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)

Upcoming Game Convention: Tactical Solutions 2018

Enfilade is just one of several gaming conventions sponsored by the Northwest Historical Miniature Gaming Society.

Next weekend, Tactical Solutions will be held at the Red Lion/Centennial Inn, in Spokane, WA.

I've been wanting to attend this convention for years, but haven't been able to coordinate the time off from work or other commitments.

And unfortunately, this year's no different.

To "atone" for my non-attendance, I concocted a few e-card/webcomic advertisements for this upcoming convention.

The pictures are from the Fix Bayonets Game Day I managed to attend a couple weeks ago.

One of these years, I'll make some webcomics for Tactical Solutions from pictures I take while attending Tactical Solutions.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these.

Caption Contest Prize from the International Thriller Writers Organization

Early last week, I stumbled across the above photo posted on Facebook by the International Thriller Writers Organization (ITW).  It was a Caption This Tuesday Contest for their upcoming Thrillerfest XIII.

I concocted a caption, and a few days later, the ITW's Social Media & Authors Relations Manager notified me that I won!

Not satisfied with "resting on my laurels," I created this gag-a-day webcomic featuring my caption:

I also created this e-poster for ITW to use  in promoting their flagship conference:

 
I attached copies of both of these back to the ITWs Social Media Manager, asking her if I could use these, along with offering them to ITW for their use.  She happily agreed.

My prize, a copy of The Drifter, by Nicholas Petrie, along with an ITW pen and some promotional flyers, arrived in the mail yesterday.

So, spending my youth and adolescence watching Looney Tunes wasn't a waste of time after all.

"Fall-In!" Game Convention and Bolt Action Game

For those of you on, or traveling to the east coast, HMGS's Fall In! is next weekend.

If you go, be sure to check out--or better yet--sign up for the "Bolt Action for Indochina" game my friend Tim will be hosting.

Here's the synopsis, with pictures from one of Tim's play test games:

Going Upriver:

Relief of Outpost PK42

Outpost PK17 on the Black River is in trouble.  We have received transmissions that they are threatened by a substantial force of Vietminh.  Elements of the 1re Flottille Amphibie has been ordered to transport a quick reaction force of French and Vietnamese paratroopers to Outpost PK42 to relieve them and then engage and destroy any enemy forces encountered.    

This outpost is critical as it is a well-used ferry and if it falls into enemy hands they will greatly strengthen their ability to supply Vietminh and local forces operating in the region.

Platoons from 1^st BEP and 5^th BPVN have been tasked with the operation.  Strength and location of enemy forces in the region are not known, but assumed to be Vietminh regulars.

   

Make haste!   The garrison is counting on you.
Players 16 and up or younger, if supervised by an appropriate Commissar.

Well?  You read the initial briefing.  

What are you waiting for?  Sign up for Fall-In! and for Going Up River.  

The garrison is counting on you!

Honoring Memorial Day

(Image from:  Memorial Day 2017 Pictures)

Best wishes to all of you this Memorial Day.

Murphy's Law of Combat at Enfilade 2017

I often find an flimsy excuse a solid reason to quote one of Murphy's Laws of Combat in any given
situation or endeavor.

Wargaming is no exception for me.

So with NHMGS's Enfilade 2017 just over a week away, I trolled through last year's pictures whice seem to evoke a couple of these laws.

Enfilade 2017 E-Postcards

For the past couple of weeks I've been trolling through the pictures I tool during last year's Enfilade! for inspiration to promote this year's convention.

While I took over 750 pictures, I kept coming back to one Gene Anderson's kid-friendly "Games for Young Warriors."

The led photo lent itself to a humorous "Wish You Were Here (Sharing the Misery and Danger)" post card-style image.

And oddly enough, one of my favorite images of last year's Enfilade is this one of a handful of Foreign Legionnaires making a last stand against the horde of Arabs.

It seems like every game game session I've participated in, at least one player will reference a movie or TV show quote, or character catchphrase. 

Since gaming and movie quotes often fit well together in a "peanut butter and jelly" sort of way, the Legionnaire's last stand seemed like a natural for Oliver Hardy's catchphrase rebuke to Stan Laurel.

(Image of Laurel and Hardy in Beau Hunks)

Laurel and Hardy's heyday was actually before my time.  (Really, I'm not THAT old).

However, growing up in the pre-VCR Era, there was no On-Demand, or Netflix.  Outside the three networks' prime time viewing slot, the movies and TV shows my siblings, friends and I watched were at least 10 years old.  Most were a lot older.

So I'm well acquainted with not only Laurel and Hardy, but Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals (Our Gang)--and since I was raised in Upstate New York--The Bowery Boys.   

I'll keep trolling the internet for some classic comedy gems to steal incorporate to my own repertoire.

The Broadside Newsletter: Issue #2--Enfilade 2017

Our annual Enfilade! convention is less than a few weeks away.

To help promote this occasion, I concocted Issue #2 of The Broadside Newsletter.

I also conjured-up a couple of web posters, the first used as the led image for this post

The newsletter is a short, illustrated synopsis gleaned from the convention's Planned Events List (PEL), written by the Enfilade Events Coordinator, Dave Mebust.

(Page 1)

(Page 2)

(Page 3)

(Page 4)

Since Enfilade 2017 hasn't come to pass yet, I used some of the pictures I took from last year's convention.

This image is my favorite candid shot:

I couldn't resist using the player's predicament for a humorous poster.

Preview: Monday on "Strange Inheritance"--Toy Soldier Story 2

I'm currently working on the pictures I took during my one-day visit to the Emerald City Comicon.

While trolling the internet, I stumbled across this trailer for tomorrow's episode of Strange Inheritance.

Although as a tabletop gamer, I don't find this particular inheritance strange at all.

On My Way to ECCC!

As luck would have it I have some time off this week--enough to attend the 15th Emerald City Comicon.

However, when I got around to actually buying tickets, only one day was left.

I hope to make the most of it.

Afterwards, I'll post whatever pictures I manage to take and comment on any (mis)adventures I have.

So stay tuned!

Comic Show in Tacoma, WA This Weekend!

(Image of Bomber Girl found on:  Radio vs. the Martians)

The Jet City Comic Show (JCCS) returns this weekend to the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. 

I've never attended this show/convention because it always fell on a weekend I was scheduled to work.

This is partly true this year, but I have an opportunity to attend one day out of the two day show.

Maybe.  As long as my schedule holds true, for the next several days at least.

Tickets are still available and are very inexpensive.  My one-day pass was $11.50, which included sales tax.

If I manage to make it, I'll be sure to post pics and write-up.

(Another image of Bomber Girl by Rebekah Isaacs)

Happy Halloween!

(Image from:  Northwest Crossing)

Last year, we had a 100-piece bag of candy, and ran out before we planned on turning in.
I ended up giving out cocoa packets from my stash of Starbucks Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa.

This year, we bought a bag of 155-pieces of candy--along with cocoa, this time from Nestle, and hot cider packets specifically for trick-or-treaters when the 100th piece of candy is gone.

Hopefully we'll be ready.

(Image by:  Joao Francisco Oliveira)

A Visit to the EMP's Star Trek Exhibit

(Image from the EMP Museum website)

A couple of weeks ago, I waxed poetic about Star Trek's Golden Anniversary.

Even though I still haven't seen Star Trek Beyond yet, I did manage to go to the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibit at Seattle's EMP Museum (Experience Music Project).

I was hoping to venture up to the Emerald City on Star Trek's exact anniversary day, but my wife and I were too busy.  However, we both had last weekend off while her sister and brother-in-law were visiting us.  This turned out to be the perfect outing for all of us since we grew grew up watching the show.

The museum allowed visitors to take photographs, but did not allow the use of camera flashes.  I don't like using the flash anyway, so this didn't bother me initially.

However, the exhibit hall was very dark.  As a result, I had to max out nearly every editing function on my computer to make the subjects of each picture discernible.  This process took over a dozen hours of sifting through 149 photos.  Even with 89 usable pictures, it was difficult to obtain a good image without some video reflection, or lens-flare from an overhead light.

What follows is a sample montage of our adventure.

Entering the strange new world...

(...and taking many small steps for "Fankind")

The Starships

(The USS Enterprise)

(USS Voyager and Galaxy Class Enterprise)

(USS Voyager)

(Deep Space Nine)

The "History" of Star Trek

(Where the various shows fit in to our "future history")

(There's quite a gap between the Original Series (TOS) and the Next Generation)

The Museum's Artifacts

(The exhibit's main floor)

The Original Series:

(The Enterprise's bridge with Kirk and McCoy's uniforms)

(Starfleet women's uniform, worn by Lt. Nyota_Uhura)

(Helm and navigation control)

(A blurry picture of a control panel)

The Next Generation:

(Geordi La Forge's uniform)

(Captain Jean-Luc Picard's uniform)

(Counselor Deanna Troi's uniform)

(Lt. Commander Data's uniform and display)

Deep Space Nine:

(Captain Benjamin Sisko's uniform and DS-9 display)

Voyager:

(Seven of Nine's and Captain Kathryn Janeway's uniforms)

Enterprise:

(T'Pol's and Captain Jonathan Archer's uniforms and display)

Adversaries in Star Trek

The Federation's opponents ranged from worth Cold War Era stand-ins...

(The Klingon Display)

(Klingon weapons and battlecruiser model)

...to a terrifying "Horde of Alien Locusts"...

(An occupied Borg Alcove)

...along with the misunderstood...

(The Gorn costume)

...to the darn-right cute & cuddly.

(The Tribble display)

Sometimes our enemies are our darker selves.

(Kirk's Mirror Universe uniform)

But the best Star Trek nemesis by far is...

(The Khan Noonien Singh Display)

(Ricardo_Montalban's costume in The Wrath of Khan)

...well, at least the original.

(Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan-reboot costume)

Star Trek Props

What I found most remarkable about the props used in Star Trek was--how unremarkable they are.

(Some familiar items used in the Original Series)

After half-a-century, they even look shoddy compared to more updated props.

However, this is what makes them so amazing.  That a pop culture phenomena was launched on such an small budget, making due with whatever the prop manager could cobble together.

Oddly enough, the exhibit I, my family and even a coworker liked the most was this diorama showing how the Enterprise Set was arranged.

(The real Starship Enterprise)

Star Trek Creator and Patron

(Gene Roddenberry's bio)

Here's another reason to "love Lucy:"

(Lucille Ball is attributed to saving Star Trek before it began)

Star Trek's Impact on Today's Culture

(Star Trek themed merchandise)

(More 'Trek merchandise)

(Even our president was a fan:  Obama and Nichelle Nichols renders the Vulcan Salute)

Interactive Displays

(The famous crawl spaces named after designer Matt Jefferies)

(Yours Truly in a Jefferies Tube)

In addition to scampering through a futuristic crawlspace one can even star in their own "movie," which consists of virtually beaming down to some hostile environment and resolve a critical situation that only main characters can accomplish.

("Away Team Instructions")

 In this story, I drew the short straw heroically volunteered to beam aboard a damaged freighter about to crash into an inhabited planet.  My assignment was to destroy the ship's Phlebotinum Core--with a hand phaser--before it reached the planet's atmosphere.

 (A one-man Away Team preparing to beam aboard a stricken vessel)

My mission was a success, probably because I wasn't wearing a Red Shirt for this operation. (I tried uploading the video my wife took, but I couldn't get it to play here on Blogger).

Speaking of attire, I didn't see any cosplayers at the exhibit, but back in May there was an opening day costume party.

The Star Trek:  Exploring New Worlds exhibit will continue at the EMP through 17 February 2017.