An Intermittent Firefight: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Infinity

The third game was a solo with proxy figures of Infinity. (http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity/en/2011/access/quick-start-rules/) This is a good game. Complex. But a good feel for SciFi or modern skirmish. Weapons have range. Overwatch is deadly. Command is important. The universe is Anime without the goofy stylized faces. The figures are fancy. And expensive. If you have an active club looking for games like this this is the one. Fast and fluid. Games are typically between three and ten figures. More than that will kill the system. I would like to play this, Mercs and Rezolution back to back and see which one wins.

This is a faction I think is kind of cool. But, I need new figures like I need a hole in my head...check them out. They're pretty cool figures.

Still Grumpy and now itchy...

Still GRUMPY...now no fire duty due to my black widow spider bite from 2008 California Fires has made me allergically sensitive (or that's what the Doctor thinks).

I got poison ivy for the first time two weeks ago clearing some brush back from some old oaks. I was always immune. No big whoop--a little itchy gooey spot on one forearm--"That's why we don't roll our sleeves back Mr. Ryan" was ringing in my head. I figured it was my turn as I had stupidly rolled my sleeve back.

Strangely, this developed into an attack of The Thing. Every time I scratch a spot, anywhere, it flares up into a swollen bumpy itchy mound. And I mean anywhere. I ate an M&M and one side of my face got swollen. I had a beer and my whole ^%$&! body was itchy crawly. I can't even imagine what a glass of red wine would do...needless to say, I am in no danger. But I have got LOTS of itchy welts. Do you know how many times a day you scratch yourself without thinking? And where? I do. Every day I have a new diary of welts and stuff. Most of them fade by morning.Thankfully, the Zirtec blunts it and I have a high tolerance of itchy as I do not scratch much. And a shower...wow, that's heaven as it scratches everything without the concurrent irritation or swelling. I actually showered through a whole tank of hot water...what am I a teenager again.

So, I am grumpy and itchy. Grumpy because I did refuse a one day prescribed fire as I felt I was a liability to my crew. Who wants to work next to someone who may have a tentacle sprout out of his forehead after the helmet band rubs it...or perhaps this is a better image of what my forehead would look like after a day of rubbing:

All in all, I have to laugh. Just another month in the Saga of Mark.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Dwarf King's Hold

I solo'ed through both introductory scenarios of Dwarf King's Hold: Dead Rising

and Dwarf King's Hold: Green Menace.

The former took thirty minutes including set up time. The latter took forty-two minutes. This is a simple game with a lot of tactical nuance. Dwarves are tough and can shield bash; or should I say MUST if they want to win. Skeletons are slow but hard to permanently kill. Elves are fast and nimble always leaping out of the way of the first hit. Orcs are unkillable until you wound them; then, they get angry, faster, meaner but easy to kill as they forget to defend. At first I was skeptical. Then I played them out. These distinctions are fantastic. There are six games in each box; alternate playing sides and you get six more plays out of each. Each box is a separate game, so if you have no interest in Dwarves vs. Skeletons or Elves vs. Dwarves, there is no need to buy that one. The figures are characterful, durable and quite nice. There are also advanced rules adding additional troop types, weapons, war dogs and war panthers; but I did not try them. The tiles are also very nice and not tabbed so you literally have countless combinations. All in all, Mantic has produced two good games, not just a rehash of Space Hulk set in the world of Swords and Sorcery. I will be buying Dwarf King's Hold: Ancient Grudge, an expansion later this year when budget permits...

Oh! There is a pre-order up for the Mantic take on SciFi Corridor Crawls called Project Pandora: Grim Cargo that has me very intrigued. Giant, intelligent space rats spewing poison gas and using power drills...