Happy Holidays!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2007!


You can read a bit about the holiday’s traditions and history here.

If you aren’t big on holidays, you can get your Festivus pole here.




Ho ho ho!

Comfort Food II (and healthy too!)

Sorry I haven't posted in a while ... the holiday time gets a bit nuts. Perhaps I'll be better come the New Year.

A few weeks back we decided to cook up something a bit more healthy—a nice salad topped with sliced chicken. In addition to the grilled chicken flavored with red pepper and grilling spice, we threw in some red onion, diced tomato, and sliced avacado. Dinner cost us less than 5 bucks, and it was pretty healthy besides. Yummy.

Boardgame Night Recap: World Domination

Saturday night Schizo, Larry, and I met for a good round of Risk 2210. This was the first time I remember playing with only three people (we had a last minute cancellation), and the lower number of players made for an interesting dynamic.

We also played using fan-made simulations of two of the Hasbro Frontline expansions, these being add-ons for R-2210 that were distributed as tournament prizes but never officially marketed or produced.

The first Frontline expansion presented a new playing board of Mars and two moons, to be used in place of the regular Earth and Moon playing boards. The second Frontline expansion added a new commander—the Tech commander— to the mix. The Tech commander adds a variety of new, weird cards to the pool, with new cards that allow energy investment (with a random payoff), the ability to move through an area with a devastation marker, and similar rule-bending weirdness. The majority of the cards involve energy-related plays.



The third expansion, and arguably the most popular, presents Factions. Each player now begins with a slightly different set-up: number of energy chits, type of commanders, number of moon bases, etc., and each gets a unique power. The Havoc faction, for instance, starts with a mere one energy but gets a Nuke commander (in place of the Diplomat) and has the ability to draw three nuclear cards at the start of that player’s turn, examine them, and play one immediately for free!

The fourth and last expansion to the Frontline promotion was “Invasion of the Giant Amoebas” and offers a scenario that involves landing and breeding aliens that infest the board and are immune to command cards.

The guys were game, so we tried using the Tech Commander and Factions expansions. (Two of the six factions get a tech commander to start, so the second and third expansions fit together well.) We randomly determined starting factions—Larry drew the Havoc (Nuclear Anarchists) faction, Schizo the Silicon Knight (Technologists), and I the Fusion Conservancy (Conservationists). My power involved gaining a tech commander and getting an 20% energy bonus at the start of my turns. Schizo too got the techie, as well as the fearsome ability to choose and play certain cards from the discard pile.

Play was fast and aggressive, except for one turn in which everyone seemed content to solidify their holdings. I usually end going for the western half of the map, but my random starting placement put a majority of my men in Asia (a rarity for me) wih a few others scattered on all the continents except S. America. I loaded up troops in three spots in Asia (including the Middle East, in case Larry actually took Africa (a move I would later be thankful for) and I placed a moon base next to Europe to help prevent incursions from that quarter. Finally I placed two small heaps of men in North America, so Schizo wouldn’t simply roll over the continent.
Schizo, true to form, went after and quickly secured Europe and began with a majority in America as well. He also began by placing additional troops in America, but made only small forays there for the next two turns.
Larry seized Australia and Africa on the first turn(!) and soon moved to dominate South America (a continent that eventually changed hands three times). This was scary; he literally controlled most of the southern hemisphere.

As the game progressed, America soon stood at an impasse, with three colors (most Schizo and I) present. I desperately tried to seize and hold Asia (something that proved as difficult as expected, despite a fortuitously placed devastation marker) and Larry easily grabbed all of South America, marking him as a front runner. I was largely unable to defend Asia against multiple attacks, due in part to lousy defending rolls on my part, and I had to sit and gaze helplessly at the largely defenseless America. By Turn 3 I was the dark horse, and only my 2-point Moon continent saved me from ruin.

At this point we all had barely used our special abilities, and I began to purchase cards in earnest, using my extra energy to good effect. We all used missile strikes to good advantage, especially when striking a country inhabited by a single commander (basically instant, unstoppable death for the commander). I bagged a large number of commanders, taking three from Larry in one turn. Meanwhile Larry spread into the uninhabited sea areas (giving me extra Asia entry points to worry about) and used his bonus nuclear cards to create havoc. Schizo sent his own contingent to the Moon to attack and nearly eliminate mine and also pushed hard through America and into South America (failing only to take Argentina).

The endgame was marked with large pushes by all players. I used a special card to swap bid places with Schizo, getting my fourth and fifth turns back to back. This was a huge risk (no pun intended), as going first the last turn leaves you completely at the mercy of the players to follow. My gamble was to cash in on a complete Asia (something that wouldn’t stay intact for long), buy plenty of cards, and ravage the globe. If I hit the other guys hard enough, they wouldn’t have the troops or energy to respond with much force. An existing treaty with Schizo prevented Asia-to-Europe conflict, but a strike via Africa was possible… I pored troops through most all of Africa and also rampaged through America, carefully leaving chokepoints of troops at the obvious Asia entries. I also killed Larry’s naval commander in an attempt to prevent sea entry and seized a small sea area.

Larry responded in kind, taking back pretty much all of Africa, restoring his naval commander, and easily slicing into lower Asia—so much for holding Asia! Schizo also did well, killing off my key commander holding the Middle East and taking back much of America. My death traps slowed him but didn’t stop him from taking many countries. When the smoke cleared Schizo and I were tied for points, with Larry coming in third.

It was a great three-player game. The night also featured a bout of dice weirdness, in which Larry and I, rolling dice to determine who went first after a tied turn bid, rolled six-sided dice and tied four times in a row. I enjoyed the Factions experiment—hopefully next time we’ll use our powers a bit more. Risk 2210 has easily proved to be the best Risk update IMHO, lacking the randomness of Risk Godstorm or the unexciting nature of Lord of the Rings Risk, and I look forward to our next encounter on future Earth!

Victory?

Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Exit Polls

It's over. The Dems came through, and their victory march delivered a strong message to Washington.
It was a long night for most newscasters, and I understood. As expected, a few Senate races are nail-biters (and Virginia is still up in the air as I write this, although AP has declared Webb the winner). We'll just have to wait and see.

Me, I already happy that that crazy, looping biorhythm that is American politics has swung up again. A decade from now the people will probably get tired off it all again, and another cry of "Throw the bums out!" will be heard across the country, but for now it's enough to see Carl Rove and his hyper-partisan, 51% style of campaigning thrown for a major loop. He didn't see this one coming, at least until it was too late.

For now I will bask, pleased that the Congress has turned in a new, less fanatical (if possibly more gridlocked) direction.
I hope the President has the wits to work with his new Congress, a Congress that will actually implement that rather quaint custom of oversight.
I hope all the mandate-braggers of 2004 put this election in their pipe and have a good pull.
I hope we all, even me, realize that politics is politics but we do have soldiers at risk and we need to pull together if we are to get out of this Middle Eastern mess.
I hope we heal as a nation.

I hope.

The Final Push

It's Election Day, time for the final push, and the time to see our democracy in action.
It's exciting. I love watching the results, much as others might watch a horse race or a sporting event, but beyond the mere sport of it, the very Americanism of it all, lies the stakes—Iraq, our foreign policy, our security, and our very rights as Americans—the stakes simply couldn't be greater.

The usual negative nonsense has appeared on television, just like clockwork. The movie-style announcer voices, the grainy black & white, mugshot-like photos, and the awful smears. We've struck a new low this year, on both sides. Some of the worse spots I've seen, no great surprise, slammed the Democrats. In Tennessee, Corker ran an ad (quickly yanked but endlessly replayed for free over the next several news cycles) that suggested that Corker’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Harold Ford, who is Black, chases after White women—a blatant play on the last lingering racism in the area (although most Tennessee folk quickly rejected the ad, bless their hearts). Another choice ad attacked a Democratic House candidate in New York for calling sex lines with taxpayers’ money (in fact, an aide misdialed an office number by using the wrong area code and hung up immediately, costing the tax payers a whopping $1.25 for the error). And so on.

Now it’s down to the wire. I’ve already voted and served my civic duty, and I can only sit back and wait for the exit polls to come in. Control of Congress hangs in the balance, and by this time tomorrow I’ll know the story … the suspense of it all!
Will the country get a new direction? Or worse gridlock in Congress?
Will we get some real oversight and direction in Iraq? Or yet more of the same profiteering and ignorance in the face of reality? (Sorry, my biases are showing.)
Only time will tell.

God Bless America!

Gen Con Sunday in Pictures

Sunday was a whirlwind, our last day at the Con.

We arose early, hurriedly packed, and raced over to the Convention Center. Our first stop was the Miniatures Room. Many folks had departed. but there were still plenty of gamers left and lots of awesome dioramas.

We hit the dealer room yet again, picking up the creepy art collage we had purchased earlier and checking out a few of the newer boardgames. I also dove headfirst into boxes of obscure game supplements, while a stood patiently by. Some many bargains, so little time!

There was definite “Sunday atmosphere” on the floor, and most of the dealers seemed low-key, somehow chatty yet tired and looking forward to the chaotic roll-up that was to come later that day.

I stopped by to take a good look at the awesome (and awesomely expensive) Ptolus book. It was beautiful and had the highest production values of any gaming book I’ve ever seen. Sue & Monte Cook were there, so we chatted with them for a few minutes. Monte is evidently a Spock’s Beard fan, and my ‘Beard t-shirt was a big hit. A meanwhile chatted with Sue about editing. (It seems most “designer wives” end up handling some editing duties one way or the other.) Both Monte and Sue were great to meet.

Our next stop was Atlas Games, so I could pick up my copy of Gloom. We bent Michelle Nephew’s ear for a moment and she was very nice and willing to chat. At one point she was demonstrating Gloom for a would-be customer, and every several minutes this guy would swoop past the booth and grab one of the Gloom demo cards sitting out on the table. I watched amazed as this goon zipped by at least three times, picking off a card (they were there some people could see what the game looked like, not to be taken) each time. Dude—just buy the game, for crying out loud!

Ratatosk’s Final Booty List
• Battlebox accessory (Fiery Dragon)
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #31:The Transmuter’s Last Touch (Goodman Games)
• Dungeon Crawl Classics #35: Gazetteer of the Known Realms (Goodman Games)
• Gamemastery Item Pack cards (Paizo)
• Gary Gygax’s Hall of Many Panes (grabbed for $10) (Troll Lord)
• Gloom game (Atlas Games)
• 1 size 2XL “Roll the Dice … It Builds Character” T-shirt (a present for Markus)
• Larry Fine sticker (Stylin)
• Some cool Q-Workshop dice (half presents for the Willster)

And some used items (basically all in new condition except I4):
• Ravenloft, Silver Anniversary edition (TSR)
• Module I4 Oasis of the White Palm (TSR)
• Dragon magazines # 297, 310, 326
• Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (a snap at $18) (Wizards)

Soon it was near time for my signing, so I hustled over to my booth and sat behind the draped table for about 45 minutes, talking to customers. It was very cool being on the other side of things for a change and talking to people about my adventure was great.

Dice city!


Soon after we both beat a hasty exit and fled for the airport. (There I grabbed a bright red “INDIANA” t-shirt as final memento.) I spotted a group of people near our designated gate, sitting on the floor and playing Shadows Over Camelot in a last ditch effort to squeeze yet one more game in. Sitting a few rows ahead of us on the return flight was Chris Doyle (author of Goodman’s DCC #7: Secret of Smugglers Cove and ENnie-nominated DCC #11: The Dragonfiend Pact)—little did the passengers know they were surrounded by adventure authors! Less than two hours later—our flight was early this time—we were back safely in New Jersey; it was over.

Gen Con Saturday in Pictures

Saturday morning we were knackered and we overslept somewhat, and then got to a late start because, idiot that I am, I misplaced the seminar tickets I had picked up the day before. (It turned out I needn't have worried, as reported online the seminars are basically walk-in affairs and even the popular Paizo seminars could be entered with nary a glance at a ticket. Much ado about nothing.)

After a quick bite we headed off to our first seminar, Paizo's "Writing for Dungeon Magazine" seminar. RPG companies take note, this is how it should be done. Erik Mona, Publisher of Dragon and Dungeon magazines, ran a tight, well-orchestrated event. Moments into the seminar he laid out the plan, telling the attendees exactly what to expect, and then he and his staff went by the numbers, beginning with explanatory stuff for the newbies, giving advice, running through a collaborative workshop exercise, and finally answering questions. It was informative, professsional, and fun.

The next seminar was hit and miss, the subject being tie-in writing. There were some good, experienced writers at the table, but between the tired between-author quips and ego-stroking the point sometimes got lost. These authors were giving their time to teach others, and I really appreciate that, and it shouldn't all be deadly serious, but people are there to learn first and foremost... not be entertained (which most of us were not) by endless joshing among the participants. 'Nuff said.

At this point, after a good 3 hours of seminars, A and I exited the Hyatt and walked down to the Indiana State Museum. It was already hot, and my ever-heavy backpack was thumping against my back in a steady rhythm. We checked out a few sculptures outside the nearby Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and then walked into the museum proper, following a state-by-state walkway that lead finally to Indiana as you reached the door. The welcome cool air washed across us as we stepped inside. The museum was small by our jaded New York City standards, but it contained a lot of cool items and was heavy with Indian artifacts and Hoosier lore. A history timeline of Indiana started literally with the forming of the Earth and fossil records, so these Indiana folks are thorough, I'll give them that! I marveled at the ancient arrowheads and we got a kick out of a 1980s memorabilia section that included a Mac Plus computer in with the Pop culture tidbits.





After we ducked back into the convention center for another run-through. As we exited the Dealer Room, we stopped by a large display of card houses. A young gal, barely visible behind the towers of cards, invited me in to aid the construction but I declined, fearing that one poorly timed sneeze on my part would cause a disaster.

I discovered later that at a certain time that evening a mob armed with coins would gather, pelt the card constructions until all were flat, and the coins are gathered for a local childrens' charity.

We finally staggered over to The Ram for dinner. The place was mobbed but the atmosphere was there—Return of the King was blasting at full volume from the large sports screens, to the delight of most of the diners. The place was draped with banners from Wizards and Privateer Presss and they even feature a fantasy-themed appetizer menu during the weekend. Props to The Ram for rolling out the red carpet for Gen Con attendees.

Smackdown!

Standard fair warning: This blog is my opinion, and sometimes things get political here. I respect your opinion if you don't agree.

I'll really want to get back to my Gen Con postings before my memory dims, really I do, but the pre-election b.s. is really flying and the constant warping of reality is beginning to bug me. I feel obligated to add my 2 bits, you know?

Dig Bill Clinton fighting back in a recent FOX news interview ... love it.

Here are some great, well-researched books about just how incredibly fucked up this war effort has been, from the initial selling of the war, to the bad planning (what there was), and the associated corruption:



Okay, enough politics! I'll try to be good and hold myself back next time.

The current score:

Spinning 9/11

Standard fair warning: This blog is my opinion, and sometimes things get political here. I respect your opinion if you don't agree.

Last night sadly marked yet another attempt of Bush to sell his failed Iraq policy. Despite the White House claims to the contrary, the "non-political" speech last night was just that, an 18-minute speech of which barely 2 minutes addressed the tragedy and heroes of 9/11 and the rest of which continued and summarized a series of recent speeches in which Bush has tried to bolster the sagging support for his war in Iraq.

I couldn't say it better than MSNBC, so I'll quote them here:

"The power of his rhetoric is in marked decline, and that's no reflection on the quality of what he says, which is still very high," said Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a neoconservative scholar who has been sympathetic to Bush's anti-terrorism policies. "There's a desire in the country for more deeds, not more words. . . . We are losing a war right now, and there is no way to get around that."

Three previous times in the past 18 months, as public opinion has slipped, White House officials have announced that Bush would embark on a renewed effort to explain and defend his Iraq and anti-terrorism policies. None produced a lasting positive effect on how Americans view either the president or his policies.

This Administration, worried sick about the upcoming November elections, is trying desperately to connect Iraq to the overall war on terrorism, the only strong point the Republicans have left (unless they drag out flag-burning again). Most of the public wisely isn't buying it. The Administration has demonstrated a stubborn adherence to a failed policy began under false pretenses and their failures are manifest even to the blind or hopelessly partisan at this point. They hope to shape the argument into, as one Republican strategist put it, “do you believe we’re at war?”—but the true question is, “do you approve?” Do you approve of an America in which you are branded unpatriotic for questioning the actions of your government? Do you approve of an America that condones torture, secret prisons, spying on its own people, and a complete lack of oversight? Do you approve of the current conduct of our leaders, the level of honestly versus obfuscation they have displayed, their promises kept, and their demonstrated competence?
Only you can decide that. It is your right, and I’ll not brand you “un-American” regardless of your opinion.

I urge my readers to listen to Keith Olbermann’s special comment in full.

Dick Cheney stated to Tim Russert this past Sunday on Meet the Press that, knowing what he knows now about Iraq, he would do it all again, the same exact way. If that doesn't frighten you, I don't know what will.

9/11 Five Years Later

Today all of America came to grips with the still-fresh memory of a national tragedy. The wound is still fresh, and the pain still great.

Tempted as I am to launch into a discussion about foreign policy and decisions made by our leaders, I don’t feel this is the proper time.

I can’t bring myself to speak about world unity either. My desire for peace and understanding is great, but I’m also realistic, and as the famous quote from former British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston goes, “Nations don’t have friends, nations have interests.” It’s sadly true, and don’t fool ever yourself into believing otherwise.

I don't claim to be impartial; I worked within sight of the Towers and I recall my horror from that day still. My brother, a fireman, was there the day after the event, breathing toxic fumes while unearthing grim artifacts. My then next-door neighbor, a loving father and all-around nice guy, parked and then stepped out for a bagel and just missed being crushed to death along with his car. He spent that night wandering in his backyard in shock, trying to make sense of it all.
I myself was lucky to not have been directly affected, indeed barely touched by the event, and I am eternally grateful for that.

Today I have but one wish: I wish peace to those that were hurt or lost someone in this event, and I hope such a thing never occurs again.

Gen Con Friday in Pictures

Friday was busy indeed.

We grabbed a quick free breakfast with the other chowhounds at the Embassy, and quickly headed over the Exhibition Hall.
Folks were flowing through the Hall easily and it was actually cool inside the massive space. I took this as a good omen. I spent the next few hours with A wandering up and down the rows, checking out the various booths. We paused for a quick demo of the latest Ticket to Ride boardgame at the Days of Wonder booth (they don't take unsolicited submissions anymore, damn them all to Hell!), perused the latest Osprey books at their booth, examined assorted minis, and marveled at all the varied Cthulhu merchandise.




I wandered amid the booths in a near daze, surrounded by hordes of gamer geeks happily hip deep in their element. Some vendors had set up gaming areas, particularly for the board games (there's no better advertising than watching other folks obviously enjoying a game) and tables of gamers played away, seemingly oblivious to the throngs of customers streaming around them.


Afterward we worked our way over the Art Exhibit (Jeff Easley was there sketching away—how cool is that?), and soon fell in love with a morbid collage print by Rick Sardinha. It wasn't really for sale, but was basically hanging as an example of non-fantasy work, but after a bit of conversation we made arrangements to pick it up toward the end of the show, glass and all. (This is not to say I don't like Rick's fantasy work—especially his awesome blue dragons—and we had sympathy for a man that drove all the way to Indy from Rhode Island!)

A dead guy plays a few hands of Award Show (Twilight Creations):


A highpoint of the day was having a book signed by Ed Greenwood (author and creator of the popular Forgotten Realms setting). He wasn't hawking a thing, merely signing whatever folks brought up, and I was embarrassed to only have a book that he co-authored for him to sign. All the same, he was quite cool and rather funny. (The rather serious-minded fellow just before me dropped off a mysterious manilla folder with "Ed Greenwood" scrawled across the front and said, "My friend made me promise to deliver this to you, he wants you to read his thoughts on some matters." Ah, the price of fame.) Down the desk from Ed sat Eric L. Boyd and Steven Schend—all the great 'Realms minds in one place!


For dinner we struck the Rock Bottom again and were promptly recognized by our waitress from the day before. Alas, they were sold out of the ribs!

Surviving the Con

Well, it’s over. We survived Gen Con 2006, and it was great.
Rather than making a mondo-post, I’ll post a summary of each day separately.

Let’s start with Thursday night.

Our late-afternoon flight out of Newark Airport was a nightmare. I’ll spare the gentle reader most of the details, but the London business meant that the morning of our departure we suddenly had to leave behind all the travel-size cosmetics and such we had purposefully purchased ahead of time. No shampoo, toothpaste, hair gel, deodorant … you get the picture.

Fearing the long security lines at the airport, we left early, very early. We ended up zipping through security and having nearly 2 hours to kill in the airport. (We also spotted Lee Iacocca standing on the sidewalk a few feet away, thanks to A's sharp eyes, but that's another story.) We then boarded the plane and sat there on the tarmac for 2 and a half hours before the plane even took off—for a less than 2-hour flight! At one point, after an hour of taxiing around the runways, an exasperated passenger across from me asked the flight attendant for a status update. “Well, we’re number ten, and there’s a 7-minute space between flights. Do the math,” came the brusque reply.

Eventually we landed in Indianapolis and a quick taxi ride brought us to Embassy Suites. My expected arrival time of 5-o-clock was shot to hell; it was now 7:30 and we hadn’t eaten since grabbing fast food in the airport at 1-o-clock. So much for my industry party that began at 7:30! Down the street from our hotel was the Rock Bottom Brewery. There we grabbed dinner, including ribs to die for. We resolved to return.

Downtown Indy was nice; elevated walkways, plentiful microbrew restaurants (I made a private note of the location of The Ram, a place known for its Gen Con attendee -friendly atmosphere), and friendly folk. Everywhere milled many young people, many of them bearing backpacks, costumes, or other assorted gear that marked them as fellow gamer geeks in town for the Con.



We eventually arrived at the party at nine-thirty. The party was held at Jillian’s, an eclectic place that I described that night as “a Chuck E. Cheese’s for adults.” I embarrassed myself “shooting” pool and we chatted with our host and assorted folks including Andy Barlow (miniature sculptor for Magnificent Egos, etc.), Luke Johnson (Etherscope developer), Todd Rooks (tournament GM extraordinaire), and his friend Brett.

It was well after midnight when we headed back, but the halls of Embassy echoed with the cries of gamers. (My mind instantly harkened back to the "old days" when I used to spend a full weekend playing D&D with no thought of sleep...) Youngsters!

My Tarot

So here's how I did:

You scored as XI: Justice. The blindfold arbiter weighs the evidence and passes judgement without fear or favour. There can be no appeal. Justice is not necessarily the same as Law. True justice seeks out the spirit of the law, not just its letter. If a law is bad then true Justice will set that law aside. This is the sacred responsibility of those given the power to judge. If well aspected in a Tarot reading, this card can indicate settlement of disputes, the achievement of a just outcome. If badly aspected this card can indicate corruption and failure of justice.

XI: Justice		88%
II - The High Priestess		69%
0 - The Fool		69%
XIII: Death		69%
X - Wheel of Fortune		56%
XIX: The Sun		56%
I - Magician		50%
XV: The Devil		50%
VI: The Lovers		50%
VIII - Strength		44%
III - The Empress		44%
XVI: The Tower		44%
IV - The Emperor		25%

Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Hmm.

That's all for now. I'll post something(s) regarding Gen Con 2006—which I recently and happily attended—when I've got more time. Stay tuned.

Boardgame Night Recap: Night of the Green Knight

We tried out Warrior Knights last night, and found it to be a great game, even with only three people. We all found it incredibly intuitive after a while, and the color-coded cards and bits really help on that end. A good, multi-dimensional game that forces you to keep several plates spinning in the air at one time (so to speak) if you wish to claim victory. As Giles Pritchard says in his review of the game at boardgamegeek.com:

One of the things everyone I have played Warrior Knights with has said is, ‘there is so much going on’. A difference that is important to raise at this point is the gulf between ‘so much going on’ and ‘a lot to take in at once’. Many heavier Euro or American wargames fall into the category of being rules heavy and quite counterintuitive, having read about some of the issues people had with the Warrior Knights rules on the Boardgamegeek I was concerned that it would have those same issues. Warrior Knights is not a lot to take in at once, but there is certainly a lot going on.

Especially fiendish are the mechanisms related to the Head of the Church and Chairman of the Assembly positions. To utilize these positions at maximum effectiveness requires lessening your hold on the position itself. For instance: if you are the current Head of the Church, the position allows you to spend your faith tokens to vastly alter events to your favor (or against the interest of another), but by lowering your number of faith tokens you increase the chance that someone else will become the Head of the Church! This leads to a delicate balancing act.

Now on to a very brief recap:
This was a very pacifistic game—there were almost no player-on-player attacks until the very end of the game. (Having only three players admittedly made it easier to stay out of each other’s way!) Instead, we roamed about and used the siege attack to take most cities, trading speed for safety.
Schizo immediately grabbed the Chairman of the Assembly position and maintained a steady death-grip on the position, using it to net himself a huge number of noble offices by winning numerous tied votes. He didn’t lose the job until the penultimate turn, when Larry (in an attempt to gain two medieval pensions, no doubt) held down the job of both Head of the Church and Chairman of the Assembly! I myself held the position of Head of the Church a few times, only to end up a “double heretic” at game end! Call it my fall from grace.

Militarily Schizo got off to a slow start, while Larry and I netted a couple of cities each. A law that granted 10 gold to each taking of an overseas city helped keep Schizo and I rolling in lucre much of the time, and we all learned (through one devastating Wages phase) to keep enough money around to feed our troops! All three of us had got so caught up investing (read: betting) on overseas trade expeditions that we left dust in the treasury!

Other amusing occurrences included Larry’s seemingly perpetual state of poverty, my cursed luck in general, and a triple-whammy of three revolts (two off which struck a very poor Schizo).

The end-game came suddenly, as we all realized that there was only a turn or two to go and money soon became almost meaningless. Despite his enormous success in the Assembly, Schizo was somewhat behind on influence points, so I concentrated my attacks on Larry and made a late-game assault on his stronghold. Alas, the stronghold held (by tying an incredible 4 victory points!) and Larry went on to win the game (by one point, grrrr)—the nobles shall clash again soon and the fate of the kingdom shall be decided anew, I promise!

Veto Conundrums

Standard fair warning: This blog is my opinion, and only my opinion. I have strong feelings about some subjects and occasionally air them here in-between the lighter fare. I try to back up what I say with details and facts, as best I understand them. People have varied and strong views when it comes to the question of how life is defined—I make no attempt to answer that. I respect that everyone has their own opinion.

President Bush marked the momentous (and long overdue) moment of his first veto with a horrible bout of grandstanding and theatrics. The bill blocked would have permitted federal funding for research on new embryonic stem cells, and had the support of over two-thirds of the American public. I would like to assume that it was purely a political play, designed to motivate his sagging base, but I suspect otherwise—that it was partly personal belief and conviction on his part—leading me to further question his sense of logic and common sense. I believe that Bush is indeed a man of faith, and I respect that, but I believe this veto and the way it was presented was a mistake.

Surrounding himself with so-called “snowflake” children was an especially overblown touch. In the last 9 years there have been approximately 130 such adoptions, a paltry number compared to the estimated 400,000 embryos that will be frozen this year alone. Understand: this bill did not prevent or forbid these adoptions. This carefully-phrased bill would only allow government funds to be used for research using embryos that would have been discarded. These were not embryos slated for adoption, they were slated for the garbage can. The bill also only allowed access to these 3–5 day-old embryos when the donor gives written permission.

So where's the logic? How are lives saved? The choice was simple: simply allow the excess frozen embryos to be discarded or allow embryos that would have been discarded to be used, with the donor's permission, in research that probably holds the highest hope to solve many of our most debilitating illnesses: Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease … the list goes on. Bush chose the former.

In his testimony before the President’s Council on Bioethics, John Opitz, a professor of human genetics, obstetrics, and gynecology at the University of Utah, stated that millions of embryos — between 60 percent and 80 percent of all naturally conceived embryos — are flushed out of women’s bodies during the normal menstrual flow process unnoticed. What about the “lives” being lost there?
On average, 30 to 40 extra embryos per woman are produced as a byproduct of the in vitro fertility procedures and are later discarded. That’s thousands and thousands of discarded embryos each year. Where is Bush's outrage about that?
No, nothing is said about closing down fertility clinics nationwide; evidently Bush is smart enough not to commit political suicide. It's also worth noting that, surprise, Bush's two daughters were both produced as a result of, you guessed it, fertility treatments.

The research will carry on, regardless, but stem cell research is so expensive in the U.S. as to be near-impossible without government funds. Already many of our talented scientists have relocated to Singapore to conduct their research there. We are nearly 8 years behind much of the world in this critical field of study.

It's bad enough the current Administration has seriously hurt our standing in the world, run our deficit through the roof, committed human rights abuses, hurt our environment, and shamefully exploited a tragic national event to begin an ill-planned (but long-desired) war; but now we can add to the list the decline of America's position as the scientific leader of the free world. Well done.

Marathon Madness

This week bring many things with the Fourth of July holiday, including a favorite of mine—the Sci Fi Channel’s annual Twilight Zone episode Marathon.

I won’t belabor why I like the Twilight Zone here, as the series has been endlessly talked about elsewhere … sometimes to the point of far overshadowing some other decent shows of a similar vein, including The Outer Limits (which I felt was faithfully adapted into the newer series by Showtime).
Instead, I’ll present two lists: the first is a list of five episodes that are recommended viewing for those who have never experienced the show (are there such unfortunates??) and the second, a list of my personal favorite “second-stringer” episodes—these are not the episodes that first leap to mind as the best (some of which I mention in my first list) but rather a number of episodes that are less well-known but in my opinion noteworthy nonetheless. I’ve purposely skipped over some famous episodes (“It’s a Good Life” and “The Invaders” spring to mind for a start) here and tried to go for other, less obvious choices, though I’m sure the more TZ-savvy will be acquainted with most or all of them regardless. On to the lists!

Five Must-Watch Twilight Zone Episodes

1. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
For me, this is the quintessential Twilight Zone episode. It embodies that deeper fear that all human possess … to encounter something fearful and have no one believe you, no one at all. Adapted from the brilliant Richard Matheson script (and short story) and well played by William Shatner, who generates sympathy not only as a frightened man no one believes, but also as a man desperately afraid he may soon question his own sanity. Matheson once looked out a plane window while flying and thought, “what if I saw a man out there?” and this lead to what may be one of the most famous episodes of all. The episode is doubly good considering that it aired during TZ’s Fifth Season, when most TZ concepts had already become painfully cliché.
The somewhat goofy gremlin design (a William Tuttle mask coupled with a furry suit from wardrobe) fails to undermine the pure horror Matheson evokes here.

2. Where is Everybody?
The original pilot and a good intro to the series. Here the fear of being alone is well tapped. The scene in which Mike Ferris (Earl Holliman) desperately pushes against a phone booth only to realize it pulls open came from a similar experience Rod Serling had in which he panicked inside an airport phone booth.

3. A Stop at Willoughby
Who can’t feel empathy for a man who feels overworked, underappreciated, and stressed out by life? It's easy to feel the need for escape, and this episode implies that for some, death is the ultimate escape.

4. Time Enough at Last
This episode usually is named on most best episode lists. A charming performance by that TZ veteran Burgess Meredith (who starred in three other episodes of the show) as the goofy but endearing Henry Bemis, victim of a harsh wife and unforgiving boss. The cruel, ironic ending lingers long after the closing credits.

5. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
Serling often wrote episodes that warned about the dangers of mob mentality (“The Old Man in the Cave” and The Shelter” are two such episodes that come to mind) and here he does it best in a story that demonstrates that our own worst enemy is indeed ourselves.

Runner-Ups: It’s a Good Life, The Invaders, The Lonely

Which is your favorite episode of these?

Give your opinion"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet""Where is Everybody?""A Stop at Willoughby""Time Enough at Last""The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

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Ratatosk’s Oft-Overlooked Twilight Zone Episodes

1. Nick of Time
A couple in love, sitting in a sunny diner being served by a good-natured counterman—not the place to find evil unless you are deep in the Twilight Zone. The creepy machine (which you may be able to purchase here or build yourself!) was probably based on the popular Ask Swami diner machines of the 1940s. It is a real co-star here, a little tin tyrant quite willing to consume your life if you give it half a chance.

Nice episode summary here.

2. The Midnight Sun
One of many frightening episodes dealing with the breakdown of society after a natural disaster (man-made or otherwise)—something that I’ve always found scary myself. Here the Earth has broken loose from its normal orbit and tumbles ever closer to the Sun. The words of the neighbor Mrs. Bronson at the end are haunting, “Yes, my dear … it’s wonderful.”
(Astute viewers might recognize the actress here—Betty Garde—as the sarcastic Thelma the Maid in an episode of The Honeymooners.)

3. Back There
In this episode Russell Johnson (much better known as the Professor in Gilligan’s Isle) tries to undo the assassination of President Lincoln—and learns that it isn’t easy to change what has already happened.

4. Mirror Image
An eerie episode that explores man’s hidden fear of losing his own identity.
I’ve had people tell me that they’ve “seen my twin” more than once, and one time, long ago, I experienced a bout of folks waving to me and addressing me—by another name. I often wonder what that other me is really up to…

5. To Serve Man
Probably the most popular episode on this list, maybe too popular, but worth a note. No great moral here except to always look a gift horse in the mouth. (And the crabby Russsian diplomat in the UN scene is right!)
This great episode always make me think of Charton Heston’s shrieking “Soylent Green is people!” years later in 1973.

6. Living Doll
Scary. You couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Erich Streator (Telly Savalas), even if he is an ass. I’ve always found dolls creepy and this episode is a major nightmare come to life for many. Comparisons with other works, such as Ray Bradbury’s brilliant “A Small Assassin” aren’t unjustified. “My name is Talky Tina, and you’d better be nice to me.” Yikes! And to think June Foray, who did the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, gave voice to this small creature.

7. Mr. Bevis
It’s a Wonderful Life told in a half-hour. A charming performance by Orson Bean as the child-like Bevis. A gem.

8. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up
A classic “who done it?" story told in pure Twilight Zone style. Two policemen, a bus driver, and seven passengers huddle in a snow-bound diner—the problem: one isn't human. (Why do all these weird episodes take place in diners, anyway?) Great surprise ending.

9. The Arrival
An episode with an engaging mystery that keeps us watching. The success of the episode is somewhat lessened by the less-than-fulfilling ending, but Harold Stone’s performance easily makes up for it. Watch as Inspector Sheckly begins with a business-like, iron-clad control and slowly loses control of everything around him even as he struggles to make sense of it all.

10. The After Hours
Another creepy episode. This one runs a bit long but still delivers.

Happy marathon watching and
a happy 4th of July!

Surprise, Surprise

About two weeks ago my significant other threw me a surprise 40th birthday party. Despite subtle clues I should have recognized she needn’t have worried—I hadn’t a clue. (They said I actually frowned at first, a telling sign—Ratatosk tends to frown at true surprises.)

It was a great party. Many friends and close family were there and once I relaxed (about an hour in) I had a spectacular time. A lot of folks worked hard to make a great day of it, and it showed. (I thank folks for all the wonderful prezzies as well, key among them the great Phil Gordon book on Hold ‘Em from Schizo and new figs from Markus! Woo hoo! I also ended up with enough gift certificates for Barnes & Noble that if I used them all in one drop I’d need a wheelbarrow to haul away my purchases…)

I didn’t want to celebrate my fortieth. I considered my forties a time when I truly had reached Middle Age, and I still haven’t reached a great many goals I set for myself long ago. It’s the time when you start thinking more about what you can manage instead what’s only dreamt of, what you can afford instead of what you want, and other such subtleties that totally conflict with my dreamer nature. I want to have my options open. I still want the choice of being a fireman, teacher, author, or astronaut, dammit, and I don’t like Father Time weighing in on me. (I’ve actually passed the age were I can apply to be a fireman or policeman in New Jersey, the state’s rather insulting way of saying I’m past it.) I often think hard now when listening to the Pink Floyd song on Dark Side of the Moon (wanna guess which one?) and the upcoming birthday was really starting to depress me. So I told A I didn’t want any big celebration. No party, and no surprises!

Luckily she didn’t listen. I now have a great memory and the day served as a great reminder that I have people that care about me, and I am terrifically blessed. The death of Nick at such a young age (see my very first post to this blog) was also a wake-up call—something that reminded me to enjoy every minute. I reached some goals, most recently this May with the publication of a RPG supplement I authored, something I’ve always wanted to do (and moreover known I could do if I really worked at it) and more lie within reach if I am willing to stretch for the brass ring a bit.

I’m not going to dread my forties any longer; I’m going to embrace them. Damn the touches of grey in my hair and twitches in my back when I work out at the gym! Many great things lie ahead, and I’ve been fortunate in more ways than I can count. I going to make my forties sing like a canary.

Sitting at Starbucks

I sat in Ridgewood today, outside the Starbucks, reading the newspaper and killing time whilst my significant other got her hair cut. It was a nice break and the weather was beautiful, with just a touch of breeze. Good people watching for an “always writer” like myself.

The first thing that struck me was the number of people with cell phones. (I’ve resisted the siren call of that particular technology thus far, but I know my days are numbered.) It seemed like every third person going by, most of them women, was chatting away into thin air. This used to startle me, but I now realize that these folks aren’t deranged and talking to themselves (but perhaps just deranged). If the scenario Stephen King envisioned in Cell ever happened in Ridgewood, the Luddites wouldn’t last 10 minutes—the place would be Zombie City.

A gal that sat behind me chatted steadily away to one person after another. She looked professional, perhaps half-Oriental, maybe 30 years old, and was dressed neatly in a black blouse and crisp slacks.

“I’m telling you, he’s not that hot. He’s not shown me anything to justify $250 an hour.”
$250? Holy shit, I thought; for that kind dough I’d almost consider walking the docks during Fleet Week.

“I’m not into promising deliverables unless we can deliver. No, no, he’s just BAD. I mean, the village idiot could read that White Paper and understand the multi-level tier architecture; the man’s supposed to be a storage consultant.”
Hmm. I was still thinking about how many lattes $250-an-hour could buy.

Eventually the call ended and the woman was soon joined by a man and several young children. The woman immediately switched modes, and chatted happily with the children about watching Narnia that evening; gone was the chatter about ending people’s careers and pleasing the customer. They’re probably sitting around a table finishing dinner as I write this, getting ready to fire up the popcorn and sit before a high definition television with Dolby 6.0 surround sound.

I’m fascinated by other people’s lives but not envious. I respect her sense of duty to the customer, and work ethic, but I also rebel against that sort of smug, high paid, latte-sipping confidence. (Hypocritical for me to say I suppose, being that I finished my own latte just before she left.) For me it’s an interesting glimpse into a world I doubt I’ll ever inhabit, and that may not be a bad thing. I’ll contentedly roam around the edges instead. No great moral here. Just a wish to improve myself and increase my admittedly weak ambition and stay true to myself and those I care about. That’s good enough.

Getting Both Barrels

Bush hit the road this week, touting our economy and paying heed to the topic of high gas prices for a change. Gas prices are on the mind of basically everyone, because these increased prices are a very “in your face” increase that can’t be ignored or denied away by political spin. The average price of a gallon has gone up 88 cents over the last year, hitting a national average of $2.80 at the time I write this and expected to rise another 5% before the summer is over.

This is killing the Administration. Unemployment is down and the stock market is doing relatively well, but gas prices and our unbelievable deficit have finally struck a nerve with most Americans. Good. As Winona would have said in 1994, sometimes reality bites. I personally think it's good that sometimes the consumer actually feels the fiscal fangs strike home. “Why don’t Americans have a better view of the Economy?” they ask. Simple answer: We can’t afford anything. Medical insurance has gone up. Gas prices are up. We’re getting nickeled and dimed from every direction and hey, guess what, the company is downsizing your regular increase this year and you should be happy, at least your job wasn’t outsourced to India!

Some of Bush’s recommendations include:
—Ordering the EPA to temporarily suspend clean-burning gasoline rules
Great! First he advocates drilling in Alaska (every Texas oilman-turned-politico’s dream) and now he’s found another environmental law to repeal in the name of lower consumer prices. Brilliant!

While we’re on the subject of Alaskan drilling, here’s a good quote:

“A recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that even 20 years down the road, when Arctic Refuge oil would be at or near peak production, gas prices would only be affected by about a penny per gallon. The United States sits on just 3 % of the world's known petroleum reserves. Government estimates indicate that there is less than a year’s supply of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and even the oil industry admits it would take 10 years to make it to US markets.”
[Statement of Carl Pope, Executive Director of Sierra Club, April 27th]

—Suspending the summer deposits to the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve
During the 2004 campaign, Bush chided Kerry for this suggestion, and he’s also criticized Clinton in the past for touching the SPR, but now it’s okay. Good thing Bush isn’t a flip-flopper.
Here’s a great blast from the past. Only $2 a gallon? Holy crap!
Here is another.

—Launching aggressive efforts against price gouging, headlined by a Federal Trade Commission investigation in conjunction with the Justice and Energy departments
Back in May 2004 ten Democratic governors sent a joint letter to Bush, that said, “We strongly encourage you to direct the Department of Energy to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the entire gasoline pricing structure, the profits currently enjoyed by the industry and the cost being passed on to consumers,” The letter was signed by the governors of Arizona, Iowa, West Virginia, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Maine. The letter was ignored.

Bush has steadfastly rejected a “windfall tax” for the large oil companies. Hmm.

This past January, Texas-based Exxon Mobil posted the highest quarterly and annual profits of any U.S. company in history: $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter of 2005 and $36.13 billion for the whole year. Exxon Mobil Corp. also made an $8.4 billion profit in the first quarter of 2006—a 7 percent increase over last year.
Don’t worry about Exxon’s biggest rivals however; ConocoPhillips announced record profits this week. On Friday Chevron announced $4 billion in profits for its first quarter, a mere 49 percent increase. Combined, the three oil companies earned $15.7 billion during the first three months of the year.

Looking back at the profit increases from 2004–2005 isn’t much better (for the consumer anyway):
Exxon Mobil profit increase—218%
ConocoPhillips profit increase—145%
Shell profit increase—51%
ChevronTexaco profit increase—39%
BP profit increase—35%

Going back even further:
In 1999, U.S. oil refiners made a 22.8 cent profit per gallon of gas.
In 2004, U.S. oil refiners made a 40.8 cent profit per gallon of gas—an 80 percent jump.
[1988-2003 Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Marketing Annual, annual reports and 2004-Energy Information Administration, Petroluem Marketing Montly (April 2005)]

Houston, we have a problem here! These guys are having a riot.

In fairness, Exxon Mobil and other oil companies post huge exploration expenditures in the search for new oil supplies. But isn’t this just good business for them too? Let us not forget that oil companies receive tax subsidies from the federal government either.
Per Edmund L. Andrews, NY Times, March 27, 2006:
“But last month, the Bush administration confirmed that it expected the government to waive about $7 billion in royalties over the next five years, even though the industry incentive was expressly conceived of for times when energy prices were low. And that number could quadruple to more than $28 billion if a lawsuit filed last week challenging one of the program's remaining restrictions proves successful.
‘The big lie about this whole program is that it doesn't cost anything,’ said Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who tried to block its expansion last July. ‘'Taxpayers are being asked to provide huge subsidies to oil companies to produce oil—it's like subsidizing a fish to swim.’”

About a third of the oil consumed in the United States is drilled domestically, about 150 million barrels a month, give or take, and they shouldn’t be any more expensive to extract in 2006 than in 2005. Yet it seems all the oil costs are being based on the Middle East price-per-barrel model. So, up goes the price for domestic oil too, a pretty good bargain.

Brian Lehrer of WNYC recently asked an oil business expert on his show why, if oil companies were simply raising their prices to keep up with their own per-barrel costs, why the increasing windfalls? A satisfactory answer wasn’t forthcoming, at least to this listener. (Brian probably felt the same way, as he immediately repeated his question and unsuccessfully tried a second time.)

Our country is at war. The American people have been asked to sacrifice—perhaps not enough in some ways—but government revenues that could have gone to cancer research or medical care for the helpless are being spent in Iraq. Moreover, our soldiers are making the ultimate sacrifice every day. It’s high time the oil companies got with the program and kicked in their share.