds wander into what ever "final frontier" their imaginations--kinky or otherwise--will take them.

Convention Companion's Artistic Talents

2011-10-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

(Image: Portrait, from Joanna King-Yost's website gallery)

Sometime during our wanderings at GeekGirlCon, Joanna & I exchanged business cards. Her website is Grey Matters Art. By clicking on the vertically arranged words: Gallery, About, Services and Resume, you can view some of Joanna's skills as an artist, model, writer and tutor.

A link to Joanna's site can also be found under the Art Section of this blog.

(Image: The Day I Got Married, from Joanna King-Yost's website gallery)

My Daylight Misadventures at GeekGirlCon 2011

2011-10-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

Despite having only one day off this weekend, I managed to attend the Saturday events at GeekGirlCon. My cunning plan was to be at the Seattle Center by 9:30 AM. I ASSumed the convention took place at Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP), but this was a case of not completely reading the instructions.

Fortunately, I wasn't alone and met up with two other lost souls, Amy and Joanna, on a quest to find the registration desk. We stumbled across another convention goer. (They were easy to spot because they were wearing bright yellow tags, or were in full costume). She directed us to the Northwest Rooms--on the opposite corner of the city center park.

We still managed to arrive by 9:30, but the lines looked like this...

Since I'm in the midst of producing my third on-line graphic novel, I wanted to attend the Comic Books for Breakfast seminar. But alas, due to the long line, I missed it. The panel was hosted by the following ladies: Jennifer de Guzman, Rachel Edidin and Mariah Huehner.

The first seminar I managed to attend was Boobies and Blasters: The Women of Star Wars.

Okay, you can stop giggling now.

Despite the titillating title, (sorry, I couldn't help myself), this was a panel discussion about the growth of female characters in the Star Wars EU (geek-speak for "Expanded Universe," which is everything created and produced beyond the original films). The workshop was hosted by this elite squad of female fans: Mercedes Santaella-Lam, Misty Buxton, Deunan Berkeley, Sarah Silverman and Amy Sjoberg. Amy is the co-owner of the Etsy Store Nerdventions and is currently working on a life-size replica of R2-D2.

GeekGirlCon, though, wasn't all about the gals. There was the Very Special Dudes, or as one panelist quipped, the "Token Males" seminar.

The panel discussed their attempts at creating stories with strong female characters, often in the face of opposition from coroporate Hollywood. These guys, token or otherwise, were: Sean McNeil, Greg Rucka, Mike Madrid, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Alan Kistler, the host & creator of Crazy Sexy Geeks and author of the Agents of S.T.Y.L.E column.

A huge line had formed outside the auditorium, for what I thought was the next seminar I wanted to attend, Tell Your Story Through Audio Drama. But in the dim light and without my reading glasses, I saw the parenthetical phrase "Ticketed Event." So I rushed to the EMP's admission desk and bought the next-to-last ticket available. Joanna joined me at the end of the line after purchasing the very last ticket. Talk about making just under the wire. We sat together in the filled-to-capacity auditorium.

Several minutes into the interview session with Jane Espenson, I realized I was in the wrong seminar. I decided to make this a "turning lemons into lemonade" moment and stayed for the rest of the interview. I'm glad I did. Jane was the convention's keynote speaker, with a background in writing comedy. She was the writer for such geek-loved shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Angel, Warehouse 13, Dollhouse, The O.C., Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.

Tell Your Story Through Audio Drama, discussed podcasting and was hosted by the following: Julie Hoverson, Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard, Kimberly Poole, Rhys Torres-Miller and Beverly Poole. Despite missing this audio panel, I managed to make it to the Women in Webseries seminar.

Just about every gaming geek knows of Felicia Day's The Guild, now in it's fifth season. (I'm way behind in my geekdom and just started watching it a few days ago). However, several other women have joined Felicia in producing--not to mention acting and writing--their own webseries. This panel included: Mary Higgins and Josephine Hoy, Glynis Mitchell, Joanna Gaskell and Vanessa Driveness, Trin Miller, along with keynote speaker Jane Espenson, who's now producing Husbands. Jane's webseries is about two gay men who had gotten drunk in Las Vegas and woke up married to each other--mayhem ensues.

The biggest concern among those of us in the audience was our lack of technical/photographic skill. The unanimous opinion from the ladies on the panel was: Don't worry about the technical aspects, focus instead on content. In short--tell a good story and you'll build your audience.

And so ended the day at GeekGirlCon. Activities and festivities lasted into the night, but that's a subject for another post...

Writing in Scenes with Nancy Kress

2011-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

(Image from: Where's the Drama?, by Billy Marshall Stoneking)

For my "workshop finale" during this year's Summer Conference, I attended the Writing in Scenes, hosted by Nancy Kress. I've read Nancy's how-to articles in Writers Digest and have some of her books from F+W Publications. But was unfamiliar with her fictional work and was surprised to find out how much sci-fi material she's produced.

Nancy's workshop was actually a 3-part series, which lasted the rest of that Saturday afternoon. Despite such a lengthy seminar, Nancy is an excellent teacher and provided us with good insights into the techniques of scene writing. Here are just some of my (legible) notes:

The advantage of writing in scenes, as opposed to starting from page 1 and plodding on until you type "The End" is that it frees the spontaneous, creative side of our brains and allows us to write while we're inspired. The next step would be linking scenes into some form of logical sequence to produce a story.

Before writing a scene the following factors need to be taken into consideration:

1. Each scene must have a purpose in either advancing the plot or deepening characterization

2. Should have a "shape," that is, be part of the story flow.

3. Be dramatized. ("Show" don't "Tell").

There are five Narrative Modes

1.Dialogue

2. Description

3. Action ("description in motion")

4. Character thoughts

5. Exposition

A scene becomes more vivid if it concentrates on dialogue. Vivid scenes hold a readers attention. The scenes readers often skim--or skip entirely--is description. The trick, then, is to add rich details, without bogging down the story and boring the reader. Some description is needed in order to move the story forward and avoid "White Room Syndrome" (characters interacting, with no mention of their surroundings).

Characteristics of good descriptions are:

1. Specific

2. Slanted towards a character

3. Shows a relationship

4. Uses more senses than sight.

Nancy said, stories often aren't "smelly enough."

Additional advice on description--

--Chose the right details and you won't need too many of them.

--Tell the reader something about the character in what is being described.

--Give the reader a rich visualization.

--Give the reader clues abut the character(s).

--Illustrate relationships.

--Do as many things as you can in one sentence.

Scenes need to be orientated, that is, readers need to know where they are, when they are and in what point of view (POV). The general rule of thumb is to have 1 POV/scene.

All scenes come to an end and there should be a little rise in tension. Scenes shouldn't peter out.

There are three types of scenes. These are:

1. Story time

2. Flashback

3. Expository

It is critical that the opening scene should be in story time, before turning to the other two scene-types. Using the "Kress Swimming Pool Theory of Fiction," the first scene is the "kick-off" from the wall a swimmer does while doing laps. Only with a good "kick" can the writer "glide" into a flashback or exposition. However, the writer must keep these glides short and resume the pace (Pace = Events/Word Count).

On trick to maintain the story's pacing is to remove "locomotion writing," that is details on movement, unless it's important later on.

Expository scenes come in two flavors: Summarizations and Data Dumps. Both are less engaging and should be used judiciously. Don't have two expository scenes in a row, or better yet, break up the info into small chunks and infuse them into the other scene-types.

How do you determine a scene's POV?

The POV Character should be the one who is most motivated and invested in the scene. This character should also be someone who'll change by the end of the story.

And speaking of endings, what type of outcomes are possible in a story?

Here are five examples:

1. The character gets what she wants. The happy ending, or HEA (Happily Ever After). How-ev-er, it should cost her something.

2. The Choice Story. (Love or money?). In this case, make sure both sides have some positive influences.

3. The main character doesn't get what she wants. The unhappy ending. But to keep this story from being a complete downer, have someone else get what they want.

4. Pyrrhic Victory. The character gets what they want but at a higher cost than in #1.

5. The character gets what she wants, but doesn't want it anymore and goes back to the way she was before. (Example: Dorothy's realization that "there's no place like home," in the Wizard of Oz).

Well folks, there you have it: The last of my synopsis (synopsi?) for PNWA's 2011 Summer Conference. I had an enjoyable time seeing old friends, making new ones and maybe even learning a thing or two. Recounting what I've learned helps refresh my memory.

Spock's Farewell to the Fans

2011-10-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

Sad day for us Star Trek fans. (I've been one since junior high). Leonard Nimoy, who's played Spock for a generation, bids farewell to the conention scene.

I've gone to a couple Star Trek conventions and managed to see the following:

Majel Barrett Rodenberry (Nurse Chapel)

Nichel Nichols (Uhura)

James Doohan (Scotty)

Mark Leonard (Sarek, Spock's father), and

George Takei (Sulu)

Of the Enterprise crew, I've met George Takei the most (three times). In fact one convention held a "Run with Sulu" event--a six miler, set at warp speed. The only guys who could keep up with Mr. Takei was me, a marathon runner and a US Army Ranger. That was a long time ago...

When Diplomacy Fails...

2011-10-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted this on line and I just had to swipe it.

I play wargames for enjoyment and the camaradarie of my fellow gaming buddies. However, I also play to learn military history, strategy, operations, tactics and leadership.

Just in case giving peace a chance "doesn't work out..."

Pass and Review: Figures in A Touch of Evil

2011-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

A Touch of Evil (AToE) is an adventure boardgame, set in the late 18th Century. Players are a band of heroes attempting to find the lair of an evil creature threatening the village of Shadowbrook. Produced by Flying Frog Productions, AToE received a solid 7.05 out of 10, from over 1800 raters on Boardgame Geek.

I bought this game over a year ago, but sadly, have yet to play it. A few of us in my gaming group are hoping to take this game for an inaugural spin this Halloween Season. Through the use of creative photography, Flying Frog created top-notch game components. In addition to the glossy, cardboard playing pieces, the game comes with 8 high-quality, plastic figures representing the player-heroes.

I was so impressed, I immediately bought the Something Wicked expansion game and the Hero Pack One.

The figures appear to fit in the 25/28mm scale, which make them suitable for other "18th Century Pulp" adventures outside AToE game sessions.With this in mind, I decided to get the miniatures painted to a quality beyond my feeble skills with a brush. So I turned to my friend, Peter Wort and hired him to do the job.

For this first studio shoot in my new home--and with Halloween being just over month away--I wanted some suitably creepy terrain for a back drop. I couldn't think of anything creepier than this model graveyard...

The walled-in graveyard was produced by Games Workshop years ago and I believe, is out of production. I merely added a few touches of paint and flocking to accentuate the piece. The headstones, statues and piles of bones outside the wall; were purchased from various manufacturers over the years, to include some Halloween decorations from Michaels.

Now for a look at Peter's artistry, starting with the Touch of Evil core game:

Ladies first, (all figures are listed from left-to-right)--

--Anna Marie, the Schoolteacher

--Isabella von Took

--Katarina, the Outlaw

While the heroes among menfolk are--

--Victor Danforth, the Playwright

--Karl, the Soldier

--Inspector Cooke

--Heinrich Cartwright, the Drifter

--Thomas, the Courier

In addition to an extended map of Shadowbrook; along with more villains and minions of evil, Something Wicked adds four new heroes, players can opt to use.

These are--

--Eliza, the Witch Hunter

--Valeria, the Eternal

--Brother Marcus

--Captain Hawkins

Finally, Hero Pack One contains another four figures...

...which I hope Flying Frog gets around to producing "Hero Pack Two" and so on. Until then, the beleaguered citizens of Shadowbrook will have to rely on--

--Harlow Morgan, the Inventor

--Lucy Handbrook

--Adrianna, the Foreign Traveler, and,

--The Scarlet Shadow!

I took 43 pictures during this shoot, mostly to experiment with different lighting and flash settings. I'm currently working on several photos, to post as Halloween cards in the days and weeks to come...

...Bwah-ha-ha-ha...

Oh who am I kidding. For maniacal laughter, I certainly can't top this guy.

Dinner (and Lunch) with the Stars

2011-09-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

(Image: Steve Berry)

PNWA does an excellent job of cramming as much activities as possible into three-and-a-half days. Mealtimes are no exception. During lunch breaks, attendees can join one of the keynote speakers, as they discuss their writing, publishing and book tour experiences. Jeff Ayers emceed this year's luncheon banter between Steve Berry and his friend James Rollins.

(Image: James Rollins)

Our Friday night keynote speaker was Jane Porter, hostess of the Alpha Males and Unforgettable Heroines workshops.

(Image: Jane Porter)

Last but not least, Deb Caletti spoke to a packed audience on Saturday evening, prior to announcing the winners of this year's literary contest.

(Image: Deb Caletti)

While I enjoyed listening to all our guest speakers, I enjoyed sitting with my Popular Fiction classmates even more. So I didn't take any notes during any of their speeches.

Now I wasn't a total slacker during the conference. The last workshop I attended was the three-part, Writing in Scenes, hosted by Nancy Kress. There'll be plenty of notes in the upcoming post--I promise.

Jesse Joshua Watson on: Writing from the Drawing Board

2011-09-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

In the on-line survey I received from PNWA, I voted Jesse Joshua Watson as the "Captain Jack Sparrow" of the conference. Jesse's looks and mannerisms reminded me of Johnny Depp's famous character.

On a (somewhat) serious note, Jesse's workshop dealt with using an "illustrator's approach to narrative" (PNWA Conference Booklet, pg 10). Jesse's utilized a slide-show featuring his artwork to illustrate how even a single picture can tell a story.

I wish I could say more on this subject, especially since I prefer working with visual media, such as graphic novels or YouTube movies. Unfortunately, I enjoyed Jesse's presentation so much--that I forgot to take notes.

Despite my lack of material on this post, I recommend to anyone involved in art to attend any seminar hosted by ~~Jack~~ Jesse.

Kathryn Trueblood on: Setting Up an Author Blog Tour

2011-09-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

As a blogger, I decided to attend the How To Set Up an Author Blog Tour workshop, for Saturday's second venue, hosted by Kathryn Trueblood.

The focus of this seminar was on generating buzz on the internet for one's book. Though I don't have a book ready for publication, I thought I'd get I'd be able to improve my knowledge about blogging in general.

Despite technical difficulties, Kathryn is an engaging speaker and gave an informative workshop.

There are several reasons for doing a "blog tour." One of them is, it extends the buzz-life of your book by about three months.

However, before composing a web release, keep in mind the following (gleaned from the class handout):

1. Figure out the relevance that your book offers.

2. Research blogs that cover themes similar to those in your book.

The following are "must haves" on your blog:

1. Your book's cover image must be at the top.

2. The bottom of your web page should contain: The book title, name & contact info of your publisher, publication date, number of pages, the ISBN, price and possibly a logo.

3. Prominently display your offer to give away a free copy, your booking date, live interview, along with your e-mail address and website address.

4. Your photo, preferably a head-shot, and a three-line bio should be at the very bottom of your page.

In addition, these "nice to haves," placed somewhere in the body of the text, will increase the effectiveness (and hopefully your sales) of your blog tour:

1. Excerpts from reviews.

2. Blurbs and testimonials.

3. Your pitch (what the book is about)

4. A self contained excerpt from your book. And finally,

5. Information such as events, speaking engagements, or teaching related to your book.

After looking at my notes, I did a quick Google search and stumbled across two links to help you be a better "blog tour guide." The first was by Dabbling Mum, while the second came from The Book Publicity Blog.

Bill Kenower on: The 3 Narratives Arcs in Every Story

2011-09-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute. Three narrative arcs in a story? I only see one here (pictured above).

In the first Saturday workshop I attended, Bill Kenower, editor of PNWA's Author Magazine, explained there are three arcs in every story.

The image above, illustrates the overall plot, or the Physical Arc. Here's a simple, but effective, example Bill used in this workshop to describe this arc:

--Boy meets girl.

--Boy gets girl.

--Boy loses girl.

--Boy gets girl back.

This is the template for just about every romance novel in print, or romatic comedy on film. And it's also the least important.

The second, or Emotional Arc, is of greater significance because it delves into the characters' emotions. Examing the emotions of the boy and girl characters in the above example, we get:

--Boy feels inadequate.

--Boy misrepresents himself to gain girl's approval.

--Boy loses girl when she discovers his duplicity.

--Boy asks girl to accept him as he is and in the process, accepts himself.

The boy isn't the only one on this roller-coaster ride, though. Taking a look at the girl's feelings, we discover:

--Girl feels inadequate.

--Girl believes whatever boy tells her, so she will feel impressive while dating him.

--Girl feels ashamed at appearing so desperate and dumps boy.

--Girl accepts boy as he is and in the process, accepts herself.

Stories are not about what happens, that's the domain of non-fiction, but what characters feel when things happen to them: In getting back together the boy & girl accept themselves and each other.

So, if these two arcs create an emotionally satisfying ending, what does the third story arc do?

The third, or Intentional Arc, focuses on the one's motivation for writing this story and determine the whys and wherefores, we have to answer several questions:

--Why did you write this story?

--What is the story about and what is it to you emotionally?

--What drew you to write this story?

--What do you want the audience to feel when they read your book?

In the boy & girl example, the Intentional Arc can be boiled down to this: Love. Thy. Self.

Notice there is nothing in the Intentional Arc about fame & fortune. So this arc isn't about any of the following:

--Getting an agent.

--Getting published.

--Getting on the best seller-list.

--Winning the National Book Award.

A key point to remember is that following the mantra of "writing what you know," doesn't necessarily involve knowledge. Instead write what you love.

Finally, the most important thing to remember is: You are the author or your life.

Risk of the Ring--Stern Rake Studio's 22nd Movie

2011-09-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

After a nine month hiatus, due to the popular fiction class I attended; along with my amicable divorce and subsequent move, I finally managed to post Risk of the Ring.

Since just about everyone is familiar with the basic game of Risk, along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I kept the full-page narratives to a minimum.

RISK-ing Middle Earth

2011-09-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Every time I describe wargaming to a non-gamer, they ask, "Oh, is it like Risk?"

I tell them, yes, only more specific to particular eras in history, or within the confines of a science-fiction or fantasy setting. Many wargames lean more towards "war-simulation," which provide a greater level of detail, but at the cost of being more complex to play.

While Risk may be considered a basic wargame, sometimes it's good to get back to basics.

Which is just what a few of my gaming buddies and I did last weekend. We sat down to play Risk: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition (LotR Risk), one of the many variants of the original game.

Shown below is a look at the initial dispositions of the four factions, vying for control of Middle Earth. The Fellowship, bearing the One Ring, started out at Hobbiton.

Although LotR Risk can be played like normal Risk, this version contains additional rules, along with "Mission Cards" and "Event Cards" that give this game a unique feel. Half-way through our game we discovered we misinterpreted the Mission Cards. These cards granted a player special capabilities or additional reinforcements--IF--one of the player's leader figures occupied the specific "site of power" listed on the card. We initially thought a player received the benefit by merely possessing the card. While this skewed the game, we played in this format to the end, for fairness sake.

As for the results of our game session, I'm working on a detailed after action review (AAR), that I'll post either as a YouTube movie or graphic novel.

In the process of deciding which format would be best, I stumbled across the following information for you Risk fans out there:

LotR Risk was published in 2003 and unfortunately, is no longer in print. Copies, though, can be found on sites like Amazon.com, with prices ranging from "a real bargain" ($27.99) to a "real collector's item" ($199.99), depending on the condition of the game. Comments on Boardgame Geek are mostly positive, giving the game an overall rating of 6.5 out of 10.

The LotR Risk website is also available for strategy tips, rule variants and other internet links, although the forum appears to be dormant.

So sound the call-to-arms and seize control of Middle Earth!

But remember:

“...the hearts of men are easily corrupted... And the ring of power has a will of its own.”

Grue Cafe #4: Random Damage

2011-09-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

After nearly a year in suspended animation, the "Grue Crew" has returned to host their fourth podcast.

In this episode, Rox of Spazhouse, Kim, Dom and Doc Ezra discuss topics such as: The decline of gaming at non-gaming conventions, "oldie-but-goodie" PC games that you can't play on systems more advanced than Windows 98; the good, the bad & the ugly game mechanics; and how to encourage people to role play instead of just rolling dice.

Remember to roll against your sanity level after listening "...to see if you lose another point."

Jane Porter on: Unforgettable Heroines

2011-09-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Jane Porter hosted this seminar as a follow-on to her Alpha Hero workshop. (See previous post).

Since women are still a mystery to me and I finished the alpha male class, I figured I'd follow-through and see what makes heroines so unforgettable, which are:

She's someone you'd want as a best friend.

She's someone you'd want to be like, or get to know.

She's not stagnant.

A heroine has to be better than good--she must be compelling.

In developing heroines, the key point to remember is--women readers are harder on women protagonists than they are on men. So a writer must conjure-up a heroine that is interesting, real, complex and with a lot of depth.

Oh and give the readers a fantastic story.

Once again, Jane used scenes from several movies--some I've actually seen--to make the following points:

1. The Problem of Being a Girl (Princess Diaries)

Women often look for validation. They're torn between being tough and tender. Late-bloomers make popular characters.

2. The Historical Perspective (Mansfield Park)

Womens' choices were limited. Women without means were powerless, but even well-established women were controlled by males.

3. The Modern Perspective (Erin Brockovich)

Women gain power through money or status, which even in today's times, can be difficult.

4. Sexism, Feminism & Prejudice (Legally Blonde)

Women often have a tough time challenging men.

Strong women are viewed as bitches.

5. How Tough? (Miss Congeniality)

Some women don't trust other women who are pretty. "Pretty" is often viewed as weak, or worse--coniving, as opposed to being up-front and honest.

6. Getting Serious (We Were Soldiers)

Men feel safe when they're with their woman and their family in a stable condition. However, women are often placed in the difficult role as the peacemaker.

Women don't want to receive bad news from strangers, in order to gain support from those they know.

7. The Magic Ingredient (Shrek)

Those intangible qualities that draw others, especially the hero, to her.

8. The Complete Package (Legally Blonde)

The climax, success gained by balancing the competing factors in a heroine's life, such as family and career.

Jane Porter on: Love, Sex & The Alpha Hero

2011-09-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

There were several workshops scheduled after the big Agents & Editors Forums. For me, deciding which one to attend during this time-frame was a no-brainer: Love, Sex & The Alpha Hero, hosted by Jane Porter

Hey, any workshop containing the word ~~"sex"~~ "love" and I'm there! The reason, of course, is to improve on what I know so little about--writing-wise, at least. At this point, I'm still too worried writing anything steamy would sound like something I ~~regularly read~~ vaguely heard about in men's magazines.

At the start of the seminar, Jane admitted the "Love & Sex" part of the title were attention-getters. (Well that certainly worked). So the focus was on what makes Alpha Males tick. And since I seem to have misplaced my membership card to the local chapter of Alphas-R-Us, I decided to stay.

Jane used key scenes from several cool movies, to make the following points:

1. The Alpha Male, or "Mr. A," as I'll call him, is the Top Dog (Tarzan).

Every protagonist needs a coming-of-age moment. They won't know if they have the strength until they're confronted.

Protagonists have to act.

An Alpha operates above the law and public opinion and operates under his own code of ethics. However, he won't abuse his position and has a strong sense of justice. They are in control of, and secure in themselves.

2. Mr. A Won't Run from a Fight (High Noon)

Courage is a key element to a hero.

The darkest moment is the hero's defining moment.

A hero can't walk away from conflict, unless under duress.

3. Mr. A Has Tremendous Emotional Appeal (Last of the Mohicans)

Women love a strong guy, which taps into their fantasy of being protected.

Women tend to be nurturers and will nurture a wounded hero.

The hero has a flaw that makes him week, such as stubborness, uncompromising, unwilling to accept help or the inability to accept love.

4. Mr. A is a Sophisticated Lover (Goldfinger)

Sex is not about domination, but a combination of wit and dialogue.

5. Mr. A Needs a Mission (Gladiator)

Men need conflict, but great men need a purpose and fight for a cause.

6. Mr. A Needs a Mrs. A (Last of the Mohicans)

In classic romance, heros will choose a heroine and not look at anyone else.

An alpha male will search for a woman that is his equal.

The key note on relationships is not to pair people who aren't evenly matched. This creates constant tension between the would-be partners.

And this tension is what drives the story.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

2011 PNWA Conference: Agents Forum

2011-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Agents preparing to enter the forum.

(Image from: Get Smart)

This was Friday's Big Event, Part II. Twenty-two agents formed this year's panel to lift "the cone of silence" off some of the publishing industry's deepest secrets. Bob Dugoni, continued his hosting duties and established the same ROE (Rules of Engagement) as he did during the previous workshop. (See the Editors Forum post, 4 Sep 11).

The agents panel (with links included), consisted of:

Agents deciding whether my work is best suited to line the litter box, or the bird cage.

(Image from: Get Smart, the movie)

Since nearly every writer attending the conference had a WIP (Work In Progress), the first question posed to the panel was:

If submitted a partial, but have since revised it, should you submit the revised copy?

"No, don't change it"--Kate McKean

"Edit and workshop your book before you submit it"--Gordon Warnock.

Hometown Flooded

2011-09-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

My hometown of Binghamton, NY, was hit with a flood today. According to WBNG, 20,000 people have been evacuated. Folks say this is worse than the 06 flood. Back then I wasn't on Facebook. Now I'm overwhelmed by the photos my fellow Binghamtonians are posting.

The Studio's "Legal Entanglements"

2011-09-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

(Image from: Lawyers by Sygnin on Deviant Art)

Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I managed to steer the "USS Stern Rake Studio" into legal tepid water. The tempurature isn't "hot," at least not yet, anyway. After a ten-month hiatus, due to attending a popular fiction course, amicable divorce and subsequent move into a new home, I finally got around to checking my YouTube account.

To my surprise, I discovered GoDigital filed a copyright dispute against seven, out of twenty-one of my movies. I never heard of these folks, let alone have any dealings with them--until now. In response, I challenged their claim, because, I thought, I only used license-free music that I purchased from other sources.

Within hours of hitting send, the folks at YouTube sided with GoDigital and replied to my challenge:

All content owners have reviewed your video and confirmed their claims to some or all of its content.

Okay, so now what do I do?

No action is required on your part. Your video is still available worldwide. In some cases ads may appear next to your video.

Well, that's nice to know, but what does this mean about my movies' status?

Please note that the video's status can change, if the policies chosen by the content owners change. You may want to check back periodically to see if you have new options available to you.

While it doesn't sound like I'll be fined or sued, the following titles may one day be used as on-line billboards for GoDigital, or stricken from YouTube's roster: Duel of the Demigods; Mayhem in Makassar Strait, Parts 4-6; Preparing for Battle at Enfilade 09; Impending Fury and my very first show, The Road to Eggmuehl.

Oh well. At least three good things came out of all this: I discovered Sygnin's work, joined Deviant Art and posted the link on to this site...

2011 PNWA Conference: Editors Forum

2011-09-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

Editors reading my prose.

(Image from: e-reads)

This was Friday's big event. Ten editors gave an overview of the books they are looking for and the best way to submit your work. Bob Dugoni, hosted the forum and moderated the Q&A session. I liked how Bob established an ROE (military-ese for "Rules of Engagement") for attendees to refrain from asking questions specific to their WIP (writer-ese for "Work in Progress").

The panel of editors, (company links included), consisted of:

Anne Bensson, Brian Hades, Peter Lynch, Julie Matysik, Aubrey Poole, Lynn Price, Michelle Richter, Chuck Sambuchino, J. Ellen Smith and Shane Thomson

One of the first questions of the day was: What, exactly, do editors do?

"Their goal is to make a better book"--Michelle Richter.

"Coordinate with all the other departments [in the publishing company]"--Anne Bensson.

"Act as your clone to help coordinate efforts"--Peter Lynch.

What is the most important Point in the Pitch?

"A good, marketable, readable product"--Brian Hades.

"Voice"--Peter Lynch, "especially for YA (Young Adult)"--Aubrey Poole.

"A platform for non-fiction"--Chuck Sambuchino.

"A unique spin"--J.Ellen Smith.

"For memoirs, understand the market and the competition"--Lynn Price.

"Research the publishing company"--Julie Matysik.

Does self-publishing hurt an author's chance with publishing companies?

"No"--just about everyone on the panel.

However, they commented that mainstream publishing helps gain exposure that self-publishing can't.

Do you take un-agented manuscripts?

"Yes"--Aubrey Poole

Do you work with a cadre of agents?

"Yes"--Michelle Richter answered on behalf of the entire panel. However, "we're willing to work with new ones, but it's like going on a blind date."

Should an author acquire an agent after the book has been acquired?

"No"--Aubrey Poole.

However, Lynn Price said yes and "... appreciates it when an author does so in order to navigate the maze of the publication process."

This difference exemplifies the most important thing writers should do when querying publishing houses--read their guidelines.

And there you have it, some words of wisdom in today's publishing industry.

How to Survive a Pitch Session by Chuck Sambuchino

2011-09-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

Prior to the big editors and agents forum, this year's PNWA conference held an introductory workshop focusing on key elements of book pitches. Chuck Sambuchino, author of How To Survive a Garden Gnome Attack, hosted this seminar.

In this hour-long workshop, Chuck touched on some dos and don'ts to keep in mind during a pitch session with an agent or editor:

DONT'S

--Don't send agents any more material than what they ask for.

--Don't give them hardcopies, because they don't want to lug around paper from 50 or more writers.

--Don't pass them your business card, but ask them for theirs.

--And most importantly, don't give away the ending.

DOS

--The pitch should be 3-10 sentences long. The narrative should be similar to "the back of the DVD box."

--After introductions, talk about the details and the logline of the book.

--Details consist of: Title, word count, genre and whether the book is finished or not.

--Logline: A one-sentence summary of the book.

--Start with the main characters.

--Include the inciting incident. What propels the story into motion? What is the conflict?

--Optional: Discuss the character arc. Does the protagonist change?

Some cautionary notes include:

--Avoid general terms. Be specific.

--Caveat for sci-fi novels: Avoid using proper names for worlds an races.

--Avoid delving into subplots.

The advice given above, was primarily geared for fiction. Pitching non-fiction books has some different elements:

--Pitches tend to be dry and factual. Have a good book idea and discuss your credentials with the agent.

--Have a platform. Who is your target audience?

--The exception: Memoirs are treated like fiction.

Finally, the #1 reason why agents & editors refuse to publish someone's work: It was turned in too early, often after writing the first draft. It would be best to submit your book after finishing the 2nd or even 3rd draft.

Extrovertness 101 and Two New Authors

2011-09-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

Writers tend to be introverts and often thrive in creative solitude. However, publishing is a business requiring direct human contact. And in business, extroverts are the dominant life-form.

Gone are the days when writers can live the life of a J.D. Salinger, venturing outside only to buy groceries and get their royalty checks out of the mailbox. To get published and promote their books, writers need to be more like extroverts, or at least act like them.

The PNWA conference organizers recognized this dilemma and held a workshop to discuss extrovert tactics for a room full of introvert attendees.

I'd love to tell you about this workshop, but--I didn't attend.

Not because I was too shy to go. Instead, my popular fiction classmates and I had dinner reservations at the time this workshop was being held. Even though I enjoyed a night out with my friends, I wanted to attend this seminar, especially since it was hosted by these two dynamic women:

Lorraine Wilde is a freelance journalist and environmental scientist with numerous articles to her credit. Even though I didn't make the class, Lorraine posted the slide show and handout on her blog, under the "Introverts" tab. (I'll read them as soon as I complete this post). She is currently working on her memoir, Egg Mama: An Egg Donor and Her Extraordinary Family.

Kim Kircher is the author of the upcoming book, The Next Fifteen Minutes: Strength from the Top of the Mountain. (Fortunately for us conference attendees, advance copies were available).

I've been acquainted with Kim through a mutual friend and PNWA for the past three years. My writer friends come in two flavors: Unpublished and published. In the time I've known Kim, she's the first one among us unpublished-types to step into the published winner's circle.

For you extrovert, skier-types: Kim and her husband manage Crystal Mountain.

Fixing What Isn't Broke About Star Wars

2011-09-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

A favorite saying among those in the military is: "If it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Unfortunately, George Lucas isn't following such advice.

The Star Wars Creator-in-Chief is currently in the process of re-vamping the orignal films--again. A couple of "improvements" have been leaked and are now swirling around the internet. This article in blastr has the details.

While these films are riddled with gaffes and story-line inconsistencies, they're still well loved by us fans. So instead of improving on what is truly wrong, Lucas is dumbing-down the orignal films down to "prequel level."

Here are some noteworthy comments/rants from some friends:

I think it's safe to say, it sucks. I hate when they dumb down movies because they think we don't get it. Blade Runner was dumbed down as well when they added the dialog at the end of the movie.

However, there is one change he could make - he could get rid of the couple of scenes in Episodes IV and V where Leia kisses Luke because those scenes take on rather creepy overtones in light later revelations...

Nahhh…those were innocent pecks on the cheek. I'd much rather Lucas go back to the original and fix the dialog about the Millenium Falcon being so fast it "made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs." In the Summer of 1977 I had just learned what a parsec was (a unit of distance….NOT speed). So this has eaten at my brain for 34 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It even made it's way into the Family Guy "Blu Harvest" episode.

There were two innocent pecks on the cheek in Episode IV. In Episode V Leia gives Luke a full blown kiss on mouth when they were still on Hoth and she had just gotten done arguing with Han Solo and she says, "Well I guess you don't know everything about women" and then Leia proceeds to plant one on Luke - EWWWWWWWWWWW.

The 12 parsecs thing is a good catch. The also used hyperspace and light speed interchangeably at differents points in the films. After the escape from Tatooine in Episode IV, Han Solo says, "Strap yourselves in, I'm going to make the jump to light speed." The problem is, in the scope of space travel, light speed still isn't very fast and at that speed it would still take them several years to get to the next star system.

Ouch, you're right. I forgot that Luke nearly tongued his sister in "Empire." Yick!

Of all the things to fix, the "12 Parsecs" comment was the one to do. There are T-shirts that say "Han Shot First!" And lets not forget the prequels. One writer I know, Kristen Lamb, maintains a blog and posted on why the prequels were so bad:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/what-went-wrong-with-the-star-wars-prequels/

Those were good points on that blog, though I might quibble about the edges of a few. Still, the bottom line is that Lucas was spiraling downwards rapidly after Star Wars and Empire, and by the time he did the prequels he had descended totally into madness and banality. I think I sent this around a few months back, but it is apropos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BMgegut3UM

As the series went on it became less about the story and more about Lucas saying, "Hey, look at all of the cool things I can do with special effects and CGI."

The biggest problem overall is that Lucas made it all up as he went along which means there are so many holes and inconsistencies in the plot you can sail a supertanker though them. He even admitted that he came up with the whole Luke/Leia brother and sister thing to solve the emerging love triangle between Luke, Leia, and Han. If a writer/producer/whatever can't have basic issues like that solved before he starts the problem will compound itself in multiple ways as the story goes along. Gee, why not just solve the issue by deciding that in the Star Wars universe they practice a form of polygamy where women take multiple husbands and have Leia get together with Luke and Han. Return of the Jedi could have ended with the three of them heading off to private hut in the Ewok village for a threesome.

However, for some reason the single biggest thing that bugged me was the secret creation of the clone army over the course of a decade. This probably bugs me because I work in government. I don't care how corrupt or dysfunctional a government is, there is no way anybody can fund, organize, man, train, and equip a force that size to include weapons, warships, and everything else that goes with it in secret. That is just silly and to compound the problem, a war starts and this massive army appears out of nowhere to fight it and everybody just says, "Wow, it sure is a good thing we have this army and navy that nobody knew existed so we can fight this war" Yeah, right...

I think we all need to get together, pound back a few dozen pints, and hash all of this out. Our middle-aged psyches would be greatly salved. Here's another one……is anyone else a bit dubious that Luke's "training" as a Jedi night lasted….what….a few days….a week tops? And how bad a sentinel was Obi-wan? I mean, he parks himself in Tatooine's equivalent to Death Valley where he has no hope of keeping watch on the bright young hope for the rebellion. It was only a fluke of the boy wonder removing R2's restraining bolt that kept Luke from getting chopped along with his aunt and uncle. Nice job Obi-wan. As for the "prequels," I refuse to comment on them because well…..while visually stunning…the stories just blew all over the place. I always like the idea of the Jedi until I saw those movies. What a collection of group-think sissified pansies!!! They deserved what they got. OK….I'm better now.

"Hello. We're the Jedi - guardians of the Republic. We're on the lookout for the Sith Lord, our greatest enemy.....whaddaya mean he's running the whole government?!?" "What, the mystery army that appeared from nowhere is suddenly attacking all us Jedi and we have not made the slightest contingency plan for our own survival." If I was helping form the new Republic, I would certainly not allow the Jedi any role in it - they failed spectacularly though hubris and sheer stupidity.

On the list of things that bug me about the movies, you can add the battle scenes. People are just standing around shooting at one another. It doesn't occur to anyone that they might want to take cover so they are a smaller target. Do they have no instinct for self-preservation? If someone is shooting searing bolts of plasma at me, I would think of ways to avoid taking one in the chest. It drives me crazy every time I see it. Also, why can't storm troopers hit anything with their blasters? They were the Empire's elite troops but apparently didn't get any weapons training. They got their butts kicked by a bunch of stone age teddy bears. The Emperor might as well have issued them Brown Bess muskets and bayonets for all the good those blaster did.

Creating Page Turners with Robert Dugoni

2011-08-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

Fortunately for us attendees, the second workshop of this year's PNWA conference, Creating Page Tuners with Robert Dugoni wasn't the contact sport pictured above. Instead, it was an informative and lively seminar on how to create a "missed my stop" book.

We didn't have time to go through the 13-page handout Bob provided, but we managed to touch on some key elements--

The primary function of a novelist is to ENTERTAIN.

Writers stop entertaining their readers when they:

1. Preach

2. Put too much research material into the narrative

3. Use overblown prose

4. Have same-sounding characters

5. Use too much backstory

6. Use too much flashback

These are called "author intrusions" and should be eliminated. It is the characters who should tell the story.

And what exactly, is a story?

It's a journey, which can be physical, or emotional. In either case, the journey yanks the character out of his ordinary world and "puts him in motion."

There's a method of telling a story that resonates with people: The mythic journey. Our earliest myths and fables use this template--and as a result, these stories continue to entertain. One of the best sources that examines this template is Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers.

Another way to grab and maintain a reader's attention is by using High Concept ideas. This doesn't necessarily mean an apocalyptic menace threatens the character's civilization, but it does mean the stakes are high for the character. A policewoman trying to solve a murder case is merely a professional doing her job. Whereas, a mother trying to find her abducted daughter is high concept.

Employing high concept ideas will torture the protagonist throughout the story. If things appear to be going well, then pull the rug out from under the hero. During this journey, the character will learn new skills in order to overcome the obstacles set before him--he'll change. Conflict and change are the heart of every story.

And without a heart, a story remains lifeless.

In addition to being a best-selling author, Robert Dugoni is available for speaking engagements, seminars and workshops like this one.

Getting Thyself to the Faire

2011-08-28T01:00:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, I decided to venture Kelley Farm, near Puyallup, for the last day of the Midsummer Renaissance Fair. Pictured above are "the lists" where the tournament (jousting) was held. Unfortunately, I'm not quite the "ace reporter." I thought the tournament started at 5 PM, so I wandered around checking out other venues. When I spotted the crowd walking away from the lists at 5, I realized I missed the whole thing. Funny, though I never heard any commotion, like the clash of steel or the roar of the crowd.

Upon my arrival, the first thing I noticed when I stepped out of my air conditioned vehicle was the heat. With temperatures in the mid eighties, there was very little wind blowing across field. At least I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, unlike the re-enactors wearing their medieval ensemble.

Parisals were prevalent...

...and there was even a "dark ages dousing booth" to help cool folks off.

While I may have missed the grand tournament, I did see some "Boffer Sword" fights, sponsored by The Game Matrix.

The "Shirts Army" vs...

...the "Skins Army."

Our emcee...

"Boudicca" and her Ninja boyfriend prepare for battle...

The battle is joined!

The girl in the bellydancer miniskirt became known as the "Jingle Queen." She was elevated to royalty during the "Kingslayer" round and had to be protected, otherwise her team would have lost.

For those of us who like to keep our enemies at a distance, there was archery practice.

Some pikemen conducted field drills.

The fair included non-martial activities, such as this minstrel troupe, singing about the "joys" of tobbacco and "barley corn" (beer).

"Scaramouche" performed in the heat.

As if it wasn't hot enough, there was this fire juggler.

After the tournament, the folk dancers gathered at the end of the day.

Behold the "Throne of Dorkness." No kidding, this was a prop used in the movie, The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, made by Dead Gentlemen Productions.

Despite all the festivities, some folks just couldn't take the heat...

There were plenty of vendors, especially replica weaponsmiths.

"I'll take one of each, please. Better yet, make it two."

Who's Who in Westeros

2011-08-27T04:30:00.000-07:00

I finished reading George R.R. Martin's book A Game of Thrones a few months ago. I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading the subsequent novels, because of their length and lack of closure. However, since I admire the author's world-building skill, I'll take a divergent course and delve into the various Westeros-based games as I can.

One such game is the Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying (RPG) system by Green Ronin Publishing. Since I'm involved in two Star Wars RPG campaigns, I wasn't in the mood to learn a new gaming system. However, I've read great reviews about it. One such review comes from Geek's Dream Girl, that I found via Dice Monkey.

What I did read, cover-to-cover, was the Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide. There are four 5-star reviews for this book on Amazon.com, including mine. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga. Gamers and non-gamers would benenfit having this book as a "Who's Who in Westeros" reference guide.

Geek "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun..."

2011-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle, one of Dragonflight's dungeon masters (or is it "dungeon mistress?"), posed in her GeekGirlCon T-shirt.

During my chat with Michelle, I asked her, "What is GeekGirlCon?"

Her answer was strikingly similar to the lead question on the site's FAQ page:

GeekGirlCon is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of and celebrating the contribution and involvement of women in all aspects of the sciences, science fiction, comics, gaming and related Geek culture through conventions and events that emphasize both the historic and ongoing contribution and influence of women in this culture. We are having our first annual convention on October 8th and 9th at the Seattle Center Northwest Rooms in 2011.

And if attending this new convention isn't enough for you, Steamcon, now celebrating it's third year, will be held the following weekend.

Looks like October will be a busy month for us geeks.