A Late St. Patty's to Ya

It was the quite the weekend. Pretty much gaming all weekend long with an unhealthy does of beverages, junk food, and yet even more gaming. Lots of exciting stuff to go around but the meat of it was the ten hours or so we spent cranking out a new, soon-to-be-announced project.


When I say "we" I'm talking about the usual suspects; Andy of Little Lead Heroes, new artist crashing on the scene Chris "Biscuit" Miller, my buddy Mike the Mystery Meat whom I've been rolling dice with since 1985, and the new author here, Rucht "Pad Prik" Lilavivat. Lots of gaming minds under one roof, four of five being published in one geek fashion or another.


When I say "project" I mean it. Big. Obviously more on this to come, it's not going anywhere, it's here to stay. So here's some items themed for the weekend we all just enjoyed; green beer, clover cookies, a little Smithwick's (don't pronounce the "w"!), and of course some Dropkick Murphys. Stay tuned, until then, enjoy!

Messiah Bold

He'Brew Messiah Bold, yes, it's the "beer you've been waiting for". No, it's not kosher, I'm pretty sure it's all marketing. Puns aside, and not one to pass up a new beer, no matter its origin, soI tried this one out. Wow, I was very impressed! First of all, it's a dark porter for sure, look at the photo, it's just like a Guinness. Its got a thick head and strong caramel aroma right out of the pour. The taste is just as lovely, strong in the roasted grains department and with a smooth finish. This is a great beer and if you like full, dark beers, I would definitely give He'Brew a shot.

I'm Thankful For...

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!


The bulk of the work is done on the game-room remodel!


My big ole stack of paperbacks to read this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Motivational Monday: That's a Lot of Lager

I had these particularly large cans of Yuengling at our last Viking game, coupled with the excellent sculpted pose of the wee Viking in the foreground and voila!

This is my humble tribute to Meatball's longstanding Motivational Mondays of My Dice Hate Me. I figured we needed at least one more to kick the week off right.

Mik's Moment of Zen, pt. 8

"One whiskey, one Bourbon, one beer...and one zombie horde."

T-Minus Ten Hours

The bags are (mostly) packed and the 28 page list of games has been printed. In ten hours Ikoma Duck Sauce and myself hit the road bound for Fall-In! snugly nestled in Amish country. For all those traveling there this weekend, be safe and drive safely. I'll take lots of pics and whip up a thorough report upon my return, until then...enjoy!


UPDATE! We have arrived, everyone's signed in, we've been fed, and we're heading out the door for some open gaming as I type. Plus, Duck Sauce just walked in with a case of Yuengling Premium, which I've never had!

Deathwatch: Final Sanction

Well we finally got to play Deathwatch! It was the Free RPG Day booklet, but it had more than enough to get you started, and frankly about three, possibly even four, sessions worth of game between the front and back covers. As part of my birthday "party", me and the boys got together early in the day and played through 'til about midnight. We had a few food breaks in between, cold beverages, and all the usual antics around the table. Rumor has it that some podcast even recorded the event for posterity as well, ahem.

The adventure takes place in the sprawling city of Lordsholm, on the Agri-world of Avalos. An unremarkable world, Avalos rests on the edge of the Orpheus Salient between Hethgard and the Well of Night, but has thus far been spared the attentions of the Imperium’s enemies. Recently the world came to the attention of the Ordo Xenos and Inquisitor Kalistradi, who arrived with her retinue to uncover rumours and signs of a Genestealer infestation. What she discovered was far worse that she could have anticipated.

The Deathwatch Space Marine drop pod crashed through the upper levels of one of the main chapels in the Portica District. As luck would have it, this cathedral was also home to a makeshift HQ being used by the last remnants of the Lordsholm Planetary Defense Forces. The marines' primary mission was to find the Inquisitor, but the PDF were in dire need of assistance, and it was obvious that they would not last the night. The Deathwatch went into action, with tactical marines manning positions at crude barricades surrounding the inner courtyard of the chapel. The assault marine, true to form, fired his jump pack beyond the barricades into the heart of the opposition while the apothecary went back inside the cathedral to tend to the wounded PDF soldiers. The remaining marine, the devastator, took their heavy bolter and climbed up to the roof of the cathedral. With a commanding view of the surroundings he had an excellent field of fire. What that Blood Angel devastator saw from the rooftop was about a thousand humans, garbed in renegade and militia gear with a variety of autoguns and heavy stubbers. With the arrival of the marines, the firefight increased exponentially.

[Missions provide a framework for the GM to create adventures for his players and capture the military nature at the heart of being a member of the Deathwatch. Missions are divided up into sections, known as Objectives, each one representing a portion of the overall adventure and contributing to its success.

There are three kinds of Objectives:

• Primary Objectives: All of these Objectives must be completed for the Mission to be considered a success.
• Secondary Objectives: These Objectives are not as vital but materially contribute to the Mission’s success and increase the margin of victory.
• Tertiary Objectives (also known as Targets of Opportunity): These Objectives are not vital to the Missions success but offer a chance to earn extra glory or renown.

Final Sanction is designed around the concept of a Mission to overcome a planetary uprising and uses Objectives to provide the players with a guide to the tasks they must complete to save Lordsholm and purge the Genestealer infestation. GMs should remember, however, that Objectives are a guide and a tool, and can be altered, replaced, or disregarded depending on the flow of the adventure and the development of the plot. They are a useful benchmark of success and a way in which the players, in the role of a Deathwatch Kill-team, can feel they have succeeded or failed in their duty.]

Brother "Mac" Gregor mows down cultists with his Astartes Bolter

You really can't use miniatures for a game like this, mainly because even in 15mm scale you still won't have enough figs on hand. On the other hand, figs are cool, and enhance any roleplaying game, so we "wung" it. In the pic above, each cultist figure (ones outside the barricade) would probably represent about a hundred foes. It was this introduction of the "hordes" concept that really sets apart Deathwatch from its brothers; Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy.

[The enemies of Mankind can attack in vast numbers; howling heretics, skittering tides of aliens, or ranked warriors. Alone, such enemies would stand no chance against the might of the Adeptus Astartes. Together in large groups, however, they can pose an overwhelming threat. Hordes have the potential to defeat the Emperor’s finest by sheer weight of fire and numbers. The rules presented here are intended to help Game Masters reflect these massed forces that the Deathwatch may face in battle.]

Demon dogs! What do I see before my super-genetically enhanced eyes?

Once the firefight was joined by the Deathwatch it was only a matter of time before the cultists broke and ran in total rout. The marines' firepower was too much for the poorly equipped renegades and the ground around the cathedral's barricades was piled high with enemy bodies. Lordsholm PDF troopers, although weary, still managed a rousing cheer for their saviors. If only those troopers knew the truth. Near the end of the battle a single figure emerged, obviously a leader, and to the trained eye, obviously a mutant or xeno of some kind. The Dark Angel assault marine led his charge in this figure's directions, intent on taking him down immediately. The Ultramarine apothecary heard the exclamation of "XENO!" on the comm, and came to join. Once the mysterious figure was cut down the two marines inspected the body. It was a genestealer hybrid, part man and part insidious alien monster. The Ultramarine took tissue samples while the Dark Angel spat upon the remains. Not out of dishonor or disgust, but the Dark Angel was using his Betchers Gland to spew acidic poison over the corpse to melt it into an unrecognizable form. If Lordsholm PDF troops caught sight of the true face of the enemy, their spirit might break for good, and even the presence of the Emperor's Finest wouldn't bring them back.

Oaths are given in the presence of clergy

Once the firefight dust had settled the marines now had a course of action. They had several options they had to prioritize and still keep on their main mission. It was decided that first and foremost they needed to fight their way across the city to the Officio Adeptus Telepathica and send word that the planet was under invasion, both within and from beyond. The Genestealer presence was only a precursor to a larger, in-bound Tyranid hive fleet. After that their mission priorities dictated they go and support the Lorsholm PDF barracks which were under siege, freeing up more allied troops that could work at clearing the city while the marines moved on to their other mission parameters. Opening the Spaceport back up was also given high priority. With the hive fleet moving into the system, parking ships in orbit to ferry down troops and supplies via shuttle was not a sound tactic. With the Spaceport open, reinforcements could land safely dirtside and have a solid foundation for a staging area. Of course, finding the Inquisitor was not going to wait either. With a confirmed infestation, she could already be in a desperate situation as well. They would seek out her coordinates and find her, dead or alive, and strike at thee heart of the cult; the Broodlord.

Beleaguered PDF Troops man the walls of their fortress-barracks

Cultists man heavy siege cannons, trying to breach the fortress walls

After successfully sending off their message with the Officio Telepathica, the marines made their way to the barracks, caught off guard by what they saw. Cultists had four huge planetary defense guns that they were using as breaching artillery pieces. Large haulers held multiple rounds, and they kept feeding the artillery, pounding away at the walls.


The Cultists' "Southpaw" Siege Gun

This would prove to be one of the hardest challenges yet for the Deathwatch. As they advance on the cultists, they took heavy fire, injuring a couple of the members of the team surprisingly. Aquila power armor can only withstand so much punish before something slips through its defenses. Concentrating on the ammo haulers first to deny the siege guns the ability to reload was the primary tactic and after disabling half the guns in fiery explosions, the cultists once again broke and ran. The marines were taking a heavy tole however.


The Spaceport looms in the distance

After liberating the barracks, the Deathwatch commandeered a couple of Chimera troop carriers and requisitioned a couple of platoons of PDF troops. They made their way to the Spaceport, where the cultists were dug in with heavy defensive capabilities. Occupying the Spaceport command tower gave the cultists superior fire support in all directions. The Deathwatch split up, each half of the squad taking a PDF platoon with them. The Storm Warden Gregor, Ultramarine tactical trooper, and the Ultramarine apothecray were going to stealthily work their way way around in a flanking position while the other team made a large frontal assault to provide distraction. Sitting atop the Chimera, the Dark Angel armed with an acquired PDF belt-fed heavy stubber, and the heavy bolter armed Blood Angel opened fire with a withering torrent of projectiles. Surrounding them on foot were the Lordsholm PDF soldiers, adding their own firepower to the attack.


When Genestealers attack!

The flanking team methodically worked their away into position without giving themselves away, until...two large, multi-limbed forms emerged from the shadows. They were purestrain Genestealers, true threats to the Space Marines. Chainsword and bolter round tore the monsters to shreds, but not before they took their own toll on the marines. Razor sharp alien claws ripped through the marine armor plating as if they only had on flak jackets. Jagged rows of sharp teeth were able to rend as well. It was a tough fight, but the marines prevailed, it was good for them however that the apothecary had been with them for healing.


The frontal assault on the tower was a bold move, and it did not pay off. The amount of cultist firepower poured into the troops and the chimera was incredible, eventually blowing up the transport and sending those on it (including the marines) flying.

The Deathwatch sprang up, and without delay hefted the burning wreck into a makeshift barricade at the edge of a crater. They called to the PDF forces to take cover as they waited on word from the other team. Once both teams were in position and ready, they launched their final assault on the Spaceport, and thanks to their tactics, they were able to wrest control away from the cultists. The Dark Angel was near death, and many of the other marines were equally wounded, as well as an entire platoon of PDF troops being dead to a man.

There remained one vital objective left, they had to locate the missing Inquisitor and then find and kill the Genestealer Brood Lord...

Boddingtons Pub Ale

The other night we took a break from tabletop gaming and went into boardgame mode, I brought along a four pack of Boddington’s Pub Ale, which I haven't had in quite some time. I haven't written a beer review in a while either, so here you go.

The cans have the little air-bubble compressed sphere thingie [edit: the "thingie" is actually called a 'wdiget', thanks kelvingreen] in them to simulate the hand-drawn English pub pouring style and it's what gives the ale such a smooth, creamy consistency and flavor. I drank them out of the cans, but I suppose the correct way is to pour it into a pint glass and let it settle for about ten minutes. This will also give it the proper time to warm up a bit, since it's not to be served ice cold. Be careful opening the can! It will explode in a shower of foam if handled carelessly. Andy had a great quote, but I don't want to bug him as of this writing to ask what it was.

Boddingtons is definitely a archetypical English Ale, if you're not a fan of these, you may be a little disappointed. It lacks the "explosion" of hops and malts, but it does provide a mellow, smooth taste that is consistent from first sip to last. There are blogs out there dedicated to reviewing tasty brews, for me, I'm not so technical. If you're looking for a smoky, Guinness type ale, this may not be for you, nor is is a Newcastle Brown Ale. We also had the those (the latter) on hand, and they were good mind you, but still different enough from the Boddingtons to not be able to draw a direct comparison. Boddingtons has a unique, mellow flavor that provides a rich, full taste. It's the perfect game night brew.

Smithwick's Lace

Liquid Gold

Chupacabra Burgers

Now...that's a burger!

Let's talk burgers today, big, tasty burgers. It's not just the burger itself, it's what you put on it...and in it. Here's an easy burger recipe that you don't have to be a culinary school graduate to pull off, and unlike my chicken nachos recipe, I will not require your veggies off the ingredients list to come from your own garden, like mine did!


...and my wife's plate

You'll note in both pics a tasty beverage which accompanies and compliments the taste of these burgers beautifully. From its rich, amber hue it could only be Newcastle Brown Ale.

Newcastle Brown Ale pours a crystal clear brown-amber that produces a transient tan head. As is expected, the aromas that rise from the glass are a mixture of subtle nuttiness and sublime biscuit and toasted caramel. As is common with brown ales, hop aroma is nearly non-existent. Upon drinking, a gentle wash coats the palate pleasingly without the sting of carbonation bite. Faint almond and cashew flavors intertwine with notes of sweet malt and caramel. The carbonation level of Newcastle’s offering is low, leading to a smooth finish and easy drinkability. Subsequent bitterness provided by the earthy English hops is balanced perfectly with the overall malty character. For a “simple” style, there is definite complexity of character in this beer. -The Bachelor Guy

You'll need to dress 'em with veggie goodness

Mik's Minis Chupacabra Burgers
Ingredients:
x3 jalapeños
x1 pound ground beef 80/20
x3 hamburger buns
x1 tomato
x1 avocado
x1 packet taco seasoning
x1 onion
x1 egg
x1/3 head lettuce
x3 pieces sliced goat cheese (specialty cheese counter)
x1/3 block sharp cheddar, shredded

Method:
1. Thoroughly combine ground beef, egg, taco seasoning, and shredded cheese in a medium bowl. You're going for big burgers, so don't skimp on the patties. Weigh out three equal sized portions and form into patties. A tip here is to keep the outer edges of your patty thicker than the center. Place on plate and put into refrigerator.

2. Turn on grill (I use a gas grill) or warm up coals, etc. and leave lid open to preheat.

3. While grill is preheating and burgers are chilling, slice your onion, tomato, and lettuce. Also skin and cut the avocado into pieces and slice the jalapeños.


Now you're ready to grill!

4. Before placing your patties on the grill, spray the grates with a nonstick cooking spray. I like a good, indirect heat when I grill. Turn the burners where the burgers are to a medium low, and the empty front burners on high.

5. The biggest mistake you can do with your burgers is to flip them over and over again. Flip them just once or twice at the most...and don't press down on the patties with your spatula! You're just squeezing out all the flavor!


Can't you almost smell them?

6. When your patties are done being flipped, place a wide layer of the sliced jalapeños on the burger. Don't stack them, just a wide, even layer.

7. Carefully place your thin slice goat cheese over the jalapeños and burgers, turn the burners under the patties to low, and close the lid of the grill. This stuff melts quick, count to maybe twenty in your head, then open the grill up. You should have a nice 'ghost' effect as in the above pic, your burgers are ready, get ready to eat.

8. Stack those veggies on high! Whatever you like, but the more the better. Unless you absolutely can't stand one of the ones listed, put it on, even if you don't like [veggie x] by itself, you might be surprised when its taste mingles with the others.


Here at Mik's Minis we make 'happy plates' (and glasses)

This meal is all about the burger, stick to that and you'll go far. You'll notice there's no side dishes here either...you don't need them. Our culture has told us every meal needs appetizers, desert, side items, etc. When you've got big, juicy burgers like these, you don't need that other stuff. Truth be told we did munch on some yellow corn chips and green salsa while I was prepping everything, but that was about it.

I made three patties, we ate two, and the third one made a great lunch the next day right out of the fridge. You may be tired of hearing about my garden and veggies, heh, but it was neat to pull my own tomatoes off the vine and slice jalapeños I also grew in the backyard. I'd love to hear from anyone who gives these a try! Enjoy!

3rd Annual Weekend o' Gaming

The ManCabin v3.0

It's been three years in row, so I guess we've got something of an event on our hands. A little backstory; I was a non-traditional college student, going in at age thirty, so it was kind of a big deal for me and my family. Upon graduating with my undergrad in Anthropology, as a graduation present, my wife and daughter gave me a cabin for the weekend up in the Smoky Mountains for me and my buddies to geek out in. Very cool. Well a year later, and I subsequently plowed through my Master's in Education and graduated a second time, thus a second cabin! So once again we packed up the XBox360, a bunch o' boardgames, and a metric ton of food and drink and headed again into the mountains.

We had no celebratory reason this year, but we had to do it again! So most of the original crew, plus a few guest appearances made plans and got yet another cabin with the intent of enjoying good food, fine drink, and nothing but gaming. Of course this year we all pitched in, which was nice for me! The big joke this year was doing a schedule and a "sign up matrix", but all jokes aside, there were a bunch of games to be played. I think our headcount at its height was at ten? Understandably, the entire affair blew by rather quickly, so my memory's a tad suspect, I did keep some notes though, heh.


In the previous two years we took some liquor with us, sure, but also a keg (Harp both years I think). For the sake of calories, ahem, we tripled the Scotch and Bourbon allotment, and left the keg behind (though we still had beer mind you). For food we go all out, and this year was no different making sure steaks we're at the top of the list. Sadly though, we didn't do ribs, which I enjoy quite a bit. This year I was able to bring some of my homegrown peppers though to juice up a little homemade salsa, woohoo!


A stack o' games

You'll have to excuse the blurriness of my pics, I was using my phone because I forgot a proper camera! The above pile of games is just the tip of the iceberg too. We also brought along a host of RPG's, my XBox360 with a ton of music games, and even had a Wii thrown in there for good measure. Only two games come to mind that were missing to my lament; Shadows Over Camelot, and Last Night on Earth (with its expansion).



Blood Bowl!

Wiht the pending release of the video game, plus all the teams I've been cranking out lately, we were in the mood for some serious Blood Bowl! We had a lot of gear on hand for some pure mayhem on the pitch and at one point we were sporting three games simultaneously. It was good because we had a few players who had never had a chance to play before, so they got to try their hands at it too. We had an obscene amount of teams on hand to pick from as well, I think we were pushing twenty completed teams out of the box.


Galaxy Trucker

I've only reported on this game once before, but man, if I knew it was this good, we would've been playing it much more all along. I can safely say that if this game wasn't the MVP of the weekend, it's near the tip of a top five list. We had a lot of people rotating in and out of this one, and many were still coming back for more.


Red November

I know I've posted a couple of times about this one. It's a fun game, a blast really, and I was really looking forward to it maxed out with eight player. Well, we did just that, but it wasn't the frenetic, zany fun I thought it might have been, too many players bogged it all down. There's a reason BBG suggests that it's best with four peeps.


Settlers of Catan

Well, if Galaxy Trucker wasn't quite first place, this one was. Oddly enough, there were a good number of people at the cabin who hadn't played this gem either. Like a knucklehead, after our last big game of Cities and Knights, I left all the pieces of one color behind, arrgh! We were only able to play five player games, but play them we did. The Settlers table was on fire, with many different players rotating in and out of this one too.


Carcassonne

You can't have a gaming weekend without everyone's favorite Meeplecentric winner, Carcassonne! This game is pretty amazing, no matter how many times I play it, it stays awesome. It was Spiel des Jahres after all (so was Catan), with an incredibly easy learning curve, easy setup, and amazingly infinite replay value.


Ca$h 'n Gun$

And now for something completely different. Ca$h 'n Gun$ is just plain fun, that's all there is to it. You play gangsters/crooks/mobsters/whatever and your goal is to split up the loot after a heist, of course your number one negotiating tool is the pistolero. You have a deck of cards in front of you ranging from bluff to full auto, and on the count of three, you point your foam pistol at another player. Before the action cards are revealed you can choose to duck down or stay in the 'negotiation'. Whoever is left standing at the end of each round splits the pot evenly. At the end of the game, those who are left alive compare their fat stacks o' cash and the big winner is (obviously) the one with the most dough.


Bear sign!

You can't have a trip to the Smokies without a bear sighting! This was taken off the back deck, but we saw this fellow early on walking about ten yards in front of our front door. Judging from the little log book left in the cabin, the last few families staying in the same place had also seen bears, multiple ones at times. Pretty cool...


That's a Wrap!

What a blast! I get in a lot of gaming, sure, but once a year I really look forward to this, I'm sure we'll continue the tradition next year. A lot of our gaming buddies who have moved on show up for it too, coming from many states away. What would I change for next year? I don't know, maybe less gaming and more hanging out, haha! I will say this, don't try to use Splenda as a substitute for sugar when making Sangria!

Like I said, I kept a tally of the games being played just for posterity. We played a ton of Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Wii Golf and the like, but I'm not counting those below. Here's the breakdown of what all went down:

Carcassonne: four plays
Munchkin: one play
Robo Rally: one play
Blood Bowl: three plays
Galaxy Trucker: six plays
Settlers of Catan: six plays
Red November: one play
Ca$h 'n Gun$: four plays

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

American Ale

I'll make this one short and simple. This beer ain't half bad.

Cheap Budweiser in the red and white can has its place, but if you're looking to try something new, and good, from the Budweiser stable, shoot for their American Ale.

First off, this pours a lovely bronze orange color with a nice, khaki colored head. It laces the glass like I've only seen in more expensive brews. Smell is surprising; a delightfully modest caramel and roasted malt with a pinch of hops. Again, this is not cheap beer in a can. Taste is actually pretty good. It's nearly all malt and actually has a little bit of hop bitterness on the back end. This is indeed a well crafted ale, and I am rather impressed with it.

Sprue me? No, sprue you!

After a blistering pace of journal entries for October, I quickly came to a standstill in November. I could list all the tedious details, or just say "I'm busy", but it doesn't really matter does it? There's been geekin' out going on, just not a lot of it, and I must confess I've been playing the Xbox a bit more lately too.


In a recent group purchase to the Warstore however, I did pick up another box of Tactical Space Marines in hopes of fleshing out my Dark Angels a little bit. Now that "40k fever" has taken hold, I may augment my plans and do a little more than just 'flesh out' my army. Last week Andy, Ray, and myself got together for a little kitbashing.


Here's the fruits of my labor; a ten-man tactical squad kitted out with a melta-gun and a multi-melta. As a side note, I always hated the name "multi-melta", it reminds me too much of Taco Bell's MexiMelt. Anyway, I used nothing but beaky helmets (the new style) and 'flesh-heads' for this squad giving them a bit of a unique look (moreso than usual anyway). Their shoulder pads are the embossed Dark Angel ones I got off the GW site, and the Veteran Sgt. has all manner o' bits from the Dark Angel veteran sprue, including a cyborged out head.


A post-script here. Although I'm a big fan of good ole Yuengling, when consumed after a tasty Bass, and an even tastier Smithwicks, it comes up fairly lacking in the taste department.


As a bonus, here's a pic of one of Andy's new terrain pieces. It made its debut in a recent 40k battle which I will write up this weekend, hopefully.