Defenders of the Realm

This is a game that I picked up this year and haven't taken out of the box yet. Shame on me. So when are we playing?

 

Happy New Year

Here's to 2014. My resolution for this blog is to be more active on it. I wish you all a safe and happy 2014. May your worst day in 2014 be better than your best day of 2013!

 

Buckeye Recap Game 1 Buffalo

Game One in the books.

Offense 3 Leaves (out of 5)

 The Bucks offense looked pretty much what you expected with Jordan Hall running for 159 and two long touchdowns and Braxton being Braxton. He had one pick returned but otherwise was pretty efficient. 7 different receivers caught passes.



Defense 2 Leaves

The defense needs work. Granted they were missing some guys but they need to improve.


Special Teams 4 Leaves

The return game was decent and they will break one or two before the season is over. The coverage unit was solid but hey, it was Buffalo.


One in the books on the plus side of things. On to the next. Go Bucks!!

 

Game Day September 1

We stole some time this holiday week end to play some games. All are games we picked up at GenCon and played pretty well.

 

Mini Reviews

Click on the name for Board Game Geek info

 

 

 

Balance of Power - Starts really slow but build to a quick resolution. Has a Diplomacy feel to it. Takes probably an hour plus to play. Hopefully it plays quicker the more you play it. From Catalyst Game Labs.

 

 

Dwarven Miner - Fun 2-4 player game. Plays quick and can be completed in 30-45 minutes. From Rather Dashing Games.

 

 

Dread Curse - Every thing about it screams Pirates of the Caribbean. Fast moving screw your neighbor card game from Smirk and Dagger games.

Here is the schedule for our monthly Game Day through the end of the year:

end of September TBA
Sunday October 27
Sunday November 24
Sunday December 15

 

Buckeye Game Fest

Is this something we'd like to plan around? It would be a good chance to get together and play some of the tabletop games we buy but rarely use? This runs Wednesday September 11th at 5:00 PM and runs through Sunday September 15th. It will be at The Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 4900 Sinclair Road  Columbus, OH 43229. There is a registration fee. More info here

On Saturday The Ohio State University plays California, at Cal, at 7:00 PM. That Could be a great time to gather together and watch the Bucks together which we rarely get to do. What say you men, can we set aside some time for Board Games, Buckeyes and Beer?

GarCon 2014

In honor of the Adventurers favorite President JonCon announces the unveiling of its winter event; GarCon, which will focus primarily on board games.

GarCon, in honor of fellow Buckeye James Garfield (whose Great-Great Grandson created Magic:The Gathering) , will be held President's Day Weekend February 14-17. We will be kicking off Friday February 14. We are currently looking for a place to hold this event, most likely a cabin where we could all stay. Maybe a State park? I'm thinking somewhere centrally located where we can all share the expense. If anyone knows of a good cabin post it on the site or let me know.









 

A Night with Dungeons & Dragons at Gen Con 2013

Spend the evening in Baldur’s Gate at the official Sundering launch party! On Thursday night from 7 PM - 11 PM, Baldur's Gate will open its gates to travelers from across Faerûn for a one-of-a-kind event. Mingle with D&D designers, authors, and other industry luminaries while enjoying food, drinks, music, adventure and more (plus, receive a special give-away exclusive to this event, shown below):

Something Foul Afoot in Baldur's Gate

Amid preparation for Founders Day, a sinister plot unfolds. Those closest to Duke Adrian Abdel will fall to the blade of assassination, and it will be up to attendees to uncover the truth. Join the Dungeons & Dragons community in solving a murder mystery puzzle created by the devious minds of Lone Shark Games. As the evening progresses, party attendees can track down suspects and uncover the truth! Solve riddles, question characters, confirm alibis, and discover who the true murderer is—and what he or she is planning for Baldur's Gate. Those who help solve the mystery and become champions of justice will have a chance to win awesome D&D prizes, including a unique item to be revealed soon.

(In fact, here's an early image of the item in construction. The sword blade has been shaped, along with the roughed design for the hilt and pommel.)

When: Thursday, August 15th from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM 

Indiana Roof Ballroom : 140 W. Washington St
Tickets: Available here.

Scotty's Brewhouse 2013

Be sure to collect your FREE souvenir 2013 Scotty's Brewhouse Dice!  Scotty's will have four different 6-sided die and you can only get them here! Starting on Wednesday the 14th through Sunday the 18th we will be giving a different colored 6-sided die away with the purchase of a game themed menu item! Get them fast them as supplies are limited each day!  BONUS ALERT!! You will be able to use your Scotty's souvenir die as an artifact at certain booths throughout the exhibitors hall for deals on product!!!!!

Gen Con 2013

March 24, 2013... the Breitenstein family, Twilight Creations family and the gaming world suffered a devastating loss. Todd Breitenstein passed away after a more than heroic fight against cancer. He had such a passion for life, for his family and friends and for his profession. To say that he will be missed doesn’t come close to this travesty. He will be remembered for his love of his family and friends, his sense of humor and is ability to brighten up any room. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers while they attempt to adjust to a life without him. Per his request, Twilight Creations will continue on in his honor.

Robin Hood is Superman's dad??? Midnight Movie Madness

Warner Brothers, in conjuction with JonCon, Bauer and Associates, and The Guys from F.E.A.T. is releasing "Man of Steel" at Midnight during JonCon. Since we are the guests of honor we should probably attend. What say you men?

 

Adventure of Doom

Looks like we will be playing on Friday Night at the Con. Pack light so you don't have to carry a walking TSR library with you all day.

 

Wil Wheaton is coming, are you? T-10 and counting

Here is a link to Origins web page. I really hope they have a better product than they served up in 2012.

Origins


Future dates for Origins are:

June 12 - 16, 2013
June 11 - 15, 2014
June 3 - 7, 2015

 

It sure seems like a bad idea to me to hold the event so early in June.

 

 

 



Sunday Morning Civil War Link Dump

An old story, but a good story, about the last Civil War veteran from the L.A. Times

 From Gettysburg 150 a story about Lincoln cemetery honoring some vets

From Baseball Almanac an essay about Baseball and the Blue and Gray

Some stories about snowball battles during the Civil War

A look at the Ohio Statesman newspaper from June2, 1861

 

Memorial Day Link Dump

From Fox News a story about America's oldest veteran


From the New York Times a story about LBJ and Gettysburg in 1963

From the Dispatch a story about stolen grave markers

From the Chicago Sun-Times an article about a 96 year old vet finally receiving his medals

From the Dispatch an article about a WWII vet parachuting for his great grandson's benefit

From the Whitehouse Obama's 2013 Memorial Day Proclamation

General Logan's Order from 1868

 

Happy Memorial Day

John Wayne - Happy Birthday

May 26, 1907 - June 11, 1979

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

As we celebrate this holiday weekend make sure to take a moment and reflect of what the veterans of this country have done for us. If you know a vet thank them for their service. If you have a chance to visit the cemetery please do and pay tribute to those who have given the last full measure of devotion to this country.

 

To boldly go...

Star Trek into darkness. Quite possibly the best Sci-Fi movie I have ever seen. It moves fast from start to finish. Great references to the things we all love about Star Trek from the past. And, since they are on a newly enlisted five year mission we can only assume there will be a sequel.
Go see it soon. 5 Floyds.

 

 

 

Iron Man 3

While I enjoyed this movie it wasn't my favorite in the franchise. Parts were pretty predictable and it at times was a little slow for me. Pepper was pretty hot so that was a plus. The Easter Egg at the end was a downer compared to other Marvel movies. Over, it was better than 2 but not as good as 1. 3 Floyds.

  

 

Superhero Movies 2013

With last week's release of Iron Man 3 the summer of the Super Hero has kicked off.  Here is a list of Movies, in order of release, that will be coming out this year:

Iron Man 3 - May 3

Superman: Man of Steel - June 14

The Wolverine - July 26

Thor: The Dark World - November 8

 

Sunday morning Civil War link dump

From the Civil War News an article about the economic benefits of preservation.

In an article from the Dispatch that makes you go hmmm there are two dependants of Civil War Veterans still receiving benefits.

A follow up to the Dispatch's story here.

From the St. Louis Post Dispatch two letters to the editor about the naming of a new bridge. The first wants Grant-Lee and the second prefers Sherman.

 

Happy Mother's Day

Guys, you know what to do. Acknowledge all the women in your life for everything they do for us.

 

Ohio State Nike Promo Video

Can you feel it? It's coming! It's never too early for some Buckeye Football!!

Big Bang Theory D and D

This is a great episode featuring some pretty good Dungeon and Dragons. Check out the episode here.

 

2013 NFL Draft Recap - Browns and Bengals

2013 NFL Draft Grades: Mel Kiper Gives the Cleveland Browns a C+
Round 1  Pick 6        Barkevious Mingo       Defensive end      LSU
Round 3  Pick 68      Leon McFadden          Cornerback           San Diego State
Round 6  Pick 175   Jamoris Slaughter         Safety                   Notre Dame
Round 7  Pick 217   Armonty Bryant           Defensive end       East Central
Round 7  Pick 227   Garrett Gilkey              Guard                    Chadron State

The Browns traded their 4th round pick (Number 111) to the Steelers for a 3rd rounder in 2014. The Steelers took Shamarko Thomas

The Browns traded their 5th round pick (Number 139) to the Colts for a 4th rounder in 2014. The Colts took Montori Hughes


2013 NFL Draft Grades: Mel Kiper Gives the Cincinnati Bengals an A-

Round 1  Pick 21      Eifert, Tyler               Tight End                 Notre Dame
Round 2  Pick 37      Bernard, Giovani       Running Back          North Carolina
Round 2  Pick 53      Hunt, Margus             Defensive End         SMU
Round 3  Pick 84      Williams, Shawn       Strong Safety           Georgia
Round 4  Pick 118     Porter, Sean              Line Backer              Texas A&M
Round 5  Pick 156     Hawkinson, Tanner  Offensive Tackle      Kansas
Round 6  Pick 190     Burkhead, Rex          Running Back          Nebraska
Round 6  Pick 197    Hamilton, Cobi         Wide Receiver           Arkansas
Round 7  Pick 240    Fragel, Reid               Offensive Tackle      The Ohio State University
Round 7  Pick 251    Johnson, T.J.             Center                        South Carolina

Sunday Morning Civil War Link Dump

From Arkansasmatters.com an article about new historical markers


From Salon.com an interesting article about the current South still lying


From the Columbus Dispatch an article about Civil War smartphone aps

 

If a bear craps at a place beyond the pines does it still stink?

The answer is a resounding hell yes. This is quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. It was long (2 hours 20 minutes) and slow (think white guys in an Olympic 100 slow). It had a decent cast with Ryan Gossling, Bradley Cooper and Ray Liotta but is still was epically bad. Worse than Ishtar bad. the story was told in three disjointed sections and really didn't resolve any story plots.

Don't waste your time, effort, money or anything else on it. In the words of Charles Barkley it was "Turrible." I give it  4 negative Floyds.

 

JonCon Swag Bags

swag (swg)

n.

1.

a. An ornamental drapery or curtain draped in a curve between two points.

b. An ornamental festoon of flowers or fruit.

c. A carving or plaster molding of such an ornament.

2. Promotional items, especially when given for free, considered as a group.

3. Slang Stolen property; loot.

 

 

Gentlemen,

 

This year we will be handing out our first ever JonCon swag bags. It is time to start thinking of an item if you would like to contribute to the cause. Durwaine and Caleb have already started working on their ideas so we know we will have at least two items included. And that makes it better than Origins swag bag already!

 

The item can be anything, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, that you want to contribute. All I ask is that you have enough for everyone. Personal promotional items from your business to clothing items to cars make great gifts. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

 

 

NFL Draft Rounds 1-3

So far it looks like this for the Ohio teams:

Round 1, Pick 6: Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU

Round 3, Pick 6: Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State

Round 1, Pick 21: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

Round 2, Pick 37: Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

Round 2, Pick 53: Margus Hunt. DE, SMU

Round 3, Pick 84: Shawn Williams, S, Georiga