Sunday, September 4, 2011

D&D Lair Assault

Today my friends and I are going to take our first crack at WotC's new Lair Assault offering. This is a new in store program that is supposed to challenge the Powergamers and Rules Lawyers. WotC claims that this game is so hard that the best of the best will have to play it multiple times before they succeed.
The first mod, which runs from September 1st to November 31st is called Forge of the Dawn Titan. It is for a party of four to six 5th level characters. I will post back with more info after the game.


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Monday, August 22, 2011

Hurricanes suck!

It is no wonder people don't prepare for hurricanes. It's coming. It's not coming. It'll be a cat 1. It'll be a cat 3.
After you have boarded up a few times, only to have the storm miss, you really just can't get up the energy to do it again. I should be going to the store for water and canned food. I should go start the generator, just to see. If it doesn't start there is still time to clean the carb. I should go make sure I know where the bolts for the windows are. Instead I sit here typing, in the ac, where it is cool.
Today at work an employee had a ton of questions. She has not lived in Florida for a storm.
What do I do?
When will they tell us to board up, they won't wait till the last minute will they?
And on the questions went. She wanted to know how we could be talking about it but no one seemed concerned. I tried to explain, but we were busy. Also, it is kind of hard. My first thought was "how can you not know this?" because after living here for 39 years it is just ingrained. Until they actually issue a Warning, there is too much uncertainty.
So, Irene, coming or going?


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Monday, August 8, 2011

GenCon 2011 Costume Contest

Wow!!!
For the first time ever, the GenCon costume contest ended in a three way tie. The video is almost seven minutes but it worth watching to see the fans get their way.

Friday, August 5, 2011

GenCon 2011 - Day 2

Good Morning.

Yesterday we played cali3-4 and spec3-3. I really liked spec3-3 alot.

Today all four of us will be playing chapter two of Ashes of Athas. I am so looking forward to it. That will take us from 8am - midnight, so this may be the only post today.


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Thursday, August 4, 2011

GenCon 2011 - Day 1

Woke up at 6am. Just lying here watching the sun come up.



7:47
Looked out the window and noticed somebody took the S down. Elf Park is back!



11:30
We went to our early exhibit hall entrance. Managed to hit all the booths we intended. Said hi to Brian and Angie at the Cool Stuff booth. I have collected three of the badges for the Neverwinter scavenger hunt.



Then it was time for an early lunch. Hal and I walked to the tiny Subway and brought food back to the Hotel. Yvette, Glen and I will be in the Sagamore Ballroom from 1pm to about midnight playing LFR.


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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

GenCon 2011 - Day 0 pt2

1 pm
We checked in at the Westin, then proceeded to the VIG lounge to pick up our badges. Now having lunch at the Ram. A yearly tradition not to be missed.



9 pm
Sitting around the room with Glen and Yvette. Hal went to see the 1982 Conan at the Circle Center theater. They are running it for GenCon. The rest of us didn't feel like going anywhere at the time. Glen and I eventually wandered down to Steak & Shake and picked up a snack. We were going to go to Subway, but like the CVS they close at 7. That just seems weird coming from a small town where lots of things are open 24 hours.

More to come...


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GenCon 2011 - Day 0

4:50 am
On the way to the Orlando Airport. Have to stop at Walgreens for video tapes first.

6:19 am
In the Long line at express check in. Seems most of the people ahead of me didn't read the sign that this line was for people who already had their boarding pass to drop off luggage.

6:28 am
In tsa line. Not too bad, except they wanted the guy ahead of me to put his laptop in a different bin than the rest of his stuff. Not good enough he took it out of the bag and put it on top.

6:46 am
Through security and on the train. Either I am really sleep deprived or this thing is shakier than normal.

6:53 am
At gate 90 boarding to occur at 7:05

7:22 am
They finally boarded our flight.



Taking the earlier one was so the right thing to do. There are like 20 people on the plane. The one 46 minutes later is full... A few people jumped ship from the 836 flight we are up to 41 people now.
Met a nice young man named Logan Rollin on the flight. He is a Magic and Warhammer 40K player, from Indiana, who works at Disney.

8:11 am
The clouds down below are white and fluffy. The layer above us, black and nasty.

10:19 am
The flight was a little rough, but not too bad. Baggage claimed. Just waiting for the 836 flight to arrive so we can all get in the limo.


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Location:Indianapolis Airport

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Gen Con Indy 2011 - Avoiding Con Crud

Con Crud - Slang term for that illness you always come home from a con with. It is inevitable when you pack lots of people into a small space with a recirculating air system such as a plane, cruise ship or convention center. People have many different ways of trying to minimize their risk of getting it.

1) Hand sanitizer. Some people bring this and use it constantly. Personally I don't believe in this one. Like too many antibiotics, it just leads to resistant strains. Also I think that most versions of Con Crud are airborne.

2) Eat well. Take time at the con to eat real meals. Consuming nothing but junk food will lower your resistance to getting sick.

3) Sleep. Yes you can power through the con on energy drinks. It will weaken your body and make it easier for you to get sick.

4) Increase your vitamin intake. Gen Con officially starts one week from today, so today I started my vitamin regimen. Extra everything from today until the day after I get home. It works for me. Before I started doing it I came home from every con sick. I no longer do.

Good luck and good gaming.


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Location:Palm Bay

Packing for Gen Con - 911, the economy and technology.

Packing for Gen Con is an adventure all by itself. The first time is the hardest. You are going to want to do everything, see everything and pack everything. Don't! Trust me. It is possible to spend hundreds in the dealer hall and still come back with only one checked bag and your carry on.

1) Clothes - The con itself is four days. Most people fly in sometime Wednesday. Those who can afford the extra night in the hotel and the extra day off work fly home on Monday. That is five days of clothes to pack. If you are driving add to this accordingly. Larping? Cosplaying? Entering the Costume Contest? Add even more clothing, and possibly props and makeup. You might be tempted to pack less and re-wear some things. Don't! Trust me. No one likes a smelly gamer. ( There is a way to pack less and not be hated, more on this later. )

2) Gamer Gear - Books for all the game systems you intend to play. Dice, lots of them. Giant binder containing every character you have made since junior high. Your Warmachine army. Every Magic card you own. Don't! Trust me. Your back, airport security and your wallet will thank you for it later.

3) Electronics - Your a gamer geek. You own more electronic gadgets than the US military. They must be useful at the con. You must bring the all. Don't! Trust me. Your back, airport security and your wallet will thank you for it later.

So let us revisit the topic above. What should you pack in this post 911 ( unpacking and then repacking your laptop at every security checkpoint is no fun ) age, with a poor economy that has caused the airlines to limit how much you can bring on the plane without them charging you excessive overage fees? Let us start with...

1) That clothing we talked about earlier. You need that. You will sweat and get stinky. There is a way to skimp on the way out though, and it may save you money on the way back. If you are planning on buying the obligatory con shirt anyway, and stopping by Off World Designs, do it the first day. Leave the shirts out of your suitcase. Pick up your Gen Con shirt Wednesday when you get in to wear Thursday. Thursday morning hit the dealer hall and purchase your shirts for the rest of the Con. You have room in your luggage for them, because you saved that space on the way out. This will save you having to take back an extra bag, and being charged for it by your airline.

2) Your gear. If you are playing your favorite system you probably know it well enough to leave the books at home. Playing RPGA events? Plan what character you are going to play ahead of time, bring it and leave the giant binder at home. Dice. You know you are going to stop by the Chessex booth and buy more. Leave the old ones at home and do it Thursday morning while you are clothes shopping. If you are in a miniatures or card tournament bring your army list or deck with sideboard. Leave the rest at home. Want to get into a pickup game of Magic, buy a pack of cards at the dealer hall. You are going to anyway. Pickup game of your favorite miniatures? Don't!

3) All those fancy electronic gadgets. They really are a must have, and can reduce the amount of game gear you bring. However, you don't need them all. Be selective. In years past I brought all that gear listed above, plus my cell phone, camera, video camera, MacBook and windows netbook for That program. You know the one. This year I am taking less. My iPad2 is going to replace my rulebooks, character sheets and MacBook. My iPhone has a 5 megapixel camera in it. I will probably leave one or both of the other cameras at home. As for needing That program, my games are planned such that none of my characters will level during the Con.

So, with a little pre-planning you can have room for that costume you always wanted to take, as well as space for those souvenirs you will buy. It will save you taking that extra bag that the airline charges for, or stopping at Fedex to ship your stuff home.

Have fun and good gaming.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Palm Bay

Monday, July 18, 2011

BlogPress app test.

So I have obtained the BlogPress app. It is supposed to allow posting to Blogger via your iPad or iPhone. If this works I will be able to post from Indy, including pictures, without having to take my computer.



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Location:Palm Bay,United States

Prelude to Gen Con Indy 2011

It is that time of year again. Time to prep for The Best Four Days In Gaming! I wanted to be able to share the experience with my friends and family who are not going this year. But I don't want to lug tons of stuff around Indy for five days.

So I gave the matter some thought. I have an iPhone and an iPad, but I can't update my website from them. Hmm... After a little research I found that there are apps that will allow you to update Blogger sites from those devices. This is the result. Now if only it works as advertised.