Jet City Comic Show 2016 Initial Walkabout and Purchase Report

(The JCCS Ground Floor Banner)

The Punisher and Deadpool walk into the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center (GTCTC)...

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you about my first time at the Jet City Comic Show (JCCS) this past Saturday.

My apologies for the opening hook, but Deadpool and The Punisher, along with a host of other cosplayers did indeed walk into the convention center.

As I got out of my Jeep in my lazy man's minimalist version of a Punisher costume, I ended up walking-in with a fellow cosplayer dressed as Deadpool.  As we chatted about comics, I thought these characters would make quite a pair.

Apparently, my geek-cred is out of date, because several fans, writers and artist have already thought of it, envisioning likely outcomes such as this...

(Image found on:  Talking Wade)

...or this:

(Image posted by Trevor Brown on Pintrest)

Anyway, JCCS was easy to get to with a parking garage conveniently located next to the GTCTC.  A couple banners, featuring JCCS's icon, Bomber Girl, guided attendees to the 4th and 5th floors.

(The JCCS 4th Floor Banner)

Five panel discussions were scheduled for Saturday, and six on Sunday.  I was interested in attending the first one, Craft of the Short Story, set for 11 AM.  However, I arrived late, because I wanted to sleep-in and squeeze in a quick workout.

(A JCCS banner displayed over the swag table)

It was a perfect Pacific Northwest day to stay indoors.

(A view of the Tacoma Dome on a dreary November day)

The GTCTC is a nice facility, and easily accommodated the crowd.

The lines to turn in your pre-purchased ticket for an admittance bracelet were short, and so were the on-site purchase lines.

The show was busy, but the crowds were not overwhelming like they typically are during the Emerald City Comicon (ECCC).  Since the show was set on a single floor it took me only an hour to do my initial recon/walkabout.

(A view from the far corner, with the food court in the foreground)

Despite my initial walk-through, I ended up staying all day, talking with cosplayers, artists and exhibitors.  During this time, I blew past my $160 budget on books, graphic novels and prints; along with staying for day's finale--the Costume Contest.  I didn't enter because one of the rules stated the costumes had to be at least 60% handmade. 

My lazy man minimalist Punisher get-up consisted of a black t-shirt with the Punisher skull logo, black cargo pants, black boots, a black hip holster carrying a soft-pellet replica of a Desert Eagle 44 magnum.  Despite the little effort I put into this, I received several compliments, and had two artists and an attendee take my picture.

(Another view from the far corner with the gaming area in the distance)

Overall, I was impressed with JCCS. As I mentioned earlier, the show was busy, but I wasn't jostled by the crowd, nor did I stand in long lines.

However, because of the smaller nature of JCCS, the introverted, awkward teenager part of me often manifested itself.  That is, while I felt comfortable chatting with fellow cosplayers and non-cosplayer attendees, I'd grow uneasy talking with exhibitors and artists.

Every artist, writer and exhibitor I talked to were friendly and pleasant.  Some called out to me, referring to me by The Punisher's actual name: "Frank," or "Castle."  Then they'd show me their Punisher-based artwork.

What made me uneasy was knowing these talented folks were here to do business, and make their attendance worth their while.  While I admired many books, graphic novels and art work, many of it wasn't my cup of tea.  Also, shelf and wall space in my home is limited.  So I didn't know an easy way to disengage without possibly disappointing them.

It wasn't just the artist or exhibitors I felt awkward around.  I didn't talk to any of the actor and actress guests, even though there were no lines whatsoever to meet them.  Roger Cross even nodded and said "hi," to which I responded in kind--and then scurried away from his booth.

I know.  My behavior wasn't very Punisher-like, but I didn't know any of the actors or actresses, nor have I watched the shows, or movies they're known for.  So I felt embarrassed at the idea of starting a conversation with any of them.

Anyway, despite my hesitancy of hobnobbing with the stars, I had a great time.  Everyone I did manage to talk to were regulars and enjoyed attending each year.

Now that I've got my initial exposure to JCCS under my belt, I think I'll be more comfortable attending future shows.

JCCS is a nice "starter venue."  That is, it's a good way to introduce someone to the convention scene without overwhelming them by bringing them to an Uber-Mega Con.  My wife was overwhelmed by her one-day visit with me to the ECCC.  I wish I brought her to JCCS first, in order to ease her into my zany world.

Another good thing about JCCS is that it's affordable for a whole family of geeks.  Tickets ran only $10, ($11.50 with tax), while parking ranged from $5 (for 4 hours or less)--$10 (all day). 
 

(A view of the Costume Contest stage)

Despite my self-induce awkwardness, I ended up buying more than I originally intended to buy.

Here's a glimpse of my newfound treasures:

1. Prints

A Bomber Girl Print by Kevin McCoy.

(I bought an official JCCS Bomber Girl print, but I'll mention that in my next post)

2. Books

The Thousand Names, by Django Wexler.

Queen of the World, part of the Meridian Wanderings series, by Kira Cul'tofay.

The Spiral War series by S.F. Edwards.

3.  Comics and Graphic Novels

B Sqaud Volumes 1 & 2 by Eben Burgoon, along with chipping-in on a Patreon fund-raiser for the webcomic Cybersymbiosis by Woody Arnold.

4. Miscellaneous

While I didn't buy any Punisher sketches, or prints, I did get a set of boring but practical drink coasters from Holli Ann Wellner's Fabulous You (Yakima).

5.  Gifts

While 90% half of what I buy at conventions is for myself, I also go gift shopping for others.  Since my wife LOVES the Minions I also grabbed a bag, ID lanyard and key chain for her.

My cunning plan was to give them to her on Thanksgiving, but she spotted the Minion bag in my backpack.  Despite being "busted" I was happy to give them to her early, because she was excited about bringing them to work.

Sometimes even when plans fail, you succeed.

Enfilade 2016 Games for Young Warriors

During this year's Enfilade!convention, one of our GMs hosted a couple of short games geared for kids.

Above is a slide-show montage of his games.

Enfilade 2016 Feudal Battles of the Far East

I have to admit that my knowledge of Asian military history could fit into a sake cup.

So it's always refreshing to me when I do stumble across something beyond my Euro-American centric studies and activities.

During this year's Enfilade convention, four GMs (gamemasters) ran sessions set during Asia's feudal era. 

So my second Enfilade montage is devoted to these games.

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)

Zulu Games at Enfilade 2016

While I posted about our Enfilade Convention's Silver Anniversary Ceremony four months ago, it's been over two years since I made a gaming video.

So last week I decided to get back on track and start sifting through the 1,100+ photos I took during the convention and start composing some themed videos.

I thought it be appropriate to start off with a shout-out to one gamemaster (GM) who hosted a Zulu War or Boxer Rebellion game during every period.

I don't know how Bill does it every year.  I ran three games back-to-back a few years ago and I was mentally exhausted.

Late Commenoration for the 950th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings

(Image from Wikipedia's entry depicting the death of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings)

I was off-line for a couple of days, hunkering down for a storm that fizzled, so I missed commemorating an important anniversary in military history.

"Number Eight" of the The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World (Hastings) was fought nearly a millennia ago, on 14 October 1066.

Over the weekend, a thousand re-enactors participated in celebrating the battle's anniversary.

(Image from: ABC Net, Australia)

For us non-re-enactors, our familiarity with the Battle of Hastings looks more like this, reading from the warmth and safety of our homes:

(Image from:  British Battles)

Or, for talented wargamers, (of which I am not one of them), the battle is an embodiment of "War is Glorious" on our tabletops:

(Image from:  Tree Frog Treasure's Toy Soldiers Forum)

And for us YouTubers, Kallistra Ltd produced a video of their tabletop battle just a few years ago.

(Image:  Still shot from Kallistra Ltd's Battle of Hastings Video)

If I'm still around--and cognizant--in 2066, I'll try to be more timely in posting about the Millennial Anniversary of the battle.

Program Review: Castle, Seasons 1-8

My wife loves Police Procedurals.
I'm a Firefly fan.
Together, we binge-watched all eight seasons of Castle!

Prior to our binging, I heard a lot of good things about Castle, and figured the show would be something we'd both enjoy. So I bought the First Season DVD set several months ago.   Seven additional DVD sets later, we finally finished Season Eight last week.


The Premise:

Richard Castle is a best-selling mystery writer (and Bumbling Dad). 
Kate Beckett is an ace NYPD detective of the 12th Precinct (and Broken Bird).
Together, they fight crime!    

Yeah, I totally borrowed the TV Tropes format for my opening line here.

Anyway, Richard Castle weasels his way into job-shadowing Detective Beckett after helping her and her team of homicide detectives solve a series of copy-cat murders, based on one of his books.  Sparks fly for the first three seasons.  Castle's initial excuse for hanging around was that he found inspiration to write a new series of books about Detective Nikki Heat--based on Detective Beckett.  By Season 4 romance finally blooms, even though it was obvious to everyone around them, that they're a perfect pair.


In between all the will they or won't they? the mismatched duo endeavor to catch the victim of the week's killer.


The Good:

What delighted me most about Castle were the actor allusions to "Firefly."  However, the show went beyond appealing to sci-fi fans.  Just about every episode contained shout outs to numerous TV shows, movies and comics.


I like Nathan Fillion as an actor, and what I envied most about his character was his relationship with his daughter Alexis.  I found myself imagining being the same kind of dad towards my daughter if she lived with me instead of my her mom.  Of course, without the financial fortune, jet-set lifestyle and fangirls throwing themselves at me.  I also liked Castle's generosity towards his new-found friends.  If it wasn't in the precinct's budget--or inside it's rules of ethics--Castle would write a check for anything from paying a ransom to hiring a prostitute (in order to interview her for the case of the week, of course).  He even bought an cappuccino maker to replace the precinct's bad to the last drop machine.
 
However, my favorite characters on Castle turned out to be heterosexual life partners Ryan & Esposito.  On-stage their relationship often mirrored Castle & Beckett's, and from the snippets I've seen, the actors seem to have the same dynamic going for them off stage as well. Each of them had at least one day in the limelight episode that was truly memorable.


The Bad: 

Castle certainly wasn't flawless.

As is usual with every TV series ever created, the main characters do everything.  In this case, a metropolitan police district's homicide unit was comprised of three detectives, plus a tag-along.  Not to mention putting said tag-along in harm's way on a routine basis.

And since this cadre was critical to fighting crime, we knew the writers weren't going to kill off the main characters.  Besides, we had all eight seasons worth of Castle DVDs.  So we found each story to be more amusing and interesting, rather than exciting.

The biggest problem, however, was arc fatigue.  Castle was more than just an episodic dramedy about romance, and the body of the week.  There were numerous story arcs, which took more than one episode to complete, and many of these in-turn, would span several seasons.  In fact, half of them were linked to each other in some way or another.  These shows were darker and edgier stories, and were our least favorite.  Watching these required viewing one--or usually more--breather episodes in order to prepare ourselves for the next downward spiral.

By the last episode of Season 7, several Big Bads have been killed-off or incarcerated, and Richard Castle finally won a coveted literary award.  Things were looking up for everyone else, who've finally become a band of true companions...and then they get the adventure continues phone call, because another murder has been committed.

(Image:  Castle Season 6 Wallpaper)

This, however, turned out to be a series fauxnale.  The man behind a Big Bad, known as "LOKSAT," emerged.  Most of the stand-alone shows were tainted by the LOKSAT Arc.  Episodes completely devoted to thwarting LOKSAT were tedious to watch, and the season finale struck a sour note with fans everywhere.  It was obviously intended as a cliffhanger.  But at some point in production, when it was clear there wouldn't be a Season 9, a seven years later scene was slapped on to give Castle & Beckett a babies ever after ending--and something for fans to coo about.


Except fans reacted with more boos than coos.  So much so, that many (all?) Castle fans have mentally written-off Season 8 in it's entirety.

TV Tropes has an entire list of Castle clunkers on it's Your Mileage May Vary Page, along with some headscratchers.


The Awesome:

Overall though, I think the show is awesome.  Just how awesome?  Well TV Tropes has a list of awesome Castle moments, along with the funny and heartwarming ones.

I'm now as much a fan of Castle now as I am of any sci-fi or fantasy program. Castle now has a fictionalized and even defictionalized expanded universe.  That is, there are now several real Nikki Heat novels...

(Image:  Cover to Book 1 of 8, with #9 due in 2017)

...Derrick Storm books...

(Image:  Cover to Book 1 of 5)

...and Derrick Storm graphic novels ghost-written for the fictional writer Richard Castle. 

(Image:  Cover to Book 1 of 4)

My wife bought me the first two Derrick Storm graphic novels, which I haven't read yet.  I'll probably ask for the first books in both the Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat novels next.

So Castle will live-on long past its cancellation.


Castle Sites:

TV Tropes also has a page listing every Castle-related trope from A to Z, a character page, along with a episode recap page (which is incomplete at this time).

In addition to TV Tropes and Wikipedia, there's the following Castle sites:

Castle TV

Castle Wiki 

Happy Columbus Day!

(Image from:  MBA in the USA)

Book Review: Conan the Roleplaying Game (2nd Ed)

I've been a fan of Conan the Barbarian ever since I started sporadically reading the comics back in the '70s.

I saw the original movie when it came out...

(Image:  1982 movie poster)

...but have skipped the 2011 box office bomb.  Although I do have the DVD, which I still haven't watched yet, in order to complete my Conan movie collection.

(Image:  2011 movie poster)

I've always considered Howard's Hyborian Age one of the best fantasy settings, second only to Tolkien's Middle Earth, but certainly more bawdy and sensual.

So as a role playing game (RPG) enthusiast, I was happy to stumble across an inexpensive copy of  Conan: The Roleplaying Game (2nd Edition), produced by Mongoose Publishing.

 This 420-page tome is divided into the following chapters:

1.   Introduction
2.   Overview
3.   Races
4.   Classes
5.   Skills
6.   Feats
7.   Equipment
8.   Combat
9.   Sorcery
10. The Hyborian Age
11. Gazetteer
12. Religion
13. Bestiary
14. Campaigns
15. Index

The book also includes a two-page character sheet, and color maps of Hyboria inside the front and back cover.

If you're familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, or any other "D20 Open Game License (OGL)" game, then you'll find Conan:  The RPG easy to understand, because the game mechanics are identical.

Since I like the D20 System, I look forward to the day when I can either run a session as a gamemaster (GM), or participate as a player character (PC).

While I enjoyed reading the Fluff about the late Hyborian Age, at the time Conan is king of Aquilonia, this was a difficult book to read.  Not because the content was hard to understand, but due to the poor quality of the materials and layout.

I like reading hard cover books like this while I'm working out on a stationary cardio machine.  It alleviates the boredom.  However, I couldn't lay this book flat and read it without holding it with my hands, which makes working out more difficult.  When I tried pressing the book flat--the binding ruptured.  Fortunately, the pages didn't come loose.

There's also the problem with the page format.  Each page is illustrated with the same racy, black and white montage artwork along the borders.  (Apparently this was suppose to be an improvement over the scandalous full-color artwork).  As a result of keeping the artistic border, the print is set very close to the spine, making it even harder to read anything within the center of the book.  Also, the pages themselves also feel flimsy and composed of cheap paper.

Despite these quality-control flaws, I'm glad I have this in my RPG collection, as long as I don't read it from cover-to-cover again.  Content-wise, I'd rate the book at 4-stars.  Quality-wise, I'd give it 2, maybe 3-stars.

Conan:  The RPG received high praise on RPG Geek, and  snagged a 4.5-star rating on Amazon.com.
The two 3-star raters didn't care for the game using the D20 system.

The new Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of should have been released a few months ago.  Because of this new release, it seems that the Conan: The RPG (2nd Ed) and other Mongoose Publication material is available for (free?) download.

Book Review: Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG

Several years ago, I inadvertently started collecting playing pieces from the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game (CCG) produced by WizKids.

Normally, I don't care for games with the word "collectable" in the title.  This means each package contains random playing pieces, some being extremely rare, and therefore expensive.  As a wargamer, I want to know exactly what's in the package.  So when the first set of this game, Pirates of the Spanish Main (PotSM), was released, I ignored the hoopla.

A few years later though, while visiting my mom in my hometown, I ventured into the local game store, Fat Cat Comics.  While at the checkout counter I flipped through a binder containing individual pieces of PotSM organized in baseball card holders.  I liked the flat pieces representing terrain, such as islands, reefs, sargasso, and fog banks.  So I bought every bit of terrain Fat Cat had to offer.

I figured these pieces could be used for the Age-of-Sail boardgames I already owned.  Then I started scouring the local game shops in my area, and eBay, for:  Pieces of Eight coins as play money for the pirate role-playing games (RPGs) already owned, along with character cards for quick non-player character (NPC) sketches. 

My addiction tapered off when Wizkids started releasing Pirates of the Mysterious Islands (steampunk) and Pirates of the Frozen North (Vikings).

But since I still held on to my unassembled  collection, I decided to go just one step further and buy Pirates of the Spanish Main RPG (shortened to "Pirates RPG" to avoid confusion with the CCG).

This RPG, was produced by Pinnacle Entertainment Group and based on their Savage Worlds rules.

The book weighs-in at 255 pages, and is divided into a dozen chapters:

1.  Getting Started
2.  Characters
3.  Gear
4.  Age of Piracy (setting overview)
5.  Game Rules
6.  Flashing Blades (a listing of fencing schools)
7.  Life at Sea
8.  Gamemaster Section--Gazeteer
9.  Running the Game
10. The Lady's Favor (an introductory adventure)
11. Encounters (NPCs and Bestiary)
12. Index

Among the illustrations similar in style to the original CCG, you'll find:

Character Sheet and Ship Chart
Blast and Turning Templates
Map of the Spanish Main (on the inside front and back covers)
Two grid maps of the Caribbean (one showing the prevailing winds)

(Image:  Map found on page 2 of the rulebook)

The book does a good job of incorporating the CCG material into the Savage Worlds rules.  In keeping with the CCG, this is not an historical game, but a constructed world "...loosely set in the late 17th Century or early 18th Century" (page 62).  There's even some magic and supernatural hazards players may encounter.

While I can enjoy a romp through alternate history, I wish the folks at Pinnacle, and Wizkids for that matter, put a bit more effort into being more accurate about ships and naval artillery.

For example:  "Frigates carry goods around the Main and back to Europe"  (page 118).

This isn't even close to the true definition of this well-known ship type.

Then there's the ship weapons, listed on page 123 as :  Bowchaser, 4-pounder (pdr) cannon, 8-pdr, and 16-pdr.

Not only are these gun ratings off-base, but this also means the ships in both games are seriously under-powered.

Despite these nautical inaccuracies, I liked what I read in the Pirates RPG, which received a 4.4-star rating on Amazon.com, and a 4-star rating on RPG.Net.  I'd rate the game about the same, but one 3-star rater's comment on Amazon is worth mentioning:  That no other support material, supplements or active user community, except for a handful of downloadable material.

So if you want to make use of all those CCG ships for swashbuckling adventures of derring do, then grab a hold of an available copy of the book, or download it from Drive Thru RPG.

(Image:  Pirates RPG publication announcement)