Eleven Again and Blowin' Up Stuff

 I got a wild hair last night.... But I'm getting ahead of myself....

We've been doing a lot of day-trip stuff this year, add we really can't afford an extended vacation. We just got back from a two-day trip to Dinosaur National Monument, which was an annual trip when I was a kid. Faced with some hours in the hotel, I got thinking about what to do instead of TV.

When I was 11, my buddy and I pooled  our money and bought some Car Wars stuff. He bought the books, I bought some maps and counters. I photocopied the book. When we went on vacations, I'd usually spend downtime in the hotel designing cats and running scenarios by myself.

I still have all my maps and counters. The photocopies are long gone. My buddy's books? Burned up in a fire.

This weekend, memories ensued. I picked up a dozen Hot Wheels with the idea of fiddling something together with the  PDFrules I have on my laptop.

That didn't happen.

But my wife and I decided to try a "gamecation" late this year. We have some timeshare access...in a place with terrible TV reception, no phones, no distractions...other than what we take there ourselves. So we're taking games.

Scrabble. Boggle. Sojourner Tales. D&D. May even try some X-Wing Miniatures. A couple others.

So, the wild hair. Tonight I grabbed my wife and headed 45 minutes south to a FLGS in a city down south from here. I knew they had a copy, at least they had one back in February. (Of course I'm this obsessive to remember that.) Sure enough, they had a copy.

Car Wars Classic.

And I bought it. Opened it up as soon as I got home. And I was transported back thirty-some-odd years. I was like a little kid, looking at the counters, the blank vehicle sheets. I started giggling at some point, reading the rules. Yeah, they're not elegant, they're complex, and they're not QUITE the rules u remember...but, yeah.

I think my giggling scared my wife a little.

I know what else we're going to play on our our gamecation. And once my kids know the ropes, I know where I can download a turning key for Hot Wheels.

And my youngest son is nearly the age I was when I first played....My kids are gonna blow stuff up. And I'm going to get to do it with them.

  Warm up the side-mounted flamethrowers and the front-mounted linked twin Vulcans. We're goin' auto-duelin'.

A Long Time Ago...

Aw, heck. I just realized how long it's been since I actually dropped by the Stronghold. Unfortunately, things like A to Z April tend to have a stifling effect once the "pressure" is over. That's why I've given up on NaNoWriMo the past few years...it just takes too long to get the machine back working again.

http://justtoomuchfreetime.blogspot.com

But today I noticed something across the gaming blogosphere: people are starting to receive their boxed Tantive IV Star Wars Miniatures in the mail. I won't argue; it's a nice looking pre-paint. It looks hefty, too. Fantasy Flight worked out a "proportionate" scale, for lack of a better term. At first blush, it SEEMS to be about the same size as my initial Tantive IV purchase, although it's tough to tell; all the comparison pictures I could find today were of odd sizes, and the "product dimensions" tell me the size of the box. Plus, well, my real life is a bit hectic and I'm not that interested in doing a lot of footwork/research into this. I hope you all will forgive me for this oversight and laziness.

You see, this release? It's retailing at $89. It's even $64.59 at Amazon. Just way too much for my wallet right now.

Besides...I have an alternate. No, not just the "initial purchase"--the Action Fleet model referenced above.

I now have... THIS:












Yep. It's a vintage Kenner Star Wars Collector Fleet Electronic "Rebel Blockade Runner" from 1996. It was a STEAL, including shipping. It was used, opened, etc., but I didn't buy it for resale value. I built it to use on the gaming table. All the electronic functions still work, including the light-up engines:




And as far as scale goes, well, it's close to accurate. As I estimated in my previous post, the Kenner model is about 5" short of being true 1/270 scale. But, what's 5" here and there, eh?

Bwahahahahahaaaaaa....

Ahem. It looks terrific when put up next to the FFG models. I'll admit, it's not as detailed, or as pretty, out of the box as the FFG Tantive IV. If I want to, I can always touch it up, though. It'll double nicely as a display model in my home office. Y'know, establish some Geek cred. Seriously, though, I think it looks great up against the other models, even if I only use it as a centerpiece--or an obstacle--in an actual game. Now I just have to see if someone out there has prepped templates, rules, or other tidbits for using the actual huge model...or if I'm going to have to jury-rig rules from the FFG release.

[A to Z April] X is for XOXO

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is widely considered to be the best movie of the Trilogy. I don't happen to agree with that; it's my second favorite after the original. We won't discuss Return of the Jedi, because dang it...choosing Ewoks over Wookiees? Really? The only real high point of Jedi is that Wedge finally got the credit he deserved as an Ace pilot; it's obvious why they couldn't do it earlier--Luke Skywalker was the hero and so had to be the only real Ace.

I enjoy me some ESB, though. I still remember the thrill of a 10-year-old boy hearing the words "The first transport is away. The first transport is away" and wanting to cheer with the rest of Echo Base. Not to mention the dread of the inexorable approach of the AT-ATs. And it's a joke between my wife and myself...when she says, "I love you," I invariably respond, "I know." That line has always irritated her. By the way, my six-year-old daughter saw a Wampa backpack in the FLGS this weekend, squeeed, and then asked if she could have one. Parenthood success!

But there is one thing about ESB that I would change in a heartbeat, if I could. It doesn't matter how old I get, or how many times I see the movie...this moment's "ICK" factor is just too high.

Hugs and kisses. Hugs and kisses. [shudder] I'm in the camp with those that believe this is proof that Lucas pretty much made it up as he went along.

In related news, look what I got in the mail today!

Called the "Republic Cruiser" by Hasbro/Galoob, the ship is actually the Consular-class cruiser, typically used "to transport Jedi and diplomats to troubled spots across the galaxy." This ship is what I was originally looking for at Comic Con, when I discovered the Tantive IV. The first mission in the boxed set of X-Wing Miniatures Game involves a "Senator's Shuttle." A little bit of research reveals that this is actually the CSS-1 Corellian Star Shuttle. What was the purpose of the shuttle? "To carry a large number of ambassadors on missions throughout the galaxy." Remarkably similar purposes, no?

The game comes with a cardboard punch-out token with the image of a CSS on it. However, while I was looking on-line at others' game reports, I noticed a couple players had the same thought: it would be so great to have a three-dimensional stand-in for the CSS. So I started shopping.

The scale is a bit off, of course, just as it was with the Tantive, although not quite as drastic. The Consular-class Republic Cruiser comes in at 115m in length while the Corellian Star Shuttle measures only 80m long. (The Tantive IV is 150m long.) It's still a bit large for the shuttle, especially when it's compared to the punch-out cardboard token representation of the shuttle. I like it more for the CSS than I do the Tantive IV. Even better was that I found a steal on two: $14 for the pair and free shipping. This way I can craft a mission with dual shuttles, if I need to.

And even better, look what I found when I opened the cockpit: Qui Gon Twins! This despite the listing details that said teh miniatures were NOT included. To make things even better, the seller threw in some other Micro Machines he had "laying around." Specifically, there was a small zipper bag containing a Gungan Sub, a Trade Federation Tank, and miniatures of Boss Nass and Nute Gunray. While these likely won't see any action on the X-Wing table, they make a nice addition to my overall toy collection. Come to think of it, the Tank is about the right size to stand in for a Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transport. Hmmm....


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Previous "X"-es:
2013: X is for Xal's Dire Brown (beverage)
2012: X is for Xouvyus (New NPC)
2011: X is for X'rr

[A to Z April] Q is for Quick, Somebody Teach Me To Play!

OK. Comic Con must have really thrown a wrench into my system. I'm still in physical pain from the "crowd-waddling" on a concrete floor for 9 hours. I'm clearly no longer as young as I used to think I was. I'm physically exhausted, sleeping through the night for the first time in years these past two nights. And I'm apparently mentally exhausted; I'm pulling and pulling on the rope, but the bucket's coming up dry from the bottom of the well.

I seem to be addicted to FFG's X-Wing Miniatures Game too. And I haven't learned how to play it yet. I just have to find the time to sit down and crack open the box, I'm sure, because everybody tells me it's easy enough to learn.

Time? Hah.

But to continue, I need to learn how to play soon, because the purchase I talked about yesterday arrived in the mail today. I've already unboxed one. Took some pictures, too, as you can see.

The Millennium Falcon is, needless to say, one of the two iconic ships from the Star Wars trilogy. I'm pretty confident when I say that nearly every man my age at one time or another dreamed of flying in this starship. The X-Wing and the Falcon were my early starship loves, followed later by the A-Wing. Of course, there was also the Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica and the Earth Directorate Starfighter (piloted by Buck Rogers). Those were my top four when I was young (again, adding in the A-Wing later on).

"Why'd you get two of them?" I hear you ask. "After all, there's only one Millennium Falcon, right? Awww...silly reader. Of course you realize that the Corellian Engineering Corporation manufactured the original Falcon, under the designation YT-1300. The light freighter that was to become known as the Millennium Falcon started life no differently than any other YT-1300. Fortunately, the model comes with multiple pilots, not least of whom are Han Solo and Chewbacca. That allows a player to envision and enact a scenario where the Rebellion (or perhaps a pirate organization) has obtained an additional YT-1300. I've seen a couple players report that a dual YT-1300 force is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Here she is, one final time, with the X-Wing flying alongside in formation for scale purposes. It's really a nice model, although I was a bit chagrined to realize it was hollow, and not an overly-thick feeling shell, either. But, I plan on being careful with these beauties. I can't wait to see what it looks like to have two YT-1300s on the starfield facing a squadron of TIE fighters. Even TIE Interceptors. I'll take 'em all.

So, please. Anyone. Anyone at all. Can someone quickly teach me how to play?




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Previous "Q"s:
2013: Q is for Quickvale (locale)
2012: Q is for Quickdeath (monster)
2011:Q is for Quaint Folk

[A to Z April] P is for Plans and Passengers: the Story of a Consular Ship

Still heady (and head-achey) from Comic Con yesterday, I want to share with you what I found. I hinted at it in yesterday's post, but I now have pictures and can share the bounty!

What we have here is a "vintage" Tantive IV, a.k.a. "Rebel Blockade Runner, from the Star Wars Action Fleet, circa 1997. It lacked its box, but has all the other parts, including the mini-fig Rebel Trooper and Princess Leia.

Here it is, in all its nerdtastic glory: the Tantive IV! We see it here as it first appears (OK, wrong angle and with the addition of a giant space calculator...) in the original Star Wars movie.

It's also known as the Corellian Engineering Corporation's CR-90 Corvette. I always knew it as the "Blockade Runner" but now that I think about it, I'm not sure WHY. My best guess is because that's what Kenner called it on all their products. Hmm. Interesting question. But then, Kenner is responsible for some "alternative" names to products that are worse than this, I suppose.

Here it is from another "famous" angle, the camera shot as it is enveloped by the Star Destroyer Devastator high above Tatooine. Mostly, I just wanted to look at the detail on this little guy. The display stand is a bit awkwardly placed, and covers up the aft ventral laser battery. I will admit that I may have it on incorrectly, but this is the only placement that actually holds the ship up. From this view you can also see the forward ventral laser and the pull-out "landing gear."

And I should also confess at this point that, while carrying this around with me all day yesterday, I had two thought ringing constantly through my mind:
■ "If this is a consular ship, Where. Is. The. Ambassador?"
and
■ "Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans and bring me the passengers. I want them alive!"
Hence (obviously) the name of today's post....

Here's a look at what it looks like next to one of the X-Wing miniatures from FFG's X-Wing Miniatures Game. Yeah. The scale is WAAAY off. But I purchased it intending to use it in this game, and knowing that the scale was off. I've seen others use the bigger version that Kenner produced in their Collector's line--it's a lot more massive. (I actually saw one of those for sale at a STEAL yesterday, but it was late in the day and I talked myself out of it. It was gone this morning when I was ready to buy it. :( Isn't that always the way?)

Those bigger ones are a lot closer in scale than this. However, I've also seen the MicroMachines Action Fleet versions of the capitol ships used as stand-ins for a senatorial shuttle, for example. When I lucked into this at a great price (more than half of what the same, unboxed versions are going for on e-Bay) I couldn't resist. I've also picked up a couple of the so-called "Republic Cruisers" from Episode I for the same purpose. I'd seen these used online by a couple different players, and thought I'd pick them up at another STEAL. (It helps the cost that I don't need them MIB, I suppose.)

Now, I acknowledge that FFG is releasing its own version of this craft. Mine is a bit smaller than the "announced"/estimated size of the official FFG version. I'll probably still use this as a stand-in or as a replacement for another craft and eventually pick up FFG's version (if for nothing else than the extras in the box--templates, mission, etc.) if I can find it at a bargain. I'm still searching today for another Kenner version; I'm not having much luck at finding an affordable one, though. THAT one is much closer to scale and looks impressive with the smaller ships around it. (OK. I'm a geek. I just grabbed a ruler and a calculator. According to Wookieepedia an X-Wing is 12.5 meters long while the Tantive IV is 150 meters. The miniature X-Wing is 1.75" long; That means the Tantive IV model would have to be 21" long to be in scale. Mine is only 7" long. However, on a high note, Amazon lists the Kenner Collector's version at 16" long, which is much, much closer to the correct scale. I can see now why FFG includes this little blurb in its description of its version of the Tantive IV:

The Tantive IV and Rebel Transport will be the first X-Wing starships released outside of the game’s 1/270 scale. Simply too big to function in the game at that scale, they left us with two options. We could change their scale, or we could leave them out of the game. In the end, we decided these ships were simply too iconic and exciting to ignore, and we invented a new “relative” scale, carefully balancing each ship's playability against its presence on the table.

(Emphasis added.) The cost alone for such a "miniature" would make it altogether prohibitive for most but the hardcore gamers to accept.

Now...I just need to learn how to play the freakin' game....



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Previous "P"s:
2013: P is for Pond Stalker (creature)
2012: P is for Pyramid of Swords (locale)
2011: P is for Poushif Bonereader (npc)

[A to Z April] O is for Oh My Gosh, What Have I Done?

In lieu of a campaign-specific post today, and because I'm standing in the crush of great unwashed (in some cases literally) at the Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Experience, I'm just giving a quick heads up to y'all that I've gone and done it.

I've jumped from fantasy gaming for a moment and picked up a new game. A sci-fi game.

Fantasy Flight's X-Wing Miniatures Game.

How could I not? I mean, great minis and Star Wars? Not to mention the chance to make "pew pew" sounds across the table at another grown man without either of you laughing at the other? C'mon...it was meant to be!

I just waited a while until I gave in to the urges. I had read one too many battle reports online and it all just built up until I found a coupon for Barnes & Noble, swooped in, and grabbed it at a discount. That broke the dam.

I now have six more expansions, with two more on the way in the mail (more on these in just a moment), and already looking at storage options. I'm also making some third-party purchases with an eye to beefing up my game a bit.

Now, the two I have in the mail? I have to boast: I managed to find a seller on e-Bay selling the Millennium Falcon Expansion Pack for about 40% of MSRP. I bought two, and even got free shipping. The third-party purchase(s) I'll discuss in the coming days.

All for now. I have to go feed my hunger by wandering the exhibit halls of Comic Con.

Excelsior!



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Previous "O"s:
2013: O is for Omen Wine (beverage)
2012: O is for Oath of Righeous Magic (spell)
2011: O is for Opening Doors

It's the Final Countdown!

Friends, a reminder that there's less than 36 hours remaining on the Kickstarter for my friends Tracy and Laura Hickman's latest gaming endeavor! They're not just friends of the OSR; you may say they help embody the OSR! Plus, they know a thing or two about making games....

I think they've got another home run on their hands!

Let's make a final push toward the finish line; there's some GREAT stretch goals that are well within reach. (These include plastic counters, special dice, and input from author Kevin J. Anderson!) They've already met stretch goals to include a game module written by author Larry Correia.

It's a fun game and a worthy cause.... Besides, you can never have too many board games, right? Best of all, it's suitable for adults, kids, and families.

If you haven't had a chance to pledge yet, jump on board! If you've already pledged, take a moment and check out the great add-ons!


Here's the link: Sojourner Tales Board Game.

Tracy Hickman's New Game

OK, so, I need to throw a shout-out to all my readers about this.

Tracy Hickman's Kickstarter went live last night and I'm pretty excited about it. It's for a new board game...well, that's like calling Buckingham Palace a "house." It's so much more than a simple board game. Put away Clue and Monopoly for a while, in other words. I can't wait to get my hands on it. In fact, I'm hoping to find the Hickmans at Salt Lake Comic Con and sit down for a demo, just so I can say I've played it.

Here's the link: Sojourner Tales Board Game.

From the Kickstarter description:

Sojourner Tales is a board game featuring new, downloadable ebook adventure modules that make the experience new every time you play.
...
In Sojourner Tales, you will use strategy and wits as you discover and collect the pieces of your mysterious story as you strive to be the first to complete the epic adventure. The tale is different every time you play ... or you can download new Sojourner Tales to explore from our website!

Number of Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 60-90 minutes
Age of Players: 12+ (requires minimum reading skills)
Setup time: 5-7 minutes
Teach the rules: 3-5 minutes
...
Unique Ebook Story Modules: The story told in every Sojourner Tale is designed to be contained entirely in the electronic mobi or epub files. You also have the option to download the adventure in PDF format to print out and use with the game if you do not have a tablet or other device that supports the electronic book formats. However, the use of any touch-screen device provides a magical experience in storytelling and helps the game move faster.
Adaptable Design: The game components that come in the box and the rules of the game itself are specifically designed to be adaptive to a broad spectrum of storytelling. Each Sojourner Story Module contains information on which location tiles are to be used on the board with that particular story, thereby changing the look of the game board depending on the story being told. All of the flavor, setting, characters and narrative of the adventure are contained in the downloaded module ... meaning the game can adapt to any story you want to live.
Innovative Storytelling System: The board keeps track of your location in the epic story, making certain that the game flows back and forth between the board and the ebook with the story continuity left intact. For random encounters, an innovative 'Twisted Tales' system lets the players draw two twisted cards and one tales card and then 'stack' them in such a way as to make a phrase -- a phrase which takes them to a specific adventure entry for that combination of cards.
Grass-roots Licensing: We want YOU to write adventures for our game and so we are even providing you with a 'grass-roots licensing option whereby you can not only create your own Sojourner Tales games but (with our license) also sell those adventures on our official website.

Here's the link one more time: Sojourner Tales Board Game. Jump on over and pledge away; there are some great early-bird perks still available.

For now.

So act now, and act quick.