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Today it was just board games. I hosted four and played one training version of a new game. So this morning at 9 was my first game, Blood Rage. This is a Viking mythical game with lots of combat and bringing monsters to help save the day. I had five players and we just managed to finish it on time. This is a painted copy meaning every last miniture is painted. We had folks stopping by to see just the miniatures.

The next game was a bit rougher as I had trouble remember all the rules and I got caught almost from the start. This is Fury of Dracula where I was playing the vampire and the four other players played the hunters. This is usually a hidden movement game, but I got found at almost the first turn and was running the whole time. The players were very attentive and so I just could not get away. So I then turned on them, “Mina” was by herself in Spain, so I attacked, defeated her, and sent her on to the hospital. But that meant the hunters had a good idea of where I was. So Mina ran to Lisbon while I tried to sneak away to France. I was found in France by a player who thought I might try to slip away. That was it. Everyone had a good time even me the defeated vampire.

The next game was Scythe. This was a basic game. I taught it and we got everyone going for a five-person game with just the addition of Japan. It went well and the Khan won by getting their popularity up. The Vikings played a quiet game in the corner and came in next. I got Saxony (Germany) and was back in the pack, but I did land the sixth star to end the game. Everyone liked my painted figures.

I also got to meet some new gamers next playing a game I have not played before: Architects of the Western Kingdom. This is a worker placement game with some interesting twists. We got to play it for about two hours. I really liked it and might add to my collection.

I meet new folks and also re-connected with folks I have played with before in previous years or earlier this week. We also got in a last minute play of Vindication tonight. That is why I am so late getting this going. It was fun and Corwin joined in. The new player Trace beat us all.

Sorry if this is a bit short and poorly edited. Need sleep.

So I played everything I set-out to play.

I also met old friends and we are sorry we cannot get a game together. The super-sized Civilisation (12 hours) is going and they are hosting that. One of these years I have to do this one. Also, the 8-hour version of the board game version of Dune is being hosted.

I had a great day. I played my games. Actually, I sat out as I had six folks for five-person games. I got to teach them and watch how they play. It was great. On Vindication I discovered I was given a table for the whole day. So we started early and I played a 1/2 game while teaching folks and then we reset and I helped get it going.

I then did that again with Village Attacks which even had two girls show up. They liked rolling all the special dice for that game. Grabbing a handful of dice and then working out how to apply the results in really a positive experience. I got a few rules wrong but they helped me find corrections and we managed to make the game work. Everyone enjoyed it. I had to sit out again for most of the game as I had again six players. It was still fun.

I then played Panic: Star Trek. We began our five-year mission with four players. And about halfway the Enterprise was looking like it needed a new paint job.

We barely made it. We had people stopping by and seeing all the flames on the model and just smile or nod knowingly. Visually this one of the most fun game I play. I should take this one to work and have us try a few mission. We managed to complete the five mission and who needs shields anyway. We also got most of the fires out…

After that, I grabbed my dice and headed down into the basement level to play Call of Cthulhu. One player is all that showed up, not the first time I have had this happen. She grabbed two character sheets and I grab the one that is Bill Nye the Science Guy and joined the game. It is unusual to game master and to play as a character in Call of Cthulhu, but I just wanted to play the scenario and Emily had signed up and wanted a game too. We had candy cigarettes and leis for a 1950 setting in Hawaii. Once again, the third time I have had this happen having run this four times now, a miracle dice rolls saved Hawaii from being destroyed by the ancient horrors. “Can we get military help?” Rolls 04 out of 100 (low is good). Roll for taking out evil altar 01 out of 100 (low is good). Yup, we got out the toy helicopters and military figures. Thus, a fun and surprisingly positive ending.

That was the last game for tonight.

Corwin played Dungeon and Dragons for 12-hours. So we headed to Taco Bell. We drove thru and got some tacos and etc. A guy asked us to get him some food–you can’t walk thru the drive-thru. So I just bought him dinner and drove it out to him. He was drunk but very thankful. We then drove him to his boat. He was so happy. Always available to help folks, even getting a few tacos and a lift.

So I have to get up in four hours or so. So I will cut this short and please forgive any typos.

By the way, Susie has been hanging out and reading and finding her own way. She got a lot of exercising walking to the lobby and reading her book in the lobby.

Note this should be Day 5…

We are now at the Red Lion Inn on the River in Portland with a view of I-5 just as it starts across the Columbia River. The pre-events ended just as we got here. Just painting figures. Gaming starts about 1PM Thursday.

We have loaded 11 games into the hotel room and are now ready for Thursday’s gaming.

I spent the day finishing up all of my work for the game, loading, packing, and fretting. I have all the pre-made characters for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition. I have it all here now. Figures, dice, paints, and lots of board games.

This morning I started at 8:30 again. Yes, I could not sleep in until I had everything ready.   I even painted a lava field for “Destroying Paradise.” All the characters are done. I then went back and fixed them up again. All clean and ready now.

I drove to Portland this morning after I finished the game set-ups. I decided to try the pick-up for Amazon. Well, I had to find parking and pay for it to pick-up an item. But I did get to eat at a Lebanese place that had great desserts! You go in and scan your code, and the door pops open. Neat! Maybe not worth the drive and the cost of parking, but interesting.

Karam Lebanese Deli and Catering, Portland

I then finished all the work and off to Burgers at our usual place Cruise in Diner.

I am tired and all ready to start.

Schedule for me on Thursday:

Vindication 1 PM

Village Attacks 5PM

Star Trek Panic Panic: Star Trek 7PM

Call of Cthulhu: Destroying Paradise 9:30PM until 2AM or so.

I have just finished skimming the “Destroying Paradise” adventure I am running in a few days at Gamestorm 21 from Atomic-Age Cthulhu. I still have to make six 1950s pre-made characters to use. I have been busy all day trying to get ready. I am preparing for two long roleplaying games. I have done “Destroying Paradise” four times so that one just needs some props. I have the paint drying on some mini-surf boards. I need a lava field that I will paint in the coming morning. Very very busy!

The other adventure I am running is “Istanbul Discovery 1926” which is my own creation. I like to write adventures and it is fun to play one from Chaosium and once from myself. That one I got some old tiles from a horror game and can use them to make the map. I put printed copies of each with all the props in binders so I do not forget something. The needed game tiles are in a large envelope. Get there!

I started the morning at 8:30 again. I started a new book on my Kindel, House of the Shattered Wings. This is by another author I have been reading: Aliette de Bodard. I like her style of fantasy and SciFi. I did not sleep until late as I started yet another really dark novel.

I wrote my summary of yesterday and then took Susie to her hair appointment. I edited my Istanbul adventure for two hours waiting for Susie. I also stopped by the candy store and bought a lot of candy cigarettes for my players. It fits the 1950s and 1920s theme to pass around some smokes. After we got home, I then cut out the boat layout and later attached it to a backing to make it more usable. This is a prop for “Destroying Paradise.” I made dinner and got back to work finding figures and monsters to make all this work. I totally spaced the meet-up tonight on Machine Learning: Hillsboro Python Machine Learning Meetup. I feel terrible that I missed it, but I am really buried trying to get everything ready for Thursday. Forgive me, Ernest!

I have to make the pre-made characters, collecting figures for the adventures and bring them. Here they are as I am sorting on and have them even all over my chess set.

I found my Hitler and Stalin figures from a WW2 leader set–not going to need those. Churchhill is in the police bag as he has a blue coat. That is the third Doctor in the front and back a bit is the editor of Spiderman’s paper (I did not paint the Marvel Universe figure–it comes painted). They will be part of the crowd in one set-up. Found my toy cars (thank you, Cory, for leaving them with me) to use also for some dressing up of the riot scene I have to put on.

So almost ready. Continued with laundry. Located suitcases. Two games already in the car. Paints and paint brushes are in new painting case. I will try to find time for the figure painting contest at Gamestorm!

Rushing like a crazy person.

Monday is a workday. Even on my day off, I work. According to the Greeks, we were created to strive. Hesiod, a well known ancient Greek poet, says we are of the Iron Age and tells us the story of how we are here to work. I like that. Now with the advances in Physics, Material Sciences, Computers, Artifical Intelligence with Machine Learning, the fantastic information available in Social Media (I heart Stack Over Flow), it is just impossible for me not to be doing something. I remember years ago in college having to look up facts in a library and reading arcane computer textbooks poorly explained algorithms. Not anymore! I can just find the newest or best-rated youtube video on the subject or read about it on various websites. I recently watched a video on a hundred-year-old radio I purchased on eBay that explained how the radio worked and what all the mystery parts did. I discovered that mine was older than the one in the video and that it was missing a part. I sent a thank you to the author and he a few weeks replied back. Yes, the world is just full of striving. I love it!

I spent the morning working. I connected to Nike and put on my out-of-office notification emails and then worked part of an upgrade until I got stuck. I sent out a message for some help. I took all my editing notes and applied changes to my adventures for Call of Cthulhu. That took hours and more time than I planned. I also printed out material for the adventure and found some more items I needed.

I was happy to get in the mail my smells. I have ordered smells from Jennifer Howlett. She calls her little packets of scent: Adventure Scents. She makes packets of smells that I purchased with names like Alchemist’s Lab, New Spaceship, Smoking Room, and Tea Party. All available for purchase at Oddfish Games. I want to have the players of my Istanbul 1926 setting get to smell some of the adventures. The New Spaceship smell will be for the invisible creature that they need to run from, drive off, or stop in more violent ways. Alchemist Lab scent will be the paints for the artist studio.

Why stop there. The dread Necronomicon (yes there is a spell check–that was unintentional–for that word) also shows up in my story. I have acquired some pages from The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Yes, there is a website that sells props for the 1920s and 1930s for role-playing in the horror-filled stories of H.P. Lovecraft and when you write about H.P. Lovecraft you are allowed to use run-on sentences and uses three words where just a single and clear word could be selected by the writer, if he (using the older style of pronouns now) so select to follow H.P. Lovecraft’s style. Anyone that has read Lovecraft understands. So getting the props ready and smells.

The rest of Monday was a blur. I forgot I was hosting Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition on the website Roll20. So had to prep and then run an adventure in an hour! We also forgot one of our players is out. I picked a side-quest. The players worked-out that the adventure that was suggested, locals say there is evil goings-on over there, was where they should head to, forgiving the DM for rail-roading (usually they get some choices).

Undead everywhere, perfect! It is so easy to just say “brains” when one is rushed.

Roll20 is an online game website we use for playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (yes there are now different versions of Dungeons and Dragons). They have created a website that allows the players to have a character sheet that they maintain, just like in the paper version. The play just clicks on a weapon, ability, spell, skill, or item and the website performs the dice rolls and so on in the shared chat window. The players control icons on a screen that looks like a gaming table. The Dungeon Master (DM) has control of the website and runs the adventure. The content can be created by the DM or purchased. I have purchased many adventures and campaigns. This one is the Princes of the Apocalypse featuring the Evil Elementalists doing what they do, “Trying to take over the world!” This adventure was originally published in a book of 255 pages. Quite a campaign that usually lasts a year. All the maps, stories, creatures, treasures, and so on have all been translated into the website’s software and is quite easy and flashy to use. I am not sure I can go back to paper and pen Dungeon and Dragons.

No texting here. We use video chat as part of the gaming experience. We do have issues with slow Internet and having to reset here and there, but mostly it is a positive experience. So most Monday nights I am in Roll20 running a game. Bill Butler is in Minnesota, so we play until 10:30PM his time. Bill also hosts a game that is often once or twice a month on Tuesday.

Dinner (Copper River) was after the game that went to the normal 8:30 which corresponds to the time that the bad guy ran away and sneaked past them. He will be involved in a chase next game. After that, I finished the previous blog just before midnight. I finished my book which ended much darker than I expected for Ann Lackie. I still liked it–not all stories should end in bright, happy endings.

So rushing this morning to finish this. So much to do. Games start on Thursday for Gamestorm! There is so much out there…”It is full of stars!”

(assuming fair use of image 2001 A Space Odyssey)