MET Werewolf: Silver and Gold

Disclaimer: MET Werewolf is a role-playing game whose setting is fictional. Any references to any real people, places, and things serves to heighten immersion and does NOT reflect reality. None of this actually happened.

Tom stands before the Sept trying to hold back his nervous energy. His expression becomes a smile. Fake it until you make it. After all, his first tale went alright, didn't it.

'Greetings. Tonight, I understand I have not told the tale of November's mission. However, since the insert your denominational holiday is nigh, some around these parts call Christmas, this tale is a little more seasonal. It's also warning. It's also the tale of a new face. as Jimmy worked hospital duty to address a medical emergency in Stevens Point.

 A new Glasswalker joined the motley pack.

Two galliards, an ahroun, a ragabash, and two philodixes gathered at the bawn. While discussing Jimmy's absence,we learned of body parts replacing belongings at a children's play, Elf, in Stevens Point. Example finger for a watch, toe for a wallet. People swear there belongings were fine when they left but changed upon arriving home.

Beta of Sept acquired help to replace Jimmy. Rocko the Glass Walker Galliard. We introduce ourselves. Molly, Sean, Gracie, Jenny, and Tom.

We arrive at Ben Franklin. Rocko activates his gift Wolf Senses, while Jenny uses her gift Sight of Hidden Places within the school. 200 humans packed into the auditorium to watch the play. Molly uses Wolf Senses smelling human scents. Puberty, Perfume, etc. Males produce pheromones with urge to mate with everything. Women the need. Nothing has occurred today. Too much cologne and perfume. Many are sick with illness. Or so she relays to us anyway...

Play begins. We sit scattered amongst the crowd. Molly sat near me I am not a pack member. Obviously neither is Rocko...

Gracie notices a fast shadowy figure darting amongst the humans then departs. Informs her packmates Sean, Jenny, and Molly. Jenny uses Sight of Hidden Places. She notices a small child - a bogart is the shadow - had already gone downstairs! Informs packmates. Molly tells Tom (I will refer to myself in the third person from now on...). Rocko learns courtesy of the Mindlink gift that Rocko enacted with Jenny. Sean asks 'only one?' Jenny 'yes, do you doubt my gift?'

Tom, Molly, and Sean head downstairs following signs posted. Jenny and Rocko joins us as well. Gracie remains with crowd. Molly upset cause she is in homid form.

Upon reaching downstairs, Jenny activates Sight of Hidden Places. A cave exists underneath near the boiler room. Boiler room has a hole in the wall leading to cave. We discover it is locked. Jenny attempts to pick the chain and deadbolt. Sees no cameras. Fails to pick it. Sean shifts to Crinos yanks on chain. Chain won't yield. Rocko tries and fails. Molly yanks and fails. Tom weakly pulls. Jenny fails too. Molly angrily claws the chain shattering it. Jenny scoops chain links into her bag. All of them. Door is still deadbolted.

Jenny asks us to look away and uses her Bastet gift to release the deadbolt and opens the door. Smells musty of black mold. Those of us with Awareness wonder how the boggart entered and exited thru the locked door. Smells of death and decay.

 Tom 'So Jenny what should we do?'

 Jenny 'there is something in there that needs to be stopped.'

Drain is clogged with water covering floor. Dark but faint illumination from red light on machinery pierces the darkness. Those with wolf senses smell from far side a pungent, earthy smell. On far side of boiler is an opening large enough for child to pass through. We all shift into lupus forms.

 Tunnel leads to a cavern. Tom's fox form can walk normally while Jenny's lynx form can walk duckingly. The wolves crawl.

After an hour traversing back and forth we reach a wider cavern after 3rd 'link'.

Don't smell death and decay here!

The chamber is high enough that the Wolves can move normally. Homid formwould bump heads on stalactites. Lupus form it is!

Underground river about thirty feet wide with rapid current bisects the path, splitting it into a ten foot path upon each side. Tom uses a point of spiritual energy, i.e. Gnosis, and activates Blur of the Milky Eye as does Rocko. The floor under our paws is slick from moisture. Those of us without wolf senses can see visually because the cavern glows from a green fluorescence. Tom impatiently chooses to remain on the right side. Jenny decides everyone stays on right side to stick with Tom. My choice allowed us to avoid crossing the river. We gaze up to the 20' high ceiling 20' and move around stalactites and stalagmites scattered about. Tom followed by Rocko by Jenny by Sean then Molly bringing up rear single file. Tom cautiously moves forward failing to notice  what Rocko does. Tom springs a trap unbeknownst to him. Tom stops once...

 Rocko goes 'shh'. 

Too late. Tom is hit by a bag covering him and Rocko in silver and gold glitter. Our Blur of the Milky Eye is foiled! Henceforth, this tale is call 'Silver and Gold'. *Tom winks and his smile curls mischievously.*

Meanwhile, Gracie spots the same creature dart about a different crowd. Sends her packmates the message.

Tom's Awareness notices a set of glowing eyes toward end of cavern.

Tom 'there is a pair of glowing eyes looking at me toward the end of cavern.'

 Jenny 'Rocko cannot hear you'.

Tom 'okay.... uh there are five more pairs of eyes... ' as Tom stops and sound booms in chamber.

Jemny shifts to bipedal form pulling out maglite out of bag switching it on. When the light shines on the eyes, we see nothing. When the light moves past, the eyes re-open. Eyes narrow with anger. Jenny angles her light downward. One set of eyes moves slowly until hiding behind stalagmites. We hear raspy breaths and Tom bumps back  into Rocko

Rocko 'hey, don't do that until you know me more'.

 We see the creature is armed with a sword slung on its back. Jenny and Molly activate Luna's Blessing spending a point of Gnosis. They notice the sword is silver.

Via pack speak Molly 'can I kill it now'

 Jenny 'if it wields, it is on'.

 They notice the others are armed with silver swords too. The creature in front mumbles words. Molly and Sean use Sense Balance spending a a gnosis. Sean and Molly redouble their efforts sensing the balance to notice the target is more Wyld and can use magic.

Sean in Spanish and English 'who are you?'.

Jenny and Molly decipher that the creatures are fae, e.g. changelings. Jenny recognizes one of this race from inside a container over in Just Like Spotted Cow.

In broken English 'know... little'.

Sean 'you know ours better than we yours'

him 'why here?'

 Sean 'they noticed things above'

fae 'we give gift'

 Sean 'not exactly the kind of gift humans appreciate'

 Fae 'no gift...we give token'

Rocko 'what are tokens for'

fae 'provide protection'

jenny 'from what'

fae 'future problem'

Rocko 'what kind of problem'

fae 'dead not dead'

 Sean 'winter is coming'

 fae 'no winter ended'

jenny with fae lore realizes slumber, e.g. winter ended and going back to old ways i.e. tokens, informing us of her knowledge.

 Rocko 'tokens are scaring humans and don't understand value'.

 Fae 'change tokens?'

Tom 'that would be a good idea'

Sean 'they have forgotten old ways'.

 Fae 'token disguises humans'

Jenny 'they smell the tokens and think the humans are like them'.

Tom 'so tokens make the humans smells like the dead. What else can smell like the dead?'

 Fae 'dead liquid? You die they put inside you'

 Rocko 'embalming fluid'

 jenny 'formaldehyde?'

 Fae 'not strong enough. They are not here yet but they are coming soon.'

Sean 'where are they coming from?'

Fae 'where you keep the dead. Powerful necromancer  is coming he bring dead with him. Maybe rotting food items. Compost. Save  home.'

Rocko 'good idea. Composting can save people. Hipsters be safe. Don't worry about what they are'.

 Tom 'city of Stevens Point has a composting program so that's a start.

 Discussing amongst ourselves we realize Elite and Underworld influences would aid us in spreading the message and enforcing the changes to ward off the Winter Dead. Hey, can't infringe on anyone's intellectual property by calling them the Winter Dead. *Another sly smile and a wink spreads across Tom's face. He resumes speaking*

Tom 'we will talk with the humans about them composting more without mentioning that it is for their projection.'

 Sean 'how will we achieve this?'

Tom 'city mandates composting'

jenny 'homes will smell of death due to compost'

When we start to leave we hear growling coming from passage from which we came. Torchlights flicker and shadows loom from the tunnel into the cavern.

Sean 'they might be more of these guys'

Tom 'no, they seemed to bothered by light'.

 Jenny 'friend or foe'

 fae 'enemy. To arms!' The others emerge and charge over stalactites toward an army of skeletons and quadriped skeletons armed with torches and weapons.

Jenny 'we should help them!'

Everyone shifts to their respective Hispo forms.

Jenny to Rocko 'be careful with your boomstick or else ceiling may fall on us'

Our rage heightens to the third stage once we join the fray against 7 humanoid skeletons and 5 animal skeletons.

Jenny using a Burst of Speed maneuver closes with a humanoid skeleton  biting. Sean bounds at the same skeleton using the same burst of speed maneuver and bites. Molly steps toward a different humanoid skeleton and bites. Tom with burst of speed runs up to that skeleton and his bite misses. Rocko activate Razor Claws spending gnosis, choosing to be more Accurate. Moves halfway.

Animal and human skeletons close with Rocko. Human swings baseball bat hitting as does the Animal's bite. Jenny's skeleton swings and misses her. As does another. Two humanoid skeletons attack Sean with baseball bats. They batter into his flesh. Molly is hit by a bat and a bite misses. Tom is beset by human skeleton and an animal skeleton whose attacks miss.

 Gracie watches play.

The remaining animal skeletons engage the fae.

Rage actions.

Jenny willfully bites a humanoid skeleton as her rage increases due to frustrations over her friends being beaten and bit. The skeleton is crushed by her jaws. Sean experiences the exact same thing. Molly bites the baseball bat wielding skeleton. Tom bites human skeleton on him. Rocko willfully bites animal skeleton to dust. His rage grows as well.

Jenny engages baseball bat skeleton on Rocko. Acquires a Seethe trait. Willfully dispatches it. Sean willfully misses a human skeleton on him acquiring two Seethe traits. Molly bites one of her skeleton's head off. Tom willfully misses the humanoid skeleton engaged with him. Rocko attacks animal skeleton on Tom and wills its destruction! Human skeleton swings its bat at Sean and misses. Jenny is missed by a baseball bat. Tom is bashed by a bat . Animal skeleton misses Molly.

Rage actions

Jenny runs toward Tom's skeleton, while the skeleton engaged with her pursues her. Acquires a second Seethe trait but wills herself to strike a fatal blow to the skeleton on Tom. Sean bites skeleton to pieces. Molly acquires a Seethe trait while willing the fatal blow to an animal skeleton.

 Only Jenny's skeleton remains. Its heels brought it to Tom. Tom despite his willpower misses it, acquiring to Seethe traits himself. Rocko slays it!

The boggarts kills the two remaining.

Rocko identifies three wolves and two dogs as the animal skeletons. Molly acquired 2nd Seethe trait upon learning. Every one else acquires a Seethe trait pushing Tom and Sean to 3.

Revert to breed form to lose Rage. Molly stuck in Crinos until she finally calms down. Rocko searches thru bones for floppy disks. Molly growls 'you are weird'.

As we return to top after Sean uses Circle of Cleansing on bones and Rocko seeks out floppies inside school. The play had finished and people began clearing out. Rocko greets Gracie and discovers the computer lab locked. Thru windows sees nothing. Goes to nearby storage closet. Unlocks door and finds a box of dusty floppy disks.

Gracie loved the play and boggart doing his thing. Return to Caern.

Thus ends the Saga of Silver and Gold.

Next time.

Final Comics Haul of 2019

After a month or two, I ended my New Comics Wednesday drought I purchased my weekly comics haul at my favorite local comics shop. When I left, I was struck by the realization I would not set foot in there again until the New Year. Short of any orders arriving from prior online purchases, I won't be buying anymore physical comic books or trades until the New Year. These are my final purchases and Comics Haul of 2019.

Rather sublime in a way...

Here they are:

Conan Serpent War #2 (Robert E Howard characters team up with Moon Knight!), Doctor Who 13th Doctor Holiday Special #2 (I had given up on Doctor Who comics and trades for the most part but am making an exception for this two-part Holiday Special. Closest I will get to a Doctor Who Christmas Special I will get this year, I suppose), Watchmen Companion HC (Normally, I would pass on this book; but it collects the Watchmen material for the old Mayfair DC Heroes RPG! If only DC Heroes or Blood of Heroes were easily acquired. Perhaps DC should release more of the RPG material sitting stagnant in a vault somewhere?)

Guardians of the Galaxy #12 (The final issue of Donny Cates run on GotG and my final GotG issue for awhile. I will NOT be collecting the next volume.), Shazam! #9 (Out finally!), New Mutants #4 (Only two more issues left on my pull. Dropping with issue #7.)

John Constantine Hellblazer #2 (Ultimately, I decided to keep collecting Sandman Universe titles because of Constantine's return to the imprint/universe.), Doomsday Clock #12 (The End has arrived! In hindsight, I should have waited for the super duper trade.), Excalibur #4 (Same situation as with New Mutants.)

He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse #2, Invaders #12 (Final Issue), Marauders #4 (Only collecting two more.)

Aquaman #55, Lucifer #15 (Still collecting for the time being. Constantine's guest appearance helped the title's cause.), Wonder Woman Giant vol 2 #2 (I collect the Giant 100 pagers from my FLCS and not at Wal-Mart now. Thus, reducing the chances of my purchasing any more comics and trades during the remainder of 2019 substantially.)

X-Force #4 (Only two more to go., The Last God #3, Justice League #38 (I decided I would buy until the conclusion of Snyder's run. It's also a twice-a-month title, which as I stated during my first December 2019 blog entry I was abstaining from.)

My final Comics Haul of 2019./

Three blog posts during December done. Will see how close to twelve total (as in the Twelve Days of Christmas) I get this month.

Next time.

Was WWE TLC 2019 Any Good?

Yesterday when I posted my first blog entry of December I stated I may follow up with another blog entry today about the WWE PPV TLC 2019. I do have a subscription with WWE Network; and I just learned buying the PPV separately costs a whopping $40! The Network comes out to being a roughly a quarter that. Another incentive to watch the thing. Plus, my blog resolution was to blog my thoughts on WWE programming available on the Network after all...

So...

Was WWE TLC 2019 any good? Would I have paid the (compared to the WWE Network price) exorbitant $40?

My thoughts on TLC matches are complicated. I was a latecomer to ECW back in the day. ECW had pretty much reached its twilight years when I began following the weekly television programming. Still the little brand that could held a special place in my heart. The TLC PPV is among the heritage PPV that are rare showcases of hardcore styles. On the flip side, I haven't been much of a fan of WWE's Tables, Ladder, Chairs, or combination of all three matches. Perhaps it was the PG era. Perhaps it was the performances. Perhaps it was the booking. As a special match isolated on a card, sure. As an entire card, WWE struck me as clueless.

When I finished watching WWE TLC 2019, I had to take some time to ponder my thoughts. So you disliked it?

Nope. Far from it. In fact, I liked it tremendously.

WWE TLC 2019 was the kind of wrestling card that left me breathless, with a cathartic release. One of those satisfying done-in-ones despite not really changing anything.

The New Day vs the Revival Ladder Match? Another Kofi Kingston highlight reel. Not that Big E nor the Revival were slouches either as they added innovations of their own.

Aleister Black vs Buddy Murphy? While not a TLC match and the closest to hardcore it got was Aleister Black getting bloody, Black and Murphy put on chain strike clinic.

Viking Raiders vs the OC got over just how agile the Viking Raiders are without hurting the OC. In fact, it likely launched a feud between them. Also not a hardcore match.

Roman Reigns vs King Baron Corbin TLC match was phenomenal. I am NOT a fan of Reigns and it felt it was among his better matches. Corbin also brought his A game and raised my estimation of him. Some may decry the finish; however I felt it necessary to maintain the feud.

Miz vs Smackdown Champion Bray Wyatt: Not a hardcore match; however the point of the match was to get over how resilient Bray Wyatt is. Amazing how popular Firefly Funhouse Bray is with the crowd! The mallet afterwards had a nice Harley Quinn touch. For those wondering when Daniel Bryan would return, he did so tonight. With a new but old look. Despite his 'spending time with the Fiend', it would appear to Bryan and Wyatt will be clashing a Royal Rumble. Guess Bryan isn't joining his new family after all.

Lasley vs Rusev Table Match: An awesome match. I am getting shades of Beaulah-Raven-Tommy Dreamer with this feud as I was not expecting the winner. What will be next for Lashley and Rusev?

A brawl broke out backstage.

The Kubaki Warriors vs Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair Ladder Match: ECW! ECW! ECW! I am not what's crazier, how much they forgot the ladder or all batshit crazy antics that were pulled out during this match. If there was a match that truly reflected the spirit of ECW, it was this match.

Afterward the brawl spilled out into the arena ending with Reigns spearing Corbin onto the crowd of wrestlers underneath.

If I forgot a match, no slight is intended. It was truly a terrific card. For WWE TLC 2019 being thrown together at practically the last minute, it was a rare gem. I wouldn't have felt jilted if I paid $40.

Next time.

No More Twice-A-Month Comics For Me!

Around last New Year's, I had resolved to reduce the number of comics I purchase during a month based on reading habits. Earlier this year, I had hoped blogging my Comics Haul would give clarity by encourage reading. Alas, I bought too many comic book issues during 2019.

I blame twice-a-month shipping titles.

Yes, I was vaguely aware twice-a-month titles weren't ideal for my reading habits. However, like an addict, I was like 'I just need to make it a priority'.

Coincidentally, my pull list was giving me problems at my Favorite Local Comics Shop. Their software would become confused whenever I mixed and matched normal covers with variant covers. Missed out on the Scott Snyder Justice League #3 because of it. Justice League was going to become an early casualty until I found a copy of #3 for dirt cheap last spring.

Still *ahem* haven't read any of the issues.

But, I digress as Peter David would say.

Anyway, since I like the prospect of ordering variants *when I can see the variant and can order a copy*, the solution was that I include *every single issue* of my pull list within my Previews Order. Want to know what gets old really fast? Marking down multiple issues of a single title. Want to know what gets old faster? Writing it all out via email because you want to able to submit your order on time.

My Comics Haul installments weren't without any clarity. I *did* decide to drop titles and noted such. I quickly realized which monthly titles I could easily do without. Probably wouldn't have gotten back into the X-Books again without it. Ironically, if I had kept up the Comics Haul (I simply haven't been buying my comics on New Comics Day Wednesday and when I do it's multiple weeks), I probably would have dropped the X-Books in January.

Instead, I am dropping them in February.

I am also riding out my collection of Captain America and Fantastic Four until the conclusion of their current arcs. Well, current volume of Captain America as I noted in prior Comics Haul. Maybe I will get the new volume of Coates's run, I don't know.

My souring of following continuity has also played a role in my abandoning twice-a-month comics. Once the illusion of change is blatantly revealed as such why amortize the cost? Trades have been iffy with me. However, 2019 has been the year of the DC/Marvel Omnibus for me. I have bought more Omnibuses this year than all the years prior. Could probably multiply it in fact...

The Hickman X-Men will probably be collected as an Omnibus too...

Hopefully, this means I will eliminate any intimidation whenever I bring my comics home and read them as opposed to merely flipping through them. Plus, instead of merely collecting the 'major titles', I can read them in big chunks.

Or read them digitally via Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe. Which is money already spent saving future money.

However, what I will enjoy the most when compiling my order is not having to record every single issue. If it leads to less Marvel and DC, so be it.

Until Next Time (which may be Sunday Night with my thoughts on WWE TLC PPV).

Halloween '19: A Winged Necromancer in Avernus

Thought of this idea on Monday; but life got in the way. Details of which are beyond the scope of this blog. This is a sequel blog entry to my blog post on whether to play an aasimar or tiefling during Season 9 of Adventurers League.

I've come to loggerheads over the aasimar PC largely because I can't quite figure out, which Xanathar's sub-class to select for the PC. Right now, there's about five. The diversity of abilities intrigues me especially because I think I can emulate some feat abilities without needing feats. However, we're talking no ability score increases or feats until after 13th level at the earliest. Not much in power level above third level in any single class too. More of a novelty character.

But I digress...

The winged necromancer whose the subject for today is...

A tiefling.

Not just any tiefling though.

A tiefling based on my very first tiefling PC.

My tiefling PC who ran around Sigil fighting Paladins from the Prime when he wasn't attending to the Mortuary as a member of the Dust Men. He also was Specialist Wizard focusing on the study of Necromancy.

Yes, a tiefling Necromancer from the days of AD&D 2E Planescape!

Since Season 9 of Adventurers League is a tie-in to the Descent into Avernus Hardcover Module during which the PCs travel to the first layer of the Nine Hells, I decided it would be a hoot to recreate the old Planescape PC for a story arc that occurs on another plane and utter obscure, to the other players, Planescape references!

Not to mention playing a winged character to boot.

The aasimar concept was winning out though. I really hadn't brushed up on Planescape Cant though. Playing a mere tiefling character felt too generic; and I wasn't sure I wanted to create a single classed necromancer. We're talking five to six levels before the concept can come to life (ha! life!) here. The novelty aasimar concept depends on playing the character during Season 9 too in order to use Xanathar's. Playing a necromancer - even a winged one - isn't too unusual to win the novelty war.

Planescape tieflings didn't have wings./

However, on Monday, the proximity of Halloween must've served as a stroke of inspiration.

He'd be a descendant of my Planescape Tiefling who grew up on the Prime, i.e. Faerun. He'd hold many of the Dust Men beliefs; yet wouldn't be a Dust Men. Like his ancestor, he'd be an evil Necromancer; but a lawful one. Not saying he wouldn't be a member of a faction. Adventurers League mandates faction membership for evil characters. The Zhentarim is the obvious for such a macabre character.

His name or what he's called is: The Mortician.

Like his Dust Men ancestor, The Mortician takes care of the dead. He also holds many of the same Dust Men beliefs such as the True Death. He's a necromancer because necromancy aids his task since animating dead bodies eliminates the need to hire help to move them. The Mortician is much too weak to move them otherwise. The Faction Agent background will be modified to include to the Medicine skill, as he's familiar with anatomy, and alchemical supplies due to knowledge of embalming and the like.

Once The Mortician is high enough in level, he'll employ an army of the animated dead against the fiends from Avernus. Just imagine a group of skeletons or zombies dogpiling one! So what if it's a local's deceased loved one? The Mortician is taking care of the corpse albeit not how they envisioned. He is Lawful Evil after all - and one step closer to True Death.

A mortician of fiendish heritage flying with leathery wings commanding a squad of undead when is about as much a Halloween concept as it gets! Commanding them against fiends from and on Avernus itself is the D&D equivalent of Creature Commandos!

Halloween is tomorrow.

Happy Gaming!

Halloween '19: The Haunting of Little Rose Orphanage

The following is a work of fiction. A product of a live-action role-playing group playing a game Minds Eye Theater: Werewolf the Apocalypse. Any references to real world people or places is coincidental.

Tom approaches the Sept Leadership: 

*cough* *cough* Here is my accounting of the most recent venture. I will do my best to tell the story to the best of my abilities. (Tom has a zero rating in Performance)

The intrepid and experienced pack returned to the caern just after my meeting with all of you. I had arrived at this place of utmost import because a ghost and my jaggling fox spirit companion told me I should seek it out. First member of the pack I greeted was a lynx by shaking her paw. We gave informal introductions. One of them says 'Are you related to Huckelberry' 

'nope'.

 Everyone gives formal introductions Joe (sept leader, Japanese kitsune) and master of rite mention Little Rose. We were to investigate and deduce how to cleanse.

Jimmy drives avoiding Stratford toward Little Rose going through Marshfield stopping at Thad Chicken in Arpin. The lynx offers a treat to me. It's cat food. 'Uh, no.' Jimmy reaches over while driving grabbing a handful.  While driving through Marshfield the pack doesn't detect anything out of place...  The day has become night by the time we leave Marshfield. Between during Marshfield and Little Rose, we see  a sole house which has a white picket fence on both sides of the house. In fact, the white picket fence is perpendicular to the street and exists on both sides of the road too. No lights. No one outside. The lynx asks Tom, yes I am speaking of myself in the third person and will continue to do so henceforth,  what he thinks.

'Not as experienced as you all so I leave it you?'

 Jimmy continues driving.

We reach a crossroads in Little Rose.
Abandoned Building lit up with sign ' misspelled Academy Orphanage'. Across street field and forest. Across other street is a gas station. 'Just like Spotted Cow' neon purple inside widow of 2 story building. Across is abandoned lot. *Tom's faces scrunches up in recollection* I had seen three separate groups of ghosts by the abandoned orphanage.

'there is a lot of dead people there'

jimmy ' you see dead people?'

 'Maybe... there's 4 or 5 kids, 4 or 5 teenagers, and an old hag'.

Around this time I recollected who the members of the pack are:
 Brad the  black fury cliath galliard is a loremaster
 Jimmy fostern theurge.
Jenny the lynx is adren.
 Then there is Sean Moore.

Upon learning none of them can see the ghosts themselves, Tom mentions a tincture with which group can see ghosts.

Jimmy and Tom go speak with the ghosts. Kids front yard. Teenagers  2nd floor thru windows. Old hag atop roof glowers at me. Speak to the kids in English. No response until they speak to Tom. He doesn't understand. The appearance of the kids little boy slacks, dress shoes, combed over slick black hair. Formal dress code.

 Jimmy '60s or sooner'.

 2 girls wear long dresses with long straight hair. Black and brown hair.
 Jimmy 'hmm 40s to 60s'.

Old hag chiselled nun face. All their clothes are in tatters. 5 kids are happy. Jimmy recalls there was a fire based on research and dilapidated look. Tom sees flashes how it used to look
 Mouths moving. Can't hear words but laughing. We do charades eventually learning can't enter because of the kids. Can't hear the hag due to kids.

I mention at this point that the Tincture requires consecrated grave dirt. Brad mentions cemetary with abandoned catholic cemetary on hwy 153 between Little Rose and Stratford. We ride there. We maintain there graves. Jimmy the horticulturalist identifies weeds which we rip up and toss onto road. Clean plants off graves. Acquire consecrated grave dirt after hour and a half. Need rosemary and ashen bark (which we get from charring bark from an ash tree).

 Tom performs the special Kitsune rite. Create 6 vials of drinkable tincture.

 Everyone else drinks.

 Jimmy doesn't take 1 point of damage from the toxic properties due to his tendency to drink moonshine, i.e. bone gnawer. Everyone heals the damage. Got extra vial. Jenny hacking as we arrive.

 They see dead people.

 Jenny 'she is as mean looking as you claim'.

 Jimmy, Jenny, and Sean with Airt Perception see a haunted castle on path. Don't see kids nor teenagers. Resemble Wicked Witch of West. Skin rotting away. She is holding a book with a cross on it. All 3 of them notices a cross switches direction. Skin darkens grows purple when spin downward. A lightning storm causes flips. Jimmy relays what they saw within the Umbra.

Sean the Get 'I want to take on the guy with the big knife!' Upon hearing Silent Hill references.

 Jenny 'we need to stop her'. But then realizes the ghost children are the problem.

 Tom guesses words phonetically and enters into Google translate. Italian. Eureka we deduce they are Italian immigrants.

The translation  is 'What a bunch of idiots maybe we should kill them,

Tom 'uh oh,'

Translation 'and consume their souls'

 Tom's face grows pale.

  Jimmy Google 'fire kills ghosts'

We realize we must destroy their  bones!

 Jimmy 'should we scout around and see if any graves around?'

Tom digs where lone boy whose acting less than others are. With jenny's aid, dig a foot. The boy retaliates by draining a willpower from Tom. A white energy goes to him and become more solid. Jenny shifts into crinos to defend tom. Jimmy succeeds in using his gift activate major owl spirit. Gracie uses cane to hurl sorcerous fire at the ghost boy, burning the ghost. Sean and brad stand there. Brad tug of wyld to speak with owl spirit. Tom back away from hole while google translate a phrase in Italian. Boy moved toward Tom. The ghost boy repeats his attack on and Tom fails.

Our rage increases.

Jenny 'hey!' Withering Gaze boy. Jimmy commands the owl spirit 'go find the bones for the kid'. Pecks at spot Tom was digging. Moves by boy and owl spirit next to hole. Gracie blasts to the ghost almost to the point of nothingness!

 Sean heads to gas station to get gas... no pumps. Shifts to Crinos. Tears it off. 6' down pool of gas.  Investigates for a siphon and finds a 10' hose and bucket.

 Brad shifts to crinos moves by hole and digs. 3' deep. Tom hops in and haplessly moves dirt.

Our rage increase...

Crinos Brad burn rage to dig faster hits rock. Digs a foot. Jimmy rage digs 6". Jenny hops in digging. Down a foot. Gracie fire blasts and dissipates the ghost. White orb returns to Tom regaining willpower. Jimmy digs and tells owl spirit to keep watch. Removes final 6". Covered in dust. Brad huffs puffs and blows dust away.  Blows dust away but slips and breaks one the bones in his left leg bone! Spurting blood all over. Sean brings gas bucket over to whole. Sighs. Tom sort dust and can't find the bones because of Brad's blood.

Our rage increases...

Jimmy asks Gracie to eat Brad's rage. Jenny searches for bones. Jimmy searches for, finds, and digs out the bone! Gracie eats Brad's rage with Calm the Heart. Consume 2 rage from Brad. Sean grabs bone from Jimmy, sets the bone inside bucket, and sets  ghost's bone ablaze.

Ghost boy doesn't return and those with Airt Perception notices the castle and storm gone. Kids smile and depart. Witch becomes normal. Book becomes bible.

Jimmy offers gnosis chiminage to the owl spirit.

The experienced pack discovers the Orphanage land is for sale. Jenny buys property intent to set up a pet therapy for troubled kids nonprofit.

I hope you find my tale to your liking and serve as a record of the deeds of this esteemed pack. Much thanks for I have much to learn from them.

*End tale and in-character.

I felt my first LARP session in a couple years was perfect Halloween tale even for Werewolf: The Apocalypse as it had all the trappings of an excellent ghost story. This time I decided to strip out the game mechanics although I might include them next time.

Halloween  is four days away!

Happy Gaming and next time!

Halloween 2019: OneBookShelf Jack O'Lanterns Freebies

As I alluded to on Wednesday, it's October.  Halloween blogging season. Unlike years past, no lofty promises this year. If I write a Halloween-themed post, cool. If not, oh well. We'll see how many I churn out. What better way to begin my Halloween blogging than listing my haul from OneBookShelf's (DriveThru RPG, DriveThru Comics, DriveThru Fiction, DM's Guild, Storyteller's Vault) Jack O'Lantern Scavenger Hunt where one on browses thru the site clicking on Halloween themed icons in order to score a freebie?

Note for first time blog visitors: I have taken advantage of OBS's Jack O'Lantern freebies for years now. I've racked up quite the haul, which I rarely if ever read or use. As such, no deep dives. I didn't search through every nook and cranny. Four or five items was my stopping point.  Also, only the icon and the order in which I discovered the freebie will be listed.

On with the listing.

DriveThru RPG -

Witch hat:  Castles & Crusades: Night of Spirits. I got to hand it to Troll Lord Games. When they go in on a promotion, they go all in. This Halloween themed module using the Castles & Crusades rules retails for around $8. Reading the boilerplate makes me want to read and possibly run it.

Jack o'lantern: 5E Halloween Mini Dungeon: Horror of Ochre Grove. A D&D 5E module that's apparently Halloween-themed...

2nd jack o lantern: SEERS & Roebuck Dust Buster of Holding - the fantasy equivalent of the old Sears & Roebuck catalogs, which in this instance features one particular item.

3rd jack o'lantern:  Doomtown Reloaded: Print & Play Demo - The description reads like a card game. I hate when they mix categories...

4th jack o'lantern:  Mothership Players Survival Guide - Did you like the Aliens movies with Xenomorphs and Sigourney Weaver? Well, this rpg emulates it!


DriveThru Comics

Witch hat: Kids on Bikes House On Polar Court

Ghost: Unstoppable Origins #1

Jack o'lantern:  God the Dyslexic Dog v1 (apparently I already own a copy...)

Candy: Death Vigil #1

2nd jack o lantern: vs Stranger Stuff Send in the Clowns Special Edition


DriveThru Fiction

Witch hat: Weird Fiction Megapack 25 Stories From Weird Tales. Can't go wrong with a collection of stories from the old Weird Tales magazine/pulp. The mag that brought us Conan!

Jack o' lantern: Outbreak Undead 2nd edition  Intro Manual. Another cross category offering...

2nd Jack o Lantern: Cabaret of the Grotesque

Ghost: Book of Apex vol 1 of Apex Magazine  (already have). I swear this given away every year...

3rd Jack o Lantern Achtung! Cthulhu Fiction The Trellborg Monstrosities. Like H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos? Well, here's Cthulhu Mythos stories set across the pond in the UK!


DMs Guild

Ghost: Songs of Aedragad

Jack o'lantern: Curse of the Gumdrop Ooze Revised and Expanded

2nd Ghost: Circle of the Feydark 5e

2nd Jack o Lantern: Dread Domain A Cleric Archetype

Since much of my D&D 5E gaming is Adventurers League, I am unlikely to use any of this. Sigh...


Storyteller's Vault

Bat - Death Vigil #1 (repeat of the DriveThru Comics freebie)

Jack o'lantern -  God Dyslexic Dog volume 1 repeat of the DriveThru Comics Freebie

I really dislike how neither of these pertain to White Wolf Intellectual Property. The DM's Guild freebies seemed to be all D&D-related at least.

Ghost: Bygone Bestiary. Want to use fantastic creatures such as dragons in your World of Darkness game? Well, now you can! I've owned a deadtree version since White Wolf's $6.66 sale. I've been meaning to acquire an ebook copy for years so I could part with my physical copy. Mission accomplished!

Bat - Legacy of Lies a  V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart. Vampire Dark Ages is one of my favorite WOD Vampire settings.

Overall, I'd say I was pleased with this year's offerings.

Next time.

Comics Haul 10/16/19

Well, about a month has past and if I want to get to back in the swing of blogging, especially my annual Halloween blog entries, it is now or never. What better way than ceasing my almost two month hiatus from my weekly Comics Haul? Here's what I purchased from my favorite local comics shop of titles released on 10/16/2019.

X-Men #1 Every Mutant Ever Variant cover. I felt getting a cover depicting every mutant once it's combined with the other variants was very cool. While I am buying most the new Hickman-verse X-titles, Fallen Angels is the only title I am not getting. So when I combine the covers, they won't display the entire panorama. Sigh, not like it would be visible in the long or short box anyway...

Wonder Woman Giant 100 Page #1 direct market edition. I prefer the reliability of my comics shop versus hunting down a copy at a big box retailer. Ongoing continuity sagas mean less and less to me; and I love the anthology format. Can't beat 100 pages either.

Savage Sword of Conan #10. Roy Thomas returning to Conan. Alan Davis on art chores. 'Nuff said.

Justice League #34. The Justice League vs the Legion of Doom. The return of the original Justice Society. Plus, Kamandi? Some exciting stuff. One of two in-continuity regular DC on-goings I currently buy and will continue until the end of the year.

Captain America #15. Scourge is back! I am pretty much on the title until Ta-Nehesi Coates's run ends.

Lucifer #13. I decided to give the Sandman Universe titles a stay from being dropped from my pull list until January in part because of John Constantine joining the 'universe'. November or December solicits will be when I finally decide whether to drop Lucifer (the title) or not.

Guardians of the Galaxy #10. Two months until Cates's run ends. I haven't decided if I will get Ewing's run or not. The cover is clickbait. Suppose, did anyone think Rocket was going to die?

Aquaman #53. I am pretty much buying Aquaman at this point because I always retroactively regret when I drop an Aquaman title. The DC Universe service alleviates my reticence somewhat. This is the other DC super hero title I am collecting until the end of the year.

Superman Year One #3. I love John Romita Jr's art. While I don't love it enough to buy his work on Action Comics, a three issue magazine that depicts Frank Miller's interpretation of the Man of Steel's origin fits my pocket book just fine. It would appear this story takes place in Miller's Dark Knight-verse as Wonder Woman hits on Superman and Batman's characterization matches that of Miller's All Star Batman and Robin title. Maybe DC will collect a Miller Omnibus collecting Superman Year One, All Star Batman and Robin, and the Dark Knight Returns/Dark Knight Strikes Again/Dark Knight Master Race trilogy (plus one-shots)? I would buy it.

A light week for me.

Next time.

NXT and NXT UK Thoughts, Comics Haul and Fantasy Football Status for 9/18/19

Yesterday was Wednesday. Synonymous with New Comics Day. WWE streams both NXT and NXT UK on the WWE Network. Wednesday is also the day when NFL teams release their injury reports. While I followed the Packers for years, I have only recently become a follower of the trends and other teams of the NFL. So much so that I have decided to try my hand at fantasy football. Heck, why not participate in two different leagues. So my Wednesday blog entries will feature those topics going forward. Unless they're irrelevant that day...


I stopped doing my Comics Hauls largely because I just wasn't reading the comics I purchased. However, two things changed. One, I can actually buy them on New Comics Day. Two, I am not just blogging my comics haul as I am including wrestling and fantasy football discussion as well.

Comics Haul for 9/18/19 release date.

Comics Revue #400. I had long, long wanted to purchase Comics Revue due to its collection of comics strips particularly of the King Features serial heroes (Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon) and started buying them recently. Four hundred issues is quite the milestone! Justice League #32. My photo doesn't do the cover justice but Kamandi stating 'The Great Disaster is right this way!' is priceless. Savage Sword of Conan #9. Most of my D&D PCs are more the fighter type so Conan receives top billing.

House of X #5. I was going to wait for the trade or hardcover. However, my intel was faulty leading me to believe both House of X and Powers of X would be collected separately. Sigh... Will try to read and review soon. Guardians of the Galaxy #9. The REAL Drax returns! Aquaman #52. Always feel bad whenever I drop an Aquaman title because I haven't kept up.

Lucifer #12. Will be buying this a little while longer. Either the November or December issue will be final issue unless I read some of it. Even an issue or two. CBLDF Presents Selling Comics. Before I started my blog, I briefly assisted a hobby shop by being the Comic Book Guy. The business fascinates me.

NXT 9/18/19

Did the move to the USA Network ruin NXT forever? Not quite. As it turns out, NXT is now two hours long. First hour on USA Network is when the Big Stuff Happens. Second hour on the WWE Nework seems to be for developing the undercard and expanding the NXT/NXT UK/205 Live Universes. While I haven't watched the USA Network episode yet (I may watch it on Hulu sometime), the WWE Network episode had more of that ECW vibe.

Would have been nice if I didn't need to wait 50 minutes to successfully log into my WWE Network account...

The Bruiserweight Pete Dunne vs Arturo Ruos (a Brazilian jujitsu and capoeira practitioner) was like a Malenko vs Guerrero match from ECW. Easily a four star match. They literally put on a grappling clinic. Pete Dunne got the win by bending Ruos's fingers.

Squash match although the female Chinese wrestler looked impressive with her kicks. Don't know if she's actually Chinese though.

Imperium made their NXT debut. Looking forward to Walter facing off against the Kushida Japanese wrestler who thinks he's Marty McFly. Two appearances I've seen of Kushida and I am impressed. He could definitely help and black and gold brand aid WWE from fending of AEW.

The Riddle vs Dain street fight was pretty good in and of itself. Normally the wrestler bystanders don't become involved but they did in this. Bedlam ensued. Show ended on a high note.

NXT UK 9/18/19

Rhea Ripley is exact type of female wrestler whom Vince wouldn't push on the main roster. Heck, the women whom he would push are jobbers on the UK show.

Really didn't care for much of the show. The highlight was the first British Rounds Match on WWE programming between Kassius Ohno (an American) and (an actual Brit) Sid Scala.

British Rounds Match was a nice change of pace. Been a long time since the ropes and outside the ring were considered forbidden. The wrinkle over allowing the competitor to get to his feet before allowing the other wrestler to touch him felt off since Ohno was able to KO Scala with his knockout attack. Maybe finishers didn't follow that rule? However, the rules did enable a grappling and chain wrestling clinic one does not normally see on WWE programming. The implementation of rounds made the submission holds not feel like rest holds while heightening the drama. Heck, the rounds created a story of Ohno gradually dominating the match against the underdog Scala until Scala finally got the momentum. Match culminated in Scala unable to score a pinfall and thus create a draw when time ran out.

Not often a wrestler acquires heel heat by fairly winning a match because the timer prevented the upstart from causing the match to be a draw.

Will Sid Scala wrestle more often? Will there be more British Rounds matches? Kassius Ohno will certainly continue to promote himself as the best British-style wrestler despite being American.

Also discovered that NXT UK airs earlier during the day too...

Fantasy Football

I wasn't able to draft my players myself so let the computer do it for me within both leagues. To mixed results.

Both leagues my best decision has been to bench Cam Newton.

One league I've claimed and added more players, while the other has been pretty static. Latter because I've been doing well and the lack of football knowledge of available free agents. Plus, I don't watch all the games so I can't properly assess the situation. Still, I am among the Top 4 in that league.

Unfortunately, I have 0 - 2 within the league that I have altered the team the most. The Antonio Brown and Melvin Gordon drama has caused quite the hassle for me. While I dropped Gordon, I have chosen to keep Brown. Ironically, going all Patriots WR during Week 2 wasn't the best decision. Julio Jones (whom I have on the league as well) will be active for Week 3. Drew Brees's injury was a killer during Week 2. Perhaps Carson Wentz will aid my team more this week?

Next time.

My Experiences With DC Universe's (Streaming) First Year

Has it been a year? Has it really been a year since the official launch of the DC Universe Subscription service?

According to an email in my inbox today, yes. Yes, it has.

Meaning as an early adopter, three months remain on my subscription. Since a fifteen months-in-review doesn't carry the same overtones as a year-in-review, it's time for my assessment of the subscription service's first year.

For those stumbling upon my blog for the first time, I refer to DC Universe as a subscription service instead of a streaming service because it offers far, far more than a mere streaming service.

A streaming service doesn't have a community section for fans to engage each other on...

Community section:

Admittedly, I haven't participated on the forums. Lurked (read but not participated) some threads; but no commenting. Other than the occasional chatter on social media, I reserve much of what I would state there on here. Unlike social media, I feel incredibly awkward sharing a link to one of my blog posts on a company forum in which users participate anonymously. Mayhap one day I will de-lurk there.

I consider DC Daily to be company outreach to fans to boost engagement while informing them. Haven't watched more than one or two although I should. Would probably feel like I was getting more of my money's worth if I watched those clips...

What I have participated in frequently has been the sweepstakes. I have plenty of contests in order to win pretty much every other week.

Uh, I have not won anything. One day, one day. I will blog about winning a contest and it will be glorious.

Movies

What really made DC Universe feel like a steal initially was the presence of recently animated movies. Don't need to buy the DVD or Blu-Ray of say Batman Ninja. I can watch it on DC Universe. Big wigs who own and run DC and Warner Brothers fret not. Movie watching hasn't been a thing for me whenever I am using the platform.

Considering this year marks the 30th anniversary of Keaton's Batman, I do plan on remedying the lack of movie watching soon.

Comics

Back when DC Universe debuted, the comics selection would rotate. Not only did the rotation ceased; but the selection has expanded. Comics as recent as the first couple issues of Doomsday Clock are available on the platform. Sure, months have passed between issues; however comics released roughly a year ago are becoming available. Given how I don't really keep up with monthly comics, I can 'wait for the Network' more and more.

Granted, I would need to read the digital comics available on DC Universe first. I marked some series as favorites. Added some issues to a 'To Be Read' list. However, I haven't read any digital comics except for the first five issues of Gerard Way's Doom Patrol run shortly after the first episode of Doom Patrol.

Turns out binge-skimming those Way Doom Patrol issues were the best thing for my opinion on those issues. Called it quits on Young Animal and was about purge those issues from my collection until I did so. Only reason why I am buying Doom Patrol Weight of the Worlds from my local comics shop is because of both the show and the late night I spent skimming those issue on DC Universe.

What I mostly use the comics for is research when deciding whether to purchase an Omnibus. I check if those issues are available online. Then, like the old days, I make my decision based on the covers. Bought the Joker Bronze Age Omnibus because I went through the contents on the list.

Television Shows

Previously, I remarked on how happy of a fanboy I am shows such as the live-action Superboy are available. Hadn't watched the 'Halloween' themed episodes of Superboy during last October. Decided I would wait until this October to do so.

Besides, I was busy watching shows like Doom Patrol. Excellent, excellent television. Captured the feel of Morrison's Doom Patrol while using the original Doom Patrol (most were, uh, dead prior to Morrison's run) as the cast. The references to the Silver Age material were cool. Doom Patrol season one was both edgy yet the best super team origin story on television beating the previous record holder of the Arrowverse Flash season one. I avidly watched each episode weekly with the exception of three episodes near the run.

Needless to say, I eagerly awaited Swamp Thing as result. The first episode was a great example of horror television. Unfortunately, the execs desired not only a change in direction but canned the series. Coinciding with start of summer, I didn't have the heart to follow the show week-to-week knowing that was it. Another October goal. Hopefully, I don't feel like those who discovered Firefly after that show's cancellation.

Now Titans Season Two began, or will begin. Really don't want to fall behind like I did Swamp Thing. A tricky feat. Never saw season one. Got a lot of catching up to do!

On this note, think I am going to spend some time on the DC Universe Subscription Service.

Next time.

Five Take-Aways from the new Season 9 Adventurers League (D&D 5E) Rules

Decided not to participate in Adventurers League (D&D 5E Organized Play) tonight; however I did do something Adventurers League (AL)-related. The season 9 Adventurer League organized play documents debuted today. While I won't share the link here (either visit the AL homepage or download the documents from DMs Guild), my Five Take-Aways is a fitting format to discuss some of the rules changes.

So long Seasonality, welcome starting seasonal unlocks

Well, Seasonality didn't last long beyond its announcement. For those unaware, Seasonality would effectively encourage creating new PCs each season all while boosting the seasonal flavor of each season's PCs. Only PCs created for a given season could unlock that season's magic items and receive story awards from that season. At my FLGCS's Tuesday Game Night, Seasonality would not have as much impact than at a convention. Once a Season's modules are ran, they're not repeated often. Many gamers, myself included, have created new PCs to accommodate the varying character constraints prior seasons imposed. The biggest hiccup would only occur during the off chance a repeat mod is ran while a player is playing a Legacy character. Convention Created Content modules are ran more often so it wouldn't have been too much of a problem. CCCs would be featured more often.

However, conventions are the life-blood of AL. There was backlash. Plenty of backlash.

As a consequence, Seasonality is no more. In its place, is extra character creation options available to PCs who begin DURING and FOR that season, e.g. Season 9.

Considering the season-specific character options were what I really liked about Seasonality, it is a good change. I will still forge ahead with creating either an Aasimar or Tiefling PC although it'll likely be Aasimar as purchased Volo's Guide to Monsters recently. Although the rules were vague as to whether Volo's still counts as a PC's "+1".

Heck, a couple season-specific options are cool enough that I would be willing to start my "Elf PC" during Season 9 too!

You get a level, you get a level, and you, and you, and you!

Experience Points required bookkeeping. Plus, not all modules were calculated equally XP-wise regarding challenges. Advancement Checkpoints were much simpler. However, Advancement Checkpoints punished some groups more than others. Modules created without Advancement Checkpoints in mind ran into the "one does not simply finish a two hour module in two hours" problem. A two-hour module that ran a couple hours longer only gave two checkpoints. Four hour modules didn't have bonus objectives so they could effectively award more Advancement Checkpoints than a module designed with them as groups could miss the bonus objectives.

The solution: PCs acquire a new level upon the completion of a module.

We're talking complete ten modules to go from first level to tenth level.

Incredibly rapid character advancement!

Now, character advancement can be slower while playing a hardcover module (for the higher Tiers). We don't know if all Season 9 modules will be four hours long nor how many. A player can choose to not advance the PC in level. I don't forsee too many new players abstaining from proceeding to the next Tier. Which may cause problems on Tuesday Game Night cause if you miss a week or two, AL loses the attendance flexibility it allows.

Acquiring Gold is more immersive but requires an extra level of bookkeeping.

Longtime AL players have learned to not record the gold a PC receives until the end of the module, based on what the module states. Season 9 will be more fluid with not only how gold can be acquired, but the DM can award it to a PC immediately. DMs are given leeway to creative in how the gold award is administered. The only caveat is there is maximum amount of gold a PC can receive per hour played and per level. Suppose the hour cap exists to prevent behavior such as looting and avoiding the rest of the module.

I like a more immersive method of dispensing gold as it's more new player friendly. Keeping track of the maximum amount awarded during the module may be tricky especially if the PC is spending gold. 

Guess, PCs who don't advance at module's completion are adventuring for free during subsequent modules until choosing advancement...

No longer need to track Renown!

For the longest time, Renown really didn't serve much of a purpose beyond tracking how many modules a PC completed as well as any faction tasks completed. Then, it became tricky because Advancement Checkpoints impacted the amount of Renown received. Season 9 does away with all that. Much as with lifestyle during Season 8, a PC's Tier will determine which Renown category a PCs falls within. Any Renown award is based upon Renown category and thus Tier.

Approve 100%. Most pointless thing to track on a Logsheet ever.

Trading Magical Items for Costly Spell-casting Services

Despite Faerun being the setting for AL, the campaign has always been a low magic item campaign. Magic Items are very incredibly special. Either only one PC received a magical item or several modules were spent accumulating resources to acquire one. Therefore, it makes sense that dweomered (magical) items could be used as currency for spell-casting services a PC couldn't otherwise afford. Since magic items are finite reward, trading them in such a manner not only reinforces how valuable but enables PCs to acquire services they couldn't otherwise afford such as a True Resurrection.

Another welcome change.

Happy Gaming!

Next time.

NXT Aug 28th 2019 Thoughts

Despite months of promising to cover more WWE Network programming such NXT here, I really haven't. My schedule didn't enable such aspirations very well. For a brief period, I should be able to blog more about wrestling more than I have this year.

What better way than today's (8/28/19) edition of WWE NXT? You know before it moves from the WWE Network to the USA Network...

Disclaimer: NXT should still be available on Hulu AND WWE does offer episodes of RAW and Smackdown on the WWE Network. Likely NXT will offered as such. It just won't likely be on the WWE Network's schedule.

Regardless, I envision this as canary in the coal mine transcribing NXT as it was, cherished as it was, before becoming a televised show. Just hope Vince realizes the best competition for AEW on TNT isn't another show in the vein of RAW and Smackdown...

The Matches

Io Shirai vs  Cami Fields

Squash match. Point of the match was to demonstrate Io Shirai's viciousness as she delayed the pin and ref need to break the hold. Her feud with Candice LeRae continues as the latter made a post match save.

Rating: 2 out of 5. Match was mercifully short.

Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic

I HATE Big Men matches. However, this was a fantastic match performed by two athletic big men. The 600 lb Spanish Fly Moonsault  executed by Keith Lee was quite the sight. For a guy returning from knee surgery, Dijakovic practically flew over the top rope during one match. Since this was a return match, Dijakovic's made sense.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars. This is the type of match they need to head off AEW on TNT.

Street Profits (c) vs Unidsputed ERA for NXT Tag Team Championship

Excellent tag team championship match! Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of the Undisputed ERA win the belts in a match that had it all.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Solid main event. Wish tag team matches were this good on the main roster.

The Promos 

The Johnny Gargano Retrospective was fairly well done. Don't know if Gargano is being called up to the main roster (or 205 Live - I like it but WWE has done it no favors) or they're setting him up for a feud with the wrestler who interrupted the announcers proclaiming why he isn't being talked about. Man has a point. I have no clue who he is

The first (former?) Women's Champ for NXT UK calling out NXT Women's Champ Shayna Baszler was very well done. Wish I was more familiar with her as that would've heightened the moment. The announcers did a good job selling this.


  The Verdict

The great thing about pro wrestling is the never-ending (except when the promotion ends...) male soap opera. After a hiatus, that can lead to feelings of In Media Res. Sure, I got the gist of things. However, it didn't feel the same as it would as if I had been watching NXT since the last time I blogged about it. Not a bad thing. Overall, I would say the August 28th, 2019 edition was a very basic one hour wrestling program. Yet, it felt consequential and the passage of time mattered unlike some episodes of the main roster shows.

Ergo, a solid one hour of wrestling. 3 out of 5 stars. Watch the tag match and the Dijakovic return match if you're pressed for time.

Next time.

Two Movie Studios Worked For James Bond, Why Not Spider-Man?

Uh, why is the picture of Todd McFarlane's rendition of Spider-Man when you're discussing the fate of Spider-man within the motion picture industry, Matt?

Simple really. Todd McFarlane's interpretation of web crawler was both alien and recognizable to what my young mind identified as Spider-Man at the time. Before I could read, I was weened on John Romita Sr-based design of a friendly neighborhood super-hero. McFarlane's design was different. More angular. Heck, the webs were different!

Plus, it's an iconic image of the web-slinger too.

In the world of movies, a change awaits Spider-Man. Sony and Marvel (okay, let us be honest: Disney) negotiations over the use of Spider-Man within the MCU has broken down.

Right now, there will be no Spider-Man appearing in any movies set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe e.g. Disney movies.

Sony Pictures and their nascent Spider-Man Universe will be the only place where Spider-Man can be found. Instead of Peter Parker rubbing shoulders with the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy as Tony Stark's protege, he'll be running around with Venom and other characters... who owe their existence to the Spider-Man intellectual property... Characters comprised of his rogue's gallery, supporting cast, and closest allies (and their respective cast of characters.)

If Sony were to forge ahead with that direction in mind, I wouldn't have a problem. Team-ups within the MCU are cool; but as a long-time reader (on and off) of Spider-Man, the Spider-Man Cinematic Universe appeals to me as a fan. As long as Sony doesn't treat a movie as an advertisement for upcoming movies (Amazing Spider-Man 2's biggest flaw was substantial portion of the film was designed to sell the never made Sinister Six and Amazing Spider-Man 3 to the audience that it neglected to sell itself to the audience) while maintaining Spider-man's humor (the two Amazing movies were too grim and gritty), then Sony's Spider-Man movies could do well.

Except... and this is where I arrive at the gist of my post...

I want both.

I want the Disney/MCU Peter Parker whose Tony Stark's protege doing his best to elevate the rest of heroes of the MCU to be the best heroes they can be. Honestly, Peter Parker is closest to how a traditional super-hero is envisioned in the MCU. Most of the others veer more towards being anti-heroes than the traditional super-hero.

I want the Sony Spider-Man too. Iron Spider is cool and all; but I do want to see Spider-Man reflected as he has been for most of his existence upon the Big Screen. We'd doubtfully see the likes of Morbius in the MCU. In the Sony Spider-verse Cinematic Universe, we can AND will.

There's a template for what I would like: James Bond. Yes, there's the studio which produced pretty much all 20+ Bond films. However, one Bond film wasn't produced by them AND it screened during the same year as another James Bond film. The movie Never Say Never Again starred in aging Sean Connery (Bond's age was a dialogue source several times predating the most recent Spectre doing so) and the movie Octopussy starring his successor Roger Moore (George Lazenby was bookended by Connery) debuted in cinemas during the same year. As far as I am aware neither movie suffered too much competing against each other. Neither movie is regarded poorly. Just one of them is available within all the collections and airs with the other movies during Bond marathons...

Different actors though, Matt

Yeah...

The one flaw in my thinking is different actors were used.

However, Sony would never let Disney use Spider-Man within an MCU movie if they planned on featuring Spider-Man within Spiderverse Cinematic Universe movie during the same year. Unlike the Bond movies, two different interests don't hold the film rights to Spider-Man (or the story Thunderball of which Never Say Never Again was based). If Sony believes Tom Holland is their Peter Parker/Spider-man, Tom Holland won't be said character in the MCU.

That being said, I don't see Tom Holland's Peter Parker tonally fitting with Venom nor Morbius. Sony could very well use a different actor. Plus, Tom Holland may pull Daniel Radcliffe and decide a regular Peter Parker gig isn't for him. Maybe his Spider-Man will be like Ruffalo's Hulk. Always the entourage member but not the focus.

What about events and characters within the MCU? The Sony movies can't reference them!

The Spider-Man comics published by Marvel within the Marvel Universe do not reference every character and event in every issue. Stories may pass before an event outside of Peter's sphere is mentioned. Spider-Man (whether Tom Holland or not) can easily exist within both cinematic universes.

Since Spider-Man is one of the iconic super-heroes of all time, I think our friendly neighborhood super-hero can straddle two different cinematic universes produced by two different studios.

Next time.

Five Take-Aways from My First Tier 3 D&D 5E AL Session

Shucks! August is almost over and I hadn't blogged yet? Guess what I haven't blogged in for a much, much longer time? My five take-aways. Haven't wrote a five take-aways in MONTHS. Part of that is by design. I decided only to do so whenever I experienced a game session unusual from others.

Tonight during the FLGCS's Tuesday Night Game Day, I unexpectedly played in my first Tier 3 (levels 11 - 16) fifth edition Dungeons and Dragon Adventurers League module.  I'd say that's very unique occurrence, wouldn't you?

YMMV, my very first Tier 3 module was with my 11th level Bear Totem Warrior Half Orc Barbarian so my perception is colored some.

Eleventh level Barbarian isn't very much different from Tier Two Barbarian

Maybe it's cause I play time has been erratic (I hadn't played my barbarian since early July) so I hadn't fully mastered the character. Thus, all the improvements to the character isn't readily apparent. It could also be because as a half orc, the PC already has ability to shrug off one attack that would drop him. Granted, my barbarian didn't get dropped to zero multiple times so I didn't get a chance to appreciate the opportunity to avoid that with a handy save. On the other hand, I am more likely to remember the half orc's Relentless Endurance more often now...

Single-classed spellcasters (particularly wizards) make the difference in battles

Played two battles. During both battles, the single-classed Wizard cast a spell locking down the opponent(s) enough the battle was effectively over. Sure, Tier 2 had those moments too. However, you could Conan (no primary spellcasters) your way through Tier 2 module. It would be rough but doable. At Tier 3, based on both combats an all martial party would have a very, very rough time. The knockout punch of the single-classed spellcaster (namely the wizard in this instance) does make the challenge of slugging through extreme challenges of surviving Tier 1 worth it. This is the Tier when wizards truly begin to outpace the other classes.

On the other hand...

Anti-Magic fields suck and seem baked into the modules

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Wizard begins emerging as king of the PC types; however anti-magic fields begin rearing their heads. We lucked out in the anti-magic field was more an environmental obstacle as opposed to a challenge to overcome. Furthermore, it wasn't just the wizard who was impaired but everyone had some magical goodie or trick suppressed. Want to watch a party of PCs lose their swagger. Suppress their magic. I swear it was like we became Tier 1 again! Since my PC had a stat-boosting item suppressed by the anti-magic field, I came to fully appreciate the impact of...

Ability Score Improvement (ASI) can be equal to choosing a feat

When I created my barbarian, my original plan was should the PC advance to the point when I'd choose to improve ability scores versus a feat that ASI's are the choice. Yeah about that... I went the feat route instead. My half-orc barbarian had acquired gauntlets of ogre power. Gauntlets of Ogre Power eliminated the need to improve Strength. Any easy decision, right? Not in hindsight when you're bumping around within an anti-magic field. Not a huge loss, mind you, but I really appreciated ASI much more once I was contemplating any potential combat.

Double Treasure Points is pretty sweet

This take-away is more Adventurers League-related than D&D 5E rules-related.Season 8 of Adventurers League handles both experience and treasure differently than the core rules. I had become used to treasure points equaling advancement checkpoints. Since I had no Tier 3 nor Tier 4 PCs, I really had no need to familiarize myself with those guidelines. So upon completing the module, it was a pleasant surprise to see twice the number of treasure points than I expected. Of all the take-aways from today, this is one may be for one night only. Adventurers League is changing how treasure and gold works in Season 9, which starts during September, so this may actually change.

Happy Gaming!

Next time.

Blog Roll Changes and Comics Haul for July 24th, 2019

Cause of work, I don't purchase my latest comics from the comics shop on New Comics Day often. Today just happened to be that day. Ergo, a Comics Haul on a Wednesday i.e. New Comics Day. I skipped last week's; because I decided to combine both week's purchases into one. In addition to New Comics Day, I spruced up the layout of my blog and made adjustment to several links and my blog roll.

I've finally pruned blogs that have long been defunct. Cause why not? In the process, I discovered several of the Communities I linked to have ceased. A casualty of social media, I suppose. Why frequent a forum when you can just comment on social media? Also removed links to a couple pages long defunct such as Adventure Games Publishing and Mark Waid's Boom page.

Enough with the doom and gloom!

I added the following blogs to my blog roll: About Bruce Heard (worked for TSR on BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia D&D and works on his ongoing Calidar project), These Old Games (an OSR blog but has expanded to include the blogger's three other blog's contents). THACO RPG Blog (loved the recent posts on expanding BECMI Wizard capabilities and Gaming's Generation Gap), and Venger's Old School Blog (Venger discusses the role-playing industry and hobby along with his works, which are slanted more toward a Heavy Metal magazine audience). You can find the respective links among my blog roll on the desktop version of my blog. Unlike previous additions I learned of these via social media.

Onto the Comics Haul for comics that hit the market today, July 24th 2019.

A light week, but last week's was much, much larger.

House of X #1 (an impulse purchase), Doctor Strange #16 ( Waid's run is ticking down.),  and Books of Magic #10. Hmm, the theme of this photo is mostly magic...

Disney Comics and Stories #6, Guardians of the Galaxy #7, Star Wars #69.

Hopefully, reviews will be forthcoming.

Next time.

Comics Haul from July 10th, 2019

On the waning hours of Tuesday, I blogged my Comics Haul from the July 3rd release comics. Only the URL will state July 2nd. Fixed it; but my gaffe is there. Sigh... Was in such a Tuesday mindset, I had finished playing D&D, that I counted back seven days from Tuesday.  Didn't want to make that mistake again so I was sure to make the trip to the comics shop to buy my haul from those comics released on the 10th of July, 2019.

Thus, why there's a Comics Haul a mere day or two after the previous.

Besides, doesn't feel odd posting my collection the day after New Comics Day versus posting the day before New Comics Day. What can I say? There are weeks when I want to go to the comics shop once a week and then there are weeks where twice a week pilgrimage is appealing.

My haul was very, very light for me this week. No trades. End of the month might be a killer though...

Star Wars #68 (Had considered dropping the title with the change in writer; but Star Wars is now the single longest running title I have been collecting from beginning to present.) and Detective Comics #1007 (My final new issue of Detective Comics for awhile. Only hung around for the Spectre story. Love, absolutely love, the Batman TAS homage on the cover!)

Batman and the Outsiders #3 (Black Lightning calling out Batman? Oh yeah!) and Young Justice #7

Savage Sword of Conan #7 (didn't I buy issue 6 on Tuesday? Should probably check if I bought a duplicate...), Hawkman #14 (Sienkiewicz Cardstock Variant - It's because of the variant I didn't drop Hawkman with this issue.), and House of Whispers #11 (Another title I may or not drop within the near future.)

And dat dat dat's all folks!

Rather surreal to blog my comics haul the very same week those comics hit the stands!

Next time.

Comics Haul for July 3rd, 2019

Often I won't buy comics until the Tuesday Game Night (Adventurers League or Shadowrun Missions). As such, my Comics Haul will be posted at the last possible second. While I bought comics last Tuesday, the entry wouldn't have posted until Wednesday. Granted, I am not technically violating my no combining rules I felt posting it on the day of release violated the spirit of the rule. Ergo, I skipped last week.

Since I did purchase comics today, here's my Comics Haul from those comics released on July 3rd 2019:

Doom Patrol Weight of the Worlds #1 (loved  show on DC Universe!), The Green Lantern #9, Savage Avengers #3 ( I had been buying the Deodato variants. However, none were offered. Conan with a symbiote sword? Cool!)

Dreaming #11, Uncanny X-Men #21, Talk Bernie to Me! One - shot (Please no political rants...)

Captain America & The Invaders: Bahamas Triangle One-Shot Ron Lim variant (Grew up on Lim art. Plus, how can you beat WW2 super-hero teams?), Savage Sword of Conan #6, Justice League #27

Steve Gerber Conversations  (One of my favorite comic writers. Had to acquire a compilation of interviews and statements on the internet.) Doctor Who Gallifrey Time War Volume Two Audio Drama CD. (Cause Time War and some old time radio narration.)

A decent sized haul.

Next time.

Emulating The BECMI Elf in D&D 5E: Leather vs Chain Mail

What better way to end June than the way I began it: by contemplating equipment for an Elf PC.

Recently, I decided to finally create an Adventurers League PC following the BECMI Elf Class emulation I blogged about back in December. While 5E character creation is almost as simple as BECMI days, I ran into a stumbling block. Deciding which piece of equipment to select. One of the few decision quandaries players needed to make back in those halycon days.

I decided to break my decision into two sub-categories. Debate between longbow versus shortbow was the first. Now, I didn't blog in a vacuum as I turned to the wisdom of the crowd, i.e. social media.

The response did not disappoint. There were discussion on archery in general and back in medieval times. Folks talked about shooting a long bow indoors versus outdoors. Same with a short bow. Then, there were the aspects of BECMI rules, which as a 2E gamer I learned about for the first time, i.e. minimum damage via weapon mastery in short bows.

Edition agnostic concerns such as range and money were raised. Got to say range and money are huge concerns in 5E too. Well, yes and no. If you take the standard package... but more on that later.

To my one chagrin, no answered my question itself: what is more iconic, the long bow or short bow?

The lack of response is more likely a sign of more symbolic thinking than what anyone playing BECMI would have worried over. When you're playing D&D for the very first time, you don't go 'Hmm, really need the Elf bow...'

Cause what is the elf bow? I suppose if you saw this picture you'd think this is:

So a short bow. I mean if the masses, those who played BECMI far more often than I, didn't have a particular bow they felt their Elf NEEDED, then art is the key.

By golly, short bow it is!

Except D&D 5E has the standard package of equipment.

Yes, long bow is an option - with leather armor.

The next ranged weapon is a light crossbow. Simple enough fix. Just swap out the light crossbow for a short bow. Easy. Right? Except, then chain mail is the armor available via the package. Certainly, doesn't look like the elf pictured is wearing chain mail...

Furthermore, I will likely play the Elf PC while the gold rules for Season 8 are still in effect. No gold until reaching 2nd level. How much gold? Enough for either a long bow or suit of chain mail. Uh why is chain mail an option if your basing icon status on the picture?

Easy. The Elf PC could wear any armor such as plate mail. While I don't plan on my PC donning plate mail, the character will eventually don the best armor suitable. Plus, the prior question is still a concern, do I go for range, i.e. the long bow or settle for a short bow?

If I choose a long bow and thus leather armor, then I could select the fighting style for wearing armor and gain a bonus. Upon reaching 2nd level, spend all the PCs gold to chain mail. The Elf would be able wear the chain mail for an upcoming battle and possess a slightly better AC. If stealth is required, just don leather armor and hope the fighting style more than makes up for it?

On the other hand, starting out with chain mail frees up 75 gp. Who knows when 75 gold will come in handy down the road? Maybe buy a long bow? However, I've already settled for a shorter range. One more level later, the Elf will become an Eldritch Knight and have access to attack cantrips. A long bow is only really helpful past the range of those cantrips. Attacking with a penalty though... So how much wiggle room with gold do I need?

What did players during the BECMI days do? Wait, I own a copy of the Rules Cyclopedia. What are BECMI players doing now? When they play an Elf PC, do they prioritize armor over weapons?

Select the best armor type available via funds or select the best weapon? Ditch the leather or go for the mail?

Go for flexibility in armor types depending the situation or go heavy and save gold?

Either choice will impact my Elf PC emulation. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Gaming!

Next time.