MINI WARGAMING: "Epic-Armageddon Returns!" (20 January 2008)

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TOP: Epic-Armageddon, being played locally AGAIN!

Hi All,

Yesterday I was cruising around town with some rare free time and I stopped by A-1 Comics, a local gaming shop, to visit with my buddies and get in a board game or two when I saw a rare and very welcome sight:

Epic-Armageddon was being played AGAIN!

TOP: A 6mm sci-fi Eldar army masses for an assault.

I was pretty happy about that being that Epic-Armageddon (E-A) is one of my favorite games and both players are friends of mine, another welcome sight.

TOP: Eric "Chern" Royer, Space Marine Chapter Master.

TOP: Aaron Morneau, Master Eldar Tactician.

Aaron is talking about creating a local E-A league and he and Eric were giving E-A a spin to re-evaluate it ...after all this time. Aaron is also interested in playing Battlefleet Gothic again... Both of which are fine by me since I have un-loved painted miniatures for both games that would love to see action again!

TOP: A fourteen-year-old Space Marine bunker!

Eric made it while in the U.S. Navy.

Eric is still maintaining his wonderful web site for those interested in a variety of cool materials for Epic-Armageddon and the Babylon-5 space games.

Link here:
http://home.comcast.net/~epicarmycard/Main%20Page/Main.htm

A link to all of the photos I took of the game:

http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/Maksim-Smelchak/Gaming-2008/Epic-Armaggeddon_1-19-2008_/

Good news for the 6mm sci-fi scene!

Have a great Sunday!

And if you're a Yank, enjoy the three-day MLK Day weekend!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (...if it is indeed an infringement).

GAMING NEWS: Necronopoly? And More! (29 July 2006)

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Hi Everyone,

I managed to stop by A-1 Comics in Roseville yesterday and met a few friends for some gaming...

A-1 Comics link:

http://www.a-1comics.com/a1main.htm

The following were present:
- Chris
- Dave
- Jason
- Kimbo
- Maksim (me!)

I was last there and missed out on a few games including this amusing spawn of Cthulhu and Monopoly (no kidding):

NECRONOPOLY

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/15057

I don't remember who won (Code for "Kimbo won!" Mazel Tov, Kimbo!), but I did get to see Jason go insane and turn into a ghoul. Very amusing. And Dave got eaten by an Elder force so it couldn't have been all bad.

Here's mighty Kimbo's summation of the game:

An obvious take off on Monopoly. This is a simple "roll and move" game that might be a bit of fun for the fan of the Cthulhu Mythos. Instead of money, the currency of the game is sanity, and it goes away fast! The "winner" is the last player to have any sanity left. (I call this person the "Last loser".) You can buy property in this game (using Sanity of course) but there is no trading of properties, no houses or hotels to build. The game is all about trying to preserve the sanity you start with longer than everyone else. One advantage this game has over Monopoly is that when a player goes insane (loses all his sanity), he becomes a monster in the game (a cultist) and begins working against the remaining players. A cultist can't "win" the game, but at least he's not sitting around waiting for the game to end...

Good for a laugh or two, but not a game to be taken seriously.

Mazel Tov again to Kimbo, the Great Old One!

El Grande

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/93

Next we played El Grande, which I have been avoiding for awhile. It gets good reviews, but I have had a very bad feeling about it, which was well vindicated during play. Dave blindsided me on the first turn and I was stuck anywhere from twenty to forty points behind all of the other players. El Grande is a basic territorial dominance game with bidding for special cards, which affect gameplay. I stuck it out (after the blindside), but the amount of backstabbing in the game (We often call it the "Kimbage factor" and I'm not sure why since Kimbo really isn't a vindictive person... guess it's just teasing.) decreased my enjoyment of the game. Or I could just be kvetching...

Flip-Tac-Toe http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/24540

Dave must have had a screw loose because he suggested that we play a Tic-Tac-Toe game with foam "Romper Room" pieces next. The twist with Flip-Tac-Toe was that you could stack the pieces four high or move stacks. I think that I would have been more amused if we had played food fight with the pieces. I manage sneak in a quick victory on the first game and sat out the second game, which dragged out forever.

And while they spent about forty minutes FLIP-TAC-TOE'ing each other, I ran into Mike Hardy, who was working on minis. We chatted about a number of things including his Cold Navy miniatures line and game universe, which he has now sold off. For more information, check out the Cold Navy web site:
http://coldnavy.xtreme-hobby.com/

Mike Hardy is an interesting guy and one of the most consistently gnenerous gamers I've known. I originally met him at the old Hobby Workshop gaming store...

(ASIDE: I miss good ol' Machiavellian Bill, the owner of that classy joint! Bill was one f those folks you'll remember for life... like the proprietor from the KODT comic book gaming shop...)

...in the early 2000's, while he was demo'ing Reaper's CAV game. Later CAV burned him out...

(ASIDE: Reaper still has yet to come out with CAV 2... it's been something like two or three years since they last announced that it was forthcoming...)

...and I've lately caught him playing War Machine from Privateer Press. I think that War Machine is a good game, but have avoided it because I don't want to buy into another miniatures game.

Mike is probably best known for his Cold Navy miniatures line, which is very impressive. Unfortunately, the pressure of raising a family, maintaining a day job and trying to run a low profit hobby company was too much and Mike sold off the company. I wish both Mike and his successor luck in their future ventures. The miniatures and board game hobby industries are notoriously hard to break into.

KODT comic book link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KODT

Rum & Pirates

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/19948

After the FLIP-TAC-TOE carnage ended (They stopped "flipping" each other...), we proceeded to play a game that I can never quite get the hang of, Rum & Pirates. What seems like a simple five turn pirate-themed version of Candyland and the old TSR Fantasy Forest has some very deceptive bidding game mechanics, which saw me end in a dead heat for last place again. My friend, Dick Mitchell, has mentioned that I must have lost my mojo. I'm starting to think that he may be right. I'd like to give Rum & Pirates another go or so... it has promise.

And because I haven't posted any shots of "gratuitous babes" in awhile, I chose this one from the recently passed Comicon comic book convention:

http://www.comicon.com/index.html

Look, Mom! It's Latina Wonder Woman!

I have to admit that most folks who attend conventions of any type in costume scare me, but every now and then someone shows up in a Spandex bodysuit who should actually be allowed to wear one, and this person certainly qualifies. She's also a nice change of pace for my poor weary eyes... so tired from looking at "over and underweight nerd groupies with anime neon bright hairdoos"... try saying that five times quickly.

On the other hand, someone probably ought to feed her. I'm sure that that's nothing a little lox and chicken soup with "Super Schmaltz" can't fix...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmaltz

Have a great Sunday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

GAMING NEWS: The Secret of A-1 Alchemy (7-19-2006)!

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Hi Everyone,

This past Wednesday Dick, Kimbo and I got together at A-1 Comics on Sunrise (as we do almost every week) and played a game... it was a longer game so we only got that game in. Dave Story managed to show up for a little, but had to leave later.

The game we played was:

Ars Mysteriorum

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/17125

And we had a good time.

The game reminded me in many ways of other card-drafting, resource bidding and set-building games such as Thurn & Taxi or Ticket To Ride, but it added a lot of complication to the "card" theme. Each turn had eight parts and the biggest gambit was in how you used your special cards called "mysteries." Unfortunately, a good number of the special cards were worded poorly or were only good when used in such a way as they disadvantaged the user as much as his opponents. I'm not a big proponents of games where I have a choice of hosing myself or hosing myself.

Most of all, the biggest shortcoming of the game was the length it took to play... We started early in the evening (probably around 5:00pm) and didn't end until late in the evening (almost 9:00pm). While I had a good time thanks to Dick and Kimbo, I felt that the playing the game wasn't a good use of my limited gaming time. I get alot more out of other games in the same amount of time.

Oh, and Mazel Tov to Dick on his victory! Well played!

And that remined me of another "alchemy" themed game that I have in my collection:

Theophrastus

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3562

I'll have to bring Theophrastus to the next meet this upcoming Wednesday. It has many of the same game mechanics but the special cards are better designed and the set collecting is more dynamic. The sense of background and story is also greater with Theophrastus than Ars Mysteriorum.

And although it will sound silly, all of the apprentice pawns in Ars Mysteriorum resembled lawn gnomes and that kept me from taking the game very seriously.

Who wouldn't prefer the mortar and pestle of Theophrastus to the lawn gnomes of Ars Mysteriorum?

Oh, and if you really have a thing for gnomes, check out this site:

http://www.gnomereserve.co.uk/

And if you're one of those "political activist" types, help the poor oppressed garden gnomes here:

http://www.freethegnomes.com/

Bottom line: I wouldn't recommend Ars Mysteriorum. I would recommend Theophrastus.

Have a great day!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures: These are not all my images. I am using various images from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

GAMING NEWS: A Bactrian Day of Bad Games (17 May 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was the Wednesday get-together again although we missed out on the the big Kahuna... Mr. Michelsohn. Dick was out buying a new car and now he's got it... something to rival Kurt's little supercharged sports number... a Toyota Prius... in red! Mazel Tov, Dick!

The above photo is of the Dick in camel form. He's a were-camel, don't ya know? Watch out for his full moon...

Dick dropped me a note:

Hiya Maks,

Thanks for the note. I picked up my new car last night and had to re-install all the 'stuff' that makes a car driveable. Like hairbrush, towel, emergency blankie, tie-down straps, crankable flashlight, Midnight Oil CD, etc. Its a new Toyota Prius - reduced gasoline costs, reduced insurance premiums, tax credit, refundable warranty program - all the right options for someone who believes gas is not going to get cheaper.

I'll look forward to seeing your blog report on last night's action. I thought about you all last night... but not for too long... you know how new toys can capture your attention. And it's red.

See you soon,
Dick.

When I showed up a little after 5:00pm, Kurt and Dave were neck-deep into a game of Dave's latest acquisition: Carolus Magnus, which looked pretty interesting. Dave also felt that he'd set the theme for the evening, which would be "A Night of Bad Games" and so it was. I modified the theme a bit to include a reference to that paragon of camelian virtue, Kurt... hence the Bactrian reference.

The above photo is of Kurt in natural form... that toothy smile must be why he is so camera-shy. Some people can be soooo self-conscious!

The above photo is of lovely, Sheila, who faithfully guarded Kurt's car all night... or at least until he left to go home and watch cheap soap operas. Kurt says "a real woman knows how to spit." And boy, can Sheila spit with the best of 'em!

The last member of Kurt's family (that anyone has heard of that is) is Kurt's stepson, Stephen. He's a cute little bugger, isn't he?

Camels on the half shell:
- Mrs. Crystal (in a guest appearance): Camel Display Model, widely known for her two-humped figure.
- Msr. Dave: Camel Cultist Mesmerist & former Camel Jockey.
- Mr. Dick (absent): former Camel Jockey & Camel Kiss'in Outlaw.
- Ms. Donna, The Curse of: Sorceress & Short Order Cook.
- Dr. Kimbo: Camel Whisperer & former Camel Jockey.
- Kurt, Sheik Ibn Ali: Camel Racing Sponsor & One Camel Humper (Or was that one-hump camel?).
- Maks (me!): former Camel Jockey & Coiffeur Expert.
- Mr. Mike O'Brien: Camel Masseuse & Washing Boy.
- Todd: Robotic Camel Jockey Technician.

In a sad move, many camel jockeys are being driven out of the sport by... robots. To learn more about the future of camel racing, read more about robotic camel jockeys here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4430851.stm

And for those of you who are both Beach Boys fans and capable of handling a little R-rated humour, check out this humorous video about "the camel's toe." It's sort of like that old Kipling story about the "monkey's paw"... only more visceral:

http://www.mushy.co.uk/movies.htm

Scroll down a bit and look for the movie called "camel toe."

Oh! And we played a few games:

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1. Carolus Magnus

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/481

Players:
- Dave: Winner!
- Kurt: L.

Dave proved once again in this interesting game that he can consistently win when he's the one explain'in the rules to the others. However, Kimbo points out that if we're too lazy to read the rules for ourselves then we deserve what we have coming. The game had beautiful tiles and pieces and both Kurt and Dave seemed to think that there was good game play inherent to Carolus Magnus.

Kimbo enjoyed playing with the chit sprues. He can spin them from his finger at very high speed. Amazing, Kimbo!

And, oh yeah, Dave won. Mazel Tov, Dave!

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2. Rocketville

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21239

Players:
- Dave: 17 WINNER!
- Kimbo: 16 l.
- Kurt: 4 L.
- Maks: 14 l.

Rocketville gained notoriety over at BGG for some of the most obnoxious ads ever created so it was with great trepidation that the gang decided to try out this game... that and Dave was given a free copy.

We pretty much discovered what the hype had been about the game... it sucked. Gameplay was very random with little skill or choice in the game. It was pretty much a random card pull with an occasional decision to try and trump others.

Mazel Tov, Dave on your win!

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3. King Arthur

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/15167

Players:
- Dave: 28 l.
- Kimbo: 48 WINNER!
- Kurt: 39 l.
- Maks: 24 L.

King Arthur was pretty interesting for one of Dave's "bad games." It was very card-based, but with two separate actions per player turn, there were a lot of choices to be made. Near the end of the game, Kimbo pulled a dirty trick, he publicly exclaimed that the game was lost to him, which, of course, in the weird world of strange game karma, guaranteed that he would win and he did!

Mazel Tov, Kimbo!

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4. Who's The Ass?

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/11104

Players:
- Dave: 15 +3 + 11 = 29 WINNER!
- Kimbo: 53 + 4 + 0 = 47 L.
- Maks: 68 + 0 + 0 = 68 L.
- Mike: 50 + 16 + 39 = 105 The ASS!
- Todd: 0 + 39 + 16 = 55 L.

Near the end of the evening, the natives became restless and only Kimbo held the answer to our problems in his hand... no, not alchohol, but... Who's The Ass?. It was quickly agreed upon so we set out to play a few rounds and determine who the biggest ass was... (since we already knew the camels among our numbers). When I took the photo above, I was pretty pleased that I was going to get a dignified and tough shot of Mike... instead I got a mug shot. Sorry, Mike! We can't all be beautiful all of the time... What's that old saying... you can fool some of the people some of the time...

Todd used his best "snake juice smile and guile" to secure an early lead. After that, it was knife fight with Todd and Mike being clearly out of the game. Kimbo pulled out all his tricks, but he forgot to publicly exclaim that the game was lost to him so... he lost. Maybe that trick only works once a night or so?

And... in the end of ends, Dave pulled it off AGAIN. Mazel Tov AGAIN, Dave!

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I left around 7:30pm and so did one or two of the others so I imagine that it was an early night at A-1 Comics.

And guess who took the best picture of the evening? Todd!

Nice picture, bro! That's the smile you use when you sell used cars, right?

Seriously, yesterday was a pleasant evening out with friends, the kind we all like to have.

Have a great week!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
This is what I look like in camel form. Sorceress Donna was a bit upset with me for the nickname I gave her a few weeks ago during the Clue / Save Dr. Lucky episode. Here I prove both that I need to get haircuts more often and that a good looking camel, um fellow, like me can impersonate Elvis with the right amount of gumption... and pomade.

GAMING NEWS: Revving Engines at Formula A-1 (10 May 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I want to apologize for the delay in getting this update posted... my life has simply been hectic beyond imagining!

My baby sister (photo at right) graduated from community college last Friday and my entire family is very proud of her. She got a slower start with schooling than I did so seeing her earn two associate's degrees brought me a lot of pride and pleasure. For those of you who don't know, my petite baby sister is a fire fighter and watching her graduate from the fire fighter's academy a few year's ago was a kick... you see, my sister barely tops about 5'4" and for her to keep up with the sort of macho paramilitary guys that generally become firefighters was nothing short of miraculous. And to top that off, I caught some sort of flu at the end of last week and struggled through the end of last week.

And when it rains, it pours. My current job has had numerous calls for overtime so I've been working a large number of hours. And I'm also hearing back from a number of companies that I've applied to for jobs. I'll be interviewing for a management position with a local company later this week as of today (16 May 2006). So... I've had my hands full!

Last week, the gang gathered at A-1 Comics and we played games. The evening was relatively quiet but very satisfying. It's hard to ask for more than good company and a few good games!

If I had to pick a theme for the evening, I would go with the "race car" theme as Dave brought his copy of Formula De, which several of us enjoyed. And there was much more too... read on, maestro!

Racers, Head Mechanics and Sponsors Present:
- Crystal "Love," NASCAR Promotional Model & Shortcake Queen.
- Dick Michelsohn, Sponsor of the Beaten-Dick Racing Team, Ltd.
- Msr. Dave Story, Racer Extrordinaire & Rogue Cult Leader.
- Donna O'Flaherty, NASCAR Promotional Model & Head Mechanic of Team Bang!.
- Keith Mantooth, Outlaw Gunfighter & Head Mechanic of the Beaten-Dick Racing Team, Ltd.
- "Black Kimbo," Racer and Malevolent Taxman.
- Kurt, Ibn Ali, Sheik and Sponsor of Team Tupperware!
- Maksim (me!) Smelchak, Unknown Racer and Amateur Photographer of little skill.
- Mike O'Brien, Sponsor of Team Bang!
- Todd Blanco, Hot Latin Lover and Driver of the "BLUE" (not WHITE!) car of the TLC Team.
- Tony De Cinema De Noir, Racer and Film Professor from Italy.

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1. Familienbande

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/11081

Players:
- Dave: Winner!
- Dick: L.
- Kurt: L.

In this strange game, Dave, Dick and Kurt manipulated family trees to see who could come up with the ugliest children. When it comes to funky breeding, Dave had a natural advantage over the others and won this game... handily. Mazel Tov, Dave!

To the right, we have a photo of Dick... in a pink shirt, showing the rest of us how to not only look tough, but be tough! I have many a lesson to learn from men like Dick and Kurt... especially on how to be cool and tough. In a slip of the tongue that I'll probably never live down, I exclaimed that I couldn't "beat Dick." Sometimes, I just think that I'm hopeless... I mean Dick can even look "Miami Vice" cool in a pink shirt and all I can do is stick my foot in my mouth.

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2. Diabolo

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21613

Players:
- Dave: L.
- Dick: Winner!
- Kurt: L.
- Maks: L.

Dick once again proved his superiority over us mere mortals! Go, Dick! Mazel Tov, Dick!

Kurt deserves an honorable mention for exceptional play. He also deserves a medal for repeatedly turning me down from taking his photo. Either Kurt is very vain regarding his personal appearance or he knows me for the lousy amateur photographer that I am.

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3. King's Blood

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20675

Players:
- Dick: 25 pts. Winner!
- Keith (took over from Maks): 101 pts. L.
- Kimbo: 64 pts. L.
- Kurt: 71 pts. L.
- Mike (took over from Crystal): 57 pts. L.
- Todd: 74 pts. L.

In this strange anime themed game of quasi-European royalty, we saw the gang mix up aristocratic family trees in a way that made the English royal family look exceedingly normal. Dick, once again, demonstrated his prowess as a breeder and cleaned house... so to speak. Mazel Tov to you, Dick!

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4. Shopping, The Galleria!

http://retailtrafficmag.com/news/retail_14/index.html

Players:
- Crystal: Winner!
- Donna: Winner!
- Mike: L.
- Todd: L.

Crystal has been feeling some intense guilt over excessively teasing me about having a favorable win rate playing games with her so she is presenting me a piece of strawberry shortcake in this photograph (Thanks, Crystal!) to show her compassion for me. After her brief emotional display, she and Donna teamed up to play Shopping, the Galleria! and left us.

Todd and Mike lost out on that game.

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5. Yinsh!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/7854

Players:
- Dave: Winner!
- Maks: L.

Dave and I played a quick game of Yinsh! while the rest of the gang finished playing King's Blood. Dave kicked my butt! Mazel Tov, Dave!

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6. Flaschenteufel (The Bottle Imp)

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/619

Players:
- Dave: Winner!
- Kimbo: L.
- Todd: L.

And Dave chewed a little more gum and kicked a little more ***. Mazel Tov AGAIN, Dave!

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7. Bang!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3955

Players:
- Dick: Deputy: Shot Down Like A Dog!
- Keith: Outlaw: Winner!
- Maks: Outlaw - Winner! (But a dead winner!)
- Mike: Sheriff: SDLAD!
- Tony: Renegade: SDLAD!

Displaying my lame skills as a wannabe Western anti-hero, I was slain very quickly in a game of Bang!. Keith turned the game around and slew the sheriff, which technically also made me a winner, but I was dead! Bummer. Mazel Tov, Keith!

We played with Mike's new expansion, which really changed game play.

Thanks for bringing the game and being such a good sport, Mike!

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8. Formula De

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/173

Racers:
- Dave: 3rd! in the green car!
- Kimbo: 5th! in the lemon car!
- Maks: 1rst! Winner! in the red car!
- Todd: 2nd! in the blue car!
- Tony: 4th! in the white car!

At right, you can see a photo of Monsieur Dave L'Idiotique, a famed racer from France, known for his extravagant mode of dress and polished pate.

And at left you can see "Black Kimbo," a racer from the Dakotas who is also known as the "Malevolent Tax Man!" Despite the happy expression on his face (was it gas?), poor Kimbo is busy moving and reestablishing himself as an "empty nest" gamer as all of his "little birds" are now out of the house. I send my condolences to him.

Poor Kimbo also displayed his amazing penchant... for bad luck. His rolled the absolute lowest number possible (that's bad) on the Formula De dice a number of times in a row. Happens to the best of us, Kimbo! I feel your pain.

And at right, you can see a photo of "Flash'in Blue Todd, the Holy Avenger." Noone knows exactly where he is from, but the rumor is that he changed his name to "blue" after years of being known as the "whitest" man on the block.

And here to the left, we see "Mad Friar Tony," famed racer from Italy. When Tony isn't hitting the bottle, he can push some mean accelerator pedal! Unfortunately, while Tony was actually in teetotaler mode, he missed a number of turns in his souped up Yugo racer. Can you see the pain on his face (maybe it was constipation... or consumption...)?

And to the right, is a fill-in photo for Maksim Smelchak as we seem to have lost our stock photo for him. For a relatively unknown race, he (really I) drove magnificently, securing a first place win. Mazel Tov to me, for the heck of it!



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9. Hot Car!

Players:
- Unknown

Noone knows where this hot car came from, but the rumors around A-1 Comics indicate that it belongs to a local sheik and his camel companion "Sheila." The sheik made most of his ill-gotten riches in corrupt Tupperware pyramid schemes and can occasional be spotted around A-1 buying smutty comic books when he isn't home watching cheap soap opera... at least, that's what I heard...

======

Have a great week!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

GAMING NEWS: A Highly Anticipated Murder at A-1 Comics (3 May 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

Well, gaming day at A-1 Comics has come and gone and the game that themed the night was:

"Who Killed Dr. Lucky?" from "Cheapass Games"

You either loved it, hated it, or just wanted to see the game die!

And "Who Killed Dr. Lucky?," which is actually called "Save Dr. Lucky!" is a parody of the classic "Clue" game. We all took our roles and the murder mystery party ensued.

The following people showed up:
- Crystal
- Dick
- Dave Story
- Donna
- Kimbo
- Kurt
- Maksim (me!)
- Mike O'Brien
- Todd
- Tony

And we played the following games:

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1. Through the Desert

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/503

Players:
- Dick: L.
- Dave: L.
- Kimbo: L.
- Kurt: WINNER!
- Maks: L.

Kurt ended up having a lot of talent with camels. He just seemed to have an instinctive feeling with them. It was like the rest of us weren't even competitors or even in the room with him... just Kurt and his beloved camels. I believe that the lovely spitting paramour of Ibn Ali Kurt was named "Sheila." Mazel Tov with your win, Kurt!

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2. Treehouse

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21955

Players:
- Dave: L.
- Kimbo: WINNER!
- Kurt: L.

In this strange little game using the Zendo "crystal" pyramids, Kimbo massaged the dice just right and beat off Dave and Kurt... ...to victory. Mazel Tov, Kimbo!

To the right is a photo of Dave looking a little less enthused than the print design on his shirt. He talked about the highlight of his work day being when his dog broke wind loudly. Oh, the joys of being a computer geek working out of your own home!

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3. Category 5

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/432

Players:
- Dave: L.
- Kimbo: L.
- Kurt: L.
- Todd: WINNER!

Todd claims that he has a method for winning this game and whatever it was, it worked this time. Mazel Tov, Todd!

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4. Yinsh!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/7854

Players:
- Dick: 2 - L.
- Todd: 3 - WINNER!

In the classic strategy game of Yinsh, Dick's largest accomplishment was making a "brass knuckle" out of the Yinsh rings. Todd, in yet another win of the day, beat out Dick. Mazel Tov, AGAIN Todd!

The exciting photo to the right depicts a Yinsh game in progress. Can't you feel the intense emotion and action pursuant to this game?

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5. Category 5

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/432

Players:
- Dick: L.
- Dave: L.
- Kimbo: L.
- Kurt: L.
- Maks: L.
- Todd: WINNER!

Todd's "method" appeared to work again! Mazel Tov AGAIN, Todd!

Kurt had to leave around this time... he babbled something about having to catch a soap opera on some obscure cable channel. He's weird that way.

======
6. Bang!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3955

Players:
- Crystal: Sheriff: WINNER!
- Dick: Outlaw: Shot Down Like A Dog!
- Dave: Outlaw: SDLAD!
- Kimbo: Outlaw: SDLAD!
- Maks: Deputy: WINNER!
- Todd: Renegade: SDLAD!

It was a tough root'in toot'in gun match and hot lead flew like there was no tomorrow... and then there were three! (Cue Wild Western "high plains" theme.)

Maksim and Crystal lined up on one end of the town and "Wildman" Kimbo on the other, spitt'in an' tear'in an' holler'in like there'd be no tomorrow.

Hot lead flew again. Maks was hit... he staggered... bleeding. Kimbo laughed behind his barrel. Crystal was hit and hit bad... the holes in her smart "Law-woman TM" vest were leaking red...

And then the sun hit "High Noon" and it all turned around...

Kimbo was hit once and then twice (Cue in image of Kimbo silently screaming) and then he was slain like the scurrilous dog he was.

The good guys won this time and rode off into the sunset happily ever after.

P.S.
Please ignore any time / logic problems with the sudden jump from high noon to the setting sun!

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7. Who Killed Dr. Lucky?

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1157

Players:

Dick as: Colonel Mustard, Retired military man and Great White Hunter.

Ever notice how the "I-talian" guys always go straight for the babe?

Crystal as: Yvette, the French Maid, also known as "Crystal Love" in the slums.

And don't let that perky smile fool you, she's a manipulative and bloodthirsty lass.

Maks as: Professor Krasnoxolostoksky.

This is a truly terrible picture of me. I must remember to always have pictures of me taken with my head level or looking up so my neck doesn't make me look fat. I was properly cast as the hopeless academic, who's always forgetting things. And I forgot to win.

Todd as: Mr. White, Cleaning Staff. A pretty vanilla fellow.

Todd wasn't photographed this time around due to his vast importance in the greater picture of things. Bummer.

Tony as: Fryar Antonio De Cinema De Noir.

The Fryar tried to "whack" ol' Dr. Lucky several times, but he would have been better off using the bottle as a weapon than a source of libation.

Dave as: Monsieur David L'Idiotique, Cultist Leader and Circuit Lecturer.

Monsier Dave, as we called him, thought that the "ontology" of the evening was "in disarray" and became a "silent protester" to the inhumanity of the evening. Oddly enough, this made him one of the more interesting, and yet less exciting, guests.

Kimbo as: The Malevolent Taxman.

I think his name was either "Butch" or "Peewee," but I wasn't brave enough to ask and the fiendish look on his face frightened all others away. His loud braggardly ranting (something about card-based games) let everyone know that he didn't feel that he had to play by the rules. It almost seemed as if he wanted everyone to lose. I have a feeling that if the game would have gone on any longer, he might have done something drastic...

Mike O'Brien as: Dr. Lucky, the man we all love to hate although some of us just hate him... not I, I say!

Donna as: Ms. Ho, the Oriental cook that worked a little "too hard" for Dr. Lucky!

------

It was a rousing night at Wayne Manor as the motley crew of the "Official Dr. Lucky Fan Club" assembled. Everyone was sipping cocktails or nibbling on hors d'ovaries, but you could feel something sinister simmering under the polite small talk. Either someone forgot to wear deodorant or there was hate in the air! (Cue suspenseful piano music.)

The party assembled in the foyer and the Doctor's bequest was read. Dr. Lucky O'Brien had had enough... his candle of life was nearly burnt down... and his dramatic request was that one of us end the misery of his life that very night! He offered his full fortune (in unmarked ones...) to any who could accomplish the grisly task.

Some of us conjectured that after eating Ms. Ho's cooking for so many years (Ho-hos), any of us would have wanted the same.

And the deed was afoot!

Dick quickly scurried off to the side room and caught the not-so-good doctor alone, but he was foiled in his attempt when the sight of his thumb distracted him.

Fryar Tony was next. Like every good man of the clergy, he whipped out his Black & Decker chainsaw and prepared to go to town when... he mistook a stairwell pillar for the not-so-good doctor. Another flubbed murder attempt.

And there were many more failed murdered attempts. "Peewee" Kimbo and Monsieur Dave were fraught with frustration! What kind of party was this? When would the evening end? Was Sartre right? And no card-based games! Aaaaagggghhhhh!

Finally, bloodthirsty "Crystal Love" found herself "alone" in the garden with the foolish doctor and ended his unlikeable ways.

Le Fin!

Rest In Peace, Doctor Lucky O'Brien!

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Have a great Friday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures: These are not all my images. I am using various images from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).