Intro/Random:
Why does Google Ad Words keep suggesting a cell phone snoop to track my two-timing husband? Is it accusing *me* of something, or does it think I'm secretly gay-married to a philanderer?
Mostly not sorry I skipped Comicon this year. Sorry not to be seeing friends, but I think the money savings, and not having to fight the crowds, more than makes up for it.
My Tuesday: Starting to feel the Comicon blues, bummed that my shop didn't jump on the Scott Pilgrim midnight release thing, and my Transformers XBox game won't be here until tomorrow. On the other hand, Texas found my last paycheck from ACC and wants to send me close to $700 in free money. So... on balance? Not a bad day.
Comics I Read This Week:
GI Joe A Real American Hero #156 - Not a fan of the Jugglers or Billy and the ninjas, which dominated too much of the latter half of Hama's run. And COBRA becoming a "Blackwater" type organization is kinda goofy. That said, if you can roll with it, and I can, because I loved Hama's GI Joe, it's a fun return to form for Hama, and the artwork is surprisingly good.
Graphic Novels I Read This Week:
Just Scott Pilgrim Volume 6, actually. Which I thought was really good, maybe not quite great. Volume 4 remains my favorite volume of the series. But the series as a whole is definitely great.
Comics Retailing Thought of The Week:
Talking comics retail with Brandon from Austin Books, Eric from Tribe and the LEOG guys... this was a lot of fun to record, hopefully it's fun to listen to.
Comics News:
Modern Comic covers re-imagined in the Silver Age by Chris Sims. Awesome.
So far, this is my favorite news out of San Diego.
TV/Movies:
Inception was amazing, one of my favorite movies in years. Also gave up some sleep to catch REC 2, and it was also fantastic, better than the first (which I loved.)
Speaking of Inception, Udon Studios has done a pretty decent prequel comic. Which I recommend reading after you've seen the movie.
And this Roger Ebert piece springboards off Inception, but it's mostly about the craft of reviewing and the reactions to it. He also raises the question of whether any movie is universally loved, and a commenter suggests Casablanca. So... anybody out there dislike Casablanca? Because I think that commenter is probably right.
Games:
Started playing Transformers: War for Cybertron this week. It's good, and lots of fun doing the transformations. Love that you can play the whole game as a 3-person co-op. However... the boss battles are frustratingly hard. Not enough to ruin the game, but enough to be annoying.
Rock Band 3 playlist is shaping up nicely
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Weekly Recap - July 17th, 2010
Intro/Random:
Good news from the exterminator... just ants, not termites. And not many ants, at that. Whew!
This week I had mini-churros from Jack in the Box and a Son of a Peach donut from Gordough's. Both were quite delicious in very different ways.
Video is running kinda slow on my computer of late... thinking I need a new system. Also thinking I can't afford said system. I also want an HDTV, an iPhone 4, one of the new XBoxes, a new computer desk and any number of other gadget-y type things I can't afford.
Berkeley Breathed is going to be signing at the IDW booth in San Diego. There's my first slight twinge of sadness I'm not going. On the other hand, knowing I'd probably have to wait in line for hours to get my book signed takes the edge off considerably.
Comics I Read This Week:
Avengers Academy #2 - Not bad. I'm still not really invested in the kids, but Gage is doing interesting stuff with their powers and personalities.
Chew #12 - I continue to love this book. Love the "mistaken page" bit of storytelling this issue, love the Chu/Amelia relationship, love the last page cliffhanger, love Poyo, love the art throughout... just one of my favorite books.
Hack/Slash: My First Maniac #1-2 - A great take on the "year one" story for Cassie Hack. I've long been a fan of this series, and I'm glad to see it getting a new spotlight and a chance for new readers at Image.
Sixth Gun #2 - It was a long wait for the second issue, but totally worth it. Much as I loved Damned, Sixth Gun is even better. Great western/supernatural adventure, love the characters and Hurtt's artwork is fantastic.
Sweets #1 - The book looks fantastic, which is no surprise... the story is expansive and scattered, and it's either going to come together beautifully or wind up being an over-ambitious mess by the end. But there's enough potential in this New Orleans-based crime story that I want to follow up and see which way it goes.
Thanos Imperative #2 - If this is the swan song for the Abnett/Lanning cosmic stuff, they're going out big. So far, it's as good as Annihilation and Conquest. I sure hope these guys are doing the new Cosmic Avengers book, because they've got this stuff down to a science.
Unwritten #15 - Wow, things are happening fast in this book. The literary geography, conspiracy elements and just generally great character interaction make this easily my favorite Mike Carey book, and easily my favorite new Vertigo book since Y and Fables.
Graphic Novels I Read This Week:
Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
BPRD Vol 13 1947
Reread Absolute Planetary Volume 1 and it was actually even better than I remembered it, Was very pleased with Absolute Planetary Volume 2 as well.
Brody's Ghost Vol 1 - Mark Crilley is *criminally* underrated in the comics industry. He's beloved by those that know him, but too few know him. Akiko, his earlier work, is a masterpiece that can most easily be described as Star Wars meets Wizard of Oz filtered through the sensibilities of Miyazaki. After that, the four part Miki Falls is a wonderful piece of supernatural romance.
And now we have Brody's Ghost, drawing on Crilley's asian influences to create a story of ghosts and psychic power wrapped up in a empowering oneself theme with fantastic characters, beautiful art and a very promising story.
Fans of Jeff Smith or Kazu Kibuishi's work should *definitely* check this out. It's a great opener, I can't wait for more, and I hope more people discover Crilley's work
Retailer Thought of the Week:
Almost as annoying as Marvel/DC's "three Wolverine/three Batman" in one week? The *flood* of long-delayed indie books that inevitably crowds my shelves the week before San Diego. At which point they're all competing much harder for the few indie fans' dollars, just like the Wolverine books compete for Wolverine fans' money.
On the upside, however, the flood of IDW material includes Scott Morse's new Strange Science Fantasy *and* Darwyn Cooke's Man With The Getaway Face teaser.
TV/Movies:
Missed Karate Kid at the Drafthouse, so we went to see it at Tinseltown. I actually saw three movies in the theater this week, which is a bit of a rarity. Saw Karate Kid (better than expected, Katy really liked it), Sorcerer's Apprentice (surprisingly solid little urban fantasy action movie. Would have liked more wacky Nic Cage (TM), but... fun!) and Inception (which I'm actually seeing after I write this recap, but I'm excited for).
Covert Affairs: Interesting opener, love some of the supporting cast, and it does have sort of a low-rent Alias feel to it. Of course, I loved the first couple seasons of Alias, and this is merely OK, but... I'll keep up with it for a few episodes, at least.
Accidentally watched about five minutes of a Castle rerun, including the fun opening sequence. Damn it, I'm gonna have to watch this show now, aren't I?
Does it make me a bad fan that I don't care at all whether Edward Norton is the Hulk or not? I like Edward Norton, but I didn't think he embodied Banner the way Downey Jr. just nailed Tony Stark, and I doubt Banner will be very prominent in the Avengers movie.
Along similar lines, if you think we should cast a wrestler for Thor or Captain America because "they're big enough" we can't have a serious discussion about superhero casting.
Walking Dead on AMC is looking pretty promising. The new cast shot is great, and this interview with Michelle MacLaren is pretty good as well.
Other Links:
My sister writes about their son's autism... and I thought she did an amazing job.
Good news from the exterminator... just ants, not termites. And not many ants, at that. Whew!
This week I had mini-churros from Jack in the Box and a Son of a Peach donut from Gordough's. Both were quite delicious in very different ways.
Video is running kinda slow on my computer of late... thinking I need a new system. Also thinking I can't afford said system. I also want an HDTV, an iPhone 4, one of the new XBoxes, a new computer desk and any number of other gadget-y type things I can't afford.
Berkeley Breathed is going to be signing at the IDW booth in San Diego. There's my first slight twinge of sadness I'm not going. On the other hand, knowing I'd probably have to wait in line for hours to get my book signed takes the edge off considerably.
Comics I Read This Week:
Avengers Academy #2 - Not bad. I'm still not really invested in the kids, but Gage is doing interesting stuff with their powers and personalities.
Chew #12 - I continue to love this book. Love the "mistaken page" bit of storytelling this issue, love the Chu/Amelia relationship, love the last page cliffhanger, love Poyo, love the art throughout... just one of my favorite books.
Hack/Slash: My First Maniac #1-2 - A great take on the "year one" story for Cassie Hack. I've long been a fan of this series, and I'm glad to see it getting a new spotlight and a chance for new readers at Image.
Sixth Gun #2 - It was a long wait for the second issue, but totally worth it. Much as I loved Damned, Sixth Gun is even better. Great western/supernatural adventure, love the characters and Hurtt's artwork is fantastic.
Sweets #1 - The book looks fantastic, which is no surprise... the story is expansive and scattered, and it's either going to come together beautifully or wind up being an over-ambitious mess by the end. But there's enough potential in this New Orleans-based crime story that I want to follow up and see which way it goes.
Thanos Imperative #2 - If this is the swan song for the Abnett/Lanning cosmic stuff, they're going out big. So far, it's as good as Annihilation and Conquest. I sure hope these guys are doing the new Cosmic Avengers book, because they've got this stuff down to a science.
Unwritten #15 - Wow, things are happening fast in this book. The literary geography, conspiracy elements and just generally great character interaction make this easily my favorite Mike Carey book, and easily my favorite new Vertigo book since Y and Fables.
Graphic Novels I Read This Week:
Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
BPRD Vol 13 1947
Reread Absolute Planetary Volume 1 and it was actually even better than I remembered it, Was very pleased with Absolute Planetary Volume 2 as well.
Brody's Ghost Vol 1 - Mark Crilley is *criminally* underrated in the comics industry. He's beloved by those that know him, but too few know him. Akiko, his earlier work, is a masterpiece that can most easily be described as Star Wars meets Wizard of Oz filtered through the sensibilities of Miyazaki. After that, the four part Miki Falls is a wonderful piece of supernatural romance.
And now we have Brody's Ghost, drawing on Crilley's asian influences to create a story of ghosts and psychic power wrapped up in a empowering oneself theme with fantastic characters, beautiful art and a very promising story.
Fans of Jeff Smith or Kazu Kibuishi's work should *definitely* check this out. It's a great opener, I can't wait for more, and I hope more people discover Crilley's work
Retailer Thought of the Week:
Almost as annoying as Marvel/DC's "three Wolverine/three Batman" in one week? The *flood* of long-delayed indie books that inevitably crowds my shelves the week before San Diego. At which point they're all competing much harder for the few indie fans' dollars, just like the Wolverine books compete for Wolverine fans' money.
On the upside, however, the flood of IDW material includes Scott Morse's new Strange Science Fantasy *and* Darwyn Cooke's Man With The Getaway Face teaser.
TV/Movies:
Missed Karate Kid at the Drafthouse, so we went to see it at Tinseltown. I actually saw three movies in the theater this week, which is a bit of a rarity. Saw Karate Kid (better than expected, Katy really liked it), Sorcerer's Apprentice (surprisingly solid little urban fantasy action movie. Would have liked more wacky Nic Cage (TM), but... fun!) and Inception (which I'm actually seeing after I write this recap, but I'm excited for).
Covert Affairs: Interesting opener, love some of the supporting cast, and it does have sort of a low-rent Alias feel to it. Of course, I loved the first couple seasons of Alias, and this is merely OK, but... I'll keep up with it for a few episodes, at least.
Accidentally watched about five minutes of a Castle rerun, including the fun opening sequence. Damn it, I'm gonna have to watch this show now, aren't I?
Does it make me a bad fan that I don't care at all whether Edward Norton is the Hulk or not? I like Edward Norton, but I didn't think he embodied Banner the way Downey Jr. just nailed Tony Stark, and I doubt Banner will be very prominent in the Avengers movie.
Along similar lines, if you think we should cast a wrestler for Thor or Captain America because "they're big enough" we can't have a serious discussion about superhero casting.
Walking Dead on AMC is looking pretty promising. The new cast shot is great, and this interview with Michelle MacLaren is pretty good as well.
Other Links:
My sister writes about their son's autism... and I thought she did an amazing job.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Weekly Recap - July 10th, 2010
Intro/Random:
It's been a pretty good week. I played D&D in three different games, recorded a LEOG and caught Spy Kids at the Alamo, which let me spend a lot of time with many friends and my daughter. And my son and I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday morning watching Backyardigans on the XBox/Netflix.
Shockingly, the Tuesday & Friday off, work Saturday schedule is, so far, better than having Friday & Saturdays off. Not working all of our slowest days, and working one of our busiest, is better for my mental health.
First Saturday night back at work was not too bad. Nice, busy day, nice quiet night that allowed me to get a lot done. Would have loved to have been busy at night, too, but we had a busy enough day that a quiet night was a good thing, not a bad thing.
Apparently we have termites in the house. Possibly only in my home office, but either way... not thrilled. Exterminator is coming on Tuesday. Think happy, non-termite-y thoughts at us.
The San Diego schedules are being announced, folks are announcing product they'll have there, and aside from a couple minor twinges... I'm pretty OK with not going this year. Realization of how much money it cost and how much hassle it was to get into *anything* last year have soured me a bit. I think it's a good thing I'm taking this year off. Also, Fred Phelps and his gang of loons are headed to San Diego, and since it's been a lifetime dream of mine to stomp one of those fuckers to death, it's probably best I'm not being presented with the temptation.
Comics I Read This Week:
Avengers The Children's Crusade #1 - It's not a bad read, and I really liked the Heinberg/Cheung run originally, but... it feels dated, given how much has changed since Civil War, etc. More importantly, it's rooted in the Avengers Disassembled stupidity, which means every page or so is slapping me in the face with the out-of-character behavior the various Avengers (especially Scarlet Witch) have been engaging in. Solidly done, clearly not for me.
Hawkeye & Mockingbird #2 - The WCA codenames are a bit goofy, but in an '80s way I appreciate, and in every other way, this book is being written just for me. McCann broadcasts his last page reveal a bit much, and it's a little darker than I'd like in a book that I want to be kind of caper-y and fun, but overall, I'm really enjoying this.
Hellboy The Storm #1 - I love the new status quo for Hellboy, I love Duncan Fegredo's art and I loved the fight scene that closed out the book.
I Zombie #3 - This has a really weird vibe, an unusual cast and of course, spectacular art. I'm digging it so far.
Shadowland #1 - I've been enjoying Diggle's Daredevil, but I've lost interest in the last couple issues, and I'm really not sold on Shadowland. The writing felt a bit clunky, and I really don't like the moral relativity the Avengers have developed since Bendis relaunched them, and I *really* don't like the new "Do what we tell you or we'll shut you down" arrogance they've had since he relaunched them again. But the biggest problem? Can someone honestly tell me why killing Bullseye, who is an unrepentant mass murderer that they can't keep imprisoned for more than a week, is a bad idea? This is Daredevil's big break with heroism? Sorry, I don't see it.
Steve Rogers Super Soldier #1 - This new spy Cap just doesn't feel like Steve Rogers to me, and I can't stand that no one at Marvel thought to give him an actual job title instead of just "Top Cop of the World and Commander of the Mighty Avengers," both of which are meaningless. That said, if I just view it as a superhero-tinged spy/action book, it's a pretty solid read.
Thor The Mighty Avenger #1 - A continuity-free new Thor series, starting from the beginning in an "Ultimate" type of way (modernizing his origin and his supporting cast) by Roger Langridge & Chris Samnee? Yes, please! Fantastic stuff.
X-Women #1 - Damn near unreadable with the Claremontese, but beautiful to look at.
Young Allies #2 - The "Heroic Age" still has an awful lot of civilian deaths for my tastes, but I really like Gravity and Firestar, and this book is reminding me a bit of what a revamped, new take on the '90s New Warriors would look like, and that's no bad thing.
Retailer Thought of the Week:
Had somebody get kinda surly with me this week because we sold out of Shadowland #1 first day. Now I get that selling out of one of Marvel's big books on the first day seems like an inconceivable error, like I must not have any idea what I'm doing, but here's the thing: It was one of over 75 books we ordered this week. Not including graphic novels and other merchandise, just single issues. We got maybe two or three wrong and sold out too early. I would *love* to be perfect. I hate selling out of stuff too early and I hate having to turn someone away without being able to buy what they want... but asking me to have perfect 100% ordering just seems a bit much.
Games:
My Monday D&D group saw them facing down gnomes, bandits, a swordmage and a couple halfling warlocks... not to mention wraiths and the half-mad betraying half-elf warlock who hired them... before turning into an aberrant creature of darkness and trying to murder them all.
Started playing Brutal Legend, which I got for my birthday from my friend Jason, and I'm really enjoying it thus far. Pretty funny writing and voice-acting, solid gameplay.
I was thinking of trading in some old games to get the new Transformers War on Cybertron game, which has been getting amazing reviews, but 8 XBox 360 games would net me about $20 in trade credit at Gamestop. Yeah, that's why I pretty much don't trade in games.
New Red Dead Redemption DLC! Multiplayer Poker, Liar's Dice & Horse Racing! New characters! New weapons! Zombies! Hell yes!
Damn it Bioware, I can't afford to buy a new computer! And I don't have time for a new MMO! But you're going to make me do it, aren't you?
Roger Ebert can't resist poking the bear further, in regards to videogames. Ironically, whenever Ebert writes about videogames, I think of a Twain quote: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." How the guy can be so smart, observant and thoughtful on so many subjects and just pig-headedly, willfully and *loudly* ignorant about videogames is frustrating to me. (I have been reliably informed that this is not actually a Twain quote, even though it has been attributed to him... still, the quote seems apropos)
TV:
Louis CK - Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy from Conan O'Brien and The Poker Scene from Louie Episode 2
It turns out that I have an opinion on Blue's Clues. The ones with Steve are better than the ones with Joe. And I'm as shocked that I have an opinion on that as anyone.
Netflix decided that Starz canceling Party Down wasn't enough of a kick in the teeth for fans
Regarding Texas Heat:
Having mowed the yard and taken the kids to Amy's for ice cream & playground time on Tuesday, I can confirm: It was super-fucking hot out. You won't get that kind of measurement from our weather people, but you should. Texas heat should be measured not in degrees, but by how many times, on average, you mutter "FUCK! It's Hot!" while outside.
This guy's a tool. "I have to say, it's about 80 right now and perfectly comfortable." Yeah, well, it's usually a hundred here in Texas, and we need our goddamned A/C! Most of his "Republican victories are due to air-conditioning" type points feature spotty logic, as well.
Other Links:
I Love The Onion
It's been a pretty good week. I played D&D in three different games, recorded a LEOG and caught Spy Kids at the Alamo, which let me spend a lot of time with many friends and my daughter. And my son and I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday morning watching Backyardigans on the XBox/Netflix.
Shockingly, the Tuesday & Friday off, work Saturday schedule is, so far, better than having Friday & Saturdays off. Not working all of our slowest days, and working one of our busiest, is better for my mental health.
First Saturday night back at work was not too bad. Nice, busy day, nice quiet night that allowed me to get a lot done. Would have loved to have been busy at night, too, but we had a busy enough day that a quiet night was a good thing, not a bad thing.
Apparently we have termites in the house. Possibly only in my home office, but either way... not thrilled. Exterminator is coming on Tuesday. Think happy, non-termite-y thoughts at us.
The San Diego schedules are being announced, folks are announcing product they'll have there, and aside from a couple minor twinges... I'm pretty OK with not going this year. Realization of how much money it cost and how much hassle it was to get into *anything* last year have soured me a bit. I think it's a good thing I'm taking this year off. Also, Fred Phelps and his gang of loons are headed to San Diego, and since it's been a lifetime dream of mine to stomp one of those fuckers to death, it's probably best I'm not being presented with the temptation.
Comics I Read This Week:
Avengers The Children's Crusade #1 - It's not a bad read, and I really liked the Heinberg/Cheung run originally, but... it feels dated, given how much has changed since Civil War, etc. More importantly, it's rooted in the Avengers Disassembled stupidity, which means every page or so is slapping me in the face with the out-of-character behavior the various Avengers (especially Scarlet Witch) have been engaging in. Solidly done, clearly not for me.
Hawkeye & Mockingbird #2 - The WCA codenames are a bit goofy, but in an '80s way I appreciate, and in every other way, this book is being written just for me. McCann broadcasts his last page reveal a bit much, and it's a little darker than I'd like in a book that I want to be kind of caper-y and fun, but overall, I'm really enjoying this.
Hellboy The Storm #1 - I love the new status quo for Hellboy, I love Duncan Fegredo's art and I loved the fight scene that closed out the book.
I Zombie #3 - This has a really weird vibe, an unusual cast and of course, spectacular art. I'm digging it so far.
Shadowland #1 - I've been enjoying Diggle's Daredevil, but I've lost interest in the last couple issues, and I'm really not sold on Shadowland. The writing felt a bit clunky, and I really don't like the moral relativity the Avengers have developed since Bendis relaunched them, and I *really* don't like the new "Do what we tell you or we'll shut you down" arrogance they've had since he relaunched them again. But the biggest problem? Can someone honestly tell me why killing Bullseye, who is an unrepentant mass murderer that they can't keep imprisoned for more than a week, is a bad idea? This is Daredevil's big break with heroism? Sorry, I don't see it.
Steve Rogers Super Soldier #1 - This new spy Cap just doesn't feel like Steve Rogers to me, and I can't stand that no one at Marvel thought to give him an actual job title instead of just "Top Cop of the World and Commander of the Mighty Avengers," both of which are meaningless. That said, if I just view it as a superhero-tinged spy/action book, it's a pretty solid read.
Thor The Mighty Avenger #1 - A continuity-free new Thor series, starting from the beginning in an "Ultimate" type of way (modernizing his origin and his supporting cast) by Roger Langridge & Chris Samnee? Yes, please! Fantastic stuff.
X-Women #1 - Damn near unreadable with the Claremontese, but beautiful to look at.
Young Allies #2 - The "Heroic Age" still has an awful lot of civilian deaths for my tastes, but I really like Gravity and Firestar, and this book is reminding me a bit of what a revamped, new take on the '90s New Warriors would look like, and that's no bad thing.
Retailer Thought of the Week:
Had somebody get kinda surly with me this week because we sold out of Shadowland #1 first day. Now I get that selling out of one of Marvel's big books on the first day seems like an inconceivable error, like I must not have any idea what I'm doing, but here's the thing: It was one of over 75 books we ordered this week. Not including graphic novels and other merchandise, just single issues. We got maybe two or three wrong and sold out too early. I would *love* to be perfect. I hate selling out of stuff too early and I hate having to turn someone away without being able to buy what they want... but asking me to have perfect 100% ordering just seems a bit much.
Games:
My Monday D&D group saw them facing down gnomes, bandits, a swordmage and a couple halfling warlocks... not to mention wraiths and the half-mad betraying half-elf warlock who hired them... before turning into an aberrant creature of darkness and trying to murder them all.
Started playing Brutal Legend, which I got for my birthday from my friend Jason, and I'm really enjoying it thus far. Pretty funny writing and voice-acting, solid gameplay.
I was thinking of trading in some old games to get the new Transformers War on Cybertron game, which has been getting amazing reviews, but 8 XBox 360 games would net me about $20 in trade credit at Gamestop. Yeah, that's why I pretty much don't trade in games.
New Red Dead Redemption DLC! Multiplayer Poker, Liar's Dice & Horse Racing! New characters! New weapons! Zombies! Hell yes!
Damn it Bioware, I can't afford to buy a new computer! And I don't have time for a new MMO! But you're going to make me do it, aren't you?
Roger Ebert can't resist poking the bear further, in regards to videogames. Ironically, whenever Ebert writes about videogames, I think of a Twain quote: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." How the guy can be so smart, observant and thoughtful on so many subjects and just pig-headedly, willfully and *loudly* ignorant about videogames is frustrating to me. (I have been reliably informed that this is not actually a Twain quote, even though it has been attributed to him... still, the quote seems apropos)
TV:
Louis CK - Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy from Conan O'Brien and The Poker Scene from Louie Episode 2
It turns out that I have an opinion on Blue's Clues. The ones with Steve are better than the ones with Joe. And I'm as shocked that I have an opinion on that as anyone.
Netflix decided that Starz canceling Party Down wasn't enough of a kick in the teeth for fans
Regarding Texas Heat:
Having mowed the yard and taken the kids to Amy's for ice cream & playground time on Tuesday, I can confirm: It was super-fucking hot out. You won't get that kind of measurement from our weather people, but you should. Texas heat should be measured not in degrees, but by how many times, on average, you mutter "FUCK! It's Hot!" while outside.
This guy's a tool. "I have to say, it's about 80 right now and perfectly comfortable." Yeah, well, it's usually a hundred here in Texas, and we need our goddamned A/C! Most of his "Republican victories are due to air-conditioning" type points feature spotty logic, as well.
Other Links:
I Love The Onion
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Weekly Recap - July 3rd, 2010
Intro/Random Stuff:
*blows out the cobwebs*
Stepped away from the blog again. I've been posting quite a bit on Facebook, occasionally on Twitter, but I've gotten really bad about blogging. However, my work schedule has changed, so I'm going to try and make Saturday night a night to write a weekly post from now on. It will be a potpourri of random topics and links, and will hopefully be of interest to some of you.
For an example of the kind of random stuff that will usually be in this section, apparently I type about 89 words per minute. I am reasonably informed that this is my super-power, and as a super-power, it is quite lame.
I make no promise that I will actually do these weekly. Or that they'll be even remotely interesting. But I do promise to try.
Comics I Read This Week:
Batman Beyond #1 - I really liked this in terms of writing and art, but was disappointed in the plot. Specifically, given how fresh Batman Beyond was (and I'm one of those people who *loved* the cartoon), I was bummed to see the plot focusing heavily on old Batman villains. Especially given the reveal about the modern-day villain making the transition to "Beyond." I won't spoil it, but I've hated the character since his inception, and really didn't want to see him again in the main Batman books, let alone in the future book.
Captain America #607 - It's weird to me that Zemo/Fixer are in heavy use simultaneously here and in Thunderbolts, and I actually prefer Fixer redeemed as opposed to Zemo flunky mode, and it's a little annoying to me that Bucky Cap keeps getting set up by his foes to look/act stupid. All of that said, after a brief hiatus of reading this inspired by my intense dislike of Reborn, I'm back reading this and it's still the same great action-adventure/espionage book that it's been since Brubaker took it over.
Secret Avengers #2 - Liked this one too... not as much as the first issue, which I loved, but it's a very un-Brubaker type book in terms of tone and style, while maintaining the usual Brubaker quality of writing. The tonal shift from espionage to localized sci-fi threw me, and I'm not at all sold on Deodato's somewhat-bland "space" costumes for the characters, but there's more to like here than not. And I like seeing the Avengers having some action, rather than just talking all the time.
Comics News:
Spider-Man Cast, Randy Doesn't Care: Snoooorreeee. So they're starting him as a college student? What exactly was the point of re-booting the franchise? Are they going to do the origin movie *again*? Not surprised, but this has moved the movie pretty firmly into "who gives a shit" territory for me.
Videogames:
Ever since completing the story of Red Dead Redemption, I've been going back from time to time to complete Outfits, Strangers, Challenges, etc. But every time, I seem to devolve into murderous rampages. I don't know if this says something about me, Red Dead Redemption, or both. But I have been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption, and I love the new free co-op missions.
Having finished the single player mission, however, I have to say: Much as I love the game, the storytelling is abysmal. You're railroaded into doing or turning a blind eye to horrible things, and you're never really given the chance to get any revenge. And the ending, while thematically appropriate to the story they're trying to tell, just enraged me and left me with a "Well, then what was the goddamned point!?"
I don't regret playing it or anything, because the gameplay is so good, and some of the supporting characters are fun, but maybe I've been spoiled by the branching gameplay of Mass Effect and games like it where your actions actually impact upon the game, rather than leading to the story the designers wanted to tell, no matter what your character does.
Credence Clearwater Revival Comes to Rock Band - Finally!
TV:
Finally caught the preview of Rubicon on AMC... it's really slow, has a '70s film style pacing to it... but I dug it, and can easily see it becoming as good as their other shows.
And with that, HBO, I bid you adieu until Treme comes back or Game of Thrones comes on. I'm just not willing to pay money every month for sexy vampires, even with Anna Paquin. Treme was great, though.
Party Down Cancelled - Not surprised, but sad. Both seasons available for viewing on Netflix Instant Watch, and I can't recommend it highly enough. From several of the writers of Veronica Mars, starring Mars and Apatow alum. Here is a sample, very funny, clip from the final episode.
Louis C.K. interview - Louis C.K.'s stand-up (Chewed Up is available on Netflix Instant Watch) is hilarious, and his new show, Louie, on FX, is a pretty good translation of his sense of humor into a weird stand-up/sitcom/skit show.
Other Links:
This is a masterpiece of a negative review of the film Grown-Ups
Karaoke Apocalypse at the Nomad - Karaoke with a live band. Awesomly fun.
I'm Not Sure I Have The Willpower to resist buying Dr. Seuss Converse All-Stars - I've worn pretty much nothing but Converse All-Stars since college, and I love Dr. Seuss. These might be the only thing that could top my cool Scott Morse custom-painted Converse.
*blows out the cobwebs*
Stepped away from the blog again. I've been posting quite a bit on Facebook, occasionally on Twitter, but I've gotten really bad about blogging. However, my work schedule has changed, so I'm going to try and make Saturday night a night to write a weekly post from now on. It will be a potpourri of random topics and links, and will hopefully be of interest to some of you.
For an example of the kind of random stuff that will usually be in this section, apparently I type about 89 words per minute. I am reasonably informed that this is my super-power, and as a super-power, it is quite lame.
I make no promise that I will actually do these weekly. Or that they'll be even remotely interesting. But I do promise to try.
Comics I Read This Week:
Batman Beyond #1 - I really liked this in terms of writing and art, but was disappointed in the plot. Specifically, given how fresh Batman Beyond was (and I'm one of those people who *loved* the cartoon), I was bummed to see the plot focusing heavily on old Batman villains. Especially given the reveal about the modern-day villain making the transition to "Beyond." I won't spoil it, but I've hated the character since his inception, and really didn't want to see him again in the main Batman books, let alone in the future book.
Captain America #607 - It's weird to me that Zemo/Fixer are in heavy use simultaneously here and in Thunderbolts, and I actually prefer Fixer redeemed as opposed to Zemo flunky mode, and it's a little annoying to me that Bucky Cap keeps getting set up by his foes to look/act stupid. All of that said, after a brief hiatus of reading this inspired by my intense dislike of Reborn, I'm back reading this and it's still the same great action-adventure/espionage book that it's been since Brubaker took it over.
Secret Avengers #2 - Liked this one too... not as much as the first issue, which I loved, but it's a very un-Brubaker type book in terms of tone and style, while maintaining the usual Brubaker quality of writing. The tonal shift from espionage to localized sci-fi threw me, and I'm not at all sold on Deodato's somewhat-bland "space" costumes for the characters, but there's more to like here than not. And I like seeing the Avengers having some action, rather than just talking all the time.
Comics News:
Spider-Man Cast, Randy Doesn't Care: Snoooorreeee. So they're starting him as a college student? What exactly was the point of re-booting the franchise? Are they going to do the origin movie *again*? Not surprised, but this has moved the movie pretty firmly into "who gives a shit" territory for me.
Videogames:
Ever since completing the story of Red Dead Redemption, I've been going back from time to time to complete Outfits, Strangers, Challenges, etc. But every time, I seem to devolve into murderous rampages. I don't know if this says something about me, Red Dead Redemption, or both. But I have been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption, and I love the new free co-op missions.
Having finished the single player mission, however, I have to say: Much as I love the game, the storytelling is abysmal. You're railroaded into doing or turning a blind eye to horrible things, and you're never really given the chance to get any revenge. And the ending, while thematically appropriate to the story they're trying to tell, just enraged me and left me with a "Well, then what was the goddamned point!?"
I don't regret playing it or anything, because the gameplay is so good, and some of the supporting characters are fun, but maybe I've been spoiled by the branching gameplay of Mass Effect and games like it where your actions actually impact upon the game, rather than leading to the story the designers wanted to tell, no matter what your character does.
Credence Clearwater Revival Comes to Rock Band - Finally!
TV:
Finally caught the preview of Rubicon on AMC... it's really slow, has a '70s film style pacing to it... but I dug it, and can easily see it becoming as good as their other shows.
And with that, HBO, I bid you adieu until Treme comes back or Game of Thrones comes on. I'm just not willing to pay money every month for sexy vampires, even with Anna Paquin. Treme was great, though.
Party Down Cancelled - Not surprised, but sad. Both seasons available for viewing on Netflix Instant Watch, and I can't recommend it highly enough. From several of the writers of Veronica Mars, starring Mars and Apatow alum. Here is a sample, very funny, clip from the final episode.
Louis C.K. interview - Louis C.K.'s stand-up (Chewed Up is available on Netflix Instant Watch) is hilarious, and his new show, Louie, on FX, is a pretty good translation of his sense of humor into a weird stand-up/sitcom/skit show.
Other Links:
This is a masterpiece of a negative review of the film Grown-Ups
Karaoke Apocalypse at the Nomad - Karaoke with a live band. Awesomly fun.
I'm Not Sure I Have The Willpower to resist buying Dr. Seuss Converse All-Stars - I've worn pretty much nothing but Converse All-Stars since college, and I love Dr. Seuss. These might be the only thing that could top my cool Scott Morse custom-painted Converse.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
RPG DNA
Inspired by a post from Chatty DM at Critical Hits, I'm procrastinating on one comics column, one gaming recap and a couple other blog posts (not to mention watching Party Down or playing Red Dead Redemption) to write up my own hazy-memory-fueled tale of how I came to play RPGs on a weekly basis.
The Beginning
I don't remember the magazine, but I must have been about 10 or so when I first encountered Dungeons & Dragons. There was an article about this new game being played, and they had custom dungeon terrain, painted miniatures and colorful dice. I didn't know what D&D was... but I wanted to find out.
Eventually, I must have picked up the red box, the D&D Basic Set, probably the 1981 revision, that tracks pretty well with the timeline. I would eventually, through my own money to some extent but mostly through gifts from family, get the Blue Expert Set, the I-don't-remember-the-color Companion set and the Black Masters set. I never bought Immortals, because by that time I had moved on to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
I'm fairly sure the first folks I played with were friends whose names I can't really remember. I think one of them was named Walter. I know we traded off being DM, and that I made up dungeons full of traps and monsters on graph paper. I know that our characters were 100th level or so, which was of course not even remotely in the rules. And I'm pretty sure that, given a fondness for ninjas spurred by the kid pop-culture of the day, my guy used "numchuks" and shuriken, despite being a cleric.
I picked up Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition) and played it with, again, friends I barely remember.
High School
Shortly before high school, we moved to Denver, Colorado, and I made my first set of friends who would becoming gaming buddies. Guys I knew all the way through college, some of whom I still know on Facebook today, even if I haven't seen them in person for well over a decade.
We played D&D, but high school was also where I started to branch out. A lot. Twilight 2000, the game of near-future war. Top Secret, TSR's spy game. Star Frontiers, TSR's sci-fi game. R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk. Shadowrun. A *lot* of West End's Star Wars. GURPS, including a memorable space game that started after play rehearsal (yep, I was in theater) and included anywhere from 4-10 people, depending on who showed up. I never played Traveller, but that GURPS Space game was oddly close to it. One guy played a rich bastard who owned the ship, and his motley crew included a psionic healer (played by the first girl I'd gamed with, Sabina, who would later be part of my double-date to prom, her dating my friend Doug and me taking my friend Shane after my friend Chris dumped her and my brief girlfriend... uh - I'm gonna say Becky? - dumped me just before prom), a squirrel alien scout (played by my aforementioned friend Doug), a space marine and I don't even remember what else. I do still remember one of my favorite lines from the game, when Doug's alien had been rendered unconscious, nobody from the ship knew this, and Rick (the guy playing the ship captain) was threatening to use the ship's nuclear weapons on the planet if they didn't get what they wanted. That line? "I sure hope I'm not on this planet when it blows up... that'd suck!"
College and Superheroes
I'm sure I played other games in high school, and I know that heading into college, I had begun playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition, which was published the year I graduated. However, I can't really recall any of the games or characters from AD&D. When I think of gaming in college, I think of Champions. I had never played the venerable superhero game, despite a love of superhero comics that began when I was about 13 years old.
My friend Kurt, together with his roommate and mine, and a few other friends, started playing Champions 3rd Edition, the one with the cool George Perez cover. Our group was named Wildside, and my character, Golden Dragon, a superstrong guy who started out an ex-Yakuza assassin and eventually became a bit of a Superman noble type (with an un-Superman bad temper) remains one of the most memorable characters I played. That campaign ran for about four years, with different players joining in and out, and each of us playing different characters. In that time, I played Golden Dragon, Argent (a British superspy with an energy rifle, nanites in his blood and some weird pouch thing on his costume, an odd combination of influences from Liefeld, the Valiant comic Bloodshot and James Bond), Black Dragon (Golden Dragon without his powers, using a set of power armor built by one of his allies) and Platinum, Golden Dragon's kung-fu, chi-using, Iron Fist ripoff of a son from the year 2020.
Good times.
Post-College
It's not an exaggeration to say that most of my post-college friends come from gaming. The jobs I had before foolishly embarking on a career in comics retail included working at Austin Community College when I was the only guy under 35 in the whole department and working at a New York dot.com where I was the only guy not in his early twenties and unmarried. I didn't really form any lasting friendships there. I have some friendships formed from comics and the Internet (yeah, yeah, NERD! Shut up) and I met my wife through a combination of both on the Strangers in Paradise mailing list, but my friends are mostly gamers. Or became gamers shortly after meeting me.
When I first came to Austin, I did the "Looking for group" posting. That is a rough time in most gamer's lives, meeting people who may share your hobby but may be nothing like you otherwise. There were awkward having to kick somebody out of the group times, awkward trying to put together a group from the players you liked in the group without bringing along folks you didn't, etc.
But for a time, I had a pretty stable group, and we played Champions. I was DMing, having picked up a fair amount of tips and tricks from Kurt, my college DM, and we actually continued in the world that Wildside inhabited. In fact, I kept in touch with Kurt, and characters from his game would occasionally crossover into mine for cameos, and vice versa. Me in Austin, him in Colorado.
There were a lot of different Champions games with different characters and a few varying players. Eventually, when I left for New York, I didn't have anybody to game with, and I didn't have time with a new wife, a new and very busy job and a completely new city. I visited one gaming store once while there, but there was a period of about a year and a half where I didn't game at all, and honestly, I didn't really miss it. I was too busy going out drinking and partying on weekends on the company's dime. Gee, I don't know why we didn't get more funding. ;)
The Return
When I got back to Austin, I hooked up with the old gaming group, which was still mostly together, and played some Champions again. I also started working at the local comics and games store, and there met some new folks, and put together a new group. Which eventually became my regular group, with some changes, and the old group mostly went different ways. I don't see most of those guys that often, although they're mostly Facebook friends now too.
Working at a game store, and eventually owning a game store, I meet a lot more gamers. I don't tend to game with customers, if only because I know so many gamers now that I never have room in my games. There are exceptions: One of my best friends is someone who I met when our families shared an apartment on the beach for a weekend trip, but who I really became friends with after inviting her and her husband into a D&D 4th Edition game, and who I would never have really known to invite into that game if she hadn't been a customer at my shop. One of my other circles of friends, the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen, came about because I became friends with another customer, and he's someone I've gamed with occasionally, and who has now become a member of one of my regular groups. And I have four employees, and I game regularly with three of them, and have gamed from time to time with the other one when he's not running his own games. So certainly the store has to take some blame/credit for the amount of/quality of gamers and games I know.
These days, I'm in four regular games. More than I've ever been in my life, even though as a dad and business owner, I'm busier than I think I've ever been, save maybe that year or so in New York.
One of them began life as D&D 3.5 in Eberron, ran until about level 10, took a break and came back at 10th level in 4th Edition. It's the longest-running campaign I've ever run, and I really love it. Another started as 4th Edition D&D, and became a different game (with the same characters) set in Eberron a few months ago, and I get to run in that one. Both of those are in the 13th-14th level area now, and they rotate playing on Fridays. It's not *quite* a weekly game, due to busy schedules, but I game more weeks than I don't.
The other two are new, and have only had two sessions each. One is a game I'm running in the D&D 4th Edition Chaos Scar setting from Dungeon, and it's with three people I've never played with before (one of whom has never played an RPG, and another one of whom hasn't played since 2nd edition) and two friends I don't get to play with enough. It's going to run maybe once a month, and because of that, we're doing a sort of house-rule experience where they gain a level every adventure or two, rather than on the slower scale D&D 4.0 provides.
The other is one I'm playing in, a D&D 4th Edition Forgotten Realms game where I'm playing a Genasi Swordmage. It's funny, because before 4th Edition, I hated Forgotten Realms, Genasi and Swordmages, but I love my new character and I'm kind of digging the Forgotten Realms setting so far. Like my Chaos Scar game, there have only been two sessions, but we're hoping, once schedules calm down a bit, to play that one bi-weekly.
Then there are the one-off games of Savage Worlds (and Deadlands), Fiasco, etc., etc. And I didn't even mention the various smaller games I've played, like Spycraft or Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play or Dark Heresy, or bought and never played, like Dragonstar or Rogue Trader.
I turn 40 in April of next year, and much to the delight of the 20-year-old brain in my aging body, I don't see gaming stopping anytime soon.
(I've turned comments off because I was getting nothing but spam, but if you've got responses, or your own Gaming DNA stories, email 'em to me and I'll link them here or in a new post. Or respond on Facebook if you're one of my Facebook friends, because this should get posted as a "Note" there.)
The Beginning
I don't remember the magazine, but I must have been about 10 or so when I first encountered Dungeons & Dragons. There was an article about this new game being played, and they had custom dungeon terrain, painted miniatures and colorful dice. I didn't know what D&D was... but I wanted to find out.
Eventually, I must have picked up the red box, the D&D Basic Set, probably the 1981 revision, that tracks pretty well with the timeline. I would eventually, through my own money to some extent but mostly through gifts from family, get the Blue Expert Set, the I-don't-remember-the-color Companion set and the Black Masters set. I never bought Immortals, because by that time I had moved on to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
I'm fairly sure the first folks I played with were friends whose names I can't really remember. I think one of them was named Walter. I know we traded off being DM, and that I made up dungeons full of traps and monsters on graph paper. I know that our characters were 100th level or so, which was of course not even remotely in the rules. And I'm pretty sure that, given a fondness for ninjas spurred by the kid pop-culture of the day, my guy used "numchuks" and shuriken, despite being a cleric.
I picked up Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition) and played it with, again, friends I barely remember.
High School
Shortly before high school, we moved to Denver, Colorado, and I made my first set of friends who would becoming gaming buddies. Guys I knew all the way through college, some of whom I still know on Facebook today, even if I haven't seen them in person for well over a decade.
We played D&D, but high school was also where I started to branch out. A lot. Twilight 2000, the game of near-future war. Top Secret, TSR's spy game. Star Frontiers, TSR's sci-fi game. R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk. Shadowrun. A *lot* of West End's Star Wars. GURPS, including a memorable space game that started after play rehearsal (yep, I was in theater) and included anywhere from 4-10 people, depending on who showed up. I never played Traveller, but that GURPS Space game was oddly close to it. One guy played a rich bastard who owned the ship, and his motley crew included a psionic healer (played by the first girl I'd gamed with, Sabina, who would later be part of my double-date to prom, her dating my friend Doug and me taking my friend Shane after my friend Chris dumped her and my brief girlfriend... uh - I'm gonna say Becky? - dumped me just before prom), a squirrel alien scout (played by my aforementioned friend Doug), a space marine and I don't even remember what else. I do still remember one of my favorite lines from the game, when Doug's alien had been rendered unconscious, nobody from the ship knew this, and Rick (the guy playing the ship captain) was threatening to use the ship's nuclear weapons on the planet if they didn't get what they wanted. That line? "I sure hope I'm not on this planet when it blows up... that'd suck!"
College and Superheroes
I'm sure I played other games in high school, and I know that heading into college, I had begun playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition, which was published the year I graduated. However, I can't really recall any of the games or characters from AD&D. When I think of gaming in college, I think of Champions. I had never played the venerable superhero game, despite a love of superhero comics that began when I was about 13 years old.
My friend Kurt, together with his roommate and mine, and a few other friends, started playing Champions 3rd Edition, the one with the cool George Perez cover. Our group was named Wildside, and my character, Golden Dragon, a superstrong guy who started out an ex-Yakuza assassin and eventually became a bit of a Superman noble type (with an un-Superman bad temper) remains one of the most memorable characters I played. That campaign ran for about four years, with different players joining in and out, and each of us playing different characters. In that time, I played Golden Dragon, Argent (a British superspy with an energy rifle, nanites in his blood and some weird pouch thing on his costume, an odd combination of influences from Liefeld, the Valiant comic Bloodshot and James Bond), Black Dragon (Golden Dragon without his powers, using a set of power armor built by one of his allies) and Platinum, Golden Dragon's kung-fu, chi-using, Iron Fist ripoff of a son from the year 2020.
Good times.
Post-College
It's not an exaggeration to say that most of my post-college friends come from gaming. The jobs I had before foolishly embarking on a career in comics retail included working at Austin Community College when I was the only guy under 35 in the whole department and working at a New York dot.com where I was the only guy not in his early twenties and unmarried. I didn't really form any lasting friendships there. I have some friendships formed from comics and the Internet (yeah, yeah, NERD! Shut up) and I met my wife through a combination of both on the Strangers in Paradise mailing list, but my friends are mostly gamers. Or became gamers shortly after meeting me.
When I first came to Austin, I did the "Looking for group" posting. That is a rough time in most gamer's lives, meeting people who may share your hobby but may be nothing like you otherwise. There were awkward having to kick somebody out of the group times, awkward trying to put together a group from the players you liked in the group without bringing along folks you didn't, etc.
But for a time, I had a pretty stable group, and we played Champions. I was DMing, having picked up a fair amount of tips and tricks from Kurt, my college DM, and we actually continued in the world that Wildside inhabited. In fact, I kept in touch with Kurt, and characters from his game would occasionally crossover into mine for cameos, and vice versa. Me in Austin, him in Colorado.
There were a lot of different Champions games with different characters and a few varying players. Eventually, when I left for New York, I didn't have anybody to game with, and I didn't have time with a new wife, a new and very busy job and a completely new city. I visited one gaming store once while there, but there was a period of about a year and a half where I didn't game at all, and honestly, I didn't really miss it. I was too busy going out drinking and partying on weekends on the company's dime. Gee, I don't know why we didn't get more funding. ;)
The Return
When I got back to Austin, I hooked up with the old gaming group, which was still mostly together, and played some Champions again. I also started working at the local comics and games store, and there met some new folks, and put together a new group. Which eventually became my regular group, with some changes, and the old group mostly went different ways. I don't see most of those guys that often, although they're mostly Facebook friends now too.
Working at a game store, and eventually owning a game store, I meet a lot more gamers. I don't tend to game with customers, if only because I know so many gamers now that I never have room in my games. There are exceptions: One of my best friends is someone who I met when our families shared an apartment on the beach for a weekend trip, but who I really became friends with after inviting her and her husband into a D&D 4th Edition game, and who I would never have really known to invite into that game if she hadn't been a customer at my shop. One of my other circles of friends, the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen, came about because I became friends with another customer, and he's someone I've gamed with occasionally, and who has now become a member of one of my regular groups. And I have four employees, and I game regularly with three of them, and have gamed from time to time with the other one when he's not running his own games. So certainly the store has to take some blame/credit for the amount of/quality of gamers and games I know.
These days, I'm in four regular games. More than I've ever been in my life, even though as a dad and business owner, I'm busier than I think I've ever been, save maybe that year or so in New York.
One of them began life as D&D 3.5 in Eberron, ran until about level 10, took a break and came back at 10th level in 4th Edition. It's the longest-running campaign I've ever run, and I really love it. Another started as 4th Edition D&D, and became a different game (with the same characters) set in Eberron a few months ago, and I get to run in that one. Both of those are in the 13th-14th level area now, and they rotate playing on Fridays. It's not *quite* a weekly game, due to busy schedules, but I game more weeks than I don't.
The other two are new, and have only had two sessions each. One is a game I'm running in the D&D 4th Edition Chaos Scar setting from Dungeon, and it's with three people I've never played with before (one of whom has never played an RPG, and another one of whom hasn't played since 2nd edition) and two friends I don't get to play with enough. It's going to run maybe once a month, and because of that, we're doing a sort of house-rule experience where they gain a level every adventure or two, rather than on the slower scale D&D 4.0 provides.
The other is one I'm playing in, a D&D 4th Edition Forgotten Realms game where I'm playing a Genasi Swordmage. It's funny, because before 4th Edition, I hated Forgotten Realms, Genasi and Swordmages, but I love my new character and I'm kind of digging the Forgotten Realms setting so far. Like my Chaos Scar game, there have only been two sessions, but we're hoping, once schedules calm down a bit, to play that one bi-weekly.
Then there are the one-off games of Savage Worlds (and Deadlands), Fiasco, etc., etc. And I didn't even mention the various smaller games I've played, like Spycraft or Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play or Dark Heresy, or bought and never played, like Dragonstar or Rogue Trader.
I turn 40 in April of next year, and much to the delight of the 20-year-old brain in my aging body, I don't see gaming stopping anytime soon.
(I've turned comments off because I was getting nothing but spam, but if you've got responses, or your own Gaming DNA stories, email 'em to me and I'll link them here or in a new post. Or respond on Facebook if you're one of my Facebook friends, because this should get posted as a "Note" there.)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Weekly Comics for May 12-19, 2010
American Vampire #3 (Fantastic stuff, I'm very much enjoying both stories, although Snyder's lead story is head and shoulders above King's back story)
Girl Comics #2 (Amazing artwork on this one from Colleen Coover, Jill Thompson, etc. Really dug the Shamrock and Inhumans stories, too)
Origins Of Marvel Comics #1 (One- or two-page origin stories with unbelievable artists. The choices for who gets origins seem a bit random, but there's a lot of good stuff here. A pleasant surprise)
Enter The Heroic Age #1 (Wasn't crazy about the Black Widow story, but every other one in here I really liked, and I *loved* the Hawkeye/Mockingbird and Thunderbolts stories)
Daytripper #6 (Depressing, but still gorgeous)
Unwritten #13 (Another promising new story starts, and this is by far my favorite new Vertigo series, even over Sweet Tooth and American Vampire)
Girl Comics #2 (Amazing artwork on this one from Colleen Coover, Jill Thompson, etc. Really dug the Shamrock and Inhumans stories, too)
Origins Of Marvel Comics #1 (One- or two-page origin stories with unbelievable artists. The choices for who gets origins seem a bit random, but there's a lot of good stuff here. A pleasant surprise)
Enter The Heroic Age #1 (Wasn't crazy about the Black Widow story, but every other one in here I really liked, and I *loved* the Hawkeye/Mockingbird and Thunderbolts stories)
Daytripper #6 (Depressing, but still gorgeous)
Unwritten #13 (Another promising new story starts, and this is by far my favorite new Vertigo series, even over Sweet Tooth and American Vampire)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Why I Loved This Week's Lost (But Understand Why You Might Have Hated It)
Seems like Lost has been getting more and more divisive with the fans as it nears its conclusion. And this week's episode, which features none of the main characters in anything but a tiny cameo role, really pissed some folks off. For me, I thought it was as good, and as important, as the Richard Alpert-focused Ab Aeterno.
Spoilers, obviously.
There are still a *lot* of unanswered questions. And I think it's clear, with basically four and a half hours left, that we're going to have unanswered questions. Probably some big ones. And while I'm a bit worried we'll get the "It was all God, OK?" crap ending like Battlestar Galactica, causing me to recant any love I had for the series, it's a mild worry.
There were so many great thematic parallels going on in this week's episode that answered questions about why things on the island have been they way they've been. Echoes of things in past episodes. Like:
*Raised by another. Obviously, that's a big one. If Janney's unnamed mom hadn't dashed the brains out of the real mom with an "I'm sorry," the whole thing with Jakob and Smokey never happens. Maybe the Well of Souls remains unguarded from the corruption of man, etc. but most of the bad things that have happened to the characters we care about on the island never come to pass.
*Crazy moms in the jungle. Janney's character is the beginning of the archetype for Rousseau and for Claire.
*Black and white. They've been hitting this one pretty hard all season, but clearly Janney set up the dichotomy early, dressing the infants in black and white and introducing them to the game, playing them against each other to determine which was better suited as the guardian of the island.
*"You're special." Walt's specialness eventually disappeared down the memory hole, Aaron's specialness became less of an issue too now that he's back on the mainland being raised by Grandma, but there's still Ben, plus the "special" implied by being a candidate, and it's clear that such a thing either began here, or was being carried forward here. The notion of special children with a destiny, and what happens when they either fulfill it or rebel against it, has been part of the island's DNA from very early on.
There were also concrete answers to "Who are Adam and Eve in the cave?" which was never a mystery I really cared if they solved, but it was nice to get a concrete, emotionally resonant answer. And a pretty good explanation of who and what Smokey is, even if there are some pretty major gaps left to explain *exactly* what happened when Jakob pushed his brother into the golden light. And what exactly the argument is between Smokey and Jakob about people, whether they're good or bad, and why Smokey and Jakob can't kill each other.
So... lots of answers, great acting, and some nice thematic resonance with what Lost has always been about. Great episode for me.
That said... this whole season has been stop and start, pacing-wise, and they've wasted a lot of time on side stories that had little to no impact on anything, and this episode, like the Desmond episode, would have been just as effective three or four episodes in, when there was still plenty of time to explore the ramifications. As is, it does look like the last few episodes are going to have either an unfortunate breakneck pace or they're going to leave out a lot of the moments and answers we've all been waiting six seasons for.
Spoilers, obviously.
There are still a *lot* of unanswered questions. And I think it's clear, with basically four and a half hours left, that we're going to have unanswered questions. Probably some big ones. And while I'm a bit worried we'll get the "It was all God, OK?" crap ending like Battlestar Galactica, causing me to recant any love I had for the series, it's a mild worry.
There were so many great thematic parallels going on in this week's episode that answered questions about why things on the island have been they way they've been. Echoes of things in past episodes. Like:
*Raised by another. Obviously, that's a big one. If Janney's unnamed mom hadn't dashed the brains out of the real mom with an "I'm sorry," the whole thing with Jakob and Smokey never happens. Maybe the Well of Souls remains unguarded from the corruption of man, etc. but most of the bad things that have happened to the characters we care about on the island never come to pass.
*Crazy moms in the jungle. Janney's character is the beginning of the archetype for Rousseau and for Claire.
*Black and white. They've been hitting this one pretty hard all season, but clearly Janney set up the dichotomy early, dressing the infants in black and white and introducing them to the game, playing them against each other to determine which was better suited as the guardian of the island.
*"You're special." Walt's specialness eventually disappeared down the memory hole, Aaron's specialness became less of an issue too now that he's back on the mainland being raised by Grandma, but there's still Ben, plus the "special" implied by being a candidate, and it's clear that such a thing either began here, or was being carried forward here. The notion of special children with a destiny, and what happens when they either fulfill it or rebel against it, has been part of the island's DNA from very early on.
There were also concrete answers to "Who are Adam and Eve in the cave?" which was never a mystery I really cared if they solved, but it was nice to get a concrete, emotionally resonant answer. And a pretty good explanation of who and what Smokey is, even if there are some pretty major gaps left to explain *exactly* what happened when Jakob pushed his brother into the golden light. And what exactly the argument is between Smokey and Jakob about people, whether they're good or bad, and why Smokey and Jakob can't kill each other.
So... lots of answers, great acting, and some nice thematic resonance with what Lost has always been about. Great episode for me.
That said... this whole season has been stop and start, pacing-wise, and they've wasted a lot of time on side stories that had little to no impact on anything, and this episode, like the Desmond episode, would have been just as effective three or four episodes in, when there was still plenty of time to explore the ramifications. As is, it does look like the last few episodes are going to have either an unfortunate breakneck pace or they're going to leave out a lot of the moments and answers we've all been waiting six seasons for.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Weekly Comics for May 5, 2010
Or, as we call it around these parts, "the weekly comics that nearly killed Randy." Seriously, flooding in Tennessee and incompetence on the parts of some members of Diamond and UPS led to me driving to San Antonio unexpectedly on Thursday so I could get my comics a day and a half late. After two competitors in town had gotten theirs practically on time.
Not my best week ever. But a good week for comics, as it turns out.
Captain America #602-604 (Lost interest during Reborn, but finally decided to give this one another look, and I like the updated Watchdogs. Still unconvinced bringing Steve Rogers back was a good idea, but the Bucky/Falcon stories continue to be pretty strong)
Demo Vol. 2 #4 (Another great one-off from Wood and Cloonan. This is actually a stronger series than the first one, and I loved the first one)
Hellboy in Mexico (Hellboy and Mexican wrestlers battle vampires, witches and the Devil in '50s Mexico. Written by Mignola, art by Corben. And it's actually *more* awesome than that sounds)
I, Zombie #1 (Fantastic artwork by Allred, and an intriguing, funny premise from Chris Roberson. Fans of Dead Like Me or True Blood should give this a look... as should anyone else, really - it's a great Vertigo launch for $1)
The Killer Modus Vivendi #1 (Reminiscent of the excellent first issue of the original series, as the Killer comes out of retirement and gets involved in something political, big and dangerous)
Orc Stain #3 (Stunning artwork on this one, and Stokoe is really creating an interesting world with his grungy orcs)
Sweet Tooth #9 (The origin of Jefferd continues, and it's as heart-breaking as his betrayal was at the end of the first arc)
Not my best week ever. But a good week for comics, as it turns out.
Captain America #602-604 (Lost interest during Reborn, but finally decided to give this one another look, and I like the updated Watchdogs. Still unconvinced bringing Steve Rogers back was a good idea, but the Bucky/Falcon stories continue to be pretty strong)
Demo Vol. 2 #4 (Another great one-off from Wood and Cloonan. This is actually a stronger series than the first one, and I loved the first one)
Hellboy in Mexico (Hellboy and Mexican wrestlers battle vampires, witches and the Devil in '50s Mexico. Written by Mignola, art by Corben. And it's actually *more* awesome than that sounds)
I, Zombie #1 (Fantastic artwork by Allred, and an intriguing, funny premise from Chris Roberson. Fans of Dead Like Me or True Blood should give this a look... as should anyone else, really - it's a great Vertigo launch for $1)
The Killer Modus Vivendi #1 (Reminiscent of the excellent first issue of the original series, as the Killer comes out of retirement and gets involved in something political, big and dangerous)
Orc Stain #3 (Stunning artwork on this one, and Stokoe is really creating an interesting world with his grungy orcs)
Sweet Tooth #9 (The origin of Jefferd continues, and it's as heart-breaking as his betrayal was at the end of the first arc)
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Weekly Comics for April 28, 2010
Usagi Yojimbo #128 (Another great one-off story with Usagi as he travels around the country and meets a family... the Usagi/kid thing has been getting more focus since the introduction of Johtaro, and I find that really interesting)
The Terminator #2 (Really enjoying this so far... great art, compelling characters)
Marvel Zombies 5 #2 (The series is increasingly less about zombies and more about weird C-list characters working for A.R.M.O.R. - and I am totally OK with that)
The Guild #2 (Fun, great art by Rugg, interesting look at the early days of these characters)
GI Joe Cobra II #4 (Not as strong as the opener, but still really good)
A-Team War Stories Murdock (In a similar vein, not as entertaining as the Hannibal one-shot, but kinda fun)
The Terminator #2 (Really enjoying this so far... great art, compelling characters)
Marvel Zombies 5 #2 (The series is increasingly less about zombies and more about weird C-list characters working for A.R.M.O.R. - and I am totally OK with that)
The Guild #2 (Fun, great art by Rugg, interesting look at the early days of these characters)
GI Joe Cobra II #4 (Not as strong as the opener, but still really good)
A-Team War Stories Murdock (In a similar vein, not as entertaining as the Hannibal one-shot, but kinda fun)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Weekly Comics for April 21, 2010
American Vampire #2 (Really good second issue. Snyder's main story is the best of the bunch, with King's flashback a little weaker, but the art is good throughout. At this point, I definitely see myself picking up the trade.)
Nova #36 & Guardians of the Galaxy #25 (I think Marvel just stealth-canceled two of my favorite books. Still, three years and two years respectively is a good run for cosmic superheroes, and it's all culminating in a big universe vs. Thanos story, so I can't complain too much. The Realm of Kings stuff was too disjointed and unfocused, as compared to War of Kings and Annihilation, but the conclusion makes me more likely to pick everything up, if in fact it all gets collected)
Also bought: Bloom County Vol 2 HC, RASL Vol 2 TP, Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol 8 TP
Nova #36 & Guardians of the Galaxy #25 (I think Marvel just stealth-canceled two of my favorite books. Still, three years and two years respectively is a good run for cosmic superheroes, and it's all culminating in a big universe vs. Thanos story, so I can't complain too much. The Realm of Kings stuff was too disjointed and unfocused, as compared to War of Kings and Annihilation, but the conclusion makes me more likely to pick everything up, if in fact it all gets collected)
Also bought: Bloom County Vol 2 HC, RASL Vol 2 TP, Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol 8 TP
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Weekly Comics for April 7-14, 2010
Sweet Tooth #8 (Still loving this series, and I love that it's still in the setup phase, so there's plenty of mystery but also enough solid material to keep me interested)
Demo Vol 2 #3 (Strangely upbeat for a Demo story, a great visual bit that could only really work in comics the same way... Wood/Cloonan are an amazing team)
Marvel Zombies 5 #1 (Caught up on Van Lente's Marvel Zombies, and it's solid, entertaining stuff. This new inter-dimensional exploring anti-zombie task force has potential to be the most fun yet)
BPRD King of Fear #4 (Fantastic post-apocalyptic and pre-apocalyptic stuff, and Davis's work continues to be breath-taking. That fallen BPRD helicarrier is amazing)
Daytripper #5 (Loved the story, will definitely pick up the trade at this point, but... some of these are getting really depressing)
Daredevil #506 (Not sure I'm buying the big twist, but I continue to like seeing Murdock deal with the politics of the Hand)
Chew #10 (Wraps up the second story arc, and like Sweet Tooth, I love how much we've got but also love that it feels like there's a lot more story left to tell)
Unwritten #12 (Reminiscent of #5, my favorite issue of the series, this is a standalone in a Winnie the Pooh/Wind in the Willows style story)
A-Team War Stories Face (None of these one-shots have lived up to the fun of the first one, Hannibal, but this was kind of fun, and I'm itching to see Bradley Cooper play this role in the film)
Iron Man Legacy #1 (Given the success of Invincible, I'm not sure folks were clamoring for a second Iron Man title, but this is a pretty good first issue. I particularly liked Tony's war suit)
Iron Man Noir #1 (Seemed a weird call at first, but I loved this adventurer take on Tony, which is part Rocketeer, part Indiana Jones and all written by one of my new favorite writers, American Vampire's Scott Snyder)
Super Heroes Marvel Adventures #1 (Must be an Iron Man movie coming, huh? Given that this story focuses much more on Invisible Woman, and Iron Man's on the cover. This is a weird mix, a little like The Authority or The Ultimates in dealing with the dangers of super-powered beings, and a little Stan Lee in its team dynamics and personal stories. It's a strange team, a strange foe and a strange tone, but... I like it)
Demo Vol 2 #3 (Strangely upbeat for a Demo story, a great visual bit that could only really work in comics the same way... Wood/Cloonan are an amazing team)
Marvel Zombies 5 #1 (Caught up on Van Lente's Marvel Zombies, and it's solid, entertaining stuff. This new inter-dimensional exploring anti-zombie task force has potential to be the most fun yet)
BPRD King of Fear #4 (Fantastic post-apocalyptic and pre-apocalyptic stuff, and Davis's work continues to be breath-taking. That fallen BPRD helicarrier is amazing)
Daytripper #5 (Loved the story, will definitely pick up the trade at this point, but... some of these are getting really depressing)
Daredevil #506 (Not sure I'm buying the big twist, but I continue to like seeing Murdock deal with the politics of the Hand)
Chew #10 (Wraps up the second story arc, and like Sweet Tooth, I love how much we've got but also love that it feels like there's a lot more story left to tell)
Unwritten #12 (Reminiscent of #5, my favorite issue of the series, this is a standalone in a Winnie the Pooh/Wind in the Willows style story)
A-Team War Stories Face (None of these one-shots have lived up to the fun of the first one, Hannibal, but this was kind of fun, and I'm itching to see Bradley Cooper play this role in the film)
Iron Man Legacy #1 (Given the success of Invincible, I'm not sure folks were clamoring for a second Iron Man title, but this is a pretty good first issue. I particularly liked Tony's war suit)
Iron Man Noir #1 (Seemed a weird call at first, but I loved this adventurer take on Tony, which is part Rocketeer, part Indiana Jones and all written by one of my new favorite writers, American Vampire's Scott Snyder)
Super Heroes Marvel Adventures #1 (Must be an Iron Man movie coming, huh? Given that this story focuses much more on Invisible Woman, and Iron Man's on the cover. This is a weird mix, a little like The Authority or The Ultimates in dealing with the dangers of super-powered beings, and a little Stan Lee in its team dynamics and personal stories. It's a strange team, a strange foe and a strange tone, but... I like it)
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
A Fiasco - Revenge & Murder in Suburbia
I recently had a chance to play the storytelling RPG Fiasco, "a game of powerful ambition and poor impulse control" from Bully Pulpit games. It's heavily inspired by Coen Brothers films, but any out-of-control, often darkly comical ensemble cast story can be seen in the gameplay, and quotes from True Romance, Three Kings and even Office Space show you some of the range the game has.
It comes with four "playsets" that you use to build your story: A Nice Southern Town, The Old West, McMurdo Station Antarctica and the one we used, A Suburban Community. You can get a lot more details about how the game works from these two excellent articles at Gnome Stew reviewing the game and then providing an example of play. The above is all just context for my write-up of the game we played.
Our Characters:
1. Petrov, First Generation Ukranian Immigrant
Who is a cousin of
2. "Tim," a.k.a. Yuri, a Mob Informant in Witness Protection
Who is the bookie for a gambler known as
3. Jackson, Owner of a Failing Car Dealership
Who was a drunk driver that killed Petrov's wife
The characters were quick ideas from each player, and the relationships are part of the setup of the game. The other part of the setup included coming up with these three elements, each tied to a relationship:
1. Jackson's Need to get respect from himself by standing up for himself at last, tied into his relationship with Tim
2. Petrov's Unsavory Object of Night-Vision Goggles and Flexi-Cuffs, tied into his cousin Tim
3. Tim's Location on Red Bud Cort, a van with no tires surrounded by rotting newspapers, that was tied into his relationship with Jackson (possibly an old car he bought off Jackson's lot, although we never quite established this)
With these details in mind, we set out taking turns, creating the six scenes that formed the First Act. Dice are used to determine how each character is doing... sort of, but I'm leaving that part out as I don't recall the exact apportionment of dice, and we also discovered later that we hadn't quite done it right, using the mechanics for Act Two for both acts. It still worked out, though we'll definitely use the right rules next time out.
Scene 1 was a flashback to one year ago, the night Petrov's wife died. Two cars are slammed into each other, a dead woman sits in the passenger seat with a nine-iron (or possibly a seven-iron, there's some debate about that) in her chest, and her husband, Petrov, is kicking the living snot out of Jackson, the thoroughly drunk driver who just crashed into them.
As the two of them battle, Petrov yelling and cursing and Jackson feebly defending himself, insisting that he's not drunk, a cop pulls up, takes one look at the scene and just keeps on driving.
Scene 2 takes place a year later. Because the cop drove away, and because Petrov nearly killed Jackson, the case never went to trial. Jackson plead out, and got off without any jail time. But the local news had a field day, and Petrov has been picketing his car lot, and as a result, Jackson's business is in the toilet, even though he's legally in the clear.
Petrov, angry and bitter, is on the phone with his cousin Tim. He suggests that he needs to get revenge. They need to kidnap Jackson's wife for ransom and then kill her (it was at this point that Jackson's player realized he had a wife.) "Do you still have those old nightvision goggles?"
Scene 3 involved Jackson and Tim on the phone, and Jackson trying to get an extension on his loan. He had "a whale" on the line to buy a Cadillac, and once that sale went through, he could pay off all his gambling debts. Tim, hearing Jackson's wife nagging him on the phone, wondered if he had any life insurance, which put a nasty idea into Jackson's head. He suggested that he and Tim meet at a bar later to talk about it.
Scene 4 was a solo scene of Petrov, fumbling around in the dark with the night-vision goggles, and generally proving himself to be a violent amateur. This does not bode well.
Scene 5 involved Tim going out to his van, to find that it was pristine on the inside, covered in plastic wrap and full of sharp knives. Tim was clearly a much more professional killer than his cousin.
Scene 6 involved Jackson talking with his insurance agent, a genial fellow who agreed to let Jackson pay off the higher life insurance premiums after he landed "the whale" even though he'd put the paperwork through now. All Jackson had to agree to was getting a blood sample from his wife (for medical checks) and picking up $10 grand in "hail insurance" for the cars on the lot.
That was act one, and then came The Tilt. The elements added were Mayhem (Cold-Blooded Score Settling), Paranoia (Somebody is watching, waiting for their moment) and Guilt (Visit from perhaps unofficial authorities). The story more or less suggested itself from there.
Scene 1 began with Petrov killing Jackson's wife. He was supposed to kidnap her, but his need for vengeance overtook him, and the result was a bloody massacre at the Jackson house. He ended up with a body in three pieces and blood everywhere. (Mayhem)
Scene 2 saw Petrov rolling up in his car to Tim's van. Tim was livid when he saw that Petrov had brought him a thoroughly trackable dead body rather than a live woman they could ransom, but he had a larger problem. An FBI agent, agent Carver, who had been watching for some time (Paranoia) came up on the two men and wondered "Well, what do we have here?" (Guilt)
Scene 3 began again with Petrov, running across a field, and we didn't know from what, but he was still covered in blood, terrified and carrying Jackson's. Wife's. Head. He reached the highway and thought he was safe, and tried to flag down the oncoming car.
Only problem being, the car was being driven by Jackson, roaring drunk after having missed his meeting with Tim. He crashed right into Petrov, knocking him onto the side of the road, and his wife's head bounced right off the windshield. He was too drunk to be sure what he saw, but he knew one thing: The last time he stopped in a situation like this, he very nearly got killed for it. So he kept on driving.
Scene 4 was Agent Carver walking up to Petrov, broken and bleeding but still alive. "Petrov, it just ain't your day." He took his pistol and shot Petrov in the head.
Scene 5 was a flashback to a few minutes earlier, as Agent Carver explained the deal to Tim and Petrov. He had a tap on Tim's phone and an eye on his van, and now he wanted the life insurance money. Only problem being, when there's a murder, there had to be a murderer. He pointed his gun at Petrov, saying sorry, as Petrov took off running.
Scene 6 found Jackson returning to his home to find it covered in blood. Tim and Agent Carver showed up to explain what had happened, and Jackson managed to stand up for himself and demand half of the insurance money, because without him, there was no deal. They got a blood sample from the copious amount available on the walls, floor and curtains and went about their grisly business.
Aftermath: At the end of the game, we rolled the dice we'd gotten in playing our scenes. Petrov, fittingly, wound up with a result that indicated he had probably died. Tim wound up in the same place he had been, which is to say he wound up moved into witness protection in a different town, still running small-time gambling. And Jackson? He made out the best. He got his half of the insurance money, Petrov's murder helped him win back a little public sympathy and it looked like he might pull his car dealership out of the tailspin. The only hitch was, though the life insurance had gone through, the hail insurance hadn't, and a huge hailstorm had wiped out most of his inventory, so most of his money was going to have to go to fixing up the cars he had.
Next up for us is trying out Lucky Strike, set in a World War II basecamp in France.
It comes with four "playsets" that you use to build your story: A Nice Southern Town, The Old West, McMurdo Station Antarctica and the one we used, A Suburban Community. You can get a lot more details about how the game works from these two excellent articles at Gnome Stew reviewing the game and then providing an example of play. The above is all just context for my write-up of the game we played.
Our Characters:
1. Petrov, First Generation Ukranian Immigrant
Who is a cousin of
2. "Tim," a.k.a. Yuri, a Mob Informant in Witness Protection
Who is the bookie for a gambler known as
3. Jackson, Owner of a Failing Car Dealership
Who was a drunk driver that killed Petrov's wife
The characters were quick ideas from each player, and the relationships are part of the setup of the game. The other part of the setup included coming up with these three elements, each tied to a relationship:
1. Jackson's Need to get respect from himself by standing up for himself at last, tied into his relationship with Tim
2. Petrov's Unsavory Object of Night-Vision Goggles and Flexi-Cuffs, tied into his cousin Tim
3. Tim's Location on Red Bud Cort, a van with no tires surrounded by rotting newspapers, that was tied into his relationship with Jackson (possibly an old car he bought off Jackson's lot, although we never quite established this)
With these details in mind, we set out taking turns, creating the six scenes that formed the First Act. Dice are used to determine how each character is doing... sort of, but I'm leaving that part out as I don't recall the exact apportionment of dice, and we also discovered later that we hadn't quite done it right, using the mechanics for Act Two for both acts. It still worked out, though we'll definitely use the right rules next time out.
Scene 1 was a flashback to one year ago, the night Petrov's wife died. Two cars are slammed into each other, a dead woman sits in the passenger seat with a nine-iron (or possibly a seven-iron, there's some debate about that) in her chest, and her husband, Petrov, is kicking the living snot out of Jackson, the thoroughly drunk driver who just crashed into them.
As the two of them battle, Petrov yelling and cursing and Jackson feebly defending himself, insisting that he's not drunk, a cop pulls up, takes one look at the scene and just keeps on driving.
Scene 2 takes place a year later. Because the cop drove away, and because Petrov nearly killed Jackson, the case never went to trial. Jackson plead out, and got off without any jail time. But the local news had a field day, and Petrov has been picketing his car lot, and as a result, Jackson's business is in the toilet, even though he's legally in the clear.
Petrov, angry and bitter, is on the phone with his cousin Tim. He suggests that he needs to get revenge. They need to kidnap Jackson's wife for ransom and then kill her (it was at this point that Jackson's player realized he had a wife.) "Do you still have those old nightvision goggles?"
Scene 3 involved Jackson and Tim on the phone, and Jackson trying to get an extension on his loan. He had "a whale" on the line to buy a Cadillac, and once that sale went through, he could pay off all his gambling debts. Tim, hearing Jackson's wife nagging him on the phone, wondered if he had any life insurance, which put a nasty idea into Jackson's head. He suggested that he and Tim meet at a bar later to talk about it.
Scene 4 was a solo scene of Petrov, fumbling around in the dark with the night-vision goggles, and generally proving himself to be a violent amateur. This does not bode well.
Scene 5 involved Tim going out to his van, to find that it was pristine on the inside, covered in plastic wrap and full of sharp knives. Tim was clearly a much more professional killer than his cousin.
Scene 6 involved Jackson talking with his insurance agent, a genial fellow who agreed to let Jackson pay off the higher life insurance premiums after he landed "the whale" even though he'd put the paperwork through now. All Jackson had to agree to was getting a blood sample from his wife (for medical checks) and picking up $10 grand in "hail insurance" for the cars on the lot.
That was act one, and then came The Tilt. The elements added were Mayhem (Cold-Blooded Score Settling), Paranoia (Somebody is watching, waiting for their moment) and Guilt (Visit from perhaps unofficial authorities). The story more or less suggested itself from there.
Scene 1 began with Petrov killing Jackson's wife. He was supposed to kidnap her, but his need for vengeance overtook him, and the result was a bloody massacre at the Jackson house. He ended up with a body in three pieces and blood everywhere. (Mayhem)
Scene 2 saw Petrov rolling up in his car to Tim's van. Tim was livid when he saw that Petrov had brought him a thoroughly trackable dead body rather than a live woman they could ransom, but he had a larger problem. An FBI agent, agent Carver, who had been watching for some time (Paranoia) came up on the two men and wondered "Well, what do we have here?" (Guilt)
Scene 3 began again with Petrov, running across a field, and we didn't know from what, but he was still covered in blood, terrified and carrying Jackson's. Wife's. Head. He reached the highway and thought he was safe, and tried to flag down the oncoming car.
Only problem being, the car was being driven by Jackson, roaring drunk after having missed his meeting with Tim. He crashed right into Petrov, knocking him onto the side of the road, and his wife's head bounced right off the windshield. He was too drunk to be sure what he saw, but he knew one thing: The last time he stopped in a situation like this, he very nearly got killed for it. So he kept on driving.
Scene 4 was Agent Carver walking up to Petrov, broken and bleeding but still alive. "Petrov, it just ain't your day." He took his pistol and shot Petrov in the head.
Scene 5 was a flashback to a few minutes earlier, as Agent Carver explained the deal to Tim and Petrov. He had a tap on Tim's phone and an eye on his van, and now he wanted the life insurance money. Only problem being, when there's a murder, there had to be a murderer. He pointed his gun at Petrov, saying sorry, as Petrov took off running.
Scene 6 found Jackson returning to his home to find it covered in blood. Tim and Agent Carver showed up to explain what had happened, and Jackson managed to stand up for himself and demand half of the insurance money, because without him, there was no deal. They got a blood sample from the copious amount available on the walls, floor and curtains and went about their grisly business.
Aftermath: At the end of the game, we rolled the dice we'd gotten in playing our scenes. Petrov, fittingly, wound up with a result that indicated he had probably died. Tim wound up in the same place he had been, which is to say he wound up moved into witness protection in a different town, still running small-time gambling. And Jackson? He made out the best. He got his half of the insurance money, Petrov's murder helped him win back a little public sympathy and it looked like he might pull his car dealership out of the tailspin. The only hitch was, though the life insurance had gone through, the hail insurance hadn't, and a huge hailstorm had wiped out most of his inventory, so most of his money was going to have to go to fixing up the cars he had.
Next up for us is trying out Lucky Strike, set in a World War II basecamp in France.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Weekly Comics for March 31, 2010
Terminator #1 (A pleasant surprise, this was a really good story about the early days of the human vs. Terminator war by Zack Whedon, with very nice art by Andy MacDonald.)
GI Joe Cobra II #3 (Starting to lose track of the characters and plot, think I might switch to trades on this... still really enjoy it, just think I'll enjoy it more in bigger chunks)
Usagi Yojimbo #127 (Usagi runs across a new character who is at a similar crossroads to the one he had when he first became a ronin. Another interesting story showing that Sakai will probably never run out of Usagi tales to tell)
Also bought: Pluto Vol 8, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
GI Joe Cobra II #3 (Starting to lose track of the characters and plot, think I might switch to trades on this... still really enjoy it, just think I'll enjoy it more in bigger chunks)
Usagi Yojimbo #127 (Usagi runs across a new character who is at a similar crossroads to the one he had when he first became a ronin. Another interesting story showing that Sakai will probably never run out of Usagi tales to tell)
Also bought: Pluto Vol 8, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Weekly Comics for March 17-24, 2010
American Vampire #1 (Great opening issue, with really good artwork in two different styles from Rafael Albuquerque and Scott Snyder actually steals the show from Stephen King, but both segments of the story are strong. Another solid launch from Vertigo, which is on a bit of a streak lately.)
The Guild #1 (They had me at Jim Rugg, and his art doesn't disappoint. But the story is fun, too, no surprise that it fits seamlessly into the style and continuity of the Guild webseries given that it's written by Felicia Day, who acquits herself fairly well in the transition from writing for screen and writing for comics.)
Orc Stain #2 (I love this book. Spectacularly beautiful, and the fantasy world by way of orcs is a lot of fun.)
Guardians of the Galaxy #24 (Still think Craig's art is out of place on this book, but it's growing on me, and really enjoying the build-up to the next big cosmic epic. Abnett & Lanning haven't let me down yet.)
A-Team War Stories: Hannibal #1 (Mildly cheesy, but a fun standalone action story set during the Iraq War and starring Colonel "Hannibal" John Smith. Dixon was the perfect choice to write this one.)
Robocop #3 (OK, I think this is where they lost me. I might need to read the whole arc again to see if it sticks with me, but I've lost a lot of the story/character threads and so this issue didn't connect.)
Also bought: Robotika Vol 2, The Killer Vol 2, Wondermark Vol 3, Mysterius the Unfathomable
The Guild #1 (They had me at Jim Rugg, and his art doesn't disappoint. But the story is fun, too, no surprise that it fits seamlessly into the style and continuity of the Guild webseries given that it's written by Felicia Day, who acquits herself fairly well in the transition from writing for screen and writing for comics.)
Orc Stain #2 (I love this book. Spectacularly beautiful, and the fantasy world by way of orcs is a lot of fun.)
Guardians of the Galaxy #24 (Still think Craig's art is out of place on this book, but it's growing on me, and really enjoying the build-up to the next big cosmic epic. Abnett & Lanning haven't let me down yet.)
A-Team War Stories: Hannibal #1 (Mildly cheesy, but a fun standalone action story set during the Iraq War and starring Colonel "Hannibal" John Smith. Dixon was the perfect choice to write this one.)
Robocop #3 (OK, I think this is where they lost me. I might need to read the whole arc again to see if it sticks with me, but I've lost a lot of the story/character threads and so this issue didn't connect.)
Also bought: Robotika Vol 2, The Killer Vol 2, Wondermark Vol 3, Mysterius the Unfathomable
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