2019's Halloween Greetings

Halloween approaches!

It’s been a few years since I concocted some Halloween greetings, using my ComicLife program.

This year, I decided to feature some of our artificial jack-o-lanterns.  The one featured in the top image, my wife and I call “Jack.”

Yeah, original, I know.

Anyway, I purchased Jack 20 years ago, from Spirit Halloween.  He still lights up when we plug him in and place him in the living room window.

The next jack-o-lantern is almost as old.  I purchased this one at Fred Meyer, I think, and usually place it in the living room/hallway.

My wife bought this white jack-o-lantern, but I don’t know where from, or when.  Unlike Jack, this one, which we haven’t thought-up a name for, has a red light as opposed to a white one.

While trolling the internet, for Halloween memes, I came across this quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which Ray Bradbury used for the title of one of his novels:

Cubicle 7's Call for Freelancers

(Image:  Wrath & Glory logo by Cubicle 7 Games)

Last year, I went all-in for the Wrath & Glory Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) roleplaying game (RPG).

In addition to the core rulebook, I bought the starter kit, the gamemaster's screen, a battle map, deluxe wrath & glory tokens, along with all six of the specialized card decks.

(Image:  Cover art from the Ulisses North America version)

Several months ago, I logged on to Ulisses North America's website to see if there were any new products.  Not only were there no new products--but there was no Wrath & Glory at all.

But the new WH40K RPG didn't die, instead Ulisses transferred the license to Cubicle 7 Entertainment.

This company currently produces five other games including the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, so they have experience with the Warhammer 'verse.

Now fast-forward to this past Friday night and I catch this notice, initially on the Wrath & Glory Facebook page:

So I decided to heed the call.

The deadline is 20 September 2019, but I noticed fans already responded by sending in their CV/Resume and writing sample.  So I'm behind the power curve already.

I must admit, I had to look up what a CV--Curriculum Vitae was.

I just finished padding updating my resume.  And as Fate would have it, I'm currently working on a WH40K webcomic based on my last post about my Chaos Cultists.

My cunning plan is to submit it as my writing sample and submit my package by the end of this week, early next week.

The competition is stiff, but I like the idea of earning some cool points and geek cred by saying:  "Yeah, I applied for that gig."

(Image:  Cubicle 7's proposed cover art)

Chaos Cultists Pass In Review

When it comes to miniature wargaming; ever since I joined the military, I've felt compelled to collect multiple factions of miniatures.  I have my own World War II and Modern Micro Armor, consisting of vehicles from nearly all sides.

I've done this because I'd often be located in an area with few gamers and it would be up to me to provide both of the opposing factions' figures.

I'm no longer "globetrotting," but I work a rotating shift. Which means more often than not, I'm a "no-show" for scheduled gaming events.  I also like to concoct webcomics based on miniature gaming.  So I like to have an opposing faction on-hand for a photo-shoot, or even the rare game.

This has bled over into my Warhammer 40K collection.  The bulk of my figures and vehicles come from the ranks (upon ranks, upon...) of the Astra Militarum--the common foot-soldiers of The Imperium of Man.

But for the past couple of years, every time I purchased stuff at a game store, usually The Game Matrix, I'd pick up a small, 5-figure box of easy-build Chaos Cultists...

...until I had a total of 7 boxes/35 figures.  The box's content description lists the typical weaponry carried by the cultists.

A few months ago, I assembled the figures, then I sent the whole kit & kaboodle to Dan, my go-to guy for painting WH40K figures and vehicles.  When I got them back last month, I painted and flocked the bases.

I divided my Chaos Cannon Fodder into three groups differentiated by their bases.  One group of 10, are mounted on green, grassy bases.  The second group of 10 are on ash-grey bases, while the last group of 15 are on tan/brown sandy bases, with the darker brown-based figures forming a "command" group of sorts.

The next 11 pictures are a sample of one finished, 5-figure box, which I'll assume is a fire team or half squad.

A fire team of Chaos Cultists on patrol in the wilderness:

The first figure, I assume could be a team leader, or at least a close-combat specialist brandishing an auto pistol and morning star:

A side-view of Figure 1:

The second leader/close-combat figure is similarly armed with an auto pistol and flail:

A side view of the flail-bearer:

The third figure is cloaked and lugging an autogun of some sort:

A side view of the cloaked figure:

Because this figure leans so far forward, it was the most "tippy" of all the Chaos Cultists.  To resolve the tipping issue and to add more weight to the light plastic figures, I super-glued washers to the bottom of each base, then painted over each one.


The fourth figure is also a rifleman carrying what's generically described as an autogun:

The rifleman's side profile:

The last figure is another riflemen with a bayonet fixed to his autogun:

The bayonet-armed rifleman's side profile:

The remaining 30 figures were painted-up by Dan in a similar fashion.  No two look exactly alike.

Here's the entire 5-man "brown" command squad, and 10-man tan rifle squad:

My fully-mustered Chaos Cultist force looks something like this on the battlefield:

One of the main reasons I chose to collect the Astra Militarum is because the figures have a generic enough look I can utilize them in other sci-fi game settings.  Like US Colonial Marines in the Alien vs. Predator 'verse.

I can also use these Chaos Cultists as mutant soldiers in various post-apocalyptic/sci-fi horror settings.

Getting back to the grim darkness of WH40K, I couldn't find any printed game statistics for a mob of Chaos Cultists.

However, I found a few on-line sources.

For anyone still playing previous editions of WH40K, there's--

--Dark Future Games' 100-point Chaos Cultist force w/stats (2012), and

--Frontline Gaming's Chaos Cultist review (2017).

And for 8th Edition players, Creative Twilight brings the cultists up-do-date.

I certainly don't have enough cultists for a full WH40K Chaos force.

But I figure it will be enough as a mob of minions to throw at a Kill Team, or player characters in a session of Wrath & Glory.

When I Go Souvenir Shopping

A couple months ago, my wife and I visited Granny Hazel's Candy and Gifts, which is owned and operated by family members through marriage.

My wife found cute souvenirs and toys for the grandchildren.

Not me.

I found this 9-inch high statue of The Grim Reaper flipping his middle finger.

The statue's title is:  Not Today!

So I decided to make a webcomic/meme out of the title.

Five Second Flick Theater: The Punisher and Deadpool--A Disarming Duo

Welcome back to Five Second Flick Theater!

Since this is the final Punisher and Deadpool episode, I thought I'd end it with a bang.

Or at least with a lame sense of humor.

Five Second Flick Theater: Punisher and Deadpool--Warm Welcome

Welcome to Episode 3 of Five Second Flick Theater!

In this feature, the Punisher and Deadpool make it clear that they're not in Seattle to sight see.

Here's an alternate movie short, with a similar theme:

Five Second Flick Theater Presents: The Punisher and Deadpool--All Wet

Welcome back for Episode 2 of Five Second Flick Theater!

A few years ago I attended the Jet City Comic Show.  e stood in front of the backdrop provided by Costume Characters for Causes.  I dressed as the Punisher and met up with a Deadpool cosplayer.  We stood in front of the backdrop provided by Costume Characters for Causes.

The few pics the charity took of me and Deadpool (I never caught his name) has provided me with fodder for my Facebook profile pic, a short webcomic and now a series of Five Second Flicks.

The first theme I thought of for this episode plays on the assumption that it rains all the time in Seattle.

And now a word from out sponsor...

If you find yourself trekking through New York State's Hudson Valley area, and have a hankering for a unique tasting snack-spread, check out Doc Schwarz Wine Jelly.

My sister, Roberta, and her husband Eric started making this for over a year now.  They've now opened a gift shop and have just planted starter-vines for their own vineyard.

But don't just take my word on how great Doc Schwarz Wine Jelly is.

I am Roberta's brother, after all.

Here's a glowing article from The Gardiner Gazette.

New Audio-Visual Production: Five Second Flicks

Welcome to "Episode 1 of Five Second Flick Theater!"  

Just in time for Mother's Day.

I discovered a special effects program while uploading some new pictures.  The effects create a 5-second long video.So I went through various pictures I took through the years and compiled them into what I call “Five Second Flick Theater.”  This “first episode” is based on my Facebook profile pic, which was taken at the Jet City Comic Show a few years ago.  The backdrop is from Comic Heroes for Causes and quote is my favorite line in the BBC show “Sherlock,” with Benedict Cumberbatch. 

"And now a word from our sponsor..."

Okay, I don't have any sponsors per se.

But lately I've been encountering talented people running businesses, or informational websites that I think are neat and I thought it would be fun to add a "commercial" to some of my theatrical productions.

(Image from Kristina RDH YouTube Channel)

So my first shout-out goes to my dental hygienist, Kristina, who runs her own YouTube channel, Kristina RDH/Ask A Hygienist. 

(Image:  Kristina's "Ask A Hygienist" logo)

Kristina also runs a supporting page on Facebook.

And in the interests of full disclosure, I did win her monthly raffle last month and received her gift box full of dental product goodies. 

This was also the first time my name's been mentioned on YouTube and I'm still feeling thrilled about it.

Even if I didn't win, I tune in to Kristina's posts, because I always learn something new about oral health and I encourage everyone to check out her channel.

My Road to the Grim Darkness...

(An image from Rick and Morty posted on Tumblr by Warhammer 40K Fantasy)

I've known about Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) shortly after its initial release in 1987.  However, I've avoided getting into it--until several years ago when my daughter met her now-husband.

While he did some other gaming, he was primarily a WH40K player and collector.  So in order develop more common interests between us, I thought I'd just buy the core rules and a "few models" so I could at least talk to him about the "...grim darkness of the far future...."

Yeah. Right.

Five years and 20 blogposts later, my "small" collection exploded into this--

(Image:  My WH40K vehicle collection in a display case)

--21 armored personnel carriers of various types and from 3 different factions, mostly Astra Militarum, with a few from the Adepta Sororitas (a.k.a. "Sisters of Battle" nuns with guns of the Ecclesiarchy) and even the Inquisition.

--8 Lehman Russ Battle Tanks and variants.

--3 self-propelled artillery vehicles and one anti-aircraft vehicle.

--3 static gun positions.

--25 heavy weapon teams and,

--230 troops, mostly foot soldiers of the Astra Miltarum, along with a few squads of Battle Sisters and a couple Inquisitor retinues, along with some alien warriors.

And I'm having another 35 figures painted as I'm writing this.

Initially, I bought kits of un-assembled vehicles and figures.  But then I stumbled across buy/sell/trade pages on Facebook and began buying assembled and painted miniatures for about the same price as the un-assembled kits.

I apologize for the sparse details, but I intend for this to be a "teaser" for future posts on my collection.  I'm currently suffering from a foot injury and I made it worse by attempting to do a prolonged photo shoot.

Besides the pictures didn't turn out well.

Of course, one can't simply buy miniatures without any guidance on what to do with them.

So over the course of about 5 years, I acquired 63 rule books and splatbooks of the main game, along with role playing game by Fantasy Flight Games and the new Wrath & Glory role-playing game which WAS produced by Ulisses-US, but now seems to have been dropped from the company's website, possibly due to a considerable number of negative reviews.

The main game, is now on it's 8th Edition, which I started buying two years ago.

Notice, I said "started buying?"

That's because Games Workshop, like every other game company, would produce new supplements, accessories, etc. after the core rules are published.

The bulk of my book collection are earlier editions of the rules, or Forgeworld reference books.

(Image:  Shelf space devoted to older issues and Forgeworld books)

When 8th Edition hit the shelves in 2017, I limited to my purchases to the main faction I was collecting--the Astra Militarum (a.k.a. the Imperial Guard).

(Image:  My main collection of WH40K books and RPG material)

Back when the short-lived 7th Edition was being played, I picked up almost all of 6th Edition rules and Codexes at used book stores for $5-$20.  I figure while the gaming Crunch has most likely changed since previous editions, the background Fluff should remain the same.

Of course, my feeble attempt at pinching pennies went out the window when Kill Team came out last year:

(Image:  My infantry storage cases and new Kill Team sets)

So there you have it.  My "small" investment into the wacky world of Warhammer 40K expanded to fill the empty spaces on my shelves and in my closets.

And speaking of shelf space, I can safely say I'm approaching my limit.  I'm at the point now where if I buy anything new--of any game--I have to get rid of something old.

I'd love to purchase a few more vehicles, specifically some Salamander scout vehicles, Destroyer tank destroyers, if I could find them in the first place since Forgeworld no longer produces them; along with a Lehman Russ Vanquisher.  But I have no room to put any of them.

The irony of all this is:  I have yet to play a single game of any edition of WH40K, Kill Team or either editions of the role playing games.

Nor is WH40K the only game system I've invested in, but have spent little to no time at the game table with.  I've whined about explained my game-time shortage in previous posts, so I won't bore readers (again) with the details.

Anyway, when a friend of mine shared this meme on Facebook...

(Image found on Solitaire Wargames Facebook Page)

..I felt it certainly applies to me regarding my entire collection of games.

I'm sure this is true for some (many?/all?) of you gamers out there.

Despite my lack of table-top time with WH40K I'm happy with my "small" collection, which is about the size of a reinforced mechanized infantry company.

I have a concept of how I'm going to organize it, what the unit will be called and webcomic stories I'll concoct about.

As soon as my foot heals and I can withstand standing for long photo shoots, I'll start posting what my contributions to the Imperial war efforts are.

Stay tuned!

Product Review: Traveller Customizable Card Game

I started playing and game mastering (GMing)  Traveller within a few years of its initial release.  Although unlike 1d4 Chan’s claim, I’m actually older than the game itself.

Anyway, like some (many?) of you, I sadly don’t have time to play the full role-playing game (RPG).

A month or so ago, my friend Joe and I stopped in The Game Matrix to do some “shopping therapy.”  While browsing, I stumbled across the Beowulf Free Trader Ship Deck.  Despite being unable to read the content description on the back of the small box due to the price sticker, I bought the deck anyway.

It’s a Traveller product—which means it’s good, right?

Well, when I got home that day, I did some in-depth research internet trolling.  

I discovered my new purchase was merely a supplement to the Traveller Customizable Card Game produced by Horizon.  

I thought this game was brand new and was surprised to find Horizon’s products, such as the ship decks, expansion packs and accessories were out of stock.

Come to find out the initial Kickstarter campaign kicked-off just over three years ago.  (Not sure how I missed this one).

So I ventured to Game ON! since they seem to specialize in card games, along with family-friendly games. I ordered just about everything Horizon had to offer—which included another Beowulf Free Trader Ship Deck in the  Starter Set.

After my order arrived, I did a cursory read-through of the rules.

In the past, I’ve steered away from card games because I find them too abstract.  My feelings on this haven’t changed all that much—even after reading the rules.  However, because both playing space and gaming time are in short supply, and because this is a Traveller product, I’m willing to give this a try.

The quality of my new-found purchases are top notch, with lavish illustrations on the cards and in the rulebook.

Reading the rules is one thing—playing the game is something else.

I haven’t played the game yet and I’m still trying to understand the mechanics, so I’m not in a position right now to provide any information on how to play the game.

Fortunately, Michael & Brittany from Horizon are here to help with this Example of Play Video. 

And speaking of actually playing the game, I find that not only are time & space are in short supply—but so are fellow gamers.  We all lead busy lives, and it’s often difficult to get together with one gaming buddy, not to mention assembling a whole crew.

Which is another reason for purchasing this card game—opportunities to play solo.  Here’s a Geek Gamers video of a solo play example.  (I’m glad to see I’m not the only one having difficulty wrapping my head around the rules).

Overall, the game is like Firefly: The Game, without miniatures and a game board.  This may be ironic since there’s been a debate on how much the show’s creator, Joss Whedon, was influenced by his time playing Traveller.

Anyway, despite any vague or hard-to-understand game mechanics, I look forward to “trying my hand” at finding a crew, finding a job and keep flying...

Airfix--The Introductory Wargame, Product Review and Game Report

If you’re a gamer as old as I am like me, you probably got started by playing with Airfix toy soldiers.

These 1/72-scale, soft plastic figures were a staple part of my childhood.  We use to line them up in the back yard and toss pebbles at our opponent’s troops.  The kid with the last man standing won.

This turned out to be a “gateway drug” for my life-long addiction to wargaming.  (But I’m not really addicted—I can quit any time I want to).

Fast forward to 2018.  I was cruising around an on-line gamestore’s site, The Miniature Market I think, and I was delighted to stumble across Airfix Battles The Introductory Wargame by Modiphius Entertainment. 

The game comes with the following—

—A 16-page rules booklet

—A 16-page mission booklet with 10 scenarios

—10 dice

—2 double-sided, grid-square maps

—2 sheets of double-sided die-cut counters representing German and Allied soldiers, vehicles, terrain and various status markers

—A 54-card Command Deck, and

—2 27-card Force Decks (German and Allied)

The counters representing the vehicles and soldiers are top-down views made to the same scale as the 1/72nd scale figures.  In fact, players are encouraged to replace the counters with figures.

All the components are high quality in a sturdy box.  My only complaint is the ruined house counters are identical on both sides.  Modiphius Entertainment missed out on an opportunity to provide players with a variety of buildings for their game.  I imagine this was done to cut down on printing costs.

Anyway, players assemble troops using the Force Deck, based on the scenario being played.  The cards list the weapons and capabilities of the leaders and squads.

My friend Joe and I played Scenario 1:  Link up with HQ!/Halt the Allied Breakthrough!

This covers the German counter attacks immediately after the D-Day Invasion.

The Americans (Ted):

The Germans (Joe):

The game is played on a cardstock map with faint white “+” marks to indicate the grid squares.  (Note:  No diagonal movement is allowed).

Here’s the terrain set-up for Scenario 1:

The forces assemble:

Each square can be occupied by only one unit (a single vehicle, or a 5-10 man squad).

The fire-fight unfolded as follows:

The German veteran squad occupies the southeastern ruined building.

The American veteran squad occupies the northwestern ruined building, while First Squad advances along the road.

Meanwhile, the German Zuerst Squad advances along the southern flank, and the Zweite Squad advances toward the northeastern ruined building.

The American Second Squad charges the German flanking squad...

...with the Americans getting the worst of it.

Despite the lopsided outcome, the Americans manage to inflict a few casualties among the Germans.

The Germans though, finish-off the handful of survivors from the Second Squad.

The American First Squad advances to the southwestern ruined building in an attempt to shore-up the south flank.

The German Zuerst Squad fires a devastating volley into the American squad (by playing a "Fire" Interrupt Card)...

...then beats the Americans in the race for the southwestern ruined building.

Undaunted, the Americans attempt to evict the Germans...

...first with a “commando assault...”

...then with an infantry assault.

Neither attempts succeed in ousting the Germans.

The German company commander joins the Zwiete Squad...

...and orders the men to charge the American veterans.

Over half the American veterans fall, but the pair of survivors, "stayed frosty" (by playing a "Stay Frosty" Card) and were able to hold off the Germans...

...long enough for the First Squad to come to their rescue.

Caught in a crossfire, the German Zweite Squad is annihilated when the American First Squad opened up on them.

However, the American First Squad is caught in the open by the German Zuerst Squad and nearly wiped out.

The final stage of the firefight:

While both side have been mauled by the short and intense firefight, Joe felt he was not in a position—to hold his positions.

Joe and I enjoyed playing Airfix--The Introductory Game.  We both made a couple mistakes during our session, which could have changed the outcome.  While we like card-driven games like this, it’s often hard to remember every bit of capability each of your units have during the heat of battle.  I think hand grenades were the most forgotten about asset squads possessed.

Still, I recommend this game for anyone just getting into the hobby, introducing others to wargaming—or for those of us desiring a bit of nostalgia.