The End of a Legend

Legend of Wukong came to a sudden end after a final boss fight that seemed rather too easy. Right up until the credits rolled, I was expecting one last plot twist or a bit more action before the "real" conclusion. In any case, the game was an absolute blast, and a worthy addition to my Evercade Hall of Fame. What's more, Wukong inspired me to pick up Journey to the West, the early Chinese novel upon which the game is (loosely) based.

Spinner

As if I needed any more evidence that Lumibricks is running circles around Lego, here's the new Blade Runner 2049 spinner. And yes, I've ordered it!

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...

Free RPG Day

Today is Free RPG Day 2026! Swing by your friendly local game shop for some swag!

Cypher 2

The universe gives, and takes away, and gives again. Hot on the heels of my Knicks winning the championship, my Golden Knights flamed out in the Stanley Cup Final. Mere moments after their fate was sealed, however, I got the email from Monte Cook Games about the arrival of the digital version of the new Cypher System -- now just "Cypher" -- player's handbook. Nathaniel and I are already poring over the character creation rules in the new edition and looking ahead to the upcoming campaign set in Vesper.

Let's Go, Knicks!

When I was in high school, I used to play as the Knicks in NBA Jam and dream of the real-life team bringing home a championship. As a fortysomething adult, now owning my very own NBA Jam cabinet, I've played as the Knicks and dreamed of the real-life team bringing home a championship. Tonight, they're bringing home a championship for real. For the first time in my lifetime, the New York Knicks are world champions!

Endgame

We're nearing the conclusion of our family Vanguard Saga campaign -- or the first big chunk of it, anyway. After slipping around the Anchorites' battle lines by means of a hidden trail, the heroes have reached the ruins where their foes have taken control of a mysterious artifact.

To get to the artifact, they'll have to fight or sneak their way into the dusty temple where the Anchorites' chief archaeologist is preparing to reactivate this long-dormant device.

Can our heroes stop the Anchorites in time? It's going to be quite the showdown! 

(Oh, and a powerful but unpredictable assassin is going to show up at basically the worst-possible time with an agenda of her own, which is bad news for both the Anchorites and the heroes...)

By the Power of Grayskull!

YOU have the power...to see the new Masters of the Universe movie, which premieres today. Maybe it's time to break out Battleground again...

Battle Lines

Our heroes in the Vanguard Saga campaign are continuing their perilous trek across the arid world of Elysion. They're soon to reach the forward command post of their military allies.

Unfortuantely, some Anchorites -- a fanatical sect seeking to separate itself, violently if necessary, from the rest of the human race -- are encamped nearby in the outskirts of a ruined, ancient city. 

The heroes will arrive just as the Anchorites are mounting an attack. They'll have to assist their allies to repel the charge and then continue deeper into the ruined city, where their foes are now unearthing a long-buried artifact that will determine the fate of the planet.

Flawless Victory

Recently I got a hankering to play through Drakkhen again with a new party, and it was just as much fun as last time. The final boss fight was pretty hilarious -- we walked into the room, listened to his evil monologue, and then my wizard killed him two seconds later with a single spell!

Plataea Outpost

In our family Vanguard Saga campaign, the heroes have crossed a harsh, arid wasteland and at last have reached a remote military outpost where they will work with the local garrison to undertake their mission here on the planet Elysion. 

They've also caught up with the Demeter, their trusty transport ship, from which they were separated shortly after arriving on this world. That ship is, of course, is a Warhammer 40k Valkyrie. Cheers to 40k for a wide range of models that I can use in roleplaying campaigns -- but jeers to our 3D printer, which crapped out when I really could have used a few more chain-link fence segments!

Season 13 Creighton Cup

The Season 13 semifinals were pretty shocking! I didn't expect both series to end in sweeps or for both series to have such lopsided goal differentials. I was pretty excited, though, for the Creighton Cup finals matchup. This was the first time that the finals did not include one of the league's First Four teams (Bulldogs, Comets, Thistles, Victorias). Instead, it was a battle of expansion teams!

The semifinals also teed up some interesting themes that I wanted to monitor in the finals. The Bearcats' power play came to life (33.33%) after finishing dead last in the regular season (10.00%), and it was a major contributing factor to the Cats' upset win over the Bulldogs. So too was goaltending. Crusty veteran Riley Hern outdueled superstar Hap Holmes, finishing with an astounding .973 save percentage! For the Millionaires, Georges Vezina was almost as impressive at .961. Vezina's heroics, in fact, masked some of the Millies' first-round shortcomings: They failed to score a power-play goal after finishing first in that statistic during the regular season (24.07%), and the only player to score more than one goal in the opening round was defenseman Harry Cameron (4).

Who won the ultimate prize? See below for the recap!

• Game 1: The first-place Millionaires started the series at home against the third-place Bearcats. In the first, Joe Malone got the visitors rolling with a goal less than two minutes into the game. The Cats outshot the Millies 18-7 in the first period, dominating the time of possession just as they did against the Dogs in the last round. Scotty Davidson's power-play goal in the second made it 2-0 for the Cats. The Millies finally struck back in the third, on back-to-back goals by Mickey MacKay and Frank Foyston; in that sequence, Cats goalie Riley Hern gave up as many goals in three minutes as he did in three full games against the Bulldogs! There was no further scoring in regulation, nor in the first overtime. In double overtime, Malone tallied his second of the game to win it for the upstart Bearcats. 
• Game 2: The Cats came home with a chance to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. After a scoreless first, the game really opened up in the second period. Jimmy Gardner -- the former  Millies captain who lost even his roster spot late in the regular season due to lack of production and undisciplined play -- cracked the lineup for the first time in the postseason and scored his team's first goal. That lead was quickly erased by Joe Malone, however, but then restored by new Millies captain Harry "Rat" Westwick. The score was 2-1 at the end of the second. Billy McGimsie tied it early in the third, and then Bruce Stuart gave the Cats their first lead with a power-play tally. George Hay got the equalizer for the Millies, so it was 3-3 heading into the final few minutes of regular time. Star blueliner Harry Cameron continued his scorching postseason with his fifth goal of the playoffs, sealing a 4-3 win for the visiting Millionaires and tying the series at one game apiece.
• Game 3: The Millies were home for the third game, but as with Game 1, found themselves in an early hole. The Cats held a huge advantage in time of possession and peppered Georges Vezina with shots until defenseman Frank Patrick -- brother of Millies defenseman Lester Patrick -- got one past Vezina. That goal was followed shortly thereafter by a Billy McGimsie lamp-lighter. The Cats took a 2-0 lead into the second frame, in which there was no scoring. A desperate Millionaires team made a strong push in the third. Frank Foyston got them on the board, but McGimsie's second of the game restored the Cats' two-goal lead. Mickey MacKay scored on the power play to make it 3-2, but the clock ran out before they could get the equalizer. 
• Game 4: With a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, the Cats had a chance to win the first Creighton Cup in franchise history on home ice -- of course, up to this point, the road team had won every game in the finals. In the first, defensemen Frank Patrick and Harry Cameron traded early goals in a 1-1 contest that quickly became 3-1 after linemates Didier Pitre and Joe Malone scored for the Cats. The Millies suffered a tough blow in the second when Bruce Stuart made it 4-1 in front of the Cats' ecstatic home fans. Although Barney Stanley got one back for the defending champs, they still trailed 4-2 going into the third. Malone and Stanley each scored their second goals of the game, both on the power play, in the third period. The end result was a 5-3 series-clinching victory for the Bearcats. 

It's the first-ever Creighton Cup for the Bearcats and their transcendent superstar Joe Malone, who edged the Millies' Harry Cameron for the Playoff MVP trophy. Classy veteran Fred Maxwell earned the seventh championship of his career, after racking up five with the Victorias and one with the Comets in years past. That's all for now! Season 13 is in the books.

Just When I Thought I Was Out...

 ...they pull me back in! It looked like Lumibricks (nee Funwhole) was wrapping up their cyberpunk line, but some new sets have dropped! I've supplemented the construction of my super-cool city of Vesper with sets from the steampunk and inner-city lines, but now it's back to straight-up cyberpunk to round out the city before staging the first campaign here.

32 Wolf Man

We're getting close to the end of this phase of the boys' Shattered Realm campaign, in which their high-level characters are undertaking a mission to help save the Druid Cycle world from a multiverse-level threat. In the penultimate combat of this storyline, the heroes needed to crash an evil queen's military rally, rescue some hostages before they could be executed, and obtain the magic item neeed for them to help their compatriots in the Druid Cycle world. Matthew's elf rogue manage to shoot the queen with his bow in the first round of combat, but the real challenge was saving the hostages, who were out in the open in the middle of the town square with enemy soldiers closing in on them from all directions. 

Enter...32 Wolf Man!

Nathaniel has long been toying with combat tactics focused on conjuring large numbers of creatures. He's been referring to this idea as "32 Wolf Man," because, using a ninth-level spell, he could conjure a ridiculous 32 wolves at once. And that's exactly what he did in this situation. Wildshaped into an earth elemental, Nathaniel's druid burrowed under the town square, popped up from below ground, and conjured this army of wolves around the helpless hostages. Now forced to hack their way through these two fill rings of celestial beasts, the enemy soldiers were delayed long enough for the heroes to figure out an exit strategy in which they retrieved the magic item from the queen's body and got away with as many of the hostages as they could.