More Literary Squeezing, or Abusing the Muse

Since I'm such a sucker for forced creativity, I've gotten myself into an even messier situation this weekend. I'm competing in the 3-Day Novel Contest on a relative whim, which was maybe not the brightest idea considering I got a new guitar this week (pics to come) and didn't really have an idea until last night. Granted, the latter may work out for me, as I won't be quite so attached to any literary destination and will be more flexible as a result. So think encouraging thoughts for me this weekend, and enjoy your day off because I'll probably be pulling my hair out and resisting the urge to drown in highballs by that point.

Anyway, this is different from National Novel Writing Month (which I rocked last year and plan to do again this year) in that your work is actually submitted and judged, so I have to bring the story to completion this time around. And lucky me, I've got a cheap backup plan should it come to it. Not that it will, as we all know I'm a friggin' pro when it comes to pacing and not procrastinating. 

Wait, I'm thinking of the guy that won the gold for the Olympic Marathon. Crap.

It was a dark and stormy night,

Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Jim Carroll Band

It's Wednesday, so I'm sure you're all jonesing for a little somethin' somethin'. Luckily for you, I've got your fix. This week, I've got some Jim Carroll for you. Catholic Boy has become one of my all-time favorites, and "People Who Died" just might be my favorite track. Just remember, drugs are bad, mmmkay?



I know it's dangerous, but it sure beats Rikers,
Regis

Today's Revelation

No, I'm not posting about Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate (although, for the record, I like it).

As it turns out, Lizzie the miniature pinscher (New Danger Dog Studios namesake and she of profile pic fame) does not make a very good running companion. She likes to sniff things and poop in places that require me to pick it up too damn much. It's a shame, because she's a little porky.

In related news, I still need to run the C25K week seven program once more to consider the week completed. Ah, well.

Here I go again on my own,

Regis

Colorado and Wyoming State Tournament Report

As previously mentioned, Colorado and Wyoming States were my first tournaments for SW:CCG in almost seven years. Mark “AnakinSolo” Van Driel and I hatched a plan to run Wyoming and Colorado States on subsequent days in Laramie and Fort Collins, so as to further entice those that might be interested in travelling with double the action. After some false starts and balls being dropped (definitely more on my end than his), we had a plan: Colorado States in Fort Collins on Saturday August 16 and Wyoming States in Laramie on Sunday the 17. It was go time.

I definitely knew I wanted to play my Ewok You Like a Hurricane (Chirpa (v) catapults with a TIGIH base) one day, but didn’t have any strong feelings either way for other decks. I put together a Court deck with AO/WW (v) Rancor start to go with the Ewoks for Sunday (I decided to play my more “fun” decks that day), and went with TDIGWATT with the Vane (v) and lightsaber EPPS for dark and Sonn (v) mains and toys for light in Colorado. My old buddy Jon and I played a bunch of games in the week or two before the tournaments, more to just shake off rust than anything else (I hadn’t played a real game in the better part of a year).

Jon and I drove down from Sheridan to Laramie on Friday. Unable to find tournament-acceptable sleeves up here in Sheridan, we hit Dave’s Darts and Billiards (formerly Dave’s Darts and Parts) in Casper on the way down and stocked up. The drive as a whole was pretty uneventful, but we made it to Dillon (another one of the old Sheridan playerbase) and his wife’s place to crash on the couch. Dillon’s figurative boots on the ground was one of the reasons we had the Wyoming tournament in Laramie rather than Cheyenne, but he couldn’t get Saturday off work to go to Fort Collins with us.

Saturday morning, we left Laramie a little later than I’d originally planned so as to pick up my copy of the AR from Staples, but we made it to Gryphon’s right on time – except that the store ownership had apparently forgotten to come in early and left us standing out in the rain. It was pretty nice to finally put faces with some names on the boards, particularly Mark (who did a first-rate job running the show – bravo). After chatting for a bit, Jon and I go back to my car and work on decklists. The store opens up about 11 and we go in, chat with the others for a bit, and get started about noon.

Colorado States
Game 1: DS vs Josh’s RTP
Josh seemed like a pretty chill guy, hadn’t played in a while much like me. I think he activated Artoo first turn, so he got set back a turn drawing her up. I put off getting Dark Deal set up all the way, knowing that RTP is a lot easier to deal with before it gets flipped. In a genius move, I put The Emperor (v) at the Detention Block Corridor, but I don’t zap Artoo when he moves in. No, instead of doing the smart thing, I zap Leia as soon as she’s freed, so Josh just deploys another copy of Prison 2187 from hand to the Yavin 4 docking bay and backs her up with Ki (v) and Chewie Enraged – but doesn’t move her in to flip. Looks like I’m not the only one making dumb mistakes. I think I sent down a beat crew with Boba Fett BH, Zuckuss (v) and 4-LOM (but I don’t recall specifically). A flurry of battle destinies takes care of that, leaving me free to set up Dark Deal and flip. I think I prompted him to deploy Evac Control (v) and use it during another battle where I didn’t have a second destiny anyway, but it was pretty much wrapped up at that point.

FW +24,
2 (+24)

Game 2: LS vs Hunter’s Hunt Down
For some reason, Hunter was a lot bigger than I expected him to be – I’m not sure why, but he struck me as a pretty decent guy nonetheless. My Sonn (v) deck runs a lot of Jedi, so I was able to keep him from flipping most of the game – and that was pretty much the high point for me. For some reason, I thought his Abyss (v) shield gave me a 1 for total battle destiny is mine all got cancelled, so I didn’t play Chasm (v) against a Vader/Grand Moff Tarkin battle (after I’d played my two Smoke Screens) – d’oh! Ever the environmentalist, he thinned my numbers with You Are Beaten, Dr. Evazan, and Sniper.
FL -21
2 (+3)

Game 3: LS vs Jerry’s Endor Ops
Jerry is a pretty cool guy that likes the Aquabats, ‘nuff said. This game went considerably better for me. I had an early SATM on Maul and he couldn’t really keep much out after that. The single best part was a successful Under Attack on Blizzard 1 with Praji (v). Oh, the humanity!
FW +19
4 (+22)

Game 4: Bye
I used the facilities and bought a copy of Watchmen.
6 (+22)

Game 5: DS vs Tom’s QMC
You’d think I’d have formulated a plan of some sort of how to deal with QMC, but that would mean you gave me too much credit. His space package was pretty much unshakable by mine. I flipped for almost a whole turn after EPP Mara took out Obi-Wan JK (v).
FL -24
6 (-2)

Game 6: LS vs Tom’s Trained in the Jedi Arts Combat
This game probably would have been a little different if I’d been smart enough to remember Affect Mind (v), more to cap his drains than remove the finger of death. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t that smart. Qui-Gon barely lost a Vader’s Anger (v) duel, most of my Jedi got lost to drains, and Leia got fingered (despite Tom’s repeated expressed desire to finger Padme).
FL -15
6 (-17)

So I wind up in fifth, middle of the pack – which is about what I’d figured. I won one game with each side, so that was good too. But I still had a blast, and that was the big thing. Jon and I skipped out shortly thereafter to catch another buddy of ours that now live in Fort Collins; we head back to Laramie later and I lend Dillon’s friend Roman a couple of decks for Sunday (Set Your Course CPI and EBO), even though he and Dillon claim they’ll have to leave early to play Dungeons and Dragons.
The Colorado crew makes it to the store Sunday morning in time for us to start about half an hour late, so we’re off to a pretty good start. We have a total of ten players Sunday (compared to eleven on Saturday), so nobody gets a bye this time around.

Wyoming States
Game 1: LS vs Mark’s Mystril
Being the stellar player I am, I leave Luke at the Endor docking bay so Mara can snag him and run back to Coruscant without dealing with the locals; gold star for me. Nobody else came to Endor (except maybe a U-3PO, but that may have been another game). His damage outpaces mine.
FL -19
0 (-19)

Game 2: DS vs Roman’s EBO
Roman is just learning how to play and has a pretty good attitude about the game. He had a pile of space that he was going to play, but I lent him the EBO deck I considered playing instead and walked him through the setup the night before. Unfortunately for him, not only do I know the deck and how it gets going, but I made sure to throw a J’Quille (v) into all my dark decks in case I came up against EBO. He gets EBO set up and gets the Falcon with Captain Han in space before J’Quille brings the party to a lone General Riekaan (v) and overflows him for 17. Riekaan gets snagged with All Wrapped Up (v) and is eventually fed to the Rancor (by walking Greedo on down). He puts up a bit of a fight in space, but it isn’t enough.
FW +36
2 (+17)

Game 3: LS vs Tom’s ISB Star Destroyers
I couldn’t win a single battle and Luke got snagged by EPP Vader. Tom opted not to stick around on Endor and outdrained me in space.
FL -20
2 (-3)

Game 4: DS vs Tom’s QMC
Tom played the same light deck both days, so at least I had an idea of what was coming (particularly in space). He gets a bad starting hand and draws three sites so I get to space early with Bossk in Bus, ZiMH, and Danz (v) in Jabba’s Space Cruiser (v). It had dawned on me in playesting that Danz and BiHT didn’t combo too well, but Tom’s space package cancels and reduces your destinies pretty easily, so Danz turned out to be money. He opted to lose to my Objective rather than come to Tatooine all game. My non-sarcastically brilliant play of the day took place this game. I had Jodo Kast and Boba Fett (v8) together on Cloud City looking at Kebyc and Pucimir. He Path’s Qui-Gon with Lightsaber over and plays SATM on Jodo, leaving a lone Fett looking at a beatdown. He initiates the battle and I Outflank (v) Aurra Sing (v) (wielding Felty’s Rifle (v)) over, play Defensive Fire (v), Mace and play He’s All Yours, Bounty Hunter (v) to add two and capture Qui-Gon. Fett snags Pucimir with Hidden Weapons and Kebyc takes a beating but at least Tom has a Houjix. I clear him off the ground and our space plays tag between Bespin and Nal Hutta.
FW +17
4 (+14)

Game 5: LS vs Jeremy’s V-free walkers
He plays Imperial Decree, so my drains don’t sting too much. Like a champ, I play Qui-Gon with Lightsaber to his one Hoth battleground and he gets barriered with no backup in my hand. He unloads his hand and overflows me for 12, as I don’t have a Houjix. A couple copies of Walker Garrison later, he finishes me off. At least Luke didn’t get taken off Endor this game.
FL -19
4 (-5)

Game 6: DS vs Mark’s DBO
I didn’t take any notes on this one, as it went timed and I had to total everybody’s scores and divvy up prizes. We got off to a slow start. He doesn’t come to Tatooine for most of the game, I think I smacked down on Mon Mothma with some bounty hunters at the V15 site and we played tag on Dantooine. He plays Leia, Rebel Princess in front of my stack of guys at the Audience Chamber, but moves her away after a turn or two when I comment how awesome a Trap Door would be right about then (I’d actually lost both copies by that point, but he didn’t know that). He’s leading by a solid margin when I call time, but I think I may have pulled it out if we’d played it out.
TL -31
4 (-36)

So this time I’m sixth out of ten (really, out of eight), and I’m pretty bummed my Ewoks didn’t do better. But once again, it was a lot of fun and definitely worth the drive and using two days of vacation. We’ll definitely have to do this again next year.

The obligatory Props and Slops:

Props
The fine people at Gryphon’s in Fort Collins and Slackers in Laramie for letting us play for free
Everybody that turned out for either or both events
Hunter and Tom for winning the byes
The calzone orders at Gryphon’s

Slops
The sink at Slackers for being too small to fit my water bottle in
Dungeons and Dragons, specifically the misplaced priorities it can engender

Hump Day Happy Hour - Jenny Owens Young

In honor of the summer temperatures and my spiffy new straw hat, here's a clip from Jenny Owens Young. All of her stuff that I've heard is absolutely beautiful - sometimes tragically and abysmally so - but this cover of a Nelly track always makes me smile.



I got a friend with a pole in the basement,
Regis

Regis and Jon's Excellent Adventure

By the Blessed Virgin Moose, it's been a long weekend, but damn if it wasn't fun. I'll be posting a separate tournament report later (maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow); here's the Reader's Digest version of the trip beyond the tournaments themselves:

Jon was supposed to come to my place around noon on Friday, called at a quarter after saying his departure was eminent, and finally showed up shortly before one. Or, one could say we were on Regis Standard Time. We stopped in Casper, where I enjoyed some Hot Dog on a Stick in front of Jon, who had his wisdom teeth out at the start of the week and could not join in the stick-based deliciousness. We needed to snag some new sleeves (as we were thus far limited to reflective sleeves we had on hand, and reflective sleeves aren't legit in tournament play), so we found Dave's Darts and Billiards and stocked up before continuing on to Laramie. Jon slept a good chunk of the way. After checking in with Slackers, we met up with Dillon and Mara at their place and pretty much ignored everyone else there as we resleeved our decks for Saturday and made some last minute changes. I made a run to Staples to get the new rulebook and forms for Wyoming States printed off and we got to bed before midnight.

The original plan for Saturday had been to leave Laramie around eight, leaving way more time than necessary to reach Fort Collins for the expected 10:30 opening of Gryphons Games and Comics. However, Staples didn't open until nine and I didn't want to have to fly back from Colorado without seeing Benny Boy, so we hit Staples right after it opens and picked my stuff up before venturing south into Greenland.

I'd forgotten how drastic the change on 287 is when you cross the state line - holy smokes. It rained most of the way down, but we pulled into the parking lot pretty damn close to 10:30 only to find the store dark and a small group waiting under the awning. Apparently the owner forgot to come in early, so we introduce ourselves and chat for a bit before deciding to fill out decklists in the car. I'm almost done with the first one when the store opens up.

The tournament was a lot of fun, and as expected I came out in the middle of the pack - not bad for my first constructed tournament in eight years. When it's over, we get ahold of the good sir Ketron and meet him at Mugs; from there we walked to a pub (the name of which escapes me) a few blocks away. I have a Punjabi pale ale and highland cottage pie - very tasty. Jon chats up the waitress to delightful effect as he injects his insulin after dinner. We walk back to my car and give Ben a somewhat poorly mixed CD of "Jawas," a song we recorded in the dorms on my old 4-track (I might put it up here after re-mixing it).

They were apparently drawing Powerball when we hit the gas station, so were were denied lottery tickets. I did, however, nail the amount to prepay - thirty bucks put the fuel gage smack on the full line. Jon plays a recent Hanson CD on the way back to Laramie - it was better than I expected, but that's pretty faint praise. Oh, and it was foggy for most of the drive. Back in Sobotkaville, people are playing Soul Caliber 4 as Jon and I make some tweaks to our decks for Sunday and I go over my spare decks with Roman, who is learning the game and would be borrowing them.

Before hitting Slackers on Sunday, we get some copies of command cards and decklists made at Kinkos. The Colorado crew shows up a little later than I'd hoped (my drive time estimate was to/from the edge of Fort Collins, not the south side), but we manage and earlier start time than the previous day. Turnout for the first round was only one less than Colorado States, but Dillon and Roman bail to play D&D after the second game and leave us with eight. The tourney goes smoothly and everyone has a grand time.

I'd had my hopes up for some green chile at El Conquistador following the tournament, but they were closed - lame. Jon and I settle for Wingers and, following a run to WalMart and bumping into the Black Pope, we hit The Library and meet Corley for a microbrew and Olympic women's gymnastics. Careful attention to ages is paid in an effort to minimize creepiness.

I finally get a quick game with Dillon back at his place, and narrowly win after losing my Reactor Terminal and then drawing up most of my cards trying to find it again (in my defense, it had been a long day at that point). One of my super tech moves was to Trap Door my Greedo to the Rancor Pit where he was eaten, then retrieve him with a used Double Back (courtesy of All Wrapped Up (v)). I then demolish Jon's Skrillings with my Ewoks and we call it a night.

Dillon and Mara were still asleep when we left, so we left them a note thanking them for their hospitality, even if they wouldn't let us sleep in their bed in the event of a bad dream. Jon slept most of the way back. 487 was down to one lane for two stretches, so the drive back to Casper took almost three hours. The last stretch was uneventful and we made it back safe and sound.

It was great to get out of town and see the Laramie gang - I'm already looking forward to doing it again.

Sound the attack,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Darth Maul

In honor of this weekend's pending throwdown (and you'd better believe we'll be bringing the pain), here's a blast from the past of Sheridan-area SW:CCG - The Darth Maul Song. I have no idea who sings this, but it's pretty damn awesome all the same.



He's so powerful and a pleasure to be with,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - Flogging Molly

Bust out the rum, 'cuz it's that time again. Here's a clip of piratical Irish punk: "Seven Deadly Sins" by Flogging Molly. I have a feeling some of you just might identify with this one.



Nothin's unforgiven in the four corners of Hell,
Regis

Death Star Drive-By

Last night, I played my first real game of Star Wars CCG in almost a year. It's an admittedly nerdy pastime I've had since junior high (right after the Hoth expansion set came out), and while I haven't really played all that much since Decipher lost the license at the end of '01, I've generally tried to keep up with new developments in the game and have stepped up to run the first Wyoming State Championship in the better part of a decade later this month (in collaboration with Colorado States the same weekend).

But first, I need to get back into playing the game. Jon Cates, an old buddy and all-around interesting character, came over yesterday for some practice and playtesting. We're both a little rusty, but we managed to get through two games in about two and a half hours - a little slow, but not too bad. Playing Jon is always an experience, as he builds pretty off-the-wall decks that may or may not blow up in his face (like the time he built a deck in my car on the way to a tournament in Billings, using the random cards he happened to bring along). The two decks I played were a reactive mains deck using It Is The Future You See (v) for light and a flipping Set Your Course For Alderaan (that is to say, blow shit up with the Death Star FTW) deck for dark. I managed to pull out wins with both games, largely courtesy of an early Yoda/late Jedi beatdown and a devastating Lateral Damage on Luke in Artoo in Red 5. I've still got a few more decks to try out, including the latest incarnation of my beloved "Ewok You Like A Hurricane" deck.

So if any of this made sense to you and you're in the area, please come down to Colorado States on August 16 in Fort Collins and Wyoming States on the 17 at Slackers in Laramie.

Commence Primary Ignition,
Regis