Day 146: Saturday @ home

Some mornings even with disturbed sleep, it is just impossible not to wake before 7AM. Today was one of those days. So I started priming figures from War of the Worlds: The New Wave board game before 8ish. I like the theme, and the miniatures are a bit steampunk, so I wanted some spare ones for other uses. I just have not had any time for painting for so many months. Starting so early, I primed the figures and have hope of finishing them in one weekend.

I am using the new painting style of priming the figures black and then misting with white primer from above. This is followed by a dry-brushing with white to bring out even more details. I then paint with washed-out Army Painter paints using a flow enhancer from an art store. I apply the colors almost as a wash letting the black and white show through. The white turns to the color of the wash, usually.

I also made a scrambled-egg with bacon and cheese bake. This is like a frittata that just never was flipped. I had it for breakfast and watched Foyle’s War while cleaning and cooking. This is an older BBC show I rediscovered–I saw only a few episodes when it first came out.

I was ill this morning (I will skip the details). I enjoyed a well known side-effects of some of my medications. I just took everything slower.

I also caught-up my binge of “Most Deadly Catch” and some of the Alaska gold shows. I would put the shows on hold and then paint more primer and then watch some more. I did this until everything, except a figure I found that I completely missed (!?), was black and then misted with white. I also took a few breaks for the illness which finally left late morning.

I had just finished the priming when Mariah texted me about lunch–we often meet for lunch. I left the egg bake out and headed to Cedar Hills McMenamins. I wanted to check-out the re-opened Powell’s Books after lunch; it is their only open location and is just a block from McMenamins.

Mariah and I talked about books and history and other topics while eating and drinking a Purple Haze beer.

I headed then to Powell’s only to discover a long line out the door. I passed on that. Too risky to be in a line with folks.

I headed home and found Corwin and his business partner Evan had enjoyed the eggs. Susie got the last of the eggs later and passed on them–by then I think the eggs were not their best. Susie had cereal and yogurt.

Cowin headed out to the beach (remember this is Oregon and not a place of huge beach parties).

Evan and I decided to go with a game of Architects of the West Kingdoms: Age of Artisans. This was my first game with the expansion. This is a game, Architects of the West Kingdoms, that I enjoy even playing solo (it has an automata deck to run the solo game) and the new rules and additions really seemed to fix a few weaknesses and make the game flow a bit better.

Note: I usually don’t describe the games as the Board Game Geeks website does a better job than I would ever do. There are videos, reviews, pictures, and a general description.

Evan has not quite got the game down, he has beaten me repeatedly in Vindication which he clearly understands, but I suspect that will change and I will not get ahead by ten points next time. I managed to build a bunch of moderately valuable buildings to get ahead enough to win, but a few more rounds and he would have caught me.

Aside: One of the new designs of games is to keep the points numbers lower and not to track them during the game–totaling of points is done after the game ends and often there is pad supplied in the game to help. This prevents a run-away game for seasoned players versus new players. It also stops players from seeing scores that may make them try to be “king-maker” when they know they cannot win. I see this in Twilight Imperium 4 to many times and often in the Game of Thrones Board Game.

I did make a few mistakes in the rules, but nothing that would have changed the outcome. I forgot to take some rewards a few times. It is good to try to get it all down with the new options and rules.

After we finished, Evan helped me make Morrocan Chicken, and we watched the Mummy Movie–The one in China–while we waited for dinner.

Today it is reported that nine-hundred seventy Americans lost their lives to the virus today.

I saw that there is a rock version of the same name that I know, this is the Stand By Me in the Methodist Hymnal #512 and not one I know.