So, I was all ready to go to game night this past Tues, and chose to be good husband. The wife was in a bit of a funk. So we hung out together. She usually is not the needy type, she is very self sufficient. She is the type of woman I firmly believe could live without a Man in her life and be just fine. This reminds me of the struggle between a Man's wants whether it be going golfing, the casino, of going gaming. I really wanted to go gaming, but....the wife needed me so I gladly stayed. But I did miss it. :(
So, in its place I did some fun things. I broke out Factory Manager. I had already read the rules and were completely flumxed by them. I mean they made no sense to me. I read the supplement it comes with and that helped immensely. Then I played a demo game against myself. Success! One I actually had fun as weird as that sounds. And I beat myself. Yep, if that is at all possible that is what happened. So I played one board as my making conscious choices, I played the dummy board, following the rules but with no thoughts, and guess what the dummy board Won. Figures.
This game is FUN. And pleasantly short, at least to Le Havre standards. I think a 3-4 person game after the learning curve is 90 minutes. Of course you can get a step by step breakdown on BGG.com. So I am just going to give you my flavor. The rules to play are simple, but the game play will take a while to master to win.
You basically have this factory board, and the goal is to have both production and storage increase to earn money which is how you win. You pick the lowest value so if your production is up to 8 and storage is only 3, you only earn 30 Electro. Which makes fluffy sense, if you produce too much and don't have enough storage well you are screwed. To balance the earning effect you add your production/ storage and subtract the current energy costs.
Ok, how to produce, you buy tiles at the market of robots, machines, and storage. These tiles have production values, storage values, worker costs and energy costs. You try to buy efficient tiles to produce while lowering your worker costs and energy costs.
What I like is the game is intuitive. You look at your board and say hmmm...I have tons of storage but I need to produce. Oh look this robot, produces 3 and lowers my worker by one. I'll try to get that. Bam. That is the whole game. There is bidding, using workers to buy turn order, to work machines, and space limitations on your factory floor causing you to make timing and purchase decisions on what and when to upgrade robots, machines, control panels, etc....
That's it that is basically the flavor or the game. I am very much looking forward to playing this with the BCG. and Russ even mentioned this one he might like to try.
Also getting ready to host my first WHFRP 3.0 day at BCG on 1.02.10 Reading up on the rules and the dungeon. I might have a celebrity on deck to come too. Scott Wegner of Atomic Robo fame!
Also, created my Warmachine 25 point list and painting list to get ready for Warmachine Launch on 1.6.10. Ordered my hardcover book and Khador deck from Myriad.
And have reached out to two more editors on writing some articles, as you can see over the holidays I get to take a break from my day job and do some fun things!
Want to also build and paint up a Huey Helicopter.
Having father/ son day today. Playing with our fully painted Grind Set. I am looking forward to how the game plays "dumbed" down or at an 8 year old level. Don't get me wrong that is more for me than for him. Oh, here is a trick. Use a blow dryer on the Grind models and the arms pop right in.
And here is what is interesting, why can't 3 year olds hold their own trash?
I very much liked Avatar, a good Cameron film. Is the story original not at all, but I don't mind being told the same story again. But then again, I still read Spider Man Comics which is of course the same story. Hey I like the pretty pictures. :)
Phew, ok, I am done for now.
HD.
PS. Are any of the followers interested in Chapter 2 or Darcy's plight? Don't just say yes to say yes, just a wondering
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Remind me to never....
Buy an XBOX roleplaying game. Yep. You guessed it I traded in Dragon Age: Origins. Don't get me wrong it still is the best RP xbox game I have ever played. But....it just was not enough to get me back to play it after about 15 hours in. I, guess what, would play LOTRO when I was in the RP mode. And it is not RP. It is questing, getting loot, and seeing a story. Well, I do that in LOTRO and I like my MMO space better I guess. Now I do love the solo action/ adventure/ story line in xbox. Those I play all day. Bioshock, Thief, Splinter Cell, etc...So I picked up Assassins Creed II. I hear it has a better and more detailed mission and story line.
I regret trading in Arkhum Asylum. I have never kept a video game as a keepsake but I may just pick this up again. As, I did not know, that Mark Hamill does the voice of the Joker. I had no idea, and the Joker rocked in that game. Here is a clip on the cartoon. (cut and paste in browser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gBWpWwIBKw&feature=related
Let's see what else, oh an errata. Nils's diaroama (see pic) Russ as the big headed cowboy, Craig as the Wolf for his penchant to play Werewolf all the time, and I...I was a dwarf but of course! Very cool. And Spooky's pic is up here as well.
The D6G in space!
Working on some more writing pieces, stay tuned.
HD
I regret trading in Arkhum Asylum. I have never kept a video game as a keepsake but I may just pick this up again. As, I did not know, that Mark Hamill does the voice of the Joker. I had no idea, and the Joker rocked in that game. Here is a clip on the cartoon. (cut and paste in browser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gBWpWwIBKw&feature=related
Let's see what else, oh an errata. Nils's diaroama (see pic) Russ as the big headed cowboy, Craig as the Wolf for his penchant to play Werewolf all the time, and I...I was a dwarf but of course! Very cool. And Spooky's pic is up here as well.
The D6G in space!
Working on some more writing pieces, stay tuned.
HD
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Xmas!
Well, all the gifts have been opened. A very good haul this year it seems. My wife and I did something different this year, we picked one special gift as a surprise to the other and the rest we just felt free to spend and then wrap for ourselves. It was more fun that I thought, saving them to Christmas. I decided to splurge and bought the army deal from Wargamers illustrated/ Battlefront. The full US 7th Cav comes with three Hueys "Slicks" one Huey "Hog" Gunship, one special downed Huey marker, GF9 US Army Tokens, and of course platoons of guys. I think it was a steal at $145USD and FREE shipping. When I put some of the models together I will throw up a pic. The special surprise gift was some J.R. Miniature 15mm dirt road segments. These roads really are jimmy jango. I mean the detail on them is amazing complete with little rubber boulders sticks, etc...all fully painted and bendable.
Really really psyched about these roads. They are bigger than I expected but actually when you think about it are the right size so that when tank is on it, it does not look like a bike bath. Can't wait to break these out on the next scenario.
Also picked up PowerGrid Factory Manager and WHFRP 3.0. Excited about both of those as well.
Ok, that is all for now. Merry Xmas.
HD
Really really psyched about these roads. They are bigger than I expected but actually when you think about it are the right size so that when tank is on it, it does not look like a bike bath. Can't wait to break these out on the next scenario.
Also picked up PowerGrid Factory Manager and WHFRP 3.0. Excited about both of those as well.
Ok, that is all for now. Merry Xmas.
HD
Monday, December 7, 2009
ChapterOne
Darcy Rogers parked the rental car in the darkened lot across from her law office. She turned on the radio, hunkered down in the seat, and waited for the late night overworkers to abandon ship. An hour later the last car to leave her building pulled out of the law office lot and turned left—Arnie, she thought--such a hardworking guy. Too bad he was an incompetent fool. She wondered for a moment if the cops would grill him first--maybe even arrest him as the likely perpetrator, but she dismissed the thought. Nobody would ever suspect Arnie of anything, not with those baby blue eyes and a penchant for spilling his guts over the least little sin.
She got out of the car and opened the trunk. The canvas toolbag she’d stolen from her brother had opened during the ride from the airport and now her tools were scattered all over the back end of the car. Cursing to herself she pulled on her gloves, found the flashlight and methodically searched for every item she’d so carefully packed earlier in the evening. She pulled the drawstring on the sack and lifted it. It was heavy—heavier than she’d remembered. She must have stuck something extra into the bag. It didn’t matter. She was strong. She slung it across her back and slammed down the trunk.
She walked across the street and headed for the back of the building where the dumpster sat stinking with the week’s garbage and a ream or two of Arnie’s badly written drafts. She didn’t mind the smell of rotting food, but Arnie’s putrid reasoning made her ill. Arnie the idiot, she thought to herself. If only he knew.
She tramped down into the weeds behind the dumpster and pulled out the ladder she’d hidden during one of her late night practice runs. She maneuvered it into position against the building. She picked up the tools again and started to climb, one hand on the ladder, the other holding on to the sack. It was a two storey climb, but she wasn’t afraid. She was too bent on revenge to be afraid. When she got to the top she opened the sack and drew out the first item she could get her hands on. It was the tire iron—the one thing she hadn’t intended to use—but it would work just fine. She hefted it a couple of times, then she closed her eyes and swung.
She broke the window—shattered it, actually. The shards traveled further than she expected and for a moment she regretted the power she’d put behind her swing. No regrets, she thought to herself. No room for musing, either. The die was cast.
She pulled the remaining pieces of glass out of the window and tossed them to the ground where they landed and split apart against the gravel with a sound that reminded her of the time she and her brother smashed a case of beer bottles against the high school. They were empty, of course. She stopped for a moment, took a breath, listened and looked around at her surroundings. No alarms, no dogs, no lights flicking on against the darkened sky. She was ready for the next part of the plan.
She tossed her canvas toolbag over the broken window and hoisted herself up and through the opening. She set her feet down on the plush carpet of Adam Nolan’s office and stood for a moment to get her balance and survey the room. Other than the glass scattered acros the expanse of the room the place was in perfect order. Perfect, she thought, just like Adam. She felt bad, ruining the order of the place with all the glass making a mess. When she walked out of the room she kicked over the wastebasket, just for fun. Crumpled paper rolled out and settled against the desk. She paused for a moment, taking in the scene. She hoped no one would touch the place until Adam had a chance to see it this way—disheveled, out of sorts, maybe a little dangerous—he’d know it was her, just from way the room looked.
She went to the second floor alarm and punched in the code. She checked her watch and frowned. She’d planned for three minutes, but she’d taken six. There was a good chance the silent alarm had already activated. She had to assume the security company would be pulling into the parking lot in fifteen minutes unless she called, and she couldn’t call—so she had to work fast.
She raced down the hall to the back stairs and pushed open the fire door. She practically flew to the first floor landing and pushed open the door leading to her destination. The office safe was in the back room where Laurie Dunton spent her time pouring over billing records and writing snippy notes about expenses. Darcy hated the snippy notes and hated Laurie—hated her with a passion. She thought about how upset Laurie would be in the morning when she discovered the open safe—she’d probably cry, maybe even faint. Darcy wasted a good five seconds gloating, then she got back to work.
She fished the flashlight out of the bag and focused the beam on the closet. The door was closed and locked, but she was prepared for that. She took a step forward, but then she paused.
It wasn’t a noise, really, but a sense of something—something located off to her left, something large and dark rising up from Laurie’s chair, growing larger, breathing in heavy sighs. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up; she whipped the flashlight around to get a better look, but the beam fluttered and died and she could see nothing except the great shadow moving closer, smelling like Old Spice and cheap whiskey.
In the end, there was nothing she could do but scream.
She got out of the car and opened the trunk. The canvas toolbag she’d stolen from her brother had opened during the ride from the airport and now her tools were scattered all over the back end of the car. Cursing to herself she pulled on her gloves, found the flashlight and methodically searched for every item she’d so carefully packed earlier in the evening. She pulled the drawstring on the sack and lifted it. It was heavy—heavier than she’d remembered. She must have stuck something extra into the bag. It didn’t matter. She was strong. She slung it across her back and slammed down the trunk.
She walked across the street and headed for the back of the building where the dumpster sat stinking with the week’s garbage and a ream or two of Arnie’s badly written drafts. She didn’t mind the smell of rotting food, but Arnie’s putrid reasoning made her ill. Arnie the idiot, she thought to herself. If only he knew.
She tramped down into the weeds behind the dumpster and pulled out the ladder she’d hidden during one of her late night practice runs. She maneuvered it into position against the building. She picked up the tools again and started to climb, one hand on the ladder, the other holding on to the sack. It was a two storey climb, but she wasn’t afraid. She was too bent on revenge to be afraid. When she got to the top she opened the sack and drew out the first item she could get her hands on. It was the tire iron—the one thing she hadn’t intended to use—but it would work just fine. She hefted it a couple of times, then she closed her eyes and swung.
She broke the window—shattered it, actually. The shards traveled further than she expected and for a moment she regretted the power she’d put behind her swing. No regrets, she thought to herself. No room for musing, either. The die was cast.
She pulled the remaining pieces of glass out of the window and tossed them to the ground where they landed and split apart against the gravel with a sound that reminded her of the time she and her brother smashed a case of beer bottles against the high school. They were empty, of course. She stopped for a moment, took a breath, listened and looked around at her surroundings. No alarms, no dogs, no lights flicking on against the darkened sky. She was ready for the next part of the plan.
She tossed her canvas toolbag over the broken window and hoisted herself up and through the opening. She set her feet down on the plush carpet of Adam Nolan’s office and stood for a moment to get her balance and survey the room. Other than the glass scattered acros the expanse of the room the place was in perfect order. Perfect, she thought, just like Adam. She felt bad, ruining the order of the place with all the glass making a mess. When she walked out of the room she kicked over the wastebasket, just for fun. Crumpled paper rolled out and settled against the desk. She paused for a moment, taking in the scene. She hoped no one would touch the place until Adam had a chance to see it this way—disheveled, out of sorts, maybe a little dangerous—he’d know it was her, just from way the room looked.
She went to the second floor alarm and punched in the code. She checked her watch and frowned. She’d planned for three minutes, but she’d taken six. There was a good chance the silent alarm had already activated. She had to assume the security company would be pulling into the parking lot in fifteen minutes unless she called, and she couldn’t call—so she had to work fast.
She raced down the hall to the back stairs and pushed open the fire door. She practically flew to the first floor landing and pushed open the door leading to her destination. The office safe was in the back room where Laurie Dunton spent her time pouring over billing records and writing snippy notes about expenses. Darcy hated the snippy notes and hated Laurie—hated her with a passion. She thought about how upset Laurie would be in the morning when she discovered the open safe—she’d probably cry, maybe even faint. Darcy wasted a good five seconds gloating, then she got back to work.
She fished the flashlight out of the bag and focused the beam on the closet. The door was closed and locked, but she was prepared for that. She took a step forward, but then she paused.
It wasn’t a noise, really, but a sense of something—something located off to her left, something large and dark rising up from Laurie’s chair, growing larger, breathing in heavy sighs. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up; she whipped the flashlight around to get a better look, but the beam fluttered and died and she could see nothing except the great shadow moving closer, smelling like Old Spice and cheap whiskey.
In the end, there was nothing she could do but scream.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Big Sheew....
Up early. Was dragging my carcass around yesterday. Stayed up late playing LOTRO with Brian A. Don. P, Michele A. and Me on Monday in Fornost. A huge instance. Then had game night the next night. Even though the launch of Seige of Mirkwood came out, I still went gaming with humans. Russ owes me a muchkin donut. Had a blast played Scenario II in flames of war. My co-general Brian had his jimmyjango on he was very cheery not worried at all at the doom and gloom of the german tanks about to crush our poor infantry line. He rolled an assualt charge like a champ and one team took out a Panther! We hung in there our reserves never arrived and eventually the germans took our entrenched positions.
Prepping for the show now. Gerie is eating a lego, and I am not getting it. I mean come on what is one lego lost among thousands right?
Got a HUGE show planned for FOW. My bullet list would put any of Russ's to shame. When Craig sees them he is going to pass out. My plan is to keep Russ sitting on his hands as much as possible with Russirruptions but very much looking forward to his input. Craig has read the rule book and wathced me and Don and Brian A play.
Well that is it for now, see you all tonight as we record. Of course you won't hear it until after the weeksend.
HD Out
Prepping for the show now. Gerie is eating a lego, and I am not getting it. I mean come on what is one lego lost among thousands right?
Got a HUGE show planned for FOW. My bullet list would put any of Russ's to shame. When Craig sees them he is going to pass out. My plan is to keep Russ sitting on his hands as much as possible with Russirruptions but very much looking forward to his input. Craig has read the rule book and wathced me and Don and Brian A play.
Well that is it for now, see you all tonight as we record. Of course you won't hear it until after the weeksend.
HD Out
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
