Enfilade 2013 Saturday Afternoon Fly-By

(Image: Poster art for The Blue Max)

 

Every Memorial Day Weekend, NHMGS holds its annual flagship convention:  Enfilade!  This year's theme was:  Warfare on the Silver Screen.

 

Unfortunately, due to my work schedule, I didn't get a chance to partake in any of the movie-themed games.  I did, though, conduct a "fly-by" with my friend Joe and spent Saturday afternoon  meeting other gaming friends, browsing the Bring & Buy...

 

 

...the vendor stands...

 

 

...and snapping nearly 120 pictures of all the gaming events during the Time Block D Period. 

 

 

Despite not delving into any of the gaming action--other than being an annoying shutterbug--I did walk away with a few bags of gaming loot.

 

After my initial walkabout, I bought nearly 2 dozen 6mm buildings from Sven's Sculpts , along with some latex minefields. 

 

The rest of my money was spent on a couple of out-of-print games I found at Gem Games & Hobbies.

 

First was Renegade Legion Leviathan.  While I did see a copy at the Bring & Buy, along with Renegade Legion Interceptor, neither game contained the rules. 

 

 

While there are Renegade Legion fans out there in the cosmos, only a couple of sites appear to be active:  Mad Coyote's Renegade Legion Site and the Renegade Legion Forum. 

 

I've had Cry Havoc for years, so I'm always on the lookout for any of the expansion games that were made.  After buying Leviathan, I spotted Siege on another shelf.

 

 

What I especially liked about this game was the counters were already punched-out, so all they'll need is some minor trimming.  Even though the Cry Havoc series is out of print, there's still an on-line fan site and material can be found on-line at Cry Havoc Games.

 

While I certainly enjoyed my roadtrip/shopping spree with Joe, I hope my work schedule is more "gamer friendly" next year!

Remembering Memorial Day

(Images by Craig Biscare Photography)

 

While trolling the internet for Memorial Day images, I stumbled across these photos of a mother and son, that I found especially moving...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to all who served and sacrificed...

 

Struck Out with Striker

 

A couple of days ago, my wife and I went to the  Half Price Books store in Tukwila, WA, after having lunch with family and friends.  I've been rather lucky at finding great deals on out-of-print games and rules supplements during such forays.  On this day, I stumbled across a wrapped box of Striker for $35.

 

But as it turned out, my luck had run out.  It wasn't until we got home that I opened the box, only to discover it didn't contain any of the Striker booklets, but Books 1 and 3 of the Traveller role playing game (RPG)...

 

 

...along with the rulebook for the game Snapshot.

 

 

WTF!?

Someone pulled a fast one. 

 

Here's what should have been in the box...

 

 

While I was mentally kicking myself for not opening the game before I left the premises (or asked the cashier before I even bought it), I double-checked the price tag to see if I misread it.  Nope.  The label stated that the box contained "Rules for 15mm miniatures," instead of something like, "assorted Traveller booklets."

 

I called right away.  Fortunately, I talked to someone who was familiar with Striker and was assured I could return the box for a full refund.

 

I had the desperate urge to zip back to Tukwila right away.  However, it was late afternoon and the highways and byways of the I-5 Corridor were already choked with traffic.  So any "zipping" would have to wait until the next day. 

 

There was only one problem--two actually:  I had appointments with both my chiropractor and my primary care physician, at two different locales, of course.

 

After my morning workout, I rushed home, grabbed some breakfast to go, along with a mega-sized mocha my wife brewed for me and drove Hell for leather the posted speed limit up to Tukwila.  I arrived several minutes after the store opened.  In addition to the game I was returning, I brought along a bunch of DVDs my wife and I were getting rid of as part of our home consolidation process.

 

Enter the plot twist...

 

As I was dropping off my DVDs for appraisal, the cashier asked to see my drivers license.

 

Upon presenting it to him, he declared, "I can't accept that.  Your license expired last week."

 

YGTBSM!!!

 

(Okay, I should have known that my license was about to expire.  But in my defense, I rarely use it and rely instead on my military ID.  Also, the last time I renewed it the Department of Licensing sent me an e-mail notification and I was able to complete the renewal process on-line).

 

Despite getting my refund, I was now in a bigger predicament than being gipped out of $35.  I raced drove the posted speed limit to my chiropractor's office with 10 minutes to spare--only to languish for another 25 minutes in his waiting room. 

 

By now I had less than an hour between appointments, so I sped drove the posted speed limit to a licensing place near where we live--to discover they only do plates and tags.  Once I got directions to the Department of Licensing (DOL), I was off on another wild leisurely ride. 

 

Of course, when I arrived at the DOL, I was confronted by the usual mob scene.  When I got my number, I asked the teller how long was the wait.  When he said "an hour," I looked at my watch.  I only had 30 minutes to get to my medical appointment. 

 

Mission abort!

 

I came back after my doctor's appointment and waited over an hour to be seen.  The folks working at the DOL were actually pleasant and I was told that Mondays were the worst days, by far, to conduct any business there. 

 

In the end, I managed to get my license renewed--and not get a speeding ticket in the process.  But jeez, it was a long, long day.

 

(What a complete game of Snapshot should look like)

Book Review: The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1

 

Wow!  It's been over two weeks since my last post.  Sorry folks.  I've been--and still am--in the process of moving, so my posting rate has slowed as a result.

 

Despite my relocation activities, I did manage to finish at least one book in order to provide some blog fodder for this month, which happens to be:  The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1. 

 

This tome, weighing-in at 544 pages, is actually a compilation tales from numerous issues of the Savage Sword of Conan comics, that were popular in the '70s and published by a  Marvel Comics imprint. 

 

Stories include such classics as The Frost-Giant's Daughter and A Witch Shall be Born, both derived from Robert E. Howard's original works.

 

(Image:  A Frank Frazetta classic!)

 

As a compendium, it has been well received; earning 35 x 5-star and 13 x 4-star reviews, out of 54 on Amazon.com.  Six low-scoring reviews are evenly divided between 3, 2 and 1-stars. Their main complaints are:  Stories being mere black & white retreads of the '70s-vintage comics, instead of being given the full-color treatment; while the pages are compressed from magazine-size, down to book-size.

 

While I can see their point, I didn't have a problem with these issues and will give this book a 4-star rating.  It seems that most (all?) the other reviewers were fans of the original Savage Sword comics, back in it's heyday.  I certainly remember them, but only picked up an occasional issue, so I don't feel cheated by reading a re-hashed story.

 

Plus--I admit it--I've been a Conan fan since I first gazed upon a Frazetta book cover.

 

Fandom aside, if you're thinking of obtaining this tome, I think Amazon Reviewer, A. Larson has the best advice:

 

Basically, Savage Sword of Conan is a great read, as long as you only read one or two stories, put the book down, go do something else for two weeks, come back, and read a couple more...the problem is all the stories are out of order chronologically, and they basically repeat the same patterns: Conan meets hot chick (usually a different one every time) who doesn't like Conan at first, fights some monsters or warriors or wizard bent on destruction, hot chick is captured, Conan defeats evil and saves hot chick, hot chick falls head over heels for our beefy warlord, and like James Bond, the story closes with them about to do the nasty. Oh, and there's an occassional magical relic.

Therefore, the stories can get very formulatic and its difficult to get excited from one story to the next if you read a lot of them at once. There is barely any character development with Conan, and with no continuing storylines, there are no other characters to care about.

In closing, this book is very good in small spurts.

 

So remember, if you need a shot of escapist fantasy, The Savage Sword of Conan is best administered in low dosages.

"Trimming the Sails"

I haven't been too creative this past week, primarily due to a high operations tempo at work and moving preparations. 

However, what I did accomplish was a lot of on-line "sail trimming."  I discovered several links were no longer functioning, or active.  So I trimmed down the number of side-bar tabs and deleted non-functioning links.  I also deleted blogs and websites that haven't had any activity for the past year.

One of the tabs I deleted completely was the Radio Stations tab.  Just because they were my favorite stations, doesn't mean they're my readers faves.  So "over the side" they went.

I changed the Humor tab to Comic Strips and moved the non-comic strip sites to Entertainment.  I also changed the Webcomic tab to Webcomics and Publishers.

What's the difference between Comic Strips and Webcomics?

Not much really.

I didn't use any strict literary definition, just my personal observation and personal preference in organizing.  The comic strip sites usually display a 1-row, 3-panel of sequential art, as seen in the daily funnies.  Often these strips are episodic, that is, each strip encapsulates a complete story.  On the other hand, there are strips that have a story arc that spans several days, or weeks.

Wheras, most webcomics have a full-page appearance, much like a printed comic or graphic novel.

Like I said, not very scientific and I know there's one, or more exceptions to my organizational criteria.

Since blogs aren't suppose to be static, but continually evolving, I may do some tweeking to my reorganization.  And I promise I'll keep a better "weather-eye" out for defunct links.

Noteworthy Blog #4: Lord Ashram's House of War

(Image:  Lord Ashram's Game Room)

 

Comics and wargaming seem to go hand-in-hand.  I read comics when I was a "tweenager" and re-discovered graphic novels about 15 years ago.  Upon reaching my teen years, my brother introduced me to wargaming and my interest in comics fell by the wayside for nearly 3 decades.

 

I've done no scientific polling, however, I've observed a lot of gamers also like comics and graphic novels. 

 

These two interests reached a convergence point when my friend Adrian introduced me to Comic Life a few years ago.  Since then, I've fallen in love with presenting After Action Reviews (AARs, also known as battle reports, or game reports) in a comic format. 

I'm not the only gamer who uses, or at least dabbles in, using a comic format for his AARs.  One such personage experimenting with the comic-gaming format is "Lord Ashram." 

I can't remember when I started following Lord Ashram's House of War, but I remember being attracted to the pictures of his elegant game room.

Yesterday, he posted what he said was his second comic style report of a session of X-Wing. 

But be forewarned:  This encounter "deviates from the Star Wars script!"

(Image from a Rogue Squadron Comic)

Product Review: Assassin

 

Hot on the heals of my review of Trigger Men, I thought I'd continue with the "hit man theme." 

 

Last spring, I got together with two of my friends, Tom and Terry, for an impromptu gaming session.  With little time to prepare, nor to re-familiarize myself with some complex rules, I decided to give Assassin a try, especially since Terry's a James Bond aficionado. 

 

I won this used game for $5 at an auction during Consimworld's Expo four years ago.  I was the only bidder and that should have been the first clear indicator that something was amiss. 

 

The second indicator was the lame, Parcheesi-style playing pieces.  Fortunately, I have a plethora of role playing game (RPG) counters from Fiery Dragon, that I cut and mounted on mat boards.  So instead of looking like this... 

 

 

...our game looked like this: 

 

 

But upgraded counters don't necessarily make for a great game.  Oh, we had a pleasant time alright and I think Tom won (and wound up being the assassin to boot).  But we ended up struggling with the game mechanics more than we did with each other.

 

Assassin is Mille Bornes--with guns.

 

 

 

Each player is dealt several cards, which he use to travel to various Euro capitals to collect points.  Nothing exotic like top secret files, just "points."  At least there are a couple of twists.  First, there is an assassin card, which one player may use to "make a hit" against another player.  The targeted player may utilize a card to thwart, or avoid the assassin. 

 

Second, there are four "machine gun cards."  Once the fourth machine gun is played, the game ends.  So no one knows how much time they have in order to win, a "ticking clock" in a sense.

 

 

The most frustrating aspect of the game is the inability to go anywhere, for extended stretches of time, before you get the right cards. 

 

 

 

If you end up at end-points with limited Travel Card options, you could be languishing in places like London, Madrid, Athens and Kiev for a  long, long time. 

 

 

I'm being somewhat generous in my review, because I don't regret acquiring this game.  I usually buy boardgames with other uses in mind.  I can incorporate Assassin's map, along with the Fiery Dragon counters, into one of the modern-ish role playing games I own.  Plus, I've spent $5 on worse things and this game doesn't take up too much space on my shelf.

 

While regular wargamers hold this game in contempt, Assassin can be played as a "compromise" game for a mixed group of wargamers and non-wargamers.  At least until whatever novelty there is, wears off...

 

(Image of the Carrom Family)

 

If you want to read a real scathing review, check out Richard Berg's post on Boardgamegeek (BGG).

 

Copies of Assassin can still be found on sites like BGG's Marketplace and Noble Knight Games.

Book Review: Trigger Men, Volumes 1-4

 

I hate organized crime.  To say criminals--organized or otherwise--are a blight upon civilized societies would be stating my opinion mildly. 

 

Because of my animosity towards the criminal underworld, I'm not interested in books, movies or TV programs centered around mafia bosses, drug kingpins and their ilk.  I've never watched the The Sopranos...

 

 

 

 

...nor am I tuned into Boardwalk Empire. 

 

 

Heck, would you believe I haven't even seen The Godfather. 

 

 

However, a year ago I wouldn't have considered watching an on-line adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, either.  (See my April 1st blogpost for all the details).

 

So I guess I am capable of exploring new genres--occasionally.

 

One such occasion was this year's Emerald City Comicon, where I stumbled across the folks at Triptych Books.  The company launched a Kickstarter Campaign two years ago and snagged over 60 backers to fund their first project:  Trigger Men. 

 

I chatted with Kyle Winters, the company's manager, who described Trigger Men as a "a dark comedy buddy story about hit men, instead of cops."  I was intrigued, but held off purchasing the graphic novel until the last day.

 

Big mistake. 

 

The graphic novel was sold out, so I had to settle for buying the four individual volumes instead.

 

Trigger Men is a tale of two life-long friends, Matt Whit and Jason McCarthy and their misadventures as hit men.  Don't let their metrosexual appearance fool you.  By "misadventures," I mean the circumstances they find themselves in, along with their friendly and not-so friendly banter. 

 

Jason's devil-may-care attitude is often (always?) the cause for the predicaments the duo find themselves in.  However, this doesn't mean he's shallow either.  At one point his friendship with Matt is tested in a small, buy highly significant way.

 

Matt on the other hand, is the more serious and contemplative of the two.  He feels protective of those he cares about and therefore, appears to have the most to lose.

 

Which makes him the most dangerous of the two.

 

This doesn't mean Matt is without flaws.  He's incapable of expressing his feelings to those he cares about (except for Jason)--even to the very people he feels need his protection.

 

While Trigger Men is indeed a black comedy, it's not what I like most about it. As I read the story, I kept asking myself:  Why did these two become hit-men?

 

There are several hints--and only hints--about Matt and Jason's past.  And this is what I admire most about Trigger Men:  The author's deft handling of backstory.

 

Too often, writers become enthralled with the characters they create, so they want to explain EVERYTHING to the reader.  This usually manifests itself as flashbacks or exposition ("data dump"), just to name the two most infamous types.

 

Such literary devices bring the forward momentum of the story to a screeching halt. 

 

Just about every writer is, or has been, guilty of this sin at one time or another.  (I'm typing this one-handed because I have the other one raised).

 

Mike Andersen does an excellent job of tossing out tantalizing nuggets of background information, without bludgeoning the reader with details.  This is the best way to keep the reader reading, because it fuels the desire to learn more about the characters.

 

I have a hunch--but only a hunch--on what some of these catalysts were that drove Matt and Jason down the dark path they're treading.

 

 

 

Heather Brinesh's stark, black and white artwork enhances the noir feel of the story. 

 

The violence in this graphic novel can be--well--graphic, but it's not gratuitous either. 

 

Despite my misgivings about crime-lit, Trigger Men is a 5-star read. 

 

Speaking of reading, you can check out Chapters 1 & 2, offered in PDF from the Triptych website. 

 

And if you're interested in how Kyle and Mike got started, here's an interview conducted by Jason Vaughn of Meltdown Comics.

100 K Views!

 

I've been off-line for the past several days.  During this time, two momentous events occurred.

 

First and foremost, my fiance and I got married!  We had a small wedding, which was officiated by a friend and attended by 27 other close friends and family members. 

 

While my bride and I were preparing for our wedding day and playing host and hostess for visiting family members, Stern Rake Studio received over 100,000 views!

 

 I'd like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the Studio's subscribers and occasional readers for your support.

 

Your encouragement inspires me to provide quality content for you to enjoy.

 

Program Review: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Now, I'm not the kind of guy...

...who reads Jane Austen novels...

...but ever since I discovered The Guild (belatedly), I've enjoyed several other webseries; all of them the sci-fi and fantasy genres. 

That all changed several months ago, while watching an episode of The Flog.  During these preliminary programs, Felicia Day would open her show by recommending various sites she found on the internet that week.  In Episode 5 (30 Apr 2012), she gave rave reviews for a webseries called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  

The program puts a modern spin on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in the form of a "vlog" (video web log--an internet diary) and sprouted its own website, along with a Facebook Page.  So there are several ways to get caught up.

And speaking of getting caught up, I must admit, I was hooked right-off-the-bat watching the first episode.

The story starts off with Lizzie complaining about her mom's attempt to see her and her three sisters...

...married off to eligible (i.e. rich) bachelors... 

...mayhem ensues. 

From what I've read on Wikipedia Based on my extensive research, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries follows the source material rather closely.  So if you've read Pride and Prejudice, you know how it all ends.

The moral of both stories:  First impressions can be deceiving.

Unlike the other webseries I've watched, which often take place in far-off, fictitious lands, I was drawn into Lizzie Bennet Diaries by the impression that this was, indeed, a young lady's video diary. 

In other words--the show seems--real.

But this "vlog" stretches to 100 episodes, along with three spin-offs (to explore the sub-plots) and won Best Comedy Writing category at the 3rd Annual Streamy Awards. 

Not to mention boasting a legion of fans, some who are talented artists...

My favorite moments are when Lizzie imitates her mother...

...and gets her sisters, friends and relatives involved in "costume theater." 

But this dramedy has its poignant moments too.  The finale between Lizzie and Darcy (Episode 98), is one of the most tender and romantic scenes I've seen in any medium. 

Now, despite all this "mushy stuff," guys--you don't have to worry about getting your Man Card revoked for watching this show.

If confronted, all you have to say is that you're watching a program featuring several attractive women...and before you can explain the plot-line, your inquisitor will be satisfied with your answer.

(Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience here).

What's more, is that you're wife/girlfriend/domestic partner won't mind you watching either, because:

a)  It's an on-line version of a classical piece of Chick lit she's probably read, and

b) There's no overly sensual, not to mention explicit, sexual imagery during any of the episodes.

Talk about a double win!

True, some of the conversations veer into adult themes, especially towards the end, but the show is safe enough for teens to watch--who've probably been exposed to far worse within our school system. 

I give the Lizzie Bennet Diaries a 5-star rating and consider it one of my favorite webseries.

Book Review: SkullKickers Treasure Trove Volume 1

 

Shortly after attending the Writers Unite! panel discussion, I made my way through the comicon crowd and spent a few minutes chatting with Jim Zub.  I liked how he described SkullKickers as the type of adventures he and his buddies use to have while playing Dungeons and Dragons. 

 

That means, a good portion of any adventure is never taken seriously.

 

 

With this in mind, I decided to buy SkullKickers Treasure Trove Volume 1 and get up-to-date on the merry mayhem. 

 

The book is indeed, a treasure trove, containing not only the first full-length features, 1000 Opas and a Dead Body and Five Funerals and a Bucket of Blood; but also the first two original short stories that appeared in Image Comics'  Popgun Anthology.  Another set of short stories appears in the back as "Four Tavern Tales."  There's even an activity section containing puzzles, a sketch gallery, a book review, a recipie for "Skullkicker Stew," some role-playing game stats, puzzles and even a couple paper doll cut out.  (I guess in case you're short of miniatures). 

 

Just inside the hardcover is a map detailing the not-so-serioulsy-named locales the skullkicking team have frequented.

 

Which by the way, the stories themselves revolve around a pair mercenaries and their misadventures.  The human and dwarf, who never gave out their names, became known by fans as "Baldy" and "Shorty."  Their names are revealed in a clever way, but not until the end of Chapter 1 of Five Funerals and a Bucket of Blood.  How these become known as "the Skullkickers" is also unique and funny.

 

And this brings me to what I like most about Skullkickers.  Yes, it is funny with over-the-top violence.  But what impressed me the most were the tightly woven plots of the full-length stories.  Pay attention while reading, because everything comes into play by the end. 

 

I only came across 1 x 2-star review for any of the Skullkicker stories.  This reader liked the story, 1000 Opas and a Dead Body, but thought the coloring was indifferent.  His biggest beef though, was with the book's binding, which was coming unglued.

 

Otherwise, Skullkickers delivers a solid 5-star punch.  I certainly enjoyed the stories and will add another 5-star rating to the series. 

 

The only pet peeve I have is with Baldy packin' a six-gun.  I've never played in a fantasy role-playing game, where firearms were available, so I'm having trouble accepting Industrial Era's hardware into a pre-Industrial saga.  In the stories so far, the pistol is a rarity and viewed with much awe and fear among the hapless masses (often with comedic results).  I'm sure there's a very interesting, and as of yet, unpublished, backstory on how Baldy obtained his piece.  While there are scenes depicting Baldy reloading the handgun, I often ask myself where does he get the rounds to replace the all the ones he fired off? 

 

I guess I'm too much of a purist and shouldn't take the pistol's presence seriously.  Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, Baldy and Shorty may find themselves confronted by someone wielding a "phased plasma rifle"?

 

You can check out Baldy's and Shorty's antics on-line through Keenspot.