Death Metal Cafe

The Cafe is Closed...

2006-09-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

... the Deli is Open.

This blog will no longer be updated.

- The Management

Free tunes for March 19, 2006

2006-03-19T03:17:00.000-08:00

Neurosis - Aeon: No other Neurosis song is as epic as this one. From death march (0:00-2:50), to swirling tri-vocal metal assault (2:50-4:40), to spooky spacious ambience (4:40-6:10), to powerful horn-laden doom (6:10-9:00), fading (9:00-10:00) into a melancholy strings-and-piano outro (10:00-11:44). I'd say more about the greatness of Neurosis, but I'll let you listen and judge for yourself.

Amorphis - Alone: This is a band I'm going to check out with my annual CD order later this year. Everything about this band screams mediocrity, especially if you judge them solely within the context of a single genre which they overlap (metal, prog, pop, etc.). However, I've listened many times over to everything I've found from them. Their songs are just so dang catchy.

New Kids in Town

2006-02-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

Two 3-month-old brothers adopted from the local shelter. We lost one of our cats earlier this year (it was likely cancer). Our older male tabby is tolerating them at a distance. We are adoring them up close - a couple of lovable cuties!

Their names are Lingk (left) and Alonzo. This continues our tradition of naming our cats after characters from our very favorite movies:

Yanr (Raise the Red Lantern)
Cecil (A Room with a View)
Ripley (Aliens)
Alonzo (Training Day)
Lingk (Glengarry Glen Ross)

10 of 2005

2006-01-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

A little bit late, but no less lame. As I did last year, I wanted to record ten significant things that happened to me over the last 12 months. "Dreams, Debt, Death - the stains of mediocrity"

Brought Ruoda home: By itself, my time with Ruoda could take over the whole list: listening to music (her current fave: Fear Factory's Transgression); reading books (fave: All the Way to Lhasa); playing the piano together; going for walks; dancing at summer concerts in the park; drawing with colored pencils together; enjoying hugs and kisses. She is a ray of sunshine not just in my own life, but in that of everyone who encounters her smile. Okay, she deserves at least one more slot in the list...
Swimming with Ruoda during the summer: We had to stay out of the sun, and the Oregon summer nights are a bit nippy for swimming, but we still had a blast together almost every night in the pool and hot tub. Her favorite word is still "moon".
My first international travel: Growing up in upstate NY, I can't really count those two Montreal vacations or that unfortunate night in Toronto. Spending two weeks in China was an unforgettable experience (unlike the next seven banalities in this list...)
Video game carousel: I knew I would have to quit City of Heroes in March upon Ruoda's return, but actually quit a month early as the combat was overly repetitive while the leveling was faaaar too slow. I still miss Paragon City like hell... Tried Diablo 2 again for a bit, but it wouldn't run on my PC reliably. Played Age of Mythology for awhile against a friend, but he got too frustrated; I'm still shocked to find someone who is that much worse than I at real-time strategy games! Spent the last few months with Dungeon Siege 2 (comparable to Diablo 2, but more immersive and with a weaker combat system), but that was also too slow-going, and the final battle (required to unlock the higher levels of difficulty) was absurd in execution. I uninstalled it this week, and am now back to giving Guild Wars another go.
Online puzzles: I started solving puzzles regularly at Conceptis Puzzles (free) and Puzzle Japan ($4/month). Between the two sites, there are about six puzzles types I consider essential (and, no, Sudoku - featured on both sites - is not among these). A fun supplement to my pencil puzzle magazine habit.
Played A Game of Thrones CCG: Collected tons of cards, built tons of decks, tested my decks against an opponent, played Friday nights at the constructed and draft events at Rainy Day Games, and even played in a regional tournament up in Redmond. I enjoyed the scene - even if I wasn't crazy about the game - and look forward to doing something similar with another CCG in the future. Everyone else in the area abandoned the game, so I decided to bail as of the latest base set. That didn't stop me from...
Read the first 3 books of A Song of Fire and Ice: C'mon, that's over 2500 pages there! Amazing how much reading you can get in while a confused infant dozes around the clock. My primary motivation was to give me additional enjoyment playing the A Game of Thrones CCG, but now that I'm no longer participating in the CCG, it's TBD whether I'll continue reading this series. That's because...
Started reading the Discworld series: I've made it through 12 books so far (that's another 4000+ pages - I've never done this much reading in a year in my life). I've tried to do this before, but gave up on several titles when they weren't as good as the first one. These days, I find that light reading is a great pastime to have in a heavily interrupt-driven household. I still like the first book (The Color of Magic) a lot more than the others for several reasons: It's more Doug Adams than Three Stooges; it focuses on satirizing Fantasy rather than overall zaniness; I prefer the episodic structure over the meandering chapterless format of the later books; and I found Rincewind's journey to (and over!) the edge of the world transcedental. Of the other titles, the ones I enjoyed most were Mort (Death takes on an apprentice), Pyramids (I was on my Nile kick at the time), and Witches Abroad (a slight satire on the fairy tale genre).
First year as Group Leader: I still manage the same people and projects that I did before, so it's not really that big of a deal. The biggest difference is that I get to provide inputs into department-level decisions, usually concerning employee relations and the like. Having the Group Leader title does give me that extra bit of recognition and leverage on those rare occasions I interface with other folks outside of my area.
Bloggin': Kicking off the Gathering of Engineers blog was a blast; having a restricted pool of potential bloggers makes its long-term viability risky (other gaming group blogs have had some turnover in the first year of operations), but I figure we could either reinvent it if need be, or I could just consider this an audition for another group blog if it doesn't pan out. I really need that group format to be able to commit to posting that often. I also started my Top 100 Albums blog, but I'm stuck at #79. There's actually a good reason for this; this CD was in my 24-pack CD case when it was stolen ~3 years ago. I have been unable to locate the CD either online or in the stores, and it's hard to get properly inspired by thin-sounding 30-second Amazon.com samples. I hope to get momentum on this again some day soon.

Very Crappy Radio

2005-12-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

"WVCR - Very Cool Radio"

"WVCR - We don't rock... we pound!"

I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for Siena College's WVCR radio station. They used to have a standard metal show (thrash, speed, power, etc.) 2100-0000, and then a very intense metal show (black, death, grind, gore, etc.) 0000-0300. It is that later show that exposed me to many of the artists - and their successors - I listen to today. Early 90's was when death metal was stretching into industrial territory, grind was maturing, and black metal was taking off. Truly a magical time for metal.

Today, it appears that they focus on mainstream "urban" music; the only nod to rock I recognize on their playlist is Nickleback.

Freakin' tragic, man.

Free videos: Lumsk; Nile

2005-10-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Lumsk - Trolltind: Folk metal from Norway. I recommend this video to all readers of this blog. I'll definitely have to check out this band. The lyrics are in Norwegian, and tell the story of a Norse legend. The first Earth creatures (trolls) had a large marriage party for several couples. They got so drunk that they forgot to hide before sunrise, at which point they all turned into stone and became the mountains of Earth. You can also see them perform live another track from the same album; this track has more traditional prog-ish elements to it.

Nile - Sacrifice Unto Sebek: I posted a link to an earlier Nile video in April. Sacrifice Unto Sebek is from their 2005 album, and is one of their more straightforward (and shorter) tracks. If nothing else, you can get a feeling for what I would look like if I kept my hair long. Also, check out the free MP3 for "Lashed to the Slave Stick", which is, in my opinion, one of the very greatest death metal songs of all time - what a chilling ending!

Vice Versa

2005-10-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Padded out Rouda's "Orc Song" to four verses. The third verse is lame, but it refers to some of my favorite regional foods from the past three places I have lived.

I don't eat dinner with a spoon
And I don't eat dinner with a fork
But you bet your life
I have a knife
Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

I don't eat beef or chicken
And I don't eat fish or pork
Since I thought it'd be neat
To cut out meat
Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

There's cheddar from Wisconsin
And apples from New York
But we better stay clear
Of Oregon beer
Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

Now you say my song is corny,
And you think that I'm a dork.
Well, sticks and stones
will break my bones...
... Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

Silly Lovecraft Songs

2005-09-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

For the record, Ruoda's first death metal experience was Nile's most excellent Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten. But I will probably wait a few years before taking her to Portland's H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival.

Orc Song

2005-09-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

So, I wrote a little ditty for Ruoda last night, who is now fascinated with orcs:

I don't eat dinner with a spoon
And I don't eat dinner with a fork
But you bet your life
I have a knife
Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

I don't eat beef or chicken
And I don't eat fish or pork
Since I thought it'd be neat
To cut out meat
Cuz I eat my dinner with an orc!

Feel free to help me out with additional verses. Certainly we can get something out of "dork", "New York", etc.

rrrhhhrrr!!!

2005-09-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past 6 months, we have tried in vain to teach Ruoda to respond to "what does a cat/dog/cow say?". Yesterday, within an hour, she was able to pick up "what does an Orc say?".

The future holds much promise.

New blog

2005-09-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

For the handful of subscribers to this blog that know me outside of the boardgaming world, a bunch of guys from my gaming group started a communal blog @ http://pdxgaming.blogspot.com. My posts are on Mondays (my first two posts are here and here). The RSS feed is http://pdxgaming.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the most well known of the private gaming invitationals, Gathering of Friends.

First Impressions: Autechre - Anti; Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth; Prong - Rude Awakening

2005-08-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

About once a year, I make a monster order to Amazon for CDs. Just for kicks, I'll post first impressions over the next couple of weeks or so.

Autechre - Anti EP: I've been on a big Autechre kick the last few months; I've started to appreciate their later, more challenging works, and it's music my daughter enjoys and my wife will tolerate. So, I thought I'd start rounding out my collection. This is from the Amber era, but is a bit faster and more skittish than that dark CD (which means it won't get house play). Not as interesting to me as their great early EPs such as Basscadet and Garbage, but good enough for background music.

Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth: The critics have been calling this Oasis' best album since (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, but, to me, it's just another Oasis album: a couple of really great tracks, mostly decent tunes otherwise, and it will fade after the initial rush of several listens. I think Neil allowing others to pen half the tracks was good to shake up the band, but those tracks are mostly bland and obvious. As perfect as the use of the mellotron in "Let There Be Love" is, I can't shake the feeling that Lenny Kravitz did this tune 10 years ago. At this point, I'm really digging "Lyla" - their best rocker since "Rock 'n' Roll Star" - and "Love Like a Bomb".

Prong - Rude Awakening: I'm a big fan of Prong's Cleansing (you might remember "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck" from the days of Beavis & Butthead); its stripped down production gave the album a man-and-his-guitar feeling - there was no question this band was all about Tommy Victor. In the follow-up Rude Awakening, more room was made for the interesting rhythm section work and industrial-ish noises, at the expense of the vocals and guitars. I think it thins out the impact significantly, and this album ends up somewhat as a disappointment. This is one of those albums that sound great when you're not actively listening to it; otherwise, I'd just assume stick to Helmet or Fear Factory for this type of riff-heavy VCV songwriting. The obvious highlight for me is the opener "Controller", which sounds like it would fit on Godflesh's Hymns seven years later - which isn't too surprising, since Ted Parsons plays drums on both albums. "Caprice" is a nice track too, very moody while incorporating even more industrial sounds.

Free tune for July 19, 2005

2005-07-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Obituary - Insane: Not that any of my handful of readers would care, but I just found out tonight that Obituary as a new album out (their last studio album was 8 years ago). And that makes me very happy.

But good lord - Allen West aged more over the past 8 years than even I did:

Bonus: Here's the (horrible & low-quality) video for the same song.

God bless the Tardy boys!

3 down, 4 to go

2005-07-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the 3rd book in the A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy (A Storm of Swords). I have already written about the first two books. The third book became swung back a bit towards character development by trying to blur good and evil in several characters. It definitely made me appreciate the series as a whole more, but the second book is still easily my favorite so far.

As for hopes for the rest of the series... I really hope they expand more on some of the "minor" houses, such as Greyjoy and Martell. I'm a bit burnt on Lannisters & Starks, but I continue to enjoy the Baratheons immensely (which probably has a bit to do with them being my favorite house in the CCG). The Night Watch storyline is still easily my favorite; there are some real heartbreaking moments in the second two books.

Free WMV for July 06, 2005

2005-07-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

Machine Head - Imperium: One of the heroes of 90's American metal, Machine Head manages to continue to reinvent itself and stick around well after most bands of that era have retired. One thing they are always good for is a blastin' opening track, and Imperium is no exception. It is a typical non-conformist anthem ("Fuck these chains / No god damn slave / I will be different"); not as good as the best Pantera or Fear Factory, but Rob's roar is impressive, and they employ over a dozen riffs here (although maybe only a couple really good ones).

Sing Me to Sleep...

2005-05-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Previously, I wrote about being short on lullaby material. I still try to sing to Ruoda a lot, and ended up diving into The Smiths' catalogue; my vocal range matches Morrisey's baritone, the tunes are catchy, and the words are easy to remember (and I don't have to explain what "in the midst of life/we are in debt/et cetera!" means).

In violation of my directive to never post poetry or lyrics online, here's a little song I wrote during her sleepless nights in China:

I went to the store
With $1.24
To buy me an orange cream soda
And next to the chips
With a smile upon her lips
I saw a girl named Ruoda

Ruo Da!
Ruo Da!
Sweeter than an orange cream soda
I left that store
With $1.24
And a little girl named Ruoda

A Game of Thrones CCG Tournament

2005-05-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

I played in the Northwest Regionals this past weekend. Below is my report as I posted it on the official message boards.

It was a fun tourney. I'm what you would call a "shagga" player - I play many CCGs. I don't even really like AGoT CCG - I only play it because it's active and my friend Chuck had invested in it. I started playing with Valyrian, and this was my first tourney. I went 3-2, but had horrible schedule strength, and just missed the cut via the second tiebreaker.

I try to make original decks. My favorite deck is Martell/Lannister icon removal, which is very challenging and beats lots of different types of decks, but I was afraid of Night's Watch showing up. My most dependable deck is Baratheon/Twins (no Frey, just 4 of almost everything, including Standard of the Stag *ahem*) power grab, but it's too vulnerable against Targ (and would have died against the same event cards that killed me in this tourney - what can I say, I'm a sucker for amassing power on a single character!).

I ended up playing my Greyjoy/Night's Watch deck. I saw some recent talk of GJ/NW on this board; I get some needed saves, some good control with Scurvy Cutthroats and Assassin of Pyke, good military breakthru with Balon and Watchers of Ten Towers, and good complements to my high-iniatitive approach with Euron's Crew and Longship Navigator.

My three victories were against GJ/Stark, Martell/Stark, and Stark. I was most worried about Stark going into the tourney - good thing I packed more stealth beforehand to get around those Umber Reinforcements. These matches went off as most of my victories do - my deck is over-the-top, extreme military beatdown (along with the usual, I pack 3 Melee Contests and 3 Relentless Attacks), and it's probably not much fun for my opponents when it works.

My first loss was against GJ/Stark. I was cruising pretty well, until No Prisoners was played, and she had two Immune to Events characters on the board. I lost Jon and his power, and she eventually edged her way to victory. She was gracious enough to give me another shot at her deck, and I was able to beat it easily the second time - I am grateful as it gave me confidence to win 3 of my 4 next matches.

My second loss was my only one against someone to make the cut - Aerysthemad and his Martell/Knights of the Realm deck. I was mowing thru his waves of knights, and I was about to hit 18 or so power when he played I'm Going to Kill That on Jon, who had 10 power on him at the time. I didn't know about that card, but it's hard to say if I would have played much differently otherwise. He then got Arianne and CoS Viper out to outpace me to the victory conditions.

Having both of my losses come down to single event cards with "cannot be saved" is pretty consistent with my attitude towards the game, but it was still fun to be in the competetive environment. Thanks to all for the festive atmosphere! Finally, thanks to my friend Chuck for loaning me two of his Relentless Attacks - that card works beautifully in NW decks for a power rush, not to mention more kills.

Gathering of Engineers Spring 2005: Day 1

2005-04-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's time for my gaming group's semi-annual gaming retreat at Sunriver. Doug and I showed up late the night before, and we got some 2-player gaming in before hitting the sack.

First up was Dracula, from the Kosmos 2-player line. Doug took Dracula, and I took Van Helsing. Early on, I landed on his space so I could see whether he had few coffins on the board (I had 2 victims), and he only had 1. He then did some skirting around the board and swapping of cards, which I took to mean he was trying to hide the last coffin, so I worked my way over there and found the coffin; all I had to do next was follow him and keep snagging coffins as he lay them down. He got away from me for a bit, but I player "Battle Lust" which gave me a double-move and time to catch up; after finding the last coffin he laid down, I then played the action card that lets me search his supplies immediately, giving me the instant win as I was able to prove that he had no coffins on the board.

Dracula is a cute game with a little bit of everything. I'm not sure that there will ever be an epic match that will leave you proud of your victory at the end, but I think it's worth pulling our for a quick 30-minute game. Thumbs Up.

Next was Jambo, another in the Kosmos 2-player line. I've played ~12 games of it since it was released, and my record is about exactly .500. In this game, I stuck to my usual strategy of trying to keep 2 wares in my warehouse for maximum flexibility/efficiency. I happened to get a series of ware cards that allowed me to make several trades, rotating goods in and out, and won fairly early. An interesting thing about this match is that neither of us ever took the 1 gold for unused actions!

When I lose at Jambo, I never feel as if I could have done something to improve my chances; when I win, I never feel as if I did something brilliant. Sure, there are a lot of little choices you can make to improve your chances, but it seems that victory is determined by the boons that come your way; in this match, me drawing both Psychics was a big advantage. The game sure is fun to play though, so I have to give it a Thumbs Up.

Last, Doug taught me Al Cabohn, another in the dreaded Bohnanza line. This one is tailored for 2 players, which is weird because the original game is based strongly on trading. Instead, you are competing against the mob, who may be edging in on your bean trade if you are not careful. The mob got an early start in our game, but we were able to come back and keep it close. In the end, the mob had 24, I had 23, and Doug had 20. It turns out we were playing a small rule wrong (we were playing that you couldn't cash in a beanfield before being forced to pay the mob), which would have given me one more point, and possibly slowed down the mob.

I mentioned boons in Jambo; here, they were just obscene. When you are drawing your 3 new cards for planting, if the top card in the discard pile matches one of the cards, then that card gets added to the new card, and this keeps happening as long as there is a match. This means that you could have several new cards of the same type to plant, just from luck-of-the-draw! Also, I thought hand management was much more simplified, since there was no trading. There were a few tough choices in the game, but, overall, I thought it was a bust - Thumbs Down. (Note that it's supposed strength is as a solitaire game, not a 2-player game.) As I told Doug, as with Carcassone, all these expansions and variants of a base game that I used to loathe have the effect of making the original seem great!

More on 24

2005-04-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

Six episodes in now... enough intrigue and suspense to allow me to get past the issues I described in the previous post. I was just about to give up on the series because it dragged too much in the "real-time" format (i.e., it feels like a Hollywood political thriller but extended over 16 hours), but the "twist" at the end of the episode finally got me hooked on this format. By spending so much time in the mundane conversations, you get lulled into a false sense of knowing what's going on, whereas, in a two-hour movie, you're suspicions are proven true or false before you have a chance to disbelieve them yourself.

24

2005-04-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

While I do not own a television, I am not beyond watching collections of episodes on DVD (e.g., The Sopranos). I was at the library today, and saw the first 12 episodes of Season 1 of 24, so I thought I'd check it out. Cool gimmick, but, in just the first episode, a lot of things bothered me:

People are too pretty;
Too much music;
The editing (e.g., multiple panels in the view window) is overly stylized;
If your kid leaves the house, you don't call people right away if it's after midnight, especially if they are strangers;
Keifer looks too much like my gaming buddy Chris.

I'll give it a couple episodes more to see whether I can get past these issues; the first is likely to be a showstopper, though.

Unplayed Games

2005-04-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

With others in my gaming group posting about "unplayed games" (Mike, Eric, Chris), I thought I'd take some inventory. I'm not counting wargames and CCGs. Below is my list - games in bold are games I actually hope and expect to play someday. I was surprised the list was so long, but, for a while, I've stop inflicting games I suspected would suck on the rest of my gaming group.

Africa 1880
Anno 1452
Baker Street
Battlemist (& expansion)
Blink
Clue: the Card Game
Colorado County
Courtisans of Versailles
Deadwood
Delta V
Dungeoneer
Europa 1945 - 2030
Fishy
Heart of Africa
Knights
Lord of the Rings: The Duel
Lunar Rails
Magic Hill
Mamoonia
Pisa (Adlung)
Thieves Guild
Ticket to Ride: Europe
UR, 1830 BC
Vino (although it would best be played online)
Vom Kap Bis Kairo
Way Out West
Wongar
X-Bugs

2 down, 1 to go (or is that 4?)

2005-04-25T00:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past six weeks, I have read the first two books in the A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy: A Game of Thrones, and A Clash of Kings. Some quick impressions (possible minor spoilers):

It was my third time trying to read A Game of Thrones (first time made it about 25% through, second time about 50%). What made me get through it this time was my greater familiarity with all of the characters - even the minor ones - given my increased involvement with the AGoT CCG.
The things that bothered me the first two times were the gratuitous sex scenes involving a 13-year-old girl (even though she's considered a "woman" in that time and place), and how the plot was driven by over-the-top acts of extreme cruelty. My desire to "meet" all the characters I knew from the CCG got me past these issues (as well as Catelyn's endless moaning, the incongruous Daenerys chapters, etc.).
Most folks preferred the first book because of the more complex motivations and dillemas facing the various characters. I agree with the positives, but, overall, my reading experience was marred by two things. First, most (third-person) narration being from the point-of-view of very young children. Second, with so many of the points-of-view being Starks, there is a lot of repetition as the various characters react to the same major events - thank goodness this wasn't written by Stephen King!
It bothered me somewhat that the second book was more simplistic in terms of characters (motivations were either lust for power or survival), but the action came a lot faster, with the battle scenes written in a much more engaging fashion. I really enjoyed meeting the Greyjoys - I cannot wait for the Martells in the next book! - and the narration was more action-driven rather than reaction-driven.
Another difference in the two books is that the first had very few "magic" elements, while there were many more in the second book. I definitely liked having more there.
With the exception of Jon Snow's journey, I find very little in the book to be the least bit transcendent; rather, it's the literary equivalent of a demolition derby. I am surprised to find it ranked #1 on the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy Books; if this is as good as it gets, it looks like I'll be going back to classic lit after this one.

It is my interest in the CCG (and, to a lesser extent, the board game) that will keep me reading this series. With my sabbatical ending this week, I am fairly certain that it will take my much longer to read the next in the series.

Clean-shaven

2005-04-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

Although it's looking like it might not make of a difference anyways, I have decided to abandon my annual tradition of growing a Spurs Beard this year. Among other things, with my new position at work, I am occasionally required to go into the fab, and even my love for the Spurs cannot overcome my aversion to beard covers.

Pride & Joy

2005-04-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today when I was having lunch with my daughter, we were listening to some piano music. When the disc ended, the CD changer brought up the new Helmet. As the opening riff let loose, Ruoda - for the first time - started headbanging.

You've done Daddy proud.

WMVs for April 11

2005-04-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

FYI, I finally posted #89 on my top 100 blog; hopefully, that will get me primed to update it more regularly.

Mastodon - March of the Fire Ants: Mastodon is one of the "hot" metal acts these days. I just bought their latest album, Leviathan, which has its interesting moments, but overall seems kinda overrated. What convinced me to get the CD was this video from their previous album, which demonstrates their blend of Grind, Death, and Power Metal, and highlights their chief gimmick - the drumming.

Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets: Neurosis is now one of my favorite bands, and this is the title track from my favorite album of theirs. It is one of their most accessible songs, as it sounds a little bit like a Soundgarden ballad. About 90 seconds have been edited out of the song, but this will give you a taste of what they're about.

Nile - Sarcophagus: Nile's gimmick is that they write songs about ancient Egypt (reading the liner notes is informative and fun), blending top-quality American Death Metal with creepy atmospherics. The low-budget video doesn't do them justice, but it *is* a really good song of their latest, excellent release (see allmusic.com's gushing review for more details).

Fatherhood

2005-04-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

For the most part, I think I did an excellent job preparing myself for the most important aspects of fatherhood (e.g., marrying a woman who is willing to handle all of the poopy diapers). After three weeks, I've identified only three shortcomings:

Lack of conditioning of my back muscles (among others);
An inability to say things like "nut milk" with a straight face;
Lack of knowledge of a suitable lullaby.

For the lullaby, I do know "Rock-a-bye Baby", which is a bit too gruesome to use for a child that was abandoned herself. I thought I knew enough of "Mockingbird" to get by, but when I tried to use it, it came out something like:

Hush little baby, don't say a word
Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring don't shine
Daddy's gonna buy you a copper mine
And if that copper mine goes bust
Dad'll hook you up with some Angel Dust

And it just went downhill from there. One night I was really desperate, and, out of nowhere, I started singing Genesis' The Carpet Crawlers, which has been effective ever since.

Back from China

2005-03-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

My wife and I returned from two-week China trip last week with our new daughter. I've been fighting a cold for the last nine days, cycling thru the various symptoms at varying intensities, sucking down the likes of Day-Quil (what kind of nasty flavor is that supposed to be anyways? Mandarin Tabasco?). Having to deal with all the regular issues of international travel, and adding to that trying to establish a bond with a new infant, is incredibly taxing, but we are ecstatic to be united with such a healthy, joyous child.

As for China itself, we did a bit of sightseeing prior. The biggest letdown was definitely the Great Wall. The part we visited required a long, steep climb, and combined with the cold and crowding, I wasn't able to walk much of the wall (although Melanie went solo far beyond me). The best part of the trip was the Summer Palace, with so many paintings all over the place - very stunning. I could walk there every day of my life. I also enjoyed Temple of Heaven, where the grounds were full of older people (50+) dancing, playing cards, playing their version of hacky-sack, etc. It was quite inspiring.

Our main problem with the stay was the cigarette smoke. Still, with all the smoking, phlegm-hacking, spitting, noise pollution, poor air quality, traffic, food issues, language issues, crowds, and general chaos, one aspect of the trip made it all worthwhile - the women. I've always maintained that Chinese women were the most beautiful, and to see so many over the course of two weeks was amazing. As our trip took us further south (Beijing to Nanchang to Guongzhou), more and more top-quality women appeared.

25 Freebies

2005-02-22T23:41:00.000-08:00

I got an MP3 player for Melanie last year; I'm content with my CD player, as I prefer albums over playlists. It came with a coupon for 25 free downloads. Several months later, I have finally downloaded my 25th freebie. With just a few exceptions, I went for extreme nostalgia (as opposed to my CD collection, which is almost all music that is new to me). Artists that weren't available that I would have liked to download include The Beatles ("Dear Prudence"), Steve Miller ("Fly Like an Eagle", "Keep On Rockin' Me"), and Zeppelin ("When the Levee Breaks", which is only the greatest rock song ever). Note that I was born in 1967, which makes it surprising that there isn't more 80's music on here. Okay, not so surprising.

Here's the list:

Abba - "Dancing Queen"
Al Stewart - "Time Passages"
Al Stewart - "Year of the Cat"
Alanis Morissette - "Ironic" (this was a mistake when trying to download the next track)
Alanis Morissette - "Everything" (Sadly, I much prefer the 3-minute video edit)
Bee Gees - "How Deep is Your Love" (this and the next 3 tracks so I wouldn't have to buy the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack to round out my early Bee Gees collection)
Bee Gees - "More Than a Woman"
Bee Gees - "Night Fever"
Bee Gees - "Stayin' Alive"
Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
Chicago - "If You Leave Me Now"
Eric Clapton - "Cocaine"
Thomas Dolby - "One of Our Submarines"
Bob Dylan - "Tombstone Blues" (Chris, I got hooked on this on the drive to Salishan)
Fleetwood Mac - "Rhiannon"
Foreigner - "Dirty White Boy"
Peter Frampton - "Do You Feel Like We Do" (what a value for 99 cents!)
Peter Frampton - "Show Me the Way"
Heart - "Magic Man"
Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
Love and Rockets - "The Dog-End of a Day Gone By"
P.O.D. - "Wildfire"
Queen - "You're My Best Friend"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Plush"
Supertramp - "Child of Vision"

MP3s for February 21

2005-02-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with work and getting ready for our China trip - two weeks from tomorrow!. FYI, I dropped out of City of Heroes this week after getting Scum Hunter up to lvl 40 (the monotony overtook my interest in the storylines); whether that means more time for posting remains to be seen.

As for my top 100 blog, I'm stuck on trying to word the next one just right. I know, it's still going to come out crappy. In the meantime, here are a couple of free MP3s for you to check out:

Callisto - Worlds Collide: I've been getting more into "noisecore" lately, so when I talk about bands like Neurosis and Isis, this will give you a sense for it. This song sounds a lot like Isis in particular. For more noisecore, check out this Cult of Luna video.

Wolverine - Towards Loss: Awful band name, I know. This is the first I've heard of them. Think of a cross between Kansas and Queensryche, with a few sprinkles of brootality thrown in for good measure. I'd check out their full lengths, but the themes throw me off (child abuse, etc.), and the reviews mention there being more slow songs.

Out with the Old

2005-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are the albums that were on my last Top 100 Albums list (which was made in 1997 or so), but aren't on my current list:

To Whom It May Consume - 9353
Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
Renaissance - Branford Marsalis
The River - Bruce Springsteen
The Bleeding - Cannibal Corpse
Awaken the Guardian - Fates Warning
Fuck Up Evil - Front 242
Slavestate - Godflesh
The Planets - Holst
New Day Rising - Huskur Du
Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls
Somewhere in Time - Iron Maiden
Down - Jesus Lizard
Beat - King Crimson
Abigail - King Diamond
Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven - Love & Rockets
Fugazi - Marillion
Misplaced Childhood - Marillion
Script for a Jester's Tear - Marillion
Season's End - Marillion
Television - Marquee Moon
Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky
Nevermind - Nirvana
Beg to Differ - Prong
Beers, Steers & Queers - Revolting Cocks
Moving Pictures - Rush
Oil and Gold - Shriekback
Symphony 1 - Sibelius
Bites / Remission - Skinny Puppy
Reign in Blood - Slayer
The Legacy - Testament
0898 - The Beautiful South
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - The Cure
Duck Stab - The Residents
Eskimo - The Residents
The Joshua Tree - U2
War - U2

Pieces of Me

2005-01-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

I started a new blog, in which I'll countdown my Top 100 Albums. Here is the RSS feed.

Save the Wails

2005-01-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

The best sociopolitical characterization of my wife and I would be "misanthropic environmentalists"; we're saving the planet for future generations of stupid a-holes.

Best of 2004

2004-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

Note that I list CDs first because music is still my primary love. I would give up boardgames, videogames, and movies, before I would give up just music. Now, make me choose between music and cats... that would be tough. Of course, when I use "best" in this post, I mostly mean "my favorite".

Best New CD: I dip into way too many genres, and am still buying tons of old stuff, so I get exposed to very little music released in the 2000's. Most of the recent stuff I get is new releases from old dinosaurs (e.g., Fear Factory, Ministry), or bands that are heavily influenced by those that are already favorites of mine (e.g., Isis). The easy winner this year is Neurosis' The Eye of Every Storm. They've tempered and slowed their sound even more - there are even hints of Pink Floyd - and primarily use a single smoky voice instead of the three bellowing screamers from their earlier releases. This makes it their most accessible album by far, but they still rip it open with a wall of sound here and there, especially the apocalyptic meltdown at the end of "Left to Wander" that evokes the golden age of Godflesh.
Best Old CD: Earlier this year, I decided to pick up a bunch of classics from the shoegaze era (e.g., Ride, Slowdive, etc.). Lots of good stuff, but the one that stood out was Catherine Wheel's Ferment. The sound is perfect, and there isn't a single weak track on the album. Became an instant favorite of mine.
Best Rediscovered CD: Neurosis - Souls at Zero. With their new excellent release, I have been listening to all of Neurosis' stuff a lot this year. I never got into Souls at Zero much, which is one of their earlier releases, but I forced myself to listen to it carefully. One night when Melanie was out, I had some beer and sat through the first few tracks and was blown away. I've listened to it a bunch then. Really severe, eerie, dark stuff. The maniacal energy and harrowing screams of "To Crawl Under One's Skin" makes me shiver every time, and I think "Web" might just be my favorite Neurosis track of all time. (Note: if you are new to Neurosis and not much of a metal person, definitely start with their newest release and work backwards.)
Best Discovered Band: A couple of years ago, I got a recommendation for a metal album (Everyday Atrocity) that I bought and couldn't get into at all because of the lyrics. Earlier this year, I gave it a second chance, which turned into about 10 more chances. I then bought their two most recent CDs and one of them (Violence) now has a spot on my top 100. The band is Nothingface, but, unlike the other two artists mentioned in this post, I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn't like harsh, aggressive metal (even though there are many "progressive" elements to their songwriting).
Best New Boardgame: In my opinion, 2004 was the best year for boardgames in at least 5 years. While there weren't as many excellent releases as there were in 1996-2000, there was a high percentage of great releases. My favorites are: Sword of Rome, which suffers somewhat from play length; Struggle of Empires, another Martin Wallace masterpiece; Tongiaki, which is broken yet utterly fascinating; Hansa, with its satisfying short-term goals; and Einfach Genial, a highly accessible but surprisingly brilliant multi-player abstract. Hansa is my runner-up, and I almost wanted it to win so I could give the reward to Michael Schacht two years in a row - I've loathed his work in previous years - it is Einfach Genial which has really shown itself to be the most rewarding and fun. More about Einfach Genial is written in this post; note that Fantasy Flight Games will be publishing it in America this year under the title Ingenious.
Best New Video Game: If you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never, know me, ooh-oooooh-ooh.
Best New Movie: Last week, Melanie and I did something I never did before - saw two movies in a row (okay, with a lunch break in-between). It was the new releases of perhaps my two favorite directors - Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement and Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers. Both were decent stories with sumptuous visuals, but departures from their old styles that made them my favorites. So, I'll go with a film written by one of my new favorite screenwriters: Charlie Kaufmann's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Very imaginative structure with interesting visuals. Overall, we saw very few movies in the theater this year - maybe no more than 5.
Best Old Movie: Given our enjoyment of Eternal Sunshine, we had to go back and check out Kaufmann's previous movies that we had missed, Adaptation and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Both excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the aura of paranoia conveyed by the latter.

10 of 2004

2004-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd take a minute to record 10 significant things that happened to me in 2004. Just to document how banal my life has become. They aren't ranked in any specific order.

Quit playing Diablo 2. The latest patch just made it too hard to solo anything but the most uber of builds. I could back out the patch (since I stopped playing online long ago), but there were things in there I liked, so I just decided to take a break. Maybe I'll revisit if they come out with another patch later.
Started playing City of Heroes. I think I spend even more time on CoH than I did with D2. It takes too long to level, but I'm spending at least 50% of my time with a single character so I can see all the sights before I quit. Right now, he's level 27 (out of 50). It's my first MMORPG, and I'm enjoying the online interactions a lot more than I did in D2.
Removed myself from the Internet boardgame community. This was for many, many reasons, some of which have been bugging me for several years. I think the last straw was the participants' ongoing quest for new games - at this point, I'm happy with the collection that me and my friends have. I unsubscribed from the yahoogroups, and all but removed my BGG profile. I still lurk on a few forums, but all my energy is going into my local scene.
Started playing A Game of Thrones CCG. I don't really like the books, and there's things about the game that really bug me. But I like the different flavors of the decks I build, I have a friend who is really into it, and there's still a minimal local scene so that I can participate in tournaments (something I haven't done since 7th Sea).
Discovered The Bee Gees. My previous thoughts on these albums still hold, although I would move Cucumber Castle up a few notches.
Did some game programming. Okay, my games are pretty lame, but it's fun making them when I'm in the mood. I did implementations of Tres Amigos (KC's prototype), Titan: the Arena, Honeybears, and got a decent start on Mystick (which proved to be too tedious, what with every card having its own special ability to program). Might pick up on this more next year if I drop City of Heroes.
Got promoted. After almost 7 years here, I finally moved one step closer to the CEO. I've previously spent four months at this position (covering for two bosses' sabbaticals), so I know what to expect. I don't think I get as much personal satisfaction out of my managerial work as I did my previous technical work, but I really enjoy coaching my reports and contributing to their personal and professional growth.
Wrapped up the adoption paperwork. Will probably get the call later in January, with an estimated travel date of March.
Coped with illness in the family. My older sister has been dealing with some rare condition for some time now, and my younger sister had to go thru the cancer thing. Let's just say it was very scary in both cases. I'm not really involved with my family, but I do care about them, especially my sisters' families - both have toddlers they are trying to raise.
Was put in charge of a hot project at work. Unfortunately, other hotter projects have emerged since then, so I constantly have to deal with resource issues. Still, the size and scope of the project prevents me with several new challenges - along with the regular challenge of having too many senior engineers on a project!

Laurie Lewis

2004-11-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, Melane and I went to see Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum at the beautiful Walters Cultural Arts Center in Hillsboro. Laurie's sound is about 50% folk and 50% bluegrass, which made the show half-good. Actually, I'll give it a score of "two thirds", since the intimate atmosphere of the venue is so gorgeous. We're looking forward to more events at the WCAC. I know that the local theater company is going to be holding several shows there in 2005 - we already plan to see As You Like It.

Re: Previous post - I'm sorry I asked

2004-11-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Still playing City of Heroes way more than I should be, but I think I found the remedy.

It's gonna be hard to play knowing that those folks might be behind the other heroes on my team. On the other hand, I can continue to pretend that they all look like #45:

Who is that masked man?

2004-10-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Can't blog... Playing City of Heroes...

Sunriver XI - Part 4 of 4

2004-10-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our last day of the retreat. With no more longer games planned, we played a bunch of shorter games as folks were going to be leaving at different times throughout the day.

First game of the day was a 3-player game of Schnappchen Jagd. This was the second time I played it, and I won both times. Folks at BoardGameGeek complain a lot about control. I dunno - I sure felt like I had a lot more key decisions to make than in, say, Victory & Honor. This is especially true in the middle rounds, as you start to plan out which ranks you will be committed to for the rest of the game. Definitely a Thumbs Up.

George and Michael went to grind out a game of Thirty Years' War in the side room, so the other four of us played a game of Dos Rios. In the spirit of "what happens at Sunriver stays at Sunriver", let's just say that this game would not have be as half as fun as it was had we not eaten at a Mexican restaurant the night before. I thought the boardplay was original. Downtime will be a problem, especially at a regular game night, and it would seem your chances will depend a lot on how much the guy to your right blocks you (which Doug was great at), and how much the guy to your left undoes your position. Also, the endgame is a bit anti-climatic, with potential for kingmaking. I expected Doug to win due to superior play in the early rounds, but I was surprised to end up the winner. A very fun game, but I am a bit concerned about all the various drawbacks. Looking forward to trying this again at the next retreat.

Matt headed out, so the rest of us played one of my favorite recent releases, Domaine. Chuck had superior placement in the setup phase, but Doug and I fought hard against him to keep him from reaping his rewards. In one corner, Doug cut him off so that he couldn't add more knight; in another corner, I surrounded him by claiming key territory, then played an Alliance so that he could never expand again. However, there was that third corner I had to worry about. I started to expand into his yet-to-be-formed region, stealing potential points. When I ran out of money, I found myself with a Renegade and two Alliances in my hand, and I had to give Chuck one of them! I thought Alliance was the least damaging, so, one turn later, Chuck played it to seal up that valuable corner. In the endgame, I formed the last central region, but Doug was able to steal enough territory I was aiming for, and Chuck - just like at the last retreat - ended up beating me in the tiebreaker. Argh!

Almost all of my previous Domaine matches were 4p games, and, in all of them, having Wall actions was key in the end. In this 3p match, Expand actions were by far the most sought-after, and being able to get them in blind draws was key to staying in it. That's a slight blemish on the game, but Domaine is still an easy Top Shelf selection for me. The comments on the BoardGameGeek ratings are funny; some folks think they dropped all of the fun stuff from Lowenherz (which Domaine is based on), while others think they kept all the fun stuff! Personally, I like the fact they redesigned a 2-hour game into a 1-hour game, while streamlining the scoring rules and improving how the mines work.

With both tables wrapping up at the same time, I proposed Dragon Delta, which I had brought in anticipation of 6p gaming. It's a wacky blind-planning game (keep away from this one, Mike D.), and certain players (e.g., me) know that they are going to be nailed repeatedly. Still, I think the blend of planning, screwing, and dexterity, make it a reasonably fun game, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Chuck was able to run for the victory in the end - well done! I'll probably pack this one for future retreats.

It was almost time for us to leave, so Chuck and George joined me in a quick match of our group's most-played game of 2004, San Juan. George built a Smithy and was able to end the game very early by choosing Builder almost every turn, building a Guild Hall and lots of Indigo and Tobacco, while using a Aqueduct/Trading Post combo to keep the income rolling. I had a City Hall, and drew Triumphant Arch and all three monuments in the endgame, but I couldn't keep up with George and drop the dream hand in time. Very well done, George.

For the last game, Chuck wanted to learn Hansa, and George grudgingly joined us - he has played this game several times before, and has made it known he finds the required mental work painful. In the end, I had won by a comfortable margin, using my regular strategy of saturating the board with all of my market stands at the beginning of the game. I really enjoy this game for the subtle decisions that come up on turns when you don't have big scoring opportunities available. However, I am having a hard time finding players who share my enthusiasm, and I don't think I was able to recruit Chuck with this play.

That was a great retreat. I liked almost every game played, and really enjoyed the company, so it's hard to pinpoint a specific highlight. Candidates would be: my very satisfying come-from-behind victory in Sword of Rome (although I wouldn't have been able to pull it off if I wasn't the Romans); the last Einfach Genial match, which was one of the best plays I have had of that spectacular game; The Big Idea, which was a pleasant surprise in how much laughter it generated. In any case, with all the discussion on our group's mailing list about future retreat logistics, mark me down for continuing the Sunriver tradition, with the retreat extended to as many days as the host is willing to run it.

Sunriver XI - Part 3 of 4

2004-10-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Next up was Saturday, or, as I'll remember it, The Day of the Eternal 80's Playlist. Chuck's iPod provided the day's tunage; while the morning stuff was great, especially the Euro-dance music - and who knew there were so many Depeche Mode fans in our group - I was hoping that "99 Luftballons" was permamently behind me.

We started the day out with another long game we had pre-arranged, A Game of Thrones. As I knew we'd have exactly 6 of us at the retreat, I bought A Clash of Kings expansion so that we could add the Martell faction. We also used the following options from the expansion: ports, which were never much of a factor in our game, except for providing support against invasions into the surrounding water area; the new house cards, which I enjoyed for their various effects, although it might have increased the downtime slightly; and the one-time orders, which I thought added a nice touch. I played House Tyrell. House Lannister took me by sea, House Martell took me by land, and I spent the rest of the game fighting on two aggressive fronts - I nearly cycled through my house cards twice! House Greyjoy won in turn 8.

The folks who played in the southern areas enjoyed the game more, as they were involved in a lot more battles, tactics, and various screwage. The folks up north enjoyed it less, as they mostly turtled and waited to see what they could pick off from their bickering neighbors. I think folks were fine with the new options, but most were hesitant to play with 6 players again; I usually like more players to increase the possibilities for alliances, but having 6 cities as a victory condition instead of 7 could be problematic. There are also too many pairs of players that never interact during the game - you might as well play it with only 3 players.

Four players were eager to try out War of the Ring (the new conquest game that takes place in the Lord of the Rings setting) and Chuck and I were the other two, so we set out to play a couple of hands of Settlers Card Game. I've played the game ~75 times previously, and Chuck just once, so it was no surprise that I won both matches. The first match was with the base set, and the second was with the mediocre Politics & Intrigue expansion, but both pretty much played out the same - Chuck losing too many resources to the Brigands, and me spending often to search for the perfect card for my hand. Always a fun play - still Top Shelf after all these years.

After dinner, George and I taught Matt Einfach Genial; I was able to escape with yet another narrow victory over George. More on Einfach later.

Next, Chuck joined George and I for a game of Goa. I won by a 7-point margin, thanks largely to the two "upgrade w/o ships/goods" expedition cards I drew early on; I won my first match the same way, and I'm leaning towards thinking that these cards are too powerful. In general, I'm not fond of "systems" games, primarily due to the lack of interaction and drama. Goa reminds me of Industrial Waste; while the former is much more polished, the latter has more drama and interesting choices.

For the last game of the day, Chuck, George and I played a game of Einfach Genial. Every once in a while, there will be an EG match that is brutally intense, especially in the endgame, and this was one of those games. Watching George and Chuck fight against me to get red back into the game, while not setting the other player up too much, was hilarious. Final scores were me with 10-11-13, George with 10-11-11, and Chuck with 10-10. The game could have gone any way, and probably wouldn't have gone my way had I not saved a double-orange and double-green tile since the midgame.

I have written about Einfach Genial before at length. Now that I have reached 10 plays of Einfach Genial, I confidently give this a Top Shelf rating, and it has replaced Hansa and Tongiaki as my leading contender for Game of the Year. The game lacks the confusing, geeky elements found in most German games, so I think this could find a broader audience in the United States. The rules are so simple, and the big scoring plays at the beginning so obvious, that it seems almost childish. But the game arc is so beautiful and subtle in its shifts, and managing your tiles and your "geniuses" is very challenging. While there are at least four Knizia games I like better for their quirky elements, theme, and nature of interaction (those being Taj Mahal, Euphrates & Tigris, Samurai, and Traufambrik), I'm tempted to call this one Knizia's true masterpiece. Bravo, Reiner!

Sunriver XI - Part 2 of 4

2004-10-20T07:13:00.001-07:00

We were expecting Matt earlier in the afternoon, but he got held up for several hours, so the four of us ended up playing a succession of shorter games. First up was Victory & Honor, a partnership trick-taking game with a Civil War theme. After two plays, I'm not yet convinced that this is a keeper. While I find my decisions forced too many times, the real showstopper is the stilted rhythm of the game. George and I were able to pull off the win.

We continued with another card game, Die Sieben Siegel. This received several plays in our last retreat. Then, 50% of the hands were able to score a perfect 0. This time, the two less experienced players consistently took black seals, and Doug capitalized by taking the Saboteur in the last two hands to win. I had a slight lead going into the last hand; my major mistake wasn't leaving the Saboteur for Doug, but for underbidding at the same time. This game works best when all players at the table are as enthusiastic about is as I am.

After a quick 3p match of Einfach Genial (which I'll write about later, as it received 3 plays during the retreat), we played Moderne Zeiten. The planning aspects of this game remind me of Princes of Florence and Marco Polo Expedition, but the elements of auctioning off blocks of cards and being able to crash the market makes me enjoy this one even more. The only thing keeping this from getting a rating of Top Shelf is the excess of hidden information due to the blind card draws. I was able to get control of the most valuable city (New York), and ended up winning by a comfortable margin. For those you who enjoy the mechanism, but find the long-term planning frustrating or tedious, I highly recommend Knizia's Marco Polo Expedition, which has more short-term planning and less hidden information (although not without problems of its own).

Still no Matt, so we opted for a quick game of Colossal Arena. This is a reprint of Titan: the Arena, which is one of our group's most-loved and most-played games for several years. The new monster powers that come with the reprint made the game fresh, but we all had a hard time getting used to the cards, as some of the shading is very similar for different monsters. Although others were backing the powerful Seraphim, I was able to reveal my secret bet, taking over the Unicorn, and win the game (although I suspect that George's cardplay before me helped a lot). It's a shame about the graphics, but at least this classic game system will get into the hands of more players.

Matt finally arrives, and we get some 5p action going with Desert Oasis. This was my second play of this, and I'm getting close to giving this Chuck's rating of "Will Not Play". There are eight types of "stuff" to collect, and the types go together in four pairs, with your score for each pair being the product of the number of items you collected for each. This is great if you are able to get 4 of each of the pair; it sucks if you are able to get 8 of one, but 0 of the other. The game offers little control; every time I invested heavily in one turn so I could select early in the next round, none of the items I needed would come up - I finished far behind the others. Some folks on the 'net are playing this with open hands so that other players can purposefully feed you the items you need (so that they themselves may select early); I have some concerns about this format, but am willing to give it a try before damning this title forever.

I then decided to teach the group a new game I bought for something different and fun, Cheapass Games' The Big Idea. The strategy part of the game (based on investments with random payoffs) is a bit weak, but is really just a framework for the fun part of the game: creating products by putting Adjective and Noun cards together from a small hand, and then trying to "sell" that product to the other players. As a "party" game, it's not very clear what the objective is, but I find that it liberates you so you can just have wacky fun, and there were a lot of laughs as we played this. Sadly, my pitch for items such as the "Non-Stick Cat" were unconvincing, and I probably came in last.

Michael and Nicole arrived, so Chuck decided to teach us all an old Avalon Hill game, Win, Place & Show. I was somewhat intimidated by Chuck's claims that the statistical outcomes of the races were well known, so I approached it with the mindset of an elderly lady at Saratoga (e.g., picking horses whose names I liked), and enjoyed it well enough at that level. I didn't get lucky in the first race, and, while I did okay after that, it seemed like I always picked the same horses as the established leaders, so I couldn't get back into the game. I think I prefer Royal Turf because you do the betting with some knowledge of what the other players are doing (not to mention the simpler rules, faster pace, etc.). On the ride home, Chuck convinced me that, with sufficient experience, there is an interesting metagame of bluffing and second-guessing that goes on, but I doubt that it would ever get played enough to reach that level of play. Playing this did make me wish there was a good PC sim for horse racing, where you could take the role of a bettor, or a racetrack owner, or a horse owner, or maybe even a jockey!

We split into two groups for the first time, and I got roped into a 4p game of Capitol. It seems that every time I play this, the area that starts with two fountains is fiercely fought over; since the game is about resource efficiency, you don't want to invest there unless you come out winning. As it turns out, Chuck and I were able to seal it by the end of the first round (with Matt being the "victim"), and I put an amphitheater there to give us card advantage. Matt and Michael got the second amphitheater, so all was pretty even until the end, but I was able to snag second place in a couple of other areas with fountains, and eventually I was able to win the game. Capitol is somewhat ordinary as a strategy game, but the way players slowly reveal information about where they are going to invest makes it a fun play.

Chuck and I ended the day with a quick game of Mystick Domination. Mystick was designed by the same fellow behind A Game of Thrones CCG, which Chuck and I play regularly. Chuck prefers the theme of the CCG; I'm with him there, but I enjoy Mystick for its lack of "killer" effects, and the ease with which your deck can run out (which is an instant loss) gives it a manageable feel of a puzzle.

Sunriver XI - Part 1 of 4

2004-10-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my gaming group (RipCityGamers) held its semi-annual gaming retreat at a member's vacation home, located at the Sunriver resort in central Oregon. We had a small group this time, which has its pluses and minuses. On the upside: less competition for beds & showers; the kitchen is easier to manage; fewer breaks in the gaming action (as the activities are planned to include all members at all times). On the downside: the risk of less variety in the gaming action, as you have to appeal to a common denominator - along with more grumblings when you do try out something out of the norm. Overall, I found it one of the most relaxing retreats, with no breaks in the gaming action and everybody pretty much in synch the entire weekend.

Doug and I arrived first, and while waiting for the others, we gave Tom Tube a try. My third match, all against different opponents, and all narrow losses for me. It's a game I really want to like, but it feels like the options are limited; it degenerates quickly into a race for the end, with blue and green cubes not playing a part at all (and, in this last match, not even showing up on the board!). I think I need to try a couple of two-handed solo matches to see if the alternate strategies are viable.

Chuck and George arrived, so we dove right into a pre-arranged rematch of Sword of Rome. In our first match, I won as the Gauls by the narrowest of margins over Doug as the Greeks - it came down to a final die roll to see whether my last raid would be successful. This time, I was willing to give someone else the Gauls (as they are in some ways the most fun to play), but asked to take the Romans in exchange. George, who wanted to try again the diplomatic Etruscans/Samnites, smacked me around early, and I got into a big hole, being several points behind when we took a bedtime break after turn 5.

When we reconvened in the morning, Chuck (as the Greeks) continue to threaten automatic victory, but then got wiped out by the Samnites and a raiding Gaul force. Meanwhile, in the north, the Gauls were catching up, but the Estruscans started messing with them. The massive attrition all around allowed me to put resources into building lots of walled cities; by turn 7, I was popping out 9 reinforcements a turn, and with so many units on the board, I was able to take enough cities to get +3 pts for a couple of turns and jump into the lead. The Samnites failed a long-shot invasion at the end, which gave me the narrow victory over George.

The four of us are huge fans of Hannibal, so we certainly enjoy the theme and the mechanisms of the game. However, this is not to be confused with Hannibal. First, it takes way too long for a game of its weight - you can play a 6-turn game instead, but this will overly weight early success/failure, in my opinion. Second, it is a fairly standard multi-player conquest game at its core; the strategies involved are more like Risk than Hannibal. However, the strengths of the theme - especially the difference in the tactics available to the different factions - make up for its shortcomings, and this is a title I'll gladly play (or is that "play gladly", Chuck?), especially as part of a multi-day gaming session.

Next stop, Booker Prize

2004-10-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

In the rulebook for the A Clash of Kings expansion to the A Game of Thrones boardgame, they included a FAQ section. On page 11, the fourth question in the House Cards section (the one about Ser Loras Tyrell's ability), is quoted verbatim from my original question on the yahoogroup. It's, like, all glossy and shit.

Eugene Games Gala

2004-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

I went to Eugene Games Gala 3 yesterday. I went to the first one two years ago, and my experience was pretty much the same both times. I don't like the "open gaming" cons so much because they can be a bit clique-y, whereas event-based cons force more mingling. However, the former are still great places to learn new games (and teach others games), and that alone makes them worth it, especially as my purchasing rate has slowed down tremendously the last couple of years. I was a bit disappointed to not play more longer games, but that's to be expected at a 12-hour event (as opposed to a multi-day event). Props to Lorna for putting it all together. The Gala lacks any kind of special events (which is just how I like it), so this will be more of a long session report.

I started the day out having breakfast, and then playing Too Many Cooks, with KC's wife and 11-year-old daughter. I spent two years in Saratoga renting a room in a house, cohabiting with a girl that age, and I find them so delightful to be around. With a daughter of my own on the way, it was good to spend time with them. As for the game itself, I won easily - I was dealt several excellent hands, and I think my experience in knowing which suits to lead off in paid off. Thumbs Up for this title.

Next, I learned Mermaid Rain, a game that has received much positive buzz on the net. I thought it had many innovative parts to it, but the scoring itself didn't really ring my bell. It seems that you should be able to figure out the expected value of spending two cards to get a scoring chit; then, it should be easy to see whether you should always, or never, spend 4 cards in the initial phase to get 7 points. From a design point-of-view, it seems like the chits should be worth more, and you transition to the hand scoring only after the board dried up, which it didn't do at all in our match. Also, with so many face-down chits in the game, it's really hard to know who to target, and I won the match by a large margin because the second-place player chose the "wrong" scoring chit to collect in the last turn. I'll reserve my opinion until further play.

Next, I learned Theophrastus, the alchemy game from Mayfair. It reminded me of something that Eight Foot Llama would publish, except for a less goofy theme. The action-point system gave you a lot of choices, but I'm not so sure that many of them are sensible. All of the players were getting frustrated at one point or another, as the suit distribution wasn't even at all. Three rounds of this makes for a very long game, but it seems okay enough as long as the play is brisk. With so many other good card games out there, this ends up on the short side of the bell curve.

Next, I was excited to join a match of Thor, as I played the game in its other incarnations (Quandary, Flinke Pinke, Loco), and I heard that Thor added action cards to the mix. Turns out that they only get used in the "Advanced" game, and as there were several folks new to the system, we stuck to the "Basic" game, which is the same as the others I've played. I prefer the game with fewer players, as you have both more options and more control; with five, there's little opportunity for bluff, and the game proceeds more predictably, as one only has time to invest in a few shares, and must go for the ones that they are able to control. Still, this Knizia design remains one of my favorites among his lightweights.

Next, I casually joined a Ricochet Robots game against some real sharks. Every round, most everyone was able to find the quick path eventually, so it became a real speed game where experience paid off. I lack the experience, but have the speed; I was usually the first to discover the shortest path, but I had a hard time remembering it when it came time to retrace it. Halfway thru the match, I was tied for the lead but dropped out due to burnout; as with Weboggle, I can only play a few rounds when up against other pros.

Patrick and I went to get some lattes, and when we returned, all of the others were in the middle of longer multi-player games, so we switched to some 2-player action. First, he taught me Call of Cthulu CCG. I collect and play A Game of Thrones CCG by the same designer and publisher, and saw some similarities. I really like all cards being potential "mana" sources (something I've heard more CCGs are transitioning to), and there were some minor innovations in what was a pretty familiar game structure. Seemed pretty middle-of-the-pack as far as design goes, but I'm not big on the theme, so I'll likely pass on this one. I was greatly appreciative of Patrick teaching me, though.

Next, we played Blue Moon, using the new Khind and Terra factions. I won both matches as the Khind, with the latter match requiring me to scramble at the end to use my card advantage to wrest several dragons from Patrick. The Terra faction doesn't bring much new to the table, but the Khind deck is a lot of fun to play, as you hope to collect members from the same gang in your hand. Thumbs Up for this title.

Next, Patrick taught me Super Tic-Tac-Toe, a Pressman release designed by Alan Newman. We split back-to-back games, taking less than 10 minutes. Okay as a filler, I suppose, but I prefer Sid Sackson's Solo Dice for a quick dice game.

Before dinner, I taught a few folks Einfach Genial, one of the better releases this year, and I'll dedicate three paragraphs in this entry to discuss it. In general, I'm not a big fan of giving strategy tips before playing, primarily because part of the fun of learning a game is discovering these aspects for yourself. Also, there could be some local groupthink influencing these "tips", and I prefer seeing whether a fresh look at the game will bring new insights. In this match, Mimi rushed to complete three of her colors at the expense of the other two, but those two colors were still open enough on the board that she was still considered a contender. I had the same two weak colors as Mini, but I worked more on my defensive play, closing opportunities off for two colors that Doug and KC were so-so on. This left me and Mimi as the main contenders in the midgame, and I used tactical play to defeat her by a slim margin.

Afterwards, I briefly lectured on some of the subtle points of the game. First, you have to recognize when a color is in jeopardy of closing off; in these cases, it's best to get a couple of points in this color now, rather then going for the big score in colors that may be out a bit longer - Mimi's play definitely reinforced this. Second, you have to identify which colors are potential problem areas for your opponents, and then balance closing them out with getting points for yourself. Last, knowing when to complete your colors is key; it's best to get your score for a color just shy of 18, and then only close it when you need the other hex on the domino to pull off a one-two scoring combo; sometimes, I'll also close it when multiple tile plays allows me to quickly seal off an area before an opponent can play there. It was this last point that gave me the edge over Mimi to win.

Einfach Genial's combination of light gameplay and lack of theme will keep it from getting a Top Shelf rating from me. However, I think it's one of the more underrated releases of the year; the masturbatory nature of the big scoring drops hides a clever system that starts manifesting itself in the midgame.

After dinner, we had time for one last game, and Doug requested that I teach him and Mimi Royal Turf; it's a good thing Knizia is my favorite designer, as that made five of his (lightweight) designs I played today! Doug crushed us in all three rounds - curse you, Red Fox! They were appreciative of learning the game, but agreed with me the game will shine more with more players.

Tres Amigos Update

2004-09-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

I worked some on the AI for the cardplay, and now the little buggers are much tougher to beat; I actually lose now and then. I had already worked on the role selection and post-bid card management routines. All that's left is the initial bid, which is by far the most difficult part of the game, in my opinion. After that, I'll go back to the existing routines and tweak them so that they account for long suits, short suits, etc.

One major shortcoming of Microsoft Hearts is that the AI seemingly ignores the scores when playing out a given hand. That is, each player mini-maxes their own score, without worrying about who they need to stick it to in order to have a shot at winning; it's pretty frustrating to have one of the AI players way ahead, and then have another happily throw the queen of spades your way early in the hand. I have to figure out whether, and how, I am going to address this in Tres Amigos; the nature of the scoring demands it even more than MS Hearts, as a single point in the former game carries about 60% of the weight of the queen of spades in the latter game!

Bee Gees

2004-09-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

When I grew up, my older brother's favorite band was the Bee Gees. I remember liking "Nights on Broadway" a lot; otherwise, I wasn't crazy about them. Last year, I was at a friend's vacation home and was sightreading a 70s collection of sheet music, and really got stumped on "How Deep Is Your Love" (bear in mind I haven't played piano regularly in 10+ years). I was impressed by the chord changes, so I did some research on them. I had no idea their history was so old and varied! I first got Odessa (1969), and was blown away. I then got all the LPs from the 60s and 70s.

While they seemed to have made a career ripping off many other artists' sounds, they have an uncanny ability to write solid songs in all of those genres, and have very interesting arrangements. I think the key to their success thru 1975 was Barry's amazing voice, and how he can cover so many styles. I could listen to the guy all day, and sometimes do.

At this point, I would rank the albums as follows (adding a blank line where there is a natural break):

Horizontal (easily on my top 100)
Main Course (All great songs, except for "Fanny")
Odessa
To Whom It May Concern

Bee Gees 1st
Cucumber Castle
Life in a Tin Can
Mr. Natural
Spirits Having Flown

Idea
2 Years On
Trafalgar
Children of the World

Time keeps tickin' away...

2004-09-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Chris Brooks for pointing out the Timer control that's available on Windows Forms as a replacement for Sleep. It's a bummer because I then have to make the logic layer more state-driven, but at least it's a viable solution that requires a minimum amount of code.

I don't get to do (much) UI programming at work. That's one of the main reasons I do these personal projects - to learn things I can apply on "real" projects.

Tres Amigos Update

2004-09-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Got the basic game in place. The AI is dumb as nails, but the program effectively demonstrates the flow of the game (which allows KC to determine whether I got any rules wrong!).

Before I work on the AI, I have to work on the UI. There are two main areas that need work:

The game logic is now coded in a synchronous flow, which forced me to use dialog boxes to get inputs from the user. This week, I will change it so that the logical layer will respond to events from the UI asynchronously.
As far as I can tell, Windows Forms don't allow "sleep", as you have to have the thread inactive so that the window can refresh. To keep the action from flying by (such as seeing the result of the previous hand), I'll have to force the user to respond to some events (e.g., "click OK to continue"). I'll research whether there's other ways around this (without splitting up my program into multiple processes).

Tres Amigos Update

2004-09-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

The first design of KC's I will be coding is a card game called Tres Amigos, a fairly straight-forward trick-taking game with a couple of twists. The project kicked off tonight, and here's what I started:

I created a new project and imported my Card Library stuff into it; this provides a basic framework to handle stuff like decks, discard piles, hands, shuffling, human players, and AI players. I've used it for a few projects so far, so it's pretty good to go.
I created a mockup of what I wanted the screen to look like. Form follows function and all that, using concepts I've used in other games.
I added the code to programatically create the widgets based on how many players are in the game.
I customized the deck (which differs based on the number of players).

Tomorrow night I've got some CCG action lined up, and Thursday night is my boardgaming night, but I hope to have the basic game (sans AI) wrapped up by Sunday night.

Howdy, folks!

2004-09-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

When I created this blog some time ago, I fancied myself writing about music, gaming, software engineering, program management, and other things I am interested in. There are a couple of problems with this. First, I don't think I have much interesting to say. Second, I don't think my writing skills can close the gap. Finally, I enjoy the above so much, along with many other interests, that I would rather spend my time engaging in them than writing about them.

In any case, I'll leave this here in case the bug bites me.

In the meantime, I will be using this as a development journal for a short-term coding project I am working on. My gaming buddy KC is an avid (and, currently, amateur) game designer, and he asked me to whip up a PC version of a couple of his titles to help promote his designs. I'll post updates here.