PERSONAL NEWS: Mazel Tov, Von Compton (9 April 2007)

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Baron and "gentleman adventurer" Otto Heinrich von Compton, Grand Naval Commander, Knight Of the Realm, Doctor Emeritus and Scholar Extraordinaire.
This photo was taken before the Baron acquired his "gentlemanly girth."

Hi Everyone,

GREAT NEWS!

The Baron's dear friend, President Scott "Pride O' the Rebs" Davis, American gentleman, distinguished scholar, and Phlogiston expert.

I wish to formally congratulate former local gamer Grand Naval Commander Otto Heinrich von Compton (otherwise known as Jon) on the successful and blessed birth of his first child.

The Lady and Baroness Karolyn Malonski showing off her finest smile.

Baron von Compton was only married last year to the Lady and Baroness Karolyn Malonski so it's a very blessed event to welcome Lady-to-Be Lauren G.A. von Compton to this world, 7 lbs, 7 oz, born at 4:42am on the fourth day of April of the year two-thousand and seven.

The wee angel next to one of the Baron's smaller aetherboat shells.
She's a real beauty, isn't she?
Wonderful shell. Simply marvelous.

Mazel Tov again, Baron and Baroness von Compton!

The Grande Admirale Jan-Michel "Mikos" Vincent-Brandeisium, foe of the Baron, paying his respects.

Baron von Compton is sorely missed around these parts and his annual Fourth of July and Birthday bashes were the joy of all. The Baron also has one of the finest collections of American Wild West and Victorian Science Fiction miniatures this side of the hemisphere. Baron von Compton is currently studying Advanced Aethersphere Engineering at an undisclosed university.

The von Compton Summer Home on Mars Colony.
The lady takes the utmost of effort in training her roses to Terran Imperial standards.

Have a glorious day and long live the Queen!

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).

MINI WARGAMING: Shoot-Out Tonight & Wargaming Tomorrow! (13 October 2006)

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Hi Everyone,

There will be another Westerns game hosted tonight at Great Escape Games. A little more info from local gamer, Mark:

"This Friday, Great Escape Games, 9-player open cowboy game. - Mark"

And in other news, our friends from the local Bay Area game club, EBAG (East Bay Armchair Generals), have published photos from their recent gaming meeting.

They hosted two games:
- The Battle of Salamanca, July 22, 1812.
- Winter War, December 1939.

Check out this link for more info:

http://tinyurl.com/ylou8c

And lastly, tomorrow is the next MWSS meeting... there are lots of good games planned!

- WWI aerial game sponsored by Rob "Mako" Kent.
- The Battle of Princeton hosted by Mike O.
- WWII skirmish game run by Keith and Joe B.
- HOTT open gaming.
- Open board gaming.

Please check out the MWSS web site or Yahoo E-group for more information:

http://www.freewebs.com/mwssacto/

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/M_W_S/

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
And a little something for all of my readers aspiring to be WWI aviators:

May all aircraft be so finely built!

MINI WARGAMING: Shootout This Friday!

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Hi Everyone,

This is a quick E-mail to let you know that there will be a Western game at Great Escape Games at 6:00pm, 29 September 2006. My good friend Mark is hosting and the game should be a hoot!

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HOWDY, PARDS.

Last Friday we played a great game of Gunfight on new terrain from Arnica, a Mexican Hacienda. As usual, it was Hobbes who so truthfully said that a life without civilization is.... nasty, brutish and short. I ended up with a nickname of Lunger, and Joe got himself a "cool scar."

Next week I will be running a Legends of the Old West game. If you want to bring your own posse of $250 bucks, go for it. I have a number of ready made posses so all you have to do is show up, roll a few dice and enjoy the atmosphere.

STONEHILL LOST ITS SHERIFF LAST MONTH, SO WE WILL HAVE AN ELECTION TO GET US A NEW ONE. WE WILL PLAY WITHOUT FAME AND SPECIAL CHARACTER RULES, BUT WE WILL HAVE FORTUNE ROLLS. POSSES NEED TO BRING THEIR OWN CANDIDATE FOR SHERIFF. SHOULD START AROUND 6:00 P.M. AT:

GREAT ESCAPE GAMES.

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

SEE YOU THERE.
MARK STEINBERG AKA BIKS

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If you're interested in some incredible 28mm Western gaming scenery, please check out Arnica Real Estate here:

http://arnicarealestate.com/

And for some of the best Western gaming rules around, please check out the fine rulesets, gaming accoutrements and the fine gentlemen (Rod and Thomas) from Flagship Games here:
http://www.flagshipgames.com/

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Happy gaming to everyone!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

MINI WARGAMING: The Weekend Wrap Up In Sacto Gaming (22-23 July, 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

This was quite a weekend of gaming, plenty of events.

Vynnie, a local gamer, well known for his generosity and a beautifully designed miniatures web site (link to his site shown below) was among the game hosts this past weekend.

Saturday was full of gaming events...

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Whether from the Sacto Board Gamers at the Arden Dimick Public Library...

http://boardgames.meetup.com/19/about/

You can see several well known gamers in the above photo (photo taken from the Sacto Boardgamers web site) ... among them Phil the "Mighty" and Brian the "Brain."

Kevin Ellingston was able to attend this event and noted the games played here:

http://briefurl.com/Arden_7-22-2006

I have posted a list on BoardGameGeek recapping the games that were played on July 22 at the Arden Dimick Library. Since I did not arrive until 2 p.m., I suspect there may have been a game or two that were played that I did not get a record of. If you attended and played a game that is not on the list, I would appreciate it if you would add it.

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The MWSS Board / Mini Gamers at Fair Oaks Public Library...

The above photo is of Rob "Mako" Kent, a local wargamer with an intense interest in aerial wargames and Don Delis, who hosted a WWII Pacific wargame.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/M_W_S/

MWSS also had guests from the Bay Area EBAG Club:

The EBAG guys are certainly a little strange, but are always likeable!

Why is it that so many folks with Scooby Doo T-shirts seem to resemble Shaggy?

http://www.warsweb.com/ebag.html

MWSS hosted three mini games this past weekend:

- A western "gunsmoke" game (homebrew rules) designed and hosted by the always charismatic Joe Bianchi.

- A WWII Pacific game (Flames of War rules) featuring Ozzies fighting the Japanese in the deep jungle hosted by the inscrutable Don Delis.

- A DBM game featuring the Gauls vs. the Romans hosted by the ever magnanimous Brad.

I attended this event and took some photos, which can be found here:

http://briefurl.com/MWSS_7-22-2006

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Or the local gamers that Vynnie hosted at his place...

In the above photo, a might Klingon and Orion fleet head off to deal some "hurt" to the do-gooders of the Federation. If nothing else, the Klingons have thick heads of hair, which is more than many Federation captains can lay claim to...

http://www.recon-in-force.com/index.html

I also attended this event and posted some photos here:

http://briefurl.com/Vynnie_7-22-2006

We played the popular Starfleet Battles remake Federation Cammander and had a good time. FC is a big improvement over the rules and tables heavy SFB.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21371

Of course, as often as not, it's the company that makes the game and not the other way around.

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And Sunday also saw a number of games hosted including some games of ASL (Advanced Squad Leader), a classic war game of much renown.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/243

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And I had a great time everywhere I headed this past weekend!

Thanks to all, whether hosts, players or otherwise!

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.

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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!

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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).

GAMING NEWS: No Stink'in Badges! (26 April 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Well, yesterday was A-1 Comics gaming night and we had quite a showing.

I'm not sure what the night's theme was, but it was probably Spaghetti Westerns again as we played Bang! three times. The law men were slain three times running, definitely a bandito day.

It was a quiet evening... everyone was a little tired and Crystal was having a "creative hair" day... The scent of love and allergies must have been in the air.

Check out an article on Yahoo News called:

"Soaring Pollen Counts Spur Worst Allergy Season in Years"
By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter

"We have seen an early and aggressive allergy season, including seasonal pollens and mold spores," said Dr. Clifford Bassett, a Long Island-based allergist and vice-chairman of AAAAI's Public Education Committee. Shulan agreed.

"The buds have been ready to burst, and when we have these warm days, the pollen counts have been just wild," he said.

Sacramento is among the worst cities in the country (#8 of the worst 10) for allergy sufferers.

Present & Accounted For:
- Cary
- Clay
- Crystal
- Dave Story
- Dick
- Kimbo
- Maksim (me!)
- Mike O'Brien
- Nils
- Todd

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1. Tigris & Euphrates

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/42

Players:
- Dave: L.
- Dick: L.
- Maksim: L.
- Mike: WINNER!

This is an interesting little game... I am wondering how much of the game is skill and how much luck. While the characters (round tokens) can pull off some pretty nice coups... the winning player profitted most from what other players did for him... not necessarily through his own actions. Weird. However, I'm not begrudging Mike his victory as, what Dick calls: "Monarch of Mesopotamia!" Mazel Tov, Mike!

This is a serious picture of Dick looking "spic 'n' span" after a haircut without his crisp trademark purple shirt. It must have been a "Back In Black" day for him. The whole evening seemed a little sombre... several of us were suffering from Spring allergies.

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2. San Juan

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/8217

Players:
- Crystal: WINNER!
- Kimbo: L.
- Nils: L.
- Todd: L.

When Crystal plays for keeps, she DOES! Despite Kimbo's best efforts, she eeked out a SBD victory... Mazel Tov, Crystal!

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3. Robo Ralley

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/18

Players:
- Cary: L.
- Clay: WINNER!
- Dave: L.

Dave introduced the guys to this "oldie but a goodie" on a simple one-map game in which Clay took victory by pushing his robot to its utmost. Mazel Tov, Clay!

The above robot pretty much captures the "spirit" of the evening... low on energy and desperately sad.

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4. Bang!

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

Players:
- Crystal: ?
- Dick: ?
- Kimbo: Outlaw - Victory!
- Maksim: Oulaw - Shot Down Like A Dog! - Victory!
- Mike: Deputy - Loss.
- Nils: Deputy - Loss.
- Todd: Sheriff - SDLAD!

OUTLAW Victory!

Here's a picture of Crystal and Todd not looking too energetic... I tell you, allergies must have been in the air... Of Course, with that eyes closed position, it might have just been Crystal plotting ways to beat the rest of us down and Todd not recovering from his last marital castigation.

Nils adds:

Bang #1: Todd was the Sheriff while Mike and I were Deputies. Unfortunately, we sat immediately to Todd's right so were very little help to him in the first turns of the game. Then I was jailed for my first turn.

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5. Bang!

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

Players:
- Crystal: ?
- Dick: ?
- Kimbo: ?
- Maksim: Sheriff - Shot Down Like A Dog! - Loss.
- Mike: ?
- Nils: Deputy - Loss.
- Todd: ?

OUTLAW Victory!

It was an "Eat lead, lawman!" day and the outlaws "moidelized" the sheriff and his weak deputies again!

Nills adds:

Bang #2: I was Deputy again, but don't remember who the Sheriff was (Maks: I was.). It finally dawned on me that I had to pay attention to other people's play to determine if I should attack them or not.

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6. Bang!

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

Players:
- Crystal: Deputy - Shot Down Like a Mangy Cur By Her Own Side! - Loss.
- Dick: Deputy - Shot Down Like a Dog! - Loss.
- Kimbo: Outlaw - SDLAD! - Loss.
- Maksim: Outlaw - SDLAD! - Loss.
- Mike: Outlaw - SDLAD! - Loss.
- Nils: Sheriff - SDLAD! - Loss.
- Todd: Renegade - Renegade Victory!

RENEGADE Victory!

In a remarkable turn-around, the Renegade pulled off a rare renegade victory! I have no idea who the renegade was since I was the first one turned into road kill... Mazel Tov, Renegade Man!

Nils adds:

Bang #3: I was Sheriff. Dick was a Deputy. Maks, Kimbo and Mike were all Outlaws and were all gunned down. It came down to Todd and Crystal, one being the other Deputy and the other being the Renegade. Both had played very well, but since Todd sat immediately to my left, I noticed him helping me more as Sheriff, so attacked and slew Crystal. She turned out to be the Deputy. Todd and I fought it out for a few turns, including me getting the right cards to strip Todd of all his cards, but he finally gunned me down.

Bang Variant: There was a discussion of how people can get killed early on in the game (Maks and Kimbo). On BGG, there are variant rules to allow the dead plays to continue to play as Ghosts and even affect the living players. Might be interesting to try. Here's the link:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/fileinfo.php?fileid=14481

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7. No Thanks!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12942

Players:
- Cary: WINNER!
- Dave: L.
- Dick: L.

Cary must have been hot yesterday... a skillful victory! Every time I turned around, he had a new hand layed out. Mazel Tov, Cary!

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8. No Thanks!

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12942

Players:
- Cary: L.
- Dave: WINNER!
- Dick: L.

Every dog (sic. Dave) has his day and this was his game! Mazel Tov, Dave!

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9. Saboteur

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/9220

Players:
- Cary: ?
- Crystal: ?
- Dave: ?
- Dick: ?
- Nils: ?
- Todd: ?

This was the last game of the evening and I left before it ended. The saboteurs, narsty little barstards, seemed to be leading... and the map looked like a government contractor's job of tunneling.

Here's a picture of the gang playing Saboteur near the end of the evening when I pulled out my digital camera to snap a few shots. Nils has his legs propped up in the upper right corner of the shot, poor guy's baby daughter has been sick keeping him up late. In the upper left of the photo, you can see Dave in an "animated state." I think that Crystal was being irksome with him.

Nils adds:

Saboteur: Dave neglected to explain that you could discard instead of playing if you didn't have any card to help in tunnel building. Because of this key ommission, the first round was extremely erratic, with the new players (me included) thinking good little gnomes had to make bad plays because of the cards in their hands. This threw everyone's Saboteur sense totally off. The gnomes finally got the gold with the TLC unit being the saboteurs (Wow!, imagine that!). Second round, Dick played the Saboteur role extremely well, even to the point of making people thing I had said there was gold under a card when I had originally said there wasn't. Dave and ?Todd? were the other saboteurs. They ended up winning that round and since Dave was in the winning group both rounds, he won the game.

Saboteur Variant: Also on BGG, a Saboteur variant is discussed that allows only gold to be given to the good gnomes that aren't blocked by broken equipment. Sounds like this adds a bit of complexity to the game and makes it a bit easier for the Saboteurs to win since the good gnomes start fighting amongst themselves as the end of the game nears. Weird, the BGG link has disappeared since last night.

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10. Yinsh!

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

Players:
- Clay: L.
- Maksim: WINNER!

Well, I said it about Dave and turn-about is fair play. Every dog (sic. Maks) has his day and it was my day!

Here's Clay with a somber smile. I swear he has the most slick, smooth poker face that I have ever seen. You'd never guess what he had just done.

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Have a great Thursday!

Special thanks to the TLC (Todd Loves Crystal!) unit for bringing fancy chocolate chip cookies!

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: Shoot Out At The A-1 Corral (19 April 2006)!

Hi Everyone,

Well, Wednesday night has come and gone and the gaming was good. The one game that most characterized the evening was Bang!, a spaghetti Western themed game (even subtitled in Italian)! All hail Clint!

The following came... veni, vidi, vici!

Players:
- Barto Riggs
- Crystal
- Daryl
- Dave Story
- Dick
- Keith
- Kimbo
- Kurt
- Maksim (me!)
- Mike O'Brien
- Todd
- Tony

And we played or tried to play several games:

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1. Nature Of the Beast

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20906

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20907

Players:
- Dave Story: Suburb - L.
- Dick: City - L.
- Kurt: Farm - L.
- Maksim: Forest - L.

Dave wanted to try this game and that's as far as we got... the game is very card-driven and it didn't pass the Kurt & Dick "macho meter"... After puzzling over it for about forty minutes, we all came to the conclusion to try something else and that game got stuffed back into Dave's box... Woohoo! What a start!

And that Kurt, what a mind on that man! He's full of more one-liners than... uh, well... uh... Wayne Brady in a singles bar?

Seriously, I'm "overly" fond of Kurt and he really does his bit to make the evening interesting... Many thanks to Kurt!

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2. Killer Bunnies And the Quest For the Magical Carrot

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3699

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

This game was characterized very early by Dick and Kurt forming a carniverous partnership. That is, they tried to send all their hurt towards Dave and I unless we were both down for the count, in which case, they gnawed on each other... That worked for awhile, but I immediately got their number so I saved up a major wallop for them and when I was at critical mass, I let them have it. I brought out a holographic bunny to play supported by the Minilith that launched the Ebola Virus at them... TAKE THAT, craven bunny bullies!

And they did, The two of them were pretty well wiped out the rest of the game and my bunny brigade slowly grew and grew... I finished the game in a dominating position... controlling the cabbage, water, carrots, defense cards, etc., etc. And I had about eight bunnies at the end... Dick mentioned that "we all knew who left that game walking tall"...

Of course, that doesn't matter one bit because KB is completely random so... Dave, who had a cruddy "rotten carrot" game, managed to win with his one lucky carrot! Mazel Tov, Dave!

I'm not sure if I like KB much... it's pretty mean-spirited and brings out some of the worst in players much of the time... Too much "Dick-Kimbo" (DK) factor as Richard would say...

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3. Unexploded Cow

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1690

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

This was the first game of the day for the TLC unit (Todd Loves Crystal... somewhat along the lines of Joanie loves Chachi) and Kimbo tagged along and managed to pull off victory! Mazel Tov, Kimbo!

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4. Twilight Struggle

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/12333

Players:
- Barto Riggs: Leading as Russians!
- Mike O'Brien: Trailing as Americans...

The infamous Barto Riggs finally shows up! And it was Mike that called him out. Too bad, Dean Volpicelli wasn't there. He makes a good side kick, "lil partner" for someone. Mike and Barto started a fresh Cold War and they left around eight'ish with Barto leading. TS is a long game and I rarely see one go to the final count. Mazel Tov, Barto! Better luck next time, Mike!

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5. Bang!

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

Players:
- Crystal: Sheriff - Survived albeit with a half a gol'darned dozen er so Swiss cheese holes in her "dainties"...
- Dave: Outlaw - Shot Down Like A Dog (SDLAD)! Rest in Peace (RIP)!
- Dick: Deputy - Survived through Italian mafia-style negociation...
- Kimbo: Outlaw - SDLAD-RIP!
- Maksim: Outlaw - SDLAD-RIP!
- Todd: Renegade - SDLAD - Couldn't bluff his way out of a box...

In a majorly wicked game, Dave was slain very early and Todd, through his inferior bluffing skill, was marked early. Todd fell next under a barrage from "Black Kimbo," feared outlaw. And then there were four... (whistling Western music... Oh, Ow, Oooooooo...)

We knew Crystal was sheriff and that Kimbo and I were outlaws... Dick was the wild card and what a wild card he was! He slew both Kimbo and I in a "rage of lead-fisted fury" leaving the forces of good with victory! Mazel Tov, Dick 'n' Crystal!

And that Crystal... I'm tell'in ya. She has more lucky than Dick in an "I-talyan" noodle restaurant. I literally shot and wounded her EIGHT times, riddling her with holes, and she pulled more beer than you can imagine. Lucky puke! And that was only the times I hit that law-sucking scumhole... I missed her about another EIGHT times! That's a lot of shoot'in there, partner!

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6. Ticket To Ride: Marklin Edition

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21348

Players:
- Crystal: L.
- Dick: L.
- Kimbo: L.
- Maksim: Winner!

G-d bless Kimbo! Where the others have no problem ganging up on me, Kimbo decided to let nature take its own path. I set up an early passenger line and managed to finish it with aplomb. Kimbo couldn't quite block me in time and the other two were busy with their own lines. Before long, I had lined up two passengers at either end of a "wallop'in" train line and launched both scoring about fifty points, which is about what I won by. It was my game and as Kimbo put it: "Maks plays smart; he earned that win."

It was a good game... Crystal got tricky in the end... but her secret "back door maneauvers" availed her none. I think she distracted herself more with her banana more than it distracted the others (don't ask) except maybe Dick... Dick was uncharacteristically quiet during the game. Either that banana utterly captivated him or I conjecture that he might have been thinking...

I hear that Dick is on an all fruit and vegetable diet...

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7. Advanced Squad Leader

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/243

Players:
- Dave Story: ?
- Todd: ?

Dave and Todd pulled out this old warhorse near the end of the night and started "banging" their way through a scenario. I have no idea how the game turned out, but it did keep Todd more quiet than I've ever seen him. Strange... Dave's a card shark... he probably won.

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Have a great day!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
For those in post-Passover mode, that means you, Mike, I have two links:

1. A little surreal "Sign-O-Chumitz" in the 'ol Eretz city of Jerusalem:

http://www.israelity.com/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=around_israel&id=P8230841

2. Matzomeletes - What to do with all of your leftover Matzo...

http://www.thisnormallife.com/blog/_archives/2006/4/17/1878370.html

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).