In SpaceStein no one can hear you scream...

    This past Saturday (June 28th) at 7pm Central, I was fortunate enough to participate in Josh's SpaceStein.  When he originally posted about it, I wasn't very interested for two main reasons: 1) I'm not much of a sci-fi person and 2) I had never played Traveller before.  After a bit of light badgering I acquiesced and dove into the rules to get myself ready for the game, and I sure am glad I did that, it was one for the ages!

Enter Lt. Hootonius

      The first character I rolled up wasn't much, but had some interesting potential.  A 2 term veteran of the Space Navy, he was intelligent, educated, a social climber, but relatively weak, undexterous, and average endurance.  On his second term he was commissioned an officer and promoted to Lieutenant, but on his re-enlistment had been politely but firmly told his services were no longer needed; I imagine he made some dreadful error that forced him into early retirement.  He left the Navy with 55k Credits, a Blade, and skills in Computer-1, Gunnery-1, and Auto-Pistol-1.  He was contacted by P. B. Ricks to join the crew of the Sun Shredder, a small courier vessel on it's way to URF Station to locate some missing packages, in exchange for the passage Hootonius was asked to code up an anti-hijacking program to make sure that the passengers aboard didn't try to steal the ship.  On the voyage in, a distress signal was picked up, and a lone survivor was brought aboard, due to lack of space in the Sun Shredder he had to spend the rest of the ride to URF Station in the airlock.

    As we traveled to URF Station, we reached transmission range and picked up some unsettling rumors about our destination: corruption, dying miners, skilljackers, the works.  Hootonius also received an encoded message from my employer, the Tharsis Corporation, informing him of his goals once aboard the station, which if successful would land him a lucrative job with the company: 1) Find the Golden Spore and escape with it; 2) Find the Designer Combat Drugs; 3) Do not allow anyone to connect Tharsis to the dead miners or skilljackings.  I was also informed that there would be other Tharsis operatives aboard to help me in achieving these goals, they were to be identified by correctly responding to the phrase "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." with "Now get your ass to Mars."

    We soon arrived at URF, and upon disembarking were met in the Hangar Bay by other Travellers as well as the officials of the Station.  Marshall Garrick Stone (SNUFKIN) confiscated all non-bladed weapons and informed us of the rules of the Station, he then took the players with Medical experience to the Med Bay to get their opinions on some of the recently deceased miners.  The rest of us filtered over to the Casino and various other interest points in the Station.  Almost immediately upon arriving in the Casino, the two Barons had begun a spat amongst themselves over standard aristocratic non-sense.  Baron von Weltraumsfelsner had insulted the honor of Baron Kane, calling him an upjumped peasant, satisfaction was demanded and the two squared off with blades drawn to defend their personal honor.  Those of us in attendance were quick to lay wagers on who we thought would draw first blood, Hootonius had his money on the Teutonic Titan Weltraumsfelsner.  After several rounds of thrusts, parries, ripostes, and narrow misses; the eager spectators doubled down on their bets against these two equally skilled opponents.  At last after several minutes of exciting fencing, Baron Kane went wide while Weltraumsfelsner's blade found purchase in the meat of Kane's thigh, the duel was ended and Hootonius several hundred Credits richer.  Baron Kane non-chalantly adjourned to a table, his leg still bleeding, as he nursed a space whiskey and waited for a medic to attend to him.  He briefly talked with P. B. Ricks and discovered that he too was looking for something, a package of some sort, perhaps he was also on the hunt for the Spore and the Drugs, maybe even an ally or at worst a possible patsy.  The excitement having died down, Hootonius decided now was the time to begin snooping around the Station, but first he needed to recover his Auto-Pistol from the Marshall's Office so that he could use the silencer he had concealed in his uniform to eliminate any one who got in his way.

    He successfully picked the lock to the Marshall's Office, but neglected to close the door behind him, and inside he saw three weapons lockers and tried his hand at opening them, searching for his confiscated pistol.  He picked open the middle locker and saw the Marshall's Weapons cache for deputizing the station, 4 shotguns and 4 blades... too conspicuous.  Next he tried the right hand locker, and as the tumbler slipped the faint smell of high explosive powder wafted from the lock.  Hootonius decided against turning himself into a fine pink mist, and went to open the left hand locker, the tumbler slipped the locker door cracked open when he heard steps behind him... Lance Corporal Sneed of the Space Scouts.  Panic-stricken, Hootonius laid every line of bullshit he could think of, trying to explain away the obvious, that he was up to no good.  He somehow managed to convince Sneed that he was simply scared after Guy Vickers had made some statements about wishing to brawl in the Casino, how Hootonius was a frail man and no match for the Army Veteran so hoped to be able to defend himself with his pistol if needed.  Sneed took pity on Hootonius and allowed him to leave on the promise that he would stay clear of Vickers and any trouble, Sneed also promised to keep quiet about Hootonius' poor judgement and indiscretion, but declined his offer of a drink at the Casino instead staying behind to guard the now vulnerable gun lockers in the Marshall's Office.

    Flustered and unsure of how to accomplish his goals of eliminating any threats to Tharsis without his silenced pistol, he went back into the Casino.  P. B. Ricks approached him, asked to speak in private, Hootonius followed him to a back room of the Casino.  Ricks informed him that he thinks the package he is looking for is somewhere on the Station and that he's assembling a team to find and recover it.  Knowing that there were other Tharsis agents aboard, Hootonius decided to test the waters in his thick Space German accent, "have you ever herd ze story of ze zwei astronauts who vere locked out in ze airlock?  Und von says to ze other, very funny now open ze pod bay doors, Hal?"  Ricks looked puzzled and certain he didn't like where this was going "uh no man, never heard that one..." as he opened a bag revealing a shiny helmet inside, slowly drawing it from the bag.  "Are you one of zose, how you say... Psykers?" Hootonius asked nervously.  "Nah man, I thought you might be one... look I don't think this is gonna work... keep your distance from me... I'd hate to have to do something I'd regret after that work you did for the Shredder on the way over here," Ricks said in his jive accent.  Ricks left Hootonius, surely spreading the word amongst his team that I was not to be trusted.  

    Dejected, worried his cover had been blown, Hootonius finished his space whiskey, wondering who could be his contact.  It struck him that the Station Manager Gustav Fehlinger was a representative of Tharsis Corp, and surely would be informed that agents of the company were coming aboard to search for the Spore and Drugs and help cover up the for the dead miners and skilljackings.  He went into the hall to search for him, walking past the Marshall's Office, where Sneed still stood, now armed with an Auto-Rifle and a badge.  "Herr Sneed, I see you have been deputized, I zank you for your discretion over my foolishness." Sneed responded curtly, "yeah I haven't told anyone yet, but the Marshall's looking for whoever broke in here, it'd probably be best for you to go fess up before he finds out."  "Ja a gut idea, zank you," Hootonius replied, as he finished his sentence in came Fehlinger who began inquiring something of the Deputy; Hootonius was too distracted to pay attention, trying to figure out how to get Fehlinger alone without arising the suspicions of Sneed.  "Herr Fehlinger, may I have un moment of you time, you represent Tharsis yes? I have something to discuss with you, if you please."

    The two adjourned to the now empty Casino, Fehlinger rambling about the goings on of the Station, the trouble with the miners, his fast talk only punctuated by constant sniffles, his eyes darting around as a man possessed by the finest uppers a man could acquire on such a remote station.  "Herr Fehlinger I need your assistance... but first I must ask you, have you herd ze tale of ze astronauts on ze airlock?  Vhere one says to ze other 'Please open ze pod bay doors, Hal?'" "Ja," responds Fehlsinger, "un ze other says 'now get your ass to Mars'?" "Genau," says Hootonius excitedly, "I need  your assistance in recovering my veapon from ze Marshall's Office... I have been zent to assist in keeping things quiet about ze dead miners... I have an auto-pistol in ze lockers, but my silencer is in my pocket... it vill make zings easier for me if I have it... as you can see I'm not a strong man," Hootonius informs the Manager, hoping he'll be able to use his influence on the Station to allow Hootonius to recover his pistol and complete his mission.

    "Unfortunately... he refuses to do anyzing vithout orders from that Dummkopf Marhsall... but perhaps we can over power him... zere are zwei of us und only ein of him," Fehlinger responds.  Both men have blades and a plan is formed, a risky one for sure, but the chance of success seems good, surprise is on their side.  However, no sooner do the two men reach the ajar door of the Marshall's Office, than Fehlinger words drip with menace "zis is your last varning, Sneed..."  As soon as the word's leave the Manager's lips, Sneed levels his Auto-Rifle sending a hail of gunfire toward the two men.  Hootonius doesn't have time to even react before the bullets tear into him.  He and Fehlinger are unconscious and bleeding out when a crackle comes over a concealed communicator in Fehlinger's pocket "Fehlinger.... we have found it...".  As soon as the message ends, Sneed gives both men a coup-de-grace and their worlds fade to black.

Enter Sir Reginald 

    Hieronymous bid everyone a good game and good night after the death of his character.  I was intrigued to see what would transpire, Josh told me to roll up a new character and wait for goals and instructions, he would be waking from cryo-sleep in one of the ships and would re-enter with late arrival Leon Harvey.  During the battle in the Marshall's Office the Free Trader Ferigno had been discovered listing off the Station, it's crew apparently massacred.  Sir Reginald's goals would be: 1) Find out more about the hijackers and bring them to justice; 2) Find out what happened to the Ferigno, if it is functioning, make it aboard as a crewmember; 3) Locate the Golden Spore and escape with it.  The quickly generated character I rolled was of average strength and dexterity, but with low endurance, certainly no brawler; he was reasonably intelligent, well educated, and of minor nobility (a Knight), he served one term aboard a Merchant where he was made 4th Officer, he had skills in Bribery-1, Medical-1, and Piloting-1, 25k Credits and an Auto-Pistol, Blade, and Dagger.

    He stepped out onto the Hangar Bay where Lt. Hyades was waiting, guarding the Sun Shredder.  Ricks had obviously informed him of Hootonius' intentions and Sir Reginald was immediately threatened (NOTE: in a game where Disguise Kits are on the standard equipment list, when rolling a new character remove your gamer handle to avoid situations like this), it took lots of convincing and some minor cowardice to convince Hyades of my story, no words would do and when he threatened to Reginald harm, he ran as fast as he could to the Marhsall's Office to turn in his weapon passing by a crowded and excited Casino.

    In the Casino, I tried to regain my bearings, it seemed much had transpired between Hootonious' death what felt like moments before and now.  Sir Reginald introduced himself to the assembled players and bought a round of space whiskey, claiming it helped "put the lead back in his pencil" after a long sore cryo-sleep in low passage.  Soon Ricks entered with some others who had recently returned from the Ferigno, and rumors started flying as to what was transpiring on the listing ship.  Apparently something had wiped out the crew and damaged the main drive, but otherwise the ship was in decent shape and could be limped to a repair facility.  Sir Reginald inquired about if it had been hijacked, and was informed that some form of poisonous gas had killed the crew aboard, possibly a leak from the damaged jump drive.  Discussion in the Casino also turned to salvage rights, and Guy Vickers claimed to know a guy in the the next sub-system who could scrap it.  Sir Reginald, however was convinced that it could be made good and if the proper paperwork was acquired, made a legal trader again.  Sir Reginald made an offer to Ricks, if the Ferigno was salvageable, the two could go into a partnership, expanding operations from just the small Sun Shredder to include the larger cargo ship.  Ricks and the recently returned men soon left to discuss the findings with the Marshall and others more knowledgeable about the rights of salvage and repair down in the Engineering Bay.  After they had left, Sir Reginald realized there was a man here in the casino who could help his newfound goal of ownership of a Free Trader, the Baron Kane!  He quickly inquired about the Baron writing out a space affidavit attesting to the status of Ferigno as an abandoned hulk and placing it's title into my hands for transport to a repair facility and if no claimant was found to the ship, my eventual ownership!

    Sir Reginald soon took leave to head down to the Cargo Bay and see if another Ship's Boat was available to head out and investigate the Ferigno for himself, it gnawed at him that something about Ricks' story wasn't adding up quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  Why would there be such damage, what could've caused it, why was Ricks seemingly so secretive about what he saw up there...

    When he entered the Hangar Bay, a fight was in progress between Inquisitor Eilon Mux and Reginald Feathering PhD, it was clear Feathering was done for, he quickly hurried on to Cargo to not invoke the ire of Mux.  There he was able to find another Ship's Boat, and quickly other's joined him eager to see the Ferigno for themselves and escape from the threatened decompression of the Engineering Bay.  So much for secrecy.  In his new company was Baron Kane, Medic Kane (no relation), Lt. Col. Cooper, and Lt Col. Max Force, they floated out to the listing Ferigno and once aboard investigated the ship.  Mysteriously empty and despite the jump drive relatively undamaged, Lt. Col. Force went below to investigate the Cargo Hold and see if there were any more clues to Ferigno's fate or traps laid by the hijackers/previous crew.  

    While waiting for his return they saw a bright flash in the darkness of space, the Sun Shredder had jumped from the Station, and they received a hailing beacon from the Puddle Jumper (the Ship's Boat of the Sun Shredder).  Upon making radio contact with the Puddle Jumper, they learned that the Sun Shredder had been hijacked by Mux, and they were set adrift in the Puddle Jumper.  Sir Reginald convinced Baron Kane that not only was it within his power, the right and proper thing to do was for the Baron to write a Space Letter of Marque, commissioning the listing Ferigno as a privateer.  They hailed the Puddle Jumper, eager to bring them aboard and tell them the good news for their bad situation, Ferigno would put into the nearest repair station and upon completion of repairs would hunt down that bastard Mux and retrieve the Sun Shredder!

    Unfortunately, such the happy reunion soon turned sour.  Unbeknownst to Sir Reginald and his companions, during the first trip out to the Ferigno, Ricks had made a terrible discovery... the previous crew was not killed by hijackers... they were eaten by Space Monsters!  One of those monsters had taken the form of the Ship's Cook, and had turned the unsuspecting Ricks and his investigators into one of their kind.  Ricks, Vickers, and the other recently rescued monsters made quick work of the Ferigno's new crew, converting each one in kind.  Still hungry for more victims, they concocted a plan... URF Station was hailed, but locked down and would not let anyone from Ferigno aboard.  One of the monsters (I believe Max Force) had found the Golden Spore aboard Ferigno and offered it to the Station in exchange for our weapons (under the guise that we were not monsters, but wished to leave the system on the trail of the Sun Shredder).  Still no dice from the valiant defenders of the Station, and it too jumped from the system.  Our plans dashed, Space Monster Baron Kane informed us that we should steer for his home planet and feast until we were fit to burst, from there we could spread our evil race across the galaxy to any unsuspecting victims, converting the strongest to increase our ranks!

     And so ends our tale, Inquisitor Mux ignominiously and cowardly retreated from the system, leaving it in the hands of a Xeno scourge.  Baron Weltraumsfelsner, LCpl. Sneed, and Marshall Stone had saved the station and hailed as heroes of the local mining populace.  The rest of the cast had been converted into ravenous Space Monsters intent on taking over the sub-system, with nothing in their way to stop them.  Only the dead could say they now knew peace, things would be forever changed in this tiny remote corner of the universe.

     

Boot Hill & Braunstein: Escapades in Norazona

     A couple Saturdays ago, the members of the Living Urf Club™ got together in Discord to play a game of Boot Hill in their alt-history setting of Norazona.  The game took place in a small town in Missouri.  There were three local characters and a band of disparate drifters; the locals were Sheriff Bass Armstrong (played by Hollyfelled), Reverend George Stuart (played by Night Danger), and the proprietor of the local watering hole the Golden Slipper Saloon Jeremiah "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe (played by myself).  The drifters were: Frogan "Nutcracker" Zappa (RaptorJesus), Zan Van Gief (Polyfamous), Sam Slater (Jake), Seabass Johnson (Joshinyu), Barnum Bailey (StDewd), Cody Flynn (nekrodvna), and John Marinier (Intanius). 

Jeremiah "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe

    Before the game began the Referee (Crom) sent out objectives and goals to the players and any information they had on the town and eachother (which was little). My objectives as the Barkeep were as follows: 

    I had talked with the Referee and decided that the Golden Slipper would be home to a Faro table, as well as allow players to play Poker amongst themselves at the other tables in the establishment.  I had also been contacted by Barnum Bailey to see if I would allow him to host a Knife Throwing contest, which sounded like fun so I readily agreed (for a 10% cut of the entry fee, obviously). The night began with a handful at the Faro table, a few in the back throwing knives, and a few of the brawnier drifters out in the streets wrestling.  I received a note from the Referee that one of my employees had overheard Barnum talking about the mysterious package, but I was so caught up in the Faro game (and keeping track of the various cheaters) I forgot to respond.  I was able to call out Sam Slater for moving his bets after the cards were drawn (he had a 9% chance of being detected at cheating) and John Marinier was also doing suspiciously well but before I could call him on it he removed himself.  Only one player was consistently at the table and obviously not cheating, Seabass Johnson.

    After about an hour or so of gambling, Zan Van Gief came in and called all the players wussies for not wrestling out in the streets like real men. The gamblers and bar flies quickly filed out to watch the fights and make some money betting on the contestants.  All except one, the affable and obviously trustworthy Mr. Johnson.  He asked me if I had heard anything about robberies in town lately.  I responded that I hadn't heard of any robberies but there was some mail that had been delayed, possibly due to nefarious means.  He asked what it was and I responded a package was sent by a friend to me that had not turned up, but a letter had asking if I had received it.  He said he had received a similar letter and asked if we could adjourn to the back room to discuss this privately lest the wrong person walk in off the street and overhear us. (Note: this was all happening in various Discord Voice channels, the Saloon, the Streets, and the Outhouse were the only open channels that you didn't need permission to enter)

    We stepped in back and he asked to see my letter.  I showed it to him and his eyes lit up, I hoped due to him being one of the drifters I was seeking.  Instead he responded by grabbing me, putting me in an arm lock and before I could defend myself with my knife, had not only subdued me but drained me of my blood! Seabass Johnson was a Vampire! (As soon as "Turkey Creek" Oglethorpe was killed, I minimized the Voice Chat, saw in the General Chat that Frogan had been knocking on the door for several minutes; had I seen it earlier, Oglethorpe may have lived!)

    The Referee allowed me to roll up a new Character, Little Tex, a drifter who was given 2 Goals: 1) Collect $200, 2) Live.  Little Tex rode up in to town, and his first stop was the Sheriff's Office to deposit his firearms (the town had enacted an ordinance against firearms being carried), from there he headed over to the Golden Slipper to see what he could learn about the area.  He arrived to a scene of chaos; while I was busy rolling up a new character and getting my new goals Slater and Bailey had gone into the back room of the Slipper to discuss something and stumbled upon the shriveled husk of "Turkey Creek".  Bailey had gone to get the Sheriff, and Slater was hypothesizing on what could have done this to the poor bartender, one by one the Players and the Sheriff entered the bar and we began discussing who the culprit of this grizzly crime could be.  The Sheriff then told us all to follow him to his office where we could discuss this further and lock up any suspect(s).

    Back in the Sheriff's Office we continued to eliminate suspects based on their alibis and as the focus narrowed in on three men, Seabass Jackson who showed up late to the street fighting, or Sam Slater and Barnum Bailey working together to accomplish the crime.  I bit my tongue, as a newly arrived drifter, and Bailey was put in the holding cell, Slater was eliminated as a suspect based on statements from one of the other players (I believe it was Marinier). While we were debating whether it was prudent to lock up a potentially innocent man with whatever monster had drained the poor bartender, Seabass threw a wrench in the works and accused Cody Flynn of robbing Van Gief while he was knocked out after the street fight.  All eyes turned to Flynn as he was asked to empty his pockets, but he had an ace up his sleeve; earlier in the evening he had contracted Frogan to watch his back just in case something like this happened.  Everyone began to surround Flynn, Frogan pulled a stick of dynamite from his boot, allowing Flynn a chance to escape.  As soon as the dynamite was produced and the fuse lit, a chorus of announcements in the voice chat of "I'm pulling a derringer from my pocket/sleeve/pants" flurried out.  Frogan was gunned down by Slater who was the fastest draw, Marinier stamped out the fuse, and while the debate resumed into Seabass' guilt or innocence the newly Deputized Van Gief took off after Flynn (chasing him through various voice channels until he holed up in the Church for a minute to plan his next move).  

    While this chase was going on, we decided that Seabass was just as likely a suspect as Bailey, but it would be inhumane to lock up an innocent man with a crazed and deranged monster.  Bailey would remain in the holding cell and Seabass would be shackled and taken by Slater (now also deputized for putting the madman Frogan down) to the County Jail a few blocks away.  Van Gief burst in letting us all know that Flynn was on the run last scene stealing a horse and heading out of town.  Little Tex agreed to join the Sheriff in the chase, while Van Gief guarded Bailey, Slater walked Seabass to jail and Marinier decided to hang back for an unknown purpose. We were hot on Flynn's trail and got a few miles out of town before realizing that Flynn had stolen a random horse and we weren't sure if we could catch him, our Referee made a quick roll to determine the quality of the horse and unfortunately Flynn had stolen a prized thoroughbred and we couldn't catch up.

    As we turned back to town empty handed the Referee informed us we could see the glow of fire coming from places in town; Flynn must have set them to cover his escape!  As we got back onto the main street, we heard shots ring out; the Sheriff ordered me to ride ahead while he covered me with his rifle.  I got out front of the Sheriff's Office to see Van Gief, Slater, and Seabass who was no longer shackled standing over a bullet ridden Marinier.  They explained that Marinier had attempted to bushwhack Slater and Seabass on their way to the County Jail; Slater had uncuffed Seabass so he could defend himself more easily, while Van Gief had arrived at the sounds of gunshots and fired into Marinier from an angle he wasn't expecting killing him.  We all walked back into the Sheriff's Office, Seabass was able to argue that the attempted hit was exoneration for himself and that the real killer must be Marinier (who also happened to be the most ardent advocate for Seabass being the murderer).  The Sheriff went for his keys to unlock Bailey and shots rang out from Seabass and Deputy Van Gief killing the Sheriff and wounding Bailey.  I reflexively fired at Seabass with my derringer hitting him twice, but both wounds can't take down the undead.  Slater holds his fire.  At this point a Mexican Standoff begins with Seabass on one side, Slater and Little Tex on the other.  Seabass offers to let Little Tex leave and take Frogan's body with him (a wanted criminal with a $1,000 reward), Slater agrees not knowing if he can trust the newcomer and presuming he can beat Seabass on the draw.  I don't think I stand much chance against a scattergun at this range and take the offer, keeping my eyes on the other two and back to the door, I drag Frogan's body out throw it over the back of my horse and leave the burning town to collect my reward (both of my objectives had been completed!).

    I stuck around in the voice chat to hear what comes next, Van Gief announces he's a vampire and lunges at Bailey, Slater fires on Van Gief.  Van Gief is down.  Seabass sends a hail of bullets into Bailey, killing him with the first round (a headshot).  It's now one on one.  Knowing that the monster is down, but assuming that Seabass is in cahoots; Slater turns to fire at Seabass.  Before he can squeeze the trigger the vampire is on him and lands a killing blow sucking the life out of Slater's veins.  The town burning down around him Seabass grabs his wounded and unconscious partner and drags him to safety.  Flynn has escaped (and revealed he had the sought after package), the vampires lived to fight another day, a pile of bodies are ready to be consumed by the funeral pyre of the burning town, Little Tex has escaped and will be $1,000 richer.  At this point its a little after 2 a.m., the game is done, but many of us stay on til 4 a.m. discussing the game and peaking behind the fog of war.  We're all hooked on Boot Hill and can't wait to play it again.  The next morning Slater's player posts this in the Discord and I heartily agree!

 

Moscow Informer - Issue 1, Summer 1900

     Greetings citizens of the Russian Empire and readers of the World.  This humble paper has been founded on the order of His Excellency Tsar Nicholas II to inform the citizens of the mighty Russian Empire of what is happening in these fast paced modern times.  The new century promises to be one of peace, prosperity, and power for Russia and her friends around the world.  We will do our best to present the news as it transpires and to the best of our abilities.

     In France, the Republic has been ended in a bloodless coup and the Bourbon dynasty has resumed its rightful throne.  His most Catholic Majesty Charles Raphael d'Bourbon has been coronated as the new King of France.  He has pledged his sacred honor to restoring France to its rightful place upon the world stage and to expand and protect the Catholic faith wherever its adherents may be found.  One of King Charles' first acts was to publicly call for the abdication of Italy's Victor Emmanuel III and to return Italy to what he declared was "its rightful place as the Papal States under the rules of the most pious and wise Pope Leo XIII;" Victor Emmanuel did not deign to dignify this proclamation with a response.  The editors of this humble paper wish King Charles a long and peaceful rule and Bon Chance in his endeavors!

 

King Charles Raphael d'Bourbon

    In England, Albert Edward has abdicated the throne in favor of his son and our sovereign's cousin George V.  Upon ascending to the throne, George V immediately dissolved the ancient Parliament to ensure a free hand in expanding Britain's interests.  George's father, Albert Edward, was recently sighted in St. Petersburg meeting with his nephew Tsar Nicholas.  Our friends at the British Court have heard rumors of support from their ancient ally Portugal, but what that tiny and rather insignificant nation can offer to aid the might of the British Empire can hardly be fathomed.

George V

 

Albert Edward and Tsar Nicholas aboard the Baltic Fleet

    Sultan Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire recently issued a cryptic message concerning a new ally of the Sick Man of Europe, a group calling itself the CONWHDIOSORS.  We have been unable to identify this unnamed ally, most certainly a group of radical fundamentalists.  This announcement was met with a response by George V: "it is in the best interests of Western Europe to move beyond the internal rivalries of previous centuries; a divided West is vulnerable to the pet vultures of the Old Turk."  Strong and wise words from a magnanimous man who clearly only desires peace and prosperity for all Europeans.  Rumors from our Orthodox friends in Constantinople have indicated a possible move by the Mohammedeans to make one last show of their fading empire, extending control over lost lands in North Africa and across the Aegean.  Surely this attempt to extend the waning empire to the height of the Caliphate of old is more than the aging empire can manage.  We hope these are nothing more than mere rumors and that the Turks do not intend to violate Bulgarian independence or the treaty of San Stefano hard fought for and won only 20 years ago.

Sultan Abdul Hamid II

    Our most kind and benevolent sovereign recently gifted a fine hound to his cousin, the German Kaiser Wilhelm.  In recent months the Kaiser has done much hot winded saber rattling, but his goals and aims are known only to himself; our sources at the German Chancellery have not been able to provide any insight into the Kaiser's intentions for this new century.  Perhaps he is merely compensating for his weak hand, perhaps he intends to inflame the old rivalry with France, perhaps his eyes are set to loftier goals in Central Europe and the Baltic; your guess, dear reader, is as good as mine!

Kaiser Wilhelm

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was recently seen in Serbia.  Our reporters in the Balkans have reported that he met with local government and student leaders who unanimously requested the Austro-Hungarians intercede on their behalf should old Johnny Turk try to watlz his way into the Balkans.  Why they would ask a Catholic king and not send envoys to the mightiest nation in the Orthodox World, we cannot say.  Hopefully, it is merely due to proximity to the Austrians and not a slight or snub against our own beloved monarch.

 

Emperor Franz Josef

Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia

    Nothing has been heard from Italy, the last we have heard, dear reader, is that Victor Emmanuel III rules benevolently and is beloved by his countrymen.

Victor Emmanuel III

     And lastly, dear reader, news from our beloved Motherland!  Tsar Nicholas publicly proclaimed for one and all: "Let it be known in good faith and benevolence that the Bear of Mother Russia will protect & defend the integrity of her Slavic and Orthodox Cubs in the Balkans against any who would subdue or otherwise harm them!"  Whether this is a serious warning to those who would subjugate our Orthodox kin or merely empty bloviating is yet to be seen.  As previously noted, Albert the father our Britain's George V and uncle-by-marriage to our own Tsar, recently visited St. Petersburg.  The two were seen touring the Baltic Fleet in their naval finery, discussing family gossip, and the latest in naval technology.  Sources have confirmed a stream of ambassadors, emissaries, envoys, telegrams, and other communiques streaming in and out of the Summer Palace going to and from the various powers of Europe.  Our sources have told us that much of this has been idle family gossip between the Tsar and his cousins, but letters bearing the seals of the fleur-de-lis and crescent moon have been spotted in the Tsar's mail.  Most certainly nothing more than the usual diplomatic niceties, it is highly dubious that His Highness would stoop so low as to form an alliance between the infidels and the schismatics.  It has been noted that no communication has been seen originating from either the Italian Peninsula or from beyond the Danube.  Sources at the General Staff have heard of general military maneuvers and training exercises to be conducted over the Summer by the fleets at sea and the armies in the field.  The Generals are most anxious to try their hands at a new training aid sent over by Kaiser Wilhelm, a curious game meant to simulate modern warfare.  This game, Wilhelm claims, is the reason the Prussian generals won their victory over the French so quickly back in '71; in true Germanic fashion it has the precise if unimaginative name that translates to "War Game."

Tsar Nicholas II; Guardian of the East, Protector of Orthodoxy, Patriarch of all Slavs

BREAKING

 

    Just prior to printing this inaugural issue, we have seen a diplomat enter the Summer Palace bearing a fine gift, a bust of the warrior-maiden Joan of Arc.  A fine gift from His most Catholic Majesty King Charles d'Bourbon.  The diplomat spoke with our reporter saying, "His Highness instructed the Diplomatic Service to deliver gifts to all the European Heads of State to show His Majesty's good will and noble intentions to bring France prosperously and peacefully into the 20th Century."

 

The fine gift from the most magnanimous monarch in Europe!

Musings on sharing social hobbies with your kids

    This post is going to be a little philosophical. A recent comment on X inspired me to think about this over the weekend as my son and I participated in another hobby of mine, historical reenacting. This past weekend was Texas Independence Day (the 189^th Anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence to be specific). I usually spend my weekend on Independence Day down where the Declaration was signed, dressed in old timey clothes, talking about old timey things, and generally helping the State Historic Site bring those events to life for the public. The past two times I've been out, my son has joined me (although there's been a gap the last couple years as the State has been renovating the site). While he enjoys coming out and spending time with dad, I realized I enjoy it for additional reasons.

    First of all, sharing hobbies with your children not only shares the passion you have for those hobbies, but also allows for good father-child bonding moments that life may not otherwise afford. Secondly, and this is the main reason I'm writing this, sharing social hobbies with your children like reenacting or in-person tabletop gaming help develop social skills (what the BROs call social technology) that we all recognize are severely lacking in the younger generations.

    We arrived Friday night, and went around saying our hellos to the friends we'd be spending the weekend with, he was taught to shake hands and properly introduce himself. Saturday morning some other friends arrived with their kids, so while I was busy doing what he saw as the “boring things” of talking to the public for several hours, he and the other youngins entertained themselves by playing together and watching the Punch & Judy and Magic Shows (which were excellent). Once the sun set and the public left, I let him stay up a little past his bedtime (and the other kids regrettably became distracted with screens they had been forced to neglect all day) while I and my friends spent time on the porch of an 1840s farmhouse. The men entertained ourselves by drinking, talking, singing songs, reciting Shakespeare, and other manner of 1800s entertainments. I wanted him to see something he doesn't get to see much of in 2025, a dozen or so men out and enjoying each others company and holding conversations together (both in group or as quiet sidebars so as not to distract or otherwise interrupt the main discussion being had).

    We spent another night sleeping in the loft of the farmhouse, and awoke the next morning to the event being over, and everyone packing their things and heading their separate ways. Time for another important oft neglected lesson on being sociable, making the rounds of good-byes. Again, as I bid my farewells, let my friends know how good it was to see them, and inquired about when I'd get to see them again; I had my son do the same with a firm handshake (for a 7 year old) and a sincere “it was nice to meet you.” 

    Either he is incredibly unpopular (which from what I've seen at his school activities isn't the case) or there's been a massive shift in how busy we all are and the way it is impacting how we raise our children; there haven't been nearly as many birthday parties in his time at school as I remember attending as a boy (and these concepts of etiquette seem to be quite foreign to him and many of his classmates; simple things like saying “Thanks for having me, I really enjoyed myself, I can't wait for the next one.”). I know my wife and I are guilty of this as well, preferring to do family trips for birthdays as opposed to class parties either at home or a child-friendly venue.  Due to this fact, it's extra important to bring your kids along so they can acquire these vital social skills that will serve them through their lives.

    So if you take anything away from this ramble, please let it be this. Share your hobbies and passions with your kids. Take them places that allow you to put those hobbies on display, if not just for the bonding time, but also for the important social lessons that can be imparted which we all recognize are fading from our ever increasing digitized world. We can fix the anti-socialization we're seeing, but it's going to take effort, and most importantly getting out into the world, seeing friends, and allowing your kids to see you be that good example of a friendly and properly socialized human being.

The Battle of Fort Fenrir

 

    First a little background, the BroXT has been recently experimenting with approaching old school D&D as a wargame as well as whether or not it can handle battles larger than the Adventurers vs. the Dungeon's Denizens. Due to my impeccable takes on old Elon's House of Gentlemanly Discourse, I was brought in to play one of these battles, the results of which would affect an ongoing AD&D 1^st Edition campaign (Trollopulous). My opponent for this exercise was Jake Letourneau. I was given the command of Lord Fenrir and the task of defending Fort Fenrir from the marauding Severed Head Orcs commanded by Jake. The Rules used were the tips from Jeffro Johnson's article on scaling combat from BROZER as well as AD&D's rules and suggestions on how to play out mass battles as scattered in the unparalleled Dungeon Master's Guide. Due to the fact that we live about 2,000 miles apart from each other we played the game last night over video chat in Discord, with Jake hosting the table and armies (represented by colored cubes marked to show the unit type). We set the figure scale at 1:10 and got to work, it took us about two-and-a-half hours to resolve, and while some mistakes were made and things forgotten in the heat of the moment (due to both of us still learning the intricaces of 1^st Edition AD&D), a good time was had by all and a very reasonable outcome was produced in a short amount of time.

    Fort Fenrir is a small keep supporting and protecting about 1,000 local inhabitants. The fate of this battle would decide the fates of many. The Orders of Battle were:

Lord Fenrir's Host:

Lord Fenrir, a 9^th level Lawful-Good Fighter

His 5 retainers (1 4^th level Magic-User, 1 5^th level Cleric, 1 5^th level Fighter, 2 4^th level Fighters) and a 6^th level Captain (all except the Magic-User were assigned as Leaders of various formations in the host)

The fort's garrison:

12 Heavy Cavalry

16 Light Cavalry

20 Spearmen

8 Armored Heavy Crossbowmen

and his personal army:

20 Medium Cavalry

20 Light Cavarly

20 Heavy Foot

20 Light Foot

40 Heavy Crossbowmen

20 Light Crossbowmen

The Severed Head Orcs (as best as I can remember and approximate):

Grok'narr their chieftain

Sikks their shaman

5 Assassins

15 Orc leaders

5 Ogres

90 Orcs with Ranseurs

30 Orcs with Longbows

30 Orcs with Heavy Crossbows

 

 

We arranged our troops thusly:

    The Orcish horde arrived outside the gates as dusk approached, Lord Fenrir wisely decided to sally forth and bring the fight to the foe rather than wait until night fell and their infravision gave them a large advantage. He had the initiative on the first turn, but decided to be prudent and cautious, the Crossbowmen were ordered to ready themselves for when the foe came in range, and the Light Horse sent out to the flanks in the hopes of forcing the advancing scum to spread themselves thinner. And advance they did, the Crossbowmen let their bolts fly to minimal damage and the battle was soon begun!

    The Orcish arrows and bolts did some light damage to the Light Horse and Heavy Foot, one company of Orcish infantry with Grok'narr at their head charged headlong into the Heavy Foot and Lord Fenrir being able to get in a free shot due to the extra length of the Ranseurs vs. the Heavy Foot's Lucern Hammers, one Stand of Heavy Foot was taken down and Lord Fenrir charged in to challenge Grok'narr to single combat! The Magic-User's Magic Missile was confounded the Orc Chieftain, as he squared off with our gallant hero. Due to his impressive attacks and +1 Long Sword, the Chieftain was quickly cut down by Fenrir, and with his demise the magical aura emanating from the Severed Head banner he carried (which gave the entire horde +1 Hit Dice) ceased and the battle seemed assured to go in Fenrir's favor! While this was occuring, the Cavalry maneuvered to charge and engage various factions of the Orcish horde. The Heavy Cavalry and the Cleric managed to get in the rear of the Heavy Crossbowmen, the Medium Cavalry made a gallant charge with lances down against a unit of Ranseur armed Orcs, the Light Cavalry and their attached leveled leaders dashed into the the Assassins and longbow Orcs; and the Crossbowmen fired over the melee in front of them at the advancing Ogres, while the left flank Spears set themselves to receive a charge from the lumbering brutes. The Cavalry charges all bore fruit, except for the Medium Horse, who were dismounted by the fiendish Ranseurs.

The Battle Rages

    As the melees raged, the Crossbowmen were able to bring down the Ogres. Victory seemed assured, but before the day was done the tides of battle would turn again and again. The Orcs engaging the Heavy Foot and Fenrir were aided by another company of their foul compatriots, the Spearmen of the garrison were cut down by crossbow fire (due to the small size of the cavalry detachments we agreed that they were busily entangling the Orc leaders in the rear giving the Orcish Crossbows one last chance to fire), and the Spear-armed Light Foot of the army charged to help their comrades. The Orcs were able to take down Stand after Stand of our courageous forces, while in return only Fenrir's blows seemed to find purchase as he cut a swath through the enemy. The now dismounted Medium Foot were disarmed by the Ranseurs of their foes, while the other Cavalry began to make short work of their opponents. The death of the Chieftain triggered the first of many morale checks and the Orcs were out for revenge (only the Ranseur armed Orcs who had disarmed the Medium Horse fled the field the rest resolved to fight it out)!

    The tide of battle turned yet again. The Light Cavarly slew the Assassins and wheeled around to engage with the main scrum, the other Light Cavalry charged in to help the dismounted and disarmed Medium Cavalry (who had now been engaged by the opportunistic Longbow Orcs), the Magic-User's last Magic Missile struck down Snikk the Orcish Shaman. As the last of our infantry fell around their courageous lord, our remaining retainers and the Crossbowmen charged in to his aid. By the end of the turn morale was checked again, the Longbow and Crossbow Orcs had fled. Our own casualties now reached the point where our morale was shaken, the Medium (now dismounted) Cavalry also decided discretion was the better part of valor and quietly left the field, the remaining Light and Heavy Cavalry did also (in retrospect I may have botched a couple of these rolls and not accounted for some modifiers). But the main scrum held on as the last of the Orc Infantry charged the unprotected Heavy Crossbows. Blow after blow was struck, Orcs and men fell slain, the last of the charging Orcs surrendered to the brave and victorious Crossbowmen and soon all that was left was 20 Orcs with Ranseurs, 5 Orc leaders facing off against Fenrir and 2 leveled Fighters. In his +1 Plate Fenrir was nigh invincible, but the foul pig-faced monstrosities caught a lucky blow and he was knocked unconscious! One last turn would decide the fate of all, and what had seemed like an assured and easy victory moments ago now turned into a real nail-biter.

    The Crossbowmen failed their morale check and disengaged back toward the safety of the fort, the Orcs seeing a chance to turn this embarrassing and costly defeat into a victory rallied in attempt to drive back the Fighters and capture the downed lord. The Magic-User knew it was his time to defend his liege and rushed forward to engage the last of the Orc captains, muttering the arcane words of Blazing Hands he slew them in fiery death! The 6^th level Captain cut down the 10 Orcs who had downed Fenrir and the 4^th level Fighter chased off the last of the foes! The day was won, but at what cost. The Cavalry would need to be recalled and rested, the Infantry would need to be tended and replaced, a hard lesson was learned about giving Crossbowmen more protection than just the shirts on their back, and the wounded Fenrir would need lots of bedrest while he decided what was to be done with his 10 prisoners. But those would be questions for another day and another player, for now there was toasts to be had, wounds to be tended, and feasting to a glorious victory over the forces of evil!

The final tally of casualties were:

1 Unconscious Lord Fenrir

16 Light Horse wounded/killed (20 Light Horse fled and to be reprimanded)

10 Medium Horse wounded/killed (10 fled)

20 Spearmen

20 Light Foot

20 Heavy Foot

10 Heavy Crossbowmen

10 Light Crossbowmen

Surviving:

20 Heavy Crossbowmen

10 Armored Crossbowmen from the Garrison

10 Light Crossbowmen

All the Orcs and Ogres and leaders were slain except

10 Capture Orcs with Ranseurs

1 Leader and his assistants fled

20 Orc Longbows fled

10 Orc Crossbows fled

10 Orc Ranseurs fled

 

 

In conclusion, I think the experiment was a success. While I wouldn't consider this a true wargame or something I'd run on a whim (I think there's better fantasy battle rules out there). This simple scaling system will give you results that can play out at a table session of your RPG group without requiring players to learn a whole new system that they'll probably rarely use. It produced an adequate battle with a story that will be remembered by all involved, triumphs and defeats not just of the army but of individual units as well, which will increase player investment in their imagined characters and forces. I would wholeheartedly recommend trying this at your table, so that your PCs can have their “Theoden at the Pelennor Fields” moments and not just have those happen off screen. The ability to zoom in and out of scale is a boon to the system as well (allowing for the mass combat of units while simultaneously allowing single combats like between Fenrir and Grok'narr, while still allowing for Fenrir to cut down swaths of enemy mooks like a true hero). And for those more enterprising RPG players it serves as a good introduction to the wonderful world of wargaming, hopefully to inspire them to take up another fascinating and fulfilling hobby!

A Boy's first foray into wargaming

    As mentioned in the last post, I recently introduced my son (7) to wargaming, and he did quite well in his first two battles. Here is how that came to be and what came to pass...

    Around Thanksgiving, he discovered Little Wars TV, and was enthralled. While he was devouring their back catalog, I asked if he'd be interested in giving what they were doing a try. He enthusiastically replied, and I began thinking about what I could do to put something together for him. Between him and his sister, I don't have the time I once did to sit and paint up armies; nor can I justify selfishly spending the money required to put together a top tier army of miniature figures. Thinking about how to put this together for him in a way more engaging than a cardboard chit boardgame, but with less financial and time investment than a traditional miniatures game; I remembered something Games Workshop used to do to encourage entry into the hobby in their '90s boxed starter games, papercraft! I spent some time scouring the internet for what's new in the world of paper terrain and miniatures (having had a book of skirmish based Civil War paper flats as a boy). I quickly found Peter Dennis and his paperboys (here and here) as well as the wonderful resource and community of his facebook group.

    I downloaded one of the FREE sample pages from Peter's website, and tried my hand at snipping, the results were better than I remember paper soldiers being. Just before his Christmas Break began, I showed my son the lines of figures Peter had made for Helion Publishing and asked which era he was most interested in. He responded with the American Revolution, and for the cost of a few dollars in the pdf, quality paper, glue, nice detail scissors, and a presentation board sheet for basing, I was off to the races. I read over Andy Callan's 2 page introductory rules that were included in the book, and they seemed easy enough for a 7 year old to grasp, but nuanced enough that it wasn't just a game of “who rolls higher wins.” I proceeded to spend the next two-and-a-half weeks printing, cutting, folding, gluing, snipping, and basing the forces Mr. Callan suggested for an introductory battle. The army was coming together at rate I would never have been able to accomplish with traditional figures. By New Years, I had them as well as some basic terrain (a house and some fencing), now we needed to make a battlefield.

     In the Paperboys group, someone had mentioned that you could use felt yardage as a sort of sandtable by putting shirts or towels underneath to form hills and the lightweight of the figures would be supported and give a more realistic looking hill shape than other commercially available or DIY options. After a quick trip to the local Hobby Lobby, I came home with a few yards of Olive Green felt, as well as other colors to indicate different terrain features (Kelly Green for woods, golden yellow and copper brown for fields, & c.). Fortunately, my parents live close by and agreed to host the game on their dining room table, and mentioned they still had some of the terrain features my dad made for me as a boy (particularly several yards worth of nice real stone walls, that ended up being the perfect height for the ~28mm paperboys). I went over to their house after the kids were in bed to set up the battlefield and introduce my dad to the rules (I had decided it would be fair to give him one side and for myself to act as an advisor for my son and a referee for edge cases that always seem to come up in these kinds of games). The battlefield was relatively simple, a house on a hill served as the objective, a dense wood protected it's flank, fences and walls crisscrossed the area to make maneuvering a bit of a challenge. In the morning the forces would join and the little general would get a chance to shine.

    The objective of the battle was simple: The Brits needed to drive the Americans from the hill, the Americans shatter the British regiments (in the introductory rules a unit cannot move once it has taken 50% casualties, and if it takes more than 50% it is removed from the field entirely). The forces were a bit lopsided to account for the increased quality in discipline and training of the British regulars. Here is the Order of Battle:

Americans (commanded by my dad) had 1 General (who could be attached to a Regiment to help influence them in movement or combat at risk of becoming a casualty) commanding:

2 Regiments (6 stands each) of Continental Line (equal in quality to the British)

3 Regiments (6 stands each) of Militia (who shoot well, but in melee are always at a disadvantage)

2 Detachments (4 stands each) of Riflemen (incredible mobility, range, and accuracy, but only fired half their stands at a time due to the laborious process of loading a rifle vs. a musket)

1 Artillery Detachment (good range, but low chance of doing any real damage unless up close)

British (commanded by my son) had 1 General commanding:

4 Regiments (6 stands each) of Regulars (each represented by different types of troops for easy identification: 1 Highlanders, 1 British Regulars, 1 Hessian Fusiliers, 1 Hessian Grenadiers)

2 Artillery Detachments

 

    We mistakenly alternated deployments, and my dad countered my son at every opportunity. The final deployments were the Riflemen to secure the woods and were opposed by the Hessian Grenadiers, in the Center the Militia and Artillery were to secure the Hill and were opposed by the Highlanders and 1 British Cannon, on the far flank the 2 Continental Regiments were going to square off against the British Regulars and Hessians and the final cannon. We were set to begin!

    Before we began the young general took me outside to conduct a “pre-battle briefing” as he had seen on the Little Wars episodes; his plan was simple, use the Grenadiers and Highlanders to fix the enemy in place while the Hessians and Regulars smashed the flank and rolled up the American line. The first couple turns were spent moving troops into position (the rules use card draw to determine how well the Regiments follow your orders). The Grenadiers and Highlanders were making good progress, but the Hessians were slow to move and the flank attack would now be made in echelon. The Americans were having difficulties getting the militia to the hill and were getting bogged down and stacked up on themselves.

 

 

    By Turn 3 the British flank attack had closed with the Continental Line, and attempted to drive them off with a bayonet charge! The American fire and bravado drove the Brits back handedly, rendering them almost completely ineffective for the rest of the battle. Meanwhile in the Center, the Highlanders pushed back the Militia and American guns. And in the Woods, the Grenadiers had broken one of the Riflemen Detachments.

    The young general took me outside for a mid-game conference, his original plan had been dashed, but he was determined to persevere and snatch Victory from the Jaws of Defeat! He needed to hold the Highlanders in the Center, while the Grenadiers pushed through the woods and the damaged remnants of the flank assault redeployed to drive the Militia back. This was a risky plan, as the Highlanders were now almost completely surrounded and taking fire from all sides. It took 3 turns for the maneuvering to be complete, and despite the withering fire from the Americans, the Highlanders didn't lose a single casualty (due to both some bad attack rolls on my dad's part, and some fantastic disruption saves on my son's). Most turns resulted in the Americans whiffing their shots, but on the final turn before the maneuvering was completed the Scots received 10 hits from the Americans, and managed to rally 8 of them (at the end of the turn each unit rolls dice to rally its hits, if after rallying the unit has over 3 hits, it removes 1 stand equal to every hit over 3; his dice rolling was nothing short of miraculous).

    Now that aid had arrived, the Highlanders attacked! Capturing the enemy guns, and driving a Militia Regiment from the field. The great brawl had begun, as soon the Grenadiers charged another Militia Regiment and drove them back in a heavy combat. For turn after turn Regiments charged and counter-charged into the maelstrom. Soon, all the Militia had been broken or routed, the Grenadiers had been destroyed, and the battle hung in the balance as the Continentals and Highlanders squared off for a final showdown.

    After several tense rounds of hand to hand combat, the Continentals were finally driven from the field, the Highlanders and their young general were victorious! Despite being involved in five separate melees and several rounds of blistering enemy fire, the Highlanders emerged not only bathed in Glory, but without having suffered a single casualty! They would be heralded in the British broadsheets and paraded in front of the King himself whenever they finally returned back to Britain! The young general thoroughly enjoyed himself, it was all he talked about for several days. A new wargamer had been born!

    A couple days later, on the last day of his break, I asked him if he'd like to play again against me. He stuck to the same deployment as against his grandfather. I tried to be a little fancier and push a Militia and a Rifle Detachment through the Woods, hold the Center with the Continentals, and hold the open flank by the House with the other Rifles and the rest of the Militia. My militia struggled to maneuver through the woods and were easily dispatched by the Grenadiers, the open flank was rolled up like a sleeve by the Regulars and Hessians, and the Highlanders held the Center in place while the jaws slowly snapped together. It was an even more impressive victory for the British; if the first battle against his grandpa was a bloody Bunker Hill, this was are thorough trouncing like Camden.

Introduction & Bona Fides

 Welcome, friends!

     I go by Hoot, welcome to my blog.  I am a father of two and pushing 40.  I've been playing games of all sorts since I was a kid and am now introducing my oldest (a lad of seven) to this wonderful hobby!

     My  first computer game was Microprose's WWI dogfighting classic "Knights of the Sky."  From there I moved on to Red Baron 3D, the first two Warcraft games, the first two Diablo games, Starcraft, the Total War series, Combat Mission series, and various other Strategy, Tactical, RPG, Shooter, and Simulator games.

     My first real boardgames (not including classics like Candyland, Battleship, or Monopoly) were games like Risk, Heroquest (at a friend's house), Axis & Allies, and various Avalon Hill titles (especially Gettysburg).

     My first tabletop miniatures game was the ACW classic Fire & Fury.  I also spent much time and treasure on 5th edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle.  I've played and dabbled in all sorts of miniatures games ranging from Ancients, Medievals, ACW, WWI dogfights, WWII skirmish and battalion level tactical games.

     Due to religious reasons, I wasn't allowed to play RPGs like D&D as a kid, but have always found the concept fascinating, and have as an adult enjoyed the older RPG classics as well as select newer titles.

    I put most of these hobbies away in my 20s while I was out being young and having fun.  What brought me back into these hobbies is my son, who is the spitting image of myself at his age.  Just after his 7th birthday, he discovered the Little Wars TV Youtube Channel and was enthralled.  He spent the next month binging their content repeatedly, to the consternation of his little sister.  Around the same time I discovered Peter Dennis' wonderful Paperboys ( Helion Publishing's Books and Peter's Paperboys website ) and decided to put together a small game for him!

     Over the course of Christmas Break, I put together two small American Revolution era Armies (totaling 65 stands of troops), and using the introductory rules provided in the Paperboys Wargaming the American Revolution book by Andy Callan (of "Loose Files and American Scramble" fame) we played through the battle two times.  I'll give a more detailed report of those games in an upcoming post.  I've also introduced him to Avalon Hill's "B-17: Queen of the Skies" and plan to write those up, too.

I hope you enjoy my chronicle of my return to the hobby and introduction of this wonderful thinking-man's pastime to my son!

 

Pictured Below the American forces I snipped together for my son's first game: