Merry Christmas

Must Watch TV

You have to check out this week's episode of Big Bang Theory which aired while we were gathering for the Hobbit. The episode is entitled The Santa Simulation. It takes about 20 minutes. Check it Out here

 

Almost Show Time

What time do you want to meet? I think we will need to get there early to get a place in line. What say you men??

 

There and Back Again

What say you men? Are we too old for a midnight movie?

Winter Weekend

Is anyone up for a little getaway in January? January 18, 19, 20, 21 is MLK weekend. We might be able to find a cabin we could split the cost on somewhere and hang out and play some games. If you have interest let me know in the next 10 - 14 days and we will see what we can arrange. What say you men?

 

Sunday Morning Civil War Link Dump

An article about a Battlefield Ap

The Secession Acts of the 13 Confederate States

From the Wall Street Journal A tour of the Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn NY

From the New York Times a story about Lincoln's Panama Plan 

Too Soon?

I booked some rooms at the same place for next year. Just sayin'

Indy Invasion in T-12

Just twelve hours boys until we meet at Planks on High street for lunch and then begin the pilgramage to Indy.

I'm taking Bang, Torches and Pitchforks and a couple of other games. If someone has Atlantic Storm that would be fantastic. Actually anything anyone brings will be outstanding.

See you all at the rally point at Planks around noon!!

Ram Brewery - More craft beer at Gen Con 2012

Ram Brewery will also be tapping thier special event beer on Wednesday at 7p.

Gen Con Event Schedule

Wednesday, Aug. 15th at 7 pm

Woldwrath's Omnipotent Ale Tapping with Privateer Press

From their website:  Gen Con at the Ram

Woldwratch's Omniopotent Ale

Woldwrath's Omnipotent Ale is fermenting away happily here in the brewery. This beer will feature a deep black hue and a punch of citrus hop flavor followed by slight roast undertones. In addition to this brand new release, we will also be featuring a California Common called Bayside Common, a seasonal IPA called Mr. Maniacal, and Barefoot Belgian Wit.

Barrel-Aged Bombshell Brown

Do you remember Bombshell Brown from GenCon 2011? Well, we snuck a bit of that brew into a Kentucky Bourbon barrel and let it sit for a year, so you could have it again with a touch more flare. In addition to the chocolate and coffee character that existed in the original release, the year of barrel-aging has lended notes of vanilla, bourbon, and coconut.

Its Gen Con Week - SCOTTY'S BREWHOUSE

A must see for the 2012 Gen Con week is Scotty's Brewhouse.

Extended hours for Gen Con

Scotty's will be open 9:00 A.M. Wednesday and 10:00 A.M. each morning after offering a Troll Lord Games themed menu.

DICE

Be sure to collect your FREE souvenir 2012 Scotty's Brewhouse Dice! Scotty's will have four different 6-sided die and you can only get them here! Starting on Wednesday the 15th through Sunday the 19th 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!!!!!

Bonus For Collecting Three Dice

The Ultimate GM Screen: Scotty's Brewhouse 2012 Edition is a must have for any fantasy gamer. You will receive a download code to download your dice tower. Designed for the beginner card modeler, this set features our award winning texture graphics, full color instructions, and easy-to-build designs. Check us out now and see why Fat Dragon Games is the cardstock terrain of choice for tens of thousands of gamers!

2012 Annual Beer Tapping - Dragon Troll Ale

Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Brewery: Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company
Time: 7:00pm

Check them out at:  Scotty's Brewhouse Gen Con

Happy August

It's August and that means GenCon. Two weeks from today and we will be gathering in Indy. Not sure about you but I'm really looking forward to it. Here are some links to several companies who hopefully have some new games to look at:

Slugfest Games

Fantasy Flight

Z-Man Games

999 Games

Mayfair Games


I think we are going to go with just one room and save some cash since there are only 4 of us going. Weigh in and tell me what you think.

Gone Fishin

We lost a legend with the passing of Andy Griffith on July 3. Here is his video obit from ABC News.

One of my all time favorites I loved his singing and his classic country comedy style. He was 86. This is one of my favorite stand up routines ever:

America the Beautiful

Happy July 4th!! Celebrate with your family and friends. Picnic, cook out, enjoy a game, campout go boating or to a concert. But always remember that God has provided us with the opportunity to live in the greatest country in the world. Thank a veteran or current member of the military. But celebrate the freedoms that we have!!

 

Origins will be a bit different next year. GAMA realized it was too early, moving back in the calendar 4 weeks. So next year it is in between in Mid-June - late enough most schools will be out. The convention will be June 12 thru the 16th.

 

ORIGINS RECAP FROM ORIGINS WEBSITE

 

We know everyone is interested in numbers. This year, our attendance did drop a bit: 11,332 from 11,502 attendees last year. This is a 1.5% decrease (180 less attendees)

In 2011 we sold 6,545 badges and in 2012 we sold 6,865. This includes a nice surge of 815 in the CCG hall this year! We sold less day passes this year: 4,457 as compared to 4,957 in 2011. To give you our attendance trend:

Year	Badges	Day Passes	Total
2009 2010 2011 2012	7,534 6,444 6,545 6,865	2,496 4,225 4,957 4,457	10,030 10,669 11,502 11,332

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone."

Hopefully this will be as well done as the LOTR trilogy. Midnight show anyone?

Happy July

Any interest in joining Nautallica and I on a camping trip some weekend? We are thinking about going some Friday night this summer. If we start planning now we could actually come up with a date by October!!

And, I would still love to go to Gettysburg sometime this summer. Any interest? Maybe we could combine the two events? I know a great campground in Gettysburg.

What say you men?

GenCon Stuff

The Future of Dungeons & Dragons
Calling all heroes, your presence is required!  Join us for an unprecedented look into the future of Dungeons & Dragons, including the evolution of the game, the re-birth of a fantasy setting and the next generation of art.

Wizards of the Coast is proud to host the first-ever keynote address at Gen Con on Thursday, August 16  to share with D&D fans what’s in store for the game that has changed gaming forever. Speakers include President and CEO of Wizards Greg Leeds, Senior Manager for D&D Research and Design, Mike Mearls and some of the greatest creative minds in the industry.  The keynote begins at 7:00 pm in the 500 Ballroom of the Indianapolis Convention Center and will be live-streamed at DungeonsandDragons.com/events.

For more information or to register for this event, click here. Note: A valid Gen Con Indy 2012 badge is required to register.


 First Media Guest of Honor Revealed
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Superheroes & More
Consistently Gen Con’s most requested Media Guest, Wil Wheaton returns to the Best Four Days in Gaming™ in 2012! A star across a variety of media, Wheaton first entered the spotlight as a film and television actor. With prominent roles in Stand by Me and Toy Soldiers, Wheaton endeared himself to the geek community as Wesley Crusher on the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Splitting his time between acting and writing, he currently recurs as Doctor Isaac Parrish on SyFy’s hit series Eureka, as computer hacker Chaos on TNT’s Leverage, and as a “delightfully evil version” of himself on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory. He has recently appeared as serial killer ‘Floyd Hansen’ on Criminal Minds, comic book publisher ‘Miles Sklar’ on NUMB3RS, as the voice of ‘Ted Kord, the Silver Age Blue Beetle’, on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and as Axis of Anarchy leader Fawkes in Felicia Day’s smash hit web series The Guild. Active in blogging and social media, in 2009, Wheaton was named by Forbes as the 14th most influential web celebrity.

Wheaton will sign autographs Thursday through Saturday, August 16-18 at the Autograph Area in the Exhibit Hall. More information regarding signing times will be made available via signage at the convention.

Abraham Lincoln: I shall kill them all!

If he was taking about the audience he succeeded. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter opened this weekend. I really was looking forward to this movie as I loved the book. I was disappointed. You guys will need to make your own call on this one but I can't reccomend it. One Floyd. Maybe the 3D version is better.

Gen Con

73 days until we make the pilgrimage to Indianapolis for GenCon. We have 2 rooms at the Fairfield Inn East. I looked at the True Dungeon feature event but there is very little room left to get in.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what will be there that wasn't at Origins. Wizards of the Coast and Fantasy Flight should have a huge presence. Hopefully there will be some newly released products that weren't available in Columbus.

I am planning on taking a cooler and a grill and saving some cash on the food bill. We will need to figure out who all is going and who is rooming with who if we need to keep the second room.

No Jon, Less Con, No Swag or JonCon /Origins 2012

Well it came, earlier than usual, and with little fanfare. And deservedly so. From Wednesday through Friday crowds were down. School as still in session so that probably factored in. The dealer room had fewer vendors with less new product. Some of the heavy hitters; Wizards of the Coast, Fantasy Flight, Flames of War were missing and it showed. And damn few photo ops as well. That aside we had fun, spent too much, ate to much (Mongolian Barbeque), walked too much and will probably do it again. Hopefully the Adventure of Doom can make a return next year. We did find a late fall con, in Charleston West Virginia that we will probably try out. More on that later.

We decided to take a shat a creating a miniature based game to run next year, just for shits and giggles. We are think Civil War based, probably a smaller battle. Everyone can help from developing rules, painting minis, terrain construction. What say you men?? The first meeting will be in August some time (maybe GenCon).

Speaking of GenCon; who is going? We have two rooms reserved at the Sheraton.

R.I.P Goober

George "Goober" Lindsey, most widely known for playing Goober Pyle on the iconic television series The Andy Griffith Show, died Sunday in Nashville after an extended hospitalization. He was 83.

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Gettysburg Road Trip

Ok there has been some talk about a two night trip to Gettysburg this summer. We would need to get a date that would work with our schedules. A couple of us think that a mid week trip would be easier to plan. I am thinking maybe arriving early Wednesday morning and staying Wednesday and Thursday nights and heading home sometime on Friday.

It seems like camping is the preferred method of accommodation. Not sure if anyone wants to bring a camper or we all just can tent camp. I know of a cool campground, Drummer Boy Campground, that is close to the battlefield.

I checked into some pricing:

Campground (tents): $50 per night
Visitor Center: $12.50 per day
Licensed Battlefield Guide: $75-90 (depending on how many people go)
Haunted Gettysburg Tour: $11 per person
National Civil War Museum $10 per person

depending on how many people go it would be approximately:

$59.62 per person for 4 people
$49.70 per person for 5 people
$45.58 per person for 6 people
$40.50 per person for 7 people

** or**

Campground Cabin: $250 per night
Visitor Center: $12.50 per day
Licensed Battlefield Guide: $75-90 (depending on how many people go)
Haunted Gettysburg Tour: $11 per person
National Civil War Museum $10 per person

depending on how many people go it would be approximately:

$152.12 per person for 4 people
$121.70 per person for 5 people
$103.91 per person for 6 people
$89.07 per person for 7 people


** or **

Hotel in Gettysburg: $144 per night per room (2)
Visitor Center: $12.50 per day
Licensed Battlefield Guide: $75-90 (depending on how many people go)
Haunted Gettysburg Tour: $11 per person
National Civil War Museum $10 per person

depending on how many people go it would be approximately:

$185.00 per person for 4 people
$148.00 per person for 5 people
$126.00 per person for 6 people
$108.00 per person for 7 people

**or**

Hotel in Chambersburg (22 miles away) : $99 per night per room (2)
Visitor Center: $12.50 per day
Licensed Battlefield Guide: $75-90 (depending on how many people go)
Haunted Gettysburg Tour: $11 per person
National Civil War Museum $10 per person

depending on how many people go it would be approximately:

$135.00 per person for 4 people
$108.00 per person for 5 people
$92.50 per person for 6 people
$80.00 per person for 7 people



So far The Wallet Draining Lich, The Hairy One, The Sage of Southwood, Nautallica, Durwaine, and myself have been in the discussions. My brother-in-law, The Postman Who Only Rings Once, would probably go if we can give him enough notice. Hotel rooms are based on 3-4 per room. The total would be less if we only book 1 room so these are just guesstimates at best, based on last seasons prices.

What say you men??

Beware the Colonel

Sunday Civil War Link Dump

From the New York Times an article about Lincoln and an article about "Workin' on the railroad"

From the Montgomery Advertiser an article about Geocaching in Alabama

From the Dispatch an article about bringing back a wayward family member

From Indystar.com an article about the relevance of Civil War museums.

From the L.A. Times an article and link to a Civil War battlefield located in the Tucson Arizona area. Picacho Peak State Park

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Happy Birthday Abe!!!!

So long Legolas

I already knew I was going to like the new Hobbit movie. This might be my favorite elf of all time.

Read the article here

Sunday Civil War Link Dump

From the Dispatch an article about a Central Ohio born Rebel General.

From the Atlanta, Civil War Zombies?????

From the Courier Journal a history of Kentucky in the Civil War written for the centennial. That was fifty years ago Lich!!

200 days to Indy!!

Ok Boys. 200 days to GenCon Indy. Who is in?

What say you men?

Quirk of History?

From Yahoo News:

This story sounds too impossible to be true, but it is. John Tyler was born in 1790, and he was the 10th president of the United States in 1841. Believe it or not, he has two living grandchildren. For perspective consider this: When Tyler was born, George Washington was giving his State of the Union address. When Tyler became president, the Civil War was still 20 years away! But how is this possible? Here's some math for you: Tyler had 15 children, and in 1853 he was 63 when his son Lyon Gardiner Tyler was born. Lyon had six children, with two of them, Harrison Ruffin Tyler and Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., born when he was in his 70s in 1924 and 1928 respectively. Both men, now in their 80s, still live in Virginia with Harrison maintaining President Tyler's home place "Sherwood Forest".

President Tyler lived until January 18, 1862. At the time of his death he was waiting to join the Confederate States Congress as a member of their House of Representatives. His death is the only Presidential death not recognized by Washington, due to his allegiance to the Confederacy. More on President Tyler here.

Red Tails

I went and saw the latest movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails. The movie focuses on the Airmen, already in the war, and their low level assignments behind the lines in Italy.

It highlights their battle as men at war, as black men in a very prejudiced Army, and pilots against the vaunted Luftwaffe.

It has a good cast, and some of the best dog fighting scenes of any movie. It also has some really corny lines and is dripping with cliches. For a movie that took George Lucas so long to make (he started this project in the 80's)he should have delivered more. The best part of this movie is the air scenes.

I overall enjoyed this movie but felt like it needed a little more in it. 2 and 3/4 Floyd's

Upcoming Comic Book Movies

It looks like there might be a Deadpool movie coming out in 2014.

This isn't really a Super Hero thing but check out Bilbo and Sting

Check out the Avengers Trailer. They will be in the theaters in May 2012.

Ghost Rider is back also.


So is Batman in The Dark Knight rises


And DC is once again giving us another Superman. This time called Man of Steel, it is due out some time next year. Hopefully this will lead into a Justice League movie.

MLK Day 2012

Sunday Morning Civil War Link Dump

From Yahoo news a story about the first Civil War submarine

A commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War by the Smithsonian Institution. This has a wealth of info and cool links in it.

From the New York Times an article about Humor during the Civil War

From the Atlanta Constitution Journal an article about Civil War Museums.

From Yahoo news a Columbus related Lincoln article

The week that was 7 Jan thru 13 Jan

It was an interesting week for our group. It started with the World's oldest living Adventurer, the Sage of Southwood, the great and all knowing Keithstradamus, reaching a historic age. He turned the old double nickel, 55, on the 7th.

Condolences, thoughts and prayers then went out to the family of the great Wallet Drainer from Medina on the passing of his father. A pilgrimage was made to Norwalk where, while it was good to see everyone, it was a part of life we all dread when that time comes. Looking back it is so reassuring (to me at least) to know that your true friends will be there when you need them the most.

I can't wait until the next time we can all get together. Gettysburg in the Summer boys?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year brothers. Here is hoping 2012 is a great year for us all. I know for me personally I have limped to the finish line. I thank you all for being my friends