Tales of the Ternion

The 3D printer has been something of a bust. Although all the mechanical components are fine -- the motors work as expected and the extruder heats the filament properly -- the printer essentially freezes whenever we initiate a print job. I'm thinking it must be a firmware issue, so I hope the manufacturer's tech support folks can walk us through a potential fix. Otherwise, back to Amazon it goes! 

The boys are pretty disappointed, but the blow was softened a bit by the start of our long-anticipated superhero campaign, Tales of the Ternion. Drawing upon characters and themes from all of my past modern-setting campaigns (superhero and otherwise), I've concocted a fiendishly complex web of mysteries and conspiracies for the boys to unravel. After just a few sessions (rather, "issues"), they're knee-deep in cryptic clues and feeling proud that they've been able to answer a few questions. I think we need to finish up Cursed City before we get too deep in this campaign, but it's been a fun treat over this long weekend!

Our Latest Rabbit Hole

After exhaustive research by their top engineer (Matthew) and with the backing of a wealthy investor (Nathaniel), my kids have purchased a 3D printer. Now they'll be able to print miniatures (with an assist from Hero Forge) for minions, troopers, civilians, and other background characters in our roleplaying games, as well as 3D terrain for our wargames. I'll be sure to share photos of their creations once we receive the printer and get it up and running!

Deadline Deal

The trade deadline has come and gone, and, as I anticipated, the thin talent pool that we're experiencing during this expansion season has resulted in very limited player movement. Just about every team went out and kicked some tires, but there just weren't a lot of great options out there. I always try to be objective and make the best-possible decision for every team, so if a transaction doesn't benefit both clubs, I won't make it. 

As it turned out, just one deal went down. The Bulldogs flipped winger Scotty Davidson to the Bearcats for fellow forward Jack Ruttan. This deal made sense for a lot of reasons. First, the Bulldogs currently sit in third place, just a point behind our co-leaders, the Comets and the Victorias. The Dogs are just about a lock to make the playoffs, but Davidson's frequent penalties (he's second in the league in PIM) are costing his team points in the standings. It's been so bad lately that I've had to bench Davidson in the third period in close games to avoid meltdowns. If the Dogs want to make a deep run in the playoffs, they can't give offensively-oriented teams like the Comets and Vics even more power-play chances. Davidson is just too much of a risk for them. His production is way down this year, as well (12 games, 3 G, 2 A, -6). Coming back to the Dogs is Ruttan, who has played in only six games but still has nearly the same production (2 G, 1 A, -1); moreover, in terms of Strat-O-Matic game stats, Ruttan is in the lowest penalty bracket, whereas Davidson is in the bracket is most likely to trigger a penalty. Why would the Bearcats want Davidson? Well, in this situation they have the opportunity to buy low on a solid player who is vastly superior to internal options like Fred Scanlan and Rusty Crawford. Davidson is an elite skater, and the Cats are the slowest team in the league by far. He also brings a great deal of offensive upside, so a bit of positive regression will provide some dividends for his new team. He'll take more than his share of boneheaded penalties, but the Cats need talent and they're not in contention for a playoff spot this year. Davidson gives them a useful everyday player for next year, or someone they can trade back to an offense-starved contender if need be.

Today Is Free Comic Book Day!

Mosey on over to your friendly local comic book store for some free stuff! You can read all about the FCBD offerings here.

FCBD 2022

Heads up that this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day!

A Plucky Challenger!

We've just rolled -- or, rather, skated -- past the midpoint of Season 7, with all sorts of fun storylines shaping up in this first campaign with a full six-team league. One of those storylines is the sheer dominance of second-year forward Newsy Lalonde of the Victorias. With 12 goals and 7 assists in just 11 games, Lalonde ought to be cruising toward the scoring title and the Forward MVP trophy.

Except, he isn't.

There's another player with 12 goals and 7 assists in 11 games played, but also a league-leading +13 plus/minus rating (compared to Lalonde's pedestrian +1). One might reasonably guess three-time MVP Gord Roberts to be that other player, but Roberts, despite having a fine campaign, is all the way back at tenth in the league in total points as of today. No, Lalonde's plucky challenger is Comets left winger Blair Russell. 

The Comets are loaded with offensive talent, starting with two-time MVP Frank McGee, the league's all-time leader in goals scored. They've also got Dick Irvin, Frank Foyston, and George Richardson, plus high-scoring defenseman Mike Grant, and yet Russell has more goals and points than any of these luminaries. What gives? Well, Russell was a bit of a minor star in earlier seasons, finishing sixth in the scoring race in Season 2 and fifth in Season 3. Since then, Russell hasn't even sniffed the top ten, or even the top twenty. This year, he's on a brand-new line, skating with crafty winger-turned-center Foyston and either Shorty Green or defenseman-turned-forward Joe Hall on the right wing. Their stellar play has propelled the Comets to (currently) second place behind the lordly Vics. 

I can't wait to see if Russell outduels Lalonde by the season's end, or if another challenger emerges to steal their thunder!