Definitely a nostalgia aspect to it. But also, I'm really out-of-shape, and biking is one of the few exercises I really enjoy. So I'm relatively sure I'll use it. This is prime biking country: flat, wide streets, and lots of places around that are too far to walk but totally within biking range so it oughta work out, I think. And yes, definitely wearing a helmet these days.

The Ico/Colossus HD update is definitely on my radar. Love, love Ico and totally up for another playthrough. And, I played Colossus on the PS2 but only got a little ways into it, so I would really like to tackle that one. Really interesting feel/story on that one and it sounds like the framerate issues that game had on the PS2 have been cleaned up.

Frustration! In the last five days my plasma has started showing a big purple-black line in about the middle-right side (like, if you divide the screen into five columns, it's between the fourth and fifth column). And this of course JUST after I'm out of warranty -- I got the TV two years, two months ago. I'm gonna call tech support and see if I can get any help from the Guru, but it's more likely something I'll have to suffer with until I get the scrilla for a new TV. Maybe next year. (Unless Enron feels like trying his hand at some hardcore TV surgery, of course.)

Put up some random pics form Cabin Con 2011 in our G+ thread. Nothing came out all that great, but that's testament to me more interested in playing than taking pics. Awesome timez.

Jon - That's probably just the nastalgia phase talking though unless youre really looking into taking up mountain biking or something.  I dropped a few hundy on a bike a few years back.  It felt great for a bit like old times.  I would ride a few times to the game store, but then after a while, it was back to the flintstonemobile.

Hey for anyone that's interested, I found an auction on ebay for Slapshot the Cardgame for 99 cents(current bid) and 5 buck shipping. -  6 dollars total, due in 24 hours.  Assuming the bid doesn't get totally crazy that's a pretty good deal.   Look for "Slapshot Cardgame"

Wear a fucking helmet dude! I've got a pretty snazzy bike I picked up from Craiglist a couple years ago I still break out maybe once or twice a month. One thing I've noticed as an adult, them tires will go flat pretty easily so make sure you've inflated it till it feels like a rock (or if you have a pressure gauge, to the correct prezure) - also, I think the cool bike kids store their bikes laying down on the side, hanging from a rack or upside down because if you just keep it on it's wheels, it's gonna lose air and be all flat.

I don't know shit! Watch out for cars n' shit.

Those brain reconstructed videos are pretty scary. The faceless/wiggly images are awesomely creepy.

Sweet Conan clip! The Gears boardgame got me hyped to play the video game again. Speaking of video games, next week is the HD PS3 release of Ico/Shadow of the Colossus. Fry's has it for $30, but I'm waiting to see if Amazon comes down (no tax, shipping, etc) - I'll def pick it up though.

Rude -- yes, I believe we are coming down for Xmas. We should try and get in some gaming. Not sure if my schedule will allow but it would definitely be fun.

Since I'm in the suburban flatlands now, I picked up a bike at Target yesterday. Hell yeah, a BIKE! Then I rode around a bunch and had a super fun time. I went a couple miles to a game store. When I got out, both my tires were flat! What the FUCK, BIKE?

So now I gotta break out my tire repair skills. Boo!

While I was in the game store for the second time I went ahead and picked up Galaxy Trucker, 'cuz that shit is pure gold. I also had a really awkward experience where a guy I told about my tire problems seemed to be offering me a ride, and then not offering a ride.

Check this shit out, it's creepy. And here's some good ideas for role-playing our characters next time we play Gears.

KabinKon I was the best! I had more fun than at a typical Kubla, but I also see the appeal of keeping the Kubla tradition. For the next KabinKon, maybe we can pick someplace more south - even the Santa Cruz/Monterrey area is a little easier for LA folks. Sorry you had to cook so much for us Enron, but it was delicious so thanks pal! Can't wait for the wedding - already got the day off. Not sure if I'm flying or where I'm staying, but I'll get on the details this week.

Kicking myself for not making the time to play Space Empires, Earth Reborn, Dungeon Lords, Gears (more than the abbreviated one time), and a bunch of other awesome looking games that were up there. I really wish I could live close to the action :(

Reflecting on Resistance, I think next time we should use the "team" cards that come with the game because I know after some of the longer arguments and later missions when there were 4 and 5 member teams, it would be a lot easier at a glace to see who's being proposed to go on a mission.

bJOrN: You guys coming down for x-mas this year with the baby being born so soon? Can't wait to meet the newest action team member.

Enron: Are memember of the wedding party staying in one of those hotels you mentioned friday night, or is it pretty much only Sat night that people are sleeping over.

Pumples: Dreadfleet looks pretty slick. Let me know when you get it because I'd love to give it a go. Can't believe this is the first time they're doing a piratey-ship combat warhammery game (unless it's not the first time)!

ps: Read "Forming" - shit is hilarious.

That's a quality invitation card!

Great CabbachelorCon.  Ate and drank my quota of meat and liquor for the year.  My intestines thank you.  Had a blast with the gaming.  And I discovered any game with a sports theme sets my brain to suicide halfling Blood Bowl mode.  Not good for winning or scoring, but oh so many casualties on both sides.

I hope you are all aware that I have a medical condition and dealer rooms.  If I don't get my fix, I will drop dead.  Speaking of my deep, deep shame.  I had a Pavlovian attack when I got home.  I preordered Dreadfleet from GW.  I never even played Man'oWar.  But pirate ships...  Yaaaaar!

I have to apologize about Space Trucker.  It would help if I read the rules beforehand and not six months ago.  I think we were playing with most of the rules correctly, but I found out that cannons pointing to the sides can actually hit three rows (whoops).  But at least Eric's impressive case of space herpes aboard the S.S. Mantanic was totally legit.  I have ordered the expansion.  There is also news that a second expansion is on the way.  It will have robot crew and boarding parties!

Still playing the Minecraft.  Peter is running his own server.  I have seen endermen and while they may have seemed creepy, their annoyance level overrides that.  They move all your shit around.  Get them close to any of your buildings, and they start plucking blocks out.  You never touch a man's blocks, that just ain't cool.

| BacheNron Con

Jeebuz that is a huge model jr0n. We gotta try and throw down WM again. It has been a long time.

Okay, Cabin / Bachelor Con was great. I really was happy so many were able to show up and throw down some mad gaming. Thank you everyone for coming and helping me enjoy a fine weekend. I agree with 'Zar, we should definitely focus more on gaming and less on dealer-room-on'ovich. But Kubla is still an important event. Gotta keep that magic running.

Regarding the cost of the Bachelor con. I think if we were to run that again, we could pair back the alcohol a bit to bring down "food" costs. I think $300, or about 40% was alcohol. If we cut back on the hard alcohol a bit there is probably $150 in savings there, or about $15 a head. Plus we bought some sundries that we were not sure we would have at the cabin and ended up not needing. I think all and all I could shave another $10/head there. Maybe.. maybe another $10/head in food if we lean it up a bit. While that only adds up to $35/person or $14/man-unit, it still helps. All in all about as much as a con + food expenses.

I meant to get a photo of the game/quote whiteboard before we left but I totally spaced.

Props to r00d for Quarriors, Survivor and Resistance. Great games. Although eLzar has a real gem in Slapshot.

Also, are eLzar and I the only non-pussies in the group? I hand out one pepper shot and everyone's vagina get sandy. ;)

I'll get some photos up this weekend I think. Between this, wedding images and an industry event, I only have about 900 to sort through :/

D>M>

"It's the opposite of a cleft lip: a cleft asshole." -Pump

| Yes.

That was a great time, indeed. I'm glad we could see Enron out of bachelorhood in style by having him cook us a variety of delicious meals.

Sign me up for another CabinCon! The nice thing is I think there are a ton of great cabins out there once you start looking, so we could do this anywhere (Aeryk you gotta post that link to that crazy place that didn't return your messages...). I don't think I'd go to the extent of saying it should REPLACE KublaCon, that has a near and dear place in my heart. I do think maybe we could take a little lesson from it that we could focus more on games at Kubla and less on the ol' dealer room!

Did anyone get that list of games played? Because that sucker should definitely go on the board game list. I think I remember what I played....

Those were some good games Rude. Congratulations, you are now up there with me and Aeryk as the "guys who bring the hot games to the fuckin' table." In fact you may have supplanted us as I think your games more consistently hit the table. All hail Steve I'msteve! Have you considered a move to the Bay Area? Perhaps Oakland? Keep in mind it's the most punk rock possible location to play board games.

My personal highlights were:
- Just getting there and seeing everyone there. So awesome, everyone was chill and having a good time. Then Enron handed me that f***ing pepper vodka and the fun ended... :)
- The insane game of Survival with Rude and Myke where we erroneously thought that the whales destroyed both boats and the people on them, thus making the whales insanely fast murder machines that were far more dangerous than sea serpents. Then me jumping a guy off the boat I shared with Mike and smashing a whale into it, killing his dudes. Best rule screwup ever!
- Getting eleven points in a single turn to win Quarriors. Hell yeah! That game was a blast.

Good stuff.

In other news:
- Anyone check out the Minecraft update yet? Puts in the start of adventure mode. If you create a new world in it, there's way cooler and more dramatic terrain features. I haven't seen an Enderman yet but I know they're out there!
- I got in a game of Pandemic over VASSAL with one of the game group guys last night. It was awesome and I'm committed to playing regularly. I am becoming strongly re-interested in Combat Commander again, because the Vassal support is so good (many GMT games have great modules). Paging Aeryk...
- Here's what my lovely wife got me for my birthday. Aww! I know most of you guys aren't too interested in Warmachine but you gotta admit, that's a purty model. It's enormous, too -- that base is the size of a CD.

| So. Much. Fun.

I would be willing to go so far as to entertain the idea of this event replacing conventions! I like conventions and all that, but I had a really freaking good time at this Bachelor-Con. Maybe it ended up costing a little bit more (MAYBE), but not much more than a con, and I think we actually played more games than at Kubla.

Sure, I like spending money at cons and I like looking at freaks at cons, but man, "CabinCon I" was a freaking blast.

At the very least, this should be an annual event. And I am having visions of everyone becoming rich to the point where we could purchase a shared interest in a cabin somewhere that we could all use for family vacations and a persistent CabinCon location... delusional, sure, but visions none the less.

Le Goon, FTW!

ERIC'S GAMING HIGHLIGHTS FROM CABINCON I:

- Making the finals of Slapshot, only to be physically manhandled by Johnny to the point where my revolving door of players kept getting worse, and worse, and Johnny - not so much.

- Gears of War with Enron, Jay, and Francis where we moved a total of 5 spaces into the entire 4 tile map, pulled and churned through every Locust on the board, spawned two additional emergence holes in the same spaces we were standing on, all being reduced to two or less cards in the first space of the board, and eventually succumbing to the Locust.

- Having my Galaxy Trucker crew reduced by 1/2 on one turn by a virus (because all their quarters were adjacent) and then reduced by the OTHER 1/2 the following turn, leaving my kick-ass round III spaceship with no crew right from the beginning. I need to name the ship and base all future Space Hulk missions in the derelict craft...

- Mostly maintaining friendships between games of Resistance. (though Jon STILL has not returned any of my calls though I have threatened killing myself until he does.)

Yeah, I still have a pair of your jeans too. No homo there. Let's trade it up. Also if anyone finds a wireless earpiece, samsung. let me know.

| card game

Random thoughts on a card-based fighting game: I was looking at this game on BGG called Pulsar. I'm interested in trying it because it looks pretty fun. Anyways, if you look at the picture of the space cards laid out in a grid, something similar could be used to define the borders of an arena/fighting area. Players start head to head in the middle and take turns playing cards from their hand that attack/defend/move-attack or something like that. Slapshots system is pretty interesting and could be used in a way with a certain number of attack trumping another number, but a defense card beating an attack unless a higher defense card is played (like the goalie cards)! I actually really like this idea! MAYBE it could even be looked at as a trick-taking game/fighting game in that there could be exchanges of combos that whoever comes out on top deals the hitpoint damage. I had actually brought a pack of index cards for us all to brainstorm at Enrons bachelor con but we were pretty much packed end-to-end with games to play, never bothered to bring it out.

Edit: So say we're working with a 5 x 5 grid, maybe it can be somewhat spherical shaped (or octagonal or whatevs) and certain attack cards can have movement properties that move the fight in one of the 4 cardinal directions. BUT, if you're already at the edge of the arena, and you only have a "move fight to the right" card, you'd have to use it's less effective lower damage "straight attack" stat. ALSO, if you're playing your cards on tops of the grid, maybe you have to turn over the arena cards where your fighters have currently moved and there could be different effects that change the rules for battle. Something like "crowd mobs/movement properties nullified this turn" or something like that.

Edit2: THEN, we can totally make a kickstarter for it and like totally get rich/pay for printing of the game :)

It's almost 3am, I'm bored at work, let a guy dream

EDIT3: Damn, Pulsar looks pretty sweet. Check out the pdf of the rules. It's got this fun looking movement mechanic with a d6 (vector die) where the result is the direction and speed you can move - pretty ingenious!

You left your watch in my car Johnny! Hit me up when you're back in Redondo and we'll coordinate a swap. RE DON DO. That's a weird word when you look at it.

| Boob ball

Resistance was a great game. I'd definitely play more of it but the game wouldn't be as much fun without a big group and getting 9 -10 people together. Killed my voice on the last game, debating against all the misinformation dealt by the F'in spies on the last game (uh Rudy + Eric) mo' fos. good shit.

Great times, great chef who did all the cooking. I think I took 1 shower the whole weekend.

| G. G. Granny's Gum Jobs

Had the best time this weekend! Thanks to Jon and Eric for organizing it and Aaron for being the best cook/host ever. There was seriously more gaming going on than at most conventions. Perfect location and atmosphere and everyone was in great spirits. Fucking awesome. So many games that weren't played that I've been dying to try (Earth Reborn, Space Empires, Dungeon Lords, that D&D wargame!). Hopefully we'll get in another faux-con one of these days.

Quarriors - Surprised it got played so much! Did you guys like it? I think it's really intriguing and pretty fun. The dice element is a blast and I love the art. The expansion introduces "corruption dice" which is something negative that you can add to your opponents bags. Seeing as it got played a lot, might have to pick up the expansion when that comes out.

The Resistance - I was surprised at how awesome it turned out. Our group never got into those Werewolf/Mafia types of game but after talking to some people who have, they said Resistance is pretty much the best of that style at this point. Also, I mentioned how the spies rocked the resistance 4-0 but I was told that after you've played a few times, the resistance usually ends up winning about 50% of the time. Peter figured out that mission 4 is the only mission that needs to fails to lose, so thats good to know. Also, there's a rules errata I saw on BGG that says in groups of 9 or 10 players, the leader pulls and passes out 3 plot cards each turn. That would make a big difference I think. I had so much fun with that shit. The last game where Johnny and Aaron were arguing so hard was fantastic. I can't believe we pulled out a win. Check it's BGG page for some cool reviews and session reports: Resistance is Fertile

Survive: Xcape from Axe-lantis was pretty fun. Not the deepest game although some reviewers on BGG say there's some hidden layers of depth there when you really analyze it. It's a fun quick game and those come in handy during marathon gaming sessions.

Slapshot was sweet! Another beer-n-chili-dog gem that had some great cinematic moments over the various games played.

Galaxy Trucker is so good. There's a learning curve but once you get it down, it's an incredibly easy game to play. Hard to actually succeed, but the concepts are all easy to grasp. So much fun to build your disastrous ships. Really hope to play that one some more.

I had a killer weekend with all you guys - thanks for the great games, food, drinks (- pepper vodka), and goo gobblin adventures. More death-Frisbee in the middle of an awesome forest!