First Contact

In our Dark Enigma campaign, a blizzard had trapped the heroes at a remote compound deep the wilderness. Today they received some unwelcome guests...

Clearly, something is amiss back in Wenro! The heroes will now begin a treacherous trek back through the snow to see what exactly is going on...

Crunch Time

First play of Game 1 of the Finals. I mean, the first play, right after the opening faceoff: Thistles winger and Season 10 scoring champion Alf Smith absolutely crunches Bearcats superstar Joe Malone. It's gonna be a series...

It's Finals Time!

The first round of the playoffs is in the books!

The Thistles will return to the Finals after last year's heartbreaking collapse against the Victorias. This year, the Thistles got a measure of revenge by dismantling the Vics in the first round, sweeping them 3-0 in the best-of-five series and outscoring them 10-5. Key players for the Thistles in the opening round (and strong contenders for the Playoff MVP trophy) included sophomore winger Didier Pitre (2 goals, 3 assists, +3), offensive defenseman Fred Whitcroft (2 goals, 3 assists, +4), and netminder Hugh Lehman (1.67 goals-against average, .956 save percentage), whose 44-save gem in the third game sealed the series win.

In the other series, the home team won every game, resulting in a 3-2 triumph for the top-ranked Bearcats over the Comets. Joe Malone led the way offensively (4 goals, 4 assists, -3), followed by Scotty Davidson (4 goals, 2 assists, -3), Harry Trihey (0 goals, 7 assists, +3), and Dickie Boon (1 goal, 5 assists, -1). Bonus points if you noted that most of the Cats' leading scorers had a negative plus-minus; they eked out a win in this series only because their power play clicked at a fantastic 26.67%. The Comets were the better team at five-on-five; they fought until the bitter end, coming up just one goal short in the fifth and decisive game. 

Next up, the Bearcats will host the Thistles in Game 1 of the Finals. These two contenders are the only remaining teams that have never won a Creighton Cup, so one way or the other, we'll get to witness a franchise win its very first title.

Plot Drop

I'm moving steadily toward the conclusion of the surprisingly wonderful Brave Battle Saga, and there are revelations left and right! In one cutscene alone, secrets were revealed about two of the four party members; one turned out to be the half-demon niece of a queen, and the other is...a cyborg, maybe? Now we're off to recover his memory chip, so...

Season 10 Playoff Preview

It's playoff time once again in Strat-O-Matic hockey! The Millionaires and Bulldogs won't be joining the dance this year, but here's how the other teams stack up for the first round of the tourney...

Bearcats (1st) vs. Comets (4th)

The Bearcats finished in first place for the first time in franchise history; their pennant is well deserved, too, as the Cats had the league's best goal differential (+18), best goal prevention (2.20 goals against per game), and second-best offense (3.10 goals scored per game). They were unequivocally number one at five-on-five hockey, and the top six players in the league in plus/minus were all Bearcats. Special teams were a different story, however, as the Cats ranked second-to-last in power play and their penalty kill was middling. Their first-round opponent, the Comets, had a hot second half, but still finished as the only playoff team with a negative goal differential (-11) and mediocre rankings in all major offensive and defensive categories. Head-to-head, the Cats were 3-1-0 against the Comets this year, so I'm picking the Bearcats to make their inaugural appearance in the Creighton Cup Finals.

Thistles (2nd) vs. Victorias (3rd)

It's a rematch of last year's Cup Finals! The Thistles allowed the Vics to come back in that series and thus were denied their first-ever Creighton Cup. Could it be time for revenge? The Thistles were a goal-scoring machine this year, with a league-best 3.25 goals scored per game, but the Vics counter with elite goal prevention (number two at 2.30 goals against per game). The Thistles had a league-leading penalty kill (89.16%), but the Vics had the top power play (21.67%). It seems that each team can counter the other's advantages. Not surprisingly, I guess, their head-to-head record was 1-1-2, and they both finished with a +9 goal differential overall. This one is a coin toss, folks!

Friends Knocking Down My Door

I'm at a natural pause point with Brave Battle Saga, so I've put that game aside for a few days to explore an Evercade cartridge containing nothing but Commodore 64 classics. How come no one has knocked down my door yet?

BBS -- TLOTMW

As titles go, Brave Battle Saga -- The Legend of the Magic Warrior is kind of an awkward jumble. (I'm sure its original Mandarin title has a nicer ring to it.) As games go, however, it's kind of a blast! BBS -- TLOTMW (wow, the initialism seems almost as long as the actual title!) is the latest game I'm working through on my Evercade. It was originally a Sega Genesis game released only in Taiwan, but now it has a full English version. The endless random encounters add unnecessary length and monotony, but the story is pretty fun (and occasionally downright funny) and there's a funky science-fantasy vibe that's getting stronger as I get deeper into the game. Anticipating later classics like Baldur's Gate, it opens with a single protagonist, but ultimately you pick up a rag-tag band of companions who all have their own personal storylines and motivations. Can't wait to see how it all plays out!

Milestone

Today's Druid Cycle adventure marked the one-year anniversary of the campaign I've run for my boys and my niece and nephew. (Well, technically, tomorrow is the calendar anniversary.) To celebrate this milestone, I invited Tim W to join the game session as his esteemed wizard Cathbad. It was awesome to have this new generation interacting with a living legend. They all participated together in a weighty discussion of how to protect their nation and avoid becoming embroiled in a burgeoning continent-wide conflict that I've dubbed "World War Druid Cycle." Considering that I've been laying the foundation for this storyline for the past year, I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time that Cathbad and the younger heroes will cross paths!

The Compound

In our Dark Enigma campaign, the companions have trudged through a Western New York snowstorm to a remote survivalist compound in search of information about the main NPC's missing sister. The compound and surrounding area are depicted in the photo below.

You can see Amy's stealthy huntress hiding behind a large bush in the foreground. The heroes managed to defeat the guards, and next they'll explore the compound for clues. Another storm is rolling in, however, so they'll need to wait it out here at the compound before they can hike back to town. I wonder what will have changed when they finally get back to Wenro...?