Blockbuster (Trade, Not Video)

It's hot stove season for my historical hockey league, and a humdinger of a trade just went down. The increasingly desperate Victorias -- who have a league-best five Creighton Cups but haven't won one since Season 9 -- are continuing the rebuild they started midway through last season. They've shipped off reliable left winger Marty Walsh and right-wing prospect Babe Dye to the Millionaires in exchange for young left wing George Hay and veteran forward Frank Rankin (who will be undertaking his second tour of duty with the Vics). Hay is the young, speedy, left-shooting, two-way winger the Vics have long coveted, and Rankin gives them added depth and positional versatility. What's in it for the Millionaires? After coming up short in the Season 13 finals against the Bearcats, the Millies were looking to add a couple of shooters. Walsh gives them a sniper to play on a line with two-time scoring titlist Mickey MacKay and his slick-skating sidekick, Frank Foyston. The real prize, though, is Dye; he has the offensive instincts and scoring potential of a Newsy Lalonde or a Joe Malone, but his abysmal puck-possession stats made him a poor fit for the Vics, a team that strongly values players who don't turn the puck over. In the end, this trade really comes down to Hay and Dye; the Vics are betting on Hay's high floor, while the Millies are betting on Dye's high ceiling. It may well be a couple of seasons before we can determine who really won this trade!

Legend of Wukong

It's a busy summer of Scouting activities, brief trips, and lots and lots (and lots) of work, but I'm steadily making my way through a '90s Taiwanese JRPG called Legend of Wukong on my Evercade. (Interestingly enough, it's the second game I've played that's based on an early Chinese novel.) I am, of course, a sucker for full-party, turn-based RPGs, so naturally I'm enjoying this one. There's plenty of action mixed with  memorable characters and goofy humor, which reminds me quite a bit of the superior Brave Battle Saga. 

Happy B-Day

Happy 250th, America! Any chance we can all come together and celebrate as one people? No...?

Cypherize

I'm really digging the new Cypher edition. I can't wait to get my hands on all the books and other goodies, but the PDF of the player guide is certainly enough to get my mind racing about the possibilities. I'm not saying that I would or should do this, but after reading that PDF, I feel as though I could convert my last two campaign settings -- Shattered Realm and the venerable Druid Cycle -- from Fifth Edition D&D to Cypher. All campaigns and settings linked by a common ruleset? And all characters, locations, and other elements recorded in a single spreadsheet? It's a tantalizing prospect...

Blade Runner

For weeks now, Lumibricks fans have been seeing scuttlebutt online that the company was entering into its first licensing agreement. We saw images that some swore were real and others decried as AI. Well, today, the company teased on Facebook that their first partnership will be announced later this month. The image they shared all but confirmed the identity of the licensed property: Blade Runner. Oh yeah -- my growing city of Vesper is going to get some awesome new additions!

Supergirl Premiere

Supergirl premieres in theaters today! I'm excited to see it, but Scouting-related activities will probably force me to wait until it comes out on HBO Max.

The End...For Now!

We played the epic conclusion of our Vanguard Saga campaign this evening. The heroes foiled the Anchorites' plans and, in doing so, got a few teasers for the upcoming Vesper campaign. I absolutely loved the player characters in this storyline, so we'll definitely revisit them in the future. Their main NPC ally was taken captive in the closing moments of the adventure, so they have an obvious next mission to undertake...