| Botz Partz

They say it's your birthday... It's my birthday too! Well maybe not. But Harpy Bday jarks. With regards to Pump, I think Elves count years the same as us vulgar Humans, its just that he can count a hell of a lot higher. He's probably already 230 years old now. How do you think he was able to collect such a massive array of unpainted miniatures?

In other news, this is pretty much how I feel about Juicy Fruit and Utilikilts.

Rude: Nice write up for DungeonQuest and Castle Mikenloft. Mikenloft looks pretty sweet and well, you can never do wrong by throwing down a little DungeonQuest. I will admit, the combat system is a little obtuse at first, especially when drunk, but it does work fairly well once the system sinks in. Besides, would it be a proper GW throwback game if it didn't have a few lovely rules quirks?

The question of the day, as quoted from the soon to be owner's representative of my building, "Does the management office really need four employees on staff to run it?" Yikes! Can't wait to interview for my job again. This has become all too common these days.

D>M>

Anyone try out the Space Hulk card game? It's pretty sold-out so I haven't had a chance to get it yet. Looks kinda weird from some of the video reviews I've seen, but people seem to be enjoying it.

So Cal dudes, lets game this weekend a wee bit.

| Alternatively

On your birthday, I will put up a banner that says: "It is your birthday."

When I was at Mattel we spent a lot of time coming up with depressing corporate mottos, and one my friend Steve came up with was, "If today's your birthday: happy birthday."

I can totally see you plastering that on the walls at some business you run, Aeryk. Thanks a lot.

Oh happy birthday Denis. How old are you in Elven years?

| Hey Jerks

Been busy.

- Happy Birthday to all the jerks who have had one!

- Nice writups of your sessions Rudy! Loved the pictures!

Ah, shucks.

If Facebook isn't lying, it seems like it is Icarus Waning's birthday. So happy birthday Denish.

| Nice write ups!

I love that kind of thing!

DungeonQuests combat system isn't really too bad, but it is a lot more complicated than anything else in the game. You shouldve seen me trying to explain it while everyone was hammered!

I think for new players I'd just use the solo rules. Way simpler to explain and good enough for the kind of game it is.

Castle Mikenloft looks pretty boss!

| DorfQuest

Played my first solo DungeonQuest tonight. I'm leaving to Portland in the morning, so only had time for the one quick game. I think I'm going to enjoy it, but I don't really understand the combat yet.

My dwarf got 4 spaces into the dungeon before encountering a bottomless pit. He made his luck check and then the next tile was bridge where he fell in the catacombs. Dorf was in the catacombs for a long ass time and got down to 1 hitpoint thanks to combat with a golem and troll. Finally got out of the catacombs with 3 or 4 turns till the dungeon closed and escaped with 1400 gold he got from 2 treasure chests discovered in the catacombs.

I don't really get combat. Playing solo it made a little more sense, but with other players it sounds more complicated and strategic, MAYBE. Fucking confusing.

It's a good game overall and I'll need to play a bunch more to figure it out.

| Escape the Tomb

You wake up alone in the depths of Castle Ravenloft. The last thing you remember was when the man with the piercing eyes and long cape approached you on the dark street outside the inn. It had to be Count Strahd, the vampire! Outside the castle, you know that the sun is high in the sky. Now you have to find your way out of here before the sun sets and Strahd returns to finish whatever foul plot he began last night.

I played the introductory solo-adventure in the Ravenloft board game this afternoon and it was a lot of fun. The first game is 10 random tiles and an 11th "secret stairway" tile which you need to reach to beat the game. Certain tiles trigger a setting-sun counter which when it reaches sunset, Strahd awakes. Every tile you expose, you draw a monster card. There's also a chance you'll have to draw an encounter card which is more monster, traps, etc.

Fighting my way to the exit I defeated the following foes:
3 Wolves
2 Rat Swarms
1 Wraith
1 Zombie
2 Kobold Skirmishers
1 Ghoul
1 Blazing Skeleton
1 Spider

I also encountered a few traps along the way. I was about 9 tiles in when Strahd awoke but I also hit a dead end, so had to backtrack to an explorable area. Strahd moves fast as hell (2 tiles a turn) so he caught up to me on the last tile.

To win you have to start your turn on that tile, and unfortunately I triggered an encounter: An arcane symbol flashes at your feat(sic) and you disappear from sight. - Teleport Glyph! This sent me back to the start of the dungeon. So in the most Scooby-Doo fashion, I had to run back through the dungeon passing Strahd at the mid point. I escaped with 2hp remaining.

| My bday present to myself arrived today :)

We didn't have time to swing up to Aptos, but the Aquarium was fantastic and totally worth the $30 buck ticket price. The rest of Cannery Row was pretty skeezy though, ouch. Carmel was really nice - we had a awesome dinner there.

Blood Bowl is only $10 bucks on Steam right now - I'm not buying it again but daaamn, what a discount. Still, that game had some jankyness issues.

| Stuff to Do

- Go to Big Sur

- Come up to Aptos to get our year passes for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, then go the the aquarium, then drive the passes back up to us. :) ~ 60 mile round trip, but the drive might be worth the savings at the aquarium!

- Take her to your old stomping grounds, UCSC!

Gonna be up in Monterey/Carmel this weekend for my birthday - lady friend is taking me up there for a romantic weekend. You live sorta close Elrock and friends - any ideas of stuff we should do/see? I doubt she'll let me go to SC for gaming tho :(

| In honor of Strategicon...

...I stayed in my room and watched Small Wonder. It was a good weekend.