Deep Red Vs. City Of The Dead

* = SWANSON!









I have a D&D Hangover. This weekend the Old School Group met, and it was a solid, role-playing heavy night. I know for a fact two of the four players weren’t as excited by the chance to stretch those muscles, as they were hoping for a tad more combat. I will say, in my defense, that it served a larger overall narrative, and that in the end it was fun. It’s called a ROLE PLAYING GAME. If you just want combat play a tabletop skirmish game.





All that being said, Joe K. reached deep into his soul, into the very bowels of his being and BOOM! Joe K. role-played. I was very proud of him for stepping up, and hope that this leads to him putting that foot forward a bit more often. As for my other slightly overwhelmed player, Cassandra, she was able to make minor adjustments, but just really needs time to figure out just who her character is. Mike & Dave were Mike & Dave. I’d say that the other big change was Zack, from the Regular D&D Group, coming over and Co-DMing. It was a lot of help; he’s a great player, and a VERY solid DM. So to have another guy there who knows the game, has a great dramatic flair, and can run the HELL out of a combat encounter it pushed the pace of the game and allowed for a ‘Split The Party’ explore adventure to run much smoother than if I had to run it alone.





In the end I wanted to set up for the PC’s that Shadowspire is a dangerous city, full of dangerous folks all advancing their own plots and plans. I wanted them to meet some interesting NPC’s who may or may not be important down the road. I also wanted them to find a ‘Hub’ site, Madam Ruby’s ‘House Of The Gilded Lily’ where they can frequent if they desire. Overall I wanted Shadowspire to be a place where they can invest and adventure. I think I did a decent job accomplishing that. Even better than that the next adventure takes them OUT of the city. And it’s an adventure I’ve been dying to run, so I’m thinking it’ll be fun, brutal, and high on the body count.

On a final note it was irritating to put an EPIC Terraclips board together only to F’ing forget to take any pictures of it. I keep forgetting to snap some shots of these boards and Terraclips build to show off on the blog here. Not to mention it would be nice to just be able to show people playing 4E and having fun, which might shock some people out there in the land of the Interweb(s).

So D&D came and went, and it was exhausting. I’m still fighting this damn cold, and firing off a role-playing heavy four hour session was really tiring. Oh and then like an idiot I stayed up until 2am with Dave listening to music and hitting each other foam swords, and no that’s not a gay euphemism. Sunday I tried to watch football while cleaning up, but was just disinterested. I did watch a couple of flicks this weekend though, here’s what I thought;
- American Splendor (Infinite *’s out of 5) – I was just peripherally familiar with Harvey Pekkar and his Indy Comic sensation ‘American Splendor’ so even though my sister RAVED about the flick it took me this long to ‘get to it’. I’m an idiot. This was a brilliant movie that captured the soul of a man, his work, and his life. I can’t even do the damn film justice in reviewing it. So just let me put this way. It’s now one of my top 25 movies all time. Go see it.















- Catfish (*** ½ out of 5) – So this little documentary has to do with a man in communication with a family via the internet(s). If you like documentaries and flicks regarding human interaction then you’ll enjoy this movie. It’s a hot mess. I can’t really go into details without just outright spoiling it, but I will tell you ALL is not as it seems. The culmination is both sort of scary and very sad. It’s a good look into how the continued increase of importance of technology in our interpersonal communication isn’t necessarily a good thing. I’ve stated over and over the last six years that as the so-called generation gaps continue to shrink the exponential increase in the technology gap between the same said generation leaves for a disconnect. You can see that disconnect here, and it’s bad. The thing is, the thing you should take away from this is, it could have been worse, much MUCH worse.

As I continue to guzzle hot tea and ration cough drops all I really have left to give you is…

RANDOM CRAP!

- I’m making a turkey dumpling soup tonight. It’s going to hopefully be the thing that puts this F’N cold on the shelf as I devour it’s goodness all week. It’s either that or I’m back to the deliciousness that was the Cherry Coke & Dr. Mcgillicuddy combo my Bro-In-Law Lee introduced me to. I hit that sheezy up on Saturday night towards the end of D&D and it was delicious.
- Speaking of the Dr. Mcgilli-coke combo I’m going to be quaffing it again tomorrow night when the Wild play the Penguins for Hockey Night In My Basement. Hopefully this time it’ll be a much less lonely vigil.
- There is talk of a Rifftrax Movie-A-Thon. It won’t be until November, because the rest of the month is for Halloween events.
- I’m grilling a turkey before the end of the year, THIS I SWEAR!
- I loved Ron Swanson’s Pawnee Rangers handbook. It was only one sentence; “Be A Man!” That’s so very Swanson. So very, VERY Swanson.
















- There are so many things I have to do this week;
o Figure out where I’m putting all the crap I should have been painting.
o Dust the second bedroom
o Rake, and most likely rake some more.
o Finish doing the rafter vacuuming in the basement.
I want to do none of this, but it must be done. So I have to suck it up and do one every night this week.
- I still want chili.
- I’m 2/3rds done with the December trip into Castle Ravenloft all day D&D Event. Now I just need to stay on pace and get the rest completed so I can begin putting it together.
- Legend Of Drizzt comes out tomorrow; my copy should be coming soon.

I’m tired and I have things I should be doing…

“Tell me the legends of long ago
When the kings and queens would dance in the realm of the Black Rose
Play me the melodies I want to know
So I can teach my children, oh

Pray tell me the story of young C£ Chulainn
How his eyes were dark his expression sullen
And how he'd fight and always won
And how they cried when he was fallen

Oh tell me the story of the Queen of this land
And how her sons died at her own hand
And how fools obey commands
Oh tell me the legends of long ago

Where the mountains of Mourne come down to the sea
Will she no come back to me
Will she no come back to me

Oh Shenandoah I hear you calling
Far away you rolling river
Roll down the mountain side
On down on down go lassie go

Oh Tell me the legends of long ago
When the kings and queens would dance in the realms of the Black Rose
Play me the melodies so I might know
So I can tell my children, oh

My Roisin Dubh is my one and only true love
It was a joy that Joyce brought to me
While William Butler waits
And Oscar, he's going Wilde

Ah sure, Brendan where have you Behan?
Looking for a girl with green eyes
My dark Rosaleen is my only colleen
That Georgie knows Best

But Van is the man
Starvation once again
Drinking whiskey in the jar-o
Synge's Playboy of the Western World

As Shaw, Sean I was born and reared there
Where the Mountains of Mourne come down to the sea
Is such a long, long way from Tipperary”


* = I don't think they're singing about THIS Knight Of The Black Rose...