Stars Aligned

The stars aligned this weekend -- well, a Boy Scout activity got postponed -- so I was able to run the introductory solo adventures for our new The Vanguard Saga campaign. Amy, Matthew, and Nathaniel all got to do their solo adventures yesterday and, as an added bonus, we had time for the first full-party session this evening. And with Tim W already deeply into his email-based adventure in this setting, it really feels like The Vanguard Saga is coming to life. It's my oldest fictional setting -- with characters I created way back when I was in elementary school -- but this is the first time I've ever used it in an RPG campaign.

The Season of Juice

I don't record a lot of data for my nineteenth-century Strat-O-Matic baseball league, so the individual games go by pretty quickly -- I can roll up two or three in an hour. After just a week of "real" time, I've already played through a quarter of the Season 11 schedule! With six games for each team now in the books, I can say that the recurring theme for this season is, without a doubt, offense. 

Thus far, teams are racking up an average of 4.96 runs per game, a significant increase over last year's full-season average of 3.55. The first-place Canaries (6-1) are leading the way with a staggering 7.67 runs per game. For comparison, that's more than two full runs per game above the record (5.24), set by these same Canaries way back in Season 4, their only championship year. Part of the Canaries' success has come from the long ball, as this team has hit more home runs (8) than the other three teams combined (7). What's up with the Canaries and, indeed, with the whole league? The players aren't juicing, the ball isn't juiced, so it really comes down to luck. I expect some regression as we move through the season -- or will the Canaries' luck hold out long enough to end their title drought?

5e SRD

There's a new version of the D&D System Reference Document that corresponds to the revised version of Fifth Edition. You can download it here.

Season 11

With a lot of things up in the air in real life, I've been hesitant to dive into any big gaming-related projects. Another season of Strat-O-Matic baseball seems like a good fit, as it doesn't require a lot of time or effort. I haven't given too much thought lately to these nineteenth-century baseball stalwarts, but it will be interesting to see if the hard-luck Canaries can finally end their drought and after watching the Haymakers, Blue Legs, and Resolutes all celebrate titles since the Canaries last won it all in Season 4. 

Superman Day

Apparently, it's Superman Day. Happy Superman Day to those who celebrate!

A New Generation

With a spiffy new Front Porch Multiverse spreadsheet and Cypher System stats for hundreds of characters from over a dozen past campaigns, I'm excited to take the next step and start the first campaign of this new era. Now that Amy and the boys and I have wrapped up the zombie-battling Dark Enigma game, we'll get going with The Vanguard Saga. This setting dates back to when I was a young child and is my oldest fictional universe, predating the Druid Cycle world by a decade or more. Every few years, I update the timeline as well as the major NPCs who drive the storylines. As of today, I have a lineup of twelve amazing characters who will help me introduce this setting to my family and provide us with hours of fun storytelling in the months and years ahead. I've also taken the time to create full-color models of these characters using Hero Forge, so everyone will get to see what they look like in high-res detail!

Hair Band

I feel like this board game was pretty much made for me...

The Game Goes On

This isn't gaming related, but it's very much on my mind. Today, a Putin-loving creep became the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader. I'm reminded of a similarly dark day when baseball's all-time home-run record fell to a likewise loathsome character, although loathsome for very different reasons.

And yet, the game goes on. It's bigger than any one man or one record. But all the same...Auston Matthews, stay healthy and stay focused. You've got a job to do now, and we're counting on you.

Dungeons Pop

This is no April Fool's Day joke -- Dungeons Pop is on the way! This Kickstarter ended nearly two years ago, and the product is finally shipping. Can't wait to get my hands on this super awesome pop-up 3D terrain!