Monday, April 16, 2012

Hair Vs. Oklahoma







* = You heard me Monday...









I'm not sure if today really is some sort of holiday where the postal service isn't running, as my Father-In-Law was telling me on Saturday, but either way my copy of Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011 has left St. Paul and is on it's way into my grubby paws.

I can't really express how pumped I am to get knee deep into the WWE Universe mode and playing a 'living' season(s) of the game. First thing I have to do is reset my RAW and Smackdown rosters, get my personal CAW (Created Wrestler) set up, and then get to putting boots to asses. The idea of being able to use the Story Line Editor to string things together for other 'characters' in the Universe mode is insanely appealing. So I am wracking my brain today to think of feuds, stables, allies, enemies, and matches I want to have. I'm really hoping it turns out to be as great as everything I've read. I'll keep everyone updated in Fake Sports News once I get it up and running. By the by, if anyone wants to play weekly, OR simply would like me to make a CAW (Created Wrestler) of them, there's like 50 spots on the roster you can fill, let me know, and I will add you!

It's another week so you KNOW you're getting another Rise Of The Runelords preview;

First up is the Lamia, who is a large Uncommon beastie. I know I like girls with junk in their trunk, but this is ridiculous. It looks less like a lioness lower body and more of a bear. I do like the pose though. I find the paint job to be a little flat, but not terrible. The problem I think I have with this mini is it just doesn't really inspire me to want to do anything with it. I was thinking about doing an island of Amazon-like women who all turned out to be Lamias, but that idea is SO far down my list of things to play that I'm not so sure that I'll be spending any cash on this mini. However on the flip side it's an Uncommon Monster, so I might be required by law to grab at least one.
So this is a Kuchrima. I'm not familiar with this monste whatsoever. It's another Uncommon, and according to Pathfinder lore, it's in the Lamai family of beasts. If they are cheap I'm most likely going to pick a few up to use as Vrock spawn. For those that don't know Vrocks are Demons. They are sort of mid-level demons at that, I however think they have a marvelous look and some cool abilities. So having some minis that would work as some sort of spawn, minion, or underlying would allow me to beef a Vrock up into a major baddie for the PC's to deal with. These minis seem to fit that niche.
Another week, another HUGE! This one is the Female Storm Giant. I'm seriously contemplating this one for a few reasons; 1) It's a Storm Giant, 2) It's a Lady Storm Giant, & 3) She has a HUGE green trident! There aren't many good Giant minis, there are even less female Giant miniatures. If I can get her for a reasonable amount this is an instant pick-up. That being said if she's pricey I'll pass until the secondary market settles a bit. Overall, it's another week where I'm intrigued, but not blown away. I don't think that there has been a HUGE drop in quality, it just seems like for the most part the selection isn't as interesting to me as that initial set. There are still plenty more minis to reveal as the set doesn't drop until August, so maybe they'll sink that hook into my wallet a little bit more as the release date comes near.





Saturday was D&D. From my perspective it went well and for me it was a blast, which is slightly surprising as it was short on combat. What it lacked in 'Hack N' Slash' it more than made up for in Role Playing. In fact this session had an almost Marvel SAGA level of Role Playing. I know that's not the comfort zone of a few of the players, but I applaud thier effort. So the crux of the tale was the PC's fullfilling their obligations to Div, the plotting Nagpa, and returning his 'Eye'. He then kept his part of the bargain and showed the PC's the way out of the Mountain. The PC's found themselves in a lush valley where they were ambushed by some Pig-Faced Orcs, my personal favorite. At the end of the combat some human troops showed up. We got the tense stand-off which always seems to happen with NPC's, but eventually they all made nice. So the NPC leader, Vladimir Nuatshill, invited the PC's back to his home village of Coldmine. The PC's made thier way with the surviving members of Vladimir's band. The entire time I kept bringing up the Grand Dame, the 'power' in Coldmine. I wanted the PC's to get the feeling that this was someone very powerful, seeming benign, but who had certain rules that had to be followed. The big rule was the elimination of organized religion, which made it interesting for the PC's as they are still headed to the Monestary Of Erathis. Vladimir was inviting, the town was friendly, and the PC's were relatively safe. As we all know though, nothing is ever as good as it seems. Dave's Vampire had to feed, and in the process let a local know what he was. Cassandra's Changling was in her human form, and found out it was the human form of a young woman who was abducted during a conflict with some travelers some 4 years ago. Zack & his Necromancer companion 'consumated' their relationship in disturbing fashion resulting in some interesting new information for them. There were all sorts of interesting revelations about Mike's Drow character who FINALLY after almost 6 sessions SPOKE! Joe's Genasi is still trying to get comfortable in his 'own skin' when he's not killing, so that made for some interesting moments. And finally, I really tried to put Bob's character through a true moral dilemma. In the end discretion and a common goal was the better part of valor as the PC's decided against trying to get rid of the Grand Dame, and in the process Bob had to choose between doing something truly heroic or self-preservation. It was an interesting session. Hell the price of admission alone was met by Dave & I Role Playing Cassandra's tearful, dotting long-lost 'parents'. While I love combat, and sessions that move the overall story along, there is something to be said for a session that expands on WHO the characters are and what they are going to become. To me that's what seperates D&D from a really good board game, the unpreditability of the story telling and the Role Playing of the players. So now we're onto where the PC's have been headed for about 5 sessions. What will they find in the Monestary, only I know and I'm not ready to tell...Yet...

Sunday I had the 'D&D Hangover', but I had promised some folks on the Board Game Geek boards that I was going to get back on the horse and make so more monsters.

As you can see things are full speed ahead again. I was able to knock out 7 cards in my 'Points Of Light' set that's built around the IDW D&D comic. I knocked out three Shadar-Kai, all with some synergistic abilities, a Mountain Orc, a Bronze Warder, a Putrid Zombie which was a board request to fix another card I had done in a previous set, and a Harmonium Guard (Planescape). Thus far it's been a bit more difficult to get going on my new cycle of card making. It was a real struggle to knock these seven out. I think I'm just going to limit myself to Sunday mornings as time for revisions and card creation. That way I'll have the week to think about it, jot ideas down, and be ready to knock out 4 to 7 out in a creation session. It seems like a solid plan.





I'm thinking that it might be time to wrap this up with some...

RANDOM CRAP!

- We're going to Kansas for Memorial Day. I'm excited to see everyone to spend some time with L.O.M., to head to Pittsburg for some insanely good Fried Chicken, to see my sister's new house, etc. I'm hoping we can get some things done for my Grandma while we're there in the never ending effort to clean the rest of my dad's hoarded goods from her home. I'm really looking forward to just hanging out with my brother and maybe doing some cooking.

- If I & they can swing it, I might try to get some pals together for a night of laughs as well.

- I'm almost done with the 2nd Hawkmoon book, and I'm really digging it.

- well I finally sat down on listened to The Fairly Secret Interview. I have to say I agree with Dave, we are DAMN entertaining. Although I hate my voice, I really hate it a lot. I feel like it's a fun listen, with some interesting questions, and some unexpected answers. I really do hope this brings about a monthly podcast, because I had a blast doing this.

- Both Avengers and Young Justice were flippin' awesome this weekend. Young Justice finally resolved the 'mole' issue, and we moved to the Starro 'End Game' for the baddies. On Avengers we wrapped up the loose end of the Masters Of Evil, pushed forward not just the creepiness of Cap/Skrull, but also a HUGE Asgardian sub-plot. The only thing I'm 'wondering' about is just what happened to Wonder Man? I'm really hoping that he comes back and joins the team sooner rather than later. And believe it or not Black Panther continues to be my favorite Avenger on the team currently, he's just flippin' cool.

- Happy Birthday Mom.

- The NFL Draft is a week from Thurs. I'm terrified that the Chiefs will jump the shark and trade away the majority of their picks to move up and draft Ryan Tanehill. I'm not the biggest Matt Cassell guy, but I think he has potential. I really do feel the Chiefs need to concentrate on their Defense and their Offensive Line. This could be the year they break out, IF they can stay healthy. I'm also very intrigued by the Vikings at three and the potential to trade out. This draft has all the makings of something interesting. Either way Cassandra & I will be glued to the television Thursday night.

I think I'm done.







* = Gawds bless you Interweb(s)!

2 comments:

  1. Female strom Gaint is surprizing for me.That image shows female power and strenth.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sell My House,
    First off welcome to The Blog!
    Secondly, I agree. There just aren't that many female minis to begin with, but to get one of a Giant, and one that looks powerful is a nice change of pace.

    ReplyDelete