More Holiday Game Action!

I got up to get some coffee a little while ago, and when I got back to my office, I had a surprise waiting for me...

Gifts from my team! They're spread out all over the country, but they coordinated with my team member here in Nevada to give me the gift of game this Christmas. I'm so fortunate to work with amazing people -- people who really get me!

Holiday Game Action

The boys and I wrapped up another thoroughly entertaining adventure with our Toronto crew yesterday, but it was the only D&D we've played in quite a while (aside from a brief Shattered Realm episode that I managed to shoehorn into one weekend morning). With all the kids' activities, it seems to be getting harder to find the time to roll dice. Progress on our main Shattered Realm campaign is pretty damn slow, and other D&D stuff we'd like to do -- an Eberron mini-campaign is probably at the top of the list -- seems like it will be tough to pull off.

I'm looking forward to the holidays, as it will give us an opportunity to spend time together and have fun. When the kids aren't playing Xbox with their cousins, we'll dig into some of their gaming-related Christmas stuff. I'll have numerous units to assemble for the Tanks miniatures game, as both boys are now quite interested in twentieth-century military history. On that score, Nathaniel will also be getting a couple of Axis & Allies games. (I only remember the classic -- apparently now there's a whole slew of related titles.) It wouldn't be Christmas for Nathaniel without something 40k, however, so he's also getting the Space Marines codex and the Ultramarines codex supplement. We aren't playing 40k very much these days -- it's hard to find time to play anything -- but he enjoys poring over game rules, coming up with optimized units, playing through solo games, etc. Matthew, meanwhile, is more interested in Xbox than tabletop stuff, but he did ask for a 40k model in addition to the aforementioned tanks. He's going to use the model as a vehicle for his futuristic Shattered Realm hero, so it will be fun to build and paint it together.

Speaking of painting, one of the coolest gifts the kids are getting are their own customized miniatures from Hero Forge. Matthew designed Kai, his sniper from the sci-fi Shattered Realm (and the one who will be riding around in the 40k vehicle), and Nathaniel opted for Demorus, his original Shattered Realm ranger. I'm looking forward to painting the minis and helping bring those characters to life!

Off-Season Transactions, Part 2

The off-season activity continues for my Strat-O-Matic hockey league! Teams have moved on to trades, and now that the dust has settled, four more players have new homes. Playoff hero Steamer Maxwell is now with the Thistles to give that team a bit more offensive upside on the second line. Defenseman Harvey Pulford, recently acquired as a free agent by the Thistles, ended up with the Bulldogs, who also converted Harry Watson from defense to his natural position of left wing. Tom Hooper, an unheralded but versatile forward, landed on the Comets. Finally, the Vics obtained left wing Jimmy Gardner to add a more physical presence to what is otherwise a fairly "soft" team. I may reflect a bit more on these transactions, as I don't anticipate starting the new season any time soon, but this is the state of the team rosters as of today.

Starfinder on Alexa

This is kinda cool...

Off-Season Transactions

The initial off-season transactions for my pre-NHL hockey league involve roster cuts and free-agent signings. Teams have the option to cut one or more players and bring in replacements as they see fit, but they must begin the new season with an active roster of no more or less than 10 players. To promote competitive balance, I decided that teams get the opportunity to sign a given unaffiliated player in the opposite order in which they finished in the standings. 

In this case, the last-place Thistles had the first crack at free agents, followed by the Comets, Bulldogs, and finally the league-leading Victorias. The Thistles decided to jettison forward Jack Ruttan and sign defenseman Harvey Pulford. The Thistles need help everywhere, but bringing in Pulford gives them an embarrassment of riches on the blueline -- superstar Hod Stuart, underrated Dickie Boon, and stay-at-home stalwarts Moose Johson and new arrival Pulford. Now the Thistles can deal from a position of strength and make trades to address other needs, such as secondary scoring. 

As for the now-homeless Jack Ruttan, it's an ignominious end to his tenure with the Thistles, who had traded for him immediately after the preseason tournament. Over the 12-game regular season, he managed a single goal, no assists, and a -3 rating; meanwhile, the man the Thistles gave up to get him -- Gord Roberts! -- finished second in the league in scoring, won the award for MVP of all forwards, and led the Bulldogs to the championship series. It was a transaction that changed the fortunes of two franchises and will probably go down as the biggest steal ever for this fledgling league. 

What's next for Ruttan? The Comets, Bulldogs, and Vics all elected not to cut players, so he remains a free agent.

Awards

Last thing for Season 1 -- the awards! As I noted in the last post, Vics goaltender Bowse Hutton won the Playoff MVP award. He also took home the Goaltender MVP for his excellent netminding during the regular season. Cyclone Taylor of the Vics won the Defenseman MVP and edged out Gord Roberts by one point for the scoring title. Roberts, however, didn't go away empty handed, as the Bulldogs star won the trophy for Forward MVP. No one from the Comets or Thistles won an award, but there's always next season, boys!