Quote of the Week

“I thought of myself as a species of knight errant attacking dragons single-handedly and rescuing musical virtue in distress.” Virgil Thomson

We've reset the clock!!

Jon Con has come and gone. The clock has been reset for the next con. Overall I think we all had a good time. I'll be posting more later about our experience and looking for input on ways to improve for 2009. Thanks to Steve for being a trooper all week and walking slow enough that I could keep up with him. Thanks buddy!

Next up is Gen Con. I'm in!! Any one else?

Let The Games Begin

It is finally here!!!

This to me feels a lot like Christmas Eve. I am so anxious to get going and roll some dice and have a great time!!

Quote of the Week

"It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy... Let's go exploring!" - Calvin

Free RPG Day is here

It is here. Check it out and see if your local game store is participating.

Go get free stuff!!

Quote of the Week

“Chance is the providence of adventurers.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

The Hulk

I went and saw the midnight showing of The Incredible Hulk. Pretty good stuff. The theater was almost full and the crowd had some energy. One thing about midnight premiers is that the crowd is usually into it.

This latest version of the The Incredible Hulk was so much better than the one released 5 years ago. The 2003 incarnation wasn't bad, except for the actual Hulk, considering the cast.

I was hoping this would be worth it and this one was pretty cool. They didn't start with the creation of Hulk but rather with the hunt for him. So I guess you could call it a sequel but it has a new cast. They used some flashbacks to fill you in as to what went wrong with the tests and picked it up from there. General Ross was played to jerk perfection by William Hurt. Edward Norton was pretty convincing as Dr. Banner and added some nice depth to the role. The rest of the cast was pretty good in their roles also. I imagine Hulk has to be the hardest superhero to capture on film, especially with the CGI effects, but they finally got it right. And they keep setting up a very cool upcoming movie. Come to think of it they are setting up a couple of movies.

Marvel has thrown down a serious gauntlet to DC Comics with the summer releases of Ironman and now Hulk. DC has a chance to get back in it this year with the release of The Spirit and the Dark Knight.

In true Marvel fashion look for hidden references to other things in the Marvel Universe. And thank you Marvel for not forgetting the Hulk's past. Go see it and let me know what you think and you can leave when the credits roll, no hidden messages here.

Overall not quite as good as Ironman but soooo much better than the last one. I give it 3 Floyds.

Happy Fathers Day

It is that time of year. Get out the grills, crank up the radios, listen to a ballgame, go fishing or camping, maybe all of the above. But families... leave us some quiet time and let us revel in a vegetative state for a few days. And don't forget the obligatory Tee shirt, cologne and/or wallet.

Guys, go tell your fathers and grandfathers you love them.

Quote of the Week

“It is always the adventurous who accomplish great things” - Charles de Montesquieu

Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Well I went and saw the new Indy movie; Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

Overall I liked this movie. Part of that might be the fact that I just really like Indiana Jones and part of it might be it was just better than I expected. The whole premise of his character is something that I like. And when the theme song kicks in that makes all things right again. Is there a better theme song in movie history? I know several people hated it and said it was terrible. All I can tell you is no matter what your opinion turns out to be it won't be as bad as the D&D Movie.

This movie is everything you would expect from Indiana Jones. But that is why we go I guess. The Nazi's are no longer the bad guys for Jones rather it is the Russians. The movie touches on several issues like the Red Scare of the 50's, and our fascination with space.

My favorite thing in this show was the fact it ties into several other movies, and not all of them are Lucas/Spielberg productions. You'll see things that tie into E.T., Close Encounters, National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean and Signs.

My biggest gripe with the movie is that a couple of scenes really looked "cheesy" to me. I mean come on, who has more money to make a movie than Lucas and Spielberg so why skimp on some of the effects? They will become painfully obvious to you.

Unlike the last Rocky or Rambo movie that clearly ended those franchises this one still leaves room for maybe one more chapter. But if they do make another it will have to be a tremendous story with incredible effects.

That being said I would recommend you going to see this movie with an Adventurer near you. I give it 3 out of 5 Floyds.

Gettysburg

This is a trip I really would like to make with you guys sometime this summer. How does one week end in July sound?

The 6th of June

Certainly a definitive day in American History as the Allied Invasion was launched onto the beaches of Normandy. Those men gave the last full measure and deserve to be remembered in our prayers, thoughts and deeds. Thank you veterans.



In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD Canadian Army (1915)

Super Hero Movies

When will they get their due you ask? This says it all :

Free RPG Day

This looks pretty cool. Check here to see if your local game store is participating. This is the store in Columbus that is involved:
Ravenstone Games 1675 Karl Court Columbus OH, 43229 614-844-6463

Here is a list of the sponsors:


Sponsors

Here is what you will find at your local retailer Saturday June 21, 2008! We recommend you make sure your local retailer is on the retailer locator AND you call them before you make the journey to make sure they are still participating!
The list below is NOT complete and will be updated accordingly.

GOLD SPONSORS (12 of each per kit)
Countess Games (Heirs to Olympia Intro Booklet)
Flying Buffalo (Tunnels & Trolls Adv. & Quickstart)
Goodman Games (OGL Dungeon Crawl Classics Gazeteer)
Mongoose Publishing (Introduction to Traveller)
Paizo Publishing (GameMastery Module: Revenge of the Kobold King)
Q-Workshop (Unique Elven Dice Giveaway)
Skirmisher Publishing (Cthulhu Live 3rd Edition Light, "Mysteries of the Mythos")
Troll Lord Games (StarSiege Quickstart & Adventure)
White Wolf Publishing (Hunter: The Vigil)
Wizards of the Coast (Three Giveaways: Unique 4th Edition Adventure, unique adventure tile and unique paint miniature)

SILVER SPONSORS (6 of each per kit)
Green Ronin Publishing (Song of Fire & Ice Quickplay)
Otherworld Creations --- NO LONGER A PART OF FREE RPG DAY KITS

BRONZE SPONSORS (3 of each per kit)
The Cabil (cut-out 3D terrain sampler)
Chessex Manufacturing (Custom "Free RPG Day" Dice)
Columbia Games (Harn Quickstart & Adventure)
Exile Game Studio (Hollow Earth Expedition Quickstart)
Fiery Dragon Productions (Monte Cook's Iron Heroes adventure)
Margaret Weis Productions (Castlemourn Setting for Cortex System)
Pelgrane Press (Trail of Cthulhu Adventure)

JonCon

I am really looking forward to JonCon this year. Even if the esteemed Jon will be attending a training class in one of the armpits of the Big 10, Champaign-Urbana. But he will be able to join us on Friday of the week. What is everyone else's schedule for the week?

I have rehab (I know rehab is for quitters but I am doing it anyway)on Wednesday until 5:30 and Thursday until 4:30. Maybe I can move my Wednesday session to the morning. I'll check this week on that.

Quote of the Week

“There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won't.” - Rabindranath Tagore