Feliz 67th a Mi Madre!

A cake fit for a queen (even if the same little mouse stole a slice or two the night before)!

 

Among those gifts to the queen was Horrified, a game based on the Universal Monsters she still so dearly loves! Can't wait to sit down for its inaugural playthru.

BTTF FTW!

After 3 straight devastating losses in our decades-spanning DeLorean-based quest, we dusted BTTF: Dice Through Time off again for a 3-player attempt on "This is Heavy!" (standard difficulty).

We got off to a VERY good start. The dice were singing, we were completing events and incurring minimal damage to the space-time continuum, and not getting too pestered by time paradoxes (which Ewan's hand points out above).

Here we are at the most critical point! Not too bad, right? "Outatime" marker is far from game over, and we've either returned or picked up all 15 items required to win on standard difficulty.

And here's our final game state! A satisfying team win! And for an almost 6-year-old kindergartener who was just getting over a little summer bug, Ewan was hands-down our MVP.

Wrights & Whites FTW!

We (the Wrights) and our good friends in Christ (the Whites) took on the roles of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and the GCPD to thwart evil-doers in our latest playthru of Gotham City Under Siege! By the start of Act 2, we were facing down a daunting list of rogues, including Joker, Talia, the Mad Hatter, and the Ventriloquist, among others.

By the start of Act 3, we were sitting pretty sweet. Only 1 building down, 4 Bat-signal Points to our name, and the Explosion and Citizen trackers at healthy levels! We did struggle to put down all the villains in Act 2, though, so we knew we had some work to do.

By the start of Act 4, we were definitely feeling some hurt. 4 buildings had fallen, both the Explosion/Citizen trackers had moved to dangerous levels, we had no Bat-signal Points, Robin was wounded, and a host of nasty Story cards stared up at us from the table like harbingers of doom!

And yet … we pulled it off! With only 2 destruction rolls to chance in the Crisis Phase, we lucked out and survived both without losing another building. And to boot, we recorded our second highest efficiency score as a team (based on a formula I created for homebrew play). Always fun saving Gotham City as the Bat Fam!

Back to the Future: Dice Through Time (35th Anniversary Playthru)

Here's the setup for playing Back to the Future: Dice Through Time on "Easy" mode. You play as your own year's version of Marty and Doc with your own time machine. Your objective: restore the time stream by returning items to their proper locations and years as depicted in the movies, keeping Biff out of your way in the doing.

The game uses a clever, family-friendly mix of dice pools, event management, and light strategic board movement to capture the fun feel and flow of the BTTF Trilogy.

After 1 round of play, we took care of 2 of the 3 events on the board, punching 1955 Biff out of the way, and the "OUTATIME" marker only moved one space. (If the OUTATIME marker reaches the end—space 12—that's game over!)

By the end of round 2, we managed to return the first two of the required eight items (Easy mode) to win: the Fax Marty received in 2015, and the Video Camera from 1985.

A few more rounds into it, we cleared enough events to claim all the items from 1885 and 1955, the latter becoming our problem year as evidenced by the 3 events that appeared on it. Returning items also yields random "Einstein tokens" (depicting Doc's dog), the reverse side of which essentially give you extra dice actions to take during your turn.

A round later, we were hit with a special event that places "Paradox tokens" (the round clocks) on events at locations where Biff is (if they don't already). Paradox tokens speed up the rate that the OUTATIME marker can move, but fortunately the game gives you a couple ways to deal with them.

Near the end, we're sitting pretty with all the items claimed from their respective timelines. All that remains is to return them to where they belong.

Here's the final state after winning! Cooperative games increasingly are my favorite to play, and sharing this inaugural experience with my wife (also a BTTF fan), and ultimately our kids, is sure to be replayed over and over, much like the movies.

Indiana Jones Meets Robinson Crusoe

Check out my design work on a board game adventure scenario for Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island. This scenario follows the overland India trek of Indiana Jones, Short Round, and Willie Scott on their way to Pankot Palace as shown in the film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I plan to follow this up with a companion scenario that lets the players attempt the same recovery of the Sankara Stones and escape from the temple as depicted in the movie, which will be a much more challenging episode. Seems like a perfect marriage to me! What do you think?

The Bat and The Rugrat

In the midst of sheltering in place, board games are a great way to pass the time. Here's out Act 1 setup for a recent play-through of the thoroughly enjoyable co-op, Batman The Animated Series: Gotham Under Siege. I was cast as Batman, my wife as Catwoman, my brother as Batgirl, and my son as Robin. Our Act setup card demanded a lot of story card management, with very few bad guys, Dr. Hugo Strange chief among them, to catch.

By early in Act 2, we had a handle on our more modest draw of story card threats, and were mopping up the streets beginning with supervillain Scarecrow, then the terrorist Red Claw, and finally mob boss Rupert Thorne.

By the time we were in Act 3, five buildings had gone down since we hadn't finished the main story card nor had we managed to stop a few rogue henchmen and ninjas from attacking the city during the Crisis Phase.

Fortunately, Act 3's main story card proved to be beneficial for us heading into Act 4, as we closed out the bad guys and managed not to lose another building. Above, you can see our status as we get ready to finish Act 4, thanks in no small part to help from the Gray Ghost!

Here are the final win conditions: five buildings down, explosion and citizen trackers held safely (if not grievously) at 2, no heroes wounded, and all villains defeated! All told, we scored an efficiency rating of 28 (good enough for second highest to-date!), based on my homebrew rules for scoring win conditions. Not too shabby!

And while Paige didn't get to play with the big kids, she kept busy perfecting her summer look!

That sleepy time look hits hard by the afternoon on a walk in Daddy's arms.

In the Footsteps of the Ravager of Heavens

A Gen Con Vigrin No More: The Video

A Gen Con Virgin No More

And so it stretched. At times the full length of the convention center in Indianapolis, and right out the doors! For me though, this is where it begins, not where it ends. My first outing to Gen Con, an event for which the Pure Steam Dev Team has been playing since 2013. It did not disappoint. But why did I not have to stand in line, I hear you ask…

This is why! I worked the con. 20+ hours, to be exact. Gamemaster, son. Been gamin' and masterin' since the summer of '95. Upwards of 25 years under my belt. And I can roleplay you, your grandma, and your next door neighbor under the table, any diggidy-dang day of the week.

Ok, check. So, dungeons? Who's got the dungeons?

Oh Batman, when are you NOT present where geeks gather? Riddle me that!

Fleets of tables sporting CCGs were on display.

Some with incredible meters-wide displays themselves, catering to everything from the nostalgia-hungry manchild, to the anime-maniac, to the casual player, to the grognard, young and old!

Star Wars nerds were definitely full in force, packing impressive tabletop war-gaming sets.

Most impressive.

And here's what we hoped would most impress: our very own in-house RPG product, the Pure Steam Campaign Setting (now with that new 5th Edition scent)! 

This year's con also reintroduced me to Warhammer 40k… 

…courtesy of those who actually knew how to play, and took no small amount of pleasure in placing us n00bs out in front of the action like so many hapless pawns!

A view of the battlefield from our perspective.

And one from theirs.

Here's where the battle turned, though: when Adam C., our project lead, plopped his space marines in by drop pod and proceeded to cue his victory music! (I guess even the boss is allowed to have some fun, too!)

The highlight for me, though, had to be the 20+ hours of Pure Steam RPG sessions that I hosted (in a Doc Holiday as played by Val Kilmer voice) over 3 days. Above, you can see my table in medias res. 

We even had our multi-award winning cosplayer, Chris, stop by with his newest self-made look. (I'm just sorry I couldn't get a better shot of him as I was in the midst of a session!)

And it's safe to say I made some fast friends and fans on my first gig. "Your table was the highlight of the con for me," the fan, pictured above in a cap and his arm over my shoulder at center, said. Other team members pictured from left to right: Adam C., Chris, Benton, Adam S., Bryan, Paul, and Brennan. Let's do it again, guys!

My #1 fan even brought his freshly purchased product of ours to be signed by the whole team. Now there's a collector's item! Congrats, my man, and all the best to you in the future!

The Karate Guys

My d20 take on the two main protagonists from The Karate Kid trilogy.

DANIEL LARUSSO (circa the “All-Valley Under 18 Karate Championship” in The Karate Kid,
1984)
Male Human Fast Ordinary 1/Tough Ordinary 1/Strong Hero 1; CR 2
Medium-size Humanoid (height 5’ 8”, weight 125 lb.); Age 17

Init +1; Senses (core) Listen -1, Search +1, Spot +2; Senses (house) Listen/Spot +2, Search +1
Languages English

Defense 16, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +5 class)
hp 19 (3 HD); Mas 11
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will -1
Action Points 6

Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +2 (1d4 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Ranged by weapon +2
Space 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +1; Grp +0
Atk Options none
Special Qualities none

Abilities Str 9, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 14
Allegiances Mr. Miyagi, karate, good; Rep +0; San 47
Feats Combat Martial Arts, Karate, White Crane

           Note: Feats listed in italics were taken from the Blood and Fists supplement.

Skills (core) Balance +5, Climb +1, Drive +2, Hide +3, Knowledge (current events) +5, Knowledge (popular culture) +6, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Meditation +0, Perform (dance) +6, Read/Write English, Speak English, Spot +2, Swim +1, Tumble +3
Skills (house) Athletics +3, Control +5, Drive +2, Knowledge (current events) +5, Knowledge (popular culture) +6, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Meditation +0, Perceive +2, Perform (dance) +6, Read/Write English, Sneak +3, Speak English, Tumble +3
Talents (Strong Hero) Melee Smash
Starting Occupation Student (+1 on Knowledge [current events, popular culture], Perform [dance] as permanent class skill)
Possessions (carried weight 2 lb.) casual outfit (street clothes; 2 lb.), Mongoose BMX bicycle (see Urban Arcana)
Wealth Bonus +0

“MISTER” MIYAGI NARIYOSHI (circa The Karate Kid, 1984)
Male Human Strong Hero 1/Fast Hero 1/Dedicated Hero 2/Contemplative Master 10; CR 14
Medium-size Humanoid (height 5’ 3”, weight 140 lb.); Age 59

Init +1; Senses (core) Listen +11, Search +1, Spot +4; Senses (house) Listen/Spot +19, Search +3
Languages English, Japanese

Defense 24, touch 24, flat-footed 23; Poise (+1 Dex, +13 class)
hp 53 (14 HD); Mas 11
Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +13
Action Points 12

Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +10/+5 (1d4+2 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Melee kick +12/+7 (1d6+2 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Melee crane kick +12 (1d10+2 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Melee ridgehand +10 (1d6+2 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Melee snap kick +14/+9 (1d6+2 lethal/nonlethal, 20) or
Ranged by weapon +10/+5
Space 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +9; Grp +10
Atk Options Block, Crane Kick, Crane Stance, Ridgehand, Snap Kick
Special Qualities ki (5/day; may alternately heal himself or another 1d4+4 hp*)
* Miyagi must expend 2 uses of ki to heal another instead

Abilities Str 12, Dex 13 (14), Con 11 (12), Int 13 (12), Wis 19 (16), Cha 12 (11)
'(-)' indicate original ability scores.
          Note: Mr. Miyagi has aging effects due to middle age.
Allegiances balance, good, karate, Daniel-san; Rep +4; San 85
Feats Attentive, Block, Builder, Combat Martial Arts, Crane Kick, Crane Stance, Karate, Kata, Ki, Poise**, Ridgehand, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Snap Kick, White Crane
** Miyagi retrained Personal Firearms Proficiency and gained Poise in its place.

           Note: Feats listed in italics were taken from the Blood and Fists supplement.
Skills (core) Balance +3, Craft (mechanical) +8, Craft (structural) +9, Diplomacy +5 (+2 after 1 min. of study), Drive +2, Investigate +3, Jump +5, Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +6, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +8, Listen +11, Meditation +19, Pressure Points +10, Read/Write English, Read/Write Japanese, Sense Motive +14 (+2 after 1 min. of study), Speak English, Repair +7, Speak Japanese, Swim +4, Tumble +5, Zen Mastery +14
Skills (house) Athletics +7, Control +3, Craft (mechanical) +8, Craft (structural) +9, Deduce +3, Drive +2, Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +6, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +8, Meditation +19, Perceive +19 (+2 on Sense Motive, +2 after 1 min. of study), Persuade +5, Pressure Points +10, Read/Write English, Read/Write Japanese, Speak English, Repair +7, Speak Japanese, Tumble +5, Zen Mastery +14
Talents (Strong Hero) Melee Smash
Talents (Fast Hero) Evasion
Talents (Dedicated Hero) Empathy
Talents (Contemplative Master) Mastery (Accurate Kick 1, Accurate Kick 2, Hard Kick 2, Ki Mastery 1, Ki Mastery 3)
Starting Occupation Military (Drive as permanent class skill, +1 on Swim; Personal Firearms Proficiency)
Possessions (carried weight 4 lb.) casual outfit (khaki attire w/heavy-duty belt; 4 lb.), hachimaki, deluxe mechanical tool kit (kept at house; 45 lb.), hashi
Wealth Bonus +12

"Wait a second! How did Daniel do the crane kick to win the tournament in the movie?! He doesn't even have the feat!!

Okay, for you purists out there. Here's the deal. Daniel is shown practicing the crane stance and famous kick on the wooden pylon at the beach during those training montages. Having observed Miyagi enough, it's reasonable to assume he knew the basics of how it's performed, if not how to do it on command when needed like Miyagi did. Daniel will ultimately get that feat; he's essentially building toward it. That said, it's also reasonable to assume that Daniel haggled with the GM and burned a couple action points to be able to use the crane kick. Once. He's only shown using the crane kick with any success once in any of the films. This is a great example of how a character can do things that aren't written down yet. Work with your GM, be creative, and build off what's established in the campaign, and there's really no reason why a character shouldn't be able to at least try things they've never done before.

Plus, the rules are really more guidelines, anyway!